Well, this morning we're going to continue our series, our Summer Psalm Series. I hope you've all enjoyed this as much as I have as we've begun to unpack this wonderful collection of songs that God's preserved for us throughout the ages. You know, maybe you're like me when you go to the Psalms. You open the book of Psalms and first you start reading them, and then you begin to pray, and then you find yourself crying out to God. Many times it seems like the psalmist has put to words the cry in my heart. Well, I can, in challenging times, I can go to the Psalms and find hope and encouragement in the midst of my difficulty. I find peace and comfort when my heart is anxious, and I gain guidance and insight when I'm confused as to which way to go. And I always find God's steadfast love and mercy when I seek him. In his word. In the Psalms, I find words to help me confess my sorrow over my sin, words to help me to direct my thoughts towards God, to align my perspective in all life circumstances.
In this unique book of the Old Testament, we find a collection of 150 poems that were meant to be offered as praises, songs of worship to God. And this morning, we're gonna look at one of my favorite Psalms that David wrote as a plea for God's guidance. Many scholars believe that David wrote these words when he was being persecuted by his own son Absalom. And in this psalm, we'll hear David cry out to the Lord for help in the midst of his trial and for protection from his enemies. We'll feel the burden that David carries as he calls on God with true repentance for the sins that he's committed. We'll hear him declaring the mercies and the steadfast love of God while he places his trust in God alone.
In the book of 1 Samuel, it's said that David was a man after God's own heart. In Psalm 25, we'll hear his cry as he pleads for guidance.
Before we turn there, let's pray. Bow your heads with me. Father, we thank you as we lifted up our song of worship to you this morning. Lord, we thank you now for your word, Lord. We thank you that when we open your word, we find hope and encouragement when we are troubled. We find peace and comfort when we're discouraged. Lord, thank you for helping to us align our perspective and our hearts towards you when we look to your word. Oh, we thank you that you desire to have fellowship with us, demonstrated by the cross. Oh God, open our eyes that we may see the truth of your word this morning. Dig out our ears that we may hear and apply these truths to our minds. And soften our hearts that we may walk out our lives in a way that is pleasing to you. Holy Spirit, have your way with us this morning. Lord, I now ask you publicly, as I have privately, to touch my mouth and help me to proclaim your word. Lord, you are the vine and I am the branch, and apart from you I can do nothing. Lord, do this for our good and for your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
If you'd open up your Bibles to Psalms 25 and read along with me. If you don't have your Bibles, it should be up on the screen there for you. Psalms 25. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust. Let me not be put to shame. Let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be ashamed; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions. According to your steadfast love, remember me for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and he teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever towards the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. Oh, guard my soul and deliver me. Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.
30 years ago, I was with a couple of friends hunting deer in the mountains of Washington State, and as the sun set and dust began to set in, I started back to meet Vincent and Steve on the trail that we'd walked in on. I headed east to meet up with them, but as I started to walk to meet them, I heard a gunshot and shouts from my friends from what sounded like west of me. I thought, well, maybe they shot a deer and they needed my help. So I turned and I headed towards them. That began a very long night for me. Apparently, the sound of their voices and the gunshot had echoed through the mountains and deceived me as to what direction it came from. The further I walked to find my friends, the more lost I became. The darker and darker it became. Oh, before I knew it, I was totally lost. I walked around for hours calling out their names with no answer. I began to hear sounds that I'd never heard before. I was pretty convinced that I was going to be some animal's dinner that night. At times I ran hoping to come across the path that we'd walked in on. If ever there was a time I needed guidance in my life, it was then. It wasn't until later that night when I saw the light from a campfire in the distance that I had any hope of making it out of there alive. I had to walk through a swampy field to the campfire, which was several miles down the road from where we'd set up camp. Late that night, I walked into our camp hungry, wet, and exhausted.
6 · The pastor applies the lost-in-the-mountains illustration to the universal experience of feeling lost in life's crossroads and challenges
Well, now hopefully most of us will never find ourselves lost in the mountains, but we can wander around in life feeling lost. We can all encounter crossroads, and we can feel just as lost as I was that night. Have you ever found yourself at a crossroad? I think it's safe to say that we've all found ourselves in that place at one time or another. We all face challenging circumstances in life: the loss of a job, challenging health issues, the death of a loved one, parenting conflicts, communication issues in our marriage, trouble at work, challenges with our children, or problems with a friend, and decisions such as what school to attend, and so on and so on. No matter where you find yourself or what season of life you're in, we all have a need for guidance. As believers, when we need guidance, we are to go to the Scriptures and to the Lord in prayer. Psalms 25 is both. It's a prayer within Scripture, and in it we can find hope in the midst of our trials and guidance for life's journey.
7 · The pastor frames Psalm 25 as both a desperate prayer and a blueprint for approaching God with humility and repentance
Psalms 25 is a desperate man's prayer before God, and in it we have a blueprint of how we're to approach a holy God with a humble and repentant heart. When all of life seems to be closing in around us, the answer is to run to God and to call on him for direction. Now, prayer is one of those mysteries that I don't fully understand. How could our prayers influence the actions of a holy, righteous, sovereign God? See, I believe that when we earnestly seek God, that often the miracle of prayer is that it changes our hearts and our perspectives. When I pray about a matter, God often opens my mind to see things in a different light. Well, in this prayer of David's, we'll get a snapshot of the progression of a heart of a man that pleases God. We'll hear his plea for guidance and protection and his burden of guilt over the sins as he cries out in prayer. This morning I would like to examine 6 ways of opening ourselves up to God's guidance. 6 pictures, if you will, that we see in this prayer of how we can receive divine guidance in all of life's circumstances.
8 · The pastor expounds the first phrase of Psalm 25 — 'to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul' — by defining the Hebrew idiom and unpacking its meaning
We see the first picture in our opening verse. First, we must have an utter dependence upon God. Listen to verse 1 of our text: 'To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.' See, the psalmist opens up by casting himself upon the Lord in an act of utter dependence. Like David, we are to acknowledge that God is our only source of help in time of need. While at the same time admitting our own inadequacy to provide for ourselves. See, the Hebrew expression 'to lift up the soul' literally means to direct one's desires toward or to have a longing for. We might call it a longing to express our deepest thoughts, feelings, worries, hopes, and dreams to God. It means to be transparent before God and to long for his guidance in all of life. It's to give ourselves completely over to God, expressing our desire to have fellowship with him.
9 · The pastor reinforces the concept of lifting up one's soul by cross-referencing Psalm 143:8 and expanding the analogy: lifting up our souls is as essential to spiritual life as food is to physical life
In Psalms 143:8, the psalmist prays, let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you will I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. When we lift up our souls, we lift up our very lives to God, pleading with God to uphold us. Just as we need food to sustain us physically, we need God to sustain us spiritually. To be utterly dependent upon the Lord is to die to self. Admitting that his ways are higher than ours.
10 · The pastor contrasts utter dependence on God with the world's message of self-sufficiency, using both his own testimony (nearly destroying all his relationships in pride) and the biblical example of Saul (whose self-reliance led to destruction) to warn against going it alone
Now, it's important to recognize that this way of life is counterculture to us. We're surrounded by the message that we alone, that we alone hold our destiny in our own hands, and it's only by our own abilities and determination that we'll get ahead. See, it's when we take our eyes off the Lord that we end up in strange places. Can you recall a time when you tried to go at it on your own? I'm just curious, how did that work out for you? I know in my case it was one of the darkest times of my life. In my pride and arrogance, I nearly destroyed every relationship in my life. Not to mention that I came close a number of times to destroying myself. See, when we follow the counsel of this world, we will always end in utter despair. David witnessed this in the life of Saul, his predecessor, and at times his greatest enemy. You remember how Saul turned from waiting on the Lord and took matters in his own hands? Eventually, his pride led to his destruction. Destruction. See, that's why we must be careful not to heed the counsel of this world. Instead, we should follow David's example we see here in verse 1 and cast ourselves upon the Lord, confessing our utter dependence upon him.
