Hello and welcome to our Bible studies 00:00:18.88\00:00:20.72 here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:00:20.75\00:00:22.62 I thank you so much for taking the time 00:00:22.65\00:00:24.09 for tuning tonight to follow along 00:00:24.12\00:00:26.12 in our continued study on our greatest need. 00:00:26.15\00:00:31.09 We have been talking about repentance 00:00:31.13\00:00:32.59 which in fact is a continued study tonight 00:00:32.63\00:00:34.50 and in a moment I'll tell you 00:00:34.53\00:00:35.86 where you could get a copy of the lesson. 00:00:35.90\00:00:37.83 But all you need right now is a Bible 00:00:37.87\00:00:39.83 and a prayerful heart for the Lord 00:00:39.87\00:00:42.10 to lead you in our study tonight. 00:00:42.14\00:00:44.44 Before we go forward with any further information, 00:00:44.47\00:00:47.38 let us invite the Lord's presence to be with us. 00:00:47.41\00:00:49.61 Let us pray. 00:00:49.64\00:00:51.41 Father in heaven, thank You, Lord, 00:00:51.45\00:00:52.78 for this beautiful opportunity to read 00:00:52.81\00:00:54.95 and study your Word tonight. 00:00:54.98\00:00:56.95 Give us wisdom from above, we pray. 00:00:56.99\00:00:59.82 Guide us through Your Word and may Your Holy Spirit 00:00:59.85\00:01:02.52 have his way in our hearts, in Jesus' name, amen. 00:01:02.56\00:01:08.46 If you'd like a copy of the lesson, 00:01:08.50\00:01:10.33 go to the following website, ASF.3ABN.org 00:01:10.37\00:01:16.10 and download lesson number 39. 00:01:16.14\00:01:20.98 Lesson number 39, 00:01:21.01\00:01:22.34 you might think it seems like a long lesson 00:01:22.38\00:01:23.81 but the topic in fact is a very valid one. 00:01:23.85\00:01:27.18 We've been talking about repentance, 00:01:27.22\00:01:28.82 what've we been talking about? 00:01:28.85\00:01:30.25 Repentance. 00:01:30.29\00:01:31.62 Matter of fact, we didn't welcome our audience 00:01:31.65\00:01:32.99 with an amen, can we give them an amen? 00:01:33.02\00:01:34.36 Amen. 00:01:34.39\00:01:35.76 Our people here in Thompsonville, 00:01:35.79\00:01:38.36 West Frankfort, I welcome you to our study tonight. 00:01:38.39\00:01:41.83 And we've been talking about repentance. 00:01:41.86\00:01:45.30 And so the theme song, 00:01:45.33\00:01:47.60 Victory in Jesus, is about repentance. 00:01:47.64\00:01:51.14 So tonight, before we go any further, 00:01:51.17\00:01:53.51 let sing our theme song together, Victory in Jesus. 00:01:53.54\00:01:57.55 I heard an old, old story 00:02:06.45\00:02:10.19 How the Savior came from glory 00:02:10.23\00:02:13.90 How He gave His life on Calvary 00:02:13.93\00:02:17.53 To save a wretch like me 00:02:17.57\00:02:21.47 I heard about His groaning 00:02:21.50\00:02:25.24 Of His precious blood's atoning 00:02:25.27\00:02:28.58 Then I repented of my sins 00:02:28.61\00:02:32.95 And won the victory 00:02:32.98\00:02:35.62 Together. 00:02:35.65\00:02:36.99 O victory in Jesus My Savior, forever 00:02:37.02\00:02:44.23 He sought me and bought me 00:02:44.26\00:02:47.86 With His redeeming blood 00:02:47.90\00:02:51.73 He loved me ere I knew Him 00:02:51.77\00:02:55.54 And all my love is due Him 00:02:55.57\00:02:59.34 He plunged me to victory 00:02:59.37\00:03:03.04 Beneath the cleansing flood 00:03:03.08\00:03:06.82 I heard about a mansion 00:03:06.85\00:03:10.59 He has built for me in glory 00:03:10.62\00:03:14.39 And I heard about the streets of gold 00:03:14.42\00:03:18.16 Beyond the crystal sea 00:03:18.19\00:03:21.96 About the angels singing 00:03:22.00\00:03:25.73 And the old redemption story 00:03:25.77\00:03:29.44 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 00:03:29.47\00:03:33.27 The song of victory Key change. 00:03:33.31\00:03:37.05 O victory in Jesus My Savior, forever 00:03:37.08\00:03:44.65 He sought me and bought me 00:03:44.69\00:03:48.42 With His redeeming blood 00:03:48.46\00:03:52.29 He loved me ere I knew Him 00:03:52.33\00:03:56.00 And all my love is due Him 00:03:56.03\00:03:59.77 He plunged me to victory 00:03:59.80\00:04:03.47 Beneath the cleansing flood 00:04:03.51\00:04:07.38 He plunged me to victory 00:04:07.41\00:04:11.08 Beneath the cleansing flood 00:04:11.11\00:04:17.59 Amen. 00:04:17.62\00:04:18.95 Yes. 00:04:18.99\00:04:20.32 The topic is our greatest need, 00:04:20.36\00:04:24.46 the truth about our greatest need. 00:04:24.49\00:04:28.70 Tonight I'd like you to open with me to Revelation 2. 00:04:28.73\00:04:32.43 Revelation 2, we are gonna look and lay some foundation 00:04:32.47\00:04:36.57 about this topic we've been talking about. 00:04:36.60\00:04:39.44 The essentials, what is repentance, 00:04:39.47\00:04:42.24 how vital it is, 00:04:42.28\00:04:44.25 and tonight we are gonna delve even deeper into that. 00:04:44.28\00:04:47.12 I think I mentioned in one of our prior programs that, 00:04:47.15\00:04:51.69 is sin is the thing that hinders us, 00:04:51.72\00:04:54.92 which in fact it is, 00:04:54.96\00:04:57.03 then repentance is the thing that, 00:04:57.06\00:05:00.50 the only thing, let me just say 00:05:00.53\00:05:01.86 the way I said it before, 00:05:01.90\00:05:03.23 the only thing stronger than sin is repentance 00:05:03.26\00:05:06.74 and forgiveness. 00:05:06.77\00:05:08.60 Amen. 00:05:08.64\00:05:10.47 The only thing stronger than sin 00:05:10.51\00:05:12.04 is repentance and forgiveness. 00:05:12.07\00:05:13.41 The only thing stronger than our sin 00:05:13.44\00:05:16.04 is the blood of Jesus, amen? 00:05:16.08\00:05:17.95 Amen. 00:05:17.98\00:05:19.31 And so when we talk about that topic, 00:05:19.35\00:05:21.65 one of the churches, 00:05:21.68\00:05:23.02 particularly the church of Ephesus, 00:05:23.05\00:05:26.25 let's go to Revelation 2, and by the way, 00:05:26.29\00:05:30.73 the churches in the Bible, the seven churches, 00:05:30.76\00:05:34.20 it's amazing that when you look at 00:05:34.23\00:05:38.03 all the churches in Revelation, 00:05:38.07\00:05:39.40 there are seven churches, how many? 00:05:39.43\00:05:40.80 Seven. Seven. 