Repentance
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Tim Chang
Sermon Series: Proverbs
Proverbs 28:13-14; 20:9; 1:23 (ESV)
28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
20:9 Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin”?
1:23 If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Sermon Outline
1. What repentance is not
Proverbs 28:13–14
[13] Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper…
[14] … but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
2. What repentance is
Proverbs 28:13–14
[13] Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
[14] Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
3. What makes repentance possible
Proverbs 20:9 [9] Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?
2 Corinthians 5:21 [21] For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God.
Proverbs 1:23 [23] If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.
Prayer of Confession
Our gracious God, none of us can say that our hearts are completely pure or that we are clean from sin. We conceal and hide instead of confessing and forsaking our sins. We harden our hearts, we refuse correction, we fail to take responsibility. Forgive us. Jesus, you knew no sin and yet you took our sin and gave us your perfect record. Because your righteousness is now ours, free us from the need to hide our sins or prove ourselves. Give us courage to repent. May we delight in the mercy that is already ours in Christ. By your Spirit, humble us and lead us deeper into your wisdom. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What connected with you from the sermon or the passage?
Why do you think our instinct is often to conceal something we’ve done wrong rather than admit it?
How do you normally respond when you realize you may have done something wrong. Are you more likely to hide, minimize, explain, blame, become defensive, or do something else? What might it look like to respond differently?
Read Proverbs 28:13 again. Why do you think the Proverb includes both confessing and forsaking? What would be missing if we did only one?
Repentance involves forsaking sin, but it does not mean we will never struggle with that sin again. What does forsaking sin look like?
Read Proverbs 20:9. Why is it important to recognize that none of us can make ourselves completely pure or clean from sin? Why cannot we simply “try harder” to repent?
How does knowing that our standing with God is based on Christ’s righteousness rather than our own record give us greater freedom to admit when we are wrong?
What do you sense God calling you to do from this passage?