Things You Must Do - Repent | Pastor Paul McGee

Amen. A few announcements and those

that have already went to class. You have to catch him here this

evening. But this week is Bishop and

Sister Mcgee's like a Bishop Appreciation week.

Amen. And so that's taking place this

week. You can see Brother Ree Singer

or Sister Jennifer Crews if you have any questions concerning

that. Also, my wife needs to meet with

all the ladies that are going to the Women's Esprit Conference,

the Indiana district that is Women's Esprit Conference in the

youth room over here directly following service and she won't

take much of your time. Again, the 29th and the 30th of

this month is the Haven Pentecost, the Church Music

Conference, and we have several that are involved in that.

On that Friday, on that Saturday, Doctor Mason will be

ministering on that Friday and their praise team will be kind

of featured on that Saturday. So just keep that in mind.

And also the very last month, last day of this month, which is

our fifth Sunday, we'll have brother and Pastor Rather,

Anthony Wilkes and his wife here ministering to us on that Sunday

morning. And so you want to come and be a

part of that from there, from BV Indiana, they'll be ministering

the word of the Lord, Amen. Glad to have each one of you

today, Tracy. Good to see you back there.

Amen. We're glad to have Grace's

grandparents with us. The burlashes here this morning,

they've came down here, I think. I think somebody'd having a baby

or some girls are having babies or something of that nature very

soon. And so they came down for

showers and things of that nature and we're glad to have

them with us this morning. I'm going to turn to the book of

Acts. Last week we talked about

tongues, about the initial sign and the spiritual gift aspect,

and also the prayer aspect. And with that, I started looking

through some things. And it's just been a while.

It's just been a while since I talked about some things.

And so I always try to make it a, a annual, yearly thing to

talk about some certain things about Scripture.

And so this morning I'm going to turn to Acts chapter #2 and I

want to read verses 37 and 38. If you've been a part of church

any, any period of time in your life, this is this is not going

to be foreign to you, but that is OK.

Let's look at the Scripture here again this morning.

These verses, if you know any verses in the Bible and have

been a part of the, the body of Christ for any moment, any

period of time, you should know these verses.

I mean, they should just be emblazoned on upon your cranium.

I mean it just these and others but.

For sure the Bible says in Acts chapter #2 and verse 37.

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and

said unto Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, men and

brethren, What shall we do? Then Peter said unto them,

Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus

Christ. For the remission of sins, and

ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

And so my title today is kind of.

Leaning up on the question of what shall we do?

And so my response to that for this morning is this things you

must do, and I want to talk about things you must do.

Ye must repent. Things you must do, you must

repent. Amen.

We're going to ask the Lord to help us here for a little while.

Father, I love you, God, I need you, Lord, in this place.

Your word is a living word, God, and it's alive, God, even for us

today. God in it, Lord, are our

instructions and guidances. The Lord God for life, for

salvation. I pray, O Lord, for maintaining

our spiritual lives. The Lord with you, I pray God

help us today, God, to look into the holy Word of Scriptures.

One more Time Lord, and remind ourselves and refresh, bless

ourselves with this wonderful Lord gift.

Lord of repentance, in the lovely name of Jesus Christ that

I pray and the church say Amen. Amen.

You may be seated this morning in Jesus, in Jesus name, things

you must do. And I understand this morning

with such a title that we might get off on the wrong foot with

some very quickly because people will talk about Ephesians 2 that

says we are saved by grace through faith, not by works,

lest any man should boast. It is the gift of God.

Yet we also understand, according to the book.

Of James, that the Bible tells us that Faith without works,

faith without works in James chapter #2 If it hath not works,

it is dead. The Bible says being alone.

And whenever we consider that we can go to the great faith

chapter of Hebrews Chapter 11 and it all talks about faith.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

It's the Hallmark chapter of Faith.

And as you. Begin to read through there you

begin to read things like Abel by faith, Abel offered and we

read other things like by faith Noah moved with here we read

that by faith Abraham obeyed and went out and by faith he

sojourned and we see all this by faith.

But then after that we see some type of actionable thing that

took place because faith without works is dead.

Our our faith is demonstrated through our actions.

Amen. Our faith is demonstrated

through our actions and and what we give ourselves to obedience

to. That's another thing that takes

place in Scripture. If you want to talk about it,

Acts chapter #5 and verse 32 even says, And we are His

witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom

God hath given to them that obey Him, Amen.

And so a lot of our doing, Amen, sometimes is connected to our

obedience, which is a demonstration of our faith,

Amen. And here's the fact of the

matter. You could repent all day long

and it would have no impact had not Christ died.

You could be baptized, immersed in water.

It have no impact though, had he not been buried.

You, you all these. What I'm saying is this, if we

say well that that doing something working or being

obedient, those things, that's really a things of works, isn't

it? No, because none of it would

have impact or be effectual had He not done what he did, that He

had not went to the cross. If it wasn't for his death,

burial and resurrection, there would be no new life for us to

receive because He did what He did, done what He did, then our

faith and demonstration. Amen.

To appropriate to appropriate what if you look back the even

the Old Testament law whenever they were told that night when

the Paschal lamb was slaughtered and it was their ticket out of

Egypt. And the Bible says they were to

take that blood and put it on the lentil on the doorpost.

