Preaching on the Psalms

What is worship but God speaking to us in his word coupled with our response? The entirety of

Scripture certainly can touch our hearts. The Law and the Gospel are found in all of God’s Word. There

is, however, a certain book that clearly displays God speaking to man and man’s reaction. There is a book

that emphasizes both Law and Gospel and other basic doctrines of Christianity. There is a book that is

near and dear to every Christian. There is a book that ever believer can run to for thoughts so very much

like our own. There is a book that can teach so much about the basics and essentials of worship. This is

the book of Psalms.

A pastor would be remiss not to share the infinite knowledge and comfort contained within the

Psalms. I find it distressing that some churches are in the habit of excluding the psalm of the day from

worship. The Psalms must be kept. They are, in my opinion, the most familiar of all books of the Bible to

the common laymen. The Psalms, as already mention, are a treasure trove of Christian doctrine, of sin and

grace. There is a wealth of Messianic prophecies to be explored and applied to a Christian. The Psalms

may also be used as a daily prayer book, as was similar to their original purpose in prayer life as well as

in worship.

The real question is how does a Pastor, with a view of looking at all of Scripture beyond just the

periscope, appropriately preach on the Psalms? What are the Psalms but a simple handbook to basic

Christian truths? In fact, the book of Psalms is a decent place to hit the big basics of Christianity. With

this in mind, a pastor could utilize any of the psalms to help develop his congregation’s theological

understanding.

While there are a myriad of topics to be chosen and preached on in the psalms, the focus of this

paper will be psalms that deal with sin and grace. Concerning the topic of sin, we see numerous examples

of man’s wickedness portrayed. There is even a select group of psalms, the imprecatory psalms, devoted

to praying against the wicked. Psalm 14 and 53 speak on the matter of sin very clearly. “Everyone has

turned away, they have together become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.” We all
know of Psalm 51 which states: “surely I was a sinner from birth; sinful from the time my mother

conceived me.”

God’s grace is all too evident in the psalms. Often times, the psalmists heap praises to the Lord

who has brought about salvation for them. At times this salvation is in reference to the deliverance Israel

had from their enemies. But salvation from sin can also be seen even though the word for salvation is

often referenced to deliverance from captivity, nations, afflictions and troubles. We find salvation from

sin by examining the psalms that speak of forgiveness, vindication and renewal- such as in Psalm 51.

Here now we can look at sin and grace in the example of Psalm 32. This psalm is a maskil of

David. Preparation for preaching on a psalm should be no different than preparation for preaching from

any other part of the Old Testament. Faithful time should be devoted to a proper text study and analysis.

It is in the analysis that we begin to see the amazing depth and breadth of even just a single

psalm. The first step is to examine the context of the psalm. The psalm was written by David, a man after

God’s own heart. There are numerous examples of David’s amazing faith and devotion to the one true

God. Sadly, there are also examples of his failures, his falls into sin, even perhaps unbelief. We recall the

story of 2 Samuel 12. David had committed murder and adultery. He lusted after Bathsheba and killed her

husband Uriah. The worse part of this story is that David was comfortable with his sin. Or so it seemed.

Even though he did not repent for over a year, the details in Psalm 32 reveal his heart.

It was only after Nathan approached David, that his sin was exposed. Only through the law, given

at David’s own mouth, did he become conscious of sin. And in that moment he repented. At the very

pronouncement of absolution, David was surely forgiven. We can see the joy of this Gospel forgiveness

brimming over in Psalm 32, written after David’s restoration to faith.

David’s example is one we know all too well. Who hasn’t sinned and kept it hidden and happy in

his heart? Who hasn’t committed something grievous and horrid and remained ignorant, even obdurate in

his iniquity? No Christian can properly claim to have not felt the burden of the law on a guilty

conscience, even as David did. And Which Christian when faced with the Law cannot help but break

down and cry as David did, “I have sinned against the LORD”? But then forgiveness is rendered, and like
David, we cannot help but be compelled to a life of sanctification. This is the heart of our message. This

Psalm is the Law and Gospel at work in a very basic and understandable fashion. It shall serve as an

excellent

The first verse serves as an excellent introduction to the psalm. The second verse mirrors the first

and further displays a Gospel predomination. Together these may be taken as the theme. In essence, the

man whose sins are forgiven is a blessed man. It isn’t uncommon to speak of a person being blessed in

respect to mental faculties or physical prowess. But truly blessed is the person whose sins the LORD does

not count against him. This person is spiritually blessed.

Just what makes such a person blessed? As the psalm points out, it is the simple but powerful fact

that his transgressions are forgiven and his sins are covered. The LORD Almighty, the perfect God, who

demands perfection, has all right to seek justice against us sinful people. But he is also the God of love

and grace. In that compassion he forgave us our sins through the redemptive work of Christ. Being

blessed implies a change in status. A poor man, when given money, is blessed to have an increase in

wealth. A depressed man is blessed when his friends bring him cheer. A man condemned to hell for his

sins, is blessed when the LORD does not hold those sins against him. It is with this mindset that David

begins his psalm.

David backtracks to relate his guilt trip experience. This is a feeling all too familiar and all too

close to home. “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” It is the

natural instinct of the sinful nature to try to weasel out of punishment and guilt. Certainly in an imperfect

world some sins may go unpunished, however, the burden of the inner law can only be squelched once a

conscience has been dulled and done away with. Here the pastor may instruct on the work of the

conscience and the dangers of ignoring the conscience. David had been ignoring him. Here he writes on

how devastating that was on him.

Verse four continues with the effects of the inner law, adding that this indeed was from the Lord.

