WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.220 Psalm 51. Now, we've been singing songs that celebrate the gospel, celebrate the good news 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:17.900 of God's work in the lives of His people. And we'll read Psalm 51 and think about it here too. 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:25.080 The title of this says, For the director of music, a psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to 00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:32.379 him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to 00:00:32.379 --> 00:00:39.280 your unfailing love. According to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:46.019 away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is always 00:00:46.019 --> 00:00:54.379 before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. So you are right 00:00:54.380 --> 00:01:01.640 in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my 00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:07.560 mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb. You taught me wisdom in that 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:14.460 secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. 00:01:15.400 --> 00:01:22.800 Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:29.259 blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 00:01:29.899 --> 00:01:37.019 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your 00:01:37.019 --> 00:01:45.120 salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways so that 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:51.920 sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:59.700 and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:05.939 You do not delight in sacrifice or I would bring it. You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 00:02:06.680 --> 00:02:12.780 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. 00:02:12.780 --> 00:02:21.020 May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will delight in the 00:02:21.020 --> 00:02:29.080 sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole. Then bulls will be offered on your 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:36.840 altar. Amen. So, we're thinking about the mission of God's people to celebrate the gospel. 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:44.599 As we begin, what was the last thing that you found yourself getting excited about? Perhaps it was 00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:49.539 around the dinner table, sharing with family. Perhaps it was spending time with a friend or a colleague. 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:54.939 Something that you had to share that you couldn't wait to communicate to someone else. You want the 00:02:54.939 --> 00:03:03.840 world to know this thing that so captured your imagination. As followers of Jesus, perhaps it's 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:10.159 challenging to reflect. When was the last time that was God's Word? When was it some deep truth from 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:15.180 Scripture? When was it the gospel of grace that captured our hearts so much that we wanted to share 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:25.879 it with one another or indeed with someone who doesn't know Jesus? Psalm 51, the title tells us, is by 00:03:25.879 --> 00:03:32.159 David. David, who is the king, therefore he is the chief worshiper. He leads the people of God in the 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:37.740 worship of God. But now, as our title reminds us, he has become the chief of sinners, as it were. 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:46.300 So, as we think about that, what's the story that makes his heart sing? What is it that he is happy 00:03:46.300 --> 00:03:55.099 and delighted and so overjoyed to share with his people? And we discover it's that God forgives sinners 00:03:55.099 --> 00:04:07.759 by his mercy and grace. And so, David, though he is the king, publicly, openly confesses his sin. 00:04:09.379 --> 00:04:14.740 Psalm 51 is part of the public worship of the people of God. I find that a remarkable fact 00:04:14.740 --> 00:04:22.300 that David would allow that, led by God's Spirit. But he can openly confess the sin, knowing that it's going 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:30.579 to highlight the covenant love and forgiveness of God that he's come to know by God's mercy and grace. 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:38.060 Learning to celebrate the gospel is so important for us as Christians and as a church because 00:04:38.060 --> 00:04:45.680 we look around our city, we look around the world, and we see many challenges, many difficulties, 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:52.019 perhaps. But the great need that the world has from God's people is that we would be personally 00:04:52.019 --> 00:04:58.620 delighted by the gospel so that we would then be led and compelled to declare the gospel. 