It's great to see everyone. That's here tonight.
It's a privilege as always to preach the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. It's great to have friends and
people that I love that have driven to me here, and I want to
preach tonight about the idea, or Biblical teaching of
repentance repentance is one of those words that is hard to
really get out of our mouth sometimes because it's one of
those words that we sometimes can trip on listen, to what the
scripture kind of definition of we can get from repent.
Has, it's called, for throughout the Bible.
It talks about personal absolute and unconditional surrender to
God as Sovereign. It includes sorrow and regret,
but it's more than that. I'm just giving you the high
marks of this, you can look, look it up and pretty much any
lexicon you want to talk about, but I'll give you some
scriptures to go along with what we said repentance is not being
sorry. There are lots of people that
are sorry but you can say sorry about a lot of things than that.
Doesn't mean that it's going to fix it.
Sometimes sorry, just won't fix it.
If you've been married for any length of time then you've had
to apologize for some of the same grievances that you have
accomplished in the past. You know what it is to say?
Well that's not good enough. Sorry if sometimes it's not good
enough, there needs to be changed Herod was exceedingly.
Sorry whenever he cut John, the Baptist's head off our ladder to
be done but that did not fix the situation.
It's not saying I'm sorry or confession Judas, confessed to
betraying innocent blood, guess what else?
It's Not restitution. It includes it.
Sometimes. You can't fix it.
If you murder somebody, you can't, you can't fix that.
If somebody's head gets lopped off, you can't go put it back on
for him. It's not one of those deals
where. Okay, I killed somebody.
So therefore I'm going to I'm going to make up for it.
The Apostle Paul would say in First Corinthians, the 15th
chapter, he said by the grace of God, I am what I am and he was a
man that knew what it meant to say that because he truly had
killed people. Now, if I were to ask you to
raise your hand, if you kill somebody, don't raise your hands
going to Everybody out don't do that.
But I do want you to know that regardless of whatever you've
done and whatever you piled up in your life.
The truth is, there is a God in heaven, that has a way to fix it
with him. And that's something you should
always be willing to praise and honor God for last of all, it's
not forced. Sometimes you get in a moment
where people can line you up and it's like, okay, I'm going to
force you to do that. And I know this in school, my my
day job, what I do every day is Is, I'm the disciplinarian and
you can tell the kids that come into your office and some of
them are like Waterworks Central, you know?
They think their concept is if I can cry.
Then naturally. That's going to get sympathy
wrong. That's not going to do it at all
but you can always tell the kids that walk in and say, I don't
know why I did it. I did it.
I'm sorry, it's not going to happen again.
I really am. Sorry, mr.
Smith and let me go apologize to whoever it is, let me try to fix
it. Those are moments where that's
pretty easy. Then there's those that are like
indignant, you know, Oh, they they feel like somehow they're
in there. It's the wrong thing and they're
not going to be satisfied and you may force them to go do
whatever it is. But as one of the boys said, I
may go do it, but I'm standing up on the inside.
That's kind of how we are. Sometimes.
That's not how we can be with God.
God's not interested in my lip service.
He's not interested in me even saying, holy holy, holy what
he's interested in is that I become like him.
He said be ye holy as I am. Holy There's a big difference
between those two things and our words sometimes can be cheap and
what God did, as you put an entire package together.
It includes being sorry. It includes saying I'm sorry it
includes trying to make up but it's not forced.
And it's something that you do in reference to the fact that
you are in the presence of a sovereign.
God that is infinitely. Good.
If he never does another thing good for you, if you never does
another good thing for me, he is still worthy of All of my life
of service and adoration and worship.
Well, again, repentance can be complex.
Jonah gave us kind of a picture of repentance when he came
preaching, it talking about faith and fruit and Jonah, three
and four Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's
walk. Now, God had told him go and
preach to Nineveh Jonah didn't want to go.
And I think it's interesting that Jonah didn't want to go
because he didn't like the people You talk about scary
ground ever, get on. You ever heard don't judge a
book by it's cover? You've heard all those things.
All of our life kind of everything we need to know we
learned in kindergarten but we forgot it is, we grew up and we
began to sometimes label. Somebody we began to think that
we understand somebody by whatever label it is.
Well there was there were people that God wanted to show Grace to
and Jonah was pretty much convinced.
I don't want to help them. You're in a real bad spot.
If you can look at another human being and think or say in your
mind, they're not worth it. You say that to the mirror
first? Everybody in this room is worth
it. Jesus did not die for nobody's,
God did not send his son to die for people that are nobody's.
He sent his son to die for people.
That were the object of his love Nineveh was the object of his
love, but they were living in complete Rebellion to God.
And so he wanted this preacher to go.
And God Jonah knew that God was going to try to make a way to
save them. And so he ran from the situation
and after a series of events where he got swallowed by a
great fish and decided he wanted to a change and go do what God
asked him to do. He shows up in this city.
And he says he cried out yet forty days and Nineveh will be
overthrown and eight word. Sermon, I know you're wishing
for some 8 word, sermon sometimes.
Well, that is one right there. Eight words, let us know what
they did. So the people of Nineveh
believed God guess what you have to do.
If you're ever going to change your life, you've got to
recognize. There is a God in heaven for you
to trust. There's a God in heaven for you
to be convicted by and of all the things that gospel preaching
is for its to get in there in the gobbledygook in the mess of
your life and can Nick you because that's the power of the
word. Not me.
It's not my use of words, it's not my volume can help the
volume. But the message of the word of
God will get in there, and it's going to convict you.
In fact, I'll tell you preaching it in preaching, if it doesn't
convict people of sin and give people the ultimate solution.
This know what happened. So the people they believe, God,
they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest
of them to the least of them. They were sorry.
In other words, verse 8, but let man and Beast be covered with
sackcloth and cry mightily to God.
Yes, but everyone turned from his evil way and from the
violence, that is in his hands who can tell of God, Turn and
relent and turn away from his Fierce anger so that we may not
perish. Then God verse 10 says saw their
works that they turned from their evil way and God relented
from the disaster that he said he would bring upon them and he
did not do it. What did he see?
He saw something in them. First of all, he saw people that
were completely recognizing. Hey, this is God, this really is
God, and he's upset with us. Have you ever had a moment where
you realize not only, it's my bad.
But what am I going to do to fix it?
I'm going to tell you if that conviction aspect of what I just
said a minute ago is so important to get there.
When you mess up recognizing that there is a God in heaven,
that really is the one that's upset about it.
It's not about Mom and Dad, none of our grandma and grandpa, not
about the preacher, it's about God.
And if we could with one voice, try to appeal to people and
recognize that there is a sovereign and holy God, that is
offended by my behavior. The sooner I'll change my
behavior because I'm not worthy of you changing.
But God is worthy of me, changing.
He's worthy of you changing, and he demands it.
And again, it came about with people that believed God and
demonstrated it with fruit and God relented of the disaster
that he said he would bring in Matthew 12:41.
The men of Nineveh Jesus said will rise up in the Judgment
with this generation and condemn, it because they
repented at the preaching of Jonah and indeed, a greater than
Jonah is here. I tell you the Old Testament
story. That tells you about the
character of God, that's amazing.
What's more? Amazing, is that there is the
Son of God, referencing this story and saying, if you think
that's a great story, that ended, well think about this,
they repented at the preaching of Jonah, but there are people
that listen to me and about me that will not and choose not
repent what a horrible circumstance.
He said, one greater than Jonah is here.
That was him. He's here, he's just as real
today as he's ever been. He's just as alive as when he
walked on the earth. Almost 2,000 years ago.
His message is just as powerful today as it has ever been and
there are people that are without excuse as a result of
the nature that God has created but also because of the
preaching of Jesus Christ Jonah Prophet Jonas, preaching,
demonstrates faith and fruit will John the cousin of Jesus
came preaching as well. In fact he was the guy That's
kind of like the steamroller for Israel.
Israel had gone into the period called The Silent years, 400
years. They hadn't heard from anybody,
they were looking for the Messiah, really, really looking.
But it had gotten stale and they had substituted True Religion
for a lot of it for a competence in their own bloodline.
So John shows up and he starts, he really is not your normal
guy. They were the people that
thought about how good they look.
They were the people that would make bra.
Their phylacteries and and the people that were fakes and
farces and imitations of what God wanted they were all about
the outward. John comes and he absolutely
destroys people's pride and their selfishness and their evil
ways. And he says things like this And
Acts 19, Paul reference John. And he said, John indeed
baptized with the baptism of repentance saying to the people
that they should believe on him. Who would come after him.
That is on. Jesus Christ.
This is some John's teaching faith.
And through this concept in those days, John, the Baptist
came preaching in the wilderness of Judea.
Say repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, then
Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around.
The Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the
Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the
Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them
brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the Wrath to come.
Therefore, bear fruits, worthy of repentance.
We've talked about this already this week, but I want to say
this again, notice what John is, he's having two reactions.
One reaction are Pharisees and Sadducees that stand up there.
Basically. Like we're here watching you but
we don't need you. Then there was another group
that only came to John and recognize him for what he was.
He was a man. God didn't have any Miracles,
didn't perform any Miracles but the truth that he preached LED
them to confess their sins and they were baptized by a baptism
of repentance. When's the last time you got
through a day and you thought, okay, I really messed up today.
you ever have that on a, on a daily basis, sometimes you got
something that's just working on your nerves, you got something
that's working in your heart, most sin, honestly happens but
behind our eyes and between our ears, But you've got something
that you've been working on. Let's just back up a little bit
further from this conversation and I want to ask, when's the
last time you really got real with God and recognize that you
got sent in your life and you got stuff that you've messed up
on. Because if you never had those
conversations and you don't have those conversations weekly, you
don't have those conversations daily but at least weekly you're
in a real bad spot. You're in a real bad spot
because here's what Paul wrote to people that believed that
it's okay, don't worry about it. It's all going to work out.
Okay, I've had a religious experience.
I have, I have been saved once upon a time, but I'm not really
worried about it because God is going to save me, it's going to
work out, okay? He said this, shall we continue
in sin that Grace May abound, God forbid.
How that are we that are dead to sin living in any longer?
So you can't abuse Grace. Grace is one of those things
that's kind of tricky. It's not tricky.
I don't want to make it sound tricky.
I said tricky bad word choice, not tricky very clear.
Grace was one of those things. That is demonstrated to every
man all over the world. Anybody any man or woman and all
the world can experience and live and grow in Grace?
You don't want to mess with it. You don't want to take it for
granted. You want to appreciate it.
Every time you hit your knees and every time you face God and
every time you get real about your sin and every time you need
to make up with God because you've messed up.
Very important thing about that, John had people confessing their
sins and being baptized. He also had people that were
resistant and to people that are resistant to people that don't
want to listen. Sometimes the only option that
the preacher has is to be very plain and somewhat abrasive.
He was abrasive it. Ended up costing him his head
when he preached against the marriage of Herod.
What does god require fruits worthy of repentance?
There is a way there is something that is demonstrated
when we talk about repentance that is first through faith and
absolutely produces fruit. Well, in Romans 3:23, the Bible
says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
All must repent. That's a faith and fruit issue.
G, the Apostle Paul said, truly these times of ignorance, God,
overlooked but now As all men everywhere to repent.
Jesus said, but he said I tell you no.
But unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
He said this about his miracles and repentance, he began to
rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty Works were done
because they did not repent woe to you chorazin.
He said, woe to you bethsaida for if the mighty Works which
were done in, you had been done in Tyre and sidon they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and Ashes and I say to
you, It will be more tolerable for tyre and sidon the day of
judgment than for you. And you Capernaum who were
exalted to heaven will be brought down to Hades for.
If the mighty Works, which were done in.
You had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this
day, but I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the
land of Sodom in that day of judgment than for you.
This is Big Stuff. Jesus is basically making a
comparison and helping people understand that repentance is a
very big deal for everybody. So, I'm just going to get the
first. If you're taking notes, this is
The very first point of really of the lesson and it goes like
this everybody sins and everybody's got to figure out
what repentance is not my definition of it, God's
definition of it and Jesus had plenty to say about the Holy
Spirit inspired Paul to talk about it.
Jesus talked about comparatively Miracles that he had done.
His mighty Works he said tyre and sidon would still be around.
They would have repented you know what happened to Tyre and
sidon God wipe them off the map and literally made him as the
flat as flat as the top of a rock.
So that People would drive their Nets, whereas City used to be.
And that's the truth. You know what else about Sodom
the sins of Sodom? I think everybody pretty much
older enough knows about all that.
At the end of the day God was repulsed by the sin of Sodom,
they could not find just a select number of Souls and lot.
The nephew of Abraham made it out with his two daughters
didn't even make it out with his wife or his son-in-law's.
And God will wipe them off the face of the Earth and he said it
will be more tolerable. For the land of Sodom in the day
of judgment than for you. Why would he say that?
Here's why he says that. Whenever you look at the Bible,
you're looking at 66 books today.
Now, that's how we divided up Old Testament.
New testament old testament, has 39.
New Testament has 27 today. We're sitting here.
I've got the entire thing right here.
He can't read, I'll get you an audio audio.
If we can't read or we can't hear, we've got Braille any
person in all the world that is a responsible human being can
learn this. We got people right now in
Cambodia, that cannot read. They cannot write.
But they can have a solar-powered recording device
that has scripture on it. And they can hear the word of
God because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word
of God. What I know is that from Genesis
to Malachi God, basically sets the scene for how he's going to
operate and how How he's going to bring Jesus into the world
and he demonstrates himself as an incredibly amazing God and he
saves a little bitty group that just rebelled against him and
messed up if you ever want. Hope for your life, read the Old
Testament. You're going to find people in
there that mess up over and over and over and over and every time
God makes a way to bring them back whenever they get
themselves in the tight and they realize I need to come back.
I need a way back and you find that you have a god of Mercy.
He's not a God that wants to just hide behind the bushes and
beat you down. But then you get to the New
Testament and you find something Superior.
It's a New Covenant. The old Covenant was was
dedicated with the blood of animals.
The New Covenant was dedicated with the blood of Jesus Christ.
That obviously is superior. The New Covenant is the last
one, there's not going to be any more.
In fact, there's not going to be the more sacrifices that will do
anything for you. If you reject this sacrifice of
Jesus Christ and his will, there's no other plan that he
has. So the question is this, when
you hear Jesus preach and you understand from Genesis to
Malachi has been fulfilled in Jesus and you opened up Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John and you read the birth and the life, and the
death of Jesus Christ, and his burial and Resurrection, then
you get to the book of Acts and you find out.
This is the Lord's church and this is how the church was
established. Then you get to Romans through
the rest of the Bible and these are letters written to churches
that were messing up. People that had problems in
special needs and challenges. You know what, we find out, we
find out that we have a God that wants to fix.
And help and straighten us out. Even when we mess up just like
the Israelites did, you know what, he expects you to do and
me to do. He expects us to look into the
perfect law of Liberty, and not be a forgetful hearer, but a
doer of the word, that's what James says.
And that's what we have to be. So when the Bible calls upon us,
when Jesus calls upon us to repent, and he makes these
comparative statements about tyre and sidon in Sodom, what
he's basically saying is, they didn't know about the death
burial and Resurrection, they did not know They did not know
about about me at all. They did not realize they did
not recognize that. I was the son of God.
You do know your witness to who I am your witness to my power,
everybody in this room tonight. If you don't believe that, Jesus
Christ is the Son of God, please, I beg of you, I beg of
you. I'm not going to spend the time
right now, but if we need to spend time, I don't care.
If it takes all night, I don't care how long it takes.
I want to convince you with the word of God and with history
that Jesus is the son of God and I can do it.
If you're here tonight and you don't believe that Jesus is the
son of God, please, I beg of you don't leave here tonight in that
situation. Don't live in doubt.
Don't live in what our culture tries to raise questions about,
think about that for just a second.
Jesus expects us to recognize he and his teaching for who he is
and what he is and he expects us to repent.
He expects everybody to repent. Well, Christians must repent to
sometimes people get to thinking.
Well, you know, when I'm a Christian then it's all going to
be good and there's no big deal. One couple of things you learn
from scripture right out the gate.
First of all, when you look at first John chapter 1, before we
get there think of this. What John will teach you in the
gospel as well as the book is this you are a sinner don't ever
say you're perfect. Don't ever say you don't have
anything to fix, but by the same token, you don't stay in that
situation of ignorance and say well you know ignorance is
bliss. Don't don't show me anymore.
The Bible, in fact, I wanted I want to know the least amount
possible that I have to know to be safe.
That's not how we live. That won't work either.
He places a restriction on that. So I can't say I'm perfect.
So anybody that says, you're preaching a gospel that says you
got to be perfect. No, the gospel plainly says, if
you say you are you're a liar but it goes on to talk about how
Christians fix it. We gotta, we gotta recognize,
we're not perfect, but we got to live, according to a high
standard and we hold ourselves accountable to it.
And then when we do mess up, there's a way we can fix it.
And it didn't have to drag on and on and on, and on and on,
you know, the part about why we want you to be baptized.
Night is you've drugged on and on and on and on and on.
Now I hope not too long to where it's grown cold inside of you.
There's a guy back home that he said that literally he said you
know he at one point in time said I was going to be baptized
I'm going to be baptized I'm going to be baptized.
He kept saying it that's all he did to say it.
