WHEN YOUR SIN IS EXPOSED

[SW369] 3/10/2019 message notes by 

Pastor Susan J. Wynn ©2019

“When Your Sin Is Exposed”

Text: Psalm 51:10-17

King David knew he had sinned, but he tried to cover it up. It wasn’t until his sin was exposed by the Lord, through His prophet, Nathan, that David saw that he had sinned against the Lord Himself.

His response to the Lord’s rebuke should be yours today, O believer, just as it was for me, when the Lord exposed my sin through my Nathan’s question. Pastor David “Doc” Uber exposed my sin. 

But where are the Nathans in today’s church, through whom the Lord will expose your sin, who will say, “You are the one?” O Lord, have mercy! Send Nathans!

I will briefly relate the account of David’s sin. He sent for Bathsheba, whom he had seen bathing on the roof of her home. But she was married to Uriah, who was a leader in David’s army and was battling against Ammon. 

Nevertheless, David had relations with her. Then she went back to her home (2Samuel 11:2-4).

Bathsheba became pregnant by David. But instead of repenting before the Lord and telling the truth to Uriah, David sent for Uriah and urged him to go and be with Bathsheba. When Uriah did not go to his wife, David got him drunk. Again, Uriah did not go to his wife. He told King David that the ark was in a temporary shelter, as was the army of Judah, so how could he go to his wife at such a time (see 2Samuel 11:5-13)? 

David’s plan for covering up his sin with Bathsheba was that if Uriah had relations with his wife, he would believe the child was his own, and no one would know the difference except Bathsheba and David. But twice, his attempts failed.

David knew he had sinned! That is why he attempted to deceive Uriah and cover up what he had done. Sin always leads to deceit, but the Lord will ensure that your deception fails.

The heart is deceitful above all things. Who can know it? The Lord knows it (see Jeremiah 17:9-10)! Nothing is hidden from the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13).

 It was very good that the Lord knew David’s heart, and very good that He knows yours, for it is life to you, if you repent. I will show it to you.

Finally, David sent Uriah back into the battlefield. He ordered Joab, his commander, to place Uriah on the front line, and then withdraw from him so that he would be struck down and die. 

And Uriah died in battle (2Samuel 11:17). By arranging for Uriah’s death, David further sinned, committing murder. One sin always multiplies into many, when you try to cover it up.

Bathsheba mourned for her husband for a period of time. Then David took Bathsheba as his wife, and their child was born. 

What David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord (2Samuel 11:27). So the Lord sent Nathan to him, to expose David’s sin (2Samuel 12:1). 

Nathan had no way of knowing that David sinned with Bathsheba. Nathan was not there when David ordered Uriah to be sent to the front, so he would be killed. But the Lord knew David’s sin, and Nathan heard from the Lord!

So Nathan spoke a parable to David, a story of a man’s ewe lamb being taken from him by another man. David said, “This man deserves to die!” (2Samuel 12:5). Nathan responded —

2Samuel 12:7   Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul.’”

2Samuel 12:9 ‘Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.”

David’s sin was exposed by the LORD, through Nathan. Then David saw that he had sinned against the LORD Himself —

2Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.”

But the Lord said, through Nathan, that the child, who was just a few months old would die. The child became ill, and David asked the Lord to spare the child, but the child died and went to the Lord.

So, the Lord showed me these things —

#1 — David was a believer and followed the Lord faithfully, until he lusted after Bathsheba. It is just as the Spirit-inspired James writes, describing how the sin nature operates.  —

James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵ Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Your own lust — a product of the sin nature you were born with — entices you to sin. And your sin leads to death. 

But there is a cure! Jesus Christ has come not only to save, but to change human hearts! Keep listening.

#2 — The result of David’s lust led to further sin — deceit, and then murder. Sin always leads to further sin.

#3 — David knew he had sinned, but only when Nathan exposed David’s sin did David see that his sin was not just against Bathsheba, and not just against Uriah, but against the Lord Himself. O believer, it is true for you! When you sin, You do not just sin against people (Matthew 18:15), but against the Lord Himself.

When David’s sin was exposed by Nathan, and he saw that he had sinned against the Lord Himself, what did he do? He cried out for a new heart and a new spirit! 

What is the cure? You must cry out for a new heart and a new spirit, when the rare Nathans of today’s church speak the Lord’s rebuke to you. But your cry will differ from Davids’ because the Lord has given the Holy Spirit in a new way. So I will add what Christ has done for believers today.

