This morning, as I was getting ready for the Service later today, I was contemplating the call of Christ and responses to Him that Scripture records. John the Baptizer preached “Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand.” Jesus preached “Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand,” and, after His resurrection, He commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all He commanded them. On the First day of Church (Pentecost), when the people asked “What shall we do?” Peter responded “repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” echoing the same promises of Jesus to His disciples.
So, I must conclude: there are only two responses to Christ. Repent (turn from sin toward Christ), or turn away from Christ. If you’ve not been baptized in to Christ, repent and be baptized, but for the follower of Christ, repentance is a daily process. We stumble and fall in many ways, but worse, we trust in ourselves, our ways, our interpretations, and our traditions over the words of Scripture. We trust more in ourselves than the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of God, who dwells in us. So we must choose this day whom we will serve. Either we will continue serving ourselves, and, even if we’ve served (and preached) in Church, risk hearing “I never knew you, away from me doers of lawlessness), or repent of our sin, daily, and surrender to Christ.
Matthew 3:7-12
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 4:12-17
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Acts 2:29-41
“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
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