**Bless the Lord, O My Soul โ€” Transcript & Summary | SozAI** Source: https://sozai.app/transcript/bless-the-lord-o-my-soul-wait-i-need-to-correct-that-per-your-rules/ John Piper preaches on Psalm 103, exploring God's fatherly compassion, the eternal steadfast love of the Lord for those who fear Him, and how fathers reflect God's fatherhood to their children. ## Key Takeaways - Human fatherhood is designed to reflect and point to the fatherhood of God - God's steadfast love is everlasting for those who fear Him, while human life is brief - Children's enduring experience of God's love depends on fear of the Lord, covenant faithfulness in Christ, and obedience - Fathers should bless the Lord themselves and demonstrate God's grace, including through honesty about their own failures ## What the video covers - Message four in a six-part series on the Psalms titled 'Thinking and Feeling with God' - Opens with a prayer that hypocrisy be healed and that hearts be awakened to genuine worship - Reviews earlier sermons: Psalm 1 (Psalms as God's word and poetry), Psalm 42 (discouragement), Psalm 51 (regret and guilt) - Focuses on Psalm 103, described as a densely packed gospel psalm shifting to thanksgiving and praise - Explains that God designed human fatherhood to portray His own eternal fatherhood, not the reverse - Contrasts the brief life of human beings like grass with the everlasting steadfast love of the Lord - Identifies three requirements for children to experience God's love and righteousness forever: fearing Him, keeping His covenant, and doing His commandments - Explains covenant keeping in light of Christ and the New Covenant, grounded in faith in Jesus' substitutionary death and righteousness - Encourages fathers to model blessing and praise of the Lord, and to speak honestly about their own failures and God's forgiveness - Previews upcoming sermons on the imprecatory psalms and Psalm 69 ## Chapters 1. 00:00 Opening Prayer and Series Introduction 2. 03:05 Recap of Earlier Psalms Sermons 3. 06:25 Psalm 103 and God's Fatherly Compassion 4. 10:00 Fatherhood as a Reflection of God 5. 14:10 Human Frailty and God's Everlasting Love 6. 18:30 Three Requirements for Children's Blessing 7. 25:00 Covenant Keeping in Christ 8. 33:20 Blessing the Lord and Family Worship 9. 43:20 Fathers, Failure, and Forgiveness Answers ## Questions about this video What is the main theme of this sermon? The sermon centers on Psalm 103 and God's fatherly compassion, arguing that human fatherhood is designed to reflect God's own fatherhood. It emphasizes that God's steadfast love endures forever for those who fear Him. What three requirements does the speaker identify for children to experience God's love forever? According to the speaker, children must fear the Lord, keep His covenant, and do His commandments. The speaker ties covenant keeping to faith in Christ and the New Covenant. What advice does the speaker give to fathers? Fathers are encouraged to bless the Lord visibly in family life, to model God's fatherhood, and to be honest with their children about their own sins and God's forgiveness. ## Full Transcript โ€” Download SRT & Markdown 00:02 Speaker A let's pray this is our heart's desire Lord that when we preach to our soul come Soul join my lips you will answer and the soul will join and we will not be Hypocrites anymore forbid that Jesus indictment your lips praise me but your 00:41 Speaker A heart is far from me that's what David feared so badly come on soul don't let that happen to me join my lips so God I plead with you that Hypocrites would be healed in this service that Souls would be awakened 01:11 Speaker A Hearts would be awakened we wouldn't be a mouthy people but a soul people a heart people a pure and authentic and genuine and whole people oh Lord there are so many things to engage our souls come and awaken them I pray 01:37 Speaker A through Christ amen this is message number four in the six-part series on the Psalms and the title is of the series is thinking and feeling with God and there's a sequence the first message was from Psalm 1 and it was an overview to stress that 02:05 Speaker A the Psalms are God's word and the Psalms are poems and therefore we are to immerse ourselves in them so that they become instruction for our minds and songs for our heart the second message was a focus on Psalm 02:27 Speaker A 42 and how to deal with discouragement and spiritual depression well why are you downcast oh my soul and why are you in such turmoil within me help in God and the third message was from uh Psalm 51 and how to deal with regret and 02:56 Speaker A remorse and sense of failure and guilt for because of the sin that we have committed restore to me the joy of my salvation and uphold me with a willing Spirit heal the bones that you have crushed and today we focus on what may be the 03:25 Speaker A most densely packed gospel Psalm in in in the Salter Psalm 103 and we shift from overview and from discouragement and from regret to Thanksgiving and praise and if you wonder where we're going so you can decide whether it's 03:50 Speaker A worth it to come back we're going to the hardest issue next week namely what is off of called the imprecatory Psalms damn them oh God I hate them with perfect hatred can you pray that that's in the Psalms and we will 04:16 Speaker A wrestle with is that an appropriate response ever on the lips of a human being and then the last one will be declare his glory among the Nations Psalm 96 the one next week is Psalm 69 so that's where we're 04:44 Speaker A going today if you start the Lord's day at 6 is Father's Day in America and in about 50 countries around the world therefore I'm starting at verse 13 as a father shows compassion to his children so the Lord shows compassion to 05:11 Speaker A those who fear Him He knows our frame he remembers that we are dust now when this verse says as a father shows compassion to to his children so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him it does not mean the Lord 05:42 Speaker A learns how to do fathering by watching good human fathers it doesn't mean that God wonders whether to show compassion to his children takes note that good Fathers seem to do that and then decides that's the way I'll treat my 06:06 Speaker A children that's not what this verse implies no what the verse means and implies is when it says as a father shows compassion to his children so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him it means when you see a good father 06:30 Speaker A you see a picture of God put it in another way God designed human fatherhood to be a portrayal of his own fatherhood God had a son before he created the universe God was God the Father Almighty before he was God the creator of human 07:11 Speaker A fathers therefore he knew exactly what fatherhood meant forever and he created fathers to make that a little more plain that's what the analogy is meant to call to mind in our head in our heads so fathers this is our 07:40 Speaker A calling we learn to be fathers by looking at God's fatherhood we learn how to treat our children by watching the way God treats his children and and children grow up to learn about the fatherhood of God by watching their fathers and it should be 08:08 Speaker A so it is men a huge calling when David says as a father shows compassion to his children so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him he means God created fatherhood in in his own image good fathering points to God it 08:38 Speaker A points children to God it points wives to God it points neighbors to God it points colleagues to God that's why there are fathers in the world everywhere that's what we are for to reveal the fatherhood of of God 09:00 Speaker A how are you doing now he's aware that when he he says God knows our frame verse 14 God knows our frame he remembers that we are dust soon as he says that his mind is moving toward the fact 09:31 Speaker A that fathers won't always be around they're like grass they're like flowers that bloom in the spring and the wind passes over them and they're gone and so his mind and his words turn to the shortness of human life the Never beginning never ending 10:01 Speaker A length of God's life and how it relates to our children so let's read that starting at verse 15 as for man his days are like grass he flourishes like a flower of the field the wind passes over it and it is 10:22 Speaker A gone and its place knows it no more and then he contrasts God With Us but the steadfast love of the Lord is from Everlasting to Everlasting on those who fear Him and his righteousness to children's children hasn't forgot this fatherhood 10:46 Speaker A issue he's dealing with what about the children if the dads pass away like a flower what about the children and the children's children pick it up again his love is from Everlasting to Everlasting on those who fear Him and 11:06 Speaker A his righteousness to children's children to those who keep his Covenant and remember to do his commandments so fathers need to realize they won't always be around and their children won't always be around so verse 17 refers to the 11:24 Speaker A children's children and they won't always be around and the question that a father therefore must ask if he's like God and loves like Jesus is how can my children benefit forever from the love of God or using the other phrase how can my 11:50 Speaker A children experience the righteousness of God referred to here such that it vindicates sustains carries and preserves them forever instead of condemning them which the righteousness of God will do for millions and the answer to that question how can my 12:17 Speaker A children experience the love of God forever not for a season with the sun rising on them and them then perishing in hell but forever and how how can the righteousness of God be for them their stay in their Rock rather than their 12:33 Speaker A sentence of condemnation how can that be the an there are three answers right here in these verses that we just read and every father who cares about their children coming to experience the love of God forever and experiencing the