                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                   The Marvelous Benefits of Repentance!

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By David Wilkerson
November 11, 1995
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          I want to talk to you about two very important aspects
          of repentance:

            1. What it requires, and
            2. Its marvelous benefits!

          The longer I walk with Jesus, the more I am convinced
          repentance is not just for sinners, but also for
          believers. It is not simply a one-time thing, but
          something God's people are called to do until Jesus
          returns.

          And I hope to show you that every Christian who
          maintains a repentant attitude brings upon his life
          God's special attention. Indeed, repentance opens up
          something to us that nothing else can. If we walk
          before the Lord with a repentant heart, we will be
          inundated with incredible blessings!

          But for now, I want to tell you what I believe is
          absolutely necessary to obtaining a repentant heart.
          First of all, this type of heart is soft and pliable.
          It responds to and acts upon godly reproof. It is
          tender, easily molded by the Holy Spirit.

          But the number-one characteristic of a repentant heart
          - its absolute foundation - is a readiness to
          acknowledge guilt! It is a willingness to accept blame
          for wrongdoing - to say, "I am the one, Lord. I have
          sinned!"

          You see, if there is no admitting to sin, there can be
          no repentance:

          "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not
          to be repented of..." (2 Corinthians 7:10).

          If you're not willing to acknowledge you're wrong,
          you're saying you don't need to repent. You see
          yourself as having done no wrong in the sight of God.

          Before Pilate released Jesus into the hands of
          murderous priests and elders, he wanted the world to
          know it wasn't his fault. So he called for a basin of
          water, dipped his hands into it and absolved himself
          before the angry mob. He declared himself innocent of
          Christ's blood:

          "When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but
          that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and
          washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am
          innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to
          it" (Matthew 27:24).

          The phrase "See ye to it" here means, "Make sure you
          all know my hands are clean. I have done nothing wrong.
          I am clean from all guilt!"

          Of course, Pilate's hands were not clean; he was about
          to hand over the Son of God to murderers. This kind of
          thinking shuts a person off from any possibility of
          repentance. Had a prophet approached Pilate the next
          day, preaching, "Repent or perish!" the ruler would
          have been aghast. "Who, me?" he'd have said. "I've done
          nothing wrong. I have washed my hands of everything.
          How can I repent when I haven't sinned?"

          John writes: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
          ourselves, and the truth is not in us.... If we say
          that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his
          word is not in us" (1 John 1:8, 10).

          Now, I was raised in the church, and during my lifetime
          I have seen many churches split in two. Each party
          would make an enemy of the other, until finally one
          group would leave and move down the road to start
          another church. Then the two parties would hurl curses
          at each other, gossiping, ridiculing, spreading vicious
          rumors.

          If you were to listen to the justifications each party
          made, you'd be amazed that no one is to blame. No
          Christian on either side admits to any wrongdoing.
          Instead, they look on each other as "the enemy" and
          wait for God to curse and judge them. They say to their
          opponents, "You just wait. When people in your church
          start dropping dead, then you'll know who's right!"

          But the truth is, both groups anger the Lord. Like
          Pilate, neither is in a position to repent - so they
          end up under His wrath! They become a congregation of
          the dead, living in a spiritual wilderness. Their
          families are troubled. They are always at odds with
          themselves. And it's all because nobody will accept any
          blame! No one says, "I'm the one who needs to be dealt
          with. I need prayer!"

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                      The Prophet Malachi Was Shocked
                       and Grieved by The Spiritual
                   Blindness of God's People in His Day!

                      -------------------------------

          Malachi was a prophet sent by God to reprove Israel.
          Yet each time he went to the people with a strong
          message, they reacted with mock innocence.

          The first time Malachi came to them, he preached, "You
          have profaned the holiness of the Lord! You know how to
          weep and cover the altar with your tears. But God has
          rejected all your sacrifices - because you're in sin!"

          The people reacted with total shock. They answered,
          "But, why? What have we done wrong?"

