8/7/2019 Building Solid Lives - Part 2

1/4

Pastor Jon Cobler January 29/30 2011Church of Living Water Saturday/SundayOlympia Foursquare Church

BUILDING SOLID LIVESPart 2

Repentance

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 theflesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of theSpirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep youfrom doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:1617 ESV)

C. Jesus told us that walking out this kind of life would be difficult.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leadsto destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrowand the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.(Matthew 7:1314 ESV)

II. COURSE CORRECTIONS ARE INEVITABLE

A. The Bible calls these course corrections repentance.

B. Repentance is a change ofmind and action.

1. Repent: have a change of heart, turn from ones sins, change ones ways

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

Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in theirhearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, Make for us gods who willgo before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, wedo not know what has become of him.(Acts 7:3940 ESV)

C. Repentance is a turning away from sin.

1

8/7/2019 Building Solid Lives - Part 2

2/4

1. Repentance is not regret!

For godlygrief (grief = regret) produces a repentance that leadsto salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

(2 Corinthians 7:1011 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.

b. When we regret we apologize, when we repent we changeour

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 hisbaptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers! Who warned you toflee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.(Matthew 3:78 ESV)

D. Repentance is a turning back to God.

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

2. A refreshing through repentance:

But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christwould suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that yoursins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from thepresence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you,Jesus (Acts 3:1820 ESV)

III. REASONS PEOPLE DONT REPENT

A. Repentance is viewed as weakness.

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

2

8/7/2019 Building Solid Lives - Part 2

3/4

2. Repentance is a choice to love fellowship with Godandpeople morethan the pleasure or satisfaction of your sin.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with oneanother, 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 justto forgive us our sins and tocleanse 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 dowith punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We

love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:1819 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 thewhole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes ofthe devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against therulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this presentdarkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Thereforetake up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evilday, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:1013 ESV)

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

3

8/7/2019 Building Solid Lives - Part 2

4/4

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 theirunderstanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorancethat is in them, due to their hardness of heart. (Ephesians 4:1718 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 isno 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, butthey felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to takecorrection. They have made their faces harder than rock; they haverefused to repent. (Jeremiah 5:3 ESV)

3. Broken Relationship

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lieand 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! Andsee if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!(Psalm 139:2324 ESV)

4