Our text is Luke 7:36–50.
We need repentance, because we must be strong in the times in which we live. The days we live in are truly hard days—days in which many people fall away from the faith and turn back. That is exactly why we want to turn to the Word of God, to turn to God, to come back to Him. And to come back to God, in truth, means to repent of our sins. Last time we looked at one of the parables in Luke 15, which speaks of repentance—the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32). We considered it in connection with the mental, rational side of repentance. It teaches us to realize that we have drifted away from God, to recognize the state we are in, and to return to Him.
In that parable we see how the prodigal son, when he fell into need, “came to his senses” (Luke 15:17). That means that up to then he had been out of his senses. Those who, for one reason or another, separate themselves from God fall into the trap of Satan. The Apostle Paul speaks of this in his letter to the Galatians:
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. (Galatians 3:1)
If someone is in a state where he has cut himself off from God, he is under the influence of Satan; he has been bewitched by Satan. In the letter to Timothy, Scripture speaks of “the trap of the devil” (2 Timothy 2:26). Satan has set a snare for us. In 1 Peter the apostle calls the devil “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
So that we can repent and come to our senses, we must be freed from the mental strongholds that Satan has built up against us and within us. We are at war against thoughts. In 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 we read:
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3–5)
In order to repent, we must come to ourselves. When the prodigal son fell into poverty, into crisis, into destitution, then he “came to his senses.” That is the first side of repentance. We must come to ourselves; we must wake up. If that awakening is the mental side of repentance, then “the tears of repentance,” weeping over our sins, is the emotional, the heartfelt side of repentance. In Luke 7 we read of a woman who was “a sinner.” We read of the prodigal son; now we read of the sinful woman (Luke 7:36–50).
May God give us insight into spiritual things, so that we may truly perceive and grasp spiritual realities—so that we may truly have faith, draw near to Him, and have real fellowship with Him. For there is a great danger that we become hypocrites like the Pharisees—especially those of us who are “old believers” and have gone to church for many years. Look at this Pharisee in verse 36:
When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. (Luke 7:36)
The Pharisee invited Jesus into his home. Why? Because he wanted to repent? Hardly. Rather, because in this way he would be honored by the fact that a well-known person—in this case Jesus—would come to visit him and so would do him honor. Perhaps we too, as old believers, are in danger of beginning to think that we are something more than others—because we are enlightened by the Word of God, because we are chosen by God. Perhaps that is why we want to be respected. But we must always ask ourselves this question: “Do I have a real relationship with Jesus? Do I have true love for Him?”
Tears of Repentance
37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. (Luke 7:37–38)
Of this woman it is said that she “lived a sinful life” (v. 37). That she was a sinner most likely meant that she had committed sexual sins; perhaps she was a prostitute, or a woman of loose living, or something of the sort. But she was aware of her sin. Clearly she no longer wanted to go on living the life she had lived up to that moment. It says that she came and began not merely to weep, but “to wet his feet with her tears.” This is precisely the emotion that the awareness of sin produces. The awareness of sin produces sorrow over sin and hatred of sin. It touches not only the mind but the heart. This woman wept, and the tears with which she wept are called “tears of repentance.” Of course, different people express their emotions in different ways. Some are more prone to tears, others more self-possessed, holding their emotions in. But if we sincerely repent, I believe that we will have in our eyes the tears of repentance.
In James 4:8 it says:
Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:8)
I have told you that sin separated us from God, and that repentance means to turn around and come back to God. When we draw near to God, we are in fact repenting. When James says “Come near to God,” he is speaking in “Old Testament” language. In the Old Testament the prophets called God’s people to return to God in exactly this way.
“Come near to God and he will come near to you!” Glory to God for His grace! Even though we have separated ourselves from God, when we draw near to Him He does not say, “Ah, wait a moment—you cannot just come back to Me at once. First you must do this and that, and then I will come to you!” No. If we turn to Him, if we “draw near” to Him, God is gracious and merciful, and He draws near to us. If you sincerely seek God, no matter how you have sinned, no matter how you feel, no matter how low you have fallen, if you sincerely seek Him with all your heart, He will always forgive you and fill you with His Holy Spirit. If you sense that you have drifted away from God, draw near to Him.
James goes on and says:
Wash your hands, you sinners. (James 4:8)
This means to throw off our sinful behavior. The hands are the bodily members with which we do things. The hands are a symbol of our deeds; that is, if we are committing sin, we must wash our hands of it by putting an end to our sinful behavior.
