135-Repentance and Faith in the Gospel#
135-Repentance and Faith in the Gospel
(JP Text Group - Grace Grass Organization)
The topic of sharing is: Repentance and Faith in the Gospel
Mark 1:14-15
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us this time to come before you and seek your grace. A new week has begun, and you are our strength and help. When we seek you, you will surely provide for us. We completely entrust this time into your gracious hands. Holy Spirit, lead and guide us, so that we can understand what we hear. And let us apply your words in our lives, bringing grace to those around us. Bless this time, we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!
What is repentance? Is it just shouting “Repent, repent, repent” every day that constitutes repentance? What does repentance mean? In the Bible, there are two types of repentance: one under the Old Testament and the other under the New Testament. In other words, repentance is divided into repentance under the law and repentance under grace.
When John the Baptist preached the gospel, was it under the Old Testament or the New Testament? Under the Old Testament, he preached a baptism of repentance; he was merely a forerunner for Jesus, who had not yet come. He was just a pioneer of the gospel. The gospel that John the Baptist preached was a baptism of repentance. Were John's words very serious?
Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”
This is the content of the gospel that John the Baptist preached. It calls people to repent, and repentance means—to change one's mind. Many people misunderstand the meaning of repentance, thinking it means kneeling before God and saying, “Lord! Forgive me, have mercy on me!” That is not repentance. Repentance means: to change your mind and turn to God.
If you think that repentance means to beg God for forgiveness like a beggar, that is a kind of repentance under the Old Testament. We should not think this way now, as we are under the New Testament, and the term “repentance” has been misused to the point that when people talk about repentance, they think it is about condemning others, but that is not the case.
There is no condemnation in repentance. Under the New Testament, “repentance” means to turn to Jesus Christ and renew your thoughts. Amen!
Our understanding of repentance under the Old Testament is different. The Old Testament reminds you that you are a sinner. But the New Testament reminds you that you are in Jesus Christ. Let’s first look at repentance under the Old Testament.
The first point we share: Repentance and confession lead to the forgiveness of sins.
Let’s look at a passage from Matthew 3:1-2,
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
This is John the Baptist preaching. John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance. He made people acknowledge their sins and told them, “The kingdom of heaven has come near; you should repent.” Is John the Baptist asking people to confess their sins? Yes, he is definitely calling for confession.
Let’s look at Mark 1:1-5
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way— 3 a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him, confessing their sins. They were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Isn't this talking about John the Baptist? John the Baptist was in the wilderness shouting, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” According to this word, John came and preached a baptism of repentance in the wilderness. Amen!
Preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. So why did all the people of Judea and Jerusalem go to John? To confess their sins. Did it mention anything about Gentiles here? No. John the Baptist's baptism was aimed at the Jews. Amen! All the people of Judea and Jerusalem went to John to confess their sins. Is that confession? Yes! So under the Old Testament law, when the Jews accepted the Messiah, they needed to go to the prophet to confess their sins. Amen! Did the Jews know what sins they had committed? Yes, because they had been under the law for fifteen hundred years, and everyone believed they were sinners because they had the Ten Commandments and six hundred thirteen laws and regulations.
When you preach the gospel to others, do you tell them they are sinners? Saying, “Believe in the Lord, the kingdom of heaven is near, you are a sinner, you need to repent.” How will people respond to you? “You are the sinner!” Should we not use this method to preach the gospel?
Look at how John the Baptist preached in the wilderness, “The kingdom of heaven is near; you should repent.” It was John the Baptist shouting in the wilderness, and then the Jews went to him, the people of Israel ran into the wilderness and found John the Baptist, saying, “You are right, I am a sinner.” John the Baptist said, “Come, be baptized.”
Next week we will have a baptism ceremony. Brothers and sisters, do you know why we need to be baptized? It is to acknowledge that we are sinners and then be baptized. It symbolizes that—we died with Jesus, and when we come up from the water, we are resurrected with Jesus. What kind of people need Jesus? Always remember, only sinners need Jesus. If you acknowledge that you are not a sinner, then you do not need Jesus. At that time, the Jews all knew they were sinners, so they all came to John the Baptist to confess their sins and then receive baptism.
Confession of sins was something the Jewish people knew in the Old Testament, and it was also one of the teachings of the Old Testament. We do not downplay the importance of confession, brothers and sisters. If you go to preach the gospel to a Jew today, you must first tell him, “You are a sinner.” If you say this, the Jews will very much agree.
