The gift of repentance
Media > Jonah ‘The depths of God’s grace’ > The gift of repentance
June 4, 2023
The first of Martin Luther’s 95 theses said, ‘when our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.’ Repentance is key to catching and attracting God’s heart. And yet it is often surprisingly difficult to do. In this passage we look at the thorough and widespread repentance of the Ninevites that touches God’s heart, who acts in compassion to spare the city. There are lessons for us to learn about what repentance looks like. Plus, there is an invitation from God to catch His heart. To receive the gift of repentance not as burden, but as the key to a joyful, Christ filled life.
Jonah 3:6–10 (Listen)
The People of Nineveh Repent
6 The word reached1 the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
Footnotes
[1] 3:6
(ESV)
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.
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