Psa. 103:1-5A FEW WORDS ABOUT GODS BENEFITS Intro: The background of this Psalm is unclear, but what is clear, is a desire on the part of David to praise God for all that He has done. He speaks of Gods personal blessings, v. 1-5; His national blessings, v. 6-7; His forgiving love, v. 8-14; His eternal love, v. 15-18; and he ends with a universal call for all to praise the Lord, v. 19-22. It seems that as David begins to recall the blessings of the Lord, he is overcome with praise for Him. (Ill. Benefits = dealings How God has handled the life of the writer.) 3 times, David calls upon himself to render praises unto the Lord. He wants purity in praise the soul; he wants abundant praise all that is within me. He wants to offer up his sacrifice of love and praise to the God who has done so much for him. By the way, God deserves our praise, Heb. 13:15. (Ill. He will receive praise one way or another Luke 19:40.) There ought to be, in all our hearts a desire to praise God for all He has done for us. Tonight, I want to spend a few moments in this Psalm, showing you that we have reason to praise the Lord. Allow me to say a few words to you about the Lords benefits. I. v. 3 THE BENEFIT OF FORGIVENESS A. Ill. All iniquity When a person comes to the Father through faith in the Son, all is forgiven! (Ill. Psa. 103:12; Micah 7:19; John 14:17; Isa. 38:17; John 1:29; Isa. 44:22; Heb. 8:12; Eze. 33:16.) (Ill. The verb implies continuous action who goes on forgiving 1 John 1:7. (Ill. He forgiveth and forgetteth!) (Ill. Iniquity = crookedness Not just our weaknesses and failures, but the gross, enormous, crimson red sins that we commit. He forgives them all original, actual, life, lip, heart, omission and commission, are all washed away in the precious blood of Jesus! B. Healeth thy diseases Not of the body, though He can in His will! But those of the soul are in view here. He heals the bent in man toward sin. He arrests the process of corruption that attends a life of evil 2 Cor. 5:17. II. v.4THE BENEFIT OF FREEDOM A. The Weight Of Everlasting Destruction Ill. The reality of Hell fire Psa. 9:17. Jesus delivers the repentant sinner from the fear of Hell, 1 Thes. 5:19. (Ill. Redeemed we were bought and the price wasnt cheap 1 Pet. 1:18-19.) B. The Weight Of Lifes Burdens Ill. All of life is tempered by the grace of God.. 1. Lovingkindness Grace This is grace for every step along the way. Ill. Paul 2 Cor. 12:7-9. Like a crown that encircles the head, Gods grace encircles all of life. As a result, we need not fear! Why? He is with us Heb. 13:5. Notice who He is. Knowing helps! a. Jehovah-Jireh The Lord will see to it Gen 22; Phil. 4:19 (Psa. 23:1b) b. Jehovah Shalom The Lord our peace Phil 4:7 (Psa. 23:2) c. Jehovah-Rohi The Lord our Shepherd Psa. 22:1 (Psa. 23:1a) d. Jehovah-Shammah The Lord is there Matt. 28:20 (Psa. 23:4) e. Jehovah-Rophi The Lord our Healer Psa. 23:3 (Psa. 23:3) f. Jehovah-Nissi The Lord our Banner Ex. 17 (Psa. 23:5) g. Jehovah-Tsidkenu The Lord our righteousness Jer. 23:6 (Psa. 23:3) 2. Tender Mercies Pictures God as a Father, tenderly caring for the needs of His children Ill. Luke 12:32. (Ill. Matt. 6!) III. v.5THE BENEFIT OF FULNESS A. He Satisfies Us Psa. 107:9 (Ill. The world can deliver only death, pain and heartache. The Father gives life, peace and blessing. The world cannot satisfy, but God abundantly satisfies the heart of man. He does this by being who He is! (Ill. Never mat a Christian, right with God, who was unsatisfied!) B. He Strengthens Us God gives us His strength to run the race, fight the fight and live the life, Isa. 40:31. Conc: With all these great blessings and benefits in view, isnt He worthy of your worship and praise? The question is, is He getting it? We certainly do have so much to thank Him for!