Why cross-reference the Bible during sermons?
1. Because the Bible is not a bunch of separate, unrelated sayings like the Koran or other books of other false religions
2. Because the Bible Comments on itself constantly
3. Because the Bible is one woven, unbroken tapestry of Truth, and God delights when we see the pattern within it.
4. But mainly because the Holy Spirit Himself, the third Person of the Trinity, inspired the holy men of old who were His penmen in writing the Bible, and they cross reference scripture continuously, and this is one of many examples.
1. The Bible Background
a. The Sad Facts—Laziness, carelessness, lust, shame, and murder.
b. David’s Sin—“…You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon…”
c. God’s denunciation—2 Sam 12:9 'Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight?...”
(1) What David’s Sin deserved:
(a) First of all, that he be stoned to death—but since he was the king in a monarchy, that was not likely.
(b) Second, barring that, was that he deserved to be killed on the spot by God
(c) Third, his sin, LIKE ALL OTHER SINS great or small, deserved eternal damnation.
(2) God did none of those things—why?
(3) Because David was a truly saved man
(4) Because David’s sin was forgiven before David even asked, because Grace salvation, justification, imputation, redemption, and propitiation are permanent, unassailable, and eternally secure in the heavens David’s Repentance and God’s instantaneous forgiveness—2 Sam 12:13 “… So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die….”
(5) Then some will say: oh, then I can sin all I want…NOT SO—see the personal cost of the consequences of David’s sin..
d. Psalm 51—David’s Repentance—Psa 51:1-4
(1) Honest, complete, unequivocal, repentance
(a) No obscuring the Truth
(b) No Spin
(c) No blaming anyone else—instead we see complete acceptance of blame
(2) David Trusts in God, and declares that God was and is right to condemn and punish David’s Sin
e. But—The Consequences kept on coming “…10 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”
(1) His infant son died
(2) His older sons rebelled against him
(3) There was murder between his sons, and other sins as well.
(4) This was direct chastisement by God, allowing the natural course of the circumstances and the consequences to take place in David’s life.
(5) Let no true believer think that sin is without consequence—God will not be mocked even by one of His own.
2. Psalm 32, The Psalm of the Forgiven Man
a. A Burst of Joy—(Ps 32:1-2)—"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit…”
(1) “...blessed…” equivalent to markarios in Greek—“happy.”
(2) Blessed—in the plural—Full Blessing, “Oh, the fullness of the plentitude of the blessings of God
(3) Transgression is rebellion against God, and rebellion against God is treason!
(4) Forgiven—in the passive mood, and present tense—continual forgiveness, ever-ongoing forgiveness
b. “…2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit…”
(1) Again, “blessed,” the same word and meaning—
(2) Oh, the fullness of joy to one who has been forgiven—
(a) And not just forgiven
(b) God does not impute sin to the account of one of His own—
(c) What did Nathan say?—God had already forgiven David because the account was closed long before that crime took place.
(3) “…no deceit…” No fraud, no deceit
(a) Oh, the honesty of the believer who has been shaken by God and who has grieved the Holy Spirit—
(b) True believers have no deceit in their spirits, because they know who and what they are but for God’s righteousness imputed to their account.
(4) Silence and chastisement – “…3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah…”
(a) Silence—spiritual silence, willful and stubborn—he refused to own up to and confess his own sin
(i) Why did God wait over a year before dealing with this?
(ii) He was giving David space and time to repent on his own
(b) His time of spiritual silence was a miserable time
(i) He was physically attacked by stress—he had no energy, his bones felt older than their years.
(5) Confession and forgiveness—“…5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah…”
(a) Confession of sin and reconciliation with God are individual acts that cannot be done by someone else for us.
(b) Steps—this is for believers who are truly saved, but need to learn about fighting against Headquarters
(i) Acknowledgment of sin
(ii) Honest and open about iniquity—moral evil
(iii) Confession—more than just saying “I did it…” The confessor believes in everything God tells him.
(iv) Forgiveness from od.
c. Worship To God—“…6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. 7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah…”
d. Instruction From God—“…8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. 9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you….”
e. The Wicked warned, the upright believing and shouting praises—“…10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. 11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"
f. Teachings of this psalm
(1) Unconfessed sin produces inward torture—See Mat 18:32-35—a true child of God can only take it for so long.
(2) Forgiveness is a blessed state of wholeness and peace
(3) Genuine confession with a broken heart is the condition of forgiveness from God
(4) Divine Forgiveness is willingly bestowed—God has forgiven
(5) Forgiveness invokes joy, praise, and testimony—6
(6) Exhortation is the fruit and root of worship—32:6—“…let everyone who is Godly…”
(7) Assurances come with forgiveness
3. The Blessing of Being Forgiven and Declared Righteous—(Rom 4:6-8) "just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.""
a. Well might David understand—2 Sam 12:13 So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die…”
(1) David had been under conviction for his sin—Ps 32:1-5
(2) David confessed his sin to God, and was told he had already been forgiven! Why? Because God will not impute sin to the account of one of His elect.
(3) However, David did have to suffer chastisement in this life, consisting of the natural results of his great misdeeds.
b. Accounted as righteous as Christ—“…to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.”
4. The Blessing of Being Forgiven
a. Iniquities—transgressions of the Law, Sins—wickedness in general, all forgiven, covered, and a coat of righteousness added.
(1) Micah 7:19 "He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea."
(2) Isa 43:25 ""I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins."
(3) Psa 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."
(4) Isa 61:10 "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."
(5) Jer 31:34 ""No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.""
b. No One may challenge this verdict—Rom 8:33 "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies."
5. The Blessedness of a Closed Account—
a. The Real Issue in Eternal Security— 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
(1) Salvation is of the LORD
(2) What the LORD does is perfect and permanent
(3) The TRULY saved cannot be lost
(4) And here we can cut the theological fog
(a) We must avoid giving false security.
(b) Much of what has been written, preached, and taught in favor of Perserverance (Eternal Security) is dangerous, because it is incomplete, and can lead to a false sense of security.
(c) This false sense of security, combined with what is often in our day a very shallow and incomplete presentation of the gospel, leads to apostasy on a grand scale by those who were never truly saved.
(d) These false believers don't have salvation, but they have made a profession of faith, and probably have identified with a local congregation--Their life has no fruit and no root, but they trod along, resting on a false foundation.
(e) There really is such a thing as a false doctrine of eternal security. There really is such a thing as "carnal security" or "hell insurance
b. The Nature of Salvation
(1) Salvation is 100 percent a work of God—“…Salvation is of the LORD…” Jonah 2:9— God saves sinners--we do not save ourselves
(2) Salvation is a permanent change of state—John 6:47 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
(3) As a part of the gift of Salvation, we become adopted children of God (Gal 3:26-4:7). This forever changes our RELATIONSHIP to God
(4) When we sin, God deals with us as a Father to a child (Heb 12:4-8), not as a judge to a criminal.
c. But having said all of that, THE key which unlocks the doctrine of eternal security is verse 8 of our text--
(a) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
(b) The Account is closed! This is a parallel thought to Rom 8:33 "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies."
(c) God will NOT impute sin to the account of one whom God has justified—and who is going to override that decision?
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