“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8).

Because God is holy, perfect, and just, repentance is an appropriate and regular spiritual discipline for repeat sinners like you and me. But repentance is far more than feeling sorry or bad for what we’ve done. Repentance is far more than saying sorry.

The Greek word for repentance is metanoia. It certainly means to repent, but the English word repent doesn’t capture the totality of change that repentance speaks of. metanoia has in mind a complete change of mind and heart more than it does merely feeling sorry and apologizing.

That’s why, when speaking about repentance, Jesus speaks about producing fruit that is keeping with repentance. So what are the fruits that are keeping with repentance?

Glad you asked. Corrie ten Book tells us that there are four fruits or marks of true repentance:

1. An acknowledgement of wrong
2. Willingness to confess it
3. Willingness to abandon it
4. And willingness to make restitution

Imagine a world where wrong was acknowledged, confessed, abandoned, and restitution made. Wow. That kinda sounds like what the Kingdom of God might be like!

Want to be impacted by worship this weekend?

• Before coming to worship pray that God convicts you and comforts you
• Read the sermon text and meditate on it prior to Sunday
• Sing the songs and pray the prayers as if Jesus were standing in front of you
• Bring your Bible and take notes on the sermon questions
• Get in a small group to discuss the sermon from Sunday
• Commit to living out God’s word

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

One of God’s attributes is omniscience. God knows all things. There is nothing in all of the universe that remains hidden from God.

That means that God knows, not only all that we have done in the past, but that God knows every sin we are about to commit in the days to come. There is nothing hidden from God.

It is humbling that God knows all the ways I will fail him, desert him, deny him and yet God continues to choose to love, forgive, and extend his grace towards me.

That’s grace. It’s all grace. Undeserved and unmerited favor.

Thank you, God.