Sermon A Study On Repentance

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[2] The title of the sermon today is “A STUDY ON REPENTANCE.”

Must You Repent Of Sin To Be Saved?

• Today, I want to do a study on repentance.
• What is repentance? Must you repent to be saved?
• Must you repent of your sin to be saved? Must you be sorry for your sin to be saved?
• To answer these questions and more, let’s study repentance within the King James Bible.
• Let’s look at the words repent, repented, repenteth, repentance, repentings, repentest.
• We also want to look at sorry, sorrow, sorrowed, and turn from.
• I want to get this right, and I want to make sure we all understand repentance.

Why? Because there are MANY false gospels all around us today.

• Many false gospels will tell people that they have to repent of sin before they can be saved.
• But, you need to understand what someone means when they say that.
• Do they mean that you MUST stop sinning before you can be saved?
• If so, that’s a false gospel with no saving power AT ALL.

The word repent and all its different forms is seen in the Bible 112 times in 105 verses.

• The first time it’s used is in Genesis. The last time is Revelation.
• I’ve got a chart here that shows you where all the repentance words are located in the Bible.

[3]

• We see that the Gospel of Luke shows repent 14 times. Revelation 12 times. Jeremiah 11 times.
• Matthew 11 times. Acts 11 times. 38 out of 66 books do not contain the word repent
• The Gospel of John doesn’t include the word repent in any form. That’s very important.
• What’s the purpose of the Gospel of John? Let’s see what the Gospel of John says.

[4] John 20:30-31 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

• The signs that Jesus did are WRITTEN in the Gospel of John so that people MIGHT believe that Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God.
• We receive everlasting life through the NAME of Jesus Christ. How? By believing on HIS NAME to save us.

The Gospel Of John Doesn’t Use The Word Repent Once

So, if the Gospel of John was written to save people, why is repent not included in the entire book once?

• Do you know what words are in the Book of John? Not repent. But the word BELIEVE sure is there.
• I created a chart showing the word “BELIEVE” in all its forms just like repent.
• And I did this for every book of the Bible. See this chart.

[5]

• The Gospel of John is the book in the Bible with the word BELIEVE in it the most.
• The Gospel of John shows the word believe in all its forms 101 times. That’s 31% of the entire Bible.
• So, the Gospel of John is very important to understand. It tells you how to be saved.
• And it’s very simple. And it NEVER uses the word repent or any forms of that word.

Who wrote the Gospel of John? JOHN write it through the Holy Ghost.

• What other books did John write through the Holy Ghost? He wrote the Book of Revelation.
• He used the word repent in the book of Revelation 12 times for second place in all books.
• So John obviously knows the word repent and what it means.
• But he didn’t use it in the Book of John which is written so people will Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
• What do we see in the Book of John over and over again? BELIEVE.

[6] John 1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

[7] John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

[8] John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

[9] John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

[10] John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

• That’s 5 of 86 total verses in the Gospel of John that have the word believe.
• So there’s 81 more verses in the Book of John. Obviously, I’m not going to read them all to you.
• But next time you read the Book of John notice how many times it tells you how to be saved.
• “BELIEVE” on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
• You won’t see repent of your sin ANYWHERE in the Bible to be saved and receive everlasting life.
• The phrase “REPENT OF YOUR SIN or SINS” is not in the Bible at all. Not even one time.

“You Must Repent Of Your Sin To Be Saved???”

False preachers will say that you MUST repent of your sin to be saved.

• They say, “You must TURN from your sin to be saved.”
• So, I want to go to the Book of the Bible which uses the word REPENT the most.
• That’s the GOSPEL OF LUKE. Let’s look there first.
• And I want you to see the purpose of the Book of Luke starting in Chapter 1 verse 1.

