God’s Unending Faithfulness (Psalm 106)

Well, this morning marks the conclusion of our sermon series in the Book of Psalms for the year and Lord willing, next summer, will return again and begin with Psalm 107. But in Psalm 106 week encounter another call to praise God. Verse 1 declares praise the Lord O give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his steadfast. Love endures forever. Psalm 106 is related to Psalm 105 which we considered last week and together they offer two complementary perspectives on Israel's history and well Psalm 105 recounts Israel's story from the Viewpoint of God's covenant faithfulness, Psalm 106 reviews, the same history but from the angle of Israel sinned and their unfaithfulness and taking up the bulk of space within Psalm 106 is a catalog listing of Israel sins. And now, typically when somebody read tells the history of a person or a group, their shortcomings are often downplayed or even omitted and think of how tempting it would be for us. We were to tell our own history or our own story to gloss over those most shameful and sinful moments that we've lived through and the temptation to try to present ourselves in the most sympathetic light children encounter. This technique early on in their learning. There's an entire genre of children's literature called Fractured Fairy Tales and these are fine retellings of traditional stories where elements and characters have been changed in order to communicate a different message and one of my favorites is called the true story of The Three Little Pigs and in this retelling of the classic fairy tale. The big bad wolf is the one telling the story and he is in the story. Insisting, upon his innocence and he claims that his actions weren't malicious, but simply A Series of Unfortunate Events caused by bad construction to the pig. Homes. And ultimately just a bad cold, which gave him a sneeze. That blew everything down and he never intended to hurt anybody. He was just approaching houses to borrow a cup of sugar for a cake. He was baked bacon, and it was the media who Twisted the story. In this retelling, the wolf is a misunderstood hero and his sins are explained away, but this isn't the case with Psalm 106. The sins of the people are laid there and there's no attempt to soften their reality. And as we read this somewhere left to Marvel at the patience of God, as he dealt with his people time, and again, get more than that song. 106, confronts us with the depth of our own sinfulness. It acts as a mirror reflecting an honest picture of who we truly are before. God, Christopher Ash in his commentary says this. He writes Psalm 106 forces us to face the depth of our depravity, however, it begins and ends and is punctuated with salvation and praise. The message is not simply that we are sinful but that God in Christ saves Us in spite of our sinfulness. And this is the reason for our praise, our praise flows from the understanding that just as God, has demonstrated his grace and forgiveness, to his people. In the past, he continues to extend his grace and mercy to us in Christ. Following the call to praise in verse 1, the song can be divided into three parts. The first is a personal plea for God's favor and versus 225. And then the longest section from 6 to 43 is a humble confession of sin and that's followed up in the final versus starting at 44 with a reminder of God's grace and mercy. Let's begin by looking at the psalmist. Plea starting in verse 2. And when what we read, There is the fact that a dilemma quickly emerges in verse to the psalmist, asks, who can utter the mighty Deeds of the Lord or declare all his praise blessed are those who observe Justice, who do righteousness at all times? Now the fact that the majority of this song is a confession of Israel. Sinned is telling the Samus knows the failure of God's people to live up to the standard of righteousness set forth in God's law. And so, when the Samus asked who can under the mighty Deeds of the Lord or declare all his praise, the applied answer is no one in this is clear when we consider the depth of the people sin, in comparison to the depth of God's grace in rescue in forgiveness, and this truth applies to us as well. There is no way that we can ever fully. Begin to express. The praise God is due for his steadfast love, and mercy and forgiveness. Shown to us in Christ. God's praise is inexhaustible and this truth is evident. As we begin to understand the true nature of our sin in the depth of which makes us utterly dependent on God's grace, the psalmist knows this. Notice how he shifts in these first versus from a corporate prayer to a personal plea, looking verse for the psalm is praised, Remember Me? Oh, Lord, when you show favor to your people help me when you save them, that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones. The psalmist is confident that God will act to save his people, but he