Sermon 04 Psalm 51.11-12 Fearing The Absence Of God

Well, again, we come to our study through Psalm 51. And at this point in the fourth message, we should hardly need to introduce these words as a whole. They should be reasonably familiar to you now, including the background. These are the spirit-inspired words and essence of that which King David prayed to the Lord following exposure of his adultery with Bathsheba. And we've considered some of the emerging themes that come out of this chapter. We considered first of all God's grace as David pleads for God's mercy. Second, we looked at the importance of confession of sin to God. And then thirdly, last week we looked at this theme of God's restoration of fallen believers. God loves to restore fallen believers. And then this week we come to consider the theme of fearing the absence of God. Fearing the absence of God.

And here in these two verses before us, we have an expression of David's desire that God would not leave him. What we have here is a glimpse into David's deepest fear, and it ought to be our own fear too, that God would abandon David and remove his presence and his salvation from him. Now it's an irrational fear for the true Christian, but it can be one that is truly deep seated in our hearts, that fear of losing God's presence. In fact, such a fear is really one of the marks of all genuine faith. You see, for a believer, like any unsaved person, we can fear many things, but only the believer, only the Christian, has what we can see in David here: a deep concern or desire to remain in God, to be near to God, to know God. These are Christian concerns only.

J. I. Packer wrote a very famous book called "Knowing God." And he says in that book these words: "What makes life worthwhile is having a big enough objective, something which captures our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance. And thus the Christian has in a way that no other person has. For what higher, more exalted and more compelling goal can there be than to know God." And so emerging ever so clearly in these words of Psalm 51 are the words of a true believer's heart being laid open like a book for us to read. Because in it, we see a man who has sinned. Yes. But we see a man who is responding as anyone truly born of God will. They respond with repentance and by expressing a great burden for God to remain and sustain them in faith.

So as a matter of entrance into this text, I want to ask you this morning, what is your greatest fear? People are afraid of a lot of things. One man in an interview I saw online answered the question by saying his biggest fear was to not make it in life, not achieving his goals. A couple of women said that their greatest fear was dying and they didn't like to think about it. Another woman said she was afraid of moths. Another woman said snakes in Australia, and another said deep water that I can't see the bottom of. What are you afraid of? What is your biggest fear?

David's worst fear is here in the text. Is that fear ours as well? He says in verse 11: "Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me." David's greatest fear, brothers and sisters, is to be without the presence of God. I wonder if that came to the forefront of your mind when I asked the question. Was it something similar? Was it fear of a Christless life and a Christless eternity? You see, to fear the absence of Christ along with David is the essence of true spirituality and all true religion. I do not want to live a day without Jesus. Give me every trial, every degree of suffering. Give me every man as an enemy, but oh God, do not take Christ from me. For he is enough to sustain me through it all, safe to Canaan's side.

See, to possess this kind of spirituality is not something that we can have by simply filling our minds with facts about God. David had plenty of that, but that's not what drives him towards God. Many a PhD professor of Bible knows only Christ as an academic subject, not a person to be adored or loved. So knowing about God and knowing God are two very different things. For example, you can know about the gospel; things about Jesus; where he was born; where he was raised; when he died. You might know that he died on a cross. You might know about the witnesses to the resurrection and so on. But to know about the cross and to know the cross are two very different things; as different as night from day. When you really know Jesus, he is real to you. He is someone without whom your life would not be worth living.

And so David says here: "Do not cast me away, Lord." And he says this as one who knows God and who desires God. Now of course, he knows what is in fact deserved. He deserves for God to cast him out. Out of where? Out of the throne that has been given to him. Out of the kingdom that he was set over. Out of the land that he inherited and out into outer darkness away from God; for that is what David has earned. And so this is David's worst fear of all: to be cast out from God's presence.

So he says in verse 12: "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit." He says, make me to know you, God, and to know your salvation again. I want to feel my heart in my chest crying out to you more and more. Father, do not leave me. Oh, for a church, oh for Christians with desires such as this. We would turn the country upside down.

