Psalm 85: Sins forgiven – Sin Detested! 1. Sins Forgiven! Psalm 85:1-3

Text: “Lord, Thou hast been favourable unto Thy land: Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of Thy people; Thou hast covered all their sin. Thou hast taken away all Thy wrath: Thou hast turned Thyself from the fierceness of Thine anger.”

Psalm 85:1-3.

Good morning, pardoned Christian!  By God’s Sovereign grace, you and the author have been gloriously pardoned from all sin – our Adamic sin, sin inherited within our old nature from Adam/Eve; and all the sins we have ever, or shall ever commit against our Holy Lord God of just wrath against all sin.  Hallelujah!  We are pardoned from the guilt and shame of our vile, disobedient and inherited, sins; and shall never ever be punished for our committing them.   Thank you, dear and Holy Lord God!  Amen. In Christ Jesus, we are forgiven.

“And the Blood (of Christ Jesus) shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the Blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt (Egypt is always a type of the world in Scriptures).” (Exodus 12:13)

“Blessed is he/she whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (by the Blood of the Lamb, Christ Jesus).” (Psalm 32:1)

Old Testament TYPES (the use of typology, earthly illustrations of Heavenly concepts) are all fully enacted in New Testament actions.  Christ came not to abolish the Law of God, He came to fulfil it, every jot and tittle.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”  (Matthew 5:17-18)

Verse 1. “Lord, Thou hast been favourable unto Thy land: Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.”  God’s favour, or it could be interpreted as His grace, has been shown in the most profound sense, by the sending forth of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to take the sins of His elect upon Himself, go to that cruel Cross at Calvary, suffer, bleed and die the death that He alone could die – and all for to provide full Atonement for ‘His people’, and save us from the penalties and punishments for our sins.  Hallelujah!  What a Saviour! He has come the first time to do what the Lord God told Joseph he would do.

“And she (Mary) shall bring forth a son, and thou (Joseph) shalt call His Name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) (Not ALL people, but His people!)

“…Behold (look, and fully understand) the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

I hear some poor wretch say: “But, Dr McClinton, surely some of my sins are so vile and so blatantly deserving of God’s wrath, and Hell, and the Lake of Fire to follow – surely SOME of my sins will not be forgiven?”

To this sincere question I simply quote God’s written Word on the matter of forgiveness, and God’s Word puts an end to all questioning hearts. (Psalm 85:2)

Verse 2. “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of Thy people; Thou hast covered ALL their sins.”  Often and often again had He done this, pausing to pardon even when His sword was bared to punish.  Who is a pardoning God like Thee, O Jehovah? Who is so slow to anger, so ready to forgive? Every believer in Jesus enjoys the blessing of pardoned sin, and he/she should regard this priceless boon as the pledge of all other needed mercies.” (C.H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, page 360)

Verse 3. “Thou hast taken away ALL Thy wrath: Thou hast turned Thyself from the fierceness of Thine anger. When the Lord God, in Eternity, elects a sinner to give to His Son, Jesus Christ, to save in time – He causes ALL His wrath that that sinner deserved and continues to deserve to receive, to be taken away.  The shed and sinless Blood of His dear Son, Jesus Christ, the price of the elect sinner’s ransom, is all that the loving and Holy Father sees when He looks upon us as His redeemed people.  What grace!  What love! What a Father!  What a Saviour we have, in Christ Jesus!  Hallelujah! Thanks be to God for His grace! (John 6:37)

“That in the ages to come (right now) He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works (good deeds, good living), lest any man/woman should boast.” (Ephesians 2:7-9)

“Thou hast borne, or carried away, the iniquity. An allusion (type) to the ceremony of the scape-goat.” (Adam Clarke, 1760-1832)

“Thou hast covered ALL their sin. When God is said to cover sin, He does so, not as one would cover a sore with a plaster, thereby merely hiding it only; but He covers it with a plaster that effectually cures and removes it altogether.” (Robert Bellarmine, 1542-1621)

If the Living Lord God Almighty, Jehovah, Creator of all things, be likened unto an Atomic Reactor unto which no human being can approach, without burning up in an instant.  Then, the precious shed Blood of the Living Lord Jesus Christ might be likened unto the thick lead suit of protection, by which redeemed sinners might approach our Father’s throne, without utterly consuming away. Genuine saved sinners are covered by Christ’s sinless Blood.

“Wherefore we, receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)

The Lord Jesus Christ, by the offering of His own sinless Blood, has entered into the Holy Place in Heaven on your behalf and on mine – IF we are born again, Bible-believing Christians.  His once-for-all-time sin offering for us, covers ‘His people’, and pays the just penalty for our vile sins.  We are FORGIVEN in Him. He is our Eternal insurance policy!

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own Blood He entered in once into the Holy Place having obtained Eternal redemption for us.” (Hebrews 9:12)

Thought: “Therefore (an Eternal conclusion) if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed (or are continually passing) away; behold, all things are become (or are continually becoming) new.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17) Glory to the Lamb!