Ways and Path - True Repentance — Erlo Stegen

John's Call to Repentance

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the desert of Judea, saying, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, a voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him.

John's clothes were made of camel's hair and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.

Confessing their sins they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them, You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

The Lord's Timing and the Need to Be Ready

We'll read thus far. It says, In those days John the Baptist appeared. Which days were they? This was the time of the Lord. It was the fulfillment of what the prophets had said. Isaiah and them. Malachi.

Who had said, The time of the Lord is coming when this will happen, this event will take place. And now the time was to be. God has his own times. When his time comes, make sure that you are available and ready.

You've heard like being left behind at the train station when the train is ready to leave, be on board. Martin Luther said, A storm when it comes is very spectacular as it arrives, but it hasn't come to stop there.

It's on its way. It's passing by. Now the working of God, God does in his own time. Make sure that you use the time lest it pass you by. Our text says, In those days John the Baptist appeared. Now in those days, and Peter also testifies to that, it began with the baptism of John.

The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ begins its story with the baptism of John. Then that time goes by till it is the time when Jesus comes to fetch his church. So what was the message of John? He said, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Malachi's Prophecy of Refinement

Malachi had prophesied about this day. Where he says in chapter 3 verse 1, See, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?

For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Now we've heard how that wave of cleansing came to the young and older people there in Europe.

Now here it asks the question, who can endure the day of his coming? Why? Now we've said you should not flee from it, but rather draw near to it. But the word of the Lord asks who will endure, who will identify with this when it comes?

Because those who sit on their sins, who cling to their hidden sins, they will find themselves resisting and criticizing and hating the work of God and fleeing from it. But the one who thirsts for it and the one who prays daily, Lord, let thy kingdom come, he will accept that message when one who's like John says, the kingdom is at hand.

Repentance as a Transformation of Mind and Life

And so it says, the kingdom of heaven is near, therefore repent. What is this repentance? Repentance has to do with your thinking, with your mind. It means to think differently, to change your mind, that your way would turn around, that your speaking would turn.

Change your opinions will change, the way you see things will change, your step will be different. The parents who came saw their children being different, being new, and they marveled. Repentance is what had happened.

There was a change in their mind, in their thinking, in their speech, in their step. Now regarding your thinking, it says, now repent, therefore let your thinking turn around. Bebe vuma abakwazio, bebe kulumangako.

These young people who repented, they confessed what was known and how the devil had entered through them, confessed regarding their worldly habits, their worldly clothing, because the devil can come in through anything, through your devotion to whatever fashion, to the shoe you wear.

And so this wave of revival there in Europe has come and people responded in repentance. Now we might be preaching righteousness from the pulpit, but you're living with hell in your home and you might be untouched by what God is doing.

You need to experience and accept repentance as God brings it. In the beginning of this revival we experienced this repentance of God at work. Of course people come along with their own ideas and they try and mix things up and confuse things, bring in sin.

But may God work that he who's not met up with this may truly experience it. Now John said, behold the kingdom of God is at hand, Jesus is near, therefore repent. All Judea and Jerusalem came out then into the wilderness to be baptized with this baptism of John, of repentance and confessional sin.

But John seeing the Pharisees and Sadducees also joining the crowd, he said to, he used strong words against them and said, who taught you to flee from the wrath to come? So the one who doesn't truly repent when God is moving only meets with the wrath of God.

He said to them, show the fruit of repentance. Reveal that which is in keeping with repentance, those secret phone calls of yours, those secret things you've been up to, confess it. Now this repentance is still necessary as we read in Acts 17 verse 3 where it says, and God winked or God closed an eye to the times of ignorance, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.

This repentance is necessary, you've got to be obedient to that command. God charges everybody to repent.

Because the kingdom of God is at hand, Jesus is near, therefore repent. In John's message he said, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him. Let your crooked way be made straight, for there are things that are not righteous in your life.

Recognizing Open and Hidden Paths of Sin

Now a way is always obvious to everybody, it's there, open. A highway is something noticeable, whether it is wagons or buses or whatever type of vehicle, they go past on that highway. And make straight paths for him.

These are paths or tracks like you might find a track of deer or buck, rabbits. You don't really see it clearly, but if a dog comes it's able to sniff its track. You'll find that that dog will bark as it picks up the track, and as it follows that track after that buck or deer or heart or whatever animal.

There are some sins which are obvious to all. The drunkard's way is known, the prostitute's way is obvious to everyone, child, mouse alike. And the one who is a thief and who steals all the time, people become scared of him, and they warn their children to hide things when they come to their house.

If a promiscuous woman comes into the neighborhood, wives are concerned, they recognize the promiscuity, they know this to be a loose woman, and they are afraid of losing their men. Exactly. Exactly the same with a promiscuous man.

They recognize when he comes into the neighborhood and they pick up the loose sort, those who are following after their lusts, the widows who are not walking in holiness before the Lord and righteousness in the temple, those who are just messing around, they follow after that promiscuity.

It's known. It's known as their way. It is just known as the way of this person. Suddenly this woman dyes her hair another color. It's the way of the world. And one recognizes the old mind hasn't yet been changed.

This is still the mind of the world, hasn't been transformed. And this is recognized as the way of a person. But the paths become Now these paths mean the hidden things, those that are your secret devious ways, that which is not openly a way that is recognized by others, but which you keep as a secret to yourself, the way that you speak over the telephone, that very thing which you don't want anybody else to get to know.

Who should go to? These ways, these paths, these tracks must be repented of that which is open and obvious and that which is deceitful and secret. Have you repented of them yet? The text says who will stand on the day of his coming when his messenger comes to his temple?

The Refining Fire and Humility in Repentance

Who comes as a refiner's fire, who comes to cleanse his people where everything melts, even the sand melts. There is a heat and you experienced the overwhelming heat thereof. And Jesus works with that fire.

That's why it says he will baptize his people with his spirit and fire. But not everybody is glad about that. Some people are of the opinion that they dare not expose what's really going on in their lives.

They're afraid of their reputation. What will others think of me? I've been hiding this for years. What will they say? If I admit this to a counselor, what will that counselor think of me? Maybe they'll get upset with me and expel me.

Nobody's chased away for repentance, for revealing their sin, only for hiding their sin. People who come and counsel with me, and who maybe think afterwards, I'm going to think less of them, and I'm going to not want to greet them anymore, if only they knew the truth, that it's then that I highly esteem them, because I know what repentance is.

One honors the person. The one who humbles himself. One cannot but honor such a person, because there's an automatic esteeming more highly that person who humbles himself. You heard it mentioned as well, that they came forward with many tears, not because these were just forced or imitated tears, but real repentance because of their personal sin.

One person told me a day or two ago, as a former Catholic, we used to be in the habit of writing down our sins and then going to confession, and then going to do the same sins again. We're not speaking of such a type of confession, but of true repentance.

Confession, Forsaking Sin, and the Fruit of Repentance

The Bible says, he who confesses and forsakes his sin shall obtain mercy. Otherwise, you're a dog going back to your vomit. Peter said, such a person is a dog, is a pig, if they confess their sin and go back to it yet again.

That's not the Christian life. That's a life characteristic of a dog or of a pig. But rather, you should come because you are convicted, and you sense that God is speaking. He is the one who says, repent.

He is the one who says, you must straighten out your life. And then you come in repentance because of his moving. Now, Satan confuses anything that's good. There are, I've heard of some who say, but I've come forward and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior 10 times.

It doesn't work. It makes no difference. Well, then it's not true repentance. Whereas, if you truly do it with all your heart and you are genuine, there will be the fruits of repentance. Otherwise, you are a brood of vipers.

You can do the right thing in the wrong way. It doesn't help. It will only work if you do it in the right way.

Making the Way Straight for the Lord

I'm drawing to a close. Now, you know the way of which it says here, make the way straight. As I, the prophet said, bring down the mountains and raise the valleys. The good example of that is the Autobahn in Germany.

There are no valleys and no mountains that stand in the way of the Autobahn. They are so straight. They've lifted up valleys and brought down mountains to such an extent that even if you are going 200 Ks on that Autobahn, you'll find people overtaking you very fast.

The Highway of Holiness and the Only True Way

It says, make the way straight for the Lord. He who comes, make a highway of holiness. He who is approaching. You might buy a special expensive car, a Rolls Royce, maybe. Or a Chrysler Daimler, whatever fancy car it might be.

But if you drive next to the road, next to the way, will you get to your destination? I challenge any one of you. Take your car, whether it's a scrap or whether it's an expensive car.

Go on the main road here and then just go close to the road. You won't get to Belkham's Hill and you won't get to this hill on top. If I'd have millions, I'd give them to you. You won't get very far. You can't drive next to the road.

You can be as close as possible to the road. It doesn't help. You've got to be on the road, not next to the road. You won't get there. You can say, I'm going to hell. You're going to another place that starts with an H as well.

You're hell bound. Even if you're next to it, it's not good enough. You've got to be right on it.

The way of the Lord is a highway of holiness. No place for irritability there. Deceitfulness, still deception in your life. You belong to Satan himself. If one speaks of Satanists, well, that makes you one.

Prayer for Cleansing and Repentance

Until you truly repent and make the way straight and deal with those crooked paths. Shall we stand to our feet and pray? We ask your Lord that you would make your fire to burn in our midst. Lord, we've heard of your fire through the testimonies given here this morning.

We've heard of that fire overseas. And Lord, we say, let that fire be burn in our midst. That it might burn up the trash and all the rubbish. Burn up all sin. That your children would be cleansed from the evil as silver and gold is purified.

Work mightily, oh God. We thank you and rejoice with those who receive and accept your gospel. And Lord, we've heard what the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ means and how the beginning is in repentance.

And that how you today, you command all men everywhere to repent. Work, oh Lord, that there would be fruit in accordance with repentance and not be a brood of vipers. Amen.