Psalm 51:10-13

A Clean Heart Changes Lives

Today, we celebrate our mothers.

Some of us celebrate them from memory

Others still have the honor of celebrating here on earth with them.

Today is a special day because Moms make days special.

My Mom was precious to me.

But the mother of my children, she still holds my heart.

Had it not been for her, we would have little to remember as a family

She made our days special

She held to the traditions at holidays.

Zac sent me a video of a dad preparing his family as he endured treatment for Pancreatic cancer.

It reminded me of the letter Dawn wrote me in Feb before she died in July.

In that letter she thanked me for being the man I am.

But even more than that, she told me she was sorry she would not be with me to finish raising our boys.

But she knew that God would enable me to raise those boys.

A good woman lets her husband know how necessary he is.

I know not all husbands deserve that, but remember ladies all you have to do is respect us. Ephesians 5:33 “33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.”

We have to love you as Christ loved the church. Ephesians 5:25 “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”

My wife told me over and over how much she respected me.

Usually it was with her actions rather than her words.

Moms, respect your husband and build him up every chance you get.

Don’t think that he can be easily replaced.

So many think of there husband as a paycheck, easily replaced.

Others think another man will make a better husband

No he is the father of your children

Nothing can take that away.

Just like nothing can take away you being the mother of your children.

The message today applies to both moms and dads so...

Let’s turn our attention to David again.

Most of us remember the David of David and Goliath days.

His absolute dependence upon God is remarkable in that story

Yet here his is, years later, having suffered trough horrible sin of his own doing.

Where was that trust in God then?

It just shows, no matter how faithful we have been in the past we must forever keep our eyes upon Jesus.

We cannot grow complacent.

We must continue in the work, the purpose, for which we have been created.

When David realized the seriousness of his sin he was immediately repentant.

Be gracious to me, O God

Wash me, cleanse me

I have sinned

I have done evil

What else could I do?

I was born in sin,

I know you desire truth and wisdom from within

Only you can give me that! Cleanse me with hyssop

Make me whiter than snow.

Hide my sins, blot out my iniquity.

Now we turn our attention to ...

Psalm 51:10–13 NASB 95

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

Pray

David calls on God to Create a clean heart

Psalm 51:10 NASB 95

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

David had been accustomed to a clean heart

The heart that trusted God to give him victory in battle.

The heart that kept him from unimaginable, horrible sin as he had just committed.

He was suffering because he no longer felt close to God.

Sin separates us from that loving relationship God has worked to produce with us.

Our time alone with him becomes just time.

Soon we no longer expect to hear from God because we have grown accustomed to not hearing him.

A clean heart is a heart devoted to God.

It is not dirty with greed, lust, selfishness or pride.

Those sinful ways keep God from communicating with us because those sinful ways train us not to hear what God says.

We are like children to God.

A mom looks at her baby with love no matter what the baby smells like.

A grandfather loves that baby too, but knows when it is time to let the mother’s love shine in that child’s life.

David longed for that clean heart he had known before his evil.

David calls on God to Renew a steadfast spirit

Psalm 51:10 NASB 95

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

The word translated steadfast could also be translated firm

Renew a firm spirit within me.

David was unaccustomed to a weak spirit.

His faith had grown and nurtured his spirit throughout his life.

But here, now, his spirit was weak.

His understanding from God was so much less than he was accustomed to.

David longed for that firm spirit.

If we are paying attention, most of us will realize when something has affected the woman in our life.

Mostly when we see that happening to her we want to restore, to renew that firm relationship.

We soon begin to miss that time we had when we could complete one another’s sentences.

We often long for that time again.

We can get back there if we take time to notice, and repair the relationship.

David is telling God how sorry he is that he harmed the relationship he had with God.

He was asking God to firm up that relationship in his spirit.

David understood sin harmed that relationship

So must we understand, sin hurts our relationship with God.

We cannot know his presence when sin in between us.

David calls on God, Do not cast me away from Your presence

Psalm 51:11 NASB 95

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

David understood, his behavior had put him at risk of losing the one thing he valued Most, God’s presence.

Those nights in the wilderness with the sheep

They were filled with God’s presence.

God’s presence enabled him to kill the lion and the bear.

Please, he pleaded, do not cast me away from your presence

Would you notice if God’s presence left you?

Would you plead for God to remain with you?

