06PM March 29 Psalm 51 1_17 Ridgeview Revival_4
March 29, 2006—Ridgeview Revival
In the Good Old Days
Steps on the Road to Revival
Psalm 51:1-17
Intro: The title of the message tonight is “In the Good Old Days.” We hear people say that all the time.
- Back in the good old days you didn’t have to lock your doors at night.
- Back in the good old days you could buy gas for less than a dollar a gallon.
- Back in the good old days you could walk after dark w/o fear.
- Back in the good old days you could still pray in school.
- Back in the good old days everybody went to church b/c everything that happened in the community happened at the church.
- Back in the good old days the US didn’t burn its flags in protest; didn’t question the legality of “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance; didn’t question the constitutionality of “In God We Trust” on our currency; & we didn’t have to avoid or endure foulmouthed TV programs that undermine our morals!
& if all that is true, I submit to you tonight that we need to return to the good old days! Our country needs to be transformed, reborn & drawn back to the things & ways of God!
But how will that happen? W/so many anti-everything groups in America today; how can that happen? It can only happen by the grace of God! It can only happen as God’s people begin to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ! It will only happen as what Peter wrote becomes reality: 1 Peter 4 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; & if it begins w/us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
We’ve talked this week from Paul’s writings about kingdom workers; who they are, what they believe, what they are to avoid, what they are to accomplish. But tonight, I really feel led to go back to the OT & to describe the steps on the road to revival from Psalm 51. (EXPLAIN DAVID’S SIN & CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THE PSALM)
Let’s read all about it from our text in…
Psalm 51 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, & cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, & my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, & done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, & blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, & in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, & in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me w/hyssop, & I shall be clean; Wash me, & I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy & gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins, & blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, & renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, & do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, & uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, & sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, & my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, & my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken & a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.
- I believe the Bible teaches us here that the 1st step on the road to revival is…
1. To be aware of separation from God’s fellowship. (vv. 1-5)
- Sin separates us from the fellowship of God.
- & if we’re not careful, we can become dull or insensitive to a lack of fellowship.
- So how are we made aware of that separation? God does it by…
A. Confronting us w/our wrong. (2 Samuel 12:1a) 1a Then the Lord sent Nathan to David….
- God uses various ways of getting our attention.
- It could be a financial loss or set back.
- It could be an illness or disease.
- It could be any number of situations.
- Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that every sickness or disease is a result of sin. I am saying that God could bring those things into your life as a means to groom you or to prune you or to shape you for your good & His glory.
- But sometimes, God uses people to help us see the error of our ways.
- But be aware of this fact: God will not just “let you slide.” He will confront you & work in you to bring you back to a close fellowship w/Him!
Numbers 32 23b But…be sure your sin will find you out.
- God will confront you in your sin & make you aware of your wrongdoing in order that you may be restored!
- Not only does God confront us w/our wrong, but He also brings…
B. Conviction of our sin. (2 Samuel 12:5, 7) 5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, & he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!”…7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”
- Like an arrow through his heart, God caused the pain of David’s sin to shoot through his being & to be known publicly & felt personally & experienced painfully.
- David had brought disgrace & dishonor to his position of leadership.
- He had defiled the woman; destroyed a marriage; murdered a man; & attempted to cover his sin.
- You may fool some of the people all of the time – but you will never fool God by covering up your sins!
- He is always watching; always aware; always present; always there & you cannot fool Him; deceive Him; or mock Him!
- & so, God convicted David of his sin & in v. 13 of 2 Samuel 12, 13 So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord."
- There is a difference between a guilty conscious & the consciousness of guilt.
- What David experienced, by God’s grace was the…
C. Consciousness of guilt. (Psalm 51:1-5)
- Guilt is often described as a burden or weight. & that’s a great description b/c when you are aware of your guilt before a holy God, you feel crushed by the weight of sin!
- David cries out from under that burden, “1 Have mercy upon me, O God!”
- David knew he had blown it; he knew he was guilty; he knew there was nothing to do but to place himself in the hands of God & ask for forgiveness!
- David didn’t want justice & neither do we!
- We don’t want what we deserve – we only deserve death & hell! We want God’s mercy!
