Transcript: Repentance and the Day of the Lord: Understanding God's Patience and Judgment

Music In today's message, we are going to speak about a subject vital to our eternal life in Christ, which, when truly understood, will be our anchoring and sure salvation. This subject is called true repentance. We are going to look into God's Word and unfold the understanding of what this most important and vital subject in a Christian's life means. You will understand that there is a deep sense of the intrinsic or inward evil of sin and see the need of having a deep sorrow because of it, because it is done against God. It is rebellion against His authority. We could call sin also insubordination against the law of God. True repentance extends to all known sin, without exception and without excuse. And you will learn today, precious ones, that true repentance always includes reformation or said in another way. It will be bringing change and turnaround in your lives. We are going to look at one of the greatest accounts in the Bible given to us on this subject of true repentance. Please, let us open this word today in Matthew 26, 30. Jesus is preparing his disciples here for his death, And he is also telling them that they will fall away and they will scatter and not remain with him. As we break into verse 30, Matthew 26. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Verse 31. Then Jesus told them, his disciples, this very night you will fall away on account of me. for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will scatter. But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. Verse 33. And Peter replied, Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will. Jesus says, I tell you the truth. This very night before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times. But Peter declared, even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you. And all the other disciples said the same. And then please, dropping down to verse 67. Then they spit on him. They spit in his face and they struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, prophesy to us, Christ, who hit you? Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him and said, You also were with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied it before them all. I don't know what you're talking about, he said. Verse 71. And then he went out to the gateway where another girl saw him and said to the people there, This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth. And he again denied it with an oath. I don't know the man. Verse 73. After a little while, those standing around there went up to Peter and said, Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away. And then he began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, I don't know the man. Immediately, a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken. before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times. And he went outside and wept bitterly. Peter remembered the word of Jesus. But please let us read the account in Luke. Luke gives us a peek in, I call it like a zoom in, a closer look at this very touching and beautiful account where the other gospel writers don't chronicle it like the way Luke did. In Luke 22, verse 54, please. Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance, verse 55. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there by the firelight, and she looked closely at him and said, This man was with him. But he denied it. Woman, I don't know him, he said. And a little while later, somebody else saw him and said, You also are one of them. Man, I am not, Peter replied. Verse 59. About an hour later, another asserted, Certainly this fellow was with him. Peter replied, Man, I don't know what you're talking about. just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. Verse 61, the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter and Peter remembered the word that the Lord had spoken to him. And before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times. Verse 62, and he went outside and wept bitterly. where Jesus was standing was an elevated place because of the preparation of the tribunal and Jesus could look down upon Peter where he was sitting near the fire by a tender and compassionate look with one single glance of his eye our injured Savior with one glance brought to the remembrance of Peter all of his promises his own predictions And also, you can see according to the last scripture, you see the overwhelming and great guilt of the disciple Peter in verse 62. and he went outside and wept bitterly. By a tender and compassionate look, by the one glance of what was the beginning of the man of sorrow's suffering, pierced the heart of Peter's soul. And in that one glance of our Lord contained the remembrance of Peter's sin, The consciousness of deep and awful guilt rushed over Peter's soul and he ran from the palace area and went to a place where he could be alone in the dark of the night. And the scriptures say he wept bitterly. You see, it was only a little while before that whereby Peter sat in great confidence before the Lord at the communion table declaring his allegiance. And the next thing, he is denying him, forgetting all of his promises to his Lord. And even cursing and swearing and profanely calling on God to witness what he knew to be false, that he did not know him. You see, Peter didn't do this once before his Redeemer. It was three times repeated, and the scriptures tell us he did this with profane cursing and swearing. Matthew 26, 74. And he, Peter, began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the man. Dear church, you do know. You have to know. This hurt our precious Savior very deeply in his day of trial and persecution. Even though Peter's great sin is recorded and laid bare before every generation of believers, not in just one gospel account, but in all four accounts, there was nothing hidden. Peter's atrocious sin against Jesus Christ was exposed by eyewitnesses and it was written about for our example today as it has been for every generation since besides Apostle Paul Apostle Peter was one of the greatest apostles chosen of our Lord who foreknew his weaknesses and yes, even the greatest sin of denying his Lord. Even though we feel for our brother Peter and may ourselves at one time shed tears over his actions what can we glean out of his crime That our question today What can we glean out of Peter crime And you must remember our sins are like crimes before our holy God and Father And even though Peter has been fully restored and raised up with our Lord, what can we draw out of his fall? Let's look at 1 Corinthians 10, verse 12, please. 