Psalm 107:8. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men.
Ah friends, another Sunday is upon us, meaning it’s time to gather and offer up praise and worship with thanksgiving to our great and merciful God. And that’s as it should be, because He’s bestowed so many undeserved blessings upon us. The psalmist got it right when he declared: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men. For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:8-9)
And for that we do indeed owe the Lord much thanks and praise, which we will attempt to satisfy this morning, by opening with a marvelous song. The truth though, is that we will never be able to satisfy the debt we owe to the Holy Trinity, our Godhead, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, because with our frail human nature, we just don’t have enough resources or time to cover the enormous debt.
But the wonderful thing about our God is that He isn’t looking for repayment because He knows that we just don’t have the wherewithal to repay, and thus He’s willing to settle for praise and thanksgiving with obedience to His will, which we are indeed able to give, although for some of us, it’s like pulling teeth without anesthetic. (smile)
Anyway, enough talk, let’s get to the beautiful worship song titled ‘In Christ Alone’ written in 2002 by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. And it’s quickly become a favourite song to sing in worship circles. Today we’ll do the glorious, mid-tempo soulful version done by Geoff Moore and Adrienne Liesching from their album – Worship Together – Be Glorified, issued in 2003. So, with joyful hearts and sincere souls, let’s offer up our sacrifices of praise in loud and perfect voice.
‘In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song; This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of LOVE, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My comforter, my all in all—Here in the LOVE of Christ I stand. In Christ alone, Who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe! This gift of LOVE and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied; For ev’ry sin on Him was laid— Here in the death of Christ I live. There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain; Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave He rose again! And as He stands in victory, Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me; For I am His and He is mine— Bought with the precious blood of Christ.’
And right here, as the music plays through the bridge, the duo adds these beautiful words on the video screen. ‘My Lord Jesus Christ, I am here to thank You for what you suffered for me on the cross. May Your arms of LOVE enfold me and protect me. Lord Jesus, I give myself to You willingly. You are my rock and my salvation. You are my only hope….’
Then they continue with the last verse of the song. ‘No guilt in life, no fear in death— This is the pow’r of Christ in me; From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home— Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.’
And at the end, while the music goes out, these magnificent words appear on the video screen. ‘Lord, who am I, that you should desire so much to be LOVED by me? And who shall I LOVE, if I don’t LOVE You, my Jesus? Make me all Yours for the rest of my days. Give me Your LOVE; I ask for nothing more.’
And really friends, that’s all we can truly ask of Jesus, His awesome LOVE and compassion, because He’s already emptied Himself on our behalf, sacrificing His sinless soul on the cross so that we could be reconciled to the Father, sin debt paid in full, and eternal life guaranteed. Wow! What else can be said eh?
The song says it all: ‘In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song; This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of LOVE, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My comforter, my all in all—’
Jesus is indeed our EVERYTHING! No doubt about that. For through Him, ‘The wrath of God was satisfied; For every sin on Him was laid – Here in the death of Christ I live.’ And that’s the gospel truth friends, for it’s only through Christ’s death on our behalf, taking all our sins on His shoulders, ‘Bought with the precious blood of Christ,’ that we can now live in righteousness.
And Peter said it so well in his first epistle. ‘Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: By whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop (Overseer) of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 2:24-25)
That reminds me of the song Moses and the children of Israel sang in God’s honour so long ago: ‘I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song (fortress or defense), and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation (praise Him); my Father’s God, and I will exalt him.’ (Ex. 15:1-2)
And that’s exactly why we are gathered here today my faithful brethren; with sincere hearts, souls, bodies and minds, to unequivocally praise, give thanks to and exalt the God of our forefathers, the God of our salvation. And what better words to end with than these from Psalm 107: ‘Oh that men would praise (give thanks to) the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.’ (Ps. 107:31-32)
Please my fellow saints, let’s show our undying and ever-grateful LOVE for our Godhead by praising, giving thanks and exalting Him every single day of our lives. That’s the least we can do in return for His wonderful blessings to mankind, right down through the ages. Much LOVE!
…if our hearts are truly for Christ…then thanks and praise should automatically emanate from them…
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