The Joy Of Being Forgiven

The superscription calls this a maskil of David.

! A maskil is a bit ambiguous,

What does that tell us about Psalm 32?

Well, it tells us that though it may be categorized

as a penitential psalm

or categorized in some sense maybe as a lament,

though I don't think this is a lament,

in some sense as a praise,

just fundamentally based on what David has given us

here at the beginning,

Psalm 32, the king calls the worshipers

to meditate on the nature and the joy

of being forgiven by God

and then he instructs us on how to receive

and continue in that joy of being forgiven.

That's essentially what this Psalm's about.

David says, here's what it means to be forgiven by God.

Here's how you need to meditate on this great truth.

Here's how you can receive this great forgiveness

and continue in it.

It's a psalm of instruction.

It's a psalm of contemplation

and impartation of wisdom from the king.

And how is it that he accomplishes this?

Well, first he gives us something

of his doctrine of forgiveness

and this is born of his own experience.

We see that in verses one to five

and then he takes that doctrine,

that experience of forgiveness

and what he knows to be true of God

and of God's mercy

and then he applies it to us.

First in a praise

and then in explicit exhortations.

Now Psalm 32, it doesn't speak

of the joy of forgiveness in abstract.

It's not forgiveness and mercy in theory.

It's actually quite real.

It's very personal as we read it here.

Even more, it's offered to each and every one of us

in the gospel.

This great joy and gladness and excitement

that we've said cannot compare to anything else

is offered to you.

It's offered to me in the person,

in the work of Jesus Christ

and we can get there from Psalm 32.

And no matter how great your debt is,

no matter how great your sin has been,

we learn in Psalm 32 that you can have forgiveness

from God, full forgiveness,

and you can live in a blessed state of joy

that David describes here.

This can be your song

because of what we learn here in Psalm 32.

Let's look first at David's experience

of being forgiven.

We find this experience explained

and expressed in verses one to five.

We might think of this, as I said,

as the doctrinal statement of forgiveness

in David's life and in this Psalm.

He is the blessed man

who has received this forgiveness from God.

And that's why we say it's more than a theory.

He's telling us something

that he has actually personally experienced himself.

And it's through that experience

that we're instructed on the nature

and receipt of God's forgiveness.

Let's just break it down.

Three things I think are worth noting here

in this doctrinal statement of forgiveness.

First, we find that true happiness

comes from complete forgiveness.

True happiness comes from complete forgiveness.

Look at verses one and two.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts

no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Now, we're familiar with this term blessed,

but as it comes to the Psalms,

we haven't seen it since the very beginning.

We haven't seen it since Psalm number one.

And there in Psalm number one,

true happiness belongs to the one who does not sin,

but instead delights himself in the law of God,

in the word of God.

You remember, perhaps you memorized it growing up.

The blessed man, the happy man,

all the happiness of the one

who does not follow in the way of sinners,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord.

He's like a tree planted by the rivers of water.

He gives us fruit in his season.

It's a beautiful picture of the blessing of God

on the righteous.

In Psalm one, we have a target at which to aim,

but the problem with Psalm one

is that none of us hit that target.

It's a picture of sinlessness,

a picture of perfect righteousness

that each and every one of us have failed to hit.

So none of us then, in the context of Psalm one

and the blessed man of Psalm one,

none of us then can be truly happy

because none of us is truly holy.

That's the problem.

So it's of tremendous importance.

It's of tremendous help

that we discover another means

of obtaining true happiness in Psalm 32.

And what we find is that the blessing,

the happiness of the righteous one in Psalm one

is freely given now to the forgiven one in Psalm 32.

Do you see they link there?

The blessing of the righteous one in Psalm one

is now given freely to the forgiven one in this Psalm.

And I want you to notice the nature of this forgiveness

that brings this happiness and joy.

It's not simply the pardon of a particular act.

That's not what David is describing here.

It's a full pardon.

A full pardon such that the transgressor

now stands before God as if he's truly righteous.

As if he had actually met the conditions of someone.

That's what David seems to be describing here.

It's not just the Lord forgives you for this one thing.

No, it's he just forgives you.

It's all clean.

It's all wiped away.

It's as if you had actually done what Psalm one demands.

And that comes through here in the three terms

that David uses for his own moral failure.

Notice the three.

First, there's transgression.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven.

Transgression, each of these terms

has a particular nuance that's worth considering.

Transgression is explicit rebellion

against God and his law.

It is a brazen crossing of a boundary.

Transgression is when we say,

this is what God says.

This is what God's word says.

And I just don't care.

Or I don't believe that it's good and that it's right.

Or I don't believe that God actually said it.

I'm gonna do this instead.

It's a brazen crossing of a boundary.

Something each and every one of us has done.

We have transgressions.

We have rebellion against our God.

Well, then he uses another term in verse one.

Not only is he blessed the one

whose transgression is forgiven,

but also whose sin is covered.

Well, what is the nuance of sin here?

Sin is a wandering away from

or a falling short of God's moral desires.

We see this maybe most clearly in Romans three, don't we?

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

All have sinned, meaning all have fallen short

of God's standard.

We have missed the mark of Psalm one.

And yet we get to Psalm 32

and there's this blessing offered

for having that failure covered, made clean.

Then there's this third term, iniquity in verse two.

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity.

Iniquity refers to an inner distortion

or depravity that marks the sinner's nature.

It's moral corruption.

It's transgression, an explicit rebellion against God.

It's sin.

It's a falling short of God's demands.

It's failing to hit the mark of God's desire.

And then there's the iniquity.

That's the part of you

that's not so much based on action,

but actually causes the action.

And it's the corruption of your nature.

This iniquity that seems to be pervading your flesh.

David says, all of this is forgiven.

It's covered.

It's not counted against me.

And therefore I am happy and blessed.

And I have the joy of the Lord.

It's not just the pardon of an act.

It's the forgiveness of the whole person.

That's amazing.

True happiness comes from complete forgiveness.

But then there's this other phrase here

at the end of verse two.

Just look at it.

He gets to the end of the blessing and he said,

this person, this blessed man,

there is no deceit in his spirit

in whose spirit there is no deceit.

What is this deceit?

It's not a deception of God.

It's not as if, not yet at least.

It's not as if he is denying before God

that he has done wrong.

It's not as if he's trying to deceive God.

No, this is self-deception.

This is self-deception that says,

no, I don't actually have that kind of transgression

that needs to be forgiven.

I don't have that kind of sin

that really demands this kind of concern.

Iniquity, moral corruption.

No, I'm morally good.

Basically good.

Good person.

Self-deception.

John says in his letter in 1 John 1.8,

if we say we have no sin,

we deceive ourselves

and the truth isn't in us.

You see, there's a kind of person

that will come to a passage like this

and they just, they cannot relate whatsoever.

They can't relate really to the blessing

and to the joy that David describes

in these first two verses.

They can't relate to the grief

that we'll eventually get to

in the next few verses.

They come to this and this whole psalm

is basically a non-starter.

I have a friend a few years ago,

a good friend,

professing Christian friend,

a few years ago finally told me,

she said,

I just don't,

I don't think I've done anything

that really deserves the kind of judgment

that we keep talking about in church.

it's just not that bad.

Grown up in church,

says I'm a Christian,

I follow Christ.

I just,

I don't know that I've really done anything

that bad to deserve this,

this kind of judgment.

There's a prevailing thought in our culture

that if there is a God

and if he's good,

he will reward those

who do their best

and try their hardest.

Those who are good people,

the Lord will be kind to them.

He will reward them in the end

if he's there and if he's good,

that's how it will play out.

And what they end up doing is

rather than judging themselves

by God's standard,

they judge themselves

by the standard of other people around them.

