Acts 5:27-31
Gift of God's Grace
Pastor Martin preaches on the nature of biblical repentance, emphasizing that it is a 'saving grace' rooted in the sovereign work of God. He expounds Acts 5:31, Acts 11:18, and 2 Timothy 2:24-26 to demonstrate that repentance is a gift granted by God, not a product of human free will. Martin uses the analogy of a tree and the story of blind Bartimaeus to illustrate that the realization of one's inability to repent apart from divine grace leads to desperate cries for God's mercy, rather than passivity. The sermon concludes with a call to unbelievers to seek this grace and an exhortation to believers to acknowledge their indebtedness to God for their repentance.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 9 sections · 44 min
- Review: The Importance of Repentance 0:08
- Approaching the Nature of Repentance: Definition and Illustration 6:07
- Formal Definition of Repentance 8:10
- The Soil of Repentance: The Grace of God 9:26
- Scriptural Proofs: Christ Gives Repentance (Acts 5) 12:38
- Scriptural Proofs: God Grants Repentance (Acts 11) 18:57
- Scriptural Proofs: God Gives Repentance (2 Timothy 2) 23:21
- Addressing the Objection: Grace and Passivity 28:08
- Conclusion and Application: The Soil of Free Grace 38:53
Key Quotes
“all true repentance is permeated with faith, all true faith is permeated with repentance, and these two cannot be separated.”
“If it's a foundational truth, it is essential to the plumb structure of the entire edifice of the Christian faith and the Christian experience.”
“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 in Christ, does with grief and hatred of his sin turn from it unto God with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience.”
“The tree of true biblical repentance can flourish in no other soil but that of free grace. It will never flourish in the soil of free will.”
“For a sinner not only needs the ground of forgiveness he needs the disposition of heart that will want forgiveness.”
“God saves the sinner do we mean by that he simply provides the basis of saving them so that they can save themselves or do we mean that God saves them provides the basis of their forgiveness in the death and resurrection of his son and then actually disposes them by his mighty power to want such a glorious and free salvation by the mighty operations of his Holy Spirit”
“the realization is the room is on fire and I don't have the key in my own pocket will set me to banging on the door and crying out for the help of another who alone has the key”
Applications
Believers
- Understand that true biblical repentance is an integral part of the gospel that the church is committed to communicating.
All listeners
- Consider the doctrine of repentance as imperative for your own sake, as you are heading to a day of judgment where only true biblical repentance will matter.
- Seek clear, distinct, right-angled concepts of vital doctrines like repentance, rather than general, hazy concepts.
- Look to Christ and ask him that from his place of exaltation and power, he would grant even unto you the grace of repentance.
- Feel your need of Christ, as this is the only fitness he requires, and venture on him wholly, trusting none but Jesus.
- Be convinced that if you know something experimentally of true repentance, it is because God was pleased to make the soil of free grace within your own heart.
- Cultivate a sense of indebtedness to God because of his grace in granting you repentance.
- Let the experimental knowledge of God's grace in your repentance drive you to pray for others, make you patient in dealing with them, and embolden you to set before them the biblical gospel with all its freeness, fullness, and demands.
A full transcript is available on the tab. 75 paragraphs, roughly 44 minutes.
Review: The Importance of Repentance
Extend a special welcome to the number of you who are visiting with us tonight for the first time, some of you perhaps for the second time, but because I was not here last Lord's Day evening, it is not my privilege to meet you and to greet you personally. And particularly for your benefit, we'll introduce our study of the Scriptures tonight by spending just a few minutes reviewing that which we covered in our study two Lord's Day evenings ago. At that time, I announced that we were embarking upon a study of the biblical doctrine of repentance.
And in answer to the question, why study such a doctrine, I said there were three basic reasons. One is a reason that's very personal as far as you're concerned. For the Scripture tells us in Acts 17, 30 and 31 that God commanded all men everywhere to repent because he has appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness. And so in the light of the fact that you are heading to that day along with me, a day in which nothing will matter but this, that I brought to truth biblical repentance.
For your sake, it's imperative that we consider this great biblical doctrine. And the second reason was a reason that applied to the corporate life of our church. As we've been studying in our adult class Sunday morning, the task of communicating the gospel is committed, to the entire church as a functioning, living organism. And if we're to communicate the gospel, we must understand the gospel.
