WEBVTT 00:00:09.929 --> 00:00:14.869 Psalm 51, we're going to read verses 1 through 00:00:14.869 --> 00:00:20.129 12, verses 1 through 12. Be gracious to me, O 00:00:20.129 --> 00:00:23.429 God, according to your lovingkindness. According 00:00:23.429 --> 00:00:26.910 to the greatness of your compassion, blot out 00:00:26.910 --> 00:00:31.230 my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my 00:00:31.230 --> 00:00:37.469 iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know 00:00:37.469 --> 00:00:40.799 my transgressions. And my sin is ever before 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:45.539 me against you. You only I have sinned and done 00:00:45.539 --> 00:00:48.719 what is evil in your sight so that you are justified 00:00:48.719 --> 00:00:52.299 when you speak and blameless when you judge. 00:00:53.140 --> 00:00:57.219 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and 00:00:57.219 --> 00:01:01.399 in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, you desire 00:01:01.399 --> 00:01:04.500 truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden 00:01:04.500 --> 00:01:09.390 part you will make me know wisdom. Purify me 00:01:09.390 --> 00:01:14.129 with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and 00:01:14.129 --> 00:01:17.989 I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear 00:01:17.989 --> 00:01:20.670 joy and gladness. Let the bones which you have 00:01:20.670 --> 00:01:25.750 broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and 00:01:25.750 --> 00:01:30.549 blot out my iniquities. Create in me a clean 00:01:30.549 --> 00:01:34.890 heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within 00:01:34.890 --> 00:01:39.480 me. Do not cast me away from your presence and 00:01:39.480 --> 00:01:43.079 do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:48.000 to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:53.640 with a willing spirit. In Psalm 51, our exposition 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:59.040 will focus in verse 12, which reads, Restore 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:05.590 to me the joy of your salvation. and sustain 00:02:05.590 --> 00:02:11.729 me with a willing spirit. There's three things 00:02:11.729 --> 00:02:15.210 that we must observe in this text, and we must 00:02:15.210 --> 00:02:19.849 take time to consider. The first being the salvation 00:02:19.849 --> 00:02:25.289 that David previously enjoyed. The second is 00:02:25.289 --> 00:02:28.449 the discontinuity between God's salvation and 00:02:28.449 --> 00:02:32.889 David's enjoyment of it. The third being the 00:02:32.889 --> 00:02:37.340 way forward. to enjoying God's salvation now. 00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:44.460 Starting with the salvation that David previously 00:02:44.460 --> 00:02:51.099 enjoyed. We see in verse 12 that David is crying 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:58.639 out to experience the joy of God's salvation. 00:02:59.629 --> 00:03:04.150 He's crying out to experience it, to enjoy God's 00:03:04.150 --> 00:03:10.610 salvation, because he's not at the moment. He 00:03:10.610 --> 00:03:15.870 does not have joy as a result of God's saving 00:03:15.870 --> 00:03:19.069 work in his heart, in his mind, in his soul. 00:03:19.669 --> 00:03:24.349 He is not rejoicing. He is not satisfied. He 00:03:24.349 --> 00:03:28.340 is not fulfilled. He is not pleased and he is 00:03:28.340 --> 00:03:32.819 not delighting in Christ at this moment. He has 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:40.539 before, but he's not now. We read in Psalm 16. 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:49.139 And listen for joy and delight and satisfaction 00:03:49.139 --> 00:03:53.240 and pleasure and God and the saving realities 00:03:53.240 --> 00:03:57.860 of God in Psalm 16. Preserve me, O God, for I 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:01.659 take refuge in you. I said to the Lord, You are 00:04:01.659 --> 00:04:06.939 my Lord. I have no good besides you. As for the 00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:09.419 saints who are on the earth, they are the majestic 00:04:09.419 --> 00:04:13.960 ones in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:16.240 those who have bartered for another God will 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:19.199 be multiplied. I shall not pour out their drink 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:22.160 offering of blood, nor will I take their names 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:26.980 upon my lips. The Lord. is the portion of my 00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:31.980 inheritance in my cup. You support my lot. The 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:37.660 lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Indeed, 00:04:37.779 --> 00:04:43.079 my heritage is beautiful to me. I will bless 00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:46.899 the Lord who has counseled me. Indeed, my mind 00:04:46.899 --> 00:04:49.699 instructs me in the night. I have set the Lord 00:04:49.699 --> 00:04:53.399 continually before me. Because he is at my right 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:56.699 hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart 00:04:56.699 --> 00:05:02.620 is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh also 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:06.480 will dwell securely, for you will not abandon 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:10.279 my soul to Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:13.480 One to undergo decay. You will make known to 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:17.360 me the path of life, and your presence is fullness 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:21.889 of joy. In your right hand, there are pleasures 00:05:21.889 --> 00:05:29.050 forever. When we read Psalm 16, can you sense 00:05:29.050 --> 00:05:34.990 the happiness in David's heart because of the 00:05:34.990 --> 00:05:38.689 Lord and his work and his life? Can you take 00:05:38.689 --> 00:05:42.610 away from Psalm 16 that David finds pleasure 00:05:42.610 --> 00:05:49.060 and delight? in salvation and its redemptive 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:57.480 realities. He's missing that in Psalm 51. He's 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:01.579 not in possession of the enjoyment of God and 00:06:01.579 --> 00:06:06.000 salvation, but he wants it back. He wants to 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:13.060 experience it again. We know that David is not 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.970 experiencing it at the moment. But that's not 00:06:15.970 --> 00:06:21.529 because God and salvation has changed. That's 00:06:21.529 --> 00:06:25.509 not because the saving realities are different 00:06:25.509 --> 00:06:28.730 than they were before. It's because David himself 00:06:28.730 --> 00:06:34.569 has changed. Why does David not experience joy 00:06:34.569 --> 00:06:37.370 at this moment? Is it because God has changed? 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:41.579 Is it because God's grace and his mercy have 00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:43.839 lessened in their character and their quality 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:47.579 and their supreme greatness? Or is it because 00:06:47.579 --> 00:06:54.379 David himself has been altered? David himself 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:59.800 has changed. The saving realities of salvation, 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:04.339 the glorious and the supreme realities of redemption 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:08.139 which God has accomplished on behalf of his people, 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:17.660 Do not change. But his people change. His people's 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:22.839 hearts change. Their affections change. Their 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:29.240 minds change over time. We age. We become different 00:07:29.240 --> 00:07:34.819 with age. We fluctuate. We go up and we go down 00:07:34.819 --> 00:07:42.050 at times. Salvation does not change. And the 00:07:42.050 --> 00:07:45.529 greatness of salvation does not change, brothers 00:07:45.529 --> 00:07:50.230 and sisters. Consider the gloriousness, the supremacy 00:07:50.230 --> 00:07:55.290 of Christ and the work which he has accomplished. 00:07:55.529 --> 00:07:58.990 Consider the reality that the blessed Son of 00:07:58.990 --> 00:08:03.350 God took on flesh. And entered into the very 00:08:03.350 --> 00:08:06.589 creation which he spoke into existence. He took 00:08:06.589 --> 00:08:10.810 on flesh and he was born of a woman. He became 00:08:10.810 --> 00:08:20.750 a woman. He became a baby. Let's back up. Be 00:08:20.750 --> 00:08:30.110 amazed. Stand in awe of the reality of what Christ 00:08:30.110 --> 00:08:35.580 has done. Stand in awe of the reality that the 00:08:35.580 --> 00:08:39.899 blessed son of God took on flesh and was born 00:08:39.899 --> 00:08:45.580 of a woman and became a babe. We can talk about 00:08:45.580 --> 00:08:48.360 that. We can say that all day long. But what 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:53.960 does that do to your hearts? What does that do 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:56.840 to your souls? What does that do to your feelings, 00:08:56.980 --> 00:08:58.659 brothers and sisters? What does that stir up 00:08:58.659 --> 00:09:00.519 inside of you? Because that is a grand and a 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:04.470 glorious reality. We should not allow that to 00:09:04.470 --> 00:09:10.049 roll off our tongues lightly. The substance and 00:09:10.049 --> 00:09:14.789 the reality of redemption, of God himself, his 00:09:14.789 --> 00:09:21.669 grace, his mercy, what does it do to you? What 00:09:21.669 --> 00:09:26.789 effect does it have on you? What does it produce 00:09:26.789 --> 00:09:30.190 in you? Consider the reality. That Jesus Christ 00:09:30.190 --> 00:09:39.950 lived a perfect life. The absolute impossibility 00:09:39.950 --> 00:09:47.710 of that for you and me. It was such a difficult 00:09:47.710 --> 00:09:52.549 task that even the Lord Jesus Christ in the days 00:09:52.549 --> 00:09:55.269 of the flesh had to be filled with the Spirit 00:09:55.269 --> 00:10:00.000 of God to accomplish it. He was filled as a baby. 