Pastor Jon Cobler January 29/30 2011

Church of Living Water Saturday/Sunday

Olympia Foursquare Church

BUILDING SOLID LIVES

Part 2
Repentance

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I. LIVING A SOLID LIFE

A. Once we begin a journey to a “Solid Life”, how long does it take before we
make a mistake? (Not long!)

B. In the New Testament our journey is described as “walking in the Spirit.”

← But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the
flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the
Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you
from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:16–17 ESV)
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← C. Jesus told us that walking out this kind of life would be difficult.
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“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads
to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow
and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
(Matthew 7:13–14 ESV)

II. COURSE CORRECTIONS ARE INEVITABLE

A. The Bible calls these course corrections repentance.

B. Repentance is a change of mind and action.

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1. Repent: have a change of heart, turn from one’s sins, change one’s ways

2. True repentance is making a mental, spiritual and physical U-Turn.

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← Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their
hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will
go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we
do not know what has become of him.’ (Acts 7:39–40 ESV)

C. Repentance is a turning away from sin.

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 1. Repentance is not regret!
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← For godly grief (grief = regret) produces a repentance that leads
to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
← (2 Corinthians 7:10–11 ESV)

← a. Regret = turning from consequences of sin.

← b. Repentance = turning from the attitude of sin and turning to God.

2. Everyone regrets the activity that causes discomfort or pain.

← a. Regret does not necessarily mean that you are repentant.

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← b. When we regret we apologize, when we repent we change our
actions.

c. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were worried about consequences,

not a change of heart.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his
baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
(Matthew 3:7–8 ESV)

D. Repentance is a turning back to God.

1. The act of turning away must be accompanied by the act of turning to

God.

2. A refreshing through repentance:

But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ
would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your
sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the
presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you,
Jesus… (Acts 3:18–20 ESV)

III. REASONS PEOPLE DON’T REPENT

A. Repentance is viewed as weakness.

1. It takes a far stronger person to walk in the light of repentance than in the
darkness of hidden secrets.

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 2. Repentance is a choice to love fellowship with God and people more
than the pleasure or satisfaction of your sin.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
(1 John 1:7 ESV)

B. People are afraid of being rejected:

1. By God

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 ESV)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do
with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We
love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:18–19 ESV)

2. By People

a. Repentance and restoration are two different things.

b. Restoration requires forgiveness.

c. Forgiveness - repentance = lack of trust

d. Repentance - forgiveness = bitterness

e. Repentance + forgiveness = restoration

C. People feel hopeless to make a change.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of
the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present
darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore
take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:10–13 ESV)

1. Past failures do not guarantee future failure any more than past
successes do not guarantee future success.

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 D. Selfishness

1. Hardness of heart is a dangerous place.

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the
Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their
understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance
that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. (Ephesians 4:17–18 ESV)

E. A lack of repentance will produce certain “fruit” in our lives:

1. Illness:

There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is

no health in my bones because of my sin. (Psalm 38:3 ESV)

2. A calloused life:

O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but
they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take
correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have
refused to repent. (Jeremiah 5:3 ESV)

3. Broken Relationship

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie

and do not practice the truth. (1 John 1:6 ESV)

IV. HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?

A. Make repentance a habit.

B. Do not neglect the processes of repentance.

C. Find a community that will be a “rumble strip” in your life.

D. Pray a dangerous prayer:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And
see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
(Psalm 139:23–24 ESV)