And the death Angel that would come by in in Exodus 12 and

Exodus 13 that it would just pass over their household if it

saw the blood. All of those Paschal lambs, if

they had not been sacrificed each for a household, there

would been no blood in the basin to put on on the mantle.

But they putting that blood on the, they were just

appropriating the sacrifice of me to listen folks, it's really

not much of A sacrifice, putting blood on a lentil.

Whenever you considered the sacrifice of a life that gave

the blood, you understand what I'm saying.

And So what, what must we do? Which is a tremendous thing,

because as we read the book of Acts and we understand the day

of Pentecost, we understand that rushing mighty wind, There

appeared to them cloven tongues like as fire, and they all were

filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues

as the Spirit gave them utterance.

We understand the crowd of people that was there that day

of several different cities and nations and towns that spoke

many different languages and they did all hear these people

speak it seemed in their native in their native tongue.

They were hearing that from different ones and they were

speaking concerning the glory of God and some were amazed, the

Bible says, and there were others that were marveling and

there were some people that were mocking and you still have that

total dynamic concerning this experience today.

People marvel, some mock and some are amazed.

Amen. All of that still happens.

But as that took place and Peter standing with the 11 begin to

explain to them what was happening, how they were not

drunk, as they may suppose, seeing that it was just the

third hour of the day. Whenever he begin to speak all

these things into them. And and please, let's just take

a moment and note that that's where he reached all the way

back to the Old Testament minor prophet, the book of Joe chapter

#2 And he said this is that which was spoken by the prophet

Joe. And he goes on to say that in

the last days at the Lord, I will pour out my spirit.

So what they were seeing and what they were hearing that the

Bible says, he says this is the outpouring of the Spirit.

So I believe it's important to bring context.

This is exactly what Joel had talked about.

But Peter continues. Peter's sermon really is not 38.

Peter's 38 is a response to a question.

Peter's sermon was talking to them about how they had

crucified their Messiah, how they had buried him, how they

had put him to death. And whenever they understood

what they they had done, when they understood what they had

done, they come to them, to Peter, and to the rest of them

and oppose the question, What shall we do now?

Let's just take a moment here. If they had already been filled

with the spirit of the Holy Ghost, repentance would have

been enough. Right here, as a matter of fact,

we look back in Scripture, we look at like verse 21 of, of

chapter #2 two. And you can see this also in

Acts chapter #8 or not Acts, but Romans chapter #8.

And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the

name of the Lord shall be saved. But if that was the soul, the

the the the sum total of salvation just calling on the

name of the Lord, then Peter wouldn't had to said anything

else in verse 38 concerning what must you do?

He could have just told him if that if that was if verse 21 was

the sum total of it, he could have just told him, we'll just

repent for your mistake and let's go on.

But he didn't just say repent, he said repent and be baptized

everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission

of your sins. Because this was more than just

need to repent over mistake. They needed the full plan

salvation. They needed, as Jesus told

Nicodemus, to be born of the water and of the spear in order

to enter and to see the Kingdom of God.

That's recorded in John chapter #3 And so repentance is, is our,

is our focal point here today. A little.

Boy, a little boy got caught with his, with his hand in the

cookie jar and chocolate over his face.

And his mother just kind of asked him as mothers do they

know the answer. A lot of times they just want to

know if the child will admit what was going on.

And she asked him, she said, did did you get into the cookie jar?

And he hung his head, of course, just overwhelmed with having

been caught. And he said, yes, mom, I'm, I'm

sorry. But about an hour later, she

caught the same little boy with his hand in the same cookie jar.

And when he was caught and he looked at mom, she looked at

him, that look on his face. And then he was like, mom, but I

really am sorry. And so mom smiled back at the

little boy and said, son, you're sorry doesn't mean a whole lot

whenever your hand is still in the cookie jar.

What I'm saying today, sometimes in our experience, we equate

repentance with just being sorry, with just being sorry, or

it just being an apology that that we that we make to God.

And sometimes people say, oh, they must have really been sorry

because they were crying or they were sorry for or so on and so

forth. And while repentance may have

some of those things that accompany it, repentance isn't

just those things in and of themselves.

You can't just say, well, someone has repented because

they're crying. There's people that cry because

they're mad. I'm just being honest.

The different things happening. But those things certainly may

accompany repentance, but they are not the sole indicators in

and of themselves of repentance. Repentance is this Amen.

It is to think differently or to think afterwards, as it's

defined here. In the book of Acts, if you were

to look up that. Word in Greek lexicons it's to

think differently or to think afterwards.

It originally meant, and I always loved this, it meant an

afterthought or a second thought, meaning that I don't

know if you've had an afterthought.

A lot of times you think about over something you said you'd

done or whatever, and you think again concerning it.

You think sometimes, usually differently concerning it.

Oh, I shouldn't have done that. An afterthought.

You have a second thought, you're thinking again.

And as a result of that, what causes what happens is you begin

to have a change of mind concerning something that you

have done or something that you participated in before.

And so many times in the New Testament Scripture, people

sometimes face the regret, Amen, for their sins.

Right there, there's guilt that begins to set in because what

they had done, that's what for sure was happening to those in

Acts 2. They had slain their Messiah,

all right? They, they had done this.

