Repentance

So, let's turn in our Bibles now, or you can look on the screen also to Psalm 32.

We've been thinking about how the Psalms can help us to grow in our relationship with God,

how they can give us ways of speaking and relating to God. And this week,

we're thinking about confession, we're thinking about repentance. So, Psalm 32, this is a Psalm of

David. Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one

whose sin the Lord does not count against them, and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent,

my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me,

my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover

up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Therefore, let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found. Surely the rising of the mighty

waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with

songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with

my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, but must be

controlled by bit and bridle, or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's

unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous.

Sing, all you who are upright in heart. Amen. This is God's word. Let's begin by recognizing one of the

wonderful qualities of the Bible, its honesty and its transparency that we find in so many of the

central figures in the Bible. I discovered this week that Psalm 32 was St. Augustine's favorite Psalm.

So back way in the fourth or is it the fifth century? I can't remember. He wrote the confessions,

great exploration of his inner life. And fundamental to his understanding of himself and why he loved

Psalm 32 so much is the reality. And he said it, you can only know yourself when you know God.

And by that, he meant to understand that before a holy God, we are sinners. As John Newton put it,

I am a great sinner and God is a great savior. That's the reality that Augustine found in Psalm 32 that

caused him, as he was dying, to have it inscribed in the wall beside his bed so he could reflect on it.

But when you start to think about some of the major stories that you find, major characters in the Bible,

you recognize there is a willingness to expose their great failings. I was thinking this morning about

Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, who denied three times even knowing Jesus, and then wept

bitterly as he realized what he had done. But Peter at the same time as realizing how deep his sin was,

also discovered how great God's grace was because he was wonderfully restored by Jesus,

was invited in and given an important task of being the foundation, his word, his message being the

foundation for the church. We can think about Jonah in the Old Testament, the ultimate reluctant prophet who

was so angry at God for having compassion and sparing the enemies of God's people.

How did the story of Jonah ever come to be known? Because Jonah recognized his faults

and was willing to share that story as he came to understand God's grace is better than my anger.

Peter and Jonah and Paul and here King David are among many who have looked into their own hearts and

souls and seen the depths of their sin, but they're happy to talk about it as a way to make much of

the amazing grace of God's forgiveness. So their stories and here David's story in Psalm 32 stand as a testimony.

There are sins, there are many, but his mercy is more. Or as we have it here in Psalm 32 in verse 1,

blessed is the one whose sins are covered.

Psalm 32 is a wonderful psalm, but it's a challenging one. At the same time as offering freedom,

it's a truth that challenges us because it forces us to look in on ourselves. Because David is giving

us the message that it's with honest confession and it's with sorrow over our own sin that we find

true blessing and favor from God. That's where joy is found. And that's very different to the message of a lot of

popular self-help psychology. I read an article this week asking the question, are you dealing with guilt?

And this popular psychologist was saying that the key when you're dealing with guilt is to learn to

forgive yourself. And that's fine for a certain kind of guilt where you're holding on to things in the past

that we should leave behind because they've been dealt with. But what about when our sin is against

God and our guilt is real? Then it's not a case of we can forgive ourselves and move on. We need God

to forgive us.

So Psalm 32 forces us to go deeper, but because it does that, it gives much greater freedom and joy

than learning simply to try and forgive ourselves. So as we read Psalm 32 and think about it together,

think about it as the testimony of King David, a King David who is the spiritual leader of Israel.

And here he is using his own failure as part of public worship to teach the people of God that

there is no greater joy than the joy of forgiveness. That that joy comes from confessing sin, not from

trying to cover it up. And then he urges everyone to practice true repentance, to share in his joy.

So let's see him lead us in that direction. Firstly, in the couple of verses, we have his testimony

that there's no greater joy than forgiveness.

The Psalm makes us ask the question, who is the happy person? Who is the truly blessed person?

Who is it that can say they enjoy God's favor?

And as we explore Psalm 32, we need to recognize that Psalm 32 only makes sense, its conclusions only make sense

when we have a biblical view of humanity. That we are made in the image of God and that we are made

for relationship with God and to enjoy his glory. So that we would see the greatest loss we can ever know,

it is to lose fellowship with God and by contrast, the greatest joy is to be reconciled to him.

Because what we have is David celebrating God's amazing grace.

David sings this song all about reconciliation.

God has shown him favor again and again, despite his lawbreaking.

And there's no better news for him than that.

And that then gives him the honesty, knowing that he has found that reconciliation,

it gives him the honesty to really dig down into his sin.

Maybe you noticed as the Psalm was read the different language that's used for sin.

