Remembering the Benefits of the LORD

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Introduction

In light of the upcoming Holiday, I wanted to preach a message encompassing the topic of thanksgiving.
In the first few verses of Psalm 103, David presents what I see as two ‘calls to action’. Mind you, we’re reading this Psalm as it’s given unto us, but recognize that David is essentially speaking to himself first and foremost. We see that He says ‘my soul’ and ‘all that is within me’
He’s giving this call to action to himself - but it’s for a purpose… for when we get to the end of this chapter, we see that now he’s calling others to do the same (v20-22)
The simple principle in this is that you can’t give someone else what you don’t have. And so as we look at this message here today, I encourage you to make these calls PERSONAL - just as David did, so that you can exhort others to do the same.
The first call that we see David making is found in v1-2a, and it’s a Call for Adoration

I. A Call for Adoration (v1-2a)

Bless (def-st) to bless God (as an act of adoration); (w1828) To praise, to glorify; to magnify
So when we are speaking about David’s pronounced ‘blessings’ unto the LORD, what we are speaking about is ‘an act of adoration’; that David is ‘praising’ the LORD; ‘glorifying’ the LORD; and ‘magnifying the LORD’ - from the place of ADORING the LORD.
Church, us Christians should adore the LORD. The Psalmist began Ps. 116:1 “I love the Lord, because he hath heard My voice and my supplications.”. Let me ask you this: When is the last time that you just stated unto the God in Heaven ‘I love you, LORD’!
As we consider David here as he is beginning this Psalm, ‘acting in adoration’ to praise, glorify & magnify his God we can glean a few things.
We see first, he is offering Continuous Adoration
Continuous Adoration
3 times in 2 verses David saying ‘Bless the LORD’; ‘bless His Holy Name’; ‘Bless the LORD
David wasn’t satisfied with simply saying it once. Nor twice. But David continuously desired to praise, glorify & magnify the LORD! And as we look through Scripture, we can see where David did so time & again:
Ps. 34:1-3 “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt his name together.”
1Ch. 29:10-12 “Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.”
Even in the hard times, David magnified the LORD:
(When fled from Absalom) Ps. 3:1-4 “Lord, How are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; My glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, And he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.”
(When his child died) 2Sa. 12:20 “Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.”
David’s life by & large was one of continuous praise & magnification of the LORD! - Which is the way it should be for you and I.
God is not good SOME of the time, God is good ALL the time, and all the time, GOD IS GOOD!
We had ought to keep that ‘attitude of gratitude’ morning, noon & night, for God is good!
We ought to praise God in the good times, and praise Him in the bad times, for God is good!
We should magnify Him in the lean times, for He can bring prosperity, and magnify Him in the times of plenty, for it’s by His Hand whereby we’ve recieved it - for God is good!
Our Adoration of the LORD should be CONTINUOUS. Next we see the Call to be ‘Complete’ as well
Complete Adoration
All that is within me, bless His Holy name’
Concerning David, not only do we see Continual Adoration, but Complete Adoration. David didn’t just desire to give God part of himself, he desired to give God is WHOLE-self.
Ps. 86:12 “I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: And I will glorify thy name for evermore.”
Ps. 111:1 “Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
We need some David’s today! We need some who will just sell out to God! We need some who will stand up and say ‘Here am I, LORD! - Everything I have, everything I am, everything I give unto you! Take my life, LORD!
God deserves more than a piece of you. God deserves more than the scraps that fall from the table. God deserved ALL of you!
We talk about the aspects of man that he has to give. Your Time, Talents & Treasures.
We all have limited Time that we have to spend
We all have Talents - God given attributes & abilities
We all have Treasures - The dollars in your pockets
And we all have the choice of how we spend those things. And so many of us want to take all these things that the LORD has given us and hang on to all we can - and then divi out a little here and there to the LORD (Ill. ‘If all goes right LORD, I can give you 5 minutes before I head off to work tomorrow…, God, you know I want to tithe, but I do have that cable bill coming up & you KNOW how I get if I don’t have my morning starbucks coffee… ‘God I thank you for giving me this great job, but you know the demands of it, I can’t possibly serve at this church…)
I There’s a difference between Complete Adoration - choosing to give God all of yourself to magnify & glorify and partial. Whenever you are partially invested in Christ, we struggle as to what and how much of these things to give to Him. When we are completely invested in Christ, we have no problem showing up to every service each week. We have no problem serving in whatever capacity He asks, and we have no problem giving to Him sacrificially instead of superficially - and that is what we’re talking about here.
Not only Complete Adoration - but Consecrated Adoration
Consecrated Adoration
‘O my soul’
David is calling on himself to have a deep relationship with the LORD.
Everyone here has various types of relationships with people.
We have relationships that are superficial - and I don’t mean that in a bad way, I’m simply saying that these relationships are not necessarily deep. We talk about the weather and things of that nature. Then we have other relationships where we pour our hearts out. We share intimate things.
Of all our relationships, we should not have a superficial relationship with the LORD.
We should pour out our hearts unto the LORD
We should have no problem claiming & proclaiming the name of Jesus
We should seek to spend time with Jesus
We should have a consecrated Adoration for the LORD!
So in v1-2a, we see David’s Call for Adoration. Secondly, we see a Call for Reflection

