A
KINGDOM OF REPENTANCE
CONNECT
The
story of Nineveh…
TENSION
A
common thread…
Matthew
3:2 (NKJV) and saying,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
Matthew
4:17 (NKJV) From that time
Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.”
Mark
6:12 (NKJV) So they went out
and preached that people should repent.
Luke
24:46–47 (NKJV) Then He said to
them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer
and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts
2:38 (NKJV) Then Peter said to
them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts
3:19 (NKJV) Repent therefore
and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of
refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Acts
26:19–20 (NKJV) “Therefore, King
Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but
declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the
region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to
God, and do works befitting repentance.
SOLUTION
As
we saw last week, we have been given the keys to the Kingdom of God. This is the first key: repentance. If we want to live in the Kingdom of God, we
must live a repentant life!
Psalm
34:18 (NKJV) The Lord is near
to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Psalm
51:17 (NKJV) The sacrifices of
God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart— these, O God, You will
not despise.
Isaiah
57:15 (NKJV) For thus says the
High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the
high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive
the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
INSTRUCTION
What
is repentance? It is a change of direction, an 1800 turn, an
“about face” … We were going one way in life and now we made a decision to go
another way. We were running away from
God and now we are running towards God! We have come out of the kingdom of
darkness into His Kingdom of Light!
Acts
26:18 (NKJV) (I am sending you) to open their eyes, in order to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith
in Me.’
Ephesians
5:8 (NKJV) For you were once
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
What
is the attitude of repentance? Humility…
Luke
18:10–14 (NLT) “Two men went to
the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax
collector. 11 The Pharisee stood
by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other
people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax
collector! 12 I fast twice a
week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 13 “But
the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to
heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be
merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I
tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God.
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves
will be exalted.”
How
does repentance happen?
2
Corinthians 7:8–11 (NKJV) For even if I made
you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I
perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9 Now
I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to
repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer
loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow
produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow
of the world produces death. 11 For observe this
very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in
you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement
desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be
clear in this matter.
Confrontation
Conviction
Contrition
Confession
Confession
Conversion
We
can see this illustrated in the very first sermon preached in the book of Acts.
Acts
2:36–41 (NKJV) “Therefore let all
the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you
crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now
when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the
rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then
Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is
to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord
our God will call.” 40 And with many
other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this
perverse generation.” 41 Then those who
gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls
were added to them.
Why
doesn’t change come?
I
am sure that many of us have had similar experiences. We know that something in our life is not
right. We are confronted by truth; we
are convicted by the Holy Spirit; we are sorry for our actions, but lasting
change doesn’t come. Why doesn’t change
come? Let me give us some possible
reasons.
We
have an open door to the enemy.
We
have eclairs in our refrigerator.
We
have incomplete obedience.
We
have not made adequate restitution.
We
have not been completely honest with God and with others.
APPLICATION
How do we live a lifestyle of complete repentance?
Live
in complete openness to God and others.
Psalm
139:23–24 (NKJV) Search me, O God,
and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; 24 and
see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
Keep
short lists with God and others.
Psalm
51:1–3 (NKJV) Have mercy upon
me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your
tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash
me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For
I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Matthew
5:23–24 (NKJV) Therefore if you
bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has
something against you, 24 leave your gift
there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Practical
suggestion: When God convicts you, say, “Yes, Lord” right then; don’t try to
justify yourself and excuse yourself.
Some
cautions to watch for…
Don’t
confuse conviction with condemnation.
The
circle of confession is only as large as the circle of offense.
Don’t
confess sin publicly unless absolutely necessary for restoration.
INSPIRATION
Repentance has always been a part of revival
INVITATION The Lord is
waiting on us today. He is not in a
hurry to cast us off or send us to hell…
Romans
2:4 (NKJV) Or do you despise
the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that
the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
2
Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not
slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering
toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance.
