Grace on the Horizon

“Only when we turn away from looking at our sin to look at the face of God, to find his pardoning grace, do we begin to repent. Only by seeing that there is grace and forgiveness with him would we ever dare to repent and thus return to the fellowship and presence of the Father. . . . Only when grace appears on the horizon offering forgiveness will the sunshine of the love of God melt our hearts and draw us back to him.”

Sinclair Ferguson

Repentance

Last week I spoke to you about faith. It seems only right that this week I follow that up by talking to you about repentance. These two are so closely tied together that you really can’t have the one without also having the other. This morning we’re going to explore some of what the Scriptures have to say about repentance. And we’ll do that by considering some questions.

Coercion

There has been quite the response among many conservative Christians to recent political/legal events in our nation, especially the decision by the Supreme Court on gay marriage. And while I've not read any Christians using this word, I think that 'coerce' works for how they are feeling. They are now forced to do - or fear that they soon will be forced to do - what they don't want to do. They feel coerced, and they don't like it.

I think that it's helpful to remember that many of the goals of the 'moral coalitions' and 'Christian majorities' of the past had to do with passing certain laws, laws that would, shall we say, coerce people to live in ways that they didn't want to. But now, the shoe is on the other foot.

I don't think that we Christians should be surprised.

The strategy of those now lost culture wars focused on politics. The plan was to vote in 'the right people' and exert pressure on politicians who weren't quite 'the right people'. That plan was pursued in such a way that it became an idol. The hope of 'the good Christian people of America' was a political hope. That was to be the way that we were going to fix things. And God noticed.

He wasn't keen on His people of old when they gave themselves to idols. And nothing has changed on that score. And just as He sent hard times to the Church of that era, it appears that He is doing the same with the Church in America today. And the solution for today is the same as then. Repentance. It will only be as we Christians repent of that idolatry that God will relent.

Jesus said, 'All who take the sword will perish by the sword'. We tried to change our world by the sword of political power and now it is being used against us. We were warned.

Repentance

As you know, the call to repentance and faith is a common theme in my preaching. I often remind you of this at the end of a sermon. I do that for a good reason. You will not live well without this dynamic being a regular part of your life. Repentance and faith is basic to a good life. It has occurred to me that it might be good if I spent a little time exploring and explaining this. What am I calling you to do when I tell you to repent and believe? So, this week we’ll look at repentance and next week at faith.  

Please listen as I read the text for this morning, 2 Corinthians 7.8-11. There will be other Scriptures, but we’re going to start here.

Imitate Me

This is a story that D. A. Carson tells. I’ve heard him include it in a sermon of his, and it’s now part of his new book, From the Resurrection to His Return: Living Faithfully in the Last Days. I found it at Justin Taylor’s blog in a post called ‘Imitate Me’.

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As a chemistry undergraduate at McGill University, with another chap I started a Bible study for unbelievers. That fellow was godly but very quiet and a bit withdrawn.

I had the mouth, I fear, so by default it fell on me to lead the study. The two of us did not want to be outnumbered, so initially we invited only three people, hoping that not more than two would come. Unfortunately, the first night all three showed up, so we were outnumbered from the beginning.

By week five we had sixteen people attending, and still only the initial two of us were Christians. I soon found myself out of my depth in trying to work through John’s Gospel with this nest of students. On many occasions the participants asked questions I had no idea how to answer.

But in the grace of God there was a graduate student on campus called Dave Ward. He had been converted quite spectacularly as a young man. He was, I suppose, what you might call a rough jewel. He was slapdash, in your face, with no tact and little polish, but he was aggressively evangelistic, powerful in his apologetics, and winningly bold. He allowed people like me to bring people to him every once in a while so that he could answer their questions. Get them there and Dave would sort them out!

So it was that one night I brought two from my Bible study down to Dave. He bulldozed his way around the room, as he always did. He gave us instant coffee then, turning to the first student, asked, ‘Why have you come?’ The student replied, ‘Well, you know, I think that university is a great time for finding out about different points of view, including different religions. So I’ve been reading some material on Buddhism, I’ve got a Hindu friend I want to question, and I should also study some Islam. When this Bible study started I thought I’d get to know a little more about Christianity—that’s why I’ve come.’

