WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.640 word. Lord, we ask that you would change us by your spirit and conform us into his image. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:11.220 --> 00:00:17.100 My father is a seminary professor, and he once had a student who was from Hong Kong, 00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:23.660 and had grown up hearing about a very small secretive sect of churches that were called 00:00:23.660 --> 00:00:31.079 the Weeping Churches. And these churches were known for gathering together and then confessing their 00:00:31.079 --> 00:00:37.299 sins to each other and then weeping as the center point of their entire worship service. 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:43.420 And my father's student decided he wanted to write his master's dissertation on this set of churches, 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:49.500 and so he entered China via Hong Kong, and after quite a bit of effort, he was able to find these 00:00:49.500 --> 00:00:55.780 churches, and he was able to convince them to let him interview them. And what he discovered was the 00:00:55.780 --> 00:01:05.180 reason why they focused so much on weeping. Apparently, decades before, American missionaries 00:01:05.180 --> 00:01:12.120 had come and begun to translate Charles Hodge's famous three-volume systematic theology. 00:01:13.019 --> 00:01:18.180 And these missionaries made some progress, but then they had to leave, and they left quite suddenly, 00:01:18.180 --> 00:01:25.960 and so the translation was never complete. But this student was able to identify almost precisely 00:01:25.960 --> 00:01:33.140 where in that three-volume work the translation had cut off. And it was right after the section on 00:01:33.140 --> 00:01:41.820 repentance, and right before the section on saving faith. And so this small, isolated Chinese church 00:01:41.820 --> 00:01:47.860 grew up with a theology that had a massive emphasis upon sin and repentance, 00:01:48.180 --> 00:01:56.620 but startlingly little knowledge about what it means to stand forgiven before God with assurance 00:01:56.620 --> 00:02:03.200 of pardon. Now there's some lessons in there that I think we can glean. Perhaps one of them is the 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:08.659 danger of reading only a little bit of systematic theology. I say that as someone who loves systematic 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:14.300 theology. I am getting a PhD in systematic theology. But it is a terrifying thing for a Christian to 00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:21.000 only have 20 pages of a 2,000 page work. That's a terrifying thing. But I think there's also a lesson 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:28.280 about how important it is for Christians to not merely repent, but also have assurance of pardon. 00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:37.660 If I can put it this way, those weeping churches were stuck in Psalm 51, the greatest psalm of repentance, 00:02:37.659 --> 00:02:43.719 that's a great thing. But they never made it to Psalm 103, which is where David sings in praise of his God 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:53.060 who has removed his sin. And Christians need Psalm 51 because we do sin. We need to repent, 00:02:53.620 --> 00:03:02.280 but we also need to move on to Psalm 103 and rest in assurance. Now some have suggested that Psalm 103 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:09.640 was actually written directly after Psalm 51, after David had gained assurance for his sin with Bathsheba. 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:14.759 And I don't know if that's true, but I also don't think it actually matters that much. 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:24.780 Because theologically, Psalm 103 fulfills Psalm 51. After committing adultery, it is not that David is 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:31.000 turning through his psalter and he comes to Psalm 103 and then says to himself, I can never sing this again. 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:38.599 Or at least my heart can never truly be in it because of how, because how can I rejoice when I have committed 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:48.840 such heinous sins? No, Psalm 51 is true. And so David can be in the sanctuary belting out Psalm 103 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:56.639 at the top of his lungs and he should be silently thinking to himself about how Psalm 51 makes this psalm 00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:05.839 more glorious, not less. And this evening, what I want to do is I want you to think about this psalm 00:04:05.839 --> 00:04:11.859 as the next step in the Christian life. This morning we saw Psalm 51, today we're seeing the next step. 00:04:12.519 --> 00:04:20.979 True repentance of sin leads to assurance and joyous praise. And we're going to be looking at this 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:28.319 psalm under three headings all about praising God. First, praising God is the goal. Second, praising God 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:36.860 for what he has done. And third, praising God for who he is. But first, I want you to see that praising 00:04:36.860 --> 00:04:45.319 God is the goal. It is the goal of this psalm, but it is also the goal of David's entire life. 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:52.360 Notice that this psalm is bookended with commands to praise God. In the first two verses, 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:59.000 David commands himself three separate times to praise the Lord and praise his holy name. 