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So let's move along here this morning. We were looking at last week at Psalm 51, and we want to have a look at a corresponding Psalm, which is psalm 32 and in Psalm 51:1 David makes confession and I was just reading from that and in psalm 32, he writes a song of the blessedness of forgiveness, and it's a powerful song and of course I mentioned last week that the background of these Psalms is to go back to 2nd Samuel chapters 11 and 12, and read the background story. David lusted after his neighbour's wife, he committed adultery, he made her husband get drunk, and then he had him killed, and then he covered the whole affair for at least a year, and David was a mature man when this occurred so sometimes we think that sins of lust are just the folly of youth, and we relegate it to that. So that is specifically wrong, and so sins of lust are not confined to the young, not in any way. But they are often committed by people who have an overconfidence in self, and that is something we we must face. 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, "therefore that him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall" and so, there is this tendency within mankind that we get a confidence within ourselves and as a consequence of that self-confidence we begin standing in our own strength, and standing in our own power, and then suddenly we fall, and we fall in sin, and that's a reality of life and all of us have experienced that or we've seen it in others, even those who have been saved for a long time and something has gone out of kilter in their relationship with God and they're relying upon their own strength in that, and as a result their pride steps in and before long they find themselves falling. So David's prayer of confession with Psalm 51 and we want to just read back through that and then we'll go into Psalm 32.

Ps 51: 1-4 "Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

And cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,

And my sin is ever before me.

Against You, You only, I have sinned

And done what is evil in Your sight,

So that You are justified when You speak

And blameless when You judge."

David is not saying why Lord why me Lord, he's saying I've sinned against you and you're completely justified in in the actions you determine.

Ps 51: 5-19 "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,

And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness,

Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

Hide Your face from my sins

And blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

And sustain me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

And sinners will be converted to You.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;

Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

O Lord, open my lips,

That my mouth may declare Your praise.

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;

You are not pleased with burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

By Your favour do good to Zion;

Build the walls of Jerusalem.

Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,

In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;

Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar."

So let's go then - from David's confession in Psalm 51 let's go to psalm 32 and see his praise of God. Psalm 32 "A Psalm of David, A Maskil". A maskil is a song that is a didactic song in its purpose you know didactic means that it has a teaching element it meant the song was for teaching and this is a standard way of learning things that many people have employed. The ABC song is a didactic song it has a teaching purpose its purpose is to teach children the ABCs, I won't sing it to you it's enough that you have to listen to me talking without that but it means that the purpose of this song is that it has a teaching element to it and so David as he writes this song of praise there is an intention within the song that he would teach others about what he has been through and where God has brought him to.

Ps 32: 1-4 "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered!

How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away

Through my groaning all day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah."

Now the phrase Selah doesn't have a to my knowledge doesn't have a specific translatable meaning other than in in music you might see a term such as rest which is a pause within within music and obviously in music that has some syncopation that pause is going to be for a deliberated set a period of time. Now not so much in this but there's a pause and the reason that Selah is inserted into the Psalms often is that it's a pause for reflective meditation, and so this phrase Selah ties in to verses 3 & 4

"When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away

Through my groaning all day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer."

Now pause and meditate on this. That's the intention that you and I would learn this didactic song this song for teaching and we would then, as we reflect on it and read it over we would take time to pause and meditate over these verses attached to this time pause for us. Let's keep going because we'll come back to that idea a little later.

Ps 32:5 "I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity I did not hide;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;

And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah."

Pause and reflect on this. So the intention of this song is that we would work our way through the song and we would take time to reflect upon our own state before God, this is the intention of it verse 6

Ps 32: 6-7 "Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;

Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.

You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;

You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah."

Pause reflect on this as well so David is writing here and he has these different stages within the Psalm and at these different stages of a person's walk he's saying pause and reflect on this, do some internal meditation on this, we're not talking in the eastern sense, we're talking on the biblical sense which is to take this passage of verse in and and plunder it around within the mind and within the heart letting this passage work its way deep within us, there's an injunction that we see immediately as soon as we start meditating over this passage in verse 6

Ps 32:6a "Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;"

There's an injunction that we'll come to a little later, let's move on to the remaining verses of the Psalm, So this is the Lord's reply to David here

Ps 32: 8-11 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;

I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,

Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,

Otherwise they will not come near to you.

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;

And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart."

I can't hear you, shout for joy, you know most of us treat church like it's a library and when you read through the Psalms and through the scripture God's not afraid or ashamed of noise he's not ashamed of the you know the the genuine expression of the human heart in both sorrow and in joy in brokenness and in wholeness, He's not ashamed of these things and so the Lord is telling David, this is the Lord telling David,

Ps 32:11 "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;

And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart."

And so often especially within the Western mindset we become so closeted in our emotions even the ones that we share with one another that we can also let that affect our walk with God and we can be closeted in that way as well. So just thinking back two weeks ago, before Salvi's message, his wonderful message I'd encourage you to go back over that. We looked at the cost of committing sin, so the cost of Commission. We looked at the cost of confession, there is going to be a brokenness that comes with confession of sin. A genuine brokenness that will accompany the confession of sin. The cost of cleansing that good works and religious performances cannot cleanse from sin, only the blood of Jesus can cleanse from sin, this is the high cost of you and I being cleansed from our sin, and that high cost of cleansing from sin ought to make us hate sin and turn from it to run from it. But there is another side to this story, so that's what we looked at the previous week, but the other side is the experience of the joy of forgiveness that is expressed in psalm 32. In fact Paul quotes David's Psalm in Romans chapter 4, the first two verses of it, Romans chapter 4 now I have taken this out of the new American Standard which places the verses in CAPS and when you're reading through the New Testament in the new American Standard whenever you see a text in capitalised letters, what what that means is it's a reference that has taken from the Old Testament, well we've been reading Psalm 51 and Psalm 32 and here Paul from his knowledge and experience of Psalm 32 he takes that passage and he quotes it,

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,

And whose sins have been covered."

Now you can look up that passage in commentaries and you will see that quite a few commentaries take that passage and give a little summary of it. Kenneth Wuest in his expanded translation he translates the words "blessed" which essentially had the meaning of to be happy, but it's a little bit like the word repentance "Metanoia" a change of mind. Now a change of mind does not encompass the in the Greek it doesn't encompass the Hebrew intentions of the word repentance which carries with it a component of deep sorrow that leads to a change of mind, and so in the same way the word blessed doesn't simply mean happy as if some circumstances have occurred and so therefore we are for some reason happy. The the word carries with it a meaning of spiritual prosperity that there is a prospering within the individual because of some circumstances so blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. So spiritually prosperous are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness because they will be filled. Kenneth Wuest, he translates this as "spiritually prosperous are those whose lawlessnesses, whose lawlessness is were put away and whose sins were covered spiritually prosperous is the man to whose account the Lord does not in any case put sin".

