1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,800 What does it mean to bless the Lord? 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:05,640 When I was younger in my faith, 3 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,640 I remember hearing that phrase, bless the Lord, 4 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:09,960 and it confused me. 5 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:13,580 And I thought to myself, well, how can I, 6 00:00:13,580 --> 00:00:16,960 as a very finite creature, 7 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,800 how can I possibly bless an infinite being? 8 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,300 I certainly can't give him anything 9 00:00:23,300 --> 00:00:26,240 that makes him better off than he was before I brought it. 10 00:00:27,140 --> 00:00:28,440 Right? 11 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,760 So I remember sort of ruling that phrase out of my mind, 12 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:32,360 confused, but of course later on, 13 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:36,360 I came to learn that that idea of blessing the Lord 14 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,440 as creatures is completely biblical. 15 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,440 I learned that we as worshipers are called 16 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:43,800 to do exactly that, bless the Lord 17 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,200 with all that is within us. 18 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,320 And what that means is we recognize who he is, 19 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:50,880 and we magnify his name, 20 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:55,040 and we magnify his attributes in praise and worship. 21 00:00:55,040 --> 00:01:00,040 And when we do that authentically from the soul, we bless God, 22 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:02,960 which is an amazing thing, isn't it? 23 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:04,680 An amazing privilege. 24 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,040 And if that's still hard to process, 25 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:09,840 here's the illustration that I like to use, 26 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:12,000 but it also helped me way back in the day. 27 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,400 When my kids were small, they would go shopping with mommy 28 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:18,940 to buy me a Father's Day present. 29 00:01:18,940 --> 00:01:22,760 And whose money were they buying that gift with? 30 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:24,440 It was my own money. 31 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,440 But when they gave it back to me in the form of that gift, 32 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,040 I was incredibly blessed by that. 33 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,000 It's one of the great privileges of being a parent 34 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,520 is when your children honor and love you 35 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:35,880 by bringing you a gift. 36 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:40,320 So as God's children, everything we have comes from him, 37 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:42,520 but then we come and we present it back to him, 38 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:44,720 our love and our honor in the form 39 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,200 of this sacrifice of praise. 40 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,320 The fruit of lips, the Bible says, 41 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:51,540 they give thanks to his name 42 00:01:51,540 --> 00:01:54,000 because of his abundant goodness to us. 43 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:55,840 It's a beautiful picture, isn't it? 44 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:57,760 And all you parents, you get it. 45 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,300 And those of you who are future parents, you will get it. 46 00:02:00,300 --> 00:02:02,740 But it is a wonderful thing to behold. 47 00:02:02,740 --> 00:02:03,680 Let's grab our Bibles. 48 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,000 We're gonna talk about blessing God this morning. 49 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,520 We're gonna go to Psalm 103. 50 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:13,400 It's gonna catch up here. 51 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:14,600 Psalm 103. 52 00:02:17,860 --> 00:02:19,080 Boom, there it is. 53 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,320 Now, some have said that Psalm 103 54 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:25,840 is the absolute high point of praise in the book of Psalms. 55 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:27,520 And that is a high compliment 56 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:31,220 because the entire book is about praising the Lord. 57 00:02:31,220 --> 00:02:33,960 It's definitely a psalm of pure worship. 58 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:35,320 And when I say that, here's what I mean. 59 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:37,440 There's no petitions in it. 60 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:39,880 There's no cries for deliverance in it. 61 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,960 It is simply straight up worship. 62 00:02:43,940 --> 00:02:45,680 And as you'll see, as you arrive there, 63 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:47,840 we do have a superscription this week at the top, 64 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:49,640 which is helpful. 65 00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:52,320 It tells us that David authored this amazing song. 66 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,200 We don't know exactly when in his life he wrote it, 67 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,600 but my guess is later in his life, right, 68 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:02,680 when he had a greater sense of his own depravity and sin, 69 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:04,320 and also a greater and higher sense 70 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,020 of Yahweh's mercy in his life. 71 00:03:07,020 --> 00:03:09,000 And look, in spite of David's heinous sins, 72 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:10,880 and we could go on and on about that, 73 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,060 we remember that God called him a man after his own heart. 74 00:03:14,060 --> 00:03:16,760 And you see why in Psalm 103. 75 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:18,480 Because it's woven throughout this. 76 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:21,960 You see a man who goes on and on, verse after verse, 77 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:25,200 magnifying God's goodness and God's grace. 78 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,680 And although David wrote this 1,000 years before the cross, 79 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:30,160 what we're gonna see as we go through it 80 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:32,720 is much of the Psalm points forward, right, 81 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,240 to the time of Christ, to what he will accomplish 82 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,660 when he comes to earth and takes on flesh for us. 83 00:03:38,660 --> 00:03:39,920 So we're gonna talk again this week 84 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,040 about the structure of this Psalm. 85 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,600 And I don't know if this has been helpful for you each week 86 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:46,840 or just annoying, I don't know. 87 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,200 But I am a visual learner, so I like to at least put, 88 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,600 again, I know you can't read the text. 89 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,040 But I want you to see those lines of separation, 90 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,600 just to give you some key things to focus on. 91 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,640 So this is a pretty complex Psalm, 92 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:02,980 and I could do many lines, 93 00:04:02,980 --> 00:04:04,840 but we're gonna keep it simple this week. 94 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,520 I've drawn lines of separation after verse two, five, 95 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:12,000 and 19, and you may wanna do that in your Bibles as well. 96 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:13,480 So let's read, we're gonna walk through 97 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,440 this sort of structure here as we read the text. 98 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:20,880 So Psalm 103 is Psalm of David, very simple superscription. 99 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:22,620 And the first two verses, what we're gonna see, 100 00:04:22,620 --> 00:04:24,080 as you see on the screen there, 101 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,180 is the threefold call to bless the Lord. 102 00:04:27,180 --> 00:04:30,200 Verse one, bless the Lord, oh my soul, 103 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,200 and all that is within me. 104 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,460 Bless his holy name. 105 00:04:34,460 --> 00:04:36,320 Bless the Lord, oh my soul, 106 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,260 and forget none of his benefits. 107 00:04:39,260 --> 00:04:42,780 That word benefit is gonna be our key for this morning. 108 00:04:42,780 --> 00:04:46,400 Now verses three to five are key to understanding 109 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,360 David's praise throughout the Psalm. 110 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,840 He ended verse two with that word benefits. 111 00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:53,600 Now he's about to list those benefits. 112 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,200 Five marvelous acts of God in the life of the believer, 113 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,720 each one being introduced with the word who, 114 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:03,840 and at least in the NAS. 115 00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:06,200 And if you're inclined to mark up your Bible 116 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:07,660 and you're already drawing lines, that's great. 117 00:05:07,660 --> 00:05:10,960 You might wanna circle the five who's that you see 118 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:11,980 in verses three to five. 119 00:05:11,980 --> 00:05:13,400 No jokes about Whoville. 120 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:15,280 I thought about it, 121 00:05:15,280 --> 00:05:16,800 and I know it came to your mind as well. 122 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:18,280 You can circle those five who's. 123 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:23,280 Verse three, who pardons or forgives all your iniquities, 124 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,720 who heals all your diseases, 125 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:29,580 who redeems your life from the pit, 126 00:05:29,580 --> 00:05:33,760 who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion, 127 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,760 who satisfies your years with good things 128 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:40,800 so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. 129 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:42,200 Then we have this huge section, 130 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,520 and all I'm calling this is the details 131 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:48,000 about the things he just listed. 132 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,320 Okay, from verse six to 19. 133 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,740 David's gonna elaborate and give us more detail 134 00:05:52,740 --> 00:05:55,160 about those five marvelous deeds. 135 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:58,640 Verse six, the Lord performs righteous deeds 136 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:02,080 and judgments for all who are oppressed. 137 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,560 He made known his way to Moses, 138 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:06,860 his acts to the son of Israel. 139 00:06:06,860 --> 00:06:09,440 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, 140 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:13,440 slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. 