righteousness of God as 12:49 Speaker A Vindication rather than condemnation should pay close attention to what these three answers are verse 17 second half of the verse they must fear Him Verse 18 the first half of the verse they must keep his Covenant Verse 18 the second half of the 13:15 Speaker A verse they must do his commandments so let's read it so you can see the flow verse 17 the steadfast love of the Lord and I want my kids to live in this love forever the step that love of the Lord is from 13:32 Speaker A Everlasting to Everlasting on those who fear Him and nobody else and secondly his righteousness will before them the children's children if to those who keep his Covenant and do his Commandments and nobody body else so we need to ponder for a few 14:08 Speaker A minutes these three requirements that our children must meet in order to experience the love of God forever as love and the righteousness of God forever as Vindication what does it mean let's start with the middle one what does it 14:31 Speaker A mean to keep Covenant for those who keep his Covenant a lot has changed in Jesus the Messiah came into the world hasn't it he stood at the last perhaps he was sitting at the Last Supper and he lifted 14:55 Speaker A up the cup and you remember what he said this cup that is shed for many that is poured out for many is the New Covenant in my blood this is the New Covenant in my blood that's Luke 2220 New Covenant so Jesus the Messiah 15:27 Speaker A long expected by David in the son ists has come and Covenant keeping with the Living God is now clearly spelled out in the New Testament as to how it is to be done in view of the Messiah having 15:49 Speaker A come at the heart of the Covenant the New Covenant that came with Jesus is his blood shedding when the New Covenant was promised in the Old Testament right at the heart of it was your sins will be forgiven and so when he says my blood is 16:12 Speaker A being poured out he's simply saying here it is the final decisive Sacrifice by which all sins are forgiven if you're going to keep Covenant with me you will be born again through faith in me and thus United to 16:34 Speaker A me so that my blood counts for you and there will be no condemnation for you anymore that's the New Covenant the other piece of the New Covenant mentioned was he will pour out his holy spirit because now the new age 16:51 Speaker A is inaugurated and that Holy Spirit Will massively work in those who are born again to keep them from the path of destruction and change their lives so that they obey the Lord not perfectly just evidentially it will be plain by the 17:12 Speaker A change that has been wrought this person is a New Covenant keeper so at the center of these three requirements is keep Covenant we live on this side of the Cross therefore the only Covenant I care about is Jesus inaugurated Blood Bought 17:39 Speaker A righteousness providing Covenant and the New Testament makes amply plain that Covenant keeping here is the receiving of this Christ as My Savior My Lord my supremely valuable treasure and if I receive him I receive all that he has worked for me and all 18:08 Speaker A that he is for me and what he has worked is a substitute death and what he has brought with him is his perfect righteousness and therefore if I welcome him and keep Covenant by faith in him his blood covers my sins his 18:28 Speaker A righteousness clothes me so that I am acceptable to the father so then if you back up from there and ask what does it mean to fear the lord because that's stated as a requirement the only people that will 18:46 Speaker A eternally experience the love of God as the love of God are people who fear the lord is that a separate and dis distinct requirement over against keeping Covenant with Christ by trusting his New Covenant Provisions I don't think 19:13 Speaker A so here's what I think fearing God means today I think fearing God means that God is in your mind and heart so powerful and so holy and so awesome that you would not dare to run away from him but only run to 19:49 Speaker A him in other words fearing God is Not Another requirement it's the way you do Covenant keeping it's the way you receive Jesus it's the way you come to Jesus you come reverently you come humbly you come without any presumption 20:09 Speaker A that you deserve anything or he owes you anything you come trembling or as we saw in Psalm 51 you come with a heart that is broken and contrite work out your salvation with fear and trembling tremble if you ever feel any inclination 20:28 Speaker A to leave this God there is only destruction away from him oh how we should fear to leave the Lord tremble in his presence that he was so graciously receive us forgive all of our sins and make an everlasting 20:50 Speaker A future so many people do not fear their carnal departures they don't tremble So my answer to how these two requirements the Covenant keeping one where you fly to Jesus for his blood and righteousness and hold fast to him is 21:15 Speaker A your only hope and the first one fearing this is just the