Our youngest son, Micah, turned four last week. He is such a blessing to our family, as are all of our children. If you are a parent, though, you know full-well that children sin. They do not have to be taught how to sin; it comes naturally, as it does for all of us. In fact, God’s Word tells us that we were sinners before we were even born.
“Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).
If we believe and accept this truth, though, what is still gut-wrenching is when we see our children commit sins they learn from us. When my children lose their patience and yell at one another, I see myself in them. When they selfishly throw a fit because they did not get their way, I see myself in them. When they tease and pick on each other, I see myself in them. Sin repeats itself, does it not?
Sin is serious and must not be justified, defended, sugar-coated or denied. Instead, we ought to grieve over our sin and repent, which means to turn away from sin and turn to the Lord. Repentance involves changing your mind about sin and changing the direction of your life. Here are three reasons repentance of sin is so important…
1. God
Repent of your sins because, more importantly than any other reason, your sin separates you from God. God is holy, and sin is not allowed to enter His presence. Therefore, you and I – because we are sinners – are not allowed to enter His presence, not in this life and not in the next.
On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching my last message in our series The Gospel According to David. Looking at 2 Samuel 11-12, I hope to explain what it means to be “Sinful but Repentant.”
When David committed a series of sins and tried to cover them up, “the Lord considered what David had done to be evil” (2 Samuel 11:27). This is the ultimate reason repentance is so important – because all sin is first and foremost an offense to the Creator and Ruler of the universe.
In David’s prayer of response to his sinful actions, he said to God, “Against You—You alone—I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. So You are right when You pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge” (Psalm 51:4).
Repent of your sins because nothing is more important than restoring your relationship with God and nothing is more devastating than eternal judgment and separation from God.
2. Other People
Repent of your sins because sins have consequences that inevitably go well beyond you. For David, what began as lust with his eyes and lust in his heart, led to adultery with another man’s wife, deception in an attempted cover-up, murder of the man whose wife David defiled, and the death of David’s son.
If you read 2 Samuel 11-12, you can see the devastating effects of David’s sin on the lives of others. The consequences are heartbreaking, and there were even future consequences that affected people who were not even part of these events.
God said to David, “Why then have you despised the command of the Lord by doing what I consider evil? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife—you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword. Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife” (2 Samuel 12:9-10).
David’s sins destroyed the lives of others, and our sins can do the same. Repent of your sins because your sins hurt others, whether you currently realize this or not.
3. Yourself
When God sent Nathan to confront David, Nathan shared a story that related to David’s sin (see 2 Samuel 12:1-8). David was appalled and thought justice needed to be done in that case. How easy it is to see sin and evil in others, while failing to see sin and evil in ourselves!
Regardless of what we see or how we feel, though, we are sinners in need of forgiveness. We are desperately wicked when left to ourselves and the consequences of sin are not just realized in this life. The consequences are eternal, unless we repent and turn to the Lord. You have nothing lasting and good to look forward to unless you repent of your sins.
Of course, this third reason is related to the first two reasons. All three reasons are intertwined, in fact, because a right relationship with God affects our relationships with others and our own well-being. We need God, and we need one another, or we will never be our best selves.
So, repent of your sins because God commands you to, and you desperately need His forgiveness. He is worthy of all glory and honor, but in your sin, you are attempting to steal His glory and honor. Repent of your sins because others are depending on you. And, repent of your sins because you will never find joy, hope, peace and satisfaction if you do not honor God and care for others.
Respond
Remember earlier I said that repentance involves changing your mind about sin and changing the direction of your life. The reality for every single one of us, though, is that we simply cannot do this eternally important act on our own. We need help. We are incapable of changing ourselves. Thus, God sent His Son Jesus (who never sinned) to die on the cross for our sins, and He rose from the dead to defeat sin and death for all of eternity. Now, if you trust Jesus’ substitutionary death, you are able, by the power of His Spirit changing your life, to repent of your sins and walk in a right relationship with God.
Will you respond to the truth of God’s Word by placing your faith in Jesus Christ and repenting of your sins? If you have already made the decision to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, will you examine your heart to make sure you are seeking Him daily in faith and repentance?
By the way, Micah really did enjoy the walk, even though his strange facial expression in the above picture does not seem to indicate enjoyment.
DrakeCity 