Repentance by Whitefield

On Ray Ortlund's blog, Christ is Deeper Still, he posted a wonderful piece on repentance by George Whitefield. I didn't want to lose this post in a sea of information on the web so I figured I would link to it from here so I might find it again later. It is worth reading a couple times at least....

The Archaeology of Repentance

Acts 17- Purpose, Repent

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth... and he determined the times set for [men] and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:24,26b-27a).

First off, we each have a purpose. There are no glory days. There is no better time than now. We are living in the God ordained days set for us. God has determined the exact time and place where you are right now. And he purposed it. You were placed in your setting for a very real and specific reason... now the question is, 'are you living it?'

Are you living out God's purpose for your life? The ultimate purpose the text says, is that you would seek him and find him.... so are you intimate with Him. Have you sought Him out? I'm reminded of a time when some friends dropped their keys to an SUV in a lake in Florida. We did not have a spare so we hired a scuba guy to come and search the lake under the dock. We were determined. Do you have determination and drive to seek and find God? You need to do the leg work to seek Him. Secondly, know that He is not far from each one of us.... In Him we live and move and have our being... we are His offspring, His creation, His children. We are His and He is near. So, we can fulfill our purpose and seek Him today. Or, we can abandon our purpose and ignore... Which way are you living?

"Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-- an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead" (Acts 17:29-31)

But even when we live out our purpose of seeking and finding Him, we still have a work to do... it is a work of repentance. When Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis, the first thing he said was, "Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when he said 'Poenitentiam agite' [Repent], willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance." We are prone to treat God like a gold, silver, or stone image made by man's hands. We belittle God in our lives. We do not give Him the honor that rightly belongs to the King. We treat Him as if we made Him and He answers to us. We want Him to play by our rules, to bend to our wants, to behave as we see fit. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. We are called to a life of humble repentance at the cross of Christ. Our hearts are prone to wander. We constantly belittle our Maker. Once we seek and find Him, we live a life of repentance. One Day Jesus, the Righteous One, who once died but now lives forever, will judge each man. Will He find a heart of humility. Will He find a desperate person who is living a life of seeking Him and repenting. Or will He find arrogance and ignorance?

Seek. Find. Repent. Repeat.

Wow...

This sermon has been flying around the blogosphere since it was preached yesterday at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary... I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

Apostasy

What a weird word huh? What does it mean? Well, in a sense it means to turn away. In the use the bible employs, it is that strange thing that some do when they turn their backs on the faith.

It is a tough one to wrestle through. We need to have a good understanding of grace, repentance, reconciliation, and restoration... the neglect of these things leads us towards apostasy. The other option is a frustration leading to abandonment. We all sin and the closer to glory we get the more we see our sin as pervasive and dominating every area of our lives. What do we do with sin? We must learn to appropriate God's grace through repentance. If you never learn that elementary Christian practice then you are flirting with disaster. You either have to be unrealistic and pretend your sin doesn't exist, or you just blatantly sin in the face of God. Both, of those will eventually lead you down a path you do not want to see the end of.

Let me recommend a couple resources:

"All of Life is Repentance" by Timothy Keller

This is a beautiful article on the picture of the Christian's life of repentance. Every Christ follower needs to recognize the necessity of repentance... daily.

"Jesus is Better: Don't Apostatize" by D.A. Carson

This is a sermon/lecture from the phenomenally difficult passages in Hebrews 5 and 6. It is a call to be faithful to Jesus and to persevere.

Are You Real?

Here is a brilliant question that was asked by a brilliant student I know; "how do I know if I am the real deal? How do I know if I am truly saved?"

That is not a dumb question... in fact Jesus teaches the opposite in a couple places. Jesus teaches that 'not everyone who says, "lord, lord will enter the kingdom'" (Matthew 7:21). He teaches that some will say to him, "'we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evil doers'" (Luke 13:26-27). Or he says, "many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers!'"(Matthew 7:22-23). So, Jesus is informing us that there will be people that assume, and wrongly, that they 'know him' and it will come as an utterly crushing blow that they not only are not known by the Christ but also that they are 'evil doers!'

So, asking if we are real is a good question that we should put to ourselves because the bible puts it to us as well; "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 Cor 13:5) This is a good question to ask and I think it is a much better idea to question now then to find out on the day of judgement. If you haven't asked then maybe it would be a good idea... 'Am I real? Am I really saved?'

I think it is incredibly mature to ask that question as a high school student... I know I didn't personally ask that question until I was much older... Having grown up in churches I just assumed that I knew about grace. When in fact the exact opposite was true. I knew of cheap grace, not the costly grace that the bible speaks of. The problem of most false converts is cheap grace. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it this way: "Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church [and individuals]. We are fighting today for costly grace" (The Cost of Discipleship, pg. 43). Cheap grace teaches that forgiveness is cheap and easy. Which is the exact opposite from the cross. The cross was costly. Grace is far from cheap. That is why it is so magnificent for the saved sinner! We dwell at the foot of the cross in wonder and awe. We revel at what was accomplished for us! We are astonished at the grace and mercy that God extends to us. That the Son of God would die for me?! Who could possibly think that the King of the universe would die for a rebel like me? We are humbled as we contemplate the glory of cross, It is the power of God and the wisdom of GOD!!!! It is our hope and our salvation! It is beautiful! But now I am getting ahead of myself...

Here is a way that you can have some confidence in God's saving of you specifically. You probably already know that Christ literally died, that he absorbed the wrath of God due to sinners, that he took on himself the curse of sin and death, that he was buried, and that he resurrected to authenticate his ability to conquer death, the grave, and sin. And, he extends the offer to any that would believe on him for salvation. What the question really is, "did he do that for me?" Let me ask you this; "how do you feel about the cross?" The answer will help you to know whether or not you are saved. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God... [the message of] Christ crucified is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:18, 23-24). When you think about what the cross means to you do you see salvation? Do you see glory? Do you see forgiveness? Are the scars on Christ balm for your soul? Do you see that your punishment was satisfied in the torture, abandonment, ridicule, and destitute of the Son of God when he walked the brutal road to Calvary and hung on the cross?

When you see the magnificence of The Author of Love dying on a cursed tree you know that you are saved! There is a miracle that happens when you are saved. The technical term is regeneration, or you may have heard the phrase, 'born again.' What that means is that God does a miracle in your heart and life. The bible tells us that we are dead in our sin and we are opposed to the ways of God. We think the Cross is dumb and obedience is legalistic. Then in His great love and mercy He makes us ALIVE! He gives us the ability to see the beauty of Christ and what He achieved. We get to see 'the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor 4:4). That, my friends, is a beautiful miracle. When Christ who is the image of God is revealed to you and you feel your heart skip a beat. When you feel adoration for the risen Christ rising up in you then you know that you have been brought from death to life. You can say, "I once was blind but now I see!"

Unfortunately, those that are perishing think of the cross as foolishness and some even think of Christ as their little dispenser of cheap grace that 'justifies the sin and not the sinner' (Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, pg. 43). I suppose that if you feel that way then you have much to be concerned about. However, God appeals to you to fly to the cross; to trust his Son for salvation; to accept forgiveness of sins; to be brought from death to life. The offer is made today for those that are far off. And I personally beg you to do the same; trust Christ, believe on Him for salvation, He is extending His grace to you today! Do not stiff arm His grace again! Please please please allow Him access to your heart and life!

And for those of us that need to be reminded of his love for us and his saving power:

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Romans 5:8-11).

As those that are saved by grace we still make mistakes and in a weird way, although I hate the mistakes, I am thankful for them. They keep me near his cross. Christians that don't need a savior are the ones you have to be worried for. Their ability to perform their Christian duties repel them from Christ and from his cross. They will make it to the bitter end on their own strength and hear those treacherous words, 'I never knew you, you might have done all sorts of things in my Name but you did not know me.' Christ's offer is for those of us that sit at the foot of his cross daily and receive salvation daily. We are utterly reliant on him for forgiveness and sanctification and life. When you find yourself at Calvary you say with Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6: 68). Salvation is from the Lord and he grants assurance to those that sit at the feet of Jesus for eternal life.

