Testify! | Psalm 107

Psalm 107 is Thanksgiving week and Psalm

107

is a command. It just a command to give

God thanks for the things that he's done

in our lives to make him known and and

it's a reminder that the redeemed of the

Lord has the delightful duty to testify

of his goodness and steadfast love. When

we live with thanksgiving, not just one

day a year, When we live with a heart of

gratitude to God, it's a cure for many

ills. But more important than that, it's

it's the way that we spread the fame of

our God and the things that he has done.

The command to praise is not merely a

command to sing, but to make him known,

to glorify him, to make him famous, to

speak of him, and and particularly for

the redeemed. You know, we all have to

be thankful for. Everybody has things to

be thankful for. We can always give God

thanks. Whether we're a believer, an

unbeliever, God's given us breath. Every

good thing we've ever experienced is a

gift from God. Comes down from God.

People that hate God, God still shows

his loving kindness towards he makes his

son to rise in the evil and on the good.

He sends his rain on the just and the

unjust. People who curse and blasphe the

name of God, yet they have laughter.

They they eat rightful They have they've

been given friends. They've been given

life. They've been given the opportunity

to respond to his goodness. But as

believers, we have something even more

than things to give thankful for. We

have someone to give thankful be

thankful to. We have an an object, a

person that we can give thanks to. And

this is a cure for for many ailments of

the soul. It it's a it's a cure for, for

example,

the entitlement mentality that cannot

but make us miserable. If you're an

entitled individual and you feel that

the world owes you things, you're going

to be an unhappy person because you've

got to constantly have things that

exceed your expectations.

If we can find our contentment in the

Lord, we'll be surprised by joy. But if

you constantly have demands of life that

life doesn't meet, what's going to

happen? You're going to be miserable. It

It's really something that when Paul and

Barnabas were in prison, they were seen.

What kind of people srison

after being beaten and the jailers

listening listen to them praise God and

give God thanks and worshiping God. Who

does that? Do Christians do that? And so

when there was an earthquake and were

released on their chains and the jailer

was ready to kill himself. They said,

"Stop. Do you no harm? We're we're

here." He said, "What must I do to be

saved?"

He knew that they had something they

didn't when the shackles of iron fell

off their wrists as happens in this

psalm also. And he wanted to know, but

he heard them testify first. I think

it's such it's so important that we as

believers testify to God's goodness in

our lives. The way The way that we

witness has more to do with giving God

due credit than it does with our ability

to kind of be in apologetics. And

there's absolutely links to that as

well. But just by testifying of his

goodness and the things that he's done

for us, particularly as redeemed

sinners, not as

redeemed sinners, we can testify of his

goodness. Also, thankfulness is a cure

to hopelessness.

When someone testifies of the low state

that they were in, when they testify of

a miserable condition, as we'll see in

the psalm, there's this pattern. There's

a problem. There's a prayer and then

there's an adation to praise God.

There's a problem. Somebody is in a very

dire situation. And what do they do?

They cry out to God. There's a prayer

and then God heals them. And there's to

testify. When we testify of God's

goodness in our lives and people hear

it, it gives hope.

It's like God saved Jeff. God God

delivered Jeff from alcoholism. And if

you want to use that term, delivered him

from his bondage. If God saved Jeff,

then there's hope for me. Paul said,

"This is a good and faithful saying that

Jesus Christ came into the world to save

sinners of whom I am." And he said,

given that that God's been mercer and

God can be merciful to you, too.

Faithfulness is a

a cure to acquies.

It reminds us that God really does

interact in believer's life. He's not we

don't we don't serve a philosophy, a

moral philosophy. We serve a living God

who actually cares for us and he he

hears our cries and he delivers us. It

builds faith in the body. Lovelessness.

Thanksgiving is a cure for lovelessness.

When we reflect on God's steadfast love,

what he's done for us and the things

that he has provided for us, it makes

the heart grateful, thankful, and we

fall in love with all with God all over

again. Bitterness and unforgiveness.

A lot of people, they're trapped in

bitterness and unforgiveness because

they can't see God's providential hand.

They can't see God in the hardship of

their life. The Christian knows, right?

Romans 3:28, that God works all things

Romans 3:28

together for good to those who love God,

to those who are the called according to

his purpose. Christians have to suffer.

Unbelievers have to suffer. We have

someone to give thanks to. And we have

someone that we know is working all

things together for our good and it

enables us to forgive to move on to not

be down. So I want to get into the psalm

this morning. If you stand with me now

for the reading of God's word we'll read

in Psalm 107 and

oh give thanks to the Lord for he is

good for his steadfast love endures

forever. Let the redeemed of Yahweh say

he has redeemed from trouble and

gathered in from the land from the east

and from the west from the north and

from the south.

Some wandered in desert waste, finding

no way to a city to dwell in hungering

and thirsting their soul fainted within

them. Then they cried to the Lord in

their trouble and he delivered them from

their distress. He led them by a

straight way till they reached the city

to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for

his steadfast love, for his wonderful

works for the children of man. For he

satisfies the longing soul and the

hungry soul he fills with good things.

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow

of death, prisoners in affliction and in

iron. For they have rebelled against the

words of God and sterned the counsel of

the most high. So he bowed their hearts

down with hard labor. They fell down

with none to help. Then they cried to

the Lord in their trouble and he

delivered them from their distress. He

brought them out of darkness and the

shadow of death and burst their bonds

apart. Let them thank the Lord for his

steadfast love, for his wondrous works

for the children of man, for he

shattered the doors of bronze and cut

into the bars of iron.

