REPENTANCE

Repentance is an often misunderstood subject. Strangely enough I think we often confuse repentance with belief. They are two different things. They go hand in hand, but they are two things.

Repentance is the starting point of Salvation. I say that simply because is it where and how Jesus began his public ministry. We see it in Matthew 4:17; “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (NASB)

Repent: Repent means more than regret. It means regret plus a sincere change of heart toward God. To break that down a little bit, lets look at the two steps.

• Regret is when we have done something wrong that we with we had not done. Many times in our day to day life we say that we regret something, when in truth, we really just regret getting caught at that something. Sin (the violation of the laws of God, and thereby the person of God) is something all of us are guilty of (see Romans 3:23). We often regret sin, but all to often the problem is that we regret that we now have to face the penalty for that sin, rather than regretting the actual transgression of the person of God. That is where the second part of true repentance comes in.
• A sincere change of heart toward God is the second part of true repentance. For that to occur, this idea by its very nature implies an acceptance that God is real, and that he has authority over you. But it also says that where as before this moment of repentance that we were living in a way of life that is contrary to what God desires of us and for us. Some may say, no, I do not live contrary to God, rather I live in apathy to God. Those who live this way, are mistaken because to do second is to do the first. (Matthew 12:30)
• To better understand the differences between repentance and regret, we will look at the story of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15:11-32. (Read it)
• -The story, told by Jesus, features three people prominently; the Father, the eldest son, and the younger son. In Jewish culture, the eldest son would be entitled to two shares of the inheritance; where as the younger son would receive only one share. We see in the story that the younger son get in a hurry and asks his father for his share of the inheritance early. When he receives what he has asked for, he goes and spends his wealth on ‘loose’ living. Later, after all the money is gone, he finds himself feeding pigs, and longing to eat the very food he is throwing to them. Remember, pigs are unclean animals to a Jew, and therefore this was considered a very demeaning job. What we see here is that the young man got to such a point while working this job, that he was nearly starving himself.
  
  -What causes a man to do that to himself? Why didn’t he return home as soon as he realized he could not support himself any longer? Because he suffered from the same issue that many of us suffer from; PRIDE. He was too proud to go home. I feel safe in saying at this point, this younger son, was filled with regret. But his actions remained the same.
  
  -Later, the bible tells us that that young man ‘came to his senses.’ He came out of the pit that pride and arrogance can put us in. And he realized that his Father might be willing to receive him back. Not as a son of course, but as a hired servant. He would at least have enough then to eat. (And chances were slim that he’d have to feed hogs.) From there, he went back to his fathers house and was received, not as a hired man, but as a son. WHY?
  
  -He was received back as a son, and not a hired man because of his change of heart toward his Father. Now, we do not have time to discuss the actions of the Father, but what we do see here is that the son’s regret, combined with his change of heart toward his father, leads him home. Away from his ‘loose’ living, away from his suffering, but toward and into his fathers house. That change of heart is what Repentance is. That is the same kind of change that we are called to exhibit toward God the Father in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Kingdom of Heaven: Notice Jesus statement, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven….” In this statement, he makes no effort to apologize for the kingdom. (To apologize in this sense is to offer a rational explanation.) He just asserts that the kingdom is real and exists.

• The evidence for and about the Kingdom. First, what is the Kingdom of heaven? Is it just heaven? No, it has to be more, otherwise it is just a place. Rather for the kingdom of heaven to exist, heaven must exist, but also the King there of must also exist. So in other words, the statement is self apologizing. The assertion itself explains itself. But if that is not enough:
  
  - When Moses asked God for his name, the answer is “I AM” (Exodus 3:14)
  - When Jesus was being questioned by some of the local Jews, he told them plainly, “before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58)
  -In both these verses, the assertion itself is the witness to the validity that God is real, and that Jesus is divine.
• But what does that mean for us? For the answer we will look at Romans 1:18-20. (Read it)
  
  -In this passage we see that Men (Humanity) are without excuse. The Bible says that the creation itself is a testimony to the creator. But humanity chooses to disregard Him. We look for every other excuse we can find. (Example: Matter + Chance + Time = Life)
  
  -I have spoken to many people who think, “if God would only show himself, I would believe.” “If he cares so much, why doesn’t he come down here and help?” “Why not just come?” What we forget, is that that is an age old question, and the answer to the question is - He did. God showed himself to us through Christ. He became Human, and lived and walked with us. He showed us miracle after miracle attesting to who he was. But even with his presence and his miracles, we (humanity) did not recognize him. (John 1:10) So when the presence of God on earth combined with sinful men came to an impasse, the creator (Jesus) would not hurt the children that had been created (humanity), and the created crucified the creator. So he, Jesus, gave us one last miracle. This time, the miracle would be the one that would shake the world from that day on. Three days after Jesus’ death by crucifixion he rose to life. He physically got up out of the grave and walked out. He was and is alive.
  
  -So the point here is if we are ever temped to say, God if you would just show yourself, I would believe… we need to remember, that is exactly what he did in Jesus Christ.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand: In this last part of Jesus’ call to repentance, we see one last assertion. It’s ‘at hand’ or ‘near.’ In Jesus day, people were still awaiting the messiah, let alone the end of time, and the rapture was not even a thought in their minds. But Jesus’ assertion is that not only should we be looking for all of this, but the time is ‘at hand.’

• As followers of Christ, we can see plainly through the reading of the New Testament that we are to live in full expectation of his imminent return. (Example: I Thessalonians 4:14-17)
  
• The world (all of humanity, regardless of belief) awaits the day when the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (That doesn’t mean that all the world accepts that, or even knows it. But the entire world will know it when it happens.)
  
• For that we look at Revelation 19:11-21. (Read it)
  -Another question that people ask about God is if he is all powerful, why doesn’t he just exterminate evil? Well, the victory was won at the cross. That was Satan’s defeat. But the vanquishing has not yet occurred. The passage we just read shows that the victorious king is coming, and when he does, all evil will be done away with.
  
  -These are the words to what we know as the ‘Battle hymn of the Republic’ by Julia Ward Howe. Most of us hear it as a patriotic tune. But this time, read these words as a statement of the coming Christ.
  
  Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
  He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
  He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
  His truth is marching on.
  
  I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
  They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
  I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
  His day is marching on.
  
  I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
  "As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
  Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
  Since God is marching on."
  
  He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
  He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
  Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
  Our God is marching on.
  
  In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
  With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
  As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free,
  While God is marching on.
  
  He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
  He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave,
  So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
  Our God is marching on.

Jesus is coming back: We all need to know that. And it is 100% irresponsible to talk about the return of Christ without talking about how to be saved. We make it so hard, so often. But it really is simple.

• Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
• That is a very short statement. But it is simple and straight forward. Will you believe? Will you do what Jesus first called us to do? Hear him now, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
  
  -Will do as Jesus says? I hope so.

Simple Christian Growth

I was talking to a good friend tonight it brought to mind something very important. How do we maintain our relationship with God?

The great commission says to make disciples. That is more than the number of baptisms in a given time. The number of people who walk the isle and say a prayer, maybe even get baptized, is far greater than those who truly become active participants in advancing the Kingdom of God. We work hard to get people to the profession of faith, but we don’t worry too much if they grow. At least we don’t emphasize it enough in my opinion.

So, what can you do to maintain that relationship with God and grow in your faith?

Three things plus one:

#1. Read your Bible 15 min per day. God talks to you. Be smart; don’t just pick random passages, read book by book.

#2. Pray for 15 min per day. You talk to God. Pray according to the pattern in the Lords prayer. Praise, submission, needs, forgiveness, guidance, and praise again.

#3. Share your Faith for 15 min per day. You and the Holy Spirit talk to another person. This doesn’t mean you have to run down a stranger and hold onto them while you tell them everything you ever learned about God. What it means is talk with your friends about your faith, about why you believe or about what blessings God has sent your way. Maybe even what you learned while reading the Bible.

Plus 1. Get a friend that shares the faith and wants to share with you. This can be an accountability partner, a trusted person whom you can share your weaknesses with. It can also be a mentor, someone who can guide you in understanding the faith. Either way, you need a friend to talk to about your faith. Find one. They can be found at most bible believing churches.

For Such a Time as This.

One of my all time favorite verses is found in the Old Testament book of Esther. If you want to know the whole story, you'll have to read it. It is a short book. But we find a situation where the King, Esther's husband has fallen into a trap, and has been convinced that all his problems are from the Jews in the kingdom. Hence he has issued a decree that all the Jews in the kingdom were to be killed on a certain date. The catch here is that his wife Esther is a Jew. Esther's Uncle Mordecai is charging her with going before the King on behalf or her family and people. She initially resists her Uncle's petition, but we find here one of the finest verses in the Bible about standing your ground in this secular world. Mordecai is speaking to Esther when we see this verse. -Esther 4:14- "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (NIV)

This verse I find as an enormous encouragement. Even in times of question and difficulty at my regular job. There comes a time to do the right thing, just because it is the right thing. (Now, I know in this day and age, 'the right thing' can be considered subjective. 'The right thing' is not subjective, it is sometimes difficult to discern, but there is usually a right and wrong. But that is for another day.) I really didn't think that doing the right thing was ever a real question. But self centeredness and self preservation often seem to rule. That can be a discouraging thought.

But we need to remember that we belong to the King of Kings. Some may have power, some may have money, some may have possessions. But no matter what your adversary may have, you belong to the King, and he owns the earth and all that is in it. (Psalm 24:1) Your adversary may own 1000 oil wells, but you serve the one who owns the earth that the oil wells are in. We must remember that regardless of the obstacles in our life, we will be victorious over it. It was Jesus who said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (NIV) Our victory is in him. He can handle all things.

Many times we see wrongs and injustices go by and we say and do nothing. There have been times in my life where I have truly felt that God has led me to do something, but by my own rationalization, I have dismissed it. Those have been errors. Jesus called us the salt of the earth and the light of the world. To live up to these callings, we have to be willing to stand for the truth. We have to stand for what is right. No more appeasing others just because we don't like confrontation. Our Lord was a confrontational man. (Just read the Gospels.)

We often think of confrontation in a negative light. But when we read Ester, we see that she had to confront the King under penalty of death for it was illegal to go before the King un-summoned in that time. And her actions are valiant and courageous. I hope to have her courage. Do you?

Each of us holds a unique position. The Bible calls Esther's position ‘Royal’ and it is. But what position do you hold. Do you have influence in the lives of others? Chances are you do, even if you don't recognize it. We have to pay attention to our roles as followers of Christ. In those roles, God will use us. (We are the light of the world) So when we see wrongs, injustice, pain, suffering, we don't need to turn a blind eye and justify it away. Instead we need to remember what Mordecai said to Esther, "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews [or Gods people] will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

Easter Weekend

This is it. The greatest celebration we as Christ followers experience is marked this weekend. Christ arose from the dead. But before that he died for my sin on the cross. He loves me that much. But he loves you that much too. We can all be saved if we accept the free gift of eternal life. The only thing you have to do to use a gift is to accept it. So I encourage you now to accept the gift of God. Accept Jesus Christ and his sacrifice and resurrection and believe and be saved.

Do you believe the above? I do. But how? How can a thinking person believe this? We will be looking at that this week.

We will be looking at intense questions and assertions. Those who would have us deny Jesus, and who reject him themselves, they make these assertions and ask these questions.

-Was Jesus body thrown into a mass grave?
-Were the women who followed Jesus simply confused and went to the wrong tomb?
-Did Jesus survive the crucifixion and go on to live a life undocumented?

These questions are real. We will discuss these answers this week at Providence. I will also attempt to answer these assertions on this blog.

If you have additional questions concerning the resurrection of Jesus, post them here, and let us discuss them openly.

Honoring God

Yesterday at 11am Service, we were asked to raise our hands if we will commit to doing at least one thing this week with the intent being to honor God. I too raised my hand at this charge. For those who committed to this charge yesterday, the vast majority of the church, I have prayed that God would give you the chance to honor your commitment to him and that He would give you the wisdom to know what to do to honor Him.

We are all called to honor him, but the choice to do so is left up to us. The opportunity will come, but will you be willing to take the step of faith and trust that God can handle all situations?

Read Matthew 19:16 - 30 and Philippians 4:13.

The rich man that Jesus spoke with had not been being honest with himself. He was looking for justification for himself. He had been telling himself that to treasure his wealth was acceptable, providing he did not do a few select things. The problem was that even though he had followed those rules, he had forgotten to honestly give. He had no mercy or love. At least not that was evident. And Jesus called him on it. Causing the man to be sad, not because Jesus rejected him, (Jesus told him what to do to be accepted) but because he knew his guilt, and his unwillingness to change.

What about you? Will you honestly look at yourself and pray that God would show you the path that you can follow to honor God? Write a short description of what happened when you had the opportunity to honor God in the comments to this post.

"Let the Lord Handle it."

This morning I had a short conversation with a man who was struggling with some personal matters. As the conversation ended, he said, "I'm just going to have to struggle through today, and trust the Lord to handle it."

That statement sounds like good faith doesn't it. But there is a problem. I have had more in depth conversations with this man than that. He doesn't come to church. He doesn't make time to read his Bible. And he doesn't pray regularly. So his comment may sound like he is a man of faith, but he does not make his relationship with God a priority in his life. If he won't come to God regularly, how can he expect to hear from God regularly? How can he expect to hear or receive comfort from God if he will not go to God and condition himself, or allow himself to be conditioned by God to hear from the Holy Spirit?

In John 15:1-8 we read that He is the vine and we are the branches. The very imagery of this passage shows that we are reliant upon him. The branch can not attach itself in times of need and not in times of peace. Notice verse 2. (NIV) "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." People wonder where pain comes from and why it exists. Some of it comes from Satan. Some of it comes from our own sinful, selfish actions. But often we forget to consider that it may be the pruning of God. We are meant to learn and grow in Him. How can we do that without being connected to the true vine at all times? We can't.

Our relationship with God through Jesus must be paramount. No exceptions. While at work, or school, or wherever as we go throughout our day, we are to "pray continually" and look for what God is doing in EVERY situation we come across. He is at work around you right now. Are you watching enough to know when he is opening a door for you?

What does God want us to do?

In John 6:29, Jesus says "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." So, ask your selves, In everything I do, everyday, do I act as though I believe that Jesus is the one and only Son of God. That he is the creator and that by him all things hold together. Do I act like he is the reason to live.

The Hymn says, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future. [My] life is worth the living, just because he lives." DO WE ACT LIKE WE BELIEVE THIS?

If so, then why aren't we obeying Christ? Why aren't we able to tell others about Jesus' love and sacrifice? Why can't we bring other people on board to do the same thing once they surrender to live for Christ? (at least we say we'll live for Christ.)

If you say, I live for Christ. OK, who was the last hungry person you fed? the last homeless person you provided a place to sleep for? The last inmate you visited in Prison? (Matthew 25:31-46) WHO was the last person that God allowed you to lead to Christ? (Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8)

Most people are now thinking or saying how they have never had the chance. I say that they never walked close enough to Jesus to see the opportunity when it arrived.

John 15:1-8 in the NIV say "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

Are you walking with Jesus today? If so, good. If not, you can. Either way, pray and ask him to guide you. And ask for an opportunity to serve someone or lead someone to Jesus. And whatever you do, do it for the Glory of God. (Not our own short lived glory.)