WEBVTT 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:13.439 Psalm 51, we're going to read verses 1 through 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:19.320 5. Be gracious to me, O God, according to your 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:22.519 lovingkindness. According to the greatness of 00:00:22.519 --> 00:00:25.820 your compassion, blot out my transgressions. 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:30.019 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse 00:00:30.019 --> 00:00:35.420 me from my sin. For I know my transgressions 00:00:35.420 --> 00:00:39.969 and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you 00:00:39.969 --> 00:00:44.210 only, have I sinned and done what is evil in 00:00:44.210 --> 00:00:47.390 your sight, so that you are justified when you 00:00:47.390 --> 00:00:52.409 speak and blameless when you judge. Behold, I 00:00:52.409 --> 00:00:56.789 was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my 00:00:56.789 --> 00:01:03.329 mother conceived me. As we continue looking at 00:01:03.329 --> 00:01:08.540 Psalm 51, There's a few things I need to make 00:01:08.540 --> 00:01:11.239 known at the beginning with regards to the content 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:18.299 of Psalm 51. As we look at Psalm 51, it's important 00:01:18.299 --> 00:01:21.280 to recognize, it's important to understand that 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:27.760 it's primarily directed to the saint. It's primarily 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:32.379 meant for, intended for the believer in Jesus 00:01:32.379 --> 00:01:36.719 Christ. But that does not mean it's irrelevant 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:42.540 for the unbeliever. And here's why. As Psalm 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:48.739 51 encourages the Christian to consider true 00:01:48.739 --> 00:01:54.500 repentance and faith, it's describing and presenting 00:01:54.500 --> 00:02:02.840 faith and repentance. And as it does so, It's 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:07.459 describing the very instrument by which a sinner 00:02:07.459 --> 00:02:13.379 is justified. So the only difference between 00:02:13.379 --> 00:02:17.939 the Christian and their application of Psalm 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:22.120 51 and its repentance and faith is that its repentance 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:26.699 and faith for sanctification, for fellowship, 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:32.110 and for holiness. It's ongoing. It's repeated. 00:02:32.389 --> 00:02:38.330 It's continual. But for the unbeliever and the 00:02:38.330 --> 00:02:41.810 unregenerate sinner that does not know Christ, 00:02:41.870 --> 00:02:46.650 you still need repentance and faith. You just 00:02:46.650 --> 00:02:50.370 need it to be justified in the sight of God. 00:02:51.110 --> 00:02:55.370 You need initial repentance and initial faith. 00:02:56.490 --> 00:03:00.469 You need to experience saving faith and saving 00:03:00.469 --> 00:03:04.469 repentance that you might be delivered from the 00:03:04.469 --> 00:03:08.889 very wrath of God. So this is not irrelevant 00:03:08.889 --> 00:03:15.389 for those who don't know Christ. I would encourage 00:03:15.389 --> 00:03:19.969 you to listen closely and learn about what repentance 00:03:19.969 --> 00:03:23.610 is, what it means to cry out for the mercy of 00:03:23.610 --> 00:03:28.979 God. If you don't know Christ. Listen well to 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:33.159 what the text says about faith in Christ and 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:38.159 his sacrifice and his mercy. What it means to 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:40.939 trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal salvation. 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:45.419 But I'd also encourage the Christian today as 00:03:45.419 --> 00:03:49.400 we look at this text to thoroughly consider their 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:53.400 life. This is something that is an essential. 00:03:54.030 --> 00:03:58.370 part of the Christian life. Faith and repentance. 00:03:59.389 --> 00:04:03.210 Confession and dealing with sin before God. This 00:04:03.210 --> 00:04:05.810 is something, brothers and sisters, that you 00:04:05.810 --> 00:04:09.169 will deal with the rest of your pilgrimage in 00:04:09.169 --> 00:04:13.590 this life. You will deal with this day in and 00:04:13.590 --> 00:04:17.170 day out. If you don't deal with it every day, 00:04:17.449 --> 00:04:19.949 then I fear for your soul that you don't know 00:04:19.949 --> 00:04:26.250 Christ. So this is very relevant for the Christian 00:04:26.250 --> 00:04:30.569 and the non -Christian. Today we're going to 00:04:30.569 --> 00:04:33.689 look at three things in this text. We're going 00:04:33.689 --> 00:04:36.889 to look at the motives for dealing with sin. 00:04:38.470 --> 00:04:41.490 We're going to look at the manner and the method 00:04:41.490 --> 00:04:46.850 of dealing with sin. And then we're going to 00:04:46.850 --> 00:04:51.829 see the merciful result of dealing with sin. 00:04:51.980 --> 00:04:55.800 We won't have any application following this 00:04:55.800 --> 00:05:01.639 just because of the very practical nature of 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:06.740 the text itself. It's help for our lives as we 00:05:06.740 --> 00:05:10.459 examine it. So beginning first with the motives 00:05:10.459 --> 00:05:16.079 for dealing with sin. We read in verse 3, the 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:20.800 second half of verse 3, And my sin is ever... 00:05:21.269 --> 00:05:29.129 Before me. David is saying. Listen. My sin. I 00:05:29.129 --> 00:05:34.009 can't get rid of it. It's always on my mind. 00:05:34.050 --> 00:05:38.009 It's always in my consciousness. I'm always aware 00:05:38.009 --> 00:05:43.670 of it. It's always before me. It's stuck with 00:05:43.670 --> 00:05:47.029 me. It's grabbed a hold of me. And I can't shake 00:05:47.029 --> 00:05:55.480 it. So my question is. Why is that? Why can David 00:05:55.480 --> 00:05:59.620 not shake it? Why is his sin ever before him? 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:03.079 Why is there an ongoing, a constant awareness 00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:07.959 of his transgression, of his sin in his mind, 00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:11.660 in his heart, in his consciousness, in his life? 