Conquering The Invisible Giants In Our Lives

Conquering the Invisible Giants in Our Lives

Psalm 51

Guilt is a giant with interesting powers.

1.This giant is the most invisible, but the heaviest one of all.

There are people all around us who are being slowly crushed, slowly suffocated by the giant of guilt.

2.It kills slowly but with excruciating pain. Think of Judas, hanging from a tree.

How does this apply to you and me?

1.Rare indeed is the man who has not cried out in the night of his own heart’s hunger for healing because of guilt.

2.David’s cry “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” has been echoed in multiplied millions of righteous souls who have cried unto God for a holiness unattainable apart from the touch of God’s hand on the strings of his soul.

King David of Israel battled two giants in his lifetime.

A.Goliath is the well-known giant he defeated in a matter of minutes.

B.Guilt is the lesser-known internal giant it took him many months to defeat.

David met that giant named Guilt when he saw a beautiful woman from the roof of his palace and had her brought to him. He committed adultery with her and then sent her home. What he thought was going to be a simple and brief encounter became complicated when the woman, Bathsheba, sent him word that she was pregnant by him.

David knew he had to cover his sin or risk losing his reputation as a godly king. He sent for Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, who was away fighting in David’s army. He figured Uriah would come home and have relations with Bathsheba, and it would then appear her pregnancy was caused by her husband, not David. But David did not plan on Uriah’s loyalty and honor. Uriah refused to enjoy the comfort of his wife when his fellow soldiers were still in battle, so he spent the night outside David’s palace.

When David realized his plan hadn’t worked, he implemented a second plan—to have his army commander send Uriah into the heat of battle so he would be killed. And that is exactly what happened. David was then guilty of murder as well as adultery. Nine months later a child was born to Bathsheba. Through his own writings, we are introduced to David’s state of mind and his actions following the birth of his child.

C.Two psalms gives us a clear picture of the giant David was facing.

1.Psalms 32 give us insight into what it was like for David to live with the guilt of his sin

2.Psalm 51 the confession of his sin to God

Defeating the giant Guilt, became a far greater challenge than defeating Goliath, the giant of the Philistines.

WHAT CAN THE GUILTY SAY?

While a seminary student at Regent College (Jon Mutchler) had an assignment to attend and report on churches in various worship traditions outside my own. One evening I attended mass in a nearby and unfamiliar town.

After leaving St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, I pulled out of a side street onto what looked like a county road. I managed to reach 40 miles per hour before being pulled over and ticketed for going 15 miles per hour over the city limit.

Since I was new to the town and because of my chosen route, I had not seen the 25 miles per hour limit. Therefore I decided to plead my case before a judge.

The court date came and I had my arguments and justification all worked out. I had rehearsed my little speech over and over in my head.

Finally, the court clerk read out my name with the charges. The judge, dressed in a black robe—representing his designated authority and power—said, "Mr. Mutchler, do you have anything you wish to say?"

Here it was, my chance to speak! Surely the judge would understand and side with me. But to my surprise, it hit me at that moment that I was, in fact, guilty, and my excuses would do nothing to change that. All I could say to his question was "No, sir."

•That moment brought to life what Scriptures say to those who think they’re going to argue their case before God.

Application for defeating the invisible giant of guilt:

If we are to defeat the giant of guilt we must understand we can’t argue our defense, we must surrender to God.

Scripture: Read Ps 51:1-19 NIV

I.David’s Prayer admitted his guilt

a)Today we blame everybody or anything else for our problems.

b)We must be mature enough to admit we are the problem.

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.