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0:58A repentance that is biblical, sincere, and believable. A repentance that cleanses the heart. An appeal to God for a clean conscience through the death and resurrection of Christ. How do we do that? And how do we get good at that? How do we grow in that? It's an important question. How does one go from a defiled heart To a cleansed heart. You remember a few weeks ago I ruined everybody's breakfast, lunch, and dinner, probably with the exposition on Mark 7 and how the evil dialogues of the heart are like a point source of pollution, just like sewage water being tapped into a clean water supply and then served to a bunch of houses. I used that illustration in Pineville, Louisiana, where they actually pumped raw sewage into a water distribution center. And a water community, hundreds of homes, been drinking sewage water for months before they realized it. And I made that comparison to this is where, this is likened to those evil dialogues of the heart. That's where Jesus says that defilement comes from. It's not something that touches your body, it's something that comes out of your heart. It's something that you meditate upon. As he said in Mark 7:21, for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts and the fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All of these are controlled by the Spirit of self, and they are based on lies, that these things are worthy to pursue, that They would bring about a good end accomplishment, but really, what they do is they pollute the person and they defile those who the person comes in contact with. That's the pollution source into the world, the human heart. This is the pollution in your life, and it's that ruminating, that self-reflection, that introspection that we start then believing lies, or we start coveting, or we start imagining things, or fantasizing, or whatever, building ourselves up, tearing others down. That's where it all starts, and that's what fouls up this world.

3:47But the question becomes: how does one go from a defiled heart to a cleansed heart? We see this defilement even with our own hearts, if we're going to be honest, we see this sin. In fact, if you're honest, you'll see ways that your sin has messed up other people, not just messed up yourself, but has messed up and impacted others. But the question becomes: how does one go from a defiled heart to a cleansed heart? How do we go from a point source of pollution welling up in our heart that is dirty and foul to one that is? Clean and clear, that is a blessing to others and gives life to others and brings life to everyone that it comes in contact with. This is the heart that has tapped into gospel truth, believes gospel truth, cleanses itself through the blood of Christ, and then it becomes this fountain of living water that then becomes a point source of life for everyone, not just for the members of one's own body and life, but for others. So, how does one begin to cleanse, clean up the mess caused by sin? And it may be in a personal relationship you have, husband, wife, maybe it's job, maybe it's friend, maybe it's you fill in the blank.

5:26Happens all the time. Well, first, if you're going to clean up a foul water supply, like they had to do in Pineville, Louisiana, first, you cut off the source of pollution. That's the first thing you got to do. Get the sewage water out of the drinking water. Second, you then need to remove the effects of the pollution by cleansing the contaminated areas. That's how you would clean up. A dirty, foul water spill. First, you cut off the source, and then you clean up the contaminated areas. Well, the same is true from a heart standpoint. How do you clean up the mess that your sin has caused in your life and in others? First, you cut off the source of that sin. Second, you then clean up the areas contaminated by your sin, and that is why we need a good repentance plan. Because a repentance plan that is biblical, sincere, and believable will do that.

6:44You see, the first cutting off the source of pollution deals with your relationship with God. Removing the effects of the pollution caused by your sin deals with people. So I want to look at a repentance plan tonight. And you really, I hope, will learn the skill of repenting. What is a repentance plan? Well, maybe it's back up. What is a plan? What is a plan? Well, a plan, by one definition, is a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something. Have a plan to accomplish something. A repentance plan is a detailed proposal for accomplishing a change of heart that is biblical, sincere, and believable. A repentance plan is a detailed proposal for accomplishing a change of heart that is biblical, sincere, and believable. And we need a repentance plan. You know why? Because we still sin.

7:58And so, because you still sin, you need to know how to repent well and thoroughly when you do. And you need to get good at it. That's the calling in life. That's taking up your cross and following Him. That's what one aspect of it is about. You see, what is justification? Theological term. Justification is an instantaneous act when one, by faith, is united with Christ. Sins are forgiven. Sanctification, however, though, is an ongoing process. Sanctification is an ongoing process of growing in Christ's likeness. Justification is instantaneous. We're made right with God thoroughly, perfectly, and forever.

8:58Sanctification is that ongoing. The process of growing in Christ's likeness, putting on Christ. And before we can put on Christ, we need to put off our old self. Let's put off the old ways of the flesh. So, in need, we need a repentance plan because we still sin. You're going to sin. And the sooner you get good at repenting, the more effective and more blessed you will be in gospel ministry, the more your relationships will be blessed. But you're going to have to humble yourself. A repentance plan is for the humble. Somebody who's not afraid to say, you know what, I was wrong.

9:46You know what? God is right. You know what? I harmed you. And you know what? I want to make it right. That takes humility. And that's why repentance doesn't come to the proud. But it does come to the lowly. And so I want to invite you to take tonight very seriously as something that you will take home and really try to think through how to implement a plan of repentance so that you will become a good repenter. How?

10:30What are some challenges to a repentance plan that is biblical, sincere, and believable? Well, there are several challenges to such a plan. Number one, there's a theological debate that has been going on for quite some time over the necessity of repentance in conversion. Some articulate that repentance really isn't necessary for salvation, and they need to repent of their unbiblical view of repentance, by the way. But it has left a landscape that minimizes repentance altogether. And so repentance then becomes, because it's not really necessary for salvation, then we tend to minimize it in our sanctification. And so that's one reason. Challenge, it's left a world theologically confused. And so, well, it's secondary anyway. Another challenge is that we're not naturally good at repenting.

11:48We are good at justifying our sin. That's what we are good at. We're good at blaming somebody else for our sin, blaming society. Blaming, blaming, blaming somebody. We're good at that. We're also good at excusing ourselves of our sins. Well, that was justified in this instance because I was accomplishing something greater or circumstances. And that's another challenge: we are not good repenters. Only a work of grace is going to transform us into good repenters because we don't naturally do that. We also fail to truly study carefully and imitate the biblical examples of repentance. When you combine all these factors together, it's easy to see why many Christians do not get victory over besetting sins. You know why they don't get victory? It's because they never really repent, they never really get to the core heart of what biblical repentance is about. And so, because they don't do that, they never do get victory over their besetting sins. There's one more challenge, and I'll mention it at the end.

13:12Where do we start? Well, tonight, I want to just look at an overview of what I want to cover tonight. Number one, I want to look at the core elements of a biblical repentance plan. Second, I want to think about how to sincerely embrace them. And third, I want to look at how to make your repentance believable to yourself and all around you. So, I want to look at the core aspects of a biblical repentance. I want to look at how we sincerely embrace these core biblical principles. Maybe reframe them a little bit so that you can see what a sincere and biblical repentance plan looks like.

14:00And then I want to take it a step further and talk about how you make your repentance believable to yourself and to everyone else that comes into your life. So, repentance. That's where we're going tonight. So, first of all, I want to look at a repentance plan that is biblical. Biblical. You remember David, Psalm 51. If you've been a student of the Bible for very long, you understand and know that Psalm 51 is David's response to being confronted about his sin against the Lord that harmed Uriah and Bathsheba, the country, the mighty man, and just on down, and above all, the name of God.

14:542 Samuel 11, verse 1, let me just give you a little background to this, and then we'll jump into Psalm 51. 2 Samuel 11, 1. Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they destroyed the sons of Amnon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. Now, when evening came, David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof, he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he said, Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her. In verse 5, the woman conceived, and she sent and told David and said, I am pregnant.

15:56So, to make a long story short, David then arranges for Uriah to be killed in battle. Read about that in 2 Samuel 11:24. The archers shot at your servants from the wall. So some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead. A military maneuver that brought about the murder of Uriah the Hittite. And then, a few verses later, we read these verses, Samuel 11, 27. When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her, Bathsheba, to his house, and she became his wife. Then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.

16:56In my opinion, it's one of the worst betrayals in the Bible, second only to Judas. A betrayal so off, so painful. God confronts David's sin in 2 Samuel 12, 9 after using the prophet. He says these words to David, 2 Samuel 12, 9, Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.

17:47Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. And it's there that David is convicted on hearing these words. And we read Psalm 51. I'm going to read the first 13 verses, Psalm 51. Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loving kindness. According to the greatness of your compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in your sight. So that you are justified when you speak, and blameless when you judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, you desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part. You will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness. Let the bones which you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain me with the willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will be converted to you.

19:51So I want to look at this repentance plan that is, first of all, biblical. And David's gives us such an example. Looking back over Psalm 51, I want you to notice five aspects of David's repentance. Five aspects of David's repentance, which we can build upon to develop a thorough, sincere, biblical repentance plan. Look at, first of all, David acknowledged his transgression and his sin. Verse 3, for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before you. I know the boundaries that I have crossed, you are very much fully aware of. I also know how I missed the target of what you had envisioned for me. You had so much more for me, and yet I grossly missed what you had.

21:01So he acknowledged his sin and his transgression. Second, he recognized whom he sinned and the rightness of God's judgment. He recognized against whom he sinned. Look at verse 4: Against you, you only I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified when you speak and blameless when you judge. How is it that he just sinned against God? Well, it was God's law that he broke. He had despised God. It wasn't Bathsheba's law that was broken. It was God's law that was broken. It wasn't Uriah's law that was broken. It was God's law. And Uriah and Bathsheba were harmed in that sin.

21:55But it was God's law that he sinned against. And he recognized, you're justified and blameless when you judge. You're right. Whatever you bring against me is right. Third aspect of David's repentance, it involved godly remorse. You see, David allowed the Spirit to convict him. He experienced. Two things, a healthy horror. He was horrified by his sin. And second, he experienced a healthy brokenness over his sin. Listen, to be a true repenter, you have got to be horrified at the imaginations and the things that come out of your heart. You need to be horrified by attitudes and sins.

22:58God has got to bring you to that point. You have to look upon what's right and good. And when you see in your own heart a place of defection, you need to be horrified. As David was horrified when he was fully brought into perspective of what his sin did. Second, he experienced a healthy brokenness. Not like Judas that ran off to kill himself. Verse 8 says, This, Make me to hear joy and gladness. Let the bones which you have broken rejoice. God, you have brought this conviction upon me.

23:47Verse 17: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. So, number one, David acknowledged his transgression. And his sin. Second, he recognized against whom he sinned and the rightness of God's judgment. Third, David's repentance involved godly remorse. Fourth, it involved a formal request for forgiveness, a formal request. He doesn't just ruminate in his heart. This becomes a formal request. In verse 1, this is how he opens up.

24:28Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loving kindness. Don't deal with me according to what I deserve. Deal with me according to your loving kindness. According to the greatness of your compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Wash me thoroughly from my crookedness of heart, the perversity of my ways. Wash me from the way I have corrupted your kingship, the marriage, Uriah, fidelity among friends.

25:16So David's repentance, fourth, involved a formal request for forgiveness. And fifth, David's repentance included a desire to truly change. Truly change. Verse 10, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Verse 12, restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with the willing spirit. Let me be cleansed, let me be washed, and let me be sustained. Give me a willing spirit, sustain me that I may constantly be steadfast before you. Well, such is the biblical repentance of David.

26:08And building upon David's example and other scriptures, we can develop a plan now that I say is sincere, that I believe is sincere. A repentance plan that is sincere. So, biblical, using David's example, putting these components together and then building up on this with some other key scriptures, I think we can come up with a repentance plan that is sincere. Number one, agree with God. Agree with God. A repentance plan that is sincere will always agree with God.

26:56And what that means, to agree with God, is to. Say the same thing as God. To agree with God is to say the same thing. And so to agree with God is to say the same thing about what sin is. And using biblical terminology. Don't use, oh, I had an affair. No, you committed adultery. So agree with God about what sin is, using biblical terminology. Second, agree with God about the guilt of my sin, my guilt. In other words, don't blame somebody else. Don't excuse your sin. Don't justify your sin. Own it. Agree with God about it. God sees it. Agree with God about what sin is and about the guilt of my sin. Also agree with God about the rightness of God's judgment on my sin, even when that involves lasting consequences.

28:04Yes, I got pregnant out of wedlock because of my sin. There may be a lasting consequence with that. But it's right. Agree with God about the rightness of God's judgment, even when it involves lasting consequences. I stole something, now I have. Have to pay restitution. I broke the law. Now I have to pay the fine. Or I have to do some time or whatever. Also, agree with God about the grief my sin has caused. Agree with God about what sin is, the guilt of it, the rightness of it, and the grief that my sin or your sin has caused. In other words, mourn the hurt. When you sin against God, you inevitably hurt someone else.

29:11Second aspect of a repentance plan that is sincere. Confess your sins to God. Receive His forgiveness. He brings these to your attention so that you can confess them. 1 John 1:9, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's why He wants you to agree with Him about what sin is so that you can receive His solution for that sin. So confess your sins, commission and omission, what you did wrong and what you didn't do, which you should have done.

29:51Third aspect of a repentance plan that is sincere: confess your sins to the one your sin harmed and asked. for forgiveness. Confess your sins to the one your sin harmed. In other words, go before God, confess your sins, but then go and confess your sins and own up to how your sin harmed somebody else, whether it's something you've taken, whether it's something you said, whatever it may be. Confess your sins to one another. James 5, 16, number 4. James says, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. So get in the habit of be discreet in who you confess your sins to, but confess your sins to one another. Pray for one another.

30:53And number five, an acceptance of a repentance plan that is sincere will take steps to radical amputation. Steps to radical amputation. It was Jesus who said in Matthew 5, 29, if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you. For it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown in hell. Don't let a member of your body take you to hell, is what he's saying.

31:26Matthew 5, 30, Jesus goes on to say, if your right hand makes you hear you, You stumble, cut it off, throw it from you. For it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell and to lead everyone else around you into the same place. So, a repentance plan that is sincere, agree with God, confess your sins to God, receive His forgiveness, confess your sins to one another. I mean, confess your sins to the ones you harmed, your sin harmed, and then confess yourselves, your sins to one another and take steps to radical amputation.

32:03So, think about it for a moment. I want you to think through this assignment. Maybe think back over the last week or two weeks and identify a specific sin that you committed recently that harmed somebody else. Bring that to your mind. And then I want you to jot down the seven items that we're going to discuss here in just a moment and work through them. And then perhaps even memorize these seven steps. These are we'll take a repentance plan that is not only biblical and sincere.

33:00I guess I had all this up there, didn't I? But it will take you from a repentance plan that is biblical, sincere, but also believable. And this is an instrument that we use up here in our counseling ministry. It's called the seven A's of a biblical confession. A repentance plan that is believable. It's one thing to truly repent before the Lord. It's another thing for that repentance then to be believed, not only by yourself, but also by all those around you. This is what a good repenter does.

33:46So I know that this is something that is adapted from the Peacemaker by Ken Sandy. And so it's an instrument that we use, but it's good for a very practical way of taking your biblical, sincere repentance and going public with it and making things right. Whether it's just between you and somebody else, or whether it involves several people or whatever, whoever is involved, here's a seven-step repentance plan. Number one, address everyone involved. Address everyone involved, all those whom your sin affected. See, when David sinned against God, it impacted so many people. And it impacted his family the rest of his life and their lives. So address everyone involved. All those. Get them all. Make sure you identify them.

35:02Second, avoid. Avoid language like if, but, maybe. In other words, don't try to excuse your wrongs. Don't say things like, well, maybe I was wrong. Or, if you hadn't said that, but if we hadn't gone there. No, avoid that kind of thing. Don't try to excuse. If you're wrong, if you sin against God, confess it. And if that sin harms somebody else, confess it to them. Don't try to excuse. Third, admit. Admit specifically. Things you did wrong.

36:04Both attitudes and actions. Be like me telling my wife, sweetheart, I'm forgive me for interrupting you. It's wrong for me to think what I have to say is more important than what you have to say. That's my attitude and the action. I interrupted. And it was wrong because I elevated myself above you. Admit specifically. Four, acknowledge the hurt. In other words, really express sorrow for hurting somebody. Think about if you have hurt somebody, the loving thing to do is to make it right.

36:57Acknowledge the hurt. Number five, accept the consequences, such as making restitution. Accept the consequences, such as making restitution. Repentance with restitution communicates, it preaches, it's believable. When all of a sudden you get this person in your life that says, I've wronged you. I sinned against God, and in that sin, I harmed you, and I took something from you, and now I want to pay it back four times more so that I have taken care of the wrong and the harm. Please accept the consequences for making and make restitution or whatever the consequences of your sin may cause.

38:16Maybe you're grounded for a couple of months, whatever it is, except if you did something, accept it. Six, alter your behavior. In other words, change your attitudes and your action. Don't just admit, it's good to admit, admit specifically. Sweetheart, I interrupted you because I thought more highly of myself than you. And in the future, I'm going to be a little bit slower in inserting myself. I'm going to wait because that's what love does. It waits. Besides, I already know what I'm thinking. I don't know what you're thinking, so it's beneficial to hear what your words are.

39:03Alter your behavior. So you think about what's happened. If you address everyone involved and you avoid such hedging language that excuses it, you address everyone, you avoid excusing it, you admit specifically both attitude and actions, and you acknowledge the hurt that you have caused somebody else and you have accepted whatever consequences there are involved to make it right and you've altered your behavior, there's one thing left, and that is to ask for forgiveness to the one or ones.

39:43And you know what? At that point, you've made it so hard for that person not to forgive. Do you see that? Think about the way we go through life asking for forgiveness or trying to be reconciled. We say things like this. I'm sorry if I hurt you. Maybe I was wrong. You know what? Let's just move on. Let's forget the past. I know I shouldn't have lost my temper, but you know what? You had it coming.

40:27That's a very unbelievable repentance. Isn't it? But that's what we do. We want to move on. We know we need to seek a little bit, we need to be conciliatory, but we stop short of fully repenting. And so all we do is we're like, you know, I'm remorseful over this situation, and I want to move on. But look, if you will address everyone, avoid excusing, admit specifically, acknowledge the hurt, accept the consequences, and alter your behavior, and then go and ask for forgiveness, you know what? You are serving the one you wronged because they need to forgive you. And now you have loved them enough to make it easy for them to forgive you.

41:21Love each other by being a good repenter. Make it easy for them to forgive you. And what a good way to serve them. Because they need to forgive you. And there are some people that have a very difficult time forgiving. We're going to talk about that another week. A forgiveness plan. You need to have one of those too. Because going through life, guess what? You're going to have to have a repentance plan. You're also going to have to have a forgiveness plan. You're also going to have to have several overcoming plans. We'll talk about. About that. We got plans coming.

42:04Plans. But you serve one another well by offering a thorough confession. That's how you love. I'm finished. Anyone have a question or thought, something they want to add to that? Yes, sir. I was thinking through your thoughts on this, though. I feel like a lot of people would have the most difficult time repenting because it's going to make them feel very bad about themselves. Is there like a biblical idea or notion that it's better to feel bad like now on earth than bad then when God governs and judges all your actions? Is that yes, and there is David felt bad. Peter felt bad. Sin makes you feel bad when it's a conviction of the Holy Spirit, but it's good. It's good that you show remorse over that which isn't right. When you show a biblical remorse, it's good to feel bad.

43:32And that's what will seek you to the, that will cause you to seek the remedy and to inform your conscience. There's only one thing that can cleanse a defiled conscience, and that's the blood of Christ through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, an appeal to God for a clean conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So says Peter, a baptism, a washing. That is what that's the baptism that saves you. A washing. So, yes, by all means, it's better to respond to godly when God puts his finger on sin to, yeah, there is a pain, but the pain of hiding and blaming in the long run is far worse because you continue to befoul the waters. You never really cleanse yourself, you never really cleanse the relationships. So, yes. Anyone else?

44:45Yes, sir. Is there a sense in which God working all things together for the good of those who love him? Sure. Yes, I think that Peter really changed. That weakness transformed him. And then, as tradition has it, instead of denying his name later in life, he said, yeah, crucify me, but you know what, crucify me upside down. I'm not worthy to be. So you can really see that when we've been broken in a certain area, that God brings us so low. And sometimes he allows us to go far enough into our sin so that we can see the horrors that are in our own heart and bring us low and bring us into a state of dependence. And yes, that's how he uses sin in his sovereignty to bring about a good effect in his people.

45:52And don't say, well, I'm going to go sin so I can help out God's sovereignty. No, that'll get you off a cliff. But having sinned and having known the sovereignty of God, yes, you can see how he could bring good things out of. And sometimes our past sins then become the areas of great strength and ability to minister to others. And you just look at Peter. Wow, did he become a rock and a way to encourage others like John, Mark, after failures and so on? Yes. Anyone else?

46:30Well, let's leave here, hopefully being diligent to be good repenters. And this is the one more challenge left: why we're not good repenters, is that we have to implement the plan. This is what taking up your cross daily means. Really, just this isn't just something to be have here one Sunday night, but I really hope you take notes, think about these seven A's, and really start implementing a repentance and get good at it so that your repentance is biblical, it's sincere, and it's believable to yourself and to others, and you will walk in strength and blessing and favor with God and with men. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for these truths, and thank you that you have given us men and examples in the scripture, a man after your own heart, who failed catastrophically, and yet you used him to teach transgressors how to deal with sin. So, Father, we are beneficiaries of that tonight, and we thank you for how your sovereignty, sovereign, even in the midst of David's sin, that you have used it to instruct. So many, including us tonight. Father, go with us now. Help us to grow in our ability to repent.

48:08In Christ's name, amen.