Text:  Psalm 51:1-15

Introduction:   A Christian is not sinless, but he should sin less.  Many say that if they believed in the eternal security of the believer, they would sin all they want to sin.  I do!  In fact, I sin more than I want to.  Like Paul, my flesh (which has not yet been saved) fights against my spirit (which has been saved) and there are times when I stumble.  “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”Romans 7:19)

How does sin effect the life of the Christian?  David committed the sin of adultery.  How did it effect him?

1. It Soils the Soul
“Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”  (vs. 2)
One way a person knows that he is saved is the dirty feeling he has inside after sinning.
The most unhappy people are not those who have never been saved and are living in sin.  They love it.  It is the person who has been saved and falls into sin.  He is convicted by the Holy Spirit and loathes it.

2. It Saturates the Mind
“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.”  (vs. 3)
David could not get his sin off his mind.  When he awoke from sleep and until he went back to sleep, his sin haunted him.
There are two types of wounds to the mind:  (1) Sorrow–this will heal. (2) Guilt–this must be cleansed.

3.It Stings the Conscience
“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight..” (vs. 4)
David knew that his sin was against God.  It was not what sin had done to him, but what sin had done to God.
Some are sorry for the consequence of sin rather than the sin.  They get caught and are sorry.  Would they be repentant if they had not suffered the consequence of their sin?

4. It Saddens the Heart
“Make me to hear joy and gladness…” (vs. 8-a)
There was no joy in his life because of sin.  A good way to determine if you are backslidden is the “Joy Test.”  The Bible instructs us to, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”  (Philippians 4:4)

5. It Sickens the Body
“…that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.”  (vs. 8-b)
David was physically sick.  His body felt “crushed.”
Some members of the Church at Corinth were sickly because of sin in their life.  (1 Cor. 11:30)
The Bible says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”  (Proverbs 17:22)

6. It Sours the Spirit
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (vs. 10)
David had a sour spirit which was reflected when he judged a man who had committed a sin far less than his own.  (2 Samuel 12:1-7)
Jesus said, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”  (Matthew 7:3)
No dish on the table looks good to a man with a sour stomach.

7. It Seals the Lips
“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.  O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.”  (vs. 14-15)
David wanted to “sing praises” and “praise” God again.
A person with sin in his life will not want to sing praises to God; he will not want to publicly  praise or speak of God.

Conclusion:  God forgave David.  He had not lost God’s salvation, but he had lost the joy of it.  “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation...” (vs. 12)
It is reported that when Christianity was in it’s infancy a Roman was converted and the Lord gave him much joy.  This abounding joy attracted many others to Christ.  The leader of Rome feared that he would Christianize all of Rome.  He called his counselors together to discuss how to stop this joyful Christian.
One suggested that they put him into prison.  Another said, “That will never work.  He says that he has, ‘a friend that is closer than a brother.’”
Another suggested that they take all of his material possessions.  This idea was rebuffed when it was mentioned that he said, ‘my treasures are in heaven.’”
The idea of killing him was dismissed because it would make him a martyr and that he said, ‘for me to die is gain.’”
Finally, a counselor said, “All we need to do is get him to sin.  If we can get him to sin, all of his joy will be gone.”  They all agreed that this would work.