All right. Hey, everybody. Welcome to Valley Creek. We are so glad you are here with us today. Every week we gather together to meet with God. We come into this place to experience and encounter His presence, to have the word of God spoken over our lives, to minister to each other, and to seek Jesus with everything that we've got. This is why we're here. And we're in a series right now called Kingdom Culture 101: Learning to Live a Life of Values. And this is an important series, a big series, because we want to understand what the kingdom values are so we can demonstrate or manifest a kingdom culture through our lives because we not only have the privilege, we have the responsibility of seeing God's kingdom come, His will being done in every area of our lives.

And so, if we want to see the culture of the kingdom, we have to first embrace the values of the kingdom. And so, Holy Spirit, we just invite you in. Give us ears to hear and a heart to receive. Give us a humility and a hunger for Jesus. You see, one day Jesus was in the temple and He was teaching some religious leaders, Pharisees, and He says to them, "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.' 'I will not,' he answered. But later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?"

I've been thinking about this all week. And I've been asking myself this question: Which son am I? Which son are we? See, I never want to talk bigger than my life. I don't want to have big words and a small life. I don't want to say all the right things and try to pretend like I know all the right things and have a heart that really doesn't want anything to do with God. I would much rather struggle initially, but have a heart that still wants to turn towards God in the end. Like, I don't want to be religious. I don't want to have a form of godliness but deny its power. I don't want to confess to know God, but by my actions, deny Him. Like I've been thinking about this all week. I don't want to talk a big game and live a small life.

So my question for you is, which son are you? If you're super honest with yourself, do you struggle maybe sometimes initially, but you have a heart that wants to turn towards God? Or do you say all the right things and look good on the outside, but really you never go? You never follow. You never respond. He goes on to say to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John --" the Baptist, not this John – "came to show you the way of righteousness," -- but boy am I trying -- "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." He says, "Hey, a bunch of people who have struggled for a long time in their life, they're getting into the kingdom of God ahead of you. You who know all the right answers, you who say all the right things, you who think you've got it all put together.

And why? Because you have no interest in repenting." We cannot be a religious people. We cannot have a form of godliness and deny its power. We cannot profess to know God, but by our actions deny Him. We cannot talk a big game and live a small life. Why? Because it dishonors Jesus. In fact, He says, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." We don't want to honor God with the fruit of our lips. We want to honor Him with the affection of our heart. And that's what a kingdom culture looks like. And so, last week we talked about the value that we are quick to repent. And if we're just all really honest with each other, I don't think we were quick to repent about being quick to repent. And it's okay to say that, because I would much rather be the first son than the second son. I would much rather struggle on the initial, but have a heart that turns and says, "Okay, I will go work in the vineyard," as opposed to saying, "Yeah, yeah, repentance, everyone should do it," but having a heart that's really far from God.

So we're going to walk back through this all again, and there's a whole bunch more stuff in it, and my encouragement to you is, have a heart to hear what God wants to say to you and grab a hold of whatever you can, because this is the value of the kingdom of God. We want to be quick to repent because we want to think like God. Come on. "From that time on, Jesus began to preach, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" From that time on, Jesus had one message. He had one message. I know He says a lot of things in the Gospels, but it all came back to this message and that message was, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And if this is Jesus's main message, then it must be our main response. And I know when we hear the word repent, it has so much religious baggage to it that we instantly do this to it.

Why? Because when we think repent, we think hellfire and brimstone. We think of an angry preacher pounding on a pulpit with shame and guilt and control and fear, trying to shame you. You got to raise your hand or come to the front of the altar. Okay. But that's not repentance. Come on, repentance is a gift from God. Repentance is how you invite hope into your life. I mean, just think about it. Repent, break it down. Re-pent. Re means to go back. Pent, think penthouse, top floor view. Re, go back. Pent, top floor view. Go back and get God's perspective on life. It's all repentance means. It means go back and get God's perspective. Stop looking at the world through your perspective and start looking at the world through a kingdom perspective. Repentance is simply agreeing and aligning with God, regardless of how I feel, regardless of what I see, regardless of what I experience.