…and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)
When we repent, we must examine not only our actions, but also our motives. Motives spring from the heart. We must cleanse not only our deeds, but our hearts as well.
James goes on to say that if we come to ourselves, if we begin to cleanse ourselves, this will lead us to the emotional side of repentance, which is “the tears of repentance.” He says:
Grieve, mourn and wail. (James 4:9)
These very words — “Grieve, mourn and wail” — are the title of today’s message. This is the weeping of repentance; these are the tears of repentance. To “wail” is to weep so hard that you cannot catch your breath, to sob and choke in your own weeping. That is how deeply the awareness of our sin ought to move us.
Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:9–10)
God’s Purpose for Us
This is my appeal: that we return to God, that we come to our senses, and that we weep with tears of repentance. But in order to come to our senses, we must know what our sin actually consists of. For Satan often tells us, “You have done nothing wrong, so there is nothing to repent of.” We say to ourselves, “I have not killed anyone, I have not stolen anything—what is there to repent of?” But we must be aware of what God’s standards for us as Christians are. What does God expect of us as Christians? Simply that we not steal and not murder? What would you say? God’s standard for us as Christians is that we live as Christ lived. In 1 John 2:6 it says:
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6)
Christ is our standard. God expects us to live as Christ lived. To “walk” as Christ walked means that our conduct, our actions, are to be the same as the conduct and actions of Christ.
- If you do not have Christ’s holiness, you are still in your sins.
- If you do not have Christ’s love, you are still in your sins.
- If you do not live as Christ lived every single day of your life, you are still in your sins.
God desires that we be perfect. In Matthew 5:48 the Lord Jesus said:
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
In many of the epistles God’s purpose and His intentions for us are spoken of. In James 1:4 we are told what God’s purpose for us is:
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4)
God does not want “to grant us a margin of tolerance” and say, “If you are a little holier than others, you pass.” There is no such thing. We are to be “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” If we allow some deficiency, that already is sin. You must repent of it. See how Jesus puts it in Matthew 5:20:
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)
Do not deceive yourselves at all into thinking that if we live by Pharisaic standards we will be able to be in God’s presence throughout eternity. No! God’s purpose for us is that we live not by Pharisaic righteousness, but by the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of Christ is an inward righteousness. It is a righteousness of the motives, a righteousness of the heart. This whole fifth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew speaks of this. For example, if you look at a woman lustfully, you have already committed adultery with her in your heart (Matthew 5:28). If you resist an evil person, you have already fallen short of the standard of God’s love (Matthew 5:39). If you are angry with someone without cause, you have already exposed yourself to “the fire of hell” (Matthew 5:22).
The Pharisaic standards were such that they broadened what the law permitted and narrowed what the law forbade. The Pharisees made the prohibitions as limited as possible, so that in some way they could make it appear that they were fulfilling the law and thus feel righteous.
This was also the problem of the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It says that he was with his father the whole time. He was not like the prodigal son, who squandered his father’s estate. But when his father rejoiced that his son had returned and wanted to celebrate, then this “faithful” brother grew angry, sulked, and turned aside. He did not want to go in and celebrate with the others. He did not even greet his brother. He did not even call him “my brother,” but “this son of yours” (Luke 15:30). He felt himself more righteous than his brother. This was the problem of the Pharisees.
In this whole chapter, Luke 15, several lost things are spoken of. There is the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son. Jesus spoke all these parables against the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. In Luke 15:1–2 it says:
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1–2)
We see this same Simon in the seventh chapter—Simon the Pharisee—and in the same way he muttered inwardly against the mercy of Jesus:
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:39)
Simon reckoned himself more righteous than this “sinner.” This is precisely our problem today. We are inclined to think that because we go to church, we have already become holier than other people in the world. I have no need of repentance. But the fact that you go to church does not make you sinless. You are still a sinner, still a person who lives in the flesh, still one who sins. That is why, again and again, you must confess your sin. If you have not yet become “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4), you must repent of every deficiency in your life. If you do not live by a righteousness that surpasses that of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, if you live by a righteousness that is external and hypocritical, you must repent, so that your heart may be cleansed.
See how James says it: “Purify your hearts! Grieve, mourn and wail!” (James 4:9). Become aware of your sin!
In the Old Testament the picture of sin is straying from the way. It is the sheep, the lost sheep, that goes off on its own headstrong path and strays further and further. But the Lord called His people and said, “Return to Me!” That is repentance. After you have strayed from God—strayed into idolatry, strayed into selfishness, strayed into all kinds of sins—to come to your senses and to turn back to God.
The picture of sin in the New Testament is an arrow that was shot at the target but did not hit it. In ancient times archers trained by trying to strike the target. When they struck the target, that was a success. But when the arrow missed the target, that was sin, a failure. This is precisely the idea behind sin in the New Testament.
God has a purpose for us—this is our target. This target is given to us in the epistles. We are called “fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (Ephesians 2:19). As “children of the light” (1 Thessalonians 5:5), God desires that we live a holy life; a life without sin, throwing off the sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1); a life without blemish—that we be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4). Every outburst of anger, every bitterness, every doubt is a sin of which we must repent. Yet we have grown used, over the years, to living in doubt, living in compromise, living in lukewarmness; telling ourselves, “This is allowed, and that is allowed too.” “Yes, I am not quite as holy as Jesus, but an overzealous saint is not pleasing to God either.” That is not true! You may not be an “overzealous saint,” but you must strive to be like Jesus and to live a holy life.
In the letter to the Ephesians 1:3–4 it is told what God’s purpose for us is. The Apostle Paul begins with a blessing:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
See what God’s mercy toward us is. He has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. Jesus bore our sin. He gave us His righteousness. God adopted us. We are God’s sons and daughters. God has given us His Holy Spirit to dwell within us (Romans 5:5). He has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). And in verse 4 He goes on and tells us why He did it:
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love (Ephesians 1:4)
God’s will for every one of us is that we be what? “Holy and blameless in his sight. In love.”
So then, if we do not show love, we must repent. And you know what love means. First Corinthians 13. Love includes, above all, patience. And everything else besides, because God desires that we be not only holy, but also blameless in our love. Love forgives everything. If we are not like this, we must repent again and again, again and again; every day examining our hearts by the measures of holiness and love.
Specific Confession of Sins
But what is the problem? The problem is that we do not pray. Every day, before we lie down to sleep, we ought to stand before God and give an account of the day. To say, “Lord, today I let myself grow angry with someone. Today my love was not like Yours…” Not merely to say, “Forgive me my sins.” “Forgive me my sins” is a very general prayer. We must free ourselves from the general prayer clichés with which we paper over everything. We must confess each sin separately, calling it by its true name. If there has been envy in my heart—if I have seen something and said, “How can he have that, and I do not!”—that is envy. Let us say, “Lord, forgive me this envy.” If it is gluttony, let us say, “God, forgive me my gluttony.” If it is lust, “Forgive me my lust.” If it is gossip, “Forgive me my gossip.” Every single sin—let us confess it before God—every single thing by which we have sinned during that day. In church the pastor cannot confess the sin of each one of us, because, first, there would not be enough time, and second, he does not know your sins. We pray in general terms, because we pray in the name of the whole church and say, “Lord, forgive us our sins,” meaning by this all our sins. But in your own personal prayer, you must confess each sin separately. If you have grown proud this day and said, “Ah, I am a little better than others. Whatever I do, it all works out for me!”—if you have grown proud over this, you must repent. For pride goes before the fall (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Confess your pride.
- Confess your gossip. If you have said something about someone that the Lord would not say, repent of it. For it is Satan who is “the accuser of the brothers” (Revelation 12:10; Psalm 101:5). If you have said something bad about someone, you must confess this sin.
- If you have quarreled with someone or flared up in temper, you must say, “Lord, forgive me!” For human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires (James 1:20). “Today I could not master myself. I lost my temper. Forgive me this sin.”
For every single bad thing, we must confess our sin before God. Only then will we be able to live near to God. The good news is that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). But He will do it only if we confess our sins.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
We must walk in the light (1 John 1:7). In James the apostle tells us that God’s will for us is that we be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4). Paul likewise says that God’s will for us is that we be “holy and blameless in his sight. In love” (Ephesians 1:4). God’s purpose for us is that we be like Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call us “brothers” (Hebrews 2:11). We are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. God is our Father. God’s will for us is that we be holy and perfect. Every missing of the target—that is, everything in our life that does not correspond to God’s standards—is something of which we must repent.
