Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our guest is a young man who was an angel and forget not all his benefits. Bless the Lord, verse 20, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word, by the way in verse 20 that word angels means messenger, those who are appointed by God, it does not necessarily mean a heavenly angel, although those angels are obedient, but I will tell you this, obedient. They already obey his voice. He's talking about here about his angels are those that he is called and appointed. Verse 21 he says, Bless ye the Lord all ye his host.
That's all who are saved, all who are believers, all who have experienced his redemption through the blood of Christ. That do his, he ministers of his that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, verse 22, all his works in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul. David says this, I will bless the Lord because he has blessed me. If you believe and agree with the fact that God has blessed you today say Amen. David says because of that I want to bless the Lord. Now let's be honest. How can we bless him like he's blessed us?
It's impossible. All the things he does for us he doesn't need us to do for him. So, if God blesses us we think about how God blesses us. So, how is it that we are supposed to bless God? David says here in this chapter we're going to look into it. I want to give you a little bit of foreknowledge if I can before we dig into this. David says the way that the Lord blessed and continues to bless us is with benefits.
In verse 2. You know nowadays everybody when they get a job they want to know what benefits there are. What are the benefits? Do I get insurance? Do I get any perks?
What days do I get off? Or whatever the case might be. You know economy gets bad enough it's amazing how we're willing to put up with less benefits. It is this, do you give a paycheck?
I'll take the job. Well, we all want benefits. And if you'll notice here David says that the way God has blessed us is with a number of benefits. It's the best benefit package you'll ever have in your life. Because it cost you nothing. It cost him everything and you and I get all the benefit of it.
We're going to dig into that in just a minute. Now listen to me. David then describes the benefits that God has blessed us with beginning in verse 3 all the way down through verse 19. Then, now hold on a minute David is heading somewhere with all this. In verses 1 and 2 he says, I want to bless the Lord. Verses 20, 21, and 22 he is telling others to bless the Lord. He's saying, hey I want to bless the Lord. You need to be involved with me.
Join me. Let's all do this together and bless the Lord that has blessed all of us. He's going somewhere with this and this is where knowing the benefits that God has given that should motivate us to want to do something for God. Do you agree with that? So this morning if you know how I told you sometimes I get up and I want to try to be positive.
By the time I sit down I think, what in the world happened? Man I felt like I was just preaching hard and I was trying to be positive and I wanted to get a little Joe Osteen on everybody today. It's amazing when you preach God's Word you can't.
Anyway, that was me and I've never, that sounded like I was criticizing and I apologize. If you will notice if you would verse 2. Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits. I want to notice first this morning how the Lord blesses us. I didn't say how the Lord has blessed us. I said how the Lord blesses us. Everything that I'm getting ready to tell you He has done for us.
He is doing for us and He will continue to do for us. Second we're going to look at this morning how we bless the Lord. First how the Lord blesses us.
Let's pray. Lord we love you and Lord I pray you'd help us as we endeavor to share your Word today and Lord please I pray that you'd help us. And Lord I really do want our folks to be encouraged this morning. I think Lord when we just really take some time and stop and think about what all God has done for us. And then we think about how little we've done for Him.
It really should motivate us to want to do more. So Lord I pray you'd help this chapter to really encourage and strengthen and convict our hearts in Jesus name we pray. Amen. How the Lord blesses us. David says these are His benefits.
These are the things that God has blessed us with. Notice verse 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities. Number one He forgives.
Now we could stop right there and have revival this morning. Jacob got up and saying that the Lord will say what sin? I've removed him as far as the east is from the west.
I'm so glad he said that. Look at verse 12 in this passage. As far as the east is from the west so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Two things I see about God's forgiveness here. First He says He forgives all our iniquities. Not some of the iniquities. Not the worst of the iniquities.
Not the least of our iniquities. He forgives all of our iniquities. That means this that His forgiveness is complete. He forgives all the things that you've done wrong. All the sins we've committed. I'm here to tell you dear friend you should walk out of this building and think I don't deserve what God has done.
It's a benefit that I should never have earned. But He has forgiven me when you place your faith and trust in Christ. He forgives all your iniquities. Now your wife don't. Now if I was preaching anywhere else in the country I would say your wife doesn't. But I'm preaching in North Carolina I'm saying your wife don't. But God does.
Wives for the sake of being fair. And your husband does. He'll remember some things. But God forgives them.
But you'll notice in verse 12 He says as far as the east is from the west so far hath He removed. It means this He didn't just forgive everything. He took it and removed it as if it's never even happened. It's not that He remembers it but He chooses to not think about it. It's the fact that He forgot it. He removed it.
He'll never bring it up again. So it's complete forgiveness. And then He removes it as far as the east is from the west. You say preacher how far is that?
