And while you're standing, I thought it would be appropriate today, since the text is the entirety of Psalm 51, for us to use that as a unison reading. So would you please avail yourself, it's in the worship bulletin, Psalm 51, and let us read aloud this Psalm of David together. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy. Wipe out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth and the inward being. and you teach me wisdom in the secret park. Purge me with thistle, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be white as snow. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God. O God, my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, for I will bring it here. You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure. Build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will live life in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be offered on your altar. Amen. You may be seated. As you probably know, seminary education is not an end in and of itself. It's a means to an end. It is intended to prepare young men to sustain the trials for ordination as they go into the ordained ministry to which God has called them. So our seminary professors were zealous to make sure we were prepared for those things. Part of that preparation at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, of which I am a graduate, was to have us memorize the Shorter Catechism and the reason why the professors strongly urged upon us the memorization of the Shorter Catechism, not all of which I have retained, just so you know. Don't try to give me a pop quiz on the way out. Pastor Dave, question 37. But the reason why they said that was they said, men, when you're on the floor of presbytery and you're being examined, if you're asked a question that can be answered with a shorter catechism answer Give the shorter catechism answer, because if you do, who's going to criticize you? Who's going to correct you? Who's going to say, well, I'm not too sure about that or whether that's right? And so we did that. And it was wise counsel and advice to keep us out of getting into more trouble than we needed to on the floor of Presbytery. Now, in that regard, Shorter Catechism question and answer 87 says, what is repentance unto life? And the catechism is such an excellent aid to compressing and summarizing critical doctrines of our faith and of the scripture, and I don't know if there is a better more complete and yet concise definition of repentance than Shorter Catechism 87. It gives the answer and identifies six elements of repentance, six elements of repentance. What is repentance unto life? It is a saving grace wherein a sinner out of a true sense of his sin and an apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience. My brothers and sisters, that is worthy of memorization, knowing and understanding what full-orbed repentance means. And Psalm 51 contains all six of these elements. I do not intend to use that as a six-point sermon, although I could. But what I am going to do is have us look at Psalm 51 And in the course of looking at it together, we will, in some form or fashion, touch on every one of these six elements of what it means to repent, which, by the way, is a non-negotiable essential of saving faith. Saving faith includes repentance. or it is not saving faith. First of all, we see in the Psalm accepting full personal responsibility for sin. My brothers and sisters, nothing happens, nothing changes for us unless and until we do this first. accepting full personal responsibility for our sin. Do you see it in David's testimony? Verse 1, my transgressions. Verse 2, my iniquity, my sin. Verse 3, my transgressions, my sin. Verse 4, against you, you only, have I sinned. This is what I have done. I am wrong. I have sinned. And I just want you to think about that in contrast with numerous ways which some try to deal with sin or wrong ways. of dealing with sin. One way is to minimize our sin. You know, it wasn't so bad. It wasn't that big of a sin. Everyone's doing it. I only sinned once. And so we minimize our sin. Or we rationalize our sin. Well, God, don't you understand? I'm sure you do. You know, I have all these passions. I have these desires and urges. And surely, God, you don't want me to suppress my natural inclinations, or my desires, and so we rationalize our sin. Or we justify our sin. David could have easily done that. I'm the king. I am entitled to do certain things that others are not. Or we ignore sin. We sin, we know we've sinned, we know what we've done is wrong, and we just pretend it ain't there. and just go on our merry way. We blame others for our sin. Christian counselors that I have known and talked to say this is one of the leading causes of marital discord. My problem is my husband. My problem is my wife, not my problem is me and my sins. and my sinful behavior. We blame others. I mean, David easily, we may have even sided with him. What about Bathsheba? What's she doing out there parading around naked, as they say in Texas? I mean, that's entrapment. I was just minding my own business at home where I wasn't supposed to be as all of my men were out fighting my battles. No, he could have easily shifted the blame or we excuse. Our sin, I was provoked. They jerked my chain. I'm under a lot of pressure. I'm weak. I'm only human. So we excuse it. Or we deny sin. Well, I don't think it was