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This Lesson’s Notes:

Lesson 2: Repentance Part 2

1. The Importance of the Ten Commandments

• God’s Law shows how sinful we are, so that we will want to repent.

  • God’s law—the law of Moses (Exodus-Deuteronomy + the Ten Commandments)—shows that we are sinners (Romans 3:19, Galatians 3:22), and brings us to Jesus. How?

  • The law reveals where we are sinning (Romans 7:7,13).

• God’s law reveals that we have a wicked nature that has a natural bend toward sin. This urges us to seek out the Savior (Jesus) and place our faith in Him for forgiveness of sins (Galatians 3:22-24).

• So, the most basic place to start teaching someone how to repent is the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20, Romans 13:8-10).

  • Read 1 Timothy 1:9 – The law is meant to teach sinners to repent.

  • Read Romans 3:31 – Christianity establishes that the law is true and good.

• The first commandment is: You shall have no other gods before Me.

• Jesus taught that, “Love God and love others with ALL your being,” sums up the whole law.

2. Making God #1

• Read Matthew 4:17-20, Luke 9:57-62.

  • Jesus’ first command after He called for repentance was for people to let go of what they valued most to follow Him—to make obedience to Him more important than their earthly lives—their livelihood, their money, their family, and their comfort.

• Read Mark 10:17-22 and Matthew 6:19-21,24-25.

  • You must be willing to lose or give away what pulls you away from Christ. Whatever—even the one thing—you won’t give up for Christ is the very thing that’s keeping your heart from turning to true repentance.

  • Or the one sin you aren’t willing to stop makes all your other efforts for repentance meaningless (James 2:8-12, Matthew 5:19). Why? Your heart has not changed. You still love your sin. And you can’t serve two masters.

Main point: To repent, make obeying God more important to you than anything else! Give up anything that stands in the way of your obedience to Him.

3. Sin and Repentance Start in Your Mind

• Read James 1:13-15.

• Sin begins with your thoughts and desires. Therefore, repentance begins with your changing your thoughts.

  • Remember the definition of repentance: “To change the mind / reverse a decision”.

• Read Matthew 5:21-26,44 – The Sixth Commandment: Do not Murder –

  • Repent from anger and bitterness. Reconcile with people; don’t fester is resentment. Pray for them instead.

• Read Matthew 5:27-30 – The Seventh Commandment: Do Not Commit Adultery

  • Repent from lustful thoughts. How? Avert your eyes; don’t look.

Main point: To repent, stop sinful thoughts and desires, not just sinful actions. How?

• Change what you say. Choose prayer and thanksgiving instead.

  • Read Matthew 5:44-45 and Ephesians 5:3-4.

• Change what you see. Don’t look at/watch sinful things.

  • Read Matthew 6:22-23.

4. Avoiding Temptation

• Read Mark 9:43-48 and Romans 13:13-14).

• Repentance requires not putting yourself in tempting situations. Don’t make it easier for you to sin.

Main point: To repent (to stop sin), also stop/remove the things that cause you to sin.