Today, it is the same with Jews. When you preach the gospel to Jews, you must tell them, “You have violated the law; you are a sinner.” They will say, “Amen!” They can accept this. Using this method to preach to Gentiles, they do not even know the law, so they do not acknowledge they are sinners. These are different people. The teaching under the Old Testament law was aimed at the Jews, who knew they were sinners. You must mention the issue of sin to them; they will understand what you are talking about.
What John the Baptist preached was a baptism of confession and repentance because Jesus had not yet come. Amen! He was preparing the way for the Lord. As mentioned earlier, what kind of people need to be saved? Who needs salvation? Sinners need salvation. Only those with sin need redemption.
Without the redemption of Jesus Christ, we would all go to hell and face death because we are sinners and must face this judgment. John the Baptist meant that you all acknowledge you are sinners and then accept the coming Messiah. Is this not the content of John the Baptist's preaching? He is not the Messiah; he said, “You should believe in the one who is coming after me.” So he is bearing witness for Jesus. Amen!
“Those who are baptized,” let me emphasize again, “those who are baptized” must acknowledge that they are sinners before they can be baptized. So does infant baptism have any effect? For a newborn baby, baptism has no effect at all. Because those who are baptized must know they are sinners before they can be baptized.
These people all went to John the Baptist, confessed their sins, and were baptized in the Jordan River. If they do not know they are sinners, baptism becomes a meaningless ritual. So this is the first point: repentance and confession lead to the forgiveness of sins. This is a way of preaching baptism of repentance under the Old Testament.
John the Baptist said, “The kingdom of heaven is near; you should repent.” The meaning of “repentance” is to change your thoughts, renew your thoughts, and turn to God. The original meaning in the Greek text is that “the kingdom of heaven is near; you should repent.” In the original text, these two sentences are reversed. The original expression is very straightforward, meaning: You must now renew your thoughts, let go of your original thoughts, and you will see that the kingdom of heaven is about to come. If you do not let go of your original thoughts and your rationality, you will not see the kingdom of heaven coming.
Brothers and sisters, this is the same for us. If we do not let go of our rationality and traditional concepts, we cannot see Jesus; we cannot see this God. Many people say, “Where is God? Where is God? I am God.” I am my own god; why do I need God?
They must first let go of their original thoughts and renew their thoughts to see the kingdom of God; to see the kingdom of heaven. So the Bible tells us that the pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God. This is the Old Testament's call for people to repent and confess their sins, preparing to accept the coming of the kingdom of heaven.
The second point to share: Repentance and Faith in the Gospel
After Jesus came, it was after John was put in prison that Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. Jesus came, proclaiming the good news of God. Jesus said, “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.” Jesus added three words, “believe the good news.”
Here, Jesus tells us, “The time has come.” First, let me correct a misconception. Who were the people Jesus preached to during His time on earth? Were they Jews or Gentiles? Jews. Did the Jews know what “the time has come” referred to?
In the Old Testament, they had once lost their nation and home, and they were eagerly expecting a Messiah to come and deliver them from foreign powers. At that time, they were under Roman rule, becoming a colony of others, a tool of others' governance, so they were always looking forward to the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament coming soon.
What would He do when He came? Just like Moses, He would rescue them from the bondage of Pharaoh in Egypt; just like David, He would lead them to victory. They wanted the appearance of such a king, so they expected the Messiah to come and do this. This is what they had always hoped for.
So after Jesus came, He said, “The time has come.” What day is “the time has come”? The time of God has arrived; God sent His Son to take on the form of flesh, becoming the form of sin. He was born under the law to redeem those under the law. Amen!
You all know that Jesus Christ came to save us from sin, from the law, from death. What does the name Jesus mean? He will save His people from their sins. He came to do the work of salvation, so Jesus said, “The time has come.” Because His coming signifies that the gospel of God has begun.
Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.”
Brothers and sisters, where does the beginning of the gospel start? Does it start with the Jews? So who does the gospel start with? It starts with Jesus Christ. Amen! Jesus came and preached repentance, but the repentance He preached is different from the repentance John the Baptist preached.
