Sermon(Ps 32): The Blessed

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025256123

 

>> 1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 When I declared not my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. 5 I acknowledged my sin to thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. .... 8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not keep with you. 10 Many are the pangs of the wicked; but steadfast love surrounds him who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Ps 32) <<

 

According to the Scripture, God condemned David only twice, once the Bathsheba-related incident, and once the census. God saw David with loving heart, so he found no sins in him except the two cases. But it was because God loved David so much. A lot of verses of the Psalms show how happy David was when he was pardoned by God. David, too, was a human being as we are. The characteristic of us humans is that they are like horses or mules. They do not tend to obey God when he commands us moderately, or gently. They begin to obey God, and that reluctantly, only when he rebukes them with loud voice and compels them with bit and bridle. Nevertheless they boast of their obedience then. But, what obedience?

 

In the today's text, David said, "Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not keep with you (v. 9)," as if to admonish someone else, but the saying was first directed to David himself. David committed sins, but he behaved as usual, as if nothing had happened. But God pressed him heavily day and night. David could resist God's raging pressure no more, so he frankly acknowledged his sins and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Yes, my God! I committed sins. Forgive my such and such sins." So God forgave David. My brethren, be honest with God. Do not justify your sins by making excuses like King Saul. You're still alive if you feel the pang of conscience when you sin. If we listen to our conscience when it reproaches us, and confess our sins and seek God's forgiveness, we will be pardoned and cleansed.

 

If we are not forgiven sins, the Devil will protest to God whenever God wants to answer our prayers and to bless us at a proper time. "Lord, this is an unrighteous man. It's unfair to give him the blessing now." The blessing that was granted to Job was temporarily suspended when the Devil raised objections against him even though he had no sins. Much more will the Devil raise objections against us to God to suspend our blessings that should be upon us in time, if we have sinned and been in iniquity! God has given us a good conscience so that we can repent immediately before God when we have sinned. Blessed are those who make good use of this good conscience. If we immediately repent of our sins whenever we commit sins, and keep clean, the Devil can no more find fault with us, and the opportunity to receive God's blessings in time is kept open to us.

 

A good conscience keeps us far away from the cunning heart. How beautiful your honest kind heart is! If you, in addition to a high position, have a heart full of knowledge, humility, consideration for others, honesty and purity, you are indeed noble. But if you, in a high position, are not pure and honest thanks to the crooked heart, and are double-faced and sly, you are an abomination to God and man. If you've been so, repent and abandon such a cunning heart! "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. (v. 2)" Do not shed tears of Emperor Nero. In the movie, Nero spoke words like a poet, in tears, in a melancholic mood. In a word, it is abominable tear from a deceitful heart of a man who ruthlessly killed his mother and a lot of innocent Christians. It is Devil’s masterpiece that a man who has occupied a good holy occupation by all kinds of illegal means preaches the saints, with holy voice and gesture and with tears in the eyes, that they should live an honest life. Seeing him, the Devil will gladly exclaim, "How exactly you resemble me! (What a faithful servant of me you are!)" Of course, simple Christians, not knowing that, will be much moved by that sermon. An irony of Christian history! My brethren, if you taken any position (job) illegally, please step down from it immediately. Be a man who confesses his sins honestly to God and man, and is cleansed within and without. You're giving an abominable prayer to God if you, keeping hold of what you've obtained illegally, pray to God like this: "My God, forgive me my past sins!" What a sly heart and a sly prayer! (Man tends to ignore the present sins that are involved with his present interests.) God hates that heart and prayer. Of course, David took Bathsheba in illegal way, nevertheless he didn't let her go because she would suffer more then for her husband Uriah had already died. A heart without cunningness is a heart without falsity and greed. Unlawfulness is a work of a heart full of lies and greed. My brethren, do not resort to expediency or illegality in the church, in the society and in the denomination. An honest heart without cunningness is a heart with patience and endurance. He who waits patiently for God's blessings without resorting to expediency or illegality has an honest heart without slyness, which is beautiful, and the owner of which God loves and delights in. How beautiful it is, to wait patiently for God's blessings! God gets you to wait for a long time in order to appreciate your beautiful attitude like that. You're blessed if you are beautiful in God's eyes. You're blessed if you are not sly and crooked.

 

God knows every man who is without slyness, and he becomes a blessed man whom God takes care of with great interest. "Therefore let every one who is godly offer prayer to thee; at a time of distress, in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. Thou art a hiding place for me, thou preservest me from trouble; thou dost encompass me with deliverance. (v. 6, 7)" The best and surest supporter in the world is the Almighty God who created the heaven and earth, and the most blessed in the world is he who takes the opportunity to meet him, so that he can pray to him. You who are pure in heart are the happiest ones in the world! God says to you, "Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually (1 Chron 16:11)! Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Mt 7:7). Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full (Jn 16:24). Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sin praise (Jas 5:13)." Is there any reason why you don't pray to God when God loves you and wants to hear you? You want to give your loved one the best gift. Parents hope that they can give their beloved children the best thing in the world. God is the One who is good and who loves you most. Take courage and make your heart's wishes known to God. He certainly promised that he will grant your prayer if you believe and never doubt it. Your wish-prayer that you, with forgiven clean heart, say to God will please God as a fragrant offering. God is infinitely happy when he sees you, you who are healthy, joyful and happy after being abundantly blessed by God. You're the joy of God. Do not rely on people, nor on money, nor on fortune tellers or Buddhist monks or shamans, but flee to God and take refuge in him.

 

If you flee to God, God promises, saying, "I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. (v. 8)" Hallelujah! Give thanks to God! Praise him! I'm so foolish that I can't know a second ahead. But God knows me better than I do, and nothing can be hidden from him. The whole future is in his hand and will. We must boldly cast away our incompetence and stupidity and commit our whole life to God who loves us and is deeply interested in us. Blessed is he who commits his future to God. This man does not know his future well, but he shall go the most certain, fastest and best way. My own way may look like a good way leading to life. No! It could lead you to death. At first glance, the way God prepared for me looks bad and unsatisfactory to me, but it is the best way for me. “His (God’s) way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (Ps 18:30)” “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Is 55:8-9)” I don't have much experience in life, but I have one thing to tell you. The way God had allowed to me was so unsatisfactory that I felt sad about God's indifference toward me. It even hurt my heart very much. But now I realize that it was the best way for me. I say this from the bottom of my heart. Therefore God says to us, "Thank God for everything." What a beautiful mind you have, if you, not knowing why your present life is so hard and painful, believe in the good God and give thanks to him always for everything! A man with such a heart is blessed. After all, you have succeeded in everything and have had victory indeed if you have given thanks to God for everything.

 

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (v. 11)" Who is righteous? Righteous is he who confesses his sins honestly and is forgiven, and whose iniquities are covered up. We are righteous ones clothed with God's holiness and righteousness. His holiness and righteousness cover our sins. We are sinners, but we are God's children if we are forgiven sins to be loved by him. We are but humans, nevertheless we can take part in God's glory if we become his children. Because we are children of God. Children will live in the light of the glory of their Father. My brethren, rejoice and rejoice! Seeing our glory, angels are envious of us. The kindness and mercy of God the Father surrounds us (v. 10). Sin and evil are powerless before us, and the raging roar of Devil fails before the mercy of God that encompasses us. David found God's mercy and danced for joy. God's anger is by no means bigger than his kindness. So we can have a bold faith in God.

 

May mercy of God surround you always!

 

Chong Tack Kim

                                - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -