Preschool
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him (Psalm 91:14).
Thorough Repentance
Memory Verses
Primary
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him (Psalm 91:14).
Junior
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler (Psalm 91:4).
Background Scripture: Ezra 9-10
Lesson Scripture: Ezra 10:1-12, 14
Introduction
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Repentance is necessary for mankind to understand their own sin and accountability to God. Repentance is a journey that demands us to confront and own some of the hardest truths about ourselves and the choices we have made. When we genuinely turn away from sin, it can no longer hold a place in our hearts, prompting us to distance ourselves from even the influences that lead us astray. As we delve into this lesson, we must keep in mind that true repentance is not about minimizing our mistakes or justifying our actions; it is about fully accepting the reality of sin and its consequences and seeing ourselves as God sees us. Genuine repentance and the sorrow that it brings as we humble ourselves can then unlock the door to lasting freedom. One of the beautiful fruits of thorough repentance is a softened heart that is under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Key Verse
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you (Acts 3:19-20).
Lesson Scripture
Ezra 10:1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.
6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.
7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
11 Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
Studying the Lesson
Ezra was a descendant of Hilkiah, the high priest (Ezra 7:1) who found a copy of the law during the reign of Josiah (2 Chron. 34:14). Ezra was a priest during the time of the captivity of the Israelite people by the Babylonians. He did not arrive in his native land until about seventy-five years after the first group of fifty thousand led by Zerubbabel. Ezra found the temple rebuilt but not the walls of the city. The populace was in a pitiable state. They had intermingled and intermarried with the heathen. Immorality and idolatry were running rampant. When all of this was brought to Ezra’s attention, he was overwhelmed that God’s people had fallen to such a degree of disobedience; even the leadership was involved. Ezra could have preached against the intermarriage, immorality, and idolatry or become involved in trying to recover the couples who had fallen into these sins. Instead, he did something that we do not see much of in our day. “And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied (Ezra 9:3). “And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God” (v. 5). Ezra led the Jewish people in a repentance and restoration that ended in a complete separation from their heathen wives as well as the children born of those unions. Repentance was not in word only but in action as God’s judgment requires. A revival had broken out in Israel.
This account is an example of man’s folly and how the sins of the fathers can be visited upon the children. We see here just how thoroughly this separation needed to be carried out in order for God to accept them once again. For their day, Ezra was God’s man of the hour. For that generation and those who followed, he helped preserve the true witness of God’s people and the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan.
Practical Truths for Today
Only by the mercy of God, the confession of sin, the sacrifice of Christ, and the grace of God is it possible for us to be saved. When we sincerely cry out for mercy, God is ready to hear. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” “Just as I Am” 1 and “I Will Be True to Thee” 2 are songs that portray how we come to God.
It is important to note that repentance does not precede faith. When repentance does not follow a profession of faith, then that faith is not genuine—it is not saving faith. Faith in God and surrendering to Him are what bring about the conditions of repentance and set the captive free. Repentance has been likened to a beautiful gate. This is because repentance frees the heart and soul from bondage and makes it possible to serve our Maker as God intended. We sometimes call the experience of new birth “finding peace” because of the calmness it brings to the soul. Our sins are under the canopy of the blood of Christ and washed away, and we have an assurance in our heart that we are saved and ready for heaven.
A false gospel being promoted in our day aims to bypass repentance, true self-denial, and bearing the cross of Jesus Christ. We sometimes call it easy believism. We must not lose the vision of the necessity of true repentance. This embodies accepting the reality of sin, and not belittling it or trying to justify ourselves. Acknowledgment and confession of sin means taking full personal responsibility. This may take us through a valley of sorrow, but it opens the door for freedom in our lives. One fruit of thorough repentance is that our hearts become soft. We also will not have all the answers; rather, we are open to the Lord and his continued leading. Let us also understand that repentance is not something so big or complicated. It is simply acknowledging that, even as Christians, we are sinners and need cleansing and a surrendered will.
Repentance involves being willing to rid ourselves of the influences that have tripped us up in the past. We must not leave any back doors in the recesses of our hearts that are kept handy just in case something goes wrong. True faith in the heart of the seeking sinner whole-heartedly accepts the path that repentance requires without turning back. This may include some painful measures and lifestyle-altering adjustments. The Word says in Matthew 5:30, “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Another scripture states that if our eye offends us, we should pluck it out. This suggests a painful operation of ridding ourselves of something dear and precious in exchange for the greater freedom the soul longs for. Humbling ourselves and being willing to rid ourselves of all ungodliness and uncleanness or anything that would separate us from God’s approval is something that we cannot do on our own—God himself helps us to have the vision of the cleansing wave that satisfies the soul.
Many of Satan’s devices could be mentioned that need to be repented of. Satan has had a long time to practice how to best capture men’s hearts and cause him to stumble, and he is quite successful. Even when we think we have a handle on our temptations, sin can be lying at the door. We may even walk in the path of temptation at times, thinking that we can handle it. When we fall, we often blame God as Adam did: “The wife that you gave me made me do it.” Satan offers the “lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) tailored for each one of us that makes sense to our flesh. He is quick to suggest offense when someone hurts our feelings. He makes human reasoning seem sensible and suggests that God is trying to keep us from having a good time. He insinuates that God’s laws do not apply to our generation and is very successful at providing idolatry of all kinds, things our flesh dearly loves. Only by true repentance and turning away from sin can we be in fellowship with our Lord, walk in freedom, and maintain clear vision.
Illustration
God’s keeping power is brought to us through repentance. Often repentance includes doing things differently.
The inability to keep from sinning is like a repeated accident. Envision a deep crevice in a man’s path. Not utilizing perception and understanding, he walks right into it. Captured in the crevice, he is unable to get out. Wallowing in self-pity and self-will and blaming others, it takes a him long time to get out. Before long, he again is walking down the path, and he sees the same crevice, but, either pretending it’s not there, or out of habit, he falls in at the same place. This time it takes even longer to get out, and he cannot believe he is at the same place. It still is not his fault.
Sometime later, he walks down the path, but this time it is different. His eyes and understanding are open; instead of falling in again, he takes a different path.
Questions
- Why are we inclined to accept a broader way than the Lord and the church require of us?
- Why is it so hard for us to forgive someone when we know that God has forgiven us for so much more?
- Is there such a thing as a half commitment or a half repentance experience?
- Are we as youth willing to stand apart from the world? What does that mean?
- 1 Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871), “Just as I Am,” Christian Hymnal
- 2 Lelia N. Morris (1862-1929), “I Will Be True to Thee,” Christian Hymnal
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).