A Psalm of Forgiveness

Q: What does the Bible say about forgiveness?

The Bible teaches that forgiveness is available through God's mercy, particularly seen in Psalm 130. The Bible affirms that forgiveness is a glorious aspect of God's character. Psalm 130 expresses the deep cry of a heart burdened by sin, stating, 'If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquity, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.' This highlights that all humanity is guilty before God, yet there is hope and grace offered through His forgiveness. The New Testament reiterates this theme, pointing to Christ as the ultimate source of redemption and forgiveness, made available to all who believe.

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

God's mercy is evident in His willingness to forgive and in His promises throughout Scripture. God's mercy is foundational to His attributes, constantly highlighted in Scripture. Psalm 130 emphasizes that, despite our iniquities, God's forgiveness is abundant, providing hope for sinners. Moreover, passages like Ephesians 2:4-5 affirm that God's rich mercy brings us to life through Christ when we were dead in sin. His faithfulness in fulfilling His promises further assures us of His merciful nature, as seen in the assurance that He will not turn away those who come to Him in faith.

Q: Why is Psalm 130 significant for Christians?

Psalm 130 is significant as it encapsulates the themes of sin, repentance, and the hope found in divine forgiveness. Psalm 130 serves as a profound reminder for Christians about the justice of God in recognizing sin and the grace of God in offering forgiveness. The psalm begins with a cry out of deep conviction, acknowledging the individual's state in sin and the inability to stand before God without His mercy. It later transitions into hope, affirming that 'with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption.' This message resonates deeply in the life of every believer, reinforcing the importance of relying on Christ for redemption and encouraging them to confess sins in light of God's forgiveness.

Q: How does Psalm 130 relate to New Testament teachings?

Psalm 130 directly relates to New Testament teachings about sin and grace, particularly through the work of Christ. Psalm 130 finds its fulfillment and deeper understanding in the New Testament, where sin and grace are cast in the light of Christ's sacrificial work. Just as the psalmist expresses despair over sin and longs for God’s forgiveness, the New Testament reveals that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of that forgiveness. Verses such as Ephesians 1:7 proclaim that we have redemption through His blood, paralleling the hope of mercy found in Psalm 130. Additionally, the call to wait on the Lord in Psalm 130 resonates with New Testament promises of Jesus’ return and His assurance that He will not cast out those who come to Him.

Q: What is the importance of waiting on the Lord in Psalm 130?

Waiting on the Lord signifies trust in His timing and faithfulness to fulfill His promises. In Psalm 130, the act of waiting for the Lord expresses a profound trust and dependence on God. It reflects the believer's recognition of their need for divine intervention and mercy. The psalmist states, 'I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope.' This waiting is not passive but is an active expectation rooted in faith. It underscores the belief that God will respond in His perfect timing, providing assurance and hope. This mentality of waiting is echoed throughout Scripture, reminding believers that God's promises are faithful and His timing is perfect.

