Iliff and Saltillo UM Churches
March 21, 2004
Fourth Sunday of Lent
“Where is Your Turning Point”
Psalm 32
INTRODUCTION: How many of you have ever sinned? Scripture says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Every one of us, sad to say, is included in this predicament. Scripture says that “if we say that we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8).
Today’s scripture has a special significance for Christians today as well as it did for David. It is one of 7 Penitential Psalms. The others are Psalm 6, 18, 51, 102, 130, and 143. Psalm 32 goes beyond being a Penitential Psalm in that it gives the assurance of God’s forgiveness and speaks of the blessings of forgiveness as well. It contains the elements of thanksgiving and praise to God over sins forgiven as well as the wisdom to know how to live in the future.
Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent. Let’s see how God wants to speak to us as we continue to examine our lives in the light of scripture.
1. The Sin Predicament: How many have ever held on to sin for a long time before you ever confessed it to God? You stew over it, you are convicted by it, it has negative effects on you, but you don’t want to do anything about it?
Why do you think you would do this? David did the same thing. It was a year before he was ready to come clean with God. Some reasons why David struggled for so long may be the same reasons we struggle:
1. fear of being rejected by God--God’s down on me.
2. a fear that sin was too great to be forgiven--this one is a biggie
3. ashamed to bring it to the Lord--to think he would do such a thing
4. refusing to deal with it right now--don’t want to think about it.
5. justified it--not so bad after all
David was in the uncomfortable position of realizing his guilt before God but not doing anything about it for whatever the reason.
His struggle with sin affected him in several different ways. There were deep conflicts accompanying his guilt. He was all churned up inside. The initial impulse was to stifle guilt by covering it up, by burying it down deep into his subconscious. But it only broke out in other physical symptoms. It does this to us today. David said that he was not getting any peace even when he slept. As a result, he felt drained of all of his energy. He experienced fatigue. In verse 4 he describes these problems when he said “my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (v. 4).
Sometimes we allow unconfessed sin to stay with us for years.
STORY: A woman phoned her daughter in exasperation. “Have you spoken to your grandmother lately? I have tired to call her every night this week. She should be at home. I’m beginning to worry.”
“Oh, they’re having a revival at the retirement village this week. I’ll bet that’s where she’s been,” replied the daughter.
“Revival,” the woman questioned. “What on earth do they need with a revival? What kind of sins could they possibly have at a retirement village for crying out loud?”
The daughter answered, “OLD ones, Mother, OLD ones.”
Even though we know that God has a solution for our struggle with sin, we, like David, have a hard time coming to our turning point. David might have been plagued by a fear of God casting him away. Therefore, he did nothing. A whole pack of troubles multiplied for him. We spend needless amounts of time being condemned by our sin as David did when all the time help is there for us.
When he had come to the end of himself and he had hit rock bottom he said, “Then I acknowledged my sin...” (v. 5).
STORY: Dennis the Menace was kneeling beside his bed, hands folded and his eyes looked toward heaven.
He prayed, “God, I’m here to turn myself in!”
I think that is exactly what David was saying to God. I’ve sinned and I don’t know what to do about it. I’m turning myself in.
Our situation is not unlike David’s or Dennis the Menace. We just have to admit it.
Some people think that God just gives everyone blanket forgiveness with no strings attached. That is not scriptural. Scripture says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). The aim of forgiveness is to restore a damaged relationship not just overlook sin. He wants to change the sinner. The prerequisite is confession and acknowledgment--not just saying, “Oh, yes, I know I’ve done wrong but also saying I REJECT SIN as being REPULSIVE to God.
2. What David Found Out About God: Is he forgiven? Does this actually take place? In the very next sentence he says, “and you forgive the guilt of my sin.”
What David found out about God was that once he “gave himself up”--the forgiveness was there. Immediately he found rest for his soul. God is more ready to pardon us than we are to confess. We don’t want to come clean completely. We are always trying to hold back some information. When David got to the point of making a full confession, he sees how quickly, how easily he obtained good terms.
STORY: A man returned to his car in a parking garage and found a note under the windshield wiper. It read, “I just smashed into your car. The people who witnessed the accident are watching me. They probably think I am writing down my name, address, and phone number. I am not. They are wrong.”
Scribbled at the bottom in someone else’s handwriting was, “His license # is BX429TJ.
David understood that a real confession of sin also brought some additional benefits. He learned that not only was the weight of the guilt lifted from him but that he was surrounded by the protection of God. We get off of sin’s territory and under God’s umbrella of protection, Satan is not going to trip us up as easily. Here David talks about protection using a destructive flood. He says, “surely when the mighty waters rise they will not reach [me]. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble.”
Every Sunday in the Lord’s prayer we say “and deliver me from evil.” In addition to protection he goes on to say, “and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Songs symbolize JOY.
And there is even more in verse 8.--”I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”
This is very important. David realized five things:
1. forgiveness came quickly
2. God surrounded him with protection
3. he also had joy of deliverance
4. he had God’s instruction
5. he had God’s counsel
Once God gets us out of sin, He wants to keep us out of sin. He wants to shape our lifestyle by his teaching us how to live a different life. Some people say, “Well, I guess I just have to learn the hard way, Ha, Ha, Ha” then they go right back and do the very same things all over again. God wants us to stay out of sin and the troubles it causes us.
David finally realized this. He said, “Blessed--happy--is the person whose transgression is forgiven.”
What good would it be if God protected us from evil but then did not tell us what direction to go to stay out of more trouble? Protection, direction, care and counsel is the happy condition of the person who receives forgiveness. Our way needs to become God’s way. Our stubbornness and rebellion gets us back into difficulty.
3. Where Do We Go from Here?: David goes on to say, “Do not be like the horse or the mule that has no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” Don’t be like the stubborn person who throws a hissy fit or pouts insisting on his own way.
STORY: Five year old Ashley came into the kitchen minutes before supper demanding a TWINKIE. Her Mother said, “No, its almost supper time.”
“But I’m starving she whined.”
Again her mother said, “no”
Ashley then began to pout.
While she pouted her mother asked, “You are still going to be my sweet precious love, the joy of my life and my dearest darling daughter aren’t you?”
With her lips poked out, Ashley quickly stated, “I ain’t gonna be your nothin’ if you don’t give me a TWINKIE!!!”
David had learned through his ordeal that insisting on his own way led to mental darkness and anguish and that he didn’t want to fall back into the same condition again. He didn’t want to be like the stubborn mule and he didn’t want others to be like that either.
CONCLUSION: David had learned several things through his experience.
1. to come clean with the Lord. To confess his sin and not cover it.
2. that God forgives quickly
3. that God protects the forgiven person from falling back into more sin through His instruction and counsel.
4. that he should not be as stubborn as a mule if he wanted to continue in God’s blessings and finally
5. he learned that he could have the joy of the Lord in his life. Where is YOUR turning point?
Shall We Pray:
