Search For Mercy

Q: What does the Bible say about mercy?

The Bible speaks extensively about God's mercy, emphasizing that He delights in showing mercy and is plenteous in mercy. The Bible mentions mercy 336 times, highlighting its significance within God's nature. Psalm 51 serves as a profound illustration of a plea for mercy, where David acknowledges his sin and seeks forgiveness based on God's lovingkindness and tender mercies. Throughout Scripture, mercy is celebrated as a core attribute of God, as expressed in Exodus 33, where God reveals His goodness and declares His intention to be gracious and merciful. Understanding God's mercy is vital for both sinner and believer, as it provides hope and restoration amid our transgressions.

Q: How do we know God's mercy is true?

God's mercy is evident in His Word, particularly in Psalm 51, where He invites sinners to seek forgiveness. God's mercy is decisively affirmed in Scripture, particularly in Psalm 51, where David earnestly pleads for mercy on the basis of God's lovingkindness. The consistency with which God extends mercy throughout the Bible, from His dealings with Israel to the personal restoration offered to individuals, demonstrates that His mercy is not only a divine attribute but also a promise fulfilled in Christ. As the psalmist expresses, God 'will be merciful to whom He will be merciful,' affirming His sovereign choice in extending grace to sinners, creating a basis for our confidence in His mercy.

Q: Why is confession of sin important for Christians?

Confession of sin is essential for receiving God's mercy and forgiveness. For Christians, confession of sin is a fundamental aspect of experiencing God's grace. Psalm 51 highlights that there is no forgiveness without confession; David acknowledges his transgressions to receive mercy. This honesty about sin not only aligns with God's righteousness but also frees the believer from guilt. As expressed in 1 John 1:9, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us. True confession reflects an understanding of our sinful nature and the need for divine cleansing, ultimately allowing us to walk in fellowship with God.

Q: What does it mean to seek mercy from God?

To seek mercy from God means to earnestly acknowledge our sin and ask for His grace and forgiveness. Seeking mercy from God involves an earnest plea for forgiveness while recognizing our transgressions. In Psalm 51, David demonstrates this by appealing to God's love and mercy rather than his own merit. Seeking mercy requires humility and a sincere acknowledgment of our sinful condition. It means understanding our desperate need for God's grace and relying on His willingness to forgive, as He is described as plenteous in mercy. This act of seeking is not only foundational for salvation but also for ongoing spiritual growth and relationship with God.

Q: Why is it important to understand our sinful nature?

Understanding our sinful nature is vital for acknowledging our need for God's mercy and grace. Recognizing our sinful nature is crucial in theology because it shapes our understanding of salvation and dependence on God's grace. David articulates in Psalm 51 that he was born in sin, which points to the inherited sinful condition of all humanity. This understanding leads believers to a place of humility, confessing their need for salvation and cleansing. It emphasizes that our sinful nature is not just about individual actions but a condition that fundamentally separates us from God, making His mercy and grace all the more vital for our redemption and sanctification.