He never was Then all the sudden one day he heard a sermon about
six months to a year later that really convicted him and he
literally ran to the water. He grabbed a guy on the way out
the door and said, go baptize me right now, before something gets
in my head and change his mind, you stop.
And think about what he was convicted about on that.
Whenever you're a Christian were called to walk in the light of
God's word. Here's what the scripture says,
if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son
cleanses us from all sin. And if we say, we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar.
And his word is is not in US. That's important.
I can't say I don't have sinned. So do I say?
You know this is what I hear a lot of my friends.
Say what? We're all.
Sinners. Now that's true.
But I also want to find a little bit.
So let me qualify. Here's here's really what that
means. We're all Sinners.
You worry about your sin. In fact, I'm going to give you a
pass for your sin. I'm going to make you feel
better about anything you've done wrong, but I want you to
make me feel better about what I've done wrong.
So, what I'm going to say is, I'm a sinner.
You're a sinner. Make me feel good about what
I've done wrong. I'm going to make you feel good
about what you've done wrong and we'll all feel good about it.
The problem is this. Let me point out to you.
I'm not the one that justifies you.
The Bible says, he is faithful and just to forgive us.
Who's going to forgive you? Your sins.
Not So, if I give you a pass for how you feel or worse yet, the
worst deception in the world. When I look into the mirror and
say:, I really think God's gonna give you a pass for that.
Whether I'm trying to give myself one or you're trying to
give me one, doesn't help a thing.
There's somebody that's done to justify us.
And to forgive us in his name, is God.
He longs to, he wants to my little children, he said these
things I write unto you so that you may not sin.
And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus
Christ, the righteous, listen to what he says by.
Now, we know that we know him by this, we know that we know him
if we keep his Commandments he who says I know him and does not
keep his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him now.
Stop and think about that for a second.
You back up and you're really back up from this.
So we have a God that says you're not perfect, when you
mess up as a Christian, you got to do what he said.
We have to Confess our sins. Now, why is that unique?
Why is that important? Here's why that's so important.
A couple of ways that takes place that's not necessarily.
In fact, that's not going to be a picture of a public
confession, okay, it's not what it is.
Now I'm all for somebody coming forward in church and needing
prayers of the church. We're to pray for each other all
the time. Anyway what's I don't know
anybody that would disagree with that, I don't know anybody that
would fight that and yes, whenever we get overtaken and
send one of the most important things you will ever do is have
other people fighting for you to overcome that sin.
God is certainly listening to the herd and you need to be a
part of the herd, the church. But when you send, you have
somebody very, very important on your side of here.
It is in the Old Testament that Genesis to Malachi.
Here's how it was. You were a person that send you
brought your animal sacrifice, and let's say that Chris is the
levitical priests. I hand it off to him, he begins
to prepare it. He's got his own robes.
He does all the stuff that's necessary.
He makes atonement for my sin, but there's another guy that's
going to go in. He does that he performs that
Worship in the Holy place in the temple.
But then there's another guy who is of a certain lineage of the
lineage of Aaron and he's the high priest and let's say Terry
was the high priest. So we got a little priest and
and I hand it off to him and he does this for me and then I've
got a high priest that goes in for everybody.
And he takes the blood of an animal and he prepares himself,
just so, and he goes into the most, holy place that would kind
of make, you think about this communion table right here,
overlaid and gold had a pot of manna that had never spoiled it.
Had a rod Aaron's Rod that had miraculously budded and it had
the Old Testament law that God had written on those tablets of
stone. The second set, Amazing.
That high priest goes in to this Most Holy place and he offers
animal blood for his own sins and the sins of everybody else.
When Jesus came, let me tell you why it is today.
You don't, you don't have to confess your sins to a man
before you talk to God. You're a priest when Jesus died.
The Bible says he became the high priest.
The old high priest, there's no such thing as a high priest,
today of the lineage of are and they don't exist.
You couldn't trait, you couldn't track them down.
If you wanted to, Jesus Took the place of that high priest.
And the Bible says, we're all priests Hebrews chapter 2, and
Hebrews chapter 4 says, we have a high priest that can be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and he was in all
points tempted, like as we are yet without sin.
So when we come to God, when we come and we Come boldly to the
throne of grace. The Bible says, that's not how
they did it. In the Old Testament, they
didn't come boldly. They came afraid, they came in
fear. And the only thing their
sacrifices it and their, their situation was roll their sin
forward another year until they could do it again.
Not a really great system. You might say, but we have an
amazing system. We have an amazing plan because
our our sacrifice was Jesus. His cousin John said, Behold the
Lamb of God that takes away. The sin of the world.
That's your picture of the perfect sacrifice.
The Hebrew writer said, he went into the heavens.
The high priest on Earth in the Old Testament, they only offered
animal blood and it was here on the earth.
And it was one of those deals that God would allow them to
escape for another year, and literally they'd send the
scapegoat in the wilderness with her sins.
Jesus Christ did not run and he didn't Escape God, put
everything that you've ever done, or I've ever done on his
back and he died and awful cruel death because that's what our
sins warranted. That's what we deserved.
And so today when you mess up as a Christian, you need to run to
the one that went through walk through it and dealt with it.
The only difference is he was tempted.
Like we are yet, he didn't mess up and what he's gonna do is
he's going to communicate to the father.
God, the Father who is a spirit that does not know what it's
like to put on flesh and blood and he makes the father
understand. Have you ever had a situation?
Where you were sitting in a room.
And you thought you understood a certain set of circumstances,
and then when you got a few more facts, you changed your mind
quick. One of the most compelling, I
think it was MacArthur or one of those guys wrote about a story
about a man who was on a train one time and it was a, it was a
very uppity part of town. This guy got on the train with
his kids and his kids were bouncing off the walls.
And The Story Goes that this man that was their father,
obviously, their parent was sitting there and he was looking
out the window and just oblivious to everything that was
going on. And finally, these kids bumped
into this guy, some hoity-toity guy, you know, you always hate
that guy. But he got upset about it says,
hey look, take care of your kids.
If you're one of those people that you're upset about little
kids bless your heart, you forgot you were 11 time and
you're just replicating, the bad behavior of a bunch of old folks
that treated you bad when you were little and don't do that.
Shame on that behavior. That's an awful set of behavior.
But the reality is this man, stop what he was doing.
He said, I'm really sorry. You see, we just came from the
hospital, their mother just died and we really just don't know
what we're doing right now. Instantly, those facts changed
everything. Changed everything.
Let me tell you how this goes down, you mess up, you better be
talking to the right person. You better be talking to the
right person. Don't talk to the wrong people.
You know. Good don't go talk to your
friend. Yes, they may have some good
advice. You better be talking to the one
that's going to make the father understand because he's the one
that can make the father, say I'm gonna forgive him this and
the reason he's going to make that possible.
The reason why that is possible is the Bible says that if we
walk in the light, Part of us walking in the lightest when we
mess up, we fess up. If I take a step out of the
life, my next step is to fess up and ask for God to strengthen me
and help me with that. He goes on to call us little
children, my little children, these things I write unto you so
that you may not sin. Another words, I don't want you
to keep practicing sin, but when you mess up, Up.
You have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ, the
righteous then he says something amazing.
He said now by this, we know that we know him if we keep his
Commandments high standard here and he says, I know he and he
who says I know him and does not keep his Commandments is a liar,
and the truth is not in him. You don't want to be in this
spot. None of us.
Do we want to walk in the light? God's going to deal with every
hypocrite that's ever existed in the church?
And I can promise you at some point in time we're going to be
in a spot where we got to really be careful about this.
I don't want anybody leaving here thinking that they got to
be careful in this sense of that.
God's looking for a way to wreck your relationship with him.
That's just not true. You can't read the Old Testament
and see God, and his relationship with Moses and the
Jews, especially in the Darkness without thinking.
Wow, we serve an amazing God that will bear with us through a
lot of junk because they put God through a lot.
Every Christian must repent, when we send confession and
repentance are connected. The Bible says, in Acts 8, when
Simon saw that through the laying on of the Apostles hands,
the Holy Spirit was given he offered them money.
Now, again, I want you to understand how this worked, when
he saw the laying on of the Apostles hands.
The Holy Spirit was given here's a good example of first century
Miracles. These guys that were Apostles
had seen Jesus rise from the grave and they had the power to
Up to somebody else. And say, I'm gonna lay on hands
on you. And I'm going to give you the
power for, as long as you live to perform miracles in the name
of Jesus. Why did they do that?
They did that. Because the word of God had to
be verified and there was no Revelation, that was complete
yet. Didn't have a Bible to go to.
They certainly most of them didn't.
None of them hardly any any of them had an Old Testament copy.
You just there were a lot of things that they needed to know
and so God. In a miraculous way, gay people
his word and protected it and he gave it to a lot of people.
And so they were able to not only perform Miracles, but they
were able to teach without making a mistake.
Now, I can't teach without making a mistake.
That's why you got to be on your toes.
I need you to be able to write notes and listen to this, and
judge it by what the Bible says, because I'm a man.
And I had, nobody has laid. Their hands on me and giving me
a supernatural gift or miraculous gift of the Holy
Spirit. Back here though this guy Simon
saw the apostles lay hands and the Holy Spirit was given.
Now that was demonstrated, it demonstrated itself in power and
he offered them. Money saying, give me this power
also that anyone who might lay hands, may receive the Holy
Spirit. He was thinking about it.
You know, what, these guys that they can make a killing selling
this. That's not how it was going to
go. But Peter said, your money
perish with you because you thought that the gift of God
could be purchased with money. You have need a partner portion.
In this matter for your heart is not right in the sight of God,
repent. Therefore this year wickedness
and pray God. If perhaps the thought of your
heart may be forgiven you for, I see that you are poisoned by
bitterness and bound by iniquity and Simon answered and said,
pray to the Lord for me, that none of these things, which you
have spoken may come upon me. Now, here's a good example, this
guy messed up. Royally.
He didn't just have he didn't just have a misunderstanding, he
had an agenda and he wanted this bad and when all of a sudden
Peter Rex's plan and by the way, this teaching about money right
here is a big deal. You're not saved by money.
You're not saved by what your money will do.
You're saved by the grace of God and what can't be done and can't
be bought with money. There were a lot of people that
thought when you got money, that that means salvation.
That's an almost exactly the opposite of what Jesus.
Taught be careful about money. You either be in charge of your
money or your money is going to be in charge of you.
And here's an example of a guy that his money was in charge of
him and when Peter convicted him of his sin, he said you need to
pray. God, how would he do that?
Did he have to go find somebody else that he have to go to the
temple to do that? No.
You have a right as a priest, a child of God.
Somebody that's been baptized into Christ.
You have the opportunity to approach God through Jesus but
you also have the right to ask somebody else to pray for you.
Because he, he said, pray to the Lord, for me, that none of these
things, which you have spoken may come upon me.
You know what I want. I want to pray for me and I want
other people. Pray for me too.
And I hope our human Pride doesn't get in the way of that.
Because that's exactly what it is, when it happens.
Make sure we understand confession and repentance are
connected. He who conceals his sin does not
Prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces sin finds Mercy.
You know, how many people I have talked to that have said, you
know, when I finally came clean with God about whatever it was,
I felt like the weight of the world was awful me.
You want to know why that is? Because you can fold it and tuck
it. You can do a thousand things
with trying to fix your sin, but you can't do it.
I think about this back home. Sometimes we'll get people call
us, and they'll say, You know, we're going to be there.
We're coming by to see y'all. Okay.
When are you showing up because we like a two-hour warning, just
so, you know, a two day would be better.
But two hours, at least not two minutes to.
Let me tell you what happens when I in our house.
We live in our house, not ashamed to say that.
I'm not criticizing any part of how it we just live there.
