True and False Repentance

Thank you again. Brethren, when we pray, as Jesus outlined for us there in Matthew 6, did you know that that prayer has a perfect balance for a prayer of any length? It's just appropriate that perfect God can come up with such a perfect outline of prayer as what we have here. It has first put God first. So we address God the Father, honor and reverence Him. Then we focus on His coming Kingdom. Thy Kingdom come.

Next is His guidance over the church. Let Your will be done here on earth as in heaven and followed by our daily bread which means our daily needs and those of others. That's what we should focus on, including of course healing. Then we should focus on our spiritual needs. Not only the physical bread but the spiritual bread that we need. God's Holy Spirit, the fruits of His Spirit to be working in us.

Then we focus on forgiving others as God forgives us, which includes personal repentance for sins. And then we ask God to help us overcome sin. And we finalize with a reminder of God's power, glory and Kingdom. God is on His throne. Nobody can change that. His will is going to be done in the end of a loving God who knows exactly what meaning we should have in our lives as it was brought out in the first message. So now I'd like to focus on one of those aspects of prayer which has to do with personal repentance.

I know that's not a pleasant subject, but it is essential if we are to enter the Kingdom of God. You see, there is a right type of repentance and a wrong type as well. In other words, a true and a false version of repentance. And it's very important to know the difference. Our salvation could be at stake if we mistake one for the other.

So I'd like to first focus on the positive, the true and right repentance before God. Then we'll see examples of wrong and false repentance also in the Bible. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 7, verses 6-11. I'd like to read this in the New Living Translation. It is clearer than the New King James. It says, But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encourage us by the arrival of Titus, one of Paul's helpers and ministers.

His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. When he told us how much you longed to see me and how sorry you are for what happened and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy. Paul had written 1 Corinthians, the first letter to them and having to mention that they couldn't tolerate someone that was publicly sinning in the congregation.

People knew about it, and they weren't doing anything about it. So he had to write to them, saying that they could not put up with that and to do what was necessary. Then Paul was worried about what was going on, whether they were going to listen or not. So he sent Titus. Titus was able to communicate with Paul that they had effectively repented of their wrong attitude and that they owned up to their mistake. And we're looking forward to having Paul visit them. So he goes on to say, I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while.

Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. By him sending that letter.

For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow to experience, but worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance. So you see, that's a missing ingredient. So there is a false repentance in which there's no real change. Maybe lip service, maybe you say something, you're sorry about it, but the habit, the pattern continues the same.

And so it says, worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. So that's what it's going to lead to. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you. Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You show that you have done everything necessary to make things right.

And so here's a graphic and perfect example of the difference between true and false repentance. So there is a right and wrong type of repentance, and just being sorry about doing something wrong or sinning is not enough before God. In the right way of repentance, there are actually two stages, the initial stage of true repentance, and then there's a long-term stage of true repentance. And it's important to know those two stages. Do you want to hear that? Is it important or not? I think so. This is the Sabbath. This is a day of spiritual understanding and examination of ourselves. The initial stage of repentance can be found in Romans chapter 3 verse 23.

Romans chapter 3 verse 23.

Every baptized member has gone through this stage. It says here, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation, which means sacrifice, by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness. Because of his forbearance, God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus, in his sacrifice, in what he does in our lives. But it is the forgiveness of past sins. That's the initial repentance. And that's something that is a gift from God. It's not something a person can truly work out. Now, I know there are millions of people who proclaim themselves to be Christians and converted, but according to this biblical definition, there is a true repentance and there's a false repentance.

Notice in Acts 11, when the first Gentiles came into the church, Peter mentions in Acts 11 verse 17, he asks, If therefore God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they became silent, and they glorified God, saying, Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. That was something they did not have access to before. God granted it. So true repentance is a gift from God. It is something that makes us look at God's law with great respect. We appreciate God's grace. We don't deserve it, but we know it is a new way of life that God provides for all of us. Notice in Hebrews chapter 6, verse 1, that repentance from dead works, which means sinful works, is one of the foundational doctrines of the church. Hebrews chapter 6, verse 1, says, Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. And so here we see that the first of those foundational principles is repentance from dead works. In other words, works that condemn us to death, the breaking of God's law. You know, Romans 6, verse 23 says that the wages of sin is death. That's the penalty of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life. That through God we can be forgiven. And so we go through this first stage when we go through baptism, the laying on of hands, and being washed our sins away in our lives.

