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dreadful sin—David with the murder of Urijah. He comes to

God about the matter; he comes like this man did, and he said

to God, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned” (Psalm 51: 4);

he realized that every sin was a sin in the eye of heaven, in

the eye of God. So if you have slighted someone, if you have

done something contrary, as the prodigal had done to his

father, not so great as David’s sin but against someone else,

realize that it is a sin not only against man, it is a sin before

heaven. Admit that; accept in your soul that your sins are sins

against heaven, that heaven has been

interested in you, it has seen you, it has seen these sins

committed, and it has been distressed by sins before heaven.

What is the effect? What is the result? This man comes back,

he says, “I have sinned against heaven and before thee”. Then

you find something else that characterizes heaven. There is a

Man in heaven who is blessing, but there is also joy in heaven.

There is joy in heaven. Do you know that? Have you ever

made heaven happy? I can tell you you have done things that

have distressed, that have affronted heaven. Have you ever

made heaven happy? Has there been delight in heaven over

you? Think of the Father’s delight, think of the Son’s delight. It

refers also to the delight of the angels; it says in verse 10,

“there is joy before the angels of God for one repenting

sinner”. Are you one who has been a repenting sinner and

who is a repenting sinner? Are you causing joy to heaven

today? Have you repented today? Have you turned, from your

own way? Have you turned and admitted that these sins were

sins in the eye of heaven, that you are hopeless and helpless

to dispose of them, and that Jesus is the fount of blessing for

you? What is the effect of that? Joy in heaven. Would you not

like to make heaven happy tonight? Is there anyone who

would not like to have heaven a happy place because of you?

Heaven is so interested in you that there is joy in heaven if you

should repent. And then you can have joy and rejoicing in your

heart over the fact that something is established in heaven.