Lesson 1 of Complementary Course

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REPENTANCE OF DEAD WORKS

SUMMARY OF THE STUDY ON REPENTANCE OF DEAD WORKS

I. WHY THIS SUBJECT IS SO IMPORTANT?
1. No eternal life without repentance.
2. What did John the Baptist preach?
3. What did Jesus preach?
4. What did Jesus command to preach?
5. What did the Apostles preach?
6. It is God's command.
7. It lightens your interior.
8. It sets you free of condemnation.

II. WHAT IS REAL REPENTANCE?
a. Change of thoughts.
b. Change of feelings.
c. Change of attitude.
d. - admit your sins to God.
- Confess your sins to God.
- Change, turn your back to what is wrong.

III. WHERE HAS REPENTANCE ITS ORIGIN?
a. It is a gift of God.
b. God uses people for it.

IV. FRUIT OF REPENTANCE
a. It causes great joy in Heaven.
b. It relieves your soul.
c. It causes a pouring out of the Holy Spirit.

V. REPENTANCE OF DEAD WORKS (Hebrews 6:1,2)

VI. CONCLUSION

Our spiritual life has to build the same way as a large building. First there have to be pillars and a fundament. A house without a good fundament can stand for a while, but sooner or later it will sink.
Likewise the spiritual life of a person.

Everything may look well for long time, but difficulties will arise, self made solutions will come short, and people alienate farther from God, for they lack a solid ´foundation´.

Dear reader, I want to appoint your attention to the following question:
What do you prefer; living in insecurities ("We will see what it gives"), or return to the Bible (the ´users manual´) to receive from there the right direction, the instructions for your life?

Before any of us existed, God was here already. He created all things.
He, better then whosoever, is able to to tell us the right way of LIVING, isn't it?

I - WHY REPENTANCE IS SO IMPORTANT?

1) No eternal life without repentance

Some people say: "Repentance? Of what? I am a good person, I do no evil to nobody, I even give aid … If I die, I suppose I go to Heaven."

But you have to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3)

Once a person entered the Kingdom, he starts to change en is renewed in his way of thinking and in his habits, according to the Word of God.
Repentance is not receiving Jesus one day, and then continuing the same way like before.

2) What did John the Baptist preach?

From the beginning of his ministry John only preached that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without repentance.

Matthew 3:10 - The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

3) What did Jesus preach?

Jesus began His ministry by exhorting people to repent:
Matthew 4:17 - From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

4) What did Jesus command to preach?

Luke 24:47 - and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Mark 6:12 - They went out and preached that people should repent.

5) What did the Apostles preach

PETER: Acts 2:38 - Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

PAUL: Acts 26:20 - First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

6) It is God's command

Acts 17:30 - In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

7) It lightens your interior

Acts 3:19 - Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord

Luke 13:3 - I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
(also read verse 4 and 5)

II - WHAT IS TRUE REPENTANCE?

True repentance in biblical meaning consists of three parts:

1. Change of thoughts.
2. Change of feelings.
3. Change of attitude

A. REPENTANCE MEANS A CHANGE OF THE WAY OF THINKING.

The true significance of the Word repentance, is: to make a turn, follow a new direction, to start thinking and living a total different way.
It means that someone who truly repented, now
- Hates what he did, and how he was and thought
- Doesn't want to be and live that way any longer

It is like someone who was heading for a destination, but at a certain moment finds himself on the wrong way; so he will turn back, find the right way: the way of repentance.
Matthew 21:28-30 - What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

Before I repented, I first seemed pretty happy with my life, and considered myself quite right, but when I started to read the Bible, I came to insight that:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
(Isaiah 64:6)
And:
… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, …

´All´ means all, everybody, so, including me. I started to understand that I was a sinner, and I had to change my opinion regarding my own person.
Now I recognize that I was not that good as I first thought. I began to see myself like God saw me: a sinner, condemned, someone who deserves hell.
I began to see myself and my sins and errors in a different way.

Something else I used to think was that God was not just to condemn so many good people, and to send people like me to hell, but now I see that All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. (Romans 3:12)

But I also learnt:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)

God is no longer a God of wrath, but a God of righteousness and love, who did everything to save people from hell.
Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel? - Ezekiel 33:11

So I came to totally different conclusions about the righteousness and justice of God.

Ezekiel 33:8-12
When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.
"Son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'This is what you are saying: "Our offences and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?"'
Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'
"Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, 'The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the

On the day of Pentecost Peter called the people up for repentance, in other words: he invited the people to change their mind about Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:14-40).
The people saw Jesus as a normal person, but Peter showed them, by speaking about His death and resurrection, that He ascended to Heaven, that He was the Son of God, and the Saviour of this World. Jesus had told them that Himself.

