Psalms for Confessing Sins
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Introduction
Imagine for a moment, a king and his kingdom. Imagine that this king is a good king, a benevolent king. His subjects never lack anything they need. He wisely rules over them and blesses them immensely.
Now imagine every single one of his subjects rebelling against Him. Rejecting His rule. Hating His laws and despising His love. Imagine they begin to care far more deeply about the things the king has blessed them with, instead of the king himself. So they seek to overthrow the king and live by their own rules instead of his.
This king would have every right to sentence them with the full weight of the law’s prescribed punishment…but imagine, instead, he sends his own son to go as his representative and publicly take that punishment on behalf of his subjects.
And then imagine this good king, sending forth messengers with a royal proclamation, a Sovereign decree.....proclaiming to all that the king is coming to visit again one day in the future, so you can bow the knee to him now, accepting the fact that his son has taken the punishment you deserve, accepting then the fact that you are guilty and worthy of punishment....or…you can continue to rebel and live your own way of life, and face his justice when he comes to execute it.
Of course, we don’t have to imagine such a scenario…for we are currently living it.
We are all creatures created by God, placed into His world with the responsibility of ruling the world, being fruitful and multiply, and bearing His image.
Yet all of us....every one....rejected Him instead.
God…in His love…has become man. God the Son, became Jesus the God-Man. He perfectly obeyed God’s Law on our behalf. He suffered the punishment we deserve. He rose again on the 3rd day. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father.
He will come again....but this time not to die. But to first, take home all those who have received the message of the royal proclamation, the good news of God’s Kingdom…that Jesus will save all those who come to Him, to trust Him for salvation.
And He’s coming, secondly, to destroy all those who will not receive the news of that message.
That, in a snapshot, is the gospel. And before I even read the sermon text…I urge you, if you have not received the gospel, the good news....PLEASE…don’t wait another day. The King, is soon coming…you’ll bow now, or bow later. Do so now.
But for believers, this is THE essential message for us. It’s often neglected, and it’s often seen as only necessary for initiation into Christianity. But the gospel is essential for us every day…and here’s why. Even after accepting this good news message, we still do things and think things, that are rebellious against God; and make us worthy, by our actions, to receive His just wrath and fiery judgement.
Anger that is acted out in an un-Christlike manner
Envying what someone else has (job, item, relationship, etc.)
Being discontent in your current situation, is a sin before God…since we are commanded to be content regardless of the situation and REJOICE in the Lord…ALWAYS!
We gossip…meaning we talk bad about someone behind their back, in a way that we would never talk bad about them, to their face.
We flatter....meaning we compliment someone to their face, in a way that we would never compliment them, behind the back.
We lose self-control in our diets, in our personal finances, in our time management
We are irritable, resentful, worldly, and bitter.
Need I go on? The fact is, in our thoughts, actions, and attitudes…we are sinners. We are guilty.
So what does a person who has been saved by God, transformed by God, given a new nature by God....need to hear? They still need to hear, the Gospel.
What do they do with their sin? The same thing they’ve done with it since coming to Christ....they confess it, and call out to God for mercy.
That is what David does, in . Which is where we’ll spend our time in God’s Word this morning. We are spending a few weeks studying the Psalms, and what we’ve said, is that the Psalms are the songbook, and the prayer book, of the people of God.
It provides to us language to approach God, in different circumstances. Last week, we considered our approach to God, when things are hard. What do we pray, and how do we sing, when times are hard? We learn this from Psalms of lament.
Here…we’re answering the question, “What do I pray, what do I sing, when I’m in sin?” Thank God, He’s given us, Psalms of confession.
This is a Psalm of David…and the bad circumstances he finds himself in, is due entirely to his sin and folly. And he openly acknowledges that before God, describing the awful condition he is in, and with contrition, cries out to God for mercy.
And that is our call this morning from God’s Word: When sin is exposed, confess and call out to God.
And in Psalms of confession, we are given the vocabulary to do so.
