[0:00] I greet you in the name of Jesus this morning. Appreciate the devotional. Come unto me.
[0:13] Jesus said come. Come to him. If we are heavy laden, if we are burdened, come to him.
[0:26] Amen. He invites us to come. And as we go through this this morning, let's remember that wherever we find ourselves, Jesus invites us to come to him.
[0:51] Turn to Psalm 107. Psalm 107. We'll probably go through this whole chapter, but just a portion at a time.
[1:14] But first, let's look at the very last verse in this, because this verse is the basis of the message, I believe.
[1:31] Verse 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.
[1:42] And, you know, from time to time, reading through the book of Psalms, and I come to this verse, and I read it, and I always have to go back.
[2:01] So what's he talking about? You know, he goes through these first 42 verses, and then he ends it with this.
[2:15] If those that are wise, if people are wise, and they observe the things that I have just said, then they can understand, then they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.
[2:38] And I believe we all want to understand the loving kindness of the Lord, right? And so, I want to go back, and I want to start in verse 1, and we'll see, we'll take a look at what he's talking about here this morning.
[3:07] Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and gathered them out of the lands from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
[3:28] They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
[3:40] Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses, and he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation.
[3:53] Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men. For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
[4:09] Now, I look at this first portion, and this whole chapter is divided into sections like this.
[4:23] He's talking here. Well, he starts with admonishing us to give thanks to the Lord, because he is good, and because his mercy endureth forever.
[4:36] His mercy, the mercy of the Lord endureth forever. And he admonishes us. He tells us, let the redeemed of the Lord say so.
[4:48] We've been redeemed by the mercy of the Lord. We've been redeemed. We've been redeemed from the hand of the enemy.
[4:59] We've been redeemed. And so he admonishes us to say it. To say it in the congregation. To say it to whoever. But to express our deliverance, and to express what the Lord has done for us.
[5:16] Verse 3, he gathers them out of the lands. Verse 4, they wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way.
[5:31] You know, so he starts with talking about a people that had lost their way. They had lost their way. And, you know, this might have been literally, physically, but today there's many people that have lost their way.
[5:50] There's many people that, you know, you might ask them where they're going. Oh, I'm going, you know, I'm going to work. I'm going here. I'm going there. But spiritually, they have lost their way.
[6:03] They have lost their way. And they're out in a solitary place. And there's no city for them to dwell in. There's no sanctuary.
[6:14] There's no safety. They're out by themselves, wandering in the wilderness of sin and despair.
[6:29] Then, in verse 6, they cried unto the Lord in their trouble. You know, a people forsaken, a people lost, a people wandering in darkness, out in the wilderness.
[6:43] But they cry unto the Lord. And what does the Lord do? He hears and He delivers them out of their distresses.
[6:55] The Lord delivers them out of their distresses. And then He leads them. He leads them in the right way.
[7:06] And He leads them to a city of habitation. He leads them to a place where they can dwell in, in safety. Hallelujah.
[7:17] Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness. You know, so many times, the Lord does things for us.
[7:29] He answers prayers. He answers. He meets our need. And we forget. And we forget to praise Him. And to thank Him.
[7:39] And to tell what He has done for us. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men.
[7:52] For He satisfieth the longing soul and He filleth the hungry soul with goodness. You know, Matthew, Jesus said, they that hunger and thirst, they will be filled.
[8:09] If we are hungry for God, if we are hungry for truth and righteousness, He will fill us. Hallelujah. Verse 10.
[8:22] Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron. So here we have a people that they are bound and they're sitting in darkness.
[8:40] They're in the shadow of death. They're bound in affliction and iron. And why are they in that state? Why are they in that place? Because they rebelled against the words of God and contemned the counsel of the Most High.
[9:00] They despised the word of the Lord. They maybe mocked at the word of the Lord or at least they didn't listen to the word of the Lord.
[9:11] You know, today we have many people that they hear this word, they read this word maybe, but they hear it preached and they mock at it. They scoff at it.
[9:24] Sometimes not openly, literally, but they refuse to obey it. They despise the word of the Lord.
[9:35] And you know what? The Lord allows them to come into dark places. He allows them to come into bondage. Just like these people here being bound in affliction and in iron.
[9:52] You know, the sin that we refuse to confess and forsake, that sin will bring us into bondage.
[10:07] It will bring us into bondage. These people, they were in affliction and in iron and sitting in darkness in the shadow of death.
[10:19] They were in a dire strait. Because they rebelled against the words of God and they despised His words, they despised the word of God.
[10:32] And because they did that, God brought them down. He brought down their heart with labor. They fell down and there was none to help.
[10:43] You know, how many times have you been at a place and you just thought, there's no way out of this. I'm in this dark pit. I'm in this valley of despair.
[10:54] I'm in this deep financial hole. I'm in this place that there is no help. There is no way out. Oh, hallelujah.
[11:07] Look at verse 13. These people, in the midst of this dire situation. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble.
[11:21] And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness. He brought them out of the shadow of death.
[11:32] He broke those bands and chains in sunder. God delivers us when we come to Him, when we cry to Him.
[11:45] Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. For He hath broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
[12:02] You know, our God will deliver. He will deliver. He will set us free. Those chains that bind, whatever it is that is holding us back, He will break it in sunder if we will call upon Him.
[12:21] Verse 17. Fools, because of their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
[12:39] Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat, and they draw near unto the gates of death. Here we have a people naturally even looking at them.
[12:55] They're foolish. They've rejected God. And they're living in sin. And because of their iniquities, God has allowed them to be afflicted.
[13:11] He has brought things into their life to bring them to the end of their way. That they would turn to Him.
[13:21] It says they even come to a place where they abhor all manner of food. They don't even want to eat. They don't want to live anymore. That's the place that they came to.
[13:37] It says, they draw near unto the gates of death. And then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble. And He saveth them out of their distresses.
[13:51] You know, don't we serve such an awesome, wonderful God? These people, these people, even deliberately walking away from God, and walking in disobedience.
[14:03] Yet when they call upon Him, He answers. And He delivers them from their trouble. And He saves them from their distresses.
[14:15] And He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men.
[14:34] And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing.
[14:46] You know, again, verse 2, let the redeemed of the Lord say so. You know, whatever we've been redeemed from, we've all been redeemed by the Lord God.
[14:59] Let us testify of His redemption and what He's done for us. He says, let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare the works of God with rejoicing.
[15:21] Rejoicing in our God. Rejoicing in His provisions. Rejoicing in His salvation. Verse 23.
[15:33] They that go down to the sea in ships that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord and His wanders in the deep.
[15:45] For He commandeth and raises the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves thereof. They mound up to the heaven. They go down again to the depth.
[15:56] Their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wit's end.
[16:07] Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
[16:21] Then are they glad because they be quiet, so He bringeth them unto their desired haven. O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men.
[16:38] Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people and praise Him in the assembly of the elders. Here He is talking of men out on a boat, and it's a stormy, stormy night.
[17:04] They thought all was going well, and all of a sudden here's this storm, and they're in the midst of it. They reel to and fro.
[17:17] They stagger like a drunken man, and they don't know what to do. They don't know where to go. You know, you know, how many times have you been in the storms of life, and you've been at your wit's end, and it seems like the devil is just running all over you?
[17:35] Let's call upon the Lord. These people, verse 28, Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.
[17:52] He calms the storm, and He brings them to the place where they're going. You know, as we're going through this, notice all these situations where people are in trouble, and they come to a place where they don't know where to go.
[18:14] They're at the end of their own strength. They're at the end of their own wisdom. They're at the end of their own smarts. And finally, they call upon the Lord, and He hears them.
[18:27] Oh, what a merciful God. Verse 33. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water springs into dry ground, a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
[18:48] You know, just look at this. He turns rivers into wilderness, water springs into dry ground, a fruitful land into barrenness.
[19:01] Why? Why? Because of the wickedness of the people. And why does He do this? To chasten them and to bring them back.
[19:12] To bring them back. To bring them to the place that they will look to Him. You know, the Bible tells us that it's not in the heart of man to direct his own steps.
[19:28] And it's this heart of ours. That old man, that old heart, that sinful nature.
[19:39] It always wants to take us the wrong way. It's, you know, without God, we make the wrong decisions. Whenever, whenever we walk away from Him, whenever we get so wrapped up in things that we can't hear His voice, He has to bring situations in our life to wake us up and to bring us back.
[20:11] These people, because of the wickedness of the people, He brought a drought. And their crops failed.
[20:26] There was no water. He turneth the wilderness into a standing water and dry grounds into water springs.
[20:40] There He maketh the hungry to dwell that they may prepare a city for habitation. And sow the fields, plant vineyards which may yield fruits of increase. He blesses them also so that they are multiplied greatly and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
[20:59] And again they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. He poureth contempt upon princes and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way.
[21:13] Yet setteth He the poor on high from affliction and maketh Him families like a flock. The righteous shall see it and rejoice. in all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
[21:27] Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.
