Taking Inventory

Psalm 32:1-11 Taking Inventory

New Years 2003

Intro: Once upon a time, I worked at a grocery store. At another time I worked for a plastics company. At both of these places we would take an inventory every so often… We would count all the items and ensure what was on the books matched with what we actually had on hand…. Most businesses do this sort of thing on a regular basis.

Also, at the end of a year most businesses attempt to reconcile all of their accounts. If a customer owes them they may try to collect it. If they owe money, maybe they will try to settle that account….

We recently reconciled our bank account and to make sure everything balanced out….

Likewise, I think the end of the year is a good time for us to look back on the past year (or longer if necessary) and take inventory of our lives and ensure we don’t have any open accounts that need our attention.

King David did this in Ps. 32.

Background: David & Bathsheba’s sin; Uriah killed; David attempts to hide his sin by marrying Bathsheba. About 1 year passes and David has been greatly weighed down by his terrible sin. Finally, Nathan, the prophet, comes to confront David. David makes things right between himself and God.

Prop. People need to take inventory of their lives and settle any open accounts they have.

I. The Forms of sin found in our lives (1-2).

As we are taking inventory over this past year, we need to pay special attention to sins in our lives….they come in various forms.

A. Transgressions = rebellion against a rightful authority whether God or man; a malicious and forcible opposition to God

B. Sins = "a coming short of the mark", not doing one’s duty, failing to live up to expectations

C. Iniquities = moral crookedness, wrong doing, infraction of God’s law

D. Guile = an insincerity, a cunning, a falseness to self, others or to God.

I spell these out with an attempt to try to get you to think of some ways in which you might have sinned against God or man. However, the first three are often used collectively to refer to all past misdeeds whether against God or man.

II. The Effects of sin our lives (2-4).

A. Physical problems (Bones waxed old, v.3) –

See Psalm 6:2

Outward behavior can adversely affect us inwardly.

Sin can cause all sorts of health problems.

Sin can cause premature aging which is certainly implied here.

B. Spiritual Anguish (my roaring, v. 3b) – (see Psalm 6:2)

roaring = groaning from terrible suffering (Ps. 22 and Is. 53).

C. Conviction (God’s heavy hand, v. 4)

Conviction is the reason for the physical problems and the spiritual anguish.

D. Sapped Vitality (moisture is turned into drought, v.4).

All dried up, dehydrated.

Ever been dehydrated? That is the idea here, not moisture, totally sapped of energy and you become lethargic….

David experienced these effects of sin as long as he kept silent about his sin (v.3). This then leads us to see what the remedy for sins committed is.

III. The Remedy for sins in our lives (v.5).

A. Acknowledge your sins

acknowledge (yada) = to know, to own up to

B. Don’t hide your sins

Hide = to conceal by covering over

We must not try to hide our sins from God.

How futile it is to try to hid something from a God who is sees and knows everything.

When we quit trying to cover sin ourselves, that is when God, Himself will cover it.

Ill: When we cover things, the result is they stay fresh (like food) or they stay hot (like coffee in the mugs the Jenkins gave us).

When God covers it, He remembers them no more.

Psalm 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

Heb. 8:12 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

C. Confess your sins

Make no reservations, no excuses, no attempts to hold fast and hide some small part of your sin.

Please compare what was just said with the following verses:

Prov. 28:13 "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh [them] shall have mercy."

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."

"God is swifter to forgive than we are to confess" (Scroggie, p.187).

All sin is ultimately against God, so we need to confess sin to Him, but at times we may need to go to another person(s) too.

Biblical Principles:

When we know that we have sinned against a person we are to that person and seek forgiveness (Matt. 5).