Finding Hope in God’s Mercy: Rising Above Discouragement Through Christ

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] THE MOST MISERABLE MAN ON EARTH IS NOT AN UNSAVED MAN. MANY UNSAVED PEOPLE ARE HAVING A BALL. THEY'RE LIVING HIGH, WIDE, AND HANDSOME. A LOT OF FUN. NEVER TELL ANYBODY YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY PLEASURE IF YOU'RE NOT SAVED. NUMBER ONE, IT'S A LIE. THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE PLEASURES OF SIN. NOW THE BIBLE SAYS THEY'RE FOR A SEASON, BUT THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE PLEASURES OF SIN. AND DAVID HERE IS MISERABLE AND HE'S SAVED. HE'S A CHILD OF GOD. AND HE IS PRAYING, GOD, RESTORE UNTO ME THE JOY OF THY SALVATION. THE MOST MISERABLE MAN ON EARTH IS NOT A LOST MAN. THE MOST MISERABLE MAN ON EARTH IS A SAVED MAN OUT OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. TAKE YOUR BIBLES AND TURN TO PSALM 51. AND WHILE YOU'RE TURNING, MAY I TELL YOU THAT THE DEVIL DOES THIS. THE DEVIL WILL TEMPT US TO SIN AND HE WILL TURN AND HE WILL SAY, YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT. YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT. IT'S ALL RIGHT. YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT. AND HE IS THE TEMPTER. AND THEN AFTER YOU SIN, HE BECOMES THE ACCUSER AND HE SAYS, YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH IT. HA, YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH IT. AND WHAT HE WANTS TO DO IS TO GET YOU OFF BALANCE, GET YOU OUT OF THE WILL OF GOD, AND BRING DISCOURAGEMENT TO YOU AND MAKE YOU FEEL THAT YOU CAN NEVER, EVER AGAIN COME BACK. I WANT TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT HOW TO COME BACK WHEN YOU ARE DOWN. NOW, PSALM 51 IS THE STORY OF DAVID'S REPENTANCE AFTER HE HAD SINNED. YOU KNOW THAT DAVID COMMITTED THE SIN OF ADULTERY, AND THEN TRYING TO COVER IT UP, HE COMMITTED THE SIN OF, AT THE BEST, MANSLAUGHTER, AT THE WORST, COLD-BLOODED MURDER. BUT THIS PSALM IS THE PSALM OF A PENITENT.
[00:02:00] BECAUSE NOT ONLY WAS DAVID A GREAT SINNER, DAVID WAS A GREAT REPENTER. AND THAT'S WHY I LOVE PSALM 51. THREE BASIC THINGS I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT. THE VERY FIRST THING IS THIS, THE CAPABILITY OF SIN IN THE SAINT. NOW WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT ANY OF US HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO SIN. WHEN WE GET SAVED, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE LOSE OUR CAPACITY TO SIN.
[00:02:30] MANY TIMES SIN IN A SAINT, IT, IT IS AN UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY AND AN UNDETECTED WEAKNESS. AND WHEN THOSE TWO COME TOGETHER, WE FALL INTO SIN. AND, UH, THE BIBLE SAYS IF WE SAY THAT WE HAVE NO SIN, WE DECEIVE OURSELVES AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN US. NOW WE'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT WHEN THE CHILD OF GOD SINS, IF HE'S TRULY A CHILD OF GOD, THAT SIN CANNOT TAKE AWAY HIS SALVATION. BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE CAN SIN WITH IMPUNITY. I WANT TO SAY JUST AS SURELY AS YOU PUT YOUR HAND ON A HOT STOVE, YOU GET BURNED. IF YOU'RE BOUND TO SIN, YOU'RE BOUND TO SUFFER. I REMEMBER READING YEARS AGO ABOUT AN EX-PRIZE FIGHTER WHO GOT SAVED AND FELT GOD HAD CALLED HIM TO PREACH, BUT NOBODY REALLY WANTED TO GIVE HIM A PULPIT IN A, IN A CHURCH. AND SO HE SET UP A LITTLE PULPIT OF HIS OWN ON THE STREET CORNER IN WEST MADISON IN, UH, FLORIDA, AND THERE HE WOULD PREACH. AND HE HAD HIS CONGREGATION WHO WOULD COME, AND HE ALSO HAD HIS DETRACTORS WHO WOULD COME, AND THEY WOULD THROW EGGS AT HIM, AND THEY WOULD THROW ROTTEN, UH, VEGETABLES AND FRUIT AT HIM. AND, UH, HE HAD A LITTLE AMERICAN FLAG OVER HERE, AND, UH, CHRISTIAN FLAG OVER HERE, AND THERE'S A POLICEMAN WHO WOULD STAND THERE TO KEEP THINGS FROM BREAKING OUT INTO A FULL-FLEDGED RIOT BECAUSE THIS PRIZE FIGHTER WAS SAVED, BUT NOT ENTIRELY SANCTIFIED. AND