Necessity & Nature of Fruit of Repentance

Introduction: The Indispensable and Inseparable Nature of Repentance and Faith

0:02 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, October 30th, 2005, at Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:13 Now follow with me, please, as I read two portions of God's Word, then we will briefly pray two portions. The first is Acts chapter 26. Acts chapter 26. In the midst of his defense before King Agrippa, Paul, the apostle, says these words, Acts chapter 26, verses 16 through 23.

0:43 Quoting what the Lord Jesus said to him on the Damascus roads, Arise, stand upon your feet, for to this end I appeared unto you to appoint you a minister and a witness, both of the things wherein you have seen me. And of the things wherein I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom I send you, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me. Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not a sinner, but a sinner, and I was not a sinner, but a sinner, and I was not a sinner, but a sinner, and I was not a sinner, but a sinner, and I was not a sinner, and I was not a sinner, and I was not a sinner. I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, but declared both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. For this cause the Jews seized me in the temple, and sought to kill me. Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day, testifying both to small and great,

2:07 saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses did say should come, how that the Christ must suffer, and how that he first, by the resurrection of the dead, should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles. And then the second passage is in Luke. Luke chapter 3. Luke's gospel, chapter 3, where Luke is recording aspects of the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord.

2:40 I begin reading at verse 7 and read through verse 14. He, that is John the Baptist, said therefore to the multitudes that went out to be baptized of him, You offspring of snakes, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father.

3:09 For I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And even now the axe also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down. And cast into the fire.

3:30 And the multitudes asked him, What then must we do? And he answered and said unto them, He who has two coats, let him impart to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise. And there came also publicans or tax collectors to be baptized.

3:48 And they said unto him, Teacher, what must we do? And he said unto them, Extort no more than that which is appointed you. And soldiers also asked him, saying, And we, what must we do? And he said unto them, Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully, and be content with your wages.

4:14 Well, let's again pray and ask the help of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of the Word.

4:21 Our Father, we have come times without number at this point in our service of worship, acknowledging that the Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures must be our teacher if we are to understand them, if we are to feel the impress of their weight upon our hearts. So we pray that he may be given to preacher and listener alike in fresh and in abundant measures. O God, send your Spirit now unto me, that he may touch my eyes and make me see. We plead this for the good of our souls and for your glory.

5:07 In Jesus' name, amen. In this present series of studies, I have chosen to designate with this title, Repentance and Faith, the Hinge on the Door of Salvation. We have seen from the Word of God that repentance, and faith are both indispensable and inseparable if we are to have our sins forgiven and enter into the possession of the salvation procured for sinners by the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in attempting to set before you the biblical doctrine of repentance, and then, God willing, starting next week, the biblical doctrine of saving, I have used the Shorter Catechism as an organizing framework and the analogy of the tree as a mental visual aid. The definition in the Shorter Catechism, in answer to the question, what is repentance unto life, is this. Repentance unto life is a saving grace whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin and an apprehension of the mercy of God, is saved. In Christ does, with grief and hatred of his sin,

6:37 turn from it unto God with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience. And so we have seen with the analogy of the tree that the soil of repentance is the grace of God. It is called God's gift in no fewer than three explicit texts of Scripture. Its tap roots are two.

7:02 Conviction of sin and a laying hold of God's mercy as revealed in Christ through the gospel. The substance of repentance, the main trunk supported by the tap roots, is essentially a turning from sin unto God. And then its main branches or attendants are grief and hatred, or as I change the catechism for us, grief, self-loathing, and shame for our sin, with a full purpose of and an endeavor after new obedience. Now this morning I propose to conclude our consideration of repentance unto life by examining one thing and one thing only. The necessity for and the nature of the fruits of repentance. The necessity for and the nature of the fruits of repentance. If I were to add something to the shorter catechism and to include this, it would be this.

