The Pure Heart Prayer [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. You're washed. You're made blameless.

You're made whiter than snow. You can rejoice, and you have a new heart. You have a new desire. You're filled with the Holy Spirit, and you're empowered by the Gospel to proclaim the goodness of God. That's Pastor Alan Wright.

Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series called Praying, as presented at Rinaldo Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It's an audio album of Pastor Alan's teaching series, The Body You've Always Wanted.

It's available to you in physical CD, album, or a digital download. Your choice. And it can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries. As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org. Or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. But right now, let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Alan Wright. What David is acknowledging here is the deepest, deepest theology. And that is God is holy and just and righteous. And our sin, whatever it might be, in the smallest way or the biggest way, is not really so much against someone else or even against ourselves, but ultimately it is against the very righteousness of God, our Creator. And what he's saying when he says, my sin's ever before me, is he's saying that I recognize that I was born in a condition of sin.

Not that there was a sinful act that conceived me, but that my parents, like their parents, like their parents, all the way back to Adam and Eve, were born into a world of sin, into a condition of sin. And to say my sin is ever before me is to say essentially what John Calvin taught. And that was that you look out, without Christ, you look out into the world as if through sin-tainted spectacles. So everything that you see, you see it through the lens of your own sin. And unless something happens and you get a new set of glasses, that's the way you see things. You see it through your own selfishness. You see it through your own limited perspective and all the deceptions that you carry with you. And David's acknowledging all of that.

He says, this is my problem. And when he acknowledges that God is justified in punishing, he is acknowledging that because his sin is against God, that he deserves the ultimate punishment. People often wonder, well, why would even our small offenses, would it be justifiable for God to punish us and separate us for all eternity from him?

Why would that be? Well, someone once put it this way. The same offensive act changes in the nature of its severity, depending on the context and who it is that is the offended party.

Think of it this way. A little boy pushes his sister so his mother chastises him. Then let's say that little boy gets a little older. He goes to school and he pushes a girl on the playground and the teacher takes him to the principal's office. If he gets a little older and has that same rebellious spirit and he pushes his teacher, he gets expelled from school. If he gets a little older and while on the street pushes a police officer, he goes to jail.

But if one day he gets out, climbs the fence at the White House, rushes up and pushes the President of the United States, he gets shot. Same act, but the nature of the consequence has changed. We have a holy God. David recognizes this and he is acknowledging. What he is saying is I recognize my sin and I recognize I deserve to be punished. And then, so verse five, I was brought forth in iniquity.

He was born in sin, he says. And verse six, you delight in truth in the inward being and teach me wisdom in the secret heart. So now his prayer begins to change because he is acknowledging that God is not the author of confusion, he's not the author of sin, he's not the author of evil, and he doesn't want David or any of his children to walk about in the darkness. But instead, he by his Spirit shares revelation. He's talking now about light. He's talking about the very light that Jesus will soon talk about and say, I'm the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will not stumble about in the darkness. Verse seven, purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. The purging with hyssop. Hyssop is used in the ceremonial acts.

Hyssop was what was used when the Hebrew patriarchs dipped into a basin of lamb's blood and painted it over their doors on the evening of Passover. He's saying, if you would do for me what is only possible for you to do, you do this purging, you cleanse me, and I will have not only my guilt removed but I'll have the stains removed so I'll be whiter than snow. See, what we need is not just to know that we're forgiven so God won't punish us. We need more than that.

We need our shame to lift so we don't walk about under a heavy weight of condemnation. I guess it's my favorite joke. I have to tell at least once a year about the man. He goes into the pet store. He walks by the parrot at the front and the parrot goes, hey you. The man said, what? He said, you're a fat and your wife's ugly. What? You're a fat, your wife's ugly.

What? He walked around the store for a while, walked back up near the parrot and again the parrot said, you're a fat, your wife's ugly. He couldn't believe it. He went back to the pet store owner and he said, I cannot believe it. You've got a bird up there who's insulting me every time I go by. I mean, this is unbelievable.

I can't believe this. And the pet store owner said, I can't believe he's doing that again. He said, I'm going to go up there and I'm going to take care of this. So the pet store goes up there and gets the bird, grabs him by the scruff of the neck, shakes him around a little bit, says, if you insult that customer one more time, I'm going to come up here. I'm going to ring your neck. He throws him back into the cage, goes over to the man and said, he's not going to bother you anymore.

So the man buys what he needs as he's walking out of the store. The bird goes, and I said, what? And the bird said, you know what? You know what? I'm just telling you, that's what all the powers of hell want us to live with.

You know what? Every single one of us in this room, if there were to be a voice that could come and announce some horrible thing about us, we would be horrified for anybody to know about it. That, that is what God wants you to be free from.

