Run With It: A Call to Repentance

Monday, July 7, 2025

A Call to Repentance

“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”

Says the Lord.

“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

And the fat of fed cattle;

And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.

“When you come to appear before Me,

Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?

“Bring your worthless offerings no longer,

Incense is an abomination to Me.

New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—

I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.

“I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,

They have become a burden to Me;

I am weary of bearing them.

“So when you spread out your hands in prayer,

I will hide My eyes from you;

Yes, even though you multiply prayers,

I will not listen.

Your hands are covered with blood.

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;

Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.

Cease to do evil,

Learn to do good;

Seek justice,

Reprove the ruthless,

Defend the orphan,

Plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:11-17 NASB1995)

How might we apply the underlying message of God here, spoken then to the rulers and to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah? And who do they represent? They represent the sexually immoral, including in the area of homosexuality, and those who commit detestable perverted sinful acts against others. They also represent the prideful, apathetic, complacent, idolatrous, self-indulgent, selfish, and the idle, who are evildoers.

But they are also the outwardly religious who go through the motions of some religious practices, perhaps to give off the appearance of faith in Jesus Christ and of being Christians who are following the Lord with their lives. Thus they may tithe to the church, and take communion, and they may have been baptized with water, and they may serve as elders or deacons or as bible teachers or group activity coordinators, performing their good deeds.

But God is not impressed with our “good deeds” if we are living in sin, making sin our practice, deliberately and habitually sinning against the Lord and against other humans. He takes no pleasure in our religious practices if we are ignoring his commands and if we are choosing sin, instead. For he considers such hypocritical offerings to him as worthless, for he cannot endure them, and they are a burden to him which wearies him.

I know this is Old Testament, but the New Testament gives us a very similar picture of how God views sin, especially deliberate and habitual sin going on in the lives of those professing faith in Jesus Christ. There he speaks against idolatry, sexual immorality, lying, idleness, and self-indulgence. And he warns the church that if any of them continue living in sin, and not in walks of obedience to his commands, they will not see heaven and God.

And so his call to the adulterous and idolatrous church today is the same in nature as was his call to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He is calling all to genuine biblical repentance whereby they now die with Christ to sin so that they can live with God in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living. He is calling them to cease with doing evil and to learn to do good, the good that God has for us to do as disciples of Jesus Christ.

[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70