HOW TO SOLVE THE SIN PROBLEM
Psalm 32:1-5
The Joy of Forgiveness
32 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does
not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning
all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Intro:
Different people have different problems. Some people struggle financially, others with their health, some have emotional and mental problems.
A. There is one reality with which we all struggle day by day: WE MUST ALL DEAL WITH SIN!!
In these verses, David is dealing with the sin he committed with Bathsheba. He tells us how he handled his sin and how he received cleansing.
By the way, this Psalm is most likely a companion to Psalm 51. In that Psalm, David offers his prayer of confession and repentance.
Here he shares the lessons he learned in dealing with his sin with you and me.
He is also fulfilling a vow he made to the Lord,
Psalm 51:3, "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." Let's look at these lessons
David learned and let them teach us HOW TO SOLVE THE SIN PROBLEM.
I. V. 3-4 THE PROBLEM OF CONCEALED SIN
(Ill. Unconfessed sin produces problems in three realms of life.)
Illustration
Arthur Conan Doyle, the ingenious creator of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, once found great humor in a practical joke he
played on 12 famous friends. Each of these men was virtuous and highly respected. For the joke, Doyle sent every one of
them the same telegram: "Flee at once, all is discovered!" Within 24 hours, the dozen men of noble reputation had taken a
trip out of the country! No matter how noble our reputation is, we all have things for which we are ashamed and hope no one
discovers. The only lasting solution to a guilty conscience is the forgiveness of God Himself.
A. v. 3 The Physical Realm -
.3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.
1. David tells us that his sin produced problems in his flesh.
a. He says that he became like and old man physically.
b .The sad fact is this: Sin will take a physical toll on the sinner! I am referring to the toll that is inflicted on the body by the sinner
as he tries to cover up his sin.
Illustration
A Louisiana farmer's favorite mule fell into a well. After studying the situation, the farmer came to the conclusion that he
couldn't pull the mule out, so he might as well bury him. It would be the humane thing to do.
So he got a truckload of dirt, backed up to the well, and dumped the dirt on top of the mule at the bottom of the well. But
when the dirt hit the mule, it started snorting and tramping. As it tramped, it began to work itself up on top of the dirt.
So the farmer continued to pour dirt in the well until the mule snorted and tramped its way to the top. It then walked away,
a dirtier - but wiser - mule. What was intended to bury it turned out to be its salvation.
BEING STU K IN A DEEP WELL OF SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IS A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE
2. Notice that David refers to his "groaning". This word refers to the cry of distress.
a. While David's sin was unconfessed, there was something in him that was crying out in distress.
b.There was something that was seeking for relief.
c. While he tried to hide his sin, the worry and fear that he would be found out took a physical toll on his body.
I am convinced that many people who spend a lot of money at the doctor and at the pharmacy would do better to
spend some time at the altar confessing their sins before God!
B. v. 4a --THE SPIRITUAL REALM--
.
Verse 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. NIV
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
A. Whether we like to think about it or not, there is a heavy spiritual price to pay for sin in our lives!
1. David says that God's "hand was heavy" upon him. his refers to chastisement!
2. Whether you like it or not, or whether you believe it or not, God will chastise His children when they entertain sin in their lives,
Pro. 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects,Just as a father the son in whom he delights.;
Rev. 3:19 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.;
If we refuse to deal with our sins, then the Lord will.
(Ill.. WHEN THERE IS UNCONFESSED SIN IN A LIFE, THE PRAYER LIFE HINDERED.
Psa. 66:18. (NLT) 18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. .
When there is unconfessed sin in a life, the prayer life is hindered,
The shout is gone! The power is absent! The appetite for the things
of God is gone!
(Ill. Psa. 34:8. There are only two classes of people who do not have an appetite: those who are dead
and those who are sick! So, if your spiritual appetite is missing, you are either sick or dead!)
(Illustration This is a dangerous situation! Imagine not being able to pray for people! Imagine others watching
your wayward life and learning how not to live for God! Imagine your children never hungering for
the things of God because they never saw you living for Jesus! Spiritual problems abound when
there is unconfessed sin in the believers life!)
C. v. 4b The Emotional Realm -
4-B My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
A. David tells us that he has dried up! Just like the ground after
and extended drought, he has dried completely up.
