People in Prayer (David) Psalm 51

Sermon Notes. People in Prayer (David) Psalm 51

How do you get back God’s JOY when you feel crushed and broken by sin and failure in your life?

Today we’re looking at King David who messed up in the most horrendous and heart-breaking way, by committing adultery and having an innocent man murdered – 2 Samuel Ch 11 to Ch 12.

King David is a godly man, a man after God’s own heart, a worship leader and a writer of many of the songs of the Bible, The Psalms.

Question: How did a man who loved GOD as David loved GOD, ever get to that place in his life?

Instead of keeping his sin before God a private secret, David goes public and writes this beautiful, open, honest, heartfelt Psalm of confession, repentance and restoration that we know as Psalm 51. He writes for everyone to see, for everybody to know, for us to learn from his mistakes and the great pain his mistakes caused, not only to himself, but those around him.

1: Get Real and get honest with GOD about the sin and guilt and failure in your own heart and life.

It’s true that David at first tried to cover up his sin. BUT eventually GOD caught up with him and sent the Prophet Nathan to confront him with God’s truth. David’s heart broke and finally he owned up to what he had done wrong before GOD.

Isn’t it true that none of us find it easy to SEE when we are in the wrong and own up to our own wrongs?

1 John 1:8-9, ‘If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, GOD is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’

We’re to be OPEN and HONEST and REAL before GOD about our sin – ‘LORD I’m sorry, it was ME. I was WRONG and I was in the wrong.

That’s exactly what David does here in verse 1 and 2. ‘Have mercy on me (I don’t deserve it LORD)’ ‘I desperately need your love – YOUR COMPASSION, because I’m totally in the wrong here – I’m at fault – no excuses.

Three times he says – My Transgression – My iniquity – My sin.

GOD can FORGIVE anything in Your life.

GOD can CHANGE anything in Your life.

If only we’re REAL and HONEST and REPENTANT before HIM. And it begins here with OPEN – HONEST – ADMISSION and CONFESSION of our sins.

PRAYER: ‘We ask YOU to awaken our souls in Confession of sin and repentance.’

We always need a fresh work of GOD daily to awaken our souls, to see again, to feel again, the Holy Spirit doing His work of Grace to convict us of our sin. So that we may turn from it and be totally set free!

2: Look with HOPE to JESUS and to the CROSS because that’s where GOD meets us, pardons us, cleanses and creates a NEW HEART in us.

When you read this Psalm you see that King David is totally shattered and broken by the sense of shame and guilt and pain of what he has done. You sense his brokenness in v17, ‘a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.’ David’s heart is broken because he knows that his sin has broken not only God’s rules – BUT broken God’s heart. And so David cries out to be CLEANSE!

V7, ‘Wash me whiter than snow.’

3: When you are forgiven, go tell others of God’s amazing grace and then live differently for everyone to see the change that God has made in you. V13 to 19

King David in verse 12 says, ‘Restore to me the JOY of your salvation.’ The JOY of knowing and loving You LORD.

He says, I lost all my JOY in YOU LORD. Guilt does that, it ROBS you of the JOY of JESUS. That’s why Satan loves to throw a blanket of guilt over your soul, because then he can ROB you of the JOY of knowing JESUS.

BUT Now that’s David cleansed and forgiven, pardoned and released of all his GUILT and FAILURE.

HIS heart is flooded with JOY again and He wants to tell everybody what the LORD has done for him. Psalm 52:13, ‘Then I will teach transgressors Your ways. Then I can show to other guilty ones how loving and merciful you are. They will find their way back home to you, knowing that you will forgive them.’

Because of JESUS – ALL because of GRACE – there’s a GIFT of a Saviour for any sinner who feels their need of it today.

Question: What about YOU? Do You feel Your need of forgiveness today – for the very first time or the one hundredth and first time? JUST COME!