My subject this morning is, What
is True Repentance? We're going to talk about the
subject, repentance. We might entitle the message,
Have I Truly Repented? Now, if you want to follow in
your Bibles, I'll be reading a verse of Scripture from the
13th chapter of Luke, verse 3 and verse 5. But first of all, let
me set forth several things by way of integer. Our Lord Jesus
Christ delivered four ultimatums, which are not to be argued, which
are not to be debated, but are to be heeded and obeyed. Four
ultimatums. On one occasion he said to Nicodemus,
a very religious man, except a man be born again, he cannot
enter the kingdom of God. Now that's an ultimatum. Except
a man be born again. It's either be born again or
perish. It's either be born again or never enter the kingdom of
God. That's what our Lord is saying. Except a man be born
again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Now, my friends,
the new birth is not a religious profession. That's not what we're
talking about. And the new birth is not simply
a moral reformation. And the new birth is not just
a change of denomination. The new birth is a divine life. It is a divine life created within
by the Spirit of God. In other words, those who are
born again, according to John chapter 1, are born of God. They're born of the Spirit of
God. They're born of the Word of God in regeneration. Life is restored. Eternal life
is given. Life which was lost in the Garden
of Eden as a result of the fall is restored by the power and
grace of God. Our Lord Jesus said in John 17,
this is eternal life, that we might know God and Jesus Christ
whom he has sent. Now that's the new birth. And
our Lord plainly declared, except a man be born again, whatever
it is, except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. Now, that's clear, all right?
Notice the second one. I said he set forth four ultimatums. The second one is this. He said,
except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of God. Now, that's an ultimatum. Either
have a perfect righteousness or perish. either have a perfect
holiness in God's sight or perish eternally. Now, God is holy. The Scripture plainly declares
that. God is infinitely holy, infinitely pure and righteous. He can have nothing to do with
evil in any form. God is light. In Him there's
no darkness. He cannot have any fellowship,
any communion with anything that's not perfectly holy. Well, now,
we are sinners. There's nothing holy about us.
The Word of God declares that even our best deeds are eggs
in God's sight. We must have a holiness, a righteousness,
which is beyond anything that the best human being can produce. That's what our Lord is saying.
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Except your righteousness, your holiness, to which you lay claim,
in which you trust, Except that holiness exceed the very best
morality and the very best righteousness ever produced by the best man,
you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. You say, where can a
man get such a righteousness? From God. In Christ. It's provided
for us in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that's true. This
is not to be argued. This is not a subject for debate.
Our Lord just plainly declares it. A man's born again, he won't
enter the kingdom of God, claim what he will, boast what he will,
except our holiness, our righteousness. And I know there's a lot of talk
about holiness and righteousness, and a lot of people lay claim
to a certain righteousness. And the Jews of old, Christ said,
went about to establish their own righteousness. But we've
got to have a holiness that's as perfect before God as even
His Son. Now, that's what we have to have.
Accept your righteousness. Now, here's the third one. Our
Lord said, except you be converted and become as a little child,
you shall not enter into the kingdom of God. Now, that's an
ultimatum. Except you be converted. Either conversion or damnation. Either conversion or eternal
separation from God. There's no middle ground. There's
no argument about it. Except you be converted. and become as a little child,
you shall not enter into the kingdom of God." Now the disciples,
where did this come from? The disciples were caught up
in ambition. They were caught up in pride.
They were in the midst of an argument about who would be the
greatest in the kingdom of God, who would sit on the Lord's right
hand and who would sit on the Lord's left hand. And that's
when the master called the little child into their midst, set the
little child right in the middle of all of them, and said to them,
except you be converted, broken, humbled, brought down, and become
as a little child, you won't even enter into the kingdom of
God. There's no need arguing about
what position you'll occupy in that kingdom. You won't even
be in the kingdom of God. Now, that's three of them. Except
a man be born again, he will not enter the kingdom of God.