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:08.319 And he ends it in the same way, repeating praise the Lord four times in a row. And the reason David is 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:14.920 repeating that line over and over is because it isn't just something he needs to hear and keep in mind 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:21.620 while he's singing verse by verse. This is something that he needs to have ringing in his ears well 00:05:21.620 --> 00:05:29.540 after he has finished singing this psalm. Because the whole of his life is supposed to be one of praise. 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:36.480 There is never a time in David's life when those words do not apply. They are constant. They are total. 00:05:37.480 --> 00:05:43.200 And that's why David also sees praise as the goal of his entire being. 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:49.920 He isn't simply praising God with his tongue. He isn't going through the motions. As he says in 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:58.480 verse 1, praise the Lord my soul, all my inmost being, praise his holy name. David wants the very 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:09.399 core of his being to be devoted in praise to God. His mind, his heart, his very soul and will need to be 00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:14.979 engaged in their fullness. Praise needs to pour out of every facet of his being. 00:06:16.719 --> 00:06:25.759 And David even sees praising God as the goal of all creation generally and also you specifically. 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:30.620 From all of creation down to you in the pew, it is the very goal. 00:06:30.620 --> 00:06:37.040 Look at the closing verses. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, 00:06:37.160 --> 00:06:43.319 obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the 00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:52.040 Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul. David is commanding the 00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:59.379 angels to worship God, but then he goes down and then he says all of Israel, really the entire world, 00:06:59.379 --> 00:07:06.079 needs to be praising God. And then he focuses attention down upon his very own self, himself 00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:13.600 individually. And David starts with the hosts, but he ends with himself in the pew. It all matters. 00:07:14.159 --> 00:07:20.759 Everyone is supposed to be praising God together and every voice matters down to the smallest child. 00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:28.360 God wants everyone to be praising God with their innermost beings all together. 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:33.460 You know, in Hebrew, if you want to emphasize something, you repeat it. 00:07:34.100 --> 00:07:37.060 You know, if you think about that famous passage in Isaiah 6, 3, 00:07:37.460 --> 00:07:40.180 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. 00:07:40.900 --> 00:07:45.240 When you see something repeated over and over and over again, three separate times, 00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:47.740 that is a really, really, really big deal. 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:50.960 Isaiah is hitting you over the head saying, 00:07:51.139 --> 00:07:52.120 You need to pay attention. 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:54.660 God is holy. 00:07:54.660 --> 00:08:00.680 And while David is doing something very similar, he closes this psalm by repeating the command, 00:08:00.780 --> 00:08:07.460 not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times, all in a row, because it's something that he needs 00:08:07.460 --> 00:08:10.900 to hear and to remember, and we need to remember. 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:15.280 We are created to worship God. 00:08:16.320 --> 00:08:18.620 Now think back to your Westminster Shorter Catechisms. 00:08:18.620 --> 00:08:21.259 What is the chief end of man? 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:24.500 It's to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. 00:08:25.079 --> 00:08:28.939 What that means is worship and enjoying worship. 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:30.620 You're supposed to do all of it. 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:35.340 When God created Adam and Eve in the garden, he made them in his own image. 00:08:36.259 --> 00:08:41.980 And part of what that means is that we are made to know God and to worship him. 00:08:42.980 --> 00:08:44.600 You know, God created a lot of things. 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:49.639 God created cats and dogs, and cats and dogs glorify God in their own specific way. 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:50.980 They can't sing. 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:53.820 And they purposefully can't sing. 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:57.200 They cannot sing praises to God like we do. 00:08:57.399 --> 00:08:58.860 They can't worship like we do. 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:04.960 And in some ways, we are really the most human we can be when we are in here together 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:09.860 and we are singing to our God, when we are fulfilling our chief end, 00:09:09.940 --> 00:09:11.740 when we're doing what we were created for. 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:15.360 But it's not just what we were created for. 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:17.879 It is also what we are saved for. 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:20.480 We are saved to worship God too. 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:27.860 The entire reason that God has redeemed us is so that we can praise him and commune with him. 00:09:28.899 --> 00:09:30.919 As 1 Peter 2.9 says, 00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:37.299 You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, 00:09:37.699 --> 00:09:44.379 that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:49.099 God had a plan in mind when he saved you. 00:09:49.659 --> 00:09:54.439 The goal was to gather a people who could sing Psalm 103 together. 