WEBVTT 00:00:09.769 --> 00:00:14.390 Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loving 00:00:14.390 --> 00:00:18.109 kindness, according to the greatness of your 00:00:18.109 --> 00:00:23.289 compassion, blot out my transgressions, wash 00:00:23.289 --> 00:00:28.730 me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me 00:00:28.730 --> 00:00:35.789 from my sin. As we continue to look at Psalm 00:00:35.789 --> 00:00:41.000 chapter 51. Just a brief reminder regarding the 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:47.659 context and the setting of it. David sinned with 00:00:47.659 --> 00:00:55.759 Bathsheba. He sought to conceal that sin for 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:00.899 over a year or near a year at least. And at the 00:01:00.899 --> 00:01:05.859 end of that time, God graciously sends the prophet 00:01:05.859 --> 00:01:12.870 Nathan to... This fallen king. This backslidden 00:01:12.870 --> 00:01:18.450 man who loved the Lord so dearly. Who had sunken 00:01:18.450 --> 00:01:23.750 so low into sin. The Lord graciously sends Nathan 00:01:23.750 --> 00:01:27.269 the prophet and he tells a parable. And the story 00:01:27.269 --> 00:01:31.290 of a rich man, the poor man, a ewe lamb. And 00:01:31.290 --> 00:01:36.799 at the end of it, David is furious. He's enraged 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:39.719 by what the rich man does to the poor man and 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:43.439 taking the ewe lamb and killing it for his own 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:48.180 selfish purposes. And then at the end of that, 00:01:48.299 --> 00:01:53.719 Nathan the prophet points his finger at David 00:01:53.719 --> 00:02:00.480 and says, you're the man. Immediately, godly 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:05.489 sorrow sinks in. Immediately grief and brokenness 00:02:05.489 --> 00:02:13.050 comes upon this man. And he says, I have sinned 00:02:13.050 --> 00:02:17.509 against the Lord. It's at this point, it's at 00:02:17.509 --> 00:02:21.250 this place, somewhere in this time frame that 00:02:21.250 --> 00:02:27.930 David pens Psalm 51. It's a record of his restoration 00:02:27.930 --> 00:02:34.870 with... sweet fellowship with the Lord. It's 00:02:34.870 --> 00:02:37.949 a record of him returning to the Lord. It's a 00:02:37.949 --> 00:02:41.870 record of him coming back to the Lord after concealing 00:02:41.870 --> 00:02:46.530 his sin for so long and willfully and voluntarily 00:02:46.530 --> 00:02:53.430 sinning against his God. So as we continue this, 00:02:53.569 --> 00:02:58.210 we're going to look at five things in particular 00:02:58.210 --> 00:03:01.930 in verses one through two. We're going to see 00:03:01.930 --> 00:03:05.569 the place that David goes to make his plea. We're 00:03:05.569 --> 00:03:10.169 going to see his understanding of his sin or 00:03:10.169 --> 00:03:14.810 his view regarding his sin. We're going to see 00:03:14.810 --> 00:03:19.150 David's confidence. We're going to see David's 00:03:19.150 --> 00:03:21.990 plea that he makes with God, his petition, his 00:03:21.990 --> 00:03:25.389 appeal that he actually makes to God. And we're 00:03:25.389 --> 00:03:29.449 going to see David's prioritization of this plea. 00:03:29.930 --> 00:03:34.469 meaning the priority he places on the plea for 00:03:34.469 --> 00:03:38.169 the forgiveness of sins with God in the place 00:03:38.169 --> 00:03:42.370 of his restoration with the Lord. Following this, 00:03:42.550 --> 00:03:46.770 we'll make several applications to our own lives 00:03:46.770 --> 00:03:50.990 today that we draw from this text and sex position. 00:03:51.449 --> 00:03:56.169 Beginning with David's place of plea, we see 00:03:56.169 --> 00:04:01.229 whenever David sinned, In 2 Samuel, whenever 00:04:01.229 --> 00:04:03.969 he sinned, we see that, and he was found out 00:04:03.969 --> 00:04:08.710 that Bathsheba was pregnant. He did not immediately 00:04:08.710 --> 00:04:13.430 go to the Lord, but he resorts to the arm of 00:04:13.430 --> 00:04:17.829 the flesh. He sins for his general. He seeks 00:04:17.829 --> 00:04:21.050 to control and to manipulate the situation, to 00:04:21.050 --> 00:04:26.029 exercise authority, which he had. To conceal 00:04:26.029 --> 00:04:31.170 it, to hide it, to keep it, to cover it. But 00:04:31.170 --> 00:04:34.610 finally we find, after godly sorrow sets in, 00:04:34.769 --> 00:04:38.889 that he goes to the place where he ought to have 00:04:38.889 --> 00:04:43.250 gone in the first place. That he finally goes 00:04:43.250 --> 00:04:45.850 to the place where he should have gone immediately. 00:04:47.649 --> 00:04:51.670 He goes to the Lord himself. Be gracious to me, 00:04:51.769 --> 00:04:59.519 O God. He goes to God in prayer following the 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:05.439 realization of his sin. We find in Psalm chapter 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:14.620 32, which is another account of his sin. We see 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:16.819 David saying, therefore, let everyone who is 00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:21.279 godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:24.939 Surely in a flood of great waters, they will 00:05:24.939 --> 00:05:27.720 not reach him. And listen to this, brothers and 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:33.740 sisters. You are my hiding place. You preserve 00:05:33.740 --> 00:05:37.459 me from trouble. You surround me with songs of 00:05:37.459 --> 00:05:41.639 deliverance. In Psalm 25, David says, To you, 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:47.860 O Lord, I lift up my soul. The Lord is the place 00:05:47.860 --> 00:05:53.290 where David goes to make his plea. The Lord is 00:05:53.290 --> 00:05:56.589 the place that David goes to find relief from 00:05:56.589 --> 00:06:02.310 his sorrow. There's so many times and there's 00:06:02.310 --> 00:06:06.490 so many temptations that when a person sins against 00:06:06.490 --> 00:06:15.009 God, what's the temptation? To go somewhere else 00:06:15.009 --> 00:06:21.009 other than God himself. The temptation is to 00:06:21.009 --> 00:06:25.670 go to men. The temptation is to go to another 00:06:25.670 --> 00:06:28.589 sin. The temptation is to do something to get 00:06:28.589 --> 00:06:32.829 my mind off of it. The temptation is to move 00:06:32.829 --> 00:06:39.389 on. But that's not what David does here. He cries 00:06:39.389 --> 00:06:45.470 out to God. He goes to the throne of grace. And 00:06:45.470 --> 00:06:49.490 he pleads. With the Lord of glory, who is merciful 00:06:49.490 --> 00:06:54.550 and compassionate, he comes to his throne in 00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:59.410 prayer. Secondly, we see that David's understanding 00:06:59.410 --> 00:07:05.949 of his sin as he comes to God. When David comes 00:07:05.949 --> 00:07:11.310 to God, he's not coming with an attitude of privilege. 