longs to be included in this blessing. I'm so the question that emerges is this when we speak of sin, do we truly recognized our personal guilt and culpability before God sin is not something merely that our ancestors. Once did nor is it the impersonal breaking of Rules by others. Know, the Bible presents sin as a profound and personal violation of the Covenant that God has established with his people and God's word pulls no punches. When describing the ugliness and the depth of our sin, we can turn to the prophets. The prophet Isaiah in chapter 64 describes thin like a nun cleaned unclean or soiled garments where every fiber has been stained or in the Prophet. Jeremiah the sin of idolatry is like into a broken cistern or a well that holds no water. It's completely useless or we could turn into the new. To the book of Ephesians where Paul says that we were once dead in our trespasses and sins and Paul to the Romans says that it's our sin that has left us. Enslaved sin is not an impersonal concept. It's the malady that infect every person from birth and it's the cancer of hard-hearted rebellion that touches every part of our existence from birth and it contaminates every fiber of our being no one escapes it. This is what the Bible says about us in our sin. And yet, the psalmist, calls us to praise God. Why will because even in our sinful State, God has shown his kindness. This is the heart of the Gospel though. We were sinful and undeserving of God's mercy and forgiveness. God showed his love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were yet. Sinners, he was out of God's steadfast love and mercy that he provided atonement for sin, and he did. So in a way that upholds, his Holiness will making a way to declare our sin, justly, forgiven, God knows every darkened corner of our existence, every rebellious thought every distorted passion, every insecurity and yet just as he was faithful and mercy and love to Israel. He remains faithful in his offer of forgiveness and Grace do to us through Christ. And this is the deep. Well from which our praises. The flow we are to recognize their sin and recognize the depth of God's grace and turn and he'd give him praise The application I would suggest is to fold in first, is that we need a daily, reminder of the depth of our sin. We need to come back to Psalm 106 often and hear of our sin, and we must resist the temptation to try to rewrite our history or portray ourselves as merely misunderstood people who are essentially good at heart Psalm 106 and challenges us to look deeply into the dark, well of our sin, abandoned, any sense of self-righteousness that might make us feel secure. We have to see ourselves as God sees us and tells us he sees us in scripture. We are among those who fail to do righteousness at all times, and our sin makes us like filthy rags. Broken cisterns dead and enslaved. And why is this important? Well, it's not because we gained any Merit from understanding it in, or is it? Because we need to perform some Act of penance in order to try to atone for it. But it's because only when we see ourselves rightly as the Bible describes, can we begin to appreciate God's glory in the death of his grace and love is Grace that led him to provide for us into the shedding of his son's blood. And when we begin to understand the depth of that Grace, we then approach god with our please in our petitions and entering into his presence boldly. We offer praise that will can never be exhausted. It is fitting. Draws us into deeper communion with God and Believers. The second application is this that we are to remember how the Bible calls us, those who have received God's love and mercy and forgiveness. In Christ that we are to model that same forgiveness. One to another Ephesians 4 commands us to forgive one. Another as God in Christ has forgiven you. The, the body of Christ is to be rich in the expression of forgiveness and the extension of Grace, one to another, as we have received it. And if we were to read on in the book of Ephesians through chapter 5, Paul goes on to describe the relationships where this ought to be present in the body of Christ. One to another, we are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ in Christian marriage, husbands and wives are tomatoes with God's grace through submission and through sacrificial, love following the pattern of Christ love for The church and then parenting fathers are instructed not to provoke their children to anger, but bring them up in the fear in the instruction of the Lord. And in our relationship with those in authority over us, we are to serve with a sincerity of heart as an act of worship toward Christ. These are relationships where the grace of Christ is to be evidently on display, particularly in our actions of forgiveness, and mercy, one to another. And the intent is that it would lead us and others to give God, the praise that he is due.

