Necessary Steps On The Way Back Home (Part II)
Psalm 51:14-17
Last week my father and I drove to Springville to look at a car. The man who was trying to sell it gave me his address and I put the information in my GPS. My trusty little technological boss lady (GPS) took me right to Springville. At one point she said arriving at destination on right. I looked and didn't see what I was looking for so I kept driving. Then the GPS said in 500ft make a U-turn. I didn't listen. Then she said in 300 ft make a U-turn...Again I didn't listen. I continued to circle the block looking for the car that was for sale. Then she says WHEN POSSIBLE MAKE A U-TURN! Still I refused to listen. I thought that I knew better than the machine that was created to give ME directions. Finally I pulled over and called the owner of the car. Guess what...THE GPS WAS RIGHT!! It took me to the exact place that I needed to be but the car was behind the building and I didn't see it. If I had just trusted the GPS to get me there I would have made it a lot quicker with a lot less complications.
Unfortunately, there have been times in my life where I have had the same problem on my spiritual journey. I have made certain choices... gone in certain directions and started down the wrong path. And in the process the Holy Spirit was telling me MAKE A U-TURN NOW! But I thought I knew better, I thought I could get where I needed to be on my own. And as a result I just went further and further away from where God would have me to be.
Maybe you have been in a similar situation... maybe you are there right now. Perhaps you have strayed away from the Father's house so to speak. And you are continuing to go father and father away from Him. Tonight, I would like to show you the proper way to get back to the Father! If you were with us in the A.M service then you saw the first 2 steps on this journey home. Let's return to Psalm 51 and continue to examine the "Necessary Steps On The Way Back Home"
Let's take a moment and review what we saw in Part 1 of this sermon: We began with the fact that the first step on the way back home is REVELATION. Our loving Heavenly Father will do what is necessary to reveal our sin and rebellion to us. He will boldly confront our sinful acts.
1) He Will Reveal Our Sin Through The Conviction Of The Holy Spirit
2) He Will Reveal Our Sin Through The Truth Of The Holy Scriptures
This is not an enjoyable experience but it is a beneficial one and it is also an evidence of our salvation. And if you are out of the will of God and living in rebellion, God will reveal your sin unto you! This is perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this sermon. Just think for a moment that the Creator of the universe... the Sovereign God Himself cares enough about you to confront your sin.
- Why do we discipline our children? Because we love them and want the best for them. They don't like it when we do it, but it is necessary. The same is true for God, He confronts our sin because He loves us and it is necessary for our spiritual health and growth.
The second necessary step on the way back home is REALIZATION. - Once God does His part by revealing our sin to us, then we must realize the fact that we are living in rebellion.
There are 3 facts that we must "realize"
A. We Must Realize The Cause Of Our Rebellion
B. We Must Realize The Consequences Of Our Rebellion
C. We Must Realize The Cure For Our Rebellion
We made it through the first one in Part I of this sermon. The Cause Of Our Rebellion is:
1) Sin
2) Satan
3) Self
4) Separation
I would like to pick up where we left off and continue to examine :
STEP # 2 - REALIZATION - v1b Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Not only did David realize the cause of his sin, he understood the consequences of his sin. And if you are going to return to a right relationship with the Father then...
B. YOU MUST REALIZE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR REBELLION- v3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:
There were many people impacted by David's sin.
- His family
- His Kingdom
- Bathsheba
- Uriah
- And David himself
But here he states that nothing is more grievous that the fact that he had sinned against the Lord. At this time in his life David was at a place of BROKENNESS. In fact, David addresses this in verse 17 - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
According to the International Bible Encyclopedia, “A contrite heart is one in which the natural pride and self-sufficiency have been completely humbled by the consciousness of guilt.” The Hebrew and Greek words for “contrite” literally mean “crushed, crippled, or broken". Simply stated "a contrite heart" is "a heart that has been broken to pieces."
David was not "broken" because of the consequences he would face because of his sin. He was not simply "sorry that he had been caught". David's heart was shattered because he had sinned against his Lord! I want to show you what I believe is what broke David's hard heart. Look with me to 2 Samuel 12:9 and see what the Lord said to David - Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
As tragic as those consequences are, I believe the crushing blow was actually what God said in 2 Samuel 12:7 ... Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
Before you will ever be restored to a right relationship with the Father...before you can ever take the necessary steps on the way back home, you must "realize" the consequences of your sin. And I am not referring to the discipline and the chastisement that you will face as a result of your rebellion. I am talking about you coming to a place of brokenness over the fact that you have sinned against your Heavenly Father! Before you can be restored you must come to the realization that you have sinned against the God who gave you life, the Father who sent His only Son to be your Savior... the One Who has delivered you from your sins... the one who rescued you from Hell... the One who has promised you eternal life and a home in Heaven. He owed you nothing and gave you everything!! And how did you repay Him? By taking control of your life...by rebelling against Him...by living life on your terms instead of following His will. You have made a mockery of His name, you have trampled on His Son's blood! You gave Him your life and then went and snatched it out of His hands and said I am going to do things my way be cause I KNOW BETTER!! When you realize all that you have done and then you comprehend the fact that He is still willing to forgive and to restore you... THAT SHOULD BREAK YOUR HARD HEART!!
