The Great Change Ps. 51:1-5 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
There is a great change that takes place when a person truly repents of his sin and desires to change. This change takes place as a result of:
Confession – Ps 51:1-5 – David acknowledged his sin before God and called it three things:
- Transgression – rebellion against God, setting oneself against lawful authority.
- Iniquity – twisted, bent, warped from the straight line of right. Not true [contrast Ps 51:6]. In Ps 51:5 David was not blaming his mother but acknowledging that he is wrong. Sin is not just wrong doing but wrong being. Iniquity has to do with the intention, the will and the wrong attitude. A burglar attempted to kill the homeowner he robbed. The autopsy showed that the homeowner was already dead when the burglar stabbed him. So, the burglar was only sentenced for burglary. The truth is that he was a murderer in God’s eyes [intent].
- Sin – short of the glory of God. David said, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned.” The half repentant man is only concerned with his humiliation, shame and disgrace. True repentance gets men out of the picture and only considers God. The prodigal told his father that he had sinned against heaven, first. Godly sorrow [2 Cor 7:9-10] is part of true repentance. Sin isn’t fixed until it is fixed with God. Judas and Saul were only repentant toward men, not God.
Cleansing – Ps 51:1-2 – David requested four things:
- Blot out my transgressions – David should have been blotted out of God’s book. Instead, he requested that his sin be blotted out. Wipe out the record.
- Wash me – the sin defiled him [2 Cor 7:1]. He needed to be washed to remove the defilement.
- Cleanse me – like the leper who is clean must come to the priest for his cleansing to restore his fellowship with the congregation, so we must be cleansed to restore our fellowship with God [1 Jn 1:7-9]. See Ps 51:11-12.
- Purge me – Heb 9:27 shows us that the blood of Christ purges us from dead works to serve the living God.
Thus, the process of cleansing involves wiping out the sin, cleansing us from the defilement, restoring us to fellowship with God and purging us so that we can serve Him. Many of us here today have come through this process and are now serving the Lord. Thank God for his mercy.
When you have repented and are clean, look at the results:
God gives you a clean heart and a right spirit – Ps 51:10. It’s not like an overnight change but a continual change where the wicked imaginations dissipate and the clean thoughts take their place. Your spirit aligns with God instead of with the world and sin.
Your fellowship with the Lord is restored – Ps 51:11.
You begin to enjoy your salvation and your liberty in Christ – Ps 51:12. There is no comparison between the joy of your salvation and the pleasures of sin for a season.
You have a testimony which can help others – Ps 51:13. You don’t have to sin to have a testimony. But those of us who have sinned can certainly help those who are contemplating running down the same bad road.
You openly and unashamedly praise the Lord – Ps 51:14-15.
You are broken – Ps 51:17. You still must fight against sin, but you have been broken in heart and spirit. You will never be the same. It’s like Tim Haveman said after he was saved, “I’m done with that. I may still fight it, but I’m done.”