141 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:15,180 He will not always strive with us, 142 00:06:15,180 --> 00:06:17,480 nor will he keep his anger forever. 143 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:19,580 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, 144 00:06:19,580 --> 00:06:24,580 nor rewarded or repaid us according to our iniquities. 145 00:06:24,780 --> 00:06:26,720 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, 146 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:28,980 so great is his loving kindness 147 00:06:28,980 --> 00:06:31,040 towards those who fear him. 148 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:33,720 As far as the east is from the west, 149 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,760 so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 150 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:38,600 Wow. 151 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,320 Just as a father has compassion on his children, 152 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,520 so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. 153 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:47,760 For he himself knows our frame, 154 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,760 or he knows what we're made of. 155 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:53,760 He is mindful that we are but dust. 156 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:55,760 As for man, his days are like grass. 157 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,200 As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 158 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:03,000 When the wind is passed over it, it's no more, it's gone. 159 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,920 And its place acknowledges it no longer. 160 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:08,760 But the loving kindness of the Lord is from everlasting 161 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,760 to everlasting on those who fear him, 162 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,840 and his righteousness to children's children. 163 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:16,240 To those who keep his covenant 164 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,440 and remember his precepts to do them. 165 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:21,560 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, 166 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,400 and his sovereignty rules over all. 167 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,680 Is it rich enough yet for you? 168 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:27,880 There's so much here, right? 169 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,600 And then finally we have this doxology 170 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:33,320 in these final three verses, verses 20 to 22. 171 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:35,120 David is gonna call both the physical 172 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,760 and the spiritual realms to praise Yahweh with him. 173 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:40,400 Bless the Lord, you his angels, 174 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,040 mighty in strength, you perform his word, 175 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:45,400 obeying the voice of his word. 176 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:47,200 Bless the Lord, all you hosts, 177 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,240 you who serve him doing his will. 178 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,680 Bless the Lord, all you works of his, 179 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,080 in all places of his dominion. 180 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:56,360 Bless the Lord, oh my soul. 181 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:01,400 Okay, so let's go back up to the top, 182 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,320 and let's talk about this concept of blessing God. 183 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:08,480 Notice once again, as we saw last Sunday in Psalm 96, 184 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,480 notice the pattern of Hebrew poetry here. 185 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,840 The use of repetition to emphasize 186 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,200 the core truth of the Psalm. 187 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,080 Last Sunday, remember in the first three lines of the Psalm, 188 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:23,960 it said, sing to the Lord, sing to the Lord, 189 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:24,800 sing to the Lord. 190 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:27,040 And the obvious implication was, 191 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:29,760 we should sing to the Lord. 192 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,000 It's amazing how we miss it, right? 193 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,320 We should sing to, we should make a joyful noise 194 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:36,160 to the Lord. 195 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:39,040 And here in Psalm 103, we see the same pattern, right? 196 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,360 Again, the use of repetition and command. 197 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:44,040 This time in the first two lines, 198 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:45,840 bless the Lord, bless the Lord, 199 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:49,160 bless the Lord, and bless the Lord. 200 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:51,640 And the obvious implication is, 201 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:53,440 we should be blessing the Lord. 202 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:55,240 We're gonna talk about what that looks like. 203 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:57,600 But look at exactly how David then phrases this, 204 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,440 because this is very rich in meaning. 205 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:01,520 Bless the Lord, oh my soul. 206 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:06,520 He says, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 207 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,920 So David calls upon his own soul to bless Yahweh. 208 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,280 And he understands that true worship, 209 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,600 true worship comes from deep within. 210 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:20,320 It's not just from the voice box, 211 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:22,520 it's not just by the lips, 212 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,600 but from the innermost part of a man. 213 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:28,600 Because if we bless the Lord with just our lips, 214 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:30,520 we know that God, that's hypocrisy, right? 215 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,160 And God knows it's hypocrisy. 216 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,080 We can't fool him. 217 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:37,240 And he condemns it. 218 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:38,840 Over and over in scripture, he says, 219 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,360 this people honors me with their lips, 220 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,920 but their hearts are far from me. 221 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:47,080 So we don't wanna be hypocrites when we worship. 222 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:49,240 So our praise has to be a natural outpouring 223 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,120 of what is already present deep in our souls. 224 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:55,840 That's such an important thing to understand. 225 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:58,400 Our praise must be a natural outpouring 226 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:00,500 of what is already there. 227 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:02,800 Deep in the heart. 228 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:06,320 And it should pour forth then as fully as possible 229 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:09,000 with all that is within me, David says. 230 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:10,960 And I mentioned this a couple times. 231 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:12,240 Look, this is the third straight week 232 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:13,200 we've talked about worship. 233 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,960 I promise we're gonna move on to some other themes, 234 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:20,700 but this section of the Psalms is just chock full of this. 235 00:10:20,700 --> 00:10:22,400 As I've mentioned several times, 236 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:25,480 our praise is not to be half-hearted, right? 237 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:28,920 We're to bring all of what is within us to the Lord. 238 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:33,200 It's not to be just distracted mumbling. 239 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,240 The Lord is blessed when we honor him 240 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:36,720 with all that is within us. 241 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:41,320 Now, having said that, we all fall short of that standard. 242 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:42,440 We can be honest here, right? 243 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:43,280 We all do. 244 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,420 We may strive to bring God a sacrifice of praise 245 00:10:46,420 --> 00:10:49,920 that is worthy of him, but we can be honest. 246 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:52,840 Our spiritual affections are not what they should be. 247 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,760 And so look at what David is doing here in Psalm 103. 248 00:10:55,760 --> 00:11:00,120 He makes the intentional effort to rouse himself 249 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:01,200 to bless the Lord. 250 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:03,080 David is preaching to himself here 251 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:04,480 in these first two verses. 252 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:06,920 He is stirring his heart to worship. 253 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:09,560 He's like, come on, soul. 254 00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:10,400 Come on, soul. 255 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:11,560 Why so sluggish? 256 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:13,120 Wake up. 257 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:14,320 Bless the Lord. 258 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:17,280 Look at what God has done for you, David. 259 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:18,960 Look at the glory of his name. 260 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:20,200 Look at his attributes. 261 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,360 Look at his compassion, his loving kindness, his mercy. 262 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:25,560 He is rousing himself to this. 263 00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:27,840 Because look, let's be honest. 264 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:30,080 Worship is not automatic. 265 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,440 It doesn't just happen on its own. 266 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:34,680 And it shouldn't fluctuate based on how we're feeling 267 00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:37,160 this day versus feeling that day 268 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:38,720 because God deserves better than that. 269 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,400 So we make the intentional choice 270 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:43,840 to bring all of our faculties, to coordinate them, 271 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:47,800 mind, body, soul, emotion, voice, lips, all of it, 272 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:50,280 to bring it before God as an offering. 273 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,320 And that's the picture we get in Scripture. 274 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,880 It is an offering we're bringing to his throne. 275 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:57,480 And so we make that intentional choice. 