thing soever the law saith, it saith it to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Dear congregation, Young people, boys and girls, David sits upon his throne and the prophet Nathan stands before him. Once there were two men in the city, one very rich and one very poor. Nathan begins his story. The rich man had many flocks and herds, but the poor man had only one cute little hew lamb. and how he loved his little lamb, how he cared for it as his own daughter. It ate from its plate, it drank from its cup, and it slept in his bed with him. But then, Nathan continues, a traveler happened to visit that rich man. But instead of making a nice dinner for the traveler, the rich man decides that he will take the lamb from the poor man and kill it and eat it. Nathan tells the story in such a way that David thinks he needs to render a judgment as a king. David clearly sees the sin of this man and harshly condemns it. He says, as the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die. He must give at least four lamps back to this poor man. And Nathan points his finger to David and says, you are that man. I anointed, God says, I anointed you as king, I saved you from Saul's hand, I gave you a kingdom, I gave you many wives, and what did you do? You took Uriah's wife and killed him with a sword, and killed Uriah himself with the sword of the Amorites, and you have taken his wife to be your wife. I will certainly punish you for this. Beloved, the Lord had blessed David in so many ways, and yet David fell in such grievous error and sin. David, a man after God's own heart, committed adultery. David, that man who was so honest when he met with King Saul, remember, he had an opportunity to kill him, now kills one of his most faithful soldiers, one of his mighty men, Uriah. Don't we wonder? How could it come to this point, to this low point in David's life? Well, let's look at that briefly in our first point, in light as we prepare our hearts for this communion season, that it might uncover those sins in our hearts, because sin still works the same in our hearts. And so we consider that in our first thought, entrapped without true repentance. But that's not where we want to stay. We also want to hear His song of true repentance. And that's our theme for this evening and for tomorrow night's message as well. And then we consider the experience of true repentance, so that we can lay our hearts alongside this evening and examine our hearts in light of the upcoming of the Lord's Supper. We look at verses one through six. And tomorrow night, we look at evidences of true repentance as we look at verses 7 through 19, Lord willing, and consider the question, how do I know if I have truly repentance? Maybe that's a question that you have. And so we will give some evidences of true repentance in our lives so that we can continue to examine our hearts in light of that. So first of all, entrapped without true repentance. Boys and girls, let's turn back to that question that we heard. How could David, David fall so deeply in such a wicked sin? What happened? What changed this such a godly man? I believe there's an answer for us in the scriptures and it's found in James chapter 1 verse 15. There it gives us, as it were, the anatomy, the way sin works in our lives. What do we read there? When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. James takes for us here a picture. A picture of a baby being born. It's first conceived and then it's born. And what does it bear, David says? A healthy child? No. It brings forth death. And so let's look at these stages that David, or James rather, outlines for us in this verse. First of all, let's look at the conception of sin. What made David fall? What conceived sin in his heart? What lust was there in his heart? Well, I think we all know it. It was the love of ease. It started there in his heart, his love of peace. He stayed home, 2 Samuel 11 verse 1 tells us, on the palace roof where the battle was fought, miles away from where he was. He didn't go with his troops. It was springtime, time when every king would go for battle, but David stays home. comfortable in his palace. And there we find him leisurely strolling on the rooftop of his palace. And perhaps he couldn't sleep. We don't know exactly. He is there high in this palace and his soldiers miles away in the battlefield fighting for him. And David is not doing his duty as a king. Beloved, that's where sin often starts in our lives too. Doesn't it? We don't have any obligations. You want to kick back and relax. And perhaps you have some things to do, but you don't want to do them. And you say, put them off. And there's maybe ways in which you can be useful and serve, but you love ease, pleasure. No, legitimate relaxation is not wrong. That's not what I'm saying. But we need to be careful because it can be used by Satan as a fertile ground that sin springs up in our hearts. When we love ease rather than serving and obeying the Lord, then sin is conceived in our hearts. What happens next? There's this love for ease in David's heart. As he strolls over the palace top and he catches a glimpse of a woman, she's washing herself and David immediately sees that she's beautiful. And he looked long enough to know that she was pretty. And Jesus had said later, our Lord and Savior said it like this, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already in his heart. And there was the sin that was conceived by a desire for ease was now born. David already sinned in his heart, a lustful look. And there's no alarm bells. Maybe there's some in our congregation tonight here who have done the same thing, or different sins. Doesn't need to be sexual sin. But you have looked, desired. You've loved ease and pleasure more than God. And there were no alarm bells to ring. And you didn't repent. And you run into sin. What happened next? So from the conception of sin, we have this birth of sin in David's heart. We want to act upon that sin. You see, boys and girls, when you desire ease and pleasure, you don't like it when your mom says, now come and clean up your room. Right? You don't want to do it. And that desire for love of ease, you want to have it easy, comes with actions. And what is the action? You don't want to obey. Disobedience. You're ignoring their further command, or you argue with your mom, I hope not. It leads to some kind of sinful action. And so also here, a desire for ease in David's life became a desire for pleasure and it translated itself into sinful actions. And so he's asking, who's that lady over there? And notice the answer. When you turn to the book of Samuel, it will tell you, isn't this Bathsheba, his servants say, isn't this Bathsheba? And notice this, the daughter of Elam, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite. They're saying, David, she's married already. It was very clear for David. But he ignores the fact. what he hears. One sinful thought leads to a sinful action and to another sinful action. He chooses to follow his desires all the way, you see that it gives birth to more sin. There were warnings. And so there are warnings for all of us as we as we are in a situation like that, like David's, maybe not exactly the same sin. There are warnings on the way towards sin, and we choose not to listen to it. So in our lives, On the way to sin, there are, as it were, stop signs. But sin wrestles even in this heart of this child of God, David. There's war against our souls. Satan is right there to destroy and to devour whom he can. We read that David sends servants, plural, to get Bathsheba to himself. Another action. So what does that tell us? Many people or several servants knew about what was happening here in the palace. Bathsheba comes. We don't know what her role was. The Bible is quiet about it. They commit adultery. And she goes afterwards. Later, David receives the message, King David, I'm pregnant. And again, there is a choice. Again, there is a choice. And the Lord puts these choices in the way, on the path of sin, to warn us. What will you do now, King David? Will you be honest or will you continue in sin? Maybe that's the question that tonight someone needs to hear tonight. Will you be honest or will you continue in sin? The Lord puts that choice before us tonight. And David, although a child of God, chooses ignoring and disobedience. Maybe to save his face. What would other people say otherwise? Avoid the shame, to be humbled and to confess. Maybe that's also someone here tonight. Don't want to come to confession. What will people say if? And so he covers his sin over, that's easiest, and continues on the way to sin. So David sends messengers to the battlefront. He calls Uriah home. We know it. He hopes he will spend the night with his wife and cover up what he has done. Uriah arrives, goes to the home, not to the home, David sends him to the home, he doesn't go, but then in 2 Samuel 11, where we read all about all this, verse 8, I've never noticed this before, but maybe you have, but it says there, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king. You see that? Deliberately, David sends him a gift. Here, you have a gift. It might be that Uriah already had heard what happened. And so David deliberately sends this gift either to have a good night together or deliberately trying to cover up his sins. Maybe he was saying to Uriah, Let's not talk about this anymore. But Uriah was an honest man. He didn't, he chooses to disregard the gift and disobey the king, a brave act. A king who is powerful like David. The next day he's called to the palace again. Why don't you go home, says the king. And Uriah indirectly confronts David where the problem began. It's like God speaking through Uriah to David. Look, King, we are all in the battlefield. You are not. I can't go back home and be with my wife. You see, Uriah stubbornly speaks the truth. But David doesn't want to let go of his desires. And Uriah stays for one more night and David makes him drunk, even another sin. And we would say, David, a man after God's own heart. David, what are you doing? You see how deceptive sin is? How blinding? How wicked? And sin never has enough. Sin blinds us. Sin entraps us. Sin is like a net that catches us. And we wrestle maybe to stay out of its tentacles. and traps us. And so the birth of sin leads to the birth of what? Death, James tells us. Death. So long story short, David continues to harden his heart, writes a letter to Joab, and Uriah kills his own death sentence. How wicked. Uriah is sadly killed in the battle, and Joab comes with another letter and tells David, and David is calloused, see that's what sin does, it makes us calloused about sin, other sins. So yeah, sword devours one, sword devours another. Scentless, hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And he sends a message back to Joab to say, let this thing not displease you. Don't make a big deal out of it, Joab. But in the meantime, his sin has led to death. Just as James tells us. Not only Uriah is dead, also several other soldiers, and soon the death of a child that was conceived in this illiterate