They say,

well, I'm not this bad

and I haven't done this thing.

And maybe you would say

there's some things

that I haven't done well

or certainly I'm not perfect,

but it's not this kind of corruption,

not this kind of transgression

that deserves God's hand

to be heavy upon me.

I mean, look,

I'm not like these other people.

I'm a good guy

doing good things.

Surely God will be pleased.

Surely God will reward me

in the end.

The problem is

there's a fundamental flaw

in their understanding

of God's nature.

let's try to correct

that prevailing thought

for just a moment.

Rather than saying,

if there's a God

and if he's good,

he will reward those

who do their best

and live a good life.

Maybe we shift that

and say,

okay,

something more logical

would go like this.

If there's a God

and if he's good,

he will make sure

that every wrong

is punished justly.

doesn't that make

more logical sense?

Doesn't it make

more logical sense

that if there's

a divine being

and if he is perfect

in his divinity

and if he's good,

meaning he's righteous

and he always does

the right thing

and he always does

the good thing,

doesn't it follow logically

that not that he will just

let things go

and reward those

who really just work hard at it?

Doesn't it follow

more logically

that in his goodness,

he would never

let any wrong

go unpunished

because that would make him

unjust,

wouldn't it?

And we get to a passage

like this

and we see

and we think about

people in our lives

and people that are around us

and what is it that we find?

We find that

they've never really experienced

the blessing of forgiveness

because they've never actually

come to terms with the fact

that they need it.

they're self-deceived.

But this blessing,

this happiness,

it only comes to the one

in whose spirit

there is no deceit.

They're not lying to themselves.

Now David uses

all of these terms here

so that we might understand this,

that this forgiveness

from God

is full

and complete.

The truly happy man

is the one who,

though actually guilty,

receives from God

a full

and complete

pardon.

God counts

none of his sins

against him

but credits him

as if he were

actually

righteous.

and then that begs

another question

and says,

but doesn't that

also make God unjust?

Isn't that saying

that God just looks

at our sin

and just turns

a blind eye to it?

Well, no,

that's not at all

what God does.

That's not at all

what this forgiveness is.

No,

it comes at a great cost.

David's confidence

here in this forgiveness.

It comes from

trusting God's promise

to show mercy

to those who believe.

But there's mystery

here for David,

isn't there?

David is trusting

a promise

that's yet to be fulfilled.

When we get

to the New Testament,

the mystery

of God's mercy

is revealed to us.

It's revealed to us

in the person

and the work

of Jesus Christ

who is the truly

righteous one

of someone.

Now I want you

to consider this.

The Apostle Paul

quotes these two verses

directly

in Romans chapter 4.

Romans 4 · chapter mention

You don't have to turn there

but you'll remember

Romans chapter 4.

Romans 4 · chapter mention

Do you remember

the argument

that he's making there?

He's arguing

that we are justified

and we stand

righteous before God

not on the basis

of our works

but on the basis

of faith.

That we are justified

by faith alone.

That God counts faith

as righteousness

when we're trusting

in him

and trusting his promises.

Now that's the argument

Paul's making there

and he's making it

by saying

that's not only true now

but that's how

it's always been

and he goes all the way

back to Abraham

and he says

consider Abraham

before the law

ever even comes

Abraham is justified

by God

on the basis

of his faith.

That's the argument

that Paul's making there

and in the middle

of that argument

he quotes these verses

directly

and he says

just as David said

blessed is the one

whose transgression

is forgiven

and whose sin is covered

and against whom

the Lord does not count

his iniquity.

Quotes it directly.

Why?

To say that David

was saying in Psalm 32

the same thing

that he saw was true

in Abraham's life

and now he's applying

in this doctrinal statement

in Romans 4.

So that's the argument

that he's making

but that doesn't answer

the question of how

does that actually work.

