Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on BREAKTHROUGH: Three Steps to Godly Repentance, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Repentance and Renewal
Hey if you've got a Bible which I hope that you do by now turn to second Corinthians chapter 7 as you're turning there. I'll remind you that as a church we've been going through this letter to a church in Corinth written by the Apostle Paul in.
- A series that we're calling breakthrough looking for these moments in the encouragement of this letter that will shift your life towards what God.
- Has for you in a way that really breaks through breaks through sin to repentance or breaks through sorrow to joy we're going to.
- Talk about the way that happens in a new way today with really focusing in on one word before I get to the word.
- Of the focus in this sermon I want to share with you something we did as a church this Friday night I see some.
Familiar faces that I saw at our father-and-daughter ball what a great experience that was and as I was at that this is now. My fifth year going to this ball at some point I sat back and I'm watching all of my three daughters dance we just.
Prayer and Dependence
The ways that we're set apart is to be people who delight in the Lord and delight in certain things that God gives us. To find joy in and I hope that you have from time to time in your life where you can sit back whether it's.
- Before the mountain scenery as you go off to camp with your family or friends whether it's watching a football game and having friends.
- Over and you just take a moment to soak it in and say I'm so delighted I have the joy of my life and.
- It's important you know that joy because you're not only called to experience these previews of joy that we get from time to time.
- And the things that God gives us to enjoy but to know that our spiritual pursuit of God is supposed to be a pursuit.
Of joy that were finding things about the way that he shows us himself and blesses us and calls us to be together and. Experiencing joy and it's a it's a very important that we know where the joy comes from and today we're gonna be talking about.
Grace and Justification
Today and I pray that all of you who find this body of believers to be your home would experience in the joy of. Serving God doing all things unto the Lord you will find a certain joy in allowing God not only to give you the spirit.
- Of life and life more abundant as a promise or a preview of heaven but also as a spiritual you can walk in and.
- When you walk in your spiritual gift and you serve the Lord by serving the body of believers and also serving the lost world.
- That he calls you there's great joy in that and so I'm praying that those who are serving the children now and preaching and.
- Teaching and guiding our young ones in the way that they should go are finding joy in that for those of you who opened.
The doors and pass the baskets I hope you find the joy in serving him and if there is enjoying that then we've got. A reat week what we do and we've got to reach week our priorities and our aim but all of those great joys that.
Repentance and Renewal
The Lord when you have not fully come to the Lord and allowed him to clean you and cleanse you and I say all. Of that as I read what we're going to read this morning knowing that sometimes the message of repentance feels heavy and it feels.
- Condemning and it does not feel very exciting in fact if you brought a friend here today maybe you're thinking to yourself great I.
- Brought them on the repentance sermon grades that's okay we're gonna accomplish a couple things as we study the word today one I hope.
- That we as a church no matter where you're at whether you are coming to Christ maybe today for the first time or you.
- Are walking with Him from glory to glory I hope that we can learn the joy of repentance today and also maybe as a.
As a as a side thing that might be accomplished is we're beginning to kind of feel the squeeze of the increase of people. Coming to Boise which means more people are coming to our church and so perhaps this is the Lord's way of finding us out.
Repentance and Renewal
Studying 1st Corinthians which is now being referenced and remember our study in 1st Corinthians was called distracted because Paul was writing to a. Church that he had planted about your so later to follow up with them and he found that this church had kind of gone.
- Off the rails in many ways that they were pursuing God and pride had entered in and competition had entered in so he wrote.
- In first Corinthians to correct them in that and now he says in 2nd Corinthians you know I kind of felt bad my letter.
- Was a letter that called you to change some of your ways but I don't feel bad anymore because in the state that he.
- Now is speaking into the letter that he wrote of correction has turned into a letter that was received that turned into godly sorrow.
And now in verse nine we get to the beginning of where we started which is that as Paul hears that letter was serving. Them in a corrective way he says in verse nine now I rejoice I've got so much joy in the update of your repentance.
Repentance and Renewal
And that is my hope and desire this morning that we would get beyond what is so often a message of condemnation and weightiness. Of sin and find what's on the other side of true godly repentance which is rejoicing and I believe that any of us who.
- Go through the process that Paul just laid out in this letter to the Corinthians will also experience the sorrow that leads to joy.
- And so I am giving this message a not very creative title but I want us to understand that when we talk about repentance.
- There is a process that God wants to take us through it is not simply a moment to feel bad and then move on.
- But there are things that Paul laid out and what he saw in this church that actually gives us a roadmap of repentance and.
That's why I'm calling this message the three steps to godly repentance that there is a moment that you are taken from where you're. Supposed to be with God even though you're far from him and you are brought back to him in a way that produces joy.
Grace and Justification
Saving grace apart from the works of law that no one would boast you're saved by grace and then there's sanctifying grace which is. That purifying grace that all of us need and there is no repentance without grace and there's not really the understanding of what grace.
- Is without repentance a picture of this comes to us in the very first of the 95 theses that Martin Luther pinned on that.
- Church to start the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation and all of you as good Protestants know the first of those theses was what.
- Exactly it's a picture of us not really remembering the beginning of what causes a church that needs correction to be corrected but listen.
- To what the very first of the 95 theses was this is what Martin Luther began his call for repentance of the church age.
That he belonged to he says this when our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said repent Matthew chapter 4 verse 17 he willed the. Entire life of believers to be one of repentance Jesus came into his full-time ministry with a message of repentance you're far from God.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.