Repent and Believe.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Welcome to Village Church. [0:01] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. [0:02] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:05] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to the book of Mark. [0:08] The gospel according to Mark chapter one, we’re going to start reading in verse [0:13] 15 this morning for our new series, which is called seven basic commands of Christ.

[0:20] And the real thing that we want to tackle over the next seven weeks is what does it [0:24] mean to follow Jesus? [0:27] What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? [0:31] And ultimately, to put it the simplest, following Jesus is about obeying him. [0:37] It’s the beginning of belief that Jesus is God and that everything that he says, [0:43] therefore, because he’s God is true and vital and right for our lives.

[0:49] And out of that flows a life of actually following him with our steps, not just our [0:55] words, not just with a mental assent that what he says is right and true, but also [1:00] with the actual activities of our life, with our abilities, with the things that we do, [1:05] with the way that we see the words that he says as being something that is a demand [1:10] on our lives. [1:11] And so this series, we’re going to take a look at seven basic commands that summarize

[1:16] the totality of the teachings of Jesus to define exactly what it means to be a disciple [1:22] of Christ. [1:23] And so the commands of Jesus are basically bookended by two different commands. [1:28] We’re going to talk about the first one this week and then with the final week in a few [1:32] weeks, we’re going to talk about the other one. [1:33] But it begins with repent and believe that it ends with making disciples.

[1:39] The first is how you become a disciple. [1:43] And the last command that we’re going to cover is about what it means to reproduce [1:48] the faith that God has given you, the life that God has given you as a disciple of Jesus [1:53] Christ inside and into the lives of others. [1:58] And I’m hoping basically two things for this series. [2:02] I want you to understand first what it means to have faith in Jesus, what it means to

[2:09] be saved, what it means to be redeemed by Jesus Christ. [2:15] And the second, I want you to understand that every person here, if you are a follower of [2:21] Jesus, if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then you need to understand that you can [2:29] make other disciples. [2:32] And you also need to understand that you must make disciples. [2:37] But the commands that Jesus makes of our lives are not options.

[2:41] They’re not things that if we have time to get around to it, then we can partake in [2:46] these types of lifestyles. [2:49] Instead, they are vital. [2:51] Instead, they come directly from the reality of the faith that Jesus gives us and then [2:56] the life that we live serve as evidence to the legitimacy of our faith. [3:03] That if we do not submit to the teachings of Jesus, if we do not submit our lives and

[3:08] obey the commands that he makes of us, then we must then begin to take inventory and [3:16] take stock of the validity of our faith. [3:21] There’s one prerequisite to following Jesus. [3:26] And that’s the one that we’re going to cover today, is that Jesus commands that every [3:34] single person on this earth repents and believes in the gospel. [3:39] And that if we do not start with this primary command that Jesus makes, is the primary

[3:46] step of what it means to be a disciple. [3:48] We cannot then go on to the other steps. [3:51] We cannot go on to the other commands because if we were to bypass this command, if we [3:58] were to go to other commands in complete ignorance of the command that Jesus makes [4:02] that we repent and believe, it is basically us moving our furniture around on a sinking [4:08] ship.

[4:09] It is not going to address the actual need that each and every one of us have in our [4:15] lives. [4:16] Following Jesus requires that the entire direction of your life changes. [4:22] The good news is that Jesus came to earth to specifically give us that hope. [4:29] And I think the gospel, according to Mark, puts this primary command that Jesus gives [4:34] into our lives very simply.

[4:36] And he explains it very well when in Mark chapter one verse 15, he says this now to [4:42] lead up to this, you got to understand that Jesus has started his earthly ministry. [4:46] And the text says that after John the Baptist had been imprisoned, Jesus is speaking to [4:53] the crowd. [4:53] And he says this in verse 15.

[4:58] He says the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. [5:06] Repent and believe the gospel.

[5:12] Repent and believe the gospel. [5:16] This is how Mark who Mark summarizes the gospel account more densely than the other [5:24] records of the gospel of Jesus Christ. [5:26] And he puts things very plainly, very simply. [5:29] And this is the command in the gospel, according to Mark, that Jesus leads his ministry off [5:35] with before he calls his disciples to follow him.

