Title: God’s Love Toward Us
Text: Psalm 103: 10-18
Date: July 16, 2020
Place: SGBC, NJ
Psalm 103 is a Psalm
of David. The entire Psalm is so good,
every word is wonderful. But for now I
want to look at verses 10-18—
Psalm 103: 10: [The
LORD] hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities.
Paul’s prayer was that we might know the love of Christ.
Eph 3: 18: May be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19: And to know the
love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fulness of God.
Our text gives those dimensions of Christ’s love
· The height of God’s love—v11:
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward
them that fear him.
· The breadth of his
love—12: As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed
our transgressions from us.
· The depth of his love—13:
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them
that fear him. 14: For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are
dust.
·
The length of his love—15: As for man, his days are as
grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 16: For the wind passeth
over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. 17: But
the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear
him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; 18: To such as keep his
covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
Subject: God’s Love Toward Us
Before we look at
this passage, we need to find out who the “us” are. Notice V11: great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; V13: the LORD pities
those who fear Him; V17: the mercy of
the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him
“Fear” is a God-given reverence for God. This is not for those who excuse their sin. It is not for those who justify their sin by
their sin, saying, “We all sin every day so this is just one more sin that I am
going to commit.” This is to those born
of God, who have a God-given reverence for God so that they hate their
sin. They mourn their sin. They do not want to sin because they know
their sin is against the God they love and revere. This is for those who are born again of God
the Holy Spirit in whom he has created a new heart that desires to be found
only in Christ because we see something of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. This is for those who desire not to sin
against God but to obey him out of reverence for God.
Then notice this is
written v18: To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his
commandments to do them.
Christ is the
Covenant—God said, “I have given thee for a Covenant of the people” and Christ
fulfilled the covenant for God and for his people (Is 49:8). By God’s grace we keep his covenant and do
his commandments by believing on Christ.
This is to them to whom God has granted faith in Christ in whom the
Spirit has produced true love, charity and fear of God.
Now, if that does not describe you, I urge you to pay attention
to this gospel. Oh that God would grant someone
repentance and faith in Christ this hour.
Subject: God’s Love Toward
Us
Proposition:
God deals with his elect in everlasting love in Christ his Son and saves all
his elect.
THE “NOT” OF GOD’S LOVE
Psalm 103: 10: [The LORD] hath not dealt with us after
our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
First, we see God’s love in how God has not dealt with
us. If God dealt with us after our sins,
if God rewarded us according to our iniquities, if God paid us the wages of sin
what would happen to us? He would have
left us in our sins, spiritually dead.
God would have left the world in our hearts so that we would have ran
after this world and our sins all our lives.
Then in the end God would reward us with eternal, just, condemnation.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Like all other sinners, God’s people have never done anything
but sin against God: before we knew him and since we’ve known him. We deserve nothing from God but condemnation. That is one reason why our text remind us
that God hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to
our iniquities.
We see an obvious,
immoral, sinner—a rotten scoundrel.
Sadly, it is our fleshly way to deal with them according to their
sins. We turn up our nose. We say, “I never.” But brethren, before God, in ourselves, we
are that rotten scoundrel. Yet, God hath
not dealt with us after our sins. Lord, make
us deal with one another the way you have dealt with us. Do not let us rejoice in judgment, make us
rejoice in mercy. Make us deal with our
brethren in love the way you have dealt with us.
THE HEIGHT OF GOD’S LOVE
Think of God’s mercy throughout the ages to his elect.
Adam sinned against God and plunged the entire human race
into sin. We have heard of awful serial
killers. But Adam killed every person
every born. Will such a murderer of
souls be granted mercy by God? Christ
sought him out. He brought Adam to
confess his sin. Then our Lord clothed
him and saved him. Oh, the height of God’s
loving mercy!
God delivered Noah from the flood of God’s justice. God shut Noah up in the ark so that not one
drop of justice fell on him, only on the ark. Noah was shown a vivid type of Christ who
bore the justice of God in place of his elect.
Yet, Noah was not on the ground very long at all and we find him passed
out in his tent drunk. Still, God showed
Moses mercy for Christ’s sake and holds him up in the scripture as a trophy of
his grace.
Abraham denied Sarah was his wife in order to save
himself, allowing her to be preyed upon by pagan kings. Yet, in great mercy, God chastened Abraham, kept
him looking to Christ and commends Abraham in the scriptures for his
faithfulness.
