Repentance and Surrender

The Light of the Son

This morning I listened to a couple of sermons as I tried to focus and clear my head.  The first was by Charles Spurgeon and the second was by A.W. Tozer.  As I listened, I began to ponder the two subjects.  Spurgeon spoke of the Seven Churches of Revelation, and I thought of repentance.  Tozer spoke of where God ranked in my life and spoke out of Psalms 57.

I listened, and half heard the first sermon by Spurgeon.  It takes a while for the clouds to clear.  But I came to this point where I paused the sermon and picked up my Bible, and I read Revelation chapter 2 and 3.  I read these two chapters and let the warnings and the cure soak in.

Listen

As I read chapter 2 and 3, I listened to the judgments and the warnings.  Each church was given an account by God, and all were commanded to repent except Smyrna and Philadelphia; they were cautioned to hold on.

I did not make it through the entire Spurgeon sermon, but after I had read the two chapters in Revelation, I leaned back in my chair just to reflect on the words I had read.  I was just letting it soak in when one of my devotionals, Tozer on Christian Leadership, caught my eye, so I picked it up and read it.   The title for today was ‘Take Time to Listen.’  The referenced verse was Psalms 119:130-131.

Psalm 119: 130-133

I opened my Bible to 119 and read the two verses Tozer referenced, but I could not stop there.  I read on to 133

130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant,
because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your way with those who love your name.
133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Psalms 119:130-133 (ESV)

Tozer devotional spoke of our need to slow down and take the time to listen to what God has for us in His Word.  We can strive to seek Him but if we are not careful our quest to know God becomes a punch list of items that we need to fix and we do not stop long enough to meditate on what His Word leads us to.

Reflection

I stopped and thought about the first two verses.

130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant,
because I long for your commandments.

That is how I feel about God’s Word.  They are light and they impart understanding.  There are times through the day that I just long for that understanding.  Then I read the last two verses and I was humbled.

132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your way with those who love your name.
133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me. 

If I am so busy how can I ask God to turn to me and be gracious to me?  It is not enough to simply long for the Word of God to light my path.  I need to keep my eyes always on Him and listen for those subtle corrections; for that still small voice that Isaiah spoke of when the Lord came to him.

Tozer’s Sermon

I took a minute to look up and YouTube was up on my PC and the next sermon was Tozer’s and the title was ‘The Secret of Victory’.  So, I hit play and let it run.  He opens the Sermon on Psalm 57:4-10

He points out that in the midst of trouble David lifts God up in praise and glorifies Him.  He exalted God.  He goes on to preach and ask where God resides in our lives when compared to money, ambition, friends and struggles.  He speaks of how God must be first in all things, and it may cost us many things of this world. But then he speaks of Jesus.

He reminded me that Jesus humbled himself to the point of death on the cross and He had the power of creation in his hands but he did not use that.  He was obedient to the Father and He gave his life for me.

I paused that sermon and I thought about the example of Christ Jesus.  That brought me back to Revelation.  Where I had started this morning.

Revelation 2-3

I looked at all the churches and reread the two chapters.  I saw that all but Smyrna and Philadelphia were warned to repent and Smyrna and Philadelphia were encouraged to hold on.  How humbling that is to see that of 7 major Churches only two were not warned to repent.  They held on to Jesus and did not abandon Him.  He was their priority over everything else.

Smyrna was suffering and Christ tells them, ¹⁰ Do not fear what you are about to suffer.  Philadelphia is warned to hold on to their crown.  All the rest are warned to repent and turn back to God.  Of all the warnings in these two chapters, Laodicea is the most grievous.  But after Christ confronts them with their sin He offers the most detail on how they can turn it around through repentance.

Laodicea

Laodicea was lukewarm, and because of that God had to spit them out.  They thought they had everything under control.  They were wealthy and in need of nothing but God shows them the truth of their delusion

¹⁷ For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Revelation 3:17 (ESV)

But he does not leave them there.  He tells them what they must do to be forgiven.  He spells out the steps they must take and when He is done he shares with them a promise.

 ¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹ The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.  Revelation 3:19-21 (ESV)

Closing

I looked at these passages and all I could see was God’s desire for us to be with him.  He asks only that we put Him first.  That we make Him our King, Lord and Master.  That we surrender our will to follow Him.

 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)

How can I not put Him first?  How can I allow the desires and ambitions of this world to get in front of Him like the Church of Laodicea did?

Prayer

Father, thank you for the gift of repentance.  Lord, I thank you every time you correct me to keep me on the path that leads to you.  Thank you, Lord, for the correction that you give when my pride steps forward, and selfish desires work in my heart.

I thank you, Father, for the strength you give me to humble myself.  To let loose the trappings of this world and focus on you.  Forgive me Lord for my rebellion.  Thank you for the refuge of your wings.

In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!