WEBVTT 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:17.620 As we continue looking at Psalm 51, some of you 00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:21.679 will probably notice a pattern as we continue 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:27.399 to examine it, as we continue to exposit it. 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:30.559 You might see this pattern that there's this 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:41.229 divide as it's presented. The realities that 00:00:41.229 --> 00:00:46.189 David is experiencing within him. There's this 00:00:46.189 --> 00:00:50.310 distinct aspect of the psalm which you see it 00:00:50.310 --> 00:00:54.270 and you're like, I don't really know what that's 00:00:54.270 --> 00:00:58.549 like to experience those realities in my heart. 00:00:59.750 --> 00:01:04.890 That seems so far and so distant. I've never 00:01:04.890 --> 00:01:10.030 experienced anguish over my sins. I've never 00:01:10.030 --> 00:01:13.590 experienced sorrow that has driven me to repentance 00:01:13.590 --> 00:01:17.510 and faith. There's a separation, this divide 00:01:17.510 --> 00:01:20.329 that we see within the psalm. And that's what 00:01:20.329 --> 00:01:25.549 it's doing. This psalm is separating naturally 00:01:25.549 --> 00:01:32.769 the sheep from the goats. It's separating the 00:01:32.769 --> 00:01:37.090 regenerate heart from the unregenerate heart. 00:01:38.090 --> 00:01:43.650 It's separating those with faith from those who 00:01:43.650 --> 00:01:49.969 have no true saving faith. Now why does the psalm 00:01:49.969 --> 00:01:55.629 do this? It does this to show you the reality 00:01:55.629 --> 00:02:02.109 that you need saving faith. To show you the reality 00:02:02.109 --> 00:02:06.450 that outward and external religion is no use 00:02:06.450 --> 00:02:12.520 before a holy and a righteous God. To show you 00:02:12.520 --> 00:02:17.340 that simply trembling beneath the weight of the 00:02:17.340 --> 00:02:20.280 law and the threatenings of the law and conviction 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:24.219 and shame, it's to show you that that is no good 00:02:24.219 --> 00:02:30.039 unless it actually drives you to true faith and 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:34.919 repentance. So it's creating a divide naturally 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:39.900 and it ought to. Because it's meant to drive 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:45.919 those who know Christ closer to him. But it's 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:50.580 meant to drive those who don't know Christ to 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:55.680 their knees and humility and contrition that 00:02:55.680 --> 00:03:00.439 they might see their desperate need for the Lord 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:02.800 Jesus Christ, his death and his resurrection. 00:03:04.909 --> 00:03:08.650 So this message is for both of those groups today. 00:03:09.830 --> 00:03:13.550 Those who know Christ and those who don't know 00:03:13.550 --> 00:03:17.770 Christ. It's for those who have no true faith 00:03:17.770 --> 00:03:22.469 and it is for those who have saving faith. It's 00:03:22.469 --> 00:03:27.389 meant and it's intended for both. The message 00:03:27.389 --> 00:03:29.449 is very simple today. There's two things that 00:03:29.449 --> 00:03:32.990 we have to examine and consider. The first is 00:03:32.990 --> 00:03:37.199 the heart. behind this appeal, which we see in 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:39.879 verse 9, where David appeals to God and he says, 00:03:40.139 --> 00:03:45.180 hide your face from my sins and blot out all 00:03:45.180 --> 00:03:49.120 my iniquities. And the second thing we have to 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:52.979 consider today in our time is the appeal that 00:03:52.979 --> 00:03:57.139 he's driven to. We'll look at the aspects and 00:03:57.139 --> 00:04:00.419 the fact that it's repeated. Verse 1, we'll look 00:04:00.419 --> 00:04:03.840 at the reality that it's true. It's an act of 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:06.419 faith and an act of repentance. We'll also look 00:04:06.419 --> 00:04:10.560 at the aim of this appeal. Let's begin with the 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:15.319 first item for consideration, the heart behind 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:20.240 the appeal. When we read the words and we hear 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:26.540 the words, hide your face from my sins and blot 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:31.480 out all. my iniquities. We have to ask ourselves, 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:37.720 what's taking place in David's heart that would 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:43.500 cause him to make this appeal? What are the desires 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:48.819 and the longings beneath the request, beneath 00:04:48.819 --> 00:04:53.319 the statement? What's taking place? Behind the 00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:57.019 scenes of this appeal. That drive him. That motivate 00:04:57.019 --> 00:05:02.959 him. To compel him. To make this appeal. To God. 00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:07.720 That he would hide his face. And that he would 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:11.759 blot out all his iniquities. What's his heart 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:15.779 like? What's his inner man like? What's the inner 00:05:15.779 --> 00:05:20.079 life of David have going on in it? That he would 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:27.180 make such a. An appeal to God. Well, he has shame 00:05:27.180 --> 00:05:33.579 before God. This is why he wants God to hide 00:05:33.579 --> 00:05:39.360 his face from his sins. Because he knows, his 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:42.699 awakened conscience is telling him, is screaming 00:05:42.699 --> 00:05:49.139 to him, that his sin is grotesque. That his sin 00:05:49.139 --> 00:05:53.519 is wicked. It