Forget Not All His Benefits by Pastor Paul Becker

Psalm 103:1-5 is an appropriate passage for a sermon on a Communion Sunday before Thanksgiving. The Holy Spirit inspired King David to write a Psalm that reminds us of the Lord’s benefits. We benefit from David’s example because we can become so immersed in the concerns of family, school, work, sports, hobbies, politics, and taking care of material things that the things of God are put out of our minds. It is convicting to know that we can think and act like momentary atheists or, worse, ungrateful children of our loving Heavenly Father.

King David wrote Psalm 103 later in his life. His life was marked by courage and fear, victory over enemies that threatened God’s people, trusting obedience to the Lord and very shameful disobedience, blessings and cursings in his family.  With all of that life experience, David wrote:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name! (Ps 103:1)

David’s blessing is not a casual, half-hearted matter.  He blesses the Lord with everything that he has, and this phrasing parallels what we read in Deuteronomy 6:5:

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

In 103:2, David gets down to business by blessing the Lord and acknowledging his need to remember the Lord’s benefits.  The Lord’s benefits are listed below, and each is linked to its place in the sermon:

• Forgiveness of sin,

• Healing from diseases that encompass body, mind, and soul,

• Redemption from destruction,

• Love and compassion,

• Satisfaction with good.

When we come to the Table of Communion or the holiday Table of Thanksgiving, let us bless the Lord with our whole being and forget not His benefits.