True Repentance - Part 2

And today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. Will I love that no matter how bad I messed up my life, no matter how many people have the water when I got against God, if I'm honest with God, and I truly frustration is restoration. The grace of God shines in a repentant heart joining up today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world and find out that this person has perpetrated some decline and it was horrible and then we see it in a paper you see it on the news you start realize when the person then standups of all my sorry what you think the other. Sorry sorry they got caught. That's another. Sorry about that. So worldly sorrow just so sorry. You see, that's not repentance that's not repentance of all that's not what you're saying. Let me ask you this, when somebody rebukes you because of sin or in some way when you have to make an apology for sin in your life how you respond how to use it like a lot of people say the generic I'm sorry I said I'm sorry. Well isn't that all about you. See what I don't think that's nearly enough. Here's something even worse. If I hurt you. I'm sorry if I hurt you. I'm sorry. While I do know if was on the table. You see, I mean it's that's kind of up to you. I mean if it didn't hurt you but I'm not sorry but if I did I'm sorry I hurt you. But that was not my intention. Sometimes I can happen if it's not a nondescript issue, just a miscommunication, I get it there. But if you sin when you say when I'm sorry I hurt you, but it wasn't my intention. You know I have such noble intentions I have is really noble, noble person with noble intentions that I do some horrible to you but I have noble intentions and hear that all the time. Hey, I'm sorry that you got hurt when sent me what you want so sensitive to be nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry you got hurt. That's not repentance. She has not repentance of all repentance is I'm sorry it's totally my fault. I was completely wrong. I have no excuses. We forget me. This sounds a lot different doesn't that's hard for us were always time in some way to rationalize our action so let's go to the three questions we started with one of the marks of a genuine wine or what is the mark of genuine repentance. The simple answer is this change start because in your heart changes your thoughts change in your heart and thoughts change your life changes is a changed heart. When you repent now again when working fun. I will send the responses we often give when it comes to a changed heart is sometimes we just go into denial as a candidate for member hey where's your brother. I don't know my my brother's keeper.

You buried him got a no worries that see this denies it. That's him that's that's Kane I'm just denying it. Secondly, another response evasion someone confront your sin and you start evasion. That's what I call word games make up excuses. By the way, this is usually the teenage mantra. Hey, I was really not even knowing they were going to do that will just all the car. Then they all went there I called everybody was there. I was just going along for. That's not new by the weight of your parenting you buy that give another issue. See, there's some kind of word game. Some kind of excuses I'm a victim that happens a lot in our culture. I did some, the term will be offenders that I'm a victim like this can help. I'm just a victim of what the circumstances were not, I was victimized by the holding sometimes evasion, sometimes the Nile remember what President Clinton remember this. This is evasion. It all depends on what the meaning of the word is is that's what he said before he came to repentance. He said it all depends on what the meaning of the word is is evasion.

Third way and this is what he talks about here sorrow that the world produces worldly regret. Worldly regret if I could summarize it. I'm so sorry but not sorry enough to quit.

That's worldly regret, Gary Ingrid, who is a pastor and an author writing a book on forgiveness says that there was a man close to him in his church. The context seems to imply a lay leader in the church and he decided to have an adulterous affair, and so Ingrid told him he liked it coming to his office so he could speak to. So the man came in and assuring Ingrid as he comes in that he's repent, and he said to him, he said get out. I'm so sorry I'm so sorry for what I did to you and our friendship.

I'm so sorry what I did to the reputation of our church. I'm so sorry what I did to my wife, I'm so sorry when I did my daughter. I'm so sorry, Gary said okay good. Here's the phone call the other woman and tell her it's over now. Many of the Gary that I don't think I can do that Ingrid right side afterwards you may be sorry but that's not repentance.

You see, that's not repentance at all. That's worldly regret.

That's all that that is actually an example of an Scripture turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12 and Esau let you know we saw the twin and he was the firstborn in the world that many got the blessing but somehow I gave up the blessing. If you remember for some oatmeal for me that's pretty much it gave up the blessing to Jacob. Now watch in verse 16 of Hebrews 12 Opera numbers 15. Excuse me. He's in situ that no one come short of the grace of God that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by it. Many are defiled and that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for single meal. He says, for you know that even afterwards when he desired to inherit the blessing. Notice he wants to be blessed he desires it.