All right, let's open our Bibles
this morning to the book of Psalms. Brother Jim Eccles read for us
Psalm 51, and that's the psalm that I feel impressed with the
Spirit of God to preach from this morning, Psalm 51. Now, before I bring the message,
here's the title of the message, In Search of Mercy. in search
of mercy. The pastor has mentioned mercy
several times already this morning. The word mercy, mercies and merciful,
occurs in the Word of God 336 times. Mercy, big subject, important
subject. Mercy, mercy, mercy. And that's
my subject in search of mercy. I want you to lay this psalm
out there. Open your Bible to Psalm 51,
and we're going to look at the first ten or eleven verses. A lot of the great old preachers
of the past have had much to say about this psalm. Thomas Chalmers said this about
Psalm 51. He said, this is the most deeply
affecting of all the psalms. It's the most applicable to me. Psalm 51. There are a hundred
and fifty psalms. And he said, of all the psalms,
this is the most deeply affecting of all the psalms and the one
most applicable to me. Well, that ought to arouse an
interest in me that a man who gave his entire life to preaching
the gospel should have that to say about this psalm. But Plummer,
William Plummer, said this, Psalm 51 is the sinner's guide. Is there
a sinner here this morning? It's the sinner's guide. And
the believer's comfort. Is there a believer here this
morning? with this psalm is your comfort. It's the sinner's guide
and the believer's comfort. I take both of those titles unto
myself. I'm a sinner saved by God's grace. I'm a sinner who by God's grace
is a believer. And this is my guide and my comfort. Martin Luther, a name known to
everybody here, one of the great reformers, this is what he had
to say about Psalm 51. He said there's no psalm of the
hundred and fifty which is oftener sung, set to music, or prayed
in worship services today, speaking of his day six hundred years
ago. There's no psalm of the hundred and fifty which is oftener
sung or prayed in the worship services of today, because this
psalm is the favorite of all believers. Does it mean that
to you? I hope when we get through this
morning it will. Because this is an unknown comment. I don't know who made this comment.
I found it in some of my notes of the past years. But some preacher
said this, Psalm 51 is the brightest gem in the whole book of Psalms,
and it contains instructions and truth so precious. These instructions and truth
given us in Psalm 51 are so precious that the tongues of angels couldn't
do it justice. The tongues of angels could not
fully develop And here I am trying to speak on it. But I believe
we'll find something to encourage us and comfort us and direct
our thoughts. Let's look at Psalm 51. Now I'm
going to divide the first ten verses, I'm going to divide it
up into five points. I want you to write beside, in
your margin, verses one and two. Write a little note there, verses
1 and 2. A plea for mercy. A plea for
mercy. Write that beside those first
two verses. A plea for mercy. Let's read
those two verses. David says, Have mercy upon me,
O God, according to thy lovingkindness, and according unto the multitude
of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly."
Note that word. I know we say thoroughly, and
thoroughly is all right, but this is throughly. Wash me throughly
from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin. Have
mercy, a plea for mercy. My friends, thank God he's plenteous
in mercy. God delights to show mercy. And
this is what David is seeking. He's seeking mercy. He's pleading
for mercy. And I'll tell you this, mercy
is as much a part of God's divine nature as justice. Aren't you
glad? I heard a preacher say years
ago, he said, God could have saved everybody or God could
have damned everybody. And I took issue with him. I
said, It may be that God could have saved everybody. Maybe so. I do not know. He's chosen to
save some. Maybe, perhaps, he could have
saved everyone if that had been his will. But I can tell you
this for a fact. God cannot damn everyone. Not in be God. God is love. Isn't that right, Pastor? He could not have damned everyone.
Not in be God. Though God is holy, God is love. And love has got to be expressed. Love has got to have an object
of affection. God being God has to show mercy
to somebody, because he's love. I know God is just, but God is
gracious. God is merciful, God is gracious,
God delights to show mercy, God is righteous, that's so, but
God Almighty is gracious and merciful. Moses, you've read
this many times, let's just stay with, I'll quote these other
verses, and you can jot down the reference, but in Exodus
33, Moses went out to the tent of meeting. This was a special
meeting with God, a special meeting with God. This was an unusual
time, and this thirty-third chapter of Exodus is devoted to this
special meeting that Moses had with God out in the tent of meeting,
not in the tabernacle, in the tent of meeting, where the cloud
hung over that tent. And Moses asked God three things. He requested three things. He said, Lord, if I've found
