Download Five Kernels of Corn

1
Five Kernels of Corn
Psalms 103:1-13
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His (B)holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6The LORD performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
8The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
12As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
The Pilgrim fathers who landed at Plymouth Rock over 300 years ago knew
nothing of the affluent times which you and I enjoy. I realize that may sound
strange given our current economic times, but compared to these early
settlers, we’re rich!
Most people identify the origin Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims’ first bountiful
harvest. But few understand how the Pilgrims actually solved their chronic
food shortages. They rationed…. and many died.
2
Many people believe that after suffering through a severe winter, the
Pilgrims’ food shortages were resolved the following spring when the Native
Americans taught them to plant corn and a Thanksgiving celebration
resulted. In fact, the pilgrims continued to face chronic food shortages for
three years until the harvest of 1623.
The next time you and I are tempted to complain about inflation, the
increasing cost things, the devaluing of our houses and the state of our
economy, remember the following:
During that first long winter at Plymouth Colony, seven times as many
graves were made for the dead as homes for the living.
The ship which was to bring food and relief brought 35 more mouths to
feed, but not an ounce of provisions.
There is a famous painting of Their first Governor,William Bradford, rising
from a scanty Plymouth dinner, consisting of a plate of clams and a glass of
cold water, to thank God “for the abundance of the sea and the treasures
hid in the sand.”
The Pilgrims didn’t have much… No food, no adequate lodging, no warm
clothing… but what they did possess was a great gratitude and it was upon
this very thing that America was built.
These stalwart people, strong, devout and sincere were the timbers upon
which our nation was founded. A godly and faithful people that looked to
God for everything.
For generations, they had a custom of putting five kernels of corn upon
each empty plate before a dinner of “thanksgiving” was served.
Each member of the family would pick up a kernel and tell what they
were thankful for. This custom was to remind them that the first Pilgrims had
been in such dire straits that their daily food allowance was a mere five
kernels of corn.
We have many reasons to be thankful this morning. But I’d like to take five
kernels of corn, and using Psalm 103:1-5 as a basis, present five things that we
can praise God for.
3
In this Psalm David calls upon his body, mind, soul, and spirit to join in one
grand symphony of praise for the benefits God had so graciously bestowed
upon him.
1. The Kernel of Forgiveness
Verse 3a: “… who pardons all your iniquities…”
One day a man was visiting with his pastor at the church. He picked up a
book that was on a stand and began to read. Suddenly he shouted, “Glory!
Praise the Lord!” The pastor asked, “What’s the matter with you?” The man
replied, “This book says that in certain places the ocean is five miles deep!”
“Yes, that’s right,” said the pastor. “So what?” The man answered, “Well,
the Bible says that my sins have been cast into the depth of the sea, and if
it’s that deep, I’m not afraid of them coming up again. The pressure of the
water is so great there that any battleship sunk to that depth would be
crushed like an egg shell.”
There’s no mistaking it—God offers forgiveness.
All any one must do is repent and confess his sin, and God will forgive and
revoke the penalty of sin.
This forgiveness is a…
Promise of the Father
Provision of the Son
Proclamation in the Bible
Required practice in the body of Christ – the church
If we really understand the concept of God’s forgiveness, a tremendous
sense of gratitude should well up within us…
2. The Kernel of Redemption
Verse 4a: “…who redeems your life from the pit…”
Most auction houses publish the prices paid for art objects in all of the
salesrooms of the world. If a painting is sold in New York, Paris, Rome or
London, they give the full details of the sale.
4
(My recent paintings)
These paintings were much more valuable because that’s what others
have paid for them.
Here’s my point: You can judge the value of the painting by the price
paid for it. The greater the price paid, the more valuable it is deemed.
In like manner, we can judge our value by the price Jesus paid for us—the
depths into which He had to reach in order to redeem us.
The Governor of Texas, once spoke to the assembled convicts of
penitentiaries of that state. He finished by saying that he would stay after to
listen to any man wanting to speak with him.
When the meeting was over, a large group of convicts remained, many
of them sentenced to life in prison.
One by one they each told the governor that he was there through a
frame-up, an injustice, circumstantial evidence or a judicial blunder… And
each asked to be freed…
Finally, one man came up and said, “Governor, I just want to say that I’m
guilty. I did what they sent me here for, but I believe I’ve paid for it. If I were
freed, I would do everything I could to be a good citizen and prove myself
worthy of your mercy.”
As a result, the Governor pardoned this man. Why? Because he admitted
his guilt.
And so it is with us if we are to be redeemed from the awful sentence
we’re under. We must admit that we are sinners in need of mercy and
pardon.
But there is a difference between us and that convict…. We can’t say
that we’ve paid for any of our sentence.
