And it's a psalm which is most
applicable in every word to each of us. And I would say that a
person who cannot relate to this psalm in every verse, in every
request, every petition, just must be without an understanding
of God's grace. And I want us to pay particular
attention to this psalm today because this is the outpouring
of a man's heart who was a man after God's heart. This is worthy of my greatest attention because it's
the outpouring of a man's heart who himself was a man after God's
heart. One writer said this psalm is
every sinner's guide who purposes to know God. And
this psalm is every believer's comfort who does know God. And as far as preaching from
this psalm frequently, actually, if we would read it every day, it would profit us mightily every
day. A prayer certain to be answered. You know, Paul said in Philippians
4, do not fret, do not faint, do not despair, do not give up,
but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
let your request be made known to God. That's what David's doing
here. Letting his requests be made
known to God. Our Lord Jesus said, ask. Ask. No matter how great the request. Ask. Expect great things from
God. God deals in great things. Ask,
and he shall be given you. See, you'll find. Knock. Keep on knocking. It will
be open unto you, unto you. Listen to David. Petition number
one, have mercy upon me, oh God. David doesn't ask for justice. David doesn't want justice. David
doesn't ask for pity. David asks for mercy. This is
the plea of every true sinner. It's the plea of the publican
who smote upon his breast and would not so much as lift his
eyes to heaven because of the weight of his sin. God, oh God,
be merciful to me, the sinner. This was the plea of the Canaanite
woman with the sick daughter who came to our Lord And her
words were these, have mercy upon me. Have mercy. This was blind Bartimaeus' plea. O thou son of David, have mercy. And David says, have mercy upon
me, not according to what I deserve, but according to your loving
kindness. According to your tender mercies. According to your promise to
Moses, I will be merciful. Lord, show me your goodness.
Show me your glory. I will be merciful. I will be
gracious. Now, O God, according to your
loving kindness, according to the multitude, the multitude
of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Can you imagine the number of
our transgressions? Talk about asking great things
of God. Can you imagine the multitude
of our transgressions? Just this congregation, from
cradle to the grave. It would take a multitude of
mercies to blot out our multitude of transgressions. It would take
a multitude of mercies and loving kindness to blot out all of these
transgressions of heart and mind and imagination and act, hand
and foot. Oh, my sins. How great. How many. But David asked a great
thing. He asked the Lord, blot them
out. Obliterate them. Let none remain. from beginning to end, have mercy
on me. Oh God, according to your loving
kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot
them out. Can David expect such a thing
to be done? Well, the scriptures declare
that it is so. Turn to Isaiah chapter 43. Blot
them out. Let none remain. Obliterate them. Isaiah 43 verse 25. The Lord identifies himself in
this way. He said, I, even I, am he that
blotteth out thy transgressions. That's who I am. Isaiah 43 verse
25. I, even I, am he that blotteth
out thy transgressions for my own my own sake, for my own glory,
and will not remember your sins." Obliterate them. One other scripture,
Isaiah 44, out across the page, verse 21. Remember these, O Jacob and Israel,
Isaiah 44, 21. For I have formed thee, my servant,
O Israel, and thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted
out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins, I have
blotted them out, returning to me, for I have redeemed thee. I will, God said. I have blotted
out your transgressions. Lord, have mercy on me according
to your loving kindness, for your own sake, for the glory
of your grace, according to the multitude of your tender mercies.
Make them as though they never were. Blot them out. Eradicate them. And remember
them no more. What a request. That's my request. Verse 2. Wash me. Wash me. You know, sin defiles. Sin defiles soul and body. Sin makes us corrupt. Sin is
compared to leprosy, filthy, decaying, rotting, putrid flesh. Even our righteousnesses are
called in the scripture filthy rags, filthy. Sin separates us
from God. Sin even corrupts whatever good
deeds we may have. And laws and works and legal
obedience won't help us. It won't help our condition.
It will only aggravate and add to our defilement. Job said,
if I justify myself, my own mouth would condemn me. Could my tears forever flow? They wouldn't wash away my sin.