But I can tell you what happens, I can move some Freight to
hiding whenever you show up at my door.
If you say we're in Farmersville, we want to Um bye
okay give me just a minute and I get off the phone.
A bunch of screaming and yelling takes place.
Your grab a bunch of stuff. You go to the nearest place and
you shove it tuck it, you do everything.
You can to Rack stacking packet. You know what happens though,
when people show up oh I love your ass.
Oh this is great. They have no idea that behind
that door. If you open it all manner of
evil, what jump on you? But you know, what happens after
they leave, that still has to be dealt with that.
Hadn't gone away. I may have shoveled it in the
back room and you may not open that door, you may think
perfectly well of me. But there's a room with a bunch
of junk in it. Listen, if you got a room with a
bunch of junk and you better figure out who it is, that can
help you clean it out because you will not fix it by yourself.
You won't do it. Mankind, does not possess that
power. That's not God's plan.
God is fair and we have a choice.
The Bible says, when a righteous man turns away from his
righteousness and commits iniquity and dies in it is
because of the iniquity that he has done that.
He dies when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which
he has committed and does. What is lawful and right?
He preserves himself alive. In other words, God won't let
you put your life on cruise control.
Don't think that I've done some good stuff.
And I've been baptized once upon a time, and I'm just going to
push the cruise control button. That's not what he said by the
same token. Maybe just maybe you at one
point in your life you were doing good and you went off in
the ditch and you think that I'm worthless and I can't be saved
and there's things. I just don't feel like I can be
forgiven of you. Make the choice that you want to
serve God. And I'll tell you about a God
that can forgive you of anything you've done.
And you get right back up on the straight and narrow road.
And guess what? He said, you've made the choice
to accept my grace, you've made the choice to get back in the
light of my word. And that choice is going to save
you. Because he considers and turns
away from all his transgressions which he committed.
He shall surely live. He shall not die.
Yet, the house of Israel says, the way of the Lord is not fair,
o House of Israel. Is it?
Not my ways which are fair and your ways which are not there.
Therefore, I will judge you o House of Israel.
Everyone. According to his ways says the
Lord God, repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that
iniquity will not be your ruin cast away from you all the
transgressions, which you have committed and get yourself, a
new heart, and a new spirit. Irit for, why should you die o
House of Israel for? I have no pleasure in the death
of one who dies says, the Lord, God, therefore, turning live of
all the things that I wish I could put in a capsule.
And give people a pill and a glass of water and allowed them
to put it in their mouth and to wash it down.
And then 30 minutes later. It take effect, is this get
yourself a new heart and a new spirit?
Oh, how I wish that people could recognize that of all the misery
and all the doubt and all the guilt that they deal with there
is a new heart and a new spirit that only God can give you and
it's available and it's available whenever you get good
and ready. The problem is Satan and sin are
confusing and their convicting, the of their own, their own.
The Bible says, the wicked man is holding literally with the
cords of his own sins. And takes on its own Dimension.
It takes on its own brain, so to speak, and it does everything
possible to convince us, there's no new heart, a new spirit, if
I've messed up and I'm in the ditch, I'm just in the ditch.
No, you're not. No, you're not.
Jesus told his church to repent. Here's where it kind of the
rubber meets the road. The Bible says to the angel of
the church at Ephesus. Write these things says, he who
holds the Seven Stars in his right hand, who walks in the
midst of the seven, golden lampstands.
I know your works. This is the good stuff.
I know your Works, your labor, your patients that you cannot
bear. Those who are evil you've tested
those who say they are Apostles, and are not and Hast found them
Liars, you've persevered and have patience.
You've labored for my namesake of not become weary.
Nevertheless, I have this against you that you have left
your first love. Remember therefore from where
you have fallen repent and do the first works or else.
I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its
place unless you repent. But this you have that you hate
the Deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate, he who has an
ear to hear. Let Him hear what the spirit
says, to the churches to him who overcomes, I will give to eat
from the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of
God, two things from this. I want to get well three things.
First of all, they had a lot of good things going on in their
church. I don't know any church.
You can take of that. Doesn't have some good stuff
going on. I don't know it, but I know this
was, this is the Lord's church. This one Collins church.
This one wasn't started after a t-33.
This wasn't this wasn't because of some religious division.
This is the church at Ephesus that was founded in Acts the
18th chapter, by the Apostle, Paul.
Acts 19 tells us a little bit about that congregation and
entire letter was written about congregation.
And here, you have a situation where the church is told they
have to repent as anybody ever told you.
That all people sin and they must repent Christensen and we
must repent churches, sin and they have to repent.
Why the churches have to repent? The Bible says, repent and do
the first works or else. I will come to you quickly and
remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent the
light. You don't want the Lord to take
his lampstand away. If you do, the Bible tells us
that if we walk in the light we have Fellowship.
Jesus said my sheep hear my voice and they follow me.
What he's basically saying is you're going to listen to me.
You're going to listen to me or you're not going to be
recognized as one of my churches.
How is it that churches are supposed to fix themselves?
Here's a very simple way. You take this Bible and you read
it for what it is. The truth of God's word and you
do what it says you do. What it says for yourself.
You do what it says for the church.
You see the church doesn't have a right to just do whatever we
want to do. The church is the body of
Christ. The head of the church is Jesus
and he exercises authority over the church.
Ephesians 5:23 says he is the head of the body.
He is the savior of the body, the church in Ephesians 1 about
verse 21 through 23, he establishes R22, especially he
establishes the fact that he exercises complete Authority and
dominion and his Sovereign, right over the church.
That's people. What if the people in the church
decide? We're not going to do what the
Bible says. He said like this This you have
that you hate the Deeds of the Nicolaitans which I also hate.
You know what, the Deeds of the Nicolaitans were it was
compromised. He told the Ephesian church.
I'm proud of you about that. What was their real problem?
He said you left your first love.
Did you know? God is not some sort of an
inanimate object where we just basically decide we're going to
push the program button we've checked, all the boxes and that
he is just this, this being up there that is roboticle and that
he doesn't have any emotion whatsoever.
No, he said you've left your first love.
Who are you in love with you? Like all?
I love my wife. I really do.
Love my kids. I see some people here with
grandkids. I love those grandbabies.
You can tell, you can tell guess what God can do.
God can too back home. There's a guy he is from El
Cajon. California actually from Mexico
but he works in El Cajon California.
His name is Elias Rodriguez and if you know alius I've never met
anybody like him. But I'm telling you, some of the
people that he has worked with us to convert back home in a
bilingual congregation. There's about 50 people that
that every Sunday assemble with us and about.
Anyway, there's also a congregation in Progreso was
because of this and on and all I can tell you about, but one day
we sat down and we began to talk about the work and he said,
listen here's what my plans are. I want to do this on this day
and I want to do this on this day, literally.
Now think about this someday got worship.
You ever been a part of a bilingual service?
Sometimes they go long. Long.
They go long, you try to get around to talk to everybody in a
big group, it's tough to do, get out of there.
You got Sunday, worship, got Wednesday, worship, 70 people,
show up of the hundred that are usually.
They're 70 people show up on Wednesday night again bilingual
to our Wednesday night chapter studies.
I'm like, man, that's a lot. That's a lot.
Then yes, what else happens? Well, I study with I study with
basically there's about 15 different families, I study with
each one of them during the week on my own Leah said, but I'll
tell you what. There's some opportunities to
study with somebody here and here and here, and I'm like,
Whoa, man are, hang on, just a second.
You ever heard of the word burnout?
You gonna burn some folks out. He's like, he smiled and said
no. He said, was there anything you
wouldn't do when you fell in love with your wife?
Mmm. Nope.
Not one thing. I drive do whatever it was.
Didn't matter nothing. I wouldn't go get.
He said, that's exactly what I'm talking about with Jesus Christ.
These people are in love with Jesus Christ.
And I'm going to, I'm going to serve, and I'm going to feed,
and I'm going to, I'm going to treat that just like the most
important relationship and they're alive.
And they're going to devote as much time and attention and
effort and study, because it is the number one relationship and
their life. And I'm convinced, the more that
I preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There's a whole lot of people that think they can slide in and
slide out and they have The same efficient problem, there's
strict doctrinally. They know what the Bible says.
I get it, I understand it. I'm never going to change from
that, but there's somebody that better be the number one love in
your life and it's demonstrated. It's demonstrated, it shows up.
You can do so many things, right?
And if God is not the number one, love the first action of
your heart, your soul, and your mind.
We're in a mess. He better be number one.
My goal tonight in preaching the sermon.
Maybe a sermon on repentance but I want you to think about, you
serve a God. That ought to be number one.
He deserves to be number one, and there was a church that call
themselves his That had fallen out of love and listen, this
wasn't written. This wasn't written down by some
guy. This was recorded.
This was the revelation of Jesus Christ.
He gave the review himself. So, very important stuff.
We can't compromise anything, but we can't ever forget.
God is our first love. All of our life, for the church
to be alive. It requires Zeal and repentance.
To the angel of the church in Sardis.
Another one of the seven churches of Asia.
He said these things says he who holds the seven spirits of God
and the Seven Stars. I know your works that you have
a name that you are alive, but you are dead Be watchful and
strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die
for. I have not found your Works
perfect before God. Remember therefore, how you have
received and heard, hold fast and repent.
Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a
thief and you will not know what hour I come upon you.
Don't take your relationship for granted God.
Let me go back a second and say this about the church when he
wrote when he talked about the church and the doctrines, here's
what I'm convicted to say tonight from God's word.
If there's something that we need has changed that we're
doing wrong in the Bible, show it to me tonight, we'll stop it.
If there's something we need to start doing, we'll start doing
it. But every Church in order to be
the Church of Jesus Christ, has to make the same commitment and
you got to put your money where your mouth is.
If there's something the Church of Jesus Christ here that meets
here in this place, will not change.
It won't be long before. This is not the Church of Jesus
Christ. God gives a space for
repentance. He gives some time.
But at some point in time, that time is going to be up.
I know people that have been a part of churches before that,
they recognize that this is what the Bible says, and we're not
doing that and they brought it to the leadership of the church
and Leadership of the church says, you know what, we're not
going to do that. Yeah, but that's what the Bible
says. The Bible says, we have to do
this and the leadership said, we're not going to change.
We're not going to do what that says, please help me.
Understand how that could possibly be the Church of Jesus
Christ. Jesus said, my sheep hear my
voice and they follow me. And in Revelation 3:19 he said,
as many as I love I rebuke and chasten.
Therefore be zealous and repent. You ever had somebody that is
amazing. I'll bring up a list Rodriguez a
lot. I want to tell you a story real
quick. Because it illustrates the
beauty of a culture that I did not understand prior to this
work, but it also illustrates a man's heart that is willing to
change. His name is perfect though,
tourists Perfecto's. An awesome guy.
I don't know how old he is, maybe 50 something years old
hard, worker line of Bane Julie can tell you just amazing guy.
He led his wife to Jesus, they were the party central.
They were the people that drank and party period, they were the
life of the party. Not all of that, perfect.
Those one of those guys that you better pack a lunch, if you ever
went to pick a fight with him because he'd mop the floor with
you, he was the brawler of the group.
Not only that. There was another guy.
This guy came to Jesus. He was saved.
He was baptized for the remission of his sins and he has
been following so closely the walk that I'm extremely proud to
call him my brother in Christ. But there's another guy that was
that was also converted and he was a guy that had challenges as
well and in his former life, he and Perfecto didn't like each
other. And it is baptism.
Perfect though came to brother Elias and said, what am I going
to do? I don't like this guy.
Fact, I've beat this guy up before.
This guy is not good people. And he said, he used to be your
enemy. He used to be your enemy but
God's fixing to make him your brother.
