SAINT LUKE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WATERTOWN

Sermon delivered by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

Pentecost 19 October 11th and 14th, 2001 Psalm 51



            For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

            Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.


            This is God’s Word!


 

            I was watching the other day—a stack of cinderblocks. They were gray and green and black. They were stained by moss and covered by vines and leaves. Inside this stack of cement blocks there lives a lizard. He’s about eight inches long. He has eyes that are little bug eyes—with lids that are that round thing that opens and closes—not really blinking. He has feet that are bony—little suction cups at the tips. This little lizard sits on top of his cement block house very still. He doesn’t move—except for his funny eyes! A big fat juicy bug comes flying by—very slowly, up and down—closer and closer to the cement blocks. The sun is nice and warm. Wham! The lizard’s got the bug—gulp! Blink! Blink! The lizard doesn’t move! Wait for another bug!


            We are not bugs! We are thinking reasoning human beings with immortal souls. And yet—sometimes—we are in terrible danger. Not from some leapin’ lizard but from Satan himself. The devil who led David and Bathsheba into terrible and painful sin is also after us. There is forgiveness and safety only in Jesus. Today God’s Word encourages us:


God’s Love Never Fails!

  1. Wash away all my iniquity
  2. Restore the joy of your salvation

The part of God’s Word we are concentrating on today—Psalm 51—was written by King David. The fine print—the small print at the top? The LORD—the Great I AM—the Holy Spirit breathed that part, too. It says, For the Director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. That sad and painful account you remember. Second Samuel chapter eleven: In the spring at the time kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.” 2 Samuel 11:1 The LORD loved David. By grace alone the LORD made David brave when every professional soldier in Saul’s army was afraid. By grace alone the LORD made a little shepherd boy strong and the LORD put to death the warrior giant Goliath and routed the army of the Philistines. It was by grace alone that Samuel anointed David, son of Jesse the shepherd to be King of Israel. By grace alone the LORD kept David safe from a murderous Saul—crazed by jealousy and envy, paranoia and fear—made horrible and ugly on the inside by sin. Saul was at war with everyone around him because he was not at peace with God! Now, by grace alone, David was king and God had poured out all kinds of blessings on the king and his kingdom. Sometimes—some times great peace and prosperity are more dangerous than a time of plague or pestilence, drought or famine or war. When every hour is a struggle we remember to pray. When every moment is pleasure—pass the remote control and the snacks—fluff my pillow and adjust the heat and air conditioning and order a pizza—why don’t you? Who remembers to pray?


As king of Israel, David’s place was at the head of his army—leading his men—with all the courage and strength only the LORD could provide. Crush his enemies—strengthen his nation—defend the fatherless, the widows, the orphans—establish and increase justice and peace! Instead—the king was taking a nap! One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace… David couldn’t sleep! Too hot—not tired enough—bored—he wandered around—looking for something to do. His wandering eye saw a very pretty lady. Here was time to look away—to walk away—to run away! Instead David had one of his workers find out—who is that very pretty neighbor? Word came back, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Now he knew for sure—the wife of Uriah—Mrs. Uriah. Now for sure David needed to say as Joseph told Mrs. Potiphar—when she wanted “hugs and kisses” with him, “How could I do such a wicked thing—and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9b  Then run for your life! But he didn’t! The King who could have had any pretty lady in the kingdom—wanted the one he could not have. And maybe—just maybe that’s why he wanted her—because he knew he shouldn’t!


You know what happened—the baby that began to grow in Bathsheba’s tummy. You know how David had Uriah brought home on leave so he would think the baby was his—but that clever play didn’t work. So David had Uriah killed. Oh, he tried to make it look like an accident—the bitter fruit of war—but people knew. Joab became an accessory to murder and David knew. And the LORD knew!


For better than a year David tried to cover up his sin. It was a most painful time plagued by regret and remorse. David wrote, When I kept silent my bones wasted away, through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Psalm 32:3,4 The LORD sent the Prophet Nathan to tell the King the story. The story about a poor man with one little lamb. And the rich man with a whole bunch of sheep. Who made lamb chops from the poor man’s lamb—to feed his fancy company. That rich and evil man deserves to die! David said. “You are the man!”, the man of God said. David said, “I have sinned!”


In faith David prayed, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions!” Mercy is grace—love and forgiveness unearned and undeserved. God’s love never fails! God showed mercy to Samson who became entangled with a lady who sold hugs and kisses before he became entangled with Delilah…… Only when Samson trusted in the LORD was he powerful against all his enemies. The LORD had mercy on Judah—although his sons Er and Onan were wicked and gross and the LORD struck them down. The LORD was merciful to Judah, although he sinned—promising to pay with a small goat for hugs and kisses. Then in hypocritical arrogant self-righteousness he was quick to condemn his daughter-in-law. When he himself was guilty and to blame. Jesus was not ashamed to be called the Lion of Judah. Jesus bore the guilt of each act of adultery. Jesus paid for each stolen kiss—each page of pornography—each act of perversion of God’s precious gift. Jesus died on the cross for each couple that lived like husband and wife before they were married because Jesus says that is sin. We dare not try to excuse or explain away our sins by clever arguments or complicated human logic. We need the simple honesty of King David who said, “I have sinned!”


“According to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” We live in a world where there are temptations to impurity everywhere. We need to be very careful about the TV programs we watch. Not just the Soaps that promise passion and mystery as people have hugs and kisses before and outside of marriage with anyone and everyone. There is danger in what they like to call reality TV-which is the unreality of physically near perfect people—who are spiritually imperfect—out of control. And people who watch them daydream and imagine indulging in their sins. Perhaps the most dangerous of all are the comedies—again almost painfully perfect people on the outside who say horribly hurtful things to their friends and do horribly sinful things to their friends. And through it all—they laugh and laugh and laugh. They laugh at what God has called holy and sacred and precious. They laugh at what is gross and perverted and hurtful and wrong! There persists a very real danger that we become calloused and insensitive to what is sinful and evil when we need to pray, “According to your great compassion blot out my transgressions!”


Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. You hear the word terrorist all the time lately. Terrorists very simply are people who try and strike terror—fear and panic—worry and anxiety in our hearts. Terrorists want people to be afraid. To be afraid to open their mail because there might be anthrax spores that you could inhale. Sometimes people become so afraid they buy gas masks—to try and keep themselves safe from chemical and biological weapons. And what happens is—they actually suffocate themselves because they don’t have the filters put in right. The opposite of fear is joy. We have joy because our sins are forgiven. We have joy because we will not die at the whim or according to the will of any terrorist. We will die when our Heavenly Father calls us home. And until that time—we will not be frightened. We will not be afraid. We will not be scared! We are safe for Jesus’ sake!


Grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  A willing spirit is a new attitude—one of joyful service to Jesus—and then to your neighbor. You closest neighbor is of course your spouse or your children or your brothers and sisters. Maybe a place where husbands can do better—is to have a willing spirit—to do the autumn projects that need to be done around your house. I would imagine there are some jobs like that—that maybe haven’t even been said out loud lately—because we have heard the wish to have them done repeated more than once. Something needs to be painted—something needs to be repaired—something needs to be replaced—something needs to be reinforced—or the wind and snow of winter are going to completely break it! These jobs are not painful obligations—but wonderful opportunities—to go to the hardware store to get a new power tool—and to have our sons and daughters work with us—to make some home improvement—not because it adds value to our homes. But because it shows love and respect for Jesus and love and respect for our spouse! Jesus’ love is both the reason and the ability to do the small things—the little things—the kind and patient and gentle things that could be done. Marriages will grow stronger—love will grow deeper—our whole nation will be stronger—when Jesus is at the center of all we do in our homes. That’s the wondrous difference between a house and a home. Houses are lumber and drywall—pipes and wires. Homes are places where Jesus’ love warms the hearts and the lives of everyone blessed to live there. God’s love never fails! To God alone all glory!