Well what a an amazing statement and the reason it's amazing is because David was entirely guilty, he had committed horrible sin. Now hand on heart that's you and I as well we have committed horrible sins you and I. He had rebelled against the law of God, blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven. David had rebelled against the law of God these were lawless deeds. He had failed to meet God's righteous standard, blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered, the term for sin means a falling short of the standard or the glory of God and so David he had fallen short he failed to meet God's righteous standard in keeping the law and so as a consequence of that he had sinned and here as David said in the in the beginning of psalm 32 and then as Paul quotes in Romans chapter 4, his falling short, his failure was covered by God. So he had failed to meet God's righteous standard he had surrendered to his sinful passions in this and had deceitfully covered up the whole matter for the year and this is a great tragedy.

You could take proverbs 28 I just go over there proverbs 28 verse 13

Proverbs 28:13 "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."

What an awesome correlation to this text that we're looking at here this morning, psalm 32.

Let's just consider as we are reading Psalm 32 that there is a an effect upon us when when we cover up sin. There is a powerful effect. We call that the ravaging effect of sin. Sin is damaging enough to us but when we continue to keep it covered it is powerful in its effects within the individual, and David refused to confess his sin and there was an effect directly in his life he suffered within his life. Psalm 51 shows us that David suffered spiritually through his silence and in psalm 32 it shows us that he also suffered physically through his silence.

Ps 32:3-4 "When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away

Through my groaning all day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer."

David is talking about some of the effects of the silence about his sin, that they had a devastating effect within him as an individual, he became like an old man. He says God's hand was heavy upon him and he was like someone that was struggling through the the feverish heat of summer and that he was experiencing that drought spiritually and physically within his life. Some people who go to a doctor to take care of their symptoms, some believers this is, should go to the Lord and search their hearts, I'm not saying don't go to a doctor this is not some Word of Faith garbage here, but what I'm saying is you and I may suffer, we may suffer within through the silence or the compression, the covering of our own personal sins and it can affect us within. We're not saying that all sickness is caused by sin, but it does mean that unconfessed sin can have a physical affliction, that's something for us to consider. Isn't that the emphasis of first Corinthians 11 when Paul talks to the church about the Lord's Supper and in verses 29 to 31 but starting with verse 28, "but a man must examine himself and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup for he who eats and drinks eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly for this reason many among you or we can seek in a number asleep "or dead that means but if and and so Paul is talking about believers who have died as a consequence of them not judging their own actions and the motivations of their actions and they harboured wrongfulness and in the process of that God took them out, that's that's what it seems to say, "but if we judge ourselves rightly we would not be judged but when we are judged we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world" so for the believer who is in error in his ways, there is a need for us to pause and to discontinue a process of covering up of sin so that we can rightly judge our hearts and come before God and be liberated from the effects of the covering up of sin.

So God is at work in our lives and part of his work is to bring us to true repentance and in the process of doing that, bringing us to to repentance, God brings us to a place where we're restored in fellowship with him, and it seems to me the first Corinthians 11 these are people that Paul is speaking of who were out of fellowship with God, but were not under the judgment as sinners. But God judged God judged their sin, but he spared them from ultimate judgment as sinners will face. Now that's a topic for another day however just take note of that that there is a ravaging affect spiritually and even physically upon us as believers when we are silent about our sin.

Now there is also within this passage a wonderful rawness of true confession. I think this is one of the most endearing aspects of David when you read him. He wears his heart out on his sleeve, as we're often recorded to say about individuals, David pours himself out and this is something raw, there is something basic, there's something powerful about the confession of sin. David said in verse 5 "I acknowledge my sin to you and my iniquity I did not hide. I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the guilt of my sin" and so we'll take a moment to pause, you forgave the guilt of my sin, Selah, so we'll take a moment to pause and think about this. Literally David is saying I began to make known to you my sin.

The wording is interesting "I acknowledged my sin to you" the wording is interesting because he is he's actually saying I began to make it known. And the idea is that it wasn't an immediately completed fact, it wasn't the simplicity of a prayer such as Oh Lord I've sinned, please forgive me, please forgive me Lord. That's not what David was doing here, but the indication of the text is that David was working this issue through with God. He began pleading with God over the state of his heart and over the condition of sin that he was in. David immediately confessed that he had sinned when Nathan spoke to him, but then privately David allows the Spirit of God to uncover his sins one by one, and this is the true nature of confession.

Imagine a man who maybe has been dishonourable to his family in in various different ways and so then he realises that that he's being dishonourable in all these different ways and so he gathers the family and he says to them, look, I've got something to say to you. I'm sorry, please forgive me. Now there would be a lot of confusion in that in in in the sense that the family members who maybe are anticipating this and wanting to see the restoration of relationship between themselves and their father are probably hungering for a depth of Communion and confession to take place and so for the father to simply say, I'm sorry please forgive me. That's not going to cut the mustard as far as the family is concerned. "What are you sorry about" is going to be one of the first questions because how can we forgive you if we don't know what you're sorry about, and so it works the same way that as believers God is desiring truth in the inward parts he's desiring that you and I would come before him to be cleansed and that's going to require that you and I are honest with God in seeking that forgiveness and in confessing our sins and actually speaking them out to God and not just saying, sorry God, please forgive me. Because that doesn't cut it. That's not a raw sincere true confession before the Lord.

David's prayer was not this general confession, he named his sins specifically before God and because he confessed, God forgave him. One writer said, "the less you spare yourself the more God will spare you". That's a phrase we would be familiar with, because we would have heard sometimes people say "I'll spare you the embarrassment". The less you spare yourself, the more God will spare you. The less you and I cover the more God will spare you .Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11 but if we judged ourselves rightly we would not be judged, we just read that out a moment ago in in 1st Corinthians 11, "for if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged", There is an emotional component to seeking forgiveness because the idea of seeking forgiveness, stems from the understanding of law-breaking, and just as every parent would desire for their children to come to them and and confess to them say mum, dad, I did this thing wrong and I'm so sorry, and be genuine about it. The idea of confession is that it comes from a brokenness of heart. We read that just a moment ago in Psalm 51 when we were going into community, "for you do not delight in sacrifice otherwise I would give it you're not pleased with burnt offering the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God you will not despise". And so God doesn't forgive simply because we confess, there is a an element to true confession that is accompanied by true brokenness, and that then causes in us a rawness to the sincerity of a true confession and if you've been a believer for any length of time you've met someone who has just outwardly poured out their heart about how they had disgraced God has just gushed out of them and and you're listening to them as they share with you the brokenness that they had in their lives and how they experience God's love and joy and even in telling you, many times, you're able to sense a reflection from this person's heart in your own life as to the the total sincerity with which they're speaking to you about how they poured their heart out to God.

And God doesn't simply forgive just because of prayer it's not just that we recite "our Father who art in heaven hallowed by thy name". He forgives when we confess our sins because he is faithful and just, and because we are in a place of sincerity about recognising the condition of our sins, and how we have violated God's law and violated our relationship with him. He is faithful to his promise and he is Just concerning his reference to the cross. You see forgiveness is found at the cross of Jesus Christ and therefore we don't earn forgiveness. The coming to God in in a condition of confession of sin is not to earn forgiveness, it's a simple step of obedience, confess your sins. This is a step of obedience that we would honour God with that.

Romans 8:31 through 39 says "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;"

So if you and I have been justified by God through repentance and faith then who can bring a charge against us. It's God who justified, He's dealt with it and how did He deal with it? In the cross of Jesus Christ. That is the justice of God. So it's in his hands.

