Repentance, part 3

You can't listen to Psalm 51 without hearing David pleading from a broken heart. Psalm 51 is, perhaps, the most heart-felt and personal of the Psalms. David is pouring out his heart before the Lord, confessing his sin, pleading for mercy and restoration.

Why was David so distressed by his estrangement from God due to his sin with Bathsheba? Because God is so good and David loves God with all his heart. This kind of love is always the foundation for repentance.

Where does such love come from? It comes from faith. Scripture tells us, without faith it is impossible to please Him. It tells us that God himself is guarding your life by faith so that he can safely deliver you home to be with him.

It is by faith that as we consider Jesus on the cross, dying a very cruel death, that we see just how wicked sin really is. God hates sin to such a degree that he gave even his own son to death to abolish sin forever.
Is my sin really so evil and repulsive that Jesus my Lord had to die to free me? It is every bit of it is. Think about your willful trespasses then think about the cross. There it is. That is how you have offended God's holiness.
It is by faith that we see Jesus, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,"

These two must go together. In the cross we see our sin clearly and God's forgiveness clearly

Psalm 51 can be divided into 3 portions. David's thorough confession and repentance, God's character as a loving father full of grace and mercy and steadfast love, and the strength of life that returns with real and thorough repentance.