Space to Repent

There is a verse in the book of Revelation that sends shivers down my spine. It's a terrifying verse, friends, in that it demonstrates both the mercy of God and the justice of God. In Revelation chapter 2, the risen Christ is addressing several churches and he calls attention to a member of the church at Thyatira by the name of Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet.

Listen to how the risen Lord speaks to her situation in verse 21, And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. The title of my message today, friends, is Space to Repent, and in this message I will draw out several aspects of this biblical truth of the long-suffering of God that, number one, I believe that a long-suffering God will give a nation space to repent and turn back to him before he destroys it. God gave Israel plenty of time to repent and turn back to him, for God sent them his prophets rising early in thunder and warnings for the people to turn back to God in repentance and reformation.

God was long-suffering toward his wayward people of Israel and even sent them a series of remedial judgments to get their attention and draw them back to him. One only has to read Amos chapter 4 and see where God gives his people space to repent by sending one remedial judgment right after another. First God sent a famine in the land, and then he sent a severe drought in the land, and then the remedial judgments became more increased in their severity.

He then sent a financial judgment of blasting and mildew on their crops, and the text reads, Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord? Then he sent a pestilence among them, but the text reads, Yet ye would not return to me. When God gives a nation space to repent, and they do not, then the gavel of God's justice falls in judgment upon that people. John Owen said of the Jews in Jerusalem, after they had crucified Christ and passed beyond the space of their repentance, When a sinful church or people have passed the utmost bounds of divine patience and forbearance, they fell into such abominable crimes, sins, and provocations as shall render the utmost vengeance beneath their deserts.

So Josephus affirms of this generation, after they had rejected and slain the Lord Christ, that they fell into such a hell of provoking abominations, that if the Romans had not come and destroyed them, God would have sent fire and brimstone upon them from heaven, as he did on Sodom. I believe that, friends. Look at America, in her fated glory, and under the remedial judgments of God for all her sins.

I've never seen a time in my life where one remedial judgment has followed on the heels of another in this country, from floods and fires and hurricanes and serial killings. Our city streets are blood-red from all the senseless violence in the land. God's been trying to get America's attention since 9-11, but we have gone back to sleep as a nation, and we continue to provoke a holy God with our multiplied sins.

He's given us space to repent, and the clock is ticking down on this wicked land, and we as a nation refuse to turn back to the God of the Bible. 2. God gives a church space to repent. All you have to do, friends, is to read Christ's warnings to the church as a revelation, to hear him say time and time again, repent or else.

I believe God is speaking to his apostate church in America today, saying, repent or else. The church in America is self-focused and hell-bent on self-preservation and has sinned herself out of favor with God. We've experienced the remedial judgment of the withdrawn presence of God.

How long has it been, friend, since you've seen the power of God in a meeting? It's a worldly church, full of the world as it sits in material prosperity, but is spiritually bankrupt and blind to her own condition, just like the church of Laodicea, whom Christ said, Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. In his long-suffering, God has given the church in America space to repent, but she refuses to turn back to the living God of the Bible, and the sand in her hourglass is emptying down.

Number three, God gives an individual space to repent, as this is clearly evidenced in our text today, friends, from Revelation 2, 21, where Jesus said of that woman Jezebel, And I gave her space to repent of her fornication. But what does Jesus say about this person? And she repented not. God's been dealing with some of you, and his patience is fast running out with you.

If you do not repent and turn back to him, then don't be too surprised, friend, if you are suddenly and quite unexpectedly taken out of this world by sudden death. The gavel of God's justice is about to fall on you, unless you repent immediately. For God is no respecter of persons, friend.

Don't fool yourself with a false security. Turn back to him and heartfelt repentance while you still have time. Let us pray.