male announcer: This
presentation is brought to you
00:00:02.40\00:00:04.30
by the friends of the
"Amazing Facts" ministry.
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Doug Batchelor: First thing
John the Baptist says, "Repent,
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for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand."
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Now if the kingdom of heaven was
at hand 2,000 years ago, is the
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kingdom of heaven at hand now?
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Absolutely, that means eternal
life is within your reach but it
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begins with repentance.
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Well friends, we're talking
this week about the science of
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salvation, what it
means to be born again, to get
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the new heart.
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You know Jesus said, in
the message to the church of
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Laodicea, and matter of fact I
might read that, and you find it
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in Revelation
chapter 3, verse 17.
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"Because you say, 'I'm rich and
have become wealthy, and have
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need of nothing--' and you do
not know that you are wretched
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and miserable and blind and poor
and naked--I counsel you to buy
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of me gold refined in the fire,
that you might be rich; and
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white garments, that you might
be clothed, that the shame of
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your nakedness may not be
revealed; and your eyes anointed
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with eye salve,
that you may see.
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As many as I love,
I rebuke and chasten.
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Therefore be
zealous and repent."
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And that's the theme of
our message this morning, we're
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gonna be talking about
what real repentance looks like.
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You know, before God can wash
away the stain of sin, first you
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need to be aware that there is
a stain on the garment, and that
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happens as you
approach the light of God.
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So you read in God's word, his
word is a lamp and a light, you
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look at the goodness and
the glory of Jesus on the cross.
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That then, by contrast, reflects
on our lives and we recognize
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there's a problem.
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I'll tell you a quick story.
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When I was a little boy, oh, I
must have been four and a half,
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five years old, living with
my father in Southern California
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and my dad had an interesting
piece of equipment there in the
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hallway upstairs by his bedroom,
it was a shoe shine machine.
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I still see them today, it was a
chrome motor that basically had
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a pedestal that sat on the
carpet, and it had a brush, a
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black brush that stuck out one
side, big furry black brush, and
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a red brush--I didn't know why
he had a red brush 'cause he had
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no red shoes--that stuck out of
the other side, and a big button
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on the top.
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And before my dad went to work,
he'd walk out in the hall, he'd
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step on the button and all of
a sudden the machine would begin
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to spin very fast, powerful
motor, and it would go woosh.
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And he'd buff his feet under his
shoe shine machine, he'd step on
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it and he'd go to work.
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Once, I used to love to play
with the shoe shine machine when
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I was that age, and I'd just
sit there and I'd turn it on, I
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tried to stop it and it would
make my hands hot 'cause I could
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never quite stop the
motor, it was too powerful.
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But it was fun, it gave me
a sense of power, I could turn
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this thing off and on.
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One morning, I woke up before
anyone else, it was Sunday, they
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were sleeping in and everyone
was asleep, I got bored,
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I walked out in the hall and so
for a few minutes I played with
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the shoe shine machine, turned
it off, turn it on, turn it off,
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turn it on.
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And then I thought well, this is
not made for just turning it off
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and on, it's made for shining
shoes, I'm going to make my dad
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very happy, I
will shine his shoes.
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So I quietly opened his
bedroom door, I tiptoed into the
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bedroom, he used to always kick
his shoes off by the wall, and
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I picked up his two black
dress shoes and I brought them
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out in the hall.
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I quietly shut the door and
I was gonna shine his shoes,
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I thought, now wait a second, if
I'm not mistaken, there is some
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shoe polish underneath
the sink in the bathroom.
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So I went into the bathroom,
I opened the cupboard, and sure
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enough there was that
bottle of shoe polish.
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Now see, this was the liquid
"Griffin Shoe Polish" that you
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apply with an applicator, I did
not know that back then and so
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I'm trying to figure out how
this all works, and I figured,
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well black shoe polish, it
was clear the bottle was black,
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black shoe polish
must go on the black brush.
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So I fought this applicator off
the top and I poured a generous
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amount of black shoe polish
on the black brush, and then I
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turned on the machine and
something terrible happened.
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First, the machine began to
bounce because all of it had
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soaked on one side and it
was out of balance, and so the
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machines hopping a little bit,
and then it picks up speed and
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all this happens in
a fraction of a second.
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Picks up speed and it
goes whoosh and it just sprayed
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basically a black rainbow up the
wall, through the face on the
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painting of a Spanish soldier,
a conquistador my dad had on the
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wall, across the ceiling,
down the other side, and through
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the carpet.
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And I saw that, almost instantly
I hit the button and I turned it
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off because I knew that was
not how I was supposed to shine
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his shoes.
