Tuesday, February 26, 2008
By Faith . . . David, Part 15 of 15
TEXT: Psalm 32
IDEA: We have great reason to rejoice if we can really believe that God has forgiven all of our sin.
PURPOSE: To help listeners see how wonderful it is to be forgiven.
When you became a Christian, how old were you?
How bad a sinner are you now?
Does it ever weigh on you that, looking back over your life, you have sinned?
I. We often bear the weight of our sin because we refuse to acknowledge our sin to God.
Why do we often in our own minds cover up what we have done?
Do you ever find that something you have done in the past of which you are ashamed, comes back to you when you're not thinking about it?
II. There is a great delight when we realize that God has forgiven us and does not hold our sin against us.
We sometimes hold our sin against ourselves because we cannot really believe that God has forgiven us.
When people recognize their sin, how deep it is, come to understand that they have been forgiven, what do they do?
They rejoice.
They tell other people.
III. David sinned many times in his life.
The focus is often on what he did in murdering Uriah and taking his wife Bathsheba.
In Psalm 51, David confesses his sin to God and throws himself upon God's mercy.
In Psalm 32, David tells us what it was like to know that God had forgiven him.
In Psalm 32, David is talking to God and God, in turn, talks to him. When God speaks with him, he also speaks to the whole congregation based on what had happened in David's life.
Listen to Psalm 32:
"Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. [Selah]
Finally I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them.
I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.'
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. [Selah]
Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory. [Selah]
The Lord says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.'
Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!"
CONCLUSION: How does our faith and God's forgiveness when we have sinned relate to each other?
