The Process of Repentance
Judges In Our Eyes • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Judges 10:6–16 (ESV)
6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the Lordwas kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed. 10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the Lordsaid to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15 And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.
The Process of Repentance
Introduction
This Leo Tolstoy quote comes from “Three Methods of Reform” in Pamphlets: Translated from the Russian (1900). A longer variant of the quote goes like this:
There can be only one permanent revolution — a moral one; the regeneration of the inner man. How is this revolution to take place? Nobody knows how it will take place in humanity, but every man feels it clearly in himself. And yet in our world everybody thinks of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of changing himself.
Judges 10:6-9 The wages of sin…
· v. 6 did not serve the Lord. Worshipped surrounding nations gods.
· v. 7 the Lord sold them (gave them over) into the hand of their enemies.
· v. 8-9 they were crushed…. 18 years… Severely distressed.
Judges 10:10 The Process of Repentance
· v. 10 acknowledgement of sin. This is new in Judges. Four times Judges records they sinned, were given over to their enemies and then they cried out for deliverance, but this is the first time they confess their sin.
o Judges 3:9, 3:15, 4:3 they cry out with no confession of sin. God raises up a Judge. No apparent awareness of sin.
o Judges 6:7 they cry out. God sends a prophet to tell them their problem is idolatry. Then God raises up Gideon.
o Judges 10:10 they cry out and lead with an acknowledgement of sin.
· V. 11-14 God’s not buying their confession. Why? Acknowledgement of sin is not necessarily repentance. Repentance requires an acknowledgement of sin but there is more. 2 Corinthians 7:9–10 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
o Worldly sorrow
§ Desire – removal of pain, restoration of comfort.
§ God’s role as we see it – fixer. He is a means to an end. Good health, marriage, family, happy life…
§ Our Role – hoop jumper. Is there a prayer I need to say, sin I need to acknowledge. What can I do to get God on my side so he can get me the object of my desire. Case study – Ephesians 5 and the Idolatrous Husband.
§ God’s response – let your god’s save you…
o Godly Sorrow
§ Desire – removal of sin, God’s glory, and personal holiness.
§ Our Role – repentance. Confession of sin. Turning from sin.
§ V. 15-16a do what you need to, but deliver us…. Then they put away their idols and served the Lord.
§ Are there things you need to repent?
Judges 10:16b God’s Response – Mercy…. God became impatient over the misery of Israel.
· Knowing what you know of Judges if you had not read this verse what would you guess that God would be impatient concerning? Most likely you would guess sin. You would be wrong. His is impatient over their suffering. The literal translation would be “and his soul was short because of the misery/toil of Israel.”
· Clarification – do not read this text and assume that our repentance CAUSES God’s mercy. God is his own cause. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. Repentance is the means by which we receive that which God freely gives. This may seem like splitting hairs but it matters.
Our Response – In those days Israel had no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes….
Mark 1:14-15. Repentance. Turn from sin and follow.
· Believe – trust Jesus, tell us, get baptized.
· Continue to believe – meaning act it out in your life. Repentance is ongoing…
· Take your next step? Graceb3.org/next