The God Worthy of Our Blessing | Psalm 103:1-22 | Richard Caldwell

Scripture

• Psalms 103:1–22

About this sermon

Introduction: The people of God live our lives out of our KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. Every day, in every circumstance, through every joy and through every trial, our LIFE IS GOD HIMSELF. And we know God in and through His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. To LIVE IS CHRIST. Our knowledge of God is informed by all the Scriptures but has been personally formed through our belief in the gospel. To know that name is to live a life of PEACE. To know that name is to live a life of TRUST. To know that name is to live a life with the confidence that you will NEVER BE FORSAKEN. ESV Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. To know God is to know that you are blessed beyond imagination, and that the God who has saved you, made you His own by His own mercy and grace, is INFINITELY worthy of YOUR PRAISE. To know God is to live a life of BLESSING HIS NAME and BEING THANKFUL IN YOUR HEART. David knew this. And in Psalm 139, David celebrates this. The question I want you to consider as we begin this morning is whether YOU know this? Do you know the living God through faith in Christ? Do you know His peace, the confidence of your safety regardless of circumstances, because YOU KNOW HIS NAME? Do you know a life of recognizing His blessings to you so that you live a life of BLESSING HIS NAME and BEING THANKFUL FOR HIS MERCIES? Are you a person filled with praise and filled with thanksgiving? This morning, we celebrate the life we have been given in Christ as we celebrate the God who is worthy of our praises. We will examine this Psalm under four headings. I. A PERSONAL CALL TO BLESS THE LORD (vs.1-2) David begins this Psalm at the point of personal praise. It is praise that exists as a matter of personal commitment. It is VOLITIONAL. It is DECISIONAL. David calls upon himself to give to God what is God is due. It is praise that exists as a matter of genuine commitment. This is not a call to go through the motions of praise, but to praise God from the heart. “ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME!” It is praise that exists as matter of knowledgeable commitment. It is God’s HOLY NAME that is reason for David’s personal praise. It is praise that exists as a matter of reflective commitment. The praise flows from gratefulness. The praise flows from alert memories. It is praise that desires to be mindful of EVERYTHING that God has done for David. David is preaching to himself, but in a way that accords with the TRUTH. He is calling upon himself to remember and to recount the TRUTH of who God is and what God has done. Willem VanGemeren — “Praise is the response of awe for God while reflecting on what the Lord has done for the people of God throughout the history of redemption, for creation at large, for the community, and for oneself.” II. A CALL TO REMEMBER HIS BLESSINGS (vs.3-5) So, David begins to RESPOND to his own call. He gives examples of how this personal call to praise should function in a believer’s life. A. OUR LIFE IS A FORGIVEN LIFE (vs.3a) B. OUR LIFE IS A BLESSED LIFE (vs.3b) It seems that the reference to diseases (in this context) speaks of more than just health, it speaks of the results of real forgiveness of sins. It is metaphorical for all that God does in the way of restoring us and giving us less than our sins deserve because He is merciful to us. ESV Study Bible — “Heals often refers to curing someone from a physical sickness, but it can also be used as a metaphor for restoring the moral and spiritual life (e.g., Isa. 6:10; 53:5; Jer. 3:22; Hos. 14:4). Since it is in parallel with forgives, the metaphorical use may be intended here. Thus iniquity is like diseases, which weaken and corrupt; it is God’s mercy that takes them away. These sentiments reflect David’s own experience of God’s forgiveness (cf. 2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51).”

Topics

• Bible Study
• Christian Living
• Blessing & Favor