2 CORINTHIANS 7:13\u201316<\/b><\/p>\n
And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all \u2026<\/i><\/p>\n
(2 Cor. 7:15)<\/i>.<\/p>\n
A sinner\u2019s repentance brings joy to those who love him. When a minister witnesses repentance in his congregation, he rejoices that the preaching of God\u2019s Word was not in vain. The confidence he once had in the faithful obedience of his people is restored.<\/p>\n
This joy of repentance extends to all relationships. The mother and father rejoice in the repentance of a wayward child. The husband is overjoyed in the repentance of a sinful wife. The wife is filled with gratitude for the restoration of a repentant husband. If only the sinning parties could look forward to the possibilities of reconciliation, to the joy they would bring to loved ones upon their repentance, maybe more people would hasten to the throne of grace and seek forgiveness in Christ.<\/p>\n
But not only does true, heartfelt repentance bring joy on earth, it brings joy in heaven. Luke 15:10 tells us that there is joy in the presence of the angels when one sinner repents. The heavenly host wait in expectation for the redemption of God\u2019s people, and when the prodigal heads for home, the heaven\u2019s praise God for His mercy and His grace.<\/p>\n
As a loving and faithful minister, Paul, like the angels in heaven, rejoiced in the repentance of the Corinthians. When Titus visited them after they had received Paul\u2019s letter of rebuke, he found them trembling with fear. This is a necessary part of true repentance. Thomas Watson writes, \u201cA tender heart is ever a trembling heart. The penitent has felt sin\u2019s bitterness. This hornet has stung him and now, having hopes that God is reconciled, he is afraid to come near sin any more. The repenting soul is full of fear.\u2026 He is afraid lest, after his heart has been soft, the waters of repentance should freeze and he should be harden in sin again. \u2018Happy is the man that feareth always (Prov. 28:14.)\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
The most important aspect of repentance, though, is not the joy it brings to ourselves and others, but the glory it brings to God. God smiles on the penitent and shows him mercy, but to those who continue in their sin, He exercises His judgment. The glory of God and the offer of His mercy in Christ, above all else, should motivate us to repent.<\/p>\n
CORAM DEO<\/b><\/p>\n
Isaiah 62\u201364<\/p>\n
1 Thessalonians 5<\/p>\n
If you know someone who is unrepentant, write them a brief note and encourage them to repent. Tell them how much joy it would bring to you, to the church, and to God Himself if only they would turn from their sins. Pray that God enable them to see the pain they have brought to loved ones and that He would cause them to repent.<\/p>\n
For Further Study: Isa. 55 \u2022 Hosea 14 \u2022 Acts 3:17\u201326<\/i><\/p>\n
friday<\/p>\n
october<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
2 CORINTHIANS 7:13\u201316 And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all \u2026 (2 Cor. 7:15). A sinner\u2019s repentance brings joy to those who love him. When a minister witnesses repentance in his congregation, he rejoices that the preaching of God\u2019s Word was not in vain. The confidence he … Continue reading “THE JOY OF REPENTANCE”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12871\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}