1 Corinthians 10, 12. Therefore, let anyone who thinks he stands, who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind in his standing firm, take heed lest he fall into sin. For no temptation, no trial, regarded as enticing to sin, no matter how it comes or where it leads, has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man. That is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that it is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience and such as a man can bear. But God is faithful. Faithful to His Word and to His compassionate nature. And He can be trusted not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and the strength of resistance and power to endure it. But with the temptation, he will always provide the way out, the means of escape to a landing place that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently. These scriptures give us keen insight to the weaknesses of Peter's sin. The first is that there is danger in self-confidence. He that thinks he stands should take heed lest he falls. True Christian confidence is that which relies on God for strength and feels safety only in the belief that he, God, is able and willing to keep you from temptation. This should be our confidence. Peter was exhibiting a self-confidence by his statements and declarations to his Lord. And he was operating on his own strength instead of relying on the one who would and could uphold him. A second point we should consider and beware of here is that the highest favors, The most exalted privileges do not secure us from the danger of falling into sin. Few men were ever so highly favored as Peter. Few ever so dreadfully departed from the Savior and brought so deep a scandal on religion. And a third point to remember. when an individual begins to sin, his or her fall from one sinful act to another act is easy. And I could say almost certain based on biblical history. Remember at first, Peter's sin was only a simple denial. And then it increased and snowballed into a more violent affirmation. And it ended with open profaneness. So once sin begins, the downward spiral or set in another way, the road of crime is easy. When sin is once indulged in, the way is open for a whole host of crime against our holy God. The course or road of righteous living and obedience is not easily stayed on until the soul is overwhelmed with the awful guilt or conviction of the Spirit of God. A fourth point is that true repentance is deep and thorough and bitter. Peter wept bitterly, the scriptures tell us. It was a sincere sorrow. It was sorrow that was proportioned to the nature of the offense that he had committed. And a fifth point. With one look from Jesus, a look or a glance combined with affection, pity, and reproof produces a bitter sorrow for sin, precious ones. you see we injure or hurt him by our crimes and our sins our crimes against our beautiful lord and since he loves us he will not let go of us without a struggle we may hurt him by our crimes but his tender look when we sin or err is meant to pierce our souls. It is through many sorrows that whereby the open fountain of tears spring up from the depths of your soul. This is meant to lead you and me into a bitter repentance over our transgressions. just as Peter had experienced and demonstrated to every generation since. The sixth point. With this next point, you must know that when you sin, you are prone to fall into another temptation. It is so important to at once seek a place of solitude and pour out your sorrows before your heavenly Father. When it comes earnestly from your heart and not from your head, your dear loving Father will take notice of your groans. He'll hear your sighs and will behold and capture your tears. He will receive you into his loving arms again. It's just like that. he awaits our repentance our true repentance point seven some Christians by their going astray will be required to suffer sometimes great and severe trials God will sometimes allow this to show them their weaknesses and will use this to check self-confidence this in effect is to produce dependence on Jesus Christ. Through their suffering, they hopefully will learn and be permitted to show how weak and feeble and rash they really are. See, Peter was a real believer. And Jesus had prayed for him that his faith should not fail. In Luke 22, verses 31, please. Verse 31. Jesus predicts Peter's denial and the Lord said Simon, Simon indeed Satan has asked that he may sift you as wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail and when you return to me strengthen your brethren Peter's faith did not fail that is his belief in Jesus. Peter showed his true allegiance to your church or his true attachment to his precious Savior and he knew during this whole scenario an hour of testing that Jesus was the Messiah. He knew it. Peter also knew that he himself was intimately acquainted with the Messiah and he chose to renounce him. This was Peter's sin. Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah Who was prophesied to come But he renounced him And I say again dear church This is where he sinned You see this was Peter's great sin Denial of his Lord And one last point I wish to make here Is that even though a true Christian May be required to go astray That is to fall into sin in order to truly understand that we really need Christ and His grace is that there comes a resolve deep within your soul through this bitter repentance that God's grace carries you, sustains you, and gives you what you need to keep you from falling. True repentance brings bitter repentance. And that measure depends on the measure of your crime against your Father in heaven. Peter's example of deep and bitter tears and true repentance is the whole reason for this message today. It is meant for our admonishment. And let it be said that even though through this example of Peter and bitter repentance that there are many who use this example of going through the motions and then go back to their doctrine of cheap grace. Bitter repentance brings true change and turnaround in a true Christian's life. And there are people who go through the motions and profane the grace of God by going back to their vomit with the expectation of repenting after they sin. You see, these kinds of people are not Christians. They're only pretenders and they only fool themselves. True repentance that is required in the scripture is an about face and a turnaround and change of mind. Before your conversion, you were alienated from God. Me too. We were spiritually deranged and we saw things not in a truth perspective. The account in Luke 15, 17 with the prodigal son shows us this. Luke 15, 17, please. Then, when he came to himself, that is his right senses or his right mind, he said, How many hired servants of my father have enough food and even food to spare? But I am perishing, I am dying here of hunger. I will get up and go to my father and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Just make me like one of your hired servants. You see, when you come to understand sin, even a little sin, you find it repugnant and consider it a crime against God. And not only that, sin is like a sickness. It is like disease. and we could say that sin is all disease in one because the madness and the fever and the deafness is all bound up in sin. Men wish to be free of sickness in their body but they do not wish to be free of sin which is the disease of the soul. You no longer desire any wrong ways that you used to excuse before but you begin to see the world as vain and eternity to be very near and you begin to have this holy fear that your life here on this side of heaven is very temporary and short and eternity is forever and nothing is worth taking a chance and losing out on eternal life. Peter was the very one who God uses as a prime example of true and bitter repentance. He turned completely around and led others on the tried and the true path, the holy path that he was following now with an undivided heart. And we see Apostle Peter, who had been fully restored in action in Acts 2, 36, as he was boldly declaring the testimony of Jesus Christ. In Acts 2.36, Peter is speaking and saying, Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. And when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? Verse 38 And Peter replied Repent and be baptized Every one of you In the name of Jesus Christ For the forgiveness of your sins True repentance Implies sorrow for your sins against God Along with a purpose to forsake it It is not merely a fear of the consequences of sin or the wrath of God in hell. It is viewing sin as evil in itself and in your mind and heart and hating it and forsaking it, dear ones. Do you know that making excuses for your faults is sin? Yes, making excuses for your faults is sin. Excuses saying, I like what I have and I will continue to pet it. See, sin is contagious. And the more we make excuses rather than eradicate our weaknesses, they will multiply and grow like weeds in a garden. because in our hearts we say we really prefer it. The mere fact that sin is evil and God hates it is a sufficient reason why those who are truly repentant learn to hate it and forsake it. False repentance dreads the consequences of sin. False repentance dreads the consequences of sin. But true repentance dreads sin itself because it is offensive to God. In the scripture we read in Acts 2.37, when Peter was speaking and he spoke to them and told them what they needed to do, and when they heard what Peter replied to them about repenting, Verse 37, now when they heard this, they were stung, cut to the heart. And they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, the special messengers, Brethren, what should we do? Peter answered them and said, Repent and change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and release from your sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promise of the Holy Spirit to and for you and your children and to and for all who are far away even to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to himself. Verse 40 And Peter solemnly and earnestly witnessed and testified and admonished. he exhorted with much more continuous speaking and warned. He reproved them and advised and encouraged them, saying, Be saved from this crooked, perverse, wicked, unjust generation. Therefore, for those who accept and welcomed his message were baptized. And there were added that day about 3,000 souls. to those who accepted were merely alarmed and they were afraid of the wrath of God. And these people had no true sense of sin as evil, but were in that moment simply afraid of the punishment. And by their alarm, Peter did not take it as a genuine means of repentance. Such conviction for sin would soon wear off unless their repentance became thorough and complete. So you see, Peter told them to repent and turn from sin to exercise sorrow for it as an evil and bitter thing. And to express the sorrow in a proper manner. True and bitter repentance is a confession that God is right and you are wrong. And you have a firm resolve and a purpose to live a life of holiness. You truly confess your sin, your faults, and your weaknesses before your holy God and Father. And you elect to die to them, precious ones. You're given help. And you do not do this on your own power. Not by power, not by might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord. We see the fruit of godly sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7.10. 2 Corinthians 7.10. And we can see the fruit of having godly sorrow. Verse 10. For godly grief and the pain God has permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and the deliverance from evil. And it never brings regret. But worldly grief, the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world is deadly, breeding and ending in death. Verse 11, For you can look back now and observe what this same godly sorrow has done for you and has produced in you. What eagerness and earnest care to explain and clear yourselves of all the complicity in the condoning of incest What indignation at the sin What alarm. What yearning. What zeal to do justice to all concerned. What readiness to mete out punishment to the offender. At every point you have proved yourselves clear and guiltless in this matter. godly sorrow brings true repentance and turnaround where worldly sorrow brings death because it is only remorse sorrow that one was caught or found out godly sorrow is connected with a return to god conforming to his standards and his ways his will and his desires King David in Psalms said, Against you, O God, have I sinned. Psalms 51, verse 1. Psalms 51, verse 1. Have mercy upon me, God, according to your steadfast love, according to the multitude of your tender mercy and loving kindness. Blot out my transgressions. Verse 2. Wash me thoroughly and repeatedly from my iniquity and guilt. and cleanse me and make me holy, pure from my sin. For I am conscious of my transgression, and I acknowledge them my sin is ever before me. Verse 4, Against you, you only, God, have I sinned and done that which is evil in your sight, so you are justified in your sentence and faultless in your judgment. You see, David had grown to see that his sin was a crime against his holy God. And he expressed the great sorrow that he had with his sin. So then, the main point I wish to make today in this word is all true and genuine repentance is that which regards all sin as evil. and the true fact is that it is all committed against God. Let me say that. My point today is for you to catch that all true and genuine repentance is that which regards all sin as evil. And the true fact is that it is committed against God. Only a heart, truly repentant, seeks God and implores pardon from Him. Others sorrow and worldly sorrow view sin as just getting over the guilt and using cheap grace, thinking they are fooling God, and in fact are really being led away from God because of their deceitful intent from the beginning. the individual who has grief for sin only because it leads to disgrace or shame or because it will lead to poverty or pain will not necessarily break off from it and reform dear church it is only when it is seen that sin is committed against god and that it is evil in his sight and that it leads to a whole change of life. Yes, a whole change of life. In fact, you see, these kinds of people want only a quick fix, only to get on with their pleasures and cares in life. They'd rather have their consolations come from the world and or agreements from others on their own unregenerate level to give them confirmation that what they are doing is okay. Genuine sorrow for sin leads the soul to God and guides the sinner through to their Savior to obtain the pardon and peace which only He, Jesus, can give to a wounded spirit. God alone can pardon. And true peace be found and godly sorrow for sin will be found only in this place. I provoke you with this question today. Is yours a true repentance or not? You might ask in response to this question, Well, how do I know if my repentance is true and sure? I wish to give you these guidelines today to consider, and then as your checkpoint along on your Christian path to view them periodically. Remember, this is not a how-to list. As we come to Christ, we learn that we must live in Him in order to become like Him. In this guideline, you might ask yourselves these questions to know if your repentance is sure and true. One, do I have reverence towards God? Do I always speak of Him with respect and love and revering His ordinances and worshiping in His sanctuary the way that He demands? Number two, am I obedient to His commands, making them the rule of my life? and delighting in them as the expression of his will for my life. A third point. Do I trust in his goodness, believing that he will never err in the arrangements of his providence in my life, but that all things will work together for my good? Four. Am I in submission to his chastisements, and bearing these from his own hand as his way of showing me that he loves me and disciplines me because of his love? Fifth point, do I, by revealing his image, show my actions and deeds that I am indeed his child? these five points or guidelines as i said are good checkpoints for us to periodically consider so just as in our example of peter today who is probably the greatest of the new testament its most bitter and memorable repentances, let us take his life and example seriously in our own lives today. Let us take serious the look from our Lord Jesus Christ too. The look or the glance combined with affection and reproof or rebuke at sin and always guard against it lest it become easier and easier to spiral downward. Peter wept bitterly and true repentance is a deep and a thorough repentance against sin sin is a crime against our holy God and we hurt our Lord by our sins remember he longs to lead you into true repentance he wants honesty and sincerity from our hearts dear one Jesus Christ Let us pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, in your unfathomable mercy and love, lead each one of us into the place where we are sensitive to your Holy Spirit and his gracious nudgings upon our hearts when we trespass against thee. Abba, pour out your grace and your love in our hearts today as we consider the points of this message and consequences of sin and the fact that sin is truly against you. Lord, help us to have the heart of your beloved servant and son David who desired more than anything to be made white as snow. Papa, we know this is the only way that we will have. Lord, open our lips and let our mouths sing forth the praises and testimonies of our King, our Messiah, for redeeming us and giving us eternal life. Father, help us please always to produce beautiful fruit in keeping with our true repentance. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and beseech thee. Amen. Thank you.