Psalm 136 will be our study this
evening. Psalm 136. The title's kind of obvious,
isn't it? I'm entitling the message from the repeated statement that's
found in all 26 verses. His mercy endureth forever. Why does the mercy of God endure
forever? Because God is eternal. God is
the eternal God. He said, from everlasting to
everlasting, I am God. His mercy to us is eternal. His love toward His elect, His
chosen people, His bride, His church. His love is an everlasting
love. He's loved us with everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness does He draw us unto Himself. You see, everything whatsoever
the Lord doeth, the Scripture says in Ecclesiastes 3.14, whatsoever
the Lord doeth, it shall be forever. Forever. Whatever He does is
forever. Whether he shows mercy or whether
he shows judgment is forever. It's forever. Now restating and
saying that which is true is honoring to God. It's not vain
repetition, as Paul said, but for you it's safe. It's safe. To hear something that's true
repeated over and over and over and over and over again, for
you it's safe. Paul said, flipping three, finally,
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
to me indeed, is not grievous. But for you, it's safe. It's always safe to repeat what
God has already said. I don't come here trying to invent
new doctrine. I come here just preaching and
teaching what God has already said in his word. We read in
the word of God that God is God, as I pointed out in the marginal
reference there on verse two. Oh, give thanks to the God of
gods, notice small g, for his mercy endures forever. God is
God. What do I mean by that? I mean
that he's the absolute sovereign ruler over all things. We read repeatedly in Isaiah
where God says to the prophet Isaiah, I am God, beside me there
is no other. I'm the only just God and Savior. There is no other. There's none
beside God who is God. So God is God. What do we know
about The God of the scriptures, the God of the Bible, what do
we know about him? It's a dangerous thing to try to invent things
in your own mind and come up with a God of your imagination.
That's a deadly thing. The God we know and believe must
be revealed from the word of God. God is God, that he's the
sovereign ruler over all things. God is spirit. We read in John
4, the Father seeketh such to worship Him in spirit and in
truth, for God is spirit. And then we read in Scripture
many times, I looked this up, seven times we read that God
is good. As it says there in verse 1,
O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. Oh, He's so good. None good. You remember the young
rich ruler that came to the Lord and said, good master? He said, there's
none good but God. Remember? So God is God. God is spirit. God is good. He's
good. Oh, taste and see the Lord. He's
good. And then we read in 1 John 1 that God is light. God is light,
and in him is no darkness at all. He is light. That means he's holy. Remember
Isaiah 6.1? Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the
Holy Trinity. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. God is light, God is holy. This
is what the word of God says, who God is. 1 John 4.8 says that
God is love. God is not a God of love, God
is love. Here in His love, how do we know
anything about this love? Here in His love, not that we
love God, He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sin. That's 1 John 4.10. And then
we read many times in Scripture that God is Merciful. God is gracious. He's full of
grace. He's full of mercy. Long-suffering. Now, what does the scripture
say about the mercy of God? The mercy of God. We see something
what this Word of God teaches about who God is. God is eternal. God is holy. What does the scripture
say about the mercy of God? The mercy of God. Well, in Psalm
108, verse four, it says, his mercy is great. His great, oh,
how great is his mercy. His mercy is great. And then
in Psalm 86, verse five, we read there, his mercy is plenteous,
plenteous. God has a storehouse full of
mercy that cannot be exhausted. He's plenteous in redemption
because he's Plenteous in mercy. And then we read another characteristic
of the mercy of God. His mercy is tender. Tender mercies. Tender mercies. Have mercy upon me, O God, according
to Thy lovingkindness, according to the multitude of Thy tender
mercies. Psalm 51, verse 1. And then His mercy is abundant,
isn't it? It's abundant mercy, abundant. We studied in 1 Peter,
remember? His abundant mercy hath begotten
us again into a lively hope, a living hope, by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead. We have an abundant mercy, and
through that abundant mercy, we've been begotten of God, regenerated,
made new creatures in Christ, born again by the Spirit of God.
And then we read about His mercy in Scripture, and it's called
rich, rich. I love that scripture where it
says, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us
together with Christ. By grace are you saved and made
us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, that in the
ages to come, he might show forth the exceeding riches of his grace
toward us through Christ Jesus. His mercy, as we read in Exodus
33, His mercy is sovereign, isn't it? In Romans chapter 9, Paul
quotes that from Exodus 33, remember? He said, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion on whom
I will have compassion. I'll be gracious to whom I will.
So then it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that shows mercy. God shows mercy. He delights
to show mercy. And the good news of the Gospel
is this, there's mercy for the miserable. For miserable sinners,
there is mercy. There is grace for the guilty.
I'm a guilty sinner. But there's grace for the guilty.
