Bless The Lord, O My Soul - Thanking God For His Great Forgiveness

Temple Baptist Church - 11-8-2015

Psalm 103:1-3

Introduction:

A.  Psalm 103 is one of my favorite portions of Scripture because it so vividly describes the goodness and grace of God to His children.  Last week, we saw David “Blessing The One Who Blesses.”  The expression of a man’s soul towards our loving Lord.

B.  This morning, I want to begin preaching on our thankfulness for all of His benefits.  Benefits could be described as extras.  On a secular job, these would be family insurance, retirement benefits, holidays and personal days off, or extra pay for working one’s birthday.  The Lord has given us many “benefits” to go along with a future in heaven with Him.

C.  The first benefit that David mentioned is that of the forgiveness of sin.  How wonderful it is to have experienced the forgiveness of sinfulness that brings about a settled peace in the heart.  David knew much about forgiveness!  He knew where he was when the Lord found him and how greatly that he had failed the Lord after being saved. 

D.  I want to look at forgiveness in two different areas that we need to be familiar with.

1.  The Greatest Love that we can ever know: The forgiveness that brings salvation.

2.  The Greatest Longsuffering that we can ever experience: The forgiveness that brings restoration.

1.  The forgiveness that brings salvation. 

a.  Like all men, David was a sinner that needed to be saved.  Though he came from the family of Jesse, a godly man, his being born into a good family was not enough to save him.  Nothing is said concerning when David was saved but, somewhere in David’s childhood or youth, he placed his personal faith in what the Messiah would one day do for him. 

b.  In the 23rd Psalm, David referred to the Lord as “my Shepherd.”  The forgiveness of salvation is eternal!  He ended that Psalm with the words, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

c.  Salvation has always been the “goodness and mercy” of God.  There has been a heresy preached for years that salvation was faith plus works in the Old Testament and also after the Rapture of the Church. 

d.  Salvation began in the Garden of Eden when the goodness and mercy of God came to Adam when Adam would not come to Him.  Adam and Eve’s salvation came through God’s sacrifice of atonement and the promise of the coming seed of the woman, the Messiah—the Christ of God.

e.  Ephesians 2:4-10  But God, who is rich in mercy (The Mercy of God), for his great love wherewith he loved us (The Love of God),  (5)  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  (6)  And hath raised us up together (The Power of God), and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  (7)  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  (8)  For by grace are ye saved through faith (The Grace of God through Faith Exercised); and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  (9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  (10)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works (The Change that God makes in the Saved), which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

2.  The forgiveness that brings restoration.  As we all do, David failed the Lord greatly.  Sinfulness breaks our fellowship with the Lord and brings about our chastening.  When I think of David’s sinfulness, confession, and restoration—my mind goes to Psalm 51: David’s penitent prayer after his sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah the Hittite.  These verses confession, forgiveness, and restoration correspond with the New Testament.

Psalms 51:2-4, 7-12  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  (3)  For I acknowledge my transgressions : and my sinis ever before me.  (4)  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest,and be clear when thou judgest … (7) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  (8)  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.  (9)  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.  (10)  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  (11)  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. (12)  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

a.  The confession of sinfulness.  “I acknowledge my transgressions”  Before the forgiveness of restoration can come, openness and confession must be made.  “IF we confess our sins!”

b.  The forgiveness of sinfulness.  “purge me … wash me”  When we ask for God’s purging of sinfulness, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  What a blessing to have the load of sin taken away and restoration made full. “He is faithful and just to forgive our sins.”

c.  The results of restoration.  “Clean … whiter than snow … to hear joy and gladness … a clean heart … a right spirit … restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.”  What a blessing to have a right relationship with our wonderful Lord!  “And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Conclusion:  The first benefit is forgiveness!  Thank you, Lord, for loving me enough to give to me the forgiveness that I need.