Prayer of Repentance

Pastor Matt Davis – Prayer of Repentance – 2 Samuel 11, 2 Samuel 12, Psalm 51 Introduction Mark in your Bibles Psalms 51 and then turn with me to 2 Samuel 11. I want to begin todays message by reading the story of David, when he fell into temptation as he seen Bathsheba bathing on her rooftop. I want you to observe his actions in the temptation, and then I want you to observe his confrontation. 2 Samuel 11 and 12 is the background behind the Psalm in 51, in which David prays for repentance. Let’s begin, verses two through six. 2 Samuel 11:2-6 - 2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 3 And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.1 So real quick, what do we see here? We see David has committed adultery with Bathsheba and he find himself in quite the problem. Moreover from the sin, David is now with child through Bathsheba. Read on to see the development of the story. Verses fourteen through seventeen. 2 Samuel 11:14-17 - 14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. 16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned 1 The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Sa 11:2–5). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were. 17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. 2 Ok, so David commits adultery, impregnates the woman, and has to deal with his friend. He has the option to tell the friend, to be forthcoming and repentant. Rather, his choice is “the easier route.” He sends his friend to the frontline of battle with the intentions of having him smitten of the enemy. Essentially, David has the man murdered to cover up his crime. No husband, no issue. He can then take Bathsheba to wife and cover it up. Turn the page with me one chapter over, reading verses one through seven of the twelfth chapter. 2 Samuel 12:1-7a - And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. 5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.3 There is a change of scene here. Things settle down, David thinks everything is fine and perhaps even begins to put the ordeal behind him. And at some point, assumably down the line some time, (the last verse of the previous says she gave birth to the son), Nathan the prophet comes along. He foretells of a thief, a rich man who could not be bothered to spare of his flock. Instead, the rich man, who has much, takes the only from the poor man, and feeds the stranger. David’s anger kindles, he proclaims the man deserves to die and should repay four-fold what had been taken. But the kicker, the butt biter, was Nathans reply in verse seven, “Thou art the man,” he says to David. 2 The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Sa 11:14–17). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 3 The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Sa 12:1–7). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. Now, David is confronted in his sins. What can he do? Typically, there are four responses from the man who is confronted with his sin – Whether he is confronted directly, his conscious eats at him, or he feels a sermon is convicting him. In most cases, you will respond in one of four ways. You will: 1) Hide/Deny it a) Such is the case of most people confronted in sin. They will deny it altogether. “No, I’m not doing that.” Or perhaps, “Yes, I had a problem many years ago, but I’ve overcome that and no longer have the issues.” Often times, they deny only to themselves, the confronter already knows. 2) Rationalize It a) Perhaps it may be easier to rationalize than to deny. “It only hurts me, so it’s no big deal.” Maybe you will hear something like this, “it’s the twenty-first century, catch up with the times.” Perhaps, “It’s ok, all my friends are doing it.” We have all heard other rationalizations as well, “you don’t know what it’s like to be going through this.” 3) Blame Game a) This is the oldest response in the book (literally). The first sin, the transgression of Adam who ate the fruit. How did he deal with confrontation? “Eve did it! She gave me the fruit and tricked me!” How about Eve? “The serpent did it!” There was not an ounce of repentance or acknowledgement of their own responsibility for the action. Such is common today as well, it is much easier to blame someone else than to own up to it. 4) Repent a) The is the last, and rarest route the man will take. How much better it is to confess the sin and seek forgiveness than to deny it before the Almighty! You may trick me, you may trick your parent, you may trick the cop or the judge or your friends. But you cannot hide it from God. No amount of denial, rationalizing, nor blaming others will excuse the action. Turn in your Bibles now to Psalms 51, you should have it bookmarked already. David is often called the man after God’s own heart. David, upon being confronted with his sin and seeing it, denies it not, nor justifies it, nor blames Bathsheba or someone else, but he confesses the sin in all of its ugliness. Psalm 51 is the prayer of a man truly seeking repentance. Let’s examine in the Psalm five elements to the prayer of a repentant heart. The Confession VV. 1-5 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.4” David begins his prayer with a request of mercy. He goes before the Father knowing he done wrong, knowing nothing save mercy can meet him in his need. David is very open in his prayer, “against thee have I sinned, and done evil, that thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgest.” David recognizes an inherent fact of breaking the law – If God were to pass judgement, it would be judgement deserved. Of such is the great mystery of grace, in that, God gives us what we don’t deserve and took upon Himself that which we did. Last week, I told you about a “friend” I had on facebook, who said that it is impossible to be a Christian and have joy in life. The same “friend” had a separate conversation with me on free will and sin. He says, if you must repent and acknowledge your actions are wrong, if there is punishment for sin, then there is no such thing as free will. ***Face Palm Moment*** Free will does not mean actions are consequence free, but it does mean you are free to choose your actions. You still deal with the consequence. And it is here where David, in his repentance, acknowledges before God that matter of fact. I deserve the consequence, but I plead for mercy. 4 The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ps 51:1–5). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. David continues, “I acknowledge my transgressions, my sin is ever before me.” There is no hiding before the Almighty God that what we have done in secret. Confession, in fact, is not about informing God of what we have done – He already knows! It is about being honest and humble before Him. David lays out and cries of his sins, he pours them out, he tells God of them. In acknowledgement, David says, “I am wrong, I am wrong! Against thee I have done evil.” People find the acknowledgement difficult. I think there are many who fear like it’s all coming out and getting exposed, and they worry what that means. But again, God already knows! Your sin is ever before you, so confess it. Put it out before the great God. Let Him know that you know, let Him know that you agree with Him in your wrong doing. There is great peace in presenting yourself before the throne as the sinner and stepping into the mercy of God. David says in the confession, “Wash me, cleanse me!” Pay attention – pay attention to this entire Psalm. Not to what I say, but what the Psalm says. What does a repentant man look like? Is the man who simply wants to cover his butt the repentant man? I think not! But the man, the man who wants to be cleansed of his sin, who wants to be washed of it, he is repentant. David proclaims one last thing – “in sin my mother conceived me.” Now, David is not speaking evil, nor against his mother. Rather, David proclaims one more important aspect of sin. This sin was not some freak accident. This sin was the very character of him, an expression of the warped being that he was. Such to be the case of each of us. We are by very nature sinful. David acknowledges, he speaks of his character, of his very being that is sinful. But as we continue into the next two points, look to what David asks for with the confession. The Restoration VV. 6-9 “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities.5” The first of these next two points, David seeks restoration. He prays first to be purged with hyssop, to be cleaned. The hyssop is a plant that was used to either paint blood (such as the case in the Passover (Ex. 12)) or to be used in the sprinkling of blood. Such was common in the cleansing of the leper and the cleaning of the person who came into contact with a dead body. The image, the plea David has in mind, is that he would be made clean. That he should be washed, and his sin/filthiness removed from him. If God would wash him, then he would be whiter than snow. He would be pure. David pleas for the restoration of happiness, of joy. This speaks of the anguish brought upon David by the sins he committed. Many a people are weighted by guilt when confronted by their sin, but guilt alone is not enough to save. Consider Judas, who betraying Christ was overcome in guilt. Such guilt led not to repentance, but to the taking of his own life. David’s happiness was stripped from him by the weight of what he had done, and he pleas for restoration. He pleas, as it were, that the bones which hast been broken would rejoice. David doesn’t ask for half hearted help, but for full, complete restoration. Pastor James Smith says, “The hyssop had to do with the blood of the lamb (Ex. 12:22). God’s forgiveness is always on the ground of expiation. If the conscience is to be purged from dead and sinful works, it must be by “the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God.”6 The final request of restoration, “hide thy face from my sins, blot out my transgressions.” David pleads to be restored from the sinful state. He pleads for, oh, the equivalent of our expungement. Expunge my sins, forget them, that I may partake of your Holy presence. David knows, of sinful, of wicked men, none shall enter the glory of God. He pleads for that expungement, of that restoration, that he may be guiltless before God, that he may enter into that society. 5 The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ps 51:6–9). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 6 Smith, J., & Lee, R. (1971). Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII (five-volume edition, Vol. 8, p. 18). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. The Renewal VV. 10-12 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit.7” The second part of what he asks is found in his plea of renewal. Earlier in the prayer, David speaks of his nature, which is, from his conception, sinful. David then pleads for a new heart, a new spirit. The man after God’s heart should plea, not only for forgiveness, nor complete restoration, but also for renewal. We should plead to be given a heart that is good, that is righteous, that which seeks after the things which are good. We should seek for a right spirit, a spirit that aligns with God’s word. We should seek the council of God (as we discussed last week in our message on happiness.) The prayer of David here is to become a new creature, a new creation. He seeks to ensure he is born again. Christ teaches that to enter the Kingdom of God, one must be born again (John 3). Paul teaches that we who are in Christ are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Of such should be our plea! After praying for the renewal of his own heart and spirit, David prays for two additions things. He prays to have the joy of His salvation restored – This is a form of renewal. When we become saved by the power of God, there is joy. But as we allow ourselves to back away from God, to slide off into sin, that joy is stripped away. The sin eats at us, our conscious yells, and the Spirit convicts us. David prays for a renewal of the joy that is present with standing in the grace and mercy of the great God. “And uphold me with thy Spirit,” is really a prayer that follows immediately after renewal. After standing in the grace of God, who would want to go back to the life of sin? The answer seems obvious, but it is deceptive. Left to our own devices, each of us would quickly, and probably willing, slide back down the slippery slope into the lusts of the 7 The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ps 51:10–12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. flesh. It is by the power and Spirit of God, through His word that we are upheld. David’s prayer is to be upheld, that in God’s power he would be strong to withstand the temptations of his flesh. I’ve said a number of times, I will say thousands more, the moment you think you have it on your own, you fall. David likely thought he had it on his own, to which, he found himself in a pool of remorse. His prayer is, and our prayer should always be, to be upheld, not of our will, but of the Spirit of God. The Proclaiming V. 13 “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee.8” Verse thirteen is interesting, it doesn’t really belong with the last verse group, and it doesn’t belong with the next. The verse, however, is vital. What does the soul which is touched by the grace of God, which tastes of God’s excellent salvation do? It proclaims His salvation! For a soul so troubled, to be set free, it could not truly be free and content looking upon the others. David speaks of his desires, “save me o God, and then, I will teach the others, that they would be saved unto you.” His plea is that in his salvation, others too, would come unto God. We see this all the time in the gospels. People get healed, forgiven, (think the woman at the well who was told her past), they all immediately go and share the gospel. They go and tell of the person who saved them. The repentant person not only desires to be forgiven, but they always desire to bring others to be forgiven of God as well. The Worship VV. 14-17 “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.9” 8 The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ps 51:13). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 9 The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ps 51:14–17). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. The last point today is the worship. Notice what forgiveness and salvation should lead too. David says “save me from blood guiltiness,” which is, “save me from death.” David’s prayer of repentance is literally a prayer of salvation. “Save me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness, my mouth shall shout your praise.” Such is a mark of the children of salvation. If there be any worthy of praise, of worship, it is God Almighty. Revelation tells us two reasons for which God is worthy of praise. He is worthy for He is the creator. But He is also worthy because He paid for the salvation of each of us by His blood. Such love, such devotion, such mercy, that the Lord would step into His creation, a world that was not His own, and die for a creation which rejected Him and His ways. So let us praise the Lord. We shall praise Him for He is God, and we shall praise Him for His mercy, and we shall praise Him for the blood of which we are redeemed. Let us sing unto Him and bless His name. We are told in the previous chapter of Psalms that whosever offereth praise glorifies God. Summary David, in many ways, committed a sin that was greater than the sins of his predecessor, Saul. David had seen a fair and beautiful woman bathing on the housetop, called for her, and committed an act of adultery. Seeking to hide his sin, David caused his friend, the husband of Bathsheba, to be murdered so he could take Bathsheba unto him as his own wife. Some time down the road, David is confronted of Nathan the prophet, where he gives to David a hypothetical, and calls him out when he gets angry with the person. What set’s David apart from Saul, or from Judas Iscariot, and the many others who die condemned in their sins is the reaction to the confrontation. How did David react? He mourned and repented! He cried to God for forgiveness, confessing all his sin in all its ugliness before the Almighty. David asked for restoration, renewal, and offered up praise. We should remember there are four ways we could react to our sin when confronted. We can deny/hide the sin. Such will not help us, nor hide it from God even if we can hide it from God. We can Justify the sin, which doesn’t make it right nor does it justify us in the eyes of God. We can play the blame game, but we remember now that we are ultimately responsible for our own actions. We can make a full confession of guilt before God and pray for forgiveness. This is the only action that will justify us, through the blood of the Lamb, in the eyes of God. Truly repentant people, those who desire to enter the Kingdom, desire to make use of the last option. They desire to be made clean, and to be upheld of God’s Spirit. Application As we depart and move on with our week, let us consider a couple more things as we ask for forgiveness in our lives. Repentance and confession is directed to God first – It is God that we have done evil against. What we do may hurt or even be horrible to others, but it is against God the sin and greatest offense is made. We must recognize that all sin begins as a rebellion against the Lord. Repentance owns the sins – David confessed all his sins. David does not hide them, he speaks of them. He admits to doing them. He puts everything on the table, coming clean before the throne. Owning our sin also owns that it is deeply connected with our very nature from birth. Remember David’s confession, for even in the womb was he conceived in sin. Repentance seeks the gospel – David cried out to God, “Hide your face from my transgression and blot out my iniquity. Asking only for forgiveness is not enough, it is seeking the gospel, seeking God’s grace that saves. We must accept Him as our Lord. Repentance seeks to share the gospel – David desires to share the gospel with others and bring them to the Lord. Repentance leads to true joy.