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Create in Me a Clean Heart

Posted on March 17, 2024

Create In Me A Clean Heart

 

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Psalm 51:1-12

Hebrews 5:5-10

John 12:20-33

 

Special Music:

Create in Me by Rend Collective

https://youtu.be/wveqWij0a_Y?si=uRPSarN8Y7Lv7WPp

 

Introduction/Opening

Good morning

 

Introduce yourself – My name is Pastor Anna; I am Associate Pastor here at Living Hope

 

Opening Prayer

Lord God Heavenly Father, we thank you for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We ask that you be with us throughout this service. We ask that your Spirit guide us and move us to do your will. Help others to see you in us. Help us to be your children, serving you obediently with love and proclaiming the Gospel wherever we go. We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Opening Scripture:

Jeremiah 31:31-34 - Opening Scripture

 

31:31 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

 

 

31:32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD.

 

 

31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 

 

 

31:34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

 

Mission Moment with Judy

 

Offering and Tithes

 

Call to Worship:

Psalm 51:1-12

 

51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

 

 

51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

 

 

51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

 

 

51:4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.

 

 

51:5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.

 

 

51:6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

 

 

51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

 

51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

 

 

 

 

51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

 

 

51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

 

51:11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.

51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

 

Hymns:

Above All #122 chorus

Take My Life/Holiness #12 chorus 

Change My Heart O God #64 chorus 

Is Your All on the Altar? #525 

Cleanse Me #516

Sanctuary #65 chorus

 

Congregational Prayer

Lord, we lift up Living Hope congregation to You. Open our hearts and minds to receive Your Word. Lord, please put your healing hand on those who need healing. Help each one of your servants to lead others to You. We are your called disciples and thank you for fulfilling your promises and saving us. We ask that you bring unbelievers to Christ through us. We thank you for this grace, each and every day. Please protect us from the

outside world and guide us to the right direction. Help us Lord to repent from our sins, to obey Your commandments, and to love You with our whole heart and to love our neighbors. Thank you for sending Your Advocate the Holy Spirit to guide us. Lord, we thank you for being with us today and abiding in us. We ask all this in Jesus precious

name, Amen.

First Reading:

Hebrews 5:5-10

 

5:5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you";

 

 

 

 

 

 

5:6 as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."

 

 

5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

 

 

5:8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered;

 

 

5:9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,

 

 

5:10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

 

 

Gospel Scripture:

John 12:20-33

 

12:20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.

 

 

12:21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

 

 

12:22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

 

 

12:23 Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12:24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

 

 

12:25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

 

 

12:27 "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--' Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.

 

 

12:28 Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

 

 

12:29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him."

 

 

12:30 Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.

 

 

12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.

 

 

12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

 

 

12:33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

 

Just before the Sermon

Create In Me A Clean Heart - Keith Green

https://youtu.be/FZVCYgwFcRo?si=wAhh0lo4v4hd-Ohy

 

 

 

 

Create In Me A Clean Heart

  1. What is the value of the Psalm 51?
    1. We need to be careful when we hear a psalm or song and know the background that we might limit the value to only the story. We can use these stories and apply them to our own lives.
    2. It can be used as a Prayer for ourselves
    3. From Crosswalk.comby Cindi McMenamin
      1. Backstory - What Does it Mean to Ask God to ‘Create in Me a Clean Heart?’
      2. I’m sure you’ve heard the prayer “Create in me a clean heart.” But why do we pray it and what are we really asking God to do? 

 

If God has forgiven our sins – past, present and future – at the moment we repent (Acts 2:38)

 

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38 NIV

 

and confess Jesus as the risen Lord (Romans 10:9),

 

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 NIV

 

is it really necessary to ask Him to create in us clean hearts? 

 

Psalm 51:1-12 was a prayer “Create in Me a Clean Heart”. It was written and sung thousands of years ago, and now a part of Scripture. It paints a picture for us of the deep consequences of sin. It shows what true repentance, remorse, and renewal look like.  

 

This prayer, written in the form of a song, is found in Psalm 51:10, but the context of this request gives us greater insight as to why it was prayed. 

 

 

 

 

 

Israel’s King David—known for his intimacy with God as expressed through many of the Psalms he wrote—experienced a season of sin in which he committed adultery and then murder to cover up his sin.  The introduction of Psalm 51 reads a Psalm of David written after the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bethsheba. He also had murdered her husband, Uriah, so he could be with her, he cover up his sin, and the pregnancy that resulted from that sin.

