THE VALUE OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS

 

 

Psalm 32:1-11

 

Prayer

 

Let me set the stage.

King David was walking on the roof of his palace (II Sam. 11:2).

 

 

He paused to look down on the city below.

He saw a woman taking a bath on the roof of her house.

 

 

She should’ve had on clothes.

She should’ve bathed inside the house.

 

 

At the risk of sounding like a sexist, adultery sometimes happens when         

women aren’t as modest as they should be.

The other side of this is that this woman’s indiscretion didn’t absolve David.

 

 

He didn’t have to commit adultery.

But he sent messengers to find out who this woman was.

 

 

Her name was Bathsheba.

She was married.

 

 

Her husband was out on the battlefield.

David invited her to the palace.

 

 

He got her pregnant.

It was a sin he decided to cover it up.

 

Bathsheba was married to a man named Uriah.

David sent for him.

 

 

He told Uriah to go home;

And spend the night with his wife.

 

 

He wanted Uriah to sleep with his wife so he would think that he was the       

father of Bathsheba’s baby.

But Uriah DIDN’T go home.

 

 

David found out about it.

He sent for Uriah a second time.

 

 

He got him drunk;

Told him to go home a second time.

 

 

But Uriah STILL didn’t go home.

So David arranged to have him killed on the battlefield.

 

 

He married Bathsheba.

And acted like nothing ever happened.

 

 

But God didn’t let him get away with it.

David’s conscience bothered him.

 

 

He was tormented;

And ashamed.

 

 

Edgar Allan Poe wrote a story called, “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

The main character killed a man.

He buried the man’s body in his basement.

One night, the killer heard a heartbeat.

 

 

Beat, beat, beat (on chest).

It was his own heart.

 

 

But he thought it was his victim’s heart.

His conscience was bothering him.

 

 

He went to bed.

He couldn’t sleep.

 

 

He heard it.

Beat, beat, beat (on chest).

 

 

He was afraid.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

 

 

He lost his mind.

That’s what King David was going through.

 

 

His conscience bothered him.

Approximately one year passed.

 

 

And the prophet Nathan showed up.

He confronted David with his sin.

 

 

David quickly confessed.

He asked God to forgive him.

 

And God did.

This brings us to the first two verses of today’s text.

 

 

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered”

(Psa. 32:1).

“Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in        

whose spirit there is no guile” (Psa. 32:2).

 

 

The word “blessed” means “happy.”

Here are four things that will make you happy.

 

 

To have:

          Your transgression forgiven,

          Your sin covered,

          Your iniquity not imputed to you,

          Your spirit free of guile.

 

 

1st---It will make you happy to have your transgression forgiven.

The word “transgression” is a strong word.

 

 

It means your “defiant disobedience.”

Or your “deliberate rebellion” against God.

 

 

That’s what David did when he committed adultery.

He knew it was wrong.

 

 

But he did it anyway.

Do you do that?

 

 

Do you do things that you know are wrong?

If the answer is yes, you’re committing transgressions.

You’re deliberately defying God.

The word “forgiven” means “carried away,” or “removed.”

 

 

And David was saying, “It will make you happy to have your deliberate        

defiance of God carried away or removed.”

2nd---It will make you happy to have your sin covered.

 

 

The word “sin” is not as strong as the word “transgression.”

We can sin without deliberately defying God;

 

 

Sin out of ignorance;

Sin by mistake.

 

 

The word “covered” means “concealed,” or “put out of sight.”

And David was saying, “It will make you happy to have your sins concealed

or put out of sight.”

 

 

3rd---It will make you happy to have your iniquity not imputed to you.

The word “iniquity” means “crookedness,” or “distortion.”

 

 

David was suppose to reflect the image of God.

But his adultery distorted the image of God.

 

 

Do you do that?

Do you give people the wrong impression of God?

 

 

A woman stopped her car at a traffic light.

The light turned green.

 

 

 

The car in front of her didn’t move right away.

She started blowing her horn, shaking her fist and yelling.

 

 

A policeman tapped on the window of her car.

He arrested her;

 

 

Took her to jail.

Later, he released her.