SO THIS WAS THE SITUATION WHEN, UH, THERE WAS A CERTAIN MAN THERE WHO WAS A PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL AND A CYNIC WHO LOVED TO COME AND TO SEE IF HE COULD CONFUSE THE EX-PRIZE FIGHTER AND GET HIM ALL, UH, BEFUDDLED. AND, UH, SO THEY WOULD HAVE THEIR LITTLE ARGUMENTS. IT GENERATED MUCH MORE HEAT THAN LIGHT. BUT ONE DAY THIS FORMER PRIZE FIGHTER, THIS FORMER PUGILESS, WAS READY FOR HIM. HE SAID, YOU SAY NONE OF THE BIBLE IS TRUE. HE SAID, THAT'S RIGHT, I REJECT IT ALL. HE SAID, WELL, IF I CAN PROVE THAT JUST ONE VERSE IN THE BIBLE IS TRUE, WILL YOU APOLOGIZE? HE SAID, YES, I WILL. WITH THAT, THE FORMER PRIZE FIGHTER REACHED OUT AND TOOK THIS MAN BY THE NOSE AND TWISTED HIS NOSE SO SEVERELY THAT THE BLOOD BEGAN TO STREAM DOWN BOTH NOSTRILS. AND THEN HE THREW BACK HIS SHOULDERS, OPENED HIS BIBLE TO PROVERBS CHAPTER 30 VERSE 33, AND READ, SURELY THE RINGING OF THE NOSE BRINGETH FORTH BLOOD. AND HE SAID, HE SAID, NOW, HE SAID, YOU'LL HAVE TO ADMIT THAT IS TRUE. HA HA, I WANT YOU TO APOLOGIZE TO ME. AND HE SAID, THAT WHOLE VERSE SAYS, THE CHURNING OF MILK BRINGETH FORTH BUTTER, AND THE RINGING OF THE NOSE BRINGETH FORTH BLOOD. AND HE SAID, NOW, HE SAID, YOU'LL HAVE TO ADMIT THAT IS TRUE. HA HA, I WANT YOU TO APOLOGIZE TO ME. AND HE SAID, THAT WHOLE VERSE SAYS, THE CHURNING OF THE NOSE BRINGETH FORTH BUTTER, AND THE RINGING OF THE NOSE BRINGETH FORTH BLOOD. WELL, I WANT TO TELL YOU, THAT IS SURELY, AS SURELY AS THE CHURNING OF MILK BRINGS BUTTER, AS SURELY AS THE RINGING OF THE NOSE BRINGS FORTH BLOOD, IF YOU'RE BOUND TO SIN, YOU'RE BOUND TO SUFFER. LET NO ONE THINK THAT THE ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER IS IN ANY WAY TO BE CONSTRUED AS A LICENSE TO SIN. GOD FORBID, IF YOU'RE BOUND TO SIN, YOU'RE BOUND TO SUFFER, WHETHER YOU'RE SAVED OR WHETHER YOU'RE LOST.
[00:05:30] NOW, I WANT US TO MOVE NOT ONLY FROM THE CAPABILITY OF SIN TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHRISTIAN SINS? I WANT TO LIST SOME THINGS HERE. LOOK IN PSALM 51, DAVID SAYS, HAVE MERCY UPON ME, O GOD, ACCORDING TO THY LOVINGKINDNESS, ACCORDING UNTO THE MULTITUDE OF THY TENDER MERCIES, BLOT OUT MY TRANSGRESSIONS, WASH ME THOROUGHLY FROM MINE INIQUITY, AND CLEANSE ME FROM MY SIN. NOW, THE FIRST THING THAT SINS DOES IS, IT BLOWS ME OUT. IT BLOWS ME OUT. IT BLOWS ME OUT. IT BLOWS ME OUT. IT BLOWS ME OUT. IT BLOWS ME OUT. IT BLOWS ME OUT. IT BLOWS ME ROYAL ROBES, AND YET HE FEELS GRIMY, HE FEELS FILTY, HE FEELS DIRTY. DID YOU KNOW THAT'S ONE WAY THAT YOU CAN KNOW THAT YOU'RE SAVED? NOT WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN SIN, BUT DOES YOUR SIN MAKE YOU FEEL DIRTY? YOU SEE, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHILD OF GOD AND A CHILD OF THE DEVIL. THE CHILD OF THE DEVIL SINS, AND IT DOESN'T BOTHER HIM. HE MAY TAKE GOD'S NAME IN VEIN AND YOU REBUKE HIM. HE SAYS, WHAT DID I SAY? OH, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? HE HAS NO DIFFICULTY WITH SIN. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHILD OF GOD AND A CHILD OF SATAN. THERE'S, JUST LIKE A, A, A PIG WALLOWS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, NO PIG HAS EVER FELT DIRTY. NO PIG HAS EVER SAID, WOE IS ME, I'M A DIRTY PIG. A SHEEP MAY FALL IN THE MUD, IT WANTS TO GET OUT, BUT THE PIG JUST LIES THERE BECAUSE THAT'S THE PIG'S NATURE. THE PIG DOESN'T FEEL DIRTY. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHILD OF GOD AND A CHILD OF THE DEVIL IS THIS, THE CHILD OF GOD MAY LAPSE INTO SIN AND HE LOATHES IT. THE CHILD OF THE DEVIL LEAPS INTO SIN AND HE LOVES IT. NOW DAVID SINNED, BUT DAVID FELT DIRTY. HE FELT GRIMY. HE SAID, OH GOD, WASH ME, CLEANSE ME. COME UP CLOSE AND I WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING. IF YOU CAN SIN AND THAT SIN DOES NOT MAKE YOU FEEL GRIMY AND DIRTY, I DOUBT THAT YOU'VE EVER BEEN SAVED. I DOUBT THAT YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.