[21:39] You know, you know, Hebrews and a few other places in the New Testament talks about the chasing of the Lord and the Son whom He receiveth He chasteneth.
[21:54] And you know, it's just like this. God will work situations in our life to draw us, to bring us to a closer walk with Him.
[22:08] when we when we get wrapped up in the things of this world and the things of this life and we we cool off we drift away from Him He will bring situations to bring us back to Him.
[22:22] It's His loving kindness it's His tender mercies He it's it's it's God it's His it's His nature to to take us on He wants that communion with Him He wants us to walk with Him and whatever separates us from Him He tries to deal with that and to remove it from our heart to bring us to the place that we will turn to Him and we will trust Him in every situation of life.
[23:00] Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men you know God God loves us He loves us with an everlasting love and He desires that we will walk with Him He He wants us He wants us to live this life in a way that He can bless us to live this life in a way that He can have this sweet communion and fellowship with us this verse 43 whoso is wise are we wise today if we are wise we will observe the things that we've looked at and we will realize that God is a God of love and we will realize that God desires us to walk with Him
[24:20] He desires us to trust in Him you know these people example after example they rejected the word of the Lord or they drifted away from Him or whatever the situation was and He allowed calamity but yet when they called upon Him He answered and today it doesn't matter where you're at it doesn't matter what situation you find yourself in if you find yourself burdened and weary come to Jesus call upon Him and He will answer call upon Him and He will answer yes when we have failed when we've made mistakes when we've sinned or even when we've rebelled call upon
[25:31] Him there's forgiveness there's forgiveness we live in the day the day of grace the grace of God is here today it's here today it doesn't matter where you're at it doesn't matter what you've done it doesn't matter but just come to Him call upon Him and He will answer He will answer well let's go to we'll get some verses in the New Testament and we'll start in 1 John chapter 1 verse 7 but if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of
[27:07] Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we confess our sins if we if we call upon Him in our distress if we call upon Him in our situation if we call upon Him in the day that we find ourselves that we've drifted away or that we we've allowed something to come between Him and us if we call upon Him and we confess our sin notice what it says there it says He is faithful and He is just you know you know Jesus came Jesus came and gave His life for us you know we we we read about the love of God and His faithfulness and His mercy and all of that in John 3 16 he says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
[28:29] Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life God so loved us that He gave Jesus and God said the blood of Jesus it will pay for our redemption it will pay for our sin and so now when we confess our sin for God to be just He is bound to forgive us our sin why because the blood of Jesus paid for it the blood of Jesus paid for our sin if we confess our sin He is faithful and He is just to forgive us our sin Romans 5 we'll just pick out a few verses here and there but Romans 5 verse 20 says where sin abounded grace did much more abound you know it doesn't matter where we find ourselves it doesn't matter who we meet out there bound in sin bound by the devil if they will come to Jesus
[29:55] His grace will be sufficient to set them free His grace will be sufficient to bring deliverance where sin abounded grace did much more abound hallelujah we live in a day of grace we live in the day when men can come to God and find forgiveness for their sin oh the goodness of God oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men Ephesians 1 verse 2 Ephesians verse 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein
[31:03] He has made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace wherein He has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence having made known unto us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself you know it's not it's not grudgingly that He forgives us no but it's His good pleasure that He forgives us and washes us and cleanses and sets us free where sin abounded grace did much more abound by Jesus He has grace sufficient for each one He has grace sufficient for the town of plains He has grace sufficient for the state of Montana He has grace sufficient for this country the dire straits that we're in in this country
[32:07] His grace is sufficient if people will but turn to Him if people will but turn to Jesus He will forgive them and He will set them free yes His grace is sufficient He forgives all our iniquity yes He heals all our diseases hallelujah His mercy His mercy as far as the east is from the west so far He removes our transgressions from us we are justified freely you know Romans 3 let's get those verses next Romans 3 verse 21 but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifest being witnessed by the law and the even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
[33:16] Christ unto all and upon all that believe for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God to declare to declare I say at this time His righteousness that He might be just and the justifier of Him which believeth in Jesus Christ you know it's not it's nothing that we can work it's nothing that we can do to become righteous but when we come to Him we receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ and here in verse 26 He says He is the justifier of Him that believeth in Jesus if we believe in Jesus we come unto Him with our heavy burdens we come unto Him
[34:27] He will set us free and He will justify us He will make us just as if we'd never sinned hallelujah we are justified freely by the grace by His grace through the redemption that is in the blood of Jesus yes we we can be set free by faith in His blood by faith in the blood of Jesus let's turn to Hebrews Hebrews chapter 3 and 4 you know here in chapter 3
