REPENTANCE UNTO
LIFE
Introduction:
You can get high on sex. You can get high on alcohol. You can get high on all
kinds of drugs. I was high on hate and violence, said Nicky Cruz" When he showed
up on the scene, people had every reason to run and hide. He wasn't just the renowned
Mau Maus leader -- the toughest gang in New York City -- Nicky was an animal. Pain
and violence weren't anything new to Nicky. He grew up in Puerto Rico, where
his parents brutally abused him.
When he hit the streets of New York, Nicky was a
hardened man void of love and full of hate. Only two people saw the desperate
condition of Nicky's heart. One was a psychologist. "He told me about five
times. 'There's a dark side in your life that nobody can penetrate. Nicky, you
are walking straight to jail, the electric chair, and hell. There's no hope.'"
The other was a pastor named David Wilkerson. He
risked his life to tell Nicky there was hope. "I heard his voice: 'God has
the power to change your life.' I started cursing loud," says Nicky. "I
spit in his face, and I hit him. I told him, 'I don't believe in what you say,
and you get out of here." Nicky never expected what he heard Wilkerson say
next.
Wilkerson replied, "You could cut me up into 1000
pieces and lay them in the street. Every piece will still love you. "Nicky
and his gang showed up at one of Wilkerson's rallies. One by one, they gave
their lives to Christ. It was the crucifixion – Jesus' death on the cross --
that grabbed Nicky. "I was choked up with pain, and my eyes were fighting,
and tears began to come down, and more tears and I was fighting, and then I
surrendered," says Nicky.
"I let Jesus hug me, and I let my head rest on
His chest. I said I'm sorry. Forgive me, and for the first time, I told
somebody I love you." The love Nicky got in return radically changed his
life. "When I had opened my eyes, I got a new heart. I'd been born again.
I'm a child of the Lord." Nicky Cruz Once an "animal" filled
with hate, today, a lover of souls. [1]
In 1982 he held a crusade in Rotterdam. A rebellious teenage
girl was persuaded by her sister to attend the crusade. While in that crusade,
the Lord touched her, but it took six months to surrender her life to the Lord
fully. She went on to serve God through YWAM, where I met her and got married. I
am so glad that Wilma repented and got saved. Last week we began our Journey on
Redemption Road. At the first stop, we looked at what leads us to a life of no
regrets. Our next stop would be at the milestone of REPENTANCE. Matthew 4:1-17
I.
THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS (1-11)
Many Christians meditate on this passage during the
lent season, identifying with Jesus' fasting of 40 days, his temptations by the
devil, and his victory over temptation. Let us see how the devil tempts Jesus,
the weapon he used to overpower the devil, and the lessons we can learn.
The devil tempted Jesus in three broad areas of life.
The first temptation is the lust of the flesh. Vs. 3, "if you are the Son
of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread. Jesus reminded him where
his real sustenance would come from, "the Word of God." (Deut 8:3
The second temptation is the pride of life. Vs. 5-6.
The devil tempted him to show off what He can do by suggesting to throw himself
off from the temple's highest point. Jesus pointed to the devil that he was
stepping out of his boundaries by saying, "You must not test the Lord Your
God." (Deut 6:16). A point of observation, our God is the God of all,
including the devil.
The third temptation is the lust of the eyes. Vs. 8-9.
The devil showed and offered to give him all the kingdoms of the world and
their glory if only he knelt and worshipped him. Jesus was furious and sternly
warned the Devil that God alone truly deserved all our worship and service.
(Deut 6:13).
On all three occasions, Jesus wielded the sword of the
spirit to overcome the devil. Vs. 11, "Then the devil went away, and
angels came and took care of Jesus." That was not the end of the devil's
temptations; it was just a pause. In Luke 4:13, we read, "when the devil
had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came."
On that victory note, Jesus began His public ministry.
He picked up from where his cousin John the Baptist left and began to preach,
Vs. 17, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the kingdom of Heaven is
near." Jesus' ministry began in Nazareth and spread to Zebulun and Naphtali
as was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah. Jesus's ministry consisted of leading
people from darkness to light and calling people to Repentance unto life.
II
REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE
Let us look at the word Repentance and its necessity
for salvation. Many understand the term repentance to mean "a turning from
sin." Regretting sin and turning from it is related to Repentance, but it
is not the word's precise meaning. In the Bible, the Greek word metanoeō means "to
repent with regret accompanied by a true change of heart and mind toward God."
The Bible also tells us that true Repentance is not
just feeling sorry over our sins but will result in a change of actions.
Consider the preaching of John the Baptist in Luke 3:8-14. John urged the
crowds that came to him for Baptism to prove by the way they live that they
have repented of their sins and turned to God. He instructed them on how to
live a repented life.
In Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, he concludes
with a call for the people to repent of their sins and turn to God and be
baptized in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of sins, then they will
receive the Holy Spirit. This promise was given to everyone. (Acts 2:38-39).
In summarizing his ministry, Paul declares, "I
preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all
Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to
God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do." (Acts 26:20).
According to John and Paul, Repentance is a change of
mind that results in a change of action. Genuine Repentance is followed by a
change of mind and change of behavior. To see what Repentance looks like in
real life, meet Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector a chief sinner.
He cheated and exhorted money. When he met Jesus, he
had a radical change of mind; he said, "I will give half my wealth to the
poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back
four times as much!" Here is true Repentance coupled with faith in Christ
followed by a change of mind and actions. As a result, he pronounced salvation
to Zacchaeus invites him to the Israelites' larger family by calling him a true
son of Abraham. Luke 19.
Another costly example of true Repentance is found in
Acts 19. During his third missionary journey, the Apostle Paul preaches the
gospel in Ephesus, and many became believers confessing their sinful practices.
Those who repented showed it in their actions by publicly burning their magic
books that amount to several million dollars. Acts 19:19
Jesus is still calling us to repent of our sins and
turn to God. Repentance is not a suggestion but a command. What produces true
Repentance is godly sorrow, which leads us unto our souls' salvation and
fruitful lives on the earth. (2 Cor 7:10).
What does Repentance unto life mean? True Repentance
calls for a change of mind and change of heart. What do you need to give up? For
some, it may be smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or saying goodbye to bad
relationships. For some, it may mean returning the stolen goods or paying back
its equivalent amount. Yet, for others, it may mean destroying pornography
books, violent video games, and DVD movies, etc.
As the Bible says, we all are sinners and in need of a
savior. We are commanded to repent for the forgiveness of our sins. Have you
repented of your sins or hiding away from God?
Proverbs 28:13, "People who conceal their sins
will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive
mercy." Before it is too late, I urge you to return to God and experience
healing and restoration. Once you are saved, then I encourage you to live a
life that is pleasing to God by cultivating God-honoring habits of reading
God's word and praying daily.
In closing, we can't repent of our sins on our own,
let alone prove by the way we live that we have repented of our sins. From the
beginning till the end, it has to be the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we
make a resolve as the Apostle Paul did. Galatians 2:20, "My old self has
been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me." Amen!