[11] Luke 1:1-4 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

• What do you see in those verses? Look towards the last part of verse 1.
• Luke says that he’s making a declaration of those things are most SURELY BELIEVED AMONG US.
• He’s saying that he’s writing these things to show the certainty of what happened and what you’ve been taught.
• So, in the Gospel of John, we see that he’s writing so that people might believe on Jesus Christ.
• But in the Gospel of Luke, we see that he’s writing to people that already believe on Jesus Christ.
• Luke is writing to make it even more certain for those who already believe.
• Do you see the difference there? Luke is confirming our beliefs.
• All of the 4 Gospels have different purposes.

[12] Luke 3:2-4 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

• False preachers will say, “See!!! The first thing John the Baptist preached is repentance.”
• They say, “You MUST repent of your sins first.” It doesn’t say John came preaching repent of your sin.
• Is that what verse 3 says right there? My Bible doesn’t say that anywhere and especially not in Luke 3:3.
• It says, “PREACHING THE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS.”
• Remission of sins is very important to you and I. So what is the baptism of repentance?
• The Gospel of Matthew and Mark BOTH say the same thing.

[13] Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

[14] Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

• The phrase “BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE” is in the Bible 4 times. You just saw 2 of those times.
• Let’s look at the other 2 times. They both come from the Book of Acts. The Acts of the Apostles.

[15] Acts 13:24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

• Right there in Acts Chapter 13 the Apostle Paul is preaching the Gospel to get people saved.
• That verse right there is a part of his preaching.
• If you go on down from that point in his preaching, you’ll see where he says this in the same chapter.

[16] Acts 13:38-39 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

• So, obviously, to be saved from your sins, you MUST believe on Jesus to be justified in front of God.
• Acts Chapter 13 is the first time we see “BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE.” Now, let’s see the 4^th and last time.
• This is the BIG ONE you need to see because it tells us EXACTLY what “Baptism of Repentance” means.

[17] Acts 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

• The baptism of repentance that John baptized with is a change of mind.
• He told them to change their mind and BELIEVE ON HIM which should come after him.
• John preached, “Hey, JESUS CHRIST is coming. Change your mind and believe on HIM as your Savior.”
• If you thought something else was going to save you, then you need to repent.
• You need to change your mind on what you thought was going to save you.
• It’s nothing else but JESUS CHRIST. He’s the Savior. Nothing else will save you.

The Bible Never Says You Must Stop Sinning To Be Saved

John didn’t preach to repent of your sin to be saved. STOP SINNING and be saved.

• If John preached that, no one could be saved. No one can stop sinning in their flesh 100%.
• Some false preachers will say, “Well, you have to stop doing the worst sins.”
• “What are the worst sins?” Then they make up a list of things. It’s not in the Bible.
• All sins are bad. Some are worse than others. But the Bible doesn’t say repent of your sin to be saved.
• The Book of Luke includes 14 occurrences of the word repent and its different forms of the word.
• 12 of those 14 occurrences in Luke are from the mouth of Jesus Christ HIMSELF. Let’s look at some.

[18] Luke 5:30-32 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

• Jesus is saying that the righteous don’t need HIM. If you’re not a sinner, you don’t need Jesus.
• If you’re perfect like the scribes and Pharisees thought they were, you don’t need a Savior.
• Yes, you need to realize that you’re a sinner and you need a Savior.
• You need to be SAVED from your sins through Jesus Christ. You need repentance.
• You need a change of mind. You need to understand that you need to be saved from your sins.
• Some preachers might define that as repenting of sin so you need to be careful and see what they mean.
• If they say that you MUST be sorry for your sin, then they are playing the line closely.
• Jesus doesn’t say that you MUST be sorry for your sin to be saved.
• Jesus doesn’t say that you need to turn from your sin to be saved.

[19] Luke 13:2-3 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

• If you continue to go up against God, you will perish in some way.
• If you’re saved and you continue to not obey His rules, then He’ll take you out.
• If you aren’t saved and continue to sin, it will lead to death.
• Sin leads to death. Sin leads to you perishing. So you need to change your direction.

So, repent means to change your mind, change your direction, change your action, or turn a different direction.

• In every instance that the word repent is used, you need to say: “What is being repented of?”
• Look at the context of every verse.