Many might be quick, you see, to fall in personal judgment upon David for his sin with Bathsheba and the connected sins; quick to think themselves above it; quick to think that if they were men over kingdoms with nothing that they cannot take for themselves with a single decree, that they would not fall, but they would remain upright and pure and noble and honourable. Oh, we do not even know ourselves. We would fall. We are all David, and we prove ourselves in varied ways with every passing day. We fall short of the glory of God. What would you do for the presence of God to remain with you? How important is God to you?

Think back to Moses as he interceded on behalf of the nation. In Exodus 33:15, to the Lord he cried: "If your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here." In other words, Moses is saying, what's the point of anything? What's the point of even entering that land of promise, of even life itself, no matter how outwardly glorious and abundant it might be? How much worth is all of that if we do not have the presence of God? It's all worth nothing. None of it compares in value to men and women knowing their God.

And to continue, I want to consider the nature of David's statement here. He asks that God would not take his Holy Spirit from him. What exactly does David mean by "Do not take your Holy Spirit from me"? This has naturally become a significant point of debate in biblical theology and scholarship. Why? Because it raises the question of whether David's worst fear is a real possibility for him or for any of us. It is a question of whether a person who is truly converted through faith in Christ can at some point fall away from Christ. It is a question of whether we can lose our salvation in Christ. It is the question of the perseverance of the saints, so called as the doctrine. If we have the Spirit of God to believe, can we at some point lose the indwelling spirit? And if we can lose the spirit, then how can we hope in Christ if, like David, tomorrow we might grievously fall into sin and then not be restored?

Well, the answer the Bible states in no uncertain terms is that perseverance in faith is necessary for one to be saved. Yet it also clearly teaches that all true converts to Christ, all of God's people, will without fail persevere to the end; and that by the immutable work of God shall not fail to protect that salvation he has bestowed upon his people. Where there is true salvation, there is always and only salvation. Romans 8:16 says: "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God." Now what a comfort that is to know, eternal security in the arms of Christ. When we, like David, are faithless, God is faithful. Second Timothy 2:13. But the question must still be asked. If this is so, what is David signifying here? Why is he saying "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me"? Does he mean he believes he can actually lose his salvation because of sin? And if so, what is to stop me from thinking that I too shall fall into mortal sin and God would withdraw himself from me? Could my worst fear become a reality?

Well, I want you to note with me first of all here that some commentators have said what David refers to is not a reference to salvific loss of the spirit as we might presume, but rather that God not remove his spirit of anointing for the office of kingship. For instance, if you think back to David's anointing as a youth, we read in one Samuel 16: "Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward, and Samuel arose and went to Ramah. Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul." So is this what is meant? The spirit of God departed Saul and instead came upon David, the one who would rule over God's people, as a spirit of anointing for kingship in Israel. Well, that argument can be made and it is a strong one. However, in my estimation, I put to you that I tend to think the immediate context of Psalm 51 is a better guide for interpretation here.

I think what David is expressing is something of a rhetorical device, highlighting the extent of his soul's burden. So by stating something in the negative sense that God would not depart from him, it is a double emphasised way of pleading that he desires reconciliation and restoration of blessing through forgiveness. The text tells us nothing of whether he believes it's possible to lose his salvation. All it tells us is that David cares most about God's presence in his life.

Now, while that may satisfy the question of what David means here by "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me," the question in general still remains. So I want to take a little bit of time here with what we have left to consider the question of how we can face seasons in our life where we might be prone to think that God has given up on us and there is no longer forgiveness of sins. How are we to go through those situations in our life?

Many Christians, you see, will go through times where they wonder whether they shall persevere to the end, or they think they might fall short of grace. They begin to cry out: "Take not your spirit, Lord," and they begin to suffer and think that's exactly what God is doing; slowly departing from them and showing more and more disfavour. We don't want to live like that, Christian. You see, these questions plague the consciences of many believers, and I want to address that now. So let's look at three ways that we might become despondent and doubt our conversion and security, and see what the Scripture would have for us in those situations.