[5:38] He knows that they cannot hope to follow him unless they make a complete about face [5:45] with their lives.

[5:49] He makes what seems like two commands, but he puts them together, this idea of repentance [5:55] and belief that I believe combined to make what faith in Jesus Christ actually is. [6:02] And so I want to unpack those two realities. [6:05] What does it mean to repent? [6:07] Then what does it mean to believe? [6:08] And then what happens when we actually put those things together in our lives?

[6:14] So number one, this morning, I want us to understand that repentance is turning from [6:18] anything that isn’t God to live towards God. [6:24] Repentance is turning from anything that isn’t God to live toward God. [6:30] He tells us the very beginning of verse 15. [6:33] The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. [6:39] And I think what Jesus is doing in this text is he is kind of getting rid of the myth

[6:45] that we have in our minds, that the kingdom of God is something in the future. [6:50] What Jesus is telling us is that the minute that he stepped foot on earth, the kingdom [6:55] of God is there. [6:58] That’s why John the Baptist, who was leading the charge that Jesus would take over when [7:03] he came into his earthly ministry, he continued to preach to everyone that would hear [7:07] the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

[7:10] It’s here. [7:11] It’s on earth. [7:12] You realize God is present in this world. [7:16] And what I believe Jesus is telling us in that statement is that there are basically [7:20] two kingdoms you can live your life in and you can live your life for, because I think [7:26] most of us, by and large, we believe that there’s a third kingdom, that there’s some

[7:30] kind of middle kingdom that we have the option to live in. [7:34] It’s not totally dark. [7:36] It’s not totally light. [7:37] We’re not totally an extremist living for Christ. [7:40] We’re not totally as bad as we could be. [7:43] We’re just kind of occupying this neutral Swiss kind of land in Christianity, where

[7:48] we’re kind of getting the best of both worlds for the life that we have right now. [7:52] And Jesus is informing the audience that middle kingdom doesn’t exist.

[7:58] You are either in the kingdom of God or you are in the kingdom of darkness. [8:03] There’s no other option. [8:05] You are either for completely all in on the gospel of Jesus Christ or you do not truly [8:14] know him. [8:15] You’re not his followers. [8:17] You’re not part of him.

[8:18] And so when he goes from the kingdom, God is here. [8:22] And Jesus is saying his very presence on earth, his very presence right there meant he was [8:28] asserting his reign. [8:32] So you’re either for the kingdom or you’re not repent towards the kingdom. [8:37] Believe in him. [8:38] That’s what he’s saying.

[8:39] The concept of the kingdom of God is pervasive throughout all three of the synoptic [8:44] gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. [8:47] And the gospel, according to Mark, which is the shortest gospel account.

[8:53] It’s talked about 14 times. [8:56] It’s the major subject of Jesus’s teaching while he was on earth. [9:02] Not that the kingdom was some future far off thing that we have plenty of time to [9:06] prepare for, but that it was immediate. [9:09] It was something that they needed to deal with right then, right there, that it’s [9:13] something that you need to deal with right here, right now.

[9:17] What kingdom are you living for? [9:20] The kingdom was at hand in the life and ministry of Jesus. [9:25] He came to institute his kingly rule, his reign, his dominion over the lives of his [9:34] people. [9:35] So when you’re considering for your life. [9:39] What the reality of the kingdom of God is like, understand.

[9:43] The how you are living right here and right now is serving as evidence of what kingdom [9:50] you are actually living for. [9:54] And there’s these two kingdoms and repentance then is the central message of the gospel [10:02] of Jesus Christ while he was on earth. [10:04] It’s the central theme. [10:07] That he came to tell us that we need to turn from the kingdom of darkness, which we’re

[10:13] all living for apart from Jesus Christ. [10:17] To live for what he was manifesting in his life and what he would come to completely [10:22] fulfill in the future. [10:25] Because the first time that Jesus came, he came with the message. [10:30] I’m here. [10:31] I’m ruling.

