Sermon Tone Analysis
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Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible.
But event though it is short, it is one of the most powerful!
It’s amazing how God can use the smallest phrase to cut through our walls and speak to our hearts.
This Psalm, though small contains a great amount of teaching.
Charles Spurgeon in his Treasury of David cited a writer who found five profound doctrines in this chapter:
The calling of the Gentiles
A Summary of the gospel
The end and goal of such blessing,
the duties of God’s people
and their privileges.
Martin Luther devoted 36 pages to this Psalm, placing it in four categories:
prophecy (the Gentiles will participate in gospel blessings)
revelation (the kingdom of Christ is not earthly and temporal but rather heavenly and eternal.)
instruction (we are saved by faith alone and not by works, wisdom or holiness.)
admonition (we should praise God for such a great salvation)
Let’s take a look at this Psalm this evening.
Notice with me four aspects of God’s love in this Psalm.
I. God’s Love is All-Encompassing
Immediately, right off the bat, the psalmist calls upon all nations and all people to praise God.
The word translated nations is the Hebrew word goyim, often translated as Gentiles.
Although it does not directly mean gentiles.
It has been used for Israel itself.
It more directly describes people groups.
The word peoples describes the wide diversity found in national and ethnic groupings.
Used together it is describing all people everywhere.
This shows our inclusiveness in Christ.
All people everywhere have the opportunity to call upon God for salvation, and therefore should praise Him!
We tend to see only within the confines of these church walls, but God calls us to reach out to all people and all nations with the Gospel.
This was true for the Jews in the first century as well.
From the very beginning God taught that the gospel was for all people, He told Abraham
The Jewish Christians of the first century had forgotten that, and I am afraid the Christians of the 21st century have forgotten this as well.
The Jews were willing for the Gentiles to become Jews, as long as they didn’t mess things up, or change anything.
Paul fought this battle at the first church council.
He argued that Gentile believers had been accepted by God even though they were not circumcised and did not keep the Law.
Modern Christians have been guilty of this very same thing.
If they do not believe every point on our Statement of Faith, then they cannot possibly be a real Christian.
If they do not worship the way we worship, then are the really Christians?
Don’t get me wrong, I have my preferences for worship style, and there are some convictions in there as well, but it doesn’t mean we cannot recognize them as a Brother or Sister in Christ.
The Psalmist, through the divine leading of the Holy Spirit says all ye nations, and all ye people are called to praise Him.
Paul sites Psalm 117:1 near the end of a very significant section of Romans (Rom 14-15:13)
This is the section dealing with the stronger christian’s dealing with the weaker brother.
As Paul often would, he ends the section by citing proofs from the Old Testament.
In Romans 15:11 he says,
So twice the Holy Spirit uses these words to tell us that the gospel has been extended to all people.
Paul is foreseeing an objection from the Jewish Christians,
He is saying is there any advantage to being a Jew, if the gentiles get it too?
He answers their question, Absolutely!
They were entrusted with the very Words of God.
God came and spake through the Jews and revealed himself to a world that would otherwise never know Him!
Without the Jews, the rest of the world would be in darkness still...
But because God came to the Jews and revealed himself, the doors have been opened for us to see the light.
Throughout Romans 15 Paul hammers this point home!
Secondly let’s notice that
II.
God’s Love is Great
v. 2
The reason the Gentiles (and Jews) are called on to praise God is God’s love.
The word translated kindness in the King James Version, does literally mean kindness, but it goes further than just a kind dead.
It is kindness rooted in love - often translated lovingkindness.
His kindness is rooted in love, so because his kindness is great toward us, His love is great toward us.
It is amazing how the Psalms emphasize God’s love so much more the further in we get.
I think it was probably because it was the attribute of God that was foremost in the minds of the remnant that returned to Israel after humbly receiving their chastisement.
It was God’s great lovingkindness that preserved them in spite of their sin.
If they were aware of it, how much more should we be aware, we have come to know about the love of God through experience.
John 3:16 is such a powerful verse, it is no wonder that it is the most loved, memorized and quoted verse in the Bible.
John 3:16 was the verse by which D. L. Moody, the famous evangelist, learned the greatness of God’s love.
Moody traveled to England early in his ministry and met a young English preacher named Henry Moorhouse, who later pioneered Christian social service work in London’s poorer areas.
One day Moorhouse told Moody, “I’m thinking of going to America.”
Moody said, “Well, if you should ever get to Chicago, come to my church and I’ll give you a chance to preach.”
Moody was only being polite when he said this, because he had not heard Moorhouse and didn’t know what he might say.
He put the matter out of his mind, thinking that Moorhouse would probably never get as far west as Chicago.
Sometime after Moody had gone back to America, he received a telegram that said, “Have arrived in New York.
Will be in Chicago Sunday.”
Moody didn’t know what to do, especially since he was scheduled to be away that weekend.
Finally he told the leaders of the church, “I think we should let him preach once.
Put him on; then, if the people enjoy him, let him preach again.”
Moody was gone for a week following that Sunday, and when he got back he asked his wife, “How did the young preacher do?”
“He’s a better preacher than you are,” she said.
“He’s telling sinners that God loves them.”
“That’s not right,” Moody replied.
“God doesn’t love sinners.”
He had not yet learned very much about the love of God.
“Well, if you don’t think so, go and hear him.”
“What?” said Moody.
“Do you mean to tell me he is still here, that he is still preaching?”
“Yes, he has been preaching all week, and he has only had one verse for a text.
It is John 3:16.”
Moody went to the meeting.
Moorhouse began by saying, “I have been hunting for a text all day, and I have not been able to find a better one than John 3:16.
So I think I will just talk about it once more.”
He began to preach, and afterward Moody testified that on that night he received his first clear understanding of the gospel of grace and the greatness of God’s love.
Not only is God’s love great, but also there is nothing greater in all the world.
Thirdly let’s see that
III.
God’s Love is Powerful
The word “great” can definitely be used as we just have, something that is large, remarkable or superior.
But it is also good to note that the Hebrew word has the sense of someone or something having prevailed over something else.
For example, it is used of the stronger side in battle,
“prevailed” - is the same word gabar - great, stronger, victorious over.
The same word is used in Psalm 65:3 to describe our sins.
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