00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:06.199 The great challenge for the church, of course, is that sometimes, individually, collectively, we're afraid 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:13.220 of that calling. We've kind of got used to living on the margins. Perhaps we lack confidence in our 00:05:13.220 --> 00:05:17.780 ability. Perhaps we even lack confidence in our message. We find ourselves thinking, well, where 00:05:17.780 --> 00:05:25.220 would we even start? Something I've been thinking about a lot this week in our own local context, 00:05:25.900 --> 00:05:34.980 recognizing, you know, for us as a church, our responsibility, indeed our need to be going out 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:41.220 with the gospel, to have that confidence to invite people in to hear the gospel, it requires that we need 00:05:41.220 --> 00:05:49.040 to know what we believe, and to be able to share clearly, simply, powerfully with others what we believe. 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:55.640 So, this evening, in helping us towards that, we're going to use Psalm 51, perhaps in a different way 00:05:55.640 --> 00:06:02.620 than we've heard before, to help us to think together, what is it that we believe about God? 00:06:02.620 --> 00:06:09.360 And what is it that we believe about sin? What is it that we believe about salvation? 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:18.459 And how do we want people to respond? So, hopefully, this will encourage us all towards 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:24.620 thinking about the gospel, so that we might then be able to share the gospel. 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:31.240 And as we go, as a by-the-by, one of the really interesting things about David and about so much 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:37.319 of the Bible is imagery, imagination, trying to get to the heart in different languages, 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:42.800 different images. So, perhaps, as we think about some of these images that David uses, 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:49.780 we'll find them helpful in talking with others. But first of all, what is it that we believe about 00:06:49.779 --> 00:06:56.239 God? There are some crucial truths here. Of course, it doesn't contain all that we believe about God, 00:06:56.299 --> 00:07:04.239 but certainly, it centers on the reality of a God of covenant love, doesn't it? Verse 1, 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:11.839 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion, 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:19.619 blot out my transgressions. That's covenant language. David holds two truths together. One, 00:07:19.779 --> 00:07:26.000 that he does not deserve the favor of God. He does not in and of himself deserve forgiveness. Mercy, 00:07:26.099 --> 00:07:33.000 in that sense, is optional with God. But he also holds the truth that forgiveness is found within 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:42.219 the covenant of grace. Now, David is a believer, and he understands that the whole of the Christian life, 00:07:42.220 --> 00:07:52.180 from beginning to end, stands on the basis of God's grace, God's unfailing love, God's mercy is what 00:07:52.180 --> 00:07:57.720 begins us on the journey of faith. It's what sustains us in the journey of faith. 00:07:59.440 --> 00:08:04.800 And we see it, in a sense, captured in the parable of the prodigal son, the returning son who has brought 00:08:04.800 --> 00:08:08.960 shame on his father, who's turned his back on his father, made such a mess of his life, he comes back 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:17.259 and he says, Father, I am not worthy. And he discovers a father who loves to welcome and to rejoice 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:25.500 over him. David, when we read Scripture, we discover that David has committed two sins that could be 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:31.519 regarded as no-hope sins. He has committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then he has arranged for 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:39.579 her husband Uriah to be murdered. These are sins not covered by the sacrifices, because these are 00:08:39.579 --> 00:08:48.939 deliberate sins, deliberate breaking of God's law. But yet David still has hope for mercy and forgiveness. 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:55.960 There is in the story of David a reminder that because God's mercy is much greater than our sin, 00:08:55.960 --> 00:09:03.780 there's hope for any and for all who turn in repentance and faith, that we will be saved, 00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:11.759 and that restoration can happen because of the mercy of God. This psalm also reminds us 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:17.060 that we talk about a God who is the ultimate moral authority in the universe. 