Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
July 01, 2001 p.m.
Acknowledging Our Sins
Repentance & Confession
Reading - Psalm 51
I think Second Samuel chapters 11 and 12 are some of the darkest chapters in the Bible. They contain the sins of David... A man after God’s own heart. Even though these chapters are dark... They... along with Psalm 51... Have some real insights for us in the church today concerning sin... Repentance and confession. Let’s see what we can learn...
Listen as I rehearse the narrative from Second Samuel about David’s sins. Here we read of King David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his elaborate and murderous plot to hide his sin. David sent his army out to do battle and he stayed home in the palace in Jerusalem. From the roof of the palace... he saw Bathsheba bathing and sent for her. Unlike Joseph, who had fled from sexual temptation... David gave in to it. In lustful premeditation... David sent for Bathsheba. Even though she was identified by one of his advisors as the wife of Uriah the Hittite... David had sexual relations with her anyway.
When Bathsheba sent word to David that she was pregnant, David decided on a cover-up plan.
He called Uriah home from the front, thinking the soldier would go home and spend some time with his wife... Thus giving the general public the idea that he had fathered the child. However... Uriah’s sense of duty to king, country and his fellow soldiers... would not permit him to go home to his wife while his fellow soldiers were battling for their lives. So... Uriah spent the night on the front porch of the King’s palace. Next... David invited Uriah in to eat and drink... Got him drunk thinking Uriah would go home. But... Even intoxicated... the faithful soldier slept outside the palace.
Finally... In mad frustration and hate... David decided he would get rid of Uriah by sending him back to the front lines with orders which would surly result in his death. David wrote to his General... Joab... Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die. Joab obeyed... Uriah died... and David brought Bathsheba into the palace and married her. The chapter ends with this sobering statement... But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord. David was guilty of LUST, PREMEDITATED ADULTERY, AND FIRST DEGREE MURDER.
Next we note... The King’s Confrontation With Truth.
We cannot be certain... But it appears that a considerable time went by before David was confronted with God’s view of what he had done. During that time, there is no indication that David was sorry for his sins. In fact... We have every indication that the king had put the whole episode behind him. Whatever the case... David needed a fuller realization of his guilt... And so the prophet Nathan was sent to David with a parable designed to create that realization.
Nathan tells David... There were two men... One was rich and the other very poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he brought into the house and nourished... It grew up with his children as the family PET.
It would eat bread out of his hand...
Drink water from his cup...
And lie in his bosom...
In later years... The lamb was like a child to him. Now a traveler came to visit the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd... So... to prepare dinner for his company... He killed the poor man’s pet lamb.
As Nathan told the story... David was so far removed from his own sin that he never got the connection. He became indignant with the wicked actions of the rich man in the parable. He instantly reacted saying... As the Lord lives... The man who has done this deserves to die. What a shock it must have been to David... When Nathan said... David... You are the man!!
Now the good news from this interesting narrative... The King’s Penitence. The great king David had fallen far... But you see...
He was a man after God’s own heart...
He was a man of integrity...
He was honest within his own heart... About his own sins.
David was willing to admit... I have sinned against the Lord. Further evidence of David’s penitent confession is found here in Psalm 51. If you will... Just set this narrative aside and let it soak.. As we examine two more points quickly.
OK... Let’s talk about definitions. The Greek word translated repent in the New Testament is a word which literally means...
To turn...
To change...
It is the word from which we get our word metamorphosis... That complete change which takes place when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.
Webster says repentance is...
To remember with sorrow... To feel remorse for sin.
To feel such regret and sorrow that one changes his mind.
To feel sorrow and remorse for sin, enough to change one's ways.
Repentance literally means... To think differently. But it’s much deeper than that... It is a change of direction in mind... heart... and life. It is a deliberate 180 degree turn from... Self... Sin... Satan... Turning back to God. Repentance is a change of heart that is so strong... That it results in a change of behavior. Repentance is a change in principle... That results in a change in practice.
I believe we find a Biblical definition of repentance in Joel 2.12-14. Listen as I read what Joel has to say... Even now, declares the LORD... Return to me with all your heart with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing--grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God. Notice what Joel says... Notice how close Joel is to the Greek and to Webster’s definition.
Repentance is turning to God in sorrow, weeping and mourning. The Hebrew word for mourning here is used to describe mourning for the dead. It is the word used to describe Jacob's mourning the loss of Joseph when he thought he had been killed by wild animals. This is not crocodile tears, but genuine sorrow.
