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A very good morning to all of you, welcome to Gospel Light, our first English worship service this Sunday morning. Glad you can join us, as has been prayed, we are going through the book of Hosea and we come to two chapters today - Hosea chapter 6 and Hosea chapter 7.

Growing up, I loved Kung Fu shows, Kung Fu movies, Kung Fu TV programs and usually the storyline is after many twists and turns, after many episodes, there will be this final showdown, this face-off, epic battle between the hero and the villain.

And they will fight for three days, three nights in a mountain top. And after three days and three nights, inevitably it will end this way — the hero would emerge victorious after a titanic struggle.

And now, with the knife on the neck, or not knife, the sword on the neck of the villain, the villain would say, "I'm sorry, I realise I'm wrong, Please have mercy on me, I will not do it again." And then, the camera will pan to the hero and you'll see his countenance soften. He would relent and deep in my heart, I will scream, "Don't do it! Just kill him, he's not real!"

But you know, for greater dramatic effect, the hero would now drop his arm, drop his head, turn around and begin to walk away. And it is at this precise moment, that with an evil glint in the eye of the villain, he picks up the dagger and lunges at the hero, and that's when the episode ends. It ends on a cliffhanger, so that tomorrow you will have to come back and watch the show for the next one, if you want to find out what happens.

Today we are talking about repentance, or more accurately, false repentance.

God in Hosea has established the guilt and adultery, spiritual adultery of the people of Israel. He then pronounced a very severe judgement and sentence upon the people in chapter 5. Now in chapter 6, we read of them now saying, "I'm sorry." But as we would soon find in chapters 6 and 7, it was not a genuine repentance because it is a repentance that doesn't count. It's not for real. They just say it, but they don't really mean it.

Repentance, today we're going to learn about what this is all about. We're going to see what false repentance is, and then we're going to learn about what real repentance is. By the way, for those of you may, who may think, "Ah this is not a very important subject." I ... I want to say to you, this is a super important subject.

But the tragic thing in our day and age today is, it is a very under-preached or very poorly understood subject. Jesus, when He came to this earth some 2,000 years ago, began His ministry declaring, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." [Matt 4:17]

That is His main message - You've got to repent. But today in preaching, you hardly hear the word, "repent". You just hear people say, "Believe in Jesus Christ." But hey, there's something important about this word that we've really got to understand! And at the end of the ministry of Jesus, before He's going to leave, He told His disciples, "Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem." [Luke 24:47]

So, this is a super important subject. What is repentance really? How does it look like? And how do you know if that repentance is genuine or false?

Well, we're going to see a case study of the people of Israel in Hosea chapter 6 and 7. They're going to give a negative demonstration. And then maybe if we have some time, I think we should look at what repentance then is all about. So, let's look at Hosea 6 and 7.

[1] THE DECLARATION
First of all, we hear the declaration of the people of Israel. This is what they say, after God established their guilt and pronounced the sentence, they say this, they say, "Oh, come let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up." [Hosea 6:1]

They say this correctly, it is nothing wrong here. They recognise that their sufferings, their pains are because God has dealt it upon them. They recognise it's from God, but they also recognise that God is able to heal them. "After two days, He will revive us; on the third day, He will raise us up, that we may live before Him." [Hosea 6:2]

So, they also believe that God is able to do it, and will do it. Verse 3, "Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; His going out as sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers ..." "We are ... we are in a drought, famine situation because of our sin, but God can give us spiritual rain, as it were. "... As the spring rains that water the earth." [Hosea 6:3]

So, their declaration is quite correct. God is the one who dealt this pain, God is able to heal, and God will ultimately bless us. Nothing wrong with the words they said. But therefore, it's important to see the diagnosis from God Himself - How does God see what they say?

[2] THE DIAGNOSIS
Well, God sees more than what they say. God sees their heart, God sees their life, and this is His diagnosis. "What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love, [at least your profession of love] is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. [Hosea 6:4]

I studied in a school quite far from where I stayed when I was in secondary school. I make it a point to take the first bus in the morning. I think it's at 5.45am. Why do I take such an early bus? For two reasons — number one, I want to get to school early uh, but two reasons, specifically, number one, the first bus is usually an empty bus, I can sleep all the way to school. I really treasure that extra one hour or so in a bus.

Second reason is - I got to get to school early to finish my homework. Not exactly finish, but to copy my homework. So some of my friends get early, "Eh, please ah, lend me lah!" And that is the real time I do all my homework, I copy everything. So I really got to get to school early, and my school was in a very big compound, huge compound, one of the biggest, I think, in Singapore.

