Grace Demands a Response

Heading 1 Grace * stooping down to show unmerited favor on someone * Romans argument for our desperate need o We are all sinners o We all deserve punishment o Jesus took the punishment for us * OT examples previously * God is NT and OT; never changes Psalm 51 * Much to teach us about grace o David's standing before God o David's comfort and joy * Background o The story * Murder, adultery, coveting o 2 sam 12 13 - Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. * Title * READ PSALM David cries out for help * Chanan (grace/mercy) o Be gracious to me. Have mercy on me. * David understood grace because He knew God's loyal love and compassion o He knew God's character o He came in humility o He came in faith that God would deal with him according to God's character * No other way to be forgiven o High-handed sins (murder, adultery) o Only God's grace/mercy o "We cannot come to God on the basis of his justice; justice strikes us with fear and causes us to hide from him. We are not drawn to God by his wisdom; wisdom does not embolden us, though we stand in awe of it. No more does omniscience, omnipotence, or omnipresence. The only reason we dare come to God and dare hope for a solution to our sin problem is his mercy." [James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 42-106: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 425.] * Three words for sin in this passage o Transgression - crossing a boundary in rebellion * Blot out - picture of erasing from the record o Iniquity - perversion; corresponds to original sin/depravity * Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity * Not like washing your skin * As a fuller washes cloth, removing all the dirt and filth from every fiber o Sin - missing the mark; falling short of God's perfect standards * Cleanse - Same root as "sin" * "De-sin me from sin" o So David prays that God in His grace would erase the sins from David's record, that God would clean the dirt and filth that has perverted him, and that he would take away the sins from him * Clearly came in humility and a true desire for repentance David's confession * Repentance starts with confessing sin * Verses 3-5 show David doing just that * Three strong statements of confession o First: I know I have sinned (v 3) * My sin is ever before me * Likely justified to himself, BUT * Sleepless nights * Regret * Shame * Injured fellowship * Sin damages fellowship with God o For non-believers, no relationship at all o For believers, relationship intact, fellowship injured * Repentance requires admitting sin o Second: I know that what I did was sinful * Against God * Wrongs committed against Bathsheba/Uriah, but not sin * "A wrong done to our neighbor is an offense against humanity. In the eyes of the state, which measures wrongs by its own laws, that wrong may be a crime. Only before God is it a sin."1 * I have sinned, and my sin was against God * Where we go off the rails - excuses * But David was very clear about His sin problem o Third: I sinned because I am a sinner * "in iniquity" * Not an excuse, but a clear understanding of how pervasive sin was in his heart * God desires for us to take a clear and unvarnished look at ourselves (verse 6) o When we do, we will see the truth about ourselves o Only then can we be truly repentant Two things sinners need * Sinners need two things: pardon for sin and pure hearts o Pardon in verses 7-9 * Verbs from v. 1-2 * Purify/cleanse; Wash; Blot out * "Purify me with hyssop" o Hyssop plant at first Passover o David looks back and forward to Christ's blood which covers the sins of those who follow Him in faith * So, "cover me in the blood of the lamb, scrub the sins from the fiber of my being, and erase them from my record" * David can do none of these things; all God's grace * But forgiveness is a change on God's part; we who have been forgiven need also to be changed in order to have victory over sin in our lives o Pure hearts in verses 10-12 * David needed a heart change * David needed a new heart and a new spirit * Ezekiel wrote about God's promise of a new covenant * "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." * "Create in me a clean heart, O God" * Bara - Gen 1 * Only used of God * Creating out of nothing * David was praying for a miracle. There was nothing he could do to make his heart clean. Only God could change his corrupted heart of stone for a clean heart of flesh. * Clean hearts still enticed by sin * So, vv. 11 and 12 * Acknowledges "that he is unable to live a holy life without God. Therefore, he needs the help and power of the Holy Spirit every single moment if he is to be able to overcome temptation and follow after godliness."2 * Following the Spirit's leading brings joy. o Salvation wasn't lost; joy was. o Same for us when we sin o Sin brings sorrow and pain o More sin, less joy o Submit to the Spirit; die to self; "whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" o All these things David prayed for in confident faith in God's grace o But grace demands a response David's response * Promised to teach others o Verse 13: Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You. o Blessed so we can bless others o Salvation isn't yours to keep to yourself o Psalm 32 * Also promised to rightly praise God o Praise is a public activity o Praising for David's salvation and God's righteousness o But also RIGHTLY praising God, in other words with broken and contrite heart * Not checking religious boxes * God didn't want that; still doesn't * Broken, contrite means yielded to God through the Holy Spirit * Expresses itself in obedience * Truly broken, contrite people do not continue to walk in their sins * What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase? * David had prayed for forgiveness and for a new attitude about sin o One proof that he had a new attitude * Prayed for his people * What we do - good or bad - has an effect on others * Especially true of kings in literature of the Bible * King David worried about the effects his sin might have had on the people of Israel. Would their own walk with God suffer? * Metaphor of building the walls means building the strength of their righteous walk in faith * And their response would be to praise God with offerings * And everything about this is God's work, not David's. o Everything about our own forgiveness is God's work, not ours. o His grace; His mercy * He is gracious and compassionate. He forgives sin. He gives us new hearts and puts His Spirit in us. * Grace demands a response. * Go and tell someone. * God is good 1 James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 42-106: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 427. 2 James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 42-106: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 434. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------