TURN AROUND
INTRO: OK, I know that I’m an 80’s geek. Okay, I admit it. But there is a highly recognizable song from the 80’s that everyone has heard before (and if someone has not, than I am becoming a much older youth pastor than I actually thought I was). Anyhoo, in this song has lyrics like this:
Turnaround, every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming around Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart
Silly song, but the truth is, when someone comes to Jesus, they have a total eclipse of the heart. And it’s true, so let’s take a look today at what happens when someone turns their life around.
TOPIC: REPENTANCE
ACTS 2:37-41
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is repentance?
2. What are the three types of repentence?
3. After repentance, does a person have to provide restitution (Do I have to make amends a fix what what my sin did)?
(The reason there are only three questions, is because question 1 will take up almost all the time, but also because question 2 is technically three questions in one).
ANSWERS:
1. What is repentance? MOST OF THE LESSON COULD BE SPENT ON THIS SINGLE QUESTION
In a general definition, repentance is “turning and going the other way.” This definition, which is specifically translated by pastors directly from the Greek over the years, implies a handful of things. It implies that a person will A) recognize they are doing something wrong, B) admit that what they are doing is wrong C) turn from it which means they stop doing it & D) they do something else instead of it!
Honestly, most people think repentance is saying their sorry for doing something. Other people think repentance is saying their sorry AND actually being sorry. But let me put it another way. If I was on trial for murder, a murder that I absolutely did…if a stand before a good judge and sob and sob and sob…will he let me go free? If he is a good judge the answer is no, he will give me my just punishment. Moreover, if while standing there sobbing before the judge I actually meant in my heart to do it again…well…if the judge could read my heart, would I ever be released from prison again? No way.
The point is that most people never really repent of anything. Most people, even people who call themselves Christians, don’t ever actually repent (which does leave their salvation in question). Following is another way to answer this question from gotquestions.org.
"What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation?"
Answer: Many understand the term repentance to mean “turning from sin.” This is not the biblical definition of repentance. In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8-14; Acts 3:19). Acts 26:20 declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” The full biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. What, then, is the connection between repentance and salvation? The Book of Acts seems to especially focus on repentance in regards to salvation (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). To repent, in relation to salvation, is to change your mind in regard to Jesus Christ. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he concludes with a call for the people to repent (Acts 2:38). Repent from what? Peter is calling the people who rejected Jesus (Acts 2:36) to change their minds about Him, to recognize that He is indeed “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Peter is calling the people to change their minds from rejection of Christ as the Messiah to faith in Him as both Messiah and Savior. Repentance and faith can be understood as “two sides of the same coin.” It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without first changing your mind about who He is and what He has done. Whether it is repentance from willful rejection or repentance from ignorance or disinterest, it is a change of mind. Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ. It is crucially important that we understand repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. No one can repent and come to God unless God pulls that person to Himself (John 6:44). Acts 5:31 and 11:18 indicate that repentance is something God gives—it is only possible because of His grace. No one can repent unless God grants repentance. All of salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing us, opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. God's longsuffering leads us to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), as does His kindness (Romans 2:4). While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is impossible to truly and fully change your mind without that causing a change in action. In the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior. That is why John the Baptist called people to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). A person who has truly repented from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:19-23; James 2:14-26). Repentance, properly defined, is necessary for salvation. Biblical repentance is changing your mind about Jesus Christ and turning to God in faith for salvation (Acts 3:19). Turning from sin is not the definition of repentance, but it is one of the results of genuine, faith-based repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. What are the three types of repentance?
2A. WORLDLY REPENTANCE. When my kids were young (probably yours too for those who have children), I would ask my kids if they did something wrong (you fill in the blank here), and they would look at me and say no. I would ask again, and their eyes would shift, and then respond with another no. But finally, with a look into the eye, my child would say “yes Daddy I did it.”
That type of repentance had to be forced—though it was admitted to by the person committing the act. However, the person agreeing to the sin only has worldly repentance because THEY DON’T HAVE ON PLANS TO STOP. He will turn away from the deeds, but not the behavior.