Well I gave you some statistics about our solar system and about obviously the heavens and how they declare the glory of God. And I'm not even going to go through all that again. You cannot measure east from west.
It's impossible in our terms and in our ability to measure that distance. And God says farther than you can measure that's how far I've taken your sins away. That is a benefit.
God has blessed us with that. Number two look at verse 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities? Who healeth all thy diseases? Number two He heals.
That's a benefit. Now what I find interesting here is that the Bible makes it clear that He heals physically and He heals spiritually. I want you to understand and I thought this was interesting and Matthew Henry in his commentary I thought it was great when he said this, when sin is mortified or forgiven then the disease is healed. It doesn't mean we don't sin anymore because we still have a sin nature. But you've got to understand before you were saved you were in bondage to sin.
It was a disease that you couldn't heal. But when you put your faith and trust in Christ and because He said first in verse 3 that He forgave those sins that automatically brought healing to your life. Plus the fact that the Bible said He is the great physician. And I'm here to tell you whatever infirmity you have He can heal you of it. I didn't say He will I said He could.
He has the ability but it's whether or not it's according to His will or not. We have people in our church right now dealing with disease and going through treatments and I was finding some even this morning finding out how some are doing had a rough week with cancer treatments and different things and we could go on and on. I have a mother that had a disease that God could have healed in an instant if He would have wanted to.
But He just that wasn't His plan. I am here to tell you dear friend He heals. By the way just in case you're confused your doctor doesn't heal you. That medicine doesn't heal you. God is the one that heals you because God gave the wisdom to the doctor. God gave the wisdom and the creativity to the medication that was formulated whatever the case might be however you trace it back God is the one that healed you. While we're thankful for medicine when it's needed and thankful for doctors when they're available I'm here to tell you that the great physician is who we are to praise and thank for the healing in our lives because He doesn't just heal physically He heals spiritually. And by the way even when He doesn't heal physically thank God that He heals spiritually because if He doesn't heal physically and you pass away because you've been healed spiritually absent from the body is present with the Lord.
That is the ultimate healing. Notice if you will the third thing look at verse 4 if you would. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction.
Number 3 He redeems. And I say that not just because He redeemed I mean He redeems. It means this that He saved me but guess what if you're sitting here and you don't know Christ as your Savior He is still in the saving business. He is still willing to redeem you and to redeem you from destruction. That means this what He is implying here David is that all of us are automatically on our way to hell. You say what do I need to do to go to hell? Nothing.
Just stay exactly like you are. So what do I need to do to get heaven? Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We are all on our way to destruction.
There is none good, no, not one. We were all on our way to destruction but He redeemed us. He redeemed our life from that destruction. I don't know about you are you redeemed this morning say Amen. Aren't you glad?
Isn't that a benefit that you don't deserve and that I don't deserve? We've been redeemed. Number 4 look at verse 4 if you would. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction. Who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercy. Number 4 He crowns.
Now I can't wait to explain this one. He crowns us with what? Loving kindness which is kindness that is shown with love. Do you know sometimes people will show kindness to you even if they don't love you. But you can always tell the difference when somebody is kind to you because they do love you.
There's always a difference isn't there? You know sometimes you'll meet a stranger and they'll be kind to you. But they don't necessarily love you they don't know you. But our Savior has crowned us with loving kindness and tender mercies. Tenderness and love. Kindness mercy all these things He has crowned us with this. That means this He has placed those things in our lives.
And that means this that those things will rule in our lives. By the way you couldn't walk in here today if it wasn't for His love. You couldn't walk in here today if it wasn't for His kindness. What a benefit. Notice number 5. Look at verse 5 if you will. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things. Number 5 He satisfies.
What a benefit. Now a couple things I want you to understand this. He satisfies us in verse 5.
Now listen. By forgiving our sins in verse 3. Do you know that only God can satisfy you?
Are you looking at me? Do you know sin doesn't satisfy? Sin brings enjoyment for a while but it doesn't satisfy. It's like when you're out and you're thirsty and you say I'm going to get me a Pepsi. You drink that Pepsi. And you're going to be okay for a little while.
But there's salt in that Pepsi there's sodium and it's going to you know quench that thirst just for a little bit before long you're going to be as thirsty as you were and even more so. You know why? Because it doesn't satisfy.
It's temporary. Dear friend listen to me. The Bible says that He satisfies our mouth with what? Good things.
Look at me. He could not satisfy us with good things if sin still ruled in our hearts. Now I want you to get this. Now please get this.
Please. By forgiving our sins God removed that thing that was in our lives that kept us from good things. My sin nature keeps me from good things. Because I'm not spiritually discerned. Because I have an appetite for worldly things for sinful things. Because I have a sinful nature. I have not been redeemed.