Based on that they had to change their opinion about Him, and accept Him as the expected Messiah and Saviour.

B. REPENTANCE MEANS A CHANGE OF THE WAY OF FEELING.

A superficial attitude towards sin always produces superficial, temporal repentance.
Who does not understand, see, how terrible and destructive sin is, and what an offence to God, who is Holy and Righteous, feels little need for a real, true change.
But if someone starts to see his sinfulness in the light of the perfect holiness and blamelessness of Jesus, he understands in what state he is.
Such awareness of sin, and the fact that we cannot make it right in whatever way, has to lead to hating sin.

Sometimes people say to me: "You know Pastor, I never harm any body, I never went on evil ways, I help others, I pay my duties in time …"
I use to say: "That is what you think, but what does God say about it, have you wondered about that?"

The Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14; 19:1-10, show two different attitudes regarding sin.
The sin of the Pharisee was so very well hidden behind his decentness that he didn't even see it himself; but the sin of the traitor, the tax collector, was so clear to God and himself that he beat his breast this way showing sincere grief before a Holy God. (Luke13).

But not all sorrow about sin is Godly sorrow.

See this example:
A man robbed a store and is caught; still he escapes, and kills the owner.
Later he is caught again, and condemned to death penalty.
Now he says he's sorry, but what he really feels he is sorry to be caught and judged: worldly sorrow.
This is not repentance.

There was a girl that had relations with several men, just for the sex. (The Bible calls it lust, or evil desire). One day she got AIDS and she was afraid to die; now she said she was sorry, and she wanted to make a new start. But in reality it was only because of the consequences of her way of live, and not because she started to hate sin.
If she had been healed, she would have started to live the same way (of course taking the right precautions), because she would like to.
Adultery and any other sin come forth from the heart.

2 Corinthians 7:10 - Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, … but worldly sorrow brings death.

Sadness according God's will means: to understand that sin trespasses the commands of God, and makes Him sad.

For instance David made a mistake (2 Samuel 11), but he repented in tears in true repentance (read Psalm 51).

Saul at the contrary, had a total other attitude when he sinned. (1 Samuel 15:24).
He was not troubled about that, he only was very concerned that he would make a bad figure before the people, because he wanted to reign further, as if nothing happened.

3. REPENTANCE MEANS ANOTHER ATTITUDE

A changed attitude means to:
- confess (=admit out loud) your sins to God
- leave sin
- repent to God
Only one or two of these things is not sufficient, all three all compulsory.

The prodigal (lost) Son said: "I will set out" … so he got up and went …
(Luke 15:18-20).
You see: repentance is not just feel sorry about the mistakes, but also the disposition to turn your back to what was wrong.

1 John 1:8,9 - If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The right attitude towards sin is:

1. To admit sin/ and confess before God
The tendency that usually everybody has is rather to hide and cover up our mistakes and try to pretend better then reality.
Or to see the sin, but to come to God with excuses, like: "Well, I was wrong, but is was not my fault, because …"
God cannot do anything with that.
It won't help you to play smart guy before God, or even before others. The ones that try to pretend great will not proceed.

Actually the Bibles tells us that God knows and sees everything:
The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. (Proverbs 15:3)

Sometimes we not only sin to God, but also to other people.
In that case we must not only confess it to God, but also to these other people; ask them forgiveness.
Jesus taught:
Matthew 5:23-24 - "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift..

James 5:16a - Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

2. Leave sin, turn your back to evil
Some people seem to have a certain pleasure in confessing their sins repeatedly, and experience them again this way
But by the Word of God we learn that once sin is confessed sincerely and forgiveness is received for it, it is buried together with Christ, and so it has to be forgiven.

That what is removed from God's memory, should be removed from ours as well.
Isaiah 55:7 - Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

Proverbs 28:13 - He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

To leave it means: never do it again, not even permit the opportunity to do it once more.

If we recognize sin as a deadly snake, what it actually is, we will not hesitate to do everything to leave it, so we are and stay cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (I John. 1:7)

3. To repent to God
But even leaving sin alone will not help us if we would not return to God.
In the letter to the Thessalonians we read that Paul reminded them to turn to God from idols, to: serve the living and true God … (1 Thess. 1:9)

III - WHERE HAS REPENTANCE ITS ORIGIN?

A. IT IS GIVEN BY GOD
Repentance does not come forth out of our own force: it is given by God.
Now you may ask: "How can I be responsible case it is not given to me?"

Our part in repentance is that we totally admit our inability.
That way we also understand the need for help from outside; we become dependent of the mercy of God and we ask Him to work in us what we are not able to.

Of course people like to do everything themselves.
Only after discovering own power comes short, he will seek help to God.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
He is at the beginning and at the end.
Life starts with Him; He is life.
So repentance is a gift of God: by giving Jesus who died for the whole world on the Cross of Calvary.
God touched people with His love.

Who recognizes this Love, this goodness of God, and at the same time his shortcoming in relation to the character of God, and understands we are not able to be good in our own strength, found repentance.

Acts 11:18 - … God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.

Acts 5:30-31 - The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead--whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

B. GOD USES HUMAN MEANS

Always when God exhorted His people to repent, He also gave them the strength to obey.
It is not just a message that brings forth repentance, God uses the preaching of the Gospel as an instrument to bring us to repentance.
This message has to be preached in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:37,38, 41 - When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Romans 2:4 - Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Revelations 3:19 - Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Hebrews 12: 6,10-11 - because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it..

These verses show time and time again that God chastises His children with the purpose to bring them to repentance.

God sometimes uses somebody in Church for this, a brother, to point us to something, to help us with all love to turn back to Him.
2 Timothy 2:24-25 - And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth

IV THE FRUIT OF REPENTANCE

A. REPENTANCE BRING GREAT JOY IN HEAVEN
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. - Luke 15:7,10

B. REPENTANCE LIGHTENS YOUR SOUL - FORGIVENESS OF SIN
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord - Acts 3:19

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. - Isaiah 55:7

C. REPENTANCE CAUSES A POURING OUT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. - Acts 2:38

When somebody does not want to repent, he withholds the Holy Spirit to come in his heart with full power

V. REPENTANCE OF DEAD WORKS

A. WHAT ARE DEAD WORKS?
In the letter to the Hebrews, chapter 6, verse 1 and 2, we see the first teachings of Jesus Christ:
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death …
Dead works is all that brings forth DEATH.
What are these activities that we must repent from; in other words that we must learn to leave and not do any longer:
Galatians 5:19 - The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

IDOLATRY - idols, consecrated objects, worshipping of a saint, all that is seen as more important than God. (Exodus 20:1)

WITCHCRAFT - spiritualism, consulting the death, horoscopes, mediums, fortune telling, casting spells, reading signs, superstition, etc., etc.
(Deuteronomy 18:9-12)

UNFAITHFULLNESS TO GOD - Revelations 21:8

STRIFE, GOSSIP, JEALOUSY, EGOISM … - (so if you have been quarrelling, or gossiping, or …, then you have sinned already …)

IMMORALITY - adultery, criminality, fraud, corruption, etc.

ADDICTIONS - alcoholism, gluttony

UNFORGIVENESS, WRATH and BITTERNESS

B. HOW TO REPENT OF DEAD WORKS

Take a decision.
Repent of every activity that you know it is wrong.
You have seen now it is not good, and it does not good to you, while the Lord has good life for you.

The Bible tells us that God does not want to have any part in sin. That is why nobody who is still doing things like murder, theft, adultery, etc. will be able to enter the Kingdom of God.

Otherwise it would be the same there again, like in this world!

Revelations 21:7-8 - He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.

Confess your sins to Him, and He will forgive:
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord - Acts 3:19

VI - SUMMARY OF THIS LESSON
The significance of repentance is very clear from the attention and emphasis the Bible gives to the subject.
Repentance consists of three parts:

1. CHANGE OF THAUGHTS
To recognize sin as guilt and unacceptable; and to understand your own incapacity.
This is called ´notion of sins´. See Romans 3:20 and Romans 1:32.
But if this understanding is not accompanied by a Godly sorrow (a desire to conciliate with Him) and giving up sin, it may cause a strong feeling of fear and condemnation.
A fear like that for ordeal may even exist without disgust to sin. In such case somebody is driven away from God.
But who has a desire to God, and fully repents can count on his total forgiveness and love
John 6:37 - All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

2. CHANGE OF FEELINGS

This change manifests by a sorrow because of the committed sin, which hurt God , who is holy and blameless.
The feeling that someone has in his heart in such a case, is like David expressed in Psalm 51:2,10,14a
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me

When sorrow about sin goes together with leaving sin and desire for forgiveness and purification, then it is Godly sorrow; but if not, it is worldly sorrow, ending in spiritual death that manifests in feelings of remorse and desperation, like in the case of Judas.

Matthew 27:3-5 - When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders.
"I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."
So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

3. CHANGE OF ATTITUDE
It is leaving sin completely, even not permitting the opportunity of doing it again, and a deep and sincere desire to be forgiven and cleansed.

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me - Psalm 51:5,7 en 10

They said, "Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the LORD gave to you and your fathers for ever and ever - Jeremiah 25:5

This third part of repentance contains the other two, but is the most important.
The two former steps remain meaningless as long as there is no break with evildoing