Except your righteousness, holiness, exceed the best, that's ever
been produced by the best man, you won't enter the kingdom of
God. And except you be converted, broken, brought down, humble
as a little child, you won't enter the kingdom of God. Now
then, from Luke 13, verse 3, and this is what I want us to
talk about today. This is what I want us to focus
in upon today. He said in Luke 13, 3, our Master
declared, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. And he said it twice. He declared
it in verse 3 and again in verse 5. Except you repent, you shall
all likewise perish. Now, the importance of repentance. And I don't want to deal with
repentance as a doctrine. I want to deal with it as an
experience. Something to be realized. Something to be enjoyed. Something
to be entered into by experience. Something to be known. True repentance. And the importance of repentance
is not only stressed by our Master, who said, except you repent,
in the same way that He said, except you be born again, except
you be converted, except you have a perfect righteousness,
except you repent, you shall perish. And it's also stressed
by the Apostle Paul in his farewell address to the elders at Ephesus.
He said to them, on his last visit with them, the last message
to them, he said, I kept back nothing. nothing that was profitable
unto you. But I have warned you, I have
preached from house to house, and I have set forth two things,
repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." Here
it is, you see. Paul said, summing up his ministry
among these people, he said, two things that I've clearly
defined, repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. Here's
the call to all men. everywhere to repent. God commanded
all men everywhere to repent. Now, we hear a lot today from
the pulpit about faith, faith, faith, but not much about repentance. And yet I say unto you that one
cannot have faith without repentance. You cannot have a sheet of paper
without two sides, neither can you have faith without repentance. They go together. Where a man
has repented, he has believed. Where a man has believed, he
has repented. But most of today's preaching is designed not to
produce repentance at all, but to produce results. Results at
any cost. Results, whatever. Just produce
results. Not repentance, but results.
We're not trying to produce sons today, sons of God. We're trying
to produce servants, not sons. Now, I want you to look at several
things, and this is important. Before I get into dealing with
what repentance is, and answering the question, have we truly repented?
Let me show you what it's not. Now, there is a form of repentance. There is a form of sorrow which
arises from the fear of punishment and the fear of judgment. Cain
is an example of this. When Cain slew his brother, the
Lord God pronounced a curse upon him, and Cain, who was before
the punishment was pronounced, Before that happened, Cain was
so proud and hateful and rebellious, and God said to him that judgment
would rest upon him. And Cain's reaction was one of
great sorrow, great sorrow. He was troubled in spirit, and
he said, My punishment's more than I can bear. So here we see
a form of sorrow and a form of repentance that was brought about
by judgment. by the wrath of God falling upon
a man. And when God's wrath fell upon
him, when God's judgment fell upon him, he was made so sorry
and seemed to be so repentant. But that's not genuine repentance.
And then Simon Magus. You remember the story of Simon
Magus? The disciples were preaching, and this man Simon Magus claimed
to be saved. And he joined with the apostles
and the other believers, and he was baptized. And after that,
he offered the apostles money He said, ìIíll give you money
if youíll give me the power to bestow the Holy Spirit on people.î
And Peter turned to him and rebuked him and said, ìYouíre in the
gall of bitterness. Your heartís not right with God.î
And pronounced judgment upon him. And then Simon broke down.
He just broke down and wept. And he said, ìOh, pray the Lord
that none of these evils shall come upon me. Pray the Lord.î
Here he is a moment ago. He was a proud man trying to
buy his way. trying to offer money for the
power of the Holy Spirit. And now here he is, broken, weeping,
seeking mercy. What happens? Judgment. Judgment. So there's a form of sorrow and
a form of repentance that's a result of punishment, or the results
of realizing that God's judgment rests upon a person. And I'm
saying that the preaching of judgment and the preaching of
hell may produce fear. And it may produce a certain
act of sorrow, but it won't produce, not usually, real repentance. Now, you can go forth preaching
hell, fire, and damnation, and brimstone, and judgment, and
all these things, and have people scared to death, and having them
flock down the aisle, and having them join the church, and having
them do all these things, but it's out of fear of punishment.
