Psalm 51
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Claim - Spirit-filled people still sin, feel the guilt and need to call on our merciful God for forgiveness.
Focus - We should call on the Lord’s mercy for forgiveness and renewal and joy.
Function - To cause us to abhor sin, repent, call on the Lord and praise and enjoy him.
PRAY
Have you ever sinned so catastrophically that you wonder if you can be forgiven?
Or so persistently that you have become embarrassed to even ask God for forgiveness?
You’ll see we are given the context of the Psalm before it begins.
Of course you have!
Because even the great king of Israel - King David did.
We’re told why Daivd wrote this Psalm right away...
A Psalm of David - When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba:
And so we will paint that picture as a context before we look at the Psalm,
3000 years have passed, but little has changed in the depravity of mankind’s heart.
King David, surveys his kingdom from the roof of his magnificent palace.
The preeminent Israelite of His time,
perhaps of all time to this point.
Anointed by the God of the universe.
To be king of His people.
To be the one who points forward to a greater king.
To be the one who points forward to a greater king.
The one who is a foretaste of the Eternal King Jesus to come.
King David, surveys his kingdom from the roof of his magnificent palace.
Riches upon riches,
Victory upon victory,
Leader of leaders,
King of Kings,
Lord of Lords
Indwelt by the Holy Spirit - just like Christians today,
The man after God’s own heart.
The man made king to deliver his people.
King David, surveys his kingdom from the roof of his magnificent palace.
Every man, woman and child looks up to the king,
metaphorically, spiritually and literally on this evening
As his eyes fall downwards...
so does the hope of the nation.
Bathsheba, a woman of beauty, bathes on her own roof top.
It’s perhaps begins innocently,
the inappropriate google search result that shows up on your screen
- one can ignore it and look away, or click for a closer look.
It’s the temptation to think badly of someone -
- one can be override it with thoughts of kindness, or continue and commit murder in the heart.
The temptation to deny we’re a Christian by staying silent at the office or school.
- one can stand firm for Christ or nail the hands of Jesus again in shame.
3000 years have passed, but little has changed in the depravity of mankind’s heart.
The preeminent, spirit-filled king of Israel can fall - as can we..
Bathsheba is summons by the servants at the kings request.
Knowing she is wed to a military officer, Uzziah, does not stop the fall of David.
That first lustful glance,
that first enjoyment of pride,
that first figure left of the tax return,
that first lie to your parents.
It all starts somewhere.
David commits adultery, he sleeps with Bathsheba,
but that is not enough!
Bathsheba falls pregnant and so the King who stood on high
- schemes to protect his name.
The king - to protect himself - betrays her husband, and then murders him.
King David already has many wives and mistresses -
but once we start down a slippery slope, it’s hard to stop.
Lust, adultery, greed, betrayal, murder, pride?
David has a woman problem - and it’s ended tragically.
Human depravity is a deep barrel and King David is scraping the bottom of it.
The lightest entertainment of sin causes us all to slip into the barrel,
and it’s hard to climb out.
3000 years have passed, but little has changed in the depravity of mankind’s heart.
If you too are a spirit-filled Christian, then you too will find yourself at the bottom of the barrel at times.
How tragic, how shameful, how far we fall from the glory and righteousness of the God we know loves us.
Perhaps for you it’s not adultery - but something will be our weakness.
How tragic, how shameful, how far we fall from the glory and righteousness of the God we know loves us.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
1-
David has done wrong towards, Bathsheba, Uzziah, the unborn child of course.
He will need to live with the consequences and do right by them as best as he can now.
But it is God whom he has sinned against.
He has turned his back on the great God of the universe!
And he knows the reality -
We deserve death, judgement, punishment!
But that is not what David wants to dwell of right now - for he is truly repentant.
The guilt and shame is too much
- he has realised how far he has fallen from the heights of his palace roof to the bottom of the barrel, and now there is only one hope.
The same hope we have when we fall into sin...
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
we remind God of his unfailing love and great compassion!
What an extraordinary thing to be able to cry out!
Have mercy - for you have unfalling love and great compassion!
Even from, no perhaps especially from, the bottom of the barrel of human depravity!
God has unfailing love.
Of course the guilt is real - the pain of failing this God of love is felt.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
but it is that pain and guilt that reminds David he has no hope outside of God’s mercy.
In fact - our very sin is what show’s God to be right and justified in his assessment of humanity!
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
No-one is ever sinless and free before such a gloriously perfect and holy God!