A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!
2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,
6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning.
7 For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
9 O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.
12 Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.
13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14 I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.
15 But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16 For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!”
17 For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me.
18 I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.
19 But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20 Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!
Some translations, simply translate the title, “For remembering.” So this was either written with the intention of reminding everyone in the gathered assembly, or initially David himself wrote this to remember himself....or it was written as a reminder, placed in the prayer book, to remind all of God’s children....we will always need to pray this type of prayer.
Because we will always have sins to confess. Always.
The flow of this psalm goes prayer, description of circumstances, prayer, description...
Seeing all of the content in this psalm, I want to take a wider angle view, and consider 3 observations in relation to this psalm, and psalms of confession.
1)Sin’s consequences; 2)Sin’s confession; 3)Sin’s solution
1. Sin’s Consequences
1. Sin’s Consequences
Sin has consequences, and David was experiencing them firsthand
Sin has consequences, and David was experiencing them firsthand
Notice, David first begins to describe his condition, in a way that clearly marks his hard times are coming from God Himself
Verse one, the psalm is directed to God:
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!
LORD: Yahweh...
2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
Your arrows have penetrated into me....you hand has (same word as sunk into me) pressed down on me
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
Notice....due to my sin, and due to God’s indignation because of my sin
David describes his suffering....it is both mental and physical. Mentally, because all he’s going through is a result of his sin. Physically, because it appears to be a physical ailment.
Flesh and bones here....verse 5, gives a description of his “wounds;” verses 6-8 describe his being in mourning, his burning sides, his flesh that has no health, is weak, and is crushed
He groans because of the tumult, the agitation of his heart
This does not teach, that ALL sickness is due to personal sin…but it does teach, that in this case, it was.
The physical ailment in his flesh and in his bones, was, in his words, “because of my sin.”
Notice his description of his condition in verse 4
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
My ailments are because of my sin…FOR…or because, my iniquities are now above my head
I am overwhelmed, drowning in a sea of my many sins against God…sins that are too many to number. Sins, that are too heavy to carry.
HIS SIN, BROUGHT PHYSICAL SUFFERING....IT ALSO BROUGHT RELATIONAL STRAINS
11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.
DAVID WAS SENSING HIS ISOLATION. THOSE WHO SHOULD BE HIS FRIENDS, STAND OFF WATCHING HIS PAIN AND NOT WANTING TO COME NEAR TO HELP (many reasons why…none valid)
11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.
12 Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.
YET…THIS TOO WAS DUE TO HIS SIN. He wouldn’t experiencing this isolation, if not for the physical consequences of his sin.
Not only were David’s friends causing him trouble by being absent…his enemies were causing him trouble by constantly seeking his life
12 Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.
These are enemies who are seeking his life unworthily.
(Further description given in verses 16-20)
These are enemies who are seeking his life unworthily...
David has no problem identifying his worthiness to receive just punishment from God…but David is still a child of God, and he also has no problem for recognizing the injustice of those marked by evil conduct, to succeed in defeating those marked by righteous conduct the majority of the time.
David has no problem identifying his worthiness to receive just punishment from God…but David is still a child of God, and he also has no problem for recognizing the injustice of those marked by evil conduct, to succeed in defeating those marked by righteous conduct the majority of the time.
Even with that…ALL of this…is because of his sin....ALL of this…is because of God’s indignation.
Physically…mentally....pain, plots against his life, isolation by friends and family....David is suffering greatly. All because of his sin and foolishness.
Apply
Hear me loved ones....sin....has consequences.
For unbelievers, your life will be marked by hard times internally, externally, etc.
There is no peace, joy, etc....there’s just a series of bad circumstances.
“The way of the transgressor is hard...”
And for the believer, sin still has consequences. The chastening hand of the Lord, although coming upon us out of love, nevertheless is painful to endure.
His arrows hurt as they pierce our soul....His hand is crushing as it is pressed down upon us.
