WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.500 Now, in 1517, Johann Tetzel traveled around Germany selling indulgences in order to fund 00:00:10.500 --> 00:00:14.140 the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. 00:00:14.900 --> 00:00:16.760 And he was quite the salesman. 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:23.879 People flocked to him from miles around because he taught that if you gave him money, then 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:25.420 you could have your sins forgiven. 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:28.240 You could even get time off purgatory. 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:32.879 You could get time off of your relative's time in purgatory. 00:00:33.699 --> 00:00:39.359 He even supposedly came up with that catchy jingle, as soon as a coin in the coffer rings, 00:00:39.899 --> 00:00:42.479 the soul from purgatory springs. 00:00:43.700 --> 00:00:49.719 And in response, on October 31st, Martin Luther walked to the doors of a castle church in Wittenberg 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:57.259 and nailed his famous 95 theses to the church door, challenging the sale of indulgences. 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:04.079 Now, the truth is that event was probably not nearly as dramatic as it may seem in the 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:05.740 mythology of Protestantism. 00:01:06.299 --> 00:01:10.900 Nobody would have taken much interest because the church door is basically the bulletin board 00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:11.980 for the entire town. 00:01:12.859 --> 00:01:15.879 Also, Luther probably didn't nail his 95 theses. 00:01:15.960 --> 00:01:19.240 He probably glued them to the door, which is much less dramatic. 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:25.479 And contrary to popular belief, Luther did not think he was changing church history or breaking 00:01:25.479 --> 00:01:26.640 with the Catholic Church. 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:33.899 But that event is still what we traditionally say was the start of the Reformation. 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:40.799 And what drove Martin Luther to the church doors that day in Wittenberg was a certain 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:43.579 understanding of the Christian life. 00:01:43.579 --> 00:01:48.000 And you can see that in Martin Luther's very first thesis. 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:55.340 When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said repent, he intended the entire life of believers 00:01:55.340 --> 00:01:58.219 should be one of repentance. 00:01:59.620 --> 00:02:05.959 Luther correctly understood that repentance wasn't just a matter of paying money or even mechanically 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:07.280 saying a few prayers. 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:11.979 Instead, it is something that all Christians do all the time. 00:02:11.979 --> 00:02:14.979 It's not just for a season of life. 00:02:15.139 --> 00:02:17.159 It is a way of life. 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:23.839 And if that is true, and it is, then repentance is something that Christians need to learn to 00:02:23.839 --> 00:02:24.439 do well. 00:02:25.579 --> 00:02:28.539 And that is why we're going to look at Psalm 51 today. 00:02:28.839 --> 00:02:31.519 It is one of the several penitential psalms. 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:35.879 It is really probably the most famous and greatest of those. 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:40.859 And that's not just because it has some of the most powerful language, some of the most 00:02:40.859 --> 00:02:43.539 memorable language of any psalm. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.319 It's also probably because we know so much about the context. 00:02:48.079 --> 00:02:54.060 We know about so much about what went into that psalm because the Bible goes into so much 00:02:54.060 --> 00:02:57.740 detail in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. 00:02:57.740 --> 00:03:05.120 We get to know in very precise details what it was like for David in the lowest point of 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:06.280 his spiritual life. 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:11.719 How he committed adultery with Bathsheba and tried to cover it up even by committing murder. 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:17.000 We see him commit sins that are so heinous it's almost like they're out of a tabloid. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:23.979 And that makes this the perfect psalm for us to understand what repentance is and what 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:24.800 we should be doing. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:31.159 And that might seem strange, but if you want to learn how to do something, you go to an 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:31.500 expert. 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:35.780 If you are running a business and you want to learn how to run a business better, you 00:03:35.780 --> 00:03:38.300 don't go to the local child who runs a lemonade stand. 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:42.379 You go to a successful business leader, perhaps even a CEO. 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:48.620 And the Bible presents David not merely as a great sinner, but as a master repenter. 00:03:49.060 --> 00:03:53.319 And what we're doing today is following in the footsteps of our father in the faith, David, 00:03:53.819 --> 00:03:57.400 as he teaches us by example. 00:03:57.979 --> 00:04:00.919 And what I want us to see today are three things that he does. 00:04:01.019 --> 00:04:03.460 I first want us to see how he confesses his sin. 00:04:04.139 --> 00:04:05.800 Second, how he pleads with God. 00:04:05.900 --> 00:04:08.300 And three, how he seeks God. 00:04:08.300 --> 00:04:12.620 And let's start with that first point, how he confesses his sin. 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:21.139 David begins his prayer by declaring that he needs mercy and that he needs to be washed. 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:28.620 But he then goes into detail why in verses three to six, where he is confessing his sin 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:29.319 to God. 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:34.180 And what I want you to notice is that he confesses with a sense of guilt. 00:04:34.180 --> 00:04:42.060 David doesn't just abstractly recognize that he has sinned, that he has broken some abstract 00:04:42.060 --> 00:04:43.340 law out there somewhere. 00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:45.720 He feels that he is guilty. 00:04:46.180 --> 00:04:48.920 He feels that he is worthy of judgment. 00:04:49.819 --> 00:04:53.540 As he says in verse three, my sin is always before me. 00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:58.519 What he's saying there is that his sin is constantly before him. 00:04:58.600 --> 00:05:01.980 It's crying out day and night, condemning him. 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:05.060 Wherever he goes, he sees it. 00:05:05.700 --> 00:05:07.700 And he cannot escape it. 00:05:08.860 --> 00:05:11.580 It's like that famous scene from Macbeth. 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:16.520 After Lady Macbeth kills King Duncan, she's wracked with guilt. 00:05:16.900 --> 00:05:23.360 Even when she falls asleep, her servants see her sleepwalking through the castle, rubbing 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:28.020 her hand, convinced that there is still a spot of blood there. 00:05:28.019 --> 00:05:35.279 And they hear her muttering out, out, trying to wash away that sin that is there on her 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:35.659 palm. 00:05:36.899 --> 00:05:38.560 And it's the same way with David. 00:05:39.599 --> 00:05:44.019 He may not be descending into madness like Lady Macbeth, but he feels the same burden of 00:05:44.019 --> 00:05:44.279 guilt. 00:05:44.979 --> 00:05:47.899 And it is something he knows he cannot wash away. 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:53.759 Perhaps you've heard someone use the expression, I can feel it in my bones. 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:57.579 That's what that means is that you can just feel it. 00:05:57.740 --> 00:05:58.980 It's deep inside you. 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:00.459 There's an ache there. 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:06.300 Well, that's the same language David uses in verse eight, where he says his bones have 00:06:06.300 --> 00:06:06.860 been broken. 00:06:07.740 --> 00:06:12.420 He feels as if something inside him is broken when he is convicted of this sin. 00:06:12.839 --> 00:06:14.939 He knows he can't do something about it. 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:17.259 There's something deep inside him that is aching. 00:06:17.259 --> 00:06:24.459 And like David, we are called to feel the same guilt for our sin. 00:06:25.159 --> 00:06:27.579 We should have our consciences pricked. 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:30.639 Sometimes it should even feel like they've been stabbed. 00:06:31.599 --> 00:06:37.139 We need to see our sin in the dock condemning us in the courtroom. 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:42.159 Because if sin doesn't hurt, you will never go to God in prayer. 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:46.360 And that means you will never think that highly of your Savior. 00:06:47.340 --> 00:06:50.580 Because you've never sunk deeply into the mud. 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:55.320 And in the words of the Valley of Vision, the way up is the way down. 00:06:56.380 --> 00:07:02.180 If you want to raise your head in assurance of pardon, it first needs to be laid low in 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:02.480 guilt. 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:08.580 Now, I'm not saying that Christians need to live in an existential, eternal torment. 00:07:09.440 --> 00:07:10.260 Far from it. 00:07:10.259 --> 00:07:13.620 But being a Christian doesn't mean that your conscience disappears. 00:07:14.819 --> 00:07:17.079 It means there is relief for your conscience. 00:07:17.539 --> 00:07:20.680 And that you can have peace, true peace with God. 00:07:20.759 --> 00:07:23.399 But Christians are still called to take sin seriously. 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:26.959 Indeed, more seriously than before we were saved. 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:30.219 And part of the reason why is in verse 4. 00:07:30.779 --> 00:07:36.379 Where David says his sense of guilt isn't just driven by the heinousness of the sin that 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:41.000 he has committed, but who he has committed it against. 00:07:41.719 --> 00:07:45.040 He says, I have sinned against you, God. 00:07:45.259 --> 00:07:50.740 He even goes so far as to say, against you, you only have I sinned. 00:07:50.740 --> 00:07:54.000 Now, that might make you pause. 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:58.920 How can David possibly say those words? 00:07:59.060 --> 00:08:02.420 That he has only sinned against God. 