WWUTT 1074 The Wrongs I Have Done Are Not Hidden?

Our God is loving and merciful and forgiving, but people not so much.

Our God will forgive us our sins even when people will not let us forget our sins.

When we understand the text. This is

When We Understand the Text, a daily Bible commentary to help encourage your time in the Word. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we feature

New Testament Study, an Old Testament book on Thursday and our Q &A on Friday.

Now here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. We come back to our study of the

Psalms. And picking up where we left off last week, that would put us in Psalm 69.

If you want to open up your Bible and join with me there. Now this Psalm is a little bit longer than most of the

Psalms we open with. Most of the devotional lessons will start with me reading through the passage, then we go back through it and do the exposition.

But I'm not going to read the whole thing this time. We'll actually stop and start as we go.

So starting in Psalm 69 to the choir master, according to Lilies of David.

Now that statement there, according to Lilies, means that the music that accompanied this Psalm was probably called

Lilies. Right at the start of the Psalm, here is what we have. Save me,

O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire where there is no foothold.

I have come into deep waters and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out.

My throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my

God. Now as some of you know my story, I worked in radio for a couple of decades before I became a pastor.

One of the songs that I played when I was in Christian radio was Flood by Jars of Clay. Anybody remember this song?

If you were a child of the 90s contemporary Christian music, you remember

Flood by Jars of Clay. And when I would introduce that song on the air, I would often read from Psalm 69.

Because some of those lyrics sound just like this. Just like the start of this Psalm. Now this is an individual lament.

Of course you recognize the lament being expressed by the singer here. Though it may have been sung by the entire assembly of Israel in a time of worship, this is more geared toward an individual.

And it's somebody who is experiencing hardship because of the wrongs that they have done.

You'll see that as we go on. But in their weakened and vulnerable state, their enemies are also taking advantage of them.

And it's piling on to their situation. So their situation is a result of their own sin.

But then there's more that's getting piled on top of them in addition to the guilt that they feel because of their sin.

Or the consequences that they're suffering because of their sin. So this is crying out for deliverance.

Not just forgiveness. Lifting me up from the flood that I have fallen into.

That I have caused upon myself. But deliver me also from my enemies. Don't let me perish in judgment in this transgression that I have done.

So we go on here. Verse 4. More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause.

Mighty are those who would destroy me. Those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must

I now restore? Oh God, you know my folly. The wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me. Oh Lord, God of hosts.

Let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me. Oh God of Israel. For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach.

That dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers. An alien to my mother's sons.

So you hear the genuine, humble confession before God.

I have sinned. But let not my sin cause anyone else to stumble. Let it not be a blame for somebody else because of the wrong that I have committed.

This is a genuine, heartfelt, broken -hearted confession before the

Lord. We go on in verse 9. For zeal for your house has consumed me. And the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

We see that quoted in Romans. That particular passage comes up again in the New Testament. When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.

When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I am the talk of those who sit in the gate.

And the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you,

O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me in your saving faithfulness.

Deliver me from sinking in the mire. Let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.

Let not the flood sweep over me or the deep swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

There's a very popular Christian comedian that it was just revealed yesterday, as a matter of fact, is when

I saw the story, that he is guilty of having taken advantage of a lot of women.

He used his fame and his notoriety to appease the passions of his flesh.

And there's a lot of women that have come out and have said the kinds of things that he used to do to them. So as a result of this, he's canceled the remainder of his tour.

He's made a confession about this. He has said that he has sinned. He's going to be stepping away from things for a little while so that he can focus on his relationship with God.

Now, whether he's truly, genuinely repentant or not, that's not for us to decide.

That's between him and the Lord. But I single out this particular situation for this reason, because it's a current event.

It's something that just came about, and I just heard of it, so it's fresh on my mind as I'm reading this particular psalm.

But there are certainly going to be people that are going to come out about this guy and try to use him as an example.

And they're going to talk about how broken evangelicalism is as a result of this. There's going to be people who were lifting him up,

Christian men and women who were promoting him, even when they knew that he was living this kind of lifestyle, and his reproach is going to be brought upon them.

Their sins are going to find them out as well. And there's a lot of people that are going to point to this situation, and they're going to make fun of Christianity as a result of it, and they're probably even going to say things about this comedian guy that aren't true, and will make a mockery of him.

