Psalm 116v1-19 - Easter 2025

Well, we all love a good story, don't we? And Psalm 116 is a great story. We might call it a resurrection story.

! A personal testimony of how one man overcame death and lived. Look at verse 1.

! I love the Lord, he says.

For he heard my voice and he heard my cry for mercy. Verse 19.

In the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, Jerusalem, praise the Lord.

This is a story that is worth retelling. Now what makes this story great

is that this story can be your story. The writer is saying, look I've written this, I've recorded this,

I am sharing my experience because this story can be your story too. What happened to me can happen to you.

So what is his story? Well, there's three stories in one. There's a true story, a better story, and a personal story.

We're going to look at the psalm in three different ways. A true story, a better story, a personal story.

You might like to think of an Easter egg. Hope you all got Easter eggs this morning.

You get the cardboard on the outside. Then you get to the gold tinfoil.

And you open up the tinfoil and then you get the best part.

The sweet chocolate egg.

So in three stages, the cardboard, the tinfoil, the sweet chocolate egg.

So we have a true story, a better story, a personal story.

And as we progress, so it gets even sweeter and better.

So first, let's look at the true story.

A testimony of what God had done for this person.

He tells us, first of all, that I was confronted by death.

Verse 3.

The cords of death entangled me.

The anguish of the grave came over me.

It was as if death's tentacles had wrapped around him like a giant octopus.

It was like a boa constrictor that was squeezing the very life out of him.

Death was staring him in the face.

The rest of verse 3, he says, I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

What could I do?

I was in a losing battle.

Death was pulling me down into the grave.

I was on my way out.

Verse 4.

Then I called on the name of the Lord.

Lord, save me.

I turned to the only one who could rescue me and help me.

So he tells us he was confronted by death.

And he says, I was delivered from death.

As I called out to the Lord, I discovered something amazing.

Verse 5.

That the Lord is gracious and righteous.

Our God is full of compassion.

It's really true.

You may have heard of other things, but this is true.

When there was nothing I could do, the Lord saved me.

Verse 8.

For you, Lord, have delivered me from death.

My eyes from tears.

My feet from stumbling.

That I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

I thought I would never see my friends and family again.

But now I'm back in the land of the living.

I can now breathe again.

Everything is okay.

I was confronted by death.

I was delivered in death.

And he tells us that I am now confident in death.

You see, what the Lord had done for me changed my life.

Verse 15.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.

I was delivered from that near-death experience.

And that has helped me to see that when my time does come,

it will not be the end.

My death will be precious in God's sight.

For I will be with God.

It's a remarkable true story, isn't it?

Confronted by death.

Delivered by death.

And now confident in death.

This, we could say, is a resurrection story.

Now maybe you've had a similar experience in your life.

Death has looked you in the face,

but miraculously you survived.

Like the time when Kirstie and I were on our honeymoon.

And we took a boat off Nicaragua.

And a storm came.

And the waves were literally piling into the boat.

We had to strap our luggage to the side.

And we cried out,

we're going to drown on our honeymoon.

But we were saved.

We got to our port and we lived.

But what happens when life doesn't have such a good ending?

A loved one is given a few months to live.

Every drug and treatment has been tried.

And nothing seems to work.

A friend has an accident.

Tubes and machines are what keeping them alive.

And it all seems hopeless.

And like the writer here in Psalm 116,

we cry out to the Lord,

perhaps for the first time in our lives,

Lord, save us.

But deliverance doesn't come.

Why does the Lord not listen to my voice?

Why does the Lord not turn his ear to me?

Oh, it's alright for this man.

It all worked out well for him.

Of course he loves the Lord.

Of course he praises the Lord.

It's all good for him.

But it's not the way it worked out in my life.

Is there any way that I can experience what he experienced?

Well, this true story points to a better story.

So we've moved from the cardboard into the gold tinfoil.

A better story.

You see, this true account tells us that God is a saving God.

That's what he delights in doing.

He delivers.

Look back with me, please, to Psalm 107.

Just go back a couple of pages.

Psalm 107.

Psalm 107 begins a new section in the Psalms,

which is all about how God delivers and saves

and how people praise God for what he did.

So look at verse 1.

Give thanks to the Lord,

for he is good, his love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.

And what follows in Psalm 107

are stories of rescue and deliverance.

Let's look at a few of them.

Verse 4.

Some wandered in desert wastelands,

finding no way to a city where they could settle.

Verse 6.

They cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

Or verse 10.

Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,

prisoners suffering in iron chains.

Verse 13.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

He brought them out of darkness,

the utter darkness.

Or verse 17.

Some became fools through their rebellious ways.

Verse 19.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

He sent out his word and healed them.

He rescued them from the grave.

Back to Psalm 116.

Wonderful stories of deliverance,

of God intervening and saving.

And Psalm 116 is just another story of the way in which God delivers.

But here's the twist.

These stories are not guaranteed promises to us

that every time you and I face an illness or a danger,

God is going to deliver us.

It's not that kind of promise.

No, these stories are gathered together to point us to one who saves in a miraculous way.

God himself.

God himself.

It is the story, a better story,

of how God will deliver and save all who trust his son,

Jesus Christ.

You see, in many ways,

Psalm 116 is the story of Jesus.

It's the testimony of Jesus.

You see, as Jesus went to the cross,

he could say, verse 3,

The cords of death entangled me.

The anguish of the grave overcame me.

I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

But Jesus went further than this man's experience, didn't he?

Because from the cross, Jesus cried out in his distress,

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And there was no deliverance.

There was no answer.

Just silence.

No rescue from the grave.

Jesus died.

Jesus experienced death.

He was buried in the tomb.

But Jesus was not abandoned to the grave.

Three days later, Jesus rose again.

So Jesus can truly say, verse 8,

For you, Lord, have delivered me from death itself,

my eyes from tears,

and my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before the Lord

in the land of the living.

You see, Jesus Christ is the only one

to have died

and been raised again,

never ever

to face death again.

He crushed death.

He destroyed the grave.

And by his resurrection,

he defeated our greatest fear

and our darkest enemy.

He broke those cords of death.

And he freed us

from their chains.

You see, the story of Jesus

is better and greater.

Verse 15.

Precious in the sight of the Lord

is the death of his faithful servants.

Well, Jesus was the ultimate servant,

wasn't he?

He was the true and faithful servant

who obeyed his father,

who came into this world,

who did no wrong,

who was innocent of any crime.

But yet he died on that cross,

taking the punishment

for all of our sin,

all the things we have done wrong.

The innocent Jesus took it all.

And he rose again,

triumphing over the grave,

so that we might have forgiveness

of all of our sins

and that we might have life.

As Paul writes to the church

in Corinth,

death has been swallowed up

in victory.

Where, O death,

is your victory?

Where, O death,

is your sting?

Thanks be to God.

He gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

You see, that's what makes

the death of Jesus,

verse 15,

being precious

in the sight of the Lord.

It's precious

because through Jesus,

deliverance from death

has now been made possible,

not just for one,

but for all

who will trust in him.

He gives you and me

the victory over death.

He wins the battle.

He defeats our greatest enemy.

And we share in that victory.

The story of Jesus

is a better and greater story

for us all.

So how can this story,

this better story,

be my experience?

Well, here we come

to the chocolate,

the sweetest and best.

You see,

if Jesus' victory over death

is to be my victory,

if I am to experience

a resurrection,

then I must turn to him.

And here's how we can do it,

because I want us all to know

in this room,

whatever our experience of life,

whatever our background,

that this can be

my personal story.

So here's how

it can be our story.

First,

admit to our need

in death.

Admit to our need

in death.

One day,

death will confront us all.

It could be a long-term illness

or a sudden accident.

Whatever age we are,

we will feel,

verse 3,

the cords of death

wrapping around us.

There will be distress

and sorrow,

because we know

that in that moment

there is nothing we can do

to put it off.