is evil. He understands the true 00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:56.579 nature of his sin and he does not desire for 00:05:56.579 --> 00:06:01.939 God to look at it, to have a view of it. He doesn't 00:06:01.939 --> 00:06:07.079 want God to see his sin. So he says, hide your 00:06:07.079 --> 00:06:11.500 face from my sins. He doesn't want God to have 00:06:11.500 --> 00:06:13.839 fellowship with it. He doesn't want God to look 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:18.699 upon it. Because he understands the nature of 00:06:18.699 --> 00:06:24.420 his sin. He sees it as he ought to. He's ashamed 00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:32.680 that God would see his sin. Brothers and sisters, 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:40.300 have you ever been ashamed of your sin before 00:06:40.300 --> 00:06:47.139 a holy God? Have you ever experienced deep sorrow, 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:51.319 deep down within your soul, for your actions 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:53.319 and for your thoughts and for your intentions, 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:55.680 for your motives, for your longings, for your 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:58.500 dispositions, before a holy and a righteous God? 00:07:00.100 --> 00:07:03.399 Has it ever sent you down to your knees because 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:10.399 you've seen your sin as you ought to? In its 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:15.740 grotesque, horrendous form? That's what's happening 00:07:15.740 --> 00:07:20.560 to David. Brothers and sisters, friends, I can 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:24.180 tell you this. If you have never experienced 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:28.959 any shame before God for your sin, you are not 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:37.439 a Christian. If you have never experienced sorrow 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:44.279 over your sin, period, you cannot. Be a believer 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:50.060 in Jesus Christ. It's impossible. If you have 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:52.879 never experienced conviction within your soul 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:55.860 over the wickedness that put Jesus Christ on 00:07:55.860 --> 00:08:00.860 the cross, you don't know that Christ. Because 00:08:00.860 --> 00:08:04.399 when the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, indwells 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:07.360 a believer and effectually calls them unto Christ, 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:13.439 conviction enters in to the life, Of that person. 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:18.540 Have you experienced. Conviction of your sin. 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:23.660 Before. A holy and a righteous God. If you have 00:08:23.660 --> 00:08:29.920 not. You do not know God through Christ. A help. 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:33.840 In times of need. With regards to actions and 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:39.519 thoughts. And behaviors. To judge. Whether or 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:45.750 not. It is sinful or not sinful. Maybe it's not 00:08:45.750 --> 00:08:47.809 as clear in the Word of God as you would like 00:08:47.809 --> 00:08:53.529 it to be. Ask yourself this question. Is this 00:08:53.529 --> 00:08:58.769 thought? Is this behavior? Is this action? Is 00:08:58.769 --> 00:09:01.610 this desire? Is this longing? Is this what I 00:09:01.610 --> 00:09:04.450 would want to be visible and manifested and present 00:09:04.450 --> 00:09:06.889 when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in glory? 00:09:07.730 --> 00:09:11.490 What would that induce in your heart? Would it 00:09:11.490 --> 00:09:16.370 induce shame? Would it humble you and throw you 00:09:16.370 --> 00:09:22.730 to the dust? Or would the Lord Jesus return and 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:25.269 say, well done, good and faithful servant, and 00:09:25.269 --> 00:09:27.509 look to you and say, you are being faithful. 00:09:27.549 --> 00:09:34.090 You are honoring my name. Brothers and sisters, 00:09:34.350 --> 00:09:39.919 this is the heart. That drives a man, woman, 00:09:40.039 --> 00:09:43.659 a young person to true repentance and faith. 00:09:45.879 --> 00:09:50.700 So there was shame in David and his heart. And 00:09:50.700 --> 00:09:55.799 it drove him to make this appeal to God. But 00:09:55.799 --> 00:10:00.159 there was also helplessness in David. Why do 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:02.980 we say that there is helplessness in David? Because 00:10:02.980 --> 00:10:06.019 in verse 9. David's not saying anything about 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:09.440 what he needs to do or what he wants to do. He 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:14.320 wants God to act. Hide your face from my sins 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:18.580 and blot out all my iniquities. He wants God 00:10:18.580 --> 00:10:22.620 to act in turning away from his sins and he wants 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:27.820 God to act in blotting out his sins. So David 00:10:27.820 --> 00:10:33.720 has come completely to the end of himself. He's 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:36.559 come to a point, a place in his life where he 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:40.519 knows his righteousness is no good whatsoever. 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:46.759 He's come to a point in time in his life, he's 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:50.820 come to a place in his heart where he knows he 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:57.399 has nothing good to offer to God. He's desperate. 00:10:58.899 --> 00:11:02.539 He's helpless. He has nothing within himself. 00:11:03.179 --> 00:11:05.620 his own mind, his own thoughts, his own actions, 00:11:05.740 --> 00:11:10.820 his own life, in which he can offer God something 00:11:10.820 --> 00:11:14.139 good that's going to restore him. He's driven 00:11:14.139 --> 00:11:17.820 outside of himself to the work of God on his 00:11:17.820 --> 00:11:24.240 behalf. David is desperately helpless. He knows 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:26.840 he's a sinner, doesn't he, brothers and sisters? 00:11:28.820 --> 00:11:34.190 He knows that he's sick. He knows that he has 00:11:34.190 --> 00:11:36.830 this disease. He knows that he needs a doctor. 00:11:36.929 --> 00:11:39.750 He knows he needs a physician. But he can't fix 00:11:39.750 --> 00:11:42.309 it. He can't heal himself. He's driven outside 00:11:42.309 --> 00:11:45.210 of himself to the work of God on his behalf. 00:11:48.250 --> 00:11:53.549 He's helpless. He can't do anything. But brothers 00:11:53.549 --> 00:11:56.110 and sisters, this is the place. This is the heart. 00:11:56.210 --> 00:12:01.909 These are the motives that drive him. To make 00:12:01.909 --> 00:12:08.250 his appeal isn't it? Helplessness. Is the perfect 00:12:08.250 --> 00:12:14.970 place. For true faith. We're driven. To absolute. 00:12:16.669 --> 00:12:23.789 Dependence. On God's work. And not our own. Have 00:12:23.789 --> 00:12:26.330 you ever considered. What you're trusting in. 00:12:28.490 --> 00:12:32.929 What you're looking to. To make you right with 00:12:32.929 --> 00:12:36.210 God? Have you ever considered the reality that 00:12:36.210 --> 00:12:38.789 maybe you haven't come to the end of yourself? 00:12:40.230 --> 00:12:44.710 That you're actually trusting and relying and 00:12:44.710 --> 00:12:49.929 depending on your own self -goodness? Your own 00:12:49.929 --> 00:12:53.529 supposed self -righteousness? You haven't come 00:12:53.529 --> 00:12:57.169 to the end of yourself. You aren't driven to 00:12:57.169 --> 00:13:04.070 God by faith and His work on your behalf. David 00:13:04.070 --> 00:13:14.769 has. He's been emptied of his own merit because 00:13:14.769 --> 00:13:20.049 of his sin. He's crushed. And he knows that his 00:13:20.049 --> 00:13:25.850 only help, his only hope, his only chance is 00:13:25.850 --> 00:13:30.620 God. It's God's work, God's forgiveness, God's 00:13:30.620 --> 00:13:33.679 pardon, God's turning, and God's blotting out 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:38.240 his iniquities. His help is not found in himself, 00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:43.220 is it, brothers and sisters? Where do you find 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:48.919 your help before God? Do you find it in Christ? 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:53.230 Do you even think about Christ? Are you driven 00:13:53.230 --> 00:13:55.450 to Christ? Or do you think about yourself and 00:13:55.450 --> 00:13:57.870 what you do and what you haven't done and everything 00:13:57.870 --> 00:14:04.710 you need to do? That's not faith. That's merit. 00:14:06.789 --> 00:14:09.049 You're saying, I'll do this and I'll merit and 00:14:09.049 --> 00:14:13.309 that will restore me with God. Or that will bring 00:14:13.309 --> 00:14:16.389 me to God. Brothers and sisters, that's not faith. 00:14:16.850 --> 00:14:21.600 That's self -dependence. That's self... Reliance, 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:26.639 that's self -righteousness. And it's no good 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:33.679 before a holy and a righteous God. We are driven 00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:37.200 outside of ourselves because of our sin to God, 00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:42.559 and we must look to Christ, His death, His work, 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:45.779 His righteousness, His goodness, His forgiveness, 00:14:45.980 --> 00:14:52.039 His cross, His resurrection, and His life. And 00:14:52.039 --> 00:14:58.299 look to it by faith. David is full of shame and 00:14:58.299 --> 00:15:04.899 he is full of helplessness before God. But he 00:15:04.899 --> 00:15:09.679 also has a desire within his heart to be rid 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:15.220 of his sin. How do we know that? How do we know 00:15:15.220 --> 00:15:19.360 that David has a desire to be rid of his heart 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:22.279 and that this desire drives him To make this 00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:25.399 appeal. Because he asked God to blot it out. 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:33.440 Blot out all my iniquities. It's not just that 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:36.279 he's ashamed of his sin. It's not just that he 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:39.539 feels helpless before God. But he has indignation 00:15:39.539 --> 00:15:45.600 within him. Because of his iniquity. He doesn't 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:49.799 want his sin. He doesn't want his corruption. 00:15:50.139 --> 00:15:53.110 He doesn't want. the transgression. He doesn't 00:15:53.110 --> 00:15:56.049 want his iniquity. He wants God to do away with 00:15:56.049 --> 00:15:58.789 it. He wants God to blot it out, to erase it, 00:15:58.850 --> 00:16:02.210 to wipe it away because he despises the very 00:16:02.210 --> 00:16:11.230 thing within himself. David, in his heart, relates 00:16:11.230 --> 00:16:15.490 to his sin in such a way that there's hostility 00:16:15.490 --> 00:16:21.179 toward that sin. There's antipathy between David 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:24.940 and his sin within himself. He wants it to be 00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:33.440 done away with. Now these inner workings of David's 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:40.299 heart, they don't just sit there and stew. These 00:16:40.299 --> 00:16:45.620 things actually drive him to make this appeal 00:16:45.620 --> 00:16:49.909 in verse 9. Hide your face. Hide your face from 00:16:49.909 --> 00:16:52.610 my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Why did 00:16:52.610 --> 00:16:56.250 he say that? Because of the inner workings of 00:16:56.250 --> 00:16:58.490 his heart and the experience of his heart. Because 00:16:58.490 --> 00:17:00.769 of the realities taking place within his heart. 