Bless the Lord

Heavenly Father Who is more faithful than you? Who is more gracious. More merciful and kind. More forgiving and good.

Then you No one is father. Father, as we embark on this sacred. Solemn task of both preaching the word and hearing the word. I pray, Lord.

That you would take this poor sinner. And allow me, Father, to speak your word clearly. And Powerfully, truthfully. And Father, for your people, the hearers, those who are here this morning.

I pray, Lord, if there is, remove the, the scales from the eyes. The, the, the corrosion around the heart. Remove the, the wax from the ears. That we may see.

And that we may feel and hear your word this morning. And this I pray. Amen. I want to label the message, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord. Back in 2014. In the midst of some of the most challenging times in my life. I hit rock bottom socially.

Emotionally, financially, and spiritually. I was distraught by my own failure, and I began to think that God could not use me anymore. Help me, Father. In the midst of these trials, I moved back from Boston, Massachusetts from, I moved back from Boston to Moreno Valley, California, and God led me to Cornerstone Fellow Fellowship Bible Church.

As I immerse myself in this community, it was not long before that I kept hearing this phrase over and over again. Preach the gospel to yourself. Has anyone read into that while you're here at Cornerstone? It is a phrase that means.

That you face up to your own sinfulness, then you run to the cross and you preach to yourself the glories of God's love in and through Jesus Christ. And it was when I began to preach the gospel to myself that the changes that I needed began to take place. Perhaps you are here this morning. And you are in a difficult trial.

Perhaps you are overwhelmed by the guilt of your sins. And wonder if God will forgive you. Perhaps you just doubt God's love and need a fresh reminder of his love. If that is you here this morning, then I have good news for you.

The good news is that in the midst of our trials, as we face our own sinfulness and preach to ourselves the glories of God's love, we will see that his love is more than enough and that he is worthy of all our praise. Amen. This is the message of Psalm 103. We don't know the date or the occasion of Psalm 103, but the subscript of Psalm 103 indicates that David is the author.

Psalm 103 is partially a testimony of David who in the past faced up to the reality of his own sinfulness and he experienced God's good forgiveness. It is out of the overflow of this experience with God that he reminds himself of the glories of God's love. So in one sense, Psalm 103 is David's doxology. But God is so good to David that he is compelled to remind his fellow Israelites and all of creation about the goodness of God.

There is not a single prayer request in Psalm 103. But what is evident in Psalm on the 3 is the phrase bless the Lord. This phrase is used 6 times in Psalm 103. 2 at the beginning and 4 times at the end.

Bless the Lord contains the idea of vocal praise to God. It is not simply praise that you say in your heart, it is praise that you give with your voice. But David does not praise God thoughtlessly. To use a common axiom, his theology informed his doxology.

That is, David's understanding of God informs his praise to God. The prince of preachers Charles Haddon Spurgeon and his commentary on Psalm 103 writes, Psalm 103, quote, Psalm 103 is one of those all comprehending scriptures, which is a Bible in itself. We see that a major theme in Psalm 103 is God's covenantal relationship with Israel. All of the heart pounding praises and promises found in Psalm 103 flow to those that are in a covenant relationship with God.

Or, according to verses 1113 and 17, it is those who fear the Lord. So this psalm is for believers. If you are not a believer here this morning, I pray, I pray that you will be compelled to be compelled by God's love, and that you would run to Jesus Christ. Because all of these promises and praises found in here find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

This is a glorious, glorious passage, and there is much God wants us to see here. Let's get into the text, OK? The, the way we'll break down our study today is that we will look at 3 movements of David designed to result in the universal praise of God. Let's word the first movement this way.

He calls upon himself to bless Yahweh for all his benefits. He calls upon himself to bless Yahweh for all his benefits. In the 1st 5 verses. David speaks to himself in an effort to stimulate praise to the Lord.

In doing so, he sets a pattern for us also to emulate. In verses 1 and 2, David preaches to himself how he should bless the Lord. Then in verse 3 through 5, he preaches to himself why he should bless the Lord. First, how he should bless the Lord.

A moment ago I mentioned to you that the word blessed denotes a vocal praise. Suggesting that David believes that it honors God when his creatures praise him. But David also reminds himself that praise should be God-centered. Look at verse one.

David says bless the Lord. The word in Hebrew for Lord is mentioned in astounding 11 times in this Psalm. The Lord, Lord is the covenantal name Yahweh. The basic meaning of Yahweh is that he is who he is.

