FINDING REVIVAL In GOD’s FORGIVENESS—Psalm 51:1-19
‘Ps. 51_01-19 REVOut 2024’--point#s 1-4--presented 05/07/2024pm to: Eastside Baptist Church, McColl, SC(Pastor Rev. Roger Williams)--Day 3 of a 4-day Revival.
Invitation Hymn--‘Whiter Than Snow’--James Nicholson--FISCHER
Attention:
Looking for something very dear & ‘priceless’ to you that has been lost.
Looking for a lost ‘priceless’(to you) ring in a filthy sewer.
Describe my wedding ring.
My, now deceased father, was a dentist. He was adept at installing ‘old school fillings’ to repair people’s cavities. In order to do that he had to acquire some degree of skill in metallurgy.
For my & my wife’s wedding, Daddy painstakingly constructed two 18-24ct.(?) solid gold wedding rings—one for me & one for my wife. I am so thankful for his doing that for us. I NEVER want to lose this ring! It is more than just a ring of gold...For me, it memorializes & represents a precious labor of love!
Now, SUPPOSE I was to lose this ring in the toilet. And SUPPOSE that I discovered that the only way to retrieve it, would be to open up the ‘sewage tank’ & feel around for the ring in the filthy disease-ridden nasty muck, that surrounds it.
?Is that effort—my sacrifice—worth it?
You could replace the ring, but it will always be replaced with something less in real value.
?What are you willing to do, to retrieve your ‘priceless’ ring?
For some of you, God’s Revival isn’t really that precious to you! You’re not willing to do the work. You may try to replace it with ‘excitement’, & fun, & programs, & more time spent at the church-house. But Revival’s must be centered in your relationship with Jesus!
God’s Forgiveness, offered to every individual in the world, along with the Revival stemming from it, is indeed ‘priceless’! The souls of all men, women, & children depend upon it! We must somehow fish that precious forgiveness out of the muck & mess of our lives, that we have used to buried its true power!
In Psalm 51, King David laid bare his need for God’s forgiveness.
Every one of God’s people is in need of, & CAN be a recipient of God’s forgiveness.
?How do we find God’s forgiveness?
OR more appropriately for tonight:
?How do we find Revival in God’s Forgiveness?
Some(14) traits of those who find Revival in God’s Forgiveness.
1—Those who Find Revival in God’s Forgiveness...
SEEK MERCY From GOD(:1, 9)
Explanation:(:1, 9)
:1—<<To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.>> ?“Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.”
:9—“Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.”
Title:
“<<To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.>>”
This “Psalm” in particular is to be sung corporately or congregationally, because it is addressed “to the chief musician.”
•It was imperative, in “David’s” mind & heart, that the following words be set to music for the BENEFIT of all.
This “Psalm” was written by “David” the second King of a united Israel.
The occasion of it’s writing was “after” “David” had been directly approached by God, thru “Nathan the prophet”, exposing the ‘sinfulness’ of “David’s” sins to “David” himself. Those sins were against Uriah & “Bathsheba.”
•Those events are recorded in 2Sam. 11:1--12:15ff..
By exposing those sins to “David”, his once ‘dormant conscience’ was aroused, & produced this Psalm.—Charles H. Spurgeon in ‘The Treasury Of David’.
:1—“Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.”
:9—“Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.”
In this Psalm, David uses three synonyms for “sin.”
“Transgressions”—Stepping over the line; Going beyond set bounds; Rebellion.
“Sin”—Any offense against God.
“Iniquity”—Perversity; Depravity; Spiritual misalignment.
At this particular time in David’s life, his sins were many & were grievous...Adultery, Lying/Deception, & Murder, etc..
Those grievous sins were permitted to thrive by “David” thru various means:
Privilege—(as sovereign king),
Arrogance—(ironically, thru the very successes granted him by God),
Lusts—(of the human heart),
& Spiritual blindness—(‘eyes off the prize’--fleshly distractions even in God-ordained obligations).
*A definition of “Mercy” is, To NOT give a perpetrator/guilty person what they deserve; OR--To NOT give a perpetrator what they have earned thru their own ‘mutiny’ against “God.”
