Psalm 51-Confession Changes Everything

Key Elements

In Psalm 51, the Psalmist David confessed his sin with Bathsheba to the Lord and in sorrowful repentance asked God to restore him and forgive him.

Main idea of the message: Sin is serious, but God’s mercy is greater. When we turn to Jesus in confession, He restores us and uses our lives for His glory.

I want my audience to see the gravity of their sin and seek to confess it to God trusting in His forgiveness and His restoration.

Intro

In our modern world, our cell phones have become something that is a part of us. They’ve really become something that we are dependent on in our daily lives. I can remember the journey from the flip phone that I had carried around for so long to my first iphone. I had gone through several versions of phones from the flip phone to a smarter phone that had some smarter functions to a blackberry phone, which did more but was still pretty difficult to navigate. I was still somewhat resistant to the idea of an iphone because I didn’t think I needed it, the phone I had did what I needed it to do. And then it came time for my wife to upgrade her phone on the current plan we had at the time and she made the jump to an iphone. And after seeing all that she could do with her phone and that it was actually easier to operate than what I had, I thought “I need me one of those.” So, when it came time to upgrade mine. I made the switch. And at first I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. I could access everything I needed in the palm of my hand. I got notifications every time I received an email, it was always going off and then after a while that got old. And I began to think “what have I done?” The problem now is that there’s a new version of the iphone coming out every year. They’re getting faster and smarter and, just being honest, I have to resist the temptation to want the newest version when it comes out. Because there’s just something about opening that new box (the slow reveal) and seeing that brand new phone for the very first time. But then, inevitibly, at some point we’re going to drop that new phone. We’ve all done it. It slips out of our hands, if your one of my children it happens a lot, and hits the ground and it cracks the screen. And if we’re lucky, it doesn’t do much damage. It might chip the corner or just slightly damage the screen cover. And we think, that didn’t really do a lot, I can live with that and we let it go. We don’t address it or deal with it, we just become accustomed to that small chip being there and eventually we don’t even notice it anymore. But over time, what happens? It spreads. That small chip grows bigger or we drop it a few more times and the screen gets damaged even more and because we didn’t deal with it or address it, over time, it affects the function of the entire phone.

Now, that’s a common example of something that we deal with often in this day and time. And it’s really a first world problem if you think about it in the grand scheme of problems. But it’s speaks to the way sin works in our lives a lot of times. It starts off small, maybe something that we deal with that doesn’t really seem like it’s that big of a deal. It’s something that no one knows about, that’s hidden, that we think we can manage or handle on our own. But left unaddressed, it can and will become something that affects our entire lives. And eventually, if left alone that sin will consume us to the point that it leads us down a path of destruction.

And that’s why the truths we find in Psalm 51 today are so important for us to understand. For it’s here in this Psalm that David sets the example for us of what it means to deal with sin in our lives especially what we would call hidden sin. Because all of us have it. All of us have things in our lives that we know are wrong that are unconfessed that are hidden. That we think no one else knows about. That we think we can manage on our own. And the truth is that those things are eating us alive. They are battles that we are slowly losing. They are things that we are being confronted with over and over again and in those moments of confrontation, when we come face to face with that hidden sin in our lives, we have to make a choice: are we going to continue to suppress it, continue to hide it, maybe blame others for it and justify it or are we going to recognize the seriousness of that sin and turn to Jesus? Because it’s in that moment, that what we decide to do, the choice we make, will make the difference between life and death.

Message

So, as we look at Psalm 51 today and we talk about this weighty subject of sin, here’s our main idea, here’s the good news of Psalm 51 for us: Sin is serious, but God’s mercy is greater. When we turn to Jesus in confession, He restores us and uses our lives for His glory.

Psalm 51 shows us what it looks like when we stop hiding our sin and start running to God. In our text today, we see what real confession looks like, and how God meets us in it—not to crush us, but to cleanse us, restore us, and use us for His glory. Today we notice four keys to our confession and God’s restoration that show us confession changes everything:

1. (First we notice) The Realization of our Responsibility. (vs. 1-3)