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And I looked at that black
rainbow and I thought, wow,
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I better go back to bed, I
saw no way out of this one.
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So I just left all the apparatus
there in the hall and I went
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back into the bedroom and
I acted like I was asleep.
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Now I shared a bedroom
with my brother and I also had
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a step-brother down the hall.
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Eventually, it took forever,
I heard my father, he was making
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the noise, I could
hear he's waking up.
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And pretty soon I heard some
bang in the bedroom and I heard
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the bedroom door open, and
he walked out into the hall, and
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then I heard him make some noise
that I'd never heard him make
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before, and he kinda, "What,
who, ah--" and then he call out
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my name.
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He said, "Dougie," and I
thought, why is he calling
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my name?
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Nobody saw me, nobody will know,
and I had, could have been my
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brother, could have
been my stepbrother.
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And he comes and he opens up
the bedroom door, turns on the
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light, said,
"Dougie," I didn't say anything.
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"Dougie," and I thought, oh,
he's serious, I said, "Yeah?"
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You know, I'm acting
like I'm waking up, he said,
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"Get in here."
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So I kinda crawl out of bed and
I go off into the hall, and I
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must be looking pretty guilty,
he points to this black mess in
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the hallway and he said,
"You know anything about this?"
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Well I'm thinking, you know I
wanted to tell the truth but I
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thought, I'm gonna be in big
trouble, this is a big mess and
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I thought nobody saw me, there's
no way in the world he's gonna
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know that I was
responsible, so I said, "No."
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He said, "I'm going to ask
you again, do you know anything
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about how this happened?"
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And you know, once you start
lying it gets easier to keep on,
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I said, "No," he said, "Okay."
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So he sits down on a bench that
conveniently was right there in
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the hall and he said, "Well,
I'm going to spank you until you
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tell me the truth," and he takes
me and he puts me across his
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knee and he begins
the battle my posterior.
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And while he's spanking me,
I'm starting out, I'm going, "I
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didn't do it, I didn't do it,
I didn't do it," and somewhere
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along the way you know, you snap
under the torture, and I go,
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"I did it, I did it."
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And he sat me down and he said,
"I'm not spanking you for making
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a mistake, I'm not spanking you
for making a mess, I'm spanking
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you because you lied to me."
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He said, "Now stop crying and go
in the bathroom wash your face."
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So I went whimpering off
into the bathroom and I remember
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I had to stand on a little stool
to get into the sink, and I
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stood on the stool and I looked
in the mirror, I had black spots
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all over my face.
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I'm looking at my father and I'm
going, "I didn't do it, I don't
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know who did it, someone
probably broke in, a robber came
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and he played with
the shoeshine machine."
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I don't know who I thought I
was fooling but I looked in that
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mirror when the bathroom light
was on and I said, "Busted."
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That's probably not what I
said but that's what I thought,
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I said, "Woe is
me, I am undone."
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And this is what happens when
a person comes into the blazing
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glory of God's goodness,
his purity and his holiness, by
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contrast we see our sin and
you've got one of two choices.
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Draw close to the Lord, and yes,
you will have your sin exposed
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in the light but he will then
cleanse you from your sin, or
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turn away back into the
darkness and the ignorance.
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Don't be afraid to come
into the light of God's glory.
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So, that leads us to the next
big step, which is what real
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repentance is all about.
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Now when we talk about the story
of sin and repentance, so many
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people go to the great sin of
David that you find, it's called
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"David's Great Transgression,"
and I'm not gonna rehearse all
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the sordid details of this
story, we all know that David
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committed a
terrible sin with Bathsheba.
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Bathsheba was married to one of
David's faithful soldiers by the
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name of Uriah, and David tempted
Bathsheba, he saw her bathing
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from the roof, called for
her, he enticed her, they had an
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affair together, she became
pregnant, and then David doesn't
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want to be exposed and rather
than repenting and confessing
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the sin, he tries to cover it
up and hide it, tries to cover
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his tracks.
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And so in order to do that, he's
willing to sacrifice and murder,
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basically, through the sword of
the children of Ammon, he sends
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Uriah on a suicide mission
so he's killed in battle.
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And Bathsheba eventually has her
baby and David thinks, "Okay,
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nobody knows," forgetting
you can't hide from the Lord,
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God sees everything.
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And then Nathan the prophet
comes to David and he tells
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David this parable about a
shepherd who's got this one
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sheep that the family
loves, it's the family pet.
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His neighbor's a rich rancher
with thousands of sheep, someone
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comes to visit the rich rancher
and the rancher takes this one
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man's only sheep, butchers
it, and feeds it to his company.
