Repentance

Q: What does the Bible say about repentance?

The Bible teaches that repentance is a turning of the heart toward God, acknowledging our sins personally and seeking His mercy. Repentance, as described in Scripture, is fundamentally a turning toward God. In Acts 20:21, Paul testifies that he preached 'repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.' Repentance is not merely feeling sorry for our sins; it involves a complete change of heart and mind about our relationship with God. Psalm 51 exemplifies this personal acknowledgment of sin, emphasizing that true repentance cannot be a corporate act but must be genuine and individual. Moreover, Isaiah 55 calls for a forsaking of our own thoughts and ways in favor of God’s, reflecting that repentance also includes aligning our mindset with God’s perspective.

Q: How do we know repentance is true?

True repentance is evidenced by a sincere acknowledgment of sin and a transformed relationship with God. True repentance manifests itself in various crucial aspects. First, it acknowledges God's sovereign right to be God and confesses one’s absolute sinfulness before Him, as demonstrated in Isaiah 6, where Isaiah recognizes his unclean state in the presence of a holy God. This realization is key; biblical repentance is always accompanied by an understanding of God’s holiness and our own depravity. Secondly, true repentance leads to a transformation in one’s thoughts and actions, reflecting a genuine turning away from sin and toward God’s ways. Genuine repentance also brings about internal change rather than mere external actions, as signified by godly sorrow—a sorrow that leads to life and not just temporary regret.

Q: Why is repentance important for Christians?

Repentance is essential for Christians as it restores the relationship with God and affirms His mercy and grace. Repentance is crucial for Christians because it is the means by which we maintain and restore our relationship with God. In Luke 13:3, Jesus emphasizes the necessity of repentance for salvation, stating, 'Except you repent, you will all likewise perish.' Thus, repentance is not merely for unbelievers to come to faith; it is vital for ongoing fellowship with God after conversion. Additionally, true repentance leads to a deeper understanding of God’s grace, fostering reliance on His mercy rather than on personal merits or works. This grace undergirds our faith, reminding us that salvation is fully of the Lord from beginning to end, and that we continually need His forgiveness as we seek to walk in holiness.

