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good evening to everyone welcome to free grace baptist church visitors out there if you're there we welcome you to our church it's always a joy to have new faces in the pews a-- so we hope that tonight it would be a blessing for you to join us in this house of God for the worship of him so welcome just to reiterate to Pastor Butler's away returning to his office Thursday of this week and he'll be back in the pulpit next Lord's Day a reminder that with that there is no bible study this upcoming wednesday but we will have a bible study the following wednesday well let's turn in our Bibles then please to psalm 32 that will be our call to worship this evening psalm 32 psalm 32 once again the word of the living and true God a psalm of David a contemplation blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit when I kept silent my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long for day and night your hand was heavy upon me my vitality was turned into the drought of summer sale ah I acknowledged my sin to you and my iniquity I have not hidden I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin seyla for this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when you may be found surely in a flood of Great Waters they shall not come near him you are my hiding place you shall preserve me from trouble you shall surround me with songs of deliverance se la I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go I will guide you with my eye do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding which must be harnessed with bit and bridle else they will not come near you many sorrows shall be to the wicked but he who trusts in the lord mercy shall surround him be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous and shout for joy all you upright in heart amen well let's stand together and sing our first team that will be in your larger Trinity hymnals there we're going to sing 81 a mighty fortress let's stand and sing 81 together Oh you please be seated let's go to our God in prayer let us pray Heavenly Father we rejoice now this evening in the fact that we have the freedom and the liberty to gather in this place for worship of our triune God and we praise You Father Son and Holy Spirit we sing your praises and we come again tonight and we would pray that you would help us to properly hallo your most precious name we would give you honor and praise that returned unto you this evening from the lips of your Saints would be all those praises and honors and Thanksgiving that Thanksgivings that are most certainly do the God of heaven and earth and we know that we require measures of the Holy Spirit that we might properly have our soul stirred to such things we know we cannot rest upon our own goodness in our own strength but much rather we need the divine aid that help from on high to have our heart to rise to high thoughts and high praises of our God of his Christ and of so great a salvation so we do pray for that now we rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ we thank you for the forgiveness of sins we thank you for a perfect redemption through the blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that you did send him in the fullness of the times born of a woman and born under the law that he might redeem those who were under the law we thank you that by that perfect redeeming work we can be called the sons of God we can cry out Abba Father we pray that you would always cause us to rejoice in the gospel to sing the praises of free and sovereign grace for we know that we have not been saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done but much rather according to your mercy you saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit we do pray that you would help us God again that tonight to worship you were right we would set aside those things that would hinder a true and proper worship we would ask that our minds would be focused and not upon the things of the previous week or the things of this upcoming week but solely and alone a focused upon the things of our God that we would be rehearsing your glories your riches your Excellencies your perfections and the redeeming work of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we would ask that you would Lord God be with those who need a much prayer for physical things as we know many afflicted with disease and injury and sickness and all of these things God we pray that you attend to each and every one of our dear Saints in this church that you would watch over them that you would strengthen those in body who are suffering that you would uplift them physically we do pray that you would grant them healing and we do pray in the midst of their suffering God and in the midst of their various afflictions that they would nevertheless in the inner man be lifted high you would cause them to be raised to high thoughts of their Savior high thoughts of their God that in the midst of affliction they would know that the judge of all the earth does right we do pray God again for the persecuted Church as we know there are many around the world who suffer hot persecution for their belief in the Savior and for their belief in you and we do pray God that you would watch over them those who defend your truth and these countries those who are seeking to be steadfast in the faith of Christianity and these nations where there is much anger and hatred we do pray that you would uplift them and strengthen them where where you find the mordant that cause our fellow Saints to be a strengthened daily and by the courage that you afford to your people and we do pray that you would attend to their persecutors once again God that you would save many who are presently your enemies I save many who presently oppose you that you would conquer their hearts by amazing grace and bring them into the kingdom of the son of your love and cause them to believe in the in price and to find all things in him and we would yet again pray for those because there will be those who will oppose you unto the end who will be in constant rebellion against you and we do pray that you would cause them to no longer bring violence against the Saints of Christ we pray that you would take them out of the way that you would smash their fangs in their mouths and cause them to wither away like the snail as we read in Psalm 58 you would cause them no longer to bring once against your people but rather that you would bring temporal judgment against them and on these sorts of notes god we would pray that you would put down false religion in the earth we pray that you would suppress and bring to nothing anything that flies the banner of Christianity but is truly against the gospel of saving grace we pray that you would purify your churches we pray that you would bring an end to those pagan religions many in the way of religions in the world that actively oppose the Lord Jesus Christ and our great triune God we pray that we would see an end to Islam to Buddhism to Hinduism and all these things that are against the God of heaven and earth we pray that you would bring an end in that you would vindicate your name in all the earth that you would cause righteousness to rule in the land and that you