Repentance, What It Is Not!
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Tonight we start a new doctrinal study in our Christian Life Study Series, outlined by Porter Barrington . The study we will be going through now concerns “Repentance”. This study will probably take longer than any other we have dealt with so far and there are good reasons why.
First, the word repentance is used 69 times in the Bible. The very first sermon that Jesus preached, as He started His public ministry, is found in [Matthew 4:17], where Jesus said, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And the very last message that Jesus gave to the church, contrary to popular opinion, was not the Great Commission. His last message to the church was in the book of the Revelation as He gave the messages to the seven churches. Jesus said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Revelation 3:19) The first message that Jesus brought was “Repent.” The last message that Jesus gave to the Church was that we are to “repent.”
Rogers, A. (2017). Real Repentance. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Lk 13:1–5). Rogers Family Trust.
Second, another reason why we need to take some time studying this doctrine is because most people, in and out of the church, don’t really know what real Repentance is.
Text; 2 Pet. 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Prayer
Peter is closing his second letter to Jewish believers encouraging them to stay faithful under fire. He reminds them to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ to be able to stand firm in faith by fending off the false teaching of Judaizers who say Jesus is not the Messiah and He isn’t coming a second time for judgment [3:3-8].
So when we read this one scripture its not hard to see that Peter is talking about how much God loves the sinner and is patient with them, desiring the sinner to repent and be saved by faith in Christ, escaping the promised wrath of God that is to come!
I want us to look at a definition of Repentance and then I want to talk about tonight “Repentance, What It Is Not!”
1. Repentance;
1. Repentance;
Repentance is the act whereby one turns from his/her sin and rebellion and turns to God in faith through Jesus Christ.
Repentance is the act qualifies a man for salvation, but it takes faith in Christ to acquire salvation. True repentance is always coupled with faith.
Repentance is a change of attitude and action away from sin towards obedience to God.
Repentance is all about “change” in a person. That change is evident in three areas of a persons life;
The intellect- a change of mind about sin and God
The emotions- a change of heart/desire for God
The volition- a change of one’s will to that of God’s
21 “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.
23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
Repentance is more than a prayer, it is belief in Jesus and bearing fruit in one’s life that reflects that belief in Christ.
But I want us to look tonight at “Repentance, What It Is Not!”
2. Repentance Is Not Being Sorry;
2. Repentance Is Not Being Sorry;
9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Being sorry is not the same as being repentant. Godly sorrow can lead to repentance, but you can be sorry for something you did, but not regret that you did it and therefore not truly repent.
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”
23 And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.
24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25 And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.
26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
27 And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.
28 Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
Pharaoh was sorry, he even confessed “I have sinned” and was wicked, but it didn’t lead to salvation. Look what happens next.
34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.
The so-called repentance that was born in the storm of hail, thunder and fire died in the calm. Many that sin are sorry in the trials but as soon as they’re gone, they return to sin!
3. Repentance Is Not Penance;
3. Repentance Is Not Penance;
5 You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?
Penance is an act of devotion designed to show sorrow for or repentance of sin. It is one of the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. It is used as a form of discipline or punishment imposed on a person to demonstrate repentance for his or her sins. The Catholics refer to this as “doing penance.” The penitent first confesses his sin(s) to a priest. The penitent is then given instructions on what to do in order to atone for his sins. Usually, penance takes the form of praying certain prayers a specified number of times, fasting, or spending time in front of an altar. This is unbiblical. Nowhere does Scripture teach that performing works or punishing oneself will make restitution for sin.
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
If penance is the same as repenting, then salvation is not a gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ, but by our works, and the death and resurrection of Jesus was all in vain!
4. Repentance Is Not Reformation;
4. Repentance Is Not Reformation;
Reformation is a change brought about by the efforts of man for self-appeasement or to make one feel better about themselves. It is turning away from a known sin, giving up a bad habit, turning over a new leaf, or even making restitution for a wrong done to others. But it does not save a person.
43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
Judas Iscariot was a reformed man but a lost man!
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Many people try to reform themselves in the New Year by turning over a new leaf and maybe giving up bad habits. That’s all good and well but it does nothing spiritually for them and cannot make one right with God! And most people who try to reform in the new year have already quit by the second Friday in January.
Close;
Real Repentance is a change of mind, heart and will of a person. It’s more than being sorry, it’s not penance, and no one can reform themselves to be good enough to go to heaven!
Repentance is a plant that never grows on nature’s dung-hill. The nature must be changed, and repentance must be implanted by the Holy Spirit, or it will never flourish in our hearts.
Charles Spurgeon
