Calvary Baptist Church - Canyon Texas - David Crump, Pastor

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

God’s love is unfailing, loyal, faithful, stubborn, inexhaustible, and enduring.

Hosea & Gomer – God is unwilling to let us go. He will not cut the bonds of love.

God's love is merciful. He desires reconciliation, peace, forgiveness. He does not hold grudges.

“The Lord is compassionate (merciful), gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. (His Name)

Today, God’s redeeming love.

Job lost everything, his sons and daughters, his livestock, his health.

He was empty, broken, and hopeless. Talking to his “friends”….

Job 19:13-27

Though Job has suffered terribly, lost sons and daughters, wealth, friends…

He knows that God is his redeemer and that God will not leave him empty, broken, hopeless.

God is his Redeemer, Deliverer, Avenger.

In the midst of all his trouble, Job says, “I know that my Redeemer lives!”

There is hope for Job; there is hope for you and me.
God is our Redeemer – he takes up our cause.

He will stand on the earth – and we will see him with our own eyes.


Redemption in the Bible is to pay the price to secure the release of a person, animal or property

• Prisoners could be redeemed by the payment of a ransom. (padah)

• Slaves could be redeemed by paying a price to purchase their freedom. (padah)

• Property that once belonged to a family but that was lost or sold could be bought back so that it could be brought back under the family name.

In fact, Israelite law gave family members of a deceased person the right to buy back property that had been lost so that it could be brought back (redeemed) under the family name.

This is the background of the book of Ruth.

Ruth is a young widow – he husband had died.
She was not a Jew, so, when her husband dies, her mother-in-law, Naomi, encouraged her to go back to her own people, the Moabites.

But Ruth is unwilling to leave her alone – Naomi was a widow too.

The first part of the book shows Ruth’s great love for her mother-in-law, Naomi.

Ruth is unwilling to leave her, unwilling to leave her alone.

Naomi had no sons, no husband, and no hope of any life, but the life of poverty.

Ruth was unwilling to leave her alone and hopeless.

Themes: bitter/pleasant. Empty/full.

Ruth, by the providence of God, as she picks up dropped grains, meets a man named Boaz.

It turns out that Boaz is a relative of Ruth’s husband.

Boaz is kind to Ruth and makes sure that his servants leave a little extra grain behind for her to pick up.

The turning point in the story is when Naomi’s bitterness and emptiness finds hope.

Ruth 2:20

“The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”

In Jewish law and practice, the “kinsman-redeemer” was the next closest living relative responsible for protecting the interests of needy family members.

• Provide an heir for a brother who had died.

• Redeem land that a poor relative had sold.

• Redeem a relative who had been sold into slavery.

• Avenge the killing of a relative – also translated “avenger”

When Boaz learns of Ruth’s state, he makes up his mind to do something about it.

He will buy back the land that belonged to Ruth’s husband and will marry Ruth.

The problem: there is a closer relative than Boaz.

He has the first right of redemption, but once he hears there’s a widow attached to the property, he relinquishes his right to buy the property.

Ruth 4:6-10

The book of Ruth is about two people showing God’s love.

Ruth’s unwillingness to leave her mother-in-law alone and hopeless.

Boaz’ love for Ruth to be kind to her, not to leave her a widow, but to provide for her and pay the price to buy back the land to restore Ruth’s husband’s name.

This is God’s redeeming love, not willing to leave us, willing to pay the price to save us.


John 15:13 – Jesus’ redeeming love. He was unwilling to leave us, willing to pay the price.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

God would not leave us alone, empty, broken, hopeless.

He willingly paid the price to save us.

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

God's love is merciful. He desires reconciliation, peace, forgiveness. He does not hold grudges.

Psalm 103:8-18

v. 8 Compassionate (or merciful) - used 13 times in the OT, all referring to God’s compassion. His mercy or compassion is unlike any other.

“Mercy” is the act of forgiveness, especially if you have the authority to punish.

“Compassion” is sympathy for someone in a bad situation because you understand and care about them (vv. 13-14)

God desires to show us mercy.

Hosea 6:6

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

He wants to show us mercy. He does not want sacrifice – even in the OT, God wanted to show his people his mercy and compassion.

But we act as though He prefers sacrifice.