It's a changing of my mind, a changing of my direction. And repentance is not a one-time event, it's an ongoing lifestyle. That's why He says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The kingdom is at hand, and you can reach out and have as much of it as you want. And the way you bring the kingdom of God into your life is through one simple life-giving word, repentance. Going, saying that you have already repented and it's done is like saying you have the fullness of the kingdom of God in your life. It's at hand. Repentance is how we get in the kingdom, but it's also how we live in the kingdom. And a lot of us repent enough to get into the kingdom, but not enough to experience the kingdom. We repent enough for the forgiveness of our sins, salvation to get in, but not enough to actually experience a kingdom culture. And it's almost like what Jesus is saying here is He's saying, if you don't repent, you'll spend your life living in an inferior reality.

But if you will change your thinking, you can live according to the superior reality of the kingdom of God. We need to repent, change our thinking about repentance, because free people repent, mature people repent, healthy people repent. The only people who don't repent are the people who are living like the world. I mean, just think of the disciples for a second. Do you realize they went on a three-year journey of repentance? This is the first message that Jesus says to them, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17. Then Matthew 4:19 happens later, "Come and follow me and I will make you fishers of men." So repentance is how they got into the kingdom. For three years, they had to change their thinking. Change their thinking about how they saw children and how they viewed women. They had to repent over what greatness was and what it meant to be a servant. They had to change their thinking of who they were, who God was, what they were created to do, over what was impossible.

>And if you think about it, it is impossible to be a disciple of Jesus without a spirit of repentance. Why? Because a disciple is a learner, a follower, a student, one who becomes like the one that they're following. And so, if we're becoming like Jesus, we have to learn to think like Jesus. In fact, I love this verse that says, "Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?" To be a disciple means you have to repent. Why? Because God picks the direction. You don't get to say, "Oh yeah, me and God, we totally walk together. I tell Him we're going this way and He says, okay." No. If Jesus is the way, then the way never changes. So the question is, if you're going to walk with God, you got to agree on the direction He says the way is. Listen to me, the only difference between a disciple and a Pharisee is one word. Repentance.

They grew up in the same place, they had the same background, they had the same knowledge. In fact, Pharisees have more knowledge. The only difference is disciples repent and Pharisees don't. Same is true today. The difference between a disciple and a religious person who goes to church is one word. Repentance. It's not a one-time event, it's a lifestyle. Come on. After the Holy Spirit was poured out, the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples preached the first gospel message, and when they preached it, it says, "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart." Pause. When you hear the word of God, are you cut to the heart? Does your heart burn within you? Are you quick to receive it with joy? "And they said to Peter and the other Apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'" Interesting. We intrinsically know that the word of God demands something from us. We intrinsically know that faith is supposed to lead us to action, that there's supposed to be a response to God's word being spoken over our lives.

And so Peter replies, he just says, "Hey, do the same things we've been doing for the last three years and it's just repent, change your mind, come into agreement and alignment with God, be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins into the kingdom, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, how you will now live in the kingdom." And the same is true for us. So let me give you a bunch of verses on thinking repentance. Let me just walk through these, because these are all super important. "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." This verse is massive. As he thinks, so is he. In other words, your thinking leads your life. Your thoughts determine the reality that you experience. You can't determine what happens to you, but you can control what you think about what happens to you.

"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." In other words, your thinking will determine the identity you live from. Therefore, it will determine the relationships you experience and the purpose you pursue. So, we need to think about our thinking. We need to give thought to our thoughts. When was the last time you stopped and just backed out and thought about your thoughts, spent time thinking about your thinking? Like, what are the patterns that you think? What are the loops that you get lost in? What is the default process of your thoughts in your mind? Have you ever stopped to just think about your thinking? Like, are your thoughts, are they healthy? Are they noble? Are they virtuous? Are they glorious? Ready? Are they just true?

