If we were not able to shed tears, we would be a pitiful bunch indeed. He realized he didn’t want to be known primarily as the person who developed the most effective killing machine of his generation and amassed a fortune doing it…that sounds more like the villain to a story than the protagonist right? That is almost as bad, as if Jesus only takes us on a detour. Mention repentance to some believers and immediately they think of condemnation, brow beating, negativity, judgmentalism and death. Authentic Christianity! Very quickly the writers began to substitute another word for the same action, and this other word meant “return” or “turn around and go.”. (Not while his men are in battle). REPENT AND BELIEVE in the gospel, that is, "That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor 15:3-4). Neither turned from their sin to God. I had my share of what some might call, ''my fun. Repentance is exclusively for those who have fallen short, who acknowledge their need, who have turned away, who have sinned, who want to come back. For example, Cornelius's conversion. It is a sovereignly bestowed gift from God. Therefore, we need to repent and throw ourselves on the mercy of God. In his insightful work, Beyond Racial Gridlock, George Yancey provides a multi-faceted picture of both the brokenness of American race-relations, as well as a response couched in the gospel. A few years ago I was in my backyard with my lawnmower tipped on its side. And you feel it deeply; it gets down deep inside you, and you groan or sigh or you breathe deeply. Repentance begins with a recognition of sin. In the New Testament, it always speaks of a change of purpose in life, and specifically a turning from sin. The Greek word for repentance meant: TURN AROUND. Another writer made this observation, "True repentance is frankly a foreign concept to many churches today. Last Wednesday our subject was, "Tears of Joy." If you are a follower of Christ, are you committed to deep, personal, ongoing, internal change? google_ad_width = 120; Genuine confession and repentance can be costly, as I have discovered in dealing with offenders. Do any of you know the name of the inventor of dynamite? By this time I was beginning to get emotionally involved with my lawnmower. God's Word speaks of this voluntary activity of the human soul. He also, it has to be sad, made a fortune from it’s sale. It might sound familiar once you hear it, it’s Alfred Nobel. He believed that his invention would make war so horrible that it would never happen again because it would become so awful, so terrible, that no on in their right mind would be willing to inflict that kind of terror somebody else…surprisingly, he was wrong…perhaps if we was a good Presbyterian, with a thorough understanding of human depravity, he wouldn’t have made that mistake, but I digress. Negative. Not sadness because of the consequences. Today this man is still serving his sentence in a Midwest prison, where he is one of the prison’s Christian leaders. The soldiers asked the same question, and he said, "Do not take any money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely and be content with your wages" (Lk 3:14). There is nothing more life giving. We are returning home. The will, that is, a change of direction. All they can do is deaden the feeling or help you rationalize it. And then something interesting happened. We know the part that has to do with our feelings. The content of genuine repentance consists of a change of mind, a change of feelings, and a change of direction resulting in a change in lifestyle and conduct. Our sermon ideas on Repentance will help you preach a powerful message. You’ll also get access to our weekly resources, curated to match the church calendar and what’s happening in our world! Without it sinners and saints cannot be renewed. For some, the answer to this query is seen in attendance, giving, service, leading, or in being nice to everyone. And they spoke truth into my life... And they helped me regain my faith. Box 1400, Downers Grove  IL  60515-1426. www.ivpress.com. //-->. He had tried everything and finally his neighbor came over and asked if it was possible that he was actually tightening it, not loosening it.