David, he wants to focus on who God is. David also preaches to himself that praise should be internal. Notice the personal pronoun in verse one. David says, bless the Lord, oh my soul.

Then again in verse one, bless the Lord, oh my soul. Then look at verse 1B. He says, and all that is within me. David wants to set aside distractions and allow all of his mind and all of his heart to engage in the privilege of praising God.

At the end of verse one, David preaches to himself that praise to God should also be reverential. David says at the end of verse one, bless his holy name. God's names are important because they reveal who he is in himself. So significant was God's name in the Old Testament, it was determined that how you treated God's name was the attitude that you had towards God.

So that when David says bless his holy name, David is saying that that God as your name is holy, you are holy. 00, that we would just bow, bow in, in reverence to a holy God when we come to praise Him. David reminds himself praise should be vocal. God-centered, internal and reverential.

Next, he reminds himself that praise should be earnest. Praise should be earnest. Look at verse two, David says, bless the Lord, oh my soul. By this is, this is the 3rd exhortation for himself to bless the Lord.

It seems that that David perhaps thought his heart was not in a good place, or perhaps that his heart was cold towards God. So instead of just, just going through the motions of worship, he seeks to awaken himself to the important privilege of praising God. This is instructive for us here because though David, he was a man of notable zeal for the Lord. And he was not free from the the malady of a drowsy spirit.

How much more necessary is it for us to apply the same quickening to our souls? Lastly, David reminds himself praise should be done by remembering. Notice what David says at the end of verse 2. David says, and forget none of his benefits.

Though it is subtle. David is warning himself here. He is warning himself to forget none of his benefits, and it is loaded with warning for you. And his warning for me.

In the Old Testament, oftentimes the root cause of forgetting God's benefits was pride, and the results were devastating. 2 Chronicles chapter 32, Hezekiah became mortally ill. On his deathbed, he prayed to the Lord and asked for a sign. The Lord answered his prayer.

Yet in 2 Chronicles 32:25, we read these chilling words. But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received. Because his heart was proud, therefore wrath came on him. Forgetting God's benefits means to instead of praising God, we have an unthankful and an irreverent attitude towards God.

An unthankful and an irreverent attitude towards God. This forgetting God's benefits happened to David. It happened to the children of Israel. It happened to Hezekiah, and it can happen to you and it can happen to me.

If pride is the root cause of forgetting God, that makes pride the great nemesis to praise. Ironically, the power to cut down pride is authentic praise to God. Therefore, remembering God is an act of praise. That is what David will do in verses 3 through 5.

In verses 3 through 5, David reminds himself why he should praise the Lord. The first reason he reminds himself of is that God pardons all iniquities. Look at verse 3. Speaking of God, David says, who pardons all your iniquities?

Having one's iniquities pardoned is the greatest need of the human soul. Iniquities is a word that describes sin, but there is something more troubling about iniquities. It denotes an intentional choice to commit a sin. Sometimes we know something is sin, but we still do it.

David was at a time a murderer. An adulterer, a liar, all done intentionally. But the word pardoned is a beautiful word because it signifies God's glorious grace in removing the rightful penalty we deserve for our willful rebellion. David preaches to himself.

That God also heals all diseases. Look at the end of verse 3. David says, who heals all your diseases? Some interpret this verse to speaking of God healing all bodily diseases, but I do not think that that is the interpretation.

David is declaring that God heals all spiritual diseases. The phrase heals all your diseases is a parallel phrase to pardons all your iniquities, which means that the phrase heals all your diseases should at least encompass encompass the idea of pardoning all your iniquities. The Hebrew word for heals conveys the process of restoring a person to a former status. Or even a better status.

What is David saying this? Why is he saying this? In the Old Testament, sacrifices outwardly symbolize pardon for sin in which the chief concern is not to be free of guilt, but it is to restore a person to a right relationship with God. That's the restoration This type of spiritual healing finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah 53:5, speaking about Jesus, Isaiah says, but he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on him. And listen, by his wounds, we are healed.

David preaches to himself that God pardons all iniquities. God heals all diseases. David also preaches to himself that God redeems from death. Look at verse 4.

He says, who redeems your life from the pit? The Psalms often explore the notion of redemption from the grave to eternal life. Psalm 49:15 says, God will redeem my soul from the power of Shiho, for he will receive me. This word redeems in Psalm 103 3 contains the idea of buying back or rescuing someone that was lost or in a state of bondage.

