Psalm 51 ... designated for today ... is one of the few psalms ... where we are given ... the historical background ... that led to the writing of this Psalm.
The inscription reads, ..."A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet came to him, ... after he had gone into ...Bathsheba."
That identifies clearly for us ...the incident out of which ... this psalm arose.
It was the time ... when David the king ... became involved in ... the double sin ... of adultery and of ... murder.
And it is interesting ... that David himself... records this sin ... for us.
David entered into an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba ... the wife of Uriah ... the Hittite. (2 Samuel 11:3)
Later, when he learned that she was expecting a child, ...he panicked ...and tried to cover up ...his actions.
David knew ... that ultimately ...his sin ...would be found out ...so he took ... yet another dark step.
Beloved ... That is always a trademark of sin ... it leads you on... deeper and deeper into its abyss, ...farther than you ever ... intended to go.
Before the king knew it, ... he found himself... forced into a desperate attempt... to cover up his evil.
He ordered Uriah, ... the husband of Bathsheba, ... to be put in the forefront of the battle ... where he would most certainly... be killed. (2 Samuel 11:15)
And when news of Uriah's death reached King David ... he thought ... he was off the hook, ... he had safely covered ... his sin.
But his sin continued ... to haunt him. (Long Pause)
Do you remember Edgar Allen Poe's story, ... "The Telltale Heart"?
In that story, ... the main character committed a murder ... and he buries the body of the victim ...in his basement.
Yet ... the murderer is unable to escape the haunting guilt... of his deed.
He begins to hear...... the heartbeat of his dead victim.
A cold sweat pours over him ... as that heartbeat goes on and on, relentlessly, ... getting louder and louder.
Eventually, ... it becomes clear ... at least To the reader... that the pounding which drove the man mad ...was not in the grave below ...but the beating ... in his own ... chest. (Pause)
You get the sense ... that is how David felt.
The guilt ... became unbearable.
Beloved ... Sin unless addressed ... will haunt you ... and haunt you ...and haunt you!
But ... God loved David so much ... that he was not going to let him continue ... to damage himself and his entire kingdom ... by this hidden sin.
So, what did God do; ... God sent the prophet Nathan... to David.
When David was confronted, ... he did not deny the sin ... he acknowledged ... this terrible sin.
He fell on his face before God ... and out of that experience of confession ... we received ...the beautiful ... 51st Psalm.
And these infamous words contained therein:
BIBLE "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." END (Psalm 51:10).
First and foremost, ... There is a Need in each of Our Lives ... in the life of every human being ... For Cleansing (Pause)
There is a story of two bachelors who were talking one day, ... and their conversation drifted ... from politics ... to sports ... to of all things ... cooking.
One of them said, "I got a cookbook once, ... but I could never do a thing with it."
The other one said, "Too much work, was it?"
The first one replied, "Yeah, ... it sure was.
Every one of the recipes began the same way ... (Slow) ... 'Take a clean dish.'" (Long Pause)
The problem with our relationship with God is much the same.
God says, ... "Take a clean life", ... and we go, "What! ... Hold on, ... there could be a problem here.
Why?
Because Paul tells us in Romans, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
We have what? All sinned; ... we all are in need... of forgiveness.
The concept of forgiveness, ... of being made right with God, ... is pictured in the Scriptures ... in many different ways:
Sometimes as a new birth, ... or the crossing out of a debt, ... or the breaking off of a heavy chain.
But the picture of forgiveness that David uses ... in Psalm 51 ... is perhaps the most common picture ...throughout the word of God.
He describes forgiveness ... as a cleansing. "Create in me a clean heart, O God."
A few verses earlier, David wrote, BIBLE "Wash me thorough and through from my wickedness; and cleanse me from my sin." (Psalm 51:2). And then in verse 8, "Purge me from my sin and I shall be pure; Wash me, and I shall be made clean indeed." END (Psalm 51:8).
Beloved, ... sin is dirty, ... it is filthy, ... it stains our lives.
David Cries Out ... "Purge me, purify me, wash me."
These words imply ... a thorough scrubbing.
And you can almost picture a mother with her child ... at the tub ... scrubbing him or her as she removes ... every speck of dirt.
Scrubbing ... until their skin ... literally shines.
It is a common image in the Scriptures.
Hear these words from 1st John:
BIBLE "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." END (1 John 1:7)
Beloved ... There is a need in our lives ... for a scrubbing ... a cleansing.
And that Cleansing Needs to Begin in the Heart.
And that Cleansing comes from Jesus himself.
Remember God's Promise to Us.
Hear Gods Word BIBLE "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the Dead you shall be saved." END (Romans 10:9)
And the Scripture are clear ... Crystal clear.
That the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all ... A-L-L all sin. (Pause)
Now ... David does not say, ... "Change the way I behave."
