Tuesday, September 11, 2007

What does it mean to be forgiven?

I have been listening to a sermon by Ed Dobson (former pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan) entitled "What does it mean to be forgiven?" He focused on Psalm 32.

Psalm 32

Of David. A maskil. [a]
1 Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the man
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.

7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!


He hit hard on the three highlighted areas above. God takes our bag of trash and removes it from us. He covers up our sin so it is no longer seen. He does not count our sin against us. In classic Dobson form, he focused so well on the Jewish background. I did long for a little more of John Piper's focus of Christ! THROUGH CHRIST, God has ultimately removed our sins from us, cover them and no longer counts them against us.

If you'd like to listen to this sermon, go here. Skip to 3:36 to miss the announcements.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Andy---
It seems I've always loved vs. 8, but it's interesting to see that the Lord's guidance is (in this context) predicated on our having confessed our sin. Thanks for the good post. As Alistair says: The Psalms are the soul's medicine chest.
Shube