How Can I Repay Him?
Psalms 116
August 22, 2021
In Christianity there are words and phrases that sometimes
We become too liberal with even to our own detriment.
For example:
People talk about GRACE (as they should)
• But when talk of grace turns into licentiousness grace has been perverted into something that it is not.
People talk about LOVE (as they should)
• But when talk of love turns into absence of judgment love has been perverted into something that it is not.
And I think another place where we can fall into this trap is with the word FREE
• We often speak of salvation being a “free gift” (which it is)
Salvation is free in the sense that the entire cost was paid by God.
• He sent His Son.
• Jesus fulfilled the Law.
• Jesus paid the debt.
• Jesus purchased our salvation with His own death.
We receive salvation by grace.
It is in fact freely given.
The perversion comes in however when we hear the word “free”
And then assume that no obligation exists for us at all.
NOW CERTAINLY
There is nothing left to be done in order to complete our salvation.
We know Jesus did in fact do all that was necessary.
But are we to assume that we now have no obligation at all?
Certainly not.
THERE ARE STILL EXPECTATIONS.
For example:
Paul said:
Romans 1:14 “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.”
Romans 8:11-12 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh”
We are familiar with the famous passage in Ephesians where Paul says that we are “saved by grace through faith”
But we also remember that Paul says:
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Or we remember Paul’s admonition to Titus regarding grace.
Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,”
The simple point made in all of those passages
Is that we understand that just because salvation was a free gift of grace,
THAT DOES NOT MEAN
There are no expectations or obligations left for us to fulfill.
At the very least there is an obligation of GRATITUDE
That must certainly be paid.
YET, IT IS A GRIEF I FEEL CONTINUALLY IN THE AMERICAN CHURCH
That there seems to be such little concern by so many
To give anything back to the Lord.
It seems that far too many are more than eager to attend a service
Or walk an aisle to “get something” from the Lord,
But are far less eager to fulfill an obligation or bring something back.
We see it often in our day, something that I guess I’ll never get used to:
A person who may come forward to be saved on Sunday morning
And then not even return on Sunday night.
I’ll never understand that.
• Where is the sense of gratitude?
• Where is the sense of obligation?
• Where is the commitment?
• Where is the priority?
It is often quoted, and rightly so, the passage in Hebrews regarding the requirement for church attendance.
Hebrews 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
That is certainly a fitting text to encourage faithful church attendance.
And if I was to pick a second, it would be Psalms 116.
• Psalms 116 doesn’t come to us by way of imperative command.
• Psalms 116 rather demonstrates for us a fitting gratitude.
Here we have a man who is expressing an obvious obligation.
God has done for him great things and he feels obligated to return.
His salvation was certainly free and he could never pay for it.
But gratitude requires that he will spend the rest of his life trying.
AND THAT IS THE SETTING HERE.
• We have a man who has arrived at the temple for worship.
• Perhaps he has traveled a long way.
• Certainly his enthusiasm has set him apart from the crowd.
And it is as though someone has asked him: “WHY ARE YOU HERE?”
AND THIS PSALM IS HIS ANSWER.
If you’re looking for the concise answer look to verses 14 and 18 which are identical, “I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of His people.”
I’m here to bring a return to God for all that He has done for me.
I try (actually pretty hard) not to be judgmental or too harsh on people
If they miss a service or if they don’t attend on a Sunday night.
I try to have a merciful mindset and remember that I’m not aware of what is going on in everyone’s life and perhaps there are good reasons why they are not here.
Though honestly, I do not understand it.
I cannot understand why any child of God
• Who has felt the sting of lostness;
• Who has trembled at the thought of judgment;
• Who has cried out to Christ for mercy;
• Who has then be forgiven and saved;
• Who has been filled with His Spirit;
• And who has been promised an eternal inheritance…
I, for the life of me, cannot figure out
Why things like Sunday night worship or Wednesday night worship
Are not the chief priority of their life.
After being saved, in verse 12,
This Psalmist asked himself a question: “What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me?”
And he said,
“At the very least I can go worship God in the midst of His people!”
This is a very wonderful and even convicting Psalm.
I also remind you again that it is part of the famous “HALLEL”
• It was sung at Passover.
• It was sung by Jesus as He departed to go to the Garden of Gethsemane.