II. A Call for Reflection (v2b)

Reflect on… - in other words, remember WHY He’s WORTHY of our adoration!
Now that we’ve looked at the ‘WHAT’, we need to reflect on the ‘WHY’
And the first ‘benefit’ that I want to look at is of course the Benefit of Salvation
The Benefit of Salvation (v3a)
Ps. 103:3a “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;”
I don’t know where you stand today regarding your eternal soul, but I know this: If you have not salvation, you have nothing.
(Ill.) My wife & I were talking this week and we began speaking of a man that was influence upon us when we were young (Jani Lane). This man had money, he had fame, he had looks, he had anything & everything this world had to offer - and none of that satisfied him. He turned to alcohol to try and fill the emptiness that never subsided. Ultimately, he was found dead at 47 years old of alcohol poisoning at a cheap motel in Hollywood. When recounting the story of his death, the LORD brought to mind the Scripture found in Mat. 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
I want you to know something: I know that my sins have been forgiven and when I die, I’m going to Heaven!
I have Surety, because God said I can know (1Jn. 5:11-13)
1Jn. 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
So many are ‘hoping’ they get to Heaven. They WANT to get there, they DESIRE to get there - but I don’t just WANT to or DESIRE to, I KNOW THAT WHEN I LEAVE THIS EARTH, HEAVEN WILL BE MY HOME! And the reason that I can KNOW is because it’s based on what Jesus did.
I have Surety, because it’s based on God’s Grace (Eph. 2:8-9)
Eph. 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
‘NOT OF WORKS’ - that means you can’t earn it by your deeds - guess what? That means you can’t LOSE it by your deeds either!
It’s by God’s Grace - not by Works!
You can feed the hungry, clothe the poor & help the hurting - and it still won’t get you to Heaven!
It’s by God’s Grace - not by Water!
You can be dunked in every water by every preacher - and it still won’t get you to Heaven!
It’s by God’s Grace - not by Worship!
You can praise God in truth and ignorance - and it still won’t get you to Heaven, just as the Athenians
Salvation is a GIFT BY GRACE - and it’s only obtained ONE WAY
I have Surety, because I put my faith in what Jesus did (Joh. 3:16; 36)
Joh. 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Joh. 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
21 years ago, I came to the understanding that I was a sinner in the eyes of God. I understood that the Bible says: Heb. 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” But someone told me of this man named Jesus! Someone shared that even though I was a sinner, God loved me, and Jesus went to the cross to pay for my sin debt, and that if I would ‘believe on the LORD Jesus’ I could be saved!
I placed my faith in the LORD 21 years ago, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Not only has it kept my soul from Hell, but God offers many benefits! Next, we see the benefit of Restoration
The Benefit of Restoration (v3b)
Ps. 103:3b “...Who healeth all thy diseases;”
Now you certainly apply this in the physical sense or literal diseases, but I want to look at it more symbolically today.
When we consider a ‘disease’ we think of something that eats away at something - and that’s exactly what sin does! Sin eats away and destroys:
Your Person
Your Purpose
Your Priorities
Your Possibilities
But I’m glad that one of the benefits of the LORD is that He ‘healeth all diseases’.
Jesus not only heals us from the Penalty of sin, but from the Power of sin as well!
(Ill.) Since I’ve been saved, God has been ‘cleaning me up’. This is the tragic misunderstanding of how Salvation works - You don’t clean up then come to God, you come to God and HE cleans you up!
He can break the chains of addictions.
He can anoint the eyes so that they see what is truth
