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WEEKLY
Volume 4 Number 17
20 September 2009
A Broken & Contrite
Heart
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the
Worship Service, 2:00 pm, Sep 20, 09)
Text: Ps 51:17
Wickedness, immorality, hypocrisy,
apostasy, crimes, and all kinds of sins and evils are rampant in our
days! Do you and I feel sorry about that? Many justify themselves in
complacency, thinking that they are good because they have not done such
evil things! It is sad that many are just indulging themselves in sin
without a broken or contrite heart before God! It is worse for those who
twist, modify or criticize God’s Word, or for those who worship God in
worldly ways contrary to God’s Word, or for those who reject God’s Truth
and persecute God’s true children, but still assume that they are doing
the right things, even serving God (John 16:2)!
Many think that there must be
performance of miracles, signs and wonders to bring sinners to Christ,
but the truth is not so. Our Lord Jesus confirms, “If they hear not
Moses and the prophets (God’s Word), neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). No miracles,
even the resurrection from the dead, can break a sinful heart and bring
a sinner to repentance. We should not be deceived by the claims of
charismatic leaders, who are boastful of many who have been converted
through their performance of signs and wonders. A sinner who is able to
repent of his sin and return to God with a submissive heart is only by
God’s grace alone, not by signs or wonders.
Sometimes we think that when sinners
suffer severe trials, punishment or judgment, they may repent from their
sins and come back to God, but the truth is not so. When their sins are
exposed or when they suffer God’s judgment, they even show their hatred
and anger without any repentance, “And the rest of the men which were
not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works… Neither
repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their
fornication, nor of their thefts” (Rev 9:20-21). “And blasphemed
the name of God, … and they repented not to give him glory… And
blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and
repented not of their deeds” (Rev 16:9, 11).
God desires all mankind to repent (2
Peter 3:9) and to be saved (1 Tim 2:4), and the Lord Jesus Christ died
for them all, rose again, and is welcoming all to His salvation with His
open arms, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out”
(John 6:37), but human beings with their totally depraved and sinful
nature are not able to change their corrupt mind toward God, self and
sin even though they may see miracles or be punished severely. It is a
great blessing to see our sins and our sinful nature before the holy
God! You and I must thank God for the gracious work of the Holy Spirit
in convicting us of our sins by His holy Word and convincing us of God’s
Truth and His righteous Judgment (John 16:18) so that we may see our
wickedness and come back to God in repentance with a broken and contrite
heart. Then, what does it mean to have a broken and contrite heart?
A Broken and Contrite Heart
King Saul neither saw that he had done
“evil in the sight of the LORD,” nor repented of his sin with a
broken and contrite heart but defended himself when the prophet Samuel
exposed his sins (1 Sam 15:19-23). King David was a born-again believer
and the Holy Spirit was with him, and “David’s heart smote him,
because he had cut off Saul’s skirt” (1 Sam 24:5) and “David’s
heart smote him after that he had numbered the people” (2 Sam
24:10). It is a blessing when the Holy Spirit convicts you and me of our
sins with a remorseful conscience and then come back to God in
repentance. However, David really had a broken and contrite heart when
the prophet Nathan exposed his sins of adultery and murder (2 Sam
12:7-12). Dear friends, we should not wait until committing serious sins
and then have a broken and contrite heart. May the Holy Spirit tune up
our conscience to His holy Word so that our conscience may be sharp and
sensitive to detect sin and all appearance of evil from our hearts and
keep us from serious sins.
Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of
repentance to God, and he experienced that “a broken and a contrite
heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (v 17). “Broken” is from the
Hebrew verb shabar, which means “to break, to break to pieces”
(Gesenius). “Contrite” is from the Hebrew verb dakah, which means
“to break to pieces, to crush” (Gesenius). Then, a broken and
contrite heart is not the same whole heart in one piece as before, but
it was broken, crushed, remorseful, restless and painful, because of:
Acknowledging one’s sin against God:
“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight”
(vv 3-4). Many have admitted their sins as their weakness or
failure, but not as serious sins against God, then how can they have a
broken and contrite heart? May God help you and me acknowledge that our
sin, transgression, unrighteousness, or iniquity is against our holy
God, hurting and offending Himself. Many children fail to honour their
parents because they fail to see that they have failed to honour God and
have sinned against God by breaking His fifth commandment. Many others
failed to see that doubting or criticizing God’s Word is doubting or
criticizing God Himself, so they keep on offending Him without
awareness! When Joseph was tempted to sin, he resisted temptation and
said, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
(Gen 39:9). May God help you and me to have a God-fearing heart so that
we may regard sin as great wickedness against our holy God.
