Repent and Believe the Gospel

Q: What does the Bible say about repentance and faith?

The Bible teaches that repentance and faith are inseparable actions in the Christian life, both essential for salvation. Repentance and faith are central themes in Scripture, highlighted by the Apostle Paul when he states he preached 'repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ' (Acts 20:21). This duality suggests that true repentance involves a heartfelt turning away from sin and turning toward God, while faith is the complete trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. Mark 1:14-15 also emphasizes this when Jesus began His ministry, calling people to 'repent and believe the gospel.' Therefore, both concepts are necessary for a genuine relationship with Christ, signifying a total transformation of the heart and life.

Q: How do we know repentance is genuine?

Genuine repentance is marked by a heartfelt change and linked inseparably with faith in Christ. Genuine repentance cannot simply be seen as an outward show; it is primarily an inward heartwork of turning from sin toward God. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul states, 'If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.' This new creation is evidence of true repentance, which results in transformed desires and actions. Furthermore, true repentance acknowledges God’s sovereignty and the necessity of God's grace, as shown in Ezekiel 36:26, where God promises to give a new heart. If one embraces faith in Christ, there will be a corresponding change of heart that leads to a turning away from sin and a commitment to live for God.

Q: Why is faith alone in Christ important for salvation?

Faith alone in Christ is essential because it is through faith that we receive God's grace and forgiveness. The doctrine of justification by faith alone is rooted in Scripture, particularly in passages like Ephesians 2:8-9, which states, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.' This highlights that salvation is not obtained through our works or merits but through the grace of God received by faith. Moreover, true faith in Christ not only trusts in His atoning sacrifice but also acknowledges His Lordship. In John 14:6, Jesus says, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.' Thus, faith in Christ is the only means to access God's grace and be reconciled to Him.

Q: Can a person have faith without repentance?

No, true saving faith cannot exist without genuine repentance, as both are necessary for salvation. According to the teachings of Scripture, faith and repentance are two sides of the same coin in the process of salvation. As the preacher points out, 'Where there's one, there's the other.' True faith in Christ inherently involves a turning away from sin (repentance) and a turning towards God. Without repentance, one's faith may be superficial or feigned, lacking the transformational aspect that comes from a heart that recognizes and grieves over sin. This inseparability is affirmed by passages throughout the New Testament, including Acts 3:19, which calls for both repentance and turning to the Lord. Therefore, true saving faith implies a change of heart that expresses itself in a life of repentance.

Q: How does God enable us to repent and believe?

God enables repentance and faith by His grace, working through the Holy Spirit in the believer's heart. The ability to repent and believe is not something human beings can achieve on their own; it is a gift from God. Scripture clearly states that 'Repentance is granted by God' (Acts 11:18), indicating His active role in leading people to Himself. Moreover, in Romans 2:4, it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of believers to bring about this change, enabling them to see their need for a Savior and to affirm their faith in Christ. This divine enablement underscores the Reformed understanding that salvation is entirely of grace and dependent on God's initiative.

Q: What is the relationship between repentance and the Christian life?

Repentance is a continual aspect of the Christian life, not just an isolated event. Repentance is crucial in the life of a believer and should not be viewed merely as a one-time event but as an ongoing practice. The preacher emphasizes that true repentance and faith will continue throughout a believer's life, stating, 'I repented, I am repenting, and by God's grace, I will repent.' This aligns with Hebrews 3:14, which highlights that we are made partakers of Christ if we hold fast to our confidence until the end. Genuine faith is evidenced in a continuous attitude of repentance and dependence on Christ, reflecting a heart that desires to grow in holiness and submit to God's will.

