Repentance means action.

Have you wondered what repentance is or what it looks like for someone to have repented? If we are familiar with Scripture we could think of someone throwing sackcloth on for clothing and covering themselves with ashes. If we are not familiar with the bible we could think that it means to stop doing something and go in the other direction.

Both are correct. The sackcloth and ashes depicts a godly sorrow over our sin. The turning from our sin towards Christ is the result of hating the sin and knowing we are guilty for it. Our text today points us to a clear picture of what biblical repentance looks like.

When a proper explanation of the good news is presented, you first become aware that you have transgressed God’s law. That makes you guilty of high treason.

The right response is to repent or to turn away from sin towards Jesus and believe in him as your only Saviour. Repentance and faith are both gifts of God’s unmerited or undeserved grace in order to save you from his righteous wrath. It is to trust in him alone and not in your good works or reciting the sinner’s prayer. In doing so, your sin debt is forgiven by the work of Jesus on the cross in your place. This is good news!

The question I would like you to ask yourself is “have I repented of sin and if so, do I live today as if I truly repented?”

The question I would like you to ask yourself is “have I repented of sin and if so, do I live today as if I truly repented?”

When you hear me say to repent and believe in Jesus do you wonder what repentance means? While the greek translation means to change the mind is true, it is much more than that as we will see here this morning.

The question I would like you to ask yourself is “have I repented of sin and if so, do I live today as if I truly repented?”

Our passage reveals for us 3 facts about repentance.

If I stop doing bad things, shouldn’t God just smile and save me even if I don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Why does repentance

Forgiveness of sin begins with repentance.

Outward signs don’t save you.

Your behaviour proves you truly repented.

Point #1 - Forgiveness of sin begins with repentance (1-6).

Historically, this was a very dark time for the Jews. They were oppressed by a pagan government that was dictating all areas of rule. They put up Jewish puppets to give the people a sense of keeping their culture and religion. However, if anyone stepped out of line they were replaced.

Historically, this was a very dark time for the Jews. They were oppressed by a pagan government that was dictating all areas of rule. They put up Jewish puppets to give the people a sense of keeping their culture and religion. However, if anyone stepped out of line they were replaced.

Many of the Jews had lost their way as being God’s people. Their belief of the Messiah was to remove evil Rome and their bondage. They forgot that the coming Messiah was to come and save them from their spiritual bondage to sin.

God had prepared John in the wilderness for many years and now the word came to him for the beginning of his ministry. Finally, after over 400 years of silence in speaking through a prophet, this last OT prophet speaks for God to proclaim or preach a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (3).

Luke then quotes in that this man John was in fact the one prophesied about who would cry out and plead with sinners to repent of their sin. To turn back to God so they could be saved. The proud would be humbled, the lowly would be exalted and the crooked corruption of the flesh would be made straight.

John’s message of repentance is met with disdain and excuses by the hardened and rebellious hearts as we see in (7-9).

Point #2 - Outward signs don’t save you (7-9).

Obviously, the word that John was proclaiming in the wilderness was spreading far and wide. Even the Pharisees were coming to get baptized. But John was wise to their stiff necked attitude. “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” He obviously read the book “How to win friends and influence people.”

Like snakes that hide in the grass are driven away by a burning grass fire, these hypocritical Jewish leaders were looking for their get out of hell free card.

These guys heard about John’s baptism that when you repented and were baptized you were free and clear of God’s wrath as judgement. What they didn’t realize was that the baptism was to serve as a symbol. An outward sign that you were turning from the hideous sin you used to love and now were turning to God with new affections. Desiring to be washed clean of the filth of sin.

Read . Matthew states that the message that John the Baptist gave was about living righteously. The prostitutes and and tax collectors go into the kingdom of God because they repented and believed while the Pharisees refused to change their minds and did not believe.

John then corrects their foolish misunderstanding by telling them to bear fruits in keeping with repentance. Meaning that if you hate your sin, your whole matter of life will now be changed. With a changed heart comes new affections so let these new attitudes bear fruit with your statement that you have truly repented.

When one’s toes have been stepped on, the excuses come. John knows their defence is that they really believe that God won’t judge them because they are descendants of Abraham. So he pointedly tells them that just because you are circumcised means nothing if you do not have the faith of Abraham.

God can make these stones at his feet into his children if he wishes so stop making excuses for not repenting. In urgency John boldly proclaims that even now, the axe is at the tree. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is not of God.

If the fruit that you bear is bad, you will be cut down and destroyed in eternal fire. Your Jewish heritage means nothing. Without repentance and faith in the one who is to come being Jesus you will perish so repent and bear fruit of that repentance.

