Psalm 51: A Life of Repentance

Introduction

https://www.cpr.org/2022/07/15/colorado-springs-man-completes-pikes-peak-peanut-push/ - An odd goal. We say, “I’m not doing that...” OR, “I don’t want to do that...”

When you hear the word repentance, your first response might be, “I don’t want to do that...”

Repentance requires you coming before God and confessing that you’ve sinned against Him. It requires you turning from sin and choosing to live a different way. Simple way to think of repentance: a change of mind (about your sin) that leads to a change of action.

Repent of anger: “I don’t want to do that.” Repent of bad attitude: “I don’t want to do that.” Repent of gossip: “I don’t want to do that.” Repent of sexual sin: “I don’t want to do that.”

And… that’s the problem. We want to talk about grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, etc. but don’t want to talk about repentance.

Yet… Jesus came preaching believe and repent. Choose to flee from sin and pursue righteousness.

NOT a popular message - even among followers of Jesus.

This psalm is a powerful reminder that the life of a follower of Jesus is a life of repentance because repentance leads to life.

Psalm of David after he sinned with Bathsheba. David a man after God’s own heart - NOT because of his sin but because of what he did after he sinned. Saul - unrepentant. David - repentant.

This morning, three characteristics of a repentant heart - ask yourself a simple question - do these characteristics characterize you?

You know who you are.

David wasn’t where he was supposed to be (2 Sam. 11). He was supposed to be on the battlefield - instead on his rooftop gazing at Bathsheba while she bathed.

Sent for her, slept with her, and got her pregnant. Tried to cover it up and in the process had her husband Uriah killed on the frontlines of battle. An abuse of power. The consequence of his sin would last for generations.

Nathan, the prophet, confronted him, and David repented. Psalm 51 is his psalm of repentance.

How could someone so passionate about his faith fall into such heinous sin?

Blessing overload - take for granted what God has given you - entitled instead of thankful. (God owes me more.)

Mission disengagement - not doing what a king should do. When you disengage the mission you make yourself vulnerable.

Limited boundaries - who holds the king accountable? Who holds you accountable?

David is honest about his sinfulness:

vs. 3 - sin always before him - feels the weight and conviction. Sin is pervasive - affects every part of your life - temptation is everywhere. You are daily confronted with the choice to give in or flee. AND, when you give in you carry the weight of your sin.

vs. 4 - David is direct - sin affected Bathsheba, Uriah, and others - BUT - ultimately his sin was rebellion against Holy God - it was an attack on a good God who chose David as king.

vs. 5 - guilty when I was born - inherited sin nature - none of us have to be taught to sin. We have to be taught how to obey. As a Christian, saved from sin, yet still war with our sinful nature. Saved from the penalty and power of sin, but it remains present in this world.

David doesn’t do what we sometimes do:

You can’t deny your sin.

You can’t rationalize your sin. “If you knew how hard life was...” OR, “I can’t help it… This is just who I am...”

You can’t blame someone else for your sin. “If she wouldn’t have, then I wouldn’t have...”

Your sin is your sin. At some point you have to say, “It’s me...” Take responsibility for your own sin. A repentant person knows who he/she is - someone who was brought forth in iniquity.

You know what you need.

What do you do when you know your sin is your fault?

Depends on how you view God. If you don’t believe in God - you ignore your sin.

You need to be humble.

Humility is confessing to God that you can’t make it right yourself.

Notice David doesn’t bargain with God. You can’t make your sin problem right by reciting more prayers, reading more of the Bible, going to church more, reading more books, serving more, etc. There’s nothing you can do to take away your own sins.

Yet… our tendency is to bargain with God because we fail to see God as a loving Father who wants to change the hearts of His children.

Humility is asking God to make right what you can’t make right. “I can’t clean up my own mess...” Notice how many times David asks God to work on his behalf… Notice that David doesn’t say, “God, here’s what I’ll do to make it right.”

“Be gracious to me… you’re faithful, you’re compassionate...” (vs. 1)

“Wash away my guilt” (vs. 2)

“Purify me with hyssop” Hyssop - Passover - used to spread blood. Also, used to cleanse leprosy - dipped into the blood of sacrificial animal and sprinkled on a person with leprosy. David “Wash me with blood.” - If only David knew that’s exactly what God would do - God would ultimately wash us all with the blood of the Lamb.

Loss of AC - only one option for AC to be fixed - only one option for your heart to be fixed: Jesus.

“Create within me a clean heart (vs. 10)” “Do not take your Holy Spirit from me.” Not possible for a NT Christian, but in OT, Holy Spirit came on certain people for a certain time to accomplish the work of the Father. (E.g., Spirit departed from Saul (1 Sam. 16:14.)) We can’t lose the Spirit, but our sin grieves the Spirit (Eph. 4:30-32). We can quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19).

When is the last time you approached God in humility and asked Him to forgive you of your sins?

Why don’t you make repentance a regular part of your walk with God? Not convinced that your sin is that bad - AND you live in a culture that doesn’t preach the Gospel but instead tolerance.

The message of the Gospel - repent and find life. The message of the world - accept and embrace any and every lifestyle and find life. - How has that worked out for you? Never heard… “I found life in alcohol, wealth, etc...”

Where is life? Where is joy? Where is hope? JOY of repentance - renewed fellowship with God and growth in holiness.

You need to be hopeful.

David knows the results of repentance:

Renewed fellowship (vs. 8-11) - rejoice, clean heart = fellowship with God. Sin always hinders intimacy with God.

Renewed joy (vs. 12) - You feel the guilt and shame when you walk in sin - but not when you are walking in fellowship with God.

Renewed purpose (vs. 13) - God uses repentant people to point others to hope in Christ.

Be honest. How is sin affecting your walk with God right now? In your honesty, be humble and hopeful.

You know what God desires.

God desires your brokenness.

vs. 16 - God doesn’t desire sacrifice. NOT the external but the internal. Thousands of sacrifices made at the tabernacle - but God far more interested in the heart than the ritualistic bringing of an animal to the altar.

The sacrifice was a reminder of the penalty of sin. What God is really after is a broken and humbled heart - a broken spirit. He’s interested in contrition - where you actually realize that your sin is an offense to a holy God.

God wants to do a work IN you.

God desires your willingness. To acknowledge your sin this morning and confess it. He is faithful to forgive your sins (1 John 1:9).

Riding streetcar - just wanted family to think it was awesome… God wants you to see how awesome He is and turn to Him.

So, what do I do this morning?

Realize that Jesus is the way to a relationship with the Father. Jesus is the ONE who creates a clean heart. Jesus is the ONE who restores joy. Jesus is the One who washes us through His death and resurrection. Repentance begins with believing the Gospel - that Jesus is the One took our guilt upon Himself.

David before Nathan - “You are the man.” You are guilty. Jesus before Pilate - “Behold the man” (John 19:5) - Pilate found no guilt in Jesus because He was not guilty. YOU are the man - but on the cross, the Father to us - Behold the man - look to the innocent ONE who took upon Himself what you deserve.

Repent to restore fellowship. Vertical and horizontal - experience joy again in your relationship with God. For some, it’s been far too long.

Repent as an act of worship. We don’t gather to just sing songs and hear an inspirational sermon. We gather to respond to God’s Word because we want Him to change us. Every time we gather, “God, reveal sin in me and forgive me...” Truth: for many of us we came to worship with our minds made up as to what we wanted God to do in our lives and what we did not want God to do in our lives. You already decided areas of sin where you weren’t going to repent. That’s not worship.

Repent while you study the Word. Your daily posture as you read the Bible: “God change me.” Not reading just for information but transformation. As you study the Bible this week, ask God, “What sins do I need to turn from?” You should ask that every time you read the Bible.

Repent in community. James 5:16 - Why would James say this? Your sin affects the body of Christ because it renders you ineffective in the ministry God has called you to in this church. AND, you need the prayer support and accountability of other believers. We must get to a place where we’re comfortable being honest which requires all of us committing that we’re not going to hold sins against each other or gossip about each other. Some of you are not comfortable being honest because you’ve been burned. We must do better.

This morning, can we just be honest before God? Can we heed God’s conviction? Can we trust that God wants to renew joy in our lives as we choose to turn from sinful attitudes, words, thoughts, and deeds? Can we be broken before God this morning?