Repent. For God’s sake, repent.

Steve Brown:
Repent, for God’s sake, repent. Let’s talk about it on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
That was Steve Brown. He doesn’t want to be your guru, and he’s not trying to be your mother. He just opens the Bible and gives you the simple truth that will make you free. Steve’s a lifelong broadcaster, author, seminary professor, and our teacher on Key Life.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. We are now into the Book of Proverbs, so you ought to keep your Bible if you’re in a place where you can do it. If you’re driving, you keep your eyes on the road, but if you’re at home and you’ve got a Bible, I’m going to be going to different places in Proverbs as we look at this book in terms of some of the important subjects that are a part of this book. And if you were listening yesterday, we looked at Proverbs 1:22 through 23. And embedded in those verses is the importance of repentance and the power of the Holy Spirit that follows repentance. Listen to this.

How long

this is Proverbs 1:22 through 23

How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

In other words, ignore wisdom.

For scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge. Turn at my rebuke.

In other words, repent.

Surely I will pour out my Spirit on you. I will make my words known to you.

I have said this a thousand times because it’s central to the teaching of Key Life. Repentance isn’t an act. Repentance is a life. And it’s a life that is determined to agree with God whatever He says and no matter what you do. Repentance is not change. Repentance is the methodology that God uses to bring about change if He desires it in us. Our part, the repentance part, is simply agreeing with God. Ten times a day, I agree with Him about something I have said, something I have thought, and something that I have done that runs counter to His clear revelation and His clear call upon my life. And when I do that, I don’t by and large, find whatever the gasoline is that causes me to become a changed, obedient, faithful Christian. But there is hope. Repentance is from a Greek word, metanoia. It’s an attitude. It’s an attitude of saying, God, you’re right, I’m wrong. You sometimes do it with tears. You sometimes don’t have tears, but it’s a simple methodology that God uses to change us. Why? Because of Proverbs 1:22 through 23.

I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

That’s the good side of repentance. My friend Brian Chappell, talks about the time, I think it was his daughter, or maybe it was a friend’s daughter, had wandered into a cage, where there was a bear. And the parent didn’t yell, Get out of that cage! The parent said, Honey, look at me. Come to me so I can hug you. Come to me. And the kid came through the gate and to the parent who was hugged. Is that a cool illustration? That’s what God does to us. Come to me. Come to me. Tell me what’s bothering you. Tell me what you’re struggling with. Tell me where you’ve been disobedient. Tell me where you’ve been unfaithful. And then at that point, Proverbs 1:22 through 23.

Turn at my rebuke and surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

The power that follows. I probably have told you this, but one time when our grandchildren were really little. Christy, who is the oldest one, was playing with a doll. And she couldn’t get the dress on this particular doll. And my son in-law and I were watching a football game, and my son in-law, Jim, noticed that Christy was having trouble with it. And he said, Christy, stay with it, you’ll be able to do it. And you know what she did? She picked up the doll and threw it at him. And then he said, you’re in trouble. And I’m thinking at that time, they’re not mine, they’re his. And I was backing out, which is the joy of grandfathers. And she not only threw the doll, she picked up a pillow that she was sitting on and threw that at him. And he had had enough and he picked her up and put her over his shoulder and walked in another room and said you’re going to be in timeout till Jesus returns. I’m going to put you in the chair and if you get out of that chair or move, I’m going to break your face. And she said, I hate you. And I’m thinking, Oh man, this is getting third world war stuff. With all that being said, it got quiet and Jim and I sat down and resumed watching the football game. A good while later, I looked up and Christy was looking around the door. And then she came into the room and walked softly to her father, climbed up in his lap and said, Daddy, I am so very sorry. I don’t know why I do stuff like this and I love you so much. And he hugged her and said, and I love you even more. And I had to hold back the tears because it was God. It was Jesus. It was repentance. It was what happens in repentance. It was an example of Proverbs 1:22 through 23, the power of repentance and the spirit that follows. All right, let’s move on. Sometimes, the writer of Proverbs says, it’s just plain too late. Look at Proverbs 1:28 through 33. And I get these at the beginning of Proverbs, but it’s taught over and over again throughout Proverbs, but listen to this.

When they will call on me, I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke, therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will dwell safely and will be secure, without fear of evil.

Oh my, that is harsh. That is scary. But I’m glad for the 33rd verse because it gives hope even if you’re in a far country. But sometimes it’s too late. You know one of the questions, and if you’ve been a part of Key Life very long, you know that we love getting your questions. But one of the questions that we get, maybe more than most others, is what is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, and I’m afraid that I’ve committed it? I always answer that question by saying, no you didn’t, or you wouldn’t ask because you wouldn’t care. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit isn’t a one time act where you can never again return. It is the constant rejection of the voice of God in your life, even though he pleads, even though he goes down the road to welcome you home, even though he promises, promises that are outstanding and astonishing, you say no, no, no, and pretty soon a kind of callousness begins to develop, and you can no longer hear his voice.

Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

That’s a good way of saying you have reached a point of no return. And you have to be very careful. But there’s hope and the hope is in that 33rd verse.

But whoever listens to me, even now, will dwell in safety and will be secure without fear of evil.

So, and there are not many of you who aren’t believers who listen to this broadcast, but if you’re one, if I were you, I would listen, and I would say yes, and I would do it quick. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thanks Steve. What an encouraging reminder about repentance and sobering warning about running out of time. Of course, we’re strolling our way through Proverbs, but our specific texts today were Proverbs 1:22 through 23 and Proverbs 1:28 through 33. More tomorrow, hope you will join us for that. Well, it’s now just a week or so away, Thanksgiving. And for some folks giving thanks will be easy because well, things are going pretty well. But for others, it will be harder because life has been harder. How do we give thanks in those circumstances? Well, Steve addressed that challenge in a message called The Principle of Praise. If what I just said kind of grabbed you, then you are the one we would like to send this CD to, would you do this? Please call us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433 and ask for the CD called The Principle of Praise. You can also e-mail your request to [email protected] and if you’d like to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U.S. and Canada. Again, just ask for your free copy of the CD called The Principle of Praise. And finally, if you value the work of Key Life, would you support that work through your giving? You can charge a gift on your credit card, or include a gift in your envelope. Or simply pick up your phone and text Key Life to 28950 that’s Key Life, one words or two words. It doesn’t matter, text that to 28950 then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.