Psalm 51, we're going to be reading verses 10
through 12. Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not
cast me away from your presence, and do not take
your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy
of your salvation, and sustain me with a willing
spirit. As we continue through Psalm 51, I think
it's important to remind it why we sit under
the preaching of God's Word week in and week
out, over and over and over. God has given us
His church, and He has ordained that we meet
weekly. To worship him. So when we gather here
at this time, we gather to worship God. Everything
we do from the moment it opens to the moment
it closes is a very act of worship. Everything.
Our reception and hearing of the word of God.
is an act of worship. God has given His people
this time, and Christ is raised from the dead,
and He is being worshipped. Brothers and sisters,
don't waste the time God has given to you to
hear the preaching of the Word of God. Don't
listen vainly. Don't listen in a manner that's
half -hearted. God has appointed it that you
are here this day at this time to hear the word
of God, to sit under the preaching of the word
of God. Don't waste the opportunity. Listen to
what God has to say to his people and to all
those present from his word. Maybe you're here
today. You say, I'm not a Christian. I'm not
a believer. What do I do? Well, brothers and
sisters, Friends, if you're here today and you
don't know Christ, but you're under conviction,
you have sorrow for sin, you don't know what
to do or where to go, God has given you natural
faculties and natural abilities. Now, give yourself
through your own natural powers and put yourself
in the place where you know that God saves people.
That means use your mind. Use your body, use
your will to listen to the preaching of the word
of God. To hear what God's word says. Use your
natural ability to put yourself in a path where
you know God saves people, which is under the
preaching of God's word and in the midst of his
people. Don't waste. Don't be here in vain. You're
here for a purpose. You're here by the providential
hand of a sovereign and a good God. That's believer
and unbeliever. If you're sitting here, it's
not accidental. It's by the providence of God
that you are meant to hear the word of God. Don't
waste that time. As we look in Psalm 51, the
focus of our exposition is going to be in verse
11. Do not cast me away from your presence, and
do not take your Holy Spirit from me. David has
transitioned to this work which is subjective
in nature. He's transitioned from... the forgiveness
of sins and gracious pardon to this work of sanctification.
Now, we'll be looking at verses 10 through 12
as a whole in this exposition, but it's going
to be built around verse 11, which is David's
cry, his plea for the Spirit of God. There's
four things that have to occupy our hearts and
our minds. Today as we look at this text. Four
things. Which you need to set your minds upon.
Four things which you need to give yourselves.
To receiving from the word of God today. The
spirit grieved. By David. The spirit's importance
to David. The spirit's work. That David is seeking.
And the spirit's work. to be experienced by David.
Beginning with the first, the spirit grieved
by David. When we look at verse 11, when we hear
David say, do not cast me away from your presence
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. There
is severity in that verse, isn't there? There
is suspense contained in that verse. You can
feel the fear in David that he may lose the influence
of God's Spirit. You can feel the sorrow in his
voice as he cries this because he's fearful and
he's dreading the reality that he may have lost
the influence of God's Spirit in his life. Why
is that? Because David has lost the gracious
influence of God's Spirit in his life to such
a degree that he can't find it within himself.
His heart is dull. His spirit is weak and fickle,
being blown around to the left and to the right.
There's impurity and there's corruption which
seems to have... and to be prevailing in his
heart and in his mind. He has no joy in his life
that he can tell, that he can find, that he can
sense. He's not even willing, according to verse
12, that he would persevere in this state. So
David has lost the gracious influence. It's diminished
to such a degree in his life That he thinks that
it may not be restored, that it may not be given
back to him. That he thinks that it will be taken
from him permanently and indefinitely in his
life. What a frightful thing. To be in union
with the living God, to be in union with Christ
by his spirit and to have the spirit of God residing
within us and not to have his gracious influence
at work in our life. What a fearful thing. That's
what David's afraid of. Now, what was the cause
of this? Why did this occur? Why did this come
about in the life of David? It was because of
his sin, wasn't it? The cause of the spirit being
grieved in David's life is the ongoing presence
of sin and the absence of repentance. Meaning
sin persevered. Sin continued. Sin remained,
but repentance was absent in his life. The Spirit
of God was grieved within him. He willingly and
continually went on in sin in spite of the truth.