Backstory of Psalm 51: Now there’s a backstory here that sets up Psalm 51. Like all good songs we listen to in our day and time that have a story behind the song, there’s a story behind this one as well. And we get a glimpse of it in the little note under the title of the Psalm. David has written this Psalm for a reason and to get the full story, we have to go back to 2 Samuel 11-12. Just to summarize, in 2 Samuel 11, we see an event that changed the course of King David’s life forever. It involved a woman named Bathsheba. And as we read through 2 Samuel 11, the story unfolds that King David is in Jerusalem while his army is at war. It specifically tells us that David should have been with them offering counsel and planning strategy with his leaders but instead he is in his palace in Jerusalem (not where he is supposed to be). Through archeological excavation in Jerusalem it has been discovered that from where King David’s palace was located, he could see the entire city. According to what the text describes, he would have had a patio on the second story of his palace probably adjacent to his bedroom for important meetings and gatherings with his closest friends. And as he walks out on that patio one particular evening and is overlooking the city, he notices a woman bathing on her rooftop. Now, bathing outdoors would not have been unusual in that day and time. She would have either been bathing on the rooftop of her house because that is where the rainwater would have gathered or she would have been bathing in a small courtyard area of her house because of a spring that was present. Either way, she would have easily been seen by the King who had a great vantage point of the entire city. And instead of turning away, what does he do, he inquires about who she is. Her name is Bathsheba and she is the granddaughter of one of his closest counselors and the wife of Uriah one of his closest friends and most trusted warriors. And as we continue to read, we see what started out as a simple look turned into an obsession which led to him committing the sin of adultery with Bathsheba and him facilitating the murder of Uriah, her husband and one of his closest friends. David at this point takes her to be is wife after finding out she is pregnant with his child.

As 2 Samuel 12 opens up, we’re a little less than a year after David’s sin with Bathsheba because she has just given birth to the baby. So, for an entire year, David has kept this sin of adultery and murder hidden. Thinking no one knows and he has successfully covered it up, he is approached by the prophet Nathan. Nathan was like the nation of Israel’s pastor at the time and God sends him to King David to confront him with his sin. And he proceeds to tell him a story about something that is going on in his kingdom. He tells him of a rich man and a poor man who both owned sheep. The rich man had many sheep and the poor man had one that was like a pet to him and his family. One day the rich man got word that he had people coming to visit him and instead of preparing one of his many lambs, the rich man took the poor man’s one lamb and had it prepared for his guests. And 2 Samuel 12:5 says, “David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die!” And the prophet Nathan responds in vs. 7, “You are the man!” And then he delivers a heart wrenching message from the Lord to David about the consequences that David will face as a result of his sin. About all of the things that will affect the generations to follow.

And David’s response to that confrontation of his sin is Psalm 51. As a result of him being confronted by God about his sin that he had kept hidden for almost a year, David in the midst of this painful experience reveals the compassion of God meeting the confession of sin.

Look at vs. 1-3, he says...

Notice the language here. David doesn’t make excuses, he doesn’t talk about the pressure of being king or all of his accomplishments in the past. He doesn’t seek to put blame on anyone else. He says, “I have sinned.” He takes responsibility for what he has done and the language of this Psalm indicates that: he prays “blot out my rebellion;” “wash away my guilt;” “cleanse me from my sin;” “I am conscious of my rebellion and my sin is always before me.” Over and over again, he acknowledges the ownership of his own sin. It’s the first step to true confession of sin before our Heavenly Father, realizing our sin is our responsibility.

But unlike David here, so many times in our own lives, if you’re like me, when we are confronted with our sin, instead of taking responsibility, we make excuses. I mean, think about the language we use compared to the words David is using here. Our responses to this kind of honest confrontation usually go something like this “Well, if I did something to hurt you (I mean you say I did something wrong but I’m not fully convinced.)” Or “I did do that, but (then insert the reason or excuse why it happened.)” Or “Maybe, I wasn’t thinking like I should because of… (meaning I still don’t think what I did was wrong because I was justified.)” And all of those thoughts and all of those expressions indicate that deep down inside we don’t think what we did was our fault. It may have been wrong but the reason we sinned was because of someone else. And that doesn’t lead us towards true confession and repentance, it leads us away from it.

You see, for our lives to be truly changed and for us to respond to sin in our lives Biblically, it begins with the realization of our responsibility when it comes to sin in our lives. Confession for us has to become a regular daily rhythm and not a rare event. And when that happens, our hearts remain soft and open to God’s leading in our lives. When we are confronted by someone who lovingly points out sin in our lives, instead of throwing up our defenses and making excuses, we contemplate what God is showing us. And instead of keeping sin hidden and trying to manage it ourselves being overcome by the weight of it all, and looking for every excuse to justify it, we face it, we confess it, we take ownership of it, and we allow God, in His grace and mercy, to forgive us.

Confession changes everything for us when we first realize our responsibility to own our sin.

Next, we notice...

2. The Reality of Sin’s Weight. (vs. 4-5)

Our sin is first and foremost against God.

Confession changes everything for us because we come to grips with the reality of sin’s weight. Now, you’re thinking wait a minute, we all sin, we all mess up. We apologize to the person we’ve offended and we move on. Yes. You’re correct if you’re thinking that. When we sin against someone, we are all called as Christ followers to go to that person and ask them for forgiveness and do what we can to mend that relationship that was broken by that sin. But that’s only part of it. There’s a part that we sometimes overlook in the process of confession of sin and seeking forgiveness and that is what sin does to our relationship with God. And that’s the aspect that David places emphasis on here in vs. 4-5, he says...