Have you developed that relationship to the point that the lack of his presence would be worse than your spouse taken from you?

David wanted to build a temple for God’s presence.

If God took His own presence away, what would be David’s purpose then?

Ephesians 2:10 NASB 95

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

God has a purpose for each of us.

A purpose that was prepared before we were.

How can we accomplish that purpose if God removes His presence?

You and I, believers, must absolutely depend upon God.

David calls on God to not take the Holy Spirit from him

Psalm 51:11 NASB 95

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

When King Saul was king of Israel he had been given the Spirit of the Holy God

He was blessed in many of his endeavors because of this Spirit.

But then Saul misused his call and God took His Spirit from Saul.

David was aware of that fact.

David understood God could take His Spirit from him.

So He pleaded that God would not remove the Spirit from David.

This is the difference between Saul and David.

When Saul was confronted with his evil he made excuses.

When David was confronted with his evil, David begged for forgiveness and repented or surrendered

When you are confronted with your evil do you make excuses, or beg for forgiveness and repentance or surrender.

Henry Brandt a leading psychologist many years ago said that the heart of the problem is always sin.

In his counseling, he did not stop until he got to the heart of the problem, it was always sin.

Then he approached the problem biblically which means sin has a solution.

We do not have to live with sin.

Psychology teaches us how to live with sin.

God furnished the solution, Jesus.

When Henry confronted his counselee with the problem sin, often they got angry and huffed out of the room.

Those like David would come back and work on the problem.

Those like Saul never returned.

David’s evil had caused him terrible strife

His relationship with the Lord had been hindered.

He noticed all this and begged for restoration.

David calls on God to Restore the joy of salvation

Psalm 51:12 NASB 95

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

I want us all to think back to that moment when we knew our sin had been forgiven.

Do you remember the freedom you felt?

Do you remember the joy that came with your salvation?

But evil came your way and you succumbed to that evil.

Can you remember the horror and dread that came with that evil

It had promised to be so cool and fun.

But instead it was filled with horror and dread.

David begged God to restore the joy he had felt with God’s salvation.

Perhaps we have lost the joy of our salvation.

When sin persists in life, the joy departs.

We remember the days when we so longed to be with the Lord

But now, when we pray, there is nothing.

The joy we felt has disappeared,

Be like David, ask God to restore that joy, listen and obey.

David calls on God to Sustain a willing spirit

Psalm 51:12 NASB 95

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

God desires that we have a willing spirit

A willing spirit is the result of time spent with God.

Developing a longing to please God.

A desire to lift high the name of God.

When God gives David all he has asked look at what David promises to do.

David’s promise 13

Psalm 51:13 NASB 95

13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

The joy of being forgiven must be told.

David told God that he would teach sinners, transgressors the ways of God.

Do you relish the freedom God has given you because you are no longer bound by sin?

Do you teach others the truth of God’s love and forgiveness?

One of the ways I teach God’s love is by telling my story.

I am not bragging in any way.

I am simply extolling the Lord’s power and love.

He gave me the dream, He guided my paths.

When we teach God’s ways...

Psalm 51:13 NASB 95

13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

This brings joy to God’s Spirit

Sinners converted to Him.

It is His joy and honor to have men choose Him

What do we do when we realize God has forgiven us so very much?

We share that truth with those we love, then with those we are friends with.

Then we share that truth and love with anyone who will listen.

Conclusion

Unless you have been forgiven, you have no idea what that relief feels like.

I still remember it today even though it was more than 50 years ago.

I understood the end result if I did not surrender my life to the Lord.

The horror of my situation compelled me to surrender.

I no longer cared what anyone thought.

I knew I was powerless to save myself.

I needed the only one who could save me. Jesus.

Are you at that point today?

Tell God to Take My Life, To Lead me

287 Take My Life, Lead Me Lord

Verse 1 Take my life lead me Lord Take my life lead me Lord Make my life useful to Thee Take my life lead me Lord Take my life lead me Lord Make my life useful to Thee

Verse 2 Take my life teach me Lord Take my life teach me Lord Make my life useful to Thee Take my life teach me Lord Take my life teach me Lord Make my life useful to Thee

Verse 3 Here am I send me Lord Here am I send me Lord Make my life useful to Thee Here am I send me Lord Here am I send me Lord Make my life useful to Thee