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Speaker: Rev. Shine Thomas
Posted on: 2011-02-05
Series: Christian Basics

Introduction

Once a man who came to a church service got convicted of his sins, repented bitterly, and accepted Christ. The next morning he went to the house of his colleague, gave him a watch and said to him, "Do you recognize this old watch?" "Yes," answered the other. Pointing to a mark in the watch he said, “Those are my initials; that is my watch. I lost it eight years ago. How did you get it, and how long have you had it?" "I stole it from you," was the reply. "What made you bring it back now?" "I was born again last night, and I have brought it back first thing this morning. Had you been up the last night, I would have brought it last night."

This morning we are going to have a deeper look at the experience of salvation and repentance.

Repentance is an inward act. Systematic Theologist, L. Berkhoff “According to Scripture repentance is wholly an inward act, and should not be confounded with the change of life that proceeds from it. Confession of sin and reparation of wrongs are fruits of repentance.”

When we repent and accept Jesus as Lord we are born again, we live in Christ and Christ lives in us. Apostle Paul in his writings very often used the term ‘Christ in me and I in Christ.’

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

New birth is a process when we live in Christ and Christ lives in us. It is a big inseparable relationship, ‘me in Christ and Christ in me.’

Illustration: If you happen to go to a tandoor or barbeque restaurant they use charcoal to prepare food. Burning charcoal is a big process. Even before they put the food in the tandoor, charcoal has to be made ready. The process starts by burning charcoal with kerosene. Slowly the charcoal will catch fire and they continue to fan it. As they keep fanning the colour of the charcoal changes. Slowly it becomes red in the edges and in a matter of 15-20 minutes the entire charcoal becomes red hot with fire. When the heat and the fire is optimum food is cooked. What happened to the black charcoal? Why is it red now? When the charcoal met with fire its characteristics changed. Now the fire is in the charcoal and the charcoal is in the fire. It is inseparable.

This is the almost the same experience when we are born again. We become in Christ and Christ lives in us and we change inside out. In Greek this term is called ‘En Christo’ and the Greek text makes the term ‘in Christ’ very clear.

1. In Christ – Security in Christ

Security means guarantee, surety. When I am saved Christ is my security.

Hebrews 7:22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

Illustration: Once an insurance agent came home and said, “I want to make your family secure.” I said ok if you want to make my family secure I am happy please let me know how. He said to me to take a policy and if I die my wife and my children will be benefited and their life will be secure. I asked him, “Do you want me to die for my wife and children to be secure?” The worldly polices offers us security when we die. Jesus Christ died and his death gives me security, anyone who is in Christ is secure in Christ.

Maybe you have come all alone from your house, your enemies are working against you, you do not know about your tomorrow but if you are a born again person Christ is your security.

2. In Christ – Identity in Christ

Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Therefore when we are in Christ, Christ is our identity.

Illustration: I am born in India and I hold an Indian passport and Indian ID card. Now, when I am born again, I am born from high, Christ is born in me and my life is now hidden with Christ in God. Christ becomes my identity. Whoever sees me sees Christ in me. We all may be born in different parts of India and around the world but we are all one because our identity is in Christ Jesus.

3. In Christ - Intimacy with Christ

When I am born again my intimacy is in Christ.

Romans 8:38-39 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When I am saved Christ is in me and no one can separate me from this love. Even if my family is against me, even if my friends mock at me for accepting Christ, even if the world looks at me as foolish, no one can separate me from the love of Christ because my intimacy is with Christ.

4. In Christ – Solidarity in Christ

Solidarity means fellowship, community, agreement.

When I accept Christ my fellowship changes, my primary fellowship then is with the body of Christ, the church. I appreciate you for coming today, your coming here today proves that your solidarity is in Christ. A born again person never misses fellowship in church because his solidarity, fellowship, group is the church.

5. In Christ – Continuity in Christ

A person who is born again continues to live in Christ even if he dies. When I am in Christ my life is in fact beginning when I die. Our life in this world is a training time for a reigning time. We are going to reign with Christ for ever. This is not real life here, real life is there. You may have great cars here, great houses, lots of money, good friends, and status but none of these can be taken to heaven. Whatever you gain here will perish one day. Therefore since our real life is there in heaven we must be bothered more about the other life when we are here. When we are in Christ our continuity is in Christ.
Therefore when we are born again we become children of God and Christ lives in us and we live in Christ. Then our security, identity, intimacy, solidarity, and our continuity is in Christ. But for this experience we need to live a life of repentance until death.
Many understand the term repentance to mean “turning from sin.” This is not the only biblical definition of repentance. In the Bible, the word ‘repent’ means “to change one’s mind” that will result in a change of one’s actions. Let us see what is the lifestyle of repentance.

