The Joy of the Guiltless
Psalms 32:1-2 A Psalm of David. A Maskil
1 Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
Oh the joy of the guiltless!
Every single believer has experienced this!
Because this is what happens when you repent and ask him into our hearts!
The new understanding, that there is a personal God who loves me and who has forgiven me of all the things i've done wrong
The joy of a new life! A new beginning, and a fresh slate
Our sins have been placed out of God’s sight! Our guilt, removed…
Until its not, because you sin again
But this time you’ve hidden it
You create distance between yourself and God
And now that Joy, you don't feel it anymore, it’s gone. Everyone has been here.
The Price of Hidden Sin
And David of course was no different!
Psalm 32:3
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.
Many have kept their sins hidden for days, weeks, months or even years
You feel the toll it has taken on you, you feel it every single day
David described it as his body was wasting away
And that's exactly what it's like
The joy of the Lord removed from your life, the light that was once there now its darkness
Life has become a chore, every day is a slog because of the sin that you choose to keep carrying around with you.
You pray, you read his word, seek him out, you know he is the answer
You're doing all these things because you know it's what you should be doing… but you still have things you refuse to bring into the open
You do all this to try to mend your relationship with him but its not working because there is a barrier
Your relationship with God is at a standstill until that barrier is removed.
Non-Believers struggle with the sin they hold onto as well!
Romans 2:14-15
14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.
Our conscience, the knowledge of right and wrong that has been given to all of us by God
And every time it’s violated, every sin adds heaviness to our lives and our bodies waste away.
But there is good news, this weight, the heaviness of our mistakes, its not necessarily a bad thing
Psalms 32:4
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
What you are experiencing is the God ordained effects of hidden sinfulness
It's there to show you that something isn't right. It's there as a wake up call.
So it's not a bad thing, this is God’s mercy, he is trying to draw you to himself because he is the only one who can fix your life.
Hiding sin from God creates a barrier. He’s trying to get you to tear it down, to confess your sin to him so you can receive the forgiveness that's rightfully yours
The forgiveness that you've been keeping from yourself. Because God’s already forgiven you, that's been assured on the cross. You're just not experiencing it because you've refused to confess your sin.
He's trying to get you to let it go.
Hebrews 12:11
11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
The Restoration of Confession
Psalms 32:5
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Oh, the Joy of those who confess!
Your guilt can be removed, the weight removed, your body restored! You can receive forgiveness!
Psalms 32:6
6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time., that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
Now this is in the Old Testament
Let me give you the New Testament adaptation of this verse
Therefore, let all the Heathens, all the thieves, all the liars, all the adulterers, all the buddhists, all the muslims, all the murderers, all the hopeless, all the guilty and all the Godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
We can all pray to God to seek the removal of sin because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross
Jesus Christ has died for the sins you've hidden away and hold onto
And God’s word can be believed in 1 John 1:9 when it says:
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.