Let us turn in the word of God
to Luke chapter 24 and to verses 46 and 47. Luke 24 verses 46
and 47. and we read of the Lord Jesus
Christ 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 among
his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem. These are the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ after he had risen from the dead and before he ascended
up into heaven. But it's really verse 47 that
I will concentrate on with you this morning. I trust with the
Lord's help. Verse 47 of Luke 24. And that repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning
at Jerusalem. Well, having preached on a previous
occasion on the subject of faith from those words which we find
three times in the New Testament, the just shall live by faith. It was the beginning of last
month I preached that threefold text. I thought it would be good
this morning to consider with you the doctrine of repentance. We considered last time the origin
and the object of true saving faith. It is of God, that is,
it is of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and
so believers are baptized in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, one God, hence the singular,
baptized in the name of. God, you see, is not only the origin of true
faith, is also the object of true saving faith. So true faith
is Trinitarian. True faith is Trinitarian. Those
who deny the Trinity, or the doctrine of the Trinity, do not
have a true, real, saving faith. They have God-deniers, whatever
they might profess. And true saving faith is always
accompanied by repentance. Faith and repentance are like
two sisters who can never be separated. Indeed, they're like
two inseparable, conjoined twins. We used to call them Siamese
twins. I don't know if we can call them that these days. The
point is one cannot live without the other. Where there is true
faith, there will always be real repentance. They are both essential
to salvation, but neither of them are the cause of salvation. They are produced in the heart
of the elect sinner in regeneration, or the new birth. The Puritan
Thomas Watson said, the two great graces essential to a saint in
this life are faith and repentance. These are the two wings by which
he flies to heaven. We see them closely tied together
in the holy scriptures. We read of the Lord Jesus Christ
in Mark chapter 4, sorry, Mark chapter 1. preaching the gospel
of the kingdom of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the
kingdom of God is at hand repent ye and believe the gospel repent
ye and believe the gospel they go together we read of the preaching
of the apostles Sorry, with the apostle Paul, in Acts chapter
20, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance
toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. He writes
to the Hebrews, therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine
of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again
the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith
toward God. And so we see these two going
together constantly through the scriptures, repentance and faith.
And so having preached on the subject of faith, I felt constrained
to go on this morning to preach on the subject of repentance. Matthew tells us that it was
repentance that the Lord Jesus Christ began to preach after
he had been baptised in the river Jordan, and after his temptation
in the wilderness. So this is right at the very
beginning of his earthly ministry. Matthew 4 verse 17, from that
time Jesus began to preach and to say, repent for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand. And here in Luke's gospel, At
the conclusion of his ministry here on earth, he instructs his
disciples, his apostles, and 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. Here there is a word for sinners. Here is a doctrine for sinners. For I am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus said that this gospel is
for sinners, and this gospel is to be preached in his name,
that is, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. Yes, we believe in the preaching
of the gospel. We believe in preaching, faith,
and repentance. As our Articles of Faith clearly
state in Article 29, we believe that the gospel is to be preached
in or proclaimed to all the world, as in Mark 16 verse 15. Now,
Mark 16, 15 says, go ye into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. And because the gospel is our
rule of life, our rule of conduct, and not the law, that is exactly
what we endeavor, by God's grace, so to do. J. H. Gosden says in his commentary
on our articles, we seek to discharge our commission by proclaiming
God's character as Creator, Lawgiver, Judge and Saviour, preaching
thus the gospel to all who come within reach of our voice. Yes,
this gospel is to be preached to every creature, it is to be
proclaimed among all nations, and we here in Portsmouth in
England are preaching the gospel to all and to any who have a
desire to hear the good news. But we note what Christ says
here to his disciples, beginning at Jerusalem. The preaching of this doctrine
was to begin at Jerusalem. Why Jerusalem? Thus it is written,
says Christ. Thus it is written in the Old
Testament scriptures, in such places as Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 3. And many people shall go and
say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth
the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And in the book
of the prophet Joel, the Lord also shall roar out of Zion and
utter his voice from Jerusalem. and in Zechariah, and it shall
be in that day, that's the gospel day, and it shall be in that
day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem. And so the Lord Jesus says here,
thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and