[00:07:57] LIVING IN YOU. NOW THAT'S THE FIRST THING SIN DOES. THE SECOND THING SIN DOES, NOT ONLY DOES IT SOIL THE SOUL, BUT SIN ALSO SATURATES THE MIND. NOTICE IN VERSE THREE, FOR I ACKNOWLEDGE MY TRANSGRESSION, I ACKNOWLEDGE MY TRANSGRESSION, AND MY SIN IS EVER BEFORE ME, EVER BEFORE ME. NIGHT AND DAY, DAY AND NIGHT, THE THING THAT DAVID HAD DONE REBURBERATES THROUGH HIS SOUL AND ECHOES THROUGH HIS CONSCIOUSNESS, AND THE THING THAT DAVID HAD DONE REBURBERATES THROUGH HIS CONSCIOUSNESS, HE CANNOT GET RID OF IT. IT IS THERE, IT IS AN INDELIBLE MARK, IT IS A WOUND TO HIS PSYCHE. IT SATURATES HIS MIND. NOW, IF YOU CAN SIN, AND EASILY FORGET THAT SIN, I DOUBT THAT YOU'VE BEEN SAVED. BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD IS THERE TO REMIND YOU OF THAT SIN. DAVID SAID, MY SIN IS EVER BEFORE ME. DOES THAT MEAN PASTOR ROGERS? IF I SIN, I'LL BE THINKING ABOUT IT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY. MAYBE NOT IN YOUR CONSCIOUS MIND, BUT IT WILL BE THERE IN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS. YOU MAY KICK IT OUT THE FRONT DOOR, IT'LL RUN AROUND THE HOUSE AND COME IN THE BASEMENT WINDOW, AND IT WILL SHOW UP AS A MIGRAINE HEADACHE. IT'LL SHOW UP AS THE INABILITY TO CONCENTRATE. IT WILL SHOW UP AS AN IRRITABLE TEMPER. IT WILL SHOW UP AS THE INABILITY TO PRAY. IT WILL SHOW UP IN OTHER WAYS. I'M NOT SAYING THAT IF YOU HAVE A MIGRAINE THAT IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE A BACKSLIDER, BUT I'M SAYING THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE ONE BECAUSE THEY ARE. THEIR SIN IS EVER BEFORE THEM.
[00:09:30] YOU, IT, IT'S THERE. IT, IT, UH, IT SATURATES THE MIND. YOU SEE, THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF WOUNDS THAT CAN COME TO THE HUMAN PSYCHE. ONE IS GUILT, AND THE OTHER IS SORROW. YOU SEE, SORROW IS A CLEAN WOUND, AND SORROW, BECAUSE IT IS A CLEAN WOUND, WILL HEAL. IT'S A DEEP WOUND, A RAW WOUND. IT HURTS, BUT IT WILL HEAL BECAUSE IT'S A CLEAN WOUND. AND SORROW, BECAUSE IT IS A CLEAN WOUND. BUT GUILT IS A DIRTY WOUND. IT FESTERS AND FESTERS AND FESTERS, AND IT WILL NEVER HEAL UNTIL IT IS CLEANSED. SO WHAT DOES THIS DO? IT, IT, IT SOILS THE SOUL. IT SATURATES THE MIND. AND HERE'S THE THIRD THING IT DOES, IT STINGS THE CONSCIENCE. LOOK IN VERSE FOUR, AGAINST THEE AND THEE ONLY HAVE I SINNED AND DONE THIS EVIL IN THY SIGHT. NOW HERE'S THE THING, NOW HERE DAVID IS CONSCIENCE STRICKEN. HERE DAVID IS NOT CRYING OUT AGAINST THE PUNISHMENT. HE'S CRYING OUT AGAINST THE SIN. HE SAYS, OH MY GOD, I HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU.
[00:10:38] SOME PEOPLE SAY, WELL, DAVID SINNED AGAINST HIS KINGDOM. HE DID. WELL, YOU SAY, DAVID SINNED AGAINST HIS FAMILY. HE DID. YOU SAY, DAVID SINNED AGAINST HIS BODY. HE DID. DAVID SINNED AGAINST HIS WIFE. HE DID. DAVID SINNED AGAINST HIS CHILDREN. OF COURSE HE DID. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT BOTHERED DAVID PRIMARILY.
[00:10:54] HE SAID, OH MY GOD. AND GOD SAID, UH, DAVID SAID, OH GOD, AGAINST THEE AND THEE ONLY HAVE I SINNED. AND DAVID SAW SIN FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS, AN AFFRONT TO A HOLY GOD, AND IT WAS THE GOD WHO LOVED HIM, THE GOD WHO HAD REDEEMED HIM. NOW LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY. IF ALL YOU'RE AFRAID OF IS THE PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR SIN, I DOUBT THAT YOU'VE BEEN SAVED. IF YOU'RE A CHILD OF GOD, WHEN YOU SIN, YOU DON'T SIN, YOU DON'T WEEP PRIMARILY BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO GET PUNISHED. YOU WEEP PRIMARILY BECAUSE YOU HAVE DISGRACED YOUR GOD. AGAINST THEE AND THEE ONLY HAVE I SINNED AND DONE THIS EVIL IN THY SIGHT. OH GOD, I'M SO ASHAMED I SINNED AGAINST YOU. NOT ONLY, GOD, DID I BREAK YOUR LAW, I BROKE YOUR HEART. YOU SEE, THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SLAVE AND A SON. A SLAVE, WHEN HE DISOBEYS, FEARS THE WHIP. A SLAVE, WHEN HE DISOBEYS, FEARS HIS MASTER'S LASH. BUT A SON, WHEN HE DISOBEYS, IF HE'S A LOVING SON, FEARS THE FATHER'S DISPLEASURE AND IS BROKEN HEARTED THAT HE HAS BROKEN THE HEART OF GOD.
[00:12:07] DOES YOUR SIN BOTHER YOU THAT WAY? WHEN YOU SIN, DO YOU SAY, OH MY GOD, MY GOD, I SINNED AGAINST YOU. IT STINGS THE CONSCIENCE. TRUST ME, NO PORTURE, NO TORTURE, NO TORTURE, THE POET'S NAME CAN MATCH THAT FIERCE, UNUTTERABLE PAIN HE FEELS WHO, DAY AND NIGHT, DEVOID OF REST, CARRIES HIS OWN ACCUSER WITHIN HIS BREAST. IT STINGS THE CONSCIENCE. I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE IT DOES. IT'S, IT, IT SADDENS THE HEART.