Dave looked at him for a few moments and then said, ‘Sorry, but I don’t have time for you.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ said the student.

‘Look,’ Dave replied, ‘I’ll loan you some books on world religions; I can show you how I understand Christianity to fit into all this, and why I think biblical Christianity is true—but you’re just playing around. You’re a dilettante. You don’t really care about these things; you’re just goofing off. I’m a graduate student myself, and I don’t have time—I do not have the hours at my disposal to engage in endless discussions with people who are just playing around.’

He turned to the second student: ‘Why did you come?’

‘I come from a home that you people call liberal,’ he said. ‘We go to the United Church and we don’t believe in things like the literal resurrection of Jesus—I mean, give me a break. The deity of Christ, that’s a bit much. But my home is a good home. My parents love my sister and me, we are a really close family, we worship God, we do good in the community. What do you think you’ve got that we don’t have?’

For what seemed like two or three minutes, Dave looked at him.

Then he said, ‘Watch me.’

As it happened, this student’s name was also Dave. This Dave said, ‘I beg your pardon?’

Dave Ward repeated what he had just said, and then expanded: ‘Watch me. I’ve got an extra bed; move in with me, be my guest—I’ll pay for the food. You go to your classes, do whatever you have to do, but watch me. You watch me when I get up, when I interact with people, what I say, what moves me, what I live for, what I want in life. You watch me for the rest of the semester, and then you tell me at the end of it whether or not there’s a difference.’

This Dave did not take up Dave Ward on the offer literally. But he did begin to watch him and to meet with him, and the Lord drew him. Today he is serving as a medical missionary.

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How many of us would feel comfortable offering ourselves as models of what it means to be a Christian? I think that there are two reasons why many shy away from this. The first is simply that we aren’t very good models. That is, there isn’t a lot of difference (that can be seen) between our lives and the lives of most nice religious folk. We say grace before meals and don’t curse, but who would be impressed with that? The difference is not obvious. Watching Dave Ward’s life convinced someone because the difference was obvious enough. But the other reason for this reluctance comes from forgetting that part of what some person would see is us repenting a lot. Our modeling what it means to be a disciple is not that we are perfect. A key part of the model that we are to present is that we are people who sin and who are fighting against that sin by repentance and faith and then who rejoice in the forgiveness of that sin. That is something that needs to be seen by the people of our day. But it is also something that too many Christians cannot model because they just don’t understand it.

A Tale of Two Men

Matthew 26.69-27.5

It's sometimes helpful to make comparisons. We're going to do that today. We're going to compare Peter and Judas and we're going to do that when they are at their worst. They both sinned. They both reacted quite strongly to their sin. But afterward, one was destroyed and the other flourished. And it's understanding that difference that is so important. So, let's take a look at the lives of these two men see what the Spirit can teach us.

The first thing to notice is that, when you boil things down, their sins are the same. Both men rejected Jesus. In this, both men sinned greatly. Both did something horrible. And neither had an excuse. It's also important to note that both realized the evil of what they had done. Matthew writes this about Judas, 'He changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver.' You might hear that as something like, 'Oops. I meant to say that I'll have chocolate instead of vanilla.' A change of mind. That's not what's going on. The language that Matthew used reflects Judas' remorse. He regretted what he had done. He really did feel the evil of his actions and his conscience responded. 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' Notice that Judas' conscience didn't pull any punches. It didn't label what he had done as a mistake. It was labeled accurately: sin. Judas' conscience was working just fine. Peter also was aware of what he had done. Once that rooster crowed Peter remembered Jesus' words about his denial. 'And he went out and wept bitterly.' Peter saw himself and his sin clearly. His bitter tears make sense.

The next thing that I want you to notice is that for both of these men their respective sins did not come out of the blue. Each sin reflected a pattern within each man. For Judas, money was an important issue. Do you remember this? 'Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.' What was the idol behind this persistent sin about money? Was it a matter of developing some sense of security or were there lusts that he wanted to satisfy, like the lust to be in control of his life? Whatever the idol in the background, the betrayal for money was not some completely new sin. No, it was just a new expression of an old sin-pattern that traced its way back to some idol of the heart. It's the same with Peter. We are all familiar with one of his prominent character traits. Peter would speak first and then think. He did not have control over his spirit. Proverbs warns about this. 'A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.' You need to remember what Peter said when Jesus predicted what would happen that evening. 'Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!' Speak first and then think. What's the idol here? Could it be the lust to look good in the eyes of others, to seek their approval and avoid their criticism? That would make sense to me. Whatever the idol, once again, that evening, this sin-pattern expressed itself. It was Peter's memory of his proud words joined to his utter and horrible failure that produced his bitter tears. The point to remember is that their sins were part of a pattern that showed itself in other areas of their lives. We share in this trait. Our sins are not separate and discrete items. There are patterns to the sins we commit, patterns connected to idols of the heart.

