Repentance (Part 1)

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By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we're called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her

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Mike Abendroth, and that's a Starbucks coffee. Glad to be back on WV &E, part of the family again.

Well, today I'd like to talk a little bit about repentance. Repentance, what does repentance mean, and is it an important topic?

I would say today repentance has been replaced with a word. What word has replaced repentance in our vernacular?

Answer, I think, tolerance, to tolerate. If you wanna keep infinitives, to repent, to tolerate.

Repentance has been ravaged, it has been pillaged, it has been the recipient of all kinds of attacks because it assumes sin, it assumes

God's holy, it assumes that we're not right, and so I wanna talk about repentance today because the

N word is tolerance, therefore we wanna make sure we talk about what the Bible teaches, to repent.

I did read of a man, a French Reformed preacher,

South France, he preached 50 sermons in a row in the 1600s.

On the text, repent, you must repent, repent ye.

One of the sermons lasted four and a half hours. It seems to me that today we do the opposite.

Instead of talking about repentance for one year, Sunday mornings, we don't talk about it at all.

So let's talk about repentance today, it's probably gonna have to be a two -part show. 24 and a half minutes, you can go to Facebook and listen, you can go to iTunes and listen, you can go to WVNE and listen, tune in radio,

Brandon House's Worldview Weekend, there's lots of ways you can catch No Compromise Radio. I'm thinking about an app.

If I have to do an app, then I'm gonna have to repent of all my, I can't ask for donations, so anyway.

Charles Hodge said, there is no duty which is either more obvious in itself or more frequently asserted in the word of God than that of repentance.

Society might think it to be too caustic, evangelicals might think it to be too divisive, but we must tell people, both unbelievers and believers, to part with their sin.

Some say in evangelical circles, from the Zane Hodges wing, you know, repentance isn't even in the

Gospel of John. Right, this whole wonderful gospel written so that you might believe and you might have eternal life.

And it doesn't mention repentance. Therefore, when we're talking to people about believing the Lord Jesus Christ, we shouldn't say anything about repentance.

What would you say to that? How would you respond to that? Well, let me just quote a few words from Jesus from the

Great Commission, small G. The Great Commission, large G, is Jesus receiving the commission from the

Father in eternity past to go rescue the elect. But the Great Commission, small

G, is found in Matthew 28, right? Go make disciples. But it's also found in Luke 24.

These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses, showing the comprehensive nature of this, and the prophets and the

Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he, Jesus, opened their minds to understand the scriptures.

And he said to them, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem.

You are my witnesses of these things. And that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name.

That's Luke 24, that's the Great Commission. How can we get around proclaiming repentance?

Repentance is essential. Now, even if the word repentance isn't used, the concept of repentance is throughout the scripture.

Incline your heart unto the Lord your God, Joshua 24. Circumcise yourselves to the

Lord, Jeremiah 4. Jeremiah 4 goes on, wash your heart from wickedness.

Hosea 10, break up, follow ground. Jonah 3, they turn from their wicked way.

You cannot ignore repentance. Believers have to repent, unbelievers have to repent.

We can't skirt this issue. Now, the next question you might have for me is, well, really, what does it mean then?

Repentance is found in the scripture. What's the concept behind repentance? Because strictly speaking, it means to change your mind.

But is there more involved? If your mind changes, will your life change? Do you have to change your life?

Is that what Jesus is saying when he says repent or just change your mind? How does that all work?

A word study versus a theological concept. Let's read a few definitions of repentance and it will frame our discussion.

Don't you like when people say that? Let's frame our discussion. Westminster Confession. A sinner out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger, and this next phrase is amazing because we don't talk like this, but this is really what sin is against our

Lord, but also the filthiness and odiousness of his sins.

As contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God and upon the apprehension of his mercy in Christ, his gods, of course, to such are as penitent, so grieves for and hates his sins as to turn from them all unto

God, purposing and endeavoring to walk with him in all his ways and with him in all ways of his commandments.

