Yahweh's Benefits - Part 2

Psalm 103:1-2 “Bless YAHWEH, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits...”

We’ve already seen that we are made up of three parts; spirit, soul, and body. From John 4:23 we know that our spirit is (or should be) always in a state of worship. This is why we can worship God anytime and anywhere without any emotion needed! Our soul, however, needs to be “primed” in order to worship. This is the point of Psalm 103:1-5 - leading your soul into worship. We pull our mind, will and emotions into worship by remembering Yahweh’s benefits.

Last time, we looked at the first three benefits in this list
1. Forgiveness of all our sin - past, present, and future!
2. Healing from every disease - no matter how big or small
3. Redemption from eternal destruction

But David didn’t stop there. There are three more benefits in his list:

4. “...Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies...”

The Hebrew word for “lovingkindness” is the word chesed. This beautiful, ancient word has no true English counterpart. FIrst of all, it carries the meaning of compassion and tender care in action. In other words, it is the very act of mercy! Secondly, this word denotes the motivation behind the act - an intense love.

God loves us with an intense, burning love. Song of Solomon 8:6 describes this kind of love: “Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame.” The very last word in this verse, the word we translate as “vehement flame” is the word shalhebeth - it means “the very fire of Yahweh.” God’s love burns for us out of His very nature!

5. “...Who satisfies your mouth with good things...”

God is the giver of good things. Jesus compared and contrasted the Father with earthly parents to make this very point. If you, as sinful and wicked people, know how to love and care for your children with good things - don’t you think your Father in Heaven will provide for His kids?

To many people don’t understand this. If they did, they would pray much differently! Instead of begging and pleading for things that they don’t even believe God wants to give them, they would come boldly and ask in confident faith. That is the only type of prayer that gets answers! There is one continuing theme whenever the Bible teaches on prayer; prayers of faith get answered, prayers of doubt and unbelief are ineffective.

So it is vitally important to believe that God wants to satisfy His kids with good things!

6. “...so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.”

Face it, life is tough. It takes a toll on all of us! Have you ever had a day that was just harsh? How about a harsh week? A month? What is the best way to repair ourselves when we’re beaten down by the pressure of life?

For most people, it’s time off. We get away from it all and rest. Whether it’s just rest on the weekend or a nice, long vacation - rest has a rejuvenating effect on all of us.

But what happens when the pressure seems to never stop? What do you do you’re just as overwhelmed after a vacation as you were before it? The answer is the last benefit on this list - a renewed youth. This doesn’t mean turning the clock back physically. But it does carry the meaning of reversing the damage that life does to all of us.

When we let Him, God has this wonderful way of healing the damage of a lifetime and lifting every burden from our shoulders. Without the weights and pressures of natural life, we’re then free to soar into the spiritual life that God has prepared for us.

These are benefits that we must remember. David emphasizes this in verse 2 - “forget not all His benefits.” Why is it so important to remember these six things?

First of all, these are six areas that so often drag us into depression. How often have you seen a believer depressed about what they did wrong? Would it be better for them to remember the benefit of forgiveness? How often does the fear and worry of sickness blind us to the way God cares for us? Have you ever lost sight of your eternal destiny in heaven and found yourself completely focused on this temporary life? Have you ever felt alone and unloved? Overwhelmed with lack? Beaten down by life in this world?

If any of this sounds familiar, then you need to sit down and remember the benefits of Yahweh! The only way to rise out of this kind of oppression is to get your focus back on spiritual things. Life in this sin-filled world can be harsh and overwhelming. But we have everything we need to stay above it all! God’s promises give us victory over the normal life!

Just look at what Peter tells us about the promise of God: “...by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these [promises] you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” God’s promises to us give us access to His own divine nature!

Rewarded - Part 3

Isaiah 40:10 “Behold, the Lord Yahweh shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

There will be a day when every believer will stand before the throne of Jesus to be judged for what they have done after their salvation. This is not a judgement to decide Heaven or Hell - that was already decided in the moment you gave your life to Him. No, this judgement is to determine our eternal rewards.

Last time, we discovered five things that the Bible specifically says bring rewards. But there’s even more! You see, God is a very rewarding God! I believe He’s given us opportunity after opportunity to earn (that’s right, I said earn!) rewards! Salvation is free by grace, but that same grace will push us to do “good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

So here are a few more things I’ve in God’s Word that bring a reward. Again, this list is by no means exhaustive...and if you find any more, let me know! Remember, these acts bring rewards to the believer - but you cannot earn salvation by them! Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone!

