Repentance - From My Heart to Yours Part 13

Well in his most famous sermon preached on the day of Pentecost and recorded for us in the Bible in acts chapter 2 Peter said verse 38 repent every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ and you shall receive forgiveness of your sins in his neck sermon in acts chapter 3, Peter said, repentance and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out in Luke chapter 5 Jesus said, I have come to call centers to repentance. In Luke chapter 24, after his resurrection, Jesus said that in his name. Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem. In fact, the apostle Paul summed up the entire gospel message. In acts chapter 20 verse 21 by saying that we must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, dapper folks will care. Be careful because repentance does not stop when we become a follower of Christ. Don't know writing to believers writing to Christians in Revelation chapter 3 verse 19 Jesus said those whom I love I rebuke and correct. So be earnest and watch repent. The point is nothing we do as human beings is more important than repentance not only is repentance, the basis upon which God forgives people sins and grants them eternal life, but repentance is also the basis upon which God lives in relationship with unholy people lie because even after we give our lives to Christ cannot repeat that process important repentance is not only the basis upon which God forgives our sins and grants us eternal life, but repentance is also the basis upon which God lives in relationship with unholy people like us even after we've come to Christ and if everything I've said so far is right and it is than what that means is that every one of us here today needs to know number one what repentance is and number two how to do it so that's what were going to talk about today. As we continue in our series from my heart to yours. Are you ready for you ready now here we go start with an event out of the life of King David and second Samuel 12 David is done some really bad stuff. He has committed adultery with Bathsheba he's gotten her pregnant and then he has killed first-degree premeditated murder her husband Uriah and if you remember after that David covered this up for over a year and finally, God said that's enough. And he sends the prophet Nathan to see David and Nathan tells David a story about a man rich man who had lots of sheep, but when a guest came in they wanted to prepare a banquet instead of using want to his sheep. He went and talk. The only see that a poor man owned and killed, and prepared that sheep and David was incensed at what the rich man had gone, and then Nathan turned to David and said cosh I wish I could've been a fly on the wall in this conversation turns to David and says David you are the man you had all these wives and you could add more wives if you wanted him but no, you had to take Uriah is only why because you were satisfied with all the wives you had. And David is suddenly faced my friends with the choice. Either he can keep going the way he's been going justifying his sinful behavior, lying or deceiving, covering up or he can make a U-turn. He can come clean to confess he can come out of the shadows and into the light and allow God to restore him and forgive him what he do verse 13 then David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. He chose to repent he chose to make a U-turn and look at God's immediate response.

And Nathan said to David, the Lord has forgiven your sin, you shall not die men how beautiful… How wonderful is this God's forgiveness was as immediate as David's repentance. Do you see that no passing go no collecting $200 but is not exactly what the Bible says we read it. Acts chapter 2, verse 38 Peter said repent and use what's the next word shall all receive forgiveness of your sins. Listen, God doesn't forgive our sins because we go to church. He doesn't forgive our sins because we sing in the choir. He doesn't forgive our sins because we put money in the offering plate or because we teach Sunday school or because we get baptized or because we work hard at the office or because we try to keep the 10 Commandments, or because we try to drive the speed limit on the Beltway that is not why God forgives sin. God forgives our sin on one basis and one basis only. Paul said it acts 20 verse 21. Repentance is the basis and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now fury here and you've never repented and put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and what he did for you on the cross as your one and only hope of heaven and eternal life and forgiveness of sins. The folks I want to say to you that there would all do respect, you are in big trouble because there is no other way to get into heaven, there is no other way to have your sins forgiven and have eternal life.

Nothing else you're trying is going to work and I want to urge you today to give up all of those broken down and bankrupt remedies that you're trying and I want to urge you today to try the one key that will really open the door to heaven and eternal life, and that is repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death on the cross to pay for your sin and you say lawn cannot do it right here today all you sure can save you, but I don't even know what I'm supposed to do.

I don't even know what repentance is not to worry because I'm about to tell you but before tell you we gotta ask a question you know what our question is, don't you know that okay I here we go.

Come on nice and loud one to cure.

