Fruitful Repentance
Fruit Bearing • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Over the last few weeks we have been looking a series of lessons on the importance of “Fruit Bearing.”
As we have seen it was prophesied that we would be such (Isaiah 11:1) and Jesus clearly declared the need for such when he taught on him being the “vine and us the branches.”
John 15:1–2 (ESV)
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Last week, we looked at one aspect of the “fruit we must bear” in “Teaching The Lost.”
How it is going to require our time, our effort, and much longsuffering to accomplish but is well worth such.
Today, I want us to look at another “fruit we must bear” and that is… “Fruitful Repentance.”
The great man “John the Baptizer” stated in Luke 3:8…
Luke 3:8 (ESV)
8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance…
In order to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance” we must first understand repentance more intimately.
By that I mean we must understand what repentance requires if we are to have a “Fruitful Repentance.”
With that in mind let us examine how…
Repentance Must Understand Sin
Repentance Must Understand Sin
Sin Is Breaking God’s Law.
Sin Is Breaking God’s Law.
To even begin the process of repentance we must first understand what sin is and that we have it in our lives.
So many people go blissfully throughout their lives feeling like they are fine in the sight of God because they don’t grasp what sin is or the damage it truly does to them.
So what exactly is sin and why is it such a problem?
Sin is, at its most basic level, breaking of God’s law.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
Someone can break God’s law by either…
Doing something that is prohibited i.e., sin of commission.
28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Not doing what is right when the opportunity presents itself i.e., sin of commission.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Now to be clear we certainly can sin by either format unknowingly due ignorance of God’s word.
Numbers 15:22 (ESV)
22 “But if you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses
Hebrews 9:7 (ESV)
7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.
12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
However, once we get to the point when we “ought to no longer be ignorant” (Hebrews 5:12-14) or become no longer ignorant of those sins we must stop sinning.
Hebrews 10:26 (ESV)
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins
So that is what sin is, but why is sin such a problem.
I mention this not because people don’t associate sin with “bad” but because people don’t typically understand “how bad.”
A singular sin brings spiritual death.
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
Sin filled lives keep God from hearing prayers.
Isaiah 59:1–2 (ESV)
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
Unrepentant sin leaves one separated from God eternally.
Matthew 7:21–23 (ESV)
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Summary
Summary
When we understand what sin is, the eternal dangers of not knowing God’s word and breaking God’s word, it makes it far more likely we repent and bear fruit of repentance.
The other vital reality that must take place for one to be able to “bear fruit of repentance” is to understand that…
Repentance Must Understand Grief
Repentance Must Understand Grief
Worldly Grief VS Godly Grief
Worldly Grief VS Godly Grief
Worldly grief is nothing like godly grief because worldly grief produces death not repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV)
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
Worldly grief is based not on eternity but a love for this material world.
10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
In fact, if one loves this world the love of God is not with then.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Godly grief is nothing like wordly grief because godly grief produces repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV)
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
The word grief is translated a few different ways.
John 16:6 (ESV)
6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
2 Corinthians 2:1 (ESV)
1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.
Summary
Summary
As you can see godly grief or sorrow is a pain we feel after realizing we have sinned against our God.
And as Paul points out, it leads to repentance for which we must then “bear fruit.”
That leads us to recognizing that…
Repentance Must Understand Change
Repentance Must Understand Change
Change Of Mind.
Change Of Mind.
By that I mean repentance is understanding that whatever “wordly thing” i.e., sin we get caught in requires us to have a turn from “desiring that sin” to “hating that sin.”
Repent means to make an “about face” and “180 degree” turn from going away from God spiritually by our sinful action or actions and turning back to him.
Repentance and this change of mind only happens with a “humble mindset.”
Philippians 2:3–5 (ESV)
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Philippians 2:6–8 (ESV)
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Repentance and this change of mind only happens when we "set our minds on God” not this world.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
And when this change of mind takes place due to repentance we will then be able to have a…
Change Of Behavior.
Change Of Behavior.
Herein is found the “fruit of repentance.”
God has never said that simply “wanting to do the right thing” or “thinking on the right things” is enough.
8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
Now this is response by John to the Pharisees and other Jew leaders led those listening to him to ask what this means to “bear fruit of repentance.”
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”
John responds by saying…
11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
Summary
Summary
In other words, when we repent of our sins, and have our sins washed away by the mercy and grace of God (Ephesians 2:8) we must not only “go and do no more sins of commission” we must “go and no longer do sins of omission.”
Repentance leads to a change in our behavior from “not doing what is right, to seeking out to do what it right.”
28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The only way we, who have obeyed the gospel, can be found “a good and faithful servant” is if…
We recognize what the sin of commission and omission is doing to us spiritually…
We acknowledge we have sinned either willfully or ignorantly and our hearts are broken because of it…
And we repent by completely changing our mindset on whatever we sinfully desired and actively demonstrate our desire now for our God through bearing fruit of repentance.
This makes clear that we have a testing of our faith that is available to us.
If we have truly repented we will bear fruit of repentance and therefore “know we have had our sins forgiven.”
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
