Today, I have the opportunity to preach at a church's spring revival. The message that the Lord has laid on my heart is concerning Repentance. I just wanted to list a few thoughts on the matter while I am in constant preparation for message.
Repentance is a gift from God. Many believe that repentance is something done by the free will alone, but repentance is a grace given by God, just for the simple fact that He would even allow us the opportunity to apologize for sins committed...that he would even give us the grace to see our sins and the wretchedness of them. Now, I'm not implying that this is what repentance is, for repentance is much more than just recognizing sin and apologizing for it - it ought to be man's duty to recognize sin and apologize for it as it is the duty of the criminal to feel partial about his crimes after serving so many years in confinement meditating on his actions. Repentance is a gift granted by God because all men do not repent...all men do not take it upon their "free will" to look to God and sorrow for their sins. In fact, even when mens consciences harass them to sleepless nights because of the heinousness of their sins, they only seek to be justified in their own eyes because of self- centeredness...they want to be right in their own eyes rather than God's.
Repentance is a gift because it has everything to do with God. Because all men are in sin, all men are in darkness, and because all men are in darkness, all of our deeds outside of Christ are evil (John 3:19-20) ...for whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23)(Proverbs 21:4) and therefore any repentance outside of seeing the wickedness of sin, sorrowing for it and BELIEVING ON CHRIST to forgive and cleanse is no repentance at all...repentance is a gift because faith is a gift and faith leads to repentance...and repentance leads to faith.....
Without faith ( believing on Jesus whom has been revealed to you by the Father), who would you be repenting to? Answer: you would be sorry for your sins and it wouldn't be long before your sorrow turned to self and other things for "healing " and appeasement....but when the true penitent feels sorrow for his sins and sees his wretchedness and wickedness, He turns to Christ...the one to Whom the brightness of His glory has knocked him off of his horse...the One whose love and Light is brighter than the midday sun...and the revelation of who He is leads you to repent, and repenting leads you to cleave to Him even more...
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? - Romans 10:14
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. - Mark 1:15
Ill stop for now with a quote from Thomas Watson
"I shall not dispute whether faith or repentance comes first into the soul. Doubtless repentance shows itself first in a Christian's life. Yet I am apt to think that the seeds of faith are first wrought in the heart. As when a burning candle is brought into a room—the light shows itself first—but the candle was before the light. Just so, we see the fruits of repentance first—but the beginnings of faith were there before. That which inclines me to think that faith is in the heart before repentance—is because repentance, being a grace, must be exercised by one who is living. Now, how does the soul live—but by faith? "The just shall live by his faith" (Heb. 10:38). Therefore there must be first, some seeds of faith in the heart of a penitent, otherwise it is a dead repentance and so of no value. Whether faith or repentance goes first—I am sure that repentance is of such importance, that there is no being saved without it. "
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