Response — Faith and Repentance
What is the Gospel? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
What is the Gospel? This is the most important question someone could ever ask, and it’s the most important question you could ever answer. It’s necessary that 1) we believe the Gospel, 2) we can articulate the Gospel, and 3) we proclaim the Gospel.
If you remember, when we began this short series, I gave three hopes or goals for this series: 1) There would be people invited or in our midst that would hear the Gospel and respond to the Gospel. 2) Believers would be strengthened in their understanding of the Gospel. That after this series they would gain a greater clarity and refine their articulation of the Gospel. 3) That believers would be strengthened and encouraged to proclaim the Gospel.
Let me ask you this question: Do you believe the Gospel? I’m going to end with this question as well. But I want you to reflect on your life and determine if you really and truly believe the Gospel. Here’s why — our final lesson in this series describes the marks (or what it looks like) for one to believe the Gospel. Better said, how should you and I respond to the Gospel?
Do you remember the four words by which we’ve boiled down the Gospel? God. Man. Christ. Response.
God — He has created all things. Therefore, he has the right to tell his creation what to do. As our creator, he owns us. Not only is he our creator, but he is perfectly holy and righteous. His holiness and righteousness is the standard that is set for all of humanity. God judges those who don’t meet his standard of perfection (newsflash — that’s all of humanity).
Man — We stand under the wrath of God because of our sins. From inception we live enslaved to our sin. Our sin must be punished and the punishment we rightly and justly deserve is death (separation from God forever) and hell (eternal punishment). The plight of man is a downward spiral destined for calamity and destruction. But…
Christ — This is the good news (which is the literal meaning of Gospel) of the Gospel. Quite simply, Jesus exchanged his perfectly righteous life for our perfectly sinful lives. He was the sacrifice that humanity needed to cleanse us from our sinfulness. Christ is the hope for humanity. But we recognize (as Scripture tells us) that not all belong to Christ. So who belongs to Christ?
This is the question that our lesson answers tonight. Who belongs to Christ? Or what does a genuine response to the Gospel look like?
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Jesus in this verse describes exactly what a response to the Gospel *not should look like, *not might look like, but *must look like. And did you notice what he said? Repent and Believe.
So tonight we’re going to break down a response to the Gospel into two parts (as reflected in Mark 1:15) — Faith and Repentance.
A Christian (or one who believes the Gospel) is one who turns away from his sin and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ — and nothing else — to save him from sin and the coming judgment.
FAITH
FAITH
How would you describe faith? What does faith mean?
Faith is reliance and trust.
*give the author’s illustration concerning the pool, father, and son.
Now let me ask this question — Do you believe that people in the Old Testament were saved the same way that we in the New Testament are saved?
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Abraham believed what God said. He trusted in God without wavering and relied on him to accomplish his purposes. Abraham put his faith (reliance and trust) in God.
This is the proper response to the Gospel — to put our faith in Jesus, rely on him, and trust him to do what he has promised to do.
But what are we relying on Jesus for? Simply, we are relying on Jesus to secure for us a righteous verdict from God the Judge, rather than a guilty one.
The Bible teaches that the greatest need of every human being is to be found righteous in God’s sight, rather than wicked. When judgment comes, we desperately need the verdict pronounced over us to be “righteous” rather than “condemned.” This is what the Bible calls being “justified” — it is God’s declaration that we are righteous in his sight, rather than guilty.
But how do we secure this righteous verdict? Looking at our own lives? No, God will have to look at someone else’s record. When we put our faith in Jesus, we are relying on him to stand as our substitute before God, in both his perfect life and his penalty-paying death for us on the cross. In other words, we are trusting that God will substitute Jesus’ record for ours, and therefore declare us to be righteous (Romans 3:22 “22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” ).
When we trust Jesus to save us, we become united to him, and a magnificent exchanged takes place. All our sin, rebellion, and wickedness is imputed (or credited) to Jesus, and he dies because of it. At the same time, the perfect life Jesus lived is imputed to us, and we are declared righteous. God looks at us, and instead of seeing our sin, he sees Jesus’ righteousness.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
God declares us righteous because by faith, we are clothed with Christ’s righteous life. God saves us by pure grace, not because of anything we have done, but solely because of what Jesus has done for us.
Here’s a biblical illustration. Look at Zechariah 3:1-5
1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; Even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.
Our righteousness before God is not our own. It is given to us by Jesus. God looked at his Son and saw our sin, and he looks at us and sees Jesus’ righteousness.
When you realize just how dependent you are on Jesus for your salvation — his death for your sin, his life for your righteousness — you understand why the Bible is so insistent that salvation comes only through faith in him. There is no other way, no other savior, nothing and no one else in the world on which we can rely for salvation including our own efforts.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
*Reformers sola fide vs. Catholics.
