Blessed is the one whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against
whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For
when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For
day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the
heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my
iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you
forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah (Psalm 32:1-5 ESV)
Your
greatest problem is sin. The Apollo 13 spacecraft’s problem was caused years
before the flight but circumstances eventually surfaced the issue, nearly costing
them their lives. Similarly your problem was caused millenniums ago and current
personal circumstances often reveal the dilemma, which can negatively impact
your eternal life.
Why do so
many people no longer recognize the Good News?
They have lost an awareness of the bad news. Most cultures today prefer
to emphasize everybody has an ounce of good instead of addressing the seed of
sin. People no longer see the need for God’s solution because they have
deceived themselves about their true condition. When someone refuses to realize
the bad news they cannot recognize the Good News.
Depression
easily occurs when a person finally senses and fully comprehends the problem.
By embracing the Good News, coming to Jesus, they are rewarded with divine joy.
How should
someone respond when confronted with the reality of their problem? Justifying yourself does not bring peace of
mind and creates a greater element of lost. Blaming others does not bring peace
of mind and causes rejection. Only confession brings peace of mind, triggering
forgiveness and cleansing.
The book of
Psalms is filled with human feelings. People naturally face multiple issues,
make numerous decisions, and experience various sentiments every day. Many thoughts
are pleasant, some are not. David was a person in tune with his emotions. He
had good and bad moments. Sometimes he wrote a somber bit of prose, other times
he put his exuberance to music and sang to his heart’s delight.
Psalms 32
is a song of joy, beginning with “Blessed is the one” and ending with “be glad
in the Lord and rejoice.” What made David joyful enough to create this song? He
did wrong, accepted responsibility, fully repented, and experienced divine forgiveness.
Forgiveness makes the heart sing.
Augustine,
the ancient theologian, loved this psalm. His personal story involves a wicked
lifestyle prior to following Jesus. He discovered the greatness of God’s
forgiveness and entered a life of heavenly joy.
The gospels
record the story of a woman demonstrating her gratitude by washing Jesus’ feet
with tears and pouring expensive perfume on them. Leaders were upset but Jesus
responded, “I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved
much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:47 ESV)
Those who
know forgiveness know love. When forgiven much love is expressed lavishly.
Those witnessing the woman’s devotion to Jesus were embarrassed by the
demonstration of love she gave. They would not have been uncomfortable if they
had a greater sense of forgiveness.
The need for forgiveness
The
unchurched and churched often disagree on the shape and design of morality, yet
common ground exists in a few areas. Both groups consider murdering, stealing
and cheating as wrong. Church people also add pride, jealousy, and greed to the
list, although maybe not as critical as the really
big sins. Truthfully pride, jealousy
and greed are the roots of murdering, stealing and cheating, and the roots are
equal to the fruits.
Like the
ancient Pharisees, many think they have not done anything really bad and God only needs to forgive the obviously big. The outcome? The depth of love for God and expressions
of love are impacted.
Everyone is
regularly guilty of pride, envy, jealousy and greed. These attitudes must be
overcome. They produce wrongful acts.
The psalmist
mentions four wrongs people commit.
Transgression means “to trespass.” Stuart
Briscoe went for a walk in the country with his father and came upon a sign
that stated “Trespassers will be prosecuted.” He asked his dad what it meant
and his father said with a grin, “It means that if you go where you shouldn’t
you’ll be propped up and shot.” Stuart wrote, “I heard the words but didn’t
understand the grin.”
Trespassing
is going someplace where you should not go and bearing the consequences. You are
to operate within certain limits for the good of yourself and others. Some call
these limitations outmoded, repressive or Victorian, yet the Bible calls
actions outside the limits as transgressions. Every time you step over the line
you are committing a rebellious act. How many times have you stepped into the
territory of selfishness and covetousness?
Forgiveness is needed.
Sin means “missing the mark.” or failing
to do what you should. Transgression
is doing what you should not and sin
is not doing what you should.
The Holy
Spirit brings an injustice to your attention yet the mind calculates, “If I
speak out an opportunity for advancement could be spoiled.” Silence reigns and
sin is committed.
The
newspaper constantly reports defenseless people being attacked in public places
yet bystander often think, “I better not get involved. I should protect myself.
I may get hurt.”
God’s commandments
are not always negative; “Thou shalt not….” Many are positive; “Thou shalt…”
and are areas where wrong often flourishes. What are you failing to do that
ought to be done? Forgiveness is needed.