It's not genuine repentance. It's just fear brought on by
fear of punishment and judgment. And that's what happened to Cain
and Simon Magus, what happens to a lot of people. They're religions
born of fear. All right, there's another form.
The rich man in hell is an example of this. He never repented in
hell. There's no repentance even in hell. He was sorry because
he was suffering. And he asked for a drop of water,
but he didn't ask for mercy. He didn't ask for grace. He didn't
ask for forgiveness. Never did. He just asked for
a drop of water to cool his tongue. There's another form of repentance
and sorrow which is born of great trial and great heartache, and
it usually disappears when the trial is over. I'll give an example
of this. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, wouldn't
let Israel leave. He wouldn't let them depart.
He refused. And so God brought judgment upon
him, a great heavy trial, a great sorrow, and killed his son. and
killed the firstborn in every home. And Pharaoh was broken
under this terrible trial, this terrible heartache, this terrible
sorrow. And he told Moses, get out of
here and take all your people with you. And they left. But
after a few days, and it took some time for Israel to get together
and march two or three million people out of a country, after
several days, Pharaoh got over his sorrow and he got over his
heartache. And his trial was made a little
easier by the passing of days, and he got his army together
and started after him. King Saul is an example of this.
When David spared his life on two occasions, he was very sorry. He said, Son David, I meant you
no harm. Come on back home. If David had
come home, he'd have killed him later on. He despised him. But a little trial. I've seen
this happen so often. Someone dies, and folks get religious. Someone dies and folks start
back to church. And they go to church one Sunday
or two Sundays or three Sundays, maybe get religion, join up.
But soon time heals the wound. And soon time takes care of the
sorrow. And as time takes care of the
sorrow and heals the wound, then the interest in God disappears.
Now understand what I'm saying. I'm saying usually the preaching
of judgment and the preaching of punishment does not bring
real repentance. It brings a form of repentance
based on fear. It brings a form of sorrow based
on dread. And when sickness comes into
the home, or death comes into the home, or some great trial
comes into the home, people get real religious for a while, and
then it just disappears. What's happened? They haven't
really repented. They're not really sorry toward
God. They're not really seeking the Lord. It's just an impulse. until the trial is passed. All
right. Thirdly, there's a form of repentance
and sorrow which arises from emotional response to strong
popular preaching. For example, Herod. John the Baptist was preaching
in the wilderness, and people from everywhere were going to
hear John. He was famous, well-known, and Herod went to John's revival
out there in the wilderness. And the Scripture said, Herod
heard John gladly and just got all excited, did many wonderful
things, did many things. But it wasn't long until he had
John the Baptist's head on a charger and brought before his people.
It's just he heard John the popular preaching. He got under the sway
of the crowd, and he was influenced for a while. And Felix is the
same way. Felix sat and listened to Paul
preach. And he said he trembled. And he got real excited. And
he got interested, you know, like a gripper. When I have a
more convenient season, I'll send for you. And you can bring
a popular preacher to town, a Billy Graham, or some famous preacher,
and all the churches cooperate, and the crowds all go, and people
get excited, and they get religious during the special crusade, and
they walk the aisles, and they make professions, and they come
forward, and they promise to be religious, and all these things.
And then the preacher leaves town, and their interest leaves
town when he leaves town. It soon disappears, and it's
back to the old way. It's excitement of the moment.
An emotional excitement, emotional impulse, emotional response to
a popular preacher or a popular crusade or revival. And it generally
doesn't produce repentance. It produces a psychological response
for the moment. And then there's another form
of repentance and sorrow which mourns the loss of benefits or
the loss of honor. Esau sold his birthright. And
when it came time for him to assume that position of honor,
and it wasn't his, he wept about it. He cried. He cried with a
broken heart. He'd lost his birthright. And
the same thing about Judas. Judas took his money, sold the
Lord, came back later and threw the money on the floor. And he
said, I've betrayed innocent blood. And today, when the roof
falls in and when things happen in our lives and we get real
sorry and real repentant, you know, and when the roof caves
in and something terrible happens and we get real religious, and
then when everything settles back and we get back into the
swing of things, that repentance and sorrow is all forgotten.
