A few weeks ago now I preached
on the subject of faith from that three-fold text that we
have in the New Testament, the just shall live by faith, and
then two weeks ago I preached on the subject of repentance. Well I would like to continue
this morning on that theme of repentance, this time from Jeremiah
chapter 31, where we read of the repentance of Ephraim. Jeremiah
31 verses 19 and 20. Jeremiah 31 verses 19 and 20. Surely after that I was turned,
I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, yea, even confounded,
because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is he for him, my
dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since
I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore
my bowels are troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon
him, saith the Lord. Chapters 30 and 31 of this book
of the Prophet Jeremiah are of a piece. These two chapters form
one prophecy. And in these two chapters, in
this particular prophecy, there is the promise of the restoration
of the Jews to their own land. Now this has long since been
fulfilled. And it's not something which
is yet to be fulfilled, it's not something which is being
fulfilled now. It was fulfilled, it has been fulfilled. It was
fulfilled in the return of the captivity from Babylon, which
commenced under the Persian emperor Cyrus in the year 538 BC. The
Jews were to return to their own land and rebuild the temple
and the city of Jerusalem. It was to that temple that the
Messiah was to come. And so there are also, in these
chapters, many gospel promises. including, of course, the promise
of the new covenant which we have from verse 31 of this chapter. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by
the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant
they break, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord. But
this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in
their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will
be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall
teach no more, every man his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me. From the least
of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord, for I will
forgive their iniquity. and I will remember their sin
no more." And that scripture is of course
quoted by the Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews. And
was not the release from the captivity itself a type of the
deliverance of the Lord's people from captivity to sin and Satan? and was not the restoration of
Israel, or Judah, a type of reconciliation with God? Remember the woman
of Tekoa, who spoke to King David, in the second book of Samuel,
for we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground,
which cannot be gathered up again, neither doth God respect any
person, yet doth he devise means. that his banished be not expelled
from him. God had devised means, and the
means was the decree of Cyrus, to bring back his banished again
to their own land. And God has devised means of
bringing all his banished elect back to himself. And that means
is the Gospel. And was not the Reformation the
means which God devised to deliver his church from her Babylonian
captivity to Antichrist and all his idolatry and false doctrines? Ephraim fell into the sin of
idolatry. Hosea chapter 4 verse 17 Ephraim
is joined to idols let him alone ah but then he is delivered and
granted repentance Hosea 14 a few chapters on verse 8 Ephraim shall
say what have I to do any more with idols And that is what we see here
in these two verses. Ephraim's repentance. Surely
after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed,
I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, yea, even confounded,
because I did bear the reproach of my youth, Is he free, my dear
son? Is he a pleasant child? For since
I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore
my bowels are troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon
him. We have in these verses the doctrine
and the experience of real repentance. You know, the Church of England
in its 39 articles, recommends the reading of the homilies.
And I would recommend the reading of the homilies. They're very
good. A homily is a sermon which is intended to explain a doctrine
or a passage of scripture. Largely composed by Archbishop
Cranmer and Bishop Jewell, the books of homilies were introduced
into the Reformed Church of England because there was a lack of capable
preachers at the time. These were the official sermons,
if you like, of the Church of England. And one of the homilies
is entitled, Of Repentance and of True Reconciliation unto God. And it begins like this. There
is nothing that the Holy Ghost doth so much labor in all the
Scriptures to beat into men's heads as repentance, amendment
of life, and speedy returning unto the Lord God of hosts. And
no marvel why, for we do daily and hourly, by our wickedness
and stubborn disobedience, horribly fall away from God, thereby purchasing
unto ourselves, if he should deal with us according to his
justice, eternal damnation. so that no doctrine is so necessary
in the Church of God as is the doctrine of repentance and amendment
of life. Well, we would say Amen to that.
And yet this doctrine is no longer taught in the Church of England.
In the July of the year 2000, The block of wood, known as Our
Lady of Wottingham, was carried on a tour of English cathedrals.