But I know sometimes there is only a little flicker in your heart. You barely feel anything towards Christ. You are feeling weighed down and, truthfully, disinterested in Christ or His Cross

And at the end of the day maybe the best advise I can give to someone asking these questions is... go to God. Confess that your appreciation of the Christ is not what it should be. Ask Him if the offer He made is for you. I think it is fair to ask Him if He loves you. I believe that God is more than able and willing to demonstrate His love for you. He will wrap you up in His arms of grace and show you, "you are my son," or "you are my daughter." And there is nothing more precious than that feeling. And the more you feel and experience that love the more your love for Him grows. And the more that exchange of love goes back and forth between you and your Maker the more you can be assured that you are His, and He is yours.

What to do with Sin?

Kill it. 

"There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be so whilst we live in this world"... in short: Be killing sin or it will be killing you. - John Owen from The Mortification of Sin

The method is two fold:

1) Love God

"The love of God is the cure for sin." -Richard Baxter

Do everything within your ability to love God more than sin! He is greater and better than any momentary sin (ps. they have eternal consequences if not forgiven). This leads to my next suggestion:

 
2) Use your sword: "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).

Know and love your bible. Use it to see the glory of God in the face of Christ(2 Cor 4:6). It will swell your heart with love for Christ and make sin seem what it is... a plunging of a spear into the side of your Savior. 

Quote the word in the face of temptation. If the Son of God used this as His strategy for the temptation of the Devil, how much more desperately do we need to employ this strategy?!

"Sins will not only be striving, acting, rebelling, troubling, disquieting, but if let alone, if not continually mortified, it will bring forth great, cursed, scandalous, soul-destroying sins." -John Owen

So... what sins have you killed today? If it takes you a minute to think of any that you killed or even can think of, then the subtle killers are probably killing you subtly.

Luke 13 Part 2

Jesus continues after telling his hearers that they should repent or perish by telling a parable of a fig tree. In verses 1-5 Jesus tells his audience that tragedies do not happen because of a person's infirmities(sins). Although sin has caused this broken world you can not conclude that every sickness, every car wreck, every saint lost, every tsunami, every disaster is because the people at the receiving end of tragedies deserve what befell them.

Jesus points out that life is fleeting and then you stand before God. Nothing can completely prepare you for that moment but I think, dear christian, that we should dwell on this often. Think about standing before the Lion of the Tribe of Judah! The sheer thought should send shivers down your back... you should sit silently for seven days like Ezekiel and contemplate what it will be like to experience the Glory of God. This is not to be taken lightly. Jesus tells the audience to repent or you will likewise perish. Turn from sin. Nail it to the cross. Seek refuge in the arms of Christ. Conquer death by taking up the cross. Save your life by losing it in Christ. Flee God's wrath by running to the living and victorious Jesus!

Then Jesus says this, "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I will dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'" Jesus tells this parable and the fig tree represents the obstinate Israel or more close to home... you and me. It has no fruit it is worthless and taking up precious nutrients but Jesus, our intercessor and gracious friend, compels the owner (God) to be patient and Jesus himself will tend to the garden of our soul. He will fertilize. He will dig the soil of our hearts to make us a better recipient of nutrients (His grace). He will work on your behalf to help us produce fruit. But be careful friend because even the patience and grace of Jesus is not a forever fixed offer. When the trumpet blows on your life there are no second chances(Matthew 25). There is not an opportunity to fix what you have failed to allow God to fix even though daily he stood at the door and knocked(Rev. 3). Repent now while time allows and praise Jesus for being so gracious with you that he constantly extends your grace period. He just gave you another breath... pause... and another one.... but you are not promised this forever. Make yourself right with God. Repent or you will perish. Jesus is fertilizing your soul. Turn to him and praise his calloused and wounded gardening hands that have bought for you an eternal glory. Worship at the feet of the One alone that can purchase your salvation from the hand of a mighty God.

