Open in your Bibles with me this morning to the 103rd Psalm. I hope this study through the 103rd Psalm has been a blessing to your heart. It started out as one message on January 1st, and here we are on the first Sunday of January, and here we are on the first Sunday of February. And this morning, Lord willing, we will finish out our consideration of this psalm. I considered reading the entirety of the psalm this morning, but I'm just going to read some selected verses so we can jump right in. Look with me at the first two verses of the psalm, which read as this, Psalm 103, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. And then jumping to the end of the psalm and down to verse 20. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless the Lord, all his hosts, ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works and all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul. And in those first two and last three verses of this psalm, we find a glorious theme, Bless the Lord. And if you remember back to the first Sunday of January, we said that that word bless is essentially the word kneel. It is a word which indicates worship. The Lord blesses us. How can we bless the Lord? Well, we certainly cannot bless the Lord in the way that He blesses us. But our blessing of the Lord is that returning of thanks and praise and worship. We kneel before the Lord. It is a thankful worship. It is a grateful praise which we bring before our God. Bless the Lord, O my soul. And forget not all his benefits in verse 2. And that word benefits we observed is the word acts or works or doings. Forget not all the acts of God. Forget not the works of God. Forget not the doings of God on behalf of His people. And we observed the great danger that befalls us when we forget His benefits. The forgetting of his benefits leads us to backsliding. The forgetting of his benefits leads us to doubting. The forgetting of his benefits leads us to discouragement and depression. And the forgetting of his benefits even leads his people to sin. And the best verse which explains this to us is found over a page or two in your Bible there in Psalm 106 verses 13, 14, and 15. For here in verse 106, it's talking about the journey of the children of Israel through the wilderness. And in the 13th verse, they soon forgot his works. And the word works there is the same word benefit. They soon forgot his works. They waited not for his counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request. but sent leanness to their soul. They forgot the benefits of God. They forgot the blessings and the doings of God. And they began to request other things in their lust, and God gave them the things they lusted after. But with them came leanness of soul. And so we have spent the month going through various benefits of God. And the one which we're going to focus on this morning is found in verse 13. Look at the 13th verse of Psalm 103. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass, as the flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness unto children's children. What is the first thing that we learn from the fact that like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear him? Folks, we're family. We're family. Yes, we're strangers and pilgrims in the earth, but we're not orphans. we're family. Like as a father pitieth his children. Behold, we read in 1 John 3 verse 1, behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not because It knew Him not. Beloved, now are ye the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. What was the great fear all through the Old Testament? I've seen God. I'm going to die. Right? I have seen God, I'm going to die. But now we're the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall see him, we shall be like him, we'll be transformed, we'll be like Adam was before the fall, who walked with God at the cool of the garden and did not fear. But after he sinned, he feared. We shall see him as he is, because we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Folks, we're in this world, but we're children of the king. We're strangers and pilgrims in this world. And the world hates us. And the world does not know us, because it does not know him. I had the privilege of growing up in a large family with a large family farm. I didn't understand that as a kid. When I became a daughter, I realized other kids didn't have what I had. We could take rocks and dam up the creek and make a swimming pond and no one said don't do that. We could chop down any tree on the property and make a fort and Typically, Granddad didn't say, don't do that. But it was one of his good trees. But there was 128 acres of trees. But occasionally, someone who didn't know us would come along. And they would say, what are you boys doing? Tommy Thompson's my grandfather. Oh, OK. You belong here. You see, this is my father's world. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. I'm a stranger and a pilgrim in this land, but God's my Father. And like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. And that word pitieth is a word of love and compassion. He's my Father. And He told me to pray, Our Father, which art in heaven, The prophets of Baal, O Baal, hear us, O Baal, hear us. Well, maybe your god is out hunting. Maybe your god is chasing rabbits. Maybe your god is asleep. Where is your god? I'll tell you where my god is. My god is in the heavens. And he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, and have all these fools in derision. He is my Father. Christ, explaining the parable of the sower, said that the good seed are the seed of the kingdom, but the tares are children of the wicked one. Jesus said unto them, If God were your father, ye would love me. What did we read? Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. If God were your father, you would love Christ. He that committeth sin is of the devil. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God. But so is he that loveth not his brother. Look down at the text there again. in verse 14 and following. For he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass. As the flower the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more. I love it when an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage are mirrors of one another. Turn over with me to 1 Peter. Keep your finger there in Psalm 103, but turn to 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1 verse 23, and let me read again 103 verse 15. As for man, his days are as grass, as the flower of the field shall he flourisheth. Being born again, 1 Peter 1.23, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Okay, the grass is fading away, but we're born again, not of grass, but of the word of God. For all flesh is as grass. Isn't that what we read there? All Fletcher is grass. All the glory of man is the flowers of grass. Okay, so the big wise guy, the guy with his big car and his fancy house and all that, all his glory, that's all grass too. Moth and rust doth corrupt. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof fadeth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word by which the gospel is preached unto you. As for man, his days are as grass, as the flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more. Folks, our father owns a cattle in a thousand hills. This is my father's world. He owns it all. And yet it doesn't mean a thing. It's all passing away. But we are become the children of God by faith, by that word which does not pass away. And therefore, we are family. Now that does not give us license to sin. For we find that we're to pass the time of our sojourning here in fear, if you're still there in 1 Peter chapter 1, look at verse 17. Verse 17, If ye call upon the Father, who without respect to persons judgeth every man according to his works, pass the time of your sojourn here in fear. And what do we find there? Like as the Father pitied his children, so the Lord pitied them that fear Him. Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. And so, we're not given a license to sin because He is our Father, but we our family. But not only do we find that we are family, folks, we're forgiven. We're forgiven. Like as a father pitied his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. We considered a few weeks ago verse 3, but we look at it again briefly. Who forgiveth all thy iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases. Folks, we have a preemptive pardon. Right? We have a preemptive pardon. He forgave me for the sins I've committed and He's already forgiven me for the ones I'm going to commit because I still live in this world of sin. I have a preemptive pardon. And then verse 12, as far as the East is from the West, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Folks, we use the term forgive and forget. And folks, that is a human impossibility. We can forgive and ignore. That's the best we can do. We can forgive and ignore. But only God can forgive and forget. We can forgive and we still know it happened, but we just choose to ignore it. We choose to leave it back there. We choose not to bring it up the next time there's an argument. But God truly removes our sin as far as east is from the west. The two never meet. They never come back. We're family and we're forgiven and that is like as a father pitying his children because my children do things that grieve my heart and I choose to put them aside and not to bring them up again. We're family and we're forgiven. In Isaiah's account, turn with me to Isaiah 38. in Isaiah's account of the healing of Hezekiah. I don't know if you turn with just one verse, but I've got so many scribble notes and circles and exclamation points and highlights in this one verse, so I need you to turn there. Isaiah, chapter 38, verse 17, talking about the healing of Hezekiah. Isaiah 38, 17, Behold, for peace I have great bitterness. But, isn't that word but a marvelous word in scripture? Don't you know something good's coming? For peace I have great bitterness, but thou, that's God, hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption. For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. But hold up, hold on a second. Hezekiah was crying out to God because of his physical illness. But here he acknowledges that God has forgiven his spiritual illness. He's forgiven his sin. And there's more. Hezekiah was crying out to God to extend his days in this life. But thou hast a love to my soul. Not to love to my body, but in love to that which is the eternal part of me. Thou hast in soul, in love delivered my soul from the pit of corruption. My body will go into the pit of corruption if the Lord doesn't come back first. My body will go into the grave, this body of flesh, but my soul has been delivered from the pit of corruption. Folks, I'm forgiven. I am forgiven for all eternity. I am a child of God and He will give me a new body because for thou hast cast all my sins. behind thy back. Who is a God like unto thee that pardons iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again. He will have compassion on us. He will subdue our iniquities, and thou shalt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7. verses 18 and 19 if you want to write down the reference. He will subdue all our iniquities. Folks, I can't tell you how much peace those words have brought to my soul because I have tried and tried and tried to subdue my iniquities and I have failed. And folks, it is the duty of every believer to endeavor to subdue every possible iniquity. But they're like cockroaches. You can't get them all. But folks, what glory. But the battle will be won because he will subdue all our iniquities. Folks, we're forgiven. And because He forgives us, like as a father, verse 19, He will not always chide, neither will He keep us in anger forever. Did your dad ever get mad at you? I remember my grandfather getting angry with me a couple of times. But it didn't last long. And it always had a purpose. He will not always chide. Because I'm forgiven, God will not always be angry with me. But you know what God's