We get to the end

of Romans chapter 4

Romans 4 · chapter mention

and that's where Paul

tells us how that

actually works.

Let me read it to you.

Romans 4 24 and 25

Paul says

righteousness

will be counted

to us who believe

in him

who raised from the dead

Jesus our Lord

who was delivered up

for our trespasses

and raised

for our justification.

righteousness

will be counted

to those who believe.

That's justification

by faith

apart from any works

but believe in what?

In the God

who raised Jesus

our Lord

from the dead.

Well what's so significant

about that?

He continues

because this Jesus

was delivered up

first

for our

trespasses.

Now we can begin

to see the shape

of how this works.

How is it

that we can go

to Psalm 32

and see the blessedness

of complete pardon

and full forgiveness

and not say

God is unjust in this

because he's just

letting things go

because he didn't

let it go.

He just punished

someone else for it.

Jesus

God's son

perfectly fulfills

the law

that we've all broken.

and he is

the righteous one

of Psalm 1.

He is the fulfillment

of that blessed man

and on the cross

he bore the guilt

of sinners

in their place.

And God the Father

credits our sin

to Jesus

so that he might

take the righteousness

of Jesus

the perfect righteousness

of Christ

and credit it then

to all who will believe.

But he doesn't

stop there.

He raises him

from the dead.

Why?

To show his victory

over death.

Death had no claim

on him.

He was truly righteous.

And to prove

the sufficiency

of Christ's atonement

on the cross

to prove

that what he did

on the cross

is actually enough

for you.

And it's in this way

that God

can justly

deal with sin

while completely

forgiving the sinner.

Again Paul tells us

this in Romans 3.

All have sinned

and fall short

of the glory of God

and they're justified

by his grace

as a gift

through the redemption

that's in Christ Jesus

whom God put forward

as a propitiation

by his blood.

That's such an important

word isn't it?

Those of you

who have been Christians

very long at all

you know that's

an important word.

What does it mean?

The satisfaction

of God's wrath.

God puts his own son

forward

to satisfy

his wrath

by the shedding

of his blood

on the cross.

Paul continues

and this is what

is to be received

by faith.

The forgiveness

and justification

comes by believing

in this

trusting in this

and then he says

this was to show

God's righteousness

that God isn't unjust.

It is to show

God's righteousness

so that he might be

just

in punishing sin

and also

the justifier

of those

who have faith

in Jesus.

Isn't that amazing?

We've sung about it

again and again

this morning already.

Oh what a glorious

exchange we sang

just a few minutes ago.

He bore my sin

I bear his righteousness.

Oh what a glorious

exchange.

This is true

happiness.

This is true

happiness.

It is to know

that you are

forgiven

in Christ.

David

experiences this

by looking

forward

in faith

to God's promise

being fulfilled

in the coming

king.

And he discovered

that through faith

he received

complete forgiveness.

Amazing.

Now that was a long

way to say

true happiness

comes from

complete forgiveness.

That's what we're

dealing with here.

It's not just the

pardon of a particular

sin.

It is the part

of the whole person.

That's what we're

dealing with in this

psalm.

There's another thing

we find here

in verses 3 and 4

is this.

The blessing

of forgiveness

follows

grief

of guilt.

The blessing

of forgiveness

it doesn't

come in a vacuum.

It follows

a pattern.

It follows

grief.

Grief that comes

from acknowledging

our guilt.

Look at 3 and 4.

4 is a key word

here.

It's a grounding

statement.

It means that David

knows this is true

in verses 1 and 2

because he's

experienced

this other thing

in verses 3 and 4.

Notice what he says.

For when I kept

silent

that is when I

would not confess

when I would not

acknowledge my sin

my bones wasted

away

through my groaning

all day long.

Why?

For day and night

your hand

God's hand

was heavy

upon me

so that my

strength was dried

up as

by the heat

of summer.

If you were to

come to my house

right now

you'd look out

in my front yard

and you would

not be impressed.