relationship. Death is the result of sin. Sin cannot bring forth anything else but death. The wages of sin is death, sooner or later. And if it's later and not repented of, it brings, dear friends, eternal death. Eternal death. In hell. We would say, David, why don't you wake up? David doesn't. He takes Bathsheba as his wife and it looks like everything is past now. His son is conceived and everything is forgotten. And he saved his face. But David had lost his integrity and lost his relationship with the Lord and his closeness with the Lord. He has covered up all his sins so that everything would look good. But he has forgotten something. What is it? Who is it? It's the Lord. He said to Joab, let this thing not displease you, Joab. But what does it say in verse 27b of that same chapter? But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. You see, the Lord gives us much time to repent. It's probably a year that David lives in this sin. If you have not come to true repentance tonight, how long has the Lord been patient with you? Very patient. It took almost a year in David's life, a miserable year. How long have you lived in your misery if you don't know Christ in a saving way tonight? How long will it be before you listen to that voice that comes and points the finger at you? You are the man. You are the woman. You are the child. Sin has consequences. And so do our sins. David's sin has dire consequences. The sword came to his house. His family members were killed, several of them. He committed adultery and there was open adultery by his son on the rooftop again. But David came by God's grace, marvelous grace. Amazing grace. He came to realize how hateful his sin was in the eyes of the Lord. Have you come to that point? David's heart was pierced. He was heartbroken. When the finger was pointed, you are that man, David. And he says to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. How necessary to come to that humbling and difficult place in our lives where sin is bitter. Where we bow under the judgment of God, I've sinned. How difficult, how bitter, but how blessed. How blessed is he whose trespasses have freely been forgiven, whose sin is wholly covered in the sight of the Lord. When we come and confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You see, the Lord came with Nathan because God is gracious and he wanted to lead out his child out of the darkness and misery so that he could rejoice in God again. And so it is, when God gives us gracious repentance, it's so that we would rejoice in God. And let's come then and consider secondly Psalm 51 and the first six verses and what we read about the experience of true repentance. We hear the broken notes of true repentance in Psalm 51. Finally, David sees sin the way God sees it. And that's what true repentance is. We see sin the way God sees it. And God graciously gives us this song in our Psalter, in the book of Psalms. so that we would know what true repentance looks like and how it feels. David wrote this song for us tonight. He puts words in our mouths. May it not just be words, but may it be the experience of each one of our hearts tonight. Because only God can give this grace to us. to humble us, to break our hearts, and how we need that as we prepare our hearts for the Lord's Supper this Sunday, in this communion season. For the first time, perhaps, someone, we're fresh. The blessing of true repentance, what a blessing it is. What a blessing it is. What does it mean to truly repent first? When we repent, we see our need for cleansing. Let's listen to verses one and two of Psalm 51. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. And cleanse me from my sin. No longer ignoring sin. That's what David is doing. Have you been brought there? You can't ignore sin anymore. You see your need, your desperate need for God's grace and God's gracious cleansing of our heart. And did you notice he uses personal pronouns here? He says my transgressions, my iniquity, my sin. That's what we need. We own up to our sins. My transgressions, what does that mean? My willful rebellion. against God's good ways and commandments. Thou shalt not commit adultery, and I did. Thou shalt not kill, and I did. What are your sins that you tonight, in the presence of God's holiness, need to confess before the Lord? My transgressions, the wickedness of my heart, I need cleansing, Lord. My iniquity, that word means the bent of our heart, the twistedness of our nature. God calls us to live for His glory and His glory alone, and we are bent out of shape. and our sinful nature leads us into sin. My iniquity, David says, and my sin, the fact that we miss the mark. God says we are to live for him and him alone, and we don't. God wants us to be pure and holy, and we have to confess before the Lord, I am impure, Lord. Have we become honest about our sins? Don't we want to sing along tonight with David in this song of true repentance and say with him, blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my sins, cleanse me away my iniquity and my sin. What does that mean, blot out? Boys and girls, that means wipe away. Maybe you have a whiteboard at home, or at school, or wherever, and there's something written there. In this case, it's David's sin against him that's written there. And you take the eraser, or in this case, God needs to come and take the eraser and wipe it all clean again. Everything that's written against David. Blood out my iniquity. Wipe it, my transgressions. Wipe it away, Lord. Wipe it out of the book of remembrance. And he adds, wash