September 5 2001 CCC
Repentance the Way Home
Text: Luke 15: 10-23
The last time I preached, I spoke about GRACE as the power of salvation, the love of God to raise sinners like Jonathan Edwards and Mel Stotter from DEATH VALLEY to Mount Whitney.We talked about faith as the believers first step after hearing the Word of God. Tonight we will look at another step in God’s plan of salvation and that is repentance. We will look at the power of God’s word to change a person’s heart. My prayer tonight is that we will continue to be convicted to share God’s word with sinner’s maybe join the visitation ministry on Monday nights and give away a Plan of Salvation bracelet at least one per week.
God’s plan for us shows us that Repentance is the way home, it is always the way home to God.
1. First, for the Sinner for salvation
2. Then, for the believer for sanctification
In Luke 15 the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were grumbling, because Jesus was welcoming and eating with tax collectors and sinners.
So Jesus tells them the parable of the lost sheep. You know the story of 100 sheep one is lost but found. The shepherd has a BIG party!
Jesus told this particular parable to the Pharisees, Essenes or other Jewish sects to make these points
1. The Kingdom of God is coming and your religious traditions are going away.
2.He is saying your style of religion cannot save you.
3.Jesus knew the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were substituting religious traditions and experiences for a real relationship with the one true God.
I think this story remained for us so that He could tell us:
Do not substitute what we do on Sunday and all week long with a living repentant obedient relationship with the Lord and Master of all Jesus Christ
Yet we know don’t we? That if we truly study the scriptures that without working on our sanctification there is no eternal life.
Here are just two passages to meditate on:
Rom 6:19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
Rom 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Rom 6:21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
Rom 6:22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
Whoever wrote Hebrews recognizes this:
Heb 10:26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.
Heb 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Heb 10:29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Jesus came and suffered and died for what?
That we might have a way home!
SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST!
I think JESUS just loved talking to the prostitutes and the tax collectors and the sinners who needed Him because they saw they had the need for righteousness that only He could give. Yet He never gave up on the teachers of the Law or the Pharisees who thought their righteousness and traditions made them OK. He loved them all and was willing to die for all men.
OUR TEXT tonight is Luke 15:10-23
But before we get to 10, look at v7.
I find verse 7 interesting as He talks to this group of highly religious men. First though do you remember what Jesus said to His disciples about these guys?
The same group about which Jesus warned his disciples in Mat 5:20 " that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.
SO HE says to these religious leaders
Luke 15:7 "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Why is that?
On the surface one would think that Jesus was not rewarding righteousness and in actuality the repentance of a wayward sinner brought more joy in heaven than living the life of a good Christian person.
That’s not fair-here we are we are in church every Sunday, we tithe, we don’t gossip-well at least not too bad and here are these despicable people the scum of the earth and He goes to them.
WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?
Jesus is making a contrast between the self –righteous attitude of the Religious people of the day, (who believed they had no need to repent) and the one who recognizes himself as a sinner and wishes to repent & change for the better.
Paul in Philippians chp 3 speaks about himself as a Pharisee, a Hebrew of Hebrews, zealous for the law, but with a righteousness that is legalistic.
So Jesus is really reasoning with these legalistic Pharisees and teachers of the law to change their way of thinking and their way of acting. He uses the word repent.
Repent is from the Greek word metanoia- it means a change in one’s mind or purpose- and is always a change for the better.
Don’t get me wrong I think it is clear that God’s love, mercy and Grace was just as available for the Pharisee in Jesus day as it was for the prostitute, the tax collector or any other sinner. But, Jesus knew the hearts of the Pharisees and He knew their hearts were hard not by His choice, but by theirs.
Walter Scott identified repentance as the second step in the plan of salvation. He said “ it is the most difficult step for a person to take and also the most neglected in contemporary preaching.
John W. Mc Garvey another leader like Scott in the restoration movement said: “ it is the stubborn will of man which is the seat of all rebellion and all sin against God.”
Campbell, Stone, Scott and Mc Garvy leaders of the restoration movement would say “It is the word of God that that has the power to bring about the change of will in a person- so that he who is lost- Tax collector, prostitute, murderer, adulterer or Pharisee could be found.”
It is the word of God that leads Christians who are off the straight and narrow to make the necessary corrections to come into line with God’s perfect will. This is our part of the sanctification process by which we come in line with God’s perfect will. It is the gospel that has the power of salvation first for the Jew and then for the Gentile.
"Worship in the Early Church," Christian History, Issue 37.
Repentance was an involved process in the early church. Sin was seen not as a personal matter but as something that destroyed the unity of the church. Penitents fasted and prayed for the forgiveness of their sins, appeared before the church to make public confession, and were barred from the Lord’s Supper until they gave evidence of a change of heart and were absolved. (The only exception was for people facing persecution. They were readmitted to the Lord’s Supper so they could receive strength.)
In the first century, the Lord’s Supper included not only the bread and the cup but an entire meal. As part of the meal, neighbors who had quarreled made peace again.
Now, some will tell you that God has to act directly and personally on a person before they can be called, or saved or repentant. We know from Romans 10 that it is from us preaching the word and people hearing the word that faith is spawned.
I think Jesus settles this matter in Mat 9 with the command He gives his disciples Mat 9:37, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Mat 9:38 "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."
What we need are more workers who are sent to preach the gospel! With more of us preaching the Gospel more will be saved and more Christians will lead repentant lives. At least that is how God designed it to work!!
We NEED to be people of the Word and People who bring the word to lost sheep.
Remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke, Jesus again speaking to the Pharisees in Luke 16:15 And
Just quickly tell this story:
Luke 16:19 "Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day.