True Repentance

1. Repentance is an act of Restoration

Restoration means bringing back to life, renewed. Psalm 51 is a psalm of David. When prophet Nathan came to David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, David repented of his sins and see what he prayed to God.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Message: God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Repentance is restoration; it is changing a sinful heart back to a clean heart.

In Luke 15 we have the parable of the prodigal son. He was staying very comfortably in his father’s house. One day he asked the share of his property. So the father divided them into two and gave his share. Soon he got together all that he had and set off for a distant country and there he wasted his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in the whole country and he began to be in need.

Life without Jesus, life in sin is full of loses. Whatever you have without Jesus all adds up to a big zero. If you have Christ even if you have nothing you have everything in Him.

When he came to his senses he thought about his father’s house. That means all this while he was not in his senses. Remember the devil takes you out of your senses. Why? To make us sin and take us away from our father’s house. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us sense and when we come back to our senses we think about our father’s house.

Immediately he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him and received him.

Once you come back to your senses you think about your father’s house and then there is a second coming back to the father’s house. True repentance is restoration, starting fresh, coming back to the father’s house, knowing that you have sinned and coming and asking God to forgive you.

2. Repentance is Renunciation

Renunciation means to give up, to hate.

Renunciation is to know sin as sin and hate it, hate the world, do not do anything that God does not want you to do. Hate sin. Sin has to be hated otherwise sin will lure you into it.

Illustration: Once the staffs of a corporate office met for a yoga session to relieve stress. As the session was going on there was an unbearable stink. Everyone tried to find the source of the stink and finally located it to one of the employee’s socks. They all requested him to go and put the socks outside and come back for the session. Again, there was the same stink and this time too the stink came from the same direction. The people were puzzled as to why it was stinking as he had taken out his socks. A closer look revealed that this man had kept his socks in his pockets thinking someone would steal them.

Sin stinks and has to be hated, when true repentance happens we hate sin. Only when we hate sin can we control our urge to sin. As long as we live on earth even after repentance we get angry, we think negative etc., but now we have the grace of God. Now I do not let my anger develop into sin, I do not let my negative thoughts develop into sin because I now know the consequences of sin. I hate the consequences of sin, therefore I hate sin.

In Genesis 39 an opportunity to sin came calling to Joseph. Joseph was in charge of Potiphar’s house who was one of Pharaoh’s officials. After a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused. “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” said Joseph. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

The opportunity to sin came right at the door of Joseph. Joseph did not say it is God’s ways, I fell to temptation, I could not control and accept sin. Joseph did not sin because he hated sin.

John the Baptist hated sin. The Bible says John the Baptist preached repentance, he was righteous and holy therefore King Herod feared John the Baptist. Mark 6:20 Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.

If you are born again and have a lifestyle for repentance which is hating sin people will recognize you and people will fear you.

3. Repentance is Status Reversal

Status reversal means turning in the opposite direction. Once we repent of our sins then there is a total change in our status, there is a total change in our role. We stop doing what we were doing and we do what pleases God.

Zacchaeus the tax collector heard that Jesus was passing through Jericho and wanted to see him. But since Zacchaeus was short he could not see Jesus in the crowd. So he ran ahead of Jesus and climbed a sycamore tree. Zacchaeus climbed to see Jesus. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” See before Zacchaeus could see Jesus, Jesus saw him. Even when we are in sin God’s eyes are upon us, we must respond by coming back to him. He came down at once and welcomed Jesus gladly. Repentance has come to Zacchaeus.

See the changes happened when Zacchaeus repented.
Zacchaeus came down at once, immediately.
Zacchaeus gladly welcomed Jesus home.
Zacchaeus starts giving to poor, giving to God.

Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord in front of the people, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor.” Zacchaeus gave half his possessions to the poor. By the way this half possession of Zacchaeus is not illegal money; it is his hard earned money. Then Zacchaeus says if he has cheated anybody out of anything he will pay back four times the amount.

Jesus accepted Zacchaeus’ repentance and changed his name and called him son of Abraham means the child of God. Repentance came to Zacchaeus. Repentance changed his life, repentance changed his name, and repentance changed his role and status.

Wherever there is true repentance there is a role and status reversal. After being born again we do not continue in the same old sin, we do not have the same old friends, we no longer have the same habits. There is a role reversal, that is repentance.

To understand status reversal better let us see the life of Apostle Paul before and after he was born again. Paul’s life before born again experience: 1 Timothy 1:13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. Paul’s life after born again experience: 2 Timothy 1:11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. There is a role reversal in repentance.

Conclusion

A born again person lives in Christ and Christ lives in him. Then our entire life is in Christ, Christ becomes the number one priority in our life. A person who is born again can have a Christ filled life only when he lives his life in repentance. Repentance is starting fresh, repentance is hating sin, and repentance is status and role reversal.

This morning God is calling you for a high calling, he is giving us a call to repentance. Let’s Pray.