Did Jesus say, “You brood of vipers, hurry up and come be baptized”? Jesus did not emphasize people's sins like John the Baptist. How many sins do you have? Come be baptized with your sins. Jesus shifted the focus from sin to the gospel. Amen! He said, “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.”
The “gospel” is not a teaching, not a theory, not a book. The gospel is a person, our Jesus Christ. Here it says, “believe the good news,” which means to believe in Jesus, brothers and sisters.
After John was put in prison, Jesus began to preach, “You should believe the gospel,” because He is the beginning of the gospel. Therefore, when Jesus came out to proclaim the gospel, He also used the term repentance. However, His “repentance” is a gospel-style repentance, meaning to change your heart.
Only by changing your heart can you accept Jesus; otherwise, you cannot accept Jesus. There is a group of people in the Bible called Pharisees. Why could they not accept Jesus? Because their hearts were still under the law and could not accept what Jesus preached. If the heart does not change, one cannot see God; even if there are miracles, one still cannot see God.
The meaning of the “repentance” Jesus spoke of is to change your self-righteous thoughts and abandon the pretense of righteousness. Brothers and sisters, this is very important. Let go of your self-righteousness and all those pretenses of being holy.
When you abandon self-righteousness and the pretense of having righteousness, you must believe in one person, whose name is Jesus. Amen. First, you must acknowledge that you cannot save yourself, just like those under the law, acknowledging that you cannot keep all the laws. What should you do? Come and accept Jesus! He can freely give you salvation. Amen! You cannot rely on good deeds, obedience, your morality, or participating in a religion or practice to be saved. Acknowledge that you cannot be saved, and then believe in the salvation of Jesus Christ! Amen!
This is what Jesus meant when He said, “The kingdom of God is near; you should repent.” The meaning of Jesus’ “repentance” is to focus all your attention on me. And John the Baptist’s meaning is to acknowledge that you are a sinner. Do you see the difference between the two? They both talk about repentance, but the focus is different.
Jesus’ focus is on Himself, saying, “Come and accept me.” Therefore, those who follow Jesus are all sinners, including prostitutes, tax collectors, and soldiers. These were all despised sinners at that time. Jesus did not condemn them because Jesus preached a gospel of repentance. Amen!
That means I do not look at your sins because you only need to look at me. I can take your sins upon myself; I can bear the price of your sins. Amen! This is the center of Jesus’ preaching of the gospel. So Jesus’ focus is not on making people confess their sins. Always remember, it is not about making people confess their sins, but about making people believe in the gospel, which is to believe in Him. Amen!
What kind of people are those who do not repent? Those who are unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as Lord. Such people are condemned. The Bible tells us that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. Jesus did not come to condemn you; He came to save you from sin.
John 3:17-18:
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
I hope all brothers and sisters can memorize this verse and engrave it deeply in your hearts. This is very important. Many people misunderstand this verse and alter the gospel of God. It says here, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world.”
Before Jesus, those prophets would condemn people. If you sinned and did not repent, you would perish. This was the content of the Old Testament prophets. But when the Son of God came, He did not come to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.
It is not that we are no longer sinners; we are sinners. But God does not condemn your sins. Why does God not condemn your sins? Because you believe in Jesus Christ. Believe in what about Jesus? When preaching the gospel to others, you must make it clear why believing in Jesus means you are no longer condemned. It is because our sins have been placed on Jesus. Amen!
Jesus became sin for us and bore the consequences of sin, which is death, because the price of our sins has been paid by Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus are not condemned. Amen! Keep this word deeply in your heart and tell others to speak this way: believe in Jesus, and God will no longer condemn you; God will not remember your sins. It does not mean you will no longer sin; it means your sins have been borne by Jesus. Is the cross not the best proof? This is what we need to believe.
Then it says, “Whoever does not believe stands condemned already.” Is it because they did not confess their sins thoroughly? Is it because they did not go to church and are condemned? It is stated very clearly here, because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. Why did Judas go to hell? Because he did not believe in Jesus! John 6:64 tells us that Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe in Him and who would betray Him, because Judas had never believed in Jesus.
John 6:64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
No matter how great our sins are, Jesus can forgive them. There is only one sin that God cannot forgive: unbelief in Him. What can He do? So this is important. Knowing that Jesus can forgive all your sins, if you do not believe, how can He forgive your sins? It says here, “Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” If you do not believe in Jesus, God cannot forgive your sins; if you accept Jesus, He can forgive all your sins. But if you do not accept Jesus, all your sins remain on you, and you are condemned. Amen!