But is this first stage enough? This is where Protestants, Catholics, evangelicals, they all go off the rails. They all miss the point. Because Catholics think that if you do certain things, you know, penance, and you do all of these different types of sacraments, that you will be forgiven and that you will receive eternal life that way. Well, no. That's not...they don't even use the term repentance. They substitute it for penance, which is going before a priest and then confessing your sins, and then they tell you how many prayers to the Virgin Mary, or our Father, what they call the Father's Prayer. That is enough. And I know, as a Catholic, that's what they said. Go to confession and go to the priest and say, Hail Mary's, and, you know, our Father's, and after that, you'll be forgiven. You never have to go back to a priest for those sins because those are forgiven, so you go for other sins that you commit. But there's nothing there about true repentance before God. And then Protestants and evangelicals have the idea that, you know, once saved, always saved. Or what they call the doctrine of eternal security. That once you initially accept and repent of your sins and then receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, that there's a magical moment. Legally, it'd be really nice to be acquitted forever. Even God cannot remove you. It's this perfect blank check. And that's where you turn the grace of God into license. See, even looking, when I'm doing some research, there's a book about all the biblical words, dictionary, a very knowledgeable person. But when he comes to Hebrews 6, and he's dealing with repentance, see, he's got this idea of eternal security. And so he says, well, yes, repentance is necessary, but until you accept Jesus Christ. And then afterwards, you are in a position, they call it positional justification, which is that once you are in that situation, you are saved forever. But you see, they skip over verses 4 through 12. Is this what Paul was saying, that repentance from dead works, and that's all you have to worry about? No. Here's the second stage, which is a long term attitude of repentance, which we need for the rest of our lives.

And so in Hebrews 6, verse 4, Paul goes on to say, and he's talking to the Hebrew Christians of the day. Many of them were Jewish Christians, and some of them were not happy with what they had gotten themselves into, and they were looking to go back to Judaism, and turning their back on Christ, and going back to the sacrifices at the temple, and the rabbis, and everything else. And so Paul is saying, you can't stop where you're at. You have to go forward.

Because if you fall back, this is what happens to you. You've already repented, you've already been baptized, you've received God's Spirit, but don't think that that's enough. Verse 4, he says, God's Spirit is in them to balance and to show them how to have that golden mean, golden balance, how not to go to the extremes of wrong, legalistic ideas, or to all of these other more liberal and the grace turned into licentiousness.

God's Spirit will guide us. He goes on to say, verse 5, and the powers of the age to come. So, yes, you have God with you. You sense that guidance and help.

He says, if they fall away, if you turn your back on God's way of life and his truths, to renew them again to repentance. See, God is the one that grants it. And so, if a person turns away and doesn't believe, doesn't practice, doesn't want to follow, then they will go back into the world.

It says, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put him to an open shame. So, Christ is not going to come down twice and die twice for the sins of a person.

So, again, you need the second term, the long-term stage of repentance. He goes on to say, here's an illustration.

For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated receives blessing from God.

Water produces a good crop and these crops produce good fruit. But if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed whose end is to be burned.

So, again, that's the end. It's not talking about eternal salvation and security at all. It's not talking either about just admonishing the brethren that they still have their salvation secured. No, he says, that's the destiny to be burned up in the lake of fire, which is called the second death.

So, it's so important here to heed this warning about needing that long-term repentance. The word that's used in the New Testament primarily for repentance is meta-oia.

Meta-noia. It means to turn and repudiate sin while turning to love and applying God's holy laws.

It is just renouncing the way of sin, the way of worldliness, of human nature, recognizing you can't do it on your own with your human nature. You need God to forgive and then to change your life.

There are two scriptures along that line. Romans 12, verse 9 sums it up. Paul says, let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. It doesn't say, well, just turn a little bit from sin. No, it says abhor. That's a very powerful word. It means to repudiate, to reject, and to cling, which means to hold fast to that which is good. Another scripture is Isaiah 66, verse 2. I'd like to read it from the Good News Bible again, a clear translation. God is speaking. He says, I myself created the whole universe. I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.

Yes, humility and repentance is a way of life. We're going to make mistakes, but we can't let those mistakes just take root in us and just become a pattern and a way of life, or else we are in great and mortal danger.

So true repentance is much more than just feeling sorry about sins or neglecting through change.

I'd like to give just a few biblical examples first of what true repentance looks like.

Job had that experience toward the end of the book of Job. Let's go to the book of Job, chapter 42, after God showed Job how little he really was, how Job did have the sin of self-righteousness, although he had been very dedicated to God, but some of that self-righteousness had crept in.

And so in Job 42, verse 1, Speaking of Job.

And so this is Job's conclusion.