Now the title of my message is Repent and Believe the Gospel. Repent and Believe the Gospel. This is a study of the subject
of repentance and faith. And I'm reading from the 20th
chapter of Acts. I'll begin the reading with verse
17. The Apostle is bidding farewell
to all of the elders of Ephesus, dear friends of his, men with whom he had ministered the
gospel and to whom he had ministered the gospel. And what makes this
message so significant is this is the last time he ever preached
to this group of people. The last time he ever preached
to them and the last time most of them ever saw his face on
this earth. And he sort of sums up his ministry
in these opening three statements. I looked at it again this afternoon. I believe Paul sort of sums up
his ministry in three statements here, beginning with verse 17. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus
and called the elders of the church. And when they were come
to him, he said to them, You know, from the first day that
I came into Asia, After what manner I've been with you at
all seasons. You know what my ministry's been
like. You know what I've conducted
myself among you and how I've preached and taught. And here's
the summary, three statements. I have served the Lord with all
humility of mind. humility of mind, and with many
tears and many temptations of trials, which befell me by the
lying in wait of the Jews. I have served among you. I've
served the Lord. I've not served myself. He said,
I haven't coveted any man's silver or gold. I have served the Lord. And I've done it with a humility
of mind. I know, Paul says, I am nothing. He said, who is Paul? The people
had had a division down that corridor, and some said, I like
Paul. Some said, I like Cephas. Some said, I like Apollos. He
said, who is Paul? Who is Cephas? Who is Apollos?
We're just messengers, ministers, by whom you heard the gospel.
We're nothing. In ourselves, we're nothing.
He said, on one occasion, though I be nothing, he said, one plows
and one souls and one cultivates, but God gives the increase. So
I've served with humility of mind and with many tears and
many trials. And then the second statement
he makes is this, and I kept back nothing that was profitable
unto you. Neither, I haven't shunned declaring
to you all the counsel of God. I've kept back nothing profitable.
I haven't kept back that which is profitable to you, seeking
applause or approval or gain or any of these things. I've
declared unto you the gospel of the grace of God. I've preached,
as much as I know it all, the counsel of God. He didn't say,
I've preached the whole counsel of God. He said I hadn't shunned
it. That's a whole lot of different
statements. I said, well, I've preached the whole counsel. He
doesn't know the whole council. Who's been his counselor? Who
knows? False that I haven't shunned to declare unto you all the counsel
of God. I haven't kept back anything because it would be offensive
or because it would be to my gain. Just what God's taught
me, I told you. What God's revealed to me, I've
told you. And that's all a man can do.
That's all any of you or I can do is preach what we know. We
can't preach what we don't know. We can't speculate. We just preach
what we know. And he said, I hadn't shown to
preach all that God showed me. And then the third statement,
here's where I want to get to this evening. And I guess you've
heard messages on repentance and messages on faith, but I've
got a little different approach this evening that's very important. In verse 21 he said, I testified testifies to witness, it's to
preach. I've testified both to the Jews
and also to the Greeks, Jews and Gentiles, both to the religious
and to the unbelievers. I've preached to every man who's
heard me. Two things. Repentance toward
God. and faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ. I preach those two things. Paul
seems to say this is the keynote of my ministry, this is a summary
of my ministry, that is repentance toward God, whatever repentance
is, is toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Turn to Mark chapter 1, just a moment. Hold that text. Turn to Mark chapter 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ began His
ministry, it says here in Mark chapter 1, and verse 14, after
John was put in prison, Mark 1, 14. Now after that John was
put in prison, Jesus, our Lord, came into Galilee preaching the
gospel of the kingdom of God. Our Lord
was a preacher. And saying, this was His message,
the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent
ye and believe the gospel. That's what He preached. Paul
said, I've served the Lord among you with humility. I haven't
shunned to declare to you everything God's revealed to me. And this
is the keynote of my ministry, Repentance Toward God and Faith
in Christ Jesus. And that's what our Lord Jesus
Christ preaches. Repent ye and believe the gospel.
Now, I want to show you tonight seven things about repentance
and faith. Repentance and faith. Now here
are seven things. If you want to take notes, I'll
give them to you clearly. I'll define them. These seven
facts about repentance and faith. Now first of all, here's the
first thing. Where there's one, there's the
