Devotion
on
REPENTANCE
to
Leader’s Pre-Induction Training
23.11.2013
Elder Wamagata Kairu wa Njeri (Wama G)
wamagz@gmail.com
1
Leading Scriptures
• When I shut up the heavens so that there is no
rains, or command locusts to devour the land or
send a plague among my people, if my people,
who are called by my name, will humble
themselves and pray and seek my face and turn
from their wicked ways, then will I hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their
land. - 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (NIV)
• For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God and are justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24 (NIV)
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Definition
• Repentance means a sincere turning away, in
both the heart and mind, from self to God.
• Repentance also means the action of
repenting; sincere regret or remorse.
• Repentance is also recognizing that our sin is
offensive to God.
• Key words; sin, action, self and God.
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Sin
• Sin means transgression (going against) or
breaking of God’s law (or commandments).
• Sin can either be an action or the lack of it.
• Sin separates us from God. But your iniquities
have separated you from your God; your sins have
hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
(Isaiah 59:2, NIV)
• Sin leads to death.
– The soul who sins is the one who will die. (Ezekiel
18:20a, NIV)
– For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23,
NIV)
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Sin Cont’d
• We have all committed sin(s) at one time or
the other – that is why we are Christians.
– For the Son of Man came to seek and to
save what was lost. (Luke 19:10, NIV)
– “If any one of you is without sin, let him be
the first to throw a stone at her.” (John
8:7b,NIV).
• Committing sin(s) causes problems that
include physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual damage.
5
Examples of Sins
• But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the
vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts,
the idolaters and all liars – their place
will be in the fiery lake of burning
sulphur. This is the second death.
(Revelation 21:8, NIV)
6
Examples of Sins Cont’d
• The major categories of sins affecting the
Church today can be classified into or be said
to emanate from: • Pride
• Power
• Love of money
• Sexual immorality
• The above has led to many Christians (mostly
leaders) living a life of deception e.g. Peter
Popoff (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Popoff)
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Repentance and Salvation
• When we are in sin, we can only be reconciled
with God through repentance.
• Repentance is an essential part of salvation,
requiring turning away from the sin-ruled life
to a life characterized by obedience to God.
• Salvation means deliverance from the power
or penalty of sin; redemption (the action of
saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil).
• Calls for repentance are found throughout the
Old Testament and the New Testament.
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Examples of Repentance Scriptures
• Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you
repent, I will restore you that you may serve
me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman. (Jeremiah 15:19a,
NIV)
• And if that nation I warned repents of its evil,
then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster
I had planned. (Jeremiah18:8, NIV)
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Examples of Repentance Scriptures Cont’d
• "Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you,
each one according to his ways, declares the
Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all
your offenses; then sin will not be your
downfall." (Ezekiel 18:30, NIV)
• For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,
declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and
live!(Ezekiel 18:32, NIV)
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Examples of Repentance Scriptures Cont’d
• In those days John the Baptist came, preaching
in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:12, NIV)
• "The time has come," Jesus said. "The kingdom
of God is near. Repent and believe the good
news!" (Mark 1:15, NIV)
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Examples of Repentance Scriptures Cont’d
• “Remember the height from which you have
fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
If you do not repent, I will come to you and
remove your lampstand from its place.”
(Revelation 2:5, NIV)
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Biblical Themes
• Repentance is one among the prominent
themes in the Bible after the fall of man
(Adam).
• Some of the other prominent themes are Love
and Salvation. These themes are however not
mutually exclusive.
• Repentance came after man (Adam) broke the
covenant with God and God desired to restore
the fellowship with man.