There's salvation for sinners if I can find one. They're hard
to find. Sinners are hard to find. Most
people have a righteousness of their own they're trying to establish,
but if I could ever find a sinner I tell him that the Lord Jesus
Christ came to save sinners. He came to save sinners. Now,
do we need the Lord's mercy? Do we need the Lord's mercy?
Absolutely. We cannot be justified before
God God is holy, we are sinful, we cannot be justified before
God without the Lord's mercy. And the reason we need mercy
is because we're guilty. You're guilty. Guilty. Let every mouth be stopped and
all the world become guilty before God. Romans 3.19. How did we
become guilty? Well, there's a man named Adam
that sinned against God And by that one man's disobedience,
many became sinners. And Adam all died, and Adam all
sinned. He said, well, I don't like that.
Tough! That's the way it is. We've all
sinned and come short of the glory of God. Aren't you glad
that God delights to show mercy? We are told in Scripture, Hebrews
chapter 4, to come boldly to the throne of grace that we may
obtain mercy. Notice it uses the word obtain
mercy. It doesn't say we attain unto
it. We don't work our way up to receive
mercy. We obtain it by His sovereign
favor. Come boldly to the throne of
grace that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help In our
time of need, when is that? Well, with me it's all the time.
I need mercy all the time. Thank God He said His mercies
are new every morning. God saves sinners exclusively
and only by His sovereign mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ. Only. Only. Only. Listen to Jeremiah,
Lamentations chapter 3. It is of the Lord's mercy that
we're not consumed, it's what? Well, I thought it's our works,
our merit, our deeds. No, he said it's of the Lord's
mercies that we're not consumed because His compassions fail
not, they're new every morning. Can you turn to this one? Find
the book of Titus. Right before the book of Hebrews,
the book of Titus, one of my favorite Readings here, Titus
chapter 3 verse 4, but after that the kindness and love of
God our Savior toward man appeared, excuse me, Titus 3 verse 5, not
by works of righteousness which we have done, oh, but according
to his mercy. According to His mercy, He saved
us by, through, because the washing of regeneration and the renewing
of the Holy Spirit, you have the Aquican who were dead, which
He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that
being justified by His grace, We should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life. We have an abundance of grace
only through our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I
know this about the mercy of God. God delights to show mercy
to those who are in need of mercy. Keeping, Exodus 34 says, keeping
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and
sin. God shows mercy to his people. Now, talk about the grace of
God and the mercy of God. What might be the difference
between those things? The only reason for grace is
grace. The only reason for grace is
grace. You remember John chapter 1,
of His fullness have we all received grace? For grace. Grace because of grace. And then
the only reason for mercy is mercy. Mercy. God delights to
show mercy. Listen to this scripture. Micah
7, 18. Who is a God like unto thee that
pardoneth iniquity, that passes by the transgression of the remnant
of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever.
You know why? God's angry with the wicked every
day. Why didn't he retain his anger forever? Because he delights
to show mercy. He delights to show mercy. We
know that mercy cannot be earned Mercy cannot be merited. Mercy
is a sovereign gift of God. He sovereignly gives mercy to
whom he will. Sovereign gift of God revealed
in and given through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's the
difference between mercy and grace. Mercy is God not giving
us what we do deserve. What do we deserve? Well, the
scripture said the wages of sin is death. So mercy is God not
giving us what we do deserve, and we know that the grace of
God, grace is God giving us and showing to us His unmerited sovereign
favor in love in Christ Jesus. He gives us all spiritual blessings.
For example, were justified freely by His grace through the redeeming
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. God who spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? We find that in the book of Romans,
chapter 8, verse 32. How do we know that God will
give mercy? How do we know He will give mercy?
Because the Lord Jesus Christ died for the sin of God's elect,
laid upon him, and because God showed him no mercy at Calvary,
as he's bearing our sin in his own body on a tree, God showed
him no mercy, but strict, holy justice, that he might be a just
God and Savior, that he might be just and the justifier. God
dealt with the Lord Jesus Christ, our sin being laid upon Him.
God dealt with Him in absolute, strict justice, that He might
show us mercy. You see, his law had to be satisfied.
God said, the guilty must die. And that's what happened at Calvary's
tree. The Lord Jesus Christ... Turn over here to Romans 3. The
Lord Jesus Christ died for our sin according to the Scripture. Romans chapter 3, verse 20. Romans 3, verse 20. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, By your doing or not doing, there shall no flesh be justified
in his sight, for by the law is just the knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ. Don't miss that.