[00:12:50] LOOK IN VERSE EIGHT, MAKE ME TO HEAR JOY AND GLADNESS, THAT THE BONES WHICH THOU HAST BROKEN MAY REJOICE. LOOK IN VERSE 12, RESTORE UNTO ME THE JOY OF THY SALVATION. NOW HE'S NOT ASKING TO HAVE HIS SALVATION RESTORED. YOU CAN BE SAVED AND BE MISERABLE. THE MOST MISERABLE MAN ON EARTH IS NOT AN UNSAVED MAN. MANY UNSAVED PEOPLE ARE HAVING A BALL. HA, THEY'RE LIVING HIGH, WIDE AND HANDSOME. A LOT OF FUN. NEVER TELL ANYBODY YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY PLEASURE IF YOU'RE NOT SAVED.
[00:13:26] NUMBER ONE, IT'S A LIE. THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE PLEASURES OF SIN. NOW THE BIBLE SAYS THEREFORE SEASON, BUT THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE PLEASURES OF SIN. AND DAVID HERE IS MISERABLE AND HE'S SAVED. HE'S A CHILD OF GOD. AND HE IS PRAYING, GOD, RESTORE UNTO ME THE JOY OF THY SALVATION. THE MOST MISERABLE MAN ON EARTH IS NOT A LOST MAN. THE MOST MISERABLE MAN ON EARTH IS A SAVED MAN OUT OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. ISN'T THAT TRUE? WHEN GOD SAVES YOU, GOD DOESN'T FIX YOU WHERE YOU CAN'T SIN ANYMORE. HE JUST FIXES YOU WHERE YOU CAN'T SIN AND ENJOY IT ANYMORE. AND THAT'S WHAT GOD DOES. WHEN, WHEN GOD SAVES YOU, AND SO HERE DAVID IS PRAYING, LORD, RESTORE UNTO ME THE JOY OF THY SALVATION. YOU WANT TO SEE WHETHER YOU'RE BACKSLIDDEN OR NOT? OR WHETHER YOU'RE SAVED OR LOST? LET'S TAKE THE JOY TEST.
[00:14:17] DO YOU HAVE JOY IN YOUR HEART? JOY IN YOUR HEART? DO YOU HAVE JOY IN YOUR HEART? DO YOU HAVE JOY IN YOUR HEART? DO YOU HAVE JOY IN YOUR HEART? DO YOU HAVE JOY IN YOUR HEART? DO YOU HAVE JOY IN YOUR HEART? DO YOU HAVE JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY?
[00:14:22] YOU SAY, WELL NOW PASTOR, NO I, I DON'T HAVE JOY. NOBODY'S SUPPOSED TO BE JOYFUL ALL THE TIME. I'VE HAD SOME TOUGH TIMES.
[00:14:29] WELL, JOY DOES BEST IN TOUGH TIMES. FRIEND, THE BIBLE SAYS, REJOICE IN THE LORD, WHAT'S THAT NEXT WORD? ALWAYS, ALWAYS, REJOICE IN THE LORD, ALWAYS. NOW HE DOESN'T SAY BE HAPPY ALWAYS. YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE HAPPY ALL THE TIME. HAPPINESS DEPENDS UPON WHAT HAPPENS. IF YOU'RE HAPPY AS GOOD, YOU'RE HAPPY. IF YOU'RE HAPPY AS BAD, YOU'RE UNHAPPY. AND HAP, DEPENDS UPON HAPPENSTANCE, BUT JOY DEPENDS UPON JESUS.
[00:14:55] HAPPINESS IS LIKE A THERMOMETER, IT REGISTERS CONDITIONS. JOY IS LIKE A THERMOSTAT, IT CONTROLS CONDITIONS. IT'S THE JOY OF THE LORD THAT IS YOUR STRENGTH. JOY NEVER CHANGES. YOU'RE TO HAVE JOY ALL THE TIME. THERE'S ONLY ONE THING THAT CAN TAKE AWAY JOY, NOT CIRCUMSTANCES, IT IS SIN, AND ONLY ONE KIND OF SIN.
[00:15:15] YOURS. NOT WHAT SOMEBODY ELSE DOES. NOBODY ELSE'S SIN CAN TAKE AWAY YOUR JOY. A DISOBEDIENT CHILD CANNOT TAKE YOUR JOY. A UNFAITHFUL HUSBAND CANNOT TAKE YOUR JOY. AN UNGODLY GOVERNMENT CANNOT TAKE YOUR JOY. NONE OF THESE THINGS CAN TAKE YOUR JOY BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T GIVE IT TO YOU. JESUS GIVES IT. IT IS JOY IN THE LORD. IT IS NOT JOY THAT REMOVES THE PAIN, IT IS JOY THAT HELPS YOU TO ENDURE THE PAIN. THAT'S THE JOY OF THE LORD. RESTORE INTO ME THE JOY OF THY SALVATION, IF THE JOY IS NOT THERE, FRIEND, IT IS BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT ABIDING IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. SOMEONE AS WELL SAID, JOY IS THE FLAG THAT IS FLOWN FROM THE CASTLE OF THE HEART WHEN THE KING IS IN RESIDENCE. NOW, NOT ONLY THAT, NOT ONLY DOES IT SADEN THE HEART, BUT IT ALSO SICKENS THE BODY. LOOK IN VERSE EIGHT, MAKE ME TO HEAR JOY AND GLADNESS, THAT THE BONES WHICH THOU HAST BROKEN MAY REJOICE. WELL, DID GOD PUT A HAMMERLOCK ON DAVID AND BROKE IT? NO, HE DIDN'T. HE DIDN'T. HE DIDN'T. HE DIDN'T.
