Repentance Is A Work Of God

Biblical repentance and grief cannot be manufactured but must be sent by God.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   Biblical Repentance is a work of God This is, perhaps, the most important feature of Biblical repentance that we need to understand. We cannot wash over this. And this is being made evident to us in the text. Chapter 12 begins by saying, “And the LORD sent Nathan to David.” A few weeks ago, when we were studying chapter 11, we made a big deal about David sending. David sent Joab into the battlefield. David sent servants to find out about Bathsheba. David sent for Bathsheba. David sent for Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. David sent execution orders to Joab. When Uriah was killed, David sent for Bathsheba and brought her into his house as his wife. David’s sending was a sign of his power; his unquestioned, unrivaled power. There is no mistaking who was in control in chapter 11 as far as what was playing out among the characters involved. David had the power. And now chapter 12 begins, “the LORD sent Nathan to David.” This is the message we are to pick up on—“David has shown off his power; his authority. But now God is about to show HIS POWER and HIS AUTHORITY over David.” David had been under the conviction of conceit—“I deserve this.” Then he had been under the conviction of convenience—“I need to change my methods in order for this situation to work out.” But now He was about to be laid low under the conviction of the word of God. David had spent nine months full of tears and fears, but it wasn’t until the LORD SENT NATHAN that David was repentant. My friends, biblical repentance, godly grief, is not something we manufacture. You cannot plan for it, you cannot create it, you cannot fake it. Biblical repentance, just like all of salvation, is a work of the LORD, from start to finish.