grace in your sight, Show me your way. Show me your way. You see, the scripture says,
God made known to Israel his acts, to Moses his way. Israel
saw what God did. Moses saw why he did it. That's
what I want to learn. I want to know why he does it.
I can see what God does. I want to know why he does it.
A lot of people know Christ died on the cross. Some know why.
I wonder why. And God showed Israel his acts,
he showed Moses his ways. That's what Moses asked, show
me your ways. Secondly, he asked him this. He said, Lord, if you
don't go with me, don't let me go. He was headed across that
desert to the, what's called the Promised Land. But he said,
I, if you don't go with me, I don't even want And then the third request was
this, Lord, show me your glory. Show me your chief glory. What
is your chief glory? What is God's chief glory, do
you know? Moses had seen a lot of glorious
acts, powerful acts, that none but God could perform. But he
said, show me your glory. And what did the Lord say? He
said, I'll cause my goodness to pass before you. God's chief
glory is his goodness. He said, I will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious. I will be merciful to whom I
will be merciful. That's God's chief glory. And
you're telling me he could have damned everyone? His chief glory
is to save. His chief glory is to show mercy
and be gracious. And that's what David's asking
for here. He's asking for mercy. He's asking
for mercy. He's asking for grace. I read
a letter recently which a man wrote defending himself,
defending what he was doing and what he had done. And he closed
it, and this sounds very pious. But it's a bad way to end the
letter. He signed this way, committing my case to him who judges righteously. That's not where you want your
case. Believe me, you don't. You don't
want your case in the hands of him who judges righteously, because
you've lost your case. You commit your case to him who's
plenteous in mercy. That's where you want it. David
said, Don't bring me into judgment with thee. You know what he said in Psalm
130? Out of the depths have I cried.
Lord, hear my call, hear my plea, hear my prayer. If thou shouldst
mark iniquity, if you should judge righteously, O Lord, who
shall stand? But there's forgiveness with
thee." I want my case where David wanted his. Have mercy. Have mercy. And David seizes
upon this attribute of God and pleads not for justice. He pleads
not for pity. He pleads for mercy. Now look
at verse 1. Have mercy upon me according
to what I deserve. No, according to your lovingkindness. Base your dealings with me and
your mercy upon me on your lovingkindness. Listen, according to your, the
multitude, multitude of your tender mercies. And it's a threefold request.
Blot out my transgressions. Blot them out. All of them. Blot them out. Cast them into
the depths of the sea. Cast them behind our backs. Remember
them no more. Blot them out. All my transgressions,
all of them. Listen. Wash me throughly, completely. Inside out, top to bottom. I got problems everywhere. Wash
me throughly, throughly. for my iniquity, and cleanse
me. Cleanse me from my sins. Oh, my. All right, verse 3 and
4. Write this in the margin of your
Bible. A confession of sin, a confession
of friend of mine, well, one of
our elders, one of our elders went out to preach a couple of
Sundays ago, went up to a certain place to preach, and had some
visitors there. Two ladies from, had driven a
distance to visit the service, and one of the ladies' boyfriend
came, a man in his thirties. He'd never been to the church
before. And he came up to this elder who was there preaching
that Sunday, and he said to him, he said, uh, could I talk to
you a few minutes? And Brother Tom Harding, you
all know Tom, he's been here, Tom said to him, said, well certainly,
let's go back here where we can talk privately. So they went
back and the man had a distressed look upon his face, Tom said,
and he, and when we got there alone, he looked at me and said,
preacher said, I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. He said, I need
help. Care Shepherd said, did you take
his picture, Tom? He said, there's not many of
those fellas, you know, around sinners. I looked the same. I'm a sinner. I need help. And that's what David's saying
here in verses 3 and 4. It's a confession of sin. He
says in verse 3, For I acknowledge my transgression. I confess them. I acknowledge them publicly before
you. I acknowledge my transgression. I'll tell you this, my friends.
I say this to me and I say this to you. You can be sure of one
thing. There'll never be any forgiveness
unless there's a confession of sin. Never, never, never. Sin's going to be confessed or
it's not going to be forgiven. If we confess our sins, he's
faithful and just to forgive us. You know what it says? If
we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us. There's
not going to be any forgiveness where there's no confession.
There's not going to be any mercy where sin is covered. He that
covereth his sins shall not prosper. Isn't that what that says? He
that covereth his sins. His sins. Now listen. He that
covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth his sins
and forsaketh them will find mercy. Now we're to cover other people's
sins, but not ours. That's right. Scripture says
love covereth a multitude of afflictions. Love covers other people's faults
and confesses our own. That's right. Paul, the Apostle
Paul said, I'm, Christ came into the world to save sinners of
whom old Henry is the chief. I'm the chief. I cover Henry's
and confess mine." That's right. He said, I'm less than the least
of all the saints. He says, I'm not worthy to be
an apostle. This is a man who's confessing
his need. There'll be no forgiveness where
there's no confession, and there'll be no mercy where there's covering
of sin. Sin has got to be confessed.
And notice the honesty and openness of this confession, for I acknowledge
my transgressions. The sin is mine. My sin is before
me. My sin. It's my sin. This sin
is mine. It's from me. It's of me. It's out of... I can't blame
anybody else. This is the generation of blamers. Did you know that? I guarantee
if you go to what they call a psychologist or a personal analyzer, what
do they call those fellows, you know, analyze you and study you
and try to help you, counsel you. First thing he'll ask you
is if you suffered abuse or mistreatment when you was a child. He's going
to blame your mom and daddy for what you are. They'll do it every
time. Or somebody. Was your teacher
mean to you? Was your boss mean to you? No, sir. David said, I acknowledge
my transgressions. This is mine. This sin is mine. I'm not laying the blame on anyone. I acknowledge my transgressions.
My sin is serious. He said it's ever before me. It's the only thing original
about us is our sin, original sin. Everything else is given
to us. We produce it ourselves. It's
produced right in here. It's always before me. It's in
my thoughts. It brings me shame and humiliation. My sin! My sin. I acknowledge my transgression. And my sin is ever before me. And notice this. It's against
thee that I've sinned. Now, my friends, we may do others
wrong, we may fail them, but sin is against God. All sin is
against God. And it's serious. It's against
God. You know, when Moses stood before
the Lord and prayed for Israel, that great prayer of intercession,
he said, the people of sin. But Lord, if you don't forgive
them, blot me out of the book that you've written." And the
Lord said, Moses, whosoever has sinned against me, him will I
blot out of my book. That's where sin is. It's against
God. Oh, the seriousness of it, the
wretchedness of it, the greatness of it. whosoever has sinned against
me, him will I blot out of my book." And this is what David's
confessing. He said, I'm acknowledging my
transgression, I'm confessing my sin, my sins are ever before
me, they humiliate me, they shame me, and it's against thee that
I sin. Thee only! Thee only. I was preaching one
time There was a couple of highway patrolmen in theâ€”in fact, the
pastor is a policeman, and the assistant chief is a deacon in
the church, and two highway patrolmen attend that service. I had a
lot of protection that week while I preached, you know. But I was
talking to one of them after the service, and I was asking
him little things about being a policeman. and about patrolling
the highways and about the people he ran into and all. He said
this to me. He said, I want to tell you something.
I want to give you a secret. If I pull you over and walk up
to that window and you roll it down and ask for your license
and tell you you're speaking, don't you argue with me. You just say guilty. And he said,
you're a lot further along than if you argue with me. If you
argue with me, you're putting a question mark on my integrity. If you hadn't been speaking,
I wouldn't have stopped you. So the first lesson for you to
learn, if I ever walk up beside your car, is don't argue with
me, just admit you're guilty." And he said, you might find mercy.
And that's so with God Almighty. When we roll down the window
and look in the face of God Almighty, just confess your sins, because
you are guilty. I am guilty. And that's what
David's doing. It's an honest, open confession
of sin. And watch this. He justifies
God when God condemns him. Have you ever heard somebody
say, well, why is this happening to me? I can think of a thousand
reasons, can't you? Why is this happening to me? What we're justifying ourselves,
the scripture tells us this, you obey what's justified yourselves
before men. God looks on the heart, and that
which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination to God. Justify God. Listen to this fourth
verse, "...against thee, thee only have I sinned. I have done
this evil in your sight, that you might be just when you speak,
and clear when you judge." That's right, Lord. That woman, the Syrophoenician woman who
came to the Lord seeking mercy, Lord, this is what she said,
have mercy upon me. Have mercy upon me. Have mercy. And he said to her, he said,
he ignored it first. He didn't even
answer. He didn't even answer. But she wouldn't go away. She
kept saying, have mercy. And finally he said, I'm sent
