The superscription calls this a maskil of David.
! A maskil is a bit ambiguous,
What does that tell us about Psalm 32?
Well, it tells us that though it may be categorized
as a penitential psalm
or categorized in some sense maybe as a lament,
though I don't think this is a lament,
in some sense as a praise,
just fundamentally based on what David has given us
here at the beginning,
Psalm 32, the king calls the worshipers
to meditate on the nature and the joy
of being forgiven by God
and then he instructs us on how to receive
and continue in that joy of being forgiven.
That's essentially what this Psalm's about.
David says, here's what it means to be forgiven by God.
Here's how you need to meditate on this great truth.
Here's how you can receive this great forgiveness
and continue in it.
It's a psalm of instruction.
It's a psalm of contemplation
and impartation of wisdom from the king.
And how is it that he accomplishes this?
Well, first he gives us something
of his doctrine of forgiveness
and this is born of his own experience.
We see that in verses one to five
and then he takes that doctrine,
that experience of forgiveness
and what he knows to be true of God
and of God's mercy
and then he applies it to us.
First in a praise
and then in explicit exhortations.
Now Psalm 32, it doesn't speak
of the joy of forgiveness in abstract.
It's not forgiveness and mercy in theory.
It's actually quite real.
It's very personal as we read it here.
Even more, it's offered to each and every one of us
in the gospel.
This great joy and gladness and excitement
that we've said cannot compare to anything else
is offered to you.
It's offered to me in the person,
in the work of Jesus Christ
and we can get there from Psalm 32.
And no matter how great your debt is,
no matter how great your sin has been,
we learn in Psalm 32 that you can have forgiveness
from God, full forgiveness,
and you can live in a blessed state of joy
that David describes here.
This can be your song
because of what we learn here in Psalm 32.
Let's look first at David's experience
of being forgiven.
We find this experience explained
and expressed in verses one to five.
We might think of this, as I said,
as the doctrinal statement of forgiveness
in David's life and in this Psalm.
He is the blessed man
who has received this forgiveness from God.
And that's why we say it's more than a theory.
He's telling us something
that he has actually personally experienced himself.
And it's through that experience
that we're instructed on the nature
and receipt of God's forgiveness.
Let's just break it down.
Three things I think are worth noting here
in this doctrinal statement of forgiveness.
First, we find that true happiness
comes from complete forgiveness.
True happiness comes from complete forgiveness.
Look at verses one and two.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts
no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Now, we're familiar with this term blessed,
but as it comes to the Psalms,
we haven't seen it since the very beginning.
We haven't seen it since Psalm number one.
And there in Psalm number one,
true happiness belongs to the one who does not sin,
but instead delights himself in the law of God,
in the word of God.
You remember, perhaps you memorized it growing up.
The blessed man, the happy man,
all the happiness of the one
who does not follow in the way of sinners,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord.
He's like a tree planted by the rivers of water.
He gives us fruit in his season.
It's a beautiful picture of the blessing of God
on the righteous.
In Psalm one, we have a target at which to aim,
but the problem with Psalm one
is that none of us hit that target.
It's a picture of sinlessness,
a picture of perfect righteousness
that each and every one of us have failed to hit.
So none of us then, in the context of Psalm one
and the blessed man of Psalm one,
none of us then can be truly happy
because none of us is truly holy.
That's the problem.
So it's of tremendous importance.
It's of tremendous help
that we discover another means
of obtaining true happiness in Psalm 32.
And what we find is that the blessing,
the happiness of the righteous one in Psalm one
is freely given now to the forgiven one in Psalm 32.
Do you see they link there?
The blessing of the righteous one in Psalm one
is now given freely to the forgiven one in this Psalm.
And I want you to notice the nature of this forgiveness
that brings this happiness and joy.
It's not simply the pardon of a particular act.
That's not what David is describing here.
It's a full pardon.
A full pardon such that the transgressor
now stands before God as if he's truly righteous.
As if he had actually met the conditions of someone.
That's what David seems to be describing here.
It's not just the Lord forgives you for this one thing.
No, it's he just forgives you.