1. What a picture of the believer who has sin in his life!
2. This is a picture of one who has lost his joy!
3. This brings to mind problems in the emotional realm of life!
B. However, there are many people today who are suffering emotionally simply because they have unconfessed sin in their lives.
1. They are always worried, wondering when the chastisement of God will come about in their lives.
2. They are afraid that somehow the Lord will cast them away.
3. They are nervous and they are troubled and they have no real, lasting joy in their hearts.
C. Why? SIN! Friends, sin will steal your joy and leave you broken and bleeding spiritually.
Notice what David requested from the Lord after he had sinned with Bathsheba,
Psalm 51:12. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
David had no joy! He was suffering emotionally because of his sin and he needed help!
(Ill. It's a fact, sin will cause you problems in all three of these areas of your life! Some of you are there right now!
You are having problems physically, spiritually and emotionally and they can all be traced back to some unconfessed,
un-dealt with sin in your life. You really need to hear what David says next. Why? Because if we will hear David and
will do with our sins as he did with his, then we will find joy replacing brokenness. We will find peace replacing worry
We will find hope replacing fear. We will find our relationship with the Lord restored.)
I. The Problem Of Concealed Sin
II. THE PATTERN FOR CONFRONTING SIN
Verse 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my
transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
(Ill. The pattern for confronting sin in our lives revolves around the word "confess." The way to get sin
taken care of is to confess sin. What does it mean to confess? The word itself means "to throw
down or to cast down. When we confess a sin, we are throwing it down before the Lord and saying
the same thing about that He has said. This verse reveals how confession is to be practiced by the
child of God.)
Illustration
Dr. Bob Reccord tells the story of a major move that was set to take place inside the halls of a Fortune 500 company
. It was unheard of, but the company was ready to promote a 38-year-old from vice president to president. The young
man was a very impressive business man who wooed and awed the board of directors. Upon completing the final
interview process, the board broke for lunch with plans to offer this man the prestigious position.
The young man went to lunch alone that day, and was unintentionally followed by several of the board members,
who happened to stand in line behind him. Naturally, they were watching him closely, filled with pride and
excitement about the coming announcement. Just then, everything changed. When the young man came to the
bread section, he placed two, 3-cent butter patties on his tray and nonchalantly covered them up with his napkin.
When he paid for his meal, he did not reveal the stolen treasures.
An hour later, a room that should have been filled with joy was instead marked by anger. And instead of
being promoted to president, the young man with the promising future was fired - all for six cents worth of butter.
The smallest of our sins is costly, far more costly than any of us have ever imagined. Thankfully, Paul turned his
attention away from his own sin, and back to the one who set him free from sin. The joy he had in writing of God's
grace is what makes Romans 8 one of the greatest chapters in all the Bible.
(Ill. In confessing his sins, David used three words to describe the mess he had gotten himself into.)
-CONFESS THE EXISTEN E---CONFESS THE EXTENT---CONFESS THE EXTENT-
A.CONFESS THE EXISTENCE OF OUR SINS -
A. David says that he "acknowledged" that there was sin in his life. The word means "to know and perceive and to make known to others."
1. We must face up to the fact of our own sin, and then we must admit that sin before God.
2. Unless we come to the place where we can admit the fact that we have sinned, we will never be made whole!.
3. Our sin will never be dealt with until it is admitted by the person who is guilty of it.
(Ill. The first word David used to describe his sin was the word Sins., Rom. 3:23 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,.
Who among us would not have to admit that we areguilty of missing the mark of God's holiness?)
B.- CONFESS THE EXTENT OF OUR SINS- -
Romans 6:23, 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A. David simply did what always needs to be done with sin, he pulled back the covers and revealed his sin in all of its ugliness and its rottenness.
1. David got honest about his sin and that is what it takes to get it made right,
Proverbs 28:13, " 13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But
whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
(Ill. The second word David uses is the word Transgression. which means "to step over the boundaries".
We commit transgressions when we know something is wrong and we do it anyway. -
Isa. 53:6 6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own
way; And the LORD has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all..
Many of us would have to admit that we are guilty of stepping over the boundaries God has placed in our lives.