#1 - When you do an act of love in secret and without recognition
Matthew 6:3-4 “But when you do a charitable deed (loving act), do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
If, after you’ve spent a lot of time and energy helping someone, you get upset because no one recognized your effort - you may want to examine your priorities! When you do a “charitable deed” without getting the credit, your reward is far greater than anything you could receive here on earth!

#2 - A sincere and diligent prayer life
Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
The day’s coming when we’ll know who really had a healthy prayer life and who didn’t!

#3 - True fasting
Matthew 6:17-18 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
The kind of fasting that brings a reward doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t play the “rules game” - that is, “Can I drink broth? Can I eat soup? Can I keep a hard candy in my mouth? Should I only drink water?”
According to Jesus’ own words - if other people know you’re fasting, you’re doing something wrong. Don’t complain about how hungry you are. Don’t engage in theatrics when someone invites you out to lunch. Keep your fast between you and God, and you’ll get the reward from it!

#4 - Accepting a prophet (or any other minister of the Gospel) for the sake of their office, regardless of their personality
Matthew 10:41 “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.”
I believe Jesus was showing us how to receive from a preacher, even when his personality doesn’t “click” with our own. He said, “When you receive a prophet because he’s a prophet (not because you like his style) you’ll receive the same reward as he does!”
Don’t get caught up in styles and personalities in ministry. Your focus should be on Jesus Christ and His calling. When you’re sitting in a church service that’s less than exciting, refuse to let your emotions steal what’s being ministered! You don’t have to be bored - you can choose to listen to what is being said, in spite of how it’s being said.

#5 - Preaching/Spreading the Gospel
1 Corinthians 9:16-17 NIrV “But when I preach the good news, I can't brag. I have to preach it. How terrible it will be for me if I do not preach the good news! If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I'm only doing my duty.”
Firstly, you have to open your mouth and preach the Gospel. You can’t stay silent! Your friends, your family, your coworkers may die today...where would they go? If they end up in Hell, would it be because they’ve never heard the good news of Jesus Christ?
Secondly, you have to preach the Gospel willingly. Don’t keep putting it off and putting it off until you finally feel so guilty and convicted that you have to tell them about Jesus. That may be good for them (they finally get to hear the message of Jesus!), but what’s the reward in that? That’s only doing your duty.
Instead, you should be excited to tell others about Jesus! And why wouldn’t you be? This is the greatest thing the world has ever known, and anyone can get in on it! So let’s do this because we want to, not because we have to!

What's Different About Your Peace?

Romans 14:15 “for the Kingdom of God is...righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Luke 17:21 “The Kingdom of God is within you.”

The part of God’s Kingdom on earth right now is inside of us, His people. This part of His kingdom is made up of righteousness, peace, and joy. We’ve already learned that joy is not necessarily an emotion, but a decision based on faith. So it shouldn’t be surprising that our peace is also based on faith.

The world is looking for peace. They wish for it every time they get a microphone. They write songs about it. They’ve turned Christmas into the season of world peace. Sadly, there will be no peace in this earth until Jesus comes back to set up the rest of His kingdom. You can read about that in Revelation 20:1-6. Until then, this world is going to see more and more wars - that’s a promise!

You see, the world describes peace as “the absence of conflict.” Everyone in the world is seeking that in their own life. They just want peace and quiet where nothing goes wrong. But that will never happen in a sinner’s life! Isaiah 48:22 says “There is no peace for the wicked.” As long as someone is outside of the Kingdom of God, they will never find peace. Luke 2:14 agrees with this - it says, “Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” That’s the English translation. But the Greek literally says “on earth peace toward men with whom He is pleased.” That’s a little different than we’ve heard every Christmas!

Peace for a believer is much different. Jesus said in the first part of John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” You see? His peace is not like the world is looking for! The rest of this verse tells us why it’s different. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.“

The believer’s peace is the responsibility to keep our hearts from being afraid! Peace for a believer is when we’re calm on the inside when all hell is breaking loose on the outside. Just like our joy, our peace is not based on what happening to us. It’s based on what God’s Word promises us. Two chapter later, in John 16:33, we see that our peace is directly connected to what God has said. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.”

So how does a believer stay in this peace? Here are four keys to having the peace of God in your life:

First of all, guard your heart! Jesus directly commanded us not to let our hearts be troubled. Proverbs 4:23 says “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Not everyone should have the privilege of speaking into your heart. In fact, I would say this; don’t take anything that anyone (your friends, your spouse, your family, your television) says to heart unless you know it agrees with what the Bible teaches! Your heart is too important to let careless words weigh it down.