Iniquity means “to pervert what is right,”
making right actions wrong, doing something with wrong intents and motives.
Praying is
right, financially giving to the local church is right, and attending church is
right. What if praying is for the purpose of dictating to God something you
want done your way? What if giving is for the purpose of achieving special
status and recognition? What if attending church is for the purpose of gaining
business clients?
Every time
intent and motive are not in line with right purposes, wrong is committed and
forgiveness is needed.
Deceit means “to project that which is
false.” Hypocrisy is a word describing this wrong, meaning play acting or performing behind a mask.
Several
biographies and autobiographies of standup comedians and class clowns disclose
a good number of these people are hiding behind the mask of secret pain,
covering hurt by making others laugh. Yet these types of actions can be far more
serious, such as telling God things you do not mean, making promises you have
no intention of doing.
In earlier
years church members sang, “I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord!”
Really? Many actually cannot imagine living away from family members or their hometown.
Parents often
dedicate children to the Lord. What would you tell your child if they came to
you and said, “I sense God is calling me to serve in a hostile foreign land?”
The act of dedication is not just some kind of pious religious ceremony but has
life-changing ramifications.
Some attending
church think they have not done anything really
bad. In reality everyone has committed various wrongs in a big way. Believers
do what is forbidden, leave undone what is required, pervert what is right, and
project what is false every day.
Yet the
Good News is that the greatness of wrongfulness qualifies you for the vastness
of forgiveness.
The divine response to forgiveness
Martin
Luther was asked what his favorite psalms were. He replied, “The psalms of
Paul.” The Apostle Paul did not write any of the Old Testament Psalms but he
used them quite often in his correspondence, including Psalms 32.
Luther enjoyed
Paul’s psalms because Luther had problems finding peace with God and sensing forgiveness.
He tried to do what religious leaders told him but still felt guilty. When he
finally realized forgiveness was possible by God’s grace instead of by personal
effort, Luther found profound joy.
Three aspects
of grace are mentioned in this psalm.
Forgiven! Are you familiar with the term
scapegoat? The scapegoat was
originally part of worshiping God. An unblemished animal was selected and the
High Priest would lay his hands on its head, confessing the sins of the people.
He would put the weight of sin on the goat and send the creature into the
wilderness. The action is the basic meaning of the word forgiven in this psalm, demonstrating the way God addresses your
sins and removes them from His sight.
Another
football season is about to begin. When it is over many NFL teams will have done
poorly and the scapegoat practice will be carried out. The failure of teams
will include injuries of crucial athletes and players not skillfully executing
to their fullest potential. In order to restore fan confidence franchise owners
will be looking to blame someone. They cannot sack an entire team so the coach usually
becomes the scapegoat. He is blamed for the shortcomings of players and becomes
the sacrifice.
Covered! God is committed to forgiving
sins and transgressions so thoroughly that they are out of sight. Rebellion and
pride are sheltered from His view. The covering
places wrongness out of mind and out of remembrance. Iniquities
and deceptions are forgotten. Psalmists describe the experience as buried in
the depths of the sea and removed as far as the east is from the west.
Imputed! “Blessed is the man against
whom the LORD counts no iniquity.” (V. 2) He will not put on your account your
debts. They were placed on Jesus’ ledger. The Lord accepts full responsibility
for your faults. You can never repay the huge obligation you owe. Christ has
made it possible to live a life accumulating heavenly assets.
When you
realize the greatness of your blunders and the depth of God’s forgiveness, a
foundation is laid for a new experience.
The right response to forgiveness
Some
mistakenly think that once confession is made and forgiveness received, they
are free to behave as before. Forgiveness gives an opportunity to be different.
When Jesus
forgave the woman caught in adultery His response was not, “Ah, just forget it!”
He insisted that since she was forgiven she should, “Go and sin no more.” (John
8:11)
What
demonstrates a person has received mercy? Becoming more merciful to others! The
forgiven become great forgivers. Harshness does not show forgiveness. Your
response to grace is forgiving the boss who abuses, the church member who
disappoints, the spouse who upsets, and the child who dishonors.
Time to respond
A story was
told of some siblings who had a vigorous brotherly and sisterly disagreement. The
three children went to bed mad at each other. In the middle of the night terrible
thunderstorms shook the house.
Hearing an
unusual noise upstairs the mother asked what was happening. A voice answered,
“We’re all in the closet forgiving each other.”
Because you
have been forgiven much, love God and forgive others much.
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