276 00:11:57,480 --> 00:11:59,480 And that's the way Psalm 103 begins. 277 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:03,360 This high point of worship, David is urging his own soul 278 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:05,240 and stirring himself to bless the Lord 279 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:08,240 with his entire person. 280 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:09,760 And this is such a great lesson for all of us. 281 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:13,320 Now the transition between verse two and three is critical. 282 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:15,400 After prodding his soul to worship, 283 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:17,960 David exhorts both himself and his audience, 284 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:19,760 and us by extension, 285 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:22,960 not to forget the benefits of God. 286 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:26,040 Forget none of his benefits. 287 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:28,440 The Hebrew word there for benefits is gemul, 288 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:32,840 and it refers to how a person deals with another person. 289 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:36,480 David is saying, do not forget how Yahweh has dealt with you. 290 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:40,840 Do not forget how Yahweh has dealt with you. 291 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:42,520 And then he goes on in verses three to five 292 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,480 to list a series of ways that God has dealt 293 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:49,120 both with himself and with his fellow Israelites. 294 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:50,720 And it's these dealings, 295 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,560 as David contemplates how God has dealt with him 296 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:57,800 in such mercy, that is what causes him 297 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,120 to come and to worship the Lord. 298 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,280 It's an amazing list of things 299 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:03,600 that point to God's goodness, 300 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,200 things that every Christian should know by heart. 301 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:08,760 But even by using this language, 302 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:11,120 David acknowledges we tend to forget, don't we? 303 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:13,200 We are a forgetful people. 304 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:14,680 Raise your hand, every one of us. 305 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:17,080 Because we get caught up in the minutia of life, 306 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:18,600 the daily grind of life, 307 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,680 and we forget it's in our nature to do so. 308 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:24,240 And so we can forget the big, 309 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:27,120 we could get so focused on this silly minutia 310 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:28,280 of things we gotta get done, 311 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:32,440 and forget all the big things that really matter. 312 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,640 So we have to be intentional about remembering. 313 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:38,800 Forget not the benefits that you have in Christ. 314 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:40,280 And then when we begin to remember, 315 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,120 we make that choice, okay, I'm gonna remember, 316 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,320 that stirs our souls to come into worship 317 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:46,320 and to bless the Lord. 318 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:47,160 Does that make sense? 319 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:49,080 That's what David's trying to do here. 320 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:51,360 That's what he wants to say to us. 321 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:52,680 Now before we get into that list, 322 00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:56,480 we gotta make sure we understand who he's talking to. 323 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:58,760 Because each of the benefits in verses three to five 324 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,720 is addressed to a particular group of people, 325 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:04,000 and the pronouns tell the story. 326 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,320 David says, he says your iniquities, 327 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,240 he says your diseases, he says your life, 328 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:12,560 and then later he uses the pronouns us and our. 329 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:15,440 So he has a particular group of people in mind, 330 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,480 and it includes himself, 331 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,000 because he's saying our and us. 332 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,720 And then if you skim over the whole Psalm, 333 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:25,480 you see a number of qualifications of who he's talking to. 334 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:27,120 And I count five of them. 335 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:31,200 In verse 11, 13, 17, and 18, here's what they say. 336 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:32,840 Here's who he's talking to. 337 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:37,360 Those who fear God, those who fear God, 338 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:42,080 those who fear God, those who keep his covenant, 339 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:45,720 and those who remember his commandments. 340 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:47,520 So that's a pretty good indicator. 341 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:51,360 These benefits apply to faithful Israelite believers 342 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:54,560 in that day who were worshiping Yahweh, 343 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:57,000 who were living in a healthy fear of him, 344 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,040 and were committed to obedience. 345 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:01,520 Now do those things save them? 346 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,280 No, not even faithful Old Testament saints 347 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:05,880 were saved by their works. 348 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:09,720 But just like today, the fact that those kinds of works 349 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,760 and that heart posture was present, 350 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,600 also indicates the presence of spiritual life. 351 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:16,920 So let's get to the list. 352 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,200 Now I'm gonna walk through a different order 353 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:20,360 than David lays out here, 354 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:22,360 because I think it makes more sense for us. 355 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,280 So I'm not trying to rewrite the Bible, by the way. 356 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:26,520 So be careful. 357 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,720 But I think there's an order that makes more sense for us. 358 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,920 By the way, I gotta go to our guy Spurgeon. 359 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:34,000 Here's what he says about this list of benefits 360 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:35,000 in verses three to five. 361 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,680 He says, this begins a series of great benefits 362 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:42,400 God brings to his believing people. 363 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,280 He selects a few of the choicest pearls 364 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:47,560 from the treasury of divine love, 365 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:49,680 threads them on the string of memory, 366 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:52,760 and hangs them about the neck of gratitude. 367 00:15:54,060 --> 00:15:55,480 Look at that, isn't that great? 368 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:57,560 Because there's a whole list of benefits that we have. 369 00:15:57,560 --> 00:15:59,640 I mean, the list goes on and on 370 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,000 of the benefits that we have from the Lord. 371 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:05,200 But he says, look, David just gives us the choicest few. 372 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,120 And then he, it's like a beautiful necklace, right? 373 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,360 He hangs them, he threads them on the string of memory, 374 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:14,720 right, and hangs them about a neck of gratitude. 375 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:15,800 Really a beautiful picture. 376 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,360 Okay, let's start with the second phrase in verse three. 377 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:20,840 Here's the first benefit that we have. 378 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:24,460 Who heals all your diseases. 379 00:16:24,460 --> 00:16:26,560 Now, the gut reaction to that is, 380 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,520 wait, all diseases? 381 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,800 God heals all of our diseases? 382 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:35,760 The answer is yes. 383 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:39,480 That doesn't mean that every disease we get gets healed, 384 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:41,120 but it does mean that to the extent 385 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:43,240 that healing comes to our bodies, 386 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:47,000 that God sovereignly causes that healing to happen. 387 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:48,720 That's an important distinction, right? 388 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:50,840 Because look, the biblical record tells us 389 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:52,680 that not everybody gets healed, right? 390 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:54,880 And by the way, we all die, right? 391 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:56,080 I'm gonna die of something, 392 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:58,760 so ultimately I'm not gonna get that healing, right? 393 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:01,020 And our observation tells us that as well. 394 00:17:01,020 --> 00:17:04,600 But when healing comes, it's because of God's sovereign hand, 395 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,520 because he's providential over everything. 396 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:10,600 And apart from him, if he were not sustaining you and I, 397 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:12,480 we would all die very quickly. 398 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:14,760 True? 399 00:17:15,820 --> 00:17:16,660 Okay. 400 00:17:16,660 --> 00:17:18,240 But no, the Bible never promises us 401 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:20,600 a life free of sickness and disease. 402 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:23,840 In fact, I got a really nasty cold this past week, 403 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:26,600 and I feel like the Lord was showing me something. 