Confessing the Truth About Sin

Transcript

GRM 987
9/30/2007]
Confessing the Truth about Sin
Psalms 51 & 32
Gil Rugh


There is confusion in the church today about the matter of sin and how God intends sin to be dealt with, about the devastating consequences of sin, even in the life of the child of God. We can choose to sin, we cannot choose the consequences that come from our sin. And the impact of sin is felt in a life spiritually, obviously, but also emotionally and physically. On Sunday evenings we are moving through the history of Israel as revealed in the Old Testament, and we are studying II Samuel. And we have recently studied II Samuel 11-12. Chapter 11 records David's sad account of his falling into sin with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of Bathsheba's husband. Then chapter 12 records the confrontation that David has with Nathan the prophet, as Nathan is sent to confront David about his sin and its seriousness in the sight of God. Following that confrontation with Nathan, the Spirit of God moved David to write a psalm which revealed something of his spiritual condition and need of the time. He followed that up with another psalm written a little bit later that gives us further perspective on his sin. And I want to take the time to look with you together this morning at Psalm 51 and then Psalm 32. David unfolds something of what he went through, even as a man after God's own heart, when he got into sin and then failed to deal with it as God said that he should.

Psalm 51 has a title given to it, as you'll note—A Contrite Sinner's Prayer for Pardon. And then you'll note the explanation under it. It's for the choir director. A psalm of David when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Now those kinds of introductions or titles to the psalms are not part of the inspired text, but they go back very early. We don't know how early. Perhaps they were written as part of the introduction to the Psalms, to help explain its context. We don't know, but we know they are very early and in all probability accurately reflect the setting for the psalm. So we're told what this psalm is about and when it was written, what the occasion was. David had sinned with Bathsheba, committed adultery with another man's wife. To cover up his sin he had arranged for Uriah the husband of Bathsheba to be killed in battle. And that way David's hands would be clean of that as he told Joab his military commander, the sword devours one as well as the other. I mean, this time it was Uriah and some men with him, another time it is someone else, it's just part of warfare. And David thought now he would go on with his life, he had covered his tracks, so to speak. He had not confronted his sin as sin, he had not dealt with it before the Lord. He thought it was okay because he had cleaned things up.

He went on and married Bathsheba and about the time their baby was to be born from their adulterous relationship, or shortly thereafter, about a year has gone by since David's sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah. Nathan the prophet is sent to confront David. You know you think a year has gone by, it's done, it's cleaned up. But it's not done, and it hasn't been done for David. It has been a year of misery, unhappiness. The book of II Samuel does not tell us the details of what was going on in David's heart and mind and life personally, but David writes about it. Nathan comes and tells him a parable of a rich man who had much, but he took the only little lamb of a poor man. He killed that lamb and served it for dinner to a guest. David said, that man deserves to die. At minimum he has to reimburse this poor man fourfold. When he's done, Nathan says, you are the man, you have sinned against the Lord. And David says, I have sinned against the Lord.

Out of that he writes Psalm 51, very important psalm. Then Psalm 32. We as believers need to understand what God says here. The church is in confusion about how you deal with sin. We've multiplied counseling programs, now you can go to Christian colleges and get a Master's Degree in Christian counseling. We've taken the world's ideas from psychology and psychiatry and mixed them with scripture and think we have Christian psychology and Christian counseling. And we really have confusion. And we contribute to the mess that the church is in as a result of not being biblical in all that it does.

Look how Psalm 51 opens up. Now keep in mind, David has been confronted by Nathan regarding his son, David has acknowledged, I have sinned against the Lord. The psalm opens up, be gracious to me, Oh God, according to your lovingkindness, according to the greatness of your compassion. Blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Now three words that David uses here to start out—be gracious, your lovingkindness, your compassion. David recognizes that he is the guilty sinner, what he needs is God's grace, God's mercy, God's kindness to be bestowed upon him. So he starts out, David is not looking for justice. I just want to say that the bulk of my life has been lived for the Lord. I am known as a man after God's own heart. Nobody is completely perfect. I stumbled. But you have to put that in the context of my life overall. There is no defense offered by David, there are no excuses offered by David. He doesn't say that all the days that he was faithful should offset somewhat the seriousness of his sin. He immediately asks that God be gracious to him, God show lovingkindness to him, God be compassionate to him. I'm guilty. I'm not looking for justice, I'm looking for mercy. I'm not trying to offer a defense, I realize I'm defenseless. I'm coming, asking for your grace. Be gracious to me, oh God, according to your lovingkindness, according to the greatness of your compassion. Blot out my transgressions.

And he uses three words to talk about his sin. He talks about my transgressions at the end of verse 1; he says in verse 2, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse my from my sin. Now you can follow a distinction in these words for sin. Transgressions are overt acts of rebellion against God. I John tells us that sin is transgression of the law, it is rebellion against God, it is doing what God told you not to do. Iniquity is just the perversion of your moral behavior, the vileness of your conduct. Sin, wandering out of the way appointed by God. The book of James tells us, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. Sin is not just doing something wrong, it is also not doing what God says you must do. Sin is just perverse conduct.

Now David is not concerned to draw distinctions between these words for sin. He uses three basic words for sin because however you want to describe my sin, I'm guilty. So instead of trying to distinguish between sin and is my sin this kind.......... It doesn't matter, whatever word you want to use, I need grace. I need you to blot it out, wash me, cleanse me. And he uses three words here. He used three words for God's gracious compassion, lovingkindness. Three words to describe his sin, and three things saying what he needs God to do—blot out my transgressions, wash me, cleanse me. David is casting himself upon God. And amazing, he knows he is undeserving. But he knows God is able. And you can cleanse me, you can wash me, you can blot it out. Make me clean. What David desires is God to bring the forgiveness that only He can bring. We're not in a theological debate or discussion here between David and God, we are in a situation where the sinner David is casting himself upon the mercy of God, asking God to be gracious to him and do what he does not deserve to have done for him—to have his sin blotted out. Wash me and make me clean, pardon me.

Verse 3, for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. David recognizes the awful reality of his sin. You know one of the great obstacles for us to experience the wonder of God's cleansing and forgiveness is our stubborn refusal to acknowledge our sin as sin, to deal with it. I know my transgression, my sin is ever before me. This is not a subject for discussion. I'm guilty, I'm the sinner, it's on my mind all the time. You wonder what was going on in David's mind for that year after he sinned with Bathsheba, thought he'd go on with his life. He couldn't get it out of his mind. He knew what he had done. Against you, you only, I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight. And II Samuel 12:13 when Nathan confronted David and said, you're the guilty man, David immediately said, I have sinned. He didn't say I have sinned against Bathsheba, I sinned against Uriah her husband. No, he said, I have sinned against the Lord. That is the issue in sin. Oh we do wrong against that other person. Uriah was wronged, David committed adultery with his wife and then had had him killed to cover it up. David did sin against Bathsheba in a minor way. But that's not the issue, all sin is ultimately committed against the holy God. Every single act of sin is an act against the holy God. So David says, it all boils down .......... He never mentions Uriah once in this chapter, never mentions Bathsheba once, because everything else pales into insignificance. You'll note who you sinned against—you sinned against the living God. David's burden of sin here is not because he sinned against Uriah or he sinned against Bathsheba. David's burden of sin here is the realization that the sin I've done has been against the holy God. That's what makes sin so overwhelmingly terrible, that's why people deny the reality of a holy God and they follow up by minimizing in their own minds the reality and horror of their sin.

Against you, you only, I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight. So that you are justified, shown to be righteous when you speak and blameless when you judge. In other words David has asked for graciousness, lovingkindness, compassion in verse 1. What else can I do? I'm the guilty one, I sinned, I'm a sinner. You're righteous when you speak, you're blameless when you bring judgment. I mean, I have no defense. The idea that well, I have some things to say on my behalf. There is nothing to be said, that's an indication a person has not really come to deal with their sin, when they're still trying to make excuses, they're still trying to offer arguments. We think we still have some wiggle room. David says there is none. You are righteous in your judgment of me, you are blameless, the fault is not anything with you. We say, I don't believe in a God who would judge, I don't believe in a hell, I don't believe that God would deal with us and consider us sinful. Well forget it. You're not ready to come and cast yourself on the mercy of God to experience the wonder of His forgiveness, until you come to recognize your sin, your guilt, all the fine lines you think you can draw come to nothing. That's why David is willing, however you want to describe my sin, as a transgression, as sin, as iniquity, I'm guilty. However you want to say what I need to have it blotted out, that I need to be washed, I need to be cleansed, that's what I need. Whatever you want to say, I've sinned against the living God, and He is righteous and just in His judgments of me.

