Posted: 7/06/07
Explore the Bible Series for July 15
Zechariah calls us to repentance
• Zechariah 1:1-3:10
First Baptist Church, Duncanville
“‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you’” (1:3). The harsh opening belies the gentleness of Zechariah’s message. Instead of condemning us for turning away from God, Zechariah reminds us that God remembers his people and his promises. It’s a fitting message from a man whose name means “The Lord Remembers.”
The blessings of returning to God won’t happen without the sorrow of repentance, Zechariah says. It’s a lesson we often hear without fully grasping it. God so hates being separated from us by our sin that he warns us repeatedly of the need to repent, and his warnings are drawn from the deep wells of his love.
But God’s love is counterbalanced by his justice. All sin must be punished. Verse 6 establishes the truth that God will do what “our ways and practices deserve.” In other words, we are all sinners (Romans 6:23) and the consequence of our sin is death (Romans 6:23).
Zechariah then tells us to “be still before the Lord” (2:13), to consider his awesomeness. Then, we are reminded of our helplessness to overcome sin without the provision God makes for us. Just as Joshua stands before the angel of God in filthy clothes, we stand before God covered in the filth of sin. After removing Joshua’s clothes, God tells him, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you” (3:4). The story illustrates the exchange that takes place during salvation: our sin for Jesus’ sinlessness, our death for his life. As Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The exchange is free, but still it costs us something. It requires repentance.
The two parts of repentance
There are two actions that take place during repentance. One looks back, while the other looks forward.
Repentance must begin with a backward look at our past. It requires honesty as we evaluate everything against the plumb line of Jesus. True repentance sees with clarity the ugliness of our past. It doesn’t try to justify or gloss over mistakes, but instead embraces them and accepts the pain of realizing we’ve fallen short of God’s expectations.
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done” (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). Unless we are willing to see ourselves with God’s eyes, accepting the truth about ourselves and embracing the resulting pain, we will never experience godly repentance.
Having looked back, we must deal with our sin. We must confess it for what it is—blatant disobedience and disregard for God’s grace. Then we are ready to look forward.
The second action of repentance is to realize the past cannot be changed. Once confessed, it is forgiven, and all we can do is strive to change. Repentance not only involves sorrow over our past, but the resolve to change in the future. It looks forward to God, his mercy, love and judgment. It makes the choice to change our thinking so our behavior can line up with God’s expectations. “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 26:20).
Not just an idea, but an action
Repentance is movement. It is the action of moving away from sin toward God. For godly repentance to occur, we must recognize that we sit in the filth of sin. Then we must submit to Jesus and let him remove our soiled garments, replacing them with clean clothes. We must let him place “a clean turban” (3:5) on our heads, clothing us for worship and protecting our minds with the “helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17).
Repentance humbles us, a painful process that is necessary if we are going to be able to submit to God’s authority properly. And submission is the foundation out of which we learn obedience. Obedience, remember, is the goal. It is God’s call to each of us and the evidence that we belong to him. Not to change our behavior belies our repentance. “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2). True repentance feels such sorrow over past mistakes that it is ashamed to continue in them. It refuses to take advantage of God’s grace and chooses to change.
Faith, the backbone of repentance
Yet change is never easy. Upon committing to change, we discover just how entrenched we are in bad habits, poor attitudes and wrong thinking. These are the battles we must fight. But we should never assume we’ll win those battles without the power of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons.
First of all, our entire belief system depends on faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Second, that faith is inspired by God himself. “God’s kindness leads you towards repentance” (Romans 2:4).
Furthermore, the weapons he gives us are spiritual weapons that only can be wielded with faith: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. … Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:10-11, 14-18).
Repentance is an uncomfortable business most of us would prefer to avoid. But God cares less for our immediate comfort than he does for our eternal security. “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).
The blessings are there. Let’s make sure we don’t miss them because of the hardness of our hearts.
Discussion questions
• Why does God demand repentance as a condition for salvation?
• How do you think it makes God feel for us to confess our sins and then return to them?
• Do you think we rely more on God’s power or his mercy?
• What are some of the blessings God promises to those who obey him?
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