404 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:27,640 Like, thank you, Lord. 405 00:17:28,580 --> 00:17:30,640 And I got it, it hit me Sunday night, 406 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:32,400 so I got it from one of you lovely folks, 407 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:34,720 so thanks for that. 408 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:38,840 But it was such a, and Portania has to live with me 409 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:39,900 in the midst of this, 410 00:17:39,900 --> 00:17:41,980 but it was such a great object lesson for me, 411 00:17:41,980 --> 00:17:43,740 because as I got out of bed on Monday, 412 00:17:43,740 --> 00:17:46,480 and I'm hacking and my lungs are burning, 413 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:48,840 and I'm sniffling and I'm a mess, 414 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:51,440 I start groaning, ask her, 415 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:56,360 and then I start popping Theraflu tablets, right? 416 00:17:56,360 --> 00:17:57,760 Right away, right? 417 00:17:57,760 --> 00:17:59,040 And it reminds me of a couple things. 418 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:01,260 Number one, I live in a fallen world, 419 00:18:01,260 --> 00:18:02,320 where there is disease. 420 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:04,360 And number two, I am subject 421 00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:06,760 to the frailties of being human. 422 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:08,120 And that's what sickness can do for us. 423 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:09,520 It can remind us of those things, 424 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:10,880 the world that we live in. 425 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:11,960 But so I did three things. 426 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:13,620 Number one, I prayed, 427 00:18:13,620 --> 00:18:15,960 because I know all healing comes from God, 428 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,840 and I've got too many things to do to be sick. 429 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:20,760 That's why I always tell the Lord. 430 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:22,480 And then he laughs at me, right? 431 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:23,400 But I prayed. 432 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:25,640 But number two, then I used modern medicine. 433 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,120 It's something that God can use as a means 434 00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:30,760 to bring about healing in my life. 435 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:33,460 And then three, I trusted God's timing. 436 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:35,400 You know what? 437 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,920 Adam might have been up here this morning, 438 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:39,280 and that would have been wonderful, right? 439 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,040 God's sovereign over those things. 440 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,360 I trusted his timing, and I got better over the week. 441 00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:45,320 I'm not completely healed, you know? 442 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:46,160 But I'm up here. 443 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:48,640 So that's all by God's grace. 444 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:50,360 And so we praise him for his healing, right? 445 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:51,440 And that's David's point here. 446 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:54,280 Whenever healing takes place, through whatever means, 447 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,760 even modern medicine, it comes from God. 448 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:00,740 So bless the Lord, oh my soul. 449 00:19:00,740 --> 00:19:01,840 Amen? 450 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:03,280 Okay, second benefit is something 451 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:05,160 you might not expect David to list, 452 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:07,560 but it's very practical and very encouraging. 453 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:08,640 Look at verse five. 454 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,940 Who satisfies your years with good things, 455 00:19:12,940 --> 00:19:15,360 so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. 456 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:20,480 So for the faithful believer, God brings satisfaction 457 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:22,980 during our years on the earth. 458 00:19:24,100 --> 00:19:27,020 Now, like healing, we can't take this promise further 459 00:19:27,020 --> 00:19:28,840 than it's intended to go. 460 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:31,080 David is not saying that every single year 461 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,800 or every season of life is gonna be easy or comfortable 462 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:39,000 or as satisfying as we wish it would be, right? 463 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:40,120 And that's really the key, 464 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:42,920 because a lot of life is managing expectations. 465 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:45,760 It's not as satisfying, if we were gonna draw it up, Lord, 466 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:48,080 it'd be more satisfying than this, right? 467 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:50,920 But that's our sinful nature, so we gotta be careful. 468 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,520 But over the breadth of a believer's life, 469 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:56,760 God does bless us in more ways than we deserve. 470 00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:58,360 In fact, you should take that word deserve 471 00:19:58,360 --> 00:19:59,620 out of your vocabulary. 472 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:03,120 More than we deserve and in more ways 473 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:05,640 than we even take the time to recognize. 474 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,080 Let that be a truth. 475 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:12,960 First, there's the physical satisfaction that we receive, 476 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,940 right, in the form of divine provision. 477 00:20:15,940 --> 00:20:20,680 Everybody here has plentiful food, plentiful drink, shelter, 478 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:22,280 an abundance of material goods. 479 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:23,840 We have family, we have friends, 480 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:26,960 we have a church body that we can live life with. 481 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:31,360 We really do have so much, so much to thank God for 482 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:35,240 if we'll just slow down long enough to see it. 483 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:38,160 But beyond that, we receive spiritual satisfaction, 484 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,280 and this is even greater, love, joy, peace, comfort, 485 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:43,400 assurance, and so many more things. 486 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:45,300 Those are God's gift to us. 487 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:48,720 They give us a deep satisfaction in life, 488 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:52,060 and we can have those things even when our life 489 00:20:52,060 --> 00:20:53,960 isn't what we would draw up, 490 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,520 even in the midst of trials and difficulty. 491 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,840 We can have that spiritual satisfaction in Christ. 492 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:03,020 And then David says that becomes a source of energy for us 493 00:21:03,020 --> 00:21:05,980 and strength for us, even as we get older. 494 00:21:05,980 --> 00:21:07,560 It says our youth is renewed, right? 495 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:12,560 Now I can testify that this verse does not stop time 496 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:16,680 and age on your physical body, 497 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:18,620 but there's no question that what Paul says 498 00:21:18,620 --> 00:21:20,640 in 2 Corinthians 4 is true, 499 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:22,660 that though our outer man is decaying, 500 00:21:22,660 --> 00:21:24,420 what's going on inside? 501 00:21:24,420 --> 00:21:26,720 We're being renewed day by day. 502 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:27,560 That is the truth. 503 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:31,120 So this is why it's so imperative as we get older, 504 00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:33,960 and our body is decaying that we're being renewed 505 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:35,240 each and every day. 506 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,700 So as we get older, we don't just run off and retire 507 00:21:37,700 --> 00:21:39,820 and go live in the woods and separate ourselves 508 00:21:39,820 --> 00:21:42,360 from the body of Christ and no longer serve Christ 509 00:21:42,360 --> 00:21:44,040 or serve his church. 510 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,820 The Bible seems to indicate that in our later years, 511 00:21:46,820 --> 00:21:49,560 we should be even more fruitful 512 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:53,080 because we've grown wise and strong in our souls. 513 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,120 And it's our obligation then to pass that on 514 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:57,160 to the next generation. 515 00:21:57,160 --> 00:21:58,200 Amen? 516 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,200 So bless the Lord, oh my soul, for this one, right? 517 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:04,440 Okay, third benefit, look at the second half of verse four. 518 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:09,320 Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion. 519 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:14,320 Now your translation may say steadfast love and mercy. 520 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:17,000 We're gonna camp here on this one for a while 521 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,800 because I absolutely adore this. 522 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:22,200 What David is describing here is the Lord's faith 523 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:24,960 full love for his children. 524 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:28,240 Chesed is the Hebrew word, and it's such an important word 525 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:32,320 to understand, his faithful love for his children. 526 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,320 Four times in Psalm 103, we see this word, 527 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:37,440 loving kindness in the NAS. 528 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:39,400 First you see it here in verse four, 529 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:41,080 then you'll see it in verse eight where it says 530 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:43,440 God abounds in this type of love. 531 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,240 Then in verse 11 where he says his faithful love 532 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,800 is so great for us that it cannot even be measured. 533 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,440 It's as high as the heavens or above the earth. 534 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,120 Can't even measure it. 535 00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:57,280 And then finally we see it again in verse 17. 536 00:22:57,280 --> 00:22:59,320 We're told it's eternal in nature. 537 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,120 It's from everlasting to everlasting. 538 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:04,520 And what I love about this is how the New Testament 539 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:05,880 affirms that truth. 540 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:07,240 In our call to worship this morning, 541 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,520 Adam read from Ephesians one, and it says 542 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:11,640 before the foundations of the world were laid, 543 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:13,960 God chose you in Christ. 544 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:16,680 And in the future you will reign with him eternally. 545 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:17,520 What does that mean? 546 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:20,520 From eternity to eternity. 547 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:22,080 God has loved you. 548 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,600 Eternity past to eternity future. 