At the very minimum, “David” deserved to be killed as an adulterer & as a murderer. ‘Justice’ or ‘Right’ would be satisfied in “David’s” death.
*And yet, David was ‘a man after “God’s” own heart’(1Sam. 13:13-14; Acts 13:22).
“David” seeks out “God’s” “mercy.” He begs for “God’s” “mercy” to be granted to him.
Here, “David” appeals to one particular aspect of YHWH “God’s” perfect character...God’s “lovingkindness”(goodness, kindness, faithfulness).
• “David” admits that he is NOT deserving of “mercy”, OR he would NOT ask “God” to grant it to him!
*“David” is in need of God’s “mercy” in order to regain his ability to effectively function in life.
*UNLESS “David’s” “transgressions” & “iniquities” against “God” are “blotted out” from “God’s” standing record, “David” loses hope for ever enjoying life again.
“David” can only truly live, by virtue of “the multitude”(the many facets) of YHWH God’s “tender mercies.”
*The granting of “mercy” always anticipates a ‘proper’—AKA--‘repentant’—response from the one to whom “mercy” is granted!
Argumentation:
Ps. 103:10-12—Of David—“He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Ps. 25:6-10—of David:—“Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies & Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD. Good & upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy & truth, To such as keep His covenant & His testimonies.”
Application:
?Have YOU sought MERCY From GOD, in your search for God’s Forgiveness?
?Have YOU found Revival in God’s Forgiveness?
2—Those who Find Revival in God’s Forgiveness...
SEEK CLEANSING From GOD(:2, 7, 10a)
Explanation:(:2, 7)
:2—“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.”
:7—“Purge me with hyssop, & I shall be clean; Wash me, & I shall be whiter than snow.”
:10a—“Create in me a clean heart, O God,...”
:2—“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.”
David’s wrongs(sins) are readily admitted. Yet ‘admission’ of sin is only a part of the entire picture.
“Forgiveness is an act of divine grace whereby sin is blotted out & the sinner is “cleansed” by the washing away of his sins.”—Willem A. VanGemeren in EBC(1991)
For a person who truly loves YHWH God, commission of personal sin(“iniquity”) will eventually lead them to crave & require God’s forgiveness.
God’s forgiveness brings a desired/needed “cleansing” factor to the saved person.
Without God’s forgiveness, there is no peace for anyone who commits sin. All sin, no matter how heinous, is forgivable!
And thus even the rankest of sinners can have peace in his/her life. But ONLY by the “cleansing” that GOD supplies!
:7—“Purge me with hyssop, & I shall be clean; Wash me, & I shall be whiter than snow.”
David earnestly asks YHWH God to “purge” or purify him “with hyssop.”
•Such “purging” “with hyssop” is pictured by the mortal sacrifice of an innocent animal, & having it’s blood sprinkled appropriately by the priest, upon any object that was to be made “clean.”
David is seeking to have that ‘cleansing’ blood sprinkled upon himself for his own “cleansing”, because he sees his guilt before YHWH God(:3, 4).
As a result of YHWH God’s “purging” & “washing” , David’s sin he will indeed “be whiter than snow.”
•The focus in this picture of “snow” is upon it’s “whiteness.” •“Whiteness” represents a complete absence of impurity. Or said another way, “Whiteness”pictures an unconditional purity.
It is not that David sees himself as better than someone else(holier-than-thou). But, David knows that he CAN be accepted as “clean” in God’s eyes.
David’s desire to “be clean” can only be answered by YHWH God’s creating a “clean” heart within David(cf.-:10)....
:10a—“Create in me a clean heart, O God,...”
For David’s washing(:2), purging, & cleansing(:7) to be effective, he must have a “heart” that operates in full accord with God’s desire.
2Cor. 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Such a “heart” must be, made “clean” from & free from, all those things that are ‘not of’ God(Rom. 14:23).
Rom. 14:23—“But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”
So God Himself must be INVITED IN to accomplish the “cleansing”!
Argumentation:
*1Jn. 1:8-10—“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, & the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful & just to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, & His word is not in us.”
1Cor. 6:9-11—“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus & by the Spirit of our God.”
