In this special New Year’s sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines the topic of repentance, what it is and why it is necessary both for salvation and for ongoing holiness. Pastor Dave defines repentance as the turning of the entire self (or inner man) from sin to God. Pastor Dave then looks at several Bible passages that emphasize four key aspects of true repentance.
1. Understanding, Leading to Confession (Psalm 51:1-4)
2. Emotions, Leading to Sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:9-11)
3. Will, Leading to Commitment (Isaiah 55:7)
4. Behavior, Leading to Fruit (Luke 3:7-9)
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thank you pastor bobby and happy new year to all of you today in light of the new year i’d like to do something a little different with the sermon rather than continuing to the next part of ecclesiastes or examining just one passage in a particular part of scripture i’d like to consider scripture as a whole as we examine a topic that is crucial for the christian life and that topic is repentance repentance is fundamental when it comes to salvation and it is critical for sanctification for the believer and yet there is such great ignorance about repentance in the world even among professing christians most people in the world do not understand repentance biblically and have seldom if ever practiced it if you are looking to evangelize someone who is a religious person even a professing christian but they don’t really know the lord you’re going to have to explain to them their need for repentance and even what repentance is or even among true believers even those who do know god there is still great misunderstanding when it comes to repentance i remember my seminary professor dr john street who was responsible for teaching the biblical counseling classes he told us frankly that of those that we counsel with their scriptures no matter what the problem is it is extremely likely that we will need to go with that person and teach them about repentance to correct misunderstandings about repentance and you know what in the biblical counseling i’ve done in seminary attend seminary i have found that to be totally true whether it’s with a couple with an individual you have to teach about repentance because there’s so much misunderstanding in a way the great lack of understanding when it comes to repentance today is not entirely surprising because a biblical view and practice of repentance does not come natural to the sinful flesh in fact it goes against the grain of our arrogant largely arrogant society and when it comes to our american culture when someone is caught in doing wrong they usually don’t repent typically there’s no repentance but what is there instead if there’s any sort of contrition there’s an apology i’m sorry i’m sorry i have sorrow for what happened in america we don’t really repent we just apologize which is kind of ironic because the word apology comes from a greek root that doesn’t mean to express sorrow but actually to make a defense which is where we get the term apologetics apologists are not people just going around saying i’m sorry all the time they’re actually presenting a defense of the faith ironically many of the apologies that we hear these days they are more defenses than actual expressions of repentance and have you ever noticed this maybe you’ve said this yourself things like well apologies that shift blame such as i’m sorry that you’re so upset which is really another way of saying i’m not the one with the problem you are or i’m sorry that i did that but it doesn’t really matter what follows because really what the whole statement is saying is i’m justified in what i did and then there are kinds of apologies that excuse wrongs by re-labeling them i didn’t do evil i made a mistake i’m sorry for my mistake or i didn’t sin it was just poor judgment i’m not enslaved to prideful anger i just have a temper or i’m bipolar i’m not a disobedient child wanting my own way i have oppositional defiant disorder as our culture ably demonstrates the sinful heart is very good at ignoring and excusing sin but if we want the eternal life of god if we want salvation if we want christ and if we want to walk in a happy and holy way before him then we must deal with sin in the proper way and that proper way includes repentance what is repentance that’s the title of the sermon today and it’s the question that by god’s spirit we will answer from his word my plan with this somewhat unique sermon is to lay out an overall definition and some background of repentance before you and then we’re going to explore four key aspects of repentance together four key aspects of repentance as presented in the scriptures i’m gonna anchor my definition as well as these different key aspects of repentance in one main bible passage each i’m going to be looking at many scriptures i don’t want you to just keep flipping back and forth in scripture so just five main passages but i will mention others as illustrations and clarifications of what we’re talking about let’s start with a definition and some background on repentance and for that please turn in your bibles to mark 1 verse 15. mark 1 verse 15 this is our first anchor passage it’s the beginning of mark’s gospel right before this jesus has been baptized he persevered through the temptations of the wilderness and is just about to start his preaching ministry in the region of galilee what is the message that jesus is going to actually proclaim is actually going to preach we see it in mark 1 15 where jesus says the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of god is at hand repent and believe in the gospel in this short statement is contained the entire good news the gospel in brief jesus says and we say god has accomplished salvation for his people and his kingdom is about to arrive if you want entrance into that kingdom you must repent and believe what is repentance here’s the definition i’d like to provide for you a brief definition you see it on the screen repentance is the turning of the entire self from sin to god repentance is the turning of the entire soul for the entire inner man from sin to god and though the terms repentance