[10:33] I’m reigning. [10:34] I’m instituting this kingdom. [10:36] But the second time that he comes, he will not come with that message. [10:40] He will not come with a message of repentance. [10:42] He will not come with a message of forgiveness. [10:45] He will not come with a message of I am here to restore your life to the kingdom ideal.

[10:50] The next time that Jesus comes, he will come simply for one reason, and that is judgment.

[10:56] What is spiritually true now will become a physical reality in the future. [11:00] But the next time that he comes, he will not come and say, you have another opportunity. [11:03] No, instead, he will come and he will say the kingdom is being delivered. [11:06] You will either be in the kingdom or you will be delivered into judgment, which is the [11:12] kingdom of Jesus Christ. [11:14] There’s not going to be an opportunity after that.

[11:18] That’s all that exists for the future. [11:22] This is actually good news that there is a God that is ruling, who’s arrived in Jesus [11:29] Christ to save sinners before. [11:34] The impending judgment that is to come, therefore, in Jesus is why all men everywhere are [11:40] commanded to repent of sin and to trust in him. [11:43] That is the good news of salvation.

[11:46] Without repentance, there’s only bad news for you. [11:51] There is no good news apart from repentance. [11:54] It becomes very, very bad news because repentance is ultimately about what you want. [12:04] You’ve got to actually want God in your life. [12:10] It’s the question that you’ve got to deal with in your life right here, right now, [12:14] every day is when Jesus is standing in front of us saying, repent and believe in the

[12:19] gospel. What is it that that does in us? [12:22] Does it well up a desire to have God in our lives or does it well up in us a desire to [12:28] kick the ball down the field? [12:30] Deal with it later. [12:32] Does it make us resent him? [12:34] Say, oh, that seems unreasonable.

[12:36] You’re uncompromising, Jesus.

[12:40] But ultimately, what it needs to do in each and every one of our lives is well up a [12:45] thankfulness that there is a God who designed the world to work in a specific way under [12:52] his dominion, under his rule, under his reign. [12:56] And we have messed that up. [13:01] We, every one of us, have rebelled against the ideal that God had for this world. [13:06] And God’s reaction for that was to set out on a mission of redemption in which he

[13:12] himself came. [13:14] To call us back, to sacrifice. [13:18] Call us back to himself. [13:20] Here’s how the apostle Paul puts the message of the gospel in Acts, chapter 20. [13:25] He’d been going about testifying both to Jews and to Greeks. [13:29] Basically, what he’s saying there is he’s testifying to the entire world, every ethnicity,

[13:34] every race, every people, the repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. [13:45] See, we’ve trusted in the wrong things. [13:48] We’ve done the wrong things. [13:51] Our allegiance needs to be turned towards Jesus. [13:56] Without the idea of turning from one thing towards God is central to the gospel. [14:04] You don’t have a gospel without that, because if you don’t need to do that, then you’re

[14:09] not living for the wrong things. [14:11] You’re not doing the wrong things. [14:13] Apart from repentance, there’s just you doing right all of the time. [14:17] Therefore, there is no gospel for you. [14:20] You’ve got everything that you need. [14:22] Therefore, because we are a people who are identified by a nature that is prone to sin

[14:29] against God, there is a great need for turning away from that sin. [14:36] Note how the apostle Paul again put it in Acts, chapter 17. [14:41] It says the times of ignorance God overlooked. [14:45] But now, see, now that Jesus has come, now that Jesus has instituted, has [14:52] asserted His dominion over everyone, He commands all people everywhere to repent.

[15:02] Doesn’t matter where you are, doesn’t matter who you are, doesn’t matter what [15:06] phase of life that you’re in, doesn’t matter if you’re just building your career [15:11] and you really don’t have time to deal with spiritual stuff right now, because all [15:16] people everywhere, you must repent. [15:20] Why?

[15:22] Because He, Jesus, has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in [15:28] righteousness by a man whom He has appointed. [15:31] And of this, He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.

