WEBVTT 00:00:10.119 --> 00:00:13.359 Psalm 51, we're going to read verses 1 through 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:19.320 7. Verses 1 through 7. Be gracious to me, O God, 00:00:19.539 --> 00:00:23.140 according to your lovingkindness, according to 00:00:23.140 --> 00:00:26.120 the greatness of your compassion, blot out my 00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:30.600 transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:35.500 and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions 00:00:35.500 --> 00:00:41.020 and my sin is ever before me. You only I have 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:45.060 sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so 00:00:45.060 --> 00:00:47.740 that you are justified when you speak and blameless 00:00:47.740 --> 00:00:51.880 when you judge. Behold, I was brought forth in 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:55.880 iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. 00:00:56.600 --> 00:00:59.719 Behold, you desire truth in the innermost being, 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:03.299 and in the hidden part you will make me know 00:01:03.299 --> 00:01:07.780 wisdom. Here's our text for today. Purify me 00:01:07.780 --> 00:01:14.239 with hyssop. and I shall be clean. Wash me, and 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:22.700 I shall be whiter than snow. As we continue considering 00:01:22.700 --> 00:01:27.879 Psalm 51, I think it's a good thing to do by 00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:31.400 way of reminder, just for us to meditate for 00:01:31.400 --> 00:01:35.719 a moment and consider for a moment why we... 00:01:36.810 --> 00:01:41.609 do expositional preaching. Why we give ourselves 00:01:41.609 --> 00:01:48.349 to looking at the Word of God in an in -depth 00:01:48.349 --> 00:01:53.409 way and drawing out its meaning. Drawing out 00:01:53.409 --> 00:01:56.810 the connections that are present. Drawing out 00:01:56.810 --> 00:02:02.069 the truth that is present. And doing our best 00:02:02.069 --> 00:02:08.360 not to put in our own meaning, and our own spin 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:15.539 on things. Expositional preaching helps us to 00:02:15.539 --> 00:02:22.800 receive the most out of the Word of God. We want 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:27.439 to know what God has to say. We want to know 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:32.620 all that God has to say for His church. Therefore, 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:38.099 we have to mine The scriptures. We have to dig 00:02:38.099 --> 00:02:43.699 in them. So as we look at Psalm 51, we don't 00:02:43.699 --> 00:02:48.240 do this just to fill our heads with information, 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:52.280 do we? We come and we continue to look at Psalm 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:56.759 51 because we need to know what Psalm 51 has 00:02:56.759 --> 00:03:01.889 to say for our lives. Because we believe that 00:03:01.889 --> 00:03:05.370 we are justified men and women as David was a 00:03:05.370 --> 00:03:09.250 justified man. And David dealt with sin as we 00:03:09.250 --> 00:03:16.909 deal with sin. So Psalm 51 has truth for us from 00:03:16.909 --> 00:03:22.210 God. And we want to know what it says. Psalm 00:03:22.210 --> 00:03:27.909 51 helps us understand what it means to walk. 00:03:28.650 --> 00:03:34.069 in fellowship and communion with God. Psalm 51 00:03:34.069 --> 00:03:37.509 helps us understand what it means to be a better 00:03:37.509 --> 00:03:41.270 penitent sinner, meaning to better repent of 00:03:41.270 --> 00:03:45.610 our sins. We need, brothers and sisters, better 00:03:45.610 --> 00:03:50.620 repentance in our lives. Psalm 51 helps us understand 00:03:50.620 --> 00:03:54.620 what it means to confess our sin to God. Brothers 00:03:54.620 --> 00:03:57.560 and sisters, we need to confess our sin better 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:04.039 to God. Psalm 51 helps us understand what it 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:10.159 means to have faith in Jesus Christ. All of us, 00:04:10.180 --> 00:04:12.680 every single one of us, each one of us in this 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:17.980 room need to have a stronger Faith in Jesus Christ. 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:24.120 We all need more godly sorrow. So Psalm 51 helps 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:28.000 us in all of these things. It's relevant for 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:34.939 our lives. It would be a dangerous thing to hear 00:04:34.939 --> 00:04:39.319 and read and learn about confession and repentance 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:43.769 and faith and to hear about these things. And 00:04:43.769 --> 00:04:46.910 to learn about these things. But never take from 00:04:46.910 --> 00:04:49.529 the word of God. And apply these things to your 00:04:49.529 --> 00:04:53.290 life. It would be a dangerous thing to sit week 00:04:53.290 --> 00:04:55.529 in and week out. Under the preaching of Psalm 00:04:55.529 --> 00:04:59.569 51. And never learn what it means to repent better. 00:05:01.470 --> 00:05:05.970 To confess better. To have a greater and a stronger 00:05:05.970 --> 00:05:10.600 faith in Jesus Christ. Sit under the preaching 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:14.319 of God's word and receive the truth that is in 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:20.100 the scripture and let it affect your faith. Let 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:23.660 it affect your repentance. Let it affect your 00:05:23.660 --> 00:05:27.339 confession. Let it affect your fellowship and 00:05:27.339 --> 00:05:30.019 your communion with God, brothers and sisters. 