Acknowledging one’s sinful nature:
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive
me” (v 5). Many Christians do not really acknowledge that they have
a very sinful and wicked nature, so they fail to seriously deal with
their hearts but only with their behaviours or deeds. They may pray to
the Lord, “O Lord, forgive my sins and renew my heart,” but not
fervently and seriously deal with it! No wonder, they keep on sinning
and repenting. It is a defeated Christian life, not glorifying the LORD
at all. It is very vital for you and for me to really acknowledge our
sinful nature and wholeheartedly, fervently and seriously deal with it
without any rest, look unto the Lord, and cry to Him in our hopelessness
and helplessness like Paul, “O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom 7:24). Then we shall
experience our victory in Christ personally, “I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord” (v 25).
Remedy for a Broken and Contrite
Heart
Trust in the Lord’s mercy and
salvation:
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according
unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions”
(v 1). Many
acknowledge their sins but trust in themselves and their efforts or good
works to redeem their sins. Many others are like Judas Iscariot, who
committed suicide in his remorse or hopelessness. Except the sin of
blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, there is no sin too big to be
forgiven by the Lord if we repent and come back to Him with a broken and
contrite heart. Why? “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt
not despise” (Ps 51:17), and “I dwell in the high and holy place,
with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the
spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones”
(Isa 57:15) and “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken
heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Ps 34:18), and
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable
year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19). We must thank God for sending His
only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, and rose again to
be our Saviour and Redeemer. Let us trust in Him and His mercy and His
salvation all the time and cry for His mercy and forgiveness right away
even when we have just sinned against Him.
Repent of one’s sin and cry for His
forgiveness and cleansing:
When Nathan exposed David’s sins, he did not defend himself, but
admitted, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam 12:13), and
cried for God’s forgiveness and cleansing, “Wash me throughly from
mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin… Purge me with hyssop,
and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow…
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities” (Ps
51:2, 7, 9). We thank God that “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin… If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:1, 9).
Pray for a new heart and a restored
fellowship:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a
right spirit within
me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy
holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and
uphold me with thy free spirit”
(vv 10-12). Many repent of their sins and cry unto the
Lord for forgiveness due to their fear of punishment in Hell. They do
not care about their fellowship with the LORD! That is why they fail
again and again. Acknowledging our sinful and wicked nature, we have to
cry unto the Lord for a new and pure heart and for a blessed fellowship
with Him with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is His presence in
our hearts that will help us live a victorious life over sin,
worldliness and Satan’s temptations and attacks.
Share God’s salvation to others:
“Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be
converted unto thee” (v 13). Only when we are forgiven and granted a
new heart with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can we appreciate His
love, mercy and presence in our lives and moved by His love to share His
salvation to others, who are still enslaved to sin, worldliness and
Satan. Are we doing that?
Conclusion
Dear friends, we should not wait until
we commit a serious sin and then repent with a broken and contrite heart
as the consequences of sin are always costly, painful and shameful.
Isaiah and Job had a broken and contrite heart when they encountered the
holy God, “Woe is me! for I am undone” (Isa 6:5) and, “I have
heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job
46:5-6). As human heart is sinful, depraved and corrupt, the sooner we
have a broken and contrite heart by His holy presence and His holy Word,
the sooner we humble ourselves in repentance to enjoy a victorious life
in Christ with our grateful, dependent, and submissive heart. May the
Lord be with us and help us experience His marvellous love, forgiveness,
salvation, and victory in Christ so that we may be moved to share His
love and salvation to others until He comes. Amen.
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