But I hope, if his heart is truly genuine here, I hope that he's not going to fall into despair over that.

He's going to know, yes, I've sinned, and now I am bearing the repercussions of what it is that I have done.

All these things that people are saying about me, I deserve all of that stuff. But he's going to find sufficiency in the grace of God.

It's not going to be about trying to regain the public interest or anything like that.

That's not his objective right now. His objective is to turn from sin and cling to Christ. And if he's genuinely repentant, and he knows that Christ will forgive him, then the grace of Christ is sufficient.

It's not going to matter what anybody else says. That stuff is certainly going to hurt. It's going to be difficult to recover from all of that.

It will follow him for the rest of his life, and he certainly deserves that ridicule and scrutiny that he's going to get.

But when it comes to the forgiveness that he has in the presence of God, he must find that grace alone to be sufficient, not gaining popularity from people again, and hoping that people will have a high opinion of him once again.

That's not going to be his saving grace. His saving grace is Christ. 1 John 1 .9,

if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

The Lord said to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.

Now, in this particular case, Paul was not guilty of some sort of disqualifying sin.

He was certainly being humbled when you look into the context of 2 Corinthians 12, but it wasn't like he was bringing such a reproach upon himself that he made himself unqualified.

But there are pastors out there today that will be guilty of such a sin that they no longer are qualified to hold that particular office, to stand at the pulpit and minister the word of God because they've chased after the passions of their flesh and their sin may be so great that they no longer fit that first qualification there in 1

Timothy 3 .2. They are no longer above reproach. They've brought a shame not only upon themselves, but upon their church.

There are people who are just outright embarrassed to even be called a part of that church anymore because of how well -known it is that this pastor has done the thing that he has done.

The pastor, if he is truly, this man, let's put it this way, this man who was a pastor but abused his office, if he is truly, genuinely sorry for what it is that he has done, that he understands in humble submission that he must leave the pulpit and never try to pursue that again, lest he bring a reproach upon the pulpit because of the reputation that he now has.

He must submit himself before God and he must not try to find some sort of closure or satisfaction by stepping into another pulpit, but he must know that the grace of God is sufficient.

My forgiveness, the forgiveness that I have for the sins that I've committed, I know I find that forgiveness and that grace in Christ alone and in no other place.

There will still be an opportunity for somebody who has made a shipwreck of their ministry to do ministry again because all of us who are

Christians are called to ministry to some degree. Now, there may be some who are not qualified to hold particular positions or offices or maybe even go into the mission field as a missionary and plant a church or something like that, but we still have a calling to share the gospel with friends and family and neighbors.

So there still is something in ministry for somebody to do no matter what sin they may have done to disqualify themselves from holding a particular office in ministry.

But again, we must understand that the confirmation of the forgiveness of sins that we have is given to us in the word of God that we might know

Christ and him crucified for our sins and by faith in him, we have forgiveness, not because mankind gives it to us, but because God has given it to us.

So let us rest on the assurance that we have according to scripture and not the fleeting assurances that we might get from the approval of man.

So the psalmist goes on here in verse 16, Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good.

According to your abundant mercy, turn to me. Hide not your face from your servant, for I am in distress.

Make haste to answer me. Draw near to my soul. Redeem me.

Ransom me because of my enemies. I have sinned. I am guilty of what

I've done. The things that my enemies are saying of me,

I deserve it, but I don't want to despair. I don't want to fall into so deep a pit of depression that I'm unable to come out of it again.

Lord, rescue me and redeem me. Ransom me because of my enemies.

I think there is a time and a place to make a person aware of their sin, but we certainly should not be the kind of a person that rubs it in to a certain degree that we now become enemies of the people of God.

See, that's a scary place to be. When we become such a judge, jury, and executioner of a person who's fallen into sin that now we become the accuser, which is

Satan. That's what his name means. Hasatan means the accuser or the adversary.

Let us not be adversaries. The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, in 2 Corinthians he said,

Hey, that brother that is mourning over his sin, don't let him mourn too long or he may fall into despair.

We must also be gracious to the degree that we can lift up a brother or sister who is genuinely repentant and embrace them and say,

Hey, God has forgiven you. I hold no grudges against you. And then we rejoice and celebrate in the grace of God together.

The psalmist goes on, You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor. My foes are all known to you.

