A Prayer of Repentance

Psalm 51

A man wakes up from his sleep. Goes into the bathroom and looks into the mirror… what does he see? What does he hear?

He sees the past. He hears the past. He sees and hears the action over and over again. He sees the steps. He remembers the thoughts, feels the emotions… He remembers how he justified it all...

How could he have become so deceived? How did he get there? I could I have believed that no one would ever know? I could I become so convinced that God was not looking, or that God was not concerned about my actions...

And he looks at himself and hears the words… “adulterer, liar, murderer...” And God makes it clear to King David that He knows all about it.

King David is in a bad place. And hear, in the text, you see and hear a broken and contrite heart crying out to God.

Have mercy upon me (be gracious to me), O God, according to your lovingkindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies (or the greatness of Your compassion)… “according to Who you are… not who I am.”

Not according to who and what I am… but by Who You are.

There is nothing I can do. There is nothing that I can bring. Not according to my works… but by your loving kindness and tender mercies… Please Help...

Do you see David?

“Lord, I am in utter desperation and can do nothing about my situation... Have mercy upon me, the sinner.”

The repentant sinner must see himself here, he or she must find themselves here, in need of mercy.

Jesus shows us two kinds of people in Luke 18.

Jesus teaches us something in Luke 18:10-14 - There is one way the sinner must come to God. Here we see a religious leader, a Pharisee, and a despised tax collector meeting at the temple to pray.

The Pharisee begins to compare himself with other people, “I am thankful that I am not as bad as all these other people… I do religious things… Amen.”

And the tax collector… had a clear understanding of his sin… He doesn’t compare himself to others and does not justify himself… He won’t even look up. He beats his chest and says, “God have mercy on me a sinner!”

This person will not look into heaven, as if he was looking into the face of God. He does not believe he is worthy enough to look into the face of God. He is not worthy to speak… He is ashamed of his sin.

His sin is before him. He sees it. He can’t get rid of the memory of it.

David, like this tax collector, has his sin in front of him and he cannot forget… He can’t get rid of it… And he is overwhelmed with grief and shame.

(Picture) My brother and I put fire crackers in cow pattys and blew up fragments all over ourselves… and we laughed and had a great time… I smell, you smell… it was all well and good until… We presented ourselves to our mother...

(Picture) We can smell, and be fine with it… Until we stand before people we admire, have respect for, or esteem… Until we stand before presidents or kings...

(Picture) But what about being covered from head to toe with hog manure… standing before The King of Kings, God Himself? And you see yourself, and smell yourself before Him.

“I am wearing it as if I fell into a hog pen and I am covered with it...” Cleanse me… Wash me… I do not want to wear this!

Oh, the shame...

But, so often are we reminded, by preachers and teachers… with maybe the best intentions…, to forget what God has forgotten… That God has removed the sin as far as the east is from the west… and that we should forget it as well.

Well. there is a problem with this… We are not God.

We are not made to forget. Unless we experience a brain injury, disease or some other condition that effects memory… have amnesia… We are going to remember.

And listen, we shouldn’t place false guilt or shame on folks because they can remember, or that it is a sin to remember...

We are made to remember...

Our sin is before us. And we must not ignore it, justify it, or compare it to others. We must see it, and we see ourselves as we are… Sinners before a Holy God Who cannot have part of darkness, impurity, or sin...

And it is good that we remember: Verse 3

Why? If you don’t remember your sin, you will not seek the Savior.

If you cannot remember your sin, where you have come from, what you have done… You will not pursue Him and love Him as you should...

Sin has consequences… Sin creates memory of pain.

Listen: Our sin will have consequences that we will have to live with… that our family will have to live with… some families to the 3rd and 4th generation… because of sin’s aftermath.

David and his family will suffer after he is forgiven. David will be forgiven, be restored, be used by God and he will experience the Holy Spirit’s life… But his sin will cause national and generational family problems...

And he will always remember what he has done, while he continued to pursue after God in his life.

Listen: We cannot escape the consequences of sin.

You watch and listen to stuff that causes darkness… We confess our sins, are forgiven, but you still deal with the pain of overcoming the darkness you put in you.

There are those who live lifestyles of homosexuality… who come out of it to live for Jesus… and they struggle for long periods of time… with the thoughts of what they have done.

Please… guard your minds… guard your lives!

