"In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” 3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make His paths straight!
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make His paths straight!
4 John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins."
Good Morning Beloved,
I am so thankful for each of you who have been prompted to join us today.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for those hearts You have prompted, calling upon them to gather together with us today,
to receive Your message for us. Lord, we just thank You for this Word, Your truth. We pray that it will settle into our hearts, that we might be changed by it, help us then to be salt and light, and that in sharing Your message with others, those around us, their lives might also be changed.
Lord, we pray today asking Your forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. While we, as Your church, know the truths written in Your Word in which it says, "Woe to those who call evil good," however, we must confess before You today, that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our way, our spiritual equilibrium and we have therefore, reversed Your commands. We have ourselves failed to uphold the truths we boldly proclaim and the standards by which we condemn the world.
Forgive us O' Lord!
We pray this in Jesus' name
Amen
Today's Message: Jesus Has Left The Building - The Necessity of Repentance
There is a conflict over statements made regarding a prophecy spoken by pastor/evangelist David Wilkerson, of which has not been confirmed by Times Square Church, the church he founded in 1987. They cannot confirm nor will they deny, that Wilkerson once said, "I see a plague coming on the world, and the bars, churches and government will be shut down. The plague will hit New York City and shake it like it has never been shaken. The plague is going to force prayer-less believers into radical prayer and into their Bibles, and repentance will be the cry from the man of God in the pulpit. And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the world."
What we do know is that a pestilence of modern times has had its negative effects in nearly every part of the world. What we know that pestilence is warned about, or mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
"if you reject My statutes and despise My ordinances, and do not observe all My commands—and break My covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring terror on you—wasting disease and fever that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will sow your seed in vain because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will turn against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even though no one is pursuing you."
Leviticus 26:15-17
"While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. 6 You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these events are the beginning of birth pains."
Matthew 24:3-8
Beloved, we are seeing this lawlessness as another disruption arising around the world of which is warned about in the New Testament.
"Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold."
Matthew 24:11-12.
In the Book of Romans, chapter 6, mankind is considered to have been or is enslaved to lawlessness. It is bizarre how fast mankind can embrace lawlessness and even worse, find a way to justify it. We can see the evidence of this all over the news, and on the streets, all around the world in these days.
Many ministries and churches have successfully used the crisis we are currently experiencing to cause people to consider the value of church. So much so, that many churches have seen a 44% increase of interest in their ministries, and mission work for the Lord, especially as they have embraced the pandemic with social media, and various other forms of internet ministry.
I believe, that it is good that churches are operating in the "new normal," and have presented the love and goodness of God, and are once again, pointing people to Jesus Christ. However, there is a foundational truth which is essential for a transitional lifestyle, one which pleases God so we may enjoy His intercession for the church, this country and the cause of Christ around the world.
Let us just consider at the very least, but most certainly the warnings of God’s judgement and what is needed, in order to walk in God’s favor.
However, before we can enjoy God’s intercession, there are some Biblical truths presented to us, in repentance must return to the cry from pastors in the pulpit. And, I am deeply disheartened in saying, with the exception of very few ministries, most modern churches are not pointing people to the necessity of repentance. And, I must tell you, that before we can see the hand of God, move to restore America to what this country once was, there must be, a return to God and therefore, true repentance.
Beloved, what we do know, is that Scriptures says in Matthew 3:2, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." And, in Luke 24:47, we read, "and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations." And, in II Corinthians 7:10, the Apostle Paul tells us, "For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death." Then, the Apostle Peter teaches us, in II Peter 3:9, "The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance."
Beloved, over and over, again and again, we see in Scripture, that true repentance is a turning away from sin and turning toward God. It is a change of heart, and of mind, it is a forsaking of sin. It is removing sin from one’s thoughts, behavior and life. The New International Dictionary of the Bible gives this definition of repentance. "Repentance is a profound change of mind involving the changing of the direction of life from that of self-centeredness or sin-centeredness to God or Christ-centeredness. God’s forgiveness is available only to those who are repentant, for only they can receive it." This change of mind is necessary for the transformation from evil to good and, from good to better.
I'd just like to add here, that where there is true repentance, there is evidence of salvation!
There are many evidences which prove , or disprove, whether or not someone has entered into a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ and is, furthermore, now living in a healthy fear of God and walking in step with the Holy Spirit. Faith, obedience and repentance are three sure indicators.
In Colossians 1:9-12, Paul’s prayer for the church in Colossae was, " For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light."
