Sermon Tone Analysis

Pre-Introduction:

You’re enjoying the Services of the First Baptist Church of Westminster.

This is the Co-Pastor bringing the Sunday Evening message entitled “Rhapsody of Compassionate Mercy.”

We invite you to follow along with us in your Bible in the Book of Psalms, Psalm 103.

Introduction:

[Start Low]

A. Get Attention - Striking Statement:

PRAISE, MY SOUL, THE KING OF HEAVEN

Henry F. Lyte, 1793–1847

Praise the Lord, all His works everywhere in His dominion.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.

(Psalm 103:22)

The Christian life that is joyless is a discredit to God and a disgrace to itself.

—Maltbie D. Babcock

A life of praise and an inner joy and contentment are interwoven—they are complements of each other.

Such a life is the result of being absorbed with God.

For such an individual the pursuit of God’s glory, the Lordship of Christ, and the worship and praise of our Creator-redeemer become a natural way of living.

To this person the blessings of God never become commonplace.

. .

.Although Henry Lyte, the author of this hymn text, experienced many difficulties in life, including a frail body, this hymn helps us realize that we as believers can rise above our problems and lift voices of praise in spite of any circumstances.

The text is a summary of the psalmist’s admonition in Psalm 103 to praise and to remember all of the good things about God.

It first appeared in Lyte’s collection of new paraphrases of the Psalms, published in 1834.

Interestingly, the hymn has the distinction of being the requested processional for the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, exactly 100 years after author Henry Lyte’s death.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven; to His feet thy tribute bring; ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, evermore His praises sing: Alleluia!

Praise the Everlasting king!

Father-like, He tends and spares us, well our feeble frame He knows; in His hands He gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes: Alleluia!

Widely yet His mercy flows!

Angels in the height, adore Him; ye behold Him face to face; Sun and moon, bow down before Him, dwellers all in time and space: Alleluia!

Praise with us the God of grace!

. . .

Remember—A cheerful word of praise and encouragement will mean more to those with whom we live than acres of flowers we may give when they are gone.

Carry this song of triumph with you.

[Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1996), 332.]

Weiser has called this psalm “one of the finest blossoms on the tree of biblical faith.” . . .

“The praise of heaven is the tuning fork for our earthly praise.

The brevity of human life is painted in relief against God’s eternity.

God’s love is the reason for his works.”

~ C. Hassell Bullock

However, we can easily become deaf to its music if we do not engage our soul to act on God’s compassion.

B. Raise Need - Illustration:

Forgetting God’s “benefits” puts you on the fast track in failing to “fear” Him, which in turn leads to failure to hear and heed His Word, which consummates in your missing out on His everlasting mercy.

He is the King of the Universe, you are at His mercy, never forget who He is, and what He has and will yet do for them that love and obey His Word.

C. State Purpose-

Doctrinal/Devotional - I want my hearer to personally, actively guard against forgetting ALL of God’s compassionate “benefits” so they will remain motivated to “bless His holy name” by hearing and heeding His Word along with the rest of His obedient creation.

D. Orient Theme-

David invites “all that is within me” to bless the LORD: On a Personal Level because of all of His “benefits” (Ps.

103:1-7); On a Corporate/National Level because of He “pitieth” them that fear Him (Ps.

103:8-14); On a Universal Level because of His “Everlasting Mercy” in light of His Transcendent Sovereignty (Ps.

103:15-22).

Main Thought:

Personally and actively guarding against the tendency to forget the Lord’s “benefits”: (1) Keeps you in a place to continue to receive His compassionate mercy personally; (2) While making a difference in the lives of others corporately because you fear Him and keep His Words in your daily walk with Him; (3) And leads you to join the great choir of angels and the hosts of His heavenly servants who praises Him by hearing, heeding, and honoring His Kingship in your life.

