PSALMS 51:1-12 REPENTANCE 1-31-09
Today I want to talk for a little while on the thought 0f “repentance”, we don’t hear very much about “repentance” these days, some people seem to have the idea that “repentance” is not for this day and time because we’re saved by grace, but let me say, in order to be saved by grace we must repent of the damming sin. Just what is the damming sin?
Since God demands righteousness, sin must be defined in terms of mankind’s relation to God. The damming sin is the faithless rebellion of man against the just authority of God.
Violation of the law of God in thought, word, and deed shows the sinfulness of the human heart. Sin is a contradiction to the holiness of God, whose image mankind bears.
This depraved condition is called “original sin” because it comes from Adam and characterizes all people from the moment of their birth.
Therefore in order to have the “original sin” removed we must repent of it and believe that God has saved us from our sin.
So lost sinners must repent of the damning sin, the sin of unbelief, and that once they have repented of the damming sin of unbelief that can never happen again.
I’ve been a believer ever since I believed, and therefore I am not an unbeliever, so I’ll never have to repent of the damming sin of unbelief again, in other words, I believe that God has washed me from the original sin committed by our 1st parents, Adam and Eve.
But because we are sinners saved by grace, we still need to repent of sins when we realize that we have sinned.
We will continue to be tested throughout our life. A child of God will make many mistakes in our growing walk with God, but when we realize that we have sinned, we will hate the sin and sorrowfully repent of it, and hopefully we will learn from these mistakes.
Listen as I read today’s text found in 51:1-12-- A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after David had gone in to Bathsheba.
Psalm 51: 1-12 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Notice; we have the words, ”iniguity” and “sin” here in the same verse, --2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. So there must be some difference in the two. SIN is the transgression of Gods LAW, --INIQUITY is in reference to {wickedness and evil].
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 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.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.**
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
3-- My sin is ever before me. The first step in repentance is contrition for sin. [remorse] David has shown such contrition. The second step is confession of sin. True confession is acknowledging your sin to God and admitting that you cannot deal with it alone.
God desires purity in the inward part, but He knows that we are impure from the very moment of conception. So David does not try to excuse his sin, but acknowledges it.
7–12. We see he says a noticeable progression in the prayer of David, which begins each of these verses. Purge me is the cry to remove defilement
Wash me implies a thorough, deep cleansing.
Make me is a prayer to experience the joy and gladness that comes from receiving God’s forgiveness.
Hide thy face from my sins is the psalmist’s plea for God not to look on him, as he really is, “a sinner”.
Create in me a clean heart shows that David is interested in more than just forgiveness of sins. He is interested in the creative power of God making him a new creature with a new, clean heart.
Cast me not away from thy presence shows David’s desire to have Constant fellowship with God.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation is David’s prayer to return to the conscious favor of God, notice, David didn’t lose his salvation, he is asking God to restore the joy of it.
David, first of all, called his sins transgressions. To transgress is to step over the boundaries of God. God has put up certain boundaries in this life. He has certain physical laws. He has certain moral laws. He has certain spiritual laws. Any time man attempts to step over any of them, he’ll have to suffer the consequences. To do this is always called transgression.
Psalm 38:18 For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin
The word “repentance” is used over one 100 times in the Bible – fifty-eight times in the New Testament.
Ø Allow me to point out a few things that “repentance” is not.
1st of all, Conviction of sin is not repentance.
Repentance includes conviction, but a sinner can be deeply convicted and still not repent. That was the condition that Felix was in;
Acts 24:24-25 And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 25And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
Sorrow for sin is not repentance either. Repentance includes sorrow and remorse, but it is more than that, for it is possible to be sorry for sin and yet not to repent of sin –
2 Corinthians 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: notice that the sorrowing is "to repentance".
Hatred of sin is not repentance. Repentance includes this, but it is possible to hate sin and yet not to turn from it.
Nobody can repent without hating sin, but hating sin alone is not repentance.
Promising to be better is not repentance. It seems that many people make a life-long habit of doing this. The Prodigal son said that he would return to his father, but we don’t read that he repented.
Luke 15:18 –19 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
By him simply saying that he’d return didn’t indicate repentance. As the old saying goes; "The way to Hell is paved with good intentions."
Ø Now I’ll try to point out a few things that “repentance” is.
2. WHAT REPENTANCE IS
Repentance is a change of mind – an intellectual experience; it is a change of feeling -–an emotional experience; it is a change of purpose – and it is a change of conduct – a moral experience. Repentance is not one of these, but all of them together.
Repentance is a change of MIND. The "after-thought". The change of mind involved in true repentance is that the sinner takes up an entirely new attitude towards God, towards the Lord Jesus Christ, towards sin and towards himself. Jesus said in;
Matthew 21:28-29 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
Repentance is a change of FEELING. After his conversion, Saul of Tarsus** was overwhelmed with a sense of remorse when he thought of the way he had treated the Lord Jesus.
Acts 9:1-2 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem
The Publican expressed deep emotion when in penitence and confession he "beat his breast" (Luke 18:13 –have mercy on me a sinner -
Repentance is a change of PURPOSE.
Saul-Paul said in Acts 9: 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
Repentance is a change of CONDUCT. As we see in Zacchaeus.
Luke 19:1-10 1And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, --and we believe that Zacchaeus received this salvation that very day.
Ø How is repentance brought about to the lost sinner?
Repentance is a Divine gift.
2 Timothy 2:25-26 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
The gift of repentance come about by the preaching of the Gospel –
Acts 2:38-41 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
The goodness of God leads to repentance.
Romans 2:4 says Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
In other words, when we consider the love of God, especially in the gift of His Son that the Father gave, Who went to the cross for us, then we are brought to repentance. –The goodness of God.
And often time the sorrows of life bring people to repentance.
Trials and bereavements are all instruments in the hands of God for bringing men and women to repentance –
Psalm 78:34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
Job 42:5-6 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. 6Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
So when is the best time to repent?
Right now.
Acts 17:30-31 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Peter said in
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
"The Lord is patiently waiting for you sinner friend, He don’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
