Importance of Repentance

Introduction: Purpose and the Parable of the Soil

0:03 I was thinking of the verse in Romans 1 where Paul said to the believers at Rome, I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oft times I purposed to come unto you, but was hindered hitherto. On several occasions we actually had the dates of some meetings arranged, and then in the providence of God we were hindered from coming and sharing in a series of meetings with you, but we're grateful to God, as your pastor has mentioned, that we are here together for these few days to share in the ministry of the word of God, and I trust that we shall be careful, that we shall come in expectation for the blessing of God, and that we'll never forget the parable of the soul.

0:47 And the great lesson of that parable in Matthew 13 is that the state of the soil determines the fate of the seed. The state of the soil determines the fate of the seed. It was the same seed, but it fell upon four different kinds of soil, and the fate of the seed was not determined by the ability of the sower, but by the state of the soil. And so I trust that we shall pray to God that we shall have hearts made good soil by his Spirit, that the seed shall bring forth fruit, which as Paul says in Philippians 1,

1:28 will be by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. Now, by way of introduction to the series of messages that we're going to consider, I want to lay before you the twofold purpose that I have in considering this particular aspect of God's truth and considering it for these four nights that we will be privileged to spend together. First of all, it is my desire to set forth in a very biblical and, I trust, clear way the privileges and demands of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2:04 Preaching the gospel is basically a declaration of a body of truth given by God. Preaching the gospel, or evangelism, is not primarily urging men to do something, but it is informing men concerning something God has already done, and on the basis of that, urging them to do something. But never urging them to do something until they have been clearly informed concerning what God has done. And we have fallen into evil days in that we usually think an evangelistic message is one that's shot through with great volleys of appeal to the will of man concerning something he ought to do,

2:46 whereas biblical evangelism is essentially a declaration of what God has done to magnify his Son,

2:54 and on the basis of that, urging men to repentance and faith. So my purpose is going to be that night by night, we shall be enabled from the scriptures to declare that content of divine truth concerning that which Jesus Christ has done on behalf of sinners. For if there's to be any kind of genuine response of faith, it must have some content of knowledge underneath it, undergirding it, or that faith will be spurious faith. And then my second purpose is, and this is directed to those who by the grace of God are savingly joined, to Jesus Christ his Son, that there might be a clarification of this particular area of God's truth.

3:38 To many of you, this will not be new material, but ever since reading and having it somewhat stuck in my mind, the statement of Peter when he said, I'm writing these things to you, even though ye know these things and be established in them, I think it necessary, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, but you see, it's not the truth that sits there on the shelf of our so-called convictions and beliefs that really mold us, but it's the truth that holds the mind that shapes and molds the life. And so Peter says, now you know this truth, it's there on the shelf, but he said, I want you to get it off the shelf,

4:22 and I want to see that thing being held before your minds. He said, I'm stirring up your pure minds by way of remembrance. And so my second purpose is, is that for God's people, these few days may be a clarification, a re-emphasizing of a basic area of divine truth, in order that, first of all, we may have a greater appreciation of what God has done for us. If you've gotten to the place where you feel you've exhausted your understanding of the work that God has wrought in you by His grace, you're in a terrible state.

4:55 For I believe that the Scripture at least hints that one of the great delights for all eternity will be to be able to see the truth, to have unfolded to us the wonder of the work of grace that God wrought in us while we were here on earth, and that this shall be an ever-blossoming, opening flower of blessedness in the glory everlasting. And then the second aspect of this matter of clarification is that I hope it will help equip us to better communicate the gospel to others. It's not enough that we be zealous, we should be zealous. It is not enough that we be witnessing, we should be witnessing.

5:32 But of great importance is this. What am I giving out as the substance of the gospel? Is it the message that God has ordained?

5:42 And this ought to be the lifetime study of the Christian, not only of the preacher. So that's our purpose, to set forth the privileges and demands of the gospel and also to clarify this area of divine truth for the sake of God's children. So much then for our introduction. What are we going to consider?

Announcing the Subject: The Bible Doctrine of Repentance

6:02 What area? What area of truth? Well, some of you who know me say, well, I've got a sneaking suspicion of what it might be. Well, let me either confirm or annihilate your suspicion when I announce to you that our subject is going to be the Bible doctrine of repentance.

6:19 One of those aspects of truth that could well be called one of the forgotten fundamentals of fundamentalism. The Bible doctrine of repentance. Tonight we shall be considering the importance, the importance of this doctrine. And then the Lord willing, tomorrow night and Wednesday night, something of the nature of Bible repentance.

6:42 And then the Lord willing, on Thursday night, the fruit of Bible repentance. Very well then, for where we're going, now let's focus our attention upon this matter of the importance of repentance. Now if you've got any group of Bible-believing Christians together and you were to ask this question, how many of you believe that the Bible teaches a doctrine of repentance, almost every hand would go up? If you were to ask the second question, how many of you believe that this doctrine of repentance is somewhat important and ought to be involved in our proclamation of the Gospel?

7:18 I'm sure almost every hand would go up. But, if you'd ask this third question, how many of you believe that this should be one of the dominant notes in our proclamation of the Gospel? You wouldn't have too many hands going.