So in verse 1, it speaks of transgressions.

And that brings us to the idea of rebellion against God.

This is us raising our fist in protest against God's rule.

Where just as Adam and Eve did in the garden, we want to set our own course,

deciding for ourselves what is right and wrong and good and evil.

So there is transgression.

There's also in verse 1, the language of sin,

which has the sense of falling short, of a target, of a mark,

of a high jumper trying to jump the bar, but knocking it over,

failing to reach the intended goal.

And then in verse 5, we also have the language of iniquity.

The idea of something that had been straight,

which has now become warped or crooked,

is deviating from the course.

So David is giving a lesson from his own life to say,

I am guilty of an uprising against God.

Though I am the man after God's own heart,

I am guilty of rebelling against God.

I have failed his test.

I am crooked in my nature.

And as David exposes his own heart,

he's inviting us to reflect on our own,

to see that in the same way as he fails,

so do we.

And it's something we need to hear.

Maybe you find yourself, as so many people do today,

struggling with news fatigue.

Wherever we look, online, social media, newspapers,

it seems bad news everywhere.

And it can be so hard and it can be so exhausting,

so we just want to switch off from all the evil that's out there.

David is saying,

do we understand how important it is

to recognize the evil that's in here?

Do we spend time reflecting on the offense

that we cause against God day in and day out?

Because what David discovered in verse two,

it is blessed as the one whose sin the Lord

does not count against him

and in whose spirit is no deceit.

David is saying there's blessing

when we're totally honest before God,

when we're not trying to cover up or wear a mask,

but we're facing the ugly reality of our sin and our shame,

as we bring it into God's light,

then there can be joy and healing and restoration.

Now, I imagine we know this in our own experience,

a necessary part of really being restored

in a friendship or a relationship

when there's been a breakdown.

We need more than the quick,

sorry,

you know,

the quick,

I'm sorry,

but nobody's perfect.

What we need is somebody to really own

what they have done

that's caused such an offense,

what's caused the breach,

or we need ourselves to do that

if there is to be true restoration.

And the same,

David is saying,

is true of God.

We need to really think deeply

about the ways in which we offend God

in order to enjoy the joy of his forgiveness

and to know the joy of restoration.

As the people of God,

we make much of God's grace

and we must always do that,

but we must not take sin lightly.

So we enjoy grace,

but we take sin lightly.

Take sin seriously, rather.

We also see David,

just as he digs deep into his own sin,

we also see he also draws deeply

from God's atoning work

on behalf of his people.

So when he talks about transgressions,

he talks about the blessing

of the one whose transgressions

are forgiven

and where the cost of reconciliation

has been paid by God

so that our sin can be lifted off us.

And as we know from the New Testament,

it can be lifted off us

because it's placed on Jesus

and he dies for it.

In verse one also,

there's blessing for the one

whose sins are covered

when our sins are removed

out of God's sight.

That was the imagery of the scapegoat.

In the Day of Atonement,

the annual festival

where the nation sought

the forgiveness of God,

the scapegoat was sent

out into the wilderness,

as it were,

carrying the sins of the people

out of their sight

and out of God's sight.

There's blessing for the one

whose sin the Lord

does not count against them

where our record of debt

is cancelled,

where it is wiped clean.

So David reflects on both of these

and he understands that joy returns

after sin

when the separation is ended

by God.

Crucial for us is to not have deceit,

to be open and honest

about our sin and our failure,

but it's also crucial

to recognize

it's God

who forgives.

It's God's grace

that we lean on

and cling to.

Now, of course,

when we're honest,

this is a painful process

and it's not necessarily

a process

that we'd like

to involve ourselves in.

It's far easier

to try and cover up

or cover over

our sin

and our shortcoming.

It's much easier

to try and distract ourselves

and keep ourselves so busy

that we never think

how things stand

between us and God.

It's much easier

to minimize

our wrongdoing,

to pass the blame

on someone else

or our circumstances.

But David's story

as a Christian,

as a believer in God,

is to say

that the only road

to joy

comes when we truly

feel the weight

of our sin

and we repent.

So that's where

his testimony begins

and that sort of

then naturally

leads to

the next section

where he recognizes

that the path to joy

comes from confession

and not cover up.

So he looks at the two ways

that he tried to deal

with his sin.

So let's read

verse 3 and 4 again.

David writes this,

When I kept silent,

my bones wasted away

through my groaning

all day long.

For day and night

your hand was heavy on me.

My strength was sapped

as in the heat

of summer.

So again,

this is David's testimony

and he's saying

he has learned

from his painful mistake.

Here is David

as a believer

but he is trying

desperately

to ignore his sin.

Rather than being

open with God,

he's being silent

before God

and what's it brought him?

It's brought him

distress and misery.

And he recognizes

why that is.

He says,

It's because God's hand

was heavy on me.

As the Bible says,

God disciplines

those he loves.

God doesn't want

his people

to be comfortable

in their sin.

Rather,

he wants to draw us back

to fellowship with him.

And sometimes

that's a hard road

where God will confront

our rebellion.

So here is David

looking back

and thinking about

that time

where he didn't

confess sin

and he's thinking

of the mental

and the emotional

and the physical

cost to him.

That sense of exhaustion

and being worn out.

In a sense,

he's saying to us,

this road of denial

is a dead end.

If you're looking for joy,

don't go down this way.

Don't go living

with your sin.

Rather,

you need to confess it.

John Calvin,

the reformer,

said that

until people are persuaded

God is reconciled to them,

they are in misery.

Nothing can be more terrible

than to have God

for our enemy.

That's David's experience.

And he's sharing that with us

so that we would learn.

But then in verse 5,

we see David's U-turn.

We see David's repentance.

We see his coming

to his senses.

And here's what he says,

Then I acknowledged

my sin to you

and did not cover up

my iniquity.

I said,

I will confess

my transgressions

to the Lord.

And you forgave

the guilt

of my sin.

No longer silence.

Now he's open

before God.

Now there's repentance.

Now there's confession.

And his discovery,

his wonderful discovery,

is that as he decides

to turn to God,

God turns to him.

God is like the father

in the prodigal son story.

If you remember that story

of the younger son

that demanded half

of the family inheritance

and went away

and wasted it

and while living

and then found himself

living in a pigsty.

He realizes how miserable

his life is

and how he'd be far

better off at home

and he determines

that he's going to go home

and he's going to confess,

I have sinned against heaven

and against you.

And as he comes

in his filth

with nothing

before his father,

his father comes running.

His father embraces him.

His father throws a feast

for this son of his

and that's the character

of God.

God delights

to show mercy

and grace

when we confess

our sin.

And so this is what

David discovered.

When David covered up

his sin,

his life was miserable.

But when God

covered his sin,

there was joy

and there was peace.

And that's the hope

at the heart

of the Christian faith.

That as we recognize

ourselves to be rebel sinners

before God

and against God

and as we

repent of sin,

as we turn to God,

we discover that God

in Jesus

has made a way

for us to be reconciled.

That God has sent

his own son Jesus

to pay the debt

for our sin,

to cover our sin,

to bear the punishment

for our sin

so that we can be adopted

into the family of God.

And David understood

that's where joy is.

Not in covering up

but in confessing.

And this is why

believing the gospel

matters so much

for us as Christians

and as a church.

It reminds us

that we need to be honest

about the bad news

of our sin.

If we just cover over sin

and act like it's no big deal,

then the good news

of what Jesus

has come to do

will make no sense

to people.

Unless we see

the horror

and the ugliness

of sin,

unless we see

the misery that we're in

and the prospect

of eternal judgment,

then the good news

of what Jesus offers

won't connect

with people at all.

To receive the message

of Jesus as good news,

we need to see

the bad news of sin.

It's also important

to recognize

that we are justified

by the righteousness

of Christ.

It's not my record

that saves me,

it's Jesus'

perfect record.

That's where salvation is.

And that means

that as Christians,

we don't need

to try and cover up.

We don't need

to act better

than we are.

We should be humble

and not proud.

We should be free

to confess our sin,

understanding

that it's not on me

to save myself,

rather it's on Jesus,

his perfect record,

his finished work.

So there's hope

when we understand

how we are reckoned

to be righteous

before God.

It's also important

to see the heart of God,

to recognize

in the gospel

that we are presented

with a good

and a loving God.

The one who knows

the very worst

about us,

but still in Christ,

loves to forgive

and to save.

That even before

he'd created the world,

God, Father, Son,

and Spirit

had established

a plan of salvation

to bring to himself

all who would confess

their sin.

So the gospel brings joy

and David understood that.

And so we are invited

to learn from David's

personal story

that those who know

the sorrow of repentance

at one and the same time

know the deep joy

of God's forgiveness

as we turn to him.

And so then that leads

David towards this testimony

where he really begins

to share his lesson

with the rest

of the worshiping community.

Where he says,

follow this path

to share

this joy.

Imagine if

right now

as part of our worship

we were to catalogue

our own sin

and failure.

Imagine how horrific

that would feel for us.

But recognize

that here is David

introducing

into public worship

at one of those times

where he is

acknowledging

before all the people

that he sinned

against God,

that he was silent

before God,

he was slow

to repent.

Here he honestly

is confessing

his deep sin

so that glory

would come to God

and so that people

would learn a lesson

from him.

He's giving instruction.

He's teaching lessons

that he has learned

through his pain.

Two lessons

for us.

First,

David says,

repent

quickly.

Verse 6

and 7.

Therefore let all

the faithful

pray to you

while you may be found.

Surely the rising

of the mighty waters

will not reach them.

You are my hiding place.

You will protect me

from trouble

and surround me

with songs

of deliverance.

Repent,

turn to God

in prayer

while God

may be found.

Recognizing today

is the day of opportunity.

Today

is a day

of grace.

And so David

very simply

is saying

to the people

of God,

don't put off

putting things

right with your God.

Confess,

repent

quickly.

And he gives

a couple of pictures

to help.

In verse 6

he talks about

the floodwaters

rising.

Most probably

a picture

of judgment,

maybe even

final judgment.

We need

to be right

with God

to find favor

with God

that we might be

spared from

God's judgment.

Think Noah.

Noah found favor

with God

and he was

in the ark.

We need to

find favor

with God

to be spared.

And then

in verse 7

we repent

quickly

to discover

again

God

as our

hiding place,

God

as our

place

of protection,

God

the safe

haven

in the

storms

of life,

God

the one

who will

bring us

through

the storm

of judgment

and bring

us

to

himself.

We need

to be

restored

to know

that safety

of being

with

our

God.

So we

repent

quickly.

And the

next lesson

he gives

to the

worshiping

people of

God

is to

repent

willingly.

Verse 9

Do not

be like

the horse

or the

mule

which have

no

understanding

but must

be controlled

by bit

and bridle

or they

will not

come to

you.

We have

that saying

in English

don't be

stubborn

as a

mule.

And when

it comes

to repentance

absolutely

don't be

stubborn

as the

mule.

What does

he mean

by that?

Well in

verse 9

he says

don't lack

understanding.

Donkeys

horses

they don't

have

understanding

don't be

like that

understand

God is

a judge

repentance

is vital

God is

a loving

father

therefore we

should turn

to him

quickly and

gladly.

He says

don't be

like the

horse and

mule that

need to

be dragged

in the

direction

they should

go.

Don't

live in

the misery

of

unconfessed

sin.

Don't

live with

the guilt.

Don't

live with

that sense

of shame.

Don't

live with

the exhausting

effort of

trying to

cover up

and live

in denial

rather than

being honest

and open

with our

God.

Go quickly

and don't

be dragged

to the

place of

repentance.

David

learned the

misery and

wants to

spare them

and us

from that.

Don't be

like the

horse.

Don't be

like the

donkey.

Don't resist

drawing near.

Don't always

be pulling

away.

Learn from

the story of

the prodigal

son.

You know

he couldn't

wait to get

away from

his father.

Couldn't

wait to get

away from

the security

and love

of home

and find

himself in

the misery

of the pigsty.

And he

came to his

senses and

he returned

to his

father and

he enjoyed

welcome and

he enjoyed

love.

In verse

10,

those who

return

discover the

Lord's

unfailing

love instead

of meeting

with woe.

Repent

quickly,

repent

willingly and

the result

he begins

where he

finishes

with joy.

The greatest

joy,

the joy of

the friendship

of the Lord,

the joy of

fellowship with

God is

ours as

we

repent.

So we've

heard David's

testimony.

He's written

this song for

public worship

so that the

people of God

that we might

know where

true joy

lies.

It lies in

being forgiven

and reconciled

to God.

That we

would see

the path

to that

being open

before God

and confessing

our sin.

And we've

heard his

invitation

to follow

that path,

to share

his joy.

God

and

so

all

of

us

have

to

make

that

decision.

It's a

lifestyle.

This isn't a

one-off thing.

We're always

guilty of

sin.

Therefore,

our whole

lives need

to be one

of repenting

and trusting

in God's

grace.

So if you're

not a Christian

here today,

if you're

listening in,

you need to,

for the first

time,

repent from

sin and

believe in

Jesus,

to have

him as

Lord and

Saviour.

And for

those of us

who are

Christians,

we still

need every

day to

enjoy close

fellowship with

God.

And that

means dealing

with the

things that

go wrong

in our

hearts,

dealing with

the sin

in our

lives,

so that

we can,

with David,

know the

blessing and

the joy of

those whose

sins are

covered and

forgiven.

Let's pray

together.