Exodus 9:1–35

Three more plagues. Each one is more severe than the one before. And though Pharaoh seeks relief from the consequences of his refusal to let Israel go, he does not repent of his actions.

Being sorry for the consequences of our bad behavior/choices is not the same as being sorry for our bad behavior/choices. Everyone’s sorry when punishment/judgment comes. That’s just no fun. But being sorry for the bad behavior/choices… that’s the kind of sorrow that leads to repentance. Regretting not that I got caught, but that my actions negatively impacted others. Regretting that my actions caused others to stumble or reflect my own disobedience toward the LORD. That’s what we call repentance. Super important for both believers and unbelievers.

For believers, repentance allows us to restore our fellowship with the LORD when we’ve blown it. And with each other. Not a heaven/hell thing, but a relationship thing.

For unbelievers, repentance leads to salvation. It’s the recognition that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. And then from there, it’s believing that Jesus is the Savior whom God promised. He lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death. He was raised to life on the third day, proving that He had conquered both sin and death, so that by believing in Him we can be saved, not because of anything that we have done, but because of what Jesus did. The Innocent who died for the guilty so that the guilty could be declared innocent.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Exodus series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.