Come Clean

How to Restore the Joy of Salvation

PREVIEW: King David’s well-known affair with Bathsheba is far worse than what we now consider a mere sexual indiscretion as he tries to cover up his adultery with even worse crimes—conspiracy and murder. Eventually, as God confronts David with what his sin will unleash in the future— rape, incest, murder, sedition, and death—his personal remorse is devasting beyond description. But this is more than just a cautionary tale, in this story. You see, we are David! We are in no less need of the mercy and grace of Almighty God than this sinful yet heartbroken king. And not only are we, too, in need of a God who will forgive all our sins, but we are in desperate need of a merciful God who will create within us a clean heart and grant us a willingness to fully obey going forward. In David’s psalm of repentance, we find the everlasting truth of this story: True repentance is the means of God’s saving grace! For it is only by heartfelt and honest repentance that we can know the deepest and best joy of all—the joy of our salvation!

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 51:10-12

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

This well-known psalm of David is often referred to by the byline, “After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.” But that is only the beginning of the tragic, sin-filled story of David’s affair with Bathsheba. It gets far worse as the king tries to cover up his adultery with even worse crimes. But as David comes to grips with what he has done, his own personal remorse is devasting beyond description as he realizes what his sin will unleash in his family in the years to come: rape, incest, murder, sedition, and death!

I can’t imagine the depth of this man’s anguish, whom scripture memorializes as “a man after God’s own heart,” as he came before the Lord carrying the guilt and shame of the Bathsheba affair. He had not only committed adultery, but he had also conspired to commit murder, he had murdered a gifted and loyal soldier, and he had knowingly covered the tracks of his affair for several months.

But all the while, King David—the shepherd boy who slew Goliath, the greatest king of Israel, the sweet singer of Israel—was absolutely miserable.

Then a courageous prophet named Nathan came to David and stood before the king—the most powerful world ruler of his day, a man who held the power of life and death over pesky little prophets like Nathan—and confronted the king with his evil. And David repented.

In the king’s moving prayer of contrition before the Lord, which is what Psalm 51 really is, David expressed to God the depth of guilt, shame, and humility that revealed why, despite such a horrible sin, he was still a man after God’s heart.

This psalm provides a great case study of authentic repentance. David didn’t want just to off-load his guilt by getting this sin off his chest. He wasn’t just attempting to get a pass by coming clean. He wasn’t just feeling sorry because he had finally been caught. Not at all!

David recognized the utter horror of having offended a holy God. He realized the indescribable pain of having messed up the lives of people over whom he had just played God. He fully confessed his wicked act, and the wicked heart that had led to the act.

For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5)

And by so doing, David cast himself upon God’s infinite mercy, recognizing that only then could he be granted a heart that was truly clean, tender to the Lord, and willing to do the things that God desired.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you… The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. (Psalm 51:10-13,17)

I cannot imagine David’s pain! Or can I? Have I not offended the Lord just as coldly and willingly as David? Have I not murdered, conspired, been willfully unfaithful, and concealed sin before a holy God who demands holiness in me? Yes—I have! Not visibly, but certainly in my heart—at the very core of what makes me fully me—which Jesus pointed out is just as offensive to a holy God and corrosive to my spirit as the physical act of sin. (Matthew 5:21-28)

You see, I am David in this psalm. And so are you. And we are in no less need of the mercy and grace of Almighty God than this heartbroken king. And not only are we, too, in need of a God who will forgive all our sins, but we are in desperate need of a merciful God who will create within us a clean heart and grant us a willingness to fully obey.

True repentance—what a grace! Only then can we know the deepest and best joy of all: The joy of our salvation! (Psalm 51:12)

My Offering of Worship: If you are David in this story, in what area of your life do you need to come clean? Perhaps you have hidden your sin from everyone, but God knows. And until you truly confess, sincerely repent, and desperately ask for a clean and willing heart, you will not know the “joy of salvation” restored. So, today, right now, confess your sin to God, repent of what you have done, and cast yourself on the mercy of God. And while you are at it, ask God to give you a David-heart.

