1303-10A 1 RETURN TO ME C. On this point, Luther had the entire weight (Zechariah 1:1-6) of the Old and New Testaments on his side. Our text SUBJECT: Repentance. from Zechariah, for example, makes this abundantly F.C.F: How can I know I’m not fooling myself? PROPOSITION: Since God will accept me if I truly turn to him, I must truly clear from the opening introduction. Repentance is turn to him. recognizing our sin and error, owning up to it, and INTRODUCTION: returning God. And repentance, returning to God, is A. A few weeks ago, I mentioned Martin the beginning of every good thing. The first eight Luther nailing his Ninty-Five Theses, ninety-five chapters of Zechariah contain eight marvelous topics for debate, to the door of the castle church in visions of God’s remarkable favor and blessing Wittenberg, the public bulletin board of the day. The which we will unfold one at a time, but the key that first thesis had to do with what he suggested was a opens the door to all of this goodness from God is mistranslation of our Lord Jesus’ statement in repentance, to turn from sin and self and return to the Matthew 4:17: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is Lord. at hand.” The church of his day followed the Latin Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to Vulgate, translated around 400 A.D. by Jerome as me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, “Do penance.” Luther had been studying the Greek says the LORD of hosts.” And here is the principle New Testament recently published by Erasmus of we see all through the Bible. When we turn from Rotterdam which clearly read “Repent.” What’s the God, he turns from us. When we withdraw, he difference? Much! withdraws, along with all his life, goodness, and According to the medieval church, baptism blessing. But when we turn back, when we draw saved a person, washing away original sin and near, God draws near, bringing back that life, placing them in a state of grace. If they then died in goodness, and favor in abundance. James shows us that state of grace, they might have to spend some the way in James 4:8-10: “Draw near to God, and he time in purgatory to pay for their small sins, but they will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you would eventually go to heaven. But if a baptized sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. person committed a serious sin, called a mortal sin, 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your they would kill the grace of baptism, and would no laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to longer be in a state of grace. If they died in that gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and condition, they could not go to heaven. So how could he will exalt you.” such a person be restored to a state of grace? The people of Zechariah’s day could The answer was in Jesus’ mistranslated understand this full well. They had witnessed what words. If a person would confess their sin and “do happened when God’s people did not repent. ‘4 Do penance” as Jesus said, they would be restored. not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets Penance became known as one of the seven cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from sacraments, the so-called “second plank of your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they justification,” baptism being the first. Basically, then, did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the if you were baptized and kept your nose clean, LORD. 5 Your fathers, where are they? And the avoiding serious sin, you could relax in the assurance prophets, do they live forever? 6 But my words and that you were in a state of grace. Penance was only my statutes, which I commanded my servants the for the very serious cases of the really bad. prophets, did they not overtake your fathers?” B. What Luther saw was something strikingly D. Beloved, we must return to the Lord, not different. Penance was not a kind of ultimate cure just once, but all the time, for we are constantly only for those who had fallen away, but was to be a straying in our thoughts, words, and deeds. way of life—repentance. Sin had so ruined us, so Repentance is not designed to be one momentary act turned us away from God and inward toward self, of contrition or the ultimate cure when we’ve really that all of life was to be a continual turning from sin gone and done something stupid, but a continual, and self and returning to God. And so the first of his daily, sometimes moment-by-moment way of life. 95 Theses was this: “When our Lord and Master, And here’s where we must become very Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent,’ He called for the entire specific and deal with some difficult and delicate life of believers to be one of repentance.” matters. For the truth is that much of what passes for ______1303-10A 2 repentance is nothing of the sort. True repentance say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: must be wholehearted, unreserved, and complete Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will surrender to God. return to you, says the LORD of hosts.” That’s it. That’s the deal. And you know what? I would take it. I. WE MUST RETURN—WITHOUT Snap it up. Are you crazy? What are you waiting for? NEGOTIATION. We must return—without negotiation. And… God says in verses 1-3: “1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the II. WE MUST RETURN—WITHOUT SELF- LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of EXCUSING. Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 2 “The LORD was very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to A. That’s another thing we do with others them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to when we’ve offended them—we make excuses. me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, Wrongdoing on our part, we think, is completely out says the LORD of hosts.” of character. So there must be some explanation, A. What are the terms of our returning to some excuse, some mitigating factor. It was a bad God? The answer is that there are no terms. We do day, it was a combination of external factors and not negotiate for terms with God. We are very used to forces, it was the result of unforeseen circumstances, this in our human relationships. Like in marriage, we so it wasn’t really our fault. We excuse ourselves. often come to times of annoyance and frustration. This is not repentance. “He never picks up his clothes.” “She’s always on But here’s how the Lord sees it in verse 4: Facebook.” And so, to settle the dispute, we will “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former often negotiate a bargain, terms of agreement. “I will prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, pick up my clothes if you will not spend so much Return from your evil ways and from your evil time on Facebook.” I’ll do the dishes more often, but deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, you must cook what I like more often.” “I will not be declares the LORD.” God sees the motive and the so crabby if you will not be so insistent.” true nature of the action. He calls their ways evil and B. Repentance before God involves no their deeds evil. Why are we so reluctant to use that negotiation