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. I'm sent to the elect. I came to save my people, my
sheep." That didn't send her away. She kept crying, Lord have
mercy. He said, it's not right to take
the children's bread and give to dogs. She said, that's so.
That's what I am. But you're my master. You're
this dog's master. And dogs eat crumbs that fall
from master's table. Just brush the crumbs off to
me," he said, woman, greatest I think. Be it unto thee as you
wish. Mercy. I suppose if there's anything
I say this morning to me, to you, to any of us that ought
to be helpful to us, it's don't argue with God. Don't justify
yourself. Don't find any reason why God
should show mercy to you or me. Don't try to find a reason. You're
not going to find one. Not if you're honest. You'd find
plenty of reasons why you should damn you and damn me. I can find
plenty of reasons. Why is this happening to me?
I can think of a thousand reasons if I'm honest. So David said,
Lord, I acknowledge my sin. There ever before me. Against
thee and thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight,
that you might be just. when you speak, and righteous
when you damn me. If you say unto me, depart from
me, I never knew you, I don't have one word to say." Speechless. That's right. Now that's the
key, isn't it, Pastor? A plea for mercy is accompanied
by a confession of sin. Don't ask for mercy if you're
not a sinner. Just don't bother God. I want
to say that as firmly as I can say it. Just don't bother God. Because he came to save sinners.
He said, the well don't need my services. I didn't come to
call the righteous. I came to call sinners. All right,
what's verses 5 and 6 now? Jot this down your margin. The
reason for my condition. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity,
in sin my mother conceived me." That's my problem. You know why
the water's bad? The fountain's bad. The fountain's
bad. You know why my deeds are evil? Because my heart is evil, that's
why. I was born with a wicked heart,
a deceitful heart, a sinful heart. I need a new heart. The heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know? I don't even know.
I don't even know how desperately wicked this heart is, what it's
capable of. God Almighty, He uses the wicked
acts of men to accomplish His purpose, and the rest He restrains. Did you know that? God Almighty
has exercised restraining grace on every, even every rebel that
walks out yonder. If he didn't, this world would
be turned into hell tomorrow, if we did what we're capable
of doing. That's right, the potential and
possibility within every, there's enough tender, someone said,
there's enough tender, t-i-n-d-e-r, in the heart of every person
to light another hell if God Almighty lit a spark. It's not enough to confess my
works are sinful, so is my person. Let me give you a little help
here that I got from George Whitefield many years ago, a long time ago.
I read a sermon he preached on method of grace, and he said
a man hasn't repented until three things take place. Now listen
to me. He has not repented. He has not
repented. unless three things take place.
Except we repent, we'll perish. Number one, he repents of his
sins, what he's done. If we say we have no sin, we
make God a liar. Isn't that right? If we say we
have not sinned, we deceive ourselves. We've sinned. We repent, we confess our sins,
S-I-N-S, and we repent. But secondly, We confess and
repent of our SIN. That's my motive, my nature.
That's what's in me. That's my person. I was shaped
in iniquity. I was conceived in sin. I was
brought forth from the world speaking lies. Why is it so much
easier to hate than it is to love? Why is it so much easier
to be edgy and angry than to be happy and rejoicing? Why is
it? Why is it so much easier to complain
than it is to thank God? I don't know. That's our nature.
It's a nature. Nature. Why does a pig love a
hog wallow? That's his nature. And that's
what David is saying here. I was shapen in iniquity. Verse 5, In sin my mother conceived
me. Behold, you desire truth in the
inward part. There, God looks on the heart,
the inward part. It's not the outward activity
and exercises of religion that please God. It's the sincerity
and simplicity and joy and faith of the heart. That's where it
is. Not so much what I do as why
I do it. Actually, Rahab lied. But God blessed her lies because
of why she did it. Isn't that right? Boy, I'd never tell a lie. Well,
depends on what. I would to protect you. Somebody came in with a gun,
says, Henry's sword here. I said, I never knew him. Don't know him. I don't want
you to get hurt. And that woman was hiding these
men, and they said, Where are those men? She said, They left
a little while ago. You'll catch them if you get
out on the hillside over there. Why you do it? I'm not justifying lies. You understand that. You understand
what I'm saying. I'm simply saying God desires
truth in here. And there's some people so self-righteous,
and so pious, and so outwardly religious, and inside so rotten
and corrupt and deceitful and selfish, and God looks on the
and he'll receive a Rahab and damn a Nicodemus." Think that one through. That's right. He was said, a man will repent
