Our Need for Repentance is Unchanging

Unchanging Truth: Repentance
Dave Riddle - 8/15/2021
Key Passage: Mark 1:14-15

The Problem: Sin

• We can’t do anything about it.

• Only Jesus can.

The Solution: Repentance 

• it’s deeper than being sorry.

• It’s more than regret due to the consequences.

  • Worldly sorrow vs godly sorrow

    • Godly sorrow leads to repentance

• Repentance = Metanoeo: literally to know, after. It signifies a change of mind consequent to the after knowledge; indicating regret for the course pursued and resulting in a wiser view of the past and future. Implied within us a “turning from” and a “turning to”.

John the Baptizer

• Matthew 3:2

  • Repent the Kingdom of God is near

Jesus

• Mark 1:14-15

  • Repent and believe

Peter

• Acts 2:36-39

  • Repent (to those who have not yet believed)

Paul

• Paul’s epistles

  • Repent (to believers)

John the Revelator

• Revelation 2 and 3

  • Repent (to churches)

We are a people who are called to repent.

• not about guilt and shame

• It’s about life!

Hello My Name is... Wonderful Counselor

Hello my name is: Wonderful Counselor

Dave Riddle - 12/01/19

Key Passage: Isaiah 9:6

Counselor

• ya’ats (Hebrew: יָעַץ) - to advise, counsel, admonish, direct, resolve, decide, plan and/or purpose. To counsel together; to be advised.

  • Isaiah 9:6 - “counselor”

  • First usage: Exodus - Moses meets with his father-in-law to seek advice.

Wonderful

• pele’ (Hebrew: פֶּלֶא) - a miracle, a wonder; a wonderful thing or deed.

  • Isaiah 9:6 - “Wonderful”

  • Other than a single time in the book of Lamentations, it always appears in the context of God’s acts or words. 37 of the 84 occurrences of pele’ are found in the Psalms.

What kind of Wonderful Counselor?

Other-worldly

• John 12:49 - He came with divine wisdom from Heaven itself

• John 14:10 - He spoke with authority of God

Authoritative

• Mark 1:21-22 - He taught with an authority unlike anything the world had seen.

• Luke 4:32 - The people were amazed... slack-jawed

  • ekplēssō (Greek: ἐκπλήσσω) - to be struck with amazement, astonished, amazed

Piercing & Gentle

• Piercing

  • Matthew 16:23

  • Matthew 23:27

• Gentle

  • John 8:7-11

Inviting & Challenging

• Mark 1:17 - “come, follow me”

  • Not just a call, but a purpose.

    • “And I’ll show you how to fish for people”

• Mark 3:13-14

  • With Him, and Sent Out

Truth

• John 14:6 - “I am... the truth”

• John 1:14 - truth in the flesh

Life-giving

• John 14:6- The truth AND the life.

• John 4:4-14 - living water!

Infinite

• Luke 21:33 - His words will never pass away.

• 1 Peter 1:24-25 - the Good News remains forever.

Spiritual Formation Pt. 2

Vitals - Spiritual Formation Pt. 2
Dave Riddle - 07/14/19
Key Verses: Philippians 3:10, Galatians 4:19

ginōskō (Greek: γινώσκω) - to know by experience, in contract to an intellectual or intuitive type of knowledge.

• it’s one thing to know what sunburn is, it’s another thing completely to ‘experience’ sunburn.

symmorphizō (Greek: συμμορφίζω) - to receive the same form as; to be conformed to.

• Luke 6:40 - ...everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

• We are being transformed, not by our own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual Practices & Rhythms

• Not obligations, but invitations!

Study

• Philippians 4:8 - “...dwell on these things”

• Repetition, conversation, reflection

Meditation

• Psalm 63:6 HCSB): When I think of You as I lie on my bed, I meditate on You during the night watches

• On scripture, on the works of God, on the things we see happening around us.

Prayer

• “Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the spiritual life. Of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the father.” -R. Foster ‘Celebration of Discipline’

Fasting

• Luke 4:1-2 - Jesus fasted.

• “More than any other discipline fasting reveals the things that control us.” - R. Foster ‘Celebration of Discipline’

• Matthew 6:16 - not a requirement, but it does appear to be an expectation. “when you fast”

Solitude

• Mark 1:35

• Solitude =/= loneliness

• Let him who cannot be alone beware of community... Let him who is not in community beware of being alone... Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.” - Bonhoeffer ‘Life Together’

Simplicity 

• “The central point for the discipline of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and righteousness of his kingdom first and then everything necessary will come in it’s proper order.” - R. Foster ‘Celebration of Discipline’

Submission

• To God, to the cross, to scripture, to our family, our neighbors, to the needs of others, to the body of Christ.

Service

• John 13:15 - "For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you. "