Fountains of Repentant Tears
Chad Johnson
November 20, 2009

And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. Mark 14:72 KJV

True repentance is always the gift of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in a soul. Man left to himself will continue in sin. If a man turns from sin it is because God turns him. In our text verse we see the first work of the Holy Spirit when He convicts a person of their sin.

The Holy Spirit causes us to think on our sin. Our sin is ever before us when we are under conviction. I remember when the Holy Spirit first showed me my lost condition. I thought on my sin and began to see my sin like God saw it. Peter thought on the words of Jesus and went out and wept bitterly. I doubt there will be much repentance without some tears of sorrow.

If you have never thought on your sin, I pray that the Spirit of God will cause you to think on your sin. I know we are not saved head first, but before it can get to the heart we must think on our sin. Before a person repents in their heart they will think on their sin.

Now, I want to define what repentance is. Some say it is an outward turning from sin. Some say it is a change of mind. Some say it is a change of heart. To be honest it is a combination of all three. First we think on our sin and the way we think about sin changes. Instead of loving and condoning it we began to hate it. Next we have a change and turning in our heart. With the heart the man believeth unto righteousness.

Lastly we turn from the practice of sin outwardly. A person can turn outwardly without true repentance, but a person can not turn inwardly from sin without it showing up outwardly. To say that the outward turning is repentance is not completely true. The outward turning from sin is the fruit of true inward repentance. God help the unconverted and the saved to think on their sin and repent. AMEN!