Guard your mind. Keep it focused on heavenly things. When you’re focused on eternity, temporal things lose their urgency. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” When your mind is stayed on Jesus - it brings peace. Philippians 4:8-9 says the same thing. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” When you keep a tight control on what your brain is thinking, it will lead to peace!

Pray and trust God. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” This is one of the simplest commands, but it’s still one of the hardest! When your facing a situation, don’t worry! Pray for it in faith and then thank God for the answer! Then the peace of God will guard your heart and your mind!

Stay in God’s Word. Psalm 119:65 “Great peace have they which love Your law (or His Word): and nothing shall offend them.” When you love God’s Word it brings great peace! Not only will you have peace in your life when you love God’s Word, but nothing will be able to offend you! Actually, this is a great test for why you may not have peace in your life. If nothing can offend someone who loves God’s Word, and you’re offended...well you can see the problem, right? I would almost bet that if you’re offended, you’re also in need of peace in your mind. The cure for both offense and inner turmoil is falling in love with God’s Word!

These four things - guarding your heart from careless words, keeping your mind on heavenly things, faith-filled prayer, and a love for God’s Word - will bring God’s peace for you. But only a consistency in these things will keep His peace in your life!

Psalm 4:8 “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

Why Is Our Nation Suffering?

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Ultimately, political leaders and secular authorities are not responsible for the rise or fall of their nation. Our presidents and representatives don’t have the kind of power it takes to ruin and restore our country. That kind of responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of God’s people! God declared that all it would take to heal a nation is for His people to truly seek Him and turn from their wicked ways!

Is our nation being healed? Can we see the restoration of American morality and culture? If we are still in a downward spiral, doesn’t that indicate that the American church needs to do something different? If this nation rises and falls because of the spiritual health of the American believer - isn’t it about time we pay attention to what God told us to do?

If we want this nation to be healed, the first thing we’re told to do is humble ourselves. We need to come to the realization that our ways haven’t worked! Church-growth programs, seeker sensitive churches, secular lifestyles, and wishy-washy faith is not going to save this nation. Church invites aren’t going to cut it! If we want a real revival, we have to understand that our own ways of running the church, of running our families, and of running our lives haven’t worked! Are you willing to admit this?

Once we humble ourselves, the next step is to seek His face. We simply don’t do this anymore! Do you want proof? How many believers do you think spend time every day in prayer? How many believers do you think read their bible daily - let alone “study to show themselves approved”? Yet, this is the only answer for our country! Why are we so quick to blame President Obama and our congress for the state of our nation, and yet so slow to do the one thing that brings healing?

If I were you, I wouldn’t let anything stop me from seeking God! I would make it my first priority in my life! And then, whenever someone starts to complain about the way this country is heading, I would ask them if they’ve humbled themselves and are seeking God. After all, this is the only answer!

Finally (you knew this was coming!), we have to turn from our wicked ways! This is why we need to humble ourselves. If we stay in our pride, we’d be quick to say, “I’m a Christian! I don’t have any wicked ways!” But this is God speaking to His people! We need to turn from our wickedness, Christians! It’s time to clean house in our own lives, in our families, and in our churches.

It’s the wickedness of God’s people that’s hurting this nation! And it’s only the repentance of God’s people that will heal it!
We need to learn what wickedness is!

In Numbers 16:25-26, Dathan and Abiram were called wicked for conspiring against the men that God put in authority. It is wicked to rebel against the authority that God delegated to certain men. I go a little more in depth on that here.

Psalm 37:21 says that the wicked man borrows and doesn’t pay back. Did you know that it is wicked to owe money to someone and then go spend it on something else?

Psalm 52:7 says that it is wickedness to trust in your money. Whether you have a little or a lot, we are required to look to God, not our possessions, for life!

Proverbs 6:12-14 speaks of a wicked man that “sows discord among brothers.” Gossip - even when it’s true - is wickedness! Love will cover a multitude of sins!

Jesus said in Matthew 16:4 that it is a wicked thing to look for signs instead of simply believing what God has already said!

According to Matthew 18:32-33, it is wicked to harbor unforgiveness toward anyone. Jesus forgave us of more than we will ever realize! We are required to sincerely forgive our brothers and sisters!

When we do these things - humble ourselves, seek God’s face, and turn from the wickedness we’ve been doing - God’s promise is forgiveness and healing for this nation. Do you realize that millions of people in this country are counting on us to get it right?