"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT PURITY"
Psalm103:11For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
Psalm103:13 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm103:14 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Psalm103:13 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm103:14 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Some explanatory notes, application and a prayer:
1. David begins this Ps, by talking
about two very real things, things that we can see, to help us
understand a truth about God and those who fear Him. What is it? The
heaven and the earth. Look at what He says, Psalm103:11a "For as the
heavens are high above the earth" Well, first of all, the heavens are
very, very high above the earth. The word high here, means to be high,
higher, exalted, and lofty. We don't have to really try and imagine just
how high they are, we can just go outside and look up, and see for
ourselves. In fact, we can at night see beyond the immediate cloudy
heavens, and see the start twinkling and the moon etc. Just to give you
and idea of how far or high the nearest planet is from our earth, it
would take light 4 1/2 years to get from earth to that planet. Can you
imagine traveling that long, 4 1/2 years. It would take billions of
years of travel to get to the farthest known planet traveling at the
speed of light, which is some 186,000 miles per second. Think about all
that for just a moment.
2. Now, in the last part of that same
verse, here's what is said, Psalm103:11b "So great is His mercy toward
those who fear Him" So, using the distances of the heavens being high
above the earth, which is more then we can really understand, it's very,
very high, God says so great is my mercy is toward those who fear Him.
That would mean, God's mercy is immeasurably great. God's mercies are in
fact, from everlasting, to everlasting. And, they are towards those who
fear Him, those who hold Him in reverence and awe, and seek to honor
Him, and obey Him, and allow God to rule in their lives. He has great,
great mercy, or pity, and care towards you.
3. Now onto the next verse. And, this
deals with how God has made us pure in His sight. Psalm103:13 As far as
the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from
us. Here again, God uses something we can understand to some degree, we
can see it with our own eyes, the east from the west. We can look east,
and then look west, and say within ourselves, "Wow, those two
directions are separated from one another, and each of them goes on
infinitely. They are far, far apart. There is actually no end to them.
Well, that's what God has done with our transgressions. He has removed
them from us.
Transgressions, comes from a word meaning, to offend, to rebel, to trespass, or to violate. Which of course we have done. But, God has removed our transgressions from us, and placed them on Jesus Christ, who then paid for them, by dying on the cross, and now those transgressions are gone. Justice has been served, by Christ paying the price.
Transgressions, comes from a word meaning, to offend, to rebel, to trespass, or to violate. Which of course we have done. But, God has removed our transgressions from us, and placed them on Jesus Christ, who then paid for them, by dying on the cross, and now those transgressions are gone. Justice has been served, by Christ paying the price.
4. Lastly David mentions a third truth
we can relate to, actually two truths. Here they are once again.
Psalm103:14 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those
who fear Him. A father pities his children, and the Lord pities those
who fear Him.
Pities, means, mercy, compassion, love, mercy, to love deeply, to have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection for, to be shown compassion. Well, again, the Lord is full of mercy, and He has demonstrated that mercy by saving us, through Christ taking our place for the punishment and payment of our sins, and then, He has made us alive in Christ, to live forever with Him.
Pities, means, mercy, compassion, love, mercy, to love deeply, to have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection for, to be shown compassion. Well, again, the Lord is full of mercy, and He has demonstrated that mercy by saving us, through Christ taking our place for the punishment and payment of our sins, and then, He has made us alive in Christ, to live forever with Him.
A prayer:
Father, in our strength, we could never
be pure and accepted by You. We cannot remove our sins. And, if we were
to pay for them, then we would be forever separated from You in the lake
of fire. But, You have changed all that. You have provided the way, the
truth and the life for us. You have given us a mediator, the man Christ
Jesus. And, You have made us accepted in the beloved. You have purified
us. And, You call us to walk in purity day by day, hour by hour, and
minute by minute. And, what a joy it is to walk in that way. We love You
Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