He can touch that tongue and take it from cursings to blessings
He can do just as David asked: Ps. 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.”
I’m not yet what I’m going to be, but thank God I’m not what I used to be!
There’s a benefit of Restoration
The Benefit of Direction (v4a)
Ps. 103:4a “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;”
Prior to knowing the LORD as my Saviour, I was like so many souls today - just kind of floating along. I had a life, a wife and a little girl. I lived - but I wasn’t living.
There’s a saying that goes something like this: ‘Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away’ - what a nice little catchy, feel-good saying. However, I submit to you that it’s not about the number of breaths we take - nor is it about the number that take our breath away. I believe it’s MEASURED IN WHAT YOU DO WITH THE BREATHS YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN!
Before I knew the LORD, I had no direction. I wanted like everyone ‘To have a good life’, but what does that mean? Good for who?
When I met God, God gave me a PURPOSE! My life would have been wasted had it not been for the LORD giving me direction! Showing me that there IS meaning to life! There is such a thing as making your life count! I know that God has a purpose for me! I can KNOW my purpose & can FULFILL my purpose! I don’t have to wonder through life, I can make my life count for something! What a benefit!
The benefit of direction
The Benefit of Protection (vb)
Ps. 103:4 “...Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;”
Crowneth (def) to encircle; to compass
Let me tell you of a Benefit that David relied on and I think is lost on so many people today - and that Christians are compassed about with ‘His lovingkindness & tender mercies’; God has a hedge about you!
Satan lamented this fact in the book of Job speaking of that Godly man in Job 1:8-10 “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”
Nothing Can Touch Me
Nothing can touch me, though life’s billow’s may roll
Nothing can touch me, for He’s still in control
Nothing can touch me, unless He says it can
For nothing can touch me, that doesn’t pass through His hands
There is no sickness that can touch me
There is no infirmity that can touch me
There is no malady that can touch me
There is no virus that can touch me
There is no trial that can touch me
My God is in control - and if there is a sickness or a trial that comes my way, I KNOW THAT HE’S GOT IT UNDER CONTROL AND HE’LL EITHER:
SHELTER ME THROUGH IT
STRENGTHEN ME THROUGH IT
OR TAKE ME ON TO GLORY!
I thank God that I don’t need to spend a moment of worry on this life!
We have the Benefit of Protection
The Benefit of Satisfaction (v5)
Ps. 103:5 “Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
I don’t know about you, but I’ll say this: I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone’s - past or present. I live a life of satisfaction.
Notice I did not say ‘perfection’ - I don’t have a perfect life, and neither do you… and we won’t this side of glory. But I do live satisfied. God has given me:
The assurance of my salvation (1Jn. 5:13)
He’s removed my sins (Ps. 103:12)
He provides a rest from the burdens of life (Mat. 8:28-30)
He Promises a shelter in times of trouble (Ps. 27:5)
He is a very present help in trouble (Ps. 46:1)
He has given His Word to guide me (Ps. 119:105)
He’s gone to prepare my forever home (Joh. 14:1-3)
And I’m so thankful that He’s given me my wife & family, this position - but the reason I didn’t list those is because you don’t have to have those things in order to live a life of satisfaction! You can have satisfaction resting in the Promises, the Power & the Presence of God almighty - and every soul can have just that!

Conclusion

Ps. 103:2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:”
It’ll do us good to remember how good God really is!
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