I just want to be Right

Psalm 51 Gives us a glimpse of the destructive nature of sin and how it affects even the best of us!

1  Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

2  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

3  For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

4  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.

5  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6  Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8  Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

9  Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

10  Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps 51:1–10).

How many can admit that they have a struggle with sin? Paul said, 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Ro 7:15). He said in verse 17 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (Ro 7:17–19).

We are gathered here today, not by coincidence, but by divine appointment. The Lord has a message for us today, a message that is as timeless as it is timely. Its time to say Lord I just want to do right!!

Today, we turn our hearts and minds to Psalm 51:10, a verse that encapsulates the heart cry of every believer who recognizes their need for Christ. The verse reads, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

This verse is a prayer from the depths of King David's heart, a man after God's own heart, yet a man who knew the weight of his own sin. He understood the necessity of divine mercy, the destruction of sinful nature, and the dependence on the Holy Spirit.

The intro to this Psalm says the psalm David gave to Choir Master after he had sinned with Bathesheba. We been studying David in Bible class and in 2 Samuel 11 we read about David sin of adultery, conspiracy and murder. In 2 Samuel 12 we read of Nathans rebuke of David because of his sin and death of his child who was conceived in sin. Its here in Psalm 51 we read how David wants the Lord to forgive him and fix him! Yall got that? Its one thing to ask for forgiveness but its another thing to ask for the Lord to fix you.

We we finally come to terms that we cant handle our sinful lives we will come crying to Lord as David did because have learned we cant fix ourselves. We need divine intervention.

Desperation for Divine Mercy

When we look at the life of King David, we see a man who was acutely aware of his own shortcomings. He was a man who, despite his many victories and accomplishments, understood that he was in desperate need of God's mercy. This is a truth that resonates with each of us. We all have moments when we are painfully aware of our own failings, our own need for mercy.

David's plea for a pure heart was not a casual request. It was a desperate cry from a man who understood the depth of his sin and the gravity of his situation. He recognized that his heart was not pure, that his spirit was not steadfast. He knew that he could not change this on his own. He needed God.

This is the first truth that we must grasp. We are in desperate need of God's mercy. How many know mercy suits your case? It’s because his mercies we are not consumed! We cannot purify our own hearts. We cannot make our own spirits steadfast. These are things that only God can do. And so, like David, we must cry out to Him.

But what does it mean to cry out to God? It means to acknowledge our need for Him. It means to admit that we are not self-sufficient, that we cannot save ourselves. It means to humble ourselves before Him, to confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness.

This is not a comfortable process. It requires us to confront our own sinfulness, to admit our own weakness. But it is a necessary process. It is the first step towards receiving God's mercy.

The second truth that we must grasp is that God's mercy is not something that we earn. It is not something that we deserve. It is a gift, freely given by a loving God. David did not earn God's mercy. He did not deserve it. But he received it, because he asked for it.

This is a powerful truth. It means that no matter how far we have fallen, no matter how great our sin, we can receive God's mercy. We can be forgiven. We can be made pure.

The third truth that we must grasp is that receiving God's mercy is not a passive process. It requires action on our part. We must turn from our sin. We must seek God's face. We must strive to live in obedience to His commands. The principle of 2 Chronicles 7:14 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Ch 7:13–14). It applies to us individually. We have make a conscious effort to acknowledge our sin and seek forgiveness for our sins.

This is not an easy process. It requires discipline and determination. It requires us to make difficult choices, to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and follow Jesus. But it is a rewarding process. It leads to a life of joy and peace, a life that is pleasing to God. Each round you go higher and higher

The fourth and final truth that we must grasp is that God's mercy is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process. We need God's mercy every day. We need His forgiveness every day. We need His grace every day.

This is a comforting truth. It means that no matter how many times we fall, no matter how many times we fail, we can always turn to God for mercy. We can always find forgiveness in His arms. We can always find grace at His feet.

Like David, cry out to God for a pure heart. Let us seek His mercy with all our hearts. Let us strive to live in obedience to His commands. And let us rejoice in the knowledge that His mercy is new every morning.

Destruction of Sinful Nature

As we look at the life of King David, we see a man who was well acquainted with the destructive power of sin. When he called for the census he repented and asked for forgiveness. He realized he had messed up. As verse 5 of this Psalm suggest Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;

And in sin did my mother conceive me.( Ps 51:5).

Jeremiah said “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I already told what Paul said what i should do I do not.

Sin has a destructive nature so we must pray for the destruction of our sinful nature. The message Bible sums up verse 4-6 this way

You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen

it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you;

whatever you decide about me is fair.

I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,

in the wrong since before I was born.

What you’re after is truth from the inside out.

Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life .(Ps 51:4–6).

We have to ask God to cleanse us.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Ps 51:7). Its like asking God Lord take your best Tide detergent and use it on me. Wash me! Make me White as snow!

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, "I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need." Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that the truth we all hold dear in our hearts? We are in need, and we have a Savior who is more than enough for us.

Dependence on the Holy Spirit

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, "I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need." Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that the truth we all hold dear in our hearts? We are in need, and we have a Savior who is more than enough for us.

As David develops this Psalm we see more and more his dependence of the Holy Spirit. Look at verses 10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

11  Cast me not away from your presence,

and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

12  Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Ps 51:10–12).

One thing we forget is that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. We have depend on the very presence of God to keep us from falling.

Create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me. So many church folks have bad spirits in them. The church is the called out assembly. We have new breathe in us! We have the pneuma the very breathe of God in us. SO we have to depend on that Holy Spirit. Last Sunday Carvel, Tia, and Wanda sang What is this?

What is this

That I feel deep inside

That keeps setting my soul afire

Whatever it is Whatever it is Whatever it is It won't let me Hold my peace

What is this That makes people say I'm mad and strange

What is this That makes me want to run on in Jesus' name

Whatever it is Whatever it is Whatever it is It won't let me Hold my peace

It makes me love all my enemies And it makes me love my friends

And it won't let me be ashamed To tell the world that I've been born again.

It's obvious, isn't it? We depend on the Spirit for everything relating to our life and walk in Christ. The Spirit is the purchase of the Son, bequeathed to us through his death, resurrection, and ascension to God's right hand. He gives the Spirit to give us life and to secure, seal, sanctify, and assure us.

Finally If we Desperate for His Mercy, Allow the Destruction of Our Sinful Nature and Dependence on the Holy Spirit we can be

Determine to Teach Sinners His Ways

Verse 13

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will return to you. (Ps 51:13).

The greatest error we make we try to teach others to do right when we ourselves don’t do right. We have a responsibility to SHOW sinners the right way! Yes we have an audience of one the Sovereign God but as our Sunday School. Paul wrote the Corinthian Church so they would stand tall in faith that passes the test of the world’s observation and criticism. Remember we remain in the world even though we are not of the world.

David desire to get to place where is praise was revived! 14  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

15  O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Ps 51:14–17).

We have a responsibility to teach sinners not in word only but in deeds. We can reach world by lifting up Jesus. The 4 stanza of that great Hymn of the church Lift Him Up

says:

Lift Him up by living as a Christian ought, Let the world in you the Savior see; Then men will gladly follow Him who once taught, “I’ll draw all men unto Me.”

Lift Him up, (Lift the precious Savior up), Lift Him up, (Lift the precious Savior up), Still He speaks from eternity: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, Will draw all men unto Me.”