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:02.779 He was filled when he was a young boy at 12. 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:05.600 He was filled in the desert when he went off 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:09.539 to be tempted. Why? Because of the ginormous 00:10:09.539 --> 00:10:13.200 nature of the task. Because of the difficulty 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.860 of the work. Yet he accomplished it. He never 00:10:17.860 --> 00:10:23.139 sinned. He lived in perfect, positive obedience 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:26.970 to the law, and he never transgressed it. He 00:10:26.970 --> 00:10:31.269 obtained righteousness. Think about the beauty 00:10:31.269 --> 00:10:35.289 of that reality and the fact that he did that 00:10:35.289 --> 00:10:39.889 for people who have never lived a perfect life. 00:10:41.470 --> 00:10:44.830 He did that for people who are sinners, who don't 00:10:44.830 --> 00:10:47.289 deserve that perfection and that holiness and 00:10:47.289 --> 00:10:53.039 that righteousness. His grace and His mercy on 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:56.220 display. Consider the grand reality of the cross. 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:03.059 Consider the supreme beauty of the Lord Jesus 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:09.279 Christ on the cross of Calvary. And what He accomplished. 00:11:09.379 --> 00:11:13.759 He satisfied the wrath of God on behalf of God's 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:18.250 elect. He turned away the wrath of God and he 00:11:18.250 --> 00:11:21.309 satisfied the payment that was required of sinners 00:11:21.309 --> 00:11:25.710 who couldn't do it themselves? What does that 00:11:25.710 --> 00:11:30.269 do to your heart? What does that stir inside 00:11:30.269 --> 00:11:34.230 of you? Because that's not a concept. That's 00:11:34.230 --> 00:11:37.870 not an idea, brothers and sisters. That is reality. 00:11:39.309 --> 00:11:44.100 That is what God has done for sinners. And he 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:48.220 didn't stop there. He didn't simply take care 00:11:48.220 --> 00:11:52.940 of their sin. Christ rose from the dead. He conquered 00:11:52.940 --> 00:11:57.220 the grave of his own power and his own authority. 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:03.480 He ascended to the Father. And the Lord Jesus 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:07.940 Christ, the God -man, rules and reigns in heaven 00:12:07.940 --> 00:12:12.610 right now. As we worship him, as his word is 00:12:12.610 --> 00:12:16.409 preached, as you sit here worshiping, he is present 00:12:16.409 --> 00:12:21.409 in heaven observing us. This is not a concept. 00:12:21.429 --> 00:12:24.409 This is not an idea. This is reality. This is 00:12:24.409 --> 00:12:30.169 truth. This is what is happening right now. What 00:12:30.169 --> 00:12:36.269 does that do to your hearts? What does that produce 00:12:36.269 --> 00:12:43.590 within you? we would think, considering the greatness 00:12:43.590 --> 00:12:46.610 of these realities, that there's ample supply 00:12:46.610 --> 00:12:53.549 and cause for joy. When we consider the grandness 00:12:53.549 --> 00:13:00.490 of salvation, the abundant beauty of the work 00:13:00.490 --> 00:13:04.210 of Christ, His mercy and His grace, we would 00:13:04.210 --> 00:13:10.379 think that the people of God would always delight 00:13:10.379 --> 00:13:16.360 in Christ. We would always rejoice in the Lord. 00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:21.620 We would always be satisfied in reading the Word 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:25.200 of God as His revelation. You would think that 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:28.639 we would always enjoy and be pleased and delighted 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:31.759 in God, in Christ, and the work which He has 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:36.200 accomplished. Is there not ample supply and cause? 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:40.379 in the work of God and salvation, for the joy 00:13:40.379 --> 00:13:45.659 of his people in every circumstance, in every 00:13:45.659 --> 00:13:52.500 situation? Does Christ's death not provide ample 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:59.179 reason for you to rejoice in difficult times? 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:04.379 Does Christ's resurrection not provide ample 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:08.860 reason an abundant provision for you to enjoy 00:14:08.860 --> 00:14:18.000 God throughout the day? It does. So why don't 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:24.159 the people of God constantly, always rejoice 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:32.320 in the Lord? We don't. We can't. There's a discontinuity. 