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And David hears that and he's
so outraged Nathan tells him the
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story, he says, "That man is
going to die and he's gonna pay
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fourfold," and before David even
calms down Nathan says, "Thou
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art the man," and he goes on and
explains what David had done.
00:09:50.55\00:09:55.82
You can read about this in 2
Samuel, it talks about the sin
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of David, and when David sinned,
it says in 2 Samuel 11, and in
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verse 27, "The thing that David
had done displeased the Lord,"
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and he didn't repent.
00:10:08.44\00:10:10.14
So finally, he had to
be convicted and confronted
00:10:10.17\00:10:12.91
with his sin.
00:10:12.94\00:10:14.28
And after Nathan the prophet
told this story, he said,
00:10:14.31\00:10:16.91
"You are the
man, you're the man.
00:10:16.95\00:10:19.01
Uriah had one wife and you took
his wife, and you had a whole
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harem of wives, and
then you had him murdered."
00:10:22.62\00:10:26.12
And when you really
think about it, what he did was
00:10:26.15\00:10:27.86
extraordinarily despicable.
00:10:27.89\00:10:30.86
He says, "You have killed," and
this by the way is 2 Samuel 12,
00:10:30.89\00:10:33.63
verse 9, "You have killed
Uriah the Hittite with the
00:10:33.66\00:10:36.80
sword, you've taken his wife to
be your wife, you've killed him
00:10:36.83\00:10:40.00
with the sword of the people of
Ammon," and there was a terrible
00:10:40.04\00:10:44.01
penalty that came for
David because of that.
00:10:44.04\00:10:46.51
But finally, David, when he
heard this, he says in verse 13,
00:10:46.54\00:10:51.35
"I have sinned."
00:10:51.38\00:10:53.88
Now whatever David did he did
with all of his heart, there's a
00:10:53.92\00:10:56.95
lot of people in the church
out there, they want to sin like
00:10:56.99\00:10:59.12
David but they don't
want to repent like David.
00:10:59.15\00:11:01.86
When David was finally convicted
of his sin, he said, "Woe is me,
00:11:01.89\00:11:05.79
I have sinned," and he went and
he laid on the ground and the
00:11:05.83\00:11:11.50
baby of David and Bathsheba was
stricken with illness, and he
00:11:11.53\00:11:15.60
went and he laid on the ground
and he prayed and he repented
00:11:15.64\00:11:19.84
for seven days.
00:11:19.87\00:11:21.38
Now, a lot of people I know,
if they want to sin like David,
00:11:21.41\00:11:24.08
they don't want to repent
like David, and he confessed,
00:11:24.11\00:11:27.45
he repented of his sin.
00:11:27.48\00:11:28.88
And I told you that repentance
is a difficult thing but it
00:11:28.92\00:11:32.75
actually leads to
a beautiful thing.
00:11:32.79\00:11:34.59
During this time, if you've got
a Bible and you look in Psalm
00:11:34.62\00:11:37.09
chapter 51, and a lot of folks
are using "The Revival" now as
00:11:37.13\00:11:40.93
their church service
and hopefully you've got
00:11:40.96\00:11:42.63
a Bible handy.
00:11:42.66\00:11:44.00
You can look in Psalm 51, you'll
notice that in the introduction
00:11:44.03\00:11:46.43
it says, "To the chief musician.
00:11:46.47\00:11:48.80
A psalm of David, when Nathan
the Prophet went to him after he
00:11:48.84\00:11:52.24
had gone into Bathsheba," and
this is ostensibly after David
00:11:52.27\00:11:55.31
said, "I have sinned."
00:11:55.34\00:11:57.98
He says, "Have mercy upon
me, O God, according to your
00:11:58.01\00:12:02.48
lovingkindness, according
to the multitude of your tender
00:12:02.52\00:12:05.85
mercies, blot out my
transgression, wash me
00:12:05.89\00:12:08.92
thoroughly from my iniquity,
cleanse me from my sin."
00:12:08.96\00:12:12.29
He calls it iniquity,
wickedness, sin, he does not
00:12:12.33\00:12:14.93
hide, he completely
unfolds what he has done.
00:12:14.93\00:12:19.47
"I acknowledge my transgression,
my sin is always before me.
00:12:19.50\00:12:23.71
Against you and
you only, I've sinned."
00:12:23.74\00:12:25.37
He says that because ultimately,
all sin is against God, the
00:12:25.41\00:12:28.64
creator of all people and all
things, and it was his law he
00:12:28.68\00:12:31.65
had broken, so now why
is he praying this prayer?
