God's Great and Gracious Love

Photo credit: Johanna Kautt

Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, February 13, 2011

Psalm 103:1-22, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them. The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

I happened to tune in my radio yesterday, as I was out in the car, to a report about a contest to recognize and honor the couple that had been married the longest. With Valentine's Day coming up tomorrow, and the chance to praise God for the nearly 30 years of marriage that I've shared with my dear wife, I turned the volume up to listen a little more closely. From what the report said, over 150 couples were found who had been married from 60 to 69 years – Glynn & Peggy are nearly a part of that bunch. About a hundred couples were found who had been married 70 to 79 years, and over 50 couples 80 years or more. As it turns out, the contest winner were a Mr. And Mrs. Kuykendal of New Mexico, who have been married 82 years. Still living in the home they built together many years ago, still active at ages 102 and 101. Mr. and Mrs. Kuykendal set an example and serve as an inspiration to all of us.

82 years of marriage, isn't that amazing?! You know, if I had the opportunity to ask them one question, I'd like to ask them to explain to me where they would be without each other's love and commitment?

“Where would I be...” ask yourself this question, my Loved Ones, as we examine God's Word together this morning, “where would I be without the love of the Lord?” This morning I want you to join me in praising God for the best valentine gift of all; “for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:8) “By this we know love: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us...” (1 John 3:16) “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

Where would I be, where would you be if Jesus hadn't loved you? Where would we be without His tender love? This psalm, through the words, the thoughts, yes, even the emotions of the psalmist David, the Lord has given us an avenue to come to grips with that question. Much more, through the joyful expressions of praise wrapped up in this passage, our God has supplied us with divine insight to guide us in our own expressions of thanksgiving to God for His love. Take a look with me, will you?

Literally, almost from the very first word of this psalm, David, the shepherd king of Israel, the one whom God had chosen to lead His people when King Saul, the 'people's choice' failed, David, the one God brought up from obscurity, serving as a lowly, youngest brother, take care of Daddy's sheep role, to the throne and through him, the messianic line, what does David say? How does he begin this song of praise to God for his incredible mercy and love? “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name...” “He has done great things, He has done great things, He has done great things, bless His holy name...”

Literally, right from the start, David points us toward our question, “Where would we be without God's love?” and to an answer, a powerful, joyful, even humbling and awe-inspiring answer: “bless the Lord, O my soul, and ALL that is within me bless His holy name...” The first thing we need to realize here is that God's great and gracious love for us, it literally alters and impacts ALL, yes I mean ALL, that we are!

Take a look at his list, the catalog of benefits David unveils for us here. The Lord, out of His great love for us, what does He do?

First off, He forgives. He forgives all – there's that word again – our iniquities. Then, watch the progression here. “He forgives all our iniquities, He heals all our diseases, He redeems our lives from destruction.” Do you follow where David, led by God's Spirit, is taking us? He's taking us, in my minds eye, I imagine him grabbing up his shepherd's staff, and walking with us out to one of the hillside meadows to which he used to lead his father's sheep. Can't you just see it: lush and green, quiet and secluded, perfect place for his father's tender lambs to feed. But, then – abruptly, he stops us, and then, carefully, leads us to something only a trained, shepherd's eye would see – a crack – a crevice, in the rocky terrain, going down, down, down, to who knows where, a pit of no-return for any and every little lamb that fall there. Listen, through these opening words of joyful praise, soaring as they do to the heights of worship, they would mean nothing – NOTHING – if there wasn't a way out of the pit! Listen, my friends, God's forgiving love is the way! God's healing love is the way! God's redeeming love is the way, the way lost, straying sheep like you and me are brought up out of the pit, the pit of sin, and rescued from its dreadful consequences: destruction.

Where would we be without God's great and gracious love? There's a unique characteristic to Old Testament poetry that amazes me every time I come across it. You've probably observed it yourself, but maybe didn't have the technical, theological term to use to label it. Well, here goes, here's the technical, theological label for this characteristic of Old Testament poetry seen in many places in the psalms, including right here in Psalm 103. It is the 'snow ball effect', pretty technical sounding, huh? Pretty theological sounding, huh? The snowball effect!

