The Lord Is Ready To Forgive
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 8/11/2013 AM |
Text: | Psalm 86:5 |
Psalters: | 381, 217, 142, 233 |
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper |
- The meaning.
- To forgive is to be pardoned and accepted.
- It is to have the guilt and the dirt of our sins and sinfulness taken away.
- Forgiveness is necessary because sin earns punishment, which punishment must be endured until completely gone.
- In our text God is declaring that He has entirely and absolutely forgiven so no guilt remains (cf. Isa. 43:25; 44:22).
- God forgives, and the nature of His forgiving us is that He is ?ready to? forgive.
- The perspective of the text is subjective, that of the experience of forgiveness, not objective and the decree.
- It is as if God has pardons ready to be given as soon as they are requested.
- To forgive is to be pardoned and accepted.
- The only basis for being heard and forgiven.
- It is found in God and His being, not because we are good or good enough.
- It seems that David stood in the cleft of the rock with Moses having heard the name of the Lord proclaimed even as Moses did.
- For the Lord is ?good.?
- God is essentially and independently good (Matt. 19:17).
- God is good at giving and at forgiving.
- And He is ?plenteous in mercy.?
- ?Mercy? is tender thoughts of compassion and pity, being deeply moved within and aroused by the sight of great misery.
- ?Plenteous? is much, many, great, abundant, abounding.
- Scripture, in several places, not only declares God to be merciful and gracious, but abundant in mercy and full of grace.
- The recipients are those ?that call upon Thee.?
- God is merciful and ready to forgive ?all,? i.e., not just Jews, but of every nationality.
- Those that call on the Lord.
- They are sinners who are aware of their need for forgiveness evidenced in his repenting and calling on the Lord.
- To call on Jehovah is evidence of true faith in Him, believing He is God and that He is able to fulfill His promises to forgive.