SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 8/27/23
Make no mistake, Psalm 138 is not empty adoration. Today is not a pep rally. Whatever David’s 10,000 Reasons were, Psalm 138 reveals three of them to us. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 138
TITLE: 10,000 Reasons
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Whatever reasons we think we have to not sing God’s praises, the reasons of Psalm 138 will fill our hearts with grateful praise.
POINTS:
1. Praise God for who He is
2. Praise God for what He has done
3. Praise God for what He will do
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”In Psalm 138, we encounter a man whose heart is filled with thankful praise to God. David worships God with his whole heart. His heart is not undivided before God. He is not preoccupied with his troubles or business affairs. He holds nothing back from God. His mind, affections, expressions, and entire being are wrapped up in praising God.”
“If you want to know what David was like, look no further than Psalm 138. I think David would have loved the song 10,000 Reasons. I think he would have belted it out as he wandered the palace. Not because he loved a catchy tune; because he had 10,000 Reasons to offer his whole heart in grateful praise to God. David had so many reasons to sing god’s praises with thankfulness. Make no mistake, Psalm 138 is not empty adoration. Today is not a pep rally. Whatever David’s 10,000 Reasons were, Psalm 138 reveals three of them to us.”
“David’s thanksgiving and praise are a response to two aspects of God’s character: His Loving Kindness and His Faithfulness.”
“God is a God of perfect, unfailing, unconditional love. When we say God is love, we aren’t just saying He is kind, merciful, and gracious; we are saying He is committed to loving His people infinitely and endlessly. God’s love for you never wavers. It never weakens. It never wavers because God Himself never changes.”
“In Christ, God has lavished his loving kindness on you. He has poured out His mercy and grace on you. He is committed to you because He loves you steadfastly and enduringly. As it says in Romans 8:39—Nothing, not your weak faith last week or your blatant sin this week, nothing can separate you from His love!”
“This is a stunning statement. God has such a high estimation of His Word; He regards it as He regards His name. God says I put my name, character, and glory on the line through my Word. If my Word proves to be false, I am false.”
“There is a tendency for us to diminish the value and authority of God’s Word. Whether it doesn’t dovetail with our feelings on a matter, it doesn’t speak to our circumstance as we hoped, or culture creep drowns it out, we can be guilty of depreciating God’s Word in our lives to our spiritual peril. …We don’t worship the Bible. We worship God. But the Bible is God’s self-revelation. He reveals to us what He is like. So we must regard the Scriptures, not higher than God does, but as high as He does.”
“I heard someone say that we need to listen to ourselves less and preach to ourselves more. I believe with all my heart that the fruit of dwelling on the character of God is a heart filled with thankful praise and worship that transcends any circumstance. God is that wonderful. He is that glorious. He is that satisfying.”
“God hears your prayers. God gives his full, undivided attention when His people call on Him. He is never too busy for you. He is never uninterested in you. He is never running from you. God hears and answers the prayers of His people.”
“Remember this: Sometimes, the most significant answer to your prayers is not the disappearance of your trial but the spiritual strength to walk by faith with thanksgiving and praise to God in your situation.”
“Think back to all of God’s faithfulness to you in the past. Will He not continue? Of course, He will. He will because of Who He is. So you can be confident about your future. The future is the third reason David praises God with his whole being.”
“We all have 10,000 reasons and more for our hearts to be strengthened and filled with thankful praises to God today. We can never, and we will never, run out of reasons to worship God. And they all begin here: Jesus Christ, who he is, what he has done for you, and what he will do for you.”
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 8:39
QUOTES:
James Montgomery Boice - “It would be as if God is saying, “I value my integrity above everything else. Above everything else, I want to be believed”
John Newton - “When I see Thee as Thou art, I’ll praise Thee as I ought.”
APPLICATION:
So how do we respond? Whether it’s for the first time for salvation or for the thousandth time for sanctification, we come to Jesus with our whole hearts and humbly acknowledge that we are lowly and yet he regards us.
Like David, we determine, despite our circumstances, not worried about what we look like, how we sound, or what anyone thinks, to sing our Savior’s praises. We have so many reasons to sing and He is worthy of them all!