And so we need to admit

our absolute helplessness

in the face of death.

And the way to express

our need

is not just to know

that we have a need,

but to express it.

And how do we do that?

Well, look at verse 4.

Then I called on the name

of the Lord.

Lord,

save me.

Just three simple words.

Lord,

save me.

So if you are here

and you are fearing death,

if you are worried

about the grave,

simply cry out

with these three words,

even now,

in your own heart and mind,

Lord,

save me.

And be confident

that he will hear

your cry for mercy,

because,

verse 5,

the Lord is gracious

and righteous,

and our God is

full of compassion.

salvation.

He delights

in saving.

And that salvation

will mean two things.

It will mean

a spiritual resurrection

now

and a physical resurrection

later.

A spiritual resurrection

now

and a physical resurrection

later.

Go with me,

please.

You can keep your finger

in Psalm 116

and go to Ephesians,

which is on page

1173.

Page 1173.

As we call out

to the Lord,

we can experience

right now

a spiritual

resurrection.

Ephesians,

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

It's on page

1173.

And we're going to read

chapter 2,

verse 1.

Now notice

the resurrection

language.

As for you,

he says,

you were

dead

in your

transgressions

and sins.

All we had

to look forward

to was separation

from God.

But,

verse 4,

but because

of his

great love

for us,

God,

God,

who is rich

in mercy,

made us

alive

with Christ

even when

we were dead

in our

transgressions.

It is by grace

you have been

saved.

And God

raised us

up with

Christ

and seated

us with him

in the heavenly

realms

in Christ

Jesus.

Jesus.

You see,

as we cry

out to him,

spiritually,

we are

raised to

new life.

Jesus has

paid for

all of our

sin

and has

raised us

to live

a new

way.

A way

that will

live forever.

A spiritual

resurrection

now

and an

eternal

physical

resurrection

to come.

Because one

day,

the risen

Lord Jesus

will come

again

and he

will raise

from the

grave

all those

who have

trusted in

him

and we

will live

in his

eternal

kingdom

forever

and forever

and there

will be

no more

death

and there

will be

no more

tears

and no

more

accidents

or sickness

and no

more

separations.

Let's

go back

to Psalm

116.

So first

we need

to admit

our need

in death.

second

that we

would trust

in the

deliverer

from death.

Look at

verse 8.

For

you

Lord

have

delivered

me

from

death.

It's

the Lord

it's

no one

else

who can

give us

life

so we

are to

trust

in him

and

calling

on the

Lord

is how

we

exercise

that

trust.

So

verse

10

I

trusted

in the

Lord

when I

said

I

am

greatly

afflicted.

In

my

alarm

I

said

everyone

is a

liar

I

cannot

trust

what

anybody

else

says

but I

can

trust

the

Lord.

A

child

in a

swimming

pool

may

recognize

that the

woman in

the

yellow

top

and the

red

shorts

is a

lifeguard

but it's

not until

they are

in

trouble

when they

can't

touch

the

bottom

and they're

beginning

to sink

that they

experience

the lifeguard.

In their

need

they cry

out in

trust

and so

it is

with us

in our

troubled

suffering

times

when we

find

ourselves

unable

to do

anything

we cry

out

in

trust

death

maybe

comes

close

to us

or a

loved

one

is

taken

from

us

and in

those

moments

verse 10

in our

affliction

we cry

out

and the

Lord

hears

and the

Lord

knows

and the

Lord

comes

close

I do

not know

why God

allows us

to go

through hard

times

at times

why we

experience

such

affliction

but maybe

it's

because

it causes

us to

cry out

in

trust

go with

me

please

to

2nd

Corinthians

it's

on page

1159

1159

2nd

Corinthians

chapter 1

here is

another

story

an

experience

of the

apostle

Paul

who's

talking

about

an

affliction

a

near

death

experience

that he

had

we pick

it up

in

chapter

1

the

middle

of

verse

8

he

says

we

were

under

great

pressure

far

beyond

our

ability

to

endure

so

that

we

despaired

of

life

itself

indeed

we

felt

we

had

received

a

sentence

of

death

but

this

happened

that

we

might

not

rely

on

ourselves

but

on

God

who

raises

the

dead

he

has

delivered

us

from

such

deadly

peril

and

he

will

deliver

us

again

on

him

we

have

set

our

hope

!

and he

will

continue

to

deliver

us

you

see

we

don't

choose

the

difficult

times

in

life

but

it

is

through

our

troubles

through

our

afflictions

that

we

grow

in our

trust

as we

cry

out

to

God

time

and

time

again

and

he

meets

us

in

our

need

he

will

keep

us

trusting

until

Christ

comes

again

let's

go back

finally

to

Psalm

116

so

we

admit

we

trust

and

lastly

we

rest

in

the

victory

over

death

verse

12

what

shall

I

return

to

the

Lord

for

all

his

goodness

to

me

what

could

I

do

for

God

who's

done

all

of

this

well

the

answer

is

nothing

there's

nothing

we

can

do

to

repay

God

for

the

goodness

he

has

done

in

our

life

and

the

salvation

he

has

given

it

is

Jesus

who

has

secured

the

victory

for

us

so

we

now

rest

!

in

him

verse

13

I

will

lift

up

the

cup

of

salvation

and

call

on

the

name

of

the

Lord

verse

17

I

will

sacrifice

a

thank

offering

to

you

and

call

on

the

name

of

the

Lord

it's

giving

us

a

picture

here

of

a

feast

as

they

bring

their

thanks

to

God

it's

a

victory

!

celebration

the

party

has

begun

death

has

been

defeated

so

verse

13

I

lift

up

the

cup

of

salvation

literally

I

receive

from

him

salvation

God

will

fill

my

cup

he

will

secure

my

life

with

him

forever

and

forever

he

is

the

one

who

will

ensure

that

we

make

it

home

to

be

with

him

and

when

that

day

comes

when

Jesus

raises

us

from

the

grave

then

verse

15

will

be

true

for

precious

in the

sight

of

the

Lord

is

the

death

of

his

faithful

servants

our

death

will

be

precious

to

the

Lord

because

the

victory

of

Jesus

will

have

achieved

its

goal

precious

to

the

Lord

because

the

victory

of

Jesus

will

have

achieved

its

goal

we

will

be

safely

at

home

with

the

Lord

one

writer

put it

like

this

it

means

that

the

death

of

every

servant

everyone

who

trusts

in

Christ

is

a

demonstration

to

all

creation

that

Christ's

death

for

our

sins

and

his

resurrection

from

the

grave

was

gloriously

successful

and

it

will

be a

very

precious

thing

to

the

Lord

when

you

walk

into

his

eternal

kingdom

because

Jesus'

death

has

guaranteed

your

glorious

resurrection

so

verse

seven

return

to your

rest

my

soul

for

the

Lord

has

been

good

to

you

we

do

not

need

to

fear

we

do

not

need

to

worry

our

future

is

secure

with

him

and

he

is

with

us

in

life

today

comforting

encouraging

and

giving us

strength

for the

journey

so

here

we

have

a

true

story

the

experience

of

one

man's

deliverance

in

a

time

of

trouble

we

have

here

a

better

story

the

victory

of

Jesus

over

death

and

his

destruction

of

the

grave

and

do

we

have

a

personal

story

is

this

your

story

that

we

can

experience

the

resurrection

as

we

rest

in

the

victory

of

Jesus

Christ

is

risen

hallelujah

let's

pray

what

shall

I

return

to

the

Lord

for

all

his

goodness

to

me

I

will

rest

in

the

victory

of

Jesus

Christ

thank

you

Lord

God

for

the

true

story

of

Jesus

thank

you

that

his

story

gives

us

a

new

story

a

new

way

to

live

with

hope

and

glory

to

come

peace

and

comfort

today

thank

you

so

much

and

it's

in

Jesus

name

we

all

pray

amen