with him. We cannot set the terms of our term today, especially about ourselves? surrender to him. We are condemned criminals B. Part of the reason is that we have before him, worthy of eternal death, with nothing to swallowed the lie that people are basically good. The plead on our behalf. In unfathomable mercy God Bible’s perspective is that God indeed did create us gave his only Son who served the eternal death good, like the rest of his works, but that we have sentence for his people, and God offers us pardon and gone bad, that our true nature after the fall is evil. So peace if we will trust his Son and surrender our these bad deeds should not be a surprise whatsoever, whole life to him. There is no bargaining here. It is but should be expected, because this is who we are life in Christ or death in self, reconciliation or wrath, deep down inside. I recently heard of a young woman heaven or hell, take it or leave it, all or nothing. who was fascinated with big cats, tigers and lions. There are no terms except we throw ourselves Dianna Hanson secured an internship in a private zoo completely on the mercy of Christ, “Just as I am, in Dunlap, California, and went alone into a cage without one plea, but that Thou shed Thy blood for with a massive, African lion—and was killed. This me and that Thou bids’t me come to Thee, O Lamb was a tragedy—but was it unexpected? Should we of God, I come.” blame the lion for being a lion? Should we make “Okay, I’ll come, but I won’t knock on any excuses for it? Was it having a bad day? Was it a doors and invite people to go to church.” “I’ll follow combination of external factors and forces, the result Jesus, but not if he embarrasses me before my of unforeseen circumstances for this lion? Not at all. friends.” “I will trust Christ, but only if I can make a The lion was being true to its nature. The lion is a nice living and take early retirement.” predator at heart, and acted the part well. C. Nope. No deal. No negotiating. “2 “The But we have been trained, especially by some LORD was very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore schools of modern psychology, to think that we are ______1303-10A 3 basically good and gracious and giving deep down in back!” For our soul’s sake, we need to be quick to our hearts and whenever we do something admit our sinful responses and the way they questionable or wrong, it’s a surprising anomaly: contribute to damaged relationships. “Where did that come from? That wasn’t me. It must B. But this is completely untrue when it have come from somewhere out there.” I met a young comes to our relationship with God. “God is light, woman in the county jail and presented the gospel to and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) James her. When we got to the subject of sin, she tells us: “13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I automatically intoned, “I’m a good person who am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be makes bad choices.” She said it almost in a chant. I tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 could tell that she had memorized this line But each person is tempted when he is lured and somewhere along the way, undoubtedly supplied by enticed by his own desire.” And so we must return to some counselor, or perhaps even by some preacher. God with no accusation: “God, it’s your fault. You C. Jesus saw it differently. In Mark 7 we read: made my life so difficult, you brought so many “20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is hardships into my life, you disappointed me so many what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the times, I had no choice but to do what I did.” heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, C. Dear Brother or Sister in Christ, you may theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, indeed have suffered great pain, loss, heartache, and deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. disappointment. You may be staggering under the 23 All these evil things come from within, and they weight of some heavy burden right now, one that you defile a person.” Are we sinners because we sin, or have long carried. But let me plead with you: this is a do we sin because we are sinners? According to dead end. There is no help, no relief, no satisfaction Jesus, we sin because we are sinners at heart. That’s in blaming God. Several years ago I was listening to our true nature. an interview on a Christian radio program. A woman And true repentance acknowledges this. Our told of shocking suffering, it was hard to imagine. sinful deeds are evil. Our sinful words are evil. Our The interviewer asked her, “Have you forgiven sinful motives are evil. God knows it, and we must God?” And she replied, “Yes.” I was stunned! No agree with it. And so we must return without self- doubt this woman suffered greatly, but this was excusing. Repentance is the beginning of new hope blasphemy! and new life. Rehearsing excuses is not repentance. Look at what we find in Zechariah: “5 Your We must return without negotiation, without fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they self-excusing, and live forever? 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not III. WE MUST RETURN—WITHOUT overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, As ACCUSATION. the LORD of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.” “The Lord A. That’s yet another way we attempt to has dealt with us just as he said.” And remember, soften the blow when we have offended another and they had been through a blood bath. The majority of try to reconcile with them. We partly blame them. their relatives and neighbors had been slaughtered “Well, if you hadn’t done this, then I would never before their eyes. Their city had been burned to the have responded in this way. So even though what I ground, and they had been deported into slavery in a did was wrong, it was partly your fault—you share far country. But there was none of this wicked talk some of the blame.” about “forgiving God”; only the confession, “The And what’s interesting is that this is often Lord has dealt with us as he promised.” true. All of us are sinners. We all do things to offend one another on a pretty regular basis. None of us can CONCLUSION claim perfection. And in reconciling with those who have offended us, we should be a bit ruthless in This is repentance. No negotiation, no self- examining our own hearts to see if we have perhaps excusing, and certainly no accusation. But rather contributed to the problem. It’s like the little boy who confession of our sin, with grief and hatred of it, and ran to his father and complained, “The dog bit me a firm resolve to leave it behind with God’s help. ______1303-10A 4 King David leads the way in Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” And here is the beginning of life. Jesus gave his blood that all our iniquity might be washed away. He gives his Spirit and a new nature—that we may truly flee and leave this old, wicked life behind. And so God’s call today, and each day until glory is to return to him: no terms, no defense, and no finger-pointing. Simply acknowledge our sin and evil and wickedness, and find pardon and peace in the Son of God for sinners slain.



______