We are living in a world of compromise. Many around us have forsaken the foundation of truth and righteousness. They have changed the truth of the Word of God to match their vain philosophies and doctrines of men. Holiness and righteousness is being exchanged for expediency and social popularity. Back in the early church, people were warned that this time would come when people would go after all manner of uncleanness in the lust of their hearts. Following the Law of God, the early apostles warned against the very things we are seeing happen. As we progress toward the end of time, we will continue to see this refusal to retain God in their knowledge increase. God has given warning that when people turn from Him, He will give them over to a debased mind to do things that are not fitting.
They will be filled with unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, and unmerciful, (Romans 1:28-32).
If we are going to have an unshakable life we must be blameless before God.
Genesis 17:1 NKJV When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.”
Blameless means: innocent, guiltless, above reproach, perfect, pure, impeccable, faultless.
If you are blameless, you can walk before God in His presence with nothing to hide. You will have a clear conscience that does not condemn you when you stand before God.
The Old Testament presented two ideas about being blameless.
- First, it referred to sacrificial animals that were “without defect.”
- Second, it spoke of moral perfection.
Blameless people cannot be accused of doing wrong.
David prayed about being blameless before God.
Psalm 19:13-14 NKJV Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
Presumptuous sins are deliberate and willful sins. David wanted his words and meditations to be acceptable to God. When David had sinned, he prayed:Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Guilt and shame can paralyze us and cause us to hide from God. Guilt can come from our actions, thoughts or expectations.
Guilt can have a positive or negative effect in our lives.
Positively, guilt can cause us to take responsibility, seek forgiveness, and experience freedom. Negatively, it can cripple our relationship and intimacy with God and other people. Unresolved guilt brings emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual scars.
At first, David tried to manage the pain of his guilt by covering it up.
He found no way to suppress the mental image of what he had done, so, he tried to cover up his sin. He refused to talk about it, but his guilt was always present.
When Nathan the prophet confronted him, all of a sudden everything David had been trying to cover up was exposed.
David’s sins were extensive. It started with the lust and adultery over Bathsheba. He tried to cover up that sin by plotting her husband’s death. Ultimately, David took Uriah’s wife Bathsheba to be his wife. Eventually, the prophet Nathan exposed David’s guilt. No one wants to be exposed. David had a reputation of being a man after God’s own heart. Now, he stood guilty before God.
Psalms 51 is David’s prayer for forgiveness. Listen to the words of his petition before God.
Psalm 51:1-3 NKJV Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Psalm 51:4-6 NKJV Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Psalm 51:7-10 NKJV Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:11-12 NKJV Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.
Psalm 51:14-16 NKJV Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
Psalm 51:17-19 NKJV The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
David’s prayer covered everything that was affected by his sin and guilt.
His life was filled with the pain of guilt and shame. He could not suppress those feelings. While he did not speak of it, his sin was always present. He knew he had transgressed against God. Now in prayer, David was digging down into every area that he could think of that was affected by his sin.
God has a remedy for our guilt and shame.
John 3:17 NKJV For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Personal guilt and sin must be dealt with sooner than later.
What is the danger of not dealing with sin and guilt?
Numbers 32:23 NIV “Be sure that your sin will find you out.”
The consequences are severe. David was plagued by his sin. In Psalms 51, David opened his heart and guilt to God.
If you want to be blameless before God, you must admit your need before God.
1 John 1:9 NKJV If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 51:3 NKJV For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Transgression and sin is an act of treason against God. David knew that he had sinned against God. He wrote those words: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalms 119:11) It is not easy to admit when we have chosen to go against God.
We cannot live a blameless life until we admit our sin.
To have a blameless life, we must admit when we miss the mark. We do not have to guess what is sin. God has clearly defined sin and righteousness. The most common word for “sin” means “missing the mark. God has set a high goal. Righteousness is a blameless life. It is a life without error, failure, or blunder. We often miss God’s high goal, standard, and plan.
When David sinned, he suffered the consequences.
He was defiled, disgraced, damaged, and depressed. He was buried beneath his guilt and shame. Rather than continue in guilt, David asked for forgiveness.
Psalm 51:3-4 NIV For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge.
We need forgiveness that blots out our transgressions.
In Verse 1, David asked God to blot out his transgressions from His books.
Colossians 2:13-14 NLT You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
Only God can cancel, blot out, and wipe away the decrees and demands that were against us and nail it to the cross of Christ.
When we sin, the account in heaven is marked with our actions. God is faithful to mark down our sins. He knows all the details of our transgressions.
David wanted God to blot out his transgression.
Forgiveness is not just about our feelings, it deals with our record in heaven. In addition to his record, David wanted something done in his own body, mind, and soul.
We need a forgiveness that washes thoroughly.
David’s soul was tormented by his iniquity and he felt unclean.
In Psalms 51:2 NKJV He prayed: “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”
The stains of sin and iniquity go deep.
It is not enough to get wet, we must be thoroughly washed. Only God can thoroughly remove the stains by His grace. God is merciful and thorough in His cleansing and He will thoroughly wash us in the only fountain that can take away our sins. He will wash us in the blood of the Lamb of God. David knew that when God washed him, he would be whiter than snow.
Being blameless before God is a miracle of God’s mercy and grace that washes us thoroughly and makes us clean.
Isaiah 1:18 NKJV “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”
To have an unshakable life, we must be blameless before God.
That is what God wants to do for everyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ. Listen to what Christ has done for us.
Ephesians 5:25–27 NIV84 Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
Nothing feels as good as being forgiven and clean from our sins. God wants you to live a blameless life before His presence. He wants you to be unshakable and unmovable. That is why Jesus Christ gave Himself up for you. He will wash you and make you clean. He will make you radiant and without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish. He will make you holy and blameless.
