The following 5-minute devotional says much about repentance and the hindrances to it.
The chief obstacle is self, which he addresses in a succinct but thorough manner. One big problem of the Christian walk is learning to deny self. This culture has made that a huge problem because we are taught from childhood, by TV ads and by observing what the people around us value, that self-gratification is the height of personal freedom.
Such statements as “Grab the gusto;” or “This is the NOW generation;” [get all your pleasure; gratify all your lusts, now] indicate to us that we are missing out on happiness if we are not doing such things.
I personally learned that lesson well. But I think that the natural man in us also automatically craves that and it is just what the prosperity preachers and the word-of-faith preachers get rich preaching: they are keyed in on Adam in us.
However, the prosperity preachers are teaching the way to hell.
If we do not learn self-denial, then we have not really begun the Christian life. I’ve been a Christian for 18 years and haven’t learned it rightly yet; some areas of my life are ruled by self-will.
He clarifies what ‘self-will’ states to God about us in this little reading.
One text he does not mention but that is important to the video, is the following:
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
The following texts also state the above or indicate it:
If: Mat_10:38; Mar_8:34, Mar_10:21; Luk_9:23-27, Luk_14:27; Act_14:22; Col_1:24; 1Th_3:3; 2Ti_3:12; Heb_11:24-26
Repent or Perish by A W Pink
Sermon HIGHLIGHTS [bracketed statements, underscoring and emboldening are mine]:
- Luke 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
- Jesus spoke the above words, they will never be cancelled
- It is by repentance that the sinner makes peace with God [God indicated such in, e.g., the following verse from Isaiah]
- Isaiah 27:5 Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.”
- Repentance is the throwing down of the weapons of rebellion against God
- Repentance does not save, but no sinner will be saved without it
- None but Christ saves, but an impenitent heart cannot receive Him
- Matthew 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
- [The harlots and publicans more easily saw their own wretchedness and helplessness and were moved to repent; all believers must come to that point, it is much more difficult for a person who believes he is a ‘good person’ to come to the point of spiritual poverty that is necessary to actually repent of his sinfulness]
- Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
- Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
- Our God has a right to demand repentance of us; and universal obedience
- We have denied God the affection and obedience we owe Him [we are born doing so, as we inherit our rebelliousness from Adam]
- Repentance is a heart-felt realization of how dreadfully we have failed all of our lives [of living in our rebellion of sinful self-will inherited from Adam]
- Consider that sin is the renouncing of Him who made us
- Refusing Him His right to govern us
- Via the determination to please Self
- Equivalent to rebellion against God [the ruler of the universe]
- It is as if one says in his heart, I don’t care what God commands, I am going to do as I desire; I’m going to be master of myself…
- The above is how we conduct our lives ‘in Adam.’ After being born again, the Holy Spirit works in the heart a realization of our personal sin, which includes knowing what God commands and how we have rebelled against His commands
- In teaching us, the Holy Spirit also shows us the awfulness of ignoring God’s claims on us – teaches us to evaluate our conduct as seen through God’s eyes
- Repentance is an acknowledging of our sin, and a deep sorrow for it; a holy hatred of our personal sin
- The above leads to forsaking sin
- Not until the aforementioned is done, will God pardon us
- Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy
- In true repentance, the heart turns to God and admits that it was attempting to fill itself with the vain and empty world instead of with God, the only One who can satisfy it
- The heart also submits itself to God and resolves to be rebellious no longer [by grace it is possible to walk in such a manner]
- For believers as well as unbelievers, it is either turn or burn
- Turn from your course of self-will and self-pleasing; turn in brokenness of heart to God, seeking His mercy via Christ
- [The beatitudes describe this WAY of life: poverty of spirit, is the discovering that one is spiritually bankrupt, stuck in sin, helpless without God’s mercy of forgiveness and grace to walk rightly before Him. The second beatitude, mourning, flows out of the realizations of poverty of spirit; that mourning apparently deepens as one’s realization of poverty of spirit deepens. The subsequent beatitude attitudes flow from these two foundational ones]
- Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
- 2Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
- [Acts 5:31 indicates that God gives repentance. He does so to those who use His appointed means of obtaining grace: prayer, reading the word, hearing biblical preaching…]
- [Below the video is a brief commentary on Matthew 5:4 – how the mourning therein spoken of is the godly sorrow of which Paul speak; its source is the realization of poverty of spirit worked in believers by the Holy Spirit via His means of grace – He gives the light of understanding…]
Godly repentance is spoken of by Christ in Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
The following brief commentary explains the type of mourning Jesus indicated; the emboldened part specifically applies; it is a mourning worked into believers by the Holy Spirit as He gives them understanding of their personal sinfulness – Matthew 5:3.
[from Albert Barnes commentary on the Bible, E-Sword; also at BibleHub.com if you would see more]
Blessed are they that mourn – This is capable of two meanings: either, that those are blessed who are afflicted with the loss of friends or possessions, or that they who mourn over sin are blessed. As Christ came to preach repentance, to induce people to mourn over their sins and to forsake them, it is probable that he had the latter particularly in view. Compare 2Co_7:10. At the same time, it is true that the gospel only can give true comfort to those in affliction, Isa_61:1-3; Luk_4:18. Other sources of consolation do not reach the deep sorrows of the soul. They may blunt the sensibilities of the mind; they may produce a sullen and reluctant submission to what we cannot help: but they do not point to the true source of comfort. In the God of mercy only; in the Saviour; in the peace that flows from the hope of a better world, and there only, is there consolation, 2Co_3:17-18; 2Co_5:1. Those that mourn thus shall be comforted. So those that grieve over sin; that sorrow that they have committed it, and are afflicted and wounded that they have offended God, shall find comfort in the gospel. Through the merciful Saviour those sins may be forgiven. In him the weary and heavy-ladened soul shall find peace Mat_11:28-30; and the presence of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, shall sustain them here Joh_14:26-27, and in heaven all their tears shall be wiped away, Rev_21:4.
End comments.
Posts in this blog on the beatitudes can be found in CATEGORIES: Beatitude Life; and True Kingdom Citizen, the latter uses video presentations.
The following links and narrative accompanied the above video at YouTube:
Repent or Perish! – A. W. Pink– Christian Sermons and Audio Books devotional
A.W. Pink Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Christian Narrations by Rich Moore playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=…
“Unless you repent—you too will all perish!” Luke 13:3
Arthur Walkington Pink (1886-1952) evangelist and Biblical scholar
Pink was born in Nottingham, England on April 1, 1886 and became a Christian in his early 20’s. Though born to Christian parents, prior to conversion he migrated into a Theosophical society (an occult gnostic group popular in England during that time), and quickly rose in prominence within their ranks. His conversion came from his father’s patient admonitions from Scripture. It was the verse, Proverbs 14:12, ‘there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death,’ which particularly struck his heart and compelled him to renounce Theosophy and follow Jesus.
Desiring to grow in knowledge of the Bible, Pink immigrated to the United States to study at Moody Bible Institute. In 1916 he married Vera E. Russell, who was from Kentucky. However, he left after just two months for Colorado, then California, then Britain. From 1925 to 1928 he served in Australia, including as pastor of two congregations from 1926 to 1928, when he returned to England, and to the United States the following year. He eventually pastored churches Colorado, California, Kentucky and South Carolina.
In 1922 he started a monthly magazine entitled Studies in Scriptures which circulated among English-speaking Christians worldwide, though only to a relatively small circulation list of around 1,000.
In 1934 Pink returned to England, and within a few years turned his Christian service to writing books and pamphlets. Pink died in Stornoway, Scotland on July 15, 1952. The cause of death was anemia.
After Pink’s death, his works were republished by the Banner of Truth Trust and reached a much wider audience as a result. Biographer Iain Murray observes of Pink, “the widespread circulation of his writings after his death made him one of the most influential evangelical authors in the second half of the twentieth century.” His writing sparked a revival of expository preaching and focused readers’ hearts on biblical living.
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Please watch: “A Call to Separation – A. W. Pink Christian Audio Books / Don’t be Unequally Yoked / Be Ye Separate”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBDg7…
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