Summer Psalms #12 - The Best Way to Fill Your Day
Psalms 118:1-29
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - Aug. 19, 2009
*On mission trips to Ukraine we would ask the team to memorize one song in Russian. I’m sure we butchered the pronunciation, but nobody ever laughed in our faces. I’ll spare you the singing, but here are the words:
-E tat dien - E tat Dien
-Sot variel Gospoid - Sot veriel Godpoid
-Nada dos nom - Nada dos nom -- E vicilia - E vicilia
*It was a verse from this Psalm, vs. 24:
-This is the day, this is the day,
-That the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.
-I will rejoice, I will rejoice
-And be glad in it, and be glad in it.
*This is the day that the Lord has made. What are you doing with it? This Psalm shows us some of the best things we can do.
1. First: Fill your day by magnifying the mercy of the Lord.
*In vs. 1-4, our writer magnified the mercy of the Lord:
1. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! Because His mercy endures forever.
2. Let Israel now say, "His mercy endures forever.’’
3. Let the house of Aaron now say, "His mercy endures forever.’’
4. Let those who fear the Lord now say, "His mercy endures forever.’’
*Let everybody with Godly wisdom now say, “His mercy endures forever!”
-As Jeremiah declared in Lam 3:22-23: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
*God’s mercy on His people is renewed every day! I once heard a preacher on TV ask this question: “You know why God’s mercy is renewed every day? Cuz we used up yesterday’s batch!” -- But God’s mercy is renewed every day, and it lasts forever!
*How much mercy can you get from the Lord? -- All the mercy you will ever need. And we need a lot, because all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But how can we get this mercy? -- Only through the cross of Jesus Christ! Vs. 27 tells us, “God is the Lord, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.”
*The Old Testament sacrifices looked forward to the coming of Christ, the Lamb of God who died to take away the sin of the world. But Jesus was the real sacrifice, so Heb 9:11-12 tells us:
11. Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
12. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
*This is the only reason why anybody can say: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! Because His mercy endures forever.” Fill your day by magnifying the mercy of the Lord.
2. But also by confessing your confidence in the Lord.
*In vs. 5-18, the writer confessed his great confidence in the Lord:
-In vs. 5, he talks about answered prayer: “I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.”
-In vs. 6&7, he speaks of God’s abundant help:
6. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
7. The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
-In vs. 8&9, he declares the Lord’s unsurpassed reliability:
8. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.
9. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.
*Starting in vs. 10, we see a testimony of this man’s troubles, -- a testimony of his triumph over troubles:
10. All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
11. They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12. They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
13. You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the Lord helped me.
*What we see here and often see in prophetic passages is a mingling of our life’s story with the Lord’s. Surely these verses point us to the ultimate victory of our Savior over His enemies. But on another level, the writer is also reflecting on his own past troubles. Have you ever felt like you were completely surrounded by your troubles? Have your ever felt like your troubles were coming after you like a swarm of bees?
*The Psalmist surely felt that way. In vs. 13, somebody pushed him violently, that he might fall, but the Lord helped him. The Lord has helped us, too. And the Lord will keep helping us!
*So in vs. 14, the Psalmist continues confessing his confidence in the Lord: “The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” He is singing about the Lord. He even says that the Lord is his song!
*In vs. 15, we see God’s people singing His praises in their homes: “The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
*Then in vs. 16-18, the Psalmist is confident that the Lord has the strength to save him even from death:
16. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
18. The Lord has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death.
*In all of these things, our writer confesses His confidence in the Lord.
-He is trusting in the Lord, and so should we!
*Pastor Stephen Funderburk gives us this great testimony of triumph over troubles: “After my wife had been in surgery for 7½ hours having a baseball-size tumor removed from the stem of her brain, the doctor told our family that it was wait and see, he had done all he could do for her.
*As Lauri was being rolled from recovery to NICU, under heavy sedation, she started singing:
-‘‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
-Just to take him at his word,
-Just to rest upon his promise,
-Just to know, thus saith the Lord.
-Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him,
-How I’ve proved him o’er and o’er,
-Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus,
-O for grace to trust him more.’”