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:17.439 What is it that is keeping his sin before him 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:23.529 at all times? What is it that's constantly pulling 00:06:23.529 --> 00:06:27.610 his soul down? What is it that's constantly poking 00:06:27.610 --> 00:06:33.310 him and pricking him and jabbing him? The text 00:06:33.310 --> 00:06:36.610 gives us several things that keep David's sin 00:06:36.610 --> 00:06:42.089 before him at all times. It's the ongoing sense 00:06:42.089 --> 00:06:47.100 of uncleanness and impurity. He says, wash me 00:06:47.100 --> 00:06:49.800 thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:54.480 my sin. There is an ongoing, a perpetual, and 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:58.720 a continual sense of uncleanness and impurity 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:02.839 and unholiness in his life. Listen, he's been 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:05.639 dwelling and wallowing in this sin for a long 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:09.019 time. That means the effects of that sin are 00:07:09.019 --> 00:07:13.560 going to linger in his soul. It's going to linger 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:16.579 in his mind. It's going to linger in his body. 00:07:16.779 --> 00:07:20.980 It's going to linger in his memory. So there's 00:07:20.980 --> 00:07:26.560 this ongoing, unending sense of impurity and 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:29.879 uncleanness in his mind and his heart because 00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:36.819 of the iniquity he has taken part in. It's the 00:07:36.819 --> 00:07:41.579 judgment and condemnation of God's Word. Upon 00:07:41.579 --> 00:07:46.720 his life, upon his conscience. We see in the 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:50.399 second half of verse 4. So that you are justified 00:07:50.399 --> 00:08:00.480 when you speak. Blameless when you judge. David 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.699 has been dwelling and living and wallowing in 00:08:02.699 --> 00:08:08.019 his sin for a long time. And now, he no longer 00:08:08.019 --> 00:08:13.060 hears. The promises of God's word. Now when he 00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:16.079 hears the law of God, when he hears God speaking 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:20.220 to him through his word, what does he hear? He 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:24.819 hears the warnings and the threats of God's holy 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:32.440 and righteous law. It turns into a dagger that 00:08:32.440 --> 00:08:37.460 cuts his conscience over and over. The word of 00:08:37.460 --> 00:08:42.139 God. is convicting him and heaping judgment upon 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:45.000 his conscience and heaping condemnation upon 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.899 his life because he's been concealing his sin 00:08:47.899 --> 00:08:52.340 for so long. That's what happens when a person 00:08:52.340 --> 00:08:55.620 lives and dwells and breathes in unrepentant 00:08:55.620 --> 00:09:00.639 sin, brothers and sisters. The word of God convicts 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:04.720 you. The word of God hurts you, but it does so 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:10.120 to help you. It does so. It hurts you that you 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:12.799 might be healed, that you might be restored. 00:09:14.700 --> 00:09:19.179 So the word of God is heaping judgment and conviction 00:09:19.179 --> 00:09:23.019 and condemnation upon his conscience and upon 00:09:23.019 --> 00:09:27.559 his life because he's been living and dwelling 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:33.120 in his sin. We also see it's a disciplinary hand 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:41.190 of God upon His life. Look at verse 8. The second 00:09:41.190 --> 00:09:46.169 half of verse 8. Let the bones which you have 00:09:46.169 --> 00:09:51.210 broken rejoice. What's David talking about there? 00:09:51.990 --> 00:09:56.870 He's talking about God's judgment. God's discipline 00:09:56.870 --> 00:10:02.350 against him. We read in Psalm 32 of the same 00:10:02.350 --> 00:10:07.049 thing. When I kept silent about my sin. My body 00:10:07.049 --> 00:10:11.610 wasted away. Through my groanings all day long. 00:10:12.330 --> 00:10:16.149 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. 00:10:16.269 --> 00:10:20.029 My vitality was drained away as with the fever 00:10:20.029 --> 00:10:26.529 heat of summer. What was it that kept David's 00:10:26.529 --> 00:10:30.750 sin ever before him? It was the disciplinary 00:10:30.750 --> 00:10:37.440 hand of God that was opposing him. God disciplines 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:44.000 those he loves. God disciplines those who are 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:49.580 unwilling to let go of their sin. God disciplines 00:10:49.580 --> 00:10:55.419 and opposes those who willingly keep hold of 00:10:55.419 --> 00:10:58.759 the transgressions that they have taken part 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:03.000 in. He opposes them. And there's a weight, there's 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.899 a burden that's upon the life of the person that's 00:11:05.899 --> 00:11:08.200 in opposition to God and that God is in opposition 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:11.899 to them. David says, it's sucking all my energy 00:11:11.899 --> 00:11:15.500 out of me. It's causing me to waste away. Our 00:11:15.500 --> 00:11:18.340 body and our soul are connected, brothers and 00:11:18.340 --> 00:11:22.940 sisters. God has made us whole people. So whenever 00:11:22.940 --> 00:11:29.360 you are spiritually desolate, it affects. Your 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:34.620 whole person. So when God disciplines a sinner 00:11:34.620 --> 00:11:37.120 who's living and dwelling in unrepentant sin, 00:11:37.340 --> 00:11:42.759 it doesn't just affect their soul. It doesn't 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:46.159 just affect the spiritual man. It affects the 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:52.679 whole person. It affects the whole of your life. 00:11:54.220 --> 00:12:00.320 It's a fearful thing to refuse. Repentance for 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:04.879 sin. It's a fearful thing to have the disciplinary 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:10.240 hand of God upon your life. But it's meant for 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:18.120 the good of God's people. We also see that it's 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:22.460 David's ongoing knowledge that he has committed 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:29.269 evil in the sight of God. We read in verse 4. 