 

 

He said, “I saw those stickers on your car: “Choose Life,” “WWJD,”

“Follow Me to Church.”

“I saw the way you was acting.”

 

 

“I thought you was a car thief.”

The phrase “not imputed,” means “not charged,” or “not counted.”

 

 

And David was saying, “It will make you happy to have your distorted         

example of God not counted against you.”

4th---It will make you happy to have your spirit free of guile.

 

 

The word “guile” means “deceit,” or “a lie.”

David tried to deceive people by covering up what he did.

 

 

He tried to live a lie by acting like nothing happened.

Do you do that?

 

 

Try to deceive people by covering up the sin in your life?

Do you sin and act like nothing’s wrong?

 

 

 

David was saying, “It will make you happy to stop the deception and admit  

the truth.”

He was miserable trying to live a lie.

 

 

But the forgiveness of God turned that around.

Verses three and four are very important.

 

 

They’re saying unforgiven sin can affect your health.

This is what one of Job’s friends tried to tell him (Job 8).

 

 

It just so happens that he was wrong in that case.

But David said, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my        

roaring all the day long.”

 

 

“For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me:”

“My moisture is turned into the drought of summer” (Psalm 32:3-4).

 

 

He said, “When I kept silence;”

“When I tried to act like nothing happened;”

 

 

“When I tried to live a lie;”

“My bones waxed old.”

 

 

“I was aging.”

He was suffering physically.

 

 

He said, “I roared all day long.”

“I was groaning;”

 

 

 

“Oh me! I wish I hadn’t done that.”

He was suffering emotionally.

 

 

 

He said, “Day and night thy hand was heavy upon me.”

“I was under conviction.”

 

 

“God wouldn’t let me forget my sins.”

He said, “My moisture is turned into the drought of summer.”

 

 

“I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore.”

Unconfessed sin made him tired.

 

 

It made him grow old before his time.

It was separating him from God;

 

 

And breaking his heart.

I wondered if the medical profession believes that unconfessed sin can affect         

our health.

 

 

Dr. Karl Menninger is a famous psychiatrist.

He said, “If we could convince the patients in psychiatric hospitals that their

sins were forgiven, SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT of them could walk   

out the next day.”

 

 

An unnamed doctor said, “Unconfessed sin leads to guilt.”

“Guilt is like a red light on the dash of your car.”

 

 

“When a red light appears on the dash of your car, you need to stop and do

something about it.”

“When you feel guilty, you need to stop and do something about it.”

I wondered if any preachers believe that unconfessed sin can affect our        

 health.

Rev. Brian Bill said, “Anger and bitterness can come AS A RESULT OF      

UNCONFESSED SIN.”

 

 

He said, “Ulcers, high blood pressure, migraine headaches, and lower back  

pain can come from CONCEALING OUR SINS.”

I wondered if the Bible says anything about unconfessed sin making us grow          

old before our time.

 

 

I remembered that God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree of  

knowledge of good and evil.

He said, “If you do, you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17).

 

 

They sinned.

And the moment they sinned, they started aging and dying.

 

 

Before they sinned, they possessed eternal life.

After they sinned, they aged and died.

 

 

Let’s go back to David.

The prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin.

 

 

It was embarrassing.

But it was also one of the best things that ever happened to him.

 

 

He said, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid.”

“I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD;”

 

 

“And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Verse 5).

David didn’t make any excuses.

He didn’t blame Bathsheba.

He didn’t gloss it over.

 

 

He talked about “my sin,” “mine iniquity,” “my transgressions.”

And God forgave him.

 

 

Two women were sitting in Church when the preacher condemned adultery.

“Amen, Brother.”

 

 

Lying.

“Preach it.”

 

 

Murder.

“Tell it like it is.”

 

 

Gossiping.

“He’s done quit preaching and gone to meddling.”

 

 

They were sinning.

They didn’t want it pointed out.

 

 

We can’t do that.

We have to be honest;

 

 

To admit the extent of our sin in all of it’s awfulness.

I’d rather overstate my sin to God than to understate it.

 

 

He knows my heart.

If I’m honest about the awfulness of my sin, He will forgive me.

 

But if I keep trying to live a lie, He won’t.

