REPENTANCE

1. Our country is about ten months away from a Presidential election.

2. As various men compete for the highest office in the land, we see a variety of strategies.

3. A candidate may boast that he has never changed his position (belief) on a certain matter.

4. Rival candidates may charge their opponents with flip flopping issues.

5. One of the most common topics during a political race is change.

IN THE BIBLE THERE IS A WORD WHICH TALKS ABOUT CHANGE—SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE.

1. In life people change their positions and views for various reasons.

2. Today I want to explore a word that describes change based upon a specific reason.

3. That is, someone alters his/her beliefs and course of life because he/she receives new information.

4. Suppose we learned that drinking pop would almost guarantee our getting an untreatable disease.

5. If this were true and people were made aware of it, society would find something else to drink.

6. Even the world knows that receiving new information often leads to new behavior.

7. There is a word in the New Testament which conveys this very meaning.

8. When people are exposed to new information and they accept it, drastic changes occur.

9. This is the second element of our term.

10. The first key thought describes change based upon a specific reason (i.e. new information).

11. Now we go a step beyond that and say the change is dramatic.

12. Our word even involves reflecting upon (considering) one’s past ways.

13. It is as if there is a contrast between the former way of life and the new way of life.

14. What was done in the past is looked upon with shame, sorrow, and regret.

15. Shame, sorrow, and regret describe the final aspect of our special word.

16. As someone looks at his or her past life there is sadness.

17. All these ideas are found in the word “repent”—this is the word we want to examine.

18. Repentance is a term that we find in both testaments.

19. Not only do we find this word, God has given us illustrations of what it means.

20. Consider the people who lived in the city of Ninevah.

21. Jonah went to see them and he preached a message of repentance.

22. This prophet’s preaching was based upon a specific reason (God was angry with sin).

23. For the Ninevites, this was new information.

24. They soon learned that unless they changed their course they would be destroyed.

25. Our second point about repentance was that it involves drastic change.

26. We know there were drastic changes in the city of Ninevah.

27. The king got off his throne and showed his repentance by covering himself in sackcloth.

28. He made a proclamation concerning both people and animals.

29. Even the animals were covered in sackcloth.

30. If we were limited to this one story about repentance, we would know what it is.

31. Repentance is so important God did not limit us to one illustration.

32. Neither did He limit this topic to the Old Testament.

33. In the New Testament we have additional examples of repentance.

34. One great illustration is found in Acts 16, and I am turning to this chapter.

35. Paul and Silas—two gospel preachers—were taken into custody and beaten.

36. Officials then delivered the evangelists to the town jailor for safe keeping, verse 23.

37. I want to read what this jailor did (how he acted) after he received the prisoners.

38. Verse 24 is where we begin – READ.

39. Why did this man choose the “inner prison”—the worst section?

40. Someone might say there was no room in the other parts of the prison.

41. I want to propose for your consideration this jailor intended to be cruel to these men.

42. Let’s say for the sake of argument there was no room in the outer sections of the prison.

43. Let’s say that the only available space was the innermost section.

44. This inner area was the most secure place to incarcerate someone.

45. A.T. Robertson noted that those in this area would not be able to escape.

46. In spite of being secure, what did the jailor do?

47. He used stocks on the feet of the apostles (verse 24).

48. Was this an exaggerated security precaution or something else?

49. Remember that these men had been beaten.

50. With their feet in some type of lock their movement would be restricted.

51. One of the easiest positions to try and comfort with bound feet would be leaning back.

52. In this situation, leaning back would have been painful.

53. If a wall were behind them, going back against would have hurt because of the beating.

54. More than a few commentators believe what this jailor did was an act of great cruelty.

55. If we look closely at the text this is a sensible conclusion.

56. Let’s skip down a few verses to verses 33 and 32; verse 33 will be read first – READ 33.

57. Here is a remarkable change.

58. We are first told this man locked up Paul and Silas in the innermost prison.

59. He had their feet confined with stocks and sometime later went to bed (verse 27).

60. Now he is caring for their wounds.

61. Let’s also introduce verse 32 – READ.