When we sin, we stay away from him, as if we have to pay some penance for him to accept us.

That is an absolute lie and diminishes the glory of the Gospel.

God always wanted to show mercy, but the sacrificial system was put in place until the ultimate sacrifice could be made.

Jesus Christ took all the punishment for all our sin. (v. 12)

Now, for believers, there is only mercy.

When you sin, do not stay away from God.

He has healing and cleansing for your soul – he is compassionate. Go to Him.

He is also gracious – God is holy and His demand for holiness is great.

God cannot and does not tolerate sin.

But, even so, he does not treat us like our sins deserve (vv. 9-10).

God’s grace is the unmerited favor that He shows us.

In a way, his grace is greater than his wrath – His grace is greater than all our sin.

Slow to anger – God is not standing with a lightning bolt, waiting for us to mess up so he can punish us.

He is quick to show love, mercy, forgiveness – and slow to punish.

Sometimes we think that when something goes wrong in our lives, that God is punishing us.

But God acts toward his children like a Father, not like a judge.

His acts of discipline toward us are intended to correct, not to punish.

A judge carries out a sentence without sympathy.

A loving father disciplines – out of love – because he wants the best for his child.

It is not punishment in wrath or anger, but in love.

Abounding in love – in Hebrew this is, rav kheced literally, “much love.” (v. 11)

NIV translates it “abounding in love”

KJV translates it “plenteous in mercy”

It speaks of God having a storehouse of love.

Spurgeon, [God’s mercy] “is treasured up as waters are in the storehouse of the sea; there is no end of the treasures of His grace, mercy, pardon, and compassion.”

Spurgeon saw the ocean and its relentless waves coming to shore over and over

And thought, this is like the love of God – unending and abounding.

This is who God is.

Moses broke the first two tablets of the 10 commandments.

When God commanded him to make replacements, he told Moses to come to Mt Sinai.

And there, God proclaimed his name, Jehovah (the existing one).

God adds his nature to his name.

Exodus 34:4-6

4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”

This is who God is – the Lord, Jehovah, ever-existing, immortal One

And – compassionate, gracious, abounding in love toward us

God's love is merciful. He desires reconciliation, peace, forgiveness. He does not hold grudges.

Do you have a hard time believing that?

Do you have a hard time receiving the Lord’s forgiveness?

Do not run from him thinking that you’re hiding your sin.

Do not run from him thinking that you have to go punish yourself before he can accept you.

He desires reconciliation. He wants peace with you.

He wants to show you the complete forgiveness that was bought for you in Jesus Christ.

Remind yourself these truths, meditate on this aspect of his love:

compassionate (merciful), gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Paul says this love surpasses knowledge – it is too great to be ever fully known.

But we can know this love more, apprehend it more fully, explore it, and experience it more in our lives.

But we need the help of the power of the Holy Spirit.

It’s too big for us. To understand the magnitude of God’s love, takes God’s power.

God’s love is unfailing, loyal, faithful, stubborn, inexhaustible, and enduring.

He loves us even in spite of our sin.

He favors us even when we fail.

Hosea 1:2 – “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD.”

Hosea 3:1 The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

Hosea 11:1-9

vv. 1-2 - Hosea mentions the earlier history of Israel, looking back to the Lord’s words,

“Israel is my firstborn son… ‘Let my son go, so he may worship me’” (Exodus 4:22-23).

Israel was God’s son by God’s special choosing (Genesis 12:2-3; Matthew 2:13-15).

God had multiplied the people of Israel and had shown his power in bringing them into Canaan.

Yet despite these evidences of God’s love, Israel forsook him and worshipped other gods.

God disciplined them through numerous foreign oppressions to call them back, but to no avail.

vv. 3-4 – The Lord is shown as a father teaching an infant to walk, a picture of the Lord’s compassion in disciplining Israel.

But they were blind to his healing purpose.

God had “led” (literally, “drawn”) them with cords of “human kindness” and “ties of love”.

He lifted “the yoke from their neck” as an owner would lift the yoke of an ox so that it eats comfortably.