7:34 Four. For where this glorious truth and doctrine of repentance is in so many areas, if not openly denied, at least it is neglected. It's awfully difficult for us to see it in its proper biblical perspective. Now everything that God has revealed is important.

7:56 This idea that we say certain things are essential and others non-essential, I think is an insult to God. Anything God's revealed is essential and important. But there are relative degrees of importance. Anyone who would place the Bible doctrine, say, of the form of baptism on the same level with the Bible doctrine concerning the deity of Jesus Christ and say that they were of equal importance, there's something defective in his thinking.

8:19 Now, what the Bible reveals about baptism is important. And what it reveals about the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ is important. But you see, there is a relative importance. There are what we might call root doctrines, trunk doctrines, branch doctrines, twig doctrines, and leaf doctrines.

8:38 Now all of them comprise the tree of divine revelation. And any leaf that God puts on his tree, don't insult God by saying it's non-essential. It's essential. It's important.

8:48 Or else God wouldn't have stuck that leaf on the tree of divine revelation. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. So let's not insult God by saying certain things are essential and non-essential. But anyone who would say that a leaf on a tree was as important as its roots, and its trunk, and its main branches, then there's something wrong with his understanding of trees, you see.

9:14 Now, where does repentance come? Is it what we might call a leaf doctrine? Twig doctrine? Branch doctrine?

9:21 Trunk doctrine? Or is it one of those main root doctrines of the Word of God? And I trust we shall be convinced after our study tonight that it ought to be in our thinking, in our experience, in our proclamation of the Gospel to others, it ought to be one of those main root doctrines that goes down into the soil of our whole religious and Christian experience. Alright then, how do we establish the importance of this doctrine?

Evidence 1: Repentance as the Only Alternative to Perishing

9:49 Are there some Scriptures which state the nature and importance of repentance in such a way that we are forced to consider it in its biblical setting? Let me give you, as time permits, five or six biblical evidences as to the tremendous importance of the doctrine of repentance. Not just from an academic standpoint. That's not my purpose, to just give a Bible lecture.

10:11 But I'm thinking of its importance, objectively, yes, but also experimentally. It's important to you. And the first line of evidence is that repentance is set forth in the Word of God as the only alternative to perishing. In the 13th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, our Lord took the occasion of what we would call, a natural calamity, a natural disaster, and the public discussion about this disaster to teach a very pertinent spiritual truth.

10:51 Luke chapter 13 and verse 1. And there were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things, I tell you nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. For those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwell in Jerusalem?

11:33 I tell you nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Our Lord takes the occasion of these two natural disasters that were contemporary events present in the minds of all of these people, such as we would have when an airliner crashes and emblazoned on the headlines of all the newspapers from the New York Times to the Lancaster Intelligence or Journal, is it? What is it? What's it called?

12:02 I forgot. But anyway, it's the thing that's before the minds of everyone. And our Lord capitalizes on that and He says, Now do you think that's terrible as an indication of divine judgment? For He was talking to a people who still thought in terms of a world that was under the control of God.

12:19 They were not mere naturalistic thinkers and when they saw calamity, they immediately recognized this is an intervention of God. This is a judgment of God. And so as people were focusing their attention upon the judgment of God upon these people, our Lord turns and says, Ah, I want you to know something. Except ye repent, ye also shall come under the judgment of that same God.

12:42 And our Lord sets before these people the importance of repentance in this way. He states categorically that the only alternative to perishing is to repent. Now what is the perishing of which our Lord spoke? Is it a mere natural perishing?

12:59 Well, allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture, notice how Peter uses these very words and sets them against each other in 2 Peter chapter 3, where dealing with the problem of why the Lord delays His coming. He declares to these believers God's purpose in the delaying of the return of His Son. 2 Peter 3, verse 9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,

13:42 but that all should come to repentance. He takes the two things, and sets them against each other, even as did our Lord. Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. In other words, the reason He delays His coming is that He's giving space for repentance.

14:00 But the only way to avert the judgment of God, which will lead to perishing, is to find the mercy of God in a way of repentance. And if it's not found in a way of repentance, it will not be found at all. And so the importance of repentance is seen in these three passages of Scripture, because it sets before us this truth that the only alternative to perishing is to repent. And lest we treat that lightly, will you just try to squeeze into that word perishing all that the Bible puts into that word perishing?

14:36 Will you bring to your mind such biblical phrases as these? Outer darkness, weeping, wailing, gnashing teeth, where there were and dieth not, and the fire is never quenched, the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and forever, and they have no rest, day nor night, and these shall go away into everlasting punishment. Those are biblical terms. And the word perish has squeezed into it all the naked, shocking horror of those words.

15:19 Outer darkness, weeping, wailing, the smoke of their torment ascending up forever and forever. How important is this matter of repentance? It's just as important as fleeing the wrath to come. For you personally, for if you live and die a stranger to what the Bible means by repenting, God says you must perish, and by perish He means that you'll experience all the horror of those terrible descriptions of that place of banishment, from the presence of God.