          Malachi answered: "...the Lord... regardeth not the
          offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at
          your hand. Ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath
          been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth,
          against whom thou hast dealt treacherously..." (Malachi
          2:13-14).

          Their sin was they had been divorcing their wives and
          marrying heathen women. And all the while they had
          continued going to the altar, performing all the
          religious activities, with their hearts full of sin.
          These men had openly rebelled against God's commands.
          But they denied it to themselves, saying, "What are you
          saying? We're clean!"

          So Malachi came to them a second time, preaching: "Ye
          have wearied the Lord with your words..." (Malachi
          2:17).

          In other words: "You are saying things that have
          absolutely shocked God. Your profanities have wearied
          Him!"

          Again, the people responded with mock innocence:
          "...Wherein have we wearied him?..." (same verse).

          They said, in essence, "How could we have wearied God?
          We've done no wrong."

          Malachi answered: "...When ye say, Every one that doeth
          evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he
          delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?"
          (same verse).

          You see, the people had been encouraging evildoers in
          the congregation. They knew full well that these rebels
          were in sin - but they assured them all would be well,
          that no judgment would fall on them. Simply put, they
          were blunting God's message - calling evil good, and
          good evil. Yet they said to Malachi, "Why are you
          saying this? We are innocent of any wrongdoing."

          Again Malachi came back to them, this time crying: "You
          have robbed God!"

          And again the people answered with their stock
          response: "What do you mean? How have we robbed God?"

          Malachi answered: "...In tithes and offerings" (Malachi
          3:8).

          He said, "You bring only garbage to the Lord's altar!
          You offer animals for sacrifice that are lame, blind
          and halt. These aren't the tithes and offerings that
          belong to God. You are robbing Him of your best!"

          Finally, Malachi gave up preaching to them because they
          wouldn't hear him. The final chapter of this book tells
          us he bypassed them all and turned to a small,
          discerning, repentant remnant. These people received
          his reproof, and their hearts were moved by the Spirit
          of God. They acted on Malachi's convicting words - and
          in turn God blessed them mightily!

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                    How Different David's Attitude Was
                      From the Mock-Innocent Hearers!

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          David continually searched his heart before God. He was
          quick to cry, "I've sinned, Lord. I stand in need of
          prayer!" "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine
          iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my
          transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the
          iniquity of my sin..." (Psalm 32:5).

          Being repentant doesn't mean you simply try to make
          things right with the person you've wronged. No - it's
          about making things right with God! God is the One who
          has been sinned against. Yes, we are to apologize to
          our brothers and sisters whenever we wrong them. But,
          more importantly, we are to repent of our sin before
          God. David said: "For I acknowledge my transgressions:
          and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only,
          have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that
          thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be
          clear when thou judgest" (Psalm 51:3-5).

          David believed in conducting heart searchings - in the
          hard discipline of digging out sin in his heart:
          "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know
          my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me,
          and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

          This man continually opened up his heart to God's
          searchlight. He said, "Lord, come and examine every
          corner of my life. If I've sinned against You in any
          way and I don't know it, please - reveal it to me. I
          repent!"

          Perhaps you search your heart as well. Yet you come
          away from the Spirit's dealings saying, "Thank
          goodness, I'm clean. I don't have any sin in me."
          Beloved, you are deceived! Scripture says that all have
          sinned and fallen short of God's glory "I the Lord
          search the heart, I try the reins [test the emotions],
          even to give every man according to his ways, and
          according to the fruit of his doings" (Jeremiah 17:10).

          Isaiah confessed: "For our transgressions are
          multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against
          us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our
          iniquities, we know them" (Isaiah 59:12).

          The prophet was saying, "We know all about our own
          sins!" Of course God knows when we say or do wrong
          things. But we know it too!

          What are these known transgressions Isaiah was talking
          about? They are; "...lying against the Lord, and
          departing away from our God, speaking oppression and
          revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of
          falsehood" (Isaiah 59:13).