I want to read a psalm to you
today. It's Psalm 130. Now, I'm going
to speak on this subject, a psalm of forgiveness. I think you'll
enjoy this message. I think it'll be a blessing to
you, a psalm of forgiveness. This is one of those psalms we
ought to memorize and take it around with us all the time,
a psalm of David, Psalm 130. Listen to it. out of the depths
have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let thine
ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou,
Lord, shouldst mark iniquity, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with
thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the My soul doth wait
for the Lord, and in his word do I hope. My soul waited for
the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. I say
more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope
in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him
is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from
all his iniquities. This psalm has been a great blessing
to the people of God for many centuries. I want to give you
some examples of the testimonies of people to whom this psalm
was a very, very special blessing. Some of them literally a turning
point in their lives. I believe this will even make
you more interested in what I have to say about this psalm of forgiveness,
Psalm 130. There's a well-known preacher
many, many years ago in England named Thomas Guthrie. And he
was invited to a village to preach the gospel. And when he got to
the village, the people sent him to the local hotel, they
called it an inn back then, to find lodging. Well, when he got
to the inn where he was going to stay while he preached in
this town, there was a man there dying. And the priest had been
called to administer what they called the last rites of the
church. And Thomas Guthrie witnessed
this episode. With its ritualism and form and
so forth, the last rites was administered to the man. And
after the priest left, Thomas Guthrie walked up to the man
who was lying there upon the bed, very ill, dying, and he
said this to him. He said, Sir, do you now feel
that you have peace with God Almighty? And he said the man
looked at him and replied, No, sir, I do not. I have no peace
with God and I'm dying with no hope. Guthrie then opened his
Bible to this psalm, Psalm 130, Out of the depths have I cried
unto thee, O Lord, hear my voice. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark
iniquity, O Lord, who shall stand? But there's forgiveness with
thee, that thou mayest be feared. Guthrie read this psalm, and
he talked to him about the mercy of God, about the forgiveness
of God in Christ Jesus, And while he talked to the man about the
grace and mercy of God to sinners in Christ Jesus, he said the
man's face just lightened, and his heart was lifted, and his
heart rejoiced in the good news. And he believed the gospel like
the eunuch of old, like the thief on the cross, and received saving
grace in Christ Jesus. Guthrie stayed with him till
he died. And then he went to his room. And he sat down and
wrote a letter to his wife. And this is what he said in the
letter. My dear, I have witnessed a miracle this day. I found a
man in the state of nature, dead and dying. I saw that man, that
same man, in a state of grace, rejoicing in the mercy of God
through Christ Jesus. I left that man in a state of
glory, like the thief of old. Oh, how great and how marvelous
is the mercy of God and the forgiveness of God, yea, to the chief of
sinners. My dear, pray for me, that I
shall be the bearer of this good news to many more sinners before
God calls me home." Psalm 130. Most of you have heard of Martin
Luther. Martin Luther was one of the great preachers of the
gospel in Germany over 500 years ago. He was one of the key men
God used in the Great Reformation. Well, they asked Martin Luther
one day, which psalm, there are 150 psalms in the Bible, and
they asked him which psalm he considered to be the greatest
of all the psalms. This scholar, this student of
the scriptures, great reformer, this preacher of the gospel.
This is interesting, isn't it? I'd be interested to know which
psalm he considered to be the greatest of all the psalms. Well,
he replied, I don't know that I could single out any one psalm,
but I can tell you the three psalms that are the greatest
blessing to me. He said it's Psalm 32, And David's Psalm of Repentance,
51, and Psalm 130, my text. Out of the depths have I cried,
O Lord, hear my voice. Be attentive to my supplications.
If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquity, who shall stand? But
there's forgiveness with thee. Martin Luther said the greatest
of the Psalms is Psalm 130. And while he was down at Coburg
going through some of his greatest trials, his deepest persecution
and affliction brought upon him by the powers that be because
he preached the gospel, his friends gathered about him to encourage
him one night and he smiled and lifted his voice and he said,
my friends, come, let us sing Psalm 130 and let us wait on the Lord like those that wait
