John K. Jenkins Sr - Seven Acts of Repentance, Part 2

Last Sunday, we started this series titled "Seven Acts of Repentance." We defined what repentance means. We want to take just a moment to quickly review what we talked about last week to set the foundation for those who were not here last Sunday . Repentance means to make an about face; it means to make a 180° turn. Repentance is not simply feeling sorry for getting caught; rather, it is godly sorrow for what you have done before God. We wanted to spend some time discussing this because repentance is , in fact, a lifestyle. We live in a nation that lacks repentance ; we're not repenting before God. In fact, we brag and boast about making our sins legal. We promote them and run on a platform about them; we declare the right to do them. However, the call of God, especially from Hebrews-we talked about Hebrews 6 - lays down the six key elementary principles that we need to understand as Christians . Hebrews 6 gives these six principles, stating that faith and repentance are the first two . Faith and repentance ought to be a lifestyle we are called to live. Repentance is not a one-time act ; it is a lifestyle. Somebody say "lifestyle." So every day, every week, every month, every year, there will be things in our lives from which we need to repent. We need to recognize as we walk down a path that we are on the wrong road; we need to get off that road and onto a different one. I shared with you last week that James indicates what this book is about . James talks about the fact that if you say you have faith but there are no works to demonstrate it, then your faith is dead . You can talk about believing, but if it is not evident in the choices you are making in your lifestyle, then your faith is not really alive. We observe many people who claim to believe, but when you watch their lives, if you were to follow them to see how they live, there would be no evidence. Some years ago, when Fred Price's television program would air, it would start with the song "Evidence." How many of you remember that? That 's the question : Is there evidence in your life? Evidence is reflected by what you do , the choices you make , the decisions you take. If I were a little fly on your shoulder , following you around for the duration of one day , it would probably only take me one hour to determine whether there is evidence in your life that you are a believer and that you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Would there be enough evidence to demonstrate that ? We shared last week that if you sow a thought , you reap an act; if you sow an act, you reap a habit; if you sow a habit, you reap a lifestyle; and if you sow a lifestyle, you reap a destiny. Ooh, that's significant! If you have a lifestyle of something , you cannot claim you lived your life a particular way. I'm not talking about doing something once or twice ; I'm saying if this is the way you live, then scripture is clear : you will reap a destiny. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6-jot it down; I don't have time to turn there - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 lists those sins that , if they are part of your lifestyle, will prevent you from inheriting the kingdom of God. So, the call of God is for us to live a life of repentance, and James spends time in this fourth chapter outlining what repentance looks like. In chapter 4, verse 7, he starts off with the first of the seven: he says, "Submit to God." Somebody say "Submit to God." Submitting to God is an act of repentance . Submission means yielding to the authority of God . Let me discuss this for just a moment, highlighting the fact that God calls us to submission. Submission is not necessary; you are not submitting if you do something that God tells you to do because you agree with it. I need all of you to say "Amen" to free me from this posture right here so that I know you understand. Okay, I can proceed. So, submission occurs when God tells you to do something that you do not want to do. That is when you submit. You cannot claim you are submitting if it is something with which you already agree. What God tells us to do is to submit , and He instructs us on how to submit. Some people in church are, let me tell you, super spiritual-super, super spiritual. They 're so spiritual that they can't submit to the people God instructs them to submit to; they feel they can only submit to God Himself. Have you met those people? They say they won 't listen to any man, even though the Bible states that when you submit to God, you are to submit to the authorities He has placed in your life. Amen? That means you submit to your boss . It means you submit to your pastor. Wives, submit to your husbands. Come on, say "Amen ."