Yes, of course it leads, of course it means to change your mind, but it leads to a change of life.

J .I. Packer, he's good for definitions. Repentance means changing one's mind so that one's views, values, goals, and ways are changed and one's whole life is lived differently.

And I would make the case that if your mind is changed, the rest will follow, right?

If your mind has changed, your body, your will, your emotions, everything follows. Packer, the change is radical, both inwardly and outwardly, mind and judgment, will and affections, behavior and lifestyle, motives and purposes are all involved.

Repenting means starting to live a new life. Well, let's use some more definitions.

Spurgeon, to hate sin because it caused the brow of Christ to be girt with the thorn crown and the face of Christ to be dishonored with the spittle and the hands of Christ to be pierced with the nail.

This is repentance, not because I'm afraid of hell. Addison, repentance is the relinquishment of any practice from the conviction that it has offended

God. Sunday school teachers, Sunday school children, what's their view of repentance?

Speaker asks a Sunday school class what was meant by the word repentance? The little boy raised his hand.

Well, lad, what is it? Being sorry for your sins. Little girl in the back seat raised her hand. Well, my girl, what do you think?

I think it's being sorry enough to quit. So my name's Mike Abendroth.

Today we're talking about repentance. There's a great book, Repentance by Thomas Watson.

Thomas Watson is a Puritan writer. I think he's the easiest Puritan writer to read, but just because he's easy, you don't lack the depth of his writing.

You don't lack the tremendous Christ -centeredness of his writing.

So I want you to read that book, Repentance by Thomas Watson. And he says there are six elements of repentance.

Now, other people write similarly. These aren't necessarily new. I just was reading J .C.

Ryle's information on repentance. J .C. Ryle, the Anglican bishop of the late 1800s.

I'm not talking about the promise keepers guy in Colorado. He says, first of all, there's sight of sin.

So when you think of repentance, there's a sight of sin. Remember when the man in the parable of the lost sons, when he came to his senses, remember the lost son?

He came to his senses. There's a sorrow for sin. Remember when

Peter remembered what Jesus said? He went out and he wept bitterly.

Second Corinthians chapter seven says, for the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation.

But the sorrow of the world produces death. You're sorrowful about something, but it leads you to repent.

Watson said, a woman may well have to expect a child without pangs as one can have repentance without sorrow.

So you think you're gonna go have a baby and it's not gonna hurt? You're going to have to have sorrow along with your repentance.

Now, this is the kind of writing that Watson gives that I think is so amazing. Watson said, a philosopher said, tears have four qualities.

They are moist, salt, hot, and bitter. It is true of repenting tears.

They are hot to warm a frozen conscience, moist to soften a hard heart, salt, salty, to season a soul putrefying in sin, bitter to wean us from the love of the world.

So today we're talking about the concept of repentance. And these are some components that many people think of when you break out repentance.

But I'm using Watson's six. He also says you confess sin. And if I'm gonna use alliteration to say the same thing as, that's what confession is.

I agree with God. I have his view of the situation. So as God sees sin,

I now see it. Proverbs 28, 13. He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find.

Compassion, right? This is the man in Luke 15 to go back to that prodigal son parable, lost sons.

I have sinned against heaven and before you. This sincere confession, specifically confessing sins, but there's more to repentance according to Watson.

There's shame for sin. Remember the prodigal, he is so ashamed.

I'm not worthy to be called your son any longer. Listen to these verses in Ezra, verses five and six in chapter nine.

I'm not sure we talk this way anymore when it comes to our sins, but we should. But at the evening offering,

Ezra nine, I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the

Lord my God. And I said, oh my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to you, my

God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.

Watson then goes on to say we should hate our sin, spite for our sin.

This is a good hatred, isn't it? Lots of times hatred is bad, but there is a good hatred.

And then finally the sixth component in Watson's breakdown of repentance, it's turning from sin.

