SERMON TITLE: Suffering and Unrepentant Sin
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 32 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 6-8-25
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As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
We’re continuing our series looking at some of King David’s psalms that address the topic of suffering. There are many aspects to suffering — many reasons for our suffering that David touches on in his psalms — and each is important for us to consider. And though you may not be in a season of suffering — suffering has a way of showing up — often unexpectedly. Yet — for the follower of Jesus — suffering is an opportunity: suffering is an opportunity to spiritually grow for those of us who follow a Savior who experienced suffering.
Now — for sure — suffering is not an easy opportunity to grow — often suffering comes when life is most challenging. But — in another sense — suffering is one of the easiest opportunities to spiritually grow — because — when life is most challenging we’re forced to change in some way. The question for us is: Will our change be to become more like Christ?
So let’s continue to see how our Christian faith offers a different opportunity in these hard moments of life: an opportunity to become more like our Savior — Jesus — who — in love for us — experienced suffering, trials, persecution, hardships, rejection, hatred — you name it — he experienced it so that we might have hope in the midst of the sorrows we face.
And I say all of this knowing that not all of us believe in Jesus. But all of us have experienced suffering — or know others who’ve experienced it. And — if you’re honest — it’s scary. Because there’s no good answer offered by our culture as to why we suffer — and even more importantly — how to suffer well. That’s why so many turn to coping mechanisms to numb themselves — drugs, alcohol, overeating, sex, binge watching Netflix — or give up on life altogether in a seemingly never-ending depression.
But is that all there is — is that the best offer on the table in a world full of suffering? It’s not.
Which is what we’re exploring in this series as we look at some of David’s psalms — including today’s psalm — psalm thirty-two. So — if you have your Bible — please turn there — to psalm thirty-two. And while you’re finding psalm thirty-two — last week — if you weren’t here — we looked at the relationship between suffering and our prayer life. And — in the coming weeks — we’re going to look at the suffering we experience at the hands of others, we’ll see the important relationship between our suffering and worship, as well as the relationship between suffering and salvation. But — today — we’re looking at the suffering we experience due to unrepentant sin in our lives. Not a topic many want to address when it comes to suffering — especially in the victim mentality age in which we live — but we must face the reality that — there are seasons of suffering that are a result of decisions we’ve made. David addresses this in our psalm for today — psalm thirty-two — when he writes…
Psalm 32 ESV
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Today we’re addressing an unpopular aspect to suffering: Suffering we experience due to unrepentant sin in our life. But there’s good news in this not so good news — unrepentant sin need not be the cause of our suffering. There is hope — even for those whose suffering is due to our own sin.
Let’s return to our psalm — but — before we do so — it’ll be helpful to know that many scholars believe that David wrote this psalm in response to his sin with Bathsheba. David and Bathsheba is a biblical story most people have heard about — but to make sure we don’t leave anyone behind — here’s what happened.
At this point in history — David is king of Israel. And one day — while his army was off at war — David was back at his palace when…
2 Samuel 11:2–27 NLT
2 Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. 3 He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. 5 Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.” 6 Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was progressing. 8 Then he told Uriah, “Go on home and relax.” David even sent a gift to Uriah after he had left the palace. 9 But Uriah didn’t go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard. 10 When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?” 11 Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.” 12 “Well, stay here today,” David told him, “and tomorrow you may return to the army.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn’t get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard. 14 So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” 16 So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. 17 And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers. 18 Then Joab sent a battle report to David. 19 He told his messenger, “Report all the news of the battle to the king. 20 But he might get angry and ask, ‘Why did the troops go so close to the city? Didn’t they know there would be shooting from the walls? 21 Wasn’t Abimelech son of Gideon killed at Thebez by a woman who threw a millstone down on him from the wall? Why would you get so close to the wall?’ Then tell him, ‘Uriah the Hittite was killed, too.’” 22 So the messenger went to Jerusalem and gave a complete report to David. 23 “The enemy came out against us in the open fields,” he said. “And as we chased them back to the city gate, 24 the archers on the wall shot arrows at us. Some of the king’s men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite.” 25 “Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged,” David said. “The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!” 26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done.