Putting your faith in Christ means that you utterly renounce any other hope of being counted righteous before God.
Do you find yourself trusting in your own good works? Faith means admitting that they are woefully insufficient, and trusting Christ alone. Do you find yourself trusting what you understand to be your good heart? Faith means acknowledging that your heart is not good at all, and trusting Christ alone.
But belief or faith is not the only response which Christ preached:
Look again at Mark 1:15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
REPENTANCE
REPENTANCE
Repentance is a turning away from sin, hating it, and resolving by God’s strength to forsake it.
20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
Repentance marks out those who have been saved by God from those who have not.
What could this look like?
They may genuinely believe Jesus died for their sins, but there’s no sense that He has authority over their life. Faith becomes agreement with facts, not surrender of the heart. Not just struggling with sin (which all believers do), but making peace with it. (Sexual sin with no desire to flee it / Gossip, cruelty, or disrespect without conviction / Substance use brushed off as “not that serious”)
They may feel embarrassed if they’re caught, but not grieved because they’ve offended a holy God. You might hear: (“Everyone does it.” / “That’s just how I am.” / “God wants me to be happy.”) Instead of letting Scripture define sin, they let culture or feelings lead.
Grace becomes a safety net to keep sinning rather than the power to change.
They may attend church or youth group, but there’s little hunger for: God’s Word / Prayer / Accountability / Obedience when it’s costly / Repentance produces movement toward Christ, not spiritual stagnation.
Biblically, repentance means a turning. If there’s belief without turning—from sin to Christ—it often shows in unchanged priorities, friendships, language, and habits over time.
Faith in Christ carries in itself a renunciation of that rival power that King Jesus conquered — sin. And where that renunciation of sin is not present, neither is genuine faith in the One who defeated it.
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Repentance, though, is not an immediate end to our sinning. It means that we will no longer live at peace with our sin. We will declare moral war against it and dedicate ourselves to resisting it by God’s power on every front in our lives.
Genuine repentance is more fundamentally a matter of the heart’s attitude toward sin than it is a mere change of behavior. (contrast how many view repentance as change of behavior)
The difference between an unconverted and a converted man is not that the one has sins and the other has none; but that the one takes part with his cherished sins against a dreaded God, and the other takes part with a reconciled God against his hated sins. — William Arnot
What’s your response to your sin? How do you view your sin? Have you/ do you repent of your sins?
When a person genuinely repents and believes in Christ, the Bible says that he is given new spiritual life.
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
True Christians will perform — Acts 26:20
20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
*explain this verse for a moment
But, our fruits are not the cause of our salvation. Realize that the fruit that you bear is merely that — the fruit of a tree already made good by God’s grace in Christ. To rely on your own Christian fruit to secure God’s favor is ultimately to shift your faith from Jesus to yourself. And that is no salvation at all.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
When you stand before God at the judgment, I wonder what you plan to do or say in order to convince him to count you righteous and admit you to all the blessings of his kingdom? What good deed or godly attitude will you pull out of your pocket to impress him? Will you pull out your church attendance? Your family life? Your spotless thought life? The fact that you haven’t done anything really heinous in your own eyes? I wonder what you’ll hold up before him while saying, “God, on account of this, justify me!”
Here’s the plea of every Christian whose faith is in Jesus Christ alone: “O God, do not look for any righteousness in my own life. Look at your Son. Count me righteous not because of anything I’ve done or anything I am, but because of him. He lived the life I should have lived. He died the death that I deserve. I have renounced all other trusts, and my plea is him alone. Justify me, O God, because of Jesus.”
Do you believe the Gospel? How you respond (faith and repentance) to the good news of the Gospel determines if you are a believer.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
When you hear the word “gospel,” what do you usually think of?
How does the four-word framework (God, Man, Christ, Response) help clarify it?
Jesus says the response to the gospel is to “repent and believe” (Mark 1:15).
Why do you think He includes both instead of just belief?
What are some things teens are tempted to trust in instead of Jesus for righteousness or identity?
(Grades, sports, popularity, being “good,” church involvement, etc.)
The sermon said repentance is not perfection, but refusing to live at peace with sin.
What does “making peace with sin” look like in a teenager’s life?
The sermon said repentance is more about the heart than just behavior.
Why is it possible to change behavior without truly repenting?
SMALL GROUP PRAYER PROMPTS
SMALL GROUP PRAYER PROMPTS
Pray for repentance. Pray for a hatred towards sin. Pray that we would love God more than our sin.
Pray for faith. Pray for us to trust God more than we trust ourselves.
Pray for power against sin. Pray for strength from the Holy Spirit to fight against sin. Pray that we would be strengthened in our commitment to Christ than our sin.
