Sunday
Morning Bible Study
March 7, 2004
Introduction
There was a story about a little boy who went to Sunday School. When it came time for the whole class to
stand up and sing, Johnny stayed in his seat.
The teacher asked Johnny to stand with everyone else. He didn’t.
The teacher asked again. Finally,
Johnny stood up, but said, “I may be standing on the outside, but I’m still
sitting on the inside!”
When it comes to singing or giving praise to God, frankly sometimes we feel
like Johnny. We may reluctantly stand up
with everyone else, but inside we’re still sitting down.
God says through Isaiah,
(Isa 29:13 NLT) And so the
Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more
than human laws learned by rote.
In Psalm 103, David gives us a lesson about not only worshipping on the
outside, but on the inside as well.
Psalm 103 Blessing God
:1-6 Bless God, remember His works
:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy
name.
Bless – barak – to bless,
kneel, praise. It is in the form of a
command.
David is commanding his soul to praise God. He’s commanding his entire
being to get into the act. He’s talking to himself.
Lesson
Praise is a choice
Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking that praise to God is something
that just wells up inside us and comes out every once in a while.
David saw worship as a choice he made. He saw it as something that he
needed to tell himself to do.
We need to make a choice of praising God, even in tough circumstances.
I think that one of the finest examples of true worship comes from Job
after learning that his flocks had been destroyed, his servants had been killed,
and all of his children had died …
(Job 1:20-21 KJV)
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down
upon the ground, and worshipped, {21} And said, Naked came I out of my mother's
womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken
away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
When we praise Him in tough times, it shows that we trust Him. It
demonstrates faith.
And this is the kind of praise that is sweetest
to God, when we trust Him in our difficult times.
(Heb 11:6 KJV) But without faith it is impossible
to please him: for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him.
Faith is pleasing
to God. Praise that is most pleasing is that done in faith, done in times when
we don’t understand, when we don’t “get it”.
So how do I do this?
:2 …and forget not all his benefits:
forget – shakach – to
forget, ignore, wither
Lesson
Don’t forget
Sometimes there are things we want to forget.
Illustration
SENILITY PRAYER
God, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference.
There are some things we will never forget.
For Texans, it’s the Alamo. For the Great Generation,
it was Pearl Harbor.
For our generation it’s 9-11.
The key to learning to praise God in every circumstance is learning to
remember the right things.
We need to remember what God has done for us. If you’re looking get some help in getting
your heart into worship, remember. If
you’re going through difficult times and struggling with a sad heart, remember. I want to pull out of this psalm seven things
to remember (there’s lots more than seven in the psalm).
:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities
Remember #1
He forgives us
He can forgive our iniquities because He has paid for them.
(Isa 53:6 KJV) All we
like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the
LORD hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all.
For those of you who have seen the movie “The Passion of
the Christ”, you caught a glimpse of what it meant for God to lay on Jesus all
of our sins.
Jesus’ worst suffering was not the scourging or the pain
of nails piercing His hands, it was having our sins laid upon Him.
(Isa 53:10-11 KJV) Yet
it pleased the LORD to bruise him;
he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he
shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD
shall prosper in his hand. {11} He shall see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
It pleased God to have Jesus die on a cross because it met
the criteria for complete justice. The penalty of our sins was completely paid
for. The penalty was more than paid for.
This is why we can be forgiven.
But what if you’ve done that one sin that just can’t be forgiven?
You’re asking the wrong question.
The question you need to ask yourself is, “Just how valuable was the
blood of Jesus that was shed for me?”
God paid for your sins with the most valuable commodity in the universe,
the blood of His Son.
In reality, the only sin that can’t be forgiven is the sin of not coming to
Jesus and trust Him. All other sins are paid
for by Jesus’ death on the cross.
God’s forgiveness is complete.
When God forgives us, He doesn’t take the record of our sin and file it in
a handy place in case He needs to find another reason to make you miserable.
Further down, David writes,
(Psa 103:12 KJV)
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us.