00:05:30.459 --> 00:05:34.879 That's the purpose. That's why we continue going 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:39.100 through Psalm 51. That's why we continue expositing 00:05:39.100 --> 00:05:41.500 the Word of God Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:46.379 Because we need these things desperately because 00:05:46.379 --> 00:05:51.259 of the waywardness of our hearts. Because of 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:54.500 the sinfulness of our hearts. We need constant 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:59.420 reminder that we need to repent. So, by way of 00:05:59.420 --> 00:06:03.600 reminder, Take these things, sit under these 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:07.000 things, receive these things, accept these things 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:09.579 into your heart, into your mind, into your soul, 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:15.660 and let them affect you, your will, your behavior, 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:20.160 your life. Now, as we come to Psalm 51, verse 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:25.259 7, where David cries out, Purify me with hyssop, 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:29.100 and I shall be clean. Wash me. and I shall be 00:06:29.100 --> 00:06:32.920 whiter than snow. He is alluding to something 00:06:32.920 --> 00:06:36.319 that we've already touched on briefly previously. 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:39.779 And that's the reality that David is likening 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:45.339 his sin to that of leprosy and its effects in 00:06:45.339 --> 00:06:51.819 his life. By his referencing hyssop, we know 00:06:51.819 --> 00:06:56.100 that he is referencing leprosy. and the ceremonial 00:06:56.100 --> 00:06:58.720 purification and the rites and rituals of the 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:04.199 ceremonial law that had to do with leprosy. Leprosy 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:09.720 had unpleasant effects, not just physically, 00:07:09.860 --> 00:07:15.220 but spiritually, emotionally, and in reality, 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:21.180 on the one who had leprosy. We read in Leviticus 00:07:21.180 --> 00:07:25.810 chapter 13, And Leviticus chapter 13 is all about 00:07:25.810 --> 00:07:29.769 the removal of the one who is unclean. The removal 00:07:29.769 --> 00:07:33.209 of the one who has leprosy. Here's what we read. 00:07:34.250 --> 00:07:36.970 As for the leper, this is in verse 45 and 46. 00:07:37.509 --> 00:07:41.810 As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes 00:07:41.810 --> 00:07:44.730 shall be torn and the hair of his head shall 00:07:44.730 --> 00:07:48.269 be uncovered. He shall cover his mustache and 00:07:48.269 --> 00:07:54.560 cry, unclean, unclean. He shall remain unclean 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:57.540 all the days during which he has the infection. 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:06.100 He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:14.199 shall be outside the camp. Those words may not 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:17.560 mean that much to us because we're so far removed. 00:08:18.180 --> 00:08:25.180 But to that leper? His whole life was just turned 00:08:25.180 --> 00:08:31.899 upside down. He's kicked out of his house. He's 00:08:31.899 --> 00:08:34.320 removed from his dwelling, which he stayed in. 00:08:35.500 --> 00:08:42.659 His belongings are burned. And he's forced to 00:08:42.659 --> 00:08:48.629 make his disease known publicly. And anytime 00:08:48.629 --> 00:08:52.590 somebody comes near or walks by, what does the 00:08:52.590 --> 00:08:58.429 leopard have to cry out? Unclean, unclean, making 00:08:58.429 --> 00:09:03.309 everybody known, everybody aware that he is infected, 00:09:03.490 --> 00:09:06.049 that he is unclean, that he is dirty, that he 00:09:06.049 --> 00:09:11.710 is impure. And more than that, he has to live 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:19.389 outside the camp alone. That means that he's 00:09:19.389 --> 00:09:24.750 cut off, in a sense, from the worship of God. 00:09:26.370 --> 00:09:30.909 He's cut off from fellowship and communion with 00:09:30.909 --> 00:09:35.830 the God of Israel who redeemed him. This means 00:09:35.830 --> 00:09:39.519 that he's separated. From the people of God, 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:43.100 all the rights, the privileges, the blessings 00:09:43.100 --> 00:09:46.539 that come from being a part of the nation of 00:09:46.539 --> 00:09:51.279 Israel, the leper is removed from it. The leper 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:55.899 is cut off from it. He can't get to them because 00:09:55.899 --> 00:10:05.700 he is unclean. David is likening the effects 00:10:05.700 --> 00:10:11.389 of his sin To leprosy. He's saying that his sin. 00:10:11.990 --> 00:10:17.350 Has shut him out. From the divine presence. He's 00:10:17.350 --> 00:10:20.230 saying that his sin. Has deadened him. And has 00:10:20.230 --> 00:10:22.649 shut him out. And has removed him. From all the 00:10:22.649 --> 00:10:25.889 blessed privileges. And the graces that come. 00:10:26.129 --> 00:10:28.730 As being a part of the new covenant. As a part 00:10:28.730 --> 00:10:34.230 of the covenant. And being a child of God. He's 00:10:34.230 --> 00:10:39.340 saying that his sin. has separated him from the 00:10:39.340 --> 00:10:44.039 people of God. It's put a barrier between him 00:10:44.039 --> 00:10:47.460 and God's people. It's put a barrier between 00:10:47.460 --> 00:10:53.919 him and God himself. This is what sin does, isn't 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:59.080 it, brothers and sisters? Sin removes us. It 00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:03.549 separates us. It puts distance between us. It 00:11:03.549 --> 00:11:07.289 isolates us. Sin is separating in nature. Do 00:11:07.289 --> 00:11:12.990 you know why? Because when the soul becomes corrupted, 00:11:13.289 --> 00:11:17.830 there comes an aversion to that which is holy, 00:11:18.029 --> 00:11:22.090 that which is righteous, that which is good. 00:11:24.029 --> 00:11:33.580 Sin gives the child of God. A distaste for God 00:11:33.580 --> 00:11:36.700 himself because of the pollution that's in the 00:11:36.700 --> 00:11:41.980 soul. Sin draws us away from that which is holy 00:11:41.980 --> 00:11:44.600 and that which is good and that which is righteous. 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:50.820 And that's what David is saying in verse 7. Now, 00:11:50.820 --> 00:11:53.820 as we examine this text in verse 7, there's three 00:11:53.820 --> 00:11:59.029 things that we need to look at. The first. Being 00:11:59.029 --> 00:12:03.750 the means that God has given for purification 00:12:03.750 --> 00:12:08.850 and cleansing. We read in verse 7, David says, 00:12:08.970 --> 00:12:16.009 Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean. He 00:12:16.009 --> 00:12:19.409 doesn't simply say purify me, wash me like he 00:12:19.409 --> 00:12:24.029 did before. But now he makes a reference to that 00:12:24.029 --> 00:12:31.440 which is the means that he is to be washed with 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:37.799 or washed by. Hyssop. So what is hyssop? Hyssop 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:42.620 was a green and a very furry and a leafy herb 00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:46.299 that was used in several rituals and rites of 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:50.679 the ceremonial law in the Old Covenant. Now remember, 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:54.440 the leper has gone out of camp because of his 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:57.440 uncleanness. That was chapter 13 of Leviticus. 00:12:57.559 --> 00:13:01.600 If we turn to chapter 14 of Leviticus, we read 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:06.940 of the restoration of the leper back to camp. 00:13:07.179 --> 00:13:09.919 And what are the means that are appointed by 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:14.080 which the leper can return to camp? That's the 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:17.399 question we need to look at. Starting in chapter 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:21.440 14, verse 1. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 00:13:22.350 --> 00:13:24.850 This shall be the law of the leper in the day 00:13:24.850 --> 00:13:28.649 of his cleansing. Now he shall be brought to 00:13:28.649 --> 00:13:32.210 the priest and the priest shall go out to the 00:13:32.210 --> 00:13:35.149 outside of the camp. Thus the priest shall look. 00:13:35.330 --> 00:13:37.669 And if the infection of leprosy has been healed 00:13:37.669 --> 00:13:40.330 in the leper, then the priest shall give orders 00:13:40.330 --> 00:13:43.830 to take two live clean birds and a cedar wood 00:13:43.830 --> 00:13:48.429 and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop 00:13:48.429 --> 00:13:53.320 for the one. who is to be cleansed. To the priest, 00:13:53.580 --> 00:13:57.919 the priest, I'm sorry, shall also give orders 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:01.080 to slay the one bird in an earthenware vessel 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:05.100 over running water. As for the live bird, he 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:07.639 shall take it together with the cedar wood and 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:11.360 the scarlet string and the hyssop and shall dip 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:15.460 them and the live bird in the blood of the bird 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:20.090 that was slain over the running water. He shall 00:14:20.090 --> 00:14:25.149 then sprinkle seven times the one who is to be 00:14:25.149 --> 00:14:27.750 cleansed from the leprosy and shall pronounce 00:14:27.750 --> 00:14:32.789 him clean and shall let the live bird go free 00:14:32.789 --> 00:14:41.230 over the open field. David is appealing to hyssop, 00:14:41.370 --> 00:14:47.620 which has to do with the sacrificial blood. That 00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:53.320 would restore him to camp. He's appealing to 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:58.120 the sprinkling of the blood. That which would 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:01.100 restore him, which would renew him to the people 00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:06.240 of God. David is referencing the ceremonial law. 00:15:06.899 --> 00:15:10.740 And images and symbols and types and parts of 00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:14.500 the ceremonial law. He's referencing hyssop. 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:20.679 But he's looking. to God to fulfill these realities 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:24.120 in his life. He's not going to the ceremonial 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:29.220 law to be cleansed of his inward purification, 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:34.320 is he? No, but the ceremonial law gives him these 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:37.779 categories, gives him these pictures, gives him 00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:40.860 these ideas, so that he knows unclean can become 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:43.700 clean through the cleansing of blood and hyssop. 00:15:45.070 --> 00:15:47.850 So the ceremonial law is helping him understand 00:15:47.850 --> 00:15:53.070 these redemptive ideas. It's pointing him, what? 00:15:53.169 --> 00:15:56.529 To the reality that he knows he needs sacrificial 00:15:56.529 --> 00:16:01.629 blood to be cleansed on his insides. He understands. 00:16:01.789 --> 00:16:04.350 So what does he do? He goes to God in faith. 00:16:05.169 --> 00:16:08.049 And he believes that God is going to do this 00:16:08.049 --> 00:16:14.129 for him. He's looking to the means. And he's 00:16:14.129 --> 00:16:19.009 going to God for the reality that the ceremonial 00:16:19.009 --> 00:16:23.629 law is symbolically portraying and putting forward. 00:16:24.889 --> 00:16:33.090 We have much fuller revelation than David. We 00:16:33.090 --> 00:16:37.029 have a closed canon, brothers and sisters. Whereas 00:16:37.029 --> 00:16:42.029 David was dealing with types and shadows, And 00:16:42.029 --> 00:16:44.309 he was looking to God in faith to fulfill these 00:16:44.309 --> 00:16:49.750 realities. We know the great sacrifice which 00:16:49.750 --> 00:16:53.250 we must appeal to for fresh sprinkling in our 00:16:53.250 --> 00:16:56.649 lives. And the new covenant to be washed and 00:16:56.649 --> 00:17:00.809 cleansed, don't we? It's the sacrifice of the 00:17:00.809 --> 00:17:05.630 Lord Jesus Christ. It's the sacrifice of Jesus 00:17:05.630 --> 00:17:09.750 Christ. His blood which purifies and cleanses 00:17:09.750 --> 00:17:14.960 and washes. And we must go to God, seeking out 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:24.619 that sprinkling. Hebrews 9, 13 helps us in our 00:17:24.619 --> 00:17:28.220 understanding of this a great deal. We read in 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:34.519 Hebrews 9, 13, sorry, 13 through 14. For if the 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:37.660 blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of heifers 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:41.420 sprinkling, he's alluding to... Hyssop there. 00:17:43.079 --> 00:17:46.720 Hyssop was used in the offering of the heifer. 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:50.200 So hyssop is involved. Hyssop is later referenced 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:53.460 in the book of Hebrews. For if the blood of goats 00:17:53.460 --> 00:17:56.420 and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling 00:17:56.420 --> 00:17:59.519 those who have been defiled sanctify for the 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:02.299 cleansing of the flesh. Here it is. How much 00:18:02.299 --> 00:18:06.420 more will the blood of Christ who through the 00:18:06.420 --> 00:18:09.240 eternal spirit offered himself without blemish 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:13.160 to God. Cleanse your conscience from dead works 00:18:13.160 --> 00:18:20.200 to serve the living God. We look not to this 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:26.759 idea of sacrificial blood. We look... To the 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:29.680 Lord Jesus Christ, his death on the cross, his 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:33.799 atoning work. We know that it's his blood, his 00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:37.640 death, his sacrifice, his work alone, which is 00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:40.720 sufficient to cleanse us of our sins. And it's 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:42.859 the only place that we can go for cleansing. 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:47.279 It's the only place we can go for purification 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:50.559 of our sins. And brothers and sisters, it is 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:56.069 utterly sufficient for this purpose. It is utterly 00:18:56.069 --> 00:19:01.349 sufficient for this purpose. His sacrifice was 00:19:01.349 --> 00:19:08.130 once for all. When we talk about being restored 00:19:08.130 --> 00:19:12.769 with the Lord after sinning, when we talk about 00:19:12.769 --> 00:19:17.569 renewal and moral purification, it's not so much 00:19:17.569 --> 00:19:23.150 about the nature of our sin. As it is about the 00:19:23.150 --> 00:19:26.569 nature and the efficacy of the death and the 00:19:26.569 --> 00:19:32.430 sacrifice of Jesus Christ. What is so bad about 00:19:32.430 --> 00:19:37.569 your sin that his death is insufficient to cover 00:19:37.569 --> 00:19:44.150 it? How is it that you are so bad that you cannot 00:19:44.150 --> 00:19:47.170 be cleansed, that you cannot be purified, that 00:19:47.170 --> 00:19:53.380 you cannot be washed by his blood? There is no 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:58.279 sin so bad, so grievous, so horrible that his 00:19:58.279 --> 00:20:02.200 blood will not wash you of it. That his blood 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:06.599 will not cleanse you of that sin. It's about 00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:10.900 the nature and the efficacy of his sacrifice. 00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:21.130 Didn't Jesus say it is finished? Has he not obtained 00:20:21.130 --> 00:20:27.230 eternal redemption? Is it not done? Is sin not 00:20:27.230 --> 00:20:30.210 taken care of by the blessed work of the Son 00:20:30.210 --> 00:20:37.430 of God? Did the Lord not receive him on the third 00:20:37.430 --> 00:20:43.710 day and accept his sacrifice as sufficient and 00:20:43.710 --> 00:20:49.200 adequate and confirm the sufficiency of His death 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:53.380 and His sacrifice in the resurrection? Was God 00:20:53.380 --> 00:20:56.900 not pleased to declare that Christ's sacrifice 00:20:56.900 --> 00:21:00.380 was efficient in raising Him from the dead and 00:21:00.380 --> 00:21:02.960 declaring that He is the Son of God in power? 00:21:04.140 --> 00:21:11.359 Brothers and sisters, His sacrifice is effective 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:16.750 to cover sins. His sacrifice, His blood, is the 00:21:16.750 --> 00:21:21.589 only thing that can. Where else are you looking? 00:21:22.789 --> 00:21:26.690 Where else do you go to have your sins washed? 00:21:27.970 --> 00:21:31.150 Where else can you go to have your wickedness 00:21:31.150 --> 00:21:35.009 cleansed from you? There's nowhere else to go. 00:21:35.750 --> 00:21:39.990 You must cry out with David, purify me with hyssop. 00:21:40.509 --> 00:21:43.930 But our cry is purify me with the blood of Christ. 00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:52.599 We must go to the Lord Jesus Christ because he's 00:21:52.599 --> 00:21:55.599 the only appointed means that God has given for 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:58.980 purification, cleansing, and for atonement in 00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:06.480 the life of any sinner, any at all, must go to 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:10.680 Christ. This leads us to the second thing, the 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:14.480 priest being looked to for purification and cleansing. 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:21.119 The leper had to have the ritual purification 00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:28.740 administered by the priest. It was only the priest 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:31.940 that could administer the ritual purification 00:22:31.940 --> 00:22:38.140 with hyssop. The leper would have worked with 00:22:38.140 --> 00:22:39.960 the priest, would have gone to the priest, would 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:41.640 have had to dealt with the priest, would have 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:43.900 heard from the priest, would have followed the 00:22:43.900 --> 00:22:47.779 priest's instructions. would have obeyed the 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:49.819 priest, would have submitted to the priest. Why? 00:22:50.019 --> 00:22:54.160 Because he wanted to be cleansed. He wanted to 00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:57.099 return to camp. He wanted to go back to the worship 00:22:57.099 --> 00:23:02.259 of God. He wanted to be restored. David isn't 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:05.160 looking to a man in this text as his priest. 00:23:07.259 --> 00:23:11.000 David isn't looking horizontally to anybody to 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:14.099 be his priest and administer the sprinkling blood 00:23:14.099 --> 00:23:19.890 of Christ. He's looking to heaven. He's looking 00:23:19.890 --> 00:23:22.910 to God. He's looking to a divine priest. He's 00:23:22.910 --> 00:23:26.470 looking to a heavenly priest. He's looking to 00:23:26.470 --> 00:23:30.829 the Lord himself to impart purification and cleansing 00:23:30.829 --> 00:23:39.130 in his life. But he is looking to a priest. He's 00:23:39.130 --> 00:23:43.289 looking to the Lord to impart his gracious influence 00:23:43.289 --> 00:23:48.559 in his life. to sanctify and cleanse his soul. 00:23:50.940 --> 00:23:55.799 This is an act of faith on the part of David. 00:23:56.660 --> 00:24:00.400 Because he doesn't know all the details explicitly 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:05.500 as we do. He's believing, he's trusting that 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:09.000 God will accomplish this reality in his life. 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:14.259 He's trusting that God will in fact purify him 00:24:14.259 --> 00:24:19.380 of his sins. He's believing that his priest in 00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:23.160 heaven will in fact cleanse him and make him 00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:28.759 whiter than snow. It's an act of faith, brothers 00:24:28.759 --> 00:24:31.359 and sisters. He's looking to God. He's looking 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:36.559 to his priest by faith for cleansing, for sanctification, 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:41.279 for holiness. for renewal, for moral purification. 00:24:43.619 --> 00:24:49.579 He's believing. We've talked a lot about repentance 00:24:49.579 --> 00:24:55.579 and confession in Psalm 51. But in talking about 00:24:55.579 --> 00:24:58.039 those things, we mustn't forget and we mustn't 00:24:58.039 --> 00:25:05.000 neglect faith. True faith that is necessary and 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.240 required. for restoration, brothers and sisters. 00:25:09.559 --> 00:25:14.700 It's not just repentance that leads to restoration 00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:21.960 with God. It's trust in our great high priest 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:28.420 who leads to restoration with God. What's the 00:25:28.420 --> 00:25:34.910 significance of faith in sanctification? We'll 00:25:34.910 --> 00:25:38.509 touch on this a bit later. But we see that faith 00:25:38.509 --> 00:25:42.890 is just as necessary as repentance. The two must 00:25:42.890 --> 00:25:46.309 always be present, though they may not always 00:25:46.309 --> 00:25:49.109 manifest themselves at the same time or in the 00:25:49.109 --> 00:25:53.369 same way. Faith and repentance must always be 00:25:53.369 --> 00:25:59.430 present because God uses faith and repentance, 00:25:59.529 --> 00:26:03.869 but primarily faith, to sanctify the sinner. 00:26:04.430 --> 00:26:10.769 to restore the sinner. It's through faith as 00:26:10.769 --> 00:26:16.250 an instrument that Christ sanctifies his people. 00:26:16.650 --> 00:26:22.289 So faith is vitally important, and it must be 00:26:22.289 --> 00:26:30.200 faith in Christ as our high priest. We think 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:32.440 about repentance, and the Bible describes repentance 00:26:32.440 --> 00:26:38.059 as repentance toward God. God is holy. God is 00:26:38.059 --> 00:26:42.359 righteous. God is just. God is offended. But 00:26:42.359 --> 00:26:45.500 God in a general way is not the object of our 00:26:45.500 --> 00:26:49.180 faith, brothers and sisters. God in a general 00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:52.039 and a vague way is not the object on what we 00:26:52.039 --> 00:26:54.740 believe. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:26:55.059 --> 00:26:58.819 the God -man. We believe in his life, his death, 00:26:58.819 --> 00:27:01.240 and his resurrection. We believe in his priestly 00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:06.880 work of atonement and sacrifice. So yes, we must 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:09.759 have repentance with regards to our sin, but 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:14.339 we must also have faith which rests squarely 00:27:14.339 --> 00:27:20.299 on the Lord Jesus Christ and on his work, believing 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:25.069 that he will continue to minister to us. That 00:27:25.069 --> 00:27:26.930 he will continue to save us. He will continue 00:27:26.930 --> 00:27:31.289 to sanctify us through his spirit from heaven. 00:27:31.490 --> 00:27:36.990 Looking to him as David looked to God. Looking 00:27:36.990 --> 00:27:39.430 to the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven who is our 00:27:39.430 --> 00:27:43.410 great high priest. Trusting in him to do that 00:27:43.410 --> 00:27:47.190 which David was trusting in God for. To purify 00:27:47.190 --> 00:27:51.430 us of our sins. To cleanse us and to wash us 00:27:51.430 --> 00:27:57.569 of our iniquity. We must deal with our sins. 00:27:59.309 --> 00:28:01.349 That's the reality of it, brothers and sisters. 00:28:01.450 --> 00:28:05.950 We must deal with our sins. But we must deal 00:28:05.950 --> 00:28:11.269 with Christ by faith. We must deal with Christ 00:28:11.269 --> 00:28:15.069 by faith and we must deal with our sins. We must 00:28:15.069 --> 00:28:21.089 do both. When we repent, we must trust in Christ 00:28:21.089 --> 00:28:25.940 and his death and his sacrifice. Believing what 00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:30.440 he has done. People trust in all kinds of things. 00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:36.099 People believe in all kinds of things to be restored 00:28:36.099 --> 00:28:42.960 with God. I dare say that we trust in all kinds 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:47.000 of things to try and make ourselves right with 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:51.839 God again after we have sinned. Some people. 00:28:54.039 --> 00:29:00.099 Trust and put their faith in service. Meaning, 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:02.920 I've sinned. I feel bad. This isn't good. I have 00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:05.180 guilt. I'm just going to serve more. I'm going 00:29:05.180 --> 00:29:07.119 to trust that in my service and my good deeds 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:12.359 and my good works, I'll be restored. Some people 00:29:12.359 --> 00:29:20.440 trust in ministry. This is something that pastors 00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:24.019 deal with, that elders deal with. Trusting in 00:29:24.019 --> 00:29:28.099 the work of the ministry. Well, I'm in the ministry. 00:29:28.200 --> 00:29:30.200 I'm going to keep pressing on. I'm going to do 00:29:30.200 --> 00:29:33.099 good. I'll be good. I'll be good to go. I'll 00:29:33.099 --> 00:29:37.319 be right with God. We can't put our faith in 00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:39.880 these things. Some people look to the secular 00:29:39.880 --> 00:29:43.140 world and secular instruction. What's all the 00:29:43.140 --> 00:29:49.440 rage at the moment? Influencers. What's all the 00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:55.980 rage? It's those people who have lots of practical 00:29:55.980 --> 00:30:00.960 wisdom for our life. Brothers and sisters, that 00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:03.799 won't make you right with God. It won't restore 00:30:03.799 --> 00:30:06.799 you in your fellowship and your communion with 00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:11.420 God. Getting up earlier, working harder, and 00:30:11.420 --> 00:30:13.799 putting practical principles into work, into 00:30:13.799 --> 00:30:17.519 your life, that won't fix your communion and 00:30:17.519 --> 00:30:21.460 fellowship with God. You can't put your faith 00:30:21.460 --> 00:30:24.779 in any of that stuff. Some people put their trust 00:30:24.779 --> 00:30:27.380 and their faith in secular books and self -help 00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:31.920 teaching. Brothers and sisters, that will not 00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:36.180 restore you to communion and fellowship with 00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:43.559 God. Some people put their faith in repentance 00:30:43.559 --> 00:30:50.410 and confession, believing. That if I just repent, 00:30:50.690 --> 00:30:54.990 I will be restored no matter what. All I have 00:30:54.990 --> 00:30:56.470 to do is say these words and go through this 00:30:56.470 --> 00:30:58.609 action. What do they do? The same thing the Church 00:30:58.609 --> 00:31:02.890 of Rome does. Separating out these duties and 00:31:02.890 --> 00:31:05.730 giving them merit and worth and value in and 00:31:05.730 --> 00:31:09.789 of themselves separate from Christ. Brothers 00:31:09.789 --> 00:31:11.849 and sisters, this is the danger we have to consider 00:31:11.849 --> 00:31:15.019 whenever we think about these things. There is 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:18.279 no value, there is no worth, there is no effectiveness 00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:21.019 in repentance, there is no value, and there is 00:31:21.019 --> 00:31:24.259 no effectiveness in confession if it's not connected 00:31:24.259 --> 00:31:28.180 to Jesus Christ. We can trust in those things. 00:31:28.259 --> 00:31:32.660 We can trust in tradition. There's any number 00:31:32.660 --> 00:31:35.039 of things we can trust in, but none of them, 00:31:35.099 --> 00:31:41.660 not a single one, will restore you to fellowship 00:31:41.660 --> 00:31:47.119 with God. Your faith must be placed in Jesus 00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:53.720 Christ, trusting him and his sacrifice to restore 00:31:53.720 --> 00:31:59.380 you to the Lord. A lot of people, I really don't 00:31:59.380 --> 00:32:01.240 think their issue necessarily is repentance. 00:32:02.940 --> 00:32:07.960 I think it's where they put their faith. It's 00:32:07.960 --> 00:32:11.599 not a matter of forsaking their sin. It's a matter 00:32:11.599 --> 00:32:17.740 of... What they trust in. I imagine one of the 00:32:17.740 --> 00:32:20.460 struggles. In our area. And I know one of my 00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:24.880 struggles. Is trusting in a self -righteous attitude. 00:32:25.960 --> 00:32:29.920 And self -righteous wisdom. And self -righteous 00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:34.539 supposed good deeds. Brothers and sisters. This 00:32:34.539 --> 00:32:38.059 will not restore us to fellowship with God. This 00:32:38.059 --> 00:32:42.859 does not lead to joy. This does not lead. To 00:32:42.859 --> 00:32:48.420 fellowship with God. Faith in Christ and repentance 00:32:48.420 --> 00:32:55.240 toward God lead to restoration. Lead to purification 00:32:55.240 --> 00:33:01.980 and cleansing. David is looking to God as his 00:33:01.980 --> 00:33:04.160 high priest and we must look to the Lord Jesus 00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:08.940 Christ as our great high priest. Now we've considered 00:33:08.940 --> 00:33:12.410 the means and we've considered the priest. The 00:33:12.410 --> 00:33:14.150 last thing we have to look at is the certainty 00:33:14.150 --> 00:33:19.329 of cleansing that's spoken of. David is certain 00:33:19.329 --> 00:33:24.029 of this reality. It's amazing when we look at 00:33:24.029 --> 00:33:30.509 this text. Listen to these words. I shall be 00:33:30.509 --> 00:33:42.069 clean. I shall be whiter than snow. He has confidence 00:33:42.069 --> 00:33:48.809 that this will be a reality in his life. That 00:33:48.809 --> 00:33:52.970 he will possess this reality in his life. That 00:33:52.970 --> 00:34:00.789 this will be a reality in his soul. He even says 00:34:00.789 --> 00:34:06.769 that he'll be whiter than snow. He's talking 00:34:06.769 --> 00:34:12.000 about the fact That he believes there's abundant 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:17.699 cleansing power in God's cleansing. Meaning, 00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:20.139 it's not just that he's going to make me white. 00:34:20.760 --> 00:34:24.900 He's going to make me whiter than white. He's 00:34:24.900 --> 00:34:27.340 not just going to make me clean. He's going to 00:34:27.340 --> 00:34:31.139 make me cleaner than clean. He's going to make 00:34:31.139 --> 00:34:37.579 me purer than pure. See, the basis for his confidence 00:34:37.579 --> 00:34:44.699 is... The sacrifice. The basis for his confidence 00:34:44.699 --> 00:34:51.239 is the priest. Because he knows that the sacrifice 00:34:51.239 --> 00:34:56.420 God appoints will in fact cleanse of sin. He 00:34:56.420 --> 00:35:01.019 knows that God, his priest, will cleanse him. 00:35:04.699 --> 00:35:10.500 It's interesting that He uses the word wash in 00:35:10.500 --> 00:35:15.019 verse 7. He says, wash me. That word is actually 00:35:15.019 --> 00:35:22.320 used in verse 8 of Leviticus chapter 11. It's 00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:24.679 referring to the clothes that the leper has to 00:35:24.679 --> 00:35:29.840 wash. It carries this idea that they have to 00:35:29.840 --> 00:35:33.840 be manhandled. The clothes have to be rubbed 00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:39.510 hard. They have to be beaten almost. It's a forceful 00:35:39.510 --> 00:35:44.530 cleansing. It's a forceful washing because the 00:35:44.530 --> 00:35:50.050 impurity is so deep. David is confident that 00:35:50.050 --> 00:35:57.269 God himself will do this in his life. It's important 00:35:57.269 --> 00:36:00.409 for us also to understand and recognize that 00:36:00.409 --> 00:36:03.809 David doesn't say these things independently 00:36:03.809 --> 00:36:09.329 of what he said before or after. When we consider 00:36:09.329 --> 00:36:11.369 this text, when we consider any text, brothers 00:36:11.369 --> 00:36:16.550 and sisters, we can't take that verse and solely 00:36:16.550 --> 00:36:20.789 take the truth in that verse and separate it 00:36:20.789 --> 00:36:24.530 as independent from everything around it. Because 00:36:24.530 --> 00:36:27.710 its meaning is dependent somewhat on the meaning 00:36:27.710 --> 00:36:30.170 of the context in the verse before it and the 00:36:30.170 --> 00:36:34.730 verse after it. Everything helps inform our understanding 00:36:34.730 --> 00:36:39.619 of the meaning. So we have to consider what came 00:36:39.619 --> 00:36:43.880 before, what preceded this, and what follows 00:36:43.880 --> 00:36:47.280 in order to understand the confidence and the 00:36:47.280 --> 00:36:51.760 certainty that David has in this cleansing and 00:36:51.760 --> 00:36:58.519 purification. What comes before this? Faith and 00:36:58.519 --> 00:37:03.480 repentance. Faith and repentance. Now earlier 00:37:03.480 --> 00:37:06.769 I told you we'd get to this. Why is faith and 00:37:06.769 --> 00:37:11.489 repentance so essential and so important for 00:37:11.489 --> 00:37:15.130 restoration, for sanctification, brothers and 00:37:15.130 --> 00:37:20.210 sisters? We all know, because we've heard Reformed 00:37:20.210 --> 00:37:23.070 teachers say it, we've heard R .C. Sproul say 00:37:23.070 --> 00:37:25.389 it, we've heard our favorite preachers say it, 00:37:25.429 --> 00:37:29.030 that faith is the instrumental means or cause 00:37:29.030 --> 00:37:34.690 of justification. We've all heard that. We've 00:37:34.690 --> 00:37:38.030 all understood that meaning, that faith is the 00:37:38.030 --> 00:37:41.050 instrument or the cause or the means by which 00:37:41.050 --> 00:37:44.690 justification is imputed and given and declared. 00:37:47.269 --> 00:37:54.050 Faith is the instrumental cause or means of our 00:37:54.050 --> 00:37:57.110 sanctification as well, brothers and sisters. 00:37:58.510 --> 00:38:01.550 So why is it important that we have faith and 00:38:01.550 --> 00:38:03.929 repentance? Why is it important that we repent 00:38:03.929 --> 00:38:08.849 of our sin? Because it's through our faith that 00:38:08.849 --> 00:38:12.389 Christ actually purifies us and cleanses us. 00:38:14.409 --> 00:38:17.929 And it's not like justification where the weakest, 00:38:18.429 --> 00:38:21.869 the smallest degree of faith will equally be 00:38:21.869 --> 00:38:26.340 justified in the sight of God. Christ cleanses, 00:38:26.340 --> 00:38:29.840 Christ sanctifies, Christ purifies through faith. 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:34.599 He works in the lives of his saints through that 00:38:34.599 --> 00:38:38.980 blessed gift of believing in him. So why do we 00:38:38.980 --> 00:38:41.000 keep saying you need to repent of your sin? You 00:38:41.000 --> 00:38:44.420 need to trust in Christ? Why is repentance important? 00:38:44.559 --> 00:38:48.579 Because it shows that you have faith. How do 00:38:48.579 --> 00:38:50.659 you know that you have saving faith? How do you 00:38:50.659 --> 00:38:53.800 know that you have ongoing, truant, persevering 00:38:53.800 --> 00:38:58.420 faith? Because of ongoing and true perseverance 00:38:58.420 --> 00:39:03.420 in your life. So it's necessary in order for 00:39:03.420 --> 00:39:06.300 sanctification and our great high priest to work 00:39:06.300 --> 00:39:10.659 in our life that we believe in him. That we trust 00:39:10.659 --> 00:39:12.880 in him. That we repent of our sins. Because it's 00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:17.780 through that that he works in our life. That 00:39:17.780 --> 00:39:20.820 he exerts his gracious influence into our soul 00:39:20.820 --> 00:39:23.739 and purifies us and cleanses us and washes us. 00:39:26.380 --> 00:39:30.500 Believe in Christ, its significance, its necessity 00:39:30.500 --> 00:39:34.559 for restoration, for renewal, for moral purity 00:39:34.559 --> 00:39:40.119 in your life according to the law of God. Now, 00:39:40.219 --> 00:39:43.659 this certainty also precedes certain things in 00:39:43.659 --> 00:39:46.980 the psalm. Not just does it follow faith and 00:39:46.980 --> 00:39:48.679 repentance, but it's important, and I think this 00:39:48.679 --> 00:39:52.659 is a hopeful moment in the psalm. This certainty 00:39:52.659 --> 00:39:56.260 precedes... What do we read in the next verse? 00:39:56.480 --> 00:40:04.500 Joy and gladness. It precedes usefulness. It 00:40:04.500 --> 00:40:08.139 precedes worship that's willing and heartfelt. 00:40:09.559 --> 00:40:15.920 So certainty with regards to the means that God 00:40:15.920 --> 00:40:20.860 has given to be cleansed is what leads to joy 00:40:20.860 --> 00:40:26.559 and gladness. It's what leads to true, meaningful, 00:40:26.699 --> 00:40:30.280 heartfelt worship in our lives. It's what leads 00:40:30.280 --> 00:40:35.039 us back to the camp, brothers and sisters. It's 00:40:35.039 --> 00:40:37.059 what restores us to the rights and privileges 00:40:37.059 --> 00:40:40.099 of Israel as a leper would, but we experience 00:40:40.099 --> 00:40:42.000 the rights and the privileges of the new covenant. 00:40:47.000 --> 00:40:51.739 David is confident. that he will be restored, 00:40:51.940 --> 00:40:58.659 that he will return to the camp. Now, let me 00:40:58.659 --> 00:41:02.199 offer you three applications of this for our 00:41:02.199 --> 00:41:07.840 lives. The first is that we are helped in our 00:41:07.840 --> 00:41:12.460 understanding of apathy and antipathy towards 00:41:12.460 --> 00:41:18.780 holy and divine things. Why would, and we've 00:41:18.780 --> 00:41:24.159 touched on this, why would a person have antipathy 00:41:24.159 --> 00:41:28.119 or have an antagonistic spirit or a distaste 00:41:28.119 --> 00:41:36.880 for the worship of God, for fellowship, for the 00:41:36.880 --> 00:41:40.219 preaching of God's word, for prayer, for Bible 00:41:40.219 --> 00:41:43.139 studying, for meditation on the word of God? 00:41:44.460 --> 00:41:49.000 Because there's unresolved, undealt with, unrepented 00:41:49.000 --> 00:41:57.619 of sin remaining in their life. We all know that 00:41:57.619 --> 00:42:01.079 feeling. Every single one of us know that feeling. 00:42:02.219 --> 00:42:08.159 You sit down to read or study your Bible, and 00:42:08.159 --> 00:42:13.280 you just don't want to. You don't desire to, 00:42:13.380 --> 00:42:16.340 you don't long to, and you'll do anything and 00:42:16.340 --> 00:42:21.000 everything but read that Bible. What is that? 00:42:23.179 --> 00:42:27.260 That's our corrupt nature. Working in enmity 00:42:27.260 --> 00:42:30.360 and hostility towards holy and divine things. 00:42:31.139 --> 00:42:35.340 Now that's magnified when we have willful, volitional, 00:42:35.559 --> 00:42:42.079 unrepentant sin in our life. It gives us an aversion 00:42:42.079 --> 00:42:48.900 to the corporate worship of God. Unrepentant 00:42:48.900 --> 00:42:52.480 of sin tells you to stay home and avoid that 00:42:52.480 --> 00:42:56.239 singing and that conviction and that preaching 00:42:56.239 --> 00:42:59.800 and those people because it makes me uncomfortable. 00:43:00.980 --> 00:43:04.280 I don't like it. I don't like the way it makes 00:43:04.280 --> 00:43:08.199 me feel. Brothers and sisters, that's an aversion. 00:43:09.070 --> 00:43:12.630 That's an antipathy, or we could say that's complacency 00:43:12.630 --> 00:43:16.650 regarding divine and holy things because of unrepentant 00:43:16.650 --> 00:43:21.309 of sin potentially in your life. Examine your 00:43:21.309 --> 00:43:24.510 hearts, brothers and sisters. Do you have hostility 00:43:24.510 --> 00:43:28.789 in your heart towards divine things? Do you have 00:43:28.789 --> 00:43:31.849 enmity in your soul against the preaching of 00:43:31.849 --> 00:43:33.789 the word of God, against the word of God itself? 00:43:35.300 --> 00:43:38.420 Maybe that's because you have unrepented of and 00:43:38.420 --> 00:43:42.420 undealt with sin in your life. Maybe it's because 00:43:42.420 --> 00:43:44.320 you're not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ 00:43:44.320 --> 00:43:47.019 as you ought to be believing in the Lord Jesus 00:43:47.019 --> 00:43:51.000 Christ. Think about the table. What would keep 00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:55.360 somebody from coming to the table? What would 00:43:55.360 --> 00:43:57.599 keep you from coming to the table? What would 00:43:57.599 --> 00:43:59.940 give you hesitancy from coming to this table, 00:44:00.019 --> 00:44:02.260 the blessed table that Christ has appointed to 00:44:02.260 --> 00:44:07.719 his church? undealt with, unrepentant of sin 00:44:07.719 --> 00:44:11.900 in your life. That's what keeps us from God's 00:44:11.900 --> 00:44:16.800 holy things, God's blessed things. Deal with 00:44:16.800 --> 00:44:22.659 the sin and go into the camp. Deal with the sin 00:44:22.659 --> 00:44:25.019 in your life and go to the holy thing and be 00:44:25.019 --> 00:44:28.300 blessed and be edified and be built up. Give 00:44:28.300 --> 00:44:31.579 up your sin, forsake it, and lay hold of Christ 00:44:31.579 --> 00:44:37.119 by faith and be strengthened. and return to fellowship 00:44:37.119 --> 00:44:43.099 with God. So we're given help in this in our 00:44:43.099 --> 00:44:48.300 lives. But we're also warned about the danger 00:44:48.300 --> 00:44:53.039 of defilement and pollution in the life of the 00:44:53.039 --> 00:44:57.820 saint. It's real. Why does David, a saint, a 00:44:57.820 --> 00:45:01.719 justified man, why does he need to be purified 00:45:01.719 --> 00:45:05.949 and cleansed? Because he's defiled and polluted. 00:45:06.929 --> 00:45:10.309 It is just a reality. It's just as much a reality 00:45:10.309 --> 00:45:13.409 in the life of a Christian as it is in the life 00:45:13.409 --> 00:45:17.389 of the unregenerate and non -Christian. What 00:45:17.389 --> 00:45:22.989 we do, what we say, what we participate in, what 00:45:22.989 --> 00:45:29.070 we see, what we surround ourselves with are transgression 00:45:29.070 --> 00:45:34.809 of God's law. Our sins of omission, they have 00:45:34.809 --> 00:45:42.289 impacts that are real on our person. Real defilement 00:45:42.289 --> 00:45:48.829 and real pollution enter into our soul. It's 00:45:48.829 --> 00:45:55.369 almost as though when we sin, it draws out our 00:45:55.369 --> 00:46:00.400 corrupt nature more and more and more. And it 00:46:00.400 --> 00:46:04.460 pollutes us more and more and more. And the more 00:46:04.460 --> 00:46:07.079 we sin, the more our corrupt nature takes hold 00:46:07.079 --> 00:46:09.880 again. The more we sin, the more it lays hold 00:46:09.880 --> 00:46:12.619 and it grabs us. And it's harder to shake. It's 00:46:12.619 --> 00:46:16.019 harder to get rid of. Pollution and defilement 00:46:16.019 --> 00:46:19.960 are a real thing in the life of the one who knows 00:46:19.960 --> 00:46:25.280 Jesus Christ. What we look at matters. How we 00:46:25.280 --> 00:46:28.500 act matters. Whether or not we sin actually matters 00:46:28.500 --> 00:46:32.280 in the life of our souls experimentally, in our 00:46:32.280 --> 00:46:36.960 hearts. Actual effects, actual results. Consider 00:46:36.960 --> 00:46:42.199 that, brothers and sisters. It's real. Lastly, 00:46:42.280 --> 00:46:46.340 we are exhorted to repent, believe, and pray 00:46:46.340 --> 00:46:51.340 with David, to cry out to our great high priest. 00:46:52.380 --> 00:46:56.940 We are exhorted. to join David in his cry, not 00:46:56.940 --> 00:46:59.059 just for the forgiveness of sins, brothers and 00:46:59.059 --> 00:47:01.559 sisters, but also for purification and cleansing 00:47:01.559 --> 00:47:05.619 in our life. Don't stop at forgive me, Lord. 00:47:06.119 --> 00:47:09.219 Continue and press on and ask the Lord to purify 00:47:09.219 --> 00:47:11.719 you and make you holy, to cleanse you from your 00:47:11.719 --> 00:47:13.699 defilement and your sin and your wickedness in 00:47:13.699 --> 00:47:19.119 your life. Continue praying. Press on and be 00:47:19.119 --> 00:47:21.920 diligent in prayer. Join together with David. 00:47:22.590 --> 00:47:27.409 When you sin, go to the throne quickly and cry 00:47:27.409 --> 00:47:31.110 out for purification and holiness. For cleansing 00:47:31.110 --> 00:47:33.909 from the defilement you just brought upon your 00:47:33.909 --> 00:47:39.230 soul. And trust in your great high priest that 00:47:39.230 --> 00:47:44.210 he will in fact purify you and cleanse you of 00:47:44.210 --> 00:47:48.590 your sin. That he will work through your faith. 00:47:49.230 --> 00:47:54.090 in your soul to sanctify you and make you holy 00:47:54.090 --> 00:47:57.389 in this life, brothers and sisters.