Some were fools through their sinful

ways and because of their iniquity

suffered affliction. They loathed any

kind of food and they drew near to the

gates of death. Then they cried to the

Lord in their trouble and he delivered

them from their distress. He sent out

his word and healed them and delivered

them from their destruction. Let them

thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works through the

children of man, and let them offer

sacrifices of thanksgiving and tell of

his deeds and songs of joy. Some went

down to the sea and ships doing business

on the great waters. They saw the deeds

of the Lord, his wondrous works in the

deep. For he commanded and raised the

storming wind, which lifted up the waves

of the sea. They mounted up the heaven.

They went down to the depth. Their

courage melted away in their evil heart.

They reeled and staggered like drunken

men and were within. Then they cried to

the Lord in their trouble and he

delivered them from their distress. He

made the storm be still and the waves of

the sea were hushed. Then they were glad

that the waters were quiet and he

brought them to their desired.

Let them thank the Lord for his

steadfast love for wondrous works to the

children of men. Let them extol him in

the congregation of the people and

praise him in the assembly of the

elders. He turns rivers into a desert,

springs of water into thirsty ground, a

fruitful land into a salty waste because

of the evil of its inhabitants.

He turns a desert into pools of water, a

parched land into springs of water, and

there he lets the hungry dwell and they

establish a city to live in. He sews and

plant vineyards and fruitful yield. By

his blessings they multiply greatly and

he does not let their livestock

diminish. They are and brought low

through oppression, evil, and sorrow. He

pours contempt on princes and makes them

wander in trackless ways. He raises up

the needy out of affliction and makes

the families like flock. The upright see

it and are glad and all wickedness shuts

his mouth. Whoever is wise, let him

attend these things. Let them consider

the steadfast love of the Lord. Let us

pray. Oh Lord God, we thank you to the

Lord for your

love. We thank you, Father. Even though

we are often wishywashy and pickled in

our desires, doubleminded in our in our

desires to serve you. We we all sin in

many ways, but you are steadfast. Your

love is everlasting. Your mercies are

new every morning. Lord, when we

afflicted because of our sin, and we cry

out to you, you are a gracious God. You

hear us. You forgive us. You restore us.

We thank you, God, that you are so

intimately acquainted with the ways of

the of the righteous, your people. And

we pray, Lord, this morning that our

heart would take courage and also Lord

that you would put within us that that

desire to testify and make you known for

you are worthy,

my friend.

You may be seated. So again, in in this

there's a there's a pattern where people

breakers. These are believers who have

fallen into sin and their sin has led

them into chastisement. It's sanctum.

They they they go through a variety of

problems and and then what happens is in

the midst of their affliction, what do

they do? They turn to God. They cry out

to God and God restores them and heals

them. and and and

this adoration repeatedly. I like the

King James version when it says, "Oh,

that men would praise the Lord for his

goodness and his wonderful works for the

children of men." It says that the way

it's worded in the King James, "Oh, that

men would praise the Lord." It's like,

you know what? We need to hear the

testimony of God-fearing people who have

been delivered. But a lot of times

people receive some great deliverance in

their lives and they tell one or two

people instead of sharing it with the

congregation later on. He's going to say

share it. Share it before the church and

church and state before the church and

before the elders of the land. Tell of

the good things that God has done in

your lives because people need hope. You

know, I have a little thing that a

little I don't think I'm nicking but I

really can't stand most Christian

movies. understand reality. I really

don't like them. Low quality, but it's

not it's not the acting that bugs me.

It's not the it's the testimony that

bugs me. Since the 80s, you know,

put out these movies and it's always

some rebellious guy who or some girl

ends up falling in love with a horse

first and a boy later and and they're

out there and somebody's a Christian and

they're a bunch of good and the guy

finally says, "You know what? You're

right. He becomes a Christian. It's just

the same madeup testimony over and over

again recent years. God God is not dead.

Oh, I hated that movie. A madeup story.

Didn't even have the gospel in it to be

real with you. It was just kind of like

a madeup testimony movie and Christians

went out and bought it. I guess

Hollywood figured out, wow, we got a I

just can't believe a person that's

really been redeemed by the Lord wrote

that script and left the name of Jesus

out. I just can't believe it. But

anyway, I

that bothers me the most. There are so

many wonderful testimonies of believers

whose lives have been changing. Physical

healing, financial provision,

deliverance from addiction. They're all

over the place. They're in this room.

They're all over the people whose lives

have been transformed. And you're going

to make up a movie. It's like, "Oh,

yeah. I need them to make up that plot

line." Yeah. But the the plot line of

redemption is all around us. If only

would

It said, "Yes, this is what I was. Then

I met Jesus, and now this is who I am

because of who he is." That's what

people need to hear. They need to hear

real genuinely redeemed people

testifying of good God's goodness and

his love and his his graciousness.

People in the church suffer struggling

with sin and they think, "I'm alone in

my struggle. I'm the only one who's

struggling with sexual. I'm the only

struggling with pride because other

people don't talk about it and they they

think I'm the only one that's struggling

with this but how great how wonderful it

is. I love on our camp outs every year

on Saturday night we go out you all most

of you all know this if you never been

to a camp out in the fall we don't have

church here we have it out in the

wilderness and I love it every year

whoever wants to get out and share their

testimony can get up and do so and I've

heard such real genuine

not just like the embarrassment goes

away and real honest sharing of people's

stories and you hear about their

brokenness and how Christ has intervened

in their life and made a difference and

um that's been you know it was it was a

testimony service that afterwards my son

two years ago said I I want to get

baptized

kind of on the fence wondering for for

years going through it and then he hears

the testimonies of things and it's just

so amazing every We need to hear the

redeemed say so. We need to hear the

world needs to hear the redeemed. So he

says we serve a living God. Allah is not

a living God. You know what Muslims when

they pray? They pray these replicitious

prayers out of doing five times a day

and the world marvels at their

discipline. But they cannot testify as

so many Christians can. I cried to God

and he healed me of a physical

affliction. I cried to God and he

delivered me out of my financial stress.

I God I cried out to God and God

delivered me from my addictions. We

serve the only living God that there is.

Oh that men would praise the Lord for

his goodness and for his wonderful works

for the children of man. The world needs

to hear your testimony.

And that's repeated in this again and

again. Let's look at verse one. Oh, give

thanks to the Lord for he is good for

his steadfast love endures forever.

That's always a reason that the

Christian can be thankful. always you

may you may be a burned victim in a

hospital suffering this somewhere burned

over 90% of your body and you still have

breath and you have pain and you're in

agony but you can still look to the Lord

and say he is good his steadfast love

endures forever you can cry out to him

cry out to him your your affliction will

not last forever there's always a happy

ending to the genuine believer holy

always his steadfast love endures

forever. I love this word forever in

Hebrew. The word love here is

I like that worded is a versatile word.

Sometimes it's translated in mercy.

Sometimes it's translated as of love

because the Hebrew word

is a bigger word than translates both

God's love. But that has another word

next to it which means eternity to mean

the universe. So the the enduring is

everlasting eternal it's eternal

unending uh the universe isn't big

enough to contain love. That's this idea

of they got to put it into weakness. I'm

sorry the weakness of the English

language but it's a great big

mean like eternal eternal steadfast

love. It's consistent. It's there. It's

new every morning. As long as you're on

this side of the grave, God's steadfast

love is there when you cry out to him.

What a beautiful thing. He is good. He

is a good God. And his steadfast love

endures forever. Now, it has here. I

want to go back and look at this first

phrase. Oh, his faith to the Lord. That

word, interesting enough, was a

vocabulary word that I was working on a

week or two ago. I was working on this

word. Yah is the word. And yada, this

word for giving thanks, but the word yad

means.

So the word give thanks refers to uh to

the lifting of the human

especially to rever or worship with

extended hands. You thought that was

just a charismatic thing. It's not. It's

in the Bible. Worshiping God with hands

lifted up. This word Yah implies

thankfulness with extended hands. Jews

worship and pray with extended hands. In

the book of Daniel, he lifts up his

hands. Even in the New Testament, 1

Timothy 2 says, "I desire then that in

every place the men should pray lifting

holding hands without anger or

quarreling." lifting their hands and

praying. When Moses was praying and

there was a battle between the

Malachites and Hebrews, he lifted up his

knees. They would pray with lifted

hands. They give thanks with lifted

hands. That's the word for thanksgiving

here. It's it's like it's looking to

heaven with lifted hands. Something most

of us don't do much here in in in the

word. We're not much of a hand lifting

congregation. But don't condemn those

that do because it's biblical. It's in

the Bible. So take it up with the Lord.

I guess you like it. Verse two, let the

redeemed of the Lord say so he has

redeemed from trouble and gathered in

the lands from the east and from the

west and the north from the south. Who

are the redeemed? The redeemed are

people. It's a word that refers to like

to buy back a slave. Somebody that has a

huge debt and because of their debt they

had to sell the family farm in Israel.

They could do it for a period of up to

up to 49 years till the year of Jubilee.

They would sell they would sell their

property. They would sell it and

sometimes they'd have to say I have a

debt so big I have to sell myself and my

family into slavery. But someone a

relative usually a relative could be the

redeemer and they could pay the money,

pay off the debt and buy the person's

freedom. So who wants to do this right?

Your your relatives have been foolish.

They gambled away. make foolish choices

and and you bail them out again and

again and again and here they are once

again like I'm sorry bro but man you

just don't learn you're you're on your

own well the this is a situation where

for whatever reason the

needed redemption well we all need

redemption because we all owe a debt we

cannot pay we all owe a debt that we

could never pay we owe we owe God uh

faithful obedience we faithful obedience

and and so he says let the redeemed of

the Lord of Yahweh say so let him speak

up let him testify say so don't still

remain quiet if the Lord has redeemed

you from evil don't remain quiet about

it he has redeemed from trouble and

gathered in from the land from the east

and from the west and from the north and

from the south told Israel said when

you're a faithless nation I will bring

somebody in they'll conquer you and

they'll scatter

all over the world. And he did that

multiple times. He did that with the

Assyrians in the 800 and the 700s in the

8th century. Brought in the Assyrians

and took Israel captive and scattered

them all over the world. And he did that

also

with Judah. He scattered them and then

he brought a few back to the land. This

makes me think while some people say

David, nobody knows for sure he wrote

this psalm. Some say David, I tend to

think it was written after captivity

after they were returned from Babylon.

These were people who have been

estranged from the holy land. They've

been living in other lands. They've been

living they've been living under the

bondage of the Babylonians and and now

they've been brought back to Israel. And

the work of the Lord say the talk about

it. telling God's goodness. People need

to hear it. So now what we have is a

series of four testimonies of different

scenarios where somebody uh God did they

found themselves in a dire situation.

They cried unto the Lord. The Lord heard

them and then there's this adoration to

testify and the pattern goes again and

again. So let's look at verse four.

