The Nature of Repentance, Part 3

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 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.

And yours truly has stated it this way under the imagery of a. Two-eyed look at God's Savior and his salvation. Repentance is the tear in the bright eye of faith. And faith is the gleam of hope in the wet eye of repentance.

7:44 - 8:04 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon series uses Scripture as authority, the Shorter Catechism as an organizational framework, and the image of a tree as a visual aid to understand 'repentance unto life.'

The entire concept of repentance is framed as a tree, with soil (grace), taproots (conviction/mercy), and a trunk (turning to God), providing a visual aid for understanding its components.

Stating that scripture would be our source of authority in this series of messages. The shorter catechism would be our organizational framework. And a tree would be our visual aid. Scripture our authority.

8:30 - 8:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If you have never known. And if you do not sit here. Knowing this hour. What it is to have a repentance. That is a God focused repentance. You are a stranger to God's grace. And to his salvation.

God is depicted as a 'street hawker' or 'street vendor' in Isaiah 55, offering salvation freely, to illustrate His gracious invitation to repentance.

In the opening verses of Isaiah 55. God takes the posture. And the image. Of a hawker.

16:47 - 16:54 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin demonstrates that repentance is a God-focused grace through three affirming texts: Isaiah 55:6-7, Acts 20:21, and Acts 26:19-20, emphasizing the explicit call to 'seek the…

God likens the nation of Israel to someone 'sick from the sole of the feet to the top of the head,' with 'open sores and wounds,' to emphasize their desperate need for forgiveness.

And God likens the nation. To someone who is sick. From the sole of the feet. To the top of the head.

18:05 - 18:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Three biblical examples illustrate this reality: the prodigal son's return to his father (Luke 15), David's confession 'Against you, and you only have I sinned' (Psalm 51), and…

The story of the prodigal son is used to illustrate relational, God-focused repentance, highlighting the son's turning 'to his father' rather than just from his sin.

which probably should be better named the parable of the gracious father.

24:18 - 24:22 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Three biblical examples illustrate this reality: the prodigal son's return to his father (Luke 15), David's confession 'Against you, and you only have I sinned' (Psalm 51), and…

David's prayer after Nathan's confrontation is presented as an example of God-focused repentance, where his heart dealings are directly with God, confessing 'Against you, and you only have I sinned.'

One must never think long about repentance without going frequently to Psalm 51. Here is David, pours out his heart after the prophet Nathan has come and been God's instrument to bring him to the breaking point over his sin of adultery and murder and hypocrisy and hardness of heart for the space of about a year. Notice David's prayer when his heart is broken. When the grace of repentance is going to be opened up afresh in his soul, what comes out?

27:26 - 28:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first reason repentance is God-focused is that humanity's fundamental problem as sinners is the disruption of their relationship to God, having been made to know, love, glory…

Paul's experience in Athens, where his soul was stirred by the city 'given over to idols,' is used to illustrate how the human heart by nature is full of idols, making anything and everything an object of worship.

We were made to love Him with all of our being. What do we do? We take that capacity to love and we fasten it on a thousand other things. Remember when Paul came to Athens, his soul was stirred within him because the whole city was given over to idols.

39:57 - 40:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first reason repentance is God-focused is that humanity's fundamental problem as sinners is the disruption of their relationship to God, having been made to know, love, glory…

Instead of reflecting God's image, humanity in sin reflects 'the image of our father, the devil,' being full of envy and ill will.

Glorifying God. Reflecting His image. No, we reflect the image of our father, the devil. We lie full of envy, full of the spirit of ill will, of the things that are not image of God but image of our father, the devil.

40:37 - 40:54 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first reason repentance is God-focused is that humanity's fundamental problem as sinners is the disruption of their relationship to God, having been made to know, love, glory…

Pharaoh's defiant question to Moses, 'Who's Jehovah that I should obey him?' is used to illustrate the natural rebellion of the human heart against God.

It is not subject to the law of God. Neither indeed can it be. We're all like Pharaoh. When Moses went in and says, Jehovah says this, he says, Who's Jehovah that I should obey him?

40:59 - 41:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second reason is that God's great purpose in redemption is to repair and restore this relationship to Himself, as seen in Christ's work to bring us to God and the ultimate…

A hymn line, 'Heaven itself without Thee, dark as night would be,' is quoted to emphasize that for a truly repentant heart, heaven without God would be hell, underscoring the God-focused nature of true joy.

Behold, no more crying, no more death, no more mourning, no more pain. The person who's experienced true repentance will say, But where is the hymn book I use in my devotions? Jesus, all perfections rise and end in Thee. Heaven itself without Thee, dark as night would be.

46:21 - 46:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine what you glory in (brain, athletic ability, fun, peer acceptance, pop stars, fashion) and recognize that without God-obsessed repentance, you are wedded to your sins.

The fragility of human intellect is illustrated by the possibility of 'one little blood vessel to burst,' ending all glorying in one's brain, to highlight the futility of self-glory.

God can cause one little blood vessel to burst.

50:55 - 50:58 Read in full sermon

The point: If your life is not God-focused, stand by the cross of Christ, gaze at His suffering, and ask if He died merely for superficial religious adherence or for radical transformation.

The question is posed whether Christ died 'just to cosmetize me with a little bit of orthodox Reformed Baptist religion,' contrasting superficial religious adherence with radical, God-centered transformation.

Dare to hear his cry, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And ask yourself, did he do all of that just to cosmetize me with a little bit of orthodox Reformed Baptist religion?

53:58 - 54:14 Read in full sermon