And my classroom is perched at the top of the hill. And so we would have to walk from the entrance up a slope, and the slope just flanks a huge open field. And at six plus in the morning, when you walk up the slope, you look across to the field and you can't quite see the field because it is all cloaked in a mist, early morning mist. But by the time I get to my class, finished copying my homework and get back down for assembly, no more mist. It's bright, it's clear, it's sunny.

Well, that's the image I think about when God says, "Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away." Seems like a lot huh, but just give it some time and it will dissipate away.

God goes on to say, "Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets." [Hosea 6:5]

"Because I know your heart, I know this is not genuine repentance, judgment would still be executed upon you." And God uses stone masonry language, like a stonemason who would chip on the rock.

"I will hewn you, I've hewn you by the prophets. I've slain them by the words of My mouth ..." [Hosea 6:5] God is going to pronounce that judgment through the prophets. "... And My judgment goes forth as the light." It shines brightly through the darkness of your life and your lies.

"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice." [Hosea 6:6]

So a hint here is, these people are probably coming to the temple worship with their ... with their flocks, with their sheep, professing what they said in verses 1 to 3. "Oh, let us return to the LORD. Let us bring our sheep, our goats, and ap... and appease and placate our God's anger." But God says, "You've got it all wrong! I'm not interested in your sheep. I'm not interested in your goats, what I want is your heart, what I want is steadfast love, what I want is the knowledge of God, a real, loving, obedient relationship with Me and not your stuff!"

But they think that they can wing it and fake it and God wouldn't know it. How foolish!

"But like Adam, they transgressed the covenant." [Hosea 6:7]

Now, I know 99% of us, when we read this, "Like Adam, they transgressed the covenant," we will immediately interpret, "Oh, Israel sinned like how Adam sinned!" Correct? But obviously, if I say something like that, it means it's not lah! And the key is really understanding that there is the word, "there" here.

Adam is not referring to the person, Adam, of the Adam and Eve story, But Adam is a place found in. Well, it's written, for example, it's recorded in Joshua 3:16, for example. And it is to be read with understanding that this is about Gilead and Shechem, as well. So, Adam is a place and what God is saying, "Just like how people in Adam have sinned, Shechem have sinned, Gilead have sinned, maybe terribly sinful cities during the time of Hosea, you guys are incorrigible." That's I think, the point.

Verse 10, "In the house of Israel I've seen a horrible thing; The whoredom is there, Israel is defiled." [Hosea 6:10]

"And not only Israel, Judah, you also will get into trouble because you are also going to be judged. You are sinful likewise." And we know from history, later on, after Israel is captured by the Assyrians, Judah would also be deported by the Babylonians.

So, we read, "O Judah, a harvest is appointed." [Hosea 6:11] Uh, this is where we've got to understand the context. When we read harvest, we always think good stuff. Harvest the grapes, harvest the fruit, as if this is going to be a blessing. No! In the context, this is about judgment. And harvest, as a picture of judgment, is not rare in Scripture.

For example, Joel 3:13 would tell us that there is a harvesting of the grapes, so that there will be a trodding down of the grapes. You know how they make wine? Uh, in the good old days, they don't have heavy machinery, so they put all the grapes in a bucket or in a huge container, and people will now come into the container and with bare feet ah, I don't know why you like wine.

But with bare feet, they come and they tud, tud, tud, tud, tud, tud, they tread on the grapes. So, this harvesting of the grapes to be trodden down becomes an appropriate picture for judgment. God will come and trod upon Judah. That's a picture of judgment!

"When I restore the fortunes of my people, [when I want to do good to them], and when I would want to heal Israel ..." [Hosea 6:11] "Because they seem to turn to me, then you know that they were not really serious about it. They were just faking it, because when I would just heal them." "... The iniquity would be revealed, the evil deeds would be shown, they deal falsely."

They are all hypocrites! Did they really repent? Oh no, they didn't! So, "The pride of Israel testifies to his face ... " [Hosea 7:10] We are jumping to verse 10 just to show that chapter 6 and 7 reveals a repentance that doesn't count. "... They do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek Him." And the reason is because, "They do not cry to Me from the heart." [Hosea 7:14]

So a very quick run through, Hosea records the apparent contrite confession of Israel. They declare, "Let us return to the LORD." But God diagnoses their situation, their heart, "You never really sought Me, you never really cry to Me from the heart. You pretend to worship Me with your flocks, with your sheep, with your confession, but you don't obey Me, you do not love Me steadfastly. Your love is like the morning dew that passes away very quickly."

