PSALM 107:1-15 TEXT: v2 LET THE REDEEMED/LORD SAY SO
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
The child/God is ever encouraged to speak.
True, he is commanded to be slow to speak and quick to hear (James 1:19) but this regulates his speech rather than forbids it
Never encouraged/Bible to babble or to talk for the mere talks sake
In the multitude of such words, there wanteth not sin (Proverbs 10:19)
Our speech: be always with grace/seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6)
This is best accomplished by having the listening ear provided that such is for the right folk
Avoid the mouth of the fool which poureth out foolishness (Proverbs 15:20) -
We often repeat what we hear, because we have not taken the time to think out the implications
But if our speech measures up to what ought to be said - then, we are encouraged and indeed commanded to say it
Our text gives us such encouragement to speak
The Psalmist leads by example - he himself gives praise to God (v1) and
then turns his attention to the Redeemed/Lord and encourages them to
echo his words: Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so i.e. let them likewise say that the Lord is good and that his mercy endureth for ever
An encouragement for the Lord's people to make their voice heard
Don't be intimidated or ashamed of your faith
Speak up for the Lord! Speak out for God!
Here is 4 good reasons why you should:
1) IT BRINGS IMMEDIATE GLORY/LORD WHO REDEEMED YOU:
A/ Sadly when many people (including Christians) speak - they speak about themselves and their achievements
Sinful man naturally seeks to draw attention to himself
The Pharisees would often stand in the most prominent part/temple and relate their latest deeds to their fawning fan club
When the Apostle Paul was forced, most reluctantly, into speaking about
his achievements, he considered himself to have become a fool in
glorying (2 Corinthians 12:11) He would rather have said nothing
We all like to be praised - It is natural in the context/fallen nature
But the Christian is not to be like this
Without effecting a false humility (Nothing worse) we should resist
speaking about ourselves and relate more what the Lord has done
B/ Therefore David wrote elsewhere:
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. (Psalm 66:16)
Note the emphasis. Not that David would not mention himself at all
Not to reduce ourselves to mere blocks/wood without a personality
Paul related his testimony with many details in Acts 22/26
But we are not to relate anything with the view of self promotion
We relate anything of ourselves only to magnify the Lord
Go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for you (Mark 5:19)
Again the emphasis is on the Lord
This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes (Psalm 118:23)
B/ We are the Redeemed of the Lord i.e. we were the subjects of His redemption - He is the active Redeemer
Had He not have redeemed us - we would still be lying unredeemed
Still be abject slaves in the most horrible bondage, serving a most
cruel slave master (Satan) with no hope of ever breaking free
C/ But this is no more!
Just as the Israelites were brought back from captivity (v3) returning to Israel to the place/blessing etc.,
So too we have been redeemed and brought into the blessings of salvation in Jesus Christ
[i] What a price was paid for our redemption: Precious blood/Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19)
Consider the greatness of it all:
God taking human flesh, living in the greatest poverty and then dying
upon a Cross/shame for His sworn enemies who put Him there
[ii] What benefits accompany this redemption:
Not a mere setting free of the slave and nothing else
Many slaves emancipated have failed to survive in their new surroundings and have gone from bad to worse
The Redeemed/Lord have all the benefits of salvation including pardon
…justification…adoption…spiritual power to
overcome their enemy… future glorification and everything else
in the word of God
D/ Let the Redeemed of the Lord so speak of the mercy/God that has done all these things for them
If God did not have mercy upon us…we would be lost. End of story.
