Now What: Redeem
WWJD • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsFrom the original part of the series, redemption is about going to the least of these and worst sinners and proclaiming good news.
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God’s faithful love executes grace and compassion for all the oppressed.
God’s faithful love executes grace and compassion for all the oppressed.
12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.
God’s love towards His people and His faithfulness to His covenant lead to a compassion and grace that leads us in awe to marvel at His character.
God’s love towards His people and His faithfulness to His covenant lead to a compassion and grace that leads us in awe to marvel at His character.
19 As he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became enraged and threw the tablets out of his hands, smashing them at the base of the mountain. 20 He took the calf they had made, burned it up, and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder over the surface of the water and forced the Israelites to drink the water. 21 Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin?” 22 “Don’t be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,’ and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”
Terrible leadership in the midst of a grievous sin. Yet, Aaron and Moses aren’t the only ones who wrestle with their own failures and the failures of their generation. It is a continual pattern throughout scripture.
7 He revealed his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.
50 His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him.
From Moses, to David, to us, God offers grace to undeserved sinners.
4 He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.
He redeems David from the Pit. The Hebrew here, שַּׁ֣חַת, is what they would call the physical place of death. Not hell in our sense, but more like a grave. For David, God redeemed him from sin and disease, preserving him from the “pit.”
If God is extending grace to undeserved sinners, and redeeming unfaithful kings, who is next?
Maybe you will preach the Gospel to one like a Paul, or one like a Luke. Maybe you are riveted by the effects of recognizing and repenting from sin. Maybe you feel like David after sleeping with Bathsheba, or Aaron after building golden calves and facing Moses. Regardless, God died for you with your sin on His mind. That’s what a gracious and compassionate God does.
Psalm 103 (CSB)
Of David. 1 My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits. 3 He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. 4 He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion. 5 He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle. 6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He revealed his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love. 9 He will not always accuse us or be angry forever. 10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. 14 For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass— he blooms like a flower of the field; 16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known. 17 But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren 18 of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts. 19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do his word, obedient to his command. 21 Bless the Lord, all his armies, his servants who do his will. 22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all the places where he rules. My soul, bless the Lord!
God’s faithful love executes grace and compassion for all the oppressed.
God’s faithful love executes grace and compassion for all the oppressed.
רַחֵ֣ם
רַחֵ֣ם
Rahem: Psalm 103:13
Feeling of love, sensation of love, compassion - HALOT
Rahamim: Jr 16:5 “5 “For this is what the Lord says: Don’t enter a house where a mourning feast is taking place. Don’t go to lament or sympathize with them, for I have removed my peace from these people as well as my faithful love and compassion.” This is the Lord’s declaration.”
Hos 2:21 “21 On that day I will respond— this is the Lord’s declaration. I will respond to the sky, and it will respond to the earth.” Zech 7:9 “9 “The Lord of Armies says this: ‘Make fair decisions. Show faithful love and compassion to one another.” Ps 51:3 “3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me.” Ps 69:17 “17 Don’t hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress. Answer me quickly!” Ps 103:4 “4 He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.”
Interesting, Chesed and Rhamim are used together in all of those verses. - HALOT
Rahum: Ps 103:8
Mercy, meeting someone where they are at. - HALOT
חָֽסֶד׃
חָֽסֶד׃
Chesed: Psalm 103:4, Psalm 103:8, Psalm 103:11, Psalm 103:17
God’s mercy can be attributed to His faithfulness, His covenant bound mercy. This is where we praise God that we are chosen by God to be His people and that we didn’t choose Him. It’s His choice to extend us grace and mercy despite our continual failures.
How vast is God’s grace?
How vast is God’s grace?
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
17 But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren
How powerful is God’s grace?
How powerful is God’s grace?
3 He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. 4 He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion. 5 He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle.
There’s so much power in verses 7-8, recalling God’s “righteousness and justice for all the oppressed” by revealing “his ways” and “his deeds” to the people of Israel. His revealing leads to confidence in how He will deal with us. Remember, the world will see the faithfulness of God to you, and have confidence He will execute “justice” and “righteousness” to them. Luke 1:50.
Who can receive God’s grace?
Who can receive God’s grace?
6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.
Its mention here (7) reminds us of the sullen ingratitude which God encounters in reply to the forgiving, healing and redeeming of which the opening verses sang.1
1 Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16 of Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 399.
God, infinitely wronged, not only tempers wrath but tempers justice (10)—though at what cost to himself, only the New Testament would reveal.1
1 Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16 of Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 399.
Moses and the stiff-necked people who worship the golden calf are forgiven. They are extended grace and mercy even though they break the covenant with God. So, then God extends grace and mercy and initiates the 10 Commandments.
What now?
What now?
Obedience
Obedience
17 But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren 18 of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts.
But be careful, warns the psalmist with a necessary realism. This love is not to be willfully abused. Its recipients must respond with respectful awe, he says in a triple p 33 refrain at vv 11, 13, 17.1
1 Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (Revised), vol. 21 of Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), 32–33.
Praise
Praise
20 Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do his word, obedient to his command. 21 Bless the Lord, all his armies, his servants who do his will. 22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all the places where he rules. My soul, bless the Lord!
The further we move from recognizing sin towards retraining actions, the more likely we are to forget the grace of God in our lives. We essentially can turn to two different attitudes: 1. thank you God for changing my life 2. thank you God that I’m not like sinners. That’s where we began this series, with saints thinking they were better than sinners. If you buy a house it doesn’t make you a better builder than anyone. If you go to a Ravens game, it doesn’t make you a better football player than anyone. And, if you overcome sin, it doesn’t make you a better person than anyone. As soon as you believe that lie you rob God of the glory that He is due for finding you a disheveled and wicked human, yet loving you and extending an extraordinary grace and mercy towards you so that you could even stand in some form of transformation. It’s by His wounds we are healed, it’s by His grace we are called sons and daughters, and it’s by His Spirit that we will one day be raised from the dead. Do not leave God’s grace thinking more highly of yourself than you ought. Instead, see yourself as redeemed by a gracious and loving God who has been faithful to you despite your unfaithfulness to Him.
So, if God redeemed you, will you be a part of Him redeeming others? Sinners, far from God. Just like you and me. Will you be a part of God’s plan? Like David, will you remember God’s faithfulness to the Israelites? Like David, will you praise God for His faithfulness to you?
So, who is next? Who is the next person to be redeemed by God? Next week we take up the challenge of reconciling the world to God throughout scripture. This was the greatest failure of the priests. It was their greatest issue with Jesus. I hope today will prepare you well to see the character of God has been consistent throughout scripture and put on display for the world to see in Jesus. So I close with the same point about Jesus for all of scripture: God is real. His Word is true. We are His people. We are sinners. Jesus rescues sinners. That’s what Jesus would do. He would rescue sinners.
Gospel Response:
Gospel Response:
Let the Redeemed Preach
Overcome Sin -> Obedient Follower
Give Thanks Often