Now, my text this morning will
be found in Luke chapter 13. Luke chapter 13. I believe that you're going to
be especially helped today from this message. I really believe
it's going to be a blessing to you because it was to me as I
prepared it, and it was to our congregation when I preached
it there. The subject is repentance. What
is repentance? Very few people understand what
repentance really is. And I pray that when I finish
the message this morning, that two things will be clear to you.
What repentance is, and you have repented what it is, and that
I and you have repented. We just sang, incline my heart
to repent, incline my heart to repent. When I finished this
message in Ashland, a friend of mine of fifty years, how long
we've known each action, longer than that, 53 years. I knew him
back when I was 21 years old. And he's had many struggles here
and there and up and down. He came to me after the service,
and this is what he said. I wrote it down so as I'd have
it accurately. He said, it's amazing. that a word, repentance, which
years ago struck fear in my heart and doubt in my soul and gave
me so much trouble, should now speak comfort to my heart and
peace to my soul." He continued, he said, And I do now repent. And by God's
grace, I shall repent before God and truly believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if you say that after this
service, my heart will rejoice. I have repented. I do now repent. And by God's grace, I shall continue
to repent. Now, the importance of the subject
is here in Luke 13. Our Lord tells us the importance
of repentance. Somebody says, well, that's for
that day back yonder. Well, no, that's for this day
right here, in Luke chapter 13. Look at verse 1. There were present at that season
some that told Christ, our Lord, of the Galileans. whose blood
Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. They were offering
sacrifices, going through religious ceremonies and services, and
Pilate brought his soldiers down and killed them all. And they're
asking this, and Jesus answering, said unto them, Do you suppose
that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans? Is that
the reason this happened to them? Because they were greater sinners
than other people. Because they suffered such things?
I tell you, no. But except you repent, you'll
perish. Except you repent, you'll all
likewise perish. You know, there's a general idea.
Job's friends thought this. You remember when Job, when the
messengers kept coming, and one said, all your cattle are dead,
and another, all your sheep are dead, and another, all of your
the dead, and another came and said, all your children are dead.
And Job sat on sackcloth, in sackcloth
and ashes and said, naked I came out of my mother's womb, naked
I shall return, the Lord gave, the Lord taken away. And three
of his friends came, and they sat for seven days around him,
never spoke a word. As he sat there in his horrible
grief, And finally they said, you must have committed a terrible
sin for God to do this to you. You must have been an awful sinner
for God to do this to you. That's when Job started defending
himself, you know, before these men, not before God, before these
men. Because they had that idea. And
that's what these people think. These Galileans were sacrificed
in Pilate came down and killed them all. They said, were they
greater sinners? Christ, did you think they were
greater sinners? No, except you repent, you'll perish. And then
he said in verse 4, all those eighteen upon whom the tower
of Siloam fell, there was a place there with a pool. People went
to it out of superstition and other reasons, believing that
if they could get in this water, they'd be healed. And a whole
bunch of them were around that pool, and the tower fell on them.
They were there seeking healing and seeking God, and the tower
fell on them and killed every one of them. Eighteen of them. But Christ said, Do you think
there were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
I tell you, no. Except you repent. You'll perish. So that's the importance of this
subject. This message comes to us today. Except you repent,
you'll perish. This preacher, you, Henry, all
of you. Except you repent, you'll perish. Now three scriptures hold the
key to understanding this subject. Three scriptures. And I want
you to be sure and look at them with me now. And if you have
a pencil and paper, if you want to jot some of these notes down,
I'd be honored if you'd do so. Acts chapter 20. The three scriptures
hold the key to understanding repentance. I'm going to tell
you what it is in a moment, but this is understanding repentance. First of all, repentance is toward
God. It's toward God. That's where
repentance is, toward God. And Paul tells us that here in
Acts chapter 20. He was bidding farewell to the
elders of Ephesus in Acts chapter 20, and in verse 20 and 21, listen
to what he says, I kept back nothing that was profitable unto
you. I showed you and taught you publicly
from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to
the Greeks, two things, repentance toward God and faith toward our
Lord Jesus. You and I know that faith is
directed not toward people or things or ceremonies or duties
or details or deeds. Repentance—faith is toward Christ,
isn't it? Repentance is toward God. Repentance
is my relationship with God, not my relationship with you.
It's my relationship with God. I repent toward God. That's where
repentance starts, it's toward God. Someone says, well, repentance
is a turning. It surely is, but oh, what a
turning. It's a turning of the whole heart away from myself
to God. It's a turning of my mind away
