Repentance, the Gateway to God’s Mercy and Grace.

 By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Jeremiah 3:6-25

 

Jeremiah 3:9-11

Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. ¹⁰ Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the Lord.”

¹¹ And the Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.

(ESV)

 

Sadly, in many Churches, there is no mention of sin, and thus the need to repent of our sins.  This goes against what Scripture says for it says we all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and that the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23).  Thankfully, God the Father did not abandon humanity to rotting on death row but instead provided a path to redemption through the death of his sinless son, Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:8).  To receive this pardon of sin from God, all one must do is believe and confess their belief in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10).  Jesus said he is standing at the door, knocking and ready to deliver our pardon from sin (Revelation 3:20).  All anyone must do is open the door of their heart and accept the pardon for their sins from God.  I invite you to open your heart’s door now by taking a moment to pray with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead, and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

The idea of repentance is a 180-degree turn or, using a military term, an about-face.  For those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ as their savior, this about-face is a decision to turn from their sinful lives and live a life in obedience to Christ and the Bible.  However, this is not a life of slavery but instead freedom for when one decides to live according to the truths of Biblical truth, the truth sets them free (John 8:32). 

 

Jeremiah 3:6-25 is a national call to repentance for Israel and Judea.  Jeremiah uses strong language accusing both of playing the whore (Jeremiah 3:6,8).  For Judah, the situation is worse for Jeremiah is offering this prophecy during the reign of Josiah when Judah was going through a spiritual restoration with the restoration of the Temple, the destruction of the pagan altars, and restoration of the observance of the Passover (2 Kings 22-23:30).  Upon hearing the Word of God contained in the Book of the Law found in the Temple, Josiah showed genuine repentance, desiring to bring reforms bringing the Judah back to obedience to God (2 Kings 22:11-13).  However, once Josiah died in battle, his sons gained the throne and immediately did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 23:31-32). 

 

The rapid return to evil by Judah indicates a lack of repentance and desire to return to Godly principles and instead surface compliance to King Josiah that vanished once someone else was on the throne.  The pretense of Judah (Jeremiah 3:10) was in putting on a show of righteousness by complying with King Josiah’s reforms while their heart was intending to follow Israel into playing the whore by worshipping other gods (Jeremiah 3:6-10).  This is hypocrisy, something Israel remained guilty of during the time of Christ (Luke 12:1-3; Mark 12:13-17; Matthew 23:27-28).   

 

However, there is hope in his prophecy from Jeremiah for it speaks of a time when Israel and Judah will unite and Jerusalem will be the throne of the Lord (Jeremiah 3:17-18).  During this time the nations will gather in Jerusalem, not for war following their evil hearts, but to worship the Lord (Jeremiah 3:17).  During this time Israel and Judah will no longer consider the Ark of the Covenant important for they will have the Lord Himself sitting on the throne (Jeremiah 3:16).  Jeremiah also reminds Israel and Judah of the mercy of God offered to those that turn back to Him and that God’s anger does not last forever (Jeremiah 3:12-14).  This prophecy of Jeremiah concludes with Jeremiah expressing God’s desire that Israel and Judah return to serving God with their whole heart or risk the loss of what their fathers labored for, flocks, herds, and even their sons and daughters (Jeremiah 3:24). 

 

The United States has just experienced four years of reforms that brought on prosperity and security for the nation under President Trump.  (1)  While President Trump did not die in battle, voter fraud politically assassinated him, removing him from office.  (2)   Like King Josiah, President Trump demonstrated genuine dedication to the country by bringing needed reforms to the United States, unlike most politicians who financially gain from their time in office (3), President Trump had nothing financially to gain for he was already financially successful before entering office.  If anything, President Trump lost wealth while in office.  (4) 

 

The question for believers is will they remain dedicated to praying for a revival that will bring people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ while functioning in an atmosphere of persecution from an evil and corrupt world.  The Church in the United States has never experienced hard persecution and has benefitted from constitutional protection, allowing it to function with persecution coming in the form of personal rejection by those not sharing their belief.  However, due to Covid19 and the censoring of people and organizations from social media and the internet, the church could face persecution from government regulations banning meeting in person and censorship from an online presence.  I pray the Church will not follow the example of Judah and abandon God when facing persecution and instead have a spiritual resolve to engage the enemy in spiritual warfare according to Ephesians 6:10-18.  I pray the Church, which is not the building but everyone professing faith in Jesus as their savior will,

 

1)      Search their hearts and repent of any unrepentant sin.

2)      Pray continually.

3)      And be bold.

 

May God bless everyone reading this post. 

 

1. The White House. Trump Administration Accomplishments. trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov. [Online] The White House, January 2021. [Cited: January 30, 2021.] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/trump-administration-accomplishments/.

 

2. The Heritage Foundation. Voter Fraud. heritage.org. [Online] The Heritage Foundation. [Cited: January 30, 2021.] https://www.heritage.org/voterfraud-print/search.

 

3. Kogod School of Business at American University. How Presidents Make Their Millions. onlinebusiness.american.edu. [Online] American University, 2021. [Cited: January 30, 2021.] https://onlinebusiness.american.edu/blog/presidents-net-worth/accessible/.

 

4. Cillizza, Chris. Donald Trump is a lot less rich today than when he was elected president. cnn.com. [Online] CNN, September 9, 2020. [Cited: 2021 January, 2020.] https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/09/politics/forbes-400-donald-trump-wealth/index.html.