Repent!(Zephaniah 2:1-3)

Who Was Zephaniah?

9th of prophets in the Old Testimate

Supposed cousin of prophet Jeremiah

Focused on Jerusalem and Judah for: worshipping false Gods, prioritizing wealth, and corrupt city officials perverted justice

Why Repentance is important to our Christian walk

What is Repentance?

the act whereby one turns from his or her sin, idolatry, and creaturely rebellion and turns to God in faith

Do this through prayer; also its a lifestyle change

Repent(Hebrew)= to turn around

How to tell if someone is actually “christian” or just claims the title

Ezekiel 18:21 CSB

“But if the wicked person turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is just and right, he will certainly live; he will not die.

Nothing we can do can gain salvation

Christ’s sacrifice cleans us from our sin now that Christ lives in us= Why repentance makes us right with God

Repentance simply turning from old ways to christ ways; we are suppose to be transformed

2 Corinthians 5:17 CSB

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

Importance of Repentance

Again, repentance not only praying for it, but also changing the way we live

Not for God to love us, but of our love for and wanting to please God

If we don’t change, then Christ sacrifice means nothing

Hebrews 10:26 CSB

For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

How do we change? Through the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit- God’s spirit sent to His followers to enact change in them

Jesus was able to change the world/our fate through the spirit

Luke 4:18 CSB

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,

Were captives of sin, but through spirit Jesus set us free