FRUITS OF REPENTANCE
The
churches of
Christ Greet You (Romans
TEXT:
Luke 13:1-5: There were
present at
that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate
had
mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to
them, do
you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other
Galileans,
because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless
you repent
you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the
tower in
Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners
than all
other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you
repent
you will all likewise perish.
Loved
ones, all of
God’s prophets of old were preachers of repentance. It is still the
same today.
Preachers still understand that the most difficult aspect of
Christianity is
found in Acts 17:30. There God commands
“all
men everywhere to repent.”
It’s hard
for some to
obey that command.
Why is it
so difficult
- so hard for us to repent? Well, first of all
(as we’ll study later in this
lesson), repentance
involves both a change of mind and a change of conduct. As human
beings, who
have been given the power of choice, we don’t change our minds or lives
very
easily. Therefore, it is a challenge for us to repent.
Secondly,
repentance
implies one is on the wrong path, and none of us wants to admit we are
wrong
(Amen?). But loved ones, Jesus still says that unless we repent, we
will perish
(Luke 13:3).
If God
were still giving
special miraculous gifts today, we would ask for the power, above
everything
else, to cause men to repent. But since we don’t have that ability, all we
can do is spend a
little quality time in God’s word dealing with this difficult matter of
repentance.
We want to
impress on
each soul under the sound of our voice (or reading these words) the
need for
repentance. Somebody sitting in front of us right now needs to repent.
Some that are at home this morning when
they should be here in
worship need to repent. Our goal is for you to humble yourself today
and turn
from your sin by turning to God.
Lord
willing, we will
study this subject of repentance from four different angles: 1)
Repentance is
individual, inclusive and indispensable. 2) What does repentance
involve? 3) How
is repentance brought about? 4) What are the results of repentance?
I.
REPENTANCE IS INDIVIDUAL, INCLUSIVE and INDISPENSABLE
A. Repentance is
Individual. "Except ye
repent," said Jesus (Luke 13:3). "Repent and be baptized every one of
you" (Acts 2:38), said Peter. Repentance is something that each
individual must do for himself. It cannot be done by proxy. No parent
can
repent for his children. No preacher can repent for the members.
Repentance is
individual.
No doubt,
many times we
may overlook our own need of repentance because we think our sins are
NOT as
great as those committed by others. In the text of Luke 13:1-5, Jesus
clearly
points out this fact. Some people had informed Him of the terrible sins
committed by the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their
sacrifices. But Jesus declared, "You need NOT think that these
Galileans
were sinners above all Galileans. You must repent of your sins
or you
will perish." Because you think your sins are NOT as great as others does NOT excuse you of your need to repent.
The
eighteen upon whom
the tower of Siloam fell and killed were offenders, but the Lord
implied they
were NOT sinners above all those who dwelt in Jerusalem. Some no doubt
thought
that since they had NOT done as badly as those offenders, that they
were all
right and did NOT need to repent. But that was a mistake. Jesus
declared,
"Except you repent, you shall likewise perish."
We
sometimes think, “My
sins are little sins, but yours are big sins. Your sins are so big (as
I view
them), and mine are so little, I overlook my need of repentance. I
think you
are the one who needs to repent and not I.” Friends, the Bible does NOT
speak
of big sins and little sins as far as man's need of repentance is
concerned. No
doubt some sins are more grievous than
others, and the
consequences are therefore different. But the point is that every man
must
repent of his own sins, regardless of what others' sins might
be.
Repentance is individual.
B. Repentance is
Inclusive. “God commandeth
all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
There is no exception. We have all sinned and come
short of
the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). A part of the remedy for sin is
genuine
repentance (Acts 8:22). All men everywhere are to repent. God has
commanded it.
Repent or perish!
There is
NO use in
trying to wiggle out of your need to repent. There is little value in
seeking
escape through consultations with psychiatrists unless you are ready to
repent.
All must repent. Repentance is inclusive.
C.
Repentance is Indispensable.
Repentance is a must thing. God has commanded every man
to repent. Christ has incorporated repentance in the Great Commission.
In Luke
24:47, He commanded that “repentance and remission of sins should be
preached
in his name among all nations.” Repentance is therefore essential to
salvation or
the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Men have no choice. What God has
commanded,
men must do or perish! Repentance is indispensable.
II.
WHAT DOES REPENTANCE INVOLVE?
Since it
is imperative
that every individual repent of his sins, it is needful that every man know what repentance involves. Since actions are
prompted by
thoughts and behavior by decisions (Prov. 23:7), the process of
repenting must
begin in the heart – in the mind. Concerning the heart, three things
are
involved in genuine repentance: a change of intellect, a change of
emotions,
and a change of will.
A. Repentance involves
a Change of Intellect
Repentance
includes knowledge
of sins — a conviction of personal sins committed (a change of
intellect). When
Isaiah was convicted of his sins, he said, "Woe is me ... I am a man of
unclean lips" (Isa. 6:5). When Job was convinced that he was a sinner,
he said,
"I abhor myself and repent" (Job 42:6). When
Peter was convicted of his sins, he said,
"I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8). When Paul was convicted of his sins,
he called himself "the chief of sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15). We must be
aware that death awaits us if we continue in our sins, for "the wages
of
sin is death" (Rom. 6:23).