00:09:17.059 --> 00:09:25.699 Now, verse 4 says, Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, 00:09:26.199 --> 00:09:31.359 so you're right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Of course, the question comes, 00:09:31.419 --> 00:09:35.699 how can David say against you, you only? Because we know he's sinned against Bathsheba and against 00:09:35.699 --> 00:09:46.799 Uriah. But David understands all sin is an offense to the holy God, a God who sets all the laws, 00:09:47.059 --> 00:09:56.079 all sin is either directly against God or against an image bearer of God, which is to sin against God 00:09:56.079 --> 00:10:04.219 also. And so, we're discovering in this psalm, and David acknowledges that the king's law has been 00:10:04.219 --> 00:10:13.199 broken, that the king's rule has been rejected, the king's word has been ignored, and this king, 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:24.300 he's the judge of all. And his verdicts are right. And one of the needs that we have as we look to 00:10:24.300 --> 00:10:32.900 communicate who God is, is that people would feel that sense of weight. As the Bible says, 00:10:32.940 --> 00:10:39.720 it's a terrible thing to fall into the hands of a holy God. That's really challenging to people today. 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:45.279 Perhaps it's challenging to our own mindset when we hear so often that nobody has the right to claim 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:51.100 there's an absolute moral authority. You know, we see it in debate and in argument, and no one can 00:10:51.100 --> 00:10:58.019 tell me what to do with my life or with my body. The truth is, God can and God does. And there will 00:10:58.019 --> 00:11:04.980 come a time when everybody finds ourselves in God's lock or under God's right and just judgment. 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:11.980 So, we talk about God of covenant love. We talk about God as ultimate moral authority, and we 00:11:11.980 --> 00:11:21.399 recognize and we find hope in the fact that God alone forgives sin. David's focus in the first half 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:32.620 of this psalm is that sin is what makes a person both guilty and unclean before God. And he 00:11:32.620 --> 00:11:41.580 understands completely that only God can deal with that. And God does so on the basis of grace. 00:11:44.379 --> 00:11:50.560 When he comes to guilt, he uses the image in verse 1, according to your great compassion, 00:11:50.560 --> 00:11:59.620 blot out my transgressions. The idea of a record of debt being canceled. 00:11:59.620 --> 00:12:05.779 Right? Perhaps nationally, many people are going to feel that stress of mounting 00:12:05.779 --> 00:12:12.320 debts. Well, here, the debt is not financial. The debt is a failure to give God what he deserves. 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:18.899 A failure to give God the love he deserves, the worship he deserves, the obedience and honor 00:12:18.899 --> 00:12:25.539 that is due to him, that is this record of debt, our guilt. 00:12:25.539 --> 00:12:35.559 And it's only God that can blot that out. And David also recognizes that sin makes him unclean 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:44.860 before God. Verse 2, wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Sin is that ugly stain that 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:51.899 we cannot remove, that we cannot hide. And the result is that we are unfit for God's presence. We are 00:12:51.899 --> 00:13:01.879 unfit in and of ourselves to share life with him. But David turns to another set of things that he 00:13:01.879 --> 00:13:08.279 knows are true about God, these realities that give him confidence even in the face of these great sins. 00:13:10.579 --> 00:13:18.179 He understands that when we confess our sin, when we turn to God, verse 7, God cleanses. 00:13:18.179 --> 00:13:27.459 Cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. This hyssop was 00:13:27.459 --> 00:13:33.859 used in cleansing rituals. It was used at the Passover. It was used to cleanse someone who'd been 00:13:33.859 --> 00:13:44.719 suffering from leprosy. Brings pictures, images of sacrifice and blood. And the effect of that is to 00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:55.720 make a person whiter than snow. God forgives sin. God cleanses sin. Verse 8, God also restores joy. 00:13:57.000 --> 00:14:02.960 Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones you have crushed the joy. 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:13.620 Think of those moments when we have done wrong, perhaps in childhood or as adults. And there's that 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:20.139 point where we know that we need to confess as a way to be putting things right. But there's that fear 00:14:20.139 --> 00:14:28.560 sometimes. How will this person receive me? Will I be forgiven? Well, with God, David knows the answer 00:14:28.560 --> 00:14:33.480 is yes. There is forgiveness. There is restoration. And for David, that brings joy. 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:44.980 And he also knows that when we confess and turn back to God, God diverts his attention. Verse 9, 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:51.740 wonderful picture. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 00:14:51.740 --> 00:15:04.340 It's as if there's a parent and you get to the school gates and you see your child and they're 00:15:04.340 --> 00:15:09.680 covered in dirt and they've got stains all over their clothes and you know that other parents are 00:15:09.680 --> 00:15:16.379 pointing the finger at this kid that's a disgrace. But you don't see that because you love your child. 00:15:16.379 --> 00:15:29.899 What does God see in his children? He sees the love that he has for us. He turns away from focusing on 00:15:29.899 --> 00:15:36.039 our sin because that's been cleansed and he sees the love he has for his children. 