00:17:01.809 --> 00:17:04.009 These motives, these longings, these desires, 00:17:04.190 --> 00:17:06.410 these affections, these experiences within his 00:17:06.410 --> 00:17:09.970 very soul are what motivate him and compel him 00:17:09.970 --> 00:17:19.160 to go to God in repentance and faith. There's 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:23.319 a big difference between the regenerate heart 00:17:23.319 --> 00:17:27.720 experiencing conviction and the unregenerate 00:17:27.720 --> 00:17:32.519 heart which experiences conviction. The regenerate 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:38.839 heart experiences the weight of the conviction, 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:43.200 the sorrow, the anguish. The regenerate heart 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:46.180 trembles under the law of God, but... It doesn't 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:52.359 just tremble. It's driven to the appeal. It's 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:57.500 driven to true faith and repentance. It doesn't 00:17:57.500 --> 00:18:03.940 just stew. Now, the unregenerate man or woman 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:09.019 can certainly experience shame in their conscience. 00:18:10.359 --> 00:18:14.599 The unregenerate man or woman can certainly experience 00:18:15.900 --> 00:18:19.299 Conviction of their sin and conviction from the 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:22.759 law of God and its threatenings and damnation 00:18:22.759 --> 00:18:27.400 and hell and the wrath of God. The unregenerate, 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:30.579 unconverted man can certainly experience a conviction, 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:34.359 a fear, a dread because of that. But the unregenerate 00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:40.079 man does not necessarily get driven to the appeal. 00:18:41.619 --> 00:18:47.609 Because if he did, he would be regenerate. Brothers 00:18:47.609 --> 00:18:51.089 and sisters, if you've sat here for weeks on 00:18:51.089 --> 00:18:59.930 end, and you have heard Psalm 51, and you have 00:18:59.930 --> 00:19:04.650 had experience of conviction, sorrow, anguish, 00:19:04.809 --> 00:19:07.769 if you have been disturbed in your soul, but 00:19:07.769 --> 00:19:11.630 it has never driven you to faith and repentance, 00:19:12.250 --> 00:19:20.660 consider the character. Of your heart. Have you 00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:24.319 been convicted of sin. In the preaching of God's 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:31.079 word. Has it driven you. To the cross. Has it 00:19:31.079 --> 00:19:33.619 driven you to the Lord Jesus Christ. His life. 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:35.940 His death. And his resurrection. His righteousness. 00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:39.299 And his work on your behalf. Have you turned 00:19:39.299 --> 00:19:41.759 from your sin. Have you repented of it. Have 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:44.890 you endeavored. To honor God with all your being 00:19:44.890 --> 00:19:47.450 because you've been convicted of sin. Or if you've 00:19:47.450 --> 00:19:49.150 been here today and you've not experienced any 00:19:49.150 --> 00:19:54.009 conviction at all. Now that's a frightful thing, 00:19:54.089 --> 00:20:02.569 brothers and sisters. The regenerate heart trembles. 00:20:03.490 --> 00:20:06.049 The regenerate heart hears the word of God. It 00:20:06.049 --> 00:20:10.650 is convicted. It goes into anguish. But it's 00:20:10.650 --> 00:20:17.539 driven. to Christ in faith. It repents of its 00:20:17.539 --> 00:20:20.559 sin. It's stirred up, but it goes somewhere. 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:24.500 The unregenerate heart does not. It just fears. 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:29.559 And eventually it subsides and goes away. The 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:32.160 unregenerate, it trembles, yes, for a time, just 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:36.059 like Felix under the preaching of Paul. But then 00:20:36.059 --> 00:20:37.880 it dissipates and they do away with that which 00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:41.960 is bothering it. And they remain in their sins 00:20:41.960 --> 00:20:48.339 and condemned in their sins. They have no faith. 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:55.980 This is the heart behind the appeal. Now let's 00:20:55.980 --> 00:20:58.200 look at the appeal itself that he's driven to. 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:03.000 The appeal that David is driven to. Hide your 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:08.720 face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. 00:21:09.930 --> 00:21:12.990 When we consider this appeal, there's several 00:21:12.990 --> 00:21:16.630 different parts that we have to examine within 00:21:16.630 --> 00:21:20.230 it. The most immediate and the most obvious is 00:21:20.230 --> 00:21:24.069 the negative aspect of this appeal. David says, 00:21:24.190 --> 00:21:28.130 hide your face from my sins. Now, when I say 00:21:28.130 --> 00:21:31.390 negative, I mean that he's asking God not to 00:21:31.390 --> 00:21:33.589 do something. He's saying, don't do this, God. 00:21:33.950 --> 00:21:38.880 Don't look at me. Turn your face. Hide your face 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:45.119 from my sins. Withhold from looking at my face. 00:21:45.140 --> 00:21:49.140 Refuse to look at my sins. Turn away from it. 00:21:49.960 --> 00:21:57.140 David is asking God not to do something. He's 00:21:57.140 --> 00:22:01.680 asking to be treated in a way that he doesn't 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:08.500 deserve. What does David deserve for his adultery, 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:13.200 his sexual immorality? What does David deserve 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:18.400 