[00:16:14] HE DIDN'T BREAK IT AND BREAK HIS BONES, NOT LITERALLY. THIS IS POETRY, AND DAVID IS USING POETRY. DAVID IS A POET. WE DO THE SAME THING TODAY. WE USE THE SAME ANALOGY TODAY. UH, WE SAY, I WAS JUST CRUSHED. DOES THAT MEAN A STEAM ROLLER WENT OVER US? NO, HE'S, HE'S TALKING IN POETIC TERMS. WHAT HE'S SAYING IS, GOD, YOU HAVE ME UNDER EXTREME PRESSURE, THE BONES WHICH THOU HAS BROKEN. IT'S ALMOST AS IF, IF, IF, IF GOD HAS DAVID IN HIS HANDS, AND GOD IS JUST SQUEEZING THE LIFE OUT OF DAVID. SOMETIMES PEOPLE THINK, WELL, IF WE SIN, GOD WILL JUST CAST US OFF. OH NO, HE SQUEEZES ALL THE TIGHTER. THAT'S THE THING. HE'S SAYING, MAKE ME TO HEAR JOY AND GLADNESS THAT THE BONES WHICH THOU HAST BROKEN MAY REJOICE. THERE'S INCREDIBLE PRESSURE. NOW, IF YOU KEEP THAT PRESSURE ON FOR A LONG TIME, IT'S GOING TO MAKE YOU SICK. IT'S GOING TO MAKE YOU SICK. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE PRESSURE OF SIN CAN SICKEN YOUR BODY IF YOU'RE A CHILD OF GOD? DID YOU KNOW THAT MANY CHILDREN OF GOD ARE SICKER THAN THEY OUGHT TO BE? NOW, SICKNESS IS A VERY COMPLICATED THING, AND THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR SICKNESS, BUT ONE OF THE REASONS FOR SICKNESS IS SIN IN THE LIFE OF THE CHILD OF GOD. ONE OF THE PROOF TEXTS FOR THAT IS FIRST CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 11 AND VERSE 30. PAUL TALKED ABOUT SOME WHO WERE IRREVERENT AT THE LORD'S TABLE, AND HE SAID, FOR THIS CAUSE MANY ARE WEAK AND SICKLY AMONG YOU, AND SOME ARE DEAD. BECAUSE YOU HAVE SINNED IRREVERENTLY AT THE LORD'S TABLE, YOU HAVE TAKEN THE HOLY, UH, SUPPER WITH A CAVALIER MANNER AND IN A CLA, CAVALIER, UH, CONTEMPTIOUS, CARELESS, UH, WAY, AND HE SAYS, FOR THIS CAUSE MANY ARE SICK AND WEAKLY AMONG YOU. SIN CAUSES SICKNESS. AND, AND, AND I COULD GIVE MANY, MANY ILLUSTRATIONS OF THAT, AND SOMETIMES YOU CAN GET SICK UNTO DEATH. YOU SAY, PASTOR ROGERS, IF I GET SAVED AND I LIVE IN SIN, WILL THAT MEAN I WON'T GO TO HEAVEN? FRIEND, IT MIGHT MEAN YOU'LL GO TO HEAVEN A LOT QUICKER THAN YOU PLAN TO.
[00:18:14] I MEAN, YOU, YOU JUST MIGHT GET THERE EVEN SOONER THAN YOU EXPECTED TO GET THERE. FOR THIS CAUSE MANY ARE WEAK AND SICKLY AMONG YOU, AND SOME SLEEP. AND THE WORD SLEEP IS A, IS A TERM THAT'S USED FOR THE DEATH OF A CHILD OF GOD, NOT FOR THE DEATH OF AN UNSAVED PERSON. AND SO, UH, SIN, UH, SICKENS THE BODY. I WISH I HAD MORE TIME TO, TO TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT LET'S JUST TURN IT AROUND. IF YOU'VE LOST YOUR JOY, NO WONDER YOU MIGHT GET SICK, BECAUSE A MERRY HEART DOETH GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE. DID YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE RIGHT WITH GOD, YOU'RE GOING TO BE SICK?
[00:18:44] WHEN YOU'RE RIGHT WITH GOD, YOU STAND STRAIGHTER? DID YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE RIGHT WITH GOD, YOU SMILE MORE? DID YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE RIGHT WITH GOD, YOU SLEEP BETTER? DID YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU'RE RIGHT WITH GOD, YOU DIGEST YOUR FOOD BETTER? I'M JUST TELLING YOU, FRIEND, THAT A MERRY HEART IS ONE OF THE BEST MEDICINES YOU CAN TAKE. BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE THAT JOY OF THE LORD IF YOU ARE A BACKSLIDER WALKING AWAY FROM GOD. HERE IS DAVID, A CHILD OF GOD, AND HE IS PERFECTLY MISERABLE. I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE IT DOES. IT SOWERS THE SPIRIT. LOOK IN VERSE 2, CREATE A CLEAN HEART IN ME, O GOD, AND RENEW A RIGHT SPIRIT.
