Know your heart

We are starting a new series this morning The Heart Matters

This 6 week series leading up to to Easter Sunday will encourage you to examine your heart, your motivations, and your loves as you walk in repentance toward Resurrection Sunday. This season reminds us that we are all broken and in need of a Savior who has overcome sin and death.

This morning we will be in Psalms 51:1-19. So if you have your bible go ahead and turn there. If not you can follow along on the screen in a few moments.

Before we look at today verses I have a question for you.

Have you ever allowed God to full search your heart?

Fully look deep into your heart. for that mater have you ever look deep into your heart?

Psalm 139:23–24 CSB

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.

Have you ever allowed God to full search your heart?

Most of us are acutely aware of God’s knowledge of all the things in and about us, and yet we often find ourselves minimizing and trying to hide things from God. During this season, opportunity is provided to practice allowing God access to all the ways we fail.

He knows it anyway, but it’s a time to recognize that he knows. This season of repentance invites God to examine our hearts and slows us down enough to hear him reveal those dark places that need his light.

This morning passage is look at a time when King David was at his lows point of his life. This psalm was written after David was confronted by Nathan about his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah in 2 Samuel 12. The psalm has two simple divisions:

Charles Spurgeon, Psalm 51

“In the first twelve verses (Psalm 51:1-12) the penitent's confessions and plea for pardon, and then in the last seven (Psalm 51:8-19) his anticipatory gratitude, and the way in which he resolves to display it”

Psalm 51:1–12 CSB

1 Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. 2 Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you—you alone—I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge. 5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. 10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.

first 3 verse

David asks for mercy and forgiveness

not based on his own ability to make it up to God but instead rooted in the character of God (Psalm 51:1–3). He knows that he is has sinned—not only against his neighbor but against God himself

David confesses his sin

in veres 4 and 5. He tell God that I have sinned against you alone. David

David asks God to remove his sin and cleanse him

David ask for God to restore him

assurance in his salvation, and tenderness toward the Holy Spirit

Psalm 51:8–19 CSB

8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. 10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach the rebellious your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God— God of my salvation— and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. 18 In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

David ask for God to restore him

He desires to remain in humble obedience and to testify of God’s salvation and forgiveness (vv. 13–19) moving forward.

What can we learn from looking at David and this psalm?

Repentance, as David shows us, is a deliberate act on our part to be humble, to seek forgiveness, to turn from the sin that we are entangled in, and to live in God’s empowerment over sin through the Holy Spirit.

Repentance helps us counter our tendency toward unchecked sin and self-righteousness. It should be a common practice of the Christian—not only a few days out of the year but all through the year.

Repentance cannot be only words

it must also include action and change rooted in God’s goodness and empowerment. In order for us to truly repent we must do a 180 and stop doing the same thing over and over.

This remind me of something my high school band director use to say when we keep making the same mistakes over and over. He would say stop slamming your hand in the door. You wouldn’t keep your hand in the door after you slammed it once. So stop doing the same thing over and over.

Lot of the we do the same thing when it comes to sin. We just keep slamming that door on our hand think it will end differently but it never does. We always end up in the same spot. We always need up allow sin to drive us away from God.

We should be confessing our sin to God and trying to deny ourselves in faithful obedience

Mercy and forgiveness are found through repentance and are rooted in the goodness of God’s character, not our own ability to do better

Are you willing to allow God into your heart full this morning. Are you willing to bare it all before God and allow him to forgive you.