Ok… so I was writing a nice Word for the Day, and was about wrapped up when I had a power outage and lost everything.  I’m going to take that as a sign to go in a different direction… guess God didn’t like that WFTD, ha ha.  So, my burden as always is to challenge and encourage.  Hopefully my message this past week before the break was helpful.  I feel like most Christians struggle with really understanding the gravity of sin, and so it is helpful to expand on that at times by looking at how God views sin, and how sin will be punished.  Understanding the gravity of sin is directly linked with the affection you have to Christ, who bore the punishment for that sin, and freed you from it.  That is always my end goal – not that you wallow in brokenness over your sin forever (although some people should be broken more), but that your affections for Christ would grow, leading you to joyfully obey Him.

Jesus commanded the people in His preaching to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt 4:17) and again in Mark 1:15 – “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  You cannot follow Christ if you have not repented of your sin.  This is why John the Baptist came before Christ, saying “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'”  (Matt 3:2-3)

It’s amazing to me today to hear Christian’s views on repentance.  Most people misunderstand the word to mean “feel bad about”, or “be sorry for”, as that is how it is normally used in English.  While those emotions ought to accompany and follow repentance, Biblical repentance is not first a matter of the heart, but of the mind.  The greek word for “repent” is metanoeo.  This word literally means to perceive afterwards, signifying a change in mind or purpose, and it always involves a change for the better.  So here is a question, if you’ve never thought about repentance in this way before, how do you feel about sin in your life?  Have you changed your mind about the supposed benefits of sin, such that you perceive a greater worth in Christ, and following after Him?  Or are you still in a mindset of the flesh, pursuing joy apart from God?  When you are tempted, are you able to say with conviction, that whatever gain was to me, I count as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus?

Look at Paul in Philippians 3:3-11 – “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

This is a picture of repentance.  Paul thought one way previously, and now he has found a better way.  Following Christ to Him, whatever the cost, is gain.  He changed his mind, and it was a change for the better.  My friends, I’m speaking to all of you, but especially those of you who have long-lasting sin festering in your lives, keeping you from the fruitfulness in Christ you were made for.  What do you think about your sin?  Do you minimize it, perhaps even convincing yourself that it’s not sinful because of your circumstances?  That way of thinking is deadly.  My encouragement is to take your sin before the Lord, pray that God would let you see your sin for what it is, and grant you repentance that leads to faith.  Find in Christ everything you need, and know that His shed blood is payment in full for your sin, not merely to cover it, but to give you grace to pursue Him in righteousness.  Therefore, repent and believe, and may your repentance and obedience well up in you a joy of the surpassing worth of Christ.

Grace and Peace,
Adam