This word pit is a word that refers to the grave. So, commentary, some commentaries note that it is possible that David is looking forward in the spirit of prophecy. To Christ who by his death abolished the power of the grave and through his death offers eternal life. If it is true, if it's true.

That David is looking forward to life after death. Then we can be sure that he is relishing in the benefit of knowing God eternally. God not only saves from negative things like sin and death. But David preaches to himself that God bestows positive blessings.

Look at verse 4. David, speaking to himself, says, who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion? Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion. The glorious substitute for sin and death is a crown weaved out of the attributes of God.

The first attribute is God's loving kindness, loving kindness is a is an all encompassing word in the Old Testament. It denotes kindness, mercy and steadfast love. In this passage, David is using it to speak of God's covenantal and faithful love to his people. And the second attribute compassion, compassion is an expression of God's love to feel deeply and to take pity on his people because they are frail and they need him.

In this declaration of receiving a crown of loving kindness and compassion, David reminds himself that God has elevated him from being a sinner bound to the grave to a forgiven man that is that is fit to reign. Though David was already an earthly king, he feels honored to wear a crown weaved out of the attributes of God. Next, David also preaches to himself how God satisfies him. Look at verse 5.

Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. One of the, the most important questions that we can ask when we are in a trial in our life is, am I seeking the satisfaction that comes from the Lord? The word satisfies denotes the idea of continually having more than enough. And we don't know all of the good things David is referring to here, but whatever they are, they are from God, they satisfy him and they clearly serve to enhance and benefit his life so that he says your youth is renewed youth is renewed like the eagle.

There is an ancient fable. That the eagle soars periodically so near to the sun that it drops scorched into the sea, but then it emerges miraculously rejuvenated. Perhaps David alludes to this, we don't know, but what we do know is the point David is making is that when God satisfies him, his strength is renewed. Well, We have seen in verses 3 through 5 David preached to himself that God pardons, heals, crowns, satisfies, and renews.

And the beautiful thing about these benefits is that they all find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. This means that for you, whatever situation you found yourself in. Today. If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then you have at least 5 glorious reasons to praise God.

So I have a question for you. Do you bless the Lord? Better yet, do you preach to yourself to bless the Lord? Now that David has preached to himself God's benefits, he is ready to remind his community about God with an intention to stir them up also to bless the Lord with him.

This brings us to the 2nd movement of David, designed to result in the universal praise of God. We're we're at the 2nd movement this way. He reminds his fellow Israelites of God's faithful love towards them. He reminds his fellow Israelites of God's faithful love towards them.

In this section of Psalm 103. David transitions from singing of God's glorious benefits to himself. To reminding his fellow Israelites of God's character as it is revealed in their history. In wanting to remind his fellow Israelites of who God is, in verses 6 through 8, David, David begins to point them to what God has done for them.

In verse 6, we will see how God saved his ancestors from oppression. Look at verse 6. David says, the Lord performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed. That's a glorious promise.

In a world where the powerful pervert justice to exploit the poor and helpless, God is there to act. David is reminding them that God acts justly to help all who are oppressed. Because it is a great offense to him when they are oppressed. He performs righteous deeds and judgments on their behalf because God is righteous.

Upon hearing what David just said in verse 6, his fellow Israelites would have immediately thought about how God performed righteous deeds and judgments on behalf of their ancestors who were oppressed by Pharaoh. In Exodus 6:6, it states that the children of Israel were under the burdens of the Egyptians and in their bondage. God saved Israel out of their oppression, not on the condition of their worthiness, but because he is a righteous God. David also reminds them that God revealed to them who he is.

Look at verse 6, excuse me, verse 7. David says, He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the sons of Israel. David here in verse 7 is clearly taking a deeper dive into the Exodus account. His ways to Moses speaks of God's revealing the steps and the methods that Moses was to take to lead his people.

And by God's sovereign act of redemption Israel witnessed mighty acts in the wilderness to preserve their life and to lead them into the promised land. Then look at verse 8, David says, The Lord is compassionate. And gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. What a beautiful string of attributes.

What is, excuse me, what is David saying here? Well, David is partially quoting Exodus 34:57. A little context of Exodus 34 may be helpful here. In Exodus 32, the children of Israel break covenant with God by worshiping a golden calf.