C. -CONFESS THE ERROR OF OUR SINS -
A. The third word used by David is the word Iniquity This word means "crookedness, or that which is bent."
1. Our old sinful nature is always striving to do that which is wrong.
2. This was Paul's problem - Rom. 7:13-25, and it is our problem as well! All of us should be at the place
spiritually where we can honestly say, "There is something in me that is prone to evil and often I am guilty
of giving in to those desires."
(Ill. Whatever that sin, or sins, in your life may be, the Lord wants you to get honest about it and cast that thing down before Him.
Until you are willing to do that, you will never experience His forgiveness and His bless in your life!)
I. The Problem Of Concealed Sin
II. The Pattern For Confronting Sin
III. V. 1-2 THE POWER OF CONFESSING SIN
1. Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,[b]whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
(Ill. What does the Lord say to those who are willing to confess their sins? The first two verses of this chapter answer that question.
David says that the person who has dealt with his sins is "blessed"!
Romans 10:9-10 New King James Version
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Notice three blessings that come into the life of the one who will be honest about his sins and will cast them down before the Lord.)
A. -IT BRINGS CLEANSING-
A. David tells us that those who will confess their sins will experience "forgiveness" and will have their sins "covered".
1. That sin will be lifted up and taken away from our lives. Along with that sin, the penalty of that sin will also be removed.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
That is a promise that every child of God ought to take advantage of this morning!
B. -IT BRINGS CLOSENESS-
A. Verse 2 This simply reminds us that when our sins have been taken care of according to God's pattern,
He does not hold those sins against us..
1. We are able to come into His presence again have fellowship with God. No wonder David said that
such a person is "Happy!"
2. What happens when sin is confessed is that the believer is forgiven and is brought into the presence
of God.
3. There is a restoration of fellowship and blessings.God can hear the forgiven saint. He will draw near
to those who draw near to Him, James 4:8.
Illustration
Shortly after the Korean War, a Korean woman had an affair with an American soldier, and she got pregnant. He went back to the
United States, and she never saw him again. She gave birth to a little girl who looked different than the other Korean children. She
had light-colored, curly hair. In that culture, children of mixed race were ostracized by the community. In fact, many women would
kill their children because they didn't want them to face such rejection.
But this woman didn't do that. She tried to raise her little girl as best she could, until the rejection was too much. She did something
that probably nobody in this room could imagine ever doing. She abandoned her little girl to the streets. This little girl was ruthlessly
taunted by people. They called her the ugliest word in the Korean language - "tooki" - alien devil. It didn't take long for this little girl to
draw conclusions about herself based on the way people treated her.
For two years she lived in the streets, until finally she made her way to an orphanage. One day, word came that a couple from America
was going to adopt a little boy. All the children in the orphanage got excited, because at least one little boy was going to have hope. He
was going to have a family. So this little girl spent the day cleaning up the little boys - giving them baths and combing their hair - and
wondering which one would be adopted by the American couple.
The next day the couple came, and this is what the girl recalled. "It was like Goliath had come back to life. I saw the man with his huge
hands lift up each and every baby. I knew he loved every one of them as if they were his own. I saw tears running down his face, and I
knew if they could, they would have taken the whole lot home with them.
"He saw me out of the corner of his eye. Now let me tell you, I was nine years old, but I didn't even weigh 30 pounds. I was a scrawny thing
. I had worms in my body. I had lice in my hair. I had boils all over me. I was full of scars. I was not a pretty sight. But the man came over to
me, and he began rattling away something in English, and I looked up at him. Then he took this huge hand and laid it on my face. What
was he saying? He was saying, 'I want this child. This is the child for me.'
B. With all our scars, with all the terrible consequences our sin has laid upon us, God still wants us.
1. The cross is the proof.
2. Romans 8 is the love letter.
C. It Brings Consecration -
A. The sinner is honest and, as a result, his whole life grows cleaner and more holy before the Lord.
1. Your appetite for the spiritual will be renewed and you will grow stronger in the Lord as a result.
2. Confession will make you clean and it will help you to live clean as well.
Conc:
1. Please notice that by the end of this Psalm, David had his shout back!
2. He was able to worship and praise the Lord again. Why? He got it into the open and God forgave him!
. Will you get honest about your sins? Will you solve the sin problem now?