00:12:31.68\00:12:35.45
I'm not gonna read it all,
I hope you do that, it says,
00:12:35.48\00:12:39.52
"Make me hear joy and gladness,
that the bones you have broken
00:12:39.55\00:12:43.86
may rejoice."
00:12:43.89\00:12:45.29
The purpose of repentance is
only to make you feel bad long
00:12:45.33\00:12:48.83
enough so you can really enjoy
a new life, God does not want us
00:12:48.86\00:12:52.87
to live in misery forever
but he wants us to truly humble
00:12:52.90\00:12:55.70
ourselves that
he might lift us up.
00:12:55.74\00:12:58.51
"Hide your face from my sins
and blot out my iniquities," I'm
00:12:58.54\00:13:01.61
reading in verse 10, Psalm
51, verse 10, "Create in me
00:13:01.64\00:13:04.98
a clean heart."
00:13:05.01\00:13:06.35
Now this is what we're after
in this series, the new heart,
00:13:06.38\00:13:09.42
it is a miracle of God's
creation through His Spirit.
00:13:09.45\00:13:12.39
You want the new heart, you must
repent of and confess your sins,
00:13:12.42\00:13:15.42
and I'll say more
about repentance in a moment.
00:13:15.46\00:13:17.73
"Create in me a clean
heart, O God, renew a steadfast
00:13:17.76\00:13:21.10
spirit within me.
00:13:21.13\00:13:22.43
Do not cast me away from your
presence," what a terrible thing
00:13:22.46\00:13:25.13
to grieve away the Holy Spirit.
00:13:25.17\00:13:27.04
"Do not take your
Holy Spirit from me.
00:13:27.07\00:13:29.64
Restore unto me," notice,
"The joy," now don't you want
00:13:29.67\00:13:32.94
the joy of the Lord?
00:13:32.97\00:13:34.31
Repentance must come first.
00:13:34.34\00:13:35.98
"Restore unto me the joy of your
salvation," you go down to verse
00:13:36.01\00:13:39.51
14, "And my tongue will sing,"
some people go to church and
00:13:39.55\00:13:43.62
they don't sing because they
haven't got anything to sing
00:13:43.65\00:13:45.25
about because they're living
in sin, they need to repent of
00:13:45.29\00:13:47.79
their sins, they'll have the joy
of the Lord, then they'll really
00:13:47.82\00:13:50.73
sing the songs, they'll
know what it means to sing the
00:13:50.76\00:13:52.96
song "Redeemed."
00:13:52.99\00:13:54.30
But the way a lot of people
in church sing it, "Redeemed,
00:13:54.36\00:13:57.37
how I love to proclaim it,"
they're not redeemed and so they
00:13:57.40\00:14:01.04
can't really sing the song.
00:14:01.07\00:14:02.54
But when we are forgiven and
we know that he has cleansed us
00:14:02.57\00:14:06.51
from our sins, "Then my
tongue will sing aloud of your
00:14:06.54\00:14:09.84
righteousness, O Lord, my
lips, my mouth shall show forth
00:14:09.88\00:14:13.72
your praises."
00:14:13.75\00:14:15.05
We will have joy, we will
have song, we will have praise,
00:14:15.08\00:14:18.15
Repentance is a heavy subject
but it leads to a joyful life.
00:14:18.19\00:14:22.59
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Doug Batchelor: When we talk
about repentance you don't hear
00:14:57.86\00:14:59.43
a lot of sermons on this and I
don't know why 'cause the Bible
00:14:59.46\00:15:02.30
really begins with repentance,
New Testament in particular.
00:15:02.33\00:15:07.74
You look in Matthew chapter 3,
verse 1, "In those days John the
00:15:07.77\00:15:11.87
Baptist came preaching in
the wilderness of Judea," first
00:15:11.91\00:15:15.01
thing John the Baptist says,
"Repent, for the kingdom of
00:15:15.04\00:15:18.28
heaven is at hand."
00:15:18.31\00:15:19.78
Notice, repentance is commanded,
he said, "Repent, for the
00:15:19.81\00:15:23.22
kingdom of heaven is at hand."
00:15:23.25\00:15:24.69
Not only John the Baptist but
Jesus when he began preaching.
00:15:24.72\00:15:29.16
Matthew chapter 4, verse 17,
"From that time Jesus began to
00:15:29.19\00:15:33.26
preach," saying the exact same
words, "Repent, for the kingdom
00:15:33.29\00:15:37.23
of heaven is at hand."
00:15:37.27\00:15:38.57
Now if the kingdom of heaven was
at hand 2,000 years ago is the
00:15:38.60\00:15:41.47
kingdom of heaven at hand now?