Some wandered in desert wicular group of

people that the writer of this song they

he had talked to them. talked to some

people and this is what happened to

them. Some wandered in in desert waste

finding their way to a city to dwell in

hungry and thirsty their soul thanks was

within them. Then they cried to the Lord

in their trouble and he delivered them

from their distress. He led them by a

straight way till they reached the city

to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for

his steadfast love for his wondrous

works to the children of men. for he

satisfies the longing soul whom the

hungry soul is filled with good things.

So the first scenario we have are some

people that uh they have the ultimate

financial trouble. They're lost. They're

hungry. They're thirsty. They're facing

death. They don't know how to find this

thing. They're turned around in the

wilderness. You get lost in the desert

and you don't have water and you don't

have food. It's only a matter of time

and you're bucketed. yourself. And so

that's what these people did. They're

out. They're lost in the wilderness and

they cried out to God in their trouble

and the Lord heard them. I heard a great

story years ago. Thanksgiving. They're

eating um Thanksgiving with our friends

to Jesus and they had this book of

remarkable occurrences. It was a

genuinely old book. I think it was 16 or

1700. Very old ancient

maybe 1700s. And They read a story from

them. They would do this kind of thing.

They pull out these antiquated books and

they'll read you a story from years ago

and they have a true story about a group

of people and they were lost at food and

there was no wind and they they were

they cried out to God and they and they

they tell this story of how they were

out there and they cried out to God.

They had no more food. They were on the

verge of starving. They didn't have much

longer left. And they cried out to God

and the next day a dolphin jumped into

her boat and quickly failed us

and over the next then they found that

every day of the week as they cried out

to God this is story every day of the

week a dolphin which I think might be

the dolphin fish not the dolphin man I

think it's the other dolphin every day a

dolphin would jump in their fish except

on Sunday no dolphin jumps in their boat

story and this happened for multiple

weeks before they came in God provided

for them that's supernatural

You can't, you know, you can't expect

that. It's notable, but God God or I

should say, yeah, it's providential. God

provided it for them. And this is a true

story told by some Christians that were

lost in. And it was written in this book

of remarkable occurrences.

God, that's the kind of things he does.

These people were lost in the

wilderness. They didn't have food. They

didn't have water. And he led them by a

straight way till they reached the city

to dwell in. And here the King James

says, "Oh, that Praise the Lord. Verse

eight, for his goodness and for his

wonderful works for the children of men.

So

there there's a testimony. So if God can

provide for somebody in that situation,

can God provide a job for you? Can God

help you pay your electric bill? Can he

help you get out of the situation you're

in? Of course he can. There's hope here.

If you are in dire strait, call out to

God. Repent of your sins. confess your

sins to him, seek him and uh let him do

his things. That's the kind of God we

serve. Okay. Testimony number two, verse

one. Some same phrases

in affliction and in iron. So they have

rebelled against the words of God and

stern the counsel of the most high. So

he bowed their hearts down with hard

labor. They fell down with

Then they cried to the Lord in their

trouble. And he delivered them from

their distress. He brought them out of

darkness from the shadow of death and

burst their bonds apart. Bless them the

Lord for his steadfast love for his

wondrous works for the children of man.

For he shatters the doors of bronze and

cuts into the bars of iron. Now the

first scenario we read, they were

people. They didn't have to stay because

of their sin. They were just in dire.

They cried out to God and God delivered

them. In this situation, it's very

clear. These people are in prison

because of this crime. It's not against

God. They they're in prison. Why? Verse

11. For they have rebelled against the

word of God and the counsel of the high.

You know, prison has been a blessing for

many many people because many people

come to the knowledge of the Lord in

prison. God delights in saving

prisoners.

repent and turn to him. Now, in the

Bible, God did not set up a prison

system. He didn't that wasn't part of

the Hebrew Republic. I don't know if

they developed later on or if this was

in a foreign land, but in any case,

these people these people had um sinned

against God and they find themselves in

shackles of iron and from the dungeon.

They cry out to God and the Lord heard

them into this trouble in their trouble

and delivered them

So there there's again a pattern here.

They're in prison. They're in a a prison

because of their sin. There's more than

one kind of prison though. There's

there's a lot of people who are living

by guilt, by

by anger, by regret, living in regret.

And it's it's no less a shackle of iron

and bronze than real shackles of iron

and bronze. and and maybe there's real

sin and guilt behind it. But Christ came

to deliver the prison that

he he gets up and he reads the scroll of

the book of the law. He reads from

Isaiah. The spirit Lord God is

responding. He has anointed me to preach

the gospel to poor set the captives

free. What kind of counsel is he talking

about? He's talking about those in

captives to sin. People captivated by

guilt. People who have heavy things

weighing on their conscience. people

that are are are burdened by their their

expression. You know, the world the

world wants you to excuse it or cover it

up, think about something else or drug

it try to get the drugs to just not

think about it. I think I think that

sort of apathy when apathy is your cure.

That's not a very good savior.

If it's no longer feeling anything is

the way you're dealing with your

emotional guilt, that that's not a very

good savior. Jesus didn't didn't merely

come to make us feel apathetic towards

our sin or apathetic towards everything

where we don't feel anything. He He came

to deliver us. He He caused

for his loving kindness and delivering

us from our sins. So cry out to the Lord

and seek him because his ears are open

to us and his steadfast love endure

forever. No, no, man. I've s forgive me.

You know what? You're you're doubting

God's character and love does not

flatter him.

God doesn't want to hear you grow and

say, "I don't know. God can never

forgive me." That's unbelief.

