Loaded
Pt. 1- Benefit 1
I. Introduction
One day a year we are reminded to be thankful. This reminder should not be needed since we are commanded to be thankful. Psalm 95, 97, 107, and then in Psalm 118, 1 Chronicles 16, and finally in one of the most interesting instances in Psalm 136. This is an interesting passage because it is almost like the needle gets stuck on the record. The Psalmist apparently knew that to catch something you often need to repeat it. In the first 3 verses he basically says the same exact thing and then after jarring loose from the command he comes back to it and ends the chapter with the same statement.
Psalm 136:1-3, 26
Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever. Oh give thanks unto the God of gods; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever. Oh give thanks unto the Lord of lords; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever: Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
But even though we are commanded to be thankful there are days that seems to be very difficult to obey. Why? Most of us don't consider ourselves well off. One of the things that I discovered out of my research for our last series about money is that most Americans, even though they actually fall in the top 1% of the world's wealth earners, never feel like they are wealthy. Couple that with the fact that I often spend time with folks who are facing significant trials, hardships, heartaches, heart breaks and who have experienced unexpected pain, shifts in life path and tragedies. Therefore, being thankful, giving thanks and even believing that God is good can be a challenge. Our poor man mentality and then life's hardships make it very difficult for many of us to understand, comprehend, and remember that we are loaded.
When you ask my dad to pray over a meal or to start off the day one of the most repeated phrases that has been burned into my spirit is that he almost always prays, "thank you for the daily benefits that You have loaded our lives with!" Over the course of the next few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas we are going to examine the benefits we have as God's children. Hopefully, even in face of difficult or less than perfect circumstances you too will come to a place of thankfulness as you embrace the fact that you are loaded. In fact, let's get a little practice in . . . touch your neighbor and will a little attitude tell them "you many not know it but I am loaded!"
Text: Psalms 103:1-5
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sin and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
a. Control your soul.
David takes control of his own soul. He talks to his soul and says, "My soul will praise Him". He says to himself don't forget. I think David understood that we have a tendency to be extremely forgetful. He knew that life would strike blows that would rattle our ability to remember and we would view God through the lens of the immediate. He is trying to get us to refocus and in spite of what you see now. . . remember that God is still worthy of praise and that we can't afford to forget His worthiness. Practice that this morning. Say to your own soul. . . I am loaded! I will praise the Lord.
Then as another tool to help him to remember David begins to list the benefits he has received as a direct result of his relationship with God. How many of you ever need to stop and rehearse the benefits of your job? On a bad day when everyone is driving you nuts it does us good to stop and remember the 3 week paid vacations, the 401K, the annual bonus, or the birthday lunch. The benefits need to be rehearsed. David does that here. He reminds himself that there are benefits to this relationship that he has established with God. It is here that I want us to land. In spite of everything you are facing or will face we have benefits that make it worth it.
b. We are loaded with forgiveness.
We can't afford to forget forgiveness. David begins his benefit list with the greatest benefit. He states we are loaded with forgiveness. What has He forgiveness us of?
Psalm 103:10-12
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
David deals with both aspects of our sin. He says we are forgiven of our iniquity. Iniquity is inward motivation that drives us toward sin. No one can see it. It is that hidden thing. Then he says that not only is our iniquity dealt with but also our transgressions are removed. Transgression is the outward movement. It means to trespass. To step over a line. It is the visible manifestation of what was happening in us. Iniquity is heart and transgression is hand. Iniquity is attitude. Transgression is action. Our issue is that to often we become comfortable with iniquity as long as we don't transgress. The mentality of the Pharisee was it is OK to be married and window shop. Lust was OK as long you didn't make a move. It only becomes sin if I actually act out. Jesus equates the two as sin. If you look and lust you have committed adultery. Both are sin.
That is why Isaiah 53 tops our benefit list and is so important!
Isaiah 53:5 - But he was wounded (outward bleeding) for our transgressions, he was bruised (inward bleeding) for our iniquities.
We are so loaded with forgiveness that Jesus makes provision for both inward and outward sin. He deals with both. His sacrifice was so complete that no sin can escape the reach of His forgiveness!
c. We should be loaded with thankfulness because He is loaded with forgetfulness!
How loaded are we with forgiveness? He has removed our transgressions. He has done away with them. This is the justifying work of Christ. It becomes just as if I had never sinned. He forgets it. As far as the East is from the West. They never meet! In other words . . . He isn't checking our file! There is no file! He doesn't remember. Your spouse remembers. Your kids remember. Your friends remember. Your enemies really remember. You may even remember. But your God doesn't. Every time you bring up your sin to Him you have start a new conversation. You want to pick it up as if it is a continued conversation but God has to catch up. It is new news to Him.
Isaiah 43:25 - “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
“But I, yes I, am the one who takes care of your sins—that’s what I do.I don’t keep a list of your sins.
Hebrews 8:12 - their sins I will (act of will) remember no more.
God will not recall our past. In other words, if it comes back up it isn't brought up by God but by our enemy.
His choice to be forgetful is an outstanding benefit. (OK let me say it theologically correct so I don't get any emails.) He has knowledge of it but He chooses not to recall it! That is a word for couples. That is word for how to handle it when someone hurts us and does us wrong. We can be like God. We can have knowledge of something and choose not to recall.
So you are loaded because God removes, remembers no more, and releases us! Listen . . . our debt has been paid by Jesus! So there is no debt. Our iniquities have been forgiven! We are released! Jesus said that was why He came . . . to set the captives free. If we live our lives bound after we have been forgiven then we are not accessing the benefit of forgiveness that we are loaded with! You don't have to be in bondage. You are no longer a slave to sin. You don't have to remain enslaved by guilt, shame, inward sin, outward sin. When you encounter Jesus and ask Him to become your Lord not only does He remove and remember no more but He goes one more step and releases us! It is a lie of the enemy that you have to remain bound.
Let's do this together today. Let's make sure you have spoken to Jesus about your inward and outward sin. Don't pick this up as an old conversation. Start a new one. Let Him remove and choose to remember no more. Be released this morning!!
Finally, let's take a few moments and control our soul. We are loaded. We should be thankful. It shouldn't be hard to give praise. We have the benefit of forgiveness.