way you fly and what about the third requirement the only people for whom God will be their righteousness is those who are keeping his Commandments sounds kind 21:37 Speaker A of funny to say it that way doesn't it here's what I think that means I believe that it means your faith in this Christ and you're flying to him desperate and fearful that you would turn to any other 22:04 Speaker A resource must be real can't play games and the Bible is so amply plain that if you have come to him as Savior if you have come to him as king if you have come to him as treasure if you have 22:24 Speaker A flown to him with trembling that you could go any other where any other the place it's going to change your life period it's going to change your life it cannot not change you if it's real so we've been together long enough 22:44 Speaker A although there a lot of guests you know I don't believe in Christian Perfection it ain't going to happen in this age not a single person will live a single day perfectly okay just get that away however you cannot make sense out of the 23:08 Speaker A Bible if you don't say obedience to the Commandments as a trajectory of Life repenting of failures confessing sins and getting back on has got to happen in other words the central require M Covenant keeping through faith in Jesus has got to be real and 23:34 Speaker A obedience is the evidence that it's real it's the sign that it's real it's the mark that it's real it's the fruit that says the trees real dads we would lay our lives down wouldn't we for that to happen in our children 23:59 Speaker A because if it doesn't happen they will cease to experience the love of God when they die and they will experience only wrath from then on it's called hell and they will cease to experience the righteousness of God as maintaining some 24:21 Speaker A kind of order and Justice in the world and they will experience the righteousness of God only as condemnation from the holy judge forever if our children do not experience Covenant keeping fearing God and the evidence of obedience that's why we have 24:50 Speaker A families that's why fathers exist to do the impossible and to bring our children to that place so here's my my only other question in the message it's um it's a Psalm that tempts me to preach about 15 weeks on it just 25:14 Speaker A every benefit needs a sermon right but I preached too long last week and I promised him I wouldn't preach too long this week and so I'm going to just tell you one thing that this psalm clearly emphasizes and say this is what we need 25:33 Speaker A dad's more than anything and then and then give you a categories rather than specifics to think about so here's here's the answer what does this Psalm say is the one thing stressed above all others that fathers need to do to lead 25:53 Speaker A their children to the condition of blessedness I've just described ask it another way what what would be the one thing that would be the greatest blessing to your children and to your wives and to your church and to your colleagues and to 26:21 Speaker A your extended families and to your city and to your own soul and the answer answer is bless the Lord there is no no question what this Psalm begins and ends with and wants to happen right bless the Lord oh my soul 26:45 Speaker A and all that is within me bless His holy name this this psalmist is lifting up whole soul whole being blessing at the beginning and at the end ending it ends on bless the Lord oh my soul so I'm 27:04 Speaker A going to argue and illustrate fathers that the most important thing we can do for our families our children our churches our city is to bless the Lord so what does it mean what does bless the Lord mean what 27:28 Speaker A happening when you do that I think bless the Lord in the Psalms is virtually synonymous almost with praise the Lord listen to the way they are paired in Psalm 34:1 I Will Bless The Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my 27:54 Speaker A mouth so at least they overlap I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth and notice the word mouth clearly David's mouth is at work and he's eager for his soul to get to 28:20 Speaker A work okay come on soul soul bless the Lord I'm blessing the Lord why don't you bless the Lord but the mouth is very very important I I think blessing the Lord means speaking well of the Lord's greatness and goodness if you ask you force me to 28:47 Speaker A a definition it would be speaking well singing well using your lips and your mouth to say appropriate things about his greatness and his goodness and Jesus said this people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me and therefore as 29:11 Speaker A David begins to exercise his mouth like we would do here in singing his prayer is bless the lord soul bless the Lord heart don't make us hypocrite out of me so when I say that a dad's greatest gift to his children would be that He 29:42 Speaker A blesses the Lord I mean the way David wants it done hypocritical dads destroy children real dads who are blessing the Lord from the bottom of their feet to the the top of their head with their mouths save children so that's what I want to happen 30:06 Speaker A in our church and in my life I um and this believe me this does not stop when your children are grown and gone not in a thousand years should you ever have that thought in your head bless the Lord 30:29 Speaker A verses 20 to 22 bless the Lord oh you his angels you mighty ones who do his word obeying the voice of his word bless the Lord all his hosts his ministers who do his will bless the Lord all his Works in all 30:44 Speaker A places of his Dominion so one of the things you do when you bless the Lord is call others to bless with you so fathers I would dare to say that perhaps nothing you do for your children nothing you 31:03 Speaker A do will be more effective in producing the fear of the Lord Covenant keeping and obedience to the Commandments than if you bless the Lord continually in their presence oh how rare this is how rare this is in our 31:25 Speaker A homes fathers who openly and from the soul bless the Lord with their mouths are rare fathers they should be normal typical Christian fathers and I fear they are rare So dad's listen don't don't check out on me here don't go the fatalistic route of 31:54 Speaker A saying Piper come on I'm not wired that way end of listening please don't do that believe in the Holy Spirit believe in the power of God at age 60 believe in the power of God not fatalism not you can't teach an old dog 32:25 Speaker A new tricks you can no you can't God can believe in the Holy Spirit please don't leave me here we've only got a few minutes left don't leave me here I'm talking to you I care about you I care about your kids and the 32:46 Speaker A effects that your silence is having on them and how many we lose his dad was so stoic I couldn't tell if he was a Christian so let me just point you to the categories in the psalm dads the rest of 33:13 Speaker A you can listen in of what you should bless so here's here's what I want to happen Lord let this happen this would be a miracle I want dads to grow little by little or a lot tonight tonight today I want dads to grow a lot in 33:34 Speaker A their willingness and Readiness to in the presence and the hearing of their children bless the Lord give you three illustrations of how the psalm does it number one let your children hear you bless the Lord for his sovereignty verse 33:57 Speaker A 19 the the Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all so let your children at the dinner table or the breakfast table or over devotions in the morning or at night say things 34:13 Speaker A like I bless you Lord that your kingdom rules over all that that's not hard I bless you Lord that your kingdom rules over all people over all governments Over All Weather systems over all animals over all molecules over all galaxies I bless 34:38 Speaker A you I praise you that your kingdom rules our family amen let's eat wouldn't that be impressive to your children wouldn't something go down deep and stick like weather system what you're talking about see the Rapids yes and a conversation happens and a a 35:08 Speaker A seven-year-old understands you won't get any big theological argument from a 5-year-old about the sovereignty of God he'll take it he'll live it if God is merciful so let let your children hear you say I bless you for your sovereignty over 35:32 Speaker A all things now isn't it interesting that when he said that in verse 19 he didn't quit he knew that the way God exercises his sovereignty over all things is through angels and hosts of heavenly beings and works on the earth and so he 35:52 Speaker A said come on Angels bless him with me all you ministers to do his word obeying the voice of his word come on Heavenly H join us at the breakfast table as you bless him for the great works that he 36:10 Speaker A does through you and come on works now that's really strange mountains and rivers and Fields and beasts of the air and birds of no Beast where do the Beast live birds of the air and beasts of the field and the 36:29 Speaker A fish of the sea come on world bless the Lord now any ordinary kid I think would say how do they do that and then you're into it how does the rock we sang about it the rocks are going to praise you someday if we don't 36:46 Speaker A well they're going to praise you even if we don't do dads let your children hear you bless the Lord for his sovereignty that's the first category second category is let your children hear you bless the Lord for his Justice and 37:11 Speaker A righteousness this will mean a little more as your kids get older and they will be glad to hear you say it verse six the Lord Works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed so at the breakfast table anytime during 37:31 Speaker A the day I bless you Lord for your advocacy of the poor and the oppressed and those who are being treated so unjustly around the world I bless you that though the wrong seems off so strong you are the ruler 37:52 Speaker A yet and Justice will be done if not in this age in the age to come you are just and I bless you that for all the Injustice in the world you're not unjust let them hear you say this in 38:08 Speaker A other words don't just be a teacher yes be a teacher bring your kids up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord but oh sing it praise it let them hear your heart and not just your brain CU if you don't have their heart 38:32 Speaker A you don't have them and if you don't look like God has your heart why should they give him their heart just go through the motions devotion motion no dad's come on let's let our children hear us bless the Lord for his 38:58 Speaker A righteousness and Justice that's category number two and here's the last one let them let your children hear you bless the Lord for his mercy and forgiveness that's what really is driving this Psalm it's amazing let your children and this will 39:18 Speaker A be the most powerful thing your children will ever hear coming out of your mouth because it will crush you to the ground and they need to see that my boys told me late late in teenage years that I didn't communicate 39:38 Speaker A to them that I was a sinner they thought as a kid I did it all right what a failure what a failure so I'm trying to make it up I'm a sinner so look at verse three bless the Lord who forgives all 40:13 Speaker A your iniquity look at verses 10 through 12 he doesn't deal with us according to our sins or repay us according to our iniquities for as high as the heaven s are above the Earth so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear Him 40:33 Speaker A as far as the East is from the West so far does he remove our transgressions from us oh fathers this is my main exhortation I think the one thing to take away let your children hear you with a broken and 40:51 Speaker A contrite and very happy heart bless the Lord that your sins are forg given let it let them see that this really moves you you love Mercy you love forgiveness kids mainly they're wired this way they mainly absorb the dos and don'ts right 41:13 Speaker A they mainly absorb Christianity is don't do this and Christianity is do do that it takes a phenomenal miracle for them to say Christianity is my dad broken in heart that God forgive his sins and therefore he might forgive mine that Dad 41:31 Speaker A doesn't know anything about what what a wonderful wonderful gift to our children so yes teach the gospel and and do the Sunday School thing go to these classes those of you who are meeting on Sunday morning go to these classes and 41:53 Speaker A watch modeled for you after the first service watch model for you um the way to do family life together and let there be dads a blessing of God's sovereignty a blessing of God's justice and righteousness and a blessing 42:18 Speaker A especially he died for me he loves me he forgives all my failures as a dad let your children hear that I'm talking out of experience I think I'm talking out of the Bible I raised four boys they're all grown they're all 42:40 Speaker A fathers I sent them all Father's Day cards with checks for their children to be good Fathers to their children and I know the most powerful thing I ever did was knock on their door when I totally blown it and praise God 43:00 Speaker A that he forgives me and would they so dads I just don't buy it that you're not wired this way you're not going to come to me and say I'm just not wired that way so don't expect me to bless the Lord 43:17 Speaker A for anything I'm going to get in your face again and again and again and pray the Holy Spirit down on you so that whatever your personality is you can grow a little bit and bless the Lord the rest of 43:35 Speaker A you singles wives children this totally applies to you and I hope you see it let's pray Father in Heaven please I'm asking for an outpour pouring of the Holy Spirit on Bethlehem especially on dads we all need it but 44:02 Speaker A dads have been the target of this exhortation let our children hear us bless the Lord we bless you for your sovereignty over all things we bless you for your righteousness and Justice we bless you for your mercy and forgiveness and 44:28 Speaker A patience and kindness toward us in all our failures shortcomings sins Pride Rebellion anger oh how precious is the mercy of God we bless you for it work this in our church I pray in Jesus name amen for Topics: Psalm 103 John Piper Desiring God fatherhood God's steadfast love covenant gospel Father's Day Psalms series forgiveness Study this video - [Flashcards from this video](https://sozai.app/tools/flashcard-maker/?from=transcript&id=88553) - [Quiz on this video](https://sozai.app/tools/quiz-generator/?from=transcript&id=88553) - [Crossword from this video](https://sozai.app/tools/crossword-maker/?from=transcript&id=88553) - [Word search from this video](https://sozai.app/tools/word-search-maker/?from=transcript&id=88553) - [Study guide from this video](https://sozai.app/tools/study-guide-maker/?from=transcript&id=88553) Free, made by AI from this transcript. 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