549 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:28,880 God's faithful love is from everlasting to everlasting. 550 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:30,560 Whenever I think about this type of faithful love 551 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,840 that God has for me, again I go back to me as a parent. 552 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:35,920 Because being a parent, this is the most 553 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,440 obvious parallel we have to the relationship 554 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:40,840 God has with us. 555 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,800 And maybe if you're a parent and you've played this game 556 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:45,840 with your kids, you look at your kids, 557 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:47,760 you say how much do you love daddy? 558 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,520 And they stick out their little arms, they're like this much. 559 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:53,680 That's how my kids sound. 560 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:55,600 Hi, Jen. 561 00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:00,480 And then daddy go, well I love you this much, right? 562 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:01,760 And they go, well this much. 563 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:03,280 And you go back and forth. 564 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:04,560 Who wins that game? 565 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:06,960 Daddy wins that game. 566 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:08,040 Why? 567 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,440 Because my wingspan is greater than those little squirts. 568 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:13,200 Right? 569 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:17,040 Well, Psalm 103 is our heavenly Father doing that. 570 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:18,920 Saying this is how much I love you, 571 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:20,400 it can't even be measured. 572 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,040 So your little arms, you're like how much does God love you? 573 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:23,880 This much. 574 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:25,760 God's like, oh no, no, no, no. 575 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,160 No, you can't even measure it. 576 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,720 Your puny little arms can't even describe it. 577 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:35,400 Understand that you guys, take that in. 578 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:36,480 It's hard for us, right? 579 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:39,320 But that's how much he loves us. 580 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,240 If you're found in Christ, there's never been a time 581 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:42,720 when he didn't love you. 582 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:45,960 And there'll never be a time going all the way 583 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,640 into eternity where he will love you any less. 584 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,080 Because his love is infinite. 585 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:52,920 And perfect. 586 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:53,760 And eternal. 587 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:54,600 And it's unchanging. 588 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:58,400 It doesn't fluctuate based on how you're doing. 589 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,480 I know that's hard for us because we're human, right? 590 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,680 And we make value judgments all the time. 591 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:05,640 But God's love doesn't change. 592 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:07,840 And the amazing thing is this side of heaven, 593 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,800 we're supposed to, we can't really grasp it, 594 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:12,920 but maybe you know in Ephesians three, 595 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:15,800 Paul prays that we'll strive to do that. 596 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:17,440 He says, make this your goal, 597 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:20,680 that we would come to comprehend the height and the depth 598 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:22,560 and the width and the breadth of the love 599 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:24,480 that God has for us in Christ. 600 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:26,800 So we can't grasp it, yet we're to strive 601 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:31,800 to try to understand how big God's wingspan is. 602 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:33,280 How much he loves us. 603 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:36,400 Now I find it interesting that as David is reflecting 604 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,760 on God's love, his mind goes back to the days of Moses 605 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:41,120 in the Exodus. 606 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:43,880 We talked about this quite a bit just recently, right? 607 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:45,520 Look at verses seven and eight. 608 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:49,200 He talks about the days of Moses again in the Exodus. 609 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,680 Now frankly, there's no better story in the Old Testament 610 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:54,280 that proves two principles. 611 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:57,240 Number one, God's power to rescue his people. 612 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:00,280 And number two, God's people's tendency 613 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:02,120 to forget what God has done for them. 614 00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:03,960 Isn't that true? 615 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,080 We're all forgetful, but man, the Exodus really lays it out. 616 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:10,400 God does this amazing thing and they go, what? 617 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:13,720 I don't remember because I don't have manna right now. 618 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:15,760 I need food, I need water. 619 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:17,360 It's really an amazing thing. 620 00:26:17,360 --> 00:26:19,640 Yet through that story, David says in verse seven, 621 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:22,280 he made known his ways to Moses 622 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:24,960 and his acts to the people of Israel. 623 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,320 And then what is the fundamental truth about Yahweh 624 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:28,920 that comes through in those days? 625 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:30,760 Verse eight, this is amazing, 626 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:33,280 that the Lord is compassionate and gracious, 627 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:35,640 slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. 628 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:37,560 That's what comes through. 629 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:40,280 Like, that's the story of the Exodus? 630 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:41,560 Yeah. 631 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:42,920 Here's why that language matters, 632 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:44,880 because David is going, 633 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:49,680 he had to be picking up on Exodus 34 in this. 634 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:53,560 This foundational passage about the history of God's people. 635 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:56,440 Exodus 34 is right after the people grumbled against Moses. 636 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:58,760 Remember, he struck the rock sinfully, 637 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:00,880 and then they get to Mount Sinai, 638 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:02,960 and what did the people do? 639 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,360 They built a golden calf for crying out loud, right? 640 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:08,800 They began to worship this idolatry. 641 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:11,480 And if you remember, God tells Moses 642 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:13,840 he's going to destroy them all, 643 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:15,600 because they deserve it. 644 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,360 But God also knows what Moses is about to do next. 645 00:27:18,360 --> 00:27:21,560 And God is gonna let this process play out 646 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,680 as a shadow and a type of something far greater 647 00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:27,240 that's to come in the future in Christ. 648 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,120 Because Moses becomes a type of Christ in that moment. 649 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:31,720 He mediates for the people. 650 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:33,440 He intercedes for their sin. 651 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:36,120 And he asks God not to destroy them. 652 00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:38,280 And the Lord, knowing that that's gonna take place, 653 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:40,600 then says to Moses, okay, okay, 654 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:41,680 I knew you're gonna do that, 655 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:46,160 but now, Moses, I wanna tell you what I'm really like. 656 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:49,080 I want you to know the fundamental truth 657 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:51,120 about who I am as your God. 658 00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:53,240 And he says to Moses, in the morning, 659 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,200 come up to Mount Sinai and present yourself to me 660 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:57,400 on the top of the mountain. 661 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:00,120 So Moses goes up the next day, right? 662 00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:02,080 And it says, the Lord descended in the cloud 663 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:03,120 and stood there with him 664 00:28:03,120 --> 00:28:05,480 as he called upon the name of the Lord. 665 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:07,880 And what comes next is basically Yahweh saying, 666 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,600 okay, Moses, you think you know who I am? 667 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,160 Let me tell you who I am. 668 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:14,720 Let me share this with you. 669 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:17,000 And then you have this amazing verse. 670 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:21,360 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, 671 00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:22,720 repetition again, right? 672 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:27,720 The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, 673 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:31,080 slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness and truth. 674 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,040 That's what David picks up in Psalm 103. 675 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:36,280 Who keeps loving kindness for thousands, 676 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:39,000 who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin, 677 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:42,200 yet he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. 678 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:44,320 Again, given how the Israelites 679 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:46,760 had just responded to God's goodness, 680 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:49,760 how is it possible that that is God's description 681 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:51,200 of himself? 