As the old hymn says, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin has left a
crimson stain, He washed it white as snow."
5
Here’s the truth: If we will plead the blood of Christ, God will redeem us.
The Lord not only redeems our souls from hell, but He also redeems our
lives from the clutches of the devil.
Satan is bent on damning our souls and destroying our lives. But thanks be
to God who redeems us and defends us… The enemy is a destroyer of lives…
All one has to do is take a look at our penitentiaries, mental health
institutions, homeless shelters, and rehab facilities. They are filled with people
whose lives are being destroyed by the enemy.
(Mennocare)
Jesus said in Matthew 7:13: Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is
wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many
who enter through it.
But we praise God today with the Psalmist who said, He brought me up
out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a
rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of
praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD. (Psalm
40:2-3).
3. The Kernel of Healing
Verse 3b: “…who heals all your diseases…”
When first considering this passage of Scripture, I was reluctant to use it
because I couldn’t reconcile it with the fact that God doesn’t heal everyone
who has an “incurable” disease.
I know people in this very room who are battling disease. But I believe the
Holy Spirit can help us to see three important truths contained in this verse.
a. All healing is divine healing and all recovery from sickness, injury and
surgery is the result of the healing properties that God has built into our
bodies. Medicine, surgery and therapy are merely extensions of God’s
healing ministry… Healing always comes from God.
6
b. This verse doesn’t say that God heals everyone’s diseases, but that He
heals all diseases. There is no disease or sickness that lies beyond His healing
power - not even what we call “incurable.” He is the Great Physician.
c. The main truth I learned is that the Psalmist is speaking to his soul. “Bless
the Lord, O my soul,” he said, “who heals all your diseases.”
Here’s my point: The diseases of the soul emanate from the virus of sin.
Jesus identified the virus of sin and its symptoms and disorders in
Matt 15:19-20: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery,
sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a
man ’unclean.’”
Just as surely as some disorders of the body can be cured by medication
and surgery, so the soul of man can be cleansed, purged and purified—and
made whole when God the Holy Spirit is allowed to possess us completely.
4. The Kernel of Love and Compassion
Verse 4a: “…crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion…”
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman tells a story from one of his church meetings: “A
man rose to give the following remarkable testimony: “I got off at the
Pennsylvania depot one day as a tramp. For a year I begged on the streets
for a living. One day I touched a man on the shoulder and said, “Mister,
please give me some money so I can have something to eat.” As soon as I
saw his face, I recognized him as my father. ‘Father, don’t you know me?’ I
asked. Throwing his arms around me, he cried, ‘I’ve found you! I’ve found
you! All I have is yours!’ Think of it! That I a tramp, stood begging my father for
a few cents, when for 18 years he had been looking for me to give me all he
had.”
How similar this is to the loving kindness and tender mercies of the Lord
which accompany our lives every day.
How many of us walk around with the idea that we have nothing… no
one… that we are up to our ears in trouble and heartache…when right in
front of us is our Father in heaven wishing to bestow His blessing upon us. He
may not give you what you want, but He’ll give you what you need…
7
5. The Kernel of Satisfaction and Renewal
Verse 5: “…who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is
renewed like the eagle.”
This reminds me of the words of Jesus, given in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied” (Matt.5:6).
There’s a great paradox here. We’re satisfied… but never satisfied.
What do I mean?
My father-in-law made the best cakes in the world. I was always satisfied
when I ate a piece, but I always wanted more because what I had
experienced made me want to taste it again and again.
So it is with righteousness. We’re filled and the filling is so sweet and so rich
and full that we want more.
When we seek God’s righteousness, He grants it. Psalm 107:9 says, “He has
satisfied the thirsty soul and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”
A certain man was seldom seen on the streets without a beautiful, fresh
rose in his lapel. His friends wondered why these buds stayed fresh for so long
a time. When they asked him his secret, he turned back the flap of his coat
and revealed a little bottle of water into which the stem of the flower had
been inserted…
So it is with believers. If our lives draw from the great resources of the Lord
Jesus, who is the Water of Life, we will remain healthy and strong.
But that’s not the end… Verse 5 also says that God will renew our youth
like the eagle’s.
The eagle is commonly known for three things: size, strength, and
longevity.
The believer in Christ can be constantly being renewed, refreshed, and
revived in their soul… but God is doing it all!
8
No wonder then that the Psalmist said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all
that is within me, bless his holy name!”
So, there you have it. Five kernels of Thanksgiving:
The Kernel of Forgiveness
The Kernel of Redemption
The Kernel of Healing
The Kernel of Love & Compassion
The Kernel of Satisfaction & Renewal
Five reasons to be thankful this season…
As we sit down to our Church Thanksgiving meal This afternoon, take time
to thank God for these blessings—these five kernels of Thanksgiving.