It's all clean.
It's all wiped away.
It's as if you had actually done what Psalm one demands.
And that comes through here in the three terms
that David uses for his own moral failure.
Notice the three.
First, there's transgression.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven.
Transgression, each of these terms
has a particular nuance that's worth considering.
Transgression is explicit rebellion
against God and his law.
It is a brazen crossing of a boundary.
Transgression is when we say,
this is what God says.
This is what God's word says.
And I just don't care.
Or I don't believe that it's good and that it's right.
Or I don't believe that God actually said it.
I'm gonna do this instead.
It's a brazen crossing of a boundary.
Something each and every one of us has done.
We have transgressions.
We have rebellion against our God.
Well, then he uses another term in verse one.
Not only is he blessed the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
but also whose sin is covered.
Well, what is the nuance of sin here?
Sin is a wandering away from
or a falling short of God's moral desires.
We see this maybe most clearly in Romans three, don't we?
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
All have sinned, meaning all have fallen short
of God's standard.
We have missed the mark of Psalm one.
And yet we get to Psalm 32
and there's this blessing offered
for having that failure covered, made clean.
Then there's this third term, iniquity in verse two.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity.
Iniquity refers to an inner distortion
or depravity that marks the sinner's nature.
It's moral corruption.
It's transgression, an explicit rebellion against God.
It's sin.
It's a falling short of God's demands.
It's failing to hit the mark of God's desire.
And then there's the iniquity.
That's the part of you
that's not so much based on action,
but actually causes the action.
And it's the corruption of your nature.
This iniquity that seems to be pervading your flesh.
David says, all of this is forgiven.
It's covered.
It's not counted against me.
And therefore I am happy and blessed.
And I have the joy of the Lord.
It's not just the pardon of an act.
It's the forgiveness of the whole person.
That's amazing.
True happiness comes from complete forgiveness.
But then there's this other phrase here
at the end of verse two.
Just look at it.
He gets to the end of the blessing and he said,
this person, this blessed man,
there is no deceit in his spirit
in whose spirit there is no deceit.
What is this deceit?
It's not a deception of God.
It's not as if, not yet at least.
It's not as if he is denying before God
that he has done wrong.
It's not as if he's trying to deceive God.
No, this is self-deception.
This is self-deception that says,
no, I don't actually have that kind of transgression
that needs to be forgiven.
I don't have that kind of sin
that really demands this kind of concern.
Iniquity, moral corruption.
No, I'm morally good.
Basically good.
Good person.
Self-deception.
John says in his letter in 1 John 1.8,
if we say we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves
and the truth isn't in us.
You see, there's a kind of person
that will come to a passage like this
and they just, they cannot relate whatsoever.
They can't relate really to the blessing
and to the joy that David describes
in these first two verses.
They can't relate to the grief
that we'll eventually get to
in the next few verses.
They come to this and this whole psalm
is basically a non-starter.
I have a friend a few years ago,
a good friend,
professing Christian friend,
a few years ago finally told me,
she said,
I just don't,
I don't think I've done anything
that really deserves the kind of judgment
that we keep talking about in church.
it's just not that bad.
Grown up in church,
says I'm a Christian,
I follow Christ.
I just,
I don't know that I've really done anything
that bad to deserve this,
this kind of judgment.
There's a prevailing thought in our culture
that if there is a God
and if he's good,
he will reward those
who do their best
and try their hardest.
Those who are good people,
the Lord will be kind to them.
He will reward them in the end
if he's there and if he's good,
that's how it will play out.
And what they end up doing is
rather than judging themselves
by God's standard,
they judge themselves
by the standard of other people around them.
They say,
well, I'm not this bad
and I haven't done this thing.
And maybe you would say
there's some things
that I haven't done well
or certainly I'm not perfect,
but it's not this kind of corruption,
not this kind of transgression
that deserves God's hand
to be heavy upon me.
I mean, look,
I'm not like these other people.
I'm a good guy
doing good things.
Surely God will be pleased.
Surely God will reward me
in the end.