And one of the integral parts of the gospel is the duty of true biblical repentance. And then the third reason, I said, was pastoral. In the regular exposition of Scripture, which here Sunday morning and Sunday evenings is usually carried out along the lines of a definite study of a book, as we've been in Thessalonians for several years Sunday morning, or a segment of the Word, as we just came through some 30 studies in the life and ministry of Elijah, these basic biblical notes are sounded as they come to light in those passages, for every basic truth of Scripture is woven into the entire fabric. And no matter where you pick up that fabric, you'll pick up these strands.
But from a pastoral standpoint, it's necessary from time to time to take some of those basic truths and bring them into sharp, in a topical way that God's people may have clear, distinct views of the given truth of Holy Scripture. It's not enough to have some general, hazy concepts of the necessity and nature of true repentance. It is good for us if we have clear, distinct, right-angled concepts of this vital doctrine. And so for those three reasons, the personal, the corporate, and the pastoral reason, I have settled upon this.
Now, last week, all we considered was the importance of the doctrine of repentance in the light of the Word of God. How important is this doctrine? And I gave you four or five lines of biblical evidence as to its tremendous importance. And I'll only give them to you with one key text, and then we'll move on to our study for tonight.
First of all, we saw that Scripture clearly teaches that there is no such thing as saving faith if it be divorced from true repentance. Acts 20.20, we have the record of the Apostles' ministry, which he said came under two great heads, testifying repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. As Professor Murray has so beautifully and scripturally said, all true repentance is permeated with faith, all true faith is permeated with repentance, and these two cannot be separated.
Secondly, repentance is the only alternative to perishing. 2 Peter 3, and verse 9. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And the only alternative to perishing is to repent.
And therefore, it's a vital issue that we understand and experience true repentance. Thirdly, we saw that the only gospel authorized by Jesus Christ is a gospel of repentance. You see, the church is not authorized to tailor-make its gospel, to look out at the present mood and climate of the day and say, now, what kind of gospel can I tailor-make to fit the climate of my age? Much of this is being done, but it's not scriptural.
Jesus Christ, the head of the church, has given one gospel, and he's given us the core of that gospel in Luke 24, 45 to 48, where, as he commissions his disciples to testify of these things, he tells them those things which comprise the essential ingredients of the gospel. The theme of the cross, the theme of the open tomb, and the theme of repentance, unto remission of sins. Therefore, to preach or teach or hand out a tract or to preach a sermon on a radio or any communication of the gospel that does not have woven into it a clarion call to repentance is to preach another gospel, other than the gospel authorized by Jesus Christ. And then we saw that in the fourth place, it was the only gospel preached by the apostles. They preached a gospel of repentance, and in the last place, it is called, a foundational truth, in Hebrews 6, in verse 1. If it's a foundational truth, it is essential to the plumb structure of the entire edifice of the Christian faith and the Christian experience. So if we would be plumb in our Christian experience in the advanced stages of spiritual development, there must be a solid foundation block of true repentance.
Approaching the Nature of Repentance: Definition and Illustration
Having then considered why we're embarking on the study, the importance of the doctrine, now the review is behind us, we come to consider tonight, or begin to consider the nature of Bible repentance. Now there are several ways we could approach the subject. We could go through a number of passages where we have some illustrations of a man or a woman or a group of people repenting. We could, say, go to the book of Jonah.
And there we have the picture of a whole city that repents and we could glean the principles of true repentance. We could take David in Psalm 51. We could take the prodigal in Luke 15. That's one way to approach it.
And though we'll be doing that in part as we look for illustrations, the second way to approach it is to try to come up with a formal definition and then to work out that definition in our understanding. And so the way we're going to approach it is the second of those two ways. I'm going to give you a formal definition of repentance which I trust at the end of our study you will have noticed. It's memorized and could be able to rattle it off.
So if somebody puts a gun to your ribs down there and brought and marked it in New York and says, give me a definition of repentance or I'll shoot, you'll be able to give him a good, clear definition of repentance. It might save your life. So you'd better learn it.
And then the second thing that I want to do is to use not only a formal definition but a simple illustration which will bring together the basic facets of scriptural teaching on the subject of repentance. So we're going to have a formal definition and then I'm going to draw a tree with my hands and as you see that tree with its soil, with its roots, with its trunk, with its branches, with its foliage and its fruit, every time you think of a tree, I hope you'll be able to think of the broad outlines of biblical teaching on the subject of repentance. Well, I've told you where I'm going. Now let's try by God's help to go there.