The Necessity for the Fruits of Repentance

8:13 With repentance the sinner does with grief and hatred of his sin turn from it unto God with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience validated by a lifetime of bearing the fruit. And so this morning I have but two heads to my attempt to open up the word of God. First of all, the necessity for the fruits of repentance and then secondly, the nature of the fruits of repentance and then time permitting I want to make three very pointed applications of this teaching. First of all then, the necessity for the fruits of repentance. Consider with me two basic portions of the word of God which make it unmistakably clear that unless our professed repentance issues intangible, permanent, lifetime fruit it is bogus, it is not real, it is sham. If not real, then we are yet lost and if lost, we are yet under the influence of God. Under the condemnation of God and under the wrath of God.

9:35 So again, dear people, this is not an abstract, detached Bible study on the fruit of repentance. What does the Bible say about this? This will be interesting. We are to look at ourselves as we turn to these various passages asking the question, is this fruit of repentance growing on the tree of my professed repentance?

10:00 And faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the fruits of repentance are absolutely necessary not as the ground of our salvation which is found in Jesus Christ alone but as the necessary evidence of the reality of our repentance and faith without which we do not possess that salvation that is in Christ alone. And I want us to examine two basic passages the ones that were read in your hearing. The first one, Acts chapter 26.

10:39 Acts chapter 26.

10:43 As I indicated before the reading of the passage Paul is before King Agrippa he at this point is a prisoner of the Roman authorities on his way to Rome. And in this passage he gives an account of both his conversion to Christ from the life of Jesus Christ to the life of Jesus Christ from the life of a proud self-righteous Pharisee to a humble, penitent, believing Christian man and also an account of his commission to be an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. For Paul, conversion and commission came together. They came in one complex of the risen Christ arresting him on the road to Damascus. And so as he stands before Agrippa he gives this account of his conversion then of his commission and then he says in verse 19 of Acts chapter 26 having given the record of both his conversion and his commission, verse 19 Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. In other words, the commission I received by the grace of God I have obeyed. And in obeying it, this is what I did.

12:02 Verse 20 But declared both to them of Damascus first and at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea and also to the Gentiles. Now notice what formed the very nerve centers of his preaching in obedience to his divine commission that they should repent and turn to God and doing works worthy of repentance. Paul unashamedly says that he was a works preacher. The very one who again and again declared in his letters not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us. By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God not of works that no man should boast. This man who loaded up all of his gospel guns against any thought that our works can in any way form the foundation or even one little brick in the foundation of our acceptance with God was nonetheless a works preacher.

13:20 For here he says that wherever he went and preached he preached that men should repent and turn to God doing works worthy of repentance. And I want us to notice three things in this particular passage. First of all that fruit producing repentance was a dominant and continuous element in Paul's preaching. He uses or Luke uses an imperfect verb for the word declaring.

13:53 We could render it literally but I was continually and constantly declaring. Both of them of Damascus etc. In other words when he says that this matter of repenting turning to God and doing works worthy of repentance fruit producing repentance was a dominant and continuous element in Paul's preaching. Not only because of the tense of the verb in verse 20 continually declaring but in the phrase doing works worthy of repentance you have a present participle.

14:38 I preach that people should be continually doing or bringing forth works worthy of repentance. So fruit producing repentance was a dominant and a continuous element in Paul's preaching of the gospel. Secondly, fruit producing repentance was a universally proclaimed element in Paul's preaching. See what he says?

15:07 I declared both of them of Damascus first the first place he preached having just been birthed spiritually and commissioned first place he's found preaching is at Damascus and then when he went down to Jerusalem and then throughout all the country of Judea and then to the Gentiles which included the whole of his missionary enterprise he said in every place whether with Jews with Gentiles those with a rich background in the Old Testament those who were raw pagans this was my message that they should repent they should turn to God and they should do works worthy of repentance. Fruit producing repentance was a universally proclaimed element in the preaching of Paul and then thirdly from this passage note that fruit producing repentance was a gospel based element in Paul's preaching it was a gospel based element in Paul's preaching for notice verse 18 in his commission he was told to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and the power of Satan unto God that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me Paul's ministry was to be one that was to be instrumental

