INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• I want to give you some ingredients for a couple of products, which one sounds better or better for you?
• Meat by-products, water sufficient for processing, chicken, poultry by-products, rice, artificial and natural flavors, calcium phosphate, guar gum, added color, potassium chloride, salt, carrageenan, magnesium sulfate, taurine, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), manganese sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, biotin, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, potassium iodide.
• Pork with Ham, Salt, Water, Modified Potato Starch, Sugar, Sodium Nitrite.
• SLIDE #2
• SLIDE #3
• When we cook a recipe, it will not come out right if we leave out key ingredients.
• When people want to know what they need to do in order to become a Christian, we want to make sure we give them the whole recipe.
• We have examined the ingredients of faith and confession.
• Today we will add the ingredient of repentance to our recipe.
• We will use Acts 2:37-38.
• In Acts 1, before Jesus ascended into Heaven, Jesus gave these men a mission and He promised them that the promised Holy Spirit would come.
• Jesus told these men they would be His witnesses all over the world.
• Then 10 days after the ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles.
• On the Day of Pentecost, Peter stands before the crowd and preaches a sermon in which Peter takes these devout Jews on a short trip through the Old Testament to show them that Jesus whom was crucified 50 days earlier was the Messiah.
• With that sermon, many of the people wanted to know what they needed to do.
• Let us turn to Acts 2:37-38
• SLIDE #4
• Acts 2:37–38 (ESV) 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Today we are going to only look at one of the ingredients that Peter shares with the crowd, next week we will look at the other.
• So let us begin our examination of the ingredient REPENTANCE.
• SLIDE #5
SERMON
I. What is repentance?
• When the Jews were asking Peter what they needed to do in order to be saved, Peter said in part that they needed to repent.
• What was he telling them? Was he telling them they just needed to be sorry? Is sorrow repentance?
• SLIDE #6
• The word “repent” means to turn away from or to forsake. Repentance is brought on by godly sorrow. We are sorry for sinning against God and other people.
• Peter was telling the people that in order for them to be saved, they had to turn away from their old ways of sin and turn toward God.
• Repentance involves restitution when possible. Remember in Luke 19:8, Zacchaeus wanted to change his ways, he wanted to forsake his former life of cheating people.
• Part of his change was for him to repay those whom he cheated.
• SLIDE #7
• Luke 19:8 (ESV) And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
• We make a decision to repent we repent toward Jesus. We realize our life is not pleasing to Jesus and we decide to walk with God.
• Let us look at three aspects concerning repentance.
• SLIDE #8
A. Repentance is individual.
• In Acts 2:38 Peter said that each individual must do. It is an individual decision, he says that “each one of you” needs to repent and be baptized. No parent, no priest, no preacher, no friend can repent for another person.
• In Luke 13:1-5 there is a story that illustrates the need for repentance.
• Some Galileans were offering sacrifices and Pilate’s soldiers killed them.
• The people felt that their sins were not as great as those Galileans who were killed.
• Look at verse 3
• SLIDE #9
• Luke 13:3 (ESV) No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
• Jesus was telling them that they ALL needed to repent. No matter what others are doing, it is up to EACH of us to repent.
• Many times we are blinded by thinking that other people are bigger sinners than we are, so we do not think we need to repent.
• SLIDE #10
B. Repentance is inclusive.
• All people need to repent. Romans 3:23 tells us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
• SLIDE #11
• Acts 17:30 (ESV) The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
• No person is excluded from the need to repent.
• SLIDE #12
C. Repentance is important.
• Once again, I go back to the Acts passage in which Peter told them in plain language that they needed to repent.
• When you think of the definition of repentance, it stands to reason that it is something a person who wants to give their life to Jesus would do.
• How could say you want to follow Jesus and yet not change or want to change your life? How could you not want to please the one you want to serve?
• SLIDE #13
• Acts 3:19–20 (ESV)19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
• Repentance is important because without it we will not ever be in the presence of God.
• SLIDE #14
II. The ingredients of repentance.
• What is the make-up of repentance? IF we know what it is, what is it then that makes it. What do we need to mix together in order to have true repentance?
• SLIDE #15
A. Repentance includes a change of intellect.
• Repentance involves knowledge of sin, the sin that we have committed against God. Then we are convicted of personal sin that we have committed against God.
• In Isaiah 6, when God confronted Isaiah, Isaiah had a true understanding of his sinful life and was ready to change. He recognized his personal sin. His response was WOE IS ME!
• SLIDE #16
• 1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV) The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
• Paul used to think he was right when he was persecuting the church, but when Jesus entered the picture of his life, his intellect changed. We realize that WE are a sinner than needs salvation!
• SLIDE #17
B. Repentance includes a change of emotions.
• When we intellectually understand that we have sinned against God, then that will lead to Godly sorrow that leads to repentance.
• Being sorry is not the same as repentance. Repentance is the next step of being sorry because it will lead us to do something about the wrong we have done.
• Look at 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
• SLIDE #18
• 2 Corinthians 7:9–10 (ESV) As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
• Worldly sorrow is a sorrow caused by getting caught. The prisons are full of people who have worldly sorrow.
• Godly sorrow involves being sorry before you are caught. It would be turning yourself in before you got caught.
• This is not to say that a person who gets caught cannot have Godly sorrow, but the attitude is one of, “I am sorry that I sinned against God and others”, verses, “I am sorry I got caught.”
• Notice that our passage says that godly sorrow leads to repentance which leads to salvation.
• Why? Because a person who is truly repentance will want to forsake the old ways. God gives us that opportunity when we are immersed into Christ. 2 Cor 5:17 tells us that was are a new creation when we belong to Jesus.
• SLIDE #19
C. Repentance includes a change of will.
• The will is the very center of repentance. Included in Biblical repentance is the determination to forsake sin.
• This is a decision that we make. Each and every minute of the day, we decide if we are going to sin or obey God.
• When our will changes, we determine that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will leave the old sin that enslaved us. Remember that some sins take time, prayer and effort to overcome. Each time we stumble, we tell God we are not going to do it again.
• We tell ourselves and God that we are going to stay as far away from sin as possible. (Drink problem person going to bars)
• Repentance involves a wholehearted change of will toward sin. We want nothing to do with it.
• SLIDE #20
D. Repentance includes a change of actions.
• Ultimately, when our intellect, emotions, and will change, our actions will change also.
• SLIDE #21
• Luke 3:8 (ESV)8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
• Our actions should match our heart.
• SLIDE #22
III. What motivates one to add repentance to the recipe?
• How is repentance brought about?
• SLIDE #23
A. The Holy Spirit can be a motivation.
• The Holy Spirit will work through the Word to convict us. (1 Thessalonians 1:5, Acts 4:31, 28:25)
• SLIDE #24
• John 16:7–8 (ESV) Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
• SLIDE #25
B. Godly sorrow can be a motivation.
• We have already hit on this one. 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 says that godly sorrow will lead to repentance. This sorrow will produce a permanent change.
• We hear and believe the Word of God, we believe that God loves us and that He sent His Son to done for us, we understand that we have sinned against God and that leads to godly sorrow which leads to repentance.
• SLIDE #26
C. The goodness of God can be a motivation.
• We start understanding how good God have been to us, that while we were yet sinners, Jesus dies for us (Romans 5:8). We see what God has done for us and we want to change our ways.
• SLIDE #27
• Romans 2:4 (ESV) 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?
• SLIDE #28
D. God’s judgment can be a motivation.
• I call this the fear-factor, I do not like this one, but it can work for some.
• SLIDE #29
• Acts 17:30–31 (ESV) The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
CONCLUSION
What must I do to be saved? Thus far we have seen that we need to have faith, that our faith will lead us to confess Jesus as Lord, and that conviction will lead us to repentance.
Repentance is a forsaking or turning away from the old way of life and a turning to Jesus. We realize that we have sinned against a God who loves us and we make a decision to change.
Repentance is commanded in the bible. Repentance is not an emotion it is an action.
Next week ingredient #4