So what we want to tell you. So what you know there's a bumper sticker that I see around here and there and it's one of my favorite bumper stickers. It says this it says going the wrong way? God allows U-turns and I love that bumper sticker because that's the whole message of the Bible right there folks, this is what repentance is. It is a U-turn. It is an about-face in those places where our heart and our lives are out of step with God. It is in about phase in those places where we are out of step with God in our heart in our behavior, or in both. And you know this is what the Greek word translated repentance in the New Testament really means it's a Greek word Mets on the way I owe and it literally means to change your mind to change your direction to change your way of living. So when a person changes their mind about how they plan to get into heaven, and they decide to trust what Jesus did on the cross for them instead of their own good works, which never would and never got a minute of it anyway. This is salvation. Repentance and when a person changes their mind up about how their living as a follower of Christ, and they decide to live the way the Bible says instead of the way they feel like living. This is Christian life, repentance. But whether it salvation, repentance, or whether it's Christian life repentance we do with the exact same way your four steps to how we repent and I'm a tell you what they are. So here we go. Step number one to biblical repentance means that we must admit that we are going in the wrong direction. Little David said Psalm 32 verse five he said, I acknowledged my sin to the and I did not hide my iniquity.

I said I will admit my transgressions to the Lord.

Look at those words. David said acknowledge I do not hi. I admits this is the biggest and the hardest step of all my friends because nobody likes to admit that they're wrong.

And of course the issue is our pride you seen this people will cling to their pride of right down to the last Gasper into the gutter.

They will cling to their products into utter self-destruction. They will cling to their pride, but folks, this is the place where repentance has to start with a humble broken admission that we are out of step with God in all or part of our life and that it's costing us the blessing of God and that it's costing us a healthy life. This is where we start. You know when I was at the University of North Carolina. Let me show you picture what I look like when I was back there, that's me yeah how about that and all that hair is mind just like this is right here. Yeah okay now when I was there. Chapel Hill folks I have to tell you I knew I was self-destructed. I mean, I knew that I was headed for order disaster. In my personal life, but I had no idea why and it was when I ran into Bob Eckardt the street preacher down in Chapel Hill and he gave me a Bible and began challenging me to read the Bible that I first began to understand why I began to understand why I was self-destructing. See, knowing that were self-destructing is not good enough. Repentance means that we have to understand why were self-destructing.

We have to understand that it's because we're in disobedience to God and then we have to be willing to humble ourselves and admit this, we have to admit it to ourselves. We have to admit it to our friends and we have to admitted to Almighty God. This is step number one in repentance. Number two step number two to biblical repentance is we have to come clean the about our sin second Samuel David said the date that he said I've sinned against the Lord writing about that in Psalm 51.

David said verse four against the and the only I have sinned, Lord, and done what is evil in your side while now here's a guy who's making no excuses. I love it.

Here's a guy who's saying it's my fault it's all my fault. It's not society's fault. It's not my parents fault. It's not my friends fault.

It's not my spouse's fault, it's not the boss's fault. It's not the teachers fault. No one is responsible but me and you know so many people you meet them. I meet them always have a quiver full of excuses. A fancy explanation for this is a fancy explanation for that. But the bottom line is it's always somebody else's fault. Well let me just tell you the biblical repentance doesn't do this and that's why so few people repent because it is a bloodied process that demands the courage to be brutally honest with ourselves about our mistakes about our sins about our character flaws.

If a person wants to pamper, protect, and spare themselves. My friends they are not yet a candidate for biblical repentance. If a person wants to save face at all costs. They are not yet a candidate for biblical repentance. You got to come clean with every body number three third step to biblical repentance is that we have to be willing to accept whatever consequences for our sin that God deems appropriate here. David said Psalm 51 we read part of it verse four against the and the only I've sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Now watch so that David says you are right.

Lord in your sentence against me and you are justified in your judgment against me. What exactly was God sentence against David said what was his judgment against David Sidwell in second Samuel 12 Nathan said the Lord has forgiven your sin, you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed.

Your adultery, your murder of her husband. You have given opportunity for the enemies of the Lord to scorn him. You understand what Nathan is saying that the surrounding peoples, and the surrounding kings will look suddenly at the God of Israel and say a holy God, holy God, right one, holy God of very God that his representative here on earth commits adultery and then murders her husband premeditated Lee. We pagans don't even do stuff like that and this is what the holy God of the universe is King does only God is that Justin would Nathan say you got it because you've given people the opportunity to do that.

Therefore, he says the child that is born to you and Bathsheba shall surely die. Now this child was already born.