Judas repented in this way. I have been through a couple dozen discussions about the issue of Judas over the years, often times people point out that Judas was so convicted for his lie that he took his own life. Then they decide to tell me this must mean that Judas was sorry for his sins. Not so fast.
See, if the heart of Judas had changed, he would have gone to authorities and to those who would have listened that he was wrong, and would have tried to make whatever he could right (this would have been a charge of perjury under the courts by the way, which would have carried some sort of punishment). Moreover, his heart would not have been spurned toward murder—murder of his own life—if he had come to full repentance, there would not have been a suicide at the end. Besides, Jesus confirms Judas’ lack of salvation by stating it would have been better for him had he never been born.
2B. REPENTANCE TO ESCAPE PUNISHMENT. This one is obvious. If telling the truth lessons the burden of the pain caused by the lie or the sin, telling the truth is the way to go.
Unfortunately, at the very best, our repentance as humans stops at either the first two of these, which are both surface deals.
An example from Scripture would be Simon the Sorcerer. He had watched the gifts of the Spirit being given to other Christians by the laying on of the Apostles’ hands - and he saw the possibility of making money if he could accomplish the same feat. When he offered to buy this ability, the Peter responded: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!" (Acts 8:20)
Now frightened, Simon answered: "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me." Simon’s was a repentance based on fear of punishment. He would have changed his behavior, but the repentance was founded solely on fear. The repentance the writer of Hebrews is telling us to go beyond is one based solely on fear of punishment.
2C. MATURE REPENTANCE. Now, before I use Pastor Jeff Strite’s words here in the description of this high level of repentance, I want to warn myself and everyone reading this that if we are honest, very few of us ever get to this point. Speaking for myself, my brain is not wired this way, I don’t repent this way, I am just not Christ-like enough to think like this. But, I know I am supposed to think like it. And I guess in my own little ME world, at least if I acknowledge that I need to, perhaps I can move in that direction. Here it is:
“The mature Christian is one who repents because he’s afraid of hurting God. It’s like the pain a mature son will have about hurting his parents. In a sense, this was the type of repentance that motivated Peter as he sat at the fire with Jesus after the resurrection. Jesus asks Peter: "Peter do you love me?" and Peter responds (in the Greek) by saying "You know I LIKE you…" Peter is so ashamed of his past denials that it almost drives him away from Jesus. His change of heart is motivated by what Jesus knew lay within his soul - love of Jesus. It was only when Peter’s love for Jesus overcame his shame of hurting his master, that Peter was transformed.”
3. Restitution? Technically, restitution IS a biblical concept. There are mentions made in both the Old and New Testament. Leviticus covers the command to pay back someone for stolen property (and not just what was taken, way MORE than what was taken). Exodus commands restitution specifically for a burnt field or a damaged borrowed animal (Exodus 22). Of course, these apply specifically to measureable losses in property; but, if the Bible is specific than our trespasses that involve money ought to be repaid (which is a lot more difficult in practice than just agreeing to in theory).
But you know what, it’s actually more to it than that. THE TRUE REPENTANT HEART MAKES IT RIGHT. Look at Zaccheus when salvation came to his house, he went stir crazy trying to repay everyone! He was sorry to the point of paying back everyone 4X what he took from them. Meaning, when salvation occurs, this little man’s heart immediately lined up with the scriptures on the issue of repentance.
As for Zaccheus, “Here was a man who was penitent and contrite, and the proof of his conversion to Christ was his resolve to atone, as much as possible, for past sins. The same holds true for anyone who truly knows Christ today. Genuine repentance leads to a desire to redress wrongs. When someone becomes a Christian, he will have a desire born of deep conviction to do good, and that includes making restoration whenever possible. The idea of “whenever possible” is crucially important to remember. There are some crimes and sins for which there is no adequate restitution. In such instances, a Christian should make some form of restitution that demonstrates repentance, but at the same time, does not need to feel guilty about the inability to make full restitution. Restitution is to be a result of our salvation—it is not a requirement for salvation. If you have received forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ, all of your sins are forgiven, whether or not you have been able to make restitution for them.”
Sources:
Gotquestions.org What does the Bible say about restitution?
Gotquestions.org What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation?
Strite, Jeff. Foundations-Going Beyond Repentance. Church of Christ at Logansport, Indiana.