His steadfast love endures forever. Cry

out to him and he forgives and he

restores and he heals. It's therefore

they ask for. All right, that's number

three. Fools with afflictions. Verse 17.

Some were fools through their sinful

ways and because of their iniquity they

suffered afflictions. They lo any kind

of food and they drew near to the gates

of death. Then they cried to the Lord in

their troubles and he delivered them

from their distress. He sent out his

word and healed them and delivered them

from their destruction. Let them thank

the Lord for his steadfast love for his

wondrous works for the children of men

and let them sacrifices of thanksgiving

and tell of the seeds and songs of joy.

Now that's kind of a hard testimony to

say stand up before saying you know I

wasn't a fool. I was a person because I

was a fool. The world wants to make us

all victims

but in this testimony the person was a

fool and they came to realize the Bible

gives very little hope for a fool. Fools

are hard to teach. The Bible says that

that you know I think it's 100 stripes

um say about that

a reute entries more into a wise man

than the hund stripes into the back of a

fool.

A wise man you rebuke him maybe even do

it offensively which is not the proper

way to rebuke somebody. We should always

review or approve in the way that we

would want to be reproved in a way that

is easily sometimes people and it's

speaking but it's true right somebody

can be telling the truth even though

they're saying it arrogant disposition

it still might be true right well a

rebuke an open rebuke enters more into a

wise man stripes in the back of what

does that means are hard to teach

there's a stubborn I will not submit to

and wisdom. I just won't do it.

Children is acknowledged in fathers that

foolishness is bound in the heart of a

child. Little child is like, "No, I

won't do it. But it's good for you. I

don't care."

All right. It says that that the shall

drive it far from him. The rod of ref

because the nature of it has no interest

in wisdom. What is the one for a fool?

We find it here. You have a fool in your

life. Here's the hope for a fool. You

want to know a hope for a fool? Some

fools through their sinful ways and

because of their iniquity suffered

affliction.

When fools suffer the consequences of

their actions, that is the best way, the

best hope for the fool that they will be

delivered by crying out to God. But

sometimes equally foolish parents and

spouses,

moms, dads bail their little fool out of

trouble and they don't feel the pain of

their family.

This fancy term of codependency, you

know, somebody that's an addict of some

sort and their spouse complains about

the addiction, but it kind of makes them

feel good because they get to be the

savior over and over again. And so the

spouse is calling in the other person

saying, "Hey, you know what? My my

husband or wife got the flu and they're

so sick they can't come in today. Let me

out of hung over, right?" And they bail

them out again and again with lies and

with with uh or just paying the

consequences. You know, you got a kid in

jail

might be to let them let them sit out

their time in jail.

Let let them feel the results of their

folly. It's just like the compassionate

thing to do for a brat throwing

themselves on the floor and climbing the

caveman is walking. In the same way, the

fool needs to suffer the consequences of

their actions so that they'll be verse

19. Then they cry to the Lord in their

trouble. But sometimes people enable the

fool to continue in the folly instead of

letting them suffer the consequence of

their actions. That's a lot of times

when the great turn happens is they find

themselves at a low point and then what?

They cry in the Lord of their trouble

and he deliver them from their distrust.

How they tell them to deliver them?

Verse 20, he sent out his word and

healed them and delivered them from

their destruction.

What did the fool ultimately need all

along? They needed to submit to God's

word. He sent his word and healed them.

When I was in Bible college, this verse

is one of the reasons why I love this

chapter. this verse verse 20 Psalm 107

Psalms 107:20

verse 20 was written up on the back wall

of our chapel so every Sunday at some

point in the service I would look up and

I would see on the back wall he sent his

word them and delivered them from their

destruction

look at it every week he sent his word

how did he

well I think one this is his commanding

word that calls things forward but but

all we need is God's truth we to hear

the truth. But the fool doesn't want to

hear the truth. And what makes the fool

willing to hear the truth? Their

afflictions humble them to the point

that they're willing to hear the good

news of God's word.

Verse 21, let them thank the Lord for

his steadfast love, for his wonderful

works to deliver men. That's the

repeating phrase. Let fools tell people,

"I was a fool. I cried out to God and he

delivered me." and let them offer

sacrifices of thanksgiving and his needs

in songs of joy. Sacrifices of

thanksgiving. You know, interesting

enough. I was looking up another word

that I've been studying this week and I

just have a hard time remembering it.

It's the word. I know it's not. And I

was like, I gota find it somewhere in

the Bible and look at it in context.

And I looked it up was very interest.

Interesting because the word

can mean pierce. It has pierced and it's

the word for the unleaven bread that

they would give in thanksgiving

offerings like in Leviticus 17. The

thanksgiving bread was always pierced

and it's implied in the Hebrew but it's

not in English. We don't know it in

English.

If you ever look at our communion bread,

look at the full

it

years ago. I like Jews have been taking

leaven bread and piercing it for

thousand years and we don't know why

they did it. Well, I read that word for

all and there it is. The bread that they

used in thanksgiving offerings was

pierced. It was it was

another beautiful picture because Jesus

he was wounded for our transgressions

for our iniquities

of our people and by his stripes we are

healed already.

Jesus was

pierced and his hands and feet and his

pierced him. And so the and the bread

that we use for communion the Jews who

make that you look at the box that he

made in Israel the Jews that do that for

thousands of years and people forgotten

why but when you read the Hebrew the the

bread itself was always to be

it's in the world and so as we break the

communian bread and We we remember that

he was Christ and he was pierced for us.