16:35 in the hands of God to open spiritual eyes that were blind that people would turn from darkness to light the power of Satan unto God to receive forgiveness of sins to receive the inheritance of grace which is received by faith these are gospel dominant notes and further he goes on to say in verse 22 having obtained the help that is from God I stand to this day testifying both to small and great saying nothing but what the prophets in Moses did say should come how that the Christ must suffer and how he must first by the resurrection of the dead proclaim light to the people and to the Gentiles in other words he says my ministry was a gospel drenched ministry oh yes I preach that men should repent turn to God do works worthy of repentance but if not then I will not repent it was in the context of constant declaration of gospel indicatives I declared what God had done in Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection in order that forgiveness might be received by faith this was gospel indicative that suffused his message his preaching of repentance and the necessity of the fruits of repentance was not a legal work but works salvation

18:03 you see the moment someone begins to press the issue of the absolute necessity of works people say oh you are tampering with the gospel you are becoming a legalist Paul was not a legalist this is a man who understood free grace like none of us understands it and in this very passage he makes it plain that this dominant element in his preaching of the necessity of doing works worthy of repentance was set in a gospel base set in a gospel context so when the gospel is preached with apostolic integrity it must be a gospel which not only proclaims the glorious gospel indicatives what God has done once for all in the person and work of Jesus particularly through his death and resurrection that we might receive remission of sins by faith that's the essence of the gospel but it must also be a message which proclaims the absolute necessity of fruit producing repentance for those who profess to be saved by grace through faith then the second text that demonstrates

19:30 the necessity of the fruits of repentance is the second text I read in your hearing Luke chapter 3 Luke chapter 3 now once again people often have a very truncated view of what was the substance of John the Baptist's message he preached a gospel or he preached the message of baptism of repentance it's described in the synoptics but it was a gospel repentance not a legal repentance he did not preach repentance with reference to Moses and to Sinai but he preached repentance with reference to Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit I want you to turn to a couple of passages that so clearly indicate this that I marvel that there is so much ignorance and confusion on this point look at Acts 19 and verse 4 Paul comes to Ephesus and he finds some disciples whatever that means in that context and he says to them look at Acts 19 and verse 4 and he apparently senses there is something deficient in their experience and so he asked them did you receive the Holy Spirit upon believing and they said no we did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit was and he said into what were you baptized

20:57 and they said into John's baptism now notice Paul said John baptized with the baptism of repentance saying unto the people that they should believe on him that should come after him that is on Jesus John's baptism of repentance had as a crucial element telling people believe on the Jesus who's coming he didn't preach repent because you've broken the law of Moses and have no gospel no this is why it should not surprise us to read in John 1 and verse 7 a statement such as this John 1 and verse 7 speaking in the Bible speaking of the ministry of John the Baptist the same came for witness that he might bear witness of the light that all might believe through him he came to bear witness of the light and how did he bear witness of him well remember the well known words John 1 29 and verse 30 just read on what do you find on the morrow he sees Jesus coming and said behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world this is he whom I said after me comes a man who has become before me for he was before me and again verse 35 and on the morrow John was standing and two of his disciples and looked upon Jesus

22:25 as he walked and said behold the Lamb of God John the Baptist was not pointing people back to Moses in his doctrine of repentance but pointing them to Jesus as the Lamb of God and in the synoptic gospels pointing to him as the one who would send the Holy Spirit I baptize you with water he shall give you the crowning blessing of this new age the age of the Holy Spirit I can only baptize with water unto repentance I'm the voice preparing for him but you are to look to him as the Lamb who takes away sin as the one who will give the Holy Spirit and in the gift of the Spirit bring all of the promised blessings of the new covenant in the new covenant in other words John's preaching was gospel preaching and in that preaching I want you to note now in the Luke 3 passage how John clearly demonstrates the absolute necessity of bringing forth fruits worthy of repentance Luke 3 verse 7 he said therefore to the multitudes that went out to be baptized you offspring of vices who warned you to flee from the wrath to come bring forth therefore