The problem of the older brother was that he thought that, since he had stayed with his father, he was more righteous than his prodigal brother. But by his behavior on that day he showed that he too was sinful, because in his heart there was no acceptance and no love. And if you have no love in your heart, you cannot be pleasing to God. So the older brother was just as sinful as the younger. But he did not recognize his sin and did not repent. He stayed outside the celebration. This means that there may well be many people who will remain outside God’s fellowship. Jesus Christ said, “On that day many will come to Me and say, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not do such and such in Your name?’ (Matthew 7:22–23) but I will say to them, ‘Away from Me, for I never knew you!’” (Matthew 25:12)
Of the ten virgins, five were left outside, because they thought they were ready, but they were not. So too with this brother. He shut himself out. This is our problem—not that God separates us from Himself, but that in falling away we shut ourselves out of God’s Kingdom, because we blind ourselves. See, this brother thought everything was fine with him, but not everything was fine with him, because there was no love in his heart. And what does Jesus say? “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) So then, if you are in the position of a Pharisee, and people come into the church who by present standards are counted as sinners, you must not reject them and think yourself something more than they; rather, you must rejoice together with heaven over their repentance.
The prodigal son had sincerely repented. Even so, his brother did not like him. Likewise this woman, who was a sinner, who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, was sincerely repenting. But Simon the Pharisee did not like her. He was irritated that this woman could come into his house and defile him. He was indignant with Jesus, thinking to himself, “If Jesus cannot judge this situation, then he is no prophet at all.” Never mind that Jesus was not merely a prophet; He was the Son of God, He was and is God.
Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. (Luke 7:40)
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:41–42)
Jesus says this to Simon, to this Pharisee. He tells him that one debtor owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty. Neither of them had anything with which to repay. The moneylender forgave them both. Which of them will love him more? Clearly the one who owed more—five hundred denarii—will love him more, because he has received the greater forgiveness.
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. (Luke 7:43)
Jesus tells Simon that he has judged correctly. For this is exactly how it is. The one who realizes that he is in debt before God, that he is sinful, that he has done great wrong—he will love God more. But this Simon the Pharisee has not recognized his sin. He thinks that he is a good man. He thinks that he has kept the law. And for this reason he does not love God as he ought.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. (Luke 7:44–46)
Jesus tells Simon that he was not hospitable. He was not attentive. He invited Jesus, but he did only that—he invited Him. He did not offer water for His feet. He did not give a kiss (which was the custom in those times). He did not anoint His head with oil. Yet this woman, whom Simon was ashamed of and muttered against, did all of this for Jesus. She kissed His feet. She washed them with her tears. She anointed them with perfume. See the difference between the conduct of the Pharisee and the conduct of this woman who had been a sinner.
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little. (Luke 7:47)
What does Jesus say? That her sins are forgiven because she loved much. She recognized her sin. She came to Jesus. She showed that she loved Him. But Simon the Pharisee loved little, because he did not recognize his sin. He thought he was good. He thought he was righteous. And for this reason he loved God little.
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48)
The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (Luke 7:49)
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)
In fact, Jesus was saying these words against the Pharisees. God’s will for us today is that we in the church repent, because we have grown cold. We have become like the Pharisees. We have caught this Pharisaic leaven, by which, when we come to church, we appear righteous before everyone else—but what do we do at home? What do we do when we are at work? What do we do when we are not at church? What do we do when no one sees us? These are the things of which we must repent every day, returning to God.
Do Not Harden Your Hearts!
In Matthew 21:23–32 the Pharisees are spoken of once again.
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” (Matthew 21:24–26)
See how they reason about John. John was from heaven. John’s baptism was from heaven. John was the forerunner of Jesus. He was to soften the hearts of the people, so that they might receive Christ. But they rejected him. They rejected John the Baptist, and they rejected Christ as well. Here it says that, even though they already know that John is from heaven, they still do not repent, but reason how to answer Jesus’ words so as to win the argument. For them, winning the argument is more important than the substance of the matter—that John was sent by God, and that they ought to repent and receive his message. But they considered themselves something more than John. They said, “We are afraid of the people!” They were not afraid of God, but they were afraid of the people. And in answer to Jesus they slipped away with a noncommittal reply: “We don’t know!”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ (Matthew 21:27–28)
See how many things come in pairs in the Bible.
- First we have the two brothers in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. One is the prodigal brother, and the other is the self-righteous brother—the brother who hated his brother because their father rejoiced that he had repented.
- We have the parable of the two debtors. In Luke 7, where Jesus spoke of two debtors, one was forgiven more and the other less. The one who was forgiven more loves more; and the one who is forgiven less loves less.
- Here too two sons are spoken of. It says that this man also had two sons.
