Well, we all love a good story, don't we? And Psalm 116 is a great story. We might call it a resurrection story.
! A personal testimony of how one man overcame death and lived. Look at verse 1.
! I love the Lord, he says.
For he heard my voice and he heard my cry for mercy. Verse 19.
In the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, Jerusalem, praise the Lord.
This is a story that is worth retelling. Now what makes this story great
is that this story can be your story. The writer is saying, look I've written this, I've recorded this,
I am sharing my experience because this story can be your story too. What happened to me can happen to you.
So what is his story? Well, there's three stories in one. There's a true story, a better story, and a personal story.
We're going to look at the psalm in three different ways. A true story, a better story, a personal story.
You might like to think of an Easter egg. Hope you all got Easter eggs this morning.
You get the cardboard on the outside. Then you get to the gold tinfoil.
And you open up the tinfoil and then you get the best part.
The sweet chocolate egg.
So in three stages, the cardboard, the tinfoil, the sweet chocolate egg.
So we have a true story, a better story, a personal story.
And as we progress, so it gets even sweeter and better.
So first, let's look at the true story.
A testimony of what God had done for this person.
He tells us, first of all, that I was confronted by death.
Verse 3.
The cords of death entangled me.
The anguish of the grave came over me.
It was as if death's tentacles had wrapped around him like a giant octopus.
It was like a boa constrictor that was squeezing the very life out of him.
Death was staring him in the face.
The rest of verse 3, he says, I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
What could I do?
I was in a losing battle.
Death was pulling me down into the grave.
I was on my way out.
Verse 4.
Then I called on the name of the Lord.
Lord, save me.
I turned to the only one who could rescue me and help me.
So he tells us he was confronted by death.
And he says, I was delivered from death.
As I called out to the Lord, I discovered something amazing.
Verse 5.
That the Lord is gracious and righteous.
Our God is full of compassion.
It's really true.
You may have heard of other things, but this is true.
When there was nothing I could do, the Lord saved me.
Verse 8.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death.
My eyes from tears.
My feet from stumbling.
That I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
I thought I would never see my friends and family again.
But now I'm back in the land of the living.
I can now breathe again.
Everything is okay.
I was confronted by death.
I was delivered in death.
And he tells us that I am now confident in death.
You see, what the Lord had done for me changed my life.
Verse 15.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.
I was delivered from that near-death experience.
And that has helped me to see that when my time does come,
it will not be the end.
My death will be precious in God's sight.
For I will be with God.
It's a remarkable true story, isn't it?
Confronted by death.
Delivered by death.
And now confident in death.
This, we could say, is a resurrection story.
Now maybe you've had a similar experience in your life.
Death has looked you in the face,
but miraculously you survived.
Like the time when Kirstie and I were on our honeymoon.
And we took a boat off Nicaragua.
And a storm came.
And the waves were literally piling into the boat.
We had to strap our luggage to the side.
And we cried out,
we're going to drown on our honeymoon.
But we were saved.
We got to our port and we lived.
But what happens when life doesn't have such a good ending?
A loved one is given a few months to live.
Every drug and treatment has been tried.
And nothing seems to work.
A friend has an accident.
Tubes and machines are what keeping them alive.
And it all seems hopeless.
And like the writer here in Psalm 116,
we cry out to the Lord,
perhaps for the first time in our lives,
Lord, save us.
But deliverance doesn't come.
Why does the Lord not listen to my voice?
Why does the Lord not turn his ear to me?
Oh, it's alright for this man.
It all worked out well for him.
Of course he loves the Lord.
Of course he praises the Lord.
It's all good for him.
But it's not the way it worked out in my life.
Is there any way that I can experience what he experienced?
Well, this true story points to a better story.
So we've moved from the cardboard into the gold tinfoil.
A better story.
You see, this true account tells us that God is a saving God.
That's what he delights in doing.
He delivers.
Look back with me, please, to Psalm 107.
Just go back a couple of pages.
Psalm 107.
Psalm 107 begins a new section in the Psalms,
which is all about how God delivers and saves
and how people praise God for what he did.
So look at verse 1.
Give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good, his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.
And what follows in Psalm 107
are stories of rescue and deliverance.
Let's look at a few of them.
Verse 4.
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
Verse 6.
They cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
Or verse 10.
Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains.
Verse 13.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness,
the utter darkness.
Or verse 17.
Some became fools through their rebellious ways.
Verse 19.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them.
He rescued them from the grave.
Back to Psalm 116.
Wonderful stories of deliverance,
of God intervening and saving.
And Psalm 116 is just another story of the way in which God delivers.
But here's the twist.
These stories are not guaranteed promises to us
that every time you and I face an illness or a danger,
God is going to deliver us.
It's not that kind of promise.
No, these stories are gathered together to point us to one who saves in a miraculous way.
God himself.
It is the story, a better story,
of how God will deliver and save all who trust his son,
Jesus Christ.
You see, in many ways,
Psalm 116 is the story of Jesus.
It's the testimony of Jesus.
You see, as Jesus went to the cross,
he could say, verse 3,
The cords of death entangled me.
The anguish of the grave overcame me.
