Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. Sermons
I. AFTER THE MANNER OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, THAT BLESSEDNESS IS TOLD OF AS BEING SHOWN IN PRESENT EARTHLY AND TEMPORAL REWARD. The seed of God's servant is to become both mighty and blessed. Health should be his, and, yet more, righteousness. Mercy shall go forth from God to him, and from him to his fellow men. He encourages those who need a helping hand, showing favor and lending; and his enemies, for he will have enemies, he will overcome in the judgment. He shall be long and lovingly remembered, and his trust in God shall deliver him from all fear. His enemies he shall meet in the might of confident faith, and see his desire upon them. Be is generous to the poor; he maintains his righteousness and rises to great honor. The ungodly see this with rage and vexation, and perish in his sight. Such was the form which God's recompenses to his faithful people took in the days of old. II. BUT EVER SINCE THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, THE BLESSED NESS OF GOD'S SERVICE IS NOT LESS, BUT IT COMES IN A FAR DIFFERENT MANNER. For serving God may mean, and has meant to myriads, the loss, not the gain, of all earthly good (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:19). So that if we had no other than earthly good to hope for, we should be miserable indeed. But we have. Take the suggestions of this psalm, referring them to that form of blessing which the servant of God realizes now. 1. His seed shall be mighty and blessed. Is it not so? Are not the most effectual influences which are now bearing on men those which stream forth from the Church of God? Slow, no doubt, is their operation, but ever sure and increasing. And as to being blessed - ask the faithful themselves. 2. Spiritual wealth is his. The treasure store of Christ is opened to him, and his part therein is seen in the maintenance of holy character and standing before God and man. 3. The consolations of the Lord are his, and they make him a son of consolation likewise (2 Corinthians 1:4). 4. He is endued with kindly dispositions, and his fair fame his enemies cannot traduce (cf. Revised Version, ver. 5). 5. He abides in the love of God, and when he departs hence his memory is sacred and perpetual. 6. He is kept in perfect peace. (Ver. 7.) He shall be kept trusting in God, and shall see his soul's enemies destroyed. 7. Selfishness is not in him, but a generous loving heart, for which all men bless him (ver. 9). 8. His life convicts the wicked man of his miserable folly, and robs him of all power to do him harm (ver. 10). Is not all this the blessed life? - S.C.
He sent redemption unto His people. Theology has frequently confused redemption and the atonement. The atonement for sin offered by Christ on Calvary was universal, but redemption is limited to those that accept the conditions as specified in the Scriptures. Christ died for all, but, as a fact, only they that believe are saved. The atonement is God's provision for the salvation of the world, redemption of the sinner is the object God has in view. There could be no redemption without the atonement, but if redemption is not appropriated the atonement still remains. The work of atonement was the act of one person, but redemption involves several agencies. Christ, by suffering the death of the cross, made the atonement; in effecting redemption, the subject works, the teacher works in presenting God's truth, the Holy Spirit works and applies the Gospel with power to the heart. By this threefold agency redemption is effected. The atonement came without the world's request; but redemption never comes without the earnest seeking of the individual. The atonement was an event that took place "once for all," at one period, on Calvary, two thousand years ago; redemption is constantly taking place in all parts of the world, and in all periods of human history. This is the correct Biblical distinction between the two theological terms as used in the Scriptures.(R. Venting.) Holy and reverend is His name I. WHAT IT IS. We take the term reverence to denote respect; and with this latter term we associate generally a more definite meaning. In the case, indeed, of God, respect must be of the very highest description, to rise to the character of reverence.II. ITS FOUNDATION. Let the mind be informed, not only that God has given a conscience to rebuke, but that God has met the rebuke of conscience, to redeem the party rebuked from despair by holding out His own Son as the vindication of His holiness. The foundation, therefore, you perceive, of Scriptural piety, is the knowledge of the Divine character. III. THE MEANS OF ITS CULTIVATION. Shall we pray that God would enlighten us, while we refuse to come to the means, by which He has Himself told us we are to be enlightened? Shall we seek that He would give us of the Spirit, whilst we neglect the fruits of the inspiration of that Spirit, as those fruits are laid down in the testimony of Divine truth? IV. ITS FRUITS. Piety is not a faculty of the mind; it is an influence, pervading all the faculties. Piety is not some particular mental power; it is an energy, that tells on the whole man. If such be the fruits of Scriptural piety upon the mind itself, what must be its fruits upon society generally? Even the ungodly and unthinking world, when they discover that piety is thus enlightened by the word of truth, and that in the Church of God there is not a greater degree of warmth than there is of light, will be compelled to confess "that God is in us of a truth." (John Burnet) People PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Blessed, Commandments, Commands, Delight, Delighted, Delighteth, Delights, Feareth, Fearing, Fears, Finds, Gives, Greatly, Hallelujah, Happiness, Happy, Honour, Jah, Laws, O, Praise, Praised, YahOutline 1. Godliness has the promises of this life4. And of the life to come 10. The prosperity of the godly shall be an eyesore to the wicked Dictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 112:1 5874 happiness 5503 rich, the Library Letter viii (Circa A. D. 1130) to Gilbert, Bishop of London, Universal DoctorTo Gilbert, Bishop of London, Universal Doctor He praises Gilbert, who practised poverty in the station of Bishop. The report of your conduct has spread far and wide, and has given to those whom it has reached an odour of great sweetness. The love of riches is extinct; what sweetness results! charity reigns; what a delight to all! All recognise you for a truly wise man, who has trodden under foot the great enemy with true wisdom; and this is most worthy of your name and of your priesthood. It was … Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux How those are to be Admonished who Desire not the Things of Others, but Keep their Own; and those who Give of their Own, yet Seize The Death and the Raising of Lazarus - the Question of Miracles and of this Miracle of Miracles - views of Negative Criticism on this History "Thou Shall Keep Him in Perfect Peace, Whose Mind is Stayed on Thee, Because He Trusteth in Thee. " Characters and Names of Messiah The Desire of the Righteous Granted; Psalms Links Psalm 112:1 NIVPsalm 112:1 NLT Psalm 112:1 ESV Psalm 112:1 NASB Psalm 112:1 KJV Psalm 112:1 Bible Apps Psalm 112:1 Parallel Psalm 112:1 Biblia Paralela Psalm 112:1 Chinese Bible Psalm 112:1 French Bible Psalm 112:1 German Bible Psalm 112:1 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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