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Psalms of Penitence
Brian Mashburn
November 16, 2014
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Penitence
One of the universal truths that make every single person in the world a part of one big family is this: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rm 3:23)
All have sinned. But not all have reacted to their sinfulness in the same way.
Some deny that there is sin.
Some deny that they have sinned.
Some minimize their sin as acceptable.
Some minimize their sin by comparing it with others.
Some live a life of overcompensating for their past sin.
Some regret their sin to the point of taking their lives.
Some construct elaborate smoke screens to hide their sin.
Some decide that God is lost to them because of their sin.
You have fallen short of God's glory, but you do not have to react to this is a way that also falls short of His glory.
This is where the ancient song recorded for us in Psalm 51 comes in handy. Today, we will use it as a guide on how to be crushed by your own sin well.
This is not simply about forgiveness of sin, but our feelings about our sinfulness. As we will see, David was assured of his forgiveness before he penned this Psalm, and yet, he still had some very human, very God-glorifying work to do in the wake of his forgiven sin.
Last week, we allowed Psalm 13 to show us what Christians do when they face disappointing circumstances (lament), now we allow Psalm 51 to show us what Christians do when they sin (penitence).