Hearing, Confessing, Receiving

Repentance Part 2 - Sermon for Advent 2 Midweek Service - Apology of the Augsburg Confession Article XIIA

Matthew 4:12-17

December 10th, 2025

Tonight we continue our march through the penitential season of Advent. Once again our focus will be on repentance. Advent, like Lent is a season of repentance. It’s a time to consider our sin more deeply and the necessity of repenting in order to receive Jesus. If there is no repentance there is no Jesus. True repentance involves hearing, confessing, and then receiving.

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The word repent, as we learned last week means:

· Hebrew - repent - שׁוּב - turn back, return· Greek - repent - μετανοέω - change one’s mind, feel remorse, be converted

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What are we turning back from? What are we changing our minds about? Why do we feel remorse? Because of our sin.

Last week we read a portion of the Augsburg Confession, Article XII on Repentance. Tonight we will begin by looking at a portion of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession - Article XIIA as printed in the bulletin.

Remember there are two parts to true Christian repentance: contrition and faith.

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A portion from the Apology of the Augsburg Confession – Article XIIA – Repentance:

Note: God’s Law brings about contrition, which is a profound realization of one’s sins. The Gospel creates faith, which trusts that God forgives our sins for the sake of Christ.

²⁸ To deliver godly consciences from these mazes of the learned persons, we have attributed these two parts to repentance: contrition and faith. (Law and Gospel) We say that contrition is the true terror of conscience, which feels that God is angry with sin and grieves that it has sinned. This contrition takes place when sins are condemned by God’s Word. [Consider Judas vs Peter]

[What is the Word the specifically that condemns sins? The Law]

³² In these terrors, conscience feels God’s wrath against sin. This is unknown to secure people living according to the flesh. The conscience sees the corruption of sin and seriously grieves that it has sinned. Meanwhile, it also runs away from God’s dreadful anger. Human nature, unless sustained by God’s Word, cannot endure His anger. ³³ (Galatians 2:19). ³⁴ For the Law only accuses and terrifies consciences.

³⁵ As the second part of repentance we add faith in Christ. The Gospel, in which the forgiveness of sins is freely promised concerning Christ, should be presented to consciences in these terrors. (secure in their sin not ready for Gospel) They should believe that, for Christ’s sake, their sins are freely forgiven. ³⁶ This faith cheers, sustains, and enlivens the contrite, according to Romans 5:1, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God.” This faith obtains the forgiveness of sins. It justifies before God, as the same passage testifies, “since we have been justified by faith.”

This faith grows gradually and throughout the entire life, struggles with sin, in order to overcome sin and death. Love follows faith, as we have said above. ³⁸ So childlike fear can be clearly defined as anxiety that has been connected with faith, that is, where faith comforts and sustains the anxious heart. It is slavish fear when faith does not sustain the anxious heart.

⁵³ God’s two chief works among people are these: to terrify; to justify and make alive those who have been terrified. Into these two works all Scripture has been distributed. The one part is the Law, which shows, reproves, and condemns sins. The other part is the Gospel, that is, the promise of grace bestowed in Christ.

This is the preaching of the Gospel: to convict of sin; to offer for Christ’s sake the forgiveness of sins and righteousness, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life; and that as reborn people we should do good works. That is the sum of the Gospel and true preaching of repentance. ¹

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You don’t hear this preaching in the woods, walking through the garden, or sitting at home.

Consider last Wednesday’s Gospel reading where John the Baptist came before Jesus preparing the way. How did He prepare the way for the Christ? He preached, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” And what did the people do? They came. They listened. They were baptized and they confessed their sins. And then John told them to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

To bear fruit means to live like a Christian. You have faith. That faith bears fruit that is consistent with someone who is truly repentant. You will live differently, in thought, word, and deed. People will see the fruit of repentance in your life. You will recognize sin for what it is and strive with all your might to turn from it and stop it.

One of the main fruits of repentance is a consistent and continued,

hearing, confessing, and receiving. Hearing God’s Word, confessing your sin, and receiving Jesus - the Gospel. If you are truly repentant, this will happen over and over again in your life. If you stop hearing, confessing, and receiving Jesus you will have walked away from a life of repentance. The truly repentant will continue to hear the preaching of repentance.

John the Baptist came preaching repentance to prepare the way for Jesus, but when Jesus arrived on the scene it didn’t mean that it was no longer necessary to preach repentance. Because our main problem is sin so the preaching repentance must continue until the end of time. John was just doing what needed to be done to receive Jesus until the end, not just for a brief moment in history. Preaching repentance precedes Jesus.

In tonight’s Gospel we heard that when Jesus began His ministry He came preaching, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Even Jesus was preaching the necessity of repentance before anyone was able to receive Himself and the work He came to do on the Cross.

