Good morning and welcome to Preaching Power Radio, brought to you by Calvary Baptist Church of Evening Shade, Arkansas. I'm John Deaton, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, and today we're going to a psalm, a psalm that doesn't brush over sin or sugarcoat the pain. It's just a raw cry of repentance, a cry from a broken heart, and it came from one of the greatest men in the Bible, King David. This was after David committed a terrible sin. See, he took another man's wife, her name was Bathsheba, and he had her husband killed, her husband Uriah. He had him killed in battle to cover the whole thing up. And he kept quiet about it. He tried to move on, but then God sent a prophet, a prophet named Nathan, who stood in front of the king and confronted him with this sin. That confrontation broke David wide open. Listen to me. He didn't argue. He didn't run. He fell on his face before God. And as a result, he wrote Psalm 51. And if you've ever fallen, if you've ever felt far from God, if your spirit's been dry and you've been carrying guilt that you just can't shake, then friend, let me tell you, Psalm 51 is exactly where you need to be. So let's read the word of God together today. In Psalm 51, starting in verse one, it says, have mercy on me. or have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness, according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions, wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 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. Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part. Thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee. See, we live in a time when everything's filtered and edited, pictures, profiles, even personalities. We show up to church with a smile on our face, but deep down, some of us are hurting, some of us are hiding, and some of us are just plain hollow inside. Amen. But friend, God doesn't look at filters. He looks at the heart. And if you're tired of pretending, if you're done with plastic religion, amen, if your joy's been buried under sin and shame, it's time to come clean. Not with the world, not with your neighbor, but with God. Listen, he already sees it. He already knows it, and he's still willing to restore you. if you'll humble yourself and you'll come home. The first thing I want you to see this morning is that God desires truth even in the hidden places. Psalm 51 and six says this. He says, behold, thou desires truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part, thou shalt make me to know wisdom. So let's be honest. We know how to pretend. We know how to put on a smile, to shake the hand and just say, oh, I'm doing just fine today. But God isn't impressed with acting. He's looking for truth. See, David wasn't giving God a performance here. He was laying it all bare. He wasn't playing king. He was crying out like a man undone. And what did he say? He said, Lord, you desire truth in the inward parts, not just confession from the lips, but honesty in the soul. You can come to church every week. You can still keep secrets from everyone around you, even though you're coming, but you can't keep secrets from God. That hidden place where no one else sees, that's where he's looking. That's where he wants truth. And maybe that's the part of you that's hurting right now. Maybe that's where the bitterness lives. Maybe it's lust. Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's guilt that's been festering for years. But listen, listen to me. Whatever's in the hidden place, God already knows. and he's not pushing you away, he's drawing you close, friend. Hebrews 4 and 13 says, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. See, nothing is hidden, not from God, not from him. And that should shake us, but it should also comfort us. Because that means he sees it all and still offers mercy. Oh, he still offers mercy. And friend, listen, the moment you get real with God is the moment healing starts. Revival doesn't begin with shouting. It begins with honesty. It begins with someone saying, Lord, I'm done pretending. Lord, I want to be clean. If you want God to restore what sin has stolen, you've got to stop hiding what He already sees. Now, if the first thing God wants is truth in the hidden places, then the second thing we've got to understand is this. Real repentance changes the heart, not just the words. Psalms 51 and 10 says, create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. David didn't say, God, help me to do better next time. He didn't say, Lord, just let me try again. No, he said, create in me a clean heart. Isn't that word create? That's the same word in Genesis 1-1 when God created the heavens and the earth. David's saying, Lord, I don't need a second chance. Lord, I need a new start. I need you to make something brand new inside of me. Now that right there, that's the difference between regret and repentance. See, regret says, I got caught. Repentance says, I've sinned against the holy God. See, regret feels bad, but repentance, oh, repentance turns back. It turns the other direction, amen. Regret will cry tears, but only repentance, real, heartfelt, God-fearing repentance brings change. 