The next section of Psalm 106, is the humble confession of sin given by the psalmist. And it carries us from verse 62 verse 43. Before we begin to consider that consider this, that if our praise is an expression of faith in God's steadfast, Love & Mercy, then our confession of sin, is the complementary Act of Faith. It's through the confession of our sin to God, that we place our trust actively in his character, in his Mercy, in his steadfast love and when we confess our sin, we are aligning ourselves with God's view of his Holiness, but also his view of our culpability, in our guilt. We are in agreement with God about what he says about our sin. And for believers in Christ, this confession acknowledges that we can't atone for our sins. We can't make ourselves right with God. Instead, we rely wholly on the the steadfast love of God in the mercy that he's shown us in Christ. In the finish, the work of Salvation that Christ accomplished on the cross and silk, Fashion and praise are deeply interconnected acts of faith. That draws us into deeper communion with God, and lead us to experience the closeness of his presents. And so just, as we are called to regularly, praise God for his steadfast Love & Mercy. We are also called to entrust ourselves to him, through the regular confession of our sin. True freedom from the weight of our sin can be found nowhere else. But in communion with God, through Christ. And we indeed have much to confess. Remember Israel sinned detailed in the song reveals the condition of every human heart. And now instead of presenting these sins in chronological order, the psalmist categorizes them into three distinct areas. There was rebellion and unbelief at the Red Sea. There was the Israelites discontentment in the wilderness and there was the idolatry of the people in The Promised Land. We look at Bruce's 11:53 that highlight Israel's Rebellion at the Red Sea and this is shortly after God has brought them out of slavery in Egypt and despite witnessing God's Mighty judgment on the Egyptians. They quickly fell into doubt. Look at verse 7, in the song. The song that says they did not consider God's wonders Works. They did not remember the abundance of his steadfast love their Rebellion at the Red Sea. That's recorded for us in Exodus. 14 is evident when they turned in heard the army of Egypt chasing after them turn and see the sea in front of them, they turn to Moses and they say, is it? Because there weren't enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out into the desert to die? How quickly they turned against God, forgetting his mighty power and salvation. And this reflects our own sin. Like the Israelites we too, can gradually drift into neglecting and forgetting God's powerful working Our Lives before Israel their Rebellion. It wasn't a sudden lapse. It was a progression. That the song that says Simon says they first failed to consider God's work and then they forgot the abundance of his love. They failed to consider and they forgot the desperate state that they were once in in Egypt. And it's our own Rebellion that starts in the similar fashion, we become preoccupied with life's demands and we rely on our own strength and resources to try to navigate life's challenges and so often, and doing so we forget God's provision. We forget God's power that rescued us from sin that has brought us New Life In Christ. And as a result, we begin to seep satisfaction elsewhere and we easily forget the desperate state that we were once in because of sin until Believers the challenge for us, is to guard against the gradual drift away from remembering God's powerful salvation, where to put aside, any temptation to try to find satisfaction elsewhere. We are to prioritize moments of communion with gone through the reading of his word through prayer through Gathering. Together with other believers and these are means that God has given a brace. This means that are designed to remind us both of the reality of our sin as well as the magnitude of his grace and to remember his saving power that we would turn and praise God.

Bruce's 13233, go on and reveal Israel, sinful discontentment with God during their time in the wilderness. And again, despite God's miraculous deliverance and provision for the people. They quickly forgot his works and they grumbled over food and what they lacked and their dissatisfaction escalated as they rejected God's appointed League leaders, Moses and Aaron they also rejected God himself, they demanded and idle be made for them while Moses was on Mount Sinai. And later when the spies had returned from scouting of the promised land, the people refuse to trust in God's power and promised to settle them, their, their unbelief, resulted in their condemnation, and they're wondering, in their the Wilderness and their discontent with God's righteous commands continued as they yolks themselves to false gods, adopting Pagan practices, from the Nations. That surrounded them The culmination of their discontent with God, given by the psalmist and 32, and 33 is that it pushed Moses to the point of frustration and ultimate obedient Disobedience against God as he struck the the rocket. Mara but instead of speaking to it as God has commanded and again Israel sinned in the wilderness, it mirrors our own. When we fail to remember God's steadfast love and his Mercy shown to us in Christ, discontentment can easily take root and it often manifests in the form of envy and covetousness, I need attitudes. They creep in when we overlooked God's sovereignty and his Providence and we we fix 8 instead of what we feel is lacking or what? We feel. We are old and despite God's abundant are we quickly begin to doubt the goodness of God, in the goodness of his saving work and at the heart of our temptation to do. Contentment is pride, it's our self-righteousness and it's our conceit that deceives us into believing that we deserve more from God than he has already given us in Christ. In the Bible calls us away from this attitude. Jesus taught blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. The poor in spirit are those who recognize their spiritual bankruptcy before God in their inability to come to God apart from his divine grace and the psalmist in Psalm 106 is modeling a poverty of spirit through his confession. Brothers and sisters. We are to be aware that discontentment that stems from fried can blind us to the reality of our sin. It can lead us to seek fulfillment in ways that draws away from God. And instead with great humility, we are to remain Vigilant against any pull in this direction. Any pull toward discontentment and we are zika fine or satisfaction in God alone.