And ... and to prove all that, God is going to reveal their sins in greater detail, and their judgment in greater detail, in chapter 7 all the way to chapter 10. Now, I don't think I can preach five chapters in one shot, or four chapters in one shot. But all I can say is, chapter 7-10, they are repeated descriptions of the sinfulness and the damn worthiness of Israel. The judgment that God is going to pour out on them.

[3] THE DEPICTIONS
As a sample of what these four chapters will be, I just like to focus on chapter 7 and show you four pictures God uses. God ... God uses many pictures in these four chapters. But in chapter 7 alone, there are four depictions of the sinfulness and the deserved judgment that Israel will face.

So the four pictures are:
- Number one — a hot stove with burning flames.
- The second picture is cakes on fire, a cake in Israel's time is not so much your kueh lapis or your cheesecake, but bread, alright, cakes of bread.
- Then the third picture is that of a dove
- and the fourth picture is that of a bow.

How do these four pictures combine, or how do these four pictures apply to Israel? That's what we're going to look at.

[A] FURNACE
So the first picture is that of a hot, fiery, burning furnace. How is Israel a burning furnace? Let's look. "By their evil, they make the king glad, and the princes by their treachery." [Hosea 7:3-4]

So the most likely ... likely understanding as you look from here to verse 7 is that there is this treachery, this plotting and scheming and evil that is involved in the establishment of kings in Israel. "By their evil, they make their king glad." [Hosea 7:3] Probably with regard to how this king is put into power. It is done so with wickedness, it is done so with treachery.

Now, here is the picture. "They are all adulterous, they are all unfaithful to God, they are like a heated oven." [Hosea 7:4] So it's talking about the fire that is in the oven. You know when you go to pizza, you like oven, what's the word ah? Oven baked ... oven baked pizza because it's a bit chow tah [Hokkien dialect], nicer, more aromatic. Chinese we say, "wok hei" lah, but pizza oven, I don't know what you call it. It's burnt and it's aromatic because the fire is strong.

So it is a ... it is a picture of strong, heated passion and fire. And this fire is so strong that even when the baker ceases to stir it because he's busy, uh kneading his dough and .... and waited till the time it's leavened, it takes a long time to do that. But even if they ... if he doesn't do anything to the fire, he doesn't stir it to bring more oxygen in, it is already very strong and burning.

"And on the day of our king ..." [Hosea 7:5] So, this probably describes a time where their assassination plot is going to be hatched, "... The princes became sick with the heat of wine ..." So, this is about the drunken feast, when everybody is intoxicated with alcohol. "... He stretched out his hand with mockers."

So these people would now take the plunge, and "For with hearts like an oven, with hearts filled with violent rage, they approach their intrigue, their plan, their plot, their scheme; all night their anger smoulders, in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire." [Hosea 7:6-7]

So, this is likely an assassination description. All of them, all these people who are now jumping on the previous leadership, "They are hot as an oven, they devour their rulers, all their kings have fallen, and yet none of them calls upon Me." [Hosea 7:6-7]

This is probably the understanding of these few difficult verses. If you read 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles, you will realise that the northern kingdom of Israel had kings, many kings in rapid succession. It is said that there were four assassinations in 30 years, assassinations of kings. That's I guess accurately depicted in the raging passion and violence described in Hosea.

So, Israel is so filled with sin that their internal politics is in a mess. It's kings killing kings, princes revolting against their rulers, establishing the next kingdom and so on and so forth. Israel's sin has caught up with them, they are like a raging furnace of fire.

[B] CAKES
A second illustration is now more about the foreign politics. So, if the first picture talks about their internal politics and how they are filled with rage and how they kill one another, the second imagery talks about their foreign, ministry of foreign affairs, okay, how they deal with external kingdoms.

And Hosea ... God uses the picture of cakes, bread that are left on the furnace to be cooked. God says, "Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned." [Hosea 7:8]

So, you want to cook the bread, generally you want to cook both sides because otherwise one side will be burned and the other is left uncooked. I guess most of us don't do our bread this way, but if I say to you, "Israel is like a steak not turned." There are not many steak eaters here, uh, but Israel is like a steak not turned. I ... I guess you can understand what it is, right?

One side of a steak is chow tah, the other side of a steak is raw. Uh, who wants to eat this kind of steak? No one. And the idea here is Israel is now good for nothing. Israel is a cake not turned. Why? Because he mixes himself with the peoples, he is going to the other nations to seek help for the desperate situation.

"Strangers devour his strength." [Hosea 7:9]

So these foreign powers would require them to pay tribute. "Alright Israel, you want my help?" "Alright, you pay me." And so these strangers come and instead of really helping Israel, they are just fleecing Israel. They are just living off them, taking from them. And Israel does not know it, Israel thought that this is the right thing, "I'm going for other powerful nations to help me, but actually it's weakening me."

"Grey hairs are sprinkled upon him." [Hosea 7:9] This is a picture of weakening, ageing, decay. And again, he does not even know it.

"The pride of Israel testifies to his face ..." [Hosea 7:10] You know through it all, Israel will not turn to God. "I can settle my problems," just like a rebellious child. "I can settle my problems." And so he says, "I will not turn to God, I'll turn to Assyria, I'll turn to Egypt, I'll handle my own situation."

"They do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek Him for all this." [Hosea 7:10] And that is the picture that God wants them to know. Internally you are in a mess, externally you are getting fleeced. This is what your sin, this is what your pride has gotten you into.

[C] DOVE
The third picture is that of a dove. I ... I think one or two weeks ago in our staff lunch, we, we did a personality test and it's called the DOPE test, D-O-P-E. No, we did not test for drugs, but it's a personally ... personality test to see what kind of bird describes you best. So D stands for dove, O stands for ostrich, huh, huh, huh, a good guess, but not ostrich, but owl. P stands for pigeon, parrot, quite good, but the, the one that is given is peacock. And E stands for eagle.

So after we've done the test, most, vast majority of our church staff, they are all not eagles lah. Most are ostrich, huh, huh. Most are peacock, oh peacock. You know what's peacock? Peacock is those who like to flaunt and vaunt. There are zero peacocks in the church staff, at least that ... that survey. Most are doves.

So according to the personality test, doves are peace-loving, very relational people. That's the description! I need to say that first because right here, the description of dove is not so flattering because God says, "Ephraim is like a dove, silly and without sense." [Hosea 7:11]

Now, I ... I just want to be clear that the ... the Bible uses different images for different things. Ah, so in, in case you think doves are bad, it is not because the Holy Spirit is likened to a dove. Obviously, we are not saying, "The Holy Spirit is silly," that would be wrong, but the Holy Spirit is gentle like a dove. So different attributes are being used, referred to in different ways.

But in this case, the dove is used because they are seen to be silly and without sense. Now it's not rare because later on Jesus would say, "Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." So if serpents are wise, they are probably very harmful, huh. If doves are harmless, they are probably not so wise, silly.

So, the idea here is that "Ephraim has lost her senses." [Hosea 7:11] She has turned foolish. In what way is Ephraim foolish? She has foolishly called out to Egypt and to Assyria rather than to the LORD, their God. [Hosea 7:11] That's their folly!

"As they go, God says, I will spread over them My net; I'll bring them down like birds of the heavens; I'll discipline them according to the report made to their congregation." [Hosea 7:12]

"So they think that they are smart, they can save themselves, they do not need Me. Well, I'm going to teach them a lesson so that they will learn and turn."

"Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me ..." [Hosea 7:13] That's their main problem, they do not fear God, they do not love God, they stray from God. "... Destruction is therefore to them for they rebelled against Me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me." [Hosea 7:13] They are not genuine in their confession, they are not genuine in their repentance. They do not honor the covenant.

"They do not cry to Me from the heart ..." [Hosea 7:14] That is the diagnosis! They do not cry to Me with a genuine heart of repentance. "... But they wail upon their beds ..." The beds here is not your King-Coil bed when you sleep at night. It's probably referring to the cushions beside Canaanite god-worshipped places. And there with the Canaanite gods, they cry out, "Help us god." But actually all they want is wine and grain. [Hosea 7:14]

They do not want Jehovah. So, they are pictured like a dove. Silly! They do not turn to God, they turn to other powers.

[D] BOW
The last picture is that of a bowl. In what way is Israel like a bow?

"Although I trained and strengthened their arms, yet they devise an evil against Me." [Hosea 7:15] You know that's the the sinful heart. They have been blessed, they have been loved, they have been given so much and yet this is how they respond.

"They return but not upward ..." [Hosea 7:16] If you look at your footnotes, it can refer to how they do not turn to mighty ... to the Almighty. So they do not turn to God. Ultimately, "... they are like a treacherous, a faulty, spoilt bow." [Hosea 7:16]

So you know when a bow, it works well, it's supposed to help you get the target, But a treacherous, faulty bowl just causes you to misfire. You don't shoot correctly, you miss the target, you lose the war and you get defeated. Israel is just like that! They do not do what they are supposed to do, they get defeat upon themselves, they bring shame to themselves.

"Their princes shall fall by the sword because of the insolence of the tongue ..." [Hosea 7:16] Probably because of the lies they speak. "... And they shall be the derision, they shall be the joke, they shall be the cause for laughter and mockery in the land of Egypt."

So, did Israel really repent? Not really. They are treacherous like the furnace. They are like a cake not turned, good for nothing. They are silly like doves and they are like a faulty bow. They don't hit the mark, they don't do what they are supposed to do.

So, this is chapter 7, four pictures. I can go on and on, chapter 8, 9, 10, a lot of pictures but I think it's hard to do it in a sermonic form. Probably best for you to do your Bible study there but let me jump to chapter 10. And God says, "You have ploughed iniquity; you will reap injustice; you have eaten the fruit of your lies because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors ... " [Hosea 10:13] Therefore, you're going to reap what you sow. "... The tumult of war shall rise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed." [Hosea 10:14]

I guess that very succinctly summarises the theme in chapters 7-10.

But the point I think we need to walk away with is this - Israel pretends to repent but it's a repentance that doesn't count. God diagnoses it right from the word go, and uh depicts it in the pictures that He has given.

"Though they say, "Let us return to the LORD," [Hosea 6:1] they don't because their love is like a morning cloud, the dew that goes early away [Hosea 6:4]. They deal falsely with God [Hosea 6:11-7:1], they do not return to the LORD, neither do they seek Him [Hosea 7:10]. They do not cry to Me from the heart but instead, they wail upon the beds whilst they worship Canaanite gods and they don't really want Me anyway, all they want is grain and wine. [Hosea 7:14] It is a repentance that doesn't count."'

I can end a sermon today and you say, "Hah, like that ah? Israel doesn't repent, then what has this got to do with me?" So, I made sure we have some time to look at then what is genuine repentance. It's not going to be long, but I think it's necessary.

Like I said, repentance is one of the most important words in a Christian vocabulary. It should be and yet, it is probably one of the least understood in a Christian vocabulary. I hope today you will learn a vocabulary today, a word in this Christian vocabulary. But more than that, not just know it but for some, maybe for the first time in your life, you would do it. And for those who are God's people, it will be something that you will do regularly for the rest of your life.

So, what is repentance really? I've actually said this several times in church, but I'm also very sure only 5% will remember. And that's why the job of a preacher is quite easy, You just say the same old things. Uh, and believing that people will still say, "Aah, I never heard that before!"

[REPENTANCE IS ACKNOWLEGING]
So, repentance, what is it? There are a few things I need you to understand. Number one, repentance is acknowledging. It's saying, "Yes, I admit, I confess, I'm guilty as charged."

So, number one, repentance is acknowledging your sin, not making excuses, not minimising it, not saying, "Oh, it's not so bad!" Not saying, "Oh, as long as I'm not caught, as long as nobody knows." No, repentance is agreeing with God, acknowledging that I have done wrong.

[REPENTANCE IS GRIEVING OVER]
But it's more than just an intellectual understanding because I think repentance is also grieving over one's sin. It's being emotionally affected. It's having that hatred, it's having that sadness and sorrow because you know your sin has grieved your God and therefore you are grieved. I think any good son will be grieved when the father is grieved because of his sins. And so, a child of God or any one of us would be grieving over our sins because we know how much that grieves our Father.

[REPENTANCE IS FORSAKING SIN]
But repentance is more than acknowledging and grieving over, it also must include the forsaking of sin. That really is the crux of the matter here at Hosea, in Israel, isn't it? They may say that they are sorry, but they have kept on sinning and have not turned, have not forsaken their sins. And all this is to be done in the context of turning to God. You do all these things, you acknowledge your sin, you grieve over your sin, you forsake your sin because you want to turn to God.

