A LIFESTYLE OF - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

A LIFESTYLE OF biblical REPENTANCE

2

Corinthians

7:10

1 J

ohn

3:8-10Slide2

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” He intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance. Martin Luther, Thesis 1

REPENTANCE

is

the way we make progress

and mature in

the Christian life.

Indeed, pervasive, all-of-life-repentance is the

best sign

that we are growing deeply and rapidly into the character of Christ.

 Slide3

All of the Christian life is repentance. Turning from sin and trusting in the gospel that Jesus saves sinners are not merely a one-time inaugural experience but the daily substance of Christianity. The gospel is for every day and every moment. Repentance is to be the Christian’s continual posture

, therefore a

LIFESTYLE

.Slide4

I. WORLDLY REPENTANCEWorldly repentance is damaging or destructive because it is self-centered. Being focused on self, it does not lead to a changed

heart

and

mind

, but to defeat and destruction.Slide5

WORLDLY REPENTANCE IS JUST MERE REMORSE FOR WRONG ACTIONS Worldly repentance is translated from the Greek word

“

metamelomai

‘”

which

literally means to have

remorse for one's actions

. Slide6

The Bible tells us that men can be remorseful about their actions without exercising genuine repentance. This is described as the “sorrow of the world” in 2 Cor. 7:10. This was true in the case of Judas.

Judas is the fearful New Testament example

of

a man who was remorseful but did not repent

toward

God (Matt.

27:1-5). Slide7

This kind of remorse is man-centered rather than God-centered because of the following implications. Implications:

Worldly repentance is nothing but

remorse and regret

for the

consequences

of one’s action. It only puts a person under the burden of his

own guilt

. Slide8

The sorrow of the world is….caused by shame at being found out.attended by hard thoughts of God.leads

to

displeasure

and

resentment

.

leads

to

hardening

of

heart.

lands

the soul in

despair

.Slide9

WORLDLY REPENTANCE does not turn us toward God, but it drives us away from God. Worldly repentance is a rejection of grace and the need to feel to bear the penalty one’s own wrong doings. Slide10

They feel unworthy of God's mercy because they are not looking at God or His Word; they are looking at their actions and their guilt. Guilt in itself can never bring us to true repentance. Only the light of God's Word can produce true repentance.Slide11

2. WORLDLY REPENTANCE IS JUST MERE HUMAN REFORMATION.

Just

stopping

the wrong things that you are doing is not in itself biblical repentance

for

it stops with the self and does not turn to God. Slide12

Mere human reformation is man-centered and problem-centered IMPLICATIONS:Since the man who merely reforms has his eyes on the people he has offended and the consequences of his actions in his present life, it is

crucial

that people be taught plainly what sin is from the Bible.Slide13

Since the man who reforms his life looks upon his actions as problems, weaknesses and faults, it is not enough to tell people that they have sinned.

Man as

sinner

does not

naturally

think of himself as truly evil. Slide14

He will admit that he has faults, problems and weaknesses, etc., but it is important that he sees and admits the perspective of God-

that he is a

wicked

and

undone

sinner before a righteous God. Slide15

2. BIBLICAL REPENTANCE BIBLICAL REPENTANCE is God centered repentance comes from the Greek word “metanoia”

which means

a

change

of one’s

mind

and

heart

which imparts a new

direction

to the whole life.Slide16

Biblical Repentance is the resolute turning away of the sinful heart from its sins. It is "repentance toward God," the turning from sin to the Father.Slide17

SCRIPTURES DEFINES BIBLICAL REPENTANCE AS:SORROW ACCORDING TO GOD, IT IS SORROW WHICH HAS REFERENCE TO GOD. (2 Corinthians 7:10-11)Slide18

This GODLY SORROW Is according to the will of God as revealed in Scripture. It is not that God delights to see any of His creatures unhappy but He knows that godly sorrow is essential to our happiness.It is

produced

in the heart by the

Spirit

of God.

For man

in his

natural state

, knows nothing of this sorrow.Slide19

This is evidently designed by God to bring us back to Himself.GODLY SORROW leads to repentance with a clean, forgiven and purified heart. Slide20

A HEART’S RESPONSE THAT ACKNOWLEDGES AND APPROPRIATES THE GRAVITY OF SIN ONE HAS COMMITTED AGAINST GOD Luke 15:17-20

Psalm 51:1-4Slide21

Psalm 51 is marked by TRUE CHARACTERISTICS OF REPENTANCE such as:views it as rebellion against God as transgression of His law

a

disbelief

of His

truth

a

rejection

of His grace

grieved

God Slide22

ingratitude for His goodness insensibility to His love. appeal to the mercy of Godhonestyno

excuses

or

justification

desire

to be

cleansed

and

renewed

recognition

that

forgiveness

is not

deserved

but by

grace

alone

does not

isolate

the particular sin; sees it in its

root

and in its

connection

.Slide23

 WORLDLY SORROW is when someone sees his sins and chooses to bear the penalty on his own account. But TRUE REPENTANCE

is

when someone

sees his sins and failures and he lays them down in

exchange

for God's

forgiveness, holiness

and

righteousness

. Slide24

3. BIBLICAL REPENTANCE - THE LIFESTYLE OF THE BELIEVERREPENTANCE is not a single act, but a LIFESTYLE CHOICE

.

It is a

continuous

evaluation

that we make as we

compare

our lives to God's

Word

and seek to

conform

to the image of Christ.

Compare these two passages

(1

John

1:6-10; 1

John

3:5-10)Slide25

In the first passage (1 John 1:6-10), John makes it clear that:Through an abiding relationship with God we receive

forgiveness

and

cleansing

from our sins.

To have

fellowship

, we must be

walking

with Him in His will. Slide26

We must walking with God. At those times when we allow ourselves to be drawn into sin, the repentant in heart immediately confesses, get back into fellowship and continue to walk in the light with the absolute promise that our sins are forgiven. Slide27

The scenario in chapter 3:5-10This chapter is talking about a LIFESTYLE. We can't abide

in Him and

continue in sin

.

Anyone who has the

Spirit

of God in their heart

will not be able to

continue

in a

sinful

lifestyle.

Because God's seed (or the Holy Spirit)

remains

in us,

we

cannot

live a sinful lifestyle. Slide28

CONCLUSION:REPENTANCE is a joy. Nothing is sweeter than positioning our lives in line with God's plan and keeping it there. It

is the

resistance

to repentance

that causes dread and worldly repentance that burdens us with guilt.

Godly repentance gives

freedom, satisfaction

and

fulfillment

.Slide29

John Stott writes:“The first great secret of holiness lies in the degree and the decisiveness of our repentance. If besetting sins persistently plague us, it is either because we have never truly repented, or because, having repented, we have not maintained our repentance. It is as if, having nailed our old nature to the cross, we keep wistfully returning to the scene of its execution.Slide30

We begin to fondle it, to caress it, to long for its release, even to try to take it down again from the cross. We need to learn to leave it there. When some jealous, or proud, or malicious, or impure thought invades our mind we must kick it out at once. It is fatal to begin to examine it and consider whether we are going to give in to it or not. We have declared war on it; we are not going to resume negotiations. Slide31

We have settled the issue for good; we are not going to re-open it. We have crucified the flesh; we are never going to draw the nails.”Let us therefore, embrace a lifestyle of repentance from our sin and faith in the risen Christ. Only then can we truly experience the abundant life which was blood-bought by our Savior.Slide32