The problem is
there's a fundamental flaw
in their understanding
of God's nature.
let's try to correct
that prevailing thought
for just a moment.
Rather than saying,
if there's a God
and if he's good,
he will reward those
who do their best
and live a good life.
Maybe we shift that
and say,
okay,
something more logical
would go like this.
If there's a God
and if he's good,
he will make sure
that every wrong
is punished justly.
doesn't that make
more logical sense?
Doesn't it make
more logical sense
that if there's
a divine being
and if he is perfect
in his divinity
and if he's good,
meaning he's righteous
and he always does
the right thing
and he always does
the good thing,
doesn't it follow logically
that not that he will just
let things go
and reward those
who really just work hard at it?
Doesn't it follow
more logically
that in his goodness,
he would never
let any wrong
go unpunished
because that would make him
unjust,
wouldn't it?
And we get to a passage
like this
and we see
and we think about
people in our lives
and people that are around us
and what is it that we find?
We find that
they've never really experienced
the blessing of forgiveness
because they've never actually
come to terms with the fact
that they need it.
they're self-deceived.
But this blessing,
this happiness,
it only comes to the one
in whose spirit
there is no deceit.
They're not lying to themselves.
Now David uses
all of these terms here
so that we might understand this,
that this forgiveness
from God
is full
and complete.
The truly happy man
is the one who,
though actually guilty,
receives from God
a full
and complete
pardon.
God counts
none of his sins
against him
but credits him
as if he were
actually
righteous.
and then that begs
another question
and says,
but doesn't that
also make God unjust?
Isn't that saying
that God just looks
at our sin
and just turns
a blind eye to it?
Well, no,
that's not at all
what God does.
That's not at all
what this forgiveness is.
No,
it comes at a great cost.
David's confidence
here in this forgiveness.
It comes from
trusting God's promise
to show mercy
to those who believe.
But there's mystery
here for David,
isn't there?
David is trusting
a promise
that's yet to be fulfilled.
When we get
to the New Testament,
the mystery
of God's mercy
is revealed to us.
It's revealed to us
in the person
and the work
of Jesus Christ
who is the truly
righteous one
of someone.
Now I want you
to consider this.
The Apostle Paul
quotes these two verses
directly
in Romans chapter 4.
You don't have to turn there
but you'll remember
Romans chapter 4.
Do you remember
the argument
that he's making there?
He's arguing
that we are justified
and we stand
righteous before God
not on the basis
of our works
but on the basis
of faith.
That we are justified
by faith alone.
That God counts faith
as righteousness
when we're trusting
in him
and trusting his promises.
Now that's the argument
Paul's making there
and he's making it
by saying
that's not only true now
but that's how
it's always been
and he goes all the way
back to Abraham
and he says
consider Abraham
before the law
ever even comes
Abraham is justified
by God
on the basis
of his faith.
That's the argument
that Paul's making there
and in the middle
of that argument
he quotes these verses
directly
and he says
just as David said
blessed is the one
whose transgression
is forgiven
and whose sin is covered
and against whom
the Lord does not count
his iniquity.
Quotes it directly.
Why?
To say that David
was saying in Psalm 32
the same thing
that he saw was true
in Abraham's life
and now he's applying
in this doctrinal statement
in Romans 4.
So that's the argument
that he's making
but that doesn't answer
the question of how
does that actually work.
We get to the end
of Romans chapter 4
and that's where Paul
tells us how that
actually works.
Let me read it to you.
Romans 4 24 and 25
Paul says
righteousness
will be counted
to us who believe
in him
who raised from the dead
Jesus our Lord
who was delivered up
for our trespasses
and raised
for our justification.
righteousness
will be counted
to those who believe.
That's justification
by faith
apart from any works
but believe in what?
In the God
who raised Jesus
our Lord
from the dead.
Well what's so significant
about that?
He continues
because this Jesus
was delivered up
first
for our
trespasses.
Now we can begin
to see the shape
of how this works.
How is it
that we can go
to Psalm 32
and see the blessedness
of complete pardon
and full forgiveness
and not say
God is unjust in this
because he's just
letting things go
because he didn't
let it go.