Formal Definition of Repentance
The formal definition. What formal definition of repentance can we give? Well, I've scoured the theology books and the Bible dictionaries and all the rest and with nine out of ten, as in nine out of ten cases, I end up with those succinct definitions of Christian truth found in the shorter catechism and say it can't be improved upon. The question which asks, what is repentance, is answered in this way, and I'm quoting now from the shorter catechism.
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 in Christ, does with grief and hatred of his sin turn from it unto God with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience.
There it is. In brief compass, in beautiful symmetry, with scriptural accuracy, that is repentance. That's the formal definition. Now, taking that formal definition as a guideline, let's begin to work on our simple illustration, namely that of a tree.
The Soil of Repentance: The Grace of God
And we'll see this tree grow into that formal definition, I trust, with the very fabric of Holy Scripture constructing the tree before us. I mentioned earlier, we're going to consider the soil of repentance. No tree without soil. You don't hang a tree that grows on a sky hook.
Or it's not a parasite that grows in the air on telephone wires like the Spanish moss that you see down south. My wife calls it witch's hair. Perhaps you've not seen it. But a tree must have some soil in which to grow.
And if the tree of repentance is to grow, it must be soil. It must be roots. There must be a trunk and branches and fruit. So tonight, consider with me the soil of true repentance.
Our formal definition, begins with these words. Repentance unto life is a saving grace.
It is something that is indicative of an operation of God's gracious work. And so, the soil of repentance is the grace of God. When does a person repent? If he does, who gets the credit?
If you haven't repented, what is your hope that you will? In answer to those questions, Scripture speaks with clear notes the grace of God. When does a man who by nature has grown up loving himself and his sin, indifferent to the will of God and to the claims over him, when does he turn from that state of loving his sin and submitting himself to the God whose rule and authority he hates? The answer of Scripture is when there's been an operation of God's grace.
Divine grace. As you think of your friends who are in that condition of impenitence, they don't care about their sin, they don't care about the claims of God, they don't care about the salvation of Christ, what's your hope that they will turn, that they will love the Savior and His ways and His people and His truth? What's your hope that they will love the rule and reign of God over them? The answer, the grace of God.
For the tree of true biblical repentance can flourish in the midst of the world. The tree of true biblical repentance can flourish in no other soil but that of free grace. It will never flourish in the soil of free will. And that's why the modern gospel that has permeated great segments of evangelicalism today is a gospel that doesn't sound a clear note of repentance.
It talks about trusting Jesus and believing, but it doesn't sound a clear note of repentance. Why? Because it's easy to have a pseudo kind of head faith, faith, the nodding of the head to Jesus and a few facts about the cross without an operation of the grace of God. But if men are to truly repent and turn from their sins, the sins as dear as the right hand and the right eye, it must be because God in grace has been operative upon their hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Scriptural Proofs: Christ Gives Repentance (Acts 5)
Now I want you to consider with me three basic texts of Scripture which teach with clarity with clarity, that repentance has for its soil the grace of God. The first one is in the fifth chapter of the book of the Acts. Acts chapter 5.
Acts chapter 5 beginning with verse 27.
Peter and some of his companions have been disobedient to the civil authorities because they have preached concerning Christ and they told them not to preach but they went right on preaching. And so we read in Acts 5.27 and where? When they had brought them they set them before the council and the high priest asked them saying we strictly charge you not to teach in this name.
Behold you fill Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. But Peter and the apostles answered and said we must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew hanging him on a tree. Him did God exalt with his name.
In his right hand or at his right hand to be a prince and a savior to give repentance to Israel and remission of sin. As Peter stands before his accusers and those who would seek to silence him he seizes this opportunity to get in a witness. And as usual the apostolic preaching focused upon Jesus Christ in his death and in his resurrection and in the fruits of that death and resurrection in the salvation which he purchased by his own suffering. And as he does this he declares of Jesus Christ in verse 31 that though he was slain by the Jews God exalted him with his right hand either to be a prince and a savior or as a prince and a savior for this distinct purpose to give repentance repentance to Israel and remission of sin. Now notice the simple teaching of this text. First of all this text declares that the end of Christ's exaltation from death and rejection is that sharing in the power and dignity of the throne of God he is set at his right hand sharing in his power and authority the end for which he was exalted to that place of power and dignity
was that he might give the grace of repentance.
Second thing that's very obvious in our text is that forgiveness and repentance are inseparable. We found that in passage after passage as we went through the apostolic preaching. He has been exalted to give remission of sins. Yes.
But remission of sins that only comes upon those to whom the grace of repentance has been given. No repentance no remission. Where there is remission there has been repentance. The two are inseparably joined.
So the people talk glibly about repentance and about forgiveness and remission of sins who are strangers to repentance. They're talking about a remission and a forgiveness not recognized in Holy Scripture. So that's the second thing that the text clearly teaches. First of all the end of Christ's exaltation to power was that in that place of power he might give the grace of repentance.
Secondly forgiveness and repentance are inseparable. And thirdly forgiveness and repentance are impossible apart from the activity of Christ. He had to die to provide the basis of forgiveness. He had to be raised and exalted to exert the power to grant repentance.
So that a sinner needs a dying and a living Savior. And Christ in his saving work saves by his death and by his present life. Life and power. Now you see one of the great problems in our day is that the core of the gospel is conceived of as pointing backward to a dead or a dying Christ.
There's the ground of forgiveness and then they say he's done all he can it's up to you. That isn't what this text says. It says having died God exalted him that from that place he might do the second thing a sinner needs. For a sinner not only needs the ground of forgiveness he needs the disposition of heart that will want forgiveness.
Forgiveness on God's terms.
And what is that but repentance?
But by nature man doesn't want forgiveness on God's terms. He'd like forgiveness but on his own terms. He'd like a forgiveness that will let him continue in his rebellion so he can rebel without any fear of consequences. He'd like a forgiveness on his own terms.
Something that will allow him some little grounds for pride and self-congratulation. But God's forgiveness comes in such a way that a man or woman must be brought to the place where they're ready to acknowledge that there's nothing in them that can commend them to God. That if they're ever to be accepted in God's sight it must be solely on the basis of the worth of another. Men by nature don't like that.
We have this hard fibrous core of self-righteousness as well as self-will. So nobody would get the forgiveness provided unless there was an activity of power to dispose the sinner to receive it on God's terms. Well how does it come about? Here it tells us.
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a king. His savior to give the very repentance that men need without which there would be no remission or forgiveness. And so as a dying Christ provides the way and the basis of forgiveness a living Christ imparts the grace leading to it. What could be more clear than the teaching of this passage that the only soil in which the tree of repentance will ever grow is the soil of the grace of God.
Scriptural Proofs: God Grants Repentance (Acts 11)
That's not the only text. I'd rest the whole case on this one if this is all there were. But there's another equally clear. Turn over to the eleventh chapter of Acts if you will and we shall see it set forth here.
Acts chapter eleven.
The context of the passage Peter is reporting that which God was pleased to do when he went down and preached in the household of Cornelius. As we saw this morning when we used this passage this morning in the Bible study hour prior to the morning service it was a rehearsal of what God had done. I could have used it in the morning service as an illustration of the unpredictableness of God's ways. Peter's preaching in one language and all of a sudden everybody's praising God in another.
That's shaky up. Well it shook him up but it got the message through. He said it's obvious the same thing happened to them that happened to us on Pentecost we better not fight with God we better acknowledge them as full-blooded Christians even though they aren't full-blooded Jews and we better baptize them and recognize them as our brothers. So there's an awful lot in this passage concerning the things we considered earlier but now it provides great fuel for our study tonight as well.
Now he's rehearsing the success of the power of the gospel in the household of Cornelius. Now after the people hear the report Acts chapter 11 verse 18 And when they heard these things they held their peace and glory for the Lord glorified God saying here's the conclusion as they hear this report of a whole Gentile household that's been brought to faith then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life. Now notice two things in this text. Life is the end repentance is the meaning.
He hath granted repentance unto life. Who will attain life spiritual life life that is eternal life that is true life indeed none but those who attain it by means of repentance it's repentance unto life and that life is never known apart from that repentance which leads to it. That's the first thing that's so obvious in the text. Again the inseparability of spiritual life whether it's considered in terms of life here or whether it's considered in terms of its privilege of forgiveness repentance is inseparably joined to forgiveness to remission it's inseparably joined to life.
The second thing is it's God who brings men to both of these.
Then hath God granted repentance unto life. He's provided life in his dear son. It was his son who said I'm going to I am life. Life itself is to know me and to know my father.
