Starting Over Again (Psalm 51)

Presented to Warners Bay Uniting Church and Boolaroo Uniting Church 19th October, 2025

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Key Theme: Repentance is not just relief from consequences, but a radical re-creation of the heart that restores joy.

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I. MOMENTS OF REGRET

• Sermon Series Context: Last week, we discussed being vulnerable sheep under the protection of the Good Shepherd (Psalm 23). This week: how repentance heals the heart and restores the soul.

• The Path: We face an important decision: the two paths from Psalm 1. David has consciously wandered off the path of blessing through selfish choices.

• Story: The Mount Warning Hike. A hike I went on where we started the climb too late in the day and nightfall came before we got back down. SES were called and we were rescued. Like starting the hike too late, we often realize we are lost when night falls. We reach a point where we cannot rescue ourselves; we need external light and help.

• David’s Admission: He is lost and realizes his own efforts to fix what he has broken are utterly useless. He begins not with excuses, but with humility. The crucial first words: "Have mercy on me." He doesn't ask God to make his situation better, but to make him better and to blot out his transgressions according to God's abundant mercy.

 

II. THE CONSEQUENCE: LOSS OF SPIRITUAL JOY

• Let me stay in your presence:

     o David's Fear: "Don’t cast me from your presence." He knows God’s presence isn't earned, but he fears the disconnect sin causes.

• Hope Stolen: The burdens we carry steal our hope, leaving us "bereft of hope."

     o Analogy 1: The Play Hedda Gabler: I saw off-Broadway years ago in New York. A brilliant production, but its themes of broken promises, regret, guilt, and iniquity ultimately leave the audience bereft of hope in the end. This is the state of the Psalmist in his prayer.

 

 III. THE PRAYER FOR DIVINE RE-CREATION

• The Conversion Point (The Turnaround): David asks for renewal rather than just relief; he seeks restoration of hope.

• "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." This is the point of conversion—the radical turnaround.

• A Call for Genesis-level Work: David is asking God to do something brand new in him; he needs total reconstruction. "Create in me a pure heart." The word "create" is the same word used in Genesis when God created the world out of nothing. David needs God to remake him entirely.

• The Spiritual Discipline: This moment requires action: taking up a new discipline, or simply giving over to God "the long bag we drag behind us" (Robert Bly quote).

 

IV. RESTORATION AND THE JOY OF RENEWAL

• A New Trajectory: Psalm 51 offers an opportunity to change the trajectory of our lives, nurturing a new and right spirit within.

     o Examples of Perseverance: J.K. Rowling (12 rejections before manuscript picked up), Colonel Sanders (1009 'no's before recipe was sold). These stories remind us not to give up when brought face-to-face with our own failings, but to look for the moment of grace emerging.

• Freedom from Shame: The wrong pathways of your life have been wiped away. New beginnings begin to emerge. You don’t need to live in the shadow of shame or keep punishing yourself for what God has already forgiven. Jesus never did guilt or shame because God freely forgives and offers us a new beginning every time.

• The Outcome: The heart is restored because God has not rejected you, but welcomes you onto a new path. The restored heart knows how to rejoice again.

• The Message to Share: This is the timeless story of God's love: reconciling the broken pieces and reminding us that we can start again. God promises that what was need not define us anymore. For our God, the past is the past, and today is a new day.

• Where in your life do you feel a sense of hopelessness or despair?

• How might this Psalm speak to you about the gift of starting over?

• What burdens do you need to let go of in order to make that change?