First of all, one reason may well be the presence of sin in our lives. Sin has the side effect in the true Christian's life to make us feel like there is now a vacuum in our souls where God is not with us. The unbeliever does not have that. They do not feel what the Christian feels when they sin. God creates this vacuum in our souls so that we might see the disappointment and dissatisfaction of living in disobedience. So we feel this separateness from him. Satan always sells sin as the true way to freedom, but God's people know it only brings ruin. Yet when we sin or do something against God that we know is wrong, even mature and wise Christians can lack assurance of faith. They start to think God would never have anything to do with them. They would say: "What sort of worm am I that God could save me?" So they begin on the works treadmill trying to do things to clean themselves up to bring them to God, not realising that it's all about him, his grace.

So what do we know here then? Well, it is not without God's design that we feel distance from him when we sin. The thought to dwell on is not that God is closing the door on you, but that he is beckoning you to come away from your sin, from your disobedience; to come back to him for forgiveness. We must become like David in Psalm 51, immediately when we sin: "Oh God, be merciful to me." We must not hold back anything from confessing. We must repent of our own wilful neglect of God and our disobedience.

But secondly, another way we might think God is departing from us is through suffering, ordinary life, or extraordinary trials. We never quite know what's around the corner, do we? And sometimes our lives just get turned upside down, and we get really disoriented and we don't know what's happening. People that we thought were on our side and were our friends turn their back against us. Fractures open up in friendships. Churches have tensions within them. People's health disintegrates. All of these things can introduce doubts about God's love towards us.

Perhaps it's even our own personalities that contribute to our lack of assurance of faith. For some people, even though the cup is three quarters full, they're always thinking about that empty one quarter. Always got a negative spin on things, and by very nature and personality, they are prone to discouragement in faith. They have spiritual depression, lacking joy in the Lord; the very joy that David is praying would return to him here.

Another reason people can lose assurance is through comparison to others. You look at some really bright Christians, as I do in my own life, and you see how they're charging ahead for Christ. Now, perhaps you had godly parents growing up. You had faithful parents who taught you the word, who prayed for you, and they just left such an impression upon you. You feel like you're always never measuring up. You're spiritually lethargic compared to them. And all of a sudden, before you know it, by looking at others, you become spiritually insecure, and you doubt whether you're truly saved because you don't look like those people that you think are truly Christians.

Friends, in such times, we need to focus our minds on the unchanging nature of God and the perfections of Christ. See, God is not like you. He's not up and down with the mood swings that we go through; not the highs and the lows. Nor is he time-bound or knowledge-lacking of tomorrow, like we are. So don't let your mind drift from God who is all powerful, all good, and unchanging in his graces towards those who love him and fear his name. Trials and suffering as a Christian come with the territory. Ordinarily, they are not a sign of displeasure, but are his kind yet equally mysterious providence, shaping you more and more to the likeness of Christ, which means dependence upon God through adversity.

Thirdly, and what we'll focus on for the remainder of our time, there is another way that Christians lose their security in Christ, and it is through a misunderstanding of the gospel. You see, many believers do not have a robust or clear understanding of the gospel itself. They do not understand the depths of this message of Christ in my place; the promise of eternal life. I'll break down this point into two Rs for you.

Firstly, believers may simply misunderstand the grand plan behind God's work of redemption as a whole. I do not truly understand the purposes of God as revealed in the gospel; a work that God has planned in eternity past by his own decree and counsel. And even when we understand it, at a bare minimum, it fills us with assurance. So they fail to see that Jesus is the good shepherd who has come for them as a love gift from the Father and as a saviour from eternity past. So in your doubting of persevering with Christ, you must ask: Can the sovereign God who made me also lose me? Is he who is so mighty to put the oceans in their place not able to keep my soul as he has promised?

You see, many genuine believers fail to understand that their salvation did not come about by any smarts in them, or any high IQ moment, or cleverness, but by the sovereign election of God, who tells us in his word he has foreordained his bride for himself. That's why Paul says in the passage we read earlier that the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God unto salvation. Such is the mystery of our salvation.