Could my zeal know respite? No. That wouldn't wash away my
sin. For these for sin cannot atone. Christ must save, and Christ
alone. So David prays, Lord, You wash
me. Wash me. And don't just dip me. Wash me, look at that word, throughly. Throughout. From the sole of
my feet to the top of my head because that's how defiled I
am. From the sole of my feet to the top of my head. Nothing
but wounds and bruises and putrefying, filthy sores. Wash me throughly
from within. without from the bottom to the
top. Wash me, now listen, and cleanse
me. Wash me and cleanse me. Wash
me throughly and cleanse me from my sin. The top lady says two
things are requested here. Wash me. That has to do with
the work being done. Wash me, wash me, wash me, wash
me, wash me. Cleanse me. That has to do with
a work already done. Let me show you that in John
13. Our Lord Jesus Christ, I believe, is saying that same thing. Washing. Wash me. Wash me today. Wash
me tomorrow. Wash me the next day. But Lord,
cleanse me. And washing has to do with a
work being done all the time. Cleansing. has to do with a work
that's final. When our Lord was washing the
feet of the disciples, and he came to the apostle Peter, and
Peter said to him, you'll never wash my feet. And our Lord said,
if I don't wash you, if I don't wash you, you don't have any
part with me. No part with me. Well, Peter
said, well Lord, not just my feet, but my hands and my head,
wash me. He said in verse 10, Jesus said
to him, he that is washed, he that is washed needeth not save
to wash his feet, but he's clean everywhere. And you're clean,
but not all of you, because he knew who would betray him. Therefore
he said, you're not all clean. He knew Judas wasn't clean, but
the rest of them were clean. They were clean. The blood had
cleansed them. The blood had sanctified them
and justified them and blotted out their transgressions. They
were clean. Clean! But they needed their feet washed
every day. I give this illustration even
in some countries where I have visited, they still have public
baths. People don't have any baths in
their home, but they have a public bath. And the person leaves home,
puts on his sandals and takes a towel and a robe and goes down
to the public bath and washes. Washes all over. Dries himself
off and walks home. And when he gets home, he washes
his feet. Because on the way from the cleansing
to the home, he's defiled his feet. And my Lord has cleansed
us with his blood. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth
us, cleanseth us from all sin. But through this world, our walk,
and our contacts, and our thoughts, and our words, and our deeds
need to be washed every day. They just do. I need to be washed
every day. I'm clean. He doesn't need to
die again. His blood doesn't need to be
shed again. I'm cleansed. I'm clean. That's once for all.
But I need to be washed. And that's the prayer here. Wash
me, through me. For mine iniquity. And cleanse
me from my sin. And David, I want you to look
at this. The next three verses. I acknowledge
my transgression and my sin as ever before me. Now I want you
to notice something. The word, our, he doesn't use
here in reference to transgression. Verse 1. blot out my transgression. Verse 2, wash me from my iniquity. Verse 2, cleanse me from my sin. Verse 3, acknowledge my transgression. Acknowledge my sin. It's ever
before me. He talks as if he's the only
sinner in town. And actually, by his knowledge,
he is. Christ died for sinners, Paul
said, of whom I'm the chief. The publican in the temple cried,
Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner. And this is what David
is saying. He's acknowledging his sins.
And then in verse 4, he's acknowledging against whom he has sinned. He
said, against thee. We can make matters right with
other people, but that's not the problem. The problem is that
things are wrong between us and God. It's against thee and thee
only have I sinned. I've done this evil in your sight.
And you're justified when you speak. And Lord, you're clear
when you judge me and when you condemn me, you're just. You're
right. I have no alibi. I have no excuse. And I'm not putting forth one.
And then in verse 5, he tells us the real problem. The real
problem is my nature. The real problem is my heart.
I was born in sin. I was shaped in iniquity and
in sin I was conceived. My problem is guilt, not just
an act. You know, a lot of people today
are concerned about acts. David was concerned about guilt.
about nature. And he says, wash me, thoroughly,
cleanse me, for I admit I am the sinner, my transgression.
And I admit that my sins are against you, against your love
and your grace. And thirdly, and I'll tell you
why, I'm like I am, because of my evil nature. And verse 6, Listen. The third request. Behold, thou
desirest truth in the inward parts. In the hidden part, thou
shalt make me to know wisdom. That's my request. Make me to
know wisdom in my heart. You see, David knew that God
does not accept pretense. God does not accept pretending. God despises outward form without
heart commitment. That's what he said to the Pharisees.
Our Lord said, you call me Lord with your lips. This is your condemnation. You
call me Lord with your lips, your hearts are far from me.
He said, you're like You are like graves. On the outside you
appear beautiful to me with the flowers and the grass and the
headstones, but within you are full of dead men's bones. Thou
hypocrite! God despises profession and show
and outward form. God looks on the heart. Our Lord said to His religious
generation, He said, You are they that Justify yourself before
men. But God looks on the heart. And that which is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination to God. The form, the dress, the
ceremony, the pretense, the profession, the show, the whoop-de-doo. And
David prays, Oh God, you desire truth in the heart. Truth in
the heart. Truth in the heart. And in the hidden part, where
men can't see. Where men can't see. What men can't see won't hurt
them, will you? Won't hurt them, no. It won't hurt them at all. What
they can't see, it hurts us. Because God can see. And that's
where He desires truth. So make me to know wisdom. What is the wisdom? Christ. Christ
is the wisdom of God. Christ is the power of God. Of God are you in Christ, who
of God is made unto us wisdom. Make me to know the wisdom of
true worship and true religion and truth and true commitment
and a true relationship with God. Make me to know this. The
Son of God hath come and given us an understanding that we may know Him that's true.
And we're in Him that's true. This is the true God. This is
eternal life. See that? I've often said, I
understand why people pretend in the world, because the world
puts stock in that. What you appear to be, what you
claim to be, what you say you are. And they go by that. But why in this world, why in
the name of of common sense. Anybody would
pretend to be a servant of God. Would pretend to be a believer.
Would try to impress people. Try to put up a front. Try to
appear doctrinally correct and morally straight and all these
things in order to gain applause or praise or recognition of glory. Why in the name of anything reasonable
would a man... God looks on the... And really before Him it's not
so much what I do, it's why I'm doing it. Why? Why? For His glory and His name, why
in the name of common sense would I want to impress anybody? When it won't do anything but
add to my condemnation. It just adds to my condemnation. So that's the reason he prays,
Lord you desire truth where nobody can see it. In the hidden part. Where no human eye can see. Make me to know wisdom down there.
To know Christ down there. Everybody is talking about serving
the Lord. He didn't come here to be served. He came here to
give His life for ransom. I came not to be ministered unto. I came to minister. I want Him
to serve me. Do something in here. And if
He does something in here, it will be a blessing to somebody.
It will be a blessing to me first. But then it will leak out on
you. That's what Barnard told the dear lady She came to him
after the service. She said, well, I've given my
heart to Christ. He said, I'm glad. She said,
don't you think I ought to tell everybody about it? He said,
well, if you have, he said, it'll leak out on you for it. Fight
all you can do. Somebody's going to find it out.
Verse 7. Petition number 4. Purge me with
hyssop. And I'll be clean. I will be
clean. You purge me with hyssop and I will be clean. Wash me. I'll be whiter than
the snow. I want you to think about something
for a moment. What they call the law of first
mention. The law of first mention. When's the first time that the
word grace is used in the whole Bible? First time the word grace
is used in the whole Bible. If you can find the first time
it's used, you'll find the key to what it means all the way
through the Bible. And the first time the word grace is used in
this Bible is in Genesis 6. When God said, Noah found grace
in the eyes of the Lord. Sovereign grace, free grace,
particular grace, God's grace. Saving grace, keeping grace,
Noah found grace. in the eyes of the Lord. God
put his sovereign grace on Noah and that's what grace is all
the way through the Bible. It's sovereignly given, it's
freely given, it's bestowed upon whom he will. I'll be gracious
to him I will. The word Lamb, first time the
word Lamb is used in the whole Bible. It wasn't when Abel offered
an offering. It doesn't use the word Lamb.
But Genesis 22, the word Lamb Abraham and Isaac were on their
way up the mountain. They had the fire, had the wood.
And Isaac said, where's the lamb? What did Abraham say? My son,
God, will provide himself a lamb. He's the lamb. He's the lamb
of God. Where's the lamb? God provided,
the Lord Jesus. Behold, John said, all the way
through the Bible. Here we have the word hyssop.
Purge me with hyssop. When is the first time hyssop
is used? All right, turn to Exodus 12. Exodus 12. Israel was in Egypt, in bondage,
darkness, slavery, hard labor. And God would deliver them, God
would deliver them miraculously by blood. And he says in Exodus
12, 22, first time the word hyssop is used. And you shall take a
bunch of hyssop, that's a plant, and dip it in the blood of the
lamb. The blood of the lamb that was
slain. It's in the basin. And strike
the blood on the lentil on the two side post with the blood
that's in the basin and none of you shall go out at the door
of his house until the morning for the Lord will pass through
to smite the Egyptians and when he sees the blood on the little,
on the two side post, the Lord will pass over the door and will
not suffer the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you."