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:05.300 And that's a reasonable reaction. 00:08:05.460 --> 00:08:07.300 That is a hyperbole on David's part. 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:09.600 It is an overstatement. 00:08:09.780 --> 00:08:12.360 David understands that he has sinned against Bathsheba. 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:14.220 That he has sinned against Uriah. 00:08:14.420 --> 00:08:17.160 That he has really sinned against the whole nation of Israel. 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:18.800 This is a figure of speech. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:18.920 He has sinned against the whole nation of Israel. 00:08:19.480 --> 00:08:23.520 David isn't a sociopath who is completely oblivious to the chaos that he has caused. 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:24.259 He's aware of it. 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:29.280 But, even though it is a hyperbole, I don't want you to react to that line and to say, 00:08:29.340 --> 00:08:31.240 oh, David, you're such a poet. 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:34.460 Here you are being a little overdramatic in a psalm. 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:37.700 Don't have that reaction because this is a godly hyperbole. 00:08:37.799 --> 00:08:40.539 It's placed here in Scripture for a reason. 00:08:41.740 --> 00:08:45.060 David is saying the same thing Joseph did. 00:08:45.059 --> 00:08:48.779 Joseph said in Genesis 39. 00:08:49.579 --> 00:08:53.299 When Potiphar's wife tried to convince him to sleep with her, he says, 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:59.079 Your husband has not kept anything from me except you because you are his wife. 00:08:59.459 --> 00:09:03.919 How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? 00:09:04.619 --> 00:09:06.059 The focus is not on Potiphar. 00:09:06.239 --> 00:09:07.659 The focus is on God. 00:09:07.659 --> 00:09:14.959 And what Joseph and David both recognize is that our sin is chiefly and ultimately against God himself. 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:21.519 Without that, you don't have true biblical repentance. 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:24.899 If you're only repenting of how much you've sinned against your neighbor, 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:28.819 then you've only barely begun to repent. 00:09:29.339 --> 00:09:30.579 You need to go further. 00:09:30.719 --> 00:09:33.000 You need to take your sin more seriously. 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:38.879 How we normally try to judge the severity of our sin is based on how much it hurts those around us. 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:43.580 You know, when you sin against someone in your family, against your spouse, against your children, 00:09:43.659 --> 00:09:46.799 you get to look in their eyes and you get to see there's pain there. 00:09:47.179 --> 00:09:48.899 You get to measure the level of pain. 00:09:49.019 --> 00:09:52.500 You get to know how much that burst of anger hurt, how much that lie hurt, 00:09:52.580 --> 00:09:54.500 how much your selfishness hurts them. 00:09:54.500 --> 00:10:03.440 But that's a woefully inadequate in order to really get a grasp of how bad your sin is. 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:07.919 That's like looking at the sun in the sky and trying to measure it with your thumb. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:12.740 You don't get anywhere close to the true size of your sin. 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:19.980 If you want to see the greatness of your sins, then you need to look at God, who is most offended. 00:10:19.980 --> 00:10:24.820 If you haven't just sinned, because you haven't just sinned against a finite sinful creature, 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:29.980 you have sinned against the infinite, perfect, holy creator of the universe. 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:35.340 You have sinned against the one who gave you life and preserves you moment by moment. 00:10:35.920 --> 00:10:40.960 And you've used the very breath he has given you to break his law and spit in his face. 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:45.320 He is the one who has shown you mercy after mercy, 00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:49.840 even sending his own son into the world to die for sinners. 00:10:49.980 --> 00:10:56.720 And it is this vertical dimension that is so vital to true repentance. 00:10:57.500 --> 00:11:03.279 You need to look up to God, to the one who is not only holy, but is holiness itself. 00:11:04.620 --> 00:11:08.279 If you look at him, you will begin to recognize that you haven't just sinned, 00:11:08.580 --> 00:11:10.480 but that you are a sinner. 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:14.460 You begin to say with David, verse 5, 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:19.639 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:24.659 Because you have the same problem that every single person has had, 00:11:24.980 --> 00:11:27.539 stretching all the way back to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:30.800 You have what the theologians call original sin. 00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:34.060 You are guilty from the womb before God, 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:37.180 and every part of you is corrupted by sin. 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:40.420 There's no secret part of your soul which is spotless. 00:11:40.419 --> 00:11:43.839 All of it is affected in some way by sin. 00:11:45.579 --> 00:11:48.279 That's why when you sin, it's not a surprise. 