of his S-I-N-S. He'll repent of his S-I-N, his
nature. And he'll repent of his righteousness. I repent of my prayers. Do you?
Brother Gruber down in Mexico called on one of those preachers
to pray one time. I was down there. He'd never
called on him before in the public gathering. One of those preacher
students, one of the students in the school. He called on him
to pray. You know the first thing that man said when he stood to
pray? Lord, forgive me for what I'm
about to say." That's exactly it. Lord, forgive
me for what I'm about to say. I'll tell you, even our righteousness
is a filthy rag in his sight. Now, they're not They're not
in our sight, and they're not in the sight of others whom we
want to bless and impress, and let others see your good works
and glorify your God. And you do them, and you give,
and the pastor's teaching this morning. Help one another, encourage
one another, and give to support the gospel, and do all these
things. But always remember, in the sight
of God, if it weren't for the blood of Jesus, even that gift
would damn you. Even that prayer would damn you.
Even that good work would damn you, because there's enough self
in it and poor motive to damn you and me. That's right. My righteousnesses are filthy
rags in His sight. He is too holy to behold anything
that's not perfect. If it's not perfect, it's not
acceptable. And I've never done a perfect
thing in my entire sixty-seven and a half years. I'll be satisfied
when I wake with his likeness. That's when I'll be perfectly
like him. All right, in verses 7 and 8,
I want you to write this down in the margins about the remedy.
I'm glad we got a remedy, aren't you? I've got us down there low
now, haven't I? We ought to be. We ought to be. You know, man
at his best state is altogether vanity. But here's the remedy. Verse 7, Purge me with thistle,
and I'll be clean. Wash me, and I'll be whiter than
the snow. The Roman Catholics have a doctrine
called purgatory. I don't know how much emphasis
they put on it now, but back when I was reading the old writers
and the old Puritans, that was strongly prevalent, prevalent
back then, strongly, purgatory, in which everybody that dies,
doesn't matter whether they're church members or whatever, they
go to purgatory after they die. They go straight to purgatory.
And there they are purged from their sins by suffering. They stay in purgatory and they
suffer down there and And as they stay there, it's according
to the sins how long they stay there, or according to how much
their loved ones pay. Used to have a saying back here
on Luther's time, when they give the money to the church, the
priest would ring the bell. And it says, at the ringing of
the bell, another soul escapes from hell. So these people all go to purgatory,
and down there during their sufferings, and while the Lord comes up here
praying for them and paying for them, then they, after a while,
are released from purgatory, because then they're purged.
Well, that doctrine is so foolish and so contrary to Scripture. But now listen, wait a minute,
let me make a point here. One, there's one truth in In
order for a person to go into the presence of God, to stand
in the presence of God, or ascend to heaven, his sins must be purged. There's got to be a purging,
hasn't there? There's got to be a cleansing. There's got to
be a putting away of guilt. That is true. And so here David
cries for God to purge him. Verse 7, What's hyssop? First time it's
mentioned in the Bible. The very first time it's ever
mentioned in the Bible. Hyssop. And if you'll apply the
law of first mention when you're studying the Scriptures, find
out how it's mentioned first. How is grace first mentioned
in the Bible? Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. It's
the first time grace is ever mentioned. And that's what she
means all the way through. Grace in the eyes of the Lord.
free, like you talked about, free grants. Well, what about
Hyssop? I want you to turn, I want you to turn to this now, Exodus
12. Here's the very first time that Hyssop's mentioned, and
this is what David's referring to here when he cries that God
will purge him with Hyssop. Exodus 12, verse 22, verse 21.
Passover Moses called all the elders of
Israel, Exodus 12, 21, and said to them, Draw out and take your
lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover. And you'll
take a bunch of hyssop, first mention, dip it in the blood
that's in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts
with the blood that's in the basin. And none of you shall
go out at the door of the house until the morning. And the Lord
will pass through to smite the Egyptians. And when he sees the
blood on the lintel, on the two side poles, the Lord will pass
over the door and not suffer the destroyer to come in to your
houses to smite you. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. And bless your heart. You thought,
did David know the gospel? Did these men back yonder look
to Christ? and the cleansing blood of our
Savior. Oh, when he talked about, I want mercy, and I confess my
