Everyone to Come to Repentance

1. Everyone to Come to Repentance by Rolan & Weng Monje

2. Review from last week:“A Heart to Repent” • Repentance is not just an obligation but an undeserved privilege for Christians • Repentance is about seeing God’s heart and about seeing the benefits for life • We can point our heart to repentance when we see God’s heart for us: lovingkindness, patience, justice

3. 2 Pet 3.9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. We shed light on this verse when we look at examples of God’s people who don’t repent.

4. Examples of unrepentant hearts • Halimbawa mula sa OT, NT • Mga may pagkakataon na mag-repent • Ngunit hindi nag-repent • Nakamit nila ang mapait na bunga ng kanilang ‘unrepentance’

5. Three bad examples • Pharaoh • – disciplined through Moses • Rehoboam • – disciplined through Ahijah • Ananias & Sapphira • – disciplined through Peter

6. Pharaoh – Ex 7.10+ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

7. Pharaoh – Ex 10.3+ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: `How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields… " Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh. Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?"

8. Failure to repent - Pharaoh • Given chances • People tried to influence • After hardening his heart, God then hardens his heart (look at wording of Ex 7-12, from 6th plague onward) • Results are irrevocable

9. Rehoboam2 Chron 10:3+ …All Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: "Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.“ Rehoboam answered, "Come back to me in three days." So the people went away. Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How would you advise me to answer these people?" he asked. They replied, "If you will be kind to these people and please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants."

10. Rehoboam – 2 Chron 10 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, `Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?" The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Tell the people who have said to you, `Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter'--tell them, `My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier… Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned … The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders, he followed the advice of the young men and said, "My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions." So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.

11. Ananias & SapphiraActs 5:1+ Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

12. Ananias & Sapphira About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

13. Reflection on the 3 ex • Personal failure/ruin is not instant • God gives many ways to avoid sin • There is a point when punishment is called for, and sometimes in a manner that is most painful • When we don’t repent, we lose many valuable opportunities • God hurts when we don’t repent, because values repentance

14. Our Call to Commitment • Is about repenting before God! • More than a church program • More than a leadership exercise • More than just individual talks • More than a step to get united

15. Sharing time

16. Our Call to Commitment • Is about repenting before God! • More than a church program • More than a leadership exercise • More than just individual talks • More than a step to get united

17. CTC: Are we repenting? • Are we repenting in our times with God? • Are we repenting in our heart to be discipled? • Are we repenting in our evangelism? • Are we repenting in our commitment? • Are we repenting in our giving? • Are we repenting in the things God is exposing in us personally?

18. When we don’t repent, we forfeit/lose the chance • For God’s name to be glorified • For angels to rejoice • For our hearts to be softened • For people to be inspired • For others to help us & be closer to us • For others to learn from us • For us to be able to help others later

19. From John Maxwell,“Failing Forward” • Errors become mistakes when we perceive them and respond to them incorrectly. • Mistakes become failures when we continually respond to them incorrectly.

20. From John Maxwell, “Failing Forward” • Achievers see failure as temporary • E.g. Jeremiah, Paul • Achievers keep realistic expectations • E.g. Nehemiah, Moses • Achievers bounce back • E.g. Joseph, Peter

21. Conclusions • God’s heart is for people to repent • God put a premium not on perfection, but on repentance • God uses people who simple repent • There is no perfect ‘timing’ to repent • God is glorified when we repent • We become stronger when we repent