Unto all and upon all them that believe, there is no difference,
for all have sinned. Colman 323, all have sinned. and come short of the glory of
God, that being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, verse 25, Romans three, whom God has
set forth to be the propitiation, the mercy seat. Blood on the
mercy seat. No coincidence there is it. through
faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, the long
suffering of God, to declare, I say at this time, verse 26,
that he might be just and the justifier of them which believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ. What is boasting then? It's excluded
by what law of works? Nay, by the law of faith. Therefore,
we conclude that a man A sinner is justified by faith without
the deeds of the law. Good news. Good news. The only
way God can show mercy unto us is for our Redeemer to pay our
sin debt. And that's exactly what happened
at Calvary. The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For
it's written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Why did
they hang him on a tree? Why didn't they just stone him? He had to be lifted up and back
under the law. Those who were cursed by the
law were hung on a tree. That's why the Lord Jesus Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for
us. Cursed is everyone that hangeth
on a tree. Hangeth on a tree. Who is that blessed man? Blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord imputeth not iniquity. Blessed is that man to whom the
Lord imputeth righteousness without work, without any contribution
from me. Only thing, I don't bring any
contribution to salvation. It's all of God's free provision
and providing. He is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord
will provide. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared
once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself. He worked out an absolute perfect
righteousness for his people. He freely imputes that to them.
He fully put away our sin by the sacrifice of himself. Paul
put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21. God made him to be sin for us
who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of
God. that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. How good does this sinner have
to be to stand before God? As good as God. Preacher, how
can that be? I'm a sinner. Only in Christ. He's the Lord, our righteousness. You see, I'm not going about
to establish the righteousness of my own. The best moral day
that I've ever had or that any man has ever had. The best moral
day you've ever had. Oh, I haven't thought a bad thought.
Oh, I've just been so good today. Nothing but filthy rags in God's
sight. See, people equate morality for
righteousness. Morality is nothing but filthy
rags in God's sight. Your best morality is nothing
but sin. That's why we need a substitute
to put away our sin by the sacrifice of himself. He appeared once
in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. Did he get the job done? Did he put away the sin of God's
people? Absolutely. He didn't die for all the sins
of all men. He died for the sins of God's
people given to the Lord Jesus Christ in that eternal covenant
of grace. He said, their sin and their
iniquity will I remember no more. Why? He put them away by the
sacrifice of himself. He obtained for us eternal redemption.
By mercy and truth, Proverbs 16. By mercy and truth, iniquity
is purged, and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil.
By mercy and truth. You remember this scripture?
Let's turn over and read it. Psalm 85. Can you turn back to
Psalm 85? You remember this scripture because
I've quoted it quite often and I've preached from it several
times. Psalm 85, look at verse 10. Psalm 85, verse 10. Mercy and truth. You got it? Psalm 85, 10. Mercy and truth
are met together Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the earth. Righteousness shall look
down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good.
And our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall
go before Him and shall set us in the way of His steps. Mercy
and truth are met together. Reconciliation at the cross.
God reconciled us unto Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sin brought separation, right? What is atonement? Atonement
is reconciliation. He reconciled us unto himself
with his own blood. One of the many comforting truths
of the gospel that we find in the Lord Jesus Christ. As sinners,
the Lord Jesus Christ commands us to seek mercy where it's found.
He said, come unto me all you labor heavy laden. I'll give
you rest. Sinners are told and commanded
to seek mercy where it's found. Mercy is not in this church or
any other church or any other organization. Mercy is found
in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. There were two sinners that went
to the temple one day to pray. Proud old Pharisee, he said,
God, I thank you I'm not this. I pray, I fast, I tithe, I do
all these things. And the other man, being a sinful
man, smote his breast and said, God, be merciful to me, thee
sinner. Be merciful to me, thee sinner.
Now, which of those two men do you think were justified before
God? Pharisee justified himself. God said, he went home condemned. Republican condemned himself. God, I'm a sinner. And God said,
he went home justified. Isn't that amazing? I told that
story in a Mormon chapel at my dad's funeral. And those folks
about fell on the floor. But it's the truth. God justified
the ungodly. God justified the ungodly, the
Lord Jesus Christ died for the ungodly. Look over here at Psalm
136, look at verse 4. To him who alone doeth great
wonders, for his mercy endures forever. It's a wonder of God. wonders. It's a wonderful thing
that the Lord would make this sinner an object of his grace,
an object of his love, an object of his mercy. That he choose
me in Christ before the foundation of the world, not because of
anything he foresaw I would do or not do. We call that unconditional
election. He chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world. The wonder of wonders. That's
why Newton wrote, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me. He doeth wondrous things. And
notice, it says there, to him who alone, get a hold of that
word, alone, doeth great wonders. Why? His mercy endures forever. It's a wonder of wonders that
God would have mercy on this poor sinner. And the reason's
not found in me. The reasons found in him. He
delights to show mercy to sinners. This is a faithful saying and
this is worthy of all acceptation. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
save sinners. Like what Jacob said. Jacob said,
I'm not worthy the least of your mercies and of thy truth. But
God have mercy on me, the sinner. Now, look down to verse 23 and
I'll wind this up. Who, this one who's the god of
gods, who's the lord of heaven and earth, who's the sovereign
king of kings and lord of lords, he says, who remembers us in
our low estate. Why? Why would He do that? Why would He remember us in our
lowest state? Because His mercy, His mercy
endures forever. Turn back over here to Psalm
113. You remember, I think we looked at this Psalm not too
long ago. Psalm 113, turn over there. He remembers us in our lowest
state. You remember Psalm 103, it says,
He remembers our frame. Remember? He remembers that we
are but what? Dust. Lowest state. Psalm 113, look at verse 4. The
Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who
humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and
in the earth? He raises up the poor out of
the dust. He lifts the needy out of the
dunghill. You know what a dunghill is?
