Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Who is Israel?

The Hallelujah of Confession - Part 1 of 16

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2000-05-07

Synopsis: In this introductory message on Psalm 106, John Weaver explains that the psalm is the first 'Hallelujah Psalm' and focuses on confession of sin. He outlines the psalm's structure: an invitation to praise (vv. 1-5), a confession of sin (vv. 6-46), and a solicitation for deliverance (vv. 47-48). The sermon covers the first five verses, highlighting four ways the psalmist invites us to glorify God: by thanking Him for His goodness and mercy, by standing in awe of His mighty acts, by recognizing the blessedness of obedience, and by praying for personal and national revival. Weaver emphasizes that even in times of trouble and when mourning sin, believers can and must praise God, and that obedience is evidence of God's grace.

[John Weaver] Let's open our Bible today to Psalm 106. Psalm 106. And let me tell you that the message this morning will be an introductory message to this psalm.

[John Weaver] Now, some of you are going to ask, well, Pastor, how long will you preach on this psalm? And the only answer I can give you is until I get through, because the last little series that I did, I anticipated it was going to be two messages, and it ended up being six. And I might can get rid of this psalm, that is, deal with it the way I want to, in five or six messages, I don't know. But the main part of the psalm, we will begin to look at closely the next Lord's Day, Lord willing. But let's read, beginning with verse one of Psalm 106. The psalmist says, Praise you, the Lord. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?

[John Weaver] Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people. Oh, visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation. that I made glory without inheritance. I want to read on just a little bit. We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. Our fathers understood not by wonders in Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

[John Weaver] Now I read through verse seven, although we'll only get through verse five today. I'm entitling this series the Hallelujah of confession, the hallelujah of confession, and I'll explain why. That title is given in just a moment now, Psalm 106 is a companion to and a contrast with Psalm 105. In actuality, Psalm 105 and Psalm 106 need to be read together. In Psalm 105, we find a lively account of God's mercies to Israel. In Psalm 106, much notice is taken of the sins of God's people. Psalm 105 greatly praises God. Psalm 106 greatly deplores our departures from the one true and living God. Psalm 106 is a demonstration of our sin and rebellion. Now, Psalm 106 is also a psalm that calls us back to truth and back to trust and hope in the one true and the living God and in his divine mercy. Psalm 106, although it tells us about our sins, our failures and our wickedness, does not leave us in desperation and ruin. Now, the reason I've entitled this series The Hallelujah of Confession is because Psalm 106 is the first Hallelujah Psalm.

[John Weaver] When I say that, I mean this. It is the first Psalm that is in a series of Psalms that has Hallelujah for its inscription. In fact, if you will look at Psalm 106, verse 1, praise ye the Lord. And in the Hebrew, it's just simply Hallelujah. praise the Lord. You will find that Psalm 111 through Psalm 113, Psalm 117, Psalm 135, and then Psalm 146 through 150 all begin with the word Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.

[John Weaver] So this is the hallelujah of confession because it is the first hallelujah psalm and the content of this psalm deals basically with confession of sin. So the main thrust then of Psalm 106 is the acknowledgement and confession of our sins. Now this psalm can be very easily divided. Let me give you the three parts. First of all, there is an invitation in verses 1 through 5, which I will explain momentarily. There is an invitation in verses 1 through 5. Secondly, there is a confession in verses 6 through 46. And then thirdly, there is a solicitation in verses 47 and 48. So you can see then the main thrust of this song has to deal with acknowledgement confession.

[John Weaver] Since there is such an abundance of verses, say verse 6 through verse 46 dealing with that subject. So I want to begin today and cover the first five verses. And show you the invitation. Now what the psalmist is doing in the first five verses is basically inviting us to join in praise. an adoration of the one true and the living God, and he invites us to do this in four distinct ways. Now note verse one. He says, praise ye the Lord or hallelujah. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. So he gives us four ways now in which we may praise the Lord and that verse one gives us the first of these four ways. We must praise and glorify God by thanking Him for all of His goodness. Actually, verse 1, He invites us to praise and glorify the Lord by thanking Him for all of His goodness.

[John Weaver] Let me put it to you like this. There is never a time when it is unfit and uncomely to thank the Lord for His goodness. We may thank the Lord at any time and at all times. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5, in verse 18, in everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I never will forget years ago.

[John Weaver] Mr. Coulter, I think I've told you this in time past, but Mr. Coulter, who lived in Jessup, liked to golf, and he was an older Christian gentleman, and I used to go with him. Not that I enjoyed golfing that much, but I did enjoy being with him and walking around and getting the exercise. And to show you how much I enjoyed golf, the last game I played probably been 25 years ago. But anyhow, we were going to the golf course at Folkston, and he pulled up to the railroad track, and I saw him look to the left.

[John Weaver] I automatically looked to the right, and just as I looked to the right, here was that Amtrak roaring down right on us. And I said very calmly, you better whoa or go. And thank God, he only heard, whoa, and he slammed on brakes. And when he did, that train shot past us. We just sat there silently. And then finally the train got by and I looked at him.

[John Weaver] I said, what are you saying? We sit here a little longer and just thank the Lord. He said, that's fine with me. So there's never an uncomely or an unfit time to thank the Lord. Psalm 100 verse 4 says it like this. Be thankful unto Him and bless His name. Now, I want you to hold Psalm 106, but turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Timothy 1 and look at verse 12. 1 Timothy 1 and verse 12.

[John Weaver] And let me show you a statement by the Apostle Paul. You see, it's not only that there is never an unfit or an uncomely time to thank the Lord, There's really and truly never an unfit subject to thank the Lord about. The Apostle Paul said in first Timothy chapter one in verse twelve and I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. Who have enabled me for the economy faithful putting me into the ministry. So the Apostle Paul is thanking God for enabling, empowering and endowing him with gifts in order that he might preach and teach the word of God. Turn right over to Second Timothy and look in chapter one and verse three. Once again, the Apostle Paul says like this, and I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience.

[John Weaver] And that without ceasing, I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day. So Paul is once again thanking God. for a pure conscience and thanking God that is enabled to pray for other believers as well. And then if you will turn back in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 6 and look at verse 17. And I think every one of us can acknowledge this truth with the Apostle Paul Romans chapter 6 and verse 17. He's reminding these Romans of their conversion. of how God saved them, how God turned them from their sins. And he says in Romans 6 and verse 17, But God be thanked that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you. So he says, But God be thanked.

[John Weaver] Now, I believe it's interesting that as you will search through the Scriptures, you will find the apostles and the disciples thanking God for everything. And every opportunity, in fact, have you ever stopped to realize that one of the condemnations that has heaped upon the reprobate in Romans chapter one in verse 21 is this. Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were they thankful. Isn't that interesting? Because when they knew God, that is, they knew of the one for the living God.

[John Weaver] Now, they did not have a saving knowledge of him very clearly, but they did have an intellectual or historical knowledge of him, and they refused to glorify him. Neither were they thankful.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look in Philippians chapter four and verse six. And I believe that every one of you probably can quote this passage, but I want to emphasize it just simply because the apostle is inviting us to Praise the Lord for his goodness. In the book of Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6, the Apostle says, Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, note these next two words, with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto God.

[John Weaver] Now, for the last several days, many of you know that I've had back problems. I've pulled a muscle or some muscle spasm or something. I don't know. And Alice can tell you it's been difficult to walk. I can't bend. I can't turn. That's improved today, for which I am thankful. But you know, as I lay in bed praying and I was at least thankful it was not worse than it was, you know, it could have been a lot worse. And you can always find something to be thankful about.

[John Weaver] So the apostle writes, be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. So the exercise of praising and thanking God is needed and necessary, even when we're in the deepest trouble, even when we're in the deepest calamity. I find it absolutely amazing in Acts chapter 16. When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for preaching the truth of God, they were not sitting around moaning and crying about the fact that they had been wrongfully arrested and wrongfully imprisoned. But Scripture says, and at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises. And listen to this.

[John Weaver] and the prisoners heard them. At midnight, they were praying and singing praises, wrongly accused, wrongly condemned, wrongly tortured, and yet they were singing and praising God. You see, that which serveth the Lord's praise also serves for the comfort and the encouragement of the humble soul, and so what the of the psalmist is telling us in Psalm 106 is simply this that we have to learn to thank God and to meditate upon God's goodness and God's mercy, even in the most trying circumstances, even when we're called upon to mourn for our sins, which Psalm 106 is about. You say, well, how in the world can I thank God if I'm mourning for my sins? I tell you, why don't you just turn back over, if you would please, to Psalm 103.

[John Weaver] And let's begin reading there with verse 8. I can show you how you can thank God even when you're called upon to mourn for your sins. He says in Psalm 103 in verse 8, the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenties in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever. Now here's something to be thankful about when you're mourning for your sins. He hasn't dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Aren't you thankful for that? For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

[John Weaver] As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgression from us, like as a father pitieth his children. So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Watch, for he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we're but dust. So even when we're called upon to mourn for our sins and repent from our sins, we can still thank God for His goodness and His mercy to us. No trial, no affliction, no sense of ill-desert can release us from our duty to thank God and to praise Him for His goodness to us. In fact, when we believe that we the least deserve the mercy of God, that is what magnifies His mercy, because He's been so kind and so gracious to sinners.

[John Weaver] What does the Apostle Paul say in Romans chapter 5? It is. But while we were yet sinners in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to Psalm 50. I want you to look at the latter part of verse 23. I can quote this passage, but I want you to see it. And I hope this will be drilled upon your heart. Psalm 50, verse 23. Look at what the psalmist says. Psalm 50, verse 23. The psalmist says, inspired by God, whosoever offereth praise glorify me. And him that ordereth his conversation right will I show the salvation of God. That's the first part that I wanted. Look what God said. Whosoever offereth praise glorify me. So one of the ways in which we may glorify God is by thanking him and offering him the praise. So what the psalmist is doing in Psalm 106 is inviting us to praise and honor the one true and living God. Go back to Psalm 106. Look in verse one again before we go to the second verse. He begins this passage with Hallelujah.

[John Weaver] Oh, give thanks unto the Lord. Why? For he is good. For his mercy endures. Forever. Isn't it a marvelous truth that God does not cut off His mercy from His people? Isn't that amazing? Even though we're wicked at times, we're valious at times, ignorant, disobedient, hard-headed and stubborn, He's still merciful. to his people and so the psalmist said we better learn to praise the Lord and give thanks to him for his goodness and for his mercy.

[John Weaver] Now if you look in verse 2. You'll see the second reason or the second means that the psalmist gives us to stir up ourselves and others to glorify the Lord and that reason is to stand in all at our Lord's works and innumerable causes of praise. He says in verse two, who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?

[John Weaver] Now stop and think about that. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can tell all about God's great deeds? Well, the answer is no one who can show for all his praise. And the answer is no one. But I want you to hold some 106. Turn over to Psalm 111. This is another Hallelujah Psalm. Look at the very first verse. Praise you the Lord or Hallelujah. Let's read the first 10 verses. Now remember in Psalm 106 and verse 2 before I read someone 11. The Apostle Paul, the Apostle Paul, the psalmist, is calling upon us to stand in awe at God's mighty acts and give Him the glory that's due in His name. Now, look in Psalm 111. Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. Now, underline verse 2. The works of the Lord are great sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

[John Weaver] His work is honorable and glorious and is a righteousness endureth forever. He had made his wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He had given needed to them that fear him. He will ever be mindful of his covenant. He showed his people the power of his works that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. The works of his hands are verity, that is, truth and judgment.

[John Weaver] All his commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever. They are done in truth and uprightness. He sent redemption unto his people. He has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and reverend is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding of all they that do his commandments. His praise endureth forever.

[John Weaver] Now go back to verse two again. The works of the Lord are what? Great note sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. And the Bible says very plainly In verse six, he had shown his people the power of his works. And I want to deal with that in just a moment. But turn right over to Psalm 145. Psalm 145. Once again, notice, if you would please, beginning there with verse one, we're talking about the works and the mighty acts of God. The psalmist says, I will extol thee, my God, O King, and I will bless thy name forever and ever. Every day will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name forever and ever. Why? Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts I will speak of the glorious honor of my majesty and of my wondrous works, and men shall speak of the might of my terrible acts, and I will declare my greatness.

[John Weaver] They shall abundantly utter the memory of my great goodness and shall sing of my righteousness. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all in his tender mercies over all his works, all the works All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of thy glory, the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power."

[John Weaver] Now, both of these psalms that I've just read, Psalm 111, Psalm 145, and since we're there, you might as well look at Psalm 150, because that psalm, once again, speaks of God's mighty power and mighty acts as well. Look in Psalm 150. Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in the sanctuary. Praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts. Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet. Praise Him with the psaltery in the heart. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with the strained instruments and organs. Praise Him with the loud cymbals. Praise Him with the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything have breath. Praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Notice this. Praise Him, in verse 2, for His mighty acts.

[John Weaver] Now let's stop and think. What in the world are God's mighty acts? Let me summarize them in three heads. Of course, each of these three heads could be multiplied by the thousands. His three great acts, his three great works are creation, redemption, and providence. Now let me ask you, who can utter the mighty acts of God in creation? God spoke. And it came to pass. All God simply said was, let there be. And it was.

[John Weaver] You've heard the story that's going around. In fact, Bob sent it to me some time back, and I got it again the other day from someone about the scientists who were wanting to challenge God because they said they could now create everything that God created. And God intervened in their discussion. And God said, all right, I'll challenge you to a creation contest. And the scientists said, very good.

[John Weaver] Let's get this dirt over here. No, no, said God, you get your own dirt. Yeah, you see, you just stop and think of the greatness of God in creation. Talk about his mighty acts. Has given us the sun to rule by day, the moon by night. How God just simply said to the sea, hitherto shalt thou come and no further. Isn't that amazing? And then when you begin to talk about the mighty acts of God in redemption. I like.