11 · The pastor expounds the second posture for guidance: placing complete trust in God
If we want to receive God's guidance, we must model our hearts upon the words we see in the opening of this psalm and lift up our souls to the Lord. In verse 2, we have the second picture for the Lord's guidance in our lives: to place our trust in him. Verse 2 begins, 'Oh my God, in you I trust.' See, the psalmist declares his trust at the outset of the song of worship. David begins his prayer for guidance by declaring his confidence that God will provide that guidance. Though we might not think these names are much different, it's interesting to note that the title that David uses of 'O my God' is more intimate than 'Lord' that we see in verse 1. The use of this more intimate name stems from David's awareness of God's closeness and of his experiencing God's mercy and steadfast love in his life. See, trust is not a word that David uses lightly. As he declares his trust, he's recalling the Lord's faithfulness that he experienced from the time he was a boy guarding the sheep to the conquering of his enemies as he ruled as king. To trust is to take God's covenant promises seriously, and it's a declaration of the Lord's steadfast love and mercy. To trust God is to acknowledge that He is loyal, dependable, reliable, and worthy of our faith in Him. See, David knows he can rely on Almighty God not to forsake him or abandon him. We too should recall God's faithfulness. Psalms 9:1 says, 'I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.' I will give thanks to the Lord, and I will recount of your wonderful deeds. See, we should declare his faithfulness not only in the past but also for what the future holds. Isn't that what David's doing when he cries out, 'Oh my God, in you I trust'? When we trust God, we can know that he has our best interest at heart, and he will not let us be put to shame. Shame. We can be confident that no enemy will triumph over us. Paul reminds us of this in the 8th chapter of Romans when he says, if God is for us, who can be against us? He did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Then later in verse 38, he goes on, 'For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.' So there's no aspect of the created order, nor any event or being within it, which can hinder God's everlasting love towards us. When we place our trust in God, we are acknowledging that he is reliable and dependable and trustworthy. We're declaring that he is faithful and cannot lie. He will never go back on his word. His promises are everlasting.
12 · The pastor reinforces the theme of trust by citing the well-known Proverbs 3:5-6, which commands trust in God rather than self-reliance and promises that God will direct our paths when we acknowledge Him
Here's a verse that we all know. Proverbs 3:5-6, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.'
13 · Pastor Oswald shares a catalog of personal testimonies demonstrating God's trustworthiness: being on the brink of suicide before God intervened, receiving an apartment before having a job, getting a job before owning a car, obtaining a house loan on minimum wage, meeting his wife Carla, ongoing provision, and protection for his diabetic son
I can recall many times when I was at a crossroad, not knowing which way to turn. As I looked to the future, I couldn't see any hope from my predicament, any way out. And then as I cried out to God and placed my trust in him, he in his faithfulness made a way where there seemed to be no way. I remember the time I held a gun to my head, ready to end my life. In one last cry, I called out to God for help. And in that instance, he opened my eyes and filled me with his Spirit and gave me new hope. It was as if I could see clearly for the first time. That was the beginning of my journey of trusting God with my life. Then there was the time that I didn't have a penny to my name. As I called out to God for help and placed my trust in him, He opened up the opportunity for me to get my first apartment before I even had a job. And then I got a job before I had a car. It was— these things just don't happen. God was just showing me that He was trustworthy and He was reliable. He was teaching me I could rely on Him. Ever since that day I surrendered my life to God, He still continues to show Himself faithful. I recall the time that I obtained a loan for my first house when I was only making slightly more than minimum wage. And there's the greatest blessing as I called on God, the greatest blessing that He bestowed upon me when He brought me a beautiful godly woman named Carla to share my life with. See, I also recall His constant provision for me and mine through the work He provides. I remember the faithful protection of my diabetic son. There are many, many more times I could recall if time permitted, but I want to encourage you this morning, take time out to recall God's acts of faithfulness. Tell others about how trustworthy God is. I couldn't think of a better topic for conversation as we're walking out this morning that share of how trustworthy our God is and what he's done in your life.
14 · The pastor addresses a common pastoral concern: the temptation to view hardship as punishment or divine abandonment
When the trials of life hit us between the eyes, if we're not careful, we can view hardships as punishment. We can misunderstand our circumstances and even believe that God is forsaking us. First off, we must remember that that could never be true. God is always at work working out His sovereign design in our lives. We can trust Him. We can trust Him that He will make straight our paths.
15 · The pastor provides a structural marker, recapping the first two postures (utter dependence and total trust) and announcing the third: waiting
So we see the model for God's divine guidance include first, utter dependence, and then total trust in Him. Thirdly, we are called to wait.
16 · The pastor establishes the textual foundation for the third posture — waiting — by identifying four places in Psalm 25 where David explicitly or implicitly expresses waiting on the Lord (verses 3, 5, 15, and 21)
We see this word 'wait' at least 3 different places in the Psalm. Indeed, in verse 1 it says— in verse 3, excuse me, in verse 3 where it says, 'Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame.' Again in verse 5, 'Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation.' 'For you I wait all the day long.' Then it is implied in verse 15 where the psalmist declares, 'My eyes are ever towards the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.' Lastly, in verse 21, ending his cry for guidance with, 'May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for you I wait.'
