#277 WE ARE GUILTY

Excerpt from sermon #52, TRUE THANKSGIVING

"What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" PSA 116:12.

HOS 5:15 says, "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence." He will return unto His place, the mercy seat. He will not show mercy until they acknowledge their iniquity. HOS 6:1 says, "Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal." Then in Verse 3 we find that the Lord shows mercy. As the spirit comes upon the soul like the latter rain, as they acknowledge their iniquity and unworthiness, there is blessing.

It is in proportion to our realization of unworthiness that our thanksgiving is acceptable unto the Lord. David said in PSA 8:3-4, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" The psalmist saw his unworthiness and insignificance in the sight of God. "What is man, that thou are mindful of him?"

True thanksgiving cannot be separated from an acknowledgment of mercy. PSA 136:1 says, "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Do you see the connection between thanksgiving and mercy? It is because His mercy endures forever that thanksgiving is rendered. Verses 2-3 say, "O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever." If you go through PSA 136, you will see that every verse concludes with "for his mercy endureth for ever." His mercy is the basis upon which every verse is brought forth.

The wonder of wonders is that the Lord is still longsuffering toward a nation like ours and with a people like us. Years ago, our crops were drying up, and I read in JER 3:1 about a woman who was unfaithful and if she returned to her husband then great would be the pollution of that land. Then it went on to say, "Yet return again to me, saith the LORD." Then Verse 3 begins with, "Therefore the showers have been withholden." For several weeks I drove by the fields, and I could see the crops were just disappearing. I thought how true that verse is, when I see how far the nation (and the community) has fallen in sin, but about three weeks later, the Lord laid on my heart that I was guilty of spiritual adultery. I could not see where I was guilty until He turned the light on through Verses 13 and 14: "Only acknowledge thine iniquity…Turn, O backsliding children…for I am married unto you." The most humbling thing is to hear the Lord Jesus Christ saying, "I am married unto you," while you stand there with your wedding garments soiled from unfaithfulness. I did not have to look at anyone else for guilt. I did not have to look in the community or in the nation. I could see that the Lord was talking to me, though it took three weeks for me to learn that lesson.

The Lord compares a person who is guilty of spiritual adultery to an unfaithful woman. When we allow something to get closer to us than the Lord, something to come between us and our Saviour, then we are guilty of spiritual adultery. My heart was becoming settled on the harvest of a beautiful crop, but He put drought to it and the crop disappeared. Then I saw that it was not the sin of the nation that was causing my crop to go down; it was my sin that was causing my neighbors’ crops to go down. Then it became personal.

To understand true thanksgiving and true mercy, we must see that whatever we receive has been forfeited and we are totally unworthy of it. Then it becomes personal. PSA 136:24-26 says, "And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever."

The Lord has blessed our crops, even in a year as dry as this. Our economy could have been very different, but within my family and within my group I see that the Lord has used the drought to stimulate our economy. The Lord will show mercy and blessing, for even in wrath He remembers mercy. Even when it seems like He is showing His displeasure and frowning upon this nation, the Lord can yet single us out for mercy and blessing. While He is showing His displeasure with the nation, He can yet, in our personal matters, show mercy and blessing when we are able to acknowledge that we do not deserve it. We have received these things even though we are unworthy.

Thanksgiving is not measured in words only, but also in our actions, which bring glory to God. In PSA 105:1-2 it says, "O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works." When He shows us mercy, we are called upon to proclaim it to the people. It is a grievous thing if the Lord has shown us mercy but we hide it under a bushel. The Lord wants us to proclaim His name and make known His deeds among the people. PSA 106:1-2 says, "Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?"

Some people answer their phone with, "Praise the Lord!" Is that praising the Lord? No. I can say, "Praise the Lord," all day, but that is not praising the Lord. I praise a person by showing forth their goodness. I tell people what they have done, speaking well of them in every way, shape, and form. That is praising a person and that is how we praise the Lord. If I am going to truly praise the Lord, I will "shew forth" His wondrous works and His mighty acts. I am going to tell of the wonders that the Lord has done: confessing to the people how unworthy I am of everything I have received and looking at the wonder of what He has bestowed upon me. That is praising the Lord. "Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?"

ISA 12:4 says, "And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted." That is praising the Lord and showing forth true gratitude. Bring forth His praises, declaring His doings among the people, and making mention that His name is exalted. That does not mean that we go around saying, "Praise the Lord!" That is not praising the Lord. If someone said, "Praise Ralph Bouma," you would think they were insane, would you not? But if they tell about some of the good things I had done, you could say they are praising me. To praise the Lord is to show forth His mighty acts, to show forth what He has done, and to show that He has given such bountiful blessings even though we deserve nothing. That is showing forth His praise. Amen.

Depth of mercy! Can there be mercy still reserved or me?
Can my God His wrath forbear--me, the chief of sinners, spare?
I have long withstood His grace, long provoked Him to His face,
Would not harken to His calls, grieved Him by a thousand falls.

Now incline me to repent, let me now my sins lament.
Now my foul revolt deplore, weep, believe, and sin no more.
There for me my Savior stands, holding forth His wounded hands;
God is love! I know, I feel, Jesus weeps and loves me still.

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