wrong. I don't think I did anything wrong. Numerous ways, numerous wrong ways, unproductive ways, unbiblical ways. of handling sin, rather than following the example given in Scripture and here by David, I am responsible for all of my words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. You know, I heard the story of one Christian counselor a counseling husband and wife. And apparently, this does come up frequently where you'll get the husband or wife. One of them will say, well, yes, I'm 10% of the problem. But they're 90% of the problem. OK, that might be true. But the wise Christian counselor will say, my brother, my sister, maybe you are only 10% of the problem. But you are 100% responsible for your 10%. And so accepting full responsibility is where repentance begins. Then acknowledging sin as sin. Probably one of the most challenging commandments that we face in our day and age. Acknowledging sin as sin. Verse four. It's almost as if I could put a poster in the room of every teenager, it might be Psalm 51 verse 4. I have done what is evil, O God, in your sight. It might not be considered evil in the sight of Hollywood. It might not be considered evil in the sight of the university. It might not be considered evil in the eyes of 51 percent, the majority. It might not be considered in the eyes of my friends when I unwisely go to them for advice and counsel and opinion, especially my unsaved friends. It might not be considered evil in the eyes of the government. Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's not evil. And it might even not be considered evil in my own eyes. I don't think it was wrong. I don't think I did anything. I don't feel it was bad. Again, this is irrelevant. What I think, how I feel, what others think, or how others feel is completely irrelevant. There's only one person's opinion who matters, and that is the Lord God Almighty. And David recognizes, I have done what is evil in your sight. If you call it evil, O God, it is evil, no matter what I think or feel or what anybody else thinks or feels. And David was also wise enough to note in his psalm of confession that sin goes beyond outward actions and words and includes inward Thoughts and attitudes. What does he pray? Create in me a clean heart. He knows where sin is coming from, where it's originating. It's originating in his heart. Verse 6, you delight in truth in the inward being. It's not only outward. It includes our thoughts, and our attitudes. Now this is something of an aside, but I think it's helpful and important. David sort of commits this sin behind closed doors, and yet here he is parading out his confession in a public poem. And so the question is, to whom should we confess? And I just offer this as a word of pastoral counsel. The circle of confession should only be as wide as the circle of offense. The circle of confession should only be as wide as the circle of offense. And so if I happen to look at some inappropriately clothed gal or something and lust after her in my heart wrongly, which Jesus condemns as sin, I don't go up to her and say, would you please forgive me? I just lusted after you in my heart. No, don't do that. You've sinned in your heart against God, and so your confession should be made to God, and that's it. If you sin against God and another person, then you go to that person. David's sin became public knowledge. It was a public scandal. and because the offense was public, the confession needed to be as wide as the circle of offense. That's why he made this public confession of sin. Affirming the deserved judgment of God, accepting personal responsibility, acknowledging sin as sin, and then affirming what we deserve because of our sin. David does that in verse 4. He says, so you may be justified in your words, and blameless in your judgment. We need to understand and embrace that the wages of sin is death. This is what I deserve. Lord God, for what I have done, what I deserve is to experience your appropriate judicial wrath, the pains of hell, for all of eternity. If you judge me, I'm only getting what I deserve. I'm not getting worse than I deserve. I'm only getting what I deserve. I do not mean to minimize horror and pain. Please understand, I know there are people in this room who've been through things that I can't even imagine, you know, atrocities, heartache, pain, difficulty, you know, but I say this with as much Compassion is I can try to muster, it's the truth in love. Brothers and sisters, whatever we experience in this life is less than what we deserve. Whatever we go through in this life, it is not as bad as what we deserve. Because what we deserve is to perish in hell for all of eternity. If we're not experiencing that, we're experiencing mercy. That's not to minimize it, being bad, okay? I understand, it's horrible, but that's helpful. And David does that, David does that. He says, God, if you condemn me to hell right now, I'm only getting what I deserve. And he understands that. Now in this confession, you know, the catechism talks about grief and hatred. for sin. And David expresses that. This is not a mechanical or ritual confession. David shares how he feels about it. Do you see that? Verse 2, wash me. Why? He feels dirty. The bones that you have broken. God, I have never experienced a broken bone. I cannot say to you, oh, I know what you went through. I know how you feel. No, I don't. I can imagine