15:55 And in our presentation of the Gospel to others, if we do not make clear to them that if they do not come to God through Christ in a way of repentance, they shall perish, we are betraying their souls. If we present any other way by which they may come into the possession of the mercy of God, if we soft-pedal or bypass the mode of repentance, we may be leading people into a false hope who, clinging to a false Gospel, will not be able to understand the true meaning of repentance. And if we do not make clear to them that if they do not come to God through Christ in a way of repentance, we may be leading people into a false hope who, clinging to a false Gospel, may find their everlasting shame or the horror of the word perish. So much, then, for the first line of biblical evidence as to the importance of this Bible doctrine.

Evidence 2: The Only Gospel Authorized by Christ is a Gospel of Repentance

16:39 Now the second line of evidence that I want us to consider from the Scriptures is this. Not only is it the only alternative to perishing, but the only Gospel authorized by Jesus Christ, our Lord, is a Gospel of repentance. That's not all that the Bible has to offer. It has to offer a gospel of repentance.

16:56 That's not all it is, but it is that. And so I state it in that way, purposely. The only Gospel authorized by Jesus Christ is a Gospel of repentance. Now let me ask a very simple question.

17:08 What Gospel am I authorized to preach to you this week? Am I authorized to make up my own Gospel? Why, you say, of course not. For the Scripture has some pretty strong words for people who make up their own Gospel.

17:23 Galatians, chapter 1, verses 8 and 9, Paul said, if you preach any other Gospel than that which we've preached unto you, let him be anathema. He uses the strongest word that he can take out of the storehouse of the Greek language. Let him be anathema. He pronounces that strong curse.

17:40 Let him be a curse of God. And it's as though someone says, now wait a minute, Paul, weren't you just carried away a little bit? He says, no. In the next verse he says, again I say, if you preach any other Gospel, any other Gospel other than that which my Lord has given, when you talk to that neighbor and you bear witness to that neighbor and seek to point that neighbor to the Savior, when you communicate the Gospel, what Gospel do you communicate?

18:13 You have a right to communicate only one in the name of Christ. That's the Gospel authorized and given by Christ. And that Gospel is a Gospel among other things of repentance. Now, where do we find this?

18:26 In the Gospel according to Luke, it's interesting that in the five accounts of the Great Commission, as I am privileged to get about to different parts of the country and different assemblies of God's people, I venture to say, and I don't believe that this is inaccurate, I wouldn't say it, that Luke's account of the Great Commission is probably the least known of the five accounts of the Great Commission. If I were to say, give me the substance of the Great Commission according to Matthew, probably many of you could give it to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you, lo, I am with you always. The goal of the Great Commission

19:11 is given to us in Matthew. What is that goal? The goal is to make disciples. It's not to get people fire-proofed.

19:17 It's not to get them to feel good. It's to make disciples. We're to go out in the name of our conquering, risen, ascended Lord and, preaching grace and mercy by Jesus Christ, to the ends of the gospel that men may become the loyal subjects of King Jesus. Make disciples, baptizing them, teaching them.

19:38 You see, discipleship is not some state of advanced Christian maturity. Christ said you make disciples, then you gather them into churches, then you teach them that they might come to maturity. Discipleship is on the threshold, not out here as a state of spiritual maturity. Make disciples, then baptize, then teach.

19:59 That's the goal. Bring men together in loving, trustful obedience and faith. Gather them together in local assemblies and then, by a teaching ministry, build them to spiritual maturity that they, in turn, may make disciples. Gather them together, bring them to maturity.

20:17 Now, Mark gives us, and most of us are familiar with that, Mark 16, 15, the scope of this commission. Where is it to be obeyed? Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel of the Lord to the people of the world. And the results, as you do, what will happen?

20:37 Some will believe and be saved. Some will disbelieve and be damned. Matthew gives us the goal of the commission. Mark gives us the scope and the results as we obey that commission.

20:48 Let's skip over Luke for a minute. What does John give us? John gives us the authority by which we carry out the commission. John 20, 21.

20:56 As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. Believe this message and you will be saved. Disbelieve it and you will be damned. And he turns to you and says, Who in the world are you to tell me that?

21:08 You better believe. You say, I tell you that message on the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, that's the authority by which we declare such a message. You see some fellow standing down there at the corner of King and, King and, not King and Queen, what are the two streets?

21:27 What are the two main streets? Is it King and Queen? Where you get away from an error for five years and some fellow maybe just five foot seven, 135 pounds, he stands out there and blows a whistle and sticks his hand up and he backs up the potential power of thousands of horse power. Well, who in the world is he?

21:44 Well, you see he has authority and that blue cap and blue uniform and gun around there and that badge, that bespeaks authority and so that authority enables him to put up his hand and blow his whistle and everybody stops. Not because he has inherent power to hold back all that horse power but because he has authority. No, just let somebody step on the gas and see what would happen but he has authority. And then in the book of Acts chapter one and verse eight, what do we have?

22:13 Well, we have the power by which the commission is obeyed. Ye shall receive power, the Holy Ghost coming upon you. It's not enough to have authority. Suppose everybody decided to step on the gas, that poor fellow would be flattened out.

22:26 There'd be nothing left to it, you see. And so as we go out proclaiming to men this message, demanding that they submit unless there was an operation of divine power. And we read in Acts one eight, ye shall receive power, the Holy Ghost coming upon you. But now notice, neither Matthew, Mark, nor John or Luke in the book of Acts gives us the content of the message we're to preach.

