Sermon Tone Analysis

True Repentance

Key Verse: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.”

Acts 17:30

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help the disciple understand and experience godly repentance.

REPENTANCE is one of the foundational principles of the Gospel.

Hebrews 6:1-2 (NKJV) “Therefore leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works…”

Matthew 3:1-2 (NKJV) “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Mark 1:14-15 (NKJV) “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”

Repentance is a GIFT of God’s grace.

Acts 5:31 (NKJV) “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

Acts 11:18 (NKJV) “When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.’”

Acts 26:18 (NKJV) “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”

2 Timothy 2:25 (NKJV) “in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.”

Repentance is a COMMAND of God.

Acts 17:30 (NKJV) “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,” [1]

Because repentance made possible by a gift of God’s grace, He has made it a command for all.

Repentance is the FIRST command of the gospel.

Matthew 4:17 (NKJV) “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Mark 1:14–15 (NKJV) “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”

Mark 6:12 (NKJV) “So they went out and preached that people should repent.”

Acts 2:37–38 (NKJV) “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ 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.’”

Repentance is the LAST word in Jesus’ ministry.

Luke 11:32 (NKJV) “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.’”

After His resurrection, Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and PREACH repentance and the remission of sins.

How were they to do this?

Luke 24:46–49 (NKJV) “Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48 And you are witnesses to these things.

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.’”

In His NAME

To all NATIONS

Through the power from ON HIGH

Repentance is a pre-condition of entering the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Matthew 3:1-2 (NKJV) “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Matthew 4:17 (NKJV) “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Mark 1:14-15 (NKJV) “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”

Without repentance sinners will PERISH in their sins.

Ezekiel 18:21-23, 27-28 (NKJV) “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.

None of the transgressions which he committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live…Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive, because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”

Luke 13:1-5 (NKJV) “There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?

I tell you no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwell in Jerusalem?

I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

God has no PLEASURE in the death of the wicked but that he should TURN from his ways and live.

Ezekiel 18:23 (NKJV) “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?”

Ezekiel 18:32 (NKJV) “For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies, says the Lord God.

Therefore turn and live!”

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) “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.”

Repentance involves CONFESSION of sin, TURNING from sin and DOING what is right.

Ezekiel 18:21 (NKJV) “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.”

Proverbs 28:13 (NKJV) “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

REPENTANCE: A word study

The Greek word for repentance is metanoeo.

According to The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, this word means “to perceive afterwards, to change one’s mind or purpose; always, in the New Testament, involving a change for the better, an amendment, and always, except in Luke 17:3,4, of repentance from sin.” Repentance means more than to turn from wrong.

It includes a change of mind that embraces what is right.

The English word for “repentance” comes from two words “re” which means to “return” and “penitence” which means to be “truly sorry for having sinned or done other wrong and willing to atone” (Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Third Edition).

Repentance and Salvation

Repentance is often portrayed as someone wearing sackcloth while sitting in ashes.

However, repentance is neither self-affliction nor simple remorse.

Repentance is not optional.

Repentance is an absolute New Testament requirement for salvation.[2]Repentance

means turning from darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God.[3]It means turning from the lie to embrace the truth.

It is impossible to embrace both the truth and the lie simultaneously.

True repentance means turning from sin, death, darkness, idols, and the lie to righteousness, life, light, God, and His Truth.

Repentance is not only essential to the New Birth,[4]but it is essential to a daily walk with God.[5]Without repentance, the New Birth and Christian growth is impossible.

Repentance and Faith

The question has been raised whether repentance precedes faith or whether faith precedes repentance.

In the process of salvation, faith and repentance cannot be separated.

The words repentance and believe both function as a “synecdoche” (se-nek-de-ke) —a figure of speech in which a part is used to refer to the whole (i.e.

“wheels” as referring to an automobile).

In his book Redemption—Accomplished and Applied, John Murray explains it well: “...an unnecessary question and the insistence that one is prior to the other is futile.

There is no priority.

The faith that is unto salvation is a penitent faith and the repentance that is unto life is a believing repentance...saving faith is permeated with repentance and repentance is permeated with saving faith.”[6]In

other words, faith includes repentance and repentance includes faith.

The person who truly turns from sin will also believe in Christ and the one who believes in Christ will turn from sin.

Repentance and faith are necessary elements of the same salvation while sorrow and joy are necessary expressions of the same salvation.

Repentance and faith simply describe salvation from two different perspectives: repentance being the sinner’s perspective toward sin and faith being the sinner’s perspective toward Christ.

Nevertheless, each person’s experience in salvation may differ in the level of sorrow and joy depending upon their personality and background.

Repentance: Mistakes and Misrepresentations

Disregarding the doctrine of repentance because of the charge that “doctrine divides”.

Neglecting the preaching repentance causing blatant sin to be unaddressed and spread in the church.

Removing repentance as a pre-condition to salvation leading to false conversions.

Distorting repentance as being “negative” and detrimental to a sinner’s self-esteem so that they feel good about themselves rather than experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit so that they might be saved.

Considering repentance to be detrimental to church growth so that “churches” are now filled with unconverted and worldly people.

Eliminating the necessity of repentance through a distortion of the message of God’s grace.

(“Hyper-Grace”) This distortion asserts that sinners need not repent because they are already forgiven for all sins past, present, and future because of what Jesus did on the Cross.

Believers need not repent of present sin because they are already the righteousness of God.

Rather than repent, all a sinner or sinning believer must do is to believe and confess that they are already forgiven and made righteous through Christ.

In this view repentance is an act of unbelief and denial of God’s grace.

This distortion of God’s grace is inconsistent with the gospel taught by Jesus and His disciples throughout the New Testament.[7]

Types of False Repentance

“Quick Fix”: This type of false repentance seeks to ease the guilt of sin without a true determination to cease from sin.

“Pity Me”: This type of false repentance seeks pity from others by shifting the blame of sin to the influence and pressure of other people and/or circumstances.

“Whoops!”:

This type of false repentance comes only as the result of being exposed or “caught” in sin.