“Forgiven”
Psalms 32:1-5

INTRODUCTION

• In Psalms 32 and 51 are confessions of David relating to the life of David especially his sin with Bathsheba.
• Psalms 32 may be summarized as “Life’s Most Important Lessons About Sin, Confession and Forgiveness.”
• These thoughts of David are given in two ways…

1. Remembering these lessons (vrs.1-5)
2. Relaying these lessons (vrs.6-11)

 

I. Transgression Is Forgiven

A) Transgression, Sin, and Iniquity

• Blessed of coarse as we know it means “happy.”
• First of all, I believe that I have found an answer to my question for over 20 years. My question was… “What is the easy definition of these words… transgression, sin, and iniquity.”
• In all my examinations and studies of these words I have personally found that they say all three mean “sin.” Well that is correct, but what sin exactly?
• I mean you look at verse 5 here in Psalms 32…I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
• If I were to take the two words (transgressions, iniquity) and replace them with the word “sin” you would not understand the meaning of this verse. But then after you know the true meaning of David’s sin and his verbiage use of these two words then you come to know the true meaning of what David is saying here in Psalms 32:1.
• If you get nothing else out of this message except this…Praise the Lord!
• SIN- failure…doing something that God has told us not to do.
• TRANSGRESSION- rebellion… outright refusal of obeying God.
• INIQUITY- perversion… to try to change something God has ordained or created.
• So when David says in verse 1…“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,” He is saying …”Happy is a person whose rebellion is forgiven.”
• How many times have you rebelled against God, your parents, your spouse, your boss, your Landlord, your civil service people, your government?
• Rebellion against all of these are sins against God.
• BUT…THEY CAN BE FORGIVEN !

 B) Blessed/Happy is he

• We studied this term “blessed” several months ago to know that it means ‘happy.” (Matthew 5)
• Here in Ps. 32, David is also giving us a lesson on how to be happy in the Lord by knowing that you are forgiven for your rebellion, rebellious attitude “IF” you ask forgiveness.
• We all know the sin of David with Bathsheba.
• Let us briefly look at it…David in lament (deep sorrow for sin) 22… “My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, ”
• When we get into a sinful state, we will feel like God has forsaken us. Remember when Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world at the cross he said the very exact words of David here… “My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46)
• How can a person say this when God has told us in Hebrews 13:5…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
• He told this to Joshua in Joshua 1;5, and David told Solomon the same thing in I Chronicles 28:20.
• Knowing this alone should make us “Blessed” or happy.

 II. Sin Is Covered/Forgiven

A) Our sin is “covered?”

• You must remember that as we learned last Wednesday evening about a word “impute/imputed.”
• If you were here on Wednesday night you should remember the word “impute” means transferred.
• The sacrifices of animals in the O.T. were necessary to “cover” or transfer the sin of a person to the blood of the animal offered to God. So in other words the person’s sin was “imputed” or transferred, or covered by the blood of the animal.
• In verse 1 of Psalms 32…Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
• David (Inspired of God) is telling us… “Happy is a person whose sin is covered.”
• Then… Why are you not happy? Your sin is covered by the “blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ).” You should be happy, so why aren’t you happy?
• I’ll tell you why… Because you are still living in sin, or maybe you have allowed satan to win the victory over you causing you to doubt God’s grace and ability to forgive your sins.
• Look my dear friend, your boss may never forgive you, your spouse may never forgive you, your parents or children may never forgive you, but please know that our heavenly Father will always forgive you, IF you forgive!
• Jesus said in Matthew 6:14…For if ye forgive men their trespasses(rebellion), your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
• In Luke 5:21 God tells us that it is He alone who forgives sin.
• If you are waiting for someone to forgive you of a sin you have committed… WAKE UP folks! God is the only one who can forgive you of your sins. Man wants to harbor sin, harbor pain, harbor hate and anger.
• OUR SIN IS FORGIVEN! Thank You Jesus!

III. Forgiven Iniquities

A) Un-forgiveness leads to bitterness and anger

• Looking at our text verses again note verse 2… Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile(deceit).
• Again, we see David saying “Happy is a man…” whom the LORD (God) does not transfer perversion, and in who’s heart there is no deceit.”
• ESPECIALLY NOTE: verse 3…When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
• When a person holds inside them their emotions and bitterness of a sin against them it causes pain, resentment and emotional stress that will affect their body causing it to age quickly.
• “my roaring” is my groaning, being upset, sometimes stomach issues are caused from this.
• Note verse 4…For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. 

• “moisture” refers to rain and he said his “rain” is turned into “drought” meaning dry. Meaning here is… because of his worry of forgiveness of sin it has caused him to not enjoy the blessings of God through forgiveness. God’s blessings to us are moisture, rain upon dry ground. It is needed.
• Do you know that if a person worries enough about something that is not even true…it will become true!
• God wants His children to be happy, be blessed. Jesus preaches it the whole time he is on the earth.
• Check out Paul in Romans 4 quoting David in Psalms 32…. Romans 4:6-8 (KJV)…Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7) Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
• This tells me that David’s psalm applies to the New Testament age which includes us folks.
• Lastly, look at Paul’s exhortation to the church in Ephesus…Ephesians 4:31-32 (KJV)…Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
• In almost every situation where God mentions “bitterness” you will also find that forgiveness is the solution.
• Oh, one more verse that is very important…James 5:13-16 (KJV)…Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14) Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15) And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
• Did you get that folks? You want healing over sins against you, you want to be healed from satan’s attacks on you and the church? Confess your sins to the person you have sinned against and God so “that ye may be healed.”
• Be “Forgiven.”