Final section of the Samus confession versus 3443 Israel's continued idolatry is in view. It's by God's clear command to destroy the nation's living in the promiseland, once he settled in their Israel disobeyed and instead they opted to live among these nations and ended up adopting their Pagan practices and they worship idols verse 39 of the song says, they became unclean by their acts and their love of Idols was like adultery in the Lord's sight and as a result they faced a very consequences that God had warned them about in his Covenant. They were handed over to the surrounding Nations and they were ruled by them and they were oppressed and exiled from their land and brought into subjection.

How does this reflect our own sin? While we are naturally prone to idolatry and we often are tempted to place our trust in Our Hope and things. Other than God, whether that's our jobs or a relationship. For some personal desire, these things can easily overtake our our desire to worship God in the place of prominence that he needs to have in our lives and the New Testament urges us again. And again, to resist this to resist idolatry and to live in a way that reflects the newness of life and price that we have been given. And so we must constantly examine our hearts to ensure that our trust remains firmly rooted in God, and God alone. If you're not drawn toward idols, So the sin confessed in Psalm 106, it mirrors our own, we are prone to Rebellion, we are prone to disbelief. We are prone to discontentment sin toward idolatry and yet thankfully Thankfully there is good news and this is the message of Psalm 106 that God has acted decisively to provide for our forgiveness and we read of this, reminder of God's grace and verse 44 let's look together now verse 44 and listen to the very first words, the beautiful word in the Bible. Nevertheless despite this long list of Israel sinned, the psalmist says nevertheless, God looked upon their distress when he heard their cry and for their sake, he remembered his Covenant and relented, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Despite Israel's repeated, rebellion and sin, God, remain compassionate, and time. And again, he acted to save his people. Throughout the song. There's a, there's a few pictures of God saving work. But one in particular, I'd like to focus on is in verse 21. Israel had forgotten God their Savior and therefore God said that he would destroy them in the song. Mama said she had not Moses his Chosen One stood in the breach before him turn away his wrath from destroying them. The image of Moses interceding for his people that comes from Exodus 32. It's a powerful image and after Israel's idolatrous worship of the golden calf and God expressed his righteous anger and intent to destroy his people. Moses plead with God and urged him to turn away his Wrath. And the psalmist described it as Moses standing in the breach for the people, like a soldier defending, a broken wall, risking his life, to protect a vulnerable City. And in his mercy. God accepted. Moses is intercession in spared Israel. From the just consequences of their sin. And this powerful scene points us again to God's willingness to extend his grace, but it also points us to a far greater mediator. Jesus Christ. Just as Moses stood in the breach for Israel. So Christ stood in the breach for us like going to the cross and while Moses foreshadowed Christ's rule, there's a key distinction of Jesus. Not only turned away, God's Wrath, but he absorbed it. He bore the full weight of our sin on the cross and standing in our place and taking the punishment we deserved. He was unlike Moses whose intercession was temporary for specific moment in history. Jesus is intercession by contrast is unending. The author of Hebrews chapter 7 does Jesus always lives to intercede and so Psalm 106 is not just a history of an ancient people. It's the story of God's people for all time and it reminds us of the depth in the severity of our own sin. I also warns us of the righteous wrath of God against that's in, but calls us to praise him for the good news of the Gospel. A Jesus are alternate, mediator stands in the breach for us having absorbed God's Wrath in, securing our salvation. And through his shed blood, there is forgiveness. There is reconciliation with God. There is newness of life to all who by faith come to him. Jesus is mediating. Work is the ultimate expression of God's steadfast love and mercy. And it gives us every reason to praise him. The Apostle Paul needs as well in his first letter to Timothy. He reflected on his former life of sin and he confessed that he had been a blasphemer, a persecutor an insolent opponent of Christ in yet, recognizing the grace and mercy, that overflowed to him through Christ. Paul had to pause his riding and stop in his letter just to give praise to God. He said to the king of Ages Immortal invisible. The only God be honor and Glory forever and ever. Amen, praise overflowed from Paul when he considered the depth of his sin in comparison with the depth of God's grace. And when we consider the depth of God's Saving Grace, in contrast to the severity of our sin, nothing is more fitting than proclaiming the mighty Deeds of the Lord and beginning to declare all his praise. My question is, what's your response to Jesus? Our great mediator? If you're not a Believer someone was sick speaks directly to you and reveals the reality and depth of your sin before. God who is Holy who calls you to repent, who calls you to place your faith and trust in Jesus alone. The great mediator who stands in the breach knowing that Jesus has absorbed the righteous wrath of God. Turning it away from all who place their faith in him and securing our Salvation, those who are not yet. Believers, the application for you comes from verse 47. The first part, Paul up to God in prayer. Thank save us. Oh Lord, Our God acknowledge the depth of your sin. Humbly. Confess it to Jesus. Place your faith in him as the only way to receive forgiveness and new life and a restored relationship with Dawn. And brothers and sisters, who are believers, those who have placed faith in Christ alone. As our great mediator, our application comes from the second part of Route 47. And that is weird to give. Thanks to His holy name and glory in his praise. In all circumstances, we are called to continually give, thanks to the one who has provided for our salvation. We are to give him praise.