[20] Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

• So you’ve got a sinner like you and like I. We’re all sinners. We never stop sinning in our flesh.
• We’re going the wrong way. We’re getting further from God. We won’t believe what He says.
• Then all of a sudden, we read our Bible, we hear the word of God, we hear a preacher.
• God is calling us back to Him. We change our mind. We turn back to God from our sinful path to death.
• We repent. We change our mind. We believe what God says. That’s repentance in this verse.
• When that happens, there’s joy in heaven.

[21] Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

• “IF HE REPENT” forgive him. What does he need to repent of?
• He needs to repent of something he did wrong to you. Right there. He needs to repent of wrong doing.
• He needs to repent of his sin towards you. If he does, then you forgive him.
• Is that talking about being saved or receiving eternal life? No, it’s not.
• And notice, if someone isn’t sorry for what they’ve done to you, you don’t need to forgive him.

God Doesn’t Forgive Everyone

You don’t go up to a murderer who just murdered your brother and isn’t sorry for it and say:

• “I FORGIVE YOU because God forgives everyone.” That’s a lie.
• If God forgave everyone, there wouldn’t be a hell. God’s love is conditional.
• God’s love isn’t unconditional. Once you’re saved, God loves you.
• Unconditional love is a false teaching by false preachers everywhere around us TODAY.
• If you go to hell, God sure doesn’t love you. Why? Because you rejected Him your entire life.
• You never repented. You never changed your mind and BELIEVED on Jesus Christ.

[22] John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

• Is there a condition right there in that verse to receive everlasting life?
• Yes, there is a condition. “HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME,” Jesus says, “HATH EVERLASTING LIFE.”
• If you never believe on Jesus, John 3:36 says the wrath of God abideth on you.
• If a preacher calls repentance a change in mind from unbelief to belief, then that’s correct.
• If a preacher calls repentance a turning from your sin and stopping sin in some way, then that’s false.
• You don’t have to stop sinning to be saved. If you had to stop sinning, that would take time.
• And you can’t stop sinning and get better UNLESS you have the SPIRIT OF GOD helping you.
• You don’t get the SPIRIT OF GOD indwelling until you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

False preachers say that repentance always means being sorry for your sin.

• It doesn’t ALWAYS mean to be sorry for your sin. It can mean to be sorry for your sin.
• But you always have to look at the context of the verse, the Scripture, the chapter, the book.
• There’s NO WAY that it always means to be sorry for your sin. Let’s prove that now.
• You know me now, right? In this entire sermon, I haven’t went to the Old Testament yet.
• Well, I love the Old Testament and there’s no way I’m going to skip over the Old Testament.
• Let’s go to the first time a form of the word repent is used in the entire Bible.

[23] Genesis 6:5-7 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

• Who repents right there? The Lord repents.
• If repent automatically means to repent of your sin, that would mean that God sinned.
• God didn’t sin, but He repented right there.
• Do you see that today? God doesn’t sin, but it repented the Lord that He made man on the earth.
• “It grieved Him at HIS HEART.” It hurt Him that man turned wicked and evil. He was sorry for that.
• But He didn’t sin. He didn’t do something wrong. MAN DID. God didn’t.

And of course, the corrupted Bible versions change the word repent in all of the Old Testament verses.

• What does this do? It doesn’t allow you to figure out what REPENT means for the rest of the Bible.
• As an example, they change it to “The Lord was sorry that he made man.”
• Or they change it to “change their minds” instead of repent.
• The word repent disappears from the Old Testament and then you can’t study the word to help interpret the New Testament.

Repent Does Not Equal Repent Of Your Sin

That’s what the corrupted Bible versions do, and that’s why you have people saying that repent automatically means “REPENT OF YOUR SIN.”

• That’s why we use the King James Bible only. The King James Bible allows you to learn what God means.
• The King James Bible NEVER contradicts itself.
• The modern Bible versions like the NIV, NASB, NKJV all corrupt God’s words.

[24] Exodus 13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

• The word repent in this context means they would change their mind and turn back when they saw war.
• That instance right there has NOTHING to do with them sinning.
• It has everything to do with them turning away from war. They didn’t want a war.
• They would repent and go back to Egypt instead of trying to make it through the land with war.
• So, that has nothing to do with repenting of sin.