And this is what David is asking. Purge me with hyssop and I will be whiter than snow. I don't just want to know that you've forgiven me. I want that voice in my head, that stain on my consciousness.

I want it gone. It's what the writer of Hebrews means when he says there is a cleansing of the conscience through the blood of Jesus. You cannot live out your destiny to your fullness until you let the blood of Jesus cleanse your conscience. That you have no impediment to being in the presence of God.

And you have no sense of self disqualification based on anything that you've done in your life. This is what the radical thing is that David's asking God for. Cleanse me and I'll be whiter than snow. And then it shifts at verse 8.

It gets even better. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones that you've broken rejoice.

The depth of remorse that he felt was like the crushing of his bones. But he's saying let me instead of hearing the voice of condemnation begin to hear the voice of joy and gladness. He's asking for joy. I want joy.

I need joy. And then he says in verse 9, hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart oh God. He says hide your face from my sin. He's saying I want it to be that when you look at me you don't see my sin.

That's Alan Wright and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. If you think heaven is a misty place where you float around on clouds and pluck angelic harps, you're in for the surprise of your life. Our special product this month is all about the hope of heaven.

It's our gift to you when you support this month. Alan's CD album invites you to discover the body you've always wanted. A spiritual resurrected body. Be assured that God isn't going to scrap you or the world. He'll make all things new. Overcome the gnawing anxiety about the end of your life.

You can have peace now. Pastor Alan Wright's hope filled messages will lead you into more than a joyous revelation of heaven according to the scriptures. They'll lead you into a bounding hope. So please help us stay on the radio in your area by making a generous gift today and we'll be happy to send you the body you've always wanted.

The CD album that is. When you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries today, we'll send you Pastor Alan's messages in an attractive CD album or through digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org.

Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. This is the hardest thing for a Christian maybe to ever believe. But when God looks at you, when you've accepted Christ, His righteousness becomes yours. And what that means is when God looks at you, Christians, He doesn't see your sin.

Oh, I wish we could believe that. He looks to you and the countenance on His face is exactly the same as it is towards His own son, Jesus. And He says, create in me a clean heart, O God. Oh, this word. I wish I had more time to just spend a whole message on this word for create, bara. There is one word in the Hebrew language that only God is ever the subject of.

Only God can bara. It is the word that is used in the opening lines of Genesis, in the beginning God created. When there was nothing, God created. There are plenty of other words in Hebrew that mean to make or fashion or mold.

Those words that might apply to a potter who can take clay and make a pot or craftsman who can take some wood and make a piece of furniture. But this verb, nobody, nobody ever does this except God where there's nothing. Theologians call it kratio ex nihilo, creation out of nothing. It means when you feel like you've got nothing, God can create something new. Create a new heart and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Let me be assured that I can always be in your presence and that I'm filled with the Holy Spirit.

Just like that first day when Samuel's flask of oil was poured out upon David's head and the text says the Holy Spirit rushed upon him from that day forward. It's like I don't want to ever be worried about losing the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold in me a willing spirit. I need joy because that makes me strong and I want a willing spirit.

What does he mean? A spirit that's willing, it means desiring, that is wanting everything that you want. Give me a new desire. I'm not just asking for you to forgive me. I'm asking you to put a whole new set of desires in my heart that rule me and guide me. Then I'll teach transgressors your ways and sinners will turn to you. And then he says I'm going to proclaim the gospel. Jump to verse 16. For you will not delight in sacrifice or I would give it. You would not be pleased with a burnt offering.

Wow. In an age of an old covenant in which David like so many others had brought to the priests their sacrifice their turtle doves their lambs the whole sacrificial system David has an insight here like that which Hosea had prophesied and he says I know this isn't what pleases you there is nothing I can do for you that is going to make me righteous that what you really need from me is a contrite heart a yielded life. He is so utterly convinced of the goodness of God that he's ready to yield everything to him. What a prayer. Do you see the difference in this prayer versus just a prayer that is trying to do something to move God through your remorse. This is altogether different than that. What do I take away from this.

Well let me give you just a few things that I see here. The first thing is what David is asking for. He may not know his name but he's asking for Jesus because when you accept Christ this is what you get something much more than being let off the hook for your sin. You're washed you're made blameless you're made whiter than snow you can rejoice and you have a new heart you have a new desire you're filled with the Holy Spirit and you're empowered by the gospel to proclaim the goodness of God.

I see this and this is really important as we started today. David doesn't appeal to any of his own attributes but he appeals to God. He doesn't appeal to look okay I've done something bad but here's some good things I've done.

