How to Feel the Joy of Forgiveness
Psalm 32:1-2
Introduction.
Last week we talked about some of the things that are required for repentance.
The beautiful result of that is forgiveness.
But have you ever done what you needed to do to be forgiven, but you didn’t feel forgiven?
Perhaps you had trouble forgiving yourself?
That’s perhaps one of the most difficult things to do as a Christian, to forgive yourself.
Forgiving others can be very hard to do, but it’s a cake walk when compared to forgiving yourself.
You have the memories of doing those sinful things—you can’t just erase your memory.
You will have to deal with that for the rest of your life!
Incidentally people wonder why you shouldn’t just go about sinning as much as you can, have all the “fun” you want, and then repent later.
Well, true repentance means you feel sorry for the things you have done and are making steps to keep from doing them again.
And if you truly feel bad for them, it could haunt you for the rest of your life.
And that’s just one reason not to go off and sin as much as we can.
But for those who have, there is still hope.
Sure, you might have days where you struggle more than others, but you can always fall back on the assurance of the forgiveness in Christ.
This lesson is meant to help you do just that.
David was just such a man who fell away, committing adultery and murdering someone to cover it up.
After he did that, he wrote Psalm 51 to express his desire for repentance.
And after he was forgiven, many believe that he wrote Psalm 32 to express the joy he felt because of his forgiveness.
Recall his pleas in Psalm 51 for joy, longing to hear joy and gladness again (51:8) and to have the joy of salvation restored to him (51:12).
In fact that’s how Psalm 32 starts; here is what we are going to discuss today.
Preview.
Acknowledge the Emotional Toll (32:1-4).
Consider the Practical Application (32:5-9).
Enjoy the Immense Benefits (32:10-11).
Body.
Acknowledge the Emotional Toll (32:1-4).
Where we want to be (32:1-2).
David begins this psalm with a goal in mind.
He sees those who have been forgiven, and it seems so nice.
It gives me the impression that he is an outsider looking in, looking in at those who have been forgiven and he desperately craves to experience that state once again.
He has been there before, and remembers what it’s like.
Paul quotes from here in Romans 4. Leading up to that (4:4-6), Paul writes:
Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: [Psalm 32:1-2a].
Recall that the Lord doesn’t want sacrifice of animals, not before you have been honest with Him about your sin and offered Him the sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite heart.
Where we are while in sin (32:3-4).
That broken spirit and contrite heart are expressed very well in vs. 3-4.
When we keep silent about our sin, we are not confessing it before Him, we are acting like it is all okay, but it’s not.
When we try to brush it under the rug, we feel the sadness and pain, the loss of vitality.
It’s like trying to drive a car with an oil leak—you might be able to get where you’re going, but you will soon realize how serious that problem is when your engine freezes up.
David writes about this in another psalm in another way (Psa. 6:6-7).
I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows old because of all my enemies.
What immense sadness David feels over his sin! He is crying buckets, and his energy is sapped from him—if this isn’t some form of depression, I don’t know what is.
If your sadness stems from the sins you have committed and the guilt you feel over them, David tells us how we might be able to handle it practically.
Consider the Practical Application (32:5-9).
Acknowledge your sin (32:5).
We had talked about this at length last week, so I won’t dwell on this for too long.
Recall the three requirements for repentance were 1) prayer, 2) honesty, and 3) sacrifice.
How else can you acknowledge your sins to God except through prayer?
You have not hidden them because you have been honest with yourself and God by confessing your sins before Him.
These are all the steps we have been given to repent so that He will forgive us, and He has forgiven you!
So this first step is to repent.
Continue in prayer (32:6-7).
Since we have been forgiven, that’s no reason to stop praying.
In fact, David continues, saying, “For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You.”
Paul implores us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).
Prayer should be a constant companion for any Christian.
When we have an active prayer life, we will be far less likely to sin.
As Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:12-13).
If we continue to say that prayer, He will help us and guide us away from sin and wickedness, showing us that way of escape that He has promised us (1 Cor. 10:13).
Does that mean we will never fail? No, but it means we’re working on it.
It is through Him that we seek our shelter and refuge from the wickedness of the world.
He, being perfect in all His ways, will surround us, protect us, and deliver us.
We may not feel Him, but He’s there—He’s always there.
Education is key (32:8-9).
Education is such an important part of being a follower of God.
Here the pronouns shift from David speaking to God speaking, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”
He urges his followers to allow themselves to be educated, to allow themselves to be taught.
There are people out there who act like no one can teach them anything.
That is an element of pride that we cannot have as a Christian, but we must humble ourselves and allow ourselves to be taught at the feet of our Lord.
Of the many things we must be taught is what actions are right and what are wrong.
We must also be taught what Satan’s devices are to get us to fall into sin, the temptations he uses so that we might avoid them.
We must be taught how to recognize the way of escape that God so faithfully provides whenever we are tempted.
He then compares us to beasts of burden, animals that must be guided with bit and bridle.
He doesn’t want us to be like that, to be directed in such a direct and forceful fashion.
But He wants us to know and understand what the right way is and to do it knowingly and without hesitation.
When we do these things we can enjoy in the benefits of His magnificent forgiveness.
Enjoy the Immense Benefits (32:10-11).
Avoiding the sorrows of the wicked.
The Psalms are full of laments and indications that the righteous do indeed suffer sorrow.
But the sorrow the wicked suffer is contrasted to what the righteous will be blessed with.
What sorrows will the wicked suffer? Well, there are many possible things they could suffer here in a temporal sense.
As we talked about several weeks ago, the sin of lying can cost relationships and and make others hate and resent you.
But all that pales in comparison to the sorrows one will feel if on that great day of the Lord, they hear these words: “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:23).
Mercy, gladness, and joy.
Instead, what replaces the many sorrows is a mercy that surrounds us, a gladness that makes us rejoice, and a shout that brings us joy.
Does this mean we will never suffer pain or sorrow?
No, we may suffer many pains and sorrows in this life.
But our spirits will be uplifted when we know that we have His mercy and grace upon us.
Then we can look back at vss. 1-2 and see the blessedness that comes with forgiveness, the happiness, the joy, the immense satisfaction!
It’s something that is hard to describe unless you’ve experienced it.
Our troubles are still here on this earth, but now they seem small in comparison to the love and joy we have from our Lord.
When we know our eternal destination, that forgiveness is ours despite what evil things we’ve done, it brings great comfort.
And it’s all because of Jesus, what He’s done for us, and our recognition of our place before Him and our acknowledgment of the sin we have done.
When we truly repent, we can have that great mercy, gladness, and joy that He has promised us!
Conclusion.
So when we know God has forgiven us, but we have trouble forgiving ourselves, remember these things.
The fleeting feeling of happiness may not come to us right away.
But there is a certain joy in salvation regardless of whether or not we feel happy.
That is the joy and peace and comfort that we have.
It may not be how the world defines happiness, but it is a great and wonderful experience.
The works of the OT Law are not involved in our own salvation today, but there are still things we need to do.
Let’s not forget to pray.
We should allow ourselves to feel sad over our sin, confessing it, and continuing in an active prayer life.
We can’t neglect our study of God’s Word, allowing Him to educate us in what’s true and right.
And finally, we must allow our knowledge that we are back in a right relationship with the Lord to uplift our spirits so that we might be called blessed.
What does Jesus say? “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).
This is how we are comforted, through the knowledge that our sin is cleansed washed away.
But we must become a Christian first.