00:14:33.610 --> 00:14:37.269 Between the greatness and the supremacy of the 00:14:37.269 --> 00:14:40.289 character of these redemptive realities and salvation 00:14:40.289 --> 00:14:46.129 and what it does inside of us. This is the second 00:14:46.129 --> 00:14:49.909 thing we have to look in this text. The discontinuity 00:14:49.909 --> 00:14:52.690 between God's salvation and David's enjoyment 00:14:52.690 --> 00:14:58.289 of it. David has experienced this salvation. 00:14:58.289 --> 00:15:01.090 He's delighted and he's enjoyed this salvation. 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:08.299 but he's not now. There's a breach. There's a 00:15:08.299 --> 00:15:15.200 break. There's a disruption between the greatness 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:17.620 of these realities and their character, their 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:23.460 value, their worth. And our experience of those 00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:26.860 realities in our affections, in our hearts, in 00:15:26.860 --> 00:15:29.720 our minds, in our desires, and in our wills. 00:15:30.139 --> 00:15:33.159 Everybody knows what I'm talking about. You know 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:35.340 what I'm talking about. I know what you're talking 00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:41.840 about. Every single person here knows this reality 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:45.019 because you know you don't love Christ as you 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:51.419 ought. You know you don't rejoice as you ought 00:15:51.419 --> 00:15:57.519 to rejoice. It's because there's this discontinuity. 00:15:58.409 --> 00:16:02.110 between the grandness of these realities and 00:16:02.110 --> 00:16:05.429 how they work out in our hearts and how they 00:16:05.429 --> 00:16:07.730 work out in our minds, how they work out in our 00:16:07.730 --> 00:16:10.049 feelings, how they work out in our affections, 00:16:10.049 --> 00:16:13.230 in our longings, in our satisfaction, in our 00:16:13.230 --> 00:16:18.769 contentment, in our pleasure in Christ. There 00:16:18.769 --> 00:16:26.129 is a disruption between the character of salvation 00:16:26.129 --> 00:16:30.730 and God himself. And the experience of our hearts. 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:36.690 And we all know it. We're all familiar with it. 00:16:37.289 --> 00:16:45.289 We know this disparity. Because we want to love 00:16:45.289 --> 00:16:54.809 God more. We want to rejoice more. We want. To 00:16:54.809 --> 00:16:58.129 delight in these realities to a greater degree. 00:16:58.289 --> 00:17:00.850 But it's so difficult, it's so hard, it nearly 00:17:00.850 --> 00:17:07.349 seems impossible at times. This is an ever relevant 00:17:07.349 --> 00:17:13.369 issue that David is dealing with. He wants to 00:17:13.369 --> 00:17:17.269 experience joy from salvation. He wants to enjoy 00:17:17.269 --> 00:17:20.869 God in salvation and the things of God, but he 00:17:20.869 --> 00:17:24.890 can't. Can you relate to that? We don't appreciate 00:17:24.890 --> 00:17:28.269 them as we ought to. We're in possession, through 00:17:28.269 --> 00:17:33.230 Christ, of the grandest, most supreme realities 00:17:33.230 --> 00:17:43.210 that exist. Our fate is tied up with the fate 00:17:43.210 --> 00:17:50.829 of the known world, of the universe. Yet we can't 00:17:50.829 --> 00:17:57.269 be happy in these things. We're in possession 00:17:57.269 --> 00:18:00.829 of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet we don't delight 00:18:00.829 --> 00:18:06.170 in him as we ought to. We don't show gratitude 00:18:06.170 --> 00:18:12.750 to God for redemption as we ought to. Seemingly, 00:18:12.750 --> 00:18:16.490 at times, these great realities of salvation 00:18:17.579 --> 00:18:22.819 Don't even seem to make a difference in our lives. 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:27.279 They don't even seem to have an effect on us. 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:37.460 This is a universal Christian predicament. Every 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:41.960 single one of us has this issue. Every single 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:46.150 one of us deals with this. You, me. And every 00:18:46.150 --> 00:18:48.829 other person who knows the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:18:51.910 --> 00:18:56.630 And the reality is that this is a sad thing. 00:18:58.369 --> 00:19:03.210 It's a sad thing. It's sad because of what we're 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:08.930 in possession of. And what we're satisfied with. 00:19:11.029 --> 00:19:14.029 It's sad because of what we're in possession 00:19:14.029 --> 00:19:20.750 of. and what makes us happy in life. It's sad 00:19:20.750 --> 00:19:23.410 because of the glorious and the grand realities 00:19:23.410 --> 00:19:26.029 we're in possession of through Jesus Christ and 00:19:26.029 --> 00:19:34.230 what stirs our hearts. It's sad because of what 00:19:34.230 --> 00:19:41.230 we do find enjoyment in. It's sad because we're 00:19:41.230 --> 00:19:47.650 in possession of infinite, eternal, gems, infinite 00:19:47.650 --> 00:19:52.450 diamonds of mercy, everlasting rubies that outshine 00:19:52.450 --> 