Sermon Tone Analysis

Forgive us our debts - that sounds like I owe someone something - well I do, in fact we all do.

But for this it means the debt we owe for our sins not something we purchased.

The Greek word used is opheilema which means: something owed; a due; or a fault.

The things we do wrong against those around us and especially God are faults.

These faults cause us to feel shame and guilt and require a payment.

That payment is blood, or death, death that separates us from God for eternity.

We must choose one or the other, seek forgiveness or be separated from God for eternity.

Forgiveness requires us to be in a relationship with God through Christ Jesus.

This relationship covers us with the blood Jesus shed on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.

As we ask God to “forgive us our debts” we are embarking on a spiritual journey into an abundant life which sees confession in prayer as a defining moment.

The freedom that confession brings to the soul of the forgiven leads them to forgive because they understand the blessedness of being forgiven.

Psalm 51 is a testament to a man that needed to confess his sin and experience God’s loving kindness and mercy that is only received in forgiveness.

It is also a great example to follow when seeking forgiveness from the Father.

I. Confession is a cry for relief from the weight of sin in our lives.

A. The text: Psalm 51 is a prayer of David.

The reason he wrote this Psalm was to confess a sin he committed, well actually multiple sins.

The background story is found in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12.

The highlights of the story include adultery, lying, deceit and murder.

There is enough here to have a few debts which need to paid and enough debt to cause a great deal of guilt, especially when his sins are exposed to the light.

1.

So, Psalm 51 is David’s prayer after being confronted for his decisions regarding Bathsheba and her husband Uriah.

The Psalm begins this way:

David committed a horrible act that blemished his character.

After months of no expressions of remorse or guilt, he was confronted by the Word of God through Nathan.

This is when everything falls apart.

He knows he did wrong but thinks he got away with it.

Then comes Nathan.

Nathan tells David the parable which points to David as the one who did wrong.

So what is he to do?

What would you do?

You commit a sin but try to get away with it.

What do you do when you are called out?

2. So, after David is called out he gets desperate; he is feeling the guilt, and he knows he has failed God.

He knows that if he does not do something to lighten the weight of shame on his shoulders, his brokenness and dishonor will kill him.

Have you ever felt this way.

Has the weight of your sin weighed so heavily upon you that you feel like God is squashing you?

C. David acknowledged the debilitating effects of sin.

1.

He finally recognized his behavior as corrupt, and completely disconnected from God.

In desperation, he offers his sin-stained soul up to God.

He confesses and pours out his heart to God.

He finally asks for the forgiveness that he needs to be reconciled to God.

2. Psalms 32:3-4 depicts the painful reality of guilt and shame:

His very bones are in pain, he is groaning all day, the hand of God is heavy on him, and his strength is gone.

In other words he is sick and tired.

But all that can change now.

Confession of the sins and the forgiveness of God can change all of that.

II.

Confession lays our sin at the feet of Christ.

A. The text: Psalm 51:5–9 (Additional verses: Psalm 103:12; Matthew 11:28, 27:46)

God desires truth in our innermost being.

B. We do not need to negotiate.

Have you ever tried to negotiate the terms of your surrender when you go to confess sins?

Is it necessary to negotiate, or even possible?

2. David found no other option except to trust in the relentless love of God who is willing to do something about David’s corrupt heart.

He does not try to balance his wrongdoings with his good service record.

He throws himself directly the mercy of God when seeking forgiveness.

There is no negotiating or a need for it.

There is no reason to make excuses.

Just confess the sin and let Jesus take care of of it.

Give it over to Him before it weighs you down and crushes your bones.

C.

There is no reason to be sick and tired because of sin.

Christ Jesus paid the debt we owe so that we do not have to keep our sin.

1.

At the center of Jesus’ grace and mercy is His willingness to remove the sin that we have committed.

He paid the price in blood when He hung upon the cross for all the world to see.

On the cross, He felt the weight of sin and its effects in His relationship with the Father Matt.

27:46 “ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”” Now, He can own every sin that breaks your back, keeps you awake, demands to be hidden, and affects your character.

D. Just remember that Jesus is sufficient to handle our sin.

1. Have you ever heard someone say that the sins they have committed are more than God is willing to forgive, or more than He can handle?

Maybe they say they have sinned to much and God wouldn’t want them any more.

This is not so with believers, we rarely question if God can handle the amount of sin we carry.

But, maybe we will question if we trust Him enough to confess them, and give up our guilt and shame.

Jesus is the only One that can claim and dispose of our sin.

Just remember if you have trouble trusting Jesus with your sin, He already knows all about it.

He is waiting for you to confess so He can deal with it.

2. Did you take notice of how David confessed?

“Cleanse me, wash me, let me hear, hide your face, blot out” are the words coming from a man that feels that he needs to be judged and knows what the punishment ought to be.

The mercy that David is seeking is forgiveness.

The mercy that each of us should be seeking is forgiveness.

Forgiveness of the debt we owe for the wrong we committed.

E. Jesus knows what to do with our sin.

1.

As the judge of our sins, He tells us what He does with them after we confess them to Him.

That’s a pretty big space - the east from the west (spread my arms).

Even when we move from the east toward the west, there is always more west to travel towards.

His ownership is not about coveting power over us by guilt.

He wants to remove our guilt so that we may live abundant lives.

He extends mercy and grace when we need it, because we need it, and how we need it.

Heb 8:12 goes on to say:

That’s it, the red stain of sin is gone and He won’t hold it over our heads.

III.

Forgiveness is a privilege from which we can enjoy the out pouring of God’s blessings.

A. The Text: Psalm 51:10-12 (Additional verses: Psalm 32:5, 1 John 1:9)

B. God’s Forgiveness brings Righteousness

1. Hyssop is a wild shrub whose twigs were used for sprinkling of water or blood during rites of purification.

The expression here dealt with the cleansing of the unclean from a distance.

For us, the blood of Christ purifies.

The blood of Christ justifies us making us righteous before God.

2. Righteousness - the quality of being morally right or justifiable.

Righteousness is not being sinless, it is being forgiven.

Righteousness focuses on the work of Christ Jesus on the cross, and our position in the kingdom of God.

It has to do with trusting the Jesus rather than trusting our own initiative or ingenuity.