Here’s what David is saying, “As bad as my sin was toward others, as harmful and as destructive as my sinful actions were to my friends and family, it was even worse against God.” He’s saying “first and foremost, my sin was an offense to God, my creator, my Heavenly Father.” And, being transparent this morning, I really think that is something that we just don’t take as seriously as we should, even or especially as Christ followers. I mean, how much is confession of sin a part of our daily time with God? Think about it. I would say most of our time with God is probably spent asking Him to meet our needs or to provide for us and our family, which is not a bad thing, but when it comes to confession of sin or asking God to expose our hidden sin to us, we probably rush right through that. When, according to Scripture, unconfessed sin in our lives is what creates a barrier between us and God. Confessing sin is where we should start. That’s the example David sets for us. Before he goes any further, coming to grips with the reality of the weight of his sin against God first, he admits his guilt before God.

Pastor JD Greear puts it in perspective for us when he says that “David’s sin, on a human level, was bad. It was more than that, it was horrendous. And yet, David says that even those things pale in comparison to the wickedness he’s committed against God. Sexual abuse, betrayal, murder, and lying in office are sins of the highest order, and yet, David says what he did to God was worse.”

We need to really feel the weight of David’s emotions and his words here, he says in vs. 4 “So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge.” God is justified in His stance on what David has done because He is holy. You see, as awful as the pain is we cause others when we sin, it does not compare to the weight of our sin before a holy God. We can easily think of the horizontal impact of our sin, but David acknowledges, “sin at its heart is vertical.”

So, what is the reality of sin’s weight? Well, here’s what sin does on a vertical level: a. Sin separates us from God. We are all born into sin and David emphasizes that point in vs. 5 when he says that “I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” We are all born naturally knowing how to sin. And the proof of that is in our children because our kids didn’t have to be sent to some kind of school to learn how to disobey. And we were the same way when we were kids. It’s a reality that affects everyone of us the moment we are born. We are born with a natural tendency towards sin. And that sinful nature causes us to reject God and His good plans and purposes for our lives because we think we know better than God what’s best for us. And in our rejection of God and His will for our lives, we create a vacuum that has to be filled with something other than God. The sinful way we live creates a separation from God because He is holy and cannot be in the presence of sin. So, sin separates us from God, our rebellion creates a vacuum or a barrier. b. We replace God with something else. We rebel against God and then to fill the vacuum that the separation creates, we seek other things or other people to fill that void that sin creates. And the things we choose don’t necessarily have to be evil things or evil people, but what makes that action sinful is that whatever or whoever it is is taking the place of God in our lives. They are filling a spot that they were never meant to fill.

And that is the reality of sin’s weight. It’s not only what it does to the people in our lives here on earth but even worse than that is what it does to God.

And the reason we don’t feel that weight most of the time is because of our sin. Dane Ortlund in his book Gentle and Lowly frames it for us so well, he says, “If we saw with deeper clarity just how insidious and pervasive and revolting sin is-and that is only possible as we see the beauty and holiness of our God-we would know that human evil calls for an intensity of judgment of divine proportion.”

You see, for our lives to be truly changed and for us to respond to sin in our lives Biblically, sin’s weight has to be a reality in our lives. We have to get to the point where we are consciously aware of not only what sin does to our horizontal relationships with one another but, more importantly, what it does to our relationship with God. We can and need to get emotional about what our sin did to someone else, but when was the last time we got upset over what our sin did to God? After all of His goodness and faithfulness in our lives, when was the last time we were remorseful for the damage our sin did to the heart of our Heavenly Father? J D Greear puts it this way, “Until we are most upset at what our sin has done to God, we’ll never really change. Until in our sin we see the hammer used to crucify Jesus, we’ll never feel the weight of sin.” Because that’s the bottom line when it comes to how God views sin. He hates sin so much and He loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son Jesus to give His life on the cross to remove the separation that sin creates between us and Him. That’s how much He abhors sin and that’s how much He loves us. He has a plan and a purpose for our lives, He has a better way He has called us and created us to live and when we realize what sin does, not only to our relationship with one another but ultimately, to our relationship with God, then it moves us to confession and that changes everything for us.

Third, we notice...

3. The Response of True Repentance. (vs. 6-12)

Now, this is where it gets good because as bad as this sinful situation is for David. As horrible as the things that he has done are, none of it is beyond the forgiveness and the grace of His God. David realizes his responsibility when it comes to what he has done, he recognizes the reality of the weight of his sin and the consequences in the lives of others but more importantly the damage it has created in his relationship with God; and his only option is repentance. He responds to all of this by throwing himself before the mercy and the grace of God.