00:11:48.979 --> 00:11:51.899 It's actually the most natural thing in the world for you to sin. 00:11:52.819 --> 00:11:53.819 It's like breathing. 00:11:54.319 --> 00:11:56.740 And when you begin to see that, 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:59.159 you begin to realize that there is no hope for you 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:01.479 except in the arms of Jesus. 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:07.420 It's not that you went wrong somewhere in your life. 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:09.180 You just took a wrong turn or two. 00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:11.120 It's that you started going in the wrong direction. 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:12.680 You've continued going in the direction. 00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:15.779 And then you can finally say with David, 00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:16.480 You are right. 00:12:16.899 --> 00:12:18.840 Your judgment is just. 00:12:19.899 --> 00:12:23.620 We need to capture a sense of that sinfulness of sin 00:12:23.620 --> 00:12:25.220 by feeling the guilt of our sin 00:12:25.220 --> 00:12:27.580 and how we have sinned against a holy God. 00:12:27.580 --> 00:12:30.379 Because then there's finally no place except Jesus. 00:12:31.560 --> 00:12:33.500 We don't bring any justification, 00:12:33.780 --> 00:12:36.680 any self-justification or self-righteousness with us when we repent. 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:38.840 We don't bring our money or our best works. 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:42.980 What we bring to God is what David says in verse 17. 00:12:43.920 --> 00:12:48.720 A broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. 00:12:49.420 --> 00:12:51.800 To bring him anything less is impossible. 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:56.100 And to bring him anything more is worse than nothing. 00:12:56.100 --> 00:12:59.600 And if you feel the guilt of your sin, 00:12:59.960 --> 00:13:02.240 then realize that is a gift from God. 00:13:03.220 --> 00:13:04.940 But don't torture yourself. 00:13:05.920 --> 00:13:06.800 Turn to Jesus. 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:09.600 He stands, his arms are open wide, 00:13:09.920 --> 00:13:13.220 and he has come to save sinners, not the righteous. 00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:15.720 And if you feel the guilt of your sin, 00:13:16.060 --> 00:13:18.860 then he calls to you, repent and believe, 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:21.460 and he will give you rest. 00:13:21.460 --> 00:13:26.980 But this is something that mature Christians need too. 00:13:27.060 --> 00:13:29.300 This is not just a song for unbelievers. 00:13:29.420 --> 00:13:30.960 This is a song for believers too. 00:13:32.180 --> 00:13:34.379 Now it's true that Christians are not supposed to walk around 00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:36.060 every single moment of every single day 00:13:36.060 --> 00:13:37.600 filled with guilt, 00:13:38.259 --> 00:13:41.360 you know, a feeling so poignantly 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:43.660 how they have committed a sin last week 00:13:43.660 --> 00:13:45.860 and they're just constantly wracked by it. 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:48.519 We're chiefly supposed to look at Jesus 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:49.800 and how he has saved us 00:13:49.800 --> 00:13:51.740 and we're supposed to rejoice in that. 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:54.220 Robert Murray McShane was right when he said, 00:13:54.300 --> 00:13:56.240 for every look at yourself, take ten looks at Jesus. 00:13:56.800 --> 00:13:58.700 That's a good proportion, really. 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:02.720 But there is the danger of being complacent 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:04.740 about sin, even for Christians. 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:08.039 And if you realize that you can sin 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:09.340 without feeling very much at all, 00:14:10.139 --> 00:14:13.580 or that you have gone so long 00:14:13.580 --> 00:14:15.680 without spending any time looking at yourself, 00:14:16.019 --> 00:14:17.560 considering your own sinfulness, 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:19.139 then that's a problem. 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:22.740 Because if you don't take that one look at yourself 00:14:22.740 --> 00:14:24.299 and your own sinfulness, 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:26.600 then you'll find that you won't see 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:28.379 the glory of Christ nearly as well. 00:14:29.159 --> 00:14:30.680 It will get a little dimmer. 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:32.860 You won't understand the wonder 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:34.820 of what it means for him to be made sin 00:14:34.820 --> 00:14:35.759 who knew no sin. 00:14:36.560 --> 00:14:38.139 And it's probably at that moment 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:40.320 when you are most in danger of falling into sin 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:41.779 like David did. 00:14:42.740 --> 00:14:44.200 And what you need in those moments 00:14:44.200 --> 00:14:47.700 is to rediscover a sense of sin, 00:14:48.539 --> 00:14:50.480 a sense of the sinfulness of sin, 00:14:50.519 --> 00:14:52.879 and what it means for Jesus to be your Savior 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:57.120 by seeing what it is that he has saved you from. 00:14:57.980 --> 00:14:59.960 But the second thing I want you to see 00:14:59.960 --> 00:15:01.659 is how after confessing his sin, 00:15:01.659 --> 00:15:03.559 he begins to plead with God for forgiveness 00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:04.360 in verse 7. 