Sermon Notes

July 2, 2023

Sins You Must Confess

Psalms 51:1-19

Diets are often quick fixes that get us through to a desired result and then we return to “normal”. Lifestyle changes, on the other hand, are something that never stop regardless of the circumstances. Today we are talking about sin. Sometimes we treat confessing sin as if we are on a diet. We feel bad about our sin and change things for a short time but then simply return to the old habit. There isn’t a lifestyle change that accompanies our act of confession and so there is no real repentance. There’s no real change! The Church today has gotten into a nasty habit of not talking about sin. Sin is a big deal even though we don’t like to think about it. We need to understand what the Bible says about sin. We talk about sin because sin is a biblical concept. Our position on sin will affect everything that follows. In our society and culture, and even in the church, we don’t like talking about sin because it feels like its judgment without mercy. It’s like we are tearing down rather than building up. Dealing with sin is the exact opposite. It’s caring and loving and edifying to deal with sin in a healthy way as outlined in Scripture. Sin is something that we are all guilty of and it is ultimately against God. It’s any failure to conform to the law of God in either action or attitude. Sin defies who God is. Because sin defies God, it results in the destruction of man and everything else. Scripture speaks often to the seriousness of sin. A few examples are included, in the book of Numbers. We read about the Israelites and their journey to the Promised Land. They are almost there and then they sin in such a way that God says that none of them can enter the Promised Land except for Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14). As they are sent back out to wander the wilderness as judgment and punishment, we read about an event in Numbers 15:32-36 where God puts a man to death for violating the covenant relationship God had with Israel by picking up sticks on the Sabbath. God will not let sin go unchecked – ever! A chapter later, in Numbers 16:31-33, the Levite Korah and his followers rebelled against Moses, but ultimately it was rebellion against God. God brought His judgement upon them swiftly by having them swallowed up into the earth. These stories are given to us in Scripture so that we can see, and the world can see, that sin should not be treated lightly. God is always reminding us how serious sin is. Psalm 51 is a response to the events recorded in 2 Samuel 11-12 where David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then arranged for her husband to be killed. God gave us that account so that we could learn from David’s mistakes. God also gave us David’s response to his failure here in Psalm 51 so that we could learn from that, as well.

Understand your sin and turn to God in your sorrow and grief. (Ps 51:1-6)

Sin is ultimately against God. We can see that David understands that. David is not only thinking about the specific instance involving Bathsheba. He knows his sinful condition. Unfortunately, sin is all encompassing. David knows he was sinful from the time he was born. (v. 5) Just like David was, we are born into sin. True repentance must include acknowledging not just that we sinned, but that we are sinful through and through. Sin is also prevalent throughout all areas of our life. David says his sin is always before him. (v. 3) Sin can creep in so subtly. Scripture teaches that we sin much more than we think and that sin is our primary problem. Behind every behavioral sin is a motivational sin, because there is something going on in our heart. Our behavior, whether good or bad, is a manifestation of what we desire the most. Our actions are reflections of our heart’s desires. Psalm 51 reminds us how serious our sin is. It is one thing to acknowledge that we occasionally do wrong; it is something else to acknowledge that what we did was sin directly against God. David has reached the point of understanding the severity of all his sin and is experiencing true grief and sorrow for his sin. When we turn to God, we experience life. When we turn to self, we experience death. In response to his sin, David turns to God! David is crying out for mercy because he knows he's guilty, not because he got caught (vv 1-2, 4). You know that David feels genuine sorrow and grief because it's not the punishment that he's crying out against...it's his sin. David's heart is broken over his sin and he says it's “against you, you only have I sinned.” His sorrow and grief are so deep that it led him to the place where he says, “you (God) are justified in your words and blameless in your judgment" over me. We simply find a profound acknowledgement that he totally deserves the judgment and consequences of his sin. We deserve the judgement and consequences of our sin. True sorrow and grief over sin is something that only the Holy Spirit can bring, it can't be manufactured. If you have truly repented, then the fruit of that repentance will be evident in your life. If you haven’t, then it won’t be evident in your life.

The next thing we see in Psalm 51 is that when we turn to God and away from our sin, our behavior will change.

Turn from your sin and change your behavior. (Ps 51:7-12)

David knows that his cleansing is costly and involves sacrifice. When David asks God to purge him with hyssop, he is referring to the process of sacrifice. He knows that the penalty for his sin is death and brokenness. For his sin to be removed, David knows the penalty for sin must be paid by something (and ultimately, someone) besides him. Remember God cannot let sin go unchecked. So, knowing God’s justice, David uses language of sacrifice through these verses. This also points forward to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would pay the penalty for all sin through His death, being broken and beaten and killed. David’s entire attitude has changed towards sin and towards God! It's only when you hate sin that sin begins to lose its power over you. Sin is more than self-conscious rebellion against God. It’s a blinding power that wants to control and enslave us. Even though we may really want to change, it can seem like an overwhelming or impossible task to actually do so (see Rom 7:15-17). The slavery of sin is one for which we are responsible, and we can be empowered by God’s grace to turn from it. Because of what Christ did through His death, burial, and resurrection, we are able to overcome the power of sin in our life through a relationship with Him. When confession of sin is linked to the knowledge of forgiveness of sins, hope and joy are the result. All this is more than just a change of attitude. Having a change in attitude always results in a change of behavior. When we turn from our sin, our behavior will change in such a way that there is lasting fruit as evidence of the repentance that has taken place. That becomes our new lifestyle.

Live a lifestyle of repentance and obedience. (Ps 51:13-19)

Let’s read Psalm 51:13-19. (ESV)

There are three distinct things here in Psalm 51 that follow David’s confession and repentance and future obedience to God. The first is evangelistic zeal (v. 13). David wants all people to experience the matchless grace and mercy that he’s experienced. Jesus gives the Great Commission which demands the same thing. When you understand your need for a relationship with Jesus Christ in light of your own sinfulness, you can't help but desire for others to experience the same thing. There is no greater message we can share than the gospel message of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We will also worship as a lifestyle (vv. 14-17). David is basically saying in verses 14-17, "God I don't want to do anything that is not of you, but if You will open my lips, my mouth will do nothing but declare your praise." The greatest sin of all is: I don’t love the Lord my God with my whole mind and heart. If our failure to consistently worship the true God is the key feature of sin, we are all sinners. We must worship God with everything He has given us. Finally, we will also commit to making disciples (vv. 18-19). David longed to build the temple and see the walls of Jerusalem established. More than that, David is acknowledging that due to his sin he has been responsible for 'tearing down' Jerusalem's spiritual walls. He is asking God to rebuild them and he wants to be a part of that. It's then, when people's hearts are turned back to God, He will delight in the sacrifices they bring. Where there is sin, God always offers forgiveness and the power to cast it off. David was also convinced of God's love and willingness to forgive. The one thing that David doesn’t want God to do is remove His presence from him. The very thing that David asks God not to do to him, He did to His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the One without any fault – perfectly holy and blameless – came to die on the cross. In His moment of greatest agony on the cross He cries out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mt 27:46, Ps 22:1). In that moment, God pours on Jesus the judgment that David deserves and the judgment we deserve. We can be reconciled to our perfect and holy God through what Jesus did in our place. We must confess all our sin to God to experience His forgiveness and restoration. We must see the magnitude of our sin considering the magnitude of His sacrifice. As we do this, it is important to remember that there is no one who is beyond the reach of Jesus. Nothing that has been done that is more powerful than the saving work of Jesus. We must be a people of continual confession and repentance; a church who regularly puts our sin to death as we delight in the saving work of Jesus Christ that allows us to become children of God through a relationship with Jesus.

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Sermon Notes

Sins You Must Confess

Psalms 51:1-19

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