And then after Jesus rose from the dead, shortly before He ascended to heaven He appeared to the disciples and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations,…”

The preaching of repentance was the work Jesus gave to the church to continue doing right before He ascended to heaven. The disciples were the first pastors who received this instruction. Preaching of repentance is the work of the church. It’s the work given specifically to the pastors in the church.

If there is a necessity to preach repentance, then there is a necessity for someone to hear the preaching of repentance. The preaching of repentance is the Gospel. It’s the Good News.

But of course we are so much wiser than God. We are always looking for ways to minimize the importance of continuing to hear the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

I heard someone say once, in an attempt to minimize the importance of attending church, that they could be wandering out in the woods, enjoying nature and repent of their sins. In other words they didn’t really need to go to church to live a life of repentance. Okay. Just go for walks in the woods and enjoy nature? Or the golf course or wherever you think you can find Jesus and do your repenting? I guess you become your own preacher of repentance?

In all my conversations with elementary and middle school confirmation students throughout the years on such things as sin, repentance, Jesus, forgiveness, and the necessity of coming to church, I’ve never had a student give me an answer half as pathetic and un-Biblical as that adult on such important matters of faith.

Apparently you have to grow up and become an adult to gain such wisdom. It’s actually called spiritual ignorance. Childlike faith is a thing. The simple wisdom of a child knows that when you do something wrong, sin, you need to confess. They know there is a process you go through that involves hearing, confessing and receiving. It must be done. And a child knows we do bad things, sin, often. So even a simple child knows we need to confess often and receive forgiveness often. May we all have such child like faith to hear, confess and receive Jesus.

Yes, you are baptized into Jesus. Our lives are lives of repentance. Baptized into Jesus we live in a state of forgiveness which means we live in a state of repentance. So, for example, if you meet your untimely demise right after cursing out your neighbor, or your pastor, and you never had time to repent and ask for forgiveness, you are still forgiven. You only wander form the state of repentance and forgiveness if you walk away from faith in Christ alone. We are always covered in the righteousness of Jesus through faith in Jesus.

But that in no way negates the necessity of hearing, confessing, and receiving Jesus where he is found. He isn’t found in the woods. He’s not found, In the Garden, as the song would have you believe. He’s found here where His Word is taught in its truth and purity. And His body and blood is given for you - the repentant. And you are forgiven and saved.

In the gathering together around the preaching of repentance we see a life of repentance in action. In here is where true repentance takes place. This is the hearing, confessing, and receiving. In here you are saved and kept in repentance until the end. In here the terror of your sin is washed away with the Good News of Jesus Christ Crucified and Risen for your sins. Keep hearing, keep confessing, and keep receiving Jesus. Thanks be to Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen.

You are baptized into Jesus. Our lives are lives of repentance. Baptized into Jesus we live in a state of forgiveness which means we live in a state of repentance. So, for example, if you meet your untimely demise right after cursing out your neighbor, or your pastor, and you never had time to repent and ask for forgiveness, you are still forgiven. You only wander form the state of repentance and forgiveness if you walk away from faith in Christ alone. We are always covered in the righteousness of Jesus through faith in Jesus.

But that in no way negates the necessity of hearing, confessing, and receiving Jesus where he is found. He isn’t found in the woods. He’s not found, In the Garden, as the song would have you believe. He’s found here where His Word is taught in its truth and purity. And His body and blood is given for you - the repentant. And you are forgiven and saved.

In the gathering together around the preaching of repentance we see a life of repentance in action. In here is where true repentance takes place. This is the hearing, confessing, and receiving. In here you are saved and kept in repentance until the end. In here the terror of your sin is washed away with the Good News of Jesus Christ Crucified and Risen for your sins. Keep hearing, keep confessing, and keep receiving Jesus. Thanks be to Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen.

You are baptized into Jesus. Our lives are lives of repentance. Baptized into Jesus we live in a state of forgiveness which means we live in a state of repentance. So, for example, if you meet your untimely demise right after cursing out your neighbor, or your pastor, and you never had time to repent and ask for forgiveness, you are still forgiven. You only wander form the state of repentance and forgiveness if you walk away from faith in Christ alone. We are always covered in the righteousness of Jesus through faith in Jesus.

But that in no way negates the necessity of hearing, confessing, and receiving Jesus where he is found. He isn’t found in the woods. He’s not found, In the Garden, as the song would have you believe. He’s found here where His Word is taught in its truth and purity. And His body and blood is given for you - the repentant. And you are forgiven and saved.

In the gathering together around the preaching of repentance we see a life of repentance in action. In here is where true repentance takes place. This is the hearing, confessing, and receiving. In here you are saved and kept in repentance until the end. In here the terror of your sin is washed away with the Good News of Jesus Christ Crucified and Risen for your sins. Keep hearing, keep confessing, and keep receiving Jesus. Thanks be to Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen.