A Devil in an Angel's Dress
True repentance requires a complete turning from every sin, not just some sins.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the necessity of true repentance, which involves turning away from every sin, not just some. He illustrates that partial repentance, like that of Herod and Judas, leads to spiritual ruin, as even one unrepented sin can corrupt the soul. Brooks argues that just as a leper is defined by a single spot, so too is a sinner defined by any unconfessed sin. The penitent must actively seek to crucify all sins and idols in their life to find true healing and restoration. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a complete and thorough renunciation of all that stands against God's glory.
Text
"Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin
will not be your downfall." Ezekiel 18:30
True repentance is a turning, not from some sin--but
from every sin. Every sin strikes at the law of God, the
honor of God, the being of God, and the glory of God;
and therefore the penitent must strike at all. Every sin
fetches blood from the heart of Christ, and every sin is
a grief and vexation to the Holy Spirit--and therefore
the penitent must set upon crucifying of all.
Herod turned from many sins--but not from his Delilah,
his Herodias, which was his ruin! Judas, you know, was
a devil in an angel's dress; he seemed to be turned
from every sin--but he was a secret thief, he loved the
money bag; and that golden devil, covetousness, choked
him, and hanged him at last! Saul for a time turned from
several evils--but his sparing one, Agag, cost him his
soul and his kingdom at once!
He who had the spot of leprosy in any one part of his
body was accounted a leper, although all the rest of
his body were sound and whole, Lev. 13. Just so, he
who has but one spot, one sin which he does not
endeavor to wash out in the blood of Christ, and in
the tears of true repentance--he is a leper in the
account of God.
The true penitent is for the mortifying of every lust
which has had a hand in crucifying of his dearest Savior.
The sin-sick soul must break, not some--but all its idols
in pieces, before a cure will follow. It must deface its
golden idols, its most costly idols, its most darling idols!
The returning sinner must make headway against all his
sins, and trample upon all his lusts--or else he will die
and be undone forever!
"Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and
your images covered with gold; you will throw them
away like a menstrual cloth and say to them--Away
with you!" Isaiah 30:22
Sermon Outline
- I. The Necessity of True Repentance
- A. Repentance is a turning from every sin
- B. Every sin strikes at the law of God and the honor of God
- II. The Dangers of Partial Repentance
- A. Herod and Judas were not truly repentant
- B. Partial repentance can lead to spiritual ruin
- III. The Importance of Mortifying Lusts
- A. The true penitent must mortify every lust
- B. The sin-sick soul must break all its idols
- IV. The Consequences of Unrepentant Sin
- A. The sin-sick soul will die and be undone forever
Key Quotes
“He who had the spot of leprosy in any one part of his body was accounted a leper, although all the rest of his body were sound and whole, Lev. 13.” — Thomas Brooks
“The returning sinner must make headway against all his sins, and trample upon all his lusts--or else he will die and be undone forever!” — Thomas Brooks
“Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them--Away with you!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- We must mortify every lust that has had a hand in crucifying our Savior.
- We must break all our idols and make headway against all our sins.
- We must not settle for partial repentance, but must strive for complete repentance.