And [John] went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. . . . Then he said to the multitudes . . . "Bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:3, 7-8).
THEME
REPENTANCE
Thomas Russell Ybarra defined a Christian as a person who does "repentance on a Sunday for what he did on Saturday and is going to do on Monday."
True biblical repentance is never that shortlived; it is a complete about-face. John challenged the Jews to prepare themselves for the coming Messiah by turning from their sins to holiness. This meant changing their minds and actions.
The sorry truth is that repentance has very little to do with crying our eyes out. Repentant people may be tearful, but tearful people are not always repentant. Repentance means turning around. It is a compass test; does a person know how to go south after he or she has been going north?
God is sometimes described as repenting of His plans, such as with Nineveh (Jonah 3:10 kjv), but this may be humanity's limited attempt to explain the actions of an all-knowing God. What is significant, even if from a human standpoint, is that God in His repentance makes a complete U-turn, and this is a perfect model for us to follow.
Never-on-Sunday sinning is not what the Changemaker had in mind. Change of heart means a change of life every day.
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SEP 02
LUKE 3:1-16
"The rough ways [shall be] made smooth" (Luke 3:5).
Bad roads were getting worse in a Detroit suburb. Commuters and homeowners let their local government officials know they wanted action, not more talk about who was responsible--the city or the borough--for the repairs. They wanted the road fixed and the potholes filled. They didn't want to risk losing a tailpipe or a tire every time they ventured onto Lakeshore Drive. Though one of the most scenic drives in the city, it had become what one Detroiter called a "kidney-crunching, teeth-chattering, tire-popping experience that even bus drivers dreaded."
Luke 3 tells of another kind of rough road--"the way of the Lord"--that needed repair, not talk. In John the Baptist's day this "road" was in bad shape, for the moral and spiritual condition of the nation of Israel had deteriorated. John made it clear that if the people were going to be ready for the Messiah they had to "prepare the way" by getting rid of the road hazards of selfishness, greed, and violence. He also made it plain that they had to do more than just talk about changing their ways. He challenged His hearers to prove their faith by turning from their sins in genuine repentance.
Although John's message was directed to Israel, every Christian can profit from it. Unconfessed sins are the potholes of the Christian journey. To repair the road, we need only repent.
--M.R.D.II
Repentance not only regrets sin, but also renounces it.
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SEP 03
REVELATION 2:1-7
"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works" (Revelation 2:5).
Repentance in the Christian life is a painful but necessary step we must take when we offend God or hurt others. Yet it is not a cleanup job that we accomplish. C. S. Lewis clarifies the issue when he says that repentance "is not something God demands of you before He will take you back. . . ; it is simply a description of what going back is like."
A Christian, writing anonymously in LEADERSHIP magazine, told of his ten-year bondage to lust, which included a regular diet of pornography. During this time, he conducted Christian conferences and seminars across the country. The agony of his inner conflict finally became unbearable. To his horror, he realized that such pleasures as a breathtaking sunset or the soft spray of an ocean breeze no longer excited him. His obsession with lust had dulled his appreciation of life's finest enjoyments and prevented the joy of fellowshipping with Jesus. Although he had been outwardly faithful to his wife, not having engaged in adultery, he had sinned against her, and their relationship had suffered. When he turned anew to God, he realized that a necessary step in breaking his lustful pattern was a long talk with his mate. The whole experience was painful and awkward, but the repentance was genuine. She forgave him, and love returned to their marriage.
Repentance, though painful, results in life's true pleasure--communion with God and spiritual oneness with fellow believers.
--D.J.D.
Repentance means not only a heart broken for sin but from sin.
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SEP 04
REVELATION 3:14-22
"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19).
Pastor Louis Paul Lehman told of a humbling experience in a former church. A missionary who had come to present his work failed to impress Lehman. His appearance, presentation, and type of ministry all seemed to say, this person is a misfit. Months later, a newsletter came from the missionary that contained striking reports of conversions under his ministry. He was doing a solid work for God. Pastor Lehman realized he had misjudged the man. "When I read that letter," he said, "I went to my study and wept and repented."
In his booklet A CALL TO REPENTANCE, Bob Stokes wrote, "Repentance is not only an act, it's an attitude. In other words, a repentant sinner carries the characteristic of repentance right through into his Christian experience." Larry Love put it like this: "Repentance is turning from all known sin in order to turn from all sin when it becomes known."
Christians should be the first to admit a wrong attitude or action when God's Spirit reveals it to them. Although it is difficult to humble ourselves, a repentant attitude reveals a vibrant faith, a humble heart, and a secure relationship with Christ. We cannot grow without it. According to Revelation 3, God loves His children so much that He rebukes and chastens them so they will know the full joy of their salvation. Repentance is not only for hardened sinners but also for deeply sensitive saints who want nothing to come between them and their Lord. Repentance is for everyone.
--D.J.D.
A broken heart is the handiwork of God. --Bunyan
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SEP 05
LUKE 13:1-5
"Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).
Ever wondered about people who say they believe in Jesus yet demonstrate no evidence of a change of heart? They show no remorse for wrongdoing, no longing for righteousness. They lack repentance.
Several years ago a prominent underworld figure attended a large evangelistic crusade. Realizing that the cause of evil would be weakened if this man would be converted, those conducting the meeting witnessed to him about Christ. One night they urged him to "open the door" of his heart and let Jesus in. The man supposedly accepted the Lord, but as the months passed his lifestyle remained the same. When confronted with this fact, the gangster said that no one had told him that in saying yes to Jesus he would be turning his back on his former life. He knew of Christian football players, Christian cowboys, Christian politicians--why not a Christian gangster? When they explained the need for repentance, the man wanted nothing more to do with Christianity.
The Greek word for repentance, METANOIA, means "to change the mind." This involves thinking rightly about sin, self, and God. We recognize that we are condemned sinners before God and unable to save ourselves. We turn from our self-sufficiency to Christ and by faith receive Him as our Savior.
If we are willing to repent, God will empower us. But we need to know that turning to Christ means turning from sin. We can't have one without the other.
--D.J.D.
We do not repent in order to go to Christ; we go to Christ in order to repent.
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SEP 06
JOEL 2:12-17
So rend your heart, and not your garments (Joel 2:13).
The Baouli people of West Africa describe repentance this way: "It hurts so much I want to quit it." Genuine repentance hurts our pride and wounds our ego. But it's a necessary and healing hurt.
John Calvin said, "Let everyone search himself and he will find that he labors under this evil--that he would rather rend his garment than his heart." Calvin was thinking of the time God brought His people Israel to repentance by sending a vast army of locusts to invade the land. The insects consumed all vegetation and stripped fruit trees and gardens bare. Man and animals languished under the effects of this widespread devastation. The prophet Joel seized the occasion to call Israel to repentance, to "rend your heart, and not your garments." According to the record, they heeded his warning and turned from their sin (Joel 3:18-19).
Sometimes we find ourselves hemmed in by economic or domestic pressures. And sometimes accidents or natural tragedies disrupt our lives. Through these events we recognize our need for God. It's as if He is saying, "Examine your life and conduct. Are you walking with Me, obeying My commands, putting Me first?"
God pleads with us to "rend our heart" when we sin so He can relieve our pain and show Himself as a gracious God, ready to forgive, slow to anger, and full of mercy.
--D.J.D.
Repentance is sorrow for the deed, not for being caught.
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SEP 07
LUKE 5:17-32
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him (Proverbs 26:12).
In 1984, the House of Representatives disciplined two United States congressmen for immoral behavior. The first, a conservative known for his stand against abortion-on-demand and pornography, tearfully confessed his wrongdoing and voted with his colleagues for his own censure. Many newspeople, however, continued to criticize him. They focused on his prior hypocrisy, refusing to commend him for repenting and turning from his immorality. The second politician, a liberal who openly favored abortion and pornography, defiantly maintained he had done nothing wrong and admitted he was a homosexual. Many newspeople who condemned the first man were far less critical of the second. Apparently they were more comfortable with an open, calloused attitude toward immorality than an open and genuine sorrow for sin.
This incident points out our greatest sin--the refusal to acknowledge our transgressions. The Lord Jesus reached down to the most despised people of His day--publicans and harlots--and forgave them when they repented. But He condemned self-righteous people and resisted all who didn't face up to their sin. Refusing to acknowledge sin is a sure ticket to hell!
Insisting we don't need His forgiveness is life's greatest sin. God can forgive us no matter what we do, but we must repent and turn to Jesus.
--H.V.L.
Forgiveness flourishes in the soil of confession.
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SEP 08
ROMANS 6:11-23
He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy (Proverbs 28:13).
I don't know where it all comes from. Out of the nooks and crannies of the earth comes the strangest assortment of boards, broken ladders, bottles, dirt-bike parts, old tires, baseball bats, buckets, assorted rakes, shovels, and garden hoses--and they all assemble in my garage. The space where we put the car shrinks until anyone who can squeeze it in deserves a world class driver's medal. So every spring and fall, or whenever necessary, I put on my old clothes, gather some barrels, roll up my sleeves, recruit one of my sons, and give the garage a good cleaning. The satisfaction that follows is reward enough for all the effort.
Occasionally our hearts and minds also become cluttered with junk that we need to get rid of. Petty hurts and grudges pile up. Little sins collect in the corners. Broken promises need repair. Resentments occupy more and more of our life-space, leaving little room for thoughts about God and how we can please Him. We neglect prayer and lose the Bible somewhere in the mess. Our heart's garage needs a good cleaning.
When our lives become cluttered with worldliness through spiritual neglect, the Holy Spirit will help us get rid of the junk and clean the dirt. When we acknowledge our sins, confess them to God, and repent, we'll find that a thorough cleaning will give new joy to our Christian life.
--D.C.E.
When our Christian life becomes a drag, worldly weights are probably to blame.
