CHRIST FOR PRISONERS WEEKLY BULLETIN
Sunday, June 24, 2007

A Space for Repentance

Revelation 2:21 (KJV)
²¹ And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

Revelation 2:21 (RVR)
²¹ Y le he dado tiempo para que se arrepienta, pero no quiere arrepentirse de su fornicación.

God Is Angry With The Wicked.

Psalms 7:11 (KJV)
¹¹ God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

Psalms 7:11 (RVR)
¹¹ Dios es juez justo, Y Dios está airado contra el impío todos los días.

1. They have broken His Law.
2. They have disregarded His Will.
3. They have closed their eyes and hearts.

God Will Not Withhold His Anger Forever.
1. Because He is just.
2. He must maintain His Law.
3. He must fulfill His Word.

God’s Goodness Leads Him To Grant A Space For Repentance.

Romans 2:4 (KJV)
⁴ Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Romans 2:4 (RVR)
⁴ ¿O menosprecias las riquezas de su benignidad, paciencia y longanimidad, ignorando que su benignidad te guía al arrepentimiento?

1. The sinner has no claim for mercy.
2. The sinner merits only justice.
3. God is under no obligation to the sinner.
4. The sinner is a criminal before his Judge.
5. The sinner can not plead innocence.
6. The sinner can not hide his guilt.
7. The Bible makes plain the penalty of sin.
8. Only God’s goodness offers the sinner any hope.
9. Submission and obedience to God is the only hope.

The Space For Repentance Is Limited.
1. God offers mercy NOW.
2. He demands repentance NOW.
3. Refusal to repent now is sin.
4. Delay only increases sin.
5. God must limit sin.
6. His Spirit will not always strive. [Genesis 6:3]
7. Mercy’s door will be closed. [Luke 13:25]
8. All hope will then be gone.

The Effect Of Refusal To Repent.
1. It hardens the heart.
2. It makes future repentance harder and less likely.
3. It increases guilt.
4. It grieves God and increases his anger.

The Space For Repentance Will Soon End.
1. No repentance after death.
2. For many it ends before death.
    a] To those who sin against the Holy Spirit.
    b] To those who lose the disposition to repent.
    c] Some say no to the Spirit, and God accepts it as their final decision.
    d] The Spirit leaves never to return.
3. Many have already settled their destiny.
4. If you say no to God today,
    a] You may never again feel disposed to yield.
    b] Death may cut you off.
    c] God may never call again.

God Demands Repentance of You Now. Will You Obey or Rebel? “Now is the accepted time.” There is no promise for any time but now.
The keynote of the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus, the Disciples on their missionary tour and Peter at Pentecost was “Repent.” (Matthew 3:2-, 4:17-; Mark 6:12-; Acts 2:38)

What Is Repentance?
The word in the Hebrew translated “repent” in the Old Testament is, to pant, to sigh, to groan, and so to lament, grieving, to grieve about ones’ doing. This Hebrew word occurs frequently in the Old Testament in the active form in the sense to comfort. Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The Greek word in the New Testament translated “repent” means “to change one’s mind.”

Note: The universal call of Old Testament prophets was repent. There surely is not the emphasis laid upon repentance in modern preaching that there is in the Bible.

How Repentance Is Manifested. [Read: Luke 10:13; Joel 2:12, 13; Job 42:5, 6]
Repentance is manifested in deep sorrow for sin and in self-humiliation and in self-abhorrence.

Repentance is manifested in confession of sin and prayer to God for mercy.

Repentance is manifested by the sinner turning away from his evil way; from all his transgression, his idols and his abominations and his thoughts.

Repentance is manifested by: Turning to God to trust and serve Him,

By bringing forth fruit, or doing works, worthy of repentance. (Matthew 12:41 with Jonah 3:5-8; Ezekiel 18:30, 14:6; Isaiah 55:7; Acts 26:20, 1 Samuel 7:3; Matthew 3:8; 1 Thess. 1:9; Luke 3:10-14; Mark 1:4; Acts 13:24; Acts 2:38)