00:07:12.790 --> 00:07:16.339 When David comes to God, He's not coming to God 00:07:16.339 --> 00:07:20.660 in a manner that says, I deserve forgiveness. 00:07:22.060 --> 00:07:25.360 No, David is coming to the Lord with an attitude 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:29.720 of brokenness, an attitude that he doesn't deserve. 00:07:29.779 --> 00:07:33.319 He says, be gracious to me, God. The first thing 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:37.180 he says is, be gracious to me. He knows he doesn't 00:07:37.180 --> 00:07:41.019 deserve any good thing from God. He knows he 00:07:41.019 --> 00:07:44.149 doesn't deserve to be treated. as though he's 00:07:44.149 --> 00:07:49.310 wanting. He needs grace. He needs mercy. He knows 00:07:49.310 --> 00:07:54.310 because of the full weight of his sin in his 00:07:54.310 --> 00:07:57.569 life that he doesn't deserve anything from God. 00:07:57.850 --> 00:08:02.709 It's because he knows the multifaceted character 00:08:02.709 --> 00:08:07.829 of his sin. In this text, we see that he uses 00:08:07.829 --> 00:08:12.730 the word transgressions. He says, wash me thoroughly 00:08:12.730 --> 00:08:16.709 of my iniquity. We see that he says, cleanse 00:08:16.709 --> 00:08:23.970 me from my sin. Transgressions, iniquity, and 00:08:23.970 --> 00:08:28.509 sin. David recognizes, brothers and sisters, 00:08:28.709 --> 00:08:34.470 that his sin is not just one -sided. That it 00:08:34.470 --> 00:08:39.870 wasn't just one thing that offended God. It wasn't 00:08:39.870 --> 00:08:42.370 just one thing that was evil in the sight of 00:08:42.370 --> 00:08:47.830 God. He also says the singular and the plural. 00:08:49.309 --> 00:08:53.529 Meaning my sins, my transgressions, my iniquity, 00:08:53.529 --> 00:08:56.830 singular. So whenever he says transgressions, 00:08:56.830 --> 00:09:00.710 he's talking about the volitional and willful 00:09:00.710 --> 00:09:07.970 outward rebellion against God. When he says iniquities, 00:09:07.970 --> 00:09:11.629 he's referring to the perverting or the twisting 00:09:11.629 --> 00:09:14.809 of that which is good and that God has given 00:09:14.809 --> 00:09:18.450 him. When he says sins, he's talking about the 00:09:18.450 --> 00:09:23.110 reality that he has erred so far from the mark 00:09:23.110 --> 00:09:26.570 of his life that his aim ought to be for God 00:09:26.570 --> 00:09:31.629 and his law. But he's fallen short of it. He's 00:09:31.629 --> 00:09:37.019 sorely missed the mark. He recognizes. That he 00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:42.620 is a desperate sinner coming to God. And notice 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:47.600 the depth of his sin. Whenever he says, wash 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:53.980 me, he doesn't say, wash me of my iniquity. He 00:09:53.980 --> 00:09:59.740 says, wash me thoroughly of my iniquity. Why 00:09:59.740 --> 00:10:07.070 is that? Because he recognizes the depth. By 00:10:07.070 --> 00:10:14.230 which sin has penetrated his person. He recognizes 00:10:14.230 --> 00:10:20.250 that sin is deep in him. That he is stained with 00:10:20.250 --> 00:10:25.490 it. That he is marred deep in his soul with this 00:10:25.490 --> 00:10:32.269 evil. The depth of sin goes to the inner core 00:10:32.269 --> 00:10:35.210 and inner fibers of our being, brothers and sisters. 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:41.100 It's not just outward acts. It's not just the 00:10:41.100 --> 00:10:44.379 twisting and the perversion of good things that 00:10:44.379 --> 00:10:47.940 God has given us. It's not just missing the mark, 00:10:47.960 --> 00:10:51.679 but sin has to do with the fact that we have 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:55.000 a sinful nature that springs forth out of us. 00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:02.759 We are depraved. We are sinners by nature, by 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:07.309 birth. So there's a wellspring of iniquity from 00:11:07.309 --> 00:11:13.009 our very person. And David recognizes this. He 00:11:13.009 --> 00:11:18.409 recognizes the invasive nature of his sin within 00:11:18.409 --> 00:11:23.789 him. Now, what about its severity? How severe 00:11:23.789 --> 00:11:31.870 was David's sin? David's sin was utterly severe. 00:11:33.159 --> 00:11:37.519 This is why he says, according to the greatness 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:46.059 of your compassion. He knows the depth of his 00:11:46.059 --> 00:11:49.299 depravity. He knows the depth of his iniquity. 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:52.840 He knows the depth of his sin. And he knows that 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:56.840 only the great compassion of God is adequate 00:11:56.840 --> 00:12:00.720 and abundant enough to forgive him of his sins. 00:12:01.710 --> 00:12:07.049 His sin runs deep. And his sin is severe. But 00:12:07.049 --> 00:12:10.669 brothers and sisters, in the severity of his 00:12:10.669 --> 00:12:17.210 sin, in the depth of his sin, in the grievous 00:12:17.210 --> 00:12:21.149 nature of his sin, it gives every one of us hope 00:12:21.149 --> 00:12:23.610 who know the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know why? 00:12:24.620 --> 00:12:28.240 Because if God allows David to be received by 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.580 his grace and God forgives him of his sins and 00:12:31.580 --> 00:12:33.679 the grievous sin which he brings to his throne, 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:38.340 then he'll forgive you and I of our sins. No 00:12:38.340 --> 00:12:41.080 matter the size, no matter the severity, no matter 00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:45.559 the amount. If you go to him in prayer and you 00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:47.899 go to his throne and you appeal to his grace 00:12:47.899 --> 00:12:51.259 and his mercy and compassion, you will be forgiven. 