Luke 13- Repent or Perish

I realized recently that I love to skip the difficult texts and comment on familiar, cozy, easy ones and breeze over or skip the tough ones. Today I stumbled on Luke 13 and the first 9 verses are extremely difficult. I decided to try to understand and unpack the mysteries and meaning of this God inspired text and I must say that it is hard. But here is my best go at it.

Apparently a handful of people came up to Jesus to inform him of an event that took place. Pilate killed some Galileans. Unfortunately, history doesn't help us to understand this better because there is not a historical account of this, and honestly I think a lot of commentators are confused by this text also. But let us take a simple stupid approach to this. Pilate killed some Galileans, some people decided to tell Jesus for whatever reason, then Jesus responds. That is the sequence of events in this text. 1,2,3. Many people have tried to pontificate about why the group tells Jesus and about the motivation behind the slaughter... but I would rather focus on the important response of Jesus. I don't think the text gives us enough facts to speculate why Pilate acted the way he did and really there are several logical reasons that the group might have felt the need to tell Jesus, one of which is because they might think that if He is the Messiah then he should do something about a defilement of the temple (sacrifices would be made at the holy temple in Jerusalem). Who knows?

Here is how Jesus responds, "Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, NO!" In other words do you think that these Galileans were deserving of this harsh experience that passed through God's sovereign hand? Did they do something that made them even worse sinners than everyone else? Did they invoke God's wrath worse than anyone else? ... NOPE. Crap happens to the good and the bad. But here is what you should learn. "Unless you repent, you too will all perish (verse 3)." Then Jesus points out another tragic event, a tower falling on people. Did they do something to provoke God to anger? No. No differently than anyone else. So you should repent or you will be like those people. Actually worse... if you don't repent then you will die a second death(Revelation 2:11). You will actually be under the wrath of God and perish eternally. What you should learn from tragic events is that life is fleeting and then you stand before God. If you are not in right standing with him than you will also perish! But, worse than just dying on earth your soul will be cast into a lake of fire. So, we should repent... Take time right now to kneel before God and cast your troubles at the foot of the cross. Repent from your ways. Turn from your ugly sin and seek the Author and Perfecter of your faith. Have a healthy time of confession. Lay your soul bare before God. Repent or you will perish. There is nothing sweeter than loosing the chains of sin through repentance and running headlong into the arms of Jesus!

Luke 3 -Produce Fruit in Keeping With Repentance

You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Luke 3:7-9).

This is a message that I need to be told often. Cory, "produce fruit in keeping with repentance." Your life had better bear the marks of being a real Christian. Don't just talk about it. Show it. I am not saying that I physically try hard to be a Christian by doing all sorts of works. John tells us how to achieve fruitfulness..."repent." Get on your knees and repent of your sins and seek God's Kingdom. It is not a faith of works but like James says, "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17). Action should accompany your faith. Don't just believe... even the demons believe (James 2:19). Live it out. The ax is at the root of every tree that does not produce good fruit. You want a good motivator for repentance, dwell on the wrath of God. Jesus is going to come with his winnowing fork in hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire (verse 17). I do not want to be a referred to as a 'brood of vipers. ' I do not want to be chaff that is burned up. I do not want to be a fruitless tree. I want to be a son of the King. I want to be a wise servant that ''fears the Lord." Out of a deep respect and reverence I want to serve my Lord with fear and 'rejoice with trembling'. Some might think this is harsh but look at verse 18, "and with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them (emphasis added). This is good news. Being exhorted or corrected is actually the best thing for you. To be brought back into the fold is the best thing for you even if the Shepard of the flock has to use his rod and firmly whip you so you do not stray so far from the flock. His way is best. He is God. We should all repent this morning and beg God that He would make us a fruitful group of Christ followers.