SIN AND CHRISTIANS

Psalms 51:1-19

Part 1 

Introduction: Do Christians Sin? Yes, they do, and in Psalm 51 we have a solemn reminder of this fact. This is one of the repentant psalms and David wrote it about twelve months after his tragic involvement with Bathsheba.

      How solemn that a believer and a man of such prominence should commit the sins of adultery, deception and murder! Yet Christians do fall into sin, though not necessarily the same sin as David fell into. The question is what happens when a Christian sins? Does God cast him out? Does he cease to be a Christian? No, thank God! When a Christian sins, relationship is not altered but fellowship is broken. This was David's trouble. He was still God's child, but he was out of fellowship with God and he was in this condition for a whole year. Notice what sin does to us when it is committed and when, like David, we fail to confess and forsake it:

(1) It soils the soul, verses 1, 2, 7 and 10 emphasize the fact that sin is dirty and polluting.

(2) It fills the mind; the last part of verse 3 surely indicates this fact. David's sin was all the time prominent in his thoughts.  When my oldest son was born, I was working at the police department in Petersburg.  One of my fellow officers congratulated and asked me if I wanted my son to be a cop.  I told him no that I wanted him to be a preacher like his dad should have been.

(3) It stings the conscience, this surely is the significance of the opening words in verse 4, look up your Bible and let’s compare it with Luke 15:18-19.

“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”

      This was not a made up at a moment or spur of the moment confession.  This was from time thinking about his condition and what brought him from the house to living in the pigpen.  It was heartfelt.

(4) It depresses the heart, the opening words in verse 8 tell us that because of his sin David had lost his joy and his mind was filled with gloom. The joy of the Lord is supposed to be our strength.  But when you have no real joy and real joy only comes from the

(5) It affects the body, the end of verse 8 reminds us of this tremendous fact that when we are out of fellowship with God we are out of harmony within ourselves. Sin can also incur God's corrective treatment.  1^st Corinthians 11:28-32

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”

(6) It sours the spirit, verse 10 makes it perfectly clear that David was conscious that his spirit had been all wrong.

(7) It seals the lips, verses 14 and 15 tell us that because of his sin David had no testimony to give to others and no praise to offer to the Lord.

      Poor David and poor you, if this is your condition and if you are living out of fellowship with the Lord from day to day! What should we do when sin breaks fellowship with God? How should we act to get that fellowship restored?  I will get into that in the main part of the message.

      Confession is essential, basic and fundamental in being saved or in the forgiveness of sins in backsliding.  We see a classic example of this in Luke 18:13 when the publican cries “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Romans 10:9,10 also says in the salvation experience. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.0 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

      For the Christian, 1^st John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all righteousness.”  This is confession in the act of restoring us from the backslidden condition.  Confession is necessary in any approach to God for cleansing and for mercy.

      Many people are guilty of empty or in reality a vain confession.  Vain confessions are totally worthless.  Why?  They may make a tearful confession.  But those tears are seemingly but silly and sinful tears for the wrong in which that have been caught.

1. They are vain because they are made to the wrong person many times. 

                                             1^st Timothy 2:5

         “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”

               When you try to make your confession to a man or in some religions, a priest, you are making it to the wrong person.  The only time you should confess something to another person is when you have wronged that person.

2.  They are vain because they are confession made for a wrong motive.  They are made because you have been caught.  This is not true repentance. 

3. They are vain because they are made for a wrong purpose.  We are trying to ease our conscience or restore a broken fellowship or regain influence.  We have seen that in our time with some of the “confessions” of some religious leaders.  They confessed even with tears yet when back to their sin.  Some of them were counseled to step aside for restoration but they refused.  This showed that their confession was for the wrong purpose.

4. They are vain because they produce the wrong results.  No joy returns when a vain confession is made.  No change is seen after a vain confession. 

      To understand this psalm you have to have the background for the Psalm.  This was written after David’s deliberate and premeditated sin.  Several things that we must remember in order see why this was written. First, we must remember that David is called the man after God’s own heart.  Secondly, David learned the hard way the truth that is found in Numbers 32:23 “Be sure your sin will find you out.” 

      Let’s look at the passage.  I want to us to turn to this passage.  It will make this message more alive and will stick to you longer. 2^nd Samuel 11

      ®David was lazy. Vs. 1

“And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.”

      David should have been on the battlefield with his troops.  Nothing discourages troops like the leader at ease in the rear.  David will see the folly and danger of his ways.  We do not know the reason why he was not on the battlefield.  It may be weariness of war.  He had been at war most of his adult life.  The battle will weary a man. 

      This holds true with us today.  We are in a battle our entire life as a Christian.  It wears us down that we feel that we have the right to be lazy for just a few hours or days.  This is a danger.  We will see how dangerous it was for David in the next few minutes.

      ®David looked.  Vs.  2

“And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.”

      His laziness gave way to restlessness.  This was a time for him to be resting but he is not able to do so.  He walks upon the roof and sees a woman.  This was no ordinary woman.  The Bible told us that this woman is very beautiful.  I saw for the first time that word “very” in this passage.  If he had looked just one time, it would not have been too much problems.  He looked and pondered what he saw.  He saw a very beautiful woman. 

      Ladies, it is important how you look both to your husband and to the public.  Many women forget that men have problems with what he sees.  This is not an excuse for what men do with their eyes or what may happen afterwards.  But ladies, God expects modest from both sexes.  A good-looking fellow may catch your eye but your main avenue is the avenue of touch and feelings whereas a man’s is through the eye gate.

      David forgot the Sunday School song.  We have been teaching it to our children for years but it has adult advice in it.

O’ be careful, little eyes what you see

O’ be careful, little eyes what you see

For your Father up above is looking down in love

So be careful little eyes what you see!

      David laid hold on. Vs. 3-5

“And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.”

      He had an adulterous affair with this very beautiful woman.  What is adultery?  Before I answer that question, I need to give some plain words from the finger of God on Mount Sinai.

                                                Exodus 20:14

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

      This is not a suggestion but plain spoken and written words from the mouth and finger of God.  That is not my opinion.  It is Bible.  God wanted people to understand this.  God’s plan for man and woman is that they get married and enjoy their lives.  It is not enjoying the portion of life that is supposed to be for marriage.  Do I have Bible for this?  If you have not been around me long, I will back up my words with the Word of God. 

                                                Hebrews 13:5

“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”

      He had looked at this beautiful woman too long.  If he had not been at Jerusalem, then he would not have seen her or laid hold of her.  Lust is like a snake.  It is bite even the strongest than anything else about it. James 1:15

“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

      David has forgotten a key verse in the book of Numbers.  “Be sure your sin will find you out.”  Galatians 6:7 had not been written yet but God knew it.  David may have not known it but he will learn its lessons.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

      David lost.    Vs. 6-25

      For time’s sake, we will not read this passage.  In these verses we find that David plots to have Uriah killed.  He has the man sent to the hottest part of the battle.  He is killed almost instantly.  What did David lose?

      ®David lost his contact with the Lord with this sin and the sin of adultery.  He probably does not even realize it either.  Why do I say that?  In the next chapter, the preacher comes by to visit.  David is glad to see the preacher.  Brother Nathan asks David if he can tell him a story.  Of course, David says yes.  Nathan tells of a man who had many sheep and was very rich.  And there is another man who had just one lamb. This guy really loved that lamb.  He had it in the house as a pet.  His children grew up with the lamb and it even ate out of the man’s plate.  One day the rich man was having a guest.  Instead of taking a sheep from his flock, he takes this poor man’s lamb and kills it and feeds his guest with it.

