This week’s essay is not a call from this Pastor to repentance but rather an examination of three very famous people from history who called on their people to turn to God.  The first is from a man dressed in camel’s hair and a leather belt who ate food quite foreign to this Midwesterner’s palate; locusts and wild honey.  Were the locusts eaten raw, roasted, fried or sautéed?  Whatever or however, this Pastor doesn’t plan to entertain that delicacy any time soon.

We first encounter John the Baptist in Matthew 3:1-2; “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (ESV).  His audience intuitively understood his call and responded with curiosity, and most likely obedience, to his prophetic call.

During John the Baptist’s calling for repentance his cousin comes on the scene and preaches this message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17, ESV).  His name was Jesus and it was said of Him by John after being asked by many; “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:27-28, ESV).

In our day the word “repent” is viewed negatively, and worse yet, many do not even know what the word means.  It is time to excise the cancer of ignorance about repentance and apply the healing balm of understanding.

The basic meaning of “Repent” is to turn or turn around.  In the American College Dictionary of 1968 defines it this way: “1. To feel self-reproach, compunction, or contrition for past conduct; change one’s mind with regard to past action in consequence of dissatisfaction with it or its results.  2. To feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one’s life  for the better; be penitent.”

In the English Standard Version Study Bible we read this definition on page 1824; “To repent, or ‘change one’s mind’ in the OT called for a change in a person’s attitude toward God that impacted one’s actions and life choices; it involved the idea of ‘turning,’ that is, from one way of thinking and living to a different way.  Common external signs of repentance included prayers of remorse and confession and renouncing sin.”

Feeling remorse leads to turning away from our sin and toward God; as the apostle John wrote “I must decrease and He must increase.”  That two of the greatest men who ever lived implored us to do the same thing indicates how important they believe repentance to be in a Christian’s life.

God is holy and entirely without sin, while we on the other hand, are full of sin and distant from God.  We must be reconciled to Him; and the first step is to “repent.”  We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and thus are in need of a Savior and repentance.

God provided the Savior in Jesus and we are to come to repentance and receive Jesus before we can appear clean before a sinless and perfect God.  Jesus provides that perfection; for though He was tempted in every way we are, yet remained without sin, He can stand between us and God and be our mediator or attorney to make His case on our behalf that we are innocent.  This is nothing we have done but it is through what Jesus accomplished upon the cross.

Jesus became sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  Wow, what a deal, Jesus did what we could never do, get us right before God.

However we must first repent or as Romans 10:9 states, “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.”  As the saying goes; there’s no time like the present.

Oh yeah, the third sermon on repentance; after his first sermon in the book of Acts Peter states after the crowd questions him: “Brothers, what shall we do?  And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38).

In our day and age the plea remains; “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  It is right here, right now; recognize the sin you have committed against God and your fellow man and repent and be saved.  If you are already a Christian then repent and return to the fellowship of your Father.

God is crazy about you and desires to have that relationship restored through His Son.  He loves you and is calling to you in love at this very moment.  Respond!  Repent! Be restored!

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