He said he was rejected for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears. Wait a minute, Esau sought repentance and he cried about it. Worldly sorrow. You see he was in sorrow for about sin he was offloading that the blessing is a completely different thing than repentance so we can have denial, evasion, worldly regret, or genuine repentance.

What's that look like return to meet with me to Psalm 51 Psalm 51 Psalm 51 David here's his prayer. He says be gracious to me.

Oh God, according to your lovingkindness.

The Hebrew word is Hasid. It means mercy, long-suffering, grace, love, loyal love all those kind of things be gracious to me. Oh God, according to your lovingkindness. According to the greatness of your compassion, blot out, he says my transgressions wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Notice the ownership. He then says, for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me against you.

You only I have sinned, and done what is evil in your sight so that you are justified when you speak and blameless. He says when you judge me that in verse 10 he says create in me a clean heart of God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Verse 12 why repentance is so important. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit and then I will teach transgressors your way, and sinners will be converted to you.

There's purpose and meaning. He says deliver me from blood during this.

Oh God, the God of my salvation and 14.

Then my tongue will joyfully sing to your righteousness. Now what does this all come out of he's going to say I want my joy back.

I want purpose back.

I want meaning back. Verse 17 the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart of God. You will not despise changes heart that's repentance.

Notice it centers on God, not on him. It centers on sin, not the consequences in it centers on change, not the shame of the sin, but real change. So what is the mark of genuine repentance to change start present. Clint was right.

I need a humble and contrite heart to be the man that I want to be second question does repentance happen in a moment or is it a process that starts in a moment, but it's a process for step of the process. I will call it reality check. You take a reality check. In other words, what you do is you see things as they really are without rationalization or excuse.

Remember, the prodigal son, how he left his father and his brother took his inheritance and squandered it in another land, and he's there and things are not going well. Form and then Luke writes this and he came to his senses. He came to his senses. What's that mean hit reality check the reality check is one of my doing.

By the way that's happened to many of you many of you got yourself in a state of sin, and I know that there's a moment in your life because you told me you said what am I doing.

Why did I do this. How did this happen, the most consistent thing I hear from people, especially in areas of infidelity.

I don't know who that was. That wasn't me. I don't know that was that's reality check coming to your senses. The second step reversal of behavior and renouncing the sin December change. I renounce the sin. Thirdly, requesting forgiveness of God. That's exactly what David does in her Lord blot out my transgression created me a clean heart. Proverbs 2813 says he will conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces their sins find mercy God is extremely merciful before step reality check reversal behavior requesting forgiveness is restitution.

Turn with me to Luke chapter 19 in the New Testament, Luke chapter 19 in the New Testament.

You know the story, but there's something remarkable here.

Chapter 19 a, Luke, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through and there was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector here is rich, not before. I know you realize that their tax gatherers like Matthew then chief tax gatherers like Zacchaeus, they had several tax collectors work for them in a got a slice of all the excess that those tax collectors collected using the way moment do taxes. Is this they would find tax collectors makes a this is how much money Rome wants… A run once 10% okay so if you can collect 20%. Rome get 10 and you can keep that if you collect 30% Rome will take 10 you keep 20 notice it's easy to find people motivated to be tax gatherers.

If the greedy.

Zacchaeus was really good at it. So he was rich. Zacchaeus was trying to see who Jesus was and he was unable because of the crowd and he was small in stature, so he ran on ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see him. He was about to pass through. That way when Jesus came to the place he looked up and he said them. Zacchaeus hurry him down for them a stay at your house now. Let me read some between the lines or Zacchaeus already put his faith in Christ. That's why one sin and Jesus knew it because it kinda knew everything that he knew it and so he looks up there and says I want to state your house noticed the response in a hurry and he came down and received them gladly that Bobby might embrace them and it says and when is they sought they all began to grumble and said he is. He's going to be the guest of a man is a sinner by the way, that's what Jesus does, it becomes guess the people are sinners like you and me. Zacchaeus stopped and he said this to the Lord, he said, behold, Lord half of my possessions, I will give to the poor and if I have defrauded anyone of anything. I will get back four times as that's called restitution. You see, not just the name my sins are forgiven us is great. I'll make restitution pieces and Jesus said in today salvation has come to this house because he too was a son of Abraham.

For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost that's restitution.

That's a biblical principle in numbers chapter 5 Moses writes that we are to make rigid retribution. He says in restitution for any wrong in full. Leviticus 6. The general idea of Leviticus 6 is you gotta make restitution. You gotta put your money back in the trust bank. You have to make deposits so the last time whenever you betray someone or betray the trust you remove it all at once, so the bulb is empty now. Once you repented. It's your job to make deposits of trust back into the bowl and eventually trust will be there. That's why want to put rest when a relationship is restored. There is restoration is not immediate you trust at the same level you did before, takes time but it will come in time. There has to be restitution so you have reality check. You have reversal behavior renouncing of the sin requesting forgiveness and restitution in the last one is what alcohol rehabilitation. The reason I call it that, is it starts with our rehabilitation.

The rebuilding of your character.

That means now that I've repented receive forgiveness.

Both God and from others. I need to spend time in prayer. I need to spend time in the word of God.

I need to spend time in a discipling atmosphere.

Mentoring I need to spend time I need to continue to grow see this process.

Sarah Kierkegaard, the great intellectual said this sudden quick repentance once only to down the bitterness of sorrow in a single goal and then hurry on it once to get away from guilt away from every reminder of it. What a delusion.

Repentance is a process so what is repentance changed.

Is it a single action or process. It's a process begins with a single action. If you truly repent does not eliminate the consequences rarely rarely, sometimes maybe, but rarely turn with me to numbers chapter 14 numbers chapter 14 beginning in verse three we see whether sin is numbers 14 in verse three. Here's the people of Israel after being delivered out of 400 years of slavery. Here's the prevailing attitude of the people.

Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword are wives in our little ones will become plunder would not be better for us to return to Egypt and be slaves again and so they said to one another less appoint a leader and return to Egypt than Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly in the congregation of the sons of Israel. Verse 17 but now I pray that the power of the Lord be great. Just as you have declared the Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers of the children. The third and fourth generation part and I pray the iniquities of this people, according to the greatness of your lovingkindness.

Just as you is that have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now, the begging, forgive the watch.

The Lord said, I'll pardon them according to your word, there's the forgiveness but indeed as I live all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Surely all the men would see my glory and my signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness yet.

He said to put me to the test these 10 times have not listen to my voice, they shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned me see it 40 years they spent should've taken six weeks to go from Egypt to the promised land to 40 years. Why consequences thank you David we saw as conventional he's confessing because he committed adultery with Bathsheba and he ordered the murder of her husband arrived so David confesses that he does repent to take some time but Bathsheba became pregnant because of the infidelity and God told David, the baby will die. David prayed his heart out. That would be the baby. David would've prayed, give me the punishment baby died sometimes and most the time there consequences.

You can escape the consequences of sin and I think often one of the reasons we confesses we think of I can confess it, I can escape the consequences.

One thing for sure, if you confess in early you can certainly stop the compounding of the consequences because you fall deeper and deeper in the sin and so true repentance usually does not eliminate the consequences. So what is repentance repentance is a change start using that's already say is it an act is the point action or is it a process. It's a process. What I repent. Does it eliminate the consequences rarely repentance is one of the most important things we can do is he repentance is absolutely importantly, the Christ. Repentance is absolutely necessary once were Christians because without repentance we stay languishing in our own sin and then there is no joy, no peace, no hope, no meaning, no purpose, just the scars and consequences of sin in our life but boy when there is repentance and hope that's what I love so much about the Lord steadfast love of the Lord never changes his mercies never come to an end or are new every morning new every morning great is thy faithfulness .0 I love that no matter how bad I messed up my life. You see, no matter how many people I hurt or how deeply I heard them know where what I've done against God, if I'm honest with God, and I truly repent this restoration.

You see this restoration.

The grace of God shines in a repentant heart spring father this morning. My prayer is this. If there's somebody here today a believer in Jesus Christ who knows that they are in a state of sin, who was tried every way they can to rationalize it and excuse it that they would come clean with you that they would repent of their sin by repenting of their sin. They would experience the removal of the forgiveness and the power of the spirit of God in their lives for the repentance is on us is an act of our mind is an act of our emotions. It's an act of our will and father I pray that none of us underestimate the power of sin in our lives and how devastating you can be to our relationship with you to our relationship with others and even the qualities of peace and joy within ourselves father when we are the ones who violate when we are the ones who sent when we were the ones who need forgiveness maybe truly impressed pastor broke your heart on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike listen to the message one more time.

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