 for us, even as we start off? Yes, Pastor. Yes. J. Heavenly Father, we come to you under the name of Jesus. We thank you for this day. We thank you for the beautiful fast that we are about to have. God, we thank you for setting us apart, for children as your daughter, as your son. God, as we are learning about holiness, help us to listen to the class carefully and put into practice so that we can glorify your name above all else. So that when people look at us, they will know that we are serving a God who is holy, who is mighty, and who is awesome. Through all our actions, through all our words and through every single thing that we do. I pray for all my classmates. God, I pray that they will have good Wi-Fi connection throughout the session and there won't be any obstacles, any disturbance. We will learn and we will listen, we will learn and we will live an amazing life. We bless Pastor Deepika, we bless every student. And Jesus, lay my prayer, amen. Amen. Thank you so much. Yes. So we've looked at the entire section on holiness. We looked at different aspects. And now, if you were to look at your notes, there's a second section called repentance, recovery and restoration. So we are moving into the second section of this course and we'll just have maybe a couple of sessions on that. And then the third section would be the overcoming life, how to live in victory. So we would move into that, about two sessions from now. So today, we will kind of begin looking at this whole topic of repentance and we'll get into more detail the next session maybe because the first step to salvation itself is repentance. And then once we are saved, we continue to walk in holiness through daily repentance. So repentance is very basic to the whole idea of holiness. So we will begin by looking at some fundamental things about repentance in this session. So like we all know, when Jesus was on this earth, he was preaching repent for the kingdom of God is here. So the whole process of reconnecting with God begins with repentance. Maybe we can look at Mark chapter one verse 15 where it kind of talks about this. Mark chapter one verse 15, if someone could read out please. Mark chapter one verse 15. And same time, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Okay, we see that actually there are two things mentioned over here that the people are being asked to do. First is repent and second is believe. And if you look at the order in which those two action words are mentioned, repentance comes first and then belief comes. That's because it's the Holy Spirit who convicts us, who brings us to that realization that we are sinful. And once we become open to repent, once we become open to his convicting work, then he gifts us this gift of faith so that we're able to place our faith in Jesus. We would not even be able to do that on our own if it wasn't for the Holy Spirit's help. So maybe we can actually look at a couple of verses which talk about that. John 16, eight to 11, that's basically where you have the passage which says that it is the Holy Spirit who convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment. Anyone who is open to the work of the Holy Spirit, anyone who is responding to what he is prompting in our hearts, such people, those who have this kind of an openness, the Holy Spirit will increase his activity in the heart of that person and bring them to a point where that person is willing to respond, where that person is willing to hear more. And at that time, the Holy Spirit gives that person the free gift of faith where they will be able to take that final step and actually just submit to the Lord Jesus, place their entire trust in him, their entire future in him, and say, okay, from now on, you or Lord will be your master and I'm willing to follow you. So repentance comes first and repentance happens when any person, however ignorant they may be about the Bible and all of that, if they have an openness in their heart to the work which the Holy Spirit is doing, where he's convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. So anyone who's open to this, they are the ones who start becoming repentant. They feel convicted of their sinfulness and they wish that they could live differently. So all these are things which the Holy Spirit kind of stirs up inside that person. And as the person becomes more and more open, the Holy Spirit himself gives them that gift of faith so that they will be able to believe. We see that in Ephesians chapter two, verses eight to nine, if someone could read out that Ephesians two, eight to nine. Ephesians chapter two, verse eight to nine. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourself. It is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast. So no person can say on my own, I was able to believe in Jesus Christ. That is a gift, that faith is a gift that the Holy Spirit gives to us. So we repent and that starts off the process which leads to salvation. We repent, then the Holy Spirit gives us the faith to believe. We place our faith in him and then we are saved and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. But after salvation, we continue to have to repent for different things because of our sinfulness. I mean, we continue to fail the Lord. So whenever we do that, we would have to continue going to him for forgiveness with an attitude of repentance. So maybe we can look at a couple of verses about what actually happens in that moment of salvation. At