Psalm
51:1-5 “Have mercy on
me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great
compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my
iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my
transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only,
have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in
your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was
sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
Continuing pastor Kyle’s message: The cost of sin
was higher than ever expected or imagined. Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal
states that one of the greatest problems inside and outside of Christianity is
not realizing just how great the fall of man really was and how far humanity
really fell. Our just and holy God cannot be in the presence of sin and sin
cannot go unpunished. In the day that they sinned, death entered the world; Adam
and Eve died and died until they were dead. God banished them from His presence
and from the Garden of Eden. Now, a sacrifice was needed and provided by God. First,
an animal had to die to provide a covering for their physical nakedness.
Ultimately, Jesus Christ had to die humanity’s spiritual nakedness. Our Father
God had to take intentional steps towards reconciliation and restoration.
Psalm
51:7-17 “Cleanse me
with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than
snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have
crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my
iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a
steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or
take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your
salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will
teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God
my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my
lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in
sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt
offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a
broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
Darkness seems to overshadow light, but that is
impossible. In light, darkness disappears. Satan amplifies our fears with
darkness. God’s light dispels the darkness of sin, so rather than hide, come
clean. Bring God’s light into this world of darkness. Confess your sins and
experience healing. Rather than worry about the consequences of sin, rest in
God’s grace and forgiveness. When you fall in sin, get back up and walk with
the Lord. Rather than repeating the past and dwelling on your sin, commit to
God’s plan for your future. You cannot change the past, even if you want to,
but you can dedicate yourself to the Lord as a devoted follower and have a
better future. This side of eternity, we’ll always have to deal with the fallen
flesh’s sin nature, but we must be sure to settle the forgiveness and eternal
life question today.
1 John
1:8-10 “If we claim to be
without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we
make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”
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