00:09:54.440 --> 00:10:02.340 And you can see that in the book of Revelation, which essentially ends in one large worship service. 00:10:03.580 --> 00:10:10.340 The end of all things is to be joining together in worship to our God above. 00:10:10.340 --> 00:10:19.160 And what that means, and that's what I mean when I say that Psalm 51 is the starting place for the Christian life. 00:10:19.720 --> 00:10:21.120 And Psalm 103 comes after. 00:10:21.259 --> 00:10:25.960 We begin our Christian lives repenting and we continue repenting until our dying breath. 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:27.240 Repenting in some fashion. 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:31.680 Yet, the goal of our repentance is not more repentance. 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:36.699 The goal of our repentance is communion with God and praising him forever. 00:10:37.719 --> 00:10:44.319 And there will come a day when Psalm 51 is sung not for repentance but for remembrance. 00:10:45.199 --> 00:10:47.419 Because there will be no need for us to repent. 00:10:47.799 --> 00:10:50.079 Because we will be glorified before God. 00:10:51.159 --> 00:10:55.859 But there will never be a day when Psalm 103 is not sung by God's people. 00:10:55.860 --> 00:11:03.700 And so, seeing God's praise as the goal of your Christian life is necessary as Christians. 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:08.820 After all, you're going to spend your entire eternity doing it. 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:10.180 Praising God. 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:16.560 That's also part of the reason why you should want to have assurance in the first place. 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:21.159 You want to have assurance not just because it is a massive relief for your soul 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:25.019 and it is easier for you to go through your Christian life with assurance. 00:11:25.019 --> 00:11:27.720 Though that's definitely a good reason. 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:34.659 But it's also that you can begin to go about the business of praising God while forgetting yourself. 00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:38.199 And perhaps forget is too strong a word. 00:11:38.299 --> 00:11:42.360 But what I mean is there should be a point where you begin to fade into the background. 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:47.919 Your attention is focused upon God, upon his name, upon what he has done. 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:54.419 And you can begin to dedicate yourself to think of new reasons to praise God. 00:11:54.419 --> 00:12:00.959 And to work the reasons you already know more and more deeply into your own heart. 00:12:02.259 --> 00:12:08.139 Thinking about how to praise is something that we need to spend time doing. 00:12:08.439 --> 00:12:09.979 Because we're liable to forget. 00:12:10.839 --> 00:12:15.599 And I suspect it's the reason why David repeats this call of praise to himself too. 00:12:15.959 --> 00:12:17.419 Because we are sinful. 00:12:17.599 --> 00:12:18.839 We are liable to forget. 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:25.040 And so David launches himself into praising God for what he has done. 00:12:25.620 --> 00:12:29.980 Trying to call to mind things that God has done for him, for him to praise. 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:32.000 And that's our second point for this evening. 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:33.879 Praising God for what he has done. 00:12:36.060 --> 00:12:40.780 David begins to stir up his worship of God by focusing on what God has done for him. 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:46.179 As he says in verse 2, praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:53.100 And well, what follows is David cataloging the benefits that God has given him. 00:12:53.319 --> 00:12:54.879 And what God has done for his people. 00:12:56.039 --> 00:13:01.699 And what we want to see in verses 3 to 5 is that everything is a gift. 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:06.039 Everything is a gift from God and is a reason to praise him. 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:08.299 God has forgiven David's sin. 00:13:08.299 --> 00:13:10.279 He has healed his diseases. 00:13:10.479 --> 00:13:14.240 He has even saved his life and even his very soul from death. 00:13:14.859 --> 00:13:20.740 He has crowned him with love and mercy and given him good things to satisfy him. 00:13:21.319 --> 00:13:25.939 And what that means is that there is not a good reason for you not to praise God. 00:13:26.439 --> 00:13:30.459 Everything that you have in your life is a reason to praise God. 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:32.339 Every good thing. 00:13:33.479 --> 00:13:37.779 For a Christian, yes, one of the chief reasons to praise God is our redemption in Christ. 00:13:37.779 --> 00:13:40.159 That's one of the main focuses of this song. 00:13:41.319 --> 00:13:45.339 But really every breath you take is a wonder of God's grace. 00:13:46.500 --> 00:13:53.379 We live in a world where every blade of grass has been put there by our loving Heavenly Father for us to enjoy. 00:13:53.959 --> 00:13:58.339 And every one of those blades of grass is a reason to praise. 00:13:59.339 --> 00:14:03.139 Your car, your money, your family, they are all given to you. 00:14:03.139 --> 00:14:06.299 And it frankly seems almost pedantic for me. 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:09.899 I could stand up here and I could list things for hours. 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:12.580 Things that are so obvious. 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:16.439 And yet all of it is a gift from God. 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:18.279 All of it is something that God has done. 