Great Prayers of the Old Testament
Part 26: Getting Back to the Joy of Jesus
Sermon 2: The Miraculous Works of the Holy Spirit
Psalm 51:11
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared July 8, 2025)
BACKGROUND:
*Last time we start a series of 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 once the King found out that Uriah's wife was pregnant, David brought Uriah home, hoping that this faithful soldier and husband would sleep with his wife. But Uriah was so loyal to the troops still in the battle, that he refused to even go in his house! Then David conspired with General Joab to abandon Uriah in battle, making sure that Uriah would be killed by the enemy.
*What a horribly sinful chain of events! But at the same time, we must remember that King David was a saved man. GotQuestions.org pointed out that 1 Samuel 13:13-14 and Acts 13:22 both tell us that King David "was a man after God's own heart." I also love what 2 Samuel 23:1-2 says about King David: "Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel: The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue." (1)
*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.
*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." (2)
*God's Hand was heavy on David, because the LORD was leading David to repent and confess his 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 without a sense of guilt and shame, then you need to carefully consider whether or not your faith is real. I say this because our loving Heavenly Father disciplines all of His children. That's why covering our sin brings pain. But confessing our sin to the LORD 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.
*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 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. And John Phillips wrote, "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 51:1-11. (3)
MESSAGE:
*Yes Christians, our unconfessed sins definitely cause us to lose our joy of the LORD. But the great news is that we can get it back! We can have more joy. And in the first sermon on vs. 1-10, we saw that the joy of Jesus Christ comes through heartfelt confession. We also saw that the LORD'S joy mostly comes from heavenly cleansing.
*But the joy of the LORD also calls for us to learn more about the Holy Spirit. We get this call from vs. 11 where King David prayed to the LORD and said, "Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me."
*But who is the Holy Spirit? The best answer is: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD. The Holy Spirit is not a "force" like they had in the Star Wars movies. He is not just a source of power like electricity. The Holy Spirit is God! He is God everywhere. King David proclaimed this great truth in Psalm 139:1-10.
1. For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
3. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
4. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.
7. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8. If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10. Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
*So there is 1 God in 3 persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is God everywhere! Years ago, I found 19 different ways that the Holy Spirit worked in the Old Testament, and of course there could be more. But today we will explore seven miraculous works of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament.
1. FIRST, THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING IN IT, INCLUDING US!
*Genesis 1:1-2 tells us, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." In Job 26:13, that suffering servant of the LORD said, "By His Spirit He adorned the heavens."
*And on a more personal note, the Holy Spirit also gave all of us life. Elihu confirmed this truth in Job 33:4 where he said, "The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Church: You are not an accident of nature. The Holy Spirit of God intentionally gave you life!
2. THE HOLY SPIRIT ALSO GAVE COURAGE TO GOD'S PEOPLE.
*For example, Judges 6:5-6 tells us that the Midianites "would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD."
*J. Vernon McGee explained that "The Midianites came up against the children of Israel. They were like a plague of grasshoppers as they came into the land. They came "without number," which means that they had not been counted. They were such a large company that the children of Israel could not count them. The Midianites saw that Israel had good crops, and they needed grain and foodstuff for themselves and for their animals." (4)
*But Judges 6:33-34 says, "All the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and Abiezer (Gideon's small army of 300 men from his tribe) gathered behind him."
3. THE HOLY SPIRIT GAVE COURAGE TO GOD'S PEOPLE. BUT HE ALSO GAVE COUNSEL (THE RIGHT KIND OF COUNSEL).
*We see this truth in Isaiah 30:1-2 which says, "Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin; Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!"
*J. Vernon McGee explained that this was an admonition not to seek alliance with Egypt. And this was the LORD's fourth woe to the rebellious leaders in Jerusalem. It was a woe because it was a warning. God said in effect, "Don't go to Egypt for help, because it won't be a good thing for you to do. Help down there is a mirage on the desert." (5)
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT GAVE THE RIGHT KIND OF COUNSEL TO GOD'S PEOPLE. BUT HE ALSO SPOKE THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS TO SPEAK TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND TO US.
*For example, in 1 Samuel 10, the prophet Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of the Children of Israel, and in vs. 5-6 the prophet told Saul:
5. After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying.
6. Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.
*Then 2 Peter 1:21 sums up this crucial work of the Holy Spirit by saying, "Prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
5 THE HOLY SPIRIT ALSO GAVE INSTRUCTION TO GOD'S PEOPLE.
*Speaking of the Children of Israel wandering 40 years in the wilderness Nehemiah 9:20 says, "You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst."
6. THE HOLY SPIRIT ALSO GAVE MIRACULOUS TRANSPORTATION TO SOME OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS.
*When I think of this miraculous transportation in the Old Testament, we find it in 1 Kings 18:12 and 2 Kings 2:16, but mostly I think of Ezekiel's six reports I found of the prophet's transportation by God the Holy Spirit.
