Place: I.Hall 2:2:97 Readings: Luke 15:11-24 13:1-5 REPENTANCE George Whitefield the famous evangelist, of the last century had many enemies who sought to oppose him. On one occasion, a certain Mr. Thorpe with a number of his friends decided to ridicule the great preacher. Calling a meeting of supporters together, they began to wager who could best imitate the godly evangelist. With no restraint whatsoever, they cause the group to rock with laughter. Last of all, Thorpe stood to his feet, exclaiming, " I will beat you all." He opened his Bible, and read the first text that caught his eye. The words were " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." ( Lk 13:3) Before he could open his mouth the Spirit of God so convicted him that instead of fooling and clowning he began to speak words of truth and soberness, and to preach with faithfulness and fervour. The entire company was solemnized before God. The meeting quickly broke up and Thrope withdrew in great distress of soul. Several days later he found peace with God and became one of the great preachers of his day. In seeking to mock God, he had crushed himself, and in true repentance had found his way to the cross, where Jesus Christ met him in saving grace and mercy! My... have you truly repented? Have you acknowledged your guilt? Have you turned from your sin in real sorrow? Have you made a clean break with it? Has there been " repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." ( Acts 20:21) Someone has rightly said of Repentance that it is, the missing note in much of our modern evangelism! We live in a day and age where we seldom hear the old prophetic cry, " repent and turn yourselves from your idols." ( Ezek 14:6) My... this generation with all its religion has lost the sense of sin and its preachers often preach smooth and pleasant things! The result, repentance is robbed of its true significance. Ills: Looking forward to the 20th century William Booth the founder of the Salvation Army said this before this death, " The chief danger of the 20th century will be: " Religion without the Holy Spirit: Christianity without Christ: Forgiveness without Repentance: Salvation without Regeneration: Politics without God: Heaven without Hell." Has the old man not proved to be right? Salvation without repentance! And yet this message of
repentance which is overlooked in modern preaching was the keynote of apostolic preaching. Moreover the Bible is full of this subject, the word itself being used over 100 times, and 60 times at least in the NT! Listen to the words of the Lord Jesus " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." ( 13:3) My... these words bring before us: (1) THE NEED OF REPENTANCE " Except, or unless you repent... " ( 13:3) All, all without exception need repentance! All are born in sin, and all must repent and be converted if they would be saved! My... there are many things which are not needful. Wealth is not needful! Health is not needful! Friends are not needful! The favour of this old world is not needful! Education is not needful! Millions have reached Heaven without these things. But no one has ever reached Heaven without Repentance! " Except ye repent... perish." Why is repentance necessary? Why do we need to repent? Because of: (a) A DIVINE COMMAND: We are to repent because God tells us to repent! What was the cry of the OT prophets? " Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord..." ( Isa 55:7 Ezek 18:30) What was the first thing the Lord Jesus preached? We are told that He said, " Repent ye and believe the gospel." ( Mk 1:15) What did the apostles proclaim when the Lord sent them forth the first time? They " preached that men should repent." ( Mk 6:12) What was the charge Christ gave His disciples when he left the world? That " repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations." ( Lk 24:47) What was the concluding appeal of the first messages which Peter preached? " Repent ye and be converted." ( Acts 2:38 3:19) What was the summary of doctrine which Paul gave to the Ephesian elders, when he parted from them? He told them that he had taught them publicly, and from house to house " testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." ( Acts 20:21) My... we need to repent because God tells us to repent. " God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." ( Acts 17:30) What have you done with your Creator's command? Have you ignored it: rejected it: disobeyed it? We need to repent because of: (b) A DEPRAVED CONDITION: In repentance sin is the thing to be repented of, and sin is a transgression of the law of God! My... do you recognise that you are a sinner? ( Rom 3:23) I tell you we all take to sin, as soon as we can act and think, just as the bird takes to flying, just as the fish takes to swimming, so we take to sinning! The Bible says, " All we like sheep... we have turned every one to his own way... " ( Is 53:6) Let me put it personally! You have turned away from God: you've gone your own way: run your own life: made your own decisions: been your own master: sought your own
pleasure. Would you say this... " But I've committed no sins," " I have never transgressed the law of God." My... you know that you are a sinner. And where are your sins, if you have not yet repented, never confessed sin, never fled to Christ, never found pardon through Christ's blood? Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, " Except ye repent..." a.b. (c) A DIRE CONSEQUENCE: " Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish." ( 13:3) Here were people who had been reminded by the current events of the day that life was short and death was certain and they were not ready to die. They were not right with God and Christ said, " Except ye repent... " ( 13:3) Perish in body... perish in soul... perish miserably at last in Hell! In that place where the fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not! My... do you see how great is your danger? Ills: In the early years of the 20th century, in the town of Wishaw, in Lanarkshire, on a Saturday night a faithful preacher was heard preaching " repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Time and again he was heard repeating the warning, " Turn or burn, turn or burn." My... listen, if you don't turn you'll burn, the Bible says you'll be tormented in the flames of Hell throughout eternity! ( Lk 16:24) (1) But Christ speak's about: (2) THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE " But except ye repent ye... " ( 13:3) What then is repentance? Well, it is not trembling beneath the preaching of God's Word! My... there are thousands who have been deeply stirred, filled with alarm, and moved to tears and this... they are in Hell. Felix trembled under the preaching of Paul, but this... he is in Hell! ( Acts 24:25) What then is repentance? Well, it is not being almost persuaded! Agrippa was almost persuaded but he never repented of his sin. ( Acts 26:28) And some of you this... may realise that you ought to yield yourselves to the claims of Christ and become a Christian, yet never be more than almost persuaded! What then is repentance? Well, it is not promising to be better? So many people make a life-long habit of doing this but my... " the way to Hell is paved with good intentions." What then is repentance? " Repentance has a double aspect it looks upon things past with a weeping eye, and upon the future with a watchful eye." ( R. South ) " True repentance is to cease from sin." ( Ambrose of Milan ) When we turn to the NT we discover that the word translated repent ( metanoeo ) signifies " a change of mind." My... to repent is to turn from sin and this involves An Intellectual Experience, a Change of Mind: An Emotional Experience, a Change of Heart: A Volitional Experience, a Change of Will! Do you recall the prodigal? That boy who left home, lived it up, had wine, women and song, had a real ball and blast in this old world. But there came a time when the bubble burst. Do you see him now? There he sits in that pigpen with his head in his hands and visions of a fathers house and a table spread before his eyes. And the Bible says, " And when he came to himself." ( 15:17) Do you know what that is? Thats repentance? It involves:
(a) A CHANGE OF MIND: The prodigal said, " Father I have sinned." ( 15:18) My... you must admit your sin before you can ever be forgiven: you must accept that you are wrong before you can ever be put right. And that is a Change of Mind. This young man cane to himself and he began to think, " I don't belong here. I wasn't made for this. I'm made for something better. He said I'm tired of this place. I'm tired of the slop: the sin: the slavery I want to go home." And then he thinks of all he has done and he says " I don't deserve to go home after all I have done, I'll go back and say father I have sinned." My... what a change! He want away saying, " give me." He's going back home saying, " make me." Have you ever admitted that you're a failure a sinner? Have you had a change of mind towards God: Christ: towards sin: towards yourself? (a) (b) A CHANGE OF HEART: For the prodigal cried, " father I have sinned against heaven." ( 15:18) He really meant against God! ( Matt 21:25) You see repentance involves sorrow for sin, which comes from realising not only one's personal uncleanness, but also the holiness of God! My... this young man realised how loathsome his sin was in the sight of a holy God. Have you had that change of heart? Do you see anything of the awfulness of your sin in the sight of a holy God? (a) (b) (c) A CHANGE OF WILL: For " he arose and came to his father." ( 15:20) There was a true willingness not only for the past to be forgiven but for the future to be changed! Ills: Two frogs sat on the edge of the water. One decided to jump. How many did that leave on the edge? If someone says, " One," I reply it leaves two. I did not say jumped, I only said he decided to jump. You see decision must lead to action. Now let me ask you: have you repented? Has there been a change of mind: heart: will? Have you made a clean break with sin? I'm not asking have you shed tears! Made resolutions! Experienced funny feelings! Seen the light! My... have you genuinely repented? Ills: A SS teacher once asked a class what was meant by the word repentance? A little boy put up his hand and said, " It is being sorry for your sins." A little girl also raised her hand and said," Please, it is being sorry enough to quit." Repentance is to leave the sins I loved before And show that I in earnest grieve by doing so no more. (3) THE NEARNESS OF REPENTANCE For Christ says, " Except ye repent... perish." ( 13:3) He's showing us that repentance is possible, that there is hope, that there is an open door, that by the grace of God a man may repent! In spite of the power of sin: in spite of the power of pride: in spite of the power of the devil! I wonder how near you are to repentance
this...? What is it that will bring a person near to repentance? What is it that will lead a man to repent? Well, for one thing there is: (a) THE POWER OF THE SON OF GOD: I say to every unsaved soul, to every doubting soul, look to Christ, think of Christ. My... He is " able to save to the uttermost, all that come unto God by Him." ( Heb 7:25) He is the one who said, " I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." ( Mk 2:17) He is the one who has pledged His royal word: " him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out." ( Jn 6:37) My... have you doubts: fears: difficulties: in relation to repentance? In relation to becoming a Christian! Then look to Christ and doubt no more. He is able to save! What is it that will lead a man to repent? (b) THE PROMISES OF THE WORD OF GOD: Do you believe the Bible this...? Well, the Bible says: " Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy." ( Prov 28:13) The Bible says: " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." ( 1 Jn 1:9) My... doubt about repentance no more! Come to Christ and He will abundantly pardon! What is it that will lead a man to repent? (c) THE PROOFS OF THE GRACE OF GOD: Have you ever read the story of David? What sin can be greater than David's sin? But when David turned to the Lord and said, " I have sinned against the Lord," the answer came, " the Lord also hath put away thy sin." ( 2 Sam 12:13) My... what denial could be greater than Peters? He denied his Lord three times over! And yet when Peter wept and mourned for his sin, there was mercy even for Peter! What about the dying thief? A dying man on the brink of Hell and yet when he said, " Lord, remember thee... back at once came that wonderful answer, " Verily I say... today... paradise." My... why are these things recorded for us? To lead us to repentance for what the Lord did for them, He can do for you! Ills: Some years ago a daughter left home and embarked on a life of sin. For a long time noone could tell where she was. Yet, that daughter came back, repented of her sin, and trusted Christ! Her mother was asked one day what she had done to bring her daughter back. What steps had she taken? She said, " Well I prayed for her night and day and I never went to bed at night without leaving my front door unlocked. I thought if she came back home some night she would never be able to say that she came to her mothers home, but could not get in." My... that the way it turned out, for her daughter came back home one night, tried the door, found it open, and at once came in to go out and sin no more! That open door was the saving of her soul! My... that open door is a beautiful picture of the heart of God towards you unsaved...! The door of mercy is still opened. God's heart is full of love!
My... it does not matter what you have been: where you have been: who you have been when you return to the Lord, He will graciously receive you: abundantly pardon you: and joyfully welcome you! Will you come to the Lord this...? For Christ said, " Except... " " Repent, believe this very hour, trust in the Saviours grace and power, then will your joyous portion be, saved through a long eternity."