Psalm 38:4
“For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.”
In this Psalm, we find David enduring the consequences of sin. Like all of us, he was drawn into something forbidden and chose to trespass, because sin always makes promises it cannot keep. He was, no doubt, hoping to find some level of pleasure by disobeying the law of God. Whatever enjoyment he derived from his sin, was soon eclipsed by the pain and sorrow sin always brings. Here we find David in travail of soul and under severe attack from his enemies. He describes himself as being pierced by arrows of conviction, being under the heavy weight of guilt, and even undergoing attack from others who think that he deserves the sufferings he is facing.
Sadly, David is not alone. This is a common experience for the child of God. We see something forbidden and desire it anyway, soon we find ourselves neck deep in sin and under its heavy hand. The pleasures of sin are quickly replaced with conviction and guilt, and those who we know best, may even keep their distance not knowing how to react toward us.
In those times, we must learn that there is only one place to turn. If we look inward or outward we will be defeated, but if we look upward, we will find that Christ has provided pardon, and we can be forgiven. The Lord will forgive our sins when we confess them, and as time goes on, will even remove the heavy hand of guilt that rests upon us. So often, we become paralyzed when we realize how badly we have messed things up through our failure, instead of allowing the cleansing work of Christ to wash us, and to begin the process of restoring all that we have destroyed.
If you are burdened by sin, be sure to take it to the Lord, who alone can remove its heavy weight and restore what has been lost.
Pastor Jim
Questions for Psalm 38
David describes the effects of un-confessed sin.
- How did sin affect him:
- Physically –
- Socially –
- Consider verse 18, what is the solution?
- Do you have any sin that you need to deal with?
- Take it to the Lord
- Tell a friend who will hold you accountable
A few years ago, I was in northern Ghana with a group of people from our church. Our purpose was to bring the Gospel to remote villages that had yet to be reached for Christ. Just as Paul developed a custom of going first to the synagogue, then to the market squares, we too, had developed our own custom. Because of the practices of their culture, it is customary, when a traveler arrives at their home, to gather the family, offer the traveler a drink and ask “What brings you here and do you have a message for us?” As you can imagine, this provides a wide open door to share Christ.
Guilt is a powerful emotion, and very effective motivator. We can all think of times when we have been “guilted” into doing something we did not want to do. But perhaps the greatest impact guilt has on us, is not what it gets us to do, but what it keeps us from doing. I can only imagine how the guilt must have haunted Joseph’s brothers all those years. I imagine every time something went wrong they must have, at the very least, considered it to be the hand of God coming against them for their sin. Sadly, these guys are not alone. Many Christians live under the heavy weight of their past failures. Whenever they begin to make any forward progress in the Lord, they are held back by the thoughts of a past decision, failure or deed.
The scene in the garden quickly shifts, and we find Eve face to face with great temptation. This text not only explains how sin and death entered the world, but also serves as an illustration of the temptations a believer will face. The first thing to note is how the devil is described, he is called “cunning.” It is important to remember, whenever facing temptation, that every word out of the mouth of the devil is designed to deceive. Jesus called him the father of lies (John 8:44), so we should expect that he will twist the words of God, in order to lead us astray. As their discussion continues, we see three key truths about temptation.
Jim Gallagher 