When Saying You’re Sorry Isn’t Enough

True Repentance Leaves No Regret

True repentance is more than saying “sorry”, feeling guilty about failure, or fearing the wrath to come. The kind of repentance that produces the fruit of righteousness requires that we understand our actions and attitudes have offended a holy God, that we experience a corresponding godly sorrow, and that we take action that leads to a 180 degree change in our sinful behavior. That’s the kind of repentance that “leads to salvation and leaves no regret.”

The Journey: Matthew 3:8

Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.

Repentance is one of those double-edged swords in the Christian’s life. The fact that we need to repent reveals the unfortunate presence of ongoing sin in our lives, yet at the same time it reveals the fortunate grace of a righteous God who has made it possible for us to repent of what should rightly bring down his punishment upon us.

Repentance, however, is a highly misunderstood concept, especially in our day. I have a sense that many people feel sorry for their sins simply out of the guilt that doing wrong naturally produces or the pain of sin’s consequence or even the fear of impending punishment. But that kind of incomplete repentance runs the risk, as John Bunyan warned, “that makes the heart yet harder and harder.”

Now don’t get me wrong, guilt, pain and fear are good motivators—if they lead us to true repentance. But true repentance is more than saying “sorry”, feeling guilty about failure, or fearing the wrath to come. Authentic Biblical repentance, the kind that produces fruit, as John the Baptist preached, requires that we understand that our actions and attitudes have offended a holy God, that we experience a corresponding godly sorrow, and that we take action that leads to a 180 degree change in our sinful behavior.

I think Paul captured the essence of true repentance when he wrote,

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. (2 Corinthians 7:10-11)

Perhaps a good assignment for today’s reading would be to think about any recent “repentance” you have offered to God, and run it through the filter of Paul’s words. See if the confession of your sin can stand the test of true repentance.

If it does, congratulations—spiritual fruit will be the result. If it doesn’t, I think you know what to do.

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, I often feel guilty for the wrong I have done, sorry that I made a mistake, and fearful of the consequences of my sin. Thank you for the gift of conscience. But I want to go beyond that; I want to offer you a truly repentant heart. In your mercy, give me the gift of godly sorrow that leads to repentance.

It’s Not Repentance Until You Change

Reflect:
Acts 16:1-20:38

“And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.” (Acts 19:18-19)

Powerful signs and great wonders attended Paul’s extended ministry in Ephesus. (Acts 19:11-12) Even as Paul’s handkerchief was placed on the sick, they were healed and the demonized were set free in dramatic fashion.

As you might imagine with such a demonstration of Kingdom power, a great number of people in this major city of Asia Minor came to know Jesus Christ. The number of converts was so large that as a result of people abandoning their idols, the thriving idol-making industry in Ephesus experienced a sudden and severe economic downturn—which didn’t make the idol-makers all too happy. (Acts 19:25-27)

One group of these Ephesians who turned to Christ were those who practiced sorcery. We are told they experienced such strong spiritual conviction that they brought their incantation books and publicly burned them. Someone at the scene figured out the total value of the books and placed it at fifty thousand pieces of silver—a figure by today’s worth that would be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

Now that is repentance! When those who come to Christ are willing to put their livelihoods on the line and burn the tools of their trade, you know that real inner transformation has taken place. These sorcerers had experienced a true change of heart, mind and behavior.

And that is what Biblical repentance is all about. It is not just feeling bad over wrongdoing. It is not feeling embarrassed that you have been caught—or fear that you might. It is not just saying, “I’m sorry!” It is a literal 180-degree change in thinking and acting. The Greek word for repentance means exactly that: Change.

Keep that in mind the next time you are under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When repentance is in order for a wrong attitude, a hurtful word, a destructive behavior, or just a plain run-of-the-mill sin, Biblical repentance calls you to completely turn from it in heart, mind and behavior and to pursue a new course of righteousness.

That is true repentance. And that’s what the Father wants from us.

“Wherever there is a pulverized and penitent heart, there grace also is, and wherever there is a voluntary confession not gained by pressure, there love covereth a multitude of sins.” ~Menno Simons

Reflect and Apply: Here is a prayer I dare you to pray: Lord, search my heart and bring to light any sin that I have committed. Here and now I commit to repenting of anything that stands in the way of my love and obedience to you.”

