Great Prayers of the Old Testament
Part 25: Getting Back to the Joy of Jesus
Sermon 1: The Promise and Power of Confessing Our Sins
Psalm 51:1-10
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared June 29, 2025)
BACKGROUND:
*Anyone who has read a good portion of God's Word knows that there are a lot of prayers provided for us in the Bible. The Dake Annotated Reference Bible lists 222 different prayers in the Bible: 176 prayers in the Old Testament, and 46 prayers in the New Testament. (1)
*Today we start a series of three sermons to cover three great themes in Psalm 51. In this Psalm King David confessed his horrible sins against Bathsheba, her husband Uriah the Hittite, and most of all, against the LORD our God. Many of us are familiar with the dark story of David's adultery with Bathsheba, and his cover-up conspiracy with general Joab to murder Bathsheba's faithful husband Uriah the Hittite.
*Remember that King David was a saved man. GotQuestions.org tells us that "we can learn a lot from the life of David. For example, 1 Samuel 13:13-14 and Acts 13:22 both tell us that King David "was a man after God's own heart." (2)
*King David was a saved man, but he was also a sinful man. And we could try to take false comfort by saying, "Oh, I'd never sin like that." But that smug attitude doesn't get us off the hook. We are all sinners. And the truth is that we are a lot worse than we usually think we are. Every moment that we spend doing something wrong is a wasted moment when we could have been doing something right. Every moment we spend not loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is a moment in sin. Every moment we spend not loving our neighbor as we love our self is a moment in sin.
*We are all sinners, and there are many ways to sin. In fact, human beings can be experts when it comes to sin. Maybe that's why God used 15 different words in the Old Testament to describe our sins.
*And David used four of them here in vs. 1-5. Please listen again, where God's Word says:
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.
2. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
3. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
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.
5. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
[1] The first word for sin in these verses is "transgression:" That's harsh defiance, revolt, open rebellion against God. It's the "Get out of my face!" attitude. "I'm gonna do what I want to do!" That's transgression.
[2] Then there is "iniquity." That's something warped, bent, crooked, twisted, or perverted. It might just be a warped outlook on life, or something much worse.
[3] Next is the original word for "sin" in vs. 1-4, plus a sister word in vs. 5. The root word for "sin" in these verses means to miss the goal or pathway of righteousness and duty, to incur guilt, or get the just punishment you deserve for it. King David was guilty of at least two terrible sins that called for the death penalty under God's Old Testament Law: Both adultery and murder.
[4] Finally, "evil" in vs. 4. This original word means something that can be vicious. It's something that can cause adversity, affliction, distress, and exceedingly great grief. It's something malignant, something that can cause the worst kind of pain, unhappiness, and misery. (3)
*Those 4 words cover a lot of ground! Unfortunately, there are many ways for us to sin, and sometimes we will, so we need to confess our sins to the LORD! Jon Allen told about a grandmother who was teaching her little grandson about Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden. That little boy said, "If I had been in the Garden of Eden, and the devil offered me an apple, I wouldn't have eaten it. I don't even like apples!" "Yes," said his granny, "but suppose he had offered you some candy?" Her grandson thought about it for a moment and wisely replied, "Oh well." (4)
*The devil knows just where to hit us. He knows where we live. He knows where our weak spots are, -- so sometimes we will stumble into sin. King David did too. He was a saved man, but he was also a sinful man. That's why the king lost his peace, and David shows us that trying to cover up our sin brings more pain.
*In his study on Psalm 32, F. B. Meyer explained that "For some time after his sin, David withheld confession to the LORD, and suffered terribly." David talked about this time in Psalm 32:3-4 where he said, "When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer." (5)
*God's Hand was heavy on David, because the LORD was leading David to repent and confess his sins. God will convict His people of their sins. That's why Proverbs 3:11-12 says, "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction; for whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."
*If you can sin freely without a sense of guilt and shame, then you need to carefully consider whether your faith is real or not. I say that because our loving Heavenly Father disciplines all of His children. That's why covering our sin brings pain. But confessing our sin brings peace. As David said in vs. 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."
*We also see the wonderful peace and power of confession in 1 John 1:8-9. There God's Word tells Christians, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Don't cover up your sins. Confess them to the LORD! But that's not the natural thing for us to do is it? -- No. Adam and Eve tried to cover up their sin in the Garden of Eden. And King David tried to cover up too.
*John Phillips called his study of Psalm 51: "THE SWORD OF NATHAN," and Phillips began by saying, "With absolutely perfect skill Nathan the prophet laid his approaches to David's soul. The King's sin with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah were already a year old. We have evidence from several of the psalms that his private sufferings were considerable, but David had not publicly acknowledged his sin, most important of all, He had not properly confessed his sins to the LORD God Almighty! David simply sat on his throne in Jerusalem keeping the whole thing bottled up inside.
*But in 2 Samuel 12:1-14, God's Word tells us that the Prophet Nathan went to King David and told the King a story about a poor man's lamb that was stolen by a rich man to provide a feast for a passing guest. David had reacted instantly to that tale of injustice. He had sworn to take the thief's life and make him repay the stolen lamb fourfold.
*'YOU ARE THE MAN!' Nathan said when David was done. And Phillips wrote that Nathan's sword was at King David's throat before David even knew that Nathan had a sword. Down off his throne came the king. The pent-up passions of remorse, shame, guilt, and anxiety were released in a flood of tears. With his heart still pounding in his chest, David wrote Psalm 51. Please think about these things as we read Psalm 51:1-10. (6)
MESSAGE:
*Don't you hate to pour a cup of coffee into a Styrofoam cup and find out that the cup has a leak? You might try to hold your hand under the drips of hot coffee, but that can't last for long. And then, "Ouch!" You may not realize the cup is leaking until the coffee has made a mess on your clothes. That's not how you want to start your day, to say the least. Well, a wise man said that sin puts a leak in Christians' cup of joy. Sin pops your bubbles of joy. And that's the truth. Sin definitely puts a leak in our cup of joy. (7)
*Sure, our circumstances can get us down, but we can be full of joy in the worst circumstances. The Apostle Paul certainly lived out this truth during his ministry. Paul wrote about false teachers and his many sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. There Paul said:
23. Are they ministers of Christ? -- I speak as a fool -- I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.
24. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.
25. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26. in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27. in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness --
28. besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.
*But even when Paul was a house prisoner in Rome for 2 years, chained to Roman guards, Paul wrote 4 letters stressing the joy of the Lord. ALTOGETHER PAUL MENTIONED JOY AND REJOICING AT LEAST FIFTY TIMES IN HIS LETTERS!
*For example, in Romans 5:1-2 Paul wrote, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." In Romans 5:13 Paul said, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." And in Philippians 4:4 Paul tells believers to "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"
*Fanny Crosby wrote many of our favorite hymns. She lived to be over 90 years old. But when she was just 6 weeks old, Fanny was totally blinded when inflammation in her eyes was treated with mustard dressings. But Fanny was only 8 years old when she wrote these joyful words:
"Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see.
I am resolved that in this world, contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy that other people don't.