would cause the gospel to flourish we do pray that you would deal with the governments of the nations as well we pray that they would kiss the son lest he be angry and they perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little we pray that the kings of the earth and the judges would no longer take counsel against the Lord and against his Christ but rather would bend a knee that they would kiss the son and that they would seek to exercise righteous justice and equity in the land we do pray again father that you would be with us now as we worship help us to worship you or right give us your spirit help us Lord God to be focused upon worship that you might be the recipient of all honor and praise we do pray that you would edify and instruct your saints tonight by the preached word we pray Lord God that you would save sinners by your grace and by the preaching of the word and we would ask yet again God that everything exercise tonight in this act of worship would be done unto the praise of your Most High name and it's in the name of the Savior we pray amen well let's stand and sing our second hem is going to be him number 132 if you'll stand with me and sing 132 together you please be seated you can turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah 48 that's our Old Testament reading this evening as we read consecutively through the Old Testament we find ourselves at Jeremiah 48 when you get there you can we're going to read in in verse one will stop reading though in verse 28 so this is Jeremiah 48 beginning in verse 1 against Moab thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel whoa to nebo for it is plundered kerja fame is shamed and taken the high stronghold ashamed and dismayed no more praise of Moab in heshbon they have devised evil against her come and let us cut her off as a nation you also shall be cut down Oh Mad Men the sword shall pursue you a voice crying shall be from named plundering in great destruction Moab is destroyed her little ones have caused a cry to be heard for in the ascent of Lu Heath they ascend with continual weeping for in the descent of hora named the enemies have heard a cry of destruction flee save your lives and be like the Juniper in the wilderness for because you have trusted in your works in your treasures you also shall be taken and chaos shall go forth into captivity his priests and his princes together and the plunderer shall come against every city no one shall escape the valley also shall perish and the plane shall be destroyed as the Lord has spoken give wings to Moab that she may flee and get away for her city shall be desolate without any to dwell in them curse it is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood Moab has been at ease from his youth he has settled on his dregs and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel to vessel nor has he gone into captivity therefore his tastes remained in him and his scent has not changed therefore behold the days are coming says the Lord that I will send him wine workers who will tip him over and empty his vessels and break the bottles moab shall be ashamed of kamoj as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence how can you say we are mighty and strong men of the war men for the war Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities her chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter says the king whose name is the Lord of hosts the calamity of Moab is near at hand and his affliction comes quickly bemoan him all you who are around him and all you who know his name say how the strong staff is broken the beautiful rod o daughter inhabiting dabangg come down from your glory and sit in thirst for the plunder of Moab has come against you he has he has destroyed your strongholds Oh inhabitant of or or stand by a stand by the way and watch ask him who flees in her who escapes say what has happened Moab is shamed for he is broken down wail and cry tell it in our non that Moab is plundered and judgment has come upon the plain country on hall on in and jaza and methin d bond and Nebo and beth Dibley fame on kerja theme and beth kabul and beth me on on carry off and Basra on all the cities of the land of Moab far or near the Horn of Moab is cut off and his arm is broken says the Lord make him drunk because he exalted himself against the Lord moab shall wallow in his vomit and he shall also be in derision for was not Israel a derision to you was he not found among thieves for whenever you speak of them you shake your head in scorn you who dwell in Moab leave the cities and dwell in the rock and be like the Dove which makes her nest in the sides of the caves mouth amen well much to be read there and much in the way of judgment no doubt we read through the prophets and specifically here obviously in jeremiah we read through them and where we are startled and yet we ought not to be by the righteous judgment of God upon those who oppose him we can see a summary if you will of the chapter in a sense in verse 26 make him drunk because he exalted himself against the Lord remember the call earlier in jeremiah what is the call specifically in the context there to the covenant people of God but the wise men are not to glory in the wisdom in their wisdom the strong not in their might the rich not in their riches but they are to glory in this that they understand and know God that he is the Lord exercising mercy and righteousness and justice in the land and of course those even within Covenant Israel but those surrounding and pagan nations did not do what they ought to do but rather they exalted themselves against the Lord and so God comes righteously in judgment but of course jeremiah holds forth the promise of the new covenant the promise of becoming Lord our righteousness the Lord Jesus Christ who would save his people from their sins we ought always to arrive at the scriptures here and not seek to hide our God of righteous judgment but uphold him before men that they might see his righteousness repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for the reading of your scriptures we thank you for this reading as we rehearse your judgments upon apostate Israel in the past and upon those who opposed you generally speaking we pray for the governments of our world yet again that they would not seek to oppose you they would not seek to it exalt themselves against you but rather that each and every one Lord God because it is possible with you would bend a knee to the king of kings and to the Lord of lords and find all things in the Christ of holy scripture and it's in his name that we pray amen well let's stand then and sing our last him before the preaching it will be 619 if you'll stand and turn 26 19 and we'll sing that together please be seated you can turn in your Bibles again as this morning to Psalm 107 Psalm 107 the way it went this morning we were not able to get past verse 1 a oh give thanks to the Lord and so this evening we want to cover more ground if you will looking at still in verse 1 but looking from verse 1 through 2 verse 9 the things we have there at the point of thanksgiving and praise unto God so once again we'll read Psalm 107 beginning in verse 1 and finishing in verse 9 once again the word of the triune God o give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered out of the lands from the east and from the west from the north and from the South they wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way they found no city to dwell in hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them out of their de-stresses and he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city for a dwelling place oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men for he satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness amen well let us go to God again in prayer Heavenly Father we would pray now for your blessing upon the word preached we would ask God that you would be with preacher helping him by your grace and for your glory to open up the scriptures and to speak well of his God and of his Christ and of so great a salvation we do thank you Lord God that we have this exercise of worship the preaching of your word and we would ask that you would help us in it so as well be with those in the pews god those who are your people here tonight strengthen and edify and encourage equip them by spirit and word to go out into this week to rejoice in their God and in their Christ and to live in light of such a glorious gospel and again we pray for the exercise of that victorious grace tonight they young or old any who are now outside of Christ in unbelief you would come upon those wings of amazing grace by spirit and word and cause them to leave this place singing hallelujah what a savior do save Lord God and might this all be again unto the praise of your glorious name we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen well Psalm 107 you'll remember that we noted this morning it is a psalm of Thanksgiving very simply and there are many of them but though that is a simple observation this Psalm is filled with glorious things about our God the psalmist rehearsing the goodness of God by way of mercies by way of deliverances by way of God redeeming his people from wayward wanderings and de-stresses we noted this morning simply the the call to Thanksgiving o give thanks to the Lord it is no doubt that the responsibility or rather it is the case that every man unregenerate and regenerate is to give thanks to God before his goodness where his wonderful works to the children of men and yet no doubt especially it is the it is to be the disposition we noted of the Christian the people of God to certainly be marked by that disposition of Thanksgiving o give thanks to the Lord is to be delivered to the years of the Christian and we are to respond cheerfully and we are to do so we are to give thanks the to our God we want to note then moving having moved past the call to Thanksgiving where again we noted that generally all men are to give thanks and praise to God we noted that this is to be a definitive and abiding disposition of the people of God and then we noted some of the things of content or those things that we would put into a him of thanksgiving to our God well specifically now we get to what the context of the song brings forth as what would fill the the the hymn book if you will of Thanksgiving specifically rehearsed by the psalmist so we want to note first off the general character of God that informs man's thanksgiving and praise what is the general character of our great God that informs the Christians response of thanksgiving and praise well we see this in verse 10 give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever here we have the general character of God that informs the praise that is commanded oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever this song is extolling God excuse me and I apologize this is a psalm extolling God for His unchangeable goodness we are to simply summarize this song this song x Tolls God for His unchangeable goodness o give thanks to the Lord for he is good and then this next statement elaborates more or sheds more light on what it is at the point of God's goodness that is in view for his mercy endures forever we want to at first focus then on God's goodness and then look secondly at God's mercy but before we do that these two things are often brought together in the scriptures you see when the psalmist comes here and he calls upon Saints to give thanks to God and then he says for he is good for his mercy endures forever he's not just throwing these two things in here goodness and mercy haphazardly he's not just picking two out of the air and saying let's rehearse these two things and glory in our God though that would be a fine thing to do but rather he's bringing together these two things because they are or they do form a phrase with covenantal sick Africans turn with me to the book of Exodus in chapter 33 Exodus 33 what do we have here but the Covenant Lord the only living and true God the only God condescending to disclose his promise the promise of his coven ental presence to the nation of Israel to his covenant people and notice that the point of oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever find yourself at verse 15 of Exodus 33 then he that is God I then excuse me than Moses rather said to God then he said to him if your presence does not go with us do not bring us up from here for how then will it be known that your people and i have found grace in your sight except you go with us so we shall be separate your people and I from all the people who are upon the face of the earth so the lord said to moses i will also do this thing that you have spoken for you have found grace in my sight and i know you by name and he said please show me your glory and now notice the response of god verse 19 then he said i will make all my goodness pass before you and i will proclaim the name of the Lord before you I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy your translation may have compassion there in fact so does mine but it is translated mercy elsewhere and rightly so I will notice again these two themes here I will make my goodness pass before you and then I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy it turns secondly to see the same thing in Psalm 145 that these two things are brought together to form a blessed a two-fold phrase to highlight God's covenant ol faithful pneus notice in Psalm 145 at verse 7 they shall utter the memory of your great goodness and shall sing of your righteousness the Lord is gracious and full of compassion slow to anger and great and mercy you see goodness and mercy are that phrase is packed with coven ental significance and so finding our way back to Psalm 107 we're rehearsing these two things God's goodness and God's mercy and in so doing we're rehearsing the god of condescending and coven ental faithfulness first off then God's goodness what do we mean when we say God's goodness you see very often I think when we think of goodness and when we when we talk about goodness we can think of only moral excellence we say God's goodness or when we even speak of men and we say they are good we can speak concerning moral excellence parents talking about children if and when they are good we can use that word good to mean they're well-behaved oh yeah a little-little Billy he's a he's a good kid I mean you know meaning that he's well behaved very often the term good a can mean that whatever