Psalm 119:Focus On God's Word Pt. 132 Trust God's Word For His Mercy Is Assured

Mercy and salvation are assured by faith in God's Word.

Psalm 119:41  VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word. 

This eight verse section of Psalm 119 begins with the Psalmist praying for the sure mercies of Jehovah to be given to him. 

He knows that he is a sinner saved by grace and that he will fail God at times, just like we fail Him at times.

He knows that Jehovah's mercy is higher than the heavens because God told him so in His Word. His mercy is infinite because God Himself is infinite. 

The Psalmist knows and is teaching us so that we might rest in the same truth that comforted his heart.  He knows that when he confesses and forsake his sin, Jehovah is always merciful and ready to forgive him. 

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and believing.

Romans 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Grace and mercy, forgiveness and pardon, salvation and eternal life, are all extended to believers by God through what He tells us in His Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 

Three different times in the New Testament, God tells us that a just or righteous man will live by faith (See Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11 & Hebrews 10:38).

Repentant faith in Jesus Christ is essential for salvation. This means that our faith and the many mercies we receive, are anchored to what God says in His Word. 

We hear His word taught or we read it with our own eyes, and we believe God. We learn to take God at His Word, and believe what He says, which is simple faith. It really is a child like faith that we must have. 

This is why the Psalmist is patiently and carefully showing us where to anchor our hearts. He is actively reinforcing our need to trust what God says to us and we must be bonded tightly to the scriptures.  

We trust what God says because He cannot lie.

Titus 1:1,2  Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2)  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; 

From a New Testament view, Paul shows us that all of our spiritual blessings and standing with God is because each believer is "in Christ." We are placed into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit and are given eternal hope according to our faith in God's Word. 

Faith is also acknowledging the truth of the scriptures. The word "acknowledge" means confessing, knowing or declaring that what God says is true. This word is very similar to the word "believe" because it expresses faith in the truthfulness of God.

God gave us His eternal truth to show us how we can be regenerated by the Holy Ghost and how to live a life marked by godliness.

God's promises are immutable and our source of hope and comfort. 

Hebrews 6:17-19  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18)  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19)  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

We can trust God's Word because He cannot lie. In fact, it is impossible for God to lie and His promises form an immutable counsel, to which our soul must be firmly anchored.

God will never change the covenant of faith that He established with Abraham (Genesis 12, 15, 19). The oath He pledged to uphold in giving great promises to Abraham, was in the form of a king and vassal treaty, with one notable exception. 

God did not put any burden on Abraham to keep this treaty.  He swore upon His own name, so that the giving of the promise, the perpetuating of it and the fulfillment all rests on the omnipotent God. 

We know God will keep His promises because we know it is impossible for Him to lie. Therefore, His counsel and promises and provisions are immutable.

The word "immutable" means that the scriptures cannot be altered, changed or taken away. Only God can say "I will do this or that" and none can stop Him from carrying out what He said He would do.

Men's words and works can be altered. 

Daniel 6:8  Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

Remember the Old Testament history. Empires operated by the Medes and Persians, foolishly prided themselves by saying that whatever a king declared, could never be altered by anyone (See Daniel 6:8; 12; 15). 

Yet, if a Median or Persian king encountered a stronger military force, he could not make good on his declarations. The words and works of men are not immutable, but the words and works of God are, and they shall always prevail.

Believing on Jesus Christ gives us eternal life.

John 3:16-18  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17)  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18)  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

Here is the greatest expression of Gods mercies coming to us as the Psalmist teaches us. Mercy in God's Word to reveal the singular source of our hope for eternal life: the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

God loves us so much, that He put His plan of salvation in motion before the world was created, and Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, slain for our sins, raised for our justification.   

John's gospel makes it clear that those who are born again and "in Christ", will  forever live in heaven in the Father's house. 

God sent His Son into the world to save the world, not to condemn it. 

However, all who refuse to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are already condemned for their sins.  

All people today fall into one of two groups. Those who believe what God says in His Word and are saved, and those who reject what God says, and are dead in their sins. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

The great Puritan preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon made the following observations about the mercies of God. I close with his comments because they remind us how beautiful God's mercies are as they come to us day by day. 

May the Holy Spirit grant us understanding of these truths so that we may become firmly anchored to the scriptures, and resolutely determined to live for the glory of God.

Bob

"Here is the first mention of salvation in the Psalm, and it is joined with mercy: "By grace are ye saved"…Salvation is styled "thy salvation," thus ascribing it wholly to the Lord: "He that is our God is the God of salvation." What a mass of mercies are heaped together in the one salvation of our Lord Jesus! It includes the mercies which spare us before our conversion, and lead up to it. Then comes His mercy in calling us to Himself as the word is preached. There is His mighty regenerating mercy, converting mercy, justifying mercy, pardoning mercy. Nor can we exclude from complete salvation any of those many mercies which are needed to conduct the believer safe to glory. Salvation is an aggregate of mercies incalculable in number, priceless in value, incessant in application, eternal in endurance. To the God of our mercies be glory, world without end.”