 

It’s possible it was a full year or more from the time he first lusted after Bathsheba (a woman who was married to one of David’s “Mighty Men” referenced in 2 Samuel 23:8, 2 Samuel 23:39), to the day he was confronted by a prophet of God for taking another man’s wife and killing that man to cover up his sin (The story of David and Bathsheba is in 2 Samuel chapters 11-12).

 

Upon realizing the extent to which he had betrayed his God, David penned Psalm 51. It’s a heartfelt prayer, begging for God’s mercy, cleansing, and restoration.

 

In Psalm 51:10-12, David prayed: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (ESV) 

 

According to Bible scholars, when David prayed “Create in me a clean heart” he used the same Hebrew verb that is used in Genesis 1:1 for the creation of the world, emphasizing that the kind of radical cleansing he needed could only come from God. David apparently knew the redirection of his desires and thoughts could only come about through the intervention of God, as well. 

 

David began his song by asking God to have mercy on him and blot out his transgressions. In verses 2-3, he prayed: “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” 

 

 

 

 

 

Although David sinned against Bathsheba, her husband, and David’s other wives, he realized he ultimately sinned against God. Therefore his heartfelt prayer was “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4). 

 

In verses 7-8, he begged God to “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have broken rejoice.” 

 

David felt crushed under the conviction of his offenses against God. Then in verses 10-12 he not only asked for a clean heart, but for a renewed spirit, too. He also asked that he not be cast away from God’s presence and that the Holy Spirit not be taken from him. 

 

According to The Ryrie Study Bible, in the Old Testament, the holy spirit was particularly related to service, rather than salvation. Thus, David was asking God not to take away his service as the anointed King of Israel. 

 

David asked that God restore the joy of his salvation, as he was likely tired of going through the motions and not experiencing the fullness and joy that comes from living uprightly with a clear conscious. 

 

Finally, David asked God to give him a willing spirit to obey. In other words, David was praying “Give me a strong desire to obey so I don’t break Your heart again.” 

 

This prayer is clearly one of repentance and confession, which God desires of us whenever we have become aware of sins that have affected our fellowship with God. When we repent, it means we not only agree with God about the heinous nature of our sin, but we are determining to start over and live a new life – one that is obedient and pleasing to God. 

 

As often as we might sin or start living for ourselves rather than God, we need to turn back and head in the direction God desires. Repentance means changing one’s mind so that one’s views, values, goals and ways are changed and one’s whole life is lived differently. 

 

 

 

 

Although this prayer was said  under the Old Covenant, when sin was not yet permanently atoned for through Jesus’ death and resurrection, its intent and application for us today is that we continually confess our hearts to God and seek His restoration and renewal.

 

This kind of penitent prayer shows our awareness of a Creator—and a Redeemer—who can instill in us a right and pure heart, even after we’ve messed up. This prayer also confesses our need for a Savior to atone for our sin, and a need for righteousness we can’t attain on our own, but can only find in Christ.

 

Finally, this prayer invites us to position our hearts so God can shape and refine us into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).

 

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:29 ESV

 

If you are struggling with forgiveness or think God can’t create a new heart in you, pray this prayer in the sincerity of your heart. Here is Psalm 51:1-12 from The Message Bible: a paraphrase of the Bible in contemporary English.

 

Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I’ve been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my

 

 

 

death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I’ll let loose with your praise.

Psalm 51:1-12 MSG

 

You can also pray any one of these “breath prayers,” which are short prayers repeated often, to keep your mind focused on the goal of a pure heart and right spirit: 

 

God, make me new just for You. 

 

God, give me an undivided heart, wholly Yours and wholly pure. 

 

God, clear out the sin and clean me up. 

 

God, give me a fresh start so I won’t break Your heart. 

 

It is important for us to remember that praying Psalm 51—and thereby asking God for cleansing and restoration—is not just a one-time prayer. It’s something we should revisit whenever we need to confess and agree with God about our sins and restore fellowship with Him. 

 

It’s also a prayer that can cover even what you think is too dreadful for God to forgive. Sometimes we withhold confession, believing our sin is too great for God to forgive. Or, we think that because we can’t forgive ourselves, perhaps God can’t forgive us, either.  

 

Yet, Psalm 51 is evidence of the forgiving, restoring nature of God.  

 

Even though David got in a world of trouble, God didn’t define him at the end of his life as “the king who was an adulterous murderer.”  In the New Testament, thousands of years afterDavid’s sin we read that his legacy and description, as far as God was concerned, was still “a man after my heart, who will do all my will” (Acts 13:22). 

 

After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

 

 

 

Acts 13:22 NIV

 

That’s what praying for a clean heart and renewed spirit can do for us. It can make us pure and brand new in God’s sight.

 

  1. Our Daily Bread - The Source- November 11, 2022
    1. It was 1854, and something was killing thousands of people in London. It must be the bad air, people thought. And indeed, as unseasonable heat baked the sewage-fouled River Thames, the smell grew so bad it became known as “The Great Stink.” But the worst problem wasn’t the air. Research by Dr. John Snow would show that contaminated water was the cause of the cholera epidemic.

 

We humans have long been aware of another crisis—one that stinks to high heaven. We live in a broken world—and we’re prone to misidentify the source of this problem, treating symptoms instead. Wise social programs and policies do some good, but they’re powerless to stop the root cause of society’s ills—our sinful hearts!

 

When Jesus said, “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them,” He wasn’t referring to physical diseases (Mark 7:15). Rather, He was diagnosing the spiritual condition of every one of us. “It is what comes out of a person that defiles them,” He said (v. 15), listing a litany of evils lurking inside us (vv. 21–22).

 

“Surely I was sinful at birth,” David wrote (Psalm 51:5). His lament is one we can all voice. We’re broken from the beginning. That’s why David prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (v. 10). Every day, we need that new heart, created by Jesus through His Spirit.

 

Instead of treating the symptoms, we must let Jesus purify the source.

By Tim Gustafson

 

  1. Our Daily Bread - Crushed and Beautiful - August 16, 2022
    1. At first glance I dismissed the painting Consider the Liliesby Makoto Fujimura as a simple, monochromatic painting featuring a lily seemingly hiding in the background. However, the painting came alive when I learned it

 

 

was actually painted with more than eighty layers of finely crushed minerals in a style of Japanese art known as Nihonga, a style Fujimura calls “slow art.” Looking closely reveals layers of complexity and beauty. Fujimura explains that he sees the gospel echoed in the technique of making “beauty through brokenness,” just as Jesus’ suffering brought the world wholeness and hope.

 

God loves to take aspects of our lives where we’ve been crushed and broken and create something new and beautiful. King David needed God’s help to repair the brokenness in his life caused by his own devastating actions. In Psalm51, written after admitting to abusing his kingly power to take another man’s wife and arrange the murder of her husband, David offered God his “broken and contrite heart” (v. 17) and pleaded for mercy. The Hebrew word translated “contrite” is nidkeh,meaning “crushed.”

 

For God to refashion or create in him a clean heart (v. 10), David had to first offer Him the broken pieces. It was both an admission of sorrow and trust. David entrusted his heart to a faithful and forgiving God, who lovingly takes what’s been crushed and transforms it into something beautiful.

By Lisa M. Samra

 

  1. Create in Me a Clean Heart

Create in me a clean heart, oh God

And renew a right spirit within me

Create in me a clean heart, oh God

And renew a right spirit within me

 

Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord

And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation

And renew a right spirit within me

 

Create in me a clean heart(Oh God) oh God(And renew a right spirit within me) and renew a right spirit within me

Create in me a clean heart, oh God(And renew a right spirit within me) and renew a right spirit within me

 

 

 

 

 

Cast me not away(From thy presence) from Thy presence(Oh Lord) oh Lord(And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me) take not Thy Holy Spirit from me(Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation) Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation(And renew a right spirit within me) and renew a right spirit within me

 

Create in me a clean heart, oh God(Sing it to Jesus) and renew a right spirit within me(Close your your eyes and worship: create in me a clean heart)Create in me a clean heart, oh GodAnd renew a right spirit within me

 

Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord(Take not Thy Holy Spirit) take not Thy Holy Spirit from meRestore unto me(The joy of Thy salvation) the joy of Thy salvation(And renew a right spirit) and renew a right spirit within me

 

  1. Our Daily Bread - Protect Your Heart- February 21, 2023
    1. Hungarian-born mathematician Abraham Wald lent his skills to the World War II efforts after coming to the United States in 1938. The military was looking for ways to protect its aircraft from enemy fire, so Wald and his colleagues at the Statistical Research Group were asked to figure out how to better protect military aircraft to defend against enemy fire. They began by examining returning aircraft to see where they were most damaged. But Wald is credited with the keen insight that damage on returning aircraft represented only where a plane could be hit and still survive. He realized that areas most in need of additional armor would be found on planes that had crashed. Planes hit in the most vulnerable part—the engine—had gone down and therefore couldn’t be examined.

