"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And you forgave me, all my guilt is gone!" (Psalm 32:1-5, NLT)
What a good passage this morning... Psalm 32 is a prophetic painting of nucleus of the Gospel. David clearly communicates the necessity of REPENTANCE. It is the center and the crux. It is the foundation and focus. It is the preeminent premise and predominant primary principle. The purpose of the Gospel is REPENTANCE.
"Peter replied, 'Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38, NLT)
Repentance is the first command of the Gospel. When is the last time you heard a sermon on that? When was the last time you heard a message, not on grace, but on Repentance? People today attend Church to be stroked by preachers of grace rather than provoked by preachers of the gospel. Do you go to Church to be stroked or provoked? I want to be provoked unto holiness and hunger. I want to be provoked to pray!
"For by grace you have been saved, through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, lest anyone boast." (Ephesians 2:8, NKJV)
Grace is unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor from God. Surely all orthodox Christians understand God's saving grace - We didn't deserve it, and would couldn't have done anything to earn it.
Grace is a gift - it can only be freely received. But how are we to receive it? NO, you cannot earn it. NO, you cannot do anything to deserve it. BUT, there is something you must do to receive it. True repentance is the reception of both the saving and empowering grace of God.
Grace is received through repentance. Repentance is not a once upon a time occurrence but an everyday encounter. Only when you repent completely and utterly will you be fully empowered!
I love Philippians 2:12-13:
"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (NKJV).
The NLT says it like this,
"Dear friends you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."
"Dear friends you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."
When we delight ourselves in God, He is faithful to give us the desires of our hearts. (Ps 37:4). A parallel truth is revealed in Philippians 2. Through the person of the Holy Spirit, God is at work within us! Yes, He is at work, but before Paul speaks of HIS WORK, he exhorts the Philippians about the necessity of their work.
"Work hard to show the results of your salvation,"
Repentance is the first work. Repentance is our due-diligence.
Repentance is the result of legitimate salvation and regeneration.
"Obeying God with deep reverence and fear."
What is your perspective of God? How do you view Him? Is He your homeboy? Your buddy? Your friend? Or is He your Lord and King? Do you respect and revere His person and presence?
Where there is a lack of reverence, there is a lack of repentance.
"For God is at work in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him."
God's power comes not on righteous desires but on righteous decisions. It comes on right living, not right preaching. Yes, this is when and where power comes, when men make decisions. We must decide daily to receive grace and live righteously. Let the desires of your heart drive you to right decisions! If you are lacking in desire, pray earnestly that you might receive desire.
Repentance must be redefined. It is a change of heart, a change of mind, and a change of direction. It begins with confession:
1. To God.
"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." (1 John 1:9, NLT)
2. One to another.
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." (James 5:16, NLT)
God is faithful to forgive. The moment we confess our sins we are cleansed, but forgiveness is only the first step. Through his death you can be forgiven, but you were also meant to be empowered. Cleansing is instantaneous, healing is progressive.
People today say things like: "Only God can judge me." or, "I'm covered by grace." We're covered, but have we been empowered? Are we being changed, from glory to glory? We are accountable to God, clearly. Are we accountable to men also? We are called to both. We must confess to God but we must also be intentional about our relationships.
What kind of people do you choose to surround yourself with? Are their values the same? Are their convictions the same? Is their passion the same? Is their vision the same? Do you find your relationships shallow, or is there a depth to them? Do you have someone who you can text or call at a moment's notice? Are there people in your life who can stand with you in your weaknesses and struggles? Too many of us settle for less!
There is a lot more to repentance than we think. Even confession involves more than most of us realize. I would like to spend some time sharing more of my thoughts regarding truths in this vein. Stay tuned for more!