He willingly pressed on and persevered in his
sin. in his life, knowing that it was sin. And
what was the result? The Spirit of God was grieved.
The Spirit withdrew his gracious influence within
his heart and within his mind and within his
soul. Yes, the Spirit of God remained with him,
but his influence was so diminished that it could
not be found. In David's life. There are several
verses. That address this issue of the spirit.
Being grieved in the life. Of a believer. We
read in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30. Do not
grieve. The Holy Spirit. Of God. By whom you
were sealed. For the day of redemption. Now consider
that verse. Brothers and sisters, a person is
sealed unto the day of redemption by the Holy
Spirit of God, yet the spirit can be grieved.
The spirit can become indignant, sorrowful in
the life of the believer, even though that believer
is sealed permanently unto the day of redemption.
What does that do to the work of the Spirit within
that person? What are the implications of behavior
and actions and thoughts and words and deeds
that grieve and bring sorrow to God's Spirit
who has sealed a person? Particularly in Ephesians
4, this is in the context of the church. It carries
this idea that if you act in a way that is grieving
to your brothers and sisters in Christ whom Christ
died for, it is grieving to the Spirit of God
who dwells within you. We have to remember that
we are sealed and in union with Christ through
His Spirit. And that our actions are either pleasing
Or they are grieving to him. And his spirit is
with us at all times. We also read in 1 Thessalonians
chapter 4. We read in verse 8. So he who rejects
this is not rejecting man. But the God who gives
his Holy Spirit to... Again, speaking of Christians,
believers, rejecting God's will of sanctification
and purity and holiness for their lives, specifically
in the context of sanctification and immorality.
This is a strong word. It almost carries the
idea of annulling or making void. the Spirit's
work in our life because of our rejection of
God's commands and God's law and God's word.
The person who rejects the will of God, which
is to be sanctified, is not rejecting any man
or manly wisdom. They're rejecting the God who
gives. his spirit, and his influence in their
very life. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse
19, with maybe the most visual language of all
that helps us the most. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians
5, 19, do not quench the spirit. Do not extinguish
the Holy Spirit. Don't put out. It carries this
idea of a fire, of a flame, of a burning fire.
And there's various ways to put that fire out.
A person could throw water on it. A person could
shove dirt on it. A person could stomp on it.
Or a person could just leave it be and it would
go out on its own. But Paul says, do not extinguish
the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God dwells in
union with the people of God. But we must distinguish
between His union with those people and His gracious
influence in their life, at least in their conscious
life, and in great increase in their sanctification.
The Spirit of God will never leave a person.
He remains. He seals the Christian. But that
does not mean that we can't act and think and
act and think and talk in such a way and live
in such a way that we bring sorrow and we reject
and we quench or extinguish the work and influence
of the Spirit of God in us. our souls, which
brings increase in our sanctification, our growth
in the grace and the knowledge of Christ, our
maturity and our development in the Christian
life. It can greatly hinder our progress in sanctification.
It can greatly stumble the work of the Spirit
in our life. It's a frightening thing. To have
the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us, but
to act and think and live and behave in such
a way as those who are indwelt with death spirit,
that it grieves and makes him sorrowful. It makes
him sad and upset with the person in whom he
dwells. This should affect how we live, shouldn't
it, brothers and sisters? Knowing that we are
in union with the Spirit of God and He dwells
within us, should that not affect how we talk?
Should that not affect how you think? You are
not alone. You are not by yourself. You are not
separate from Christ. His spirit dwells within
you. His spirit is present within you. Should
that not affect how we live and act and behave
and think and live in this life? It should affect
us a great deal. So David grieves the spirit.