He just punished
someone else for it.
Jesus
God's son
perfectly fulfills
the law
that we've all broken.
and he is
the righteous one
of Psalm 1.
He is the fulfillment
of that blessed man
and on the cross
he bore the guilt
of sinners
in their place.
And God the Father
credits our sin
to Jesus
so that he might
take the righteousness
of Jesus
the perfect righteousness
of Christ
and credit it then
to all who will believe.
But he doesn't
stop there.
He raises him
from the dead.
Why?
To show his victory
over death.
Death had no claim
on him.
He was truly righteous.
And to prove
the sufficiency
of Christ's atonement
on the cross
to prove
that what he did
on the cross
is actually enough
for you.
And it's in this way
that God
can justly
deal with sin
while completely
forgiving the sinner.
Again Paul tells us
this in Romans 3.
All have sinned
and fall short
of the glory of God
and they're justified
by his grace
as a gift
through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus
whom God put forward
as a propitiation
by his blood.
That's such an important
word isn't it?
Those of you
who have been Christians
very long at all
you know that's
an important word.
What does it mean?
The satisfaction
of God's wrath.
God puts his own son
forward
to satisfy
his wrath
by the shedding
of his blood
on the cross.
Paul continues
and this is what
is to be received
by faith.
The forgiveness
and justification
comes by believing
in this
trusting in this
and then he says
this was to show
God's righteousness
that God isn't unjust.
It is to show
God's righteousness
so that he might be
just
in punishing sin
and also
the justifier
of those
who have faith
in Jesus.
Isn't that amazing?
We've sung about it
again and again
this morning already.
Oh what a glorious
exchange we sang
just a few minutes ago.
He bore my sin
I bear his righteousness.
Oh what a glorious
exchange.
This is true
happiness.
This is true
happiness.
It is to know
that you are
forgiven
in Christ.
David
experiences this
by looking
forward
in faith
to God's promise
being fulfilled
in the coming
king.
And he discovered
that through faith
he received
complete forgiveness.
Amazing.
Now that was a long
way to say
true happiness
comes from
complete forgiveness.
That's what we're
dealing with here.
It's not just the
pardon of a particular
sin.
It is the part
of the whole person.
That's what we're
dealing with in this
psalm.
There's another thing
we find here
in verses 3 and 4
is this.
The blessing
of forgiveness
follows
grief
of guilt.
The blessing
of forgiveness
it doesn't
come in a vacuum.
It follows
a pattern.
It follows
grief.
Grief that comes
from acknowledging
our guilt.
Look at 3 and 4.
4 is a key word
here.
It's a grounding
statement.
It means that David
knows this is true
in verses 1 and 2
because he's
experienced
this other thing
in verses 3 and 4.
Notice what he says.
For when I kept
silent
that is when I
would not confess
when I would not
acknowledge my sin
my bones wasted
away
through my groaning
all day long.
Why?
For day and night
your hand
God's hand
was heavy
upon me
so that my
strength was dried
up as
by the heat
of summer.
If you were to
come to my house
right now
you'd look out
in my front yard
and you would
not be impressed.
It's just
all dead.
