Lent 3—March 15, 1998
Turning From—Turning To
Isaiah 55:1-9; Luke 13:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
The word for this week is "repentance".
Last weekend there was a blizzard over the Midwest and storms in the south. We got four inches of rain here; but it was a near-disaster 800 miles west of here. Chicago had a blizzard, and our church treasurer, Bill Esselstyn had to go out there for a business conference. One effect was that Bill got stranded in a luxury hotel and had to eat French gourmet food for two days.
Bill description of O'Hare airport and the general state of the travelers' distress sounded like a zoo to me. He said some of his co-workers told of being in such violent turbulence that the doors on the overhead compartments flew open and luggage fell out on the passengers. I'm glad I wasn't on that flight.
I thought as I was reflecting on today's scripture lessons— on "repentance"— 'I wonder what sort of prayers were generated in that violently bouncing jet plane?' "Oh God! I'll be different! I promise! I'm sorry for all the sins I've ever done!"
Is that repentance? Would God hear a prayer like that? [He heard Walter S. MacPherson praying in a foxhole in World War I !!] When do you pray a prayer of repentance? Just what is repentance, anyway?
One simple definition I was taught as a young believer is that Repentance is a godly sorrow for sin. And true repentance certainly has that element. But a godly sorrow is more than sorrow over the pain or shame or results of sin— more than remorse for being caught. Repentance is turning away. Repentance always includes a desire to turn away from sin.
In our text today Isaiah cries: "Let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts!" Both the Old and New Testament words for "repent" have this concept of a change of direction. (Shuv=OT= disappointment// Metanoia=NT=turning)
Repentance is more than turning away— it is turning to! Isaiah goes on: "Let them return to the Lord, for He will have mercy— and to our God for He will abundantly pardon!"
Repentance FROM sin is never complete until the turning away— the godly sorrow- - "connects" with God's forgiveness and becomes a "turning to" the heavenly father. God stands waiting— ready to tell us we are already pardoned— and we come by the route of repentance— a willingness to turn away - and to turn to! That is how we enter God's family.
But did you know that repentance is not just for unbelievers and sinners? Many people will say, and I am one of them, "I am not a willful sinner! I do not live in known sin!" With a Wesleyan definition of sin as 'a willful transgression of a known law of God,' we often relegate repentance strictly to the crisis of being saved— we confess and believe and repent once and for all.
But did you know that God's people find revival and renewal when they are willing to live in a spirit of repentance! This world is very much with us, and bangs on us relentlessly day after day. We get so used to living in Sodom and Gomorrah that we need to be careful to listen to the Still Small Voice. When we are careless we often get defensive, or we rationalize— excuse ourselves for our sins of neglect.
Paul sounds four warnings to Corinthian Christians. "Many who left Egypt and experienced God's miracles of the Exodus nevertheless died in the wilderness! WHY? Because they were not living to please God!" Those warnings are 2,000 years old, nearly— but they still call us to repentance:
Don't become idolaters: (7) Anything that threatens to take over our first allegiance we need to recognize as a potential idol— anything we hold so dear that we neglect God: prayer becomes a burden; the gathering together of God's people is easily shunned. Often good things become enemy of God's BEST. Even God's GIFTS cannot take God's place! Is it possible that we need to repent of any attitude that is close to idolatry?
Don't indulge in sexual immorality: (8) God's people are called to purity! Even God's people are tempted by our world to have a casual attitude toward what God intends to be sacred relationships. Statistics tell us that often attitudes of permissiveness and loose morals are inside the church as well as outside. If you are engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage you are sinning! You need to repent!
If you are entertaining and excusing unhealthy thoughts, you need to repent! "Let the unrighteous forsake their thoughts!" — not my sentence— it comes directly from God's Word.
Don't put Christ to the test: (9) is the next warning. Paul is not saying that Christ is not to be trusted in the crunch time. But he is saying that it is possible even to be selfish about the way we live the Christian life! We can seek to use Christ for the profit we think He brings— or for the health and good feelings we think is the height of spirituality - - or even for climbing the social ladder. If we think more of what Christ can do for us— and never of what we can do for Christ we need to repent!
Finally a sobering warning—
Don't be a complainer!: (10) When whining becomes a way of life we are certainly not where God can bless and use us!! Alongside bank robbing and murder, the sin of complaining and grumbling seems trivial indeed. Maybe you have never been guilty of it. But if we have— we need to repent!
When God's people are willing to turn as the Holy Spirit gently leads them— turn from unhealthy ways and turn to a deeper love of God and one another, then God can get through to us with his Spirit in ways that will surprise and delight us.
Do we ever get beyond the need for repentance? REPENTANCE - AS A WAY OF LIFE - BECOMES HUMILITY BEFORE GOD'S GREAT LOVE
As God walks with His people and they grow in love to Him REPENTANCE BECOMES MORE AND MORE A TURNING TO GOD'S POSSIBILITIES!
Until we get away from thinking of repentance as simply negative, or something to hit people over the head with, we will never find that banquet God is talking about (in Isaiah 55) "Listen carefully to me," God says, "and (you will) eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food!"
What do you suppose God could do with you if He had your full and complete attention? What do you suppose God could do with a congregation that said, "Lord we want to love You more than anything!"??
Deep repentance is NOT some exotic experience. It does not begin with celebration— although we have to celebrate along the way!! It begins with THE DESIRE TO DESIRE God's will above all others. Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, this is coming to say, and asking God not to listen to how we feel, but what we are saying: "NOT MY WILL BUT YOURS BE DONE!"
It continues, then, by asking God to help us be OPEN TO GOD's POSSIBILITIES. It is what Bill Bright calls living in the "God room." I'm not always there, I confess. But I want to be led out beyond my own depth! It is what one saint called "being deeply sensitive to the ways and being of God." (Ignatian??)
Conclusion
Would God hear the anguished cry of a person in mortal trouble? Could we call that repentance? Is repentance just a fire escape? When people asked Jesus, "How did those people sin that the Tower fell on?" "What terrible thing did those people do that Herod murdered?" Jesus told the people, "Do you think they were better or worse than you are? Do you think YOU are better than they are?"
I like to think that wherever you are on your spiritual journey God hears the sincere cry for grace. But I don't just want a "fire-escape" salvation! I don't simply want to "turn from" sin in fear of death. God helping me, I want to see us turn TO God. If we will listen for God's voice I believe we can move toward being "deeply sensitive to the ways and being of God!"
Prayer
O Father God, I thank You that You are merciful, and quick to forgive all those who turn to You and who are willing to change their ways. Help us to draw near to You and listen, help us receive your promised gifts of life and blessing. By faith help us to hear Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, say to us, "Your sins are forgiven! Come, follow Me!" Amen.
324 Come, Every One Who is Thirsty
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Dr. Russell Metcalfe is Pastor Emeritus of the Wollaston Church of the Nazarene. Permission to reprint or publish this material is GRANTED as long as the reprinting or republishing is not-for-profit.
You can access more of Dr. Metcalfe’s sermons at his scripturally indexed sermon archives web site. Now with MP3 audio sermons and audio bonus material. http://russellmetcalfesermons.nazarene.nl/Sermons/Sermons.htm