Around a year goes by before God sends a man named Nathan to confront David and — eventually — David responds with repentance. But it’s this year of unrepentance that David’s probably describing when he writes — in verse three of our psalm…
Psalm 32:3–4 ESV
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
And skipping to verse nine we read…
Psalm 32:9–10 ESV
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 10a Many are the sorrows of the wicked…
Did you notice how David describes the consequence of his unrepentance? Similar to last week’s psalm — David says his bones were wasting away. Last week — when David used this phrase — I mentioned how we don’t know if David’s suffering was self-inflicted or caused by others. But — here — we’re fairly certain that this is self-inflicted suffering. Yet he uses the same phrase — “my bones waste away” — which means his sorrow and suffering has affected all of who he is — down to his bones. I’ve been reading a book titled Counseling the Hard Cases and — in one chapter — there’s a repeated idea: The mind affects the body, the body affects the mind, and a downward spiral begins.
In David’s case — it could’ve been the anxiety of being found out — someone doing pregnancy math and saying, “This doesn’t add up.” Or someone blabbing about the orders he gave to have Uriah murdered. The mind affects the body and the body affects the mind.
I wonder how many of us can relate? Have you ever done something and waited in angst for the consequences?
One of the reasons why self-inflicted suffering is so hard is because — deep down — we know we don’t have anyone else to blame for our situation. We were the ones looking at our phones while driving. We had the extra drink. We saw our version of Bathsheba and — like David — made sure we got what we wanted.
“Well how do you know that what David’s referring to was self-inflicted?” By the way he personally takes responsibility in other verses in our psalm. David uses the phrases “my sin” — which he uses twice — and “my iniquity” and “my transgressions” to describe the cause of his suffering.
But it’s not just the act of sinning — that’s the cause of his suffering — David’s unrepentance is also a contributor. To repent means to turn away from sin — which includes confessing — or admitting — the wrong you’ve done. Unrepentance is what David describes in our psalm when he gives the command to not be like a horse or mule which must be curbed — or restrained — by a bit in its mouth.
What a picture of how stubbornly unrepentant we can be. That I can be. That you can be. God help us all to respond to our sin with repentance — and to respond to those who lovingly point out our sin with gratitude. For rare is the friend who loves us enough to call us to repentance. It’s much easier — isn’t it — to distance ourselves — “if I don’t see him I won’t have to talk to him about…” — or explain away — “that’s just her personality” — it’s tempting — and all too easy — to avoid doing what Nathan did for David.
Yet none of us are without sin — we’ve all sinned. And — if we’re honest with ourselves — some of the suffering we are — or have experienced — is due to sin that we’ve committed. And — until it’s repented of — it will waste away our bones and dry up our strength and cause us to groan — which is what we experience if we’re blessed. Because many — instead of groaning and dried up strength and wasting away bones — many continue in their stubbornness and unrepentance and will experience far more serious — and eternal — consequences.
But — for those who are blessed — the groaning and wasting away and weakness — is not God’s end goal. Instead — as we read in verse one…
Psalm 32:1–2 ESV
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Let’s be mesmerized by the blessing of forgiveness. David says that blessed — or happy! — is the one whose transgression is forgiven. Transgression is a word that means “rebellion against God.” So blessed — or happy! — is the one whose rebellion against God has been forgiven. And blessed — or happy! — is the individual whose sin is covered. Sin means “turning away from the true path.” So blessed — or happy! — is the person whose turning away from the true path has been covered. And blessed — or happy! — is the person who the Lord counts no iniquity. Iniquity means “distortion, evil, perversion, or disrespect for God.” So blessed — or happy! — is the man, woman, or child whose disrespect for God is no longer counted against them.
What’s being described here are the actions that happen to us — and our sin — when we repent — when we turn from our sin and turn to God in faith.
First, we’re forgiven — which means that our transgressions are removed from us — our rebellion against God is removed from us. Second, our sin is covered — it’s concealed from sight. And — since our sin has been removed from us — that’s what forgiveness means — this concealing of sin doesn’t mean that the sin is still present with us — remember it’s been removed from us — but this sin which has been removed from us — God no longer regards — he no longer considers — it’s not on his mind. Which results in God not counting our iniquity — or are disrespecting him — against us.
This is what it means to be blessed — which results in us being happy! For what could possibly make us more happy than to know — I mean think about this — that the God who created everyone and everything — who we’ve had the gall to disrespect — because we’ve turned from our sin and turned to him — he forgives us and no longer counts our transgressions against us — and puts it all out of his mind.
