Refresh Part Two
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Introduction
Introduction
Illustration: girl who over permed her hair. Teacher, “You should just shave that and start over.”
Refresh: to restore strength and animation to. To renovate, revive, restore.
Last week: David made a colossal mess but somehow came out victorious and even singing. How?
We need refreshing, it is freely offered in Jesus.
Main Idea: In order to experience the refreshing grace of God we need to genuinely repent. (Repent=to turn around)
Transition: In order to genuinely repent, we must own the true nature of our brokenness and recognize the true nature of God’s holiness.
Owning the True Nature of Our Brokenness
Owning the True Nature of Our Brokenness
How we normally deal with our “shortcomings”
Minimizing , blame-shifting , ignoring, hiding, excuses
Illustration: “Don’t Park on the Grass”
“No one sets out to do something wicked.” (Tim Keller) We all have within us the ability to make bad things seem ok in our own minds. (Self-justification)
Illustration: Godless/walking dead (Neagan), The Villan believes he’s doing the right thing.
David justified what he was doing: “Bathsheeba shouldn’t have been up there bathing.” “I’m king, I’m too important to fall.”
David thinks that he has gotten away with his sin, but then Nathan comes to confront him.
Do you have a Nathan? We need “Nathans” in our lives. We need to thank God for people who bring the word of God to us.
English Standard Version Psalm 51
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
“I know .... ever before me”
David fully acknowledges his sin. It is “ever before him”
NEB- “my sins confront me all the day long.” — accusing presence.
Illustration: Tell Tell Heart
We can try to convince ourselves that our sin isn’t that bad. We can try to hide it from ourselves and others; but its there. Its ticking. It’s beating under the floor boards
Repentance begins when we stop making excuses and acknowledge sin for what it is! Keller would go on to say: “Real repentance begins when blame-shifting ends!”
David drives this point home with the words he chooses.
He doesn’t say “I know my mistakes”. He doesn’t say “my shortcomings are always before me.”
He uses four words that point to intentional rebellion.
‘Transgressions’ refer to rebellion or deliberately crossing over a boundary. (v. 3)
‘Iniquity’ suggests a perverseness or twistedness. (v. 4)
‘Sin’ is falling short of God’s standard or missing the target God has set. (v. 3)
‘Evil’ (v. 4) simply refers to the ugly, repulsive nature of sin against God. (Ellsworth, R. (2006). Opening up Psalms (p. 70). Leominster: Day One Publications)
David leaves no stone unturned in his repentance. Here he goes to the very root of sin—human nature. We sin because we are born sinners. In doing this, David is not seeking to excuse himself but is rather taking an honest, hard look at the truth about himself.
Objection: My sin isn’t as bad as David’s — not if sin = autonomy & self-sufficiency
Recognizing the True Nature of God’s Holiness
Recognizing the True Nature of God’s Holiness
David makes a remarkable statement: “Against you” (vs. 4)
It is true that David also sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah, and even the whole nation of Israel, but it is God who defines proper behaviour towards others. Any sin against others is ultimately, then, a sin against the God who set these boundaries.
Why would it be important to recognize that our sin is first and foremost against God?
This is because for something to be objectively wrong or immoral, it must have a higher source (a lawgiver).
If not, then it comes down to opinions and circumstances.
It goes deeper—David didn’t just sin against a holy God but also a loving God (cf. v. 1-2— “steadfast love”, “abundant mercy”
Illustration: Breaking a law and punished vs. hurting someone you love — I don’t take care of my kids because I’m afraid of prosecution.
David’s sin wasn’t just a series of bad deeds. They were a rejection of God’s love, God’s care, God’s guidance.
Fulfilling God’s law is more than just doing the right things
See verse 6, “ Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.”
God wants our dependence, obedience, and our love.
Conclusion
Conclusion
“Cheer up! You’re worse than you think you are. Cheer up! God’s grace is greater than you could even imagine” Jack Miller