[25] Exodus 32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

• That’s MOSES right there asking the Lord to repent of this evil against thy people.
• So again, this is asking God to repent. And God doesn’t sin.
• The evil is the punishment God was going to give to the people who wouldn’t do what He asked.
• Moses tells God to please remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• And God did remember them and listened to Moses. And watch what happens.

[26] Exodus 32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

• Who repented right there? God repented of the evil that He was going to do to His people.
• So far, this proves 100% without a doubt that repent doesn’t always mean repent of sin.

[27] Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

• This verse says that God doesn’t lie and doesn’t repent.
• What does that mean in this context? Because obviously, we just saw that God repents.
• Then this verse says that God doesn’t repent.
• The answer is what we’ve been talking about this entire sermon.
• You have to look at the context of the word repent and what it actually means.
• This means God doesn’t sin. God doesn’t mess up. God doesn’t need to change His ways.
• God doesn’t need to be sorry for what He’s done wrong. He doesn’t do anything wrong.

God Repents = God Changes His Course Of Action

Why would God need to change His direction or His course of action?

• It’s not because He’s done something wrong. It’s not because He made a wrong decision.
• It’s because we’ve messed up and sinned against Him and His rules.
• If we would have always done what God said, He would have never repented of His course.
• He only changed His course for us. Why? Because He’s patient and longsuffering.
• We’re the ones who aren’t. We mess up. God doesn’t mess up. That’s what that verse means.

We need to repent of our sin when we mess up because we’re sinning. He’s not.

• The Old Testament is teaching us the different definitions for the word repent.
• Why? So we understand that repenting of sin is NOT required to be saved.
• Look, I’ve been going in order in the Old Testament so far for the word repent.
• We’ve already seen multiple definitions for the word repent AS EXPECTED.

[28] Deuteronomy 32:36 For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.

• Who repents right there? THE LORD. More proof that repent doesn’t automatically mean repent of sin.
• The corrupted Bible versions took the word out of the Old Testament. Why?
• So it adds confusion when they put it back in where they want.
• They change the word of God into whatever they want it to be.

[29] Judges 2:18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

• Who repents there? The Lord. Do you see a pattern here? God is trying to show us what repent means.
• He’s giving us the different definitions. But notice that God repents most of the time to this point.
• If you look up all 112 instances in 105 verses, you’ll see that God repents often in the Old Testament.

Results For All 105 Verses And Who Repented

So, I went through all 105 verses for this sermon and marked down who repented.

• For the Old Testament, there are 45 verses with repent. 34 out of 45 show God repenting.
• There are 60 verses with repent in the New Testament. All of those are man repenting.
• So 34 out of 105 verses within the Bible are showing God repenting. And it’s not of sin obviously.
• He’s simply changing His course of action that He planned to take because of man’s actions.
• I want to show you a verse from the Book of Jeremiah.

[30] Jeremiah 15:5-7 For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest? 6 Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting. 7 And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways.

• In other words, God is tired of repenting because of what man does.
• He says, “Hey, whatever. I’m tired of this. I’m just going to destroy you. I’ve showed you everything.”
• “And you still want to do everything your way. So, I’m tired of repenting.”
• “I’m tired of changing my course of action because of what you’ve done.”
• So Jesus came, He preached for us to repent. He preached that we should believe on HIS NAME.

So, what do we need to do? We need to believe on Jesus Christ to save us.

• Then, we’re saved. When we mess up and sin, we need to repent of that sin.
• We need to ask forgiveness. That keeps un in fellowship with God.
• It’s a work to repent of sin. It’s hard work battling sin each day. It’s tough to stop sinning.
• Understand that repenting of sin doesn’t keep salvation for you. JESUS GAVE SAVLATION TO YOU.
• JESUS KEEPS IT FOR YOU. You don’t work to keep it. You work to sin less because you love God.

Now, I want to look at some more verses from the New Testament.