          There is one sin from this list we all find easy to
          justify - and that is "uttering from the heart words of
          falsehood." This means telling others something you've
          heard that you believe to be true, yet in fact it is
          false. You may utter it "from the heart" - yet there's
          no getting around its falsehood!

          Some Christians think they can say virtually anything
          about anyone as long as they're sincere about it. They
          reason, "I mean no harm in saying it. It may not be
          what others think, but I believe it's true with all my
          heart."

          Yet, what if a word from a well-meaning heart is a lie?
          How could any Christian justify saying it? How could
          anyone think, "My hands are clean"? Even if some
          damaging piece of information that's spoken is true, it
          is truth that has fallen to the ground and been
          trampled in mud! "Talk no more so exceeding proudly;
          let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord
          is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed"
          (1 Samuel 2:3).

          God knows - and we know - all about our sinful tongues.
          And He will not tolerate gossip or slander in any form!

          Ezra was a godly scribe who loved the law of God and
          walked circumspectly before Him. He also was a great
          prayer warrior and a faithful preacher of God's Word.
          It would be hard to believe this man would need to
          repent of any sin.

          But Ezra's heart broke over all the compromise he
          witnessed among God's people. When he went to
          Jerusalem, he saw uncleanness, idolatry, mixed
          marriages. Of course, none of it was his sin - yet he
          didn't boast, "Everybody around me may be backsliding,
          but my heart is right before God!" No! Instead, Ezra
          cast himself on the ground, weeping and confessing as
          if the people's sins were his own. He identified
          himself with God's people - and he shared their shame!

          "...Ezra...prayed, and...confessed, weeping and casting
          himself down before the house of God...he did eat no
          bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the
          transgression of them that had been carried away" (Ezra
          10:1, 6). "...I fell upon my knees, and spread out my
          hands unto the Lord my God, and said, O my God, I am
          ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God:
          for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our
          trespass is grown up unto the heavens" (Ezra 9:5-6).

          Ezra confessed not only his own weakness, but the sins
          of the whole congregation. He mourned, wept and felt
          the hurt of sin that had spread throughout God's house.
          I ask you: Do you take repentance that seriously?

          Daniel had the same kind of repentant heart. He was a
          righteous man of prayer and devotion who lived so holy,
          you wouldn't expect to find him repenting. But Daniel's
          heart was sensitive to sin - and he too identified with
          the people's horrible sins "O Lord, to us belongeth
          confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to
          our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.... We
          have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done
          wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy
          precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we
          hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake
          in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
          and to all the people of the land" (Daniel 9:5-10).

          Daniel repeatedly used the words we, us, our. He was
          saying, in essence: "Every one of us is affected!"

          The key to it all is found in this verse: "And whiles I
          was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and
          the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my
          supplication before the Lord my God for the holy
          mountain of my God" (Daniel 9:20).

          Daniel said, "Oh God, deal with me while You're dealing
          with Your people. If there is any iniquity in my heart,
          bring it out. Show it to me!"

          Beloved, the Lord brought this message home to me in
          the last few weeks. Word came to me that a very
          slanderous thing had been said about me. It cut me to
          the heart, wounding me deeply. I cried for a whole
          week, asking God, "Why me, Lord?"

          The next week I was with a friend, and I began to talk
          about the slander. I named the person who had slandered
          me and recounted every evil thing this individual had
          said. I complained, "It's all a lie from the pit of
          hell - and I'm hurting!"

          That night at home, God's Spirit spoke to me: "How is
          what you did with your friend any different from what
          was done to you?" I thought, "What are You saying,
          Lord?" The Spirit whispered, "You slandered that
          individual in return, by telling what was done to you.
          You are just as guilty!"

          Everything that had been said to me in private, I had
          repeated and planted in someone else! Immediately, I
          fell before the Lord in repentance. And ever since, He
          has been showing me just how careful I have to be with
          my words.

          Not long before that incident, I had received a call
          from a pastor in the Midwest. The pastor mentioned a
          certain evangelist who is a mutual acquaintance of
          ours. He said, "I have to tell you, Brother David, I'm
          concerned for this man. He needs prayer, and I'm
          calling to enlist you to pray. He has totally lost his
          anointing. And every time I see him, he has lost
          weight. It's all because he's listening to a woman in
          our town who has a Jezebel spirit. He's under her
          spell!"

          Suddenly, it dawned on me. This pastor meant well and
          was truly concerned. But he was slandering our
          evangelist friend - and I was just as guilty for
          listening to it all!

          The Holy Spirit struck my heart while we were still on
          the phone. I quickly said to the pastor, "Brother, drop
          it - don't say another word! Leave it in God's hands."
          I did not want to pollute my lips or poison my spirit.
          And I believe if I were to talk to the slandered
          evangelist today, he would say, "Yes, I know those
          rumors are circulating, and it hurts me. But, no, this
          woman is not a witch. She's a godly, praying
          Christian!"

          The awful things I had heard about that man had to be
          dealt with in my own heart. A seed of distrust had been
          planted in me, and I still feel the hurt from it. Now
          the only way for that seed to come out is if I pray for
          my evangelist friend and love him. Only then will all
          the garbage be uprooted!

          A man in our church approached me recently after a
          worship service. He said he had been bad-mouthing his
          former church to people in our congregation. But God
          convicted him about his slander, and now he was
          miserable over it. The trouble was, he had just
          received a call from a man in his former congregation
          who, even though he still attended the church, wanted
          to gossip about it. The man told me, "I know when he
          comes to my house, he's going to want to talk about our
          old church. But I don't want to hear any more gossip.
          I'm sick of it!"

          Evil seeds of slander bring only hurt - both to the
          planter and to the listener!

                      -------------------------------

                        Now I Come to the Marvelous
                          Benefits of Repentance!

                      -------------------------------

          The book of Daniel mentions several benefits for those
          who have a repentant heart. Indeed, for all who
          acknowledge their sin, God does the miraculous!

          I want to show you just four of the many benefits of
          repentance. These four things came to Daniel as the
          result of his heartfelt confession. And each is
          available to us if we will repent:

          1. One benefit is a new and clearer vision of Jesus
          Christ.

          Read what happened after Daniel's repentance: "Then I
          lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain
          man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine
          gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and
          his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes
          as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in
          colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words
          like the voice of a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw
          the vision..." (Daniel 10:5-7).

          Who do you think this person was that Daniel saw in the
          vision? It was Jesus! What a wonderful benefit the Holy
          Ghost opened to Daniel when he confessed his sin. He
          gave him a clear vision of Christ in all His glory!

          Please understand: Daniel was not praying for this
          vision. All he was doing was repenting - confessing and
          mourning over sin. Jesus took it upon Himself to come
          to Daniel in this revelation; the Lord initiated it!
          You see, when we repent and make all things right with
          God and others, we don't have to seek a revelation.
          Jesus will manifest Himself to us!

          Now, Daniel had friends who were godly also, because he
          walked only among the righteous. Yet Scripture tells us
          none of them saw the vision Daniel received: "...the
          men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great
          quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide
          themselves. Therefore I was left alone..." (Daniel 10:
          7-8).

          A truly repentant heart never has to hide from the Lord
          - because there is no longer any fear of judgment! If
          you acknowledge your sins, evidencing godly sorrow and
          making restitution, you can look confidently into the
          Master's face. You don't have to quake with fear when
          you hear the thundering word of reproof - because
          you'll see Christ in His glory. You'll stand before His
          flaming eyes while everyone else is fleeing!

          2. A second benefit of repentance is the removal of all
          fear.

          "And, behold, an hand touched me... And he said unto
          me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the
          words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright... Then
          he said unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first
          day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and
          to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were
          heard, and I am come for thy words" (Daniel 10:10-12).