*For example:
-In Ezekiel 37:1 the prophet said, "The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones."
-And in Ezekiel 43:5 the prophet said, "The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple."
7. THE HOLY SPIRIT ALSO PROMISES VICTORY FOR GOD'S PEOPLE.
*Zechariah 4:4-6 reports the Prophet's vision of the Golden Lampstand, and says, "So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, 'What are these, my lord?'" Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, 'Do you not know what these are?'" And I said, "'No, my lord.'" So he answered and said to me: "'This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts."
*These are just a few of the many works of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. But we must know that Romans 4 clearly teaches that Old Testament believers were saved by God's grace through faith in the promise of the coming Messiah. New Testament believers are saved by grace through faith in the Messiah Jesus Christ who already came, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again forever from the dead.
8. BUT OVER TIME, GOD HAD DIFFERENT WAYS OF DISPENSING HIS PLAN FOR MANKIND.
*For example, we can see a difference in the way things worked before the flood and after the flood. We can see a big shift from the way things operated under Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the way things operated under the law in Moses' day. And now we are still in the dispensation of grace that Paul talked about in Ephesians 3:2. Aren't you glad that we got to live in the age of grace!
*Remember that under Old Testament Law, God was almost completely unapproachable. God's visible glory was present over the Mercy Seat in the Temple at Jerusalem. But the Temple was divided by walls. The first wall held back the people of all other races and nations, the Gentiles. That's us. And Gentiles could only go as far as the outer court. Signs were posted in Latin and Greek warning Gentiles not to go any farther under the penalty of death.
*The second wall held back the women and children. The third wall held back Jewish men. Only the priests could go farther. Last was the veil surrounding the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies, only once a year, and only by the sprinkling of blood to protect him from death.
*That veil in front of the Holy of Holies was no ordinary curtain. 1 Kings 6:2 tells us that Solomon's temple was 30 cubits or about 45 feet high, but according to the ancient historian Josephus, King Herod had increased the height to 40 cubits. That would be about 60 feet high. Early Jewish tradition said the curtain was 4 inches thick. But why did God go to so much trouble to keep people away from Him? The best answer is because of our sin. God is a holy, holy, holy God who cannot tolerate the presence of sin.
*But that curtain separating people from God's presence was also a sign that God the Father revealed when His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Yes, Jesus humbled Himself to be miraculously born as a mortal man, but Jesus never stopped being God! And we know this for sure, because Colossians 2:9 tells us that "in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
*And William MacDonald explained that when Jesus died, the heavy, woven curtain "was torn by an Unseen Hand from top to bottom. But in Hebrews 10:19-20 we also learn that the veil in the Temple represented Jesus's body. Its tearing pictured the giving of Christ's body in death. Through His death, we have 'boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,' Now the humblest believer can enter God's presence in prayer and praise at any time. But let us never forget that the privilege was purchased for us at the highest price -- the blood of Jesus Christ!
*The tearing of the veil was also a crucial sign that the only possible way for people to enter into God's presence was through the sacrificial death of His Son. That's why just when Jesus died on the cross, God the Father miraculously tore that curtain in two from top to bottom. God was showing us that the door to Heaven and to Him was opened through the cross of Jesus Christ!
*I love the story of the pastor who was telling some children how this curtain miraculously split open. Then a little boy asked, "How big was the hole?" And the preacher wisely replied, "Big enough for anyone to get through." -- Big enough, that is, for anyone who will put their faith in Jesus Christ! (6)
*So now, by trusting in our crucified and risen Savior, you will get to know God in a personal way. You will have the constant presence of His Holy Spirit in your heart. And you will have eternal life with God in Heaven. Thank God that we are living on the resurrection side of the cross!
9. BUT THERE WAS A MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAVING THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW.
*In Old Testament times, people could lose the Holy Spirit, and they did. That's what happened to King Saul in 1 Samuel 16:14. "The Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him." And that's why here in vs. 11 David prayed, "Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me."
*But in New Testament times, after Jesus Christ was born into a man's body, worked countless miracles, was wrongly arrested, horribly beaten, died on the cross for our sins, rose again from the dead, ascended back into Heaven, and was glorified for it all, the Holy Spirit was sent in a brand-new way! Acts 2 explains what happened. AND NOW THERE IS NO DANGER OF CHRISTIANS LOSING GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT.
*We know this is true, because Hebrews 13:5 tells Christians to "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.'" And where did the LORD say that? At least 2 times. First in Joshua 1:5 the LORD told Joshua, "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Then in Joshua 1:9 the LORD told Joshua something similar when He said, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
*But Hebrews 13:5 puts an extra special emphasis on the LORD's promise to Christians. There God's Word tells us to "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.'" Robert Strand asked, "Whatever does never mean?" And he noted that in the original language "never" is really a compounding of five negatives. Not that each negative is added to another. Rather, each negative is multiplied by the other.