And in Luke 3:8, John the Baptist told those who were coming out to be baptized, "Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones!" Then, in Acts 26:20, the apostle Paul was obedient to the vision given to him by God. He told the people to "Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance." And, in Luke 5:32, we know that Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Beloved, those who find rest in Christ are those who see sin to be what it is, as something the Lord hates. He detests sin. They see sin as that which only defiles and brings to ruin, to literally everything in their lives, and they see it as the catalyst which destroys communion with God. They are weary of service to the world, the flesh and the devil. Yet, there are many a "Christian," who are holding is sin within their hearts and minds. They are clinging onto it, like a life raft, and, I am saddened to say, seemingly, unwilling to give it up. Scripture, and good common sense, together, tells me that we must repent, and utterly forsake it sin. That these "so called Christians," have got to stop going their own way, therefore, clinging to worldly ways, and possess a true inward desire to follow Christ, God’s way.
There are essentially three types of people in this world: The first being, those who do not understand repentance. Second, those who understand repentance yet will not forsake their sin, and third, those who have through true repentance accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. And the latter, are those who enjoy freedom from the bondage of sin, that desires to destroy them and their relationship with Christ. They live a life worthy of the Gospel, which they preach.
So, I ask you today, which type of person are you? Scripture tells us, in Matthew 3:8, that we are to "Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance." Beloved, I must be bold in saying, that if we choose to continue to put off repentance until another day, we have a day more to repent for, and a day less, in which to repent in. There is a Japanese Proverb that goes something like this, "Forgiving the unrepentant is like drawing pictures on water."
Further, America, and its people, cannot expect to receive the protection, provision and guidance of God, so long as Americans continue to call evil good and call good evil. The American people cannot truly embrace and promote; "what breaks God’s heart, shed innocent blood, and change His precepts to please the lawless," until the Church itself, truly repents, so God can heal them, from the inside out, from these spiritual diseases, which plague its people, of denominationalism, traditionalism, legalism and the current faddism.
America, desperately needs the spiritual gifts of an Apostle and Prophet to admonish her, much like was the case in the Old and New Testaments. The Church needs a prayer, a call of repentance, with an unprecedented heart-felt sincerity, in order to receive the highest response from God. It is my belief, that pastors, must once again start speaking truth into church, proclaiming the Word of God in today's culture, with great hope, and an expectation of bringing true repentance into the church, their cities and states, to our great nation, among the American people and the world. How can the church proclaim and uphold the Word of God, while embracing every ungodly behavior? How can Christians, claim to be followers of Christ, when they are living as the world lives? We as followers of Christ, must stop excusing racial injustice, martyring criminals, glorying who commit murder in the name of justice and stop celebrating those on either side of the law, in which we stand in support of. We must, as God's people, and as Christ's church, must call all of it what exactly God calls it.. Sin!
Matthew 7:13, teaches us that we must, "Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it."
Then, and only then can we as a society, as a church, and as a nation, expect to see true and lasting change!
In Closing....
Beloved, we simply cannot continue with the status quo;
We have ridiculed and prostituted the absolute truth of God Word and we've called it pluralism.
We have worshiped other gods and we have called it multiculturalism.
We have embraced and even endorsed every worldly perversion and have called it inclusion.
We have chosen to exploited the poor and we have called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it government subsidy and assistance.
We have murdered unborn children and we have called it "pro-choice".
We have shot abortionists and we have called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and we justify it, calling it "building self-esteem."
We have abused power and have called it "just politics."
We have avoided entire passages in God's Word, and we justify it, calling it "offensive," or deemed it "irrelevant."
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it life goals and ambition.
We have contaminated the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and we have called it progress
We have distorted God's Word, maligned His truths, and we have called it spiritual enlightenment.
We must earnestly pray, asking the Lord to search the hearts of each and every one of us, because beloved, we have strategically learned a multitude of ways, in which to deceive the world, proclaiming ourselves to be Christians, while living a life in secret, one embedded in sin and overshadowed with darkness. Must I remind you today, that God knows our hearts; Christ shed His precious blood, so that we may be cleansed from every sin and be set free, yet we cling to our coveted sin, all the while proclaiming His glorious name.
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
Romans 12:2
Beloved, this must stop this travesty! The church is in desperate need of repentance!
We must return to our first love, ask Him to guide and bless the men and women who God has sent directly to us, calling us to repent in the very center of our sin. And we must ask it, no we must plead it, in the Name of His Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ.
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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