Randall Caselman
8-27-97
Type: Sermon

Genuine Biblical Repentance

Reading — Luke 15.11-22

Last week we looked at saving faith from a harlot named Rahab. In that lesson we tried to answer the question, What is saving faith.

• First, we said that faith includes believing in God and His truths from Scripture. Rahab accepted the fact that God is and that He has and does intervene in history to make our salvation possible.

• Secondly, we noted that saving faith includes turning our back on this world. Rahab took a stand against the world and its culture. She renounced her past, burned her bridges and became a citizen in God's economy.

• Thirdly, we saw that saving faith includes taking the necessary action to save self and others. Rahab aided the spies, placed the scarlet cord in her window, as commanded. Saving faith is a faith which MOVES us to act. James says, faith without action, without deeds is dead.

Now this morning we want to continue the series

by looking at the next step in one's salvation... That is repentance.

The first thing we want to establish, this morning, is that repentance is necessary.

It is a Bible command... Note these scriptures with me:

• John the Baptist came preparing the way for the Kingdom of God. John's message was that men must repent in order to be a part of that Kingdom. His words in Matthew 3.2 were, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

• Jesus came to establish that Kingdom and tells us repentance is a must. Twice in Luke 13 Jesus says, I tell you, nay! But unless you repent, you will all perish.

• In Acts 2 Peter preached a moving sermon about the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, the expected Messiah... That He had indeed come to build His church, His Kingdom. His audience was convinced and convicted of their sin and ask, what must we do to be saved? Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ 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,

• Paul, on Mars Hill, told those gentiles of the Areopagus, In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

• Peter speaks of God's patience with us in 2 Peter 3.9, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

• The word of God closes with the warning to the seven churches of Asia and to us, Jesus says, Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Now that we have seen that repentance is necessary, let's define repentance.

What does it mean to repent? We'll do this in two ways,

by noting what repentance is not, than what genuine repentance really is.

Repentance is not just believing.

Faith and repentance are two separate acts. Now its true, our faith should lead us to repentance, faith should include repentance. Rahab's faith lead her to repentance, she turned her back on the world and its culture and turned to God. The bottom line of Peter's sermon in Acts two was that his audience might believe. He told his audience as much in 2.36, Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Then when they ask, what must we do Peter told them to repent and be baptized. Believing is not repentance... James tells us the devils believe, but they do not repent... RIGHT?

Repentance is not merely 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, 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 the jails and prisons. They are not sorry about wrongdoing, but are simply sorry they were caught.

Perhaps the best example of a false repentance through worldly sorrow is that of Judas. Matthew 27.3-5 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 not 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 leave them out of her will. This is not repentance... It's mere reformation.

I spoke at a church a few years ago and the preacher told me that he had baptized a man, who after his baptism, said, now maybe my wife will stop nagging me. Was this genuine Biblical repentance?... No it was political reformation. We must not think that political reformation, doing something to please others, is Biblical repentance. Its 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 fear.

There are two kinds of fear - Godly fear and simply being scared. Solomon said, to fear God and keep His commandments is the whole duty of man. The man who has no fear of God has reached a most dangerous position. We should fear God in the sense that we reverence Him, respect Him and obey Him. But, a person can simply be scared of God and still not repent. James 2.19 says, the demons tremble in fear, because they believe in God, but they don’t repent.

Repentance is not just being religious.

One may be a very religious person, and never repent of their sins. The Pharisees were like that, and John the Baptist frankly told them that he doubted their repentance was genuine. 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.

Webster says repentance is:

• To remember with sorrow, to feel remorse for sin.

• To feel such regret and sorrow that one changes his mind.

• To feel sorrow and remorse for sin, enough to change one's ways.

In the Greek, repentance literally means, a change of mind, but it goes much deeper than that.

• It is a change of direction in mind, heart, and life.

• It is a conscious turning from self, sin Satan and turning back to God.

I believe we find a scriptural definition of repentance in Joel 2.12-14... Allow me to read it for you, 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 morning for the dead. It is the word used, in the Septuagint, 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. Those of the Sanhedrin tore their clothes when Jesus said, He was the Son of God. It should have been their hearts that were torn. 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.... Those who have a torn heart because of their sins.

• Thirdly, Joel says return to the Lord and bring Him offerings... 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.

Notice with me now, some Biblical examples of repentance

and what we can learn from them.

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... Verse 8. 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.

Are any of us, here this morning, like Jonah? Do we need to repent and change the direction of our lives. Instead of running from God — We need to run to Him... And with Him.

How about David?

For David, repentance meant a personal admission of our guilt. Nathan confronted David with his sin saying... Thou art the man. What did David do?You see repentance is agreeing with God on sin in our life. Will we agree, as did David, or will we continue to point our finger at others denying our own sins... Our own 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... PromotingChrist. Notice 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, just stop sinning... Not so... Not so at all. Paul turned a full 180 degrees. 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, 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.

Then there is the prodigal son of our text.

To him repentance meant leaving the pig pin behind and returning to the Fathers house. Our text says, he came to himself. Repentance is self examination... Seeing ourselves as we really are. Genuine repentance is leaving the pig pin 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 Zaccheaus.

Some today maintain that repentance has nothing to do with restitution. I believe those who teach this, choose to ignore Luke 19.8. Zaccheaus 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 Zaccheaus 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.

Well, what is it that motivates us to repentance?

What should cause us to repent?... I believe four things.

The first is fear of punishment.

Jesus tells us in the Sermon On The Mount, Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. The Hebrew's writer declares, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Secondly, the goodness, the kindness of God.

Romans 5.8 says, God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 2.4 asks this question, Will you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you towards repentance?

Then there is Godly sorrow.

Second Corinthians 7.10 says, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. David declares in Psalms 51.17, The sacrifices that God is looking for from us are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.

Godly sorrow moves us toward repentance.

The promise of a future reward is a proper motive for changing our life.

Romans 8.28 tells us that those willing to repent, willing to turn to God, can expect God to work on their behalf. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Jesus told his disciples and those of us here this morning, In my Father's house are many mansions... I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am... I am the way, the truth and the life. You see, the only way to Jesus is through repentance.

Let's finish the lesson by noting the role of repentance in our salvation.

Repentance is part of the gospel of Christ.

On Pentecost Peter preached 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.

• Why would Peter say, He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

You see, it is not possible to obey the gospel, it's not possible to become a child of God, 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.

• Repentance is having a broken contrite heart.

• Repentance is being poor in spirit.

• Repentance is mourning our sins.

• Repentance is being meek, humble enough to acknowledge our sins, confess our faults.

• Repentance is agreeing with God... Walking with God.

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.

I hope the lesson will help us understand Genuine Billical Repentance and that it is necessary for our eternal salvation.

The question is this: 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 repent of.

The good news is that, God in His patience, has given us one more opportunity to repent.

If repentance is your need, do it NOW.