- This was a deep seated; desperate; gut-wrenching, soul piercing, emotionally heart-felt, urgent plea!
- But why should David even expect God to have mercy? He said it was, “According to [God’s] lovingkindness; According to the multitude of [God’s] tender mercies.”
- Lovingkindness means “goodness, kindness, faithfulness” & the word “multitude” means “abundance, numerous, the greatness” & the mercies means “the compassion or tender love of God.”
- So David asked God to have mercy on him “in agreement w/the goodness & faithfulness of the abundantly innumerable compassions of His love!”
- & that’s what God does for you when you come to Him in full confession of sin & surrender to Him!
- David asked God to, “Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, & cleanse me from my sin.”
- He is literally asking God “to obliterate my rebellion, to make much of washing me from my depravity & perversity, & to continuously purify me from my failure to live by your standards.”
- That is the heart of repentance! It’s an utter dependence on God alone! It’s a complete understanding of your own inability to do anything about your sinfulness!
- But not only that, but David also said, 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, & my sin is always before me.
- There were consequences of David’s sin. The Lord said that the sword would never depart from his house.
- & so David lived w/the knowledge that every time one of his own family rose against him, it was b/c of his sin w/Bathsheba!
- There are consequences to your sins! You can be forgiven & walk w/God – but you may still have to deal w/those consequences.
- David knew he was born in sin & that he had chosen to sin & that his sin was ultimately against God alone.
- God had gotten David’s undivided attention & through that, used the means He deemed necessary to confront & convict David in his sin.
- & ladies & gentlemen – God will do the same w/all true believers!
- Be aware of separation from God’s fellowship – it’s the 1st step on the road to revival.
- But also notice from David’s example; the 2nd step on the road to revival; that we’re…
2. To ask for restoration. (vv. 7-12)
- & we do that…
A. By seeking the Healing that only comes from God. (vv. 7-9) 7 Purge me w/hyssop, & I shall be clean; Wash me, & I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy & gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, & blot out all my iniquities.
- David admits that only God can cleanse him from sin.
- & he’s says, “Lord if you wash me, if you cleanse me, then I’ll be whiter than the whitest white known to man!”
- In his sin, David was unhappy; disconnected from the reality of God & the joy of His presence.
- & after being confronted w/& convicted of his sin, David could then ask, “That the bones You have broken may rejoice.”
- As you know, David began his career as a shepherd boy.
- As a shepherd, David was well familiar w/what happens to a sheep that continuously strays & wonders away.
- The shepherd breaks one of the legs of the sheep & then carries the sheep until it heals.
- & from that point on, the sheep never leaves the shepherd’s side. The sheep always walks w/the shepherd.
- He has heard the shepherd’s heart; he has learned the shepherd’s ways; he understands the shepherd’s purpose.
- & when we have been guilty of wondering away from God & He has given us repeated warnings which we failed to heed – He breaks us through adversity.
- He carries us through those times; He provides & supplies all our needs & teaches us to walk w/Him.
- & when we have sought & been granted the healing that only comes from God, that only God can supply – we have heard His heart; we have learned His ways; we understand His purposes & we never leave His side; we always walk w/Him!
- David sought the restoration of the Lord by seeking the healing that only comes from God &…
B. By seeking the Hope that is only found in God. (vv. 10-12) 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, & renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, & do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, & uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
- The only hope we have is that God is a merciful, loving, kind, generous, gracious, forgiving God!
- Now you already know that the Holy Spirit did not indwell believers in the OT times.
- That is a fulfilled promise to NT believers – that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in us!
- & that’s why David asks God not to remove the Spirit from him.
- But even more important than that is David’s request for a new heart; a clean heart.
- He has admitted that his heart had grown cold, hard, & dirty from the sin in his life.
- & so David cries out to God to create in him a clean heart!
- Ladies & gentlemen, we need clean hearts; we need clean hands; we need lives cleansed from the stench & filth of sin!
- & our only hope is that God is gracious & that God is willing to forgive us when we truly seek His healing & His hope!
- Jesus Christ in you – the hope of glory!
- But David not only seeks a clean heart but a steadfast spirit.