00:05:40.84\00:05:42.17 And each of these churches cover, 00:05:42.20\00:05:44.01 they have a literal timeframe 00:05:44.04\00:05:47.08 and they also have a spiritual application. 00:05:47.11\00:05:50.51 The first one, Ephesus, let's look at this. 00:05:50.55\00:05:53.62 I want you to see how when the church began to, 00:05:53.65\00:05:58.75 when the church was established, 00:05:58.79\00:06:00.76 the church of Ephesus is an indication 00:06:00.79\00:06:03.39 of when the church took off, 00:06:03.43\00:06:04.76 when the church under the preaching 00:06:04.79\00:06:06.53 of the apostle's message, the church began to grow, 00:06:06.56\00:06:09.36 the church became more solid, 00:06:09.40\00:06:11.23 but there was something that the Lord wanted 00:06:11.27\00:06:13.47 the church to do in the very beginning 00:06:13.50\00:06:15.90 that He also wants us to do at the very end. 00:06:15.94\00:06:18.17 Here it is, Revelation 2 00:06:18.21\00:06:20.48 and I'm gonna walk through starting with verse 1. 00:06:20.51\00:06:24.38 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 00:06:24.41\00:06:28.32 'These things says He who holds 00:06:28.35\00:06:31.25 the seven stars in His right hand, 00:06:31.29\00:06:33.69 who walks in the midst 00:06:33.72\00:06:35.06 of the seven golden candlesticks, 00:06:35.09\00:06:37.86 I know your works, your labor, your patience, 00:06:37.89\00:06:42.36 and that you cannot bear those who are evil. 00:06:42.40\00:06:46.47 And you have tested those who say they are apostles 00:06:46.50\00:06:50.77 and are not, and have found them liars." 00:06:50.81\00:06:53.48 So you see it even establishes a timeframe, 00:06:53.51\00:06:56.11 the time when the apostles were the strength of the church. 00:06:56.14\00:06:59.71 And it says in verse 3, "And you have persevered 00:06:59.75\00:07:03.69 and have patience, and have labored 00:07:03.72\00:07:06.76 for My name's sake and have not become weary. 00:07:06.79\00:07:11.59 Nevertheless I have this against you, 00:07:11.63\00:07:15.96 that you have" done what? 00:07:16.00\00:07:17.80 "Left your first love," that is Christ. 00:07:17.83\00:07:22.04 But look at the remedy. 00:07:22.07\00:07:24.51 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen, 00:07:24.54\00:07:27.54 together, repent and do the first works, 00:07:27.58\00:07:32.31 or else I will come to you quickly 00:07:32.35\00:07:35.18 and remove your lampstand from its place 00:07:35.22\00:07:38.52 unless you do" what? 00:07:38.55\00:07:40.06 "Unless you repent." 00:07:40.09\00:07:41.42 So Lord is in essence saying, now why does He say lampstand? 00:07:41.46\00:07:45.09 What does He say, well, first of all, 00:07:45.13\00:07:47.00 who is Jesus in the context of lampstand, who is Jesus? 00:07:47.03\00:07:50.70 Say it again. 00:07:50.73\00:07:52.90 The light of the world. 00:07:52.93\00:07:54.27 But then in Jesus' absence, he says, "What are we?" 00:07:54.30\00:07:58.71 You are going way deep on me. 00:07:58.74\00:08:00.08 What are we? 00:08:00.11\00:08:01.44 We are the light of the world, right? 00:08:01.48\00:08:03.78 So He is the light but when He is gone, 00:08:03.81\00:08:05.71 what are you? 00:08:05.75\00:08:07.12 The light. 00:08:07.15\00:08:08.62 Notice what he says. 00:08:08.65\00:08:10.05 But if we don't repent, what happens to our light? 00:08:10.09\00:08:13.19 It goes out. It goes out. 00:08:13.22\00:08:14.59 So repentance 00:08:14.62\00:08:18.79 causes our light to continue to shine. 00:08:18.83\00:08:24.07 Repentance is a prerequisite to causing, 00:08:24.10\00:08:28.74 to keeping our lights on. 00:08:28.77\00:08:32.11 And if we don't repent and the light of Christ 00:08:32.14\00:08:35.04 is not seen through our lives, 00:08:35.08\00:08:38.31 then Jesus will never be known through our lives. 00:08:38.35\00:08:41.38 So here is the connection. 00:08:41.42\00:08:44.99 Repentance keeps the light on 00:08:45.02\00:08:48.22 or repentance turns the light back on... 00:08:48.26\00:08:51.59 and do the first work, 00:08:54.63\00:08:56.13 return to where you are in the beginning, 00:08:56.16\00:08:57.97 return to your first love to Christ 00:08:58.00\00:09:00.20 because what happened, 00:09:00.24\00:09:01.57 as the apostles began to die off, 00:09:01.60\00:09:03.91 Peter warned about it. 00:09:03.94\00:09:05.27 He says, many will come in bringing in heresies 00:09:05.31\00:09:09.21 and life and they'll draw away sheep after themselves. 00:09:09.24\00:09:13.95 So that's why he says, many appear to be apostles, 00:09:13.98\00:09:16.35 but they are not, you found them to be untrue. 00:09:16.38\00:09:18.85 You found them to not be telling the truth. 00:09:18.89\00:09:22.19 And so tonight we want to focus on keeping our light on. 00:09:22.22\00:09:26.43 We want to focus on, keeping our light on. 00:09:26.46\00:09:30.53 You know, years ago, when I heard that commercial, 00:09:30.57\00:09:33.50 the Motel 6 commercial, 00:09:33.54\00:09:36.04 we will keep the light on for you, 00:09:36.07\00:09:37.57 I thought, "Man, why didn't we get that as our saying?" 00:09:37.61\00:09:40.78 You know, in the front of the churches should be, 00:09:40.81\00:09:42.34 "We'll keep the light on for you." 00:09:42.38\00:09:43.75 Amen? Amen. 00:09:43.78\00:09:45.11 Because the light of the glory of God 00:09:45.15\00:09:47.12 should be seen in our lives. 00:09:47.15\00:09:49.55 We will keep the light on for you. 00:09:49.58\00:09:51.55 Tonight we have covered many of our questions, 00:09:51.59\00:09:54.02 but we're gonna begin 00:09:54.06\00:09:55.39 with question number 18 tonight. 