[John Weaver] To challenge people from time to time, especially when I hear them say. Well, I just like The simple gospel. It's John 3,16 for me. The simple gospel for God. Would you explain to me God? So loved. Would you explain to me the greatness and the depth and the breadth of the love of God? For God so loved the world. What world? That He gave, can you imagine God giving His own Son? That He gave His only begotten Son? Explain to me the greatness of God in giving Christ. Explain to me the Incarnation. Explain to me the virgin birth. Explain to me believing, having faith. Explain to me eternal life. You see, John 3.16 is not so simple after all, is it? The greatness of God in redemption. And then the greatness of God in providence.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something, folks. If you think creation is mind-boggling and redemption is battling, you just stop and try to analyze how God sovereignly controls everything in the entire universe instantaneously. His hand rules over everything. Not a sparrow can fall without Him. The very hairs of our head are numbered. I mean, God is in absolute and total control, and nothing comes to pass except that which is for His glory and our good and by His decree, which He decreed before the world ever began. Now, if you can't find something amazing and mighty and powerful in creation, redemption and providence. And then there's something wrong with you. Something bad wrong. Because God is the absolute sovereign God now.

[John Weaver] I want you to go back to Psalm 106. Let's read verse two and then I want you to turn back to Psalm 98. I want you to understand what the psalmist is doing. He is really setting us up, by the way, for what follows in verses 6-46 in this psalm. But he's telling us in Psalm 106, verse 2, he asks, Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?

[John Weaver] Who can show forth all His praise? Do we have any volunteers in here that will do that? And the answer is, it's impossible to do that. However, look at Psalm 98. You'll also find the same truth in Psalm 29 and several other passages. Look in Psalm 98. And I'm sorry, Psalm 96, it is Psalm 96, verse 7 and 8, Psalm 96, verse 7. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength, give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.

[John Weaver] Break an offering and come unto his courts. Now wait a minute. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. We are duty bound. We are obligated to give God the glory due under his name. However, when you look back at Psalm 106 and verse two, the questions are who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, who can show forth all his praise? And the answer is no one.

[John Weaver] What if that raises another question? How then can we give God the glory due in his name? And the truth is. We can't. Do you realize you would have to be God in order to praise God the way you ought to be praised? You would have to be infinite as He is, which is impossible. But just simply because it is impossible, humanly speaking, to give God the glory due in His name, and to utter His mighty acts, and to show for lawless praise, That does not mean that we cannot do what we are enabled to do by His power and by His grace. We can praise Him for what He does in our lives. We can praise Him for what He does show us. We can praise Him for what the Holy Spirit of God illuminates us to understand. And so He invites us to praise Him.

[John Weaver] What we need, dear friend, is this. We need a disposition. of Psalm 111, verse 2, when he says, the works of the Lord are great. Listen, sought out of all of them that have pleasure therein. Do you realize that is the hinge on which everything turns? The reason we don't understand more about God's mighty works and God's Word and God's mighty acts and power is because we don't have pleasure in those things and we don't study them and search them out as we ought.

[John Weaver] So the fault is ours. Although we have human frailty and cannot give God everything that it is due, it is our sin that we don't give Him what we could if we searched and studied His Word and loved Him as we should. So the psalmist is saying, look, I want to stir you up to praise the Lord. I want to stir you up to work by his name.

[John Weaver] The first way does it is in verse one by encouraging us to thank him for his goodness and for his mercy. The second way is in verse two by inviting us to praise him for his mighty acts and for his power. And then if you look in verse three, the third means whereby the psalmist seeks to stir us up to glorify God is by declaring the blessings of God upon the obedient. Look in verse three.

[John Weaver] Blessed are they that keep judgment. And he that do the righteousness at all times. Let me read that verse again. Blessed are they that keep judgment. and he that doeth righteousness at all times."

[John Weaver] Now, the word judgment is the Hebrew word mishpat, and it literally means a sentence of divine law, or that which is just and right. Literally, in verse 3, he says,"...blessed are they that keep the divine law, and he that doeth righteousness at all times." I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 25 to begin with, Psalm 25. Let me show you the same word, Psalm 25 and verse 9. Here's the same word, Mishpat, judgment. Psalm 25 verse 9 says, The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way. Now, isn't that interesting? The meat will he got in judgment that is in the divine law? And the meat will he teach his way because teaching his way is teaching his word, and so the word judgment here is synonymous with the law or with the Word of God. Then if you look in Psalm 37, Psalm 37. Beginning there with verse 28.

[John Weaver] For the Lord loveth judgment, that is, he loves the divine law, and forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved forever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. And then in verse 30, the mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of judgment. That is, that which is right, that which is just, which is, of course, the divine law. So if you'll go back then to Psalm 106 and look at verse three, let me read it again. The psalmist says, Blessed are they that keep judgment. and he that doeth righteousness at all times, so to keep judgment is synonymous with doing righteousness at all times.

[John Weaver] Let me put it to you like this. No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law. No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law. We have a class of professing Christians today who claim to be above the law. How so? Well, they say it's the law of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads me to do this. The Holy Spirit leads me to do that. Aren't I wonderful? Now, listen, folks. I believe in the leading of the Holy Spirit.

[John Weaver] But let me tell you this. If you will study the Scripture, you will find that the Holy Spirit will never, ever lead anyone contrary to the Word of God. Never. And when you do that which is wicked and contrary to the Word of God, and you claim the Spirit is leading you, I don't doubt that, but it's not the Holy Spirit of God. For He always leads us in obedience and in conformity to the law of God.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6. Deuteronomy chapter 6, notice verses 24 and 25. Deuteronomy 6, verse 24 and 25.

[John Weaver] Deuteronomy. Six look at verse 24. And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes. To fear the Lord our God for our good always. That he might preserve us alive as it is at this day.

[John Weaver] Now let me just stop there. Why did God command us to keep his law? Well, it wasn't just for God's benefit. He says he commanded us to keep his law for our good always. But he might preserve us alive as it is this day. So when we are obedient, it is not just that we glorify God, we do. But our obedience is also for our good. And look what he said in verse 25. Let's read verse 24 again. And the Lord commanded us to all these statutes to fear the Lord, our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day.

[John Weaver] And it shall be for our righteousness. If we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord, our God, as he had commanded us. Now, what is our righteousness? Is our righteousness a claim to super piety and super spirituality? By saying, well, the Spirit led me here and the Spirit led me there. Or is our righteousness obedience to the Word of God? Do you follow what I'm saying? Our righteousness is obedience. And if we're obedient, the Holy Spirit did indeed lead us. Because He does not lead us contrary to the Word of God. Now, I'm making this point because there is an erroneous teaching that you can be spiritual and you can be holy. Without keeping God's law.

[John Weaver] Folks, that that is not true. Let me ask you a question. If I were a known adulterer. Would you count me a holy man? Well, if I was a known thief and defrauded everyone I came in contact with, would you count me a holy man? Well, if I was a known gossiper, slandering and lying and criticizing and condemning everyone that I met or spoke of, would you count me a holy man? If I was in rebellion to my parents, would you count me right and holy?

[John Weaver] You see what I'm saying? What does God say? It shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God as he has commanded us. How do we know whether we're right or not? How do we know that we are in standing with God? The answer is very simple. Are we obedient? Are our lives in conformity to his word? The psalmist said, Blessed are they that keep his judgment. Blessed are they that are always in the path of righteousness. Since you're in Deuteronomy 6, turn right on over to Deuteronomy 28. Deuteronomy 28 is a tremendous passage, but I want you to note that it has the blessings and the curses. I don't want to spend a lot of time on this, but I do want you to see that God promises blessings if we keep his law. That's why the psalmist said, Blessed are they that keep judgment. Psalm 28 verse 1, I'm sorry, Deuteronomy 28 verse 1, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently, unto the voice of the Lord by God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord by God will set thee on high above all the

[John Weaver] nations of the earth, and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord by God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, blessed shalt thou be in the field, blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, the fruit of thy ground, the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of my kind of water by she blessed shall be that basket and I store blessed shall be when I come to bless it shall be when I was out more child calls on enemies that rise up against me spent before my face they shall come out against the one way and flee before the seven ways the Lord shall command a blessing upon the in my storehouses and all that I'll satisfy the hand unto and he shall bless in the language the Lord by God give it the and he goes on to tell about all these other blessings but no All of these blessings come if you keep my commands.

[John Weaver] Now, not only do the blessings of God follow obedience, but if you will read the rest of the chapter, you'll find that the curses of God follow disobedience. Now, let me ask you a simple question. Why did the psalmist say in Psalm 106 And verse three, blessed are they that keep judgment. Was it simply because of all the blessings that God's that obedience to God's law brings upon us?

[John Weaver] And the answer is no. Why did he say, blessed are they that keep judgment and he that do the righteousness at all times? Let me tell you why. Because if we are the blessed who are obedient, if we are the blessed who do righteousness at all times, that must mean what? That we are recipients of God's grace and favor and mercy. Because if we didn't have His grace, we wouldn't be doing righteousness And we would not be obeying his law.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles, if you would, please. The first John chapter three. And let me show you how John puts it. First John chapter three. And look, if you would, at verse seven, first John three and verse seven. Watch what he says, little children. Let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

[John Weaver] Now, how can the psalmist say, blessed are they that keep judgment? And he that doeth righteousness at all times. Well, the reason we're blessed is because if we are righteous, God has made us so. If we're obedient, God has made us so. Look, if you would please to verse 10. In this, the children of God are manifest in the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

[John Weaver] So the opposite is true. He that doeth righteousness is of God. Skip down to verse 24, if you would, the same chapter. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him and he in him. And hereby we know that he abided in us by the spirit which he had given us. How do we know that we abide in him? How do we know that the Spirit of God is in us?

[John Weaver] Because he leads us in obedience. He brings our lives in conformity to the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to just show you one other verse here. Go back to Romans chapter 3. Because inevitably, someone's going to come up and say, but Brother Weaver, don't you know we're justified by faith alone? And therefore, the law has nothing to do with us. It is true that justification is by faith alone. But justification by faith does not negate the law of God. Just because the law is not given for salvation does not mean that it is not for sanctification. And look what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 3 verse 31. Do we then make blood the law through faith? God forbid.

[John Weaver] That is perish the thought. Don't even think that. Yea, he says we establish the law. Well, you're not establishing the law as a means of salvation. God never gave the law for salvation. In fact, go back up if you would please to verse 28 in Romans 3. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith. without the deeds of the law. Verse 30, seeing it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make boy the law through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the law. So justification by faith alone. Does not negate the law of God, nor the necessity for obedience to the law of God. Now listen to me. There is an evangelical obedience to God's law that is in opposition to, and is contrasted with, a Pharisaic legalistic obedience. You see, the Pharisees and the legalists seek to keep God's law in order to be saved. However, Christians obey God's law. Because we have been saved. See the difference? One is an evangelical obedience.

[John Weaver] The other is a fair, safe, and legalistic obedience. I call your attention to Hebrews chapter 8. Look there if you would. Hebrews chapter 8. And let's begin reading there with verse 10. And of course you know this is quoted from Jeremiah 31. But Hebrews chapter 8 beginning there in verse 10 for this is the covenant that I will make the House of Israel after those days of the Lord.

[John Weaver] I will put my walls in their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God. and they shall be to me a people, and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the greatest." What is God going to write in our hearts in the new covenant? His law. That's what he said.

[John Weaver] Now, since we obey then from a regenerated heart of love, reverence and respect and desire to be holy, Then we're blessed indeed, as the psalmist said, blessed are they that keep judgment and that do righteousness. No one can overestimate the value of a good conscience arising from a heart that is willing to do justice and judgment and to live honestly in the sight of God and man. In fact, if you look back in your Bibles to the book of Micah, chapter six, And verse 8. Micah, Chapter 6, verse 8. Micah, Chapter 6, right before the book of Nahum. And right after the book of Jonah. Jonah, Micah, Nahum. Look in Micah, Chapter 6 and verse 8. Note this statement. He has showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee? But to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God. The evidence that we have been regenerated is our obedience to our sovereign. Luke 6, 46, Our Lord said, Why call ye me, Lord, Lord?

[John Weaver] I do not the things which I say unto you. John 14 verse 21, what did he say? If a man loved me, he will want keep my commandments. Verse 24, he that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. 1 John 5 verse 3, and this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and they're not bring us unto us.

[John Weaver] Now go back to Psalm 106. You see, the third way the psalmist seeks to stir us up in this song. is by declaring the people who obey God as blessed. Not just because we receive many blessings, but because if we're obedient, it's because of God's grace in us. God has made us so. But I want you to note verses four and five, for the fourth way the psalmist seeks them to stir us up to glorify God is by use of prayer, and especially in the time of trouble and calamity.

[John Weaver] Now I'm going to tell you, verses 4 and 5 are special verses. He said, Brother Weaver, all the Bible verses are special. I know. But I like these two verses and I'm going to explain why. Look at this excitement in prayer. Look what the psalmist says. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barest unto thy people. O visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thy inheritance. So the fourth way the psalmist seeks to stir us up now is by encouraging us to prayer, especially in times of trouble and calamity. All I can say about verses four and five is this. What a prayer. What an encouragement to prayer. Let me tell you why these verses are so special, at least to me.

[John Weaver] We've got to realize it is not selfishness. To desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation. And say that again, it is not selfishness to desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation. It is not self-love that seeks to have God's blessings and God's grace upon us and the elevation of His people and the establishment of His kingdom. That's not selfishness. Look what the psalmist prayed. Remember who? Remember me! O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people, O visit me!

[John Weaver] with my salvation, that I may see the good of my chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of my nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance. Now let me ask a question. How do we pray in a time of trouble? How do we pray in a time of calamity? When our rumors are wicked, our courts are unjust, our nation is in rebellion, and the hearts of the people are as cold as ice, and heart as stone, how do we pray? Here's the answer. Regardless of what others do, and regardless of what the nation does, and how it goes, I want to be right with God. I want to be obedient. I want God's blessings.

[John Weaver] And so the psalmist prays, remember me. Lord, don't forget me. I want to do what's right. Everybody else may want to do what's wrong, but Lord, I want to do what's right. Remember me with thy favor. Visit me with thy salvation. In other words, the psalmist is saying, Lord, we're in a mess. Other people may be happy with the mess and contented to live in an ungodly situation, but not I. I want things different. And Lord, if the whole mess can't be changed, you change me.