All forgotten. Well, what is real repentance?
What is genuine sorrow before God? Well, I'll tell you this.
It has much and most to do, listen to me, with attitude, with thoughts,
and with the heart. Now, that's where repentance,
genuine, lasting, persevering, God-honoring, godly sorrow, true
repentance takes place in the attitude, in the spirit, in the
thoughts, in the heart. Listen to the Scripture. Keep
your heart out of it are the issues of life. When a man's
heart is broken, when a man's heart is knit to God, then his
hands and his habits are affected. But his heart is helped first. His heart is broken first. His
heart is pricked first. You see that? That's where it
starts. Listen to this scripture. As a man thinketh in his heart,
so is he. As he thinketh. I'm saying that
repentance has to do, first of all, with the attitude, with
the thoughts, and with the mind. As a man thinketh in his heart,
so is he. When a man's attitude is changed,
his attitude toward God, his attitude toward himself, his
attitude toward other people, then his actions will follow
suit. His actions will be changed.
Now, what the old Pharisees, the religious folks, tried to
do, they had this thing backwards. They tried to dress a man up
outwardly. They tried to reform him outwardly.
They tried to change him outwardly. And they never touched his heart.
And Christ said, you're like a whited sepulchre. On the outside,
you appear beautiful. On the inside, you're full of
dead men's bones. You cleanse first the outside. That's what
you do. And the inside is full of extortion
and excess. He said the way to proceed is
first cleanse that which is within, that the outward might be clean.
Listen to this Scripture. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ. We're talking about the inner
man. We're talking about the mind. We're talking about the motive.
The mind and motive made right by the Spirit of God. And when
that happens, then the manners are changed. What are you saying,
preacher? I'm saying this, that true repentance,
true repentance that leads to true salvation, true repentance
accompanied by true faith is a work of God, a work of grace,
a work of God's glorious goodness in a man's heart. in the inner
man. And what takes place is a proud,
rebellious, arrogant, self-centered son of Adam is changed in his
mind. He's changed in his motive. He's
changed in his attitude. And as a result of that changing
in mind and attitude and motive and thought, then his outward
life is changed with the Spirit of God. True repentance has something
to do with changing a man's heart. not just changing a few habits.
True repentance has something to do with changing a man's attitude,
not just working on his actions. True repentance has something
to do with changing a man's mind, and only God can do that. Only
God can do that. Not just changing his outward
banners. True repentance is a permanent,
lasting change because the heart is changed. Now, the reason that
most so-called repentance doesn't last is because it's just an
outward show. It's just an outward emotion. But when the heart is changed,
when the root is changed, when the fountain is changed, that's
when you get the fresh water. That's when you get the pure
water. For example, in 1 Samuel 16, verse 7, the Lord said to
Samuel, Look not on his outward countenance, or on the height
of his stature. I have refused him, God said,
For the Lord doth not see as a man seeeth, the Lord looketh
on the heart, man looketh on the outward appearance." That's
the difference. Let me give you five or six things
about repentance. Now, will you remember, I've
already given you what's most important for you to consider,
and that is that repentance has to do with the heart. It has
to do with the mind. It has to do with the thoughts.
It has to do with the inner man. It's a work of God. It's a work
of grace in a man's soul by the power of the Holy Spirit. Only
God can do it. And that changes the man inwardly,
and as a result, the outward man becomes changed. If any man
be in Christ, he's a new creature. You see that? If he be in Christ. All right, let me give you five
or six things. First of all, this. Repentance, true repentance,
real heart repentance. acknowledges God's sovereignty
in all things, that God is on the throne. Now, that's repentance,
acknowledges that, bows to it. Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel
4, my understanding returned. You see, it's an inward work.
My understanding returned to me. And I blessed God and I praised
and honored God that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting
dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation,
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing.
He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or
say unto him, What doest thou? God is absolutely, infinitely,
immutably sovereign in creation, in providence, and in salvation.
And the broken heart wants it to be so, loves it to be so,
vows to his sovereignty. Secondly, Real repentance admits
the holiness of God and the evil of my sin. That's what Isaiah
said, I saw the Lord. High and lifted up, his train
filled the temple, holy, holy, holy. And then I cried, woe is
me, I'm undone, I'm a man of unclean lips. Job said, I've
seen God in his holiness, I hate myself. Daniel said, when I saw
the Lord, my comeliness melted into corruption. Real repentance
bows before the holy throne of God, crying, O wretched man that
I am. Lord, be merciful to me, the
sinner. That's the repentant heart. Thirdly, real repentance
also justifies God. Now, this is in mind and attitude,
not just in doctrine, not just in theology, but in heart. Real
repentance justifies God in His judgments and His dealing with
my sins. David said, Lord, against thee
have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. And you are
right when you judge me, and you are clear when you condemn
me. God is clear, and God is just, and God is right in condemning
our sins. Again, David said, Lord, if you
should mark iniquity, who would stand? If any man say he has
no sin, he's a liar, and the truth's not in him. If he says
he has not sin, he makes God a liar. The true broken heart,
repentant heart, says, yes, I'm a sinner, and God is just to
condemn me. God is just to damn me. God sent
me to hell, I get what I deserve. That's true repentance. God owes
me nothing but the wages of sin. God's not obligated to me. That's
a repentant heart. All right, fourthly, Real repentance
sees and loves the wisdom and power of God in the death of
Jesus Christ. Now, the preaching of the cross
to them who are perishing is foolishness. They see no need
for a cross. They see no law to be satisfied.
They see no justice to be honored. They see no holy God to be propitiated. They see no God of wrath to be
reconciled. They see no need of a cross.
But to those who are being saved, the cross of Christ is the power
of God and the wisdom of God. And they see God honoring His
law in the obedience of His Son and satisfying His justice in
the death of His Son. And that true repentant heart
says, Christ is getting what I deserve. He bore my sins in
His body. He was wounded for my transgression.
He was bruised for my iniquities. By His stripes I am healed. And
through the death of Christ, God can be just and justify this
ungodly man. And I see the wisdom and power
of God in the cross of Jesus Christ, and I thank God for His
cross. Thank God for His death. Thank
God that Jesus Christ died for me. All right. Fifthly, real
repentance willingly receives and embraces the grace of God
in Christ, not seeking to add any of our works to the work
of Christ. Salvation is what Christ has done for me, not what
I've done for Him. He came into this world to save
sinners, of whom I am chief. And I bow, I willingly... He
says, Believe, I believe. He says, Come to Christ, I come
to Christ. He says, Confess Christ, I confess
Christ. He says, Trust Christ, I trust
Christ. Whatever He says, that's what
we do. The repentant heart says, Speak, Lord, your servant heareth.
Or like Saul of Tarsus, Lord, what will you have me do? The
repentant heart doesn't buck God, doesn't resist God, just
bows before God and submits and says, Lord Jesus, just as I am,
I come to Thee. And then last of all, real repentance
keeps on repenting. It never stops repenting. You
see, repentance is not an isolated act that takes place one time.
We repent, we are repenting, we shall repent. This goes on
all the time. The heart continually is broken,
the heart continually is in the dust before the throne of Christ.
The heart is never lifted up in pride and arrogance. The heart
never leans upon itself, always upon Christ. Now, that's real
repentance, and that's a heart work in the inner man that works
upon the attitude and the thoughts and the motive. If you'd like
to have this message on tape, it'll be along with another message
I'll bring next Sunday on great and precious promises. You send
two dollars, and we'll mail you these two messages on one tape.
The address will be given to you in a moment. Until next Lord's
Day, may God bless you everyone.