A sermon preached at a Communion Service in Chesley, ON, by the Rev. D. D. Gebbie. The readings were Psalm 103 and Romans 8. The text was Ps 103:1-5. It first appeared in print in the 2023 Haddington House Journal.
Introduction.
If you look back over the history of the Reformed observance of the Lord's Supper, you will find that there is one thing, apart from the actual Lord’s Supper itself, which has come down through the ages and is in all the Reformed traditions. Whether the observance is done according to a form or according to an order of service, whether the way in which it is done is prescribed or advisory, you will find that this Psalm has remained part of the service: Psalm 103, particularly these early verses.
Why is this the case? It is because in these first five verses of this Psalm we find what we need to know about the benefits which we receive from Christ in the Lord’s Supper.
If we want to, we might put it this way: we might ask, “What is on the table?”
Now, sometimes we would ask what is on the table and we'd be thinking about what the terms of a negotiation are. The things on the table would be what was being offered so that a deal could be thrashed out. But that is not what we are asking today. “What is on the table?” is that question which you might ask when come home from work, and ask, perhaps, with some trepidation. Your tone better be right when you ask it because your response to the answer should always be, “Oh lovely. That is good. Thank you.”
“What is on the table?” We are thinking today of the provision that is made for us here. What is it that is going to be set on the table before us here today? What is this meal that we are going to have? These verses tell us what is on the table.
Usually, we consider the menu in these verses as the list of things which we are going to take away from the table. That is because the point in the service at which we sing these verses is when we are leaving the table. This morning, I should like to spend the time now, before we come to the table, to describe the meal that is going to be set before us.
There is a great industry in describing meals. If you look at some of the more reasonable television programming, you will find that you either have a murder mystery or a cookery programme. There is a great interest in what is on the table. There are magazines full of beautiful pictures of groaning boards, photographs of the most exquisite arrangements of food on a plate, and new recipes on which you might break your budget. It is a thing in which people are interested. So, what is on the table this morning?
We are going to describe this meal in the terms that are here in this portion of Psalm 103. We are going to consider it as a series of courses if you eat in the Russian style, or as an array of dishes if you prefer the French. The courses or dishes of this meal are the benefits listed in the Psalm.
1. Forgiveness.
The first thing that is set before us, the first dish, is the forgiveness of all our iniquities: “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities”. Or, as we read later in the psalm, in verses 10 to 12: “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Our sins are taken far away. All our iniquities are forgiven.
We can think of “all” in two ways. Firstly, when the person who is trusting in Christ stands before the judgement, there will not be a single sin left for which to give account. All will have been forgiven, removed, forgotten, blotted out, covered. There will be no condemnation on that day. There will be complete acceptance.
Secondly, as we are here today, we take all our sins to mean all kinds of sin which we have committed. There is nothing that is beyond his forgiveness. There is nothing that we can think of and say, “Well surely this sin could not be forgiven.” The apostle Paul, speaking of himself, tells us that he is the “chief of sinners”. Why does he say that? He says it not because he would boast nor because of some inverted snobbery. No, he does not say it for those reasons. He does not say it, even, as a sort of false modesty. He states it as a fact. And why is it a fact in that circumstance? It is the fact that he is the one who has done so many things to Christ. He has attacked and persecuted the people of Christ; and Christ, himself, said to him, “Why persecutest thou me?” In touching God's people, he had touched Christ. He had personally offended Christ because of the union between Christ and his people. That is the important thing that we need to remember in this: it is the greatness of the sins which Paul committed. He does not draw attention to them to say look at me. He draws attention to them to say that these sins were taken away, that he was forgiven. Sins against his neighbour that were also sins against the Lord Jesus Christ were forgiven.
If Paul went that far, if Paul was that far out, and he was forgiven, we can be assured that there is nothing which we have committed which is beyond the forgiveness of he who “forgiveth all thine iniquities”.