62. The man who had taken these men to the innermost prison now brings these same men into his house.

63. I do not know of many jailors who eagerly bring prisoners into their homes.

64. This man did. He wanted these prisoners to share information with him.

65. Not only did the jailor want to hear their message, “all in his house” were also invited to listen.

66. Verse 34 provides additional information – READ.

67. The jailor went so far as to feed the people he had formerly cast into a prison cell.

68. Remember how repentance was defined:

69. There is a drastic change for a specific reason (here we have that).

70. The reason for the change in Acts 16 is as previously described (exposure to new information).

71. There was an earthquake and no prisoners chose to escape. This was all highly unusual.

72. Our jailor was willing to learn so a huge change occurred.

73. He treated his prisoner’s wounds.

74. They were brought into the jailor’s house and given access to other members of the household.

75. Finally, food was prepared and given to the prisoners.

76. All these actions demonstrate repentance.

TO THIS SOMEONE MIGHT SAY, “I UNDERSTAND WHAT REPENTANCE IS AND IT IS SURELY GOOD FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN IT. IN MY CASE, I AM SATISFIED WITH MY LIFE. I REALLY DO NOT SEE THE NEED FOR REPENTANCE IN MY LIFE. THUS,”

1. I will leave it for those who really need it.

2. This is a typical response in today’s world.

3. If someone wants to have religion, it is good for them.

4. Having a one-style fits all kind of faith is almost viewed as being un-American.

5. Repentance has come from God.

6. Because this word expresses a divine concept, God has some things to say about it.

7. One of His points involves who must repent.

8. Our scripture reading was Acts 17:30.

9. God said in the past (when information from Him was limited), there was a period of ignorance.

10. During that time of limited knowledge God “overlooked” certain things.

11. We now live in a time when that limited knowledge is no longer an issue.

12. Acts 17:30 uses the word command.

13. Our culture is not keen on commands.

14. We like polite requests and invitations. Commands are for the military.

15. Etiquette sensitive ears are often offended when someone says we must do something

16. God’s word says, “To everyone living on the earth, listen up. I have an order.”

17. What is the command, God?

18. Heaven says “all men” (people old enough to know right from wrong) must “repent.”

19. If this were not specific enough, God said all men “everywhere.”

20. Repentance is a world wide command.

21. Repentance is a change for the better based upon a specific reason.

22. Here the reason for doing it is based upon it being a command from God.

23. Repentance means embracing the ways of God and being obedient to them.

24. Our disobedience in the past is then viewed as a time of bad choices.

25. Upon hearing this someone might say, “No one is going to tell me what to do!”

26. “I am not going to be commanded by anybody.”

27. “Why should I bother listening to and obeying what was read for the scripture reading?”

28. After the command to repent in Acts 17:30 there is some additional information.

29. Verse 31 says God has “appointed a day.”

30. On this day there will be a “judgment of the world.”

31. God has offered “assurance” (31b) that this day will come to pass.

32. When these words were first spoken some thought the claim was funny (verse 32).

33. There were people who heard this information and treated it as a big joke.

34. When it comes to repentance God is not joking.

35. When Jesus came into the world one of His first messages involved repentance, Mt. 4:17.

36. His forerunner (John the Baptist) preached this same message.

37. In Lk. 13:3 Jesus stated the consequence for not repenting: we will perish.

38. Yesterday I helped with a funeral.

39. Normally when that occasion arises I ask myself, “What should I say?”

40. I knew the deceased for more than 16 years, and knew him very, very well.

41. In the past he had served as an elder.

42. We were so close I simply knew what he would want me to say.

43. He would have wanted me to kindly tell those present that Christianity is all that really matters.

44. Being a faithful child of God is the most important thing in the world.

45. For my few minutes in that service that point was made.

46. For the first time in my life I asked those present to study what the deceased had studied.

47. They were asked to learn about New Testament Christianity.

48. They were also told how they could do that.

49. After things were over no one accepted the offer.

50. That didn’t shock me, but it did sadden me.

51. There were surely people in that assembly who needed to repent but they chose something else.

52. Lk. 13:3 and Acts 17:30 leave no doubt about the significance of repentance.

53. Repentance applies before and after conversion.

54. Sometimes people need help in repenting. Perhaps someone in this assembly needs assistance.