Life Walk Bible Lesson 31 — Repentance
"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken and will He not make it good and fulfill it?"
1Kings 8:46-53
46 “When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the enemy’s land, [whether] far away or near;
47 if they take it to heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and they repent and pray to You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong and we have acted wickedly;’
48 if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and they pray to You toward their land [of Israel] which You gave to their fathers, the city [of Jerusalem] which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your Name and Presence;
49 then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their right and defend their cause,
50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all the transgressions which they have committed against You, and make them objects of compassion before their captors, that they will be merciful to them
51 (for they are Your people and Your heritage, whom You brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace [of slavery and oppression]),
52 that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them and be attentive to them whenever they call to You.
53 For You singled them out from all the peoples of the earth as Your heritage, just as You declared through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.”
Proverbs 1:20-33 Amplified Bible (AMP)
20 “Wisdom shouts in the street, she raises her voice in the markets;
21 She calls out at the head of the noisy streets [where large crowds gather]; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words:
22 “How long, O naive ones [you who are easily misled], will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning? How long will scoffers [who ridicule and deride] delight in scoffing, how long will fools [who obstinately mock truth] hate knowledge?
23 “If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke, behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.
24 “Because I called and you refused [to answer], I stretched out my hand and no one has paid attention [to my offer];
25 And you treated all my counsel as nothing and would not accept my reprimand,
26 I also will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when your dread and panic come,
27 When your dread and panic come like a storm, and your disaster comes like a whirlwind, when anxiety and distress come upon you [as retribution].
28 “Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer; they will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,
29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord [that is, obeying Him with reverence and awe-filled respect],
30 They would not accept my counsel, and they spurned all my rebuke.
31 “Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own [wicked] way and be satiated with [the penalty of] their own devices.
32 “For the turning away of the naive will kill them, and the careless ease of [self-righteous] fools will destroy them.
33 “But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trust and will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil.”
Isaiah 11:12 [AMP]
"And He will lift up a signal for the nations and assemble the outcasts of Israel, and will gather the dispersed from the four corners of the earth."
Ephesians 1:17-20 [AMP]
17 “[I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].
18 And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),
19 and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength
20 which He produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come.
22 And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].”
Proverbs 2:1-5
1 "My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you,
2 So that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly];
3 Yes, if you cry out for insight, and lift up your voice for understanding;
4 If you seek skillful and godly wisdom as you would silver and search for her as you would hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] and discover the knowledge of God."
Proverbs 1:7
"The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly]wisdom and instruction and self-discipline."
Psalm 111:10
"The [reverent] fear of the Lord is the beginning (the prerequisite, the absolute essential, the alphabet) of wisdom; a good understanding and a teachable heart are possessed by all those who do the will of the Lord; His praise endures forever."
Job 28:28
"But to man He said, 'Behold, the reverential and worshipful fear of the Lord -- that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding."
Matthew 22:37-38
37 "And Jesus replied to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with ll your heart, and with all your sou, and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and greatest commandment."
Revelation 14:7
"and he said with a loud voice, 'Fear God [with awe and reverence], and give Him glory [nd honor and praise in worship], because the hour of His judgment has come; [with all your heart] worship Him Who created the heaven and the earth, the sea and the springs of water."
Psalm 112:1
"Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with obedience], who delights greatly in His commandment."
Deuteronomy 10:12-22
12 "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear [and worship] the Lord your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], to walk [that is, to live each and every day] in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul [your choices, your thoughts, your whole being],
13 and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?
14 Behold, the heavens and the highest of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth and all that is in it.
15 Yet the Lord had a delight in loving your fathers and set His affection on them, and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day.
16 So circumcise [that is, remove sin from] your heart, and be stiff-necked (stubborn, obstinate) no longer.
17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.
18 He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the stranger (resident alien, foreigner) by giving him food and clothing.
19 Therefore, show your love for the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
20 You shall fear [and worship] the Lord your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect]; you shall serve Him and cling to Him [hold tightly to Him, be united with Him], and you shall swear [oaths] by His name.
21 He is your praise and glory; He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which you have seen with your own eyes.
22 Your fathers went down to Egypt, seventy persons [in all], and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven."
Matthew 3:1-2
1 "In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea [along the western side of the Dead Sea] and saying,
2 'Repent [change your inner self -- your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God's purpose for your life], for the Kingdom of God is at hand."
Matthew 4:12-17
12 "Now when Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been arrested and put in prison, He left for Galilee.
13 And leaving Nazareth, He went and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali.
14 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
15 'The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee [in the district] of the Gentiles—
16 The people who were sitting (living) in [spiritual] darkness have seen a great Light, and for those who were sitting (living) in the land and shadow of [spiritual and moral] death, upon them a Light has dawned.'
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"
Acts 2:38
"And Peter said to them, 'Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
John 15:1-17
15 “I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit].
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have given you [the teachings which I have discussed with you].
4 Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me.
5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
8 My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.
9 I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you].
10 If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
11 I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.
12 This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you.
13 No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.
14 You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you.
15 I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father. 16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.
17 This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.
Summary:
The message of the Kingdom of God is the same throughout history. Turn from what we once believed and acted on incorrectly, and God will share His own heart with us, guiding us faithfully in truth.