Look at what he says in vs. 6-David knows that he cannot find the wisdom and the truth he needs in his life on his own, he has to look to and depend on the Lord. The wisdom he needs to live the way God has called him to live only comes from God.

vs. 7-he uses priestly purification language here to describe what he needs God to do in his life. He says “purge me with hyssop,” meaning “make me clean.” In those days when those who had leprosy were seeking to be healed, they would come to the priest and the priest would take hyssop which was a plant that was gathered and bunched up and they would dip it in the blood of a lamb and sprinkle it on the leper at the altar and pray for them to be cleansed. David knew that his only hope was for God to cleanse him and ultimately, he is pointing to the day when Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, would shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins once and for all.

vs. 8-He needs God to restore joy and gladness back to his life. This is not just an emotional joy but a contented resting in God. A security that comes from being reconciled with the Lord. Just as God’s displeasure with sin brings judgment, his pleasure in reconciling us brings joy.

vs. 9-David knows that only God alone can forgive his sin. He needs complete forgiveness to the point where God looks at his sin no longer. He asks him to “blot out” his guilt-this is an accounting term meaning to “remove from the ledger to never be recognized again.”

vs. 10-12- he says “create in me a clean heart” change me from the core of my being; “renew a steadfast spirit in me” help me to be constant in my pursuit of a Godly life; “Do not banish me from your presence” show mercy on me and let me constantly live guided by Your Holy Spirit; and “restore the joy of Your salvation” re establish the joy that only comes from a relationship with you.

David realizes that the path to forgiveness and mercy from God is found through confession and repentance. It’s interesting that in Psalm 51, David uses four different words to name his sin but he uses around nineteen different words to illustrate God’s forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is four times more powerful than our ability to sin.

You see, sin is weighty and devastating but in confession, honestly and humbly before God, we find grace and mercy. We talked about this earlier, as hard as it is for us to grasp the judgment of God on our sin, it is equally as hard for us to comprehend the tenderness of God that rests on us as Christ followers. Just as intense as God’s wrath is for sin, His love for us is just as intense. Because God is holy, for those who have not surrendered to Jesus as Savior and Lord, sin brings forth His judgment; but for those who have surrendered to Jesus as Savior and Lord, our sin brings forth His compassion and forgiveness and grace. One pastor puts it this way, “As followers of Jesus, He sides with us against our sin not against us because of our sin.” (Dane Ortlund) What an amazing way to think about God when it comes to our sin. And repentance is the key. When we run to God in repentance, we find that God is already running to us in forgiveness and grace.

And let me just say this morning, if you are here and you find yourself in the category of having never surrendered your heart and life to Jesus, repentance for the very first time is the key for you this morning. Confessing your need for God today and repenting of the way your are living and surrendering your heart and life to Jesus moves you from God’s judgment to God’s love. Because as followers of Jesus, those who have surrendered to Him as Savior and Lord, when God looks at us He no longer sees our sin He sees the blood of Jesus that was shed for our sin. We experience forgiveness of our sin and we have access to that forgiveness through daily repentance because of the shed blood of Jesus for us. Yes, there are still earthly consequences for our sin, but the eternal consequences for sin have been paid for on the cross by Jesus Christ.

Confession changes everything and true confession comes through repentance.

Finally, we see...

4. The Restoration for God’s Glory. (vs. 13-15)

If there’s on main truth for us in Psalm 51, it’s that failure isn’t final. And David is a prime example of that. Yes, David messed up. Yes, David’s sin had consequences that affected current and future generations but when we look at scripture and when we think about David, we remember what he did for the Lord. We remember how he led God’s people. We remember him not for his worst moment but his heart for God all throughout his life. In fact, David is mentioned more times in Scripture second only to Jesus. David’s repentance led to God’s restoration. And this was his desire, look at vs. 13...

His ultimate desire was that God restore him and use him for His glory. He prays that God restore Him and then he prays that God uses him to restore others. And ultimately, this is what God does for all of us who turn to Him in repentance. He takes the brokenness of our lives, He restores us in relationship with Him, and He uses us to warn others about the dangers of sin and to lead others back to Him. The sin and the mistakes of our lives, God uses for His glory. It’s true that no one understands brokenness more than someone who has walked through brokenness and found the grace and mercy of God on the other side.

Closing

And that really is the story for all of us. We have all been broken, we have all sinned and experienced what sin does in our lives. But God in His mercy and grace, through our repentance, restores us and in that restoration uses us to proclaim the mercy and grace of God to others. Through our brokenness and restoration, others are pointed to Jesus and God is glorified.

So, here’s how I want to close things out this morning. I want to call us to prayer as a church today. First of all, if you find yourself in a struggle and need to surrender your heart and life to Jesus for the very first time. Come this morning. If your battling with a secret temptation or struggle, the first step to freedom is bringing it to the Lord.