But this also shows us why the spirit is so vitally
important to David. This is the second thing.
We must occupy our minds. The spirit's importance
to David. In verse 11 of Psalm 51, David uses
two negative statements to say something very
emphatically. He says, do not cast me away from
your presence, meaning don't throw me away from
you. But then he says, and do not take your Holy
Spirit from me. Says two negative and strong
and severe things. Why? To show how emphatically
significant and important the work of the Spirit
is in his life. He values, he longs for the work
of the Spirit in his life. He knows that without
the divine Spirit of God at work in his soul,
he has no hope for restoration. He has no hope
for renewal. He has no hope for a work of creation
in his heart. He has no hope of joy if he doesn't
have the divine spirit of God at work in his
life. David shows us this importance in two ways
in this psalm. Notice that David is crying out.
And David is demonstrating why it's important
in this text. He shows us that he desires for
fellowship with God through... The Spirit. Why
does he cry out for the Spirit? Because he wants
the Spirit in his life. Because he wants God's
presence that is conveyed and communicated to
his soul, to his heart, to his life, through
the indwelling presence of the Spirit and his
effectual work in his heart. David longs for
fellowship with God through the Spirit. He longs
for God himself in this cry, doesn't he? This
here gives us the supreme motive for dealing
with sin in our life. This text tells us the
supreme reason you ought to repent of sin in
your life and run to Christ. What is that supreme
motive? It is that you might have God himself
again. It's that he may be restored to you and
you may be restored to him. That he might be
with you and you might be with him. It's not
to get from God. It's to have God himself. If
you refuse to deal with sin in your life, you
are rejecting and denying God himself and his
presence in your life. Brothers and sisters,
don't just repent to get rid of a burden. Don't
just repent to ease your mind and your conscience.
Don't just deal with sin in your life to make
it better for you. Deal with sin in your life
that you might get back in God's presence and
you might enjoy him again. That he might be with
you through the Spirit's effectual work in your
heart and your soul. Do you want that? Do you
long to be in fellowship and communion with God?
Give up your sin. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Don't do it. with selfish motives to get, but
do it to be with God himself. That's the supreme
motive for repentance in our life, that we might
fellowship and commune with the living God himself.
David desires fellowship with God through the
Spirit, but David knows how essential the Spirit's
work is in his life. He knows that if he doesn't
have the Spirit of God working in his life, he
doesn't have any hope of true restoration with
that God. He knows that he has no power and no
ability of his own heart and his own flesh and
his own nature to restore himself with God. He
knows the importance of it. And he shows us the
importance of this in a couple ways. In verse
11, when he makes his plea for the Spirit of
God, notice that it is surrounded, it's walled
in by this subjective work. In verse 10, create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast
spirit within me. Verse 12, restore to me the
joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing
spirit. This distinct work which we saw last
week. This work of sanctification and purification,
it's surrounding the plea for the work of the
Spirit and the presence of the Spirit in his
life. Why? Because the Spirit is central and
essential to the work of sanctification in David's
life and your life, brothers and sisters. He
does it also in showing us the reality. That
the Spirit of God is the one who performs the
work in verse 10 and in verse 12. How is it that
a clean heart is created in David? How is it
that a steadfast spirit is renewed in David?
How is it that David is restored to the joy of
the Lord's salvation? How is it that David's
spirit... is sustained in a willing state. It's
through the divine and effective work of God's
Spirit that dwells within us. So who is the effective
worker in sanctification? The Spirit of God.
And David knows this. He knows that if the Spirit
of God is not at work in him, He'll never experience
the purity and the steadfastness and the joy
and the willing spirit that he so desires and
he so longs for in his heart. He knows that he'll
never have true restoration, true fellowship,
and true communion with God unless the Spirit
of God is involved in it. Unless the Spirit of
God is working it. Unless the Spirit of God is
accomplishing it. The Spirit does not create
a clean heart in David. A clean heart will not
be created. If the Spirit does not renew a steadfast
spirit in him, brothers and sisters, he will
not have a steadfast spirit within him. If the
Spirit himself does not restore joy in his life,
he will not have joy in his life. If the Spirit
of God does not sustain his spirit in a willing
state, he will not be willing. He will not walk
in freedom from corruption and freedom from sin
and its bondage. The work of the divine spirit
of God is essential to our growth in sanctification.