Sub-introduction:

Psalm 103 is the first of four songs of praise that form the conclusion to Book 4. It is appropriate for the book that celebrates the kingship of the Lord to come to a close on such a high note of praise.

Two invitations to praise the Lord (103:1–2 and 103:20–22) surround the central section of the poem (103:3–19), which contains the praise called for in the introduction and conclusion.

The central section shares with Psalm 102 the alternating perspectives of the individual (103:3–5) and the community (103:6–19).

The good things the Lord does for the individual are celebrated in the context of the good things God does for the community as a whole.

[Futato, CBC]

“Even though people are sinful and frail, when they remember the mercies of the LORD toward them they renew their hope in his covenant love and their commitment to praise and serve him faithfully.”

~ Allen P. Ross

“In the galaxy of the Psalter these are [fraternal] twin stars of the first magnitude."

~Kidner, of Psalms 103-104.

Campbell Morgan said that Psalm 103 was perhaps the most perfect psalm of pure praise to be found in the Bible; Charles Spurgeon said, “It is one of those all-comprehending Scriptures which is a Bible in itself, and it might alone almost suffice for the hymnbook of the church.”

In 1 Samuel 23:16, David was in deep trouble.

Several disasters had befallen him, and he was distraught.

His friend Jonathan came and “strengthened his hand in the Lord.”

Later, in 1 Samuel 30, David again found himself in terrible distress.

This time Jonathan was unable to come, and there was no one to encourage him.

First Samuel 30:6 says, “David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”

This is an important technique to learn.

Sometimes there’s no one around us to uplift us, and we must learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord.

We must learn to give ourselves pep-talks, to talk ourselves out of depression and despair.

That is what Psalm 103:1 teaches us.

[NAPS, 2003]

Body:

I.

Your Personal Invitation to Bless the Lord for All His Benefits (Ps.

103:1-7).

[Go Slow]

A. Is Your “All that is within me” Moved by All His Personal Benefits?

(Ps.

103:1-5)

Stanza First: David’s Individual Personal Invitation to Bless Jehovah for All His “Benefits” (Ps.

103:1-7).

(Note the singular pronouns)

Seven We come now to the great number of spiritual perfection.

A number which, therefore, occupies so large a place in the works, and especially in the Word of God as being inspired by the Holy Spirit. . . .

As a number the actual word and number “SEVEN” is used as no other number is.

Seven and its compounds occur in multiples of seven in the Old Testament. . . .

It is, however, when we come to consider its significance that the true glories of its spiritual perfection are revealed.

We have just seen that six is the number which is stamped upon all things human, as being emphatically the number of man.

Let us first observe the use of the two numbers.

Six and Seven Together

as combining and contrasting what is human and what is spiritual.

[Bullinger, Number in Scripture]

Bless Him from Thy Innermost & Forget Not Thy Personal “Benefits” from Jehovah (Psalm 103:1-5):

1. David’s Personal Invitation to His Soul (Ps.

103:1-2).

Verse 1.—“Bless his holy name.”

The name of God frequently signifies his nature and attributes, in Scripture.

Now, holiness is the glory of this name; the purity of God is that which beautifies all his perfections, and renders them worthy to be praised.

His eternity, and knowledge, and power, without justice, and goodness, and truth, might indeed frighten and confound us; but could not inflame our love, or engage us to hearty blessing.

But when infinite mightiness, and unerring wisdom, and eternal dominion, are mixed with unchangeable love, and inviolable veracity and goodness, which exalts itself above all his works; when thus it becomes a holy name, then the divine perfections are rendered truly amiable, and suitable objects of our hope and confidence and loudest songs; so that you see how elegantly the Psalmist upon this occasion mentions the purity of God: “Bless his holy name.”

[Spurgeon, ToD]

BEN´EFIT, n. [Primarily from L. beneficium, or benefactum; but perhaps directly from the Fr.

bienfait, by corruption.]

1.An act of kindness; a favor conferred.

~ ADEL, Webster’s 1828