00:15:36.039 --> 00:15:47.019 What is it that we celebrate? What is it that excites us about God? Is that in Jesus' sacrifice, 00:15:47.179 --> 00:15:51.599 in Jesus' blood, there is forgiveness, there's cleansing, there's reconciliation. 00:15:52.839 --> 00:16:01.139 In Jesus, there is joy, the joy of peace with God. In Jesus, God sees us as righteous because he has 00:16:01.139 --> 00:16:09.740 paid our debt. The stain is paid. It's gone. And so, there is good news. And so, we have wonderful 00:16:09.740 --> 00:16:18.080 truths that David helps us to see about our God. But we also understand from David that there are 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:25.240 things that we believe and teach about sin. So, our message is really good news. The gospel is the 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:31.059 best news anyone will ever hear. It is freedom. It is life. But it only ever hits a person's ears. 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:36.299 It is that way if we hear the bad news and deal with the bad news of sin. 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:43.840 Perhaps we can imagine a group of friends discussing a new wonder drug that's come on the market. 00:16:45.299 --> 00:16:48.980 And in that group of friends, there are some people who are healthy and they look at it 00:16:48.980 --> 00:16:53.779 kind of without much excitement. Well, that's nice for those people. That's not something I really need. 00:16:53.819 --> 00:16:58.340 But if you're suffering from the disease or the illness that the drug is particularly going to 00:16:58.340 --> 00:17:02.100 target, then you're thinking, wow, that's amazing. How do I get it? You're on the phone to your GP. 00:17:04.500 --> 00:17:11.980 In Jesus' day, he said to people, I will set you free. And they said, well, we're not slaves. 00:17:14.180 --> 00:17:19.200 I'll give you life and life to the full. And there are people who say, well, religion, 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:25.460 following Jesus, that just sucks away life. It sucks away joy. We have good news, but not everybody 00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:32.420 hears it. So one thing that we need to recognize and always remind ourselves as we look to share 00:17:32.420 --> 00:17:37.580 our faith, as we look to celebrate the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus, is that we need 00:17:37.579 --> 00:17:46.960 God to open people's eyes and minds and hearts. It's only God that changes people's lives. But we do need 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:53.819 honesty about the bad news so that the good news can sing as God's Spirit does His work through His Word. 00:17:56.500 --> 00:18:03.899 David's story, we find it in 2 Samuel 11 and 12, of his failure as king of being tempted to sin, 00:18:03.900 --> 00:18:08.860 of his adultery with Bathsheba, and then trying to cover it up, as we've said. And then God sends 00:18:08.860 --> 00:18:15.800 Nathan the prophet, and God's Word cuts deep into David's heart. And now, rather than cover up, 00:18:15.860 --> 00:18:23.460 there's public confession. Knowing the gospel, he is free to own his sin, to confess his sin. 00:18:24.019 --> 00:18:27.980 It's a wonderful thing about the gospel of grace. It gives us freedom to be honest, 00:18:28.280 --> 00:18:31.040 because we know we're not trying to prove ourselves to God. 00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:38.279 So, let's think about the four truths that we believe about sin that we find in our text. 00:18:39.899 --> 00:18:47.259 Now, first of all, David talks about the stain of sin. Back there again in verses 1 and 2, 00:18:47.339 --> 00:18:51.839 when he talks about blotting out my transgressions and washing away iniquity. 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:59.519 Supposing the next time you find yourself walking past your local newsagent, maybe you're wanting to 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:04.240 go and get a pint of milk or get some eggs. And you saw, as newsagents often do, they've got 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:11.119 all the newspapers displayed outside. Suppose every headline, every picture, every cover story 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:22.379 featured the worst things that we had ever done in our lives. Imagine how we would feel in that moment. 00:19:22.380 --> 00:19:35.920 Or perhaps, imagine being at a wedding and seeing a bride walk down the aisle should be her moment of glory and great joy, 00:19:36.020 --> 00:19:43.880 but the dress is covered in food stains and ink stains and it's a mess. And imagine how different that day is going to feel. 00:19:43.880 --> 00:19:52.540 Well, what David points us toward in Psalm 51 is that as people, we are that wedding dress. 00:19:53.240 --> 00:20:02.000 And we have been made in God's image and we should shine with glory, but we are spoiled by sin and that stain runs deep. 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:17.420 Going further, let's think about the direction of sin. Again, verse 4, against you, you only have I sinned and done what's evil in your sight. 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:23.779 We're coming towards the 5th of November. We're coming towards Bonfire Night. 