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Repentance Process
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
He who conceals his sins does not
prosper, but whoever confesses and
renounces them finds mercy
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Repentance Process Cont’d
1. Recognize your sins
The first step of repentance is to recognize that you
have committed a sin(s) against God's
commandments. After I strayed, I repented; after I
came to understand, I beat my breast. (Jeremiah 31:19,
NIV)
One then needs to feel sorrow for their disobedience
to God and the pain it may have caused to others.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation
and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
(2 Corinthians 7:10, NIV)
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Repentance Process Cont’d
2.Confess your sins
This involves telling God your sin(s) by
acknowledging you are the one who has
committed the sin(s). No justification is required.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness (1 John 1:9, NIV).
Where appropriate tell those whom your sin(s)
has hurt or affected. Many of those who believed
now came and openly confessed their deeds. (Acts
19:18, NIV)
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Repentance Process Cont’d
3. Renounce your sins
• Involves identifying what led or leads you to sin and
discontinuing association with it or with ways that leads
to you. Simply put, you decide to stop committing your
sin(s) and terminate any and all sinful relationships with
what causes you to sin. If your right eye causes you to
sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to
lose one part of your body than for your whole body to
be thrown into hell. (Matthew 5:29, NIV)
• You need to make a promise to God and yourself to
never repeat the sin(s)
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Repentance Process Cont’d
3. Renounce your sins cont’d
• Where appropriate rectify or make restitution for
what you have done. But Zacchaeus stood up and
said to the Lord, “Look Lord! Here and now I give half
of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated
anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times
the amount.” (Luke 19:24, NIV)
• If you can't rectify the problem caused by your sin(s),
sincerely ask for forgiveness from those you have
wronged and try to find other way(s) to show your
change of heart.
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Repentance Process Cont’d
4. Forgiveness
• Pray to God for forgiveness. For I will forgive their
wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
(Jeremiah 31:34b, NIV)
• Forgive others who have hurt you (The Lord’s Prayer).
• Truly forgive yourself and do not hold on to your sin or
the sorrow it caused you.
• Re-affirm to yourself that God loves you, even though
you have sinned before.
• Having peace with yourself is at times a sign of
forgiveness
• Remember God will forgive your if you truly repent.
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Repentance Process Cont’d
5.Recommit yourself to God
• Recommit yourself to obeying God’s
commandments. Do not let this Book of the
Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it
day and night, so that you may be careful to do
everything written in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8, NIV).
• Purpose to do only that which pleases God. So
whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians
10:31, NIV)
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Types of Repentance
1. Repentance can be shallow, such as the
remorse we feel because of fear of
punishment.
2. It can be deep, such as realizing how much
our sins cost Jesus Christ and how his saving
grace washes us clean. The understanding of
the everlasting love of God to us.
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Some hindrances to repentance
• Sin easily entangles – our environment if full of ever
encroaching opportunities to sin. “...let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles....”(Hebrews 12:1,NIV)
• Lack of knowledge – of things that lead us to sin or sin
itself e.g. influence of modern technology. “My people
are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6a, NIV)
• Peer pressure – others are doing it syndrome. “Thus you
nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
(Matthew 15:6, NIV)
• Lack of completion of repentance process – especially
confession and renouncing of sins.
• Living in denial – not coming to terms with your sin(s)
and/or consequences of your sin(s)
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Sin and Service
• It is possible to be in the service of God and yet
be living in sin. “Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only he who does the will of my father who
is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and in your name drive out demons and perform
many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I
never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21-23, NIV)
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Sin and Service Cont’d
• The Churches in Revelation 2 and 3 were
commended for big things yet five of them
were living in sin.
• Jesus warned the five churches to repent or
face consequences if they didn’t repent.
• When God works through us, it is not
necessarily a sign that we are walking right
with him. It could be a manifestation of God’s
gifts to edify the Church. For God’s gifts and
his call are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29, NIV).
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Further reading
• God is calling the PCEA church to repentance as
witnessed in recent forums e.g. The Presbytery
Convention held in Aug 2013 whose theme was
Jeremiah 2:13.
• God is also using individuals to pass the message
of repentance to the Church. For more details,
read the following internet link and repent as
appropriate.
http://revdavidgithii.me/crev/article/100
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God bless us all
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