00:15:05.379 --> 00:15:08.139 But first, notice the basis upon which he pleads 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:10.079 with God, all the way back in verse 1. 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:12.480 Have mercy on me, O God, 00:15:12.579 --> 00:15:14.799 according to your unfailing love. 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:17.919 He is praying based upon God's character, 00:15:18.319 --> 00:15:20.779 upon his unfailing love. 00:15:20.819 --> 00:15:23.019 And by that he means his covenantal faithfulness. 00:15:23.019 --> 00:15:27.379 We don't just approach a God in prayer, 00:15:28.179 --> 00:15:31.779 hoping that maybe he'll listen to my prayer 00:15:31.779 --> 00:15:33.460 if I just pray just well enough, 00:15:33.539 --> 00:15:34.220 just for today. 00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:35.299 Maybe he'll forgive me. 00:15:36.319 --> 00:15:37.699 Prayer is not the art of the deal. 00:15:37.819 --> 00:15:40.439 We go before our God in prayer. 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:44.639 Our God who is already born with his people, 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:47.519 his stiff-necked people from generation to generation 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:48.220 for millennia. 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:51.700 And we come to him in light of Lamentations 3 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:52.240 when it says, 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:54.620 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. 00:15:55.420 --> 00:15:56.940 His mercies never come to an end. 00:15:57.259 --> 00:15:58.820 They are new every morning. 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:02.120 Great is your faithfulness. 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:04.580 On this side of the cross, 00:16:04.680 --> 00:16:05.480 we even get to see 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:08.399 that our God has sent his own son into the world 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:11.300 to die upon the cross for sinners. 00:16:11.299 --> 00:16:15.159 And so, like Hebrews 10.22 says, 00:16:15.799 --> 00:16:18.819 We should have confidence to enter the holy places 00:16:18.819 --> 00:16:19.799 by the blood of Jesus. 00:16:21.479 --> 00:16:25.120 We know that a way has been opened up to God 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:26.579 for sinners by God himself. 00:16:27.099 --> 00:16:28.639 And we can come before him and pray. 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:30.740 That doesn't mean we pray flippantly, 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:32.959 but it does mean we pray confidently 00:16:32.959 --> 00:16:34.559 before our God. 00:16:34.599 --> 00:16:35.979 And we pray like David does 00:16:35.979 --> 00:16:38.439 upon God's own character and promises. 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:41.520 But what David begins to confidently plead 00:16:41.520 --> 00:16:43.620 to his covenantal God for is forgiveness. 00:16:43.820 --> 00:16:46.080 And you can see that in verse 7. 00:16:46.220 --> 00:16:48.520 Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean. 00:16:49.560 --> 00:16:53.100 David is alluding to a really obscure part of his Bible. 00:16:53.260 --> 00:16:55.560 It's all the way back in Leviticus 14, 00:16:56.420 --> 00:16:59.960 which has a ritual for what you do 00:16:59.960 --> 00:17:01.120 to cleanse a sinner, 00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:03.340 cleanse a leper who has been cured. 00:17:04.120 --> 00:17:06.759 How that leper who has been sent out 00:17:06.759 --> 00:17:08.660 of the covenant community because of his sickness 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:10.539 and has to live outside of the camp. 00:17:10.619 --> 00:17:12.839 Once they're healed, how do they get back in? 00:17:12.879 --> 00:17:13.759 Well, you do this ritual. 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:17.119 And then they're finally able to come back into the camp. 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:18.680 And I want you to realize something. 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:20.539 This is an obscure chapter of Scripture 00:17:20.539 --> 00:17:22.660 because it almost never gets used. 00:17:23.379 --> 00:17:25.039 Because healing lepers is a miracle. 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:27.759 You know, you might think lepers get healed all the time. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:29.879 In the Old Testament, there are only two. 00:17:29.879 --> 00:17:31.700 There's Naaman and there's Miriam. 00:17:31.779 --> 00:17:32.240 That's it. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:35.160 And so when Jesus starts healing lepers, 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:38.519 all the Levites start having to turn through their book 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:41.480 and find the one part of Leviticus they never use. 00:17:42.099 --> 00:17:43.620 That's what David is alluding to. 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:46.299 Something that only God can do. 00:17:46.380 --> 00:17:48.759 And what you do in that ritual is you take a bird, 00:17:48.859 --> 00:17:52.099 you kill it, you drain its blood into a bowl. 00:17:52.539 --> 00:17:55.400 The priest takes a branch of hyssop, dips it in, 00:17:55.779 --> 00:17:59.859 and sprinkles it seven times on the former leper. 