Repent And Turn Series

REPENT AND TURN

Text: Acts 2:37-41

Introduction

1. Illustration: If there is no repentance, there can be no pardon. Some years ago, a murderer was sentenced to death. The murderer’s brother, to whom the State was deeply indebted for former services, asked the governor of the State for his brother’s pardon. The pardon was granted, and the man visited his brother with the pardon in his pocket. “What would you do,” he said to him, “if you received a pardon?” “The first thing I would do,” he answered, “is to track down the judge who sentenced me and murder him; and the next thing I would do is to track down the chief witness and murder him.” The brother rose and left the prison with the pardon in his pocket. Because of what this man had done, death penalty was waiting on him. The opportunity was granted to him, but it called for repentance. Since there could be no repentance, there also could be no pardon.

2. The dictionary defines repentance as “deep sorrow, or contrition for a past sin.”

3. Peter had preached, inspired by the Holy Spirit, one of the greatest sermons ever preached. The response was overwhelming.

4. In the response to Peter’s sermon, we see…

a. Holy Conviction

b. Call to Repentance

c. Holy Response

5. Read Acts 2:37-41

Proposition: Conviction is not enough; we must repent and turn from our sins.

Transition: The first response we see to Peter’s sermon is…

I. Holy Conviction (37).

A. Pierced Their Hearts

1. Peter gets the kind of response from his sermon that all preachers would love to hear.

2. In v. 37 Luke tells us, “Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

a. Luke tells us that Peter’s words “pierced their hearts,” which means “to sting sharply or to stun.”

b. They understood that this had a personal effect on them because many of them had agreed with their religious leaders.

c. They were deeply convicted of their sins and sensed the need to fix the problem. It is obvious that the Holy Spirit was at work.

d. They were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah and that they had a hand in putting him to death.

e. As a result, they ask Peter what every preacher longs to hear, “Brothers, what must we do?”

f. They knew that they needed to make amends and get right with God.

B. Convict the World of Sin

1. Illustration: Consider Jonathan Edwards: “’Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ was one of the most famous sermons preached by [him], and it is reported that his listeners were brought to points of “weeping, swooning, crying out, and convulsions.” The most interesting report, however, is that “Edwards read the sermon in a monotone voice with his eyes fixated on the church bell rope.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinners_in_the_Hands_of_an_Angry_God)

2. Conviction of sin can only be brought on by an act of the Holy Spirit.

a. “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” (Jn. 16:8).

b. Christian comedian Mike Warnke once said “the problem with the word repentance is that we don’t say it like we say any other word. We yell it like “REPENT!” It’s no wonder that when we are witnessing to people that all we see are elbows and heels!”

c. You see we cannot force conviction on people. Only the Holy Spirit can.

d. It is His job to convict the world of sin, not yours. And he is a lot better at than us.

e. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t tell people of their need of repentance. But it does mean that we shouldn’t be weird about it.

f. We need to tell them in love what the Holy Spirit lays on our hearts to them, and then let Him do the rest.

g. Share the Gospel with people but do it in a loving, caring way.

Transition: The next thing we see in response to Peter’s sermon is a…

II. Call to Repentance (38-39).

A. Repent of Your Sins

1. In response to their obvious conviction Luke tells us, “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. “

a. Peter tells them two things. First, he tells them that they need to repent.

b. The word repent means not only to stop what you’re doing, but also to turn away and head the opposite direction. It means to make a 360 degree turn away from sin and toward God.

c. It involves not only a change of mind and action, but also to express sorrow for your sin.