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Discipline…is painful. Sin…has consequences...
And this is a warning that needs to be heard by all within Christ’s church:
From the man, or teenager, tempted to view what they ought not be viewing
Or the person flirting with a relationship you know is pushing far too close to the line
Or even the person who is consistently discontent, envious, and angry.
You need to know, that sin is deadly. Sin will destroy you. And if you’re in a season of life right now where you refuse to repent of your sinfulness, and God’s chastening, disciplining hand is weighing heavy upon you…don’t resist against that…get up, confess it, and by the power of the Spirit, put it to death..NOW
John Owen, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”
Sin…has consequences…we see that in this psalm.
2. Sin’s Confession
2. Sin’s Confession
David did not attempt to hide his sin here....he confesses it
David did not attempt to hide his sin here....he confesses it
He doesn’t come and say, “Lord, I should probably do better in this area...” No..instead...
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Verse 3: “....because of my sin...”
Verse 4: “....my iniquities....”
Verse 5: “....my foolishness....”
Verse 18: “....for my sin...”
In fact, the opening petition is even marked with an understanding of his own guilt before God
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!
David understands he needed rebuking…he needed discipline. And up to this point, he has felt it from God’s anger and wrath. His prayer has not been, “Why did you do it,” but instead, “Have mercy, and stop doing it.”
If there is one thing humans are known for trying, it’s covering up our sins.
What lengths did we go through as children and/or teenagers, to attempt to get out of the trouble we knew we were in because we had done something wrong?
Youtube is now filled with videos of kids attempting to get out of trouble.
Everything from a kid who never tried in school, receiving his bad grades…and the mother attempting to issue punishment, while the child is praying, “Lord forgive me and bless me”…and crying to his mother, “God didn’t make me that smart,” and “it’s hard to hear when the teacher is so far away.”
Or the “Listen Linda” kid…who was clever enough that he should have been punished a little more.
We are always seeking clever ways to get out of our trouble, and it doesn’t go away in adulthood.
“I never saw that speed limit sign officer.” “Sorry bossman, I would have done better on the project, but things have been tough at home,” by that you really mean, “I was up until 2 am watching my favorite sports team, and I have no energy now to do that project.”
WE’re no different in the church…that’s clear from Scripture.
Adam: “The woman thou gavest me…”
Achan: Hides his sin in his tent
Saul: The people wanted to do it...
Ananias and Sapphira: lying to the Holy Ghost
We are prone to cover up our sin. We change sin’s definition.
I haven’t lusted, cussed, got drunk, or lost my temper this week....therefore I haven’t sinned.
Yeah…I was discontent sometimes. I got a little envious when I saw someone’s lifestyle that I wanted. I said something about someone I shouldn’t. I could’ve probably spent more time in God’s Word.
But those are just some areas I’m not perfect…but it’s not sin. BUT IT IS.
The Law of God perfectly reveals our standard....and if at any time we are not perfectly loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength....and if we’re not at any time perfectly loving all people around us as we love ourselves, then we are sinning. Don’t change sin’s definition in order to make yourself more comfortable....you are a sinner.
That needs to be confessed.
We don’t know what David’s sin was in this particular setting…but we do know, that he knew....it was sin.
And he readily acknowledged it before God as such. As he has done before in other places.
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
We are commanded, to confess our sins…and if we dare claim, we have none to confess, we are intentionally deceiving ourselves
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Verse 8…present tense. If you say, that right now presently, you are not committing sins....you are deceiving yourself, and the truth is not in us.
In light of God’s holiness, we should see clearly, our unholiness. Don’t cover that up…confess it as it is further and further revealed.
Realize, that you and I…are sinners. If you are a believer for 20 years, and then one day God’s Word checks you on something, changes your perspective…or as we say, “stepped on your toes,” please realize, that you were committing sin for 20 years in whatever area that is in your life.
Regardless of the fact that you were ignorant of it. So…how many more areas of sin are in your life today, that you know nothing of?
We confess sin…because we’re sinners.
We are not sinners, because we sin....we sin, because we’re sinners.
This must be confessed.
“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it; prone to leave the God I love”
We feel that every time we feel the temptation to get angry…every time we’re tempted to become discontent…
that is what it means to feel prone to leave the God I love....so confess that before God
It does no one good....to try to hide it
Sin has consequences…sin must be confessed…thirdly...
3. Sin’s Solution
3. Sin’s Solution
There is, and always has been, only one solution to sin....that is God our Savior
There is, and always has been, only one solution to sin....that is God our Savior
And David models for us the way in which we approach God…even as believers…with our sin
He has acknowledged his sinfulness and folly…He has described to God his current condition…then....He calls out to God, specifically asking for mercy, and trusting God will answer with mercy.
Look again....
12 Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.
David said, they were seeking his life…and meditating treachery, fraud, deceit…all day long.
Notice his response:
13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14 I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.
David’s response to the treachery of his enemies, is to be deaf and silent. There’s no response necessary. In fact, David has already acknowledged that his suffering is due to his sin. So…their treachery and seeking to kill him, didn’t cause him to look to them to consider what they were doing or saying... but instead directly to God.
“I’ll close my mouth to them....I’ll open it instead to God.”
His desire…was to speak to GOD..
God..Whom David was sure, saw him right where he was:
9 O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.
Friends may have abandoned him....enemies may be turned against him…but God? God is ever with him!
David...turned to God....Whom he knew, would come through:
15 But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
“This…is my current situation” David said. “And it’s due entirely to my own sin. I acknowledge that, and confess that. But O God, it is to you I cry…it is for you I wait…you, Yahweh, are my Lord and my God…you will answer.”
David recognized that God was holy, and he was not.
He recognized that God was just, and would punish and chastise His own people for their sins.
But David also knew, what we seem to fail to remember sometimes…that God’s justice is not at war with His mercy. He is both just, and merciful.
And with that in mind…he prays this way:
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!
David’s prayer, consisted of first: a request for God to ever be with Him…near Him.
And his prayer consisted secondly, of a request for God to come…and come QUICKLY…to help him
David then addresses God, as “O Lord, MY SALVATION!”
My help; my deliverance
It is to the Lord, David fixes his gaze....BECAUSE......
It is the Lord....who is David’s salvation.
GOD…is the Savior.
The whole of Scripture testifies to this. God the Creator, did not wipe humanity off the planet, those whom He created, even after they rebelled against Him. Instead, all along, His plan was to save a people for Himself, for His own glory.
As soon as man fell…God delivered His promise, to undo the Fall.
And now…for thousands of years, sinning members of His creation have come running to Him and have found that He is merciful and kind, long-suffering and patient…and for His people, His covenant love is NEVER FAILING.
For thousands of years, murderers, liars, fornicators, drug addicts, prostitutes, homosexuals, gossipers, and others with similar statuses... have found, that the Lord…is their salvation.
They have found to be true, what Jonah declared
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
They have found to be true, what Jesus declared:
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
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They have found to be true, what Paul declared:
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
Apply
So…here we are this morning, gathered around God’s Word…hearing these truths once more.
Maybe…you’re hearing them as an unbeliever. Or one who has always assumed they were a Christian, because you feel you’re a good moral person and you go to church…but there has never been any true positive move towards God…no transformation of your life
My urgent plea to you is the same as when I started.....RUN. Run away from your sinfulness, and run to Christ. He WILL save.
Maybe…you’re hearing these truths as a believer. And you have some sin, that has caused some of the most awful external and internal suffering imaginable. And you’re wondering, “How…do I....approach God?”
God in His grace and mercy…has given you the vocabulary.
With your sins having caused some of the most awful external and internal suffering imaginable. And you’re wondering, “How…do I....approach God?”
We come humbly, contritely, totally dependent upon the mercy of the Savior.
“Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling; naked come to Thee for dress, helpless look to Thee for grace; Foul I to the Fountain fly, wash me Savior, or I die.”
In other words, brother…sister....Covenant Community Church as a whole…if you’re in a similar situation to that of David, then you should know…first, you’re not alone
And yes…sin will kill you.
Just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s not deadly
KNOW that it’s deadly
But never forget....God is merciful
The same God whose arrows pierced into David…the same God whose hand pressed down upon Him…is the very same God, whom David writes about in another psalm this way:
A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Now that’s a promise, we can bank our entire future existence upon.
I’m a sinner…my sins are far too many to count…and if God holds them all against me…I’m done.
“But with God, there is forgiveness....in His Word I hope....with Yahweh, there is steadfast, covenant-keeping love…and with Him is plentiful redemption.”
The solution to sin, is as it has always has been....only in God our Savior!
Conclusion
Regardless of your sin, or the amount of it believer…you can run to your God this morning. He has not only taught you doctrinally, theologically, that it’s possible. He’s not only commanded you to do so. He has given you the very vocabulary you can use.
Sin has dire consequences, of that we must always be aware.
Sin must be confessed, of that we must be convinced and we must do so.
Sin has only one solution....it is the solution that we find in the good King’s proclamation. The Good News concerning Jesus Christ, His Son…who died in our place, taking upon Himself our punishment…and giving to us His earned righteousness.
And even those in His world, who have received that message of hope....still have moment after moment in their lives, whereby they rebel against Him in thought, deed, or attitude. And yet…He remains their Savior.
In your sin, cry out and trust God for mercy. He is faithful to supply it.
In light of this psalm, and the sacrament of which we will soon take part of, I though it fitting to lead us in a prayer of confession this morning.
Closing Prayer of Confession
We have sinned times without number,
and been guilty of pride and unbelief,
of failure to find your mind in your Word,
of neglecting to seek you fervently in our daily life.
The strength of our fleshly desires reveals often the weakness of our flesh to obey you, and just how prone we are to abandon you; when times are hard we complain; when times are good we take the credit....even salvation itself, instead of acknowledging it is you who saved us, we seek to claim partial credit through our good works.
We are sinners....therefore we sin.
Our transgressions and short-comings
present us with a list of accusations,
But we praise your name, that they will not stand against us,
for all have been laid on Christ;
Go on Lord, and subdue our corruptions,
and grant us grace to live above them.
Don’t let the passions of our flesh, or the lustings of our
minds bring us into subjection,
but you, O God, rule over us in liberty and in power.
Continue on with your patient work,
answering ‘no’ to our wrongful prayers,
and helping us to accept it.
Purge us from every false desire,
every base aspiration,
everything contrary to your rule.
And if it be that it takes place due to your hand of chastening and arrows of discipline, O God, grant us grace to respond with confession, contrition, repentance, and renewed faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Have mercy upon us....for Christ’s sake....Amen.
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God’s Word assures us of our pardon....it does so when we hear it audibly, and it does so when we see it visibly. This is the Lord’s Day, and on the second Lord’s Day of each month, we partake of the Lord’s Supper.
This meal is done in memorial of our Lord, His finished work, and His soon return.
It is also received by us as a meal FROM the Lord....as a sign from Him, of all we receive by trusting in the Lord Jesus. The bread represents our Lord’s body, of which we receive by faith…and of which we are a part of by faith.
The cup, represents our Lord’s blood, which was shed for our sins’ forgiveness…and we receive its benefits by faith.
This meal…as a meal from the Head of the Church…is only for members of His church. You don’t have to be a member here…but you do need to be a true Christian. If not, warnings are presented to you in Scripture of what will come by partaking of this in an unworthy manner.
We have already prayed a confessional prayer…let us pause for a moment of reflection and prayer, as we prepare to approach the Lord’s Table together.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
This is what we proclaim to each other this morning as we approach our Lord’s Table together.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”