How are our iniquities removed? God forgives all our iniquities because Christ has paid the penalty for sin. He has died on the cross for sinners. His shed blood has covered sin. And in covering sin, it has diverted the wrath of God away from us and we are forgiven.
Christ has died that our sins might be removed, that our sins might be forgotten, that our sins might be blotted out. Whichever form of words, whichever metaphor, whichever illustration catches your imagination at this moment, is not important. The point is that God forgives all our sins.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”. The first benefit, the first dish upon the table, is that He forgives.
2. Healing.
The second dish upon the table, the second terrine or platter, is that the LORD “healeth all thy diseases”.
Again, we can think of this in two ways. Firstly, we read in Revelation that all the things of pain are left outside the New Jerusalem. At Christ’s coming, as Paul says in First Corinthians, “We shall be changed.” Part of that change is a body and mind completely free from disease and disability. On that day, the Lord will heal all our diseases.
Secondly, all diseases will be healed, but not all diseases will be healed now. As we read later in the Psalm, the LORD “knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Dust, indeed, we are and to dust we shall return. Returning to dust is a process. It is not done in a moment; and it is not only done in the grave. It is a process which begins with life and growth. As cells die new cells come and we grow. We see it so often in a small child. A baby will have a little ragged edge on their tiny fingernail and in the morning, you will see scratches on their face; yet, by the next morning, they are gone because the body is moving, and the cells are growing so fast. Ah, but the time comes when that does not happen anymore, and it seems that a little cut takes weeks to heal, and it seems that a little twitch or a little twist takes longer and longer and longer to go away. Things do not heal as once they did. We are returning to dust.
All people, even the Lord’s, will die; and disease is part of the road to death. Yet, God gives grace. In this life, he restores, and he binds up. Through the gifts of discovery and invention which he has given mankind, and according to his will, he heals, and he cures.
Nevertheless, not all diseases are cured now. Yet, God gives grace. He soothes the soul, even when he will not heal the body. The grace of God is likened to a balm. There is a product which comes from Vermont. It is a petroleum jelly with lanolin and an antiseptic in it. It is used primarily in the care of udders on cattle and sheep; it is not registered for human use. That said, it is very useful for soothing broken skin, small cuts, or abrasions. It is a balm. We understand how it works.
When Paul asked God to take away the thorn in his flesh, he did so not just because of the pain in his body, but because of the effect which that pain was having on his soul. He was not wrong to ask for healing. The answer which he was given was that there would be no healing at that time, but there would be grace given sufficient for his soul to live with the pain. With this is the promise that that all things will work together for good: even the things of pain, with their heartaches, and disappointments, and troubles, and false starts.
From where does this healing and grace come? We know from Isaiah 53 that it comes from the cross. We find there that Christ has borne our sorrows and our griefs. He has carried our aches and our pains. He has taken these things upon himself. Just as he bore our sins upon the tree, so also, he bore the things of the curse upon the tree. All the things that cause grief and perplexity, all the sorrows which bring us down, belong to this world of the curse; and they are all covered by the cross of Christ as he bears our sorrows, our troubles, our griefs, our diseases, and our pains. He takes them on himself, and if he does not provide for us healing, he will provide for us that grace which is there for the asking.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”. The second benefit, the second dish on the table, is the healing of some of our diseases in life and the healing of all our diseases at the resurrection. On that day, he will heal us fully. Our bodies will be glorious, completely healed of all ailments and sicknesses, all deformities and disabilities, and all the scars and ravages of age. And for today, there is grace to help in our need and pain.
3. Redemption from destruction.
The third dish is redemption from destruction: the LORD “redeemeth thy life from destruction”.
The word redeem means to buy back. It can be used in the context of paying a ransom for the release of a captive or of paying back a debt so that what was held as security is returned.
Destruction is not annihilation but living in the never-to-be-rebuilt ruin of eternal lostness.
Here, redeem is used to describe how Christ obtains the freedom of a sinner who is condemned to hell and destruction. Christ paid the price of redemption. The price was paid not in silver or gold but in his precious blood. And that takes us back again to the cross.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”. Firstly, Christ has saved us from being condemned to the lake of fire at the judgment; and, secondly, he has given us the hope of eternal life now.
4. Loving kindness and tender mercies.
The fourth dish is the gift of God’s loving kindness and tender mercies: the LORD “crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies”.
To crown is to place something on a person’s head. That thing is important and special. God’s lovingkindness and tender mercies are a special gift. Crowning someone also sets that person apart. This a special gift which God gives only to His own.
We are crowned with lovingkindness and tender mercies. These are terms which appear in our English Bible to cover words which are hard to describe simply from the Hebrew. The word behind lovingkindness is one about which you will find many articles and many essays have been written. It has such a depth of meaning. It combines so many thoughts. Lovingkindness is how it was thought of by English-speaking translators. It is a gift so there is kindness in it. But it's not just kindness because kindness would seem too little for the strength of the word, so loving is added. What the word describes most is a relationship marked out by faithfulness and steadfastness. Some will speak of a steadfast love. In steadfastness, there is commitment. The lovingkindness of the LORD is a commitment to us that he will be kind, that he will show mercy and compassion, and that he will help in time of need. He will be there for us.
The illustration that is often used about this word takes us back to Old Testament covenants and treaties. This lovingkindness is shown when a strong king makes a treaty with a weak king. When somebody attacks that weak king, the strong king will come to his aid. Almighty God, the maker of heaven and earth, is on our side.
To see God’s lovingkindness and his tender mercies as entirely separate things would be wrong. There is a strong overlap, but there is no tautology, no redundancy. God is merciful and compassionate as well as steadfastly committed. There is a gentleness, a tenderness, which marks out his dealings with his people. And it is a commitment and gentleness which they do not deserve; for mercy is given to the guilty.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”. In this fourth dish, there is the benefit of our relationship with God.
5. Good things.
Lastly, the fifth dish holds good things: the LORD “satisfieth thy mouth with good things”.
If we want to take our analogy and extend it, this last dish might be considered dessert or pudding. We are looking at the table and we are thinking, “Look at all this food. There is the forgiveness of sins, and the healing, and the redemption, and the loving-kindness.” Then we find that there is more. The cover is taken off another dish. And we find that we have just enough room for what is inside. And with that, our meal is complete. We are satisfied.
God provides good things. Yet, they may not always seem to be good. But as we read in Romans 8, their ultimate purpose is good. Looking over God’s buffet, not everything on it will be our favourite. But everything on it is good and will do us good.
Now, the way that the punctuation flows here, certainly in our English version, does not tie the last part of verse five just to the first part, but to all the list, or menu, from verse three down. All this provision is restorative or renewing. There is a weight that comes with years of knowing the sinfulness of our own souls and in dealing with life in this fallen world with its sin-cursedness and its enmity against God. There is a tiredness. We are worn down. These gifts from God refresh our souls, lift off the weight, and roll back the years. We stretch like we are young again and light like the eagle soaring high on the breath of God.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”, so that “thy youth is renewed like the eagles”.
Conclusion.
This morning, we have come to remember the death of Christ on the cross. And if we remember his death properly, we shall not forget all the benefits which are ours through his death.
Shortly, the table before you will be set with a plate on which there is a loaf of bread and a cup in which there is wine. In the elements, actions, and words of the sacrament, the death of Christ, his broken body and shed blood, will be shown to all of you in symbolic form, as will the fact that the New Covenant has been inaugurated. Those who come to the table will receive in their bodily hands and mouths a piece of that torn loaf and a drink from that cup. But the hand of faith will take hold of Christ and his benefits. And the mouth of faith will receive Christ and his benefits. We have talked about these benefits this morning. Think on them and how Christ will satisfy your hungry soul as you sit at his table.