Psalm 51:10-17

Verse 10 — 

David cried, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me! My heart is not pure. I cannot make my heart pure. You must do it, God! 

Make a new, upright spirit within me! I am not upright, I am not right before You. Only you can make me righteous!

You have promised that you will purify my heart when you fill me with Your Holy Spirit (Acts 15:9). Then I will have Your Holy Spirit in me permanently, and be filled with Your righteousness. Fill me, Lord!

Verse 11 —

Do not cast me away fromYour presence! Lord, you have been with me and have come upon me many times. I love to be in your presence, and to have Your Holy Spirit come upon me. 

But ever since I sinned, You have withdrawn from me. You do not remain where sin is. Crucify my sin nature (Galatians 2:24), so I no longer lust and no longer sin against you. O Lord, set me free from slavery to sin (John 8:31-36)!

Verse 12 — 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation! I used to rejoice, but since I have sinned against You, and You have withdrawn, I have no joy. Sustain me with (establish in me) a willing spirit — a heart that does Your will.

Fill me with your Holy Spirit, and Your joy will fill me, just as you promise —

John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you (literally, My joy is in you), and that your joy may be made full.”

Fill me with your Holy Spirit, so I always do Your will —

Psalms 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”

Verse 13 —

As long as I am sinning against You, I cannot teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will not be converted (turned back) to You. They will look at the way I live and mock You and me, and will not heed my words. 

My sin keeps me from being Your witness here (Acts 1:8). Fill me with Your Spirit so I am Your witness here (Acts 1:8)!

Verses 14-15 —

O God, the God of my salvation, Deliver me from my bloodguiltiness, for I am responsible for the murder of Uriah. Deliver me from this sin that I have sinned against You! Deliver me from my sin nature, with its lusts and desires, and replace it with Your divine nature (2Peter 1:4)! 

Then I will sing of Your righteousness. I will sing of Your salvation for those who repent and ask You to change their hearts! 

O Lord, when You fill me with Your Holy Spirit, my lips will open, and my mouth will declare Your praise! I will not be able to stop speaking about what I have seen and heard (Acts 4:20)!

Verses 16-17 —

Lord, you do not delight in outward sacrifice (as with animals sacrificed on an altar), otherwise, I would give it. You are not pleased with animals offered as burnt offerings. These are only outward acts of repentance. 

But the sacrifices of You, O God, are a broken (shattered) spirit. My spirit is shattered because I now understand that I have sinned against You! A broken (shattered) and contrite (crushed, crouching, humble) heart, O God, You will not despise (scorn). You will respond to those who are humble and shattered of heart. 

You command me to offer myself as a living sacrifice. That is the sacrifice which is holy and pleasing to You (see Romans 12:1). You want me to die to self, to my sin nature, so You live in me (Galatians 2:20)! Then I will no longer sin against You.

As I said in the beginning, Pastor Doc exposed my sin to me. How? He first asked, “Are you right with the Lord?” There was no answer when I prayed and asked the Lord. 

Then he asked,  “Do you have any unforgiveness in your heart?” That was my sin! I had buried it deeply, but the Holy Spirit put his finger right on it! That was why there was no answer when I had prayed, “Lord, am I right with You?”

And I saw that my sin separated me from the Lord. So I prayed that night, saying, “Lord, I see that I have unforgiveness in my heart. Take it, Lord, because I want to know You as much as a human can possibly know You, and my sin stands in the way. Immediately, I felt the weight of it leave my shoulders. I knew He had forgiven me.

Beloved, when you sin, you know you have done it. You see it. The Lord has sent me to say, “You are the one!” 

Repent and ask the Lord to forgive you and change your heart. There are so few Nathans in today’s church! Few will come to you with this word from the Lord — YOU ARE SINNING AGAINST THE LORD! But it is the only way you can be forgiven and cleansed.

Cry out to Him, as I have shown you. He will surely answer, and give you a pure, new heart that is filled with His Holy Spirit, a heart that no longer willfully disobeys Him! Obey Jesus Christ’s command to stay and wait for the promise of the Father (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5)! 

Lord, this word is for all believers who have sinned and are trying to cover it up. May they see that they are not right with you because of their sin. May they see that they sin not only against others, but against You Yourself. May they repent, and ask You to give them new hearts! So be it, I pray! Amen.