Repentance

I did not mean to sin. Truthfully I can make no excuses except that I have been living life in the fast lane going from one event to the next with no down time for weeks. My times with God have felt rushed as I had to hurry off to the next commitment while at the same time feeling so exhausted that getting up in the morning has been a chore. I chose sleep rather getting up early for prolonged time with God. The end result has not been good for me or those around me.

Our church is holding a youth revival of sorts this and I am preaching the messages. Yesterday felt like a blur. The whole family had to get up early and we were all out the door headed to Grapevine for dentist appointments by 7:15 a.m. This took up the whole morning. My quiet time yesterday felt really rushed. I told myself I would have extended time with God later in the day. By the time we got back to Wise County I had just enough time to change clothes to meet some of our students for a work out and devotion. After that I rushed home, showered and then it was time to be at the church for what we are calling "Summer's Last Blast."

Three times I sinned last night not meaning to. All three times the sin involved my attitude and the words I spoke. While praying this morning God convicted me. What I mean is God pierced my heart showing me my attitude and words were not honoring to Him. This was followed by sorrow and contrition. God did not stop there. There were three people I had to email this morning and ask their forgiveness for my sin.

I thank God for His chastisement this morning. I thank God for the sanctifying work He continues to do in me. I am angry that so easily, in a night of wanting to point students to Him and His saving grace, I missed the mark and fell into sin. It was not intentional. For those few moments my flesh triumphed over the Spirit of God. Matt lived instead of being crucified and Christ living in me. I sinned.

Many people stop right there. They dwell on their sin and camp out in sorrow, condemnation, and defeat. They never move forward in repentance and restoration. Praise to God He convicted me and lead me to repentance. The word repentance means literally a changing of the mind and a turning away from. In essence it is expressing sorrow over sin and getting a fresh start. That is what took place in my heart this morning. As I write this the sun has not risen but already God has been deep at work in my life.

I see how easily I can get off track in my attitude and my actions. That is why my time with the Lord each day is so important. I want to live a life pleasing to Him. I want to honor Him in what I do. I love that line in my favorite hymn, It Is Well With My Soul. O the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul. Even sin like last night where in a short four hour span I got it wrong three different times. Christ died for those sins too and they too are nailed to the cross and I bear them no more.

Yes, I got it wrong three different times but I got it right this morning in repentance. If you are living life like I have been in the fast lane for the past month and a half, you probably do not have much time to sit before the Lord and reflect on Him, His word, and your actions. When we live like this how easily do we get off track in big things as well as the little things in life. My sin involved three different conversations with three different people that were all in passing. They were not long drawn out conversations but still I sinned.

Most likely I would not have made a big deal out of them except God made them a big deal to me this morning. Have you felt the sting of conviction over your sin? Have you taken the time to be repentant. Our churches are filled with unrepentant people. Sin abounds but repentance, especially in a corporate worship setting, is almost extinct. True and genuine repentance is on the endangered species list in many Christian's lives.

Why is this such a big deal today. God wants us to live in holiness. [I Pet 1:15-16]. He wants us to live in holiness in all our behavior. We far too easily dismiss what we consider little slip ups. We blow it with the family. We sleep in rather than enjoy quiet time with God. We ignore God's prompting to give while greedily hanging onto our money for what we want. Sin abounds but does repentance abound.

I am not advocating that we go to confession like some do to be absolved of our sin. Christ's redemptive work on the cross is complete. I am forgiven and declared righteous based on no merit of my own but solely on His grace. See [II Cor 5:21] [Eph 2:8-9] Yes, I am forgiven but that does not mean that my fellowship with God cannot be hindered by my sin. It also means that when I am convicted there should be a sorrow in my heart that my sin has not honored God. That means that I have to be honest and not make excuses. At one point last night when my words and attitude were called into question by another person I actually tried to justify my sin by quoting a Bible verse! Sin on top of sin!

We need times of repentance in the church once again. Preachers need to call people to such repentance. Believers need to be ready to repent when God convicts them of sin. I almost wrote when God convicts people of wrong doing instead of writing the word sin. Wrong doing soft pedals the message. My slip up last night was not an error in judgment, a moment of weakness, or a flaw in my character. IT WAS SIN! Sin is an ugly word. It means I missed the mark. It does not sit well with readers or listeners in the pew often. It will not make the preacher many friends but we are living in an age where sin abounds. It abounds in the church with ministers of the gospel committing adultery, stealing money, and sexually abusing minors. Sin abounds where prominent church leaders use foul language and unscrupulous business tactics but remain members in good standing in the church because they give large sums of money. Sin abounds in Sunday School teachers and ministers who stand to teach the truth of God's word without ever taking the time to open God's word in their private lives during the week. Sin abounds in the church gossiper and trouble maker who are constantly stirring up strife among the brethren. Sin abounds in the power hungry and manipulating people in the pew. Sin abounds in those who lie to save face and who stab brothers and sisters in Christ in the back. This is hypocrisy. SIN ABOUNDS but the good news is so does grace. Repentance is the door way for grace for the lost as well as the saved.

My exhortation is for you to make repentance a regular part of your walk with God. If your pastor does not call people to repentance, I challenge you to challenge him to do so. I am thankful for God's gentle but firm rebuke this morning. I am thankful for a time of repentance to get a fresh start for the day and the sun still has not risen.