There are those who pray every single Sunday that all the women dress modestly… Because they have struggled with what they have put in their minds from the internet.

You drink for years, use drugs for years, verbally abuse spouses and kids for years… and come to Jesus years later… are forgiven, redeemed and restored...

And you still remember the pain you caused. Your family still remembers the pain. Not only that, you have influenced the people in your household… And now they drink and use drugs… and verbally abuse others...

Your boys act like you and your girls want to marry someone like you.... Because its all they know; its familiar; its home.

Sin will have its aftermath and consequences… and without a Savior to look to and to hope in… you are dead, without the Great Physician. You are without hope and you will live in pain always...

But there is this God, this Lord, this Savior and Shepherd: Jesus. He will wash over you. He will cleanse you. He will justify you. He will purify you...

He will create a clean heart within you. He will renew a steadfast spirit within you and HE will restore the joy of your salvation.

“By doing what? By me looking at me?” NOOOOO!

By looking to the Lord… over and over and over again.

We are done looking at us. We are finished with justifying and or comparing ourselves. We undone by this Savior that has died for us.

For every glance of ourselves and our sin… We take 10-20 glances at Jesus and His great love for us. We look to the Cross over and over again...

Yes, this is what I have done, but this is what Christ has done. This is what I have done, but this is not who I am...

We take every memory/every sin to Jesus over and over again… We do not hang on to it with our pride...

We sacrifice our pride and confess our sin with a broken and contrite spirit.

And going back to Luke 18 - It will be these who will go home justified...

It is these He will hear. It is these that He will never cast out. It will be these whom He will lift up and comfort with His presence, and bring peace to their soul...

This one will be forgiven.

Why? Because He prays a prayer from his lips? No, because he is truly repentant from the heart.

This is the sinners prayer. This is the repentant sinner’s heart. This sinner depends on God’s mercy, not their religion, not their comparisons, or pious actions, or their lip service.

And this one will go to heaven justified.

The broken and contrite spirit is what God is looking for, not your pride. God exalts this person… but He will humble the prideful religious person.

*So… Get This:

It is good that we remember, but what are you doing with the memory of it?

If you don’t remember your sin, you will not seek the Savior.

a. Are you seeking the Savior, or do you think that you can handle your own sin?

b. Are you crying out to the Savior, or are you justifying your sin, and comparing yourself to others?

c. Are you a religious Pharisee or a broken sinner?

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2. If you don’t remember your sin, you will not know the Goodness of God and experience His grace, love and mercy.

a. Do you see the Cross today, in front and behind, and surrounding your sin?

b. Are you living in grace or memory lane? Are you living and growing in the grace and love of God, or living in the lie that you must forgive yourself before you can experience the joy of your salvation?

Verse 4 - Against God only have you sinned… You need His forgiveness. Receive His forgiveness. This forgiveness is the one you need… and it is everlasting.

Grace, mercy and love is not based or is contingent upon you. You are not the Author or finisher of your salvation.

Are you willing to trust in your forgiveness over Jesus’ work on the Cross…?

Look beyond yourself to what Christ has done. Look to the Goodness of God. Look to the mercy of God today.

Taste and See that the Lord is Good!

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3. Lastly: If you do not remember your sin, you will not see the progress you have made.

a. Can we all see something today as Christians? Can we all see that we are not perfect… but we are not where we use to be?

I am not great or good. I am not perfect. I fail on a regular basis… I am still confessing my sin. But, I am not who I use to be… I don’t do the things I use to do… I am making progress in the Christian life.

Yes, I can see the sin… Yes, I can see down memory lane… But I have a Savior… I have a life that covers me… I have His promises in me… and I am walking on to make more progress for Him… For His Name’s sake.

Do you see the progress today?

Praise God we can see it. God is working. God is not finished with you yet.

Do live in the past sin/mistakes/failures.

Live in His mercy. Live in His grace.

Keep looking to Him. Keep living out of His mercies and lovingkindness.

To everyone, believer and unbeliever: Quit looking at yourself.

Acknowledge the sin. Look to the Savior.

Come to Him with a broken and contrite spirit and say: Lord, Purge me, Wash me, Create in me a clean heart; Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and deliver me from this guilt.

And the Lord of Glory, our Merciful and Gracious God will meet you where you are.

And bring deliverance today.

Pray.