King/Israel: If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? (2 Kings 6:27) There is no alternative
Bring God glory by making it known that you are the Redeemed/Lord
Here's another reason why you should so speak out:
2) IT ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO SEEK OUT THIS REDEMPTION:
A/ The very act/speaking necessitates a listener
While first/foremost the listener is God…yet others can hear also
God has made arrangements that worship have a public element to it
We worship God in the closet when we pray ("Hallowed be thy name") but
also in the open - hence the temple (OT) and in the church (NT)
Among other things, this enables the unsaved to hear the glad tidings
and to seek out salvation for themselves
B/ When the Israelites sang of God's redemption then even the heathen acknowledged that the Lord had done great things for them
(Psalm 126:2) True…in those days, there was no large scale
conversions/heathen to Bible faith, yet there were individuals who were
brought to worship Israel's God e.g. Rahab/Ruth
We might think also of the Roman Centurion whose conversion is
associated with his days in the synagogue and where he heard God's
praise being sung - It so attracted him to the one/true faith
People do start to say: "I want this for myself"
Cp. Samaritan woman (A half Jew/half heathen) did so:
Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. (4:15)
C/ I really do believe that it is the glorifying of God that makes the
most genuine of converts - whether by preaching or by song
True…we must bring God near the sinner i.e. explain how
approachable God is - His sympathy/mercy to needy and guilty sinners
etc.,
But we must also preach Him as the Sovereign God worthy/be praised
This is the true God. Should not denigrate God in any way to
accommodate sinners. Great sin of the age - it turns out very tacky
Does not produce conviction of sin and therefore does not lead to a cry
for Redemption and therefore whatever else we may say of those sucked
in by such compromise, unless God has graciously overruled (as may be
the case) but unless so…the people cannot be called the
Redeemed/Lord as anticipated in our text
D/ Therefore say so i.e. God's mercy is worth seeking/having etc., so
that unsaved family/friends etc., may be led to seek Him/themselves
Really is something wrong if we don't so speak about these things
So natural for the Redeemed/Lord to speak about these things
A man cannot be silent if he has had this experience spoken of here
He cannot be happy with such silence
Momentarily, he may be cowed in silence through fear etc., but this
will not be the norm day in and day out, year in and year out
His speech must betray him somewhere along the line
I sing for I cannot be silent - His love is the theme of my song
E/ We say to Christians therefore: Let the Redeemed/Lord say so
We say to the Legislators:Let the Redeemed/Lord say so
We say to those who control the
press/radio etc., and who have the wherewithal for mass communication:
Even if you have no interest in spiritual things…with your
apparatus: Let the Redeemed/Lord say so
It will prove to be for the benefit of any country that there is within its borders a good clear sounding voice for God
3) IT ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO PERSEVERE/CHRISTIAN FAITH:
A/ Not easy to be one Lord's Redeemed people
Sheep among wolves - hated of all men for His sake etc.,
Daily there are casualties in this Holy War - waverers/backsliders
We are instructed: Wherefore lift up
the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make
straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of
the way; but let it rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:12-13)
B/ One good way to do these things is to sing God's praises and remind him of the goodness/Lord and the enduring worth/His mercy
Things might be bad…but they could be a whole lot worse
Indeed, they only appear to be bad and even feel bad, but if Romans
8:28 is worth the paper its written on, then all things (even those
which appear bad) really are working together for His good and the day
will come when we will all bless God for every road He ever led
us
We will acknowledge that Perfect Love/Wisdom had its way and that no
better course could be found for us at that particular time
C/ Let the Redeemed/Lord say so and thus encourage other Christians
Let him encourage not only the waverers/weak/backslidden etc.,
Let him also encourage
[i] New Christians. Only weak to a point but they are mighty impressionable for good. Best if they avoid the grumblers!
[ii] Courageous Christians in the front line who need encouragement to
stay there and not to run from fresh attacks upon the things/God
[iii] Aged Christians who (humanly speaking) are nearer Heaven and who will soon be in the immediate presence/God
D/ Anything you can do along these lines to encourage a Christian along the road/Heaven should be done
Exhortation/text is among the easiest of all instructions/Bible
Another reason…
4) IT ENRAGES THE DEVIL WHO IS YOUR INVETERATE ENEMY:
A/ Attributed to Luther: "Let us sing a hymn and spite the devil."
Don't get taken up with the Devil! Which is why I left this point/last,
but do make his job in discouraging you as difficult as you can
B/ In war, songwriters whose job: "keep the home fires burning"
Enemy did everything he could to demoralise the people
Propaganda machine with its leaflets/radio broadcasts
Songwriters wrote different types of songs which buoyed the people up and made them determined never to surrender to the enemy
When you sing God's praises, especially as relating to Redemption, it so annoys the Devil
Christ has obtained eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:12) Devil cannot snatch you from it…and he knows it
C/ When you so speak…speak confidently/faithfully/boldly and expectantly that God will bless your witness for Him
THE END