BONUS:
Question: "Will God continue to forgive you if you commit the same sin over and over again?"
Answer: To best answer this question, we’re going to look at two powerful passages of Scripture. The first is found in the book of Psalms: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). One of the most effective tricks Satan plays on Christians is to convince us that our sins aren't really forgiven, despite the promise of God's Word. If we've truly received Jesus as Savior by faith, and still have that uneasy feeling wondering whether or not there is true forgiveness, that may be coming from demonic influences. Demons hate it when people are delivered from their grasp, and they try to plant seeds of doubt in our minds about the reality of our salvation. In his vast arsenal of tricks, one of Satan’s biggest tools is to constantly remind us of our past transgressions, and he uses those to prove that God couldn't possibly forgive or restore us. The devil's attacks make it a real challenge for us to simply rest in the promises of God and trust His love. But this psalm also tells us that God not only forgives our sins, but removes them completely from His presence. This is a profound thing! Without question, this is a very difficult concept for humans to grasp, which is why it's so easy for us to worry and wonder about forgiveness instead of just accepting it. The key lies in simply giving up our doubts and our feelings of guilt and resting in His promises of forgiveness. Another passage is 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” What an incredible promise! God forgives His children when they sin if only they come to Him and in an attitude of repentance and ask to be forgiven. God’s grace is so great that it can cleanse the sinner from his sin so that he becomes a child of God, and, correspondingly, it is so great that even when we stumble, we can be forgiven still. In Matthew 18:21-22, we read, "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” Peter was probably thinking that he was being generous. Rather than repay a person who had committed a sin against him with equal retribution, Peter suggested giving the brother some leeway, say, up to seven times. But the eighth time, forgiveness and grace would run out. But Christ challenged the rules of Peter’s suggested economy of grace by saying that forgiveness is infinite for those who are truly seeking it. This is only possible because of the infinite grace of God which is made possible through the shed blood of Christ on the cross. Because of Christ’s forgiving power, we can always be made clean after we sin if we humbly seek it. At the same time, it must be noted that it is not biblical for a person to sin habitually and continually as a lifestyle and still be a believer (1 John 3:8-9). This is why Paul admonishes us to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). As Christians, we do stumble, but we do not live a lifestyle of continual, unrepentant sin. All of us have weaknesses and can fall into sin, even if we don’t want to. Even the apostle Paul did what he didn’t want to do because of the sin at work in his body (Romans 7:15). Like Paul, the response of the believer is to hate the sin, repent of it and ask for divine grace to overcome it (Romans 7:24-25). Although we need not fall because of God’s sufficient grace, sometimes we do because we rely upon our insufficient strength. When our faith grows weak and like Peter, we deny our Lord in word or in life, even then there is still a chance to repent and be forgiven of our sin. Another one of Satan’s tricks is to get us into thinking that there is no hope, that there is no possibility that we can be forgiven, healed, and restored. He will try to get us to feel consumed and trapped by guilt so that we do not feel worthy of God’s forgiveness any longer. But since when were we ever worthy of God’s grace? God loved us, forgave us and chose us to be in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-6), not because of anything we did, but “in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12). We must always keep in mind that there is no place we can go that God’s grace cannot reach, and there is no depth to which we can sink that God is no longer able to pull us out. His grace is greater than all of our sin. Whether we are just starting to wander off course or we are already sinking and drowning in our sin, grace can be received. Grace is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8). When we sin, the Spirit will convict us of sin such that a godly sorrow will result (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). He will not condemn our souls as if there is no hope, for there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The Spirit’s conviction within us is a movement of love and grace. Grace is not an excuse to sin (Romans 6:1-2), and it dare not be abused, meaning that sin must be called sin, and it cannot be treated as if it is harmless or inoffensive. Unrepentant believers need to be lovingly confronted and guided to freedom, and unbelievers need to be told that they need to repent. Yet let us also emphasize the remedy, for we have been given grace upon grace (John 1:16). It is how we live, how we are saved, how we are sanctified, and how we will be kept and glorified. Let us receive grace when we sin by repenting and confessing our sin to God. Why live a soiled life when Christ offers to make us clean and whole and right in the eyes of God?