Refresh Part Three

Introduction:

Refresh: to restore strength and animation to. To renovate, revive, restore.

Review: David made a colossal mess but somehow came out victorious and even singing. How?

We need refreshing, it is freely offered in Jesus.

In our passage today we see the heart of the gospel, of God’s grace.

The gospel is more than just our being forgiven.

It’s more than just fire insurance. It is God’s transforming grace.  

“God loves you just the way your are, but refuses to leave you that way.” (Max Lucado)

Main Idea: God’s grace is transforming grace. We see three aspects to this transforming grace: crushing, cleansing, and creating grace. 

1. Crushing Grace

Verse 8b—"let the bones that you have broken rejoice"

Illustration: Joe Noveson’s Hands — (the indispensability of pain)

Illustration: Jakob’s broken hip touched by God.

Hebrews 12:6-10

Hebrews 12:6–10 ESV

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.

God blesses us with violent, uncomfortable grace. Yes, he really does love us enough to crush us, so that we would feel the pain of our sin and run to him for forgiveness and deliverance.

“This is foundational to everything. Being a Christian means being broken and contrite. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you get beyond this in this life.” (John Piper)

All gracious affections [feelings, emotions] that are a sweet [aroma] to Christ . . . are brokenhearted affections. A truly Christian love, either to God or men, is a humble brokenhearted love. —Jonathan Edwards

2. Cleansing Grace

Verse 7—"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

Wash (same verb Ps 51:2) (03526) (kabac/kabas) means to wash (especially clothes), to make clean and soft by trampling (this is the root meaning of kabac), by treading, by kneading or by beating clothes in cold water. Kabac was always used of clothing, "to launder" and never of "washing" the body.

Purify me with hyssop - This picture suggests that David is alluding to the OT practice describing the law dealing with the cleansing of lepers. Moses records this ritual in Leviticus 14…a

What is being cleansed then?

Guilt. shame, Defilement 

He also knows from that context the special word for purge, to which the nearest equivalent would be de-sin' (Lv. 14:49; Nu. 19:19), and he pictures the final sequence in the ritual, the washing of clothes and body. (Derek Kinder)

Illustration: Zechariah 3:1-5 — new priestly garments

Zechariah 3:1–5 ESV

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.

3. Creating Grace 

Verse 10—"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

David is asking for a heart that will choose the right things. A heart that with trust and obey God instead of continuing in sin and destruction. 

Notice that David does not ask for better behavior. He doesn’t ask for better accountability or more restraint. 

It’s because he knows that he acted out the way he did was because his heart wasn’t “clean”. He didn’t have a “right spirit”. 

What does that mean?  We get a clue in verse 12: "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

The "joy of our salvation" is what in fact “upholds a willing spirit.” 

Verse  11--'Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me."

David knows that It is in the transforming presence of God that real change occurs. 

The good news of the gospel doesn’t stop with pardon. We treat grace like it’s God’s big eraser for our every wrong or mistake. But God does not only mean to rub the page clean. No, he intends to write a new story in sin’s place, replacing what was once broken, wicked, and dead with love, faithfulness, and life. (Marshall Segal)