28 … There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ (Matthew 21:28)
29 “I will not,” he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. (Matthew 21:29)
30 Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, “I will, sir,” but he did not go. (Matthew 21:30)
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (Matthew 21:31–32)
This is the problem of believers today. We think that, since we have come to God, we are already more righteous than others. We have nothing to repent of, and therefore we do not repent. But if we want to remain spiritually alive as a church; if we want to remain alive as Christians, and if we want to enter heaven, we must first study the Word and see what God’s purpose for us is.
- God’s purpose for us is that we be like Christ.
- God’s purpose for us is that we be conformed to Him.
- God’s purpose for us is Christlikeness.
- God’s purpose for us is that we be holy. To be holy is to be like God—to be set apart from sin, set apart from this world.
- God’s purpose for us is that we be “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” That there be no breaches in our character, no compromises with this thing or that. If we say, “Ah, a little sin here is no problem!”—that is our greatest problem.
So then, first, we must understand what God’s purpose for us is—understand it and study it.
Second, you must examine your life, comparing it against this standard of God. And if there is something in your life that does not correspond to God’s standard, you must call it by its true name. Its true name is sin, and you must say, “Lord, forgive me that I have sinned against You. Forgive me that I have fallen short of this standard of Yours!” We must do this in detail—for each single thing separately.
Third, we must confess our sins before God every day. Every day. We have fallen short of God’s standard for prayer. God’s standard for prayer is that we ought to pray at least one hour a day. Jesus said to His disciples, “Couldn’t you keep watch with me for one hour?” One hour!? We can sit for hours in front of the computer, for hours in front of the television. And in fact, these become our idols. Your computer is your idol, your television is your idol, the series you watch are your idol, your books are your idol. Whatever you have time for—that is your idol.
We must repent first of our idolatry—confessing our sins and every single thing by which we have fallen short of God’s standards. Give God at least one hour a day. Then we will be able to have a pulse as Christians. We will have the beginnings of life, we will have hope. Otherwise we will become nominal Christians. To be a nominal Christian means to have a reputation of being alive, but in fact to be dead (Revelation 3:1). The nominal Christian is a counterfeit Christian. But God knows the heart (Acts 15:8). We cannot deceive Him. The problem, however, remains—and it is that we deceive ourselves. But if we remain in this delusion and do not repent, we will never reach heaven at all.
Prayer
God, we thank You for Your Word. We ask You, give us a spirit of repentance in the times in which we live. Grant us to perceive Your standard of holiness. Grant us to perceive Your plan for our life. Grant us to become aware of our sin, so that we may repent and be alive toward You. Help us to keep our conscience tender. Help us to live a life pleasing to You. Grant us to recognize how we have separated ourselves, so that we may return to You; that we may live in the love and the fullness that You have for us.
We pray You, do not let us have the attitude of the second son we read about, who said, “Yes, sir, I will go,” but did not go. Forgive us if we have no fruit of repentance in our life, for then we have no repentance. Forgive us if we have the attitude of the older brother, who shut himself out of the feast and thought himself something more than his brother. Help us not to think ourselves anything more than others, for our righteousness is like a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6).
The only way by which we can be saved is through Christ’s sacrifice at Golgotha, where the blood of Jesus was shed for us. We are saved through that blood. Help us to grasp how great our sin is, that it should require such a great sacrifice. Help us to realize that every time we sin willfully, we crucify Christ a second time.
Help us, Lord, to repent every day of every sin, whether willful or unintended. Help us to keep a state of repentance in our hearts, so that we may be spiritually alive and live near to You. Help us not to allow any cooling in our heart, any straying from Your way, or any compromises whatsoever. Help us not to allow the Pharisaic leaven, which is hypocrisy; not to allow anything at all that would separate us from You.
Grant us, like the prodigal son, to come to ourselves. Grant us, like that woman who wept at Your feet, Jesus, to pour out tears of repentance as well. She poured the perfume upon Your feet, expressing her love in the strongest way she could. Grant that we too may express our love for You—through our attitude, through our deeds.
We ask You, help us, Father. Grant us to realize that spiritual realities exist, that spiritual things are real. Help us to be freed from every wavering, freed from every lack of faith. For You say that whoever does not believe is not pleasing to God, because anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists (Hebrews 11:6). Help us, for everything that turns us aside from Your perfect standard of holiness, to have the awareness to confess it and to turn away from it. Give us hatred and loathing for sin. We ask You in the name of Jesus. Amen!