“SPACE TO REPENT”
Mt. 3:1-10; Rev. 2:21
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. I heard about a man who smoked cigarettes. He began reading articles on cigarettes and became alarmed by the strong relationship between smoking and lung cancer.
2. He finally confided in a friend; “I’ve been reading so many articles about smoking and lung cancer that I’ve decided to quit reading.”
3. He didn’t decide to quit smoking, but to quit reading! That’s what many people do when they read the Bible and it convicts them of their sins! They decide to quit reading the Bible!
4. The problem of that solution is that our sins aren’t “going away;” we must go to God and get His solution for the problem of our sins.
B. TEXT
“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Mt. 3:1-10.
C. ISSUE OF REPENTANCE: NOT A POPULAR SUBJECT
1. Noah’s message to his generation was not, “Something good is going to happen to you.”
Jeremiah didn’t get put into a pit for preaching, “I’m ok, You’re Ok!”
Daniel wasn’t put into the Lion’s Den for telling people, “All roads lead to God.”
John the Baptist wasn’t beheaded for preaching, “Smile, God loves You!”
And the Two Tribulation Prophets won’t be killed for preaching, “God is in Heaven and all is right with the world.”
Instead, what was the message of all these men of God? Simply one word – “Repent!” It’s an important subject!
2. WITHOUT REPENTANCE, THERE IS NO SALVATION! We need to know all about it so we won’t be mistaken and get to the judgment seat deceived. Jesus said, “When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’ Matt. 7:22-23, GNT. They were surprised!
3. So we’re going to look at who needs to repent, what repentance is, and how long do we have to get right with God. The title is, “Space to Repent.”
I. WHY IS REPENTANCE IMPORTANT?
A. FIRST SERMON JESUS EVER PREACHED
1. By the Lord Jesus. “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee….saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” Mk. 1:14-15.
2. By the Apostles, Mk. 6:12.
B. IS THE ONLY WAY TO ESCAPE HELL
1. Jesus said there’s only 2 options: “REPENT OR PERISH” Lk. 13:3,5.
2. It’s NECESSARY TO CONVERSION. Peter said, “Repent and be converted that your sins be blotted out” Acts 3:19.
3. REPENTANCE COMES BEFORE FAITH. “Testifying to both Jews and Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:21.
C. IT IS NOT OPTIONAL - IT’S UNIVERSALLY COMMANDED, “God has commanded all men everywhere to repent” Acts 17:30.
II. SOME THINK, “I DON’T NEED TO REPENT”
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. In a small country church a rich man had for years been the leading elder. The congregation was looking for a new minister, and this elder interviewed each candidate. One fine born again candidate preached his sermon on “Repentance.”
2. Afterward the elder said, “I don’t like it that you called our people sinners!” The minister said, “Are you a Christian, sir?” “Of course I’m a Christian!” he said. “Then you were a sinner and sought Christ for salvation” the minister said.
3. “Oh, no. I never was a sinner,” the elder said. “Well, sir, “ said the minister, “it’s impossible for you to be a Christian then, because it was sinners Christ came to save!” [Knights New Illus., p. 544]
B. CONVINCED OF YOUR OWN SINFULNESS?
1. Isaiah the prophet wrote 5 chapters, then got in the presence of God and cried, “Woe is me! I am undone!” (6:5). His true self was exposed before God!
2. Peter, who later said, “No unclean food has ever entered my mouth,” cried, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
C. DEFINITION OF SIN
1. We typically think that only a few things will keep us out of Heaven because we compare ourselves to others and so we don’t think we’re very bad.
2. Most people say, “Well, I’ve never robbed a bank or killed anyone; I’m a good person.” That’s why 97% of people think they’re going to heaven.
3. But when we’re compared to God’s perfect holiness, then all our sinful attitudes, thoughts, words and deeds that have violated God’s laws are exposed.
4. God says there’s none righteous, no, not one! All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all destined to miss heaven.
D. RIGHTEOUS IN OUR OWN EYES? How about God’s?
1. Capernaum, Korazin, Bethsaida, weren’t horrible cities of
sin. They had many decent people in them. But they thought they were so good they didn’t need to repent.
2. Lk. 10:13, Lord said, “If Tyre & Sidon, Nineveh, Sodom, Gomorrah had heard the same preaching you’ve heard – they would have survived until today.” WOW!
3. It’s a WARNING TO US: If we won’t repent, we may be worse than Sodom & Gomorrah!
III. REPENTANCE IS NOT:
A. NOT JUST BEING SORRY FOR SIN
The rich young ruler went away sorrowful for his greed, but it did not save him.
B. IS MORE THAN ADMITTING GUILT
Num. 14:40-44; the Israelites, after they wouldn’t enter the promised land, admitted sinning, but then went their own way again and died.
C. NOT JUST CONVICTION OF HOLY SPIRIT
Holy Ghost conviction caused the Roman leader Felix to “tremble” as Paul preached (Acts 24:25), but he didn’t repent.
D. COMING TO CHURCH DOESN’T MEAN YOU’VE REPENTED
IV. WHAT REPENTANCE IS:
A. INSIDE CHANGE
1. It’s not just change on the surface; IT MUST BE CHANGE OF THE HEART.
2. OCCURS WHEN THE CONVICTING POWER OF:
a. The Holy Spirit holds court
b. Presents the evidence of your conscience against you;
c. H.S. Renders a verdict: “Guilty before God!”
d. You hear the Sentence: “Consigned to everlasting punishment”
e. PLEA: “Is there any way I can be spared?”
f. “Die with Christ to all you are!”
B. REPENT = “TURN ABOUT”
1. Methodist circuit riding preacher Knight went to his son-in-Law’s church. His son-in-Law preached a very theological sermon on “Repentance.”
2. Knight said, “Can I demonstrate?” “Yes.” He walked one direction, and with each step shouted, “Hell! Hell! Hell!” Then he did an about-face, began walking, shouting, “Heaven, Heaven, Heaven!”
3. REVERSAL. To ‘repent’ means to make a UTURN. To pull off the freeway of sin, do a Uturn, then to head back the opposite
direction.
4. ILLUSTRATION
a. At a large church, one of the staff asked a man who’d come forward to commit to Christ, “Do you believe John 3:16 and 1 John 1:9?”
b. The man answered, “Yes I do!” The staff member said, “Then you are saved.”
c. To which the man replied, “No I am not, for the Bible also says, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord…for He will abundantly pardon” Isa. 55:7.
V. “SPACE TO REPENT” Rev. 2:21
A. A SET AMOUNT OF TIME TO REPENT
1. “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not” Rev. 2:21, KJV.
2. There was a self-styled prophetess at the church at Thyatira in the First Century, A.D. Jesus Christ said she resembled “Jezebel,” the wife of Ahab. The Lord said, this woman at Thyatira was teaching that sex outside marriage and eating food sacrificed to idols were ok.
3. Would you agree with me that this woman was in big trouble because she was evidently TOLD to repent, given TIME and OPPORTUNITY to repent, but she REFUSED to repent.
4. A key thought here is that WE’RE not the Boss, but God is. WE don’t decide when we’ll get saved, God does. If we reject God’s call to repent, we may not be able to genuinely repent later. God’s Spirit and revelation are necessary to repentance.
B. THE LIMITED-TIME OFFER
1. Each of us gets a set time – a time limit – to repent. We are all familiar with commercials advertising “LIMITED-TIME OFFERS.” The Offer has a beginning date and an ending date.
2. When the ending date arrives, the offer expires. Our limited-time offer from God ends when we die.
3. The problem with us is, we don’t know the date of our death. It could be today; it could be one day next week. That’s why the Lord tells us, “Now is the excepted time; Today is the day of salvation.” Since we don’t know, we should make the arrangements TODAY!
B. HAS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO REPENT RUN OUT?
1. Lord Jesus said Jezebel’s CHANCE TO REPENT HAD EXPIRED!
2. The foolish rich man (Lk. 12:16-21) let his time to repent
expire and he was lost forever!
3. Today is the day of salvation. You have no promise of tomorrow. Don’t let your time run out!
C. ARE WE LISTENING TO WHAT GOD’S SAYING?
1. The Robert E. Lee pleasure boat steamed out of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Hundreds of people were aboard. After midnight, September 30, 1882, the boat caught fire.
2. The captain, W.S. Cannon, discovered it and told his pilot, John Stout, to rush down through the main deck and down every corridor to wake everyone up. He didn't have time to make explanations.
3. Strangely some became angry at haven been awaken rudely. They thought it was a drunkard or a practical joker.
Some were amused; they laughed until you could hear them screaming in terror as the flames overcame them.
4. Others heard the warning but just couldn't believe it and waited to hear it again more clearly. But as the pilot ran down the corridor his message was harder to hear. In another few minutes they were swept down into a frightful death.
5. But there were some who heard the warning and to believed it to be true. They awakened from their sleep and made their escape to safety.
6. This is exactly the way the world is treating the warnings of God. Some become angry with the straight gospel. Others are amused; they treat it as entertainment. Then there are those who hear the gospel but wait for a convenient season to set things straight with God.
7. There are some though, who hear God's warning and accept Jesus into their lives, putting on the garment of salvation and escaping a burning hell. And it is for their sakes that we must keep on proclaiming the gospel. We must understand “THE BOAT IS ON FIRE.” Time is running out. [Jerry Thorpe]
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS.: ALL THE CHURCH NEEDS TO REPENT
1. In 1985, a missions organization assigned a family to work in a predominantly Muslim city. For decades the denomination
had labored in that city and only had 5 small missions churches
with few members.
2. So the new mission’s family joined 14 other believers in praying for a break-through. During an all-night prayer meeting they sensed God was telling them “He didn’t have any clean vessels to use.”
3. They fell on the dirt floor and began confessing their sins. God revealed everything in their lives that was hindering His work.
4. REVIVAL BROKE OUT. The people proclaimed the gospel with boldness. Over the next 3 ½ years, 132,000 people made professions of faith. By 1989, 156 churches had been started.
B. THE CALL
1. Are we so good that we are unwilling to repent? Capernaum, etc.
2. “The ax is laid at the root” – the old sinful self must die.
3. The only true evidence of repentance is that you’re going the opposite way you used to go.
4. If you’re not, you haven’t repented and you’re on your way to hell!
5. God is giving you “SPACE TO REPENT.” Don’t let it expire!
COME NOW TO THE ALTAR!