me. Now maybe you have had a piece of clothing and you had a stain on it. I had once a tie and you try to clean up. And it's just getting worse as you try to clean it away. And you try to wash this stain out. The stain is too deep. That's the picture here. David says the stain is too deep. It's in the fabric of my being. Lord, wash me thoroughly. Use the type of soap that I don't have and wash it until the stain is invisible. Wash me, Lord. That's what it means to repent. We might have tried all kinds of things, but we realize that the stain of sin is deeply ingrained in our nature. And I can save myself. I can do it. I can't cleanse myself. Wash me, Lord. Cleanse me. The word means purify. It has a has a ritual meaning to it in the sense that that if you were not clean, if you were unclean and you came to the temple, you were not allowed in into God's presence. And David says sin, sin makes me that I cannot come in the presence of the Lord, that there is a separation between me and God. God can't welcome me this way. But when I'm purified, cleanse me, purify me. When I am purified, we can once again come into the presence of the Holy God. Have you experienced, dear congregation, this in your own life, that God, for Christ's sake, has wiped away the record that was written against you and wiped it all clean? Sin needs to be washed away. It's like that blot on our consciences and our hearts and on our natures. It's deeply ingrained in the fabric of our being. And we need to be cleansed and purified because sin hinders us to have this fellowship and communion and joyful fellowship with the Lord. And so what do we hear? David cry tonight. Maybe that's your cry. I hope it is tonight. He cries out for mercy. Mercy. Have mercy on me. Oh God. Why should God have mercy upon David, boys and girls? Why? I mean, he badly messed up. God must look down upon David in wrath because of his sin. He could have ignored David's crying. He could have said, David, you clean up your act. You get it all together. Improve yourself. But that would not work, David says. It's too deeply ingrained. And that's not what God does, bless the Lord. That's not what God does. If you cry out tonight with David for mercy, that's not what God does. Praise him. Yes, David would have consequences. But no, God will not forget His mercy. When God made a covenant with David, 2 Samuel chapter 7, then He said, I will not take my mercy away from you. Yes, I will discipline you and your sons when you go astray. And that's what He's doing here. But I will give you everlasting mercy. I will not take away my mercy from you. What glorious mercy. And what do we hear David cry for? Mercy, because mercy is who God says he is. I am the Lord, gracious and merciful, full of loving kindness and tender mercies. David says tonight in this psalm, have mercy according to thy loving kindness. According to the multitude of thy tender mercy. These words are so beautiful, aren't they? Thy loving kindness. Taste that word tonight. God is full of loving kindness. and tender mercies, gentle, sweet, gracious mercies. He's full of chesed. The Hebrew word means faithful, committed love toward his own and toward his promises, overflowing with compassion, tenderness, And here's the thing. We shouldn't forget this. If you're here tonight and you're repenting right along with David. Tenderness for David, even when he has sinned. Even when he has sinned. God is still the one who has tenderness and loving kindness and faithful covenant-keeping love because he has kept the covenant in Jesus Christ and all the promises of forgiveness are in him. Yes and amen through Jesus Christ because he suffered on the cross. Therefore, God, from one-sided grace, only from Him it comes, this loving kindness that flows to us from the cross. Have you fallen into sin this past week, or have you had sinful thoughts, even maybe in preparatory, that you struggled? And then you come here tonight and you say, Lord, in thy loving kindness, in thy mercy, in thy tender mercy, blot out all my transgressions. David pleads for mercy. That's the only reason why sinners of any sort can come to the Lord. If you've never come to the Lord yet, with your sin and in confession and true repentance, mercy is the only reason why you can come. So undeserved. All from the goodness and the loving kindness of God that overflows to unworthy sinners. Mercy that overflows because of the cross of Jesus Christ. The only reason. No other reason. Your only hope. So when we repent, we see our need for cleansing. Secondly, we see, we feel what we, or have felt, depending on where we are in the process of repentance, we feel or have felt the gnawing of our conscience. Look at verse three. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. David ignored his sin, but no longer, I said. He's acknowledging his sin. He's telling it to the Lord. He's not hiding anything. He comes with all this. He knows his sin. He knows it in his heart. He knows it. It's sin against the Lord. And he feels the guilt and the shame that comes. He says it even, they are ever before me. It's like God puts it all in front of him. to remember Him, remind Him in this moment of repentance. You see, we can never find rest for our souls until we truly repent. And when God comes, He always puts first our sins before us. And then we have this knowing conscience. We know our sins. We see our sins. And we can't ignore it. And they bother us. We can't get rid of them. We can't get rid of the idea how sinful we really are. We sang from Psalm 32, remember?