Significant
drought
significant
heat
very little
water
it's dried
up
strength
is gone
its color
is gone
David says
that's what
this was like
for me
during this
period of time
when I was not
acknowledging my
sin and I was not
acknowledging my
failure before God
his hand was
heavy upon me
my soul
felt like
the summer grass
was hot
it was dried up
it had no
strength
it was weak
and it's here
that David
describes how he
came to
understand the
joy of being
forgiven
it begins with
this tremendous
grief
we learn that
you cannot
experience the
immense blessing
of being forgiven
until you have
felt the grief
of being convinced
of your own
guilt
there was a
time in David's
life when he
would not
acknowledge this
sin
perhaps this is a
reflection on the
period of time
after his great
sin with Bathsheba
perhaps some other
sin we don't know
he doesn't tell us
that
whatever it was
there was a time
when he would not
confess
he would not
acknowledge
and God
caused him to
feel
miserable
emotionally
distraught
this was a
divinely
purposed
depression
that came
as a result
of his sin
God's
hand was
heavy upon
him so that
his guilt
was always
before him
it was eating
away at his
soul
and here's the
thing
this was a
great mercy
from God
it's a
great mercy
of God
because it is
in convicting
us of our
guilt
that God
graciously
leads us
to repentance
this real
sense of
guilt is
essential
isn't it
without it
we will
either refuse
to confess
our sins
or our
confession
will be
superficial
reflecting
mere remorse
rather than
true repentance
just think of
my friend
I told you
about
here they
are as an
adult
they grew
up in the
church
as a kid
they raised
their hand
they walked
the aisle
they filled
out the
card
they got
baptized
said yeah
I know
Jesus
I believe
in Jesus
I'm not
sure why
I believe
in Jesus
because I
never really
felt like
there was
a need
for me
to have
him do
what he
did
that's
really
for the
really
bad
people
and I'm
not really
all that
bad
but I
follow
Jesus
whatever
they can't
possibly
understand
the true
joy
of the
Christian
life
because
they've
never
come to
terms
with the
fact
that they
are actually
truly guilty
they've
never felt
that sense
of God's
hand
being heavy
upon them
so their
confession
either doesn't
happen
because they
just don't
recognize
that
that they
have real
sin against
God that
needs to
be dealt
with
or it's
just
superficial
it's
superficial
it's
yeah I'm
supposed to
feel bad
about this
so I'll
I'll confess
it to the
Lord but
there's no
real repentance
that's happening
in their
lives
what a
terrible place
to be
it sounds
a lot like
Romans 1
where over
and over
Paul tells
us that
there there
were these
people who
were so
dedicated to
their sin
that God
just gives
them over
to it
just gives
them over
to it
we have a
different thing
here with
David
David has
the mercy
of God
on his
life
through the
heavy hand
of God
on his
guilt
you cannot
truly repent
until you've
acknowledged
your guilt
and if you're
unsure about
that
you should
pray
you should
beg God
help me
know the
guilt
of my
life
help me
know the
sin
that I've
covered
that's
buried
if it
takes you
putting your
hand heavy
on my
life in
order for
me to
know the
true joy
of knowing
your forgiveness
then Lord
put your
hand heavy
on me
bring me
to this
place
have you
ever
experienced
that sense
of guilt
before God
that brings
us to the
third thing
here
true
forgiveness
is received
through true
repentance
true forgiveness
is received
through true
repentance
so track
with me
here what
David's
saying in
these first
five verses
we're spending
most of our
time there
we're gonna
go quick
through the
second half
but
the truly
happy person
is the one
who has been
completely forgiven
you can't
understand the
joy of that
until you've
been fully
convinced of
your guilt
that's a
divine work
that happens
God convicts
us and he
leads us
to repentance
and that's
where we get
to this
point that
that this
forgiveness
is received
through true
repentance
look at
verse five
David says
I acknowledged
my sin to
you
I did not
cover my
iniquity
I said I
will confess
my transgressions
to the Lord
and you forgave
the iniquity
of my sin
now a sense
of guilt
it doesn't
make any
difference
unless it
drives you
to repent
in faith
and that's
what David
shows us