00:09:55.42\00:09:57.03 We're gonna begin with question number 18. 00:09:57.06\00:09:59.36 And this question leads as follows. 00:09:59.39\00:10:04.17 "How does Jesus invite the sinner 00:10:04.20\00:10:07.74 to come to Him for forgiveness?" 00:10:07.77\00:10:11.47 How does Jesus invite the sinner 00:10:11.51\00:10:14.54 to come to Him for forgiveness? 00:10:14.58\00:10:17.61 We're gonna go to 1 John 2:1. 00:10:17.65\00:10:19.68 If you are in Revelation, just go back couple of books, 00:10:19.71\00:10:24.22 1 John 2:1. 00:10:24.25\00:10:27.69 How does Jesus invite 00:10:27.72\00:10:29.92 the sinner to come to Him for forgiveness? 00:10:29.96\00:10:32.66 Here is how the Bible reveals the answer. 00:10:32.69\00:10:36.93 "My little children..." 00:10:36.97\00:10:39.17 Who is that? 00:10:39.20\00:10:40.94 All of us. 00:10:40.97\00:10:42.64 "These things I write to you, so that you may not sin. 00:10:42.67\00:10:49.34 And if anyone sins, we have a" what? 00:10:49.38\00:10:53.82 "An Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 00:10:53.85\00:10:59.99 You know who an advocate is? 00:11:00.02\00:11:02.52 An advocate is a lawyer. 00:11:02.56\00:11:03.89 And that's the old-fashioned word 00:11:03.93\00:11:06.03 for who Jesus is. 00:11:06.06\00:11:07.53 Your advocate is your lawyer. 00:11:07.56\00:11:09.40 So if you have a lawyer, 00:11:09.43\00:11:13.07 what does your lawyer need to know to defend you? 00:11:13.10\00:11:17.74 Everything. Say it again. 00:11:17.77\00:11:19.87 Everything. Everything. 00:11:19.91\00:11:21.98 So if the lawyer ever appears in the court 00:11:22.01\00:11:24.61 and you don't tell him something, he can't defend you. 00:11:24.65\00:11:27.12 Let me ask you a question. 00:11:27.15\00:11:28.48 Does Jesus know everything? 00:11:28.52\00:11:29.85 Yes. Yes, He does. 00:11:29.88\00:11:31.22 What's so wonderful about this 00:11:31.25\00:11:32.69 and I want to build further on this, 00:11:32.72\00:11:34.29 what's so wonderful about this text, 00:11:34.32\00:11:36.73 and by the way, put the answer in there, 00:11:36.76\00:11:38.09 how does the Bible describe the process, sorry, 00:11:38.13\00:11:40.96 how does Jesus invite the sinner 00:11:41.00\00:11:42.36 to come to Him for forgiveness? 00:11:42.40\00:11:45.23 How does He invite them? 00:11:45.27\00:11:46.60 I am your advocate. 00:11:46.63\00:11:47.97 I am your advocate. 00:11:48.00\00:11:49.34 I am your lawyer. 00:11:49.37\00:11:50.71 Now how much does Jesus know about us? 00:11:50.74\00:11:54.48 Everything. Everything. 00:11:54.51\00:11:56.54 What's so beautiful about that is our advocate Jesus Christ 00:11:56.58\00:12:01.08 knows everything about us. 00:12:01.12\00:12:04.49 And He still invites us 00:12:04.52\00:12:07.02 to have Him as our lawyer, amen? 00:12:07.06\00:12:09.26 Amen. 00:12:09.29\00:12:10.76 Ah, that was not an amen, 00:12:10.79\00:12:12.13 that was a kind of may be an amen. 00:12:12.16\00:12:13.50 Amen? 00:12:13.53\00:12:14.86 Amen. 00:12:14.90\00:12:16.23 Who do you know that will know every awful detail about you? 00:12:16.26\00:12:21.84 And says, "I'll defend you in court." 00:12:21.87\00:12:24.17 But that's not all I did. 00:12:24.21\00:12:25.94 I know everything you did. 00:12:25.97\00:12:27.31 But I'll defend you in court. 00:12:27.34\00:12:28.68 The only thing greater than our sin is our savior 00:12:32.78\00:12:36.25 and our advocate. 00:12:36.28\00:12:37.62 Amen. 00:12:37.65\00:12:38.99 So when the invitation goes out, as the Bible says, 00:12:39.02\00:12:42.36 "Scarcely 00:12:42.39\00:12:45.43 will a righteous man die 00:12:45.46\00:12:49.53 for somebody who has done something good." 00:12:49.56\00:12:52.57 But Jesus died for us in that while we were yet sinners. 00:12:52.60\00:12:58.77 To me, I had to insert that into the middle of repentance 00:12:58.81\00:13:02.74 because you know what? 00:13:02.78\00:13:04.11 Repentance is one thing, 00:13:04.15\00:13:06.11 but knowing that you have somebody 00:13:06.15\00:13:07.52 to stand in the courtroom 00:13:07.55\00:13:12.02 and it takes me back to Martin Luther. 00:13:12.05\00:13:15.49 Martin Luther, the early Protestant reformer. 00:13:15.52\00:13:19.63 It's in the memoir about Martin Luther 00:13:19.66\00:13:21.93 and he talks about a dream he once had. 00:13:21.96\00:13:24.93 About he was robbed of his night sleep 00:13:24.97\00:13:28.97 and he was going through this terrible dream. 00:13:29.00\00:13:31.44 And when he woke up, he recounted the dream 00:13:31.47\00:13:33.04 and he wrote it down for people to remember the dream. 00:13:33.07\00:13:36.41 He said through his dream, 00:13:36.44\00:13:39.08 the devil had rolled out a scroll 00:13:39.11\00:13:41.52 of all of Martin Luther's sins. 00:13:41.55\00:13:44.39 And Martin Luther said he was in agony 00:13:44.42\00:13:47.06 over all the things 00:13:47.09\00:13:49.02 that the devil had been revealing about him. 00:13:49.06\00:13:51.39 But he looked further 00:13:51.43\00:13:53.16 and he saw over every one of his sins, 00:13:53.19\00:13:54.86 a red stamp, "Pardoned. 00:13:54.90\00:13:56.93 Pardoned. Pardoned. 00:13:56.97\00:13:58.93 Pardoned. Pardoned." 00:13:58.97\00:14:00.77 Amen? Amen. 00:14:00.80\00:14:02.40 So when we see that we are here, 00:14:02.44\00:14:06.14 and our advocate is here, he invites us. 00:14:06.17\00:14:09.31 And look at the term he uses. 00:14:09.34\00:14:11.08 He doesn't talk to us like ruffians or goats, 00:14:11.11\00:14:14.88 what does he call us? 00:14:14.92\00:14:16.25 How many little children, if you say, you know, 00:14:21.52\00:14:26.33 they hold up their awry. 00:14:26.36\00:14:27.73 Come here 00:14:30.33\00:14:31.67 and they come and they just bury themselves in you. 00:14:31.70\00:14:34.50 Jesus says, "You can do that." 00:14:34.54\00:14:36.50 That's why he said, "Allow the little children, 00:14:36.54\00:14:41.04 suffer the little children to come to me, 00:14:41.08\00:14:43.21 and do not forbid them, 00:14:43.24\00:14:44.75 for such is the kingdom of Heaven." 