David realized the consequence of his sin... will you see the fact that you have transgressed against your Heavenly Father? Maybe some here would say "yes, I realize the consequence of my sin" If so, I would like to show you another step to this realization that will help you to make things right. Notice:
C. YOU MUST REALIZE THE CURE FOR YOUR REBELLION- v16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
After David comprehended the extent of his sin, he was ready to alter his course. He was a man of God and he new that he was not without hope. He also knew what God really desired from him. He says " You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering". - David knew that the Lord didn't want ceremonies or rituals from him. God desired repentance and obedience from His man. Can you imagine how helpless David would have been if there were no hope of forgiveness and restoration?
Some of you have been living your life without hope.Why? Because you believe the lies that the Devil has told you. Satan would have you to believe that there is no hope for you. He wants you to think that God has abandoned you because of your sin. He has told you that you have gone too far away and that you have done too much to be forgiven and you have believed him! Well, I am here to tell you today, based on the authority of the Word of God that there is hope for you! - 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Not only is there an opportunity for forgiveness, the Father is standing with out stretched arms longing for you to return. Do you not realize that this sermon is a plea from the Father for you to return to Him? I pray that you will realize that there is a cure for your sin today!
What is that cure for you sin? The cure is actually the last 2 Steps On The Way Back Home. Those steps are to Repent and to Return. Look with me to verses 9-14 as we see:
STEP # 3 - REPENTANCE - v9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me......v14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation
For many months David refused to repent. He chose to remain in his sin and drift further and further away from the Lord. And this is a sad reality for many people today. They know what is wrong... they don't need this sermon to know that they need to repent but they refuse to take the proper steps toward forgiveness. And having a hard heart only intensifies this problem. But once your hard heart has been shattered, you will see the need to repent of those sins that have separated you from God.
David confessed his sins to God, he asked for forgiveness and he turned from those sins. Repentance is more than confession, it is more than asking for forgiveness, true repentance is turning away from your sin.
David also asked God to "cleanse him" - v7 ¶Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
When we allow God to cleanse us, He will restore our joy and receive us back into close fellowship with Himself. You will never make it back home to the Father's house unless you are willing to turn from your sin. David would never have been restored if he had refused to repent. He would have continued to go father and farther away from the Lord. If your heart has truly been broken over the fact that you have transgressed against the Father and you truly desire to return to Him...YOU MUST REPENT!!! And if you will repent, then you are one step closer home!
Once there has been a Revelation and a Realization and Repentance, then there is one final step...we must RETURN! These steps we have examined today must be taken in chronological order. Before we can repent, we must realize the need to do so, before we can realize our sinful condition it must be revealed. But when the first 3 steps have been taken, then we are ready to Return. Look with me to verse 12 as we see:
STEP # 4 - RETURN -v12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
David wanted that joy that he once knew. He wanted to return to the previous relationship that he had enjoyed with the Father. If you are driving somewhere and (like me) you ignore the GPS and you go 20 miles in the wrong direction you can't just keep going in that direction hoping you will reach your destination. No, you must turn around and go back to where you made the wrong turn.
David didn't keep going in the same direction, he turned around and returned to where he once was. And when we return to the Lord, we will return to those thing that we neglected in our rebellion. You see, there are many people... in fact some of you, who have turned form the Lord. And in your rebellion you have neglected some things. And once you make things right then you must return to those things of the Lord that you have abandoned. You must:
A. RETURN TO YOUR WORK FOR THE LORD- v13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
David proclaims that he will teach people the ways of the Lord and as a result people will be converted. There are countless believers who have turned from the Lord and left there place of service. They no longer teach, preach, sing, witness, and so on. There are people who they could have reached who are neglected. They also have fellow Christians and church members who have had to pick up the slack. This often leads to burnout among many of those who are left behind. Not only have they left the church, the ministry and the mission they have LEFT THE LORD!
But praise God when you are restored then you will have the opportunity to return to serving Him! Not only will you have the opportunity return to service, you will have a desire to serve! When you take the "Necessary Steps On The Way Back Home" you will Return To Your Work For The Lord" we also see that you will...
B. RETURN TO YOUR WORSHIP OF THE LORD- v14b and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
As a result of his sin, David's lips had been sealed! He no longer worshipped and praised his Lord.He was away from the presence of God, he was out of the will of God, he had forsook the work of God and he failed to worship God. And if you are backslidden and living in rebellion the same is true in your life! But praise God when you return to the Lord, then you can once again worship Him!
How long has it been since you have been in the presence of the Lord? Do you realize that you are out of the will of God?Have you forsaken your service to the Lord? Are you no longer worshipping the Lord? If so, won't you take those necessary steps to return to Him today?
- Has He Revealed your sin?
- Have you Realized your sin?
- Will you Repent of your sin?
- Will you Return to the Lord?
Say to the Lord as David did in - Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
The Gatlin brothers sing a song called "The Prodigal Son". It tells the story of a modern day prodigal who strayed and then come to his senses and returned to the Father's house. Listen to the words:
"I was a young man who had the best of everything"
"I was the first born of a hardworking man"
"But I was not satisfied with the best of everything"
"So I took my possessions in my hand"
"I traveled far and wide and I tasted worldly pleasure"
"But deep inside, I was lonely without measure"
"I wound up in Las Vegas, nearly dead"
"Then I raised my eyes toward Heaven and I said"
"I will arise and go back to my Father's house"
"I will beg him to forgive me for the fool I've been"
"I will arise and go back to my father's house"
"I will gladly be a servant if he'll take me back again"
- My dear friend, if you will return, HE WILL TAKE YOU BACK RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!! Will you take the Necessary Steps On The Way Back Home?