There's actually more than just it's

actually implied in the way that the

unleven bread was made for thousands of

years. It's a reminder that he was stri

for us. He was here for us. And the word

for for the word Eucharistic Eucharist

means thanksgiving.

So for us believers thanksgiving is

every week we come to the word we see

our father. We hear the gospel. We come

to the communion table and we give God

thanks for his steadfast love and for

his goodness for the children of men.

This is part of our weekly service, the

Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. We

give God thanks. We remember his fierce

body. We remember his body that was

broken for us and we give him thanks.

That this is part of thanksgiving that

that we do weekly in our service and to

be part of our lives giving God thanks.

Okay.

Verse 23. Next testimony.

Testimony number four, the dangers of

nature. Verse 23. Some went down to the

sea and ships doing business on the

great waters. They saw the deeds of the

Lord, his wondrous work from the deep.

For it commanded and raised the storming

wind which lifted up the waves of the

sea. They mounted up the heavens. They

went down to the depth. Their courage

melted away in their evil fight. They

healed, reeled, and staggered like

drunken men and were at their skin. Then

they cried to the Lord in their trouble

and he delivered them from their

distress. He made the storm be still and

the waves of the sea were hush. Then

they were glad that the waters were

quiet and he brought them to their

desired haven. So now here we got a

group of people. They're out at sea in a

terrifying situation. I think it's

passage of the Bible. Jonah Jonah has

been told to go to the people at

Nineveh. And instead of going and doing

what he's doing, he runs in the opposite

direction. He gets on a boat. He gets in

the boat. They're headed for sleep

and on the way he falls asleep in the

holy ship and there's a storm so bad

they come and they wake him up and

wrinkle that sleeper. pray to thy God

that he might have mercy upon us. Here's

the one man who is able. His prayers

actually avail

and the pagans are crying out to God.

And so he comes and he says, "You know

what? It's because of me that I do this.

Throw me in the water and the storm will

be filled."

And what they do is they throw them in

the water after they're all going to

sink anyway. They throw them in the

water and immediately the ship is

calmed. What a beautiful picture that

Jesus was willing to die for us and that

that the wrath of God would subside and

immediately that the the sea was calm

where these people were out in the in

the ocean. They're in a storm and they

cry out to God and then immediately the

storm is calmed. We have a story in the

New Japest

on the Sea of Galilee and the disciples

were crying out. Don't you care that we

perish? And he stands up and he says,

"Peace be still." And immediately

the sea was calmed and also immediately

they appeared at ran. So So Jesus calmed

the evidence of his divinity and his

power but also his love and his care for

his disciples. They cried out to Jesus,

the maker of heaven and earth, and he

heard them. So dangers of major, they

cried out to God, and God delivered them

because the Lord rules over the sea. All

right. Verse 31. Let them thank the Lord

for his steadfast love, for his wondrous

works for the children of man. Let them

extol him in the congregation of the

people and praise him in the assembly of

the elders.

Go tell the church. And when you're done

telling the church, go tell the elders,

the senators of the land. Go tell We

need to talk about it. Christians, we

need to talk about it. When we have our

we have our time where we we make our

prayer request. It's also a time for

thanksgiving. It's a time to talk about

God, what he's done in our life. You

never know when he testifies who will be

encouraged, who will be strengthened, uh

who will be built up in their faith, who

will realize that there's hope for them.

They think, "Wow, God can save that guy.

Surely he can save me." Uh, testify

before church and and make them known.

Verse 33, he turns rivers into a desert,

brings water into thirsty ground, a

fruitful land into a salty waste because

of the evil of it.

All right. So, first he focuses on the

sanctions. He turns rivers west

into desert springs of the water and

water. Why does he turn a rand into a

salty race? Because of the evil of its

inhabitants. This is a reminder to

Israel. Even though you think you're

powerful, even though you think you have

a mighty military, a strong defense, a

strong navy, great a great network of

spies, even though you think you're

safe. If you are not waiting for the

Lord, you are not safe. If your nation

is covenant breaking, you are not safe.

He can take a river and turn it into a

desert. He can take springs of water and

spring into the thirsty ground. God is

able to proud. He's able to bring the

powerful low whoever they are. This is a

good morning to us in the United States

and I I remember after 911 it it

bothered me so quickly because the power

applied was put on bumper stickers

everywhere. The power the only power

applied I read in scripture is the power

to bring you low.

that actually pride is the fall of many

empires. Even in history, the Persians

trusted in their mighty chariots and uh

the Greeks figured out that the ranks

could

long spears with chariots.

A little change in technology and their

superior weaponry was no longer

superior. the the the um various battles

in the middle ages of knights against

men with long spears. Um pride pride has

the ability to bring us low as

individuals, as families, as nations.

Pride is a very dangerous attitude now.

Uh the humble we cry out to God in a far

safer way. But he goes the other way as

well. He can turn a desert into a

spring. He turns a desert into pools of

water, a parched land into springs of

water. So when a n been judged and he

comes to the Lord. When a man has been

judged and he comes to the Lord, God is

able to take the desert and turn into a

full water and there he lets the hungry

dwell and they establish the city to

live in. They grow fields and plant

vineyards and get a fruitful yield. By

his blessing they multiply greatly and

he does not let their livestock

diminish. When they are diminished and

brought low through oppression, evil and

sorrow, he pours contempt on princes and

makes them wander in trackless ways. But

he raises up out of affliction and makes

their families like flocks. The upright

see and are glad in all wickedness shuts

it. Now this was written by people

coming back from Babylon. They just

lived it.

