Join Us for Worship: Sundays at 9:00 AM & 11:00 AM
https://www.flourishinggrace.org/plan-your-visit
In this sermon from Luke 13:1–9, Pastor Benjer McVeigh of Flourishing Grace Church explores one of Jesus’ most challenging and life-giving teachings—the call to repentance. Many of us hear the word “repent” and instinctively recoil, weighed down by years of misunderstanding and guilt. Yet as this passage reveals, repentance is not about condemnation but restoration. It is a divine invitation into grace. Jesus confronts the human assumption that tragedy and hardship are always signs of personal failure, reframing repentance not as punishment but as the merciful opportunity to turn from death toward life.
Through the parable of the barren fig tree, Jesus paints a vivid picture of God’s patience and kindness. The gardener’s plea for one more year and his decision to nurture the fruitless tree reflect the heart of a Father who gives every chance for renewal. God does not fold His arms in disappointment and wait for us to get it right; He kneels beside us, digging around the hard soil of our hearts, giving us everything we need to flourish again. Repentance is not an act of despair—it is the evidence of God’s compassion. As Romans 2:4 declares, it is His kindness that leads us to repentance.
Pastor Benjer reminds us that repentance is not a one-time decision but a posture of daily humility. It is the ongoing recognition that God is God and we are not, that His ways are better than ours, and that our flourishing depends on continually turning our hearts back to Him. When we try to control our lives, to “grab the shovel” and fix ourselves, we miss the beauty of surrender. True repentance means handing over the keys, trusting that God can rebuild what we cannot.
The sermon also addresses the fears and misconceptions surrounding repentance. Many believers equate it with shame or divine anger, but Scripture shows that confession leads not to rejection but to restoration. When we come before God with honesty about our failures, He meets us with mercy, not wrath. As 1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The act of turning back is never met with scorn—it is met with celebration, just as the father in the parable of the prodigal son ran to embrace his returning child.
Repentance, then, is the shortest distance between where we are and where God longs for us to be. Whether we are seeking freedom from sin, reconciliation in our marriages, or restoration in our hearts, repentance is the starting point. It is the about-face that redirects us from rebellion toward redemption. Like C.S. Lewis wrote, true progress begins the moment we turn back to the right road.
Throughout history, every genuine revival has begun with repentance—not in packed stadiums but in quiet hearts humbled before God. Renewal in our communities and churches starts when believers admit their need for grace and bow before the Lord in prayer. This is where the Spirit moves most powerfully, transforming individuals and igniting movements of faith.
As Pastor Benjer concludes, repentance is not a story of human failure but of divine faithfulness. It is an open door to forgiveness, healing, and the abundant life found only in Jesus Christ. To repent is to stop running, to stop pretending, and to return home—to the God who digs around the roots of our lives and whispers, “Let’s begin again.”
If you’ve wondered what repentance really means or feared it as a word of judgment, this sermon will help you see it as the gift it truly is—a daily invitation into grace, freedom, and flourishing in Christ.
Watch, reflect, and rediscover the beauty of turning back to the One who never stops pursuing you.
