PSALMS That Point to the MESSIAH A Psalm of Thanksgiving PSALM 118 Layne Lebo November 25, 2018

Transcription

1 PSALMS That Point to the MESSIAH A Psalm of Thanksgiving PSALM 118 Layne Lebo November 25, 2018 We celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday and what do you know, today s Psalm is a Psalm of Thanksgiving. I could tell you I planned it this way, but that wouldn t be true. I selected the Psalms we ve looked at in November because Psalm 22, Psalm 69 and today s Psalm, 118 are the Psalms that point most to Jesus the Messiah. I decided to start with Psalm 22 and preach through them in order. When I began studying Psalm 118 two weeks ago I realized that this psalm has been one of Israel s most prominent Thanksgiving Psalms since it was written 3,000 years ago. Pretty cool, huh? You shouldn t have difficulty doing this word association with Thanksgiving, since the holiday will still be fresh in your mind and in your bellies. What do you think of when you think of Thanksgiving? Turkey and all the trimmings Time with family and friends Pilgrims and Indians celebrating in the New World Football Christmas tree Now, what I m going to say next isn t real profound but above all else, Thanksgiving is a time when we give thanks. Last Sunday when Steve Musser was preaching on Psalm 69, I had an epiphany. Our celebration of Thanksgiving usually differs significantly from the way God s people, the Israelites, gave thanks throughout their history. At Thanksgiving we thank God for all his blessings: family, friends, good health, material prosperity, good jobs, etc. But the Israelites thanksgiving was praise they lifted up to God for delivering them from hardship and suffering. They weren t just thanking God for all his blessings in a vacuum; they were specifically thanking Him for his deliverance. And that s where I think too often our giving thanks falls short. Many of you recognize the picture of the guy behind me. Steve Myers (BigN or Big Steve as he was known by many) was instrumental in helping start McBIC s recovery ministry, At The 1

2 Cross Recovery. Tragically, Steve died in a motorcycle crash 3 years ago this month. During his time at McBIC Steve and I developed a strong friendship in spite of his love for the Philadelphia Eagles. I learned as much about God s grace from Steve as I have from anyone else in my life. At Steve s invitation, I attended the Narcotics Anonymous meeting where he gave his testimony after being clean for 5 years. Steve and I hung out together and I watched how he interacted with others caught in the web of addiction. We had chances to minister together at McBIC and at other places and I watched this guy counsel and pray with people. At one point we took a 3-day trip to South Carolina to visit several recovery ministries to see what we could learn for McBIC. Steve and I were open with each other about our own struggles to be the men God created us to be. Steve helped me understand in a fresh way how blessed I was to be raised in the environment I had been raised in and to be spared of so much hurt and pain and he helped me understand more fully God s grace when we inevitably mess up. Steve reinforced for me that God s love isn t based on my performance and adhering to a check list of do s and don ts; his love for me is unconditional. Steve taught me a lot about grace. Understanding grace and celebrating Thanksgiving have a lot in common. I m convinced and the Psalmist and the Israelites would agree with this we can only truly give thanks when we ve experienced God s deliverance in difficulty and suffering. When I was talking with Pastor John King as I was fleshing out this concept, he said, Have you noticed at our baptism services how expressive people who ve experienced the pain and hardship of addiction are when they experience God s grace through his son, Jesus? John is right people in recovery are often outwardly excited about what God has done for them. Jesus pointed out this same reality in Luke s Gospel chapter 7 where we read the account of a sinful woman coming and anointing Jesus feet at a Pharisee s house. She entered the hope uninvited and proceeded to unashamedly poured oil on his feet as she wept over him and then dried his feet with her hair. The host, Simon the Pharisee, was indignant and he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is that she is a sinner. Jesus had this unnerving practice of answering people when they thought something or spoke to themselves. And He did it in this case. He told Simon a short parable in which one person owed a moneylender 500 pieces of silver and 2

3 another owed 50 pieces of silver. Both were forgiven of their debt. Jesus asked, Now Simon, which of them will love him more? In other words, who would be the most thankful? Jesus went on to point out to Simon that the woman who anointed his feet loved greatly and exuberantly, because she had been forgiven of so much. While, Simon, who thought he had it all together, didn t see his need for forgiveness and therefore, wasn t very thankful. Jesus point was that we can only truly be thankful people when we ve experienced God s blessing and deliverance. Now, let s turn our focus to Psalm 118 I d like us to read the first 4 verses of this psalm as a responsive reading, and I ve taken the liberty of adding a line to it. I d like you to read aloud with me the parts of this Psalm that are in bold Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: His love endures forever. Let the house of Aaron say: His love endures forever. Let the church family at McBIC say: His love endures forever. Let those who fear the LORD say: His love endures forever. Psalm 118:1-4 Before we dive into the rest of this Psalm, I want to give you a bit of context for it. Psalm 118 is the last of 6 Psalms that are known as Egyptian Hall el psalms. Psalms were Psalms the Israelites sung or recited in remembrance of God s deliverance of their people from the Pharaoh and Egypt and from many other nations as they travelled across the desert into the Promised Land. Can you see them remembering their deliverance from Egypt and from the desert nations in these statements: When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. v. 5 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. Vv. 11 & 12 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous. v. 15 The Egyptian Hall el Psalms were part of Jewish celebrations like Pentecost, the Feast of Dedication and Hanukah. Psalm are thanksgiving psalms which the people of Israel sang as thanksgiving to God for his redemptive deliverance from Egyptian bondage. They remembered and rejoiced over the Exodus. Israel also sang them in anticipation of the Messiah. In that way these Psalms are fitting Psalms for us to sing during Advent the 4 Sundays before 3

