It's always an encouragement to be with the Lord's people and to be able to sing together, to pray together, to grow in the Lord together, even as we now take this time for the preaching of God's Word. If you have a copy of the Bible with you, or perhaps electronically, we will be in the Gospel of Mark, Mark chapter 1. reading at Mark 1 verses 14 and 15, two verses that are a part of the announcement, the declaration that indeed Jesus Christ is the very Son of God and He is now embarking on ministry. Mark 1 at verse 14 and verse 15. Now, after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God and saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Now, this is the reading of God's Word. Let's pray. O Father, pour out Your Spirit upon us, that You might teach us and instruct us. We thank you for the gift of your word. Lord, it's a privilege, a deep, deep privilege to open your word freely in this land, and we ask that you would instruct us in it, be our encouragement, and be the one to teach us and to guide us. We lift our hearts to you, and we ask now that, indeed, even as we listen to the Bible, you'd be pleased to mix faith with it and we would know you and serve you. Be with us now in Jesus' name, amen. Repentance is the gift of God. There are several gifts that accompany the announcement of the gospel, and particularly gifts and the fruit of the labor of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, all being applied by the Holy Spirit. God opens our hearts unto faith. God opens our hearts unto repentance. Tonight, for a few moments, looking at the gift of repentance. And when we think of the gift of repentance, we think of accessibility, that God opens the door that we have access to turn to Him. That is repentance, turning away from sin and turning unto our God. And once again, we think of things like this based upon the shorter catechism. When we come to that question, what is repentance? repentance unto life, we think of things based on the catechism that we see – I'm going to paraphrase a little bit now – that we see sin as sin, we see God's mercy as God's mercy, and we are about turning away from sin and turning to Christ. That is key, turning to Christ. That is repentance in such a matter as key. And then finally, turning to Christ for new obedience, with new resolve. A new purpose, a purpose that indeed that in Christ we serve Him. There are three reminders to bring to our attention tonight as we think about repentance from this passage here in Mark chapter 1. First of all, I want us to see the connection that repentance has. There's a connection to the kingdom of God. Repentance sees its connection to the kingdom of God. Secondly, repentance moves beyond conviction of sin and goes to Christ. And then thirdly, repentance doesn't focus on a substitute Jesus. Repentance doesn't focus on a substitute Jesus, but Jesus Christ Himself. Let's take up this first one that indeed repentance sees its connection to the kingdom of God. Look once again in this chapter, chapter 1 at verse 15. Jesus is now proclaiming, what is He proclaiming? Verse 15, saying, the time is fulfilled, here it is, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Repentance sees its connection to the kingdom of God. Jesus is about proclaiming the gospel, and his message includes, the time is fulfilled. What was spoken of of the Old Testament, that there would be Messiah to come, is now being fulfilled in the presence of these first hearers. And he says, as part of his message, the kingdom of God is right here. It's at hand. It's near. And then he tells the audience that tells those that would be in the environs there to repent and to believe. So let's ask the question, if repentance sees a connection tied in, tethered to the kingdom of God, what does the kingdom of God look like? What does it look like? Now what I'd like to do just for a moment here is to have you see a sweep of these little episodes, mini scenes, little vignettes of the Kingdom of God coming with Christ and He with His Kingdom, what He's doing. He's at work. What does it look like? Well, at verse 16, if we go on, we see this first opening episode, it's those first disciples that are being called to follow the king. He says, come and follow me, I'll make you fishers of men. Verses 16, 17 and following. So what's happening here? What does the kingdom look like? It's the whole of life being subdued. They are to leave their fishing nets and go and follow Him. That even itself is a picture and picturesque of repentance. Leave the nets behind, leave that life behind and come and follow Christ. What are we saying? The kingdom looks like all of life being subdued following Christ, the whole of life under His Lordship. Secondly, another vignette, verse 23 of this chapter. What does the kingdom look like? This time it's in a Capernaum synagogue And Jesus there learns of this demon-possessed man. And here is the kingdom of God colliding with darkness, the forces of evil. So what's happening here? The kingdom of God comes to subdue evil, to turn back the darkness, to cast out the demon from this man. That's, of course, what happens in this story. Thirdly, what does the kingdom of God look like? This time at verse 29 of this chapter, it's Peter's mother-in-law in Peter's home there in Capernaum once again. Now there is ruin seen in the case of the mother-in-law. She lays sick with this fever. And Jesus is turning back the effects of sin, the curse of sin, its effects on the human body. the kingdom of God indeed brings such power to turn back the effects of sin. Fourthly, run your eyes down to chapter 1 here at verse 40 and following. This time, he's about cleansing a leper, bringing this healing power to this leper. It's very similar to the mother-in-law who lays sick with a fever. It's the effects of the ruin of sin, the curse of sin upon the human body, and Jesus is turning such effects around, reversing them. But notice in this passage, if you read that story, He has compassion, He has pity. That also is included in the coming of the Kingdom. The