Repentance

2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13

2 Corinthians 7:9-11            

Luke 24: 46-47,  Acts 26: 19-20

Repentance

Reverend Alan Tison tells a story about a country church that was having their annual revival meeting. On the first night the preacher preached a message about repentance and the need to return to the Lord. At the altar call, a man came down the aisle saying "Fill me Lord, fill me".

The next night the preacher challenged the congregation with the need to totally surrender their lives to Christ in complete obedience. Again the altar call was extended; like the night before the same man came down the aisle saying "Fill me Lord, fill me".

The third night of the revival preacher warned his congregation of the evils of sin and urged the congregation to live lives of holiness. Again at the invitation was made to give one's life to Christ, the same man came up the aisle saying "Fill me Lord, fill me".

To which someone in the back of the church yelled; "Don't do it Lord, He leaks!"

The truth of the matter is we all leak from time to time. We all lose our way, there are times we tend to lose our fire for Christ, or we wade in the pool of the lukewarm.

Wabash, a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada, was completely isolated for some time. But recently a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it. Wabush now has one road leading into it, and thus, only one road leading out. If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only way he or she could leave---by turning around.

Each of us is a sinner. Each of us, no matter how hard we try, at times falls off the path God intends for us, and get lost. A recent nationwide Gallup poll by shows there is little difference in ethical behavior between the churched and the un-churched. It turns out there is as much pilferage and dishonesty among the churched as the un-churched. And I'm afraid that applies pretty much across the board: religion, per se, is not really life changing. Faith is life changing, truly accepting, following, and serving Christ is, but religion as such is not—religion doesn't have primacy in determining behavior.  Many people are caught up in religion,--they go to church regularly, do lots of work in the church, maybe even read their bibles regularly-- but unfortunately far fewer live a life of true faith, and as a result too often find themselves sorry for decisions they have made.

As in Wabush, there is only one way out--a road built by God himself. But to take that road, one must first turn around. That complete about face is what the Bible calls repentance, and without it, there's no way out of town.

Now repenting is not being sorry for what we do that we wish we didn’t.  Too often people will say they are sorry for something, but then go ahead and do the same thing again at some point—or they say they are sorry, and do not really mean it. So repentance is not sorrow.  In fact, repentance is an outcome of true sorrow—it follows sorrow.

And, repentance is not conversion. Repentance alone does not mean a changed life. There have been millions who have come forward at alter calls to say they are sorry for their sins, but that does not mean they have had a conversion or have salvation.  Peter makes this very clear in scripture in the book of Acts chapter 3, verse 19, when he says “Repent and then become converted…”

So what is repentance? It is a change of mind, a decision to turn away from sin followed by a decision to turn to God.

The steps then are, first true sorrow for wrong behavior—sin.  Second, a decision to turn away from the past behavior and change to a life lived for God.  And then, at some point, actual conversion which means a changed life and living in God’s will.

Think of a husband and wife in a car, the wife tells her husband to turn right at the next junction and by mistake, he turns left. When he realizes what he has done, he says to his wife “I’m sorry love, I went the wrong way.” But if that is all he does, it isn’t enough. His saying sorry isn’t getting them any closer to where they want to be; it isn’t even stopping them getting further away. To get where they want to be, he needs to stop the car, turn it around and go back on to the correct road that his wife told him to take in the first place. That is repentance.

What leads us to repentance? We find the answer in what was read in 2 Corinthians.  It is being made sorry in a Godly manner, that leads to salvation. Many people—most of us—experience worldly sorrow, where we regret something because we got caught, or it makes us look bad in front of others—we are sorry mostly because we are suffering.  But being sorry in a Godly manner means we recognize that we done something against God, and he and his purpose suffer.

What are the signs of true repentance?  First, working to stop doing what has brought the deep sorrow, and accepting God’s forgiveness.  Then an eagerness to be obedient to Christ’s command to love God with all our mind, heart, soul and strength,  and love others as he loves us, and then an eagerness to obey his Great Commission to work to make disciples. 

That is followed by a desire to serve God, by serving others as Christ did.  Repentance is not seen in apathy or half-hearted service.  Instead, it is seen in a longing, and a readiness to, as we read in Acts, see justice done and prove our repentance by our deeds. If we have not made a decision to live as Christ has commanded, to loving others as he loves us, and if we are not yet ready to serve others eagerly      we have not yet repented.

The question before each of us as we come to the table for Holy Communion is, can we look at our lives and see signs that we have really had "a change of mind", to truly make "a decision to turn from sin and to turn to God"?

Josh Billings….It is much easier to repent of sins that we have committed than to repent of those we intend to commit.