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
psa 51 5
The moment the creation process begins, at birth,
no before that David corrects himself
- in a mother’s womb, as conception takes place
we exist in the eyes of the source of Life, God himself
- but at that same moment
- we entre into a nature that is depraved at it’s core.
We as humanity have driven a wedge between us and God.
Taken his kingly crown and worn it ourselves.
No human has ever, or will ever be different.
From conception to the grave.
3000 years have passed, but little has changed in the depravity of mankind’s heart.
psa 51 1
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
So, as David in his pain - remembers God’s love
he is bold enough to ask God to even remove his guilt and regret and replace it with... joy.
He want’s God to turn his face away from His sin, as if it never happened!
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Those tears of regret at our sin,
as we comprehend the glorious reality that God is unfailing in love and great in compassion
- and is willing and able to forgive,
means our tears turn to tears of joy,
and heart ache of grief turns to heartache of gladness.
Make us right
“reinstate us together” David cries to his Father!
But those who know and love God, don’t just want mercy and forgiveness...
If we truely love God,
- we don’t just want to enjoy His joy and gladness in place of our guilt.
We go further with David -
We want rid of this barrel of depravity!
We want to live differently.
To please Him from now on.
To not fall and fail.
We want God’s help to change.
We want God’s help to change.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
psa 51 7-
A pure heart - isn’t that a glorious prayer to pray!
In some way David already has that pure heart.
He has the Holy Spirit living in Him
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
ps 51
Just like we do today.
He belongs to God.
As we saw in Colossians if you were here,
we stand before God, by His spirit, blameless and righteous!
But while that is spiritually true -
We do not experience that fully until Jesus returns
to finally cast all sin and evil into the depths of hell.
SO we pray continually - Father - create in me a pure heart.
Change us Lord.
Make us like the King who never fell or failed.
Make us like King Jesus.
The King who never had his own cause to pray this Psalm of repentance
becasue he was perfect and pure in every way.
But he is the King who felt the pain of this Psalm for us.
The King who demonstrates God’s unfailing love and great compassion -
When he died on the cross.
The King who must have prayed v1 and 2 as he took our sin and punishment on the cross.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
Our sin is forgiven, mercy is granted.
A renewed heart is requested
our desire to be a willing spirit in God’s hands is delcared.
Joy in salvation is in sight again.
Our plea goes before the Lord
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
What a great God, that in our darkest despair and deepest depth of sin,
We can cry our to Him, and know that he still cares.
v13 sounds a little like David is making a deal with God.
You forgive me and I’ll tell people about you!
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
ps 51 13
But it’s far from a deal.
This is David marvelling at the grace and mercy of forgiveness!
Remind me of your love and forgiveness he is saying.
Restore my joy in you, which i have pulled apart!
Becasue then will my life and words again be a reflection of all you make me!
and then v15
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
it carries the sense of
‘open these guilt ridden and sinful lips again Oh merciful God - and my lips will once again delcare your praise!
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
V16 - David knows an animal sacrifice in and of itself does not bring forgiveness,
It is the heart that counts.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
Are there any more reassuring words in scripture than these for the person who believes they
have sinned too much,
- for the person who believes they have sinned too much,
turned too far,
rejected to many times,
For it is the very fact that you recognise your terrible state before God
- that causes you to be acceptable to him!
If you think you are pretty good before God,
or your sin is not so bad,
or you don’t feel the pain and guilt of sin -
Then even the sacrifice of Jesus is ineffective for you.
Becasue you are denying that the sacrifice of Jesus was really necessary for you!
But if your heart if broken,
guilty,
contrite,
your spirit is broken,
in despair,
if you recognise that you ‘simply cannot please God in your own strength’.
Your sin - even as a spirit-filled believer like King David
- is wretched and terrible.
You know you don’t deserve forgiveness...
Then you are exactly where God wants you.
You are under the Gospel - you are accepting you are unworthy before a Holy God.
And that is the place to be to see that Jesus’ sacrifice does it all for you.
And it is from that place of a broken spirit and heart -
That Zion (God’s people) prosper
psa 51
In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
and a glorious and acceptable sacrifice is made.
Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
David looked forward to the day when the perfect and Holy King Jesus,
would be made an acceptable sacrifice for all those with a broken heart.
For him, a bull sacrificed with a broken heart would have to do.
But for us,
A broken heart, that trusts in the sacrifice of Jesus is all we need.
And the Joy of salvation will be restored to God’s people.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
ps 51
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
ps 51
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
ps
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
AMEN