Restored Joy

She revolves with you this morning.

Turn with me if you would Psalm 51. We look in this morning at verses 12 through 15 restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with the willing spirit, then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you deliver me from blood guilty and is a God of God of my salvation, my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness, O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise that with me as we go to our Lord in prayer. Heavenly father how I praise you today for Psalm 51, David prayed a prayer of repentance, he was under the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, when he prayed, so these words are not just from David's heart. They are actually from your heart. So they were meant for us. The people of Grace Church in 2021 need these words as much as David needed them 3000 years ago the last few sermons we've heard David cry for mercy we sing. David confesses CN openly, honestly, specifically, we see David experience your grace and your mercy and your forgiveness. But today we see David back on his feet, learning how to be dependent on you.

He's been a strong independent leader in the past is come to realize the danger of depending on his own gifts and talents. Now, instead of produce a brokenness and a deep humility that little by little is molding him to be more Christlike father use this passage today to say on sand down the areas in our lives that don't look like Jesus, make us humble, broken and totally dependent upon you for it is the precious and holy name of Jesus that we pray.

Amen may be seated.

A few years ago a pastor in Seattle, Washington I got up at his pulpit on a Sunday morning opened his Bible up and read the text put his Bible down. He looked out over the congregation.

He opened his mouth with the words would.com hey got white as a sheet. He was just totally nervous and broken. He tried to speak. Once again, but his tongue would not cooperate he tried to apologize but you could not articulate the words. Finally, there was a doctor in the congregation thought he might be having a stroke and so the doctor ran often and grabbed the pastor's arm and took him back to his dad to the pastor's office.

The doctor started checking them out and realize that he just did not have the signs of having a stroke. So they called an ambulance. The amulets came and got the pastor. I took it off to the hospital they ran into a series of test and found out that the pastor had a brain tumor.

They operated him on the very next day. There is a brain tumor was benign, but they found out that it was a very fast spreading brain tumor and that he didn't get it was pressing down on the part of his brain that control the speech and they controlled his memory. It was a totally completely successful operation about six weeks after that he was ready to go back to work on the Wednesday before he was supposed to preach on Sunday called a pastor friend of he is asking to come over. The pastor friend came over.

They sat down together and the pastor looked at his friend that he said I am scared to death.

Hey, a set I've never been so humiliated in all my life, and he said, when did you get humiliated in your in your operation. He said no, no. The operation was a piece of cake. He said it was when I was the last time in my pulpit. He said I stood up to speak and the words wouldn't come.

He said it was a horrible terrible situation pieces.

I was totally totally embarrassed. He said there were 500 people standing or are sitting before me, waiting for an exposition of the Scripture, and he said I just are there like a zombie. AA said I was scared to death. I and I was scared that I was gonna make an absolute fool of myself and I'm scared it might happen again. That was a rough thing for him. Payee said before, I was confident I was bold and I was sure the said now all I am is scared his friend that got a tear in his eye. He said now I think I know what the blessing is in your brain tumor. He said blessing. What you talking about, he said well he said maybe God doesn't get you to be so confident in yourself. Maybe it doesn't matter if you look foolish or not. Maybe God is breaking you so that the messages that you preach will be yours. But he is pastor started to get angry is not used to being talked to like that but he listened and tear began to well up in his eyes and he said you know you're exactly right. He said I trusted my talents have trusted my intellect and I trusted my study habits, but now you have to trust God with trembling knees and quivering lips. He entered into the pulpit. That next Sunday and he opened his Bible up and preached a sermon from first Corinthians chapter 10 verse 12 and he didn't preached that sermon from a commentary hidden preached that sermon from a book he preached that sermon for life. What is that bursae let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls, the pastor said after that he never stepped in the pulpit again without praying a pole to be Lord undergird me, Lord, empower me, Lord, for without you I can do nothing. Three points on share with you today. Number one, a willing spirit look with me at verse 12 restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit Psalm 51 verse 12 we find out that David is learn the same thing at that pastors learned.

David is learn that he is vulnerable, he is learned that his heart is terribly deceptive. He has learned that he is very weak and when temptations come he can easily fall. So what does he pray the price outlaw restoring to me the joy of my salvation only take a minute and read you something that Martyn Lloyd Jones said about the assault you listen carefully to the us because this is important.

Martyn Lloyd Jones said this, you look at yourself and of course you will be miserable for thing and there is a blackness and darkness. The best St. when he looks at himself becomes unhappy.