23:53 fruits worthy of repentance and don't begin to say within yourself we have Abraham to our father I say to you God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham even now the axe lies at the root of the trees every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire notice what John does he says first of all fruit worthy of repentance is essential to avoid the coming wrath of God fruit worthy of repentance is essential to avoid the coming wrath of God who warned you to flee from the wrath to come bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance would you be prepared for that awful day when men will cry for the rocks of the sea on the hills to hide them from the face of him that sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb would you be prepared for that day that John himself spoke of in reference to Christ his fan is in his hand he will thoroughly purge his floor he'll burn up the tap with unquenchable fire would you be prepared for that day he didn't say well then make a profession of faith raise your hand walk an aisle say you trust Jesus say you trust God say you shed a few tears no bring forth

25:20 worthy of repentance or the fire or the fire that's what John said fruit of repentance absolutely necessary fruit worthy of repentance is essential to avoid the coming wrath of God secondly from this passage John tells them no amount of religious privilege or knowledge or association will be accepted as a substitute for the fruit of repentance verse 8 begin not to say within yourselves see he knew the human psyche John you're calling us to bring forth fruits for repentance that's for publicans and harlots and the rich we are the religious ones the multitudes went out to be baptized not to be baptized not to be baptized not to be baptized not to be baptized not to be baptized not to be baptized Not just scribes and Pharisees. Who were the multitudes? Privileged Jews. With all of their knowledge of their Jewish history.

26:38 With all of their privileges of their Jewish associations. All of the religious heritage of the sons, the natural sons of Abraham. And he says, don't think to say within yourself our privileges, our knowledge, our associations will substitute. He says, no.

26:59 Think not to say within yourself, we have Abraham to our father. God's able to raise up children unto Abraham from these stones and even now. The axe lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that brings not forth good fruit.

27:17 And in the context, what is the good fruit? Verse 8a. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance.

27:31 Religious knowledge. Privilege, association will substitute for the fruits of repentance. So again, just as emphatically as in the ministry of Paul, God demands through the ministry of John, that repentance which produces fruit. No amount of protesting that we are looking to the Lamb of God for forgiveness if it does not and is not accompanied by the fruits consistent with repentance.

28:02 It's either faith or the fire. It is fruit or the fire. Listen to one servant of God who captures this very well. As however true self-knowledge is the most difficult of all attainments, and as the feelings, unless unusually strong, are hard to be detected in their true nature, the surest test of the character of any supposed change of heart is to be found.

28:33 In its permanent effects. By their fruits, you shall know them, is a declaration as applicable to the right method of judging of ourselves as of others. Whatever therefore may have been our inward experience, whatever joy or sorrow we may have felt, unless we bring forth fruits meet for repentance, our experience will profit us. Nothing.

29:05 Oh yes, I've known grief, self-abhorrence, and shame for my sin. Mr. Hodge tells us it means nothing unless it issues in fruits meet for repentance. Self-knowledge, accurate self-knowledge is difficult.

29:26 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Paul says, I know nothing against myself, yet am I not hereby justified or vindicated. My knowledge of myself is not perfect and infallible. Only God knows me, infallible.

29:43 Mr. Hodge says it's especially deceptive when we're in the realm of something like repentance that involves grief and sorrow. He says at the end of the day, the only real acid test that whatever we have felt has been an accompaniment of true repentance is the bringing forth of fruits meet for repentance. Repentance.

The Nature of the Fruits of Repentance: Specific Applications to Multitudes

30:07 Well, I hope these two texts have established in your judgment the necessity of the fruits of repentance. Now, secondly, consider with me the nature of the fruits of repentance. The nature of the fruits of repentance. When true repentance is worked in the heart of a sinner by the regenerating power and grace of God, what will the fruits of that repentance look like?

