Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: John 11:45-12:37

A Journey of Confession and Repentance
Jesus Walks Toward Death So We Can Live
John 11:45-12:37

Reading around the Triumphal Entry Story in Scripture, we get a much bigger picture of what is really going on.

He was a threat to order and the established system, and the leaders in place at the time were not happy.

So, we have a wealthy family on the outskirts of Jerusalem throwing a huge party with an outlaw as the guest of honor, six days before Passover begins.

Jesus is not that kind of a king. He knows He has come to Jerusalem, at Passover time, to die.

In our lives and society today, are we the “comfortable people” or are we working and sacrificing for revolutionary change in our world?

The road to true, real, vibrant life runs through the death of Jesus and includes the requirement that we also put our old sinful nature to death with Jesus, so that we can then live.

Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out our transgressions.
Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin! For we know our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us.

Against you, you only, have we sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Hide your face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities.

Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.
Cast us not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from us.

Restore to us the joy of your salvation, and uphold us with a willing spirit.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or we would give it.

You will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
Our sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Psalm 51:13-19

A Journey of Confession and Repentance
The New Life
Psalm 51:13-19

That is a key point, because without it the rest of the Psalm, which we will look at today, is little more than some more nice words.

I hope that is encouraging to you, God can use us even through the things that we’ve done that were wrong.

The joy is there, God really can turn those hearts back to Himself, and there is a role for us to play in that process which includes and begins with our hearts at prayer.

God wants our broken and contrite heart because He knows that is the point when we let go and let God make it good.

And I wanted us to have words for our broken, contrite hearts, that affirm those as an offering in which God deeply delights.

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Psalm 51:6-12

A Journey of Confession and Repentance
The Cleansing Shower
Psalm 51:6-12

I’ve been using very specific language this year, we remember the cross and celebrate the empty tomb.

The focus turns from the ugliness of sin to the incredible beauty of God’s forgiveness.

There was no denial or minimization of sin, the confession was complete, and now the next step–out of the death of sin, is just as complete.

Our part is to really look at our sin, be convicted of our sin, and then honestly confess it before God.

Now this “cleansing” is a spiritual cleansing, a declaration in the sight of God that we are now spiritually clean, that the defilement of sin has been dealt with by the blood of the innocent Lamb of God, and so now we are clean.

It’s a prayer for God to touch deeply, to reach into a heart that was darkened and stained by sin, and to replace it with something pure–a heart of love and full of goodness and purity.

That steadfast/willing spirit we pray for here keeps us going by growing our love for God and helps us to focus on the joy of walking with God, day in and day out.