          Show me a Christian who refuses to acknowledge his sin
          - who says, "My hands are clean" - and I'll show you
          someone with a false piety. Such a person puts on a big
          smile, has a confident walk and boasts that all is
          well. But it's all a facade! The Bible makes it clear
          that if anyone hides his sin, that person will not
          prosper. God lifts His Spirit from him, and his soul is
          tossed like the waves. His unrepentant heart is full of
          fear and restlessness!

          But show me a repentant Christian - one who is
          sensitive to sin, willing to be searched, crying out,
          "I'm guilty, O God!" - and I'll show you one who soon
          will walk each day without any trace of fear. God will
          reach His mighty hand into that believer's heart and
          pluck out all roots of fear. And soon that person will
          know the immeasurable favor and blessing of God!

          "...O Daniel, a man greatly beloved ...stand
          upright..." (Daniel 10:11).

          Jesus told Daniel, "Stand upright, repentant one! I'm
          going to take away all your fear and trembling. And I'm
          going to put you on your feet and bless you with My
          favor!"

          Beloved, let God search and examine your heart. Ask the
          Holy Spirit to reveal everything you have said or done
          that is grievous to Him. Think of anyone you have
          slandered or gossiped about, and admit how sinful it
          was. Go to that person, or get on the phone, and make
          restitution.

          Now, it's not enough to say, "If I've wronged you in
          any way..." That isn't repentance. Repentance is
          admitting that what you did was a sin! So spill it out.
          Tell the person exactly what you said or did, and then
          make it right.

          I promise you - if you make all things right, you will
          release in your life such favor from God as you have
          never known! The Lord will open your eyes, ears and
          understanding - and you will be given a revelation of
          things to come: "...(you will) understand what shall
          befall thy people in the latter days..." (Daniel
          10:14).

          3. A third benefit of repentance is a new pair of lips.

          Daniel was given new lips that had been touched by
          God's purging hand: "And, behold, one like the
          similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I
          opened my mouth, and spake..." (Daniel 10:16).

          Now whenever Daniel spoke, he spoke "as unto the Lord"!

          Isaiah was a godly man who had issued mighty
          prophecies. But when he stood before the Lord in all
          His holiness, this prophet could only say, "...I am a
          man of unclean lips..." (Isaiah 6:5).

          God took coals of fire from the altar, put the tongs on
          Isaiah's lips, and burned out all dross, self and flesh
          - everything that was unlike Himself. And He gave
          Isaiah a new pair of lips! I believe the prophet never
          again had to have his lips purged.

          Yet God does this for every person who repents! Once
          your tongue and lips are purged, you will never again
          want to speak anything that is unlike Jesus. The words
          that flow from you will be pure!

          4. Finally, a fourth benefit of repentance is peace and
          strength.

          "...peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And
          when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and
          said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me"
          (Daniel 10:19).

          Daniel's soul was in agony. He had been mourning for
          sin - praying, fasting, weeping - and it left him flat
          on his face, totally drained. He moaned: "...my sorrows
          are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength"
          (Daniel 10:16).

          Then Jesus came to him and touched his body. And
          suddenly Daniel was flooded with peace and strength.
          "...O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto
          thee, be strong, yea, be strong...." (Daniel 10:19).

          Jesus told Daniel, "O Daniel, I love you. And I want to
          give you My peace. Now, stand up and be strong!"

          The repentant Christian can be downcast, totally wiped
          out, overwhelmed by sorrow and weariness. But the Lord
          always comes to touch his body - to give renewed peace
          and strength!

          I ask you: Do you have a repentant heart? Do you want
          one? Fall on your knees today and cry out in confession
          - for yourself, your family, your loved ones, your
          church. You will receive an incredible revelation of
          the Lord. You'll begin to speak from pure lips. You'll
          no longer live in fear of any kind. And you will know
          peace and strength from God's mighty hand.

          Best of all, each of these marvelous benefits will be
          "loaded" upon you daily: "Blessed be the Lord, who
          daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our
          salvation" (Psalm 68:19).

          That is when you will know the joy of walking in
          repentance. *Hallelujah!*

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

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