But you know David carries it on further here, and very important section. David carries it beyond just the acts of sin that he has done. I've committed adultery, I've committed murder. Those are two blots on my life. David says, no, it's even more serious than that. This sin is simply a manifestation of my perverse character. It's not just I committed two acts of sin on two different days. No, you understand I am a sinful being, and this manifested the corruption that is within me.

Verse 5, behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. David is overwhelmed with the realization, I am a sinful being, and I simply revealed the corruption that is there. I was brought forth in iniquity. You know when his sin began? At birth. But it's more serious than that. In sin my mother conceived me. He's not saying here that I was illegitimate. No, what he is saying is that sin was present in me from the moment of conception, because the sin nature is passed down from Adam on down to us. One of the indications a life is present from conception. Sin was passed on to you at conception. You're a sinner from the very, very, very beginning, that's as beginningest as you can get—conception. Sin is there. It's just a little embryo. Yes, but its' infected with sin.

Turn back to Genesis 8. We've had the flood of Noah that has destroyed the people and the world of Noah's day and Noah and his family have come through the flood. They get off the ark and now they offer sacrifices to God. And in verse 21 I just want to pick up one statement where God gives His evaluation of man. This is after the flood. Only Noah and his family have come through alive, and here is God's evaluation of man. Middle of verse 21, the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth. God says I won't destroy the earth with a flood anymore, the reality of it is, that's what man is—a sinner. And all of his intentions from his earliest time, his youngest years is evil.

Turn back to Psalm 58. You'll note David is talking about righteousness here, God's just judgment. The psalm begins, you indeed speak righteousness oh God. Do you judge uprightly, oh sons of men? No, in your heart you work unrighteousness, on earth you weigh out the violence of your hands. So man's judgment is not righteous, it's in contrast to God's righteousness which he will begin to unfold down in verse 6 in his judgment. What I want you to note in verse 3, the wicked are estranged from the womb. Those who speak wise go astray from birth. You understand that sin is not a result of environment, it's not a result of someone doing something or acting in a certain way. It is part of being born into the human race.

Back up to Psalm 53. This infects everyone. Here verse 1, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have committed abominable injustice, there is no one who does good. God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks after God. Everyone of them has turned aside. Together they have become corrupt, there is no one who does good, not even one. We live in a sin-cursed world. We ought not to be surprised as God's people, we say, what is happening? Well every intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Do you understand the sinfulness of man? As even the church has moved away from a biblical understanding of sin, we have moved into confusion. What is happening? We must have the wrong people in political office, that's what's happening. We must ........ And on we go. If we could get rid of poverty, we could cure the world's ills. If we could educate people, we could .............. Every intention of their heart is evil. They are conceived in sin, they are born sinners, from the beginning they pursue sin. And God's evaluation is, no one is exempt, there is no one who does good, not even one. There is no one who understands, who seeks after God. Everyone has turned aside. And you recognize some of this repeated again in the New Testament, passages like Romans 3 and so on.

This is God's evaluation, this is the problem. You say, well, if I'm born in sin, if the sin took hold in my life the moment I was conceived, you don't expect me to be held accountable, do you? Isn't it interesting? Come back to Psalm 51. David's argument is just the opposite. Instead of saying, this is an excuse. You understand, it's not my fault. I was born a sinner, I had no control over that, you know. My mother conceived me as a sinner. It's just the opposite. David presents this truth in the context, I realize how completely sinful I am. It's not just the sin that I committed on these occasions, it's the fact, you understand, this is what I am in my being. Oh how I need mercy and grace from a holy God to wash me and cleanse me. It's not, well, if you're born a sinner it's not your fault. David said just the opposite. That just reveals the sinful things I did are terrible, but you understand something—they just reveal what I am, what I have always been. I am a vile man, iniquity characterizes me, transgressions characterize me, sin characterizes me. And it's been so from the beginning, but I am accountable and I am responsible. And the only hope for me is God's grace, God's lovingkindness, God's compassion.

So you come to verse 6, behold, you desire truth in the innermost being. And what do I have in the innermost being? Sin, iniquity. You desire truth. In the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. You see, God says I was conceived in sin, I am a sinner, not just by my external actions, but by what I am in my character as a fallen being. And you require truth in the innermost being. But the hope David had, You can cleanse me. In the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop. The hyssop was that plant, and they used it, for example, in the law to dip in the blood of the animal sacrificed and sprinkle it on the person to represent the fact that this person was being cleansed and purified. So David says, purify me with hyssop, I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Reminds you of Isaiah 1:18, come now and let us reason together says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. That's the issue. There's no issue about whether you are a sinner or not, the issue is, will you come to the One who can cleanse you. David says, You cleanse me, I will be clean, I will be clean on the inside.