from my things to His things. Somebody says, repentance is
a change. Oh, what a change. It's a change of masters. It's
a change of masters. It's a change of mind. Where
God's concerned, it's a change of mind toward God. It's a change
of manners, that's right. If a man truly repents toward
God, it'll alter his relationship with everybody else. If my relationship
with God gets straightened out, my relationship with you gets
straightened out. You see what I'm saying? If I see how God's
forgiven me, I'll forgive you. If I love the right thoughts
toward God, if I love God, I love those that have forgotten God.
You see, that's where it starts, is toward God. People think repentance
is making restitution. Well, I'll throw the water down,
they'll take the man back to a three, you know. Repentance
is toward God. It's a change of musters. It's
a change of mind toward God, attitude, and that'll change
your manners. Now, that's the first place to
start, is repentance toward God. Secondly, it's personal. It's personal. Turn to Psalm
51. You can't repent for me, and we can't repent together.
No, sir, it's personal, it's individual. It's the change of
my heart, of my mind. Psalm 51. Here's David. They
call this the Psalm of Repentance. That's what this is called, the
Psalm of Repentance. Most everybody preached on it
says that. All right, start with verse one.
In other words, this is repentance toward God and confessing, I've
been wrong. Let's quit defending ourselves
where God's concerned. Let's quit making alibis and
excuses for our sins. Let's quit blaming our sins on
how we were raised, or how we didn't have anything, or how
we're this, that, and the other. It's personal. I've been wrong. I've sinned, I've sinned, I've
sinned against God. That's what the particle son
said when he came home. He'd done his father wrong first,
but what was his first word? I've sinned against heaven, and
in your sight. He had that right. I've sinned
against heaven. And that's what repentance second
is, confessing I've been wrong where God's concerned. Psalm
51, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness,
according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies. Blot out
my transgressions. washed me throughly from my iniquity,
cleansed me from my sin." That's pretty personal, isn't it? We're
all sinners. He's not talking about all now.
He's talking about Him, talking about Himself. I acknowledge
my transgressions, my sin as ever before me, against thee,
and thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight,
that thou mightest be justified when you speak, and cleared when
you judge. It's my sin. And Lord, if you
judge me, and find me guilty, and cast me off, you're just.
You're just. Justifying God. One more scripture
on this one point here, 2 Corinthians 7. 2 Corinthians chapter 7, Paul
writing to this church in Corinth. They had a lot of problems, and
he had to deal with those problems, and he had to write to them about
those problems. And in 2 Corinthians 7 verse
8, look at this. Do you see what repentance is
here now? In chapter 7 verse 8, For though
I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent. though I did
repent, for I perceive that the same epistle has made you sorry,
though it were but for a season. But now I rejoice," not that
you were made sorry. I'm not rejoicing because your
heart was broken and you were made sorry. But I'm rejoicing
that you're sorry to repentance. For you were made sorry after
a godly sort according to God. You see what he's saying? You
were made sorry according to God. You sinned against God.
You acknowledged your sin was against God. You were not sorry
you got caught. You were sorry that God saw you.
See, a lot of folks, I get amused at all these politicians that
get caught with their hand in the till and get sent to jail,
and then they get religion. They get ripe fruits, you know,
and they get to be preachers and all this sort of, but after
they got caught. That's not godly sorrow. Godly
sorrow is before I got caught. Godly sorrow, it was against
God. That's what you repented after
a godly manner that you might receive damage by us in nothing.
Listen to verse 10. Godly sorrow worketh repentance
to salvation, not to be repented of, but to sorrow the world worketh
there. Oh, there's a sorrow that it
cost me some money It cost me a reputation, cost me a friend,
cost me something else. That's not repentance. That's
earthly sorrow that you get over after a while and everything
gets straightened out and you forget all about it. Godly sorrow
you never forget. My sins are ever before me. You see what I'm saying? It's
God. All right? It's toward God. It's admitting
before God that I've been wrong. I've been wrong. I sorrow after
God no matter. And thirdly, repentance has to
do with my thoughts toward God. Now turn to Isaiah fifty-five,
Isaiah chapter fifty-five. My thoughts concerning God's
thoughts and my thoughts concerning God's ways, you see, That's what
repentance has to do with. My thoughts are God's thoughts,
who God is. In Isaiah 55, verse 6, listen
to this, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him
while he's near. Let the wicked forsake his own
way, the unrighteous man his own thoughts. And let him return
unto the Lord, and he'll have mercy upon him, and And to our
God, he will abundantly pardon, for God's thoughts are not your
thoughts, and God's ways are not your ways. That's repentance. Has to do with God, has to do
with I've been wrong, I'm a sinner, and has to do with my changing
my thoughts about his thoughts. Let God be God and ever man alive
for his ways. The songwriter said, God moves
