Be Zealous And Repent

After my morning sermon on the Church of Laodicea, I think this devotional by Charles Spurgeon is more than appropriate. I will be posting my sermon in the next few days. Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)

I am glad to find in this verse that old fashioned virtue called repentance. It used to be preached, but it has gone out of fashion now. Indeed, we are told that we always misunderstood the meaning of the word repentance and that it simply means a "change of mind" and nothing more. I wish those who are so wise in their Greek knew a little more about that language, for they would not be so ready with their infallible statements. Gospel repentance is a change of mind of the most radical sort–such a change as never was wrought in any man except by the Spirit of God.

We are also to preach the motives of repentance–that men may not repent from mere fear of Hell, but they must repent of sin itself. Every thief is sorry when he has to go to prison; every murderer is sorry when the noose is about his neck; the sinner must repent; not because of punishment of sin, but because his sin is against a pardoning God, sin against a bleeding Savior, sin against a Holy Law, sin against a tender Gospel. The true penitent repents of sin against God, and he would do so if there no punishment.

We are to tell of the Source of repentance, namely, that the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of sins. Repentance is a plant that never grows on nature’s dunghill; the nature must be changed, and repentance must implanted by the Holy Spirit, or it will never flourish in our hearts. We preach repentance as a fruit of the Spirit, or else we greatly err.

Wes Porter
Galatians 2:20