Church... Dry-eyed repentance is not acceptable to God. Repentance is turning to God with weeping and mourning... Because we are genuinely sorrowful for our sins.
Joel says repentance is a change of heart. He says... Don't rend your garments... But rend your hearts. Those of the Sanhedrin tore their clothes when Jesus said... He was the Son of God. It should have been their hearts that were torn. Genuine repentance is a heart condition... A change of heart... A change in our thinking and in our attitudes... Which will result in a change in behavior.
Joel says return to the Lord and bring Him offerings... Change your life. Repentance is turning from sin and doing what God has commanded us to do. Repentance is a turning from being and doing what we want to be and do--to being and doing what God would have us be and do. Repentance is living in total submission to Him through the Word.
Note with me now that the New Testament is filled with the necessity of Repentance for salvation. We must understand tonight that genuine Biblical Repentance is not an option if we want to become God’s people... If we want to be forgiven... as was David.
-John the Baptist came preparing his world for Jesus’ coming... Saying... Repent... for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
-Jesus said... I tell you now... Unless you repent... You will all likewise perish.
-In the first Gospel sermon, Peter demanded repentance and baptism for the remission of sins.
-In the second Gospel sermon found in Acts 3... Peter declared... Repent, then, and turn to
God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
-Paul told the men of the Areopagus that... All men everywhere must repent.
-2 Peter 3.9 says that... God is patient with each of us... Not wanting anyone to perish... But everyone to come to repentance.
-Revelation 3.19 has Jesus saying... Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
Is repentance necessary to our salvation?... Sounds as if it is... RIGHT?
Church... Repentance is not just necessary at conversion... But the attitude of repentance from a broken contrite heart must permeate our heart and mind for the rest of our lives.
OK... Since repentance is necessary for a proper relationship with God, let’s see what we can learn about Repentance from Psalm 51... and other scriptures
First... True Repentance Begins in Confrontation with Truth.
We are appalled that this man after God’s own heart would commit adultery and murder... but he did!! So... God prompts David to genuine repentance through a confrontation with truth. God sent Nathan with a parable designed to get the king to see his sin for what it really was. It worked!!... Suddenly David saw his sin as God saw it. All of a sudden... What he had done was evil in his own sight... Not just in the sight of God.
Church... Becoming God’s person means... Having a right relationship with Him... Means that
We must agree with God on what sin is in our lives...
We must see sin as God sees it.
We must see sin as something to turn away from and forsake.
Someone once said... That this is a good definition of repentance... Agreeing with God on what sin is in our own lives.
Note with me some things which brings us to the state of genuine repentance. Repentance can be the result of hitting rock bottom. The Prodigal Son of Luke 15 didn’t think of turning back to his father until he found himself friendless and destitute... in a pig pen.
Sometimes repentance occurs when one sees a better way of life patterned for us. Peter told Christian women who were married to men who weren’t Christians... That those men might be won to Christ... Without a word by the behavior of their wives. You see... Sometime we are brought to repentance by seeing the absolute good in others.
It can happen as a result of learning God’s Word. The Jewish crowd of Acts two heard the word of God from the mouth of Peter. They were told that they had murdered the Messiah for whom they had been waiting. They obviously were touched by Peter’s words... And said... Brethren... What shall we do?
Indeed... Repentance is a confrontation with truth... Seeing our sin as God sees it... and being willing to turn from it and turn to God... As did David... ARE WE WILLING??... I pray that we are.
Secondly... True Repentance Requires a Strong Sense of Guilt.
David was guilty. There is no doubt about this... He was guilty of...
Lustful thoughts...
Coveting another man’s wife...
Adultery...
Lying...
Of placing a stumbling block before another... He got Uriah drunk...
He was guilty of murder.
Our culture has been running away from guilt for years. We will do almost anything to keep from feeling guilty. Many psychologists tell us that we must never feel guilt... For any reason. But they are wrong... When we do wrong we need to feel guilty... In fact we must sense our guilt or we will never repent.
This is exactly what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7.10... Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. Dr. Willard Gaylin of Colombia University, wrote... When we have actually done something morally wrong, it is always good to experience guilt--always. In other words, there is such a thing as healthy guilt... It is called Godly Sorrow!!
Church... The discomfort of guilt is just the thing that many of us need... Because this discomfort... this Godly sorrow leads us to TRUE REPENTANCE.
Notice here some positive results of Godly Sorrow and GUILT.