But again by nature men don't want that life that is in Jesus Christ on his terms. He says I am the way the truth the life no man cometh unto the father but by me and man by nature doesn't want that life for it's a life lived in light not in darkness. And men by nature love darkness rather than light. This is the teaching of John 3.
Their hearts by nature do not want the exposure of the life which is governed in the context of light. And so no one would come to that life unless God does something that gives them a disposition to want life of that quality. And that's precisely the conclusion they came to. As they heard the report of what had happened they said there's only one explanation God hath given repentance not the opportunity to repent or time to repent but the object of the verb granted or given is repentance.
He hath given repentance. He has worked the very disposition in their hearts that has made them reach out by faith and take hold of that life which is offered in the gospel.
Scriptural Proofs: God Gives Repentance (2 Timothy 2)
What's the soil in which the tree of repentance will grow? The soil of free grace. A God who does the work of saving from beginning to end. Then the third text 2nd Timothy chapter 2.
2nd Timothy chapter 2 again a passage that provided us with some fruitful thinking in our adult class this morning as we were particularly concerned with another aspect or implication of it. But now looking at the passage in terms of our study tonight 2nd Timothy chapter 2 having instructed Timothy in verse 24 that he should not be argumented as God's servant but gentle patient apt to teach forbearing in meekness correcting those that oppose themselves he now directs Timothy as to the object of his hope that something will happen in this situation. Here people are opposing themselves they're not receiving the truth that Timothy's giving to them they are not embracing that truth in a vital faith and as Paul instructs Timothy he says now this is to be the kind of conduct that is to characterize you gentleness patience meekness apt to teach forbearance and as you do Timothy this is to be the focus of your hope and expectation here it is if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil having been taken captive by him unto his will when is a person
recovered from the snare of the devil well when he comes unto the knowledge of the truth and when does he come unto the knowledge of the truth when God grants repentance unto him see how these three things are joined together in an unbreakable chain Timothy keep on patiently instructing keep on meekly communicating the truth if God may give repentance unto the knowledge of the truth that they may recover themselves from the snare of the devil no recovering from the snare of the devil without the acknowledging of truth no acknowledging of the truth without the granting of repentance so Timothy as you preach the truth of scripture as you declare God's saving message in Jesus Christ your hopes are to be fixed not upon some idea that men might be wise enough and smart enough to use their free will whatever that is no no Timothy you've seen their will it's taken captive by the devil all men are under control you're under the control of the devil in your own wicked heart or under the control of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ isn't that what it says they've been taken captive by him unto his will scripture says whosoever commits sin is the born servant of sin so what's your hope Timothy your hope is not free will but
free grace if God predates you will do something Timothy your hope is not in the sinner but in the God who saves sinners not only provides the basis of saving them in the cross but actually saves them by the operation of his power granting repentance unto life see amazing how we can use terms so glibly isn't it and believe them of their biblical concept God saves the sinner do we mean by that he simply provides the basis of saving them so that they can save themselves or do we mean that God saves them provides the basis of their forgiveness in the death and resurrection of his son and then actually disposes them by his mighty power to want such a glorious and free salvation by the mighty operations of his Holy Spirit and so we have in these three texts of scripture clear affirmation that the soil of repentance is the grace of God repentance unto life is a saving grace it is God who opens the eyes it is God who subdues the will it is God who gives the relish for the truth that will cause the sinner to gladly throw off his chains to rise up and to follow the Savior ah but someone objects if you believe that won't that lead to passivity if you believe that God must give repentance
Addressing the Objection: Grace and Passivity
won't that lead to passivity people just sitting back waiting for God to do something no just the opposite is true listen if you're convinced you must repent and in the light of scripture I hope you're convinced of that except your repentance will perish but if the power of repentance doesn't lie in you what will that do that won't lead to passivity that will make you desperate let me illustrate here's a couple of cronies who've gotten together for a card game and they've locked themselves in and one of the fellows has got the key in his own pocket and he's so they're having their card game sucking on their reeds together having a great time in the room full of blue smoke and dim lights sort of like it was downstairs before this building got converted for those of you who don't know this was an Elks Lodge and the downstairs was just a glorified gin mill they had a club license and they used it to the full and they had good use of that license I'm sure it owes them nothing and the boys are having a good card game all of a sudden one of them says hey I think I smell a little something more and I figure it's more I think I smell a little smoke around here I wonder if there's some kind of fire oh fellas no no look around no fire come on let's finish out our hand so they keep right on playing a couple minutes later they're in the midst of another good hand when the fellow says hey I think I smell smoke no no no that's just our own cigarette nothing to be worried about yeah but listen how are we going to oh I got the key right in my pocket don't be
