Remember O Lord, Your Great Mercy (November 28, 2021)

Remember O Lord, Your Great Mercy

Text: Psalm 25

Psalm 25:1-10  Of David. To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.  (2)  O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.  (3)  Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.  (4)  Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.  (5)  Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.  (6)  Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.  (7)  Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD!  (8)  Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.  (9)  He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.  (10)  All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.  

"Voltaire once stood watching a funeral procession. As a high crucifix, carried by four men, passed by, Voltaire was seen to raise his hat and hold it aloft in the air until the crucifix had passed. A friend of his noticing this, said, "Well are you at last a believer in God?" "No," replied the atheist. "We salute, but we do not speak". (Hyman J. Appleman. Pointed Sermon Outlines And Illustrations. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1953,p. 82). How many are there like Voltaire who salute God, but do not speak to Him?

Psalm 55:19 says “Men who never change their ways have no fear of God” . How can we ever be willing to want to know God’s ways or be taught His paths to instruct us in God’s ways and learn the truth of God’s call on our lives if we do not want change?

Isn’t Advent a time of expectation and preparation? Doesn’t Advent challenge us to make changes in our lives? Obviously, Voltaire seems to be a poster boy for someone who does not want to have to prepare because he doesn’t want to make any changes. Didn’t David write this Psalm expressing remorse as well as the hunger for righteousness that only God could give him? Do we have that yearning in common with David?

The world is full of two kinds of people, the shameful and the ashamed.

THE SHAMEFUL

Have you ever known anyone who was shameless?

Don’t we often think of an enemy who refused to apologize? What could be more shameless than a hit and run? Years ago I went to visit a man in the hospital who was involved in a hit and run accident. I don’t think I saw him when he was conscience except one time before I moved to my next appointment. They finally caught the person. It was over four months before they caught the culprit. That poor gentleman was crippled for life after that hit and run accident.

How many hit and run behaviors do we see in the world today? How many times have we seen incidents in the news where people have committed crimes for which they did not seem to feel any remorse? How many times have we seen people shamelessly loot stores without being arrested? What about recent looting in California where criminals were allowed to loot $900 of stuff during store hours without penalty? What is more shameful the fact that they looted the stores or the fact that they were caught on camera and were dismissed by the legal system that should have arrested and charged them?

How about our own values and principles? Have we ever done anything shameful? One of the notions about sin is the more one sins the less one feels remorse about it. The danger is that behavior like that can lead to making one someone feel bulletproof. What if someone offered you a million dollars to compromise your values and your principles, would you do it? How can anyone prepare for changes if they live with an illusion of having an immunity to sin?

Do you think that the shameless are ill-prepared for the future? The story is told of a man who neglected to take care of a spare tire after he had a second flat tire within five days. He had neglected the necessity of getting the bad tire fixed and then he was stranded. Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.(source of origin: J.U., August, 1982). How many are so busy shamelessly living as if tomorrow never comes? How can we make changes if we live in denial about our negligence and sin?