      David is very mad.  He demands to know who was the man.  He wanted justice for the poor man.  Nathan takes his finger and points at David and says, “Thou art the man.”  David doesn’t need an interpretation of the story after those words.  His heart has already smote him.  He knows now that verse in Genesis sixteen and verse thirteen is true.  “Thou God seest me.”

      ®What did David lose?  Part of what he lost is seen in the verses of our text in Psalm 51.  He lost his joy.  He lost the fellowship of His Lord.  He is going to lose his child.  You can never sin without affecting someone else.  No man or woman is an island unto himself or herself.         Romans 14:7

“For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”

      David may have sinned in secret but God revealed his sin openly.  Not only did he lose some things; he did some thing else.   2^nd Samuel 12:14

“Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”

      ®His sins gave the enemies of God a reason to blasphemy.  I would rather give the enemies of God a reason to believe that God has done something wonderful in my life.  I want to give them a reason to ask what is different in my life.  David lost his testimony.

      I have said all that you try to give the background for these verses in Psalm fifty-one.  David is going to make a proper confession.  There are seven essentials that we must see in our text about a proper confession.  It is going to take us two weeks to do so. 

      If our confession is right, then our lives will be right.  Remember what Brother John said in his first epistle to Christians.  1^st John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

      It is very important that you and I don’t read this Psalm like you would a novel.  There is real passion in these verses.  He is not whining or trying to get out of trouble.  He wants to get right with God.  He is not making excuses.  He wants to experience the joy of the Lord again.  

      There are seven essentials that we see in this portion of scripture about making a proper confession that will please God in these next two weeks.  After all, the Lord is the only one who is worth pleasing.  Today we will only be looking at the first one of them today. 

I.  A PROPER CONFESSION IS A PERSONAL CONFESSION.

      The word “I” is found in verses three, four, five, seven and thirteen.  It is seen six times in these verses.  The word “me” is found in verses one, two, three, five, six, seven, eight, ten, eleven, and twelve.  It is found fifteen times.  That means that “my” and “mine” is found five times.  In prayers of confession, you better stick with those person pronouns.  God is not as interested in you telling everyone one else’s sins.  He wants your confession. In verse 1 as he says "my transgressions". The idea here is of rebellion, lawlessness. In verse 2 as he says "my iniquity". The meaning of the word here is perverted, twisted. In verse 2 as he says "my sin". Sin is "missing the mark". In verse 4 as he says "this evil".  Notice how careful David is to pinpoint the nature of his sin, not to generalize but to spell out, and notice his careful use of the personal pronoun "my transgressions", "my iniquities", "my sin".

      Don’t play the blame game.  Adam had the nerve to try to blame God for his sin.  One person has said that every confession that is not personal is vain which means empty.  You might as well keep your mouth quiet than blame someone else. 

      We should be taking the burden of our sin on ourselves.  This is exactly what David did in this proper confession. Vs. 2,4

“Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”  “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”

      David wanted to wash thoroughly.  He does not just to be cleaned, he wanted to be cleansed over and over again unto the stain is gone. 

Conclusion: I would be amiss if I did not mention the cure for a Christian who sins.  I want you to turn this passage also.  It is very important for you to understand this as a new or even as an older Christian.   1^st John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

                                                1^st John 2:1

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”

      Look at this verse very carefully.  There is a period at the end of the sentence.  It is God’s will that we do not sin.  But the Lord knows and you should know that you always sin some way every day.  Anyone who tells you that they have not sinned since they were saved is a liar.  Let’s look at verse eight and ten of the first chapter.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

      This is harsh but the Lord knew we would sin and He wants to cleanse from that sin.  It was the blood that was shed on Calvary’s cross that the Lord Jesus shed that cleanses us from sin.

                                                1^st John 1:7

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

2.  May be you have never been saved, today needs to be that day that your whole life changes.  When Jesus comes into your life, you will have many changes but all of them are for your benefit and God’s glory.  He will save anyone who comes to Him as a sinner.  Today you can be saved.