Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
March 4, 2001 a.m.
God's Call is to Repent or Perish
Scripture Reading - 2 Peter 3.9; Joel 2.12-14 & Luke 15.11-24
This morning I've been asked to speak on the subject of repentance.
What constitutes genuine Biblical repentance?... And is it necessary for our salvation?
I believe it is... I believe the Bible to teach that unless we repent we will perish... This is what the first verse of our reading says to us... Right?
You see church... There is a lot more to Christianity that what goes on in this building once, twice or three times a week. God demands that we be changed people... I believe that is what REPENTANCE means. Now we must know this morning that repentance is more than a one-time act to be done prior to our baptism... You see...
Faith is something we grow in daily.
Confession of Jesus is something that we will be called on to make frequently.
Repentance is an ongoing attitude of heart and mind.
Only baptism is a ONE-TIME event in our spiritual lives.
We are born physically only once... and we are born again... Born spiritually only once, but we do these other things a multitudinal of times. Repentance is something we do daily... Because it is an ATTITUDE... A MIND-SET... A way of living.
Is baptism necessary to our salvation?... YES!!
I believe John the Baptist made this clear... It was an integral part of his message... Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is coming... Is near.
Twice in Luke 13 Jesus said... I tell you, nay! But unless you repent, you will all perish.
Peter demanded repentance on Pentecost... Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. Peter in 3.19 of Acts says... Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped
out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
On Mars Hill, Paul told those of the Areopagus that... In the past God overlooked ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Jesus says to the Seven Churches of Asia... Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline... So be earnest, and repent.
Audience, there should be no doubt this morning that God demands repentance... and that it is essential to our salvation.
Now that we have seen that repentance is necessary, let's define it.
What does it mean to repent?... We'll do this in two ways:
First by noting what repentance is not.
Then what genuine Biblical repentance really is.
Repentance is more than mere confession of guilt.
Pharaoh said... I have sinned, but he didn't repent, because he continued to hold the Israelite nation in cruel bondage. King Saul said... I have sinned, but went right on with his efforts to kill David. God commands us in the church to admit our sin... confess our faults one to another, but He also commands repentance. Saying... I have sinned... just admitting our guilt, is not all there is to repentance.
Repentance is not just remorse or sorrow. Listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians 7... I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. This verse teaches that there are two kinds of sorrow... Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow.
Worldly remorse is self-centered sorrow over the painful consequences of sin. This is the type of sorrow experienced by those in jails and prisons. They are not sorry about wrongdoing, but are simply sorry they were caught.
Perhaps the best example of worldly sorrow is that of Judas. Matthew records his sorrow over betraying Jesus. But it was a worldly sorrow... A sorrow that led to death, not repentance.
Godly sorrow is, not just because we have been found out, but because we have failed to be the people and person God wills us to be.
Repentance is more than simple political reformation. For instance, we may decide to reform for reasons other than Godly sorrow. A man reforms because his wife threatens to leave him. Someone joins a church because a rich aunt threatens to exclude them from her will. This is not repentance... It's political reformation. We must not be fooled into thinking that such reformation... Doing something just to please others... Is Biblical repentance. It’s true, repentance includes reforming, changing our lives, but that's not the whole of repentance. Genuine BIBLICAL repentance demands proper motive... Changing for the right reason.
Repentance is not just being religious. One may be a very religious person, and never repent of their sins. The Pharisees were very religious, but John the Baptist frankly told them that their repentance was not genuine. He demanded evidence of their repentance... evidence of their turning to God... Meat for repentance.
On Mars Hill, Paul told the Athenians that he perceived that they were very religious... Verse 22... Yet in verse 30 he calls them to repentance. Being religious does not necessarily include repentance.
Now that we have seen what repentance is NOT, let's see if we can determine what Biblical repentance really is.
I believe we find a Biblical definition of repentance in Joel 2.12-14. Let's read it together again:
Even now, declares the LORD... Return to me with all your heart with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing--grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.
Notice what Joel says:
Repentance is turning to God in sorrow... weeping... and mourning.
The Hebrew word for mourning here is used to describe mourning for the dead. It is the word used to describe Jacob's mourning the loss of Joseph when he thought he had been killed by wild animals. This is not crocodile tears, but genuine sorrow.
Folk... Dry eyed repentance is not acceptable to God. Repentance is turning to God with weeping and mourning, because we are genuinely sorrow for our sins.
Joel says repentance is a change of heart. He says... Don't rend your garments... But rend your hearts. Genuine repentance is a heart condition. In the Sermon On The Mount, Jesus said:
Blessed are the poor in spirit...
Blessed are they that mourn....
Jesus is describing those who have a HEART... TORN... because of their sins.
Thirdly... Joel says... Change your life.
Repentance is turning from sin and doing what God has commanded us to do.
Repentance is a turning from being and doing what we want to be and do ... To being and doing what God would have us be and do. Repentance is making Jesus both Lord and King of our lives... Living in total submission to Him through the word.
So, from Joel, we find that genuine repentance is a change of heart that is so strong that it results in a change in the way we live. Repentance is feeling such regret and sorrow for our sins that we change our mind and behavior. In the Greek... Repentance literally means to think and act differently. Repentance is a change in principle that results in a change in practice. Notice with me now some Biblical narratives where we find examples of repentance... and let's see what we can learn from these narratives.
Genesis 6.6 says... It repented God that He had made man and He grieved in His heart.
Notice now, what God did as a result of His repentance... Verse 7: I will destroy that which I created--man, beast, creeping thing and birds of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. When God repented, He turned from creating to destroying.
This is what we must do, turn from committing sin to destroying sin in our lives. The only thing God kept, in Genesis 6, was that which was good, Noah and his family. We too must destroy all that is evil and keep, retain only that which is good. This is genuine repentance.
Then there is Jonah.
God told him to go to Nineveh. Instead he went in the opposite direction toward Tarshish.
After spending three days in a fish's belly... Jonah repented and headed toward Nineveh.
Some today run from New Testament baptism.
Some run from serving as elders, deacons, Bible teachers.
Some of us run from good works.
Others of us, like Jonah, run from being evangelistic.
Church... How many of us will be like Jonah this morning?... How many of us are willing to repent and change the direction of our lives? Instead of running from God... Let us turn and run to Him... and with Him.
How about David?
For David, repentance meant a personal admission of guilt. Nathan confronted David with his sin saying... Thou art the man. You see repentance is agreeing with God on sin in our life.
Will we agree with God on what sin is?
Will we take the responsibility for our own sinful behavior?
Or will we continue to point our finger at others denying our sins...our guilt?
Repentance is saying... I have sinned... I am guilty.
There was the repentance of Saul.
To Paul, repentance meant turning from punishing... killing Christians, to making Christians.
From making it tough to learn about Christ, to preaching Christ... promoting Christ.
Notice now that repentance is not a half turn. Paul didn't go from persecuting Christians to just being neutral, to just leaving them alone.
Too many of us have the idea that repentance is simply shifting life into neutral... That repentance means that we just stop sinning... Not so... Not so at all. Repentance is a 180 degree turn... From doing evil to doing good.
A liar who repents stops his lying... And starts telling the truth.
A gossip who repents stops his loose talk... And begins speaking of the good in others.
A sower of discord among the brethren stops his trouble making... And starts working for unity in the brotherhood.
An adulterer who repents stops his adultery... And becomes faithful to his spouse.
A thief stops his stealing... And begins working to support himself and help others.
No.. No. Repentance does not demand we live perfect lives. But it does mean that we try to be God's people and person in every facet of our lives.
Perhaps the best known illustration of repentance is the prodigal son. To him repentance meant leaving the pigpen behind and returning to the Father’s house. Luke says... He came to himself.
Repentance is self-examination... Seeing ourselves as we really are. Genuine repentance is leaving the pigpen of sin and coming home to the Father. We must know this morning that we are the prodigal in this narrative and God is the Father.
And then there is Zacchaeus. Some today maintain that repentance has nothing to do with restitution. I believe that those who teach this, choose to ignore Luke 19.8. Zacchaeus said... Lord I am selling all I have and give half to the poor, if I have cheated any man, I will restore four-fold. Yes, it is true, there would be some that Zacchaeus could not make restitution to, perhaps they had moved out of town, died, whatever. The attitude of repentance is to make the effort to restore where restitution is possible. Repentance is giving up our sins and doing that which is right. Repentance includes making restitution for our sins when possible. A thief who repents returns what he has stolen.
Well... Does REPENTANCE have a role in our salvation?... Indeed... I believe it does!!
Repentance is part of the gospel of Christ. On Pentecost Peter preached the GOSPEL... Salvation through Christ. He concluded his message by saying, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven.
If repentance were not necessary, why would Peter say that it was?
Why would Jesus say, I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will perish.
Why would Paul tell the Areopagus, God commands all people everywhere to repent.
You see, it is not possible to obey the gospel... It's not possible to become a child of God... It's not possible to have the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit without repentance.
· Repentance is also a part of our daily walk with God
· Repentance is not a one time act... It is an attitude... A heart condition... A way of Life
· Repentance is having a broken contrite heart.
· Repentance is being poor in spirit.
· Repentance is grieving & mourning over our sins.
· Repentance is agreeing with God on what sin is.
· Repentance is being meek... Humble enough to acknowledge our sins... confess our faults... and to forsake them.
Every day, we should be conscious of sin in our lives, and we should turn to God in prayer, saying, God, forgive me... I repent... Help me to overcome my weakness.
Again... There is a lot more to Christianity that what goes on in this building each Sunday...
God demands that we be changed people... God's call is to genuine Biblical repentance... The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The question this morning is this:
Are you a child of God?
Do you need to repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins?
Perhaps as a Christian you have sins that you need to confess and repent of.
1 John 1.9 tells us... If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The good news is that... God in His patience... has given us one more opportunity to repent.
Come to Jesus as we stand and sing this invitation song together.
Will you come?