30:36 Well, stay with the Luke. Luke 3 passage, and we'll go on to verses 10 to 14.

30:44 And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then, what must we do? And there are three what must we do questions in this remainder of the paragraph. And the question is not like that of the Philippian jailer, what must I do to be saved? The answer Paul gave to the Philippian jailer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

31:07 If the question was, What must we do to have our sins forgiven? John's answer would have been, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. No, their question is, What must we do in order to demonstrate fruits meet for repentance? John has just told them, Without the fruit of repentance, it's the fire.

31:32 Now they come and say, Well, what must we do to manifest those fruits? Tell us, John. What will be that which in God's eye is true fruit of repentance? And John's going to answer three different groups.

31:47 Look at the text. First of all, you have the multitude. The multitude asked him, What then must we do? And he answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him who has none.

32:01 He who has food, let him do likewise. And right through in the three answers, to the three, different sets of questions. John does not respond with bare principles or abstract definitions. He gets very, very specific.

32:18 And he zeroes in on the particular sins that need particularly to be repented of. And when repented of, will manifest fruits of that repentance. So to the multitudes, what does he say to them? He says, Show that you've repented of the fundamental sin of all sinners by nature.

32:46 Selfishness and self-centeredness with respect to God and to our fellow men. What's the first requirement? The first commandment, Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and the second is like unto it, love thy neighbor as thyself. What must we do to bring forth fruits for repentance?

33:04 John says, Make it evident that you are now committed, to an evangelical obedience to the second table of the law, in which will love your neighbor as yourself. You will cease from a self-centered, self-absorbed life that makes you indifferent to the needs of your neighbor. Then you will believe your repentance is real. That's what John says.

33:28 What must we do to bring forth fruits meet for repentance? You got two coats? See that guy with none? You show that your heart has been transformed from a self-indulgent, self-seeking, loveless heart to a heart that now is committed to love.

33:48 Demonstrate it. Take one of your coats and give it to him. Likewise, he said, if you've got something to eat and he has nothing, then you show that there's something more important in life than yourself. See how concrete he gets?

34:06 And what's the lesson for us? If you live a primarily self-absorbed, self-centered life in the midst of the needs of others, you've never truly repented.

34:17 That's it. No mucking about. No abstract definitions. No philosophical nonsense floating around.

34:24 If you are self-centered and self-absorbed with indifference in the face of the needs of your fellow man,

34:33 you've never repented. That's what John would tell you. What must you do? You must cry to God to change that self-centered, self-absorbed heart.

34:43 And place His Spirit within you. That Spirit, the fruit of whose presence is love. That love that does not seek its own. That love that John says in the presence of the needs of others moves us to give.

34:58 For he that sees his brother has need and shuts up the bowels of his compassion from him. How dwelleth the love of God in him?

35:08 Now look at the next group.

The Nature of the Fruits of Repentance: Specific Applications to Tax Collectors and Soldiers

35:11 Verse 12. And there came also publicans to be baptized. Tax collectors. Notorious.

35:17 For being dishonest and taking advantage of people and exacting more than was legally proper. They came and said, What must we do? And he said unto them, Extort no more than that which is appointed you. And with one little sentence, John goes to the heart of their cardinal sin.

35:41 Their cardinal sin in the presence of others was a willingness. To take advantage of their position at that toll gate. That toll booth. And someone has to pass through in order to carry his goods to market.

35:58 And so the tax collectors got him against the wall. And what does he do? He exacts more than the Roman government has said would be within the parameters of a legitimate tax, a legitimate toll. And so John says, Stop it.

36:16 Demonstrate that you are repentant. Of your sins of the second table of the law. Your form of dishonesty. Giving the impression that what you are charging is what Rome has authorized you to charge.

36:28 No. You are guilty of extortion. Using your position in order to pressure them to give more than is legal and proper and right. You are prepared to take advantage of another for the sake of yourself.

36:42 You see the fundamental sin was the same as the multitudes. But you see John, he tailor-mates his pointed answer to the question to go right to the core. If he had merely said, Well, don't be selfish anymore. They might say, Well, I'm not selfish.