Let’s look at a passage from Luke 11:32, At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.
When will the judgment take place? At the second coming of Jesus Christ, at the ultimate judgment, the men of Nineveh will rise up to condemn the Jews of that generation because the men of Nineveh listened to whom? Jonah.
Here I want to share with brothers and sisters that when Jonah preached the gospel, did he shout, “Repent! Repent! Repent!”? Did he shout this? Did you remember that God sent Jonah to Nineveh to preach the gospel?
Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire at that time. God told Jonah, “Jonah, go to the city of Nineveh and preach the gospel to them. Because in forty days, if they do not repent, the whole city will be overthrown.” Jonah did not go. Because the Ninevites, the Assyrians, often attacked the Israelites, it was like Japan invading us in the past. If you were told to preach the gospel to the Japanese now, would you go?
At that time, Jonah had a strong sense of patriotism and said he would rather die than go. If you tell me to go east, I will go west; I just won’t go. He took a boat in the opposite direction, and God used a fish to bring him to Nineveh. After he arrived, he reluctantly preached the message of repentance. He did not mention the word “repentance.”
Jonah did not preach the gospel by saying, “Believe in the Lord, hurry up and believe; Jesus is great.” Would he preach the gospel like that? He said, “In forty days, you will be doomed.” Those were his enemies, and he hated them to the point of wishing they would die. Originally, it was a three-day journey, but Jonah only walked one day, which definitely was not a very earnest preaching of the gospel. “I tell you, in forty days, God will destroy you.” Such a careless preaching of the gospel led the entire city of Nineveh, from the king to the servants, to repent in sackcloth and ashes.
Preaching a message of repentance does not necessarily require saying the word “repent.” Did Jonah preach a message of repentance? He did not mention the word “repent.” Some might say, “Teacher, you are not preaching a message of repentance.” Every time we pick up the Bible and say this is the message given to me by God, today through it, we are renewed. Is God’s word renewing us? Yes, indeed.
Jonah told the people of Nineveh, “In forty days, you will die.” Is he not preaching a message of repentance? Did their thoughts not change? They thought, “Our behavior is terrible. In forty days, if we do not change, we will be doomed.” So they put on sackcloth and ashes, changing from their original behavior.
First, the heart must change, and then the behavior can change. If you do not believe what Jonah said, will you change? Or will you continue living as you did before? But when the king heard this news, he ordered that all the people wear sackcloth and ashes, changing their behavior. Did this king believe? Did the people of Nineveh believe what Jonah preached? Because the men of Nineveh listened to Jonah’s preaching and repented. A person puts on sackcloth and ashes because their heart has changed first, leading to an outward change in behavior. Amen!
Luke 11:32 At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.
Brothers and sisters, when you hear God’s words and accept this message, your behavior can change. If you are unwilling to listen, your behavior will remain the same as before; that is not repentance. True repentance is through God’s word continually renewing our thoughts, and your behavior will align with God. Amen!
Then it says, look! It is not to let us look at the men of Nineveh or Jonah, but at who? Here, there is someone greater than Jonah. Jonah preached a message of condemnation. Jonah was an Old Testament figure who preached a message of condemnation. But Jesus came to preach the gospel.
What does “gospel” mean? We usually say that the gospel is good news. Good news means it is in Greek. Why is it good news? Let me tell you, God no longer condemns your sins; that is good news. In the past, we were all under sin, we all sinned, we were sinners, but Jesus said, “Here is good news coming to you: God no longer condemns your sins; God will call you righteous.” Is this not good news? God tells you that through Jesus, you can enter the kingdom of heaven. For us, this is good news because no matter how hard we try, we cannot attain it. Today, God gives it to you freely. Amen!
This is the gospel that Jesus preached after He came. Jesus faced sinners. Did Jesus say, “You have not confessed your sins thoroughly; you have been sick for thirty-eight years. How many sins have you committed in these thirty-eight years?” Jesus never pointed out his sins; He wanted to ask him, “Do you want to be healed?” For him, that was good news. When preaching the gospel to others, you must also tell them, “Jesus is that good news.” Here is someone greater than Jonah. Amen!
