We begin by looking at John the Baptist. Matthew 3:1-2 and 5-6 tells us.  "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River."

Pastor shares a personal visit to the Jordan River with pics of the area.

As our story continues we see John calling out to the Pharisees and Sadducees who had come to the Jordan River to see what he was doing. He tells them that they need to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. What John is saying is that when they truly turn to the Living God, it will change them, that their attitude, behavior and thought patterns will be radically transformed. 

John goes on in verse 11 of chapter 3 to say, "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." John's message was repent. His message was that the Messiah they had been waiting for was coming. He says that the Messiah will baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire, the fire of judgement. 

People were drawn to John the Baptist because he spoke the truth in love. He wasn't the only one that talked about repentance.

The Call to Repentance
    ⁃    John the Baptist - Matthew 3:2
    ⁃    Jesus Christ the Messiah - Matthew 4:17
    ⁃    Apostle Peter - Acts 2:38
    ⁃    Apostle Paul - Acts 17:30
    ⁃    Holy Bible - 2 Peter 3:9

Repent means to:
Change your mind
Change your attitude
Change your thoughts
Change your direction
Turn around - do a 180

Repentance IS important.

Who needs Repentance?
    ⁃    Isn't this the punchline to a joke? - No. Jesus says in Luke 13:3 that unless we repent, we will all perish. Jesus considers repentance to be absolutely essential.
    ⁃    Isn't repentance just for bad people? - this depends on how you translate the word bad. The point of comparison is not against people, it is against a holy God. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Matthew 21:31 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you."
    ⁃    This isn't for religious people, is it?  Jesus continues in Matthew 21:32 "For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." Repentance is for ALL people especially the religious. This teaching brings anger and bitterness from the religious because it exposes them for what they really are not and for what they show to others.
    ⁃    Isn't this Old Testament teaching? Yes, but it is also New Testament teaching as seen earlier in this message. 
    ⁃    Surely Christians don't need to repent? From Jesus we read a series of seven epistles in Revelation. In Revelation chapters 2 & 3 Jesus says the word "repent" 7 times.

Martin Luther said in Thesis 1: "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent' (Mt 4:17 ), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance".

If you find yourself rebelling against what you are hearing today - we encourage you to hear the rest of the story.

What is True Repentance
    1.    I am a Sinner - when I recognize this then I understand that
    2.    I need a Savior - turning to the only one who can save us. We are all sinners and we need a Savior. Without Him we are lost forever and it calls us to say
    3.    I trust in Christ alone - because the Living God stepped into this world, living a life of perfect obedience and willing went to the cross to pay for rebellion and sin and the one who rose victorious of death. Jesus is that Savior. We are called by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to trust in the redemption found only in Jesus and then to say
    4.    I will live for Him - repentance changes the way we think, the way we look at God and look others and the world, it changes the way we turn to the Living God and hang onto the Lord Jesus who is our Savior and Deliverer and seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit to live a life of faith, obedience, joy and peace, power in Him.
This true repentance.

Although the call to repent may sound scary, the gift of God through repentance is the greatest joy any one can know in this world and the life of the world to come.

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