and repentance are not super well understood or well known in our society today they’re all over the scriptures there’s a long tradition of the concept of repentance in the old and new testaments in the old testament the word that means repent is the word shuv the hebrew word shuv and literally it means to turn to turn back to turn away from or turn toward or even to return in the greek new testament there are two verbs that are used to express the concept of repentance the first term is epistrefo which basically is the greek equivalent of the hebrew shoes it refers to the action of turning and can be quite literal epistrefo is a visible change of direction especially evident in one’s behavior the other new testament term for repentance and it’s the one that’s used here in mark 115 is metanoia or mettan no if you’re using the greek verb this term means to change one’s mind to change one’s heart this is an internal turning that is assumed to result in external turning as well external change so these biblical terms are why i say that repentance is a turning of the entire self it is an internal change that leads to external change it is a moving from following sin and self to following after god and righteousness a common good illustration of repentance is the 180 degree turn before you were going this direction away from god and away from what is right but when you repent you turn the other direction 180 degrees toward god and toward what he’s called you to do in his word that’s repentance now notice that in mark 1 15 here jesus says that this kind of repentance is required as alongside faith for entrance into the kingdom of god and do note that he has paired the term repent with the term believe or it’s equivalent to faith these two verbs they constitute the entire human response to the gospel if you want to be saved then you must repent and believe now if you’ve been at this church if you’re familiar with the scriptures then you know that salvation biblically is all of god god is the one who accomplishes salvation he gives you the gift of faith and even grants you repentance ii timothy 2 25 and other scriptures emphasize that but whatever god is doing the scriptures are clear what our obligatory response must be and that is what jesus says here repentance and faith none of this well you know what is god doing i don’t know you need to repent and believe that’s what your calling is from god that’s a command and these two terms are actually very connected they’re really two sides of the same coin they’re just different emphasis of the same really turning repentance emphasizes what you put off you’re putting off sin you’re putting off yourself you’re putting off self-righteousness things that you think are going to earn favor with god and you’re putting on in faith that’s the other side of the coin you’re putting on christ you are taking hold it’s like you’ve emptied your hands but now you’re filling your hands with god himself and with the salvation that he’s provided repentance and faith are very tied together in fact we see them often linked conceptually in one verse or in a passage in scripture and just to give you one example of this you don’t need to turn there i’ll just mention it to you in first thessalonians 9 when paul is explaining how the thessalonian believers have become saved he describes it in this way you turned and that’s episto you turned to god from idols to serve a living and true god so you turned from the idols and you served god that’s repentance and belief repentance and faith in fact sometimes the bible only uses one of the terms because the other’s implied and you can see this pretty evidently in the parallel verse to the one we have here in mark 1 15.
you see mark 1 15 he says repent and believe the gospel but in matthew 4 17 which is describing the same instance jesus beginning his preaching ministry in galilee this is what matthew records matthew 4 jesus said repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand wait just repent i don’t need to believe well of course you need to believe it’s implied in the term repent you can use one term while implying the other they go together now there is a sense in which repentance and faith are once and for all responses to christ that is if you truly repent and believe then you are saved you are once and for all transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light and to the kingdom of christ you cannot lose your salvation you are forever secure in your lord for he is the good shepherd and he will not lose any of his sheep there is a sense it’s once and for all but there is another sense in which it is ongoing it is a continual practice repentance and faith for consider if you start with faith in christ do you then abandon it do you then say i don’t need faith anymore i don’t need to trust christ anymore no you continue in faith and you even grow in faith so it is with repentance yes you start with repentance but you also continue in repentance because true believers even when they repent and turn to god in that fundamental and initial way they do not suddenly become perfect though they are counted righteous before god for because of christ behaviorally they are not yet perfect and they will still find themselves we will still find ourselves falling at various times into sin what the true believer does in this instance when he sins and when he realize that he has sinned against god and against others he will repent again not in order to be re-saved that’s already done that’s accomplished in full but it is to restore happy fellowship with god and to restore fellowship with others to resume the walk that we have as disciples of christ you must understand that we believers if you truly know the lord we are a people with a lifestyle of repentance and faith we must be it’s not perfection but it is holiness it’s not sinlessness but it is a life where we are putting off more and more the evil that yet clings to us and putting on more and more christ and the righteous life he’s called us to it’s like what our lord spoke to us through our brother khalif a few years ago from john 13. remember that’s the passage where jesus is washing his disciples feet