Print

PSALM 116:12

"A VITAL QUESTION"

I. MANY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS IN THE BIBLE.
        A. First question God asked man, "Adam where art thou?"
                1. Where are you in relation to God?
                        a. Are you in rebellion?
                        b. Are you trying to run or hide?
        B. "What think ye of Christ whose Son is He?"
                1. Son of Joseph.
                2. Illegitimate Son of Mary.
                3. Son of God.
        C. Question that determines your eternal destiny, "What shall I do with Jesus
           who is called Christ?"
                1. What can I do?
        D. Until these questions resolved, this question in Psalms in irrelevant. But
           once they have been answered within your heart then this becomes the most
           vital question.

II. WHAT ARE HIS BENEFITS TO ME?
        A. In Psalm 103 we have one list of benefits.
                1. Forgives all your iniquities.
                2. Heals all your diseases.
                3. Redeemed you from destruction.
                4. Crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.
                5. Satisfies your mouth with good things.
        B. Here is a new list of benefits prefaced by the words, "I love the
           Lord because.. "
                1. What a glorious lead line.
                        a. We could each write our own Psalm using that as a lead line.
                2. The Psalmist said:
                        a. "Because He heard my voice and my supplication."
                                1. Because He answers prayer.
                                2. What a blessed privilege prayer is.
                                3. What a tragedy that some have considered prayer
                                   as a duty.
                        b. "Because He hath inclined His ear unto me."
                                1. How wonderful that God will take time to listen to me.
                                        a. I many times have difficulty getting my friends
                                           to listen to me.
                                2. God the maker of the universe listens to me.
                        c. vs. 6, The Lord preserves us and helps us.
                        d. vs. 7, The Lord deals bountifully with us.
                        e. vs. 8, Delivers our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and
                                  our feet from falling.
        C. What can I render to the Lord?
                1. Anything I would seek to give Him is really His anyway.
                        a. gold? where did it all come from?
                        b. A lamb? Who created it?
                        c. Talk about the difficulty of getting a gift for someone who
                           has everything.
                2. Thus, the psalmist does not list tangible things.
        D. What the psalmist decided.
                1. verse 13, "1 will take the cup of salvation."
                        a. That seems like a benefit not rendering a gift.
                        b. One of the cruelest things you can do is to spurn a gift of love.
                2. "I will call upon the name of the Lord."
                3. verse 14, "I will pay my vows."
                4. verse 17, "I will offer the sacrifice of praise."