And when they realized that, there is a deep feeling of

regret because all the Old Testament prophets are talking

about their Messiah that would come and he, he, he would cause

their lane to walk and all these different things.

And so there's a sense of regret.

And as a result, they want to know what must we, what must we

do? Amen.

And that's important because they felt like there was

something. There had to be a change, a

change of mindset, which effects then our conduct.

I don't know if you realize this, but your actions take

place here before they take place here.

Amen. And it it, it is almost seamless

in our in our in our biological bodies here.

I mean, doing actions right now, I'm not even per SE thinking

really about it, but my brain, it's had it.

Those pulses are going through my mind to do my hand like I'm

doing it before I'm actually doing it.

My thought process, my mindset is connected with my actions.

My thoughts affect behavior. My thoughts affect behavior.

Amen. And so it's important because

again, repentance isn't just a regret for my sin.

These guys, they can regret it all day long.

Or we shouldn't have killed the Lord of glory and just left it

that well, some would say, well, that's repentance because they

were regretful for it. No, that's not repentance.

There has to be a second thought, a change of mind, which

influences then our behavior. And so Peter had just finished

this masterful sermon again about the death and the burial

and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And he had brought that revelation that this was their

Messiah that the prophets had prophesied about.

He said this Jesus has been your Lord and your Christ.

Christ in meaning that anointed one or that Messiah.

And so he helped them identify that they were participants and

helping him place Jesus on the cross.

They were participants and helping him crucify him.

Can I tell you this morning that the same sermon still needs

preached today because every one of us have been participants?

You said I didn't live during the 1st century.

I understand. But it was your sin that he

bored the Bible. He bored the sins of the world

in his body, according to Peter. Hey, man.

The Bible says he took the handwritings of the ordinances

that were against us. Right, every deed that we had

done wrong, every word stray, all those things, and he nailed

them to his cross. And so although I didn't live in

the 1st century, Amen, the Adamic nature in which I was

born into, born into sin, in sin that David said to my mother,

that my mother conceived me, I'm born into this.

And so I am a participant, Amen, in the crucifix of Jesus.

I'm a participant, Amen, and responsible for having put on

the cross. So when I realized that even

today, yes, my heart may be filled with regret, but I also

there needs to be something going on in my spirit.

What shall I do? What, what, what shall I do?

And so I answer. To you today concerning the

scripture for firstly is you need to repent you you need to

have a second thought, an afterthought, A mindset shift,

then that influences the way that you walk and live your life

heretofore. Amen, That it would affect our

behavior. Amen.

Because when they realized they had done this and they begin to

think differently about the actions they had taken

concerning Jesus Christ, they want to know what they must do.

Look at the Scripture, if you will, in Second Corinthians

2 Corinthians 7 · chapter mention

Chapter 7. And this one's up there.

I know, brother Doctor Mason, that I, I, I hid a few there

before that I didn't have up there for you.

But Second Corinthians 7 and verse #9 The Bible says these

words. Now I rejoice not that you were

made sorry, but that ye sorrow to repentance.

For you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might

receive damage by us in nothing. Verse 10 For godly sorrow

worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the

sorrow of the world that worketh death.

Now the Apostle Paul is writing here.

He's writing here to a church. He's writing to the church at

Corinth. This is his 2nd letter.

This is in Second Corinthians. He had written a letter, First

Corinthians to the church at Corinth already.

And he tells them that he realizes.

He realizes, and you read this back in verse 8 of where we're

reading right here. He realizes that he had made

them sorry with his first letter.

He had written some things. He realized that he had made

them sorry. In the 1st letter he addresses

several issues that were taking place in the church.

There was a lot of contention in the church at Corinth that was

among them. And he tells them, I realized

when I wrote to you concerning those things, addressed you

about those things that I, I made you sorry.

But he says in verse 8, he says I do not repent though I did

repent. It's that he was reconsidering.

He had a. Afterthought about what he had

written because. The sorrow he know he knew that

it would bring upon them for this to be addressed.

But here repent literally means to care afterwards is I cared

afterwards I I mulled it over my mind.

I I thought about it. But it stands here in the

Scripture that he didn't regret having written it didn't regret

having written it. And so Paul's rejoicing is not

because the Saints of Corinth felt sorry or they felt guilty

along those lines, but because his letter caused them to have

an afterthought. His letter caused them to have a

second thought about what they had done, about their actions.

And so he was glad. He was glad that their regret

that they had for what they had done, that he addressed in in in

First Corinthians, that their regret over what they had done

now had materialized into a change of mind.

That is resulting into a change of behavior.

He says. You're sorrow and not after the

sorrow of the world, but after a godly sorrow.

A godly sorrow that worketh toward what?

Toward repentance. A change of mind, then that's

going to affect a change of behavior.

Amen. Because being sorry and

experiencing sorrow is not the same as repentance.

Paul distinguished that the two here he were made you were made

sorry, but he also said that you sorrow to repentance.

It's kind of along these lines to a certain degree.

In the Old Testament book of Ruth, we read of whenever Naomi

is going to return home from Moab.

She's been in Moab for about 10 years sojourn there.

Her two daughter in laws, Ruth and Orpha are are without

husbands. They have died during the period

of time that Ruth as being in Moab, but Ruth is going back

home. She's going back to Bethlehem,

Judah. She's going back to the place

and location of of her God. All right.

And the Bible says that Ruth and Orpha made as though they would

go with her and and and and and Naomi says, no, you, you girls

just stay right here. It's not like I have another son

that I can give you right to you to have to wait.

There's not another son that I can give you.

Just go and stay home. And the Bible says that Orpha

lifted up her voice and she wept.

But Orpha stayed in Moab. But the Bible begins to talk

about Ruth, how though she lifted up her voice equally and

wept. The Bible, though, talks about

Ruth, though she has a whole different action compared to

Orpha. She's telling.

She's telling Naomi, where you go, I'll go.

Your God will be my God. Your people will be my people.

They both had sorrow. But one had sorrow to change,

alteration of action. She was going to go to the land

of Bethlehem, Judah, and she was.

Going to make the God that Naomi had her God.

It's a difference between sorrow and a change of behavior and a

change of mind. Paul, what Paul said, what he

said to them, it didn't, It didn't injure them, it benefited

them. Yes, they felt conviction and

they should have because of what they had done, but ultimately a

man, it was who they had done it to.

They were sorry. The Bible says after a godly

manner, Amen. After a godly manner.

This happens whenever we realize that our actions, although on

the surface may have been against a man or have hurt

somebody else that the real discord that we have is with

God. I know we enjoy, but it's

whatever we understand that the offense of our life, the offense

of our sin mostly has been against God.

David had this light bulb moment in Psalms 51 and verses 3 and 4.

This is a Psalm that has comes from David's heart after having

made some mistakes. And as a matter of fact, at one

part in David's life he had almost broke and I think if you

would have to look at it, but if I remember I he had basically

broke all 10 commandments that we have from Exodus.

Amen. Chapter #20 And so this is David

in a very sorrowful repent of mode of his life.

He says in Psalms 51 and verse three, he says for I acknowledge

my transgression that that's good, that's OK.

He says I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is ever

before me. I've done that.

That's a part of the fabric of my life.

I acknowledge that I'm not trying to be a Adam and Eve

blame game and saying well this woman you gave me and she's

saying well, the serpent begat me.

He says I'm not in the blame game.

He says I acknowledge it. He said I acknowledge my

transgression, my sin is there before they look at verse 4.

This is where I know it's hard to realize, but here's where.

Gets sweeter he's saying against thee speaking to God he said

against thee thee only have I sinned.

He's not saying his actions hasn't hurt other people but

he's realizing where the real stem root is that everything

that he has done, though it may have hurt people ultimately it's

been against God, his precepts, his ways, his nature it's been

against God. He says thee only have I sinned

and done this evil and thy sight that thou mightest be justified

when thy speakest and clear when thy judges.

And so David comes the realization I've made some

mistakes. He broke almost every

commandment, Amen, that the law spoke of concerning the 10

commandments. And he's saying I acknowledge

this that I've sinned against you.

I've done wrong against you, I've done wrong against God,

folks, that's where it's really at Amen in our lives.

Amen, as being sinners are wrong, has been against the

Master of the universe. The Creator, the one that

sustains breath right in our very lungs.

And he was sorry then, after a godly sort, because he

understands. The real root.

Of of his wrong is against the Lord, and so after a godly sort,

then his opposition to a holy God.

Because if it was just a sorrow of the world, the sorrow of the

world, sometimes just the feeling of the sorry and the

guilt I've done wrong. Some people then internalize

that as though then that they're horrible shame, like guilt is I

I've done wrong. Shame gets I am, I'm just a bad

person, right? But they just get in that sorrow

mode. Worldly saw just sorry regret.

But there's nothing that's altered.

There's nothing that's changed. There's there's no behavior that

supports that second thought or afterthought.

It just lies there. All right, William Barclay years

ago ago, said many a man is desperately sorry because of the

mess that sin has got him into, But he very well knows that if

he could be reasonably sure that he could escape the

consequences, he would do the same thing again.

It's not the sin that he hates. It's the consequences.

That's the little boy with his hand in the cookie jar.

He liked those cookies and the chocolate on his face proved he

liked the. If he could do that without the

consequences of getting caught or without Mom caught him

catching him on it, he'd probably eat every cookie in the

cookie jar. Amen, Brother makes you got to

Ecclesiastes 8 and verse #11 for me.

I don't have it in my notes, but I do have it as a reference.

This is something that that the preacher said in Ecclesiastes.

He said because sentence against an evil work is not executed

speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully setting

them to do evil. What that means is this

sometimes whenever there is a wrong and not a consequence that

comes boom, almost instantaneous because of the wrong, then it

sets the hearts of people that let's just keep doing it and see

what we can get by with because it seems like there's no

judgment coming on that. Please listen to Pastor McGee

this morning. If God's word already tells us

that there are certain things in this life that's going to be

judged and you're like, well, it's not happening.

There's still a judgement day reckoning and sometimes God's

judgement grinds slow, but it is still sure.