00:12:54.799 --> 00:13:00.120 There's hope for all of us because we know there 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:05.740 was hope for David. We know that David did not 00:13:05.740 --> 00:13:11.200 despair, so we mustn't despair. There's hope, 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:14.519 there's confidence to be had. Now, what about 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:17.519 the effects of this sin, of these sins in David's 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:21.799 life? What did it do to him? What were the effects 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:24.100 of his sin, of his iniquity, of his transgression 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:29.179 on his own life? Well, what does he say? He needs 00:13:29.179 --> 00:13:32.700 washed. Why does he need washed? Because he's 00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:37.120 impure, he's unholy, he's dirty. He needs cleansed. 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:40.220 Why? Because he's unclean in the sight of God. 00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:50.240 Sin has ruinous effects in our soul. Sin brings 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:54.279 about the sense and the reality of impurity and 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:57.740 unholiness and uncleanliness in our life. It 00:13:57.740 --> 00:14:01.620 brings about the inner reality of those realities 00:14:01.620 --> 00:14:04.000 which the Mosaic law proclaimed outwardly in 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:10.379 symbols of being unclean, of being leprous, of 00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:14.019 being dirty and unholy and unconsecrated and 00:14:14.019 --> 00:14:16.980 unsanctified. That's what sin brings about in 00:14:16.980 --> 00:14:20.360 our lives. And David knows it from firsthand 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:28.500 experience. He wallowed in it for a year. He 00:14:28.500 --> 00:14:31.500 wallowed in his wickedness for a whole year, 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:35.059 and now he's reaping the effects of that sin 00:14:35.059 --> 00:14:41.919 in his soul. The effects of sin are that it will 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:46.330 make us unclean in our inner man. impure and 00:14:46.330 --> 00:14:50.090 unholy, it will bring us to a place where we 00:14:50.090 --> 00:14:54.029 have this weight and burden in our very souls. 00:14:55.509 --> 00:14:58.529 And Lord willing, it will drive us to the throne 00:14:58.529 --> 00:15:03.929 of grace to seek for mercy. Now one might be 00:15:03.929 --> 00:15:10.129 tempted under such weight of sin to throw off 00:15:10.129 --> 00:15:17.730 responsibility. To avoid it. To say, I'm not, 00:15:17.789 --> 00:15:21.570 I don't have any part in this. What about Bathsheba? 00:15:23.730 --> 00:15:28.590 She was bathing in the open. She didn't have 00:15:28.590 --> 00:15:35.389 to do that. I didn't need to see her. David says 00:15:35.389 --> 00:15:43.029 three times, my sin. My sin. My sin. Do you know 00:15:43.029 --> 00:15:48.759 why? Because he is recognizing and acknowledging 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:56.600 his fault in the matter. He is taking absolute 00:15:56.600 --> 00:16:00.539 responsibility for his own actions at the throne 00:16:00.539 --> 00:16:09.480 of God. True repentance. True repentance always 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:15.419 involves taking. full responsibility for your 00:16:15.419 --> 00:16:21.600 own sins. Every single time. If you are unwilling 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:26.120 to recognize your iniquities, if you are unwilling 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:28.799 to recognize your transgressions, if you are 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:33.700 unwilling to own up to your own sin in the matter, 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:38.519 then brothers and sisters, it is not true repentance. 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:45.500 David does own up. To his own sin, he takes responsibility 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:50.460 for it. And sin's ultimate error is not that 00:16:50.460 --> 00:16:53.720 we sin against ourselves. And sin's ultimate 00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:55.600 error is not that we sin against our brothers. 00:16:56.100 --> 00:17:01.019 Sin's ultimate error is that it is an offense 00:17:01.019 --> 00:17:06.980 against a thrice holy God. That it is an affront 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:10.859 to God himself. And that when we sin, we sin 00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:14.940 in his sight. And we perform that evil in his 00:17:14.940 --> 00:17:19.700 sight. David knows that. That's why he comes 00:17:19.700 --> 00:17:23.339 to God in prayer. And what does he do with the 00:17:23.339 --> 00:17:26.279 sins? What's he doing? He's bringing them to 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:30.440 the throne, isn't he? He's bringing his transgression. 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:33.539 He's bringing his iniquity. He's bringing his 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:39.730 sin where? To the throne. He is exposing his 00:17:39.730 --> 00:17:47.509 wickedness to the holy presence of God. Now, 00:17:47.509 --> 00:17:51.150 when a man or a woman exposes their wickedness 00:17:51.150 --> 00:17:53.509 to a holy God, do you know what they want to 00:17:53.509 --> 00:17:57.250 do? They want to get rid of the holiness. They 00:17:57.250 --> 00:17:59.490 want to get rid of the wickedness, I'm sorry. 00:18:00.829 --> 00:18:06.480 Because it will crush them. He brings his sins 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:10.220 to God's throne in order that he might forsake 00:18:10.220 --> 00:18:12.880 them there, in order that he might abandon them 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:16.920 there and be restored with this God who's so 00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:21.079 good and be restored with this God who is so 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:28.400 faithful. He deals with his sin by bringing them 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:31.900 to God's throne and allowing God to deal with 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:41.079 them. It's hard and difficult, brothers and sisters, 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:45.380 to take responsibility for our actions at times. 00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:51.200 It's hard and it's difficult to own up to our 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:57.599 sins against a holy God. It's a difficult thing 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:01.140 to fight and battle against sin for all our days 00:19:01.140 --> 00:19:08.400 on this earth. But brothers and sisters, cast 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:12.900 them at his feet because he cares for you. Bring 00:19:12.900 --> 00:19:15.160 them to the throne that you might be renewed 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:19.400 in his grace. Bring them to his throne that you 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:22.599 might know holiness and godliness again, that 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:25.559 you might experience joy and hope and confidence 00:19:25.559 --> 00:19:31.039 and assurance in your faith. Restoration with 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:34.559 the Lord, restoration to a sweet, unbroken fellowship 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:38.480 begins with us dealing with our sins before God 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:44.539 in prayer. We must begin there. We must take 00:19:44.539 --> 00:19:49.519 them to the throne. Thirdly, we see David's plea 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:56.799 with God. He asks initially three things of God. 00:19:57.609 --> 00:20:00.690 Three things which we've already seen in this 00:20:00.690 --> 00:20:10.009 text. He says, blot out my transgressions. When 00:20:10.009 --> 00:20:13.490 David appeals to the grace of God, the mercy 00:20:13.490 --> 00:20:16.789 of God, the compassion of God, that he would 00:20:16.789 --> 00:20:19.970 blot out his transgressions, he's saying, Lord, 00:20:20.089 --> 00:20:29.470 forgive me of my sins. Pardon me of my sins. 00:20:30.730 --> 00:20:33.549 We see throughout Scripture that God blots out 00:20:33.549 --> 00:20:37.089 many things. Remember in the book of Genesis, 00:20:37.410 --> 00:20:43.470 when the great flood came, what did God do and 00:20:43.470 --> 00:20:46.950 what did God determine to do to humanity? To 00:20:46.950 --> 00:20:55.250 blot them out. David cries that his sins would 00:20:55.250 --> 00:21:01.329 be wiped, That God would remove them from his 00:21:01.329 --> 00:21:08.250 eternal record book. Turn with me to Numbers 00:21:08.250 --> 00:21:13.710 chapter 5. This term is used in Numbers 5. Interesting 00:21:13.710 --> 00:21:17.869 enough, it's with regards to the adultery test 00:21:17.869 --> 00:21:22.750 for faithful or unfaithful women. We read in 00:21:22.750 --> 00:21:26.349 Numbers chapter 5. Then the priest shall bring 00:21:26.349 --> 00:21:28.930 her near and have her stand before the Lord. 00:21:30.609 --> 00:21:34.190 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware 00:21:34.190 --> 00:21:38.630 vessel. Now he shall take some of the dust that 00:21:38.630 --> 00:21:41.269 is in the floor of the tabernacle and put it 00:21:41.269 --> 00:21:44.829 into the water. The priest shall then have the 00:21:44.829 --> 00:21:47.930 woman stand before the Lord and let the hair 00:21:47.930 --> 00:21:51.410 of the woman's head go loose and place the grain 00:21:51.410 --> 00:21:54.049 offering of immoral in her hands. which is the 00:21:54.049 --> 00:21:56.329 grain offering of jealousy and in the hand of 00:21:56.329 --> 00:21:58.990 the priest, is to be the water of bitterness 00:21:58.990 --> 00:22:05.049 that brings a curse. A curse. Then we jump down 00:22:05.049 --> 00:22:08.450 to verse 21. Then the priest shall have the woman 00:22:08.450 --> 00:22:11.609 swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest 00:22:11.609 --> 00:22:14.930 shall say to the woman, The Lord make you a curse 00:22:14.930 --> 00:22:18.690 and an oath among your people by the Lord's making 00:22:18.690 --> 00:22:22.289 your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell. 00:22:23.099 --> 00:22:25.380 Then in verse 23, listen to these words, brothers 00:22:25.380 --> 00:22:29.519 and sisters. The priest shall then write these 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:35.180 curses on a scroll, and he shall wash them off 00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:38.579 in the water of bitterness. He shall blot them 00:22:38.579 --> 00:22:43.940 out. He shall forgive them. He shall erase them. 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:51.309 What is David crying out for? What is David crying 00:22:51.309 --> 00:22:55.269 to God for? That he would remove the curse from 00:22:55.269 --> 00:23:00.650 his life. That he would remove judgment from 00:23:00.650 --> 00:23:04.390 him, even though there's bitterness in his soul. 00:23:05.730 --> 00:23:10.990 God, remove the curse that I might be proclaimed 00:23:10.990 --> 00:23:17.710 clean and innocent. Then we see in Isaiah chapter 00:23:17.710 --> 00:23:24.750 44. Verses 22 through 23. I have wiped out your 00:23:24.750 --> 00:23:27.369 transgressions. Listen to this. Like a thick 00:23:27.369 --> 00:23:33.109 cloud. And your sins like a heavy mist. Return 00:23:33.109 --> 00:23:37.789 to me for I have redeemed you. Shout for joy, 00:23:38.009 --> 00:23:40.730 O heavens, for the Lord has done it. Shout joyfully, 00:23:40.809 --> 00:23:43.190 you lower parts of the earth. Break forth into 00:23:43.190 --> 00:23:46.029 a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and 00:23:46.029 --> 00:23:50.900 every tree in it for the Lord. has redeemed Jacob 00:23:50.900 --> 00:23:55.700 and Israel. He shows forth his glory. Forgiveness 00:23:55.700 --> 00:24:04.539 leads to return and joy. But first, the Lord 00:24:04.539 --> 00:24:09.799 must wipe away your sins. The Lord must blot 