Following the Way of Jesus Series - Matthew's gospel

God is with us! - And it’s time to repent!

“Regrets I’ve had a few but then again, too few to mention.”

Really? Just a few?

If you could live your lfie over again is there anything you would do differently?

I guess we all have regrets. Words that we’d love to take back or actions that are painful to recount and even to think about, but we would love to undo them if we could.

There is a haunting few lines in Neil Gaiman’s, The Wake which reads: “We were never lovers, and we never will be, now. I do not regret that, however. I regret the conversations we never had, the time we did not spend together. I regret that I never told him that he made me happy, when I was in his company. The world was the better for his being in it. These things alone do I now regret: things left unsaid. And he is gone, and I am old.”

“Look in my face; my name is Might-have-been; I am also call'd No-more, Too-late, Farewell” ― Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The House of Life

For four hundred years, heaven had been silent.

No more! Out of relative obscurity, a powerful figure, looking a lot like Elijah with his rough, camel-haired garment and leather belt steps forward. He comes to be known as John the Baptizer and is the first prophet of God to speak in four centuries.

John is specially chosen for this task and was prepared for it even bwefore he was born - His conception was miraculous given the age of his parents and the barren condition of his mother Elisabeth. He was filled with the Holy Spirit "even before he is born.before he was born”(Lk 1:16) and an angel declared that would “be great in the sight of God”(Lk 1:15) because of his role in bringing “back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.” by going “before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(Lk 1:17-18).

Jesus later said of John that “there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11).

John’s message was loud and clear - “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

This word repentance” is repeated by John on a number of occasions and is viewed as the only appropriate response as God draws near to us. Even John, that great man of God has to repent. He was not a sinless man as this chapter show when Jesus came to be baptised - “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”(Matt 3:13).

Not only John needed repentance but so did the leaders of the religious establishment - the “Pharisees”, conservative, puritantical isolationists, faithful to the traditions of the Elders or Rabbis who had gone before but guilty of what Jesus described as “teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Matt. 15:2–9). and the “Sadducees”, of a priestly aristocratic cast, liberal-minded; politically minded and positionally orientated pragmatist - and say: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matt 3:7-10).

And if a great and godly man like John and the religious and generally decent and upright members of society, at least on the surface had to repent then so did the ordinary people of that society and so do we! For this shows us that no amount of religious heritage or belonging to a religious community or even having a religious position will guarantee us salvation. None of this counts if there is no repentance and change of heart and life!

So, let us think about REPENTANCE today - What is is? Why should we repent? What does it look like? and What does it result in?

I. What is Repentance?

So what do we mean by repentance? The word repentance comes from a Greek word μετάνοια -metanoia.

The prefix meta can mean “with,” “beside,” or “after.” You may have heard of the word “metaphysics” Physics is the study of those elements of nature that are visible, perceivable, and physical. Metaphysics is an attempt to reach beyond the realm of the physical world to the transcendent realm.

The root “noia” refers to the “mind” and it gives us the English transliteration “nous.” which refers to the mind but informally common sense or practical intelligence. (c/f Noggin - the head or a small quantity of alcohol where you go round to the pub for a quick noggin and a chat).

So, literally repentance means to change of mind afterwards on reflection. Literally, “an afterthought.” And this leads to a change of mind and heart about that thing. It contains the idea of “ruing” over something that leads to a regret of a particular action.

So repentance has both th it not only an intellectual assessment of an action and an emotional response which leads to a change of attiude and action about that thing.

Think of the butterfly going through 4 major stages of metamorphosis - egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult. The incredible transformation and particularly when it transforms in the Pupa from a catepillar into a butterfly is incredible. And yet at every satge things have to be exactly right from the leaves the mother lays her eggs on to the actions of the catepillar in eationg that leaf; to the shedding of the skin of the catepillarw and the incredible pressure as it transforms in thh Chrysalis, so many obstacles to the eautiful creature having to soar and reprodiuce itself. The change; the repentance that leads to transformation!

Repentance is TRANSFORMATIVE! It is not merely feeling sorry about something - feeling sorry and having regret is not enough. It must lead to “a godly sorrow” We can see this clearly in 2 Corinthians 7 when Paul writes to the church - “Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.”(2 Cor 7:8-11).

II. Why should we Repent?

The need for repentance tells us something fundamentally important about our relationship to God.

The bible says about human beings that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23)

As a result of our sin we have been separated from God - “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”(Isa 59:1-2).

Sin is the barrier that prevents us being with God and it is sin, as we have already seen when we looked at chapter 1, that Jesus has come to “save us”(Mattt 1:23) from so that we can have the with God life!

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there is a powerful metaphor for repentance.

Lady Macbeth, the ambitious and cunning wife of the Macbeth, is wracked with guilt over her part in the murder of King Duncan. One night, as she sleepwalks and hallucinates, she recalls her crimes. In anguish, she attempts to wash the blood from her hands. However, there is no soap strong enough to remove the stain of her guilt, and she cries, “Out, damned spot!”

This image of being made clean is at the heart of the biblical concept of repentance. We may be tempted to think of repentance merely in terms of forgiveness, but it is also about cleansing. We are corrupt, and we must be made clean by the blood of Christ! “The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin”(1 Joh 1:9). Paul was told by Annanias - “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’(Acts 22:16).

So we must not be tempted to think of repentance as an optional add-on to faith.

Repentance is not a tangential concept in the Bible; rather, it is essential if we are to come into right relationship with God

When it says that “John came preaching...” the word for “preach” is kērussō, the primary meaning of which is “to herald.” It was used of the official whose duty it was to proclaim loudly and extensively the coming of the king. And the message of a King ought not to be ignored! That is why Jesus’, the King, preached his very first sermon and addressed this issue - Matthew 4:17 “From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

And it was exactly the same for the Apostles of Jesus Mark 6:12 says of the twelve: “And they went out and preached that men should repent.”

Likewise Peter in his Pentecost sermon concludes his message of salvation in Jesus Christ with, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38; cf. Acts 3:19; 20:21; 26:18).

III. What Repentance Looks Like!

“Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. “(Matt 3:6).

John’s baptism was “a baptism of repentance for the forgivness of sins” (Acts 19:1-4) and this was different to the baptism Jesus undertook which was “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15). A unique baptism as a step of obedience as he began His public ministry.

The mission of Jesus begins in a public way with his baptism and it ends with the commission which he leaves to his church to fulfil after him, recorded in the Great Commission: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matt. 28:19). This contains the promise of Christ’s presence but also it is done in the name of the triune God: ‘Father and … Son and … Holy Spirit’. These three persons of the Godhead are each involved in this significant moment of the anointing of Jesus:

1. Confession:

Repentance always involves confession of sin. It is because I know I am a sinner that I confess!

“Forgiveness is always free. But that doesn't mean that confession is always easy. Sometimes it is hard. Incredibly hard. It is painful to admit our sins and entrust ourselves to God's care.” (Edwin Lutzer).

And remember that admission of wrongdoing is the quickest route to peace and reconciliation. Broken relationships can so often be mended when a person humbly says: “I am sorry, please forgive me!” It is the same with God and remember that it is not as though God does not know about our sin. He knows, but confession breaks down the barrier that exists between us and God and allows us to draw near to Him.

Confession of sin cross the bridge to reconciliation!

2. Baptism:

The “confessing” of sin followed by the act of baptism symbolized before the world as a public witness, what it means to belong to God. It symbolised the beginning of a new life in Christ and it is to be folowed by a life of dedicated following after Jesus as His disciple.

Baptism is our badge of discipleship and belonging. It is our way of saying to the world that we have died to sin and we live for righteousness. That we have stopped following our own way and are following the way of Jesus!

3. Conversion:

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”(Matt 3:8).

Baptism on its own however, or baptism divorced from real repentance is not enough.

John’s command to repent is connected to the idea of “be converted.” To convert something is t o change it into something that is fitted for a particular usage. ”

John was saying, “is that you make a complete turnaround from the way you are, that you be totally converted, totally changed.”

And even when we consider John and the things he wore and the way he lived, with his “camel’s hair” garments and his diet of “locusts and honey” whilst living our in the desert were all indicative of the fact that he was called to be separate and distinct from the dead and corrupt religious system of his day. To separate himself from the empty ritualism, worldliness, hypocrisy, and superficiality of the religious leaders.

Now don’t misunderstand here. John’s purpose was not to turn the people into hermits or ascetics. None who followed him were called to live and dress as he did. His manner of living was a dramatic reminder of the many loves and pleasures that keep people from exchanging their own way for God’s.