Jesus came into the world not to condemn our sins, even though we have sins and are still sinning. But congratulations, God does not condemn your sins. Not condemning your sins does not mean you can sin freely. Anyone with this idea is definitely not believing. If someone says, “After believing in Jesus, I can sin freely; God does not condemn me.” Such a person is definitely not a true believer. A true believer in Jesus does not think about sinning. After truly believing in Jesus, one will be attracted by Jesus’ love and grace and will be willing to be renewed by Jesus. Amen!
So Jesus does not condemn our sins; Jesus calls us to repent, which means to renew our thoughts every day with His words. If your thoughts are not renewed, your behavior cannot change. First, use God’s words to renew your thoughts, and your behavior will change. Amen! What you need to believe is that Jesus has died for our sins on the cross; He has paid the price for our sins. So when Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples began to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins.
The third point to share: Repentance leads to the forgiveness of sins—receiving the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look at three different times: one is the repentance under the Old Testament; one is the repentance preached by Jesus; and the other is the repentance preached by the disciples after Jesus rose from the dead. There are still differences, brothers and sisters. First, let’s look at how Jesus personally taught His disciples after His resurrection about how to preach repentance.
Luke 24:45-48:
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.”
After Jesus rose from the dead, He told His disciples what kind of message they should preach in His name. Many people misunderstand this and preach a message of condemnation when they come to church, not a message of repentance and forgiveness. Jesus tells us here, “My son, your sins are forgiven; take up your mat and go home!”
Some people, like the Pharisees, say, “Look at how many sins you have committed today.” They are eager to condemn others. This is the message of condemnation for repentance. We should preach the message of repentance and forgiveness. Is there a big difference between forgiveness and condemnation? Huge, brothers and sisters.
One says, “Jesus has already forgiven your sins; you can overcome sin by God’s grace.”
You say, “Thank you, praise the Lord!”
The other says, “Look at how many sins you have committed today.”
You say, “Lord, I am truly unworthy.”
Aren’t the behaviors of the two people completely different?
So we must return to the Bible. Jesus told His disciples, “You should preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins in His name.” Tell the world that God no longer condemns your sins because your sins have been replaced by Jesus on the cross, so come and believe in Him. This is good news for them; it is the gospel. Amen!
Let’s look at the book of Acts. We will share in chronological order, moving step by step back in time. In Acts 2:38-39, Peter begins to preach the gospel. Let’s see how the disciples preached the gospel. We must not preach the wrong message. Many people preach a message of condemnation, which is very scary.
When Peter began to preach the gospel, he said: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Peter was telling the Jews that each of you should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then your sins will be forgiven. Amen! After your sins are forgiven, God gives you a gift, and you will receive the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Do you have the Holy Spirit? You already have the Holy Spirit. Please remember, your sins were forgiven first before the Holy Spirit came in. Otherwise, in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit worked only temporarily in people. I have told you before that the Israelites placed many shovels by the city walls, and God told them to bury them when they went to the bathroom. Otherwise, when God surveyed the city and saw this filth, He would leave them. Under the Old Testament, the problem of sin was not solved; if you sinned, the Holy Spirit would leave you because He is a holy spirit.
Brothers and sisters, can you pray in the bathroom? Will the Holy Spirit leave you? No. You cannot say, “Lord, when I go to church, the Holy Spirit is upon me, but when I go to the bathroom, it is full of foul smells, and the Holy Spirit is not there.”
That is wrong. Under the New Testament, the Holy Spirit dwells inside you because all your sins have been cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will no longer leave you; you have been forgiven of your sins, so you can receive this Holy Spirit. If you have received the Holy Spirit but say, “Lord, my sins are not yet cleaned up,” you are mistaken; this does not conform to the Bible.
This promise is not just for the Jews, but it also says, “This promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.”
Are we not the far-off people? Congratulations, brothers and sisters! When you are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven, and the Holy Spirit can dwell in you. You repent, leading to the forgiveness of sins, and then receive the Holy Spirit, proving that you are always in repentance. Amen!
Let’s look at one more thing in Acts 3:17-20:
17 Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.
This is addressed to the Jews, saying you should repent and turn to God. When you accept Jesus, your sins will be wiped out. Amen! “Then” what days? Brothers and sisters, God will pour out His blessings upon you. From the moment you believe in Jesus, it is no longer a day of curse but a day of refreshing.