Word says? He's angry with the wicked every day. But I am forgiven. Because He is my Father, He has not dealt with me after my sins. Verse 10, He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Folks, I deserve to be in hell right now! And so do you! But he has not dealt with me according to my sins, nor rewarded me according to my iniquities. Why not? Because he has cast them into the depths of the sea, because he has removed them as far as the east is from the west, because I have a preemptive pardon. Because he is my Father. A father's punishment is designed to improve the child, but not to destroy the child. So is the rebuke of God the Father. It is not designed to destroy us, it is designed to improve us. Because he is my Father, verse 11, He has mercy toward us that is higher than the heavens for as the heaven is high above the earth So great is his mercy toward them that fear him and notice it keeps coming back to that refrain that fear him That fear him that fear him The father has mercy even when the son does not I'm sorry the father has mercy even when the law does not The father will always defend the son. In Isaiah 43, 25, even I am he that blotted out thy transgression for mine own sake. And I will not remember thy sins. Folks, we're family. Folks, we're forgiven. But there's more than that. We find also that we're familiar. We're familiar. Look at verse number 14. For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust. Psalm 103 verse 14. For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust. You know the word familiar that we use has the word family in it. It is a derivative. The term familiar in the Latin is a term which means basically a a servant in the household, one that is well known, one that is known and seen, one with whom we're well acquainted. Our God is familiar with His people. He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. Psalm 139 verse 2 and following, Thou knowest my down sittings and my uprising. Thou understandest my thoughts afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down. Thou art acquainted with all my ways. Thou hast beset me behind before and laid thy hand upon me, surely Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto it." Did you ever have a boss that had no idea what you were doing? Had no idea of the importance of it? Had no idea of the difficulty of it? Did not know your name? and you had all these rules and regulations that suddenly they wanted you to follow and things that they expect you to... they didn't have a clue. All they did was walk in the office and mess things up for a week until you get them straightened out and get back to work again a week later. Because they didn't know anything about you or what you were doing. Folks, God knows the number of the hairs on my head. God knows the sparrows, and two of them are sold for a farthing, and yet not one of them falls to the earth without our Heavenly Father. He knows every cell and every molecule of my body. He knew my DNA before we had tests to discover it. He's familiar with me. He knows my uprisings and my down sittings. He knows about me what you do not know about me. And he knows about me what I do not know about me. He's familiar with me. You see, he's the creator of me. He made my body. He designed my intellect and my thought processes. He ordained my personality. Even down to the name by which I am called on earth, He knows it. But He knows another name of me that no one else knows and that I do not yet know. He knows my heavenly name, as we find in Scripture. You see, he is familiar with me. Folks, what a great blessing that is. Here is my God. I have made him out of stone, but he does not know me. Here is my God. I have created for me this great work, but if I go bald, it won't know the difference. He's familiar with me. Turn over to, well, I just, I already, I don't have you turn, but, but in the Matthew passage, which I referred to verse 30 of Matthew 10, but in the very hairs of your head are numbered, that passage begins in verse 28. Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. but rather fear him than which are able to destroy both body and soul in heaven. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your father?" Your father knows what things you have need of before you ask. But folks, we are family. We are forgiven. We are familiar. Our God knows our frame. And we're facilitated. We're facilitated. Those of you that have children know what it is to help your children along. Those of you that may not have children may remember a father or a grandfather that just really helped you along, gave you good advice, gave you a hand up. When Penny and I were first married, we were heading to the mission field. Still had a little bit of her college bill that was being paid and broke. And my mom and dad loaned us $2,000 as a down payment on a mobile home that we lived in the first year and a half of our marriage. Couldn't have done that without them. But they facilitated us. They helped us along. They helped us get established. We plan for our children's future. We provide for our children. We order things. We help them with education when they're too young to understand the value of education. We help them to establish good eating habits and good saving habits. We do all these things for the child, even though the child doesn't understand what we're doing, but as a wise father, we're ordering and ordaining things so when our children come to adulthood, they have a good foundation for life. Look down to the end of the psalm in verse 20. Bless the Lord, ye angels that excel in strength, that do His command, hearkening unto the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all ye His hosts, ye ministers of His that do His pleasure. What do we find about the angels in the book of Hebrews? Brother Vince brought this verse out in our study several months ago. Hebrews 1 verse 14, Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be the heirs of salvation? All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son." Folks, like as a father pitted his children, so the Lord pitted them in fear. If my father loved me enough, my earthly father loved me enough to ordain and facilitate and organize my life when I was a child and didn't have a clue what he was doing, How much more does my Heavenly Father organize and ordain the things of my life that I might be conformed to the image of His Son? Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Psalm 32, seven, thou art my hiding place, thou shalt preserve me from trouble, thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. I will instruct thee, Psalm 32, verse eight, and teach thee in the way that thou should go, I will guide thee with mine eye. Folks, I look at the path of my life And I can truly say, in I being in the way, the Lord led me. I didn't see it at the time. I didn't necessarily recognize it at the moment. But I look back, and I can see time and time and time again where that wasn't me. That was God doing that. Oh, I was very active and energetic. I was working hard to bring something about. But it wasn't me. It was the kind, loving, facilitation of God who protected me, who sustained me, who stood in the path of my donkey and made my donkey crush my foot against the wall so that I would go in His pathway. We're family. We're forgiven. We're familiar and we're facilitated. But folks, there's one more. We're fated. We're fated. God has determined the end for me and the end cannot be anything but good. The Apostle Paul had a marvelous end. One moment his head's on the chopping block and the next second he's in glory. Yeah, John the Baptist had the same one. We're fated. Folks, the world may try to destroy me. Satan may try to pluck me out of the Father's hand. But he cannot! Because I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. It is all determined. Look again at verse 15 of our text in Psalm 103. As for man, his days are as grass, as the flower of the field, so he flourisheth. Folks, it's not long. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone. And the place thereof shall know it no more. Our brother's grass was very green during the summer. It's not at the moment, because the wind's passed over it. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness to children's children. You see the contrast there? This life is just grass with the wind passing over it. But his mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. There's a fate far beyond this life. To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them, The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens. Where are we going to spend all eternity? At that throne! That's where we're going to spend eternity. And His kingdom ruleth over all. There is only one way that this can end, and that end is good. It doesn't matter how it ends, it's good! It's good! The five martyrs in Ecuador, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and the other men there with him, did their life end good? You better believe it. You better believe it. I referred to this verse earlier, but turn with me to Romans chapter 8 and verse 28 and following. Romans chapter 8 and verse 28. And we know, aren't you glad it doesn't say think? Aren't you glad it doesn't say hope? Wish? Suppose? No. And we know that most things, no, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose, for whom he did foretell, OK, there's that familiarity. He knows us. Who he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. There's the fated. There is the destiny that has already been determined. He did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that we might be the firstborn. There's the family. Might be the firstborn, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. We are family. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called. There's the facilitation. And whom he called, them he also justified. Whom he justified, them he also glorified. You see the facilitating the past, step by step by step. All five points are right here in these same verses. What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? There's the Father. My dad says so. If God be for us, who can be against us? And so, some grass is grown for the purpose of cutting down and baling. Some grass is grown for the purpose of making bricks. Some grass is grown to be very beautiful and ornamental. Some grass is grown because it is a purifier. It helps to purify the air. There are many types of grass. They have many purposes and uses. But they're all grass. And they're all perishing very quickly. And they all have their purpose. They are tended by the Heavenly Father, who gardens his children. But none of them last for long. What is your life is even a vapor. But God's children are fated. We do worry, but we really don't need to. Because the end is all determined. The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom ruled with over all. Therefore, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. John 17, 24, Father, I will also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given to me, for thou hast loved me from before the foundation of the world. And so, folks, indeed, we have great reason to bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and we dare not forget His benefits. Let us stand for prayer. Father, we thank You indeed that You heal all our diseases. You redeem our life from destruction. You crown us with tender mercies and loving kindness. Father, we thank you that like as a father pitieth his children, so you Lord pitieth in the Euphorium. You know our frame. You remember that we are dust. O Lord, what glory that you've removed our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west. Lord, we thank you that your throne is in the heavens and your kingdom rules over all. Father, may we remember these blessings day by day. May you continue your work of molding us and making us into the image of Christ. And we thank you that that work is unfailing. Our fate is determined. And we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.