REPENTANCE
We always repent towards God the Father. Acts 20:21.
21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
The enemy still tries to bring things which deceive people that they have repented, but they have not. These things are for example,
a). REGRET : to regret is to be sorry with what you have done to your life. Oh! You really regret but that cannot set you on your path to heaven!
b). REMORSE : this is to be sorry to what you have done to others e.g as judas Iscariot to Jesus Christ. This is still is not the way to glory.
c). REPENTANCE : this is to be truly sorry to what you have done to God e. g Luke 15 the prodigal son said “I have sinned against God”, David said in Psalms 51 ;4 “against thee, thee ONLY, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight” . Joseph said in Genesis 39: 9 “ How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”. See, repentance does not look at Uriah as in the case of David. For Uriah was the husband of Bathsheba whom David slept with! Because that would be remorse nor even to Potiphar as in the case of Joseph. Repentance is always towards God. Study the diagram below.
Only the point A, shows repentance. B shows selfish regret while C shows remorse.
My friend you have sinned against God so repent, to Him. Your sins have hurt God not mainly yourself or other people but God.
THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE
Repentance takes place and affects the following areas.
- Thought – change of your thinking
- Word- change your words
- Deed – change actions
Some of the factors which are vital to repentance are :
- It depends on the degree of divine revelation and this can take time.
- Repentance is usually particular and not general.
- Repentance involves the changing of mind i.e “Metanoia – which means to have second thought e.g Paul said in Philippians 3:8 said “ I do not count them but dung, that I may win Christ.
- CHANGE OF THOUGHTS
Isaiah 55:7 says “ let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon”. Repentance is a U-Turn.
A change to do according to God’s command. If one changes, but not to God, that is not repentance. It is to turn to God.
- CHANGE OF DEEDS
John cried out and said, that we should produce actions, which show that we have repented ( Matt. 3:8). Actions must change. When the prodigal son repented he left feeding the swines and came home ( Luke 15). When Zaccheus repented, he returned times four what he had stolen and gave ½ of his goods to the poor. It is only then that Christ dais, “ Salvation has come into his house’ ( Luke 19). You can also see deeds of repentance in Acts 19. No matter what cost, burn and bury the works of the kingdom of darkness and turn to God.
Christ said in very tough words “ Repent or perish” ( Luke 13:3). To perish means to be thrown away because you are of no value to God.
Any man who has not repented has no value to God and God cannot allow you in heaven because you are really dangerous for his kingdom and heaven.
Hence, he will cast you into the dustbin of God called lake of fire to burn forever and ever. Repentance is so important that all heaven, and Angels stand and rejoice when one man repents and turns to God.
MY ADVICE
- Be serious with sin - turn away from it. The wages of sin is death. ( Romans 6:23)
- Be specific and repent each specifically.
- Depend on every immediate revelation about sin, iniquity and trespass and repent it.
- Be sensitive, until you became like Christ- Christ be formed in you.
OTHER SCRIPTURES ON REPENTANCE
Acts 17:30 “ God commandeth all men everywhere to repent”. Acts 2:38 “ repent and be baptized everyone in the name of the Lord Jesus”. Acts 26:20. “ They should repent and turn to God”. Matt 11:20, Jesus, “ upbraided cities because they never repented” Luke 24:47 “ repentance and remission of sins should be preached’ Acts 5:31 “ to give repentance to Israel”. Acts 11: 18 “ to the Gentiles, ( GOD) has granted repentance unto life”. Rom. 2:4 “ the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance”, 2 Tim. 2 :25 “ If G d par adventure will give them repentance”. 2 peter 3:6 “ it is not his will that any should perish, but all should come to repentance”.
Friend, repent or you will perish! ( Luke 13:3).
And if you repent that is still a negative aspect so you need the next step, which is positive, and it is in believe in the Lord Jesus. see the next lesson.