If we look some more behind the particular sins of these two men we'll find something else. Satan was directly involved. John wrote this. 'Then after Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.' I'm guessing that you have some questions about this. So do I. But this much is clear. Satan had a hand in Judas' sin of betrayal. And Peter is no different. Jesus said this to him earlier in the evening. 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat...' Satan was busy with Peter also. So, let me point out two things here. We need to be aware of the invisible battles for our souls that are going on all around us. Isn't this one reason for John to have written the book of Revelation? And remember Paul's warning. 'For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.' The other thing to keep in mind is that even though Satan was involved, that was no excuse for either man. They were responsible for their choices – and so are we. Satan can only tempt. We make the decisions on how to act.

So, in these ways Peter and Judas are both the same. They are sinners with sin-patterns who were tripped up by Satan and later deeply regretted what they had done.

Now, while so much is the same, there is much that is so very different and that shows up vividly in the results. Judas hanged himself, but Peter went on to be a pre-eminent leader in the Church. How should we understand this? It comes back to the same things once again. The key is repentance and faith. Both men deeply regretted what they did with true remorse, but only one man repented. Let's go back to something I've already referred to. Jesus predicted that Peter would repent. 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.' This helps us to understand repentance. Repentance is turning from what is evil in order to do what is holy. Regret and remorse are to move us toward repentance, but they are not themselves repentance. Let me put it differently. Regret is an appropriate emotional response to sin. But repentance is a decision to deal with that sin, a decision to return to holy living. Or to be more precise, a decision to return to working at holy living. So, regret alone will not produce good. In fact, in Judas' case, regret without repentance led to self-destruction.

It's important to see this because there are many today who are filled with regret. They have done wrong, and they know it. Their consciences are not so dulled that they don't feel it. They may not call it 'sin', but they know that it's wrong. The problem is that they don't have a clue about Gospel repentance. So, they pursue different forms of self-destruction. They are not consciously out to destroy themselves. They're just looking for some way to deal with their consciences banging away at them. And this can take different forms. There's a secular kind of penance. 'I was so wrong when I did that. So, I'm going to make up for it by being really good doing this.' Some try to hide from the pain by deny that they did anything wrong. 'I haven't done anything evil. I make my share of mistakes, but I'm actually a very good person. ' Or some try to deaden the screams of the conscience by their persistent pursuit of pleasure or their anxious flight from pain. And then, there are those who just give themselves more fully to evil. 'Why fight it? This must be what I really am.' Sooner or later, whichever of these a person opts for, life will fall apart – sometimes abruptly and sometimes just bit by bit. Self-destruction. These people need to get to know Jesus. Only He can give true relief from the regret and remorse of sin. Only He can restore a soul.

And that leads to my next point. In Acts 1 Peter gets up to lead the fledgling Church in an important decision. They need to replace Judas and Peter takes the lead. This is interesting because too many of the saints today would never do what Peter did. If they were in his situation they would tell themselves, 'Who am I to talk about Judas? Look at the sin that I committed. I can't lead now.' But that's not what Peter did. And the reason is not that Peter ignored his conscience. No, instead Peter knew that he was forgiven and restored. And so, his sin was no longer in view, not for God and not for him. As a result, he was freed to lead the group which was Jesus' calling for his life. When someone is forgiven, the sin he committed is gone. It is no longer an issue at all. This gets us to one of Satan's ploys. First, he'll remind you of your sin. And once that's squarely in mind, he'll condemn you for it. I'm sure that many of you have felt that. I have. The Godly response to this demonic scheme is simply to tell yourself, 'I've confessed my sin to the Father, and I've repented of it. And that means that I've been forgiven. That sin is gone. It's a non-issue.' And then, having said that, ignore Satan's lies and get on with whatever it is the Jesus has called you to do. Don't be fooled by Satan. Understand his tricks and respond as a Christian so that you can get on with following Jesus well.

There was much that was the same between these two men. But there was more that was different. Peter repented of his sin. He was moved to that repentance by the remorse that he felt. Judas, though just as remorseful, didn't repent. And as a result, Peter was forgiven and was restored to the role that Jesus had called him to and he flourished in it. But Judas was overwhelmed by his regret and destroyed himself.

Now, we're ready for a question. Why the difference? Why was it that Peter repented and was restored, and Judas was not. We need to go back to that passage in Luke once again. 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.' What made the difference for Peter? Jesus prayed for him. Listen to this from Hebrews. 'Consequently, Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.' Jesus prays for you just as He prayed for Peter. And that is incredibly good news. On our own we wouldn't last ten seconds. We'd be fooled by Satan, sin in some horrible way, get all remorseful over it and then do something stupid to try to make the pain go away. We'd never make it to repentance and the forgiveness that follows. And then, we'd end up like Judas. Jesus prays for us, and that is the only reason we're making it.

Now, notice what He told Peter that He would pray for. He didn't say that He would pray that Satan wouldn't do anything to him. He didn't say that he would pray that his sin wouldn't be so bad. No. He said that He would pray that Peter's faith would not fail. Jesus prayed that Peter would believe Him and not Satan. And He prays the same for us. Satan tells us, 'You've done it this time. Some simple prayer of repentance isn't good enough for what you've just done. You're going to have to do more than that if you want to really be forgiven.' But Jesus has John write this promise. 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' Whom will you believe? Other times Satan attacks this way. 'It wasn't that bad a sin. People do lots worse than that. Don't worry about it. This one doesn't need any repentance. And it was kind of fun, no?' But since sin leads to death, Jesus says, 'Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. ... so turn, and live.' Jesus prays for your faith so that you will trust Him when He tells you that your sin, if not dealt with, will kill you. He prays that you will believe Him when He tells you that He can forgive, really and fully forgive, any sin. Peter made it, and you will make it, because of Jesus' prayers for your faith.

Now, one last thought. Repentance is so important when it comes to forgiveness, but it is not repentance that causes forgiveness. It's the Cross that causes forgiveness. Our God is holy and just. He doesn't just ignore some sin and sweep it under the rug just because we ask Him to. No! Someone must pay for your sins. And that is what Jesus has done. He alone has paid for all of your sins. He causes forgiveness. The Cross. Repentance is only a tool that He uses for your good so that you might enjoy the forgiveness He has paid for. It's Jesus' Cross that causes forgiveness.

Jesus has come so that you might flourish, even if you should commit whatever you think is the worst sin. Trust Him to do that. Believe Him and flourish.

The Shame of Repentance

Mark 1.14-15

Jesus begins His ministry by emphasizing repentance and faith. This call lies close to the heart of His ministry. And the reason why this is the case is clear. There can be no enjoyment of the Gospel without repentance and faith. A growing grasp of the Gospel requires a growing grasp of this dynamic of repentance and faith. So, it's no surprise that Jesus begins His ministry with this theme and continues with it throughout that ministry. And it is a theme that continues to this day as an ongoing part of His ministry among the saints by the Spirit.

I'm not going to spend today's sermon exploring repentance and faith. It's too big a topic. But even to spend a sermon on repentance alone is still too much to tackle. So, today I'm just going to look at one slice of repentance. I picked up something on the topic of repentance written by the Puritan Thomas Watson aptly titled, The Doctrine of Repentance. One of the things that Watson does in this little book is to list the different elements of repentance. He has six on his list, and he writes that each of these is a necessary element of repentance. He claims that you can't have true repentance without all of these, and I think that he is being quite biblical in this claim. Here's his list: the sight of sin, sorrow for sin, confession of sin, shame for sin, hatred for sin and turning from sin. I thought it good to pick one of these for us to look at, and the one aspect I chose was the aspect of shame. I think that you'll see that Watson was right to include it in his list. So, my goal is simple. I want to explore this one slice of repentance, shame for sin, so that you will have a clearer understanding of what it is that Jesus expects of you in this and why.