36:57 It's just the way the system operates. So he gets so specific to cut to the heart of what true repentance will mean in their case. And you remember how that was very, very evident in a famous publican. Remember his name?

37:14 Lou Shorty? Zach? Lou Zach? Remember?

37:17 Lou Zach?

37:19 No sooner does the Lord come to his house that he says, Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I've taken anything wrongfully, I restore it fourfold. Fruits meet for repentance.

37:35 I'm out of this extortion business and I'm ready to go make things right as we'll see if time permits in our final application. But then there's a third group. Who are they? They're the soldiers.

37:47 Verse 14. The soldiers also asked him, saying, And we? What must we do? Remember the question.

37:54 What must we do to bring forth fruits meet for repentance?

37:58 He gave it to them. Three strands. He said unto them, Extort from no man by violence. You got a sword at your side and you want something?

38:11 Instead of compelling the man to go the legal distance, you make him go more and you just kind of put your hand in your scabbard and say, Hey, Henry, take me down. He said, Don't do that anymore. Don't use your position as a soldier, your armament, your place under Roman law. Don't use it anymore to extort by violence.

38:36 Neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Don't use your position where your word might be considered more credible than an ordinary citizen because of who you are and your position as a Roman soldier. Don't do that. And then he says, Be content with, your wages.

38:56 In other words, he goes to the last of the second table of the law and says, Stop being covetous.

39:05 And you get in the barracks and all of the in-talk is about how unfair it is and you start trying to organize a little soldier's union and see if you can go on strike.

39:17 Don't do it. And when all your buddies are grousing and griping about the wages,

39:24 you stop it. Don't you join in with them and demonstrate that you have a heart content with your lot. In the will of God. You see how he went right to the very central issues that were cardinal sins and says, Fruit for repentance means at those specific areas you will cease from your sinning.

39:48 This passage is one of the most profound passages in the New Testament in answering the question, What is the nature of the fruits of repentance? It means that at the point of our particular aggravated dominant sins, we quit by the grace of God.

The Nature of the Fruits of Repentance: Godly Sorrow and its Manifestations

40:10 And where they are sins that cling to us, that we cannot extricate ourselves immediately, they become the focal point of our greatest spiritual warfare because we are determined never to sign a peace treaty with them. What are the fruits of repentance? They're different. For every one of us, you might have somebody walk into this building and I pray God the time will come addicted to booze and to drugs and illicit sex and dishonesty and a foul mouth.

40:49 God regenerates and saves him. Some of those sins may drop immediately, but some of the others, it may be months before the right words come out of his mouth when he hits his nail, hits his fingernail with a hammer.

41:06 But you see, his progress in grace, in grace is not to be measured by some of you that have never known those kinds of addictive sins. What are your sins? What are your sins? What are my sins?

41:19 If we were to say to John, and John, what must I do to bring forth fruits meet for repentance? John would say, you must evaluate what are your particular cardinal sins by nature and practice and habit and what has happened to them. For some of you, it's your wagging tongue. You're an inveterate gossip.

41:45 Nothing you like more than pick up a little juicy tidbit and pass it on. For some of you, it may be mental lust. For others, it may be a spirit of resentment. Resentment to God, resentment to people, everything, everybody's done me in, nobody's given me my right, my due.

42:06 You know what they are. God knows what they are. And when you ask, what must I do? What must I do?

42:13 God says, you must deal with your particular sins particularly. As the old Westminster Confession states, that's the fruit of repentance. Then the second passage that demonstrates what the nature of the fruit of repentance is like is 2 Corinthians chapter 7.

42:37 We looked at this passage in conjunction with the fact that one of the accompaniments of true repentance is genuine sorrow, grief for sin. The word grief in the verb and noun form eight times within four verses here in 2 Corinthians 7. But it's a marvelous passage to answer the question, what is the nature of the fruits of repentance? 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verses 8 to 11.