1Jn. 1:6-7—“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, & walk in darkness, we lie & do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, & the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Rev. 1:4-6—“John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you & peace from Him who is & who was & who is to come, & from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, & from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, & the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us & washed us from our sins in His own blood, & has made us kings & priests to His God & Father, to Him be glory & dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
Illustration:
Taking a bath! In order to truly be clean we don’t just ‘rinse off’ with water....In order to be truly clean, we will also incorporate ‘soap’ of some kind.
Soaps contain ‘detergents’ or other ‘cleansing agents’ that, in the presence of water, combine with the unwanted impurities--dirt, grime, goo, & oils on our skin, to make them more soluble, so that the nasty stuff becomes detached, & can be washed away with the water.
*In like manner, God provides for us, the ONLY effective ‘soap’(cleansing agent) for removing ‘sin’!...!His forgiveness thru The blood of Jesus!
SEEK CLEANSING From GOD.
Application:
?Have YOU sought CLEANSING From GOD, in your search for God’s Forgiveness?
?Have YOU found Revival in God’s Forgiveness?
3—Those who Find Revival in God’s Forgiveness...
Are ACCOSTED/BOMBARDED By Their SIN(:3, 8a)
Explanation:(:3, 8a)Weighs upon them/Buffeted/Burdened
:3—“For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.”
:8—“Make me hear joy & gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.”
:3—“For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.”
David boldly approaches YHWH God with his request for mercy(:1), BECAUSE David “acknowledges”(knows) his own “transgressions.”
*Those “transgressions” are “always before” David, so that he is burdened by their continual presence in his life.
•King David’s life is ‘on hold’ as it were, because of the weight of his “sin.”
•It is all he can think about.
•The weight of sin creeps into EVERY aspect of David’s life.
•And so, Unconfessed sin wreaks havoc on anyone’s life.
*Sadly, some hold themselves back from the glory & power of God’s willingness to work in them, because they are too prideful to face the truth about your sin!
*Confession of personal “sin”(1Jn. 1:8-10) thru Christ Jesus, invites every promised aspect of God’s forgiveness. And God’s forgiveness is what RELEASEs you from the ‘bondage’ of “sin”!
:8a—“Make me hear joy & gladness,”...”
In the absence of YHWH God’s forgiveness of personal sin, David is incapable of experiencing “joy & gladness.”
David’s sin, & his longing for God’s forgiveness, is so consuming that he cannot even bring himself to ‘process’ the ‘sound’(“hear”) of “joy & gladness” in & from others!
David readily admits, that YHWH God Himself is the only One Who is capable of “Making him hear joy & gladness.”
Argumentation:!UNUSED!
Lk. 15:17-19—of the prodigal son:—““But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough & to spare, & I perish with hunger! ‘I will arise & go to my father, & will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven & before you, & I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
Lk. 18:9-14—“Also He[Jesus] spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, & despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee & the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood & prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Illustration:
Being constantly accosted & bombarded by sin is like...
*Keeping a dog that bites you when you feed it, or when you attempt to play with it, or when you treat it like a beloved pet. That ‘dog’ represents ‘sin’ that you harbor & ‘feed’!
ACCOSTED/BOMBARDED By Their SIN
****************************
* ‘Lot’ illustration UNUSED:
Gen. 13:10-13—of Abram’s nephew, Lot—“And Lot lifted his eyes & saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, & Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, & Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain & pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked & sinful against the LORD.
•2Pet. 2:7, 8—“...righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing & hearing their lawless deeds)”
•Yet, Lot willingly chose to live among the wicked. Not to win them to YHWH God, but in order to ‘make a living’!...
•!Don’t EVER choose to ‘make a living’ at the expense of God’s righteousness!
****************************
Application:
?Are YOU ACCOSTED/BOMBARDED By YOUR SIN, in your search for God’s Forgiveness?
?Have YOU found Revival in God’s Forgiveness?
4—Those who Find Revival in God’s Forgiveness...
ADMIT Their SIN Is AGAINST GOD(:4)
Explanation:(:4)Know the terminus of their sin.
:4—“Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.”
David’s “sinning” was openly leveled “against” other people, & effected them negatively. However, in his doing so, David was ACTUALLY/truly “sinning” “against” YHWH God Himself!
David admits that all of his “sinning” amounted to personal acts of “evil.”
•All manner of “sinning” that anyone does, IS the “doing” of “evil” before God’s very eyes, & against Him!
*Sin is “an overt act of rebellion whereby the creature despises divine laws & flaunts a sinful nature.”—WAVanGemeren in EBC
David’s admission that his multitude of sins was against YHWH God “only”, gives testimony to the fact that God is indeed “found” to be “just” & “blameless” in all of His statements, revelations, legacy, declarations, & official “judgments”/determinations.
Jn. 9:39—“And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, & that those who see may be made blind.””
Argumentation:
Mat. 6:33–Jesus warned,—“But seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness, & all these things shall be added to you.””
Js. 2:11—“For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”
•And that also works if you transpose Murder with Adultery, or replace it with any sin against God!... We’ve become “transgressors” of God’s “law”!
Luke 10:16—Jesus’ instructions to the 70 sent out to preach Him—“He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, & he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
1Thes. 4:7-8—“For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”
Mat. 10:40—“He who receives you receives Me, & he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
Jn. 13:20—Jesus said, —““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; & he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.””
Jn. 5:22, 23—“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
Jn. 12:44-50—Jesus said,—“He who rejects Me, & does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say & what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.””
Illustration:
The saying, ‘The Buck Stops Here!’...
Your unconfessed Sin is ever before God(it ‘stops’ before Him)!
You cannot blame others. They may have sinned against you, BUT have you returned God’s direction, compassion, & love to them?
•ADMIT Their SIN Is AGAINST GOD
Will YOU ‘Break the Chain’ or ‘Break the Cycle’ as it were?...That cycle of dependence on YOUR own past trusts & fleshly living?
•ADMIT YOUR SIN Is AGAINST GOD!
Application:
?Do YOU ADMIT YOUR SIN Is AGAINST GOD, in your search for God’s Forgiveness?
?Have YOU found Revival in God’s Forgiveness?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Fishing out something precious from the mess & muck, & filth that surrounds it.
Action:
Those who Find Revival in God’s Forgiveness...
1—SEEK MERCY From GOD(:1, 9)
2—SEEK CLEANSING From GOD(:2, 7, 10a)
3—HAVE BEEN ACCOSTED/BOMBARDED By Their SIN(:3, 8a)
4—ADMIT Their SIN Is AGAINST GOD(:4)
Pt#s 1-4 only! presented Tuesday 05/07/2024pm to:
Eastside Baptist Church(Revival)
201 North Church St.
McColl, SC 29570
**’Ps. 51_01-19 REVOut 2024’--point#s 1-4--presented 05/07/2024pm to: Eastside Baptist Church, McColl, SC(Pastor Rev. Roger Williams)--Day 3 of a 4-day Revival.
Invitation Hymn--‘Whiter Than Snow’--James Nicholson--FISCHER
Congregational point-list Printout:
Those who Find Revival in God’s Forgiveness...
Psalm 51:1-19
1—SEEK MERCY From GOD(:1, 9)
2—SEEK CLEANSING From GOD(:2, 7, 10a)
3—HAVE BEEN ACCOSTED/BOMBARDED By Their SIN(:3, 8a)
4—ADMIT Their SIN Is AGAINST GOD(:4)
5—ADMIT Their VULNERABILITY To SIN(:5)
6—APPROACH GOD HONESTLY(:6)
7—ACCEPT GOD’s PURPOSEFUL INTERVENTION(:8b).
8—OFFER An APPROPRIATE HEART & SPIRIT(:10b-11)
9—REGAIN JOY & SPIRITUAL STRENGTH(:12)
10—EFFECTIVELY EVANGELIZE(:13)
11—RECEIVE FREEDOM From GUILT(:14a)
12—RECEIVE FREEDOM To PRAISE(:14b-15)
13—ABIDE In CONTRITION(:16-17)
14—AFFECT NATIONAL WORSHIP(:18-19)