To weep and sigh because I'm blind -- I cannot and I won't!" (8)
*Dr. Diane Komp is a pediatric oncologist who for decades has specialized in treating children who are suffering from cancer. Now the professor emerita of pediatrics, Diane joined the Yale faculty in 1978. Through all of those years she has sung classical sacred music, most recently with Bethesda Lutheran Church's music series. After retirement, she built an art studio and has exhibited widely. Dr. Komp has published nine books mostly about Christianity and children suffering from cancer. Some of her titles include:
-A Window to Heaven: When Children See Life in Death
-A Child Shall Lead Them: Lessons About Hope from Children With Cancer
-Children Are Images of Grace: A Pediatrician's Trilogy of Faith, Hope, and Love
-Hope Springs from Mended Places: Images of Grace in the Shadows of Life
-And Why Me?: A Doctor Looks at the Book of Job
*But the most wonderful thing to me about Dr. Komp is that through her work with suffering and dying children, Diane was moved from being an agnostic and atheist to being a faith filled, Bible believing Christian! One of her favorite quotes is from a former patient who said, "For the Christian, the Big C is not cancer. -- The Big C is Christ!." (9)
*Christians, Yes we can be full of joy in the worst of circumstances. But sin puts a leak in our cup of joy. The great news is that we can get it back! We can have more joy.
1. AND THE JOY OF JESUS CHRIST COMES THROUGH HEARTFELT CONFESSION.
*We see this truth in vs. 6-10 where God's Word says:
6. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.
10. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
*In vs. 1 David prayed, "Blot out my transgressions." In vs. 2, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." In vs. 3, "I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me." In vs. 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." And in vs. 5. "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me."
*Catholics teach that the Virgin Mary was born without original sin, but like every other woman ever born, Mary was also a daughter of Adam. Yes, she was one of the best, and possibly the best woman who ever lived. But Mary was also a sinner who needed a Savior just like the rest of us. And in Luke 1:46-47 Mary sang, "My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my SAVIOR." (10)
*So, King David sincerely confessed all of his transgressions, iniquities, sins, and evil schemes. David confessed all of his sinfulness to God. AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
*We see a picture of the king's godly sorrow down in vs 17 where David declared that "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, "A broken and a contrite heart -- These, O God, You will not despise." And though David suffered many consequences in his family for the rest of his life, God forgave David, and Christians, GOD WILL ALSO FORGIVE US.
*What a wonderful, uplifting, joy-filled truth! The Holy, Almighty, Omnipotent, perfect in every way LORD God will forgive my sins. Verse 1 reminds us that the LORD our God is loving and kind and full of mercy. The LORD has a multitude of tender mercies for us! Many of us have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but we still tend to stumble at times. We can be selfish and sinful. But remember that 1 John 1:8-10 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." And that restores my joy! Christians: We surely can have more joy!
2. AND THE JOY OF JESUS COMES THROUGH HEARTFELT CONFESSION. BUT THE LORD'S JOY MOSTLY COMES FROM HEAVENLY CLEANSING.
*We see this most essential truth in vs. 6-10 where King David was led by the Holy Spirit to write:
6. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.
10. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
*It's very important for us to acknowledge that God does the cleansing in these verses. We cannot cleanse ourselves from our sinfulness. ONLY GOD CAN WASH AWAY OUR SINS! And vs. 7 reminds us that it's only by the Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!. There David asked the LORD to "Purge me (or purify me from my uncleanness)." "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
*There is a short bush called hyssop in Israel today, but it is not the plant used for the first Passover in Exodus 12, and at the cross of Christ.
*Albert Barnes explained that the hyssop for the early Passovers and at the Cross was a plant, common in Palestine and near Mount Sinai, with a long straight stalk and leaves well adapted for the purpose of sprinkling.
*It was used to apply the blood of sacrificial lambs to the top and side door posts of the houses where the Children of Israel lived. This was probably because hyssop was sturdy and could withstand the brushing, but it also likely signified that God was marking His people as covered by the blood and not targets of the judgment God was about to deal out to the Egyptians.
*On the night of the Passover in Egypt, the Children of Israel were protected from death in their homes, because the angel of death saw the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and passed over those homes. There was no safety outside of the homes protected by the blood of the lamb. As Moses told the Elders in Exodus 12:23-24, "The LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever."
*Millions of spotless lambs were sacrificed in Old Testament days, and every one of those lambs pointed to the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ who humbled Himself to be born as a mortal man in Bethlehem, lived a perfect life, fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophecies, and demonstrated His power as God's Son by the countless compassionate miracles Jesus worked.