He is the ground and the basis for all of it.
If he does not work, we do not experience growth.
We do not become sanctified. But praise God that
he is always working. Even when his effectual
and gracious influence is withdrawn, we must
remind ourselves that the Spirit of God is ultimately
even working as he's in union with God's people.
Those graces and that influence will never fully
be extinguished or taken away. Because ultimately,
the Spirit of God will be the one who preserves
and causes the people of God to persevere unto
the end. But we must also remember that we have
a role to play in sanctification as well. We
do something. We have to do something in this
work as a response and as a result of the Spirit's
work in our hearts, in our minds. We have to
make several conclusions about this. Last week
we spoke that Christ has made provision for the
forgiveness of sins, but he's also made provision
for the purification or sanctification from sins.
So who is the one? who applies the provision
of purification in the life of God's people,
the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit plays
a vital, significant, and important role in the
economy of redemption. The Holy Spirit, in accordance
with Christ and His will, is the one who actually
makes Christ's people holy and godly in this
life. He's the one who changes them from one
degree of glory into the next as a part of his
new covenant ministry where he works in our hearts
to show us the light and knowledge of the glory
of the face of Christ Jesus. So the Spirit of
God is essential in the provision that God has
made in redemption as a result of the work of
Jesus Christ on the cross. and bringing his people
through the work of sanctification. But it's
also important because it shows us that Christ
has not left us to ourselves. We are in union
with Christ through the Spirit of God. Historically,
this has been referred to as the mysterious union.
Meaning, We are in union with the risen Lord
Jesus Christ and all his work. And everything
he's accomplished with his person and his work.
And we're in union with him through the indwelling
presence of the Holy Spirit. Throughout scripture,
there are several statements and there are several
metaphors that are used to display this union
between Christ. and his people. In Ephesians,
it's referred to as a building and a cornerstone.
It's referred to as marriage. In 1 Corinthians,
it's referred to as a head and a body. And in
John chapter 15, it's referred to as a vine and
branches. So it's representative and expressive
of the reality that Christ's people are in union
with Christ himself. But how is that union actualized
in real life, in this life, in history, in time
and in space, in your life and in my life? It's
by the indwelling presence and power of the Spirit
of God. Christ is in heaven. His Spirit is on
earth with His people, with the church, brothers
and sisters. He has not left us to ourselves.
to ourselves. He has given us His Spirit. This
work that the Spirit carries out in our lives
is no ordinary work, is it? When we think about
sanctification and the work the Spirit of God
accomplishes in the life of His people, we must
say it's a supernatural and divine work of God.
Did you know that's the work that's at work in
your heart and your life? That sovereign and
divine power are at work to change you, to transform
you, to sanctify you. Supernatural and divine
power are at work to change your heart and to
free you from corruption. And they cause you
to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
So we say, well, why don't we see that more?
If it's a divine and supernatural work where
the power of Christ has extended the soul of
man through the divine spirit, then why don't
we see this reality that it's supernatural and
it's a divine work of God? Why isn't there more
spiritual vitality? Why isn't there more spiritual
life? Why aren't people more consumed with their
soul? Why aren't people more consumed with Christ
and his kingdom? Why aren't more people faithful
and more committed to the Lord Jesus Christ?
Why aren't people talking about the glory of
God? Why aren't people consumed with eternal
things? Remember, the Spirit of God can be quenched.