If David had said, “as far as the north is from the south
…” then we’d be able to calculate just how far God is willing to remove our
sins from us. You can measure the distance between the north and the south, a
distance of 3949.5 miles. But if you are trying to measure the distance from
east to west, you’re going to need a longer tape measure. There is no end to
going “east” and no end to going “west”. God has infinitely removed our sins
from us.
Is this a reason you can praise Him?
You bet.
:3 who healeth all thy diseases
Remember #2
He heals us
He has provided for our healing through the things He suffered.
(Isa 53:5 KJV) But he
was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Though this includes physical, mental, and emotional healing, the ultimate
healing is spiritual.
“But” you say, “I’ve asked Jesus to heal me, and I’m still not healed.”
The story isn’t over yet. He hasn’t
healed you yet. For some of you, He may
want to heal you today. For some, the
healing may come tomorrow. For all of
us, complete healing will come when we die.
Not everyone will receive this kind of healing.
Those who choose to reject Jesus will not be healed:
(Isa 66:24 KJV) And they shall go forth, and look
upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh.
For those of us who are trusting in Jesus, we will absolutely be healed at
death, when as believers we go to a place where there is no more pain or
suffering.
(Rev 21:4 KJV) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
This isn’t just some sort of cop-out for those who aren’t
healed in this life. It’s the truth.
Craig Campbell’s mom was struggling for the last six years
with bone cancer. Yet now that she’s
passed away, I KNOW she is finally healed.
She now has no more pain.
:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction
redeemeth – ga’al –act as
kinsman-redeemer, ransom, do the part of a kinsman
destruction – shachath –
pit, destruction, grave; pit (of Hell)
Remember #3
He saves us
The Bible says that the penalty of our sin is death, eternal separation
from God. When Jesus died on the cross,
He paid the penalty or ransom for us so we wouldn’t have to go to hell. Jesus told a story that gives us a glimpse of
hell:
(Luke 16:19-26 KJV) There was a certain rich man, which was
clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: {20} And
there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of
sores, {21} And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich
man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. {22} And it came to
pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom:
the rich man also died, and was buried; {23} And in hell he lift up his eyes,
being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. {24}
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that
he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am
tormented in this flame. {25} But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy
lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he
is comforted, and thou art tormented. {26} And beside all this, between us and
you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to
you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
When we believe in Jesus and accept His free gift of forgiveness, based
upon the fact that He died for us, we are no longer condemned to hell, but now
welcomed into heaven.
Salvation comes when we open our heart to Jesus and receive Him as our Lord
and Savior.
(John 1:12 KJV)
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name:
:5 so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
renewed – chadash – to be
new, renew, repair
Remember #4
He renews us
I’m not exactly sure how an eagle is a picture of renewed strength.
Some have suggested that maybe it’s because an eagle has a longer lifespan
than most birds.
Some have suggested that perhaps it’s simply the picture of being able to
soar above life’s troubles like an eagle soars high above the earth.
The point is, God promises to renew us.
There are times when we feel overwhelmed, tired, or exhausted. We want to stop running the race and just sit
on the sidelines for awhile.
The renewing comes from our relationship with God. It comes when we learn to slow down, come to
Him, and find rest in Him.
Isaiah wrote,
(Isa 40:29-31 KJV) He
giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth
strength. {30} Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall
utterly fall: {31} But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and
they shall walk, and not faint.
The Psalmist puts it another way. Psalm
102 was written as …
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed …
We saw on Wednesday night that the key thing to do when you are overwhelmed
(to be feeble, be faint, grow weak) was to pray – to wait –
(Psa 102:17 KJV) He will
regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
:7-12 God’s mercy
:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
The people had rebelled against God in the wilderness. Moses had been gone
too long up on the mountain with God. The people didn’t know what had happened
to Moses. So they built a golden calf and began to worship their new God. Moses
pleaded with God not to wipe out the people. God showed mercy. Then Moses asked
if he could see God’s glory. God said that the most Moses would only be able to
glimpse at God’s “afterglow”. God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock and described
Himself as He passed by …
(Exo 34:6-7 KJV) And the
LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and
gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, {7} Keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by
no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth
generation.