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:22.199 And yet so often we forget. 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:26.240 We don't call to mind the benefits of God like we should. 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:30.340 And if we did, we would live lives of perpetual thankfulness. 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:36.259 We would instinctively and constantly seek God in prayer and in praise. 00:14:37.620 --> 00:14:41.519 But forgetting is an age-old struggle for God's people. 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:45.960 Hezekiah, he was one of the great and godly kings of Judah. 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:48.340 And God richly blessed him. 00:14:48.340 --> 00:14:56.540 But we see in 2 Corinthians 32, 25, that even he, he became proud and he forgot. 00:14:57.340 --> 00:14:57.720 Gone. 00:14:58.680 --> 00:15:02.060 And this is one of the chief warnings of Deuteronomy 8. 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:09.680 Which warns Israel, be careful lest when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them. 00:15:10.019 --> 00:15:14.019 And when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied. 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:19.539 And all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up and you forget the Lord your God. 00:15:21.019 --> 00:15:22.000 Now it's interesting. 00:15:23.079 --> 00:15:30.559 Often people who have very little are actually more thankful for what they have in their life, not less. 00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:39.879 It seems that just like the people of Israel, the more prosperous we become, the more ungrateful we become as well. 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:43.620 And I suspect part of it is because we begin to think that we're in control. 00:15:44.019 --> 00:15:45.960 Which is simply not true. 00:15:46.620 --> 00:15:47.720 We are not in control. 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:49.639 Not ultimately. 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:53.220 Nothing we receive from God is deserved. 00:15:54.139 --> 00:16:00.279 And we are called to receive it all as a gift from the hand of our loving Heavenly Father. 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:06.799 A significant portion of your Christian life should be focused upon remembering. 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:13.439 Because when you remember, you are called to prayer and to praise. 00:16:14.019 --> 00:16:18.579 You can do a lot worse than setting aside just a portion of every single day. 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:20.120 Even just 10, 20 minutes. 00:16:20.460 --> 00:16:24.460 And just sitting there thinking of all the blessings that you have. 00:16:24.939 --> 00:16:29.079 And then seeking to thank God for every single one of them. 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:33.580 You'll never run out of things to thank God for. 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:36.440 If you do run out of things, you're doing it wrong. 00:16:37.540 --> 00:16:41.000 You can think of even the smallest things, such as the food you have. 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:44.560 Or you can go to your great blessings in Christ. 00:16:45.520 --> 00:16:48.540 How we are predestined from all eternity by a loving God. 00:16:49.060 --> 00:16:51.000 How we are united with Christ. 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:52.539 How we are saved by His blood. 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:53.639 Adopted as children. 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:56.759 And are even now indwelt by the Holy Spirit. 00:16:57.019 --> 00:17:01.139 And are being prepared for the coming day when our faith shall be sight. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:06.359 Everything from the small mercies to the great mercies. 00:17:06.900 --> 00:17:09.099 All come from God. 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:16.799 And what we need to do is we need to train our eyes to look for these things as gifts from God. 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:23.879 Because once you do that, you begin to realize that literally everywhere you look, there is a reason for praise. 00:17:24.639 --> 00:17:26.519 There is a reason for thankful prayer. 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:28.579 That's something that we need. 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:33.599 Is to instinctively praise God for everything that He has done. 00:17:35.139 --> 00:17:39.819 But the majority of this psalm, I think, is praising God not simply for what He has done. 00:17:39.919 --> 00:17:43.319 But praising God for who He is. 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:46.119 And that's our third point this evening. 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:50.759 David is chiefly praising God for His character. 00:17:51.139 --> 00:17:53.700 Particularly His loving character. 00:17:54.419 --> 00:17:58.759 One of the reoccurring words in this psalm, in the translation we're using, is love. 00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:04.799 And that's one of the set translations for a real big $10 word in the Hebrew Bible. 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:06.859 It's the word chesed. 00:18:07.399 --> 00:18:08.399 Which maybe you've heard of. 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:11.659 That's God's faithful covenantal love. 00:18:12.059 --> 00:18:13.680 The faithful covenantal love. 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:16.140 It's sometimes translated as steadfast love. 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:18.640 Loving kindness, compassion, or mercy. 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:25.480 And the reason there are so many different translations is that it's a hard idea to translate. 