What is Repentance?
A Sermon on Repentance from Isaiah 1:10
Scripture
10¶ Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Sermon Description
“Repent.” This is a command that many, even those outside of the church, are familiar with. But what actually is repentance? In this sermon on Isaiah 1:10 titled “Repentance and Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on what it means to repent and why every single person ever born is in need of repenting. People who trust in Christ for their salvation from sin do so because they see their need. The word “repent,” he says, means literally to stop and think again. With the culture moving along from day to day at a blistering pace, it is imperative that all stop and think soberly about what they believe regarding eternity— they must repent. The second aspect of repentance when someone is coming to faith in Christ is a changing of the mind, realizing they have been wrong regarding their beliefs about Him, and put their complete dependence on Him for forgiveness from their sins. Third, repentance is ceasing to rely on one’s own capacity and wisdom. Finally, repentance is utter submission to God and His word. Repentance is not when one cries over their sin; it’s when they turn from it and change to follow the Lord instead.
Sermon Breakdown
- The prophet Isaiah calls the people of Israel to repentance in Isaiah 1:10.
- Repentance involves thinking again about one's life and beliefs. It requires a change of mind and turning from sin.
- True repentance means ceasing to rely on one's own wisdom and understanding. It requires submitting to God's wisdom found in Scripture.
- Repentance is difficult because it goes against human prejudices and the desire to understand everything. One must believe in spite of these limitations.
- The world will ridicule those who repent and believe the Gospel. But their cleverness and laughter will not last. One must be willing to endure scorn for the sake of following Christ.
- Hearing and obeying the Word of God is the only way to find salvation and new life. One must renounce all other ways of thinking to follow God's wisdom.
Old Testament
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.