Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Okay, so we're gonna. We're going to go to. We're still looking at the subject of repentance. I want to go to start to the book of Genesis, if you would, chapter number 25. We'll do a little bit of review before we get too far into our study here. So let's start in Genesis, chapter 25.
[00:00:29] Genesis 25.
[00:00:33] Let's pray together and then we'll do a brief review. Our Lord, thank you for the chance to get together as your people. Thank you for the people of God. Thank you for your grace. Lord, many people in our church right now are bearing suffering that their bodies have just failed them. And they're troubled and they're.
[00:00:58] Lord, they just need your grace. And so, Lord, especially for Brother Muxflow and brother York and others who aren't, I think of Brother Sonny as well and sister Pam.
[00:01:10] Please, Lord, give them grace and give your mercy to them at this time and protect them and heal them, Lord and Lord, we pray and we commit this Sunday school lesson. We ask your blessing upon it, Lord, give us understanding hearts. Help us to know and understand these things, that we might be better equipped to give the gospel to people because that's why we're studying it, so that we can be skillful in this duty of ours. And so, Lord, we pray that you bless our time in your word and that your word would, you would make it come alive to us and you would help us to have understanding because we ask in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:01:54] All right. So we looked at, we began looking at the subjects of faith, repentance and faith. And we, last week we looked at repentance and what repentance is. And again, what we're talking about is what we call the school of evangelism. And so we're looking at different things that will enable us both to understand the gospel, but also to be able to clearly articulate and explain the gospel to another person. Now, the gospel itself is a series of facts that are 2000 years old. But those facts are relevant to us now. They directly are related to us. Now. So you have the gospel, but as we'll see in just a minute, surrounding the gospel are essential truths that directly relate to how someone receives the gospel. And so there's a, what we're looking at today in the subject of repentance, as we saw last week, is this is really, repentance is really the matter of heart preparation. That's really what it's about. We'll see more about that this morning. Interestingly and coincidentally, not by design, we're going to. What we'll talk about this morning in Sunday school dovetails with where we're at in Matthew, in Matthew chapter three, which is where we'll be today. And so there's going to be a little bit of overlap. So just bear with me if I have to repeat myself, because we do have two different groups in each place.
[00:03:27] But on the subject of repentance, who can give me a good definition for that? We looked at for the word repentance. What does it mean to repent anybody? Yes, sir.
[00:03:40] To change one's thinking. All right, that's kind of a basic, you could say, the change of the heart, change of the mind. But the idea being there's a change, number one, there's a change. And that that change is inward. Those are the key, the key features of repentance. And we'll see that in just a minute. All right, so I'll just read the definition as a review. To review one's actions and feel contrition or regret for something has done or admitted to do, to acknowledge the sinfulness of one's past action or conduct by showing sincere remorse and undertaking reform in the future. All right? Again, repentance deals with one's heart attitude towards sin. So when you talk about repentance, you are really talking about sin. Somebody give me a good definition of sin. Sin does not listen. Sin is not to be defined by each one of us individually. That's not what sin is. Sin is not. Well, something that I think is wrong is a sin, and it's not that simple. What is a sin? Because, I mean, if we're talking to someone about repentance and that deals with sin, what is sin exactly? It's the transgression of God's commandments. You know, some commandments we agree with, some commandments we don't agree with. Well, we should agree with them. All right. But as far as the world at large, of course, everybody agrees murder is wrong.
[00:05:09] But idolatry or taking God's name in vain or hypocrisy or pride or any one of these other things, not so much, right? Not so much. So it's not to be determined by our own private definition, our own private understanding of sin, but by what God says. Because ultimately, sin is a matter between a man or a woman and the Lord. So it really doesn't matter what I think matters what God thinks. Right. Sister Judy, your relationship to the Lord.
[00:05:46] Right. But Sam, your relationship to the Lord. You know, that's what it's about. I mean, of course we try to see and understand what the Bible says, but really it's about sin is about our personal relationship to God.
[00:06:01] Okay? So we looked at repentance. Repentance touches and deals with the subject of sin. Again, it is heart preparation.
[00:06:10] Romans 713. This is what brother Ari quoted was then that which is good, may death unto me. God forbid. Listen to this. But sin that it might appear sin. So sin doesn't always look like sin. Sin doesn't always appear ugly. God wants it to appear ugly. This is kind of the core idea of repentance when we're giving the gospel, and this is the thing now, when we're giving the gospel to people and we're trying to explain to them the gospel, you cannot do that. It is not, we would not be faithful to the scriptures if we pass over what sin is, what its effect is, what God thinks of it, and how it relates to that person. If we pass over that just to rush them through a prayer or rush them through a series of steps of the Romans road, listen, if we do not pause there, we are not doing justice. We are not doing. We are not giving the gospel rightly. We have to spend time there because this is heart preparation. Heart preparation.
[00:07:17] That sin might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good. Listen, that sin by the commandment, that's God's law.
[00:07:27] The do's, the don'ts, the thou shalts, the thou shalt nots that everybody hates. Those are the things that God has given us to make sin ugly, to pull out all of the ideas about, well, this is not so bad. And it's not just the ten Commandments. It's a bunch of other commandments. I'll give you an example.
[00:07:47] There's a podcast I listen to that is a news commentary podcast along the lines of, like, Bill O'Reilly or back in the day, back when that was more common.
[00:08:03] And this particular person is an orthodox jew, okay?
[00:08:09] And, you know, complete with Yamulke and, you know, all the commandments, you know, he rests, supposedly rests on the Sabbath day and all that. And yet that man has a filthy tongue.
[00:08:25] Now, thankfully, in the podcast, they mostly bleep it out or, you know, delete it.
[00:08:32] But if you pay attention to what he says in other. In other venues, what you'll find is he has a filthy tongue.
[00:08:41] Now, here's the thing.
[00:08:45] Is there any verse in the Old Testament because he's a jew, right? Is there any verse in the Old Testament that forbids someone using a four letter word? Can you think of one, there's not. The closest thing you're going to think of is, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. But that's really not what that's really talking about. It's not talking about using four letter words, although it might be somewhat related.
[00:09:10] So this man, listen, he is sinning. He is sinning like crazy, right? In other words, the poison of Asps is under his lips. You know that. And that's in the Old Testament. But he's sinning like crazy, because the law of God in the New Testament, he thinks, doesn't apply and doesn't matter. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, which is. That's a lot more broad than just some simple thing like that. That includes not only four letter words, that also includes includes gossip, it also includes foul jokes, even when curse words aren't involved. But see, that's. I'm just showing you this. That's one example. This particular man, he thinks that doesn't apply to him. So his mouth is filthy, even though he's like a super religious person. How can that be?
[00:09:58] It's because the law of God has not made his sin exceeding sinful. He rejects it. He rejects the law of Christ is what he rejects. So therefore, those things as an example, those things aren't exceeding sinful to him.
[00:10:14] And if he ever gets saved, it'll probably likely he'll be faced with the reality of everything in the New Testament that the Lord says in the law. The law of Christ will also make sin exceeding simple. That's what the law does. Okay, so when we talk about repentance, we're talking about sin. Now, we looked at two corinthians chapter seven, verses eight through eleven, and we talked about, we saw how that you have godly sorrow and you have sorrow of the world. Sorrow being the feeling, being the emotion. When you've done something that's wrong, when you've done something that's.
[00:10:54] That's evil. But there is a difference between sorrow as an emotion and repentance. Sorrow is the feeling. Repentance is the actual change in the heart, in the mind.
[00:11:04] True repentance is permanent. Sorrow comes and goes just like every other emotion.
[00:11:12] And also true repentance produces an actual effect in the life. And that is fruit. And fruit. That's really what Matthew chapter three is about. Let's look now at Genesis 25 and verse number.
[00:11:29] Look down at verse number 29.