[1] INTELLECTUAL
So there is, number one, an intellectual component to repentance. You've got to know it. In fact, the word repent is the word, 'metanoia', which means a change of mind. Previously, you think to yourself, "Sin is quite harmless, it's quite alright, as long as the police don't catch me, as long as I don't get into jail, I can do whatever I want."

But when someone really repents, he doesn't give excuses, he has a change of mind, he admits, he acknowledges it is wrong.

[2] EMOTIONAL
But he also grieves over his sin if he truly repents. There's a strong emotional component to true repentance. We learned this, for example, in 2 Corinthians:9-11.

Look at the number of times the word grief appears in these few verses. "You will grieve, grieve, grieve, grieve, grieve into repenting." You cannot really repent if you're not grieving over your sin. So there is a grieving over sin, and that is what Jesus, I think was talking about when someone mourns. [Matt 5:3-4]

This is not mourning because you did not strike 4D, this is not mourning because you lost your job. This is I think, mourning because you see the absolute bankruptcy of your soul. You see how much of a sinner you are, how naked you are before God, and you mourn, you grieve over your sin.

There are some people who tell you it's not good to grieve, Christians should always rejoice. I agree we should always rejoice in the Lord, but we should also grieve over our sin. And I think it's only when you grieve over your sin that you can really enter the joy of the Lord.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." [Matt 5:4]

There is no true communion with God unless there is repentance.

[3] PRACTICAL
So repentance is acknowledging, repentance is grieving and repentance is forsaking sin. This is the third aspect, there must be a practical component to repentance.

Again, back to 2 Corinthians 7:11, which we journeyed with - There is this eagerness to clear yourself. If you are really repentant, you will not say, "All right, thank you God for forgiving me, I can go on living the way I used to." Oh no! If you admit this is wrong, if you really grieve over it, you cannot stay in it.

Now, I want to caveat this by saying, now, it's not saying that when someone repents, he will never ever fall into the sin again, as if he will arrive at sinless perfection. I don't think that's possible! But certainly, someone who is repentant would demonstrate and exhibit sincere progression. There should be a measure of victory over sin over time.

Real repentance is seen in an eagerness to clear ourselves. [2 Cor 7:11]

John the Baptist was approached by the religious leaders of his time, saying, "Can you also baptise us, because this is a baptism unto sin, ... is this a baptism to confess our sin?" You know what John the Baptist said to them? "You've got to bear fruits in keeping with repentance." [Luke 3:8] If you really repent, then you've got to change your life, you've got to change your way.

"Every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." [Luke 3:9] Because no matter what you say, if you are not bearing fruit in keeping with repentance, you did not really repent and you will be judged, you'll be thrown into fire.

So they asked, "What must we do? How do we bear fruit in keeping with repentance?" [Luke 3:12] To the tax collectors, John said, "Collect no more than you are authorised to do." [Luke 3:13] Change your way. You've been cheating your people, you've been fleecing them, don't do that anymore. If you are really repentant, you will change.

And then he said to the soldiers, "If you really repent, do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation and be content with your wages." [Luke 3:14] Do not cheat, do not extort. That's repentance!

And they, Paul was preaching saying, "They should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance." [Acts 26:20]

I think, looking at these Scriptural verses, I compose therefore, and present to you what I think repenting is simply all about. It's acknowledging, grieving over, forsaking sin. These are the three components involved.

But lastly, I want to say, not lastly, still got one more thing. But one of the ways to really understand, I ... I like the Chinese language is that its, its very succinct. Uh, I think the Chinese language has this ... is 成语 called proverb? Proverb ah? So short, also called proverb? 是吗? [shì ma, is it?] 是 [shì, yes]. OK, all right.

So, the Chinese have a proverb that describes repentance very well, and it is the phrase, wah lau ... it is the phrase? What Chinese proverb describes repentance? Ah, 浪子回头 [làng zǐ huí tóu, prodigal son returns]? Eh, 不是我浪子回头 [bú shì wǒ làng zǐ huí tóu]. 回头是岸 [huí tóu shì àn, repent]? OK, 回头是岸 is a ... is a good one, I suppose. But I ... I like this phrase, 痛改前非 [tòng gǎi qián fēi].

Wow! It's actually very simple, right? 痛改前非 literally means painful change before wrong, Or no ... no ... painful change last time wrong, that's ... that's probably, probably better. You are pained, and therefore you changed from the errors of the past. 痛改前非。 You know it's wrong, you are pained and grieved because of your sin, and you changed what was done.