*According to Strand, it really should read, "I WILL NEVER, NO, NOT EVER, NO NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU!" It is a compounding negative. It's a forever never which has no exceptions! Then he asked, "What does 'leave' mean?" He says that in the original Greek it means "to leave behind, to abandon, to give up on, to send back." Well then, so far our verse will read: "I will never, no not ever, no never leave you behind, abandon you, give up on you, or send you back!"
*Finally Strand asked, "What does 'forsake' mean?" In the original language it meant "to leave one in a helpless state, to disregard." It also can include "not relaxing my watchfulness over you." To this point, then, Hebrews 13:5 in the Amplified version reads: "I will never, no not ever, no never give up on you, abandon you, leave you behind, cause you not to survive, leave you helpless, nor shall I ever relax concerning keeping my presence with you!" In other words Christians, we can relax, because God will always be there for us. (7)
*So, yes Christians, we can have more joy! And Psalm 51 can help us get there! Confess your sins to the Lord and He will help you get back to the joy of Jesus Christ. In fact, we can have more joy than King David did when he wrote Psalm 32:1-2, "Blessed (or 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."
*Also remember that God the Holy Spirit has always been at work in the world, and He is still at work in the world today -- To seek lost people and convict them of their sins. Then, if they will open their hearts to listen to the Holy Spirit, and put their trust in our crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will give the born-again spiritual birth of eternal life. Then the Holy Spirit will help us grow into all God wants us to be. Christians: Aren't you glad you were born on the resurrection side of the cross!
*One of my favorite stories about the Holy Spirit is the story C. S. Lewis told about a college student who wrote to him. The young man was an atheist. And he was very concerned, because he had made friends with some Christian students. They were enthusiastically witnessing to him about Jesus, and it had shaken up the young man's thinking. He was going through some great struggles about Christianity, and he wanted to know, "What did Dr. Lewis think?" C. S. Lewis wrote back, "I think you are already in the meshes of the net. -- The Holy Spirit is after you. -- I doubt you will get away."
*That young college student who was in the meshes of the Holy Spirit's net did get saved. His name was Sheldon Vanauken and here is what he wrote about that day:
-"I couldn't reject Christ. -- There was only one thing to do. I turned and flung myself over the gap toward Christ. On a morning with spring in the air, March 29th, I wrote in my notebook: I choose to believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. -- In Christ, my Lord and my God. Christianity has the ring, the feel of unique truth. -- Essential truth.
-By it, life is made full instead of empty, meaningful instead of meaningless. I confess my doubts and ask my Lord Christ to enter my life. I do not know God. I do but say: Be it unto me according to Thy will. I do not affirm that I am without doubt. I do but ask for help, having chosen, to overcome it. I do but say: Lord, I believe. Help Thou mine unbelief." (8)
CONCLUSION:
*Do you find yourself in the meshes of the Holy Spirit's net today? There is hope, sure hope of eternal life for everyone who will allow God’s Spirit to lead them to God’s Son, Jesus Christ. And if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, let the Holy Spirit convince you of your sinfulness and the salvation everyone needs. Call on the Lord to save you today. This is the most important thing we can ever do in life.
*God knows everything about our lives, both the good and the bad. But God still loves us anyway! He is the only way to 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. Let the Holy Spirit of God have His way in your heart today.
(1) Sources:
-GotQuestions.org Who was David in the Bible? - https://www.gotquestions.org/life-David.html
-GotQuestions.org - How could David be considered a man after God’s own heart? - https://www.gotquestions.org/man-after-God-heart.html
(2) Adapted from THROUGH THE BIBLE DAY BY DAY "A Devotional Commentary" by F. B. Meyer - Psalm 32
(3) 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.
(4) THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH J. VERNON MCGEE by J. Vernon McGee - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville - Copyright 1981 - Judges 6:5 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(5) THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH J. VERNON MCGEE by J. Vernon McGee - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville - Copyright 1981 - Isaiah 30:1 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(6) Sources:
-GotQuestions.org - "What was the significance of the temple veil being torn in two when Jesus died? - https://www.gotquestions.org/temple-veil-torn.html
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Copyright 1995 - "The Torn Veil" - Matthew 27:51-54 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-"Preparing for Easter Sunday" - "Dynamic Preaching" email 03/13/2002
(7) Robert Strand, "ESPECIALLY FOR THE HURTING HEART," Glen Forest, ARK: New Leaf Press, 1997 - Source: "Dynamic Preaching" sermon "Finding Peace" - John 20:19-31 - Fifth Sunday in April 2004)
(8) Encounter With Light - an honest account of how a scholar met Christ - http://www.surfoutsider.net/pdfs/encounter.pdf