• We’ve already looked at some from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
• Now, let’s go to the Book of Acts. Acts is tied for third in the Bible with 11 verses using the word repent.
• And the most popular of all the false religions around here is ACTS 2:38.
• So, let’s look at that one. Let’s start a little earlier in Acts Chapter 2.
• Peter is preaching after the Holy Ghost had come upon them like cloven tongues of fire.
• Everyone heard Peter in their own language or their own tongue. He stands up and preaches.

[31] Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

• The Book of Romans tells us that you can’t on the name of the Lord without BELIEVING first.
• That means your SAVED when you call upon the name of the Lord because you’ve believed on HIM.
• So these people are listening to Peter preach. They hear in their own tongue or language.
• Peter finishes the first part of his message in verse 36.

[32] Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

• He says, “GOD HAS MADE THAT SAME JESUS THE SAVIOR WHO YOU CRUCIFIED.”
• That would upset you a little if you really cared. He just said that you CRUCIFIED the SAVIOR.

[33] Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

• So, it looks like they are already sorry for what they did. It says, “THEY WERE PRICKED IN THEIR HEART.”
• They ask, “Well, what should we do. We messed up. What do we do now to correct this?”

How did Peter respond to this? The Holy Ghost is with Peter. How does God respond?

• It says they were already pricked in their heart. They knew they did wrong. They were sorrowful already.
• Did Peter respond and say that you need to give up all your sin?
• You need to repent of your sin. Did he say that? Did he say you need to stop fornicating?
• Did he say you need to stop getting drunk all the time? You need to stop lying?
• No, that’s not what Peter says. Let’s see EXACTLY what he says.
• And remember what Peter just preached in ACTS 2:21.
• “WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Which Sins Do You Have To Give Up First Because There’s A Lot Of Them?

So, how are you going to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and call upon the name of the Lord?

• Are you going to first give up all the alcohol? Are going to give up the lusts of the flesh first?
• Are you going to join AA first before you can be saved? Are you going to repent of all your sin first?
• That’s what preachers are telling everyone around here. You MUST repent of your sin FIRST.
• You MUST turn from all your sin first. THEN, you can be saved.
• What do you really need to do so you can BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?
• What does it take? It takes a change of mind. CHANGE YOUR MIND and BELIEVE.
• Watch what Peter says in ACTS 2:38.

[34] Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

• Did Peter say: “YOU MUST STOP FORNICATING?”
• Did Peter say: “YOU MUST STOP BEING A DRUNK?”
• Did Peter say: “YOU MUST STOP USING DRUGS BEFORE YOU CAN BE SAVED?”
• No, he doesn’t say anything like that.
• Does Peter say: “REPENT OF YOUR SIN?” No, he doesn’t say that.
• If he did, it wouldn’t match with the Book of John AT ALL. It wouldn’t match with the Book of Romans.
• Galatians. Ephesians. None of the books of the Bible match with that interpretation of what he says.

Yet, religions around here are formed from ACTS 2:38 alone.

• They tell everyone that you must REPENT OF YOUR SIN and BE BAPTIZED to be saved.
• Once you repent of your sin and are baptized, then you receive the Holy Spirit.
• That’s what they say. And they leave out the part of putting all your trust on Jesus Christ.
• If it’s all YOUR TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in Jesus that saves you, then YOU repenting of sin obviously isn’t going to save you.
• Repenting of sin is a work. And it’s hard work. You have to walk in the SPIRIT each day to stop sinning.
• To do that, you need to pray, read the Bible, study the Bible, and HATE THE SIN in your life.

[35] Jonah 3:8-10 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

• Repenting of sin is a WORK. The Bible just said so in Jonah 3:10.
• “GOD SAW THEIR WORKS.” Do you see that? It calls it WORKS. “GOD SAW THEIR WORKS.”
• “That they turned from their evil way.” Turning from your evil way is repenting of sin.
• SIN = EVIL. Turning from sin. That’s is repenting of sin. Changing directions. Turning from your evil ways.
• And then God repents in Jonah 3:10. He turns from the PUNISHMENT that He was going to do to them.