Like, are your thoughts just true? Because as you think, so you are. So it really matters how you think. So when was the last time you just stopped to think about your thinking? This is repentance. Come on, God says, "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.'" In other word, God says, "Hey, my thinking is higher than your thinking." So by nature, worldly thinking, it's limited, it's finite, it's small, it's oppressed, it's dark. But God's thinking, it's glorious, it's healthy, it's beyond, it's true, it's right. And repentance is how we take on the mind of Christ and absorb God's attitudes and God's perspectives on life. And if I think like God, I'll live like God. But if I think like the world, I'll live like the world.

Right thinking leads to right living, wrong thinking leads to wrong living. And it is impossible to walk in God's ways until you first think God's thoughts. You can't walk like Jesus walked until you first think like Jesus thought. That's repentance. That's why repentance is at the heart of discipleship. Or how about this one that says, "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." It says, don't be conformed to the pattern of this world. Don't let the world determine how you think. Don't let the world shape and mold and form your thought processes. Instead be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Renewing, repent, coming to agreement and alignment with God, and it will change the way that you live.

And I love that it says, "This is your act of worship." In other words, repentance is worship. Catch this, for years we've said we're a worshipping church. A whole bunch of you, the only reason you're at this church is because you love the worship culture that's been created. You're like, "Yeah, you're -- I don't even like the messages. I love the worship." I know. I know we love to worship. Okay, so if you love to worship, guess what? Add repentance into your repertoire of worshipping God. And if you don't like to worship, you're like, "I'm actually not here because of the worshipping stuff." Guess what? You can be a worshipper too, if you start repenting, because repentance is worship. And when I start repenting, I start to think God's will. So I start to see God's will. Then I start to experience God's will. This is so important. When he says, "Don't be conformed to the pattern of this world," think of how the world thinks right now.

The world's thought process is mindless. It's futile. It's literally like, distracted, it's disoriented, it's shallow. It has no ability to focus. Don't be conformed to that. Why? Because how does the kingdom think? The kingdom meditates. The kingdom dwells. The kingdom is deep waters and abides and turns and churns and seeks and gives thought to its thoughts. The mental health epidemic that has now become so normal to us, could it just be that it's got nothing to do with TikTok or COVID, but it's got everything to do with we're just not quick to repent? Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Don't think according to the pattern of this world. So if I'm not quick to repent and Satan has come to steal, kill and destroy, should I be surprised that my mind is then being stolen, killed and destroyed? Hear me. Some of you just need to hear this. Don't accept anxiety and depression as normal.

That is a worldly thought that's trying to just like, acknowledge, "Hey, this is just my identity. It's who I am." You would never accept cancer as normal. Why? Because it's stealing, killing and destroying. So what's one of the invitations? Renew your mind. Repent. Why? Because it changes the physical makeup of your mind, but also the spiritual makeup of your mind. Then you will be able to experience what is good and pleasing and perfect. Come on. "You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer you one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O, God." Worship is not giving God what you want. Worship is giving God what He wants. And He wants a broken spirit and a repentant heart. A surrendered heart leads to a renewed mind. Are you catching me on this? Two more of these. "Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.'"

Jesus tells the disciples He's going to go to the cross to die for the sins of the world. And Peter steps in between Jesus and His future and His destiny and says, "I will never let this happen, Lord." Sounds really noble, doesn't it? "I'm a disciple of Jesus. I'm not going to let this happen." But that was worldly thinking. Why? Because Jesus is basically like, Peter, don't you remember that I said "for the son of man came to lay down his life as a ransom for many"? So you're thinking worldly thoughts. So get behind me, Satan. In other words, worldly thinking is agreement with darkness. Worldly thinking is agreement with the devil. Jesus says, all authority in heaven and Earth has been given unto Him. If He has all authority, then Satan has none. So how is Satan empowered? Through our agreement.

Through our thinking like the world. And when I think like the world, I agree with the demonic realm and I invite him to steal, kill and destroy my life. When I repent, I think like God's kingdom and I invite life to the full to come and rule and reign in my life. One more of these. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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." Do you understand that repentance is one of the greatest spiritual warfare weapons you've been given? We think spiritual warfare is chasing demons behind every bush and calling them out by name. No, no. Spiritual warfare is about using the weapons that God has given you. The sword of the spirit, the Word of God is one of the most important ones to do what? Take captive thoughts that are in rebellion to Jesus.

