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Past Ponderings

Saturday, July 4, 2020

PONDERING... Are You A Happy Saint Or A Hell-Bound Mule? (Psalm 32)

Are You A Happy Saint Or A Hell-Bound Mule? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: True happiness comes from being rescued from sin, but remaining controlled by sin destroys you...so don’t be a hell-bound mule!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 32
This morning, we’re coming to Psalm 32. It’s a short but powerful psalm about the transforming power of repentance. Really, it’s a “Gospel-psalm”, and it’s beautiful.
As our title today, I went with: “Are You A Happy Saint Or A Hell-Bound Mule?”... because that last part was too good not to use ☺️. However, my initial title was a bit longer: “Are You Groaning In Despair Or Experiencing Lasting Happiness?” Clearly, put in those terms, we’d want to be experiencing lasting happiness. Yet, I’m not trying to present a black or white fallacy. There is lasting joy that supersedes circumstances, which we’ll develop even more next week, but too often we reject the foundation of that happiness because we prefer our sorrow. Unfortunately, that which leads to our sorrow here is the same source that will lead to our eternal suffering. Unrepentant sin leads to Hell. Period.
So, in opening, let me read the portions that inspired our mulish title. 


“1 A Maskil of David. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit...9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.”
Here’s our gist for this morning: True happiness comes from being rescued from sin, but remaining controlled by sin destroys you...so don’t be a hell-bound mule! Let’s break that down. First, we have to see this foundational truth→ 


I. TRUE HAPPINESS COMES FROM BEING RESCUED FROM SIN (1-2)
What David does in those opening two verses we just read is develop the same thought in a few ways to really hammer home its meaning. He’s describing someone who is experiencing blessedness—true and lasting happiness—which I have absolutely no doubt is something we all crave. That’s because it’s something we were all actually made for. By design, we’re meant to experience this, but our sin robs us of this joy. It doesn’t, however, stop us from looking for it. What it does instead is cause us to look for it in empty places, places that intensify our suffering rather than relieve it.
That’s why true happiness comes as a direct result of being freed from sin. How David describes that experience is really insightful and instructive for us. First, it’s pictured as transgressions being forgiven.  We have done wrong. We deserve punishment. We’ve sinned against the eternal God and have earned eternal damnation. Yet, if we confess our sins and seek His forgiveness, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse. That’s what the next part points to. Our sins are covered and our iniquities aren’t counted against us. That which, by nature, mares our existence and separates us from God—that which is Hell-bent on our self-destruction—is no longer seen. Not only are we forgiven, but we’ve also been covered in the righteousness of Jesus! He took our place, so if we come to Him and give Him our lives, when we stand before God the Father to be judged, He’ll see not our wickedness but His Son! 
Though we deserve punishment, our depravity is no longer counted against us because we’ve been changed. Notice, the last part here says his heart has no deceit...anymore. Naturally, our heart is deceitful. It runs after itself and flees Christ’s redemption. It lies to us about the danger of our sin and the truth of Jesus. So, contrary to our society’s mantra, following your heart won’t lead to true fulfillment or happiness, but having your heart transformed when you’re rescued from sin...will! 
That’s where David goes next actually. He remembers what life was like before repentance. It wasn’t great ☺️, because→


II. REMAINING CONTROLLED BY SIN WILL DESTROY YOU (3-4)
That’s the unrepentant condition, not giving your sin and your life over to Christ. Look at how David describes his experience. “3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah”
He’s describing emotional, physical, and spiritual suffering all from unrepentant sin. That doesn’t mean sin is the only cause of these conditions, but sin can result in these experiences. When you realize the weight of your guilt, it’s draining. He groaned under its strain but also felt the physical effects of bodily weakness. And guys, this isn’t some “mythological experience”. Great emotional distress can wreak all kinds of havoc on our physical bodies. We see this in our world all the time. What greater cause of emotional turmoil than the spiritual conviction of God’s corrective hand telling you to turn from this destruction while you fight against Him?
David felt all this but kept silent, and it was killing him. It will kill you too→ 


III. SO DON’T BE A HELL-BOUND MULE! (5-11)
☺️ Sorry, I love that picture, and we’ll come to it in a second. First, David tells us how to get from this natural state of self-destruction to the blessedness with which he opened the psalm. Verse 5 describes what he did (which is precisely what we should do, as well). Let’s break it down.
“5 I acknowledged my sin to you,” I admitted not only what I had done, but also that my deeds were wicked.  “...and I did not cover my iniquity;” See, before our sins can be covered by His grace, we have to stop trying to cover them with our own self-righteousness! He laid his heart bear and→ “I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"” He didn’t need someone else to do this for him. It wasn’t the responsibility of the clergy to ask for his forgiveness. He needed to come personally before his personal Savior. That’s what he did→  “and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” Now, we’re back to his source of lasting happiness. Confess and believe, give Jesus your whole heart. He’s experienced this and wants us to, as well. That’s what the next section is all about. 
Look at the first part of verse 6. We’ve seen what we need to do. This is a cry for when we need to do it. “6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found…” Come to Him now! Time is short, and we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. And, oh, how worth it it is!
“6b... surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah” I actually misread 6b almost all week, until I started looking into what people who understand Hebrew had to say. 6b-7 express the same thought. The rush of great waters can surround us, but we’ll be ok IF He is our hiding place, IF He is our deliverer—and He can be!
And here we come to one of my favorite parts of this psalm. It actually seems like the point of view switches, at least for these next two verses, to God now speaking to us. Look at these promises. “8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” 
Are you confused about life’s meaning and your place in it all? In fact, is there anything just not making sense? God will instruct you in the way— the One you were made for, the path where your feet belong, the place that is stable in the storm!
Are you in distress? Are your emotions winning the war? He, the God who not only sees your heart but also knit it together will counsel you. So… come to Him.
And here’s what should be my life verse. “9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.” Don’t be a stubborn mule and miss out on all of this: “10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. 11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”
Let’s recap with some quick→


TAKEAWAYS

  1. True happiness comes from being rescued  from sin.
  2. Remaining controlled by sin will destroy you.
  3. So don’t be a hell-bound mule!
  4. Come to Him, experience His protection, instruction, and counsel; and rejoice!

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