You know, what happened after he was immersed in the Christ.
Perfecto went up to him. He said I'm your brother and he
hugged him. That's the power.
That's The Power of Jesus Christ.
That's the power of Jesus. When somebody is zealous to want
to do, what the will is that wants to throw away, all the
disease of sin and the sickness of sin that infects.
So many of us, that's the power of the god that we serve.
That is his power today. Well, I got to hurry on love and
fear make people repent in Romans 2 verse 4.
He says do you despise The Riches of his goodness
forbearance and longsuffering? Not knowing that, the goodness
of God, leads you to repentance but in accordance with your
hardness and impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for
yourself rat in the day of Revelation, righteous Judgment
of God, who will render to each one according to his deeds,
eternal life, to those who by patient continuance and doing
good seek, for glory, honor and immortality, but to those who
are self-seeking and do, not Obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, they're going to get indignation and wrath
tribulation and anguish on every soul of man who does evil of the
Jew first and also to the Greek. Paul basically says by
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the goodness of God leads.
A lot of people to repentance. You mean to tell me there's a
God in heaven, that loves me so much.
He sent his son to die for me, that message has converted
Untold numbers of people in the world, then there are other
people like me that had to be told, hey, you better get it
right or you going to go to hell.
Whichever one. It leads people.
It doesn't finish the job. It doesn't start.
It doesn't finish the relationship, but both fear and
love are motivators to lead people to repent.
Jesus said, I say unto you that likewise, there will be more joy
in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety and
nine, just persons who need no repentance.
Listen to me very carefully. When I say this, there are never
be a time. We're not thrilled out of our
tree when somebody makes up their mind.
They're going to fix it with God.
It ought to make us so excited. It ought to make us so excited.
I'll never forget the time that I saw this.
Not happen. There was a woman that basically
decided she wanted to live a certain lifestyle.
Her husband was there, it was one of those deals and he came
forward to make a confession and she got up and stomped out.
I've never forgotten that. It's one of the greatest
tragedies in all the world. Because of all the things that
we have a responsibility to do as the body of Christ.
Jesus said many things like inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me
of all the ways that I can be like, God, If there's more joy
in heaven over 90 over one Center, the ninety nine, just
persons. The one thing I can do from this
Parable that he taught us Is I run and fall on the neck of that
one and kiss him. And show him that.
I'm so glad he's back. That's our job.
You want to know what your job is.
It's not to be the older brother.
The older brother, expressed his lack of relationship, and lack
of knowledge of who God was and he sat out in the field and
pouted over the prodigal that was coming back.
And the Bible says that whenever that moment happened, the father
went out and even and treated him.
And I'm convinced that the teaching of God's word in the
church is so important today to all of us because sometimes
you're caught Like a Cat by the back of the neck, you're not
sure when to which and what to say, let me tell you this, I
love you and I want you back is a real good thing to say.
Because that's what happens doing, that's what heaven's
doing, every time the gospel is preached.
I love you and I want you back. And every time you get an
opportunity to hear the gospel, you need to understand that.
If you're away from God, he's saying to you right now.
I love you and I want you back. This scripture scary to me but
it's also hopeful God's a God that keeps his promise and he's
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come
to repentance. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away
with a great noise and the elements and will melt with
fervent heat both the earth and the works that are in, it will
be burned up one day, one day, God's patience is going to give
way. And if you're here tonight and
you're thinking, God is going to give me more time, you may be,
right? You may be right but you may be
wrong. This woman came to Jesus in the
most dejected spot of her life. She was caught in the very Act
of adultery She came to Jesus, and Jesus Drew on the ground
after he had, basically just dispense the rest of the crowd.
That was in a mob. He said, he, that is without
sin. Let Him cast the first stone.
Do you know the teaching that is so incredible in debt.
It's not one of those deals where we justify sin.
It's one of those deals of be real careful before.
What somebody else is doing wrong?
Becomes an obsession of ours of our mouth.
Real careful thing. Listen to what he says to her.
He asked it, were they all lat? She said no one.
Jesus said, unto her, neither do I condemn, you go and sin no
more. Then Jesus spoke to them again
saying, I am the light of the world, he who follows me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
She met the light of life that day.
And of all the things, I don't know that I would love to know
from scripture. I would love to know what
happened to this woman right here, but I'm convinced and
convicted that I have seen what has happened to this woman, and
this in individual and just the same circumstance, time and
time. Again, if you will give your
heart to the Lord and you will give your life and Devotion to
him. I promise, you'll know the light
of life The light of the world and he'll light up your life.
There is a picture that God gave us that sums everything up about
the death burial and Resurrection he asks us to
repent and be dead to sin. He asked us to be buried in
water for the remission of our sins and Rise Again to walk in
newness of life that man, I was telling you about aleus,
Rodriguez is right there and that's one of our Sisters in
Christ. Claudia Martinez.
She got up after she had made her decision to follow the lord,
and she literally had to change churches.
The church, he was a part of she had been convicted.
That it was good and it was fine.
But she found out that there were things, they would not
change. She tried to study with them,
they would not change them. She decided she was going to
obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She was immersed, it fit the
picture of this right here. Just like they did in the early
church. She died to her since she was
buried in water. She Rose to walk in newness of
life as she walked up the bank. I'll never forget it.
She said to a sister in Christ. What's my responsibility now?
Let me tell you what your responsibility now is live, like
a child of the king. Live Like Jesus everyday of your
life. The blood that Jesus gave is for
the remission of sins. Whenever people are baptized,
the Bible says repent and be baptized every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins.
And ye shall receive the gift of the holy spirit for the promises
to you and to your children and those that are afar off.
And to as many as the Lord, Our God shall call.
If you're here tonight and you're not a Christian, won't
you come and repent? We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional
information or you would like to receive a free Bible
correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at True
Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.
Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and
Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. M, please make plans to join us.
We would love for you to be our honored guest