• It was a song of reminder to Israel not only of God’s salvation but also of their obligation in response to such a great salvation.
So…
• Psalms 113 focused on God’s Humility to behold even us.
• Psalms 114 focused on God’s Power to mightily save us.
• Psalms 115 focused on God’s Loyalty to faithfully bless us.
• Psalms 116 focuses on God’s Right to expect worship from us.
Now the PSALM OPENS with a bold statement of devotion.
The man has arrived at the temple with an announcement.
(1-2) “I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.”
There are two great statements of commitment from the Psalmist.
• “I love the LORD”
• “I shall call upon Him as long as I live”
• I love God and I’m coming here to worship the rest of my life.
• I will never quit loving or trusting Him.
It is pure love and pure devotion.
• There is no compulsion here.
• There is no half-hearted attendance.
The passion seen here is like the passion of the woman at the Pharisees house who wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.
Luke 7:47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
She had been forgiven much so she loved much.
If you’ve not watched the TV series “THE CHOSEN”, I think it’s great.
• My favorite moment in the series so far comes after Jesus casts out the
demons from Mary Magdalene.
• Later, as Nicodemus is investigating her deliverance she tells Nicodemus that it
wasn’t Nicodemus who delivered her but it was someone else, a man
whose name she does not know.
Nicodemus asks, “Would you at least know Him if you saw Him again?”
Mary answers, “I don’t know why I am sharing this with you, I don’t understand it myself. But here is what I can tell you. I was one way, and now I am completely different, and the thing that happened in between was Him. So yes, I will know Him for the rest of my life.”
I love that!
Anyone who has felt the weight of their sin
And the freedom of redemption can identify with that.
And that is the Psalmist here.
• “I love the LORD”
• “I shall call upon Him as long as I live.”
But the overwhelming question, perhaps of the crowd, is WHY?
• Why do you love Him?
• Why will you call upon Him the rest of your life?
• WHY SUCH DEVOTION?
AND THE ANSWER given by the Psalmist is really remarkable.
“because He hears”
Now first, notice the contrast among the Psalms of the Hallel.
Just last week in Psalms 115 we were confronted with the false gods of the pagans.
Psalms 115:6 “They have ears, but they cannot hear…”
But the Psalmist says that his love for God stems from the fact that God “hears”
Specifically “He hears My voice and my supplications”
It is “Because He has inclined His ear to me.”
• I love God because He hears me.
• I love God because He listens to me.
• It speaks of true love and compassion.
• It speaks of true interest and empathy.
• It speaks of a personal and intimate God who actually listens.
And the Psalmist loves Him for it.
But it’s almost as though the crowd wants more specifics.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN GOD LISTENS TO YOU?
AND THE REST OF THE PSALM IS HIS ANSWER.
• The remainder of Psalms 116 explains why the Psalmist loves God for listening
• And why He is so devoted to Him for it.
It is the Psalmists testimony.
It is the explanation of the Psalmist devotion.
AND BEFORE WE STUDY IT
Might I give this Psalm to you as a blueprint for ought to be the norm for every believer.
Peter said:
1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”
If you have ever wanted a good example for what it looks like
To “give an account for the hope that is in you” here it is.
If you have ever wanted a good example for what it looks like
To explain your devotion to Christ, here it is.
And I have no problem telling you that
THIS SHOULD BE THE RESPONSE OF EVERY BELIEVER.
We’ll break the Psalmist testimony down into 5 points.
#1 THE REQUEST I MADE
Psalms 116:3-4
Take a look at THE PREDICAMENT this man was in.
(3) “The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.”
Often times in the poetry of the Psalms
Death is painted as an aggressive adversary
Reaching out of Sheol to grab the feet of the living.
And here, death was successful.
It caught me!
Now certainly we see an analogy of spiritual death and lostness here,
But there is no reason to assume the Psalmist is talking about anything other than literal physical death here.
In a moment, in a flash, he was on death’s door.
And as he contemplated death there was no peace.
It terrified him. He did not want to die.
All he found was “distress and sorrow”
It reminds me of the lament of Jonah upon his disobedience to the LORD.
Jonah 2:5-6a “Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, Weeds were wrapped around my head. “I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever…”
But Jonah also said:
Jonah 2:7 “While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple.”
From the midst of the sea Jonah cried out to God and God heard him!
