People of God, our scripture reading for this evening then is from this psalm, from Psalm 51, a psalm to the choir master, a psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba. This is recorded for us in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. So we will read Psalm 51, that's page 601 in most of the Pew Bibles. And following that, we'll then turn to page 279 in Forms and Prayers for Articles 4 and 7 of the Fifth Head of the Canons of Dort. First, let us hear the eternal word of God. Psalm 51 beginning at verse 1. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth, in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Cleanse in me, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it. You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure. Build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bowls will be offered on your altar. So far, the reading of God's holy word. If you would turn then in the Forms and Prayers book. to right near the end, page 279. And if you keep the forms and prayers open to this page, we're reading Articles 4 and 7 now. We will make some reference to Articles 5 and 6 as well as we go along. For now, being somewhat lengthy and not as familiar as some of the Catechism questions, I will read Articles 4 and 7, page 279. Fifth main point of doctrine, the perseverance of the saints, Article 4, the danger of true believers falling into serious sins. Although that power of God strengthening and preserving true believers in grace is more than a match for the flesh, yet those converted are not always so activated and motivated by God that in certain specific actions they cannot, by their own fault, depart from the leading of grace, be led astray by the desires of the flesh, and give in to them. For this reason, they must constantly watch and pray that they may not be led into temptations. When they fail to do this, not only can they be carried away by the flesh, the world and Satan into sins, even serious and outrageous ones, but also by God's just permission. They sometimes are so carried away. Witness the sad cases described in scripture of David, Peter and other saints falling into sins. 7. Renewal and Repentance In the first place, God preserves in those saints when they fall into His imperishable sea from which they have been born again, lest it perish or be dislodged. Secondly, by His Word and Spirit, He certainly and effectively renews them to repentance so that they have a heartfelt and godly sorrow for the sins they have committed. seek and obtain, through faith and with a contrite heart, forgiveness in the blood of the mediator, experience again the grace of a reconciled God, through faith adore his mercies, and from then on more eagerly work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Dear congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, there are plants today known as Hyssop plants. It's part of their name. But which one is being referred to in the Old Testament? There are a handful of chapters in the Old Testament which mention hyssop. One of them is before us, Psalm 51. There are a few others as well. What plants are they speaking of? It might be the Syrian hyssop, or it might be some other plants that no longer have that word attached to their name. It might be the caper bush. It might be some other prickly flower or small bush. The exact identity is not known. 1 Kings chapter 4 does tell us that it can grow in the walls of buildings, so that narrows it down. But what plant is it? We don't know exactly. But while the exact identity of this little plant is unknown, what it basically looked like and what it functions as is certainly known. If we combine the language of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, we know that these hyssop branches were used essentially as a paintbrush. Leviticus 14, in particular, gives us details of a ceremony that the priests were to perform, and there was a cedar branch, and then what seems to be a ball of scarlet wool, and then put into that would be these hyssop branches. And so think of dry, prickly branches that function as the bristles of a paintbrush, for those in high school catechism providentially this was even illustrated for us in our lesson today but think simply paintbrush ancient paintbrush used functioning in certain ceremonies of the Old Testament to paint blood to sprinkle to throw out of the paintbrush blood is Old Testament ceremonial paintbrush for blood, used for certain ceremonies and at some particular times in the history of the people of Israel. And Psalm 51, which speaks so much about the heart, uses a hyssop along with other language to show that God is the one who performs the ceremony. God is the one who accomplishes his will and he does this. God is the one who works and brings his people to a place of proper cleansing. Purge me with hyssop. God, you use the ceremonial tools and act upon me. that I might be made to be your contrite and sorrowful, repentant subject. God is the one who brings his people to the place of proper cleansing. And so we'll look at sin against God, forgiveness from God, and praise to God. Now our first point is sin against God, but notice that Psalm 51 begins with not a focus upon sin in the very first verses or the very first words, but a focus upon God who is merciful. It does make sense, logically, to speak about sin, and David will speak about his sin in this psalm of repentance very soon. It is our first point, but let us note the first verses, the very place that David begins is, before he speaks about his sin, God, you are merciful. This is a general pattern which we see in Scripture. There are promises which Scripture speaks of to us, and then we are to pray these promises back to God. The character of God is made clear to us in Scripture, and then we're to pray this to God. We're to say, God, you are merciful, so in your mercy. Come to me a sinner. David starts with this then first, but then he does speak about his sin, the fullness of his sin and where it leaves him. This is sin from birth. Verse five, this is from the earliest moment of his existence, from his very conception in his mother's womb. I have sin, I am full of sin. I was brought forth in sin. I was conceived in sin. Going back to the very beginning of his existence, David is saying, I am a sinner. That is my identification. That is my nature. It's what I am whenever I exist. Fullness of sin is from birth. Fullness of sin, it's at the heart level. Verse 10, it permeates his heart. He must ask God to make a new heart within him. to renew his very spirit. For all of time, for all of his existence, in all of his being, not only his outward being, but his inward being, there is a fullness of sin, which describes David. So, when David comes to the Lord, he confesses this, he acknowledges this. There is a fullness of sin, and this fullness of sin has a full effect. It leaves him in Full pain. Look at verse eight, people of God. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Now, for those of you who are here this morning, Mark chapter six, remember, God is in control. God is the one who sends out the boat. And then the disciples are left toiling on the waters. Well, God allows sin to come. God is not responsible for this. but by his just permission, he allows it. And that is the language also then of article four, right? Just permission there, the second bottom full line. But nevertheless, he is not at all responsible for it, but he does allow it according to his just permission. So David says, let the bones that you have broken Rejoice. Now, what state is a state of broken bones? David isn't just thinking about a broken finger bone, which I'm sure is painful enough. I have not experienced that personally. Or a broken arm, perhaps. If we think about broken bones, crushed bones, just in the broader sense, so not some of the smaller bones or more common breaks. But if we think about broken bones, the whole body being crushed, And this is one of the most painful images which exists on this earth. Ask a woman who has gone through both childbirth and other various forms of pain, and women who have gone through both say that a broken femur bone is more painful. It's one of the few things that women who have given childbirth and experienced this as well will consistently say that one is more painful. crushing of bones. This is a painful state. This is a place of need and of pain. A place where there is a need for relief from pain. This is what David is saying. I am in a place of great sorrow and pain. My very bones are crushed. You allowed this. You permitted it. But Lord, bring me out of this pain. This is the image of verse 8. And then fullness of sin. What is the penalty? The penalty, the. The blood guiltiness. Verse 14. Deliver, deliver me from blood guiltiness. Oh God. There are sins which can be described as monstrous. Surely, 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 describe monstrous sins. Sins that are worthy of the death penalty. Now, there were many sins. Leviticus reminds us that are worthy of the death penalty. Basically every one of the Ten Commandments. But to commit adultery as a king and then to have the husband of the one you committed adultery with murdered, that's definitely included in the category of things that deserve capital punishment, blood guiltiness, monstrous sins. That's the language of Article 5, the effects of such serious sins. By such monstrous sins, however, they greatly offend God. They deserve the sentence of death. Only a king can remove the death penalty. David is the king. What can he do? He appeals to the king of kings. He says, Lord God, take my blood guiltiness, take my death penalty, and wipe it away. O God of my salvation. So this death penalty, how is it removed? By such monstrous sins, however, they greatly offend God, deserve the sentence of death, grieve the Holy Spirit, suspend the exercise of faith, severely wound the conscience, and sometimes lose the awareness of grace for a time, until, after they have returned to the way by genuine repentance, God's fatherly face again shines upon them. Now those are some words about even this particular monstrous sin after which David has written this psalm. But notice people of God, this psalm is not only for David. It doesn't say a psalm by David, about only David. This is a psalm to the choir master. David writes this psalm of confession inspired by the Holy Spirit, and it now becomes a part of the language of the people of God, not just of David himself, to confess sins. How is that possible? I have not committed these monstrous sins. Again, we come back to this. the heart, the iniquity from the first moment of existence, from conception. This describes all people at all times. This is to be a song that we all sing. And it's not only murder and adultery which deserve the death penalty. It is every commandment. not giving honor to God as we ought and deserves the death penalty that required the death of Christ to be paid for, taking God's name in vain. that requires the death penalty. There is even specifically in the Levitical Law Code the death penalty for that, even as there is for so many of the commandments. What about sins of the heart, the covetousness, the sinfulness of our heart? Again, the fullness of sin, it's from birth, it's at the heart level, the desires of the flesh. To sin against God in the heart, God sees all, God sees all that we do, God sees our heart. And to not give full glory to Him, to covet, to have any false desire is deserving of eternal punishment because God is perfect. And the standard which God makes for us is perfect. This is not only a psalm for David. This is a psalm which the Holy Spirit wrote through David, which is to be sung by all the people of God, even as we have sung half of it already tonight. And Lord willing, we'll sing the other half soon. Sin against God is a serious matter. It is a matter affects our entire existence as those born in sin. It is a matter which affects our very heart. It is a matter which deserves death. but there is forgiveness from God. And again, this is how David starts the psalm. We can go back to the end of verse one and to look at verse two as well. Blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. There is forgiveness from God. And then notice Hyssop. Purge me with Hyssop. Who? Who's purging me with Hyssop? Not the priest, not in the temple, but God. You, God, purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. That's part of the very theme, the very heart of this psalm. Verses 16 and 17, you do not delight in sacrifice or I would give it. And then the implication of verse seven is you do not delight in the hyssop alone spraying the blood and painting the blood. You must do it. You must perform the ritual. You must take the blood on the hyssop. You must provide. God, you must perform the ritual. You must provide the blood of your Son. And then there's cleanliness. God is the one who can turn dirtiness into cleanness. God is the one who can perform the cleansing ritual. You, God, purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. You, God, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. It is indeed God's saving intervention. Article 6, For God, who is rich in mercy according to His unchangeable purpose of election, does not take His Holy Spirit from His own completely, even when they fall grievously, neither does He let them fall down so far that they would forfeit the grace of adoption in the state of justification, or commit the sin which leads to death, the sin against the Holy Spirit, and plunge themselves, entirely forsaken by Him, into eternal ruin. Article 7 which we have read. He renews. He intervenes. Leviticus 14 speaks of hyssop A few different times and a couple of different rituals related to removing the ceremonial uncleanness of leprosy, which is a picture of sin. Exodus chapter 12. Remember, it's a paintbrush. How did the Israelites put the blood onto the doorposts at Passover? Hyssop branches. Numbers chapter 19, hyssop is part of cleansing ritual to remove ceremonial uncleanness again. Exodus chapter 24, hyssop is not mentioned explicitly, but Hebrews chapter 9 tells us that it was hyssop that was used to sprinkle the blood on the people of God at the institution of the covenant. But David isn't performing a Numbers 19 ritual. David isn't painting blood on his doorpost. David isn't performing a Leviticus 14 ritual to remove the ceremonial uncleanness of leprosy. No, he's talking about what these things point toward. He's saying, God, you must take the branches which paint and sprinkle blood, and you must use it to make me clean." God is the one who turns dirtiness into cleanness. God is the one who performs the cleansing ritual through His Son, Jesus Christ, in His blood. God is the one who turns sorrow into joy. We read again verse 8 about, you know, let my bones that you have broken rejoice. What does verse 12 say about joy? Restore me to the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. Again, he's asking God to do this. God, you restore me to joy. The movement of Psalm 51, which starts with the mercy of God, it comes again and again back to this. God, you are the one who takes the dirtiness into cleanness. You are the one who must perform the ritual. You are the one who must turn my sorrow into joy. You are the one who must make the heart itself new. Create in me a clean heart. Who? O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Forgiveness is from God. Then, knowing that God is the one who does these things, Our very sorrow is turned into joy and we can come to a place of praise. Notice that joy is not first. Joy is not how this psalm begins. Joy comes only after that cleansing and that cleanness and that removing of sin. David's first state is that state of broken bones and great pain. This is how it must be. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the treasury of David, his great commentary says this, this joy comes not first, but follows pardon impurity. In such order, it is safe. In any other order, it is either vain presumption or foolish delirium. And that describes all joy apart from Jesus Christ. All joy apart from Jesus Christ. All joy apart from God Himself performing the cleansing ritual is either vain presumption or foolish delirium. That's what it is. Because everybody deserves the death penalty. Who's happy on death row? But since the forgiveness is from God, the sorrow is turned into joy. The broken bones are restored and David can stand and enjoy seeing He sings with joy, verse 14, you deliver me from blood guiltiness. Oh God of my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness. Oh Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise. Those who have been forgiven much are great singers willing to open their mouths and praise to God. Not that they're always perfectly on tune, but those who have been forgiven much rejoice to sing to God. Praise Him. Praise Him. This is done in song. This is done in secret. This is done in public. Because now joy is in its proper place, following pardon and purity. And while sin is from the heart, now joy is flowing from the heart, because when God restores and makes pure, He does it at every level. So God is the one who has created a clean heart, and so now the heart itself is singing out in joy. Notice also there's another thing which comes in the right order and at the proper time. Teaching, verse 13. If you have not first learned that forgiveness is from God, if you have not first come to Him with a sorrowful spirit and confession of sins, then you cannot teach. But when you know forgiveness is from God and when God has granted you that forgiveness, then you can teach. That's the movement. And that's what happens, isn't it? David is not teaching in between his sin is great sin and when Nathan confronts him and says you are the man and he comes in confession and repentance but after his confession and repentance the Holy Spirit moves him to write this very psalm and so indeed David does teach transgressors and and teach sinners to return to him even this very night How many times has this psalm now been used to bring sinners truly to their knees, to show them truly what they must do? How many times has this psalm been used to show the people of God how God himself is the one who cleanses and brings renewal and sprinkles the blood? So David says, essentially, I am not worthy to teach. I am a sinner from my whole heart, from the very beginning of my existence. But Lord, when you cleanse me, then, when I have come to you with that sorrowful heart, now you can even use me to teach and write this very psalm, to teach the people of God forever. Sinners return to you. and it is God who builds his church. Verse 18 is one of those verses where you're reading the psalm and then you get to verse 18 and you're like, where did that come from? Do good to Zion in your good pleasure. Build up the walls of Jerusalem. Now, in one sense, it makes sense because, yeah, this is not just a psalm for David. This is a psalm for all the people of God. So maybe that's why it's here, but I think there's something else going on here as well. There is something else going on here as well. What is David saying? David loved God's people. David loved the church. And David knows that he is the king. David, who is the king, also rightly performs certain priestly duties at times, and Samuel is not rebuked for it. He is a king. He is the great king of the Old Testament. He's a prophet king. He prophesies. He's a priest king. He takes on priestly duties at time and is not rebuked. And David knows that this great sin he has committed is a public sin. It is a disgraceful sin. It is a blemish. Essentially what David is saying here in verse 18, people of God, is, I have sinned greatly. I love your church. I am a representative of your church on earth. Do not let this be a blot against your church. Lord, I love your church, but I am not perfect. And I have sinned greatly, but do not let this stain the walls of your church and your temple. That's what David is saying. You see his prayer? He keeps it not merely on himself, but he says, Lord, I am a hypocrite. I have proclaimed your glories before this time, and now I've committed this great public sin. Do not let my sin tear down your church. David had already been told that he would not be allowed to build the temple because he was a man of war who had shed much blood. He's already been told that. Now he really sees that, doesn't he? The Lord, you are the one who makes my heart clean. You are the one who builds your church. Build your church. That's what David is saying. The members and the leaders of the Church of God are not what defines it. But we should be sorrowful when hypocrisy and sin would leave a a dirty and disgraceful trail, but we do not give up hope. We come to the Lord and we pray and we say, Lord, you build your church anyway, despite my own weaknesses, despite my own sins. And then also, verse 19, another sermon for itself, but in short, The Psalms often end in praise. The Psalms often end in directing our eyes to eternity. And that is the time when the very offerings, not only of God himself performing the ritual, but also the offerings of his people will be pure and just as they should be. So David waits for that time when this hypocrisy is gone, when this sin is gone, when not only God's own performance of giving his own son and his own son's blood to forgive sins, but when even the very offerings of the people will be themselves as they should be. So verse 19 directs our gaze to eternity through the restoration of all things. Hebrews chapter 9. Indeed under the law, verse 22, almost everything is purified with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. What a bloody mess. A paintbrush for blood? Thrown on all the people? all the doors thrown in. But thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites. We needed to see the shedding of blood. We needed a paintbrush of blood to show us what was necessary, what was needed. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these, for Christ has entered." Do you see then, people of God, that we need cleansing with blood. But we need God Himself to provide the blood through His Son. So there, at the foot of the cross, in Jesus Christ, is forgiveness of sins. Amen. Let us pray. Lord, our Lord, May we indeed be taught by your word what it looks like to come before you with sorrow for sin and then at the appropriate time for that sorrow to be turned into joy because of your provision of making clean that which is dirty. blot out our transgressions, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen. People of God, let us stand then to sing, as the people of God, from this psalm, the last four verses, 51C528. Make my spirit bright and true. Cast me not away from Thee, Let Thy Spirit dwell in me, Thy salvation show in part, Still rest in my willing heart. me. My tongue shall sing thy love, touch thy silent lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall praise the Lord. not the formal sacrifice and acceptance in thine eyes. Broken hearts are in thy sight, poor and sad show right. Contrive spirit, pleading prize. Now, O God, build up these skies. Prosper Zion in thy praise. Enter Then our righteous sacrifice Shall delight thy holy eyes. Free will offerings gladly made On thine altar shall be. People of God, it's time now for our evening gifts and offerings. This evening is for the General Fund, the deacons coming forward for that, following that, our benediction, and our doxology 563, and again, the hymn sing following that. you If you would stand, if able. Let us receive now God's parting blessing. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen. Thus may we abide in union with each other and the Lord, that possesses reconmunion, joys which earth cannot afford.