other. It is absolutely impossible for
a person to believe on Christ who doesn't repent. I've had
people say, well, you believe repentance is for this day? Is
faith for this day? You can't have repentance without
faith. You can't have faith without repentance. Repentance and faith
are like a piece of paper. You've got to have two sides.
If you've got this side, you've got to have that side. If you
have true faith, you've got to have repentance. Repentance cannot
be properly considered. It cannot be properly preached
apart from faith. And faith cannot be properly
understood or considered apart from repentance. You see, repentance
and faith are not mere words that we're defining. If you go
write a dictionary and define words, yes, you can consider
repentance. What is repentance? It's a change. It's a turning. It's a change
of mind. It's a change of manners. It's
a change of masters. Repentance is a turning. It's
a conversion. If you want to write a dictionary,
you can consider the word repentance apart from faith alone and define
it. Or you can consider faith and
define it. Faith is to believe. Faith is to trust. Faith is to
rest. Faith is to submit. Faith is
to receive. Faith is all these things. But
when you're considering a saving relationship with God, repentance
and faith cannot be considered separately. They're one and the
same. If you have one, you have death. That's what the Scripture says.
Listen to the Word of God. I won't have you turn to all
these, but listen to 2 Corinthians 5, 17. If any man be in Christ,
that's faith, isn't it? He's a new creature. That's repentance. If he's in Christ, he's a new
creature. If he's a new creature, he's in Christ, because Christ
made him a new creature. Now listen to this one. He that
is of God, that's faith. Here is God's Word. That's repentance. Listen to this. Christ said,
if you love me, that's faith. You'll keep my commandments.
That's repentance. Listen to this. If any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, He's none of his. If he has the Spirit
of Christ, he belongs to Christ. And the Spirit of Christ is the
Spirit of repentance and the Spirit of faith. Listen to 1
Corinthians 1.30. Of God are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. If a man has redemption, he has
sanctification. If a man has righteousness, he
has redemption. You can't separate them. It's
impossible. And my friends, we believe grace,
grace, all of grace, salvation but grace. It's the gospel of
God's grace. And yet we carry about with us
all the time, along with that faith, a genuine sorrow for our
sins. We carry about with us, along
with that faith, a great desire to be more like our Lord. What
did Paul say, or what did David say? I'll be satisfied when I
wait with His likeness. I'll never be satisfied till
I wait with His likeness. We want to be like our Lord in
conduct, in conversation, and in spirit. If Christ is a man's
Savior by faith, Christ is that man's Lord. Somebody wrote a poem about that
one time. It says, now listen carefully,
this was Joseph Hart. Repentance is a gift bestowed
to save my soul from death. And true repentance toward our
God is always joined to faith. Not for an hour or a day or a
week. Do saints' presumption own? For all the time the Lord they
seek, their sins they grieve and own." See, when they're seeking
God, they're grieving over their sins. That's what Paul said. He said, O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now listen to this verse. Nor
is it such an unknown thing, as tis by some men named, a sinner
may repent and sing, he may rejoice and be ashamed at the same time,
at the same time. Tis not the fear of hell alone,
for that may prove extreme. Repenting saints the Savior owns,
and they grieve for grieving Him. Dear Lord, we fall before
thy face, and our guilt and our folly own. We pray thee for thy
mercy's sake, make thy goodness known. The verse of scripture over in
the book of Hebrews says, we have ceased from our labors and
entered into his rest. in order to enter into his rest,
you've got to seek from your neighbor. And then over in Thessalonians,
Paul said this, we turn from our idols to serve the living
God. And if you serve the living God,
you've got to turn from your idols. And if you do turn from
your idols, to whom do you turn? The living God. So that first
thing, repentance and faith are inseparable. Where there's true
faith in Christ, It's true repentance. And whether it's true repentance,
it's faith in Christ. All right, here's the second
thing. I acknowledge there is a false faith, and there is a
false repentance. It can be, for a time, feigned. And it has been through the Word.
This false faith and false repentance is produced by various conditions. I want to show you a few. Turn
with me to the book of John. In other words, it's possible
for a person to show a great deal of interest in the supernatural
outwardly and not be inwardly interested at all. In John chapter
2, here's an example of that in John chapter 2, verse 23. Now when he, that's the Lord
Jesus Christ himself, when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover,
in the feast day, many believed in his name. They professed a
belief, they claimed to believe, they followed him when they saw