and as khalifa was explaining to us as this passage really reveals if you’re in christ christ has fundamentally washed you and you are totally clean nothing can change that if you really know him but them feet though as khalif said right your feet still get dirty from time to time and they require the ongoing washing of repentance and not only must this repentance be before god but it must be before others there is a lifestyle of repentance in our relationships because we don’t just sin against god often the way we sin against god is by sinning against others even others in the church even others in our family people who are made in god’s image even fellow disciples and that’s why the bible commands us to be repenting and reconciling our relationships matthew 5 23-24 says this is jesus speaking therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you leave your offering there before the altar and go first be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering luke 17 3 and 4 adds luke 17 3 and 4 be on your guard if your brother sins rebuke him if he repents forgive him and if he sins against you seven times a day and returns to you seven times saying i repent forgive him repentance is toward god but it is also toward one another so what is repentance it is a turning of the entire self from sin to god it happens once and for all at conversion when a person is saved by christ but it also is part of a lifestyle of ongoing holiness that keeps short accounts with god and with others but is this the kind of repentance that you have experienced and that you demonstrate in an ongoing way in your life this must be our kind of repentance we must be people who have repented and are still repenting to become more like the lord so we have this definition and a little bit of background but let’s fill in this definition a little bit more by highlighting four key aspects of true repentance four key aspects of true repentance if repentance truly is a turning of the entire self from sin to god then it will manifest in every aspect of our inner man and we can categorize those as the understanding the emotions and the will there needs to be a turning a true turning in each one of these areas if the repentance is going to be true because it’s the entire self also though repentance takes place in the inner man it will manifest in a another aspect an external aspect of ourselves and that is our behavior and we’ll talk more about that if any one of these aspects of repentance is meaning missing or if there is not a true and full turn in any one of these areas well then let me say plainly from the scripture that repentance is false it’s not true repentance and it’s not going to result in lasting change and sadly there is a lot of false repentance today people who think they’re repenting when they’re not actually and we need to be aware of that let’s now explore these key aspects of true repentance and along the way considering how they even show up in an expression of repentance and you’ll see what i mean as i lay out each one of these points first key aspect of true repentance to bring to your attention is number one understanding understanding leading to confession for repentance to be real there must be a genuine understanding of sin as sin as well as an appreciation of how unjustified how heinous how wrath deserving that sin is from god and before god to say it another way in true repentance the heart needs to confess or to say the same thing about that sin as god does and a heart that readily confesses this truth before god should then also be willing to confess that truth before others behold before those who have been sinned against as part of repentance to see this aspect understanding leading to confession let’s go to our second anchor passage psalm 51 verses 1 to 4.
psalm 51 verses 1 to 4.
we’re going to see more of the background of this psalm in just a moment we get information in the title of this psalm and remember those titles are part of the original text they are the inspired word of god so don’t forget to read those and take those into account psalm 51 verses 1 to 4 title included read with me it says for the choir director a psalm of david when nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone into bathsheba be gracious to me oh god according to your loving-kindness according to the greatness of your compassion blot out my transgressions wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for i know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me against you you only i have sinned and done what is evil in your sight so that you are justified when you speak and blameless when you judge there’s a lot of things we could say about this passage but i’m just going to highlight a few things as we consider repentance one of the most remarkable aspects of these verses and of this entire psalm is that it is a song of worship for israel that actually memorializes some of david some of king david’s worst sins i don’t mean celebrating the sins but it does bring our attention to them you see it right in the title second samuel 11 to 12 gives us the fuller background of what the title gives to us here but what we have is king david a righteous man after god’s own heart a good king in israel he fell into lust into adultery into lying into murder and into hypocrisy and he even refused to repent of these sins for more than nine months because a child was born from his actions but he was confronted nathan the prophet came to him exposed david’s sin and david confessed he said i have sinned against yahweh against the lord and he repented but you see more of that confession explained displayed for us in this psalm this is not merely david in his understanding recognizing that yeah those actions i did they are under the category of sin it’s more than that it’s an appreciation of the magnitude of that sin and david’s desperate need for god’s mercy and this is very instructive for us this is really the way we should be looking at our own sin notice the terms that david uses in these first four verses to describe his evil actions there are three main ones here the first is transgressions transgressions is from a hebrew word signifying