00:17:59.859 --> 00:18:02.119 And as soon as that is done, 00:18:02.919 --> 00:18:04.179 the priest then declares, 00:18:04.500 --> 00:18:06.000 you are clean. 00:18:07.199 --> 00:18:08.419 What David is saying there, 00:18:08.479 --> 00:18:11.419 Lord, I need you to purge me with hyssop like that. 00:18:11.719 --> 00:18:13.179 I need you to cleanse me. 00:18:13.459 --> 00:18:15.559 If you wash me in the blood of a sacrifice, 00:18:15.859 --> 00:18:16.779 I will be clean. 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:18.859 I will be whiter than snow. 00:18:19.679 --> 00:18:21.359 It's only something God can do. 00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:25.279 And it's something that only the blood of a sacrifice can do. 00:18:25.419 --> 00:18:27.979 Something else needs to take our sin away 00:18:27.980 --> 00:18:29.940 and take the punishment for our sin. 00:18:31.220 --> 00:18:33.900 That's precisely what we ask God for when we repent. 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:38.500 We ask for blood to be applied to us. 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.220 We don't ask for the blood of bulls and goats 00:18:41.220 --> 00:18:42.900 or even birds to be applied to us. 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:46.400 We ask for the blood of Jesus to be applied to us. 00:18:46.620 --> 00:18:50.880 The blood that all the sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed to. 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:55.880 Because He is the one sacrifice that is sufficient for our sins. 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:58.560 And we know that if we're just washed in that blood, 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:00.620 really if we're just sprinkled in that blood, 00:19:01.360 --> 00:19:03.720 our very soul becomes clean 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:06.280 and God will hide His face from our sins 00:19:06.280 --> 00:19:08.100 and they are blotted out forever. 00:19:09.520 --> 00:19:12.660 That is blood that is shed for you. 00:19:12.800 --> 00:19:15.460 The entire reason He took on flesh 00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:19.280 was so that it could be ripped and torn on your behalf. 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:22.899 And Jesus, even now, at the right hand of God the Father, 00:19:23.019 --> 00:19:24.359 saying, My blood is for sinners. 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:28.839 And the only thing you need to do is pray, 00:19:28.980 --> 00:19:30.240 Lord, I trust in Jesus 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.000 and I ask that His blood would be applied to me. 00:19:33.980 --> 00:19:35.200 That is a bold prayer. 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:39.539 To ask that the blood of God would be applied to you. 00:19:39.619 --> 00:19:42.359 But what you're doing is you're taking hold of a promise by faith 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:44.000 that God has freely offered. 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:46.019 The promise of the Gospel. 00:19:46.019 --> 00:19:49.099 And then you will finally be forgiven 00:19:49.099 --> 00:19:51.099 and have joy and gladness. 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:53.480 You'll have your broken bones healed. 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:56.639 This is something you must pray. 00:19:57.539 --> 00:19:59.879 Because once your consciences are convicted 00:19:59.879 --> 00:20:03.339 like David's is in the first part of this psalm, 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:05.660 there's no other relief except in Jesus. 00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:07.920 But there is relief. 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:10.759 True joy in Him. 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:14.759 But this leads us to our third and final point. 00:20:15.099 --> 00:20:17.200 We've seen how David confesses his sin 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:18.119 and pleads for forgiveness. 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:22.180 But I also want you to see how David seeks God. 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:23.839 How he seeks God. 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:26.640 David is not content 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:29.680 simply asking for forgiveness. 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:31.720 He asks for more. 00:20:32.140 --> 00:20:34.920 He asks to be renewed by God in verse 10. 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:38.079 Create in me a pure heart, O God, 00:20:38.140 --> 00:20:40.440 and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:44.379 He wants his heart and soul to be renewed by God. 00:20:44.779 --> 00:20:47.339 Recreated so that they are completely pure. 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:49.819 David doesn't just want to be forgiven. 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:50.859 He wants to be holy. 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:53.879 He doesn't just want the guilt of sin to be removed. 00:20:53.980 --> 00:20:56.640 He wants the power of sin to be broken. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:20:59.460 Really what he's asking for 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:02.059 is justification and sanctification. 00:21:02.059 --> 00:21:04.059 The two things that go hand in hand 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:04.900 in the Christian life. 