God Looks at the Heart

Introduction

Introduction: So many stories have been told of David and his exploits. Do you know that some believe that the tales of King Arthur are derived from the life of David? According to 1 Samuel 13:14 he would be a man after God’s own heart. One that would pursued God with all his might. In 1 Samuel 15 he would be one that was better than Saul, more faithful. In so many ways David was successful, victorious, noble, godly, fair, crafty, and ingenious. All of us are encouraged at David’s anointing by Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7. Tell the story of the sons of Jesse passing by Samuel. “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Then in chapter 17 David comes to the camp of Israel to bring supplies to his brothers. While he is there, he hears a giant Goliath who according to scripture was six cubit and a span, which was around 9.5 tall, carrying a 15lb. spear, and wearing a 150lb. coat of mail. Goliath is cursing the God of Israel, intimidating the army of Israel, and challenging the soldiers. David volunteers to go up against this giant. He’s too young for the army, too small for the tactical equipment, too inexperienced for the battle. He is outsized, outmatched, and outnumbered, but the Lord does not see as man sees; for man look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart!

David’s story continues. David is a hero, and the women are singing as he passes by; Saul has killed his thousands and David has killed his ten thousand. Envy seats itself in the heart of Saul and he hates David from that day forward. He tries to pierce David through with a javelin, he pursues him for years and David is in many tight spots where it looks like he will die, but the Lord doesn’t see as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart!

David eventually becomes the King and conquers all his enemies, takes Jerusalem, the city of David, builds a palace and finally begins to rest. He desires to bring the ark into the city. He tries once and fails costing the life of a friend, but then David goes back to the book and has the Levites to carry the ark into the city with praise. David dances, leaps and praises while wearing a linen ephod and Michal his wife looks through the window and sees David dancing and leaping through the streets, and despises him. She rebukes him because he is a king and he looks undignified, but the Lord doesn’t see as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

2 Samuel 11:1 says the time came for the kings to go out in battle but David stayed behind and sent his trusted commander Joab out instead. As David sat idly upon his rooftop surveying his kingdom he spotted a young lady, Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his trusted soldiers, taking a bath. He had her brought to him, he was the king after all, and he committed adultery with her. Uriah would never know, and I’m sure David wouldn’t let it happen again, but not long after Bathsheba notified him that she was pregnant. David needed to control the situation, so he tried bringing Uriah home to sleep with his wife, but no matter how hard David tried, Uriah being a righteous man would not take the pleasure of his wife while his fellow soldiers slept on the ground. So, David sends righteous Uriah back to Joab with his own death warrant in his hand. Problem solved, no one will ever know, the matter is covered up, but the Lord does not see as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart! Here’s what the last sentence in 2 Samuel 11 says, “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” We know that Nathan the Prophet confronts David in chapter 12 but here is what I want us to get! Sometimes the outside may look good, and it may appear that we have everything together, no one else may know, but we know that our hearts aren’t right with the Lord! It may be small and insignificant to the world, but the Lord see the heart! What do we do when our heart is not in rhythm with the Lord? Turn with me to Psalm 51:1-14 and I want us to look together at 3 steps necessary to get our hearts right with God.

Psalm 51:1–14 ESV

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. 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. 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.

I. Step One: Take Responsibility (v. 1-6).

Notice in 1 & 2 that before David takes responsibility, he pleads for the mercy of God based on His lovingkindness and covenantal mercies. 4 ways that we take responsibility.

A. First, we must call sin what it is.

David uses 3 words to describe his actions: transgressions, iniquity, and sin.

1. Transgression is very similar to another word we see in scripture for sin and that is trespass. The idea is that we cross over a line. We go beyond what we are allowed. We know the line and we cross it. Now, I can only imagine that David knew that it was stated clearly within the law that we are not to have another man’s wife and certainly that we are not to commit murder even by proxy.

2. Iniquity is the second word David uses to take responsibility. Iniquity doesn’t cross the line; it bends the line. The idea is to justify our actions or okay our action by manipulating God’s judgments.

3. Sin is the last word David uses and Roman 3:23 is the best reference for what sin means. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We know what to do but we don’t do it.

B. Second, to take responsibility we admit the havoc sin is wreaking on our lives (v. 3). “My sin is always before me.”

1. Our world has convinced us that sin is synonymous with another three-letter word – fun. I admit for a season sin may seem pleasant. Listen to Proverbs 9:17 “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guest are in the depth of Sheol.”

2. We like to think that everything is good, but our sin is always on our mind. David tried to go on with business but when Nathan confronted him, he said, “I have sinned against God.” When our fellowship with God is broken, we know it, experience it, and feel it.

C. Third, to take responsibility we must live with transparency before God (v. 4).

1. Listen to this phrase: “And done this evil in your sight.” Do you know what sin is evil in God’s sight? All of it! Nothing is hidden from God; he is privy to every action you take.

2. Part of taking responsibility is realizing that our sin is an affront against God even the secret ones. If no one else sees, God sees. Sin robs God of the glory He is worthy of through us.

D. The last part of taking responsibility is realizing how deeply embedded our sin is (v. 5).

1. This is not an excuse but an admittance of his very sin nature.

2. We’re not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. Adultery started in the heart of David. We better keep an eye on our hearts.

3. Do you know how responsibility materializes? Confession – agree with God and Repentance – Change (attitude and action). Jason’s story as a jailer.

II. Step Two: Embrace God’s Grace (vv. 7-14).

Let me give you six actions that David request of God: Blot out my transgressions, purge me, wash me, create in me, restore to me, and deliver me.

What is David doing? He is asking God to do something, in him, that only God can. Do you know that when you got saved that God didn’t take all the sin out you? But He did take all the joy out of sin!

When our heart is not right with God:

1. Peace is replaced with fear.

2. Joy is replaced with bitterness.

3. Confidence is replaced with guilt.

4. Holiness is replaced by a feeling of filth.

Here is where I have found myself often. I go to God trusting Him to do what He promised in 1 John 1:9, but I struggle with accepting it or forgiving myself. If we are to get our hearts right with God, we must trust Him to purge, cleans, blot out, restore, create, and deliver. Embrace it!

1. I love the old hymn “There is a Fountain”

There is a fountain filled with blood

Drawn from Immanuel's veins

And sinners plunged beneath that flood

Lose all their guilty stains

Lose all their guilty stains

Lose all their guilty stains

And sinners plunged beneath that flood

Lose all their guilty stains

Throughout my 25 years of ministry I have witnessed people who were bright and shining lights for the glory of God. I have watched them grow dim and spiral down and never get up because they couldn’t get over their failures. We must remember that God can wash away every stain.

III. Step Three: Be a Catalyst for Others to Get Their Hearts Right with God (v. 12-15).

In response to God’s cleansing David said, “I will teach transgressors and sinners will be converted.” My tongue shall sing, and my mouth shall show forth Your praises.

Dr. Tommy Vinson, one of the greatest preachers I know, preached a message on washing. He notes that sometimes the scripture commands us to wash ourselves and make ourselves clean, other times the scriptures, like here in Psalm 51, tells us to come to God to be washed and be cleansed. He then carries that idea over to Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. Sometimes we wash ourselves, sometimes God washes us and sometimes we are washed so we can wash others.

Can I say something to us? We are terrible at walking with one another.

I don’t know if we don’t want to invest the time. Or …

We think it makes us look weak. But …

We need to do more than just call one another out, we need to walk with each other through failures. I love 2 Samuel 12:13

2 Samuel 12:13 ESV

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.

Lord help us to be as Nathan to speak the truth boldly but also to be God’s instruments of restoration

Here’s the wrap up. Luke is coming to play softly as I finish up and then lead us in an invitation song. As he’s coming, I want to help us get our hearts right with God.

I want to end where we started. “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

What do we have harbored in our heart that we believe we have hid from God or we think God will ignore.

It is likely not adultery or murder, but it could be resentment, hatred, jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, or past hurt or sin.

If you’re hanging on to sin or allowing sin to haunt you, you are cheating yourself, the church, and God. Listen to 1 John 1:7

1 John 1:7 NKJV

7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

I love this passage. If we walk with God in the light, we have fellowship with God, yes, but the text says we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son is continually cleansing us.

David was a sinner, but he did not allow sin to name him, he was a pursuer of God, and we can be too by the work of Christ and the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Come today and get your heart right with God.