This is spiritual warfare. Here's an example. If all of a sudden you say, "Man, my job is hopeless, my marriage is in despair, this situation is impossible." What are you doing? Those thoughts are setting themselves up over the Lordship of Jesus. And you can't determine every thought that comes into your mind. But boy, you can take authority over it and say, "Nope, I know that God is working all things together for the good of those who love me, and I know all things are possible with Him and His divine power will give me everything I need for life and godliness." Can I just say it like this? Some of you live your lives getting your butts kicked because you refuse to repent. You're like, you need to repent of that, no? I thought about how I wanted to say that to you all week. That's how I want to say it.

Some of you live, and I'm not trying to make light of this, like, genuinely like some of you live in a cycle of defeat because you won't just take authority and use the weapon that God has given you, because you're like, "Repentance, did that, I got saved 20 years ago." Great, you got in. And now you're living in bondage. In fact, it would be better for you to be a tax collector or a prostitute right now, because you'll probably be more hungry for the things of God. Right? We've got to take responsibility for the things God invites us to take responsibility for. Okay? So are you with me on this? We want to be quick to repent. There's two types of repentance all throughout the Bible. Sin repentance and revelation repentance. We got to understand both. Sin repentance is the one we're more familiar with. You've sinned. Sin literally just means to miss the mark. Like an archer shooting at a target. You've missed the mark. You've rebelled, you've disobeyed, you've gone against God, and the Holy Spirit has convicted you. Your conscience has been violated.

Someone has pointed it out to you. What do you do? You confess and repent. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. We need to confess, take authority, responsibility, ownership. I messed up. I missed the mark, and I'm going to bring that before Jesus. Why? Because He's faithful and just. He will forgive me of anything that I bring and submit to the cross of Jesus. And He's just. He has already punished Jesus for that sin, so He can't punish me if I bring it and submit it to the Lordship of Jesus. And He will forgive all our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. As far as the east is from the west, so far as He forgiven you. He forgives your wickedness and remembers your sins no more. Like, we have to get this in our spirit. You will repent to the level you believe in God's grace. If you think God's grace is abundant and lavish and full and robust, you will be quick to repent. But if you think it's finite and stingy and difficult, you'll be real hesitant.

See, here's the problem with us is, we marginalize sin. So we justify it, we rank it, we come over here and we go adultery, murder, stealing, I'm good. But over here is gossip, quiet quitting, apathy, half-truths. We're like, I'm good. I don't have anything to repent for. Really? If you marginalize sin, you marginalize the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. If you have a high view of the law, you'll have a high view of God's grace. But boy, if you have a low view of the law, you will have a low view of sin. Therefore, you will have a low view of God's grace. Come on, look what God says. He says, "I have listened attentively to the heart, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness saying, 'What have I done?' Each pursuing his own course like a horse charging into battle."

It's like sometimes we just act like, I'm good, there's nothing in my life. Yes, if you rank sins, you're right, you might not be doing these. But what about all these that put Jesus on the cross too? And that attitude of like, I'm good, I've got nothing to confess to God. That's just pride. In fact, do you know, one of the primary things that it says in the Old Testament about the Israelites, that they were rebellious, stiff-necked people. Do you ever wonder what that means? I did, and I honestly never pieced it together until this week. Rebellious, I do what I want. Stiff-necked. What is repentance? Turning. Stiff-necked, I'm rebellious and I won't turn. I will keep doing what I want, when I want, how I want. Huh? I want to be loose-necked and turn towards Jesus when He points things out in my life. I want to be quick to repent.

Why? Because it's a turning from and a turning towards. Repentance is not just, "Okay, I'm going to stop doing that sin." No, if it's just, I'm going to stop doing that sin, and that's all it is, that's why you keep doing that sin. Because you got to turn from and turn towards. And it's less important what you're turning from, it's more important who you're turning towards. And so repentance is not, "Oh, I'm really sorry I messed up, I did that thing," with full understanding that you're going to go do it again. That's not repentance. Repentance is also not, "I was wrong, I messed up. I'm really sorry. I received the grace of Jesus, but then I spend the rest of my life in guilt and shame and condemnation over that." That's condemnation. He's forgiven your wickedness and remembers your sins no more. It's turning from and turning towards. And when I turn towards, I can trust in the grace of God in my life. And if I refuse to repent, I choose to harden my heart. Ongoing unrepentant sin hardens your heart because sin leads to sin leads to sin leads to sin.