Make me hear joy and gladness, let the bones which you have broken rejoice. You see the picture here of what David has been going through. You know, amazing what we will put ourselves through, isn't it? Sin entices us with is attractiveness. I take it Bathsheba was very beautiful. David was a king, he had multiple wives and concubines before he ever got involved with Bathsheba. But here is a woman who was something to commit adultery for. You know, it would be so pleasurable. I'm sure those few moments of that evening with Bathsheba were WOW. But you know what happened? David was in misery. He says, it's almost like all the bones in my body have been broken. What had David been going through for this year after this until Nathan came? I feel like the bones in my body have been broken. But you can restore to me joy and gladness. You know what sin does to you? It saps your joy, it takes away your happiness. David says, make me to hear joy and gladness, restore the bones you've broken. I've been a man without happiness, I've been a man without joy. I've been a person who feels like all my bones are broken. Sin will affect you in every way.

Hide your face from my sins, blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a clean heart, oh God, renew a steadfast spirit within me. Remember verse 6? You desire truth in the innermost parts, my innermost being. You can create in me a clean heart, oh God, renew a steadfast spirit within me. Don't reject me, don't cast me away, don't remove me as your servant and king as He had done with Saul when the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will be converted to you. You know what he wants? Restore to me the joy of your salvation. You ought to note what is gone—David has been a miserable man. The book of II Samuel doesn't go on to talk about what's going on in David's life personally within. But David tells what that year has been like since he sinned with Bathsheba and had Uriah killed. It's not been fun and pleasure, just my life has been misery. No joy in my life, no happiness in my life. And I've been like my bones have been broken, no energy in my life. You know it's amazing how sin affects you not only spiritually, not only emotionally, but physically. David will describe this more as we proceed in our consideration.

Once You have done the work of cleansing me, once You've created in me a clean heart, washed me not without but within, restore to me the joy, then I'll tell other transgressors about You and Your ways so that they can be converted to You. David knows that he's not the only transgressor, only sinner, I'll teach transgressors, I'll tell sinners so they can be converted. You know none of this David is using to compare himself with anyone. He is occupied with what I need, but I know what I need in cleansing and forgiveness I find from You. And then when You bring that to my heart, I want to tell others so they can have it, too.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, oh God, the God of my salvation. Then my tongue will sin joyfully of your righteousness. Here we have that joy again. Oh if only I could be happy again, oh if I only knew what it was like to have that joy and peace of heart. Oh Lord, open my lips that my mouth may declare praise. For you do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it. You are not pleased with burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, oh God, you will not despise. You know what? David says, you know it's not a matter I need to offer the right sacrifices, I need to do the right things. Like people today, some of you are going through it. You are in sin, you've been in sin, you've sinned and you know it, but you don't want to deal with it before God. So you think, I'll go to church, I'll go to Bible study. And somehow it's just not working, and I don't know what's wrong in my life because I go to church and I'm unhappy, I'm miserable. I've gone to Bible study and I just ........ I don't know what's wrong, it's just like I'm empty and I'm running on empty. And physically, emotionally, spiritually I'm just like a wet rag. You know, stop, maybe we need to deal with the matter of sin. Well I go to church. Wait a minute, wait a minute. David said I could offer the sacrifices, I could do everything the law required, but that's not what it takes.

Note what it takes—the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, oh God, you will not despise. You know what the problem is that people have? You know why more people aren't saved? We're trying to work something out. I have to keep my pride and my self-esteem, so I'm willing to go to church and I'm willing to be baptized, and I'm willing to do the good things that I do. We say, no, no. You know the hardest thing for a person when it comes to be saved? Pride, to be humble before the Lord, to come like David is saying. All I can do is claim grace, compassion, your lovingkindness, and I have to have a broken spirit over my sin. This is repeated through scripture.

We're going to take a moment, come over to Isaiah 57:15. For thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever whose name is Holy. I dwell in a high and holy place and I also dwell with the contrite and lowly of spirit, in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. That person who has come to grips and sees himself as one who has sinned against a holy God, as one who is born in sin, defiled by sin, practicing sin and out of his own character. Oh God, there is no hope for me but your mercy. Oh God, there is no hope for me but grace. You are righteous to judge me, you would be righteous to send me to hell, but you are a God who can cleanse me and make me new. That kind of broken spirit before the Lord.

