Welcome to Sunday Fuel! This series of questions is designed to assist your personal reflection and fellowship with others about the sermon from this past Sunday.

Go to This Sunday’s Sermon (start 23:25)

Dealing with sin is hard. It means facing our pride, self-righteousness, presumption, or self-reliance. It means willingly entering the wilderness, leaving behind the comfort, status, and lives we build for ourselves to meet him. It can even mean addressing things that seem “normal” to everybody else but you know are displeasing to God. Though costly, repentance is not meant to be a burden, but a blessing, for it restores you to God, a gift that surpasses all else.  

1. Identify your sin: As you listened to the message, was there an area of your life that the Holy Spirit is convicting you of? Is there a warning you’ve been ignoring, worldly dalliances that consume your time and thought life, growing bitterness in your heart, a failure to love, an area of persistent or secret sin that is resistant to change? It might even be a radical reorientation because you know Jesus is not the King in your life. 

2. Count the cost:  In what ways have you settled for minor tweaks instead of the radical change required? What will true repentance cost you, beyond behavior modification or spiritual self-improvement? 

3. Walking the road of repentance: 

• Confess your sin: Confession means agreeing with God about your sin. What is ruling your heart instead of Christ? Will you agree with God about what is wrong? 
• Express godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:9-10): How is my sin offensive to God, not just another person? How have I failed to love Him or others as He calls me to? Ask God to forgive you for your offense, trusting He is faithful and just to forgive you (1 John 1:9).
• Take a small step of change: “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” What is one small expression of faith you can take? What does a change in direction away from sin and self-reliance look like for you? What will it mean to trust, obey, and depend on God? 
• Rely on the Spirit who helps you: Perhaps, after working through this, you feel overwhelmed by what feels impossible. Take a moment to express your trust in the Holy Spirit to help you in those moments. 
• Rest in the comfort and hope of Christ: Expect to keep repeating this cycle of confession, repentance and faith. Keep turning your eyes to our kind, patient, and gracious King, even in your sins, trusting He will complete your transformation one day (Phil. 1:6).

If you have not yet made a decision to follow Christ, heed the words of J. I. Packer:

“Call on the coming Judge to be your present Savior. As Judge, he is the law, but as Savior he is the gospel. Run from him now, and you will meet him as judge then—and without hope. Seek him now, and you will find him, and you will discover that you are looking forward to that future meeting with joy, knowing that there is now ‘no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’”

As we practice regular repentance, we are preparing our own hearts to meet the Lord, even as we point others to Him. Our King has established his kingdom and he is coming back—so let repentance be one way we prepare our hearts for His return today!