The book of Nahum prophesies the total and complete destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the evil and ruthless Assyrians. This prophesy came true in 612BC when the Babylonians razed Nineveh to the ground... These are the same Assyrians to which Jonah was sent a few hundred years prior and who, as a result of Jonah’s preaching, repented of their evil ways. Unfortunately, their repentance was at worst not real and at best not lasting, because they soon turned back to their wickedness and became more evil in the end than they were before Jonah.
God has a message for us in Nahum about our repentance. Make sure it is real. The question is: How do I know my repentance is real?
One of the greatest prayers of repentance in the bible is that of David in Psalm 51. From that prayer, we can see that true repentance must be accompanied by the following:
- Acknowledgement – we must acknowledge that we have sinned. Too often we want to justify as actions and refuse to admit they are wrong.
- Confession – we must confess our sin before God and man
- Humility – we should be humbled by our sinfulness as we approach God with it
- Shame – we should be ashamed of our sinfulness when we compare it to a Holy God
- Response to do good – true repentance should result in a desire to do good
David demonstrates that his repentance is accompanied by each of these.
Is your repentance real? Have you really turned away from your sinfulness to a Holy God, or are you still on the path to destruction like Nineveh?
If your repentance is real, then the best news is what happens next…
To hear more about repentance, click on the link below to hear this week’s sermon.
Nahum – Are you for real?
http://www.box.net/shared/4b7i424ngj
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