Repentance is not about saying sorry. It isn't even about feeling bad for what one has done. In its truest form, repentance is the act and choice to change one's behavior so they don't repeat what they did wrong. It requires intentionality. And while there may be slip-ups, repentance produces fruit that speaks loudly. Fruit that shows a person has changed and turned away from the sin habit in question.
This is why the Bible says in Matthew 3:8 - Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God (NLT). When a person repents their life changes. They no longer do what they repented for. Now you might wonder how that is possible. After all, you've likely repented several times only to repeat the offense. However, when you prayerfully identify the factors that lead to the sin, you can defeat it. Plus, when you listen to the Spirit of the Lord, He will caution you away from repeating what caused you to sin and repent. Repentance, therefore, requires both human and supernatural participation for success.
God wants us to confess our sins and repent for them. To do this, we must first realize what we did wrong. That is impossible without the Holy Spirit's help and He is only available through Jesus. Look at the Sadducees and the Pharisees from the time of Jesus. They knew the Old Testament inside and out but the absence of the Holy Spirit in them meant they were ignorant of their hypocrisy and lack of godly love toward others. Thus, simply knowing the Bible is not enough. It is the only book that requires the assistance of the Holy Spirit to make it come alive, transforming it into a supernatural weapon.
Like other prophets before Him, Jesus taught people to repent. Matthew 4:17 - From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” He knew that repentance was needed to access heaven. It was the very reason why He came to earth to live and die. Sinners needed to be cleansed of their iniquities so they could be redeemed back to their Creator and God, who is holy.
If any Christian thinks they have nothing to repent for then they should take heed of 1 John 1:10 - If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. We have all sinned and fallen short, depriving God of the glory He deserves (Romans 3:23). Our flesh and sinful desires have led us astray in one way or another. We are the children of Adam and Eve, after all.
Praise the Lord who gives us another day to get things right. Today is your chance to call on God for His mercy. Ask for remembrance of your forgotten iniquities. Confess that you did wrong and repent. But don't just say sorry. Take the time to pray for wisdom on how to make changes in your life so you don't do what is warned against in Proverbs 26:11 - As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly. That way you will bear fruit that shows you truly repented and desire to be more like Jesus.
See you at Noon EST for fellowship.
To learn more, please click the hyperlinks included in the message and read:
CLOSING PRAYER
Almighty God, great Thou art!
Thank You for today's fellowship time. Thank You for making Your presence and peace be felt in our midst.
Take all the glory and the praise.
Thank You for graciously teaching us more about repentance so we can do better as we take advantage of Your kind grace. Help us to not abuse or squander this great gift, Lord. Grace to never spit in the face of Jesus and His sacrifice for us. Help us to indeed walk in humility before You that we may be like David and Jesus who pleased You.
IJMN, Amen.