Romans 8:34 "who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;

We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God's love is not a random thing, it is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And we in Christ Jesus through repentance and faith, and therefore the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts through repentance in faith. So forgiveness is tied to confession of sin because God is faithful and just. That's a phenomenal thought isn't it, that God calls us to confess our sin to him because he is faithful and just to forgive. Now let that just sink in for a moment, this is a Selah moment, we pause and reflect and you wonder for a moment. Lord what sins have I committed what sins are unconfessed between me and you. He's aware of them, in our calloused hearts we may have become unaware of them, not that they're not there, but that we have become so calloused that we're committing this sin without even giving heed to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Let's move on here this morning, so we've looked at the ravaging effect of silence. The raw sincerity of true confession. Let's have a look at the rejoicing of cleansing.

David's brokenness and rawness of his confession was replaced by singing and rejoicing God put songs in his heart and I know that there are more than one of you listening who have had that experience of coming to Christ and experiencing the forgiveness of sins. And there just seems to be this thing of rejoicing and singing with in your heart.

Ps 32:6 "Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;

Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him."

Now let's do a little translation of that. Surely the flood of great waters, that flood of great waters will not reach him, the disaster will not overcome him.

Ps 32:7 "You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;

You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah."

Again we come across this this pause for reflection. So he is surrounded by songs of deliverance and wherever he turns, this means he's finding something to sing about. What a turnaround from Psalm 51 verse 3 where my sin was ever before me, he said. Now he's surrounded by songs of deliverance. Look what the Lord has done, greater is He that is in me, you know his heart is bursting forth with song, it's no longer I who liveth. I'm obviously singing from the New Testament experience, but David said "I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me" and now he's saying "you preserve me from trouble you surround me with songs of deliverance" so there is turnaround, why because of the confession that he went through. Now there's a warning here in this text. Verse 6 says "therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. So there's a warning here about timeliness, he wants us that that we should not delay in seeking God. Pray to you in a time when you may be found. Now this may have two meanings it may mean that in a time when we find out our sins, so as soon as we become aware of our sin and seek God. And it may also mean in a time when God may be found. And I think the second meaning leads toward this idea that the longer we harbour the sin in our hearts, the harder our hearts become and the more difficult it becomes for us to open up before God because we've been harbouring this sin. And our hearts have become calloused. And so with that I think there are some different interpretations, but I think there may be a combination of these two mixed together here, Remember he says in verse 6 "therefore that everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found surely in a flood of great waters that were not reach you.

So as overwhelming as the acknowledging of our sin before God maybe, persist in seeking God with it while you're in that state of heart, don't let it go. Now I think it is genuine to the text to state that if a believer allows sin to accumulate, we're talking about a believer here, if they allow sin to go covered, so it's covered over and they're harbouring it. I think it's fair to say that Hebrews 12 teaches us that God will chasten us and that chastening is for a specific purpose that in the process of God chastening us. We'll go to Hebrews 12, then in the process of God chastening us, He is correcting us for a purpose.

Heb 12: 4-5"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;"

My son do not despise. So God speaks to his children and the author of Hebrews reminds him that, listen don't treat this lightly have you forgotten they God says he will chasten his children.

Heb 12: 6-7 "For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,

And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?"

So God has a purpose in the discipline he brings into our lives and it may be that the chastening of the Lord might be likened to these waters that will not overwhelm, surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him, so God will use the circumstances of life, He will bring about circumstances in order to chasten us so that we will come to Him in reflection and in confession of our sins. So the caution for us is confess quickly, don't delay with confessing. David, as a consequence of his confession he's not afraid anymore. We read in verses 6 & 7 of psalm 32 "Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;

Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him." There's a confidence there, surely he says, then you are my hiding place, you preserve me from trouble, you surround me with songs of deliverance. So his confidence is in God. David is now not living in fear, he's not trembling, his bones are not quaking within him, his body is not wasting away. He is not feeling like somebody who is parched from the hot dry summer Sun, this is the blessing of being in right relationship with God. That out of that right relationship with God fear is vanquished with the presence of a clean conscience. And that that's something that money can buy. The Beatles said "money can't buy me love" but that is something money can't buy you. That comes out of relationship with God. In a sense David is saying, let troubles come, I'm not afraid, whatever comes my way is only by the Lord's hand anyway. He's allowed it to come so he will give me strength to withstand. Even the most onerous assaults of the enemy, David says they're not an issue. God will strengthen me to stand.

Let's move on as we come to a close in this so we've looked at the ravaging effect of silence. Looking at the top three points here. The ravaging affective silence the roar sincerity of true confession the rejoicing of cleansing let's have a look finally at the expression of joy and confidence that comes, because verses 8 to 11 this is God's reply to David God is now speaking to David and he is assuring him that he will direct his steps. Verse 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way in which you should go I will counsel you with my eye upon you, he restores my soul Psalm 23 verse 3 says he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Notice that God wants to counsel you with his eye. Now this is far different to being corrected with a rod. In other words the intention of God is that you and I would be in such a relationship with him, that it's a little bit like a parent who may do this to their child, and the child responds or the parent raises both eyebrows, or frowns. And the child instantly is aware for the parents that looks like this as if the child is to divert their attention to something and then goes to do it. And so God wants to guide us with his eye, not with a heavy rod. And an obedient child learns the look of his or her parents eyes, they they learn to understand the directive that parents are giving from a look or from a simple phrase and we should be seeking to be constantly under the father's eye, learning to live so we can please him. In verse 9 David talks about two extremes, and he says in verse nine "don't be as the horse or the mule which have no understanding whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check otherwise they will not come near to you."

Now this is the Lord remember, speaking to David here, and he's saying don't be like this, don't be like a horse and don't be like a mule. I've been around a lot of horses they can be flighty don't be like that, don't be impulsive, don't be like a mule, and there's more than one or two mules in my family history and the Irish Scottish and English renowned for stubbornness, in fact probably every culture is in some way. The horse that rushes ahead and the the mule that is stubborn, they're both led by the bit in the mouth that bit that is uncomfortable for them and so they learn that when they try to fight and they try to resist that bit that it's uncomfortable for them and so they learn to be moved in the right direction. And so Christians should avoid impulsiveness and stubbornness, these are two extremes that we are to avoid, and so this is the Lord speaking to David. David's gone through all of this and the Lord is now saying to him you know avoid these things. God is directing our steps and as a process of that is saying this and as you walk with me avoid impulsiveness and avoid stubbornness, these are important things. Especially when you consider these statements in the light of 2 Samuel 11 and 12 and in the light of Psalm 51 and Psalm 32, David impulsively got himself into sin and then stubbornly covered it up for over a year. So this is this is very relevant to what the Lord is saying to David and so Christians should avoid both of these kinds of behaviour, we should walk with the Lord and a step at a time in loving obedience. Now some Christians have to have the bit in the bridle before God can control them and over time God teaches them tenderness of heart to walk with him. That is what God desires for us that we would have a tenderness of heart in walking with Him. Dumb animals have no understanding, but God's people learn to understand what the will of the Lord is. You can check out Ephesians 5:15-17 "therefore be careful how you walk, verses verse 15 says not as unwise but as wise making the most of your time because the days are evil so then do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.

So we often as Christians have sinned and being restored. So from that point of restoration that's not a time to rest on our laurels now is the time you know in that point of restoration that's the time that we would begin to open our hearts up to God and learn to walk carefully and circumspect with him and understand what the will of the Lord is for our lives. Satan will try to undermine our peace and our confidence in the Lord, it's very easy for us to begin to worry about the past and the consequences of our foolishness, but who will separate us from the love of God. We've read that just before it Romans chapter 8, go back there and check that out, because there are definitely better fruits from disobedience but verses 10 and 11 show that God protects and upholds those who belong to him. Verse 10 many other sorrows of the wicked but he who trusts in the Lord loving-kindness shall surround him, be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous ones and shout for joy all you who are upright in heart. The wicked have many sorrows. That's what the Lord says there. The sorrows also come to the lives of disobedient Saints, the rain falls on the just and on the unjust. Since both disobedient and obedient will experience trial and tribulation in this world, this side of eternity. So this is not as I said earlier a word of faith message. But when we're walking in obedience and in relationship with God those trials and tribulations we are able to count as blessings in our lives because we see the will and the purpose of God in it. So it is that the Christian who has been cleansed from his sin, he sees the hand of God in those trials and in those difficulties and he may even actually rejoice in them that's through those trials and difficulties God has turned his heart away from his own stubbornness and back to their tenderness of confession and relationship with God and restoration. So confession is a powerful thing. Now remember as we come to close, that confession results in a past that is forgiven, a present that is joyful, and a future that is built on a secure hope in Christ Jesus. And that's a marvelous thing.

So let's just consider for a moment, we mentioned at the start that the heading, if you have a Study Bible of the the psalm, is a Maskil. The meaning of this is that it's a didactic Psalm in its purpose, meaning that it has a teaching purpose. How blessed is he or how spiritually prosperous is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered how spiritually prosperous is the man to whom the Lord does not multiply iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. So with that, given that this is a teaching Psalm and it has three deliberate pauses in it where we are to reflect at certain points within the psalm. I would ask you, what sins are unconfessed between you and God? What is there that is unconfessed? What is there that you must make right with the Lord? This is a sincere and important question for us all to answer. What must I come before the Lord with? As I seek that joyous fellowship with him as my father who will direct me with the tenderness of his eye, rather than with the severity of a rod. And you know I'm thankful that I have experienced the rod of God's correction in my life but you know I much prefer being in fellowship with and taking the direction of his eye. Hallelujah praise the Lord, a past forgiven, a present joyful, and a future secure. What a wonderful Psalm this really is, it's it's such a tremendous blessing to us and a real encouragement. Because David he was someone who so much was just like us, and you know he struggled with things he was a man subject to his own passions impulsiveness and stubbornness all these kinds of things and that's what God deals with in this this Psalm, and in the closing verses when God speaks to him. So we can find in this some resemblance to ourselves. Our Father we thank you for today. We praise You Lord God that your word is not the sterilised record of insincerity, but instead Lord it is the inspired recording of an engagement between you and humans, And that engagement included many sins, many sins even of those whom you used mightily and so we thank you Father that even David who was in scripture called your friend, failed at many points and Psalm 51 in psalm 32 a record of his response to one such failure. So we praise You Lord this morning help us to learn from this help us to go over these Psalms and really meditate over them to see how you would bless us. Help us Lord to be tender-hearted before you and recognise our sin and confess it to you without delay. In the mighty name of Jesus the Messiah. Amen, praise the Lord.

Click here for Part 2 of this message.

The cost of commission

There is a physical cost

psalm 32:3-4

There is a spiritual cost

David lost the purity of his heart

He needed to be washed

Sin affects the whole person

His heart was affected

His eyes were affected

His ears were affected

His lips were affected

His mind was affected

Sin’s corruption of the inner person broke his fellowship with God

Transcript (automated)

But I want to take some time this morning too. Talk about a pivotal point in David's life and that is his sin with Bathsheba and the confrontation that was brought by Nathan. And so you could get some background all this by going into 2 Samuel 11-12 and you'll see there some background in David's life and you'll see Nathan the prophet confronting David. But I want to skip to Psalm 51 and look at David's prayer of confession that's found there because it's an important one for us because it reveals to us how we should deal with sin in our lives and it reveals the heart of repentance as such. And so there is another, Psalm that's linked with this as well. And that is some 32. So these two Psalms, I believe, are very good Psalms to read in unison because they deal with David making confession. And then Psalm 32 he talks about the blessedness of forgiveness, which for those who are born again, you understand that blessedness of forgiveness. That's just pray and ask the Lord to bless the word to our hearts and our lives. This morning as we read through Psalm 51. Father, we thank you Lord. Thank you for your word. We thank you for the life of David and Lord we thank you because it reveals to us, the scripture reveals to us how imperfect David was in so many ways. And while it would be easy for us to stand back and cast judgment upon him for the sins he committed, yet, we can see that you had a plan and purpose in David's life. A great and mighty plan. And that part of that Lord would be the record of his life handed down for us. That we might see how you work. So patient link with us. So we praise you. We ask you Lord to bless the ministry of your word, to our lives and hearts. Let it bring light into our hearts that we might walk accordingly. Amen.

Praise the Lord. Well Psalm 51. The background of these two Psalms, in a nutshell is that David lusted after his neighbour's wife. He committed adultery. He, coerced the husband into a drunken state. All of these things failed. David was trying to get the husband to have sexual relationship with his wife so that then he might be fooled into believing the child was his. All of this failed so David had him killed on the battle front and then he covered the whole affair for about a year. And David wasn't a youth when he fell into these sins.

Sometimes we think that lust based sins, the sins of youth. But that's not a truism at all. In fact there are many middle aged men who fall into lustful sins, many of them as a coming to that stage of life that is often called midlife crisis. And they're unhappy with their present circumstances or whatever excuse there may be. And so David wasn't a youth when he fell into the sins, he was a mature man. And he was ruling over a great kingdom. So, you know, he had a lot of responsibilities. He probably had a lot of fulfilment in life. But often sins of lust are committed by those who have an overconfidence in self. And for various reasons, whatever that may be. But you know, and David, here he is a ruler of a kingdom and very successful man in so many ways.

A competent man, a poet, a warrior, King, father, all these, all of the attributes in life that many seek for, wealthy. In 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, therefore, let him who thinks it stands take heed that he does not fall. And so, you know, that's the same for all of us. You can read as a corresponding verse to Psalm 51 and Psalm 32. You could read 1 John 1:5 through to chapter two. You can see God's provision for cleansing there. But let's move on here this morning. Psalm 51, for the choir director, a Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba, be gracious to me. Oh God. According to your compassion, according to the greatness of your compassion, blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me, against you. You only have I sinned. And done what is evil in your sight? So that you are justified when you speak and blameless when you judge. Behold I was brought forth in inequity and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, you desire truth in the inner most being and in the hidden part you will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness. Let the bones which you have broken, rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all of my iniquities, create in me a clean heart, Oh God. And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will be converted to you.

Deliver me from blood guiltiness Oh God, the God of my salvation. Then my tongue will joyfully sing of your righteousness. O Lord open my lips that my mouth may declare your praise. For you do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it. You're not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart O God you will not despise. By your favour do good to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices in burnt offering and whole burnt offering. Then young bulls, will be offered on your altar. Amen. How often when we speak of seeing we speak generally or in a disconnected kind of manner, we speak of someone else's sin. Usually when we speak with someone else's sin, we are very quick and are very comfortable with highlighting how egregious their sin is.

We are not always as quick and as willing to highlight our own sin in that same way, using those same terms. But often is the case that when we speak of sin we speak much more harshly of others sins than of our own sins. But we can see here in this prayer of David's, in Psalm 51 we can see, that this is a very personal prayer and he is talking about his iniquity, his sin in a very personal manner. And that's how sin should be approached. He says me, he says, my sin, my inequity in the opening 4 verses, David makes it completely clear that he's speaking of himself and his eyes are not on someone else. His eyes are on himself as far as guilt goes. And as far as the need is represented.

And this is really important because our prayer life can be so generic. So many times we can be in the place in which we pray. Oh Lord, let your blessing be on my life. What are we talking about when we say these things? You know, "O Lord, wash away my sin". What sin? You know, what sin are we talking about? And so David, he was very specific in registering his guilt before God and in identifying the fact that he was indeed the guilty party involved here. And so this is really important for us. So when we think about David's confession in Psalm 51, let's consider the cost of the commission of sin, the cost of committing sin. Obviously if we all knew the cost of any particular thing before we did it, we would be very careful, wouldn't we in life, we would weigh things up as to the value versus the benefit.

We would do a cost benefits analysis and we might consider something worthwhile. Or when it comes to sin, there is a cost involved. And our text indicates to us that this sin that David falling into this lust, well not falling, that's the wrong language, but he went headlong into this lust, adultery, enticing a man to drunkenness and committing murder, but at the time there's no doubt that even though David's conscience would have been pricked before he committed this sin, at the time, it was just momentary. These were momentary acts, they're acts that are done in a moment and that's one of the great problems with sin is that sin is something that can occur very quickly, but it can have devastating and longterm affects to it. But there is a price to pay for sin. So no matter how fleeting the time of our involvement in sin may have been, there is a price attached to it and David paid, he paid that price for his sin. It is possible though that David, had planned to sin when he came home from battle. There's all kinds of things around this situation, but Psalm 32:3 says, when I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away. So there is even a physical cost to sin, Psalm 32:3 "through my groaning all day long, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long". Psalm 32:4 says, "what day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My vitality, my life was drained away as with the fever heat of summer". So David is describing that in his own sin and in his own commission of sin, he paid for these sins physically in his body. There was a heaviness that came upon him while he was covering it. While I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.

You see, this is the importance of relationship with God and that way in the damage of that relationship and the conviction of the sin that has brought that damage, there would be a heavy burden upon us. And God has an intention in that to bring us to a place where we will turn in repentance and seek his forgiveness. David said that his vitality, it was drained a little bit like having this cold and flu, you know, it drains you of your energy. Well, David describes that physically, that the post effect of having committed his sin was that as it remained covered, it was draining him, draining the vitality of his life away. He paid for his sins and became ill, it seems from his record, but there is also a spiritual cost and this is also great. I this spiritual cost David lost the purity of his heart. Now versus 1 and 2, David, asks the Lord and be gracious to me or God according to your loving kindness, according to the greatness of your compassion. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. You see, David saw the need to be purified. He needed to be washed. Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Now it's important to note through this Psalm, the usage of, the words associated with David sin here because he's not being generic. I mentioned that earlier, but he also uses words such as transgressions, iniquity, and sin. We often just talk about a sin which in biblical terms means the missing of the mark, failing to meet God's standard. And that's true, about sin.

But iniquity means an inward crookedness, a perversity. So David, when he writes this poetry of confession to God, he describes the acts that he had committed as being both sin and inequity, a crooked perverseness of his heart. He also describes it as transgression. Well, we often think of transgression as simply the crossing over barrier, but biblically it is a much stronger, word than that, the word has the meaning of, and I think it's pesha in the Hebrew, but it has a meaning of an act of rebellion. Defying God by crossing over the line God has drawn. And so, you know, as parents or teachers know, they often say children like to step across the line. But that's not what David is saying when he uses the word transgression. He's saying that you took a running leap across the boundary that God had set.

This is not a mistake, is sin with Bathsheba was not a mistake. It wasn't a simple stumble into sin. He transgressed, he acted in rebellion against God's boundary on his life. And that's the case, there is a spiritual cost involved when we commit sin. So there's a physical cost. There's a spiritual cost. David's heart was affected. You see, sin affects the whole person. It affects the heart. Now the heart, biblically speaking, is not just about this idea of emotions. The heart is, the biblical understanding of it is this idea of the connection of thought and feeling together. And so David says in verse 17, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise. Now this suggests that at some point David was living in the opposite way. His heart was not broken.

His heart was not contrite. So it's suggests that he's heart had become defiled in some way and hardened in some way, and that God had to take David through a process of softening his heart. You see, when we harbour sin, it hardens the heart, it dulls the spiritual senses toward the condition of our heart relationship with God. So David also speaks of his eyes being affected. Psalm 51:3, for I know my transgressions and my sins are ever before me. So all he could see was, was he sins, what a terrible place of life to be in that he's being consumed constantly by the commission of his sin. Of these sins rather, because there were multiple sins tied up in his adultery. This is what a corrupted conscience does. A corrupted conscience does not give a person rest. And people with a dirty conscience are on the defensive and they often become angry.

They wonder what other people know. And I find it interesting when you read in 2 Samuel 12, when Nathan confronts David and, and using the little story about the lamb, et cetera. David's response initially is one of a great deal of anger. Well, that's interesting to me because the old saying "thou protest too much" comes to mind. And David here, as Nathan confronts him, his anger rises up there and, he responds angrily at Nathan. And I think it's a couple of things, that one thing, it's a deflection, look over there. Look over there, shiny object. But the other thing is that this response of anger is the response of anger because he's been covering the sin and all the time his conscience is at work within and the anger is now coming to the surface. Anger is a common response when people are harbouring sin.

And it's one I know that a lot of pastors look out for when they see it in people. His ears were affected. Verse 8, he says, make me to hear joy and gladness. Let the bones which you have broken, rejoice. How interesting. Isn't this one of the most fundamental effects of sin, that joy and gladness, are gone. in a person's life. And David has to plead with the Lord in this prayer for cleansing and forgiveness in this prayer that God would restore him. He pleads with God to bring back joy and gladness to him. Nothing sounds good to a person who's out of fellowship with God, a person who is harbouring sin in their conscience is deeply burdened. There's nothing that sounds good. You wonder why some of the sinners you work with are just down out grumpy people all the time. And whenever you talk with them, there's just constant negativity.