[15:38] So note the message of the gospel there. [15:40] How does God plan to reassert His reign over rebellious people? [15:46] Well, in an extraordinarily graceful way. [15:49] This is grace. [15:52] Is the idea that Jesus would die to pay the price for sin that you and I have [15:57] committed against God.

[15:59] That’s what He did on the cross. [16:01] That’s the only reason that Jesus died. [16:03] He had no other reason to do that, but He did it. [16:06] And He did it with joy because of what the effects of His death on the cross would be. [16:11] It would be to pay the penalty for your sin so that you could confess, so that you [16:17] could turn, so that you could take His forgiveness that He offers and live with

[16:23] Him and for Him. [16:24] And He says, if you want to know why you can trust that, He then rose from the dead. [16:31] That’s the assurance. [16:33] That is why repentance is of grace. [16:36] It is not a work that you can take credit for. [16:39] You aren’t shrewd in aligning yourself with Jesus Christ.

[16:42] He is compassionate in revealing His kingdom and then forging the path to His kingdom [16:48] for you to trust. [16:50] In grace, He calls us into it. [16:53] The only legitimate response to the command of Jesus and Mark 1 15 and then the life [17:00] that Jesus lives after that in which He goes to the cross to die for your sin and then [17:05] rises from the dead.

[17:06] The only logical legitimate response that you can give is repentance. [17:10] It’s the only thing that you can do to not do that is to seal your fate in condemnation.

[17:19] But secondly, it doesn’t just say repent. [17:22] He says, believe and belief is trusting that Jesus is true and right and vital. [17:33] Belief is trusting that Jesus is true and right and vital. [17:40] You say, don’t those three things mean basically the same thing? [17:43] Not exactly, because there have been a lot of true things that I have learned over the [17:50] three and a half decades of my life that have had zero effect on me.

[17:55] I mean, they do not impact my life whatsoever. [17:58] 90 percent of what I learned in high school didn’t matter. [18:03] Sorry, kids, it’s just you. [18:05] That’s true. [18:06] Sorry, parents.

[18:10] There have also been many things that were more than true. [18:14] They were necessities for my life that would actually, if applied to my life, would [18:19] would would actually make my life better, would actually fulfill me, would give me what [18:24] we talked about last week, the abundant life. [18:28] And quite frankly, I’ve ignored those because while they’re helpful, they’re not vital.

[18:39] But when something is vital, it’s necessary. [18:43] You can’t live without it. [18:45] It will ruin you.

[18:49] So when you’re talking about the truth of Jesus, we’ve got to talk about more than [18:56] We’ve got to talk about more than an intellectual comprehension, a nodding of the head. [19:02] Those facts are true. [19:05] It’s got to actually come into your life. [19:07] It’s actually got to be applicable to the way that you live. [19:11] And then it’s got to be more than that, because I can’t just say, man, it makes my

[19:14] life better, but maybe you’re different. [19:16] It wouldn’t make your life better. [19:18] It goes beyond just life application. [19:19] It goes to something that’s absolutely vital. [19:21] You can’t live without it. [19:23] You’ll be condemned without it.

[19:24] You will be, as Isaiah said, standing before God without salvation. [19:29] I’m ruined.

[19:32] Condemned because I didn’t have Christ. [19:36] So understand that Jesus is all of those things and understand, let’s just forge some [19:43] territory here that without repentance, there’s no belief. [19:49] But also without belief, there’s no repentance. [19:54] These things go hand in hand, and that is Jesus’s point. [19:58] He’s saying that the gospel is not just something that you believe and carry in your

[20:02] mind.

[20:04] You must repent. [20:05] You got to turn to it. [20:06] But the gospel is also not something that just changes the behavior that you have. [20:10] But in your head, you don’t really want it. [20:12] You’re just doing those things because dad said you had to or you’d be in big trouble.

[20:18] Got also believe the gospel. [20:21] So let’s deal first quickly with the fact that you must trust that Jesus is true. [20:28] Must trust that he’s true. [20:30] Belief is not, friends, a leap in the dark. [20:34] It has actual substance to it. [20:37] It is based on facts that really happened.