4 Christmas when we thank God for his coming as a baby (the word Advent means coming) and look forward with anticipation for his return as our coming king. The Egyptian Hall el psalms were especially prominent in Israel s most important festival the Passover. As followers of Jesus we associate Passover with Easter and rightly so, because it s closely connected. Passover is the Jewish celebration of the angel of death passing over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt where the doorframe was marked with the blood of a sacrificed lamb. Meanwhile, the first born sons and cattle of all the Egyptians were killed. The Passover foreshadowed Jesus coming as our sacrificial lamb Jesus, the perfect, sinless, Son of God, suffered and died on the cross for your sins and my sins, so that we might not only be spared, but might have the opportunity to have our relationship with God be restored through Jesus Christ. During Passover Jews celebrated God s deliverance from Egypt and they anticipated with hope the final deliverance of God s people. The Egyptian Hall el psalms were chanted in the temple while the Passover lambs were being slain and this Psalm was repeated in individual homes as families celebrated the Passover. In Matthew s and Mark s Gospels we read these words after the account of Jesus and the disciples eating the Last Supper: When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 The common practice for Jews was to sing Psalms 113 & 114 before the Passover meal and Psalms after the meal. In all likelihood, the hymn Jesus and the disciples sung was one of the Egyptian Hall el psalms and it may well have been Psalm 118. With that background in mind, I ll continue reading Psalm 118 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them down. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. 4

5 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: The LORD s right hand has done mighty things! The LORD s right hand is lifted high; the LORD s right hand has done mighty things! I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. Psalm 118:5-21 These words may have been written by David or by a representative of the community for a time of national thanksgiving. A modern parallel for us would be ceremonies and parades that took place across our country celebrating the defeat of the Nazis and the end of WW II. And the remaining verses have the feel of choral response from the crowd, like we see in Greek plays. Pay special attention to these words. They ll be familiar to some of you The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:22-29 Do you recognize any words or phrases from those verses that appear in our New Testament? In Acts chapter 4, just after the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given to followers of Jesus, Peter and John had been arrested for healing a crippled man in the name of Jesus. As they re gave their defense before the Jewish ruling body, the Sanhedrin, Peter said, Know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but who God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone. When Peter wanted to describe who Jesus is and what the Jewish leaders had done to Him, he reached back to Psalm 118. And in Matthew s account of what we know today as Palm Sunday we read this The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him 5

6 and those that followed shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! Matthew 21:6-9 As Jesus and his disciples entered Jerusalem on what we now know as Palm Sunday, Jesus and the crowds were reenacting the words of the Psalmist from Psalm 118 verses 26 & 27. Psalm 118 has strong Messianic overtones that dovetails with our celebration of Advent thanking God for his past deliverance and looking forward to his coming deliverance and blessing. And it s a psalm filled with powerful truth for us today. I don t know your circumstances your past history or what you re currently walking through, and I certainly have no idea what you future holds. But I know this. There is a God who loves you deeply and who wants nothing more than to walk in relationship with you. He loved you and me so much that He sent his Son, Jesus, to live on this earth as a human being, to suffer die for our sins, and then to be raised to life, so that we might have the privilege of being in relationship with our Heavenly Father. You may or may not be aware of it, but He has delivered you from hardship in the past. All of us, whether we know God or not, have been recipients of his grace and mercy, but the longing of his heart is that we would enter a relationship with Him, that we might experience his love, grace and mercy in our lives all of the time. My hope for each of us today is that we ll engage in thanksgiving to God. Not a cheap thanksgiving that simply says, God is great, God is good, I thank him for all his blessings to me. But a thanksgiving that flows out of our experience of God s goodness and deliverance in the hardest moments of life and a thanksgiving that looks ahead with the hope and confidence that whatever the future holds God will be with me, He ll care for me and He will deliver me. Let s declare these words of Thanksgiving aloud today. We ll read the bold parts together Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: His love endures forever. Let the house of Aaron say: His love endures forever. Let the church family at McBIC say: His love endures forever. Let those who fear the LORD say: His love endures forever. You are my God and I will praise you; you are my God and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1-4; 28 & 29 6