[John Weaver] You deal in my heart. You deal in my life. And what the psalmist is showing us this, is whatever our state, whatever our condition, The grace of God and the mercy of God are sufficient. So he says, Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barrest unto thy people, O visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note something. I want you to note, although the psalmist himself wanted to be delivered, Although he wanted to be blessed personally, and by the way, there is nothing sinful. There is nothing unbiblical about praying for personal deliverance. Nothing sinful about wanting to be godly and holy. But I want you to know why he prayed this prayer. He says in verse four, Remember me, O Lord, with thy favor that I bear some thy people. I want to do what's right. I want your grace. I want your favor. Then he says, oh, visit me with my salvation. Change me. Prolong my life. Do whatever you want to do. Why? Verse five, that I may see the good of my chosen. That I may rejoice in the gladness of my nation. That I may glory with my inheritance. What is he saying? Lord, I know.

[John Weaver] You're going to redeem your remnant. It's only a matter of time. And Lord, what he's saying is I want to live to see the good of my people. You know, I think about a song that is sung, and I'm certainly not a singer. But I love the truth of that song. The singer goes, I want to see Israel marching I want to hear that bugle call. I want to see Israel marching. I want to see old Babylon fall. Man, do I ever want to see that. I want to see Babylon fall. I want to see God's people marching. I want to say, Lord, save your remnant. Save your people. Thine inheritance. May I give you. The New Testament equation.

[John Weaver] Of Psalm 106, verses four and five, let's read verses four and five again, someone under six, the psalmist prays, Remember me, O Lord. with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people, O visit me with thy salvation. Why? That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance. And here's the New Testament counterpart, Matthew 6, verses 9 and 10. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. What's he saying? Establish your people. Establish your law. Give gladness to your nation. Overthrow the wicked. Overthrow the ungodly.

[John Weaver] And when he prays for personal deliverance, it branches out into a prayer for even national deliverance. When he prays for personal revival, it branches out to a prayer for national revival.

[John Weaver] Now let me make three applications this morning. And one of them, like I say, I can't even touch it yet because you're going to have to see this in the psalm as we work our way down it. But the first one is this. The sum of this psalm, the sum, the sum of this psalm, especially in the first five verses, is to teach us to glorify God and to thank Him and magnify Him regardless of our situation and our circumstances. We could be well. We could be prosperous. We could be sick. We could be dying. We could be rich. We could be poor. We could be happy. We could be sad. It doesn't matter what our circumstances are. We must glorify Him by faith. We must thank Him for all of His goodnesses toward us. Probably the sickest person alive today would have to acknowledge that they have had more well days in their life than they've had sick days. You see? There's always something to thank God for.

[John Weaver] The second application is this. This psalm, and especially as we get into it, this psalm is to be used for our encouragement. Because this psalm is going to tell us about the frequent failures of God's people. And God's abundant mercies and forgiveness. to the same ones over and over and over and over and over again. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of thankful God didn't throw me away first time I sinned, or the second, or the third, or the fourth, or on down the line. You see what I'm saying? With each failure, He met me with forgiveness. And that's what this psalm is teaching us. There's an encouragement for each of God's people. And the third thing, especially in the first five verses, is to learn to pray for grace and mercy for ourselves as well as others. I will acknowledge and I'll confess one of my great weaknesses and failures is to be able to pray for myself the way I pray for others. And I can assure you that's a problem with everyone in here.

[John Weaver] You find it easier to pray for other people than you do for yourself. Do you know why? Because you know your own sins. You don't know everybody else's sin. I can pray for Henry easier than I can pray for myself. I say, boy, Henry's a better man than I am. But then I don't know his secrets the way I know mine. You follow me? If I knew his secrets the way I know mine, I'd probably say he ain't no good either. But you follow what I'm saying? It's easy to pray for others. It's not so easy to pray for yourself.

[John Weaver] But the psalmist said, Remember me. Visit me. That I may see. That I may enjoy. That I may have. And we need to learn to pray for grace and mercy for ourselves regardless of our situation. That God would visit us. and make us holy and godly in every situation and in every circumstance. What a song! Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people. O, visit me with Thy salvation, that I may see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine inheritance.

[John Weaver] I want you to look at verse 6 just for next week. We're going to start there. And try to figure this out. For the psalmist says we have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We've done wickedly. There's the confession where it begins. And figure out how we sinned with our fathers. Let's pray. Father, help us now to live for Thee. Thank you, Father, for your goodness and your kindness toward us.

[John Weaver] You've been so good and so gracious. And, Lord, we're unable to utter all of thy mighty acts and the wonders of thy works, but yet, Lord, we confess thou art our God, the great and terrible God who doeth wonders, with whom all things are possible. And, Father, we do acknowledge today that obedience brings Thy blessings. But, Lord, if we're obedient, we have already been blessed, for You're the one who has made us so. And then, Lord, we come to pray those last two verses that we dealt with, and we ask You, Father, to remember not just us, but each of us. Remember me with the favor that thou visitest to thy people. Grant us thy grace and thy mercy. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

The Hallelujah of Confession - Part 1 of 16

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	71081138590
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Who is Israel?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2000-05-07
Dictation Name
Book	Book 053: The Hallelujah of Confession — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	83

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to Psalm 106

Weaver introduces Psalm 106 as a companion and contrast to Psalm 105, noting its focus on sin and confession, and explains the title 'The Hallelujah of Confession' because it is the first Hallelujah Psalm.

Let's open our Bible today to Psalm 106. Psalm 106. And let me tell you that the message this morning will be an introductory message to this psalm. Now, some of you are going to ask, "Well, Pastor, how long will you preach on this psalm?" And the only answer I can give you is until I get through, because the last little series that I did, I anticipated it was going to be two messages, and it ended up being six. And I might can get rid of this psalm, that is, deal with it the way I want to, in five or six messages, I don't know. But the main part of the psalm, we will begin to look at closely the next Lord's Day, Lord willing. But let's read, beginning with verse one of Psalm 106. The psalmist says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:1-7

"Praise ye the Lord. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?" "Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people. Oh, visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance."

I want to read on just a little bit.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:1-7

"We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea."

Now I read through verse seven, although we'll only get through verse five today. I'm entitling this series "The Hallelujah of Confession," the hallelujah of confession, and I'll explain why that title is given in just a moment. Now, Psalm 106 is a companion to and a contrast with Psalm 105. In actuality, Psalm 105 and Psalm 106 need to be read together. In Psalm 105, we find a lively account of God's mercies to Israel. In Psalm 106, much notice is taken of the sins of God's people. Psalm 105 greatly praises God. Psalm 106 greatly deplores our departures from the one true and living God. Psalm 106 is a demonstration of our sin and rebellion. Now, Psalm 106 is also a psalm that calls us back to truth and back to trust and hope in the one true and the living God and in his divine mercy. Psalm 106, although it tells us about our sins, our failures and our wickedness, does not leave us in desperation and ruin. Now, the reason I've entitled this series "The Hallelujah of Confession" is because Psalm 106 is the first Hallelujah Psalm.

When I say that, I mean this. It is the first Psalm that is in a series of Psalms that has Hallelujah for its inscription. In fact, if you will look at Psalm 106, verse 1, "Praise ye the Lord." And in the Hebrew, it's just simply Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. You will find that Psalm 111 through Psalm 113, Psalm 117, Psalm 135, and then Psalm 146 through 150 all begin with the word Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.

The Structure of the Psalm

The psalm is divided into three parts: an invitation (vv. 1-5), a confession (vv. 6-46), and a solicitation (vv. 47-48).

So this is the hallelujah of confession because it is the first hallelujah psalm and the content of this psalm deals basically with confession of sin. So the main thrust then of Psalm 106 is the acknowledgement and confession of our sins. Now this psalm can be very easily divided. Let me give you the three parts. First of all, there is an invitation in verses 1 through 5, which I will explain momentarily. There is an invitation in verses 1 through 5. Secondly, there is a confession in verses 6 through 46. And then thirdly, there is a solicitation in verses 47 and 48. So you can see then the main thrust of this song has to deal with acknowledgement and confession.

First Invitation: Thank God for His Goodness

Verse 1 calls us to praise and thank God for His goodness and enduring mercy, emphasizing that there is never an unfit time or subject for thanksgiving.

Since there is such an abundance of verses, say verse 6 through verse 46 dealing with that subject. So I want to begin today and cover the first five verses. And show you the invitation. Now what the psalmist is doing in the first five verses is basically inviting us to join in praise and adoration of the one true and the living God, and he invites us to do this in four distinct ways. Now note verse one. He says, "Praise ye the Lord" or "Hallelujah. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever." So he gives us four ways now in which we may praise the Lord and that verse one gives us the first of these four ways. We must praise and glorify God by thanking Him for all of His goodness. Actually, verse 1, He invites us to praise and glorify the Lord by thanking Him for all of His goodness.

Let me put it to you like this. There is never a time when it is unfit and uncomely to thank the Lord for His goodness. We may thank the Lord at any time and at all times. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5, in verse 18,

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 5:18

"In everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

I never will forget years ago. Mr. Coulter, I think I've told you this in time past, but Mr. Coulter, who lived in Jessup, liked to golf, and he was an older Christian gentleman, and I used to go with him. Not that I enjoyed golfing that much, but I did enjoy being with him and walking around and getting the exercise. And to show you how much I enjoyed golf, the last game I played probably been 25 years ago. But anyhow, we were going to the golf course at Folkston, and he pulled up to the railroad track, and I saw him look to the left.

I automatically looked to the right, and just as I looked to the right, here was that Amtrak roaring down right on us. And I said very calmly, "You better whoa or go." And thank God, he only heard, "Whoa," and he slammed on brakes. And when he did, that train shot past us. We just sat there silently. And then finally the train got by and I looked at him. I said, "What are you saying?" We sit here a little longer and just thank the Lord. He said, "That's fine with me." So there's never an uncomely or an unfit time to thank the Lord. Psalm 100 verse 4 says it like this.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 100:4

"Be thankful unto Him and bless His name."

Now, I want you to hold Psalm 106, but turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Timothy 1 and look at verse 12. 1 Timothy 1 and verse 12.

And let me show you a statement by the Apostle Paul. You see, it's not only that there is never an unfit or an uncomely time to thank the Lord, there's really and truly never an unfit subject to thank the Lord about. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 12,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:12

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry."

So the Apostle Paul is thanking God for enabling, empowering and endowing him with gifts in order that he might preach and teach the word of God. Turn right over to 2 Timothy and look in chapter 1 and verse 3. Once again, the Apostle Paul says like this, "And I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience." "And that without ceasing, I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day." So Paul is once again thanking God for a pure conscience and thanking God that he is enabled to pray for other believers as well. And then if you will turn back in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 6 and look at verse 17. And I think every one of us can acknowledge this truth with the Apostle Paul. Romans chapter 6 and verse 17. He's reminding these Romans of their conversion, of how God saved them, how God turned them from their sins. And he says in Romans 6 and verse 17, "But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you." So he says, "But God be thanked."

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:17

Now, I believe it's interesting that as you will search through the Scriptures, you will find the apostles and the disciples thanking God for everything. And every opportunity, in fact, have you ever stopped to realize that one of the condemnations that is heaped upon the reprobate in Romans chapter 1 in verse 21 is this. "Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were they thankful." Isn't that interesting? "Because when they knew God," that is, they knew of the one true and living God.

Now, they did not have a saving knowledge of him very clearly, but they did have an intellectual or historical knowledge of him, and they refused to glorify him. Neither were they thankful. Now, if you look in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6. And I believe that every one of you probably can quote this passage, but I want to emphasize it just simply because the apostle is inviting us to praise the Lord for his goodness. In the book of Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6, the Apostle says,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:6

"Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, note these next two words, with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto God."

Now, for the last several days, many of you know that I've had back problems. I've pulled a muscle or some muscle spasm or something. I don't know. And Alice can tell you it's been difficult to walk. I can't bend. I can't turn. That's improved today, for which I am thankful. But you know, as I lay in bed praying and I was at least thankful it was not worse than it was, you know, it could have been a lot worse. And you can always find something to be thankful about.

So the apostle writes, "Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." So the exercise of praising and thanking God is needed and necessary, even when we're in the deepest trouble, even when we're in the deepest calamity. I find it absolutely amazing in Acts chapter 16. When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for preaching the truth of God, they were not sitting around moaning and crying about the fact that they had been wrongfully arrested and wrongfully imprisoned. But Scripture says,

Scripture Reading — Acts 16:25

"And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises."

And listen to this.

Scripture Reading — Acts 16:25

"And the prisoners heard them."

At midnight, they were praying and singing praises, wrongly accused, wrongly condemned, wrongly tortured, and yet they were singing and praising God. You see, that which serveth the Lord's praise also serves for the comfort and the encouragement of the humble soul, and so what the psalmist is telling us in Psalm 106 is simply this: that we have to learn to thank God and to meditate upon God's goodness and God's mercy, even in the most trying circumstances, even when we're called upon to mourn for our sins, which Psalm 106 is about. You say, "Well, how in the world can I thank God if I'm mourning for my sins?" I tell you, why don't you just turn back over, if you would please, to Psalm 103.

And let's begin reading there with verse 8. I can show you how you can thank God even when you're called upon to mourn for your sins. He says in Psalm 103 in verse 8,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 103:8-14

"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever."

Now here's something to be thankful about when you're mourning for your sins.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 103:8-14

"He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities."

Aren't you thankful for that?

Scripture Reading — Psalm 103:8-14

"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 transgression from us, like as a father pitieth his children. So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Watch, for he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we're but dust."

So even when we're called upon to mourn for our sins and repent from our sins, we can still thank God for His goodness and His mercy to us. No trial, no affliction, no sense of ill-desert can release us from our duty to thank God and to praise Him for His goodness to us. In fact, when we believe that we the least deserve the mercy of God, that is what magnifies His mercy, because He's been so kind and so gracious to sinners.

What does the Apostle Paul say in Romans chapter 5? It is, "But while we were yet sinners, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Now, I want you to turn to Psalm 50. I want you to look at the latter part of verse 23. I can quote this passage, but I want you to see it. And I hope this will be drilled upon your heart. Psalm 50, verse 23. Look at what the psalmist says. Psalm 50, verse 23. The psalmist says, inspired by God,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 50:23

"Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth me. And him that ordereth his conversation right will I show the salvation of God."

That's the first part that I wanted. Look what God said.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 50:23

"Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth me."