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:07.619 And he's asking for both in this psalm. 00:21:07.619 --> 00:21:10.839 And the reason I think he asks for this 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:11.899 is because David's goal 00:21:11.899 --> 00:21:13.699 is not just to be forgiven, 00:21:14.239 --> 00:21:14.939 not punished. 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:17.579 His goal is to be with God 00:21:17.579 --> 00:21:19.399 and to enjoy Him forever. 00:21:20.439 --> 00:21:22.339 You can see that in verses 11 and 12. 00:21:22.439 --> 00:21:24.439 Do not cast me away from your presence 00:21:24.439 --> 00:21:26.419 or take your Holy Spirit from me. 00:21:26.959 --> 00:21:29.359 Restore to me the joy of your salvation 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:31.599 and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:35.579 All of David's requests from verse 7 forward 00:21:35.579 --> 00:21:36.759 are leading to that. 00:21:37.139 --> 00:21:38.219 Leading to those verses. 00:21:38.639 --> 00:21:39.879 He wants to be near God. 00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:41.759 He wants to have God's Spirit bless him 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:45.480 to live a life of doxological joy before God. 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:47.639 Because for David, 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:50.480 the idea that you can be forgiven 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:52.279 but not be near God, 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:53.759 that is a fate worse than death. 00:21:54.899 --> 00:21:56.539 You want to be near God. 00:21:56.599 --> 00:21:57.899 He wants that. 00:21:57.900 --> 00:22:00.680 That is what true repentance looks like. 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:02.120 True repentance, 00:22:02.280 --> 00:22:04.400 it's not just turning away from your sin. 00:22:04.660 --> 00:22:06.340 It is turning to God 00:22:06.340 --> 00:22:07.940 and seeking His face. 00:22:09.160 --> 00:22:10.060 Anything less 00:22:10.060 --> 00:22:11.940 is a false repentance. 00:22:12.660 --> 00:22:13.540 You can't repent 00:22:13.540 --> 00:22:14.860 while having every intention 00:22:14.860 --> 00:22:16.880 of keeping an idol in your heart, 00:22:17.120 --> 00:22:18.500 having some portion of it 00:22:18.500 --> 00:22:20.440 that's just yours and not God's. 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:21.380 That's not the way it works. 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:23.720 That's an abuse of God's grace. 00:22:23.720 --> 00:22:26.839 And once you've been washed 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:27.700 in the blood of Christ, 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:29.980 you desire to be like Him. 00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:32.700 You desire to obey Him. 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:35.200 And anything less than that 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:36.720 is really you seeking yourself, 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:38.339 not God, 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:39.400 when you repent. 00:22:41.180 --> 00:22:42.660 And where you really get to see 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:43.980 David's heart for seeking God 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:45.160 is at the end of this psalm. 00:22:45.259 --> 00:22:46.460 David ends this psalm 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:48.180 by talking about worship. 00:22:48.940 --> 00:22:50.339 We're just going to quickly look 00:22:50.339 --> 00:22:51.920 from verse 13 and following. 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:54.480 David says he's going to evangelize sinners 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:56.140 by telling them what God has done. 00:22:56.920 --> 00:22:57.980 As Matthew Henry says, 00:22:58.400 --> 00:22:59.960 penitents are preachers. 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:01.660 And David cannot rest 00:23:01.660 --> 00:23:03.060 without letting other sinners know 00:23:03.060 --> 00:23:05.120 about what God has done in his life 00:23:05.120 --> 00:23:06.200 and let them repent 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:07.259 and praise God as well. 00:23:08.300 --> 00:23:09.500 And then in verse 14, 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:11.200 he says that he's going to sing 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:12.400 about God's righteousness. 00:23:13.580 --> 00:23:14.900 The righteousness of God. 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:15.640 I want you to notice that. 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:17.580 The very thing that condemns 00:23:17.580 --> 00:23:18.920 David for his sin 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:22.160 is the very thing he will praise God for 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:23.960 once he is forgiven and restored. 00:23:25.300 --> 00:23:27.019 And going quickly down to verse 19, 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:28.600 we can see that the sacrifices 00:23:28.600 --> 00:23:31.740 that displeased God in verse 16 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:34.720 have suddenly become pleasing to God 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:35.759 because they are offered 00:23:35.759 --> 00:23:37.840 with a contrite heart, 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:38.720 with a broken heart, 00:23:38.820 --> 00:23:40.500 with a repentant heart. 