00:12:31.669 --> 00:12:37.649 Against you, you only, I have sinned. And listen. 00:12:38.710 --> 00:12:45.850 And done what is evil in your sight. What is 00:12:45.850 --> 00:12:51.269 it that keeps David's sin before him? It's the 00:12:51.269 --> 00:12:57.070 knowledge that he has willingly committed evil. 00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:04.259 In the sight of God. His redeemer. It is the 00:13:04.259 --> 00:13:09.299 knowledge. That he has done. Such a horrendous 00:13:09.299 --> 00:13:15.419 thing. Against the God. Who covenanted with him. 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:19.539 A God who has been so gracious. And merciful. 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:29.960 And kind to him. All of these things. Prick the 00:13:29.960 --> 00:13:35.080 sinner. All of these things remind the sinner 00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:39.460 that something is wrong. All of these things 00:13:39.460 --> 00:13:46.440 keep sin ever before him. All of them are powerful 00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:50.220 influences, aren't they? Every one of these things, 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:54.340 it's mighty in our life. It affects us. We're 00:13:54.340 --> 00:13:56.720 aware of it. We have knowledge of it. We sense 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:03.860 it. But that doesn't mean it's bad. Just because 00:14:03.860 --> 00:14:07.679 it's painful and uncomfortable and it hurts us 00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:13.059 doesn't mean it's bad. The world wants us to 00:14:13.059 --> 00:14:18.120 think all of those things are bad. The devil 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:21.860 wants us to think all of those things are bad. 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:26.950 The disciplinary hand of God. The judgment and 00:14:26.950 --> 00:14:29.289 condemnation of God's word when we're living 00:14:29.289 --> 00:14:32.950 and dwelling in sin. An ongoing sense of impurity 00:14:32.950 --> 00:14:36.269 and unholiness. The knowledge of what we've done 00:14:36.269 --> 00:14:43.330 before God. Most of Christianity wants to avoid 00:14:43.330 --> 00:14:47.210 those things. Don't preach on things that are 00:14:47.210 --> 00:14:52.500 making people uncomfortable. Don't talk about 00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:56.159 things that bring conviction. Don't use words 00:14:56.159 --> 00:15:02.240 that cut and hurt and exhort, that convict. Because 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:06.799 in their minds, those things are bad. Make the 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:14.259 people comfortable. Soothe them. But brothers 00:15:14.259 --> 00:15:18.299 and sisters, I tell you, these things are not 00:15:18.299 --> 00:15:23.539 bad. These things are very, very good. These 00:15:23.539 --> 00:15:28.879 things are graces. Why? Because they are meant 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:34.720 to keep your heart in an unsettled state until 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:40.899 you deal with sin in your life. They are meant 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:45.700 as warning signs in your life. Something is wrong. 00:15:45.860 --> 00:15:48.419 You're in the wrong place. You're doing the wrong 00:15:48.419 --> 00:15:51.519 thing. You're saying the wrong thing. You're 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:55.039 not glorifying God. You're dishonoring him. You're 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:57.580 bringing shame to Christ. You're bringing disrepute 00:15:57.580 --> 00:16:01.559 to the name of your Lord. These things are meant 00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:05.440 to be alarms. They're meant to shake you, rattle 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:11.450 you. They're meant. To act as motives for you 00:16:11.450 --> 00:16:16.429 to deal with sin in your life. Brothers and sisters, 00:16:16.529 --> 00:16:23.710 when you sin, when you break God's law, when 00:16:23.710 --> 00:16:29.830 you take part in iniquity, you should feel bad 00:16:29.830 --> 00:16:38.500 about it. Do you understand that? When you sin 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:43.679 against a holy and righteous God, you should 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:50.799 feel guilty. You should feel shame when you have 00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:57.659 rebelled against Almighty God. And God has given 00:16:57.659 --> 00:17:03.309 us these things as good. graces in our lives 00:17:03.309 --> 00:17:06.910 to remind us to deal with the sin in our lives, 00:17:06.970 --> 00:17:10.329 to get right with Him, to come and seek restoration 00:17:10.329 --> 00:17:16.230 of fellowship with Him, to repent and to confess 00:17:16.230 --> 00:17:19.529 our sins, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 00:17:19.529 --> 00:17:25.789 again, to trust in His sacrifice again. They 00:17:25.789 --> 00:17:30.150 act as warning signs. So I say, lean into them. 00:17:31.280 --> 00:17:35.180 Don't avoid them. Lean into them, brothers and 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:40.200 sisters. Embrace the guilt and shame and see 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:43.839 where it drives you. Because it ought to drive 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:47.740 you to Christ. It ought to drive you to repentance 00:17:47.740 --> 00:17:51.140 and confession. It ought to drive you to deal 00:17:51.140 --> 00:17:55.759 with your sin and your life. Lean into them. 00:17:56.519 --> 00:18:00.160 But it's also important to recognize that these 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:05.970 things, are not infallible because they're part 00:18:05.970 --> 00:18:13.849 of us. More than our conscience, more than a 00:18:13.849 --> 00:18:16.309 sense of judgment and condemnation upon our life, 00:18:16.390 --> 00:18:21.789 we need to constantly be exposing ourselves to 00:18:21.789 --> 00:18:26.650 the Word of God and letting the Word of God to 00:18:26.650 --> 00:18:32.700 tell us when we are in sin. Our conscience, our 00:18:32.700 --> 00:18:36.700 sense of impurity and unholiness because of sin 00:18:36.700 --> 00:18:43.720 or whatnot in our lives, these things can fluctuate 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:46.619 and change because of the nature of our flesh. 