The Spirit of God can be grieved. The Spirit
of God can be rejected and resisted. The Spirit
of God withdraws His influence. He pulls back
from those who live and walk and think and act
in such a way that grieves Him. His effective
power and gracious influence can be diminished
in the life of a person. You say, well, I don't
believe that lots of people have done that. I've
never done that in my life. Have you gone extended
periods of time where you've continued in sin
and you failed to repent? Have you gone a long,
long time persevering in sin in your life? And
you have not repented of that before God. Brothers
and sisters, I'm not going to say you did. But
you very well may have grieved the Spirit of
God. I don't know. This is my opinion. But I
don't think that we grieve the Spirit of God
for these massively immoral sins in our lives
today that much. In that we don't do those. Because
we live in Edwards County. We were raised in
church. We know what right and what wrong is.
We know we shouldn't do those things. We know
we shouldn't act those ways. I shouldn't commit
infidelity. I know that. I was raised. I was
taught that. I shouldn't have adultery like David
did. I know that. I was taught that since I was
a little boy, a little girl. That's wrong. I
shouldn't do that. We don't do those things,
do we? Then how in the world do we grieve the
Spirit of God in our lives if we don't commit
these big, grievous, outlandish, open sins that
are public like David? We're chasing around,
pouring gasoline on every other fire, but not
the one that matters the most. We're consumed
with everything but our souls, but eternity.
We're consumed with our lives. We're consumed
with our businesses. We're consumed with politics.
We're consumed with this world. We're consumed
with the culture. We're consumed with anything
and everything in our lives, but that which matters
most. We're consumed with this world, and we're
consumed with our jobs. We're consumed with ourselves,
but we're not consumed with the divine spirit
of God working in our souls, brothers and sisters.
That's why we grieve the spirit. Because we never
go back to nourish the fire. We're too busy scrolling.
We're too busy reading that which is insignificant
and that which doesn't matter to our souls and
our lives. Brothers and sisters, nourish the
fire that God has put within you. Care for the
spirit of God that's within you. Nourish sanctification
and holiness in your life. That's what matters.
Be consumed with your soul and eternity. Things
that are meaningful. Things that matter. Give
yourselves to Christ in this life because it's
the only life that you have. You only have so
much time. You only have so many days. It's about
Christ. It's not about you and your world. Live
for the Lord Jesus Christ and His goodness and
His glory. Consider your priorities. Consider
your life. Consider what's most important. Consider
your legacy. Consider what you want most out
of this life. Is it to expand the kingdom of
God and to bring glory to His name? Or is it
to make it through this life? We may not do these
big open... grandiose sins, but we certainly
neglect the Spirit of God and the sanctification
that the Spirit of God intends to work into our
lives. We know what is right and wrong, but do
we give our time to the Word of God as we ought
to? We may not have adultery, but Do you read
the Bible and pray about the Bible and pray about
your life? Is your heart right? So we see the
Spirit's importance to David. He's vitally important
to this work of sanctification. Without him,
we have no hope. We cannot be restored. We see
this work that David is seeking. Thirdly, this
work that David is seeking is a work in his inner
moral man. Remember last week we talked about
the heart and what that means? It's the inner
moral man. It's our moral ability, our moral
capacity. It's our moral epicenter. It's where
we make all the decisions. It's that place where
our will and our mind flow out of, operate. This
is the place that the Holy Spirit works. That's
why he says, create in me a clean heart. That's
why he says, renew a steadfast spirit within
me. The Spirit of God works internally and directly
in this text and in this case upon the faculties.
When I say faculties, I simply mean his mind
and his will and his nature. The Spirit of God
works directly on his heart, directly on his
spirit, without the use of means. And this is
important. This work of sanctification is a work
in which the Spirit of God works either directly
upon us or indirectly. Through other means. And
those means are the Word of God, through prayer,
the Lord's table, fellowship in the church, and
others. Here, the Spirit of God is working directly
upon David's faculties. He's doing a deep internal
work inside of David. So that David's whole outlook
and decision -making process is affected by the
work of the Spirit. But this is important. The
Spirit of God does not exercise and utilize those
faculties for David. And remember earlier when
I said that we have a role to play in this thing
called sanctification? The Spirit does what He
does, and we have to do what we have to do. The
Spirit works in us, exerting His power, His effective
influence in our mind, in our will, in our faculties,
creating, renewing, upholding, and restoring.