I wondered if Jesus believed that unconfessed sin can affect our health.

 

 

I didn’t find a direct statement about this.

But He connected healing and forgiveness.

 

 

He told several different people, “Thy sins are forgiven.”

And when His enemies challenged Him, He proved His right to forgive sins   

by healing those people (Matt. 9:1-7; Mark 2:1-11).

 

 

Jesus healed the man who had been cripple for thirty-eight years.

He told that man, “sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (Jn. 5:14).

 

 

Some say He meant stop sinning.

Or you will be sick again and it will be worse than being crippled for thirty-eight

years.

 

 

Others say He meant stop sinning.

Or you will be cast into hell.

 

 

I can’t settle the debate.

But it’s obvious that unforgiven sin would be a disaster for this man.

 

 

Paul was talking about Communion when he said, “he that eateth and  

drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not         

discerning the Lord's body.”

“For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

 

 

“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

“But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not  

be condemned with the world” (I Cor. 11:29-32).

He was saying, “Many are sick and dying because of sin.”

“If we seek forgiveness, God won’t have to judge us.”

 

 

“But if we don’t seek forgiveness, He will have to judge us.

“If He doesn’t judge us, He will have to condemn us with the lost.”

 

 

That’s why God chastens unforgiven believers with sickness and death.

It’s so He won’t have to cast us into the Lake of Fire.

 

 

It’s brought about by the love of God.

Paul said, “whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth” (Heb.12:6).

 

 

But let’s be very careful.

It would be wrong to say that all sickness is the result of unforgiven sin.

 

 

Jesus was plain about that (and the story of Job is too).

But Jesus and His disciples passed a man who was blind from birth.

 

 

His disciples asked, “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he    

was born blind?”

“Jesus answered, Neither” (Jn. 9:2-3).

 

 

He was born blind so I can demonstrate the power of God.

Paul was shipwrecked on the Island of Melita.

 

 

A poisonous snake bit him (Acts 28:1-6).

Those with him said, “this man is a murderer.”

 

They believed he was being chastened by God.

But when Paul’s arm didn’t swell up they changed their minds and said he is

God.

They were wrong on both accounts.

But the thing that I want you to see is that SOMETIMES sickness is the result        

of unforgiven sin.

 

 

James said, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church;          

and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the     Lord:”

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up;”

 

 

“And if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15).

Let’s go back to our text.

 

 

In verse 6 David said, “For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in         

a time when thou mayest be found” (Verse 6a).

He was saying, “Pray for forgiveness while you can.”

 

 

It’s a mistake to assume that you have plenty of time to seek forgiveness.

Make things right with God before He decides to chasten you.

 

 

In verse 6 David also said, “Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not         

come nigh unto him” (Verse 6).

Trouble will come into your life.

 

 

But if you are a forgiven person, you will have God’s help.

In verse 7 David said, “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from        

trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.”

 

 

This is David’s about face.

He went from trying to hide his sin to letting God hide HIM from his sin;

 

 

 

From being chastised by the heavy hand of God to being protected by the    

heavy hand of God;

From crying until he couldn’t cry anymore to being surrounded with songs of        

deliverance.

 

 

In Verse 8 David said, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which    

thou shalt go:”

“I will guide thee with mine eye.”

 

 

David has some words of advice.

“Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding:”

 

 

“Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto  

thee” (Verse 9).

Don’t be like a wild horse.

 

 

Don’t be like a hard-headed mule.

You have to put a bit and bridle in their mouth or they won’t come near you.

 

 

We’ve all heard the story about the man who hitched up a mule.

He took a two-by-four and hit him over the head.

 

 

“Why did you do that,” someone asked?

“ Because I have to get his attention?

 

 

If you need to seek forgiveness, don’t wait until God has to get your attention.

Don’t wait until He has to put a bridle of discipline on you.

 

 

David closed on a high note.

“Many sorrows shall be to the wicked:”

 

“But he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.”

“Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous:”

 

 

“And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (Verses 10 and 11).

Unforgiven people will face hardship.

 

 

Forgiven people will receive mercy.

That’s something that we should rejoice and shout about that.