22:50 You don't find in any one of those accounts of the great commission what is the content of the gospel. And it's the distinctive contribution of the gospel of Luke chapter 24 to give us the doctrinal content of the message which Jesus Christ has authorized to be preached with a view to making disciples in all the world with the promise that those who believe shall be saved, those who disbelieve shall be damned. The message that we preach in the authority of Christ, in the power of the Spirit. What is the content of it?

The Threefold Content of the Authorized Gospel (Luke 24:45-47)

23:24 Luke gives it to us. Luke chapter 24. Let's look at it for a few moments. Luke chapter 24, beginning with verse 45.

23:32 Then opened he speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. And he said unto them thus it is written and thus it behoved old English word for thus it is necessary thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission of sins shall be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the name and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem now notice and ye

24:16 are witnesses of these things. What things are they to bear witness to? What is preaching the gospel? He tells us right here.

24:30 And it clusters under three main groupings of truth. Notice them. The first one verse 46 thus it is written thus it was necessary for Christ to proclaim the message authorized by Jesus Christ is to proclaim those truths which cluster around the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. It means to declare to men the substance and meaning and fact and benefits of the cross.

24:58 What's involved in that? Well at least it involves this much. It means declaring to men why there had to be a cross. That brings preaching in the law of God.

25:08 Mount Calvary apart from Mount Sinai. For the whole meaning of the cross is what? Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. Being made a curse for us.

25:22 For it is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Galatians 3 and verse 13. Well you see to tell men Christ died Christ died that's absolutely meaningless. And to 20th century people it has very little meaning.

25:37 Of the God of the Bible who punishes sin with what the theologians call retributed justice. There's something about sin that demands the wrath and the stroke of God. The average person in our day doesn't have that concept anymore. We've lost it in the structure of society with our civil courts.

26:00 You see they are meant to be a little bit of a picture of how God deals with men. Romans 13 says that human government is to teach not to punish. But the whole thought in our day is that the purpose of the court of the land and the penal institutions is to reform and to instruct. It's not punitive but by didactic.

26:19 It's to teach not to punish. That's not the biblical concept. And so you come to the average person and say Christ died. He says so what my uncle Harry died.

26:30 So to preach that Christ must suffer involves declaring why he had to suffer. God is holy man is sinful. God has rights man has rights. Man is his subject.

26:39 God has expressed his rights in his law. Man has broken his law. God is just. God must punish sin.

26:46 God is holy. God cannot count him in sin until man begins to see that he's hung up in a terrible dilemma. God is holy. I'm sinful.

26:55 God has given a law. I've broken that law. God is just. He's going to punish all sin.

27:01 Where can I flee? Christ. Christ has redeemed us from the curse. You see the cross says that in that context begins to have meaning.

27:12 That's what it means to preach that Christ must suffer. Why he had to suffer. We've got to preach who suffered. He said preach that Christ the anointed long promised Messiah must suffer.

27:24 Don't just use the word Jesus Christ and think people will put the right meaning on it. We've got to declare the Christ of the scriptures that unique person who was God and man joined in one person forever. We've got to proclaim this. Why he had to suffer.

27:39 Who suffered. The nature of his sufferings. They were penal sufferings. He bore the curse of God.

27:47 He became sin for us. That blessed and sinless one. The spotless one. Holy.

27:53 Harmless. Undefiled. The wrath of God poured over his head. As Isaiah 53 declares in four instances the great activity of the cross was not to be found in horizontal relationships but in the vertical relationship.

28:11 When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. It pleased the Lord to bruise him until men see that the cross is not a matter of wicked priests and apostate Jews and cruel soldiers doing something to Christ but it's God the Father the Holy One pouring out the gospel according to our Lord. That's what we've got to do. Holy sin.

28:48 Very simple gospel. I'd like to find the fellow who invented this idea that we can get all the divine truth of God in a three-minute capsule. It's obviously not being owned of God to produce disciples because it's a defective message that bypasses all of this and simply says that which clusters around his resurrection. He said we must proclaim that he was raised from the dead the third day.

29:20 We're to preach the fact of his resurrection that somewhere in Jerusalem I don't know if the tours take you to the right place I frankly doubt it but it's good business so they tell us that's the place but somewhere in Jerusalem if we could find it there's a tomb with a slab of stone that was once bearing Christ and that slab of stone is empty. He came out of that tomb. The fact of his resurrection. We're to preach the implications of his resurrection.

29:53 This was proof positive that he was what he claimed to be. Romans 1 and verse 4 said declared to be the son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. We're to proclaim that because of his resurrection this is God's receipt to humanity saying I'm satisfied and now he lives to make good by his life that which he purchased by his death. That's preaching the gospel.

30:19 It's not simply telling men Christ died on the cross look back to that and nod your head. No. The apostles always moved quickly from the cross to the throne and they always preached the enthroned Christ and they made the enthroned Christ the object of men's faith. Look at that first Pentecostal sermon.

30:42 He slain him but God raised him up and now he said in verse 36 of Acts 2 let all the house of Israel know assuredly that this same Jesus whom you crucified God has made him both Lord and Christ. He's exalted to a place of authority and power. Now he said let your faith be directed to him not on a cross but on a throne. That's proclaiming the gospel according to our Lord.