But the Spirit does not exercise our mind and
our will on our behalf. must do that. So the
Spirit works, the Spirit's work that David is
seeking, this work is a divine, supernatural,
direct, and effective work in his life. Now lastly,
we see, fourthly, the Spirit's work to be experienced
by David. How is it, not how is it, but I want
to reframe this question after I state it. David
is conscious of the reality that he has lost
a great deal of the Spirit's influence in his
life. Is he not? He is. He knows that it's gone.
He knows that it's not working in his life as
y 'all do. He knows the condition and the layout
and the geography of his own heart and his own
soul. He's conscious of that reality. So if David
is to experience this work from the Spirit of
God, and he is to be restored to fellowship and
communion with God, then how will he become conscious
that the Spirit is effectively influencing him
in his life? How will he know that the Spirit
is working in his life? Now there's two things
I need to add by way of nuance to this. We are
not talking about the indwelling presence of
the Spirit. We are talking about his gracious
influence as a result of that indwelling. But
we also have to distinguish between the conscious
and the unconscious life of a believer. David
is conscious that he has lost certain things
in his fellowship, in his communion, in his relation
to God, is he not? But that does not mean that
the Spirit of God is not still working subconsciously
in the life of David. He may not be aware of
it. And we must be confident and we must walk
in the reality that he is always at work subconsciously
in the life of God's people. For instance, an
example of this would be regeneration. Regeneration
can be applied to the Word of God by the Spirit
of God at any time he wishes. That sinner may
or may not be conscious in their mind, aware
and sensible of the reality that they have been
regenerated by the Spirit of God. However, it
will become conscious to that individual. How?
Through repentance. Repentance is always a conscious
act of the will. and the mind, deciding for Christ
and deciding against sin. The Spirit of God's
work, I think we'd be safe to say, nearly always
begins in the subconscious life of the believer.
But it always makes its way to the conscious
life of the believer. So to answer the question
of how will David go on to become conscious of
this, We must say that he will experience and
he will be conscious of it when he consciously
exercises his mind and his will in accordance
with the internal work of the divine spirit of
God. So when David chooses obedience, we know
he's acting in accordance with the spirit of
God. When David chooses... and holiness in his
life, we know he's acting in accordance with
the internal work of the Spirit of God in his
life. The Spirit influences and works and changes
and creates in the believer. But the believer
is still responsible for exercising their mind
and their will in this life. as a result and
as a response to the work of the Spirit within
them. So brothers and sisters, how do you know
if the Spirit of God is actively at work in you?
How do you have fellowship and communion with
God? When you actively and regularly, in a settled
manner, choose Christ over corruption. when you're
choosing holiness, when you actively repent of
sin. That means that the application for this
is simple. You and I have to use our will and
use our mind for what? To set them on things
of Christ. We have to use our will to obey Christ
and his commands, to walk in accordance with
his law. We have to use our mind to study and
read and meditate on the word of God. We have
to use our will to walk in obedience to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Because that way we'll be working
out that which he is working and willing in us.
We'll be working and willing. We'll be working
out our salvation that he's working in us through
his divine spirit. So use your mind, brothers
and sisters. Use your will. Choose to read the
word of God and renew your mind. Choose to repent
of sin. Use your mind and use your will to serve.
the people of God, to love your neighbor as yourself,
to love your children, to teach the word of God
to those around you, to call others to repentance
and faith. Use your mind and use your will to
seek God out through prayer. We respond to his
work by exercising the faculties which he influences.
inside of us through his divine spirit. So we've
seen the spirit grieved, the spirit's importance,
and the spirit's work in David. We've seen the
spirit's work to be experienced by David. May
God, through Christ, be gracious to us and help
us in sanctification.