Posts Tagged ‘repentance’

Repent!

Posted: January 5, 2013 by Pam Larson in Acts, Devotionals/Commentaries, January
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

    Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
(Acts 3:19-20 ESV)

repent Today,  in the readings from Matthew 3 and Act 3, we read the same call to repentance.  God repeatedly called his people to repentance in the Old Testament, we see today in two passages, that the call to repent is not lessened in the New Testament, and indeed, that call still goes forth today.

“Repentance (metanoia, ‘change of mind’) involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness.” (F. F. Bruce. The Acts of the Apostles [Greek Text Commentary], London: Tyndale, 1952, p. 97.)

In Hebrews 3 we read:

    Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
(Hebrews 3:12-15 ESV)

Nothing inconsistent with the rest of His teaching.

Posted: November 3, 2012 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, John, November
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

    And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”  —John 8:7-11 ESV

J.C Ryle:

Our Lord knew the hearts of the malicious questioners before Him, and dealt with them with perfect wisdom, as He had done in the case of the “tribute-money.” (Matt. 22:17.) He refused to be a “judge” and lawgiver among them, and specially in a case which their own law had already decided. He gave them at first no answer at all.

But “when they continued asking,” our Lord silenced them with a withering and heart-searching reply. “He that is without sin among you,” he said, “let him first cast a stone at her.” He did not say that the woman had not sinned, or that her sin was a trifling and excusable one. But He reminded her accusers that they at any rate were not the people to bring a charge against her. Their own motives and lives were far from pure. They themselves did not come into the case with clean hands. What they really desired was not to vindicate the purity of God’s law, and punish a sinner, but to wreak their malice on Himself.

Last of all, when those who had brought the unhappy woman to our Lord had gone out from His presence, “convicted by their own conscience,” He dismissed the guilty sinner with the solemn words, “Neither do I condemn you–go and sin no more.” That she did not deserve punishment He did not say. But He had not come to be a judge. Moreover, in the absence of all witnesses or accusers, there was no case before Him. Let her then depart as one whose guilt was “not proven,” even though she was really guilty, and let her “sin no more.”

To say in the face of these simple facts that our Lord made light of the sin of adultery is not fair. There is nothing in the passage before us to prove it. Of all whose words are recorded in the Bible there is none who has spoken so strongly about the breach of the seventh commandment as our divine Master. It is He who has taught that it may be broken by a look or a thought, as well as by an open act. (Matt. 5:28.) It is He who has spoken more strongly than any about the sanctity of the marriage relation. (Matt. 19:5.) In all that is recorded here, we see nothing inconsistent with the rest of His teaching. He simply refused to usurp the office of the judge and to pronounce condemnation on a guilty woman, for the gratification of His deadly enemies.

Would you react to sin like this?

Posted: August 7, 2012 by Pam Larson in August, Devotionals/Commentaries, Ezra
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

 

Pastor Steven J. Cole of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship comments on Ezra 9:

Because we are so desensitized toward sin, we fail to have the proper response toward it, whether it is our own sin, or sin in others. We minimize it, justify it, or ignore it and go on our way unaffected by it. If we see someone reacting in a godly way toward sin, we think that he is a bit carried away or extreme. He is judgmental or intolerant. How dare he cast stones at others! Does he think that he is without sin? And so, by casting our stones at him, we justify our sins and go back to business as usual, wondering why God doesn’t bless our lives more than He does.

RepentanceOur text relates Ezra’s reaction to the sin of the exiles who had returned to Israel after the Babylonian captivity. About four and a half months (7:9, cf. 10:9) after he led a remnant back to the land, it was reported to him that many people in Israel, including too many priests, Levites, princes, and rulers, had sinned by taking pagan wives.

Ezra did not take the news in stride, chuckling, “Well, people will be people.” Rather, he tore his clothes, pulled some hair from his head and beard, and sat down appalled and speechless until the time of the evening offering. By then a number of godly people had gathered around him. Ezra arose, then fell to his knees, lifted his hands to the Lord, and confessed the great sin of his people, identifying himself with them, although he had not sinned in this regard. His prayer, which ranks with Nehemiah 9 and Daniel 9 as one of the great prayers of confession in the Bible, shows us the godly reaction to sin:

The godly reaction to sin is to recognize it from Scripture,to mourn over it, and to confess it without excuse to the God of mercy.

How a person reacts to the news of sin tells a lot about that person. If we hear about adultery and get a subtle thrill reading the juicy details, it reveals that we do not hate that sin and are vulnerable to it ourselves. While I confess that I have never reacted as strongly against sin as Ezra did (I can’t afford to pull out my hair!),and while part of his reaction may be culturally explained, we still can learn from him that we need to abhor sin so that we do not become desensitized to it.