disturbed if we see this place starting to flame out I got the key right in my pocket we can get out in plenty of time
when they came to their card game one of their buddies came and locked them in and took the key with them playing along all of a sudden one of them says hey Hen I think I smell something yeah I think I smell something too smell like smoke yeah what happens in this place on fire you got a key no you got a key no you got a key nobody here got a key let's project this card game make it over stop hanging on the door hey hey we think you might be fire let us out of
and they didn't have the power to get out in their own pocket will make them desperate to cry to the one on the outside who can get them out what is produced passivity and apathy in our evangelical churches where people sit around under gospel preaching and there isn't any holy fear isn't any holy dread of holy things this is one of the contributing factors people think they got the key in their own pocket oh sure I ought to get concerned about God and Christ in heaven but when I get good and ready I just take out the key called free will and I just open the door and I'll make my decision is that so you see the thought that the key is in my own pocket makes me play cards while the room is burning but the realization is the room is on fire and I don't have the key in my own pocket will set me to banging on the door and crying out for the help of another who alone has the key I don't want the case to just rest on an illustration I want to show you a beautiful picture of this in holy scripture will you turn please to the 10th chapter of the gospel of Mark where we have a beautiful picture of a man who knew in the light of his own need he didn't have the key in his own pocket and what it did for him Mark chapter 10
the story of blind Bartimaeus beginning with verse 46 Mark 10 46 and they come to Jericho and as he went out from Jericho with his disciples and a great man multitude the son of Timaeus Bartimaeus a blind beggar was sitting by the wayside and when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene he began to cry out and say Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me and then he rebuked him that he should hold his peace common 20th century idiom they told him to shut up exactly what it means they told him shut up be quiet be still but he cried out them all a great deal saying thou son of David have mercy on me and in some of the most beautiful words in scripture and Jesus stood still and Jesus stood still and said call ye him and they called the blind man saying unto him be of good cheer rise he called at thee and I marvel at this 50th verse he casting away his garment sprang up
and came to Jesus imagine a blind man in the midst of a milling crowd running just by the direction of a voice can you picture it I wonder how many times he stumbled skinned his knees got up where are you Lord I'm here and he moves in the direction of that voice what happened well here a man is blind stone blind he knows there's no sense going to the optometrist he can't help optic nerves are dead he's had it never going to see again and so he's resigned himself to a life of a beggar he can't earn a living there aren't schools for the blind to teach them skills that can make themselves supporting as we have in our own day so every morning he goes out to his place of appointment and holds up his little kit cup and hopes that someone will drop in a few shekels and he's resigned to a life of total despair and helplessness because he's blind optometrist can't help him priest can't he's had it but then something reaches his ear that the only one who could possibly do something is coming into the air he's passing through that way he hears the thump of the many feet as the crowd begins to pass by his way and he catches a passerby and says say I hear a lot of feet what's happening out there haven't you heard the great teacher the great healer the great prophet out of Nazareth he's coming it's Jesus it's Jesus the same one I've heard about
who's raised the dead who's opened the eyes of the blind who's unstopped the ears of the deaf who's loosed the tongue of the dumb is this the one yeah that's the one and the wheels begin to turn in this man's head and he says wait a minute the only one who can possibly help me is coming from there on his way to somewhere else this is the one time he's coming by this is my one opportunity if I miss it now it may be gone forever it's not as though if I miss this opportunity well I've got the key in my pocket I've got lots of more chances to get my sight back no no one opportunity so as the Lord Jesus comes by pressed by this great multitude and there was all the disturbance that is found in any kind of a milling multitude where there is public excitement he begins to cry out above the din of the multitude son of David have mercy and they turned to him and said oh you old blind beggar be quiet you've got no time for the light for you what did he say well I guess you're right no sir this man was determined that the man who had the keys was going to stop and open the door and so it says he just cried out the louder cried out the more saying son of David have mercy and that desperate cry reached the ear of the son of God and where all the press of the multitude couldn't stop him the cry of a desperate blind man stopped him in his