[20:40] It has foundations and it has content. [20:44] In John 14, 11, Jesus tells his followers the greatest claim that he ever made. [20:49] And basically his claim is I’m God. [20:52] He says, I am the father, the father is in me. [20:54] He’s believed that. [20:56] He goes on.

[20:58] He says, and if you don’t believe on account of the works themselves. [21:03] In other words, I’ve been doing some pretty awesome stuff. [21:07] So you don’t just have to go by the words that I’m saying. [21:10] I’m over there making the death here. [21:12] I’m making the blind see. [21:15] A couple of chapters ago, I made Lazarus rise from the dead.

[21:20] I’ve done some pretty amazing things. [21:22] So I’ve done this stuff. [21:24] And on this side, we can look back and see the greatest work that he ever did, which was vivify his own dead flesh. [21:32] He rose from the dead. [21:35] And so if someone is born of a virgin, someone who lives a life in which they continuously try to find where he’s been disobedient to the law. [21:43] And they always come up bankrupt with those commands.

[21:47] Someone who’s actually reversing the curse of sin on people’s lives. [21:52] He’s taking things that are of the curse and he’s bringing life and hearing life and sight, making the lame to walk. [21:59] Then he makes a friend of his rise from the dead. [22:01] And then ultimately he himself dies and then rises from the dead. [22:05] Once he rose from the dead, you’re like, these are not just cheap parlor tricks. [22:10] There’s something about this man that is unique to all other men who have ever lived in the world.

[22:17] And there are facts to back these things up. [22:21] This happened in real history.

[22:25] Jesus is true.

[22:28] But it goes beyond that. [22:30] Jesus is right. [22:32] Jesus is right. [22:34] Believing in Jesus is more than believing about Jesus. [22:41] I believe a great number of things about a great number of people. [22:47] But that’s different than actually placing my trust for my life in those people.

[22:55] Goes beyond fact to something that affects you down to the core of who you are. [23:00] There’s a difference between what I can do factually and what I should do actually. [23:07] The truth of Jesus goes beyond my very academic comprehension and applies down to the way that I live, down to the way that I believe. [23:16] If it hasn’t changed anything about the way that I think or the way that I live, then I don’t believe in it. [23:23] You must believe in Jesus. [23:26] And this is important to understand and taking a look at even the most basic of his commands without an understanding that these truths are also right for your very life, for your very being.

[23:42] And you don’t have faith. [23:44] You don’t truly trust in who Jesus is saying that he really is. [23:49] And coming to believe Jesus, there is a realization that he has something that you need in your life. [23:55] And that’s what he means in John 6, 35, when he said this. [23:59] He says, I am the bread of life. [24:02] Whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

[24:07] See, Jesus goes beyond academics there. [24:11] Jesus goes beyond even an agreement with him. [24:15] What he’s saying is you need me for more than your head. [24:19] You need me for the core of what you find satisfaction in. [24:25] Jesus doesn’t just want an agreement. [24:27] He wants your affections to be for him.

[24:30] He wants your emotions to be for him. [24:32] He wants your satisfaction to be all about who he is. [24:37] And the only way that you can do that is when you’re actually turning your very life, the core of who you are. [24:44] What you find value in, what you think is good, what you think is wholesome, what you think is valuable for your time, [24:52] what you think is valuable for your investment, what you think is valuable for your talents, [24:57] what you think is valuable for the very energy that you put into all areas of life.

[25:02] That is what it means that Jesus is right.

[25:06] Jesus says when you trust in that, he will satisfy you. [25:12] Be like bread when you’re hungry, or be like water when you’re thirsty. [25:18] That’s what Jesus promises to give you. [25:21] Is Jesus that for you? [25:24] But then thirdly, he’s vital. [25:27] He’s vital.

[25:28] You must trust that. [25:30] And calling us to believe, Jesus is being very exclusive. [25:35] He’s saying there is no other way. [25:40] He is absolutely vital to everyone’s life. [25:45] Believing in Jesus is a necessity. [25:48] It cannot be passed over as an option.

