Series #4 Forgiveness

• The human soul was designed to be free—free from guilt, shame, and condemnation. But sin has placed chains upon every heart, and these chains grow heavier with each passing day of unconfessed sin or sin that is not repented of. This evening, we turn to Psalm 32, where King David gives us one of the most personal and powerful testimonies of forgiveness in all of Scripture.
• This psalm was written after David's adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah—perhaps the darkest chapter of his life. Yet from this darkness comes one of the brightest declarations of God's forgiveness.
• David learned that sin burdens the soul, but forgiveness sets it free.
  • Think of sin putting us in God’s courtroom. Keil & Delitzsch define the word translated as sin here as being a deviation from that which is well-pleasing to God. This evening, lets examine this burden and see how to remove it.

I. The Weight of Guilt (Psalm 32:3-4)

David's Graphic Description

• • "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah."
  • David doesn't speak in theological abstractions—he describes the physical, emotional, and spiritual toll of unconfessed sin. Notice the vivid imagery:
    • Physical Effects:
      • "My bones waxed old" - Sin aged him prematurely
      • "My moisture is turned into the drought of summer" - Like a plant withering without water; he’s lost his vigor and joy
    • Emotional Effects:
      • "My roaring all the day long" - Constant inner turmoil and anguish
      • Day and night torment - No peace, no rest
    • Spiritual Effects:
      • "Thy hand was heavy upon me" - The weight of God's conviction
      • Loss of fellowship with God

The Silence That Screams

• • "When I kept silence..." The most dangerous words in this passage may be these three. David tried to cover his sin, to push it down, to ignore it. But unconfessed sin is like a cancer—it grows in the darkness and spreads its poison throughout the soul.
  • How many people today are living in this same silence? They've committed sins they've never confessed, harboring guilt they've never released. They put on a good face at worship services, smile when asked how they're doing, but inside they're "roaring all the day long."

Sin Steals Joy

• • Notice what sin does—it steals joy. David, the man who wrote, "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30:5), found himself in perpetual night. The man who sang praises to Jehovah by saying, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1), was wanting peace, rest, and fellowship with God.
• Illustration: Unconfessed sin is like carrying a heavy backpack that gets heavier with each step. You can try to ignore it, adjust to it, or pretend it's not there, but it will eventually break you down.

The Universality of This Experience

• • David's experience isn't unique. Every person who has ever lived with unconfessed sin knows this weight:
    • Adam and Eve hiding in the garden (Genesis 3:8)
    • Cain's countenance falling (Genesis 4:5-6)
    • Judas's overwhelming remorse (Matthew 27:3-5)
    • The Bible declares, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and every sinner knows the weight of guilt.

II. The Blessing of Confession (Psalm 32:5)

The Turning Point

• • "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."
  • This verse marks the turning point of the psalm—and of David's life. Notice the progression:
    • "I acknowledged" - He admitted the truth to himself
    • "Mine iniquity have I not hid" - He stopped the cover-up
    • "I said, I will confess" - He made a definite decision
    • “I will confess…unto the LORD (Jehovah)” – He confessed to God and not a man; the only time we need to confess or acknowledge our sin to people is if we have sinned against a person as well as against God.
    • "And thou forgavest" - God's immediate response

The Nature of True Confession

• • The Hebrew word for "confess" (yadah) means to throw up the hands in surrender. It's complete capitulation—no excuses, no blame-shifting, no minimizing. It is full acknowledgment or bringing into the light. It's saying, "God, I did it. I'm guilty. I have no defense." We are giving ourselves up to His mercy and justice.
  • David uses three different words for sin in this verse:
    • Sin (chatta'th) - Missing the mark, falling short
    • Iniquity (avon) - Moral perversity, crookedness
    • Transgression (pesha') - Rebellion, willful violation
  • He doesn't just confess a "mistake" or "poor judgment"—he acknowledges the full weight and nature of his sin.

