27 June 2021 AM – Psalm 103:1-18 – Praise – Scott Childs
Introduction: The hymn, Count Your Blessings, is a good reminder for us. Has God has been good to you? Has He given you any specials to save you money? Has He kept you safe? Has He answered any prayers recently? We have no trouble counting our burdens, but we often forget to count our blessings. Psalm 103 opens up with these words (Ps 103:1-2). Here David urged his soul to bless or praise the Lord and not forget all His benefits. He then lists at least 17 benefits. These are provisions that Christians receive from God.
Transition: I want us to note briefly each of the benefits listed by David that we might not forget to bless the Lord for them. (Underline them)
1. The LORD forgives all our iniquities (v.3)
a. Forgiveness is one of the greatest benefits received from God. Without His forgiveness, we would all be doomed.
b. Since Christ died and rose again on behalf of our sins, all who place their faith in Him can enjoy full forgiveness and justification.
c. David points out that the LORD forgives ALL our iniquities. (1 John 1:9) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“
2. The LORD heals all our diseases (v.3)
a. Certainly, the Lord is able to heal any physical disease. Christ demonstrated that when he healed the blind, lame, deaf, lepers, paralysed, and even raised the dead; however, He does not always heal every physical ailment.
b. In the context of this Psalm, it is probable that David was speaking of spiritual diseases. (Isaiah 53:5) “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.“
3. The LORD redeems us (v.4)
a. He is our kinsman redeemer who paid the price for our redemption and set us free. (Illus: Boaz in book of Ruth)
b. (Titus 2:14) “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.“
4. The LORD crowns us with lovingkindness (v.4)
a. Our sin deprived us of all honour, but now the Lord crowns us with His kindness and compassion.
b. We see an example of this in John 1:12. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:“
5. The LORD satisfies our mouths with good (v.5)
a. To be satisfied is to be full, not at all hungry. Unbelievers often collect much of the glory and goods of this life, but it never satisfies the longing of their souls.
b. The Lord truly satisfies the souls of His children with that which is good and excellent. If you have been forgiven, spiritually healed, redeemed and crowned, you enjoy goodness that the world never experiences.
6. The LORD provides help to the oppressed (v.6)
a. He does not leave His poor and needy in the hands of their enemies. He lovingly executes justice and fair decisions on their behalf.
b. He cares for you when you are oppressed. He invites you to cast your burden on Him. (1 Peter 5:7) “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Sing: “Cast your burden on the Lord”
7. The LORD revealed His ways to Moses (v.7)
a. Up on Mt. Sinai, God revealed to Moses much of His character and attributes.
b. He also made known His deeds to the children of Israel by providing for them in so many ways. When burdened, remember God’s provisions.
c. It is a privilege to be able to know a great deal about our God, both from Scripture and from experience. We do not worship a carved idol. (Acts 17:24) “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;“
8. The LORD is merciful and gracious (v.8)
a. He is merciful or literally compassionate. He has a loving, tender heart toward us, even when least deserved.
b. He is gracious, giving us much more than we deserve.
9. The LORD is slow to anger (v.8)
a. The Lord does get angry with us when we sin, but it is a great benefit that He is slow to anger.
b. Can you imagine what it would be like if our LORD had a quick temper? We would all be burnt toast.
10. The LORD is plenteous in mercy (v.8)
a. This word for mercy is different from the word mercy in the first of the verse. It describes God’s goodness, kindness, and faithfulness.
b. He is plenteous in this attribute. As the hymn writer penned, “Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father”.
11. The LORD does not always chide (v.9)
a. The Lord doeschide or strive with us when we get out of line. His scolding and chastening are for our good. (Proverbs 3:11-12) “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.“
b. However, he does not ALWAYS chide. God is not a mean old grump who is forever difficult to please.
12. The LORD goes easier on us than deserved (v.10)
a. Our sin deserves far more chiding and chastening than God gives. What if God always gave us what we deserved when we did wrong? We would be in BIG trouble.
b. He does not reward or deal fully with us according to our iniquities or our guilt. Praise God for that!
13. The LORD is great in mercy (v.11)
a. David compared the greatness of God’s mercy (same word v.8, good, kind, faithful) to the height of the heavens above the earth.
b. While the height of the heavens may not be endless from God’s perspective, from man’s perspective there is no end to the heavens. So great is God’s mercy and faithfulness!
c. This mercy is available to all who fear the Lord.
1) The Lord desires that we respectfully fear Him.
2) What does it mean to fear God? To fear the Lord is to seek to yield every area of one’s life to the Lord so that it will give Him the honour, admiration, and reverence He deserves as the Sovereign of the universe.
14. The LORD has removed our transgressions (v.12)
a. AWESOME! The distance from east to west is endless. I am so glad that he did not say the distance from north to south.
b. When God removes our sins from us, they are forever gone. Our mind may not forget them, but God completely removes every sin that we confess. Bless the Lord! (Proverbs 28:13) “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.“
15. The LORD pities those who fear Him (v.13)
a. He pities or literally loves dearly all those who fear Him. This compares God’s compassionate love to that of a father toward his children. Sadly, children who grow up in a fatherless home or with a father who does not truly love them, have a more difficult time comprehending God’s love.
b. Again, he reminds us of how much the Lord values our fear of Him.
16. The LORD knows our weaknesses (v.14-16)
a. Isn’t this special? The Lord remembers that He created man from dust. He knows that we are frail humans.
b. He knows that the length of our days is as grass that withers. As the flower of the field we flourish. In other words, we bloom briefly and fade away. Once the flower dies, the wind blows it away, and it is gone. So is the life of man – here today and gone tomorrow.
c. God tenderly keeps all this in mind as He deals with us.
17. The LORD is always merciful (v.17-18) (Good, kind & faithful)
a. Though physical life is brief, the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting,eternal, toward those who fear Him.
b. Those who obey the Lord will never lack His mercy.
c. The question is, “Do we truly fear and obey the LORD?”
Conclusion: We have briefly looked at 17 of the LORD’s benefits toward us, which we must not forget. If you are a true Christian, take time to bless the LORD for these benefits. When tempted to doubt or worry, count your blessings! Recall all that God has done for you! If you are not yet a Christian, if you humbly place your faith in Him to save your soul from hell, these benefits can be yours as well.