Notice that it is not John who holds the axe, it is the Lord whose winnowing fork is in his hand (17). The one who will separate the wheat from the chaff. We will discuss this more next week God willing.

Excuses we might hear today is that my parents are Christian so I am a Christian. Or I go to church so I am a Christian. I was baptized as an infant so that means I am saved.

But the real question we need to ask ourselves is “Am I bearing fruit of my repentance?” If we say we are followers of Jesus, are we bearing fruit of the Spirit who lives in us? If not, we should not be confident that we are truly born of God. We should examine ourselves to see if we truly are in the faith (2nd Corinthians 13:5).

Well how can we have confidence that we have truly repented and trusted in Jesus as our personal Saviour?

Point #3 - Your behaviour proves you truly repented (10-14).

For someone to say that they have repented or turned from sin and have believed on Christ means that new good fruit will come from the believer. If you are a new creation in Christ your attitude towards sin is changed. Those who truly repent act in a different way than they did before conversion.

True repentance begins with contrition, a godly grief that always leads to true repentance. While remorse for sin which is a worldly sorrow leads only to death () When Nathan confronted David for his sin with Bathsheba there was godly grief which brought healing and life. informs us that Esau found no true repentance because he wept over the consequences of sin, but not for the sin itself. This is worldly sorrow that only leads to death.

True repentance begins with contrition, a godly grief that always leads to true repentance. While remorse for sin which is a worldly sorrow leads only to death () When you get caught doing something you shouldn’t do, there may be tears and asking for forgiveness. This kind of sorrow for sinning is that you got caught, not that it was treason against God. Think David and Bathsheba to get a proper perspective.

True repentance begins with contrition, a godly grief that always leads to true repentance. While remorse for sin which is a worldly sorrow leads only to death () When you get caught doing something you shouldn’t do, there may be tears and asking for forgiveness. This kind of sorrow for sinning is that you got caught, not that it was treason against God. Think David and Bathsheba to get a proper perspective.

Now, why do I say this? Godly grief over sin always leads to obedience. The new heart now has new attitudes. New attitudes mean new behaviours. So as the crowds plead with John in (10-14) they want to know what true repentance looks like in bearing fruit.

John states that if you have 2 tunics, give one to someone who has none. Be generous. Love others. This is being a good neighbour like the good Samaritan. If you have food, give some to those who have none so that they will be fed and not go hungry.

John states that if you have 2 tunics, give one to someone who has none. Be generous. Love others. If you have food, give some to those who have none so that they will be fed and not go hungry.

James says this same thing.

Read . Good works do not save you, but good works confirm that you have true saving faith. Your love for enemies is the same kind of love God has for us in that before we were his children we were haters of God. We love because he first loved us.

Now, the tax collectors and soldiers come and ask what they should do in bearing fruit of their repentance. John replies that they don’t need to give up their jobs, just don’t use your power or authority to abuse people. Only take what is authorized, don’t use your might to intimidate people to pad your bank account. Be content with your wages.

Repentance always leads to obedience to God, repentance means action. We see this in the life of Zacchaeus the chief tax collector in . He is that small in stature guy who gets into a tree to see Jesus. The Lord tells him to come down because he wants to stay the night with him. Zacchaeus tells him that half his goods he gives to the poor and for anyone he has defrauded, he will repay fourfold. And what does Jesus say to him? “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” To be a child of Abraham is not the outward sign of circumcision but an inward circumcision of the heart by the Spirit of God.

You see my brothers and sisters, when we have truly repented and trusted in Christ, the whole person is made new. Yes the sinful nature still lingers and trips us up. We are not talking perfectionism but our new desires will manifest themselves in real action.

If you do not see this evidence in your life, I plead with you to stop refusing God’s grace. If you continue to resist, the axe is at the tree ready to cut you down and cast you into the fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Accept the free gift of salvation found only in Jesus Christ and enjoy freedom because the debt of sin has been forgiven.

As a Christian, when you love to sacrifice time and money to help your church family and those in the community, these are evidences of God’s grace working in you. Keep it up! I am proud of you. When we forgive others over and over, we are bearing fruit of how we have seen our God forgive us over and over. Don’t grow weary of doing good. Rather rejoice in the Lord that he has given you grace and mercy to wipe the slate clean. Bear fruit of your repentance and give assurance to your soul that with your whole being you have repented of sin and turned to Christ for the salvation of your souls.

Have you truly repented of sin? Is it so enjoyable that you cannot give it up?

What pleases the Lord is when we bear fruit of our repentance, God receives all the glory. Humble, contrite hearts that love to obey out of a grateful heart made new in Jesus. God bless you as serve God in spirit and truth.