Self-realization of one's hopelessness apart from God is the first step toward true repentance

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Wednesday,
June 9, 2010

Self-realization of one’s hopelessness apart from God is the first step toward true repentance

Repentance - metanoia - in the New Testament means a change of mind for the better.

God’s plan throughout all the ages is that He might be glorified by the grace that He dispenses to undeserving creatures.

the lost sheep, LUK 15:4-7,
the lost coin, LUK 15:8-10,
the lost sons, LUK 15:11-32.

So the man in this parable represents God the Father and the sons represent believers. Therefore, this is not a gospel message; this is a doctrinal message for born-again believers.

Each one had enough so that he was independently wealthy.....and that represents the doctrine of logistical grace applied to your life.

The prodigal son accepted the blessings of the Father (as all men do who live on God’s earth),
while at the same time he turned his back upon his Father (as men do when they reject and abandon fellowship with God).

It was the son who moved away from the Father, not the Father moving away from the son.

JAM 4:8
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners [rebound]; and purify your hearts [perceive doctrine], you double-minded.

Having forsaken his Father who represents God, he can now find nothing but poverty, misery, and want.

In this state, he “attached himself”, which is the Greek verb kollao meaning “to glue or to closely unite himself” to a citizen of that foreign country which represents the devil’s children instead of God’s.

Now, times of distress often lead to self-examination and are used by God to bring about changes or repentance in people’s lives.

Pigs were considered to be unclean animals and expressly forbidden in the Mosaic law, LEV 11:7; DEU 14:8.

2PE 2:22
It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A dog returns to its own vomit," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."

Self-realization of the hopeless and useless predicament of the sinful life is the first step towards true repentance.

You must realize that the seeming pleasures of the sinful life are vanishing and un-satisfying, while life with the Father is full and rich.