And this serves to remind us of the importance of commitment to following Jesus - the call away from the cities; from Jerusalem and Jericho, into the wilderness is a challenge to resolve to follow Jesus out of our comfort zones to a place where most people would not bother to go if they were not serious seekers.

And to call us into the desert is to free us from distraction; to help us to listen, think, and ponder, without the distractions and superficiality of dabbling with religion and placating the soul with shallowness. In the wilderness we can begin to see the greatness of this man of God and the even greater greatness of the One whose coming he announced.

God calls for radical change and transformation that affects the mind, the will, and the emotions—the whole person.

As James points out, “Faith, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:17). John says in his first epistle, “The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:7); and that “if someone says, I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (4:20). Our actions toward our fellow men are indicators of our true attitude toward God.

Failure to repent would result in severe judgment, as Matthew 11:20–24 and Matthew 12:38–41 demonstrate.

IV. What Repentance Results in!

1. It brings you into the “Kingdom of Heaven”(Matt 3:3)

The people should repent and be converted because the King was coming, and He deserves and requires no less.

However what a privlege to be summoned to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. To become a citizen of the most magnificent Kingdom that ever entered into human history and will transcend it!

To live in this Kingdom is to have “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17) and it is to belong to the “eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” (2 Pet. 1:11).

2. It leads you into a relationshp with Jesus, the King! - “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

The concept of baptism in the Holy Spirit is a remidner to Israel of God’s promise of the new covenant age in Ezekiel 36:26–27, where God says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

It is the promise of a new birth in the Spirit (Jn 3:3) and a filling of the Spirit that would becomes “rivers of living water”(Joh 7:37) that would be inwardly transofrmative in tems of the fruit and quality of the lfie of the believer but in turn flow out to the blessing of others as the gifts of the Spirit operate within the beleiver.

This relationship with Jesus is a relationship of righteousness - “Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt 3:15)

And this once again reminds us of our great aim as we preach through Matthew’s Gospel and our mission statement as a Christian Fellowship. We live our lvies by being WITH JESUS with the aim of BECOMING LIKE JESUS and DOING WHAT JESUS DID! Living our lives to glorify God and to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven!

3. It brings pleasure to God - As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:16-17)

Isaiah prophesied saying of God delighting in his servant, ‘I have put my Spirit upon him’ (Isa. 42:1). So now, at the baptism of Jesus, the Spirit of God descends like a dove to rest on Jesus.

Matthew has already drawn our attention to the intimate relationship between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The virginal conception of Jesus was by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20).

The mission of Jesus is to be understood in terms of Jesus’ baptizing his people with the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11). And now, the Spirit-filled Jesus, who will impart the Spirit to others, receives the Holy Spirit himself in a fresh anointing that marks both the commencement of his public ministry and the Father’s equipping of Jesus for that ministry.

This was a personal affirmation from the first and third members of the Trinity to the Son. This fact reminds us of the emotional-relational side of the Godhead.

God the Son enjoyed personal affirmation from his family and as well as enjoying that moment Himself, it was needful that people also heard this so that they “may beleive that you sent me.”(John 11:42).

Jesus pleased His father and so must we! He lived to “do the will of Him who sent me and to complete his work” This was His food, His meat and drink and it should be ours also.

“The key to lasting happiness and real pleasure in this world is not found in seeking gratification, but in pleasing God. And while the Lord desires that we enjoy His gifts and the people to whom we are joined, He wants us to know that we were created first for His pleasure.” - Francis Frangipane

As John Piper exhorted in “Don’t Waste your Life” - “Desire that your life count for something great! Long for your life to have eternal significance. Want this! Don’t coast through life without a passion.”

For “what is sin?” asks Piper...“It is the glory of God not honored. The holiness of God not reverenced. The greatness of God not admired. The power of God not praised. The truth of God not sought. The wisdom of God not esteemed. The beauty of God not treasured. The goodness of God not savored. The faithfulness of God not trusted. The commandments of God not obeyed. The justice of God not respected. The wrath of God not feared. The grace of God not cherished. The presence of God not prized. The person of God not loved. That is sin.” God is with us! - And it’s time to repent! Let us resolve to live ou lives for Him. Let us have a passion for God’s glory and soak ourselves in His word that we might find out what pleases Him and be satsified with His presence!