Worship the Lord for He is Good
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Title: Worship the Lord for He is Good (Psalm 103)
Proposition: Worship the Lord for He is Good
Idea: God wants us to worship for who He is and for what He has done!
Worship the Lord for He is Good
Worship the Lord for He is Good
How do we know what God is and what He has done? Read Psalm 103.
A Call to Praise the Lord (1-2)
The Purpose for Praise (3-5)
The National Benefits Received from the Lord (6-19)
A Call the Praise the Lord (20-22)
This Psalm describes the Lord in action.
It provides us with the benefits that humanity received from the Lord.
The Key verse is Psalm 103:11. It clearly states that the Lord is merciful to those who fear him.
For as the heaven is high above the earth,
So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
A call the Praise the Lord (1-2)
A call the Praise the Lord (1-2)
Bless the Lord, O my soul:
And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all his benefits:
The Psalmist clearly is praising (not blessing), but praising and worshipping God with his entire being. (Psalm 104:1, 35).
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, thou art very great;
Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
He is calling upon himself to praise the Lord at this point, but eventually, he will call all the people to praise and worship him (22-24).
Why is the psalmist calling or making himself praise the Lord? For who he is! Because of God’s character!
Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is in me – calling his entirety to bless the Lord/to praise the Lord.
“Bless his holy name” – The Lord’s NAME is holy. His character is holy; His being is holy. God = holy.
Knowing God’s character would make one to bow before him and worship him; knowing God’s character would make one to exalt Him!
In verse 2, the psalmist reminds himself not to “forget” all the benefits of the Lord – the benefits the Lord has given him; he reminds him to intentionally praise God for his greatness and goodness.
The Purpose for Praise (3-5)
The Purpose for Praise (3-5)
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
Who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
What are some personal benefits the psalmist received that caused him to praise the Lord?
For forgiving the iniquities (3)
For healing the diseases (3)
For redeeming the lives (4)
For crowing with Grace (4)
For satisfying them/us with good (4)
For renewing the youth (5)
So beautifully, the Psalmist recalls what the Lord has done. In these verses, we learn that the Lord had provided the benefits for both “spiritual” and “physical” needs.
The Lord redeemed him from destruction to life! In other words, the Lord rescued him from many desperate situations in life.
The psalmist was also honored by the Lord – that is, the Lord has crowned him by His grace.
In verse 5 we learn the Lord has provided him with both satisfaction and strength in his life.
The text of Isaiah 40:30-31 gives us instructions for those who “wait” upon the Lord.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings as eagles;
They shall run, and not be weary;
And they shall walk, and not faint.
The National Benefits Received from the Lord (6-19)
The National Benefits Received from the Lord (6-19)
Verses 6-19 shows how the nation as a whole received the benefits from the Lord. We must keep in mind that these people or us would not receive any benefits because we deserve them or that God is obligated to give us mercies.
All the “giving” from the Lord are done by His grace alone; based on His grace and mercy alone.
Within 103:6-19, we would learn three divisions.
The Abundance of God’s Mercy (6-10)
The Dimensions of God’s Mercy (11-14)
The Duration of God’s Mercy (15-19)
The Abundance of God’s Mercy (6-10)
The Abundance of God’s Mercy (6-10)
In Psalm 103:6 we see how God’s mercy is demonstrated by His good deeds and judgments.
The Lord executeth righteousness
And judgment for all that are oppressed.
The Lord is just, and his judgments are right. He is near to those who fear him and to those who are in need. God deeply cares for those who are oppressed.
For example, we know how the people of Israel were oppressed in Egypt for so long and how he delivered them from that bondage.
He made known his ways unto Moses,
His acts unto the children of Israel.
This verse alludes to how God dealt with Moses in Exodus 33. Moses asked God to learn his ways and the future plans God had.
In response, God revealed to Moses and his people His power and faithfulness.
Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
In verse 8, we learn how God described HIS attributes to Moses in Ex. 34:6
And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Here God particularly emphasized his grace. In many other passages, we learn about God’s grace and his mercies (Psalm 86: 15; 103:8, and 145:8).
He will not always chide:
Neither will he keep his anger for ever.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins;
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
In verses 9-10, we learn how verse 8 is applied. The psalmist begins to talk collectively using the pronoun “us.” The “us” are the recipients of the divine grace.
Even though we people get God angry, he chooses to deal with grace. The Lord gets angry, but the text reveals to us that He does not keep his anger forever.
In verse 10, God's grace is shown on a level that is beyond our understanding. What a grace that is!
In Romans 3:26, we learn that God chose to be righteous and declared those who put their faith in Jesus as righteous.
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
If the Lord were to execute his judgment against his people, none would be alive today. Neither we. We are also saved by His grace alone.
In Conclusion:
The psalmist is teaching us that God is good; His mercies are everlasting; He is gracious; he is merciful to those who fear Him.
And so we must all praise and worship the Lord for ALL that He had done for us for His own glory.
Would you worship the Lord with all your heart, soul, might, and strength?