He doesn't even start or go there at all. He just goes to God's faithfulness God's goodness and God's mercy. Second thing of third thing David's deep remorse is not what moves God. What is his remorse which is so deep what does it do? His remorse puts him in touch with what he wants the most.

I think that's the nature of it. When we talk about a kind of godly sorrow that comes with our repentance I think this is what happens. It's not that you cry enough or beat yourself up enough that finally God says okay we've evened it out here. There's no penance that's necessary but when you feel deeply the weight of your own sin and it causes your soul remorse what it does is it makes everything within you want all of God in your life it puts you in touch with what you thirst for it and it fulfills the promises therefore of God that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. I think sometimes if you never experienced the weight of the conviction of the Holy Spirit or the remorse for your sin you're not in touch with what it is that you really want. I don't want a life of sin I want God in my life and this is important please notice this in Psalm 51 everywhere I go in the nation I share this and I wonder if anybody really gets what I'm saying David hates his sin but David loves himself because he asked God for huge things he wants the best for himself he wants life he wants joy he wants he wants wholeness he wants holiness he wants cleanliness he wants the power of the Holy Spirit and he wants a mission you only want that for somebody that you really love hate your sin love yourself in Jesus name David here's a another point I take from it he makes no attempt to wash himself no attempt no vow no self-improvement plan but God you do it you blot it out you wash me you cleanse me you purge me only God can make us clean and God's righteousness is what David declares not just his mercy he is imputing righteousness to us in Jesus Christ wow what a prayer that really is a prophecy that sees into the coming of Christ and all that God does for us in Jesus Christ I had this week I've just had a little bit of that season for a few weeks a lot of stuff going on where I'm like I'm afraid I'm dropping a ball here or there I was cleaning out some emails and I came upon one that I realized oh I dropped this ball I just dropped this ball and it was today it was to do a task a simple little task that would have been a blessing to someone else but now the deadline had passed and all I could do is write this kind person who was spearheading this nice gesture and say I missed this I thought I'd handed it off to someone else I hadn't I've dropped it and I'm just so sorry and I'm stuck feel sick to my stomach because I know this person would have been blessed but now it's past the deadline please forgive me well so delighted when I got an email back from this person who said don't don't fret I recognized you were busy and I was able to do this on your behalf and so the blessings going forward no worries what that do to me did it make me oh great well I just ignore more emails and just forget more things no not at all I just about burst into tears I was so happy and I just said oh I don't ever want that to happen again what mercy has been shown to me that's what happens when you walk in the mercy of God it's not an invitation to live a sinful lifestyle it's an invitation to live in freedom and that's the gospel Alan Wright being a freeing message today it's the pure hard prayer from the series praying pure word Alan is back in a moment here in the studio with additional insight on this for your life and a final word if you think heaven is a misty place where you float around on clouds and pluck angelic harps you're in for the surprise of your life our special product this month is all about the hope of heaven it's our gift to you when you support this month Alan CD album invites you to discover the body you've always wanted a spiritual resurrected body be assured that God isn't going to scrap you or the world he'll make all things new overcome the gnawing anxiety about the end of your life you can have peace now pastor Alan Wright's hope filled messages will lead you into more than a joyous revelation of heaven according to the scriptures they'll lead you into a bounding hope so please help us stay on the radio in your area by making a generous gift today and we'll be happy to send you the body you've always wanted the CD album that is when you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries today we'll send you pastor Alan's messages in an attractive CD album or through digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership we are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries call us at 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 or come to our website pastor alan.org Alan this really is eye-opening to know that while we do talk about repentance this is not something that we have to dread this is a this is a freeing thing here to pray along with the scriptures the prayer of David the pure heart prayer well it's one of the most important prayers and one of the most important subjects that I find that Christians get very confused about this they don't know what to do with their sin before the Lord and something well if I don't make sure I don't list every if I don't list every single little sin in my life then maybe I'm in a condition of unforgiveness and I've lost my salvation no that's not the scripture at all and what we see in this psalm is David asking for something so bold and expansive and pervasive that it can only be understood as David a thousand years before Jesus is asking for Jesus he's asking for the gospel he's asking for a complete transformation of a right spirit within him a whole new heart and so it's a wonderful prayer and I just want to you know kind of leave our listeners with this as we come to a conclusion of talking about how you can take the scriptures and just pray them we've given a few examples of this but I encourage you to take the scripture and learn to just pray it straight back to the Lord you'll find that it'll bring so much power into your prayer life and if you have a time in your life where you you feel weighted down by sin in your life this Psalm 51 it's a great a great place to begin look at all that David asked for and how much more can you be confident and asking the Lord for this because of what Jesus has done for you to set you free and make you whole a pray pure word it'll change your life today's good news message is a listener supported production of Alan Wright Ministries