Shame is out of vogue. And that shouldn't be surprising. It cannot possibly co-exist with the attitudes of self-centeredness and disrespect that are so popular today. The young are encouraged to flaunt their evil, not to be ashamed of it. They are taught not to care about the opinions of others. In many respects, ours is a shameless society. One consequence of this is that the notion of shame is not very clear. So, the first thing for me to do is to spend a little time discussing shame to be sure that we all understand this in the same way. Shame is about a gap, a gap between expected behavior and actual behavior. It begins with an awareness of unworthy conduct, of having fallen short of some standard. Awareness of the gap is not shame. But it is a necessary lead up to shame. Shame arrives on the scene when that gap results in disapproval, the sort of disapproval that actually touches this person. Shame is about censure or disapproval in the eyes of someone who matters. Consider this example from Scripture. 'Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.' The community had expectations of Mary. One of them had to do with sexual morality. Mary would have faced great shame in the eyes of her community if they discovered that she had missed that mark, that there was a gap. And that would have mattered. So, Joseph, being a just man, had to break their engagement. But out of concern for Mary he decided to do that quietly to protect her from the shame. Consider another example. This one comes from the life of Ezra the priest. He returned to Jerusalem after the exile in order to re-establish faithful living among the saints. What he finds upon his return shocks him. Listen to his response. 'Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens."' Ezra's sense of shame is not rooted in community standards, as in Mary's situation. He isn't concerned about the censure of the people. No, rather, he was ashamed before his God. He felt the gap between the kind of behavior the Father had called the people to and how they actually acted. He felt the gap and he felt the disapproval.

Now, we're ready for the next step. When it comes to the shame of repentance, it's not about what the community might think. It's about what God might think. But that all depends on what God is like. So, if God is seen as someone without standards, one version of what is called 'unconditional love', then there will be no shame. There is no shame because there is no gap. This kind of God has no expectations when it comes to behavior. Almost anything is acceptable to Him, or at least He's able to ignore so much. Where there are no expectations there can be no gap. And where there is no gap there can be no shame. If, on the other hand, God is seen primarily as a judge, then there will be regret at being caught or fear of punishment. But there will still be no shame. The concern here isn't disapproval. It's punishment. This is like the convicted felon who's about to be sentenced. He feels no shame at what he has done. He doesn't care what the judge, or anyone else, thinks. He just doesn't like the idea of more jail time. That's what happens when God is seen as a condemning judge. So, where does this shame of repentance come from? What needs to be in the mix so that shame results from awareness of the gap? The answer, of course, is love. It is a relationship of love with God that results in shame. Let me tell you about something that happened when I was young. We were city folk – from Brooklyn – who had just moved to the brand new suburbs of New Jersey. The house was new, the experience was new. Everything was new – including the large tent my Dad had just brought home from Sears. He was in the back yard figuring out how to get it up, and he was excited about it. Remember, we were city folk. Camping in a tent was about to become a strange new experience. So, there's my Dad all excited when my Mom says, 'What's this?' While my parents were at Sears getting the tent, my brother and I were at home. We were tossing some of the pebbles that were laying around. One that I had thrown took a weird bounce. What my mother had noticed was the hole in the glass of the sliding door. I expected my father to be angry. His brand new house now had a significant ding. But there was no anger. There were no threats of punishment. Instead, my father simply left the tent on the ground and went inside, all of his excitement drained away. That was the first time that I can remember some sense of shame at disappointing my father. I would have preferred his anger. Those who experience the shame of repentance do so because there is at least a measure of love for God. That's why Ezra prayed as he did. There can be no shame in repentance where there is no love for the Father. This is what Jesus calls for when He cries out, 'Repent and believe the Gospel.' He's not looking for regret at being caught or fear of being punished. He's looking for a sense of shame that comes from love.

