A Life-Changing Word
Jesus came to call sinners
Not too often, but every once in a while, I meet a person who tells me he is too deep in sin to be saved. It is obvious that this person doesn’t know anything about the abundant grace of God: For Jesus came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
Sinners need this word
I want to speak to you about one of the most important words in the Bible. It is the word that brings a sinner back from the far country to his father’s house. It is the word Jesus used when He began to preach. It was one of Peter’s words when he addressed the multitudes on the day of Pentecost. Peter spoke it when he went out into the night and wept bitterly. It is a word which cannot be spoken in hell and which no one in heaven ever needs to use. The word is repent.
Repentance is to be preached
Repentance is expressed in every part of the Bible from the beginning to the end. It was the concern in the preaching of the prophets, of the apostles, and of Jesus Christ. After Christ rose from the dead, He told his disciples to go forth and preach repentance and remission of sins in His Name.
Repentance reverses behavior
In the Old Testament, we read of a man by the name of Manasseh. His father, Hezekiah, was one of the godliest men in the Bible. (We are not told, but probably he had a godly mother also.) Yet, Manasseh’s reign was one of wickedness, idolatry, and cruelty. In the midst of his wicked prosperity, he was captured by the Assyrians who mutilated him, put him in an iron cage, and carried him as a prisoner to Babylon. There, Manasseh, softened by his suffering, repented of his sins and called upon God. When he had been restored to the throne of Jerusalem, he devoted the strength and energy left to him in the remaining years of his reign to undo the great evil that he had done to Israel. With sorrow and contrition, he threw away the strange gods, repaired the altar of God, and did what he could to persuade the nation (which he had before seduced) to turn again and follow the true God.
Adversity can bring repentance
Manasseh sinned against his godly training, and as the son of a godly father he became a monster of unbelief. Now and then, you see such a person. If you have listened to the bitterness of such an unbeliever, you realize how wonderful was the repentance of Manasseh. Suffering, hardship, and pain sometimes intensify man’s rebellion against God; but, if accepted in humility, it can turn a person back to God. That’s what happened in the case of Manasseh. His was as a deathbed repentance, for Manasseh brought to God only the dregs of his life. Yet for that reason, Manasseh’s repentance is all the more memorable. After half a century in sin, Manasseh returned to God. Thank the Lord, no one is ever too far-gone or too hardened in his transgression to repent.
God will accept your repentance
If you should be one who has turned from God to live in sin, I beseech you to listen to the words of Isaiah 55:7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. The invitation of God is open to all, regardless of how deep into sin one has gone. If a person repents and trusts in Jesus Christ, God will receive and save immediately.
Repentance is not optional
We read in Acts 17:30-32, God commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Repentance is not optional. It is absolutely necessary if one is to be saved. For God has commanded all men everywhere to repent.
It is not a change of opinion
Repentance involves a sense of sin, sorrow for sin, and severance from sin by God’s grace. He who repents realizes that he is a sinner, deplores his sin, and forsakes his sins. Repentance is more than a change of opinion. It is a change of heart and life. Very briefly, repentance is turning from sin to put faith and trust in the living Christ.
Jesus Christ can deliver you
Maybe you are one who is saying “Well, I’d like to turn from my sin, but I am in so deep there is no way I can get out. I have tried time and time again to turn away from my evil.” But, wait a minute, dear friend. Did you turn to Jesus Christ? Did you turn to our living Lord, the Son of God, who possesses all power in heaven and in earth? He is the One who can give deliverance from sin. He is the One who gives eternal victory over sin, if claimed and if received by faith. It isn’t enough just to turn from sin. I urge you to turn to Christ. Tell Him of your spiritual needs. Recognize Him as the sin bearer, the One who shed His blood at Calvary for your sins, the One who rose again from the dead, that you might be forever saved. Let Him perform the miracle in your heart and life.
Your case is not impossible for Him
He only can give you victory over sin. Do not look for another way. There is none. Christ declared, in John 14:6, I am the way. Indeed, He is. He has saved millions. He can save you. He has transformed those who were wallowing in the lowest depths of sin. He can do the same for you. He can deliver you from lust. He can take drugs out of your life. He can break your alcohol habit. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, He cannot do. Your case is not impossible for Him. It may be for others, but not for Jesus Christ. He is the all-sufficient Savior. Give Him a chance to prove to you what He can do for you.
The decision is yours to make
He who can transform the life of a weak Manasseh can transform the life of a murderer, the worst criminal, or a self-righteous hypocrite. At this very moment, I urge you to call on Christ and give Him a chance to work in your life. The way to discover what He can do is to see for yourself through your own experience. Just now, invite Jesus to become your Savior and Lord. You will see what Christ can do. J. Allen Blair
Repentance
In Hebrew, the idea of repentance is represented by two verbs meaning to feel sorry and to return. Therefore, repentance involves feelings and action!
New Year—New Heart
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them (Ezekiel 36 26-27).
Rather than setting up our own New Year's resolutions, it would be better to choose God's resolutions and keep them!
Dr. Blair's Books for Fifty Cents?
Last year, we received an email from a retired school teacher, now pastoring a small church. He inquired about getting more of Dr. Blair's books.
He wrote, “I bought the book, Living Obediently, in the Agape Charity Shop, owned by a church of the same name (all of the proceeds go to 3rd world charities). I had never heard of Dr. Blair before. The book cost me fifty cents. It fascinated me within minutes of opening it and starting to read it. I bought it and read it in one session! It is one in a million. A wonderful and blessed devotional work. I would love to purchase all of Dr. Blair's works and intend to do so in time.
Discovering Dr. Blair’s work opens up a whole new vista of devotion for me! Praise the Lord! There are a lot of second hand copies on the Internet. I’ll get clicking!
I’m an Irish citizen. Thank you so much once again for the book.
Chris H. - Republic of Ireland
New Year—New Song!
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD (Psalm 40:3).