The people in Acts Chapter 2 were listening to Peter’s preaching.

• What had they been doing? They had been rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ.
• They didn’t believe that Jesus was the SAVIOR. They were also doing plenty of other sin.
• Just like we do before we’re saved. We don’t believe on Jesus before we’re saved.
• We are doing all kinds of other sin too. We’re in our flesh.

No, It’s Not Okay To Sin And The Bible Never Says That

We mess up all the time even after we’re saved. So these people hadn’t believed that Jesus is the SAVIOR.

• If so, Peter wouldn’t have to tell them how to be saved.
• He just told them that WHOSOEVER CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.
• In order to do that, you need to repent. What’s that mean? CHANGE YOUR MIND AND BELIEVE ON HIM.

[36] Romans 10:13-14 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

• To be saved, it’s very simple. You change your mind and BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
• Repentance to be saved is changing your mind and BELIEVING ON JESUS CHRIST.
• In Acts 2:38, look at the words again closely.

[37] Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

• IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. Repent means to change your mind about Jesus.
• He is the SAVIOR. They didn’t believe that before because Peter just told them that they crucified Jesus.
• They were sorry for that. Some people would call that repentance since they were sorry for their sin.
• But Peter still tells them to REPENT.
• If they had already repented, then the HOLY GHOST wouldn’t have said that through PETER.
• Do you see that today? I hope you do.
• Because this verse is so misunderstood and abused by false religions.

Notice where it says, “Repent and be baptized every one of in the name of Jesus Christ FOR the remission of sins.”

• To receive remission of sins or forgiveness of sins, is this verse teaching that you must:
• 1) repent of your sin and 2) be baptized. Is that what this Scripture is teaching?
• The rest of the Bible doesn’t teach that anywhere. So, do we something NEW in Acts 2:38?

Repent Does Not Equal = Repent Of Your Sins

“FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS.”

• Does that mean you must repent of sin and be baptized in order for your sins to be forgiven?
• No, it doesn’t mean that. You are to be baptized once you believe on Jesus Christ.
• The believing on Jesus saves you. A definition of the word FOR is “BECAUSE OF.”
• You are to be baptized because you believe and because you’ve received the remission of sins.
• “Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ BECAUSE OF the remission of sins.”
• That’s what that verse means. And it matches everywhere else in the Bible.

[38] Acts 16:29-31 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

• “What MUST I do to be saved?” BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

[39] Acts 16:32-33 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

• The jailer took Paul and Silas and washed their stripes. He was sorry for what happened.
• Then HE WAS BAPTIZED immediately after HE BELIEVED and all is HIS HOUSE that believed.

[40] 1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

• False preachers will use that verse there to say: “SEE, BAPTISM NOW SAVES US.”
• No, it says ”THE LIKE FIGURE.” It’s a picture of salvation.
• You’re being buried with Jesus, and you’re being resurrected from the dead.
• Is that what actually happens when you go under the water? No, of course not.
• So, Acts 2:38 one more time.

[41] Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

• Repent. Change your mind about Jesus Christ. You rejected Jesus. Now, you need to turn to Jesus.
• You need to believe on Jesus now. CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT JESUS.
• Once you do that, what should you do next?
• You should be BAPTIZED. Baptism doesn’t save you. It’s a PICTURE of salvation.
• You should be baptized because you’ve already been saved by believing on Jesus Christ to save you.

If you go through the Book of Acts and find repentance, you’ll see the same thing as Acts 2:38.

• He’s not talking about repenting of sin. You can’t turn from all your sin.
• What does turning from sin mean? So, if you turn from all your sin but you still sin, what’s that mean?
• You have to be willing to turn from sin, but you don’t actually do it.
• So, you tell me who in this life has been willing to turn from all sin? You don’t sin? Really.

[42] Acts 3:19-21 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

• This is the same layout as Acts Chapter 2. Peter is preaching.
• He preaches right before these verses that FAITH in the name of Jesus is what saves.
• He tells them they crucified Jesus. And then he says, “REPENT AND BE CONVERTED.”
• He doesn’t say repent of all your sin. He doesn’t say stop using drugs so you can then be saved.
• He says, “Hey, change your mind about Jesus and have faith through his name.”
• That’s what Peter preaches. Read the entire chapter, and you’ll see that.
• Then we see the same thing in Acts Chapter 5.

[43] Acts 5:30-31 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

• That’s Peter and the apostles speaking these things.
• REPENTANCE is a change of mind about Jesus in the context of this verse.
• That doesn’t say repent of your sins to be saved.
• Now, is repent of your sin within the Bible? Not the exact phrase, but it is in the Bible.
• It’s a good thing to repent of your sin.

[44] Acts 8:20-22 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

• This man named Simon already believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Read the chapter and you’ll see that he’s already saved. He gets caught up in sin after he’s saved.
• He thinks that he can purchase the Holy Ghost from Peter because Peter is laying hands on people.
• And giving them the Holy Ghost. Remember, this is after he had already been baptized previously.

Jesus Ascended Into Heaven But Left Us With The Holy Spirit

Now Jesus ascended into heaven and says He will give the Comforter to be with us.

• Peter tells him to repent of this wickedness. You can’t purchase the Holy Ghost.
• Peter tells him to repent of that sin. The man responds humbly and asks to be prayed for.
• That’s an example of how to respond when you realize you’ve sinned.

[45] Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

• “Granted repentance unto life.”
• That’s a change of mind UNTO life. From not believing to believing on Jesus.
• Repentance to be saved is obviously a change of mind to BELEIVING ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
• It never says REPENT OF YOUR SIN to be saved.

Some people argue that Jesus first preached REPENT OF SIN to be saved.

• Jesus never says that. They say John the Baptist first preached repent of your sin to be saved.
• Neither one says that. Let’s look at that from Jesus Christ.
• John the Baptist was just cast into prison in Matthew Chapter 4. Then we see this.

[46] Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

• Jesus isn’t preaching to repent of your sin to be saved right there. Where does it say that?
• He’s saying, “Hey, change your mind and believe what I say. The kingdom of heaven is here.”
• He’s saying, “Hey, turn to me. Repent. I will save you.” What’s the Bible teach about being saved?
• The only requirement is to change your mind and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, look, we’ve been through many verses about repentance. We’ve done a good study on repentance.

• But obviously, I can’t go through all the Scriptures in the Bible.
• We’ve seen that the Lord repents in 34 verses in the Old Testament.
• We know that repent doesn’t always mean repent of sin. Most of the time it doesn’t mean repent of sin.
• We’ve seen that repenting of sin is a work, and we know in our life that it’s a work.
• We know that we aren’t saved by works AT ALL. The Bible says so clearly.

[47] Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

[48] Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

[49] Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

• Listen, the whole Bible teaches that it’s FAITH alone that saves you.
• Repenting of sin is NOT faith alone. Being baptized is NOT faith alone. Those are works.
• Those are good works. It’s a great work to repent of sin and to be baptized.
• If you stop drinking alcohol, that’s not going to save you. Do you see how dumb that is?
• It makes no sense. If you stop lying 100%, is that going to send you to heaven? No.
• Repenting of sin doesn’t save you. Changing your mind and believing on Jesus SAVES YOU.
• Believing on Jesus doesn’t include any work at all. It’s a switch in your mind. You change your mind.

So yes, a change of mind is required to be saved. REPENTANCE defined as a change of mind is required.

• That’s why John the Baptist preached repentance. That’s why Jesus preached repentance.
• Repentance defined as a change of mind is right there with BELIEVING on JESUS.
• They go hand in hand with each other. Do you see this today and understand this today?
• It’s not repent of all your sin and believe to be saved. It’s change your mind and believe.

[50] Mark 1:14-15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

• That’s the parallel Gospel verse with the Book of Matthew. This is Mark.
• Jesus comes preaching, “REPENT YE AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.” Do you see that?
• Repent and believe go hand in hand.