So, this is what repentance is all about. But finally, I said it's all about turning to God. You cannot turn to God if you do not repent of your sin. Let me say that again, you cannot turn to God if you do not repent of your sin. You cannot say, "I want to be a Christian, I want to believe in Jesus, but let me live the way I used to live. I just add Jesus to my life." No, it doesn't work that way!

Real salvation comes to those who are contrite, broken, who recognise that they are sinful before a Holy God. You see, Christianity is not about getting rich, it's not about helping you in your despair or depression. Christianity is more than that, it's saving you from your sin. It's helping you be reconciled with God, but you cannot come to God if you say, "I still love my sin. Let me have my sin, God, but you come into my life."

No! If you want to turn to God, you've got to repent. You've got to know your sinfulness, grieve over your sinfulness, and be willing to forsake your sins. You say, "How can I turn to God if I do not know that He will accept me?" This is the Good News, God wants you to repent, God is willing to embrace.

I think that's why Jesus said that, "This time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel." [Mark 1:15]

What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the Good News that God has sent His Son to save His people from their sins. You know, you will not repent if you think that the person you're turning to don't want you. Correct? If ... if I want to turn to my Father and my Father is still angry with me and He will never accept me, I wouldn't turn to Him, I'll be in trouble. But if my Father loves me and has said that He will receive me, if I admit my wrong, grieve over my sin and seek to obey, I can turn back to my Father.

The Good News, the Gospel is that God has declared very, very clearly some 2,000 years ago, that you can turn back to Him. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Jesus, in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life." [John 3:16] "You can come back to Me," God says.

You remember the song I ... we sang? "Oh, Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree." God has indicated His acceptance, His willingness, His open arms already on the tree of Calvary. Today you can turn, you can turn to God, but you must repent of your sins.

So if you're here today and you do not know what Christianity is about, let me tell you that Christianity is about this Gospel, this Good News, this amazing message that God has sent His Son to save us from our sins. You say, "What must I do?" Hear this - Repent and believe in Jesus Christ. May you today be wonderfully saved.

And for all my brothers and sisters in Christ, I ... I say to you, repentance is the entrance into the kingdom and it is the lifestyle of the people of the kingdom. Every day we blow it, every day we sin against God, but every day we can say that prayer Jesus taught us to pray, "And forgive us our debts." We can repent because our Father is waiting for you.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together.

Thank you for bearing with me. I know this is not an easy message by any means, a lot of details, a lot of description of Israel, but I hope the case study in Israel helps you see more clearly what repentance is. But at the end of the day, it's about a relationship with God. God is holy and we are not, but our God is merciful and even though we are sinful, He graciously provides a way back to Him.

And that way is none other than Jesus Christ, His Son, who died and rose again to secure payment for our sins. And so the Bible commands men everywhere to repent and to believe in the gospel, to turn from your sin, to grieve, to forsake your sin. And now, believe that God will receive you because Jesus paid it all.

So I say to you, if you're here today and you do not know Jesus, this is not ... the Bible is not a message that says, "Do better, earn your way to God." No, You can't! Because no matter what you do, they will never be good enough, but the Bible gives us the message that says, "Humble yourself, be poor in spirit, and mourn over your sin. Grieve over it, desire to forsake it and turn to My Son, who gave His life to save you and cleanse you from your sin."

It's all about God's grace. Don't turn to Egypt, don't turn to Assyria, don't turn to other so-called gods, don't turn to your own self-righteous works. You are silly if you do that! But turn to the Lord your God, who in the Bible has clearly opened wide His arms to say, "Come home, My son. Be saved."

And to my brothers and sisters, maybe there is a sin you are harboring in your life today. Perhaps like the Israelites, we came this morning saying, "Lord, I bring you my sheep, I bring you my flocks. I sing I love you, Lord." But you know today God knows. Let me tell you, my brother, my sister, whilst God is grieved, He still loves you and He wants you to turn back, He wants you to repent. He wants you to be washed, He wants you to plunge into the flood that flows from Calvary's mount. There can be forgiveness, and there is forgiveness, but come humbled and willing to obey.

So Father, this morning we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for Your grace. You don't give us second chance, third chance, fourth chance. I can't even know how many times I've sinned against You, We've sinned against You. But thank You that Jesus paid it all, so God, may Your children walk in obedience, afresh and anew. And may sinners be beautifully called to salvation today. Work in our hearts by the power of Your Spirit. We thank You in Jesus' Name. Amen.



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