That's where we shovel the manure after we get through milking.
That's the dung hill. That's where he finds us, on
the dung hill, on the dung heap, in the ash heap, that he may
set him with princes, even the princes of his people. He maketh
the barren woman to keep house and to be a joyful mother, praise
ye the Lord. He lifts beggars from the dung
hill. From the dunghill he left beggars. I've never read in Scripture
one time, and I've been looking at this book we call the Bible
for more than 40 years. I mean seriously studying the
Bible for more than 40 years. I've never read one time when
any mercy beggar came to the Lord Jesus Christ begging for
mercy that the Lord said no. Blind Bartimaeus? Sitting by
the highwayside, hearing that the Lord was passing by, remember
he cried out, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And the folks
said, hush, he don't have time for you. He cried out to louder,
thou son of David. He's calling him the Messiah,
have mercy on me. And the Lord stood still. The
cry of mercy stopped the Lord in his tracks. He said, Mont
Bartimaeus, what do you need? The Lord that I might receive
my sight. And he said, you're made whole.
Well, like that leper that came to the Lord, who came and worshipped
the Lord and said, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. That's my prayer. He said, I
will be thou clean. Why does He do that? His mercy
endures forever. He remembers our frame that we
are but dust. The Lord Jesus Christ died for
the ungodly. Don't turn. Let me just get this
for you quickly. Time is running short here. In Romans 5, when we were yet
without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.
Of course, scarcely for a righteous man would one die, yet perventure
for a good man, some would even dare to die. But God committed
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Much more than being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. We're justified by his blood.
So he remembers us. He remembers us because His mercy
endures forever. Now look at verse 24. He redeemed
us. He redeemed us. He delivered
us. Now we were in, like Israel of
old, they were in bondage for 400 years. 430 years, I think,
if you want to be exact. They couldn't deliver themselves,
could they? Pharaoh and that army, they couldn't do anything. God sent a deliverer, Moses,
and he delivered all of them. God brought them all out with
a high hand and a stretched out arm, it says there in verse 12
in our text. He redeemed them, and that is
a picture. of us in the bondage of our sin,
in the guilt of our sin, and the Lord with a strong hand and
a mighty arm through the Passover lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ,
He delivered us. He delivered us. He redeemed
us with His own blood. We studied that in 1 Peter chapter
1. Remember we said, for as much as you know, you weren't redeemed
with corruptible things. Silver and gold. Your vain conversation,
but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who's
the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. He bought us with
His own blood, and He's going to take us home to glory and
enjoy us forever. He bought us! We're His! He chose
us and He bought us. And He's going to take us home
forever and enjoy us forever. He says, if those that the Father
had given me, I'll lose none. And then the last thing, it says in verse 25, He remembers
us, He redeemed us, and then He giveth. He giveth. He giveth food. And the food
that He's talking about here to His people is spiritual food. It's the heavenly manna. Remember in that 40 years in
the wilderness, manna fell six days a week? Remember, 40 years
manna fell. Christ is that bread from heaven
that we feed upon. He's our food. He's the bread
of life. And all this is because His mercy
endures forever. And it leads us to verse 26.
Now, what do you say? Oh, give thanks. Oh, give thanks
unto the God of heaven. God who is God, give thanks to
the God of heaven. Why? Because, that word for can
be rendered because, His mercy endures forever. Forever, forever. Paul, when he closes 1 Thessalonians
chapter 5, he says, Rejoice in the Lord always, pray without
ceasing, and in everything give thanks. Wait a minute. In everything give thanks for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. God is
God, rules all things, controls all things, nothing happening
in this world right now that's not manipulated by the sovereign
control of Almighty God. That's the God we