Good Wednesday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
You and I live in a world of BLAME, don’t we? I suppose that’s part of the reason our nation is flooded with attorneys seeking to help people who have been injured in auto or work place accidents and other attorneys willing to help find cause for divorce or medical malpractice. No one wants to admit fault, even at high levels of leadership, even government leadership.
Russia invading Ukraine; or Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacking shipping in international waters; or Hamas brutally attacking innocent Israeli families, including elderly and children; or Nigerian radicals taking children as hostages… those are all terrorist type behavior, refusing accountability!
Come with me again back to Jerusalem about 2000 years ago at the Pentecost festival. The disciple Peter has just concluded an explanation of the miraculous evidence of the Holy Spirit’s arrival upon the followers of Jesus as recorded in Acts 2:1-21. But then Peter moved into a scathing accusation of the hardness of Jewish hearts and minds refusing to receive Jesus and their efforts to actually put Jesus to death. (Acts 2:22,23)The hearts of these several thousands Jews who had witnessed the miracles of wind, tongues of fire and languages, which came upon followers of Jesus, were pierced by the convicting Holy Spirit and they cried out “…what shall we do?”
It was a cry for help, a cry of desperation. It’s the same cry God is listening for everywhere in the world, everyday. And in response the Holy Spirit again moved deeply in Peter with a clear explanation of action. The record says: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
Because these two sentences are among the most significant ever spoken and because it’s the same God response today, let’s look closely. Repent is a powerful word isn’t it? It means experiencing such deep remorse, deep conviction, that I am repulsed by my sinful life and I am propelled to make a profound change. In fact I’ll do anything to not continue living such a despicable life! (Ezekiel 36:31)
But Repent means much more! Repent means I take responsibility for myself, I don’t blame anyone else for my sin! I confess, which means I agree with God’s assessment of me. I am guilty and it’s my fault, and I need God’s help! In fact, He’s my only Hope!
REPENT means I take action!! I turn AWAY from my rebellion and I turn TO God confessing my sin and submitting myself to God’s justice, pleading for Him to apply the sin payment of Jesus to my sin debt! Repent is a change of mind and heart about myself and my sin; a change of attitude toward God; a change of my priorities and my lifestyle. Repent does NOT make excuses or blame others or try to evade responsibility. Repent is courageous. Repent is transformational. Repent draws a line of demarcation and expects change in me, now! Repent is determined to NOT go back into the same darkness, NOT re-enslave myself, NOT find myself in the same hopeless place ever again! Repent, turning to God is about the most hopeful thing a person can do, expecting God will respond in rescue!
Repent is also a TRIGGER, did you know that? God responds to REPENT! How? First, God evaluates the authenticity and the motives of repentance. King David warned his son Solomon about that as Solomon rose to the throne. (1 Chronicles 28:9) Don’t play with God’s justice my friends. Pretend repent, artificial repent, words only but no action repent is playing with fire, for it’s a mockery of God’s mercy and what Jesus accomplished with His death and resurrection.
Repent must be accompanied by integrity or it will backfire and the fake repentance will actually become increased bondage making it far more difficult for deliverance to ever happen! Genuine Repent moves God to genuine Justified, rooted in God’s Mercy found in Jesus! Did you get that?
God takes the sin of the authentically repentant person and places that sin on Jesus during His crucifixion, and God takes the holiness of Jesus and places that upon the authentic repenter! (God can do that because time has no restrictions for God)
That’s the power and promise of 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made Him who had no sin to be a sin offering for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Romans 4:25,5:1 explains it this way: “Jesus was delivered over to death [by God the Father] for our sins and raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace of God in which we now stand.”
For the large crowd of convicted, convinced Jews standing before Peter, who were coming to this glorious understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they were repenting of their sin, God was bringing to them the miracle of salvation, rescue, deliverance from their sin bondage and their sin condemnation. Therefore Peter challenged those who were serious about REPENT to take the next step of honoring God, do you see what Peter said?
“Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:38) Now friends, because this is so vital to understand clearly, let’s take it slowly and carefully. We’ve discussed Repent, now what is this “be baptized’ and why is it important that both are done in the name of Jesus Christ?
Have you ever considered that we have no record of Jesus baptizing His disciples or anyone else? We know that John, the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, (Luke 1:5-17) was so famous for baptizing people that he’s actually called “John the Baptist” or “John the Baptizer”. And so there is no confusion, John explained that his baptism was for two primary purposes.
First, so people could publicly acknowledge their sin and their readiness to welcome the Messiah. (John 1:19-34) And second, John said “…the reason I came baptizing with water was that He [Jesus] might be revealed to Israel.” John was speaking of Jesus and it was as John baptized Jesus that the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and God’s voice from heaven proclaimed loudly, for all who were present to hear, “This is My Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:13-17)
The baptism which Peter urged the crowd to experience is what we today call “Believer’s Baptism”. It was a baptism similar to John’s in that these Jews were repenting of their sin and turning to Jesus as their Messiah. But more, people through their baptism were declaring death to their own ambitions, their pride, their sin and declaring their allegiance to Jesus as their Lord, their King, and pledging their obedience to Jesus. It was a public association with Jesus as their Messiah and their Master at a time when that public declaration was very dangerous since so many people wanted every memory of Jesus erased from Jerusalem!
It was a declaration that they were confident God was accomplishing in them His promised work of Redemption (Eph.1:7) and Regeneration (John 3:3-7) and Adoption (John 1:9) as they became followers of Jesus! Can you see my friends how this fits with any person, anywhere in the world today who repents of their sin and trusts Jesus Christ to be their Savior and then obediently, publicly declares their allegiance to Jesus in the waters of Baptism?
I think we need to pause and reflect once again.
Have you experienced the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in leading you to REPENT of your sin as we have looked at today?
Have you fully trusted God to do His work of applying the sin payment of Jesus’ death to your sin guilt; and has God declared you forgiven of your sin, and has God applied the holiness of Jesus to your life?
Are you confident that you are born again by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit? (John 3:3-7)
And have you taken the important step of being baptized as your public declaration of your allegiance to Jesus as your King and your assurance God had accomplished His salvation work in you?
Peter closed his powerful statement with this promise: “And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) Tomorrow we’ll look more closely at exactly what that means! For today, here’s a great song which celebrates our redemption:
Today’s Scripture: Acts 2:36-38.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.