Where would you and I be without God's love? How is it that David could say, and I believe, say rightly, accurately and appropriately, “all that is within me, praises You for Your incredible love for me...” Here's how, here's why, the snowball effect, God's love, through His great and gracious love, He has forgiven me! God's love, through His great and gracious love, He has healed and redeemed me, God's love, through His great and gracious love, He has satisfied me (verse 5). And, then God's love, through His great and gracious love He has crowned me! The snowball effect, you see it, don't you? Where would we be without God's love?

Verses 8 through 10 – Look what these verses tell us about our Lord, talk about snowballs! His great and gracious love, what is it? It is an expression, a display – I like to think of it as an overflow, an eruption of His mercy, His grace and yes, His patience! Where would we be if our God wasn't that way? Read it with me again, will you? If God wasn't merciful, if our Lord wasn't gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous – I love that old King James word, plenteous – abounding in His mercy toward us, where would we be? Listen to verse 10, and you'll see! “He HAS dealt with us according to our sins. He HAS punished us according to our iniquities!!” That's where we would be without God's great love for us!

When we're talking about the love of God, forgiving us, healing us, rescuing us, satisfying us, crowning us – as Christians – when we're talking about the great and gracious love of God, where do we always ultimately end up? You know it, don't you? Any Christian discussion and study of the love of God always ultimately leads us to the Cross of our Dear Savior! Why is that?

Well, allow me to use this psalm, this Old Testament poem of praise to our gracious God to explain. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the ultimate demonstration of God's great love for us – do you see it here? Verses 13 & 14 – See it with me, would you please – in the way in which our gracious God, our Dear Father, recognizes the weakness that is in us.

Psalm 103:13-14, “As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” is the tender way our Savior spoke it from the cross...

Then there's verse 11. Take a look at what it shows us about God's great love at Calvary – the Cross – it is the ULTIMATE demonstration of God's great love for us, because in the cross, at the cross, we see God reaching down, the High and Holy One reaching down, down, down, to us!! To a sinful wretch like me!

Psalm 103:11, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.”

Next, what is there? This Old Testament poem, and it's snowball effect describes what Jesus did for us at Calvary when it says, take a look at it, verse 12, then take a look up here, “As far as the East is from the West,” God, in His great and gracious love, “has removed our transgressions from us!” The eyes of God, like a Father, He recognizes the weakness in us. The arms of God, high and holy though He may be, He reaches down to us. And yes, the hands of God – the nail-pierced hands of the Son of God – what do they do for us? As far as the East is from the West, they remove our sins from us. Which lead where, then? One more amazing snowball heaped up, up, up, in verses 15, 16, 17 and 18.

Psalm 103:15-18, “As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them.”

Where would you and I be without the great and gracious love of God in Christ, at the Cross? Do you see it? “As for man his days are as grass as flourishing flowers of the field...” Sounds promising, doesn't it? Until the wind passes over it, then what? It is gone! “It is gone!” Sad ending to an otherwise hopeful passage of Scripture? No, look! This psalm of praise to our God for His great and gracious love and mercy, it doesn't end with the weakness and frailty of man – no! Praise God! It ends with the certainty, the confident, certainty we have because of the Faithfulness of God!

Where would we be without the love of God? I want you to look one more time at verse 17, and ask yourself this question: “where would I be if God's love had a time limit on it?” Verse 17, read it again with me.

Psalm 103:17-18, “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them.”

Where would you be, where would I be without God's great and gracious love? Do you mind if I switch things up for you just a bit, before we close?

This time, ask yourself this question: “Where am I with the love of God? What am I BECAUSE God loves me?” I would suggest to you that you are in the choir, led by that great musician, the Psalmist David, singing these words, “Bless the Lord, O My Soul...”