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:28.399 And perhaps boys and girls. I said boys today, actually, it's boys. 00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:38.680 We can think of Guy Fawkes. As we think about Guy Fawkes every year, Guy Fawkes, the image of him often gets put on a bonfire. 00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:47.379 Well, who was Guy Fawkes? Well, he was one of many people who came up with a plot to try and get rid of King James. 00:20:47.380 --> 00:20:52.280 And the plot was foiled. No blowing up with the Houses of Parliament. 00:20:52.460 --> 00:21:01.300 And instead, Guy Fawkes was arrested and he was killed for treason at the Tower of London. 00:21:02.980 --> 00:21:08.340 And we remember him as this infamous baddie from history. 00:21:11.340 --> 00:21:16.000 Well, David here is reminding us that sin is treason against God, our King. 00:21:17.380 --> 00:21:21.720 Sin is treason, rebellion against our Creator. 00:21:22.460 --> 00:21:26.420 The one who gives us everything good that we enjoy. The one who's given us Jesus. 00:21:29.520 --> 00:21:31.740 So sin is directed against God. 00:21:33.840 --> 00:21:35.960 He also talks about the nature of sin. 00:21:36.820 --> 00:21:37.640 In verse 5, 00:21:37.780 --> 00:21:43.700 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 00:21:43.700 --> 00:21:48.559 A different view of sin than perhaps many people think of. 00:21:49.240 --> 00:21:52.080 He's saying, I'm not a sinner because of what I do. 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:58.180 He's saying, I commit sin because I'm a sinner. 00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:04.380 Understanding that we inherit a sinful nature. 00:22:04.380 --> 00:22:10.440 Robert Murray McShane, a minister in Dundee from a previous generation, 00:22:11.040 --> 00:22:16.260 I said, the seed of every sin known to man is in my heart. 00:22:16.259 --> 00:22:25.559 And so David, as he explores the depth of sin, is showing that what we need is heart change. 00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:30.700 It goes so much further than the idea that people have perhaps of turning over a new leaf. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:36.019 Let's try a little bit harder, and we're sure that we can keep God's laws. 00:22:36.019 --> 00:22:39.879 The answer to sin is here. 00:22:40.579 --> 00:22:45.559 And it's not in resolve or discipline or turning over a new leaf. 00:22:45.619 --> 00:22:46.759 It's here in verse 10. 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:53.599 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 00:22:54.599 --> 00:22:55.779 It's a miracle of grace. 00:22:55.879 --> 00:22:59.539 That word create is the same word used in Genesis 1. 00:22:59.660 --> 00:23:02.619 It's the word that's only ever used of God in the Bible. 00:23:02.619 --> 00:23:04.159 We make stuff. 00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:07.199 God has the power to create. 00:23:08.239 --> 00:23:11.039 And David understands the sin problem is so deep. 00:23:12.419 --> 00:23:17.779 It cuts right to the depths of the human heart that what we need is new creation power 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:20.979 to forgive, to restore, to change. 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:25.099 And so David didn't minimize the sin problem. 00:23:25.919 --> 00:23:28.979 He didn't make excuses for his sin problem. 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:31.559 He didn't say, well, I'm the king. 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:32.660 I'm above the law. 00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:36.420 But rather, we find honest and open confession. 00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:42.059 Understanding God's mercy and grace and giving that new heart, 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:44.259 making him a new creation in Christ. 00:23:45.860 --> 00:23:48.279 David could sing of amazing grace. 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:50.519 So many ways he did. 00:23:51.500 --> 00:23:52.680 How much more can we? 00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:59.460 We've seen the cost that God pays to forgive us in the sending of his own son, Jesus. 00:24:00.740 --> 00:24:07.519 And so we need to be honest about sin so that we can help people see the goodness of God 00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:09.460 and the goodness of salvation. 00:24:10.320 --> 00:24:11.960 So what do we believe about salvation? 00:24:12.060 --> 00:24:15.539 What can we learn from Psalm 51 about our salvation? 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:23.639 Like many, perhaps one of the abiding images from Euro 2020, if you followed it, 00:24:24.420 --> 00:24:30.579 was thinking about Christian Eriksen, the Danish football player who had the cardiac arrest on the pitch 00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:36.779 and he was resuscitated with the help of some of his team and doctors and whatnot. 00:24:37.299 --> 00:24:40.059 And when he came around a few days later in the hospital, 00:24:40.059 --> 00:24:43.839 what he wanted to do was to pay tribute to his team captain, 00:24:44.419 --> 00:24:46.319 to pay tribute to the medics on the pitch, 00:24:46.359 --> 00:24:51.899 and to pay tribute to the doctors in the hospital who saved his life. 