So one of the ways in which we may glorify God is by thanking him and offering him the praise. So what the psalmist is doing in Psalm 106 is inviting us to praise and honor the one true and living God. Go back to Psalm 106. Look in verse one again before we go to the second verse. He begins this passage with Hallelujah.

"Oh, give thanks unto the Lord." Why? "For he is good. For his mercy endureth forever." Isn't it a marvelous truth that God does not cut off His mercy from His people? Isn't that amazing? Even though we're wicked at times, we're rebellious at times, ignorant, disobedient, hard-headed and stubborn, He's still merciful to his people and so the psalmist said we better learn to praise the Lord and give thanks to him for his goodness and for his mercy.

Second Invitation: Stand in Awe of God's Mighty Acts

Verse 2 asks who can fully declare God's mighty acts, highlighting creation, redemption, and providence as His great works, and urging us to study and delight in them.

Now if you look in verse 2. You'll see the second reason or the second means that the psalmist gives us to stir up ourselves and others to glorify the Lord and that reason is to stand in awe at our Lord's works and innumerable causes of praise. He says in verse two, "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?"

Now stop and think about that. "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?" Who can tell all about God's great deeds? Well, the answer is no one. "Who can show forth all his praise?" And the answer is no one. But I want you to hold Psalm 106. Turn over to Psalm 111. This is another Hallelujah Psalm. Look at the very first verse. "Praise ye the Lord" or "Hallelujah." Let's read the first 10 verses. Now remember in Psalm 106 and verse 2 before I read Psalm 111. The psalmist is calling upon us to stand in awe at God's mighty acts and give Him the glory that's due in His name. Now, look in Psalm 111.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 111:1-10

"Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation." Now, underline verse 2. "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."

"His work is honorable and glorious and his righteousness endureth forever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He hath given meat unto them that fear him. He will ever be mindful of his covenant. He showed his people the power of his works that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. The works of his hands are verity, that is, truth and judgment."

"All his commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever. They are done in truth and uprightness. He sent redemption unto his people. He has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and reverend is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all they that do his commandments. His praise endureth forever."

Now go back to verse two again.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 111:1-10

"The works of the Lord are what? Great, note, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."

And the Bible says very plainly in verse six,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 111:1-10

"He hath shown his people the power of his works."

And I want to deal with that in just a moment. But turn right over to Psalm 145. Psalm 145. Once again, notice, if you would please, beginning there with verse one, we're talking about the works and the mighty acts of God. The psalmist says, "I will extol thee, my God, O King, and I will bless thy name forever and ever. Every day will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name forever and ever." Why? "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty and of thy wondrous works, and men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts, and I will declare thy greatness."

"They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness and shall sing of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of thy glory, the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 145:1-12

Now, both of these psalms that I've just read, Psalm 111, Psalm 145, and since we're there, you might as well look at Psalm 150, because that psalm, once again, speaks of God's mighty power and mighty acts as well. Look in Psalm 150. "Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in the sanctuary. Praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts. Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet. Praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with the stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him with the loud cymbals. Praise Him with the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." Notice this. "Praise Him," in verse 2, "for His mighty acts."

Now let's stop and think. What in the world are God's mighty acts? Let me summarize them in three heads. Of course, each of these three heads could be multiplied by the thousands. His three great acts, his three great works are creation, redemption, and providence. Now let me ask you, who can utter the mighty acts of God in creation? God spoke. And it came to pass. All God simply said was, "Let there be." And it was.

You've heard the story that's going around. In fact, Bob sent it to me some time back, and I got it again the other day from someone about the scientists who were wanting to challenge God because they said they could now create everything that God created. And God intervened in their discussion. And God said, "All right, I'll challenge you to a creation contest." And the scientists said, "Very good." "Let's get this dirt over here." "No, no," said God, "you get your own dirt." Yeah, you see, you just stop and think of the greatness of God in creation. Talk about his mighty acts. He has given us the sun to rule by day, the moon by night. How God just simply said to the sea, "Hitherto shalt thou come and no further." Isn't that amazing? And then when you begin to talk about the mighty acts of God in redemption. I like.

To challenge people from time to time, especially when I hear them say, "Well, I just like the simple gospel. It's John 3:16 for me. The simple gospel." For God, would you explain to me "God so loved"? Would you explain to me the greatness and the depth and the breadth of the love of God? "For God so loved the world." What world? "That He gave," can you imagine God giving His own Son? "That He gave His only begotten Son"? Explain to me the greatness of God in giving Christ. Explain to me the Incarnation. Explain to me the virgin birth. Explain to me believing, having faith. Explain to me eternal life. You see, John 3:16 is not so simple after all, is it? The greatness of God in redemption. And then the greatness of God in providence.

Let me tell you something, folks. If you think creation is mind-boggling and redemption is baffling, you just stop and try to analyze how God sovereignly controls everything in the entire universe instantaneously. His hand rules over everything. Not a sparrow can fall without Him. The very hairs of our head are numbered. I mean, God is in absolute and total control, and nothing comes to pass except that which is for His glory and our good and by His decree, which He decreed before the world ever began. Now, if you can't find something amazing and mighty and powerful in creation, redemption and providence, then there's something wrong with you. Something bad wrong. Because God is the absolute sovereign God now.

I want you to go back to Psalm 106. Let's read verse two and then I want you to turn back to Psalm 96. I want you to understand what the psalmist is doing. He is really setting us up, by the way, for what follows in verses 6-46 in this psalm. But he's telling us in Psalm 106, verse 2, he asks, "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?" "Who can show forth all His praise?" Do we have any volunteers in here that will do that? And the answer is, it's impossible to do that. However, look at Psalm 96. You'll also find the same truth in Psalm 29 and several other passages. Look in Psalm 96. And I'm sorry, Psalm 96, it is Psalm 96, verse 7 and 8, Psalm 96, verse 7.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 96:7-8

"Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength, give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name."

"Bring an offering and come unto his courts." Now wait a minute. "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." We are duty bound. We are obligated to give God the glory due unto his name. However, when you look back at Psalm 106 and verse two, the questions are "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, who can show forth all his praise?" And the answer is no one. What if that raises another question? How then can we give God the glory due in his name? And the truth is, we can't. Do you realize you would have to be God in order to praise God the way you ought to be praised? You would have to be infinite as He is, which is impossible. But just simply because it is impossible, humanly speaking, to give God the glory due in His name, and to utter His mighty acts, and to show forth all His praise, that does not mean that we cannot do what we are enabled to do by His power and by His grace. We can praise Him for what He does in our lives. We can praise Him for what He does show us. We can praise Him for what the Holy Spirit of God illuminates us to understand. And so He invites us to praise Him.

What we need, dear friend, is this. We need a disposition of Psalm 111, verse 2, when he says, "The works of the Lord are great. Listen, sought out of all of them that have pleasure therein." Do you realize that is the hinge on which everything turns? The reason we don't understand more about God's mighty works and God's Word and God's mighty acts and power is because we don't have pleasure in those things and we don't study them and search them out as we ought.

So the fault is ours. Although we have human frailty and cannot give God everything that is due, it is our sin that we don't give Him what we could if we searched and studied His Word and loved Him as we should. So the psalmist is saying, look, I want to stir you up to praise the Lord. I want to stir you up to worship by his name.

Third Invitation: Recognize the Blessedness of Obedience

Verse 3 declares blessing on those who keep God's law and do righteousness, showing that obedience is evidence of God's grace and brings blessings.

The first way he does it is in verse one by encouraging us to thank him for his goodness and for his mercy. The second way is in verse two by inviting us to praise him for his mighty acts and for his power. And then if you look in verse three, the third means whereby the psalmist seeks to stir us up to glorify God is by declaring the blessings of God upon the obedient. Look in verse three. "Blessed are they that keep judgment. And he that doeth righteousness at all times." Let me read that verse again. "Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times."

Now, the word "judgment" is the Hebrew word "mishpat," and it literally means a sentence of divine law, or that which is just and right. Literally, in verse 3, he says, "Blessed are they that keep the divine law, and he that doeth righteousness at all times." I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 25 to begin with, Psalm 25. Let me show you the same word, Psalm 25 and verse 9. Here's the same word, "mishpat," judgment. Psalm 25 verse 9 says, "The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way." Now, isn't that interesting? "The meek will he guide in judgment," that is in the divine law, "and the meek will he teach his way" because teaching his way is teaching his word, and so the word "judgment" here is synonymous with the law or with the Word of God. Then if you look in Psalm 37, Psalm 37. Beginning there with verse 28.

"For the Lord loveth judgment," that is, he loves the divine law, "and forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved forever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off." And then in verse 30, "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of judgment." That is, that which is right, that which is just, which is, of course, the divine law. So if you'll go back then to Psalm 106 and look at verse three, let me read it again. The psalmist says, "Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times," so to keep judgment is synonymous with doing righteousness at all times. Let me put it to you like this. No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law. No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law. We have a class of professing Christians today who claim to be above the law. How so? Well, they say it's the law of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads me to do this. The Holy Spirit leads me to do that. Aren't I wonderful? Now, listen, folks. I believe in the leading of the Holy Spirit.

But let me tell you this. If you will study the Scripture, you will find that the Holy Spirit will never, ever lead anyone contrary to the Word of God. Never. And when you do that which is wicked and contrary to the Word of God, and you claim the Spirit is leading you, I don't doubt that, but it's not the Holy Spirit of God. For He always leads us in obedience and in conformity to the law of God. Look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6. Deuteronomy chapter 6, notice verses 24 and 25. Deuteronomy 6, verse 24 and 25.

Deuteronomy 6 look at verse 24.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 6:24-25

"And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day."

Now let me just stop there. Why did God command us to keep his law? Well, it wasn't just for God's benefit. He says he commanded us to keep his law for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is this day. So when we are obedient, it is not just that we glorify God, we do. But our obedience is also for our good. And look what he said in verse 25. Let's read verse 24 again.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 6:24-25

"And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day."

"And it shall be for our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us." Now, what is our righteousness? Is our righteousness a claim to super piety and super spirituality by saying, "Well, the Spirit led me here and the Spirit led me there"? Or is our righteousness obedience to the Word of God? Do you follow what I'm saying? Our righteousness is obedience. And if we're obedient, the Holy Spirit did indeed lead us. Because He does not lead us contrary to the Word of God. Now, I'm making this point because there is an erroneous teaching that you can be spiritual and you can be holy without keeping God's law.

Folks, that is not true. Let me ask you a question. If I were a known adulterer, would you count me a holy man? Well, if I was a known thief and defrauded everyone I came in contact with, would you count me a holy man? Well, if I was a known gossiper, slandering and lying and criticizing and condemning everyone that I met or spoke of, would you count me a holy man? If I was in rebellion to my parents, would you count me right and holy? You see what I'm saying? What does God say? "It shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God as he has commanded us." How do we know whether we're right or not? How do we know that we are in standing with God? The answer is very simple. Are we obedient? Are our lives in conformity to his word? The psalmist said, "Blessed are they that keep his judgment. Blessed are they that are always in the path of righteousness." Since you're in Deuteronomy 6, turn right on over to Deuteronomy 28. Deuteronomy 28 is a tremendous passage, but I want you to note that it has the blessings and the curses. I don't want to spend a lot of time on this, but I do want you to see that God promises blessings if we keep his law. That's why the psalmist said, "Blessed are they that keep judgment." Deuteronomy 28 verse 1, "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the

nations of the earth, and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, blessed shalt thou be in the field, blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, the fruit of thy ground, the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face. They shall come out against thee one way and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command a blessing upon thee in thy storehouses and all that thou settest thine hand unto, and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." And he goes on to tell about all these other blessings, but note: all of these blessings come if you keep my commands.

Now, not only do the blessings of God follow obedience, but if you will read the rest of the chapter, you'll find that the curses of God follow disobedience. Now, let me ask you a simple question. Why did the psalmist say in Psalm 106 and verse three, "Blessed are they that keep judgment"? Was it simply because of all the blessings that obedience to God's law brings upon us? And the answer is no. Why did he say, "Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doeth righteousness at all times"? Let me tell you why. Because if we are the blessed who are obedient, if we are the blessed who do righteousness at all times, that must mean what? That we are recipients of God's grace and favor and mercy. Because if we didn't have His grace, we wouldn't be doing righteousness and we would not be obeying his law.

Look in your Bibles, if you would, please. 1 John chapter 3. And let me show you how John puts it. 1 John chapter 3. And look, if you would, at verse 7, 1 John 3 and verse 7. Watch what he says,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:7, 10, 24

"Little children. Let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."

Now, how can the psalmist say, "Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times"? Well, the reason we're blessed is because if we are righteous, God has made us so. If we're obedient, God has made us so. Look, if you would please to verse 10. "In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

So the opposite is true. He that doeth righteousness is of God. Skip down to verse 24, if you would, the same chapter. "And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us." How do we know that we abide in him? How do we know that the Spirit of God is in us? Because he leads us in obedience. He brings our lives in conformity to the Word of God.

Now, I want to just show you one other verse here. Go back to Romans chapter 3. Because inevitably, someone's going to come up and say, "But Brother Weaver, don't you know we're justified by faith alone? And therefore, the law has nothing to do with us." It is true that justification is by faith alone. But justification by faith does not negate the law of God. Just because the law is not given for salvation does not mean that it is not for sanctification. And look what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 3 verse 31. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid."

That is perish the thought. Don't even think that. "Yea," he says, "we establish the law." Well, you're not establishing the law as a means of salvation. God never gave the law for salvation. In fact, go back up if you would please to verse 28 in Romans 3. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Verse 30, "Seeing it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the law." So justification by faith alone does not negate the law of God, nor the necessity for obedience to the law of God. Now listen to me. There is an evangelical obedience to God's law that is in opposition to, and is contrasted with, a Pharisaic legalistic obedience. You see, the Pharisees and the legalists seek to keep God's law in order to be saved. However, Christians obey God's law because we have been saved. See the difference? One is an evangelical obedience.

The other is a Pharisaic and legalistic obedience. I call your attention to Hebrews chapter 8. Look there if you would. Hebrews chapter 8. And let's begin reading there with verse 10. And of course you know this is quoted from Jeremiah 31. But Hebrews chapter 8 beginning there in verse 10, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord."

