Holy Week Day 4

 Day 4 

Wednesday 

The Bible doesn’t pull any punches as it describes the  scary  reality  of  sin.  You  have  the  powerful words  of  Genesis  6:5:  “The  LORD  saw  how  great man’s  wickedness  on  the  earth  had  become,  and that every inclination of  the thoughts of  his heart was  only  evil  all  the  time”  (NIV).  Every  inclination of  the thoughts of  his heart was only evil all the time!  Could  there  be  a  more  forceful  way  of characterizing  the  pervasive  influence  of  sin  on everything we do? 

Or  you  have  Paul  building  his  case  for  the sinfulness  of  everyone,  which reaches this crescendo: “All have turned aside; together they have  become  worthless;  no  one  does  good,  not even one” (Romans 3:12). 

Along with this, the Bible very clearly unpacks the underlying  spiritual  dynamics  of  sin.  Passages like Luke 6:43–45 and Mark 7:20–23 teach us that sin  is  first  a  matter  of  the  heart  before  it  is  ever  a matter  of  behavior.  Romans  1:25  alerts  us  to  the fact that sin,  in its essence,  is idolatrous.  It is when God  is  replaced  as  the  ruler  of  our  hearts  that  we give ourselves to doing what pleases us rather than what pleases him. 

Psalm  51  is  also  one  of  the  definitional  passages when  it  comes  to  sin.  David  employs  three  words for  sin  that  really  define  the  nature  of  what  our struggle  with  it  is  all  about.  The  first  definitional word he uses is the word  transgression. To  transgress  means  to  acknowledge  the boundaries  and  to  step  willingly  over  them.  I transgress when I knowingly park in a no-parking zone.  I  know  I’m  not  supposed  to  park  there,  but for the sake of  personal  convenience,  I do so anyway.  Often  our  sin  is  just  like  this.  We  know that  God  has  forbidden  what  we’re  about  to  do, but  for  personal  success,  comfort, or  pleasure  we step  over  God’s  prohibition  and  do  exactly  what we want to do.  When we transgress,  we not only rebel  against  God’s  authority,  but  we  convince ourselves that we’re a better authority with a better  system  of  law  than  the  one  God  gave  us. Propelled by the laws of  personal wants, personal feelings,  and personal need,  we consciously step over  God’s  boundaries  and  do  what  we  want  to do. 

“But not all of  our sin is conscious,  high-handed rebellion.  So David uses a second word, iniquity. Iniquity  is  best  described  as  moral  uncleanness. This  word  points  to  the  comprehensive  nature  of the  effect  of  sin  on  us.  Sin  is  a  moral  infection  that stains  everything  we desire,  think,  speak,  and do. Sadly,  no infant since the fall of  the world into sin  has  been  born  morally  clean.  We  all  entered this world dirty and there’s nothing we can do to clean ourselves up.  Iniquity is like inadvertently putting a pair of  bright red socks into the wash with a load of  whites.  There’ll be nothing that escapes the red stain and remains completely white. In the same way, sin is pervasive. It really does alter everything we do in some way. 

“But there’s a third word that David uses that gets at another aspect of sin’s damage. It’s the word sin. Sin is best defined as falling short of a standard. In our moments of best intention and best effort we still fall short. We’re simply unable to reach the level of the standards that God has set for us. Sin has simply removed our ability to keep God’s law. So, we fall short of his standard again and again and again. In your thoughts you fall short. In your desires you fall short. In your marriage or family you fall short. In your communication you fall short. At your job you fall short. With your friends you fall short. We simply are not able to meet God’s requirements.

 “This “terrible trinity” of words for sin really does capture with power and clarity the nature of the war that rages inside each one of us. Sometimes I do not do exactly what God requires, but I don’t care because I want what I want, and so I step over his wise boundaries. Sometimes I look back Scripture Reading Psalm 51 on what I’ve done, having thought that I’d done pretty well, only to see ways in which my words and behavior were once more stained with sin. And over and over again I’m confronted with my weakness and inability. I fall short of God’s standard even in moments of good intention. 

“How can this terrible trinity do anything other than drive us to seek the grace that can only be found in the divine SPIRIT? In our sin we need the Father who’s not satisfied with leaving us in this sad state of affairs but will exercise His sovereign power to set a plan in place that will rescue us from us. In our sin we need the Son who is willing to take our punishment so that we can be forgiven. And in our sin, we need the Holy Spirit who will dwell within us, empowering us to do what we would not otherwise be able to do.

 We haven’t been left to the ravages of the terrible trinity, because we’ve been rescued by the love of the One Almighty. Thank you, Sovereign Father, for your gracious plan. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ, as the Sacrificial Son ( Lamb from God), for standing in our place. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your empowering presence. In You, the only One True Lord, we really do find help and hope.

Scripture Reading 

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.)

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

    according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

    blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity

    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

    and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,

    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins

    and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

    so that sinners will turn back to you.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

    you who are God my Savior,

    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 Open my lips, Lord,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart

    you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,

    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,

    in burnt offerings offered whole;

    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Click here

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a right spirit within me.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence;

Take not Thy holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;

And renew a right spirit within me.

Sing Psalm 51 , click here