He says, "Create ... Create in me... a clean heart ... a new heart."
It is not that behavior ... is unimportant.
It's just that we must start ... at the heart.
We are only going through the motions ... if our heart ...is not right with God.
But when the heart is right ... everything else ... will fall into place.
In Ephesians, ... Paul speaks about the change in our lives which ought to take place ... when we become Believers.
Paul describes it... as putting off the old man ... and putting on ... the new man. (Colossians 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:22-24)
You are called to be made new ... in your hearts ... and in your minds.
Cleansing needs to begin ... it must begin... in the heart.
And it is God Himself... who Creates the Clean Heart.
David doesn't offer ... to do it himself.
In fact, ... he knows that ...he cannot.
When David says, ... "Create in me a clean heart O God", ...he goes back to the language of creation itself... to the first chapters of Genesis.
The word "create" that is used here in Psalm 51 ... is the very same Hebrew word used ... in Genesis.
In fact, ... it is A word used in the Scriptures ... only of God.
It means to create something ... out of nothing.
Only God has the power to speak ... things into existence.
So, ... it is not surprising ...that when David wants a clean heart, ... he cries out, ... "Create in me a clean heart, ...O God."
For only God ...can do it.
Only God has the ability to take away a heart of sin and create a new one.
And the Scriptures are clear when we are in Christ something miraculous happens.
Hear God's word ... BIBLE "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new ... creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. END (2 Corinthians 5:17)
You have been created a new.
People try to deal with their sin ... their guilt... in a number of different ways.
Some try to cover it up ... sometimes with a lot of good works, wrongly believing, ... "If I do enough good deeds, ... I can balance the scales in my favor."
Beloved ... good deeds ... will not remove sin.
On Rosh Hashana ... the Jewish New Year ... it is customary for Jews... to go to a body of water to pray, ... and to throw breadcrumbs onto the water, ... so the fish ... can symbolically ... eat their sins.
Yet ... that will not remove guilt ... That will not remove ... sin.
Only the sacrifice ... that Jesus Christ offered on the cross ... can take away sin, ... guilt, ... and shame.
(Slow) ... Create in me ... a clean heart, O God.
Cleansing begins ... with the heart.
And Beloved ... We Must come humbly before the Lord.
Notice how David prepared himself ... before he asked God ...to create in him a clean heart:
There was contrition.
Psalm 51 goes on to proclaim:
BIBLE "The sacrifices of God are ... a broken spirit, ...a broken and a contrite heart... These, O God, you will not despise." END (Psalm 51:17).
David truly was ... contrite.
To be contrite means ... that our inner self... is crushed.
It does not mean ... that we are merely feeling bad... or remorseful ... about sin.
It means that we have A determined desire ... to repent fully. (Long Pause)
I recently read about a man who wrote a letter to the Internal Revenue Service stating, ..."I haven't been able to sleep lately because last year, ...when I filled out my income tax forms, ...I deliberately misrepresented my income...and my deductions.
I am enclosing a check for $50.00, ...and if I still can't sleep, ... I'll send you the rest." (Pause)
Now ... that is Not ... an attitude ... of contrition.
You see, ... the tendency of our flesh ... is to rationalize ... explain ... excuse ... defend ...and justify ... our sin.
A contrite heart ...does not seek to blame circumstances ...on other people ... or on God.
You do not see David blaming God ... or Bathsheba.
Yet we hear the blame game all the time.
"Everyone else is doing it"
"I'm just treating them the way they treat me."
"It's not personal ......It's Just Business."
"If They're Not Apologizing, Neither Am I!"
"It's only the IRS"
When we come to the Lord, ... there must, be ... true contrition.
And True contrition ... is closely followed by confession.
David's son Solomon put it this way, BIBLE "Those who covers their sins ... will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." END (Proverbs 28:13).
Beloved ... This is one of the reasons ... why so many suffer for years ... because they are not willing ... to come to the place ... where they will acknowledge their sin.
They refuse to call it ... what God calls it... Sin!
They refuse to be honest with themselves ... and with God.
Often ... We have a harder time forgiving ourselves ... then God does.
Yet be assured ... that God does forgive ... if and when we ... come to him.
Beloved "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our sins from us." (Psalm 103:12) (Pause Slow)
Beloved ... Today ... Let us empty ourselves ... of all unrighteousness.
Let us lay our sins ... at the foot of the cross.
Today is the day... Lent is the season ... To allow God to cleanse you ... and mold you more clearly into the image of His son.
Today is the Day ... Lent is the season ... to let the light of Christ shine ...from your very being.
Create in me a clean Heart O' God ... And renew a right spirit within me.
Amen and Amen!
I received much insight from a Sermon by Alan Smith titled "Create In Me" and I commend it to you.
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