So because The thing is, sometimes we might look at

someone else like man, they're doing all this and they're fine,

right? You know by the skin of their

teeth and all that does rush is encouraged to try out the

temptation waters. Another thing is, and I'm not

trying to get over here in the grass or the bushes, but

whenever you are already in covenant with God compared to

people that are not in covenant God.

Case in point, case in point, you know, you have like whenever

the Ark of the Covenant was taken, the Old Testament in

battle, whenever, whenever Phineas and died and Ichabod was

born, whenever you have that. And they're carrying the ark

from place to place of the Philistine cities, not on the

priest shoulders of Levites. And it doesn't seem like nothing

necessarily. Yes, there's emrods because they

had the Ark of God and they're being but there's like they're

not being struck dead. But then you have Uzza and it's

on a car and they're not transporting right and a guy

dies. You have people that weren't in

covenant with God and you had people that were in covenant

with God. You had people that weren't were

ignorant concerning a lot of things concerning the Ark of the

Covenant and how and should it ought to be.

But the people that knew he says I'm going to have a stronger a

stronger fish of judgment because you know what you're

doing here, what I'm telling you, you know what you're doing.

And so we whenever you're in covenant with God.

Absolutely folks, we don't need to be waiting around.

Oh, someone they're getting by with.

Yeah, but but you know, and he that knoweth to do good and

doeth it not New Testament tells us to him and his sin and the

Bible says this and the remaineth no more sacrifice for

that sin. Now Please note that does not

mean that does not mean. Well, if you sin after your

crisis went to the cross, then there's no other sacrifice.

No, what that means is there's no other sacrifice because the

sacrifice of the cross was the once for all sacrifice.

You understand we're not going to get no bull or lamb.

Amen to slaughter for blood for your modern day sin, that once

for all there's no more sacrifice because Calvary's

already happened. Hebrew says he went in there

once and for all. That means the blood that was

shed there is still effective for modern day sins today.

Thank God that we're not carrying in bulls and goats to

some priests and laying our hands on it and slitting throats

and letting blood spilling on the altar and you got to depend

upon them. No, no, no, you boldly can enter

to the throne of grace because of the sacrifice.

That's already taken place. Amen.

Amen. So repentance, though,

repentance is just not a New Testament idea.

Repentance is not a New Testament idea.

It's found in the Old Testament as well.

As a matter of fact, repentance isn't only about turning from

bad to good, although that's the way we typically view it.

It could also be used in other senses of a turn in general,

that's the way it's spoken of often in the Old Testament, a

turn or a return. Most of those times you see that

it is the word repentance that we are even used in the New

Testament. I know it's a Hebrew, but it's

Greek equivalent is still repentance.

For instance, in the Bible, whenever we read about a dog

returning to his vomit, right, it's it's a lot of the same word

Amen. In the Old Testament, a man of

return, like in the book of Ezekiel and other places, it's

concept is repentance, because repentance carries the idea of

turning back or turning away. It means a retreat.

All right, It's a military term. You've probably heard me say

this a gazillion times. It's going to be a gazillion 1

and probably more before I ever die.

Amen. But it is an about face, 180°

and about face is 180° turn or change of direction.

It's always important to remember that when you repent,

this is where that change of behavior comes in place.

If I'm walking this direction and I repent, I have a second

thought, a mindset, then that influences my action of that

about face. As I turn toward that, turn,

away from that, I'm turning towards something else.

You can't turn away from anything without turning towards

something else. It's impossible now The thing

is, am I turning away from one thing and turning to something

we say, well, it's a little lesser thing or am I making an

about face in my head in a different direction?

Amen. And so it's that it's that

military term, It's that retreating, Paul said when he

said new test crew, he said flee youthful us.

That sounds a lot like a retreat, youthful lust.

So again, in the Old Testament, the word repent may not be used

in our English Bibles, but that idea of turning and returning

is, and it's basically repentance, that turning back

our way. Look in the minor prophet Hosea

Hosea 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14 and verse #1 The Bible says, O Israel, return

unto the Lord thy God, for thou has fallen by thine iniquity.

Take, I like this, take with you words, I like that.

Take with you words and turn to the Lord, saying to him, take

away all iniquity and receive us graciously.

So we will render the calves of our lips, the fruits of our

lips, that there would be movement of our lips with these

words unto the Lord. And so there's the returning

unto the Lord. They were headed in One

Direction, but there's that returning back unto the Lord and

taking with them some words as they turn into the Lord and

notice they're talking to Him about their iniquity.

They're talking to Him about their transgression.

They're omitting and acknowledging their in verse #1

as David, they were acknowledging their sin, right?

They're acknowledging their sin to God.

Look at Micah, another minor prophet in the Old Testament of

chapter 3 and verse #7 it says even from the days of your

father's, ye are gone away from mine ordinance, The Lord says,

and have not kept them. Now here's the mandate.

Well, what shall we do about? Let me do it like this.

What shall we do about this? Return unto me and I will return

unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

But ye said we're in, have we returned?

He says you, you, we've went. You've not kept my ordinances.

What shall we do? Return.

Repent. Make it right.

As a matter of fact, scholars conclude that there are a total

of about 164 uses of repent as turning and returning in the

covenant context in the Old Testament, meaning that turning

away from and turning toward God.

The majority of them, of course, is found among the prophets

because the prophets came with a message many times warning,

right You would call people about where they were to come

back to a place of alignment with God.

