THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

XXXVIII. Valuing And Responding To True Guilt

(Psalm 38:1-22)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

Many people today lack a sense of guilt for even obvious wrongs that they do:

(1) “The University of Connecticut . . . touted a grant for a . . . study” by political-science professor Evan Perkoski “of right-wing violence in the United States. The grant, exceeding half a million dollars, comes from” the “Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence.” (“Academia distorts political violence,” Republican-American, August 30, 2022, p. 6A) “Mr. Perkoski told UConn Today” that “‘(i)t’s the extremists who are using and threatening violence to get what they want . . . It’s white supremacists . . . who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Groups in other ideological categories simply don’t pose the same threat today.’”

Yet, leftists were behind “the assassination attempt against U. S. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh” and the “hundreds of riots” that “took place across the United States” after the death of George Floyd that killed “at least 25 people, injuring thousands of police officers and causing an estimated $2 billion in property damage.” (Ibid.)

(2) Megan McCardle’s piece, “Truth-seeking and activism don’t mix” (Ibid.) reported that in the COVID-19 pandemic, “public health experts . . . repeatedly” said “that, yes, they really were trying to manipulate the public and often in service of the profession’s broadly left-wing commitments” by “suggesting that anti-racism protests somehow had a different risk profile from other kinds of public gatherings” so that protesters didn’t have to obey CDC health rules. “When people started ignoring them, those same experts complained . . . joined . . . by . . . journalists and academics, none of whom seemed to recognize that this was the inevitable price of the path they had chosen,” Ibid.

(3) Billionaire George Soros who gives to “hundreds of left-wing groups” (Dan Gainor, “George Soros, Godfather of the Left Gives $550 Million to Liberal Causes,” May 7, 2015; foxnews.com), in his own words went with a Nazi officer when he afflicted Jews in World War II: “In an April 15, 1993 interview on the PBS television show Adam Smith’s Money World, Soros explained that Baumbach’s ‘job was to take over Jewish properties, so I actually went with him and we took possession of these large estates’ . . . Connie Buck, who interviewed Soros for The New Yorker in 1995, wrote that, ‘he posed as the son of a Hungarian government official, sometimes accompanying the official as he delivered deportation notices to Jews, or took possession of property owned by them.’” (Richard Poe, “Soros and the Nazis: The Whole Truth, In His Own Words,” August 2, 2006; richardpoe.com) Yet, in a December 20, 1996, 60 Minutes TV program when interviewer Steve Kroft asked George Soros if he felt guilt over his part in these events, after haltingly trying to explain his past, Soros said, “‘So I had no sense of guilt.’” (Ibid., Poe; “SHOCKING: George Soros admits Nazi collaboration with no regrets – You Tube,” m.youtube.com)

(4) Now, “Heather Hurlburt,” an “executive” in the “George Soros-funded New America” organization claims “that they ‘rent’ evangelicals as part of their model for pushing social policies.” (Brannon S. Howse, Marxianity, 2018, p. 243-244), and we have since learned that “many mainstream evangelicals, pastors, and so-called Christian organizations are tied to other organizations that receive funding from godless, progressive, globalist, and anti-Christian foundations” like those funded by George Soros who went with a Nazi when he afflicted Jews in World War II, all to push godless policies! (Ibid., p. 242) The unholiness in all this is huge, but where is the sense of guilt?

Need: So, we ask, “With the lack of guilt that many have for the clear wrongs that they do, what should we do?!”

I. As we learned from Psalm 36:1-2, very wicked people lack a sense of guilt over their sins because they have flattered themselves to the point that they are not aware of their sins so as to depart from them.

II. However, as in David’s case, God counters self-flattery in believers by disciplining them to expose their sins to themselves that they might address their sins for renewed fellowship with the Lord and blessing:

A. In His covenant with David, God had promised to discipline David and the kings in his line for their sins by letting their foes afflict them that these kings might repent of their sins for God to bless them, 2 Sam. 7:14-15.

B. Accordingly, Psalm 38:1-22 reports on David’s response to God’s application of this promise (as follows):

1. In Psalm 38:1-10, David described his suffering due to God’s discipline for his sin:

a. David testified that God’s conviction of sin and punishment was very painful, Psalm 38:1-2.

b. That discipline negatively impacted David’s physical health and mental wellbeing, Psalm 38:3-5, 6-10.

2. In Psalm 38:11-14, David told how his relationships were adversely affected by that discipline:

a. David had become alienated from his friends and neighbors due to God’s discipline, Psalm 38:11.

b. His enemies were plotting his ruin and setting their traps to defeat him, Psalm 38:12.

c. Within himself, David lacked any motivation to defend himself due to God’s discipline, Psalm 38:13-14.

3. In Psalm 38:15-22, David confessed his sin to the Lord for restoration from his troubled state:

a. He acknowledged that he was in dire trouble and needed the Lord to deliver him, Psalm 38:15-17.

b. David then candidly confessed his sin unto the Lord for God’s forgiveness, Psalm 38:18.

c. At Psalm 38:19-20, David again told the Lord of his enemies who hated and mistreated him without just cause, who even repaid him with evil for the good that he had done unto them.

d. Finally, David gave a closing call unto the Lord for His deliverance from these trials, Psalm 38:21-22.

III. David’s experience is similar to those of us who believe in Christ today, for Hebrews 12:6-10 teaches that we whom the Lord loves as true believers He chastens that we might be partakers of His holiness.

Lesson: Though very wicked people flatter themselves to where they sense no guilt for their sins and fail to depart from them, God lets believers suffer painful mistreatment from their wicked foes to drive believers to sense guilt for their sins that they might confess them to be restored to God’s holiness and blessing.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) If we are negatively impacted in our physical and mental health, if we face relationship alienation even from former friends and face a lack of motivation before our foes who unjustly trouble us, we should examine ourselves to see if God is using such trials as discipline for sin that we might confess it for restoration and blessing.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and provide additional guidance . . .)

We apply the sermon lesson to the issues of concern noted in our introduction for our edification (as follows):

(1) If we are astonished at the half-million dollar grant by the Department of Homeland Security to University of Connecticut political-science professor Evan Perkoski to study right-wing violence in the United States, a professor who claims that left-wing violence is not a threat today, if we are troubled at the obvious deceitful efforts by public health officials who tried to manipulate the public by lying in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, if we are troubled over the lack of guilt that billionaire George Soros who financially supports leftists has expressed for his admitted association with a Nazi officer to deliver deportation notices to Jews and take possession of Jewish estates, and if we are stunned that many evangelical leaders and organizations today receive funding from godless, globalist, and anti-Christian foundations funded by people like George Soros who went with a Nazi officer as he afflicted Jews in World War II, (a) we must recall that those who do such evils have been desensitized to them by self-flattery (Psalm 36:1-2), and are destined for God’s punishment unless they repent. (b) We must also realize that our revulsion at such sins show that God is working in us to lead us to partake of His “holiness,” His separation from sin, for blessing.

(2) On the other hand, if we experience the negative symptoms described in Psalm 38 where our physical and mental health has been hurt, where we face relationship trials with enemies and even alienation from former friends, and if we suffer a helpless lack of motivation while our foes unjustly harass us, we need to check Scripture to see if the Lord is using these experiences to highlight our sins that we might confess them and be restored to His blessing!

(3) If in checking Scripture we discover that we have indeed sinned so that we confess our sin to God, we need to thank the Lord for His discipline, realizing that it was administered in grace that we might partake of God’s holiness, His separation from sin, that He might bless us!

(4) If we see other professing Christians suffer God’s discipline for sin, may we do what Solomon did in Proverbs 24:30-34 – learn from the painful trials of others to avoid their failure ourselves! God-revering people must not think that they are immune to committing those same sins themselves, 1 Corinthians 10:12.

(5) Also, if we see other believers suffer God’s discipline for sin, may we do our part as God leads us to restore them to fellowship with the Lord in meekness, considering ourselves lest we also be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

(6) Since self-flattery leads wicked people to become desensitized to guilt their sins, resulting in their severe punishment by the Lord, we must watch out for the temptation ever to become proud! Humility causes one to be upheld in honor where pride brings him low (Proverbs 29:23), and humility that keeps one identifying with the lowly provides a more wholesome life than identifying with the proud who conquer others and divide the spoil (Proverbs 16:19), for pride precedes a fall into destruction. (Proverbs 16:18)

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. May we apply Psalm 38 for God’s blessing, may we do our part to avoid sinning, and may we help fellow believers who have succumbed to sin be restored to God’s fellowship and blessing.