Repentant Attitude

Has there ever been a time where you know you did something wrong against someone else? Sometimes they are the last person you want to see, but it always seems that they are the next person you see. If you don't see them, you have a sense of paranoia where you are afraid you may see them around the next corner, on the next bus, or at the next restaurant. Your fear and anxiety is because of an non-repentant heart.

(12:10) If your stumbling block of repentance is that you think your sin is too bad, consider Zechariah 12:10-Zechariah 13:6. This section describes the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus when Israel will see the one who saves them from their enemies when all hope is lost, and realize that He is the one that they crucified: "and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced." The first step of repentance, as displayed by the future remnant of Israel, is understanding that you have sinned against God.

(12:10-11) These people are so overcome by their guilt that they mourn even as those who will mourn at Armageddon (v11). The weeping and wailing will no doubt fill the country, as they realize their grave error in sending their Messiah to the cruelest of deaths. "His blood be on us, and our children," they said proudly at the Roman trial before Pilate (Matthew 27:25); they here understand their error. They cry out to God for repentance, knowing He is the one that they have sinned against and He is the one they need to approach.

(12:12-14) A true repentant heart wants to be alone. Outward repenters are all about show, whereas the true repentant heart understands the importance and shame of their issue and look to be alone with God so that they can be uninterrupted in their petitions. This characteristic is displayed by the people here, and from the highest (house of David), to the cursed (family of Shimei), to every family seeks to be alone with God as they ask for forgivness.

(13:1) No doubt the people of Israel don't deserve forgiveness; it might be rendered the greatest sin ever. God in His tremendous mercy opens a fountain for the people to cleanse them from sin and uncleaness. They will be able to come into the good of what Christ did on the cross. On the judicial basis their sins have been taken away, and justified to be called chosen of God. On a moral basis their sins have been washed away, cleansed here as God pleaded for the people to be in Isaiah's day, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) The people have been sanctified, and now worthy to be called chosen of God.

(13:2-6) The last piece of the puzzle is found in Zechariah 13:2-6, where we see the action taken by those who have repented. We know they have turned from their wicked ways because they cast out all idolitry and will kill all prophets even if they are family on the basis that the revelation by prophets has ended, so any who prophesies in the name of the Lord is false. The true fruits of repentence are realized through the outward actions, showing what has happened to their hearts on the inside.

If there are things on your heart that you need to repent of, I beseech of you to do so. Your love for Christ should compel you to go to the Father and ask for forgiveness. Understand that you have no right to the forgiveness of sins, except through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7). If you don't know the forgiveness of sins, ask for forgiveness with a repentant heart knowing you have sinned against God and He through His abounding grace will choose to remember your sins no more. If you have been redeemed by the blood and yet their is sin weighing on your mind, it clouds the fellowship between you and your God. That perfect fellowship needs to be continually restored on an ongoing basis until we see Christ's appearing, and will be made like Him (1 John 3:2).