What is the greatest problem we face as human beings today? Greenhouse gases and climate change? Terrorism? Civil wars? Overpopulation? The ever-increasing gap between rich and poor? The world-wide epidemic of HIV/AIDS? On a more personal level, perhaps it’s the breakdown in relationships between people, between racial and cultural groups, within families, even?
All of those problems are significant dangers for us in 2006 but I want to suggest to you today that we have a far more pressing problem: one that most people are either unaware of or in denial about. That’s the problem of our own inherent sinfulness; of our innate rebellion against the God who made us and who deserves our obedience. Why is this our greatest problem as human beings? Because, as we read in Acts 17:31 "God has set a day when he will judge the world in righteousness." And if we haven’t dealt with our sinfulness by then we’re in big trouble.
So how do you deal with your sin, with your failure to do what’s right? Think about times you’ve done something that you knew was wrong. Perhaps it was something that caused pain or loss to someone else. Perhaps it was something that you’d be ashamed to admit to those sitting around you today. How did you deal with it? Well, it seems to me there are 3 basic ways we tend to deal with our sins.
A) Denial
The first way we deal with it is by denial. We can deny it to ourselves; just wipe it out of our memory banks; try to forget it happened; hope it’ll just go away. Or if someone accuses us of doing something wrong we simply deny any knowledge of it. "I never saw the man before in my life!" In political circles this is known as "Plausible deniability". That’s when you have some built in escape route. You may have noticed it in action during the AWB enquiry recently with all those cables that never seem to have been read by the relevant ministers.
Of course the danger with that course of action is that when we deny what we’ve done we begin a process of lies that tend to get bigger the further we go. But then, God warns us in Numbers 32:23 "be sure your sin will find you out."
B) Blaming others
So the second approach we sometimes take is to blame others. This of course was the first defence ever used by humans when confronted with their own rebellion against God. Adam blamed the woman that God had given him. So it was either Eve’s fault or perhaps even God’s. Eve in turn blamed the serpent. And of course "The devil made me" has been a regular catch cry ever since. But again, blaming others just compounds the sin, doesn’t it? All that does is to break down the relationship we have with that third person. But it doesn’t actually take away our own responsibility for our actions.
C) Confessing and asking forgiveness.
The third approach is by far the best. As we’ll see in a moment, it both acknowledges our own responsibility and it provides the way forward to reconciliation and restoration of the broken relationship. Today I want us to look at Psalm 51. This is a psalm written by David after he’d committed adultery with Bathsheba and had then arranged to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle. So let’s look at the elements of David’s prayer as we read through it.
1 A cry for mercy vs1,2
He begins by crying out to God for mercy, acknowledging, as he does, the nature of God. Notice the characteristics he ascribes to God: mercy, steadfast love, mercy. The grounds of his appeal are the attributes that make God willing to forgive even a terrible sin like David’s. He doesn’t appeal to his own general good behaviour. He doesn’t remind God what a good king he’s been. He doesn’t mention that he’s a man after God’s own heart. Why? Because he understands the reality of his own sinful nature.
So what does he do? He asks God to blot out his transgressions, wash away his iniquity, cleanse him from his sin. He knows there’s nothing he can do to right the wrong, so he pleads with God to make it right, to wash him clean, to restore the relationship. Only God is able to restore the relationship with him that we’ve broken; only God can fix the insurmountable problem that human beings face. But notice the first step for us in getting to that point.
2 Acknowledging my sin, vs 3, 5 & 17
He acknowledges his sin, his own culpability in what he’s done. There’s no room for denial or shifting of blame here. He says "I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." He acknowledges that this is a problem he can’t overcome by himself, v5: "Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me." We suffer from an inborn inability to do what’s right consistently. All we can do is to admit our fallen nature and plead to God for help. Later on he recognises that it isn’t burnt offerings that God desires from us but a broken and contrite heart; admitting our sinfulness and turning away from it.
Now it’s interesting that he did try to cover up what he’d done, didn’t he? He got rid of Uriah. He married Bathsheba before it became obvious that she was pregnant. But that was all on the surface. Here we discover his inmost thoughts. "My sin is ever before me," he says. He could hide it from others, but he couldn’t hide it from his own conscience. When Nathan the prophet came to him to point out what he’d done, David’s response was instantaneous. He immediately acknowledged his sin. The words of this psalm are his words of repentance penned following Nathan’s rebuke.
