The Ingredient Of Repentance Series

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.