with regards to his deceit, his manipulation, 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:23.880 his murder, the hatred in his heart? He deserves 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:29.619 for God to look on those sins and to punish those 00:22:29.619 --> 00:22:35.309 sins and David. But somehow David can ask God, 00:22:35.450 --> 00:22:40.009 hide your face from my sins. Is he asking God 00:22:40.009 --> 00:22:43.329 to do something unjust? Can God just simply look 00:22:43.329 --> 00:22:47.890 away from sin? Can God simply turn away from 00:22:47.890 --> 00:22:53.430 sin and ignore it? How is it that David can say 00:22:53.430 --> 00:22:57.089 this? It's as though he wants God to treat his 00:22:57.089 --> 00:23:03.170 sin separate from himself. Hide your face from 00:23:03.170 --> 00:23:07.230 my sins. Any other time this language is used, 00:23:07.490 --> 00:23:11.769 it's an expression of God's disfavor or his lack 00:23:11.769 --> 00:23:15.869 of favor, his unhappiness, his wrath, his anger. 00:23:16.009 --> 00:23:19.269 Typically in the Old Testament, if God turns 00:23:19.269 --> 00:23:24.430 his face away from the nation or from sin or 00:23:24.430 --> 00:23:27.029 from a person or their actions, it's because 00:23:27.029 --> 00:23:32.720 he's angry with them. What he is seeing, what 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:36.359 is within his sight, within his view, is causing 00:23:36.359 --> 00:23:43.079 him to be angry with the sinner. Yet here, David 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:46.500 says, hide your face from my sins. Turn your 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:48.420 face away from me. And this would be an act of 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:55.299 what? Favor. Of blessing. Of blessedness. Don't 00:23:55.299 --> 00:24:03.869 treat me as I deserve. How can God do this and 00:24:03.869 --> 00:24:11.869 remain just? How can God do this and remain holy? 00:24:13.930 --> 00:24:19.309 How can God not punish David's sins? Well, this 00:24:19.309 --> 00:24:22.309 brings us to the next aspect of it, the positive 00:24:22.309 --> 00:24:26.529 aspect of this appeal that David makes. What 00:24:26.529 --> 00:24:28.950 does he say? He asks God to positively do something. 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:35.140 Blot out all my iniquities. This word blot out 00:24:35.140 --> 00:24:41.859 has to do with erasing completely. It carries 00:24:41.859 --> 00:24:46.680 the idea of this illustration is used in Isaiah 00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:51.339 44. A dark thick cloud that's dusty covering 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:56.119 somebody. They're covered in dark mud and dust 00:24:56.119 --> 00:24:59.579 and muck, and God completely and totally wiping 00:24:59.579 --> 00:25:06.160 them perfectly clean. All that thick, dirty dust 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:11.019 and dirt is gone. All the dirtiness is gone. 00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:18.700 It's wiped away. It's blotted out. Again, is 00:25:18.700 --> 00:25:23.569 this an unjust request? Does God simply just 00:25:23.569 --> 00:25:30.329 blot out people's sins? Does God simply freely 00:25:30.329 --> 00:25:38.009 forgive sins? Does he pardon sins and not punish 00:25:38.009 --> 00:25:44.289 the sin? How is it possible that David can ask 00:25:44.289 --> 00:25:47.970 such a request? The Bible says that God will 00:25:47.970 --> 00:25:55.690 by no means clear. The guilty. How is it that 00:25:55.690 --> 00:25:59.809 God is going to punish David's sin? How is it 00:25:59.809 --> 00:26:05.150 that God can freely forgive David's sin? There's 00:26:05.150 --> 00:26:07.170 another aspect to this verse. That's the implicit 00:26:07.170 --> 00:26:12.490 aspect of this verse. The text is implying to 00:26:12.490 --> 00:26:15.470 the reader that there's something else taking 00:26:15.470 --> 00:26:22.170 place. The text is implying that David David's 00:26:22.170 --> 00:26:25.210 sins are forgiven, but that God remains just. 00:26:26.210 --> 00:26:29.289 That he remains holy. That somehow, separate 00:26:29.289 --> 00:26:33.869 from David, his sins are dealt with. His sins 00:26:33.869 --> 00:26:37.509 are, in fact, punished. There's more taking place. 00:26:37.630 --> 00:26:43.130 Somehow, God can be just and still justify David. 00:26:44.730 --> 00:26:51.579 How? Turn with me to Psalm 32. We're given some 00:26:51.579 --> 00:26:58.440 insight and help into this. In Psalm 32, which 00:26:58.440 --> 00:27:04.079 is the sister psalm of Psalm 51, contains much 00:27:04.079 --> 00:27:07.720 of the similar material, similar petitions and 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:13.900 similar appeals. We read in verse 1 of Psalm 00:27:13.900 --> 00:27:19.240 32, How blessed is he whose transgression is 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:24.099 forgiven, whose sins are blotted out, whose sin 00:27:24.099 --> 00:27:28.819 is covered. Now that's helpful. So we find out 00:27:28.819 --> 00:27:32.700 that David's sins are covered. And the idea of 00:27:32.700 --> 00:27:38.559 atonement, of covering with blood. Verse 2, how 00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:43.240 blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not 00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:50.890 impute iniquity. Blessed is the man to whom the 00:27:50.890 --> 00:27:57.910 Lord does not reckon, account, consider iniquity. 00:27:58.049 --> 00:28:03.809 So it carries this idea of imputation. Turn with 00:28:03.809 --> 00:28:07.750 me to Romans chapter 4. So David's telling us 00:28:07.750 --> 00:28:11.210 in Psalm 32 that his sins are dealt with in some 00:28:11.210 --> 00:28:16.059 way, shape, or form by imputation. His sin. His 00:28:16.059 --> 00:28:19.039 wickedness, his iniquity is imputed somewhere. 00:28:19.880 --> 00:28:23.700 And because of this imputation, God can turn 00:28:23.700 --> 00:28:26.599 his face away from David's sins and God can blot 00:28:26.599 --> 00:28:33.460 out his sins. But there's still more to be discovered. 