God’s Love and Mercy

The Potter and the Clay Pastor Tommy expresses gratitude and surprise at God’s role as the potter, molding individuals. “Sometimes when the potter gets a hold of the clay, he’s got to mold it a little bit.” Relates this to a Bible school lesson about God breathing on clay to make man, and on man to make him clay, emphasizing the need to be moldable by the Spirit of God. Psalms 116 Pastor Tommy references Psalms 116, highlighting the psalmist’s love for the Lord because He hears his voice and supplications. “I love the Lord because He hath heard my voice and my supplications, because He hath inclined His ear unto me.” Pastor Tommy notes the psalmist’s declaration to call upon the Lord as long as he lives. “Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.” Pastor Tommy references the psalmist’s experience with sorrows of death and pains of hell, emphasizing finding trouble and sorrow, and calling upon the Lord for deliverance. “The sorrows of death come past me. The pains of hell get hold upon me. I found trouble and sorrow and called now upon the name of the Lord.” Pastor Tommy highlights the psalmist’s recognition of God’s graciousness, righteousness, and mercy. “Gracious is the Lord and righteous. Yea, our God is merciful.” Pastor Tommy notes the psalmist’s acknowledgement of being brought low and helped by the Lord. “The Lord preserveth the simple. I was brought low and he helped me.” Pastor Tommy references the psalmist’s call to return to rest, recognizing the Lord’s bountiful dealings. “Return unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.” Pastor Tommy highlights the psalmist’s gratitude for deliverance from death, tears, and falling. “For thou hast delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears and my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.” Pastor Tommy notes the psalmist’s declaration to walk before the Lord in the land of the living. “I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” Pastor Tommy references the psalmist’s belief and subsequent speaking, despite great affliction. “I believed, therefore have I spoken. I was greatly afflicted.” Pastor Tommy highlights the psalmist’s realization that all men are liars in haste. “I said in my haste, all men are liars.” Pastor Tommy notes the psalmist’s question of what to render unto the Lord for all His benefits. “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” Pastor Tommy references the psalmist’s intention to take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. “I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.” Pastor Tommy highlights the psalmist’s commitment to pay vows unto the Lord in the presence of all His people. “I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.” Pastor Tommy notes the preciousness of the death of His saints in the sight of the Lord. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Pastor Tommy references the psalmist’s declaration of being the Lord’s servant and the son of His handmaid, acknowledging that the Lord has loosed his bonds. “O Lord, truly I am Thy servant. I am Thy servant and the son of Thine handmaid. Thou hast loosed my bonds.” Pastor Tommy highlights the psalmist’s intention to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the name of the Lord. “I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving. And will call upon the name of the Lord.” Pastor Tommy notes the psalmist’s commitment to pay vows unto the Lord in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of Jerusalem. “I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all His people in the courts of the Lord’s house in the midst of the old Jerusalem.” Pastor Tommy concludes with “Praise ye the Lord.” Prayer Trust in God’s Word and thankfulness for the balm it provides. Recognition of God as the God of all comfort. Prayer for every soul in need to receive comfort. Request for clear vision and hearing, and to be moved by God’s presence. Emphasis on putting all trust in God and believing in Him regardless of circumstances. Acknowledgement that God is the only God and our only hope. Gratitude for God’s presence. Praise the Lord Importance of praising the Lord, which is sometimes neglected. God is always worthy of praise. Personal experience of opening the Bible and seeing “You’re blessed of the Lord” in the 15th verse. Recognition that people of God are blessed. Love for the Lord stems from His love for us first. “I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Goes right along with what John said. He said we don’t love him first. No, we love him because he loved us.” God’s love is the standard, perfect and beyond human comprehension. God’s love extends to those who have sinned, offering forgiveness and salvation. “God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for our sins.” Inability to earn God’s love, as it is a gift of grace. God has already proven His love, and we are blessed as a people. Even in poverty, a child of God should love the Lord for His goodness. God rescues souls from horrible pits and miry plains. Love God with all your heart. God’s Unconditional Love It is impossible to earn God’s love. “Brother, you can’t earn the love of God.” God loves us in spite of ourselves, and this is due to His grace. The psalmist recognizes God’s faithfulness and love in all deeds. God proved His love by giving His only begotten son. “Well, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. We know the verse. We know what God done to prove his love to the world.” Trying to earn God’s love is futile because He already loves us completely. God loved us before we were born, demonstrated by sending His Son to die for our sins. God made a way for us before the foundation of the world, knowing sin would come. We cannot do enough to be worthy of God’s love. “oh what a noose about our necks when we try to produce something worthy of the love of God listen you can’t do enough to be worthy of how we’ve been loved by God.” God loved us in spite of ourselves and paid the price when no one else could. David calls upon the Lord because there is no one else who can rescue him. “Because he had inclined his ears unto me. David said, I love you. Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. Who else am I going to call upon? Who else is there that can rescue me?” God is good to us, and we have reason to love Him. Sorrows and Rescue The psalmist acknowledges experiencing sorrows of death and pains of hell. “the sorrows of death come past me and the pains of hell get upon me. I found trouble and sorrow.” David recognizes that God was always faithful and loved him, even in difficult times. “But here’s one where he backs off, and he simply recognizes that in all of his deeds, God was always faithful and loved him.” David’s praise is not about worldly treasures but about God’s rescue. “He said, no. He said, I’ll tell you, I love the Lord really because when I thought I was a goner, He rescued me.” David will love and call upon God as long as he lives because God rescued him when death came near. The pains of hell were a vivid and painful memory for David. David called upon the name of the Lord in those difficult times. “Then called I upon the name of the Lord.” God rescues us from places where we see no answer or solution. God is true, even when all men are liars. “I thought to myself all men are liars. When it comes right down to it God is still true today and we need to love Him.” Peter’s plea for salvation when sinking in the water is similar to David’s plea. “Oh Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul. He said the same thing that Peter said when he was sinking in the water Peter said Lord save me I’m going down” God saves us even when we lose our vision and seek worldly solutions. God is the answer to our problems, not the world. “If you think the answer is in this world, that’s not where it’s at. It’s done been done to us. God is the answer.” God’s Grace and Mercy David acknowledges God’s graciousness, righteousness, and mercy. “Gracious is the Lord and righteous. Yea, our God is merciful.” God helps us when we need Him, when we cry out to Him. “God help me. God helped me. When I needed Him, when I cried out to Him, when my supplication went up unto God.” The Lord preserves the simple. “The Lord preseth the simple.” David was brought low, and God helped him. “I was brought low and He helped me.” The Lord has dealt bountifully with us. “Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.” God is worthy of our praise, and it’s not because He has failed or is unable to help. God can help us regardless of our condition or need. “Whatever condition that you have, whatever need that you have of God today, He can help you.” David acknowledges that God has always been there for him. Love the Lord because He hears our prayers. God will help us if we let Him. Invitation to lay down on the altar and let God have it. God loves us and has made a way for us. God has not failed and is still perfect. Call on Him for the sinner to come.