00:14:44.78\00:14:46.35 So tonight I want to begin with that picture. 00:14:46.38\00:14:48.48 Whatever you have done, 00:14:48.52\00:14:50.89 you have an advocate whose name is Jesus. 00:14:50.92\00:14:54.02 Amen. 00:14:54.06\00:14:55.42 Whatever you have done. 00:14:55.46\00:14:56.89 And I tell you, reality of it is, 00:14:56.93\00:14:59.53 nobody knows us like he does and he invites us to come 00:14:59.56\00:15:03.77 and receive repentance in His presence. 00:15:03.80\00:15:06.07 Let's go to number 17, so number 19. 00:15:06.10\00:15:09.64 So if you've answered number 18, 00:15:09.67\00:15:11.91 how does Jesus invite the sinner 00:15:11.94\00:15:13.27 to come to Him for forgiveness, 00:15:13.31\00:15:15.88 come to Him, He is our advocate, 00:15:15.91\00:15:19.21 come to our advocate. 00:15:19.25\00:15:22.98 Okay, number 19. 00:15:23.02\00:15:24.35 I know I put the scripture down here 00:15:28.76\00:15:30.09 but we might have to go through that to Romans. 00:15:30.13\00:15:32.19 Okay, "What moves the heart of the sinner 00:15:32.23\00:15:36.03 to seek repentance?" 00:15:36.06\00:15:38.23 What moves the... 00:15:38.27\00:15:39.60 Go to Romans 2:4. 00:15:39.63\00:15:41.60 Romans 2:4, and by the way, 00:15:41.64\00:15:45.37 I know that I am looking at my syllabus here. 00:15:45.41\00:15:49.81 My lovely wife always says, "Any typos?" 00:15:49.84\00:15:52.78 I say, "No, honey." 00:15:52.81\00:15:54.68 I should have been wise to check tonight 00:15:54.72\00:15:56.99 because I left out the scripture with the answer. 00:15:57.02\00:15:58.82 But because you have your Bible, 00:15:58.85\00:16:00.56 that's all we need. 00:16:00.59\00:16:01.92 Can I get an amen? 00:16:01.96\00:16:03.29 Amen. 00:16:03.32\00:16:04.66 Okay, let's go to Romans 2:4. 00:16:04.69\00:16:06.03 It's in the Bible. 00:16:06.06\00:16:07.40 This text will not appear on the screen. 00:16:07.43\00:16:09.46 Romans 2:4, 00:16:09.50\00:16:11.77 and here is what the Bible says, 00:16:11.80\00:16:14.80 "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, 00:16:14.84\00:16:20.78 and longsuffering, not knowing that the," together, 00:16:20.81\00:16:25.28 "goodness of God leads you to" what? 00:16:25.31\00:16:29.28 "To repentance?" 00:16:29.32\00:16:30.65 What leads us to repentance? 00:16:30.69\00:16:32.15 The goodness of God. 00:16:32.19\00:16:34.46 I want to emphasize that because some people think 00:16:34.49\00:16:36.59 that God is this guy with a rifle 00:16:36.62\00:16:40.06 and a sinner's scope on it 00:16:40.10\00:16:41.93 and he is trying to just, "Look at what we... 00:16:41.96\00:16:43.43 Oh, got you." 00:16:43.47\00:16:45.47 And he takes us out. 00:16:45.50\00:16:47.54 The devil does that. 00:16:47.57\00:16:49.00 He magnifies every wrong we've done, 00:16:49.04\00:16:50.97 he looks for the false in our lives. 00:16:51.01\00:16:53.07 But Jesus is not that way. 00:16:53.11\00:16:55.34 He says, "When we are moved by the goodness of God..." 00:16:55.38\00:16:59.75 I heard a story. 00:17:02.75\00:17:05.72 Matter of fact, a pastor told me this. 00:17:05.75\00:17:09.32 He had a very unruly child. 00:17:09.36\00:17:12.06 I won't tell you his name 00:17:12.09\00:17:13.43 'cause you'll know exactly who it is. 00:17:13.46\00:17:15.10 He had a very unruly child 00:17:15.13\00:17:16.97 and the child just was so disobedient, 00:17:17.00\00:17:19.63 he just couldn't get him to do right. 00:17:19.67\00:17:22.44 So the next time the child stepped out of line, 00:17:22.47\00:17:24.77 the father said... 00:17:24.81\00:17:26.71 The father took off his belt 00:17:26.74\00:17:28.08 and the child knew he was in for it. 00:17:28.11\00:17:29.71 I mean that, you know, when the belt comes off. 00:17:29.74\00:17:32.45 But the father laid across the bed 00:17:32.48\00:17:35.62 and gave the belt to his son. 00:17:35.65\00:17:38.69 And he says, "I want you to punish me for what you did. 00:17:38.72\00:17:43.02 Hit me." 00:17:43.06\00:17:45.16 "I can't do it daddy." 00:17:45.19\00:17:46.53 He said, "Hit me." 00:17:46.56\00:17:47.90 "I can't do it." 00:17:47.93\00:17:49.30 "Hit me." 00:17:49.33\00:17:51.20 And his son fell to his knees in tears 00:17:51.23\00:17:54.90 when he realized that his father 00:17:54.94\00:17:57.87 was willing to take his punishment. 00:17:57.91\00:17:59.27 You know what? 00:17:59.31\00:18:00.64 That pastor said he never had any problem 00:18:00.68\00:18:02.48 with his son after that. 00:18:02.51\00:18:04.71 He never had to tell him 'cause he recognized, he said, 00:18:04.75\00:18:10.65 "Our sin wounded Jesus." 00:18:10.69\00:18:14.42 He never had to worry about that son's 00:18:14.46\00:18:16.09 disobedience ever again. 00:18:16.12\00:18:17.73 As an illustration, you can't forget when... 00:18:17.76\00:18:20.26 Now I don't know how many parents 00:18:20.30\00:18:21.63 will be willing to do that. 00:18:21.66\00:18:23.16 You have to have really... 00:18:23.20\00:18:26.00 Anyway, I don't want to take that too far. 00:18:26.03\00:18:28.37 But it worked on this son. 00:18:28.40\00:18:32.57 If you think that you do wrong and you punish your parent 00:18:32.61\00:18:35.98 for the wrong you have done. 00:18:36.01\00:18:37.35 In that, "While we were yet sinners, 00:18:37.38\00:18:39.98 Christ died for us." 00:18:40.02\00:18:42.15 So what moves the heart 00:18:42.18\00:18:44.42 of the sinner to seek repentance? 