43:08 For though I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it. I see that the epistle did make you sorry. You sorry but no but for a season. I now rejoice that you were made not that you were made sorry but that you were made sorry unto repentance.

43:24 For you were made sorry after a godly sort that you might suffer loss by us in nothing. For godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation. A repentance which brings no regret but the sorrow of the world works death. For behold this self-same thing that you were made sorry after a godly sort.

43:44 What earnest care it wrought in you. Yea, what clearing of yourselves. Yea, what indignation. Yea, what fear.

43:53 Yea, what longing. Yea, what zeal. Yea, what avenging. In everything you approved yourselves to be pure in the matter.

44:04 Most of you are familiar with the background to this passage. Paul had written the Corinthians reproving them for serious sin in their midst. He had to reprove them sharply. It caused him grief and pain to do what he had to do.

44:19 Just like you as a parent when you must administer not just an ordinary spanking but some intensified form of discipline because of the nature of the sin and the disobedience of your child. There is genuine internal pain that you experience. Paul said I had pain. I had pain.

44:39 But now I don't have pain because my causing you pain was the thing that led to your repentance and now it causes me joy. So Titus has come back to Paul verse 6 of the chapter nevertheless he that comforts the lowly comforted us by the coming of Titus and not by his coming only but by the comfort wherewith he was comforted in you when he told us your longing your mourning your zeal for me so that I rejoice yet more. So Paul's severe rebuke has had its intended effect and now as he is writing to the Corinthians to reflect upon this he is telling them that the sorrow they experienced from the letter that made him sorry when he wrote it was a sorrow unto repentance. Notice verse 9 you were made sorry unto repentance and it was real repentance verse 10 godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation.

45:40 Now what was the fruit of that repentance? How could Paul be sure that they had indeed repented that this wasn't just some kind of an emotional paroxysm and they had a good ball and had a catharsis and felt better. How did he know the repentance was real? Because the fruit that it bore and how does he describe that fruit?

46:06 Look carefully with me at verse 10 I'm sorry verse 11 for behold this is something amazing to be considered to be looked at serious behold this self-same thing that you were made sorry after a godly sort then he makes this general statement what earnest care it wrought in you you got spudazzoed you got intense about this whole thing Titus saw you Titus saw that this was nothing that you were sleeping under the rug or dealing with in some cavalier way you got there there very serious about this matter that's the general statement on the front end and on the tail end notice what he says the last sentence of verse 11 in everything you approved yourselves to be pure in the matter it started out with you getting dead serious and intense to deal with issues and it ended up with you clearing yourself in every way possible and in between you got dead serious he has these six phrases each one of which begins with the little Greek particle Allah that in this context would be it's translated yea and he keeps repeating it keeps repeating it if you send in a paper to your English teacher with six of those things

47:35 in the front of six phrases they'd say redundant and it would get red marked but Paul wanted to emphasize each one of these things each one of which was primarily an internal disposition look at them for example for behold this self-same thing you were made sorry after a godly sort what earnestness it wrought in you yea what clearing of yourselves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what longing yea what zeal yea what avenging and what was result of all of this spiritual internal disruption on the front end it was that they were dead serious about dealing with their sin and on the back end they had approved themselves to be clear so far as it was possible in dealing thoroughly with the sin in a way that Titus could evaluate it and come back to Paul and tell him what a marvelous description of fruit meat for repentance they dealt with the issue in the way the issue needed to be dealt with and as a result they proved themselves clear in everything now in the few moments that remain a few moments I have five minutes

Application 1: Distancing from Sin

49:03 I'm committed to preaching for fifty minutes don't ask me why but I'm committed I want in the third place to bring some specific applications of the necessity and nature of the fruits of repentance I trust you'll listen carefully number one when repentance is real one major fruit will be that while trusting in Christ and the virtue of his saving work we will take all of the necessary steps to distance ourselves from the sin of which we have repented when repentance is real one major fruit will be that while trusting in Christ and in the virtue of his saving work we will take all the necessary steps to distance ourselves from the sin of which we have repented look at Romans 13 and verse 14 but put on the Lord Jesus Christ in dealing with your sins and in seeking to walk in a manner consistent with the directives of verses 11 through 13