here
now I want
you to
notice the
terms he's
using in
verse five
it's the same
three terms
that he uses
in verses
one and two
isn't it
he acknowledged
his sin
he uncovered
his iniquity
he confessed
his transgression
and why does
he do that
his point is
that full
forgiveness
comes through
full
repentance
David holds
nothing back
in his
confession
and God
holds nothing
back
in his
forgiveness
true forgiveness
comes through
true
repentance
now let's
make sure we
understand this
the right way
it doesn't
mean that
our aim
is to be
precise
in our
confession
of sin
as if
failing
to name
them all
will result
in us
remaining
in a state
of condemnation
do you understand
what I mean
by that
David isn't
teaching us
here to have
a list
of all of
our sins
and just
work through
the list
in a prayer
he says
Lord I did
this
and I did
this
and I did
this
and I did
this
and you
just check
them off
and as long
as you
hit all
the things
then God
will forgive
all the things
but only forgive
the things
that you know
that's not
what David
is teaching
us here
we need
to get
that right
repentance
isn't naming
your sins
it's acknowledging
your guilt
before God
and trusting
his mercy
as you turn
to obey
him
it's not
about naming
all the things
you've ever
done wrong
and all the
bad thoughts
you've ever
had
and it's
not about
that
it's about
just recognizing
that I'm
a sinner
I am
unworthy
and I
am
guilty
but I
trust
that God
is
merciful
and I'm
going to
cling
to his
mercy
and I'm
going to
trust
his
mercy
and I'm
going to
turn to
follow
him
and obey
him
with my
life
to love
him
as I
ought
to love
him
that's
what
David
is
describing
here
Christopher
Ash
says it
this way
I think
this is
helpful
this is
not
confession
in order
to earn
forgiveness
as if
by sufficient
contrition
we might
earn God's
mercy
it's not
what this
is
it is
the
outflow
of faith
in the
God
who justifies
the ungodly
it's a
recognition
that you
are guilty
but that
he is
kind
and that
he will
show mercy
to whomever
will come
to him
for it
now the
astonishing
thing about
this verse
is the
last phrase
and you
forgave the
iniquity
of my
sin
that's
quite simple
isn't it
but isn't
it
astonishingly
simple
in David's
experience
God
just
forgave
him
no
penance
no
place
of
purgatory
that he
will have
to go
to
in order
that
whatever
is left
over
in his
unrighteousness
will finally
be fully
sanctified
so that he
can go
to
there's
no
purgatory
here
there's
no
stipulation
we confess
your sin
but then
make sure
you kiss
the icon
as well
it's not
here
no
let's
wait
and see
if you
really
mean
it
God's
forgiveness
was
immediate
it was
complete
it was
permanent
is that
not amazing
you come
to him
and he
just
gives it
to you
it's not
until we
look at
the cross
that we
can see
what this
forgiveness
cost
Christ
righteousness
was so
perfect
his
death
so
sufficient
that
God
offers
us
full
and
complete
forgiveness
to all
who will
come and
receive it
by faith
and that's
it
he
requires
nothing
more
of us
because
in
Christ
it
truly
is
finished
there
is
more
significance
in those
three
words
cried
out
by our
savior
from the
cross
than we
ever
dare
imagine
it
really
is
finished
there's
nothing
left
for you
to do
he's
done
it
all
he
is
sufficient
and
he
will
forgive
if
you
will
just
come
and
believe
that
he'll
forgive
you
it's
amazing
well
that's
David's
experience
it's
his
we might
say
his
doctrine
of
forgiveness
here
he
then
takes
the rest
of
the
psalm
and he
applies
all
of
that
we'll
go
through
it
quickly
but
want
to make
sure
we give
it
the time
that it
needs
at least
the second
thing
that we
see here
in this
application
of these
truths
is we
find in
a praise
in verse
six and
seven
therefore let
everyone who
is godly
offer prayer
to you
at a time
when you
may be
found
surely
in the rush
of great
waters
they shall
not reach
him
you are
my
hiding
place
you preserve
me from
trouble
you surround
me
with shouts
of deliverance
and what's
interesting
about this
is
these verses
are not
addressed
to us
these verses
are addressed
to god
this sounds
like an
exhortation
it's not
an exhortation
yet
this is a
praise
he's praising
god for
bringing salvation
and refuge
to his soul
in the context
of this psalm
we would
understand
great waters
in verse
six and the
troubles
of verse
seven
to be
