Tag: Repentance

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Red-Faced or Repentant?…Mar. 29th

It’s a reassuring thing when you hear someone apologize for doing wrong. We call that ‘repentance.’ Cookie-JarBut not everyone is sorry for sinning, some are just sorry for getting caught sinning. We used to say, “He was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.” And that usually meant punishment. But are we really sorry for committing acts of disobedience, or are we just embarrassed we were caught ‘red-handed?’

In the 7th chapter of 2nd Corinthians, Paul writes to the church and makes an interesting claim. He writes, “For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it…” If you think that’s a little harsh, you’re missing the message. You need to keep reading. Paul wrote to correct those whose hands were ‘caught in the cookie jar.’ And because he corrected them, they came to repentance. Notice the following verse; “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.” Perhaps when we examine our life and acknowledge our sins, we’ll come to see our need for repentance. Otherwise we’re just red-faced because we were caught with our hand in the cookie jar.

“…I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.”  I Corinthians 14:15

Sunday morning, March 29, 2015

The following songs are found in the hymnal, Songs of Faith & Praise.

“I Will Call Upon the Lord” – 63

Supporting our opening scripture reading we sing the words to Psalm 18:3, “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.” Notice, the second part of this verse is not a question, “who is worthy to be praised?” It’s a statement as if to say “He is worthy to be praised!” Singing with understanding…

“A Wonderful Savior” – 508

Serving as a medley with our opening song, we’ll segue into this older spiritual song from Fanny J. Crosby. The chorus swells as we sing how our wonderful Savior hides our soul, and our life in the depths of His love. 

bowed in prayer“I Stand Amazed” – 147

Taking the first four verses of this spiritual song I can “…sing of His love for me.” Read what you’ll be singing, “For me it was in the garden He prayed, ‘Not My will, but Thine;’ He had no tears for His own griefs, but sweat drops of blood for mine.” And the verse some of us might not have in our books, “In pity angels beheld Him, and came from the world of light to comfort Him in His sorrows He bore for my soul that night.” Did you see the scripture references? If not, read Luke 22:42-44

“Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God” – no book

A psalm (or maybe it’s a hymn) that we sing straight from the scripture. You’ve read the passage from Psalm 51:10-12; this is David’s prayer to God as he is comforted with his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. It’s clear that David was repentant of his sinful actions, and not just red-faced. True repentance will lead you to say things like, “Cast me not away from Your presence, O Lord, and take not Your holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation and renew a right spirit within me.”

“Victory in Jesus” – 470

Before our lesson this morning we’ll sing of the victory we have in Christ. We win the victory over sin when we cry out, “…come and heal my broken spirit” and when we repent of our sins, but only because of “His precious blood’s atoning.” That’s why we sing, “He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.” Truly we can have Victory in Jesus!

“Lord, I’m Coming Home” – 936

Our invitation song has a specific verse we must recognize as we consider our lesson on repentance. Notice how the author, William Kirkpatrick, phrased the 2nd verse. “I’ve wasted many precious years, now I’m coming home; I now repent with bitter tears, Lord, I’m coming home.” How long has it been since you cried because of your sin-sick soul? Maybe the contemporary song is right, maybe ‘my eyes are dry.’

“I’m Not Ashamed to Own My Lord” – 609

No better way to finish this message of repentance and being more than just ‘red-faced’ than for us to sing; “I’m not ashamed to own my Lord, nor to defend His cause…”  Face it, we will all sin. We will all, at one time or another, get caught with our hand in the cookie jar. And yet the question will remain, are you red-faced or repentant? 

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Convicted

“…know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ-this Jesus whom you crucified.” Acts 2:36 Arguably one of the strongest invitations ever given, but notice the reaction by the men and women who heard Peter’s message on the Day of Pentecost. “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart…” Pierced to the heart would mean they were touched to the core. They felt grief and strong emotion. Read again the message in Acts 2:14-42 concerning Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (the good news). The gospel message so impacted the listener that they were pierced, cut, pricked, stung in their hearts to make a change. However you translate it, in the early hours of the morning on this day of Pentecost, the people in Jerusalem were convicted in their hearts.

But consider another sermon from the book of Acts that was convicting to the listeners. Peter and the apostles were before the Council and giving their ‘defense’ when they stated, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins…” Acts 5:30, 31 In similar wording, Peter offers yet another stirring ‘invitation’ and again the listeners are ‘convicted’ in their hearts. In scripture we read that, “…when they heard this, they were cut to the quick…” No emotional pull from the listener here. There is no grief for a wrong done, but instead, there is an anger swelling up in these ‘convicted hearts.’

In Acts 2:37, when the people in Jerusalem heard Peter’s message and were ‘pierced to the heart’, they came back with the question, “Brethren, what shall we do?” In Acts 5:33 when the Council heard these similar words, “…they repentintended to kill them (the apostles).”  How can two sets of people hear the same message of salvation, feel a strong conviction and yet respond with entirely opposite views? Clearly one was convicted to accept a change while the other was convicted to reject change. For those who know a wrong exists in their lives, God provides an avenue. Peter’s response,“Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…” (vs. 38). However, as he stood before the Council, when their hearts were ‘cut’, they sought to eliminate the source of their conviction.

Perhaps Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth helps us understand how some might be convicted to change while others are convicted to rebel against God’s message. I Corinthians 1:23 read, “…but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called (to those who are asking ‘what must I do to be saved’), both Jews and Greeks, Christ (is) the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  So perhaps the question for you and me is simply, when we are convicted of a wrong, when our heart is pierced or pricked, how will we respond?