'WHAT SHALL I RENDER



"WHAT SHALL I RENDER?"

PSALM 116:1-19

TEXT VERSE: PSALM 116:12

INTRO: David asked the question in v12, "What shall I render unto the LORD

for all his benefits toward me?" As David considered God's

faithfulness he asked himself this question! God had been so good to

David and had extended so much grace to him that the obvious

answer to his question was that there is no way to "pay" or "repay" the

LORD for what He has done! Later in the Psalms, David said, "How

precious also are thy thoughts unto me, 0 God! How great is the sum

of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the

sand...” (PSALM 139:17-18).

God has been so good to each and every one of us! He has given us

all we need! And if we spent our entire lifetime we could never repay

Him for His love and faithfulness to us! David's question was borne

out of his love for his LORD! In v1 David said, "I Love the LORD..."

When we love God as we should then we will be willing to ask, as

David, "What shall I render unto the LORD?...”. Jesus said, "If you

love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15). Our love for the

LORD today is genuine, but many times it is not pure. In other words,

we have divided affections, divided interests, and divided thoughts.

"Love is pure when self is slain. " (Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring

Quotations-Contemporary & Classical. p. 178).

God desires us to "love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, and all

our mind." When we do we will ask, "What shall I render unto the

LORD for all His benefits unto me?" We can never repay the LORD for

His goodness, but David gives us several things we can give unto Him!

I want you to consider two questions we all need to answer in the

message this evening:

(1) WHAT ARE HIS BENEFITS TOWARD ME?

PSALM 116:12b—“…for all his benefits toward me"

*Our word “benefits” there is translated from a Hebrew word which means

“a bestowment.” What has grace bestowed or given unto us? :

A. AN INCLINED EAR (v2). We serve a God who hears and answers

prayer! He does not turn a deaf ear to us, but as an anxious father,

bends his head to listen for the cry of His children! Psalm 34:17

promises, “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth

them out of all their troubles.” The Lord invites in Jeremiah 33:3—“Call

unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things,

which thou knowest not.” What a precious privilege to have the

listening, sympathetic ear of God! All we must do is ask (Matthew 7:7-

8).

B. DELIVERANCE FROM DEATH (vv. 3, 8). All of us at one time dwelt in

the valley of the dead (Ephesians 2:1—“And you hath he quickened

(made alive-Greek) who were dead in trespasses and sins…". Because

of Adam’s sin, all mankind lives under the sentence of death (Romans

5:12). All of us were in the depths of sin and despair but thank God,

He brought us out! Psalm 40:2-3 says, “He brought me up also out of a

horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and

established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even

praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the

LORD.”

C. BOUNTIFUL TREATMENT (v7b). Out of His riches He has supplied all

our needs! Paul boldly declares in Philippians 4:19—“But my God

shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ

Jesus.” He meets our physical as well as our spiritual needs! From His

great love, He came to die for all mankind! In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we

read of His generosity—“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye

through his poverty might be rich.” "The word GRACE emphasizes at one

and the same time the helpless poverty of men and the limitless

kindness of God." -- William Barclay (Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring

Quotations-Contemporary & Classical. p. 83).

D. FREEDOM FROM BONDAGE (v16). Ephesians 2:2-3 says, “Wherein

in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to

the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the

children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation

in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and

of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

Those words were true of each and every one of us until we trusted

Christ as our Savior! We were in bondage to Satan and to sin. But

PRAISE GOD! The bonds of sin, doubt, and fear have been snapped! We

have liberty to serve God with gladness! Paul tells us in Galatians

5:13, "Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty…”. The word “liberty”

there speaks of FREEDOM! The hymn-writer wrote:

Thank God I am free, free, free, from this world of sins.

Been washed in the blood of Jesus, I've been born again.

Hallelujah, I'm saved, saved, saved, by His wonderful grace.

I'm so glad that I found out, He could bring me out

and show me the way.



(2) WHAT SHALL I RENDER UNTO HIM?

PSALM 116:12a—“What shall I render unto the LORD...?"

*What could we possibly give unto God for what He has given unto us?