And David said, Sprinkle me with blood. Purge me. Purge me with blood. The blood of the Lamb. He purged
our sins with the sacrifice of Himself. Purge me. Verse 8. Make me to hear joy
and gladness. There is no greater joy or gladness
than to know we have been purged with the blood. forgiven, accepted
and the beloved and set the bones the bones which you've broken
in revealing my sins and oh the pain of a broken bone I've never
had a broken bone but I'm told it's painful and then when the
doctor sets it and wraps it pain goes away and David says Lord
Sprinkle me with the blood of Christ. Purge me with hyssop. I'll be clean. Wash me. I'll
be whiter than the snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness
and set the bones that you've broken in this conviction and
this experience. My sins are painful, stressful,
but when they're set and growing right, The pain is gone. Set the bones. Hide your face
from my sins. Blot out my iniquities. I ask
again, obliterate them. Erase them. And verse 10, the fifth petition. And create in me, now here I'll
close with this, create in me a clean heart. You know, David knew God. The children of Israel, the Scripture
says, knew the acts of God. Moses and David and these men
knew the will of God. And David didn't ask God to accept
his heart. I'll give you my heart, God. David didn't ask God to make
his old heart clean. He was too experienced in human
nature to experience with its heart's helplessness, deceitfulness,
deception, to ask God to accept his heart or to cleanse his old
heart. He says, give me a new heart. Create. That's out of nothing.
Don't take the old one and patch it up. It's got too many faults.
That's what's wrong with... One time I My generator played out, alternator,
alternator played out. And I went up here to the filling
station and they messed around and found out my alternator was
bad. So they put a used one in, rebuilt. Rebuilt alternator. And I got
up at Dingus one night and preached and started home on that lonely
little two lane road. Frank, what's that fella said,
you never been there? At ten o'clock at night on that
day, and everything went out. Lights, everything went out.
And I, by God's grace, found a little spot to pull over to
keep from getting killed by a coal truck. And a fella came by and
I flagged him down. I said, you know where Bertie's
kitchen is in Dingus? Yep. I said, you going that way?
Yep. They're sitting there drinking
coffee and talking. Tell them I'm out here on the road. I need
help. That's why here came all my buddies.
And I had to stay up there that night, and I went to a place
the next day to get a new alternator. And I said, don't want a used
one. Now you men may not like that,
but I don't want a rebuilt one. I want one ain't nobody ever
had before. That's a good sense. That's what David says here.
I don't want a used alternator. No, a rebuilt. I want you to
create in me. A clean heart. A God-given, clean,
Christ-loving heart. That's what I need. That's what
every son of Adam in here needs too. And every daughter. A new
heart. A new spirit. Here's a complete
prayer with this a good place to close. Create in me a clean
heart. What's never been there before.
What's not there by nature. Create a clean heart and renew. Now, I'll take this renewing
daily of my spirit. In other words, create in me
a clean heart which is not there by nature, but this new spirit
and new nature, you'll have to renew it daily because of all
the distractions that I encounter and because of me. It'll have
to be renewed. It'll have to be a new work every
day. God's work. Every day. Let me give you this. I saw this yesterday. Cast me
not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from
me. Somebody may say, well, that's not an appropriate prayer for
a believer. A believer wouldn't pray that, would he? Cast me
not from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me?
Only a believer can pray that. Only a believer can. He's the
only one conscious of the Lord's presence. An unbeliever doesn't
have God's presence. So an unbeliever sure wouldn't
pray, cast me not away from your presence. He's not even there.
We have his presence. He's with us. And David says,
don't leave me. Don't cast me away from your
presence. And then he says, don't take your Holy Spirit from me.
A man who doesn't have the Holy Spirit can't pray that. That's
a believer's prayer. A believer is conscious of the
Lord's presence and he doesn't want to be without it ever. A
believer is aware of the terrible loss that he would suffer if
God took his Holy Spirit. So he prays, don't do it! Only one who knows him and loves
him would fear losing him. Or dread losing his presence.
But I can tell you this. That'll never be, thank God.
He says, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. That's
right, never. He never will. You can be sure
of that. That doesn't keep me from praying
it. Because I love his presence and
love his spirit and I can't stand the thought of being like Saul,
King Saul. He wished not that the Spirit
of God had left him. Our Father, thank You for Your
Word. Thank You for this blessed psalm. Thank You for Your Word. For Christ's sake, make it a
blessing to all of us. For Your glory, I pray. Amen.