God's Faithful Love Endures Forever (Psalm 136)

Pr Anand Kumar

14-02-2021

Psalm 136

New International Version

Psalm 136

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
⁷ who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.

¹⁷ to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
²⁰ and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
²² an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.

²³ He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
²⁵ He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

 

The Jews call Psalm 136 the “Great Hallel”. The Hebrew word Hallel means "Praise". From “Hallel” we get the word “Hallelujah”. Psalm 136 is usually sung during Passover. “His love endures forever” is one of the most precious phrases and appears 136 times in Psalm 136. Different translations include “His faithfulness endures forever” (NLT), “His lovingkindness is everlasting” (NASB), “His lovingkindness endures forever” (AMP), and “His mercy endures forever” (KJV & NKJV).

 

When the psalmist wrote this song, they were giving praises and thanks to God for who He is and for what He has done.

 

God is good and He is always sovereign.

 

Deuteronomy 10:17

New International Version

¹⁷ For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

 

God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His love is unchanging. And the good God makes everything good. But sin causes God’s creation to live in a broken world. Through Jesus Christ, we are redeemed and are able to reconnect with God. His redemption plan is sovereign and He is working in and through us. Everything that God has done for us springs out from who He is. He is enduring, steadfast and unchangeable. That is the nature of God.

 

As such, we should radiate who God is in our thought and actions. Knowing that God is sovereign and He is faithful in loving us and He doesn’t change, it causes us to conform and to be transformed to reflect who He is and to love others.

 

In this world, we experience a lot of brokenness. Brokenness hurts and discourages us and we tend to become defensive, sceptical and protective. We experience brokenness in different forms such as through an offence, hurt or trauma. Over time, these forms of brokenness take a toll on us and affect us in how we react, speak and treat others. We struggle to trust people, we tend to avoid and become very defensive so much so that it is very difficult to build communities because we do not know who is authentic and real anymore. But this doesn’t reflect the heart of God. We are able to be redeemed and restored because God is sovereign and all loving. He is all powerful and is able to mend us in this broken world. And He wants to use us to reflect His love.

 

John 3:16

New International Version

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

God wants the world to come to know the saving grace of His only Son, Jesus Christ. But God has chosen us, the children of God, to carry this mandate to be His light and salt. Therefore, we are in the world as salt and light to reflect the lovingkindness and faithful love of God in our thought, actions and words.

 

The creator God’s sovereign love can mend and restore any brokenness. Life is unfair. The difficult people that we encounter can take a toll on our character. When people offend and hurt us, we tend to struggle to trust others. Traumas and bad experiences make us withdraw. When we do that, we are not able to love others like how God wants to love and we are not able to fulfil the Great Commission of making disciples.

 

God’s love is sovereign and powerful enough to forgive and to restore us. His love can heal every broken heart.

In spite of the people of Israel’s repeated rebellion and idolatry, God displayed that His lovingkindness is everlasting.

 

In Numbers 21:21-35, having defeated Israel’s enemies Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, God gave the land to the Israelites as an inheritance. Love is an action verb. God protects, He saves, He acts.

 

God has given us eternal life through Jesus Christ.

 

Philippians 1:6

New International Version

⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

When we go through difficult times, it is very challenging but God’s faithful love is always acting and always perseveres. No matter how long we need to wait for our breakthrough, He will come through for us.

 

Jude 24

New International Version

Doxology

²⁴ To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—

 

Therefore, give thanks to God in the midst of difficulties and trials. Submit to His sovereignty and acknowledge  that in whatever situation that we go through, God’s ultimate love can turn it around for His glory. His enduring love marches forward for His people. Hang on and hold on to God’s faithful love that is always acting. Even in the midst of suffering and pain, God can still make us a blessing to others. Keep on persevering until miracles take place.

 

Sometimes, God allows us to go through a certain situation but it doesn’t stop God’s promise over your life and it doesn’t change your destiny. God’s love is so faithful that it will sustain us. God’s faithful love always perseveres. God is the miracle worker.

God’s faithful love endures forever. God’s faithful love is sovereign. God’s faithful love perseveres. No matter the situation, our posture is to be thankful. Praise Him in the midst of the storm and raise a Halellujah! He is our shelter and we can abide in His presence.

