What about the benefits we receive from God? As children of God, we receive certain benefits. However, we're not always aware of the things which God offers us and we very well could be passing by those blessings.

This message will take a serious look at the blessings of God as they are listed in Psalm 103:1-5.

(Psa 103:1-5 NKJV) 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

1) All of our inquities have been pardoned.
2) He has healed our diseases.
3) He has given to us eternal life.
4) He has crowned us with lovingkindness and compassion.
5) He satisfies our years with good things.

I. ALL OF OUR INIQUITIES HAVE BEEN PARDONED v.3

A. Iniquity is guilt as the result of sin.

1. In other words, it is being found guilty of sin, not simply accused.

a. In the Old Testament, "iniquity" is always directly related to the due punishment as the result of sin.

b. In the New Testament, we are told that the wages of sin is death.

(Rom 6:23 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2. When we have an iniquity, it means that we are guilty of sinning.

a. Everyone at one time or another has been plagued with iniquities.

b. Many criminals in prison have an extensive criminal record. It reflects the number of times they have been proven guilty.

c. Most of us have never gone to trial concerning our sins or wrong doing, but by virtue of the acts committed, we have automatically placed iniquities upon ourselves as they are judged by God's Holy Word and righteous law.

3. Though iniquity does not mean, "feeling guilt", we do experience that feeling.

a. Iniquities are like weights which prevail upon us.

b. They slow us down spiritually. They hinder our walk with God.

c. One iniquity will often lead us to another.

B. The benefit we have from God is that He pardons us from all our iniquities.

1. In other words, He forgives us of ur sins and no longer passes a sentence of guilty.

a. Remember President Nixon and Watergate? It appeared that Nixon was guilty of illegal activity.

b. It was also evident that congress would impeach him. Therefore Nixon resigned.

c. One of the frist acts performed by the new President, Gerald Ford, was to pardon Richard Nixon. Meaning that Nixon would not be punished for his crimes.

2. When we give our lives to Jesus Christ, one of the first acts which God performs is to pardon us of our iniquities.

a. As Satan declares, "guilty, guilty, guilty", God replies, "pardoned, pardoned, pardoned!"

b. God remains true to His Word. If He does not pardon you, He must punish you.

3. So, the first benefit we must remember is that God pardons us, or forgives us our sins.

a. We should not take that forgiveness for granted.

b. We should celebrate our pardon daily.

C. How do we receive that pardon?

1. We must confess our sins to God.

(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2. We must repent or turn from our sinful ways.

(Isa 55:7 NKJV) Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

II. HE HEALS ALL OF OUR DISEASES v.3

A. The second benefit is that God heals us of our diseases.

1. This specifically refers to our physical infirmities or inflictions.

a. Understand that God's will for you is to be free of physical sickness.

b. There was no such thing as the flu before the fall of Adam and Eve.

c. Some will state that sickness is something that we have to live with.

d. That's not true for the child of God.

2. We are told in the Word that by His stripes we were healed.

(1 Pet 2:24 NKJV) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.

a. Not we are going to be healed one day, but that the healing is already ours.

b. Our job is to simply grow in our faith to the point that we will be able to receive our healing.

3. Beyond that, we are told in 3 John verse 2 that we are to be in health.

a. Not: "get sick and be healed"

b. But rather to walk in divine health.

B. Why do Christians so readily accept sickness when God's Word provides them with divine health?

1. One of the mistakes we'll make is that we'll point to a saint who is struggling with an infirmity.

a. We justify their sickness by stating that God is trying to teach them something.

b. By making that justification we open the door for illness in our own lives.

c. We also come to the place of accepting what God has not given to us.

2. Some state that God receives glory in sickness when the one inflicted remains close to God inspite of their illness.

a. That simply is not what the Bible teaches.

b. Jesus came to glorify the Father in heaven. If sickness brought glory to God, Jesus would have gone around placing diseases on people and teaching them how to endure the pain.

c. Jesus never does this or even declares someone's illness as bringing glory to God.

d. Jesus glorified God by healing people.

(Mat 15:31 NKJV) So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

C. So how do we receive this benefit of health?

1. Take good care of yourself. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

2. Do not readily accept sickness.

3. Praise God daily for good health.

III. HE GIVES TO US ETERNAL LIFE v.4

A. The third benefit given to us is eternal life.

1. Not just "eternal life", but "eternal life with the Lord".

a. Before we received Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we were destined for death and destruction: the pit.

b. But now we have a new destiny.