We must
also be aware
that we CANNOT save ourselves by our own goodness. All our good deeds
and the
acts of morality will NOT rid us of the fact that we have sinned.
Repentance
includes a change of intellect. Where once we
ignored our
sins, now we must be acutely aware of them.
B. Repentance involves
a Change of Emotions
True
repentance
includes a change of emotions. There must be a Godly sorrow because we
have
broken the laws of our loving Father. There is a difference between
Godly
sorrow and worldly sorrow. Paul wrote, "Godly sorrow worketh repentance
unto salvation; . . . but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (2
Cor.
7:10). Godly sorrow leads to repentance. Worldly sorrow leads to death.
Where once
I thought
nothing of sinning against my God, after hearing and believing the
Gospel, my
emotions changed and I’m sorry I ever offended Him. My Godly sorrow has
lead me to repent of my sins (daily) [this
emotion change will
be discussed further below under How
Repentance is Brought About].
C.
Repentance involves a Change of Will
It is when
we come to
the will that we find the very heart of repentance. Included in Bible
repentance is a whole-hearted determination to forsake sin. God’s
prophet said
“the unrighteous man must forsake his thoughts” (Isa. 55:7). This attitude to forsake sin will be a
day-by-day series of decisions. The Bible sometimes calls this process
“dying
to self” (Col. 3:4-7). We must love the Lord our God with our whole
heart,
soul, mind and strength. Jesus said, “If any man would come after me,
let him
deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
Bible repentance includes a change of the will -- a whole-hearted
decision and
determination to forsake sin DAILY.
III.
HOW IS THIS REPENTANCE BROUGHT ABOUT?
A. The Holy Spirit has
something to do with it
It is the
work of the
Holy Spirit to bring about this repentance. It is the Holy Spirit who
reproves
or convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John
16:7-11). The
Holy Spirit works through the preached and written living Word (Eph.
6:17). As an
example, the Bible says “the men of Nineveh…repented at the preaching
of Jonah”
(Matthew 12:41). Their repentance saved that generation (Jonah 3:1-10). Thus,
the Holy Spirit
working through the word of God leads us to repent! He’s working on you
and me
right now.
B. Godly Sorrow leads
to Repentance
Emotionally,
we have
already seen that Godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation… but the
sorrow
of the world leads to death (2 Cor. 7:10). Not only is there a
difference
between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow, but there is a difference
between
Godly sorrow and repentance. Godly sorrow and repentance are NOT equal.
According
to Paul, Godly sorrow for sin stands related to repentance as cause to
effect.
“Godly sorrow” he says, "worketh repentance unto salvation, a
repentance
which bringeth no regret" (2 Corinthians 7:8-10).
Since
Godly sorrow brings
men to repentance, this implies that there may be sorrow for sin
without
repentance (worldly
sorrow). This is illustrated in the case of Judas, who experienced the
most
intense sorrow for sin; but instead of working repentance, it drove
him to
suicide (Matt. 27:3-5).
Here is
another illustration
of the difference between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Suppose that
while I
am visiting your home, I find your wallet and remove from it a $10
bill. Soon
the visit is over and I go home. After arriving home I receive a call
from you
saying you saw me take the $10, and would I please return it. Would I
be sorry,
you ask. Yes, I would be very sorry, but only sorry I was caught. That
is
worldly sorrow. The jails and penitentiaries are full of people with
worldly
sorrow. Yes, they are very sorry, but sorry they were caught.
Now let's
think of
Godly sorrow. Suppose I had taken the $10 from the wallet; later, after
I was
home, I begin to think of the evil I had done to my friend. I become
very sorry
for what I did. Finally my sorrow leads to repentance. I write you a
letter explaining
that I stole the $10 and am very sorry, return the $10, and beg your
forgiveness. That would be Godly sorrow — a sorrow that leads to
repentance.
Worldly
sorrow results
from the negative consequences of sin and may cause one to reform, but
there is
no salvation in it. An adulterer may break up with his mistress solely
to save
his marriage; an alcoholic may put down the bottle to save his liver; a
politician
might clean up his language to be more electable. The unfaithful in
attendance
may appear for worship once in a while so that she does NOT have to
deal with
the calls from the brethren that miss her.
These may
be beneficial
in the short-term; yet, they will NOT save the soul. But when one
ceases adultery,
alcohol, filthy speech and unfaithfulness in response to learning that
these
sins grieve God; and that continuance in them will lead to the wrath of
God and
eternal punishment in hell; that godly sorrow will cause him to repent.
His
repentance will cause him to obey the Lord or obey the gospel, and then
he can
be saved eternally.
C. The Goodness of God
The
goodness of God
leads us to repentance. Romans 2:4 throws light on the subject of how
repentance is brought about: "Despisest thou the riches of his goodness
and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of
God
leadeth thee to repentance?"
The
goodness of God
includes everything God has done for us: life, friends, loved ones,
food,
clothing, opportunities for every material progress, and best of all,
His only
begotten Son. O, how good and patient, kind and loving, our Heavenly
Father has
been! O, how that goodness should melt our stony hearts. With what
earnestness
we should all cease our evil ways. The goodness of God leads us to
repentance.
D. The thought of
Promised Judgment
The
thought of promised
judgment also leads us to repent. “The times of ignorance therefore God
overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere
repent:
inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained," and He has shown unto
all men that a judgment is coming, “in that he hath raised Jesus from
the dead"
(Acts 17:30- 31). Because we have no desire to go to Hell, the thought
of the
approaching judgment leads us to repentance.
So, we see
that this
repentance that is so needed by us all, this change of intellect,
emotion, and
will, is brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word,
Godly
sorrow, the goodness of God, and the thought of the approaching
judgment.
IV.
WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF REPENTANCE?
Repentance
results in a
reformation of life. Your thoughts, speech and conduct must change by
turning
to God. This means that repentance is NOT equal to a reformation of
life. Like
Godly sorrow is related to repentance as cause to effect, so is
repentance
related to reformation of life as cause to effect.
SUMMARY:
Godly sorrow
produces Repentance (Repentance is the fruit of Godly Sorrow – 2
Corinthians
7:8-10). Repentance results in Reformation of life (Reformation of life
is the
fruit of Repentance – Luke 3:8). Therefore, repentance is both an
effect and a
cause. It is the effect of Godly sorrow and the cause of a reformation
of life.
John the
Baptizer said
to the impenitent Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him to be
baptized,
“Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8). In
other words
he told them to produce fruit that would be consistent with their
professed
repentance. John here likens repentance unto a tree, and the fruits are
the
actions of a reformed life. Thus, repentance without a reformation of
life is
like a tree that bears no fruit.
Restitution
when possible
is a necessary result of repentance.
No one can hope to genuinely
repent and
further obey the gospel to procure remission of sins, if he has NOT
righted all
wrongs insofar as it is humanly possible. If one has injured another’s
body,
reputation or property, it is required that he shall restore as far as
is in
his power what has been wrongfully taken. However, God does NOT expect
the
impossible. Of course, it was humanly impossible for King David to
restore the
life of Uriah, or to restore to Uriah his wife (2 Samuel 11).
Repentance
results in
or brings a hatred of sin into our life. The Hebrew writer wrote, “Thou
hast
loved righteousness, and hated iniquity” (Hebrews 11:8). Jude wrote,
"Hating
even the garment spotted by the flesh" (Jude 23). Hatred of sin will
bring
us to the place where we no longer want to live in sin. There is NOT
one verse
of Scripture that indicates that we can be a Christian and yet live any
kind of
life we want. We have the warning from Christ that He will NOT receive
us into
His kingdom until we are ready to give up all — until we are ready to
turn from
all sin in our lives.
Halfway
repentance is
NO repentance at all! We cannot say, “I'll give up some of my sins,
and hang
on to others. I’ll give up bad language, but I’ll NOT stop gambling my
God
given money away.” Jesus demands one hundred per cent surrender; and
when that
is accomplished (when we are determined to renounce and forsake sin and
yield
all to Christ), we have gone a long way towards finding peace with God.
Another
result of
repentance is joy in heaven. After telling the parables of the lost
sheep, the
lost coin, and the lost son, Jesus emphasized the point of all three by
saying,
"I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over
one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).
CONCLUSION
By way of
summary, repentance
is individual, inclusive and indispensable. It is a change of
intellect,
emotion and will. It is brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit, a
Godly
sorrow, the goodness of God and the thought of the approaching
judgment.
Repentance results in reformation of life, hatred of sin and joy in the
presence of God and His angels.
Before
giving you
another opportunity to come forward repenting of your sin, let it be
understood
that repentance is NOT forgiveness. Many honest people have believed
that
because they have repented of their sins, they were forgiven of their
sins.
This is NOT necessarily true. Repentance is a change of a person's own
heart.
Forgiveness is something that takes place in the mind of him who was
offended.
Remember
the
illustration about the $10: I stole it, thus offending you. I repented
of my
offense and asked for your forgiveness. You may or may NOT forgive me,
as you
see fit. So repentance is NOT forgiveness. Man has sinned against God.
He therefore
must repent and seek God's forgiveness. So please remember that
repentance is
NOT forgiveness, but it is an indispensable condition of forgiveness.
Where are
you this
morning? For the person that is still lost in sin, repentance will lead
you to
confess before men that Christ is God's Son, and that you wish Him to
be your
Savior. Repentance will lead you to be baptized for the remission of
your sins
(Acts 2:38). We therefore are pleading with you this morning to NOT
stubbornly
sit through another invitation to repent and obey God. Come forward and
make a
public change in your life.
If you are
already a child
of God, repentance will bring you back into fellowship with God. Your
sins have
separated you from your God and hid His face from you (Isa. 59:2).
However, the
blood of Jesus reconciles (or brings us back) to God. When you as a
Christian
confess and repent of your sins, the blood of Jesus continues to wash
those
sins away (James 5:16; 1 John 1:7).
The lesson
is yours.
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