Week Beginning: 28th February 2016

Worship Series: #4 in series

Theme VerseSeek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6

Remember This WeekRepentance is not about turning around and going back. It's about turningtowards life, towards what will make us grow and flourish. It leads us to look atthe world with a changed mind and heart.The truth is: repentance always leads us forward,

always leads us onward,always leads us to the cross,

always leads us to Jesus.For in him we find newness and fullness of life now and forever.

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being,praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul,and forget not all his benefits— who forgives allyour sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with loveand compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like theeagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways toMoses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treatus as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are abovethe earth, so great is his love for those who fear him. Psalms 103:1–11

We praise your name, dear Lord, for all your goodness and mercy to us. We give you thanks for yourabounding love for us. We thank you for redeeming our lives from the pit. Help us to always turn to you for allthat we need trusting in your great love for us. Help us now to draw near to you by studying your Word. Wepray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Highs and Lows for the week.2. Accountability time. How did you go with your living purposefully from last time?3. When it comes to changing your mind on something, where would you place yourself on a scale of1-10 with 1. Easily swayed to 10. Stubborn as a mule once I have made a decision.

4. What's the difference between repenting and saying, 'I'm sorry?'5. How do you respond/react when you see signs like 'Turn or Burn?' What picture of God do you thinknon-believers get when they see these signs?

6. If you had to answer the question 'If God is a loving God, why is there so much suffering and why doso many innocent people die, how would you respond?

This week we're talking about repentance. When we talk about repentance in church, we talk about a radical,moral turn of the whole person from sin and to God. It's pretty simple in one sense. Stop sinning and followGod's way for your life. The problem with this message is that it puts a lot of emphasis on what we've got todo. Today we will discover the full picture of what repentance is.

Read Luke 3:1-9

7. What did John the Baptist teach was the need for and the outcome of repentance?8. Why do you think people responded to John's teaching?9. What is the fruit of repentance that John was talking about?

Read Mark 1:14-1510. What's the link between repentance and good news that Jesus speaks about in this passage?

Turn to the person next to you and make the sign of the cross on the palm of their hand or forehead as you say:Name, may you daily turn toward Jesus and walk his way. Amen.

Read Ezekiel 18:23, Romans 2:4 & 2 Peter 3:911. What do these verse tell us about repentance and God's heart for people?12. How does this emphasis change your thinking about repentance?

Read Luke 13:1-9The story goes that there was a group of Galileans on a pilgrimage who were offering sacrifices in the templewhen Pilate, perhaps fearing rebellion, slaughtered them. Their blood was mixed with the blood of theirsacrifices and therefore polluting the temple on top of the human horror and tragedy of the event. In the firstcentury, most people believed that when tragedy struck it was a punishment, a warning, the judgement ofGod. They believed that good things happened to good people. And when bad things happened, it was areflection of your character. Those Galileans that Herod slaughtered? They must have been terrible sinners.Those who died in the tower? They must have angered God. This was the conventional wisdom of the day.

13. When tragedy strikes in our world, what are some of the reasons people give as an explanation tothe tragedy? In what ways do people hold the same bcause and effect view of God still today?

14. In your own life, whenhave you been tempted to think that the bad things that happen to you arebecause God is displeased with what you have done or the choices you have made? Why?

Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard owner, a gardener and a fig tree. The fig tree wasn’t doing what itwas supposed to do, producing figs. And so the vineyard owner comes in, angry at the tree for its lack ofproduction, and calls for it to be completely uprooted, chopped up and used for firewood. It was good fornothing. It did nothing but take up space, take nutrients from the soil and waste them, taking up the vineyardowner’s time. The vineyard owner is the wisdom of the world. It is the wisdom of the world that measuresour value in how good we are, if we are following all the rules, if we are doing what we are supposed to. It isthe wisdom of the world that says that our value is in how much we produce for the vineyard owner, howmuch profit we can make for the person in charge, how much we can put out for families, our churches, orcommunities. It is the wisdom of the world that says if you are not a maker, then you are a taker and good fornothing.

15. How do you come across this wisdom in your daily life and how has it affected your life/attitude/faith?The world and the devil want us to see repentance as a threat. Jesus wants us to hear the call to repent asan invitation - an invitation to turn away from the sin which causes life to shrink in order to turn towards whatcauses life to bloom. Repent or perish isn’t a threat. It’s simply reality. We either turn away from what causesdeath in our lives or we are already perishing. Repentance liberates us from the bondage we have inflictedupon ourselves and our world. Repentance is always couched in God, the gardener’s grace, mercy, unfailinglove, deep compassion and his desire to see us live full abundant lives and that can only happen as werepent, and continually turn away from the things that ensnare us and causes life to shrink back.

15. In this parable how much 'doing' does the tree do. Who's doing all the work? What does this teachus about repentance and why is that good news for you?

Repentance is more than just turning from our sin. In fact, if that's the focus, then it's no wonder people seerepentance negatively.To repent means to turn from sin but also to turn towards Jesus. For he is the onlyone who can help us move forward in life and flourish.

16 What's one thing you've learned tonight about repentance and God's part in it?17. What's one thing you will do/change in your life this week as a result of what you have learnt?18. How is Isaiah 55:6-9 an encouragement to us in repenting and turning toward God?19. How is God patient with you and nurturing you to produce fruit at this present time?

Repentance is a daily matter about the direction of our lives. Luther saw that all of life is repentance andhappens every day when we re-enact our baptism: He says “[Baptism] signifies that the old Adam in usshould, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, and, again, a newperson daily come forth and arise; who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever” (SmallCatechism). It's why Luther always started his day making the sign of the cross on his forehead. It was adaily turning to see the face of Jesus who is the way the truth and the life and daily drowning out the wisdomof the world that says you better measure up (For this emphasis on daily repentance see Romans 6:4,11Galatian 2:20)

20. How can and will you make 'repentance' and seeking the face of God a daily part of your life?• Praise God that he is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. Thank

Christ that he died on the cross for our sins so that we may have forgiveness in his name. Ask the HolySpirit to help us to live repentant lives that are focussed on him so that He may bear much fruit in us.

• for those who see no need to repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness and life• Pray that the Lord may use this period of Lent to grow us in the newness of life we have received as we

daily remember our baptism and turn to God, bearing the fruit of repentance that continues to bring us tothe foot of the cross to worship him.