Which — with great hope — should cause all of us to ask: How do I receive this blessing? Meaning — how does one go about having their transgressions forgiven? Who are these people that God counts no iniquity against them?
We find out in verses five and six of our psalm.
Psalm 32:5–6 ESV
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
How do we receive this blessing — what’s the key to true, lasting happiness? Repentance — acknowledging our sin to God. No longer covering it up and trying to hide it away. Instead we confess our sins to God as we turn to him in faith — trusting that he forgives all who come to him truly repentant of their sin.
What sin might you need to acknowledge to God — to stop covering up and pretending as if it’s not part of your life?
We often think of sin as bad things we do — and that’s definitely an aspect of sin. But — equally important — sin also includes not doing the good things that we’re commanded to do. Here’s an easy example.
Stealing — stealing is sin. It’s wrong to take from someone what’s rightfully theirs. We get that — Christian or not. But the Bible goes further. For you can not steal — and yet — still sin in regards to money. For example, you can be selfish with it — greedy — and not be generous towards others which is also a command in the Bible.
“OK. I get all of that Josh. So what’s the big deal?” The big deal is that this tells us that sin isn’t just the presence of evil — sin also includes the absence of good. After all, Jesus’ younger brother did write…
James 4:17 NET
17 So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin.
Thus the biblical goal — in regards to money and wealth — isn’t just “don’t steal” — though it’s one of the ten commandments and should be obeyed — but the biblical goal — in regards to money and wealth is to be generous. The absence of generosity is sin in a person’s life — which I know can be hard for us to grasp — that the absence of something good can be just as sinful as the presence of something evil.
To which — one theologian said…
If I have a hole in my sock, the hole is not anything at all, it is just an absence of wool or cotton or whatever, but it is a perfectly real hole in my sock. It would be absurd to say that holes in socks are unreal…just because the hole isn’t made of anything…Nothing in the wrong place can be just as real and just as important as something in the wrong place. If you inadvertently drive your car over a cliff, you will have nothing to worry about; it is precisely the nothing that you will have to worry about. (Systematic Theology 13.3.5. Sin as Privatio)
I wonder how many of us are comfortable with the absence of something good in our lives — not realizing that its absence is just as sinfully serious as accidentally driving your car off a cliff?
Now you’ve heard me say the words repentance — which I’ve said is turning from sin — and confession — but what is confession? Confession means either to admit sin or affirm belief. Both aspects are important for us to understand. Most of us — I think — when we define confession usually focus on the admitting sin part — and it’s an important part. But — similar to what James taught us about not doing the good we know to do — confession also has a positive side to it: confessing what we believe.
In church history, confessions — or statements of belief — have been written to positively articulate what Christians believe. And confessions have been used — not only to guide us in knowing when we’ve sinned — but also in fighting temptation before we sin by reminding us of the truths we believe. In our church tradition — the Westminster Confession of Faith is a positive statement of what we believe.
What does the Westminster Confession have to say about repentance? It says…
"Repentance which leads to life is the blessed product of the gospel working in believers’ lives." (WCF 15.1)
Jesus connects repentance to the gospel — the Good News of what he accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection — while explaining how all of the Bible was about him to his disciples after his resurrection.
Luke 24:44–48 NLT
44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.
What good news indeed! There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.
The Westminster Confession says…
"In this repentance the sinner is able to see his sins as God sees them, as filthy and hateful, and as involving great danger to the sinner, because they are completely contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God. Understanding that God in Christ is merciful to those who repent, the sinner suffers deep sorrow for and hates his sins, and so he determines to turn away from all of them. And turning to God, he tries to walk with him according to all his commandments." (WCF 15.2)
The Bible distinguishes repentance from the sorrow of being caught. Paul explains it this way to Christians in Corinth who had received a letter calling them to repent.
2 Corinthians 7:8–11 NLT
8 I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. 9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. 10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 11 Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.
Repentance leads to change — a change of direction — a change in our choices. Repentance leads us away from sin and towards God. True repentance even results in thankfulness for the one whom God used to call us back to him — no matter how severe and painful it was to hear.
