Graciously Forgiven pt. 1

Intro.

This morning we talked about the joy that Christians should be able to have because of God’s mercy to us in Christ Jesus. What was this joy for?

The hope (Confident expectation) of our coming inheritance!

How does one receive this promise of inheritance in Christ?

through faith at baptism

being born again

This evening we are going to build on this topic of joy, this time from the Psalms.

One more question before we get dived into the text: What happens when we are born again?

We are made new creatures in Christ

We are forgiven of our sins

The Joy of Being Forgiven

Psalm 32 CSB

Of David. A Maskil. How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately. When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with my eye on you, I will give counsel. Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding, that must be controlled with bit and bridle or else it will not come near you. Many pains come to the wicked, but the one who trusts in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

The way it was explained to me is that this Psalm appears to be written after the time of David’s being forgiven of his sin with Bathsheba!

Explain David’s sins in regard to Bathsheba?

Why was this such a major deal? Was it a more major deal than other sins?

There was no sacrifice that could be made to atone for what David did — it required death! Yet, God forgave him, and David was full of rejoicing over this fact!

Psalm 32:1–4 CSB

How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat. Selah

There’s a few things about this which catch my attention.

Tell me, has God forgiven you a great amount of sin and transgression? I know very well He has forgiven much in me! And we see in David a true realization of Jesus’ words that those who are forgiven much love much.

The idea is this: The more we realize how wretched our own sins really are, and that God has truly and genuinely been gracious and merciful to forgive them, we will love Him more according to that knowledge.

Joy here, according to the Hebrew dictionary I looked at, contains an element of happiness to it! Other versions translate the word as “blessed” and that is in keeping with the usual translation of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 for the same general concept.

Let me put it in these terms that are maybe more relatable.

You’ve been arrested on a pretty serious charge. You know you did it, you know you meant to do it, the judge and the jury know that you did it. Yet, when you go into the court and it’s time to receive the guilty verdict and the due punishment, you express a sincere and heartfelt apology over the crime and you really do mean it when you say you’re sorry and you want to do better even though you know the punishment of your crime. There would be no reason under the usual circumstance that any judge would allow you to leave the courtroom without going to jail. Yet, this one does and he only gives you parole! You go home to your family and you’re so elated and excited and thankful to the judge for his mercy on you.

This is akin to what David is talking about! Of course, the mercy of God on our sins, His forgiveness, will not come without a contrite and repentant heart, but it is solely in His mercy that we are forgiven! It is by the mercy of God that we are born again in Christ through His resurrection!

Psalm 32:3–4 CSB

When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat. Selah

No we come to the end of the first section with these verses.

Have you ever done something you knew was wrong, and it just ate you up inside because you weren’t or couldn’t tell anybody?

David was heart broken over his own sins and until he confessed them and truly repented, he writes that he was in an agony over what he did! And an understandable one at that!

He basically says that he felt as if his body was failing him because of the guilt and shame that accompanied him.

James 5:16 CSB

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

1 John 1:9 CSB

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Forgiveness and healing come when we are open about our sins. We have to have people in our lives that have our backs enough for us to open and vulnerable with, and we also have to acknowledge our sins before God!

Psalm 32:5 CSB

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

David acknowledged his terrible guilt and very real sin to the Lord and refused to keep it to himself anymore, and look at the mercy of God on David! Look even at the mercy of God on us! God has forgiven us our own magnitude of sins has He not?

David mentions in verse 1 that the iniquity which is forgiven is “covered.” What do you think is the intention behind this word picture?

it is that it is out of the sight of God! God isn’t looking at the sin anymore; He Himself covered it up by His mercy, and forgave all the iniquity!

Same with us. God has covered us in Christ. Gal. 3.27 says we are clothed with Christ and 1 John says we are cleansed by His blood.

Inventory

So, brethren, my hope for us in this lesson is that we see how great is the mercy of God on us, and learn from David’s response to how God forgave him!

Joy must be a defining characteristic of the Christian life! Love of God must be integral to who we are!

Everything about us must be with that joy. Not always happiness at circumstances, but joy in the facts.

From the way that we pray, to our vision and view of God, to the way we sing, and even how we engage people, may we be full of joy and life and love for our God and great King for how merciful He has been! Praise Him for His mercy!