David said:

A. I WILL LOVE HIM (vl). “We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John

4:19). Those words gives us the sum of Christianity! It was not us that

loved God but that God loved us! It was not us that reached out to God

but God reached out to us! We are to love HIM with our ALL! But to

love Him right:

• I Must Yield Myself To Him (Romans 12:1-2). Works, not words, are the proof of love.

• I Must Love Him Above All Else (John 21:15—“Lovest thou me more than these?") More than what? Anything! He has to be our first love! Jesus said in Matthew 6:33—“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

B. I WILL CALL UPON HIM (v2). God must be a part of every decision!

Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us, “Be careful for nothing; but in every

thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be

made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all

understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

All things are a matter of prayer and we should pray at all times! (1

Thessalonians 5:17). Real prayer is a serious concern, for we are

speaking to the sovereign Lord of all the universe, who is willing to move

heaven and earth in answer to sincere and reasonable prayer. Prayer is

not a mechanical duty, but a wonderful opportunity to develop a loving

and caring relationship with the most important Person in our lives. –

John Bunyan in Pilgrim's Prayer Book, edited by Louis Gifford

Parkhurst, Jr. Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 10.

C. I WILL REST IN HIM (v7a). Our word “rest” is translated from a

Hebrew word that means “a settled spot, a home.” When we rest in Him

we show our trust in Him! His Word then is at home with us and we

enjoy peace and contentment! Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that we must,

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own

understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy

paths.” The reason we face so much uncertainty, worry, and anxiety in

our Christian lives is because we fail to rest in the Lord! Psalm 37:4

says, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires

of thine heart.”

ILLUS: Richard Fuller, the 19th-century Baptist preacher, told of an

old seaman who said, "In fierce storms, we must put the ship in

a certain position and keep her there." Said Fuller, "This,

Christian, is what you must do.... Reason cannot help you.

Past experiences give you no light.... Only a single course is left.

You must put your soul in one position and keep it there. You

must stay upon the Lord; and, come what may--winds, waves,

cross seas, thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roaring

breakers--no matter what, you must hold fast your confidence

in God's faithfulness and His everlasting love in Christ Jesus."

Do you feel overwhelmed by your troubles? Fix your mind on

the Lord. Ask for His help. Trust Him. Let Him give you peace

in your storm (Philippians 4:6, 7).

God wants us to fully rest in Him! It is His desire! (Matthew 11:28-30).

D. I WILL WALK WITH HIM (v9). I will order my daily life in all its details

as before His eyes! I will realize that I AM NOTHING, CAN DO

NOTHING nor will I EVER BE ANYTHING apart from HIM! (John 15:5).

The secret of true obedience is the clear and close personal relationship

to God. All our attempts after full obedience will be failures until we

get access to his abiding fellowship. It is God's holy presence

consciously abiding with us that keeps us from disobeying Him. I must

consciously include the Lord in every thought, activity, and

conversation until the habit is established. -- Andrew Murray

E. I WILL SPEAK FOR HIM (v10). Revelation 12:11 says, “And they

overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their

testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Psalm 107:2).

I will testify to what He hath done for my soul! My speech shall be of

His grace and glory! Christianity is something which is meant to be

seen. As someone has well said, "There can be no such thing as secret

discipleship, for either the secrecy destroys the discipleship, or the

discipleship destroys the secrecy." A man's Christianity should be

perfectly visible to all men. -- William Barclay

F. I WILL TAKE FROM HIM (v13). The cup of salvation symbolized the

cup used during Passover Supper. Drinking from this cup was an act of

worship! It showed thanksgiving to God for His deliverance and

protection! When we draw from Him our wisdom, strength, and courage,

we honor him greatly! The deeper we drink of the cup of salvation the

more we show we appreciate His Grace!

G. I WILL OFFER TO HIM (vv. 17-18). God desires each of us to be living

sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2)! He doesn't ask us to die physically, but

spiritually to our old ways and desires! Our old self must be put to

death! (Galatians 2:20). With the Sacrifice of Person, comes a Sacrifice

of Praise (Hebrews 13:15-16)!

Closing: How much does God have of you? How much time do you spend in

prayer? In Bible study? In witnessing for Him? Have you taken the

time to ask, “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits

toward me?”

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