God's Gracious Love

The Lord Sets Us Free

Today we are going to be talk about Psalms 51. But before we get to that passage, we need to look at the context of that Psalm. So, if everyone will open up 2 Samuel 11. We’ll start there. Will someone read 2 Samuel 11:1-13. Today we are going to be talk about Psalms 51. But before we get to that passage, we need to look at the context of that Psalm. So, if everyone will open up 2 Samuel 11. We’ll start there. Will someone read 2 Samuel 11:1-13 and someone else read 2 Samuel 11:14-27. One thing that immediately stuck out to me was that David wasn’t at war with his men. Instead he let Joab take charge while he opted to stay home. Why do you think David might’ve stayed home? Do you think it was sinful for David to stay home? Why or why not. I think it was sinful for David to stay home. As a King, especially Godly one, you led your men into battle, and while we are not given a reason 3or why David stayed home, we can say it caused him to not fulfill his duties as King. Thus disobeying the Lord who placed David there. So David is all alone, and idleness sets his claws in. He sees this beautiful woman bathing, and has people bring her to him. So after getting her pregnant David has her husband Uriah killed. David probably sighed with relief. Everything was all tidy up and no one was none the wiser. Or so he thought. So we are going to continue into the next chapter. Someone Read 2 Samuel 12:1-15

“And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘ I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’ ” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.”

Sin will harden our hearts, it will cause us to live a life denying the grace we are in so desperate need of, it will convince us we are better than we are, it will create a sense of entitlement in us, it blinds us to the depravity in us. However deceived we may be, God is not deceived. He sees our sin, and our hearts as they really are. So through Nathan God reveals the depth of David’s sin. The full weight of David’s sin comes crashing down on his head. His blindness has been removed, and God has given him eyes to see. However bad David’s sin is, God’s grace is so much more. David, being crushed by his sin, earnestly pleads for forgiveness. Thus brings us to Psalm 51. Someone read Psalm 51:1-6

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.”

David starts out this Psalm in such a raw and powerful way. By no means belittling the sin he has committed. The crushing weight of sin is a blessing from God, not a punishment. Christians should be afraid when they don’t feel convicted. God through the Holy Spirit will always convict those whom He loves. He does this to bring us back to Him. David understands this, and he comes face down, hiding nothing from the one who knows all. But it is not enough to confess, but it is the first step. So let’s continue to the next step.

And someone read Psalm 51:7-12

“Purge 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 that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

Confession is a very important step, but again it is not the only step. David doesn’t just stop at confession, but seeks restoration. Look at his powerful statements. “Purge me… and i shall be clean. wash me; and I shall be whiter than snow. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out my iniquities.”

David is confident in his Savior. In His ability to save. Listen to the certainty in the psalm. I will be clean and I will be whiter than snow. I think we so often forget that God is faithful to keep His promise. It’s so easy when we are met with the full weight of our sin to struggle with God’s forgiveness. Can God really forgive me? How could He possibly forgive me after what I’ve done? I want to know, who here has ever been guilty of that type of thinking? Yeah, the first thing satan tries to get you to do is deny your sin, but if he can’t do that, he’ll try to get you to deny God’s grace. That God’s love could ever cover a sin like yours. But we know that is not true and so does David. God’s grace is so much greater than all of our sin. We have no reason to run, when His mercy and promises are sure. We could wrap up here, but it doesn’t end here either.

So will someone read Psalm 51: 13-19

“Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.”

Confession, then restoration, and lastly, he prays for God to put him out on the front lines. David doesn’t was to be a neutral state. He doesn’t just want forgiveness, but he wants to be made right, so that when he goes out he is a vessel ready for good use. Sin taints our witness to others, it affects our hearts and blurs our perceptions. God’s grace restores us. It should cause us to be a light to the world and salt to the earth. There are no sidelined Christians. God has given us everything we need to be faithful, His grace. He upholds us with his right hand, and prepares a way for us with His left. He has called us to live a life set apart for Him. So lets go and do likewise. Let’s pray.