00:18:44.45\00:18:45.79 What is it? 00:18:45.82\00:18:47.16 The goodness of God. 00:18:47.19\00:18:48.52 The goodness of God. 00:18:48.56\00:18:50.93 Let's go the next question, number 20. 00:18:50.96\00:18:53.26 And I think we're moving at a good pace. 00:18:53.29\00:18:55.20 "What is repentance?" 00:18:55.23\00:18:57.00 What is repentance? 00:18:57.03\00:18:59.07 What is it? 00:18:59.10\00:19:00.60 We've talked about the need for it. 00:19:00.64\00:19:02.20 But what is it? 00:19:02.24\00:19:03.84 What is repentance? 00:19:03.87\00:19:05.31 2 Corinthians 7:9-10. 00:19:05.34\00:19:10.11 2 Corinthians 7:9-10. 00:19:10.15\00:19:14.15 Okay. 00:19:18.45\00:19:19.79 I think we are there. 00:19:19.82\00:19:21.16 Okay. 00:19:24.79\00:19:26.13 Wow. Oh, here we are. 00:19:28.10\00:19:30.40 The Bible says, "Now I rejoice, 00:19:30.43\00:19:33.57 not that you were made sorry, 00:19:33.60\00:19:38.21 but that your sorrow led to" what? 00:19:38.24\00:19:41.74 "Repentance. 00:19:41.78\00:19:43.24 For you were made sorry in a godly manner, 00:19:43.28\00:19:49.12 that you might suffer loss from us in nothing." 00:19:49.15\00:19:52.72 I want to spend a little time on this. 00:19:52.75\00:19:55.96 How were you made, Sawry? 00:19:55.99\00:19:57.96 In a godly manner. 00:19:57.99\00:20:00.36 I have learned to say to children. 00:20:04.87\00:20:06.47 I have young kids at, you know, 00:20:06.50\00:20:09.44 they steal something or they snatch something 00:20:09.47\00:20:11.17 from another young child and the teacher says, 00:20:11.21\00:20:14.44 "Go say you are sorry." 00:20:14.48\00:20:16.28 Now I don't do that. I say, "Go say you apologize." 00:20:16.31\00:20:20.18 Because what happens here... 00:20:20.22\00:20:21.55 you were made sorry in a godly manner. 00:20:26.32\00:20:30.33 Sorrow, real sorrow, 00:20:30.36\00:20:32.69 is awakened by the indwelling presence of Christ. 00:20:32.73\00:20:36.10 You can't force anybody to say sorry. 00:20:40.14\00:20:42.60 And if you force them to say sorry, 00:20:42.64\00:20:44.41 and it hasn't come from their heart, 00:20:44.44\00:20:46.68 it's not really a sorry. 00:20:46.71\00:20:48.38 It's a statement. 00:20:48.41\00:20:50.08 When the sorrow is felt when they understand 00:20:50.11\00:20:53.21 what they have done. 00:20:53.25\00:20:55.05 When the Lord through the conviction 00:20:55.08\00:20:57.09 of the Spirit of God comes into a person's life, 00:20:57.12\00:21:01.29 you got to wait for that sorry to come 00:21:01.32\00:21:04.39 because it's godly sorrow that leads to repentance, 00:21:04.43\00:21:09.00 not sorrow itself. 00:21:09.03\00:21:11.40 We are not saying sorry. 00:21:11.43\00:21:13.34 But sorry in a godly manner. 00:21:13.37\00:21:17.17 Look at what he says it again. 00:21:17.21\00:21:18.91 Not that you were made sorry, 00:21:18.94\00:21:20.94 but that your sorrow lead to what? 00:21:20.98\00:21:23.24 Repentance. 00:21:23.28\00:21:24.61 When it's godly sorrow, it will lead to repentance 00:21:24.65\00:21:27.38 because you are sorry in a godly manner. 00:21:27.42\00:21:30.09 What does that mean? 00:21:30.12\00:21:31.69 That means the Lord in His Word, 00:21:31.72\00:21:33.56 and sometimes when people want to study about repentance 00:21:33.59\00:21:36.12 or sorrow, somebody once... 00:21:36.16\00:21:39.33 Well, the Apostle Paul said it best. 00:21:39.36\00:21:41.56 He says, "I had not known sin except the law revealed 00:21:41.60\00:21:45.73 what it is." 00:21:45.77\00:21:49.67 If you have nothing pointing out 00:21:49.70\00:21:52.14 the transgression you've done, 00:21:52.17\00:21:54.21 if you haven't faced it, and seen it, 00:21:54.24\00:21:58.61 and experienced the ramifications of it, 00:21:58.65\00:22:02.18 then your sorrow doesn't lead to repentance 00:22:02.22\00:22:07.06 because it's not a godly sorrow. 00:22:07.09\00:22:09.92 Criminals stand in front of the judge 00:22:09.96\00:22:11.63 and often when they are sentenced, 00:22:11.66\00:22:13.60 they say to them, 00:22:13.63\00:22:15.06 "What do you have to say to the family?" 00:22:15.10\00:22:17.00 And they say, "I am sorry." 00:22:17.03\00:22:19.53 It's years before they figure out 00:22:25.77\00:22:27.34 what sorry means. 00:22:27.38\00:22:29.44 And I've heard stories where prisoners, 00:22:29.48\00:22:32.61 years later have written letters 00:22:32.65\00:22:34.98 to the family confessing and expressing sorrow, 00:22:35.02\00:22:40.09 and I've heard years later family members have come 00:22:40.12\00:22:44.63 to the prison to visit the person 00:22:44.66\00:22:48.13 who took the life of their loved one 00:22:48.16\00:22:50.83 and they've said, "I forgive you." 00:22:50.87\00:22:52.90 And there was this mending of hearts. 00:22:55.44\00:22:58.67 And the person who was incarcerated, 00:22:58.71\00:23:00.41 who may be serving life, serve life behind bars, 00:23:00.44\00:23:04.28 but for the first time in their lives, they were free. 00:23:04.31\00:23:08.25 So look at the last part of that verse. 00:23:08.28\00:23:12.52 When there is repentance 00:23:12.55\00:23:14.56 and the sorrow is from a godly way, 00:23:14.59\00:23:17.23 that you might suffer loss from us in what? 00:23:17.26\00:23:20.53 You haven't lost anything. 00:23:20.56\00:23:23.10 When it's a godly sorrow, when you repent, 00:23:23.13\00:23:26.20 the loss is prevented, that you lose nothing. 00:23:26.23\00:23:30.44 But when people don't repent, 00:23:30.47\00:23:33.58 and it's not made repentance from a godly manner, 00:23:33.61\00:23:36.81 then there is a lot of loss connected to it. 00:23:36.85\00:23:39.21 Here is the next verse. 00:23:39.25\00:23:42.08 Read it with me. 00:23:42.12\00:23:43.45 "For godly sorrow produces repentance 00:23:43.49\00:23:48.02 leading to salvation to" what? 00:23:48.06\00:23:50.06 "Salvation." 