02/18/2024: A Renewed Longing For The Grace of God Psalm 51
February 18, 2024

1  Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
2  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3  For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4  Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight— that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.
5  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
6  Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. —Psalms 51:1 - 9

A PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. —Psalms 51:10

11  Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. —Psalms 51:11 - 12

SPIRIT DEFINED: The Greek word for the spirit, pneuma, translates roughly to breath; it is the living essence that connects the body, heart, and mind, and will return to God when a Christian dies.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart— these, O God, You will not despise. —Psalms 51:17

A RENEWED SPIRIT OF THE FEAR AND REVERENCE OF THE LORD

FEAR OF THE LORD DEFINED:
To be in fear, as in awe of, God; to reverence Him as all powerful.

The renewed spirit of fear and reverence of The Lord is wisdom.

The renewed spirit of fear and reverence of The Lord walks in the fullness of The Father.

A RENEWED LONGING FOR THE GRACE OF GOD

GRACE DEFINED: Unmerited love and favor of God.

4  One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.
5  For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
6  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7  Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. —Psalms 27:4 - 7

1 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 
2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds to him.
3  But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him
4  And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5  So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 
6  And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
7  Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 
8  I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!
9  Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.
—2 Samuel 12:1 - 9

14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”
16  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. —John 1:14 - 16

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. —Hebrews 4:16

1. The renewed appreciation for the strength of grace.

11  For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12  teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 
13  looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 
14  who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. —Titus 2:11 - 14

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. —Romans 6:14

1  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
2  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. —Romans 5:1 - 2

Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. —Hebrews 13:9

So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. —Acts 20:32

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. —2 Timothy 2:1

2. A renewed understanding of the purpose of grace.

20  Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 
21  so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord. —Romans 5:20 - 21

Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name. —Romans 1:5

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. —Acts 6:8

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. —1 Peter 4:10

1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 
2  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 
3  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 
4  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. —Romans 6:1 - 4

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, —2 Timothy 1:9

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. —Ephesians 2:8 - 9

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. —Hebrews 4:16