John puts it this way in his gospel. He says in John 1:12: "But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name," saying that the believer is one who was born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Paul says in Ephesians 1:4: "Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy and blameless before him." Peter tells us in one Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you might proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."

You're seeing the theme here: your salvation is a work of God. Jesus himself said in John 6:39: "This is the will of him who sent me, that all that he has given me, I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day." So when we become despondent and we think we're not going to persevere with Christ, maybe we have this spiritual depression, like David, come over us. You must take time to mature in the gospel and realise the divine origins of faith, and see that he will keep and hold his own, and rest in that assurance. Know that you have been loved by a personal Creator so infinite, so powerful, that his word cannot fail you. And all his children shall be gathered to him as trophies of grace. Paul says in Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And that faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Understand the grandness of the redemption that God is working, and find assurance in that.

A second R is that often a misunderstanding of regeneration is responsible for believers thinking they might fall away from grace. What is regeneration? Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit to spiritually rebirth the sinner. It's regeneration; it is what awakens the spiritually dead sinner to spiritual life. Regeneration is God's action upon the human soul to say: "Awake, oh sinner." Regeneration even precedes faith and belief itself. Regeneration is the means by which suddenly Christ makes sense to sinners. What was foolish now becomes all they can think about. And suddenly the gospel is true. Suddenly it is Christ who died for them. And none of this is possible without regeneration.

Jesus said in John 3:6: "That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the spirit." Regeneration is at work to grant spiritual sight and insight to comprehend Christ. It is to summon the unregenerate, fallen and lost sinners without light or understanding, following after the flesh, hostile to God, dead in trespasses and sins; it is to summon them and call them out.

As one Peter 1:3 says: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again. It's God's work to be born again, not our own. Born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

Now, why this matters is that people who think they can lose their salvation do not understand the work of the spirit and regeneration. Peter says in one Peter 1:23: "For you have been born again, not of a seed which is perishable, but imperishable. He's planted his spirit in your soul. He's given life. He's taken your heart of stone and given you a heart of flesh, which is alive to God. It's not something that he takes away. It's something that is yours. He has contracted a union which shall never be broken. A marriage that shall never be divorced. It's incorruptible," says Peter.

And it's not as if Paul was lying when he wrote in two Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away; they're gone, no longer to return. Behold, new things have come." God does his work fully. His salvation is complete. He does not fail. All his children who are born of him will persevere with him because of that incorruptible seed of the Spirit's regeneration.

Now, of course, there are many who live the lie of the Christian life; who are like Judas, near to Christ but not knowing Christ; and have a false faith. The Lord Jesus says: "Did I not choose the twelve? Yet one of you will deceive me," speaking of Judas; "Betray me, rather." You see, they're not born of God. They do not long after the things of the kingdom and of righteousness, but are self-deceived.

And what we must do, Christian, with these truths is this. When you're prone to despair over your salvation, you must look away from yourself, and you must look to Christ, the author and perfecter of faith. Look to Christ alone. Do not follow the whims of your flesh, which will try to tell you God could not love you. You must look to that finished work of Christ on the cross and his redemption, and hear him say: "It is finished," with your name; with your name, if you have believed upon him. See him there, the one who has called you with an everlasting calling, who says to his children: "I will not let you go." And you can search your hearts for the fruits of salvation within. Do you have a love for Jesus? Do you have a love for his church? Do you desire holiness of life? Do you desire to live pleasing to Christ? Do you desire righteousness? All these are fruits of the spirit; yet be careful of fruit finding. You must always land upon Christ. It's all based on his finished work. There's great freedom of conscience when we look away from ourselves; when we see it all depends on what Jesus has done, and what Jesus promises all who believe in his name. Did he not promise us eternal life? Will Christ retract his promise to the one who believes upon him? May it never be. Eternal life and eternal life now. This is what Jesus promises, and all the credit, the glory, belongs to him. He is the Son of God who has loved us, and he loves us with an everlasting love. We are secure, Christian, in him. Let's pray.