Psalm 51 - The Repentance-Driven Life

Introduction

“The Christian life is meant to be a life of...” What was the first word that came to your mind to finish that sentence? “The Christian life is meant to be a life of...” If you look around various Christian books, sermons, websites, songs and so on, you’ll find a lot of different ways Christians have finished that sentence. (There was a book by a celebrity pastor several years ago that became a bestseller called The Purpose-Driven Life, for example). There are a lot of ways that sentence goes: The Christian life is meant to be a life of purpose... a life of joy… a life of victory… a life of passion… a life of grace… a life of forgiveness… We could go on.

And, of course, each one of those words has its place in defining the life of a Christian. But what’s interesting to me is that there is one element of the Christian life that we don’t seem to hear too much about these days—and it may, in fact, be one of the most crucial characteristics of the life of a believer—a life of repentance.

Martin Luther, when he wrote his 95 Theses as an inquiry about the practice of selling indulgences for the forgiveness of sin in the Roman Catholic Church, started his document with the assertion that

“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent’, He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”

But that cuts against the grain of our 21st Century sensibilities, doesn’t it? We don’t want to hear about repentance, because that goes against our pet cliches that God loves us just the way we are, that we are nice people who He will make happy. Saying that the Christian life is meant to be a life of repentance forces us to recognize that we are fallen, that we fail, that we stumble, that we are imperfect—that we are, in fact, sinners.

And even right there some of you flinch because you immediately want to point to the fact that if we are in Christ we are new creatures, the old has passed away, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17)—we have a new nature, a new identity, and we are dead to sin and alive to Christ (Romans 6:11).

And, of course, all of that is true—gloriously true!—but we still cannot escape the ugly truth that people in a right relationship with God can still commit horrible acts of evil. We can find examples all through the Scriptures, but for today we need look no further than King David, the man who wrote the Psalm we are studying this morning.

The introduction to Psalm 51 says that it is “a psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba”. This is a reference to the account given to us in 2 Samuel 11—King David was standing on the roof of his palace watching a beautiful woman bathing—he sent his servants to go get her so that he could have sex with her. She became pregnant as a result, and so in order to cover up what he had done David had her husband Uriah murdered.

Now, even by our modern standards, those are some pretty horrible and wicked actions—if the president of the United States was a peeping Tom who demanded sexual favors from the woman he was spying on and then had his military commander assassinate her husband—even as debauched as our nation is these days, that kind of thing would probably still be a scandal—even if it was a Democrat president! (At least Newsmax would cover it!)

But think about this for a moment—King David was an ancient Oriental potentate. Kings in the ancient Near East were considered completely above the law, beyond the reach of “right” and “wrong”. In fact, most of the kings of the surrounding nations wouldn’t have thought twice about executing a man and taking his wife—they were king, after all!

But this is what we have to understand about David—he was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). He was devastated by what he had done—the ugliness and wickedness of his actions tore him apart.

And here is the point of entry for us this morning—David’s right relationship with God did not mean he was incapable of great wickedness. But David’s right relationship with God meant that he was driven to repentance for his sin!

And this is where Psalm 51 came from—David’s anguish over his sin, and his cry to God to rescue him from his sin, grant him forgiveness for his sin and restore his purity and joy before God.

Christian, you are not immune to sin because you have a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. While you live here on this earth you may grow to sin less, but you will never become sinless until you awaken in the presence of God for eternity! And so that means that whatever else the Christian life is, it must be a life of repentance.

And in his psalm, David demonstrates to us how that life of repentance is manifested in a believer’s life. So what I aim to show you this morning from Psalm 51 is that

The repentance-driven life grows in HATRED for SIN and in DELIGHT for HOLINESS

I want us to focus this morning on three facets of David’s prayer for repentance in this psalm that are particularly instructive for us as we seek to obey God’s command to live a repentance-driven life. And the first thing we see David do in the opening verses of the psalm is that

I. He completely OWNS his SIN (Psalm 51:1-6)

Look at the first four verses with me:

Psalm 51:1–4 ESV

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Within the space of the first two verses, he calls his actions transgressions (deliberately breaking God’s commands), iniquity (perversion and twistedness of heart) and sin (failing to live up to God’s standards). In verse 4 he makes it very clear that

His DEEDS were EVIL (v. 4)

His adultery and murder weren’t “mistakes”, they weren’t “poor decisions”, they weren’t a “momentary lapse of judgment”. David says, “I committed evil acts”. He doesn’t try to excuse his behavior or rationalize, he doesn’t defend himself or minimize what he has done.

He says to God, “Against You only have I sinned...” Now, sometimes you’ll hear commentators say, “See, David sinned against Bathsheba and against Uriah—but sinning against them is nothing compared to sinning against God!”

But I think there’s more to it than that: David is not just saying that his sin against God was worse than his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah—he is saying that his sin against them is a sin against God because they bear the image of God.

God says to Noah in Genesis 9:6:

Genesis 9:6 ESV

6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

When David lifted his hand against Uriah, he was lifting his hand against an image-bearer of God. When he violated the marriage bond between Uriah and his wife he violated Bathsheba who was an image-bearer of God.

According to God’s Law, the punishment for both murder and adultery was death. David had earned the death-penalty from God twice over by his evil deeds, and as he comes before God in prayer he begs Him for mercy—knowing that he deserves none whatsoever.

Not only does David confess that his deeds were evil, but he goes on in verses 5-6 to say that

His NATURE is CORRUPTED (v. 5)

Psalm 51:5 ESV

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

David was not just horrified at the depths of the evil actions he had committed, but he was horrified at the fact that he was capable of such evil. David doesn’t do what we are all too often guilty of doing when confronted with our sin—he doesn’t say, “I may have done some bad things, but I’m a good person at heart!” Repentance does not evade, it doesn’t equivocate or blame-shift, it doesn’t appeal to its otherwise sterling reputation. Repentance confesses that our deeds were evil, and that they have come out of a twisted and sinful heart.

A repentance-driven life grows in hatred for its sin—see here how David does not retain even the slightest bit of desire to repeat those sins. Everything in him is repelled and disgusted by what he had done. He owns it—he names it as the evil that it is—and he confesses that his own sinful nature is the problem.

He completely owns his sin, and in the following verses we see that

II. He utterly SUBMITS to God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS

as well. In verse 4 he says “I have done what is evil in your sight so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment”. David doesn’t complain that God is too harsh or strict or demanding, he doesn’t whine that it is “not fair” for God to judge him for his sin—he specifically says that

God is BLAMELESS in judging him

All too often our response to God’s righteous standards is like the little boy whose kindergarten teacher sent him to sit in the corner for pulling Susie’s hair. He sits there, sullenly crossing his arms and glowering at the teacher like Achilles sulking in his tent and says, “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside!”

But David shows none of that kind of rebellious attitude, does he? He says that God is completely righteous in his judgment—if He were to strike David dead where he stood, God would be utterly blameless: “God, it would be absolutely within your righteous nature to destroy me for my sin!”

And David goes on in verse 6 to acknowledge that

God demands PERFECTION (v. 6)

Psalm 51:6 ESV

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Once again, we are sometimes tempted to think that God will “understand” and “let us slide” when we “make a mistake”. That He is content to look the other way when we sin—but that’s not at all what David says here, is it? He doesn’t say that God will just “let him slide”, or overlook his sin—God delights in truth in the inward being, and David’s inward being was full of malice and lies. God teaches wisdom in the secret heart, but David’s heart was full of foolishness and murderous selfishness.

God’s standards of righteousness are perfect, and God perfectly keeps those standards. God is righteous, and He requires righteousness of those who would stand before him. The repentance-driven life doesn’t lower God’s standards to our own; we freely submit to God’s standards of right and wrong.

And when we do that, we are confronted with the reality that we cannot meet those standards, can we? We are utterly incapable of the perfection that God demands—and so we need to come to Him for our forgiveness.

And that is the third element of a “repentance-driven life”—David completely owns his sin, he utterly submits to God’s righteousness, and

III. He genuinely REJOICES in God’s FORGIVENESS

Listen to how many times David talks about joy and rejoicing in verses 7-12:

Psalm 51:7–12 ESV

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

This is another element of repentance that we need to understand—that being confronted with the depths of your depravity and the heights of God’s holiness results in an overflowing joy in your forgiveness! David rejoices because he

Receives PURITY from God (v. 7)

In Verse 7 when David says “purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean...”, he is making a reference to the story of the Hebrew people’s Exodus from Egypt—in Exodus 12 we read of how the people sacrificed a spotless lamb and dipped a branch of hyssop plant in the blood and struck the doorposts of their houses so that God’s judgment would “pass over” them. David is saying, “Let the blood of the Passover lamb cover me so that your wrath against my sin will pass over me!”

You and I see the picture of that Passover Lamb far more clearly than David ever did, don’t we? Because we know the Reality behind the picture of Passover—we know that Passover lamb and the blood on the doorposts was a picture of what Jesus Christ would do on the Cross, and that it is by His blood that you and I are shielded from the wrath of Almighty God against our transgressions and iniquities and sins. By His wounds and the blood that flowed from them on the Cross, you and I are healed of our transgressions—by punishment that brought us peace fell on Him, and we are washed clean of our sins.

And so when we recognize the depth of our sins and the heights of God’s holiness, and when we consider again the price that Jesus Christ paid on the Cross to free us from the penalty of our sins, the result is joy:

Psalm 51:12 ESV

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

The “repentance-driven life” genuinely rejoices in God’s forgiveness—it receives purity from God and it

Receives JOY from God (v. 12)

In Luke’s Gospel we read of Jesus’ dinner with Simon the Pharisee—while they reclined at the table a woman who was a “sinner” came in and wept at Jesus’ feet, anointing His feet with precious ointment. The Pharisee was scandalized by her behavior (and Jesus’ willingness to allow her to touch Him); Jesus explained that “her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much...” (Luke 7:47).

David responds to God’s forgiveness in the same way—being forgiven by God for his horrible crimes results in great joy in God and delight in the forgiveness and purity God has restored to him! The repentance-driven life grows in hatred for sin and in delight for holiness!