the judgments
of sin
god has
not let
the judgments
of his sin
touch him
because he's
been forgiven
he's preserved
him from the
consequences
and punishment
of his sin
from that
trouble
being his
hiding place
so all of
david's assurance
here rest on
the fact that
god is merciful
nowhere does
he say
i'm convinced
of this
because i
i followed
this this
kind of ritual
confession
he doesn't say
that it's all
resting on the
goodness of god
here it's all
resting on the
character of
god god is his
hiding place
he is his
deliverer
now what seems
like an exhortation
then in verse
six is actually
a praise
david isn't
actually necessarily
commanding us
to confess
to god
indeed he
wants us to
do that
but in this
phrase that's
not that's
not the
the grammatical
framework of
this sentence
he's not saying
you must
confess to
god
he's saying
you can
confess to
god
that's what's
amazing about
it
it's an
open invitation
to receive
this forgiveness
this praise
that tells us
that verses
one to five
are not
exclusive to
david
it's for
all the
godly
he says
in verse
six
godly
here meaning
those who
will seek
god in
repentance
and faith
and he
says
let all
the godly
then because
you are
good and
merciful and
you offer
complete forgiveness
let all those
who seek it
come to you
and find it
while you
may be found
because you
are the hiding
place you
preserve us
from trouble
you surround
us with shouts
of deliverance
amazing
now is the
time that god
can be found
and david hopes
that more
will confess
and receive
this forgiveness
and indeed
more and more
do confess
and receive
this forgiveness
because he
says god
surrounds him
with shouts
of deliverance
it's a picture
of war
victory
in a battle
except david
isn't in a
physical battle
here
he's surrounding
him with other
people who are
shouting because
they are the
blessed
forgiven ones
god has
delivered them
from sin
and from its
punishment
and he's
glorying in
that
now here's
my point
in this
section
the joy
of being
forgiven
is for
you
it's for
you
it's for
me
god is
merciful
he will
be your
deliverer
and through
christ
he invites
you to
receive it
and it
is his
great delight
to provide
it
he does
not delight
in the
destruction
of the
wicked
but he
delights
himself
in mercy
the scripture
says
but the
implication
of verse
six
is that
there will
come a
time
when his
forgiveness
cannot be
found
therefore
let all
the godly
offer
prayer to
you at a
time when
you can be
found
meaning there
will be a
time when
he can't
be found
so don't
delay
now is the
time
that's what
paul says
now is the
time today
is the day
of salvation
and god
stands ready
to forgive
you if you
will just
come and
receive it
and then we
get to the
final section
here where we
actually do
get to
explicit
exhortations
in this
application of
truth
we see
the
exhortation
to those
who are
forgiven
in verses
8 and
11
what's
interesting
here
is that
8 to
11
mirror
1 to
5
so that
in verse
5
David
repented
to receive
forgiveness
but notice
what he does
in 8 and
9
he counsels
us to
continue
in that
same
pattern
verse
8
I
will
instruct
you
and teach
you
in the
way
that
you
should
go
I
will
counsel
you
with
my
eye
upon
you
don't
be
like
a
stubborn
mule
don't be
like the
horse or
mule
who does
not have
understanding
and has
to be
curbed
about
with a
bit and
bridle
or it
won't
stay
near you
here
he has
in verse
5
he said
I
confessed
my
sin
to
the
Lord
and
the
Lord
forgave
me
and
now
he's
practically
applying
that
to
us
and
he's
saying
let me
instruct
you
on
something
confess
your
sin
continue
in
this
don't
be
stubborn
obey
the
Lord
quickly
confess
when
you
fail
in
verses
3
and
4
remember
David
described
the
misery
of his
guilt
but notice
what he
does
to mirror
that
in
verse
sorrows
of
the
wicked
he
reminds
us
but
he
sets
that
in
contrast
but
steadfast
love
surrounds
the
one
who
trusts
in
the
Lord
he
reminds
us
of
the
sorrows
of
sinners
but
the
steadfast
love
of
God
that
surrounds
the
faithful
is
amazing
we
often
think
of
God's
mercy
and
steadfast
love
as
the
end
of
a
logical
sequence
I
like
the
picture
of
this
the
surrounding
of
steadfast
love
it's
not
that
steadfast
love
the
steadfast
love
of
God
is
at
the
end
of
the
road
and
if
you
walk
the
right
path
down
that
road
he
will
reward
you
with
it
it's
more
like
here
is
an
ocean