He sees things that should not be there and if you and I spent our whole time looking at our sales, we shall remain in misery and we shall lose joy. Self-examination is all right but introspection is bad. Let us draw the distinction between these two things we can examine our sales in the light of Scripture and if we do that we shall be driven to Christ, but with introspection a man looks at himself and continues to do so and refuses to be happy until he gets rid of the imperfections that are still there. All the tragedy that we should spend our lives looking at our sales instead of looking at him who can set us free. Is it not a wonderful thing that joy is at all possible to such creatures as we are, is there not something almost daring about this prayer. David's restoring to me the joy of my salvation.

Since the adulterer in the murder the liar.

The man was responsible for so much trouble restoring to be the joy of my salvation.

How can a man like that ever be happy. Is it possible I thank God it is possible and that is why preach this gospel to you. That is the glory of this wonderful salvation. It can give this joy to a man who is stuck is low is that and raised him to the heights of joy and gladness, and it does it like this, it can make even the worst sinner, joyful and happy because it gives him an assurance of pardon and forgiveness. The only one who can pardon his God and thank God he does so in God not only pardon seek and make me know he has pardoned to know that it is that is to lose that miserable sense of guilt and frustration. Nobody else can do it, but God can do it. So though I may have sunk to the lowest depths of sin and degradation he can make me rejoice in his great salvation, David Price, Lord, uphold me with free spirit know what's that David been worried about David was worried that what happened to him before might happen again and the one he went through this CN and the things that were going on in all the hearts that he was broken and all of this stuff. It was breaking his heart that was the closest pail he'd ever experienced in his life. He doesn't want that to happen again because he's been filled with just guilt and shame and absolute heartbreak and the thought of the possibility of going through that kind of thing again is just tearing David to pieces. So David prays and what is he pray for the asked God to give him a willing spirit if you got a King James version here today in that King James, the sentence structure puts the emphasis on the free spirit of the Lord. But if you read that just in the Hebrew. The idea is that God spirit will make David spirit a willing spirit. So here's the bottom line.

When will you stop committing a particular sin you'll stop committing that CN when the desire to quit that CN is strong enough. That's when it'll happen.

David is pray. In this prayer, God give me a hatred for sin change my wheel make me will and in the day of your power.

The Hebrew word for free means to make willing to make willing. In John chapter 8 verse 32 great verse of Scripture. Jesus told us what it takes to make us free. You member that most people say yes I remember that the truth will set you free. Is that really what Jesus said no Jesus said more than that run a lot of people who hear the truth.

The absolute truth and they are still bound up horribly and terribly in the bondage of sin.

I was in Canada preaching a series of revival services several years ago and the pastor asked me if I would go and witness to a man that he had been trying to witness to man was about mid 20s is alcoholic's name was Brian went to the man's house. We knocked on the door and the door was, slightly open, it just kinda pushed open when we knocked on it and we just kinda stuck her head in. We saw him get up off the couch. He hadn't bathed her, shaved in several days and had a big knot on his head was covered with blood and dried blood and we walked in, and what rich the pastor said to them run what happened to you. He said all it's nothing. He said I got drunk last night I fell in the bathtub.

I hit my head, not myself out. I looked out over his his house and those this mail was absolutely horrific. There were beer cans and liquor bottles all over the floor.

There were dirty dishes everywhere. There was 1/2 eaten sandwiches on the floor. There were rats and cockroaches running around like they own the place and I sat down with him hope my Bible. I read the Scripture towing and shared the gospel with and Rich looked over at him and he said RAA said Brian. Are you ready to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and repent of your sins and Brian look back at him. He said no not yet any said why not. And he said man I just got a be free and I thought to myself, here's a man who is just heard the truth and he believes that he's free when he's in as much bondage is any man I've ever seen in my life. Suppose it's not just the truth that sets us free. It's the knowledge of the truth that sets us free. Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Now that word to know is it's at the intimate term. And it means to it means to love it to desire it to be one with it to embrace it. I remember two years after coming to Christ and Christian but that two years and I went to seminar and deadly hall was speaking and he was speaking on Hebrews chapter 12 verse 15 and that verse is this.

Let no root of bitterness spring up within you were by many have failed of the grace of God. At that time I was mad at a particular man and I was holding a grudge against him. I knew what the Bible said about forgiveness. I knew what the Scripture said about being kind, but I was not living it out and is doubly begin to preach he preached over an hour on that subject. I remember that verse just kinda plowing down in my mind any and in my heart and I began to know what in the spiritual sense. I begin to see what the consequences of bitterness was doing to my own heart.

It was stealing the joy out of my life and I remember how God just broke my heart. At that point in time.

It didn't matter what this person had done to me. It didn't matter if I thought I was right and I thought he was wrong. It didn't matter whether he was apologetic or not.

All that mattered was this. I was losing the joy of the Lord. I was not experiencing that peace that passes all understanding.

