From that time Jesus began to preach, saying "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." - Matthew 4:17
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. - Luke 5:32
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. - Matthew 12:41
Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. - Luke 13: 3, 5
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"...all must repent because all are sinners."
Christ preached that all must repent in order to be saved. But I certainly feel like that I need to repent even after God accepted me though Christ. After reflecting on the scriptures, it seems that repentance is my innerward desire to change directions - as a response to hearing God's gracious gospel. Since that change of direction is THE big change (God I want to follow you ...), maybe any "repentance" after my salvation is not another decision to follow Christ, but instead is more "I'm sorry that my actions don't match my direction".
Somehow, it seems like we have lost the notion of repentance - the kind of repentance that says "I'm in your army now Lord. I'll follow you whereever you go. But, I do not have the strength, the intelligence, wisdom, fortitude, training, etc to be your army. LORD create in me the strength, the willingness, the ability to do the things that you have prepared in advance for me to do. My life is not my own now. I'm in your army, fighting for your causes, on your battefield, for your kindgom. My life is but a small thing to offer to the LORD of the universe. LORD I know that remembering that it is not about me (denying myself) is a constant battle and you can use me most effectively when I live for you and others."
How to we do Matt 28:18-20 - how do we call others to repentance as Christ would do?
As I've pondered and prayed about the demand to "REPENT," and read Piper's commentary a few times, I've come to realize something.....
Too many times, I've not "embraced the struggle" that comes before true repentance.
I mean, it's not about NOT doing something, but like Piper says, we have to change something that changes our behavior; not just changing our behavior.
And that's a struggle that I personally don't want. I want it all to be easy. But Christ struggled up that hill; he embrased the stuggle.
"Lord, help me to search matters out when they are difficult and give me strength, wisdom, and perserverance to embrace the struggle, Amen"
Studying and reading about the "joy of fearing" God, led me today to the following from Jerry Bridges....
"it's difficult for us to think about the wrath of God. We prefer to concentrate on His love beacuse this is far more congenial to our thinking....we tend to view wrath in human terms....we think if it as strong and sometimes violent anger or fury...out of control with emotions.
Though we should never think of God's wrath as uncontrolled, violent passsion, the Bible does use strong words to describe it...anger, fury, and indingation."
That all led to Romans 2:5 which says the "unrepentant" people are said to be "storing up wrath against themselves for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgement will be revealed."
Now, that should make us all want to change our behavior and our heart - to truly repent. After all, Jesus' first demand of his public ministry was to tell us to repent.
Ya think maybe he knew somthing?
Why am I so stubborn? Why do I not get it?
What don't you get?...you have turned but you still have bad habits of your flesh that you constantly must be seeking forgiveness for, or atleast until we get to Heavan... Thank you Lord Jesus for what you did at the cross, We must learn to often from our heart...which in Jesus is good(positionally) to seek forgivness from Him and say we are sorry to the one we have offended often and over and over
What don't I don't get?
Like Paul, I still do things I shouldn't do, and don't do things I should.
That's what I don't get, but I do know as Jesus' disciplines me, and I pay attention to where that discipline is coming, I'll grow. But too many times I want to fix it all myself instead of searching it out, or I just chalk it up to being a sinner, through a couple of verses around for good measure and excuse and think..."oh is me...".
:-)
Yet, I do get that because of Jesus taking God's wrath for me on that cross, and my belief in him I am saved from eternal damnation.
And, because of this, my heart has been restored (at least a little bit) (Ephesians 3: 17, Luke 6: 43-45, Luke 8:15, Romans 10:8-10:10)and through Christ’s discipline of us that the fruit is produced (Hebrews 12:6-13, Galatians 5:22-23).
Ok, I'll stop the ramblings and just say this...Jesus died for me, I've confessed with my mouth; believed in my heart; He disciplines me; over time the fruit from the goodness restored in my heart is revealed.
Now this is a good break from the unimportant things like mortgages and market crashes.
YO BABY.
Love YA!
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