God’s peace and blessings will be upon you, giving you strength and changing your life. Otherwise, what is the point of the cross? For you, there would be no difference before and after the cross. When you believe that Jesus’ blood cleansed all your sins on the cross, your sins are wiped out, the curse leaves you, and God’s blessings are upon you. Amen! So that is a day of refreshing.
Let’s look at Acts 11. As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” God has given them the same gift as He gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Are Gentiles and Jews the same now?
If so, who am I to think that I could stand in God’s way?
If you are still preaching a message of condemnation after Jesus Christ, you are standing in God’s way. Peter said, “I did not understand before, but now when I preach, the Holy Spirit fills the Gentiles. Who am I to stand in God’s way?” So when the people heard this, what did they do? They were silent.
At that time, the Jews heard and thought they could stand in God’s way? The Jews believed that you must accept our circumcision and enter Judaism to be qualified for salvation. But Peter said, “It is not like that. When I preach, the Holy Spirit comes upon them. If that is the case, we should not stand in God’s way.” Amen! When the people heard this, referring to the Jews, those under the law, after hearing these words, they were silent and gave glory to God. Amen!
Look at the last sentence. In this way, God also granted repentance to the Gentiles. So God also granted grace to the Gentiles. God did not say, “Congratulations, Gentiles, you are finally qualified to receive the Ten Commandments.” He granted grace to the Gentiles, allowing them to repent and receive life.
Our repentance is not for condemnation; it is for receiving life. Amen. Repentance leads to the forgiveness of our sins, and we receive life. The Holy Spirit is the God of life. Remember, the Holy Spirit dwelling in you is to give you life. Amen! This is very important.
The Holy Spirit coming upon you is not to make you die; it is to make you live. If the Ten Commandments were given to us, we would all die. The law is for condemnation; it leads to death. The Holy Spirit gives life. Amen! When the Ten Commandments were given, three thousand Jews died. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came, Peter preached, and three thousand people repented and received life.
We believe in Jesus, and after repentance, we receive the Holy Spirit and receive life. Amen! It is not that God gives the law to condemn you again; it is to give us the way of forgiveness.
Let’s look at Acts 19. Earlier, we mentioned Peter; now let’s see how Paul preached.
1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
Many people preach the wrong gospel, preaching the same message as John the Baptist: “Ah! Sinners! You must bear fruit in keeping with repentance! Otherwise, the axe is already at the root; if you do not bear fruit, you will be cut down!”
Is this not the message John preached? Exactly the same. Paul said, “You must tell the people to believe in whom? Not in the repentance preached by John the Baptist, but in the one who is coming after him, Jesus Christ.” Amen!
After they heard this, they were baptized in the name of Jesus. Paul laid his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Amen!
Paul did not say, “Hurry up and confess your sins; you guys have not finished confessing your sins, so do not expect to receive the Holy Spirit.” This is a message of condemnation. Paul said, “Do not believe in the baptism of repentance preached by John anymore; you must believe in the one who is to come, Jesus Christ!” What He brings is not a message of condemnation but a message of repentance and forgiveness. Amen!
In our church, you must believe that the gospel preached by Jesus Christ is the way of repentance and forgiveness of sins. God has forgiven all your sins because Jesus on the cross has cleansed all your sins, so the Holy Spirit dwells in you. Amen! This is what we need to preach: God has forgiven you; you should tell others that God has forgiven your sins; come and accept Jesus! Amen!
Is this salvation already completed? Yes, indeed. Before Jesus came in the Old Testament, those people believed in a Savior who would come to forgive all their sins. Jesus said, “You believe in me; I can forgive your sins.”
We believe that Jesus has come; He has forgiven our sins; it is already completed. Amen! So in the Old Testament, they believed in a future tense; in the New Testament, during Jesus’ time, they believed in the present tense; for us, we believe that Jesus has completed salvation. When we accept it, salvation takes effect in us.
2 Peter 3:8-9 also tells us:
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
What does this mean? Our God is a God full of love and mercy. He does not want anyone to perish in hell. He has extended time to give us and others the opportunity to preach the gospel, to give those around us a chance to be saved. He does not want anyone to perish; He wants everyone to repent. Amen!
So in this last month of the year, I encourage brothers and sisters to have the courage to pray for those around you and tell them the way of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Bring them to Jesus. Take advantage of Christmas to tell them that going to church not only has gifts but also the gift of life, the best gift—Jesus Christ. Amen!
