“A Psalm of Salvation”

**INTRODUCTION 

Hello and welcome to "Key to the Kingdom." My name is Bret McCasland. Have you ever felt as if you are missing out on God's blessings? In one way or another, it seems the Lord has overlooked you and your situation. A continual string of bad things seem to be happening and you cannot understand why. You might have even wondered, where is God? Well, the man David wrote many of the psalms which we have in the Bible. Some of them include psalms of encouragement and praise. In fact, there is even a psalm of salvation. In it, he reminds us that it is all but impossible to experience and to enjoy God's blessings if there is sin in one's life. He also reminds us that God’s discipline and punishment come to those who fail to seek the forgiveness of that sin. Today, on “Key to the Kingdom,” we will discover the great joy and happiness which awaits those who receive God's forgiveness. And when that happens, there will be no reason to think the Lord has forgotten us or that we are missing out on His rich blessings. I hope you will now open your heart and your Bible as we study together.

**LESSON

According to the Bible, the greatest problem facing people today is the problem of sin. There is not a person alive who does not have to deal with a sin problem. In fact, on a daily basis we fight an ongoing battle against sin. In Romans chapter 3, verse 23, the Apostle Paul makes it very plain with these words: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We know today, sin keeps us from having a proper relationship with the Lord. We understand that. And yet, in the midst of that bad news, there is some good news; that is, there is a solution to the sin problem. In the Old Testament Book of Psalms, David addresses sin in Psalm number 32. There he paints a very beautiful picture of salvation from sin. In fact, the Apostle Paul even quotes part of that psalm as he describes salvation in his letter called Romans, in chapter 4. We find in Psalm number 32, a contrast between the misery and the guilt of sin, on the one hand, and the joy of forgiveness, on the other hand. And from his own personal experience, the author, David, states how foolish it is to try to hide one’s sin. And yet there is great joy and blessing that awaits those who confess their sin. Now, that might sound just a little bit backward. Many believe if they hide their sin then nobody will know about it. They can live any way they want to live and do anything they want to do. And yet, David tells us that's not the case at all. It's just the opposite; because you cannot hide your sin and therefore you will suffer the consequences. David wants us to know in this psalm, the people who live with un-confessed sin in their life, and guilt in their heart, are asking for God's punishment. And David knows what he is writing about. He has experienced it firsthand. He has suffered under the disciplinary hand of God. But now he knows what God's forgiveness is all about. Let's see how this begins to play out as we read the first two verses of Psalm number 32. <Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.> David's point is that when one’s sin is forgiven, then blessings will come. There will be reason to rejoice. There will be plenty of reason to be happy and to celebrate the forgiveness of sin. No doubt, that is something we all long to enjoy. And the way for us to be happy and to be joyful in the Lord is for that sin to be forgiven. The words we read here, transgression and sin, basically are the same; and they mean to deliberately step over a boundary line. Sin is to consciously rebel against God. It is to miss the mark. It is to get off the track, in regards to following the Lord. Now, obviously, we all know what sin looks like in our own personal lives. It is simply doing or not doing something which does not please the Lord. And Satan knows the weak points in our life, and it seems he tries to tempt us in those areas of our weakness so that we will sin and that we will draw closer to him and move farther away from God. And when we do that sin, when we commit something that is wrong in the sight of God and that sin is not forgiven, then we receive no blessing from the Lord. And that's the way David felt. He knew that firsthand. Hear these words from verses 3 and 4: <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 sapped as in the day of summer.> David admits that he was not the kind of person God wanted him to be. He acted as if he had done nothing wrong and there was no sin. He hid that sin, whatever it might have been, and he did not confess it to the Lord. We are not told that specific sin that he had in mind. And maybe he did not have something specific in mind, but just the general lifestyle of sin. Some had suggested this is his sin with Bathsheba. We all know that story. Well, maybe so; but again, we are not told here in Scripture. But the point is, the harder he tried to hide his sin, the more miserable he became. It was like a festering sore on a foot that would not go away. And the guilt of that sin never went away, either. It wore him out. It burdened him. It zapped his strength. Basically, it was more than what he could handle and he almost became physically sick because of the sin and the guilt of that sin. And so David almost gave in under the pressure of God's heavy hand of punishment. It was continually upon him. And that is what sin and the guilt of sin does to a person's life. If the sin itself does not destroy a person, then perhaps the guilt of that sin will. You know, those are some difficult burdens to bear, difficult burdens to overcome; and perhaps we can all relate to that. No doubt there is some sin in your life, just as there is some sin in my life, that we have to deal with. We are tempted to sin. We fall into that temptation. We do that which isn't right, from time to time. But then there's that heavy burden of guilt that is weighing upon us and perhaps even the shame of revealing that sin. Sin gets us in several different ways. And we've all had to deal with that at one time or another. We might even feel like David felt, as our bones are wasting away and our strength is taken away from us, just like the heat of the summer takes away our strength. But all of that is part of God's punishment. He wants us to acknowledge and to confess to Him our sin. We are to realize there is no way for us to cover it up. God sees your sin. God sees my sin. He knows what we did and did not do. In fact, nothing is hidden unto the Lord, because everything is open and laid bare, according to Hebrews 4 and verse 13. So David tells us here, there is no value in hiding our sin from God. He wants us to confess it. He wants us to have it forgiven and to have that guilt eliminated. Well, notice what happens then, when David did acknowledge his sin, notice verse 5. <Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.> When David confessed his sin, the Lord forgave it. The guilt was gone. The burden was lifted. He acknowledged his sin, he quit hiding his sin, and God forgave him. You know, three terms are used here for what David did with that sin; he acknowledged it, he did not cover it up and he confessed it. And basically all of those things simply mean David came clean. He knew he couldn't hide anything from God and so he just opened up and he got right with the Lord. The Apostle John writes to some Christians who are in the family of God, over in the New Testament part of the Bible. And he reminds those Christians, who have already received the salvation of the Lord through the blood of Jesus Christ, something very important about sin. Notice what he wrote to them, and he writes the same thing to us today, in 1st John chapter 1, verse 9. <If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.