When we give the Gospel to people, we make sure they understand what sin is because sin sends you to hell.

• Why do we do this? Because people need to understand that they’ve sinned against God.
• They need to be forgiven of those sins so they can go to heaven.
• People need to see that connection. Do they need to be sorry for their sins to be saved?
• No, they don’t have to be sorry for them to be saved. But they need to have a desire to be forgiven.
• Should they be sorry? Yes, most people are going to be sorry BUT it’s not a 100% requirement.
• The Bible doesn’t say that anywhere. Does it say, “You MUST be sorry for your sins to be saved?”
• You need to know you’re a sinner so you know you’re headed to hell before you’re saved.

Most People Will Admit They Aren’t Perfect

Most people are going to admit they are sinners and have done wrong.

• Then you show them the penalty of sin is death and hell.
• That might make them feel sorry for their sin. And this is a good thing. You should be sorry for your sin.

[51] 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

• It’s a good thing to have GODLY SORROW because that works towards a change of mind.
• If it’s sorrow of the world, it’s not going to work a change of mind to salvation.
• Look, people come to repentance or a change of mind in many different ways.
• GODLY SORROW is one of those ways. There are other ways.
• Some people might not feel sorry for their sin before they are saved.

All they have to do is change their mind and BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ to save them.

• They don’t have to repent of their sin to be saved if that means to stop sinning.
• Repentance to be saved in the Bible is a change of mind to believe on Jesus.
• If repenting of sin saves you, if turning from sin saves you, then Judas Iscariot would have been saved.

[52] Matthew 27:3-5 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

• Judas Iscariot had WORLDLY SORROW there. He repented himself. What does that mean?
• He changed his mind about betraying Jesus and took the money back.
• Did he change his mind and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? No, he didn’t.
• He didn’t believe Jesus was the Savior. He admitted that Jesus was innocent but not the Savior.
• He knew Jesus was innocent. He knew that he betrayed his friend.
• He felt bad about that. But it wasn’t GODLY SORROW. It was worldly sorrow.

How do we know? He went to the chief priests and elders and not to God. He confessed it to THEM.

• He could have prayed to God right there and told God that he was sorry.
• He could have called upon God right there, but he didn’t. He called upon the evil religious people.
• He felt bad to the point that he hanged himself.

Repent Doesn’t Mean Repent Of Your Sin Most Of The Time

To close, repent does not always mean repent of your sin. Most of the time in the Bible it doesn’t mean that.

• Repenting of sin does not save you. MUST you repent of sin to be saved?
• The Bible doesn’t say that anywhere.
• You MUST change your mind and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Can feeling sorry for sin lead you to a change of mind? To repentance? Yes, it can.
• And that’s a great way to be saved. You should feel sorry to GOD for what you’ve done.
• If you’ve done somebody wrong, you can feel sorry to them but that doesn’t lead to salvation.
• Feeling sorry to GOD? Now that leads to salvation the Bible says. Is it the only way?
• The Bible doesn’t say that’s the ONLY WAY. Believing on Jesus is THE ONLY WAY.

Listen, there’s so much more about repentance that we could study, but we don’t have time.

• I went through about 29 of 105 verses with any form of the word repent.
• Study this on your own. Study Esau and how he sought repentance with tears.
• Study the book of Hebrews. It’s impossible to renew someone to repentance that is rejected by God.
• Why does God reject people in this life? Because they reject Him over and over and over again.
• God is patient and longsuffering BUT His patience comes to an end.

So today, if you’ve never changed your mind and believed on Jesus Christ 100% to save you, it’s time.

• Don’t wait any longer. Don’t reject God again. Change your mind now.
• You can do what Judas Iscariot wouldn’t do. It takes a moment of changing your mind.
• Do that now as we pray. Call upon the name of the Lord and ask Him to save you.
• And that’s it. He says, “I’ll save you.” Be like King David right now. Watch what he says.

[53] Psalm 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

• That’s it. If you’ve never called upon God, you better do that now.
• Be saved today. Be saved right now as we pray.

Let’s pray.