And so for my alliteration, it's shove your sin, S -H -U -V, which is the

Hebrew word for turn or to repent. Ezekiel 14, therefore say to the house of Israel, thus says the

Lord God, repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations.

Job 11, 14, if iniquity is in your hand, put it far away and do not let wickedness dwell in your tents.

And certainly when you turn from sin, you've got to turn a different way. I remember when my kids were younger and I'm trying to teach them

Bible concepts. And I would say, everybody stand up, start walking to the kitchen table.

And when I say, repent, you turn and walk back toward me. So I'd let them get right to the edge.

And then I'd say, repent, and then they turn, repent, they turn. Because I wanted them to understand repentance means to turn, but it turns away from the way you were going.

And now with 180 degree turn, you go the opposite way. So I turn from and I turn to.

So you turn from sins and you turn to, or unto, or toward God, Acts 26.

That they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

1 Thessalonians 1, 9. For they themselves report about us what kind of reception we had with you and how you turn to God from idols to serve a living and true

God. So from idols to God. And so this kind of repentance, to change your mind at its core, blooms out into so many different ways.

And it accompanies a life, or repentance has something that goes along with it.

It's a change of life accompanies repentance. Luke 3, 8, therefore bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance.

John Murray said, repentance consists essentially in a change of heart and mind and will. The change of heart and mind and will principally respect four things.

It is a change of mind respecting God. So we first turn from our view of God that's unbiblical, and turn to the right view of God.

I think differently about God. Change your mind about God. Change your mind about his son.

Change your mind about the exclusive nature of salvation. Change your mind about the eternal sonship of Jesus.

Change your mind about substitutionary atonement. Change your mind about literal bodily resurrection. Change your mind about hell.

Change your mind about spiritual things. Change your mind about how fast this life goes away, and then you stand before God with judgment.

So Murray, change of mind respecting God. Change of mind respecting ourselves, that we are creatures, that we are finite, that we are fallible, that we are responsible to obey

God. Respecting sin, that's the third one. Change of mind respecting sin, how bad it is, how offensive it is, to use the words of the

Westminster Confession again, filthy, odious. And fourthly,

John Murray says in his book that you ought to get redemption accomplished and applied. Erdman's, redemption accomplished and applied.

Respecting righteousness. So if I wanted to use the Roman's paradigm, I don't have any righteousness.

I can't earn righteousness. Jesus earned righteousness and I need to have his righteousness credited to my account.

Luther had 95 theses that he nailed to the Wittenberg church door.

You should go to Wittenberg sometime. By the way, speaking of travel, 2017 we'll do the

Reformation tour for the No Compromise group. But in 2015, that is

February, I think 14th through the 28th, somewhere around there, the last two weeks of February, No Compromise Radio, along with Bethlehem Bible Church and Omaha Bible Church, we'll be going to Israel.

And so if you'd like to go with us to Israel, we'd love to have you. And we'll be flying out of Omaha and Boston and then meeting up in Tel Aviv, going over to the

Sea of Galilee. Last time it was just a great trip. We swam in the Mediterranean. We swam in the

Dead Sea. We swam in the Sea of Galilee. Where else did we swim? We almost were swimming in the

Hezekiah's Tunnel, but the water wasn't too deep. We were gonna go swim other places, but the

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Lord willing, Israel, No Compromise Radio, 2015, February.

So write me at infoatnocompromiseradio .com. Probably within the next six months, we'll have stuff up online so you can begin planning.

Luther's thesis, number three, right? 95 Thesis, his third one.

Yet its meaning is not restricted to repentance in one's heart, for such repentance is null unless it produces outward signs in various mortifications of the flesh.

So Luther knew that repentance not just had somebody's mind being changed.

If your mind is changed, everything else will change. You flee sin, you flee to God.

That's what repentance is. And if you even look at some of the New Testament scriptures, flee fornication, 1

Corinthians 6. Flee idolatry, 1 Corinthians 10. Flee from the love of money, 1

Timothy 6. Flee from youthful lusts, 2

Timothy 2. You run from those things. Change your mind about those things.

Think about before you were a believer, what you thought about fornication, idolatry, love of money, youthful lusts.

Well, I didn't think that they were these horrible sins against God. Not enough to stop, that's for sure.

And then you turn to someone that is the Lord God. 2

Timothy 2 .22, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, and those who call on the

Lord from a pure heart. So here's a good question for No Compromise Radio's audience, but I think first it's

Starbucks. You asked me, where's the Peet's? Well, I haven't gotten any

Keurig Peet's, and so I only do the French press in the morning, and then if I'm at the church, we've got the

Keurig here and I do that. So do you, when you evangelize, tell people to repent?

Or do you just tell them to believe? We'll look at this more next time, but faith and repentance are like one coin, two different sides, repent and believe.

I think it would be good for you to regularly tell people when you're preaching the gospel, you tell them the gospel, you tell them the good news of what

God has done through his son and only in his son. You talk to them about substitutionary atonement, you talk to them about the confirmation of the resurrection, you talk to them about the life and death of Jesus Christ, you talk about the love of God that's demonstrated in that very thing, you talk about the

God of heaven who stoops low to rescue his people, and then you give them the response to that.

And in light of that, you must believe. Of course you can say that, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

But especially in our day and age, and especially in light of Luke chapter 24, why don't you just add the word repent?

I think about the people in Russia before the Berlin Wall went down and USSR kind of came crashing down and maybe they still do it behind the scenes there.

When you believe and give your testimony then, you would say the day I repented was so and so, such and such a day.

Using that word as a summary word of conversion, man's side of responding to God, right?

God doesn't repent for you, man must repent. But I repented on such and such a day.

Why don't you just tell people they must repent? Now we're gonna learn soon enough that Christians must repent too. We live a life of repenting from our bad repentance.

I understand that. But right now, I wanna ask you, when you preach the gospel, do you tell them in light of this good news, you must repent, must change your mind?

I mean, think about how radically our minds need to be changed. Thinking in a man -centered way, now a

God -centered way. Thinking from a worldly perspective now, thinking from a biblical perspective. Living in this post -modern world, everything is just relative to now, thinking that there are precise, antithetical, black and white truth statements that are eternal, right, eternal, the truth is eternal.

Hosea 14 .8, O Ephraim, what more have

I to do with idols? This kind of statement where I never wanna return,

I don't wanna go back, I want to turn to God with my whole heart, Jeremiah 3. And yet, in spite of all this, her treacherous sister

Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but rather in deception, declares the

Lord. We wanna preach the gospel indicatives and then tell people in response to that, you must repent.

Jesus said in Luke 5 .32, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

I'm not saying you can't tell people to believe, I'm just saying today, belief seems to be only intellectual, belief seems to be only creedal, belief seems to be only an acknowledgement, an assent, but the full weight of belief,

I think has helped when we preach, you must repent and believe. I think that's a good way to go about preaching.

It's certainly not unbiblical, it captures the essence of you must repent.

Fuller said, you cannot repent too soon because you do not know how soon it may be too late.

So if you're listening today and you're not a Christian, you must repent. In light of salvation only through Jesus Christ, his perfect life, his substitutionary death at Calvary, confirmed by the resurrection, your response must be,

I'll do it tomorrow? That reminds me of Drexelius's little poem. I will tomorrow that I will,

I will be sure to do it. Tomorrow comes, tomorrow goes, and still you are to do it.

Thus still repentance is deferred from one day to another until the day of death has come and judgment is the other.

Friends, in light of what God has done, in light of your sin, you must repent.

Well, if you'd like a Bible, if you'd like some information to help you with that, we can probably help you.

You can write us at info at nocompromiseradio .com. You can write Pastor Steve at Tuesdayguy at nocompromiseradio .com.

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through my friend John and the website there to direct you to the NoCo 90s. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

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