True Repentance

True Repentance

While street witnessing, my friends and I plead with people to repent and surrender their lives to Jesus. Our Lord and Savior called people to repent. Jesus said unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 3:13). It was also the very first message Jesus preached when he walked this earth. The Lord said that we are to repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:14-15). But what is true repentance? What does it mean to repent?

True repentance is not merely being sorry for doing something wrong. Whenever our kids did something wrong when they were little, a lot of times they would say that they were sorry, but you could hear in the tone of their voice that they really didn’t mean it. No, they were sorry that they got caught, but not truly repentant. Judas who betrayed Jesus was sorry afterwards, but he did not have godly sorrow over his sin. Judas went out and hung himself, but he did not repent. So repentance is more than being sorry.

We Should Be Sorry

Don’t get me wrong, we should be sorry over our sins. We have offended our Holy Creator God with our sins and each and everyone of us should repent and turn to Christ. God even commands us to repent (Acts 17:30-31). But many people ignore the command and continuing doing exactly what they want to do. Even though you can look around at creation and know there’s a one true God and you also have a God-given conscience, so you know when you do something wrong. But just knowing that you’ve sinned against God is not repentance. Knowing does not equal repentance.

True repentance starts with godly sorrow. That’s where you recognize that you have offended our Holy and Righteous God. It’s where God convicts you over your lying, cheating, stealing, drunkenness or drugs or sexual immorality. Whatever your sin of choice may be (and for most of us it may be or was more than one  of these sins on this short list of sins), it’s when God reveals your wretchedness to you and His Holiness. Yes, godly sorrow is the beginning of repentance.  for godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death (2 Corinthians 7:10).

What Is True Repentance?

True repentance is a change of mind and a change of heart that leads to a change of action that is brought on by the Lord Himself. Again, it starts with God convicting you and then true repentance is a turning away from your sins and turning to Christ Jesus. Just quitting getting drunk or doing drugs does not save you. Your no longer being sexually immoral does not save you. Salvation is of the Lord.

But when God convicts you over your sins and reveals Jesus to you through the power of the Holy Spirit, that’s when true repentance occurs. God grants us repentance and faith in Jesus. But you must recognize that you are a sinner. Just like the tax collector in the New Testament Jesus talked about. The tax collector cried out be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13). That was a truly repentant person.

We turn from our sins to Christ Jesus because He is the only Savior of mankind. Only Jesus saves. The Lord lived a perfect, sinless life, yet He gave His life as a ransom for many. Jesus died in the place of guilty sinners who truly repent and believe in His finished work on the cross. We are pleading with you tonight to truly repent of your sins and surrender your life to Jesus.

King David’s True Repentance

One of the very best examples of true repentance in the Bible is King David after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, had her husband killed and then took her for his own wife. God convicted David over his sins and David penned Psalm 51 (through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit).  Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise (Psalm 51:1-17).

This Describes True Repentance!

Now this describes true repentance! Have mercy upon me O God. David recognized his sinfulness and God’s Holiness. He cries to the One true God. He pleads with God to wipe out his transgressions fully and completely. Again, David realized that he couldn’t wipe out a single little sin, let alone adultery and murder. But he pleaded with the great God of Heaven and earth to blot out his sins completely. David knew who to turn to in his distress.

Yes King David knew that only God could cleanse him thoroughly. He also recognized that our sins are primarily against God. All sin is rebellion against God. How are you rebelling against God tonight? Have you cried out for God to cleanse you thoroughly or are you still comfortable in your sins?

No Excuses

I also love how David didn’t use the fact that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory as an excuse or justification for his sins. No, instead, he recognizes that he was even born in iniquity. We rebel from God from the very beginning. Are you still rebelling today or have you found true repentance through the grace of God? Has God revealed your sins and His Holiness to you, just like Almighty God revealed them to David?

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. To purge with hyssop – the Levitical priests cleansed lepers with hyssop. But one commentary that I read said that it was a spiritual cleansing. If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, a spiritual cleansing is exactly what you need!

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! The perfect sacrifice of the perfect Sinless One is the only hope you have of your sins being blotted out. The only hope you have for God casting your sins away as far as the East is from the West. Come to Jesus today through repentance and faith and you too can be made whiter than snow. David goes on to say that the guilt of his sins felt like his bones had been broken. Oh, have you ever felt this kind of guilt over your sins? If not, turn to Christ today and be saved.

More Than Just Asking For Forgiveness

True repentance is not just wanting forgiveness for your sins. No, it also involves the desire to have a clean heart. To have a right heart, a right relationship with God. Oh but friend, this is not something you do on your own. No, it takes the power of the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin. God gives you the measure of faith if you have faith at all (Romans 12:3). If God is convicting you tonight, again I plead with you, do no reject such a great salvation.

David knew that his salvation came from God and God alone. Do you recognize this tonight? Have you truly repented of your sins and surrendered your life to Christ Jesus? If not, what is keeping you from turning Jesus? What sin is it that you think is so wonderful that you’re letting it drag you to Hell? There is nothing on this earth or pleasure in this life that’s worth spending eternity in Hell for it. Life is short; it is fleeting. Life is but a vapor.

Oh, turn from your sins and turn to Christ. Come to Jesus and receive eternal life. Repent and believe the Gospel. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. Truly repent and believe the Gospel and be saved. Be saved today.

(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on July 15, 2022)