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:31.519 Chesed is God's loyalty to His people even when they have forgotten Him. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:35.839 And even when there is nothing in them that seems worthy of love. 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:38.460 And yet God still loves them. 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:41.359 In a way that boggles the bind. 00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:45.299 God's covenantal love that bears from generation to generation. 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:49.299 The reason David brings that up is... 00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:54.919 That's really the reason David brings up the Exodus in verse 6 and 7. 00:18:55.319 --> 00:18:59.579 God's bringing the Israelites out of Egypt is the perfect example of God's love. 00:19:00.419 --> 00:19:02.680 Because as God says in Deuteronomy 7, 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:09.480 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set His love on you and chose you. 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:11.759 For you were the fewest of all peoples. 00:19:12.100 --> 00:19:18.779 It is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that He swore to your fathers. 00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:22.180 Realize what's being said there. 00:19:23.420 --> 00:19:25.200 God loves you because He loves you. 00:19:25.580 --> 00:19:27.360 That's what's being told to the people of Israel. 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:30.859 That's really the ground well. 00:19:31.139 --> 00:19:33.979 The springing up of God's steadfast covenantal love. 00:19:34.419 --> 00:19:36.339 A love that staggers the mind. 00:19:37.339 --> 00:19:41.859 And it's that same love which is the reason God persevered with Israel through the wilderness. 00:19:42.379 --> 00:19:44.279 The time and even the time of the judges. 00:19:44.419 --> 00:19:47.539 When it seems like every other chapter there's something going wrong. 00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:49.899 Some idolatry is taking place. 00:19:50.179 --> 00:19:52.579 The people seem to be constantly leaving God. 00:19:52.899 --> 00:19:53.799 Every other moment. 00:19:53.799 --> 00:19:59.619 But yet, as David says, He will not always chide. 00:19:59.700 --> 00:20:01.539 Nor will He keep His anger forever. 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:04.339 He does not deal with us according to our sins. 00:20:04.539 --> 00:20:08.200 Nor repay us according to our iniquities. 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:13.059 David knew what it meant for God to be angry with him. 00:20:13.159 --> 00:20:14.819 He was very well aware of that. 00:20:15.379 --> 00:20:18.740 God had made His displeasure with him very well known. 00:20:19.619 --> 00:20:21.899 He knew that there were consequences for his sin. 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:25.680 And he experienced the consequences for his sin with Bathsheba. 00:20:26.360 --> 00:20:36.080 And yet, David always understood that behind that anger was a God who loved him and cared for him. 00:20:37.860 --> 00:20:43.060 And one thing that's easy to overlook when you read 2 Samuel 12. 00:20:43.320 --> 00:20:45.700 When Nathan rebukes David. 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:48.980 Is that as soon as David repents in verse 13. 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:51.600 Nathan immediately responds. 00:20:51.940 --> 00:20:53.080 He immediately says. 00:20:53.819 --> 00:20:55.240 The Lord has put away your sin. 00:20:56.519 --> 00:21:00.000 Even in the darkest moment of David's life. 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:03.279 God doesn't leave David without hope. 00:21:03.980 --> 00:21:07.779 Which is something that I think many of us would actually be inclined to do. 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:09.660 We might say. 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:12.259 Well, David has committed such horrible sins. 00:21:12.340 --> 00:21:13.120 He's committed adultery. 00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:14.120 He's committed murder. 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:16.619 Let's let him stew for a day or two. 00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:18.079 Let's let him sweat. 00:21:18.159 --> 00:21:18.839 He'll be good for him. 00:21:18.899 --> 00:21:19.559 Build character. 00:21:19.919 --> 00:21:21.319 That's not what God does. 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:23.739 As soon as he repents. 00:21:24.379 --> 00:21:25.319 He is given. 00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:26.599 He knows that he is forgiven. 00:21:27.659 --> 00:21:30.939 And even though he does suffer earthly consequences for his sin. 00:21:31.219 --> 00:21:32.000 He is told. 00:21:32.159 --> 00:21:33.459 Your sin has been put away. 00:21:34.299 --> 00:21:35.099 There is hope. 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:38.459 Even in that feeling of God's anger. 00:21:38.460 --> 00:21:44.220 You know, Psalm 103 could theoretically not be directly about Bathsheba. 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:46.279 And the sin of David. 00:21:47.420 --> 00:21:50.220 But David would have certainly thought about that sin. 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:52.840 When he sang verse 12. 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:55.420 As far as the east is from the west. 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:59.240 So far as he removed our transgressions from us. 00:22:00.340 --> 00:22:02.279 When God removes your sin. 00:22:02.380 --> 00:22:04.259 He doesn't just give it a restraining order. 00:22:04.259 --> 00:22:06.240 It's not that he says. 00:22:06.379 --> 00:22:08.039 Well, you can live nearby you. 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:10.519 But as long as it doesn't come within a hundred feet of you. 