Wounds That Heal - Divided and Restored

Wounds That Heal – Divided and Restored is the final sermon in our summer series on harsh, but spiritually healthy phrases from our God.

Dangerous Cookies

The author of our Psalm was caught with a little more than his hand in something far more dangerous than a cookie jar. King David committed adultery with another man’s wife. It wasn’t that David didn’t know that what he did was wrong. It was that he thought he was powerful enough to get away with it. He was almost right. As king, no one dared to question David or challenge him. To be sure more than one of his servants politely asked David if he really wanted to do something so horrible, but he ignored them all. No one asked David, What do you have to say for yourself? until God asked David.

Called to Repent

God sent the prophet Nathan specifically for the purpose to ask David, What do you have to say for yourself? 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. David was a spiritual train wreck. The conscience that God gave him could not be silenced. He couldn’t fool himself and he couldn’t fool God. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so you are proved right in your verdict and justified when you judge. David had sinned against Bathsheba, her murdered husband, the men who died in the battle so that David could kill off Bathsheba’s husband. David’s family, David’s court, David’s country, David’s God – all humiliated because of what he had done.

Wrong or Gross

The question when we sin or when we are tempted isn’t what will others say about my sin, but rather what will God say about my sin. When I was in a Bible class in high school and we played a game. Is it wrong, or is it gross. In high school you learn how the world works – what is acceptable, what is not. You become keenly aware of your peers and what they think. The group leader would always start with something that is gross – such as binge drinking – gross. Having a couple beers at a friend’s house when their parents are gone? Is it wrong? Yes, the laws of the land that God has given us for our good say that it is very wrong. Who is it hurting? The question when we sin or when we are tempted isn’t what will others say about my sin, but rather what will God say about my sin. David doesn’t try to minimize his sin either – he goes way back 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. A wise man once said, He who justifies himself makes God a liar. When you are confronted with a sin – What do you have to say for yourself? 1. I’m sinful.

Want to hear more? Watch this week’s message taken from Psalm 51, Wounds That Heal – Divided and Restored.