mercy of our God is being put on display. The mercy of our God and His Son, the Lord Jesus, is being put on display. Indeed, man is being turned back to wholeness. The Kingdom of God is at hand. One last one. Chapter 2. It's the story of this time of the paralyzed man. And you remember the house there in Capernaum is so crowded with people. You remember that? His four friends grab the four sides of the pallet or the mat and they somehow get themselves up onto the roof. Boys and girls here this evening, you remember that story? Those four men are carrying their friend who lay there on the mat and he's paralyzed and they go up onto the roof and they're pulling tiles and perhaps some branches off the roof and they're going to lower this man down to where Jesus is. Someone has said it's almost like lowering the casket down. This man is helpless. This man knows the ruin. He's not able to walk, not able to move. It's very picturesque and depicts the matter of this man being dead. Now, of course, in the story, he's alive. Likely, it's not really the image of a casket being lowered, but it gets our attention. This man is helpless, so he's lowered down to Jesus, and Jesus has authority to forgive the man's sins. You remember that. There are those who are watching this story go on, right? And who is this one that has such authority? Only God can forgive sins. And Jesus says, which is easier? Should I say to the man, rise, take up your mat and walk home? Or, son, your sins are forgiven. Once again, Jesus is telling us this is the kingdom of God. So let's summarize. When we talk about how repentance is to see its connection, and it does see a connection to the coming of the kingdom, we're talking about repentance entering in to the whole of life and its calling before the Lord. Repentance is a partner. Repentance is a friend. Repentance is a handmaid to be subdued for all of life's calling. All of life is to come under Christ. Repentance also is about Satan being thrown. We wouldn't normally think of that. The kingdom of God comes to overthrow Satan and for those who repent, you're entering in to that overthrow of Satan and his devices and his cunning ways. You're turning from sin. This is the new world that's come. You see, when repentance sees its connection to the kingdom of God coming, it takes place in what Jesus said would happen. The kingdom of God has come, and death is being turned back. Bodily illness and sin's curse is being reversed. And then lastly, there's forgiveness. Son, your sins are forgiven, which is easier for me to say. It's a wonderful picture that the kingdom of God is about setting men right with God. to be reconciled to God, to have forgiveness with God. So let me ask you, Tyler Church, when you reflect upon the doctrine of repentance, when you think, boys and girls, your mom and dad tells you to tell Jesus that you're sorry for your sin. and that you aim, you plan not to do that sin again, and your mom and dad are instructing you about repentance. So all of us in the room, when we think about repentance, do we see its connection with the new world that has dawned in Jesus Christ? When we repent of our sin, and we confess our sin, and we turn from it, and we turn to Christ, and we have that new resolve to live for the Lord, we're entering into the dawn of the new era that heaven has been brought to earth. Now its finality has not come, you know that. One day, sin will be swallowed up completely. One day, that last enemy, death, will be silenced with great victory. You know that. But you see, this is the onset of the kingdom of God. And when you repent of your sins, when you turn away, and you then have that new purpose, you are following after your master, the king, who brought this new world to this earth. That's how glorious of a gift repentance is. When Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus, he prayed that indeed the church at Ephesus would know this power for walking with the Lord. What power? In chapter one he prays for the church, this great power with which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand of the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who feels all in all." You see, Paul is praying later in the New Testament, Paul is praying that indeed the Christians, the saints at Ephesus, they would know what it is to walk in this newness. That's reflective of repentance and faith. Because you see, repentance, when it gets hooked into Christ and what he brought, it gets hooked into the spreading of his glory. Repentance is tethered to the spread of his lordship over all things. Jesus is about footstooling this earth. Jesus is about footstooling your life. Jesus is about footstooling the church. Jesus is about footstooling the nations. Jesus is about footstooling evil and wickedness and hurt and harm and disappointment. Remember what the Bible tells us, that heaven is his throne and the earth is his footstool. This is the glorious connection that we see that repentance has with the coming of the kingdom of God. Then secondly, We must see that repentance moves beyond conviction of sin, and it goes to Christ himself. Look at verse 15 once again in this chapter. The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel. When Jesus begins his preaching ministry, he brings repenting and believing together. Repenting and believing, they come together. What God has joined together, let no man separate. You see, our tendency is to separate repentance and belief. How? Belief in Christ. Well, we all know what it is to be convicted of our sin. We all know what it means to have guilt for our sin. Many of us know guilt and shame and such conviction. And oftentimes in our lives, that's where it stops. But Jesus tells us in this passage, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe. True, genuine repentance doesn't stop at its conviction of sin. Repentance doesn't stop at its guilt. Repentance doesn't stop and is satisfied with its shame. It goes to Christ Jesus. It goes to Christ Jesus. The Bible is teaching us here that Jesus Christ indeed by