Repentance Unto Remission of Sins: An Integral Part of the Gospel

31:09 We're never never to leave him on the cross on the throne. Now having done that what do we do? Well our Lord says this is the third great area of truth. The first area clusters around the cross.

31:20 The second around the open tomb and the enthronement of Christ. Now notice having made objective provision for sinners by his death and resurrection what are the terms that we are to lay before sinners by which they can come into those provisions? What are we to tell them? Notice verse 47 and that repentance and or better translated if you have a modern version it probably translates it this way and that repentance unto remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem.

31:56 Having declared him as the one who died to satisfy the demands of a broken law having proclaimed him as the one who rose in triumphant power in vindication of his person and his work he's been received back to the right hand of the Father that he shall not break

32:15 from this and simply accept him as personal Savior, a totally unbiblical phrase. I'm not going to fight now, but let's be biblical. Our Lord said, No, you're to proclaim that repentance which is unto remission of sin. You're to let them know that if ever they are to enter into the benefits of that

32:59 which is wrought upon the cross, if ever they are to know the remission of sin purchased by the death and resurrection of Christ, they must come to grips with what the Bible means by repentance. And they must never think of remission apart from repentance. They must never think of forgiveness apart from that turning from sin. Now, to make this intensely practical and try to drive it home into your consciences tonight, suppose in these four days that I am here, I told you as I did tonight that during these four days I want to preach the gospel.

33:35 Suppose during those four days I never once spelled out anything clear about the cross that Christ must suffer. I didn't mention, I didn't mention anything about the God who's holy, whose law has been broken, whose justice must be satisfied, that Christ satisfied divine justice. I never said a thing, never opened up the scriptures and expounded that truth. Would I have preached the gospel to you?

33:58 Yes or no? I wouldn't have preached the gospel because that's an integral part of it. Now, that doesn't mean if somebody comes for four nights and doesn't do that, he's not true to the Lord. Maybe you call him to come and give a series of lectures on church government.

34:10 But if I came saying I am expressly here to preach the gospel, and I didn't deal with those truths clustering around the cross, I hadn't preached the gospel. All right? Suppose I spoke much and opened up many scriptures concerning the necessity of the sufferings of Christ, the nature of his sufferings, the benefits that accrue and flow down from the wounds of Calvary. But I left the Lord on a cross and never declared clearly from the scriptures that he must be raised from the dead.

34:40 The fact of his resurrection, the implications of his resurrection, the benefits of his resurrection, didn't mention anything about it. Would I have preached the biblical gospel? Yes or no? No.

34:51 All right. Now, granted, suppose I did expound something of his cross and did set forth with some measure of clarity and scriptural perspective the fact and the benefits of his resurrection.

35:04 Suppose I did not sound a clear, dominant note spelling out the necessity and nature of true repentance unto remission of sins. Would I have preached the gospel according to Christ? Yes or no? I wouldn't have done it, friends.

35:18 I wouldn't have done it. And you see, the problem in our day is that the liberals have tampered with the first two. And we evangelicals have tampered with the third area of truth and together we're in a hopeless mess barring an intervention of God. For the liberal has said, no, God is not holy.

35:38 His law is not absolute. He does not demand satisfaction. And they write off the blood of Christ and the sacrifice of Christ and say, it's just an example, a moral picture of how we should be patient under persecution and all the rest. And they write off the biblical cross.

35:55 And then they say, the resurrection, well, let's take it as you like it. It's just the thought that matters. And so they've destroyed the objectivity, the historicity, the factuality of the resurrection. But we evangelicals have said, ah, we believe in the biblical cross.

36:10 We believe in the biblical tomb. But by our failure to spell out the necessity and nature of the resurrection, the nature and fruits of that repentance which is involved in a saving response to God, we have created in many circles a situation that is far more subtle and delusive than that in which the liberal finds himself. For it's more black and white amongst the liberals when they hear the biblical gospel. They say, wait a minute, that's a different product.

36:39 You can preach as I have done in bulwarks of evangelicalism. And when you preach the biblical cross, oh yeah, I know all about that. The biblical tomb, I know all about that. So they think because they know that and that, they know something of this.

36:51 When they're utter strangers to true heart repentance of sorrow and grief for sin, they know nothing. Deep plowings of the heart, they know nothing. Hungering to be holy, they know but little or nothing at all.

Apostolic Preaching: Repentance as a Dominant Note

37:09 And I seriously wonder when Paul says as he does in Galatians 1, please don't go out and say I said this, but I wouldn't. When he said, if anyone preach any other gospel than that which we preach, let him be accursed, is that just touching those who tamper with the cross and the tomb?

37:30 Or does it also touch those who tamper with the necessity and nature of that repentance which is unto life? Did the apostles take their Lord's commission seriously? Will you very quickly, and in the interest of time, we must do this quickly, will you just flip through with me about six or seven references in the book of the Acts to see how seriously the apostles took their Lord's authorized gospel and refused to tamper with that gospel. Acts chapter 2, I referred to this passage in another light a little bit ago.

38:07 Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost,

38:11 and if you read the entire passage, it would seem that right in the middle of his sermon, the Spirit of God so fell upon men that they cried out, and as it were, they gave their own invitation. You say, well, what makes you say that? Well, notice. Verse 37 says, Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and they said unto Peter, What shall we do?