And this is where we must consider carefully what God’s Word is teaching us here—all too often we act as though God has forgiven us, but just barely. We have been restored to fellowship with Him, He has forgiven our sins, but we still act like we don’t deserve to be Christians—we must continue to act appropriately sorry and downcast and silent.

But how did David respond when he received the forgiveness of God and renewed purity? He rejoiced! He said, “I’m going to tell everyone I know how You have forgiven me of my sins, and how they can be forgiven too!

Psalm 51:13–14 ESV

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

David didn’t say, “Well, I’ve got a terrible past, I’ve done horrible things—I’m a terrible Christian”. He said, “I’ve got a terrible past, I’ve done horrible things—and I am so happy and thrilled that God has forgiven me, I want to tell everybody!” The repentance-driven life is a life that is brokenhearted over its sin, but it is a life of brokenhearted joy over God’s forgiveness!

Psalm 51:15–17 ESV

15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Christian, you are called to live a life of repentance—you are called to grow in your hatred for sin, and delight in the holiness God gives you by His grace. When you come before God in repentance, call your sin for what it is—it is wickedness, it is evil, it is a rebellion against God! Don’t make excuses for your sin, don’t blame-shift, don’t self-justify. God delights in truth in the inner being, so don’t try to lie to yourself (and to Him) by whitewashing your wickedness!

And don’t treat God as if He doesn’t really care about your sin—don’t say, “Well, God understands I couldn’t help it; He doesn’t care about such a little sin...” God’s wrath burns against the tiniest disobedience, the smallest “fib”, the quickest glance, the most fleeting rise of anger or bitterness. There are no “little” sins, since every sin is an offense against an infinitely holy and righteous God—and so even the “littlest” sins deserve eternal punishment. Don’t slander God by saying that His infinite holiness is unoffended by your “little” sins. Submit to His righteousness and confess your sins.

The only forgiveness that you can possibly have before God is the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the Cross for you—Jesus was crushed under the wrath of God for your sins, and it is only as you hide under His blood that His wrath will pass over you and make you acceptable in His sight.

And it is only when you recognize the depths of your capability to sin and the heights of His perfect righteousness that you can appreciate the amazing grace of Jesus Christ to suffer and die for you. And when you realize just how much you have been forgiven and just how much cleansing and purity is yours before Him through Christ, you have a deep and abiding and delightful joy that drives you to tell everyone of how much God has done for you!

But be warned—the world around you cannot and will not understand this kind of forgiveness, this kind of joy. Because the world around you runs on accusation and intimidation and perpetual guilt. There is no “forgiveness”, there is only perpetual grovelling and pleading. Someone who has committed the kinds of crimes King David did would never be allowed to “rejoice” or be “glad” about anything—most certainly not about being forgiven.

But if you have trusted in Jesus Christ for your salvation; if you have called on Him in repentance for your sins and cried out to Him to purge you with His own blood so that the wrath of God passes over you, then you must rejoice anyway! Don’t wallow in the self-imposed guilt of past sins that He has cleansed you from—and don’t listen to the accusing, judgmental slanders of the world around you telling you that you are damaged goods, that you will never be free of your past.

Because even if your life does bear the consequences of your past sin—even if you are still having to deal with the fallout of your past wickedness, you can still have that joy in God. David’s sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah resulted in his being deposed from the throne and pursued through the wilderness by his own treacherous son, Absalom. But through all of those terrible months on the run, David was secure in his joy in God!

And so for you Christian—even if you are dealing with the consequences of your past sin, you have the joy of knowing that those consequences will not follow you into eternity! You can deal with them here and now because you have the joy of your salvation in God through all the days of this life—you can sing with David in Psalm 103:12

Psalm 103:12 ESV

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

No matter how this world tries to pin those past sins on you, no matter how often Satan tries to cut you down by throwing them back in your face, no matter how often you are tempted to disqualify yourself as a Christian because of your past, when you live a repentance-driven life that grows in hatred for sin and in delight for holiness, He will give you the power to “sing aloud of His righteousness” that He has given you and “open your lips for your mouth to declare the praise” of the Lamb who cleanses you by His Blood, your savior Jesus Christ!

BENEDICTION

Jude 24–25 ESV

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

Why is the notion of a “repentance-driven life” so foreign to our modern Christian thinking? How does Psalm 51 model for us the way we are to practice repentance in our lives?

What does it mean to “own” your sin? How are you tempted to downplay or justify your sin before God? How does David talk about his sin in his prayer? How does he talk about his own heart? What do these verses teach you about how to confess your sin to God?

What kind of responses would most people give when asked what God thinks of their behavior? Why is it important to recognize that God’s “zero-tolerance” attitude towards sin is still as true today as it was in David’s day? How does this cause us to rejoice more in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection?

Read Psalm 51:14-17 again. Notice how David combines joy and singing and praising God for His righteousness with a broken spirit and a contrite heart. What does this tell you about the relationship between repentance and joy? Is it possible to have a “brokenhearted joy” in God? Pray these verses this week that God might “open your lips to declare His praise” for your forgiveness from sin!