Listen to me. But because He forgave our sins and He's redeemed us He now can satisfy us with good things. You see those good things at one time in our life wouldn't have satisfied us. But now that we've been saved and now that there's a new nature inside of us and now that we love the Lord and He's redeemed us and forgiven us of our sins He now can satisfy us with good things. That means if you're saved good things should satisfy you. God's children shouldn't have to go get bad things to be satisfied. I do want you to know by the way if you're here this morning this world cannot satisfy you and all the things that this world has cannot satisfy. Only God He satisfies my mouth.
Only Him. What a benefit. Notice number six if you would look at verse five. Who satisfies thy mouth with good things, notice this, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles. Notice if you would number six He renews.
Now that is a benefit. Have you ever needed to be renewed? You know the Bible says they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. That means that renewing that strength comes from the Lord. They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint. He renews. Now this is I think a very overlooked benefit from God. If it isn't enough He forgave us of our sins. He's redeemed us. He satisfies us. He's brought all these good things into our life.
But dear friend when you and I get to the point we cannot go on. He renews our strength. I have been busy this week preaching in Delaware.
I have to leave in the morning. I've got to preach every night and morning in Gatlinburg at a youth conference. Last week and this present week originally were scheduled for Monday to Wednesday meetings.
And both changed. I had already committed to the meetings and then went to Monday to Friday meetings. So now it's two weeks in a row. And I told my wife this summer, I don't know if it was because of being sick with kidney stones.
I don't know. I told you last Sunday would you please pray for me. For those of you that prayed for me thank you so much because I'm going to tell you there's just some nights I just told my wife I said I don't know if I got strength to preach. And I did and thank God for it. And thank God for the decisions or whatever the case might be.
And thank God if He blessed. But I'm here to tell you next week I need it again because you know why? I need renewed. I need renewed.
Now there's a lot of things that people do to get renewed. But let me tell you something the kind of renewed I need and the kind of renewed that you need only comes from God. It is supernatural strength. I don't mean supernatural so I could bend you know a big bar of iron.
Any of you all ever seen those weightlifting teams that go into churches and you know I thought about doing that but it would be like you know here's this toothpick, poof kind of a thing. I'm talking about the kind of supernatural strength that when you're weary and you're tired and it seems that the world has beaten up on you, and family beats up on you, and friends beat up on you, and all the things that could possibly go wrong in your life and you don't think that you can go on another step and somehow you get in God's word and you ask God for help and He renews your strength. That's a benefit from God.
Trust me I hope you take vitamins but that's not what renews you. The Lord renews you. May I say this number 7 look at verse 6 and 7 if you will. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
All that are oppressed. Notice verse 7. He made known his ways unto Moses who was oppressed. His acts unto the children of Israel who was oppressed. What we talk about in verse 6 and 7 is number 7 He delivers.
He delivers. Do you know that in life you can get yourself and sometimes Satan can arrange things. You'll find yourself in situations that you don't know how you're going to get through this. You don't know how you're going to get beyond it and you find yourself in a situation and you say God I don't think I can get myself out of this.
I don't know how to figure this out. I need your help and God you're going to have to deliver me. And that's exactly what He's talking about in verse 6 and 7. To all that are oppressed. And He gives this illustration He said that He made His ways known unto Moses and His acts unto the children of Israel. He brings up the fact of Moses and the children of Israel as they got obviously to the Red Sea and they couldn't cross and Pharaoh's armies coming after them.
We talk about it so much and God delivered them. He provided a way through the Red Sea. And if you think about this notice if you would verse 7 it said He made known His ways unto Moses. That means this He delivered first by showing His path. In other words you know how God delivers you in your life? He shows you the path to take. He says don't go here you need to go here.
Don't go that direction you need to go this direction. And often times dear friend the only way you and I are delivered out of things is to find God's path and to follow it. The second thing He says in verse 7 is He made known His acts unto the children of Israel. That means this He delivers by showing His path like He did to Moses. Number two He delivers by showing His power like He did to the children of Israel. You know how He delivered them? He showed them what He could do.
He parted the waters of the Red Sea. Do you know dear friend God can deliver you even if it takes Him parting a sea for you to cross. God can deliver you even if it means paying a bill that you can't pay.
We know all about that. My wife we got home we retired yesterday and we opened up the mail and sure enough Cadence first heart catheterization. Here's those insurance pays $8,500.
We were there four hours. $8,500 is what the insurance pays and here's what you pay now. We got another heart cath coming August the 20th. Let me tell you something I will tell you this and every one of you I have counseled with some of you. You've told me some of the things you're going through and you've got house payments you can't pay.
Some of you have been out of work because you're sick and you have disability and different things. And dear friend I'm here to tell you He can deliver you. And He delivers you by showing you His path or by showing you His power.