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
But Jesus went further than this man's experience, didn't he?
Because from the cross, Jesus cried out in his distress,
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
And there was no deliverance.
There was no answer.
Just silence.
No rescue from the grave.
Jesus died.
Jesus experienced death.
He was buried in the tomb.
But Jesus was not abandoned to the grave.
Three days later, Jesus rose again.
So Jesus can truly say, verse 8,
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death itself,
my eyes from tears,
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
You see, Jesus Christ is the only one
to have died
and been raised again,
never ever
to face death again.
He crushed death.
He destroyed the grave.
And by his resurrection,
he defeated our greatest fear
and our darkest enemy.
He broke those cords of death.
And he freed us
from their chains.
You see, the story of Jesus
is better and greater.
Verse 15.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
Well, Jesus was the ultimate servant,
wasn't he?
He was the true and faithful servant
who obeyed his father,
who came into this world,
who did no wrong,
who was innocent of any crime.
But yet he died on that cross,
taking the punishment
for all of our sin,
all the things we have done wrong.
The innocent Jesus took it all.
And he rose again,
triumphing over the grave,
so that we might have forgiveness
of all of our sins
and that we might have life.
As Paul writes to the church
in Corinth,
death has been swallowed up
in victory.
Where, O death,
is your victory?
Where, O death,
is your sting?
Thanks be to God.
He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, that's what makes
the death of Jesus,
verse 15,
being precious
in the sight of the Lord.
It's precious
because through Jesus,
deliverance from death
has now been made possible,
not just for one,
but for all
who will trust in him.
He gives you and me
the victory over death.
He wins the battle.
He defeats our greatest enemy.
And we share in that victory.
The story of Jesus
is a better and greater story
for us all.
So how can this story,
this better story,
be my experience?
Well, here we come
to the chocolate,
the sweetest and best.
You see,
if Jesus' victory over death
is to be my victory,
if I am to experience
a resurrection,
then I must turn to him.
And here's how we can do it,
because I want us all to know
in this room,
whatever our experience of life,
whatever our background,
that this can be
my personal story.
So here's how
it can be our story.
First,
admit to our need
in death.
Admit to our need
in death.
One day,
death will confront us all.
It could be a long-term illness
or a sudden accident.
Whatever age we are,
we will feel,
verse 3,
the cords of death
wrapping around us.
There will be distress
and sorrow,
because we know
that in that moment
there is nothing we can do
to put it off.
And so we need to admit
our absolute helplessness
in the face of death.
And the way to express
our need
is not just to know
that we have a need,
but to express it.
And how do we do that?
Well, look at verse 4.
Then I called on the name
of the Lord.
Lord,
save me.
Just three simple words.
Lord,
save me.
So if you are here
and you are fearing death,
if you are worried
about the grave,
simply cry out
with these three words,
even now,
in your own heart and mind,
Lord,
save me.
And be confident
that he will hear
your cry for mercy,
because,
verse 5,
the Lord is gracious
and righteous,
and our God is
full of compassion.
salvation.
He delights
in saving.
And that salvation
will mean two things.
It will mean
a spiritual resurrection
now
and a physical resurrection
later.
A spiritual resurrection
now
and a physical resurrection
later.
Go with me,
please.
You can keep your finger
in Psalm 116
and go to Ephesians,
which is on page
1173.
Page 1173.
As we call out
to the Lord,
we can experience
right now
a spiritual
resurrection.
Ephesians,
chapter 2.
It's on page
1173.
And we're going to read
chapter 2,
verse 1.
Now notice
the resurrection
language.
As for you,
he says,
you were
dead
in your
transgressions
and sins.
All we had
to look forward
to was separation
from God.
But,
verse 4,
but because
of his
great love
for us,
God,
who is rich
in mercy,
made us
alive
with Christ
even when
we were dead
in our
transgressions.
It is by grace
you have been
saved.
And God
raised us
up with
Christ
and seated
us with him
in the heavenly
realms
in Christ
Jesus.
You see,
as we cry
out to him,
spiritually,
we are
raised to
new life.
Jesus has
paid for
all of our
sin
and has
raised us
to live
a new
way.
A way
that will
live forever.
A spiritual
resurrection
now
and an
eternal
physical
resurrection
to come.
Because one
day,
the risen
Lord Jesus
will come
again
and he
will raise
from the
grave
all those
who have
trusted in
him
and we
will live
in his
eternal
kingdom
forever
and forever
and there
will be
no more
death
and there
will be
no more
tears
and no
more
accidents
or sickness
and no
more
separations.
Let's
go back
to Psalm
116.
So first
we need
to admit
our need
in death.
second
that we
would trust
in the
deliverer
from death.
Look at
verse 8.
For
you
Lord
have
delivered
me
from
death.
It's
the Lord
it's
no one
else
who can
give us
life
so we
are to
trust
in him
and
calling
on the
Lord
is how
we
exercise
that
trust.
So
verse
10
I
trusted
in the
Lord
when I
said
I
am
greatly
afflicted.
In
my
alarm
I
said
everyone
is a
liar
I
cannot
trust
what
anybody
else
says
but I
can
trust
the
Lord.