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:16.700 out your iniquities. David cries to God. That 00:24:16.700 --> 00:24:20.519 he would not remember his sin. That he would 00:24:20.519 --> 00:24:24.640 not hold it against him. Then we see that David 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:28.640 pleased with God that he would wash him thoroughly 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:32.980 of his iniquities. This word goes back to the 00:24:32.980 --> 00:24:36.000 book of Numbers and the book of Leviticus. And 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:41.079 it has to do with someone becoming impure and 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:45.759 unholy and unclean. as a result of their garments 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:50.579 and their clothing becoming contaminated. And 00:24:50.579 --> 00:24:52.960 what was required for them to be declared clean, 00:24:53.059 --> 00:24:55.079 for them to be made right, for them to enter 00:24:55.079 --> 00:25:00.700 into the camp again? They had to be washed. Their 00:25:00.700 --> 00:25:03.640 garments, their clothing, what they wore had 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:07.039 to be cleansed. It had to be washed in order 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:10.160 for them to return to the camp and to be declared 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:14.910 in good standing. for them to be in the presence 00:25:14.910 --> 00:25:18.309 of God and to be in the midst of God's people. 00:25:19.250 --> 00:25:23.230 David cries out that God would wash him thoroughly 00:25:23.230 --> 00:25:26.930 of his iniquities. We also see that he cries 00:25:26.930 --> 00:25:30.130 out and he appeals to God that he would cleanse 00:25:30.130 --> 00:25:36.930 him from his sin. This word is used in the holiness 00:25:36.930 --> 00:25:39.529 code, which is in Leviticus chapters 11 through 00:25:39.529 --> 00:25:45.799 14. And it is a direct reference to leprosy. 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:51.960 And the impurity and the uncleanness that comes 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:59.279 with leprosy. The ostracization. The separation, 00:25:59.460 --> 00:26:02.619 the isolation that comes from leprosy. Do you 00:26:02.619 --> 00:26:05.019 know what happened to a person who was said to 00:26:05.019 --> 00:26:08.420 have leprosy? With regards to the Levitical law? 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:11.240 Because of their impurity, their uncleanness? 00:26:11.579 --> 00:26:13.900 and the danger they presented to the rest of 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:18.779 the nation, they were quarantined. They were 00:26:18.779 --> 00:26:21.299 removed from the people. They were isolated. 00:26:21.599 --> 00:26:24.519 And do you know what they needed in order to 00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:27.980 be returned to the camp, in order to be returned 00:26:27.980 --> 00:26:33.440 to God and His presence? They needed to be cleansed. 00:26:34.059 --> 00:26:39.869 They needed to be declared clean and holy. In 00:26:39.869 --> 00:26:42.750 the sight of God. Do you, brothers and sisters, 00:26:42.750 --> 00:26:51.450 see how David is crying out that God would restore 00:26:51.450 --> 00:26:56.029 him? That God would cause him to return? That 00:26:56.029 --> 00:27:01.789 God would give him his presence back? He's using 00:27:01.789 --> 00:27:06.710 terms and elements and categories and ideas from 00:27:06.710 --> 00:27:12.799 the Mosaic Law. He's blotting out, washing, cleaning. 00:27:13.940 --> 00:27:17.099 He's using these Old Testament, Mosaic terms, 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:20.440 which he was so intimately knowledgeable of, 00:27:20.539 --> 00:27:24.799 which he knew so much about. But brothers and 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:28.039 sisters, he's not looking to those things for 00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:33.299 the forgiveness of sins. He's not looking to 00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:35.640 those things for washing. He's not looking to 00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:39.720 those things for cleanses, is he? He's not trusting 00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:43.640 in the ceremonial rites and rituals of the Mosaic 00:27:43.640 --> 00:27:50.740 law for the forgiveness of sins. He knows that 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:54.480 if he's washed with water, it only washes his 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:59.660 skin. It won't touch his soul. It won't touch 00:27:59.660 --> 00:28:03.200 his inner man. It won't deal with the issues. 00:28:03.380 --> 00:28:08.420 Who is he looking to? For his sins to be forgiven. 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:12.500 Who is he looking to? To make provision for the 00:28:12.500 --> 00:28:15.460 forgiveness of sins. Who is he looking to? To 00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:19.079 be washed by. Who does he long to have cleanse 00:28:19.079 --> 00:28:28.660 him? God himself. He's looking to the Lord for 00:28:28.660 --> 00:28:33.940 these gospel realities. We learn something about 00:28:33.940 --> 00:28:38.680 the Mosaic Law in this text. we learn that what 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:41.519 the ceremonial rites and rituals of the Mosaic 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:44.960 law proclaimed outwardly and symbolically, externally, 00:28:45.140 --> 00:28:50.099 they were proclaiming certain realities associated 00:28:50.099 --> 00:28:54.660 with the gospel. But they were inadequate and 00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:58.700 insufficient and incapable of providing the substance 00:28:58.700 --> 00:29:05.759 and the reality they were proclaiming. So David's 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:09.519 looking. for the substance and the reality. So 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:12.279 who is David looking to? What is David looking 00:29:12.279 --> 00:29:15.440 to? He's looking to a greater sacrifice than 00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:19.180 the ceremonial law could provide. He's looking 00:29:19.180 --> 00:29:22.779 for a redemption that comes from God and not 00:29:22.779 --> 00:29:25.839 from the ceremonial rites and rituals. He's looking 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:31.119 to the Messiah. He's looking to Christ and his 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:35.259 merciful work. He's looking to the cross, brothers 00:29:35.259 --> 00:29:38.150 and sisters. for atonement and for the forgiveness 00:29:38.150 --> 00:29:47.809 of sins. David's great concern is not his relation 00:29:47.809 --> 00:29:56.309 to God. David's great concern is how God treats 00:29:56.309 --> 00:30:01.970 him. David's great concern is how God sees him. 00:30:03.279 --> 00:30:06.940 David's great concern is whether or not God receives 00:30:06.940 --> 00:30:12.579 him or not. David's great concern is God's disposition 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:18.039 toward him. This is the essence of Christianity 00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:23.960 to a degree. The ultimate question is not how 00:30:23.960 --> 00:30:30.819 I relate to God. What I do with God. The ultimate 00:30:30.819 --> 00:30:34.539 question is not how I respond to God, how I receive 00:30:34.539 --> 00:30:38.779 or reject God. But brothers and sisters, friends, 00:30:38.920 --> 00:30:44.299 the ultimate question is, does God receive you? 00:30:47.119 --> 00:30:54.500 How does God view you? How does God treat you 00:30:54.500 --> 00:31:01.470 and your sins? David knows. that his sins will 00:31:01.470 --> 00:31:07.650 be forgiven. Do you know with confidence that 00:31:07.650 --> 00:31:10.569 your sins are forgiven in the person and the 00:31:10.569 --> 00:31:15.650 work of Jesus Christ? Do you know without a shadow 00:31:15.650 --> 00:31:18.650 of a doubt that you are a child of the living 00:31:18.650 --> 00:31:22.950 God? Do you know without a shadow of a doubt 00:31:22.950 --> 00:31:26.829 that when you die, your soul will go to the throne 00:31:26.829 --> 00:31:29.940 of God? Do you know without a shadow of a doubt 00:31:29.940 --> 00:31:33.759 that you are in union with Jesus Christ by faith 00:31:33.759 --> 00:31:40.519 and repentance? David did. He had faith. He was 00:31:40.519 --> 00:31:48.400 not despairing. Do you know with certainty that 00:31:48.400 --> 00:31:56.160 Jesus Christ is your Lord and your Savior? Has 00:31:56.160 --> 00:32:01.529 God... graciously received you through Christ. 00:32:03.049 --> 00:32:09.289 Has God forgiven your sins? That's the question 00:32:09.289 --> 00:32:12.690 you need to consider. Not whether or not you 00:32:12.690 --> 00:32:16.569 need to receive God or receive Christ. You need 00:32:16.569 --> 00:32:19.710 to wonder, has God received me through Christ? 00:32:21.990 --> 00:32:25.920 David knew and he understood. He was looking 00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:29.299 to the Lord himself for these gospel realities. 00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:33.599 And he knew that God would make provision for 00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:37.119 the forgiveness of sins that he had. But he comes 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:39.920 to the throne and he knows and he has confidence, 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:44.599 but how does he have confidence? How does David 00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:48.319 have hope when he comes to the throne for the 00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:54.240 forgiveness of sins? How is it possible? That 00:32:54.240 --> 00:33:01.519 David's sins are forgiven. Is it David? Is it 00:33:01.519 --> 00:33:06.299 because David is king and he's been a godly man 00:33:06.299 --> 00:33:08.700 for many years and he just fell off for a year 00:33:08.700 --> 00:33:14.519 and he had a bad year? That's not it. That's 00:33:14.519 --> 00:33:19.599 not where he finds his hope. We find, fourthly, 00:33:19.619 --> 00:33:22.519 David's confidence concerning the forgiveness 00:33:22.519 --> 00:33:26.769 of sins. David's singular hope and confidence 00:33:26.769 --> 00:33:31.289 in the forgiveness of sins is the character of 00:33:31.289 --> 00:33:36.829 God himself. According to the greatness of your 00:33:36.829 --> 00:33:41.569 compassion, blot out my transgressions. According 00:33:41.569 --> 00:33:45.809 to your loving kindness, his confidence, his 00:33:45.809 --> 00:33:50.319 hope. was not in himself or his sin. His confidence 00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:52.640 and his hope and the provision of forgiveness 00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:57.839 of sins was the very character of God. The good 00:33:57.839 --> 00:34:00.819 and faithful, compassionate and merciful character 00:34:00.819 --> 00:34:07.480 of God. David knew Exodus 34. When Moses goes 00:34:07.480 --> 00:34:11.860 to the mountain, then the Lord passed by in front 00:34:11.860 --> 00:34:14.400 of him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, 00:34:14.719 --> 00:34:20.070 compassionate, and gracious, slow to anger, and 00:34:20.070 --> 00:34:22.929 abounding in loving kindness and truth, who keeps 00:34:22.929 --> 00:34:27.010 loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, 00:34:27.010 --> 00:34:32.809 transgressions, and sin. Yet he will by no means 00:34:32.809 --> 00:34:39.329 leave the guilty unpunished. David knew the good 00:34:39.329 --> 00:34:44.210 character of God. And he knew that God would 00:34:44.210 --> 00:34:48.610 act in accordance with him. his character, and 00:34:48.610 --> 00:34:51.289 because he believed it and because he trusted 00:34:51.289 --> 00:35:00.289 it, then God would indeed forgive his sins. He 00:35:00.289 --> 00:35:04.789 knew that God was a God of redemption. He knew 00:35:04.789 --> 00:35:09.170 that God provided redemptive means for him to 00:35:09.170 --> 00:35:13.309 be restored. And that's why he looked to the 00:35:13.309 --> 00:35:17.570 Lord. That's why he looks to his mercy and his 00:35:17.570 --> 00:35:20.949 compassion, and he doesn't look to the ceremonial 00:35:20.949 --> 00:35:27.889 law or himself. He was looking to the great sacrifice 00:35:27.889 --> 00:35:30.409 of Christ to come, the fulfillment of the law. 00:35:30.949 --> 00:35:35.429 He was looking to the substance of what the law 00:35:35.429 --> 00:35:38.730 proclaimed, and he knew it was there and there 00:35:38.730 --> 00:35:44.119 alone, that he had hope. It was there and there 00:35:44.119 --> 00:35:46.739 alone that he would find forgiveness of sins. 00:35:47.179 --> 00:35:51.380 And he knew that he could come back to that place. 