*No wonder that in John 1:29, John the Baptist saw Jesus and proclaimed "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" God was trying to help us see that we can only be saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ which He poured out on the Cross when He died for all of our sins.
*And if we believe in Jesus Christ, if we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, Jesus washes away our sins, gives us the new spiritual birth of eternal life, and gives us His holy righteousness. As John 1:12-13 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
*King David believed in the LORD's promise of the coming Messiah or Christ. Both words mean the "Anointed One." And Jesus Christ was anointed to be the everlasting King of kings and Lord of lords. But Jesus was crucified for our sins. And 3 days later, Jesus rose again in victory over sin and death!
*King David was also inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about the cross of Christ in Psalm 22 and this was a thousand years before Jesus was born! Psalm 22:15-18 says,
15. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
17. I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
18. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
*This is an amazingly miraculous prophecy of the cross of Jesus Christ! It was written 500 years before crucifixion was ever reported to be used anywhere in the world. Here, God even prophesied how the Roman soldiers would divide Jesus' garments, and cast lots for His coat!
*But think about the suffering. The way Jesus was beaten before He was crucified was enough to kill most people. Then, when Jesus was crucified, spikes 5 to 7 inches long were driven through His hands and feet. Death on the cross was so painful that a new word was created to describe it. That word is "excruciating," which is Latin for "out of the cross." (11)
*Now on this side of the cross, everyone who puts their trust in our crucified and risen Christ is born again by the Holy Spirit of God. In 1 John 3:2 the Apostle wrote, "Beloved, now we are children of God." Believers, right now we are the children of God. Not someday, not by and by, but right now, we are the children of God. And that is a fact.
*Yes Christians, we can have more joy! And Psalm 51 can surely help us get there! Confess your sins to the Lord and He will help you get back to the joy He wants all of us to have. We all can be like David in Psalm 32:1-2 where the King wrote, "Blessed, (how happy) is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit."
CONCLUSION
*You may be the best person in church today, but you are probably not. You may be the best person in West Monroe, but you're probably not. You may be the best person in the whole world, but that's not good enough either because God's standard for getting into heaven is absolute perfection 24/7 every day for our whole life. And the only person whoever reached that standard was our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
*In John 8: 29 Jesus was the only person who could ever say, "He who sent Me (that is, God the Father) is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." In Matthew 3:16-17 God's Word tells us that "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'" And on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:5, "While he (Peter) was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"
*As for the rest of us, we were hopelessly separated from God by our sins, and the gap was far too wide for us to cross over in our own strength. But here is the Good News in God's Word for us: God created you, and He loves you beyond measure. He loves us even though all of us have broken His laws and been selfish in our lives. He loved us enough to send His only begotten Son into the world to die for our sins. That is what Jesus Christ did when He died on the cross. But God raised Him from the dead. And now God offers eternal life to everyone who will turn to Jesus and put their trust in Him.
*The "MS Herald" was a British ferry that used to travel the English Channel between Dover, England and the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. On the night of March 5th, 1987, the Herald left the Belgian port with a crew of 80 and 459 passengers. About 25 minutes later, that ship rolled on its side and partially sank in the shallow water. The forward loading doors had been negligently left open, and water began pouring in as soon as the ship got up to speed. The lights went out almost immediately. There was panic and confusion. People were screaming. It was a horrifying situation, and 193 people died that night.
*Andrew Parker and his family were trapped on that sinking ferry. But by the grace of God, there was large metal buoy floating close to the boat. It was close, but just out of reach.
*It was too far for anyone to jump, -- except for Andrew. He was big enough and strong enough to stretch his body out across the gap. Andrew turned his body into a human bridge, and 20 people crossed over to safety. (12)
*That is a small picture of what Jesus Christ did for us! None of us is big enough or strong enough, smart enough or good enough to get to Heaven on our own. But Jesus Christ will be your bridge. He even died on the cross to be your bridge to Heaven.