About repentance — the Westminster says…
"Just as there is no sin so small that it does not deserve damnation, so there is no sin so great that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent." (WCF 15.4)
Two truths we must remember. First, there are no insignificant sins. Every sin is worthy of eternal judgment — may this humble all of us and call us to repentance. Second, no sin is so great that forgiveness can’t be offered to those who repent. As the apostle John tells us…
1 John 1:9 ESV
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And as the prophets of the Old Testament remind us…
Micah 7:18–19 NLT
18 Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. 19 Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
And…
Isaiah 43:25 NLT
25 “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.
For as the Westminster Confession says about God…
"He is completely loving, gracious, merciful, and long-suffering. He overflows with goodness and truth. He forgives wickedness, transgression, and sin, and rewards those who diligently seek him." (WCF 2.1)
Friends, this is why it’s important to know what you believe and to have Scripture that backs it up. This is why the historic confessions of the church are so helpful — and necessary — in our day when many believe that biblical illiteracy is at an all time historic high. May the truths we’ve looked at today lead us to repent when we sin and fight against sin when we’re tempted.
For all of this good news — this good news about repentance and forgiveness and who God is —what does it all lead to? It leads to our joy. In verse seven of our psalm — David writes…
Psalm 32:7 ESV
7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
And skipping to verse ten…
Psalm 32:10–11 ESV
10b but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Even when our suffering is self-inflicted due to sinful choices we’ve made — joy is still possible. How so? Because the steadfast love of the Lord surrounds those who trust him — who trust that he always forgives those who turn to him in repentance.
Earlier we saw the command to not be like the stubborn horse or mule. Here — the commands are much more positive. We’re commanded to be glad in the Lord and to rejoice and to shout for joy! Why? What’s the source of our glad rejoicing and shouts of joy? This truth: The steadfast love of the Lord surrounds the one who trusts in him.
Nothing else in all of creation can guarantee unwavering joy — even in the midst of suffering — accept knowing that you are surrounded by the love of God. A reality we so easily forget. A truth that our spiritual amnesia is the first to snatch from our hearts. This is why you hear from me every single week what? That God loves you. And that I love you too. Because no one hears these words enough — and none of us believe them to the degree that they’re true. We don’t. I don’t. You don’t. But here’s what I so love about us.
We’re believing in God’s love for us more and more every time we gather together. Our forgetfulness isn’t as quick as it once was. And — not only are we remembering God’s love for us — individually — but we’re reminding each other of God’s love for us. It’s the norm now — when I talk to you on the phone — for the call to end with us saying “I love you” to each other. And I pray that this isn’t just when it’s me on the call — but that we’re all loving each other and reminding each other of God’s great big forgiving love.
Therefore — may we all leave here today listening to God! As David writes…
Psalm 32:8 ESV
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
This is God speaking and acting in these verses. It’s God who is instructing and teaching us the way that we should go. It’s God who’s giving us counsel — who’s attentive to what’s going on in our lives — even in our seasons of suffering. Therefore — may we all leave here today listening to his instruction — receiving his teaching and counsel on repentance and forgiveness and how loving, kind, and merciful he is. May we leave here knowing that he’s aware of what we’re going through. And may this bring us comfort — may it give you comfort — that the One whose steadfast love surrounds you is the God who so cares for you — that he offers relief from our suffering even when we’re the cause of it. Let’s pray.
Gracious Father, what a marvelous truth: your love surrounds those who trust in you — even when we’re suffering. Even when our suffering is due to sinful choices we’ve made.
Holy Spirit, help us to trust — to really believe — that we’re loved by you. For when we know that we’re loved — repentance will be our heart’s desire. For our love for you will exceed our love for sin.
Jesus — you came to make forgiveness of our sins possible. For the joy set before you — you endured the cross — to pay the debt for our sins. And now — for the joy set before us — eternal life with you — we choose to trust in your never-ending, always pursuing and protecting love for us — and that you always forgive those who turn back to you in repentance.
For you — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — are completely loving, gracious, merciful, and long-suffering. You overflow with goodness and truth. You forgive wickedness, transgression, and sin, and reward those who diligently seek you. May many more seek you today. May many trust in your love. May many repent of their sin. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
May you go with great joy — even in suffering — knowing that the steadfast love of the Lord surrounds you. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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