Repentance: Inward Yet Outward

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Acts 19
Meditation:
Acts 19:18-19

And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Shift Your Focus… Powerful signs and great wonders attended Paul’s extended ministry in Ephesus. (Acts19:11-12) Even when Paul’s handkerchief was placed on sick people, they were healed. And the demonized were set free in dramatic fashion.

As you might imagine with such a demonstration of Kingdom power, a great number of people in this major city of Asia Minor came to know Jesus Christ. The number of converts was so large in fact that it began to affect the thriving idol making industry in Ephesus—which didn’t make the idol makers all too happy. (Acts 19:25-27)

One group of these Ephesians who turned to Christ were those who practiced sorcery. We are told that there was such strong conviction they brought their incantation books and publicly burned them. Someone at the scene figured out the total value of the books and placed it at fifty thousand pieces of silver—a figure by today’s worth that would be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

Now that’s repentance! When those who come to Christ are willing to put their livelihoods on the line and burn the tools of their trade, you know that real inner transformation has taken place. These sorcerers had experienced a true change of heart, mind and behavior.

And that is what Biblical repentance is all about. It is not just feeling bad over wrongdoing. It is not feeling embarrassed that you have been caught, or fear that you might. It is not just saying, “I’m sorry.” It is a literal 180-degree change in thinking and acting. The Greek word for repentance means exactly that: Change.

Keep that in mind the next time you are under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When repentance is in order for a wrong attitude, hurtful words, destructive behavior, or just plain old sin, Biblical repentance calls you to completely turn from it in heart, mind and behavior. That’s true repentance.

True repentance is the beginning of the Good News (Mark 1:15).  True repentance is the best path to the blessed life. True repentance is the thing that moves the Father to pour out his loving kindness upon us. And that is the beauty of true repentance.

“Wherever there is a pulverized and penitent heart, there grace also is, and wherever there is a voluntary confession not gained by pressure, there love covereth a multitude of sins.” ~Menno Simons 

Prayer… Lord, search my heart and bring to light any sin that I have committed. Here and now I commit to repenting of anything that stands in the way of my love and obedience to you.

It’s Not Repentance Until You Change

Essential 100—Read:
Acts 16:1-20:38

“And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.” (Acts 19:18-19)

Powerful signs and great wonders attended Paul’s extended ministry in Ephesus. (Acts 19:11-12) Even as Paul’s handkerchief was placed on the sick, they were healed and the demonized were set free in dramatic fashion.

As you might imagine with such a demonstration of Kingdom power, a great number of people in this major city of Asia Minor came to know Jesus Christ. The number of converts was so large that as a result of people abandoning their idols, the thriving idol-making industry in Ephesus experienced a sudden and severe economic downturn—which didn’t make the idol-makers all too happy. (Acts 19:25-27)

One group of these Ephesians who turned to Christ were those who practiced sorcery. We are told they experienced such strong spiritual conviction that they brought their incantation books and publicly burned them. Someone at the scene figured out the total value of the books and placed it at fifty thousand pieces of silver—a figure by today’s worth that would be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

Now that is repentance! When those who come to Christ are willing to put their livelihoods on the line and burn the tools of their trade, you know that real inner transformation has taken place. These sorcerers had experienced a true change of heart, mind and behavior.

And that is what Biblical repentance is all about. It is not just feeling bad over wrongdoing. It is not feeling embarrassed that you have been caught—or fear that you might. It is not just saying, “I’m sorry!” It is a literal 180-degree change in thinking and acting. The Greek word for repentance means exactly that: Change.

Keep that in mind the next time you are under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When repentance is in order for a wrong attitude, a hurtful word, a destructive behavior, or just a plain run-of-the-mill sin, Biblical repentance calls you to completely turn from it in heart, mind and behavior and to pursue a new course of righteousness.

That is true repentance. And that’s what the Father wants from us.

“Wherever there is a pulverized and penitent heart, there grace also is, and wherever there is a voluntary confession not gained by pressure, there love covereth a multitude of sins.” ~Menno Simons

Reflect and Apply: Here is a prayer I dare you to pray: Lord, search my heart and bring to light any sin that I have committed. Here and now I commit to repenting of anything that stands in the way of my love and obedience to you.”

The Proof Is In The Pudding

Read: Luke 3

When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” (Luke 3:7-8, NLT)

One thing about John the Baptist—he was certainly no dispenser of cheap grace.  Nor was he too concerned with being seeker sensitive.  He was a preacher of repentance, and when people came looking for forgiveness of their sins, John forced them to show proof of their spiritual sincerity.  Mr. Warm-and-Fuzzy, that John guy!

Actually, as tough as he was, John was doing people a huge favor.  That’s because, no matter how you sliced it, the catalyst for reconciliation with God was authentic repentance.  It still is! You cannot get right with God, be in a loving relationship with him, and live under his blessing without first having come to grips with your sinfulness through genuine, Biblical repentance.  That’s why John made such a big deal about it.

Repentance is not simply an expression of regret over a wrong and a request to be forgiven for the offense, as many think. It is that, but it is more.  Repentance is a change of direction that involves our heart (godly sorrow), our words (confession) and especially our behavior (righteous living). Repentance is not so much a noun, it is a verb—an action word, and the action it requires is three-fold:

First, in our understanding, it involves the knowledge of our sin that leads to a change of mind. Not a wishy-washy, double-mindedness, but a rational intellectual growth that our previous mindset was dead wrong and must be replaced by new and right thinking. In other words, the first step in true repentance involves rational awareness of wrongdoing and recognition that spiritual cleansing and behavioral change is required.

Second, true repentance involves our emotions.  We must feel what our mind recognizes.  We must feel the pain, disappointment and sorrow of offending God, and not just sorrow for getting caught. The fear of being exposed and the fear of punishment are motivations that only lead to inauthentic repentance—which is no repentance at all.

And third, true repentance involves appropriate action that springs from what our mind recognizes and what our heart feels.  In fact, the word repentance—it is “metanoia” in the original Greek text of the New Testament—means a change of course; literally a 180-degree shift in our thinking and in our behavior. There is nothing like changed and consistent behavior to powerfully communicate authentic repentance before God.

Or, as John would says, when it comes to true repentance, the proof is in the pudding:

“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”

What If God Took Over?

Re-read Luke 3:10-14.  Several different groups of people came to John asking what they must do to demonstrate genuine repentance.  What action step did John assign to each group?  What action step do you need to take to demonstrate repentance before God?  (Remember, you cannot earn your salvation, but you are certainly called to give effort to it!)

 

‘Sorry’ Don’t Cut It, Pal!

Read: Matthew 3

“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” (Matthew 3:8)

Repentance is one of those double-edged swords in the Christian’s life.  The fact that we need to repent reveals the unfortunate presence of ongoing sin in our life, yet at the same time it reveals the fortunate grace of a righteous God who has made it possible for us to repent of what should rightly bring down his punishment upon us.

Repentance, however, is a highly misunderstood concept, especially in our day.  I have a sense that many people feel sorry for their sins simply out of the guilt that doing wrong naturally produces or the pain of sin’s consequence or even the fear of impending punishment.  Now don’t get me wrong, guilt, pain and fear are good motivators—if they lead us to true repentance.

But true repentance is more than saying “sorry”, feeling guilty about failure, or fearing the wrath to come.  Authentic Biblical repentance, the kind that produces fruit, as John the Baptist preached, requires that we understand that our actions and attitudes have offended a holy God, that we experience a corresponding godly sorrow, and that we take action that leads to a 180 degree change in our sinful behavior.

I think Paul captured the essence of true repentance when he wrote,

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.”  (II Corinthians 7:10-11)

Perhaps a good assignment for today’s reading would be to think about any recent “repentance” you have offered to God, and run it through the filter of Paul’s words.  See if the confession of your sin can stand the test of true repentance.

If it does, congratulations—spiritual fruit will be the result.  If it doesn’t—well, I think you know what to do.

“If you have sinned, do not lie down without repentance; for the want of repentance after one has sinned makes the heart yet harder and harder.” ~John Bunyan

What If God Took Over?

Have you been guilty of asking for forgiveness without truly repenting?  Open your Bible to II Corinthians 7:1-11, absorb what it says, then take a few moments to talk with God about your sins. Then make sure what you offer God—true repentance—is followed by the fruits of repentance.