[gospel] repent
[gospel] Matthew 4-5, and selected texts When we are talking about how Jesus’ message is good news, something which is often talked about and usually misunderstood is repentance. How is that good news? Hickory Lane Christian Church Washington Courthouse OH Rob Hoos
Introduction As many of you already know, before I transfered down to Cincinnati Bible college to get my preaching degree and pursue the ministry, I was first enrolled in Wright State Universityʼs engineering department as a Computer Science major. It was during my one year at Wright Stateʼs campus that I became familiar with the group of people who have earned the title “quad gods.” See, on the campus, there is this large common area between a number of the buildings shaped like a rectangle and it is called the quad. Throughout the year, these street preachers come onto the campus, and stand there out in the open, and cry out what they consider to be the good news of Jesus Christ. Usually their message comes in the form of a warning, and it is typically more of a fire and brimstone message. I remember one day, walking into Millet Hall for my English 102 class, I saw that the quad gods were out. As I walked past him on my way into class, he looked over at me and cried out, “Youʼre a Sinner, and unless you repent, you are going to hell.” That message seemed very ridiculous to me, because, without knowing anything about me, he told me I was a sinner and was going to hell. He didnʼt even stop to consider that some of the people he was harassing may actually be Christians. But over and over again that day, WSU students heard them cry out to everyone within earshot: REPENT.
Though that is kind of an annoying story, it does illustrate something to us. The way repentance is used, and thought of in pop-christianity. It is also my guess that many of you would agree with the premise of his message, unless we repent from our old ways we will all perish, but i know that most of us do not agree with his methods.
Repent, cause Jesus said so... The concept of repenting is a very interesting one. As we were talking about in the story of the quad Gods, the word repent is probably most often used in the context of evangelism. We see it appear very often in tracts, on billboards (one on the way to indianapolis reads: “Avoid Hell, Repent), written on signs that people hold while they walk around loudly talking about the “good news of Jesus.” For better or worse, the word repentance is/has been linked with the concept of evangelism, and thus with the gospel. Unfortunately, as in the story above, it is often tossed around as a bloody instrument of condemnation, guilt, and judgement as the speaker/writer tries to convince someone through fear and force that Christianity is right, and worthy of belief. However, no matter how strongly I find myself disagreeing with the way that so many use the term repent and present the gospel there is an inescapable fact. Repentance is part of the message of the good news of Jesus Christ. We all have the basic idea that the message of Jesus is accompanied with the idea of repentance. If one needed proof that the message of repentance is part of the good news of Jesus Christ, they would have to look no further in the New Testament. We see this idea demonstrated by Jesus who, at the very beginning of his public ministry taught repentance as part of the good news message. Matthew 4:
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This is the very first thing that Jesus begins to go around and teach, and in truth, this is one way to summarize his teachings. Look at how this one verse breaks down. After Jesus gets back from the temptation in the wilderness, he begins to preach. That word contains the root of the word for gospel, so it literally means that Jesus began to speak the gospel and say: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.� This means that the concept of repenting is part and parcel with Jesus concept of speaking the gospel. Repentance is part of the gospel message that cannot be ignored. But, as with other aspects of the gospel message, we find that there is a problem.
Repentance... The problem of language Part of the problem is the inability of the word to communicate what it was once meant to communicate. When you tell someone to repent, it immediately puts them on the defensive. It connotes that the person who is being told to repent is wrong, and has some grave moral failing and thus should feel not only guilt, but turn from that bad thing they were rebuked for doing. I mean really, who likes to be told to repent? No one. And in this culture where relative truth is in, and judgmentalism is out, how can we hope to communicate to anyone using these words. They shut down the listener automatically, and put them in a defensive position. It doesnĘźt come close to our intention to share the good news of Jesus with them. Another problem we run into when thinking about the message of repentance is that it has become a part of our christianese, and is a cliche to some degree. This means that very often we go without deeply thinking about it. What does it really mean to be
repentant? What does that look like? How important is it for someone who has become a Christian to be a repentant person? And often when we use this word in the context of evangelism, what does it mean when we tell someone to repent? Apart from all of these things, I want to ask this, “How is being told to repent good news?”
Defining Repentance... So lets begin with a basic framework. I want to ask you all today, what is repentance? • have them answer... Thatʼs a pretty good list. One of the books of greek definitions I use on a regular basis defines repentance as follows μετανοια: • change of mind • repentance • conversion • to be sorry about something • the changing of the thought, will, the decision by the whole man to turn around. • It is neither a purely outward turning, nor is it an inward change the only desired change. • John the baptist clarifies this word which typically denotes a mental change with the phrase “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” • Oneʼs whole life must be changed around and brought into a new relationship with God.
This is the basis of our understanding of the message of Repentance. To further explore the implications of repentance, we will begin to look at the teachings of Jesus and the apostles and ask, what does this concept really demand of us.
The Sermon on the Mt. and Repentance. Following on the heels of Jesus preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” he launches into the famed “sermon on the mt.” Here, we see Jesus speaking out a great deal against the Pharisees and the assumed piety which they possessed. In preaching, we hear basically these beatitudes. 1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, because it is those who recognize they are deficient and need God who will inherit the kingdom of heaven. 2. Blessed are those who mourn, because it is those who suffer in this life, who suffer heartache, it is they who will receive the comfort of God. 3. Blessed are the gentle, the ones who do not press their own rights, the ones who do not throw their weight around, they will inherit the earth. 4. The ones who desire to be righteous, and who long to see righteousness and justice happen are blessed because the will be satisfied. 5. Blessed are the merciful, the ones who demonstrate love and kindness and forgiveness, blessed are they because they will receive mercy. 6. The ones who are pure in heart, not only that they look good on the outside, but they have pure hearts, they will see God. 7. The ones who make peace, the ones who bring peace instead of division and conflict, the ones who reconcile men to God, they will be called the sons of God.