That happened about 113 times in the prophets.

But Jeremiah, he's the prophet of prophets for returning.

He's a prophet of prophets for speaking these things about 48

times of the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is telling the people

to return. He's given them a constant

warning. He's pleading with the people to

turn, although as we read the Scripture, a lot of times they

did not. But he gives them detailed

information about how they can change, what they must do, how

they can change their ways again, but they refuse.

And so, Jeremiah, I love this verse.

Please have you marked this in your Bible?

I love this verse. Amen.

Because Jeremiah in the Old Testament basically summarizes

and gives us the essence of repentance in one verse.

In Jeremiah chapter 18 and verse 11, it says, There Now therefore

Jeremiah 18 · chapter mention

go to speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of

Jerusalem, saying, Thus sayeth the Lord, Behold, I frame evil

against you, and devise a device against you.

What shall we do then? What shall we do?

He says Return ye now everyone from his evil way and make your

ways and your doings good. I probably I don't know how many

times I've taught this verse in the past about next year will be

15 years Amen around here look at it return.

That's what you must do ye now that's when you should do it.

Listen folks, there's no reason to wait to repent.

There is no reason to wait to repent.

That's what you should do. Now is when you should do it.

Who? Everyone.

It doesn't matter. I don't.

It doesn't matter if you're Donald Trump or the Pope of the

Catholic Church. It didn't matter if it was Mary

the mother of Jesus in the upper room.

It didn't matter if it was the 12 disciples that that had

walked with him. I know Judas was not, but he was

replaced with Mattheus. But those that walked with Jesus

for 3 1/2 years was instrumental and seen the dead raised and

breaking bread and I don't care. They all needed to repent.

Cornelius offering his alms and his prayers as acts #10 a good

man. Folks, we we're filled with good

people all across the world, but good people still need to

repent. None of us are excluded or

exempt. What?

Repent when, now who? Everyone, everyone ought to

repent. From what?

From his evil way. From what?

From your evil way And look. And make your ways and your

doings good to what? What are you turning away from

the evil way? What are you turning then?

Toward the doings of the good, The opposite of whatever it was

that caused the Lord. Then the frame against you.

And devise a device of judgment. I want to be on the good side of

God. I know, I know.

Today they only talk about the good side of God.

He's loved compassion and merciful and we love the degree

that he is to that. And I, I love the degree that He

is to that, that there is coming today there'll be judgment that

won't be mingled with mercy and to sue to the same degree He is

so loving and merciful. There's going to be a degree

that he'll be a judge to the opposite end of that degree.

So I don't want to misunderstand His mercy.

Now I know Jeremiah was speaking to men of Judah and inhabitants

of Jerusalem, but he's, he's speaking to us all.

The Scripture is applicable to all of us.

Paul told those in Acts 17 on Mars Hill, when he sat in there

among Athens, those that had altars and two unknown gods,

even one of their altars was to unknown God.

He commanded there in that setting among all these, he

commanded all men everywhere. The Bible says to repent, so

there's no options to repentance.

There's several Bible verses that speak that we repent or

perish. There's not a Gray area.

Repent or perish, Amen. And I want to have a change of

mind. And so God brings repentance

into our lives. If you've ever felt conviction,

you've ever That conviction stirs up those second thoughts,

those afterthoughts and God brings.

Repentance into our you won't find the word conviction in the

King James Version of the Bible. It's not there, but there are

Greek words in the Bible that do mean conviction or convict that

are there. The Bible says in John 16 verse

eight. Look at this verse of Scripture

and when he is come and the he that's being referred to as the

Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, Amen, goes by

a lot of many labels, but it's the same thing that when he has

come, he will reprove that word. Reprove in the Greek means

convict. He will convict the world of sin

and of righteousness and of judgement.

This same word Paul even uses when he speaks to Timothy in his

letter to Timothy in Second Timothy chapter #4 and verse 2.

He tells Timothy preach the word, be instant in season and

out of season. Reprove again, same word, same

definition of the Greek convict rebuke, exhort with all

long-suffering and doctrine. And so whenever the men of God

like Timothy and Paul did preach the word, and even as Peter did

on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God

convicts the heart of mankind. The Spirit of God convicts the

heart of mankind that hear it and make themselves supple

allowing it right because repentance is what causes it

starts then that that afterthought second thought in

mankind and man will not repent until something like God's

Spirit or such provokes us to think differently.

Something must be a a force or emphasis to provoke us to think

differently by the about how we have lived up to this juncture

of the road, right, Because when you've been born into this and

you've been not been exposed to God or his word, you have no

compass of knowing what what's different.

Sometimes, though, people start picking it up on other people's

lives that have the spirit. What's different about me and

about you? And then you have an opportunity

to share the gospel, right? And something starts taking

place, the Bible says in Acts 1118.

Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto

life? I want to go there real quick

because this is the apostle that's looking backwards on

everything that just happened at Cornelius's house and how they

knew that they received the Holy Ghost because they heard them

speak in tongues in verse 42. And he's speaking that then hath

God also to the Gentiles, granted repentance unto life.

And God does that. God must grant repentance in

someone's life. Repentance is a gift from God.