00:15:41.50\00:15:43.57
Absolutely, that means eternal
life is within your reach but it
00:15:43.61\00:15:47.04
begins with repentance and
that happens after we see the
00:15:47.08\00:15:51.71
goodness of God.
00:15:51.75\00:15:53.65
Acts chapter 17, verse 30:
"Truly, these times of ignorance
00:15:53.68\00:15:57.89
God overlooked," he winked at,
"But now he commands all men and
00:15:57.92\00:16:02.96
women everywhere to repent."
00:16:02.99\00:16:05.69
One of the most dangerous things
is for people to not understand
00:16:05.73\00:16:08.43
the true state before the
Lord and so many Christians are
00:16:08.46\00:16:11.90
content to go through the
religious motions and they
00:16:11.93\00:16:14.84
really don't have the new
heart, but that's going to begin
00:16:14.87\00:16:17.67
by repenting.
00:16:17.71\00:16:19.04
Jesus said, "I command
you therefore to repent,"
00:16:19.07\00:16:22.28
so repentance is
not only a command,
00:16:22.31\00:16:24.41
repentance is a calling.
00:16:24.45\00:16:26.75
Luke chapter 5, verse 32, Jesus
said, "I have not come to call
00:16:26.78\00:16:31.89
the righteous, but
sinners, to repentance."
00:16:31.92\00:16:34.92
Why did Jesus come?
00:16:34.96\00:16:36.29
"I've come to call sinners."
00:16:36.32\00:16:37.89
Now if people think they're
already righteous they're not
00:16:37.93\00:16:40.16
going to listen, like the
scribes and Pharisees and many
00:16:40.20\00:16:42.96
Christians today that are
lukewarm, we don't have a real
00:16:43.00\00:16:45.63
knowledge of ourselves.
00:16:45.67\00:16:47.20
When Nicodemus came to Jesus
he was a teacher in Israel,
00:16:47.24\00:16:51.34
everybody would want him to be
on their church staff, to be an
00:16:51.37\00:16:54.18
elder in their church, good man,
a moral man, a generous man, but
00:16:54.21\00:16:58.35
Jesus said to him,
"You need to be born again."
00:16:58.38\00:17:01.05
He represents so many people
that go through the motions of
00:17:01.08\00:17:03.89
Christianity but they're
not born again, and Christ said,
00:17:03.92\00:17:07.39
"I'm calling us to repentance,
sorrow for our sins."
00:17:07.42\00:17:11.99
Repentance is not only your
calling, it is a condition to
00:17:12.03\00:17:15.70
salvation, it's
something that must happen.
00:17:15.73\00:17:18.97
You look in Luke chapter 13,
Jesus is very clear, he said,
00:17:19.00\00:17:22.64
"I tell you, no, but
unless you repent you will all
00:17:22.67\00:17:26.11
likewise perish."
00:17:26.14\00:17:27.98
He said all, he means all,
everybody needs to repent or
00:17:28.01\00:17:31.08
they're going to perish,
so repentance is a condition
00:17:31.11\00:17:34.25
to salvation.
00:17:34.28\00:17:36.32
2 Peter 3, verse 9: "God is not
willing that any should perish
00:17:36.35\00:17:41.16
but that we should all come to
repentance," he wants us to be
00:17:41.19\00:17:44.89
saved, the Lord is calling us to
this experience of being sorry
00:17:44.93\00:17:48.96
for our sins and then turning.
00:17:49.00\00:17:51.30
And you can read in Acts chapter
2, verse 37, Peter preaches
00:17:51.33\00:17:54.44
there at Pentecost and after he,
see, what he does is he shows
00:17:54.47\00:17:58.81
people the Lord.
00:17:58.84\00:18:00.24
He shows people the goodness of
God, they see what they've done
00:18:00.28\00:18:03.85
to their savior, they're
overwhelmed with conviction, the
00:18:03.88\00:18:06.35
Bible says, "Their hearts
were pricked," and they say,
00:18:06.38\00:18:08.52
"Men and
brethren, what shall we do?"
00:18:08.55\00:18:11.59
And he said, "Repent, therefore,
every one of you and be baptized
00:18:11.62\00:18:15.32
in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sin," baptism
00:18:15.36\00:18:19.46
is something that follows a
repentance and a forsaking of
00:18:19.49\00:18:21.90
sin, "And you will receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit."
00:18:21.93\00:18:25.93
Now to have the new heart
you need to be Spirit-filled,
00:18:25.97\00:18:28.60
what comes before that?
00:18:28.64\00:18:30.07
A repentance for sin, that's
why David said, "Take not your
00:18:30.11\00:18:33.68
Holy Spirit from me,"
what happens before that?