Nothing you could say is pleasing to them. And it's because of that heavy burden of sin that exists in their life without being able to go to the saviour and be washed, clean. So his ears were affected. His lips were affected. He says to the Lord in verse 13, then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will be converted to you. Deliver me from blood guiltiness Oh God, the God of my salvation. Then might tongue will, joyfully sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips that my mouth may declare your praise. He could. He could no longer testify. He could no longer witness. You know, this is David. He is a Herald of God's word. You know, he wasn't able to sing God's praises and rejoice in God. There's nothing that shuts a Christian's mouth like unconfessed sin. His mind was affected.

Verse 6 behold you desire truth in the innermost being and in the hidden part you will make me know wisdom. So how interesting that David, because he's out of fellowship with God, that he knows that after things are restored, then he will know wisdom. And so there is an effect upon his heart and mind. And both the emotional knowledge but also the intellectual understanding. You see sins corruption of the inner person results in a break in fellowship with God. So there is no mistaking why God has revealed that marriage is a representation of Christ and the church. Because when there has been damage done to a marriage relationship, there is a coldness that forms and we're not just talking about adultery that causes that, but any kind of damage to the marriage relationship results in a coldness forming within that relationship and the couple are damaged, their fellowship is damaged. And so David pleads with the Lord, create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence. Do not take your Spirit from me. Here's David pleading for the inner person of the heart and spirit. Verse 10 create in me clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit. So David is pleading that God would, in the inner person, restore things. He was out of fellowship with God. And the joy is gone. He's not able to rejoice in God. And all of these effects of his sins. God uses this brokenness of fellowship to bring us to a place where you and I will come to that repentance and true confession of our sin. But when we grieve the Holy spirit in sin, there is a brokenness to have fellowship with God.

Ephesians 4 says, "let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment. So that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you along with all malice, be kind to one another. Tenderhearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." You know may we never forget the high price of committing sin. I have a couple of other points to make, but we will look at the cost of committing, the cost of confession, and the cost of cleansing next week. But just consider that with me this morning, these points that we made.

Of how sin affected David's life and ask yourself that question. Have you forgotten the cost of committing sin personally, the cost to you? Because there is a cost in your life and we're going to get onto the cost regarding the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. But there is a cost to you. It affects your relationship with God. If you're a believer, it affects your standing with God and it affects your relationship with others and it causes you to, deflect, it causes you to respond. You know, it damages you so that when you respond in life, you respond the wrong way in life, anger, bursts forth and impatience with people. This deflection, when somebody talks about that subject, you deflect it, you push it away, or you talk about sin in the third person when you talk about sins that you're guilty of, you talk about it in relation to other people, all of these kinds of things.

These are indications that something's being damaged within your life. And that's what sin does, it damages us. So we'll come back to the cost of confession and cleansing next week and look at those then. So thank you very much for being with us this morning. So our Father, we thank you and we praise you Lord. Well, what a joy we have to have experienced the love of Jesus shed abroad in our hearts through faith in his name? We thank you for his death. Lord, a death that we rightly deserved, that he took upon himself in place of us. Help us to always be thankful for this Lord. I pray, father this morning, that anyone listening has the opportunity to confront their sin, Lord God, and to bring it before you, Lord and be restored in fellowship with you. Oh, what a devastating series of sins David committed to Lord God. And yet you were merciful to him because of the plea of his heart. So there is no sin that we can commit Lord, that is outside the bounds of your love. So we ask you, Father, that for anyone listening who is harbouring or covering sin, Lord, cause in them deep conviction so that they will turn to you and confess that sin, be restored to right fellowship. We praise you in Jesus name.

Romans 8:18

2 Timothy 2:16

T. Austin-Sparks "Sonship is something more than being born again. It represents growth into fulness. It is quite a good thing to be a babe while babyhood lasts, but it is a bad thing to be a babe when that period is past. This is the condition of many Christians. While sonship is inherent in birth, in the New Testament sense sonship is the realisation of the possibilities of birth. It is growth to maturity. So the New Testament has a lot to say about growing up, leaving childhood and attaining unto full stature. With this growth comes the greater fulness of Christ and the abundant wealth unto which we are saved. It is a matter not so much of that from which we are saved, as of that unto which we are saved. The grand climax of the new creation is 'the revealing of the sons of God' (Romans 8:19 ASV)."

During such stages it is easy to think that God has stopped growing and developing us.

We are to rest in the scriptural knowledge that he is our father!

C.A.Coates: "If our hearts are really true to Him we may be assured He will lead us on in the knowledge of Himself just as fast as we are able to advance. He knows how much we can take in, and He does not fail to minister to us the very food that is suitable to our present need. We may sometimes feel inclined to be impatient with ourselves because we do not make more rapid progress, but we have to learn to trust the Lord with our spiritual education. If our eyes are upon Him, and we follow with simple hearts as He leads us, we shall find that He leads us by a right way and brings us through all the exercises we need in order to form our souls in the appreciation of Himself, and of all those blessed things which are brought to pass in Him. We have to trust His love all through, and to learn increasingly to distrust ourselves."

2 Timothy 2:1

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Philippians 1:3-7

So this morning, just in keeping things simple, we're going to go straight into the message. For those of you who may be viewing from elsewhere, we appreciate you taking the time to be involved with us. Uh, that's fantastic. Uh, cornerstone is a small church that meets in Cranbourne West, usually. we hire a hall from the city of Casey, um, through the week they have closed that facility down and as a consequence we're unable to use it. Um, and so, you know, this is probably safe for some people, but, uh, it's a great opportunity also for us to extend the gospel out to those who normally wouldn't walk in a church door, but who may be interested in. So, you know, for me, I got to share a link this morning to the podcast on the local Facebook page of our housing community here.

So we'd encourage you also just to spread around the link. Don't spread the virus, spread the link and uh, and get that out there. So, why don't we open a word of prayer here this morning as we go into, um, our session. So father we thank you for this morning and we just praise you for the opportunity to use this technology, uh, to continue in the spreading of the gospel and in the teaching and edifying of the saints that they might also build one another up. So we praise you and we thank you this morning. We ask you Lord that in the simplicity of this message you would use it to reach other people who maybe stagnant in their faith and help them to grow. We praise you in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

So you can see that, uh, that we're ready to go here and we've been, uh, looking at the process of growth and so we're going to continue with that this morning. These are some of the subjects that we've looked at over recent weeks. And so we're not going to go over those this morning, but we're going to continue today with discipleship. We started discipleship last week and we're continuing that again. So last week on the YouTube page and Facebook, it was called the process of discipleship. So really this is the process of discipleship, part two. So in the parable of the sower, Jesus explains the soils of the heart. And when we think about the soil, when Jesus talks about the parable of the sower, we're talking about the soils of the heart. Luke eight 15, Jesus said, but the seed in the good soil.

So when Jesus was asked to explain the parable, and in explaining the parable, he was explaining what the, various elements of his parable were. And so he said, but the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart and hold it fast and bear fruit with perseverance. Now, the Greek word for perseverance, I think it's pronounced something like hupomoné, it means a cheerful endurance. So it's not just the idea of patience, but it's a cheerful endurance and patient continuance. And so there's something of deliberation about this idea of perseverance in Luke 18. Now a principle of growth is given to us by Jesus in Mark 4 when he said first the blade, then the ear after that, the full corn in the ear. And here he's describing the process of growth for wheat, that the seed goes in the ground and then, through a process that the farmer doesn't really understand.

That the blade of the seed begins to appear. And then after that it raises up into a full height. The ear appears or it becomes a stretched out plant. And then finally you get the kernels of wheat in the head of that fruit, of the wheat. James 5:7 says, therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil being patient about it until he gets the early and late rains. Isaiah 28:16 states, he, that believes shall not make haste. Now for most people, that waiting is difficult. It seems like a long season, you know, from the tiny green blade up into the full, corn, you know the full kernels of wheat in the head of the wheat stalk.

And so many seek to, in those times settle for what would be the low road of convenience. They, have become believers, they are saved, they have an assurance of heaven. So they having an assurance of heaven and they as time goes by, they develop a measure of Christian respectability, in church circles. And, but the problem is that when we Christian settled for this as the status quo in our lives, we only tend to fellowship with people in the same status quo, in the same condition. And it's almost as if we settle on it, that this is the goal that I've been saved. And then I can settle into a pattern of what might be termed Christian behaviour.

And so they appear to be living as a Christian. But this is a stage at best, it's not the goal that God has for our lives. And it can be a very dangerous stage. It's a little bit like middle age for men. It can be one of the most dangerous stages. And it can be one in which we become a little bit self-satisfied. We become a little bit, enamoured with ourselves. And we think that, well, I've done my bit for the world and community and now's the time for me to have a rest. We expect some recognition as a mature believer. And often we ignore or forget the struggles and the pains that we had as the tiny green blade, that was popping through the soil of life.

And so we forget that there are new believers who are in that same condition and we just look on them and we say, you know, why don't you grow up and why don't you shape up and mature? Now this can be a very cozy but a very sterile environment. And the seed corn, the seed or the, the kernel of the wheat, it may be a beautiful thing, but it's hard. And, if you've ever, handled wheat grain, you know that it's hard. But within that hard outer shell, there is a germ of life, locked up in it. And it can't naturally come to fruit unless a couple of conditions are met. And, unless those conditions are met, you can't produce anything. And so this is what many Christians are like. And this is why many even preachers are unfruitful and many believers are unfruitful, you know, just seeing maybe small influence in their lives, over believers and that kind of thing.

And so the contrast is that Jesus speaks of a fruitfulness that comes when the seed is planted, when the grain of corn is planted. Remember the principle of growth, first, the blade, then the ear after that, the full corn in the ear. So in order for the hard exterior of the wheat kernel to be broken down for the life of that seed to actually come to fruition, the seed must be broken down in a way. And that occurs when the seed is planted in the soil and the hard exterior begins to soften and decay. And in fact, it provides initial nutrients for the young sprout, which would otherwise die. And of course, you know, crop failure. So how does all of this relate to us? Well we have been learning in Romans chapter 6 that we must recon ourselves to be dead in deed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus. Before the softening of the Holy spirit.

His influence upon the human heart, softening the human heart before that can, function in a believers' life. We have to recon ourselves as dead to that cold, hard, selfish self. Now there are many who want to do God's work. And I hope that there are many who listen to this, who desire to do God's work, but they're unable to and sometimes even ask themselves why. And that's a good place to be in when you're asking why, because it'll bring you to a place in which you see the hardness of your own heart, the outer husk of the flesh of our own lives. Now our heavenly father understands this, and it's he who takes the initiative in this matter. And once we begin to desire more, in fact, I would say that God causes that dissatisfaction in the Christian life, you know, and, dissatisfaction with where we're at, and what's going on in our lives.

He causes this in order for you and I to begin asking questions, isn't there more? What more could I be doing in this life? Is there more than just being saved? How can I be more active for him? How can I be more fruitful, for the Lord? Now, God must engineer a transition in believers' lives from being that hard kernel of grain to being fruitful, fellowshipping, disciples. And he will, he will, um, map the most effective transition for that, for all believers. God is going to engineer that, and that's in his hands. There's no fear in that, there is entirely a freedom. Have you ever met those Christians who, they stand out, they're very bright, clever, strong. They seem righteous believers. They seem to have everything going for them, but often they're just a little too bright, a little too clever.

There seems so much of self in their strength and their righteousness is often very severe and very critical. They have everything. But the problem is, is that they need to face the crucifixion. They need to face this death to self. And this is the very thing that will mold each and every one of us. This is what's needed for growth in tenderness, to be able to walk in the love of God and demonstrate that love to others, is that there has to be a death to self. Because this is about Jesus transforming the us from that hard kernel of grain, God planting us in the soil, of the circumstances in our lives and breaking down the hard outer shell so that the ear, might raise to the full head of grain. Now in Matthew 13, Jesus, presents the parable of the tares, Matthew 13:24.

Jesus presented another parable to them saying the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. If we skip down to 36, then he left the crowds and went into the house and his disciples came to him and said, explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. And he said, the one who sows the good seed is the son of man. And the field is the world. And as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. And the tares are the sons of the evil one. So in this passage, Jesus is very specific. He says, the Lord of the harvest plants, buries, the Christians as seeds in the field, which is the world Jesus sows his children as seeds in this world to rise to fruitfulness. Well there is a lot of talk right at the moment about, heading for the hills, getting away from the cities, all these kinds of things.

And I think that people should be very cautious and very prayerful about those kinds of things. But you and I as believers, we are to be in the world and not of the world. And if all believers headed for the Hills, then we would have to wonder what happens to those who need to hear the gospel. That's a bit of a sidetrack, but it is through God's loving and patient cultivation that He, begins to harvest the believer's life, He begins to bring us into fruitfulness. And part of this is that we come to a place where we fear being fruit-less. And that should be a posture for all believers that we do not want to be fruitless. And if we will die to self, then the Lord can bring us to a place where we bear much fruit.

That is his promise to us. This is what God looks for in order to produce a disciple, God is looking for a filial heart hunger for fruit bearing. Now, the term filial just simply means a longing heart of a child towards a father or of one relative toward another relative to receive, some kind of blessing or enrichment out of that one, it's not a, a wrongful desire. This is a loving desire that in other words, a filial desire for my father would be that I am able to, be a wonderful example of my father's life in my life. And so this is the heart of fruit bearing is that you and I are pleading with the Lord to make us fruitful for his name's sake. And it's when we begin down that path of desiring fruitfulness, that God is then able to take our lives, mould us, and shape us. Jesus said in John 12:24 truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.

So this is the work of the Holy spirit. In response to a believer's hunger, God begins to strip away the comforts. I mean, think about the description Jesus gives here. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. What does remaining alone mean? It is fruitless. It doesn't produce anything, but if it dies, it's no longer alone. It bears much fruit. If you plant a single grain of wheat, you will reap thousands of grains of wheat. Plant, an Apple seed, grown Apple tree, reap many apples. This is the law of sowing and reaping. And so as part of that law of sowing and reaping, when you and I allow ourselves through this filial heart of desire, desiring to have God's fruitfulness, flow through our lives or be displayed from our lives rather, Desiring that, that God would make us fruitful for his purposes then if we desire that we will be ready to be planted into the earth and die.

This dying, of course, is dying to our own desires and our own will, et cetera, et cetera. And God begins to strip away the comfort. Notice what Jesus says there that, when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he puts in the sickle. This is in Mark 4:29 because the harvest has come. Sooner or later, the grain of wheat finds itself dropped into the earth, into that darkness of the soil where is alone and it dies. And in that place, you know where it's dropped down from the height of being up in the, in the head of the stalk, sooner or later there it begins to seemingly perish and rot away. The husk begins to break down. And why is this, what does all of this mean? Well, what all this means is that, this is not the heart. This is not who we are.

The breaking down of this husk is the removal of all things that are not Christ. So no matter how nice in appearance and professionalism and loveliness a person might be, through this debt to self, all of that exterior will be revealed for what it truly is. That it's just self. Because being just nice or lovely in appearance on the outside may not necessarily represent Christ. It certainly did not represent Christ when he went into the temple and kicked over the tables and whipped the money exchanges. There's a further stripping down that happens right on down until there is nothing left, but Christ. He who is our life. So we go down into death and just have patience in that. If you're yearning is that yearning for a life that bears fruit, if that's your yearning, then God is going to take you on a path. He will plant you into the soil and he will strip you down. But have patience just like job declared, though he slay me, yet will I trust him? Here's an amazing poem from yesteryear.

Well, there's a couple of notes before we get onto the poem that I should have put on the screen. Summarising what we're just saying, that discipleship being a disciple of Jesus is going to strip away self, so Christ is revealed. That's a bit of a summary of what we're saying so far that the purpose of this filial heart, the purpose of desiring, for God to be revealed through us to be glorified through us. The purpose of that is so that you and I, can have our selves stripped away and Christ can be revealed through us. Well, let's move on to this wonderful poem called, Accept it fall into the ground. "Accept it fall into the ground and die. Can much fruit come alone at such a cost? Must the seed corn be buried in the earth all summer joy and glory seemingly lost.

He buries still his seed corns here and there and calls to deeper fellowship with him. Those who will dare to share the bitter cup. And yet while sharing, sing the triumph hymn. Except it fall into the ground and die. But what a harvest in the days to come when fields stand thick with golden sheaves of corn. And you are sharing in the harvest home, to you who lose your life and let it die. Yet in the losing find your life, a new Christ ever more unveils his lovely face. And thus his mirrored glory rests on you. When the believer takes up his cross, then the process of death begins to set in. And we have seen as we've looked through Romans chapter 6, that it is through this process of death that the life of God is manifested in our lives. And that's when, we find ourselves planted in God's purposes.

The process of death begins when a believer takes up his cross for discipleship. And then this is when the disciple is sewn into the field, the world. He might be planted in a home, with unsaved people. He might be planted in a workplace, in an office with unsaved people, might be planted in a community with unsaved people, maybe planted in a church where they're irreligious or, unbelieving people or out to a mission station. It doesn't matter where it is or what it is. When we desire more of the glory of God in our lives, there will be death and from that death, resurrection, life will flow. The glory of God will be manifest in our lives. Turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, and we're coming to a close here this morning. 2 Corinthians chapter 4:7. A fantastic passage.

2 Corinthians 4, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not despairing. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. This is the way that Paul thought is that, I'm always dying to myself because in that way, Jesus can be manifested through me. The more I die, the more he is manifested through me. Paul went on and he said, for we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you, but having the same spirit of faith according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke. We also believe, therefore we speak knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you for all things are for your sakes. So that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

Therefore, we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying. Remember we talked about the husk that is surrounding the kernel of the grain of weight. That outer husk shiny and hard as it is. That's the outer man. The outer man is decaying. Yet our inner man is being renewed day by day for momentary light affliction is producing for us any eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.

While we look, now this verse continues really verse 17, this light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight, of glory far beyond all comparison. While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal. But the things which are not seen are eternal. This is a powerful truth to be remembered.

Continuing with this, another powerful truth that we should remember is that the Messiah could not enter the glory of heaven until He had first given Himself over to death. Once Jesus came to earth and took on this earthly form, took on a human body like ours, it was required that He would be crucified and that following, that crucifixion would be resurrection. Without that crucifixion, without Him giving himself over to death, He could not ascend, to glory. Why did we see things differently? Why is it right that we can think that somehow we can live a life to the glory of God without dying and surrendering self over to His hands? Why do we think that that's even possible if we do? And as we get a hold of this great truth, as we begin thinking about the fact that the Messiah, even the Messiah, the perfect man had to give Himself over to death, God and man in human form,

As we consider that we must at least agree that through surrender to death, we share His life. Mark 8 verse 34, he summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me for whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. By the way, a loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. I've said before that when Jesus spoke these words to the crowd who were listening to him, that as he spoke these words, they would completely have understood exactly what Jesus meant when he said, take up your cross and follow me. They, would have known that this was a pathway to death and that is exactly what Jesus was asking them to do.

For if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. It's impossible to share his life until indeed, you and I have surrendered ourselves daily to die to sin and die to self, to die, to the law to die to the world. This is where fellowship with our crucified and resurrected saviour begins. So we've learned a lot of truths about the cross. In these recent weeks. We have learned about our death with Christ. I would urge you to go back over Romans chapter 6, and just keep working on that. We've learned about our death under sin with him that by faith, by placing faith in Jesus Christ, we were crucified with him. We died with him. We've learned about our conformity to death, like a corn of wheat falling into the ground to die.

And these truths are foundational to the overcoming life. Not only that, they're fundamental to it. These truths are foundational to the life of a disciple. For you to be a disciple, you and I are going to have to, for you and I to be disciples, we're going to have to embrace this fact that we must hunger such a death. We have to hunger for God to plant us into that soil of death so that self can be stripped away and God's glory can reside in our lives and he can be manifest through us, it's in, such a death. That true fruitfulness comes. That's where true fruitfulness is, beloved.

That's about all we have for today. We really appreciate you joining with us. Chris made you aware in the beginning, we Cornerstone Gospel Church, our website is cgc.org.au. That's CGC.org.au. We're a nondenominational independent church. Though we're independent, we have some strong links with other like-minded churches. We've been going now for the best part of 18 years, as an independent church. My wife and I have been pastoring, and we have been missionaries since, 1991. We spent six years in Southern China. And we came back in 1997. We came down to the Mornington Peninsula region in 1998. And we were then involved with another organisation and we started Cornerstone as an independent church in 2002. That's a very short bio of Cornerstone. If you're looking for a church, we would love for you to be able to come and feel welcomed to come and join with us, get online with us, interact via the Facebook page and the YouTube channel, and dlive.

And just generally get involved. And then as soon as we go back to having meetings, we'll continue to stream, but it won't be quite in this manner. So things will change a little bit, but we really appreciate you taking the time to be with us today, on our inaugural, live stream. Let's just close in a word of prayer. Father, we thank you this morning. We thank you for your love. We thank you for your grace and we thank you for the great truths of scripture that, Lord bring us into those deeper truths. We pray, father, that you would cause a yearning in our hearts, that we will yearn for this death to self, that your life might be manifest through us and then we might then be truly declared as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, glorifying yourself in us in the mighty name of Christ. Amen. Well, thanks for being with us and until next live stream, we'll see you then.