Share this best good news with those around you, so they can also hear the message of forgiveness of sins. Many people’s understanding of Christianity is, “You cannot believe in Jesus; after believing in Jesus, you cannot kneel when an elder dies at home. You cannot eat this, and you cannot eat that. Some even say that after believing in Jesus, you cannot eat pork.” You see, what they are preaching to others is the way of the law, right?
People have never heard, “You cannot believe in Jesus; once you believe in Jesus, He forgives our sins.” Have there been such refusals to believe in Jesus? People say, “You cannot believe; after believing, you cannot curse, you cannot do this, and you cannot do that.”
What they hear is all law, all messages of condemnation, so they keep their distance from Christianity. They do not want to believe. They think they have enough rules already. They cannot stay in church because they cannot help but smoke. How can they survive in church? After believing in the Lord, they cannot smoke. If they smoke, God will “cut them off.” It is better not to believe.
They have never heard that God has forgiven their sins. When they possess the grace of forgiveness, they can inadvertently quit smoking. Amen! This is a change from the inside out. I want to tell the world to come and believe in Jesus. Tell them the way of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Amen!
Many people think that teaching repentance is teaching confession, but that is not the case. It is not about establishing a doctrine based on the literal meaning. That is their so-called repentance: “Lord, I did something wrong today; please forgive me.” The next day continues, and then the next evening, “Lord, I did something wrong again; please forgive me.” The third day continues. This is a self-righteous type of repentance, which is ineffective. They think they have prayed to God and asked for forgiveness, but when they make mistakes again, they feel helpless.
But God wants to tell you a thorough method: know that Jesus has forgiven all your sins. Just let go of your thoughts, let go of your self-righteousness, and solely rely on Jesus. This is the key. Do not focus on sin as in the Old Testament; focus on Jesus’ forgiveness. Amen! This will help you overcome sin in your life.
When Philip preached in Samaria, he did not preach repentance, did he? Last time, our Lord Jesus brought people here, and you all did not accept it. If you do not accept it this time, you will be doomed. Did he preach like that? When Philip went to Samaria to preach the gospel, he only preached the grace of Jesus Christ, and as a result, all the people in the city of Samaria repented and believed in Jesus. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, the world needs Jesus, but many people have not heard the true Jesus, so they are afraid. We need to tell the world the correct gospel. Amen! What I just mentioned, the messages of condemnation, are not the gospel. When Philip preached the way of forgiveness of Jesus, no matter how filthy or corrupt you are, it does not matter; come before Jesus, and He can accept you. He can cleanse you and forgive you. Many people will be saved from this failure and sin by Jesus. Amen!
So under the New Testament, how does one’s mind change? It is by preaching the grace of Jesus Christ because God’s grace can lead people to repentance. Amen! When you preach Jesus Christ, that person’s thoughts will surely be changed and renewed by the grace of Jesus Christ, and their behavior will change. Amen!
When you preach the gospel to others and they do not accept it, it does not matter. When you preach the way of forgiveness of Christ, this message is already renewing their thoughts. Amen! God has already begun to work, and later they will believe. We must believe that leading a person to repent and believe in the gospel is the power of God. Amen! What we need to do is to tell them the grace of Jesus Christ, the way of forgiveness. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise your grace. You particularly love our church, especially love our brothers and sisters. You care even more about the family and friends of our brothers and sisters who have not yet believed. Grant wisdom to the brothers and sisters, so they do not preach the Old Testament message of condemnation but the New Testament message of repentance. Do not tell others the Old Testament way; tell them that because of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, God has forgiven your sins.
Lord Jesus, give us wisdom so that brothers and sisters have the eloquence and wisdom to bring the grace of Christ to the world, to those around them, to their families, so they can also accept Jesus Christ, the best gift from heaven.
You have told me this gospel, leading me to repent and believe in the gospel, because the gospel is a person, our Jesus Christ. He can renew my life and change my life. From today onwards, my life is no longer the same. I am not living under the law, under the curse, or under death, but in Jesus Christ, I am a brand new life, carrying the grace of Christ every day.
Thank you and praise you. We believe this will be a completely different week because your grace is upon me, your blessings are upon me, and I am a channel of blessings. All glory be to you. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!