[25:53] Look at what Jesus says in John chapter three, verse thirty six. [25:56] He’s talking to a man who’s trying to figure out if he really needs Jesus and his life and he looks to him. [26:02] And he says, whoever believes in the son has eternal life, but whoever does not obey the son shall not see life. [26:08] But the wrath of God remains on him. [26:10] Note what he does there with his terminology. [26:13] In the original language, his words do change.

[26:15] He says, if you believe, you have eternal life. [26:17] But if you don’t obey.

[26:21] Jesus is putting belief as a step of obedience.

[26:29] He’s saying, if you don’t believe, you’re disobeying me.

[26:33] If you disobey me, then that means that the wrath still remains fully on you. [26:39] Do not believe Jesus is to disobey God because he is God. [26:45] You must believe that he is vital. [26:47] You don’t just add Jesus to a list of other things that satisfy in your life. [26:53] He must be trusted above absolutely everything else or you will be condemned. [26:59] Believing is being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus.

[27:05] It gives your life meaning and purpose because there is no life to be found outside of it. [27:12] Faith means that you are fully dependent on God. [27:18] You believe that Jesus is the most valuable. [27:22] And your life turns towards it because you trust that Jesus is what life is all about.

[27:30] He says, repent. [27:32] He says, believe. [27:35] And thirdly, this morning, understand that repentance and belief lead to life change.

[27:42] So when Jesus stands before them, he says, the time is fulfilled. [27:46] He’s making this great history sweeping claim. [27:50] And it’s now. [27:52] It’s right now. [27:53] It’s right in front of you. [27:55] The kingdom of God is here.

[27:58] He’s asserting his reign. [27:59] He’s asserting his dominion. [28:01] And so when he comes that when the king comes into his territory.

[28:08] The king can make any command that he wants of all those that he rules over.

[28:15] And so in institutes first command and that command is for your allegiance. [28:24] That command is for your priority. [28:27] That command is for what is primary in your life. [28:32] And he says, you turn and you believe.

[28:38] In the gospel.

[28:40] Term gospel is so important because in that language, he’s looking to them and he’s saying, [28:47] I’m heralding a message of good news, because there’s one way of looking at repentance and [28:54] saying, this is a real bummer. [28:56] Because I’ve got a really good thing going on with this different king. [29:00] It’s king that wasn’t Jesus. [29:01] I’ve got a pretty good thing going on with him.

[29:03] And now that Jesus is here, I’ve got to leave all that behind and I’ve got to turn to him or else he’s [29:08] basically going to kill me. [29:10] Great.

[29:13] But understand that when Jesus comes and he says that he finishes the command and he says this [29:19] repentance, this belief, this is good news. [29:24] This is the best thing that you’ve ever had because he’s a good king. [29:29] And then he lives the rest of his life proving his goodness. [29:36] And then ultimately, when he goes to the cross and he is killed by the kingdom that we have set up [29:42] apart from him.

[29:43] And yes, friends, that is the kingdom of darkness. [29:46] Anything that you do without the good king, without Jesus is necessarily building the opposite of [29:57] his kingdom. [29:57] And the only thing that we can call that if we’re true and we’re honest with ourselves is it is a [30:02] kingdom of darkness, because only in Jesus is there light.

[30:07] Elsewhere in the gospels, he looks to his disciples and he says that I am the light. [30:12] You believe in the light. [30:13] You become a son of the light. [30:16] So Jesus is bidding us get out of the kingdom of darkness, come into the kingdom of light, and [30:22] then he completely pays every wage that we could ever have to enter the kingdom of light. [30:29] Because all that we’ve done is warred against his kingdom in every step of our lives.

[30:32] Think about the things that you immediately go to for satisfaction when you’re struggling.

[30:38] Are those things of Christ?