in mysterious ways his wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps
on the sea and writhes upon the star. His purposes will ripen
fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage
The cloud you so much dream is big with mercy, and one day it'll
break with blessings on your head. His thoughts are not my
thoughts. His ways are not my ways, and
repentance is bowing to His ways. No matter how they affect me,
no matter how they deal with me, that's immaterial. Now that's
repentance. That's what repentance involves
now. So we get it out of this mundane position of I cry a little
bit and apologize a little bit and make restitution a little
bit. Well, I've repented, you know. Repentance has to do with
God. It's toward God. It has to do
personally with this fellow that's been wrong, is wrong, He's wrong
too many times. I'm wrong. God's right. And then
it has to do with my thoughts coming to the place where they're
in submission to His thoughts, and my ways to His ways. The church is changing God's
way of doing things, because they didn't like His way. They
adopted their ways. The penitent doesn't do that.
All right. I'll give you five things now, and we can find out
if we repeat it. I really believe that the—if
you look at these five things, when I get through it, you'll
say, Well, I either have or haven't repented. Now, here's the first
one. Repentance acknowledges sincerely God's sovereign right
to be God and to do with His own what He wills. That's repentance
acknowledges God's sovereign right to be God. and to do with
his own what he will. You know how the Bible starts?
In the beginning, God created the world. In the beginning,
God. There's nothing before him, there's
nothing with him, but God created. And John tells us in Revelation
why he created He said in Revelation 4, verse 11, Thou art worthy,
O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. Why? For Thou
hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and
were created. They're His, and they're created
for His pleasure. And He'll do with them what He
will. That's all right, isn't it? God will do with His own
what He will. That's everything. Turn with
me to Romans 9. Let's read this and see if we
can say amen. Romans chapter 9, beginning with
verse 20. While you're finding that scripture,
you remember Samuel, his mother gave him to Eli to serve Eli
around the temple. And Eli had some rebellious sons,
very rebellious, and God spoke to Samuel and told him he was
going to destroy Eli's sons because they had violated God's word,
God's love. And Samuel hesitated to tell
Eli. And finally, Eli put Samuel under
pressure. He said, Samuel, if you don't
tell me what the Lord said concerning me, may the same thing happen
to you. And young Samuel knew Eli was
a prophet, and he didn't want any part of that. So he said,
The Lord revealed to me, He's going to destroy your sons. You
know what Eli said? It's the Lord. Let Him do what
He will. It's His. Let Him do what He
will. Job said that. Job said, Though
He slay me, I'll trust Him. The Lord gave, the Lord taken
away. Now look at this Romans 9, verse 20. Nay, but, O man, who art thou
that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, Why have you made me thus? And not to
ponder power over the clay of the same lump, to make one vessel
unto honor, another to dishonor?" Here were twins born to Rebekah, and God said, Jacob
have a love, Esau have a hate, of the same love, to make one
vessel under honor and another to dishonor. What if God, willing
to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with
much longsufferings the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction,
and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the
vessels of mercy which he had aforeprepared unto glory? What
do we say to these things? What do we say to these things?
Paul asks that in Romans 8. Turn back to Romans 8, verse
28. Romans 8, 28. And we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are called according to his purpose. For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
over whom he did predestinate, then he called, whom he called,
then he justified, whom he justified, then he glorified. What should
we say to these things? Well, a true repentant heart
says, it's the Lord and he'll do what he will. That's right. A true repentant heart says,
if God be for us, who can be against us? A true repentant
heart says, the Lord gave, the Lord taketh away. Blessed be
the name of the Lord. A true repentant heart says,
it's God, let him do what he will with his own. Now that's
repentant for God. That's confessing my own inability,
my dependence upon him. That's repentant. God's thoughts
and God's ways are saying it. Well, I second it. What is repentance?
Have I repented? Turn to Isaiah 6, Isaiah chapter
6. And that song we sang a while
ago, Now incline me to repent. Now my… Let me see if I can find
that verse. Listen to that verse. Now incline
me to repent. Let me now my sins lament. Now my foul vote deplore. We believe in sin no more." All
right. Look at Isaiah 6 now. Isaiah
6. Repentance. If I repented, this
is true. Repentance rejoices in the absolute
holiness of God and confesses the absolute sinfulness of my
heart. Now listen to this. In the year
that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne.
I lifted up his train, filled the temple. Above it stood the
seraphims. Each one had six wings, with
two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, with
two he did fly. And one cried unto another, and
said, Holy, holy, holy, the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is
full of his glory. And the post of the door moved,
and the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with
smoke." What do you see here? The holiness of God. What is
one word that describes the character of God more than any other word?
Holy. God is holy. It's his holy temple. Oh, it's in his holy temple.
This is his holy Bible. The angel is his holy angel.
The priest wore on the mitre holiness to the Lord. Where the
ark of the covenant was, was the holy of holies. God is holy. God must be holy. He may show
mercy. He must be holy. He may be gracious. He must be holy. He may say,
He must be holy. God must be holy. That's established
here. That's the one thing Isaiah saw
when King Uzziah died, God holy. What's the next thing he saw?
Verse five, "...then," said I, woe is me. I'm undone. I'm cut off. That's what that
undone is. I'm hopelessly cut off. because
I am a man of unclean lips." Why do you have unclean lips?
He had an unclean heart. Out of the heart, the mouth speaketh.
What comes out of the fountain is what comes from down deep. He says, I'm a man of unclean
lips, because I've got an unclean heart, and I dwell in the midst
of people of unclean lips. We're all unclean, unclean like
the leper of old. Now, how did he discover this?
He wasn't talking this way in chapter 5. Prior to this, he
wasn't talking that way. In chapter 5, he says, woe is
them, woe is you, woe is them, five times, woe is you. Here
he said, woe is me. Something's happening. You've
read Isaiah 5, woe is them. He was cutting everybody to pieces,
like a religious fellow this day. Cutting everybody to pieces.
Isaiah was. But something happened, and he
cried, Woe is me! I'll tell you what happened.
Look at the last line in verse five. I dwell in the midst of
a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. So obey us, Lord of hosts, Lord
of all things, Lord of glory, Lord of the universe. the Lord
who is supreme, sovereign, king of kings, and Lord of lords.
I've seen the Lord. I've seen the Lord of hosts.
And when I saw Him, I saw me. You're not going to convict people
of sin by preaching hell. You're not going to convict people
of sin by preaching the law, do's and don'ts. Men and women
are convicted of sin when they see the holiness of God. In the light of His holiness,
I see my unholiness. Then said I, woe is me, I'm undone,
I'm cut off." He was one of the best fellows in that time. He
was a fellow that they gave four yesterday and said, woe is you.
He's one of the best they had. He was a prophet. But here this
man has seen the Lord. He discovered His wickedness. That's what we repent. We see
this holiness. God is holy. I want to see myself. I want you to read what Job said
in Job 42. Job 42, verse 5 and 6. Job 42, verse 5 and 6. Look at
this. But now mine eyes see a thing,
wherefore I behold myself, I repent and dust in ashes." Now, that's
contrary to today's psychology. You want everybody to have a
good opinion of themselves. That's what I read. I read you're
supposed to think well of yourself. You can look down on everybody
else, but you're supposed to think well of yourself, you know. But
that's contrary scripture. Scripture tells us to look not
on our own things, but on the things of others, and to consider
ourselves not above the saints, but less than the least of the
saints. Woe is me! I'm undone. I'm cut off. I've
seen the Lord. That's a repentant heart of a
sinner. Job said here, I've heard of you by the ear of the ear,
but now that I see you, therefore I hate myself. You must be lost
to be found. You must be naked to be clothed.
You must be dead to be raised. You must be nothing for Christ
to be everything. He can't be everything when I'm
something. He's everything only when I'm nothing. Thirdly, true
repentance—I've repented. I can get in on those questions.
He's God. That's all right. He's—isn't
that what you said? He's God. He's God. You can't exalt him too
much around this church, can you, God? And I'm nothing. Yeah, I'm nothing. They say this
is a church where everybody's somebody. This is a church where
everybody's nobody. He's everything. That's right.
All right, here's the third thing. True repentance acknowledges
that it lies with God to show mercy to me or leave me in my
sin. It lies with God to show mercy
to me and save me and forgive me or lead me where I am. He
can do either one, can't he? Salvation is of the Lord. I want
you to see Matthew 8. Here's an illustration of what
I'm talking about. Matthew chapter 8. Listen to
this. Matthew chapter eight, here's
a fellow with leprosy, and leprosy was the dreaded, dreaded, incurable,
certain death disease in those days. The leper was cut off from
the congregation. The leper was, soon as they found
out he had a spot, he was unclean and totally separated from the
people. He couldn't even, nobody could
even pass under his shadow. He was unclean. Stay away from
him. But when he came down from the mountain, Matthew 8, verse
1, great multitudes followed him. And behold... Turned not around today, has
it? The preacher tells you, if you will, God will make you clean. If you will, God will save you.
If you will, except Jesus, he'll come into your heart. You've
got that backward. We're unclean, we're dead, we're
hopeless, helpless. Lord, if you will, you make me
clean, if you will. It's not my will, it's his will.
It's not of him that willeth or him that runneth, it's of
God that shows mercy. That's truth. Turn with me to
James, chapter 1. James, chapter 1. Listen to this.
This is Scripture. James, chapter 1. Verse 18. Underscore this. He says in James 1 18, Of his
own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should
be kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Whose will? As many as received him, to them
gave he the right to become sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name which were born. Not of blood, not of natural
genealogy, not of the will of man, not of the will of the flesh,
but born of God, of His own will to gather you up. Now turn to
Romans 9 again. Let's see if we can say amen
to this. Come on now, let's see if we've repeated. Let's see
if we've repeated in Romans chapter 9. It'll tell you right here. Romans 9, beginning with verse
10. Romans 9, 10. Now look at it,
you can find out right now if you repent it. And not only this,
but when Rebekah also had conceived of, by one, even our father Isaac,
the children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might
stand. Not of works, but of him that
calleth. It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger,
as it's written in the Old Testament, Malachi 1, Jacob hath a love,
but Esau hath a hatred. Now what shall we say then? What
do you got to say to this? Is there unrighteousness with
God? Is God unfair? God forbid. He said to Moses,
this is over in Deuteronomy, in Exodus, I'll have mercy on
whom I will have mercy. And I'll have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion, so then it's not of him that willeth,
not of him that runneth, runneth down the aisle or up the aisle,
but of him—of God that showeth mercy. For the Scripture saith
unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised you up.
I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore have thee mercy on
whom he will have mercy, whom he will heal heart." Okay. Have I repented? Let God be God. Salvation is of the Lord. There's
a phrase in the Scripture that says this. Where is your God? David said, Our God's in the
heavens. What's your God like? Our God has done whatsoever He
pleases. My God's in the heavens. My God
does what He pleases. That's what David said. Where's
your God? In the heavens. What's He like?
He does what He pleases. And I looked that phrase up in
the Concordance. It pleased the Lord. It pleased
the Lord. It's in the Scripture about five
or six times. It pleased the Lord. What did it please God
to do? Over in Samuel, he said, it pleased God to make you His
people. It pleased God to make you His
people. Secondly, it says in Colossians, it pleased God that
in Christ should all fullness dwell. He made the covenant with
Christ, put us in Christ, gave all things into the hands of
Christ. It pleased God in Christ should all fullness dwell. You're
complete in Him. Then it further, it says in Isaiah,
it pleased God to bruise him. Who nailed him to the tree? You
say the Roman soldiers. No, they just did what God led
them to do. It pleased God to bruise him.
It pleased God to bruise him. Fourth, it says in Corinthians,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching, to save them the
belief. It pleased God. And then Paul
said, on the road to Damascus, it pleased God to reveal His
Son. Salvation to the Lord. That's
repentance. Henry, that's repentance. I'm
saying that's a straightening a man's attitude out. He changes
his masters, he changes his mind, and that'll change his manner.
Let God do with His own what He will. Because I have no power
at all to do anything about it. God is God, and I'm unclean,
uncouth, unsaved, dead, and trespassed in sin. Without Him, I can do
nothing. But He's able to save me, if He will. Can I trust my salvation to Him?
A whole lot better than I can trust it to me. If He will, He
can make me clean. If He will, He can make you clean.
I don't believe that. Well, it's so in him that he
will. And if you want to hear it, you'll
come to it when he pleases. It pleased God, who separated
me from a mother's womb to reveal His Son in me. All right, here's
the next one. True repentance confesses and
rejoices in the fact that the whole of salvation Alpha to Omega
is in Christ Jesus. That's right. The whole of salvation from Alpha
to Omega is in the personal work of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is
concerning His Son. The Gospel is not concerning
what I do. The Gospel is not an invitation,
it's a proclamation. The Gospel is a proclamation
of a work done, finished, complete, in him, everything. Turn to 2
Corinthians 5. Here it is right here. Somebody
said, if you want the gospel in a song, I'll give it to you in a song.
Living, he loved me. Dying, he saved me. Dead, he
carried my sins far away. Rising, he justified. Pray me
forever. One day he's coming. Gospels,
he, him, his, etc. Now here it is in a verse of
Scripture. Verse 21, 2 Corinthians 5, For he, God the Father, hath
made him, the Son, to be sin for us, who knew no sin. He knew no sin. He had no sin.
If he hadn't sinned, he couldn't be my Savior. That we might be
made the righteousness of God. His obedience gives me a perfect
righteousness. His blood gives me a perfect
sanctity. His righteousness gives me sanctification
before God. His blood gives me justification
before God. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. Old John Flavel had an outline
he called the method of grace. the method of grace. Everything
that God has for a sinner is in Christ Jesus. He's there. We participate in
those blessings and mercies by a union with Christ called a
marriage with his Christ. When a man marries a woman, everything
he has belongs to her, too. She's a joint heir, joint tenants. And we're joint heirs with Christ
because we're in union with Him. Thirdly, that union comes about
by faith. He that believeth on the Son
of God. He that receiveth Christ, to
them gave he power to become the sons of God. Paul said, I
know whom I have to leave. I'm persuaded he's able to keep