we're saying is good bears a quality of uh uh or bears the the reality of having high quality you know when we speak of food we're speaking with regards to its quality when we say I had a good steak that's sort of a thing but you see here when we talk about goodness though certainly God is marked by a moral perfection a moral impeccability a moral excellence and while we most certainly want to say that God is of the highest quality and of the highest virtue here with regards to goodness it primarily pertains to his beneficence his his condescending acts of goodness is conferring of benefits to an undeserving people that's what we have in view here when we read god is good when we read o give thanks to the Lord for he is good were reading of his beneficence he is a divine and glorious and loving benefactor who bestows gifts upon beneficiaries in this lower world his beneficence his condescending acts of goodness but before we move on to a rehearsal of what that is and what that pertain are what that contains we want to stop for a moment and consider something at the point of God's goodness and that is that God's goodness should first be seen in the perfection of his nature whenever we start to consider God in His goodness we need to think of the the perfection of his nature this is what manton says it's a long quote but at the point of God's goodness he is primitively and originally good good of himself which nothing else is you see when we rehearse God's goodness we're not just rehearsing the goodness of one who is maximally better than his creatures his creatures have goodness but God is the Superman if you will having goodness to a higher degree no he is primitively and originally good good of himself which nothing else is for all creatures are good only by participation and communication from God he is essentially good not only good but goodness itself the creatures good is a super added quality in God it is his essence he is infinitely good the creatures goodness is but a drop but in God there is an infinite ocean and sea or gathering together of goodness he cannot be better he is summum bonum the chiefest good other things are good insubordination to him and according to that use in proportion they they bear to him he is not good as the means but as the end things good as the means are only good in order proportion measure and respect but God is absolutely good beyond God there is nothing to be sought or aimed at if we enjoy him we enjoy all good to make us completely happy he is eternally and immutably good for he cannot be less good than he is as there can be no addition made to him so no subtraction or aught taken from him hopefully hopefully that comes to your soul and you scanned you respond to the psalmist yes I give thanks to the Lord for His goodness what a blessed picture of our God you know have you ever stopped at the the shorter catechism if you go through it with your kids or if you go through it with your family you get to question number 4 what is God the answer is God is spirit infinite eternal and unchangeable in his being you see I think we can accept we can accept that with a with an ease of mind but you see then follows what we would call attributes and those things are identical to his being infinite eternal and unchangeable in his being wisdom power holiness justice goodness and truth and have you ever stopped to notice that what we don't see love there we don't see wrath we don't see we don't see some other things that we might bring up in our contemplations of the attributes of God well I believe it is because of what manton as well notes the goodness of God comprehends all his attributes the whole catalog of mercy grace long-suffering abundance of truth summed up in this one word goodness all our streams from this fountain he could be none of this where he not first good when it confers happiness without merit it is Grace when it bestows happiness against merit it is mercy when he bears with provoking rebels it is long-suffering when he performs his promise it is truth in other words divine goodness is the fount of so many other sections God's goodness is a blessed theme to rehearse but getting specifically at the point of the psalm his goodness here what is in view and his goodness is his wonderful works to the children of men his beneficence his condescending acts of goodness and we want to note brethren before we get to the specifics of the psalm that this is seen comprehensively in creation Providence and redemption the theologians will rehearse those three things at the point of God's goodness His goodness is first seen in creation our confession speaks this way in the beginning it pleased God the Father Son and Holy Spirit for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power wisdom and goodness to create or make the world in all things there in whether visible or invisible in the space of six days and all very good creation itself is an instance of divine goodness would later say in the chapter on worship the light of nature shows that there is a God who half lordship and sovereignty over all is just good and doeth good unto all and is therefore to be feared loved praised called upon trust it in and served with all the heart and all the soul and with all the might you see our confession isn't just writing this out of thin air but it finds as its only foundation the Word of God and when we turn there and you can to Psalm 136 we find this same thing that creation is or flows from or is a result of the goodness of God notice in Psalm 136 a song that repeats the language of the psalm that we're considering morning and evening notice Psalm 136 o give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever o give thanks to the God of gods for his mercy endures forever o give thanks to the Lord of lords for his mercy he endures forever to him who alone does great wonders for his mercy endures forever now notice at the point of his goodness in creation to him who by wisdom made the heavens for his mercy endures forever to him who laid out the earth above the waters for his mercy endures forever to him who made great lights for his mercy endures forever the Sun to rule by day for his mercy endures forever the moon and stars to rule by night for his mercy endures forever mercy is the next point of our focus but at the point of goodness remember mercy flows from that stream of goodness divine goodness and we see here that creation is most certainly an instance of the goodness of God the point of God's providence we read this with respect to his goodness and Providence in our confession of faith the almighty power unsearchable wisdom and infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in his Providence as the Providence of God Duff in general reach to all creatures so after a more special manner it taketh care of his church and disposes of all things to the good thereof so God's goodness is seen in his Providence and you can turn with me to acts 14 because there in the scriptures in acts 14 we see that very thing his goodness is shown in Providence acts 14 and notice in verse 17 nevertheless he did not leave himself with a witness in that he did good gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness you see why all men everywhere are