In Exodus 33, Moses pleads to God for forgiveness and mercy for the children of Israel. Then in verses 3, Exodus 34:14, Moses ascends to Mount Sinai and waits for God. God passes in front of Moses and declares in verse 5 of Exodus 34, the Lord, the Lord, Yahweh, Yahweh is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding and loving kindness. God reveals his very nature to Moses in the midst of this great breach in the relationship.

Believers, the glorious contrast of Israel's relationship with God is that although many times they were not faithful to God, God was always faithful to them. Let me put it this way. David reminds them that God reveals himself as compassionate, gracious slow to anger and abounding in love even in their worst moments. God saves them from oppression.

He reveals his ways and his acts to them. He reveals his love for them even in their worst moments. David is showing them that their entire covenantal relationship with God is profoundly and fundamentally dependent upon God's grace. David continues this train of thought and reminds his fellow Israelites of God's grace in the negative, showing how he does not deal with them as they deserve.

David says at the beginning of verse 9, I'll read verses 9 and 10. David says 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 rewarded us according to our iniquities. 00, how we need the grace of God.

this word strife in verse 9 carries a central idea of a legal dispute or a controversy. In love, God carries out his disputes with the person by convicting them over sin. This is God striving with men. But God will not always do that.

Similarly, David reminds them that God does not keep his anger endlessly by endlessly convicting them of sin. What does this mean? Have you ever noticed that when you confess your sins to the Lord, that at some point the Lord brings relief to the conscience. And this is God's grace on our behalf.

He brings relief to the conscience in love he indicts us for sin, but in grace he brings relief to the conscience that is the mercy of God and the grace of God to cease his strivings with us for our sin. David continues, look at verse 10 again, he says he has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. There are 2 implied questions in this verse. The first is, what is our reward for our sins against God?

The second question is, why has God not rewarded us according to our iniquities? To the first question, what is our reward for our sins against God? The wrath of God. There are some people who laugh at the notion of the wrath of God.

Or they think that their sins don't warrant any punishment whatsoever. But there is nothing more dangerous than underestimating the wrath of God. The Israelites understood that God's wrath is his rightful response to sin and disobedience. If God is a holy and righteous God, he must punish sin.

Romans 1:18 says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people. Brothers and sisters. The sobering reality here. It's not that that god has wrath or that he gets angry at sin.

The sobering truth is that we sin against a holy and righteous and gracious and loving God. That's the crime. So to answer the first question, Apart from the saving work of Christ, every sin deserves the wrath of God. The second question is, why has God not dealt with us and rewarded us according to our sin?

The answer is his infinite love. In verses 11 through 18, David gives his fellow Israelites 4 reminders of why God has not dealt with them and rewarded them according to their sins. Look at verse 11, David says, For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his loving kindness towards those who fear him. As a shepherd, David spent many days outside.

By day, he would scan the intricate details of the cloud in the sky. By night, he would have lied awake, gazing at the the splendor of the night skies and and all the stars. So enthralled with David at the infinite heights of God's love that he compares it to the infinite heights of God's heavens. Notice that those who experience this astounding love of God is not indiscriminate.

It is to those who fear Him. Those in a covenant relationship with Yahweh experience this astounding loving kindness. David's metaphor in verse 11 would have inspired his fellow Israelites to turn their gaze to heaven and say, God, your, your love is infinite and glorious. Using another spatial metaphor in verse 12, David says, as far as the east is from the west.

So far as he removed our transgressions from us. The word transgressions here also refers to sins, but specifically it denotes rebellion against divine authority. Transgressions are sins that defy and break and and twist and pervert the law of God. But in verse 12 David says God removes these transgressions.

As humans We find it difficult to forget when we're sinned against, don't we? But David, but God says, but excuse me, but David says in verse 12, that God has removed our transgressions as far as the east is from the West. Oh, excuse me. Oh, excuse me.

Oh man. All right. I'm gonna improvise here. In verse 13, David says, just as the father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

This is a this is a wonderful, wonderful verse here. So the Lord has compassion on us. this reminds me of, if you remember the prodigal son in Luke 15, the son is the son goes to away and he comes back home defeated and he hit rock bottom. And there the father was ready to embrace him in his arms to to receive him.