Reproaches have broken my heart so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none.

And for comforters, but I found none. They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

Where do we see that? That happened to Christ on the cross. When he said, I thirst, he was given sour wine.

That's a fulfillment of what we read here in Psalm 69. Verse 22, Let their own table before them become a snare, and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.

Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see and make their loins tremble continually.

Pour out your indignation upon them and let your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be a desolation.

Let no one dwell in their tents. Very similar to something Job said, for they persecute him whom you have struck down and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.

Add to them punishment upon punishment. May they have no acquittal from you. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living.

Let them not be enrolled among the righteous. But I am afflicted and in pain.

Let your salvation, O God, set me on high. I will praise the name of God with a song.

I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hooves.

When the humble see it, they will be glad. You who seek God, let your hearts revive.

For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

You know, I've certainly been in the situation before where I've made a mistake and I've sinned.

It's probably been worse than a mistake, worse than just human error, but I've also sinned before God.

And the repercussions of that were way worse than it was that I actually did.

The punishment didn't exactly fit the crime. So the reproaches or the mockery that was coming from other people was way more than what it was that I had done.

So I've been in this place before of asking God to deliver me because of my enemies and let me not fall into despair, into the depression that I've come into.

So these last few verses here, let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.

For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah and people shall dwell there and possess it.

The offspring of his servants shall inherit it and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

We are going to struggle in this life. There are going to be people who will mock us just because we're

Christians, just because we pursue godliness. For Paul said that to Timothy, that those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Peter also said that those who are Gentiles and pagans, they're going to malign you because you don't join them in the same flood of debauchery that they enjoy.

Just because you won't partake in the same sins, they're going to hate you for it. So we are going to face ridicule and persecution, whether we have sinned or not.

There are people who are going to say we have sinned when we have not sinned. I mean, surely you've seen it in the culture right now.

People make up their own Jesus and you would believe something like marriage is between a man and a woman only and they will say you're so unloving.

Jesus would never do something like that, right? So the culture is going to come against us for stuff, whether we have truly sinned or we have not sinned and we must rest in the promise of the eternal kingdom of God.

Heaven and earth will praise him. God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah and people shall dwell there and possess it.

We are the Israel of God and this is the assurance that we have according to his word in the scriptures.

He will deliver us and we will dwell with him forever. He is our hope and our peace.

Psalm 70, to the choir master of David, for the memorial offering,

Make haste, O God, to deliver me. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt.

Let them turn back because of their shame who say, Aha! Aha! May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.

May those who love your salvation say, Evermore, God is great, but I am poor and needy.

Hasten to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer. O Lord, do not delay.

That's a little shorter version of Psalm 69 right there. Psalm 70, a little easier for you to memorize.

I'm going to read all the way through Psalm 71 and this will be our conclusion. We have no introduction to Psalm 71.

Here we are starting in verse 1. In you, O Lord, do I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame.

In your righteousness, deliver me and rescue me. Incline your ear to me and save me.

Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may continually come. You have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

Upon you I have leaned from before my birth. You are he who took me from my mother's womb.

My praise is continually of you. I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.

My mouth is filled with your praise and with your glory all the day. Do not cast me off in the time of old age.

Forsake me not when my strength is spent, for my enemies speak concerning me.

Those who watch for my life consult together and say, God has forsaken him.

Pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him. O God, be not far from me.

O my God, make haste to help me. May the accusers be put to shame and consumed with scorn and disgrace.

May they be covered who seek my hurt. But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.

With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come. I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things,

O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again.

From the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God. I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

O holy one of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you, my soul also which you have redeemed, and my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long.

For they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the goodness and the mercy and the kindness that you show to us day by day.

If we have those who are ridiculing us right now and we might feel in despair or we might feel in kind of a depression, we might be wondering why a person would come against us in such a way.

I ask that with humble submission unto you we would come to you for deliverance. Not that we would have hearts that would wish harm upon any person, but even for they, may they be granted repentance that they would no longer afflict persons in this way, but be convicted over their sin.

Afflict them with conviction that they may turn from their sin and come to know

Jesus Christ. Deliver us out of the pit that we may have fallen into because of our sin.

Forgive us of our sins and lead us back to the path of righteousness for your name's sake.

We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Gabriel Hughes is the pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, Kansas.