the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself
to them, because he knew all men. And he needed not that any
should testify of man. He knew what was in man. Here's
some folks that are following him and claiming to believe on
him. And he ignored them. They were
interested. They were attracted to the supernatural. They were attracted to the miracles. They were attracted to all that
was going on here in the name of God. And they followed him,
but he didn't reveal himself to them. Turn to John 6. Here's
another group. John chapter 6 verse 26 and he
refers to John 6 25 he refers to that group that followed him
in John 2 we just read about in John 6 verse 25 and and when
they found him on the other side of the sea this is when our Lord
had walked on the water and walked across the sea to the other side
these people took boats and followed him they they went to great length
to follow him and And they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come
here? How did you get here is what
they were asking. And Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, you seek me not because you saw the miracles
like that other crowd, but because you did eat of the loaves and
were filled. These people over here in John 2 and John 6 were
attracted to the supernatural. They were attracted to the blessings
and to the benefits and to those things of Christ's ministry,
but he didn't reveal himself to them. It wasn't genuine. But
here's something else that will produce a temporary repentance
and faith, and that is fear of punishment. You remember when
the Lord told Cain that he'd be a vagabond, he'd be a wanderer
because he killed his brother, and what was his immediate response?
My punishment is greater than I can bear. I don't want this
to take place. What about Simon Magus, when
Peter told him, he said, your heart's not right with God, and
he said, pray for me. Pray for me, that none of these
things come upon me. What about Judas, when he came
back, he sold the Lord for 30 pieces of silver, and he took
his money, and he went his way, and then he came back with it,
and threw it on the floor, and he said, I betrayed innocent
blood. He knew the consequences. Went out and hanged himself. Tell you something else. Turn
to Exodus 12. I want you to look at this one.
Trials and sorrow and sickness and death. Exodus 12. Great, great sorrow and trials
and sickness. These things produce temporary
repentance and temporary faith. Oh, how many times, you can imagine,
in all the years that I've been preaching, 42, going on 43 years
now. I learned the gospel of God's
grace in April of 1950, so it'll soon be 43 years. How many funerals
I've preached, how many deathbeds I've visited, how many families
I've talked to who've lost loved ones, how many hospital beds
I've stood beside, how many people in trouble, how many broken hearts,
And I've watched people for a while get interested and they just
look at you. Come on, give me something. Give
me something. Give me something to hold to. Give me something
to believe in. Give me some help here. I'm sick.
I'm dying. My son died. My mother's died.
My brother's died. My wife died. My husband died.
I need some help. And you think, boy, they're interested. Two weeks later, six months later. Time has healed the wound. It's
over. The storm's passed. You know,
the other day that blizzard came and Doris and I went to the store
that Friday night. They was out everything. I mean,
I was looking for a loaf of bread and some milk. You know, people
just, you know, converged on the store, you know, getting
ready for the blizzard. Anybody down there buying bread
tonight? Well, the blizzard's over. I ain't got anything to
worry about. Storm's over. They're already dead and buried,
and I'm interested in somebody else now. And old Pharaoh, he just lost
his boy. God sent that plague through
Egypt, didn't He? No blood on the door, and his
boy died. Now this is a, this guy's mean.
This guy's a, he's rough. This is Pharaoh. This is the
king of Egypt. And he's got a broken heart now. Listen to him in Exodus 12, verse 30. Exodus 12, 30. And Pharaoh rose up in the night,
he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians. There was
a great cry in Egypt. There wasn't a house where there
wasn't one dead. And he called for Moses. That's
when people call for the picture. Send for the picture. Go into the, doctor says you
got heart trouble, you may not last six months, send for the
preacher. Two popular people when we're
in trouble, the soldier and the preacher. Let the country go
to war and everybody's proud of the soldier. Marching off
to war, you know, we support our troops. Yeah, as long as
there's bloodshed we do, but when it's all quiet on the western
front, we don't support the troops. Send for the preacher. So he
sent for, he called for Moses, he called for Moses. And Aaron
by night, he said, rise up and get you forth from among my people,
you and the children of Israel, go serve the Lord as you said. And take your flocks and your
herds and as you have said, and be gone before you leave. Bless me. I'm in trouble. I need a blessing.
That's about the only time most folks need a blessing when they're
in trouble. You know the man I want to talk to? There's a
fella that's grieving over his sins when everything's going
his way. I believe he might be interested. When everything's all right,
and you know, when everything's on the track, when nothing's
derailed, it's going down the line, and he comes and says,
I'm a sinner, I'm lost, I need mercy. I need help. Would you
point me to God? Oh, I got me a repentant sinner
on my hands. That's right. That's right. I'll tell you another thing that
Esau, boy, when he woke up and realized what he had done, he
thought repentance was tears. I'll tell you another thing that
produces false repentance and a false faith is emotional response
to preachers. Turn to Mark 6 a minute. Look
at this. Mark chapter 6. Old Herod. Now that's another
fellow that would have been a feather in somebody's cap if you'd have
talked him into a profession. Old Herod. It says here in Mark
6 verse 20, listen. Herod feared John. knowing he was a just man and
a holy man, and observed him, and when he heard him, he did
many things and heard him gladly. Herod, John impressed him. He impressed him. He did many
things, but he wound up killing him. What about Agrippa? When Paul preached to him, he
said, Agrippa, he said, I'm almost persuaded to be a Christian.
What about Felix? He trembled. And he said, you
go your way, but I'll send for you when I've got a convenient
season. Two years passed and he never
did. So there is a, remember that, if it's genuine faith and
genuine repentance, they're always together. They're always together.
But there is a phony repentance, in fact. brought on by many of
these unusual things. All right, here's the third thing. But true repentance and true
faith is not an outward show and an outward demonstration.
It is an inward heartwork. True repentance is a heartwork.
True repentance and faith is a heartwork. I didn't say are
a heartwork. I said is, because they're one
and the same. True repentance and faith is a heart work. Now
this is the critical point. Listen to this very carefully.
Take any number of people in Ashland, Kentucky, Arlington,
Ohio, Grayson, wherever. Any number of people. And somebody
asked me up in Finley, Ohio this week, how do you describe Ashland,
Kentucky? And I was eating dinner in some
people's homes. What about that? finest place
to live. I said, nice people, conservative,
middle of the road, ordinary folks. They're honest. We have
a good school system. We have nice kids. It's just
a good, it's low crime rate. I said, this is a nice place
to live. They're church-going people. Isn't that right? I like
this town. I like this whole area. It's
a good place to raise your children. And you take all the people around
here, any number of people, they attend church. Most of them read
the Bible. Most of them believe in Jesus. That's right, some Jesus. Most
of them give alms. In other words, help poor people.
Most of them live morally. I just bet you, if you were a
paper boy and sold papers, you could put a stack of papers down
by the bank or the post office and put a cigar box there and
most people would pay for the paper. They'd take it and leave
their quarters. They really would in this area. There are people
who are largely honest, they pay their way, they work, they
produce, they care for their family, they believe in God.
This whole area. What determines? What determines? How can you tell? How can you
know? Which one really repents toward
God and believes on Christ. How can you tell? How can you
tell what's genuine and what's hypocritical? How can you tell
what is of God, accepted of God, in favor with God and what's
hypocritical? How can you tell what is genuine
and will last and what will fold up. Here's the key. Matthew 25. Here's the key. Here's the key. It's where the work is done.
It's the source of the church attendance. It's the source of
the Bible interest. It's the source of the giving
of alms. It's the source. It's the heart.
That's where it is. Now listen to our Lord in Matthew
25. Matthew 23, verse 25. Now here our Lord was speaking to
the religious people of that day, the Pharisees, the Scribes,
the Sadducees, the folks who were in the synagogue. The man
who said, I fast, I tithe, I give alms to the poor, I attend the
synagogue, I'm not of this, Adultery, unjust. This is the man he's
talking to. He says in verse 25, Woe unto
you scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites. Now this is not three classes
of people, scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites. This is scribes
and Pharisees who are all hypocrites. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
you're hypocrites. Listen. For you make clean the
outside of the cup. There's where this false repentance
and false faith, that's where it is. It's outside and the platter
and within. You're full of extortion and
excess. Your disease is within. You're
outside. It's beautiful and fair. You've got these good works,
but within you're full of greed and covetousness and envy and
jealousy. Well, walk through the cemetery.
There are a lot of pretty, slick, shiny tombstones and beautiful
mown grass and flowers. It just appears beautiful on
the outside, but within, what's underneath? Dead men's bones. Uncleanness. Keep thy heart out
of it of the issues of the mind. Out of the heart the mouth speaketh. As a man thinketh in his heart,
so is he. That's where repentance and faith
take place. Turn to Ezekiel 36. Ezekiel 36. Listen to this. Ezekiel 36, verse
25. Here's what takes place when
God gives repentance and faith. Ezekiel 36, 25. Then will I sprinkle
clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your
filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you, and
a new heart also I'll give you. A new spirit will I put within
you. I'll take away the stony heart
and give you a heart of flesh, and I'll put my spirit within
you. You see, heart is more important
than hands. Because when heart's right, hand
will follow. And attitude is more important
than action. That's right. Because if attitude's
right, eventually action will be right. That's right. We may flare up here, but when
the thing is over, the action will be determined by the attitude.
The spirit, when the spirit and motive is right, the manners
will be right. That's exactly it. Our Lord said
that to His disciples when they asked Him about that. You know,
the Pharisees got mad at His disciples because they ate with
unwashing hands. He said, it's not what a man
puts in his mouth that defiles him, it's what comes out of his
eyes. So repentance and faith is a
heart work, if it's genuine, if it's real, if it's of God,
it's a heart work. And God looks on the heart anyway. It's not how much we do, it's
why we do it. Because you know, when our Lord
and his disciples were watching the treasury, a man came by,
some people came by and gave large gifts for whatever reason. And then the widow came by and
dropped in two pence. And our Lord turned to the disciples
and said, she gave more than all of them. She gave more than
all of them? Not when the guys count the money
she didn't give more than all of them. But the attitude and
spirit behind it was so right in God's eyes that she did give
more than them because they didn't give anything. They didn't give
anything. You see what he's saying? She
gave more than all of them. More in his eyes. All right,
here's the fourth thing, quickly. See if I can move along. True
repentance and faith is the gift of God. It's the gift of God. Don't we repent? We do. But God
enables us to repent. Don't we actually believe with
the heart man believeth under righteousness, with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation? Yes, sir, we believe and we repent
and we seek the Lord and we confess the Lord and we receive the Lord
and we walk in His Word. We do, but He makes us willing. He makes us willing. Thy people
are willing. But He made us with it. We do
choose God because He chose us. We do seek God because He seeks
us. We do call on Christ, but He
called on us. He enabled us. Let me show you
that in the Scripture. Turn to Acts 11. Acts chapter
11. I got a letter this past week.
Marty may remember this letter. Gosh, he wrote and gave it to
me and wrote, attention, HTM on it. I imagine she meant for
me to read it. Big letters, I think. This fellow
wrote, he was dressing me down, that I didn't preach works. He
said, all you preach is faith. You remember that letter? You
don't preach works. I wanted to write it. I resist
this urge to just... White people say, if you wasn't
so stupid, you'd hear what I was saying, you know, but I just
kind of feel like I ought not to do that. But works! This church is the workingest
church in town. This is the givingest church,
the caringest people, the lovingest people, the gracious people. I saw we have more missionaries
on the field, and more money going to missions, and helping
poor people around here, and buying groceries, and I guess
many churches combined. We're working, but not to be
saved, but because we are saved. We're working not to gain God's
love, but because He loves us. We love Him because He loved
us. But it's like talking to a brick
wall. God's people work. They grow
in grace and knowledge of Christ. They have works of faith and
labor of love and patience of hope. And you know the reason
they don't brag about it? It's because it's all the gift
of God. Even when you give, you say,
Preacher, I haven't given anything. I know it. You don't feel like
you have. Compared to what he gave to us, we haven't given
anything. We haven't done anything. But listen to Acts 11, verse
15. Listen to this. Peter's talking about his, when
he preached to the Gentiles. He went over and preached to
the Gentiles, and he's explaining to these Jews about preaching
to the Gentiles. And he said to them in Acts 11,
15, And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on these
Gentiles, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of
the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but
you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. For as much then
as God gave them, the Gentiles, the like gift as he did unto
us, who believed on the Lord Jesus, what was I that I could
withstand God? Peter said, I preached to these
Gentiles, and God saved them too. The Holy Spirit fell on
them too, just like us Jews. So when they heard these things,
when the Jews, when the Apostles and all heard these things, they
held their feet, and they glorified God, saying, Then hath God also
to the Gentiles granted repentance. Who did, John? God did. God granted
them repentance. Let me tell you something. You're
sitting here tonight. You have a heart that's broken,
overseen. God broke it. If you have a heart
that loves Christ and believes on Him, you know, just that much
faith, but that's all you need if it's in Him. You believe in
Him. God gave you that faith. If you're
here tonight and you understand this Gospel and you love it,
God enabled you to understand it and love it. You're not smarter
than anybody else. You're not better than anybody
else. You're not wiser than anybody else. You're not holier than
anybody else. You're just favored above everybody else. God favored
you. Who am I, David said, that I
should have such mercy? Who are my people? Oh, I tell you, God gave... Look
at Romans 2, verse 4. Romans 2, verse 4. It's the gift
of God. Whatever I have is the gift of
God. Paul said, I labored more abundantly
than any of you, but not me is the grace of God in me. In Romans
2, 4, do you despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance
and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth
thee to repentance? The goodness of God. Tom, I connected
something this afternoon I've never connected with this before.
The goodness of God led you to repent. Moses says, Lord, show
me your glory. He said, I'll make my goodness
pass before you and I will be merciful. It was his goodness
that brought me mercifully and graciously into Christ. It was
His goodness, not my goodness, His goodness. Let me show you
one more, Ephesians 2, on this particular point. You know, we
preachers have a bad habit of saying, just one more verse.
We mean one more dozen verses, but I'm just, I want you, this
is a good study, and this is Ephesians 2, verse 8, listen, are you saved through faith,
and that not of yourself. It's the gift of God. What is
faith is? The gift of God. It's not of
works, lest any man should boast, for we're His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that you should walk in. We are His workmanship. Is anything
in us good, or commendable, or worthy of commendation? He did
it. He did it. And let Him have the
praise. You know, Philippians 1.29 says,
It's given unto you, not only to suffer for Him, but to believe
on Him. You know what our Lord, what
Abraham said to the rich man in hell? He said, rich man in
hell said, Father Abraham said, send Lazarus back and let him
talk to my brothers. Would you do that? I got five
brothers. I don't want them to come to
this awful place. Send them back and let them talk to my brothers." Abraham
said, uh, they have the Word of God. They have Moses and the
prophets. That's the Word of God. Oh, no,
he said. If one rose from the dead, they'd
believe. And Abraham said, no. They will
not be persuaded though one rose from the dead if they don't hear
God's Word. You know what he said? If they
don't hear God's Word, if they won't hear what God says, they
won't hear from man who wrote the Bible. But one did rise from
the dead and said these things. All right, here's the fifth thing.
True repentance and faith. And you notice, sir, true repentance
and faith, these have to do with great things, great things. True repentance and faith will
acknowledge God's right to do with His own what He will. That's
when, I tell you, it's when trials come. It's when trials come that
you find out if faith and repentance are real. I'll give you some
examples. You remember Samuel told Eli,
God has judged your house. That's what Samuel told Eli.
He said, God has judged your house. And God's going to deal
with your house in judgment. Your sons are going to die. What
did Eli say? Well, he said, it's the Lord.
Let him do what he will. Now that's repentance. That's
repentance. That's submission. That's unconditional
surrender. That's when you put up your shotgun.
You're not, you know, somebody says, well, I don't think it's
fair for God to elect the people. That's not repentance. That's
not repentance. Rebellion is not repentance. What did Job say when God dealt
with his situation? He said, well, the Lord gave
and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Somebody says, well, there's
a covenant of grace. Well, I think every man deserves a chance.
Well, whether they do or don't, that's not repentance. You know,
that's not, in other words, it's not my issue to settle. That's
God's issue. That's His business. That's not
my business. This is what Eli said. It's the
Lord. Let Him do what He will. Now, that's repentance. Isn't
that repentance, Pastor? That's when you come, that's
when you can say, I've truly repented. And it has a whole
lot more than just dieting, or doing without something, or keeping
lint. It has to do with an attitude
towards God. It's God, let him do what he
will. Job said the Lord gave, the Lord pleased to take it away,
praise the Lord. Paul said I know how to be obeyed,
I know how to abound, I've learned in whatsoever state I am to be
what? Christ died for his sheep. Boy,
I don't believe that. I believe he died to everybody.
That's not repentance. That's just not repentance. That
kind of attitude's not repentance. What did the leper say when he
came to Christ in May of Matthew 8? He said, Lord, if you will,
you can make me whole. And I am resting on your will. The thief on the cross, I'm getting
what I deserve. Remember me when you come to
me again. That's repentance. All right, number six. True repentance
and faith looks only to Christ for everything. True repentance
and faith looks only to Christ. Ronnie quoted this in his practice.
Started out, Father, in my hands, no pride. And that's no pride. I mean nothing. Not my profession. Not my raised in a Christian
home. not my work, not my giving, not my preaching, no price I
buy. I see repentance. I see repentance
and attitude around here. I see grace and love, submission,
surrender to God's Word. I see it. I see it. It comes out, you know, it comes
out In the church, in the home, it comes out, wife and husband,
the children, through repentance, it's a submission. School, students. Repentance and submission and
a broken will and a broken heart is revealed and just all walks
of life. Please, we're not without transgression. We're not without trespasses.
We walk in the light, but that doesn't mean we don't step in
darkness. We don't step in darkness once in a while. You understand
what I'm saying? But it's a general trend. It's the bend of the wheel
I'm talking about. The old Mississippi River flows
which direction? South. All the time? Not all the time. It flows west
and east and north, but the general direction, that river's south.
And I'm saying the general direction of this believer and all you
believers here is holiness unto the Lord. That's the general
direction. Now you meet me at a bad time.
This afternoon I got upset. I told Martin and Ron, I got
to go home and repent so I can come preach on it. You do it too, didn't you? And Thistle is worse than any
of them. They got the wrong carpet out here. We've been waiting
on it for a while and it all came in the wrong color. It makes
you so mad. Now we got to leave our auditorium
like that for about two weeks. But that's what I'm saying. I'm
over it now. Are you over it? This is a good illustration. We're headed south. We're headed
south. And you might catch me going
west sometime, and you'll probably be with me, and east, and north,
but I'm headed south. I want His will to be done. And
this is all for His glory. I don't care what happens, it's
for His glory. And don't get all down on yourself. You say, I'm not saved today.
Well, you will be tomorrow. It'll be all right tomorrow.
But here's the thing, repentance and faith look to Christ. And
when you look to Christ alone, what you do has no bearing on
your acceptance with God. That's correct, isn't it? It is correct. No matter what
folks say, it's still correct. What I do has no bearing on my
relationship with God in Christ Jesus. It does not. It does not, because I find all
I need in Him. All right, here's the seventh
thing. Turn to Hebrews 3. And this true repentance is going
to continue. You see, old Barnard said this
a long time ago. First time I ever heard it, when
he said it back in 1950. He said, while you're turning
to Hebrews 3, he said, we Baptists, fundamentalists, need to realize that repentance and faith is
not an isolated experience. That is, I repented. No, I repented, I am repenting,
and by God's grace I will repent. And if I don't repent and will
repent, I never repented. And don't go back to a place
in time and say, that's when I saved. If you're saved, you're
being saved. And if you're being saved, your
salvation is nearer than when you believe. God's not through
with you by any means. And I don't like the term, I
got saved. I don't like that term. I didn't
got saved. God is saving me. God is conforming
us to the image of Christ. We have been saved. We are being
saved. We will be saved. And it says
in Hebrews 3, 6, listen, Christ as a son over his own house,
whose house are we, what? If we hold fast the confidence
and rejoicing of the whole firmament of the earth. Well, brother man,
won't all sheep hold fast? Yeah. And he'll hold them. He'll hold them, and they'll
hold Him. He won't forsake them, and they won't forsake Him. Well,
what if one quit? Well, then he wasn't a sheep.
That's what John said. John said they went out from
us. They weren't of us. If they'd been of us, they'd
still be with us. That's just so. Hebrews 3, 14. We're made
partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence
Head fast to the end. All right, it's appointed unto
me and wants to die, and after that the judgment. The man's going to, he's all
died in faith. The believer will die in faith.
He will. He's going to stay with the gospel. He's going to stay
with Christ. I hope that was a blessing. I
hope it was helpful on this most important. subject, repentance,
and faith. Mark, let's sing a couple of
verses of a hymn.

Repent and Believe the Gospel

What does the Bible say about repentance and faith?

How do we know repentance is genuine?

Why is faith alone in Christ important for salvation?

Can a person have faith without repentance?

How does God enable us to repent and believe?

What is the relationship between repentance and the Christian life?

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