02.26.2012 Psalm 51 - Understanding Grace and Mercy

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Jeff started an introduction to the Psalms last week – he gave some things to look for and some significant words and themes and how to meditate on them.
Real People with real things going on in their lives calling out to a real God.
Don’t worry about getting through all 150 done. Rob, whose name I won’t mention – has gotten way ahead. Use this time to prepare, grow, and get right with Christ.
Psalm 51 – one of the psalms that gives us the context :
51:1 [Written after Nathan the prophet had come to inform David of God's judgment against him because of his adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of Uriah, her husband.]
First, David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then he committed murder by having Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba killed in battle.
2 Sam. 12:1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man!”
Let’s pray – Lord, we just thank You for Your word and we ask that You would speak to our hearts. Teach us – that we would have fresh and clear minds to listen to what You say. You are a gracious and loving God. Fill us with Your Spirit, Joy, knowledge, strength, comfort – Fill us with Your grace. In Your name we pray. Amen.
David is trying to hide all of this and Psalm 51 is David’s response after Nathan reproves him – and how David deals with the sin and guilt and how he is restored. Hopefully we are not like David in that we haven’t gone that far down that road of adultery and murder – but all of us will fail terribly – and we need to know how to respond and get back on our feet. David is our example of how to get up again.
First – he acknowledges his sin and repents. Going into this Psalm, he has already repented. We tend to want to blameshift and hide – but in the hiding is trouble – those things that happen in darkness grow stronger. It is when you expose it to the light that that area is able to be confronted and you can get victory over it. You will not get victory if you keep it hidden.
51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
This is a prayer for grace and mercy. When we sin against God or others, we need grace and mercy – David understood that. Mercy – Unfailing Love – the word Jeff talked about last week - Hessed – and compassion – each of these builds. He is asking God to do for him that which he does not deserve. Then the word – unfailing love – lovingkindness – steadfast love – there is so much meaning to this word – God’s favor toward his people – and the compassion shows God’s feelings for us. When you see a child in trouble – you know how it wells up inside of you. David is calling on those feelings in God – like a parent for a child in trouble. What he is saying – don’t treat me according to what I deserve. Think about what he deserved – murder/adultery – we don’t even need to go there – He is saying – treat me how I don’t deserve – with lovingkindness. And at some points in our lives – that is exactly what we need – because we DESERVE his punishment and discipline – and we DON’T DESERVE His love, favor and blessings.
All of this was accomplished on the cross – did you do anything to merit that? Everyone say – No! That is really what David is crying out for in this situation. He understands that anything good in his life is dependent on the love and mercy of God. We need to understand that too – the only way we can experience any good is if God is merciful and loving. God is even merciful and loving to the wicked. David gets it – He understands God’s love. It is so important that you understand how much God loves you and wants to give you what you don’t deserve. It is such a simple thing, I don’t think we spend enough time thinking about it. But a lot of times, we don’t live our lives by grace, but by – Have I not gotten angry today? Have I read my 3 Psalms today? But you can’t live that way – you can’t live based on your goodness or how disciplined you are. Because at some point – you must depend on God – if his love doesn’t come through, I am lost.
It is after that sin that David understands God’s grace.
Until we are willing to see just how much we have rebelled and turned against God – we will not understand what His grace and love and mercy are all about.
Can you imagine Nathan telling the story – that man needs to be destroyed – and then Nathan says – Oh, by the way, I am talking about you. And David realizes he is that guy. And then he is able to understand how deep God’s grace, mercy and love really go.
After this prayer of grace, mercy and love is a prayer for confession.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Have you ever felt that way? You should, because it is true!
I think confession is something we can neglect – it is a practice that we can neglect – especially as evangelicals – if you want to call yourself that – but it is a practice we must consistently do.
1 John says this – it won’t be up there – use your Bible!
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
There is a difference between our positional forgiveness – because Christ went to the cross – we are forgiven. It is not like confession grants more forgiveness – but confession allows you to experience your forgiveness – to experience that which has already taken place. Not confessing causes you to feel guilt. Confession to God is an important discipline to develop. At the end, I will charge you – this is to be a week of confession and restoration.
David had to do this – after the confession – there is a prayer for cleansing.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Hyssop is like marjoram – the plant that was dipped in the blood to be put over the door at Passover.
There is this feeling of taking a shower – you know the feeling of being all grubby and then getting to take a shower and feeling so clean? He is talking about his soul that way. We do a lot of mud wrestling in our souls – just wash that – to have that clean feeling.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
When we hide our sin – that is what it is like – our bones are crushed, day in and day out.
Prayer for grace, cleansing – and now restoration
9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
It starts on the inside – we must change the inside – we must get to a right relationship with God – in our hearts. And in our spirit.
It is not just a clean feeling – but to actually be restored and transformed.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
We need to understand that we can only do this by God’s help and His presence. We tend to repent and return and then try to do it on our own. But our better needs to be on the receiving of Grace, love and mercy.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
He connects a willingness to do what is rgith with joy. We believe that a real willingness to do what is right will come with feeling bad on the inside – but it is an atmosphere of joy that allows us to experience that joy –
If I were to get up here and berate you – How many of you didn’t read your psalms this week? I would never do that – but it is in the atmosphere of joy that makes us willing and want to follow God. But the atmosphere of dictating never works. Not even on a job. You have probably had a boss at some point that is always dictating what needs to be done – no sense of pleasure in doing the work. No one wants to work for that person. They want to be with the person who makes it fun and full of joy.
When we understand that – our joy will return in life – and we will be able to push forward.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
There is a unique capability given to those who have been forgiven to teach and convert others. Those who have failed miserably and return to the Lord have a unique capability of helping others. We all know that – when we struggle with something – and we know of someone who has had just as much struggle or worse – and they have learned some things through the process of being restored and forgiven – those are the people we learn from. We learn from those who have been in our shoes and come out the other side.
We are all David in some way – Jesus said if you are angry – you’ve committed murder – if you lust, you have committed adultery – so in the heart, we are all like David – and so, through the heart, through confession, we are able to experience the forgiveness – and through that we are able to go out and see lives transformed.
It may be in small ways – you might not get to go through the Bible with someone – but there are small ways you can help to transforma life. It may be small the first time – but allow God to use you.
14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
That is the next thing – we become people of praise and gratefulness. When we go through this process, we are a people of praise – not complainers, but gratefull, thankful for all God has odone.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings
There is nothing we can do in our own strength.
. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
This is an attitude of humility – to understand that we don’t deserve it, but God chooses to give.
In closing – David enters back into God’s service through this humility.
18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
He speaks of Zion, Jerusalem, sacrifices – this is returning to the work of God – after being through all of this – we return back to worship and the work of God.
We are celebrating Lent – using this season to prepare our hearts – getting right our relationship with God.
As you are reading through the Psalms this week – look for issues dealing with confession, repentance, and restoration – and see how God deals with the Psalmist.
I urge you to have a time of silence. Cindy and I were talking – she will often read a lot, think a lot – yet, it is hard to stop – put stuff down – all of our service, study, even our prayer – because even those can become another to-do list thing – go somewhere in silence and allow God to talk to you. And especially allow God to reveal your heart and truth in those areas you need to change. Let God show you the good – but for this week – allow him to show you what needs to change.
We’ll say, I know I need to change in this – but maybe God is putting his finger on THAT. When He does that – acknowledge it – confess – it is not mythical – it is just acknowledging – God you are right. Spend the week seeking grace and mercy – it is available to us through Christ – but we have to appropriate it – seeking it and allowing God to give it to us – and living a life getting what we don’t deserve. Let’s pray.