He, he kissed him and and he put a ring on his hand and he put a robe on him and he put sandals on his feet. This is the love and kindness of God, the compassion of God, who, who sees us when we are ready to repent of our sins and, and ready to embrace us. This is the compassion of the lord. Verse 14 says, for he himself knows our frame, he is mindful that we are but dust.

this, this word here for. The word here for frame is the same word used in Genesis 2 speaking of that we were framed that God knows our frame that he formed us from the dust of the ground. So these two parallel phrases in verse 14 that he knows our frame and he knows that we are but dust, it indicates one thing that God knows us. That God knows us, he knows us better than our parents know us he know us better than we know ourselves better yet he knows us even more specifically than that God knows our sinful condition.

God knows how easily we are tempted to sin. God knows how easily we go astray from his promises. God knows how much we need him. God knows that God knows our frame.

Then that's what our, our frame is the very reason why there is death in the world. Look at verse 15 and 16. David says, as far as for man, his days are like grass as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more.

And its place acknowledges it no longer. In reminding them that their days are like grass, he is reminding them of the brevity of life. This frail flower that flourishes and then is no more depicts the sobering and inescapable truth that a man or woman in their most flourishing of circumstances cannot escape death. David is not bewailing a life that ends prematurely.

He acknowledges that eventually the winds of time come and everyone dies. In the obituary column of the newspaper right below the the pictures of those who have deceased. There is a the biography of that person's life, how much they flourished. and right, at the bottom of the right column of the newspaper, there's a flower there.

And that that flower is a is a perfect reminder that that that that though there is progress in life there is an inevitable end to life. But David says in verse 17, the loving kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. How refreshing is that? David in verse 17 contrast the the frail and transitory life of man with the permanence of God's love.

This phrase everlasting to everlasting means that from before the heavens and the earth were created. Eternity past to eternity future God's loving kindness has always been. Although life on this earth ends, we can put our trust in God because His love is an unending and faithful love. Then look at verse 17.

David reminds them and his righteousness to children's children. There's a lot that can be said here about God's righteousness, but based on what David reminded his fellow Israelites in verse 6, we can at the very least say that this means that God's faithfulness to perform righteous deeds continues from generation to generation. As God's loving kindness is everlasting, so is his righteousness. In verse 17, David designates for the 3rd time those who fear the Lord.

Those who are in a covenant relationship with Yahweh. That these are the recipients of God's loving kindness, but David in verse 18 describes the lifestyle of those who fear the Lord. We read in verse 18, they are those who keep his covenant. That's faithfulness And remember his precepts to do them.

That's obedience. In other words, the two ingredients of the lifestyle marked by those who fear the Lord are faithfulness and obedience. Sinners motivated by God's loving forgiveness and benefits live faithful and obedient lives to him. An anecdote is told of a young woman who grew up in dire poverty.

In the heartland of a country. A benefactor made it possible for her to take a trip to the coast where for the first time she saw the ocean. Enraptured, she stood gazing at the vastness and she was heard to say, thank God there is more than enough. So it is with us, that we poor sinners stand in awe of his love as seen in verses 11 through 18, and we put our hands up and we say, I praise you, God, that there is more than enough.

The question that I have for you, is God's love more than enough for you? And not only is it enough for you to praise him, is it enough for you to live for him. In the first movement, David preached the glories of God's benefits to himself. In the second movement, he has reminded his fellow Israelites that despite their sinfulness and frailty, God is gracious and loving, and he will always be that way.

There is one more movement of David designed to result in a universal praise of God. He calls that we're worth the third point this way. He calls on all Yahweh's creatures to bless their sovereign Lord. He calls on all Yahweh's creatures to bless their sovereign lord.

In this section, David shifts the emphasis of the Psalm, where now he magnifies the majesty of the one who is so loving. He does this by placing the divine name first. Look at verse 19. David says, The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his sovereignty rules over all.

God with his throne in the heavens, is positioned as the acting sovereignty over all the earth. It is a throne that he established. The throne of God in the heavens represents represents his supreme rulership over all the earth. This is also captured by the word sovereignty.

His sovereignty denotes to to reign to govern his dominance. This view of God presents the grandest view of his supremacy over man in all creation. Believers, how freeing is it to us in our most troubling circumstances to remember that God is in control. Next we see that this sovereign God deserves heavenly praise.

He says in verse 20 bless the Lord, you his angels, mighty in strength, who perform his word, obeying the voice of his word. I, I think David is on another level of praise here. These angels, these are spirit messengers created by God who dwell in heaven with god. David David gives 4 descriptions here of these angels.

They are his, God's angels, they are strong, obedient, and they serve him. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't command angels in my prayer time. so convinced is David that God is so worthy of praise, David commands his mighty angels to praise God. David commands angels.

