The sermon delivered by Eric Bechler focuses on Chapter 15, Paragraph 1 of the Second London Baptist Confession, which discusses 'repentance unto life and salvation.' It emphasizes that conversion can occur at any age, even later in life, and stresses that God's grace and the effectual call to faith are not limited by one's past sins or timing of conversion. The sermon highlights biblical examples such as Saul (Paul) and the thief on the cross, as well as modern testimonies like Rod Atkins, to illustrate that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. It underscores the transformative power of repentance, described as a change of mind and heart, leading to a new life in Christ. The sermon also addresses potential doubts among those raised in the church about the validity of their conversions and warns against judging others who may have yet to experience their own. It concludes with the reassurance that repentance is not the cause of salvation but its fruit, ushering believers into a restored relationship with God, akin to the parable of the prodigal son.

A reading today from the second London Baptist confession comes from chapter 15 of repentance unto life and salvation. Today's paragraph one. Such of the elect are as are converted at riper ages at riper years having some time lived in the state of nature and therein served diverse lusts and pleasures God in their effectual calling giveth them repentance unto life we begin a new chapter today repentance unto life and salvation So what are the points being made in our paragraph today? First, some people are not saved or regenerated until later in life. Second, when they are effectually called, God grants them repentance unto life.

Why would the confession focus on those who are saved later in life? Why would timing make a difference in our salvation or fruits thereof? God's sovereign unmerited grace is exactly the same whether coming to faith at an early age or at the end of life. It's an interesting question though. For one who comes to faith later in life they might think that they are too corrupt or have sinned too grievously to be saved.

Look at Saul who persecuted the early church, leading to the stoning of early Christians. He was not too corrupt to be reached by God's saving grace. First Timothy 1, 13 through 16. Some might think it's too late. Look at the thief dying on the cross next to Jesus.

He had not planned to go to heaven, yet Jesus declared that day, you will be with me in paradise. Luke 23 43. A while ago I was listening to a compelled podcast regarding a man named Rod Atkins. Around 22 years old he was sentenced to five consecutive 99-year sentences in prison for a number of violent burglary offenses. He increasingly became more violent while in prison, leading to 13 years in solitary confinement.

From the more than 250 additional violations and staff assaults in the prisons, he received another sentence bringing the total to 500 years in prison. One night out of nowhere Ron felt a presence in his cell. He could not describe it, but he knew it was the Spirit of God, the God he had learned about as a child, but who he had cursed and forsaken. God had effectually called Ron and gave him faith and repentance. And miraculously, after his release at around 40 years old, not 500 years later, he began a prison ministry to reach the lost.

In the very place where I was sentenced to die in prison, God's going to use us to bring the dead back to life, Atkins declared, and that's what he's doing in the jail, in the prayer, in the worship nights, in the prayer meetings. He's just bringing the dead back to life. It's encouraging to realize that there's no one too corrupt, no past lifestyle too worldly and sinful to be saved by God's grace. And it's never too late while breath remains. Another consequence of these dramatic radical conversion experiences that those who grew up in the church, especially at an early age, can begin to question the validity of their own, let's say, boring conversion.

They may not even know this a specific time or event, but don't minimize what has happened. Each and every conversion is a profound supernatural miracle in itself. We're brought from spiritual death to new life, eternal life. We're made a new creation in Christ. That's not boring.

That's an incredible transformation affected solely by God's sovereign grace and mercy. A final thought about focusing on those who are saved later in life is a warning to us how we treat others, especially those who are not Christians. In Titus 3 verses 2 through 7, Paul warns Titus to speak evil of no man, but be gentle because we ourselves were in that state previous to being saved. It may be that they too may at some time later be saved. He also reminds us that it was by God's mercy that he saved us, not by anything we did or deserved.

Now let's take a look at our second point that God in His effectual call gives them, those of the elect who are converted later in life, repentance unto life. First we'll take a look at what is meant by repentance and then we'll try to understand why the authors tied this to a factual call. Repentance. We hear that word a lot. Dr.

Sproul explains repentance this way. In the original Greek, metanoia is the term that is most commonly translated as repentance in English. It comes from two Greek words meta meaning after or beyond and nous meaning mind. This word literally means change of mind, a switch from an outlook that esteems sin to one that considers it abhorrent. It is important that we remember however that scripture understands a true change of mind to be one that includes more than just a shifting of intellectual categories.

To have metanoia, to have true repentance. It involves feelings of regret and remorse. Repentance means we are truly sorry for something we have done, not just as consequences or that we got caught. And we want to change our behavior. A repentant life is a changed life.

Not in that perfection is ever attained, but in that the fruit of repentance, a change in actions and attitudes becomes discernible in a person's character. Our paragraph tells us that God gives repentance unto life in their effectual call. This effectual call is a sovereign act by the Holy Spirit that resurrects the spiritually dead sinner so that faith and repentance is inevitable. Before we can respond to faith, we must have a new heart. We must be regenerated.

Ezekiel states this promise of a new heart in Ezekiel 36 verses 26 and 27, I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I'll give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them." Paul tells us it is by grace, by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, Ephesians 2, 8. This gift of faith is the sole instrument of our justification and is accompanied by other saving graces, including, including repentance. Paul connects them in his exhortation to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20, explaining how he was testifying about repentance to both Jews and Gentiles, repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

John Murray states that Repentance is the twin sister of faith. Conversion is simply another name for repentance and faith. Some would describe them as two sides of the same coin, faith turning towards Christ and repentance turning away from sin. Although we can see a difference between faith and repentance, we cannot separate them. There's no way to trust in Jesus without at the same time turning away from self-reliance and sin.

King Manasseh is a good example of someone who was brought to repentance and to life in his later years. He ascended the throne at 12 and reigned for 55 years. For most of those years he is remembered as the most wicked of all the kings of Judah and was eventually exiled to Babylon. During his affliction there he sought the Lord and humbled himself greatly. He eventually repented and believed.

God then returned him to Jerusalem and restored him as king. And we read of his change, casting out idols and strange gods, repairing the altar of the Lord, sacrificing only to the Lord God of Israel and serving him only. We read that in 2 Chronicles 33. They say old dogs can't learn new tricks. Regardless of this saying, old sinners set in their ways of sinning, sinful living, still need to be preached to.

They still need to be told the truth, to be warned of the wrath to come, judgment and damnation. There's no one that is too set in their ways or too sinful that God cannot save. God's call may come in dramatic fashion like Paul on the road to Damascus. It may come gradually over the years of sitting under faithful preaching in church. That effectual call may come early in life.

It may come late in life. We cannot know. Those farther along in life can become trapped by the past failures, broken marriages, parenting mistakes, ignored or rejected callings. They can fall into despair or grow bitter, looking to blame anyone or everyone for how life turned out. Look unto Jesus.

Repentance unto life means bringing those old wounds and failures to God, trusting that His mercy is greater than the failures of your past. It's never too late to ask for forgiveness, to mend or reconcile a damaged or broken relationship. It's never too late to cry out to God. We praise him for his mercies and compassion are new each morning. I'll close with some comments from Barry Cooper from Ligonier.

It's crucial to see repentance isn't the cause of salvation. It's the fruit of it. When the Spirit brings us to faith in Christ, he convicts us of our sin, and the fruit of that conviction is repentance. Repentance is a gateway on the other side of which is our loving Father. Jesus' parable of the prodigal son shows what this is like.

The prodigal when he realizes how he has sinned against his father, turns back from the far country in which he's been living and heads home. That's repentance, a turning back to God. Just like the father of the prodigal son, God runs to meet us joyfully in that moment, embracing us, kissing us, and celebrating with us. That sounds great to me. And finally, your repentance must look back to Jesus.

We're washed in His blood, shed on that cross. We are forgiven through His merit, His finished work. We're restored by His great mercy and there in Him is where true repentance and true happiness is found. Amen.