“Lent”
Psalm 51
03/17/2008
By
Dcn. Chris Nerreau
ILLUSTRATION
•(2 Sam. 11) Many of you are familiar with David’s escapades with a peasant girl named Bathsheba. In this particular story we see a King who abuses his power in such a way as to commit two heinous sins, namely rape and murder. In the old testament, the sacrificial system could aid the child of God in all but two areas, and David had committed both of them and worse yet, he thought he had gotten away with it. (Murder was considered death to the body and Rape, death to the soul.)
• (2 Sam. 11:2-12:15) My guess is that many of you are also familiar with the story of the confrontation between David and the prophet Nathan. Where Nathan tricked the king with the story of a poor man who only had a single lamb, which he loved deeply. Yet a rich man with many flocks came and took from the poor man the only lamb he had. David becomes indignant at this story and the discourse ends with Nathan pointing at David and saying – v. 7 “YOU ARE THE MAN!”
• What we are about to read today is the psalm of David writes after this confrontation with Nathan, just after he realized the gravity of his sin and the weight of his guilt. (READ PSALM 51)
INTRODUCTION
• As you know, Lent began this past Wednesday for the Orthodox Church. Lent is a time of remorse, penance and inward reflection. It is a time of preparation for our celebration of the death and more importantly, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• The 51st psalm is a wonderful example of the penitent heart of the Church during lent.
PROPOSITION
• In a very real sense, Lent is about understanding the 51st Psalm of David, it is about seeing ourselves in place of the Psalmist.
ORIENTATION
• As such, I want to take a closer look at this Psalm, to help you better understand the true nature of Lent.
o Today’s Psalm is broken out into three parts
1. Part One – The Confession of David (51:1-6)
2. Part Two –The Commitment of David (51:11-15)
3. Part Three – The Cleansing of David (51:7-10)
TRANSITIONAL SENTENCE
Let’s begin by looking at …
THE CONFESSION OF DAVID – (51: 1-6)
OBSERVATION
I. David Acknowledges His Sin– (v.3-5)
o (v. 3) “For I acknowledge my transgressions.” And (v.5) “I was brought forth in iniquity”
David’s confession is earnest in that he does not try to excuse his sins as insignificant. He calls it “evil” v.4.
David does not try to pass the blame onto someone other than himself – v. 2 “my sin”, “my iniquity” and v.4 “I sinned”.
• (see Gen. 3:12 Adam blames the woman and God for his sin and God condemns his confession, but the opposite is true with David.)
o (v. 4) “Against you, you only have I sinned”
• Lastly, David make an astounding comment, he does not even recognize his sin against Uriah but against God alone.
• David realizes the gravity of his sin is larger than what he did to Uriah and Bathsheba, but he finds himself hopelessly outside of the grace of an Almighty GOD!
• At the root of David’s sin was God and God’s people.
II. David Appeals to God’s Grace – (v.1-2)
o For Mercy – v.1 “Have Mercy Upon Me O God according to Your loving kindness.”
David begins His confession with a plea for Mercy – “to have compassion, gk. Elos”
David seeks the compassion he did not give.
He reminds God of His love
See Others Who Cried Out For Mercy:
o Two blind men in Mt. 20
o Blind Man in Mk. 10
o The Rich man in Hades Lk. 16:24
o For A New Start – v.1 “Blot Out My Transgressions”
The word blot – (literally cover up)
David wants God to put away his sins by covering them up
A TRUE and penitent heart sees nothing but its sin and misery of conscience.
When you right something you do not want others to read you may try to blot it out, in this way what was written is gone forever.
David wants God to forget what is unforgettable and to blot it out so that he can be free from the guilt.
o For Reprieve – v. 2 “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity”
David pleas for reprieve from the guilt of his sin because his v.3 “SIN IS ALWAYS BEFORE [HIM].
David asks God to wash the dirty sin off of him so that he does not have to live with it, that he may be made clean.
Literally means to wash clothes, his sin is like wearing filthy rags.
INTERPREATATION
David came to a place where he truly saw how ugly his sin was in the eyes of God. David feared God – ( “the fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom” Ps. 111:10.) Out of this clarity and fear David’s confession flows.
ILLUSTRATION
I recently heard of a priest who sat in the confessional with a list and when a parishioner would enter the confessional, rather than have the parishioner tell the priest their sins, the priest would ask the parishioner – “did you do xyz…” By the time the priest was done, most would be in tears, having never truly understood until that moment, how sinful they were.
Nathan did a similar thing for David and today I want to do it for you. (Say the to the people as Nathan did: “You Are That Man!”
APPLICATION
This Lenten season, let us take time to consider the Righteousness of the God we worship, it will drive us to confess as David did.
Lent is a time to look with clarity at our sin, that we may see how truly sinful we really are.
Lent is a time for our sin to be ever present before us, to acknowledge it and not pass it off as petty or “nothing”.
