A RHYTHM OF REPENTANCE = Psalm 51

Amen.

>> All right. If you have a Bible or an

app, let's open it up. We're going to be

in Psalm 51 today. Psalm 51. We've been

over the last couple of weeks looking at

the book of Psalms like we've done every

single summer. And today finds us and I

think one of the greatest psalms in all

of the book of Psalms. It captures the

heart of King David

after he has recognized his sin

and his assault on the holiness of God.

You know, one thing that uh I have often

understood on a deeper level the longer

I've been a Christian is that repentance

is a beautiful thing. Now often times we

might view repentance as negative

because maybe guilt, shame, fear,

punishment, maybe a whole bunch of

things sort of rolled through our mind

and sort of make us think of these

things. But when we look at the

scripture, especially here in Psalm 51,

we discover that repentance is a

beautiful thing because it's a turning

away

from sin in our life, from strongholds,

from chains, from from shackles that

that maybe for some of us have enslaved

us and kept us down for far too long.

And it's turning to the only one who has

the power to break those chains,

to grant us the strength to equip us

with the might and the power to

recognize the indwelling of the Holy

Spirit so that we might turn from our

sin and in doing so turn to the Lord.

And here's what's beautiful about Psalm

51. As we unpack this, we recognize that

when you repent from sin, you're not

just turning away from it, but you're

turning towards God. And the goal, the

Christian expectation is when you repent

from sin, when there's a pattern of

repentance, when there's a rhythm of

repentance in your life, you will

continually draw closer to Jesus. And

what we find, not just here in Psalm 51,

we find it thematically throughout the

scripture. And I'm certain you've

experienced this in your own life that

the closer you draw to Jesus, the more

and more you recognize the sin in your

own life.

Over time, I've constantly thrown out

this phrase and it goes this way. We

discover who we are in the context of

who God is.

And who is God? He's the master of the

universe. He's the creator of all

things. the one in whom peace, comfort,

joy, life is not just received, but it's

experienced. And I think for so many

people, we miss out on exactly that.

We've understood what it means to repent

from sin. But maybe we've not understood

so much what it means to experience the

freedom from sin. Because here's the

bottom line. You have things in your

life that you've repented of. You have

things in your life that you need to

repent of. That's present tense right

now. There is sin that is active in some

of our lives, if not all of our lives,

that presently we need to repent from.

And there will be sins in the future

that we'll need to repent from.

And repentance

is not just receiving forgiveness from

those sins. Praise God for that. We are

grateful for forgiveness from sin. But

repentance also means a closeness with

Jesus.

And the more that we pursue him, the

more that we chase after him, the more

we become sensitive to our sin, the more

we recognize his holiness. Because

here's what I've discovered. Mature

Christians

are not people who repent less.

Mature Christians are people who repent

more quickly.

Because as long as we have breath in our

lungs, sin is a very real battle that we

face. Now, I've said it this way so

often. We will never be sinless this

side of the c this side of heaven.

But we can get to a point where we sin

less and less. That doesn't mean

perfection will be our identity. That's

to come when Christ returns and glory is

made manifest in its totality.

But we can get to a point where we

recognize when temptation is knocking at

our door,

when evil is trying to grab a foothold.

And the closer we get to Jesus, the more

sensitive we become to those things.

That's why Psalm 51 resonates with so

many believers

because this is the prayer of David.

Really, it's a prayer of every believer

who has ever loved God and yet painfully

realize that we've drifted

from God.

That's what sin is.

Sin carries you away from closeness with

Jesus. This is why much later David is

going to call upon the new uh call upon

the Lord not just to mend and fix his

heart, but to give him a brand new one

to stir within him a fresh work, a new

anointing, new vision, new perspective.

Because as long as we remain shackled to

the old one, we very easily drift back

into sin. And so here's what I want to

encourage us to do. We're going to read

Psalm 51 here in just a moment. I want

us to come to this psalm not as

spectators

of David's prayer. And it is a beautiful

prayer out of the midst of sin, failure,

and evil. Don't read Psalm 51 as a

spectator.

But let us come to Psalm 51 as a sinner

who knows exactly what it feels like to

need mercy. So Psalm 51, we'll throw it

up on the screen. I'm going to read

verses 10 through13.

And I believe this is going to really

paint a picture, set the tone for where

we're going this morning. And then we'll

go back through the psalm and we'll pull

out

we'll pull out some movements that I

believe will show us what it means to

live our life in a rhythm of repentance.

In Psalm 51, beginning in verse 10,

David writes, "God,

create a clean heart

for me."

That should be our prayer every morning.

when we wake up tomorrow and the work

week lies ahead of us and maybe for some

of us there's there's not any

anticipation because we know the

meetings or the calls or the emails or

the text message that are going to await

us. Maybe we're at a job that we don't

necessarily like. Maybe we have an

appointment coming up and we're fearful

of the news that we're going to receive.

Maybe we're dealing with some family or

marital issues and and and the week just

doesn't look promising.

Let this be our prayer.

God, create in me a clean heart.

Give me new perspective. give me fresh

vision because if I go into this

meeting, if if I send this text message,

if if I call this person or if if I just

am situated with the with the same

schedule and the same routine that has

bogged me down year after year, month

after month, day after day, and I go in

it with with the old heart, with the old

perspective, if if the old rolling goes

into that, it's not going to be

God-honoring. So, God,

create a clean heart for me.

and renew a steadfast

spirit

within me.

Do not banish me from your presence

or take your holy spirit from me. Verse

12, and this is going to be the key.

Restore

the joy of your salvation

to me

and sustain me by giving me a willing

spirit. This is beautiful. As David

cries out for restoration,

as he cries out for deliverance, as he

cries out for rescue, it's not just that

he wants those things and God is

faithful to answer. God is faithful to

rescue. God is faithful to deliver. But

more than being rescued, more than being

delivered, he wants God, the spirit to

indwell him in such a way that there is

sustenance for what comes next.

And this is what true repentance is all

about. True repentance is receiving

forgiveness, walking in mercy, walking

in God's grace, and in doing so,

continuing to pursue him daily. Our

repentance is an active repentance. It's

not a one-time repentance.

And this is what we recognize from Psalm

51.

David understands the battle will

continue.

This is why in the New Testament, time

and time again, the Apostle Paul in his

letters will write things like this.

Work out your salvation with fear and

trembling.

Why would Paul say such things? If

obedience to the law and the commands of

God are not the way to merit salvation,

why would Paul

really bunker down on on how we're to

live our lives and obey? Because it

demonstrates a life that is the overflow

of a heart that's been redeemed and

forgiven.

The overflow OF YOUR LIFE SHOULD

demonstrate the gratefulness of the

forgiveness that you've received from

Jesus Christ.

Do we live that way?

David prays for it. God, don't just

forgive me, but sustain

me. And Paul's letter to the Corinthian

church, he reminds them, as a matter of

fact, he says it this way. He says, "I

would remind you, my dear brothers and

sisters, of the gospel that saved you

and the gospel that sustains

you. Active repentance walks in the

sustenance of the gospel."

Verse 13,

David says, "Then I will teach the

rebellious your ways and sinners." This

is God's plan. This is God's desire.

This is why he sent his one and only son

right here at the end of verse 13. And

sinners will return to you. Have you

returned to the Lord?

And all God's people said,

>> Lord, would you bless your word? Holy

Spirit, would you stir our hearts this

morning

as I read through Psalm 51? As I studied

Psalm 51 this week, as I reflected on

Psalm 51 this week, it was like a mirror

that was showing me the areas of my life

that maybe pride has snuck in, where

negligence

has taken hold,

where a I don't care attitude has snuck

in.

And Psalm 51 reminds me, I pray that it

reminds us that there is a God of

creation, the God of the universe, who

desires

to shower you with mercy and grace.

One of the issues that

befalls us

is we recognize that we're sinners.

But what we don't do is what Psalm 13

requires is a returning to the Lord.

Rather, we are sinners who return to our

sin day after day, time after time. And

here's the big idea.

that we take from Psalm 51 that because

God is abundantly

merciful, there is never a moment where

God is short on mercy.

There's never a moment when he reaches

back into the depths of his grace and

love and peace and affections where he

pulls out mercy and has empty hands. His

mercy is overflowing. His grace is

abundant. And because of his abundant

mercy, God will restore to those anyone

who comes to him in genuine repentance.

This is why John 3:16 has become the

John 3:16

anchor verse for the Christian faith.

For God so loved the world.

What did his love do? He didn't keep it

to himself.

But his love, his mercy, his grace is

abundant in nature. God is love. This is

what John the Apostle time and time

again in his gospel and it's his letters

that'll take central to the theme of

what he's writing,

love

turns into action. And so what does John

tell us in 3:16? That God gave. He

didn't give any gift. He didn't give a

random gift. He gave a purposeful gift,

a gift that set out for one specific

task,

the salvation of the world.

And in saving the world, God gets what

God always demands, and that is his

glory. God gets the glory. And so God

gives his one and only son that

whosoever believes comes to him in faith

and repentance, turns from their

wickedness and turns to Christ, receives

his mercy and grace, is indwelled by the

power of the Holy Spirit and pursues the

Lord.

The scripture says, "You shall not

perish, but you'll have everlasting

life." What does a pursuit of the Lord

look like in your life? Have we fallen

victim

to only repenting and never pursuing?

Or have we understood that repentance is

simply the catalyst

that takes us on a journey to deep

pursuit of the Lord where affections are

cultivated and desires are deepened.

Psalm 51. if you don't know, was born

out of one of the deepest, darkest sins

in David's life, the subscription of

Psalm 51 tells us that this is a psalm

of David's

that came about when the prophet Nathan

came to him and held him accountable for

the sin that he had committed.

Now, if you're unfamiliar with the

story, I'll give you the Roland

cliffnotes version.

The scripture tells us in the Old

Testament, it frames it this way. I

think it's so beautiful because it

reminds us that where we're positioned

matters.

That we must constantly be intentional

and disciplined to position ourselves in

a place where we will honor God best.

Often times we're not mindful,

disciplined, or intentional enough to

position ourselves in those places. And

so where do we find ourselves? In areas

where it's easily to be tempted

where sin comes knocking at our door and

wants to grab a foothold

of our actions, of our patterns, of the

rhythms of our life. And so the

scripture begins, when the kings would

normally set out to war, David finds

himself in Jerusalem. It's beautiful how

that picture is painted because David

should have been with his army,

defending his kingdom, defending his God

at war, and yet he finds himself in the

palace.

And the rest of the story goes this way.

David goes onto his balcony. He gazes

across courtyard. He recognizes a young

woman by the name of Beth Sheeba. He's

enticed

by her beauty. He summons her to his

chambers.

And any woman in those times would never

say no to a king.

And so they commit adultery. David

commits adultery. He has an affair with

Beth Sheeba.

He finds out that she's pregnant. The

sin now is going to be made public. Her

husband is at war where King David

should be. And so David does what many

of us often would try to do. Cover our

sin.

Hide it. We don't want anyone to know.

And let me just throw this in there. I

think oftent times we are more fearful

of what people think of our sin rather

than what God thinks of our sin.

And it was a fear of man that led David

to commit deeper sin rather than to run

to God.

And so he calls Uriah from the front

lines.

He says, "Hey, you've been out battling

for your nation, battling for your king.

Go home,

enjoy a night in your bed, enjoy a night

with your wife, hoping that when Ba

Sheba's pregnancy becomes public, people

would say, "Oh, well, it makes sense.

Uriah came home from battle." But Uriah

refuses to go home.

The next morning, David finds him and

says, "Why didn't you go home?" He says,

"How can I?

when my brothers in arms are fighting a

war, I need to be there with them.

So, David concocts this plan. He writes

a letter to his general. He hands it to

Uriah. Uriah takes it to the general and

the letter says this, "Go into the

fiercest battle. Put Uriah in the front

lines and when he's out leading the

charge, retreat, but don't tell him."

And that's exactly what happens.

David orchestrates the murder of Uriah.

And here's what ends up happening.

Anywhere from six months to a year has

now passed is what we can gather from

the context of the story. David's good

friend Nathan comes to him and says,

"David, we have a problem in the

kingdom."

David says, "If there's a problem, we

need to deal with it. What is it,

Nathan?" He says, "There's a rich man

and a poor man. The rich man can have

anything he wants. Anything he desires,

he can buy it. He can take it by force.

This rich man can have anything go his

way. And then there's this poor man. He

has nothing. And what little he has,

sometimes it's not enough. The rich man

has all the livestock he could ever

dream of. The poor man has little. Has

one one thing, one sheep, one lamb.

The rich man is throwing a party for his

friends. And rather than butcher his

livestock to feed his guests, he takes

the livestock of the poor man to feed

his own guests. David says, "What a

travesty. What a crime to the kingdom.

That man deserves justice." And some of

the greatest words of conviction in

scripture, Nathan looks to David and

says, "You are that man."

I wonder if we've ever recognized our

sin that way.

It's easy for us to read the scripture

and again read it as spectators, people

outside of the story, thinking it's a

truth for then, it's a truth for people

in the past. It's a travesty about what

happened, but that's not relevant for

me.

I wonder how often we read these

biblical stories and we're confronted

with these biblical truths, but we don't

recognize that that's us.

David recognized it

and he repented

before the Lord.

He wrote Psalm 51 as this prayer of

repentance before God. Now, when we get

to Acts, we've been Acts over the last

couple of years as we have journeyied

through the book of Acts. Do you

remember what Luke calls David as he

writes about him in the book of Acts? He

calls him a man after God's own heart.

Now, if you're anything like me,

that kind of creates some skepticism in

your mind and you say, "How could he be

called a man after God's own heart when

he committed such deep, dark, and

grievous sin, especially one of this

nature?"

Here's where it is. Because the pursuit

of God

is less about the sins of your past and

has everything to do about the one who

dwells in you.

And the one who dwells in you empowers

you and reminds you about the grace and

the mercy and the love of God. There is

no sin far deep. Where God's love does

not dig deeper.

Where his grace does not pursue you.

Where his mercy is not abundant over

you.

And Psalm 51 shows us that David doesn't

have excuses for his sin.

He confronts his sin. He turns to the

one who can forgive. He doesn't hide

behind pride.

He recognizes

that he has assaulted and affronted the

holiness of God. And so, here in just a

moment, we're going to walk through the

psalm. We're going to pull out three

truths that are going to show us what it

means to live with a rhythm of

repentance. And I want us to notice

something that David doesn't just teach

us about repentance.

He shows us what genuine repentance

looks like. And what happens when God

breaks through the pride and sin in our

life and not just shatters it, but calls

us to be closer to him. So if you're

taking notes, here's the first thing I

want us to see. Repentance begins with

God.

Now, often times when we repent,

we're quick to say, "God, will you

forgive me for?" And praise God for

that. That typically should be the first

instinct. God, will you forgive me for?

But that only becomes the first instinct

when you recognize that repentance

starts with

God.

Did you notice that before David says

anything of significance

revolving around sin,

he addresses who God is. Notice that in

verses 1 and two he writes, "Be gracious

to me, God,

according to your faithful love,

according to your abundant compassion.

blot out my rebellion.

David recognizes first who God is.

Because when you recognize who God is in

his holiness, in his glory, and in his

majesty, you recognize your sin.

This is why the Old Testament had heavy

emphasis on the law of God.

Not because the law saved people,

but because a recognition of the law

drew a recognition to the holiness,

majesty, and glory of God. And when

there's greater recognition of the

holiness, majesty, and glory of God,

there's greater recognition of the sin

in our life and therefore greater

recognition for our need for the savior

in our life.

Verse two, David continues, "Completely

wash away my guilt

and cleanse me from my sin."

Do we realize where David's hope is

resting? Where his confidence is found?

It's not found in the fact that he's

sorrowful.

That is part of repentance that we are

sorrowful for our sin, for the sins

we've committed against others, but

ultimately for the sin that we've

committed against God. And I love the

words that David uses here in verse one,

faithful love, abundant compassion.

Those aren't accidental words because

what David is doing is he's reaching

back to what took place between the

Israelites and God during their exodus

out of Egypt. As a matter of fact, in

Exodus 34, Moses describes God with

those exact words that his love is

faithful and his compassion is abundant.

David is recognizing who God is first.

And so my question to you is, how big is

your view of God?

Do you recognize the depth of God's

majesty, glory, and holiness?

Because when you do, you'll recognize

the power sin has over your life. And I

love this. Before David looks inward, he

looks upward.

He gazes upon the beauty of God. before

he considers the magnitude of his sin,

he remembers the magnitude of God's

mercy.

And this is why we can walk in freedom

and liberty from our sin. And I think

this is where we often get repentance

wrong.

We think repentance is just feeling bad

about what we did. Now, that's part of

it.

But repentance, true biblical

repentance, establishing a rhythm of

repentance in your life is not just

about feeling bad for what we did. It's

recognizing that your sin, that my sin,

that our sin is an assault on God's

holiness.

It's an affront to his glory and his

majesty. This is why sin is serious

business. And I think it's important for

us to note that yes, David's sin is a

grievous sin.

It is a deep and dark sin. Even by

today's cultural and societal standards,

that is a deep, grievous and dark sin.

Adultery and murder.

And often times, if we're not careful,

we fall into the trap of just being

spectators to this prayer, being

spectators to the story. And we think,

well, that's not my sin. Yes, but you

have sin nonetheless.

And while sin results in varying

consequences,

your sin is the same and that it

separates you from God. And your sin is

a declaration of war against the

holiness of God. And God won't have it.

God doesn't put up with it. He's the

just judge. This is why the gospel is so

beautiful because the penalty that is

required for your sin is your life and

your blood.

But God says, "I love you too much.

My son will take your place.

Jesus will take the penalty for your

sin.

When your sin declared war on my

holiness, Jesus took the penalty and the

pain for that sin. That's applied to you

when you have faith in him. But that's

never cultivated if you don't begin with

God.

Repentance is not just feeling sorry.

It's recognizing what your sin does

between you and God and it separates

you. It's an affront to his holiness.

Now, now real quick, let's go to verse

four. David says something remarkable. I

love this.

He says, "Against you, you alone I have

sinned and done this evil in your

sight." Now, now this can be a little

bit confusing

because surely David sinned against

against Ba Sheba. David sinned against

Uriah. David sinned against his kingdom

by failing to lead. Well,

so what does David mean when he says,

"Against you and you alone, I have

sinned and done this evil in your

sight." David recognizes that every

horizontal sin first begins with a

vertical sin.

It first begins by declaring war against

the holiness of God. And when we declare

war and assault his glory that overflows

into the horizontal sins of our life.

David recognizes that. So it's not just

his deep dark sins that he committed.

Yes. But he understands the root of that

sin

is the war that I'm engaged in against

the holiness of God. Which is why again

the apostle Paul in the New Testament

will say things like you need to take

captive every thought

so that that thought doesn't filter into

the heart and then give birth to sin in

your life. That's why you need to

crucify the flesh daily. Crucifying the

flesh doesn't just mean in thought. It

means an action. That means positioning

yourself to be in a place where you can

honor God and not be in a place where

temptation comes knocking and you're too

weak to overcome.

I think a great modern way of

understanding this would be

maybe getting rid of our phones for a

season, maybe getting rid of social

media for a season, maybe separating

ourselves from some friendships for a

season. Because as long as I'm engaged

in those things, it doesn't lead me

closer to Christ. that leads me away

from Christ. And true repentance begins

with

God. Here's the second thing that we

see.

Repentance depends on God's

mercy.

I know we know this, but let's go to how

it's unpacked here in Psalm 51. Verse 7.

Purify me with hissup. This again is an

arrow pointing back to the Exodus.

If you remember when that 10th and final

plague brought the death angel over the

nation of Egypt, the Israelites were to

purify themselves

by taking a lamb and its blood and

washing the doorposts of their home so

that the death angel would pass over the

Israelite home. And do you know how they

applied that blood? Through the hissup

branch. And all throughout the Old

Testament, the h the hissup branch would

symbolize purity. And David says,

"Purify me with hissup. I will be clean.

Wash me and I will be whiter than snow."

Do you notice there's this leaning on?

There's there's this recognition of who

God is. And in recognizing who God is,

this dependence on God builds. That's

the point of repentance.

Cuz I hope and I pray that you know

this. To walk in active repentance means

to walk in an active pursuit of the

Lord. And to walk in an active pursuit

of the Lord means that I can't do it on

my own because the nature, the flesh

nature, this side of heaven wants to

turn away from the Lord. Which is why

later David says, "Give me a new heart.

Renew a steadfast spirit in me because I

can't do it on my own." He continues,

"Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the

bones you have crushed rejoice. Turn

your face away from my sins and blot out

all my guilt. God, create a clean heart

for me and renew a steadfast spirit

within me."

David recognizes that his greatest

problem simply isn't what he has done.

His greatest problem is who he is.

and who we are apart from Jesus are

sinners.

Which is why we must lean on and depend

on the mercy of God. And so when we

understand that, we're able to live out

this truth that repentance is repentance

is not just wanting forgiveness.

Repentance is wanting God.

which is why so many will repent from

sin because of fear, because of shame,

because of guilt, but there's no desire

for the Lord. And so nothing really

changes.

And then verse 11,

do not banish me from your presence or

take your Holy Spirit

from me. Real quick, I know it's not on

the screen, but I want to focus real

quick on verse 12.

David says, "Restore the joy of your

salvation to me and sustain me by giving

me a willing spirit."

I think that is so key to this psalm.

This is so key to repentance because

I've heard it put this way. Why does

David cry out for the joy of his

salvation? Because when that joy is not

not there, you sin.

When you find greater joy in the things

of this world, you sin.

When you look to your salvation and then

look to the things of this world and say

that makes me joyful, you sin.

And David says, "Restore that joy." Some

of us today need a restoration of the

joy of our salvation, the peace and the

comfort that is there. And more than

relief from guilt, may we long for

restored intimacy with Christ. And

here's here's the last thing I want us

to recognize.

Repentance produces restoration.

This has been thematic so far in our

message. Active repentance leads to

active pursuit. And repentance produces

restoration. How do we know this? Look

at verse 13.

Then I will teach the rebellious your

ways and sinners will return to you.

Isn't this beautiful? David doesn't

waste his failure.

It becomes a testimony of God's power

and God's love and God's mercy and God's

grace. You have a story.

God has rescued you and saved you from

sin.

Some of you, God is continuing to rescue

you and save you from your sin. It has

been said this way. take that mess and

make it the message of God's grace and

mercy in your life

so that in your repentance it's

producing restoration not just with you

but it becomes a message of restoration

to the people around you. Go to verse

15.

Lord, open my lips

and my mouth will declare your

praise.

The lips that we speak with,

the lips that we deceive with

becomes the very tool that we worship

with.

The heart that once wandered from God

now delights in the Lord. The man who

once tried to hide his sin now publicly

celebrates God's grace. And then I'll

close with this. David reaches the

theological climax here in Psalm 51

beginning in verse 16.

He says, "You do not want a sacrifice

or I would give it.

You are not pleased with a burnt

offering." David recognizes you don't

want lip service. You want action.

You don't want the people who just show

up on a Sunday morning, sit, clap hands,

sing songs, open up their Bibles, and

then leave unchanged. You don't want

that. You want people who live in active

repentance, who live in an active

pursuit,

who live in restoration. And he

continues, "The sacrifice pleasing to

God is a broken spirit.

You will not despise a broken and

humbled heart God. What God desires more

than lip service is a genuine heart that

turned from sin and turned towards God.

That not just asks for rescue from the

pain of our past, from the guilt of

those things that shackle and enslave us

from empty religious performance.

but a heart that seeks after God and

desires to grow in him. That is a truth

that still confronts the church today.

And I pray that it's a truth that stirs

us to live in a rhythm of repentance.

Would you pray with me?

Lord, we thank you so much for your word

today.

We thank you that in you and through you

and by you,

we can live transformed lives.

I pray Lord that today would be a day

for salvation for some.

Maybe a day of repentance for others.

Maybe a day where we cry out for the joy

of our salvation to be restored. And so

God, I pray that you would just move in

work. Holy Spirit, as you fill people,

as you call them to you,

would you do a great and mighty work? In

Christ's name we pray. All God's people

said, "Amen."