placing our faith in Christ We are placing our faith in Christ who is the sufficient one. He lived that perfect life for us He went to Calvary's cross to die for us He was buried there in the tomb raised on the third day ascended to the father's right hand poured out his spirit and Jesus is the one who forgives us of our sins and Are we to pray that we would know the gospel of God? Are we to pray that we would know the conviction of God's righteousness and His standards of holiness? Absolutely. Equally, we're to pray, Lord, show me, show me the treasures, the gems, the beauties of what Christ has done for me, that He has atoned for my sins. He is my place taker. He took the judgment for me. My guilt, my shame, my conviction of sin, indeed, was placed all upon Him at Calvary's cross, and He atoned for my sin." So you see, repentance as a gift, yes, it includes conviction of sin, but it's not satisfied there. It moves to Christ. And that's why he says, repent and believe. Trust in the Lord, as we've said this morning. One last one, repentance as a gift. Repentance is not going to a substitute Jesus. It's going to Christ himself. Now in this section of Mark chapter 1, there's a note here that we've read about the ministry of John the Baptist. John the Baptist had been preparing the way for Christ. And you see, this is part of what we're saying. As repentance being a gift, there's no substitute. John is not the Savior. John is about announcing the Savior who's to come. There's one who's mightier than I who will come. There's one who will come that I'm not even worthy to stoop down and untie this man's sandals. This is the one, he says, behold the Lamb of God. He's the one to take away the sin of the world. That's all noted here for us in this transition between John the Baptist and Jesus. But I close with this illustration. It's our tendency to find a substitute Jesus. One like unto Jesus. One that perhaps fulfills the role of a Christ-like figure. Repentance being a gift from God is not happy, is not content. We are not about a substitute Jesus. We go to the Lord Jesus with our sin. So here I am. It's probably about 1990, maybe 1991, and my wife and I and small children are up in Wasilla, Alaska. And the Lord made arrangements for us to return to Alaska where we both had been reared as young children, younger children, and to go up there to take part with other families to start a church for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. And there was one area of ministry that I was involved in, and it concerned the matter of reaching out to a particular person, discipling that particular person. My wife was very, very involved with that particular person. I went over to a gentleman's home. This gentleman later became an elder in the church. And this gentleman started to draw out from me with some gentle but very forthright questions and answers about how that ministry was going between my wife and I in terms of this other lady. And I mentioned a few things. But I left off some things because I had gone through some guilt and shame that I had not been forthright and bold enough and courageous enough to actually confront sin in this person's life. And this gentleman did the right thing. He said, Mark, you've just confessed your sin to me. Have you gone to Jesus with your sin? And he later on took me to themes like in the book of Hebrews, there's only one advocate, one mediator. He took me then later to like 1 John 2, 1 and 2. If any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father. This man was rightly counseling the pastor at that moment. Mark, you've told me about your sin before man and you've gone to me. And he actually said these words to me, I'm not your priest. That hit me. There's only one great high priest and he's the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I've always remembered that story because that man was gently teaching me about repentance, confession of my sin, the guilt, the shame I felt in terms of that ministry. what had not gone on and should have, and I admitted that to him, and he rightly opened my heart. And I've always remembered that repentance is not going to a substitute Jesus, a Christ-like person. It could be a good friend. It could be a spouse. In all of our cases, right, it could be telling someone else about my sin, your sin, our sin. But do we go to Christ to receive His forgiveness? And that was a lesson that I'd learned that day. These three are wonderful gifts that we pull out some of these truths regarding Mark 1 verses 14 and 15. May indeed our vision for repentance expand because it actually goes along with the coming of the kingdom of God. May we know something about our conviction. But we don't want to rest with conviction of sin. We want to rest in Christ, and so we go to Christ. And may we put away idols of men, put away the fear of man, put away finding some salve and a conscience to be clear and a heart to be forgiven by going to another person, yet not going to Christ. See, this is one reason. Why, when we do minister alongside of traditional Roman Catholics, we believe there is one priest through whom, one great high priest through whom we have, right, newness of life and forgiveness and accessibility and confidence before our God that our sins are atoned for. We confess to Jesus. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we ask that you would expand our understanding and our practice of the gift of repentance. And so teach us and lead us that in these lessons, we would be about growing in Christ Jesus, to reflect him, for by your grace, we know the Lord and we are about serving him. Father, we ask that you would impress upon us these lessons and teach us. And we give you thanks that you are the one who is so merciful, so gracious and kind, ever faithful, ever forbearing with us. Your many riches, riches found in the grace of the Lord Jesus. Those riches are ours and intended to minister faith and life and repentance and a life of faith before you. Help us, we pray. We ask now your blessing here in Jesus' name. Amen.