Except Ye Repent
Except Ye Repent
Luke 13:1-10
INTRO: Repentance has an important part in our salvation and in our lives after a person is saved.
1. Jesus taught that one must repent in order to be saved.
2. He also taught that we must believe in order to be saved. John 3:16.
3. Is this a contradiction, or are we seeing something else?
a. The Bible does not contradict itself. Some focus on the verses in Scripture that tell us we must believe in order to be saved. They say that only belief or faith saves.
b. So what we are seeing is two truths. Clearly Jesus said one must repent and other verse say we are to believe.
c. Two view points of the same subject which is salvation.
d. The answer is both repentance and belief are apart of salvation and are simply two aspects of salvation.
I. Is there a verse of Scripture which teaches both repentance and faith?
A. YES: Paul said he preached same message to Jews and Gentles. Acts 20:18-21
“And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:18-21)
B. In Verse 27, Paul said he had not neglected to teach the whole or all the council of God.
C. He taught them Repentance and Belief.
ILLUS: A penny has two sides. If I describe a penny and tell you it is a coin with President Abraham Lincoln’s picture would that be accurate? Yes, because one side has a picture of Lincoln
If I then say that a penny is a coin which has wheat symbols on one side or a picture of the Lincoln Memorial would it be accurate? The answer is yes, because a penny has one or the other on it.
If I said a penny when lain on its side is about 1/16 of an inch and is smooth and blank because it is round would that be accurate?
Yes, all three accurately describe a penny, or better, the parts or side of a penny.
D. Belief, faith, trust and repentance are all aspects of salvation. All are a part of salvation and neither completely describes salvation but a part of it.
1. Problem: Today many teach what some called
“ Easy Believism” or “easy prayism” type of salvation: They tell salvation by faith or belief with no Repentance.
2. Many individuals and churches practice soul-winning and use what is called the “Romans Road to Salvation.” I too use the Roman’s Road at times, but with an importance addition. That addition is Acts 20:20. It teaches repentance and faith.
3. There is no repentance in the Romans Road as most people use it. It has the effect of telling people that all you have to do is accept the historical Jesus Christ and be saved. In reality many on accept the fact of Jesus Christ without accept His personally as ones’ Lord and Saviour.
4. May I suggest that in accepting Jesus Christ, you are accepting His word, meaning you are accepting being obedient to Him. John 1:1 say that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Verse 14, of John’s Gospel say that the Word is Jesus Christ.
5. Too many today are the converts of individuals, churches, and denominations but are not the converts of Christ. The sad state of righteousness (meaning doing right) in the lives of many “professing” church members attest to this fact of modern Christianity.
ILLUS: I find myself probably eight times out of ten, talking with people who claim to be Christians of some sort. I recently had correspondence with a American in Japan. He claimed to be a Christian. Yet, he bragged about drinking and going to bars. He even said, that I as conservative Christian I would not consider him to be a Christian by what he believed or the way he lived. He was right I wouldn’t. The life he lives and his attitudes are not those of a born again Christian indwelled by the Spirit of God.
In talking with a person who claimed to be a Christian
I ask him. What do you do that identifies you as a Christian to others? Do you go to church? Answer, NO. Do you give thanksgiving offerings and tithes to the Lord work? Do you read your Bible? Do you attempt to witness and win others to Christ? All questions were answered in the negative.
Is it proper for you to make your own cola soft drink and call it a Pepsi? What about if you opened a restaurant and called your burgers “Big Mac’s?” I say no individual has the right to use a title or trade mark unless he uses it legitimately. If I buy a Pepsi plant, buy the Pepsi franchise, use the Pepsi formulary, and pay the royalties I can call my soft drink a Pepsi. Why, because that is what it is. It legitimately is, in content, what a real Pepsi is. It can be tested and proven to be a real Pepsi.
I suggest that many who use the name Christian, fail every test that determines what a real Christian is. When
I was in Vietnam I could buy a Rolex watch for $50.00! It looked like one and had the name on it. The problem is that genuine Rolex watches sell for thousand of dollars and although these claimed to be a Rolex watches...they were in fact fakes. If you tested the watch it proved to not to be genuine.
In fact Rolex did not make the watches. I suggest that men or churches make many converts and they are not made by God.
F. Satan is the author of error. He surely has had a part in the omittance of repentance from receiving Christ. He wants men to accept a counterfeit gospel that does not save, but lets a man think he is saved..
1. He desires to deceive.
Rev. 12:9 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. “
2. Sometimes people deceive themselves;
Titus 3:3. “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. “
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; “
ILLUS: I was once ask to visit a young lady in hospital.
She claimed to be saved and know the Lord.
Yet, she lived with man she was not married to. He also claimed to be a Christian. Neither went to church or outwardly did anything a child of God does. The boyfriend was a guitar player and claimed he wanted to get into Christian music. At present was he said he was playing in a rock band in a bar to support himself and in preparation for starting a Christian group. He said he needed to get a reputation. Both said they believed . Both claimed to be saved because they believed in Christ. I believe they did have a head belief of Jesus Christ, but He certainly was not in their heart and they had not surrendered their lives to Him.
2. Question? Do you think they were? The answer is we do not know know their hearts. Christians can sin and believe wrong things. But if this pattern continued in their lives of having not regard for sin you be pretty sure these folks did not know the Lord.
Also God chastens every child of His that gets into sin as Hebrews 12:6-11.
3. A Christians attitude about sin is different than the world’s.
II. What is a True Christian’s Attitude Toward Sin?
A. Many claim to receive Christ and yet there is something missing in their lives. They do not have a Biblical view of sin. Many who claim to be saved have never rejected sin.
1. Jesus said he came to save sinners. He said..” He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Matt. 9:13)
2. The popular idea is: Continue in sin, live like you want, no change of heart, no change of mind, no conviction, yet I’m OK , why? I believe there is a Jesus.
3. James 2:19, says the even the devils believe that there is one God, they believe and tremble...the point is that their belief is a head knowledge of truth, but there is not acceptance of that true.
B. Salvation is FROM <<< SIN is to >>> Righteousness.
1. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Rom. 8:29)
2. Being “conformed to Christ” means to be conformed what
Christ stands for and He stand against sin, all sin.
3. Eph. 1:11-12, says we are predestinated to “be the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.” A person whose life is dominated by sin is not a testimony or any glory to Christ, whether he calls himself a Christian or not.
4. God says, “Therefore IF a man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)
God says the old things, which means living a sinful life is pasted away and ALL things are new.
ILLUS: Question? What about a denomination who said you could sin, and the next day or at a later date, pay some money, confess you did it to a priest, or do some good deed to pay for it.
Who is the only one who can pay for sin? The answer is Jesus Christ and Him only! 1 John 2:2, says he is the “propitiation” for our sins, but not for ours only, but for the world.” Where in that verse or any verse does man pay for his own sin?
III. Repentance means to have a change of mind.
A. This is the heart of salvation and evidence of true saving faith.
B. Actions outward qualify or show evidence of one’s faith.
If there is a change of heart & mind toward sin, then it is saving faith! If no change of heart or mind...no salvation.
C. If there is no change of heart or mind - there is no saving faith - no true faith , no salvation. I Cor. 2:14-16, 2 Cor. 5:17.
D. The believer before salvation sins and feels no real guilt or desire to stop sinning. If his sins causes him trouble or he gets caught he might feel sorry, because he was caught....but that is not biblical repentance.
1. 2 Cor. 10:9-10 says:
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
2. Godly sorrow produces repentance which forsakes sin and turns from it.
C. After salvation a believer is tempted to sin and does not want to sin. He knows it is wrong and destructive and is repulsed by it. Even a true Christian might get in the flesh and enjoy sin for a moment, however it will not be the same as before. When he sins, there is something that was not there before...that is conviction over sin.
1. The Christian believes God and knows sin as the destructive thing it is. He knows it will destroy his life and his testimony before other and bring shame on the Lord Jesus.
2. Sin bothers a true believer...it does not bother the lost man. Note what Paul said about this in Romans 7:15-25.
3. Paul says there is warfare in the life of a believer with the old carnal nature that wants to sin. The lost man is not engage in the conflict between sin and righteousness. He has only one side...the sinful side that is satisfied with sin.
IV. The Action and Result of God’s Grace.
A. Grace begins , WHEN - belief produces a change of mind toward sin and a change of mind toward sin is repentance and produces a turning away from sin.
B. You can be outwardly moral - yet be in sin.
1. Pharisees were outwardly righteous men yet inside Jesus said they were corrupt.
2. They were very religious.
C. Except a person believes and repents of his sin he will die in sin and be condemned to hell.
1. Jesus said, “ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9)
“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32.
2. Paul preached repentance, to the Jew and the Gentile:
Acts 26:20 “But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.”
3. He preached that sorrow works to repentance to salvation, showing the necessity of repentance in salvation.
4. 2 Cor. 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (AV)
5. The writer of Hebrews, makes it clear the it would be impossible to restore a person to repentance who had rejected his salvation, and renew that person to repentance. This again show the necessity of repentance in salvation.
Hebrew 6:6, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame. (AV)
V. Repentance in the Life of a Believer.
Matt. 6:24 ...You cannot serve two masters. You will love one and hate the other. You cannot serve sin and Christ. If one is truly saved he turns from sin.
A. REPENTANCE is turning from sin to righteousness.
B. Can Christians sin? Do Christians sin?
1. Look in what I call the Book of Assurance.. the
Epistle of 1 John 1:5-10. I call it that because it puts what one believes to the test. Past the test and be assured of one’s eternal salvation!
2. Yes Believers will sin.
Question? Why are some church members are miserable! Answer! They have not confessed their sins.
C. They are not right with God, because they have a light view of sin. The went against the new nature God put in them!
1. They have not turned from sin, and thus they are reaping the fruit of sin which is unrest and no peace in one’s heart.
2. Where does true peace come from? Note, Rom. 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
3. They are trying to be good and can’t. They sin but don’t enjoy it! They want peace and it allures them.
Conclusion. What is the answer?
1. For the lost man God says, “Repent, receive the word of God, believe and be baptised.” Acts 2:38, 41, 44.
2. Christ came to save sinners, if you will believer and confess your are a sinner in repentance, God says you will be saved. In that moment....the matter will be settled for all time. You will become a child of God, and have victory over sin.
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Romans 6:6.
3. For the believer, confess your sins to God. Stop fighting with God and obey Him. That is the only way to overcome remaining sin in your life and have peace.
4. You can not add Jesus to your sin and think it will do any good.
Like making soup and putting in to much salt. You cannot add enough sugar and make it right.
5. LUKE 24:46-47: READ
Verse says where there is genuine repentance, forgiveness takes place.