to give praise to God for His goodness because he gives us these providential blessings gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness God's goodness scene and creation and seen in Providence and of course God's goodness seen in Redemption you see we move from creation which serves Redemption to Providence which also serves God's Redemption and when we arrive at redemption it is an easy thing to say god is good isn't it because it is certainly that crowning achievement if you will or instance of God's goodness to condescend and to save guilty sinners the Brethren we could go to many places in the scriptures to see of God's goodness to sing of God's goodness but what a place to go is john three sixteen there's any verse in the Bible that you know we should know we should rehearse that we should be able to recite without any provocation it's john three sixteen for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life what an instance of the high and great and divine goodness of our God remember this is God's condescending act towards men when we speak of God's beneficence big word but again it simply speaks to a benefactor one who has things giving things to those who don't the beneficiaries and it's an act of condescension it's a blessed act of divine goodness that we have and the pinnacle the pinnacle of divine goodness is redemption isn't it by such a Christ and by such a saving work we'll get to that more when we get to the mercy of God but here we have charnock on goodness and redemption the first resolution to redeem and the means appointed for redemption could have no other inducement but divine goodness divine goodness begat the first purpose of our recovery do you love that divine goodness begat the first purpose of our recovery how was our recovery born it was born out of divine goodness God's divine goodness is the Blessed source the redemption Christ wrought upon Calvary's tree and so we have God's goodness if only momentarily rehearsed nevertheless hopefully set forth that you might be brought to the psalmist's and treaty and respond in thankfulness secondly we have God's mercy remember we're looking at here are these two general characteristics of God from Psalm 107 the general character of God that informs our Thanksgiving that informs our praise and he says oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever and so we have God's mercy clearly in view which we've already noted flows from His goodness and Raymond degrees at this point with regards to his mercy the Catechism that is the shorter catechism that we noted previously intends this beautiful word that is goodness as the general category within which God's love grace mercy pity compassion long-suffering kindness and other such expressions of his tenderly and his tender and fatherly character are to be placed and so we see here God's mercy brought forth pink says the mercy of God has its spring in the divine goodness and we've already rehearsed Psalm 136 that repeated refrain for his mercy endures forever working through creation Providence and redemption saying that it is mercy that is at the Blessed base of all of those things the mercy of God will give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever what then do we mean when we speak of this God's mercy how do we define God's mercy a couple ways in which we could define it first and simply a regard toward the helpless a divine regard toward the helpless if we were to divide define it further we might say compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish her harm remember earlier when we noted that quote from Manton where he said this when goodness confers a penis without merit it is grace but when it bestows happiness against merit it is mercy what does he mean by that well he means that we merited wrath but in the face of that merit God exercises mercy through Christ Jesus the Lord you see we did not merit Redemption by Christ nevertheless God confers happiness without such merit and that is grace someone or perhaps simply has defined grace and mercy this way and the difference grace a grace is God giving us something we do not deserve and mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve you see we said this morning that the only thing we deserve is death and hell the only thing that we deserve is an eternity in a lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels because of our sin and our iniquity and our depravity and yet against that meritorious work meriting our damnation the only thing we can merit God answers with mercy he does not give us what we deserve but rather in Christ he gives us mercy he gives us the forgiveness of sins he gives us because of the blood of Christ the remission of sins and everlasting life oh what a mercy so mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm and in the case of God he has power and authority and the absolute just right to condemn us to hell but in Christ Jesus he doesn't do that but exercises mercy of Mercy's distinction there is a distinct between human mercy and divine mercy you see human mercy is in response to something outside of ourselves but divine mercy is not a response to something outside of God God is not God is not moved to mercy but rather he himself God Himself is the source of the mercy that is exercised and that is demonstrated in the lower world these are the words of one of the men that are on the all named team and Christian theology Wolfgang musculus Wolfgang musculus and he says this and pay attention because this informs us well with regards to the distinction between human mercy and the perfection of divine mercy this we may truly end up rightly consider in the definition of mercy that is a regard toward the helpless but as touching the nature and operation thereof which it practices in the heart of man where it's stirreth up sometimes sorrow and compassion that is not to be applied unto God like as all affections and operations of love which hath place in the heart of man do not straightaway frame unto God and yet for all that love is attributed unto him that he is reported to be very love itself therefore it remaineth that the greater the mercy is in God that is of course as compared to men than it is in the hearts of men and the less that the causes of men's compassion do take place in him the more manifest it is that he hath no other cause of his mercy but his incomparable goodness of nature unto which we did also refer his lovingness towards man in the place before you see in other words God is not changeable in His mercy he does not at once not exercise or not have it and then is moved to it from outside of himself but rather being God of God rather being holy God in and of himself mercy is identical to his very nature in essence and flows from the perfection of his own nature and this mercy is seen first in temporal and universal benefits temporal and universal benefits if we can have three things to consider under how mercy is seen in the scriptures generally speaking first we see it in temporal and universal benefits back in Psalm 145 after the portion that we note at seven and eight we have this very point at verse nine the Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works you see if mercy is God not giving us