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Episode #18 - Why Would God Rescue Me?
Transcript
It is vital to your victory in this battle for purity that you fully comprehend that God always was, is, and ever will be all about His glory. Not yours, not mine, His – always His.
Although we know that God is all about His glory – that God always takes top billing, too often we tend to focus our attention more on the belief that God’s love for us is His highest priority.
I’m your host Steve Etner, and welcome to episode 18 of the Point of Purity Podcast. A weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity. Today we are going to dig deep into Psalm 25 to seek an answer to the question Why? Why did God do that?
For His Name’s Sake
I challenge you to listen closely to the next 13 words of Psalm 25:11. Focus on them. Let them sink deep into your heart. You see, in Psalm 25:11 David prays, “For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.” Now I want you to pause for a moment here and contemplate that prayer. Center your thoughts on those 13 words. Let me repeat them and as I do, I urge you to make them your prayer - right here – right now.
“For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.”
In last week’s episode we invested some time talking about what David meant when he said, “For your name’s sake, O Lord.” You may recall that we came to the understanding that everything God does, everything, is - and always will be - “for His name’s sake.”
For example, in Psalm 23:3 David says that God “restores my soul; he guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Think about that. If you have placed your faith in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as the sole requirement for your salvation - God has rescued you. He has redeemed you. He has restored you into a right relationship with Him. Even now He guides you, He teaches you, He leads you and shows you what is right and how to live in freedom and victory. Why? Why does the Almighty, thrice-holy creator of the Universe do that for you? Let me clue you in here: it’s definitely NOT because of who you are. Certainly not because of what you’ve done (or not done). And definitely not because you deserve His favor in any way. No. It’s only because of His name’s sake. It’s solely because of who He is. He is your rescuer. He is your redeemer and your restorer. He is your guide, your teacher, your leader ... your Savior. It’s not just what He does but it’s who He is. And David is declaring that it is solely because of who God is that you are who you are – a born again, rescued, redeemed, and restored child of God.
In Ezekiel 20:44 God says, “You will know that I am the Lord when I have dealt with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds.” Oh, we’ve gotta hit the pause button here. Can you imagine, can you even begin to fully fathom what you deserve because of your idolatry – because of your worship of King Me instead of God? Every time (let this sink in - every time) you choose to make life about yourself; each and every time (with each and every selfish, self-centered choice) you are choosing to worship a false god. You are guilty of committing idolatry. You have sinned.
And in Romans 3:23 God clearly states that the wages of that sin, the paycheck you deserve to receive for the sinful, King Me things you have done throughout your life, that which is owed you - is eternal separation from God. An eternity in the pit of Hell itself. So, imagine for just a moment what your evil ways and your corrupt deeds truly deserve.
Ok, do you have that firmly fixed in your mind? Do you begin to understand the seriousness and significance of every sinful choice and every sinful choice behavior you have ever made? Now listen once again to what God is saying in Ezekiel 20:44. “You will know that I am the Lord when I have dealt with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds.”
Now I know it’s hard sometimes to follow Scripture when you’re only hearing it, not able to actually read it. So, I want to repeat Ezekiel 20:44 one more time so that you are able to fully grasp what God is saying. Here we go: “You will know that I am the Lord when I have dealt with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds.”
My friend, do you know Christ as your Lord and Savior? Have you have put your faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross? Do you believe with all your heart that Jesus willingly took your place, your penalty, your punishment for your sin upon Himself? Do you acknowledge the fact that Jesus Christ took the full brunt of God’s wrath for your sin? Do you believe that Jesus experienced not just death on the cross but utter and complete separation from God the Father in the very pit of Hell itself? He paid the FULL PRICE for all of your sin!
Do you believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and that He is alive today sitting at the right hand of God the Father functioning not just as your redeemer but as your intercessor? If you are a born-again believer, a Christian, then know this: As the King of kings and Lord of lords – The Almighty, Most Holy, Sovereign God and Creator of the Universe has chosen to deal with you NOT according to what you deserve but according to who He is! For His name’s sake.
David writes in Psalm 103:10-14 that God “has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his mercy toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our wrongdoings from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. For he himself knows our form; he is mindful that we are nothing but dust.”
I cannot drive this point home hard enough. Everything God does – everything - is For His name’s sake! No other name. God’s holy name. Everything that God does is all done for God’s glory. He takes the credit, He takes top billing, not because He needs it, not because He desires it, not because He wants to take it away from you, but because He knows you cannot handle it!
In Isaiah 48:9-11 God says, “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”
By now (if you’ve been listening to my previous episodes) you are probably accustomed to the fact that each and every episode of The Point of Purity Podcast is chocked full of Scripture. After all, if I say it – it’s no good. If it’s good, God said it! And as you listen to these episodes, I don’t want you hearing what I have to say, rather I want you listening to what God has said.
Why am I saying all of this? Because this passage in Isaiah 48:9-11 is powerful, and I don’t want you to miss any of this.
So, I’m going to quote it to you a couple more times as we talk through this. OK? So, here we go again. Isaiah 48:9-11 “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”
I want you to notice that in this text God refers to three specific things: His name’s sake, His praise, and His glory. His name’s sake, His praise, and His glory. This is highly significant and warrants our time and consideration here. Listen to me quote Isaiah 48:9-11 once again and listen closely to what I emphasize as I quote this to you.
“For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”
It is vital to your success in this battle for purity, it is critical for your freedom from sexual addiction that you fully comprehend that God always was, is, and ever will be ALL about His glory. Never yours, never mine – always His.
Although you and I are able to fundamentally grasp this truth, I think we also struggle with it. Scripture is clear that God is all about His glory – that God always takes top billing; however, even though we know that we tend to focus our attention more on the belief that God’s love for us is His highest priority.
Yes, God Loves You
Jesus tells us (John 3:16) that “God so loved the world (He love YOU so much) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him (that if YOU choose to believe in him, YOU) shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The Apostle Paul wrote (Romans 5:8) that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus also said (John 15:13), “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” That is exactly what Jesus chose to do for you!
And John writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1)
“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)
God Always Gets Top Billing
God’s love for you is definitely at the top of his priority list. If it wasn’t, He would never have died in your place. He is zealous for you. He is passionate about you. While that is true, here in Isaiah 48:9-11 we see God placing an even higher emphasis upon Himself, His name, His praise, His glory. This is why God is so angry over your sin. This is why He hates your worship of King Me. This is why He speaks out so forcefully against any and every form of idolatry.
In Psalm 8:1 David exclaims, “O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.”
And in Psalm 108:5 we read, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!”
God’s glory is the most important thing to Him. This is why the angels in Heaven constantly cry “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3) David prayed, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11) God is zealous and passionate for His glory.
Now I want you to consider this: God’s zeal and God’s deep passion for His glory directly relates to His love for you. Let’s listen once again to Isaiah 48:9-11.
“For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”
God Is Controlling His Anger – For His Glory
Hopefully you heard, by the inflection in my voice, the fact that God defers His anger, He controls it, He restrains it, He chooses to not cut you off; rather He is refining you and trying you as opposed to consuming you and destroying you – which (by the way) it is perfectly within His right to do so. This is how He expresses His amazing patience and his eternal love for you.
God’s love for you is based solely and completely upon His commitment - not to you - but to His name, His praise, and His glory; not upon anything you can do or become – but upon who He is ... God. We see this in His words “for my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I am restraining myself from cutting you off. For my own glory I am doing these things.” Can you hear within those words the expression of God’s unconditional love for you? It is because of who He is that He has chosen to redeem you. It is because of His name, His praise, His glory.
Oh, my friend, don’t let His love for you blind you to the fact that He is angry at your sin. Psalm 7:11 tells us that “God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation (He feels wrath and anger) every day.” OK, wait a minute. Did you truly hear what I just read? Did you catch what David is saying here? God “feels indignation every day.” God feels anger, outrage and fury over sin on a daily basis. Every time you and I choose to live for King Me, every time we choose to disobey His command to flee sexual immorality, every time we choose to lust after another person and commit adultery – every time we worship King Me ... that angers God.
But here’s what I want you to understand (let’s be crystal clear on this): It angers Him – not because He’s mad at you, not because He’s disappointed in you – no, He loves you unconditionally. He loves you with a perfect and holy love. He loves you so much that He chose to execute all of that wrath and all of that righteous anger – not upon you, but on His One and Only Son who willingly volunteered to take your place and pay the ultimate price for your sin.
So, God is not angry at you. He is angry at your sin. He is angry at the effects and the ramifications that your sinful choices have ravaged upon your heart, your health, your spirit, your family, your worship, your life. You see, God is angry because (as Isaiah 59:2 says) “your iniquities (your sins) have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you.” (Isaiah 59:2) He’s angry at your sin because each and every sinful, King Me, idolatrous choice you make drives a wedge of division between you and the One who lovingly sacrificed it all for you. He is angry because (as Jeremiah 5:25 says) “your sins have kept good from you.”
Yes, my friend, God IS angry at your sin. Equally true is the fact that He has deferred his anger. He is angry at your idolatry and rebellion, but He has lovingly chosen to restrain himself from cutting you off.
But why? Why is God so angry? He’s angry because you still have the dross of sin in your life. Let me clarify. Dross is the scum, the waste, the foreign matter; it’s the impurities and unwanted material that forms on the surface of a precious metal when it’s going through the refining process. As the metal is intensely heated, the impurities (the dross) will rise to the top where they can be extracted, leaving behind a pure metal base.
Every time you choose to worship King Me - you choose to violate the sanctity of God’s Holy name. This is why you and I need to be refined. When we choose idolatry, we treat God with irreverence and contempt. We anger God by choosing to not live as though His name, His praise, and His glory is the highest, the ultimate, the absolute thing above all else.
Don’t miss this! When you choose to worship King Me, you have chosen to live as if God exists for you instead of the other way around. This angers God. This why you and I deserve His wrath and judgment.
Romans 1:18 tells us that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”
Colossians 3:25 warns us that “the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality (with God).”
It is because of God’s commitment to His name, His glory, and His praise that He is restraining the punishment that is due you for the demeaning and disparaging of His name. “For His name’s sake” He has postponed, He has deferred, He has restrained the anger that is rightfully His to show.
Nailed to The Cross
God says, “For my name’s sake I defer my anger.” (Isaiah 48:9) To “defer” means to put off an action; to temporarily set it aside for a future date. Did you catch that? God is saying (here in Isaiah 48:9) that his anger has been temporarily set aside, not completely resolved. In other words, because God is also a Just God, His wrath cannot be forever deferred, it cannot be eternally restrained. His Justice demands execution!
Here’s the most exciting news of all time: God’s anger at your sin has already been dealt with! The guilt of your sin has already been paid for! God’s wrath has been fully executed!
1 John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake (God) made (Jesus Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
In other words, Jesus Christ took the full penalty of your sin (and of my sin) upon Himself so that we could be saved!
1 Peter 3:18 tells us that “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”
My friend, God’s anger over your sin was fully expressed at the cross. This is why (as 1 Thessalonians 1:10 says) “Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9 tells us that “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Consequently, (according to Romans 8:1) we can confidently say “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
And Romans 3:25 tells us that “God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past.”
As we wrap up today’s episode, let me ask you this:
Would you like to know how to escape the net and effectively say “No!” to temptation? Do you desire to avoid the snare altogether and stop giving in to LuPoMas – living completely, unreservedly for God? Do you long for the time when you never have to lie to cover up your sin? God shows you how. Solomon said, “The LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6).
This is the topic of next week’s Episode #19 as we take an in-depth look at Psalm 25:15 which says, “My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.”
I look forward to meeting with you again next week. Until then, May God Continue to Bless You – As You Continue to Serve Him!