A
child
in a
swimming
pool
may
recognize
that the
woman in
the
yellow
top
and the
red
shorts
is a
lifeguard
but it's
not until
they are
in
trouble
when they
can't
touch
the
bottom
and they're
beginning
to sink
that they
experience
the lifeguard.
In their
need
they cry
out in
trust
and so
it is
with us
in our
troubled
suffering
times
when we
find
ourselves
unable
to do
anything
we cry
out
in
trust
death
maybe
comes
close
to us
or a
loved
one
is
taken
from
us
and in
those
moments
verse 10
in our
affliction
we cry
out
and the
Lord
hears
and the
Lord
knows
and the
Lord
comes
close
I do
not know
why God
allows us
to go
through hard
times
at times
why we
experience
such
affliction
but maybe
it's
because
it causes
us to
cry out
in
trust
go with
me
please
to
2nd
Corinthians
it's
on page
1159
2nd
Corinthians
chapter 1
here is
another
story
an
experience
of the
apostle
Paul
who's
talking
about
an
affliction
a
near
death
experience
that he
had
we pick
it up
in
chapter
1
the
middle
of
verse
8
he
says
we
were
under
great
pressure
far
beyond
our
ability
to
endure
so
that
we
despaired
of
life
itself
indeed
we
felt
we
had
received
a
sentence
of
death
but
this
happened
that
we
might
not
rely
on
ourselves
but
on
God
who
raises
the
dead
he
has
delivered
us
from
such
deadly
peril
and
he
will
deliver
us
again
on
him
we
have
set
our
hope
!
and he
will
continue
to
deliver
us
you
see
we
don't
choose
the
difficult
times
in
life
but
it
is
through
our
troubles
through
our
afflictions
that
we
grow
in our
trust
as we
cry
out
to
God
time
and
time
again
and
he
meets
us
in
our
need
he
will
keep
us
trusting
until
Christ
comes
again
let's
go back
finally
to
Psalm
116
so
we
admit
we
trust
and
lastly
we
rest
in
the
victory
over
death
verse
12
what
shall
I
return
to
the
Lord
for
all
his
goodness
to
me
what
could
I
do
for
God
who's
done
all
of
this
well
the
answer
is
nothing
there's
nothing
we
can
do
to
repay
God
for
the
goodness
he
has
done
in
our
life
and
the
salvation
he
has
given
it
is
Jesus
who
has
secured
the
victory
for
us
so
we
now
rest
!
in
him
verse
13
I
will
lift
up
the
cup
of
salvation
and
call
on
the
name
of
the
Lord
verse
17
I
will
sacrifice
a
thank
offering
to
you
and
call
on
the
name
of
the
Lord
it's
giving
us
a
picture
here
of
a
feast
as
they
bring
their
thanks
to
God
it's
a
victory
!
celebration
the
party
has
begun
death
has
been
defeated
so
verse
13
I
lift
up
the
cup
of
salvation
literally
I
receive
from
him
salvation
God
will
fill
my
cup
he
will
secure
my
life
with
him
forever
and
forever
he
is
the
one
who
will
ensure
that
we
make
it
home
to
be
with
him
and
when
that
day
comes
when
Jesus
raises
us
from
the
grave
then
verse
15
will
be
true
for
precious
in the
sight
of
the
Lord
is
the
death
of
his
faithful
servants
our
death
will
be
precious
to
the
Lord
because
the
victory
of
Jesus
will
have
achieved
its
goal
precious
to
the
Lord
because
the
victory
of
Jesus
will
have
achieved
its
goal
we
will
be
safely
at
home
with
the
Lord
one
writer
put it
like
this
it
means
that
the
death
of
every
servant
everyone
who
trusts
in
Christ
is
a
demonstration
to
all
creation
that
Christ's
death
for
our
sins
and
his
resurrection
from
the
grave
was
gloriously
successful
and
it
will
be a
very
precious
thing
to
the
Lord
when
you
walk
into
his
eternal
kingdom
because
Jesus'
death
has
guaranteed
your
glorious
resurrection
so
verse
seven
return
to your
rest
my
soul
for
the
Lord
has
been
good
to
you
we
do
not
need
to
fear
we
do
not
need
to
worry
our
future
is
secure
with
him
and
he
is
with
us
in
life
today
comforting
encouraging
and
giving us
strength
for the
journey
so
here
we
have
a
true
story
the
experience
of
one
man's
deliverance
in
a
time
of
trouble
we
have
here
a
better
story
the
victory
of
Jesus
over
death
and
his
destruction
of
the
grave
and
do
we
have
a
personal
story
is
this
your
story
that
we
can
experience
the
resurrection
as
we
rest
in
the
victory
of
Jesus
Christ
is
risen
hallelujah
let's
pray
what
shall
I
return
to
the
Lord
for
all
his
goodness
to
me
I
will
rest
in
the
victory
of
Jesus
Christ
thank
you
Lord
God
for
the
true
story
of
Jesus
thank
you
that
his
story
gives
us
a
new
story
a
new
way
to
live
with
hope
and
glory
to
come
peace
and
comfort
today
thank
you
so
much
and
it's
in
Jesus
name
we
all
pray
amen