Change your heart and life

Repent Means To Change Your Heart And Life


"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." Psalms 51:10-11

1. It is OK to fail IF you repent and return to God.

"Here is the deal, sometimes in order to find the right path you have to start down the wrong one. What I mean by that is often our first step is a failure and it is through that failure that we get the perspective we need to find the right direction. Sometimes the first step has to be the "wrong" one because it isn’t until we try it that we get our eyes opened up to what God wants us to see and that would not have happened had our decision making frozen up and we had taken no steps at all. The path to success frequently passes through times of failure. That is a liberating idea because it helps us realize that success is not defined by a series of 100% correct decisions. If we think success requires that it will always elude us." Matt Dabbs

a) Godly sorrow renews our trust in God.

"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter." 2 Cor 7:10-11

b) Faith is continually tested, purified, and refined.

"And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me." Luke 22:31-34

Jesus sees Simon Peter's denial as a violent attack by Satan. Jesus prays for Peter to endure. After his repentance and the Resurrection, Peter returned to Christ and was able to strengthen the early church.

2. Peter, A Man Of Faith.

"Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matt 16:16-19

As first in confessing Christ, Peter got this commission before the rest; and with these "keys," on the day of Pentecost, he first "opened the door of faith" to the Jews, and then, in the person of Cornelius, he was honored to do the same to the Gentiles. —Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. Peter Restored And Confirmed.

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." John 21:15-17

Some see this as an "official reinstatement" of Peter as an apostle; that he denied three times, therefore must confess three
times. But there is no proof Peter ever ceased to be an apostle, and his guilt is not greatly different from the others who also abandoned Jesus (compare John 16:32).

Take care of My lambs. Three times Jesus repeats this [in different forms], showing He places His trust in this man [who certainly had a deep sense of guilt]. Peter was never the same after these things had happened to him.

Tend my sheep. The Christ again commissions him to work, "Tend my sheep." Not only the lambs, but he may look after the sheep of the fold, watch over the disciples of the Lord, young and old. Three times Peter had denied the Master; three times the Master questions his love; three times He gives him charge concerning his work. The questioning was painful, Peter was grieved, but the grief was wholesome, and Peter's whole life that followed bore proof of this discipline. His rashness was forever gone. He was the Voice of God at Pentecost.