May I call to our remembrance for a moment the event that took place in Nineveh. They were a wicked and perverse people and Jonah was sent by God to preach God’s impending judgment upon them. Jonah truly did preach a “turn or burn” message. The people did turn, they repented of their sin at the preaching of the Word of God by Jonah. They stopped doing the evil they were doing and repented in sackcloth and ashes – God relented and did not pour out His planned judgment. So you see, repentance is a turning away from sin and turning toward obedience to God.

Ezekiel 18:32 says: “For I have no pleasure in the death of Him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” (Repentance brings life). Acts 8:22 provides another example. Simon the Sorcerer becomes a Christian, and when he sees the power of the Holy Spirit working through Peter and John, he wants the same power but Peter tells him to repent of his sin of coveting, and if he does, God could forgive him.

What Repentance Does.  
When we acknowledge our sins and repent of them, our actions  bring mercy from God. In one example a commandment is given and the Angel Gabriel responds to help, read Daniel 9. Repentance is a condition for ongoing fellowship with God. When we repent of our sins, it withholds the judgment that God intended for us. When we repent, it cancels the destructive effects of sin. And when we repent of our sins, it allows us to be restored into intimate fellowship with God and grow.

May the God of repentance and eternal life, bless your soul in Jesus’ name. Amen.