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10 says, For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death. Did you catch that? There's two kinds of sorrow. One that leads to life. The other, it'll kill you slowly from the inside out. You can feel bad for whatever you've done, and you can still keep doing it. You can say, I'm sorry, and never surrender. But real repentance, listen, real repentance doesn't change what you say. It changes who you are. It breaks the cycle. It clears the slate. It revives the heart, friend. David knew something was off really deep inside. His joy was gone. His spirit was sour. He was still wearing the crown, but he had lost the connection. So he cried out, creating me a clean heart. Oh God. Oh, he was crying out and friend, maybe that's you today. You've said the words, you've prayed the prayer, but deep down, nothing has changed. You don't need better habits, friend. You need a new heart. And the good news is God's still in the business of giving them out. Amen. Now friend, if real repentance brings a new heart, then what comes next? Well, I'll tell you, God will give us a clean vessel to reach the broken, to reach other people. He'll clean us up and get us useful in His work, amen? Verse 13 of our text says this, it says, then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee. See, did you hear that word, then? Hey, David said, once you've cleaned me up, once you've restored me, once you've washed away my filth, Lord, then I'll go help someone else. That's the real heart of revival. That's the real heart of renewal, amen? Not just getting right with God, but letting God use your story to reach somebody else. See, too many Christians think failure means they're finished. That because they blew it, God's done with them. But I'm telling you today, God doesn't throw people away. Boy, aren't you glad He doesn't throw you away? Amen. He doesn't throw the clay away. It might get marred. He might remold it, but He doesn't throw it away, friend. He doesn't throw you away. He doesn't throw people away. He cleans them. He restores them. And then He uses them. Praise the Lord. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 21 says, If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified in meat for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Did you catch that? God's not asking for perfect vessels, thank the Lord, amen. He's asking for clean ones though, sanctified ones, ready vessels. But here's the thing, he won't use a dirty cup. to serve living water. You wouldn't drink from a muddy glass and neither will he. So you want God to use your life? You want to make a difference? Then let him clean you first. Let him scrape the sin out of the corners. Let him wash the shame off your past. Let him fill your heart with his Holy Spirit. Because once he does, oh friend, oh friend, once he does, you'll be dangerous to the kingdom of darkness. David didn't just get forgiven, he got recommissioned. And maybe that's what you need today. Maybe you've been sitting on the sidelines thinking that your mess somehow disqualified you. But listen to me, when you come clean, God comes near. And when your heart is right, your ministry becomes powerful. See, there are sinners who need to be taught. There are broken people who need to be reached. And God's ready to use you if you'll just let Him clean the vessel. So hear me today. Hear me today, friend. David didn't end Psalm 51 still broken. He ended with purpose. He got clean and then he got back up. Oh friend, he got back up. Revival doesn't start. Renewal doesn't start in the choir loft or in the pulpit. Listen, it starts in the heart. It starts when somebody stops pretending and starts repenting. God's not waiting on a perfect performance. He doesn't need that. He's waiting on honest surrender. Listen, you don't have to keep hiding. You don't have to keep dragging around. Listen, you don't have to keep living in that mess that Jesus already died to cleanse. If you're ready for peace, joy, and you're ready for power again, then it's time. Oh, it's time to come clean. And friend that brings us right now, right here. To this point, we've walked through David's prayer. We've seen his guilt. We've heard his cry. We've felt the weight of his sin and the beauty of his cleansing. Amen. But none of it matters unless you respond. You don't have to fake it another day. You don't have to hide behind church clothes and tired excuses anymore. Amen. The same God who met David in the ashes of failure is ready to meet you as well. But you've got to come clean. He's there. He's there ready. Has there ever been a moment when you trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? I don't mean turning over a new leaf. I don't mean just going to church. I mean total surrender. I mean, laying your sin at the foot of the cross and asking Jesus to save you and make you new. If not, then why not now? Right where you are, bow your head before God. Confess your sin. Believe He died for you. Trust Him to forgive you. And if you do that, you do that with your whole heart, sincerely, listen, He'll wash you clean today. And if you still have questions, listen, we want to help you. If you're looking for a church, if you need somebody to walk through this with you, boy, we'd love to meet you. We'd love to have you at Calvary Baptist Church. Listen, we're located on Highway 167 between Evening Shade and Ash Flat, Arkansas. And if you can't wait till Sunday for church or Wednesday, You can find us online at calvaryes.org. But friend, listen to me today. Life is too short to carry what Jesus already carried to the cross. Lay it down, come clean, and let God do something fresh in your life. And until next time, keep your heart honest, your eyes on Christ, and remember, real revival and renewal starts with repentance.