[00:19:18] DAVID HAD A WRONG SPIRIT. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A BACKSLIDDEN PERSON WITH A SOUR SPIRIT? YOU KNOW, I'D MUCH RATHER BE AROUND A GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED, UNSAVED PAGAN THAN A BACKSLIDDEN CHRISTIAN. THE MOST SENSORIOUS, CANTACROUS, VITUPERATIVE, UH, CAN'T-GET-ALONG-WITH TYPE OF INDIVIDUAL I'VE EVER KNOWN ARE BACKSLIDERS. BECAUSE THEY'RE MISERABLE ON THE INSIDE AND BECAUSE THEY'RE CONDEMNED, THEY'RE TRYING TO PUT THEM IN A POSITION TO PUSH THEIR MISERY OFF ON EVERYBODY ELSE. YOU WATCH A PERSON WITH A SOUR SPIRIT, A PERSON WITH A WRONG SPIRIT, THEY ARE THE MOST CRITICAL PERSONS IN OUR CHURCH. YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY THINK THAT GOD GAVE THEM THE GIFT OF CRITICISM. YOU KNOW WHAT THEIR PROBLEM IS? THEY ARE BACKSLIDDEN. NO DISH ON THE TABLE LOOKS GOOD TO A PERSON WITH A SOUR STOMACH. AT, THEY, THEY JUST FIND FAULT EVERYWHERE WITH EVERYTHING. THE CASE IN POINT, DAVID HAD COMMITTED ADULTERY AND THEN TRYING TO COVER IT UP. HE HAD A SOUR STOMACH. HE HAD A SOUR STOMACH. HE HAD A SOUR STOMACH. HE COMMITTED THE SIN OF MANSLAUGHTER. NATHAN THE PROPHET CAME TO SPEAK TO HIM. HE DIDN'T COME TO TALK ABOUT CHURCH FINANCE EITHER. HE CAME TO TALK ABOUT DAVID'S SIN. HE TOLD DAVID A STORY ABOUT A MAN WHO HAD, UH, A LITTLE PET LAMB THAT WAS LIKE HIS OWN DAUGHTER, ATE FROM HIS TABLE. A POOR MAN. THEN HE, HE LIVED NEXT DOOR TO A VERY RICH MAN. THIS RICH MAN HAD THOUSANDS OF FLOCKS AND HERDS. AND THEN THE RICH MAN HAD A STRANGER TO STOP BY AND THE RICH MAN TOOK THE POOR MAN'S LAMB, KILLED IT, COOKED IT, AND FED IT TO THE STRANGER. HE SAID, NOW DAVID, YOU'RE THE KING. TELL US WHAT OUGHT TO BE DONE TO THE MAN WHO'S DONE THIS THING. WELL, DAVID WAS LIVID WITH RAGE. HE JUMPED UP FROM HIS THRONE. I CAN SEE HIM AS HE CLINCHES HIS FIST, GRITS HIS TEETH, AND SAYS, THE MAN THAT HAS DONE THAT WILL PAY FOUR-FOLD. AND NATHAN THE PROPHET SAID, AND YOU'RE THE MAN. YOU'RE THE MAN. YOU ARE THE MAN, DAVID. YOU HAVE JUST SENTENCED YOURSELF IN YOUR OWN COURT. IT WAS ALL AN ANALOGY.
[00:21:06] THE LITTLE LAMB WAS BATHSHEBA, THE ONE THAT DAVID HAD STOLEN.
[00:21:10] AND, AND WHAT, WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS THIS, THAT DAVID WAS QUICK TO JUDGE A MAN THAT HAD STOLEN A LAMB, HE HAD STOLEN ANOTHER MAN'S WIFE. DAVID WAS QUICK TO JUDGE THE MAN WHO'D KILLED AN ANIMAL, BUT HE HAD KILLED A HUMAN BEING. AND YET HE WAS QUICK TO JUDGE SOMEBODY ELSE.
[00:21:27] YOU'LL ALWAYS FIND THOSE WHO ARE BACKSLIDDEN ARE VERY CAREFUL TO JUDGE PEOPLE FOR LESS SIN THAN THEY HAVE IN THEIR OWN LIVES.
[00:21:34] THEY'RE THE ONES WHO GO AROUND PICKING, AH, SPECKS, TRYING TO PICK SPECKS OUT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S EYE WHEN THEY HAVE LOGS IN THEIR OWN EYE.
[00:21:42] THEY HAVE A SOUR SPIRIT. ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE SOUR-SPIRITED PEOPLE? OH, YOU'LL FEEL SO MUCH BETTER WHEN YOU GET BACK RIGHT WITH GOD. AND THEN THE LAST THING THAT SIN DOES IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD OF GOD, IT, NOT ONLY DOES IT SOUR HIS SPIRIT, BUT IT SEALS HIS LIPS. LOOK IF YOU WILL HERE IN VERSE 12, RESTORE UNTO ME THE JOY OF THY SALVATION, AND UPHOLD ME WITH THY FREE SPIRIT. THEN WILL I TEACH TRANSGRESSORS THY WAYS, AND SINNERS SHALL BE CONVERTED UNTO THEE.
[00:22:11] DELIVERER OF THY SPIRIT.
[00:22:12] GIVE ME FROM BLOOD GUILTINESS, O GOD, THOU GOD OF MY SALVATION, AND MY TONGUE SHALL SING ALOUD OF THY RIGHTEOUSNESS. O LORD, OPEN THOU MY LIPS, AND MY MOUTH SHALL SHOW FORTH THY PRAISE. NOW, SIN IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN SHUTS HIS MOUTH, IT SEALS HIS LIPS.
[00:22:30] DAVID SAID, WHEN I GET RIGHT, THEN I'LL BE A SOUL WINNER. WHEN I GET RIGHT, THEN I'LL BE A SINGER. WHEN I GET RIGHT, THEN I WILL PRAISE. DO YOU KNOW HOW YOU CAN TELL WHETHER OR NOT A PERSON IS BACKSLIDDEN OR NOT? WHEN A PERSON IS BACKSLIDDEN, AS A GENERAL RULE, AS A GENERAL RULE, SINGING JUST STOPS. OH, HE'LL, HE'LL SING, BUT IT, IT DOESN'T COME FROM HIS HEART.