I didn't have that that showing like I had before and it was absolutely killing me. I repented not just by hearing the truth but by the knowledge of the truth. Hosea chapter 4 verse six is this my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, not for lack of truth work for lack of the knowledge of the truth so when David asked God to give you a spirit that was free. What do you mean I think he meant this Lord give me the desire to do what all the do and not necessarily what I wanted to give me knowledge all understand what the consequences of my actions are going to be in Lord help me to change my wheel so that my wheel will be your will. That's what David's plan like that takes us to point to successful teaching. Look at verse 13. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you know member were David is. It is pray. In this prayer is not in a theological library with is a concordance, and his commentaries. He is pray in this from the school of life. That's where years he's been humiliated by his failure. He has grievously sinned everybody's talking about what you just put yourself in David shoes for just a minute. What if everybody in Harrisburg and every body in Charlotte knew what your grossest sin was, and everybody was talking about how would you feel as were David was for years.

David was put on a pedestal.

He was looked up to as one of the greatest men of God in all the world at that particular time, but now he is proven to be just as fallible and just as carnal as everybody else. He stolen a man's wife and then he killed that man in order to cover over its lien is broken up families brought reproach on the name of God, he is done all of these things are now is living with guilt and shame and deep deep humiliation he prays this prayer not from the pulpit. He prays this prayer not from a gorgeous Cathedral. He prays this prayer from his bedroom.

The door shut. I have a feeling he was probably line cross plate prostrate on that floor. He's noted his noses down in the dust and is pray and just crying out to God.

How does the housing pray first of all, begs God begs God for mercy begs God for forgiveness. He confesses his sin.

He repents of his sin. He asked God to give him a new heart. He asked God to to give him a right spirit. He asked God to restore the him the joy of the salvation he asked God to give him my hatred for his sin. At 70, prays then what is he say then he says lien being then I will teach transgressors your ways, Duane Taylor used to be our neighbor. He died about 20 years ago a man of God. He love the Lord. He died of the debilitating cancer and it was just the heartbreak to see him go down the last few years of his life he he was holding some support groups for cancer patients and I asked him about the meetings and I said, who does the teaching in the meeting to speak to the meetings. Is it pastors or or is it doctors and he said oh no no it's cancer patients. These are pastor can tell us about heaven and a doctor can tell us about the symptoms of the disease but he said we won't hear from people who are going through what were going through.

We want to hear from people who are facing death every single day. We believe that the best teachers are the ones that are experiencing the reality 1995, my wife of 23 years left me for another man. I've been pastor this church for seven years and I was absolutely devastated.

I didn't know you could hurt like that I had been preaching against divorce and I still do and I always will. I been preaching against it with all my heart and now it happened to me. I had a pastor friend, he said that with many said Doug.

Remember Romans chapter 8 verse 28. Now we know that God works all things together for good to those who love him and are the called according to his purpose.

And I remember nodding that he him but I thought to myself, I can't see any good in this. I can see how this is gonna help me at all. I just could not feel it to half years later married Cindy and I can't imagine I couldn't imagine at that point in time that marriage could bring this wonderful let me tell you what else happened. We had radio ministry here for seven years and the people that listen on the radio's station. They knew what I'd been through and right after that I started getting calls from our radio listeners and the calls would come in and they said Doug I'm going through now what you went through and I'm going through this now and and I'm going to my pastor didn't have a clue what I'm going through or how to help me out.

Could you talk to me could could you help me through this. That's been going on for 27 years. I still get calls today and every time I get a call like that I think back to Psalm 51. David says lien. I will teach transgressors your ways.

After David's fall into this horrible sin. The people stood back and they watched to see what would happen and they watched as God broke David. Then I saw David repent and they saw David restored back to the family and they said, my goodness. If if God can work this miraculously in David's life than we want to listen to what he's got to say so, what's the Lord. Teaching is here. Are we being told that what we need to do is to go out and commit some great horrible sin, so that will have a sensational dramatic testimony is that what were supposed to do all absolutely not. I remember when I was in my former church. We had a converted Hells Angel who come to know Christ to come and speak and gave his testimony and he shared with us about all the drugs that he had taken and all the fires that he had had in all the money that he had stolen and all the people that he saw murdered and he told us how he had come to Christ the Lord. He changed his life.

That was of a beautiful story and it was just filled with emotion and and one hour. I remember young man coming up to me after the service was over, and almost apologetically. He said me Doug. He said I don't have a testimony like that and he said I'm afraid I'll never be used like that guys being used in a civil tell me what is your testimony, he said, I can't remember a time that I didn't know and love the Lord Jesus. He said my mom and dad were Christians. He said we had devotions every night.

They taught me the word of God. He said I've never been a drunk.

I've never been an adulterer of never sold drugs.

