What Shall I Render to the Lord
Opening
It is possible for someone can do so much for you that it is impossible for you to pay them back
Gabrielle Aguzman struggled with severe heart failure. In 2004, she suffered two heart attacks back to back and was in a coma.
She was at her lowest point, lost hope, and wanted to die. She was placed on a heart transplant list for a new heart. She waited for 18 months before receiving a new heart.
She received a new heart in October 2007. She felt no pain and wanted to meet the family of her donor’s heart. She weeped when she saw the donor’s mothers.
She stated she could never repay them for what her son’s has done for her
Sermon Key Points
In Psalm 116, the Psalmist heart is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving. He is asking what can I give to God as a thank you for what you have done for me.
What can WE who owns nothing and owe God everything give to God who owns everything but owes us nothing?
The collection of the 150 were not put together randomly but put together intentionally.
It tells a story about the character and nature of God’s power
Psalms 113-118- express praise and thanksgiving to God for his delivering power.
Psalm 113 & 114- discusses how God delivered his people for Egypt
Psalm 116 talks about how God delivers his people collectively to delivering his people individually
Psalm 116:1- The Psalmist opens up saying “I love the Lord”. We should love God with everything that we say and do
Your inward devotion to God to be misaligned with how you outwardly express it
The Psalmist can be an outward expression because It is a response to the Lord’s loyal commitment to him. I love the Lord because he first loved me.
The Psalmist expresses he was in a dire position and all he found was stress and sorrow
He then turned his cries to the Lord
He learned about the character of God during his troubled times
We experienced God in a deep more meaningful way when we trust HIM
You learn about God in the most vulnerable time in your life
Psalm 116:9- I will honor the Lord with my life and what I do because of what he has done for me.
Psalm 116:10- You can be honest about the trouble you’re in and your trust in God at the same time
The answer is found in Psalm 116:13- “I will lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
A mature believer will be moved by genuine gratitude and thanksgiving for God’s proven faithfulness in their lives and they give sacrificially.