[00:11:31] We're going to look at Esau real quick, because Esau is a good example of repentance or rather, of a poor example of repentance.
[00:11:39] Genesis 25 29, the Bible says, and Jacob sawed pottage. That means he boiled stew. Okay. Just so you know. I know we don't say that generally. Did you sod potage today?
[00:11:50] Sod just means to boil. Potage is a stew, okay? So there's probably some of you that are sodding pottage right now, and you didn't even know it right at home. Okay? Nobody got that? Okay. What's that? It's not cold enough. It's not. What? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. I like stew, like, all the time. Like, I like it all the time.
[00:12:11] My wife and I have this ongoing thing. She makes the beet. She'll make a roast and put the vegetables in it. And I always, like, I always want it runny, and my kids always want it thick, so they want pottage, and I want soup. Yeah. All right. Sorry. That's all right. Verse number 29. Jacob sod pottage. And Esau came from the field, and he was faint.
[00:12:35] Now, he just came from the field. Okay. He just came from the field. Just keep that in mind. Verse 30. And Esau said to Jacob, feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint. Therefore was his name called Edom, which means red.
[00:12:55] And Jacob said, sell me this day thy birthright.
[00:12:59] And Esau said, behold, I am at this point to. I am at the point to die.
[00:13:06] That is such a lie, such a sissy thing to say. You just walked in from the field. You're not about to die. Now. If you were laying out in the field somewhere, your strength had failed you and the vultures were circling, I might be. I might tend to believe you. He is not about to die. Okay? Obviously, he is not about to die. Usually people that die from starvation aren't really talking about it. They're just. They're too busy dying.
[00:13:36] Listen, the scriptures aren't saying that he was dying. The scriptures are saying that he said he was dying. Okay? Just note that I made the point to die. And what profit shall this birthright do to me? You know, I'm making a joke about this, but what this man is doing is demonstrating a. Just a gross, gross mis valuation of the most important things in his life.
[00:14:05] Verse 33. And Jacob said, swear to me this day. And he sweared unto him, and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Birthright being the birthright was not only about the inheritance getting double of what all the other siblings got, but it was also to be the leader your family, right to be. To be the firstborn, which Esau was, was to be the leader of the family of Isaac.
[00:14:33] Right? That was significant. That was significant.
[00:14:38] Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and he did eat and drink and rose up and went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright.
[00:14:48] Notice, thus, Esau despised his birthright.
[00:14:53] What we don't see is him despising what he did, how he valued it.
[00:15:00] He despised the fact that he lost it.
[00:15:04] You see that? That is, Esau was angry at the loss, not at the way he despised the most valuable thing he had. So this is one installment, and we'll see it again. Esau. We might say it like this. Esau was upset and sorrowful over the effect of what he had done, losing his birthright, rather than over the evil of selling it.
[00:15:36] It's a big difference.
[00:15:39] Look at chapter 27, verse number 34.
[00:15:57] Of course. This is the famous passage where Rachel deceives Esau. Verse 34 says this. And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great, an exceeding bitter cry. Remember, Jacob has just. Jacob's blind, practically. He's just blessed Jacob. Isaac is practically blind, and he has just by mistake blessed Jacob by his deception. Okay.
[00:16:26] Esau heard the words of his father. He cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry. So notice he's weeping. There are tears, crocodile tears coming out. All right. And said unto his father, bless me, even me also, o my father. Would you say there's emotion in this statement?
[00:16:42] Yeah, there's emotion. The word o indicates emotion, o my father. And he said, thy brother came with subtlety and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, is not he rightly named Jacob? That means supplanter. For he hath supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. Okay. No, you sold it. He didn't steal it. You sold it. Notice he's concentrating on the loss rather than the act. He just passes over his role in selling his own birthright. You notice that Jacob stole it. No, he didn't.
[00:17:16] You sold it to him. You did it. Your fault. Now, we know Jacob was not faultless in the matter. He was a deceiver, but he didn't have to sell it to him. Okay.
[00:17:27] Verse number he took away my birthright. Verse 36. And behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto him, esau, behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants. And with corn and wine have I sustained him. And what shall I do now unto thee, my son? And Esau said unto my father, hast thou but one blessing? My father. Bless even me also, my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
[00:18:01] Drop down to verse 41.
[00:18:03] And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him. And he wanted to kill him. Right?
[00:18:12] Notice who? Esau doesn't hate himself.
[00:18:20] You see how Esau has so easily just passed right over his own. The wickedness of what he had done.
[00:18:29] He just passed right over it, blamed another.
[00:18:33] But in doing this, in doing this, he wept. He cried, do I not have a. Can you not give me a blessing? There was emotion. There was weeping. There was crying. But what is he crying over? What is he crying over? What is he crying over? He's crying. Overdose. The effect, the loss of his sin rather than over the wickedness of his sin.
[00:19:00] This is where, when you deal with people, like yesterday, I talked to a fellow who was on drugs.
[00:19:09] He was on narcotics. Not when I talked to him. At least I don't think so. But he was honest with me, and he told me that he had been in and out of rehab and prison, all that.
[00:19:19] That's one of the basic problems, is when sin starts to weigh heavy on people, they feel the pain and listen, human suffering is human suffering, right? And sin weighs heavy on people. And their life is destroyed. Their families are destroyed, their body is destroyed, their finances are destroyed. Sin does that. Sin is not good. It's always bad. But listen, if we. And if we're witnessing to someone and they grieve, someone whose life is broken by sin and they grieve over their life being broken to the exclusion of grieving over the wickedness in the sight of God, they've missed it.
[00:20:02] This is when you talk to somebody, this is what you're looking for.
[00:20:07] On the subject of sin, what are they looking at? The loss incurred.
[00:20:13] Don't be deceived by tears and sorrow and emotion. That doesn't mean, you know, there's a lot of people sitting in jail that cry, say, when I get out, I'm never going to do this again.
[00:20:24] But you're often. People often say that because they don't like where they are.
[00:20:30] If in another. Listen now. If in another set of circumstances, they could commit the same act of sin and do so without the consequences, what do you think they would do?
[00:20:45] They'd do it.
[00:20:47] Does that show repentance? Ask yourself this. What I'm trying to do is I'm trying to train us. Trying to train me. Trying to train you.
[00:20:55] Do you see? The difference is, if in another set of circumstances they would do it, there is no repentance for the wickedness of the sin. That's why that has to be the focus.
[00:21:05] And this is also why, even if somebody's life is not wrecked by sin, they can still come to repentance. You know why? Because their life doesn't have to be wrecked for them to see the wickedness of the sin.
[00:21:16] See, where do we point people to make them see the exceeding sinfulness of sin?
[00:21:26] The law. Romans 713. Right, brother Ari. That's it.
[00:21:32] God's law is what makes sin ugly. It's what makes sin ugly. Look at Hebrews chapter twelve, and we're going to see the divine commentary of what we just read in Genesis. And after that, we'll go to Luke chapter 15.
[00:21:51] Hebrews chapter twelve.
[00:22:09] Hebrews twelve, verse number 16.
[00:22:20] It says this, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau. So our Lord brings up Esau as an example. Notice profane, characterized by exhibiting or expressive of a disregard or contempt for sacred things. What in Esau's life would be considered sacred?
[00:22:43] His birthright.
[00:22:44] You see how he showed just utter contempt for it? That's why he's called profane, because that which should have been his most valued possession, he counted as nothing.
[00:22:55] That is a gross sin in the sight of God.
[00:22:59] And listen, Esau, we're just talking about a birthright, which is an earthly thing. But think about. Think about in many other areas of life, the things that are of the greatest importance, that are the greatest value to us, or should be, and yet just despised. And that's the core issue here. So verse 16, lest there be any, any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat, sold his birthright for you know how that afterward we just read this. When he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance.
[00:23:37] But I thought he was repenting. He was crying, he was sorrowful. He was weeping, he was begging. Is he not repenting? No, no.