a legal offense a crime even covenant treachery david is not merely in his confession acknowledging that he has done wrong but that he has in fact acted as a willful and unjustified rebel against a good covenant keeping god this is heinous revolt and this is true of every one of our sins second notice the term iniquity this comes from a hebrew word meaning to do wrong or to pervert and david says he understands that this is what he’s done in his actions he’s not only polluted himself and his kingdom with these sins but he has also twisted the very blessings and privileges of god things like marriage and the kingship and he is twisted them into something ugly shameful even detestable to god this is perversion and you know the same is true for our sins we take the good things of god and we pollute them and we pollute ourselves and then notice the term the third term sin sin this is actually from a hebrew word meaning to sin that is to heir or to miss the mark probably heard this explanation before but sin is like an archer trying to shoot an arrow at a target and missing it doesn’t hit it doesn’t matter how close the arrow was to the target if it didn’t actually hit the target if it didn’t reach the bullseye it’s literally sin you missed now what’s the target that david was aiming for and missing and even the same target that we all miss by our own sin it is god himself god as the perfect holy righteous god good god that he is he is the standard of righteousness to be holy means to be like god and he helps explain what that looks like for us via his commands any deviation from who god is and what he commands is missing the mark even if it’s a little it’s missing the mark in its sin and because god is good he must punish any infraction because he loves what is perfect he loves what is right anything that is not perfect it’s wrong it’s evil it’s ugly it must be punished and so he must punish sin and where does that leave david where does that leave us oh missing the mark big time we’re in deep trouble we’re not even close to the target as romans 3 23 says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of god you didn’t reach it i didn’t reach it you look at god’s standard even just look at the ten commandments you don’t keep those perfectly you miss the mark and therefore you fall under god’s judgment you rightly fall under god’s judgment and so do i note one other detail in this text david says in verse 4 against you you only have i sinned and done what is evil in your sight which could be a little confusing is david saying that he didn’t actually sin against bathsheba and others that he only needs to confess and repent before god well that can’t be the case because this psalm is a public confession he’s actually confessing before all israel his sin and pointing people to god’s forgiving righteousness so david certainly is aware that he sinned against others but he’s he’s emphasizing something for us here in this statement in comparing the importance of the offended parties in sin the offense against god from david’s sin and any of our sins is so much greater than even the offense against others it’s almost like we sinned exclusively against god it was right to god’s face and this is not what we assume we assume that god is way less holy than he actually is and therefore you know a little lie or a little selfish anger that’s not a big deal to god it’s not true it is a big deal to god those things and many others they’re like you went up to god’s face and spit in his eye or you backhanded him that’s how offensive that’s how exclusive your offense of sin is to god and mine our sins are first chiefly against god and an infinite offense an infinite offense to his worth and character so unless there’s some radical mercy applied we will fall under god’s burning anger he’s a just god so one key aspect of repentance is a change in your understanding about your sin it leads to a confession in which you say the same thing as god about it and that’s why the bible exhorts us to confess our sins not just against god or not just to god but to one another this is part of experiencing the cleansing and forgiveness that god actually offers first john 1 8-9 says if we confess our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness wow what a promise that is or james 5 16 therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed confession a change in our understanding it should be part of our pensions towards god and towards one another now understand though that it’s only one aspect confession is not all that repentance is and we can see this in personal experiences in the scripture there are people in the bible and today who are willing to admit their sin even say some pretty humbling things about their sin and yet they do not repent look at balaam false prophet he’s confronted and rebuked by god he admits his sin but later on he’s judged because he never repented or look at king saul multiple times he tells david i’ve done wrong by seeking your life but then he keeps on doing it confession itself is not repentance but it is a key aspect of repentance let us be aware lest we think that repentance is merely confessing sin that’s not all that it is a second key aspect of true repentance is number two emotions emotions leading to sorrow we’ve got understanding leading to confession and emotions leading to sorrow if we truly understand our sin for the evil offense that it is against a good and worthy god then we will be emotionally affected by it and i’m talking about a manufactured emotion i’m talking about a deep-seated and genuine grief in the heart and a hatred for sin and to see a great example of this aspect of repentance let’s go back to the new testament second corinthians chapter 7 verses 9 to 11.
it’s our third anchor passage here second corinthians 7 verses 9 to 11.
to give you some context for these verses this is paul expressing his joy over the repentance of the corinthian believers they had it engaged in the collective sin against paul and they had repented of it but as paul celebrates their repentance he points out he emphasizes the emotional aspect of it and notice that as we read second corinthians 7 verses 9 to 11.
paul says i now rejoice not that you were made sorrowful but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance for you are made sorrowful according to the will of god so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us for the sorrow that is according to the will of god produces a repentance without regret leading to salvation but the sorrow of the world produces death for behold what earnestness this very thing this godly sorrow has produced in you what vindication of yourselves what indignation what fear what longing what zeal what avenging of wrong in everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter notice how paul in these verses he he contrasts two kinds of sorrow you have godly sorrow and worldly sorrow both of these are genuine sorrow and both may have very real tears there’s some big differences between these two kinds of sorrow the first big difference has to do with the main reason for each sorrow godly sorrow is god-centered and it is broken over how terrible a crime sin is against god more than the personal consequences of sin it sees god is most important worldly sorrow it is truthfully concerned with the self rather than god worldly sorrow hates the consequences of sin rather than the sin itself and it mourns that a particular idol or sin can no longer be safely enjoyed oh i’m sorry i was caught i’m sorry that i can’t do this anymore now notice also in the text another great difference is what these types of repentance are what these types of sorrow lead to godly sorrow we see it leads to repentance without regret and to salvation and this is because a god-centered sorrow will lead one to christ for forgiveness and help god-centered sorrow also makes one discontent to remain in a pattern of sin rather you are determined to get that pattern out of your life god centered sorrow will not regret giving up sin or even of enduring the necessary consequences of repenting of that sin yeah i know this repentance is going to cost me but you know what it’s worth it i don’t regret this and you can see there’s also a zeal that comes with a godly sorrow look at some of the terms that paul uses in verse 11 indignation fear avenging of wrong there’s this new hatred for sin this new desire for god and a longing to set the situation right for god’s sake godly sorrow is part of a true turning of heart that wants god above all else it is a sorrow that becomes connected with a zeal because it wants god but worldly sorrow it does not have this deal in fact it’s full of regret not just of the consequences of sin but even over the repentance itself i shouldn’t have confessed that sin i shouldn’t have repented of it it was better then than it was now person with worldly sorrow he continues to choose sin and self over god so eventually he will return to that sin he’s still serving himself the heart has not been changed and thus he inherits the full wages of sin which we know from romans 6 23 is what it’s death it is spiritual death and eternal death it is forever being separated from the goodness of god instead suffering in darkness and fire so brethren if we truly understand god’s holiness and god’s goodness if we understand what our sin is then it should cause us to become sorrowful to the point of repentance that doesn’t have to be super obvious outwardly you don’t have to be blubbering there doesn’t have to be a huge amount of tears coming from you but you should feel grief over your sin not merely grief from getting caught but grief because god is not worthy of that but this sorrow should then be joined to a happy zeal this should be true of you brethren this sorrow should lead to a happy zeal that seeks god more earnestly because there’s a mischaracterization of the christian life that is those who are truly mature and holy they are totally dejected they just go around walking with a long face muttering about how sinful they are and wondering how god could ever endure such a wretched person as that sinner but that’s not where the bible leads a true believer rather a christian is one who takes by faith what god promises to sinners which is what welcome forgiveness and transformation consider back in psalm 51 psalm 51 17 david says the sacrifices of god are a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart oh god you will not despise god loves the brokenhearted person he says come come or james 4 8-10 james says draw near to god and he will draw near to you cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded be miserable and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom humble yourselves in the presence of the lord and he will exalt you not he might exalt you but he will the kindness of god is such that he will never refuse the one who is sorrowful to the point of repentance rather like the prodigal’s father in luke 15 god will leap at seeing his child returning to him and will immediately put on the sandals and the rings and the best robe we do not honor god by wondering if he could show mercy to such a sinner as us we honor god by taking him at his word that he forgives and transforms sinners it’s amazing it’s wondrous but it is to be taken by faith and that reality should fill us with hope and fill us with joy god i am so sorry but i am so thankful that you will forgive me and take me back to walk anew so what about you what about your repentance does it have this key aspect where you are moved to godly sorrow that leads to a zeal to return to him and return to righteousness this must be part of our repentance if there is no emotional engagement at all then there is no genuine repentance the heart still does not understand or accept what sin really is and therefore it is not moved does not move to remain apart from sin there needs to be a turning in your emotions even leading to sorrow if your repentance is true but let me clarify again sorrow itself is not all of repentance there are many people who think they are repenting because they feel sorry because they cry but you know what there are examples in the scriptures of people who are like that and they did not repent and they were not saved look at cain he was given a devastating punishment for his murder but he didn’t return to god he just complained about how difficult the punishment was or look at judas he wept he threw the money back into the temple that he had used that he had obtained for betraying christ but he didn’t then go to christ he then went to hang himself let us beware if we think that mere tears count as repentance before god they are a key aspect of repentance sorrow godly sorrow is part of true repentance but it’s not all of repentance there must be a turning in the understanding there must be a turning in the emotions but also thirdly a third key aspect of true repentance repentance there needs to be a turning in the will leading to commitment number three will leading to commitment in repentance the understanding and emotions must both be engaged to the point that there is actually a change of will the repentant heart forsakes the old sinful and self-righteous way and embraces the new way of faith and holiness in christ but to say it another way in true repentance the heart commits to following christ no matter the cost there’s a new commitment a good passage displaying this aspect of repentance is the one that we actually read earlier go back to isaiah 55 and we’ll look at verse 7 as our fourth anchor passage isaiah 55 7.
now in this part of isaiah this is another one of the appeals from god to his unfaithful people in israel that they would repent that they would return to him especially in light of all the promises he’s just revealed to them the prophecies he’s revealed to them as to what he will do for them in the future especially in sending the messiah now look at the god look at the way that god specifically invites his people in isaiah 55 7 and this applies to us too isaiah 55 7 let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the lord that is let him return to yahweh that’s the covenant name of god here and he will have compassion on him and to our god for he will abundantly pardon do you hear how the language of will and commitment are present in this invitation from god god calls out to the wicked and he says forsake your way say goodbye to it god also calls upon the unrighteous to forsake their thoughts so this must be a thorough inside and out change you have to give up the sinful acts and the sinful thoughts that are leading to the sinful acts you commit in repentance you commit to give your mind your mouth and your entire body over to god not my will be done but yours oh lord i’m committing it all to you and what does god promise the one who actually turns in this way doesn’t matter how wicked he was god will have compassion on him he will abundantly pardon him which is an incredible promise because god is a holy god he as a just god could never overlook the slightest sin every sin must be punished but he can pardon sinners because of what christ has done for them for those who are in christ christ has absorbed and paid all the wrath of god against their sins at the cross and he has given those sinners instead his perfect righteousness so those sins were punished but they weren’t punished in us they were punished in christ so then god is able to look at those in christ and say i freely pardon you i abundantly pardon you because christ has taken your place his life death and resurrection have made you acceptable to me this is the good news of the gospel but because of this that’s why god commands sinners come repent choose to follow a new way my way not your old way give up your sin and god says come to me for life and pardon and this is just like what jesus says jesus says in matthew 11 verses 28 to 30.
matthew 11 28-30 come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and i will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for i am gentle and humble in heart that you will find rest for your souls my yoke is easy my burden is light wow what an invitation or luke 9 23 jesus also says if anyone wishes to come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and that’s the method of execution here take up his cross daily and follow me salvation and repentance are the end of you and your own way if you want the life of god then you must repent which means to turn from your sin and yourself and return to god in christ you must commit to following his way no matter the obstacles the persecutions or the difficulties and if you do this you will find the full pardon and eternal life of god now putting these things together without a change of will and a sincere commitment a real turning to follow christ no matter what there’s no true repentance you can confess you can be emotionally affected and have sorrow but if you have not committed to actually turning that’s false repentance it’s incomplete and whatever you think you’re accomplishing it will not last but on the flip side an attempted change of will without changes without turning also in the understanding and the emotions it is also a repentance doomed to fail willing yourself to change without understanding truly why you should and without any true zeal to accomplish that change that’s just fleshly self-reform which is what the people of the world do and attempt to do self-generated change is only temporary or it only changes one sin for another that is okay i’m giving up drunkenness but now i’ve become a workaholic or okay i’m giving up the indulgence of pornography but now i’m a self-righteous pharisee for true repentance of the inner man it needs to be a turning of the entire self thoughts emotions and will these compelled by the truth of god and empowered by the gracious work of the holy spirit they must genuinely you must genuinely give up self and sin to take christ and his holy way your understanding must confess sin and see the way god sees it your emotions must grieve over sin and long for god instead and your will must forsake sinful sinful thoughts and actions and commit to christ and again these truths apply both to salvation and sanctification this is how you come to christ in the beginning but it’s also how you proceed in following after christ this is what we should be doing in our relationships when there needs to be repentance and it needs to be a change in each one of these parts of the inner man or else that repentance is not true we’re going to last now there’s one more key aspect of true repentance that needs to be mentioned technically this is not part of repentance because it’s repentance is in the inner man but it always accompanies repentance so it’s worth mentioning that is number four behavior leading to fruit behavior leading to fruit all true repentance will result in actual and persevering change in behavior a change in the inner man will result in a change of the outer man if we believe that we have repented with our whole self but then find that we are committing the same sins just the same way we used to and the sobering truth from the scripture is we have not repented at all all true heart repentance bears fruit bears righteous fruit in one’s words and actions for our last anchor passage to illustrate this please turn to luke luke chapter 3 verses 7 to 9.
luke 3 verses 7 to 9 this is the preaching of john the baptist he’s preaching on repentance and forgiveness and many people are going out to him to listen and to be baptized but in the section we’re going to read john is noticing he’s just noticed that there are some people who are coming to him who are coming to him falsely there are some pharisees there are some other jews who they want to go through the motions of repentance but they aren’t actually repenting so listen to what john the baptist says to them in luke 3 verses 7 and 9 we’ll start in the middle of verse 7 he says to them you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come therefore bear fruits and keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves we have abraham for our father for i say to you that from these stones god is able to raise up children to abraham indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire these words this passage from john the baptist they’re very sobering because john is plainly teaching the crowds whatever they say or think about repentance if it doesn’t result in good fruit in a new righteous behavior in conformity with god’s word then it’s false repentance that still leaves one under the judgment of god and notice the urgency with which john urges the crowds to test the genuineness of their repentance in verse nine he says the axe is already laid at the root of the tree and what does that mean well if you’re laying the axe head at the roots it’s you’re just finishing your aiming you’re getting ready for that first chop and all you have to do is wind up and then start destroying the tree john the baptist is saying judgment is ready and it could fall on any time fall at any time on those who have not truly repented and are therefore not showing any fruit of repentance this is not something to wade around about this is something to make sure you have right with god right now and remember that the ones he’s speaking to are not obviously godless ones these are not the atheists of israel these are not the profligates of israel just looking at john the baptist and laughing these are the best the more the most moral in israel they’ve come all the way out to the wilderness to be baptized i mean they’re they’re like the super holy ones in a modern analogy they would be professing church-going christians and yet listen to what john says to this crowd beware that you are not deceiving yourselves into thinking that you have repented and are safe with christ when you are not look at your life look at the way you’re living bear fruit worthy of repentance unless we think john is just a little harsh you know john the baptist guy he’s firing brimstone can’t take his preaching well guess what jesus says the same thing matthew 7 21-23 many will say to me lord lord but i will tell them i never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness don’t tell me i’m your lord when you don’t live that way and paul says the same thing in galatians 5 19-24 the deeds of the flesh the fruit of the flesh totally contradicts the fruit of the spirit which one are you displaying brothers and sisters if you really have repented you should be seeing the fruit of it in your life should be displaying the fruit of it should have new changed righteous behavior you cannot continue in your old evil habits cannot say well it’s just the way that i am true repentance leads to a changed life a real internal change leads to a real external change and let us have none of the yes i keep on sinning in the same way but i repent after every time friends that’s not repentance that’s just a pause that’s like a bank rapper bank robber repenting between his different robberies that’s not a repentance that we could trust in if a robber if a thief is truly repentant then not only must his habit of stealing come to an end but he is also to put on righteousness he is to pay back with interest what he has taken he used to work an honest job and he is to give to others rather than to take that’s real fruit so brothers and sisters where are you in your repentance with god have you truly repented have you come to christ in a fundamental way that says wow i really do need your mercy understanding my emotions my will are changed that i know i cannot continue my old way anymore i need you i need your salvation and i need your help save me lord christ cover me with your with your wings and now enable me to walk new with you have you come to christ in that way fundamentally and then are you doing that as you still encounter sin habits trying to implant themselves in your life oh lord i i didn’t realize i’m slipping back into this sin i keep going back to it god i have to turn away from this is your understanding your emotions your will been engaged in that way to the point that you’re actually seeing fruit that you are changing god thank you i’m not the way that i used to be not perfect yet i won’t be but i can become more like christ is that what’s happening in your life god has the right to question our repentance if we proclaim it without fruit and so do others around us if you go to your spouse or you go to your family members your friends you say you know i’m really sorry you know i stind this way and you know it’s wrong and i’m really sorry about it will you please forgive me i’m committing to change if the person says back to you but isn’t that what you said last time and the time before and the time before that give me some evidence that your heart really is different i want to forgive you but is your repentance real we’ll be helped in the bearing fruit aspect of repentance if we take the time to think specifically about what changes we can make in our lives to conform with what god has called us to do and these can be quite practical it could be a young student saying mom and dad i know i haven’t been very responsible when it comes to my school work so to show that i’m serious about being a holy student before christ i’m not going to play video games until my homework is done each day i’m not requiring that of you i’m just giving an example think through specifically if i really am repenting in this area what changes can i make or if you’re struggling with anger and retaliation towards a family member maybe you might pray god i’m going to memorize and meditate on romans 14 12-21 this is a passage that’s all about overcoming evil with good and not retaliating lord god i want these things to be in my mind all the times for the next time i face that situation i’m ready i have your truth close enhanced i can fight back against temptation that’s a practical change you can make as part of your repentance you need to think through those things now you’ll probably attempt different things you’ll make certain changes and you find out that it wasn’t enough or they were imperfect or you need to make more but you know what that’s okay that’s what the christian life is that’s the progression in sanctification we’re becoming more and more like christ never arriving at perfection but walking more and more and joyful fellowship with him and in holiness that’s what we want and if you’re a christian that means you have the holy spirit so you can do this you can do this you must do this and you will and borrowing some language there from pastor john mcarthur i think it’s very helpful you can you must you will if you really know christ what is unacceptable is a lack of change and the lack of effort to change if your heart is not in your repentance well of course you’ll never bear lasting fruit but if your heart is truly turned to god then you should be willing to do whatever it takes to gain christ and to put off sin that’s what it means to be a christian now don’t forget the things we’ve just been learning in ecclesiastes this is not something that you’re just supposed to do by yourself you need to take advantage of the means of grace that god has given you what does that mean i’m talking about things like reading the word of god hearing the word preached praying enjoying the lord’s table and fellowshipping with one another that discipleship that ministry to one another is supposed to be taking place between believers in the church you need this we need this we need to be spurring on one another in our repentance and in our sanctification you say oh i keep struggling with the sin and keep struggling and keep struggling have you actually reached out for anyone to help you no no i’ll overcome overcome well why haven’t you done that yet don’t you see that god gave you the church so that you can have victory you’re not supposed to go alone life is better together so don’t fail to take advantage of these means of grace it’s actually how you progress in your sanctification that’s part of your repentance being willing being committed to do whatever it takes means you take advantage of the means of grace it’s that important your understanding needs to be changed in that way if i’m not going to walk in sin i do need to be in the scriptures for any of this to begin you of course have to come to christ you have to have come to christ in a fundamental way so you need to examine where your heart is this is a good time to do so this is the changing of the years like i said last week it’s a good time to reflect on how you’re living before god and others so where are you where’s your heart have you ever repented before christ truly repented and now is that repentance working itself out in a continual lifestyle a full repentance of the inner man understanding emotions will that leads to tangible fruits of righteousness in the outer man that other people can say can see and say wow you really have repented praise the lord and maybe brothers and sisters that at the start of 2021 the first thing that we need to repent of is our old repenting but by the grace of god you and i can do this we can walk with christ in holiness and therefore know the blessing of his fellowship remember that god does not hold any sinner any repentant sinner at arm’s length jesus says that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 who need no repentance who think they need no repentance so now is the time there’s like a banquet promised for you with god when you truly repent so do it now’s the time embrace the lord’s invitation come and repent this is a great time to do it right at the beginning of the year and then bear fruit show the lord show others and show yourself i really am different the lord has done a work in me so i’m going to walk new with him now let’s enjoy the banquet of god’s kindness forgiveness and grace as we repent at the beginning of this year let’s pray oh god i thank you for this word lord i know it is a word that may be wounding to some who are here today but i know what the proverb says faithful are the wounds of a friend and deceitful are the kisses of an enemy lord you wound us for our good you show us our sin and our need to repent so that we may obtain something better which is you lord for those who need to repent i pray that they would today even now this moment that their hearts would be changed in a full way and lord there if there needs to be repentance in relationships i pray that that also would take place in a true way with lasting fruit god we cannot do this on our own so we ask for your grace and power to do it what you say you will provide for those that are that know you lord be merciful and we trust that you are merciful so we come to you in repentance forgive us our sins but thank you for your forgiveness and the new life we have in christ help us to walk worthy in jesus name amen