682 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:54,040 Because if it were me or it were you, 683 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:55,120 you know what we would have done? 684 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:57,720 Hey, Moses, come up to the mountain. 685 00:28:57,720 --> 00:28:59,760 I got something to say. 686 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:02,200 And what would we have said to him? 687 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:03,840 I'm a God of anger and wrath, 688 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:06,520 and I am done with you people. 689 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:08,600 That's what we would have done. 690 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:12,000 But God takes that moment of sheer rebellion 691 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:16,240 and stresses his compassion and his grace 692 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:18,920 and his covenant love and his kindness 693 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:22,560 and how slow he is to be angry. 694 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:24,200 Now, if you study Jewish history, 695 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:26,560 many rabbis, Old Testament scholars will tell you 696 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:28,800 this is the preeminent chapter 697 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:31,320 in all of the Old Testament about forgiveness. 698 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:33,880 So that's why I think David picks up on it. 699 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:36,600 Why he wants to talk about the essence 700 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:40,320 of why his soul blesses God so much. 701 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:41,840 He comes back to Exodus 34. 702 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:43,680 He says, because that is my God. 703 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:46,760 And we should do that as well. 704 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:48,240 That is my God. 705 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,360 So we see loving kindness coming back to Psalm 103, 706 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:52,680 loving kindness four times, 707 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:55,400 and then we see an additional word here 708 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:57,960 three times, compassionate. 709 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,120 We see it in verse four, verse eight, 710 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,960 and I want you to look at this uniquely in verse 13. 711 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:04,040 Look at verse 13. 712 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:09,320 Just as a father has compassion on his children, 713 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:13,160 so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. 714 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:15,520 This is that parent thing. 715 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:19,880 This is God's fatherly, tender love for his children. 716 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:21,800 But what's fascinating to me is the reason 717 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,760 given in verse 13 for that compassion. 718 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:25,840 Look what it says. 719 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:28,080 For he knows our frame. 720 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,520 Stop and consider that. 721 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:34,240 Here's the reason why God is so compassionate. 722 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,560 Because he knows your frame. 723 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:38,600 He knows what you're made of. 724 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:39,640 Have you ever heard that phrase? 725 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:41,800 Show him what you're made of. 726 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:44,720 God knows what we're made of because he made us. 727 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:46,320 He knows our frame. 728 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:50,120 He knows how frail we are. 729 00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:52,800 And he knows how vulnerable we are 730 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:54,120 because we're contingent beings. 731 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,560 He understands that if he doesn't sustain us, 732 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:57,640 we just die. 733 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:02,040 The verse goes on, he's mindful that we're merely dust. 734 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:03,840 That's Genesis 2, seven. 735 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:05,520 God formed us from the dust. 736 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:08,400 So God knows this about us. 737 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,000 This is so important to understand. 738 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:11,800 He knows all of our weaknesses. 739 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:15,320 He knows more of your weaknesses than you even acknowledge. 740 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:19,680 He knows about our foolish tendencies. 741 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:21,400 He knows the things that tempt us. 742 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,520 He knows our childish stumbles and falls. 743 00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,120 He knows our fears and our worries. 744 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:28,880 He knows the level of pain that we have to endure 745 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:30,960 in this life and everything else. 746 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:33,040 He knows all of that. 747 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:33,880 Here's the key now. 748 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:38,080 And it causes him not to get angry and mad at us all the time 749 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,240 because we often think that. 750 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:44,840 No, it causes him to be compassionate towards us. 751 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:47,440 To be tender and gentle with us. 752 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:49,760 Like any father. 753 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:52,120 As a parent, when you see your child struggling 754 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:57,120 through a frailty or struggling in some type of vulnerability, 755 00:31:58,400 --> 00:31:59,640 you cannot help. 756 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:00,560 That's not the moment where you go, 757 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:02,720 yeah, but he's really disobedient. 758 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:06,520 No, we're like, that's my baby. 759 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:11,840 And it causes God to be compassionate towards us. 760 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:14,640 And then you have this beautiful add-on 761 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:16,040 in the New Testament, right? 762 00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:20,040 Describing how God the Son takes on a human nature 763 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:25,040 so that he can physically experience our dust-like frame. 764 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:30,120 And the result of that, Hebrews 4.15 says that in Jesus, 765 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,400 we now have a high priest who can sympathize 766 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,520 with all of our frailties and all of our weaknesses. 767 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:38,320 That's how much God loves us. 768 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:40,880 It's amazing stuff, you guys. 769 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:41,880 This is what David is doing. 770 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,760 He's churning up all these things and saying, 771 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:47,920 guys, we have so many reasons to bless our God. 772 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:50,840 Some of you guys know, I mentioned the name Sam Storms 773 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,240 before, he's one of my favorite authors. 774 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:55,920 I mentioned he's a charismatic Calvinist, which is wild. 775 00:32:57,680 --> 00:32:59,480 And in his comments on Psalm 103, 776 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:01,080 he brings up a really interesting question. 777 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:03,360 I read a blog article this week that he wrote. 778 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:06,480 He says, what is your knowledge of God's knowledge of you? 779 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:12,000 What is your knowledge of God's knowledge of you? 780 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:14,080 And he goes on to ask, he says, 781 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:17,280 why do we hesitate to draw near to God at times? 782 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:19,560 Why do we strive to keep Him at arm's length? 783 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:22,400 And he suggests that for many Christians, 784 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:25,520 it's because we know the depths of our sin. 785 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:27,760 We know how sinful we really are, and therefore, 786 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:29,440 we're like, I can't face God. 787 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:32,320 I can't face Him with it. 788 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:35,200 And so it's easier to just not pray. 789 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,680 It's easier not to confess sin. 790 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:40,600 I just withdraw because it's too painful 791 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:42,160 to go to my Father with my sin. 792 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:44,240 So Storms writes this. 793 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:46,480 He says, Christians like this live daily 794 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,160 with the paralyzing conviction 795 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:51,960 that God is so utterly repulsed by them 796 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:55,400 that all hope of a meaningful relationship is shattered. 797 00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:01,960 But they've misunderstood the nature of our Father. 798 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:05,160 And this is what I wanna get through to you this morning. 799 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:07,200 His knowledge of you and I doesn't repel Him 800 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:10,640 or stop Him from fulfilling His promises towards us. 801 00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:13,880 Remember, the work of the cross is done. 802 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:16,200 The atonement is complete. 803 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:18,400 He's not repelled by us. 804 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:20,280 Again, Storms says this. 805 00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:21,760 Our tendency would be to say, 806 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:24,680 it's because He knows that I'm dust, 807 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:27,640 that my frame is fickle and weak and prone to wander, 808 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:29,720 that He will have nothing to do with me. 809 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:35,160 Have you ever felt that before? 810 00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:37,680 I have. 811 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:39,040 It was a time early in my walk 812 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:44,040 where I just, all I could see was God just this Father 813 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:46,320 that was angry at me all the time 814 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:49,360 because I had fallen short of His standard. 