Lot went to live in Sodom. Ultimately, he had to be dragged out by the Angel
of the Lord. Yet scripture calls him just
Lot. It is because Lot was robed in
Christ’s righteousness and God declared him a righteous man. Do you see God’s mercy?
David committed adultery with far more than Bathsheba. He had multiple wives and concubines. David committed murder far more than Uriah. David numbered Israel and caused 70,000 to
die at one time. Yet, God called David a
man after his own heart. It is because in
mercy God created in David a new heart in which was no guile, only the true holiness
of Christ. It is because Christ was
David’s righteousness. Oh, the great
love and mercy of God!
Solomon sinned so greatly that some do not even think
Solomon was a believer. He had 700 hundred
wives and 300 hundred concubines. They
were pagan, idolatrous wives which was against the law of God. Solomon even allowed his wives to bring their
idolatrous worship into Israel and he joined them. Yet, God says there is none like Solomon for
wisdom because in mercy God made Christ his Wisdom and God viewed him in Christ. Oh, what mercy! Oh, the height of God’s love!
That is only a few men and only a few of their outward
acts of sins. They were guilty of far
more sins of the heart. And that is true
of you and me who God shows continual mercy!
How could God speak so highly of his saints in the scriptures?—For as
the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear
him.
I want to love my
brethren in mercy as God loves me. James said, “In many things we offend all”
or “in many things we all offend” (Ja 3:2).
Our unity depends upon Christ constraining us to show mercy when we offend
one another or when we are offended. The
moment we cease showing mercy everything will become about “me”! We will see only faults in others. But we
will not see one fault in ourselves. We
will become so lifted up in self-righteous pride that no one will be able to
convince us that we are the problem. It
will make us feel judged by our brethren.
Eventually, it will consume us until we separate ourselves from our
brethren while putting all the blame on them.
But God in mercy continues to show us his great love and mercy by constraining
each of his children to never cease being merciful to one another. We are sinners: proud Pharisee’s by
nature. So we may fall into
self-righteous pride. But if we are God’s
child, God shall chasten us by reminding us that the only reason we are not in
hell this moment is God’s free and sovereign mercy toward us. By this God will break his child’s heart and
make us delight in mercy even as God delights to show us mercy.
THE BREADTH OF GOD’S
LOVE
Psalm 103: 12: As far
as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions
from us.
This picture is of the
infinite removal of all the transgressions of all God’s elect. If you
travel north eventually you go south, vice versa; the distance between north
and south can be measured at around 12,000 miles. But the distance between east and west cannot be
measured. God hath so far removed our
transgressions from us—that it is infinite and immeasurable. That is the breadth of God’s love in Christ.
But God is holy. He will not clear the guilty! All his people are guilty and must die. So how did God remove all the transgressions
of all his people? Oh, the breadth of love! God came down and became a Man. Christ the Son made himself a servant to
serve God as his people under his own law.
Christ became us on the cross: by bearing all our sins in his own body on
the tree then by bearing all our curse, all our judgment, all God’s wrath unto
death. Now, we are seated with Christ,
perfectly righteous, at God’s right hand. Justice is satisfied toward all God’s elect. Our body of sins has been crucified. In Christ we have no sin for God to remember. Look at verses 1-4.
Psalm 103: 1: Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within
me, bless his holy name. 2: Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits: 3: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4:
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction…
Believer, God has forgiven all thine iniquities. They do not exist before God. God so
completely pardons that not one iniquity remains. Henry Law said, “Forgiveness
gloriously shines in the splendor of completeness.” Christ has healed all our diseases. Oh, we get sick and die but only our sinful
flesh; our new man is healed because with his stripes ye are healed. Christ redeemeth thy life from destruction—the
price of his precious blood purchased us from eternal destruction.
Believer, here is
heavenly arithmetic: no sin plus Christ’s righteousness equals eternal life! Christ said, “Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (Jn 6:47). Believer do not be afraid of physical
death. It will be the greatest day of our
life. Immediately we will be with our
Lord.
THE DEPTH OF GOD’S
LOVE
Psalm 103: 13: Like
as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that
fear him. 14: For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
A father pities his
children with deep, deep tender affection.
