Our Beliefs : Sermons : Sermon Archive - 2006 : November 22, 2006

Theme: How Can I Repay the LORD?

Church year occasion: Thanksgiving

Several years ago I remember talking to two medical students about the complexities of human anatomy. I had known both of them for a few years, and I thought they were both Christians. We were talking about the human hand and how complex it is and how amazing it is that when babies are born most often things work out just right, even though there are thousands and perhaps millions of things that have to work together perfectly for even the human hand to work properly. And then I just said what I was thinking: "Wow, when you look at the complexity of even the human hand, what kind of an idiot would believe that all this came about by chance, by evolution?" Then one of the medical students turned to me and said, "Well, I guess I'm one of those idiots." It was a long, awkward night after that, I can assure you. It was then that I learned that sometimes, when you aren't even expecting an answer to a question, someone might answer that question anyway.

The writer of Psalm 116 asks a question that really doesn't expect an answer: "How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?" Think about that. Try to think of all the goodness God has showered on you. You have many physical blessings. You have plenty of food. Ask folks starving in the Sudan how much they would thank God for their food. Our closets and drawers overflow with clothes. Jesus said if we have just food and clothing, we should be content with that. But he also gives us beautiful homes to live in. Think about Jesus who didn't have a place to lay his head. And God didn't stop there. We have friends and family, security through police and our armed forces, liberty, freedom, health and a whole host of other physical blessings we enjoy every day but seldom even remember to thank God for them all.

Then think of your spiritual blessings. God has shown you the incomparable riches of his grace. You were controlled by Satan and sin when you entered this world. It is as if you were in a huge hole digging. Every sin you commit is another shovelful of dirt that gets you further and further away from God. The only way you could get out is if you are perfect, but there is no hope because you are far from perfect. But then Jesus pulls you out of the pit and fills it in with his good works and perfect life. Now you are ready to face God because through Christ your debt is paid. He has taken you from certain death in hell because of your sinfulness and has instead given you eternal life as a gift. Amazing! God the Father created you; he sent his only Son to live the life God expected of you and demanded of you; God's Son also died for every one of your sins to take them completely away from you forever and then rose from the dead to assure you of that fact. And God the Holy Spirit brought you to faith to believe all this, and he continues to strengthen your faith through his precious gospel. How in the world could you repay God for the beautiful gift of eternal life? You can't. You never could. "How Can I Repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?" The obvious answer to that question is: "I can't."

But now that heaven is ours and our debt of sin is paid in full, we have another debt to pay. The debt of gratitude to God for what he has done for us. As believers we love to show that gratitude to God for all his blessings. That's why we can also answer the question, "How Can I Repay the LORD?" in all kinds of ways. The Psalmist mentions two.

The first way the Psalmist says he will repay the Lord is in verse 13: "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD." For the psalmist, this psalm was spoken during every Passover feast. All the Israelites would celebrate the Passover and remember that it commemorated the time when the Angel of Death passed over the houses in Egypt whose door posts were smeared with the blood of a lamb. In effect, they were celebrating the fact that they were freed from slavery by God and given a new land to live in flowing with milk and honey.

New Testament Christians also "lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD" whenever we join for public worship. After Christ has saved us from slavery to sin and death and the devil, how can we not want to join others every time we are able in praising God for what he has done? The phrase, "call on the name of the LORD" can be referring to public worship or private prayer, but often in the Old Testament it also meant to proclaim the message of a Savior from sin. Since we know what Christ did for all people, we will be indebted to serve him by proclaiming the massage of salvation to all who don't know it.

The Psalmist also gives another way in which we can "repay the LORD for all his goodness." He says, "I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people." In today's world, when we get to the end of another year and look at a new one, many people make New Year's resolutions. Basically, they are trying to change some behavior in their lives for the better. Unfortunately, often these resolutions or vows that people make to themselves are broken because they were relying mainly on their own willpower to accomplish it.

What vows have you made? If you have been confirmed, you made a vow to be faithful to God and his Word. Have you kept that vow? Not perfectly, because you are a sinner. But God is helping you to remain faithful to that vow as the Holy Spirit guides you in his Word. If you are married, you made a vow before God to remain faithful to your spouse. How can you "fulfill your vow to the LORD in the presence of all his people"? Again, look to Scripture to guide you, always remembering what Christ has done for you.

When it comes right down to it, we have two debts before God -- the debt of sin and the debt of thankfulness. Christ was the only one who could have repaid the debt of our sin to God -- and he did. And because of that, we have an even greater debt of thankfulness to God for all he has given to us, physically and spiritually. Through Christ, everything you do according to God's will is a good work that is paying back the debt of thankfulness you owe him. Will it ever totally repay it? No. That's why we will be singing God's praises forever in heaven. But the good works we do as a thank you to God are part of that debt of thankfulness we owe. And we know that God is even helping us with those fruits of faith, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13).

As we leave this church tonight, think about how you will answer the question: "How Can I Repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?" Christ paid the debt of sin you owe, so now you can respond to that question with a question of your own: "How can I not dedicate my entire life to thanking my saving God?" Amen.