This is God revealing Himself to Moses. God was declaring to Moses the
essentials of who He is.
God will indeed judge men’s sins, but God is first and foremost merciful,
gracious, and patient.
:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins
Remember #5
He is merciful
“Justice” is getting what you deserve.
“Mercy” is not getting what you deserve.
“Grace” is getting what you don’t deserve.
Last week I was driving to church and found myself whizzing by one of Fullerton’s
finest who was pointing his radar gun at me.
I was going 41 mph in a 25 mph zone.
He gave me justice – I got the ticket I deserved. Mercy would have been if he pulled me over
and didn’t give me a ticket. Grace would
have been if he had taken me out to breakfast.
God is both gracious and merciful.
Here the emphasis is on mercy.
Illustration
Pressing Your Luck
Patrick O’Reilly was lucky. Since the day he had found that four leaf
clover, everything good seemed to come his way. He had met the wonderful Rosie,
and after a whirlwind romance, they were married. And now, a year later, he was
the proud father of beautiful twins, a boy and a girl. At work, the story was
the same. He had been promoted and had received a substantial raise, and now
the firm had come up with a profit sharing plan. Patty was certain his good
fortune was due to his 4-leaf clover. Everywhere he went, he was certain to be
carrying the talisman in his suit pocket. One morning, Patty could not find the
clover. He searched the house, but it was not there. In panic, he tried to
recall when he had last seen it. He finally recalled it was in his gray suit
that he had dropped off at the dry cleaners. He rushed to the cleaners only to
find that the work had been completed and his suit was ready to be picked up. He
searched the suit and found the 4-leaf clover, still in one piece but now
flattened from the dry cleaning. From that day on, Patty’s fortunes changed.
Life was good but was no longer perfect. The little inconveniences were always
there. He had a flat tire as he was driving to an important meeting. The twins
developed measles when his boss and his wife were over for dinner. No, Patty’s
life had changed. He still carried the amulet, but he was certainly not living
under the silver lining he was used to and had come to expect. Finally, he had
had enough. He visited the parish priest to see if he could help him understand
what had happened. “This certainly was to be expected,” he was told. “You
should have known ... One should never press one’s luck.”
Yet in reality this is not how
God works.
We tend to think that every bad circumstance must have been caused by some
sin in our life.
While this is true some
times, it’s not true all the time.
If God was up in heaven dealing out penalties for every sin you ever committed,
you would have died a long time ago.
When Israel
was in the wilderness, rebelled against God, and made a golden calf, that
should have been it. God should have
wiped them out. Instead He was merciful.
He doesn’t deal with us according to our sins.
:13-18 God’s compassion
:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
dust – ‘aphar – dry earth,
dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish
This is the same word used to describe how man was made, “of the dust of
the ground” (Gen. 2:7). This is also the
word that God uses to describe what man becomes at death, “unto dust shalt thou
return” (Gen. 3:19)
Illustration
FROM DUST
A little boy came home from Sunday School and went into his room to change
clothes. When he emerged, he asked his mother, “Is it true that we came from
dust?” His mother replied, “Yes, dear. God made us from dust.” The kid ran back
into his room and came out all excited. “Mom, I just looked under my bed, and
there’s somebody either coming or going!”
Remember #6
He understands your limits
He knows what we’re made of.
You may be surprised to find out that you’re flawed, but God isn’t.
You may be surprised to find out that you can’t get all the things
accomplished that you want to accomplish, but God isn’t.
You may be surprised that as you get older, you can’t do the kinds of
things you used to do when you were younger, but God isn’t.
You may be surprised that you could do such a stupid thing like you just
did, but God isn’t. He knows what you’re
made of.
Some of us expect more of ourselves and of others than God does of us. He understands.
:22 bless the LORD, O my soul.
Does this change your attitude in worship?
Feel like sitting down or standing up?