BlameShift - Secrets

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02.26.2012 Grace Summit Sermon - Psalm 51-Understanding Grace and Mercy

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• published: 04 Mar 2012
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Jeff started an introduction to the Psalms last week – he gave some things to look for and some significant words and themes and how to meditate on them. Real People with real things going on in their lives calling out to a real God. Don’t worry about getting through all 150 done. Rob, whose name I won’t mention – has gotten way ahead. Use this time to prepare, grow, and get right with Christ. Psalm 51 – one of the psalms that gives us the context : 51:1 [Written after Nathan the prophet had come to inform David of God's judgment against him because of his adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of Uriah, her husband.] First, David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then he committed murder by having Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba killed in battle. 2 Sam. 12:1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man!” Let’s pray – Lord, we just thank You for Your word and we ask that You would speak to our hearts. Teach us – that we would have fresh and clear minds to listen to what You say. You are a gracious and loving God. Fill us with Your Spirit, Joy, knowledge, strength, comfort – Fill us with Your grace. In Your name we pray. Amen. David is trying to hide all of this and Psalm 51 is David’s response after Nathan reproves him – and how David deals with the sin and guilt and how he is restored. Hopefully we are not like David in that we haven’t gone that far down that road of adultery and murder – but all of us will fail terribly – and we need to know how to respond and get back on our feet. David is our example of how to get up again. First – he acknowledges his sin and repents. Going into this Psalm, he has already repented. We tend to want to blameshift and hide – but in the hiding is trouble – those things that happen in darkness grow stronger. It is when you expose it to the light that that area is able to be confronted and you can get victory over it. You will not get victory if you keep it hidden. 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. This is a prayer for grace and mercy. When we sin against God or others, we need grace and mercy – David understood that. Mercy – Unfailing Love – the word Jeff talked about last week - Hessed – and compassion – each of these builds. He is asking God to do for him that which he does not deserve. Then the word – unfailing love – lovingkindness – steadfast love – there is so much meaning to this word – God’s favor toward his people – and the compassion shows God’s feelings for us. When you see a child in trouble – you know how it wells up inside of you. David is calling on those feelings in God – like a parent for a child in trouble. What he is saying – don’t treat me according to what I deserve. Think about what he deserved – murder/adultery – we don’t even need to go there – He is saying – treat me how I don’t deserve – with lovingkindness. And at some points in our lives – that is exactly what we need – because we DESERVE his punishment and discipline – and we DON’T DESERVE His love, favor and blessings. All of this was accomplished on the cross – did you do anything to merit that? Everyone say – No! That is really what David is crying out for in this situation. He understands that anything good in his life is dependent on the love and mercy of God. We need to understand that too – the only way we can experience any good is if God is merciful and loving. God is even merciful and loving to the wicked. David gets it – He understands God’s love. It is so important that you understand how much God loves you and wants to give you what you don’t deserve. It is such a simple thing, I don’t think we spend enough time thinking about it. But a lot of times, we don’t live our lives by grace, but by – Have I not gotten angry today? Have I read my 3 Psalms today? But you can’t live that way – you can’t live based on your goodnes

02.26.2012 Grace Summit Sermon - Psalm 51-Understanding Grace and Mercy

• Report rights infringement
• published: 04 Mar 2012
• views: 207

Jeff started an introduction to the Psalms last week – he gave some things to look for and some significant words and themes and how to meditate on them. Real People with real things going on in their lives calling out to a real God. Don’t worry about getting through all 150 done. Rob, whose name I won’t mention – has gotten way ahead. Use this time to prepare, grow, and get right with Christ. Psalm 51 – one of the psalms that gives us the context : 51:1 [Written after Nathan the prophet had come to inform David of God's judgment against him because of his adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of Uriah, her husband.] First, David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then he committed murder by having Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba killed in battle. 2 Sam. 12:1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man!” Let’s pray – Lord, we just thank You for Your word and we ask that You would speak to our hearts. Teach us – that we would have fresh and clear minds to listen to what You say. You are a gracious and loving God. Fill us with Your Spirit, Joy, knowledge, strength, comfort – Fill us with Your grace. In Your name we pray. Amen. David is trying to hide all of this and Psalm 51 is David’s response after Nathan reproves him – and how David deals with the sin and guilt and how he is restored. Hopefully we are not like David in that we haven’t gone that far down that road of adultery and murder – but all of us will fail terribly – and we need to know how to respond and get back on our feet. David is our example of how to get up again. First – he acknowledges his sin and repents. Going into this Psalm, he has already repented. We tend to want to blameshift and hide – but in the hiding is trouble – those things that happen in darkness grow stronger. It is when you expose it to the light that that area is able to be confronted and you can get victory over it. You will not get victory if you keep it hidden. 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. This is a prayer for grace and mercy. When we sin against God or others, we need grace and mercy – David understood that. Mercy – Unfailing Love – the word Jeff talked about last week - Hessed – and compassion – each of these builds. He is asking God to do for him that which he does not deserve. Then the word – unfailing love – lovingkindness – steadfast love – there is so much meaning to this word – God’s favor toward his people – and the compassion shows God’s feelings for us. When you see a child in trouble – you know how it wells up inside of you. David is calling on those feelings in God – like a parent for a child in trouble. What he is saying – don’t treat me according to what I deserve. Think about what he deserved – murder/adultery – we don’t even need to go there – He is saying – treat me how I don’t deserve – with lovingkindness. And at some points in our lives – that is exactly what we need – because we DESERVE his punishment and discipline – and we DON’T DESERVE His love, favor and blessings. All of this was accomplished on the cross – did you do anything to merit that? Everyone say – No! That is really what David is crying out for in this situation. He understands that anything good in his life is dependent on the love and mercy of God. We need to understand that too – the only way we can experience any good is if God is merciful and loving. God is even merciful and loving to the wicked. David gets it – He understands God’s love. It is so important that you understand how much God loves you and wants to give you what you don’t deserve. It is such a simple thing, I don’t think we spend enough time thinking about it. But a lot of times, we don’t live our lives by grace, but by – Have I not gotten angry today? Have I read my 3 Psalms today? But you can’t live that way – you can’t live based on your goodnes