 

Eternal life is a free gift from God. But man cannot receive eternal life but sin hinders. God hates sin. Our hatred, betrayal and the bad things that we do hinder us from receiving eternal life. God is just. He loves us but He hates sin. Therefore, He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross and pay the penalty for sin. When He died and rose again, all the penalty for sin has been paid. When you receive Jesus in your heart and confess that He is the Lord and Saviour, you are able to experience this powerful love immediately. God demonstrated His love for us—while we were still sinners, He died for us. Open your heart to receive eternal life by giving your faith and believing Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. It is all for love that Jesus died for us. It is all for love that He reached out to us.

 

The Spirit of the Law 2: Man must be Righteous at Heart (Matthew 5:27-37)

Elder Dorai Manikam

07-02-2021

The Sermon on the Mount is about right living—living with God, living with one another, and living with one self.

 

How do we live in a pandemic situation where everything seems to be spinning out of control? We want to restart and reset and yet as the days go by, these things seem to be going further and further away from us. What is it that we need to right and what is it that we need to be right so that we can navigate through this situation?

 

The Sermon on the Mount is not only about right doing but it is also about right being in accordance with the Kingdom of God.

 

In Matthew 5:20, Jesus says that our righteousness needs to exceed that of the Pharisees and the scribes. Otherwise, we will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

 

It is also not only in our outward doing but also our being in the heart. For example, He says, “You shall not murder” but at the same time He says, “But if you have anger in your heart, you are subject to judgment.”

 

The good news is this: By ourselves, we cannot attain these standards. But Jesus came to change our hearts that we might walk in His standards. He didn’t just come to teach us but He came to make us and to give us a new disposition and a new heart that we might keep these standards.

 

Matthew 5:27-37

New International Version

Adultery

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

 

Romans 8:1-2

New King James Version

Free from Indwelling Sin

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

When Jesus comes into our lives, He gives us the Holy Spirit. This Law of the Spirit is the Spirit of life.

 

A three-fold structure in each discourse:

1)    The thesis – “It was said,” – The Law

2)    The antithesis – “But I tell you,” – The Spirit of the Law

3)    The Kingdom imperative – Clear command or directive – The Law of the Spirit

 

LUST

A.   Law – “You shall not commit adultery”

B.   Spirit of the Law – Adultery at heart – Lust

C.   Law of the Spirit – Remove yourself from the cause or place of temptation

 

Matthew 5:28

The Passion Translation

²⁸ However, I say to you, if you look with lust in your eyes at the body of a woman who is not your wife, you’ve already committed adultery in your heart.

 

You shall not covet another man’s wife. (Exodus 20:17)

 

Lust is the root cause of adultery.

 

Lust is an unlawful desire of carnal pleasure. It is an unlawful desire to possess and dominate for one’s carnal pleasure.

 

Sex within marriage is good but sex outside marriage becomes unlawful.

 

However, Jesus says if you have lust in your heart towards a woman, then you have already committed adultery and you are subject to judgment.

 

Matthew 15:19

New International Version

¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

 

“Can the legs follow where the eyes go?

Can the heart follow where the legs go?

Can the man go where the heart goes?

Can the man forget the path of righteousness and go astray?”

-       Translated from an Indian song

 

“Don’t look! Behave as if you had actually plucked out your eyes and flung them away, and were blind and so could not see the objects which previously caused you to sin.

 

"Don’t do it! Don’t go! Behave as if you had actually cut off your hands and feet, and had flung them away, and were now crippled and so could not do the things or visit the places which previously caused you to sin.”

-       John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, The Bible Speaks Today, p. 89.

 

1 Corinthians 6:18

New International Version

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.

 

In Genesis 39, Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife.

 

It’s the new life in Christ by the Holy Spirit that enables us to do this.

 

We live in a very sensual culture. There are a lot of things that stir lust in our eyes such as pornography which is so rampant. The root cause of pornography is lust. Pornography portrays women as sex objects.