[30:42] Think of the temptations that come into your mind day in and day out. [30:46] Are those things of Christ? [30:48] They building his kingdom? [30:51] When you’re left with a decision about what’s actually going to make your life better, is [30:56] your first instinct the thing that Jesus wants me to make? [31:00] Or is your instinct the thing that’s just going to make more about my life, about me,

[31:04] about what I want? [31:06] See, even Christianity is not about adding something new to your life. [31:12] That’s not what Christianity is. [31:15] That is what many of you are trying.

[31:18] And that’s why you’re failing and following Jesus. [31:20] You’re just trying to add one more thing on top of a heap of a bunch of other things that [31:24] you’ve had going on for a while, and it’s not working out. [31:28] You’re getting frustrated. [31:29] You don’t understand why you’re not growing. [31:31] You don’t understand why so many commands are coming out of that new thing that was

[31:35] supposed to make your life better. [31:37] And it’s because the kingdom of God comes and it destroys the stack that you already [31:43] had going on. [31:44] And it says, I’m not interested in that kingdom. [31:46] I’m interested in his kingdom. [31:48] That’s what it says.

[31:49] That’s the command that he makes. [31:51] He doesn’t want to know what you’ve had going on. [31:53] He wants you to know what he has going on for you. [31:58] Repentance and belief combined to form a life where you do not simply assent to the [32:04] truth of the gospel, but you live a life towards it and in the truth of it. [32:10] Following Jesus is an about face in your life.

[32:15] It is a turning from one thing to a complete different thing. [32:22] The good news of Jesus is about the cross, because when Jesus was on the cross, he did [32:33] not simply do something just for himself.

[32:40] He did something that you can personally take the complete and total benefit for. [32:48] That you can take into your life and have an understanding that what you have been [32:54] doing in your life up until the moment where you meet Jesus hasn’t been really given you

[33:03] the satisfaction that you need. [33:05] It hasn’t really given you the life that is supposed to be going on with you. [33:10] So you have to turn towards Jesus. [33:13] You have to give yourself over to him. [33:16] The good news of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done on the cross and in the resurrection [33:21] is astounding.

[33:23] In Galatians chapter two verse 20, this is what is said of the effect of the gospel. [33:29] I’ve been crucified with Christ. [33:33] Now what happens when you’re crucified? [33:34] You’re killed. [33:36] It’s over. [33:38] Something dies.

[33:40] He says, there’s no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me and the life I now [33:46] live in the flesh. [33:47] I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. [33:53] That is an about face. [33:55] That is a complete turn. [33:57] Is my life has been so changed that now the very life that I live is defined by faith

[34:06] in Jesus Christ. [34:08] There’s nothing else there. [34:09] It’s not even I who live any longer. [34:11] So many of you are looking for the change that you know your life needs and money. [34:17] You’re looking for the change. [34:18] You know your life needs and losing weight.

[34:20] You’re looking for new miracle creams and makeups. [34:23] You’re looking to change the way that you dress by season. [34:26] You’re looking to buy a new house. [34:28] You’re looking to get a new job. [34:29] You’re looking to move to a different state. [34:32] But one understand one simple thing.

[34:34] Wherever you go and whatever you do, you are still you.

[34:46] And what you need is to become a new person.

[34:53] Rearranging the furniture on a sinking ship. [34:57] It’s not really going to change anything.

[35:01] The only thing that’s actually going to change your life.

[35:06] Is to repent.

[35:09] And believe. [35:11] Christianity is the only force of change that can transform you completely from the [35:16] inside out. [35:18] And that’s what Paul’s getting out in Galatians chapter two, verse 20, that Jesus tells us [35:23] in Mark one fifteen, the most important message that you will ever hear, that the [35:30] kingdom is here and you can take part in it.

[35:35] But only by trusting in the king of that kingdom.

[35:39] Because if you don’t, you’re ruined. [35:42] If you don’t, it is over. [35:45] Because his kingdom will be victorious. [35:48] And you say, well, how do I know? [35:50] How do I know if I align myself with that kingdom, that it will be victorious? [35:56] Because here’s what Jesus says.

