Chapel Service
Phoenix International Raceway
November 6, 2014
“Yep, I Blew It Again”
www.BeyondCheckeredFlags.com
Bob Butcher
I don’t know about you, but all too often I face the daunting knowledge that I have really messed up once again. Okay, let’s get right to the point here…I recognize my sin and displeasure to the Lord God. Yeah, and all too often I made the direct choice to go that route. No, it doesn’t take me but moments to realize that I blew it again, but I still made the choice. Like it or not that is pure undefiled rebellion and just plain sin. Oh, don’t get me wrong…, because yes, there are far more times I find out after I choose a direction that it was the wrong one and I did not realize it was incorrect when I made the move or choice. I thought I was doing correctly, but in the outcome I was wrong. Yes, that is sin also but far easier to realize and change course and apologize.
However, whatever the motive, it does not leave us destitute, destroyed, and with no chance of reconciliation with God. All of that was taken care of once and for all by Jesus’ faithful sacrifice of His life lived perfectly on the cross to pay for my mess; …no matter how many times over!
While that is true there is still the process of asking for forgiveness and truly recognizing our failure. How do we do this? What do I say to Him? What do I ask for myself now? After all, maybe I just did the same thing for the umpteenth time! Do you want to know my personal secret?
I simply follow what King David did along with many Biblical patriarchs which followed. David put it all into life changing words for all of us in Psalms 51: after the Prophet Nathan came to inform David of God’s judgment against him because of his adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of Uriah, her husband.
I have translated Psalms 51 into hopefully the most understandable and direct language to help everyone get a grip on the context easily. I used a number of Bible translations, Hebrew word studies and books to find the best way to communicate each verse that King David wrote somewhere between 1001 to 990 BC.
Here are King David’s words in what I call the GBB Version (Gospel By Bob):
1 “Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing and loyal love for me. Because of Your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts and blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash away what I did wrong and cleanse me of my sin.
3 For I am aware of my rebellious acts; I am forever conscious of my sin and it haunts me day and night.
4 Against You, – especially You above all – I have sinned. I have done what is evil in Your sight. So You are just when You confront me; You will be proved right when You condemn me; and Your judgment against me is correct and deserved.
5 For look, I was guilty of sin from birth—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me I have been out of step with You.
6 You desire integrity and honesty in the inner man even in the womb. You want me to possess truth and moral wisdom from the inside out.
7 Purge and then purify me from my sins, and I will be clean and pure again; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven! May the crushed bones of my emotional strength within me rejoice! You have broken me—now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins. Hide Your face!
Remove the stain of my guilt. Wipe it all away.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit, resolute and reliable within me.
11 Do not banish me from Your presence; Don’t reject me!
and don’t take Your Holy Spirit away from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and let me experience Your deliverance once again. Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey; …and make me willing to obey!
13 Then I will teach Your ways to both rebels and transgressors; and they will turn to you.
14 Forgive me for the guilt of murder or bloodshed, O God who delivers me! Then my tongue will shout for joy and I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness and righteousness.
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, give me the words! Then my mouth will praise you.
16 You do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a humble and teachable spirit. You will never reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
18* Because You look with favor upon Zion and help her; rebuild and fortify the walls of Jerusalem!
19* Then you will be pleased and delight in the proper sacrifices and accept those offered in the right spirit—
with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.”
*Note here in verse 18 & 19 that David realizes how his own sin affects the nation, the church, and everyone around him and switches his prayer focus to all those affected beyond his understanding. Stop and think at this point; neither do we realize our sin’s far reaching affect today! (For greater understanding of verses 18 and 19 please see the asterisk* below at the end)
I have always figured that King David said it far better than I ever could. And I know that God says in Acts 13:22 that David was “a man after My own heart.” That’s certainly good enough for me!
Besides, sometimes as I read about David I come to the thought that he was far guiltier than me on many occasions. But then I remember that sin is sin, is sin. Never forget to take that perspective by God into account.
My friends; I have depended upon these words of David to bring peace back within my soul …my mind, my will, and my emotions …since October 22, 1978 now. The peace they have brought when there was no peace because the enemy of God (and each one of us) continues to condemn us in our heart …until we bring God into our lives and the picture once again.
I know it will work for you also because there is no other way …period.
May the God of peace; who transcends all understanding; guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.
Until we get together at the track in 2015 join us at our local church by video each week on our website at: www.BeyondCheckeredFlags.com
You can also go directly to the Church On The Hill video broadcast at:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYrt1KvkFowEL7ViudxlQd7gFAL8Xe-KW
Notes:
*Here is what Matthew Henry has to say about this in his commentary: “David intercedes for Zion and Jerusalem, with an eye to honor God. See what a concern he had for:
(1) The good of the church in verse 18: Do good in Your good pleasure unto Zion, that is to all the particular worshippers in Zion that love and fear Your name; keep them from falling into such wounding and wasting sins like these of mine. Do the same for the public interests of Israel. David was sensible of the wrong he had done to Judah and Jerusalem by his sin, how it had weakened the hands and saddened the hearts of good people while it opened the mocking mouths of their adversaries. He was also afraid that being a public person and leader his sin would bring judgement upon the city and kingdom. therefore he prays asking God to secure and advance those public interests which he had damaged and endangered. He prayed that God would prevent those national judgements which his sin had deserved and instead that God would continue those blessings, and carry on that good works; which it had threatened to retard and put a stop to. When we pray “Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come…,” The consideration of the predjudice we have done to the public interests by our sins should engage us to do them all the service we can, particularly by our prayers.
(2) The honor of the churches of God in verse 19. If God would show Himself reconciled to him and His people as David had prayed, then they should go on with the public sacrifices of praise and services of that day and type which offered up burned offerings of lambs, rams, and the costliest of all; bullocks upon the alter. (Today’s are different because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.) The sense of God’s goodness to them would enlarge their hearts in all the instances and expressions of thankfulness and obedience. The goal was that God would be pleased with them so when the people perceived that the sin was taken away which had threatened to hinder their acceptance. Note that it is a great comfort to a good man to think of the communion that is between God and His people in their public assemblies, and how He is honored by their humble attendance on Him and they are happy in His gracious acceptance of it.
Bibliography:
Bible Versions:
New King James Version (NKJV)
New American Standard Version (NASB)
New International Version (NIV)
The Message (MSG)
New English Translation (NET)
- The Touch Bible
New Life Version (NLV)
New Living Translation (NLT)
Books:
From The Heart – Bill Kaiser – 1984
Unger’s Bible Dictionary
Nave’s Topical Bible
Strong’s Concordance – Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries
The New Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
Matthew Henry’s Commentary
OnLine Sources:
BibleGateway.com
Gospel.com