to rise from the dead, and thus it is written that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in his name among
all nations beginning at Jerusalem. It was at Jerusalem that the
Lord was condemned to death. It was at Jerusalem that the
Lord, the Lord of glory, the Messiah, was crucified. It was at Jerusalem where the
first ever gospel sermon was publicly preached. It was preached
by Peter on the day of Pentecost. And you remember how he preached
to the Jews on that occasion. Acts 2 verse 22. Ye men of Israel, Hear these
words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by
miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst
of you, as ye yourselves also know, him being delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up,
having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that
he should be holden of it. He points out to them their awful
sin of crucifying the Messiah, the worst atrocity ever committed
in the whole of human history. Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. The Jerusalem sinners
then were surely the very worst of sinners, And yet, to them,
the gospel was first preached. Now does this not magnify the
grace of our God? Yes, there is a gospel. There
is good news for the very worst of sinners, for the very vilest
of sinners. and some of us have found it
to be so the vilest sinners forgiveness
have found for Jesus was humbled that grace might abound whoever
repents of his sin against God shall surely be pardoned through
Calvary's blood surely this is good news that's the meaning
of the word gospel it's good news for vile sinners, undeserving
sinners And we see there in Acts chapter
2 how repentance was granted to those Jerusalem sinners. Verse
37 of that chapter. Now when they heard this, they
were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest
of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 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
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Yes, repent and
be baptized. Some reverse the order, don't
they? Be baptized and then repent. That's not what the scripture
says. There must be repentance before there is baptism. As we come to consider the doctrine
and the nature of repentance this morning, we shall consider
it under three headings. Firstly, what repentance is not?
And then secondly, what false repentance is? And then thirdly,
we should consider the nature of true evangelical repentance. Firstly then, what repentance
is not? Repentance is not penance. Repentance is not penance. The
Roman Catholic doctrine of the so-called sacraments of penance
is a works-based means of gaining God's forgiveness and of reconciling
the sinner to God. And a part of it involves, after
confessing and receiving absolution from the so-called priest, and
there is to be the performing of certain works, or fastings,
or self-inflicted bodily punishments, or of uttering or muttering certain
repetitive prayers as appointed by the pretended priest. This
is a total denial of the sufficiency of Christ's sufferings to atone
for our sins. It is a doctrine of antichrist.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities,
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes
we are healed. Repentance is not penance. And repentance is not a decision
of the flesh. Just as there is an easy believism
being taught by many today in the place of the true gospel
of the grace of God, so there is an easy repentance being preached
too. Just say this prayer. Just say
this prayer and you will know forgiveness of sins and peace
with God. It is in reality Arminian absolution, no different in reality
to Roman penance. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. And
neither is repentance a duty to be performed by the unregenerate
in order to be saved. No. There are those who say that
it is just that, that it is a duty of the unregenerate to savingly
repent. and there are those who preach
as if it were the duty of the unregenerate to savingly repent
but that would make salvation to be by works which of course
it is not the scriptures are quite clear not of works but
of him that calleth not of works lest any man should boast not
by works of righteousness which we have done but according to
his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing
of the Holy Ghost and repentance is not of the law it is a grace
of the new covenant it is a gospel grace the law says cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them that's what the law says
the law of God if you're under the law you must perform every
single commandment perfectly in heart and in soul in body
and in tongue but we don't do it Under the
law we're cursed. Because we don't do that which
God has commanded. None of us have done. We've fallen
in Adam. Cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. It doesn't say let everyone that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law repent. No. It says you're cursed. That's
it. It says, let him be cursed. Repentance
is a gospel grace, a grace of the new covenant, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets. See, for example, Ezekiel 36,
and verse 26, and new heart also will I give
you and a new spirit will I put within you I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of
flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk
in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them in verse
31 of that chapter Then shall ye remember your own
evil ways, and your own doings that were not good, and shall
loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and
for your abominations. This is that new covenant that
was spoken by Jeremiah. Jeremiah 31 verse 31. 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. Repentance is in and