I start quenching the Spirit, violating my conscience, and the next thing you know, I end up in a place that I never thought I would be. Maturity is not perfection, it's a quickness to repent. Okay. You with me on that? That sin repentance. And every one of us should have a heart for humility, holiness, and purity in Jesus. Then there's revelation repentance. Revelation repentance is revelation, something you did not know that was hidden or covered up and it was revealed to you. And now, because you know it, it changes everything. Like, here's my question for you. Do you know everything you need to know about God? Some of us, if we're -- we would never say that out loud. But some of us if we're honest, you know -- "I know everything I need to know about God." Okay. Really? Really?

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better." All wisdom and revelation that's ever given to you is given to you for one purpose. So that you may know Him better. God gives you revelation so you can have a deeper relationship. He gives you wisdom so that you may walk with Him more closely. You say revelation, big word. What does it mean? Just means something that was hidden, that's now uncovered. It would be like if there was a big tarp over this monitor and you didn't know what was there, and I pulled the tarp off, it'll go, whsshh, light bulb, ahah, oh, hidden, uncovered. Even if I take the tarp, throw it back over it, you now know what's under here, so you are now responsible for it. You can't unsee it, if that makes sense. Silly example. Let's say somebody one day calls you and says, hey, your great, great, great uncle died and left you $50 million in your bank account. It's there today, it's yours to use.

Would that change your life? Revelation, right? You didn't even know you had a great uncle, let alone that he was rich, let alone that that was coming down the line to your bank account. It's going to change everything about you. That's called revelation repentance. It's the sense of, I used to believe I was a sinner just barely saved by grace, but God revealed to me that I'm a beloved son in whom the father is well pleased. I used to believe that there was this huge distance between me and God, but then He showed me, revealed to me that in Jesus I can be as close to God as I want to be. I used to believe that I was on my own and had to struggle through life, but then He showed me He has given me the gift of the Holy Spirit that God is with me everywhere I go. Revelation. Something you didn't know and now that is uncovered to you, it changes how you live. Make sense? Here's the cycle of how this works. Revelation, repentance, faith, which leads me to more revelation.

God revealed something to me I didn't know, I changed my mind about it, because now I do. I now have a faith to walk it out and this is how I keep a soft heart. Example would be the Ephesians. In Acts chapter 19, Paul goes to Ephesus. He runs into some people. They're believers, he says, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They said, we haven't even heard that there's a Holy Spirit. So he sits them down, teaches them about the Holy Spirit. And then they are like, we must have the Holy Spirit now. Revelation, instant repentance. They had a faith to receive it. And this is why the book of Ephesus -- or the Book of Ephesians is the only letter to the churches that there's no rebukes. Because they understood revelation, repentance, they stewarded it, they walked it out in their lives. Now compare that to the disciples. One day Jesus is teaching, 5,000 people are there. Jesus says to the disciples, let's give them something to eat. The disciples want the people to go away. The crowd's hungry. The disciples freak out. We don't have enough.

Jesus says, what do you have? They say five loaves, two fish. He says, that's enough, prays for it, multiplies it, 5,000 people are fed. Talk about revelation. Now, just two chapters later, another crowd is gathered, 4,000 people. People are hungry. Disciples want the people to go away. Jesus wants to feed them, says to the disciples, what do you have? They should say, "Jesus, it doesn't matter what we have because you can do everything." Instead they say, "Jesus, we don't have enough for that. We only have seven loaves of bread." Revelation, resistance, unbelief. He revealed it to them so that they could repent, and the next time around say, we have faith in the greatness of our God. But because they resisted it, they were full of unbelief and they had a really hard heart in that moment. It's the Israelites again. Ten plagues. God shows His power, sets them free, brings them to the Red Sea. They get to the Red Sea. They had revelation, but they didn't use it, so they freak out.