And not only that, he commands the cosmos. Look at verse 21. David says, bless the Lord all you his hosts who serve him doing his will. And there are some who interpret the this host to be referring to angelic host, but I do not think he is just restating verse 20 this group of hosts is the cosmos.

Deuteronomy 4:19 says that all of the hosts of heaven are the sun, the moon, and the stars. The entire cosmos sings praises to God. David commands angels, the cosmos to praise God, but that's not it. He calls all of creation to praise God.

Look at verse 22. David says. Bless the Lord all you his works works of his and all places of his dominion. What does he mean?

With Psalm 148:2 through 13 I believe has the right picture. Listen to it. It says, praise him, all his angels, praise him all his hosts. Praise him sun, moon, praise him all stars of light, praise him high as heavens and the waters that are above the heavens.

Let the name of the Lord be praised. Praise the Lord from the earth. From the sea monsters and all the deep fire and hell, snow and clouds, stormy wind fulfilling his word, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, beasts and all cattle, creeping things and wing file, kings of the earth, all peoples, princes and all judges. Both young men and virgins, old men and children, let the name of the Lord be praised.

All this is powerfully motivating for us because it is a reminder that when we praise God, whether we are at home or at church, we are participating in a universal choir of praise. This song began with David preaching to himself God's benefits, but in the last phrase David comes back to the man in the mirror, verse 22. And he says bless the Lord, oh my soul. David ends this song with an internal call to praise God because his most earnest, his most heartfelt need was for himself to praise God.

And that's our desire too, isn't it? Well, as we have worked through this psalm, we have witnessed the psalmist fill his heart and the pages with exultant praise to God. I think there there are a few practical takeaways that we can draw from our study of this psalm. The glorious call of this passage is to praise God.

If there is nothing else you remember that I have said today. Please remember that God is worthy of praise. God demonstrated his great love for us in sending his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, paying the the high cost to forgive us of our sins, restoring us to a right relationship with God, redeeming us from death to eternal life, satisfying us and renewing us by his word and by the Holy Spirit. Beloved brothers and sisters, this is worth waking up every morning and saying, God, I praise you.

God, I praise you. This passage is for those who are in a committed relationship with God. If god though has not opened your eyes to see the urgency of this message if you are not a believer. Consider what David said.

As for man. His days are like grass. A flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more.

You who do not believe in Jesus, consider the brevity of your life. Buy, buy your house, buy your car, make your money, but soon this life will end. Then, then where will all your hope be? You can only hope in the wrath of God.

But God is gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. Place your faith in Jesus Christ, run to the cross. Repent of your sins. Believe in Jesus Christ before it's too late.

Hurry, do it today, do it today. Today David has helped us look to God to see that his love is more than enough and that he is worthy of all our praise. David held a great view of God's love, but he, he only saw through a mirror dimly what we see in Jesus Christ more fully. As we face up to our own sin we can run to Jesus and we can preach to ourselves the glories of God's love.

Especially in our trials. In times of sin and failure, rehearse the promise that through Christ God has removed your transgressions as far as the east is from the west. If you doubt that God has good intentions in your pain, rehearse verse 13 where it says, just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. If you are in a place of loneliness, emotional pain, or just feeling unloved, fix your gaze to heaven and say, for as high as the heavens are above the earth.

So great is his loving kindness towards me. It was almost 10 years ago today when I came to Cornerstone and I had a great need of God. When I began to preach to myself the glories of God's love in and through Christ, I began to be strengthened and satisfied in God. I guarantee you if you preach to yourself like David does in Psalm 103 over time your life will change also.

Let me give the Lord a prayer, right? Well, Father, We Our poor sinners, Lord. Oh, how we need your grace, Father. God, we are desperate, Lord, we know that we are nothing without you.

You do everything to to keep our relationship intact with you. Father, as the word has been preached today, I pray God. That our life will be changed for the better. And that we will wake up in our mornings, Lord, and even in our, even in our trials, Lord, God help us to just for a moment to, to set aside distractions or even just just thinking about ourselves and our circumstance.

And just allow us God to to just think about how good you've been to us to just think about what it what it means to have a relationship with you. God, I pray that that as we preach to ourselves the good news, I pray, Father, that that our hearts will be changed, that even if our circumstances doesn't change, and we know that you don't change. And we know, Lord, that we can trust in you. God, you are worthy of praise.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.