Written by Andrew Chase
Do you have a heartbeat?
Do your words of repentance have a heartbeat?
How can a full day of Jesus being tortured & killed result in us only saying a 1 min, 2 or 5 minute prayer of repentance?
What am I and what maybe are you - missing?
Repent and believe the gospel,” Jesus declares in Mark 1:15
I’m the Bible and thought Christian history we see reports of Christians Howling in repentance. Crying for hours, some days, for their sins that killed the Savior, the Holy Son of God.
In Joel 2:12–13, the Lord says “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts” God desires that people grieve over their sins in their hearts — grieved to the point of weeping and mourning.
Have you? Really?
Yes I know you told God that you are sorry. But have you grieved?
How long?
That spouse you hurt, that money deal, that white lie, that sex thing, that jealousy, that selfishness, that pride (even spiritual pride)? You repented 5 years ago over all of that & all you can remember since a child - in 2 or 5 minutes? What about last week regarding that person? What about today and those thoughts?
You said sorry, maybe?
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). We’re talking about godly grief.
Here is where the rubber hits the road. The human pride won’t ask God for anything of God Himself - the Holy Spirit. They also won’t ask for any Gifts (i address this in my next Devotional on the Holy Spirit).
You see to have true repentance we need to ask for it.
True deep gut wrenching repentance, is a gift of God - Acts 11:18, “to the Gentiles also God has granted (the gift) repentance that leads to life.”
It is an act of Grace by the Holy Spirit (the one that many conservatives reject) as He (God) works in us, to produce an act that flows out of us. Although it is our act, it does not originate from within us. In fact, to our stubborn, rebellious fleshly hearts the whole notion of repentance is repulsive. So we play a childrens game & give it a 1 minute - “ohhh God I’m sorry”.
It is true that I talk a lot of knowing Jesus. I talk about His throne, His kiss and His hug.
I talk a lot about using our Gifts from God.
- But the greatest gift is not miracles or prophecy or helps or anything else. The greatest is the Gift of repentance.
Have you ever asked for it?
When we sin, we play the part of an adulterer. We say and sing “Lord I surrender all”, but we condemn ourselves by singing a lie!
We are cheating lying sinners.
That is why David said to the Lord, “against you, you only, have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). David saw that he had sinned against the God who made him, fed him and redeemed him.
As we look at the Song of Solomon where Jesus kisses & holds you, unless you repent, you are being loved by the one you continue to mail to the Cross. Instead it should be you repenting & carrying a Cross.
It should be that the more we see God as glorious and holy, the more we will see sin as something that is hurting our husband & lover & God.
And (again) your gonna make things right in a 2 minute prayer?
The Pastor won’t speak much on repentance as conviction of sin closes up tithing wallets.
Those lips of His that Jesus kisses you with - were punched by you if you didn’t repent for your sins - maybe even again today.
Those arms He used to hug you were broken as you lied to Him today.
The voice that say to you “I love you” is the same voice from Jesus that said to His Dad “Father…My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:46
We focus our 15 second sinners prayer and most of our sermons on forgiveness.
God don’t fill a dirty cup.
Ravenhill said “ when we focus too much on the forgiveness and never mention repentance, people won’t understand the fact that they have to repent. God won’t forgive you if you are continuing in your sin. The Bible says He won’t even hear your prayers.”
God gives us judgement when we don’t repent and turn to Jesus Christ for His forgiveness, because He is a holy and righteous God. He can’t look at sin – remember, He couldn’t even look at Jesus when He was on the cross! His own Son!
No, you and I won’t ever be sinless. But as you repent, that dirty cup gets cleaned and He begins to fill you with His fresh clean Spirit.
As you repent He sees you and as always - He loves you despite your failure…but you must repent - because that’s what sinners who need a Savior do. John 16:8
Amen
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