There is Joy in Repentace and Forgiveness
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
Psalm 51:10-12
The oldest lie in the world is that there will be some satisfaction when we turn aside from God’s commands. That first garden scene, in all perfection and wonder, teaches us that there truly is no new thing under the sun. In the form of the serpent, the Devil confronted God’s first created daughter with the temptation to question and disregard “what God has said.” It’s the oldest trick in the book, but it still trips up men and women daily – constantly. “Surely, God didn’t really mean this” or, “surely, there must be something good that He’s trying to hide.” With every foolish mistake, every sinful misstep, every successful attack of that old Devil, we play the same game – and every time we lose, we have the same realization. Where there was promise of joy, there was emptiness. Where there was promise of satisfaction, there was truly deception.
The tendency, then, is to wallow. Now we’ve messed up royally. Now we’ve failed again. We left off searching for joy in something apart from God, and now we have joy neither with Him or apart from Him. Have you found yourself in this place? It’s not even self-pity – we know we are at fault – it is just plain unhappiness, just plain cheerlessness. It is the feeling of defeat, coupled with a lack of hope for the future. Brother or sister, have you been there? It may not be total despair, we may not be ready to fully give up, but it is utter despair – a despair that effects every part of our being.
May I say, and I say from experience, that these consequences, while bitter in the moment, are good helpers. They are goads and prods from God’s gracious hand. The ability to find lasting joy in sin and temptation is a dark path – but the bitter sadness of the emptiness of that path is a waypoint, a breadcrumb, a fork in the road that reminds us of this fact: we don’t have to stay there. David was at this fork, after his sin of adultery, coupled with deception and what amounted to political murder. He was at this place of morose, sullen sadness that disabled his joy. It was a confirmation to him of his error, confirmation of the emptiness of his way. So we see him, in Psalm 51, crying out to God – see what path he took at the fork in the road?
“Cleanse me… renew me… cast me not away… don’t take your Holy Spirit… restore joy… uphold me…” Do you see what those waypoints, those breadcrumbs, those trail signs point us to? They say, “Do you see the error in your ways? Do you see that this way leads only to hurt and damage? Do you see this way leads further from God’s presence? Do you see this way disregards God’s Spirit in you? Do you see this way betrays joy? Do you see you are pushing against the hand of God that is holding you?” Yes, the bitter sense of conviction is a true and faithful friend. It is the necessary wound from a friend that shows us the deceitfulness of the enemy’s kiss (Proverbs 27:6). It is God’s spirit bearing witness with our spirit, telling us that we are God’s children (Rom 8:16).
The idea, then, is to not stay there at that fork in the road, but to turn down the path of repentance and forgiveness. In writing to the church about fellowship with God, and having fulness of Joy, one of the first things (and really the main things) that John addresses is confession and forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1) Do you see that there will be days, moments, even season where we will err – like David did – from God’s way, and in those seasons we will feel a dearth of joy, and a dearth of God’s presence – and it is not that God’s presence is gone, but in our conviction and emptiness, we are reminded of what it means to not even know Him. Like the rumble strip on the interstate highway, the pain of joylessness in conviction reminds us that the narrow way is the joyful way that leads to life.
So in that moment, turn again to Christ! Do you see that He is your advocate, not your accuser? He doesn’t need to be convinced of your sin – He already knows it and died for it. He doesn’t need to be reminded of your error – He saw it from eternity past, and while you were still a sinner He died for you! He calls you to confess, turn again, and find that joy that David prayed for – that joy that is ours in Christ. As God’s children, in our sin, we never leave His hand – but we lose the sense of His grasp. As God’s children, in our sin, we don’t depart from His presence – but we lose the sense of His closeness. As God’s children, in our sin, we don’t forfeit the Holy Spirit – but we quench the effects of His leading, guiding, and pricking. And as God’s children, in our sin, we don’t fall utterly – but we are reminded that in our fallenness, it was only Christ who picked us up.
When we turn again, there is true joy! All the closeness and sweetness that we have with Christ is not forever taken away when we choose to turn aside, it is there to welcome us when we agree with God about the emptiness and deceitfulness of sin, and come back to Him. And in all this, if you have never experienced the joy of God’s salvation, the firmness of His hand’s grasp, the closeness and communion of His presence, the indwelling and guiding of His Spirit, and His upholding power, may you come to Christ! In Him there is forgiveness. In repentance and forgiveness, there is joy!
With joy,
Pastor Aaron Frost
September 25, 2021