00:19:55.750 everything in this world. Yet what are we satisfied 00:19:55.750 --> 00:20:05.750 with? What are we happy with? Fool's gold. We 00:20:05.750 --> 00:20:11.160 settle for that which is meaningless. We settle 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:14.640 for that which has no eternal impact and significance 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:19.920 on our lives. When in reality we are in possession 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:22.539 of Christ who is of infinite good and infinite 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:27.299 worth and infinite value. Yet these things down 00:20:27.299 --> 00:20:31.980 here tickle our minds and tickle our ears. They 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:37.759 stir our affections as he ought to. They stir 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:41.730 our affections in our hearts. As these grand 00:20:41.730 --> 00:20:47.250 realities ought to. This was David's issue. This 00:20:47.250 --> 00:20:50.869 was David's problem, wasn't it? He was in possession 00:20:50.869 --> 00:20:53.329 of the same things we're in possession of in 00:20:53.329 --> 00:20:59.569 Christ. Yet what did he take pleasure in more 00:20:59.569 --> 00:21:07.750 than God and salvation? The flesh. He delighted. 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:13.539 In Bathsheba more than he delighted in Christ. 00:21:14.619 --> 00:21:18.980 He enjoyed Bathsheba more than he enjoyed God 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:28.180 himself. It's a sad reality. But there's a reason 00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:32.039 that this reality exists. There's a reason that 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:36.920 this discontinuity is present in our lives. The 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:41.789 cause of it. Is sin and corruption within us. 00:21:42.990 --> 00:21:46.910 There's this disparity between God and the character 00:21:46.910 --> 00:21:51.650 of salvation. And our affections. Because of 00:21:51.650 --> 00:22:01.390 sin and corruption within us. Why is that? Because 00:22:01.390 --> 00:22:06.509 when sin is prominent in our life. That means 00:22:06.509 --> 00:22:12.039 corruption. Becomes more prominent. In our hearts. 00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:19.240 Prominence of sin. Lead. To strengthened. And 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:26.119 intensified. Corruption. Within the soul. Thus. 00:22:27.059 --> 00:22:30.680 Weakening. The desires and the will. For that 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:33.380 which is holy and righteous. And strengthening 00:22:33.380 --> 00:22:36.119 the desires and the will. For that which is what? 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:41.970 Wicked. The prominent principle within our hearts 00:22:41.970 --> 00:22:47.089 is that which exerts the most influence on our 00:22:47.089 --> 00:22:51.750 desires, on our longings, on our will, on our 00:22:51.750 --> 00:22:57.289 decisions, on our thinking. It's that which influences 00:22:57.289 --> 00:23:01.390 whether or not we are rejoicing, whether or not 00:23:01.390 --> 00:23:05.349 we are loving, whether or not we are... delighting 00:23:05.349 --> 00:23:13.410 or being fulfilled in Christ. David gave prominence 00:23:13.410 --> 00:23:16.910 to sin and corruption built and that influenced 00:23:16.910 --> 00:23:23.029 his heart and stripped him of enjoyment of God 00:23:23.029 --> 00:23:26.990 and strengthened his will and his desires and 00:23:26.990 --> 00:23:30.009 his longings for that which is wicked. It dulled 00:23:30.009 --> 00:23:34.880 him to holy and righteous things. And it enlivened 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:41.380 him to wicked things. So there's a cause for 00:23:41.380 --> 00:23:44.539 this discontinuity. And the reality is this. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:51.359 The truth of the matter is this. We cannot enjoy 00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:58.720 God as we ought to in this life. We can't. It's 00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:02.880 as though because of sin, And it's corruption. 00:24:03.400 --> 00:24:09.539 For some, there are chains on their enjoyment 00:24:09.539 --> 00:24:13.059 of God, on their affections, on their joy, on 00:24:13.059 --> 00:24:14.960 their pleasure, on their delight, on their satisfaction. 00:24:15.180 --> 00:24:18.319 There's chains restraining them and pulling them 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:23.039 down. For others, there's ropes. For others, 00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:27.740 there's strings. There's a small line. But the 00:24:27.740 --> 00:24:31.109 fact of the matter is, we cannot. Enjoy God as 00:24:31.109 --> 00:24:33.210 we ought in this life because of our remaining 00:24:33.210 --> 00:24:36.730 sin, because of our remaining corruption, and 00:24:36.730 --> 00:24:41.750 also we will not in this life. Those chains, 00:24:42.029 --> 00:24:45.049 those ropes, and those strings, they will stay 00:24:45.049 --> 00:24:48.849 with us until the day we die and go to the grave. 