Repentance

Divine Intelligence Beyond The Human Mind!®

REPENTANCE

Repentance is a feeling of sorrow or regret for wrong doings, which causes an individual to vow not to commit those acts again!

Apostle Paul articulated about his godly sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7:10: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” Repentance cannot come except there is a conviction of sin. The minister must preach repentance. It is essential that the sinner have a guilty conscience of sin before God and the minister. Paul continued to disclose in the New Testament, Romans 10:14-15: “… how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

When David repented of his sin of adultery and murder, he humbled his heart, fasted seven days and nights, and cried to the LORD to forgive him for all of his sins. He desired for his heart and spirit to be clean and pure. Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” God granted his wish, and he did not die for the sins he committed. 2 Samuel 12:13: “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.” Nathan, the prophet, was the minister whom God sent to David.

St. Mark 1:14-15: “… Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” It was the Spirit of God, in the heart of Jesus, which convinced Simon and Andrew, his brother, when He preached repentance unto them.

Verses 17-18: “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.” Those fishermen were soul winners for Christ. The sinner must come to a point of forsaking all to follow Jesus. This is what Simon and Andrew did.

Jesus knew that they had repented. He eradicated all their sins. Today, God needs more ministers to preach repentance. We must forsake our nets of sin and follow Jesus.

Verse 19: “And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.” Many people have not repented. They are striving to mend their lives without repentance. However, our lives should be a net in which the Lord can save souls. St. Luke 5:10: “And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” The net is a spiritual metaphor. We shall be instrumental in the salvation of souls.

St. Mark 1:20: “And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.” When James and John heard Jesus call them unto repentance, they left their fathers and their jobs, and immediately went after Jesus. If they had not heard Jesus, who preached to them of repentance, He would not have saved them.

John the Baptist was a forerunner of Jesus Christ. God filled him with His Holy Spirit. St. Luke 1:15: “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.” He also preached repentance. St. Matthew 3:1-2: “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” John did not baptize the people until they repented of their sins. Verses 5-6: “Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.” The Spirit of God, which was in his heart, gave him spiritual discerning, and he knew those who repented and those who did not repent when he had preached the gospel to them.

Verses 7-8: “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.” He knew that those Pharisees and Sadducees hated him because of the gospel of repentance. The Spirit of God that sent him gave him this power of discerning of their spirits. He told them to bring forth fruits for repentance. He did not see the spiritual fruits of repentance, which was essential for salvation. The religious leaders were self-righteous and they came only to gaze and to accuse him. He called them snakes- “O generation of vipers.” Jesus also rebuked the scribes and Pharisees in St. Matthew 23:33: “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

St. Matthew 3:10: “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

John preached the gospel to his generation, and repentance was his text. He did not join them to organized denominations because they could not save them. He assured them that if they did not repent, the word of God would cut them down and cast them into hell fire! The word of God was the ax in the hand of God’s messenger. I say to you this day, if you do not repent of your sins, the word of God will hew you down, and cast you into the lake of fire. Jesus explicitly declared, St. Luke 13:3: “… except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

These three things must be repented of, First, the lust of the flesh; second, the lust of the eyes, and third, the pride of life. These three things cause you to go down quickly into hell. These three things are of the world and not of God.

1 John 2:16-17: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Evil spirits control those who have not repented. Their ultimate desire of greed, scamming, and robbery will surely cause them to be lost. King Solomon, the wise preacher, declared, Proverbs 11:3-4: “The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.” Those things will surely pass away.

In this scripture, John was continuously encouraging the people to repent. 1 John 2:15: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” If you merely love material things, and not the word of God, you need to repent because the love of God is not in you.

Let us look into the gospel of Matthew to see what Jesus said about the rich young ruler who attempted to justify himself without repentance. St. Matthew 19:16: “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

Verse 18: “Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness.” Jesus told the rich young ruler to keep the law. Paul wrote, Romans 7:12: “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” Verse 14: “For we know that the law is spiritual ….”

St. Matthew 19:20: “The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” Jesus called him to repentance. Verse 21: “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”

The Lord also knew that religious popularity, material gain, and prestige, are not of God, but of the world. He was calling him to repent and give up those things. Material riches are deception to those who trust in them. Jesus told him that he would have to forsake his greed for material wealth and popularity in order to have the true riches of God, which is eternal life. He told him that his treasure would be in heaven and not in the things of this world.

Zacchaeus was a rich man who had cheated the poor in his tax collecting business. However, he repented and came down from his high position and confessed that he would give half of his goods to the poor. St. Luke 19:2: “And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.” Verses 8-10: “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He was not like the rich young ruler who did not desire to give to the Lord or to the poor, and was lost in his wealth of deception.

Paul said, Romans 3:20: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight ….” This is why Jesus commanded him to give his possessions to the poor. His wealth separated him from the righteousness in which Jesus taught concerning giving his life to Him and his wealth to the poor. He thought that because he did not commit adultery and break the Ten Commandments, he was good and already saved.

Paul said, Verse 23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Repentance was essential before he could believe the words of Jesus concerning his treasure in heaven. St. Matthew 19:22 tells us that the rich young ruler turned away in unbelief. “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” The young man’s sorrow was not godly sorrow, but sorrow of the world, for he did not desire to forsake his material riches.

That young man turned away from life eternal because the riches of this world deceived him. You may not be wealthy. However, if you do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, which teaches repentance, you will be lost as he was. If you are as the rich young ruler, one day you will hear King Jesus, who forsook all His royal glory, say to you, St. Matthew 25:42: “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink.” Verses 44-46: “Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment ….”

When God tested Job with his material wealth, he became a poor man; but Job was willing to sacrifice his material possession for the true riches of God. The book of Job 1:21-22: Job said, “… Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” Job was a perfect man and loved God and his friends. Job 1:8: “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” Obviously, a perfect man repented. Job declared, Job 42:6: “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” We all make errors and mistakes even when we live a godly life. Remember that Job’s mistakes were not premeditated. Sin is the transgression of God’s law. John was explicit, 1 John 3:4: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” Job was profound, Job 23:10: “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” God rebuked Job’s friends, Job 42:7-8: “… the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.” Verse 10: “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Although, Job was ill, he had more spiritual power with God than his friends who were not physically ill! However, they were spiritually ill. Job repented and made intercessory prayer for them. In Job’s later years, God restored his health and material wealth. He gave him twice as much as he had before, and gave him eternal life, because he loved God and not riches. Verses 16-17: “After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days.”

As Peter began to think of the great sacrifices in which he and other disciples gave to follow Jesus, he said these words to Jesus, St. Matthew 19:27: “… Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” Jesus told him of the great eternal reward for the children of God who repented and forsook all to follow Him.

Verse 28: “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me … when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” St. Mark 10:30: “But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” The apostles will be judges of their era, and we who have obeyed the Lord, will be spiritual judges in our time. We will also be spiritual judges in the eternal kingdom of God. This is one of the great rewards and authorities God promised to the saints. Paul was emphatic, 1 Corinthians 6:2: “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” Verse 3: “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”

1 Corinthians 2:15: “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things ….” We will not only have the reward of being judges in the kingdom of God, but we will be exalted to a position beyond the comprehension of the human mind and heart. God proclaimed to Paul, Verse 9: “… Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

All Scriptures are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

The above sermon is among Pastor Marilyn Thomas' e-book titled, "DIVINE INTELLIGENCE BEYOND THE HUMAN MIND! ® From The Spiritual University Of God," consisting of sixty sermons. Click here for details at amazon.com, or here at Barnes and Noble.