The Nature of Repentance, Part 1

Driving home: Repentance is the tear in the bright eye of faith and faith is the gleam of hope in the wet eye of repentance.

Repentance and faith are compared to the two plates of a hinge, inseparable and necessary for the door of salvation to swing open, illustrating their unified function in conversion.

Now let me explain my imagery. If a door is to open there must be some hinges unless you're just going to knock it down. And the hinge is made up of two plates. One plate is attached to the door jammer to the door frame and the other to the door and they're held together with a pin.

12:31 - 12:49 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Repentance is the tear in the bright eye of faith and faith is the gleam of hope in the wet eye of repentance.

Quotes Professor Murray's description of repentance as 'the tear in the bright eye of faith' and faith as 'the gleam of hope in the wet eye of repentance,' emphasizing their inseparable nature.

the apostle is indicating that these two realities are a unit and they are utterly inseparable. As Professor Murray said in his excellent essay on repentance and faith treating them in one chapter in his lovely little book Redemption Accomplished and Applied all true repentance is permeated with faith and all true faith is permeated with repentance. Repentance is the tear in the bright eye of faith and faith is the gleam of hope in the wet eye of repentance. And no one is saved without a two-eyed gaze upon God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Repentance the tear in the bright eye of faith faith is...

14:49 - 16:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon will explore 'repentance unto life' using Scripture as authority, the Shorter Catechism as an organizational framework, and the analogy of a tree (soil, taproots…

The structure of repentance unto life is compared to a tree with its soil, roots, trunk, and branches, providing a visual aid for organizing the sermon's points.

How are we going to handle the Biblical materials and put them in categories? The shorter catechism will constitute the framework of organization and then thirdly the analogy of a tree will be our visual aid. And I will seek to paint before you with words the picture of a tree with its soil its roots its trunk and its main branches. So then we come this morning to make an attempt to consider and understand together the nature of repentance unto life.

18:13 - 18:50 Read in full sermon

The point: You should fall on your face and say, Oh God, I ought to repent. I know that I should repent. I know that you call me to repent, but I have no power to repent. Oh God, have mercy upon me.

The story of the blind beggar crying out to Jesus for mercy illustrates how God intends to shut us up to mercy alone, prompting us to cry out for what we cannot do ourselves.

You see, God intends to shut us up to mercy and to mercy alone. And be like that blind beggar who had no power to open his eyes. But Jesus was passing by and he cried out, Son of David, have mercy. Shut up.

35:47 - 36:02 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first taproot of repentance is a 'true sense of sin' – a felt, experiential awareness of one's personal sin and sinfulness that accords with reality, recognizing sin primarily…

Martin uses his own height as an example to distinguish between a 'mere admission' and a 'true sense' of sin, explaining that truth accords with reality.

That's not reality. Line me up at the wall, put a stick in my head and with my shoes on, you'll get something like five, eleven, eleven and a half. That's true. Six foot four, that's a lie.

44:57 - 45:09 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But a true sense of sin brings us into the theater where there's only two people. The God of the universe and you, the sinner. Nobody else.

The prodigal son's realization of his sin against heaven illustrates a 'true sense of sin' that drives him to return to his father.

That's the true sense of sin. Now look at a New Testament example just as vivid in Luke chapter 15 when our Lord gives the parable of the prodigal son. The prodigal son. The prodigal son.

46:50 - 47:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This felt awareness of sin must be deep enough to make salvation the most important thing in life, to cause despair of self-salvation, and to drive one utterly out of self and…

The Philippian jailer's experience, witnessing moral and physical miracles, illustrates how a deep sense of sin makes salvation the most important thing in one's life.

And I answer, Enough to make being saved the most important thing in your life. How much true sense of sin must there be? I say enough to make being saved the most important thing in your life. Remember the Philippian jailer?

49:47 - 50:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This felt awareness of sin must be deep enough to make salvation the most important thing in life, to cause despair of self-salvation, and to drive one utterly out of self and…

The publican's prayer, 'God, be propitious to me, the sinner,' illustrates being driven out of self and fixing one's gaze on the sacrifice, despairing of self-salvation.

Enough to persuade you. You're never going to fix up your own mess. Your sin and sinfulness are such that you're not going to that you are helpless to do anything about it. You've got to come to that place that we saw several weeks ago of that publican.

54:41 - 54:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This felt awareness of sin must be deep enough to make salvation the most important thing in life, to cause despair of self-salvation, and to drive one utterly out of self and…

The Old Testament provision of cities of refuge is used to illustrate saving faith as fleeing for refuge, being driven out of self and into Christ alone for safety.

One of the most beautiful pictures of saving faith is in Hebrews 6 and verse 18 where the writer to the Hebrews describes saving faith as running to one of the cities of refuge. That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we may have a strong encouragement who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hopes of the world. You remember the Old Testament provision of the city of refuge. You were guilty not of murder but manslaughter.

55:55 - 56:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But the whole witness of the Bible is if you don't see your sin in its true light enough to be driven out of any refuge that's in you or in others what you are what you can do and driven into Jesus and Jesus alone you ai…

Lydia's conversion is mentioned as an example of a less radical, 'thunderbolt' type of experience, showing there is no single model for conversion.

When I preach these things can you sit and say Oh Lord how well I remember whether in a short compass of time or over a long compass whether with a more radical thunderbolt thunderbolt thunderbolt thunderbolt thunderbolt thunderbolt type of experience or that which is like Lydia whose heart the Lord opened. There is no model conversion in the Bible. There are many models enough to tell us there is no model singular. There is no divinely revealed pattern of conversion.

57:44 - 58:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Oh my dear dear Oh my dear dear Oh my dear dear Dear young person, dear adult, don't trifle with your never-dialing soul.

Quotes the hymn 'Come Ye Sinners Poor and Wretched' as a gospel invitation, emphasizing Jesus's willingness and ability to save.

But I want to close reminding you of two hymns one we sing more than the other. In that lovely gospel invitation come ye sinners poor and wretched weak and wounded sick and sore Jesus ready stands to save you full of pity joined with power. He is willing He is able doubt know , know, more. And then in hymn number 390 notice the first stanza you may want to turn there as we close hymn number 390 Come, come you souls by sin afflicted bowed with fruitless sorrow down by the broken law convicted through the cross behold the crown look to Jesus mercy flows through Him alone we'll see God willing ne...

59:04 - 60:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Oh my dear dear Oh my dear dear Oh my dear dear Dear young person, dear adult, don't trifle with your never-dialing soul.

Quotes the hymn 'Come, Ye Souls by Sin Afflicted' to highlight looking to Jesus and the mercy flowing through Him, connecting to the second taproot of repentance.

But I want to close reminding you of two hymns one we sing more than the other. In that lovely gospel invitation come ye sinners poor and wretched weak and wounded sick and sore Jesus ready stands to save you full of pity joined with power. He is willing He is able doubt know , know, more. And then in hymn number 390 notice the first stanza you may want to turn there as we close hymn number 390 Come, come you souls by sin afflicted bowed with fruitless sorrow down by the broken law convicted through the cross behold the crown look to Jesus mercy flows through Him alone we'll see God willing ne...

59:04 - 60:32 Read in full sermon