"I will put my laws in their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people, and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the greatest." What is God going to write in our hearts in the new covenant? His law. That's what he said. Now, since we obey then from a regenerated heart of love, reverence and respect and desire to be holy, then we're blessed indeed, as the psalmist said, "Blessed are they that keep judgment and that do righteousness." No one can overestimate the value of a good conscience arising from a heart that is willing to do justice and judgment and to live honestly in the sight of God and man. In fact, if you look back in your Bibles to the book of Micah, chapter 6, and verse 8. Micah, chapter 6, verse 8. Micah, chapter 6, right before the book of Nahum. And right after the book of Jonah. Jonah, Micah, Nahum. Look in Micah, chapter 6 and verse 8. Note this statement. "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee? But to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God." The evidence that we have been regenerated is our obedience to our sovereign. Luke 6:46, our Lord said, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord,

and do not the things which I say unto you?" John 14 verse 21, what did he say? "If a man love me, he will keep my commandments." Verse 24, "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." 1 John 5 verse 3, "And this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and they are not grievous unto us." Now go back to Psalm 106. You see, the third way the psalmist seeks to stir us up in this song is by declaring the people who obey God as blessed. Not just because we receive many blessings, but because if we're obedient, it's because of God's grace in us. God has made us so. But I want you to note verses four and five, for the fourth way the psalmist seeks to stir us up to glorify God is by use of prayer, and especially in the time of trouble and calamity.

Fourth Invitation: Pray for Personal and National Revival

Verses 4-5 model a prayer for personal deliverance and grace, which extends to a desire for the good of God's people and the establishment of His kingdom.

Now I'm going to tell you, verses 4 and 5 are special verses. He said, "Brother Weaver, all the Bible verses are special." I know. But I like these two verses and I'm going to explain why. Look at this excitement in prayer. Look what the psalmist says. "Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barest unto thy people. O visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thy inheritance." So the fourth way the psalmist seeks to stir us up now is by encouraging us to prayer, especially in times of trouble and calamity. All I can say about verses four and five is this. What a prayer. What an encouragement to prayer. Let me tell you why these verses are so special, at least to me.

We've got to realize it is not selfishness to desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation. And say that again, it is not selfishness to desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation. It is not self-love that seeks to have God's blessings and God's grace upon us and the elevation of His people and the establishment of His kingdom. That's not selfishness. Look what the psalmist prayed. "Remember who? Remember me! O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people, O visit me!"

"with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance." Now let me ask a question. How do we pray in a time of trouble? How do we pray in a time of calamity? When our rulers are wicked, our courts are unjust, our nation is in rebellion, and the hearts of the people are as cold as ice, and hard as stone, how do we pray? Here's the answer. Regardless of what others do, and regardless of what the nation does, and how it goes, I want to be right with God. I want to be obedient. I want God's blessings.

And so the psalmist prays, "Remember me. Lord, don't forget me. I want to do what's right. Everybody else may want to do what's wrong, but Lord, I want to do what's right. Remember me with thy favor. Visit me with thy salvation." In other words, the psalmist is saying, "Lord, we're in a mess. Other people may be happy with the mess and contented to live in an ungodly situation, but not I. I want things different. And Lord, if the whole mess can't be changed, you change me."

"You deal in my heart. You deal in my life." And what the psalmist is showing us is this, is whatever our state, whatever our condition, the grace of God and the mercy of God are sufficient. So he says, "Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barest unto thy people, O visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance." Now, I want you to note something. I want you to note, although the psalmist himself wanted to be delivered, although he wanted to be blessed personally, and by the way, there is nothing sinful. There is nothing unbiblical about praying for personal deliverance. Nothing sinful about wanting to be godly and holy. But I want you to know why he prayed this prayer. He says in verse four, "Remember me, O Lord, with thy favor that thou barest unto thy people. I want to do what's right. I want your grace. I want your favor." Then he says, "Oh, visit me with thy salvation. Change me. Prolong my life. Do whatever you want to do." Why? Verse five, "That I may see the good of thy chosen. That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation. That I may glory with thine inheritance." What is he saying? "Lord, I know

You're going to redeem your remnant. It's only a matter of time. And Lord," what he's saying is "I want to live to see the good of my people." You know, I think about a song that is sung, and I'm certainly not a singer. But I love the truth of that song. The singer goes, "I want to see Israel marching. I want to hear that bugle call. I want to see Israel marching. I want to see old Babylon fall." Man, do I ever want to see that. I want to see Babylon fall. I want to see God's people marching. I want to say, "Lord, save your remnant. Save your people. Thine inheritance." May I give you the New Testament equation.

Of Psalm 106, verses four and five, let's read verses four and five again, Psalm 106, the psalmist prays, "Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barest unto thy people, O visit me with thy salvation." Why? "That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance." And here's the New Testament counterpart, Matthew 6, verses 9 and 10. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." What's he saying? "Establish your people. Establish your law. Give gladness to your nation. Overthrow the wicked. Overthrow the ungodly."

And when he prays for personal deliverance, it branches out into a prayer for even national deliverance. When he prays for personal revival, it branches out to a prayer for national revival.

Applications and Conclusion

Weaver applies the psalm by urging believers to glorify God in all circumstances, find encouragement in God's repeated mercies, and learn to pray for personal grace as well as for others.

Now let me make three applications this morning. And one of them, like I say, I can't even touch it yet because you're going to have to see this in the psalm as we work our way down it. But the first one is this. The sum of this psalm, the sum, the sum of this psalm, especially in the first five verses, is to teach us to glorify God and to thank Him and magnify Him regardless of our situation and our circumstances. We could be well. We could be prosperous. We could be sick. We could be dying. We could be rich. We could be poor. We could be happy. We could be sad. It doesn't matter what our circumstances are. We must glorify Him by faith. We must thank Him for all of His goodnesses toward us. Probably the sickest person alive today would have to acknowledge that they have had more well days in their life than they've had sick days. You see? There's always something to thank God for.

The second application is this. This psalm, and especially as we get into it, this psalm is to be used for our encouragement. Because this psalm is going to tell us about the frequent failures of God's people. And God's abundant mercies and forgiveness to the same ones over and over and over and over and over again. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of thankful God didn't throw me away first time I sinned, or the second, or the third, or the fourth, or on down the line. You see what I'm saying? With each failure, He met me with forgiveness. And that's what this psalm is teaching us. There's an encouragement for each of God's people. And the third thing, especially in the first five verses, is to learn to pray for grace and mercy for ourselves as well as others. I will acknowledge and I'll confess one of my great weaknesses and failures is to be able to pray for myself the way I pray for others. And I can assure you that's a problem with everyone in here.

You find it easier to pray for other people than you do for yourself. Do you know why? Because you know your own sins. You don't know everybody else's sin. I can pray for Henry easier than I can pray for myself. I say, "Boy, Henry's a better man than I am." But then I don't know his secrets the way I know mine. You follow me? If I knew his secrets the way I know mine, I'd probably say he ain't no good either. But you follow what I'm saying? It's easy to pray for others. It's not so easy to pray for yourself.

But the psalmist said, "Remember me. Visit me. That I may see. That I may enjoy. That I may have." And we need to learn to pray for grace and mercy for ourselves regardless of our situation. That God would visit us and make us holy and godly in every situation and in every circumstance. What a song! "Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people. O, visit me with Thy salvation, that I may see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine inheritance."

I want you to look at verse 6 just for next week. We're going to start there. And try to figure this out. For the psalmist says, "We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We've done wickedly." There's the confession where it begins. And figure out how we sinned with our fathers. Let's pray. Father, help us now to live for Thee. Thank you, Father, for your goodness and your kindness toward us.

You've been so good and so gracious. And, Lord, we're unable to utter all of thy mighty acts and the wonders of thy works, but yet, Lord, we confess thou art our God, the great and terrible God who doeth wonders, with whom all things are possible. And, Father, we do acknowledge today that obedience brings Thy blessings. But, Lord, if we're obedient, we have already been blessed, for You're the one who has made us so. And then, Lord, we come to pray those last two verses that we dealt with, and we ask You, Father, to remember not just us, but each of us. Remember me with the favor that thou visitest to thy people. Grant us thy grace and thy mercy. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Duty of Praise and Thanksgiving

Summary: Believers are called to praise and thank God at all times and in all circumstances, regardless of their situation.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'There is never a time when it is unfit and uncomely to thank the Lord for His goodness.'

The Greatness of God's Mighty Acts

Summary: God's works in creation, redemption, and providence are beyond full human comprehension, yet we are to study and delight in them.

Evidence: Weaver summarizes God's mighty acts as creation, redemption, and providence, and says, 'Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise? And the answer is no one.'

Obedience as Evidence of Grace

Summary: Obedience to God's law is not a means of salvation but evidence of regeneration and a source of blessing.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'If we are the blessed who are obedient... that must mean what? That we are recipients of God's grace and favor and mercy.'

Prayer for Personal and Corporate Revival

Summary: The psalmist's prayer models a desire for personal holiness that extends to the restoration of God's people and kingdom.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When he prays for personal deliverance, it branches out into a prayer for even national deliverance.'

God's Enduring Mercy Amidst Sin

Summary: Even when mourning sin, believers can thank God for His mercy, which does not deal with us according to our iniquities.

Evidence: Weaver references Psalm 103:10, 'He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.'

Key Arguments

Thanksgiving is always appropriate

Summary: There is never an unfit time or subject to thank God, as exemplified by Paul and Silas praising in prison.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'No trial, no affliction, no sense of ill-desert can release us from our duty to thank God and to praise Him for His goodness to us.'

God's works are inexhaustible

Summary: No one can fully declare God's mighty acts, but we are still obligated to give Him glory and to seek out His works with pleasure.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?' and answers, 'No one.'

Obedience is the mark of the righteous

Summary: Keeping God's law and doing righteousness are synonymous, and such obedience is evidence of being born of God.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law.'

The law is not voided by faith

Summary: Justification by faith does not negate the law; rather, believers establish the law through evangelical obedience.

Evidence: Weaver cites Romans 3:31, 'Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the law.'

Prayer should be personal and kingdom-focused

Summary: The psalmist's prayer for personal deliverance is not selfish but aims at seeing God's people blessed and His kingdom established.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'It is not selfishness to desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation.'

Scripture References

Psalm 106:1-7

Context: The opening verses of the psalm, read and expounded as the text for the sermon.

Psalm 105

Context: Mentioned as a companion psalm focusing on God's mercies, contrasting with Psalm 106's focus on sin.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Context: Cited to support the command to give thanks in everything.

Psalm 100:4

Context: Quoted to reinforce the call to be thankful.

1 Timothy 1:12

Context: Paul's example of thanking God for enabling him for ministry.

2 Timothy 1:3

Context: Paul thanks God for a pure conscience and remembrance in prayer.

Romans 6:17

Context: Paul thanks God that believers have obeyed from the heart the doctrine delivered to them.

Romans 1:21

Context: Condemnation of the reprobate for not glorifying God or being thankful.

Philippians 4:6

Context: Command to let requests be made known with thanksgiving.

Acts 16:25

Context: Paul and Silas praying and singing praises in prison at midnight.

Psalm 103:8-14

Context: Describes God's mercy, not dealing with us according to our sins, used to show we can thank God even when mourning sin.

Romans 5:6-8

Context: Christ died for the ungodly while we were yet sinners, magnifying God's mercy.

Psalm 50:23

Context: Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth God.

Psalm 111:1-10

Context: A Hallelujah Psalm emphasizing the greatness of God's works, sought out by those who delight in them.

Psalm 145:1-12

Context: Extols God's greatness, mighty acts, and wondrous works.

Psalm 150:1-6

Context: Calls everything that has breath to praise the Lord for His mighty acts.

Psalm 96:7-8

Context: Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name.

Deuteronomy 6:24-25

Context: Obedience to God's commandments is for our good and shall be our righteousness.

Deuteronomy 28:1-8

Context: Blessings promised for obedience to God's commandments.

1 John 3:7, 10, 24

Context: He that doeth righteousness is righteous; keeping commandments is evidence of abiding in God.

Historical References

Mr. Coulter and the train incident

Context: Weaver recounts a personal story about an older Christian gentleman, Mr. Coulter, and a near-miss with an Amtrak train to illustrate that there is never an unfit time to thank the Lord.

Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16)

Context: Historical biblical event used to show that believers can praise God even in wrongful imprisonment and suffering.

Scientists challenging God creation story

Context: Weaver references a popular anecdote about scientists claiming they could create life, and God telling them to get their own dirt, to illustrate God's unique power in creation.

Important Quotes

There is never a time when it is unfit and uncomely to thank the Lord for His goodness.

Significance: Emphasizes the perpetual duty of thanksgiving regardless of circumstances.

No trial, no affliction, no sense of ill-desert can release us from our duty to thank God and to praise Him for His goodness to us.

Significance: Reinforces that even in suffering or guilt, praise remains obligatory.

Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?

Significance: Highlights the incomprehensible greatness of God's works and the impossibility of fully declaring them.

The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

Significance: Key verse from Psalm 111:2 used to show that delight in God's works leads to deeper understanding.

No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law.

Significance: Asserts the inseparable link between righteousness and obedience to divine law.

It is not selfishness to desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation.

Significance: Defends the legitimacy of praying for personal deliverance and holiness.

Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barest unto thy people. O visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.

Significance: The central prayer of the passage, modeling personal and corporate intercession.

Discussion Questions

Why does Weaver call Psalm 106 'The Hallelujah of Confession'?

Context: Weaver explains that it is the first Hallelujah Psalm and its main content is confession of sin.

How can we thank God even when we are mourning for our sins?

Context: Weaver uses Psalm 103 to show that God's mercy in not dealing with us according to our sins is a reason for thanksgiving.

What are the three great acts of God mentioned, and why are they significant?

Context: Weaver summarizes God's mighty acts as creation, redemption, and providence, each demonstrating His power and sovereignty.

What is the difference between evangelical obedience and Pharisaic legalistic obedience?

Context: Weaver contrasts obeying to be saved (legalism) with obeying because we are saved (evangelical obedience).

Why is it not selfish to pray for personal deliverance and blessing?

Context: Weaver argues that desiring to be right with God and to see His kingdom established is not selfish but aligns with God's purposes.

How does the psalmist's prayer in verses 4-5 relate to the Lord's Prayer?

Context: Weaver connects the desire for personal and national revival in Psalm 106 to 'Thy kingdom come' in Matthew 6.

Applications

Cultivate a habit of thanksgiving in all circumstances

Summary: Believers should thank God continually, even in trials, because there is always something to be thankful for.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We must glorify Him by faith. We must thank Him for all of His goodnesses toward us.'

Study and delight in God's mighty works

Summary: To give God due glory, we must seek out and take pleasure in His works as revealed in Scripture and creation.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The reason we don't understand more about God's mighty works... is because we don't have pleasure in those things and we don't study them.'

Pursue obedience as evidence of grace

Summary: Obedience to God's law is not for salvation but is the fruit of salvation and brings blessing.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'If we're obedient, it's because of God's grace in us. God has made us so.'

Pray for personal holiness and corporate revival

Summary: Learn to pray for yourself as fervently as you pray for others, asking God to visit you with salvation and to establish His kingdom.

Evidence: Weaver confesses, 'One of my great weaknesses and failures is to be able to pray for myself the way I pray for others.'

Find encouragement in God's repeated mercies

Summary: The psalm's record of Israel's failures and God's forgiveness assures believers that God does not cast off His people despite repeated sins.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'With each failure, He met me with forgiveness. And that's what this psalm is teaching us.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:59:20Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:15:11Z

