What To Give To The God Who Has Everything Worshipping God This Christmas

Psalm 116:12-19; Selected Scriptures
by
D.Z. Cofield, Th.M, D. Min.
December 25, 2020

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 116:12-16 (ESV) – What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, 14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. 16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds.

Psalm 145:9 (NLT) – The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.

James 1:17 (ICB) – Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars. God does not change like their shifting shadows.

1 Chronicles 29:14 (ESV) – But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.

1 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT) – For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?

Psalm 50:10-12 (CEV) – Every animal in the forest belongs to me, and so do the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds in the mountains, and every wild creature is in my care. 12 If I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you, because I own the world and everything in it.

Psalm 116:12 (ESV) – What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?

1. You must GIVE God your PERSON! (vv. 13, 15-16)

A. SALVATION (v. 13)

Psalm 116:13 (ESV) – I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,

B. SERVICE (v. 16)

Psalm 116:16 (ESV) – O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds.

Romans 12:1-2 (NLT) – And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

2. You must GIVE God your POSSESSIONS! (vv. 14, 18-19a)

Psalm 116:12-19 (ESV) – What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, 14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. 16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. 18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 50:14 (NLT) – Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 (NLT) – Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.

2 Corinthians 8:9-12 (NLT) – You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. 10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. 11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. 12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.

3. You must GIVE God your PRAISE! (vv. 17, 19b)

Psalm 116:17-19 (ESV) – I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. 18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 50:23 (CEV) – The sacrifice that honors me is a thankful heart. Obey me, and I, your God, will show my power to save.

Hosea 14:2 (CEV) – Return to the LORD and say, “Please forgive our sins. Accept our good sacrifices of praise instead of bulls.”

Hebrews 13:15 (NCV) – So through Jesus let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise, coming from lips that speak his name.

Study Questions

1. When has a friend or family member helped you through a difficult experience?
2. What are some of the ways that we express our gratitude to people who help us?
3. What is the main theme of this psalm? (116:1-19)
4. How did the psalm writer plan to respond to God’s goodness? (116:12-14)
5. What promise did the psalm writer make to the Lord? (116:13-14, 17-19)
6. What attitude did the psalm writer have toward himself and the Lord when he recognized the Lord’s goodness to him? (116:15-16)
7. What resulted when the psalm writer recalled God’s goodness to him in the past?
8. Why did the psalm writer promise to call on God and fulfill his vows to the Lord?
9. What can you learn from this psalm about how to worship the Lord?
10. How can you do a better job of presenting your person to the Lord?
11. What area of your life is most difficult for you to present to the Lord?
12. How can you do a better job of presenting your possessions to the Lord?
13. What vow have you made to the Lord that you need to fulfill and make good on?
14. How can you do a better job of presenting your praise to the Lord?
15. What is one tangible step you can take today to present praise to the Lord?