It's just

all dead.

Significant

drought

significant

heat

very little

water

it's dried

up

strength

is gone

its color

is gone

David says

that's what

this was like

for me

during this

period of time

when I was not

acknowledging my

sin and I was not

acknowledging my

failure before God

his hand was

heavy upon me

my soul

felt like

the summer grass

was hot

it was dried up

it had no

strength

it was weak

and it's here

that David

describes how he

came to

understand the

joy of being

forgiven

it begins with

this tremendous

grief

we learn that

you cannot

experience the

immense blessing

of being forgiven

until you have

felt the grief

of being convinced

of your own

guilt

there was a

time in David's

life when he

would not

acknowledge this

sin

perhaps this is a

reflection on the

period of time

after his great

sin with Bathsheba

perhaps some other

sin we don't know

he doesn't tell us

that

whatever it was

there was a time

when he would not

confess

he would not

acknowledge

and God

caused him to

feel

miserable

emotionally

distraught

this was a

divinely

purposed

depression

that came

as a result

of his sin

God's

hand was

heavy upon

him so that

his guilt

was always

before him

it was eating

away at his

soul

and here's the

thing

this was a

great mercy

from God

it's a

great mercy

of God

because it is

in convicting

us of our

guilt

that God

graciously

leads us

to repentance

this real

sense of

guilt is

essential

isn't it

without it

we will

either refuse

to confess

our sins

or our

confession

will be

superficial

reflecting

mere remorse

rather than

true repentance

just think of

my friend

I told you

about

here they

are as an

adult

they grew

up in the

church

as a kid

they raised

their hand

they walked

the aisle

they filled

out the

card

they got

baptized

said yeah

I know

Jesus

I believe

in Jesus

I'm not

sure why

I believe

in Jesus

because I

never really

felt like

there was

a need

for me

to have

him do

what he

did

that's

really

for the

really

bad

people

and I'm

not really

all that

bad

but I

follow

Jesus

whatever

whatever

they can't

possibly

understand

the true

joy

of the

Christian

life

because

they've

never

come to

terms

with the

fact

that they

are actually

truly guilty

they've

never felt

that sense

of God's

hand

being heavy

upon them

so their

confession

either doesn't

happen

because they

just don't

recognize

that

that they

have real

sin against

God that

needs to

be dealt

with

or it's

just

superficial

it's

superficial

it's

yeah I'm

supposed to

feel bad

about this

so I'll

I'll confess

it to the

Lord but

there's no

there's no

real repentance

that's happening

in their

lives

what a

terrible place

to be

it sounds

a lot like

Romans 1

where over

and over

Paul tells

us that

there there

were these

people who

were so

dedicated to

their sin

that God

just gives

them over

to it

just gives

them over

to it

we have a

different thing

here with

David

David has

the mercy

of God

on his

life

through the

heavy hand

of God

on his

guilt

you cannot

truly repent

until you've

acknowledged

your guilt

and if you're

unsure about

that

you should

pray

you should

beg God

help me

know the

guilt

of my

life

help me

know the

sin

that I've

covered

that's

buried

if it

takes you

putting your

hand heavy

on my

life in

order for

me to

know the

true joy

of knowing

your forgiveness

then Lord

put your

hand heavy

on me

bring me

to this

place

have you

ever

experienced

that sense

of guilt

before God

that brings

us to the

third thing

here

true

forgiveness

is received

through true

repentance

true forgiveness

is received

through true

repentance

so track

with me

here what

David's

saying in

these first

five verses

we're spending

most of our

time there

we're gonna

go quick

through the

second half

but

the truly

happy person

is the one

who has been

completely forgiven

you can't

understand the

joy of that

until you've

been fully

convinced of

your guilt

that's a

divine work

that happens

God convicts

us and he

leads us

to repentance

and that's