They know that a generation earlier they

were a powerful independent nation and

God brought them into judgment and he

humbled them and now God is restoring

them. And so it is kind of a reminder

that he's faithful to God because God

meets out blessings and curses based

upon covenant fidelity.

This is taught in Deuteronomy 30. God at

the end of Deuteronomy Moses is

appealing to them. He's telling them to

be covenant keepers. Keep the covenant

that's been delivered to you.

Deuteronomy 3:16 I set before you today

Deuteronomy 3:16

life and good death and evil.

If you obey the commandments of Yahweh

Elohim that I command you today by

loving the Lord your God by walking in

his ways and by keeping his commandments

and his statutes and his rules, then you

shall live and multiply and the Lord

your God will bless you in the land that

you are entering to take possession of

it. But if your heart turns away and you

will not here but are drawn away to

worship other gods and serve them. I

declare to you today that you shall

surely perish. You shall not live long

in the land that you are going over the

Jordan to enter into Moses. You know

what I told you? I told you life and

death. I told you ought to be blessed

and I told you how you'll be cursed. God

will either bless you or curse you as a

nation based upon covenant idity.

It's like I said before you a tree of

life and the tree of knowledge of good

and evil. Choose life both you and your

children may live.

That's the choice.

Fidelity and blessing or infidelity and

cursing. Then verse 19, he says, "I call

heaven and host witness against you

today that I have set before you life

and death, blessing and curse. Therefore

choose life that both you and your

offspring may live. loving the Lord your

God, obeying his voice, and holding fast

to him, for he is your life and length

of days, that you may dwell in the land

that the Lord swore to your fathers, to

Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob to get

them. Now, New Testament, the New

Testament, we're saved. We're declared

righteous by faith in Jesus Christ.

Talked about that a lot last week. It's

by grace that we are saved through faith

and not not of ourselves. It is a gift

of God, not a works that any man

I will say though that it's still true

for the Christian mind that fidelity

brings God's blessing and infidelity

brings

whom the Lord loves and chases.

Now it may be that it's God's will for

you to suffer not as a sinner but as a

witness of him. Maybe, but most of the

suffering that comes in our life in some

way comes from

uh disobedience to I don't like to say

most, but a good deal of it is anyway.

Foolish living, foolish choices, sinful

behavior brings guilt and misery and

strife.

foolish financial practical foolish

eating practical foolish sleeping

foolish. You can go on and on and

principles in scripture that are wise to

live by that brings blessings. And so

these people finding themselves in dire

strait after having uh disobeyed God

when they turn to the Lord they find

that God the steadfast love is

everlasting. He's good steadfast love

endures forever. Verse 43 last verse of

Psalm 107 and I bring one of the New

Testament Psalm 107 vers43. Whoever is

wise let him attend to these things. Let

them consider the steadfast love of the

Lord. So we conclude with really why is

this psalm written? This psalm is

written to show you the pattern that sin

brings consequences. But when you cry

out to God, God's love hasn't moved. It

hasn't changed. It's there. He's waiting

for us to cry out to him and repent. And

and he is a faithful God who loves us.

He gave himself for us. And we cry out

to him. He forgives us. He restores to

and and also it's written that we would

attend these things to what things to

giving you glory. This is our delightful

duty. People need to hear when God has

done something in our life. Let the

redeemer of the Lord say so. Talk about

it. Other people need to hear your

story. I want to go the New Testament.

It shows this pattern of people crying

out to God

and God blessing. Acts 2 verse 37 Peter

Acts 2:37

preaches the sermon to by the way there

are Jews that are scattered they've been

scattered all over the gap for just like

earlier in the psalm after after they

were scattered these are Jews who have

come up to Jerusalem from all over the

world from where they've been scattered

and they're coming up to Jerusalem on

pilgrimage to offer gifts and they hear

hear preach a fantastic

first sermon on the day of Pentecost

This is when Peter's found preaching. It

says that when they heard this, they

were cut to the heart. Peter ended the

sermon with you have slain the Messiah.

And when they heard this, they were cut

to the heart and said to Peter and to

the rest of the apostles, "Brothers,

what shall we do?" Peter crying out to

God, "What shall we do?" And Peter said

to them, "Repent, be baptized, every one

of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for

the forgiveness of your sins, and you

will receive the of the Holy Spirit. So

the promise is for you and for your

children and for all who are far off,

everyone in whom the Lord our God calls

to himself. With many other words he

bore witness and continue to exort them,

saying, "Save yourselves from this

crooked generation. So those who

received his word were baptized and they

were added that day about 3,000 souls.

They cried out to God and God saved

them. So now they're redeemed."

42

and they devoted themselves to the

apostles teaching and fellowship

breaking of bread and the prayer. By the

way, that is that's why we do service

the way we do. Uh they devote themselves

to the apostles teaching we we teach

God's word. So that whatever what only

God's truth is being preached the point

of the passage would be the point of the

sermon, right? themselves the we do that

weekly fellowship. I don't have time to

go into this word point in the air but I

believe it points to the Lord's supper.

That's what I believe it refers to is

the Lord's supper. Breaking of bread.

That's why we have a fellowship meal

every Sunday. The early church had

agreed meals and they ate together on

the first day of the week and prayers.

That's why we we pray an opening prayer.

We pray the prayer request. We pray at

the opening of the sermon. We at the end

we pray over the communion the prayers

and and I and I believe that this is

God's design to build a mature body of

believers not what man says but what God

says will transform our lives we hear

God's word at the end of every sermon we

come to the communion table we remember

what Christ has done for us we remember

how he exp we cry out to God save us and

We have a fellowship meal. We break

bread together. This is every week. And

and and it's it's even even the

relationships that are built are

sanctifying influence on the body of

Christ. It says in verse 46

uh

or verse 43, and a came upon every soul,

and many wonders and signs were being

done through the apostles. I do want to

say a little note there too. A King

James said fear. Um, it's very

important. Remember that we're we're

here to reverence God. The service is

actually service for God. I want to tell

you this is this is not a time to be on

our phones looking at Facebook and other

things. That's offensive. I think that's

offensive. Honestly, don't you feel

offended if you have a friend over and

who's not I think families I think we

follow. We all fall into this. I know I

found this. We're sitting in the same

room and the phone. It's a way of saying

you're not very important to me. You're

not as important to me right now as

whatever's on my phone,

right? To be honest, kind of offensive.

I think it's offensive God. God told

Moses, "Poke your shoes off. You're on

holy ground." Why? I mean, God created

all the dust on earth. Why didn't you

take your shoes off somewhere? Because

from Moses's vantage point, when you

come into a holy place, you take your

shoes off as you don't bring your

sandals in the temple.

So what God is saying is if you would do

that in a pagan temple when you come

before me take your shoes off because

you understand it as an act of

reverence. We don't take our shoes off

in this church.

Uh but we it's not it's not our culture

so much to necessarily take the sho

shoes off but it was for them. And so

because it meant that to them, it's like

if you would do that for an earthly king

or or if you would do that for a pagan

temple, when you come into my presence,

you're going to take

I think it is when we when we certain

things that we do, what what are we

telling the Lord by what's important? I

think I think if we're all involved, if

we can't put down our Facebook when

we're here to worship God or whatever it

is that we're looking at, um I think

it's a lack of reverence and God God

created fear came upon every soul. What

does that mean? God became immensely

important to them.

Reverence came upon the congregation.

And what happened? Many wonders and

signs were done. Oh, that's that's

opportunity for a lot of testimony.

God was healing people. God was changing

people. God was saving people. God works

wonders in a congregation that reverses

him.

to give them respect.

You know, here's the church. Time to get

the conversations out in the lobby.

You know, security team, I hope you're

listening to the sermon.

Whoever's out there,

we don't want to offend God.

So, we focus on God. We reverence God,

not the Lord. That we don't want to

offend him. And if we treat magistrate

with more reverence than we treat the

king of kings, it's offensive. But in in

this attitude of holy awe and reverence,

what was happening? Verse 46. And day by

day, ascending the temple together,

breaking bread in their homes, the

hospitalities, it's not one day a week.

They're breaking bread. That's why I

think it refers to the fellowship

earlier. They're breaking bread from

house to house. They receive their food

with glad and generous hearts. not

entitled people. These are grateful

people. They're not hyper critical

people. They're grateful people. They

have glad and generous hearts. That's

the other thing. We can check ourselves.

If instead of thanksgiving, we're

constantly critical. We're critical of

everything. That is an indicator of a

heart problem. If all we

criticism, check your heart.

Check your heart. We just pled through

your family. If it's just nothing but

critical, we need to check our heart.

And Verse 47, Praising God,

testifying about his goodness, praising

God and having favor with all those

people. And the Lord added to their

number day by day those who were being

saved daily before church. Why? God's

people filled with gladness, filled with

joy, filled with thanksgiving, having

experienced God's presence, having

experienced God's redemption, having

experienced God's loving kindness and

goodness. They couldn't help but talk

about him

doing one day a week. Hey, I'm going to

take care of your great

entertainment.

No, they were going to themselves.

your neighbor doesn't think you got to

come over. I got to I got to tell you

it's not just I got to tell you about

what's going on in my church. I got to

tell you what's going on. That that's

how the church was it was exploding. It

occurred to me recently that the early

church the first church the day it was

born was a mega church by our

definition.

The first day 3,000 people get saved and

then after that every day people were

getting saved. And a couple chapters

later, 5,000 people get saved. And then

we had 12 apostles in

12 men had to figure out a way to

disciple thousands of people. I tell

you, I don't that that

that's part of mission. What are you how

you thousands of people? You got to

delegate and you got to get babies grow

up to maturity as you can each other.

That's God's plan is the whole

congregation with pleasing God with

generous heart and and they ordered that

in church daily and then they as they

got taught they taught each other. It's

a beautiful thing. God's church growth

plan. I pray it for us. I pray that God

would make us as a church more reverent,

more thankful, more grateful, less

critical, and more willing to speak of

his trust, loving tong.

Lord God, we thank you that you have

redeemed us from all evil. We thank you,

God, that your mercies renew every

morning. We thank you, Father, that when

we cry to you,

when we ask you to forgive us of our s

on the basis of what Christ has done for

us. Your word says that if we confess

our sins, he is faithful and just to

forgive us of our sins

from all unrighteous. Lord, we thank you

for this gracious mercy is to all those

who call upon the name of the Lord. But

whoever call upon the name of the Lord

shall be saved.

Father, for leading us to the cross, we

find the pierce who gave himself as a

substitute.

Father, fill us with reverence. Fill us

with a holy desire to make you known.

And father, I pray for anyone here this

morning that is yet to cry out to you.

Lord, we pray for them. We pray that

Lord, you would move upon their hearts,

that you would remove the doubt, that

you would remove their whatever whatever

idol would hold them back. and serving

you. God, we pray that you would cleanse

them from their idols, take their heart

and take their heart.