for the morning and let us hope in His promise." John Owen, I
don't suppose there's anybody listening to my voice that hasn't
heard of John Owen, one of the greatest writers and on Holy
Scripture, one of the great preachers of the past. John Owen was talking
to a young man by the name of Richard Davis. And he asked Richard
Davis this question. He said, young man, in what manner
do you hope to go to God? That's a good question. In what
manner do you hope to go to God? And Richard Davis himself became
an outstanding preacher. He replied, well, Dr. Owen, he said, I plan to go to
God through the mediator, Jesus Christ. And John Owen replied,
that's easily said. That's easily said. But I assure
you, my young friend, it's quite another thing to really go to
God through the mediator, Jesus Christ, than most people who
use that expression really understand. He said, I know that by experience.
For one day, I myself, was a preacher of the gospel. I preached Jesus
Christ. I preached Jesus Christ the Mediator
for several years when I personally had very little, if any, experimental
knowledge of what it meant to go to God through the Mediator. I preached it, but I had very
little, if any, real heart understanding and experimental knowledge of
what it meant for a sinner to go to God through Jesus Christ,
the Mediator. But Mr. Davis, God in His grace,
was pleased to visit me with great affliction. I was literally
brought to the mouth of the grave. My soul was oppressed with horror
and darkness. But God Listen to this. God relieved my spirit and gave
me hope through a powerful application of Psalm 130. I received from
Psalm 130 special instruction, special peace, and special comfort
in drawing night of God through the mediator. And Mr. Davis,
after I recovered and was back on my feet, My first sermon,
the first sermon I preached was from Psalm 130. Isn't that interesting? Let me give you one more. James
Vaughan. James Vaughan was a writer admired
by Charles Spurgeon. You'll recognize Spurgeon more
quickly than James Vaughan, but James Vaughan called Psalm 130
the progress of the soul, the progress of the soul. He said,
just as a barometer marks the progress of the weather. So does
this psalm, Psalm 130, sentence by sentence, line by line, record
the progress of the soul. And if you're really interested,
you may test yourself by this psalm as you read each line. Think about it. Out of the depths
have I cried. Have you ever been there? Out
of the depths? O LORD, if thou shouldst mark
iniquity, who shall stand? You ever felt that? You ever
been burdened and broken by that terrible feeling that God will
bring you to account for every sin? And how shall I stand? But there's forgiveness with
thee that thou mayest be feared. Do you know that to be true?
Have you experienced it? I wait for the Lord. My mouth
is stopped and I'm still. quietly waiting for the Lord.
For in His Word do I hope. Is that your foundation? Is that
your rock? Is that your refuge? Have you
experienced that? Let Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there's mercy
and plenteous redemption. Oh, I tell you, what a psalm.
Allow me in the time we have left just to take this psalm
and comment briefly on each line, each verse as I'm able to get
to it. Take your Bible, open to Psalm 130. I hope when I finish
with this message or sometime in the near future as God commits
this Psalm, this message to your own heart like He did to John
Owen and give you instruction and peace and comfort from His
Word and from this Psalm in particular. Commit it to memory. Feed upon
it. Feast upon it. Rest upon it.
Listen to this. What's the first line? Out of
the depths. Out of the depths have I cried
unto thee, O Lord. You know what this is? This is
conviction of sin. Conviction of sin. What is the
depths? Deep, heartfelt conviction of
sin. David described it in Psalm 40.
He said, innumerable evils have compassed me about. My sins and
iniquities have literally taken hold of me. I'm not able to look
up. My sins are more than the hairs
of my head. Therefore, my heart faileth me.
O Lord, be pleased to deliver me." You know something about
that? Out of the depths have I cried. What depths? Out of the depths
of pride and self, out of the depths of evil thoughts, evil
imaginations? Do you know something about that?
Out of the depths of unrest, murmuring, anxiety, covetousness,
greed? Out of the depths of doubts and
fears? Out of the depths of depression
and pain and sin? Have you been there? I'll tell
you this, deep places beget deep feelings. God does not hear a man simply
because he cries. God hears a man who cries out
of the depths. You go through the Bible. Blind
Bartimaeus cried out of his darkness, out of his inability, out of
his blindness. Jesus, thy son of David, he cried,
it said. He cried aloud, have mercy on
me. And the people tried to keep
him quiet, be still. He cried out the more. He's crying
out of the depths. Out of the depths. And he was
heard. Out of the depths. The thief
