God Forgives True Repentance
An all-creatures Bible Message

God Forgives True Repentance
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
2 August 2015
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

2 Samuel 11:26-27
2 Samuel 12:1-13
John 6:24-35
Ephesians 4:1-16

God forgives true repentance and not just someone saying they’re sorry.
 
God forgives true repentance, because it only comes from the depths of the person’s heart and soul, which includes deep remorse for the thing or things that the person did coupled with an inner resolve to live in the heavenly will of God.
 
And since God is the only one who can see the intent of a person’s heart and soul, only He can be absolutely sure it’s the true repentance that God forgives.
 
And as we shall see, this seems to be the case with David as recorded in our 2 Samuel passages for today; let’s begin with 2 Samuel 11:26-27…

26. Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
 
27. When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.

We also talked about the evil that David did in last week’s message, but God is also a forgiving God who sees the intent of a person’s heart and soul.
 
 Note what we are told in 2 Samuel 12:1-13…

1. Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said,
"There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.
 
2. "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.
 
3. "But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb
Which he bought and nourished;
And it grew up together with him and his children.
It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom,
And was like a daughter to him.

Nathan is telling David about God’s creation and heavenly will, and the fact that humans and animals were to have a loving and compassionate relationship with one another, which this poor man understood.
 
Animals are not a commodity that can be abused, killed and eaten as human lust guides them; they are to be our loving companions.

4. "Now a traveler came to the rich man,
And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd,
To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him;
Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."

This is exactly what David did to Uriah, and Nathan is telling this to him to wake him up to the evil he has done.

5. Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die.
 
6. And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."

None of us can ever really make restitution for killing someone else’s loved one.
 
The only way to be truly compassionate is to prevent such evil acts from happening in the first place.
 
So how does Nathan respond?

7. Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul.
 
8. 'I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these!
 
9. 'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.

Nathan is telling David and us today, that every evil act people do is really against the Lord our God in addition to those upon whom the evil was perpetrated.

10. 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'

And the message gets even harsher, for any evil act people do shows that they really don’t love God, and even worse, they despise God, and leads to the evil coming back upon ourselves.
 
And there is more…

11. "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your companion, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.
 
12. 'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.' " 

This all seems to have brought David to the point of repentance.

13. Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.
NASB

The only reason that Nathan would say this is because God forgives true repentance, which God saw in David’s heart and soul.
 
We may not see what God sees, but if we love Him, we will trust His judgements and decisions.
 
As we look at John 6:24-35, let’s consider some of the conditions that lead to God forgives true repentance.

24. When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

Why were they seeking Jesus?
 
Because, in the answer to this question we will also find the answer to the other question about God forgives true repentance.  

25. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You get here?"
 
26. Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.

They were seeking more free food, and not the spiritual food that leads to everlasting life, so Jesus says…

27. "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal."

This is why we say God forgives true repentance, which comes with a sincere desire to never commit those sins again, and to do everything in our power to live in the heavenly will of God.

28. They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"

This question seems to be coming more from their sin of pride of life, rather than a true desire to live in God’s heavenly will, so in all His love, Jesus encourages them to seek a higher plain.

29. Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." 

Are they going to do this, or are they still seeking the carnal things of this world?

30. They said therefore to Him, "What then do You do for a sign, that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?

Unfortunately, like most people today, they are seeking physical things of this corrupt world, rather than to be transformed into the peacemaking children of God, that Jesus calls us all to be.
 
So they seek another worldly gift.

31. "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.' "

So Jesus tries again to lead them heavenward.

32. Jesus therefore said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.
 
33. "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." 

Jesus is speaking of a spiritual life and not the worldly life the people were seeking, but will the people understand this time?

34. They said therefore to Him, "Lord, evermore give us this bread."
 
35. Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
NASB

This is changing from a worldly person into a spiritual being who lives in the heavenly will of God here on earth as it is in heaven.
 
And God forgives true repentance, which only comes from people making this transition, or from those who are already there.
 
So Paul picks up on this thought about how God forgives true repentance in a slightly different way in Ephesians 4:1-16.

1. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
 
2. with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love,
 
3. being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

In other words, when God forgives true repentance, we become more and more like the peacemaking children of God who live in the heavenly will of God here on earth, which Jesus called us to do.
 
However, and very importantly, this does not mean that we should sin in order to be forgiven more times, for true repentance involves the inner resolution to sin no more.
 
Paul goes on…

4. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
 
5. one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
 
6. one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
 
7. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

When we say, God forgives true repentance, we are talking about this being a part of this heavenly grace.

8. Therefore it says,
"When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men."
 
9. (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?

This is referring to the fact that Jesus also witnessed to those in hell, and also to those who had not yet ascended.

10. He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

This is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

11. And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
 
12. for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
 
13. until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.

This is the calling that God has for all of us, but unfortunately only the peacemaking children of God who live in the heavenly will of God seem to fully respond.
 
Those who say they believe seem to want to live with one foot in heaven and one foot in this world with all its corruption, pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death; none of which is in the heavenly will of God.
 
We are not to be like them.

14. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
 
15. but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,
 
16. from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
NASB

This is what God wants for every true child of God who earnestly seeks to live in the heavenly will of God and not in the corrupt ways of this world.
 
It is for these peacemaking children that God forgives true repentance, for He wants us all to become the children who will help free creation from its present corruption for the benefit of all animals, humans, and the environment in which we all live.
 
We can and should be doing this.
 
Amen.

Return to: Sermons Archive