8. The ones who are persecuted and rejected because of Christ, though it seems outwardly that God would have disapproved of them, theirs is the kingdom of heaven, and the great reward. As you can see here, something bigger than simple teaching of “do this, donʼt do that,” is going on here. Jesus is taking the entire way that they live, and he is flipping it on its head. He is essentially telling them, “this is what someone who is a part of Godʼs kingdom looks like.” Obviously they are not at that point yet, and so the idea is that they should change to look like the kingdom of God. This is repentance here in the beatitudes. Following on from that, we see Jesus not only fighting misconceptions that the pharisees and others had, but he is telling them what someone who is part of the kingdom of God thinks and acts like. • do not hate anymore, because that is murder • do not commit adultery, and on top of that, donʼt even lust • do everything you can not to divorce, and only divorce if it is necessary • do not swear falsely, in fact donʼt swear at all. DEFINE • donʼt seek retribution, or retalliate against your enemies, love them instead • donʼt practice piety to be seen, do not try to look more religious than someone else • donʼt seek after money • donʼt worry, put your trust in God • donʼt judge • treat others the way you want them to treat you
It seems like an incredible list, and one that is very difficult to live out. What Jesus is doing here is not laying out a new set of rules and laws for us to follow like a checklist. What Jesus is doing is describing someone who is a part of Godʼs kingdom looks like.
Repentance as seen in Jesusʼ teachings. Here within the message we begin to see what a repentance looks like. We were people in the world, and the way we used to live was displeasing to God. Therefore, when we come to Jesus and he asks us to repent, he is asking us to change the way we used to live, and live like someone in his kingdom.
Paul Talks About It Like This When Paul talks about this concept, he identifies that there has been a change in who we are. He describes our former lives by saying that we used to walk after the flesh. Now that we have come to faith in Christ and become his disciples, we have begun to walk by the spirit. Paul describes the fruit that the spirit produces in our life with the following list: 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Once again, this is not a new law for us to follow, instead it is a description of someone who is guided by the spirit, a repentant person who has turned away from their old way of living, and has become new. This is the repentant person.
Summing up other stuff Throughout the rest of the books of the bible, you will see the way of the spirit, or the way of the person who is part of the kingdom better defined. It is not listed like this because we are given a new set of checks, but to demonstrate a restored life.
The Problem Today The problem in todayʼs churches is that we have gotten the idea of repentance all wrong. It is not simply feeling sorry for something you did, it is not mere mental ascent that we need to act differently that we have been. For so many years, the church has told people that they need to repent before they are baptized and become a Christian. The extent of that repentance for many Christians in America is a sense of guilt over sins, and decent Sunday attendance. Is it really any wonder why gossip, divorce, hatred, jealousy, bitterness run rampant throughout the church. Is it any wonder why charges of hypocrisy come against Christians all the time. We tell them to repent and turn to God, and the next minute we are chewing some poor waitress out because we didnʼt get the service we think we deserve. CHANGE THIS! OVERUSED!! We think are we a repentant people because we have become jaded to what repenting means, and though we mentally assent that we need to turn, so often our lives are not characterized by that love. It has become almost totally seen as mental assent, or just part of the process of joining the church or receiving “fire insurance.” It has become an often ignored part of the process. Focus on faith, and baptism have left alot of people wet, and mentally ascenting FLESH THIS OUT to the truth of the bible, and maybe even feeling guilty for their past, but they are not changed.
What Repentance Means Today What does repentance look like in the modern context? Repentance means that, per Jesus teaching, your life is characterized by love and mercy. Repentance means that you care for others with the same fierce love that drove Jesus to the cross. Repentance means you are no longer overly concerned with money, but that you desire to give, and to help others. Repentance means you are infuriated by injustice, and try to do something about it. Repentance means that you let the Holy Spirit work in you to purify your heart, and not only your actions. Repentance means becoming a disciple of Jesus始 teachings. It means living differently. It means, living like Jesus, loving like Jesus. Repentance is when the whole life is changed and brought into alignment with the life and teachings of Jesus and of God.
What this means to you That means this, everyone of you in here today who have given your life to Jesus at some point, you have signed up to become a disciple of Jesus. This requires you to change, this requires more than apathy and weekly attendance. This requires you becoming like Jesus. Like it or not, this is what christianity is all about, and this is what repentance is.
What this means with evangelism I think it best when talking to other people to either not use the word repent, or to use it and follow it with an explanation as to what it means to repent. This is far more than just changing some of our actions, or consistently attending church. Repentance means that they are becoming Jesusʼ students and followers. That they are desiring to give themselves over to the lifestyle that the gospel demands. They are committing themselves to a new way of life, and a new way of living.
Good news? So, how is this good news? This is very good news, even though it seems like it is a difficult change in life and routine, and often people think of it as not being fun or good. Jesus said: 28"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." In the beginning, we were living in love, we were sinless and perfect. And though we never will reach sinlessness on our own, repentance calls us back into this life we were first created to live. As Christ says, it is not burdensome, or heavy. In face, Jesus describes it as true life. Repentance, turning to live like Jesus means we begin to live the way we were always meant to, to experience fellowship with God, to live like Jesus. Repentance means restoration, to the way things always should have been, to a life that is in harmony with God, and pleases him. This is [gospel].