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True Repentance and Obedience Look to the Lord
"True repentance says like David said, “In you, LORD my God, I put my trust. I trust in you.” True repentance looks to the LORD at all times and says, “My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.” True repentance realizes that we can’t make a single one of those sins of our past go away, and humbly calls to the LORD, “Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.” True repentance desperately pleads, “For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.”
Do you see the difference there? True repentance isn’t about anything I am or I’ve done or will do. No, the only thing that we contribute here is the rebellious ways and the great iniquity. But our plea to the LORD is based on his great mercy and love, on his goodness, for the sake of his name. It’s all about who God is. He’s the one we look to and cling to. He’s the one we put our trust in, put our hope in, and take refuge in – the LORD who is our God and Savior.
That’s the LORD to whom we plead, “Show me your ways, LORD. Teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me.” And through his Word, he does just that. He teaches us what true obedience is. When people came to Jesus and asked, “’What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’” (John 6) That’s not a work at all. That’s just trusting that God has already done all the work. That’s true obedience – believing in the one he has sent – believing in Jesus.
He’s the promised descendant of David, the God and Savior of David, in whom David put his hope all day long. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He’s the LORD’s way. Jesus is our God and Savior, the Son of God in whom the Father was pleased and who had that perfect relationship with him for you. He bore our sins, as great as they are, for his own sake, because of his great mercy and love. Jesus took all your affliction, all your distress, and all your anguish as he took all the sins of your youth, all of your rebellious ways, and he paid for them in full in his one perfect and complete work of satisfaction. He satisfied the justice and wrath of God for you on that cross.
And because of Jesus’ work, the LORD no longer remembers those sins of your youth – none of them. He no longer remembers those rebellious ways – not a single one. He remembers you according to his great mercy and love, according to what Jesus has done. He remembers you as his forgiven child.
True obedience looks to the LORD and simply trusts that this is most certainly true – that the LORD has released our feet from the snare of sin through Jesus. And he did it freely, for his sake. And having been set free, we are free to walk in the LORD’s ways. Out of love and thanks, we love to learn from the LORD so we can follow his ways. And the LORD is happy to teach us. He loves instructing us. As David wrote, “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” Through his Word, he instructs us in the ways we should choose as we live a life of thanksgiving and praise to him in true obedience.
Do you see the difference there? True obedience isn’t about following God’s laws because we have to, to try to make up for our sins, or to try to earn forgiveness or a right relationship with God – all the while being afraid of God and never knowing if we’ve done enough to please him. But just like true repentance, true obedience is all about trusting the LORD and the great mercy and love he has shown to us. And, in response to all he’s done for us, it’s our privilege, it’s our joy, it’s our freedom to put God’s will into action in our lives. It’s what we want to do.
So true obedience to God is not a burden, but a blessing. How wonderful is it that we get to walk on the path the LORD has prepared for us, knowing that he will bless us on that way. For as David says, “All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.” That promise is ours as we live in true obedience – looking to the LORD and his way, believing and trusting in Jesus, the one he has sent." October 19, 2017 2:56 PM by John Derme
"True repentance says like David said, “In you, LORD my God, I put my trust. I trust in you.” True repentance looks to the LORD at all times and says, “My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.” True repentance realizes that we can’t make a single one of those sins of our past go away, and humbly calls to the LORD, “Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.” True repentance desperately pleads, “For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.”
Do you see the difference there? True repentance isn’t about anything I am or I’ve done or will do. No, the only thing that we contribute here is the rebellious ways and the great iniquity. But our plea to the LORD is based on his great mercy and love, on his goodness, for the sake of his name. It’s all about who God is. He’s the one we look to and cling to. He’s the one we put our trust in, put our hope in, and take refuge in – the LORD who is our God and Savior.
That’s the LORD to whom we plead, “Show me your ways, LORD. Teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me.” And through his Word, he does just that. He teaches us what true obedience is. When people came to Jesus and asked, “’What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’” (John 6) That’s not a work at all. That’s just trusting that God has already done all the work. That’s true obedience – believing in the one he has sent – believing in Jesus.
He’s the promised descendant of David, the God and Savior of David, in whom David put his hope all day long. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He’s the LORD’s way. Jesus is our God and Savior, the Son of God in whom the Father was pleased and who had that perfect relationship with him for you. He bore our sins, as great as they are, for his own sake, because of his great mercy and love. Jesus took all your affliction, all your distress, and all your anguish as he took all the sins of your youth, all of your rebellious ways, and he paid for them in full in his one perfect and complete work of satisfaction. He satisfied the justice and wrath of God for you on that cross.
And because of Jesus’ work, the LORD no longer remembers those sins of your youth – none of them. He no longer remembers those rebellious ways – not a single one. He remembers you according to his great mercy and love, according to what Jesus has done. He remembers you as his forgiven child.
True obedience looks to the LORD and simply trusts that this is most certainly true – that the LORD has released our feet from the snare of sin through Jesus. And he did it freely, for his sake. And having been set free, we are free to walk in the LORD’s ways. Out of love and thanks, we love to learn from the LORD so we can follow his ways. And the LORD is happy to teach us. He loves instructing us. As David wrote, “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” Through his Word, he instructs us in the ways we should choose as we live a life of thanksgiving and praise to him in true obedience.
Do you see the difference there? True obedience isn’t about following God’s laws because we have to, to try to make up for our sins, or to try to earn forgiveness or a right relationship with God – all the while being afraid of God and never knowing if we’ve done enough to please him. But just like true repentance, true obedience is all about trusting the LORD and the great mercy and love he has shown to us. And, in response to all he’s done for us, it’s our privilege, it’s our joy, it’s our freedom to put God’s will into action in our lives. It’s what we want to do.
So true obedience to God is not a burden, but a blessing. How wonderful is it that we get to walk on the path the LORD has prepared for us, knowing that he will bless us on that way. For as David says, “All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.” That promise is ours as we live in true obedience – looking to the LORD and his way, believing and trusting in Jesus, the one he has sent." October 19, 2017 2:56 PM by John Derme