1 Psalm 103 Why worship 28 th January 2018 am Hill and Arcadia Song writer and singer, Matt Redman, is responsible for the song 10 0000 reasons. Listen to some of the lyrics The sun comes up It s a new day dawning It s time to sing this song again Whatever my pass and whatever lies before me Let me be singing when the evening comes Matt Redman is serious about worshipping God throughout all the experiences of life An on that day when my strength is failing The end draws near and my time has come Still my soul will sing your praise unending Ten thousand years and then forever more The content of Ten thousand reasons is not original to Matt Redman. He was inspired by a song this song Psalm 103 that David wrote hundreds of years ago. The Psalm has in fact been called David s Hallelujah Chorus ; meaning that we have this Psalm as one example of David s heartfelt ecstatic and jubilant expression of worship and praise to God. Many people, many of you included, can fully identify with what David has written. Again, and again we find men and women saying that this Psalm resonates with their own soul s experience of and with God. They can t help but give themselves to God in complete surrender lost is wonder, love and awe. What is it about God and his dealings with David and Matt Redman and many others like them that stirs an irresistible urge to burst forth in praise? 1 The kindness of God to sinners You can t help noticing that thoughts of undeserved kindness parade before the soul of the singer. The worshipper here is overwhelmed by being a recipient of grace. The worshipping singer is God s man; he did not bring this about on his own initiative. He is God s man, not as a result of his own doing, but because of the incredible benefits he has undeservedly received from the hand of God. Psalms 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
2 David counts off as it were on his fingers benefits derived from God who is exclusively worthy to be worshipped. Benefit 1 V3 who forgives all your iniquity Do you see the enormity of that benefit? To be forgiven every offence to God; sins of omission and sins of commission. Not doing what God commanded (to love) and doing what he commanded you not to do (lying) all forgiven! Not only sins of action and inaction; but evil motives and intentions thoughts of hatred and jealousy and lust all forgiven! Not only what has been done in the past but also what is being done and what will be done. The nature of God s grace in Christ providing the benefit of what Paul says in Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Benefit 2 V3b who heals all your diseases This verse is not speaking about physical illness now. If it did then we will see Christians never getting old and dying. The verse is speaking about sick souls and the promise of God to heal sick souls in trouble. Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. God heals sick souls. In fact he gives life to dead souls. Souls dead in their transgression and sin are made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2). Ultimately when we get the chronology right; at and after the resurrection there will be no more pain and tears and illness and death for men and women of God. Benefit 3 V4 who redeems your life from the pit This action by God is illustrated to us by the prophet Zechariah in chapter 3. Satan is firing accusations to God about Joshua v2 And the Lord said to Satan, the Lord rebuke you O Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?
3 When God touches a person s life he reverses their lives from going to waste; on earth in meaninglessness and after this life from rotting in hell. Instead of a life likened to vegetable peels deteriorating on a compost heap or a city refuse smouldering rubbish dump, God does something beautiful; clarified by the Apostle Paul Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. David and Matt Redman realize that apart from God s grace; life here on earth is meaningless; and life after the grave is hopeless; cast away from the presence of God, where the flame is not quenched and the worm does not die. Benefit 4 V4 who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy From being paupers God brings grace recipients into an inheritance as sons and daughters; an inheritance that does not perish or fade. He prepares a place with many rooms in the house of God. Benefit 5 Psalms 103:5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. God provides life; life as it ought to be in a favourable relationship to God. Jesus called it abundant life John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Just one example I read about this week; a man who had everything materially, Marcus Jooste, CEO of Steinhoff he had everything but nothing. Not so the Psalmist; he revels in the grace of God lavished on him, an underserving sinner; a self-seeking undeserving adulterer and murderer When the penny drops for you of the kindness of God to you as a hell deserving sinner; your eyes are opened to magnificence and glory of God; leading you into ecstatic jubilant heartfelt worship. Looking further we see 2 The mercy of God explained God s repeated patience and mercy is seen recorded in his dealing with muttering and grumbling Israel under the leadership of Moses. They grumbled about water and they grumbled about the manner and provoked the anger of God. But
4 Again, and again they learned and experienced the fact that God Psalms 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He had every right to justly wipe them out as a people. They deserved nothing but the wrath of God; but He did not give them what they deserved. We live in a world where men and women are convinced that God owes them heaven and eternal life. It is commonly believed that forgiveness and eternity with God is a human right. This is a lie from the devil. Not one single person deserves anything from God; not even sunshine or rain or breath or food. All of sinned and fall short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death. Mercy from God is a gift. Israel learned and experienced the fact that God gives mercy to the undeserving in abundant generosity. Psalms 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. Grace is indeed amazing! Mercy is incredibly wonderful but there is something else that David got and you and I need to get 3 A perspective that is mind boggling In all of the benefits David lists he adds a note about us people. Being who we are and God being who He is makes His grace and mercy even more amazing. Who are we? Psalms 103:14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. We are small and finite! Who is God? Psalms 103:19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. God is indescribably big and infinite! And yet God shows kindness and grace to dust
5 Psalms 103:17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. David got it. Do you get it? David saw without any doubt in his mind and heart how underserving he was of God and his kindness and mercy. And could do no other than respond in their hallelujah chorus Conclusion Psalms 103:20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Any thoughts of entitlement from God will stand in the way of true mind consuming and heart felt worship. Like David you need to know and admit that you are a hell deserving sinner in trouble with God; apart from the grace of God in Christ. In the introduction of this message I asked What is it about God and his dealings with David and Matt Redman and many others like them that stirs an irresistible urge to burst forth in praise? All true worshippers see the kindness of God to them as sinners, along with repeated examples of the mercy of God demonstrated. Mingled into God s kindness and mercy there is this mind-boggling perspective of who man is and who God is. When that truth penetrates your heart and mind; you won t need to be dragged to church on Sunday to worship God; you won t need ra ra music to stir your emotions; you won t need to be reminded that Romans 12:1 is what the Christian s life is about..., It is because of the mercies of God to you in Jesus that you will want to present your entire self to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is your spiritual worship. What about you? Does this grip your heart or is it like water off a duck s back? If so, will you consider what the Bible says in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.