it, but it's painful as far as I can tell, witnessing others going through it. And David says that it's like the pain of a broken bone, the pain of my having sinned against you. Verse 9, hide your face from my sin. What's he saying? I'm ashamed. I'm embarrassed. I don't want you to look at this, Father, because I'm ashamed and grieved. Cast me not away from your presence. What's he saying? I feel God is far away. I feel like God is going to desert me because of this. All I'm trying to share is there's emotion involved. He sins, he acknowledges the objective truth, but he also feels something. because of his sin. He's broken and he is grieved. And so there he is, he's distraught, he's broken, he's beaten, he's ashamed, he's embarrassed. In this condition, If we stop right there, he is doomed to lifelong depression and who knows what else afterward. That's why the catechism so wisely adds grief and hatred for sin and an apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ. Why would he take all this stuff to God? the God who is holy, holy, holy. The God before whom the sinless angels cover their face. Because David knew what I hope you know. God is a God of infinite mercy. It is all over the pages of Scripture. This is the motivation. Why repent? If God isn't merciful, he'd drink and be merry because tomorrow we die, and it doesn't make any difference. But because we know that God is merciful, and this wasn't even in my notes, but I thought about it driving over here this morning. When has anyone ever come to God, begged him for mercy, and God said no? Yeah, never. God never turns anyone away who comes begging for mercy. And it's all over. It's in the psalm, by the way. Don't stray too far from the text. Verse 1, your steadfast love. See what he's counting on? He knows his sin. He knows what he deserves. But that's not what he's counting on. He's counting on God's steadfast love. Verse 1, your abundant mercy. Verse 7, purge me with hyssop, and then I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. If I purge myself or wash myself, it won't work. I'll still be dirty. I'll miss a spot. I'll miss more spots than I realize. But if you wash me, God, I'll be clean. If you perch me with hyssop, I will be pure. I cannot wash myself, I cannot cleanse myself, but I know that you will do it. And then verse 17, of course, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, oh God, you will not despise. God is not upset that we come to him broken and ruined and guilt-ridden. I had Psalm 32 in my notes and then I took it out for the sake of time, and then there it was today in our bulletin. This is also related to David sinning with Bathsheba. Do you see what he's saying? He said, I was crushed. It was like your hand was heavy upon me day, And so where does David go with his sin? He goes to God because he knows God, to be gracious, compassionate, slow to become angry, and abounding in loving kindness. And I'm not going to do the long version of David's story, so to speak, but I would just ask you to call to mind who this guy is. who is coming to God, what he is like. This is a guy, you know, while his loyal men, his faithful men, David's mighty men, while they're out there on the front lines fighting, he's having sex with one of his closest guy's wives. And then, you know, he's wracked with guilt, which only is worse when she comes and says, oh, by the way, I'm pregnant. And Uriah hasn't been there. Now what's he going to do? What he does is he can cox this scheme to try to entrap Uriah to coming home and having sex with his wife. And then when she turns up pregnant, David can just assume, as everybody else, that it's Uriah who is the father. But Uriah is so upstanding, he says, how can I enjoy the pleasures of marriage while my brothers are out there fighting away from their homes? And so he doesn't do it. And David's like, oh, man. And so David conspires to have him murdered. He has him on the front lines fighting, and he gives the command secretly to have everybody else withdraw. This is who this guy is, an adulterer. and a murderer. And so what does he do? Even with those horrible, horrendous sins, he comes to God. Why? Because he knows his only hope, his only hope is the sovereign mercy of God. His only hope is that God will wash him. His only hope is that God will forgive him. and he has an apprehension. He knows this is what God is like. He is a forgiving God. He is a merciful God. What in the world would ever keep us from ever going to God and acknowledging and confessing our sins before him and asking for his mercy? There's only one thing, it's pride. Pride is the only thing. that keeps us from going to God. He is the great physician, and we are sick to death. He is the fountain of life, and there isn't any other fountain that gives life. And I just don't know if any hymn, at least, puts it any better than the great hymn of Augustus Toplady, Rock of Ages. Nothing in my hand I bring. simply to thy cross, I cling. Naked, come to thee for dress. Helpless, look to thee for help. Foul, O God, I to the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die. There it is, an apprehension. of the mercy of God and the response of God with which we need to be well acquainted. The response of God in Jesus, in John, whoever comes to me, I will never turn away. Where's the asterisk? There isn't one. Whoever comes to me, I will never turn away. Jesus, you don't know the sin that I've committed. Whoever comes to me, I will never turn away. You don't know how many times I've committed the same sin over and over and over. Whoever comes to me, I will never turn away. Jesus never turns anyone away. who comes to him seeking mercy. The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin. And then note that David doesn't stop there with just wanting the forgiveness of God to cleanse him and forgive him for his past sins. He doesn't stop there. David says in verse 10, create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Verse 11, cast me not away from your presence. Take not your Holy Spirit from me. Verse 12, restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit. God, don't just forgive me for the sins I've committed, but help me to walk in the path of righteousness going forward. Did you hear that in the end of the catechism question? With full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience. We see that. in Psalm 50, 51. Created me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me. Make me willing to do your will, God, because I clearly have not done it. And so help me. Give me the grace of obedience and not just the grace of forgiveness. And in that hymn, Rock of Ages, we find this verse. Be of sin. the double cure, save me from its guilt and power. You see that? The hymn writer praying, be of sin, the double cure, save me from its guilt, but also save me from its power going forward in my experience so that I don't sin again. And then at the end of the psalm, what's the effect? What's the outflow of our repenting? Acknowledging, confessing, owning, begging God for his mercy and forgiveness, apprehending that he will forgive all those who come to him in faith, believing. What flows from that? First of all, verse 13. Then, I love that word, then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will return to you. What's he talking about? What he says is, I will see God use me as an effective witness. After I deal with my own sin, then I can tell others how to deal with their sin. by turning to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Repentance affects, and if I may use this word, improves our witness. And then what else is at the end of this psalm? Verse 19, then, there's that word again, after, you know, what is it, let's see, 12 verses of confession, they have these Few verses of outcome. Verse 19, then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be offered on your altar. What's he talking about? He's talking about worship. He's talking about repentant sinners coming together and offering to God glorious right worship. I love that. Our witness and our worship. directly flow out of our repentance. And then of course, you know, David never struggled with sin again after this. You know, on the right path, you know, Holy Spirit's going to guide me. I'm not going to do this again. Yeah, no. We get near the end of David's life. This is like 15 or 20 years later. And David, against God's expressed command, decides to take a census. And he does, and he's wrong, and he's guilty. This is the end of his life. You'd think he'd know better by now. This is 2 Samuel 24 10. David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly. in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly." I believe it was Martin Luther in the theses that he was talking about repentance is not a one-time act. Repentance is a lifelong ongoing practice and experience for Christians. Or in other words, how often should we repent? And the answer is, as often as we sin. You only have to repent when you sin. You don't sin, you have to repent. John already talked about that in 1 John. We read that. If you say you have no sin, yeah, you're going down. But yeah, we see in David, at the end of his life, he's still in need of repenting. And so it is. You know, Peter says, how many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Seven times, that sounds pretty generous. And what does Jesus say? No, not seven times. Seventy times seven times. I mean, that's Jesus talking to us about being gracious and forgiving. How gracious and forgiving do you think God is? and in his infinite mercy and infinite forgiveness. And that's why, brothers and sisters, I confess, because of my own struggles with sin, one of the things I came across that I have found to be a great encouragement and help was from John Owen, the great Puritan. used to write New Year's resolutions every year. He'd do spiritual resolutions and goals that he would record in a diary at the beginning of every year. And this was one of them that he recorded. Resolved never to give over, nor in the least to slacken in my fight with my inward corruptions, no matter how unsuccessful I may be. Never to give in or give over in my fight against my inward corruptions, no matter how unsuccessful I may be. Because God is a God of infinite mercy and his mercy is greater than all our sin. Let's pray. We cannot fathom the greatness of your mercy, but it's declared in scripture and so we believe it, and it's been manifested in the lives of countless millions of those who have come to you asking for mercy. You have forgiven their sins. Whoever acknowledges and confesses them, oh God, you will forgive. Make us a people. repentant when we sin, and joyful when we receive fresh administrations of your forgiveness. In Jesus' name, amen.