00:23:50.09\00:23:51.43 I left that, "not to be regretted, 00:23:51.46\00:23:55.36 but the sorrow of the world produces" what? 00:23:55.40\00:23:58.40 "Death." 00:23:58.43\00:23:59.77 Notice the difference in sorrow. 00:23:59.80\00:24:01.14 Godly sorrow, what kind of sorrow? 00:24:01.17\00:24:03.14 Godly sorrow. 00:24:03.17\00:24:04.51 Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to what? 00:24:04.54\00:24:07.18 Salvation. 00:24:07.21\00:24:08.54 Not to be regretted, you will never regret. 00:24:08.58\00:24:12.51 You will never regret. 00:24:12.55\00:24:14.48 You will never regret. 00:24:14.52\00:24:15.85 Repentance leading to salvation. 00:24:18.09\00:24:20.26 But there's coming a day, 00:24:20.29\00:24:22.86 when many people in the world are gonna say, 00:24:22.89\00:24:24.23 "Lord, we are sorry." 00:24:24.26\00:24:27.30 But at that point, 00:24:27.33\00:24:29.43 the sorrow of the world will produce nothing but what? 00:24:29.46\00:24:32.27 Nothing but death. 00:24:32.30\00:24:34.60 Wow. 00:24:34.64\00:24:35.97 That was a serious one to ponder. 00:24:36.00\00:24:37.61 So the answer to number 20 is what? 00:24:37.64\00:24:40.58 What is repentance? 00:24:40.61\00:24:42.98 Godly sorrow. 00:24:43.01\00:24:45.58 Godly sorrow. 00:24:45.61\00:24:47.35 And I want to be candid with you. 00:24:50.69\00:24:52.92 I've learned in my own experience. 00:24:52.95\00:24:54.52 Godly sorrow only comes when you put yourself 00:24:54.56\00:24:56.83 before the Lord. 00:24:56.86\00:24:58.19 And we're gonna use some examples in the Bible tonight. 00:24:58.23\00:25:00.63 One of the greatest examples we have in scripture 00:25:00.66\00:25:04.23 of a person who... 00:25:04.27\00:25:05.60 And we're gonna go there when I get to the text, 00:25:05.63\00:25:07.17 we'll go there. 00:25:07.20\00:25:08.54 So I better not rush myself ahead of the story. 00:25:08.57\00:25:11.41 But when you put yourself before God, and you say, 00:25:11.44\00:25:14.38 "Lord," as the songwriter says, "It's me, it's me, it's me, 00:25:14.41\00:25:17.58 O Lord, standing in the need of prayer." 00:25:17.61\00:25:19.05 When you put yourself before God, 00:25:19.08\00:25:21.42 and you say, "Lord, flush me out. 00:25:21.45\00:25:23.79 Clean me up. Show me myself." 00:25:23.82\00:25:26.32 He does it. 00:25:26.35\00:25:27.69 But He doesn't do it in a sense to repulse us. 00:25:27.72\00:25:32.59 He does it in a way to draw us. 00:25:32.63\00:25:35.70 Wow. 00:25:35.73\00:25:37.07 I could spend a whole lot of time on this 00:25:37.10\00:25:38.43 but I won't in the interest of time. 00:25:38.47\00:25:41.04 He doesn't do it to repulse us, He does it to do what? 00:25:41.07\00:25:45.51 To draw us. 00:25:45.54\00:25:47.58 Wow. 00:25:47.61\00:25:50.21 Twenty one. 00:25:50.25\00:25:52.11 Twenty one. 00:25:52.15\00:25:53.48 "What does true repentance produce 00:25:56.28\00:26:00.69 and prepare the way for?" 00:26:00.72\00:26:03.76 What does true repentance produce 00:26:03.79\00:26:07.93 and prepare the way for? 00:26:07.96\00:26:11.77 Acts 3:19. 00:26:11.80\00:26:15.37 Acts 3:19. 00:26:15.40\00:26:18.11 Wow. 00:26:18.14\00:26:19.47 I'd like us to read this one together. 00:26:26.15\00:26:30.05 Are you ready at home? 00:26:30.09\00:26:31.62 Yeah. Here we go. 00:26:31.65\00:26:33.46 "Repent therefore and be" what? 00:26:33.49\00:26:36.46 "Converted, that your sins may be" what? 00:26:36.49\00:26:41.36 "Blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come 00:26:41.40\00:26:46.84 from the presence of the Lord." 00:26:46.87\00:26:50.21 That has a number of good points 00:26:50.24\00:26:53.24 that has made in it. 00:26:53.27\00:26:55.68 Let me show you a couple of those. 00:26:55.71\00:26:57.31 Now remember the phrase, from the presence of the Lord, 00:26:57.35\00:27:00.62 remember that phrase. 00:27:00.65\00:27:01.98 Now go to Revelation 6 with me. 00:27:02.02\00:27:05.95 Revelation 6. 00:27:05.99\00:27:09.42 Okay. 00:27:09.46\00:27:10.79 Revelation 6. 00:27:14.30\00:27:16.73 Okay. 00:27:16.77\00:27:18.10 When you repent and your sins are blotted out, 00:27:25.97\00:27:29.44 it's refreshing 00:27:29.48\00:27:31.51 when you are in the presence of the Lord. 00:27:31.55\00:27:33.98 But look at the opposite. 00:27:34.02\00:27:35.52 Look at the opposite. 00:27:35.55\00:27:39.52 Oh, let's start with verse 15. 00:27:39.55\00:27:42.22 "And the kings of the earth," well, let's start with verse 14 00:27:45.26\00:27:48.76 because this is the second coming of Jesus. 00:27:48.80\00:27:51.53 It says, "Then the sky receded as a scroll 00:27:51.57\00:27:56.64 when it is rolled up, 00:27:56.67\00:27:58.24 and every mountain and island was moved out of" what? 00:27:58.27\00:28:01.78 "Moved out of its place. 00:28:01.81\00:28:04.38 And the kings of the earth," that's the leaders, 00:28:04.41\00:28:06.98 "the great men, the rich men, the commanders, 00:28:07.02\00:28:10.92 or the mighty men, every slave and every free man" did what? 00:28:10.95\00:28:17.06 "Hid themselves in the caves 00:28:17.09\00:28:19.43 and in the rocks of the mountains." 00:28:19.46\00:28:21.23 Let me ask the question before you go any further. 00:28:21.26\00:28:23.03 Were they looking forward to the presence of the Lord? 00:28:23.06\00:28:25.10 No. 00:28:25.13\00:28:26.47 What were they looking? 00:28:26.50\00:28:27.84 They did not want to see Him. 00:28:27.87\00:28:29.20 And what did they say? 00:28:29.24\00:28:30.57 "And said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us, 00:28:30.61\00:28:35.01 hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne 00:28:35.04\00:28:39.38 and from the wrath of the Lamb!" 00:28:39.41\00:28:43.12 How many times have you seen the wrathful lamb? 00:28:43.15\00:28:45.95 "For the great day of His wrath has come, 00:28:45.99\00:28:48.12 and who is able to stand?'" 