True repentance is of the heart. It is not necessarily always seen in a person’s actions, though true repentance does produce humility and conviction of the heart. The goal of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not to make bad people good, but to give dead people life. King Saul was the first man chosen to rule Israel and was anointed and given the Holy Spirit of God. Saul appeared to be a humble man even though he was physically imposing. When the time came for Samuel to anoint Saul as king he could not be found. Turns out that he was hiding behind some baggage -so obviously the thought of being king caused him anxiety. The Bible says that in the beginning Saul was "small in his own eyes."

At a time when Israel was at war with the Philistines Samuel the Priest was to come to the camp to offer a sacrifice for the Lord’s blessing in battle -but he had not come. The king now had a problem - the enemy was near, and because there had been no offering some of Saul’s soldiers were leaving the camp in fear. What was the king to do? He was not a Priest and therefore was not authorized to offer such an offering. And if he went into battle without God’s blessing he believed he would surely be defeated. After becoming convinced that Samuel would not arrive before the battle, the king made the foolish decision to perform the duties of a Priest and give the offering. Surely he believed that God would understand the dire circumstances and accept this offering in seeking the Lord’s help in battle. There is no doubt that Saul thought of "rational" reasons as to why his act would be received and accepted by the Lord -after all, the Lord’s chosen Priest for the task had not arrived at the appointed time -the seven days had just ended.

Why was offering this sacrifice so foolish?

Because Saul had disobeyed a direct command from the Prophet Samuel who had said, -"Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do." (1 Samuel 10:8) The seven days had come to an end, but just barely. God was obviously testing Saul to see if he would wait for Samuel and trust in the Lord, or act presumptuously as a fool. Would the man whom God had entrusted with the authority to lead His people submit to authority himself? Saul failed the test which revealed impatience, rebellion, and self-reliance.

Israel entered the battle with the Philistines and were victorious! Saul surely believed that this was a true sign that the Lord had accepted his offering. But at this time the word of the Lord came to Samuel saying,"I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands." (1 Samuel 15:10-11) Saul had also failed to obey God’s command to not take any of the spoils of battle, but had spared the best of the sheep and oxen to "offer to the Lord."

After weeping all night over God rejecting Saul, Samuel finally came to the king. Saul came and said,"Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord." Samuel told Saul that because he did not obey the Lord fully that he was rejected as Israel’s king, and then said, -"Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king." Furthermore, God took the Holy Spirit from Saul and sent an evil spirit to torment him, though Saul begged for forgiveness. Judging by appearances this seems like a harsh judgment from the Lord considering the circumstances. After all, it seems that everything Saul did was "for" the Lord. He presented the offering "for" the Lord, and he kept the best of the animals "for" the Lord. And he did wait the entirety of the seven days for Samuel. But something was obviously amiss-something unseen by the eye. I submit that it was a matter of the heart - God could see that Saul was not repentant in his heart. Saul failed to submit himself, his will, upon God’s Altar as a willing sacrifice and wait upon the Lord.

And this is something that we should meditate upon. The Bible says that God declares the end from the beginning. For example, Jesus knew which disciple would betray Him beforehand. I am sure that God "can" know what every person will choose, but I am not sure that He always chooses to know in every case. This would mean that even when a person such as Solomon begins with a sincere and faithful walk that God could already know that he would fall away in the end. God is perfectly just, which would explain why He twice entreated Solomon to repent of his idolatry -perhaps knowing already that he would reject those appeals. Since God has the power to know the end of every person from the beginning, we need never entertain the thought that God is unfair because we observe Him appearing to be more patient with some than others. He may simply already know their heart -and can clearly see that in the end they will reject Him. Consider also, that God’s patience and endurance may be for someone else’s benefit.

Jesus was asked if many would be saved and He said that only a few will enter through the "narrow gate" and travel the "narrow road" to life, but many would follow the "wide road" to destruction. Jesus warned that many false teachers would come preaching in His name but deceiving many. He said that many will declare to Him on the Day of Judgment all the things they did in the name of Jesus -"prophesying" and "performing many miracles." But Jesus will not be impressed and say, "I never knew you. Depart from Me you who practice lawlessness." Practicing lawlessness is failing to live according to God’s Commandments. The fourth Commandment says "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy" yet how many Christians today obey this commandment? Most Christian Churches are empty on Saturday. Though the Sabbath is a gift to man from God, the reason that God gives for keeping it is -"for in six days the Lord your God created the heavens and the earth and all things in them, and rested on the seventh day (not the first); Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." The Sabbath alone is blessed and holy and was given to man as a memorial of the Creator God. Since the Commandment begins with "Remember the Sabbath Day" we can safely surmise that people had forgotten. Those who keep the Sabbath are actively acknowledging that "God" is the "Creator." When people stopped remembering the Sabbath day they were subjected to the deception that created things such as certain animals and heavenly bodies like the sun were gods.

The first rebel was an angel whom God had given charge over a third of the angelic host to exercise dominion and management over the pre-man earth. All was well until he became filled with pride and vanity and ascended to Heaven in an attempt to take his Maker’s Throne. He was defeated by Michael and his angelic army and was cast back down to the earth as the "great dragon" "Satan the devil." Usurping any authority is direct rebellion against God, -"Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves." (Romans 13: 1-2)

This judgment of condemnation is a very scary thought, especially knowing that we all are rebellious by nature. What can we say to God on Judgment Day if we have lived in presumptuous or direct rebellion? What will be the excuse for profaning God’s blessed and holy Sabbath day? Surely one could not say "I went to services on Sunday because I was following the crowd." That sounds a lot like "traveling the wide road of destruction." We should never step out of authority. Throughout the history of Israel there were more bad kings than good ones. But as long as God left a king in power the people were expected to endure and pray without taking matters into their own hands. Those who will not submit and follow ordained authority can never be entrusted with authority themselves. Saul was rejected as king of Israel and David was already anointed to be king, but David would not dare do anything but wait upon the Lord. He never raised his hand against Saul, or attempted to take the throne by force.

In contrast to Saul, let’s look at David

The king whom God chose to replace Saul was David. As king, David stole away another’s man wife to commit adultery with her. Urriah, Bathsheba’s husband was a loyal soldier in David’s army and was away at war. When Bathsheba became pregnant David conspired to have her husband killed. After this dirty deed was done he took her as his wife. David was an adulterer, a liar, a thief, a murderer and a covetous man. All of this is far worse than what king Saul had done, yet David was not rejected by God. The Lord even said of him, "He is a man after My Own Heart!" The Lord could see past the momentary wicked actions and see a pure and repentant heart in David.

David had loved the Lord since his youth. As a young shepherd boy he would gaze at the heavens and glorify God for all the majesty that he saw. He was very faithful, even having the faith to fight a lion and a bear to protect his father’s sheep. He gave God all the glory for prevailing over these mighty beasts. Also as a youth he confronted Goliath, the Philistine giant in faith and slew him in the presence of the Lord’s army. But later as king he somehow drifted into his flesh and committed these horrific evils. And though David continued to write and sing songs to the Lord, give offerings and read the Scriptures, he had become blinded to the woeful spiritual condition which he had sunken into. Perhaps there was a partial blinding from the Lord. Because of David’s love and desire for fellowship with the Lord, the devil surely worked hard and craftily in his tempting of the king.

One day the Prophet Nathan walked into the throne room and told David a sad story about a rich man who had coveted a little ewe lamb that belonged to a poor man. This rich man already had many lambs but the poor man had only the one ewe lamb whom he loved even saying that it was like a daughter to him. This rich, covetous man took the poor man’s only lamb from him. At this point in the story David burned with anger and exploded in indignation, saying, -"As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die! He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and had no compassion!" Then Nathan said to David, "You are that man! Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight?" Suddenly the scales of delusion dropped from the king’s eyes and his heart was severely pierced. What was going through David’s mind? He had personally witnessed how God had taken the Holy Spirit from Saul and sent an evil spirit to torment him. He had seen this spirit come upon Saul many times as he played music for the king as a youth. Being broken David said, "I have sinned against the Lord."

Unlike Saul, David offered no excuses. He knew that he had done evil in the sight of the Lord and deserved death. He was broken because he had sinned so grievously against the Lord whom he loved. Then a remarkable thing happened. Nathan said to David, "The Lord has taken away your sin; you shall not die."Notice that David’s sin was not merely forgiven but was "taken away." Nathan then explained to David that though he had been forgiven there would still be terrible consequences for his actions. The baby in Bathsheba’s womb would die because David had given the Lord’s enemies an opportunity to blaspheme. There would be war all the years of his reign. And David’s own wives would be publicly violated in the presence of all Israel by one of his own sons. But unlike Saul, David had a humble, contrite and repentant heart. David understood that he stood condemned by his actions and was worthy of death. He knew his only hope was in the mercy and grace of the Lord. And whether the Lord forgave him or not David was willing to lay himself upon the Altar of God in faith.

Romans 12 says that God wants your body, your earthen vessel as a willing and living sacrifice. God is not seeking something theological -something intellectually stimulating from you. God says, "I want that earthen vessel in which you live -and I’m not going to be satisfied with anything less - offer your body to Me on My holy Altar of service."

"Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2) Under the old covenant, whenever someone laid an animal on the altar they no longer owned that animal. The Bible says that those who come to Christ for forgiveness and salvation no longer belong to themselves but to God who purchased them, -"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

For us this requires a total surrender. God can do what He wills with your body -it belongs to Him. When we surrender we recognize that the Lord can use our body as He wills. This, of course, can only be achieved with a truly repentant heart. Repentance is more than turning from practicing certain sins, it is turning away from self, self pleasing, self will, making your own decisions.

Notice that the Apostle "urged" the brethren to present their bodies "by the mercies of God." Paul had Apostolic authority but here rather made an appeal to the brethren. Consider how merciful the Lord has been and continues to be to us -giving His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins and welcoming us into His divine Family through a new birth. We present our bodies on God’s Altar by refusing to be "conformed to his world" and by being "transformed by the renewing of our minds." We refuse the old worldly thoughts which bring us into bondage and shame, and joyfully accept and focus on the truth that our old man no longer lives for we are now a new creature in Christ -pure, undefiled, unblemished and without sin.

Because Christ, our Passover has been sacrificed we are no longer leavened, that is found with sin, but are in fact made unleavened, -"Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed." (1 Corinthians 5:7) Leavening is of course a type for sin -Jesus said, "Beware the leavening of the Pharisees." Because Christ our Passover has been sacrificed our sins have been paid in full and we have been justified -meaning, having no record of sin. We can now celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread with great joy knowing that we have been made pure before the Lord.

The beloved Apostle Paul understood well the difference between who he was in Adam (the flesh) and who he was in Christ. (the Spirit) God’s Laws are Spiritually discerned, and no one can truly obey them without being led by the Holy Spirit, which is "the Lord" Himself (2 Cor.3:17) and even then all we can do is obey them in our mind because our flesh will always fall short."But I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me." Romans 7:16-17

Paul lamented the fact that he sometimes practiced the very things that he hated. He agreed with God’s Law but sometimes struggled to obey it because the Law of sin and death was at work through the body of death that was present with him at all times. Recognizing that he hated the deeds of the flesh carried out by the members of his body, he concluded that he was not the one doing these things. It was not the new creature in Christ, the spirit man, but the body of death which was ever present with him. In Christ, there is a new Law at work, the Law of the Spirit of Life. Our desire and willingness to obey God’s Commandments is service to God - even though in the flesh we fail daily. Our failures are in the flesh but our true and victorious life is in the Spirit where we are perfect and just in the eyes of God. Like Paul, we who hate sin and the desires of the flesh have been saved from the Law of sin and death by the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, -"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the Law of sin and of death." (Romans 8:1-2) Let us understand and receive this in the same way that Paul did -that if we hate the lawless deeds of the body of death then it is not us doing them. God is looking for a repentant heart.

Though Paul knew and experienced that he was born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, he also understood that he was living in a fleshly body that was sold into the bondage of sin, -"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand." (Romans 7:14-15) In his CONDITION the Apostle saw that his flesh was sold into the bondage of sin, yet his POSITION was a new creature in Christ. It’s as if he had a alter-ego who was driven by the lusts of the flesh. There are a few foods that I have just never developed a liking to -asparagus is one of them. So if you ever believe that you happen to see me eating asparagus and enjoying it -it’s surely not me - maybe you should call an exorcist! In my mind I have no desire to eat asparagus, so if I see the members of my body craving it, I understand that it is not the real me doing it. And that is what Paul is explaining about his struggle with the body of death and with the Law of sin and death. I hope you found this silly example amusing, but also revealing.