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:56.799 He understood, without having to be told, I'm sure, 00:24:57.579 --> 00:25:00.399 that being saved is something to enjoy 00:25:00.399 --> 00:25:06.220 and it leads to praise, to praise one's Savior. 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:13.900 Now we see this in David's song, especially in verse 13 to 19, 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:20.339 as he has reflected on who God is and what God has done for him. 00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:21.700 Look at verse 13, 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:26.220 Then I will teach transgressors your ways so that sinners will turn back to you. 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:31.100 Deliver me from guilt, O God, you who are God my Savior, 00:25:31.220 --> 00:25:34.180 and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:36.840 So as he celebrates God's mercy and forgiving him, 00:25:37.120 --> 00:25:43.240 he wants everyone to hear so that others too might respond and turn and receive mercy. 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:49.519 In verse 16 and 17, he wants everyone to know, 00:25:50.420 --> 00:25:52.600 listen, being right with God is not about being religious. 00:25:53.460 --> 00:25:55.140 Don't fall into the trap of thinking you, 00:25:55.340 --> 00:25:57.920 in their case, you need to go to the tabernacle and offer 00:25:57.920 --> 00:26:01.140 one more animal on the altar. 00:26:01.140 --> 00:26:03.900 It's about having a deep heart change. 00:26:05.080 --> 00:26:05.920 Verse 16, 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:08.320 You do not delight in sacrifice that I would bring it. 00:26:08.360 --> 00:26:10.140 You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:12.180 My sacrifice, O God, 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:14.020 is a broken spirit, 00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:16.820 a broken and a contrite heart 00:26:16.820 --> 00:26:17.500 you, God, 00:26:17.980 --> 00:26:20.360 will not despise. 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:24.400 It's God's grace. 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:29.880 This deep heart change that comes from God's grace. 00:26:31.620 --> 00:26:33.380 So when we talk about salvation, 00:26:34.019 --> 00:26:36.340 we do it so that God is the hero of the story, 00:26:36.420 --> 00:26:38.420 that God is glorified, 00:26:38.780 --> 00:26:41.420 but we can also show that God provides 00:26:41.420 --> 00:26:44.400 what every heart instinctively is longing for. 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:47.060 And perhaps, 00:26:48.060 --> 00:26:51.360 as we listen in to conversations 00:26:51.360 --> 00:26:54.140 among family, friends, colleagues, 00:26:55.040 --> 00:26:58.700 perhaps we can recognize some of the longings expressed, 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:01.820 some of the conversations that people have, 00:27:02.220 --> 00:27:05.180 and we'll be able to apply different aspects 00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:07.280 of the good news of the work of Jesus 00:27:07.280 --> 00:27:11.100 to really hit home with people. 00:27:11.099 --> 00:27:15.000 Some areas to focus on from Psalm 51. 00:27:17.159 --> 00:27:20.099 The major one is forgiveness, isn't it? 00:27:21.799 --> 00:27:23.579 Think about how many people are living 00:27:23.579 --> 00:27:25.259 with a burden of guilt. 00:27:26.619 --> 00:27:28.480 Something they did in their past. 00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:30.919 A pattern of lifestyle in the present. 00:27:32.199 --> 00:27:33.759 Why there is so much anxiety 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:36.399 in our day and age. 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:39.480 What's the good news that we have in the gospel? 00:27:39.480 --> 00:27:41.759 What's the good news that David declares with Jesus? 00:27:42.579 --> 00:27:45.779 We can have a clean slate before God. 00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:48.420 We can have a pure heart. 00:27:49.259 --> 00:27:51.160 We can be made white as snow. 00:27:55.099 --> 00:27:57.220 We know, too, people are looking for love. 00:27:59.339 --> 00:27:59.779 Always. 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:03.660 The government has talked about a loneliness epidemic. 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:07.580 We don't have to look too far, I'm sure, 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:10.680 to recognize breakdowns of relationships. 00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:14.460 And there is a lack of security that comes from that, 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:17.240 but with Jesus, there is a love, 00:28:17.340 --> 00:28:19.140 there is fellowship you will never lose. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:20.800 Verse 11, 00:28:21.660 --> 00:28:23.880 Do not cast me from your presence 00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:25.980 or take your Holy Spirit from me. 00:28:27.120 --> 00:28:29.540 David is looking at what happened to Saul 00:28:29.539 --> 00:28:32.180 when Saul had the Holy Spirit removed. 00:28:34.259 --> 00:28:35.980 And David wants nothing more 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:39.299 than to enjoy fellowship, friendship, 00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:41.240 relationship with his God 00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:42.500 and with his Savior. 00:28:43.859 --> 00:28:45.559 That's what we call people to, 00:28:45.639 --> 00:28:47.200 to invite people into 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:49.299 that relationship of love 00:28:49.299 --> 00:28:50.799 with their Creator and Redeemer. 00:28:52.119 --> 00:28:54.139 And there's joy, too, isn't there? 00:28:55.159 --> 00:28:56.079 It's the answer. 00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:59.339 Jesus is the answer to the despair, 00:28:59.899 --> 00:29:02.159 the sense of life being meaningless, 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:04.559 the loss of hope and the growing fear. 00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:08.039 For the folks that have it all 00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:09.539 but still feel empty, 00:29:09.960 --> 00:29:12.819 to understand that that longing for deep joy 00:29:12.819 --> 00:29:16.220 is found only in Jesus, in the gospel. 00:29:17.779 --> 00:29:19.259 Again, to go to verse 12, 00:29:19.379 --> 00:29:21.759 Restore to me the joy of your salvation 00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:24.879 and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:27.900 The joy of knowing the curse is lifted. 00:29:29.860 --> 00:29:32.120 The joy of knowing the life we were made 00:29:32.120 --> 00:29:34.220 for life in fellowship with our God. 00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:36.720 It's what creates that changed heart 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:38.200 that gladly obeys. 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:43.160 So we think about the wonderful song 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:44.660 that is Psalm 51. 00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:47.080 We need to believe for ourselves 00:29:47.080 --> 00:29:48.480 that the gospel is the message 00:29:48.480 --> 00:29:50.320 that a hurting and broken world 00:29:50.320 --> 00:29:51.680 really needs to hear. 00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:56.140 Like David, we'd be experiencing daily 00:29:56.140 --> 00:29:57.779 the joy of our salvation. 00:30:00.019 --> 00:30:02.060 That we'd be eager to give glory 00:30:02.060 --> 00:30:04.000 to our rescuer, 00:30:04.080 --> 00:30:06.299 the one who has shown mercy to us. 00:30:07.560 --> 00:30:09.600 That we'd be encouraging one another 00:30:09.600 --> 00:30:12.519 towards rejoicing in our God and Savior 00:30:12.519 --> 00:30:15.259 and so that others may know, 00:30:16.279 --> 00:30:17.200 that they may see, 00:30:17.720 --> 00:30:18.960 and they may believe too. 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:22.160 So let's pray about that as we close. 00:30:23.259 --> 00:30:25.339 Father God, thank you for this psalm. 00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:29.119 Thank you for the wonderful truths 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:31.420 that David could point us towards 00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:33.160 about you, 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:35.519 about the dark nature of sin, 00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:36.480 but the fact that you, 00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:38.819 by the Lord Jesus, 00:30:39.220 --> 00:30:40.160 cover sin, 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:41.340 that you give forgiveness, 00:30:41.540 --> 00:30:43.460 that you show mercy and grace. 00:30:44.680 --> 00:30:46.640 And thank you that in finding salvation, 00:30:46.820 --> 00:30:48.180 we find true joy, 00:30:48.340 --> 00:30:51.019 we find eternal love, 00:30:51.779 --> 00:30:54.460 that we find full and free forgiveness 00:30:54.460 --> 00:30:57.440 through the blood of the Lord Jesus. 00:30:58.440 --> 00:30:59.920 Lord, we pray that the gospel 00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:01.400 would be precious to us, 00:31:02.420 --> 00:31:03.680 and that the gospel would be 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:05.600 what delights our hearts 00:31:05.599 --> 00:31:08.799 as individuals and as churches, 00:31:10.119 --> 00:31:12.319 so that with the help of the Spirit, 00:31:12.439 --> 00:31:13.399 we might declare 00:31:13.399 --> 00:31:15.879 the wonder of the gospel to others, 00:31:16.659 --> 00:31:18.000 and that you might work 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:19.359 through us as weak 00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:21.619 and as feeble as we often feel, 00:31:22.299 --> 00:31:24.559 so that many more people in our city, 00:31:25.379 --> 00:31:26.459 in our circles, 00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:28.779 would be celebrating the gospel too. 00:31:29.419 --> 00:31:30.759 And we pray in Jesus' name. 00:31:31.299 --> 00:31:31.599 Amen. 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:31.719 Amen. 00:31:34.419 --> 00:31:37.019 Let's close our time singing together 00:31:37.019 --> 00:31:40.019 from Psalm 130, 00:31:40.500 --> 00:31:43.059 and let's stand to sing together. 00:31:43.059 --> 00:31:43.240 Amen.