He said I've gotten married. Now we had two kids or two kids are converted they come to know Christ in us.

Impale me tell you something I said I think your testimony is greater than his testimony because he didn't but God didn't have to reach down and pull you up out of the PPM of this world.

God gave you so much grace that you were never in that pigpen to give me the choice, I'll take that testimony. Praise God for it is not the sin that David committed that made the transgressors to listen to him when they saw God's grace poured out owning that's what got their attention. I saw his joy. I saw his hunger for the Lord.

They saw his thirst for holiness and they said this is God's work.

This is grace noticed that David said then I will teach transgressors thy ways wanted David choose that term.

Thy ways because folks. There's a difference between the works of God in the ways of God are a lost person can open the Bible and study the history of what God said. They can study about how God created the world they can study about the. The building of the temple. They can they can study about how God took the heat. His the two stone tablets and road almost 2 stone tablets. The 10 Commandments they can study about the miracles of Jesus they can study all those things and know about all that history in their head and still not know the Lord but to know God's ways is a person that is getting into God's heart that wants to know more than just the history the person wants to know God in Exodus chapter 30 through these great great chapter Scripture says that God he taken Moses put them in the cleft of the rock is just a cave in the mountain Moses up there and he's he's the waiting just with great anticipation for God to move on his life and he's a player and he prays to God, he said, Lord, show me your way that I might know you and the Lord comes by Moses able to see a little bit of his glory, and it does something to Moses heart. He knows he'll never be the same again is changed him inside and out is illuminated is mine right versus on the hundred and three verse seven it says the us that God made known his ways under Moses. But his acts under the children of Israel, what does that mean it means that Israel saw what God was doing but Moses saw why God was doing what he was doing. Moses saw more boats. Moses saw God's heart. My last point is God's forgiveness and self forgiveness.

Verses 14 to 15 deliver me from blood guilty to. So God, O God of my salvation and my tone will sing aloud of your righteousness, O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. We find out here that David still has a problem. After all this he knows that God's forgiven him knows that God created him a clean heart.

He knows that that God is restored some joy of his salvation to wing. He knows that now he can teach transgressors the ways of God still got a problem and what is the problem. The problem is he can't forgive himself. That's the problem and why does he have that problem because the guilt that he has his real guilt he did just have an overly sensitive conscience. He's on some horrible things he's committed adultery.

He is murdered to try to cover up his sin.

He's brought reproach on the name of the Lord he's heard so many families and he's happy. God is forgiving but how in the world can he forgive himself. How can you look in the mirror in the morning. How can he do that ever felt that way, you feel like you don't deserve to be happy.

S guilt and it me tell you something.

If God has forgiven you, than that is misplaced guilt or what can be done about it, humanly speaking, nothing can be done about it were, like Lady Macbeth to who was kept washing the imaginary blood off her hands cheat. We we we try to get rid of guilt, our sales and we just can't do it.

We said were not to think about it anymore. It's all we can think about. So what is the answer to our guilt. What is the answer that of us forgiving our sales.

The answer is Jesus Christ. And there is only one answer.

Jesus didn't just die to save us from our sins. He also died to deliver us from CNs guilt puts Jesus died to reconcile you to God, but he also died to reconcile you to yourself.

You say Doug half past how do you explain that can explain that it's kind of like when a person's going through a difficult time in the end, his mind and in his heart of roof lost loved one, and somehow God just intervenes and that life and gives him a peace that passes all understanding, and the will of the lost world looks that psych has hasn't happened. We don't know what happens. It's a supernatural miracle of God invokes the removal of guilt is that same type of supernatural phenomenon. I can explain it.

I can't figure it out. I don't know how God does it alone knows this is real and when that guilt is removed, then what you do, you do what David did here. All you can do is just overflowed with praise.

Look what David said in verse in verse 14 he said Lord deliver me from blood guilty.

This in my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness when it all boils down to is this the grace of God wiped our slate clean and then God says to ask and listen carefully. If I have forgiven you.

Then you can forgive yourself a man, a man must pray heavenly father. This passage of Scripture so relevant because many of us have learned how to accept your mercy, grace and forgiveness. We have reveled in that we acknowledge it is an amazing and totally undeserved thing we learned how to receive your forgiveness, but Lord like David we not done very well at forgiving our sales and we know what that can do it can defeat a spiritually it can disturb us deeply. It can bring us into a debilitating depression Lord do that work in our heart that only you can do help us to not only glory in your forgiveness but help us to forgive our sales.

Not that we would ever take see him lightly but that we by your grace could move past it for your glory. David said Lord deliver me for my guilt, my tongue whistling a layout of your righteousness.

Lord let that be our prayer for using precious and holy name of Jesus that we pray.

Amen