what we deserve then going back to what we noted this morning the very fact that all meant that men are still alive and drawing breath and not immediately cast in to the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels it's an instance of God's mercy the fact that men have a breath and their lungs food on their tables and water that they can you know turn the turn the tap and have it come out of the tap turn the faucet and have it come out whatever the the proper order is that men have these things it's an instance the mercy of God we have life breath that we have food water the men have raiment and shelter that men have anything from on high and again are not immediately given what they deserve that is an instance of the temporal in universal benefits that God in His mercy has bestowed upon man we see this in Matthew 5 in Matthew 5 at verse 45 if you can turn there with me terrific notice Matthew 4 at verse 45 we have this the temporal and universal mercies of God given in those benefits of his in Matthew 5 and in verse 45 notice what we read there that you may be sons of your father in heaven for he makes his Sun Rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust we consider God's mercy you must consider at the point that he gives his tender mercies are seen to be dispensed upon all men secondly we see it in judgment against the wicked if we see it generally a temporally and universal benefits given by His mercy to men we also see mercy and judgment against the wicked and you might be asking we'll wait a minute isn't that wrath then isn't mercy in opposition to wrath yes but bear with me for a moment you can turn in your Bibles to psalm 136 remember that is the psalm of rehearsed mercies and what do we notice but in verse 15 we see this actually beginning in verse 14 and made Israel passed through the midst of it for his mercy endures forever but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the red sea for his mercy endures forever turn quickly to Psalm 143 and notice in verse 12 Psalm 143 verse 12 in your mercy cut off my enemies and destroy all those who afflict my soul for I am your servant you see it is a mercy of God extended not to the vessels of his wrath when he judges but rather when God judges the vessels of Wrath it is a mercy to the vessels of mercy in other words God's people are to see it as a mercy when God judges the wicked why because they no longer oppose the people of God because they're no longer active in their rebellion against the people of God they no longer spit blasphemies and evils against the Lord our God and against his Christ what a glorious thing and what an abiding and enduring mercy it'll be in heaven brethren when there are not the sons and daughters of wickedness bringing violence against the Church of Christ Senate you see when we are called by the psalmist to sing to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for his mercy which endures forever one of those is seen in the everlasting cutting off of the wicked because in heaven we will be surrounded only by the righteous in Christ will be surrounded by the justified by faith sinners saved by grace brought into everlasting life where they will sin no more in the presence of God no longer in the presence of God we're no longer among us will there be the wicked who oppose God and who oppose us and that is to be seen as a mercy in Revelation 19 remember we noted this morning that the Greek translation of the wording here some of the wording used is Alleluia in our Bibles very often that word isn't translated that is we uphold the the original Greek that's done with the word amen it's done often with the word hallelujah notice in Revelation 19 at the point of God's mercy being seen in the judgment of the wicked remember the Babylon the Babylon has been judged we see here after these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying Alleluia salvation and glory and honor and power belonged to the Lord our God for true and righteous are his judgments because he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants shed by her you see Saints sing and give thanks and praise to God because of his mercy demonstrated in the judgment of the wicked and of course thirdly and finally at the point of the mercy of God His mercy seen in salvation by Christ this is more often and most often and rightly so where we arrive at when we consider God's mercy abiding or enduring forever isn't it because Christ secures and ever lasting mercy priced secures for his people and everlasting mercy and we see the everlasting pneus of this mercy sung by the psalmist as well in other places as in Psalm 57 Psalm 57 and verse 10 we read these words for your mercy reaches unto the heavens and your truth into the clouds we see this as well in Psalm 103 verse 11 the point of salvation by Christ but first at the point of that being and enduring and abiding mercy Psalm 103 in verse 11 for as the heavens are high above the earth so great is his mercy toward those who fear Him the Blessed truth and notice what follows after that the same high language of comparison as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us mercy of God seen in salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ rather in turn with me in the new testament to a few passages just to rehearse this mercy as attached to the salvation of God through Christ Jesus the Lord notice the word as its employed in Romans 9 at the point of predestination predestinated acree of God to save particular sinners through Jesus Christ is a divine mercy notice Romans 9 and beginning in verse 22 what if God wanting to show his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long-suffering the vessels of Wrath prepared for destruction and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of Mercy which he had prepared beforehand for glory even assume he called not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles we are brethren vessels of Mercy you see again how wrath serves mercy here the decree of reprobation isn't unto the end of reprobation itself but rather is unto the end of the praise of God's glorious justice yes but unto the praise of God's glorious grace and visiting mercy upon the vessels of Mercy he endures with much long-suffering the vessels of Wrath which were prepared beforehand for destruction why so that he might make known the riches of His mercy upon those vessels of Mercy prepared beforehand for glory and hopefully you know this passage as well as you turn to Ephesians as you turn to Ephesians you see this is one of those passages and it's Ephesians 2 that you can turn to that we ought to have in the four of our minds when we're called to rehearse the mercies of God notice Ephesians 2 beginning in verse 1 and you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the air the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and we're by nature children of Wrath just as the others then we have these blessed words but God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved you see the passage rolling together these beautiful words grace love mercy rolling these together and this one contemplation on the mercies or the on the salvation that God has afforded us through Christ Jesus the Lord but God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved you see brethren when recalled to give thanks to God for His goodness and mercy we are if but only for a fleeting moment to recollect our former States as Paul sets at fourth in Ephesians 2 1 2 3 you see it is not a wholesome exercise to wall hello in our former selves to wallow in the depravity in the transgression and sin of our former selves but it is a wholesome exercise too for a moment remember that that whole of the pit from which we were digged to remember that raw whence we were hewn so that why so that we can immediate immediately fly to contemplations of the mercy of God in Christ Jesus the Lord and so when we're called to rehearse mercy brethren remember who you were before mercy came remember who you were before before God's grace to you was beautiful and his love glorious and his person adorable and Christ the Redeemer of your souls remember what it was like you see reflecting upon our former conduct in our former selves is to bring us to the point falling on our faces as a dead man like Steve read this morning to give praises unto our God for mercy exercised that word brethren mercy to arrive to arrive at your souls your souls ought to be stirred to high thoughts of our God and of his Christ tightest three so we look to an end of considering mercy though that's only for tonight as those redeemed by Christ we rehearse these things for eternity notice in titus 3 the point of God's mercy and notice what this is set in contrast to notice in in titus 3 in verse 5 what is this set in contrast to not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life you see why it is such such a violence and and such an opposition to the glory of God to say that in any way portion we can be saved and redeemed by our own doings in our own works and in our own deeds because it flies in the face of the infinite enduring mercy of God not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy he saved us brethren the mercy of God oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever finding your way then back to Psalm 102 excuse me 107 we want to look further at some of the things that then continue we do look to close in a reasonable amount of time we want to move past now two verses two through nine because notice we see a call to the redeemed to recognize this character of God notice what we read after verse 1 we see let the redeemed or we read let the redeemed of the Lord say so let the redeemed of the Lord say so so if it wasn't enough that oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good is peculiarly designed to elicit a response by the Saints and it is but some would see that as a general call to all men to give thanks as they ought to then we arrived at this verse and we see most certainly that the Saints of Christ are to say so let the redeemed of the Lord say so say what that God is good and that is mercy endures forever let them give thanks you see it may be a reasonable extension of this text to bring up discussions of Christian evangelism so a reasonable implication let the redeemed of the Lord say so what are we to do with redeemed mouths but to proclaim the riches and the excellencies of Christ we're a chosen people a holy nation a a prized possession that we might proclaim the riches of the one who saved us from out of darkness and brought us into marvelous light but you see what this is is not a call to evangelism though we are called to bring the evangel to sinner's but rather this is a call to do what he had just called us to do give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and give thanks to the Lord for His mercy and the we have then a rehearsal of the specific demonstrations of God's character brought to us so if when we read give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever we have his general character given to us to give thanks for we now have the demonstration of that in time and in history how is it fostered how is the giving of thanks by the Christian fostered it is by a rehearsal of the demonstration of those things marked by goodness and mercy and notice very briefly what we have first Redemption and deliverance notice whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy gathered out of the lands from the east and from the west from the north and from the south they wandered in a desolate way or they wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way they found no city to dwell in hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from out of their de-stresses you see a rehearsal of God's goodness and mercy largely arrives us at a discussion of God's Redemption and deliverance and notices well guidance and direction notice guidance and direction verse 7 and he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city for a dwelling place this brings to bear God's giving to us of a knowledge of the truth you see the way that God leads us forth by the right way is by his grace giving us renewed hearts that we might understand and know the truth never forget brethren that your ability to know biblical doctrine is given to you from on high because what were we before but thankless marked by the futility of our thoughts the darkness of our hearts God comes by Amazing Grace and he renews us he gives us new mines new hearts that we might know his truth that we might rejoice in a triune God in a Christ of saving grace and in a glorious gospel our ability to know the truth is not in US it is not of us by nature we do not have a native ability to know and glory in the things of biblical Verity but rather these things are given to us from a God of goodness and from a God of mercy he gives us knowledge of the truth acts 16 14 Lydia knew this full well the Lord opened her heart to believe the things spoken by the Apostle Paul Ephesians 19 what do we find there in Ephesians 19 but our ability to know the truth our knowledge of the truth is a instance of goodness and mercy specifically notice in Ephesians 1 at verse 9 what we find there in connection to these things in Ephesians 1 and verse 9 we read the following backing up perhaps to verse 7 in him we have that is in Christ we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence having made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself you see God made us to know by His grace the riches of gospel truth and for that we are to give thanks to him not only that not only in giving us a knowledge of the truth but also furthering us in the knowledge of the truth notice again what Psalm 107 says he leads us he led them forth by the right way he gives us a knowledge of the truth and he leads us in that truth brethren that's why is we do near an end I I promise that's why we are not to shun and we are not to put off the simple things that God has given us in this lower world that we might be led by him in the right way if he furthers us in that if he first gives us his truth by his grace and then if it is the case that he furthers us in his truth and he does and don't we know that our God of goodness and mercy has ordained the means whereby we can be led and furthered in that truth we have our Bibles wherein we can land our eyes and our minds upon rehearsals of the goodness and the mercies of God we come to those portions of Scripture which Terry added active wait in other words we come with questions to the Bible what of these doctrines of grace and we can land at portions of scripture where God in His grace furthers us in the good paths furthers us in the old paths where the good way is showing us simply the truths of divine and sovereign grace the glories of Christ the riches of his gospel we have his word given to us that is a goodness and that is a mercy brothers and sisters that we have the 66 books the Old and New Testaments to open up and to be furthered in the way to be led in the way to be carried through by our by our divine by our precious God to be carried forth on those old paths where the good way is and lastly brethren we have spiritual nourishment notice in Psalm 107 we have spiritual nourishment verse 80 that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men for he satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness we have spiritual nourishment I love what Calvin writes on Isaiah 55 1 remember remember what we have in Isaiah 51 in fact actually turned there for a moment Isaiah 55 1 because it sets us up for Calvin's good comments on what we have set before us in spiritual nourishment Isaiah 55 Oh everyone who thirsts come to the waters and you who have no money come Buy and eat yes come buy wine and milk without money and without price the kelvans speaking on these speaking on this right but I have no doubt that under these words waters milk wine bread Isaiah includes all that is necessary for spiritual life for the metaphors are borrowed from those kinds of food which are in daily use among us as we are nourished by bread wine milk and water so in like manner let us know that our souls are fed and supported by the doctrine of the gospel the Holy Spirit and other gifts of Christ you see why it's so important brethren to come to the Word of God to come to church to come anywhere where the word is opened up it's because in these things God feeds us a preacher is to be one who doesn't bring himself into the pulpit and throw himself out to the gathered assembly to take in his splendor and his works and his what evers because that is no food at all that is no refreshment that is no spiritual bread milk or wine water rather the preacher comes and as one man says the preachers job is to save you from himself not to come up to the mic and preach himself but to open up the word because it is the word of God that is honey to your lips it is the word of God that is milk water bread and wine to your souls it is spiritual nourishment we have set before us in Psalm 107 God in His goodness and God in His mercy bringing it to the souls of men and brethren we see that brought to Christo centric clarity when we get to places like John for in John 6 where it is as we noted this morning that Jesus is the bread of life who gives everlasting life by himself to those who believe in him those who come to Christ will never hunger those who believe in him will never thirst and brethren so Psalm 107 sets before us the entreaty the command the call to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for his mercy and like this morning brethren we want to make sure that we are marked by this disposition and that in our Christian lives we seek to further it and grow it we do so by those means that God has ordained if you're here tonight see it's it's a repeated theme of the preacher to stand in the pulpit and to bring forth to summarize things said and then to to plea with sinners in the pews to look upon and to consider what we have just considered in the sermon because you see it is the case that sinners stand outside the goodness and the mercy of God especially and peculiarly as it is seen in redemption by Jesus Christ you see if you're out there this morning in your outside of price you are a recipient of goodness and mercy as we've already rehearsed you have life and breath you have food and water and yet while you have these things you do not adequately and properly nor do you at all in fact you thanks to the God who gives them and yet he gives them to you and he sets before you the reality and the scriptures that he is holy that he is just that he cannot look upon your sin for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God and yet in those self same scriptures he sets before you the mercy of God in Christ Jesus the Lord and if you've been here enough you've constantly heard the refrains of the preacher in the pulpit and it is not an unwholesome repetition that we just have a checklist and we come into the ball pit and we say don't forget to to do this mechanically at the end of a sermon no it is the Christian plea generally and it is the preachers joyful requirement in the pulpit to set for you the reality that in Christ Jesus the Lord there is salvation from your sin the younger old you're here tonight and you know nothing of the special goodness and the redemptive mercy of God flee from your sin and unto Christ and know the special goodness and know the Blessed mercy of our God in Christ Jesus the Lord and you will with us give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever it is the case that you have wander that you have being such that have no city to dwell in hungry and thirsty you are you don't even know it and yet your soul is empty God fills it with His grace God fills it with his mercy God fills it with his Christ close with him believe on him and you will have everlasting life let us pray Heavenly Father we rejoice in your song we rejoice in the disclosure of so many blessed things that we can read of our God we sing the praises of your goodness and we sing the praises of your mercy we would ask that you would help us constantly to do so as we noted it can be the case that we can be found a wanting in such things that we have a coldness and a languor and adequately and and in a continual manner recognizing your goodness and mercy and in turn giving thanks to you for it we pray that you would daily stir up our souls that we might rehearse your saving mercies that we might sing the praises of your goodness and all in Christ Jesus our blessed Savior we pray that you would save sinners tonight that you would take these words the Holy Scriptures take the word preached and by your spirit and for your glory make new Saints by your grace that they might sing the praises of Christ along with us and rejoice in our God we do pray that you would help us now that you would go with us and cause us God in this upcoming week to live in light of your goodness to live in light of your mercy and that we might bring honor to you and adorn the gospel of Christ in this lower world so we pray that you would go with us God and be with us daily we might sing the praises of our Christ and even have opportunity to tell others of the riches and excellencies of such a redeemer and it's in his name that we pray amen well if you'll stand and close tonight's worship by singing a doxology we're going to sing hymn number 35 stands a one if you'll stand with me and we'll sing as our doxology him 35 stands a one you now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen well please be seated we'll have a brief time of prayer and then when the piano has finished you're free to leave