Nature of Repentance

The point: Pray for yourself very personally, asking God to speak to you through the Scriptures.

Martin describes wanting to stand close to someone's face and ask them to pray for God to speak to them personally, emphasizing the need for individual engagement with the sermon.

Lord, speak to me. There are some of you that if I could do it without embarrassing you, I'd like to walk down off this platform and plant myself about 12 inches from your face and ask you, would you pray that kind of a prayer? If not those words in that sentence, O God, if no one else hears your voice in the Scriptures, Lord, may I hear what you would say to me.

0:38 - 1:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Engage in catechetical instruction for yourself and your children, or renew your commitment to it, to grasp basic biblical doctrines.

The story of the prodigal son is used as a biblical example to illustrate the elements involved in true repentance.

is validated by the Lord Jesus. Or we could take the prodigal son. In the context in which Jesus speaks of joy and the presence of God over one sinner that repents, he gives the story of the prodigal. So we could look at the prodigal and see what were the elements involved in his repentance.

9:04 - 9:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Engage in catechetical instruction for yourself and your children, or renew your commitment to it, to grasp basic biblical doctrines.

The wicked King Manasseh's repentance is offered as another Old Testament example to study the nature of true repentance.

or we could take some Old Testament characters. Manasseh, the Moses, the Jacobite, Manasseh and Athena, Menasseh, the Moses, the Jacobite, and Nino, or he could take some Old Testament characters like Manasseh, the Moses, the Jacobite, and Nino, most wicked king in Israel, and yet at the end of his days, the Scripture says he repented. And we could look into that experience of Manasseh. That's one way to approach seeking to understand what is the nature of evangelical repentance. Or a second approach we could

9:26 - 9:47 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He delves into the first element of the 'soil' of repentance: a 'true sense of sin,' which is a Spirit-wrought conviction, not mere intellectual admission. He uses Romans 3:19-20…

The analogy of having had measles is used to distinguish between a mere intellectual admission of sin and a 'true sense' or experiential conviction of sin.

Oh yes, everybody got the measles 15 years ago. I got them with my brothers and my sisters. Yeah, I've had the measles. I got a few scars to remind me of it.

27:55 - 28:05 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He delves into the first element of the 'soil' of repentance: a 'true sense of sin,' which is a Spirit-wrought conviction, not mere intellectual admission. He uses Romans 3:19-20…

The metaphor of ancient Greek columns and building remnants is used to describe how conscience, though defaced by sin, still shows the 'work of the law' written on human hearts.

They show not the law written on their hearts. That's the distinctive privilege of a believer. But it says they show the work of the law written upon their hearts. Like those pictures one sees of the columns and forms as part of the massive buildings of ancient Greece.

30:35 - 30:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not measure your conviction by external metrics like tears or lost sleep, but by a knowledge of sin that goes beyond mere intellectual admission.

Paul's testimony in Romans 7 about not knowing sin until the law said 'You shall not covet' is used to illustrate how the Holy Spirit brings deep conviction of sin, exposing the heart's evil desires.

They were stabbed in their hearts. It's what Paul describes in Romans 7. He said I had not known sin by the law of God until God the Holy Ghost saddled up the tenth commandment and rode into this private world of sin until God the Holy Ghost saddled up the tenth commandment and rode into this private world of sin into this proud Pharisee's heart and he took him

35:43 - 36:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not measure your conviction by external metrics like tears or lost sleep, but by a knowledge of sin that goes beyond mere intellectual admission.

Martin critiques modern evangelistic crusades that use musical forms and celebrity testimonies, arguing they often fail to bring people under pungent conviction of sin, contrasting them with biblical examples of repentance.

repentance. The soil of repentance is conviction of sin wrought by the great and powerful God Jesus. It is trying to get people very comfortable in a climate where there can be a kind of a sneaking in of the fact that Jesus is the answer to your problem. Musical forms are used

37:56 - 38:35 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He delves into the first element of the 'soil' of repentance: a 'true sense of sin,' which is a Spirit-wrought conviction, not mere intellectual admission. He uses Romans 3:19-20…

The prodigal son's realization of his sin against heaven and his father, and his willingness to return as a servant, is used as a detailed example of Spirit-wrought conviction.

Be the last biblical reference. The Lord is demonstrating that it is like God to receive sinners. The Pharisees are upset. The first part of Luke 15.

41:48 - 41:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then addresses the second element of the 'soil': an 'apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ.' He explains 'apprehension' as laying hold of Christ, emphasizing that true…

The example of police 'apprehending' a suspect is used to explain that 'apprehension' means to lay hold of something, illustrating the active grasp of God's mercy in Christ.

Well, if you pick up your local freebie. Paper that gives local news, there'll be a column in there. At least there is in the Cedar Grove Times and it lists the actions of the police during the week and offers for so and so apprehended John Doe at 2 30 on Thursday afternoon on Pompton Avenue apprehend. What's that?

45:39 - 46:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then addresses the second element of the 'soil': an 'apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ.' He explains 'apprehension' as laying hold of Christ, emphasizing that true…

An extended quotation from a hymn by John Newton is used to illustrate how viewing a 'bleeding Savior' leads to a hatred of sin and a realization of one's guilt, but also to forgiveness and life.

I couldn't find to him. I scoured my only hymns and three or four old hymn books. Couldn't find it. I think it's by Newton.

49:38 - 49:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He clarifies that the 'amount' of conviction or strength of faith is not the issue, but rather enough conviction to know one deserves hell and cannot save oneself, and enough…

A quote from Rabbi Duncan is used to emphasize that a crucified Christ is both all that is needed and nothing less will do for salvation, connecting conviction to the sufficiency of Christ.

answer, enough conviction to know you deserve the wrath of God and enough conviction to cause you to despair. That much. No more. Oh, Rabbi Duncan said it beautifully. It is wonderfully said to

51:45 - 52:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He clarifies that the 'amount' of conviction or strength of faith is not the issue, but rather enough conviction to know one deserves hell and cannot save oneself, and enough…

Lydia's conversion, where her heart was gently opened by the Lord, is used to show that God works repentance in varied ways, not always with dramatic emotional display.

it just says, in the most beautiful way, Lydia hears and it says, whose heart the Lord opened, so she attended to the things that were spoken by Paul. The next thing you know, she's getting baptized. She didn't go into a paroxysm of great dread and fear, and tears, and days of seeking. Just gently, beneath the level of any perceptible operation that the human eye could discern, the Spirit of God was opening your heart like a flower opens to the sun.

52:44 - 53:16 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He clarifies that the 'amount' of conviction or strength of faith is not the issue, but rather enough conviction to know one deserves hell and cannot save oneself, and enough…

The Philippian jailer's conversion, marked by an earthquake and trembling fear, is contrasted with Lydia's to show that God also works repentance through powerful, frightening interventions.

But in that same chapter, there's an old hardened Roman jailer man. He beats up on the servants of God, probably went to bed that night, said all in a day's work. He was sleeping soundly until these characters are in there at midnight, like blood streaming down their back, and they're so irresponsibly happy. They're singing hymns and praying and praising God at midnight.

53:22 - 53:43 Read in full sermon