The Nature of Repentance, Part 5

In this part of the sermon: He reviews previous messages, recalling the Shorter Catechism's definition of repentance, the 'soil' (grace of God), 'taproots' (sense of sin and apprehension of God's mercy), and…

Martin uses the image of a tree to structure his teaching on repentance, with 'soil' as God's grace, 'taproots' as sense of sin and mercy, and 'trunk' as turning from sin to God.

Having established from the Scriptures that repentance and faith are both indispensable and inseparable in any saving experience of the grace of God, we then began to consider the nature and the form and the fruit of repentance unto life. And as I did begin this study with you, I informed you of the three things that would be the dominant features of the messages on repentance. Scripture will be our supreme authority, the Shorter Catechism will be our organizing framework, and the image of a tree will be our visual aid.

2:10 - 2:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine whether you love the light (exposure of sin) or hate it.

Quoting a Puritan, Martin describes repentance as the 'vomit of the soul,' where what once delighted now sickens, illustrating the radical change in disposition towards sin.

which, as the old Puritan said, is the vomit of the soul, in which what delighted us now sickens us. The thing that we took down with relish and we licked our moral lure in our spiritual gut and we vomited out in true spirit-wrought repentance. For our native disposition is clearly described and I want you to turn there with me in John chapter 3. John chapter 3 and verse 19.

17:02 - 17:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine whether you love the light (exposure of sin) or hate it.

He compares unregenerate people to moles who love darkness and have an aversion to light, illustrating humanity's moral aversion to God's holiness and exposure of sin.

This is the judgment that light has come into the world in the person of Jesus. Men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. Like moles who love the darkness and have an aversion to the light, we have a moral aversion to the light of God's holiness. The exposure of what we are as sinners in thought and word and deed and desire and disposition and motive.

17:46 - 18:19 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine whether you love the light (exposure of sin) or hate it.

Martin describes the Word of God as a mirror and then a magnifying glass, illustrating how it reveals and scrutinizes sin, which true believers welcome.

Preaching that makes him make moral judgments about himself. Very uncomfortable under anything other than preaching that just floats nice little snippets of truth before the mind. He doesn't like it when the word of God becomes a mirror and then a magnifying glass. Whereas he that does the truth, he loves it because he knows each time the light exposes any area of darkness and he deals with that area of darkness his communion with the God of light is increased.

20:10 - 20:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Children: Do you like it when mom and dad point out your sins, or do you justify yourself and resent it?

He uses the example of children resenting parents pointing out their sins ('Get off my back!') versus converted children who love the 'light-giving influence' of correction, to illustrate the love of light in true repentance.

How about your kids? Do you like it when mom and dad point out your sins? Or do you justify yourself and resent it? Are you always on my case? Get off my back!

23:36 - 23:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Children: If you are constantly pushing the envelope of what you can do and can't do, flirting with darkness, you are not a light-lover.

He describes unconverted children 'constantly pushing the margins in the direction darkness,' flirting with darkness, to illustrate a lack of sin-repudiation.

get honest God knows I've said oh God get down inside some of these kids glibly name the name of Christ but you're not light lovers and you know it that's why you're always pushing the envelope of what you can do and can't do where you can go what you can watch, what you can listen to you give your parents headaches why? Constantly pushing the margins in the direction darkness you flirt with darkness darkness is still attractive to you and what I'm saying to you is my Bible teaches that one of the marks

24:32 - 25:17 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It's absolute nonsense to talk about receiving Christ as Savior but not as Lord those who teach that are saying God saves sinners who still maintain their place as rebels it's blasphemous no God saves sinners who he brin…

Martin recounts God's instructions to Adam in Eden, emphasizing that God 'just pulled rank' as Creator, illustrating God's unrivaled sovereign position over humanity without negotiation.

his position is that of unrivaled sovereign over us go to Genesis 1 and 2 God made man woman in his likeness then he didn't sit down and say now let's sit down at the table and negotiate how we're going to work things out I'm God and I made you and you're man I made you in my image so you got a brain and you can figure things out so let's set out the terms by which we're going to negotiate what you ought to do no no it says let us make man in our image and after our likeness in the image of God created he him male and female created he them and said be fruitful multiply subdue the earth God sa...

27:29 - 28:10 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are walking in the light, your greatest burden is that you still sin, your greatest grief is when you do sin, and your greatest desire is to be done with sin.

He asks if, given a magic wand, one's greatest desire would be to be done forever with sin, illustrating the true penitent's longing for holiness.

Then take heart. Take heart. You've repudiated sin. If sitting here this morning you can say, my greatest burden, if someone came to me and said, I've got a magic wand, if I wave it over you, I'll give you anything you want, if you could say, what I want is to be done forever with sin.

40:57 - 41:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Ask yourself: Is Jesus satisfied with what He sees in you? Is He getting what He died for?

Martin uses the phrase 'society slouches, no longer slouching toward Gomorrah, it's running headlong toward Gomorrah' to illustrate the increasing moral decay of the world and the need for believers to be distinct.

He died to make us a people with an alternate mindset, alternate goals, alternate standards for the totality of life. And listen to me, dear people. We have never indulged by God's grace in externalistic, legalistic rules, in the law, in the law, in the law, in the law, in the law, in the law, in the law, in the law, in the law, in the law, in the law, in the law, in this place, about the books you can read, the movies you can watch, the clothes you should wear. Never.

54:32 - 54:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Be determined to conduct your life as the purchased property of Jesus, ensuring He has everything for which He died in you, even if it means being different in external ways.

He uses the analogy of a match shining brighter in the dark to illustrate how believers' distinctiveness will stand out more as society becomes darker, and they should embrace this.

But dear people, that's the thrill of being a child of God. You see, the darker the night, the brighter the match shines. Light a match out here in the parking lot when you go out here and nobody will see it. But if we could turn off all the lights tonight,

56:13 - 56:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Honestly ask in the presence of God: 'Do I know this sin-repudiating essential element of repentance?'

Martin quotes a 'master from another generation' (likely a Puritan) to summarize that salvation is from sin, and a salvation without repentance is a contradiction.

I close with this quote from the master from another generation who has summarized what I've tried to say so well. Not that I've said so well, but he's summarized it so well. No man need wonder therefore that God who requires nothing but what is right and who can require nothing less commands all men everywhere to repent. The salvation offered in the gospel, though it is the salvation of sinners, is also a salvation from sin.

57:27 - 58:02 Read in full sermon