Guilt leads us to a confession of our sin. David had this kind of guilt when he said... I have sinned against the Lord. Any way of thinking which allows us to pretend we have not sinned... Or that such a sin is not so bad... Robs us of the opportunity to repent of sin. An awareness of... An admission of our sin come from a sense of guilt.
Guilt helps us understands the seriousness of sin. David referred to his acts as iniquity, transgressions, sin, evil, bloodguiltness. He understood that his deeds required forgiveness... Cleansing... Washing... and purification.
Guilt causes us to express sorrow for sin. David made several statements in Psalm 51 which are indicative of the sorrow he felt.
He expresses a desire for his lost joy and gladness.
He figuratively spoke of his broken bones.
He feared being cast out from God’s presence.
Guilt prompts us to accept full responsibility for our sin. King David did not deflect blame for his sin... He didn’t try to blame anyone else. He readily... humbly... confessed to God... Against You... I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight... So that You are right when You judge. You see... Responsibility and accountability for sin come from a heart burdened through GUILT. Guilt which causes us to realize what James stated a long time ago... That... each of us is tempted when we are carried away and enticed by our own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Guilt causes us to accept our own sin... And God’s plan for dealing with it.
Then finally... True Repentance Produces Submission to God’s will.
Once King David had come to grips with God’s truth... and with his own guilt... he also understood that something else was necessary. He knew that he had to give up his own will... And submit to God’s will. Notice his words from verses 16 & 17... For you do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; you are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. David knew that our worship and service to God was meaningless... UNLESS we submit to genuine Biblical repentance.
I think we need to remember how hard submission must have been for David. He was the powerful king of a great nation... Every person in Israel ultimately answered to him. No one was above him in the kingdom... except God.
In our culture... We have a similar problem because of the great blessings we enjoy.
We have more liberty than any nation that has come before us.
We enjoy great prosperity.... We get to do the things we enjoy.
We exercise a great deal of control and choice over where we live and what we do.
Since we are so accustomed to doing it our way, our situation is similar to King David’s.
But if we truly repent... in the Bible sense... there will be a change in our lives.
John the Baptist experienced a flood of people coming to him for baptism. He called some of them a brood of vipers and told them to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. The Phillips translation has John saying:... Go and do something to show that your hearts are really changed... You see...
No amount of ritual...
No great worship service...
No personal sacrifice... No gift of money... Time... Talent can serve as a substitute for REPENTANCE... Brought about by a broken and contrite heart before God.
If our religion seems empty and shallow... What we may need is not...
A new worship plan...
Book...
Tape...
Or youth rally...
But genuine New Testament repentance.
Church... Here is the good news from our Father in heaven... The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance... For if we will confess our sins, acknowledge our sins... He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness... AMEN?... AMEN!!
No... We do not have to name every sin in prayer in order to be forgiven... But we must...
In HUMILITY...
With Godly Sorrow...
With a broken contrite heart
Admit our sinfulness... Acknowledge our sins and confess our faults and short comings. Someone asks... Well, will our sins be forgiven if we do not repent? I believe repentance is an attitude of heart and mind...
It is Godly sorrow for sin...
It is a broken contrite heart before God...
We have noted that this repentant attitude is necessary for our salvation. Indeed... God is not willing that any should perish, but that all men everywhere must repent.
Jesus’ admonition to the seven churches of Asia was to repentance... Note that Jesus was not speaking to alien sinners... But to the churches of Jesus Christ. Folk... If repentance is not necessary... Why did Jesus tell FIVE out of the SEVEN churches of Asia to REPENT or He would not reward them.
Others say... Well... If we walk in the light as He is in the light... His blood forgives us of all our sin... So there is no need for repentance and confession. Folk... Read two verses down... For if we confess our sins... Acknowledge our sins... He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. We must know tonight that confession... acknowledgment of sins and repentance are all a part of walking in the light. We can’t walk in the light of truth and not be repentant people...
-Because repentance is necessary for our salvation.
-Repentance is a part of the LIGHT... the TRUTH we are to walk in.
It is the walking in truth which cleanses us by the blood of Jesus. This is why Jesus prayed... Sanctify them through Thy TRUTH... Thy WORD is truth.
Tonight... If you have sins that need to be repented of... God has given each of us one more opportunity to obey Him... to become His child by faith... repentance and New Testament baptism.
Perhaps... like David... We have sins that we need to acknowledge and repent of.
Do it tonight... Be right with God... As we stand and sing this invitation song together.
Will you come??