We have deep love, deep compassion, deep empathy for our children. Our hearts go out to them. Our hearts break for them. Well, God our Father pitieth his child
infinitely deeper. “Pitieth” is close to
the word “merciful” in v8. It means
loving compassion. It is so good to know that God’s mercy is from a heart of
compassion toward us. A president can
show mercy to a convict without loving compassion. But God’s mercy is full of love and compassion
toward his children.
He knows our frame;
he remembers we are but dust.
He created us from dust. Therefore, when dead in our sins what did our
heavenly Father do for us? Notice verses
4-5.
Psalm 103: 4…who crowneth
thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5: Who satisfieth thy mouth with
good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
In loving compassion,
God took us from the dung heap and set us among princes. He crowned us with his lovingkindness and
tender mercies—Christ made us kings and priests unto God in his precious blood.
In loving pity God gave
us life, revealing Christ in us and satisfied thy mouth with good things. “O taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed
is the man that trusteth in him” (Ps 34:8).
You who are born of God have “tasted the good word of God” (Heb 6:5). “If
so be that you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Pet 2:3). God gave us a hunger and thirst after
righteousness—Christ’s righteousness.
By his continual compassion
youth is renewed like the eagles. Christ
has made us a new creation; eternally youthful; eternally alive. And in pity God continually renews our inner
man day by day by Christ our Life!
Psalm 103: 6: The
LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. 7: He
made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
Knowing we are dust,
in endless, loving pity God governs this entire world for his weak children. God compassionately protects you and I who are
his as his own inheritance, as the apple of his eye.
Deuteronomy 32: 9: For the LORD’S portion is his
people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 10: He found him in a
desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he
instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 11: As an eagle stirreth
up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh
them, beareth them on her wings: 12: So the LORD alone did lead him, and
there was no strange god with him.
God showed pity to
Moses in his protection to his elect in Israel.
1 Chronicles 16: 20: And when they went from
nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people; 21: He
suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, 22: Saying,
Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
In pity to his people
all who oppress his people shall receive just retribution at the hand of God.
Deuteronomy 32: 35: To me belongeth vengeance, and
recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their
calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make
haste. 36: For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his
servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is
none shut up, or left.
Psalm 103: 8: The
LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9: He
will not always chide [rebuke]: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10: He does not deal with us after our sins…
Since he pities us in
love, knowing we are but dust, when he corrects his child for our sins, he does
so compassionately in love. Christ put
away the wrath of God toward us. So God
our Father chastens us in love. And God
gets the job done! He does not rebuke
always: he effectually grants repentance, effectually changes our heart toward
our sin making us loath ourselves and effectually turns us to Christ. But then the rebuke is over. He does not destroy, he restores us; he does
not judge us, he loves us to Christ. And
because he knows we are but dust, he does not give us more than we can bear.
Isaiah 27: 8: In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou
wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.
Oh bless God for the
depth of his love—like as a father piteth his children, so the LORD pitieth
them that fear him. For he knoweth our
frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
THE LENGTH OF GOD’S
LOVE
Psalm 103: 15: As for
man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 16: For
the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it
no more. 17: But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon
them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; 18: To such
as [believe on Christ and love one another]
Our love for each
other ends: our flesh is as grass. But
God’s love, his mercy, is from everlasting to everlasting.
Hebrews 13:5: Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: [be content in whatsoever
state you are in] for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Christ told his disciples
that they would all forsake him. But Christ
declared that he was not alone because the Father was always with him. Brethren when you feel forsaken by all—when you
are forsaken by those you love most who you thought would never forsake you—rest
assured, Christ is with you!
Isaiah 49: 15: Can a woman forget her sucking child, that
she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet
will I not forget thee. 16: Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my
hands; thy walls are continually before me.
The soul that on
Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I will
not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all
hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never,
no never, forsake!
I ask God to make me love my brethren at least in some
measure the way God loves me, don’t you?
I do not want to deal with you after your sins because God has not dealt
with me that way. I want to rejoice in
mercy toward you as God has been merciful to me. If God has forgiven and forgotten your sins
then let me forgive and forget. I want
to show you mercy with loving pity and compassion, I want to hurt when you hurt
and show you compassion as God does me. I
want to do so for everlasting to everlasting—and brethren by God’s grace we
shall—charity never faileth! When we no
longer have faith and hope we shall still love Christ and love our
brethren. Oh, the deep, deep love of our
Lord Jesus toward sinners like us:
Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky
Amen!