But He can. We have individuals in this building that have stepped out by faith because they felt led of God to start their own businesses and they had lean times and they didn't know how they were going to get bills paid and God has delivered. You follow His path and you trust His power. He will deliver you.
That's a benefit. Notice if you would next in verse 8 and number 8. He is merciful. Look at verse 8. The Lord is merciful. Look at verse 11. For as the heaven is high above the earth so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.
Look at verse 15. As for man his days are as grass. As a flower of the field so he flourishes.
Now think about this. He says you're like grass or flowers. You have your day. You flourish. You grow.
You're out there. Look at verse 16. For the wind passeth over it and it is gone.
And the place thereof shall know it no more. He said you just like grass in your life. You're here for a while and you bloom and it's there and all it takes is a wind. All it takes is a trial.
All it takes is a problem and it can knock that grass over and knock that flower over. Look at verse 17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him. Look at verse 18. To such as keep His covenant and to those that remember His commandments to do them. God says I will be merciful to you if you obey Me and you follow Me and you trust Me.
You might have things in your life that are here for a while and they can be knocked out and they can be wiped out and they can be taken away. But God says My mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. That means it never failed. And by the way I believe this with all my heart. God did not have a beginning.
He always has been and He always will be. That means everything that God is didn't have a beginning either. So God's mercy never started. He was always merciful and He always will be merciful. If it wasn't for His mercy I got verse after verse after verse right here to give you about His mercy. I don't have time this morning but I am here to tell you His mercies fail not. He's merciful.
As the choir sang this morning look at verse 8. The Lord is merciful and what? Gracious. He is gracious.
Number 9. Your grace still amazes me. God's mercy is one thing. God's mercy means I deserve all this and God's kept it from me because He's showing me mercy. But God's grace loads me with things that I haven't earned and I don't deserve. All these bad things I do deserve He shows me mercy and keeps me from them. But all these wonderful, these good things that He satisfies my mouth with in verse 5.
All these good things that I don't deserve. His grace dumps them on me. He's gracious. Look at verse 10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. He showed me grace. He didn't reward me according to all the bad I did. You know what God's grace does?
Listen to me. God's grace doesn't reward us for all the bad we did. God's grace rewards us for all the good that Christ did.
You and I deserve the bad from what we did. But when we get saved we get all the good because of what Christ did. He is gracious. Notice number 10. Look at verse 8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger. He is patient. Patient.
Look at verse 10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins. He's patient. I don't know how I could even describe the patience of God.
Could you? I can give you verses but how can I as a human being describe to another human being the grace of God when it is impossible with our language and our comprehension to understand? All I can do is say this God is gracious and I can't explain it. All I can do is say this God is patient with me and I can't explain it. There is no good reason for God to be patient with me.
Number 11. He's long suffering. Look at verse 9. He will not always chide.
Neither will he keep his anger forever. Look at verse 13. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust. Like a father pitieth his child, he knows our frame. He knows we have shortcomings and because of that he will not always chide us and he won't be angry with us forever. He is long suffering.
He has suffered long with the things that we do. You know I have a three year old named Caden that you know. And you know there are things that a three year old does that aren't right.
I wish I could remember half the things that he said this week because we have been 24-7 all five of us in a room the size of this office over here. You talk about fun. That's when you lay down at night and you're like, why did I have children? That's when you lay over and look at your wife and say, you're the one that wanted kids.
You know I'm joking. There are some things that my three year old does. My three year old will get in the car and he'll ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask. You know Caden just don't worry about it.
Don't worry about it. You make up answers to all these things. Five minutes later we're on our way back from Delaware. He's asking all these questions. Five minutes later Hudson's in the back and he says, dad are we out of Virginia yet? And Caden turns around and says, quit asking. Caden just asked 30 questions. Hudson asked one.
Quit asking. I can't tell you how many times go on things with my boys and Hudson or Daniel will say, well but Caden did this and I was like, he's three. Why do I say all those things? Because I remember his frame.
I don't expect him to act like a 15 year old when he's three. I'm long suffering with him. And you know what? God is long suffering with us. Well he knows that we should know how we're to act. He also knows we're sinners by nature. And he knows that a lot of times we don't do the things that we know we're supposed to do. And while he's a holy God and he has to do things right, he is also long suffering with us.
Number 12. I love this one. Look at verse 19. The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens. It's His throne. His throne. And His kingdom ruleth over all.
Number 12. He reigns. He's in charge. Now you say, well all these other things preachers, all these things He does for us and you say, He reigns, He's in charge. Let me tell you something, this is the biggest benefit of all.
You better be thankful that He's in charge, not you and not me. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kerwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at kerwinbaptistchurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.