[00:22:58] PRAISE WITHERS. SOUL WINNING STOPS ALTOGETHER. BECAUSE SIN SHUTS HIS MOUTH. THE DEVIL SAYS, WHO ARE YOU TO BE SINGING? OH, WHAT A WONDERFUL CHANGE IN MY LIFE HAS BEEN WROUGHT SINCE JESUS CAME INTO MY HEART. OH, WHO ARE YOU TO BE SINGING? OH, WHO ARE YOU TO BE SINGING? OH, WHAT A WONDERFUL CHANGE IN MY LIFE HAS BEEN WROUGHT SINCE JESUS CAME INTO MY HEART. WHO ARE YOU TO BE SINGING? WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE. WHO ARE YOU TO BE TESTIFYING AND TELLING SOMEBODY ELSE THEY NEED TO GET SAVED WHEN YOU ARE SUCH A MISERABLE EXAMPLE AND YOU HAVE NO JOY AND YOU HAVE NO PEACE AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY REAL ASSURANCE IN YOUR OWN HEART AND IN YOUR OWN LIFE? AND THE DEVIL INTIMIDATES SO MANY PEOPLE BECAUSE THERE'S SIN IN THEIR HEART AND IN THEIR LIFE. NOW ALL OF THESE THINGS PUT TOGETHER ARE WHAT HAPPENS IN, ARE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THIS LIFE. AND THEN, AS WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU IN A LATER STUDY, WHEN YOU COME TO THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST, OH, WHAT A LOSS OF REWARD THERE WILL BE. BUT VERY QUICKLY NOW, HOW DO YOU COME BACK? HOW DO YOU COME BACK?
[00:23:50] WHEN YOU GET INTO THIS SITUATION, HOW DO YOU COME BACK? THREE VERY SIMPLE AND WONDERFUL THINGS. OH, I LOVE THIS PSALM. IT IS SO WONDER, WONDERFUL. THE VERY FIRST, AND THEY ALL START WITH THE LETTER C, AND I WANT YOU TO JOT THEM DOWN. THE VERY FIRST THING IS CONFIDENCE, CONFIDENCE. YOU MUST HAVE CONFIDENCE. YOU MUST HAVE CONFIDENCE. YOU MUST HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT GOD STILL LOVES YOU. NOTICE HOW DAVID PRAYS BEGINNING IN VERSE ONE, HAVE MERCY UPON ME, O GOD, ACCORDING TO THY LOVINGKINDNESS, ACCORDING UNTO THE MULTITUDE OF THY TENDER MERCIES, BLOT OUT MY TRANSGRESSIONS. DAVID HAD CONFIDENCE IN HIS GOD. DAVID KNEW, ARE YOU LISTENING? DAVID KNEW THAT FOR A MULTITUDE OF SINS, THERE WERE A MULTITUDE OF TENDER MERCIES. YOU SEE, ACCORDING UNTO THE MULTITUDE OF THY TENDER MERCIES, DAVID KNEW THAT HE WAS A SINNER, BUT DAVID KNEW THAT GOD WAS FULL OF LOVINGKINDNESS. THE DEVIL WILL TELL YOU IF YOU'VE SINNED GRIEVOUSLY. THE DEVIL WILL TELL YOU THAT GOD IS FINISHED WITH YOU. THE DEVIL WILL TELL YOU THERE'S NO HOPE FOR YOU. THE DEVIL WILL TELL YOU THAT GOD HAS CAST YOU OFF, BUT THAT IS A LIE. THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO THAT'LL MAKE GOD STOP LOVING YOU. OH, FRIEND, REMEMBER THAT.
[00:25:04] REMEMBER THAT. DON'T YOU LISTEN TO THE DIRTY DEVIL. DAVID HAD CONFIDENCE IN GOD. HE HAD CONFIDENCE IN GOD. HE HAD CONFIDENCE IN GOD. AND GOD LOVES YOU TODAY. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE DONE, HOW MANY TIMES YOU'VE FAILED, PROBABLYverbs 22 NOBODY HERE HAS COMMITTED SIN IN THE MAGNITUDE OF DAVID. AND YET, DAVID SAID, OH, GOD, ACCORDING UNTO THE MULTITUDE OF THY TENDER MERCIES, FOR GREAT SIN THERE IS GREAT GRACE." SAY AMEN. FOR GREAT SIN, THERE IS GREAT GRACE. FOR GREAT SIN THERE IS GREAT GRACE. THAT IS CONFIDENCE. NOW THE NEXT C is CONFESSION. HA HA.
[00:25:38] NOTICE WHAT HE SAYS IN, IN VERSE THREE, FOR I ACKNOWLEDGE MY TRANSGRESSIONS. MY SIN IS EVER BEFORE ME. AGAINST THEE AND THEE ONLY HAVE I SINNED AND DONE THIS EVIL IN THY SIGHT, THAT THOU MIGHTEST BE JUSTIFIED WHEN THOU SPEAKEST, AND CLEAR WHEN THOU JUDGEST. THIS IS A CONFESSION. THE BIBLE SAYS IN FIRST JOHN ONE NINE, IF WE CONFESS OUR SIN, HE'S FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SIN AND TO CLEANSE US, HALLELUJAH, FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. NOW IT'S NOT JUST AN ADMISSION OF SIN, IT IS A CONFESSION. HE'S SAYING, I SINNED AGAINST YOU. THERE'S ONE THING THAT GOD WILL NOT ACCEPT FOR SIN, FRIEND, AND THAT IS AN EXCUSE AND AN ALIBI. NOW DAVID COULD HAVE SAID, WELL, IT WASN'T MY FAULT, UH, MY WIFE WASN'T SHOWING ME THE LOVE I DESERVED.
