Good Morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
Over thousands of years the human language has undergone many changes. Many words in the English language have become obsolete because nobody uses them anymore. They are words that have been long forgotten in the annals of time. I had a chance recently to look at a few of these words….
Did you know that if you had an appointment the day after tomorrow, they actually had a name for that day? They used to refer to it as, overmorrow.
Some people like to smoke a pipe, but if they were walking down the road while doing it, they would be lunting. I guess if they were hunting deer at the same time, they would be hunting while lunting!
How many times have you listened to people as they noisily bickered and quarreled about unimportant things? Years ago they would have been known to bramble.
Did.you ever hire an employee who pretended to work, but they actually did nothing at all? They would have been called a fudgal.
Lastly, have you ever known somebody who was very arrogant? If they tended to boast a lot about themselves, or show too much self-importance, they were known as a cockalorum, kind of like a proud rooster running around a hen house.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
There is a word among many of those who profess the Christian faith that is slowly becoming obsolete. It’s a word whose true meaning is being forgotten and completely covered from view. That word is repentance. It is a word that was preached by Jesus and His original disciples right from the very beginning. But in these latter days, it is quickly disappearing off of people’s radar, and its true meaning falling lost in the quagmire of impenitence. Millions of people will quickly claim that they believe in Jesus, but if the faith that they profess doesn’t result in turning away from sinful living, then their faith is vain. Unless people repent and do the right thing, they will perish in their sins. Nothing will ever change that fact.
Luke 13 ¹ There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
² And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Many people were going out to the Jordan River, and humbly confessing their faults to John the Baptist. They were expressing their contrition, as he baptized them unto repentance. But do you know who else showed up at this humble gathering? Proud and impenitent religious people, who felt that they could do no wrong.
Matthew 3. ¹ In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, ² And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ³ For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁴ And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.⁵ Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
⁶ And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: ⁹ And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
¹⁰ And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
⁶ He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. ⁷ Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? ⁸ And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: ⁹ And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Genuine repentance results from contrition, deep inside somebody’s heart. When you sincerely regret your wrongdoing, you will turn away from sin and do God’s will rather than your own. Repentance must also require true faith, because without it, it is impossible to please God. Jesus defines the act of repentance in the following passage.
Matthew 21. ²⁸ But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. ²⁹ He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
³⁰ And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. ³¹ Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
The reason why this word is being lost, is because many people who profess Christianity have hardened their hearts to the truth. They want to believe that they can continue to abide in their sins, and somehow still make it to heaven, but without repentance, they will come up short. Many people will make the attempt to get into heaven by doing all kinds of works and deeds in the name of Christ, but they won’t obtain paradise because they never bothered to quit sinning. If you truly possess Godly sorrow, it will cause you to renounce the sins of the flesh, and humbly submit yourself to the will of God. If you never become a doer of God’s Word, then you are only lying to yourself.
2 Corinthians 7 ⁹ Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. ¹⁰ For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Acts 26. ¹⁹ Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: ²⁰ But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
God doesn’t delight in the death of the wicked, He wants people to repent, by turning from darkness to the light.
“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”. Ezekiel 33:11
2 Peter 3. ⁸ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
As a Christian, we are not supposed to be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. God wants us to fully submit to His purpose, rather than serving the desires of the sinful nature. To do this, we are going to have to undergo a change, and humbly obey the teachings of His Word. Repentance is a word that has been around for a while, but its true meaning has never really changed. Its message has been preached by men of God for thousands of years, calling us to turn from sinful living, to holiness. It’s a word that none of us should ever forget, or allow it to pass from usage by becoming…
….. Obsolete
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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