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:11.339 Everything's fine. 00:22:12.180 --> 00:22:14.559 Your sin isn't allowed to live in the same country. 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:16.279 Or even the same planet. 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:20.359 As far as the east is from the west. 00:22:20.420 --> 00:22:21.259 Is incomprehensible. 00:22:21.980 --> 00:22:23.259 It is an infinite distance. 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:27.240 And if you were able to take your sin. 00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:28.339 You were able to ball it up. 00:22:28.379 --> 00:22:32.059 And God were to instantly transfer it to the other end of the universe. 00:22:32.059 --> 00:22:35.419 And it would take however many billions of years. 00:22:35.679 --> 00:22:38.859 For light to travel from that little remote corner here. 00:22:39.619 --> 00:22:41.759 God would say that is still too close. 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:46.220 That sin needs to be removed even further. 00:22:47.919 --> 00:22:49.919 And forgiveness of that magnitude. 00:22:50.379 --> 00:22:52.539 Is a sign of God's love. 00:22:53.879 --> 00:22:55.579 In verse 11 it says. 00:22:55.740 --> 00:22:57.960 For as high as the heavens are above the earth. 00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:01.740 So great is his love for those who fear him. 00:23:02.919 --> 00:23:04.799 The forgiveness we have been given by God. 00:23:04.980 --> 00:23:06.220 Is incomprehensible. 00:23:06.859 --> 00:23:09.079 Because God's love is incomprehensible. 00:23:10.159 --> 00:23:12.099 You can think about that love every day. 00:23:12.179 --> 00:23:13.119 For the rest of your life. 00:23:13.639 --> 00:23:15.659 And yet you will not come to the bottom of it. 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:18.159 Every blessing you receive. 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:19.500 Is but a small drop. 00:23:19.579 --> 00:23:21.000 From that eternal fountain. 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:23.679 That infinite fountain of love. 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:23.880 Love. 00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:27.019 And David compares. 00:23:27.700 --> 00:23:29.180 God's loving compassion. 00:23:29.360 --> 00:23:30.019 To a father. 00:23:30.680 --> 00:23:31.560 Caring for his children. 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:32.460 In verse 13. 00:23:33.380 --> 00:23:35.620 But God is greater than earthly fathers. 00:23:35.620 --> 00:23:36.640 In every single way. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:39.480 Now I have a daughter. 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:40.940 I love my daughter. 00:23:41.600 --> 00:23:43.060 But after my daughter was born. 00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:44.039 A pastor told me. 00:23:44.600 --> 00:23:45.039 Realize. 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:47.000 As much as you love your daughter. 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:49.000 God loves you more. 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:51.019 And he was right. 00:23:51.539 --> 00:23:52.579 And that stuck with me. 00:23:55.460 --> 00:23:57.359 When God says that he is our father. 00:23:58.660 --> 00:24:02.180 He's doing that not so that he contains his love. 00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:06.299 But because that's the best example he can think to communicate with us. 00:24:06.680 --> 00:24:09.359 He's really accommodating himself to us. 00:24:09.939 --> 00:24:11.039 The way Calvin puts it. 00:24:11.059 --> 00:24:13.799 He says that God is engaging in baby talk. 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:14.899 With us. 00:24:15.879 --> 00:24:17.059 He's making little sounds. 00:24:17.139 --> 00:24:17.759 And little noises. 00:24:17.899 --> 00:24:18.579 Little signs. 00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:21.679 Trying to get us to understand something. 00:24:21.919 --> 00:24:23.419 Which is beyond us. 00:24:25.179 --> 00:24:26.959 It's too much for us to handle. 00:24:28.159 --> 00:24:31.719 And so we recognize that God has revealed himself to us as a father. 00:24:32.259 --> 00:24:33.279 As our loving father. 00:24:34.339 --> 00:24:38.199 And yet we know the truth is far more wondrous than we can imagine. 00:24:38.200 --> 00:24:41.620 We have a loving father who cares for us. 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:43.240 Who knows our weaknesses. 00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:44.860 And bears with us. 00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:48.779 We have a father whose love is as it says in verse 17. 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:51.799 Is from everlasting to everlasting. 00:24:52.900 --> 00:24:55.360 It is eternally established. 00:24:55.539 --> 00:24:58.640 And as unchangeable as the kingdom of God itself. 00:24:59.019 --> 00:25:00.080 In verse 19. 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:03.440 This is a love that just like the kingdom. 00:25:03.600 --> 00:25:05.779 Has neither beginning nor end. 00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:07.580 It cannot change. 00:25:07.579 --> 00:25:09.500 Because God cannot change. 00:25:09.879 --> 00:25:10.799 God is love. 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:14.879 And as long as that eternal throne stands. 00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:16.799 God's covenant people knows. 00:25:17.399 --> 00:25:19.559 That our God of love is reigning. 00:25:20.439 --> 00:25:21.679 And that we can come to him. 00:25:21.879 --> 00:25:23.279 Not simply as a master. 00:25:23.659 --> 00:25:24.399 But as children. 00:25:24.899 --> 00:25:25.859 To our father. 00:25:27.179 --> 00:25:28.359 This is a love. 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:30.439 That we can see on the cross. 