00:35:52.480 --> 00:35:56.400 That he could find confidence and hope in that. 00:35:56.460 --> 00:36:00.519 Where else, brothers and sisters, can you go 00:36:00.519 --> 00:36:08.019 in this world to rid yourself of shame, sorrow, 00:36:08.340 --> 00:36:15.099 grief, and mourning? Where can you go in this 00:36:15.099 --> 00:36:19.900 world, in this life, to have your guilt removed? 00:36:23.619 --> 00:36:25.400 Brothers and sisters, there's a lot of places 00:36:25.400 --> 00:36:29.260 you can go to mask it, to put a band -aid over 00:36:29.260 --> 00:36:33.480 it. There's a lot of places you can go to cover 00:36:33.480 --> 00:36:39.239 it up and hide it. But you must go to God in 00:36:39.239 --> 00:36:42.400 His great compassion and His mercy in Christ 00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:47.079 Jesus if it is to be removed, if it is to be 00:36:47.079 --> 00:36:51.940 taken, if you are to find relief from your sin. 00:36:55.659 --> 00:36:58.280 Lastly, we see David's priority in all of this. 00:36:59.320 --> 00:37:03.820 This is the very beginning of Psalm 51. The first 00:37:03.820 --> 00:37:08.090 two verses. And the very first thing that David 00:37:08.090 --> 00:37:12.929 does is he pleads for the forgiveness of sins. 00:37:13.889 --> 00:37:18.949 He knows the importance of it. And he knows that 00:37:18.949 --> 00:37:24.230 all restoration and renewal in his own life must 00:37:24.230 --> 00:37:30.230 be built on the forgiveness of sins. It must 00:37:30.230 --> 00:37:33.889 be built on the provision of God for the redemption. 00:37:34.670 --> 00:37:40.650 Of sinners. So he places a high priority on it. 00:37:41.769 --> 00:37:45.010 That's the first thing he does. Grace is the 00:37:45.010 --> 00:37:49.110 first thing he looks to. God's compassion. Is 00:37:49.110 --> 00:37:53.070 the initial thing he cries out for. Because he 00:37:53.070 --> 00:37:56.949 knows. He must start there. If he is to build 00:37:56.949 --> 00:38:00.170 upwards. Or if he is to be built upwards. If 00:38:00.170 --> 00:38:03.320 he is to grow. If he is to return. It must be 00:38:03.320 --> 00:38:08.760 built on the forgiveness of sins. So we've seen 00:38:08.760 --> 00:38:12.760 that David comes to God in prayer. We've seen 00:38:12.760 --> 00:38:15.579 that he goes to God himself. He understands and 00:38:15.579 --> 00:38:19.440 he views his sin in a very serious way, with 00:38:19.440 --> 00:38:25.559 a serious view of it. And we see that he pleads 00:38:25.559 --> 00:38:28.019 with God that he would forgive his sins, that 00:38:28.019 --> 00:38:29.860 he would wash him, that he would cleanse him. 00:38:30.510 --> 00:38:33.230 We see that David has great confidence because 00:38:33.230 --> 00:38:36.510 of the compassionate and merciful character of 00:38:36.510 --> 00:38:40.829 God. In this plea, he places great priority because 00:38:40.829 --> 00:38:46.050 he knows that renewal and restoration are built 00:38:46.050 --> 00:38:51.150 on it. Knowing these things, let's apply this 00:38:51.150 --> 00:38:57.469 briefly to our lives. Knowing that this is where 00:38:57.469 --> 00:39:03.320 David starts, with restoration to fellowship 00:39:03.320 --> 00:39:08.780 and communion with God. We must recognize that 00:39:08.780 --> 00:39:16.019 it begins with going to God in prayer. Brothers 00:39:16.019 --> 00:39:21.159 and sisters, there's a lot of things in Christianity 00:39:21.159 --> 00:39:23.619 that have fallen to the wayside, and one of them 00:39:23.619 --> 00:39:33.539 is prayer. There's a lot of things that we can 00:39:33.539 --> 00:39:39.179 overlook. But we mustn't let prayer be one of 00:39:39.179 --> 00:39:45.800 those things. If we are to be forgiven, if we 00:39:45.800 --> 00:39:48.659 are to find relief from our sorrow, our shame, 00:39:48.679 --> 00:39:54.679 our difficulties in life, it must be through 00:39:54.679 --> 00:40:00.500 prayer at the throne of God. Many people... remain 00:40:00.500 --> 00:40:04.619 in their sin because they won't take time to 00:40:04.619 --> 00:40:10.340 pray. They won't take time to go to the throne. 00:40:12.219 --> 00:40:15.519 They won't take time to cry out and plead with 00:40:15.519 --> 00:40:17.719 God. Brothers and sisters, you can go to His 00:40:17.719 --> 00:40:19.679 throne regardless of where you're at or what 00:40:19.679 --> 00:40:27.099 you're doing. But you must pray. It's not in 00:40:27.099 --> 00:40:31.889 our thoughts. That we're forgiven. It's not in 00:40:31.889 --> 00:40:34.030 our considerations that bounce around in our 00:40:34.030 --> 00:40:40.230 head. It's in prayer. It's going to the throne 00:40:40.230 --> 00:40:46.449 of grace to be forgiven. So it starts with going 00:40:46.449 --> 00:40:49.889 to God in prayer, but it continues by recognizing 00:40:49.889 --> 00:41:01.519 and taking responsibility for our sins. We must 00:41:01.519 --> 00:41:10.159 be willing to take a good, hard look at ourselves, 00:41:10.579 --> 00:41:17.219 our own actions, our longings, our desires, our 00:41:17.219 --> 00:41:22.739 wants, if we are to be restored after we have 00:41:22.739 --> 00:41:28.760 sinned. We must be willing to accept responsibility. 00:41:31.150 --> 00:41:35.590 for our own willing participation in our iniquity, 00:41:35.690 --> 00:41:42.150 in our sin. It's hard. But if you're going to 00:41:42.150 --> 00:41:45.489 constantly cast off the chains of your own actions, 00:41:45.670 --> 00:41:50.250 don't expect to have a great deal of joy in your 00:41:50.250 --> 00:41:54.829 life. If you're constantly unwilling to take 00:41:54.829 --> 00:41:57.650 responsibility for your sin and your breaking 00:41:57.650 --> 00:42:00.599 of God's law, don't expect a lot of... a lot 00:42:00.599 --> 00:42:04.820 of the Spirit's presence in your life. Because 00:42:04.820 --> 00:42:15.199 you're choosing sin over grace. We must be willing 00:42:15.199 --> 00:42:20.099 to take a hard look at our own souls to recognize 00:42:20.099 --> 00:42:29.820 our sin and take ownership of it. and not try 00:42:29.820 --> 00:42:32.059 to get around it or to get out from under it, 00:42:32.159 --> 00:42:35.320 but to own it and bring it to the throne and 00:42:35.320 --> 00:42:40.699 leave it there and forsake it and expose it to 00:42:40.699 --> 00:42:46.860 God's holy presence. True repentance for our 00:42:46.860 --> 00:42:54.480 sin always involves taking responsibility for 00:42:54.480 --> 00:42:59.840 our sins. Everything else is false repentance. 