815 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:52,480 And it's easy to fall into this trap. 816 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:54,960 But Christ came to set us free 817 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:56,640 from that type of guilt and shame. 818 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:00,120 So Storms finishes the quote with this. 819 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:02,560 He says, David says no to that. 820 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:05,880 It's precisely because He knows what you're made of 821 00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:08,440 and how you function and what you think 822 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:10,880 and feel and how often you fail 823 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,680 that He chooses in His sovereign grace and mercy 824 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:17,520 to shower you with a compassion and a kindness 825 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:20,840 and a saving love that you could never hope to earn 826 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:22,160 or merit on your own. 827 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:27,400 Let that sink in. 828 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:31,240 It's still emotional for me decades later 829 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:32,400 to learn that truth. 830 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:35,360 But it's so important. 831 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:37,960 Now that truth is in no way an excuse 832 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:41,160 for believers to continue to live in rebellious sin either. 833 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:44,960 Right, so we can't swing the pendulum just to one side. 834 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:48,880 We're still called to strive in obedience 835 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:50,880 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 836 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:53,360 We're not to sin so that grace can abound. 837 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:55,160 Paul says may that never be. 838 00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,280 But we have to understand that because 839 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:00,040 God has placed His divine love on us, 840 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,960 He now sees you and I in His Son. 841 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:07,360 He sees us clothed with the righteousness of Christ 842 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:10,360 so that we don't live in guilt and shame. 843 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:14,560 But we keep coming back to our Father who loves us. 844 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:17,160 We keep coming back even with the hard truths 845 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:20,560 about who we are and what's really in our hearts. 846 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:22,360 We keep coming back to Him. 847 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:23,960 We don't run away from Him. 848 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:27,560 That freedom is there to come to His throne 849 00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:31,160 with all the brutal truth about what's in your heart. 850 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:34,760 So He has compassion on us as a Father does for His children. 851 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:39,160 So say it with me, bless the Lord, oh my soul. 852 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:43,160 Okay, fourth benefit, sorry. 853 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:46,160 Fourth benefit, it's in verse three. 854 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:51,560 Who pardons or forgives all your iniquities. 855 00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:53,160 Not some of your iniquities. 856 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:58,160 Not the sins that you can offset by your good works. 857 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:01,560 Not the sins that you can offset by your good works. 858 00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:02,560 But all your iniquities. 859 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:04,960 And isn't this an amazing statement 860 00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:08,560 of the sufficiency of God's power to pardon us 861 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,360 in the Old Testament, right? 862 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,960 It's important to see that from an Old Testament saint. 863 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:16,360 The sufficiency of God's pardoning power. 864 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:19,760 And significantly David lists this one first, right? 865 00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:21,160 Because what could be more important 866 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:23,360 than the forgiveness of sins? 867 00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:24,760 And then when we stop to reflect 868 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:26,560 on the sheer magnitude of our sin 869 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:28,960 and the undeserved magnitude of the righteousness 870 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:31,360 of Christ that we receive from Him, 871 00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:34,560 I can't think of a more staggering reason 872 00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:38,760 to worship and praise and bless God. 873 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:40,960 And then there's two other statements here in the Psalm 874 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:42,560 which elaborate on that forgiveness. 875 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:45,960 And they are overwhelmingly beautiful. 876 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:48,160 You have a negative statement and a positive statement. 877 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:49,760 First, what God has not done. 878 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:50,960 Look at verse 10. 879 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:54,360 He has not dealt with us according to our sins. 880 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:58,160 Nor rewarded us or repaid us according to our iniquities. 881 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:00,160 Whew, that's good. 882 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:02,160 And then the positive statement, what God has done, 883 00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:05,160 verse 12, as far as the east is from the west, 884 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:08,560 so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 885 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:11,960 Honestly, has there ever been any more beautiful statements 886 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:15,560 ever penned, ever, ever, ever, than that? 887 00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:16,960 Is there better news? 888 00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:18,160 Please, someone tell me. 889 00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:21,960 Consider this, how God deals with us. 890 00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:23,960 How do human beings deal with each other? 891 00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:27,160 How do we deal with each other? 892 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:30,160 We, now I'm not talking about anybody in this room, 893 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:34,560 but we keep every injustice done to us fresh in our minds. 894 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:37,160 Right? 895 00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:39,960 We nurture the memory of every hurt that has come our way. 896 00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:43,360 We rejoice in the faults and failures of those people 897 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:44,960 that we don't care for that much. 898 00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:46,960 We don't forgive easily, if at all. 899 00:38:46,960 --> 00:38:49,360 In fact, we seek every opportunity to make others 900 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:51,160 pay for their transgressions. 901 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:54,160 We hold those things over them, and then we hold out hope 902 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,960 that someday they will get what they deserve. 903 00:38:56,960 --> 00:38:58,160 There's the D word again. 904 00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:02,960 And then compare that with how God deals with us. 905 00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:06,360 Okay, so again, this is the arms thing. 906 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:07,360 Our love is this much. 907 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:11,360 God's like, you have no idea how much I love you. 908 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:15,160 You have no idea how much I love you. 909 00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:17,360 He deals with us not according to our sins. 910 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:21,360 He chooses not to repay us according to our iniquities. 911 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:25,360 Now, our iniquities deserve payment, right? 912 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:27,360 They do, they deserve eternal judgment. 913 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:29,960 But for those who know Christ, fear Him, obey Him, 914 00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:33,360 worship Him, we need not fear that He will ever exact 915 00:39:33,360 --> 00:39:36,360 payment from us for our sins. 916 00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:38,560 Right? 917 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:41,160 He's never gonna come to us and go, okay, look. 918 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:42,560 Here's the thing. 919 00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:47,360 I looked at your record, and it's long, and it's this many 920 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:48,560 works you have to do now. 921 00:39:48,560 --> 00:39:49,960 It'd be impossible, right? 922 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:53,760 Couldn't be done. 923 00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:56,560 In fact, it's so far from the realm of possibility 924 00:39:56,560 --> 00:39:59,560 that God would demand payment from us for our sin 925 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:01,360 that David compares it to the distance 926 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:02,960 between the East and the West. 927 00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:04,960 Metaphorically, what does that mean? 928 00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:06,360 He'll never do it. 929 00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:08,760 He has removed your sin, get this now, 930 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:11,160 an infinite distance from you. 931 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:14,760 Bless the Lord. 932 00:40:15,960 --> 00:40:18,160 An infinite distance from us. 933 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:21,960 Now, here's an important question that should be part 934 00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,360 of our witness as Christians, because we don't want to 935 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:26,960 give him the impression that because God forgives, 936 00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:29,360 that he's not concerned about accountability for sin. 937 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:31,160 He's not concerned about justice. 