of
steadfast
love
and
he
just
invites
you
to
jump
in
I
love
that
it
surrounds
us
many
are
the
sorrows
of
the
wicked
of
those
who
are
like
their
guilt
but
to
the
faithful
the
ones
who
do
acknowledge
their
guilt
and
trust
in
the
Lord
it's
like
stepping
into
an
ocean
of
his
steadfast
love
it's
everywhere
they
can't
get
away
from
it
it's
everywhere
and
then
finally
we
see
in
verse
11
that
the
blessing
of
the
forgiven
one
in
verses
one
and
two
is
now
met
with
a
call
to
worship
for
the
forgiven
ones
in
verse
11
be
glad
in
the
Lord
he
says
rejoice
so
righteous
shout
for
joy
all
you
upright
in
heart
if
nothing
else
perhaps
this
psalm
is
just
a
reminder
that
you
have
a
reason
to
be
glad
and
to
shout
for
joy
you
are
forgiven
not
just
in
part
in
full
everything
you
have
done
everything
you
are
doing
everything
you
will
do
wiped
clean
by
the
blood
of
Jesus
that's
a
reason
to
shout
for
joy
and
to
be
glad
in
the
Lord
that's
why
we
say
the
blessing
and
the
happiness
of
this
psalm
it
can
even
compare
to
anything
else
that
we
might
experience
in
this
life
and
there
is
so
much
joy
that
the
Lord
allows
us
to
experience
in
this
life
even
on
a
day
like
today
on
Father's
Day
you
fathers
know
the
joy
of
your
children
in incredible ways.
And that's nothing compared to this.
It's nothing compared to the mercy of God.
You're forgiven.
That should affect the way you worship Sunday by Sunday
when you come in.
When you come in and sing a song like,
but for the cross of Christ,
or the battle and the blessing,
or as we will hear in just a moment,
bless the Lord, O my soul.
The way you sing that should be affected by this,
that you're forgiven.
The way you carry your life,
even in hardships and in discouragement,
ought to be affected by this,
the fact that you're forgiven.
That God's mercy has been handed to you.
Martin Lloyd-Jones, many of you know who that is.
He used to say that a person could not understand the gospel
until he understood the magnitude of his debt
and the measure of the payment to satisfy it.
Meaning that if you came to my house,
let's say you came to my house today
and you got in my mailbox and you found a bill.
I don't even know if bills come in the mail anymore,
but if you found a bill there and you said,
you know what,
I'm gonna do Jared a favor,
I'm gonna pay this bill for it.
Well, that would be great.
But my reaction to that is really just based
on the magnitude of the debt
and what it costs you to pay it.
Maybe it's just a streaming bill,
just a few dollars.
And I might say, wow, that's very kind of you.
You didn't have to do that
and acknowledge it and move on.
Be great, right?
Probably won't think much about it thereafter,
except it's kind of weird
that you went through my mailbox and found my bills.
What if it's that crippling debt
that I'm never gonna be able to get out of,
no matter how hard I work,
no matter how many changes I make in my life,
it's just never gonna happen.
And you pay that one,
but it's not because you've just got some spare change
that you could deal with it,
but it costs you everything to do it.
That's a different kind of reaction
you're gonna get from Jared on that day.
If you're struggling today, like my friend,
to really understand the weight of your guilt
and the weight of your sin,
I think probably the problem
is that you're spending too much time
comparing yourself to other sinners.
That's not gonna help you.
What you need to do is look at the cross
and just ask,
how great is my guilt
to require that?
That God himself
would have to take on flesh
and suffer in that way
so that I could be forgiven.
It's only then
that we'll really begin to understand
what's at the heart of the gospel.
What God's steadfast love really is like.
What it cost Christ
to provide this forgiveness
and the fullness of this forgiveness
that he now offers.
If we just look at the cross,
the answers are there.
The good news is that
Christ has indeed
paid all our debt
and God offers this
complete forgiveness to us
and
I know most of you know that.
you're a blessed man today
if you stand forgiven
and you ought to be glad in the Lord
and shout for joy
and then maybe go tell somebody else
that they can be blessed too
because now is the time
and whoever will come to him
he will not cast away.
Let's pray.