Turn over to Isaiah 66, note the greatness again of God. Verse 1, thus says the Lord, heaven is my throne, the earth is my footstool. Where then is a house you can build for Me? Where is a place that I may rest? My hand made all these things, thus all things came into being, declares the Lord. But to this one I will look, the one who is humble and contrite of spirit and who trembles at My word. We think we'll build something great for God. He says, what are you going to build for Me? Everything that exists I brought into existence. But I tell you with whom I will dwell, I will dwell with the one of a broken spirit, who is humble and contrite, who trembles at My word. That's why Jesus said in the beatitudes, blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God. He didn't say blessed are the poor, but blessed are the poor in spirit, those who have humbled themselves before God, see themselves in light of who God is, His holiness. And we are guilty sinners and humble ourselves before Him. There's no way, not for the unregenerate person, not for the regenerate person to experience that power of God in their life and all that He brings in His salvation and the joy and the peace and the happiness apart from humbling ourselves before God, recognizing and acknowledging our sin.

Come back to Psalm 34:18, the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. That's how we get saved. You come to recognize I am a sinner, I have sinned against a holy God, there are no excuses, there are no defenses. I am a sinner, God is righteous in judging me. But Lord, you have also offered your salvation. Someone has aptly said, the only thing we bring to our salvation is our sin. How true. Lord, I have no defense, nothing to offer, I am guilty, I am deserving of the worst of your judgment. But I'm asking for your grace, your kindness, your compassion. I'm placing my faith in you and your Son who suffered and died to pay the penalty for my sin so that by faith in Him I might have life. It's all I have. Doesn't matter what anybody else has done or not done, doesn't matter what anybody else thinks. God, I'm a sinner. That's how we get saved.

But don't be deluded. Now that we're saved, we don't just go around doing whatever we want, and sin is not that serious with God. Every sin, remember David was a man after God's own heart, David is the man that God would use to write so many of our psalms. And he sinned and it made him a miserable man, it sapped the strength, the energy, the joy, the happiness right out of his life and he just couldn't go on and forget about it. He had to come to agree with God that he was a sinner and guilty, so he could receive what God had for him as his child.

Back up to Psalm 32. This psalm does not have an explanation at the beginning like Psalm 51 did, but most commentators understand in light of the content that it was also written, and you'll see why as we go through it quickly, by David as a response to what happened. But as we go through it you'll see the distance seems to be greater. Psalm 51 seems to be written, and that would fit its title, right after Nathan confronts David. But now in Psalm 32 there seems to have been a little more time gone by and David has entered into the experience that he desired in Psalm 51, of that forgiveness and that joy.

So the psalm begins, how blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. He talks about the blessedness, the happiness that comes to a man, and uses the same three words for sin—his transgression, his iniquity, his sin. It's forgiven, it's covered, it's not imputed to him any longer, it's not on my record books. God has cleansed me from it, I'm free, I'm clean. He's the man in whose spirit there is no deceit, no guile, as the King James put it. It means to seethe. What did God want? He wants to create in me a clean heart, He requires truth in the innermost being. As long as I have deceit there, I'm not dealing honestly before the Lord, I'm trying to act like it's not sin, it's nothing. No, in my innermost being, David said, now there is no deceit. Now that he's transparent you see what he is, nothing is covered up in there, nothing between him and the Lord.

You know what happened? David now talks about what it was like before things were made right with the Lord. When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. Day and night your hand was heavy upon me, my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. You know, sin saps your life, saps your spiritual vitality, your emotional vitality, your physical vitality. You just can't isolate sin and say, well it's sin and it's going to have an effect on my spiritual life, but I have to go on. I'm going on and I'm not going to deal with it now, and besides, I'm just not willing ............ Pretty soon you find out, it's just like all my bones are broken. I don't have any energy. David's description is my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. They say it's 110 out and you go out and do the hardest work you can do, and you say I just can't do it, it just drained all the life out of me. That's what sin does to you, you just can't control it. So it not only impacts you spiritually, it impacts you emotionally and physically. You know what the world does, they run to counselors. Now they have a pill for this, a drug for that, so you get on it. We'll mask it, we'll cover it up, but you haven't dealt with it. And sin, the longer we go the more it crushes us, and God's hand is heavy upon us. Isn't it amazing that David could go on almost a year, until Nathan came, in this kind of condition?