38:30 We'll look at the answer Peter gave, but then down in verse 40, it says, And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this unto our generation. Then it says, They that received his word were baptized. It seems apparent that Peter was cut off right in the middle of his sermon, gave a word of direction that would quiet their troubled hearts, and then he went on and finished his sermon. Now what word of direction did he give?

38:55 Notice. When they cried out, verse 37, and were pricked in their heart, a literal rendering of the original would be, Stabbed in the heart as with a dagger, pricked in the heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said unto them, I don't want to be facetious. Please don't anyone say that I'm trying to be funny.

39:22 I'm not. But just to show the contrast, then Peter said unto them, Everybody, bow your head. Close your eyes. We don't want anybody embarrassed.

39:32 We don't want anybody here to feel we're singling them out. And those of you that really want to do something, you just quietly slip up your hand, no one looking, no one looking. We don't want to embarrass anyone. And we'll have a word of prayer for you.

39:45 That's what the gospel invitation has become in so many circles. And I've actually been looked upon as some kind of a mockness because I refuse to do that. What did Peter do? Here's what he did.

39:56 Listen. When they cried out, what shall we do? Listen to his response. He said, repent.

40:02 The first word of direction was, repent.

40:06 And then he said, far from bowing your head and closing your eyes and saying we don't want you to be embarrassed, he said, if you really have repented in your heart, step out of this crowd that crucified Christ and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. You declare that you are lined up with him as a disciple willing, if necessary, to bear and take what he got from this crowd.

40:31 That was his direction. That's it. Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. He inseparably joined repentance with remission and he refused to put asunder what his Lord had joined together.

40:47 Repent. Remission. Tied together. Inseparable.

40:52 And then it says when they received his word they were baptized and the Lord added 3,000. It's not surprising to read verse 42. And they continued steadfastly. In the Apostles' Doctrine.

41:05 And you know when the Evangelistic Report was written? 30 years after the campaign.

41:11 The book of the Acts of the Apostles was written 30 years after Pentecost. And looking back, Luke could say of that great number, the greater part of them continued steadfast.

41:26 Why? Because they came into the profession of Christianity on the basis of a biblical proclamation and a biblical response. And so, we see the blessing of God. Chapter 3, verse 19.

41:41 Apparently not the same presence of God attending this sermon. Nobody's crying out under deep conviction. But as Peter comes to close his sermon, recognizing the sovereignty of the Spirit who blows where he wills, Peter nonetheless, though there is not that pained cry of conviction, concludes his sermon with this word, Acts 3.19, Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out.

42:07 No blotting out without repentance. If there would be blotting out, there must be repentance. He keeps the two joined, even as our Lord had done in his commission to him. Now turn to chapter 8, where we find this same Peter talking to an individual, no longer preaching to a group, but he's come into contact with this Simon the Sorcerer who's made a profession of faith, who's already been baptized, received into the church, who's been hobnobbing with Philip, the evangelist.

42:39 And then when he sees the Holy Spirit given in unusual ways through the laying on of the hands of the apostles, you remember the story, he said, ah, I'd like this. This would make a good crowd collector. I'd like to have this power. How can I get it?

42:52 Now Peter says to him, Acts chapter 8, notice verse 20, But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God might be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness, and pray God that perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee, for I perceive thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Notice what he joins together.

43:22 Repent and pray that there may be forgiveness. Forgiveness, repentance, joined together. Remission, repentance, joined together. Blotting out and repentance, joined together.

43:34 Inseparable in the preaching of the apostles. Now, the apostle Paul preaching to a group of Gentiles. For there are some who in their attempt to get around the strict and obvious teaching of the scripture here said, well, repentance was primarily a message to people already in covenant relationship with God. It was a message preached to the Jews, but all Paul preached to the Gentiles was believed.

43:58 Well, let's see if that's what he preached. Notice Acts chapter 17, preaching to these Athenian philosophers on Mars Hill. Now, the Apostle Paul he says as he brings his sermon to a conclusion, Acts 17 and verse 30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at.

44:16 But now command it all men everywhere to repent. He uses the broadest words possible in human language. God commands all men to Gentile high, low, ignorant, educated, cultured, uncultured, all men, everywhere, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the end, to the earth, all classes of men in every kind. He commands them to repent, to repent.

44:46 Now notice the same Apostle reviewing his ministry of some three years amongst the Ephesians in Acts chapter 20. He has with him the Ephesian elders. And speaking to them as representative of the entire Ephesian church, he is reviewing first of all his motives as a messenger of God, then the message and the message by which he communicated that message. And those three things are more vital to every servant of Christ, whether he be a pastor, a housewife, trying to witness the neighbors.

45:18 My motives, what are they? My message are biblical. My message is a scriptural and Paul touches those three areas. And when he comes to his message, notice what he says in verses 20 and 21.

45:32 I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and taught you publicly and from house to house that you are testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks two distinct things, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Now keep that in mind. Drop down to verse 24. None of these things move me, neither count I my life here to myself, that I may finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the God grace of God.

46:12 You see, Paul testified the gospel of the grace of God in such a way that including that testimony was a dominant clarion note of repentance. He did not see any kind of collision between the free grace of God and the necessity of repentance. For Paul recognized the glorious truth that has revolutionized my own heart and thinking in the past two or three years that in no way is God's grace magnified by the grace simply taking the rebel sinner and putting a pardon in his hand while he has no regard for the glory and honor of God. But the grace of God in its mighty operation is such a blessing because it takes the rebel sinner and turns that rebel sinner from a course

46:57 of indifference to God, his person, his claims, his will, and his glory and placing a pardon in that hand transforms him so that he becomes a seeker after, a lover of, and a devoted subject to the living God. And so, Paul, the living God, and the true God. And Paul says as he testified the gospel of the grace of God, he preached repentance toward God as well as faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And then one other testimony from the same apostle in Acts chapter 26 notice it.

47:27 And we're not just filling, using these verses for filler, dear ones. This is trying to establish this principle of the importance of repentance as being the only gospel authorized by Jesus Christ.

47:41 Acts 26, the apostle Paul before King Agrippa, reviewing God's dealings with him, his ministry of many years as an apostle and a missionary and a teacher, notice his testimony in verses 19 and 20. Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, but I showed first unto them of Damascus and at Jerusalem and throughout all the coast of Judea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do work meek for repentance.

48:19 But to be clear, isn't it? You see, people who say, well, you don't find the term repentance mentioned much in the epistles. Of course not. The epistles are superstructured truths given to those who had come in to the profession of Christianity in the context of a message that was shot through and through with a clarion called the repentance and that being a foundational truth as we read in Hebrews 6, 1, the apostle, does not go back and relay it, but taking his own testimony and his own evangelistic enterprise, he said that his message, wherever he went, was that of repentance, turning to God, doing works meek for repentance.

Repentance Magnifies Grace, Not Contradicts It

48:58 Ah, but you say, I thought he was supposed to preach that Christ should suffer and be raised from the dead. All right, listen. Follow him on. Acts 26, verse 22.

49:05 Having therefore obtained the help of God, I continue unto this day witnessing both the small and great saying none other thing than that which the prophets and Moses did say should come, that Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles. He said, I preach what my Lord has commissioned me to preach. Christ in the presence of Christ must be raised. But you see, having set forth the provisions of grace, he did not tell people, think about your head to these facts.

49:37 Accept Christ as your personal Savior. Believe he died on the cross for you and all is well. No, no, no. He did not give them to believe the lie that a nod of the head in assent to the cross was in any way an indication of a saving response to the gospel.

49:52 He declared they must repent, must turn to God and then, as proof of it, bring forth truth me for it. That was his message. Not contradicting grace, but magnifying grace. As we'll see the Lord willing tomorrow night for the grace of God is manifested in that the Lord Jesus from his place of exaltation has been exalted to be a Prince and a Savior.

50:14 For to give repentance and remission of sins Acts 5 and verse 31. So we see the importance of repentance in that it's the only gospel authorized by Christ and time will permit me to only give you one other line of biblical evidence.

Evidence 3: No Saving Faith Divorced from Repentance

50:33 That being that the Bible clearly teaches that there is no saving faith divorced from repentance. There is no saving faith divorced from repentance. Acts 20, 21, the text we looked at a moment ago in another connection along with Mark 1 in verse 15 clearly teaches this truth.

50:58 The apostle says that he preached publicly in some house to house to both Jews and Greeks repentance for God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, why didn't he just preach faith? Why didn't he just preach repentance? Because Paul recognized the interdependence and the inseparability if I may coin a word of the word these two things.

51:23 You see, they're like a genuine one dollar bill.

51:28 I have probably legal tender. No, this is still a silver certificate. They haven't gotten them all out of circulation. Another year or two of deficit spending.

51:37 They want to put the thing up another 29 billion I think I heard on the radio today and you better hold on to these. These are one of the few remaining real dollar bills you have that says we're paid to bear upon demand. All the federal notes don't say it. It's paper money.

51:50 But this is real money and it has on one side George Washington and you know on the other side it has the pyramid and the eagle. Now wherever you have a bona fide genuine U.S. one dollar bill minted where it ought to be minted by the right people and it isn't a bogus one you know that you'll have George on this side and the pyramid and the eagle on the other.

52:11 Now if I said to our good friend Bob Ness he said, you know, you've got that certain book you have there I'd like to have it. What do you want? I'd say, well, I want a dollar. Well, I know if he hands me a bill that has George's face showing I don't need to look over on the other side.

52:24 And see if the pyramid and the eagle are there. I know if he's given me a genuine U.S. one dollar bill where George is the pyramid and the eagle are.

52:34 Conversely, if he hands the bill this way and I saw the pyramid and eagle I'd know on the other hand there was George. Now I don't need to say if he says, what do you want for it? I can say, well, give me one of those George Washington bills. I don't need to say give me one of those Washington pyramid eagle bills.

52:48 That's unnecessary because wherever the pyramid and the eagle are George is. And wherever George is the pyramid and the eagle are. And anyone who has any knowledge of American currency knows you'll never have George without his two friends on the back. The pyramid and the eagle.

53:04 And you never have the pyramid and the eagle without their friend on the front, George. Now in the same way the Bible treats repentance and faith. Sometimes all the biblical writers use is the word believe. You remember when Paul and Silas were there in the jail and perhaps this has come to the minds of some of you.

53:24 They were, wait a minute, if Paul preached repentance why didn't he say it to the jailer? The jailer said, sir, what shall we do? And you remember his answer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved in thy house.

53:35 But it does say that he went to his house and preached unto him the word of the Lord. It is my conviction during that time he spelled out repentance. But even though he didn't in the initial thing Paul never thought of a belief in Christ that was separate or divorced from a genuine heart solid for sin and desire to be saved from sin. On the other hand sometimes all the biblical writers say is repent.

54:02 All Peter told that Simon the Sorcerer was repent. But the biblical writers never think of a repentance that simply terminates on turning from sin but it's always turning from sin to God through the merit and work of Jesus Christ. So sometimes all you find is the word repent. Sometimes all you find is the word believe.

54:24 But in the thinking of the biblical writers the two are never separated. Just like George has always got his two friends and the two friends always have George. All true repentance is permeated with faith and all true faith is permeated with repentance and this should be very obvious. But what is it to believe on Christ?

54:44 Who is he? What's he come to do? Well my Bible says thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sin. Well if I'm committing myself to one who is a deliverer from sin I must want to be delivered from the thing that he's come to deliver me from.

55:01 If I'm wallowing and sinking in quicksand and someone comes and says my name is Joe and I have come to deliver you from quicksand will you believe in me and trust yourself to me? The minute I say yes I'm saying in as loud terms as I can say I walk out of the quicksand. And that's obvious. And so when the Bible says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ it means to believe on him as he's set before us in the gospel.

55:30 And how is he set before us in the gospel? Not as someone to put a ticket to heaven in our hands. He's set in the gospel as a mighty deliverer who's come to open the prison to those that are bound for whom the Son set free is free indeed who's come to deliver us from sin and with consequences. You can't believe on him without wanting out of the quicksand.

55:53 And in the same way when the Bible says repent not only tell us to repent of sin the particular sin in general but the great terrible sin of all the sin of unbelief and so true repentance turning from sin will always involve turning to the Savior and trusting the case of one's soul with him. And so repentance is important because it's the only alternative to perishing. Secondly the only gospel authorized by Christ is a gospel of repentance. Thirdly there is no saving faith without repentance.

Evidence 4: Repentance as the Only Valid Preparation for Judgment

56:33 Men that you might just meditate on a passage on your own I won't expound it speak to. Remember that verse that I quoted from Acts 17 the only valid preparation for judgment is repentance. When Paul said God commanded all men everywhere to repent he followed it with these words in Acts 17 31 because he's appointed a day in which he'll judge the world in righteousness. He commands us to repent because he's appointed a day to judge.

57:02 We don't like to think of it but there's only one thing certain of every one of you who sits before me tonight and that's that you're going to die. And that body that you spend so much time feeding and resting and clothing and shaving and powdering and deodorizing and all the rest the worms are going to eat it.

57:23 They're going to eat mine. They're going to eat yours.

57:29 With the exception of some of the little ones here two or three years old four seventy five years from now seventy years from now all of us barring the return of Christ. They're going to be molding in the ground.

57:45 I'm glad for the reminder I get of this every Sunday as I drive to the place we were meeting now in the school for our church meeting just across the street with the best sermon to a preacher before he goes to preach is to die.

57:59 And only one thing certain after death is judgment and only one valid preparation for judgment is repentance. God commands us to repent because he's appointed a day in which he'll judge. For you see repentance has to do with our relationship to God as a moral governor who has certain rights over his creatures and sin has caused us to deny those rights to defy his rule and the day of judgment is the time when God's going to assume his place as the moral judge in which he's going to call his creatures into account with respect to his law to his government to his rights over them. Though in the light of that day if we come to that judgment bar still rebels having never fallen down in brokenness before his rule

58:44 and government and found pardon from a broken law through the merit of his son we shall cry for the rocks and hills to fall upon us and curse the day we were conceived and born.

59:00 It is a shame the devil has so masterfully caused this dominant note of biblical truth to be well my lost in his church for in his great effort to damn the souls of men if he can get them to go to the judgment ignorant of the cross and of the tomb he's wonderfully satisfied but listen I think he's even more satisfied when he can get men to go to the judgment thinking that because they know the facts of the cross and the tomb all is well they've attended to their facts just so long as they go to the judgment strangers to cool repentance that's being damned with a double delusion terrible

Conclusion: A Call for Deep Biblical Repentance

59:45 to go ignorant to go to the judgment with all the blazing light of the gospel but strangers to repent terrible in the end may God grant that none of us shall thus meet him in that day that we shall be prepared by a thorough and deep biblical repentance and I trust as we'll see in the nights ahead that that repentance is not past or static not the action of a moment but the acquisition of an attitude and the truly repentant man will be a repentant man and may we be such by the grace of God let us pray Lord as you open the understanding

60:29 of your disciples that they might understand the scripture so well we also plead for light oh God do not leave us at the mercy of our own darkness we confess to you with shame the dullness of our minds and the slowness of our hearts to respond to your truth but come in mercy we pray and visit our needy hearts instruct us and then oh Lord give us grace to obey for Jesus

60:57 God to come and lead us again in one more hymn as we close number two hundred forty-nine two hundred forty-nine