tracks Jesus stood still and he said call him I'm interested in this man and he said and then you know the sequel he came to Jesus and he asked him what will you that I should do unto you and he said that I may receive my sight and Jesus said unto him go thy way thy faith hath made thee whole what kind of faith faith born in a context of desperation the only one who can help me is passing by the key is not in my pocket but his I must I must arrest him with my cry and I say to you tonight when you realize that the key is not in your pocket that you must repent that there must be sight but you have no power to create it but Jesus does as he passes by in the preaching of the word as he passes by in the overtures of his grace you won't trifle with holy things you won't say oh well there's another day there's another time you realize my friend that he's under no obligation to return again to make you desperate to cry out son of David have mercy on me oh Lord I must repent I know in the light of your word I must turn to my sin I must forsake this disposition to please myself
and to go in my own way but God I will want to there is in me Lord that which loves sin and loves its own way but I know that I must Lord Jesus have mercy upon me the words of that great hymn of top lady that we sing what though I cannot break my chain or air undo my load the things impossible with men are possible with God and you call upon him to have mercy upon you and subdue that proud and rebel heart and break those chains and the son
who thus call upon him with that faith that is born in that context of desperation so I think the objection is disposed up not only by illustration but by the principle to the word of God as we see in a passage such as this in Mark 10 that's the first objection hope this lead to passivity no it will lead to the desperation of true faith of true faith and of
Conclusion and Application: The Soil of Free Grace
Jesus Christ I'd say in conclusion that repentance needs the soil of free grace psychological conversions will flourish in the soil of free will emotional conversions will flourish in the soil of high pressure evangelistic techniques but true repentance where men see their sin and don't justify it where they see the standard of God's holy law and they break before it where they see not only the free offers of mercy but the full demands of discipleship and comply with them gladly I say that that kind of turning to God in true repentance will flourish only in the soil of free grace I say to you who are present tonight who don't know what it is to repent you've known no sorrow for sin that godly sorrow that works repentance you've known no turning to God through Jesus Christ laying hold of his mercy know nothing of what it is to return to God with full purpose of an endeavor after new obedience I plead with you tonight to look to Christ and ask him that from his place of exaltation and power he would grant even unto you the grace of repentance come ye sinners poor and wretched weak and wounded sick and sore Jesus ready stands to
save you full of pity power he is able he is able doubt no more let not conscience make you linger nor of fitness fondly dream all the fitness he requires is to feel your need of him this he gives you this he gives you tis the spirit's rising being lo the incarnate God offended grieves the merits of his blood venture on him venture wholly let no other trust in truth none but Jesus none but Jesus can do helpless sin is good then I would say in a closing word of application to you as God's people have the Holy Spirit written this truth indelibly upon your heart that if you know something experimentally of true repentance it's because God was pleased to make the soil of free grace within your own heart are you convinced of that I'm not asking if you hold it
because the force of scriptural weight and the logic of it is overpowering but has the Holy Spirit brought you to that place where you say I know I don't know about somebody else but as for me if ever there was found in this heart genuine love to God genuine desire to be done with sin genuine desire to be saved on God's terms it would have to be because God did something from beginning to end have you come experimentally to an acquaintance with this precious truth that the soil of true repentance is the grace of God if so then there's a sense of indebtedness to God because of his grace but you say Lord why why was I made to hear thy voice and enter while there's room while others make a wretched choice and perish in their sin why you just say free grace free grace and then dear child of God having experimentally learned that of yourself this is the thing that will drive you as we saw this morning to pray for us will make you patient in your dealing with others and will make you dare to set before them the biblical gospel with all of its freeness and fullness and with all of its flesh shriveling
resignation to Jesus Christ because you know that the grace of God can bring men on God's terms and you don't need to differ with the terms you see how everything is tied together you just weave the Sunday night sermon into the morning without making any attempt to why because God's truth you see is that fabric all woven together one beautiful fabric that has as its constant dominant thread that of
guilt and sin and deed except he repent he shall perish God has exalted him to give repentance and remission let us pray
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
This passage is expounded to show that Christ's exaltation is for the purpose of giving repentance and remission of sins, establishing repentance as a gift of God's grace.
Martin uses this text to further confirm that God 'granted repentance unto life' to the Gentiles, reinforcing the idea of repentance as a divine grant.
This passage instructs Timothy on how to deal with opponents, with the hope that God 'may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth,' emphasizing God's role in granting repentance.
Texts Expounded
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