“The Heart Break Of Sin”

Ben Bailey

 

Intro:

1.      Psalm 51 is the prayer of a convicted sinner—namely King David.

2.      This Psalm was written after David’s sexual relations with Bathsheba, and the murder of her husband Uriah.

3.      The introduction to this Psalm also signifies that it was written after David realized he was the man (2 Sam 12).

4.      This Psalm draws a line of distinction in David’s life between a bold, courageous King, to a humble, penitent servant of God.

5.      To truly understand the depth of this Psalm, one must understand the background of King David and the events of 2 Samuel 11-12.

 

I.                   Background of King David.

A.    Characteristics of King David.

1.      David was a wise man in all his ways.  (I Sam 18:14)

2.      David is spoken of as one of the most faithful men of Israel.  (I Sam 22:14)

3.      David is portrayed as a man who looked to God for counsel (I Sam 23:2).

4.      David was a man who had a godly, sincere conscience (I Sam 24:5).

5.      David was a very compassionate man.  (2 Sam 1:17)

6.      David was a man who feared God (2 Sam 6:9).

 

II.                The Turning Point in David’s Life (2 Sam 11-12).

A.    The Sin with Bathsheba. (2 Sam 11)

1.      In vs. 1 when Kings usually went out to war, for some reason David stayed in Jerusalem.  Then in vs. 2 David seems to be in a state of boredom, which led to his captivation with Bathsheba's nude body.  (Amos 6:1).

2.      Then in vs. 3-5, because of the lust of the eyes, David gave into the lust of the flesh and committed fornication with Bathsheba.

3.      Because of David’s sin, Bathsheba became pregnant, which eventually led to the pride of life causing David to deceive Uriah, and then kill him (1 Jn. 2:15-17).

4.      Then, in chapter 12 David is brought to his knees when Nathan forces Him to see his sin.

5.      Now, because of the above events Psalm 51 enters the picture.

 

Body:

I.                  David’s plea for Mercy according to...  Vs. 1-2

 

A.    God’s lovingkindness (Vs.1).

1.      The Loving kindness of the Lord is…

a.       a life preserver (Ps 40:11).

b.      Marvellous (Ps 17:7).

B.     The Lord’s mercy (Vs. 1)

1.      The Lord’s mercy is…

a.       a preventive of God’s wrath (Lam 3:22)

b.      new towards sinners every morning (Lam 3:23).

 

II.               David’s confession of sin (Vs. 3-6)

 

A.    David unhesitantly admits to his sin.  (Vs. 3-4,Josh 7:19, James 5:16-17, I Jn 1:9).

B.     David expresses the depth of his sin (Vs. 5-6).

1.      In vs. 5 David uses the hyperbole, “I was born in sin” to testify of the sinfulness of his sin.

2.      This verse, however, does not teach total inherited depravity for the following reasons:

a.       It contradicts other passages in the Bible (Ezek 18:20, Matt 19:14, 18:3).

b.      It contradicts the rules of hermeneutics.

c.       It does not harmonize with the plan of salvation.  A baby can not meet the requirements for salvation.

d.      It contradicts the perfect nature of Jesus Christ (Heb 4:15, I Pet 2:22, 2 Cor 5:21, I Pet 1:19).

 

III.           David’s prayer for forgiveness (Vs. 7-12).

 

A.    In these verses, David begs God for…

1.      A spiritual cleansing (vs. 7).

2.      A joyful spirit (vs. 8).

3.      A clean heart (vs. 10).

4.      A continuation of the presence of the Almighty (vs. 11).

5.      A restoration of Salvation (vs. 12).

B.     The New Testament teaches that when Christians sin they should pray for forgiveness (Acts 8:22, I Jn 2:1-2).

IV.           David’s resolve for obedience (vs. 13-19).

 

A.    As a result of God’s forgiveness David promises to…

1.      Be evangelistic for God (vs. 13,Mk 16:15, 2 Cor 4:13, I Pet 2:9, Col 1:28).

2.      Praise the righteousness of God (vs. 14-15, James 5:13, Psalm 19:1ff, Jude 24-25).

3.      Posses a penitent spirit towards God.  (Lk 13:3,5; 2 Cor 7:10).

 

Conclusion:

            Just as David was brought to a state of penitence due to the acknowledgement of his sins, so must we.  May we never reach a point where we have seared our conscience to the point that we can not repent (I Tim 4:1-3).  God help us to always be a people of repentance!!!