> When we as Christians confess or acknowledge the sin in our life, God's grace continually washes it away. When we live with a spirit of humility, realizing that we cannot live perfect lives, even as Christians, we will admit our sin and we will trust God to forgive us. As Christians, we can experience the very same blessing David experienced when he confessed his sin to the Lord, and we might even ask ourself questions like these; well, what is the sin eating away at my life, what is the sin that has placed so much guilt upon my life that I can't hardly bear it, I can't stand the pressure? Now, you may be mad or angry because you are experiencing God's punishment in your life. You may be frustrated because you cannot live any way you want to live and still receive God's blessing. And all of that, I believe, happens for a reason. The reason is, God wants you, and He wants me, to confess our sin to Him. And when we do, we can have the assurance that He will forgive that sin and He will bless us. This is something very important to know, sin separates people from God. We know that to be true. And we also know God cannot tolerate or associate with sin. And that is why His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, went to the cross to die on our behalf, in order to forgive and to eliminate our sin problem. Jesus died not only to do that but also to take away the guilt and the shame, the consequences of this sin.  We know and understand that, when we confess our sin to the Lord. The story is retold for us in Acts chapter 2, about a large group of people assembled, and the Apostle Peter told them the story about Jesus Christ and His public ministry. And he ended the story by saying that Jesus is the One who died for you to take away your sin. The people responded by saying, well, yeah, we rejected Jesus. We're sorry about that. What do we need to do? And he told them, repent of that sin and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sin. That's in verse 38. The people then did that, they were baptized into Jesus and their sin was forgiven. It was washed away. It was removed. It was forgotten. David describes it like this in Psalm number 103 and verse 12: <As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us…> That's good to know, isn't it! When God washes away our sin, forgives it and forgets it, it's as far as the east is from the west. It cannot be reclaimed again. And so with that in mind, we go back to Psalm number 32, just as David used three terms to describe his sin and what he did with it, he now describes God's forgiveness three ways, in verse 5. He did not count it against him. God forgave David's sin and God covered it. David knew his sin was too heavy for him to carry, and the only one capable of lifting it off of his shoulders and from his heart was the Lord. And since David no longer tried to hide his sin from God, God hid it so that it would not be seen. The Lord did not hold his sin against him, as if a debt was still owed, but He forgave it completely. He removed the burden of guilt. And that very same thing happens to us today. God removes the burden of our sin when we confess it to Him. When we come clean before God and have our sin washed away in baptism, then God forgives it completely. And so, through David's own personal testimony, he reminds us that God still forgives people’s sins today. Now that he has been forgiven, David then urges his readers to pray to God for their forgiveness. And when they do, the great waters of punishment and distress will not come upon them, as he writes in verse 6. He encourages readers not to be stubborn. Don't try to hide your sin from the Lord because it will not work. And to illustrate that He uses the horse and the mule in regards to their stubbornness, in verse 9 of Psalm 32. Those animals tend to go their own way and do their own thing unless they are guided by a bit and by a bridle. And so David warns, don't be like that. Don't be like the horse or the mule. Don't try to do your own thing. Don't allow the hardness of your heart to keep you from receiving God's forgiveness. Don't think you can fool God into thinking you have no sin in your life. With that in mind, I want us to go back to the Gospel that John wrote, the Apostle John, 1st John chapter 1, and notice verse 8: <If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.> Oh, at times it is tempting to turn our back on God and to not follow Him. Satan is at work when that happens. We may refuse to give up our bad practices, our stubborn ways. When that happens, we will not confess our sin. We will not be able to draw closer unto the Lord. And again, it's really a matter of pride. A prideful heart keeps one from confessing the sin of one's life. The Bible reminds us many times to eliminate that problem of pride, and it is a common theme that runs from the beginning to the end of God's Word. Perhaps the Apostle Peter put it best when he wrote these words in 1st Peter 5, verse 6: <Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time.> As Christians, when we humbly come before God and confess our sin to Him, He will forgive us. He will remove that sin. He will take away the burden and the guilt and the shame of it. So with that, here is some very good news. When confession is made and forgiveness is granted, blessings will flow. And that's the way David ends this psalm, with a blessing, the blessings we have from the Lord. He wrote this, beginning with verse 6. <Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye upon you.> Three blessings come when we confess our sin to the Lord. First of all, God provides a way of access to Him through prayer (verse 6). Secondly, God provides a place of safety and security, as He is our hiding place (verse 7). And then verse 8, God provides instruction and guidance in the way we should go. Indeed, those are some real blessings, and we need each one of them. Those are gifts God gives to those who acknowledge their sin and confess it to Him. They are given to those whose sin is forgiven and covered over by God, himself. But then, perhaps the greatest blessing that comes is found in the last two verses, 10 and 11. <Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!> The forgiven person is surrounded by God's unfailing love. There is an assurance of God's protection and love and mercy to all of those who put their trust in Him. Oh, the wicked may experience endless problems and adversities, but the person who is filled with God's wisdom will experience His constant love and protection. And that is cause for rejoicing. The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, put it this way in Isaiah 61 and verse 10: <I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.> Yes, that is what happens when we confess our sin to the Lord. He forgives us. He clothes us with garments of righteousness, or salvation. He surrounds us with His unfailing love. The assurance of God's love, protection, guidance and forgiveness identify those who are blessed by God. And even when a righteous person, even when a child of God still messes up and sins and makes mistakes, we're not in a position to suffer like the wicked. The Lord protects us. He changes our sorrow (verse 3) into songs of deliverance (verse 7). Once again, I want to go back to 1st John chapter 1, and tie all of this together in verse 7. <If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.> Yes, blessed is the one who is happy because his or her sin is forgiven. We have fellowship with other believers. The blood of Jesus Christ continually washes away our sin, as the windshield wiper would wash away the rain from an automobile. When our sin is confessed and forgiven and washed away, there is every reason to live a joyful life. There are blessings to be found, there is security to be enjoyed, there is love to be felt, when we are right with God. When our sin is forgiven and forgotten we can experience His everlasting love. Yes, our loving Heavenly Father covers people’s sin through the blood of Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus came and died upon this cross. He delivers us from the guilt and the shame which that sin produces. And the Lord wants us to receive the salvation which He has provided through His son, Jesus. Psalm 118, verse 24: <This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.> Today, if our sin is forgiven we have every reason to rejoice. We have every reason to celebrate. We have every reason to enjoy the garments of salvation with which the Lord clothes us. And I would hope and pray, that as we experience that salvation, we will always seek to be right with God and allow Him to cleanse away the sin and the guilt in our life.

