It’s a clever play on words…if you ask me. And while I’m no word meister, I do appreciate the English language enough when the use of so few words can say so much, just like the saying on this image I shared today.

“No Jesus – No peace. Know Jesus – Know peace”

It really is that simple. Peace is what He came to offer us (John 14:27), but it was ‘HIS’ peace and not the temporal or artificial ‘peace of mind’ that the world claims to offer; and believe me – there is a difference.

Quoting the prophets of old, the indictment was clear when Paul reaffirmed: “The way of peace they (we) have not known.” (Rom. 3:17). And guess what Jesus came to do- ‘to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death…and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79). And here’s the really good part- it was to be the means in which Jesus (via the Holy Spirit) would not only remain with us…but continue to lead and guide us. It is the peace of God that resides in our hearts (Phil. 4:7), provided we continue to follow and abide in Him. You can’t continue to walk in His peace, a peace that ‘passes all understanding’… if you go your own way. So why bother calling Him ‘Lord’…if we are not going to do what He says? (Luke 6:46)

That’s what makes the statement in Isaiah 30:15 so promising and simple, yet so consequential - if you want to know this peace and rest and confidence and quietness…then ’repent’…or ‘turn back to Me’. That’s what God was trying to convey to His ‘rebellious children’ (Isa. 30:1,9); but they didn’t really want to hear it. They pushed back and told the prophet…”get out of our way and turn aside from this path with all this talk of the ‘Holy One of Israel’…tell us smooth and pleasant things instead’ (10-11).

God made it clear…His people were not interested in ‘hearing the law’;  and do you recall what God would communicate through Hosea?…that since His people had ‘forgotten His law…He in turn would forget their children’ (Hosea 4:6). You might give that a moment and let that sink in.

Yet, if…if…if…you want all that to change, it can; but you will need to ‘repent’ or return to Him, depending on what translation you are reading. In ‘repentance and rest was your salvation…but you would not have it. And friends…I truly believe we have failed to grasp the meaning of repentance and what all it includes and promises. Jesus could not have been more candid when He was discussing the reason as to why various groups of people had ‘suffered’ in the most tragic of ways (Luke 13:1-5). And he was quick to point out that this was not because those people were ‘any worse sinners’ than the rest of us. He then warned that ‘unless we too repent…we will all likewise…perish’.

Have you ever found yourself asking…’repent from what’? You know…like can He be more specific here? What does it mean to actually ‘repent’? And just to be clear…we need to understand the heart of God: He’s not out to get or to condemn or to destroy anyone. He sent Jesus to ‘save us from destruction’ (John 3:17; Ps. 107:20). It’s NOT His will than ANY perish…but that all would come to…’repentance’.” (2 Pet. 3:9) That was the core message He came preaching: “Repent…for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17).

The ‘key’ word in the definition of ‘repent’ is to ‘turn’…to ‘change direction and your way of thinking’. Have you ever been following GPS on your phone while driving and miss an exit? You have heard the voice of Siri (or whoever) start telling you to ‘re-route…re-route…re-route’, or ‘turn around’. And while Siri may want you to change direction immediately in order to get on the right ‘path’…so does God want us to ‘re-route’ or to ‘repent’ and turn around and come to Him…if we want this peace and life and rest. Until we do repent…we can’t experience what He offers us (John 5:40).

I closed out yesterday’s message wanting to draw a line of distinction between the word ‘confess’ and ‘repent’; and there is a difference. It’s one thing to ‘confess’ our sins… but it’s another thing altogether to ‘repent’ of/from them. To ‘confess’ is simply to acknowledge or to fully agree with something. When a criminal ‘confesses’ to a crime they committed, they are ‘coming clean’ and admitting to law enforcement officials of what they did. This does not absolve that person from blame or responsibility, nor does it guarantee a reduced sentence for committing that crime; but there are times when it might help do that very thing.

In fact, on a side note here, take a look at James 5:15-16. James is offering some sound advice on how believers might find some quick healing if they happen to be sick. He counsels them to ‘confess your sins to one another and then pray for one another so that you might be healed.” Now isn’t that interesting? If you read vs. 14, it is advised that if anyone among us is sick…to call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil so that the prayer of faith will ‘raise them up’…and that their ‘sins might be forgiven’. I wonder what the connection here might be with ‘sin and sickness’? But it sounds as if ‘confession’ is a starting point. And please note, he’s directing believers to ‘confess their sins to one another’. I know they didn’t have social media back then…but there’s no need to go public and to announce to the world your dirty laundry…if you want healing.

So let’s talk about what it means to ‘repent’ or to ‘turn from’ those sins. Using our criminal who ‘confessed’ to his crime…it is possible the judge might be lenient with him…sense a truly humbled and remorseful heart, (maybe like Jesus did with the 'adulterous woman' in John 8); and instead of ‘throwing the book at him’, or tossing him in the prison and ‘throwing away the key’…what if he gives him a second chance? Do you think there might be some ‘conditions’ attached to this clemency? Maybe a ‘go and sin no more’ warning…’lest something worse happens to you’? (John 5:14;8:11).

Suppose our ‘criminal was a teenager who was caught vandalizing public property. If he conveys to the judge that he is truly remorseful…having confessed openly of his crimes while promising to ‘turn’ and not do this anymore…this would be a good thing, yes? But what if he walks out of that courtroom and the following week…goes out and vandalizes some more public property…has he ‘turned from’ doing this act? Has he truly ‘repented’?

If you tell your child to stop hitting their younger sibling…and they continue to do so, maybe not as frequent or as violent…but still continues hitting/slapping them…have they truly ‘repented’? No!

So when we convince, if not ‘indoctrinate’ new (or older) believers in Christ…that they will ‘remain as sinners’…and continue to ‘sin’…are we not setting them up for life long struggles of not being able to ‘know peace’? Because if one truly ‘repents’…and ‘comes to Him’ and begins to ‘abide in Him (Jesus)…does scripture not state that we will begin to ‘walk as He did’ (1 John 2:6) and ‘no longer continue to sin’? (1 John 3:6,9; 5:18). Do you think this might have anything to do with the ‘fruits of repentance’ that John the Baptist spoke of back in Matt. 3:8? And what did John warn the crowd was on the way? (7)

You don’t want to miss tomorrow’s message…I hope you’ll join me.