3 Acknowledging God’s righteousness v4
But then he goes on to acknowledge God’s righteousness, v4. Notice there are two elements to this. First he acknowledges God as the primary object of his failing. We as onlookers would have said his real sin was against Bathsheba in the first place for taking advantage of her, using his power and authority to seduce her and then against Uriah in the second place. But David puts his finger on the real issue. It’s against God and God only that he’s sinned. Now, he isn’t saying he’s done nothing to hurt Bathsheba or Uriah. Rather, he’s saying that the much more serious offence is that against God and his laws. If you cheat on your husband or your wife they’ll think they’re the ones who’ve been wronged. You might even think that. But the reality is that it’s God who’s most offended when his people disobey him. Do you remember the words of the prodigal son when he returned in repentance to the Father? "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son." It’s the sin against heaven that’s our greatest problem.
But secondly and consequently, he acknowledges God’s right to judge. What he’s done is evil in God’s sight.
The sins we commit come out of the evil that lies within us. We probably don’t like to think of it like that but let’s call a spade a spade. When we follow Satan’s lead in rebelling against God we’re simply doing the evil that Satan wants us to do. So if God judges us rightly, we have no reason to complain. So he says "you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment."
You occasionally hear people complaining that God isn’t fair if he judges us for every little thing we do. After all, we can’t help it, can we? (or should that be "The devil made me"?) But no, David’s right. When God judges us he’ll judge in righteousness. His judgement will be based on what we’ve actually done. He won’t need to make anything up. He won’t need to exaggerate our crimes, plant evidence against us. The simple truth, in fact one percent of the simple truth, will be enough to convict us.
So what can we do?
4 Acknowledging my need of God’s help if I’m ever to change vs6-7
If we’re ever to change we need a change deep inside us, don’t we? If the problem is our inner being then that’s what needs to change. And so he prays "teach me wisdom in my secret heart." If we’re to escape the righteous judgement of God, we need to be washed clean, purged of our sin. The reference to hyssop there is probably a reference to the cleansing of a ritual sacrifice: the hyssop, an aromatic herb a bit like rosemary, was dipped in blood, and then sprinkled over the person seeking cleansing. So we need both our hearts changed from within and our sins wiped away. We know now that both those things are provided by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Our sins wiped away by his death on the cross; our hearts changed by his Spirit who comes to live within us. And so David prays:
5 A Prayer for restoration and reconciliation vs8-12
It isn’t just that he fears God’s righteous judgement. The fear of the Lord is part of it, but it’s far from the complete picture. What he prays for is not just cleansing, but restoration. This is a prayer for reconciliation. He wants his relationship with God restored. He wants again to experience the joy of being in a right relationship with God. He wants to know that his heart is clean. He wants a right spirit, a willing spirit within him.
Have you ever got to the point where you know you can’t defeat temptation by yourself? Where you know that the only way you can do it is if God gives you the ability to fight it? Then this is a prayer to memorise isn’t it? "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. ... 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit." This is what Jesus promised he’d do for us when he sent his Holy Spirit to dwell within us, to teach us, guide us, lead us into all truth. And what’s the result when this happens to us?
6 A turned around life vs13-17
He says "13Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you." The result of experiencing the cleansing of God, the salvation brought to us through Jesus Christ is that we want to tell others about this great miracle. Of course David didn’t understand about Jesus. He only understood God’s forgiveness prophetically, as something promised by God, foreshadowed in the sacrificial system of Israel. But we understand it in all it’s fullness. Well, if that’s the case, do we respond the way David responds here? With such joy and gladness that he wants to tell others about this forgiveness that God in his mercy and love provides? Are we so filled with joy that we want to tell people this wonderful news we have to share: that our sins can be forgiven, that God in his love and mercy doesn’t desire sinners to die, but to repent and be forgiven.
7 Dealing with Sin
How are you going to deal with your sin, with your failure to do what’s right? You may be able to pretend, for a while at least, that you didn’t do it. You may be able to live in denial. You might even get away with blaming others from time to time. But there will be some sins that will find you out. And when they do the effect on you and others may be devastating. Much better to respond straight away with repentance and ask God for forgiveness and restoration knowing that God is a God of mercy who longs to see us reconciled to himself.
We sometimes look at other people’s sins and think how terrible they are. But in truth, every one of us will be found to be equally at fault when we stand before the judgement seat of Christ. All we’ll be able to say in that moment is to agree with David, "I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me."
We may not have fallen as far as some, in human terms that is, but the reality is, we have all fallen. Far from judging others, when we come in prayer before God the only thing we can say is this: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." When we come to the communion table today, let’s do it acknowledging our sin, acknowledging God’s righteousness, acknowledging our need of God’s help if we’re ever to change. Let’s thank God that Jesus Christ has died to bring us reconciliation with God and that he’s given us his Spirit to dwell within us, to begin to change us to be more like him.
We’re going to spend a few minutes now listening to this psalm being sung by Sons of Korah. Let’s use the time to meditate on God’s love and mercy and to bring our own sins before him in repentance.
For more sermons from this source go to http://home.vicnet.net.au/~sttheos/
