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okay good evening everyone and welcome to uh free Grace Baptist reform church and we're so thankful that you can join us this evening we're going to start things off by singing or actually part of me reading a Psalm and that Psalm is Psalm 125. psalm 125. a song of a sense those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion which cannot be moved but abides forever as the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forever for the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous lest the righteous reach out their hand to iniquity do good O Lord to those who are good and to those who are upright in their hearts as for such as turn aside to their crooked ways the Lord shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity peace be upon Israel amen I'll ask you now to please turn in your hymn books to song pardon me hymn 138 B him 138 b as in bravo [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] tell by your grace [Music] let's go to our Lord in prayer our heavenly father we acknowledge you as the one true and living God Father Son and Holy Spirit The Great I Am and also Lord we acknowledge that there is no good in us and that we are Fallen sinful and defiled We Are Forever grateful and thankful that we were not abandoned in this state but we were provided a precious lamb who is Christ Jesus to redeem us from our sins and that it is by faith alone in Christ alone that we have grace alone you didn't make it so we have to to work for it and all our all our works count for nothing and Lord as we sang this morning in the hymn that this grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will lead me um in is pardon me lead me home it's truly amazing grace and so we thank you Lord for this Lord's day that we can all come together and worship you and praise you and to lift your name on high and I want to thank you for every saint that's here this evening and I pray Lord that you would continue to bless them and watch over them anyone here who has any uh physical ailments that you would reach down and touch them and heal them Lord any who have heavy hearts are full of sorrow or worry that you would send them the spirit of comfort to be with them Lord we thank you for this Thanksgiving weekend and we thank you Lord that we can all be gathered together as a family and I pray Lord that it is not one day a year that we reflect on what to be thankful for but that we have a Thanksgiving spirit and that it's every day that we reflect on the victory that was at the cross and the promises that are made to us by you thank you Lord for all the children here this evening who are precious in your sight I pray Lord that as they grow that they grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus and I pray that you would protect them from the many snares that the evil one has set before them thank you Lord for this city and for our nation and I pray Lord that there would be a Revival in this country and that many many hearts would turn from their Wicked Ways and and not just the citizens Lord but also our government that seems to walk uh proudly in unrighteousness and we pray that you would you would turn them from their ways and and uh and into Into Your Righteous ways and as we look across our borders Lord we see much turmoil and and War and suffering and fear and we pray Lord that this wickedness would be restrained and um that yeah you would restrain this wickedness and bring peace to these nations and if that is not your will Lord I pray that you would strengthen us give us courage and fortitude and that we would not be dismayed uh by the enemy and that you would just remind us that Christ has Victory and that he is seated at the right hand of God on his throne and uh that he will make his enemies this footstool we thank you Lord for the church plants we think of Siri Armstrong Dryden and the church in Honduras we pray Lord that the spirit would fill these churches and and be gracious to them and that many people would come to know you through them thank you for the men that you've chosen to lead them we pray Lord that you would arm them in the knowledge of your word that they would have good Theology and that they would boldly and Faithfully preach preach the gospel we thank you Lord for our Brethren around the world and we think of the the persecuted brethren we think of the Middle East Asia and Africa and how the enemy presses hard against our people there and we pray that you would put a hedge of protection around them please protect them and that they would hold fast their confession and that you would continue to to build your church Lord and we know that the Gates of Hell will not not Prevail against it and that you would continue to gather your elect and we pray that the rest of this Lord's day that your name would be exalted and praised and that we would bring Glory an honor to it and I pray this in Jesus holy name amen I'd ask you now to please turn in your hymn books to him number 456. I'm number 456. [Music] Crazy Mary [Music] is very true [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] it is [Music] save me [Music] amen tonight's uh scripture reading will be in the Book of Numbers Chapter 11. that is Numbers Chapter 11. and we will be starting in verse 1 and reading the entirety of the chapter now when the people complained it displeased the Lord for the Lord heard it and his anger was aroused so the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp then the people cried out to Moses and when Moses prayed to the Lord the fire was quenched so he called the name of the place tabra because the fire of the Lord had burned among them now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving so the children of Israel also wept again and said who will give us meat to eat we remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt the Cucumbers the melons the leeks the onions and the garlic but now our whole being is dried up there is nothing at all except this Manna before our eyes now the Manna was like the coriander seed and its color pardon me it's color like the color of delium the people went about and gathered it grounded on millstones or beat it in the mortar cooked it in pans and made cakes of it and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil and when the Dew fell on the camp in the night the Manna fell on it then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families everyone at the door of his tent and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused Moses also was displeased so Moses said to the Lord why have you Afflicted your servant and why have I not found favor in your sight that you have laid the burden of all these people on me did I conceive all these people did I beget them that you should say to me carry them in your bosom as a guardian carries a nursing child to the land which you swore to their fathers where