where we get

to this

point that

that this

forgiveness

is received

through true

repentance

look at

verse five

David says

I acknowledged

my sin to

you

I did not

cover my

iniquity

I said I

will confess

my transgressions

to the Lord

and you forgave

the iniquity

of my sin

now a sense

of guilt

it doesn't

make any

difference

unless it

drives you

to repent

in faith

and that's

what David

shows us

here

now I want

you to

notice the

terms he's

using in

verse five

it's the same

three terms

that he uses

in verses

one and two

isn't it

he acknowledged

his sin

he uncovered

his iniquity

he confessed

his transgression

and why does

he do that

his point is

that full

forgiveness

comes through

full

repentance

David holds

nothing back

in his

confession

and God

holds nothing

back

in his

forgiveness

true forgiveness

comes through

true

repentance

now let's

make sure we

understand this

the right way

it doesn't

mean that

our aim

is to be

precise

in our

confession

of sin

as if

failing

to name

them all

will result

in us

remaining

in a state

of condemnation

do you understand

what I mean

by that

David isn't

teaching us

here to have

a list

of all of

our sins

and just

work through

the list

in a prayer

he says

Lord I did

this

and I did

this

and I did

this

and I did

this

and you

just check

them off

and as long

as you

hit all

the things

then God

will forgive

all the things

but only forgive

the things

that you know

that's not

what David

is teaching

us here

we need

to get

that right

repentance

isn't naming

your sins

it's acknowledging

your guilt

before God

and trusting

his mercy

as you turn

to obey

him

it's not

about naming

all the things

you've ever

done wrong

and all the

bad thoughts

you've ever

had

and it's

not about

that

it's about

just recognizing

that I'm

a sinner

I am

unworthy

and I

am

guilty

but I

trust

that God

is

merciful

and I'm

going to

cling

to his

mercy

and I'm

going to

trust

his

mercy

and I'm

going to

turn to

follow

him

and obey

him

with my

life

to love

him

as I

ought

to love

him

that's

what

David

is

describing

here

Christopher

Ash

says it

this way

I think

this is

helpful

this is

not

confession

in order

to earn

forgiveness

as if

by sufficient

contrition

we might

earn God's

mercy

it's not

what this

is

it is

the

outflow

of faith

in the

God

who justifies

the ungodly

it's a

recognition

that you

are guilty

but that

he is

kind

and that

he will

show mercy

to whomever

will come

to him

for it

now the

astonishing

thing about

this verse

is the

last phrase

and you

forgave the

iniquity

of my

sin

that's

quite simple

isn't it

but isn't

it

astonishingly

simple

in David's

experience

God

just

forgave

him

no

penance

no

place

of

purgatory

that he

will have

to go

to

in order

that

whatever

is left

over

in his

unrighteousness

will finally

be fully

sanctified

so that he

can go

to

there's

no

purgatory

here

there's

no

stipulation

we confess

your sin

but then

make sure

you kiss

the icon

as well

it's not

here

no

let's

wait

and see

if you

really

mean

it

God's

forgiveness

was

immediate

it was

complete

it was

permanent

is that

not amazing

you come

to him

and he

just

gives it

to you

it's not

until we

look at

the cross

that we

can see

what this

forgiveness

cost

Christ

righteousness

was so

perfect

his

death

so

sufficient

that

God

offers

us

full

and

complete

forgiveness

to all

who will

come and

receive it

by faith

and that's

it

he

requires

nothing

more

of us

because

in

Christ

it

truly

is

finished

there

is

more

significance

in those

three

words

cried

out

by our

savior

from the

cross

than we

ever

dare

imagine

it

really

is

finished

there's

nothing

left

for you

to do

he's

done

it

all

he

is

sufficient

and

he

will

forgive

if

you

will

just

come

and

believe

that

he'll

forgive

you

it's

amazing

well

that's

David's

experience

it's

his

we might

say

his

doctrine

of

forgiveness

here

he

then

takes

the rest

of

the

psalm

and he

applies

all

of

that

we'll

go

through

it

quickly

but

want

to make

sure

we give

it

the time

that it

needs

at least

the second

thing

that we

see here

in this

application

of these

truths

is we

find in

a praise

in verse

six and

seven

therefore let

everyone who

is godly

offer prayer

to you

at a time

when you

may be

found

surely

in the rush

of great

waters

they shall

not reach

him

you are

my

hiding

place

you preserve

me from

trouble

you surround

me

with shouts

of deliverance

and what's

interesting

about this

is

these verses

are not

addressed

to us

these verses

are addressed

to god

this sounds

like an

exhortation

it's not

an exhortation

yet

this is a

praise

he's praising

god for

bringing salvation

and refuge

to his soul

in the context

of this psalm

we would

understand

great waters

in verse

six and the

troubles

of verse

seven

to be

the judgments

of sin

god has

not let

the judgments

of his sin

touch him

because he's

been forgiven

he's preserved

him from the

consequences

and punishment

of his sin

from that

trouble

being his

hiding place

so all of

david's assurance

here rest on

the fact that

god is merciful

nowhere does

he say

i'm convinced

of this

because i

i followed

this this

kind of ritual

confession

he doesn't say

that it's all

resting on the

goodness of god

here it's all

resting on the

character of

god god is his

hiding place

he is his

deliverer

now what seems

like an exhortation

then in verse

six is actually

a praise

david isn't

actually necessarily

commanding us

to confess

to god

indeed he

wants us to

do that

but in this

phrase that's

not that's

not the

the grammatical

framework of

this sentence

he's not saying

you must

confess to

god

he's saying

you can

confess to

god

that's what's

amazing about

it

it's an

open invitation

to receive

this forgiveness

this praise

that tells us

that verses

one to five

are not

exclusive to

david

it's for

all the

godly

he says

in verse

six

godly

here meaning

those who

will seek

god in

repentance

and faith

and he

says

let all

the godly

then because

you are

good and

merciful and

you offer

complete forgiveness

let all those

who seek it

come to you

and find it

while you

may be found

because you

are the hiding

place you

preserve us

from trouble

you surround

us with shouts

of deliverance

amazing

now is the

time that god

can be found

and david hopes

that more

will confess

and receive

this forgiveness

and indeed

more and more

do confess

and receive

this forgiveness

because he

says god

surrounds him

with shouts

of deliverance

it's a picture

of war

victory

in a battle

except david

isn't in a

physical battle

here

he's surrounding

him with other

people who are

shouting because

they are the

blessed

forgiven ones

god has

delivered them

from sin

and from its

punishment

and he's

glorying in

that

now here's

my point

in this

section

the joy

of being

forgiven

is for

you

it's for

you

it's for

me

god is

merciful

he will

be your

deliverer

and through

christ

he invites

you to

receive it

and it

is his

great delight

to provide

it

he does

not delight

in the

destruction

of the

wicked

but he

delights

himself

in mercy

the scripture

says

but the

implication

of verse

six

is that

there will

come a

time

when his

forgiveness

cannot be

found

therefore

let all

the godly

offer

prayer to

you at a

time when

you can be

found

meaning there

will be a

time when

he can't

be found

so don't

delay

now is the

time

that's what

paul says

now is the

time today

is the day

of salvation

and god

stands ready

to forgive

you if you

will just

come and

receive it

and then we

get to the

final section

here where we

actually do

get to

explicit

exhortations

in this

application of

truth

we see

the

exhortation

to those

who are

forgiven

in verses

8 and

11

what's

interesting

here

is that

8 to

11

mirror

1 to

5

so that

in verse

5

David

repented

to receive

forgiveness

but notice

what he does

in 8 and

9

he counsels

us to

continue

in that

same

pattern

verse

8

I

will

instruct

you

and teach

you

in the

way

that

you