God had dealt gently with his people in spite of their sin.

vv. 5-6 – A rhetorical question implies that an affirmative answer points to the impending captivity – the consequence of Israel’s sin, which had been compounded because the people persisted in it despite God’s continuing grace.

v. 7 – In their apostasy the people were obstinate in unfaithfulness.

The people would not listen opt the prophets who were calling them to return to God but were choosing instead to remain in the mire of sin.

The last verses are like a window into the heart of God.

He loves his people with a love that will never let them go.

These verses look forward, beyond the coming chastisement to the Millennium, to the time, still distant, when Israel will truly return to her God and he will bless her once more.

v. 8 – Two questions reveal the depth of God’s love for his people.

Despite the sure judgment that was to come on unfaithful Israel,

he could not bear to give up his chosen people forever.

His enduring love precluded his treating them as he did Admah and Zeboiim, two cities that had been utterly destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:23).

v. 9 – In that future day God would not devastate his people Israel again.

He is “God, and not man” – that is, his ways transcend those of sinful humanity.

Because he is holy, he does not let bitterness govern his decisions.

A prayer from Kathy Escobar:

i often struggle with feeling loved.

i know in my head i am loved by God as his creation.

i know all the right answers.

i know how to say the right things that make me sound like i have feeling loved nailed down.

i can say with confidence that i feel more loved and secure than i have ever felt before

but i can also say with confidence that sometimes the deep and wide and high and long love of God feels strangely elusive

i don’t think this feeling is God’s fault.

i don’t think he’s withholding something from me because i’m doing this or not doing that.

i don’t think he’s mad at me for not holding on to this love 100% of the time, 100% of the way.

i sense a lot of pleading in paul’s writings, his longing for the people he’s writing to understand more fully these important truths.

i think God also pleads with me sometimes, hoping that i’ll “grasp” the truth in ways that will keep transforming me into more freedom, more wholeness, and more grounded in God’s love.

i wonder if today, God might be pleading with some of us, too. knocking on the door of our hearts, not angry with us for not getting it, but hoping that some of his love will soak into our skin & bones & hearts & heads today in a deeper way.

my love is above you & below you & beside you & in front of you & behind you & in you. nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate you from it.

God’s love is unfailing, loyal, faithful, stubborn, inexhaustible, and enduring.

rest in it today.

Slide 1

Psalm 130:1-2

Slide 2

Genesis 16:11, 13-1

Slide 3

Psalm 130:3-4

Slide 4

Psalm 103:1-5

Slide 5

Psalm 130:5-6

Slide 6

Psalm 130:7-8

Sermon notes:

Psalms 120-134 are called "Pilgrim Psalms" or "Psalms of Ascent" sung by worshippers who journeyed to the temple and so "ascended" for the annual feasts. Psalm 120 begins in a distant country in hostile surroundings. Psalm 122 pictures the pilgrim arriving in Jerusalem. The rest of the psalms move toward the temple, recollecting the goodness of The Lord along the way.

We too are pilgrims. We travel through a distant country. The land we travel is hostile to our faith. We have trouble here.

But this land is not our home. Our destination is the presence of our King.

As you read, you'll hear the struggle of the pilgrim.

But listen to his longing to be in God's presence.

Psalm 130:1-2

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;

2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

"out of the depths" psalmist prays to God in a desperate state.

Depth may have been fear, depression, illness, poverty, failure...

Does God hear? Does he listen when we pray?

Genesis 16:11, 13-14 - The Lord hears and sees Hagar

11 The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, (meaning, “God hears”) for the Lord has heard of your misery.

13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” ("El Roi") for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; (“the well of the Living One who sees me”) it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

When you see Egypt in the OT, it represents a place of refuge.

Sometimes positive, often negative.

Abram ran to Egypt to escape a famine (Gen. 12).

Sarai had turned to an Egyptian to escape barrenness.

Hagar had run to Egypt to escape misery.

In later generations, the Israelites would run to Egypt over and over for help.

Egypt would come to represent the Israelite's attempt to find salvation apart from God.

But Egypt also came to represent something else - slavery.

Israel's salvation apart from God didn't save them, but enslaved them.

It is God who rescues and saves.

Many times we run to our Egypt, looking for help, looking for relief, but God hears and sees you. He alone can help and save.

Have you prayed like that?

Psalm 130:1-2

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;

2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

He hears and sees you.