00:24:51.410 --> 00:24:55.250 In the days of your life in this world, you will 00:24:55.250 --> 00:25:00.289 never love God as fully as you could. As fully 00:25:00.289 --> 00:25:04.269 as you ought to because of the sin within you. 00:25:05.089 --> 00:25:07.430 It's true of you. It's true of me. It's true 00:25:07.430 --> 00:25:09.769 of every sinner in this life that has a sin nature. 00:25:10.569 --> 00:25:17.930 But the day is coming when those strings will 00:25:17.930 --> 00:25:21.829 be cut. The day is coming when the chains will 00:25:21.829 --> 00:25:24.349 be stripped away. The day is coming when Christ 00:25:24.349 --> 00:25:27.950 will call us forth from the grave. The day is 00:25:27.950 --> 00:25:30.650 coming when we will enter into the fullness of 00:25:30.650 --> 00:25:35.509 the joy. Unlike wicked men who don't know Christ, 00:25:35.769 --> 00:25:38.970 who have the fullness of their joy in this life, 00:25:39.069 --> 00:25:41.250 their glory in this life, and then they lose 00:25:41.250 --> 00:25:45.789 it at the grave. Men who are believers in Jesus 00:25:45.789 --> 00:25:49.109 Christ, those who know Christ, the people of 00:25:49.109 --> 00:25:52.630 God, they may experience hardship and difficulty 00:25:52.630 --> 00:25:55.910 in this life, but when they were raised, Brothers 00:25:55.910 --> 00:25:58.990 and sisters, it is unto glory, it is unto life, 00:25:59.150 --> 00:26:03.289 and it is unto the fullness of joy. Those chains 00:26:03.289 --> 00:26:10.109 will be taken away. And you will love God as 00:26:10.109 --> 00:26:18.329 you ought to. You will enjoy God in Christ. As 00:26:18.329 --> 00:26:22.990 you can, as God intended, without the restraint 00:26:22.990 --> 00:26:30.910 of sin in you. You will delight in the Lord Jesus 00:26:30.910 --> 00:26:33.569 Christ and the saving realities which he has 00:26:33.569 --> 00:26:36.210 accomplished in a way that you are incapable 00:26:36.210 --> 00:26:39.769 of doing so in this life, in this world right 00:26:39.769 --> 00:26:44.869 now. We will enter into the fullness of joy. 00:26:46.640 --> 00:26:51.779 So we know the cause of this disruption or this 00:26:51.779 --> 00:26:56.519 discontinuity. It's sin. Just as it was so for 00:26:56.519 --> 00:27:00.140 David, it's sin and corruption within him. The 00:27:00.140 --> 00:27:05.440 very presence of corruption within us hinders 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:13.500 us from loving God as we ought to. And willful. 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:22.819 Unrepentant sin greatly, greatly increases and 00:27:22.819 --> 00:27:30.740 intensifies our inability to rejoice in the Lord. 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:35.119 It takes away our senses so that we love God 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:36.920 as we ought, so that we're satisfied and fulfilled 00:27:36.920 --> 00:27:45.539 in Him. Don't we see that with David? discontinuity 00:27:45.539 --> 00:27:49.779 is caused by sin, but it also affects the will. 00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:54.599 Because David says in Psalm 51, in the second 00:27:54.599 --> 00:27:58.400 half of the verse, verse 12, and sustain me with 00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:03.559 a willing spirit. So David is paralleling the 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:08.319 absence of joy with unwillingness. That means 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:11.779 that if he were to have joy, he would be paralleling 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:17.039 it with A willing spirit. Saying there's a relationship 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:26.299 between enjoying God and willing obedience to 00:28:26.299 --> 00:28:32.259 God. He's showing us the reality which we all 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:36.619 understand that if we enjoy something, we willingly 00:28:36.619 --> 00:28:40.839 take part in that thing. So if we enjoy Christ, 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:45.319 if we delight in God, if our affections are stirred 00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:47.900 for the Lord Jesus Christ and these infinite 00:28:47.900 --> 00:28:54.039 gems, then that means we're more willing to walk 00:28:54.039 --> 00:28:59.660 in a manner that's in step with salvation. We're 00:28:59.660 --> 00:29:02.119 more willing to obey the commands of Christ. 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:05.460 We're more willing to walk in accordance with 00:29:05.460 --> 00:29:10.019 the salvation of God. But this isn't absolute. 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:14.960 It's not an absolute relationship in that just 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:17.640 because I don't desire Christ doesn't mean I 00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:22.019 can't will for obedience. Now, we know that's 00:29:22.019 --> 00:29:25.660 present because David is not enjoying God at 00:29:25.660 --> 00:29:31.259 the moment. David is not experiencing great joy 00:29:31.259 --> 00:29:36.220 in his heart yet. He's exercising his will to 00:29:36.220 --> 00:29:42.009 repent of sin and to seek. The face of God through 00:29:42.009 --> 00:29:49.549 prayer. This leads us to the way forward to enjoying 00:29:49.549 --> 00:29:57.329 God now. David's lost it. And it's important 00:29:57.329 --> 00:29:59.150 for us to understand that he didn't lose salvation. 