It is His kindness. And there's other verses, but

his kindness, the Bible says it leads us to repentance.

The Bible even tells us about the long-suffering of the Lord,

the long-suffering of the Lord. It's not that God is just never

going to come to pass to do what He said He's going to do, but

oftimes the long-suffering of God is that He's allowing man a

space of time for repentance. Let me just be absolutely clear.

I believe the only reason why Christ hasn't quite come back

yet He's given men some time to repent.

It's in your Bibles that his alone suffering supplies time

for repentance. So he granted repentance into

life according to the apostle. Second Timothy 225 says if God

pre adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging

of the truth. Again, it's a it's a gift from

God, Amen. He's found in every step of the

salvation plan, whether it's repentance, baptism or the

infilling of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Romans 24 not knowing that the goodness of God, look, the

goodness of God, leadeth thee to repentance.

Amen. God's so good to us.

You know what he's doing. He's wooing you.

He's wooing you. God's goodness is not Him

condoning us where we are. That's him wooing us, drawing us

into a relationship. I kind of like that.

I kind of like how to boy, he's kind.

I mean, don't you just like to be around good, kind people?

I mean, they just kind of have a drawing effect and power upon

them, don't they? God's wooing you.

But that's mercy. And that's where we don't need

to misunderstand. God is not trying to give a, a

thumbprint, a thumbs up for where I am.

He's trying to draw me in closer.

He has plans for me that I know not even of.

He's trying to woo me. We got to hurry up.

Second Peter chapter #3 and verse #9.

Here it is. The Lord is not slack concerning

His promise, as some men count slackness, but is

long-suffering. To us word not willing that any

should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

That what I was talking about folks, God, it's not like some

people say, oh, oh, you know, in the Bible even bears a he says

he's coming, but he's never coming.

It's been generations. He's not come and folks, that's

where we're going to be just like it was in the days of Noah.

He says it's going to rain. It's not rained yet.

God says the city of Sodom's going to be the you know it's

going to be destroyed. Abraham knows about it.

Listen, listen. God is not slacking in his

promise. What some are interpreting as

God being slacking His promise. Is God really being

long-suffering for mankind and giving them an opportunity to

repent? Don't mistake God's

long-suffering for Him not coming to bear on His promises.

He's keeping his promise. He will keep his promise, but

he's not willing that any. You got to understand how big

they are. If we could speak it in terms

like that, but how big the heart of God is, He's not willing for

any to perish. Listen, our God is not such a

God. He's up there thinking, well,

good enough for me. Yeah.

They will never. No, God's hearts grieved for

humanity. Amen.

If He'll delay His coming for someone to repent, that should

tell you how interesting God is in humanity.

He desires that all would come to repentance, and the word come

there means to make room for something.

He wants everybody to make room for this, this gift of

repentance that He's offering to them to give place to it that

they would receive it. He wants to make room for and

give place for repentance in everybody's life.

So yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's more than an afterthought.

It's more than just a mental change of attitude and a feeling

of remorse. It's a change of mind that

impacts and influences the way that we behave and act.

First Thessalonians 19 for they themselves, these things never

get old. They shouldn't please.

And I, I under score that these things like I'm talking about

this one should never get old. Amen.

For they themselves shoe of us, what manner of entering we had

unto you. This is First Thessalonians 19

how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true

God. What happened?

That's the plane out of repentance turned from the idols

turning to God, the living and the true God.

Matthew chapter #3 verses seven days.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to

his baptism, he said to them, O generation of Vipers, who have

warned you to flee from the wrath to come.

Verse 8 Bring forth therefore fruits, meat for repentance.

So they're showing up the baptism.

So what are you all doing here? I see a new some of these, these

Pharisees and Sadducees and the antics and things that they were

playing. Who's warned you about the

rapper? He said, bring forth, bring

forth. Therefore, fruits meet for

repentance. So they're there at the baptism

and he's talking to him about repentance.

Bring forth, bring forth. There's a sense of urgency.

There's a sense of the wind. Do it now.

Fruit or fruits. That's what's produced in our

lives that other people see and can categorize us by by their

fruits. Scripture says ye shall know

them. He said bring forth fruits,

meat. This is the meaning of the word

meat. The idea is that of having equal

weight or worth answerable to amendment of life.

Did you just hear what I said? Having equal weight or worth

answerable to amendment of life. He says this is this is Paul

McGee junior paraphrase. He says urgently, urgently bring

produce that others can see and categorize your life by that's

in equal weight and worth to repentance.

What's this mean? Well, this means you've come to

baptism, he says. But if you're going to have been

back, be baptized, then you need to have repented, Then we'll say

Amen. And even at the spot of

repentance, there starts to be even some things start to alter

in your life that qualify the worth and the weight of having

repented. There is a desire, the change of

direction and walk in the direction.

Are you saying everything's perfect?

No, but I'm saying there are. There are initiations, Huh.

I've seen it because there's repented.

People then just start showing up for church.

They're hungry for the word. He says that you're here at the

waters of baptism. He says before there can be any

baptism here, he said you, you need to have repented.

And folks, listen here at the first Apostolic Church and

biblically we're all about burying dead people.

Yes, Tracy, all about burying dead people.

