Big and Bigger – Encouragement from Psalm 25
Dear Pastor, Preacher, or Bible Teacher –
I hope your weekend was blessed, and there was at least some encouragement in whatever way God gave you to serve Him. Here’s a quick thought from Psalm 25:
For Your name’s sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)
David, the great king and psalmist of Israel, wrote Psalm 25 These brief lines teach those of us who serve God and His people in the ministry of the word some important things.
First, when David asked, “For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great,” we see a strong expression of humility. He expected pardon for God’s sake, not his own. He humbly recognized the greatness of his own iniquity.
As pastors, preachers, and Bible teachers we need to speak of sin. But when we speak of sin and of sinners, it’s not “they,” it’s “us.” We are sinners, just like the people we speak to. It can be said that like David, our sin is great.
– Our sin is great when we consider against Whom it is committed: the God of all glory.
– Our sin is great when we consider that it is against a just and fair law.
– Our sin is great when we consider it is committed by those who are made in the image of God.
– Our sin is great when we consider the amount of our sin.
Second, notice David’s strange (but true) spiritual logic: pardon my iniquity, for it is great. We can only imagine a criminal in a court of law appealing to the judge on this basis. “Your honor, find me not guilty, because my crimes have been many and large.”
David seemed to know the freedom and peace that comes from saying, “Lord, I know that I am a great sinner; but You are an even greater Savior. I humbly submit myself to You and ask you to pardon my iniquity.”
We need to preach the big reality of sin, and the even bigger reality of the God who pardons sin. We need to preach it to ourself before we ever preach it to anyone else.
Blessings to you in Jesus’ Name – David Guzik
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Seeming to Believe
But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” (Acts 8:20-23)
God moved powerfully in the city of Samaria, and one of those touched was a sorcerer named Simon. After proclaiming his belief and being baptized, Simon saw the power of God at work and asked if he could buy the same power.
Peter responded to Simon strongly, saying “Your money perish with you.” Simon was so wrong that he deserved this strong rebuke. Peter’s bold discernment must have been difficult or awkward to watch. Few people today would rebuke what seemed to be a young Christian so strongly. Yet Peter was willing to tell Simon the truth in love, though it was hard for Simon and those standing by to hear it.
Peter also summarized Simon’s sin: You thought the gift of God could be purchased with money! Of course, Simon was wrong to think this. The gifts of God are received freely from Him, by faith. What we receive from God will affect what we do with our money; but we can’t purchase the gifts of God with money.
Peter’s rebuke to Simon leads to an important and interesting question – was Simon a true Christian, genuinely born again?
Simon gave some evidence of conversion – at least to outward observation.
– Simon seemed to believe in the preaching of Philip (Acts 8:13).
– Philip received Simon as some kind of follower (Acts 8:13).
– Simon attended meetings of Christians (Acts 8:18).
For these reasons, Philip saw Simon as a Christian – a follower of Jesus – and baptized him (Acts 8:13). Like us today, Philip could not actually see into Simon’s spiritual heart and know with complete certainty that he was sincere in his faith; but he had demonstrated enough to make his proclamation of faith credible.
Yet, it is possible to take Peter’s statement “You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God” as evidence that Simon was not a true convert with repentance and sincere faith. The case of Simon is a warning that to truly be right with God, it isn’t enough to claim a belief in Jesus and do a few “Christian things.” We must be born again, and the truth of our new life will be seen in our life and seen over time.
This warning is found in 2 Peter 1:10: Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. We aren’t saved by what we do, but the reality of our salvation is seen in how we live. Simon seemed to believe; his life showed otherwise.