 

Solomon teaches us about protecting our most vulnerable part—our heart. He instructs his son to “guard [his] heart” because from it everything else flows (Proverbs 4:23). God’s instructions guide us through life, steering us away from poor decisions and teaching us where to focus our attention.

 

If we armor our heart by heeding His instructions, we’ll better “keep [our feet] from evil” and remain steadfast on our journey with God (v. 27). We venture into enemy territory every day, but with His wisdom guarding our hearts, we can stay focused on our mission to live well for God’s glory.

By Kirsten Holmberg

 

 

 

 

  1. b.    SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

                                                             i.      What does it mean to “guard your heart” (Proverbs 4:23)? It means to be vigilant, to keep watch for any danger that might draw us away from God. We do so by internalizing the wisdom of Scripture (vv. 20–22) and by resisting temptation (vv. 25–27). God helps us as we seek Him through prayer: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm51:10). Philippians 4:8 offers good advice about what we fill our minds with: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” As we rely on the Spirit, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus” (v. 7).

By Alyson Kieda

 

  1. Our Daily Bread - New Identity in Jesus - January 1, 2024
    1. “I’m not who I once was. I’m a new person.” Those simple words from my son, spoken to students at a school assembly, describe the change God made in his life. Once addicted to heroin, Geoffrey previously saw himself through his sins and mistakes. But now he sees himself as a child of God.

The Bible encourages us with this promise: “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). No matter who we’ve been or what we’ve done in our past, when we trust Jesus for our salvation and receive the forgiveness offered through His cross, we become someone new. Since the garden of Eden, the guilt of our sins has separated us from God, but He has now “reconciled us to himself through Christ,” “not counting” our sins against us (vv. 18–19). We are His dearly loved children (1 John 3:1–2), washed clean and made new in the likeness of His Son.

 

Jesus liberates us from sin and its dominating power and restores us into a new relationship with God—where we’re free to no longer live for ourselves but “for him who died for [us] and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). On this New Year’s Day, let’s remember that His transforming love compels us to live with new identity and purpose. It helps us point others to our Savior, the One who can make them new people too!

 

 

 

By James Banks

 

  1. Poem - Create in Me a Clean Heart

I came to the Lord with my heart full of sin,

Empty of purpose and troubled within.

My flesh had the victory, My heart sought release—Lord, wilt Thou cleanse me and grant me Thy peace?

 

Create in me a clean heart, my Father;

Renew a right spirit in me.

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;

May Christ be seen in me.

I cried to the Savior, “Forgive me, I pray.”

He granted cleansing and sins fell away.

My bondage was ended, My heart was set free;

Lord, nevermore may I wander from Thee.

Create in me a clean heart, my Father;

Renew a right spirit in me.

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;

May Christ be seen in me.

~Mac Lynch

 

Drinking at the Springs

https://2cor5fifteen.wordpress.com/2017/01/08/create-in-me-a-clean-heart/

 

Memory Verse:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

 

Final Song:

Shout to the Lord (chorus)

 

Closing Prayer

Lord God, Heavenly Father, may our worship today be acceptable to you and give you joy and happiness. May your wisdom transform us throughout this week, and through your Spirit and our baptism, may it change and transform usand make us more like your Son Jesus Christ. Lord, help us to love and serve you with heart, soul,

 

 

 

mind, and strength. Help us Lord, to stay focused on your love. Give us strength, to Love our neighbors as ourselves. Thank you for sending Your Spirit to guide and protect us.

 

Guide us in the path of discipleship, so that, as you have blessed us, we may be a blessing for others, bringing the promise of the kingdom near, by our words and deeds.

 

Give us Wisdom to do your will. Help us to make a difference in the world. Let our words and actions align with Your word. Cleanse us and purify our hearts and bring us to you. Give us Victory through our trust in you and our faithfulness. Help us Lord, remember that we are found by You and help us to practice what we have learned here today. Bless us as we leave this place and help us to be a blessing to everyone that

we meet and interact with. Help us never to forget that you are always with us. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

 

Blessing/Benediction

May the strength of God sustain us; may the power of God preserve us; may the hands of God protect us; may the way of God direct us; May your Spirit go within us; may the love of God go with us this day and forever.

 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you His peace. Amen #788