Clean Transcript

The Hallelujah of Confession - Part 1 of 16

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let's open our Bible today to Psalm 106. Psalm 106. And let me tell you that the message this morning will be an introductory message to this psalm.
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Now, some of you are going to ask, "Well, Pastor, how long will you preach on this psalm?" And the only answer I can give you is until I get through, because the last little series that I did, I anticipated it was going to be two messages, and it ended up being six. And I might can get rid of this psalm, that is, deal with it the way I want to, in five or six messages, I don't know. But the main part of the psalm, we will begin to look at closely the next Lord's Day, Lord willing. But let's read, beginning with verse one of Psalm 106. The psalmist says, "Praise ye the Lord. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?"
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"Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people. Oh, visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance." I want to read on just a little bit. "We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea."
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Now I read through verse seven, although we'll only get through verse five today. I'm entitling this series "The Hallelujah of Confession," the hallelujah of confession, and I'll explain why that title is given in just a moment. Now, Psalm 106 is a companion to and a contrast with Psalm 105. In actuality, Psalm 105 and Psalm 106 need to be read together. In Psalm 105, we find a lively account of God's mercies to Israel. In Psalm 106, much notice is taken of the sins of God's people. Psalm 105 greatly praises God. Psalm 106 greatly deplores our departures from the one true and living God. Psalm 106 is a demonstration of our sin and rebellion. Now, Psalm 106 is also a psalm that calls us back to truth and back to trust and hope in the one true and the living God and in his divine mercy. Psalm 106, although it tells us about our sins, our failures and our wickedness, does not leave us in desperation and ruin. Now, the reason I've entitled this series "The Hallelujah of Confession" is because Psalm 106 is the first Hallelujah Psalm.
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When I say that, I mean this. It is the first Psalm that is in a series of Psalms that has Hallelujah for its inscription. In fact, if you will look at Psalm 106, verse 1, "Praise ye the Lord." And in the Hebrew, it's just simply Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. You will find that Psalm 111 through Psalm 113, Psalm 117, Psalm 135, and then Psalm 146 through 150 all begin with the word Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.
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So this is the hallelujah of confession because it is the first hallelujah psalm and the content of this psalm deals basically with confession of sin. So the main thrust then of Psalm 106 is the acknowledgement and confession of our sins. Now this psalm can be very easily divided. Let me give you the three parts. First of all, there is an invitation in verses 1 through 5, which I will explain momentarily. There is an invitation in verses 1 through 5. Secondly, there is a confession in verses 6 through 46. And then thirdly, there is a solicitation in verses 47 and 48. So you can see then the main thrust of this song has to deal with acknowledgement and confession.
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Since there is such an abundance of verses, say verse 6 through verse 46 dealing with that subject. So I want to begin today and cover the first five verses. And show you the invitation. Now what the psalmist is doing in the first five verses is basically inviting us to join in praise and adoration of the one true and the living God, and he invites us to do this in four distinct ways. Now note verse one. He says, "Praise ye the Lord" or "Hallelujah. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever." So he gives us four ways now in which we may praise the Lord and that verse one gives us the first of these four ways. We must praise and glorify God by thanking Him for all of His goodness. Actually, verse 1, He invites us to praise and glorify the Lord by thanking Him for all of His goodness.
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Let me put it to you like this. There is never a time when it is unfit and uncomely to thank the Lord for His goodness. We may thank the Lord at any time and at all times. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5, in verse 18, "In everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." I never will forget years ago.
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Mr. Coulter, I think I've told you this in time past, but Mr. Coulter, who lived in Jessup, liked to golf, and he was an older Christian gentleman, and I used to go with him. Not that I enjoyed golfing that much, but I did enjoy being with him and walking around and getting the exercise. And to show you how much I enjoyed golf, the last game I played probably been 25 years ago. But anyhow, we were going to the golf course at Folkston, and he pulled up to the railroad track, and I saw him look to the left.
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I automatically looked to the right, and just as I looked to the right, here was that Amtrak roaring down right on us. And I said very calmly, "You better whoa or go." And thank God, he only heard, "Whoa," and he slammed on brakes. And when he did, that train shot past us. We just sat there silently. And then finally the train got by and I looked at him.
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I said, "What are you saying?" We sit here a little longer and just thank the Lord. He said, "That's fine with me." So there's never an uncomely or an unfit time to thank the Lord. Psalm 100 verse 4 says it like this. "Be thankful unto Him and bless His name." Now, I want you to hold Psalm 106, but turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Timothy 1 and look at verse 12. 1 Timothy 1 and verse 12.
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And let me show you a statement by the Apostle Paul. You see, it's not only that there is never an unfit or an uncomely time to thank the Lord, there's really and truly never an unfit subject to thank the Lord about. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 12, "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry." So the Apostle Paul is thanking God for enabling, empowering and endowing him with gifts in order that he might preach and teach the word of God. Turn right over to 2 Timothy and look in chapter 1 and verse 3. Once again, the Apostle Paul says like this, "And I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience."
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"And that without ceasing, I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day." So Paul is once again thanking God for a pure conscience and thanking God that he is enabled to pray for other believers as well. And then if you will turn back in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 6 and look at verse 17. And I think every one of us can acknowledge this truth with the Apostle Paul. Romans chapter 6 and verse 17. He's reminding these Romans of their conversion, of how God saved them, how God turned them from their sins. And he says in Romans 6 and verse 17, "But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you." So he says, "But God be thanked."
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Now, I believe it's interesting that as you will search through the Scriptures, you will find the apostles and the disciples thanking God for everything. And every opportunity, in fact, have you ever stopped to realize that one of the condemnations that is heaped upon the reprobate in Romans chapter 1 in verse 21 is this. "Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were they thankful." Isn't that interesting? "Because when they knew God," that is, they knew of the one true and living God.
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Now, they did not have a saving knowledge of him very clearly, but they did have an intellectual or historical knowledge of him, and they refused to glorify him. Neither were they thankful.
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Now, if you look in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6. And I believe that every one of you probably can quote this passage, but I want to emphasize it just simply because the apostle is inviting us to praise the Lord for his goodness. In the book of Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6, the Apostle says, "Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, note these next two words, with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto God."
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Now, for the last several days, many of you know that I've had back problems. I've pulled a muscle or some muscle spasm or something. I don't know. And Alice can tell you it's been difficult to walk. I can't bend. I can't turn. That's improved today, for which I am thankful. But you know, as I lay in bed praying and I was at least thankful it was not worse than it was, you know, it could have been a lot worse. And you can always find something to be thankful about.
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So the apostle writes, "Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." So the exercise of praising and thanking God is needed and necessary, even when we're in the deepest trouble, even when we're in the deepest calamity. I find it absolutely amazing in Acts chapter 16. When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for preaching the truth of God, they were not sitting around moaning and crying about the fact that they had been wrongfully arrested and wrongfully imprisoned. But Scripture says, "And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises." And listen to this.
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"And the prisoners heard them." At midnight, they were praying and singing praises, wrongly accused, wrongly condemned, wrongly tortured, and yet they were singing and praising God. You see, that which serveth the Lord's praise also serves for the comfort and the encouragement of the humble soul, and so what the psalmist is telling us in Psalm 106 is simply this: that we have to learn to thank God and to meditate upon God's goodness and God's mercy, even in the most trying circumstances, even when we're called upon to mourn for our sins, which Psalm 106 is about. You say, "Well, how in the world can I thank God if I'm mourning for my sins?" I tell you, why don't you just turn back over, if you would please, to Psalm 103.
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And let's begin reading there with verse 8. I can show you how you can thank God even when you're called upon to mourn for your sins. He says in Psalm 103 in verse 8, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever." Now here's something to be thankful about when you're mourning for your sins. "He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." Aren't you thankful for that? "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him."
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"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgression from us, like as a father pitieth his children. So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Watch, for he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we're but dust." So even when we're called upon to mourn for our sins and repent from our sins, we can still thank God for His goodness and His mercy to us. No trial, no affliction, no sense of ill-desert can release us from our duty to thank God and to praise Him for His goodness to us. In fact, when we believe that we the least deserve the mercy of God, that is what magnifies His mercy, because He's been so kind and so gracious to sinners.
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What does the Apostle Paul say in Romans chapter 5? It is, "But while we were yet sinners, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."
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Now, I want you to turn to Psalm 50. I want you to look at the latter part of verse 23. I can quote this passage, but I want you to see it. And I hope this will be drilled upon your heart. Psalm 50, verse 23. Look at what the psalmist says. Psalm 50, verse 23. The psalmist says, inspired by God, "Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth me. And him that ordereth his conversation right will I show the salvation of God." That's the first part that I wanted. Look what God said. "Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth me." So one of the ways in which we may glorify God is by thanking him and offering him the praise. So what the psalmist is doing in Psalm 106 is inviting us to praise and honor the one true and living God. Go back to Psalm 106. Look in verse one again before we go to the second verse. He begins this passage with Hallelujah.
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"Oh, give thanks unto the Lord." Why? "For he is good. For his mercy endureth forever." Isn't it a marvelous truth that God does not cut off His mercy from His people? Isn't that amazing? Even though we're wicked at times, we're rebellious at times, ignorant, disobedient, hard-headed and stubborn, He's still merciful to his people and so the psalmist said we better learn to praise the Lord and give thanks to him for his goodness and for his mercy.
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Now if you look in verse 2. You'll see the second reason or the second means that the psalmist gives us to stir up ourselves and others to glorify the Lord and that reason is to stand in awe at our Lord's works and innumerable causes of praise. He says in verse two, "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?"
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Now stop and think about that. "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?" Who can tell all about God's great deeds? Well, the answer is no one. "Who can show forth all his praise?" And the answer is no one. But I want you to hold Psalm 106. Turn over to Psalm 111. This is another Hallelujah Psalm. Look at the very first verse. "Praise ye the Lord" or "Hallelujah." Let's read the first 10 verses. Now remember in Psalm 106 and verse 2 before I read Psalm 111. The psalmist is calling upon us to stand in awe at God's mighty acts and give Him the glory that's due in His name. Now, look in Psalm 111. "Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation." Now, underline verse 2. "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."
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"His work is honorable and glorious and his righteousness endureth forever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He hath given meat unto them that fear him. He will ever be mindful of his covenant. He showed his people the power of his works that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. The works of his hands are verity, that is, truth and judgment."
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"All his commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever. They are done in truth and uprightness. He sent redemption unto his people. He has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and reverend is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all they that do his commandments. His praise endureth forever."
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Now go back to verse two again. "The works of the Lord are what? Great, note, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." And the Bible says very plainly in verse six, "He hath shown his people the power of his works." And I want to deal with that in just a moment. But turn right over to Psalm 145. Psalm 145. Once again, notice, if you would please, beginning there with verse one, we're talking about the works and the mighty acts of God. The psalmist says, "I will extol thee, my God, O King, and I will bless thy name forever and ever. Every day will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name forever and ever." Why? "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty and of thy wondrous works, and men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts, and I will declare thy greatness."
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"They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness and shall sing of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of thy glory, the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power."
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Now, both of these psalms that I've just read, Psalm 111, Psalm 145, and since we're there, you might as well look at Psalm 150, because that psalm, once again, speaks of God's mighty power and mighty acts as well. Look in Psalm 150. "Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in the sanctuary. Praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts. Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet. Praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with the stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him with the loud cymbals. Praise Him with the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." Notice this. "Praise Him," in verse 2, "for His mighty acts."
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Now let's stop and think. What in the world are God's mighty acts? Let me summarize them in three heads. Of course, each of these three heads could be multiplied by the thousands. His three great acts, his three great works are creation, redemption, and providence. Now let me ask you, who can utter the mighty acts of God in creation? God spoke. And it came to pass. All God simply said was, "Let there be." And it was.
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You've heard the story that's going around. In fact, Bob sent it to me some time back, and I got it again the other day from someone about the scientists who were wanting to challenge God because they said they could now create everything that God created. And God intervened in their discussion. And God said, "All right, I'll challenge you to a creation contest." And the scientists said, "Very good."
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"Let's get this dirt over here." "No, no," said God, "you get your own dirt." Yeah, you see, you just stop and think of the greatness of God in creation. Talk about his mighty acts. He has given us the sun to rule by day, the moon by night. How God just simply said to the sea, "Hitherto shalt thou come and no further." Isn't that amazing? And then when you begin to talk about the mighty acts of God in redemption. I like.
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To challenge people from time to time, especially when I hear them say, "Well, I just like the simple gospel. It's John 3:16 for me. The simple gospel." For God, would you explain to me "God so loved"? Would you explain to me the greatness and the depth and the breadth of the love of God? "For God so loved the world." What world? "That He gave," can you imagine God giving His own Son? "That He gave His only begotten Son"? Explain to me the greatness of God in giving Christ. Explain to me the Incarnation. Explain to me the virgin birth. Explain to me believing, having faith. Explain to me eternal life. You see, John 3:16 is not so simple after all, is it? The greatness of God in redemption. And then the greatness of God in providence.
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Let me tell you something, folks. If you think creation is mind-boggling and redemption is baffling, you just stop and try to analyze how God sovereignly controls everything in the entire universe instantaneously. His hand rules over everything. Not a sparrow can fall without Him. The very hairs of our head are numbered. I mean, God is in absolute and total control, and nothing comes to pass except that which is for His glory and our good and by His decree, which He decreed before the world ever began. Now, if you can't find something amazing and mighty and powerful in creation, redemption and providence, then there's something wrong with you. Something bad wrong. Because God is the absolute sovereign God now.
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I want you to go back to Psalm 106. Let's read verse two and then I want you to turn back to Psalm 96. I want you to understand what the psalmist is doing. He is really setting us up, by the way, for what follows in verses 6-46 in this psalm. But he's telling us in Psalm 106, verse 2, he asks, "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?"
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"Who can show forth all His praise?" Do we have any volunteers in here that will do that? And the answer is, it's impossible to do that. However, look at Psalm 96. You'll also find the same truth in Psalm 29 and several other passages. Look in Psalm 96. And I'm sorry, Psalm 96, it is Psalm 96, verse 7 and 8, Psalm 96, verse 7. "Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength, give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name."
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"Bring an offering and come unto his courts." Now wait a minute. "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." We are duty bound. We are obligated to give God the glory due unto his name. However, when you look back at Psalm 106 and verse two, the questions are "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, who can show forth all his praise?" And the answer is no one.
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What if that raises another question? How then can we give God the glory due in his name? And the truth is, we can't. Do you realize you would have to be God in order to praise God the way you ought to be praised? You would have to be infinite as He is, which is impossible. But just simply because it is impossible, humanly speaking, to give God the glory due in His name, and to utter His mighty acts, and to show forth all His praise, that does not mean that we cannot do what we are enabled to do by His power and by His grace. We can praise Him for what He does in our lives. We can praise Him for what He does show us. We can praise Him for what the Holy Spirit of God illuminates us to understand. And so He invites us to praise Him.
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What we need, dear friend, is this. We need a disposition of Psalm 111, verse 2, when he says, "The works of the Lord are great. Listen, sought out of all of them that have pleasure therein." Do you realize that is the hinge on which everything turns? The reason we don't understand more about God's mighty works and God's Word and God's mighty acts and power is because we don't have pleasure in those things and we don't study them and search them out as we ought.
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So the fault is ours. Although we have human frailty and cannot give God everything that is due, it is our sin that we don't give Him what we could if we searched and studied His Word and loved Him as we should. So the psalmist is saying, look, I want to stir you up to praise the Lord. I want to stir you up to worship by his name.
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The first way he does it is in verse one by encouraging us to thank him for his goodness and for his mercy. The second way is in verse two by inviting us to praise him for his mighty acts and for his power. And then if you look in verse three, the third means whereby the psalmist seeks to stir us up to glorify God is by declaring the blessings of God upon the obedient. Look in verse three.
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"Blessed are they that keep judgment. And he that doeth righteousness at all times." Let me read that verse again. "Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times."
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Now, the word "judgment" is the Hebrew word "mishpat," and it literally means a sentence of divine law, or that which is just and right. Literally, in verse 3, he says, "Blessed are they that keep the divine law, and he that doeth righteousness at all times." I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 25 to begin with, Psalm 25. Let me show you the same word, Psalm 25 and verse 9. Here's the same word, "mishpat," judgment. Psalm 25 verse 9 says, "The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way." Now, isn't that interesting? "The meek will he guide in judgment," that is in the divine law, "and the meek will he teach his way" because teaching his way is teaching his word, and so the word "judgment" here is synonymous with the law or with the Word of God. Then if you look in Psalm 37, Psalm 37. Beginning there with verse 28.
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"For the Lord loveth judgment," that is, he loves the divine law, "and forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved forever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off." And then in verse 30, "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of judgment." That is, that which is right, that which is just, which is, of course, the divine law. So if you'll go back then to Psalm 106 and look at verse three, let me read it again. The psalmist says, "Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times," so to keep judgment is synonymous with doing righteousness at all times.
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Let me put it to you like this. No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law. No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law. We have a class of professing Christians today who claim to be above the law. How so? Well, they say it's the law of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads me to do this. The Holy Spirit leads me to do that. Aren't I wonderful? Now, listen, folks. I believe in the leading of the Holy Spirit.
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But let me tell you this. If you will study the Scripture, you will find that the Holy Spirit will never, ever lead anyone contrary to the Word of God. Never. And when you do that which is wicked and contrary to the Word of God, and you claim the Spirit is leading you, I don't doubt that, but it's not the Holy Spirit of God. For He always leads us in obedience and in conformity to the law of God.
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Look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6. Deuteronomy chapter 6, notice verses 24 and 25. Deuteronomy 6, verse 24 and 25.
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Deuteronomy 6 look at verse 24. "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day."
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Now let me just stop there. Why did God command us to keep his law? Well, it wasn't just for God's benefit. He says he commanded us to keep his law for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is this day. So when we are obedient, it is not just that we glorify God, we do. But our obedience is also for our good. And look what he said in verse 25. Let's read verse 24 again. "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day."
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"And it shall be for our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us." Now, what is our righteousness? Is our righteousness a claim to super piety and super spirituality by saying, "Well, the Spirit led me here and the Spirit led me there"? Or is our righteousness obedience to the Word of God? Do you follow what I'm saying? Our righteousness is obedience. And if we're obedient, the Holy Spirit did indeed lead us. Because He does not lead us contrary to the Word of God. Now, I'm making this point because there is an erroneous teaching that you can be spiritual and you can be holy without keeping God's law.
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Folks, that is not true. Let me ask you a question. If I were a known adulterer, would you count me a holy man? Well, if I was a known thief and defrauded everyone I came in contact with, would you count me a holy man? Well, if I was a known gossiper, slandering and lying and criticizing and condemning everyone that I met or spoke of, would you count me a holy man? If I was in rebellion to my parents, would you count me right and holy?
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You see what I'm saying? What does God say? "It shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God as he has commanded us." How do we know whether we're right or not? How do we know that we are in standing with God? The answer is very simple. Are we obedient? Are our lives in conformity to his word? The psalmist said, "Blessed are they that keep his judgment. Blessed are they that are always in the path of righteousness." Since you're in Deuteronomy 6, turn right on over to Deuteronomy 28. Deuteronomy 28 is a tremendous passage, but I want you to note that it has the blessings and the curses. I don't want to spend a lot of time on this, but I do want you to see that God promises blessings if we keep his law. That's why the psalmist said, "Blessed are they that keep judgment." Deuteronomy 28 verse 1, "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the
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nations of the earth, and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, blessed shalt thou be in the field, blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, the fruit of thy ground, the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face. They shall come out against thee one way and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command a blessing upon thee in thy storehouses and all that thou settest thine hand unto, and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." And he goes on to tell about all these other blessings, but note: all of these blessings come if you keep my commands.
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Now, not only do the blessings of God follow obedience, but if you will read the rest of the chapter, you'll find that the curses of God follow disobedience. Now, let me ask you a simple question. Why did the psalmist say in Psalm 106 and verse three, "Blessed are they that keep judgment"? Was it simply because of all the blessings that obedience to God's law brings upon us?
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And the answer is no. Why did he say, "Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doeth righteousness at all times"? Let me tell you why. Because if we are the blessed who are obedient, if we are the blessed who do righteousness at all times, that must mean what? That we are recipients of God's grace and favor and mercy. Because if we didn't have His grace, we wouldn't be doing righteousness and we would not be obeying his law.
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Look in your Bibles, if you would, please. 1 John chapter 3. And let me show you how John puts it. 1 John chapter 3. And look, if you would, at verse 7, 1 John 3 and verse 7. Watch what he says, "Little children. Let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."
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Now, how can the psalmist say, "Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times"? Well, the reason we're blessed is because if we are righteous, God has made us so. If we're obedient, God has made us so. Look, if you would please to verse 10. "In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
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So the opposite is true. He that doeth righteousness is of God. Skip down to verse 24, if you would, the same chapter. "And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us." How do we know that we abide in him? How do we know that the Spirit of God is in us?
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Because he leads us in obedience. He brings our lives in conformity to the Word of God.
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Now, I want to just show you one other verse here. Go back to Romans chapter 3. Because inevitably, someone's going to come up and say, "But Brother Weaver, don't you know we're justified by faith alone? And therefore, the law has nothing to do with us." It is true that justification is by faith alone. But justification by faith does not negate the law of God. Just because the law is not given for salvation does not mean that it is not for sanctification. And look what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 3 verse 31. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid."
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That is perish the thought. Don't even think that. "Yea," he says, "we establish the law." Well, you're not establishing the law as a means of salvation. God never gave the law for salvation. In fact, go back up if you would please to verse 28 in Romans 3. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Verse 30, "Seeing it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the law." So justification by faith alone does not negate the law of God, nor the necessity for obedience to the law of God. Now listen to me. There is an evangelical obedience to God's law that is in opposition to, and is contrasted with, a Pharisaic legalistic obedience. You see, the Pharisees and the legalists seek to keep God's law in order to be saved. However, Christians obey God's law because we have been saved. See the difference? One is an evangelical obedience.
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The other is a Pharisaic and legalistic obedience. I call your attention to Hebrews chapter 8. Look there if you would. Hebrews chapter 8. And let's begin reading there with verse 10. And of course you know this is quoted from Jeremiah 31. But Hebrews chapter 8 beginning there in verse 10, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord."
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"I will put my laws in their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people, and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the greatest." What is God going to write in our hearts in the new covenant? His law. That's what he said.
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Now, since we obey then from a regenerated heart of love, reverence and respect and desire to be holy, then we're blessed indeed, as the psalmist said, "Blessed are they that keep judgment and that do righteousness." No one can overestimate the value of a good conscience arising from a heart that is willing to do justice and judgment and to live honestly in the sight of God and man. In fact, if you look back in your Bibles to the book of Micah, chapter 6, and verse 8. Micah, chapter 6, verse 8. Micah, chapter 6, right before the book of Nahum. And right after the book of Jonah. Jonah, Micah, Nahum. Look in Micah, chapter 6 and verse 8. Note this statement. "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee? But to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God." The evidence that we have been regenerated is our obedience to our sovereign. Luke 6:46, our Lord said, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord,
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and do not the things which I say unto you?" John 14 verse 21, what did he say? "If a man love me, he will keep my commandments." Verse 24, "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." 1 John 5 verse 3, "And this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and they are not grievous unto us."
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Now go back to Psalm 106. You see, the third way the psalmist seeks to stir us up in this song is by declaring the people who obey God as blessed. Not just because we receive many blessings, but because if we're obedient, it's because of God's grace in us. God has made us so. But I want you to note verses four and five, for the fourth way the psalmist seeks to stir us up to glorify God is by use of prayer, and especially in the time of trouble and calamity.
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Now I'm going to tell you, verses 4 and 5 are special verses. He said, "Brother Weaver, all the Bible verses are special." I know. But I like these two verses and I'm going to explain why. Look at this excitement in prayer. Look what the psalmist says. "Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barest unto thy people. O visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thy inheritance." So the fourth way the psalmist seeks to stir us up now is by encouraging us to prayer, especially in times of trouble and calamity. All I can say about verses four and five is this. What a prayer. What an encouragement to prayer. Let me tell you why these verses are so special, at least to me.
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We've got to realize it is not selfishness to desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation. And say that again, it is not selfishness to desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation. It is not self-love that seeks to have God's blessings and God's grace upon us and the elevation of His people and the establishment of His kingdom. That's not selfishness. Look what the psalmist prayed. "Remember who? Remember me! O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people, O visit me!"
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"with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance." Now let me ask a question. How do we pray in a time of trouble? How do we pray in a time of calamity? When our rulers are wicked, our courts are unjust, our nation is in rebellion, and the hearts of the people are as cold as ice, and hard as stone, how do we pray? Here's the answer. Regardless of what others do, and regardless of what the nation does, and how it goes, I want to be right with God. I want to be obedient. I want God's blessings.
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And so the psalmist prays, "Remember me. Lord, don't forget me. I want to do what's right. Everybody else may want to do what's wrong, but Lord, I want to do what's right. Remember me with thy favor. Visit me with thy salvation." In other words, the psalmist is saying, "Lord, we're in a mess. Other people may be happy with the mess and contented to live in an ungodly situation, but not I. I want things different. And Lord, if the whole mess can't be changed, you change me."
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"You deal in my heart. You deal in my life." And what the psalmist is showing us is this, is whatever our state, whatever our condition, the grace of God and the mercy of God are sufficient. So he says, "Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barest unto thy people, O visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance."
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Now, I want you to note something. I want you to note, although the psalmist himself wanted to be delivered, although he wanted to be blessed personally, and by the way, there is nothing sinful. There is nothing unbiblical about praying for personal deliverance. Nothing sinful about wanting to be godly and holy. But I want you to know why he prayed this prayer. He says in verse four, "Remember me, O Lord, with thy favor that thou barest unto thy people. I want to do what's right. I want your grace. I want your favor." Then he says, "Oh, visit me with thy salvation. Change me. Prolong my life. Do whatever you want to do." Why? Verse five, "That I may see the good of thy chosen. That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation. That I may glory with thine inheritance." What is he saying? "Lord, I know
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You're going to redeem your remnant. It's only a matter of time. And Lord," what he's saying is "I want to live to see the good of my people." You know, I think about a song that is sung, and I'm certainly not a singer. But I love the truth of that song. The singer goes, "I want to see Israel marching. I want to hear that bugle call. I want to see Israel marching. I want to see old Babylon fall." Man, do I ever want to see that. I want to see Babylon fall. I want to see God's people marching. I want to say, "Lord, save your remnant. Save your people. Thine inheritance." May I give you the New Testament equation.
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Of Psalm 106, verses four and five, let's read verses four and five again, Psalm 106, the psalmist prays, "Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barest unto thy people, O visit me with thy salvation." Why? "That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance." And here's the New Testament counterpart, Matthew 6, verses 9 and 10. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." What's he saying? "Establish your people. Establish your law. Give gladness to your nation. Overthrow the wicked. Overthrow the ungodly."
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And when he prays for personal deliverance, it branches out into a prayer for even national deliverance. When he prays for personal revival, it branches out to a prayer for national revival.
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Now let me make three applications this morning. And one of them, like I say, I can't even touch it yet because you're going to have to see this in the psalm as we work our way down it. But the first one is this. The sum of this psalm, the sum, the sum of this psalm, especially in the first five verses, is to teach us to glorify God and to thank Him and magnify Him regardless of our situation and our circumstances. We could be well. We could be prosperous. We could be sick. We could be dying. We could be rich. We could be poor. We could be happy. We could be sad. It doesn't matter what our circumstances are. We must glorify Him by faith. We must thank Him for all of His goodnesses toward us. Probably the sickest person alive today would have to acknowledge that they have had more well days in their life than they've had sick days. You see? There's always something to thank God for.
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The second application is this. This psalm, and especially as we get into it, this psalm is to be used for our encouragement. Because this psalm is going to tell us about the frequent failures of God's people. And God's abundant mercies and forgiveness to the same ones over and over and over and over and over again. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of thankful God didn't throw me away first time I sinned, or the second, or the third, or the fourth, or on down the line. You see what I'm saying? With each failure, He met me with forgiveness. And that's what this psalm is teaching us. There's an encouragement for each of God's people. And the third thing, especially in the first five verses, is to learn to pray for grace and mercy for ourselves as well as others. I will acknowledge and I'll confess one of my great weaknesses and failures is to be able to pray for myself the way I pray for others. And I can assure you that's a problem with everyone in here.
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You find it easier to pray for other people than you do for yourself. Do you know why? Because you know your own sins. You don't know everybody else's sin. I can pray for Henry easier than I can pray for myself. I say, "Boy, Henry's a better man than I am." But then I don't know his secrets the way I know mine. You follow me? If I knew his secrets the way I know mine, I'd probably say he ain't no good either. But you follow what I'm saying? It's easy to pray for others. It's not so easy to pray for yourself.
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But the psalmist said, "Remember me. Visit me. That I may see. That I may enjoy. That I may have." And we need to learn to pray for grace and mercy for ourselves regardless of our situation. That God would visit us and make us holy and godly in every situation and in every circumstance. What a song! "Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people. O, visit me with Thy salvation, that I may see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine inheritance."
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I want you to look at verse 6 just for next week. We're going to start there. And try to figure this out. For the psalmist says, "We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We've done wickedly." There's the confession where it begins. And figure out how we sinned with our fathers. Let's pray. Father, help us now to live for Thee. Thank you, Father, for your goodness and your kindness toward us.
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You've been so good and so gracious. And, Lord, we're unable to utter all of thy mighty acts and the wonders of thy works, but yet, Lord, we confess thou art our God, the great and terrible God who doeth wonders, with whom all things are possible. And, Father, we do acknowledge today that obedience brings Thy blessings. But, Lord, if we're obedient, we have already been blessed, for You're the one who has made us so. And then, Lord, we come to pray those last two verses that we dealt with, and we ask You, Father, to remember not just us, but each of us. Remember me with the favor that thou visitest to thy people. Grant us thy grace and thy mercy. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:59:20Z

