The Nature of Repentance, Part 2

The point: Examine yourself to determine if you possess true repentance unto life.

Repentance is described as 'the tear in the bright eye of faith,' and faith as 'the gleam of hope in the wet eye of repentance,' illustrating their inseparable nature in a saving look upon Christ.

I tried to set it before you in this way. Repentance is the tear in the bright eye of faith. Faith is the gleam of hope in the wet eye of repentance. And any saving look upon the Lord Jesus has both the bright eye of faith and the wet eye of repentance.

8:49 - 9:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine yourself to determine if you possess true repentance unto life.

The Shorter Catechism's definition of repentance is organized using the visual aid of a tree, with soil, two taproots, a main trunk, and main branches, to provide a memorable framework for understanding its components.

I then went on to inform you that in seeking to open up this subject of repentance and faith as the hinge by which the door of salvation opens, I would be doing three things. Scripture would be the source of our authority, the shorter catechism would be our organizing framework, and the picture of a tree would be our visual aid. We then began to take up the subject, the nature of repentance unto life. What is it, and do I possess it?

9:17 - 9:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Ensure your awareness of sin is deep enough to make salvation the one thing needful in your life.

David's words in Psalm 51 are used to exemplify a 'felt awareness of one's own personal sin and sinfulness,' encompassing both particular sins (Bathsheba, murder) and inherent sinfulness from conception.

It is coming to the place where the words of David in Psalm 51 are words that we not merely parrot but they constitute the disposition of our hearts against sin and done that which is evil in you. And then David goes on to say, Behold, gaping in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. There is a felt awareness of his particular sins but also of his sinfulness. Which is why he says, O God, look upon me. Look upon me in terms of what I've been from my conception in my mother's womb. What I did when I looked from the rooftop upon Bathsheba and then I seduced her and then I murdered her hus...

12:09 - 13:19 Read in full sermon

The point: Ensure your awareness of sin is deep enough to make salvation the one thing needful in your life.

The prodigal son's realization, 'I have sinned against heaven,' illustrates that true repentance recognizes sin primarily as against God, not just against human rules or societal norms.

An awareness of sin and of sinfulness. It is the prodigal coming to himself and where there is no mention of God or heaven when he comes to his dad and says, Pop, I want my portion of the inheritance and goes off into the far country and wastes his substance with harlots and riotous living. When he comes to reality his first words are, I have sinned against heaven. All that I have done has its fundamental reference point not with Pop's rules and with society's consensus of decent living has to do with sin against the God of heaven. The first repentance is coming to this felt awareness of one's...

13:19 - 14:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Despair of saving yourselves and be driven out of self and into Christ.

A quote from another generation states, 'the last place a convicted sinner goes is the one place he needs to go,' highlighting the natural human tendency to try self-reformation before casting oneself helplessly on Christ.

When everything else has failed and I see that my sin and my sinfulness is such I dare not in this state with the wrath of God over my head what must I do to be saved is the burning issue of my soul. Secondly, there must be enough to make us despair of saving ourselves. We must come to the place where we despair like that publican of doing anything to forgive our own sins to make ourselves acceptable to God. We are ready to go out of ourselves and say, God merciful be propitious to me the sinner. Coupled with that enough to drive us out of self and into Christ. As one man said from another gen...

14:54 - 16:06 Read in full sermon

Driving home: To apprehend to seize with the mind means there has to be something there to seize. In other words, these old men understood that apart from the proclamation of the Gospel there can be no true repentance...

The dictionary definition of 'apprehend' as 'to lay hold of, to seize' is illustrated by police apprehending a criminal, contrasting it with the mental grasp intended by the Catechism.

Well if you look up in a current dictionary the word apprehend you will find that there are two basic definitions given. To lay hold of, to seize the police apprehended so and so on such and such a date and booked him at such and such a police station. It means officially to seize with authority. The second meaning is this.

17:44 - 18:12 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not trifle with God in this day of salvation, but respond to His call to repentance, seeing Him as the God of mercy in Christ.

God outside of Christ is described as a 'consuming fire,' emphasizing that without knowledge of His mercy, sinners would naturally flee from Him rather than turn to Him in repentance.

isn't that true you see the logic of that you don't want to run into the face of consuming fire and that's what God is outside of Christ and outside of the work of Christ that's what he will be to you if some of you go on in the state you are in but I'm telling you this morning almighty God in the person and work of his son be reconciled to me I set before you a willing and adequate and able savior in the person of my own dear son and there will be no turning unto God with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience turning from your sins until you see God in Christ turning toward you wit...

36:54 - 38:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not trifle with God in this day of salvation, but respond to His call to repentance, seeing Him as the God of mercy in Christ.

God is portrayed as stooping to the role of a 'street hawker,' pleading with sinners to come, illustrating His genuine compassion and mercy in calling them to repentance rather than standing as an incensed judge.

Christ but in Christ coming to you as the God of mercy the God of pity the God who says I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that he turn turn for why will ho everyone who thirst come to the waters and he who hath no money come buy wine and milk without money without price why do you spend your money for that which is no true food and that which does not profit God can stoop to the role of a street hawker and plead with you why because he doesn't stand before you armed with his arrows and with his thunderbolts ready to consume you there is a day he will don't trifle with him in th...

38:22 - 39:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Come unto God through Jesus Christ and see in His cross your sins revealed in all their native uncleanness, leading to pleasing grief and mournful joy.

An extended quotation from John Newton's hymn, 'In evil long I took delight,' vividly describes the transformative power of seeing a crucified Christ, leading to both grief over sin and hope in forgiveness, embodying 'pleasing grief and mournful joy.'

in him is crucified it is the proclamation of a crucified Savior the opening up of the wonders of the love of God in Christ that breaks the heart and gives hope to that broken heart that there is a way of access a number of the old writers that I read in preparation for this morning there are a number of old writers who've made commentaries on the charter catechism almost everyone quotes Zechariah 12 10 they shall look on him whom they pierced and they shall mourn for him and they underscored it's a sight of a crucified Christ that God uses most frequently to break the heart showing on the one...

45:41 - 47:09 Read in full sermon