Psalm 130:3-4

3 If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

The deepest depth to which our souls can sink is in sin.

Sin separates us from God.

It builds a wall between us and our Creator.

It interrupts the relationship that he desires with us.

If he kept a record of our sins, no one could stand.

But with God, there is forgiveness.

Sin is our greatest problem.

It causes all our relationship problems.

It sparks all our fears.

It is our worst illness.

It is our deepest debt.

It is our greatest failure.

But "with God there is forgiveness".

He does not keep a record of our sins, but puts them away.

Psalm 103:1-5

1 Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit. and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 130:5-6

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Like a watchman standing at his post all night, excited to see the morning light.

The psalmist longs for The Lord to come to him - in love, knowing that he has God's favor. Knowing that he will see God's kindness, mercy, grace

If you don't long for him, you've forgotten his goodness.

Psalm 130:7-8

7 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Put your hope in The Lord.

We heard earlier that forgiveness was with The Lord, Now

unfailing love (unconditional, loyal, unending love) and redemption are with him.

His full redemption forgives and frees us from sins consequences.

V. 14 - Spiritual leaders are compelled by Christ's love.

So moved by Jesus' heroic and loving self-sacrifice that it controls or rules their behavior now. They were once ruled by other motivations, but now that they have understood that Jesus died for them, they have a new direction in life.

V 15 - So changed that they no longer live for themselves, but for Christ.

V. 16 - missing Christ's glory.

V. 17 - the distinction between life before and after Christ. Like brand new life versus old life. Life forever changed.

"Reconcile" means to exchange, like money or prisoners.

Our relationship with God has been reconciled from enemies to sons and daughters.

We were reconciled "through Christ" who took on the punishment of death we deserved so that our sins before God are washed away.

V. 18 - God gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Spiritual leaders have a message, "be reconciled to God."

He released us from the prison of our sins and then gave us the keys to set other prisoners free.

V. 19 - In Christ, God canceled the debt of sin we had because the debt was paid by Christ.

V. 20 - ambassador is elder or presbyter - a representative acting on behalf of an authority. "Appeal" is parakaleo, or called to testify on behalf of God and his intentions.

Spiritual leaders are Christ's ambassadors, no longer representing themselves, but Christ.

Spiritual leaders

• Recognize that God intends good from our suffering (2 Cor 1:1-7)

• Correct spiritual issues (2 Cor 2:1-4)

• Know the goal is lives changed by Christ (2 Cor 3:1-6)

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

vv. 7-11 Old covenant – glorious – brings condemnation – fading glory

New covenant – more glorious – brings righteousness – surpassing, lasting glory

v. 12 – Such hope, such confidence in the new covenant makes us bold.

What religion has the hope, the power, and the glory of Christianity?

vv. 13-15 – The Old Covenant keeps people from seeing the glory of the new covenant.

vv. 16-17 – In Christ, the veil is taken away and people are set free.

Free from trying to be good enough to meet God’s standards.

Free from trying to earn God’s favor.

Free from the endless cycle of covering over their sins.

Jesus met God’s standards for us.

He earned God’s favor for us.

He covered our sins for us.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!

v. 18 – Jesus is making us like himself.

Spiritual leaders grow in likeness to Christ actively and intentionally

You cannot lead people to a place you are not going.

Have you made the decision to follow Jesus? – Not just to be saved, but follow him?

It’s sad to say, but many people want salvation without following Jesus.

To follow Jesus is to

• Love what he loves

• Do what he did

How will you get there?

To follow Christ, there are things that belong in your life:

1. A desire to grow

2. Bible study and Prayer

3. Confession and Repentance

4. Humble reliance on the Holy Spirit

To follow Christ, there are things that do not belong in your life:

• Sexual immorality, lust, impurity, greed

2 Corinthians 2:1-4 Spiritual leaders correct spiritual issues. When we do not move to correct wrongs, we show that we love ourselves more than the person needing correction. We show that we are more concerned about being well-liked than about what will happen to them. Proverbs 27:6 “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” • When we do not correct, we do not love. • Correction is always done in love. (2:4) • Correction is always for the intent to restore, not for revenge. (Gal 6:1) • Correction comes from a person who is aware of their own need for correction. (Gal 6:1) 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 Spiritual leaders see the goal of spiritual leadership is lives changed by Christ. • Our focus is the spiritual development of those under our care. (3:2) • We cooperate with God. We are his ambassadors, ministers of reconciliation. (5:18-20) • God does the work of salvation. (3:3)

2 Corinthians 1:1-7

Spiritual leaders recognize that God intends good from our suffering.

