Contrite Spirit

Topic: Contrite Spirit

Text: Psalms 51:1-17

By Ptr. Jack Segismundo

Jesus is Lord Church

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

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 [a] ;

you teach [b] me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

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.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will turn back to 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.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

INTRODUCTION:

The words of Charles Spurgeon leaves a striking mark to people who thought of themselves as strong and immovable leading them to their arrogance and pride. But the real fact of life is that man is entirely dependent upon God in all the areas of their lives. Nobody boast against God regarding his strength, wisdom and riches. God has given them all to man. And what God has given He can take it away.

Most of the time God prefers to use the fools, the poor and the nobody of this world to compound their opposite. People would say that it is foolish to use what the world considered fools for the glory of God. But God think otherwise.

“When God wants to do an impossible task, He takes an impossible man and breaks him. As the evangelist, Charles Spurgeon, said, ‘We are but men, frail, feeble, and apt to faint.’

I am intrigued by the word ‘broken. ‘ It means, literally, ‘shattered.’ My sacrifice to God, according to Psalm 51:17, is a shattered spirit and a bruised heart. It is not until the pride of our heart is shattered that we will begin to understand the deep things of God. The shattering and the bruising are so designed by God for the preparation of his spokesman. As (christians), we understand what it means to be frail.

“God will not despise a broken and contrite heart. All of God’s giants have been weak men. Every man that sits on this platform is a weak man. Every one of us is frail, feeble, and apt to faint. The greatest gift you can give your congregation is a genuine model of your humanity. Admit your weakness, or your unresolved conflicts, and then let yourself be broken about it by God. It may be between you and your wife; it may be between you and your staff member’ it may be an unforgiving spirit, even alcoholism, incest, pornography—maybe gluttony, or plagiarism, or a critical spirit. It could be the sin of pride, or those sins that Jesus hated most, those of hypocrisy. Release it to God. If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - Men of Action, Spring 1996, Chuck Swindoll, What It Means To Be Broken!

Let us take a look on how Webster define “CONTRITE” :

WEBSTER DICTIONARY DEFINES CONTRITE AS :

Contrite - feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming

The word can properly describe through an illustration:

Sarah was rich. She had inherited twenty million dollars. Plus she had an additional income of one thousand dollars a day. That’s a lot of money any day, but it was immense in the late 1800s.

Sarah was well known. She was the belle of New Haven, Connecticut. No social event was complete without her presence. No one hosted a party without inviting her.

Sarah was powerful. Her name and money would open almost any door in America. Colleges wanted her donations. Politicians clamored for her support. Organizations sought her endorsement.