A couple of weeks ago we studied David’s fall, and learned that if the man after God’s own heart could fall in such a horrific way, so can we. After his grievous sins, recorded in 2 Samuel 11, the prophet Nathan is sent to confront him in the following chapter. David’s remorse is palpable; he is clearly broken over his sin. In Psalm 51 we read of David’s sincere repentance; it appears the psalm was penned sometime after Nathan confronted him, which means it is a theological reflection on that moment. For thousands of years believers have rightly used this poem as a guide for confessing sin. It teaches us so much about the nature of sin (using multiple words to describe sin), what a proper confession consists of, and most importantly it teaches us about the gracious and also just nature of our God. The person familiar with Scripture will recognize some discontinuities between Psalm 51 and truths of the New Testament. For example, OT saints had to wait anxiously for a word of forgiveness from God’s prophet, but today Christians are richly blessed to have that word written in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we properly confess our sins we have a promise from God that He will forgive us and cleanse us! The word “confess” means “to say the same thing” – it means you agree with God about your sin. As 1 John 1-2 makes clear, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the reason God can forgive sin and still be just. Another area of discontinuity between Psalm 51 and the NT is found in v. 11, “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” In the OT the Holy Spirit did not permanently indwell believers, but in the NT He does. For example, “…do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Clearly these two areas of sharp difference between the Testaments are important for us to observe, and they point to how blessed we are to be living under the New Covenant! This morning we’ll explore this psalm and learn the important truths it has to teach us about repentance and restoration.