 

But I want to say this: Women are made in the image of God and they are worthy of respect and honour. Therefore, we need to evaluate the worldview that we carry. And that worldview has to be shaped not only by the Word of God but the Spirit of God needs to give us that power to see that a woman is made in the image of God, not as a sex object.

 

Philippians 4:8

New International Version

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

 

Job 31:1

New International Version

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes
    not to look lustfully at a young woman.

 

Law of the Spirit – Remove yourself from the cause or place of temptation

 

DIVORCE

A.   Law – “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.”

B.   Spirit of the Law – Cause adultery

C.   Law of the Spirit – Be reconciled and be faithful in marriage

 

Deuteronomy 24:1-4

New International Version

24 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, ² and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, ³ and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, ⁴ then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

 

Jesus says that “anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:32)

 

Matthew 19:3-12

New International Version

³ Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

 

1 Corinthians 7:10

New International Version

¹⁰ To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. ¹¹ But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

 

Law of the Spirit – Be reconciled and be faithful in marriage

 

Marriage is a picture of the covenant between God and His people; marriage is a picture of Christ and His church.

 

SWEARING

A.   Law – “Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.”

B.   Spirit of the Law – Do not swear an oath at all.

C.   Law of the Spirit – Tell the truth – All you need to say is simply “Yes” or “No”

 

Leviticus 19:12

New International Version

¹² “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

 

Zechariah 8:17

New International Version

¹⁷ do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

 

God hates swearing falsely. We swear just to make our words as if they appear true. But swearing doesn’t make it true. Again, it comes from the heart. “For out of the heart come[s]… false testimony.” (Matthew 15:19)

 

Peter denied Jesus three times.

 

Matthew 26:72-74

New International Version

⁷² He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

⁷³ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”

⁷⁴ Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed.

 

Zechariah 8:16

New International Version

¹⁶ These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts;

 

Mean what you say and say what you mean. Ask ourselves, “Why do we lie? Why do we want to deceive? Why don’t we speak the truth?” While the root cause could be deception, the deception is rooted in one form of fear or another. That is why we need Jesus Christ to change our hearts.

 

John 18:37

New International Version

³⁷ “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

 

Law of the Spirit – Tell the truth – All you need to say is simply “Yes” or “No”

 

SUMMARY

The Kingdom imperative for:

-       Lust is to remove ourselves from the cause of temptation

-       Divorce is faithfulness in marriage and reconciliation

-       Swearing is truthfulness or truth speaking

 

Consider:

-       Outward ramifications of adultery, divorce, swearing

-       Inward ramifications of lust, unfaithfulness and deception in the heart

 

Sin in our hearts will victimise us! There is a betrayal of trust in our own hearts! You will not be at peace with your own self! You cannot live with your own self!

 

But thank God for Jesus Christ! He comes and changes us!

 

Closing Remarks:

1)    It is by the Kingdom imperative that we live in the surpassing or greater righteousness.

2)    It is by the Kingdom imperative that makes us the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

3)    Jesus by giving His nature to us through the Holy Spirit enables us to keep the Kingdom imperatives.

 

The Good News is that Jesus came to change our hearts!

 

“Jesus Christ did not come to teach us only. He came to make us what He teaches we should be. The redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into any man the disposition that ruled his own life, and all the standards God gives are based on that disposition.”

-       Oswald Chambers

 

What if we have failed? For these are high standards and we frequently fail. These are pardonable sins. Just as Peter was pardoned and restored may we come before God and confess our sins. The heart is the issue. May the Lord cleanse and purify our hearts of anger, lust, unfaithfulness, and false testimony and restore us to His disposition by His Holy Spirit.

 

WHOLENESS OF THE SOUL

 

Galatians 5:16-26

New International Version

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 

RELATED:

Keys to the Kingdom (Matthew 5:1-6): Towards Spiritual Understanding 

Kingdom Principles for Kingdom Living (Matthew 5:7-12): True Spiritual Righteousness

Salt, Light and the Law (Matthew 5:13-20) 

The Spirit of the Law 1: Anger and Reconciliation (Matthew 5:21-26)

The Spirit of the Law 2: Man must be Righteous at Heart (Matthew 5:27-37)