Sermon Tone Analysis

*Repentance.*

[*Luke 17:3-5** *“/Be on your guard!

If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

“And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”/]

Last time I spoke on forgiveness, this time a related topic: repentance.

Forgiveness is connected with repentance: “/If He repents, forgive him/” Last time I showed how foundational forgiveness is, we are utterly dependent upon it – but forgiveness in turn is dependent upon repentance.

William Booth founder of the Salvation Army said: “/In answer to your inquiry, I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century /(that would have been the 20th century)/ will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell/.”

How prophetic those words turned out to be.

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Religion without the Holy Ghost *[P]* – there is the form of religion, but where is the Spirit of God!

There is a whole chunk of the church, what we would call the traditional church, that is dead and mere form – carrying on the ritual and ceremony, totally devoid of the Spirit of God.

But also the evangelical movement is guilty of embracing a merely rational concept of the faith – reduced it all to a few key doctrines that if we say “Ahah” to we are saved.

Where is the being born from above by the Spirit of God?!

It is not a merely mental process, agreeing with a few Biblical truths.

It is a new creation, born of imperishable seed!

New life, born of the Spirit of God!

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Christianity without Christ *[P]* – the ruling god is humanism and it has infected the Church!

Seen most evidently among liberals it is a doing of good: humanism expressed in devotion to helping the poor, sick and helpless.

Men like Albert Schweitzer who was utterly committed to the concept of the sanctity of life.

Now helping the poor and helpless is good and an inevitable outflow of the life of Christ in His people.

But if flows only out of concern for human kind, it is humanism.

We help people but we do not tell them of Christ.

There are missions to the Jews who forbid mentioning Christ – leave them without hope, fail to hold out to them the way of life!

It is exhorting people to live the Christian ethic, be good people, without the indwelling Life that makes that possible.

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Forgiveness without repentance *[P]* – It is the same religion of humanism that has this message of infinite tolerance – God is love, He will forgive.

God’s grace covers all – just come to Jesus and He will forgive.

There is no requirement of repentance.

We carry on as we always have, and presume on God’s grace.

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Salvation without regeneration *[P]* – at heart there is a spineless and insipid niceness that doesn’t want to offend.

Just let people see how nice we are, that we are just like them.

Have a social club get to know them, have them come along to church.

Put on good music, good coffee, a meal or two – people enjoy the company, the sympathy, the help and they become part of the fellowship.

They think they are “saved” but they have never been born again!

There is no new creation!

New life – they are the same as ever they were.

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Politics without God *[P]* – Today it is ridiculous to even think that God might be included!

Nobody even expects it.

But at the time William Booth spoke there were fine evangelical prime ministers like Disraeli and Gladstone.

Society changing politicians like Wilberforce whose faith dictated their political action in abolishing slavery.

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Heaven without hell *[P]* – Again it is that demon of humanism that dictates that we preach an inoffensive message: we don’t tell people they are evil, we don’t mention sin or it’s penalty.

We are not to mention a God of judgement, only a God of love.

We are not to tell of man’s destiny without Christ!

I’ve been to funerals where all the comforting verses about heaven are read – but the person who had died had no time for God, made no pretentions to be a Christian.

We speak of heaven but not about hell.

We teach Bible in Schools and are forbidden to even mention hell.

How can there be a Gospel without knowing the good news of what they can be delivered from?!!

William Booth was tragically correct; but it is number 3 that I want to focus on *[P]* – because repentance is seldom preached today, yet it is the heart of the Gospel.

There was a man, a prophet who came just before Jesus to get the people prepared for His message: John the Baptist.

He came with a message burning within him, a message that came directly from God Himself.

Jesus called him the greatest man born of a woman.

What was this vital message that he proclaimed?

[*Matthew 3:1-3* /Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”/ (it is near!

Imminent!) /For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’/

”] *[P]* Mark and Luke say that he preached a /repentance for the forgiveness of sins/.

It was urgent people had to turn around – why?

Because the Kingdom of God was about to come!

The King was coming!

John came, and soon after Jesus Himself came preaching, the One He said that was mightier than him – what was His message?

He had come down from heaven, born as a human being in order to communicate God’s message to man.

This was extraordinary lengths that God had gone to – there was a vital message to tell people!

What was it?

[*Matthew 4:17* /From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand./”]

It is exactly the same message that John had proclaimed.

This was the vital Good News, the Gospel – the Kingdom was about to come!

People had to get ready.

Let me say to you now that the return of the King is imminent!

There are signs all around that the time is drawing near – earthquakes, and not just in Christchurch; abnormal weather patterns – it is not due to cows’ flatulence – there is a God who controls the earth and the heavens and He is seeking to get our attention.

Things are not going to continue as they always have done.

This world and its administration are nearing their end.

It is not the end yet but these are signs of the beginning of the end.

Jesus is going to return as King.

His Father said to Him: [*Hebrews 1:13* /“Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet”/] All those opposed to Jesus will be vanquished and Jesus will be installed as Ruler over all.

This is what God says: [*Psalm 2:6-12* /“But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

“I will surely tell of the decree of יְהוָה: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.

‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’

” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth.

Worship יְהוָה with reverence and rejoice with trembling.

Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled.

How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!/].

The trouble is that we are used to democracy and think that it is the righteous form of government – democracy is where we all have our say, we make the decisions; think we have the right to determine the course we take!

No, it is not democracy – it is monarchy.

Not like the one we have: a face on the back of a coin, or who opens buildings and launches ships – a mere figurehead.

This King rules!

He says what goes and it is a harsh, firm and ruthless reign for those who oppose Him – He rules with a rod of iron, He shatters His opponents like pottery, His wrath is soon kindled.

Yet it says blessed are those who take refuge in Him – for those who do not oppose Him but submit to His rule, who do homage to Him.

You can oppose the King and His rule – and you will be destroyed.

Or you can repent, turn around, place your faith in Him and find His kindness.

His way results in LIFE – life in all its fullness, eternal life, the very life of Jesus Himself!

Jesus */IS/* coming to rule and reign as King – this is GOOD NEWS – but only if you repent and believe.

John proclaimed it, Jesus preached it [*Mark 1:14-15*/ Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel./”],

so did the early church [*Acts 2:38* /“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit/.]

– Paul said: [*Acts 20:20-21* /I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ/.]

– The consistent message was repent and believe for the Kingdom of God is near!

This is the Gospel; How do you come to God? How do you become a Christian, a child of God, enter the Kingdom?

What do we say?

– “Come forward” “Raise your hand” “Look me in the eye” “Pray the sinners prayer” “Ask Jesus into your heart” – Just tell me where any one of these is mentioned in the Bible!

Tell me where any of this was ever done by Jesus, John, the apostles or anyone else in the New Testament!

Well what did they say?

Two things: repent and believe – and always repent before believe.