on the cross was crying out of the depths. Here's a man dying. He couldn't work. He couldn't
wash. He couldn't witness. He couldn't walk. And he couldn't
wait. He cried, Oh God, Lord, remember
me when you come into thy kingdom. He cried out of the depths. That's
conviction of sin. Notice the next line, Lord, hear
my voice. Let thine ear be attentive to
the voice of my supplication. What is this? This is a sincere
cry. Where is he? Crying out of the
depths. What's he doing? He's crying
unto the Lord. Oh, what mercy is reserved for
those who can call upon the name of the Lord. That's what Paul
wrote in Romans 10. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Call upon me, I will answer,
God said. Out of the depths have I cried
unto thee. This prayer here, this sincere prayer, has the
marks, the five marks of a sincere prayer. You know what I believe
to be the five marks of a sincere prayer? I said to someone just
very recently, wonder how much prayer is real prayer and how
much of it's preaching. How much prayer is real prayer
and how much of it do we say to impress those about us? How
much prayer is real prayer and how much of it is form or duty
or ritualism or something else? This is prayer. Oh Lord, Out
of the depths have I cried unto Thee, Lord, hear my voice. Let Thine ear be attentive to
the voice of my supplications." This is prayer. This is not reciting
a form. This is prayer. God heard this
prayer. I'll give you the five marks
of a genuine prayer. Here, it's a humble prayer. Out
of the depths. Out of the depths. Low down. Down in the depths, down in the
valley, helpless, hopeless, I cry. Another thing about a sincere
prayer, it's a fervent prayer. Have I cried unto Thee, O Lord. No form there, no ceremony, no
duty there. No reciting something we've memorized. I cried unto Thee. You know something,
you mothers, you go about your house, you've got a couple of
children, You hear their little voices in the next room. They're
talking. They're singing. They're chattering. They're even
arguing. And you don't pay a great deal of attention, but you let
one of them cry. Let one of them cry. And you're
in that room and next to them in a moment. They've cried. They're
in need. It's a fervent. It's a call for
help. And that's what a prayer is.
It's humble. It's fervent. I tell you this,
it's directed to God. He says, Lord, unto Thee, out
of the depths have I cried unto Thee, not to Mary, not to a saint,
not to a statue, not to a preacher, unto Thee, O Lord, have I cried. Lord, You hear my voice. You be attentive to the voice
of my supplication. This is prayers directed to God.
And then it's a reverent prayer, O Lord, Oh, Lord, Lord, God of
heaven and earth. Oh, Lord, hear my voice. That's
what the leper said when Christ came down from the mountain.
And he ran to him and fell at his feet and worshiped him, said,
Lord, Lord, master, if you will, you can make me whole. That's a reverent prayer. And
then this prayer is personal. Oh, Lord, out of the depths have
I cried unto thee, Lord, hear my voice, my voice." All right, look at verse 3. If
thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquity, who shall stand? Who shall stand? Here's personal judgment. Personal
judgment. David judges himself. That's
what he's doing here. He doesn't talk like a lot of
religious people today, does he? If thou shouldest mark iniquity,
O Lord, who shall stand?" He admits he's a great sinner who
cannot stand on his own before God. I tell you this, no man
will ever come to a throne of grace till he's been to a throne
of judgment, till he's judged himself. That's what the Scripture
says. If we judge ourselves, we'd not be judged. No man's
going to seek grace until he confesses guilt. No man's going
to cry for mercy till he's miserable. This is what David is saying,
Lord, if thou shouldest mark iniquity, if God should charge,
call us to account, hold us accountable, hold us responsible for our iniquity,
for every idle word, for every evil deed, for every sinful imagination,
for every carnal act, for every selfish motive, for every sinful
act, Lord, who's gonna stand? Can you? Can you? This is personal judgment. We've
got to judge ourselves and justify God in His condemnation. If God
condemns us, He's just. He's clear when He speaks, David
said. I'm guilty. Guilty. Let every mouth be stopped and
all the world become guilty. Here is personal judgment. Now,
look at verse 4. Thank God for this verse. But
there's forgiveness. Let's forgive. Out of the depths
conviction of sin, have I cried a sincere call? Lord, if you
charge iniquity, if you mark iniquity, I can't stand and nobody
else can. But I rejoice that there's forgiveness
with thee. Somebody, someone said this recently. These two verses contain the
whole of the scripture. Verse 3, if thou, Lord, shouldest
mark iniquity, who would stand? That's sin, universal sin, universal
guilt. There's no difference, all of
sin. Fatal, who can stand? All perish. But the next verse,
but there's forgiveness with thee. And my friend, there's
salvation, free, full, complete, and eternal. What did Paul write