00:43:01.659 --> 00:43:03.940 If you won't own up to your sin, that's not true 00:43:03.940 --> 00:43:09.239 repentance. And don't expect restoration. If 00:43:09.239 --> 00:43:11.719 you're going to hold on to that sin with a white 00:43:11.719 --> 00:43:21.860 knuckled grip, it continues by asking for forgiveness. 00:43:24.599 --> 00:43:29.000 It's easy. To get in the habit of saying sorry. 00:43:31.380 --> 00:43:35.480 I have to say that a lot to my wife. And I'm 00:43:35.480 --> 00:43:39.300 being sincere and genuine. I really do. But, 00:43:39.320 --> 00:43:42.199 you know, a lot of times you can say it, and 00:43:42.199 --> 00:43:48.460 it's kind of empty. There's not really any substance 00:43:48.460 --> 00:43:52.199 there. It's just words that are hollow. It's 00:43:52.199 --> 00:43:55.869 not meaningful. The words are present. but the 00:43:55.869 --> 00:43:57.789 intent, the meaning, and the substance of what 00:43:57.789 --> 00:44:05.690 you're saying are absent. God has so designed 00:44:05.690 --> 00:44:07.969 it that we are forgiven, we are justified in 00:44:07.969 --> 00:44:11.550 Christ when we come to Christ in faith, when 00:44:11.550 --> 00:44:13.730 we repent of our sins, but he has so designed 00:44:13.730 --> 00:44:16.070 it because we have a remnant of sin within us 00:44:16.070 --> 00:44:20.489 that that forgiveness, that justification needs 00:44:20.489 --> 00:44:23.949 to constantly be appropriated to our own souls. 00:44:26.829 --> 00:44:30.909 Brothers and sisters, God has graciously worked 00:44:30.909 --> 00:44:34.409 in our lives. He has graciously given us His 00:44:34.409 --> 00:44:37.429 Spirit. He has graciously caused us to be born 00:44:37.429 --> 00:44:41.150 again to a living hope. But if we continue to 00:44:41.150 --> 00:44:43.869 pile up those graces, if we continue to pile 00:44:43.869 --> 00:44:47.050 up sin on top of them, on top of them, over them, 00:44:47.110 --> 00:44:50.710 covering them with unrepentant sin, they're still 00:44:50.710 --> 00:44:56.079 there. But they're not going to be sensed. Felt, 00:44:56.079 --> 00:44:58.480 experienced, or they're not even going to be 00:44:58.480 --> 00:45:03.940 experiencing our soul. They're still there. But 00:45:03.940 --> 00:45:07.380 we've covered them up with this pile of iniquity 00:45:07.380 --> 00:45:11.960 because we don't ask for forgiveness of our sins. 00:45:13.940 --> 00:45:16.559 It's as though asking for forgiveness regularly 00:45:16.559 --> 00:45:22.719 is what removes that pile of sin, that pile of 00:45:22.719 --> 00:45:26.559 iniquity. To keep those graces exposed to our 00:45:26.559 --> 00:45:31.239 souls. To keep those merciful works of God through 00:45:31.239 --> 00:45:34.679 the Spirit of Christ active in our life and felt 00:45:34.679 --> 00:45:41.239 and sensed within our souls. Don't go long without 00:45:41.239 --> 00:45:47.420 asking for forgiveness. We must ask. Jesus himself 00:45:47.420 --> 00:45:55.149 taught us this as we saw in the catechism. Finally, 00:45:55.149 --> 00:46:00.969 restoration begins with resting in the sacrifice 00:46:00.969 --> 00:46:07.750 of Christ. We see David seeking out these gospel 00:46:07.750 --> 00:46:12.050 realities. We see David seeking out the sacrifice 00:46:12.050 --> 00:46:15.750 of Christ and is crying to God for mercy and 00:46:15.750 --> 00:46:18.730 compassion and is trusting God himself for the 00:46:18.730 --> 00:46:22.469 forgiveness of sins. And brothers and sisters, 00:46:22.530 --> 00:46:25.329 if we are to be restored with the living God 00:46:25.329 --> 00:46:31.809 in fellowship and communion with him, we must 00:46:31.809 --> 00:46:37.530 rest on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's 00:46:37.530 --> 00:46:42.590 why David didn't despair. That's why he didn't 00:46:42.590 --> 00:46:48.429 give up hope. The story in Zechariah of the high 00:46:48.429 --> 00:46:54.079 priest Joshua. You remember that Joshua is standing 00:46:54.079 --> 00:46:58.099 before God and Satan, the accuser, is standing 00:46:58.099 --> 00:47:01.860 next to him making accusations. Why? Because 00:47:01.860 --> 00:47:06.599 his clothes are all dirty. His clothes are filthy. 00:47:07.679 --> 00:47:09.739 And the angel of the Lord says, well, is this 00:47:09.739 --> 00:47:13.139 not a firebrand that's swept out of the fire? 00:47:13.719 --> 00:47:17.059 Meaning he's rescued from the ash and the dust. 00:47:17.119 --> 00:47:19.500 Of course he's going to be dirty. Of course he's 00:47:19.500 --> 00:47:21.699 going to be filthy because there's remnants of 00:47:21.699 --> 00:47:26.719 the ash, the dust, the fire on him. And then 00:47:26.719 --> 00:47:30.900 the Lord provides a new turban and new garments 00:47:30.900 --> 00:47:36.559 for him. Brothers and sisters, we must constantly 00:47:36.559 --> 00:47:44.000 go to the throne of God. Lay hold of Christ's 00:47:44.000 --> 00:47:48.679 sacrifice. Lay hold of his life, his death, his 00:47:48.679 --> 00:47:54.360 resurrection. Lay hold of the atonement. If we 00:47:54.360 --> 00:48:01.559 are to be restored. True repentance always involves 00:48:01.559 --> 00:48:08.460 laying hold of Christ by faith. It's not just 00:48:08.460 --> 00:48:14.940 recognizing our sin. It's not just taking responsibility 00:48:14.940 --> 00:48:17.139 for our sin, our transgression, our iniquity. 00:48:17.219 --> 00:48:20.199 It's looking to Jesus Christ and trusting in 00:48:20.199 --> 00:48:24.159 him for our salvation again. It's looking to 00:48:24.159 --> 00:48:29.260 him for our hope. The difference between the 00:48:29.260 --> 00:48:32.760 devil's accusations and godly sorrow in our lives 00:48:32.760 --> 00:48:37.639 is that the devil's accusations lead to hopelessness 00:48:37.639 --> 00:48:42.030 and despair, but godly sorrow. And conviction 00:48:42.030 --> 00:48:48.429 of sin. Leads. To restoration. And renewal. It 00:48:48.429 --> 00:48:52.190 leads us back to Christ. So look to the Lord 00:48:52.190 --> 00:48:56.989 Jesus Christ. Run back to him. Over and over 00:48:56.989 --> 00:49:01.510 and over. Continually by faith. Laying hold of 00:49:01.510 --> 00:49:06.429 his word. This is what true. Repentance is.