00:18:33.71\00:18:36.14
He's repenting.
00:18:36.18\00:18:37.75
So friends, it's a condition,
not only that we don't perish
00:18:37.78\00:18:41.45
but in order to be Spirit-filled
we must be cleansed from our
00:18:41.48\00:18:44.89
sin, God cannot cleanse us from
our sin until we acknowledge
00:18:44.92\00:18:48.62
our sin before
him and repent of it.
00:18:48.66\00:18:52.03
So first comes repentance
then comes the Holy Spirit.
00:18:52.06\00:18:57.53
Something else about repentance,
point number four, repentance
00:18:57.57\00:19:01.70
is a conviction.
00:19:01.74\00:19:04.91
Romans 2, verse 4: "Or do
you despise the riches of his
00:19:04.94\00:19:09.41
goodness and forbearance and
long-suffering, not knowing it
00:19:09.44\00:19:12.88
is the goodness of God
that leads you to repentance?"
00:19:12.91\00:19:15.92
The more time, we spend with
Jesus, and how do you do that?
00:19:15.95\00:19:19.12
Well you do it in his Word as
you look at His life, you do it
00:19:19.15\00:19:22.79
in prayer as you commune with
Him, He speaks to you through
00:19:22.82\00:19:28.20
His Word.
00:19:28.23\00:19:29.56
And the more time you spend
with him, the more you'll be
00:19:29.60\00:19:31.90
transformed into his image, and
you'll find that repentance is
00:19:31.93\00:19:35.94
not something that
will just happen once.
00:19:35.97\00:19:37.37
It may happen in a big way when
you first come to the Lord, but
00:19:37.41\00:19:40.48
many times, as we said during
our question time, you'll have
00:19:40.51\00:19:43.41
to die daily.
00:19:43.45\00:19:44.81
And whenever you do sin, don't
get discouraged if you fall
00:19:44.85\00:19:47.52
again, you repent of that,
pick yourself back up and you
00:19:47.55\00:19:50.39
continue on with the Lord.
00:19:50.42\00:19:52.29
So it is a condition to
our salvation and repentance
00:19:52.32\00:19:57.23
brings conviction.
00:19:57.26\00:19:59.03
Acts chapter 5, verse 31, the
Bible tells us there, "Him, God
00:19:59.06\00:20:04.27
has exalted to his right hand to
be a Prince and Savior, to give
00:20:04.30\00:20:08.74
repentance to Israel
and forgiveness of sin."
00:20:08.77\00:20:12.77
God will never ask you to
do something without making it
00:20:12.81\00:20:14.98
available, and the Lord, through
the Holy Spirit, he will give
00:20:15.01\00:20:18.11
you this conviction as a gift.
00:20:18.15\00:20:19.48
The Holy Spirit comes to
comfort, he also comes to
00:20:19.51\00:20:21.55
convict, and it was the
Holy Spirit that brought
00:20:21.58\00:20:24.79
conviction to the people when
they said, "Men and brethren,
00:20:24.82\00:20:26.96
what shall we do?"
00:20:26.99\00:20:28.32
And you read also, in Acts 11,
verse 18: "And they glorified
00:20:28.36\00:20:32.13
God, saying, 'Then God has
also granted to the Gentiles
00:20:32.16\00:20:36.46
repentance to life.'"
00:20:36.50\00:20:38.87
If you want everlasting life,
there needs to be repentance
00:20:38.90\00:20:41.70
that will precede that, and that
comes through the Holy Spirit
00:20:41.74\00:20:45.24
as a gift.
00:20:45.27\00:20:46.51
"So, Pastor Doug, you're wanting
us to feel bad about our sins?"
00:20:46.54\00:20:52.31
Well, that's what God says, yes,
you do not want to feel good
00:20:52.35\00:20:55.12
about doing bad.
00:20:55.15\00:20:57.05
You know, people say, "I can't
quit sinning," Oh yes, you can,
00:20:57.09\00:21:01.62
you just need to be motivated
enough, all things are possible
00:21:01.66\00:21:05.53
with God; God is never
gonna ask you to do something
00:21:05.56\00:21:08.50
you cannot do.
00:21:08.53\00:21:09.86
So much has been said
about grace and people don't say
00:21:09.90\00:21:12.57
enough about victory, we
underestimate the power of God,
00:21:12.60\00:21:16.00
and simply exercising the power
of the will to give your heart
00:21:16.04\00:21:20.24
to the Lord.
00:21:20.28\00:21:21.58
My grandfather, he smoked
for 50 years, and he smoked the
00:21:21.61\00:21:24.71
industrial strength cigarettes
called "Lucky Strikes."
00:21:24.75\00:21:28.35
And he tried and tried, he
couldn't quit, he used to drive
00:21:28.38\00:21:31.69
my grandmother crazy.
00:21:31.72\00:21:33.39
He went to the hospital for a
minor stomach problem and he was
00:21:33.42\00:21:36.93
in a bed next to another man,
and the man in the bed next to
00:21:36.96\00:21:41.63
him had had his voice
box removed from cancer from
00:21:41.66\00:21:45.03
smoking, and my grandfather said
he saw the man in the bed next
00:21:45.07\00:21:48.77
to him smoking a cigarette
through the hole in his throat,
00:21:48.80\00:21:53.51
and the smoke coming out
of this new hole that was made
00:21:53.54\00:21:55.88
in his throat.
00:21:55.91\00:21:57.21
My grandfather said that was
all it took, he threw away his
00:21:57.25\00:22:00.55
cigarettes, he never smoked
again, and he lived to 93.
00:22:00.58\00:22:03.82
So it's amazing what you can do
if you really want to; through
00:22:03.85\00:22:07.36
love for God, which is the best
motive, and the avoidance of
00:22:07.39\00:22:11.49
eternal destruction
and if you really believe.
00:22:11.53\00:22:15.46
You know, a person says,
"You know I really believe,
00:22:15.50\00:22:17.73
I believe."
00:22:17.77\00:22:19.07
Well, if you believe then
you're going to make a change,
00:22:19.10\00:22:20.94
repentance is a choice.
00:22:20.97\00:22:23.10
Acts 3:19: "Repent therefore
and be converted, that your sins
00:22:23.14\00:22:27.44
might be blotted out,"
repentance is a criteria to our
00:22:27.48\00:22:30.25
sins being blotted out, "When
the times of refreshing come
00:22:30.28\00:22:34.82
from the presence of the Lord."
00:22:34.85\00:22:37.19
A sign was in front of a Baptist
Church, it said, "Repent now and
00:22:37.22\00:22:40.26
avoid the rush."
00:22:40.29\00:22:41.62
Everybody's gonna repent when
Jesus comes but it'll be too
00:22:41.66\00:22:44.19
late then, now is the time
to repent and be filled with the
00:22:44.23\00:22:47.66
Holy Spirit and saved.
00:22:47.73\00:22:49.76
Mark 1:15: Jesus said, "The time
is fulfilled, the kingdom of God
00:22:49.80\00:22:55.07
is at hand, repent,
and believe the gospel."
00:22:55.10\00:22:58.34
See, repentance is something you
can choose to do, God gives his
00:22:58.37\00:23:01.84
Spirit to us to enable us but
you must make a choice, he will
00:23:01.88\00:23:04.48
not force you.
00:23:04.51\00:23:06.05
Just like you choose to believe
the gospel, he's saying, "Repent
00:23:06.08\00:23:09.32
and believe," they go together.
00:23:09.35\00:23:12.12
If you say, "Brother Doug,
I believe the gospel," but you
00:23:12.15\00:23:15.56
don't do anything about turning
from your sin, you wonder how
00:23:15.59\00:23:17.86
much you believe.
00:23:17.89\00:23:19.19
If I tell you right now
lightning is going to strike
00:23:19.23\00:23:21.83
right where you're standing in
15 seconds, say, "I believe you,
00:23:21.86\00:23:25.17
Pastor Doug," and you don't
move, you don't believe me.
00:23:25.20\00:23:28.34
If you really believe the
lightning is going to strike
00:23:28.37\00:23:30.74
where you're sitting or standing
in 15 seconds, you're gonna
00:23:30.77\00:23:32.97
relocate, you'll
do something about it.
00:23:33.01\00:23:35.54
If you believe the gospel, the
good news, you're gonna wanna do
00:23:35.58\00:23:38.75
something about it then.
00:23:38.78\00:23:41.52
A.W. Tozer made an interesting
statement on this point, he
00:23:41.55\00:23:45.99
said, "We must have our own
free will repent towards God and
00:23:46.02\00:23:49.12
believe Jesus Christ."
00:23:49.16\00:23:50.79
The Bible plainly teaches
this, this experience abundantly
00:23:50.83\00:23:54.96
is supported.
00:23:55.00\00:23:56.30
Repentance involves moral
reformation, the wrong practices
00:23:56.33\00:24:00.67
are on man's part and
only man can correct them.
00:24:00.70\00:24:04.01
Lying, for instance, is an act
of man, and one which he must
00:24:04.04\00:24:07.64
accept full responsibility for.
00:24:07.68\00:24:09.71
When he repents,
he will quit lying.
00:24:09.74\00:24:12.48
God will not quit for him,
he will quit for himself, God
00:24:12.51\00:24:16.92
cannot do our repenting for us.
00:24:16.95\00:24:19.09
It is our efforts, our desire,
our choice to magnify grace.
00:24:19.12\00:24:23.59
So we have preached to convey
the truth of the impression that
00:24:23.63\00:24:26.76
repentance, many have preached
to convey the impression
00:24:26.80\00:24:30.00
repentance is an
act or a work of God.
00:24:30.03\00:24:31.73
This is a grave mistake, and the
one is taking a frightful toll
00:24:31.77\00:24:35.64
among Christians everywhere;
that you don't have to
00:24:35.67\00:24:37.84
do anything.
00:24:37.87\00:24:39.17
Yes, you do, this is why it
says, "Repent and bring forth
00:24:39.21\00:24:41.84
fruits meet for repentance."
00:24:41.88\00:24:44.35
And repentance is contrition.
00:24:44.38\00:24:47.35
What I mean by that is
repentance is sorrow for sin
00:24:47.38\00:24:51.55
because it's a heart issue,
we realize that we have hurt the
00:24:51.59\00:24:54.92
Lord, he loved us so much
he gave his son, Jesus suffered
00:24:54.96\00:24:57.79
and died, that
ought to move our hearts.
00:24:57.83\00:25:00.40
It's like that publican who went
to the temple, he doesn't pray
00:25:00.43\00:25:03.77
like the Pharisee, thanking God
for his goodness, he's lukewarm.
00:25:03.80\00:25:07.74
The publican, he smites on his
breast, and he says, "Lord, have
00:25:07.77\00:25:11.11
mercy on me, a sinner."
00:25:11.14\00:25:13.31
Peter, when he saw Jesus being
beaten, and he denies Christ
00:25:13.34\00:25:17.98
with swearing and cursing, Peter
goes out and he weeps bitterly.
00:25:18.01\00:25:22.45
Martin Luther said, "God creates
from nothing, so until we become
00:25:22.48\00:25:26.45
nothing he can
do nothing with us."
00:25:26.49\00:25:28.36
We need to humble ourselves,
take up our cross, and he will
00:25:28.39\00:25:31.66
make you a new creature.
00:25:31.69\00:25:33.03
I invite you, friends, to do
what Jesus and John the Baptist
00:25:33.06\00:25:35.76
said, "Repent, and believe."
00:25:35.80\00:25:38.60
male announcer: Don't forget
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free resource, not only can you
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mail, you can download a digital
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or mobile device.
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To get your digital copy of
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the keyword on your screen to
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shown on your screen.
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And be sure to select
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on the request page.
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It's now easier than ever
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Amazing Facts wherever and
whenever you want, and most
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important, to
share it with others.
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announcer: "Go
into all the world
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and preach the
gospel to every creature."
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Through radio, television,
print, evangelistic events,
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and the internet,
Amazing Facts International
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is heeding the call of
Jesus to go into all the world.
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Millions of individuals in over
150 countries have been blessed
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by the Word of God.
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Amazing Facts has spawned new
spheres of influence in India,
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Africa, China, and Indonesia.
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With each new country come
hundreds of translated booklets,
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study guides, and
video presentations produced
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in each region for
the people of that region.
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Armed with
these precious truths,
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gospel workers are empowered
to spread bright rays of light
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on every path they travel.
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Please visit,
reachtheworld.amazingfacts.org,
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to learn more about
Amazing Facts International and
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how you can participate in this
exciting soul-winning ministry.
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That website again is
reachtheworld.amazingfacts.org.
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Thank you for your support.
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male announcer: Have you always
wanted to be a Bible expert but
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never knew where to start?
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Then you'll love the Amazing
Facts' "Storacles of Prophecy"
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Featuring 24 easy to read
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packed with Scripture and step
by step guidance that will give
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you absolute confidence about
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about the Second Coming,
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the mark of the beast.
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Even better, it's absolutely
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So don't miss out, get started
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today at storacles.com.
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male announcer: Don't forget to
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sure to be a blessing, and thank
you for your continued support
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as we take the Gospel of
Jesus Christ to the world.
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We hope you'll join us next
week as we delve deep into the
00:28:12.59\00:28:15.79
Word of God to
explore more amazing facts.
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¤¤¤
00:28:18.79\00:28:24.00
male announcer: This
presentation was brought to you
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by the friends of the
Amazing Facts ministry.
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