Sermon – Sunday, March 8th
Dear friends,
Who climbed up in a tree to see Jesus? (Luke 19:1-10) Who when praying would not even lift his face to heaven? (Luke 18:9-14) What did they have in common? I want us to think about repentance, what it is and how it is a part of the Christian life. Luke 13:1-5 is a stark reminder that repentance is necessary for eternal life. Interestingly, faith is not cited as necessary for eternal life, only repentance. When Jesus began His ministry he preached: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Here belief is one side of the coin calling for a turning toward the Gospel, namely Jesus died for my sin and when I believe I receive His righteousness.The other side is a turning away from my sin, recognizing it, changing my mind and attitude, seeing it as displeasing to the Lord. Then making a definite change in my behavior so I do not keep repeating it again and again.
Genuine repentance has three parts: a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to leave it and walk in obedience to Christ. So it includes an intellectual understanding, an emotional response to the truth of Scripture, and a personal decision to actually make the necessary change in real life. For example, If I watch TV too much, I must understand it as a time eater, have a joyful and determined feeling to make a change, and a definite schedule to stay away from the tube; to do otherwise is a false and empty repentance. Just thinking about repenting is not nearly enough.
1 John 1:5-10 teaches that as believers we are to walk in the light, meaning there is an on going confession of sin to God and others as appropriate. Repentance is a life long habit which leads to a clean and easy conscience through the unburdening of our soul. It is good for us to think on these things as we will have the Lord’s Supper this Sunday. Prepare for this by slowly reading through Psalm 51, confess your sin to God and others depending on who was offended. Be sure to think carefully through 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
in order to examine ourselves according to the Word.
See you Sunday,
Lee