And that is precisely what the Psalmist is talking about.
(4) “Then I called upon the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!”
• Here I was, at my wits end.
• I was facing death and I was terrified.
• I had no other option but to cry out to the God of the universe
• And hope that He would be willing to listen to me.
• Think about being in peril…
• Think about facing death…
• Think about your options and who you might call on for help…
• Think if you can even get through to them at such a time…
This man faced death and his decision was to call on God.
The Request I Made
#2 THE RESCUE HE PERFORMED
Psalms 116:5-6
The Psalmist can’t contain it.
His mouth is full of praise!
“Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.”
He pauses the story…
He leaves you at a cliffhanger…
(Though his presence already tells you God must have saved)
But the Psalmist makes sure you understand why God saved.
• It WASN’T because of my worth, it was because of His grace.
• It WASN’T because of my righteousness, it was because of His righteousness.
• It WASN’T because of my strength, it was because of His compassion.
“The LORD preserves the simple;”
The Hebrew word for “simple” is PETHEE
It means “simple; naïve, foolish, open-minded”
It’s a nice way of saying “stupid”
• This man wasn’t in danger out of pure undeserved circumstances.
• This man did something dumb and it got him near death.
• This man did something dumb and it nearly killed him.
God had every right to say,
“Well, he shouldn’t have been so dumb as to get himself into that mess.”
BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT GOD DID.
The Psalmist says, “I was brought low, and He saved me.”
• I was foolish and stupid.
• I was naïve and simple.
• I found myself in danger by my own foolishness
• And as I approached death I called upon God
• And despite my foolishness “He saved me.”
I think of Titus 3
Titus 3:3-5 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,”
I think of Paul
1 Timothy 1:12-15 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”
And certainly we think of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians
Where he told us that we also were dead in our sin.
Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”
“I was sinking deep in sin Far from the peaceful shore; Very deeply stained within Sinking to rise no more. But the Master of the sea Heard my despairing cry; From the waters lifted me now safe am I”
It is the testimony of the redeemed.
• He made mistakes that should have cost him his life.
• But even in his own foolishness he called upon the Lord.
And we are promised.
Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
And this man was saved.
God delivered him from death.
• We certainly see the analogy of Christ saving us from our spiritual death.
• We certainly feel like Lazarus’ who was delivered from death.
• We identify with every demoniac or man whom Jesus rescued.
We where trapped in our own rebellion and foolish choices
And we deserved what we were about to receive,
But we cried out for mercy and He gave it.
“He saved me.”
The Request I Made; The Rescue He Performed
#3 THE RELIEF I FOUND
Psalms 116:7-11
Often when we talk to people about writing their testimony we give them 3 points.
1) CONVICTION – what you were before Christ
2) CONVERSION – the moment / events when Christ saved you
3) COMMITMENT – how your life is different now after Christ
And often times we say that you should recognize that
The problems stated in conviction should be changed in commitment.
That is what you see here.
When facing death he said, (3) “terrors…came upon me” & “I found distress and sorrow”
But look at him now.
(7) “Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.”
He left fear behind and returned to rest.
• No more striving…
• No more weary and heavy-laden…
• Just rest.
It is what the writer of Hebrews spent a whole chapter describing that there is a rest for your soul.
And this Psalmist has it.
• It is the peace that surpasses all comprehension…
• It is the mercy that is new every morning…
• It is the love that never fails…
• It is the grace that is always sufficient…
FEAR IS GONE, REST HAS ARRIVED.
“For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.”
• Indeed, He has done more for you than you deserved.
• He didn’t just rescue, He has blessed.
Not only has Christ saved us, but He has also “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”
(8) “For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling.”
• You didn’t just pull me out of my own stupid mistakes,
• But you have put my feet on a path to keep me from every falling down there again.
• You didn’t just give me freedom from judgment, but freedom from sin.
And as a result the Psalmist says”
(9) “I shall walk before the LORD in the land of the living.”
• He saved me and now I am saved.
• And I live as though I am saved.
We hear people say it all the time today that they have been saved.
“From what?”
It is apparent that they only mean “from hell”
• Because it isn’t apparent that they have been saved from profanity or from
apathy or from sexual immorality or from lying.
They say they are alive, but the look as dead as anyone else.