sins, and I confess what I am. I was born this way. It's not just the water, Lord,
it's the fountains. It's not just the works, it's
the person. It's not just my deeds, it's my heart. Would you
do something Would you dip the thistle in the blood of the Lamb
and strike it on me and purge me? Get rid of this guilt. Get rid of this awful attitude,
this awful spirit, this damnable self-righteousness, this filthy
religious works. Get rid of these dead works.
Purge me! Purify me. Fit me for your presence. Fit me for your presence. I'm
not fit for his presence. I can walk around here in a black
suit with a Bible under my arm and hell in my heart. And that's
what 99% of the religious people in this world are doing. Don't
we need purging? Purging. Purge me and I'll be
clean. You got to do it. in the blood
of the Lamb. Listen, wash me. Oh God, wash
me. Wash me and I'll be whiter than
the snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness. I can't speak that to myself.
My pastor can't speak it to me, and my wife can't speak it to
me. You've got to make me hear joy and gladness, and the bones
which you've broken, that they may rejoice. There's a fountain
filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins, and sinners,
sinners, real, bonafide. That man said to my friend Tom,
I'm a sinner. Well, I got good news for him.
My Lord cleanses sinners, makes them white as snow. Though your
sins be the scarlet, I'll make them white as snow. That good
news, Violet. I'm so thankful. We got snow
on the roof, but joy in the heart. Yes, sir, he's purged me with
his. Take the sweetest dear lady in
this congregation, she's a bona fide sinner, isn't that right,
who needs cleansing, who needs purging. That's right. And then last of all, and I'll
close, the last two verses there, verse 9 and 10, here's the results.
Here's the results of that purging. Hide your face from my sins."
Is that a possibility that God won't see my sins? That's what
he said, I'll remember them no more. I remember. I repent of them daily. I'm conscious of them every day
before me. But I'll tell you, if the blood of Christ is on
my soul and heart, God cannot see my sins. I can't explain
that. I just know He said, I'll remember their sins no more. No more. blot out all my iniquities."
Now, come on, all of them. All of them. Everybody here has
a point in your life that you are more shamed of than any other
point. He'll take care of that one, too. He'll take care of that one,
too. Those two. They're gone. They're gone. Blot them out. And look, verse
12, verse 10, "...and create in me a clean heart." and renew within me a right spirit." Oh, my, my, a right spirit, a
right spirit, a right spirit. Hmm, isn't that something? Hide
your face from my sins, blot out my iniquities, give me a
new heart, a clean heart, and a right spirit, a right spirit. spirit of joy and compassion
and love, kindness, and righteousness. Our Father, thank you for this
blessed song. We rejoice in these words that
you inspired David to write, and we claim them as our own.
And I pray with him this morning. Have mercy upon me, O according
to thy loving kindness, according to thy tender mercies, blot out
my transgressions, wash me cruelly from my sins. I acknowledge my
sins. I acknowledge my transgressions,
my iniquities ever before me. Against thee and thee only have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. Lord, that you might
be just when you speak and righteous when you condemn. I was born
in sin, shapen in iniquity. Purge me with hyssop. Wash me,
and I'll be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness,
and the bones you've broken they rejoice. And Lord, blot out all my transgressions
and create in me a clean heart and renew in me a right spirit. that your name may be glorified
in my walk, and in my talk, and in my attitude, and always. For Christ's sake I pray. Amen. All right. Thank you, Pastor. Him number 233. That was a real blessing. One of those
messages that if you do not feel your desperate sinfulness
right now, if you're one of God's own, you will feel that and you'll
need that message. and you can refer back to that. There is mercy. 2.33. Let's stand
and sing the first and third verses, and if you will, Pastor,
if you would, after the second verse, go back there and let
the people greet you on their way out. First and third verses. Death of mercy can there be? Mercy still is her glory. Can my God His wrath forbear
me, the chief of sinners, now in time detuned?

Search For Mercy

What does the Bible say about mercy?

How do we know God's mercy is true?

Why is confession of sin important for Christians?

What does it mean to seek mercy from God?

Why is it important to understand our sinful nature?

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Search For Mercy

What does the Bible say about mercy?

How do we know God's mercy is true?

Why is confession of sin important for Christians?

What does it mean to seek mercy from God?

Why is it important to understand our sinful nature?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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