**VIDEO CLIP

For some people, the Old Testament part of the Bible is not relevant to today. They tend to focus exclusively on the New Testament. And the reason being, perhaps, is, well, it was written so long ago, the message of the Old Testament really does not apply to today. It was written at a different time and to different groups of people under different situations. And yet, if we were to look at the Old Testament, we would find many great passages and promises. We think about the psalms, which encourage us to worship the Lord and to honor Him with our praise. And all of the things of the Old Testament even point to the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. And we think about that. Even though that salvation might look differently in the Old Testament, than in the New Testament, still the theme is there. Yes, the Old Testament part of the Bible has a great deal of value to us. And that's why the Apostle Paul wrote this, in Romans 15 verse 4: <Those things that were written a long time ago, were written for our benefit so that we might have hope.> The Bible is full of hope, including the Old Testament. We find hope for our life. We find hope in Jesus Christ. We find hope in regards to our eternal and spiritual salvation. I would encourage us today, that as we are faithful and careful students of God's Word, that we take in all of God's Word, that we think about Old and New Testament and the message that God has revealed to us through Scripture. I hope that you will be a diligent and faithful student of God's Word, today.

**CONCLUSION

Thank you for taking time to be part of today's Bible study. I hope it encouraged you to think about the joys and the blessings of God's great gift of salvation. This message is available on our website at keytothekingdom.com. It can be downloaded in a variety of formats without any cost or obligation. You might even take a look at the many other lessons and Bible studies and find some that are of specific interest. All of them are designed to offer assistance, as you continue to study God's Word. While on the website, I would encourage you to look at some of the other things which are offered. Devotional thoughts, short two-minute messages and a variety of Bible studies are all available. An overview of this mass media ministry with lots of information is easily accessible, as well. And finally, a free app is available to download onto smart phones. It will give you immediate access to the website. It is always a privilege to share messages from God's Word with you on a weekly basis. I hope they bless and encourage you. Thank you again for joining us for today's broadcast. Be sure to join us again next time as we continue to study the Bible on "Key to the Kingdom."