The Speed of Forgiveness

• • Notice the immediacy: "I said, I will confess... and thou forgavest." Not "I confessed and later God forgave," but the moment David decided to confess, God forgave. This reveals the heart of our God—He's not reluctant to forgive, He's eager to forgive!
• Supporting Truth: 1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

God's Faithfulness to Forgive

• • Why is God "faithful and just" to forgive? Because Christ has already paid the penalty for our sins. Justice demanded payment; mercy provided it through Christ. Now God can be both "just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" and is baptized (Romans 3:26; Mark 16:16).
• Illustration: When you pay off a debt with someone else's money, the creditor doesn't reluctantly accept payment—he gladly marks the account "Paid in Full." Christ's blood has paid our sin-debt in full. We still have to appear in court and allow that blood to cleanse us. This is done through baptism.

III. The Joy of Forgiveness (Psalm 32:1-2)

The Double "Blessed"

• • "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."
  • David begins his psalm with a double declaration of blessedness. The word "blessed" (ashre) means "happy," "fortunate," "to be envied." It's the same word that begins the Beatitudes and Psalm 1. David is saying, "Happy—truly happy—is the person whose sins are forgiven!"

Three Pictures of Forgiveness

• • Forgiven (nasa') - "lifted up and carried away" Your sins are not just covered—they're completely removed, lifted off your shoulders and carried away. As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12).
  • Covered (kasah) - "completely hidden from view" God doesn't just overlook our sins—He covers them completely. They're not partially hidden where they might be discovered later. They're totally covered by the blood of Christ through repentance and baptism.
  • Not Imputed (chashab) - "not counted against us" The word "impute" means "to reckon to one's account." God doesn't count our sins against us because He counted them against Christ. This is the great exchange—our sins were imputed to Christ, His righteousness is imputed to us (2 Corinthians 5:21). When we contact the blood of Christ through baptism, God expunges our record or wipes it clean. If we sin or fall away and then repent, then Christ’s blood continues to make us clean. This is only if we strive to walk in the light of the gospel (I John 1:7).

The Result: No Guile

• • "And in whose spirit there is no guile." Guile is deception, fraud, pretense. The forgiven person no longer needs to pretend, hide, or deceive. They can be completely authentic because they have nothing to hide.
  • This is the freedom forgiveness brings—not just freedom from guilt, but freedom to be real, to be honest, to be yourself without fear of condemnation.

Forgiveness Brings Peace and Restoration

• • Isaiah 1:18: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
  • God doesn't just forgive—He completely cleanses. The scarlet stain of sin becomes snow-white purity. This is not partial cleansing but complete restoration.

Conclusion

• Don't carry the burden of sin one more day. God is not angry with you—He's already poured out His wrath on His Son through the cross. He's not reluctant to forgive you—He's eager to restore you.
• Perhaps you're like David was—carrying the crushing weight of secret sin. You've tried to manage it, hide it, ignore it, but it's breaking you down physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Tonight can be your turning point.
• Or perhaps you're a believer who has wandered from God through sin. You've lost the joy of your salvation. You need to experience again the happiness of a clean heart.
• The invitation is simple: confess your sins to God. Be specific, be honest, be thorough. Don't make excuses or shift blame—just acknowledge your sin and receive His forgiveness.
• Remember:
  • God's forgiveness is immediate (the moment you confess)
  • God's forgiveness is complete (He removes all your sin)
  • God's forgiveness restores joy (you can be truly happy for the first time or be happy again if you’ve fallen away)
• "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). Experience the freedom that only forgiveness can bring. Don't leave here carrying burdens that Christ died to allow to be removed.
• The happiness of a clean heart awaits you. Will you repent, confess to Him and be free?
• Invitation: If you’ve not obeyed the gospel, this is what you need to do…
  • Hear God’s Word [Rom. 10:17]
  • Believe that Jesus is the Christ and the only begotten Son of the Father [Acts 8; Heb. 11:6; obedient faith is the ONLY way to bring God true joy]
  • Repent of your sins (commit to not living in sin, but rather being a servant of righteousness; Rom. 6) [Acts 17:30; 2 Pet. 3:9]
  • Confess your faith before others [Acts 8; Matt. 10; Rom. 10]
  • Be immersed in water to receive the forgiveness of your sins [Acts 2, 8, 22:]
  • God will add you to His church [Acts 2:47]
  • Live faithful, obedient to His commands, till death or until you die [Rev. 2:10] (Meaning if you have obeyed the gospel and you have fallen away or you a struggling with a temptation, then you can make that right with God today. You can pray right where you are.)
• If you need to come forward for any of these reasons, then won’t you come as we stand and as we sing.

Author: Patrick King