Repentance - Cullen Smith

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.

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

Romans 3:23

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

1 John 1 · chapter mention

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 2 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 4 says, we have a high priest that can be

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

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.

Ephesians 5:23

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,

Revelation 3:19

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.

Romans 2:4

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