2. Nearly everytime the word "pit" is used in the Bible it is used in connection with death, torment, punishment, or bondage.

a. Bondage: Story of Joseph

(Gen 37:23-24 NKJV) So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

b. Punishment: The complaining Israelites

(Num 16:33 NKJV) So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.

c. Torment

(Rev 9:2-5 NKJV) And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

d. Death

(Rev 11:7 NKJV) When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.

3. So however we may want to look at it, the pit is not a desirable place to be.

a. Have you ever heard someone say, "Life is the pits"?

b. This is really a profound statement.

c. True life never equals the pits... at least not life in Jesus. Life apart from Jesus is the pits.

B. The benefit we receive is that we have been redeemed from the pit.

1. The word "redeem" means: to pay a debt or buy backsomething which has been previously sold.

a. The Old Testament concept of redemption had to do with paying a debt for a friend or a relative.

b. For example: A poor man may sell himself into slavery. The redeemer buys the poor man's freedom back.

2. We have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.

a. He gave His life as a ransom.

(Mat 20:28 NKJV) "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

b. In other words, he bought us back from the realm of evil captivity (the pit).

c. Man's original purpose was to live forever with God, but in the garden he sold his soul to the devil.

d. There was only one way to buy us back.

3. So God has redeemed us from the pit, and everything the pit represents.

a. Death - it's no longer ours.

b. Torment - it's not ours.

c. Punishment - it's not ours.

d. Bondage - it's not ours.

C. How do we walk under the covering of this benefit?

1. Claim the benefit as yours.

2. Avoid accepting anything less.

IV. HE CROWNS US WITH LOVINGKINDNESS AND COMPASSION v. 4

A. The next benefit we receive is a crown of lovingkindness and compassion.

1. Lovingkindness is in reference to the kind acts we perform as the result of our love for others.

a. As parents we do things for our children because we love them.

b. It isn't because of our "parental duty".

c. In the same way we do things for other because of our love.

2. Compassion has to do with understanding others.

a. Jesus felt compassion upon the multitudes, knowing they were hungry.

b. He knew what it was like to experience hunger.

B. He crowns us with these two things.

1. A crown is something we place on our heads.

a. Our head is the place where our thoughts are birthed.

b. Therefore, our thoughts and motivations which were once selfishly motivated are now motivated by love and compassion.

2. So how is this a benefit?

a. When you do things out of love and compassion you are essentially sowing those types of seeds.

b. Remember that you will reap what you sow. It's a wonderful benefit to reap love and compassion.

C. How do we receive this benefit?

1. Allow God to renew your way of thinking.

2. Accept God's acts opf kindness toward you.

V. HE SATISFIES OUR YEARS WITH GOOD THINGS v.5

A. God is our satisfier.

1. This verse says "who". Who is the "Who"? God.

2. What does God do? He satisfies. He is the satisfier.

a. The Rolling Stones sing, "I can't get no satisfaction".

b. If they personally knew the true satisfier, they'd be singing a different song.

3. People are always looking for satisfaction or true contentment.

a. In almost every testimony, people relate how they were caught up in the things of this world.

b. That "something" was what they looked to for satisfaction. But itonly served to bring greater burden and strife.

c. But when they first meet the satisfier, they will often relate a feeling of exuberance.

B. What is it that He satisfies?

1. Three different translations say three different things.

a. KJV - thy mouth

b. NAS - your years

c. NIV - your desires

2. In looking at the original language, the best translation would be to say "your desires".

a. God is aware of your desires and He only satisfies them with good things.

b. Let's read the following verse.

(Psa 37:4 NKJV) Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

3. As a child of God, God will not only give you the desires of your heart, but He will place within you the proper desires.

C. How are our lives satisfied with good things?

1. In order to answer that question we must take a look at the principle of cause and affect. By knowing the affect, we may be able to determine the cause.

2. The affect in this case is that our youth is renewed like the eagle's.

a. The eagle soars and flies with great power. He does this with tremendous ease.

b. In the evening he rests, and by morning he continues his life of undaunting strength and agility.

c. God renews us in such a way that we continue our walk with Him without growing weary.

(Isa 40:31 NKJV) But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

3. The affect is that our strength is renewed. What is the cause? The presence of God.

a. Those who "wait" for the Lord. They don't get ahead of Him.

b. When we wait for Him, He then satisfies our desires with good things.

4. How do we wait for Him?

a. In prayer.

b. In the Word.

c. In church.

CONCLUSION:

1) All of our inquities have been pardoned.
2) He has healed our diseases.
3) He has given to us eternal life.
4) He has crowned us with lovingkindness and compassion.
5) He satisfies our years with good things.