of that new covenant of grace. Then shall ye remember your own
evil ways and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe
yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your
abominations. Not for your sakes do I this,
saith the Lord God, be it known unto you. Be ashamed and confounded
for your own ways, O house of Israel. well let us go on to
consider what false repentance is just as there is a false faith
and a true and living faith well so there is such a thing as a
false or a counterfeit repentance as well as a true and an evangelical
repentance and you know the former can in many ways resemble the
latter just as there are some goats that closely resemble sheep False repentance is hypocritical. We read of the children of Israel
in the wilderness in Psalm 78. Psalm 78 verse 34. When he slew them, then they
sought him. And they returned and inquired
early after God. And they remembered that God
was their rock and their high God, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter
him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues,
for their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast
in his covenant. We read of the repenting of Saul,
and of King Saul, and of Ahab, and of Judas Iscariot too. But you know their repentance
was not that repentance to salvation not to be repented of theirs
was a hypocritical repentance a false repentance is merely
external as well as as well as being hypocritical there may
be an external repentance with no real change of heart and so
the Lord says by the prophet Joel therefore also now saith
the Lord turn ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting,
and with weeping, and with mourning, and rend your heart, and not
your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God. For He is
gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness,
and repenteth him of the evil. Treacherous Judah The sister
of idolatrous and backsliding Israel is condemned in Jeremiah
10 verse 3. And yet for all this her treacherous
sister Judah had not turned unto me with her whole heart but faintly,
saith the Lord. A false repentance is merely
external as well as hypocritical. A legal repentance is a false
repentance in the sense that it is not saving. with a legal
repentance there is a conviction of sin under the law there may
be conviction of sin and trouble of conscience a trembling at
the word of God as in the case of Felix but no repentance we
read in Acts of how Felix sent for Paul and heard him concerning
the faith in Christ and he reasoned of righteousness and temperance
and judgment to come Felix trembled And answered, Go thy way for
this time. When I have a convenient season,
I will call for thee. Oh, he trembled at the word of
the Lord, being convicted in his conscience, but there was
no repentance. One may be convinced of the truth
of the gospel, yet with no repentance. Like King Agrippa, who said unto
Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. There may be deep sorrow for
sin, because of its consequences, and yet no real repentance. Oh, what sorrow there is in hell!
What sorrow there is in hell! What weeping and wailing and
gnashing of teeth there is there, but no repentance! No! Not for
all eternity! There may be expressions of guilt
and confessions of sin without real repentance. We can think
of Pharaoh. And Pharaoh sent and called for
Moses and Aaron and said unto them, I have sinned this time.
The Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked. We can
think of King Saul. Then he said, I have sinned. Yet honor me now, I pray thee,
before the elders of my people. And remember how he confessed
to David, and he said to David, thou art more righteous than
I, for thou has rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee
evil. Ah, but he still continued to
persecute and to pursue David, didn't he? There was no repentance! There may be an attempt to make
amends for wrongs committed, as in the case of Judas Iscariot. the traitor, who betrayed the
Lord Jesus Christ. Then Judas, which betrayed him,
when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought
again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
saying, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent
blood." There may be resolutions made
against sin, but with no real repentance. The Lord reproved
Judah by the prophet Jeremiah, for of old time I have broken
thy yoke and burst thy bands, and thou saidst, I will not transgress. When upon every high hill and
under every green tree thou wander'st, playing the harlot. Illegal repentance is like the
sorrow and regret of the criminal who's been caught and condemned
for breaking the law. A false repentance, then, can
in many ways resemble a true repentance, as some goats resemble
sheep. But in reality, it comes far,
far short of that repentance which is saving, or rather accompanies
salvation. So let us go on to consider,
in the third place, the nature of true evangelical repentance. I would suggest that the divine
cordial of evangelical repentance consists of seven special ingredients. And if any one of these ingredients
is missing, then the repentance must be suspected. Firstly, true evangelical repentance
consists of a true site of sin. There are many who have heard
the word of the Lord regarding the fall of man? There are many
who have heard all about sin and the doctrine of total depravity,
but who has seen it? Who has seen it? Jeremiah says,
O generation, see ye the word of the Lord! See ye the word
of the Lord! How few there are who really
and actually see themselves as fallen and who see themselves
as sinners, who see themselves as unclean! who see themselves
as transgressors of the law of God. Before a man ever comes to Christ,
he must come to himself. Like the prodigal son in the
parable, Luke 15 verse 17, 15 verse 17 we read there the prodigal
son returning to his father but we
read there verse 17 and when he came to himself And when he
came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's
have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger? 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. Coming to ourselves, We realise
how sin has infected us and brought us to ruin. But there is not
only a sight of ourselves as sinners, there is also a sight
of that good and holy God against whom we have sinned. Not only
is God seen as that just God who must punish sin, Such a sight
can be found in a mere legal repentance, but when there's
an evangelical repentance, we see that we have sinned against
that God who is good. Unspeakably good. Sin is seen as contrary to the
nature of God the holiness, the purity, the
goodness of God. And so Job says, I have heard
of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore, I bore myself and
repent in dust and ashes. That is evangelical repentance. True evangelical repentance consists
of a true site of sin. And secondly, it consists of
a true sorrow for sin. As David says in Psalm 38, for
I will declare mine iniquity, I will be sorry for my sin. This sorrow is real when it's
inward. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken
and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Where
there is a true sorrow for sin, there will be an inward mourning
on account of sin. blessed are they that mourn,
for they shall be comforted. Yes, they that sow in tears shall
reap in joy. Did not the woman in the gospel
find it so? Luke 7 verse 37. And behold,
a woman in the city which was a sinner when she knew that Jesus
sat at a meter in the Pharisee's house brought an alabaster box
of ointment and stood at his feet behind him weeping and began
to wash his feet with tears and he'd wiped them with the hairs
of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment
and then we read that Jesus said unto her thy sins are forgiven
thy sins are forgiven and there you see real repentance and remission
of sins and it's not just outward sins
for which there is godly sorrow a mere sorrow for outward sins
is the sorrow of the world which worketh death No, where there
is true repentance, a repentance unto life, there will be sorrow
for inward sins, for secret sins, for sins of the heart and of
the mind, and for those sins which the eyes of our fellow
men cannot see, but which we know that only God can see. Yes, see, there will be a sorrow
for inward sins as well as for outward sins. Cleanse thou me
from secret faults, the psalmist prays. And thirdly, true evangelical
repentance consists of a true loathing of sin and a loathing
of ourselves for sin. Not just a loathing of sin in
others. There's a lot of that about. And I'm as guilty as the next
man, let me just say. There must be a loathing of sin
in ourselves. We see it twice in Ezekiel. Ezekiel
20 verse 43 and there shall you remember
your ways and all your doings wherein you have been defiled
and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight and for all
the evils which ye have committed Again there in chapter 36 which
we quoted earlier. Then shall you remember your
own evil ways and your doings that were not good and shall
loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and
for your abominations. That's what real repentance brings
us to. Faultly where there is such a
repentance there will be shame. and there will be a humbling
of oneself because of sin and out of a felt sense of sin. See
Ezra's repentance, Ezra chapter 9 verse 5. And at the evening sacrifice
I arose up from my heaviness and having rent my garment and
my mantle I fell upon my knees and spread out my hands unto
the Lord my God and said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to
lift up my face to thee my God for our iniquities are increased
over our head and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens see it again in that repentant
woman in the gospel who came to Jesus and stood at his feet
behind him weeping and began to wash his feet with tears.
And he wiped them with the hairs of her head and kissed his feet
and anointed them with ointment. She took the lowest possible
place behind him at his feet. We can think of the repentant
publican of whom the Lord spoke in Luke 18 verse 13. 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. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified. Fifthly, a great part of true
evangelical repentance is the confession of sins. He that covereth
his sins shall not prosper. But whoso confesseth and forsaketh
them shall have mercy, the scripture says. And that confession is
not a mere lip confession but that which is the overflowing
of a contrite heart. We see it in David in Psalm 32.
We sang the Metro version of the Psalm just now. I acknowledged
my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will
confess my transgressions unto the Lord. And thou forgavest
the iniquity of my sin, Selah. Again in Psalm 51, the great
penitential Psalm that David composed after his adultery with
Bathsheba. For I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have
I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. We note that this
confession is not made to a pretended so-called priest, it's made to
the God against whom we have sinned. Sixthly, true evangelical repentance
consists of calling upon God for the forgiveness of sins.
We see this again in the Psalms of David. For thy name's sake,
O Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great. It is against God that we have
sinned. It is to God, then, that we must go to seek his pardon.
It is only God who can forgive us our sins. The Jews knew that
very well. Who can forgive sins but God
alone? Who can forgive sins but God
alone? And the Lord Jesus Christ has taught us to pray, hasn't
he? Our Father, which art in heaven. And then to say, and
forgive us our sins, as we also forgive everyone that is indebted
to us. And the Lord our God is a pardoning
God. Oh, he's a pardoning God. As
Micah says, Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity,
and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage,
he retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. Why, we have a God who delights
in mercy. Those who would know this pardoning
mercy must call upon God for it. This is surely a part of
true repentance. And seventhly, true evangelical
repentance consists of turning from sin, of turning from sin
to God, by the grace of God. And it can only be by the grace
of God. The word for repentance in the Greek is metanoia, which
properly means a change of mind, a change of mind. Dr. Gill says that a penitent sinner
has another notion of sin than he had. Before, it was a sweet
morsel, now a bitter and evil thing. Before, his heart was
bent upon it, now determined through divine grace to forsake
it and cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart. Again,
to quote Proverbs 28, 13, "...he that covereth his sins shall
not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have
mercy." All sin must be forsaken. Not just gross sins, but also
those sins which are esteemed as little in the eyes of men. Not just outward sins, which
men can see, but inward sins, which only God can see. Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon. And we note that this turning
to God from sin, which is the very essence of repentance, is
with the whole heart. And I will give them an heart
to know me, that I am the Lord. And they shall be my people,
and I will be their God. For they shall return unto me
with their whole heart." With their whole heart. Well these then are the seven
ingredients which comprise true evangelical repentance. as we draw to a conclusion. Let
us just ask the question, what is the origin of true repentance? Is it man himself? The sinner himself? Or is it
of God? Surely if repentance is always
joined to faith, then its origin must be the same as faith. Not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God. And so Paul in Romans
says that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. The
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. This has ever
been the confession of the true church from the days of the apostles. As we see in Acts 11 verse 18,
then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. The Lord Jesus Christ is exalted
to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel
and forgiveness of sins. It is the Holy Spirit who pricks
the heart and who reproves the world of sin and of righteousness
and of judgment. True evangelical repentance then
is like faith, Trinitarian in its origin. And what is the ground of true
repentance? Is it not the love of God in
Christ Jesus? I have blotted out as a thick
cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins. Return unto
me, for I have redeemed thee. Return unto me, for I have redeemed
thee. A mere legal repentance has an
eye to the law of God and to the justice of God. And evangelical repentance has
an eye to the gospel of redeeming love and grace. It has an eye
to the grace of God and the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So what encouragement is there
for those who know and who feel themselves to be sinners? What
encouragement is there for such to actually repent? Well, there
are many gospel promises throughout the Holy Scriptures, both of
the Old and New Testaments, some of which we've already mentioned.
For example, Proverbs 28, 13, He that covereth his sins shall
not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have
mercy. And Isaiah 55, Seek ye the Lord,
while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts,
and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. In the New Testament, in John's
first epistle, we read, if we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,
and so we could go on. Many precious promises, and there
are many examples too in the Scriptures of individuals who
have found mercy and the forgiveness of their sins upon their repentance. There is every encouragement
in the Word of God for convinced and convicted sinners to repent
of their sins. And what blessings do they find
who truly repent of their sins? Well, they find the greatest
of blessings, the forgiveness of all their sins, the forgiveness
of every sin. repentance and remission of sins
are inextricably linked together in the preaching of the gospel
of Christ and that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem
we read in the book of Acts Peter and the other apostles preaching
Christ. 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. The two go together. Repentance
and remission of sins, repentance and the forgiveness of sins,
are inextricably linked in the preaching of the Gospel of Christ.
All those who repent are forgiven, and only those who repent are
forgiven. But finally, how may we know
that we are those to whom saving repentance has been granted and
that our repentance is genuine? Well, one mark by which we may
know that our repentance is true is this. Are we those who daily
mourn because of indwelling sin? Is sin a constant grief to us? You see, repentance is not just
a one-off thing. It's a continual thing, just
as faith. Faith is not a one-off thing. It's a continual thing.
There is a continuance in believing. So there is a continuance in
repenting. The Christian's whole life is one of repentance. Give
us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins. for
we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us and lead us
not into temptation but deliver us from evil. The child of God
daily prays for the forgiveness of sins and for grace to be delivered
from the evil of a fallen nature. Just as he does, just as he prays
for his daily bread. Another mark is this. by that
faith which ever accompanies repentance we are looking to
Jesus Christ alone to save us we look to him alone to save
us from our sins we don't look to our faith we don't look to
our repentance we are looking to Christ alone for the forgiveness
of our sins and for deliverance from the power of sin so it is
written in the prophets and I will pour upon the house of David,
that's the church, I will pour upon the house of David and upon
the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications
and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall
mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son and shall be
in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his
firstborn. Well, may the Lord bless his
word and the preaching of it to each one of our hearts here
today, to each one of our souls here in Portsmouth, England,
for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and for the glory of his
holy name. And that repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem. Amen.