17 · The pastor expounds the third posture — waiting — by first confronting American instant-gratification culture, then redefining waiting not as passivity but as active trust in God's timing
Wait. That's not something we like to be told to do. As Americans living in the most prosperous and advanced country in the world, we're accustomed to having the things when we want them. We live in a world where we can get what we want in minutes, even seconds. We can have food, money, and entertainment in an instant. And with the click of a mouse, we can receive information and even wonder why it's taking so long. Now we want it now, and when we don't get it, we often run ahead of God and His timing and suffer the consequences for it. In Scripture, we are called to have a waiting spirit, which is to accept His time, His wisdom, and His will to be accomplished in His perfect timing. Waiting is declaring our trust in a sovereign God to lead us in this journey of life, and we will never be disappointed when we wait on God's leadership in our lives. Yet this word 'wait' doesn't mean to just sit around and do nothing, expecting God to burst onto the scene. I like to use an acronym to define 'wait.' The W stands for worship. We are to recount the attributes of our God at all times, especially in the midst of struggles. And we see David do this as he declares in verse 8, 'Good and upright is the Lord, therefore he instructs sinners in the way.' See, God is faithful to lead us in his ways when we wait on him. When we find ourselves in a time of waiting, Let us actively recall God's attributes, that He is a holy and just and mighty God who is kind and gracious and forgiving. The next letter A is acknowledge. We are to acknowledge our need for His guidance. We should cry out in prayer that we are desperate for His counsel. To acknowledge our need for God is to proclaim that His ways are higher than than ours. And we hear David acknowledging his need for God all throughout this passage. The I in WAIT stands for intentional. We're not to fall back in our time of waiting. Rather, we should be faithful in doing that which God has called us to. We need to be intentional to seek Him in our quiet times, to listen to His voice, and to obey. His commands. Another way to think about the I is to remember that Christ is our Emmanuel, God with us, and we can grow in patience and faith remembering that He is with us in the journey. And lastly, the T stands for trust. We are to trust that He holds our lives in the palm of His hands. God is able to change our circumstance in a moment's notice, but more likely He will change our hearts and open up our eyes to His purposes. When we trust God, we can be transparent, laying our hearts bare before Him, pouring out the desires of our hearts to a faithful God. We can rest in Him rather than allowing our hearts to be given over to worry and anxiety. We can ask Him for understanding in the midst of life's circumstances. We are to surrender to His will and come to the place where we can pray, 'Father, may Your will be done and not mine.' We're to continue to seek Him in prayer, to tarry in the hope of knowing His ways. What's encouraging in our times of waiting is that we can claim the promises of God that we see in His Word. Isaiah 64:4 says, from of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you who acts for those who wait for him. Isaiah 30:18, therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. 'For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are those who wait for him.' My favorite promise is found in Isaiah 40:28-31. 'Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and grown men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. That's the promises we have when we wait on the Lord. There are many, many others in scriptures. I would encourage you to do a study on that.
18 · The pastor announces the fourth posture for receiving divine guidance: having a desire for God's guidance
Another picture we receive for guidance from God is to have a desire for guidance.
19 · The pastor expounds verses 4-5, unpacking the cluster of verbs (make me know, teach me, lead me) and noting the shift from 'show me' to 'make me know' in the ESV translation
Verses 4 and 5 are a plea asking for guidance. And understanding, instruction, and a desire to know the truth. Listen to verses 4 and 5 again: Make me to know your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. For you I wait all the day long. I can't tell you how many times I prayed these verses. I first memorized verse 4 as, 'Show me your ways.' When the New SV version came out, they translated it, 'Make me to know your ways.' I've grown to love that change in my life verse. See, if the Lord were just to show me his ways, I might or might not choose to follow him. My wandering heart needs for the Lord to help me to know his ways, to make me follow his paths. Listen to the verbs in these two verses: show me, make me to know your ways, teach me your paths, lead me in your truth, and teach me 'For you are the God I actively wait for all the day long.' See, this is a prayer pleading with God for the revelation of his will, his ways, and his paths. You notice the plural form of the psalmist's request? Ways, paths. This is not a one-time cry for guidance out of trouble. No, this is a prayer to walk in the ways in all of life. David was a man of passion who desired to honor God with his life, and in these two verses we hear a prayer that is free from all self-interest or special guidance. This truly is a cry for God to reveal his divine guidance in life.
20 · The pastor addresses the prerequisite for seeking guidance: submission to God's Lordship and walking in His revealed ways
Can we pray for God's guidance if we've not submitted ourselves to His Lordship in our lives? Can we expect Him to lead us if we're not walking in His ways, which He's revealed to us through His Word? Now, this plea could have been born out of David's understanding of God's Word and what the Lord requires of those who seek Him. In Deuteronomy we can see a list of the standards that God has for his people. In Deuteronomy 10:12, we read, 'And now, Israel, what does the Lord require of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to love him, to serve him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul?' See, the beautiful thing is that God graciously gives us the desire and the strength to follow Him when we humbly ask. James reminds us of that grace that God supplies when he writes, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' And we see this in Psalms 25, in our text in verse 9. He leads the humble and what is right. He teaches the humble his way. For us to be humble, we must acknowledge our need for our— for help and admit that we don't know all things, but he does. We must lay aside our expectations and stop trying to put God in a box. His ways are higher than ours, and more often than not They're gonna look different than ours. We can be assured of God's faithfulness to lead us when we have a desire for Him to. That desire will lead us to a proper fear of the Lord, which is the next picture we see in our text.
21 · The pastor signals the transition to the fifth posture: proper fear of the Lord
That desire will lead us to a proper fear of the Lord, which is the next picture we see in our text.
22 · The pastor contrasts fear of man (which paralyzes and produces anxiety) with fear of the Lord (which the unit will develop), identifying the common pastoral problem of believers seeking guidance from a posture of human fear rather than reverent awe of God
You know, all too often when we find ourselves despairing in need of guidance, We operate out of the fear of our hearts, don't we? We tend to walk in the fear of man instead of seeking the Lord. This can be paralyzing and cause us to be anxious and leave us with a lack of faith for the journey.
23 · The pastor establishes the proper alternative to fear of man: fear of the Lord, which Psalm 111:10 identifies as the beginning of wisdom
In 1 Peter, we are encouraged to cast all anxieties on Him because He cares for you. See, when seeking to make wise choices in life, we are instructed to turn to the Lord and to seek him first. In Psalm 111:10, we are told, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All who practice it have good understanding.' See, the Christian journey begins with the reverence and in humility before the Maker and Redeemer of our souls. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom, which are critical traits that we need along life's journey.
24 · The pastor expounds Psalm 25:12-14 to show the promises attached to fearing the Lord: divine instruction, well-being, inheritance for offspring, and most remarkably, friendship with God and knowledge of His covenant
Listen to the promises that we have in verses 12 through 14 of this Psalm. Verse 12: Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. When we place our trust in God and have an appropriate of him, we not only benefit from his guidance, but we also experience his friendship. We are welcomed into an intimate fellowship with the Creator of the universe. What more could we possibly hope for than that?
25 · The pastor references a worship song lyric ('once your enemy, now seated at your table') to illustrate the stunning reversal of our relationship with God through Christ — from enemies to friends welcomed at His table
Yeah, I love the words to the chorus of Jesus, Thank You that we sing. So it says, once your enemy, now seated at your table? Jesus, thank you. What better friend could we have in life's journey than Jesus?
26 · The pastor announces the sixth and final posture for receiving divine guidance: a desire for forgiveness
One last glaring characteristic that we see in this Psalm is a desire for forgiveness.
27 · The pastor identifies the sixth posture — desire for forgiveness — and notes how it's woven throughout all 22 verses of the psalm
We hear David's plea for God not to remember his sins, but to remember his mercy and His steadfast love. We see this interwoven through the 22 verses. David is very much aware of his sin from the time of his youth to the time that he wrote this psalm. Can you remember a time when your sin was found out and you were exposed? Did you have more sorrow that you got caught than over the sin that you'd committed?
28 · Pastor Oswald contrasts two kinds of sorrow: his childhood regret at being caught stealing candy versus David's genuine conviction over sinning against God in the Bathsheba incident
A little personal story here. I can recall a time when my brother and I were very young, maybe about 4 or 5, and we had just left the grocery store with my mom and we were driving off when my mom looked back to see us enjoying the candy that we had helped ourselves to while she was busy shopping. She turned to us and asked, 'Where did you get that candy?' We've been found out. She immediately turned that car around, marched us into that store, and made us confess our sin to that store manager. Sadly, I think it's safe to say that we were sorrier that we got caught than over the crime we committed that day. That's not the case we see here in our text. Do you remember when the prophet Nathan confronted David for his sin of adultery with Bathsheba? Matthew talked about this a little bit last week. David was convicted once he realized that he had not only sinned against man, against Bathsheba and her husband Uriah, but he had sinned against God. Listen to the cry of his heart in Psalm 51:4. Against you and you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. That's the same heart of repentance that we see here when he pleads for God not to remember his sins.
29 · The pastor reads Psalm 25:16-18, emphasizing the emotional weight of David's guilt as he pleads for God to turn toward him, be gracious, and forgive all his sins
You can feel the weight of his guilt as you consider his words. Look at verses 16 through 18 where he pleads for the Lord to turn to him and to look on him with forgiveness. Verse 16 begins, Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble and forgive all my sins.
30 · The pastor traces David's appeal for forgiveness back to God's self-revelation in Exodus 34 after the golden calf incident, where God proclaimed His character as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love
David is asking the Lord to recall his own description of himself. When we look back in Exodus chapter 34, we read of how the Lord descended on Mount Sinai where Moses would receive the Ten Commandments. The first time Moses came down to present the Ten Commandments, he found the people engaged in a great sin before God. Making offerings and worshiping the golden idol they had created? The second time the Lord called Moses back to the mountain, the Lord passed before Moses proclaiming His holy name and character, saying, 'The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love,' love and faithfulness. David knew that his only hope for forgiveness was in the Lord. See, our forgiveness is not based on our passions, our own choice words when we pray. No, it's based on the Lord's character, on His mercy and His forgiveness and His grace that is undeserved. See, David, in crying out to God, was very much aware of that grace.
31 · The pastor makes the crucial redemptive-historical move that allows Christian appropriation of Psalm 25: believers can pray David's prayer not based on their own merit but because of Christ's finished work on the cross
See, that's why we can pray David's prayer and make it our own. Not because of anything that we've accomplished, but by all that Christ has accomplished on our behalf. We can pray Psalm 25 with confidence because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. In verse 5, we read, 'For you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.' Now, although the cross is never mentioned in these 22 verses, we can pray this prayer in faith because of the cross.
32 · The pastor expounds what the cross accomplished in relation to Psalm 25's concerns: Christ conquered our enemies (including Satan the accuser), removed our guilt and shame, eliminated all condemnation (Romans 8:1), paid our sin debt in full, and broke the power of sin over believers (Colossians 2:13-14)
At the cross, Christ conquered our enemies. He defeated the greatest enemy of our souls, the accuser of man. We no longer have to live under the burden of guilt and shame. On the cross, Jesus forever bore our guilt and shame, removed it. In Romans 8:1, Paul tells us, 'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.' At the cross, our sins have been paid for in full. Colossians 2:13-14 reminds us, 'And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us.' that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Praise God! We no longer are indebted to sin. The power of sin has been broken in our lives. It has been forever nailed to that cross.
33 · The pastor continues cataloging the cross's accomplishments: it models perfect love for God, cleanses believers, grants intimate fellowship with God, bestows sonship/daughtership in God's family, and provides the Holy Spirit as guide
At the cross were given a model of what it looks like to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Because of the blood of Christ, we have been cleansed and have intimate fellowship with God. We are now sons and daughters of the King when we place our trust in him. Because of the cross and the resurrection, we now enjoy the guidance of a loving and merciful God We no longer have to wander around aimlessly. We have now had the promise of the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus promised the Spirit of Truth to all who follow after him.
34 · The pastor applies the sermon's theological claims to the contemporary experience of information overload and competing voices offering direction
Now, we live in a world where we're constantly receiving direction. We have GPS devices that tell us which direction to head, and where to turn. There are countless voices instructing us where we should go, but as we set out on this dangerous journey of life, we can know we're on the right path if we begin and end our journey with our eyes on the cross. Now, we can pray Psalms 25 expecting God to guide us to peace and well-being for our souls. Because of his goodness and his mercy. And we can always rely on God to lead us to his will for our lives.
35 · Pastor Oswald closes by synthesizing the sermon's argument: while humans make plans, God establishes their steps (Proverbs 16:9)
Proverbs 19— excuse me, Proverbs 16:9 tells us, 'The heart of a man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps.' In Psalm 119, verse 133, the psalmist prays, Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. When we look to the cross, we can rest assured that we will never be deceived and find ourselves lost along the path. At the cross, we are assured the friendship of a loving God who has our best interest at heart. And we know this because of verse 10, where we read, 'All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.' Friends, that's the only GPS system we need, is God's perfect Savior. And because of the steadfast love and mercy we see displayed at the cross, we can receive God's divine guidance.
36 · The pastor closes the sermon and transitions to a closing prayer
Let's pray.