Anyone who thinks he has been saved from hell but who can’t tell that he has been saved from anything else has clearly deceived himself.
But the Psalmist knows.
• He was saved.
• Saved from death and saved from stumbling.
• Saved to live and now he lives.
John 8:36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
That is what the Psalmist is saying.
• I was in danger of death by reason of my own foolishness.
• I cried out to God and He heard me.
• He then delivered me and saved me.
• He didn’t just keep me from dying He kept me from stumbling again.
And incidentally, only God could do this.
(10-11) “I believed when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” I said in my alarm, “All men are liars.”
That is to say that to trust in man is a false hope.
Man’s ways cannot save.
So they asked the Psalmist
Why he was here and why he was so enthusiastic in his praise.
He said “because God hears me.”
They say, “What do you mean?”
And the Psalmist tells of how God heard his cry of distress
And saved him from death.
But let’s pause here for a moment.
There are thousands of testimonies that go this far,
But which never take the next step.
What we are about to read next is REGRETTABLY
One of the most neglected realities of salvation.
I want you to watch what the Psalmist does next.
#4 THE RESPONSE I PONDERED
Psalms 116:12-15
Did you catch that?
Look at that question.
“What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me?”
Have you ever asked that question?
I can assure that it doesn’t appear that many do anymore.
Men are so convinced at how “free” salvation is
They never seem to give any thought
As to what they might give back in return.
Remember this story?
Luke 17:11-19 “While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”
That is the point here.
Is God worthy of anything from you
Now that He has worked such a great deliverance for you?
Have you ever asked “What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me?”
It is a question pondered often in Scripture and we don’t have near enough time to look at them all, but let me show you a few.
Psalms 40:6-8 “Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; My ears You have opened; Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”
Psalms 50:7-15 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. “I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains. “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”
Psalms 51:15-17 “O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise. For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
Micah 6:6-8 “With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”
It is the contemplation of the redeemed.
What should I give back to God for all that He has done?
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
The Psalmist contemplated this very thing.
WHAT SHOULD I GIVE?
And notice that he answered himself.
(13-15) “I shall lift up the cup of salvation And call upon the name of the LORD. I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people. Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.”
He asked what He should give in return to God for His great salvation
And this is what he decided.
He decided that he should “lift up the cup of salvation”,
• That is to say he should exalt how God saved him.
And He decided that he should “call upon the name of the LORD”,
• That is to say he should continue trusting God.
And He decided that he should “pay my vows to the LORD”,
• Which speaks of continued faithfulness.
And He decided that it should “Be in the presence of all His people.”
• Which means he should do it at the temple.
For the Psalmist new that “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His goldy ones.”
That is “death to self”
When contemplating how to give a return to God
For the bountiful salvation God had poured upon him
He decided what needed to happen.
• I need to die to self.
• I need to go to that temple.
• I need to tell everyone about this salvation.
• I need to continue to trust God and be faithful to Him forever.
So…
#5 THE RESPONSIBILITY I EMBRACED
Psalms 116:16-19
Here he is paying what he figured he owed.
(16-17) “O LORD, surely I am Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid, You have loosed my bonds. To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And call upon the name of the LORD.”
• He has come to commit his entire life to the Lord.
• He has come to pledge service.
• He has come to give thanks.
• He has come to continue to call on God.
And then he returns to his answer.
• Do you want to know why I love God?
• Do you want to know why I am here?
I nearly died of my own foolishness and God saved me.
He gave me what I did not deserve
And so I have come to give Him a small portion
Of what He certainly deserves.
(18-19) “I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people, In the courts of the LORD’S house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!”
That is why he is here.
• That is why he loves God.
• That is why he wants to be with God’s people.
Now that was a song originally sung in remembrance of the Passover,
But do we not see that same devotion in the early church?
Acts 2:43-47 “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
SOMEWHERE CHURCH WE ARE LOSING THIS.
The church has gotten so accustomed to talking about
How free salvation is
That the have forgotten our obligation before God.
Meeting with the saints is only optional
If you are ungrateful for what God has done.
Worshiping among God’s people is only optional
If you feel no sense of devotion to return to God.
This Psalmist was here to worship
Because God deserved it and he was glad to do it.
He loved much because he had been forgiven much.
The church should still have this passion
And it is grievous when they do not.