chapter two verse 38, could someone read out? Yeah. Then Peter said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They would be a remission of sins. Those sins which we did in the past, the sins that in fact we will be doing in the future, they are all cut off, canceled. So they no longer are held against us. So we are completely forgiven and it is repentance that leads to that. Once we have repented and once the Holy Spirit has given us the faith to believe in Jesus Christ, then in that moment, all our sins are completely forgiven, including even the future sins that we would be committing. All of that is completely forgiven so that now we can be declared completely righteous and we can put on the righteousness of Christ. So at that time, this is what happens for us. Matthew chapter four verses 16 to 17. Matthew 4, 16 to 17, if someone could read out. Matthew chapter four verses 16 to 17. The people living in darkness have seen a great light on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has done. From that time when Jesus began to page, repent for kingdom of heaven is near. Okay, so the people were living in darkness and then you see the light comes and it says, you know, they were living in the land of the shadow of death and to such people, Jesus comes offering light. So when a person repents, what they're basically doing is they're saying, okay, I will now no longer be my own master. I choose to accept Jesus to be my Lord. So, you know, we get down from the throne of our lives and we allow him to be seated on that throne. And once he becomes king, once he begins ruling inside us, then the kingdom of light starts coming in. You know, we start getting flooded by the light of God. So that's the turning point. Up to then, as long as we are in control of our own lives and we exert our free will and say, no, I choose to live in my own way. Up to that point, you know, when we are on the throne, there is only darkness. And so you have to place him on the throne. And once you do that, you know, your life starts getting flooded with his light. So those who are living in the shadow of death, you know, light dawns upon them. The light begins to shine upon them. Why? Because now they have chosen to place, you know, the Lord Jesus on the throne. So repentance, it leads to the beginning of a new rule in our lives. And in fact, even after salvation, every time we repent, it's like we are consciously saying, I know for a temporary, I kind of took over Lord, but now you know, you take back your, you know, your leadership, I will follow you. So every time we repent, it's like, you know, we are placing him back on the throne. And when he is on the throne, he brings in his light. Our life gets flooded with more and more with his light. And that's a, you know, wonderful way to live, right? I mean, who wants to live in the darkness? Who wants to have, you know, defeat in their lives? So it's, so repentance is this power in repentance. And in fact, there's something else also, which, you know, Acts 319 says about repentance. If someone could read out, Acts 319, please. Acts chapter three, verse 19, repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out. The times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Okay, so that is when the times of refreshing start coming. As long as we don't repent, as long as we are holding onto our sins, there is no refreshing. There's only, you know, that sense of guilt and also God cannot act freely on our behalf because we are blocking him off. And so nothing seems to work. But when we repent, then times of refreshing begin to come into our lives. The light of God's rule, you know, begins to flood our lives. And that is when everything begins to change for us. So repentance is something that is needed for sinners, but it is also something which is very, very vital for believers so that they can have these times of refreshing so that they can continue to have this, I know, light of God lighting up their lives. So in Mark chapter two or 17, you know, Jesus is speaking and he says, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick, I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. So Jesus says, I have come specifically to call sinners to repentance, but then, you know, later in Revelation, we see that repentance is not just something that is being, you know, asked of sinners. God is asking repentance of even believers. And we see that with regard to, you know, those seven churches in the book of Revelation, most of them were asked to repent of one thing or the other. So, you know, we've all gone through that first act of repentance, where we decided that we would no longer continue in our sinful ways. And we chose to submit ourselves to the Lord. So that act of repentance, we have finished performing. But now, all these things that the churches in Revelation were asked to repent of, I think those things apply to us even now. So it's nice to see what are the things that God asked these churches to repent of. And, you know, we can check our lives to see whether we too need to repent in those areas, because even as you choose to repent in these areas, you automatically become more holy. Okay, so, I mean, it's not like as if you are pursuing holiness and saying, oh, I will make myself holy. I will do this, this, this and become holy. Those are things that we do. But, you know, just these acts of repentance where you are willing to set right the things which are wrong, that automatically leads to greater holiness. So this is something that we need to pay attention to. So, you know, let's just very quickly go through some of the things that God asks these believers to repent of. The first thing, of course, would be in Revelation chapter two, verse five. If someone could read out, Revelation two, verse five. Father, Revelation two, chapter five. Chapter two, verse five. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen, repent and do the first works or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. Yes. Now, you know, just for us to kind of understand what is being talked about over here, if we go back to the previous chapter, Revelation chapter one, verses 12 to 20. Over there, we see that, you know, John looks at Jesus standing among the seven golden lampstands. Okay, so, and he sees that Jesus is also holding seven stars in his hand. And it's like a kind of a vision. You know, it's like, it has a symbolic meaning, you know, some kind of metaphorical meaning. And so then Jesus explains what John has seen. And this is what Jesus says. He says in Revelation chapter one, verse 20, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. So it's like, as if in front of God's throne, you have all of these lamps, you know, lampstands and each lampstand represents a church. And so it's like God is saying, my eyes are always upon my churches, you know, the ones that are truly God's churches, the ones which are trying to live according to his values and treat him as Lord and master. So it's like, as if, you know, symbolically, God has got all these lampstands in front of him and each of them represents a church. And as for the seven stars in his hand, here it's not talking about, you know, angelic beings, it's talking about actual normal people. The angels of the seven churches are just basically the pastors, the leaders of the seven churches. And they are in his hand, you know, I mean, they are that important to him. So God is literally holding these angels, these pastors in his hands, you know, so if you look in Revelation chapter two, verse one, the first message, you know, it's addressed to the angel of efficiency. So that's just basically the pastor of that particular efficient church. And so, you know, Jesus says, write this message to that angel, to that pastor, and you know, tell him that these are the things that they should do. So over here, it's not talking about any angelic beings, it's just talking about the pastors of the churches. And so, here in our Revelation chapter two, verse five, this is the warning that God is giving that particular church, you know, and God wants this message written and sent to the pastor over there, you know, of that church to say, repent and do the things you did at first. And if you don't, you know, the Lord says, I will remove your lamp stand from its place. So your church will no longer be represented in front of me. I will no longer consider your church as, you know, one of my churches, it will no longer be considered part of the body of Christ. So one thing that is very, very important in God's eyes is that we should have the same level of commitment that we had in the very beginning, both individually and, you know, as a corporate body, as a church, we must continue to have the same level of loyalty and commitment that we had in the very beginning. So this is something that we can, you know, examine ourselves for. We can look at ourselves and, you know, ask ourselves, year by year, have I been growing in my commitment and loyalty? Have I been growing, you know, in my efforts to overcome sin and live in holiness? Or do I just see a kind of, you know, the same stagnation? You know, I mean, there's been no growth and generally when there is no growth, we end up backsliding in fact. We can't stay in the same level. So either we are in the process of growing or we are in the process of backsliding. There's no maintaining status quo as far as, you know, the Christian walk is concerned. You will observe that if you're not in the process of growing, you're kind of, you know, in the process of backsliding. So we need to first of all, ask ourselves, am I growing or have I, you know, lost that first, you know, commitment which I had? And that is the case. Then we are asked to repent of that. A second thing that we believers would probably need to watch out for are all these false teachings that keep coming in. You know, those people in the early church, they had a different set of wrong doctrines troubling them. Now we have a different set. We have all these teachings on hyper grace and the focus on prosperity and wealth, material wealth. So those are some of the things which are coming in. And then we also have wrong doctrines about salvation and, you know, so all of these things, we need to guard ourselves against all such wrong doctrines. So in Revelation chapter two versus 15 and 16, the people are warned not to hold on to the wrong teachings of the Nicolaitans. Maybe someone can read out that. Revelation chapter two versus 15 and 16. Can I know the reference again? Revelation two, 15 and 16. Revelation chapter two versus 15 and 16. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore, otherwise I will soon come to you and we'll fight against them with a sword of my mouth. Now over here, these were people who believed that because now they are free in Christ, Christ Jesus has set them free from the law. So now because they have been set free from the law, they believe that it's all right for them to do whatever they wish. So they were indulging in immoral immorality and plus they were also indulging in occult practices, you know, kind of getting involved in things to do with evil spirits, you know, witchcraft and things like that. So they were saying that now because they have been set free by Jesus Christ, they no longer have to follow rules and regulations and they are free to do whatever they want because God has, you know, he's kind of reserved them for himself. So they cannot lose their salvation. And so today we may not have Christians who I know how openly going and living in immorality or getting into occult practices, but this attitude we see even today, right? Where people think that, okay, now because I have my ticket to heaven, I can do what I want. You know, my salvation is safe. My seat is reserved over there in heaven. So that's the kind of attitude. So here, you know, Jesus is warning the believers in this church and he's telling, you know, you need to repent of this false doctrine, this kind of false teaching that has come in. So we may not be believing in the doctrine of the Nicolaotans, but that danger is there. Where we think, oh, my salvation is now safe and secure. So it's all right for me to compromise. It's all right for me to do my own thing because God will anyway forgive. You know, that would be a very dangerous attitude. So if we see that in ourselves, we need to repent. And then another thing, not only should we be repenting of, you know, any wrong doctrines that we are personally following, we must also make sure that we are not encouraging that kind of teaching in our churches, which means we together would have to take a public stand against anyone who's trying to bring in wrong teachings. And if you just say, you know, if we follow that policy of, you know, live and let live, that's not going to work. So if we are aware that there's someone in the church who's going around encouraging people to practice something which is wrong, then we together, you know, we who are faithful to the Lord, we will have to take a stand against that person and take disciplinary action. So if we have that casual attitude of, okay, fine, that person has his own views, you know, it's all right. It is not all right if that person is encouraging people to move away from the truth of God's word. It is not all right. It is not something to be tolerated. So holiness involves also having to take a stand. Even if that person is someone who is respected, who is influential, you would actually have to take a stand against that person and say, you know, brother or sister, you cannot continue spreading this kind of false teachings. If you continue to do that, then you would have to leave the church. You can no longer be part of our community. It's a very awkward step to have to take, especially if that person is respected by everyone, and which is what happened, you know, in the early church, where when you had all of these judisers, you know, who came to the Galatian church and they were so highly respected. They were so influential. Even Peter hesitated to take any action against them, rather than, you know, taking strict action against them and throwing them out of the church. He began to kind of start using double standards. You know, earlier he used to be so loving towards the Gentiles. He used to sit with them and have the Lord's supper along with them. And then when these very powerful, influential people came there and began to, you know, talk about how it is important to even follow the Jewish rituals, what does Peter do? I mean, imagine Peter, the leader of one of the major leaders of the church. He begins to withdraw himself from the Gentile believers. He no longer sits with them and eats with them, you know. And then Paul is really angry and how does he correct the situation? He publicly addresses it. In public, he says to Peter, what you are doing is wrong. You're allowing yourself to be influenced by these people just because they are so highly respected and just because they are so influential, you should not be, you know, practicing double standards like this. So this is a very, very serious thing in God's eyes. So Revelation chapter two versus 20 to 23 talks about that. Yeah, that's four verses. If someone could read out because, you know, there are a whole lot of wordings over there which are kind of important. Revelation chapter two, 20 to 23, please. Revelation chapter two versus 20 to 23. Nevertheless, I have this against you. You tolerate that woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess by her teaching. She misleads my servant into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering and I'll make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely unless they repent of her grace. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds and I'll repay each one of you according to your deeds. Okay, see, on the outside, this person, you know, who called herself a prophetess, on the outside, she probably was someone very, you know, influential. She was someone who was able to catch the attention of people and, you know, get them to follow her ways. So here she's called Jezebel, that may not have been her name, but then, you know, it kind of refers back to the Old Testament Jezebel, who also had a very influential role in leading people into sin. So maybe, you know, symbolically, that name is being applied over here to this particular person as well. So this was someone who was in a position of leadership. She was like a prophetess in the church, but she was leading people away from the true teaching of God. And so here, the Lord says, those who are, you know, supporting her teaching and following that, I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. So it's not enough that, you know, we keep ourselves holy. We must also make sure that we do not even tolerate other people who are, you know, spreading false teachings. We must not tolerate them and we must, you know, have them removed from our churches. So repentance can even be that, am I just for the sake of avoiding awkwardness? Am I just overlooking something that can be dangerous to the church, to the group of believers that, you know, I'm working among or living among. So we would have to take a stand. Another act of repentance that we talk, that is talked about here in the book of Revelation is in Revelation three versus one to three. And yeah, this is something which can really happen to, you know, a lot of us if we are not careful. Revelation chapter three versus one to three if someone could read out, please. Revelation chapter three was one to three to the angel of the church in silence, right? These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds and you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead, wake up, strengthen what remains and is about to die. For I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore what you have received, heard, obeyed and repent, but if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief and he will not know at what time I'll come to you. Here, the main allegation that, you know, Jesus is making against the people of this church is, he says, I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God, you know, or in the translation that was just read out, you know, the deeds that you're doing are incomplete. So in what sense was it incomplete? We see in the earlier portion in verse one, yeah. You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. So when they would open their mouths, when they would talk, when they would preach, it's like as if they are full of knowledge, full of wisdom. They know their scripture so well, but where's the point? It's an incomplete faith. If you're not also practicing it, if you're not also applying it. So, you know, this happens to us even as we kind of, you know, have been in church for a very long time and we know our scriptures so well. We can pray so beautifully. We are, you know, moving very freely in the gifts. All of this is going on. But in God's eyes, he says, our deeds are incomplete. They are unfinished. If we have not, you know, really been putting those things into practice. So by reputation, we may be, you know, people may think that we are alive, but actually we are dead if we are not holding fast. So that's why it says over here in verse three, hold it fast and repent. So whatever you have received and heard, hold it fast and repent. So whenever we have more knowledge given to us, whenever there is a new revelation from God, it's not enough to just say, okay, now I know something more and take it off in our mind. No, you're not just adding it to your list of knowledge. It is something that you will have to hold on to it fast in the sense you choose to apply it, practice it. Then God would say that your deeds are complete in his eyes. So this is an area in which we would need to repent. If you and I are people who have been gathering knowledge, gathering revelation, God has been giving us Reema words and you know, we are full of his word, but if we are not putting it into practice, if we are not holding onto it fast like it says over here, then we are in danger of God's judgment. So the Lord says over here, hold fast to whatever you have heard and received. Now this especially is something that applies to people who are teachers, we are teaching. So in the process of teaching, there's so much that we learn. And if I'm only learning all of that just so that I can teach, where's the point? When God looks at me, all he will see is unfinished deeds. On the other hand, even as I'm learning more and more, if I'm actually putting those things into practice, then my faith is complete. Whatever I'm doing is pleasing in God's eyes. And it's not the same for, and this doesn't just apply to teachers, it also applies to students. Students like you who have signed up for courses like this. So here you are, you're gaining a lot of additional knowledge. There's a lot of new revelation that comes even as you listen to your different lectures. Now it's not enough to just have gathered that information in your heads. When God looks at you, he will see only unfinished deeds. If it's like it says over here, if you have not been holding fast to what you have received and heard. So it is not enough to just gather knowledge, we must also apply it. And if our attitude has not been that, then we would need to repent of that because then we will be perfect in God's eyes, our deeds will be perfect in God's eyes. Another thing that we see in, that another area where we would need repentance is this revelation chapter three versus 15 to 21. In Revelation three verse 15, the Lord says, I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other. Okay, so these are people who still love God. They've not rejected him completely. So in that sense, they are warm, okay? They're not hot. They're not hot for God. They're not passionate for God, but at least they're kind of warm in the sense. They are still kind of love him. They still kind of respect him, but God is not satisfied with that. He says because of your attitude, where you're kind of warm, you're kind of lukewarm and not really passionate, what does that lead to? Because of that attitude, he says, you have become inverse 17, the Lord says, you have now become wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. So you see, they have not rejected God altogether. They still love him. They still stand up during the worship time and sing praises to God, but they're not passionate for the things of God anymore. That fire has gone. And so without realizing it in the process, they have become poor, blind and naked. So without realizing it, they're becoming blind. They are no longer able to see God's word clearly, catch what God is saying, apply that to their lives, sharpen themselves spiritually, grow in their inner man, all that is not happening. There's serious stagnation going on and they don't even realize it because they're always saying to themselves, oh, we love God. We worship him. We sing praises to him. So they are under the impression that they are a very loving bunch of people, but they don't realize that it's all just now just outward. The love is just expressed in rituals, in performances, but there's no real work of improvement. There's no real work of repentance. We're on a daily basis. They're examining themselves and finding out if there's anything lacking. They're no longer hearing from the Holy Spirit who constantly corrects us, who teaches us. So they're no longer hearing from him. They are just going about their outward religious show. So here Jesus says, such people, without realizing it, you have become poor, blind and naked. And so you would have to sharpen yourself. You would have to take a serious stand against every wrong there is in your life. And then that is being hot for God, okay? So lukewarmness is where you just kind of express a love for him, but you don't really correct the things that need to be corrected. On the other hand, a person who is hot or passionate for the Lord, that would be a person who is on a daily basis examining themselves and sharpening themselves, correcting themselves. So these are all the different things that God addressed regarding those churches in the book of Revelation. And those same learnings apply to us today. In the same way he was watching them closely and he observed all these things in them in the very, very same way even today, he's watching us and he's watching our churches and he's observing. He does notice these things. So we may have this outward show of having worship and having nice sounding sermons, but if there is no constant change inside us on a daily basis, if there is no accepting of correction every time the Holy Spirit brings something to our mind, if that is not happening, it leads to a kind of deadness. And the sooner we repent of this deadness, the better because otherwise, we will become very slack. We will think that we are safe when actually we are not safe. So that would be a risk. So we need to repent of these things. Moving on to another aspect of repentance. Today what we are doing is there are like 12 very, very short, short chapters in the repentance section in your notes. And some of them are like just half a page. They're just like different aspects of repentance. So we are actually today, trying to go through the first six, okay? So the first six chapters of repentance are what we are kind of trying to cover today. And the next session, we'll go through the other six. So sorry, just kind of hold on a minute. Yeah. So just to look at the definition of repentance, have a clearer understanding of what is involved in that. If someone could read out second Peter chapter three verse nine, please. Second Peter chapter three verse nine. Second Peter chapter three verse nine. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. He's patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. It says here that God wants everyone to come to repentance. The Greek word over there is metanoia, or metanoia, or however you pronounce it. I do not know how to pronounce it, but I know he wants everyone to come to metanoia. And so this basically, this word, this is the meaning that it carries. It is basically you having a disgust for your past sinful life, okay? So you are disgusted with what you were before, and now you're saying, I want to change into someone else. So there are a whole bunch of definitions regarding this word metanoia, but this basically brings it out. It involves two things. First of all, you're not satisfied with the way you are. In fact, when you look at your attitudes, when you look at your lukewarmness, when you look at your lack of passion for God, you're not just comfortable with the idea. You are actually disgusted with who you are, with what you are. And so you decide, I'm not gonna stay like this. I am going to change for the better with the help of the Holy Spirit. So it's a conscious decision which you make. So this is what true repentance is. Even at the time of salvation, that's basically what happened, right? There are people who said that I do not like the way I have lived so far, and I do not wish to continue in that manner. Now I choose to come under this Jesus Christ, let him be