Luke 16:20 "And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
Luke 16:21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
Luke 16:22 "Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.
Luke 16:23 "And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw^ Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:24 "And he cried out and said, ’Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.’
Luke 16:25 "But Abraham said, ’Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
Luke 16:26 ’And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
Luke 16:27 "And he said, ’Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father’s house--
Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
Luke 16:29 "But Abraham said^, ’They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
You see the rich man and his brothers all had the word of God, and although they had ears, they refused to listen to the word and repent.
Luke 16:30 "But he said, ’No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’
Luke 16:31 "But he said to him, ’If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’"
It is the Word of God that brings men to repentance, and anyone who will not be brought to Godly sorrow and a change of will in regard to sin by the word is clearly lost.
Every great preacher, every great evangelist who ever lived always preached repentance.
Ezekiel: “ repent and turn away from your sins and transgressions- Why would you choose to die?”
John the Baptist: Mat 3:2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Peter: "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus: Luke 13:5 "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."
Paul, to the Romans in Athens: Acts 17:30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent,
We know we need to repent and change for the better, but what is our motive- again every great evangelists who preaches repentance couples that warning with the love of God.
We must be warned of the consequences of hard hearts, which cause us to sin and be made aware of our death penalty. But we must also be reminded of God’s everlasting love and His desire for us to return. Turn again towards Him. And where is God- He is at Home! Turn our hearts toward home! Repentance is the way Home!
Marshall Leggett writes : The difficulty in bringing one into Christ lies in the stubborn will. The lost remain so, in most instances, because of their unwillingness to turn from sin and walk in righteousness. That is why there is joy in heaven when a person repents; it represents a great victory.
And it shows the mighty power that is in God’s Word.
I think that Jesus’ greatest desire when he spoke to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law was that they might repent and be saved.- So there would be great joy in heaven-because the power of His words made people change for the better. That others would be a witness to that power. But even Jesus is subject to wicked men.
And the response from the Pharisees is that they hated Him even wanted to stone Him. Until finally, they conspired against Him until He was beaten and spit on, placed on trial before ungodly men and crucified.
But in the end His words are still TRUE and they still lose.
Repentance is available for everyone- all the time as long as we live.
Look at the contrast between Judas and Peter
Both apostles who walked with Jesus for 3 years
Both sinned
Both Betrayed Him
Yet Judas suffered from a sorrow that did not lead to repentance, and he hung himself and he goes down in history with infamy.
Judas would be remembered as a villain and Peter with respect and affection. Peter preaches the first Gospel message and 3000 repented and were baptized.
What made the difference? Peter changed his will toward God and came back to Jesus-Judas killed himself and decided it was easier to die than to change.
The forgiveness of God awaited both of them- for one there was great joy in heaven- for the other only eternal separation from God.
How about you? Is it hard for you to change? The question is to you want to come home or not?
Repentance is always the way home-
I can remember twice as a kid on the first day of Summer I ended up in the emergency room and it generally involved a gash, stitches and blood, but both times that I stumbled and I hurt myself, I wanted to run back home. I wanted to get back into the comfort and care that only my family could provide. Sin always hurts us and if continued it leads to our death.
There is no better picture of the love of the Father than the one in the story of the prodigal son.
Tell the story of the prodigal Son:
IN Luke 15: 10 Jesus is still talking to these Pharisees and hoping they get the picture, He tells this well known story:
Luke 15:10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Luke 15:11 And He said, "A certain man had two sons;
Luke 15:12 and the younger of them said to his father, ’Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ And he divided his wealth between them.
Luke 15:13 "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.
Luke 15:14 "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need.
Luke 15:15 "And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Luke 15:16 "And he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.
Luke 15:17 "But when he came to his senses, he said, ’How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!
Luke 15:18 ’I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;
Luke 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."’
Luke 15:20 "And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him.
Luke 15:21 "And the son said to him, ’Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
What then does this thing we call repentance look like?
1. We realize the way we have chosen is not God’s best
2. We make a choice to go to the Father- to be found
3. We admit we have sinned
4. We recognize our unworthiness
5. There is a sorrow that is according to the will of God & produces repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Luke 15:22 "But the father said to his slaves, ’Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet;
Luke 15:23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
Luke 15:24 for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ And they began to be merry.
We see the attributes of God
1. The Father is always looking for us to turn toward home
2. God has compassion for us and eagerly desires to come to us and embrace us- if we will turn away
3. The best God has for us doesn’t become unavailable to us- He is rich and wishes to lavish those riches on us
4. Only in Christ can we be totally alive
In closing today I hope we have seen that it is the word of God that has the power to change a persons will.
2. It is the Word of God that warns us of the consequences of sin.
3.It is the love of God that causes us to change our will to His.
Jesus’ words are just as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago "unless you repent; you will perish." Repentance is a part of the plan of salvation- it is not salvation entirely-but only a part thereof-although we all feel very relieved when we have repented and get back to a right relationship with the Father.
John the Baptist preached a message of repentance and he baptized for repentance in the Jordan River, but he would not baptize the Pharisees or Sadduces until they brought forth the fruit of repentance.
It is easy to baptize people but without repentance- you have skipped a step and all you get for your efforts is wet. Repentance is as much a part of God’s plan as baptism. Salvation and sanctification are a walk and repentance is a part of the walk.
If you are here today as a Christian repentance to us is even more important to God so that we don’t end up legally righteous like the Pharisees. If you are not a Christian and you know you need to repent from a life that will lead to your death,the blood of Christ has redeemed you from a lost way of life, your next step is baptism and we want to offer you the opportunity to start your walk toward sanctification obediently.
Song of invitation
