Sermon for Trinity 3. The Scripture readings are Micah 7:18-20; 1 Peter 5:6-11; and Luke 15:1-32.

What is repentance? The word translated ‘repent’ or ‘repentance’ simply means “a change of mind,” but throughout the New Testament, you will find that repentance refers to a complete spiritual change. In fact, a many of the times you come across the word ‘repent’ in Scripture it carries the whole idea of conversion. The Bible does not teach that repentance is one step in some twelve-step salvation program. Salvation is always God’s gift. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). The Bible does teach that repentance is necessary for salvation, but if we see repentance as something we do, as our little contribution, then salvation is no longer a free gift. It would be dependent upon you.

A sheep gets lost, the sheep gets found, and the shepherd throws a party. A coin gets lost, the coin gets found, and the woman throws a party. Just looking at the stories, we would probably conclude that Jesus isn’t teaching anything about repentance. He’s just talking about salvation. But Jesus concludes both of those sections by talking about heaven’s joy over repentance, so repentance has to be in there somewhere. Repentance is nothing more than the lost being found and restored by the owner. Then, the owner shares with everyone the joy of restoration.

We wrongly think God is happy when we are doing everything we are supposed to. We think God is happy with us when we are consistent, strong, and can show all the things we’ve accomplished. That isn’t the case. Your heavenly Father is only happy when His children are forgiven and together with him.