in the book of Ephesians chapter two? You hath be quickened who
were dead. in trespasses and sin, wherein
in times past you walked, I walked, we all walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
among whom we all had our conversation in times past, in the lust of
our flesh, in the lust of our minds, in the pride of life.
We were by nature children of wrath, even as others, but God,
but God. That's what David's saying here.
Lord, if you should mark sin, evil, iniquity, who's going to
stand? But there's forgiveness within.
But God, who is rich in mercy for His great love, wherewith
He loved us, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
are you saved through faith. That's not of yourself. It's
the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We
have redemption through His blood. the forgiveness of sin. He was
made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth us from all sin. The poet said, Jesus Christ,
thy blood and righteousness, my beauty are, my glorious dress,
mid-flaming worlds in these arrayed with joy, I lift up my head. But there's forgiveness with
thee. Isn't that good news? Christ came to save sinners like
you and me. If God should mark iniquity,
who could stand? But thank God there's forgiveness,
there's mercy, there's grace with him that he may be feared. Oh, we fear God because of his
power and wisdom and glory and greatness. We fear God because
we're in God's hands to do with as He sees fit. I fear to miss
Christ. I fear to presume on the grace
of God. I fear, don't you? Fear God.
That's the beginning of wisdom, to fear God. Notice verse 5,
but here's hope. Listen. So I wait for the Lord. Salvation's of the Lord. So I
wait for the Lord. My soul doth wait, and in His
Word do I hope. We look to Him. We wait upon
Him. And we hope. We have a good hope. We have a blessed hope. We have
a sure hope. We have a living hope. And that
hope is a person. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Let me give you four things which
encourage me, a sinner, to wait and hope in the Lord. Four things. All of them have to do with Him.
None of them with me. All of them with Him. Here are
four things that encourage me. Paul said the chief of sinners.
less than the least of all the saints, unworthy to be called
an apostle. But here are four things that
encourage me. Number one, it's God's will to show mercy. That's
right. He said, I will be merciful. I will be gracious. It's his
will. Secondly, it's his glory. That's
his greatest glory, to show mercy. Moses asked him, said, Lord,
show me your glory. He said, all right, I'll show
you my glory. My glory is my goodness. I'll
pass by you, and I'll reveal to you my goodness. I will be
merciful. I will be gracious." That's God's
glory. Thirdly, His power. He's able to save. That's right. He's able. He's able to save
to the uttermost them that come to God by Him. I can't break
a heart, but He can. I can't give a man a new heart,
but He can. I can't save a sinner, but He can. I can't put away
your awful guilt and my awful guilt. But he can't. I can't
write a name in the Lamb's Book of Life, but he can. He said
it's the book which he hath written. He has the power. Paul said that. He said, I know whom I have believed,
and I'm persuaded he's able to do all that he promised and to
keep that which I've committed unto him. He's able. And then
I tell you, fourthly, his faithfulness. His faithfulness. Our Lord Jesus
rested in the faithfulness of his Father. the faithful promise
of his Father. He said, All that my Father giveth
me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I'll in no
wise cast out. I came down from heaven not to
do my will, but the will of him that sent me. This is the will,
the purpose, the power, the faithfulness of him that sent me, that of
all which he hath given me I lose nothing. Raise it up to the last
day. Look down at verse Let Israel
hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there's plenteous redemption."
Plenty. There's never a shortage of grace,
never a shortage of mercy, never a shortage of redemption. He's
plenteous in redemption. Now, if you want this message
on a cassette tape, write for it. It's entitled, A Psalm of
Forgiveness, or Psalm 130. There'll be another message on
the other side. Here's the address. Until next
week, God bless you. Then sing.

A Psalm of Forgiveness

What does the Bible say about forgiveness?

How do we know God's mercy is true?

Why is Psalm 130 significant for Christians?

How does Psalm 130 relate to New Testament teachings?

What is the importance of waiting on the Lord in Psalm 130?

Sermon Transcript

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A Psalm of Forgiveness

What does the Bible say about forgiveness?

How do we know God's mercy is true?

Why is Psalm 130 significant for Christians?

How does Psalm 130 relate to New Testament teachings?

What is the importance of waiting on the Lord in Psalm 130?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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