M.t. Clark uses David's story in Psalm 32 to show how adultery brings depression and shame, but confession leads to God's forgiveness. He urges listeners struggling with this sin to repent and trust Christ, pointing to resources like Victory Over the Darkness and Freedom in Christ ministries for support.
To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of a pair of wooden lounge chairs on the shores of Canadago Lake at sunset comes to us from Lisa Warner, who shared this tranquil scene on social media back on June 26th. Well, it's Saturday, and I chose today's photo because it just says summer. And relax to me, and it is my prayer that all who see or hear today's message will find some time this weekend to kick back and relax and enjoy the summer season, weather permitting, of course. In my neck of the woods, I would say that today is the day to enjoy the great outdoors because it is forecasted to be sunny and 83 degrees, whereas tomorrow's forecast predicts thunderstorms with a 71% chance of rain. So seize the day, and when you do, take a moment to thank God for the life that you have and the things you find joy in. I will myself— I, I myself am sure to get a, get a few walks along a country road, uh, in today. Um, my canine friend Harley will insist upon it. And I have plans to go see a matinee showing of The Sound of Freedom. But other than that, uh, I'm not sure where the day will take me, but wherever I go, I will try to find the good in it and thank God for it, because I know that our experience of joy has as much to do with our outlook on life as it does with the things we see and experience. So keep walking and talking with God and have a great weekend wherever you go. Today's Bible verses come to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Cruis. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on adultery, and today's section of scripture is Psalm 32, verses 1 through 11, the entire Psalm. And the word of God says, blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. And you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found. Surely in the rush of great waters they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me. You preserve me from trouble. You surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you, with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Today's verses fall under the 9th and 11th point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section, uh, on adultery. Number 9: David was depressed before he confessed his sin of adultery. And 11: David confessed his sin of adultery and God graciously forgave him. I presented the above passage of scripture with verses 3 through 5 in bold because those verses were offered by themselves, um, to support our resource's 9th point on adultery: David was depressed before he confessed his sin of adultery. And I was prepared to just present those isolated verses this morning, but after I realized that our resource references all of Psalm 32 as a support of the fact that David confessed his sin of adultery and God graciously forgave him, I decided to share the entire Psalm to kill two birds with one stone and would cover both points, uh, that the— this passage addresses in the area of adultery. The fact that this lustful sin can cause depression, and that even though it was God's— it was— it is on God's top 10 list of things not to do, and was a sin that was punished by the deaths of— was to be punished by the deaths of both parties who committed it in Leviticus 20:10. It is a sin that can be forgiven. Uh, even our inner— even though our entertainment, um, industry and our society glorifies affairs as exciting and sexy and emphasizes how extramarital relationships can make one feel powerful and satisfied, honest portrayals of adultery will show that the depression that results from giving into the this temptation. Adultery not only brings the guilt and shame of breaking one's marriage covenant, it also can cause one to be depressed over their personal compromise, the poor state of their marriage relationship that led to this sin, and the fact that the adulterous relationship is not sustainable and leads to heartache and brokenness. Depression is a natural con— the consequence of adultery because it is acting against God's guidance for a good and holy life that he intends for us to have. Adultery should depress us because it is a sin against ourselves, the other person in the affair, one's spouse, and God, and, and that really, in one's family too. Adultery's promises of pleasure always results in pain. The pain of adultery can cause one to harden our hearts, but hopefully it would cause one to seek forgiveness. And as David wrote in Psalm 32, the Lord will forgive the iniquity of our sin when we acknowledge it and confess our transgressions to the Lord. God is gracious to forgive us our sins when we confess, confess them, repent of them, and and put our faith in Jesus. Uh, adultery is a sin that leads to pain and depression, but the good news is that it can be forgiven. So if you or someone you know has fallen into the sin of adultery, uh, don't persist, persist in your guilt, shame, sin, and depression. Confess it to the Lord, repent of it, and feel the joy of the upright in heart who decide to trust in and follow the Lord in spirit and in truth. As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink's The Holy Spirit, and, uh, we continue in the 12th chapter, uh, The Spirit of In the Spirit Enlighten— Enlightening. In today's, um, uh, section we're covering manifestations of enlightenment. So if you want to know how, uh, enlightenment, enlightenment, and manifest itself, uh, through the Holy Spirit, go to mtforchrist.org and you'll find that resource at the end of today's blog post. And as always, we encourage a life of Christian discipleship, um, and we recommend our, our discipleship teachings that we do on, uh, we've done on YouTube for Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Freedom in Christ. They're all based on the word of God and, um, the teachings of Dr. Neil Anderson, and we found them personally impactful, and we recommend them to anyone who's seeking to know who you are in Christ and you know, to find your freedom in Christ. We also recommend the study of God's word and a life of Christian discipleship. So, um, we just encourage that. And we offer a Bible study, uh, for you to sit in on, uh, if you want. We do a Bible study with Arthur and Susanna Sincotti every Sunday, and prayerfully we'll be meeting again to do another one. So Not much going on today. I didn't have a lot to say, um, and my, my wife and her and my stepdaughter are in the other room speaking of to each other from Japan, so I'm a little distracted. Um, so I just figured I'd, uh, do a quick one and mail it in. So that's all I got to say about that. So let's pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Uh, Lord, we thank you so much for all that you do, and, um, we just pray for anyone who's listening today that they'd be blessed, that you'd come alongside them in their prayer request, and that you would lead them in the way they should go. Lord, all we want to do is represent you in your kingdom here on earth and to enjoy the life that you have for us, to avoid the sins that can bring us into depression and to to live a life that's good and holy. So, Lord, but we, we need your help with that. And so we just pray for you to, um, to guide us in the way we should go today. Open our eyes to good things around us and help us to appreciate the things you've given us. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Making Too Many Mistakes and The Mercy of God’s Grace and Favor - Purity 1811