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:31.740 When Jesus became sin. 00:25:31.799 --> 00:25:32.619 And died for us. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:34.480 Taking the wrath of our sins. 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:36.940 It is a love we can overhear. 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:38.279 In the upper room. 00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:39.579 When we listen in. 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:41.160 On Jesus' high priestly prayer. 00:25:41.259 --> 00:25:41.799 When he says. 00:25:42.279 --> 00:25:43.779 The glory that you have given me. 00:25:43.900 --> 00:25:45.039 I have given to them. 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:46.880 That they may be one. 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:48.079 Even as we are one. 00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:49.380 I in them. 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:50.259 And you in me. 00:25:50.660 --> 00:25:52.380 That they may become perfectly one. 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:54.140 So that the world may know. 00:25:54.200 --> 00:25:55.200 That you have sent me. 00:25:55.860 --> 00:25:57.019 And love them. 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:58.160 Even as you love me. 00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:01.460 It is the same love that we see. 00:26:01.580 --> 00:26:03.560 When Christ sent his Holy Spirit to the church. 00:26:03.640 --> 00:26:04.480 To minister to them. 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:08.000 And it is the same love we will see and know. 00:26:08.080 --> 00:26:10.080 When Christ returns for his bride. 00:26:10.580 --> 00:26:11.480 The church. 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:13.340 When it is finished being prepared. 00:26:14.100 --> 00:26:15.300 By his heavenly father. 00:26:16.500 --> 00:26:17.900 And yet this sheer. 00:26:18.860 --> 00:26:19.880 Incomprehensible love. 00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:22.000 Is beyond all of that. 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:24.920 But Christians. 00:26:25.640 --> 00:26:26.480 Are called. 00:26:26.819 --> 00:26:28.460 To measure the unmeasurable. 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:30.160 We are called. 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:31.720 To plumb the unplumbable. 00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:33.220 And that is. 00:26:33.660 --> 00:26:34.980 What Paul is getting at. 00:26:35.059 --> 00:26:35.940 In Ephesians 3. 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:36.779 When he prayed. 00:26:37.099 --> 00:26:37.900 That the Ephesians. 00:26:38.259 --> 00:26:39.420 May have strength. 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:40.140 To comprehend. 00:26:40.140 --> 00:26:41.579 With all the saints. 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:43.180 What is the breadth. 00:26:43.460 --> 00:26:44.140 And length. 00:26:44.380 --> 00:26:45.079 And height. 00:26:45.339 --> 00:26:46.079 And depth. 00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:47.579 And to know. 00:26:47.960 --> 00:26:49.019 The love of Christ. 00:26:49.539 --> 00:26:51.160 That surpasses knowledge. 00:26:51.160 --> 00:26:52.860 That you may be filled. 00:26:52.940 --> 00:26:54.120 With the fullness of God. 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:57.440 Because as we go about. 00:26:57.600 --> 00:26:58.180 The helpless. 00:26:58.400 --> 00:26:59.540 The hopeless task. 00:27:00.080 --> 00:27:01.220 Of seeking to comprehend. 00:27:01.380 --> 00:27:02.019 The love of God. 00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:04.320 We love our God. 00:27:04.380 --> 00:27:04.860 And Savior. 00:27:05.320 --> 00:27:06.019 More and more. 00:27:07.560 --> 00:27:08.440 We know. 00:27:08.620 --> 00:27:09.259 More and more. 00:27:09.360 --> 00:27:09.960 About who. 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:10.920 He is. 00:27:11.160 --> 00:27:12.320 And who we should be. 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:13.019 By looking. 00:27:13.019 --> 00:27:13.980 And seeking. 00:27:14.320 --> 00:27:15.040 His love. 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:18.220 Praising God. 00:27:18.279 --> 00:27:19.380 For who he is. 00:27:19.840 --> 00:27:21.060 Is our highest calling. 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:21.720 As Christians. 00:27:22.320 --> 00:27:23.080 I was reading. 00:27:23.380 --> 00:27:24.380 One of John Owen's. 00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:24.860 Sermons. 00:27:25.220 --> 00:27:26.080 A week or two ago. 00:27:26.840 --> 00:27:27.860 And I came across. 00:27:27.860 --> 00:27:28.400 A passage. 00:27:28.600 --> 00:27:29.259 That struck me. 00:27:29.320 --> 00:27:29.920 He warned. 00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:31.500 That Christians. 00:27:32.380 --> 00:27:33.240 Should not just be. 00:27:33.320 --> 00:27:34.140 Spending all their time. 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:34.680 Thinking about. 00:27:34.820 --> 00:27:36.200 The blessings of Christ. 00:27:36.460 --> 00:27:37.480 And his works. 00:27:38.320 --> 00:27:39.620 But not Christ himself. 00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:41.440 He said. 00:27:41.500 --> 00:27:42.600 It's not that it's a sign. 00:27:42.600 --> 00:27:43.660 That you're not a Christian. 00:27:43.660 --> 00:27:44.259 If you spend. 00:27:44.340 --> 00:27:45.180 All your time. 00:27:45.259 --> 00:27:45.700 Thinking about. 00:27:45.840 --> 00:27:46.540 Christ's blessings. 00:27:47.180 --> 00:27:48.100 But it is a sign. 00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:48.900 That you're not growing. 00:27:48.900 --> 00:27:49.759 The way you should. 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:49.920 Spirit. 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:53.400 We are called. 00:27:53.720 --> 00:27:54.920 To love Christ. 00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:57.140 Christ himself. 00:27:57.259 --> 00:27:58.379 And Christ's person. 00:27:58.859 --> 00:27:59.940 Is more glorious. 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:01.240 Than his work. 00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:02.879 We need to see. 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:03.579 The glory. 00:28:04.119 --> 00:28:04.460 Beauty. 00:28:04.660 --> 00:28:05.200 And love. 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:05.700 In Christ. 00:28:05.779 --> 00:28:06.220 In himself. 00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:07.819 And it is not. 00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:08.500 That we are called. 00:28:08.579 --> 00:28:09.200 To ignore. 00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:10.079 Christ's blessings. 00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:10.879 Far from it. 00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:12.119 But we are called. 00:28:12.200 --> 00:28:12.879 To receive. 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:13.660 Those blessings. 00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:15.480 To admire them. 00:28:15.559 --> 00:28:16.119 To be thankful. 00:28:16.119 --> 00:28:16.559 For them. 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:18.039 And then look up. 00:28:18.039 --> 00:28:18.519 At the giver. 00:28:18.599 --> 00:28:19.279 Who has given them. 00:28:19.940 --> 00:28:20.940 And then see. 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:22.500 What that gift. 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:23.159 Tells us. 00:28:23.159 --> 00:28:24.059 About God himself. 00:28:25.139 --> 00:28:26.619 What this loving gift. 00:28:26.779 --> 00:28:27.240 Tells us. 00:28:27.299 --> 00:28:28.099 About our loving. 00:28:28.619 --> 00:28:29.079 God. 00:28:30.659 --> 00:28:31.839 He is the one. 00:28:32.299 --> 00:28:33.539 Who is our greatest comfort. 00:28:33.700 --> 00:28:34.139 In life. 00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:34.700 And in death. 00:28:35.379 --> 00:28:36.200 He is the one. 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:37.500 Who was our greatest thought. 00:28:37.859 --> 00:28:38.559 By day. 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:39.639 And by night. 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:40.879 He is the one. 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:42.680 We long to be with. 00:28:42.680 --> 00:28:43.519 In the new heavens. 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:44.279 And the new earth. 00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:45.019 And the one. 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:46.200 We desire to sing about. 00:28:46.200 --> 00:28:46.360 God. 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:48.840 That's what it means. 00:28:48.840 --> 00:28:50.180 To praise God. 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:50.860 For who. 00:28:51.259 --> 00:28:52.480 He is. 00:28:53.539 --> 00:28:54.660 So as you leave. 00:28:54.860 --> 00:28:55.420 This evening. 00:28:55.539 --> 00:28:55.819 I want. 00:28:56.100 --> 00:28:56.900 To encourage you. 00:28:57.259 --> 00:28:58.279 Use your redemption. 00:28:58.539 --> 00:28:58.779 Well. 00:29:00.059 --> 00:29:01.080 Get assurance. 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:01.680 Of pardon. 00:29:01.860 --> 00:29:02.279 Don't be. 00:29:02.600 --> 00:29:03.360 Bogged down. 00:29:03.480 --> 00:29:04.140 In the mire. 00:29:04.140 --> 00:29:04.799 Of your sin. 00:29:04.840 --> 00:29:05.200 And guilt. 00:29:05.360 --> 00:29:06.180 Flee to Christ. 00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:07.660 Believe in him. 00:29:08.019 --> 00:29:08.940 Trust in him. 00:29:08.940 --> 00:29:10.500 Be washed in his blood. 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:11.860 And have assurance. 00:29:12.340 --> 00:29:14.200 So that you can lift your head. 00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:15.740 And you can praise him. 00:29:16.200 --> 00:29:18.019 So that you can worship him. 00:29:18.299 --> 00:29:20.059 So that you can desire him. 00:29:20.180 --> 00:29:21.000 More and more. 00:29:22.539 --> 00:29:23.680 Spend time thinking. 00:29:24.440 --> 00:29:25.360 About God. 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:27.140 About who he is. 00:29:27.840 --> 00:29:28.799 Upon his glory. 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:30.900 Upon Christ himself. 00:29:32.140 --> 00:29:32.920 I promise you. 00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:33.940 It will not be time. 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:34.759 That is poorly spent. 00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:35.440 It will be good. 00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:38.559 Worship is your destiny. 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:39.720 As a Christian. 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:42.519 It's what you're called to. 00:29:42.900 --> 00:29:43.720 We are called. 00:29:43.720 --> 00:29:45.200 To praise God. 00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:47.500 Just like David did. 00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:49.559 In love. 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:50.640 For all. 00:29:51.039 --> 00:29:51.500 Eternity. 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:53.000 Let us pray. 00:29:54.779 --> 00:29:55.860 Most gracious. 00:29:56.019 --> 00:29:56.299 And loving. 00:29:56.420 --> 00:29:56.980 Heavenly Father. 00:29:58.059 --> 00:29:58.319 Lord. 00:29:58.380 --> 00:29:59.079 We are thankful. 00:29:59.500 --> 00:30:00.700 That you have called us. 00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:01.339 To yourself. 00:30:02.039 --> 00:30:03.279 That you have washed us. 00:30:03.279 --> 00:30:03.860 In Christ. 00:30:04.259 --> 00:30:05.459 and that we may. 00:30:07.719 --> 00:30:08.439 Think.