THREE REWARDS OF REPENTANCE
Matthew 3:1-3 “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near”
Beyond salvation probably one of the greatest gifts God has given man is the ability to repent. Without an ability to repent man would be unable to enter in to the Kingdom of God. Repentance always leads to a better state and always precedes a greater measure of the Presence of God.
We will discover three particular areas that benefit a person through repentance they are “Refreshing, Restoration and Revival”.
What is Repentance?
Repentance means to about turn or turn around. It means to go 180* not 360*, to turn to God from whatever is taking His place or distracting us from Him.
That statement opens up a whole number of issues, it goes beyond obvious sin – it includes – substitutes for God – anything that captures our attention and affection.
Webster’s says repentance should produce something – CHANGE.
Acts 17:30 NIV “He commands all people everywhere to repent”
How important is repentance an issue in the Bible?
1. John the Baptists message – Mt 3:1-2
2. Jesus first sermon – Mt 4:17
3. Peter’s first message after Pentecost – Acts 2:38, 3:19
4. Paul preached repentance – Acts 20:21
5. Repentance is the Gospel - Mk 1:14,15
6. Repentance is the first principle in the Doctrines of the Church – Heb 6:1
The sinner must repent before they receive salvation. The saved must practice repentance if they are to enjoy unbroken fellowship with God.
Repentance is both negative and positive – turning away – turning to.
THREE REWARDS THAT COME FROM REPENTANCE
1. Repentance brings Refreshing
Acts 3:19 (Amp) “So repent – change your mind and purpose; turn around and turn to God, so that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean) that times of refreshing – of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air – may come from the presence of the Lord”
The picture that we have here is of a person overcome with heat gasping for air, without air the physical body dies, without the breath of the Spirit we begin to suffocate spiritually. Repentance allows times of refreshing to come into our lives. Refreshing is the Greek medical term meaning “to heal as a result of being exposed to air”. How many of us know that when we are suffering illness or pain when that is removed it is like being in another world.
2. Repentance brings Restoration
Matthew 17:11, 13 NASB “Elijah is coming and will restore all things. Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist”
Luke 1:17 John the Baptist came in “the Spirit and power of Elijah”
The Spirit of repentance brings restoration, this word in the Greek means “to recover, renew, to bring back to a better state”. It speaks about something broken, not right, defective.
The dictionary definition of repentance – “To bring back to the original state”
The biblical definition of repentance – “To make better than the original”
Here are some biblical examples of restoration:
Job 1:1-3 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
Job 42:10, 12-16
10 And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
12 Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys.13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch.15 In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations.
Proverbs 6:31Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
Mark 10:28-30 Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, “who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
In our lives we have lost so much through sin and its consequences, we are broken, dysfunctional, and defective in our ways, our thinking and our view of ourselves, we are bound by brokenness, emotional scars, hurts, rejection and habits. Through repentance, through confession and looking to Jesus “the author and finisher of our faith” we can be restored. Now we have to start believing that repentance is an awesome gift from God.
3. Repentance brings Revival
2 Corinthians 7:8-11 for even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while.9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
NIV v11: see what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done”
The context was the first epistle to the Corinthian Church where Paul addressed a number of issues regarding sin and their response to it. The amazing thing is this:
1. They did not realize their depth of sin
2. They thought that real love ignored sin and its consequence
3. Sin in our lives can ruin more than those involved
The letter had brought about a repentant spirit resulting in a fruit of zealousness for the Lord. The amazing thing is that we can be so blind to these things in our own lives and not have a repentant spirit. Repentance brought revival.
Revival is defined as:
a. an awakening of men to their spiritual concerns
b. a renewed zeal
As we saw in the NIV translation there was an impact in this church. Lets examine some of the words used and see a fuller meaning to what the Holy Spirit was saying:
Earnestness – serious
Eagerness – full of desire
Indignation – moved by anger
Alarm – announce danger
Longing – a vehement desire, craving
Concern – make an effort to do
Readiness – prompt compliance
THAT’S REVIVAL
God wants us to repent not regret!
Repentance produces a strong desire to correct wrongs. It brings a realization that our great God is Holy and is offended by our sin. Repentance propels us to action.
GOD IS CALLING MEN EVERYWHERE TO REPENT! Acts 17:30
A spirit of repentance prepares the way for the coming of the Lord
Isaiah 40:3 “A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord;”
Matthew 3:1-3 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