[00:23:48] Though he sought it carefully with tears.
[00:23:52] This is a false repentance, because its emphasis is not the wickedness of the sin, but the poor outcome of the sin.
[00:24:05] Totally different. I mean, this is. Now, remember, repentance is of the what? Where does it happen?
[00:24:14] In the heart, inwardly. That means nobody in the world knows what's in there except the Lord and that person. Nobody knows if a person is repenting. Nobody knows. But when the Lord sees a person sorrowful over the result of sin, but nothing sorrowful and willing to turn away from the wickedness of the sin, it is not received, the Lord does not.
[00:24:48] That's false repentance. That kind of repentance is actually evil because it actually reaffirms the heart in wickedness. You see what I'm saying? It makes the person love the evil thing that God hates even more than they did before. It's just that they bit them one time. Will you take that away?
[00:25:07] Look at Luke 15.
[00:25:10] Luke 15.
[00:25:15] Want to use this? We'll close with this.
[00:25:18] We'll have to go fast. Of course.
[00:25:21] The Sunday school class just seems to fly.
[00:25:24] You guys are thinking, I don't know what you're talking about.
[00:25:28] Luke 15, this is the chapter about the lost. You have the lost coins, the lost sheep, lost sheep, rather lost coin. And then the lost son in Luke 15, notice verse one then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners. For to hear him.
[00:25:47] And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. So he's going to go into this.
[00:25:53] I'm not going to go into all of this. I just want to point out that these three stories are three stories about repentance. Okay, how do we know that? Look at verse seven.
[00:26:03] I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. More than over 99 just persons who need no repentance. Now, when we say joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, we're not talking about a believer who is stepped out of the will of the Lord and is not following the Lord anymore. No, no, no. In the context, this is referring to someone. This is the terminology used for a person who is without God, living in and loving sin.
[00:26:33] And it doesn't say saved, although you could use that term. That's a biblical term as well. But in this case, it's referring to the repentance aspect of salvation. And so it uses the terminal joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. Look at verse number ten. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repenteth. Is it not a good thing for a person who has lived in sin and loves sin? Right? Maybe their life has been destroyed. Maybe not yet.
[00:27:10] Is it not a glorious thing, think about your own, yourself, for that person to come face to face with the wickedness that their sin is in the sight of God.
[00:27:21] That is wonderful. That is the heart preparation that leads someone to eternal life.
[00:27:28] That's a wonderful thing.
[00:27:31] To see sin as God sees it. That is, you might say, I hesitate to say it like this, but it's like the first step that will, that will lead to the outcome of a person being forgiven.
[00:27:46] But you have to come. Whoever we talk to in our evangelistic efforts has to come face to face, not with what their sin has done to them, although that might be true, but face to face with God's word about their sin, what the Lord thinks of them, their sin, and what their sin has shown them to be.
[00:28:07] It's not something that can be skirted over.
[00:28:11] You say, well, that's negative.
[00:28:15] I agree. It's very negative, but it's only negative because mankind is wicked.
[00:28:22] You see?
[00:28:24] I mean, you go into the hospital. Hospital is a very negative place. You know why? Because that's where people are sick.
[00:28:32] And so it is with this matter as well. Look at, as we go down to verse number eleven. This is the parable of the prodigal son, we call it, but it's actually the parable. The lost son, a certain man had two sons, verse twelve. And the younger of them said to his father, father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto him his living. And not many days after, the younger son took all together, gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
[00:29:01] Sin was fun and pleasurable at the beginning. At this point, did this son, did this son see or feel any need for repentance? No, it's fun.
[00:29:16] It's fun to him. At this point, sin is good, okay? He's not at the point of repentance. Listen, you and I witness to this guy, you know, when we're out talking to people, co worker, you know, whatever our evangelism, we meet this guy who's enjoying his sin. He is not ready for Jesus. You understand that? It shouldn't surprise us.