my Lord and master, and I will follow him. He will help me to live in a different way. So that's basically what we did even at the point of salvation. Now we continue to have that kind of an attitude. We are no longer satisfied or complacent about these things which are kind of rotting inside. We want to get rid of them. We are disgusted with them. And so we take a stand and we say, I will no longer continue to live in these things, but rather I will come out and be different. I will change for the better with the Lord's help. So that basically would be what Metanoia is all about. Isaiah 55, 6-9 also talks about repentance. What does it say? Isaiah 55 versus 6-9 if someone could read out. Isaiah chapter 55 verse 6-9, seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his ways and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God for he will feel he pardoned. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways declares the Lord. As the heaven are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Yeah, so if we see over here, repentance is basically involving these two things. First, we choose to forsake the unrighteous thoughts that we have and we choose to forsake the wicked deeds that we are doing. So there's an outright clear stand where you say, I will no longer just be satisfied with all these unrighteous thoughts which are running through my head. I'm gonna take action against them. I want to be different. I want my thoughts to be different. So you actually take a stand and you say, I will no longer continue being comfortable with these unrighteous thoughts which are there in my mind in the same way when it comes to actions. No longer am I just going to continue walking in these wicked ways, knowing that they are wrong. No, it's time for me to take action. So I will make a conscious effort to stop doing these wicked deeds. So it's a very clear action step that you are taking. It's not just something that you're thinking vaguely in your mind and say, oh yeah, I need to change. That is not repentance. Repentance is when you actually take those steps and make those sacrifices to cut off those things which are wrong, that would be actual repentance. And so even as you forsake these unrighteous thoughts and these wicked ways, what are you doing at the same moment? You are, it says in verse seven, Isaiah 55 verse seven, let the wicked forsake their ways and then it says, let them turn to the Lord. So even as you're turning away from these things which are wrong, simultaneously you're also turning towards the Lord and this is what you basically do. You turn to the Lord and you begin to align your thoughts with His thoughts. You begin to align your ways with His ways. So there are people who are comfortable with the thoughts that they have, imperfect though those thoughts are. They're happy with their thoughts. They're happy with their ways. That leads to spiritual stagnation. On the other hand, if you are a person who says, it's not enough for me to be at this level, God's thoughts are higher than my thoughts. God's ways are higher than my ways and it's gonna take effort but I want to reach that. I want to reach my, I want my thoughts to reach that level where I start thinking the way he thinks. I want my ways to be such that I start living in the way Jesus lived. So it is gonna take a lot of effort and commitment to do that but that would be actual repentance. Repentance is not just us continuing at our own level and being satisfied with our thoughts and our ways. We choose to re-align ourselves. We choose to align ourselves with His thoughts and His ways. So and we do this on a daily basis. So every day, God comes to us and if I'm just a person who's having my devotions in a very lighthearted manner and then God comes to me and says, the way you are having your devotions, I don't see any devotion in this. So you need to be more passionate about how you're spending your time with me. So let's just say that God says that to me. If I say to him, no, no, this is quite a comfortable way of doing it. I mean, there are other people whom I know who are not even reading their Bible. I on the other hand, at least try to do this every day. So if you're just comfortable with your own thoughts and your own ways, then that is not repentance. God has spoken a word of correction. So what do you do now? Even though it's gonna take effort, you're going to actually take that extra step and say, okay, God is not pleased with the way I am doing my devotions. So you wait on the Lord and you ask, okay Lord, how can I improve it? How can I change this? You go to Godly people and you ask them, what can I do to make my quiet and more meaningful? So you take these steps and you start moving towards his level, what he considers as actually devotion and interaction. So you want to have an actual interaction with him. So you go to him and you start reaching out to him at his level, in a way which will satisfy him. And then the Lord would be pleased with our desire to change. So repentance is us not being satisfied with where we are. True repentance is where we reach out to him and align ourselves with his way of thinking and we align ourselves with his lifestyle. That will take effort, but that will be something which will honor God and he will regard that as being true repentance. So we'll actually now go for a break. If all of us could log back again by 11 o'clock. All right, so yeah, let's, we can take our break now.