00:29:59.190 --> 00:30:02.730 He's lost the enjoyment of that salvation. By 00:30:02.730 --> 00:30:06.589 grace, he is in possession of all saving realities. 00:30:07.789 --> 00:30:11.130 But that does not mean... That he's receiving, 00:30:11.190 --> 00:30:15.750 he's experiencing joy as a result of all these 00:30:15.750 --> 00:30:20.309 saving realities. So how do we, after we've lost 00:30:20.309 --> 00:30:31.289 it, restore it if possible? We must place duty 00:30:31.289 --> 00:30:40.160 before desire. We have to. You don't wait around 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:49.799 for enjoyment of God to obey God. Just because 00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:57.980 we don't feel like reading our Bibles. Just because 00:30:57.980 --> 00:31:02.019 we don't desire to pray to God. Just because... 00:31:03.369 --> 00:31:06.569 I don't desire to go to church and worship. Just 00:31:06.569 --> 00:31:09.430 because I don't desire to have an edifying conversation 00:31:09.430 --> 00:31:12.630 does not mean that the duty does not still remain. 00:31:15.990 --> 00:31:22.849 We can't wait around for desire to obey. The 00:31:22.849 --> 00:31:28.549 greatness of God's salvation is unchanging. The 00:31:28.549 --> 00:31:33.059 obligations and the commands. of that salvation 00:31:33.059 --> 00:31:39.859 and the law of God are unchanging. We must place 00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:45.759 duty before desire. That's what David is doing. 00:31:46.839 --> 00:31:52.319 We must exercise the will in hopes of bringing 00:31:52.319 --> 00:32:00.670 along the desire. So what do you do? when you 00:32:00.670 --> 00:32:07.710 don't desire God? What do you do when you don't 00:32:07.710 --> 00:32:12.430 enjoy the things of God and salvation? What do 00:32:12.430 --> 00:32:20.549 you do when you don't enjoy worshiping God? You 00:32:20.549 --> 00:32:26.250 use your will and you obey anyways. Surely, if 00:32:26.250 --> 00:32:29.130 there's a relationship between enjoyment of God 00:32:29.400 --> 00:32:33.059 and the will, as we see in the text, then there's 00:32:33.059 --> 00:32:37.460 also a relationship between the will and our 00:32:37.460 --> 00:32:42.259 enjoyment of God. There's times, brothers and 00:32:42.259 --> 00:32:46.099 sisters, when you're just going to have to pick 00:32:46.099 --> 00:32:50.019 up your desire and take it along for a trip, 00:32:50.039 --> 00:32:55.039 whether it wants to go or not, because you have 00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:57.720 to obey Christ because he's a good master and 00:32:57.720 --> 00:33:01.839 he's a good Lord. Whether or not you feel like 00:33:01.839 --> 00:33:08.579 it. Use your mind, use your will, and obey, even 00:33:08.579 --> 00:33:11.079 if you don't desire it, even if you don't long 00:33:11.079 --> 00:33:13.960 for it, even if you don't enjoy doing it. This 00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:17.720 is why Paul exhorts Timothy to discipline yourself 00:33:17.720 --> 00:33:22.319 for the purpose of godliness. Because discipline 00:33:22.319 --> 00:33:28.869 is not dependent on desire. We have to discipline 00:33:28.869 --> 00:33:32.569 ourselves for the purpose of godliness and holiness 00:33:32.569 --> 00:33:36.730 in our lives so that we pursue Christ even when 00:33:36.730 --> 00:33:41.650 we don't desire Christ. That's what you have 00:33:41.650 --> 00:33:43.289 to do and that's what I have to do, brothers 00:33:43.289 --> 00:33:48.609 and sisters. When you don't feel like it, will 00:33:48.609 --> 00:33:57.380 it? When you don't want it, will it? Do it. And 00:33:57.380 --> 00:34:02.460 hopefully, your desires will change gradually. 00:34:03.059 --> 00:34:08.199 They will be morphed over time. After all, isn't 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:12.519 this part of sanctification? Isn't this part 00:34:12.519 --> 00:34:15.179 of God's gracious work of sanctification in the 00:34:15.179 --> 00:34:19.800 life of His people? Will He not graciously change 00:34:19.800 --> 00:34:28.880 us and transform us over time? We must also recognize, 00:34:29.199 --> 00:34:35.119 we must realize that change within us is never 00:34:35.119 --> 00:34:44.840 an excuse to sin against God. Just because something 00:34:44.840 --> 00:34:52.679 is going on in your heart does not give you cause 00:34:52.679 --> 00:35:01.599 to transgress a holy and a righteous The changes 00:35:01.599 --> 00:35:06.579 within us have to take a back seat from time 00:35:06.579 --> 00:35:10.699 to time so that we're obedient to his holy and 00:35:10.699 --> 00:35:13.940 his righteous requirements of us in this life. 00:35:16.119 --> 00:35:21.980 We cannot excuse away our actions. We cannot 00:35:21.980 --> 00:35:25.619 excuse away our transgressions, our iniquity, 00:35:25.619 --> 00:35:28.519 our slanderous speech. We cannot excuse away 00:35:28.519 --> 00:35:33.739 our evil tongue and its consequences. Just because 00:35:33.739 --> 00:35:38.139 I'm going through something, just because I'm 00:35:38.139 --> 00:35:42.300 dealing with something, the changes within us 00:35:42.300 --> 00:35:47.880 are never an opportunity to excuse sin against 00:35:47.880 --> 00:35:54.860 a great and a good and a holy God. He doesn't 00:35:54.860 --> 00:36:03.679 change. Neither does his grace. But we do. We're 00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:07.460 going to. You're going to. You're going to deal 00:36:07.460 --> 00:36:09.260 with things in your heart, brothers and sisters. 