It came to Portsmouth Cathedral. A solemn mass was held in the
cathedral on that occasion, bearing in mind that the cathedral was and is a Church of England
cathedral. a supposed reformed cathedral. And the doctrine of
the Church of England, in its own articles, it states that
masses are blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits. Well, some of us protested against
this idolatry outside the cathedral on that occasion. I can't believe
it's actually 25 years ago this year. But following the protest, A letter of complaint was written
to Portsmouth's local newspaper, the News. The writer of the letter
complained, and I quote, I was told that I would end up in hell
if I did not repent of my sins. Well again, we would add our
amen to that. What a day we are in, aren't
we? When a person has to hear that
solemn truth outside the cathedral because he will never hear it
inside the cathedral and how sad it is and how solemn
for that individual that he should be so offended at such a truth
as this which is the truth of the Word of God that he should
find this doctrine so offensive I was told that I would end up
in hell if I did not repent of my sins that is the truth of
the Word of God Did not Jesus say, twice in fact, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Oh, if these things were taught
in the Church of England today, I think we would see a very,
very different Church of England. In fact, I think we would see
a very different nation. The doctrine of repentance and
amendment of life is very necessary. It is a fundamental Christian
doctrine. It is a foundational doctrine. As Paul says, writing
to the Hebrews, The Lord Jesus Christ himself began to preach
this doctrine at the commencement of his ministry, after his baptism. Matthew 4 verse 17. From that
time Jesus began to preach and to say repent for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand. At the conclusion of his earthly
ministry, after his resurrection from the dead, he gave a charge
to his disciples to preach this doctrine of repentance as we
considered, as I say, two weeks ago. Luke 24 verse 46, and he
said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to
suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Well, there is not much preaching
of the doctrine of repentance These days, we don't see much
of the practice of true repentance either. Oh, there are many decisions
and commitments, much church attendance, chapel
attendance, but not much in the way of real
repentance. Real repentance. And even when
there is the preaching of repentance in these days, it is often erroneously
set forth. We are greatly mistaken if we
imagine that repentance is an act of the flesh, a decision
of the flesh, that it is of the will of the flesh, or a duty
of the flesh. Flesh is flesh and it will always
be flesh. and the flesh will not repent
it cannot repent that which is born of the flesh is flesh and
that which is born of the spirit is spirit or there may be a fleshly
or carnal repentance but not that which is truly spiritual
the flesh will never it can never do that which is spiritual which
is what true evangelical repentance is true repentance, real repentance,
that repentance which is truly spiritual must be of God or despises
thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance
concerning Christ it is written him hath God exalted with his
right hand to be a prince and a saviour for to give repentance
to Israel and forgiveness of sins Again in Acts we read of
the Gentiles, then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance
unto life. But Paul exhorts Timothy, doesn't
he? In his second epistle, in meekness,
instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure
will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. And see how the prophet Jeremiah
speaks here in verse three of this chapter. The Lord hath appeared
of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. Therefore, with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee. Repentance, like faith, is the
gift of God. Are we drawn to God in true repentance? The praise is due to God alone. It is the outworking of his everlasting
and eternal love. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's
sake. In verse 18, we see Ephraim confessing his
own inability to turn to God of his own self. Turn thou me
and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God. Oh he is
wholly unable to turn himself to God, the Lord his God must
turn him. Turn thou me and I shall be turned
for thou art the Lord my God. And the confession of Ephraim
in verse 19 is very clear. Surely after that I was turned,
I repented. After that I was turned, I repented.
Unless the Lord had turned me, I should never have repented.
God must turn the heart of the sinner and then there will be
true repentance. Salvation is of the Lord. again we see it there in Hosea
14 verse 8 Ephraim shall say what have I to do any more with
idols I have heard him and observed him I am like a green fir tree
from me is thy fruit found from me is thy fruit found well the
words of our text Here in Jeremiah 31 verses 19 and 20 yield us
four precious truths concerning the true penitent. Firstly, the
true penitent is precious. And secondly, the true penitent
is pleasant. Thirdly, the true penitent is
productive. And then fourthly, the true penitent
is a pupil. Firstly then, the true penitent
is precious. How precious in the sight of
the Lord are those who repent. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since
I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore
my bowels are troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon
him, saith the Lord. Oh, he calls them his sons. Such is the depth of his love
towards them that his bowels are troubled for them. Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God. And what precious promises there
are for true penitence. Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. And we are exalted, aren't we?
Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children. Penitence are precious, that
dear children. They are the sons of God. A child
is precious to its parents, is it not? Can a woman forget her
sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son
of her womb? Yea, they may forget. Yet will
not I forget thee. And so we have it here, the Lord
God says of His true penitent child Ephraim, I do earnestly
remember him still. Therefore my bowels are troubled
for him. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. Yes, repenting sinners are precious
in his sight. Hear the words of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I say unto you that likewise
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than
over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance. Oh,
they are precious, for they are loved with an everlasting love.
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee. They are precious, for they are
redeemed by precious blood. Precious blood has been shed
for them. Forasmuch as ye know that ye
are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot oh how precious must that soul
be for whom Christ would shed his blood his precious precious
blood for the redemption of their soul is precious, says the psalmist. Well the bodies, as well as the
souls of the Lord's repentant people are likewise precious.
Again in the Psalms we read, precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of his saints. The bodies of the Lord's people
are not to be left in their graves. They are to be raised incorruptible
at the last day. On that last day the command
shall be given, gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing
be lost. Jesus said, And this is the Father's
will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me
I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last
day. Nothing is to be lost. Yes, the bodies as well as the
souls of the Lord's repentant and believing people are redeemed
and shall be raised again at the last day for their bodies
as well as their souls are precious in his sight and nothing be lost. The true penitent then is very
precious and secondly the true penitent is pleasant. Those who
turn to God or should I say rather who are turned to God and who
repent of their sins are the Ephraim of God. They are the
true Ephraim. They are dear sons. They are
pleasant children. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he
a pleasant child? It's not that they feel themselves
to be pleasant children, not at all, quite the opposite. Surely
after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed,
I smote upon my thigh, I was ashamed, yea, even confounded,
because I did bear the reproach of my youth. They are ashamed
because of all their sins. They are confounded because of
their iniquities and because of their fallen nature. They
feel themselves to be nothing but unworthy and unprofitable
servants. Like the prodigal son in the
parable, they say, I will arise and go to my father and will
say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before
thee and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as
one of thy hired servants. As he approaches his father,
or rather as his father runs to meet him, he says father I
have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy
to be called thy son yes not worthy, not worthy is the language
of the true penitent and of true repentance this is the language
of the Ephraimite indeed this was the language of Jacob was
it not? I'm not worthy of the least of all the mercies and
of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant. This
was the language of John the Baptist. I indeed baptise you
with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier
than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. This was the language of the
centurion, whose servant the Lord healed. Lord, I am not worthy
that thou shouldest come under my roof. or the true penitent feels himself
to be utterly unworthy. He's not pleasant in his own
eyes. Oh, but he is pleasant in the eyes of his God. He is
the object of his delight, literally a child of delights! As the words
are in the original Hebrew, a child of delights! And why is it that
the humbled sinner is such an object of delight in the eyes
of God? the true penitent is God's own
work. It's the product of God's own
free and sovereign and supernatural and creative power. It is his
creation and he delights in it and God saw everything that he
had made and behold it was very good. why this is a new creation therefore
if any man be in Christ he is a new creature all things are
passed away behold all things are become new the repentant
sinner is one who has a new heart this heart is given by God and
it is promised in the new covenant, the covenant of grace, and so
it is written in Ezekiel, a new heart also will I give you, and
a new spirit will I put within you. It is a broken and a contrite
heart. For thou desirest not sacrifice,
else would I give it. Thou desirest not in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. a broken
and a contrite heart, O God, thou would not despise. A heart
humbled on account of sin is a very pleasing thing in the
sight of a holy God, because it is the work of God himself. It's God's own work. It is what
makes Ephraim a pleasant child. And thirdly, the true penitent
is productive. The name Ephraim means fruitful,
and the true penitent brings forth fruits, meat for repentance. What's the substance of Paul's
preaching? Speaking before King Agrippa,
he testified, Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient
unto the heavenly vision, that showed first unto them of Damascus,
and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coast of Judea, and then
to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and turn to God, and
do works meet for repentance. Good works are the fruit of a
true and genuine repentance, as well as of a true and lively
faith. It's interesting to note that
John the Baptist looked for evidences of repentance as being necessary
for the ordinance of baptism in Matthew chapter 3 verse 5. We read then went out to him
Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan
and were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins. But when
he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism,
he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you
to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits,
meat for repentance. Bring forth therefore fruits,
meat for repentance. The alternative reading There
in the margin of Matthew 3 verse 8 reads bring forth therefore
fruits answerable to amendment of life. Fruits answerable to amendment
of life. Peter likewise urged repentance
and then baptism. Baptism following repentance
in Acts chapter 2 verse 38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent,
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost. When we see an infant bringing
forth fruits answerable to amendment of life, When we see an infant
confessing the name of Christ and professing faith in Him,
then we will gladly baptize that infant. But not until then. We urge repentance. We urge amendment
of life. We preach repentance. We're not
antinomians as some falsely allege. For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us. that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously
and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works. Zealous of good works, that's
what we are, we trust by God's grace. We see fourthly and finally that
the true penitent is a pupil. And after that I was instructed,
I smote upon my thigh. We read here in the words of
our text in verse 19. The penitent is a pupil. He is
one who is taught of God. He knows the divine instruction
in his soul. And so it is written in Isaiah
in words which are addressed to the church of God. and all
thy children shall be taught of the Lord. And see where this divine teaching
and instruction brings him. See where it leads. And after
that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh. The smiting upon the thigh is
expressive of the deepest humiliation and grief and sorrow for sin. It is that sorrowing after a
godly sword. It has its New Testament equivalent
in the publican, of whom we read in Luke 18, and the publican
standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven,
but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner. The true penitent is taught something
of the depravity of his heart. and after that I was instructed
I smote upon my thigh. All those who are brought to
a true and real repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ must and shall be brought to know something experimentally
of their lost and ruined condition. We are brought to realize just
what guilty wretches we really are. we're brought to confess
with William Gadsby we by nature are disgraceful nothing but the
filth of hell all our righteousness is hateful who can half our baseness
tell Satan's captives and we loved his service well yes we are talking about all
unrighteousness or in the words of Isaiah that we are all as
an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags. We're taught that we deserve nothing but hell. And the true penitent is taught,
as we said earlier, his own inability to turn himself to God and to
repent. Turn thou me and I shall be turned. For thou art the Lord my God. This is the teaching of God under
the law. And this is the first lesson in the school of divinity.
Such instruction will cause anguish of soul, a trembling before God,
a smiting of the thigh, cries for mercy, perhaps sleepless
nights thinking of eternity and where you will spend eternity.
But the second lesson, The second lesson, however, is altogether
sweeter. The Lord Jesus Christ declares,
it is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught
of God. Every man, therefore, that hath heard and hath learned
of the Father cometh unto me. In self we see nothing but sin. In Christ we see nothing but
goodness and mercy and forgiveness, nothing but righteousness and
peace, nothing but grace and truth. We see in him all that
our poor souls need. These are lessons that you will
never learn in Bible college. A professor of divinity cannot
teach you these things. no matter how sound he might
be your parents can't teach you these things an angel from heaven
cannot teach you these things at least savingly indeed if an
angel from heaven were to attempt to instruct you in these things
it would be altogether in vain only that instruction which is
of God will do and they shall be all taught of God and you
know this instruction will never cease until that day when we
shall know even as we are known. And the true Christian will be
continually smiting his thigh all the way from the city of
destruction to the celestial city, all the way in his journey
through this vain world, this veil of tears, to heaven and
to glory. You see, there is such a thing
as growth in grace. Article 20 of the Gospel Standard Articles
speaks of the great change which is wrought in the heart by the
grace of God, and of God's teaching in the soul, and it speaks of
that growth in grace. And I think that this is the
finest definition and description of growth in grace that there
is in any of the Protestant and Reformed confessions of faith.
We believe that the grace of God produces a real change in
a man, and teaches him to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,
and to live godly, and that there is a growth in grace which consists
principally in a growing experimental knowledge of a man's sinful self,
the vanity of the creature, the glory of God, the spirituality
of his law, the want and worth of Jesus Christ, This is accompanied
by a deepening distrust of everything but the grace and love of God
in Christ for salvation and not a growth in conscious goodness
but in felt necessity and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. I don't think you'll find a finer
statement on growth in grace than that in all Christendom. all true believers must and shall
be instructed in this way by degrees for after all it is a
growth in grace. Doesn't come all at once, there's
a growth. Whom shall I teach knowledge and whom shall he make
to understand doctrine? then that are weaned from the
milk and drawn from the breasts, for precept must be upon precept,
precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a
little and there a little. Some are instructed to a great
degree at the beginning of their pilgrimage. Others are brought
into deeper waters and deeper experience or exercise further
on in the way. It was said of William Tiptoe
that in his early days he felt but little of the dreadful evils
of his heart, of its natural hardness, impenitence, unbelief
and infidelity, nor had he groaned and sighed at least to any great
or long extent under the weight and burden of a body of sin and
death. Now this was a man greatly used
of God. Later on, however, he was to
write in one of his letters, I know and feel too much of my
corrupt nature to be content with speaking of the Trinity,
as many do in word, and thus call themselves Christians. I'm
sure nothing will do for a sensible sinner but a knowledge in rule,
in the soul, by the blessed Spirit of God. All things here below
seem opposed in my view to the spiritual kingdom in the heart.
Pride, lust, selfishness, unbelief and strong love of self with
the powerful influence of the devil seem to tread down and
destroy everything in the soul which strives for and searches
after eternal things. When I would do good, evil is
present with me. Now what do we know? What do
we know? What do you know? What do I know?
Of this teaching in our own souls. Again, Tiptaf was to write, I
am more and more convinced that no religion will do to die by
which does not work by power and bring a man to see and feel
himself very vile, very ignorant and very helpless. And if a man
is really weighed down and pressed in spirit through inward trials
and outward crosses, he will not want to live always and will
not be puffed up by being upon good terms with himself. Nor
will he find delight and happiness in his worldly plans and ways.
Vanity of vanities, he must at times say, and desire to know
Christ as his everything, his all in all. Is that what you
desire to know? Christ as your everything? Your
all in all? Oh, what blessed teaching this
is! What blessed teaching this is! And after that I was instructed,
I smote upon my thigh. There is a gracious design in
all our inward trials and outward crosses. If today he deigns to
bless us with a sense of pardon sin, perhaps tomorrow he'll distress
us, make us feel the plague within, or to make us sick of self and
fond. Him. Yes, inward trials will make
us sick of self and fond of Christ. Outward trials,
outward crosses will make us sick of the world and yearn for
heaven, to be with Christ, which is far better. Well may we each
know the Spirit's teaching and this divine instruction in our
own souls and may we prove to be true penitents at last. Ephraims or Ephraimites indeed. Surely after that I was turned
I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh
I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach
of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he
a pleasant child? For since I spake against him,
I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore my bowels are troubled
for him. I will surely have mercy upon
him, saith the Lord. Amen.