- & that literally means “to be firmly established, stable, secure, enduring & settled.”
- IOW “Create in me a spirit that is firmly fixed on You; a spirit that is enduring & settled that no matter what comes, I will completely follow You!”
- & you see that kind of spirit can be developed in you if you would be like David & simply seek the Lord in repentance & by faith ask Him to fix you, to adhere you to Jesus!
- What are we talking about? We’re talking about the steps on the road to revival. The 1st step is to be aware of separation from God’s fellowship. The 2nd step is to ask for restoration. & the 3rd step on the road to revival is…
3. To acknowledge God’s grace. (vv. 13-17)
- God’s grace will…
A. Free your Speech. (vv. 13-15) 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, & sinners shall be converted to You. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, & my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, & my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
- We don’t speak forth the praise of God until we’ve been cleansed; until we’ve been forgiven; until we’ve experienced His grace; until He opens our mouths!
- Until then we are mute to the glory & grace of God!
- Until God opens the mouth the heart cannot praise Him!
- God doesn’t let just any old body praise Him; He doesn’t let just any old vessel proclaim His glory & His grace & His praise!
- It’s not until after we have received grace & experienced grace & known grace that we can begin to teach other sinners how to be free from the bonds of sin!
- True praise comes from the heart that God has opened!
- True praise comes from the mouth that God has opened!
- True praise has its roots in the God of creation & no one praises God until He has freed their speech.
- Singing hymns & psalms & spiritual songs unto the Lord originates w/Him!
- But once He has opened your mouth to sing forth His praise – you ought to do it w/every ounce of energy you possess.
- You ought to sing if God lets you sing; you ought to shout if God lets you shout; you ought to share if God lets you share!
- & as you do whatever He allows, you are acknowledging His grace in you – for the rest of the world to see!
Psalm 34 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
- Don’t ever be ashamed to praise the Lord – But don’t ever do it w/an unclean heart or w/a mouth that God has not opened.
- God’s grace will free your speech & God’s grace will…
B. Receive your Sacrifice. (vv. 16-17) 16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken & a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.
- God is not interested in sacrifices for our penance. He is interested in results!
- He wants to see you growing. He wants to see you working. He wants to see you leading.
- He wants to see your heart & your spirit broken before Him.
- That does not mean that God is a vicious God! It does not mean that God is constantly standing over us so that at the 1st sign of sin He crushes us w/His power.
- God is not like that at all!
- In fact, David says that God seeks our loving humility; He seeks our willing submissiveness to His Sovereignty.
- The word translated “broken” literally means “broken or crippled.”
Luke 20 18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.
- IOW if any unbeliever falls on Christ & His mercy & forgiveness & grace, they will be broken; their hearts & their spirits will be broken. But if any unbeliever refuses to fall on Him & in His wrath, He falls on unbelievers; they will be crushed, ground into power & destroyed!
- But the sacrifice that God desires is a broken & contrite heart; it’s a broken, humbled heart & spirit through which God can work.
- It’s as Paul wrote in Romans 12 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 & do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.
- God is looking for those believers who would acknowledge His grace in them by giving themselves as living sacrifices.
- He wants usable vessels; clean hearts; holy hands; open minds; broken spirits; lips of praise & lives of sacrifice.
[Dwight L. Moody overheard Henry Varley say, “The world has yet to see what God will do with & for & through & in & by the man who is fully & wholly consecrated to Him.” To which Moody replied, “I will be that man!”]
Conclusion: I ask you tonight, will you be that man? Will you be that woman? Will you be that young person? Will you be the child of God through whom the world sees the power of God at work?
We’re talking about the steps on the road to revival. Those steps are initiated by God, drawing us to Himself. The 1st step is to be aware of separation from God’s fellowship. Sin separates God from His children. Therefore we lose vital communion w/God.
The 2nd step to revival is to ask for restoration; the healing & hope that can only come from God. & finally, to acknowledge God’s grace as He opens our mouths to praise Him from clean hearts of love & devotion to Him.
Invitation: Don’t you want to be revived? Don’t you want to be clean before God? Don’t you want to be used of God? Would you be the one to say tonight, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, & renew a steadfast spirit in me”?
Hymn