Our suffering

• Is an opportunity for God to show us comfort, strength and hope. (1:4)

• Helps us grasp Jesus’ suffering for us. (1:5a)

• Is an opportunity to show God’s comfort, strength and hope to others. (1:5b)

When we suffer, we receive God’s grace.

When others suffer, we can help them understand and receive God’s grace.

2 Corinthians 2:1-4

Spiritual leaders correct spiritual issues.

When we do not move to correct wrongs, we show that we love ourselves more than the person needing correction.

We show that we are more concerned about being well-liked than about what will happen to them.

Proverbs 27:6 “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

• When we do not correct, we do not love.

• Correction is always done in love. (2:4)

• Correction is always for the intent to restore, not for revenge. (Gal 6:1)

• Correction comes from a person who is aware of their own need for correction. (Gal 6:1)

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Spiritual leaders see the goal of spiritual leadership is lives changed by Christ.

• Our focus is the spiritual development of those under our care. (3:2)

• We cooperate with God. We are his ambassadors, ministers of reconciliation. (5:18-20)

• God does the work of salvation. (3:3)

Psalms 113-118 are known as the “Egyptian Hallel Psalms”.

Hallel means Praise.

They are called the Hallel Psalms because of their focus and repetition of hallel, “praise”,

…and hallelujah – Praise the Lord.

These 5 psalms were part of the annual feasts of the Israelites.

Psalms 113-114 were recited or sung before the Passover meal and Psalms 115-118 after the meal.

These were no doubt sung by Jesus throughout his life.

Matt 26 and Mk 14 mention Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn after the last supper – the Passover meal – before Jesus was arrested. That hymn would have been these Hallel Psalms

Psalm 113:1-9

v. 1 – Praise the Lord – Hallelujah

Praise (Hallel) o servants of the Lord, praise (hallel) the name of the Lord.

God’s people – during worship at the temple, the priests and the people – all the servants of the Lord were called upon to praise God.

The title for God, LORD, or “Yahweh” calls attention to the acts of God and his revelation of himself to his people.

He is the Lord, who reigns in authority, but has also been kind to us and has made himself known to us.

vv. 2-3 with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the true worship of God has been extended to all the earth.

My whole life is to be Hallelu Yah, praise the Lord.

All day, every day, His name is to be praised.

vv. 4-6 The Lord is sovereign over everything. The word “sovereign” means he rules like a king.

The question is posed to the worshippers: Who is like the Lord our God?

He is exalted in his rule – enthroned on high. Ruling from the highest realm.

Yet he has also concerned himself with the needs of his people.

He “stoops down” to his needy children.

What a marvelous God – high, exalted, mighty, and yet deeply caring about people.

vv. 7-9 The Lord takes care of the needs of the poor and needy by moving them from being outcasts to having position of prominence.

Psalm 115:1

How quick are we to seek praise from other people?

How often do we seek praise from other people?

How badly do we want to show how smart we are or how pretty or how capable so that others praise us?

How timid are we to give the Lord the credit?

Because of his love and faithfulness, praise the Lord.

Not to me, but Hallelu Yah, praise to the Lord.

Psalm 116:1-2

I love him b/c he heard my cry for mercy (supplication – petition for help or favor of someone in authority).

B/c he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

I love the Lord b/c of who he is, but also b/c when I needed him, he heard me.

For the believer suffering has purpose.

I have learned to lean on God in suffering.

I have found him faithful to hear me and to be with me and to care about my suffering.

I can praise him even in suffering.

I need to praise him even in suffering.

I need to know that He hears me.

I need to know that my suffering is not some random act of the universe.

I need to know that He is still the sovereign Lord when my troubles are pressing in on me.

I need to say, “hallelujah, praise the Lord”

…especially in those times that I need his mercy.

In suffering I can say Hallelu Yah, praise the Lord.