“MERCY!” (Psalm 116)

First Baptist Church, Earlville, NY, J.B. Stopford, Pastor

September 24, 2017

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Several Thoughts:

(1) Birds have bills, too, and they keep on singing.
(2) A waist is a terrible thing to mind.
(3). Be nice to your kids. They’ll choose your nursing home.

INTRODUCTION

I’ve shared with you before that I’m the youngest of 3 boys, and my brothers are 8 and 9 1/2 years older than I. I remember getting in wrestling matches with them. Invariably, I ended up on the bottom and couldn’t move. Not until I said that word, you know that word, don’t you, did they let me go. “Uncle!” I didn’t earn it. I had no right to it. I needed it desperately. And without saying “Uncle”, I might remain in the same helpless position for the rest of the day – or at least until Mom and Dad got home.
And in a nutshell, that’s what “mercy” is! It is our getting what we don’t deserve: we can’t earn it; we have no right to it; we need it desperately; and without mercy, we would remain in the same helpless position – for the rest of eternity.
In my preparation this week, I learned that the word “mercy” appears in our NIV 126 times; it also appears in the NKJV 275 times. The times in the NIV where it appears in the NKJV as “mercy”, in the NIV it appears often as “love”. For example, the 136th psalm is a classic – in the NKJV each verse ends with the line, “For His mercy endures forever.” In the NIV it says, “His love endures forever.” And in its purest, most holy form, that’s what “mercy” is: God’s love on display at His expense. And God’s mercy is best seen at the cross, isn’t it? There are many classic passages that we could choose to study on mercy – let’s look today at Psalm 116. PRAYER

#1. A “PREACH THROUGH” PSALM 116:1-2.

This psalm is the result of the psalmist’s wrestling with God – and the end result is trust and intimacy in communion. He would ask us: “have you gone through an huge trial in your life? Did you ask for mercy? Did you get it? Did you learn to trust God more? Did you thank Him?”
vs. 3-4. The psalmist is crying “uncle”. Rather than his brothers, it is death itself which is crushing the psalmist. He has no hope – but to ask God for mercy: “Uncle, God! Uncle!”
vs. 5-6. God is no fairy godmother. He isn’t a bank or a church which gives and gives whenever one begs. He isn’t one without character – and that’s the point. God is Who He is because He is. The psalmist learned some vital truths while being wrestled by life. Look at them: God is gracious; righteous; full of compassion; protects the simple hearted; He delivers the needy.
v. 7. It really is good to talk to yourself. The psalmist talks to his soul – his real eternal being. Ezekiel says, “the soul that sins, it will die.” The psalmist advises his soul to rest because God has been good.
vs. 8-10. Talking to one’s soul naturally leads into spontaneous prayer with the Keeper of the soul, the Lord Himself.
The psalmist continues – he had prayed for mercy (“uncle!”) in vs. 3-4, perhaps just for a daily need. God gave him much more than he asked for! These are classic lines – because God gave Him deliverance for both eternity and for today. That’s what true mercy does. It is more than just a ticket to Heaven! It is an invitation to live today!
v. 11. In fact, when one has God’s mercy, he sees every day through fresh eyes. He realizes that the world outside a fellowship with God has no foundation – they are liars and not really living!
vs. 12ff. The remainder of the psalm is a sharing of the psalmist’s fresh perspective in life. He is so overwhelmed – surprised by God – that he will spend the rest of his life seeing life through fresh eyes. Look at his “I wills”. Remember it was Satan’s “I will’s” that got him kicked out of heaven for his pride. But here, here is a child of God who was given God’s mercy. In the place of pride is joy – the joy of the Lord. And notice in his sharing what he plans on doing with the rest of his life, he praises God (v. 19) for Who He is (vs. 15-16). True praise basks in Who God is! True praise rejoices in the Source of mercy and not only in the mercy itself.

ILLUSTRATION: If a wealthy grandfather gave you $1 million dollars – would your thoughts be on the money, or on the source of the money? Hmm. Tough question! But the psalmist was so encouraged to remember the Source of mercy and to praise Him!

#2. “HIGHLIGHT STOPS” IN PSALM 116

ILLUSTRATION: Have you ever gone on a tour? And when you did, the guide says something like this: “let me give you the highlights of this journey”. And he then points out some things to look for in the journey in which you are about to embark.
The psalmist has done the same thing. He has given us highlights, places to stop in our journey with the Lord. Let’s look at two of those places we should stop:
A. Our life should be under a constant review (vs. 1-2) – by ourselves! Before the Lord, we should be able to STOP and see what God has done. We should be able to look back and see where we should have given the Lord the praise. We should be able to look back and see where we were neglectful of our walk with Him, of giving Him thanks. Our lives should be under regular personal review. With the psalmist, we should be able to say “search me oh God”. I like what David said in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Like the author of Psalm 116, David in Psalm 139 wanted to be able to see the Lord’s hand in every part of his life. He wanted to be sure that his (little “h”) journey is His journey (BIG “H”), too!
ILLUSTRATION: Several years ago, a Canadian pastor named Henry Blackaby began to notice something strange, perhaps even new, in his walk with the Lord. He was sure this wasn’t a new truth – he just was sure it was new to him. He began to notice that God in love and wisdom would begin working in areas that Henry never noticed before. But then Henry noticed that if he paid attention to those areas – and didn’t try to force God into areas in which God wasn’t in – well, then, Henry and his church began to experience God’s hand in fresh and tender ways. In fact, Henry sat down and wrote a book called appropriately, “Experiencing God” – and years later founded what would eventually be called “Blackaby Ministries International.” Wow. Henry Blackaby experienced God. He noticed where God was working. And he gave thanks to God’s handiwork – and so should we.
B. The psalmist shared several personal observations in Psalm 116. Notice how he voiced them: “I love the Lord” (v. 1); “I will call on Him as long as I live” (vs. 2 & 13); “I will lift up the cup of salvation” (v. 13); “I will fulfill my vows”…publicly (v. 14. My worship will thus not be private but corporate – part of the bigger picture called “the church”. “I will sacrifice my pride, get out of my own way, and give you thanks” (v. 17). “I will fulfill my vows with God’s people” (vs. 18-19).

CONCLUSION

Psalm 116 is all about the individuals of a community crying “uncle” to Jesus – calling out for His mercy as found at the mercy seat – even the cross of Christ. We trust Him – we surrender to the One Who alone is worthy of our trust. And then we watch to see what God does.
Let’s bring this one home with one last thought:
What the psalmist found in his private walk with the Lord, with these words he encouraged the entire body of believers.
V. 19 is not an idle verse. What was going on in the psalmist’s heart privately, and being shared publicly, was soon to affect the entire local community – in his case, Jerusalem. Can you think of anything that could happen in your heart, and then in our church life, that could affect the entire village of Earlville? Or put in a different way, would you – I dare say “risk” – be willing to be so sold out to the Lord Jesus in your private and public walk with the Lord that the entire community in which you live might be turned upside down for Jesus?