Sermon Outline:

Three Important Elements of True Repentance (Psalm 51:1-19, ESV)

• An earnest personal plea for compassion

• • Focused on God’s grace (Psalm 51:1)

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.

• • Focused on own guilt (Psalm 51:2)

² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin! Psalms 51:2

• An honest recognition of sin in confession

• • Focused on actual sins (Psalm 51:3-4)

³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.

• • Focused on original sin (Psalm 51:5)

⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.

• A passionate request for consecration

• • Applied personally (Psalm 51:6-17)

⁶ Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

• • Applied publicly (Psalm 51:18-19)

¹⁸ Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
¹⁹ then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.