[00:29:41] What is going to be our job? Our job is to say, now listen, this life that you're living is sinful and its end is bad. And the Lord has condemned it and you're in danger. And he's going to say, I'm having a good time. Bug off.
[00:29:57] He's just not ready. That's okay. The Lord's working on him. That's why you're there. Let's keep going.
[00:30:05] Verse 15. And he went and joined himself. I'm sorry, verse 14. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land. And he began to be in want. Okay. Here's the effect of sin. The fruit of sin starting to show itself.
[00:30:19] And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. And sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat. And no man gave unto him.
[00:30:32] And when he came to himself, he said, now notice sin.
[00:30:37] When sin starts to hurt, people are forced to eat its bitter fruit. Then sin begins to look exceeding sinful. Romans seven.
[00:30:49] But even then, as I said previously, you have to be careful. So we look at this young man. Is he sorrowful over the fact that his life is a wreck and his substance is wasted? Why is he upset? Look at verse 17. And he came to himself and he said, how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger? All right. That looks like more of the fruit of it that he doesn't recognize, but keep reading. I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. And am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. Now let me first of all let me ask you this.
[00:31:28] Where is this conversation happening in these two verses? It's in his own mind and in his own heart. You know why? Because that's where repentance happens.
[00:31:39] He's talking to himself.
[00:31:44] What is he sorry about?
[00:31:47] He's sorry. In verse 17 or 18 and 19, he's sorry over the sinfulness, not just the outcome of his sin.
[00:31:58] In fact, this is demonstrated in verse number 19. Because he says, or verse 17, he notes his father's displeasure. See? You see? What he has done is not in relation to the outcome and the poor effect in his life, but what his father thinks. That's sin exceeding sinful. Do you see this?
[00:32:19] Not only that, but his estimation of himself has changed. I am no more worthy to be called thy son. Now why is that? Because I've sinned. So what has happened is individual acts of transgression against God. Which sins are right. Individual acts of sin have shown him that he is a person, is sinful.
[00:32:48] In other words, what people do is they like to play this little game in their minds.
[00:32:52] Yeah, I do these things, and I make mistakes, but I'm a good person. That's not what he's saying.
[00:32:58] What he's saying is I am not a good person. I am totally unworthy. How do I know? Look at what I've done.
[00:33:07] But this idea that, well, I make mistakes and listen, this is Greenville, South Carolina. Speak right here. I make mistakes. We all sin. But I'm a good person. A lot of times we don't articulate that. But that is exactly what is in people's minds. I make mistakes. Yeah, we all sin. But I'm a good person. I have a good heart. No, actually, the reverse. The sin that the individual sins that we commit. That violate and transgress God's law. Show us that we are not worthy. Show us our sinfulness.
[00:33:40] You see the subtle differences that people use to deceive themselves.
[00:33:44] That I probably use to deceive myself at one point or another.
[00:33:50] Notice his estimation of himself has changed.
[00:33:57] Verse 20.
[00:34:02] And he arose and came to his father. See that? This is the fruit. Now he's doing something. But why is he doing something? Because in verse 18 and 19, he said, I will arise. So his heart changed. Was before he took his stuff and said, I'm out of here. Now he's wanting to go back to his father. So a change has happened in his heart. This is a demonstration of repentance. And what does he do? The change in his heart. A conversation with himself in 18 and 19 turns into action.
[00:34:33] So if this man had. If this young man. We're going to have to just stop in the middle here and pick up. But if this young man had had this conversation in verses 18 and 19 with himself, and then he didn't get up and go back to his father, what would you say about that conversation that had happened in 18 and 19?
[00:34:50] You would say it was just a bunch of bunk. It was just fluff because it had no fruit.
[00:34:57] True. Repentance has fruit. The fruit is not the repentance. The repentance happens in the heart first.
[00:35:04] But it must have. It will have, without fail, fruit. Which is why this young man gets up and goes back home.
[00:35:16] That's why. All right. We'll have to pause there. Press pause. Don't forget where we left off. Okay, let's pray together.
