Repentance

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.