00:18:46.940 --> 00:18:51.279 They're not infallible guides, but the Word of 00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:57.819 God is. The Word of God is very clear. about 00:18:57.819 --> 00:19:00.660 when we are in sin and when we are not in sin. 00:19:01.819 --> 00:19:04.940 So we need to constantly be exposing ourselves 00:19:04.940 --> 00:19:07.960 and reading the Scriptures and studying the Scriptures 00:19:07.960 --> 00:19:10.900 and meditating on the Scriptures and learning 00:19:10.900 --> 00:19:15.099 the Scriptures so that we know when we need to 00:19:15.099 --> 00:19:17.819 deal with sin in our lives and that way our conscience 00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:21.940 and our mind is formed and molded according to 00:19:21.940 --> 00:19:29.349 the Word of God. So we are given graciously these 00:19:29.349 --> 00:19:34.250 motives for dealing with sin in our lives. So 00:19:34.250 --> 00:19:38.549 here is what we need to do. We need to listen 00:19:38.549 --> 00:19:43.930 to those motives. If you're here today and you 00:19:43.930 --> 00:19:46.089 are living and you are dwelling in unrepentant 00:19:46.089 --> 00:19:50.210 sin, listen to the shame and the guilt in your 00:19:50.210 --> 00:19:58.619 life. Hear it out. And let it drive you and motivate 00:19:58.619 --> 00:20:03.500 you to deal with that sin in your life. Let it 00:20:03.500 --> 00:20:10.720 motivate you to go to Christ. To turn away from 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:13.440 it and forsake it, to confess it and expose it 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:18.740 to God and His holy presence. This leads us to 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:20.319 the second thing we must look at this morning. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:26.569 The manner and method of dealing with sin. When 00:20:26.569 --> 00:20:29.490 I say the manner and the method, the manner is 00:20:29.490 --> 00:20:32.650 I speak of more of a demeanor or attitude in 00:20:32.650 --> 00:20:36.250 which we deal with our sin, in which we go to 00:20:36.250 --> 00:20:40.289 God to deal with our sin. When I say method, 00:20:40.349 --> 00:20:44.150 that's very straightforward. It's what we are 00:20:44.150 --> 00:20:49.529 to do. It's the means, the steps we are to take 00:20:49.529 --> 00:20:56.799 to deal with God that we see David taking. To 00:20:56.799 --> 00:20:59.799 deal with God. So what's the manner that we ought 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:04.180 to approach God's throne when we seek to deal 00:21:04.180 --> 00:21:06.920 with sin in our lives? Because that's what we 00:21:06.920 --> 00:21:10.619 see in this text. In verses 1 through 5, we see 00:21:10.619 --> 00:21:13.900 the word transgression, iniquity, and sin nine 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:19.220 times. And the variation and the allusions, much 00:21:19.220 --> 00:21:22.539 more than that. What do we find in these first 00:21:22.539 --> 00:21:26.140 five verses? We find David. wrestling with his 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:29.880 own iniquity, wrestling with his own sin and 00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:34.240 his own transgressions. He's dealing with the 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:40.740 sin he's held so dearly for so long. So the manner, 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:45.759 it's important. The manner in which we go to 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:50.180 God is important. The way we approach him, our 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:56.160 attitude, our demeanor, it is important. David 00:21:56.160 --> 00:22:01.279 comes to the throne, he comes to God with antagonism 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:08.319 toward his own sin, toward himself. He doesn't 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:12.660 come to the throne antagonistic and argumentative 00:22:12.660 --> 00:22:21.500 with God. He doesn't have an iota of rebellion 00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:26.500 in him. He's coming to God who is sovereign, 00:22:26.660 --> 00:22:29.619 who is holy, who is merciful, who is compassionate, 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:33.960 who is full of loving kindness. He's in full 00:22:33.960 --> 00:22:41.480 and absolute submission. Total sincerity and 00:22:41.480 --> 00:22:49.059 honesty. He is willing to accept whatever comes 00:22:49.059 --> 00:22:53.380 in his life. Because he's dealing with these 00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:58.460 things at the heart level. David is not simply 00:22:58.460 --> 00:23:05.579 talking about external reformation or conformity. 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:12.799 David is dealing with sin and it's personal. 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:17.640 It has to do with his heart and the depth of 00:23:17.640 --> 00:23:23.819 his being. If you come to God and you are unwilling 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:28.859 to deal with sin in you, in your heart, brothers 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:33.859 and sisters, you're not ready to deal yet. If 00:23:33.859 --> 00:23:35.960 you come to God and you say, I'll change my behavior, 00:23:35.980 --> 00:23:41.960 but I'm keeping this in my heart, you're not 00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:48.400 fully ready for grace. We have to be willing. 00:23:49.230 --> 00:23:53.289 to deal and address the issue inside of us at 00:23:53.289 --> 00:23:56.230 the root, at the core, at the foundation of the 00:23:56.230 --> 00:24:01.849 problem, our desires, our longings, our wants, 00:24:02.130 --> 00:24:07.170 our very hearts. Brothers and sisters, this is 00:24:07.170 --> 00:24:13.450 why dealing with sin is a distinctly Christian 00:24:13.450 --> 00:24:22.960 duty. Non -Christians do not deal with sin. Unbelievers 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:31.220 do not deal with sin. Sin deals with them. Your 00:24:31.220 --> 00:24:34.640 sin is dealing with you if you don't know Christ. 