Repentance

[B-A-C]

What did John the Baptist preach?

Matthew 3:2
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 3:8
Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;

Luke 3:3
And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

Luke 3:8
Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our
father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

Mark 1:4
John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

What did Jesus preach?

Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 11:20
Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because

they did not repent.
Matthew 11:21
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in
you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Luke 5:32
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 13:3
I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Luke 13:5
I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Luke 15:10
In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

What did the disciples preach?

Mark 6:12
They went out and preached that men should repent.

Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19
Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from
the presence of the Lord;

Acts 17:30
Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,

2 Corinthians 7:10
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but
the sorrow of the world produces death.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to
perish but for all to come to repentance.

There are many more verses along similar lines... but it seems many churches these days don't preach repentance.
They preach do whatever you want and Jesus/God will forgive you.
Yet in Revelation, John speaks in his vision about those who did not repent and what God did about it.

Revelation 2:5
Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.

Revelation 2:16
Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

Revelation 2:21
I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

Revelation 2:22
Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
unless they repent of her deeds.

Revelation 3:3
So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

Revelation 3:19
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

Revelation 9:20
The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to
worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see
nor hear nor walk;

Revelation 9:21
and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

Revelation 16:9
Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

Revelation 16:11
and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their
deeds.

 

[Christ4Ever]

Sadly, too often this very lack of repentance, is why our very prayers go unanswered. The humility, the brokenness, is not there. Our house is dirty, and we refuse to clean it. Why Revive a Country, a Nation that even those who profess to believe, refuse to repent?
My tears I shed for my Country, but also for those who believe and see that nothing is wrong! Be it with the church, or themselves.

Thank-you for sharing my brother.
YBIC
C4E
<><

 

[B-A-C]

Why is this not preached in many churches today? Why is this such an unpopular subject?
Why do people who are calling themselves Christians not want to talk about or think about repentance?

 

[Dave M]

maybe they don't want tot offend anyone and are afraid of loosing customers oops I mean parishioners.

 

[amadeus2]

Why is this not preached in many churches today? Why is this such an unpopular subject?
Why do people who are calling themselves Christians not want to talk about or think about repentance?

People simply do not want to change their ways. They want to have their cake and salvation too. People want to be sorry and be forgiven, but repentance means making a change. This is nothing new. Indeed in the words of Solomon:

"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."Ecc 1:9

John the Baptist came to prepare the way and to do so preached repentance. Jesus brought Life. Everyone wants Life but the cost of repentance is seemingly too high for too many.

 

[B-A-C]

People simply do not want to change their ways. They want to have their cake and salvation too. People want to be sorry and be forgiven, but repentance means making a change. This is nothing new.

Too true... but...
I notice in your post above two small phrases.... "do not want" and "They want".
Does it really all come down to... putting what "I" want, over what God wants. If I'm putting myself before God,
who is the God in my life?

 

[amadeus2]

Too true... but...
I notice in your post above two small phrases.... "do not want" and "They want".
Does it really all come down to... putting what "I" want, over what God wants. If I'm putting myself before God,
who is the God in my life?

Exactly so! We all want things and God wants to gives us things. In end we will receive probably more than we ever dreamed, IF...we go His way.

 

[Dave M]

Repentance I know from my stand point for most of my life being a Catholic I think a lot of people do not know the true meaning of Repentance thanks to the people running the show. I remember one time I went into confession I always thought this was repentance (wrong) and when I told the priest hearing the confession about a issue I had with Lust he said something along the lines of you know we have a singles community here you should look into, is that crazy. .

I really think most people as I was really do not know what repentance is,

True repentance is receiving Jesus and then he will take care of changing your heart, and then you will see your behavior change IMO stopping doing something is a good start, but your heart has to change the way you feel about the sin IMO and then it will be easy to turn away from the temptation for it will no longer be a temptation. IMO

 

[Dovegiven]

It's frustrating to me when someone yields to God, takes hold of "the horns of the altar", praying and being ministered to by the Spirit, and before done the lights begin to be turned off, people milling about talking up a storm, ushers ready to clear the building so we can all go o our various restaurants while there's still a good selection of food not too over-cooked. I attend a lot smaller church now, so it's not a problem for a couple to stay over with a new creature in Christ. We only have one door to lock on the way out. I do understand about large facilities. It's a big job making sure nobody is left behind. But it remains a serious problem for many churches.

When a person finally repents and calls on Jesus, that ought to be top priority event, being there to cover whatever the Lord wants believers to do. Most just don't see it that way, so nothing changes until starting a whole new congregation of folks that do see things that way. Get them to the Lord.

That same determination of a young man down there at the altar is one of the three MUSTS to receive anything from God. He was doing one of the A.S.K. elements, ask, seek, Knock. Few new believers would know effective prayer follows through that process. Persistence is vital. King David physically took hold of the horns of the altar in desperate prayer, a man God heard, and supplied.

When I was a 13 year old boy, my dad punished me with a heavy belt for taking Granddad's WWII surplus Jeep for a wild ride without permission. I put a dent in a fender from glancing a tree, then denied I took it. While that was happening to me, my grandmother was on her knees, way after the beating, pleading with God to help me live long and be a good man. I knew she did that already a lot, but that day I heard the words over the belt slaps and my yelps, realizing she was serious for my sake.

I wasn't a Christian then, but her prayers were of the sort that required God to respect.

 

[Bendito]

What did John the Baptist preach?

Matthew 3:2
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 3:8
Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;

Luke 3:3
And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

Luke 3:8
Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our
father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

Mark 1:4
John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

What did Jesus preach?

Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 11:20
Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because

they did not repent.
Matthew 11:21
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in
you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Luke 5:32
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 13:3
I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Luke 13:5
I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Luke 15:10
In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

What did the disciples preach?

Mark 6:12
They went out and preached that men should repent.

Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19
Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from
the presence of the Lord;

Acts 17:30
Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,

2 Corinthians 7:10
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but
the sorrow of the world produces death.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to
perish but for all to come to repentance.

There are many more verses along similar lines... but it seems many churches these days don't preach repentance.
They preach do whatever you want and Jesus/God will forgive you.
Yet in Revelation, John speaks in his vision about those who did not repent and what God did about it.

Revelation 2:5
Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.

Revelation 2:16
Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

Revelation 2:21
I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

Revelation 2:22
Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
unless they repent of her deeds.

Revelation 3:3
So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

Revelation 3:19
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

Revelation 9:20
The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to
worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see
nor hear nor walk;

Revelation 9:21
and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

Revelation 16:9
Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

Revelation 16:11
and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their
deeds.

Good Post!

What is Repentance?
Its a changing of mind, that leads to a change of heart, that leads to a change of actions. This change involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God.

 

[robaston]

Good Post!

What is Repentance?
Its a changing of mind, that leads to a change of heart, that leads to a change of actions. This change involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God.

can we over-repent?

 

[Bendito]

can we over-repent?

Can we over give our lives to the Lord? I think not!

 

[robaston]

Can we over give our lives to the Lord? I think not!

what i was meaning bro, can we go on and on saying "i'm sorry"...which would be annoying

 

[Bendito]

what i was meaning bro, can we go on and on saying "i'm sorry"...which would be annoying

I see your question now...If I kept offending you, robaston, and kept apologizing....how long would you keep thinking I really cared if I was offending? How long would you keep thinking I really mean to change? Repentance is an action word. I repent by changing the way I think (action) by turning away (action) from sin, by turning to God (action). The I'm sorry is simply expressing the way I feel about it. Without the corresponding action, it's worthless. Did I understand the question properly?

 

[robaston]

I see your question now...If I kept offending you, robaston, and kept apologizing....how long would you keep thinking I really cared if I was offending? How long would you keep thinking I really mean to change? Repentance is an action word. I repent by changing the way I think (action) by turning away (action) from sin, by turning to God (action). The I'm sorry is simply expressing the way I feel about it. Without the corresponding action, it's worthless. Did I understand the question properly?

that's very intelligent and captures my thoughts entirely.

now you mentioned surrender to the Lord can never be overdone. He reminds me often lately to walk the talk. for example "listening to my Word ( on audio bible) is not appropriate now, rather "do it...later is better for listening" I feel i was being lazy, just listening, when ACTION is needed

 

[Bendito]

that's very intelligent and captures my thoughts entirely.

now you mentioned surrender to the Lord can never be overdone. He reminds me often lately to walk the talk. for example "listening to my Word ( on audio bible) is not appropriate now, rather "do it...later is better for listening" I feel i was being lazy, just listening, when ACTION is needed

Jesus said "If you love me you will keep (attend to carefully) my Word. Notice attend to is an action again. Jesus is an action hero. He does and as His disciples, we do also.

 

[B-A-C]

This thread is 6 years old, but even more true today than then.

 

[Downunder]

Why is this not preached in many churches today? Why is this such an unpopular subject?
Why do people who are calling themselves Christians not want to talk about or think about repentance?

The love of money is a big problem - there is lots of money to be made from religion. Filthy lucre Paul writes of (ill gain or greed).
1Tim 3:8 Deacons likewise must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
1Peter 5:2 Tend the flock of God which is among you, not of constraint, but willingly; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of ready mind;
2Timothy 3:
1 But know this, that in the last days grievous seasons shall come.
2 For men shall be self-lovers, money-lovers, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, puffed up, pleasure-lovers rather than God-lovers;
5 having a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.
6 For of these are they that creep into houses, and capture small women laden with sins, led by diverse lusts,
7 ever learning, and never able to come to a knowledge of truth.

Unfortunately bums on seats and credit cards maketh the cash flow.

 

[B-A-C]

Unfortunately bums on seats and credit cards maketh the cash flow.

True, but...

Luke 16:13; "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
Mark 8:36; "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?