What's that means? You must have repented before we

ever introduce you to waters of baptism in Jesus name, Amen.

And so you stand with me today. I'll try to hurry up here you

send there's there's fruits. There's some evident product

that's equal to wait and worth of the repentance.

Fruits start to happen, start to mirror that turning away from

the ode to the new. And here's the fact that no one

can repent for you. Simon the sorcerer tried that

out in Acts 8. He said repent to the Lord for

me that that was even after he'd already believed and been

baptized. He said repent.

He said, no, I can't repent. You repent to the Lord, you take

it right. So God by his spirit and by his

word, often times we're convicted, we turn, we repent,

which is paralleling than the crucifix of Jesus Christ.

We're dying out to our own life, right?

Just as Christ, Amen, took his flesh to that cross, Amen.

Nobody else, nobody else could do that because the Bible even

says that there was none that was in the world that could take

his life. He gave it.

No one can do your repenting. You're mortifying you.

You have activity in that yourself.

Amen. But we need not also overlook

the importance of repentance. And while it's part of my plan

of salvation, it's a part of my daily walk.

The apostle Paul talked about dying daily, which is a

reference to repentance. But we did not overlook the gift

of repentance if it was enough in the book of Luke chapter #15

that whenever it was telling the parables about a lost sheep

being found and a lost coin being discovered and a lost son

that's come home. And in all those instances when

the lost sheep was found. And it speaks to us that there

was joy in heaven over one that repented.

And it said basically the same thing concerning the lost coin,

joy in heaven over 1 Sinner that repents lost son comes home.

There is the Bible says the Father said, let's make merry,

huh? Let's make merry.

Why? Because he, he was, he was dead,

but now he's he, my son's alive, huh.

Then, then, then the church should also celebrate.

We love to clap when someone's baptized these things, but

equally we should rejoice as heaven rejoices when someone has

repented of their sins. That is.

So why is that necessary? Because the celebration, I

think, underscores to the person how beneficial what they just

did was to their life, even if they don't recognize it to the

full extent yet. Sister Milena.

So these people are going crazy. What's going on?

Well, folks, they just had a second thought.

That's influencing behavior. That's something to celebrate.

So things you must do #1. You must repent, Demonstrate

that faith and repent. Demonstrate that faith in the

death of your Lord and repent and watch Him.

Watch Him help help you in that turning.

I believe there comes an empowerment just in repentance.

The Lord helps us through a lot of different junctures of life.

And he says you're wanting to, I'm going to help you.

I'm going to help you. You know, those hips kind of

rickety. I'm going to help you turn in

the other direction. Think of some people, that's all

they've lived for 25 years. Do you understand the magnitude

of turning away from something that that's been a part of your

life for 25 years and now you're turning?

That's big and that's God. Let's close our eyes across this

place. If you've never repented this

morning, this is a grand opportunity.

Maybe God's been dealing with you.

Maybe you felt some conviction in your heart.

Maybe even why Upset stood here and spoke.

Today maybe, maybe some conviction is coming to your

heart. You've had some second thoughts

after thoughts about some things.

That's there because God's granting to you a gift of

repentance. He's granting it to you.

Thank God that He deals with us. Hallelujah.

If you've never repented it, you can repent today.

Hallelujah, you, you can be like the psalmist and just just

acknowledge to God, God, I have sinned out.

There's some things have been centered.

I've read some things in your word that I'm a little skewed

from and I I acknowledge God that I'm not there folks that

that that acknowledgement and that that awareness that that is

the very initial signs of a of a repentance as you allow that to

flow into your life and then help alter behavior and actions.

Hallelujah. You can do that to the Lord.

You say, Brother McGee, I'm all. Already saved and I've already

been baptized and I already got salvation.

Yes, but but is there anything maybe today?

Is there anything from the weak that maybe need some repentance?

I know you might be filled with the Spirit, but is there

anything that you need to look into your life?

Because it's not. Only a part of the initial plan

of salvation. It's prior to the the

maintenance program. Hey, man of our salvation.

Repentance is Hallelujah. We just lift your hand right now

to the Lord. Nobody's standing beside you.

Perhaps your spouse. Amen.

You just talk to the Lord, right?

Now, oh God, oh God, search me, Oh God, I know my heart.

Try me, you know my thoughts, and see if there'd be any wicked

way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting Hallelujah and

cry out to God today. God, I didn't know, Lord, I

didn't know. I didn't realize that I took

part in putting you on that tree.

I didn't realize, God, that I was born into sin and iniquity.

I didn't realize God. I didn't realize, Lord, But God,

I don't want to live the same way that I've always lived.

I don't want to live, Lord Jesus, in opposing to who you

are and your word and your principles.

No, God, I want to be what you want me to be.

God, I want to live the way that you want me to live.

God, I pray. Oh, Lord, help me, Jesus, today.

It's only because of everything that you did that I could even

have this God, that I'm even the recipient of such a gift.

Lord of conviction, that helps turn and prompt and provoke me,

God, to a place of repentance. Hallelujah, Jesus.

Oh, can we talk to him right now?

We're going to close here today, but let's just talk to the Lord.

Brother Mason, I don't know if you have a song prepared.

If you do or don't, it's fine. God, I love you.

I love you, I love you.