[35:41] He's talking about the children of Israel and how they were 40 years in the wilderness verse 10 they do always err in their heart and they have not known my ways so I swear in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest verse 12 take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God but I exhort one another but exhort one another daily while it is called today lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin for we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end while it is said today if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation and he's talking here about how the children of Israel how they hardened their heart and how they provoked
[36:56] God after they came out of Egypt after that great deliverance and it says with whom was he grieved forty years it was those children of Israel that had given in to unbelief and they couldn't trust in God to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not so we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief the children of Israel they couldn't enter into the promised land because of unbelief and it is the same with us today unless we believe this word unless we accept this word and believe it we cannot enter in now chapter four let us therefore fear so we look at the children of Israel as an example of unbelief and he warns us he says let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it for unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them but the word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it you know notice what he's saying here he just lays it out he he talks about the children of
[38:31] Israel and how they couldn't enter in because of unbelief and what happened what happened it says the word that they heard the word that was preached to them it was not mixed with faith in other words when we hear the word of God it's not enough to hear it but it must be received by faith it must be received by faith when we hear the word of God we have to receive it into our heart and believe it we must accept it you know it's it's like you know if you receive a gift and here's this big box and you might open it and look in there and you see what it is oh yes thank you thank you this is what
[39:35] I need and you set it back in a back corner and you leave it there you leave it there you know that's how it is when we hear the word of God and we don't we don't receive it by faith we don't acknowledge it and grasp a hold of it and claim it for our own but we set it on the back shelf and we leave it there it's a good word yeah we'll leave it there we'll keep looking at it every once in a while it doesn't do us any good that way he says let us therefore fear lest the promise being left us you know we have the promise we have the promise of eternal life we have the promise of eternal life but if we if we take it and we we put it back there on the shelf and we don't make it our own he says that's what the children of
[40:52] Israel did they heard the word they heard the word preached and they probably when they heard it they said yes that's a good word but they didn't take it into their heart and allow it to change them they didn't take it into their heart and allow it to to to be to transform them and to work in them and to build a life of faith and believing in the word of God trusting God and believing him faith in God so so they failed and so they could not enter in because of unbelief hearing the word and not allowing it to work in us and allowing it to change us and receiving it by faith that's unbelief that's unbelief
[42:03] Romans chapter 5 it says therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God we are justified by faith we receive eternal life by faith we receive the new birth by faith we are justified we are just as if we never sinned how by faith by faith in the shed blood of
[43:08] Jesus by faith in the provisions that God has made for us and we have access into this grace how by faith by believing by believing the word of God by believing in the blood of Jesus we are justified freely by his grace we are justified freely you know it's not just almost or just barely no but we are justified freely we are justified freely how can that be why because God loved us so much he loved us so much that he sent his son to give his life a ransom for many
[44:09] Peter says Peter says the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but he is long suffering to us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance God the Lord you know you know earlier in this chapter he says that there's mockers and scoffers that are saying where is the promise of his coming well Jesus is coming he is coming soon and God is not slack concerning his promise that he will come but he would yet he would have all men to be saved he is long suffering to us not willing that any should perish he wants all men to come to repentance yes the mercy of
[45:18] God the love of God oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men you know I believe the psalmist when he wrote this song he looked at all these things and he looked at the mercy of God and he looked at the love of God and he looked at his grace and he was just overwhelmed and he just said oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men have you received his goodness have you received his grace have you allowed him to bring salvation have you allowed him to deliver you from the horrible pit have you allowed him to deliver you from the land of drought have you allowed him to to deliver you from the noisy pestilence sea those waves that overwhelm have you allowed him to deliver you have you allowed him to deliver you from the solitary way from that place where there's no food and there's no life hungry and thirsty and fainting have you allowed him to deliver you and bring you to a city of habitation oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy hallelujah if we will look at these things if we will observe these things and we will study them and we will truly see if we will truly see the wonderful works of our God then we can understand the loving kindness of our Lord let's pray
[48:10] Lord we thank you for your loving kindness Lord we thank you for your love and your mercy which you've so freely bestowed upon humanity Lord we thank you Lord we thank you for your grace that where sin abounded grace did so much more abound Lord we thank you and we praise your name Lord help us Lord that we will observe your loving kindness we will observe your dealings with humanity and we will see that you are a God of love you're a God of mercy and you have great grace yet extended to humanity Lord might we call us on you might we come unto you and bring our burdens to you and allow you to set us free yes Lord yes Lord thank you Lord we pray in Jesus name
[49:32] Amen