[00:26:26] OR HE SAID, IT WASN'T MY FAULT, BATHSHEBA WAS OUT THERE BATHING WHERE SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN BATHING. OR I, I JUST, UH, I HAD A WEAK MOMENT, BUT GOD, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US ARE HUMAN. I, I HAD A GLANDULAR MALFUNCTION. I, THIS THING, I MEAN, HE COULD HAVE GIVEN ALL OF THESE ALIBIES FOR SIN. THERE'S ONE THING THAT GOD WILL NOT ACCEPT FOR SIN AND THAT IS AN ALIBI, BUT A CONFESSION MEANS TO AGREE WITH GOD. AND HE SAYS, OH GOD, I AM GUILTY. NOT MY BROTHER, NOT MY SISTER, BUT IT'S ME, O LORD, STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER. NOW, IT'S AN HONEST CONFESSION. GOD JUST WANTS YOU TO CONFESS IT. WHEN WE TRY TO COVER IT, GOD UNCOVERS IT. BUT WHEN WE UNCOVER IT, GOD COVERS IT. NOW HE JUST, JUST CLEANSES AND FORGIVES. SO THAT'S THE THIRD ONE. LET'S, LET'S LOOK. FIRST OF ALL, CONFIDENCE. SECONDLY, CONFESSION. THIRDLY, CLEANSING. NOTICE HE SAYS IN VERSE TWO, WASH ME THOROUGHLY. NOTICE HE SAYS IN VERSE SEVEN, PURGE ME WITH HISSOP AND I SHALL BE CLEAN. WASH ME AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW. WASH ME, PURGE ME, BLOT OUT MY TRANSGRESSIONS, HE SAYS.
[00:27:35] WHEN HE BLOTS THEM OUT, THAT IS, HE JUST ERASES THE RECORD.
[00:27:39] IT'S, IT'S GONE. IT'S BLOTTED OUT. IT'S, IT'S NOT THERE ANYMORE. HE JUST BLOTS IT OUT. IT IS GONE, BURIED IN THE GRAVE OF GOD'S FORGETFULNESS, NEVER TO BE BR, BE BROUGHT UP AGAIN. IF ANYBODY EVER BRINGS IT UP AGAIN, IT'S THE DEVIL BRINGING IT UP OR YOUR CONSCIENCE BRINGING IT UP, BUT GOD DOESN'T BRING IT UP. HE BLOTS IT OUT. NOT ONLY DOES HE BLOT IT OUT, BUT HE SAYS ALSO, WASH ME. NOW, NOT ONLY DOES HE BLOT IT OUT, BUT HE SAYS ALSO, WASH ME. NOW, NOT ONLY DOES HE BLOT IT OUT, BUT HE SAYS ALSO, WASH ME. NOW, NOT ONLY DOES HE BLOT IT OUT, BUT HE SAYS ALSO, NUT, NOT ONLY DOES HE REMOVE THE PENALTY, FRIEND, UH, HE REMOVES THE POLLUTION, AND HE, HE GETS THE FILT OFF. YOU'RE CLEAN. YOU'RE CLEAN, WHITER THAN SNOW. YOU'RE NOT JUST PATCHED UP. GOD HAS FORGOTTEN THAT SIN. IT IS GONE. IF WE CONFESS OUR SIN, HE'S FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SIN AND TO CLEANSE US, CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S SON, CLEANSETH US FROM WHAT? HOW MUCH SIN? ALL. ALL. DON'T YOU LET THE DEVIL SAY, YEAH, BUT YOURS IS A BIGGIE. HA HA, OH, YEAH, BUT NOT YOURS. NO, HE SAYS ALL SIN, ALL SIN. SO HE SAYS, BLOT OUT. UH, THAT, THAT DEALS WITH THE, THE, UH, THE PENALTY OF SIN. HE SAYS, WASH ME. THAT DEALS WITH THE POLLUTION OF SIN. AND THEN HE SAYS, PURGE ME. OH, THAT DEALS WITH THE POWER OF SIN. NOT ONLY DOES HE TAKE AWAY THE PENALTY, NOT ONLY DOES HE TAKE AWAY THE POLLUTION, BUT FRIEND, HE LITERALLY PURGES YOU ON THE INSIDE. HALLELUJAH. HA HA, HALLELUJAH. THIS IS GOD'S TRIPLE DETERGENT. AND YOU DON'T NEED TO GO AROUND WITH A LOAD OF GUILT ANYMORE. YOU DON'T NEED TO GO CARRYING ALL OF THAT CONDEMNATION THAT SATAN HAS PUT ON YOU ANYMORE. YOU CAN BE AS CLEAN, WASH ME, AND I SHALL BE WHAT? WHITER THAN SACRIFICED.
[00:29:30] SNOW. ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL? ISN'T THAT GLORIOUS? HALLELUJAH!
[00:29:35] WHAT A GREAT GOD, WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE. THERE'S THE CAPABILITY OF SIN, THERE ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN, BUT THANK GOD THERE'S THE CLEANSING OF SIN. LET'S BOW OUR HEADS IN PRAYER. HEADS ARE BOWED, EYES ARE CLOSED. FATHER, I PRAY TODAY THAT MANY IN THIS BUILDING WHO HAVE BEEN BEING INTIMIDATED BY SATAN WOULD COME TODAY AND, UM, BE IN THE PASTORAL HOSPITAL.
[00:30:00] JUST COME TO YOU AND, LORD, COME WITH AN HONEST CONFIDENCE, CONFESSION, AND KNOW THAT CLEANSING. AND I PRAY, DEAR GOD, THAT THOSE WHO ARE NOT YET SAVED WILL COME TO KNOW JESUS AS THEIR LORD AND SAVIOR, IN HIS WONDERFUL NAME. AMEN.
[00:30:30] CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY WKNO-MEMPHIS.