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:38.220 Your sin holds the reins and you are subject 00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:45.119 to it. But the believer, who's a new creature 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:49.000 in Christ, who has a new heart, a new mind, a 00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:54.519 new will. The believer can deal with their sins 00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:58.240 in experimental godliness, as Dustin said this 00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:01.599 morning. Because the Spirit of God dwells within 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:06.700 us, and sin no longer reigns in our lives. Because 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:09.259 we've died with Christ, and we've been raised 00:25:09.259 --> 00:25:14.519 in the newness of life with Him. Christians. 00:25:15.820 --> 00:25:19.480 Deal with sin. Sure, non -believers can conform 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:23.480 their behavior. They can change things up on 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:27.539 the outside because they're fearful that there 00:25:27.539 --> 00:25:32.859 might be repercussions from God. But brothers 00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:34.480 and sisters, if you don't know Jesus Christ, 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:37.259 you are not dealing with your sin because it 00:25:37.259 --> 00:25:39.640 grieves the heart of your Lord and your Master. 00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:43.059 You're dealing with sin for a selfish reason. 00:25:44.200 --> 00:25:47.799 With a selfish motive. To protect yourself. To 00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:50.180 keep yourself safe from the wrath of God. Not 00:25:50.180 --> 00:25:53.940 because it transgresses the holiness and the 00:25:53.940 --> 00:25:56.440 righteousness of a sovereign God who saved you 00:25:56.440 --> 00:26:05.000 and redeemed you. Christians deal with their 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:10.500 sin. And Christians must deal with their sin. 00:26:11.819 --> 00:26:17.140 Christians must address the sin in their lives. 00:26:17.819 --> 00:26:22.240 It's not optional, brothers and sisters. We're 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:28.759 commanded to. Do you want to grow in the grace 00:26:28.759 --> 00:26:33.099 and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do 00:26:33.099 --> 00:26:36.779 you want to know your risen Lord more and more? 00:26:37.339 --> 00:26:40.400 Do you want to be more godly tomorrow than you 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:43.569 are today? Do you want to be more holy tomorrow 00:26:43.569 --> 00:26:49.009 than you are today? Do you want to honor the 00:26:49.009 --> 00:26:52.230 Lord Jesus Christ tomorrow more than you did 00:26:52.230 --> 00:26:57.549 today? Then you must deal with sin in your life. 00:26:59.650 --> 00:27:04.970 It's necessary. It's required. It's an absolute 00:27:04.970 --> 00:27:09.309 necessity. So what is the method that we deal 00:27:09.309 --> 00:27:12.819 with it? The first thing we do in dealing with 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:19.940 our sin is we must recognize sin as sin. This 00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:24.359 is exactly what David does. He uses the terms 00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:32.059 transgressions, sin, iniquity. He recognizes 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:37.859 it as God recognizes it. What does he call it 00:27:37.859 --> 00:27:45.170 in verse 4? What has David done in verse 4? Evil. 00:27:47.049 --> 00:27:53.789 Evil. That which is opposed to all that is good 00:27:53.789 --> 00:28:00.190 and holy and righteous. This is what David has 00:28:00.190 --> 00:28:06.069 done in the sight of God. He recognizes his actions. 00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:12.059 as that which God views as evil and offensive. 00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:17.920 How does David define his sin? He defines it 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:29.079 as God defines it. He takes God's view of his 00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:36.539 own actions. He adopts God's recognition of what 00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:41.680 he has done as his own. He recognizes sin as 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:45.420 sin. He doesn't rationalize it away, does he? 00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:52.140 He doesn't lessen it and say, well, that's what 00:28:52.140 --> 00:28:54.380 all the kings are doing these days because that's 00:28:54.380 --> 00:28:57.940 what all the kings were doing. He doesn't rationalize 00:28:57.940 --> 00:29:03.390 it into failure, into error. Into a mess up. 00:29:04.930 --> 00:29:13.269 No he says transgression. Iniquity. Sin. Evil. 00:29:13.569 --> 00:29:21.230 Which God hates. Which God despises. And that 00:29:21.230 --> 00:29:29.230 is what he has willingly taken part of. All spiritual 00:29:29.230 --> 00:29:35.250 growth. All godliness and holiness, renewal and 00:29:35.250 --> 00:29:37.490 restoration with the Lord, brothers and sisters, 00:29:37.630 --> 00:29:43.970 it begins with the right view of sin. It begins 00:29:43.970 --> 00:29:47.789 with knowing what you're doing is wrong and accepting 00:29:47.789 --> 00:29:54.670 that it's wrong and saying that it's wrong. We 00:29:54.670 --> 00:29:58.390 live in a day where black is called white and 00:29:58.390 --> 00:30:04.170 white is called black. But the Christian church 00:30:04.170 --> 00:30:17.849 must always, always define sin as sin. The Christian 00:30:17.849 --> 00:30:21.210 who is seeking to know Jesus Christ more and 00:30:21.210 --> 00:30:30.150 better must always define sin as sin. Don't tell 00:30:30.150 --> 00:30:32.779 me... that the world hasn't creeped in to our 00:30:32.779 --> 00:30:38.740 minds. Because it has. There's always a tendency, 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:43.640 because of the inclination of our flesh, to lessen, 00:30:43.660 --> 00:30:49.680 to rationalize, and to redefine our actions. 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:56.259 We can't do it, brothers and sisters. God tells 00:30:56.259 --> 00:31:00.529 us what we do is wrong or isn't wrong. A transgression 00:31:00.529 --> 00:31:06.730 of his law or obedience to his law. God defines 00:31:06.730 --> 00:31:10.309 sin and God alone because sin is transgression 00:31:10.309 --> 00:31:15.789 of his good character. Not ours, not our neighbor, 00:31:15.910 --> 00:31:21.609 but him. So we define it and we recognize it 00:31:21.609 --> 00:31:28.359 as God does. And we must. And we must continue 00:31:28.359 --> 00:31:31.940 to do so. If we are to deal with our sin, it 00:31:31.940 --> 00:31:36.980 means recognizing your actions as sin. Your desires 00:31:36.980 --> 00:31:40.460 and your longings as sinful when they break the 00:31:40.460 --> 00:31:42.339 law of God and they're not in accordance with 00:31:42.339 --> 00:31:49.359 His law. Recognize it as God recognizes it. So 00:31:49.359 --> 00:31:51.660 David recognizes his sin as sin and we must do 00:31:51.660 --> 00:31:56.880 the same thing. We see secondly, Taking full 00:31:56.880 --> 00:32:05.660 responsibility for sin is necessary. David says 00:32:05.660 --> 00:32:12.059 in the text three times, my, my, my. Then he 00:32:12.059 --> 00:32:23.099 says, I, I, I. He is accepting fully, completely. 00:32:28.369 --> 00:32:33.390 Absolutely. Fault and responsibility for what 00:32:33.390 --> 00:32:38.049 he has done. He's not trying to get out from 00:32:38.049 --> 00:32:43.410 under it. Part of taking responsibility for sin, 00:32:43.589 --> 00:32:50.190 as David has done, is willingness to accept the 00:32:50.190 --> 00:32:54.849 consequences and repercussions because you know 00:32:55.549 --> 00:32:58.869 your guilt and your culpability in the matter, 00:32:58.950 --> 00:33:03.650 regardless of what it means. But you're willing 00:33:03.650 --> 00:33:06.109 to accept it and you're willing to deal with 00:33:06.109 --> 00:33:10.809 it. David didn't get off scot -free, friends. 00:33:13.269 --> 00:33:18.349 Just because he's restored with God doesn't mean 00:33:18.349 --> 00:33:20.789 he got off without any injury, without any harm, 00:33:20.910 --> 00:33:23.029 without any pain or suffering as a consequence 00:33:23.029 --> 00:33:29.500 of his sin. His child died because of his sin. 00:33:30.700 --> 00:33:35.359 His kingdom shattered and fell apart. His family 00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:42.279 turned on him. Why? Because of his sin. But he's 00:33:42.279 --> 00:33:46.460 still willing to accept full responsibility for 00:33:46.460 --> 00:33:49.259 it. Because it's the right thing to do before 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:52.839 God when you're responsible for it. And this 00:33:52.839 --> 00:34:00.460 is what he does. If we seek out grace and pardon 00:34:00.460 --> 00:34:04.539 and forgiveness and mercy and compassion, who 00:34:04.539 --> 00:34:12.340 needs that? A guilty party. Somebody who's at 00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:16.340 fault. If you're going to the throne and you're 00:34:16.340 --> 00:34:18.739 unwilling to accept your responsibility, you 00:34:18.739 --> 00:34:23.849 don't want grace. You don't need grace. You're 00:34:23.849 --> 00:34:25.690 going to the throne and you're saying, hey, look 00:34:25.690 --> 00:34:27.289 at me, I did pretty good. I messed up a little 00:34:27.289 --> 00:34:32.909 bit, but for the most part, I'm good. If you 00:34:32.909 --> 00:34:37.230 want forgiveness of sins, brothers and sisters, 00:34:37.349 --> 00:34:39.769 then embrace the reality that you are a guilty, 00:34:39.849 --> 00:34:43.929 wicked sinner. Because those are the people that 00:34:43.929 --> 00:34:49.389 need it. God opposes the proud, but gives grace 00:34:49.389 --> 00:34:59.039 to the humble. We must accept full responsibility 00:34:59.039 --> 00:35:03.340 for our actions and their consequences before 00:35:03.340 --> 00:35:08.599 God Almighty. He knows who's responsible. He 00:35:08.599 --> 00:35:12.940 knows exactly who's responsible. Why? Because 00:35:12.940 --> 00:35:18.610 it was committed in his sight. It wasn't like 00:35:18.610 --> 00:35:21.050 David did this deed and he committed this iniquity 00:35:21.050 --> 00:35:23.150 and he was out of the sight of God and God didn't 00:35:23.150 --> 00:35:28.630 see what was taking place. God knows full well 00:35:28.630 --> 00:35:37.250 who's responsible. He knows who's guilty. It's 00:35:37.250 --> 00:35:40.389 our responsibility to take full responsibility 00:35:40.389 --> 00:35:49.760 for our sins. James 1. Says, let no one say when 00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:54.639 he is tempted, I am being tempted by God. For 00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:57.019 God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself 00:35:57.019 --> 00:36:01.340 does not tempt anyone. Listen, but each one is 00:36:01.340 --> 00:36:04.780 tempted when he is carried away and enticed by 00:36:04.780 --> 00:36:09.800 his own lust. Then when lust is conceived, it 00:36:09.800 --> 00:36:12.420 gives birth to sin. And when sin is accomplished, 00:36:12.579 --> 00:36:16.699 it brings forth death. What's the source of sin? 00:36:17.280 --> 00:36:19.400 What's the source of iniquity? What's the source 00:36:19.400 --> 00:36:23.420 of David's transgression? His own lusts, his 00:36:23.420 --> 00:36:30.500 own desires, himself. There's no room to blame 00:36:30.500 --> 00:36:33.679 God for our transgressions and our iniquities 00:36:33.679 --> 00:36:42.539 when we come to him. We must take responsibility. 00:36:45.230 --> 00:36:48.510 for our sins, our iniquities, and our transgressions, 00:36:48.510 --> 00:36:53.650 before an all -knowing, sovereign, holy God. 00:36:56.250 --> 00:37:00.949 Because those are the ones who need another righteousness. 00:37:02.590 --> 00:37:05.750 Those are the ones who need mercy and grace. 00:37:06.610 --> 00:37:13.210 Those who are at fault. Those who are guilty. 00:37:15.369 --> 00:37:18.150 So David recognizes sin as sin. He takes full 00:37:18.150 --> 00:37:22.989 responsibility for his sin. And he openly confesses 00:37:22.989 --> 00:37:29.130 his sin. Look at the first part of verse 3. For 00:37:29.130 --> 00:37:35.050 I know my transgressions. He's acknowledging 00:37:35.050 --> 00:37:40.789 his sin. He's confessing his sin. In Psalm chapter 00:37:40.789 --> 00:37:45.909 32. Sister Psalm to this with regards to his 00:37:45.909 --> 00:37:52.369 transgression. We read, I acknowledged my sin 00:37:52.369 --> 00:37:57.349 to you and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, 00:37:57.409 --> 00:38:01.829 I will confess my transgressions to the Lord 00:38:01.829 --> 00:38:10.170 and you forgave the guilt of my sin. David openly 00:38:10.170 --> 00:38:17.929 declares. and expresses his guilt to God. He 00:38:17.929 --> 00:38:26.190 confesses and uncovers and opens that which he's 00:38:26.190 --> 00:38:31.289 been concealing and covering and hiding for so 00:38:31.289 --> 00:38:35.809 long. Sometimes you have to fully open up the 00:38:35.809 --> 00:38:39.389 wound in order for the healing salve to be applied, 00:38:39.610 --> 00:38:44.039 don't you? The same is true with regards to our 00:38:44.039 --> 00:38:53.760 sin. We must lay our souls bare before our God. 00:38:55.039 --> 00:39:00.119 We must confess to him that we are indeed guilty, 00:39:00.360 --> 00:39:05.300 that we are sinners, and we have done that which 00:39:05.300 --> 00:39:13.170 is evil in his sight. Confession. is very, very 00:39:13.170 --> 00:39:16.349 important, actually, with regards to the Christian 00:39:16.349 --> 00:39:20.849 life. We read in 1 John, with regards to fellowship, 00:39:21.269 --> 00:39:25.570 1 John 1, 5 -10, this is the message that we 00:39:25.570 --> 00:39:29.349 have heard from Him and announced to you, that 00:39:29.349 --> 00:39:32.329 God is light, and in Him there is no darkness 00:39:32.329 --> 00:39:38.449 at all. God is light. He's holy. He's perfect 00:39:38.449 --> 00:39:45.610 knowledge. He's absolutely pure. If we say that 00:39:45.610 --> 00:39:49.570 we have fellowship with him and yet walk in the 00:39:49.570 --> 00:39:52.550 darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 00:39:53.210 --> 00:39:57.070 But if we walk in the light, as he himself is 00:39:57.070 --> 00:40:00.070 in the light, we have fellowship with one another 00:40:00.070 --> 00:40:03.489 and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us 00:40:03.489 --> 00:40:06.809 from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, 00:40:06.869 --> 00:40:08.949 we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not 00:40:08.949 --> 00:40:15.309 in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful 00:40:15.309 --> 00:40:19.969 and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse 00:40:19.969 --> 00:40:24.949 us from all unrighteousness. God is light. God 00:40:24.949 --> 00:40:30.670 is holy. God is purity. He's perfect. He's blameless. 00:40:31.670 --> 00:40:36.190 And those who have fellowship with him, not those, 00:40:36.369 --> 00:40:41.050 not those. who are justified, this is in the 00:40:41.050 --> 00:40:45.250 context of fellowship, communion with the Lord. 00:40:46.929 --> 00:40:51.190 Those who have fellowship, communion with him, 00:40:51.269 --> 00:40:56.110 must walk in the light and the truth as he is 00:40:56.110 --> 00:41:01.110 light. Meaning, if we want to have ongoing fellowship 00:41:01.110 --> 00:41:04.150 and communion with God, we must walk in a manner 00:41:04.150 --> 00:41:08.860 that is consistent with his character. So when 00:41:08.860 --> 00:41:12.000 we consistently get out of the light and walk 00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:14.440 in the dark, what do we need to do to return 00:41:14.440 --> 00:41:21.460 to the light? Confess our sins. It's a dependent 00:41:21.460 --> 00:41:26.639 clause. It's contingent. Our fellowship, our 00:41:26.639 --> 00:41:29.300 communion with God, not our justification, our 00:41:29.300 --> 00:41:32.920 atonement, our salvation, but our warm, sweet, 00:41:33.039 --> 00:41:36.079 unbroken fellowship with that God who justified 00:41:36.079 --> 00:41:41.769 us by grace. is dependent on confession of our 00:41:41.769 --> 00:41:46.449 sins. That's why Jesus tells us to ask for forgiveness 00:41:46.449 --> 00:41:50.769 in the Lord's Prayer. We don't need to be forgiven 00:41:50.769 --> 00:41:53.230 in order to be justified. We need forgiveness 00:41:53.230 --> 00:41:55.530 that we might be right with God in our fellowship 00:41:55.530 --> 00:41:59.849 and relationship with Him. In our communion with 00:41:59.849 --> 00:42:07.440 Him. David confesses his sin. In order to deal 00:42:07.440 --> 00:42:11.860 with it. And we must do the same. We must. Lay 00:42:11.860 --> 00:42:16.139 our souls bare. Before God. But all of these 00:42:16.139 --> 00:42:19.719 things. Recognizing it. Taking full responsibility 00:42:19.719 --> 00:42:23.780 for it. And confessing it. Must be. With the 00:42:23.780 --> 00:42:30.440 intention. Of forsaking it. Of letting it go. 00:42:31.199 --> 00:42:35.199 Of throwing it behind us. Of turning our backs 00:42:35.199 --> 00:42:41.849 on it. on giving it up. Proverbs 28, 13 says, 00:42:41.969 --> 00:42:45.929 he who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, 00:42:46.110 --> 00:42:52.369 but he who confesses and forsakes them will find 00:42:52.369 --> 00:43:00.030 compassion. Carries the idea of abruptly letting 00:43:00.030 --> 00:43:08.630 something go. A lot of people try to coddle sin 00:43:08.630 --> 00:43:14.489 and gradually let it go. Just slowly open a hand. 00:43:15.530 --> 00:43:19.909 Maybe it'll fall away. That's not what this text 00:43:19.909 --> 00:43:22.230 is teaching us, friends and brothers and sisters. 00:43:23.429 --> 00:43:29.550 This text is teaching us to drop it, to forget 00:43:29.550 --> 00:43:35.230 it, now, immediately. without hesitation, and 00:43:35.230 --> 00:43:38.730 leave it there with no intention of ever picking 00:43:38.730 --> 00:43:43.389 it back up again. Do you know why this is so 00:43:43.389 --> 00:43:49.630 important? Because if you are willingly living 00:43:49.630 --> 00:43:53.369 in unrepentant sin, you are willingly rejecting 00:43:53.369 --> 00:44:00.570 Christ. If you are embracing your iniquity and 00:44:00.570 --> 00:44:03.460 your transgression, You're not embracing the 00:44:03.460 --> 00:44:06.079 Lord of glory who died and spilled his blood 00:44:06.079 --> 00:44:15.460 for you. Forsake your sin to lay hold of the 00:44:15.460 --> 00:44:21.760 Lord Jesus Christ. Give it up and gain him. Is 00:44:21.760 --> 00:44:31.139 he not worth forsaking your sin? What pleasure. 00:44:32.400 --> 00:44:37.079 In this world. Is better. Than the blessed son 00:44:37.079 --> 00:44:46.019 of God. What attitude. And action. Is worth more. 00:44:46.199 --> 00:44:51.920 Than his infinite and eternal blood. What is 00:44:51.920 --> 00:44:55.099 greater than his death. And his sacrifice. What 00:44:55.099 --> 00:44:58.599 is more precious. Than the risen Lord Jesus Christ. 00:44:58.719 --> 00:45:00.800 Who ministers to the saints. At the right hand 00:45:00.800 --> 00:45:08.219 of God right now. What do you hold so dear in 00:45:08.219 --> 00:45:12.079 your life that you're unwilling to give it up 00:45:12.079 --> 00:45:16.800 to have sweet fellowship with the Lord Jesus 00:45:16.800 --> 00:45:24.139 Christ? It's not worth it. It doesn't have that 00:45:24.139 --> 00:45:29.960 value. It's not good for you if it's not good 00:45:29.960 --> 00:45:39.480 for your fellowship with Him. Drop it. Forsake 00:45:39.480 --> 00:45:44.739 it. Get rid of it. Leave it alone. Never pick 00:45:44.739 --> 00:45:48.940 it up again. Lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:45:48.940 --> 00:45:55.500 by faith. Enjoy the blessed grace and mercy that 00:45:55.500 --> 00:46:03.000 comes from His throne. The Spirit of God working 00:46:03.000 --> 00:46:15.519 in your soul. Hope. Confidence. Love. The manifest 00:46:15.519 --> 00:46:21.539 fruit of the Spirit in your life. It's not worth 00:46:21.539 --> 00:46:25.219 it. Forsake it and give it up and lay hold of 00:46:25.219 --> 00:46:34.039 Christ. He is worth giving up anything in this 00:46:34.039 --> 00:46:41.739 life. Nothing in this life is so dear that we 00:46:41.739 --> 00:46:47.860 ought to forsake him. So we must forsake our 00:46:47.860 --> 00:46:52.480 sin in addition to recognizing it, taking responsibility 00:46:52.480 --> 00:46:58.360 for it, and openly confessing it. These things 00:46:58.360 --> 00:47:03.760 must be done unto the Lord. You're not simply 00:47:03.760 --> 00:47:08.260 dealing with yourself. You're not working within 00:47:08.260 --> 00:47:10.579 the confines of your own mind and your own heart. 00:47:12.239 --> 00:47:16.579 These things are to be done unto the Lord in 00:47:16.579 --> 00:47:22.840 prayer. And these things are the ground of spiritual 00:47:22.840 --> 00:47:27.940 profit. And holiness and godliness and sanctification 00:47:27.940 --> 00:47:30.860 in your lives, brothers and sisters. This is 00:47:30.860 --> 00:47:34.619 the ground on which you grow in the grace and 00:47:34.619 --> 00:47:38.579 the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. This 00:47:38.579 --> 00:47:43.519 is the ground where joy does in fact grow. Dealing 00:47:43.519 --> 00:47:47.579 with your sin. This is the ground where confidence 00:47:47.579 --> 00:47:50.980 and boldness and assurance of faith actually 00:47:50.980 --> 00:47:55.809 grow and blossom. The ground of dealing with 00:47:55.809 --> 00:48:01.170 your sin. And this is where you find mercy. This 00:48:01.170 --> 00:48:05.309 is where you find grace. This is the last thing 00:48:05.309 --> 00:48:08.610 we see in this text. The merciful result of dealing 00:48:08.610 --> 00:48:13.769 with our sin. We see in verses 1 through 2. That 00:48:13.769 --> 00:48:17.849 David's crying out for mercy. He says the great 00:48:17.849 --> 00:48:20.309 compassion. According to your great compassion. 00:48:20.829 --> 00:48:24.099 Your loving kindness. Have you considered in 00:48:24.099 --> 00:48:28.260 this text, why does David cry out for compassion, 00:48:28.579 --> 00:48:32.739 grace, and mercy? Why is it that he's compelled 00:48:32.739 --> 00:48:38.539 to cry out for those things? Because he's dealt 00:48:38.539 --> 00:48:43.280 with his sin. It's because he's come to the realization 00:48:43.280 --> 00:48:47.260 that there is nothing in himself that can save 00:48:47.260 --> 00:48:52.940 him. He has come to the end of himself. In dealing 00:48:52.940 --> 00:48:57.300 with his sin. And he's been forced. To look outside 00:48:57.300 --> 00:49:02.360 of himself. To the Lord Jesus Christ. In dealing 00:49:02.360 --> 00:49:10.119 with sin. Genuinely. Sincerely. In a heartfelt 00:49:10.119 --> 00:49:16.480 manner. With authenticity. We will always. Always. 00:49:17.239 --> 00:49:23.570 Be driven to the cross. Every single time we 00:49:23.570 --> 00:49:27.090 will be driven to the blessed person of Jesus 00:49:27.090 --> 00:49:30.269 Christ. Because when you deal with your sin, 00:49:30.329 --> 00:49:35.449 what are you claiming? To be guilty. You're claiming 00:49:35.449 --> 00:49:39.309 fault. You're recognizing that you have in fact 00:49:39.309 --> 00:49:41.730 done that which is evil on the side of God. How 00:49:41.730 --> 00:49:45.869 could you stand on your own basis? What hope 00:49:45.869 --> 00:49:48.630 do you have in the presence of God by yourself? 00:49:51.019 --> 00:49:57.920 You don't have any. You must go to Christ. You 00:49:57.920 --> 00:50:01.039 must run to him. He alone is your refuge and 00:50:01.039 --> 00:50:03.960 your fortress. He alone is your shield, your 00:50:03.960 --> 00:50:09.460 mighty bulwark. He alone is your place of safety 00:50:09.460 --> 00:50:15.880 and help. If we are dealing with our sin in a 00:50:15.880 --> 00:50:19.300 manner that does not drive us to the person of 00:50:19.300 --> 00:50:24.780 Jesus Christ, then you're not dealing with it 00:50:24.780 --> 00:50:29.460 correctly. If you are dealing with your sin in 00:50:29.460 --> 00:50:34.219 such a way that it's pointing you somewhere else 00:50:34.219 --> 00:50:39.559 other than Christ, then you're not really dealing 00:50:39.559 --> 00:50:43.719 with your sin. Because dealing with your sin 00:50:43.719 --> 00:50:50.260 empties yourself of you. And it points you... 00:50:50.679 --> 00:50:53.519 To the Lord Jesus Christ. It shows you your poverty. 00:50:54.860 --> 00:50:58.480 The fact that you are a beggar. And that you 00:50:58.480 --> 00:51:03.920 have empty hands. And that only empty hands receive 00:51:03.920 --> 00:51:09.360 the fullness of grace. The cross is never changing. 00:51:10.539 --> 00:51:14.820 It's never going to go anywhere. It's never going 00:51:14.820 --> 00:51:19.679 to disappear for the believer. The sacrifice 00:51:19.679 --> 00:51:21.719 of Christ is never going to be insufficient. 00:51:22.059 --> 00:51:25.139 It's never going to be inadequate. It's always 00:51:25.139 --> 00:51:28.480 going to be effective. It's always going to be 00:51:28.480 --> 00:51:31.179 present. And the person of the Lord Jesus will 00:51:31.179 --> 00:51:36.780 remain and continue. His sacrifice will continue 00:51:36.780 --> 00:51:43.039 to be utterly perfect and utterly effective for 00:51:43.039 --> 00:51:47.639 the forgiveness of sins. It's as though there's 00:51:47.639 --> 00:51:53.159 a banquet that's always taking place. If only 00:51:53.159 --> 00:51:59.019 the prodigal would return home. We have to realize 00:51:59.019 --> 00:52:02.059 that when we're dealing with our sin, it's not 00:52:02.059 --> 00:52:04.960 that the Father goes anywhere. It's not that 00:52:04.960 --> 00:52:10.360 the Lord runs away. But who is it that goes somewhere? 00:52:11.519 --> 00:52:17.000 It's us. It's our hearts. It's our flesh. It's 00:52:17.000 --> 00:52:22.460 our desires. It's our longings. It's our sin 00:52:22.460 --> 00:52:27.519 that takes us away from God. So brothers and 00:52:27.519 --> 00:52:30.960 sisters, the cross is there. Christ's sacrifice 00:52:30.960 --> 00:52:37.380 is there. Run to it. Trust in it. Believe in 00:52:37.380 --> 00:52:43.610 it. Rest in it. His righteousness remains. Your 00:52:43.610 --> 00:52:50.329 justification remains. Recognize your sin as 00:52:50.329 --> 00:52:56.469 sin. Take responsibility for it. Openly confess 00:52:56.469 --> 00:53:02.130 it. Forsake it. And experience the blessed grace 00:53:02.130 --> 00:53:05.150 of the Lord Jesus Christ that comes from his 00:53:05.150 --> 00:53:09.590 life, his death, and his resurrection. And enjoy 00:53:09.590 --> 00:53:11.889 it. And revel in it.