Repentance

Driving home: no remission of sin is promised by our Lord divorced from repentance

Martin contrasts Peter's direct call to repentance with modern evangelistic methods, likening them to a 'Madison Avenue con job' that tricks people into superficial decisions rather than genuine repentance.

of God in Jesus Christ but it is nonetheless repentance preached in his name not simply trust Jesus not simply make a decision not simply believe the record God has given concerning his son there is to be repentance unto remission of sin and our Lord authorized no gospel that did not have repentance as a prominent note in that gospel well then did the apostle take him seriously well if you'll turn with me to the book of the Acts we'll look very quickly at several pivotal texts in which we have a distillation of some of the early apostolic preaching did they take our Lord seriously did they off...

16:17 - 17:45 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Through various passages in Acts (2:37-38, 3:19, 5:30-31, 8:21-22, 11:18, 20:20-21, 26:19-20), Martin illustrates that the apostles consistently preached repentance to both Jews…

He criticizes contemporary evangelistic practices that offer 'Protestant absolution' based on a 'little ditty decision' rather than deep conviction and repentance, leading to false assurance.

as with a dagger and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles brethren what shall we do you see here was no little sales job no Madison Avenue con job to get people to make some kind of a weak inquiry about spiritual realities the word of God had reverberated in the deepest chambers of their spirits until the great realities of their culpability and guilt so possessed them that they literally broke Peter off in the middle of his sermon and cried out what shall we do and what was Peter's answer now we don't want to embarrass anyone we don't want to put anyone to shame everyone bow his head ...

17:45 - 19:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: when the eye turns to behold Christ in faith, if it truly turns, it's a heart broken for its sin and broken from its sin.

Martin quotes Spurgeon's definition of repentance as 'the tear in faith's eye' to illustrate the inseparable connection between a broken heart for sin and turning to Christ in faith.

And we say, oh my friend, He calls you to turn while He calls you to believe. No man comes to the Father but through Christ. Turn and face that God with Jesus Christ the Mediator summoning you to come. And that's why Spurgeon said, repentance is the tear in faith's eye.

40:28 - 40:51 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using 1 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Martin shows repentance as turning from idols to serve the living God and wait for His Son. He further illustrates this with the story of the prodigal…

He explains that the Thessalonians turned from literal 'stone and wooden gods,' drawing a parallel to modern 'idols' such as one's face, ambition, career, or relationships that usurp God's rightful place.

The people of God as his companions for time and eternity. Turning to God from your idols. An idol is anything that claims your affection and robs God of his due. For then there were literal idols, these Thessalonians, stone and wooden gods.

43:40 - 44:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Using 1 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Martin shows repentance as turning from idols to serve the living God and wait for His Son. He further illustrates this with the story of the prodigal…

Martin uses the familiar story of the prodigal son to illustrate the comprehensive nature of repentance, showing how it involves a change in judgment, affections, and will regarding God, sin, and one's life choices.

The commitment of the will is changed. Not perfectly, but fundamentally, pervasively, and basically, and one day, thank God, perfectly. But in principle, there is that radical turning from unto the living God. Perhaps one of the clearest illustrations of repentance is in that familiar story of the prodigal son, all of you children know that story.

46:46 - 47:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray that God will give power to those who are seeking to preach the biblical doctrine of repentance to this generation, and that the Holy Spirit will make it efficacious.

He uses the metaphor of 'untempered mortar' and a 'patch job' from Jeremiah to describe superficial religious experiences that take away the sting of conscience without producing genuine holiness or societal impact.

This repentance is not known amongst people who speak glibly of being born again and being saved by Jesus Christ. I cannot help but think of the text in Jeremiah, they have healed slightly the hurt of the daughter of my people, saying, peace, peace, when there is no peace. God goes on to say, they have dabbed them with untempered mortar. They've done a patch job, that's all.

53:33 - 54:03 Read in full sermon