*So, if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please call on the Lord to save you today. This is the most important thing we can ever do in life. Jesus knows everything about our lives, both the good and the bad. But Jesus still loves us anyway! He is the only way to God's forgiveness and eternal life in Heaven, so please put your trust in our crucified and risen Savior. You can do that right now as we go back to God in prayer.
*And Christian, if you have lost your joy, start confessing your sins to the Lord. You may be surprised to see this part of your burden lifted.
(1) DAKE ANNOTATED REFERENCE BIBLE - Dake Publishing - https://www.hopefaithprayer.com/prayernew/222-prayers-of-the-bible/
(2) GotQuestions.org Who was David in the Bible? - https://www.gotquestions.org/life-David.html
(3) Sources:
-BROWN-DRIVER-BRIGGS' HEBREW DEFINITIONS - Published in 1906; public domain- Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-STRONG'S HEBREW AND GREEK DICTIONARIES - from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D. - Published in 1890; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(4) "Illustration Digest" edited by Jon Allen - Nov. Dec. Jan. 1994-1995 - p. 16
(5) Adapted from THROUGH THE BIBLE DAY BY DAY "A Devotional Commentary" by F. B. Meyer - Psalm 32
(6) Adapted from EXPLORING PSALMS (Vol. 1 or 2) by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Psalm 51: The Sword of Nathan" - Psalm 51 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(7) I have lost my original source. This is my source for the current sermon: Kingdom Capstone Outreach Ministry - SIN LEAKS JOY by Adetokunbo O. Ilesanmi (Meditations) - Monday, July 25, 2016 - Bible Meditation: 1 John 1:1-10 - https://kingdomcapstone.org/content/sin-leaks-joy
(8) Title: "The Joy of a Blind Child" - Date: 6/1998.1208 - Source: Bible Illustrator for windows - Topic: Joy - Subtopic: Spiritual / Index: 1930 - Other Topic/Subtopic/Index: Blindness/Spiritual/500-502 / Blessings/Of God/482 - See: Ps 16:11; 126:5; Jn 16:24; Ro 14:17.
(9) Sources:
-Dynamic Illustrations, Jan, Feb, Mar 2001 - Topic: Jesus
-2025 Source - Diane M. Komp - Department: Pediatrics - Biography - https://emeritus.yale.edu/fellows/diane-m-komp
-Recommended source: A Window to Heaven: When Children See Life in Death (1992-03-16) [Hardcover]: Diane M. Komp: 8601422556445: Amazon.com: Books
(10) MATTHEW HENRY'S CONCISE COMMENTARY - Luke 1:39-56
(11) Sources:
-Some of my original sources have been lost over the years
-Adapted from ALBERT BARNES' NOTES ON THE BIBLE by Albert Barnes - Published in 1847-85 - Exodus 12:22 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-GotQuestions.org - What is hyssop? https://www.gotquestions.org/hyssop-Bible.html
-Size of Jesus's Cross - Christian Faith Guiide - https://christianfaithguide.com/what-was-the-size-of-jesus-cross/
-Gray & Adams Bible Commentary: Volume One Genesis-II Kings by Gray, James Comper & Adams, George M. - Publication date 1903 - Publisher Zondervan Press - Chap. 22:11 -20 - EXODUS
-Adapted from SermonCentral.com sermon "Jesus is Alive - True or False?" by Lee Strobel - Matthew 28:1-20
(12) Sources:
-Jon Johnston, "WALLS OR BRIDGES" - Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988 - Source: Sermons.com email illustration 01/09/2005
-"'It was a night of paralysing terror. But also great heroism': Survivors relive the Zeebrugge ferry disaster 30 years after 193 passengers were killed within 60 seconds of leaving a Belgian port" by Joseph Curtis for MailOnline - 5 March 2017 - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4283156/Survivors-relive-Zeebrugge-ferry-disaster-30-years-later.html
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise
