Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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

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:

LORD: Yahweh...

Your arrows have penetrated into me....you hand has (same word as sunk into me) pressed down on me

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

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

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)

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

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.