Speaking the Truth in Love
What Must I Do To Be Saved? (Truly Repent)
Tonight we continue in our series, “What Must I Do To Be Saved”. When one wants to become a Christian, they must hear the gospel, believe in God, have faith in God, confess that Jesus is the Son of God, repent of their sins, and be baptized to wash away their sins in the blood of Jesus. Then they are to live faithfully and grow in the Lord. Tonight we want to focus on repentance.
Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Repentance is a change of mind that involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God. Without having the opportunity for repentance we would all be condemned in our sins before God. In this program we are going to look at the example of David and his sin with Bathsheba to help us understand how to Truly Repent!
I. WHEN CAUGHT IN SIN DAVID DID NOT TRY TO SHIFT THE BLAME
A. Bathsheba was at fault also (2 Samuel 11:1-4)
B. David does not blame Bathsheba for the sin (2 Samuel 12:13)
C. David accepts the blame with Godly sorrow (Psalm 51:1-4)
D. Others who did try to shift their blame
1. Adam (Genesis 3:12)
2. Eve (Genesis 3:13)
3. Aaron (Exodus 32:21-24)
II. DAVID ACKNOWLEDGED THE REALITY OF SIN
A. Sinned against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18)
B. Sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11:4 and 14-17)
C. Sinned against God (Psalm 51:4, 1 John 3:4)
D. Sin separates from God (Isaiah 59:2)
1. Brings forth death (Romans 6:23, James 1:15)
2. Sin separated Adam and Eve from the presence of God (Genesis 3:22-24)
III. DAVID HUMBLED HIMSELF
A. He humbly asked God for forgiveness (Psalm 51:1, 7-14, James 4:10)
B. He confessed his sin (Psalm 51:3-4, 1 John 1:9)
C. Godly sorrow produces true repentance, leading to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:9-10).
IV. BENEFITS OF TRUE REPENTANCE
A. Gives us something we all need (1 John 1:8-10)
B. Sins are blotted out as if they never happened (Acts 3:19)
C. Turns from wickedness to a clean heart (Acts 8:22)
D. Produces life for all people (Acts 11:18)
E. Avoids perishing (Luke 13:1-5)
F. Makes us remember the Lord's commandments (Revelation 2:5, 3:3, 3:19)
G. Gives rewards including being in the Book of Life (Revelation 2:7, 3:3-5)
H. Keeps a commandment (Acts 17:30-31). This applies to disciples and all the world.
I. Obtains mercy that He wants us all to have (Hebrews 4:16, 2 Peter 3:9)
When Christians are confronted with sin, we need to do what David did when Nathan confronted him. Do not try to blame someone else, acknowledge the consequences of sin, humbly ask for forgiveness, and resolve to do better (1 John 2:1-2).
How about you tonight? Have you truly heard and believed the gospel? Can you confess that Jesus is the Son of God? Have you repented of your sins and been baptized to wash them all away? Notice in Acts 2:37-42 that people asked what they should do, were told to repent and be baptized, and that is exactly what they did! Then the Lord added them to His church (Acts 2:47). Do you want to be a part of the saved Body of Christ? Repent and be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20)! We want to help you get to Heaven and we hope to see you next time on “Speaking The Truth In Love”!