For the impenitent sinner, it is the Lord’s hand that sends the terrors of a guilty conscience and the fear of

hell. This verse also shows the importance for a good analogy. A preacher in touch with his congregation
should not skip out on the vivid, beautiful language contained in the psalms that help bring the abstract

into concrete thoughts of every day. For those who may not understand the power of the guilty conscience

they may understand a fierce summer heat.

In writing sermons there is a point when the law and its applications switch over to the gospel.

After speaking on the law and its effects on the heart of David, the pastor should take those thoughts and

apply them to his own congregation. Once their own hearts are stricken with the Law, then the pastor may

move on to the restorative power of the Gospel.

Herein lays the power of verse 5. Only after the Law has worked on the heart can the now

penitent sinner confess his sins. As soon as the impenitent becomes penitent, then the forgiveness of the

Lord comes freely to him. It should also be noted here that the Lord himself forgives sin. There might be

room here for the pastor also to introduce the fact that when Christians forgive each other it is as valid

and certain as if Christ himself forgave the sinner.

The second half of the sermon can now start. The pastor has already discussed sin and the power

of the Law to bring sin to the foreground. After the announcement of forgiveness, the Gospel power of

where that forgiveness comes from can be freely expounded. While Christ’s name is nowhere mentioned

specifically here in the psalm, his redemptive work can clearly be seen. We shouldn’t think that Christ’s

redemptive work only came into play after the fact. This mindset would condemn all the Old Testament

believers. We know that Abraham had faith in God. It was credited to him as righteousness. He held fast

to the promise of a savior. Job too stated that he believed in a redeemer and that he would live forever in

heaven with his savior. Forgiveness of sins is salvation for the soul. And Salvation is found in no one

else except Jesus Christ. Therefore it is not improper for the Christ-centered sermon to take the time at the

end of verse five to expound on Christ’s saving work and its application to both David and to us.

The Gospel is found in only one verse but the effects of the Gospel are shown in the remaining

verses. This is seen in the first word of verse 6: therefore. Therefore, since David was forgiven he

rejoiced. Therefore, since we have been forgiven we rejoice. This is an excellent place to show the power

of Gospel motivation, a factor that may sometimes be lost in the law motivated churches of today.
 “Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the

mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.” After the pronouncement of the Law and the proclamation of

the Gospel, the renewed Christian will certainly join the pastor if offering up this pray, as David does.

This reveals to the congregation the pastor’s heart and the Church’s mission statement. While there is

still, let God be found. For those already godly, let them pray to God to be renewed so that they don’t lose

faith and drown in their sins. For those already drowning, let those who are godly seek them out and bring

salvation to them.

It is in this part of the sermon that the pastor can make direct applications to his congregation.

Now that they are sanctified, Christians will no longer try to hide their sins from God, but rather use God

as their hiding place from sin. This section is Gospel encouragement and assurance for those who are still

burdened by sin.

Verses 8 and 9 might be somewhat troubling at first when preaching on this particular psalm as

they do not follow the flow of David’s confession. These verses rather are an interruption from God. A

pastor is free to remind his congregation that their knowledge of sin and grace comes from God. He is the

one that teaches the way they should go. And more so, he also is watching over them as they walk the

walk of faith.

Verse 9 serves as a simple illustration, a return to the Law. This time however, the Law can be

received by the New Man. God warns his sheep not to be like a stubborn mule, willingly staying in sin

and ignoring the bridle of the Law. The new man can see this statement and rejoice, knowing that God

uses his law to also serve as a guide to the Christian, directing his life of sanctification.

Having followed David through his bout with sin, his confession and absolution in Christ and

now his reflection on a sanctified life, the pastor can come to a close. Certainly the congregation is faced

with many foes, inwardly and outwardly. But the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds and acts as a protective

barrier for the man who trusts in the Lord. This verse, as a conclusion, serves to tie the thoughts of the

psalm as a whole into a concise format. The focus is on God’s love for us. In his love, he forgave us our

sins. This is the reassurance, the Gospel predomination that a pastor must let shine forth.
 The ending verse can truly serve as the votum for a sermon on Psalm 32. Together with the

congregation, the pastor can say: “Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are

upright in heart!” A believer is one to whom the benefits of God’s universal justification are transferred.

He is one who is blessed for he has been forgiven. Now heaven is open to the believer. For the Christ-

centered pastor, he is looking at a congregation of follow believers. There is much reason to rejoice. This

is the only natural reaction that can come from a believing heart that is renewed and encouraged by the

Gospel.

As shown with the example of Psalm 32, any psalm has a plethora of doctrinal wealth stored

within. Some psalms can serve as basic overviews of the most fundamental of Christian teachings as did

Psalm 32. Others may allow the pastor to discuss certain topics in specific, such as original sin, finding

God’s righteousness as a blessing, a proper understanding of the uses of the Law, or a survey of the

wicked life compared to the Christian’s life.

It would be a severe mark against the pastor who would overlook the psalms as material to preach

on. Certainly a psalm is sung in the liturgy. But could not that very psalm serve as the basis for the

sermon? A psalm isn’t just a hymn. It’s still part of the Bible, verbally inspired. Its message still touches

the hearts.

But best of all is that the psalms are manageable. The common layman, as I had mentioned, has

some familiarity with the psalms, even if he hasn’t read them. What are the psalms but the confessions

and thoughts of fellow Christians? What are the psalms but pre-packaged individual lessons on the life of

a Christian? Therefore, the psalms are not only a good venue for occasional preaching, but should and

must be preached on in the course of a pastor’s ministry.