So there wasn't anything left of the ego of justifying himself, excusing himself, thinking that, well, he was still much better than most. No, he just completely got deflated before God.

And God was able to use Job powerfully and blessed him enormously after that.

We have, of course, the classic case of King David, after he had that heinous and wicked sin of committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband basically killed, because he knew, put him out there where all the arrows would be there, and so he had him killed.

And after Nathan the prophet showed David, because David, oh, he was still enamored, he still had power, and boy, Nathan showed him, you are in grave danger of losing your salvation.

And David repented and he wrote Psalm 51.

So beginning in verse 1 of Psalm 51, it says, It says, He starts, He knew, God, I am totally guilty before you.

Goes on to say in verse 7, So he went through some punishment. He says, So we see there the true repentance, and these men showed it, not only by their words, but by their actions.

Yes, David never did something like that again, even in his old age when he had a problem with his internal thermostat.

He was just lost body heat, and they put a beautiful young lady girl there to warm him up.

It says, He never entered her.

He was still in his mind what he had done. He wasn't going to commit adultery ever again.

Of course, there are many others, but because of the lack of time, that's enough examples.

I'd like to give you some examples of people that have fallen into false repentance.

In 1 Samuel, chapter 15, we have King Saul.

1 Samuel, chapter 15, verse 20.

Saul had been told by God, you've got to get rid of these people, these Amalekites.

They've been enemies now for hundreds of years. They're irredeemable. They're incorrigibly wicked.

Saul didn't do that.

In verse 20, Samuel, the prophet, had been given a message from God.

In verse 20, it says, Saul said to Samuel, But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag, king of Amalek.

I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

But the people took of the plunder, sheep, and oxen the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilga.

Samuel said, Has the Lord, as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he also has rejected you from being king.

And although Samuel said he was sorry, and everything God saw, this man is not truly repented.

He's been doing this time and time again. This is a constant pattern.

Yes, he's sorry, but more than anything, for the consequences.

So then, it mentions here in verse 26, But Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.

So there can be a time when the pattern is set, there's no real repentance, and the person doesn't ask for that help from God, which is so important. So we should never take the way of repentance for granted.

Never become too proud to admit error and sin before God.

And we need to deeply repent of it.

Notice again the importance of going to God for him to grant us the Spirit and the right attitude of repentance. 2 Timothy 2 2 Timothy 2 Verse 19 Paul starts out talking about the church using the example or illustration of a house.

Verse 19 It says, So here the need to be cleansed through repentance, asking forgiveness, confession, changing.

Verse 22 He says, God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth about their own situation. They're people that are so stubborn, they never recognize, they never acknowledge, they never wake up to their reality. And the minister can't do much about that. It's God!

If the person is going to God, examining himself, asking God, then it will be revealed to him to know the truth of the matter. And that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. Satan's always ready for a person that prefers false repentance than true repentance. So we have to be careful not to humiliate others by imposing a wrong type of repentance and trying to break them as you would a horse. So here's a word of caution that, yes, going to God actually in humility, in a state of just utter helplessness and going before him for help, that's one thing to do. Unfortunately, some want to do that with other people and treat them that way.

They want people to just have to be there, humiliating themselves, and be submissive and passive. Just they want the person to always accept what the other person is saying. That's a recipe for a rebellion later on. This is especially the case for those in a position of power, whether in the home or the marriage or with children or church or in their jobs.

The right type of authority is one based on love, proper correction, and not oppression. Notice in Ephesians 6, verse 4, I'd like to read this in the amplified version that makes it clear. It says, That's a mouthful, but there's a lot there to meditate upon. There are some that it's almost like going through this initiation that they have in clubs and universities. They say, well, I had to go through all of these humiliations, and now I'm in charge, so I'm going to have this person go through that initiation.

I'm going to humble him. That happens at work. Sometimes you get one of those bosses that just want to humiliate you and show him, show everybody he's the boss, and it happens in marriages where also the wife is not able to say much because the husband completely falls and humiliates the woman. It happens especially with children because they're more vulnerable. And so it's easy to exert your power and your influence, and you're much bigger. And so the poor child can just be basically lose his self-respect, his identity, and you'll find meaning somewhere else outside the family.

People that, hoodlums, will give them what he feels is at least some support.

That's very unfortunate.

So brethren, when we pray, remember to examine ourselves, make sure that we have the right type and not the wrong type of repentance.

I'd like to finish with one scripture, Micah 6, verses 6-8.

Again, it's better shown and better explained in the amplified version. Micah 6, 6-8 says, And I may add, false repentance.