Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

by Samuel E. Ward   September 18, 2011   Introduction   (Psa 107:32NIV)  Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.      We have established that the theme of Psalm 107 is that the redeemed of the Lord should testify to the goodness and love of God which they have experienced.  Why?  Because the world in its present condition needs to know that there is hope.  There is a One in Who rules over not only the affairs of men but all of nature.  When we finally discover that true happiness is not to be found only in pleasure-seeking, God is there to show us how to experience real joy.  When we eventually discover that the practice of wickedness exacts a high price from us, God is there to offer a truly abundant and fulfilling life.  When we are brought low by illness and disease that threatens to destroy us, God is there to bring us to eternal life even if  it takes our physical life.  When we are surprised by one of life's storms (literally or figuratively), God is in control of the storm and can still the storm and restore our peace. God brings us hope of deliverance and redemption in the midst of each of these kinds of experiences when we cry to Him for help.  The psalmist records Israel doing this very thing when they decided had suffered enough.   (Psa 107:6, 13, 19, 28 NIV)  Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.   And what does God expect from us when He delivers?    (Psa 107:1-2 NIV)  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. {2} Let the redeemed of the LORD say so."   Those truly affected and appreciative of what the Lord has done should find it hard not to testify to His goodness and love.  Consider these examples:   David said:   (Psa 22:22 NIV)  I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.   (Psa 35:18 NIV)  I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.   Other psalmists declared:   (Psa 66:16 NIV)  Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.   (Psa 111:1 NIV)  Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.   (Psa 119:46 NIV)  I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame.   Isaiah commanded:   (Isa 12:4 NIV)  "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.   Paul exclaimed:   (1 Cor 9:16 NIV)  Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!   As we conclude are study of Psalm 107, God wants us to know that . . .   V.  Those Who Are Undecided About Their Relationship with God Should Consider Certain Truths About Him.   A.  If the Wicked Choose to Not to Repent, All They Hoped to Gain Will Be Lost, Psa 107:33-34.    (Psa 107:33-34 NIV)  He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, {34} and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.   1.  Rebellious individuals should not dismiss God's sovereign right to punish.  Indeed they should take it as a promise that He will do so,  Prov 11:21.   (Prov 11:21 NIV)  Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.   2.  Rebellious nations should not dismiss God's sovereign right to punish because He has warned that He certainly will do so.  God said this to Babylon through Isaiah his prophet :   (Isa 47:6-11 NIV)  I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke. {7} You said, 'I will continue forever-- the eternal queen!' But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen. {8} "Now then, listen, you wanton creature, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.' {9} Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. {10} You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, 'No one sees me.' Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me.' {11} Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you.   On the other hand,   B.  Those Who Choose to Repent Will Find Themselves Blessed and Amply Provided For, Psa 107:35-38.      (Psa 107:35-38 NIV)  He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; {36} there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. {37} They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; {38} he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.   1.  Righteous individuals are assured their daily needs being met.   (Mat 6:25, 33 NIV)  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? . . . {33} But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. {34} Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.   2.  Righteous nations are assured a secure status among God's chosen nation.   (Jer 12:14-16 NIV)  This is what the LORD says: "As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. {15} But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country. {16} And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, 'As surely as the LORD lives'--even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal--then they will be established among my people.   C.  Those Who Relapse into Disobedience Will Lose All They Had Gained.      (Psa 107:39-42 NIV)  Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; {40} he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste.   1.  Israel was given a choice when they were founded as a nation.   (Deu 11:26-28 NIV)  See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse-- {27} the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; {28} the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.   2.  Individuals are given a choice daily to either pursue peace and righteousness or to turn from it.   Each choice has its own consequence relative to God's work in us.   (1 Pet 3:10-12 NIV)  For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. {11} He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. {12} For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."   3.  Those who cry to the Lord in their need and affliction will be lifted up.   (Psa 107:41 NIV)  But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.   Conclusion   (Psa 107:42-43 NIV)  The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. {43} Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.   There is day coming when even the shy will not be able to contain their praise—the day of Christ's return and the establishment of His kingdom.  Isaiah spoke of it.   (Isa 12:1-6 NIV)  In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. {2} Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." {3} With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. {4} In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. {5} Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. {6} Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."   But why wait until "that day?"  Are you shy?  Pray for boldness even as the believers in Acts 4:29, 31.   (Acts 4:29, 31 NIV)  Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. . .{31} After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.   Paul stated his reason for speaking boldly, "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." (2 Cor 3:12 NIV)      He also counseled Timothy against timidity in giving testimony concerning the Lord.    (2 Tim 1:7-9 NIV)  For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. {8} So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, {9} who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.   Are you redeemed?  Say so!