... part 3

(Psalm 51:3)  “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” 

Honesty is a hard thing to find when we are so self-absorbed will our own lusts. However it’s often the very same which brings us to our senses, sadly this can take up to a lifetime for some and then it even misses the many as they continue to live in self-denial. The truth be told their day is coming and the judgment seat of God will arrive.

Here we see David cutting through all the rot of self-justification and he simply arrives in a place of panic stricken acceptance and acknowledges how his conscience constantly reminds him of his sin. How the conscience and the mercy of God lead by the Holy Spirit comes together in probing a man’s mind is a mystery, God knows! But without it we would be in serious trouble. There was no sugar coating his reality; “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” As scary as this is, it is a place where we all need to find ourselves in, if we want true rescue, I’m not talking about the fashionable response to Christianity as if it’s something we put on for a season. Sadly there are many so called Christians that fly these flags. The true Christian finds the grace of God to endure the affliction. As for the struggling pilgrim; we must not mistake our folly in life as a commendable thing before God. There will always be consequences. The Apostle Peter gives us this understanding about our lives as Christians and what we are to expect; “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.” (1Peter 3:17) – Here David was paying the price for his sin, but if we read the book of Job we see a man suffering under the auspices of God’s will for doing good. Why? Well the answer is a simple one, to bring glory to God and to silence the gainsayer. Yes it cost him almost everything, even the death of his children and we will see his position in the kingdom of heaven and then we will truly understand the brilliance of our God. Amen!

God has made a way, a perfect way whereby we can find forgiveness, He went to incredible lengths to make a means for the rebellious sinner. I want us to think long and hard on what He did to save us from his eternal judgment. The price was almost too much for Him to swallow and yet He send his only beloved son to die in our place so that the gateway to heaven may be opened once and for all. The man Jesus was judged as a sinner and yet he was without sinner, falsely accused of sin and crucified for it. Did you know that he had the power to call ten thousand angels from heaven to obliterate his accuses but held his peace, took the unjust punishment, was spat upon, stripped naked and whipped so viciously that the bones of his back where visible. Then he was nailed to a cross and as he hung there in agony, he had no thought for himself and the pain he faced but rather cried out to His Father (the only true God, the creator of the universe); slow down now and disgust these word and hopefully you will understand the immense love of God; “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”” (Luke 23:34) – Even now as he was treated as the scourge of the earth he did the will of His Father, and finished his quest, He died so many could go free. I sit here eyes wide open all because of the marvellous sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ did on my behalf, I will be forever grateful, praise His glorious name.

But until we understand that without His finished work our attempt at finding favour from God outside of Christ’s sacrifice, we will always miss the love of God. Do not be fooled, the entire love of God has been encapsulated in the finished work of Calvary. Miss that and I can assure you on the basis of God’s Word, the Bible, you will end up tasting the wrath of God.   

David understood that he could not save himself; “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” Have you? If not fall to your knees acknowledge your sin and then cry out unto Jesus and watch your understanding fall into line with the ability of your voice crying out; “I can see!”

Signing off

Tyrone

David's example cont...

(Psalm 51:2)  “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”

The further I explore the question concerning my ability to choose God in a corrupt state of mind the plainer it is to arrive at the obvious conclusion; its God who has mercy on a person’s soul and without His intervention in our lives we will remain like the bat sending out sonic booms hoping to avoid the obstacles of life. Without the ability to cry out “I can see”, life is filled with guess work. The dictatorship of summations ruling our lives whilst always clutching at straws. I thank God with all I have for saving my soul and claim absolutely no self-recognition as a man who chose God prior to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob choosing me. And to understand that I had absolutely no merit within myself in finding His favour is a refreshing thought. It’s God first, He does the work, performs the miracle and then only are we given the ability to respond, it’s then that we react favourably. How on earth could it be any other way? Take the batteries out of an electronic shaver and you will be left with an impossible task, but power it up and see what it can do. King David certainly understood this; “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”

There is a bridge in the spirit world that we won’t always fully comprehend, we see in part through the eyes of faith as it does the work in getting us to the other side; how God chooses to bring a man to the point where they cry out unto Jesus with certainty. An assurance that is undeniable, a saving cry that flips our understanding from confusion to an undeniable reassurance filled with absolute confidence. The brilliance of God silencing the enemy. I confess that I do not fully understand how that exactly unfolds, all I know is when we believe in our hearts that God rose His Son the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and now have the ability to confess Him as our Lord, the work is complete. We are born again and now sons of God. Some say we choose God, other say God choose us, I am persuaded, how can a dead man do anything until he is alive, logically it’s a no brainer. However until a man confesses Jesus as Lord, it is obvious that they have not been saved, their eyes remain shut to the spiritual world. Once the work has happened, it is up to the individual to confess and this then is where the confusion sometimes brings in the “strawman of Christianity” the debate between the Arminian and the Calvinist. This then is my conclusion “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” and that is the message we must preach and leave the rest to God our glorious Father. Those who will be save shall be saved, God is building His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail. He always has the final say...

Continue to keep washing ourselves and see how often we make the same mistakes, the pattern will soon become obvious if it hasn’t already. The human race have all been born under a vicious cloak of sin, we are fallen beings and therefore have sinful natures. The mind-set that is so often bandied around; “but you deserve it” is a misnomer and will only ever keep us from crying out unto God. David was the king of Israel, he was the final authority and yet when the prophet exposed his sin he fell to his knees and hence the birth of Psalm 51. David understood his sin, owned it, confessed it and then cried out to the only One who had and has it in His power to save. Wherever we find ourselves, whatever the trial, whatever the failure, the answer is simple, cry out unto Jesus Christ the Lord and you will find rescue. Do it any other way and watch the circle of life continually repeat itself. It’s only the Lord who can cleanse us from our sin. He alone has the power to truly save. Have you understood? David most certainly did. We will only ever respond favourably to what we truly understand. This then is the lesson, may God give us eyes to see, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone  

David's example

Understanding the basic fundamentals of our existences is imperative if we are to grow as Christians. One of the greatest examples that demonstrate this is King David. Psalm 51 is filled with disappointment, heartache and yet a clarity that surpasses the understanding of so many Christians of our day. Even within the tragedy of David’s sin he understood what needed to be done. I Pray God the Holy Spirit gives us eyes to see and then the ability to action us into bringing honour to our God, Father and blessed redeemer. He is so worthy, praise His glorious name.

Psalm 51 is full of treasure ready for gleaning…

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.”

I suppose without the failure of sin in our lives, or at least the acknowledgment of it we will never see ourselves for who we really are; sinful beings to our very core. It's only when our eyes are opened to this truth that we cry out “have mercy on me o God”. Until then we are always trying to hide our sin, keeping our truth away from others and always playing the “comparison card” when the pressure is on. Tricking our own consciences into believe so many lies about who we actually are. When David’s sin was expose he sprang into action, fell to his knees and approached the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the only true God with an urgent plea help. He understood what was needed to please his God, do we? Let us learn from him, and then we just may hear a whisper across the heavens, “there is a mam after my own heart”.

We do not have the power to have mercy upon ourselves, God has the power to unleash His mercy upon whom He chooses. It’s imperative that we get in line seeking out His provision. Crying out unto Him is the only way we will ever receive a portion of that mercy. Forget trying to forge you own works to earn His mercy, Isaiah puts this type of mentality into this harsh reality; “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6) - Without the mercy of God wafting into our lives we will be conquered by our sin, it will have the final say. David understood this very clearly, do we? If not it is time to ask God to shows us who we are outside of Christ. It one thing to nod our heads and say we understand, but do we really understand? David did and I want really to be taken deeper with my understanding, for I know I will find release in the mercy of God. This must be our mantra; “ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open unto you.” It’s only God who knows how to give great gifts unto His children. These gifts have nothing to do with the carnal but rather the spirit. This is what I passionately seek out; the resolve to please my heavenly Father. The only way for me to achieve this is to have the mind and the understanding of King David.

Christ has blotted out the Christians transgression, praise His glorious name. However it is imperative to be reminded of His sacrifice and to see how merciful God has been on his elect, those who have fallen to their knees, confessing their sin and crying out for God’s mercy.

Continue to nurture my heart sweet Father and Holy Spirit help me feed my mind will King David’s attitude, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone