And turn with me to Psalm 51. Psalm 51. When the projector stopped working, I was just whispering to Elder Sakuya that having gotten saved on the copper belt and sitting under the ministry and the leadership of our YP ministry of Pastor Ndonji Kayombo, he would have rebuked us. He forced us literally to memorize hymns. So I was laughing. I said, how will you sing when persecution come and you are hiding in the mountains? Are you going to say, where's the projector? Oh, that we may learn to sing by heart those beautiful, beautiful songs. Turn with me to Psalm 51. I'll read the first 14 verses. 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. Pedge me with high soap, 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 my iniquities. 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. Let's end our reading there, and let's just pray together, shall we pray? Our Father, we are grateful again for allowing us to be here this afternoon. Lord, we pray that you'll be with us, particularly as your word is being opened up. Lord, speak until your church is built and the earth, O Lord, is filled with your glory. And so we pray, O God, that as we gather this afternoon, May you feel your promises in your word, that your word do not return void. May it accomplish your purposes even today. Again, Lord, I pray that you be with me, use me as an instrument, and be with your people as I sit to listen to your word. Cause that at the end of it all, may we all testify the Lord spoke and we heard. This we pray. In Jesus's name, amen. In the course of the week on the 13th of February, that's just a day after my birthday, I clocked eight years as one of the pastors here at Kawata Baptist Church. And as I reflect on the eight years of my work among you, I am grateful to God for God's faithfulness, but also grateful to the church for your support to my family and I. And the Lord has truly provided for us through you. And the Lord has been gracious and over the years have enjoyed having fellowship one with the other. And this evening, and next Lord's Day evening, the Lord willing, I'll be giving two anniversary sermons. And these anniversary sermons helps God's servant to celebrate the grace of God in his own life, but also in the life of the church. but also it is a time that the Lord helps you to reflect, but also to make a pledge to serve faithfully the God of grace. It gives an occasion, but also to bring out something that a pastor or a minister would have observed interacting one with the other, but also what God continues to teach him from his word. And as I was reflecting and looking at last year's notes, Last year, we looked at challenging one another concerning God's faithfulness. And we saw that from the account of Joseph, and how Joseph was faithful to God. And we saw that regardless of where Joseph was, God was faithful to Joseph. And regardless of where Joseph was, He was faithful to God. And this evening, I would like to bring God's word to you from Psalm 51 and verse 12. And it's on the issue of joy. One of those things that you see Christians lack, especially when they've sinned against God and they try to clear their sin. The first thing that they immediately note is a lack of the joy of God's salvation in their lives. They would, yes, continue attending the means of grace, but clearly you can sense that there is something missing in the life of this individual. Psalm 51 is a well-known psalm. It is a psalm that shows what David was going through, having sinned against God, and now having asked for forgiveness from the Lord, and the Lord dealing with his sins, then he pens down this psalm. The psalm came as a result of David's sin with Bathsheba. He had committed adultery. and in an effort to cover up his sin, ended up killing Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. And then God used Nathan to confront David over his sin. And when Nathan confronted David over his sin, David went before God and asked, the Lord to forgive him of his sins. This psalm is, as one writer has referred to, as a psalm of psalms. A psalm written in the moment of brokenness in David's life and with the words of Nathan still resounding in his ears, you are that man. You are the man who took someone else's wife. You are the man who is guilty of taking someone's life in order to cover your sin. The heart of this psalm is David's plea for restoration. David's plea for restoration and the culmination of this plea is captured in verse 12, the yearning cry for the joy of God's salvation. David had not forfeited God's gift of salvation. He had not lost his salvation. but he had lost the joy of what God in his grace provided for him in his life. And so I'd like us to spend time just looking at that verse and draw some lessons for us. And these lessons must help us to see that if We sin against God and we will sin against God. We must not try to cover the sin. We must go before God and God will forgive us of our sins. And so the first question I'd like us to deal with is this, when do Christians lose the joy of their salvation? When do Christians lose the joy of their salvation? Now, we're not talking about losing your salvation. We're talking about losing the joy of God's salvation in your life. Christians lose the joy of salvation when they sin against God and try to cover their sin. When they sin against God and try to cover their sin, just listen to what David is saying in verse 12. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. This was a case of David has recorded for us in 2 Samuel and chapter 11. That chapter tells us of the darkest moment in the life of David. And this moment came after a result of God's blessings in his life. David had been highly blessed by God. He was at the pinnacle of his success. The Lord had blessed him, and through him, the Lord had enabled the nation of Israel to conquer its enemies. It was in that moment when David, as it were, enjoying what God was doing in his life, that we are told of that dark moment in his life when he sinned against God. And 2 Samuel chapter 11 closes with the sin of David hanging like a dark cloud over that chapter. It ends on a sad note. It ends with David having sinned against God and not realizing what he had done. No words are recorded in that chapter of David confessing his sins before God. The Lord was gracious and patient with David. The Lord did not immediately punish David. Time had passed. Years. In fact, different authors or commentators would say it was almost a year by the time David was coming to confess his sin. So, but we're not so sure as whether it was years, weeks, but the point is some time had passed. And David tried by all means to cover his sin. He tried by all means to do things in such a way that people would not know what he had done. And in that moment, his conscience was slowly becoming silent. to the sin he had committed. He was slowly losing consciousness of the fact that God is ever present. And it is in that moment that even the joy of God's salvation in his life, that he lost it. He knew what he had done. And you could imagine each time David looked at Bethsheba, the pain, the betrayal that would run through his mind. Every time he would meet her, or the eyes would meet, or every time they would have some form of encounter, we don't know if they did. There was a sense of shame and guiltiness that ran through David's life. And listen to what he says in Psalm 51 and verse three. For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. David knew That even though no one has raised this issue of my sin, I know it is always before me. And above all, God knows what I have done. And the Bible is very clear in Proverbs 28 verse 13. He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper. And when we sin as God's children and try to cover up that sin, we lose the joy of God's salvation. And this is the lie that the devil wants us to follow and believe, that we can find joy by disobeying God. that God wants to limit your joy, but the truth of the matter is that when you sin against God and you turn your back against God, misery and sadness is what comes into your life, and salvation and its joy, the joy of salvation is lost. We need to realize that salvation and joy go together. Joy is automatic only when you are living each day by faith and seeking the Lord's will and seeking to please God in all you do. As you live in total obedience to God, confessing your sins to God, not covering your sins before God, the Lord will restore the joy of your salvation. If joy is missing in your walk with God, you need to examine your life. You need to examine your walk with God. Joy does not accidentally happen or come in your life. No, the salvation of God in Christ and the joy we experience in Christ, they go together. Salvation comes and God brings this great joy in our lives. There is a joy, a great joy, in receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord of your life. But there's also a great joy in knowing that your sins have been forgiven. There is joy in being in fellowship with the Lord. where you can go before God and pour your heart before this God, knowing very well that my sins do not condemn me. There is joy, great joy, in knowing that God loves you and has forgiven you of your sins. is a byproduct of obedience to God. Joy is not found in circumstance or in power or possession. Joy is found in a right relationship with God. And as you live in obedience to God, joy is the by-product of that obedience to God. As you live your life in full assurance that your sins have been forgiven. And as you read God's word, there's a sense in which God draws you to himself. There's a sense in which God brings this joy, this deep, deep, deep joy in your life. And this joy is not dependent on outward circumstances, but your inner relationship with your God. And when you sin against God and you try to cover your sin, you lose that joy of God's salvation in your life. Because you can't open God's word and read it with joy. As you open it, God speaks to you and he tells you about the sin you are trying to cover. When you sin against God, don't cover your sin. Go before God. Cry out to God that the Lord may forgive you of your sins, may cleanse you from that sin, that the Lord may forgive you of that sin. David thought that by covering sin, he will continue to enjoy God's salvation. And in verse 12 of Psalm 51, he cries, restore to me the joy of your your salvation. But the second question we need to ask, which is still tied to the first question is, why do Christians lose the joy of salvation? We've looked at when, but why? Of course, it's when we've sinned, but why do Christians lose the joy of salvation? Christians lose the joy of salvation when they fail to remember that God's salvation surpasses the passing pleasures of sin. Christians lose the joy of salvation when they fail to remember that God's salvation surpasses the passing pleasures of sin. David's sinful actions were a fruit of his failure to recall the lasting joy of God's salvation. He failed to recall that the salvation that he had in God far outstripped the passing pleasures of this life, including the pleasures of Bathsheba's flesh. The moment David began to think that being with Bathsheba will bring a greater joy than the joy that he had in God, that's the moment he began to lose his joy of salvation in God. David lost sight of the joy of salvation, where before he saw the young woman bathing on the roof from his rooftop and chose to go into his chambers. David began to drift away in his mind. He began to think that probably out there, out of God, there must be something that can bring greater joy than the joy that I'm already experiencing in God. By the time he was committing sin with the young woman, he had already lost it. He had already lost the joy of God's salvation in his heart and in his mind. And his outward actions were a reflection of his failure in his heart to see and realize that joy is in Christ, in God, and nothing in this world can compete with the joy of God's salvation, nothing. David misplaced the joy that he had in Christ and sacrificed his integrity for a brief moment of pleasure with Bathsheba. His heart was already gone, such that when we read in 2 Samuel 11, verse 1 through to verse 5, he was at home instead of being on the battlefield. And he began to wander and gets to his veranda and he sees a woman bathing. And in 1 Samuel 11 verse 2, the Bible actually described this woman as very beautiful. She was lovely to look at. And David was taken. And remember, he already had a thing for beautiful women. When you read in 1 Samuel 25 and verse 3, Abigail, Nabal's wife, the Bible described her as a beautiful woman. She was beautiful outwardly, but also the Bible says she was very wise. And she's the one who later became David's wife. Now this time, in 2 Samuel chapter 11 and verse 2, in describing this young woman or this woman, the Bible actually says she was very beautiful. And David was already taken by that. And he began to imagine, he began to fantasize, he began to think, how will it be to be with this very beautiful woman physically? And already in that moment, he had already lost the joy of his salvation. And his own desires, his own lust, had not an opportunity to manifest. And he sinned against God by bringing this woman. Even when he's told upon inquiring that this is Uriah's wife, your devoted servant, David in that moment did not care. In that moment, there was only one thing that was in his heart. There was one thing that was driving him. There was one thing that he wanted. To physically be with this very beautiful woman. David had already begun entertaining sin in his mind. He forgot He's God who's ever-present. He forgot who he was as a king, that he was a king. He forgot what God in his word had said about kings and how they ought to conduct themselves. Sin had taken control of David's life, David's mind, and his mind was already captured and was already defeated. And now he goes and sins against God. When Christians begin to think that the sensual pleasures of this life are more enjoyable than the everlasting gift of salvation, they've already lost the joy of God's salvation. The moment you begin to think as a child of God, that perhaps fame or career or a job or something other than God's salvation will make me happy. You've already lost the joy that is yours in Christ, the joy of your salvation. If you are not satisfied in God, you will not be satisfied with any created thing. God is the one who can satisfy your soul. God is the one who's able to bring the joy of salvation in your life. But when you fail to recognize that what I have in Christ far outweighs and surpasses anything in this world, anything that can compete with me, and then you give in to that sin, you've already lost the joy. of your salvation. You've lost it. You may be a child of God, yes, and I believe the Christian cannot lose their salvation, but they can lose the joy of God's salvation. When you become intoxicated with simply wanting to gratify your selfish, sinful desires, you've lost the joy of your salvation. And you can tell that this brother or this sister, the things of God are no longer a priority in their lives. And before long, you can see that they've lost the joy of their salvation. They've lost it. Yes, they can come to church. They can see it in the pews, but you can tell that their minds are not in this place. Their minds are wandering away. Their minds are far away from this place. You can see that there's no joy. And as you sing songs, as they come to church, it's simply a routine. You can tell when everyone is out there trying to catch up and mingle with their fellow brothers and sisters, they simply get into their vehicle and zoom out. You can tell that there's no joy in their soul. Everything now is simply routine to avoid members asking them where they've been. You can tell that someone has lost the joy of their salvation. And you can tell that the fleeting pleasures of this world have taken hold of them and they are being deceived in thinking that that's what will bring joy in their lives. And so they give their energies, they give their all to chase after those things. And yes, they finally get them, but they still realize that there's this aching void in them. They have lost the joy of their salvation and in the process, tarnished their testimonies. You can see that they have no desire to be in the house of God and to be with God's people and to sing those glorious songs that talks about our God. It's very easy to tell. You can hide for a while, but with just a matter of time, those that have known you longer can tell that there is no joy in this life. Whenever Christians begin to think that the pleasures of this life are more enjoyable than the joy of God's salvation. That's a moment you begin to lose the joy of God's salvation in your life. And this was the case with David. He could not for a moment count his blessing, naming them one by one, and it would have surprised him what the Lord had done. But he forgot all those things. And all he wanted was that very beautiful woman. And he lost the joy of God's salvation. But in the third place, we need to see that true joy only comes through a willing and submissive spirit to God. True joy, the joy of salvation only comes through a willing and a submissive spirit to God. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. David has recognized what is missing. He's seen that going out there cannot be compared to the joy that is in God. He realizes that not even this beautiful woman could bring this joy which is only brought by salvation. And so you see this yearning cry, you see this cry of longing, you see this cry of despair, you see this cry in David's life, restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. He realizes that all this was vain, useless, a waste of time. I had joy in God. Now I've lost my joy of salvation because of my sin. He realizes that the joy of God's salvation is more satisfying than any competing pleasure in this world. He realizes that there is nothing that can be compared to knowing that your sins have been forgiven and coming before an all-knowing God and singing with joy, raising your hand, knowing that even if the Lord searches my heart, there is no sin in me. I'm not entertaining any sin. I'm not trying to cover any sin. And he realizes that this is a true joy. nothing in this world can compete with the joy that is in God's salvation. He realized that and when you read 2nd Samuel chapter 12 when Nathan shows David that you've sinned against God. And in verse 13 of chapter 12 of 2 Samuel, as soon as David confesses of his sin, nothing tells David, your sins are forgiven. Your sins are forgiven. David would have been put to death according to the law of Moses in Leviticus chapter 20 and verse 10. But instead, he received mercy and grace from God. He had been forgiven. He was no longer willing to cover his sin. He came clean. The Lord forgave him. The time of separation from God is over. He's restored. And he writes in Psalm 32 verse 1 to 5. Listen to what David writes. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For 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 dried up, as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. And here is a man now who knows what it means to be forgiven. And the Lord has restored that joy once again. And he's saying, happy. That's what the word blessed means. Happy is a man whose transgression is forgiven. He's not saying happy is the man who multiplies things of this world. He's not saying happy is the man who chases after the sensual pleasures of this world. He's saying happy is the man whose sin is forgiven, whose sin is covered by God. And he now realizes that God is the greatest joy of my life. Nothing in this world can compete with that. And he says, restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. He's saying, Lord, my sins are before you. I don't desire to cover my sins. Lord, just restore. Restore, Lord, that joy, the joy of my salvation, the joy that I've experienced, the joy that I knew that wonderful day when you forgave me of my sins, when heaven came down and glory filled my soul. Lord, restore that joy and give me a willing spirit. so that there will be eagerness in my life to obey you and follow you. And this is a prayer that David offers. A prayer for joy, for gladness, for freedom to be experienced once again. He was no longer willing to spend time covering up his sin, no. He recognizes, when I covered my sin, all joy was gone. And God seemed to be millions miles away from me. And I could no longer read his word. I could no longer sing as a sweet psalmist of Israel. I had no joy. What was I going to sing about? Everything I thought about, everything I wanted to express in song would simply show me that your sins are condemning you. He had no joy. And the Lord's word was no longer enjoyable. But when the Lord forgave him of his sins and gave him a willing spirit, once again he was able to experience the joy of God's salvation. true joy only comes from God. And it comes when we have a willing and submissive spirit to God. A spirit that will not try to cover sin. A spirit that will be willing to face whatever the consequences of sin might be. A spirit that is ready to go before God and cry out before God. to ask for forgiveness so that through that forgiveness, we can once again know the joy of salvation. And through that experiencing of God's salvation, we can be revived once again to save God with joy, with eagerness, once again to have that purity, the purity which only comes from God. and this joy that is accompanied by an inward transformation, an inward change. Joy is only found in Christ. Maybe this evening I'm speaking to someone who's lost that joy. You've wandered away in darkness and sin for a moment you thought that sin would be more pleasurable than God's salvation. And you've tarnished your testimony before God. And now, as you mingle with God's people, you no longer have this joy. The Lord is saying, come back, turn away from sin, repent of your sins, ask that the Lord gives you a willing spirit and let God brings about an inner transformation so that once again, you may rejoice in your salvation. So that that joy will be fuel for you to save God. That that joy may once again draw you closer to God. That that joy may once again bring you to your knees when you read about God in His Word. May that joy bring you to a realization that God is the highest God. Or that we may have a willing spirit and a submissive spirit as God's children. A spirit that will cause us to rejoice in our salvation because we know that our sins have been forgiven and we can go in the world and proclaim the salvation of God and let the world see the joy. That even though we face the same economic challenges and pressure, let them see that there's this joy in our hearts. And this joy is not because of outward circumstances, but it's a joy that comes from within us. And as it comes from within us, it affects with our outward appearance. Let the world see that there is God on how we rejoice in our salvation. Have you lost that joy? Have you lost that joy? You believed the devil's lie that sin is more pleasurable than salvation. Have you lost that joy? Maybe you used to be a faithful servant of God. And now your service to God has simply been reduced to one hour a week. Have you lost that joy? Come to Christ and you will restore the joy of your salvation. He will. He's promised that he will forgive sin. when that sin is confessed. David realized that no matter how beautiful Bathsheba was, she cannot equal the joy of God's salvation. And he realized that I need to go back to my God and Christ restore unto me the joy of my salvation. The lack of joy in your life is stemming from your heart, a heart that is resistant to accept what God says in his word. A heart that is in rebellion, when God says, the things of this world not satisfy you, your heart says, no, I will go that way. And in the process, you find that there's nothing out there. Our eternal joy is secured in our salvation. But our immediate joy is dependent on our willingness to follow God's commands. When we live in total obedience to God, the Lord promises to hear us and to supply us with all the things necessary for our walk in this world. And brethren, there's nothing in this world that can be compared to the joy of God's salvation. And also as a pastor and an elder in the church, there's no sight more miserable than a Christian living in sin and trying to cover their sins. And when you look at them and they try to give their justification, you realize it doesn't make sense. They've been taken by the things of this world. And my prayer is that all of us may cry with David the joy of God's salvation. Let God grant us the joy of his salvation. And if there is sin in us, Let's cry to God to ask for forgiveness so that we may enjoy the joy of God's salvation. And as we read God's word, let's be willing to follow what God says in his word. And may our constant cry be the words of the song that will be shared to us. Keep me true, Lord Jesus. Keep me true, Lord Jesus. Only by your grace do I stand. Only by your grace do I stand. Oh, that this may be our constant cry. that God will keep us true. Amen.