938 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:33,160 So we have to be able to answer the question 939 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:36,360 on what grounds does the Lord apply that type of mercy 940 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:39,160 to people like us who are filled with sin? 941 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:41,360 Does he just wave a magic wand and go, 942 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:42,960 hocus pocus, it's gone? 943 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:46,360 Right, because that would not be a God of justice, 944 00:40:46,360 --> 00:40:48,360 and clearly the answer is no. 945 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:51,160 Now, David wrote these words, you know, 946 00:40:51,160 --> 00:40:53,960 with the Old Testament sacrificial system in mind. 947 00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:57,160 He couldn't see yet what Christ would come and do, 948 00:40:57,160 --> 00:40:59,160 but he did have the day of atonement, 949 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:01,560 and he did have the blood sacrifice, 950 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:05,560 and he did have the scapegoat onto whose head his sins 951 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:07,960 were symbolically placed, but friends, 952 00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:10,560 this is a great time to, another reason to bless the Lord 953 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:14,360 that we live under a much greater covenant than David had. 954 00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:18,360 On this side of the cross, all those old covenant types 955 00:41:18,360 --> 00:41:21,560 and symbols were fulfilled once for all by God, 956 00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:24,760 when he displayed his own son, Christ Jesus, 957 00:41:24,760 --> 00:41:27,760 as a propitiation in his blood. 958 00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:31,160 So the reason why God does not deal with us 959 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:33,760 according to our sins is because he dealt 960 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:38,260 with his one and only son over the sins 961 00:41:38,260 --> 00:41:40,960 that we deserve payment, penalty for. 962 00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:42,760 He dealt with his one and only son. 963 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:46,360 And the reason why he doesn't repay us according to our sins 964 00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:49,060 is because he has repaid his own son 965 00:41:49,060 --> 00:41:50,760 with what his holiness demands. 966 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:53,960 That's the great exchange, right? 967 00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:56,860 Again, say it with me. 968 00:41:56,860 --> 00:41:59,560 Bless the Lord, oh my soul. 969 00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:02,660 I mean, do we need another one? 970 00:42:02,660 --> 00:42:04,460 Sure. 971 00:42:04,460 --> 00:42:05,960 Let's get to the culmination of the benefits. 972 00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:07,060 Look at verse four. 973 00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:10,360 Who redeems your life from the pit. 974 00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:12,360 And guess what? 975 00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:13,960 This is literally the final disease 976 00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:18,160 that God is going to heal his children from, 977 00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:19,260 his physical death. 978 00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:23,360 The Hebrew word for pit can refer to either the grave 979 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:24,760 or destruction. 980 00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:27,660 So God's promise is that he will redeem us. 981 00:42:27,660 --> 00:42:30,660 He will perch us out of the grave. 982 00:42:30,660 --> 00:42:31,660 And we need it, right? 983 00:42:31,660 --> 00:42:33,960 Because David says in verses 15 and 16, 984 00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:36,860 our days are like the grass or the flower in the field. 985 00:42:36,860 --> 00:42:39,060 One season we are flourishing. 986 00:42:39,060 --> 00:42:41,560 One season we are growing and we are blooming. 987 00:42:42,460 --> 00:42:45,360 But then the season comes where we wither and we die away. 988 00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:47,260 And you come back to that spot the next season, 989 00:42:47,260 --> 00:42:48,100 what does it say? 990 00:42:48,100 --> 00:42:49,260 Virtually nothing remains. 991 00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:51,860 That's our life on earth. 992 00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:55,160 But as we know, 993 00:42:55,160 --> 00:42:58,560 there's more to life than just the physical, right? 994 00:42:58,560 --> 00:42:59,660 Life goes on. 995 00:42:59,660 --> 00:43:03,560 We came into being at a time, 996 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:05,660 but we were created for eternity. 997 00:43:05,660 --> 00:43:08,360 Every single one of us, believer and unbeliever. 998 00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:10,960 So life goes on, it's just a change of venue 999 00:43:12,360 --> 00:43:14,460 from the earthly realm to the spiritual realm. 1000 00:43:14,460 --> 00:43:15,660 And that goes on forever. 1001 00:43:15,660 --> 00:43:18,760 And as we know, the grave claims the majority of people 1002 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:20,660 on the earth, many, many people, 1003 00:43:20,660 --> 00:43:22,960 why does the road that leads to destruction? 1004 00:43:23,960 --> 00:43:26,160 Jesus himself confirms. 1005 00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:29,560 So the fact that you and I are brought to the narrow gate 1006 00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:33,260 by God himself is reason enough to worship 1007 00:43:33,260 --> 00:43:34,860 and praise and bless the Lord. 1008 00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:39,160 I mean, if that's not enough that there's this broad path 1009 00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:40,160 that leads to destruction, 1010 00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:42,060 but we get access to the narrow gate 1011 00:43:42,060 --> 00:43:44,160 because God chose to give us access. 1012 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:46,160 He saved us from ourselves. 1013 00:43:46,160 --> 00:43:47,960 If that's not a reason to bless the Lord, 1014 00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:49,360 I don't know what is. 1015 00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:53,060 Christ laid down his life to purchase our souls 1016 00:43:53,060 --> 00:43:53,960 for all eternity. 1017 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:55,960 We heard this in Ephesians one, right? 1018 00:43:55,960 --> 00:44:00,160 In him we have redemption through his blood. 1019 00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:01,860 The forgiveness of our trespasses 1020 00:44:01,860 --> 00:44:04,260 according to the riches of his grace. 1021 00:44:04,260 --> 00:44:05,860 Say it one more time. 1022 00:44:05,860 --> 00:44:08,860 Bless the Lord, oh my soul. 1023 00:44:08,860 --> 00:44:11,560 So as we wrap up, again, look at the order 1024 00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:12,460 because I think it's important. 1025 00:44:12,460 --> 00:44:16,760 God heals, God satisfies, God loves with compassion, 1026 00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:19,460 God forgives, God redeems. 1027 00:44:19,460 --> 00:44:20,560 And make sure you see this. 1028 00:44:20,560 --> 00:44:26,160 All these benefits are ours at no cost to us, 1029 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:29,260 but great cost to him. 1030 00:44:29,260 --> 00:44:30,360 We deserve his wrath, 1031 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:33,060 but he's given us grace and righteousness instead. 1032 00:44:33,060 --> 00:44:35,260 And guys, that is the gospel in a nutshell, 1033 00:44:35,260 --> 00:44:36,760 and it's sitting here smack dab 1034 00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:38,560 in the middle of the Old Testament. 1035 00:44:39,660 --> 00:44:40,960 Don't let people tell you, 1036 00:44:40,960 --> 00:44:43,060 oh, two completely different testaments. 1037 00:44:43,060 --> 00:44:45,660 This is the gospel right here 1038 00:44:45,660 --> 00:44:47,760 from an Old Testament saint. 1039 00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:49,160 So how often do you take the time 1040 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:51,360 to let the immensity of God's goodness 1041 00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:53,060 just overwhelm you like a flood? 1042 00:44:54,560 --> 00:44:56,360 And then lead you into praise and worship 1043 00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:58,360 because that's where David ends, Psalm 103. 1044 00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:00,560 What other ending could there be to the Psalm 1045 00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:02,460 than praise and worship? 1046 00:45:02,460 --> 00:45:03,660 The final three verses, 1047 00:45:03,660 --> 00:45:06,760 David becomes like a conductor 1048 00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:09,060 who's come to the final movement of a great symphony 1049 00:45:09,060 --> 00:45:10,660 and he calls all the instruments in. 1050 00:45:10,660 --> 00:45:13,460 He says, we are all gonna do this together now. 1051 00:45:14,760 --> 00:45:17,060 Bless the Lord, you angels. 1052 00:45:17,060 --> 00:45:19,760 Bless the Lord, you armies of heaven. 1053 00:45:19,760 --> 00:45:22,460 All creatures of our God and King, bless the Lord. 1054 00:45:22,460 --> 00:45:25,760 And then lest it gets too grand and too big 1055 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:27,360 that we forget that it's about us, 1056 00:45:27,360 --> 00:45:29,060 he comes back to where he started, 1057 00:45:29,060 --> 00:45:30,860 to you and I and to himself, 1058 00:45:30,860 --> 00:45:32,660 and he says, one more time, 1059 00:45:32,660 --> 00:45:35,360 bless the Lord, oh, my soul. 1060 00:45:35,360 --> 00:45:37,060 Make it personal. 1061 00:45:37,060 --> 00:45:39,260 Bless the Lord, oh, my soul. 1062 00:45:39,260 --> 00:45:43,060 Guys, Psalm 103 is about as pure as it gets 1063 00:45:43,060 --> 00:45:44,060 when it comes to worship. 1064 00:45:44,060 --> 00:45:47,660 All we have to do is come and join the song. 1065 00:45:47,660 --> 00:45:49,160 That's what, if David could walk in here, 1066 00:45:49,160 --> 00:45:51,660 he'd say, just join the song, man. 1067 00:45:51,660 --> 00:45:53,660 These things are true. 1068 00:45:53,660 --> 00:45:56,460 And this is what you were made for. 1069 00:45:56,460 --> 00:45:57,300 Amen? 1070 00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:00,060 Go ahead and bow your heads. 1071 00:46:01,860 --> 00:46:05,660 And God, we are so grateful for Psalms like this one. 1072 00:46:07,460 --> 00:46:11,660 So filled with worship and praise to your name 1073 00:46:11,660 --> 00:46:14,760 and what a great reminder David has given us, Lord, 1074 00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:17,760 that as we get caught up in so many things in this life 1075 00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:19,760 and we're so distracted by our phones 1076 00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:23,660 and by all the things that are just coming at us, God, 1077 00:46:23,660 --> 00:46:27,860 that somehow we can lose sight of these giant things, 1078 00:46:27,860 --> 00:46:30,460 the way you do all of these things 1079 00:46:30,460 --> 00:46:31,760 that we talked about this morning, 1080 00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:33,360 the way you satisfy us. 1081 00:46:34,460 --> 00:46:39,460 God, the way you show us your compassionate love, 1082 00:46:39,460 --> 00:46:41,160 the way you bring healing when we need it, 1083 00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:45,560 the way you forgive our sins through the blood of Christ, 1084 00:46:45,560 --> 00:46:48,460 the way you redeem us from the pit. 1085 00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:55,760 Father, help us to be intentional about this, 1086 00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:58,860 to not lose sight of these basic gospel truths 1087 00:46:58,860 --> 00:47:01,560 in the midst of this world that we live in. 1088 00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:05,560 Help us to be intentional to stir up our souls, 1089 00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:09,660 to continue to worship your name and to bless you. 1090 00:47:09,660 --> 00:47:11,860 Because I know, God, that's why you did make us. 1091 00:47:11,860 --> 00:47:13,460 That's why you have chosen us. 1092 00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:16,260 That we might know you and enjoy you 1093 00:47:16,260 --> 00:47:19,160 and be your witnesses all across this earth 1094 00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:20,560 in the time we have left, 1095 00:47:20,560 --> 00:47:22,760 and we don't know how much that is. 1096 00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:24,260 And so Father, strengthen our church, 1097 00:47:24,260 --> 00:47:27,260 strengthen us as believers, strengthen our worship, 1098 00:47:27,260 --> 00:47:29,460 strengthen our hearts, Lord, 1099 00:47:29,460 --> 00:47:33,460 to recognize all the ways that you have benefited us. 1100 00:47:33,460 --> 00:47:34,860 And may it end in worship and praise. 1101 00:47:34,860 --> 00:47:36,660 Thank you for our time this morning. 1102 00:47:36,660 --> 00:47:39,660 We praise you now in the precious name of Jesus. 1103 00:47:39,660 --> 00:48:04,460 Amen.