Let's move on. I think my next thought will clarify what I've said a bit more and also deal with some questions you might be thinking. Let's consider the parable of the prodigal son. Consider this young man as he sits in the pig sty after wasting the inheritance his father had given him. 'But when he came to himself, he said, "How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.'"' 'I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' What is that? It's shame. He sees the gap between how he should have acted and how he did act. More than that, he feels the gap. He knows that he is not worthy of his father. So, he resolves to return to his father, with a prepared speech about merely being given a job. He returns home, ashamed of himself. That's a picture of repentance, with shame being a prominent aspect. The next verse of the parable is so very important. Listen carefully. 'And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.' Did you notice what happened? What was the father's response? He runs, hugs his son, kisses him. Could you have pictured a better welcome? But – and this is what is so important for our discussion – when did the father run to his son to welcome him home? Was it before or after the boy's speech? It was before. Before the boy was even able to express his shame, the father is running, rejoicing, 'My boy is home!' And when his son begins his speech, when he starts to express how ashamed he is, the father cuts him off. He shouts to his servants about a new robe and shoes and a ring of honor. We see the shame of repentance here. It's more evidence that Watson was right include this on his list. But please notice that the father's welcome was not tied to the quality of the son's repentance. The father didn't first see how ashamed the boy was before deciding to rejoice at his return. He saw his son from a distance and ran. God's forgiveness is not tied to the quality of your repentance. He does not wait to see if there is enough shame. As important as shame is, it is not the price of forgiveness. It is not the penance that needs to be performed. This is important because some of you beat yourselves up for your sin and then wonder if you hit hard enough. The temptation for you will be to take this sermon home and next time you need to repent ask yourself whether you feel enough shame for God to forgive you. That's looking at shame as payment for forgiveness, a variation on earning your salvation. Forgiveness is free. Jesus has paid whatever is needed so that you can be forgiven. All that needs to happen is for your heart to say, ‘This sin is foolishness. I need to repent’, and at that moment the Father welcomes you home. All you've done is decided to repent and even before you take your next breath, the Father is there to forgive. The shame of repentance is important, but not as some payment for God's forgiveness.

That, of course, leads to the question why. Why is repentance important? Why is the shame of repentance important? If such things do not persuade God to forgive, why do we need to do them? And we do need to repent! Remember Jesus' call. But why? Let's go back to the son in the parable. That night there was a celebration with good food, music, dancing. The father was throwing a party. It was a glorious time. But consider that young man. Think about him earlier in the day as we he was walking home. He was practicing his speech. He was wondering what might happen when he stood before his father. He was ashamed of himself. But that evening there was a celebration – not just in his father's house but in his father's heart. He wasn't able to finish his speech. He no longer wondered about his father's response. And the shame that he had felt was completely obliterated. What was he feeling as he heard the music, enjoyed the food, saw the smile on his father's face? The young man experienced what David prayed for in his Psalm of shame. 'Restore to me the joy of your salvation.' Moving from the shame of repentance to compete forgiveness with excited celebration produces joy. The boy went from the abyss of shame to total restoration. It was as if he had never sinned! How can there not be rejoicing? The call to be ashamed of your sin is not intended to change God's heart. It's intended to change yours. It is intended to produce joy in your heart. The true fruit of Godly shame is joy.

Jesus has come so that all of your sins might be completely forgiven and all your shame obliterated. That's why He calls even today, 'Repent and believe the Gospel.' But note that the quality of your experience of joy, the joy of forgiveness, is tied to the quality of your sense of shame. Little shame yields only a little joy. It's seeing your sin clearly, seeing the enormity of the gap, that leads to a deeper shame which in turn bears the abundant fruit of a glorious joy. The deepest shame shows as the greatest joy – that is, if you can believe it. Repent and believe the Gospel.

All that remains is the question, 'How?' How does a Christian nurture this aspect of repentance? How can shame grow so that joy can grow? If you translate those questions accurately this is what you come up with. How can you change your heart? That's what we're talking about, changing the affections of the heart. And the answer to that is obvious. You can't. Changing a heart is something that only the Spirit can do. But that doesn't mean that there is nothing for you to do. The Spirit uses the Word. Knowing your Bible better and better gives the Spirit more to work with. That starts with knowing what it says, but it moves from there to also pondering what it means. The Spirit also responds to prayer. Jesus said, 'Ask and it will be given to you.' So, ask for a heart that sees its sin more and more clearly so that it will mourn over that sin and be shamed before God because of it. And pray for a growing faith. As this kind of heart repents and believes, it experiences a deep joy. And that's one big reason why Jesus wants you to repent – that you might experience the joy of the Gospel. And this is something that we will want to do because joyous Christians make Jesus look good.