Repentance is a heart issue

Posted: June 9, 2012 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, June, Luke
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

John Piper, in a sermon, “John the Baptist and the Brood of Vipers”-

This is the meaning of repentance: a turning of the direction of our life and the affections of our heart, so that we become oriented on God and love the things he loves. John promises the people “forgiveness of sins” in response to their repentance, their turning to God, but he calls them to demonstrate the seriousness of their turning by accepting baptism in the Jordan.

john the baptistThis was a remarkable demand of John on his Jewish kinsmen. In the context in which John lived baptism had one main significance among the Jews: it was the symbolic rite that proselytes had to go through to become Jewish. This made John’s baptism very offensive. It implied that unless the Jews were willing to repent, they were not really Jews and could not count on the promised blessings God had made to his chosen people. Or to put it another way, in calling Jews to accept a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, John was telling them that they cannot rely on their Jewishness for salvation; they have to be changed in their heart toward God.

And Luke’s understanding of John’s baptism is that it implied that the way was open for Gentiles to repent and be forgiven. If Jewishness does not save, then Gentilishness does not necessarily condemn: the issue is repentance toward God. 

To read the rest of the sermon, click here:

“Repentance,” exasperation and mercy

Posted: April 17, 2012 by Pam Larson in April, Devotionals/Commentaries, Judges
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Judges 10-12 is our Bible reading passage for today.  In Judges 10:10-16 we read:

And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?  The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more.  Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.”  So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

Kim Riddlebarger helps us understand:

YHWH’s response to Israel’s “repentance” is to remind his people of all that he has done for Israel.

YHWH recounts his perfect track record of promise-keeping to his disobedient people. He, of course, has done everything that he promised to do. He has been faithful. But his people, on the other hand, have not. Israel has forsaken him, despite all that he had done. To put it bluntly, Israel has committed spiritual adultery by serving other “gods.” And so, YHWH rejects the prayers of his people, threatening to save (“rescue”) them no more. If it is Baal the Israelites want, then it is Baal they’ll get. This is a strong indication that Israel’s prayer (verse 10), is not a genuine turning from sin to YHWH, but a cry to be delivered from yet another horrific situation which they had brought upon themselves.
YHWH’s rebuke cuts the people of Israel to the heart. As we read in verse 15, “And the people of Israel said to the Lord, `We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.’” The situation throughout Israel was terrible. Ammonite raiding parties struck deep into the heart of Israel, while the Philistines created serious trouble to the southwest. The people of Israel cry out again, knowing that YHWH is their only hope of deliverance. There are even hints of genuine repentance in verse 16. “So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord.” This indicates that there was not only a general sense among the people that their current predicament stemmed from the fact that they had turned their backs on YHWH and that they must seek his favor, but this tells us that the people of Israel also knew that their cries for help must be accompanied by the removal of the false “gods” and false religion which had then spread throughout Israel.
YHWH’s reaction to his people’s “repentance” is one of complete exasperation. We read that “he became impatient over the misery of Israel.” Some have taken this to mean that YHWH accepted the genuine nature of the people’s repentance, and relented from bring additional trials upon them. Others have taken the passage to demonstrate that this is an expression of YHWH’s frustration (exasperation) with his people because of Israel’s repeated cries for deliverance, despite an absence of genuine repentance.    I take the latter to be the case. This means that YHWH is exasperated with his covenant people who have gotten themselves into deep trouble yet again. YHWH is not repenting of his purpose, nor is he sorry that Israel has come under those covenant curses, because this is a matter of divine justice. But YHWH is sorry about Israel’s plight. How he wishes his people would worship and serve him and receive all the blessings he has promised to his own, but no, they don’t, and then they suffer.
As the familiar pattern of Judges plays out, after the people cry out, YHWH raises up a deliverer for his people. This time, the deliverer is a man named Jephthah. Like Abimelech, he is the son of a prostitute/concubine. But unlike Abimelech, he is someone whom God uses to deliver Israel from their current oppressor, the Ammonites. Although he is empowered by the Spirit of God, as the account of Jephthah unfolds, it is clear that his rise to power is devoid of a specific call by God. In fact, when Jephthah takes his tragic vow (which results in the sacrifice of his only daughter) we see yet again that the judges of Israel really are a mixed bag, and they can do nothing to save God’s people from their sin.

Just judgment deserved. Rich kindness received.

Posted: March 3, 2012 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, March, Romans
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

Romans 2:1-4 states: Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.  Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?  Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

John Piper, in a message, “God’s Response to Hypocrisy: Kindness and Judgment” said,

God Is Just

God is just. When Paul says to the hypocrites in the first verse, “You have no excuse,” he shows God’s concern with justice. If these people had a legitimate excuse for their sins of judgmentalism and hypocrisy, God would be unjust to judge them. But the whole point of this passage is to do exactly what we saw Paul doing in Romans 1:20 and 32 in regard to the Gentiles. He wants to show that they are without excuse. In other words, when judgment comes from God because of sin, it will not be unjust. No one will be able to raise any legitimate objection.

So the first thing to learn about God and his response to hypocrisy is that God is just, and his just judgment is coming not only on the so-called pagan people who live in sin, but also on the moral and religious people who disdain the pagan people, while doing many things that show they don’t trust and love God. That list in 1:29-31 includes things like “greed,” “envy,” “gossip,” unloving,” “unmerciful.” Has any of us been as merciful and loving toward others as he or she ought to be?

God Is Kind

But the second thing this text tells us about God and about his response to hypocrites is that God is kind. In fact, you will notice in verse 4 that Paul speaks of the “riches of his kindness.” That means that he is not just a little bit kind, but that he has huge resources of kindness to pour out on us. In fact, he is pouring them out on us all right now.

Isn’t that the implication of the other two words Paul uses to describe God’s kindness? He uses the words “forbearance” and “patience.” In other words, God’s justice does not demand that he punish us for our sins immediately. But his kindness leads him to forbear and to be patient with us. That word “patience” in the original Greek (the language Paul wrote in) is just like the English word “longsuffering.” It means that God may endure months and years and decades of our stubbornness and resistance to repentance.

The very fact that any of us is alive today is owing to this great kindness of God. He could have been done with us many years ago and taken us away to judgment. But here we are. And this should amaze us.

To read or listen to the entire message, click here:

Immense encouragement for repentance

Posted: March 1, 2012 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, March, Matthew
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

J. C. Ryle states-

Let us observe in these verses, what immense encouragement our Lord holds out to those who repent.We see this strikingly brought out in the parable of the two sons. Both were told to go and work in their father’s vineyard.

  • One son, like the profligate publicans, for some time flatly refused obedience, but afterwards repented and went.
  • The other, like the formal Pharisees, pretended willingness to go, but in reality went not.

“Which of the two,” says our Lord, “did the will of his father?” Even his enemies were obliged to reply, “the first.”

Let it be a settled principle in our Christianity, that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is infinitely willing to receive penitent sinners. It matters nothing what a man has been in time past. Does he repent, and come to Christ? Then old things are passed away, and all things are become new. It matters nothing how high and self-confident a man’s profession of religion may be. Does he really give up his sins? If not, his profession is abominable in God’s sight, and he himself is still under the curse. Let us take courage ourselves, if we have been great sinners hitherto. Only let us repent and believe in Christ, and there is hope. Let us encourage others to repent. Let us hold the door wide open to the very chief of sinners. Never will that word fail, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9.)

To read the rest of J.C. Ryle’s commentary on Matthew 21, click here:

A radically different perspective

Posted: November 6, 2011 by Pam Larson in 2 Peter, Devotionals/Commentaries, November
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.—2 Peter 3:8-9 ESV

In a sermon, “Why Doesn’t Christ Return?” Steven Cole says,

  1. Christ’s return seems delayed because God’s perspective on time is radically different than our perspective (3:8).
  2. Christ’s return is delayed because the Lord is patient, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance (3:9).
  • If the Lord has promised something, it will happen in His ordained time, not on our schedule.
  • God’s seeming delay in Christ’s return in judgment is not due to indifference or inability, but rather to His patience and compassion for sinners.
  • If God desires all to come to repentance, we must preach the gospel of repentance to all.

We’re all going to stand before God to give an account. Don’t let the delay in the recall lull you into thinking that it won’t happen. It only seems delayed because God’s perspective of time is radically different than our perspective. And, because of His patience, He waits for all to come to repentance. But, as Peter goes on to say, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief….” Don’t be caught off guard. Repent of your sins and come to Christ while you may.

 

Repentance, Restitution and Rejoicing

Posted: August 19, 2011 by Pam Larson in August, Devotionals/Commentaries, Luke
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Pastor Mark Driscoll has been preaching through the book of Luke.

Zacchaeus was not just a wee little man, he was a man idolizing money and power and taking advantage of his neighbors. But when Jesus calls out to Zacchaeus, his life is changed forever. Zacchaeus immediately repents and offers restitution to anyone he’s wronged, which results in much rejoicing.

Here is a link to his sermon of June 2001, “Jesus and Zacchaeus”

 

“Genuine repentance must be primarily toward God.”

Posted: August 8, 2011 by Pam Larson in August, Devotionals/Commentaries, Ezra
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

Pastor Steven J. Cole of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship comments

Ezra was prostrating himself and praying “before the house of God” (10:1). Shecaniah admits, “We have been unfaithful to our God” (10:2). It was with God that they made this covenant because they trembled at His commandment (10:3). They needed to confess their sins to the Lord and do His will (10:11).

While sin always hurts other people and we need to ask their forgiveness when we sin against them, sin is first and foremost against God Himself. That is why David, after committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered, said, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). He wrote (Ps. 51:4), “Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” Certainly David had sinned against Bathsheba and even more so against her husband, Uriah.

But those sins were nothing in comparison with David’s offense against the holy God. When a believer sins, he gives occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme (2 Sam. 12:14). Unbelievers will mock God and justify their own sins when they hear of a believer’s sin. Thus our sin is primarily against God, which means that our repentance must be primarily toward Him also.

To read the rest of the sermon, click here:

Older Entries