If we fail to do this the enemy will cause our hearts to feel condemned, -"We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us we have confidence before God." (1 John 3:19-21)

"Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22) Though the flesh dies when we come to Jesus, the conscience and the heart remains. This is why our text says that our hearts must be sprinkled clean to protect us from an evil conscience. We are given a type for this when the High Priest entered through the veil and sprinkled the Mercy Seat with the blood of a sacrifice to atone for sins. The sacrifice, the flesh, had already been offered and burned on the altar, but now comes the role of the blood which cleanses our hearts. Under the Old Covenant the sacrifices and the ritual had to be done every year because the blood of animals could not atone for sin. These things served as a reminder of sins - was only a shadow of the reality that a holy sacrifice was still needed which came in Christ, the Lamb of God. We can receive salvation yet still be hindered by an evil conscience which reminds us of our sins -in Christ there should be no reminder. David, a man after God’s own heart cried, -"Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me." (Ps.51) His evil conscience was reminding him of sins which God had already forgiven him of. David knew he needed his heart sprinkled and cleansed by the blood to walk unshackled by guilt. The blood satisfies God’s wrath.

We are all born with the fallen nature of Adam. Adam is a sinner by nature -he and his offspring can do nothing but produce sin. Adam cannot be rehabilitated. Adam must die, -"So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:18-19)And also, -"Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Christ, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin." (Romans 6:6-7)

After correcting a sister concerning her acting in a carnal way, she assured me that no matter how hard the struggle that she was going to try her best to do better. I told her that it was the flesh in her that had acted out and that no one can use a fleshly effort to battle the flesh. Will-power is not enough to defeat the flesh, it takes the Spirit of God. Just as it took the creation of a new Law, the Law of the Spirit of Life to deal with the old Law of sin and of death. You can’t really do it, but Christ in you can. In fact, you are more than a conqueror in Christ. In position, we are already in Christ. But in condition, we are very much susceptible to the body of death.

When we think about laying our bodies down on God’s Altar as a willing and living sacrifice -our spiritual service of worship -it has to be done piece by piece. When a Priest slays a lamb he cuts it into pieces to be offered -some he has the authority to keep for himself. But he offers piece by piece on the Altar. And that is how we must do with the desires of the flesh which plague us. If we happen to struggle with unrighteous anger, then make a conscious decision to lay it on the Altar and pray, -"Father, I hate this and I don’t want it acting out anymore in the members of my body. I am helpless against it on my own but I willingly lay it on the Altar to be burned until it is no more. Fill me now with the Spirit to empower me over this pull of the flesh." True repentance begins with a conscious decision to lay self down and say "Your will be done Lord." It is very much like trusting the Lord to heal you of an affliction. The Scriptures say, "He, Himself bore our sickness, and our sorrows He carried." (Isaiah 53:4) Whatever you lay down on the Altar the Lord will take, whether it’s a sin, weakness or affliction.

The Bible says that our body is a Temple of God because God dwells in us by the Holy Spirit. Think of our Temple as being a very large Spiritual House with many rooms that one by one must be cleared out for the Lord to live. There are "rooms" in each of our lives that need to be cleared and cleansed. Rooms which are not yet ready for the Master of the house to dwell. The sanctification process of salvation is much like allowing the Lord access to room by room, little by little, until He, through the Spirit, has removed all that was of us and replaced it with all that is Him.

God wants our conscience to be sensitive and our hearts to be soft so that we can truly hate evil and love righteousness, but we must not give the devil opportunity by receiving lying accusations against us. Though the body of sin and death is present with us, it is not us - we are a new creation in Christ and in Him there is no condemnation.

No saint past, present or future has the power to produce a righteousness worthy of the presence of the Lord. This is why God not only removes our sins, but clothes us with the righteousness of His Son. The devil wants to accuse you but the Lord has already declared you innocent in Christ.

Paul concluded that since he hated sin, loved the Law of God and wanted to obey it, that anything short of that was not produced by him but by the body of death present with him. Paul did not own the sin, he acknowledged the righteousness. An awakened conscience and a sincere heart must receive the truth that we are in Christ, and in Him there is no sin.

An awakened conscience and a sincere heart must receive the truth that we are in Christ, and in Him there is no sin. However, we must be sure that we are living in Christ, for there are many who profess His name who are not. Jesus said that those who keep the Commandments abide in Him, so do not be deceived into believing that you are living in the truth of Christ while practicing lawless rebellion. "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?" (2 Cor.13)