Repentance and salvation teaching

I am doing another repentance and salvation teaching starting with three Psalms of repentance. The first one is Psalms 32 which indicates blessed are those whose transgressions aren’t counted. It also implies the Lord does chasten and punish but it does exhort repentance and prayer as well.

(Psalm 32:1)  A Maskil of David. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

(Psalm 32:2)  Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

(Psalm 32:3)  For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

(Psalm 32:4)  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

(Psalm 32:5)  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

(Psalm 32:6)  Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

(Psalm 32:7)  You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

(Psalm 32:8)  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

(Psalm 32:9)  Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

(Psalm 32:10)  Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.

(Psalm 32:11)  Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalm 38 is a prayer of supplication and repentance partly due to the Lord’s discipline of sin on David and also from others. Note the prayer of repentance there.

(Psalm 38:1)  A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering. O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!

(Psalm 38:2)  For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.

(Psalm 38:3)  There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

(Psalm 38:4)  For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

(Psalm 38:5)  My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,

(Psalm 38:6)  I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning.

(Psalm 38:7)  For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.

(Psalm 38:8)  I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

(Psalm 38:9)  O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.

(Psalm 38:10)  My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes--it also has gone from me.

(Psalm 38:11)  My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.

(Psalm 38:12)  Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.

(Psalm 38:13)  But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

(Psalm 38:14)  I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.

(Psalm 38:15)  But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

(Psalm 38:16)  For I said, "Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!"

(Psalm 38:17)  For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me.

(Psalm 38:18)  I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.

(Psalm 38:19)  But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully.

(Psalm 38:20)  Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.

(Psalm 38:21)  Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me!

(Psalm 38:22)  Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

Psalm 51 is David’s psalm of repentance and prayer after the prophet Nathan confronted him over the Bathsheba affair, and this Psalm would be David’s plea for mercy and his repentance for his sins relating to that affair.

(Psalm 51:1)  To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

(Psalm 51:2)  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

(Psalm 51:3)  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

(Psalm 51:4)  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

(Psalm 51:5)  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

(Psalm 51:6)  Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

(Psalm 51:7)  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

(Psalm 51:8)  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

(Psalm 51:9)  Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

(Psalm 51:10)  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

(Psalm 51:11)  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

(Psalm 51:12)  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

(Psalm 51:13)  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

(Psalm 51:14)  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

(Psalm 51:15)  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

(Psalm 51:16)  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

(Psalm 51:17)  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

(Psalm 51:18)  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;

(Psalm 51:19)  then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Proverbs 3 reminds us the Lord will chasten those whom He loves.

(Proverbs 3:11)  My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof,

(Proverbs 3:12)  for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

This message of the Lord correcting us and our need to be willing to accept this correction in love which was given in Proverbs 3 is further explained and developed in this passage in Hebrews 12

(Hebrews 12:5)  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.

(Hebrews 12:6)  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."

(Hebrews 12:7)  It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

(Hebrews 12:8)  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

(Hebrews 12:9)  Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?

(Hebrews 12:10)  For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.

(Hebrews 12:11)  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

These verses in chapter 1 of the epistle encourage us to confess our sins and not deny that we have sinned so we are not liars

(1 John 1:5)  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

(1 John 1:6)  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

(1 John 1:7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

(1 John 1:8)  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

(1Jn 1:9)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1 John 1:10)  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

In fact according to James we are to confess our sins to each other as well and pray for one another as well for this type of prayer is effective and can be used by God to bring people back from sins and errors

(James 5:16)  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

(James 5:17)  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

(James 5:18)  Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

(James 5:19)  My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

(James 5:20)  let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Jesus, in Luke 17 says temptations to sin are sure to come and that we are to rebuke and forgive the repentant sinner.

(Luke 17:1)  And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

(Luke 17:2)  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

(Luke 17:3)  Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,

(Luke 17:4)  and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

In chapter 18 of Matthew Jesus further explains these points also commands us to humble ourselves as children, and encourages prayer in groups for He is there when two or more pray in His Name and gives a powerful parable of forgiveness which implores people to forgive each other

(Matthew 18:1)  At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

(Matthew 18:2)  And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them

(Matthew 18:3)  and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

(Matthew 18:4)  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

(Matthew 18:5)  "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

(Matthew 18:6)  but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

(Matthew 18:7)  "Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!

(Matthew 18:8)  And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.

(Matthew 18:9)  And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

(Matthew 18:10)  "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 18:11)  [For the Son of Man came to save the lost.]

(Matthew 18:12)  What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

(Matthew 18:13)  And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

(Matthew 18:14)  So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

(Matthew 18:15)  "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

(Matthew 18:16)  But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

(Matthew 18:17)  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

(Matthew 18:18)  Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

(Matthew 18:19)  Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

(Matthew 18:20)  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

(Matthew 18:21)  Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"

(Matthew 18:22)  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

(Matthew 18:23)  "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.

(Matthew 18:24)  When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

(Matthew 18:25)  And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.

(Matthew 18:26)  So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'

(Matthew 18:27)  And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

(Matthew 18:28)  But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.'

(Matthew 18:29)  So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'

(Matthew 18:30)  He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.

(Matthew 18:31)  When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.

(Matthew 18:32)  Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

(Matthew 18:33)  And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?'

(Matthew 18:34)  And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.

(Matthew 18:35)  So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

In fact Jesus did come to save us from our sins as the following tract states and has a salvation prayer for those who need Him, so I conclude this teaching with it.

                                    21 verse salvation tract

            Here is a nice twenty one verse salvation tract using various verses from the bible

As stated all have fallen short and need the gift of salvation though Jesus who was put forth as a propitiation by His blood

 (Romans 3:23)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(Romans 3:24)  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Here are the consequences of the sin that we have committed against God

(Romans 6:23)  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

These verses in John 3 also state those who believe in Jesus by faith will have eternal life

(John 3:16)  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

(John 3:17)  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him

In the epistle of Titus five verses, which encourage us to spurn ungodliness and wait for our blessed hope in Jesus who gave Himself for our sins and we are to declare the fact as Paul exhorted Titus to do

(Titus 2:11)  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

(Titus 2:12)  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

(Titus 2:13)  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

(Titus 2:14)  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

(Titus 2:15)  Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

This message is reinforced by the scriptures in 1 Timothy which also encourage prayer and supplication for God wants all to be saved as stated in these verses

(1 Timothy 2:1)  First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

(1 Timothy 2:2)  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

(1 Timothy 2:3)  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

(1 Timothy 2:4)  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

(1 Timothy 2:5)  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

(1 Timothy 2:6)  who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

In John 14 Jesus then makes it very clear that nobody can come to God but by Him

(John 14:6)  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

But Jesus also makes it clear in Revelation that He indeed is seeking people always

(Revelation 3:20)  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

And here are some key verses in Romans 10 about Salvation:

(Romans 10:9)  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

(Romans 10:10)  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

(Romans 10:13)  For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

I am sure you have now seen enough now to be ready to pray to be saved. I am now including a short prayer that you can say to ensure that you are saved and have eternal life when you die, going to heaven to be with Jesus forever and not end up going to hell.

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

God bless you and yours