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:43.340 Really where David wants to be, 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:44.680 he wants to be in the sanctuary 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:46.539 where we are today. 00:23:46.539 --> 00:23:48.139 He wants to be here, 00:23:48.539 --> 00:23:49.420 enjoying worship, 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:50.299 because he knows 00:23:50.299 --> 00:23:51.619 that's where he meets God. 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:53.920 That's where he communes with Him. 00:23:55.119 --> 00:23:57.339 And it's the same with us today. 00:23:57.659 --> 00:23:59.220 We gather as the people of God 00:23:59.220 --> 00:23:59.980 every Lord's Day 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:01.819 and we long to hear God's Word preached 00:24:01.819 --> 00:24:03.659 and to sing God's praises 00:24:03.659 --> 00:24:06.000 because this is the closest we get to heaven, 00:24:06.099 --> 00:24:06.920 this side of glory. 00:24:08.119 --> 00:24:09.139 God has promised 00:24:09.139 --> 00:24:10.859 to meet with His people here. 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:12.539 Even here today. 00:24:13.399 --> 00:24:14.740 He has promised to bless us 00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:15.359 with His Spirit 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:17.680 and fill us with the joy of salvation. 00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:20.519 And I think too often 00:24:20.519 --> 00:24:22.819 we repent without thinking about that. 00:24:23.700 --> 00:24:24.539 About the church. 00:24:25.339 --> 00:24:27.720 About our coming worship on Sunday. 00:24:27.859 --> 00:24:28.519 And part of the reason 00:24:28.519 --> 00:24:29.240 is probably because 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:30.640 we don't live lives centered 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:32.900 around the Lord's Day enough. 00:24:33.880 --> 00:24:35.440 But our repentance, like David, 00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:36.640 should be done with an eye 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:37.620 to the sanctuary. 00:24:38.680 --> 00:24:39.599 We should be thinking, 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:40.799 I want to be forgiven 00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:42.819 so that I can encourage 00:24:42.819 --> 00:24:43.659 my fellow believers. 00:24:44.379 --> 00:24:45.419 So that I can sing 00:24:45.419 --> 00:24:47.279 with a clean heart to my God. 00:24:47.539 --> 00:24:48.359 So that I can come 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:49.679 with a clean conscience 00:24:49.679 --> 00:24:50.980 to the Lord's Supper 00:24:50.980 --> 00:24:52.639 and commune with my Savior. 00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:56.399 We repent to seek God 00:24:56.399 --> 00:24:57.379 and to commune with Him. 00:24:57.819 --> 00:24:59.500 And where else would we expect 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:00.980 to find Him today? 00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:02.779 Other than here in Becclew. 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:05.619 Or any Bible-believing congregation. 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:07.220 We want to be here. 00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:09.319 Because we are seeking God. 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:09.399 God. 00:25:11.059 --> 00:25:13.460 This psalm ends on a high note. 00:25:14.139 --> 00:25:15.000 And that's not because 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.960 David wants to downplay his sin. 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:18.980 It's because he knows 00:25:18.980 --> 00:25:20.980 that as dark as his sin is, 00:25:21.079 --> 00:25:22.500 God's mercy is brighter. 00:25:22.899 --> 00:25:23.720 There is hope. 00:25:24.119 --> 00:25:25.419 Real hope for sinners. 00:25:25.420 --> 00:25:43.060 of course, 00:25:43.060 --> 00:25:43.160 there is hope for sinners 00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:44.380 which won't have a great 00:25:44.380 --> 00:25:44.980 color for sinners. 00:25:44.980 --> 00:25:45.360 For sinners. 00:25:45.360 --> 00:25:45.660 For sinners. 00:25:45.660 --> 00:25:46.200 Let us know 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:46.220 in the容. 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:46.500 For sinners. 00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:46.920 For sinners. 00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:47.140 For sinners. 00:25:47.140 --> 00:25:47.220 For sinners. 00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:47.880 For sinners. 00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:48.060 For sinners. 00:25:48.060 --> 00:25:48.279 For sinners. 00:25:48.279 --> 00:25:48.640 For sinners. 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:48.700 For sinners. 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:49.060 For sinners. 00:25:49.060 --> 00:25:49.320 For sinners. 00:25:49.320 --> 00:25:49.860 For sinners. 00:25:49.980 --> 00:25:50.100 For sinners. 00:25:50.100 --> 00:25:50.880 For sinners. 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:51.360 For sinners. 00:25:51.360 --> 00:25:51.880 For sinners. 00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:51.940 For sinners. 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:52.279 For sinners. 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:52.420 For sinners. 00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:53.200 For investigators. 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:53.259 For sinners. 00:25:53.259 --> 00:25:53.759 For sinners. 00:25:53.759 --> 00:25:54.200 For sinners. 00:25:54.200 --> 00:25:54.759 For sinners.