"Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.
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Discipleship Training Course Come… Follow Me!
Lesson 4: Repentance - the way to the Father
Review
So far, we have seen...
1. What it means to be called as a disciple of Jesus with all the accompanying privileges and responsibilities;
2. The cost in wholehearted commitment of following Jesus closely;
3. That sin is the common human experience of being trapped and rebellious against our Father in heaven;
4. That sin no longer has dominion over us. (See Romans 6:14)
In this lesson, we shall see...
1. That repentance is a state of being that keeps us close to God and the way to Him always open;
2. What repentance is;
3. The power of repentance and forgiveness to break sin's dominion over any part of our being.
Our objective is...
to discover and practice God's gift of repentance in our lives so that sin no longer has control over us.
A. Repentance is a strong biblical theme.
1. Acts 2:38-39 "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
Definition (AMP) Repent = change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it.
2. Ezekiel 18:30-32 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"
The meaning of 'Repent' here is, 'Turn'.
See also Matthew 3:2 and Revelation 2:5
3. Luke 15:7-10 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbours together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!' Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Like the parables of ...the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32) and the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:4-7)this story reveals the Father's reactions to one sinner who repents.
B. What is true repentance?
1. The New Testament Greek word is "Metanoia" = to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (mor. feel compunction):--repent.
Matthew 4:17 "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.
2. One of the Hebrew words used is 'shub' = a primary root word meaning "to turn back" (hence, away) generally, to retreat; to turn away from, to withdraw.
Ezekiel 14:6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations."
C. The power of repentance and forgiveness
1. 1 John 1:7-9 "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. "
REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS stand together, and are the ways of God's love and mercy to restore the believer who sins.
Fellowship with Jesus means that His Blood keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations.
The Greek word for "I confess" is 'homologeo' meaning "I say the same as..." I say the same as the Holy Spirit is saying in my heart about my sinful action .
D. Repentance in believers
Revelation 2:1-7 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: I know your works, your labour, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have laboured for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place; unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." '
The THREE steps in returning to God are:
1. Remember what it was like at the beginning of your Christian walk.
2. Repent of the sins done since then.
3. Re do the works that you were doing when you went away from the Lord.
Cornerstone Ministries,
Malcolm Vine. bibleschool@cornerstoneministries.org.uk
September 2004
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