The final verse verse 48 of Psalm 106. It serves as a doxology, not just for this chapter, but for the entire fourth, book of the psalter. Closing the section with these words, read them with me. First, 48 blessed, be the Lord, the god of Israel, from Everlasting to Everlasting, and let all the people say, amen. Praise the Lord, in light of God's steadfast Love & Mercy. Shown to us in Christ. We have every reason to say, Amen, to add our agreement to add our Amen. In in joyful, praise noting that we are joyful participants in the and we share a commitment to this new life that we have been called to In Christ and our amen is particularly fitting considering how God has taught us and fetes from his word over the past few months. We ought to add are a men consider way back in the month of June when we began once again, in the book of Psalm Psalm 88 and 89 described as some of the darkest laments in the entire Salter these were chapters that let us the poor, our hearts out to God yet, even in these lament, we were reminded of God's faithfulness and so we had our amen. And as we moved into the first, first, three chapters of the fourth book, we were called to live with a proper perspective to number our days before God to look to God, to establish the work of our hands. And we were reminded that in all times and circumstances, God is our refuge and we were taught the goodness of praising him. And so again, we say, Amen, And then for much of the summer, we spent time reflecting on the enthronement Psalms, which reassured us that the Lord Reigns in his sovereignty. And that his Reign is praiseworthy in that he is perfect in Holiness, Injustice and that his Reign has been perfectly revealed and established in Christ, and we are called to Proclaim that in our moments of sorrow. In our moments of joy, we are to give praise to God. And so to our, amen, we add our Mantra. The Lord Reigns bless the Lord. Oh my soul. And then finally in these past few weeks we've considered Psalm 104 through 106 which declare God's greatness theme both in creation and in his dealings with his people throughout history and we are reminded that God is faithful to his Covenant that he is Rich and steadfast love and mercy. And so we offer him. Praise and thanksgiving. And we say the Lord Reigns bless the Lord. Oh my soul. Amen! And amen. Brothers and sisters, God has fed us richly from his word this summer and we rejoice in that be encouraged with this. Let's not be quick to learn from this understanding that God has given us. And let's let's turn and give him. Praise the praise due his name in every circumstance of our lives. And let's trust in him. And remember the Council of his word, which caused us to acknowledge his Sovereign rain in all situations and they are right. And proper Response, always, be praise and thanksgiving, especially in light of his goodness and his love and his mercy. And so I say blessed be the Lord, the god of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting and let all the people say. Amen. Will you join me? Amen. Let's pray together. Father, I praise you. For your steadfast love, and your faithfulness and Grace that. So evidently on display in your word and I thank you for your care and reminding of us of that, over the past months. Lord, your Praises inexhaustible. And we recognize this particularly in light of the depth of our sin, that makes us completely dependent on you. Father, I ask that you would help us to be a people of praise and all circumstances. Father, I pray. You'd also give us a heart of gratitude for Christ, Our mediator, who stands in the breach for us, having absorbed Your Righteous wrath and securing our salvation. Father, we thank you again for your word and we ask you for the strength by your spirit to live, humbly and Faithfully under your Sovereign, rain acknowledging, your goodness, and all circumstances. Help us to reflect your grace and mercy and forgiveness. And always saying, do and father, may we turn and give you praise. What's rightfully do your name? I pray in Jesus name, amen.