*When she was at her lowest point, Lauri still confessed her confidence in the Lord. And so should we.
*Now this story had a very happy ending. Stephen writes: “Three weeks after her surgery she was back in church. On her 4th Sunday she was back leading praise and worship. She walks four miles a day, leads our music ministry, and has never missed a beat in five years.” (1)
*The story will not always end like that, but we can always trust in the Lord. Fill your day by confessing your confidence in the Lord.
3. But also by pledging your praise to the Lord.
*In vs. 19-23, the Psalmist pledged to lift up his praises to the Lord:
19. Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord.
20. This is the gate of the Lord, Through which the righteous shall enter.
21. I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation.
22. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
23. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.
*If we are going to praise the same Lord that the Psalmist praises here, we are going to praise the Lord Jesus Christ! Vs. 22-23 are another prophetic reference to Jesus. Here’s the background: In Matt 21, during the last few days before the cross, Jesus told a parable to the unbelieving Jewish leaders. It was about a vineyard run by evil, greedy men. Really the parable was about those hard-hearted Jewish leaders. The owner sent his servants to receive the fruit, but they were beaten and killed. Then Jesus said:
37. Last of all he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.’
38. But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, `This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’
39. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?’’
41. They said to Jesus, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.’’
42. Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: `The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43. Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
44. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.’’
*It is a terrible thing to reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He deserves our praise! So in Psalm 118:19, “Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord.” These gates were the entrance to the Tabernacle and later the Temple, through which only the ceremonially clean could pass, but the gates remind me of something Jesus said in John 10:7-9: “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
*The only way into the place of righteousness, the only way into is heaven is Jesus. And He will open to all who call upon Him. That’s why we praise the Lord! “Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord.” Fill your day by pledging your praise to the Lord.
4. But also by committing to rejoice over God’s creation.
*In vs. 24, “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” On our best days, “This is the day which the Lord has made.” On our worst days, “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
*As always, Jesus sets the example for us. Bible scholars tell us that Psalm 118 concludes the great "Hallel", or Hallelujah hymn sung at the feast of the Passover. Psalms 115 through 118 were sung after drinking the last cup.
*Matt 26:27-30 describes the scene at the Lord’s last Passover Supper on the night before the cross:
27. Then (Jesus) took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
28. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
30. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
*Just before Jesus went out to His agony in the Garden and His suffering on the cross, He sang a hymn. He sang this hymn. He sang, “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
*Follow the Lord’s example. Fill your best days and your worst days by rejoicing in the day that the Lord has made. Rejoice in all the good things He has made! Rejoice in His grace of letting us be part of His creation. Rejoice in the Lord! Fill your day by committing to rejoice over God’s creation.
5. But also by praying for a big push forward.
*The Psalmist closes his song with a great prayer and great praise. In vs. 25-29:
25. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27. God is the Lord, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.
29. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
*Vs. 25&26 are basically the same words they cried out to Jesus on Palm Sunday as He rode into Jerusalem:
25. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
*Picture the scene from Matt 21:8-9:
8. And a very great multitude spread their garments on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!’’
*“Save us we pray!” -- That’s what “hosanna” means. “Save us!” But Psalm 118:25 adds one more request: “send now prosperity.” That’s the word picture of a big push forward. God wants His people to be praying for a breakthrough:
-Pushing ahead for the cause of Jesus Christ...
-Praying for it with passion...
-Praying for it in faith because God is good, and all things are possible with God!
*A lady once went to Pastor G. Campbell Morgan and told him, "I only take small things to God, because I don’t want to worry him with the big things."
*Dr. Morgan replied, "Lady, anything you bring to God is small." (2)
*Wonderful truth! -- God is bigger than any problem we will ever face in life! So we should boldly go to Him for the help we need. Pray for that big breakthrough. And keep mingling your prayer with praise.
25. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
28. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.
29. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
1. SermonCentral sermon “God of Wonderful Change” by Stephen Funderburk - Psalms 40:1-3 - Sept. 29, 2005
2. Source: A Message on The Urban Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, Feb. 18, 1998 - (Found in SermonCentral sermon “Our God is Not Small” by Alan Stokes - Luke 9:28-36)