My body wasted away, my groaning all day long. Night and day your hand was heavy upon me, my vitality was drained away. You wonder what was going through David's mind. He was just a man exhausted. I imagine some of his servants were saying, what's wrong with the king? He can't even drag himself out of bed anymore. We say today he must have a physical problem and then even medical offices now, they also have counselors that work with them, because if they can't find a medical problem they shift you over to the counselor because you must have some kind of psychological or emotional problem. You know none of this has come up here. There is only one thing David has to deal with—sin. And he has to deal with that before the living God, against whom the sin has been committed. That's it. Well don't you think we ought to get some counseling so we understand what it's like to have a mid-life crisis at 50 and be attracted to a younger woman and ............. Garbage. And you can put on that garbage container S-I-N. We come up with all kinds of things so we don't have to deal with sin, to imply it is something done to me and I'm less than responsible, less than accountable. And we're happy, even as believers now, to go and listen to this kind of drivel and we'll even take the pills and the drugs. After all, it makes me feel better. I'm not against pills and drugs, I think they have a place. When I go to the dentist I always require a shot of Novacane, thanking the Lord for such grace in enabling man to discover something that mellows the pain. You may have a physical problem, thank the Lord for certain drugs. But you know we've come in our society to think ......... You watch it on TV. Are you depressed? Are you not getting the joy out of life you should have? Maybe you should talk to your doctor about (fill in the blank). Is that depression is caused by and so get a pill for it? David is depressed. My body wasted away, I'm groaning all day long, I can't even drag myself out of bed. He was depressed, can't even get out of bed. You know what his problem was? Sin, sin. That's the sad thing for the church, we know what the Bible says be we think the world has this solution, the Bible has this, and if we mix it together we'll really have something. No.

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you, verse 6. Why is David saying that? What did David say back in Psalm 51? After you've cleansed me, create in me a clean heart, blot out my sins. Then I'll teach transgressors your way. Verse 5, I acknowledged my sin to You, my iniquity I did not hide. I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you. Now let me tell you, those of you who have sin in your life, turn to the Lord with it. Not just those who are reprobates that have never been interested in the Lord. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You. Even God's people, when they sin, need to quit playing games with the sin and avoiding confronting it with the Lord because I just told you what it did to me. Verse 4, but I acknowledged my guilt and my sin and you forgave me. Now let everyone who is godly pray to you in the time you will be found. Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place, you preserve me from trouble, you surround me with songs of deliverance. You know what? David still has trouble in his life. You know what? It's not overwhelming him, his bones aren't broken, his vitality is not gone, he's not just a wet rag in despair, because the Lord is protecting me. All of a sudden now it's not the circumstances, it's not the situation, it's not all this. The Lord protects me from the floods, He's my hiding place, He preserves me, He surrounds me with songs of deliverance. You know we continue in II Samuel, we find out David's troubles aren't over, but David's life is totally different now that he has dealt with his sin. And he has the joy of knowing his sin is forgiven, he is cleansed. The Lord has restored to him the joy of his salvation.

Verse 8, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Here's what the Lord does. Do not be as the horse or the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include a bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous ones, shout for joy all you who are upright in heart. You get the idea David is bubbling here? But God's counsel is don't be like the horse, don't be like the mule. Why do we stubbornly fight against the Lord? We'll submit ourselves to counseling and pay all kinds of money and do whatever, but somehow I don't want to have to be of humble contrite heart, even as God's child. I mean, David went on a year, his life in this misery and this groaning and this emptiness and no vitality and no joy. Why didn't he just confront his sin and deal with it? Why did he wait until Nathan came and said, you're the man. You know why? We don't like to admit our sin, we somehow think we're going to make adjustments here, it's going to work out and I'm not going to ............. Just fall on my face before the Lord and say, all the excuses are gone, Lord. And this just isn't the exception. David doesn't argue, Lord, look at the rest of my life, how good it has been. He says, Lord, this just reminds me how vile I am. I've been this way from birth. There are no excuses. You come to that, all of a sudden David sees the sin he committed with Bathsheba and it's horrible and it's awful. I've sinned against the Lord and the awful thing about it is that it's just what I have been from birth. And reminder what he is apart from the grace of God. Isn't it amazing what we'll go through, all the misery we'll go through in our lives just because we don't want to get right before the Lord and say, Lord, let's just clear this all up. I've sinned against you, I'm guilty before you. All the other stuff .......... There's nothing else to be said, Lord. And I'm here for mercy, I'm here for grace. You can cleanse me, you can blot out my iniquity, you can give me a clean heart. Lord, I need grace, I need mercy. No more excuse for my sin, no arguments, no covering up. You cleanse me.

