A Study on Repentance
Matthew 4:17
Jesus began His ministry preaching a message of repentance.
metanoeó: to change one's mind or purpose º
literally, "think differently afterwards"
After what? After encountering God and His message
Why? To be part of His kingdom
Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38
Repentance is absolutely necessary to enter the Kingdom. And once you are in the kingdom, repentance is necessary to remain in the Kingdom.
Constant repentance = constant mind change
Have you been thinking differently? Or is your mind the same as it used to be?
Romans 12:2
metamorphoó: transformed after being with º
anakainósis: renewing, a new development; completing a process to make new º
It’s a process to make new, a never ending process. A making new over and over again.
Only God’s power has the ability to do this work of renewal and transformation.
Lack of repentance is shown in an unwillingness to yield to God, a stubbornness, a hardness of heart.
Acts 2:38 They were cut to the heart = a circumcision of the heart.
Repentance, a heart/mind transformation, is not a New Testament concept.
Deuteronomy 10:12-17
“Circumcise your hearts” and fear the Lord. A change of heart is required to love and worship God.
Why? In view of the GRANDEUR of God! (v. 14, 17)
What does God require (v. 12)? To fear Him, to live to please Him, to love Him, and to serve Him.
These are not separate things, they are intertwined in one another. You cannot love God with fearing Him, nor can you live to please Him without loving Him, nor can you fear Him without serving Him.
Do you fear God? Are you living to please Him?
Deuteronomy 30:1-8
When we repent (return to God), God has compassion and rescues and restores us. Repentance brings restoration!
YHWH will “circumcise your hearts”.
Are you relying on yourself for a heart change? Only God can transform our hearts
Circumcision of the heart brings life! God circumcises our hearts so that we can love Him and only by loving God do we live!
A circumcised heart loves God with all of its heart and soul.
How is your love for God? Are there limits? Have you forsaken your first love?
“Literal circumcision was the condition of admission to the external covenant.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools & Colleges on Jeremiah 4:4)*. In the same way, a circumcision of the heart is a condition of the new covenant!
“God will not delay in dealing with sin, so we must be quick to repent!”
REPENT IN YOUR LOVE FOR GOD
Revelation 2:1-7
It doesn’t matter how hard you work or long you endure if you stop loving God deeply!
It is a choice to stop loving God.
aphiémi: to send away, leave alone, permit; to give up, keep no longer º
Have you permitted your love for God to leave?
“The distinction between leaving and losing is important. Something can be lost quite by accident, but leaving is a deliberate act, though it may not happen suddenly. As well, when we lose something we don’t know where to find it; but when we leave something, we know where to find it.” (Guzik)ª
Practicals:
REMEMBER
Think back on the day of your salvation (baptism), how excited & fired up you were, how grateful, do you still have that same zeal and passion?
If you still have your gratitude letter to God, go back and reread it. Write a new gratitude letter to God for your salvation.
DO WHAT YOU DID AT FIRST: “What must I do?” not “What’s the least I can do?”
Go back to the basics
Have consistent QTs
Have daily contact with disciples
Be radically open
Share your faith with excitement
The one who overcomes a lack of love will experience life and dwell in the presence of God!
REPENT IN YOUR STANCE ON BIBLICAL DOCTRINE
Revelation 2:12-17
Whose teachings are you holding on to?
kratéō – to place under one's grasp (seize hold of, put under control); to use strength º
They were using their strength to cling to false doctrine
When we don’t follow the Word of God we are waging war against God.
Allow the double-edged sword of the word to cause separation in your life [Hebrews 4:12]
THE DOCTRINE OF PURITY
Not even a hint, put it to death. Ephesians 5:3-5; Colossians 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Are you compromising in your purity?
Be quick to repent
God will not delay in dealing with sin, so we must be quick to repent!
Practicals:
FIGHT WITH THE SWORD
Psalm 119:9 Live according to the Word
Psalm 119:11 Hide the Word in your heart
Job 31:1 Make a covenant with your eyes
The one who overcomes false doctrine will receive manna (the true bread of life), a white stone (a sentence of acquittal), and a new name (character, reputation)!
“Repentance from complacency is going to cost you your comfort.”
REPENT IN BEING UNCOMPROMISING
Revelation 2:18-29
It doesn’t matter how much you love God, how hard you work, or how long you endure if you are compromising and tolerating sin.
aphiémi: to send away, leave alone, permit; allow, not to hinder º
tolerate: allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of (something that one does not necessarily like or agree with) without interference.
What are you tolerating that hinders your relationship with God?
What ‘teachings’ are you allowing to deceive you?
Practicals:
BE WILLING TO REPENT
thélō – to desire (wish, will), wanting what is best (optimal) because someone is ready and willing to act. º
God, in His mercy, gives us time to repent, but we have to desire to repent.
Romans 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9
If we choose not to repent, then we are inviting the judgment of God.
REPENT ON A HEART LEVEL
God knows our thoughts and our emotions (Jeremiah 17:9-10), so we cannot simply stop our actions, we have to search our hearts and deal with the sin there.
How long must we remain uncompromising?
UNTIL JESUS RETURNS. Até o fim
The one who overcomes a life of compromise and continues till the end will be given authority to shepherd the nations and the morning star (Jesus Himself)!
REPENT IN YOUR INTEGRITY
Revelation 3:1-6
Integrity: the state of being whole and undivided.
It doesn’t matter what our reputation is among people, God sees the full condition of our heart
Do you care more about your reputation with people or with God?
Do you simply have the reputation of being righteous or are you actually righteous in God’s sight?
We have to complete the work
Are you meeting the requirements of God or are you doing enough just to look good? See Acts 5:1-11
Walk with God!
Blessed are people of integrity, who walk according to the law of the Lord (Psalm 119:1 paraphrased)
In white: purity and victory
Only through pureness of heart do we see God (Matthew 5:8)
Enoch walked with God and God took him because he pleased Him!
Practicals:
WAKE UP
grēgoreúō – literally, "stay awake"; (figuratively) be vigilant (responsible, watchful). º
“Although the situation of the city [of Sardis] was ideal for defense, as it stood high above the valley of Hermus and was surrounded by deep cliffs almost impossible to scale, Sardis had twice before fallen because of overconfidence and failure to watch.” (Walvoord quoted in Guzik)ª
Matthew 26:36-41 Prayer is how we stay awake!
Jesus knew He needed to be alert so He went to pray!
He got open and asked others to ‘stay awake’ with Him.
We can’t do it alone!
We have to be watchful because the flesh is weak.
1 Peter 5:8 We have to stay awake because Satan is looking to devour us!
How is your prayer life?
Are you overconfident in your own strength and failing to keep watch? [See 1 Corinthians 10:12]
We are watchful because Jesus can come at any moment. Matthew 25:13
STRENGTHEN
stērízō set fast (fix); give support to secure (firmly establish); solidly plant (which eliminates vacillation). º
To repent, we must remember what we received and heard and KEEP IT.
This requires intention and vigilance
The one who overcomes a lack of integrity will be dressed in white and never have their name erased from the Book of Life!
“REAL REPENTANCE ACTS!”
REPENT IN BEING ON FIRE
Revelation 3:14-22
The complacent church
Complacent: showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.
They were satisfied with being wealthy and unconcerned with their condition before God.
The city of Laodicea was self-reliant, and the church had become the same way: reliant on themselves and not on God.
Neither cold nor hot
Cold: refreshing, cool
Hot: boiling, fervent, to be deeply committed, passionate
Are you passionate for God? Or has your commitment level simmered down?
The state of being Lukewarm
chliaros: tepid, warm º
“Everything is done in a half-hearted, listless, dead-and-alive way, as if it did not matter much whether it was done or not.” (Spurgeon quoted in Guzik)ª
Jesus was disgusted by their lukewarmness!
emeó: to vomit, to reject with extreme disgust º
“I have become wealthy”: they were not always wealthy
They had grown to be self-reliant
Q: Are you growing more or less dependent on God?
Their complacency made them unaware of their true spiritual condition: wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Practicals
BUY FROM ME
Repentance from complacency is going to cost you your comfort.
Q: Who are you buying from? Jesus or the world?
BE ZEALOUS
zéloó: to be heated or to boil, to be deeply committed to something. º
Repentance from being complacent is to be zealous and earnest!
LISTEN AND OPEN
The call to hear His voice is the call to be sheep, humble, and willing to follow [John 10:27].
The Bible is the only thing that can set us on fire again
You have to allow the Bible to be used in every area of your life, nothing can be closed off.
The one who overcomes complacency will be enthroned with Jesus and get to reign with Him [2 Timothy 2:12]!
2 Corinthians 7:9-11
Godly sorrow produces repentance and REAL REPENTANCE ACTS!
DECISIONS:
What areas do I need to repent in? Pray for a change of heart.
Make a decision to be quick to repent. Start NOW.
Footnotes:
º All Greek definitions were obtained from Strong’s Lexicon on Bible Hub
* Cambridge Bible for Schools & Colleges Exegetical Commentary on Bible Hub
ª All quotes from Guzik obtained from Enduring Word by David Guzik