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:38.680 We read in Romans chapter 4. What shall we say 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:41.799 then, starting in verse 1? That Abraham, our 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:44.099 forefather, according to the flesh, is found. 00:28:45.289 --> 00:28:48.950 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has 00:28:48.950 --> 00:28:51.609 something to boast about, but not before God. 00:28:52.910 --> 00:28:56.329 For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed 00:28:56.329 --> 00:29:00.450 God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. 00:29:02.250 --> 00:29:08.630 Imputed as righteousness. Reckoned, considered, 00:29:09.049 --> 00:29:14.490 accounted as righteousness. Same as Psalm 32. 00:29:15.200 --> 00:29:19.240 So somehow, David's sins are imputed elsewhere 00:29:19.240 --> 00:29:21.460 so that they can be punished and they can be 00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:24.660 dealt with, and somehow righteousness is imputed, 00:29:24.660 --> 00:29:28.740 is reckoned, is accounted to David. Where does 00:29:28.740 --> 00:29:32.279 this foreign righteousness on his account come 00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:37.660 from? Verse 4, Now to the one who works his works, 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:42.319 his wage is not credited as a favor, but is what 00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:45.859 is due. But the one who does not work but believes 00:29:45.859 --> 00:29:50.400 in him, who justifies the ungodly, his faith 00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:55.059 is credited as righteousness. So righteousness 00:29:55.059 --> 00:30:01.880 is laid hold of by faith. Then in verse 7, Psalm 00:30:01.880 --> 00:30:06.819 32 is quoted. Blessed are those whose lawless 00:30:06.819 --> 00:30:10.339 deeds have been forgiven. And whose sins have 00:30:10.339 --> 00:30:13.160 been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the 00:30:13.160 --> 00:30:18.539 Lord will not take into account. We read a little 00:30:18.539 --> 00:30:25.640 bit later in Romans chapter 4. In verse 22. Therefore 00:30:25.640 --> 00:30:28.140 it was also credited to him as righteousness. 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:31.079 Now not for his sake only. This is speaking of 00:30:31.079 --> 00:30:36.180 Abraham. Not for his sake only was it written. 00:30:36.339 --> 00:30:39.740 But it was credited to him. but for our sake 00:30:39.740 --> 00:30:44.500 also, to whom it will be credited, as those who 00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:49.000 believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from 00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:52.160 the dead, he who was delivered over because of 00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:55.440 our transgressions and was raised because of 00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:59.079 our justification. Here we find our answer, don't 00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:03.759 we, brothers and sisters? How can God turn his 00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:07.019 face away from David's sins? How can God hide 00:31:07.019 --> 00:31:10.059 his face from them? How can God blot out David's 00:31:10.059 --> 00:31:14.720 sins and remain just and the justifier of David? 00:31:16.519 --> 00:31:20.579 Because David's sins were dealt with in Jesus 00:31:20.579 --> 00:31:25.259 Christ on the cross. David's sin, David's wickedness, 00:31:25.259 --> 00:31:28.660 his iniquity was imputed to Christ. And whose 00:31:28.660 --> 00:31:34.140 righteousness was imputed to David? Christ. Now 00:31:34.140 --> 00:31:38.240 God can act favorably. He can look away from 00:31:38.240 --> 00:31:44.940 David's sins in favor because of the blessed 00:31:44.940 --> 00:31:48.019 work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:54.220 this is the only way your sins can be forgiven. 00:31:56.259 --> 00:32:00.619 This is the only way that you can have righteousness 00:32:00.619 --> 00:32:04.039 and good standing and justification from God. 00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:10.799 That is to trust in Christ by faith. Without 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:16.140 faith, it is impossible to please God. Without 00:32:16.140 --> 00:32:23.900 faith, you have no righteousness but your own 00:32:23.900 --> 00:32:29.140 to stand before a holy God. And a righteous God. 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:36.000 This is why Romans chapter 3. Says being justified 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:39.539 as a gift by his grace. Through the redemption 00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:42.880 which is in Christ Jesus. Whom God displayed 00:32:42.880 --> 00:32:47.619 publicly as a propitiation. In his blood through 00:32:47.619 --> 00:32:50.779 faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness. 00:32:51.220 --> 00:32:53.940 Because in the forbearance of God he passed over 00:32:53.940 --> 00:32:56.980 the sins. previously committed, he passed over 00:32:56.980 --> 00:33:03.259 David's sins. For the demonstration, I say, of 00:33:03.259 --> 00:33:06.720 his righteousness at the present time, so that 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:09.259 he would be just and the justifier of the one 00:33:09.259 --> 00:33:15.660 who has faith in Jesus. So God remains just in 00:33:15.660 --> 00:33:21.099 hiding his face from David's sins. And God remains 00:33:21.099 --> 00:33:26.700 just in blotting out David's iniquities. Why? 00:33:27.720 --> 00:33:31.319 Because his sin was dealt with in the person 00:33:31.319 --> 00:33:34.960 and the work of Jesus Christ in his life and 00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:39.380 his death and in his resurrection. Your only 00:33:39.380 --> 00:33:44.660 hope for justification and righteousness and 00:33:44.660 --> 00:33:49.440 good standing before God, friends, is to believe 00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:53.119 in the Lord Jesus Christ this minute on this 00:33:53.119 --> 00:33:56.210 day. It's to be born again and receive a new 00:33:56.210 --> 00:34:00.210 heart that's driven to God by faith when it comes 00:34:00.210 --> 00:34:04.269 under conviction. This appeal that David makes 00:34:04.269 --> 00:34:09.230 in Psalm 51, it's a repetition. We see this in 00:34:09.230 --> 00:34:12.769 the text. When we consider the fact that David 00:34:12.769 --> 00:34:16.389 is saying these words, we have to recognize that 00:34:16.389 --> 00:34:18.789 he's already said something very similar to this 00:34:18.789 --> 00:34:23.590 in verse 1. In verse 1, he says, be gracious 00:34:23.590 --> 00:34:26.530 to me, O God. According to your loving kindness, 00:34:26.789 --> 00:34:28.949 according to the greatness of your compassion, 00:34:29.309 --> 00:34:34.329 blot out my transgressions. Now, why in the world 00:34:34.329 --> 00:34:44.809 would David or any of us repeat this appeal? 00:34:46.090 --> 00:34:49.900 Why would we cry out to God again? for the forgiveness 00:34:49.900 --> 00:34:53.940 of sins, and for our sins to be blotted out. 00:34:55.500 --> 00:35:00.519 I believe it's because of the prolonged sense 00:35:00.519 --> 00:35:07.780 of corruption within his own heart. He was in 00:35:07.780 --> 00:35:09.820 a sin for a long time, wasn't he, brothers and 00:35:09.820 --> 00:35:15.219 sisters? And when a person's in sin a long time, 00:35:18.059 --> 00:35:21.380 It wells up a lot of corruption within our natures. 00:35:22.360 --> 00:35:26.159 And at times it takes a long time for the sense, 00:35:26.219 --> 00:35:28.019 the awareness, the reality of that corruption 00:35:28.019 --> 00:35:35.199 within us to go away, to be removed. So David 00:35:35.199 --> 00:35:38.320 is repeating this prayer. What does that encourage 00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:42.260 us to do when we consider the reality that he's 00:35:42.260 --> 00:35:45.679 repeating this petition, this appeal to God? 00:35:46.599 --> 00:35:51.539 It encourages us to quick repentance, to consistent 00:35:51.539 --> 00:35:55.360 and ongoing repentance in our life, to dealing 00:35:55.360 --> 00:35:57.880 immediately and readily with sin in our hearts 00:35:57.880 --> 00:36:01.420 and in our lives. The sooner we deal with the 00:36:01.420 --> 00:36:03.900 sin, the sooner the corruption and the sense 00:36:03.900 --> 00:36:08.280 of corruption can be dealt with. He repeats this 00:36:08.280 --> 00:36:14.360 sin. But I think one of the most amazing realities... 00:36:14.730 --> 00:36:19.690 within this whole text, is the fact that David 00:36:19.690 --> 00:36:25.110 is believing and repenting. According to Romans 00:36:25.110 --> 00:36:30.889 4, this was an act of faith, that he had faith 00:36:30.889 --> 00:36:38.269 at this time. In the context of Psalm 51, we 00:36:38.269 --> 00:36:42.250 have to recognize this as a genuine expression 00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:48.539 Of repentance. So what is David in possession 00:36:48.539 --> 00:36:55.920 of at this moment? True repentance and true faith. 00:36:56.519 --> 00:37:03.219 Now consider the magnitude of that. Consider 00:37:03.219 --> 00:37:09.840 the depth of sin that he has been in. Yet faith 00:37:09.840 --> 00:37:15.239 remains. Consider the reality of the depths of 00:37:15.239 --> 00:37:19.019 sorrow and anguish and shame his heart has been 00:37:19.019 --> 00:37:24.519 in. Yet, repentance comes forth as a manifestation 00:37:24.519 --> 00:37:29.019 of his faith. The reality that he is in possession 00:37:29.019 --> 00:37:34.460 of true faith is marvelous, brothers and sisters. 00:37:35.239 --> 00:37:39.360 It's remarkable. His faith was not obliterated 00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:44.239 within his period of unrepentant sin. And repentance 00:37:44.239 --> 00:37:54.920 does come forth. We learn several things about 00:37:54.920 --> 00:37:58.820 the nature of true repentance and true faith 00:37:58.820 --> 00:38:02.780 from the reality that David is in possession 00:38:02.780 --> 00:38:07.760 of them at this time. in this psalm. And these 00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:09.579 are some of the most encouraging realities, I 00:38:09.579 --> 00:38:14.400 think, that we've encountered within Psalm 51, 00:38:14.400 --> 00:38:20.119 brothers and sisters. The first is that true 00:38:20.119 --> 00:38:29.460 repentance is not always simply a one -time deal. 00:38:32.079 --> 00:38:38.260 It's not a one -size -fits -all grace. There 00:38:38.260 --> 00:38:42.380 will be various and varied degrees of repentance 00:38:42.380 --> 00:38:46.619 within our life. It may look different for you 00:38:46.619 --> 00:38:54.059 than it does for me. But you might have to repent 00:38:54.059 --> 00:39:01.579 more than once. You may have to. Continue persisting 00:39:01.579 --> 00:39:06.099 in repentance. But also, brothers and sisters, 00:39:06.280 --> 00:39:11.699 it should encourage us to continue and keep repenting 00:39:11.699 --> 00:39:16.820 in our lives. You are not abnormal in your life 00:39:16.820 --> 00:39:20.699 if you are continuing to repent of sin, brothers 00:39:20.699 --> 00:39:26.289 and sisters. It is not simply you and you alone. 00:39:26.489 --> 00:39:29.610 It ought to be every believer in Jesus Christ 00:39:29.610 --> 00:39:34.349 who's continually repenting. Isn't this why Jesus 00:39:34.349 --> 00:39:36.889 told us in the Lord's Prayer to ask for forgiveness? 00:39:38.050 --> 00:39:41.809 What does forgiveness necessarily include? Repentance 00:39:41.809 --> 00:39:44.909 and confession, a recognition of our need to 00:39:44.909 --> 00:39:49.469 be forgiven. Not only should we pray daily, but 00:39:49.469 --> 00:39:52.349 we should repent daily, and it ought to be a 00:39:52.349 --> 00:39:56.670 universal Christian activity. Because there's 00:39:56.670 --> 00:39:59.190 not a day that goes by, brothers and sisters, 00:39:59.349 --> 00:40:03.030 that I do not sin. There's not a day that goes 00:40:03.030 --> 00:40:06.769 by that you do not break God's law. It's amazing 00:40:06.769 --> 00:40:10.989 at times when I pray, and I think to myself, 00:40:11.349 --> 00:40:18.159 I haven't done anything. Think about that. Repent 00:40:18.159 --> 00:40:22.820 of the corruption that is within you. It's not 00:40:22.820 --> 00:40:27.960 just what we've done. Brothers and sisters, it's 00:40:27.960 --> 00:40:36.679 who you are. There is evil within your heart. 