By this time the trial that Bathsheba had born to David was about a year old was a toddler was walking and running around in learning to speak but in keeping with God's word. David and Bathsheba's trial became gravely ill and he reread the Bible, David prayed over this child. He fasted for this child's life. But when the child died as God said he would. David didn't scream David didn't curse David didn't throw dishes. David realized that the child's death was in direct consequence for his sin. He accepted it. He submitted himself to God's consequences because folks this is what a person whose grip by biblical repentance does they understand their guilty they understand the what they did and they give God the freedom to determine whatever the consequences shall be now you know it is mercy. I want to be sure and say this in his mercy, God often softens. He often mitigates some of the personal consequences of our sin.

Oh my gosh when I came to Christ if God had pressed every consequence for sin of my sin on me, I'd still be in federal penitentiary today for all the drugs that we smuggle in soul and and who knows what. What else would be wrong would meet all the LSD eyedrop I be think about was orange. Somebody was going to peel me and I be hiding under the bed today series God mitigates our personal consequences, often listen here, there is one consequence for our sins but God never ever mitigates that is, he makes us go back and make things right with the people that we heard he makes us go back and he makes us confess our sin to the people that we heard he makes us go back and ask for forgiveness from the people that we hurt and he makes us go back and do everything we can to make things right with the people that we heard he may mitigate other consequences of our sin, but never that one yeah you heard me tell you before that when I was in Chapel Hill I had a girlfriend, and for four years we were together we live together in Chapel Hill. Then she moved up here to Alexandria to teach school and we would she travel back and forth in whatever but during the four years that we were together without her knowledge probably slept with somewhere between I would say 20 I don't have an exact count 20 and 230 other women. She did know about say want what were you would animal, what were you a beast where you are reptile gap pretty much reptile I think this that's what I was when I came to Christ and then God convicted me that I had to go back and make this right with her single you didn't know you didn't get your mind call you go back and tell people stuff like that, you crazy you know about it border listen. Sorry I tried that argument. God did work you know why because folks the Holy Spirit was driving me unrelentingly to go back and make this right with her to confess it to ask for forgiveness because I couldn't get out of it and you know why I couldn't get out of it because this was part of repentance.

This was part of the consequence of my sin and it was a part that God was not letting me out of any said if you mean business.

This is what you have. To do and it was ugly. All my gosh friends. It was the ugliest I can tell you how ugly this turned out to be, but I've no choice and I accepted. As a consequence of my sin. And that relationship blew up like a bomb you say well I guess so well consequence of my sin was I angry.

Was I mad at God, no, I was just glad that the consequences of my sin were worse than they were in those days. Look, if you really repent whatever God chooses to leave on you for your consequences of what you've done you will accepted and you will declare that God is righteous and just in what he's done. Number four. And finally, the last step in biblical repentance is that we must commit ourselves by God's help in power to genuine life change to genuine behavior change. John the Baptist said all these people were coming to him to repent. He said, bring forth fruit, bring forth actions in keeping with repentance what John saying here is that biblical repentance always produces change behavior. Let me repeat that biblical repentance always produces change behavior and actions. That's how we tell apart from what the Bible calls the sorrow of the world.

The sorrow of the world is. I'm sorry I got caught the sorrow of the world is. I'm sorry I have to pay the price for this and listen to the Bible distinguish these two second Corinthians 710 the Bible says the kind of sorrow.

God wants makes people change their hearts and their lives. This leads to salvation and you cannot be sorry for that but the kind of sorrow the world has only brings death. There's nothing transformational about the sorrow of the world. There's nothing redemptive about the sorrow of the world. I got caught. I wish I didn't go that does that doesn't redeem anything. No, no biblical repentance happens in our life and people can tell it's happening in our life because they see change. They see is making amends with the people we've heard. They see us fixing the things that are ungodly and wrong in our life and they see us pursuing obedience to God in every part of our being. How we speak how we think how we act and how we treat people how we forgive other people where our eyes go where our minds go where our computer goes, no matter how you slice it. My friend listen to me. A person cannot practice true biblical repentance unless listen, they deliberately decide that they are going to turn away from their sinful behavior and by prayer and by reliance on the Holy Spirit's power. They are going to pursue hard after obeying God, that's got to be said again. True repentance cannot happen unless you and I deliberately decide. Listen to me that we are going to turn away from sinful behavior and by prayer and by trusting the spirits power. We are going to pursue hard after obeying God down the stud mean we always get it right that mean we sometimes don't let God down every single day and disobey God and fail no but friends.

It means that every single day. We are pursuing hard after obeying God every day we get up and start new and sale. God help me to obey you today in every part of my life. This is the missing ingredient in so much repentance because this is what brings it to critical mass. Without this commitment to turning away from sin and turning towards God and seeking hard to obey God folks.

Repentance never reaches critical mass in the sight of God.

And that's why people tell you I'm so sorry.

I wish I didn't do this you not feel bad about it. You know, and then they never did change anything. Folks, I'm sorry that is not biblical repentance is not right, not the true thing.

So can we summarize four steps for how we were. Number one, we admit were going in the wrong direction. Number two, we come clean about our sin number three were willing to receive to accept whatever consequences for our sin. God deems appropriate and number four, we commit ourselves to genuine life change. By God's power and assistance in listen I got good news for you he say will top out I listen I got great news for you. Whether you are a lost sinner coming to Christ for the very first time or whether you are safe sinner coming to Christ for the 1001st time to repent. When we truly repent God's response to us is always the same as it was to David what a God say to him. The Lord has for given your sin. Praise God for that, praise the Lord. Now let's bow our heads and close our eyes showing with our heads bowed and her eyes closed. I want to call on every one of us here today in a moment to come forward. It whatever campus you're at and to join me hear your campus pastor there and repenting before the Lord know of course I want you to come forward if you're repenting and coming to Christ for the very first time. But I also want you to come forward as believers and repent, and you know the Bible says his Christians are to counter sins that we do. First Timothy 524 the first time. The Bible says are quite evident. These sins are going ahead of us. These are things that are so visible outwardly cursing drugs, lewd comments, adultery, pornography, but the Bible also says that there's another category of sins. You and I do is Christian. First Timothy five calls it others that follow after us. These are the sins that may not be as visible. Listen to me, but they are far more deadly and defiling like judging other people harshly in our minds say I do that like envy and jealousy of people getting ahead of us.

Yeah I do that you say, like unforgiveness and bitterness sale on I do that want to in anger and malice and ill will towards people say you guilty as charged thereto, arrogance all that's my big would self-sufficiency selfish terrible at.

Maybe you are to prayer looseness and spiritual laziness and coldness of heart towards Jesus guilty of those two maybe you are, folks. These are the sins people don't see, but they're more deadly. We need to curb contempt of these sale Jesus with your help I'm coming clean about the stuff in my life and you and I were going to seek to pursue hard to change this song coming down there on the floor and I'm getting on my knees because I need to repent. I repented before came out here to preach, but I'm I've done enough in the last half hour I need to repent again. I'm there so are you. You come down and join me. I hope remember revival begins with repentance.

If we want to see God fall on our church in our lives in our country is not going to happen to we repent, don't come for that reason, you come because you needed.

I'll see them here come joining club folks still the aisles whether there now.

This is great, but there's more. There's a few more. View the need to come don't you let your pride stop. That's how you got in this mess to start with. Come on down and join us folks there is forgiveness waiting down here on our knees or Jesus here we are in our knees in front of you repenting of our sins is our best of our ability. Oh God, Lord, I want to confess my sins, my sins of speaking ill of people and just being so nasty and some of the things that I say. Can anybody say amen to that mortgage and same in the next come on. Amen Lord the judgments I pass on people are so heartening when I do some of the same thing can advice amen to that know God my self-sufficiency in my selfishness my narratives. Oh God causes me to think I can do it on my own to get amen to that know Jesus ill will I bear people sometimes the unforgiving heart that I've got secret malice that I will wish on others.

Amen. Oh dear Jesus and among coldness of heart towards you so many times I wake up I want to pray on a watery switch just want to go my own way. Amen to that Jesus. I confess to you that I am corrupt to the corn.

The apostle Paul said that in my flesh lie is no good thing the Lord he went on to say who shall deliver me over wretched man that I am from this body of death, praise God. He said Jesus will deliver me, for there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ. One day I'm were getting new bodies you know Christ do not like this, Jesus. We rejoice in the victory to choose one.

But in the meantime, we need you so much, Lord everyday got showing the more aware of our sin. We come the more we realize how much we need. Thank you for your mercy to us. Forgive us today for our sins.

Jesus name we pray. Everybody said amen