They want to kill Moses and go back to Egypt. The revelation should have led to repentance, where they're like, "God, we're not sure how you're going to do it, but we know you're going to part the sea and get us through." So what does God do? He parts the sea, gets them through, more revelation. And then they walk into the desert and end up getting to a place that's full of bitter water. They've got all this revelation behind them, but because they resisted it, they freak out. It's bitter water, we should go back to Egypt, kill Moses, let the whole -- and you like read the story. It is revelation, resistance, unbelief, hard heart, rebellious, stiff-necked people. Unwilling to turn to the goodness of God. So the question is, do you live like this or do you live like this? Revelation. When God gives you revelation about giving and tithing and generosity, and you resist it, you're full of unbelief. When God gives you revelation about forgiving others and you resist it, you're full of unbelief.

When God gives you revelation about that next step you know you're supposed to take, but you resist it, full of unbelief. Do you know who the hardest people to preach to are? People who have had revelation, but refused to do anything with it. Why? Because it's like a vaccine. It's like getting an inoculation. They act like, "Yeah, yeah, already heard that, been there, done that." But you haven't. It's been revealed to you, but you haven't done anything with it. And that's why we end up -- unused revelation leads to a hard heart. And this is the cycle. If you're in church for any period of time and you watch people and you thought they were so on fire with Jesus and they were walking with us, what happened to them? They got revelation that they refused to use, it led to unbelief in their life. Their heart became hard. And then when they drift away, they say that church was bad, the leaders were bad, God is bad. No, my heart just got hard because I didn't use the revelation that's been given to me. Are you with me on this? Come on. This is why he says, "Consider carefully what you hear."

You are responsible for the revelation that's been given to you in your life. What are you doing with it? Do you realize the most important thing you steward in life is revelation? You're like, wait, what? The Bible says that wisdom is supreme. Seek wisdom above all things. In her hands are riches and honor. By her kings rule and princes govern. You should steward revelation more than you steward your marriage, more than you steward your children, more than you steward your finances and your job. You're like what? Yes. Why? Because wisdom and revelation will teach you how to love your spouse and how to parent your children and what to do with your finances and your job. So consider carefully what you hear. Because whatever you do with it determines what you're going to hear in the future. However you responded to yesterday's revelation determines the posture of your heart today. This is why we do response weekends at the end of like, every series. If you've ever wondered, you're like, yeah, why do we finish this series, then you do one of those weekends, you give us a little card and you make us like, "What is God saying to you?" This is why.

Because if you just rip through a series and you get all that revelation and you don't do anything with it, it hardens your heart. And the next time we even broach that topic, you're already vaccinated towards it. Man, that should just, like, eat us apart. Like, are you the same person you were 20 years ago? Two years ago, two months ago. You should delight in being wrong because when you're wrong, God's right, and it's an invitation for you to grow and change. Come on, look at this. "Anyone, then, who knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it -- [sins]." So the moment revelation is given to me and I know I'm supposed to do something with it and I don't do it, it just moved from revelation, repentance to now sin repentance. Because God has entrusted something to me and I've decided not to do anything with it.

Now I'm intentionally missing the mark. It's not by accident, it's not by a missed shot. It's literally like this ptshhw. Or how about "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance"? How do you know if someone is repentant? Ready for a really profound answer? You just know. Why? Because Jesus says you will know them by their fruit. Repentance manifests itself in action. And what does all this require? Humility. "God opposes the proud, He gives grace to the humble." Humility opens the door for God's grace to flood my life. Pride is how you pick a fight with God. It doesn't say, "The proud oppose God." It says, "God opposes the proud." And whoever humbles himself will be exalted, but whoever exalts himself will be humbled. Why would God humble you? So that you could once again receive His grace.

Prideful people are more focused on the failures of others. Humble people are more focused on their own desperate need for the grace of God. And humility always leads to holiness. And if I can just be straight up with you, I just think there's a lot of pride right now. And I'm not even being like, "You're so proud." Me. There's a lot of pride right now. So what are we going to do with it? See, here's how you know if you're repentant. How easy are you at embracing change? When the menu changes, when dinner changes, when the plans change, when the assignment changes, when the situation, the circumstance, the weather, when all that changes, how well do you respond? If the answer is, you react and you go crazy and it's really hard for you, then you're really not a repentant person. Why? Because repentance is -- come on, change.

So I'm a controlling person, not a repentant person. Second question, ready? Are you teachable and coachable? When somebody wants to teach you something, coach you on something, point out a blindspot in your life, give you a different perspective, are you open to that? Are you difficult? Are you resistant? If you don't get what you want, do you pout and take your toys and go home? Do you? Do you resist and make it difficult? Do you get to the point where other people don't even want to coach you because your response is so difficult? That would be arrogance, not repentance, because repentance is all about being coached by the kingdom of God. And ready? This is the most important one. How good are you at apologizing? The number one, just the number one quality I look for in people in life is their ability to apologize, because it tells me everything I need to know about your heart. Why? Because an apology is, "I was wrong." Some of you, the only time you ever say that in your life is when I get us to all publicly say it together.

And even then, you don't even really say it. You just kind of go "Rrr... I was wrong." Repentance. I was wrong. I own it. I missed the mark. And if you can't apologize, then you're not repentant. You're defensive. Why do you need to defend yourself? Here's what's -- here's what is not an apology. "Yeah, yeah, I did that, but it's because you did this." Just so we're all clear, that's not an apology. And just so we're all clear, sending a little vague text like, "Sorry if what I said hurt your feelings." Wait. "Sorry if what I said maybe hurt your --" No, no, "What I said was wrong. Regardless of how you responded." Okay. So ready? So those three things, how do you embrace change? Are you teachable and coachable? And are you good at apologizing? That lets you know if you're repentant. Here's the thing. You can't answer those three questions for yourself, though. Because, like we said, culture is not what you declare it to be, it's what other people experience it to be.

So ready? Would your boss or your teacher say you're those three things? Would your spouse or your parent say you're those three things? Would the person you have the most tension with say you're those three things? And if the answer is no, then you're not quick to repent. Repentance is manifest in our life, and you can't just declare, "I'm a really repentant person. I'm really good at apologizing. Oh, I love to be coached. Oh, I'm so good at change," when all the other people around you are like -- we're talking about the same person here? This matters. Come on. "Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." When I know the truth and I refuse to align my life with it, it's called self-imposed bondage. And what's amazing is that it's God's kindness that leads us to repentance. Not shame, not guilt, not harshness, not judgement.

Catch it, God's kindness, His patience, His long-suffering, His compassion, His tenderness that leads us to repentance. Okay? Stay with me. Listen, repentance in response to consequences rarely lasts. But repentance in response to kindness changes us from the inside out. If I respond out -- if I repent out of response to the consequences in my life, it's selfish. It's about me, so it rarely will sustain. But if I repent out of God's kindness in my life, it changes me in here from glory to glory, victory to victory, strength to strength. Okay? You with me on all this? Okay, let me pull this whole thing together on this. This is where I was trying to get last week, so I just don't -- I don't want to shut it down right now. Just stay with me on this last story. One day, Jesus is teaching His disciples and He says to them, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no part with me."

And the disciples hear that, and they begin grumbling about it. And they start speaking to each other like, this is a hard teaching. Who can understand this? And Jesus, knowing that they're grumbling and complaining about it, looks right at them and says, "Does this offend you? Do you not like what I'm saying? Because it's truth. And I can't change truth." And maybe one of the saddest verses in the Bible comes and it says, "From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." It was like a line in the sand moment for these disciples. They were like, "We followed Jesus, we had some repentance, we repented to get in, we've changed our mind about a lot of things. But Jesus, eat your flesh, drink your blood, yes, that does offend us. It is way too uncomfortable. It is way too inconvenient. It does not align with the system of this world in any way, so we would reject it, and therefore we now reject you.

And we refuse to turn towards you. We will be stiff-necked and go our own way." And while they're all leaving, Jesus looks at the 12 and he says, "Do you want to go too?" My gosh, the security of Jesus is next level. I'm just telling you as a leader, if everyone's leaving and I look at my core, I'm like, "Please don't leave me, too." "Do you want to go too?" Because this is true. Peter looks right back at Jesus and he says, "Jesus, where else would we go, because you alone have the words of life." In other words, "Jesus, it's really uncomfortable for us too. It is so inconvenient. It makes no sense. And yes, honestly, it's a little offensive. But because you say so, we will believe it. Because you say so, we will do it.

Because you command it, we will obey it." See, here's the thing that most of us don't realize. Like these disciples, we all have a line in the sand. A place that you will follow Jesus until this point, until this point of uncomfortability, inconvenience, something that the revelation in your life demands from you, a sin that you just refuse to give up. You just say, "This is just my -- I'm just not going to give this up." We have a line in the sand and none of us know where it is. We all -- don't be so prideful to be like, "I will follow Jesus until I die." Remember, we've already talked about being Jesus-focused. The more you declare how great you're going to be at following Jesus -- but the more you declare on how faithful Jesus is to you. Okay, so we all have a line in the sand. Repentance moves the line. Every time you repent, what you're saying is, "It's not today. It's not this." Repentance is literally like, moving the line, it's changing your thinking, it's saying, "Today is not the day I get off the train.

Today is not the day I get off the ship. Today is not the day I turn back. Today is not the day I harden my heart. Today is the day, that even though I don't like it, and I don't understand it, if His main message was, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, then it will be my response, even though I don't get it, I don't like it, it's uncomfortable, it's offensive. The world won't get it, my spouse won't get it, my children won't like it, my boss may fire me over it. But where else would I go because He alone has the words of life." This is what kingdom repentance looks like. Repentance demonstrates Lordship. Lordship is, He is Lord, He is the King of the kingdom, and I want to be a part of it. Unrepentance demonstrates you are your own lord. You are the king of your own kingdom. You are the king of a kingdom of one. And He invites us to change that thinking.

Last thing, "From that time on." We read that and we put it into a three-year journey in the Gospels. For three years, Jesus preached this. "From that time on." If you've been with us, from that chronos on, the kairos response is repent. "The message Jesus preached was, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" The message He's still preaching, "from that time on," we're still in that time. And this will be the message Jesus preaches until time ends and He comes back and takes those who have repented and said, "I receive His grace for the forgiveness of my sins." But I want so much more than that. I want the fullness of the kingdom of God in my life. When repentance becomes the value of your heart, the kingdom culture will become the culture of your life.

So close your eyes with me. I ask you almost every single week, what's the Holy Spirit saying to you? And the reason we ask that question is because revelation demands a response. And not demand out of a religious shaming like some of you, you got to -- you got to stop applying your broken dad to God. You got to stop applying that broken, abusive, harsh authority figure to God. Jesus is who the Father is like. And so, when revelation demands something from us, it's because He wants to free something in us. So what does it look like in your life to be quick to repent?

I get it. That was a lot. So here's the question. How hungry are you to do something with it? Consider carefully what you hear. And if you are like, I couldn't even get all that today, great. That's why we put everything online. How carefully do you want to hear this? Because you're responsible for it. Be someone that has ears to hear and a heart to receive. Don't be like the second son who says, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah," but never goes. Be like the first son that, even though you might struggle out of the gate, has a heart to turn to the Lord. So, Holy Spirit, may we be a church that values being quick to repent. May we be a people that want holiness and purity in our lives.

May we be a people that refuse to be conformed to the pattern of this world. And as You illuminate places where we are, we just repent with freedom and grace and change our thinking, which changes our direction, which sets us free in Jesus' name. Lord, we don't want to be religious. We don't want to talk a big game, we want to live a big life. So maybe in your own way, could you just say to the Lord, "Lord, help me be quick to repent." Jesus, help me be quick to repent. May humility define my life.

May I not choose to willingly harden my heart when You're pointing out sin. And may I not choose to treat revelation as if it was the next Instagram square swiping through my life. Thank You, Jesus, for Your main message. May it be my main response. In Your name, we pray. Amen.