[35:59] At the end of the story in the book of Luke. [36:03] When he’s risen from the dead. [36:05] There’s a final message for his followers. [36:08] Luke 24, verse 46, he says this, he said unto them, thus it is written. [36:14] So he says, everything that I said was true, wasn’t it?

[36:20] He says, it’s written that Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the [36:26] dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed in his name to [36:32] all nations beginning from Jerusalem, which is where they happen to be.

[36:39] So he says, understand the victory has already been won. [36:44] Now it’s just heralding that gospel, proclaiming that good news to all people [36:52] everywhere that they need to repent. [36:56] And friends, this is the very mission that you need to have your life overcome by. [37:03] The repentance for many of you is that you need to reorient your focus. [37:08] You need to reorient the values of your life towards God, and you need to reorient

[37:15] them all towards falling in obedience to the mission that he has for you in Jesus [37:22] Christ. [37:23] He’ll change you. [37:24] He’ll give you life. [37:25] And then he will give you an ongoing lifestyle of learning more about him in what to [37:32] believe and learning more about him and what you should do every single moment of

[37:37] every day in your life.

[37:42] Friends, that’s the only hope that this world has.

[37:46] Because your repentance will lead to other people’s repentance.

[37:54] Is that the vision that you have for your life? [37:58] Is that the rule of King Jesus in your life? [38:02] I ask you a question. [38:04] What are you repenting of? [38:06] And how is your repentance growing your belief day in and day out in your life? [38:12] Because if you aren’t repenting, understand you aren’t growing.

[38:18] In this life, Jesus gives us this ethic where we are to get closer and closer and [38:24] grow in knowledge of him day in and day out. [38:28] And understand that unless repentance is taking place in your life, it’s not [38:31] happening.

[38:33] Friends, when you submit to the rule of King Jesus, you learn that you must make [38:41] disciples. [38:43] And as we learn over these next few weeks what it looks like to be a disciple, [38:49] understand that none of us can get out from under these commands. [38:55] That they’re on us. [38:56] They’re over us.

[38:57] There is a king and he is ruling and reigning in heaven. [39:01] Right now. [39:05] And so the life that you need to live is the one that is defined by him. [39:11] And we need to learn of how our obedience.

[39:16] Further’s our life under the reign of Jesus Christ.

[39:22] But I’ll tell you, it begins right here. [39:27] It begins right now. [39:28] It begins with repentance and it begins with true belief.

[39:36] Friends, some of you are hanging on to things that weren’t real about how you [39:40] came to faith in Jesus. [39:43] You’re holding on to a prayer. [39:44] Maybe you prayed long ago. [39:47] You’re holding on to an idea maybe that you had a long time ago, but you have [39:51] never truly given your life to Christ.

[39:55] So what I want you to know this morning is, is that you can be saved.

[40:03] But salvation is about being redeemed from your sin.

[40:10] From trusting false gods. [40:13] And you need a turn in your life and you need to trust the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[40:20] Ultimately week in and week out, that’s what the Lord’s Supper. [40:24] Is about as the band comes up, understand that every week when we [40:29] proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ by eating the bread and drinking the cup, [40:35] what we’re actually doing is, is that we are submitting our lives to Jesus. [40:41] We are saying, yes, I have sinned against God and yes, I believe that [40:47] Jesus is the savior.

[40:50] He’s the Lord of all.

[40:53] But friend, if you’re in here and you’re struggling saying, have I repented? [40:58] Have I believed? [41:00] Understand that your first step is not to eat and drink your first step.

[41:05] It’s a turn from your sin and trust Jesus Christ as your savior.

[41:10] If you’re there, I want you to understand that I’ll be sitting right over there for [41:13] a few moments. [41:14] There’ll be some in the foyer. [41:16] They’re waiting to talk to you, waiting to pray with you.

[41:21] Trust him today and he will save you forever. [41:25] If you’re in here and you are a follower of Jesus, understand that proclaiming the [41:30] name of Jesus is something that you need to do every day. [41:33] And as you come and you eat and you drink, I want you to further confess he is God.

[41:41] I live for him. [41:43] When you’re ready, come.