that which I've committed to him. The bride marries the man,
but she says, I do. That's right. And she said, I
do. I do. And I do. I believe Christ. I receive Him. See that? And that faith comes by the Word
of God. Everything's in Christ. It's
ours by union with Christ. That union is accomplished by
faith. And that faith comes by the Word.
Faith comes by hearing the Word. You don't sit out under a tree
by the creek bank fishing and figure God out, and figure Christ
out in salvation. You don't go to your grandma
and say, what did they teach in your day? You go to God's
Word and see what He said. Faith comes by hearing, hearing
by the Word of God. That's how faith comes. And that
faith by the Word of God comes by the power of the Spirit of
God. The Holy Spirit makes the Word effectual, not the preacher.
The preacher doesn't have the power to make anything effectual.
He preaches the Word, but the Holy Spirit makes it effectual.
The Holy Spirit's the one who begets us. He's the one who awakens
us. He's the one that reveals Christ. All right, here's the last one. True repentance confesses and
rejoices. That's the fourth one. that everything's
in Christ. Now here's the fifth one. Here's
the fifth and last one. True repentance can never be
separated from faith. You remember Paul said, Everywhere
I've gone, Acts 20, he said, Everywhere I've gone, Jew and
Gentile, I've preached to them repentance for God and faith
for Jesus Christ. Which comes first? I don't believe
you'll ever know. I don't believe you'll ever know.
The penance is like this piece of paper, but too soft. The penance is paper. In other
words, you can't turn to God unless you turn from your idols.
As a matter of fact, if you turn from your idols to the God, that's
in one sweep, that's in one motion. When I'm convinced I'm a leper,
I'm convinced he don't want to heal himself. You turn from your
eyes, you turn to the living God. You turn to the living God,
you've got to turn from your eyes. If you believe on Christ,
you've got to repent. If you repent, you've got to
believe on Christ. Isn't it? To whom shall we, the disciples,
he said, when he grew away, he said, where? To whom? To whom shall we go? It's impossible to have faith
without repentance. It's impossible to have repentance
without faith. A person may say, well, I believe
on Jesus Christ Jesus. God has repentance. You've got
to find out who He is. But He's God. He does with His
own what He wills. Repentance keeps on repenting. It's not a once-for-all act.
Faith's not a once-for-all act. To whom coming? We keep coming
to Christ. I have believed, I am believing,
I shall believe. For by grace have you been saved? To them who are being saved,
and he said, now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Repentance is a statement. It's a state of being. You understand
what I'm saying? So, with faith is a state of
being. Faith's not just to myself. You say, well, I walked out,
shook the preacher's hand, that's it. No, that's not it. Faith
is a state of being. Faith is a condition of the heart.
Faith is a state of mind and attitude toward God. Let God
be God. Do with His own what He will. I'm a sinner. Lord save me, I
perish. God be merciful to me, a sinner.
If I'm lifted in this state, it'll be by His power. If I'm
lifted in this state by His power, it'll be in Christ. It could
be because of what Christ did. Now, that keeps on going. That's not something that you
do on Sunday morning, forget about the rest of the time, and
meet Mom in heaven, and you die. That's not it. It's a state.
It's a condition of our relationship with God. It's being born on
the cross. It's when you say that Christ
is my life. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, we'll appear with Him. Christ in you, the hope
of glory. Paul said, I travail as of Christ
before Him in you. Now, I hope that everybody here
can say, boy, I repent. And I do repent. I do repent. And by God's grace, I'll keep
on repenting. Just let God be God. That's so much easier. That uncomplicates life. That
straightens out all the problems you have with anybody. Let God
be God. He does what He does on purpose
for His glory and your good. He's too good to do wrong. That's right. He's too wise to
make a mistake. In whose hands do you want this? In the hands of your church or
your preacher. in denomination, not sin. Our Lord Jesus said
on the cross, into thy hands, Father, I commend my spirit.
And that's what I say right now, into thy hands I commend my soul,
my spirit, my body, my family, my loved ones, all that I am
and have, because he's God. I hope that's a blessing for
you. Thank you. All right, let's all stand and
turn to our hymn book of number 252. Number 252. Sing the whole
thing. Come, every soul, by sin or grief,
Search mercy with the Lord, And He will surely give you rest
By trusting in His Word. Only trust Him, only trust Him,
only trust Him now. He will save you, He will save
you, He will save you now. In the deadliest present life,
Christmas came to be told. Strut now into the present blest,
and watch its quiet flow. He will save you, He will save
you, He will save you now. Believe in Him without delay,
and you are fully blessed. Only trust Him, only trust Him,
only trust Him now. He will save you, He will save
you, He will save you now.

Repentance

What does the Bible say about repentance?

How do we know repentance is true?

Why is repentance important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Repentance

What does the Bible say about repentance?

How do we know repentance is true?

Why is repentance important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book