Message Notes

A PERSONAL APPROACH TOWARDS BLESSING THE LORD

Bless the Lord O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Psalm 103:1

1. The nature of the Psalms

a. They are songs

Of praise, worship, lament, history, and more

b. At the same time, they reflect the psalmist’s approach towards life

i. In view of God

ii. In view of faith in Him

2. Psalm 103 begins with a Personal reflection of the Psalmist David

a. His Personal praise – his “eulogy” of God

b. His Personal approach towards life – to bless the LORD

3. But we are not David

He was a unique servant of the Lord

4. Can we still adopt the same approach towards life – to bless the LORD?

Yes!

A PUBLIC CALL FOR ALL TO BLESS THE LORD

To such as keep His covenant…

Psalm 103:18

1. On what basis can we all bless the LORD?

a. He has established a Covenant with us that makes us His people

b. As God’s covenant people, we are all called to bless God’s Name!

2. God made a Covenant with the entire nation of Israel

10 “All of you stand today before the Lord your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, 11 your little ones and your wives—also the stranger who is in your camp, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water— 12 that you may enter into covenant with the Lord your God, and into His oath, which the Lord your God makes with you today, 13 that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Deuteronomy 29:10-13

a. God’s Covenant was extended to every single person

Not just to the leaders, but to the little ones and even the stranger

b. Within God’s Covenant is His solemn oath

i. To take Israel as His people

ii. To be God to them

iii. To be faithful to the Word He gave to their fathers

THE PRESCRIBED WAY TO BLESS THE LORD

Blessing the LORD is more than mere lip-service; it is to be lived out in our lives
To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them

Psalm 103:18

1. By keeping His Covenant

a. We keep what is dear to our hearts

b. We keep what we love

c. To keep God’s covenant is to love Him

Just as how the LORD loves His people by faithfully keeping His Covenant toward them

6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments

Deuteronomy 7:6-9

2. By remembering His commandments

a. “Remembering” is a rich biblical concept

b. To Remember something or someone

i. It fills our consciousness

ii. It grips us

iii. It moves us to act

c. This was how God Himself relates to His people

13 As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.

14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:13-14

i. He remembers them

ii. He cares for them

iii. He acts for them

3. By doing His commandments

a. If we keep God’s covenant and remember His commandments

b. The natural outcome is do His commandments

A MOST PROFOUND REASON TO BLESS THE LORD

1. We are not Biblical Israel with whom God made the Mosaic Covenant

2. Yet we are no less His Covenant people

a. Because we have been given the New Covenant

b. Established through the Lord Jesus Christ

c. Made possible by His sacrifice

d. Through it, we are connected to God and made recipients of His blessings

3. As God’s Covenant people, we too are called to

a. Keep

b. Remember

c. Do

14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

Luke 22:14-20