The Hallelujah of Confession - Part 1 of 16

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this introductory message on Psalm 106, John Weaver explains that the psalm is the first 'Hallelujah Psalm' and focuses on confession of sin. He outlines the psalm's structure: an invitation to praise (vv. 1-5), a confession of sin (vv. 6-46), and a solicitation for deliverance (vv. 47-48). The sermon covers the first five verses, highlighting four ways the psalmist invites us to glorify God: by thanking Him for His goodness and mercy, by standing in awe of His mighty acts, by recognizing the blessedness of obedience, and by praying for personal and national revival. Weaver emphasizes that even in times of trouble and when mourning sin, believers can and must praise God, and that obedience is evidence of God's grace.

Introduction to Psalm 106

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:1-7

"Praise ye the Lord. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?" "Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people. Oh, visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance."

I want to read on just a little bit.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:1-7

"We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea."

The Structure of the Psalm

The psalm is divided into three parts: an invitation (vv. 1-5), a confession (vv. 6-46), and a solicitation (vv. 47-48).

First Invitation: Thank God for His Goodness

Verse 1 calls us to praise and thank God for His goodness and enduring mercy, emphasizing that there is never an unfit time or subject for thanksgiving.

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 5:18

"In everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 100:4

"Be thankful unto Him and bless His name."

Now, I want you to hold Psalm 106, but turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Timothy 1 and look at verse 12. 1 Timothy 1 and verse 12.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:12

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry."

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:17

Now, I believe it's interesting that as you will search through the Scriptures, you will find the apostles and the disciples thanking God for everything. And every opportunity, in fact, have you ever stopped to realize that one of the condemnations that is heaped upon the reprobate in Romans chapter 1 in verse 21 is this. "Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were they thankful." Isn't that interesting? "Because when they knew God," that is, they knew of the one true and living God.

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:6

"Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, note these next two words, with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto God."

Scripture Reading — Acts 16:25

"And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises."

And listen to this.

Scripture Reading — Acts 16:25

"And the prisoners heard them."

And let's begin reading there with verse 8. I can show you how you can thank God even when you're called upon to mourn for your sins. He says in Psalm 103 in verse 8,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 103:8-14

"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever."

Now here's something to be thankful about when you're mourning for your sins.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 103:8-14

"He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities."

Aren't you thankful for that?

Scripture Reading — Psalm 103:8-14

"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 transgression from us, like as a father pitieth his children. So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Watch, for he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we're but dust."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 50:23

"Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth me. And him that ordereth his conversation right will I show the salvation of God."

That's the first part that I wanted. Look what God said.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 50:23

"Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth me."

Second Invitation: Stand in Awe of God's Mighty Acts

Verse 2 asks who can fully declare God's mighty acts, highlighting creation, redemption, and providence as His great works, and urging us to study and delight in them.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 111:1-10

"Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation." Now, underline verse 2. "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."

Now go back to verse two again.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 111:1-10

"The works of the Lord are what? Great, note, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."

And the Bible says very plainly in verse six,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 111:1-10

"He hath shown his people the power of his works."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 145:1-12

Now, both of these psalms that I've just read, Psalm 111, Psalm 145, and since we're there, you might as well look at Psalm 150, because that psalm, once again, speaks of God's mighty power and mighty acts as well. Look in Psalm 150. "Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in the sanctuary. Praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts. Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet. Praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with the stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him with the loud cymbals. Praise Him with the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." Notice this. "Praise Him," in verse 2, "for His mighty acts."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 96:7-8

"Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength, give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name."

Third Invitation: Recognize the Blessedness of Obedience

Verse 3 declares blessing on those who keep God's law and do righteousness, showing that obedience is evidence of God's grace and brings blessings.

Deuteronomy 6 look at verse 24.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 6:24-25

"And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 6:24-25

"And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day."

Look in your Bibles, if you would, please. 1 John chapter 3. And let me show you how John puts it. 1 John chapter 3. And look, if you would, at verse 7, 1 John 3 and verse 7. Watch what he says,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:7, 10, 24

"Little children. Let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."

Fourth Invitation: Pray for Personal and National Revival

Verses 4-5 model a prayer for personal deliverance and grace, which extends to a desire for the good of God's people and the establishment of His kingdom.

And when he prays for personal deliverance, it branches out into a prayer for even national deliverance. When he prays for personal revival, it branches out to a prayer for national revival.

Applications and Conclusion

Weaver applies the psalm by urging believers to glorify God in all circumstances, find encouragement in God's repeated mercies, and learn to pray for personal grace as well as for others.

The Hallelujah of Confession - Part 1 of 16

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	71081138590
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Who is Israel?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2000-05-07
Dictation Name
Book	Book 053: The Hallelujah of Confession — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	83

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to Psalm 106: Weaver introduces Psalm 106 as a companion and contrast to Psalm 105, noting its focus on sin and confession, and explains the title 'The Hallelujah of Confession' because it is the first Hallelujah Psalm.
The Structure of the Psalm: The psalm is divided into three parts: an invitation (vv. 1-5), a confession (vv. 6-46), and a solicitation (vv. 47-48).
First Invitation: Thank God for His Goodness: Verse 1 calls us to praise and thank God for His goodness and enduring mercy, emphasizing that there is never an unfit time or subject for thanksgiving.
Second Invitation: Stand in Awe of God's Mighty Acts: Verse 2 asks who can fully declare God's mighty acts, highlighting creation, redemption, and providence as His great works, and urging us to study and delight in them.
Third Invitation: Recognize the Blessedness of Obedience: Verse 3 declares blessing on those who keep God's law and do righteousness, showing that obedience is evidence of God's grace and brings blessings.
Fourth Invitation: Pray for Personal and National Revival: Verses 4-5 model a prayer for personal deliverance and grace, which extends to a desire for the good of God's people and the establishment of His kingdom.
Applications and Conclusion: Weaver applies the psalm by urging believers to glorify God in all circumstances, find encouragement in God's repeated mercies, and learn to pray for personal grace as well as for others.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Thanksgiving is always appropriate

There is never an unfit time or subject to thank God, as exemplified by Paul and Silas praising in prison.

Weaver says, 'No trial, no affliction, no sense of ill-desert can release us from our duty to thank God and to praise Him for His goodness to us.'

God's works are inexhaustible

No one can fully declare God's mighty acts, but we are still obligated to give Him glory and to seek out His works with pleasure.

Weaver asks, 'Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?' and answers, 'No one.'

Obedience is the mark of the righteous

Keeping God's law and doing righteousness are synonymous, and such obedience is evidence of being born of God.

Weaver states, 'No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law.'

The law is not voided by faith

Justification by faith does not negate the law; rather, believers establish the law through evangelical obedience.

Weaver cites Romans 3:31, 'Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the law.'

Prayer should be personal and kingdom-focused

The psalmist's prayer for personal deliverance is not selfish but aims at seeing God's people blessed and His kingdom established.

Weaver explains, 'It is not selfishness to desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation.'

Scripture References

Psalm 106:1-7: The opening verses of the psalm, read and expounded as the text for the sermon.
Psalm 105: Mentioned as a companion psalm focusing on God's mercies, contrasting with Psalm 106's focus on sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:18: Cited to support the command to give thanks in everything.
Psalm 100:4: Quoted to reinforce the call to be thankful.
1 Timothy 1:12: Paul's example of thanking God for enabling him for ministry.
2 Timothy 1:3: Paul thanks God for a pure conscience and remembrance in prayer.
Romans 6:17: Paul thanks God that believers have obeyed from the heart the doctrine delivered to them.
Romans 1:21: Condemnation of the reprobate for not glorifying God or being thankful.
Philippians 4:6: Command to let requests be made known with thanksgiving.
Acts 16:25: Paul and Silas praying and singing praises in prison at midnight.
Psalm 103:8-14: Describes God's mercy, not dealing with us according to our sins, used to show we can thank God even when mourning sin.
Romans 5:6-8: Christ died for the ungodly while we were yet sinners, magnifying God's mercy.
Psalm 50:23: Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth God.
Psalm 111:1-10: A Hallelujah Psalm emphasizing the greatness of God's works, sought out by those who delight in them.
Psalm 145:1-12: Extols God's greatness, mighty acts, and wondrous works.
Psalm 150:1-6: Calls everything that has breath to praise the Lord for His mighty acts.
Psalm 96:7-8: Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name.
Deuteronomy 6:24-25: Obedience to God's commandments is for our good and shall be our righteousness.
Deuteronomy 28:1-8: Blessings promised for obedience to God's commandments.
1 John 3:7, 10, 24: He that doeth righteousness is righteous; keeping commandments is evidence of abiding in God.

Historical References

Mr. Coulter and the train incident: Weaver recounts a personal story about an older Christian gentleman, Mr. Coulter, and a near-miss with an Amtrak train to illustrate that there is never an unfit time to thank the Lord.
Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16): Historical biblical event used to show that believers can praise God even in wrongful imprisonment and suffering.
Scientists challenging God creation story: Weaver references a popular anecdote about scientists claiming they could create life, and God telling them to get their own dirt, to illustrate God's unique power in creation.

Important Quotes

There is never a time when it is unfit and uncomely to thank the Lord for His goodness.

Emphasizes the perpetual duty of thanksgiving regardless of circumstances.

No trial, no affliction, no sense of ill-desert can release us from our duty to thank God and to praise Him for His goodness to us.

Reinforces that even in suffering or guilt, praise remains obligatory.

Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?

Highlights the incomprehensible greatness of God's works and the impossibility of fully declaring them.

The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

Key verse from Psalm 111:2 used to show that delight in God's works leads to deeper understanding.

No one can be right or righteous who is disobedient to God's law.

Asserts the inseparable link between righteousness and obedience to divine law.

It is not selfishness to desire to be delivered from an ungodly situation.

Defends the legitimacy of praying for personal deliverance and holiness.

Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou barest unto thy people. O visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.

The central prayer of the passage, modeling personal and corporate intercession.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why does Weaver call Psalm 106 'The Hallelujah of Confession'?

[Context]

Weaver explains that it is the first Hallelujah Psalm and its main content is confession of sin.

[Question]

How can we thank God even when we are mourning for our sins?

[Context]

Weaver uses Psalm 103 to show that God's mercy in not dealing with us according to our sins is a reason for thanksgiving.

[Question]

What are the three great acts of God mentioned, and why are they significant?

[Context]

Weaver summarizes God's mighty acts as creation, redemption, and providence, each demonstrating His power and sovereignty.

[Question]

What is the difference between evangelical obedience and Pharisaic legalistic obedience?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts obeying to be saved (legalism) with obeying because we are saved (evangelical obedience).

[Question]

Why is it not selfish to pray for personal deliverance and blessing?

[Context]

Weaver argues that desiring to be right with God and to see His kingdom established is not selfish but aligns with God's purposes.

[Question]

How does the psalmist's prayer in verses 4-5 relate to the Lord's Prayer?

[Context]

Weaver connects the desire for personal and national revival in Psalm 106 to 'Thy kingdom come' in Matthew 6.

Applications

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