Lent is a time to realize that “WE ARE DAVID”
Today I call upon you to schedule a sacramental confession and to see it’s value particularly during this penitent Lenten season.
TRANSITION - So we have seen that confession is plays a significant role in lent but so does…
THE COMMITMENT OF DAVID – (51: 13-15)
Lent is not only about confession of our sins, but also the desire to change. Look with me if you will at the commitment David makes to God should God choose to forgive him.
III. David Commits To Change By – (v.13-15)
o Teaching Transgressors (v. 13) “I will teach transgressors Your ways…”
David’s makes a commitment to God to learn from his sin and to share the lessons he has learned with others.
David shows true remorse with the desire to help others avoid the pain and suffering of separation from God.
Note: he is teaching us today!
o Singing Aloud (v. 14) “my tongue will sing aloud of Your righteousness”
• Remember David was a famous musician
• David commits to a public ministry of making known the righteousness of God.
• This is the equivalent of “giving our testimony” and sharing in public the righteousness of God.
o A Changed Heart (v. 15) “Open my lips and my mouth will show forth Your praise…”
• Lastly, David commits to a life of thankfulness and praise.
• To no longer take for granted the mercy of God but to praise the God who set him free from the burden of his sin.
• Mt. 12:34 Jesus said - “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
INTERPREATATION
• Here we see the wonderful fruits of a penitent heart that has properly acknowledged and confessed sin, it is the fruit of commitment…
• A renewed commitment to worship God and to make Him known to the world.
• Lk. 7:47 teaches us that those who have been forgiven much, love much.
• David shows an earnest desire for others to experience the same forgiveness and mercy he himself had received.
ILLUSTRATION
Romans 2:4 Paul said – “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
To be forgiven is the ultimate example of God’s love and it is this love of Christ that 2 Cor. 5:14 “Compels us”.
APPLICATION
Lent is a time where we commit to change, and that happens as we realize who we are, forgiven.
Let this Lenten season be a time of spiritual renewal, that we may change, that we may commit to the praise of God, to singing songs of joy and worshiping God with our lips. And let our commitment be to share the joy of God’s forgiveness with others.
Remember – Lent is a time where we can say -“WE ARE DAVID” not only in guilt, but in our response to God’s mercy.
TRANSITION
So we have seen that confession is plays a significant role in lent and so does commitment but lastly let’s take a look at…
THE CLEANSING OF DAVID – (51:7-10)
When blind Bartimaeus cried out “Lord have mercy” and was finally brought into the presence of Jesus, Jesus asked Bartimaeus this question – “What do you want me to do for you?”
Today David answers that same question, David wants to be made clean:
IV. David Asks God To – (v.13-15)
o Remove His Sin (v.7-10) – “Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean; Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow"
See (Ex. 12:22) David wants God to draw out of him the sinfulness that lives inside. To use the plant of purification rites, to clean him deep within.
David longs to be whiter than snow, as he is currently stained and dirty.
To be clean is a wonderful feeling, imagine not being able to wash yourself clean. How others would perceive you, and how you would perceive yourself.
o Restore His Joy (v. 14) “Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.”
• The problem with sin is that we see only the gloom of the world when were in it. There is no joy.
• David asks God to return to him the joy of intimacy with God, that life may
• This is also a request for God to repair in David the brokenness that God’s righteousness caused in him.
o Renew His Spirit (v. 15) “Renew a steadfast Spirit in me.”
• Lastly, David asks that God make their relationship what it once was by filling Him with the Spirit of God.
• David realizes that the avoidance of sin is the work of the Spirit in us and in order to continue forward in righteousness, he will require a steadfast Spirit that will not depart him.
INTERPREATATION
• David is seeking restoration and cleansing, the removal of his sins, the return of his joy and the renewal of his spirit.
• This cleansing can only come from God and as such David’s plea…
ILLUSTRATION
"Wash me!" was the anguished prayer of King David. "Wash!" was the message of John the Baptist. "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me," said the towel-draped Jesus to Peter. Without our being washed clean, we all die from the contamination of sin.
APPLICATION
Lent is not only a time of penitence but also a time of hope.
Lent begins with a season of dying to oneself and ends with new life on resurrection Sunday.
Today, Jesus asks you – What do you want from me?” Let this Lenten season be our answer.
o That we see our sin and seek it’s removal
o That cry out for our joy that He may return it
o That we die to ourselves and long for Spiritual renewal
Remember –-“WE ARE DAVID” and in need of cleansing…
TRANSITION
So in conclusion…
CONCLUSION
Lent is a time of:
• Confession
• Commitment
• Cleansing
CLOSING ILLUSTRATION
In our Psalm today we saw not just a man named David, but ourselves in David. If you do not see yourself in David, you have not come to terms with your own sin. Meditate upon this passage for the next forty days and consider all those you, yourself have murdered with your words and all those you have raped with your thoughts.
And then like David, over the next forty days of Lent, confess your sins to God, Commit to continual praise, sharing the good news of forgiveness with the world and seek the cleansing of God.
Amen!