That's God's solution. Now the world that rejects the living God will not acknowledge Him and the truth of His Word, does not tremble at His Word. They come up with an alternative. Oh, it's not sin, it's maybe genetic, you're predisposed to be a drunk, you're predisposed to be homosexual, you're predisposed to be (fill in the blank). Or maybe it's your environment, what were your parents like? We have to go back and talk about your parents. Why? I had someone come to see me, wanted to talk about some things and said, I need to give you my background. I said, why? I'd prefer just to start where we are. Well it will help you if you know something about my parents and my childhood. I said, I really don't have time or interest. Do you want help? We think we have to come up with all these things—I was raised in poverty, my father didn't live in the home. So? Well I thought that might be helpful. It's not. As long as we're going to continue to just keep blowing smoke out here to try to fog the issue, we're only going to be confused. Did you come here because you like being confused, or did you come here because you want to know what God says? Well I want to know what God says until the Word cuts into my heart. Remember, it's a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. That's what people don't like about the Word of God, it's revealing me and I'm uncomfortable. So I must come and say, God, you're right.

Where are you as a believer? We're talking about a believer now. Some of you are miserable believers. You don't have the joy of your salvation. What is wrong? Well, I don't know, I have a lot of stress at work, a lot of pressures on the job. I have ......... Wait a minute, let's back up. Is there any sin in your life? Anything that is not right before the Lord? Anything that you have not been transparent with Him about? Say, Lord, shine the light of your Word on me, reveal my sin to me in a way that I've never seen it before so I can deal with it. And deal with it. You know the Lord doesn't keep a secret and we know. David knew as soon as Nathan said, you are the man. He said, I've sinned against the Lord. The worst part about that is I'm a sinner through and through. Why didn't he do this before? I don't know. We all fight against it, why don't we do it? We go on for weeks and months and years of misery, but we're not going to humble ourselves and be of a contrite heart. I'm not going to be broken before the Lord. Well then you won't experience what He has promised will be the blessing, you will experience what He promised comes for the rebellion.

For those of you who don't know the Lord, maybe that's the problem. Maybe you're going through the motions, but you know sacrifice and offering is not what God desires, He desires a broken and contrite heart. Well I've been going to this church ever since my parents started coming, and they brought me, and I've been here all my life. That's nice. Going to church is not what God requires, He desires a broken and contrite heart. Without a broken and contrite heart you are just a sinner, unredeemed and unsaved, sitting in a building. There is no other way to get saved, but with a broken and contrite heart. Lord, I'm a sinner, and Lord, there is no other way to describe me. I am a sinner. Not just one or two sins, that's what I am, and you are a holy God. And I'm an offense against you, but you are a God who can cleanse me. That's the amazing thing. Think about it—wash me and I'll be whiter than snow. Can you imagine? I'll be clean, He won't impute iniquity to my account. Washed it clean, it's not on the books anymore. But the righteousness of Christ has now been put to my account. I can exchange my sin for His righteousness. What's that going to take? A humble and contrite heart. Well, that's too costly. If you told me to work, if you told me to give money, but you want me to humble myself before the living God. Can't do it, too great a price. It's free. Not at the expense of my pride. Isn't that amazing?

The issue becomes the same, believer and unbeliever. We need to be careful. Sin is deceptive, but God is gracious and He offers His salvation. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Today is the day of salvation, today is the day of His cleansing.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the testimony of David, your servant. Thank you, Lord, that your Spirit directed and guided that we might today, 3000 years later, be reminded of the awfulness of sin, its devastating consequences, even for your children. It takes away our joy and our happiness, it saps our energy, it makes us miserable. Lord, may we be quick to deal with anything in our lives that is an offense against you, not to minimize it, not to excuse it, but to deal with it. Lord, for any who are here who don't know the wonder of being forgiven, never experienced the joy of your salvation. Lord, we would desire them to know what we have graciously received from you, teach them that wonderful truth that they can receive from you cleansing and forgiveness, a clean heart, a clean slate. They can receive the righteousness of Christ by turning from their sin and believing in His death and resurrection. We praise you for the free gift of life. In Christ's name, amen.