Its time for a Change

Psalm 51:10-13

(Introduce the New Series, A Summer in Psalms)

When you go to the mirror, are you happy with what you see? Let me rephrase that, when you go to the mirror, is there something you wish you could change about yourself?

I think many of us would like to change somethings about ourselves. Maybe we would change our height or weight, maybe we would change the shape of our nose, or get rid of the wrinkles that we now have.

There are a lot of things on the surface that we wish we could change, but what about on the inside? Have you ever thought about that?

You see, there are many things that we would like to change about ourselves, but in reality we cannot. But there is one who can change us.

[Read Scripture]

How many times have you said, I’m going to change, only to go right back to where you were? We try to motivate ourselves, only to fail. Maybe each Sunday, you come and you say, I’m going to change, I’m going to be a better Christian, I’m going to be a better parent, I’m going to be a better worker and something happens and you are right back where you started from.

Well, as we see from life, we are incapable of change, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change. You see, the change doesn’t come from you and I, it comes from God. Through Jesus Christ, who can change you.

Here in this passage, David wanted change in his life. He had sinned, he knew he had failed God. But he didn’t want to live in the failure, he wanted to live for the Father.

Now do you today want to live in failure or in the Father. Listen, just because you have failed in the past doesn’t mean that its over for you. Failure is not final. If you want to change, God will bring change in your life.

Now David gave this to the Lord, and that is what you have to do as well. Notice these three areas that David prayed for the Lord to change, and what we must ask God to do in our life as well.

Renewal of your Heart

· For real change to come into our life, there has to be a change that first takes place in our heart.

· When everyone is born they have a heart condition. I’m not talking about a physical deformity or a murmur. But every heart is born with a disease call sin.

· Sin has infected your heart. And regardless of how good you are, that sin sickness will destroy your heart.

· But pastor, I serve, I give, I obey the law, I don’t cause trouble. My heart is alright. But you are wrong.

· Think of it this way, a man who works out, exercises, runs, bikes, eats salad, can still die of a heart attack. Correct?

· And in similar manner, your spiritual heart is disease ridden with sin as well. And just by doing all of those so-called good things in life, does not give you a clean heart.

· Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

· David had allowed his heart to be corrupted over the lust for a woman. And friend let me tell you that the sin you have done has corrupted your heart.

· You want to change? You want to be a person who has a heart after God, then you need to come to the Lord and allow him to create in you a clean heart.

· Well, you might be saying, I don’t have a problem with my heart, I have a problem with my eyes. Nope it is your heart. I don’t have a problem with my heart, I have a problem with my mouth. Nope it is your heart. I don’t have a problem with my heart, I have a problem with my hands and feet. Nope it is your heart.

· The reason why you struggle with all of those other areas, is because your heart is not right.

· Now the only way your heart can change is by coming to Jesus. He is the only one who can create in you a clean heart.

· Image a heart that is not tainted with all the past mistakes. A heart that longs for the Lord instead of the wickedness of this world. He can create in you just that.

· That is what David desired. Here was a king, a man of great importance, but with all his wealth and power and popularity, he had a heart condition that only God could change.

Restoration of your Happiness

· Now there is not only a renewal of the heart, but if we turn it over to God, friend he will restore your happiness.

· Look at verse 12. David, prayed for Joy. Now are you a joyful person? You might say, well I think I am. Well, would others say you are a joyful person?

· I’m not talking about putting on a front, trying to make people think everything is alright with you when it really is not. Do people look at you and see joy?

· You know, if we have the right kind of relationship with the Lord, our life ought to be marked with an overabundance of joy.

· I mean, we ought to be a well of happiness and joy, that no matter what comes our way, we know that there is joy in the well.

· Many of you may realize, that it has been dry. I have been a little worried about it, because we have a very shallow well. I’ve been worried that the water is going to dry up. What am I going to do then?

· Well, it like manner, many have seen their joy wells go dry. They have been in the dry lands of the wilderness.

· That is exactly what happened to the children of Israel. They were out there in the wilderness. They were thirsty. They weren’t filled with joy, they were complaining. They weren’t happy, they were murmuring against God.

· Is that you? Life dry, like burnt toast. Heart as hard as the dried ground? Listen, God can change that. Just like he did for those in the wilderness, God had Moses hit a rock, and an abundance of water burst forth.

· You might be thinking, my heart is incapable of being happy, it is incapable of having love, it is dry and without any joy insight. Friend, you just need Jesus to touch that rock.

· If you allow Jesus to touch your heart, really touch it – then friend you will understand what Peter said about Joy unspeakable and full of glory.

· Now think about this, when a person wants to change their outward appearance, it cost them to do that. You pay a dentist to straighten your teeth, you pay a beautician to color your hair, you pay a doctor to give you a face lift. All of those things cost to change. But friend it won’t cost you a thing to have joy in your life.

· Listen to what David said here in this verse – uphold me with thy free spirit.

· You know what should bring you joy in your life? Knowing that God has saved you from your sin. That he has made you a child of God. That he hasn’t forsaken you or left you bound for hell.

· You want to know how to stay strong in this crazy world we live in? Jesus. To know I have something better awaiting me.

· Nehemiah 8:10 “…The joy of the Lord is your strength”

· Now if you are not saved, friend you will not have real joy. You will not have real peace. Because you see, these things only come from Jesus.

Recommitment to our Hope

· Now there is a third thing that we see here, if we want to see real change in our lives. We see it by renewing our heart, by asking God to restore our happiness, and the last thing is by recommitting to our Hope.

· Now what is hope? Well, hope is not desiring an uncertain result. You see people hope to win the lottery, but that may not come to pass.

· Or, a person may hope to pass their grade or get a promotion, but there is uncertainty in that kind of hope.

· No, the hope we talk about here is not something that is uncertain, but is definite. This hope is Jesus.

· You see, hope in the Lord is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.

· Now do you believe that the Lord can change you? Friend, he will, but what you must do is commit to Him.

· I want you to think of a person in your life, who is a dedicated Christian. A person you can see the Lord working in and has done great things. A person that is committed to Christ. Do you desire to be more like that person?

· Well friend you can. Jesus can change you into a person that others will want to be like. A person that has a clean heart that is full of joy.

· How does it happen, it happens by surrendering to Jesus. It is by saying to Jesus I’m going to make the choice to live by your word.

· When you live by the word of God, when you surrender to Christ, you will see the transformation.

· I have seen some, who were hard and awful people, become some of the greatest men and women of the Lord.

· I have seen where God has changed a mother or father, and their families became a place of harmony.

· You must recommit to Jesus, and when you do, others will see it in your life. You’ll become a new person. A changed person.

· And listen the change doesn’t stop with you, listen to what David said here. I will teach transgressor thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

· Change happens one person at a time, are you ready for change? Are you ready to be the person God has called you to be. Are you ready to be truly different. Then why not today, change where you are at, and bring it to Christ.