00:40:39.159 --> 00:40:45.159 Repent of the evil within your heart. Repent 00:40:45.159 --> 00:40:48.440 of the pride and the arrogance of thinking you 00:40:48.440 --> 00:40:54.659 haven't done anything to offend God. Repentance 00:40:54.659 --> 00:40:59.300 ought to be a universal Christian activity. You 00:40:59.300 --> 00:41:02.360 are not the oddball out if you are dealing with 00:41:02.360 --> 00:41:06.119 sin in the Christian life. You ought to be the 00:41:06.119 --> 00:41:08.940 oddball out if you're not dealing with sin in 00:41:08.940 --> 00:41:14.920 the Christian life. There's always sin to repent 00:41:14.920 --> 00:41:19.559 of in your life. And you are not alone in that, 00:41:19.639 --> 00:41:23.400 brothers and sisters. But we also ought to be 00:41:23.400 --> 00:41:26.860 encouraged by the reality that true faith is 00:41:26.860 --> 00:41:30.960 never, ever obliterated by the depth of our sin. 00:41:34.289 --> 00:41:38.329 David had faith when he was justified, and David 00:41:38.329 --> 00:41:41.130 had faith at the moment, right now, when he's 00:41:41.130 --> 00:41:44.070 being sanctified and renewed. But here's the 00:41:44.070 --> 00:41:49.849 thing we have to understand. David didn't wake 00:41:49.849 --> 00:41:56.349 up one day in his sin and say, I'm going to get 00:41:56.349 --> 00:41:59.170 out of this, and by faith I'm going to lay hold 00:41:59.170 --> 00:42:05.099 of Christ. No. That would be a testimony of David's 00:42:05.099 --> 00:42:07.980 faithfulness and David's goodness in the midst 00:42:07.980 --> 00:42:13.739 of his iniquity. Now, what it was is that by 00:42:13.739 --> 00:42:17.199 David's feeble, weak, little faith in the midst 00:42:17.199 --> 00:42:19.739 of his sin, the risen Lord Jesus Christ, out 00:42:19.739 --> 00:42:22.380 of his faithfulness and his goodness and his 00:42:22.380 --> 00:42:26.340 ministry, reached down through that little, itty 00:42:26.340 --> 00:42:29.019 -bitty, tiny faith that David had and lifted 00:42:29.019 --> 00:42:34.489 him up. and upheld him, and renewed his conscience. 00:42:35.469 --> 00:42:40.449 But the reality is this, faith remained. The 00:42:40.449 --> 00:42:43.789 same faith which justified David is the same 00:42:43.789 --> 00:42:47.630 faith which sanctified David, which Christ brought 00:42:47.630 --> 00:42:50.130 about sanctification and renewal in his life. 00:42:50.949 --> 00:42:53.150 Now here's the encouraging reality, brothers 00:42:53.150 --> 00:42:58.500 and sisters. If you are a justified sinner, If 00:42:58.500 --> 00:43:00.579 you are declared to be righteous before God, 00:43:00.780 --> 00:43:03.579 then your faith, which God has graciously given 00:43:03.579 --> 00:43:08.739 you, will sanctify you. Because it's through 00:43:08.739 --> 00:43:12.300 that faith that the risen Lord Jesus Christ will 00:43:12.300 --> 00:43:14.400 minister to your soul. And it's through that 00:43:14.400 --> 00:43:18.579 faith that the risen Lord Jesus Christ will strengthen 00:43:18.579 --> 00:43:22.869 you and undergird you. and work in you, and progressively 00:43:22.869 --> 00:43:26.909 make you holier and godlier, and sanctify you 00:43:26.909 --> 00:43:32.690 throughout the whole of your life. Your faith 00:43:32.690 --> 00:43:39.710 does not have to be grand. It doesn't have to 00:43:39.710 --> 00:43:49.500 be ginormous. Why? Because true faith regardless 00:43:49.500 --> 00:43:53.380 of the size of it, lays hold of the same great, 00:43:53.579 --> 00:44:00.139 mighty, good, powerful Lord and Savior. This 00:44:00.139 --> 00:44:03.320 isn't just a testimony of faith and repentance, 00:44:03.480 --> 00:44:07.679 is it? It's also a testimony concerning the faithfulness 00:44:07.679 --> 00:44:10.280 of the Lord Jesus Christ to his people in the 00:44:10.280 --> 00:44:15.480 midst of their sin. It's a testimony of the reality 00:44:16.219 --> 00:44:19.840 of the utter and absolute sufficiency of his 00:44:19.840 --> 00:44:26.039 work to cover any of our sins, to bring us out 00:44:26.039 --> 00:44:30.199 of and to renew our repentance from any of our 00:44:30.199 --> 00:44:36.079 sins. When we think about David and the fact 00:44:36.079 --> 00:44:40.739 that Christ's righteousness was sufficient to 00:44:40.739 --> 00:44:47.710 cover his adultery. Christ's righteousness was 00:44:47.710 --> 00:44:52.469 sufficient to cover his hate -filled, murdering 00:44:52.469 --> 00:44:57.170 heart. It was utterly sufficient, brothers and 00:44:57.170 --> 00:45:03.309 sisters. Is it not sufficient to cover your sin 00:45:03.309 --> 00:45:08.829 as well? Is it not utterly and absolutely sufficient 00:45:08.829 --> 00:45:15.300 to cover your thoughts, your hearts? your transgressions, 00:45:15.300 --> 00:45:19.519 your dispositions. It's a testimony concerning 00:45:19.519 --> 00:45:29.960 the sufficiency of Christ to justify and sanctify 00:45:29.960 --> 00:45:37.539 his people. So we've seen the heart behind this 00:45:37.539 --> 00:45:40.960 appeal. But we've also examined and we've considered 00:45:40.960 --> 00:45:46.750 thoroughly the appeal. So what do you do with 00:45:46.750 --> 00:45:48.690 all this information, brothers and sisters and 00:45:48.690 --> 00:45:54.130 friends? You take a good, long, hard look at 00:45:54.130 --> 00:46:00.530 your own heart and your own life. And you ask 00:46:00.530 --> 00:46:06.690 yourself, is my conviction driving me to Christ? 00:46:08.750 --> 00:46:15.679 Is there true saving and sanctifying? Faith in 00:46:15.679 --> 00:46:24.619 my life. Do I have a regenerate heart or an unregenerate 00:46:24.619 --> 00:46:28.559 heart? Consider these realities. There's no more 00:46:28.559 --> 00:46:31.380 important question, brothers and sisters. The 00:46:31.380 --> 00:46:36.679 eternal destiny of your soul depends on this. 00:46:38.739 --> 00:46:44.960 Take time. Think and pray about it. Ask the Lord 00:46:44.960 --> 00:46:48.719 to help you, to open your eyes, to manifest to 00:46:48.719 --> 00:46:52.500 your wickedness and your sin. Pray to him, spend 00:46:52.500 --> 00:46:56.340 time with him. Ask him to strengthen you in the 00:46:56.340 --> 00:46:59.039 midst of whatever struggle you have and know 00:46:59.039 --> 00:47:00.400 that he will be faithful.