50:32 culminating in the injunction of verse 13 let us walk becomingly as in the day not in reveling in drunkenness not in chambering bedding around in wantonness but in strife and jealousy put on the Lord Jesus Christ if we are to deal with sin in ongoing repentance and mortification we must trust in Christ and in the virtue of all of his saving work we must feed our souls upon passages such as Romans 6 1 to 14 our union with Christ means that sin's dominion has been broken we are to reckon on the reality that we died with him we have been raised with him while trusting in the virtue of Christ's saving work look at the last part of verse 14 make not provision for the flesh it's not trust or make no provision it's trusting putting on Christ and making no provision no provision no provision what's that mean it means you've got to do something more than sin have a bleeding conscience feel rotten go to God and whine and ask forgiveness and claim 1 John 1 9 and go back and commit the same sin why not because there is no strength and virtue in Christ to overcome but because you don't block the way back to the sin you make provision for the flesh

52:01 to fulfill your lust you continue to sit in front of your unfiltered uncensored unmonitored internet service the stuff you know you shouldn't watch till your conscience troubles you oh lord forgive me I fell again my friend stop it that's not fruits need for repentance that's just whining that's not repentance that's not fruit need for repentance when the scripture says if your right hand offend you cut it off and cast it from you if your right eye offend you if your right eye trust the lord to help you no no you gouge it out and you cast it from you 1 Corinthians 6 verse I think it's verse 16 18 flee fornication run from it running from it when you sit with that young man that young woman in circumstances where your hormones are stirred and you end up touching things you shouldn't touch and doing things you know you shouldn't stay from it 1 Corinthians 15 33 be not afraid not deceived evil companions corrupt good morals break off friendships

Application 2: Horizontal Confession and Restitution

53:29 sister or sister I can't talk with you on the phone with unstructured time we end up gossiping I've asked God to forgive me I'm going to bring forth fruits need for repentance I'm going to stop it that's what it means dear people when repentance is real one major fruit will be while trusting in Christ and in the virtue of his saving work we will take all the necessary steps to distance ourselves from the sin of which we've repented secondly when repentance is real another major fruit will be the effort to make all the necessary horizontal confession and restitution demanded by the nature of the sin this will be one of the fruits of true repentance making the necessary horizontal confession and restitution if thy brother sinned against thee tell him his fault if he repent rebuke him if he repent forgive him the end of the world and the end of the world clear implication is when you point out his sin he says I sinned will you forgive me some of you are never going to overcome your sins till you start having to humble yourself every time you commit those sins that demand horizontal confession husband to wife wife to husband parent to child I'm convinced that there are people who make little progress in those interpersonal areas of sin because they won't humble themselves and bring forth fruit need for repentance and say I sinned period

Application 3: Cultivating Opposite Graces

54:58 not I sinned but I sinned however no I sinned period will you forgive me you remember Zacchaeus wasn't enough to say Lord I welcome you into my home I've got some business to take care of it may have taken him months going through his books making restitution finally when repentance is real another major fruit will be the conscious effort to cultivate the opposite grace of the sin of which we've repented another major fruit will be the conscious effort to cultivate the opposite grace of the sin of which we've repented let him that stole steal no more but opposite grace let him work with his hands that he may have wherewith to give cease to do evil the prophet Isaiah says learn to do well well dear people here are some of the specific things that are the fruit of repentance may God help us and enable us because this ain't optional no fruit no root no fruit no root no salvation our father we pray that you take your word

56:25 riveted to our consciences help us to have honest dealings with you deliver us from deceiving ourselves playing games with ourselves we pray that by your grace fruit meet for repentance will make us mark us all of our days until repentance is needed no more for Jesus sake Amen