Sermon Tone Analysis

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Scripture Reading
Intro
The 51st Psalm is one that I am sure many of you are very familiar with.
This is a very humbling psalm and one that we cannot take lightly.
In reading it, we are convicted by the pleas from David and can all relate to it in one way or another.
Matthew Henry commented that “it is the most eminent of the penitential psalms, and most expressive of the cares and desires of a repenting sinner.”
Augustine, in preaching on Psalm 51, commended it as a great example for all believers.
He said, “But if any that hath already fallen heareth these words, and that hath in his conscience any evil thing; to the words of this Psalm let him advert; let him heed the greatness of the wound, but not despair of the majesty of the Physician.”
He continues in saying, “This Psalm then, while it maketh heedful those that have not believed, so doth not will them that have fallen to be despaired of.
Whoever thou art that hast sinned, and hesitatest to exercise penitence for thy sin, despairing of thy salvation, hear David groaning.”
Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers spoke of this psalm like this, “Such a psalm may be wept over, absorbed into the soul, and exhaled again in devotion; but, commented on—ah!
where is he who having attempted it can do other than blush at his defeat?”
And so, this morning we consider this great Psalm.
A psalm that ought to be approached with humility.
But also one we come to with an openness not to try and hear something new.
But an openness to let this text expose the sins we have.
To bring us to repent from our sins.
But also to realize that there is victory over sin and restoration from our Lord.
The victory does not come from behavioral modification or pure grit as though we just need to try harder.
It does not come from just ignoring it or redefining what we consider to be sin.
A broken and contrite heart is how forgiveness is received.
Last week, we spoke about how we are to guard our hearts lest we deceive ourselves into somehow thinking that the good things that we are doing has somehow earned us salvation or the favor of the Lord.
About how we are to have hearts that have been washed.
Because it is not religiosity that saves, we see that truth reaffirmed in this 51st psalm of David.
We have been saying this throughout our entire series,
Lent brings us to repentance and repentance produces sanctified and grateful lives.
And we understand that the event, the occasion and season of Lent that we are in as a church, is not what makes us repent.
But the reminder of the idols and sin in our hearts and lives that we dedicate time to expose in our selves in order to reorient ourselves back to Him.
To see the rebellion we have against God.
But of course, we also understand that just because Lent is accentuating or highlighting these idols within us, it does not make us repent rightly.
David, in this psalm, shows us what true repentance looks like.
God is not looking merely for outward obedience.
David reminds us that we ought to have truly broken and humbled hearts.
Even Paul understood this truth.
No, instead we are to come to him in humility and brokenness before our God and only then will...
And so it is with humbled hearts we approach this beautiful word of God.
Let’s consider it carefully and handle it appropriately as we consider the truth that it is proclaiming for us this day.
Body
Now, before we dive into the passage for this morning I want us to dig into the context and frame up this pericope, this section of Scripture.
And this psalm is rather helpful because like some of the other psalms (52, 56, etc) it provides us with a bit of history and context for this psalm before it even starts.
So we let’s read it.
It says “For the choir director.
A Davidic psalm, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.”
And we all have heard this story, especially those who grew up in Sunday School.
David seems to have had a very faithful walk with God, especially when he was younger, but unfortunately he does not follow through does he?
It seems like when he gets older, the less righteous we see him.
And this event is referencing what we read in 2 Samuel 11, where David is walking around his palace when he was supposed to have been at the war.
But instead of leading his army into war, he is strolling the palace and he sees Bathsheba, bathing herself on her roof, and he lusts after her.
He is in the wrong place and lacks self-control and he sins and he calls her to him.
Bathsheba seems to be complicit in the sin of adultery and becomes pregnant she returns to David.
And the story just continues to get worse.
Because what we see is sin piled on top of more sin.
David instead of repenting of his sin upon his sin, attempts to do what?
He tries to cover it up.
He calls Uriah back from war and encourages him to go to his wife.
He does not and so he gets him drunk but Uriah is a man of honor and does not return home.
And so, now David is in a situation where clearly he needs to repent.
He has done what he can and failed.
And so he repents and the story ends there....no. it does not.
What happens?
That’s right, he sends Uriah back to the war and has him deliver a message to Joab,David’s nephew and commander of his army.
The message is to place him on the front lines and to pull away from him so that he dies.
How evil is that?
He has Uriah deliver his own death note.
Then we read in...
And throughout all of this, months have gone by and nearly a year and David has not yet repented.
Which brings us to note at the beginning of this psalm which references the event that happens afterwards in the 12th chapter of 2 Samuel.
Nathan the prophet exposes David’s sin before him by giving him an analogy.
Sin is not Forgotten
You know the temptation for many of us is to think that God has forgotten about a sin we had committed.
Maybe it was so long ago and you have done so many good things in the meantime that God has given you a pass.
And what we read and come to understand is that sin is offensive to God and that it is not forgotten.
A lot of time had gone by, David is free and clear!
His guilt is no more.
Not at all.
It was not removed from him, because he had not repented.
And even though he may likely have brought sacrifices before God in those months it was not of any profit.
He pleas to God be act in accordance with His own nature.
But not just to escape punishment, but he comes to him in real and true repentance.
He expresses a reality that we all could do well in growing deeper in our understanding of.
The truth that it is through God, and God alone, where we can find grace.
We can search for many things or try and do many good things, but they do not merit us grace.
And we learned last week in Isa 58 how God Himself does not desire these vain and superficial acts of worship.
Our Lord, Jesus, even expresses this truth that offerings given without first having a heart that understands our sin is truly a great thing is not what God desires.
We must understand that we do not overlook sin when we come to the Lord.
But we recognize it where it is present and we humble ourselves and we repent.
And so, if you think you are free and clear, you are not.
we are guilty and need to be cleansed.
2. Sin is against God
David was not in any way suggesting that his sin was not also against Uriah and Bathsheba.
But he understood that the worst part of sin is that it is not just against another sinner, but it is against the most holy God.
Our primary problem when we sin is that we sin against the God who created us and has provided us with a means of salvation through His son.
It is deeply egregious, horrific, and detestable.
Do we approach sin in this manner?
Do we understand that it is not just against flesh and bone that we have wronged.
We have rejected God!
The one who we sing songs about, the one we say we dedicate our lives to, the God we say we worship.
He is who we sin against.
Does that not cause us any remorse.
Some of us feel more remorse when we hurt our own pets than when we sin against God!
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