am I to get meat to give to all these people for they weep all over me saying give us meat that we may eat I am not able to Bear all these people alone because the burden is too heavy for me if you treat me like this please kill me here and now if I have found favor in your sight and do not let them see my wretchedness pardon me do not let me see my wretchedness so the Lord said to Moses gather to me 70 men of the Elders of Israel whom you know to be the Elders of the people and officers over them bring them to the Tabernacle of meeting that they may stand there with you then I will come down and talk with you there I will take of the spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them and they shall bear the burden of the people with you that you may not bear yourself alone then you shall say to the people consecrate yourselves for tomorrow and you shall eat meat for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord saying who will give us meat to eat for it was well with us in Egypt therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat you shall eat not one day nor two days nor five days nor 10 days nor 20 days but for a whole month until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you because you have despised the Lord who is among you and have wept before him saying why did we ever come up out of Egypt and Moses said the people who whom I am among are 600 000 men on foot yet you have said I will give them meat that they may eat for a whole month shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them to provide enough for them or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them to provide enough for them and the Lord said to Moses has the Lord's arm been shortened now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not so Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord and He gathered the seventy men of the Elders of the people and places and placed them around the Tabernacle then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took of the spirit that was upon him and placed the same upon the seventy elders and it happened when the spirit rested upon them that they prophesied although they never did so again but two men had remained in the camp the name of one was eldad and the name of the other was me Dad and the spirit rested upon them now they were among those listed but who had not gone out of the Tabernacle yet they prophesied in the camp and a young man ran and told Moses and said eldad and medad are prophesying in the camp so Joshua the son of none Moses assistants one of his chosen men answered and said Moses my Lord forbid them then Moses said to him are you zealous for my sake oh that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them and Moses returned to the camp he and the Elders of Israel now a wind went out from the Lord and it brought Quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp about a Day's Journey on this side and about a Day's Journey on the other side all around the camp and about two cubits above the surface of the ground and the people stayed up all that day all night and all the next day and gathered the quail he who gathered least gathered ten homers and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp but while the meat was still between their teeth before it was chewed the Wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague so he called the name of that place kibroth hatava because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving from kibros hatava the people moved to Haze Roth and camped at Hayes Roth amen let's go to our Lord in prayer dear Lord heavenly father thank you for your god-breathed word that has come down to us and I pray that you would prepare us for the preaching that we're about to receive I pray that you give us eyes to see and ears to hear and that you would lift the veil from our eyes and the fog for my mind so that we may see and understand clearly and I pray Lord that if there is any here who do not know you that this would be the day of their salvation and I pray that you would um Phil pastor with the spirits and that only truth would go forward and only truth would be received and I pray this in Jesus holy name amen and the last hymn before the preaching is him 150 C 150 c as in Charlie [Music] foreign [Music] oh crazy [Music] praise [Music] the Lord glorious [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] 103 a familiar passage to most of us I would imagine Psalm 103 okay Psalm of thanks we will God willing return to our studies third well for tonight as I said a Psalm of Thanksgiving beginning in verse one I'll read the entirety a Psalm of David bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your iniquities who heals all your diseases who redeemed your life from destruction who crowns you with loving kindness and Tender Mercies who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles the Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed he made known his ways to Moses his acts to the children of Israel the Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in Mercy he will not always strive with us nor will he keep his anger forever he's not dealt with us according to our sins nor punished us according to our iniquities for as the heavens are high above the Earth so great is his Mercy toward those who fear Him as far as the East is from the West so far has he removed our transgressions from us as a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear Him for he knows our frame he remembers that we are dust as for man his days are like grass as a flower of the field so he flourishes for the wind passes over it and it is gone and its place remembers it no more but the mercy of the Lord is from Everlasting to Everlasting on those who fear Him and his righteousness to children's children to such as keep his Covenant and to those who remember his Commandments to do them the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all bless the Lord you his angels who excel in strength who do his word heeding the voice of his word bless the Lord all you his hosts you Ministers of his who do his pleasure bless the Lord all his Works in all places of his Dominion bless the Lord O My Soul amen well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for this wonderful Psalm we thank you for the life of David that we find in Holy Scripture and certainly a demonstration of the grace of God most high not only in terms of the temporal the way that you preserved him through all of the many enemies that he had to face in terms of the Philistines in terms of Saul but especially we see your grace magnified in the in the salvation of a sinful man and Lord God as he communicates these things to us now give us ears to hear and hearts to receive these things and may we Ponder and may we reflect and May daily we understand the Gratitude and the thankfulness that that we should bring to you most high God for certainly you have not dealt with us according to our sin you have not rewarded us according to our transgression you have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus and we rejoice in that and we pray even now that you would forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness cleanse Us in that precious blood of the lamb and fill us by your grace with the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit and we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen well as we look at this particular Psalm we'll notice in the first place this reminder to bless God in verses one and two David talks to himself and I think it's instructive for us to listen in secondly we'll notice the reasons to bless God in verses 3 to 18 and then finally we see a reflection upon the kingdom of God which furnishes another reason to bless God when we consider his sovereignty when we consider his government when we consider the reality of Divine Providence but let's just put pick up first with reference to the reminder to bless God in verses one and two notice he is talking to himself after the inscription of Psalm of David he says bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name this isn't the only place in the psalter that David speaks to himself in Psalm 42 and again in Psalm 43 in those psalms he is undergoing some Melancholy he's of a heavy heart he is depressed he is sorrowful and so he counsels himself this way why are you cast down O my soul and why are you disquieted within me hope in God for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance so David speaks to himself to remind himself to do those things that are appropriate as a blood-bought child of God most high and notice the self-consciousness of the effort bless the Lord O My Soul all that is within me bless His holy name when David comes to bless God and when we bless God it's similar to what we have in Ephesians 1 3 blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ it means to speak well of him it means to ascribe praise to him it means to speak in a manner that is consistent with those who have received the grace of God we were guilty and undone God in his grace delivered us we respond with that gratitude so when David comes to deal with his own soul he doesn't want 50 percent of David he doesn't want 75 percent of David he wants all of David to praise God for all of his grace and that's the emphasis in verse 1. bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name are we often times guilty of holding back are we often times guilty of being sluggish in public worship sluggish when we come to God in our private worship are we sluggish by and large when it comes to our dealings with God if so we need to imitate David we need to take ourselves by the Scruff of the neck and we need to say bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name as he rehearses the reasons to bless God we'll see why he does this it isn't just the case or it isn't the case that we just give you know about 50 cents worth of praise to God in light of the fact that God has saved us in light of the fact that God has delivered us in light of the fact that God has dealt so graciously with us everything in us should respond in kind we should praise we should Adore we should glorify the most high Martin Lloyd Jones in his wonderful book called spiritual depression made the observation have you not realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself you're listening to yourself and becoming a whiner and a grumbler and a complainer nothing ever goes the way I think it should woe is me we need to talk to ourselves we need to overcome that sort of malaise we need to say with David bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name and then notice he reminds himself he reminds himself or rehearses the reasons to bless God we see that pattern again structurally in Ephesians chapter one blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ just as he chose Us in him from before the foundation of the world in Christ we have Redemption through his blood and the Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee of our purchased possession so the Lord God most high gives us great fodder for praise and so David rehearses the mercies of God so that he has that wherewithal to praise God he says forget not all his benefits turn back to the book of Deuteronomy this was something that Yahweh cautioned the children of Israel concerning they were not to forget God Dale Ralph Davis says helpfully in one of his commentaries that Amnesia leads to apostasy Amnesia leads to apostasy when we forget God when we don't recollect God when we're not mindful of the mercies of God we will fall astray we will go astray if you look specifically at Deuteronomy chapter 6 at verse 10. so it shall be when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which she swore to your fathers to Abraham Isaac and Jacob to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build houses full of all good things which you did not fill hewn out Wells which you did not dig Vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant where's the emphasis it's on God's grace he's given this to you he has given this to you you didn't dig you didn't build you didn't work God in his grace based on his Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob has just benefited you with this greatly notice in the middle of toward the end of verse 11 when you have eaten and are full then beware lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage it's an unfortunate reality that planting that affluence that many blessings can promote in us a forgetfulness of God this is why the proverb writer says give me neither poverty nor riches if I'm poor I'm going to be tempted to go out and steal and dishonor the Lord but if I'm rich I'm going to be tempted to forget God I'm going to think that my hand built this my hand provided this my hand delivered these Goods so Israel of old is cautioned against this forgetful attitude that we see David combating in his Psalm of Thanksgiving turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 8 Deuteronomy chapter 8 there's exhortation with reference to life in Canaan and notice in verse 11 beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his Commandments his judgments and his statutes which I command you today verse 18 you shall remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you power to get wealth that he may establish his Covenant which he swore to your fathers as it is this day Brethren you have to recognize the tendency to Amnesia the tendency to forgetfulness the tendency to not rehearse first the great blessings of God and then turn to the final section of the book of Deuteronomy Deuteronomy chapter 28 the curses of the Covenant we see threatened by Yahweh against the children of Israel Deuteronomy chapter 28 specifically at verse 45. moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God to keep his Commandments and his statutes which he commanded you and they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder and on your descendants forever because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you in hunger and thirst and nakedness and in need of everything notice that one of the reasons that they would be chastened by God is because they would come into that goodly land they would receive the benefits from the Lord but they would not enjoy it notice because you did not serve the Lord your God verse 47 with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything he didn't give it to you for you to be miserable he didn't give it for you to not rejoice he didn't give it to you for you not to praise him or thank him or to exercise gratitude he he gave you those things so that he would return glory and honor and praise to him so back to Psalm 103 bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name he says bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits this is the importance of reminder in the Christian Life we do this privately when we pray when we read our scriptures we do this corporately when we gather together for the worship of God the Lord's Supper is a great time to rehearse and recall and remember the blessing of God most high for us do this in what in remembrance of me if we are not remembering him consciously we will be forgetting him David understands that tendency and David in his own soul wrestling seeks to overcome that now notice secondly in verses 3 to 18 the reasons to bless God and I want to break this down into three sections first he identifies the gifts in verses 3-5 he then underscores the recipients of the gifts in verses 6 and 7 but he highlights and camps on The Giver of the gifts in verses 8 to 18. notice with reference to the identification of the gifts you see that in verses three to five notice who forgives all your iniquities that's the spiritual aspect that's the spiritual referent that's the spiritual emphasis and then the remainder deals with the physical who heals all your diseases who redeems your life from destruction who crowns you with loving kindness and Tender Mercies who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles a brethren we typically tend to only focus upon the spiritual but as those who have received much from God we ought to imitate David in terms of Thanksgiving and blessing not only do we bless him for the Forgiveness of sins and that is a recurring theme throughout this psalm but we bless him for the temporal benefits that he loads us with daily we have been enriched by the abundance of God most high we are wanting and lacking for nothing and so we ought to follow in David's train and praise the Lord and bless the Lord for the good things that he gives us let's start with this spiritual blessing notice he camps on the Forgiveness of sins verse 3 who forgives all your iniquities now David was a man who was conscious of his own sin David was a man who was conscious of his own Rebellion against the living and true God David understood what it was to be a transgressor David wasn't you know the Sunday School champ with all the gold stars for having done all his homework and never gotten getting out of line David was a wretch saved by Sovereign Grace second Samuel chapters 11 and 12 underscore specifically that Apex of sin in the life of David king of Israel when the Kings went out to battle as was the custom David didn't go David sent joab and David stayed at home and from his vantage point he spied Bathsheba and we know the story he goes into her he commits adultery with her and then he tries to cover up the fact that she is now pregnant with his son now what does David do in order to cover up he conspires to commit murder in fact when Nathan rebukes him the the the guilt for murder Falls squarely upon David's head so David understood what it was to be a great sinner who stood in need of great grace so he had that guilt but we see the grace of God you can turn to second Samuel chapter 12. II Samuel chapter 12 the prophet Nathan comes to him he tells them the story about that yeah a man who had the um and the other rich man comes and exploits him and takes him or takes the lamb because he wants to barbecue it for his friends that are visiting and David is outraged David is upset David is is not happy with this particular scenario notice in 12 5. so David's anger was greatly aroused against the man and he said to Nathan as the Lord lives the man who has done this shall surely die and he shall Restore fourfold for the lamb because he did this thing and because he had no pity does David not well he doesn't David does not understand that David is describing David he had no pity Uriah the hittite was a noble man Uriah the hittite would not go lay with his wife Bathsheba why because the Ark of the Covenant joab and the armies of Israel were out on the field of battle so Uriah is not going to take his ease he's not going to get drunk he's not going to lay with his wife he's not going to do any of that that activated Plan B in terms of Dave send them out to the hottest part of the battle and make sure that he dies so David showed no pity David had not one drop or ounce of Penny relative to Uriah and Bathsheba now notice Nathan this is every preacher's dream to get somebody at this point where they are the man and so Nathan lets him have it then Nathan said to David you are the man thus says the Lord God of Israel I anointed you King over Israel and I delivered you from the hand of Saul I gave your Master's house and your Master's wives into your keeping and gave you the house of Israel and Judah and if that had been too little I also would have given you much more see what God is doing through the prophet here exacerbates the guilt of David's sin David didn't have any lack David didn't have any need David wasn't wanting for anything God says I'd blessed you abundantly I have profusely provided good things to you and if it was too little and if you would have expressed that I would have given you more notice he says why have you despised the Commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight notice the emphasis you have killed Uriah the hittite with the sword you have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the people of Amen now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the hittite to be your wife thus says the Lord behold I will raise up adversity against you from your own house I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this son for you did it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel before the sun we see that played out in the life of David you see that in the further exploits of David so God forgave him of his sin but the consequences were not remitted the consequences did not depart that sword would not be taken away certainly entered Heaven certainly was blood bought he was blood wash but there would be consequences for this crime of adultery and murder against Uriah and Bathsheba now notice David's confession in verse 13 so David said to Nathan I have sinned against the Lord some people think he gets off pretty pretty easily well that's all you got to do is say I have sinned against the Lord notice what David doesn't do well you know Lord if Bathsheba hadn't been you know out there parading her flesh I would have never gotten into this mess he doesn't blame shift he's not the victim he's not the haphazard or the hapless fool that sort of just wandered into this he doesn't blame Bathsheba he doesn't blame Uriah he doesn't blame the most high he blames himself I have sinned against Yahweh what else could he possibly say he owns the fans he owns the transgression he understands now the grace of God in a way that he had not previously Nathan said to David the Lord also has put away your sin you shall not die atonement has that meaning it's to cover it's to put away and that's what God does with sin and that's why David blesses the Lord and why he says as he leads off in terms of reasons to bless the Lord he rehearses God's forgiveness he does this in Psalm 32 verses 1 and 2. he says 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 or in Psalm 65 verse 3 iniquities Prevail against me as for our transgressions you will provide atonement for that what's the point Brethren as the people of God who Express gratitude to God God what do you think is one of the chief reasons we do so because my sin oh the Bliss of this glorious thought my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise the Lord praise the Lord Spurgeon says it this way he says he selects a few of the choicest pearls from the casket of divine love threads them on the string of mercy and hangs them about the neck of gratitude he says pardoned sin is in our experience one of the choicest boons of Grace one of the earliest Gifts of Mercy in fact the needful preparation for enjoying all that follows that till iniquity Is Forgiven healing Redemption and satisfaction are unknown blessings spurgeon's right it is one of the choicest boons of Grace to have our sins forgiven to have Ephesians 1 7 in whom we have Redemption through his blood the Forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace Brethren that is what Christianity is about We Don't Preach a religion of do good Islam in order to be saved we preach the cross of our blessed savior the second person of the Triune God who for us man and for our Salvation came down from heaven he lived for us he died for us and he was raised for us so that we might be forgiven of our sin and that we might receive the righteousness of God that avails with him and as well the Geneva Bible makes this comment that is the beginning and chiefest of all benefits remission of sin I suspect or I trust that you think the same if you're forgiven tonight you have to have your heart soar into the Heavenly places with thankfulness to our blessed God and if you are not forgiven tonight if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ may I exhort you may I invite you may I encourage you to come because it is one of the choicest boons of our religion to have our sins washed away to have them put away to have them no longer wear their uh convicting damning influence in our lives so David moves then from the spiritual to the physical he does this in Psalm 68 19 as well he says Blessed Be Yahweh who daily loads us with Benefits the god of our Salvation our God is the god of Salvation and to God the Lord belong escapes from Death a Brethren salvation comes in two forms spiritual in terms of us being saved from Damnation from the effect of the devil from our sin but Salvation comes through physicality as well how many times in our lives has God saved us probably probably more times than you and I are ever conscious of we get into cars we jump on freeways and we travel at a speed that is somewhat dangerous around people that we hope are all there we hope they're not lunatics we hope they don't just kind of do that I mean there's a great risk out there or airlines flying in a plane you're getting into a tube going up to about 35 000 feet traveling what 600 miles per hour and again hoping that the pilot and co-pilot don't have heart attacks and that thing come hurling down from from the sky how many times has God saved us how many times has God spared us how many times has God delivered us from Calamity see for David that was not that was a no-brainer of course he's going to thank God not only for the Forgiveness of sins but from having been spared from Saul from having been spared from the Philistines in one instance having been spared from Saul by the Philistines go imagine that God uses the Philistines as a savior figure for David from Saul so David doesn't just sort of live in this life of hyper spirituality that doesn't see the physicality around him Brethren we're not supposed to either our blessed savior taught us to pray that we are to ask for our daily bread why does he say that because we're physical beings we're not ethereal We're Not Angels we're not just strumming you know sort of harps laying on clouds we are physical people that need food we need medicine we need exercise we need rest we need protection all those things are blessed God affords and David does not or is not remiss when it comes to rehearsing this notice the fact of physical healing after who forgives all your iniquities and then he goes on to say who heals all your diseases now Brethren again this is not a universal principle that there will never be disease in the lives of God's people we know that is just not the way that it is according to the divine plan according to the providential order sometimes we contract diseases and we don't recover but when it does happen when it is the case that God brings that we praise him and we praise him even in the midst of it we don't know the various reasons the Myriad reasons why God has us go through the things we do other than Romans 8 he wants to conform us unto the image of his beloved Son and that beloved Son learned obedience through what he learned obedience through suffering he didn't learn obedience sitting on the beach and Tahiti reading a book on how to be obedient it was through suffering that our blessed savior undertook so David rejoices in physical healing he rejoices in his protection from Calamity look at 4A who redeems your life from destruction now David knew what destruction was David knew what danger was David knew it in a way that you and I don't the spirit of God comes upon David in first Samuel chapter 16. and that's when his problems start that's when the difficulties and challenges come unsure it you know a later stage in his life he would welcome the The Lion and the Bear in terms of combat with reference to protecting his sheep when he had to deal with Saul when he had to deal with the Philistines when he had to deal with the Myriad problems that that were in his life he understood ultimately that it was God who delivered him it was God who preserved him it was God who protected him I've often reported or or suggested that we see that second Samuel 4 9 First Kings 129. so in the midst of David's life and then post Bathsheba post consequences at the end of David's life he's able to say as the Lord Lives who has redeemed my life from all adversity now think about that the Redemption of all or from all adversity doesn't mean Smiles all the time doesn't mean ukulele music and sombreros it doesn't mean dancing and tacos when there is redemption from adversity that doesn't defang the adversity there's still trial and affliction and hardship and again that's the means that God ordains to conform a David under the image of David's greater son he learned obedience Hebrews 5 8 through suffering that's what it's reported of concerning our Blessed Redeemer notice the crowning with loving kindness and mercy and for being and the provision of temporal Goods verse 5 who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles it is a Most Blessed reality he rehearses the spiritual he rehearses the physical and in that He blesses God he doesn't want any part of him to not bless God for the good gifts that he has received see those are the gifts notice the the recipients verses six and seven the Lord executes righteousness and Justice notice for all who are oppressed we see that pattern in the book of Exodus twice Exodus chapter 2 and Exodus chapter 6 God looks down and sees the oppression of the children of Israel and it's in that Spirit or in that vein that he remembers his Covenant now when it says that God doesn't forget it's speaking according to the manner of men but it's for us it's to instruct us it's to teach us that God most high is compassionate toward his people when they are oppressed when they are suffering when they are hurting the Lord God is there for that the Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed a brethren we need to keep passages like this in our minds we need to reflect upon these when we when we hear the various reports concerning the persecuted church when we read of of Leah that that captive in in Nigeria that's been there for so many years and has two children now by a Muslim man she's still under arrest because she won't recant her faith in our blessed savior we need to remember passages like these the world may forget the lias but God most high never does and why hasn't he responded more swiftly Brethren that is not our question to ask we are the creature and we are the sinful creature we have no wherewithal whatsoever to stand in Judgment of God relative to his time frame and demand Swift action God acts according to his own purpose and pleasure we can certainly with the psalmist say to God arouse thyself we can say take your hand from your bosom and Destroy The Wretched the psalmist says that in Psalm 74 but with reference to God's performance or God's execution it's according to God's purpose and plan but we know that he's there for the oppressed and then notice in verse 7 he made known as ways to Moses his acts to the children of Israel so the recipients of the gifts are the oppressed the the the people of God who are the children of Israel and the new covenants the church it's the elect it's the blood bot it's the people of God and our Lord instructs us and our Lord is there for us so we see the gifts we see the recipients now notice the giver and he I want to break this down into two sections first who God is the Perfections of God and secondly what God does the blessings of God that he confers upon his people notice who he is or his Perfections in verse 8 the Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in Mercy the Lord is merciful and gracious hmm that means that the Lord is merciful and and gracious Brethren any kind of preaching that strips the mercy and Grace from God is not Christian preaching in other words this is definitionally who God is he is his attributes he is his Perfections he is merciful and gracious which is good news for the people of God and there's a reason why the people of God should call upon their souls to bless the Lord and all that is within me but the fact that he's merciful and gracious is good news to the non-people of God to come to Christ and be counted among the people of God if he's merciful and gracious then he will not thwart those who come to him if he's merciful and gracious he will receive those who come to him if he's merciful and gracious he'll go into the temple in Jerusalem and on the last day of the feast the great day of the feast he will cry aloud and he will say if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink why does Jesus say that because he's The Great I Am and by that we know that he's merciful and gracious so David as he proceeds down this list of reasons to bless God first just stops to ponder God we just need to think a moment about God who is god well he's merciful and he's gracious he abounds in this he's not miserly in fact we might see something corresponding in the way that David speaks in verse 1 bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name and when it when he says in verse 8 the Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in Mercy The God Who abounds in Mercy to us deserves all that is within us blessing His holy name turn to Jeremiah the prophet chapter 32 promise of the New Covenant look at the language utilized by our blessed God on how he deals with his people Jeremiah 32 at verse 36 now therefore thus says the Lord the god of Israel concerning the city of which you say it shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword by the famine and by the pestilence behold I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in my anger in my Fury and in great wrath I will bring them back to this place and I will cause them to dwell safely they shall be my people and I will be their God then I will give them one heart one way that they may fear me forever for the good of them and their children after that and I will make an Everlasting Covenant with that that I will not turn away from doing them good I will not turn away from doing them good he abounds in Mercy he does not turn away from doing his children good he says but I will put my fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from me now notice verse 41 yes I will rejoice over them to do them good and I will assuredly plant them in this land notice with all my heart and with all my soul so when God comes to bless he does it with all his heart and with all his soul when we come to bless do we bring 30 percent do we say Okay arm go ahead and praise God or do we say all that is within me bless His holy name so before he proceeds he wants to just stop and Ponder who God is that in and of itself is a Most Blessed exercise but then he moves on to the specific blessings that God conveys to his people in verses 9 to 18. Davis makes the observation he says biblical prayer seems to ponder God a good deal more than we are prone to do I don't say that to make you feel bad I say it to make you consider and think and reflect biblical prayer seems to ponder God a good deal more than we are prone to do right do do we just you know Lord God give me give me give me Lord God I have got to have got to have I shared before when I was younger and the kids were younger and they'd come home from school or they'd be done with school and they'd come and you know say hey can we do this can we do that can we go here can we say hang on how about you say hello how about you just bask in the Excellence that is your father no that's not what I'm suggesting but how often do we do that we come to prayer and all we're there for is to get the leech has two daughters as Solomon tells us give give now certainly we can make our petitions known to God we give him our supplications our intercessions our our giving of thanks but the Adoration the contemplation the speculation on on who he is the consideration of his attributes or Perfections and the way that He blesses his people notice how David Goes God does not strive with us in verse 9. he will not always strive with us nor will he keep his anger forever he deals graciously with us according to verse 10 he has not dealt with us according to our sins nor punished us according to our iniquities see I told you forgiveness comes up a lot for David when you come to bless the Lord that is the choices to Boons that comes to the Forefront the gene leave a Bible again says who have proved by continual experience that his Mercy has ever prevailed against our offenses we are great Sinners but Christ is a great savior notice he showers his people with great Mercy verse 11. for as the heavens are high above the Earth so great is his Mercy toward those who fear Him notice that he forgives our sin according to verse 12. as far as the East is from the West so far has he removed our transgressions from us so never forget the tether the the uh the pole that he's Tethered to is verse 8 the Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in Mercy he unpacks that point by point he unpacks that verse by verse he gives us detailed explication of what God is to his people and again one of those things that just amazes David is as far as the East is from the West so far has he removed our transgressions from us the prophet Micah says who is a God Like You pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his Heritage he does not retain his anger forever because he Delights in Mercy again this concept that I can't go to God that's only the you know the the handful those Frozen chosen they're the only ones now when the Savior stands up but the great day the last day of the feast and says if anyone comes if anyone thirsts let him come if you're thirsty guess what come to the one who abounds in Mercy come to the one who abounds in Grace come to the one who's about that so again he does not retain his anger forever because he Delights in Mercy he will again have compassion on us and we'll subdue our iniquities you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea likely in the mind of the Prophet is when God took the the armies of pharaoh and cast them into the depths of the sea that menacing Army that was on the heels of the children of Israelite as they were flying or fleeing out of Egypt and so he uses that convention he uses that imagery and he says you will cast all our sins in to the depths of the sea notice he says in verse 13 as a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear Him imagine the passages in Exodus 2 and 6 God looks down upon the children of Israel and he sees their oppression as well Deuteronomy 1 31 and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son in all the way that you went until you came to this place he is tender toward his children according to verse 13. and then notice in verse 14 for he knows our frame he remembers that we are dots isn't that beautiful Brethren Our God knows what we're about our God knows that the good we wish to do we don't always do the evil we don't want to do we find ourselves do it the Apostle Paul writes that under inspiration in Romans chapter 7 he writes in Galatians 5 that the flesh lost against the spirit and the spirit lusts against the Flesh and these two are contrary to one another so that you don't do the things that you want there is remaining corruption in the lives of God's people does God disenfranchise us oh he's born again he's believed on Jesus and then he had this thought so I'm going to cut him off I'm going to cast him away Brethren that's not gospel any gospel where a saved person can become unsaved reflect poorly upon the Savior If the Savior cannot do what he's come to do then it reflects upon him now I'm not suggesting we go out and sin that Grace May abound but I am suggesting he knows our frame he remembers that we are dust remember the words of our blessed Jesus the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and then notice he underscores this in verses 15 to 18 by essentially saying he's always this way to us he is never going to stop being this way to us as for man his days are like grass as a flower of the field so he flourishes for the wind passes over it and it is gone and its place remembers it no more see there's a transitory nature relative to the creature there is a transitory nature relative to each and every human being we're here for a time and then we're gone we might begin to think of God's Perfections or his attributes or his Mercy or his grace in like fashion well it's there for a time it's there when I'm performing well it's there when I'm reading my Bible it's there when I'm going to church but it may not be there when I take a turn for the worse when I am prone to wander or prone believe the God that I love no verse 17 the mercy of the Lord is from Everlasting to Everlasting on those who fear Him and his righteousness to children's children to such as keep his Covenant and to those who remember his Commandments to do that so again this mercy and Grace that Yahweh abounds in isn't transitory it isn't fleeting it's not just here for a brief season and then we say wow you know I wish I would have capitalized on that Grace when it was available to me no God most I is what he is to his people always Spurgeon says how vast the contrast between the Fading Flower and the Everlasting God how wonderful that his Mercy should link our Frailty with his eternity and make us everlasting too from old eternity the Lord viewed his people his objects of mercy and as such chose them to be partakers of his grace the doctrine of Eternal election is most delightful to those who have light to see it and love wherewith to accept it it is a theme for deepest thought and highest Joy Amen brother Spurgeon he ends the psalm on the high note the reflection on the kingdom of God and again this furnishes yet another reason to bless God notice in verse 19 the establishment of God's throne and the scope of his rule the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom notice rules over all not just the church not just the people of God but his kingdom rules over all his Empire is universal it is extensive it is comprehensive now notice the man who began with himself in verse 1 bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name is now going to call upon the created order to join with him to bless this God for the very reasons that he has given for the very Perfections that he has indicated notice in verse 20 bless the Lord you his angels who excel in strength who do his word heeding the voice of his word bless the Lord all you his hosts you Ministers of his who do his pleasure bless the Lord all his Works in all places of his dominion and then he ends where he began bless the Lord O my soul but he doesn't end where he began without first saying to the angels to the created order to everybody to everything to us in Chilliwack in this situation to bless the Lord and you shouldn't come away from this Psalm say well why David because I just told you why because who God is and because what God does because he is merciful and because he is abounding in Grace in conclusion the Practical benefits of blessing God and being thankful I would suggest first of all thankfulness Keeps Us in Good Company thankfulness Keeps Us in Good Company the Angels the servants the hosts and all his works when all around us are complaining and whining and bickering and murmuring what do we find is a good remedy and antidote to that it is to bless the Lord it is to praise God it is to recognize the Calamity going on in the world it is to intercede on behalf of those very needy situations but as well it is a time for us to reflect upon who God is and upon what God does and upon the Blessed reality that ultimately this is his project that is a very liberating thought Brethren it's a liberating thought for a pastor to realize with reference to the church You Preach you pray you do what you're supposed to do but in the final analysis God really is Sovereign and the same is true outside the walls of the church we vote we get involved we we again intercede we we try to tell people not to be you know fools and to vote in a particular way but in the fine analysis isn't it heart blessed to realize that God has got this to realize what the emphasis of verse 19 indicates the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all I would suggest secondly Thanksgiving directs us to God and keeps our keeps our eyes off of self and sin I think Roy Jones is right one of the biggest problems we have is that we listen to ourselves instead of talking to ourselves and we tend to listen to ourselves all the time because at root we're narcissists It's All About Me Myself and I that Unholy Trinity well what does thankfulness do it causes us at least for a time to stop looking at ourselves and to look to God to thank God to bless God with all that is within us thirdly thankfulness keeps our eyes and affections upon God James 5 as anyone among you suffering let him pray is anyone cheerful let him sing Psalms what does James say he says in various situations in various difficulties in various times of rejoicing the same Focus the same orientation is necessary you're to be consumed with and concerned for the glory of God most high and then Thanksgiving promotes the proper disposition for God's children it promotes praising the Lord see that threefold sort of you know breakdown of the catechism guilt Grace gratitude we ought not to be shy with the Gratitude brethren we ought not to be stingy or miserly with the Gratitude we're not Ebenezer Scrooge we have been graced immeasurably by God most high which evokes or should evoke from us that gratitude given to God it promotes the fear of the Lord we see that in verse 13 as a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear Him and it promotes dependence on the Lord verse 17 the mercy of the Lord is from Everlasting to Everlasting on those who fear Him and his righteousness to children's children and then the final thing you can turn to the book of Colossians will end in just a moment Colossians chapter 1 reminds us that Thanksgiving ever or keeps us ever mindful of the blood of Christ Colossians chapter 1. specifically at verses 9 to 14 Paul gives the characteristics of a worthy walk you've been saved by grace through faith in Jesus how then are you supposed to function how then are you supposed to live well he tells us you're to be fruitful in every good work 10B you're to increase in the knowledge of God 10c you're going to be strengthened with almight according to his glorious power for all patience and long-suffering with joy verse 11. and then he highlights thankfulness notice verse 12 giving thanks to the father who has qualified US to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in the light don't miss the connection what are the characteristics of a worthy walk yes you're supposed to be fruitful in Good Works yes you're supposed to grow in the knowledge of God yes you're supposed to be strengthened so that you can deal with the various turmoils and hardships in life but you're supposed to be thankful you're supposed to have gratitude that is a characteristic of a worthy walk before God most high and then he rehearses specific things in terms of giving of thanks notice who uh giving thanks verse 12 to the father who has qualified US to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints and the light he has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love in whom we have Redemption through his blood the Forgiveness of sins so this disposition this uh proclivity if you will too thankfulness causes us to reflect upon that precious blood Jesus or rather David reflects on the the forgiveness of sin that he has as a result of our blessed savior we must do likewise we must Muse we must contemplate we must reflect and rehearse these great blessings so that we can live a life of gratitude and thankfulness to our blessed god well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you so very much for this Psalm of Thanksgiving we thank you so very much for all that you've done in our lives this emphasis in Colossians on this transfer from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom and the son of Your Love what a glorious reality what a blessed truth and God as we were reminded in David's Psalm the place of forgiveness of sins and the the temporal provision and protection that you afford to your people God help us to see your blessings each and every day help us to be a thankful people and help us to bring glory and honor and praise unto you and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation