Embassy member and former church elder Ryan Felabom preaches this Sunday (August 28, 2022) on Psalm 51. After providing the Scriptural context of the psalm (2 Sam 11-12), Ryan reveals to us the five main takeaways of Psalm 51: 1) how David pleads for forgiveness, 2) how David confesses his sin, 3) how David seeks restoration, 4) how David can therefore seek inward renewal, and 5) how great sin forgiven leads to public acts of praise and humble worship. As 2 Sam 11-12 and Psalm 51 reveal how the requirement for sin is death, Jesus Christ demonstrates the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross for our sins. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Exodus 34:1-9 and Hebrews 13:20-21.

Discussion Questions:

1. Are there times when you struggle to see your sin with the weight that God carries of our sin?
2. Are there ways that you can connect with David, where you have struggled with sin and try to cover up sin with more sin? How did God respond to your sin?
3. How has God responded to you when you have hardened your heart through sin?
4. Do you respond with repentance like David when you are made aware of your sin? How quickly do you respond?
5. What is the consequence for our sin? Do you feel and see the weight of sin? How do you engage with God with your sin?
6. Do you regularly confess and repent of your sin? How does this impact your intimacy with God?
7. Have there been times in your life where you have seen that your heart is hardened against sin? How did you know that your heart was hardened against sin?
8. When you cry out for forgiveness do you cry out in light of God’s character and promises?
9. Do you feel the heaviness of your sin or think of the weight of your sin? Do you cry out to God and see how you have sinned against God?
10. Do you view your sin as treason against God?
11. God delights in our confession of our inward sins. How are you at regularly confessing what is sinful to God?
12. Does your displeasure with sin match God’s displeasure with sin?
13. When you have confessed sin to God, have you experienced inward renewal from God? how did this impact your intimacy with Him?
14. Are you more concerned about your own title or kingdom than you are about being in God’s presence? What do you think contributes to this?
15. Do you pray and ask God to restore the joy of your salvation? When you have, how did this impact your God?
16. Have you seen your sin as a possible reason as why you lost the joy of your salvation? How do we respond to this? How do you engage with God about this?
17. Do you sing praises to God because of the forgiveness of your God? How regularly do you sing praise?
18. Do we recognize that our sin impacts those around us? Do you confess that? Do you ask for forgiveness? Do you respond in praise publicly to what God has done internally?
19. How does God respond to our sin? What has He done for our sin?
20. How have you seen and experienced God’s steadfast love and forgiveness in your life and others?
21. What does it look like to regularly rejoice in what God has done through His forgiveness of our sins? How do we do this regularly with the church body?