00:36:09.599 --> 00:36:11.880 You're going to go through difficult times. You're 00:36:11.880 --> 00:36:15.800 going to have hardships. But don't use those 00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:19.949 as opportunities. to sin against God. Use those 00:36:19.949 --> 00:36:22.989 as opportunities to grow in godliness and holiness 00:36:22.989 --> 00:36:25.250 and faithfulness, to see His faithfulness and 00:36:25.250 --> 00:36:30.969 His goodness in your life. In those times, lean 00:36:30.969 --> 00:36:41.489 into Christ. Don't pull away from Him. We must 00:36:41.489 --> 00:36:46.230 recognize that true enjoyment of God must follow. 00:36:46.909 --> 00:36:51.909 genuine repentance of sin. Take Psalm 51 .12 00:36:51.909 --> 00:37:00.250 and insert it in the verse 1 of Psalm 51. Restore 00:37:00.250 --> 00:37:04.849 to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me 00:37:04.849 --> 00:37:08.469 with a willing spirit. What if that were the 00:37:08.469 --> 00:37:13.960 first thing David asked in this psalm? What is 00:37:13.960 --> 00:37:16.099 the first thing he sought out? The first thing 00:37:16.099 --> 00:37:23.960 he pled for prior to repenting of his sin, confessing 00:37:23.960 --> 00:37:27.820 his sin, asking for forgiveness, dealing with 00:37:27.820 --> 00:37:34.159 his sin. It would be completely backwards. You 00:37:34.159 --> 00:37:40.480 cannot enjoy God and salvation while you simultaneously 00:37:41.550 --> 00:37:47.809 Revel and enjoy iniquity and sin. If you want 00:37:47.809 --> 00:37:51.949 to enjoy God in Christ, if you want to enjoy 00:37:51.949 --> 00:37:55.690 grace and mercy, if you want to enjoy those things 00:37:55.690 --> 00:38:01.329 in your soul, in your heart, in your mind, you 00:38:01.329 --> 00:38:04.550 must give up that sinful thing which you so truly 00:38:04.550 --> 00:38:10.250 enjoy. You must forsake it. The reality is we 00:38:10.250 --> 00:38:15.610 may have seasons and times in our lives because 00:38:15.610 --> 00:38:18.530 of the fall and because of our fallenness and 00:38:18.530 --> 00:38:21.449 the corruption within us that we just don't enjoy 00:38:21.449 --> 00:38:27.829 God and Christ because of our fallenness. We 00:38:27.829 --> 00:38:31.130 don't have to actively and willingly be in sin 00:38:31.130 --> 00:38:33.889 to not enjoy God. But there's something broken 00:38:33.889 --> 00:38:36.409 within us, brothers and sisters, because of sin. 00:38:37.610 --> 00:38:40.250 Things are not what they ought to be all the 00:38:40.250 --> 00:38:45.449 time. But the reality is, if you are actively 00:38:45.449 --> 00:38:49.929 and willingly clinging to sin, you cannot enjoy 00:38:49.929 --> 00:38:58.929 God with certainty. You will not have joy in 00:38:58.929 --> 00:39:03.179 Christ. You will not be satisfied and you will 00:39:03.179 --> 00:39:06.139 not be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ if 00:39:06.139 --> 00:39:08.760 you are actively living in sin and you are refusing 00:39:08.760 --> 00:39:13.019 to repent of it. You should not expect to enjoy 00:39:13.019 --> 00:39:16.519 him. You should not expect to delight in Christ 00:39:16.519 --> 00:39:18.900 because you are delighting and you are being 00:39:18.900 --> 00:39:24.340 pleased with sin. So give up that which you enjoy 00:39:24.340 --> 00:39:30.260 for something that's so much better. Give up 00:39:30.260 --> 00:39:34.699 and lay down the fool's gold. And lay hold of 00:39:34.699 --> 00:39:39.139 true riches in the Lord Jesus Christ. It will 00:39:39.139 --> 00:39:43.519 be worth it. You will be satisfied and you will 00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:46.480 be joyful and you will be hopeful and you will 00:39:46.480 --> 00:39:48.440 have an assurance and you will have a confidence 00:39:48.440 --> 00:39:55.219 in Christ that fool's gold cannot give you. It's 00:39:55.219 --> 00:40:00.610 a lie. It doesn't do anything for you, even though 00:40:00.610 --> 00:40:07.369 it sparkles. It's not worth it, brothers and 00:40:07.369 --> 00:40:16.750 sisters. We must trust in Christ, knowing that 00:40:16.750 --> 00:40:23.670 we can only enjoy salvation by faith in Him. 00:40:26.539 --> 00:40:30.940 We cannot feast on the things of God if we are 00:40:30.940 --> 00:40:37.559 not feasting on Christ by faith. Are you trusting 00:40:37.559 --> 00:40:46.440 him in your life? Are you dependent on him and 00:40:46.440 --> 00:40:50.880 him alone for all the saving realities in your 00:40:50.880 --> 00:40:56.059 life? Because it's through him and it's by faith 00:40:56.059 --> 00:41:03.320 that we can truly enjoy God himself and the things 00:41:03.320 --> 00:41:04.559 of salvation.