00:28:48.16\00:28:50.03 Now, but what happens when we repent? 00:28:50.06\00:28:52.73 What do we receive at the presence of the Lord? 00:28:52.76\00:28:55.26 What? 00:28:55.30\00:28:56.77 It's refreshing. 00:28:56.80\00:28:58.37 It is like a cool drink of water 00:28:58.40\00:29:00.60 on a terribly hot day. 00:29:00.64\00:29:02.40 In other words, it is a welcomed sight. 00:29:02.44\00:29:04.57 Isaiah 25:9 as a response. 00:29:04.61\00:29:06.78 Go there with me. Isaiah 25:9. 00:29:06.81\00:29:08.94 Look at the categorizations. 00:29:08.98\00:29:10.35 They are hiding from him because they haven't repented. 00:29:10.38\00:29:14.35 But those who repent, 00:29:14.38\00:29:15.72 it's refreshing to be in the presence of the Lord. 00:29:15.75\00:29:18.79 Those who repent, 00:29:18.82\00:29:20.16 it's refreshing to be in the presence of the Lord. 00:29:20.19\00:29:23.89 But those who don't, those who don't, 00:29:23.93\00:29:27.20 I am showing you the two classes of individuals. 00:29:27.23\00:29:30.33 We saw one. Hide us. 00:29:30.37\00:29:32.53 We don't want to see him. And I'd be honest with you. 00:29:32.57\00:29:34.60 When a person, 00:29:34.64\00:29:35.97 whenever a person is in sin, what do they do? 00:29:36.00\00:29:38.01 Hide. 00:29:38.04\00:29:39.37 What did Adam and Eve do when they sinned? 00:29:39.41\00:29:41.14 Hid. 00:29:41.18\00:29:44.31 What do children when they sin? 00:29:44.35\00:29:46.51 Hide. 00:29:46.55\00:29:48.68 They either hide themselves or they hide the evidence. 00:29:48.72\00:29:51.99 They hide. They can't wait. 00:29:52.02\00:29:54.22 They don't want to see their parents. 00:29:54.26\00:29:55.59 Oh, I said Isaiah 25, right? 00:29:55.62\00:29:57.83 Yeah. Isaiah 25:9. 00:29:57.86\00:29:59.96 Yes. 00:30:00.00\00:30:01.33 Look at the difference. Look at the categorizations. 00:30:01.36\00:30:03.13 Look at the separation of classes. 00:30:03.16\00:30:05.17 In that very same time, 00:30:05.20\00:30:07.74 "And it will be said in that day, 00:30:07.77\00:30:10.11 'Behold, this is our God. 00:30:10.14\00:30:13.91 We have waited for Him, and He will save us. 00:30:13.94\00:30:18.85 This is the Lord. 00:30:18.88\00:30:20.82 We have waited for Him.'" 00:30:20.85\00:30:23.12 And what will we do? 00:30:23.15\00:30:24.75 "We will be" what? 00:30:24.79\00:30:26.19 "Glad and rejoice in His salvation." 00:30:26.22\00:30:30.03 Here is the point. 00:30:30.06\00:30:31.39 When we are converted and our sins are blotted out, 00:30:31.43\00:30:34.36 we look forward to seeing Jesus. 00:30:34.40\00:30:36.20 Amen? Amen. 00:30:36.23\00:30:37.57 You are not fearful of the coming of the Lord. 00:30:37.60\00:30:39.20 Some people when you, I've seen sermons, you know, 00:30:39.23\00:30:41.87 when sermon is about the judgment, 00:30:41.90\00:30:43.64 when a person's life is not right, 00:30:43.67\00:30:45.17 the sermon on the judgment is terrifying. 00:30:45.21\00:30:47.98 When people talk about the seven last plaques, 00:30:48.01\00:30:49.98 if you don't know the Lord, it's terrifying. 00:30:50.01\00:30:53.48 When you talk about the fires of hell or the second death, 00:30:53.52\00:30:56.08 and you don't know the Lord, it's terrifying. 00:30:56.12\00:30:59.15 But when you know the Lord, okay, go to Romans. 00:30:59.19\00:31:04.43 Okay, go to Romans. 00:31:04.46\00:31:07.20 Okay. 00:31:07.23\00:31:08.56 Okay. 00:31:13.70\00:31:15.04 Matter of fact, not Romans. 00:31:15.07\00:31:17.11 Not Romans, 1 John. 00:31:17.14\00:31:20.84 I said Romans, but it's 1 John. 00:31:20.88\00:31:25.05 1 John. Here is the difference. 00:31:25.08\00:31:27.48 Here is the difference. 00:31:27.52\00:31:28.85 1 John 4. 00:31:33.82\00:31:35.32 Wow. 00:31:37.79\00:31:39.66 And I want to read 00:31:39.69\00:31:43.97 verse 17 and 18. 00:31:44.00\00:31:47.87 The Bible says, "Love has been" what? 00:31:47.90\00:31:51.24 Perfected among us in this, 00:31:51.27\00:31:54.51 that we may have" come on say it, 00:31:54.54\00:31:57.45 "boldness in the day `of judgment, 00:31:57.48\00:32:00.55 because as He is, so are we in this world." 00:32:00.58\00:32:06.45 And look at verse 18. 00:32:06.49\00:32:09.86 "There is no fear in love," but what kind of love?" 00:32:09.89\00:32:14.96 Perfect love casts out fear, 00:32:15.00\00:32:19.63 because fear involves torment. 00:32:19.67\00:32:23.04 But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." 00:32:23.07\00:32:28.98 So you see that what happens. 00:32:29.01\00:32:30.65 When a person, when... 00:32:30.68\00:32:32.91 I'm looking at the screen, when God's perfect love 00:32:32.95\00:32:35.98 takes away our fear, there is no more torment. 00:32:36.02\00:32:39.49 And when you look at the two classes, 00:32:39.52\00:32:41.02 Revelation 6 and Isaiah 25, you look at those 00:32:41.06\00:32:45.59 who are filled with fear and torment, 00:32:45.63\00:32:48.16 hide us from him, fall on us, we don't want to see him. 00:32:48.20\00:32:53.84 I don't know of anybody who runs from a lamb. 00:32:53.87\00:32:57.07 May be a sheep or a goat, but a lamb, a tender lamb. 00:32:57.11\00:33:02.94 But the lamb... 00:33:02.98\00:33:04.31 is fierce to those who have rejected him. 00:33:07.35\00:33:12.09 But the lamb is loving to those who have accepted him. 00:33:12.12\00:33:17.16 Not that his character changes. 00:33:17.19\00:33:18.79 But they see him as the judgment lamb, 00:33:18.83\00:33:22.06 not the delivering lamb. 00:33:22.10\00:33:26.13 So what kind of love do we want? 00:33:26.17\00:33:27.64 What kind of love do we want? 00:33:27.67\00:33:29.00 Perfect love. Say it again. 00:33:29.04\00:33:30.37 Perfect love that takes the fear away. 00:33:30.41\00:33:33.04 Wow. 00:33:33.07\00:33:34.41 That takes the fear away. 00:33:34.44\00:33:36.54 So when the time comes, if we repent and are converted, 00:33:36.58\00:33:41.98 what does converted mean? 00:33:42.02\00:33:43.35 What does converted mean? 00:33:43.39\00:33:44.79 U-turn. 00:33:44.82\00:33:46.25 Say it again. 00:33:46.29\00:33:47.62 U-turn. U-turn. 00:33:47.66\00:33:49.42 That means you're no longer going in the same direction. 00:33:49.46\00:33:51.86 We're gonna see that illustrated 00:33:51.89\00:33:53.23 a little bit more and no longer means, 00:33:53.26\00:33:55.86 you say I am sorry and you continue the behavior. 00:33:55.90\00:33:58.93 No, it's a change in direction because of the change in life. 00:33:58.97\00:34:02.60 Converted, and then, 00:34:02.64\00:34:04.17 your sins or transgressions are blotted out. 00:34:04.21\00:34:06.88 It's like our records are sealed 00:34:06.91\00:34:08.81 and the Lord does not allow anybody 00:34:08.84\00:34:10.45 to unseal our records. 00:34:10.48\00:34:12.11 Praise God for that. 00:34:12.15\00:34:13.92 Now we're gonna go to question number 22. 00:34:13.95\00:34:17.22 Question number 22. 00:34:17.25\00:34:20.16 And this is a little different phrasing 00:34:20.19\00:34:21.82 because I have a purpose behind it. 00:34:21.86\00:34:24.73 Question number 22. 00:34:24.76\00:34:26.49 Here it is. 00:34:26.53\00:34:28.36 "When we enter into a covenant of repentance, 00:34:28.40\00:34:33.47 what do we desire?" 00:34:33.50\00:34:35.84 What do we desire? 00:34:35.87\00:34:39.01 Psalm 51:10, I think you all know it by-heart. 00:34:39.04\00:34:43.28 I think you know it by-heart, 00:34:43.31\00:34:44.78 but I want us to repeat it together 00:34:44.81\00:34:46.98 because it's a beautiful passage. 00:34:47.02\00:34:49.35 And the person that I was gonna make reference to 00:34:49.38\00:34:52.35 that wrote this was who? 00:34:52.39\00:34:55.09 David. 00:34:55.12\00:34:56.46 David the Patriarch. 00:34:56.49\00:34:57.83 After he... 00:34:57.86\00:34:59.19 And by the way, you look in the Bible, 00:34:59.23\00:35:00.60 and I get to text in a moment here, but it says, 00:35:00.63\00:35:04.97 David did everything right in the sight of the Lord 00:35:05.00\00:35:10.77 except about Uriah the Hittite. 00:35:10.81\00:35:15.14 When David impregnated Uriah's wife... 00:35:19.98\00:35:23.89 set up his death, had him killed. 00:35:26.12\00:35:31.83 He lost that child. 00:35:31.86\00:35:33.23 And when David prayed and prayed, 00:35:36.40\00:35:38.03 we read in story together, my wife and I was reading, 00:35:38.07\00:35:40.20 David prayed and prayed 00:35:40.24\00:35:41.90 and prayed and prayed and prayed 00:35:41.94\00:35:43.57 that the baby wouldn't die. 00:35:43.61\00:35:45.64 And when the baby died, David got up the next morning, 00:35:45.67\00:35:51.05 washed his face, 00:35:51.08\00:35:53.72 and went about life as he did before. 00:35:53.75\00:35:59.39 And one of his servants said, 00:35:59.42\00:36:01.86 "David, the baby just died. 00:36:01.89\00:36:05.69 How come you're not mourning?" 00:36:05.73\00:36:07.53 He said, "I already mourned, 00:36:07.56\00:36:10.27 already prayed for him not to die. 00:36:10.30\00:36:12.20 He is dead. 00:36:12.23\00:36:13.57 What need more is there to mourn? 00:36:13.60\00:36:15.84 Let's just go on." 00:36:15.87\00:36:18.01 And you know what? Huh? 00:36:18.04\00:36:19.51 "Okay, my mourning cannot bring the child back." 00:36:22.08\00:36:24.58 But what I like is the servant of God said, "Had David," 00:36:24.61\00:36:29.95 this is huge, "Had David said to God, 00:36:29.98\00:36:35.56 'Why didn't you save my child? 00:36:35.59\00:36:39.33 Why would You let him die?'" 00:36:39.36\00:36:43.33 We are told that David would have reflected 00:36:43.37\00:36:48.77 his transgression on God, 00:36:48.80\00:36:52.24 made God look like the bad guy rather than him. 00:36:52.27\00:36:58.08 It was really his sin that lead to the death of the baby, 00:36:58.11\00:37:01.12 not God. 00:37:01.15\00:37:02.48 That's why it was so vitally important for people to say, 00:37:02.52\00:37:05.15 this is just something important, 00:37:05.19\00:37:06.52 I am looking at the camera and saying this, 00:37:06.55\00:37:07.89 it's so vitally important for us not to say 00:37:07.92\00:37:10.76 God took my mother, God took my child. 00:37:10.79\00:37:16.40 We just had a horrible school shooting, 00:37:16.43\00:37:19.00 it was on the news, in Kentucky, 00:37:19.03\00:37:23.97 14-year-old and a 15-year-old was killed 00:37:24.01\00:37:26.84 while waiting in the common area to go to class. 00:37:26.88\00:37:32.08 You can't go home and say to that parent, "You know, 00:37:32.11\00:37:34.82 God wants you to learn a lesson out of this." 00:37:34.85\00:37:38.72 That makes God look horrible. 00:37:38.75\00:37:40.29 You can't put two and two together 00:37:43.43\00:37:44.76 to make that even add up to anything logical. 00:37:44.79\00:37:49.33 But so often God receives the blame 00:37:49.36\00:37:51.63 for the horrible things that are done in our world. 00:37:51.67\00:37:54.50 But David did not blame God. 00:37:54.54\00:38:00.04 What did he do? 00:38:00.08\00:38:01.48 What did he do? 00:38:01.51\00:38:02.84 Psalm 15:10. 00:38:02.88\00:38:04.21 What did he do? 00:38:04.25\00:38:05.58 Let's read it together. 00:38:05.61\00:38:06.95 I want us all to read this together. 00:38:06.98\00:38:08.45 Are you ready? 00:38:08.48\00:38:09.82 Here it is. 00:38:09.85\00:38:11.19 "Create in me a clean heart, 00:38:11.22\00:38:14.59 O God, and renew a" what? 00:38:14.62\00:38:17.33 "Steadfast or right spirit within me." 00:38:17.36\00:38:19.89 I like the old, the King James Version, 00:38:19.93\00:38:21.60 renew a what? 00:38:21.63\00:38:22.96 Right spirit within me because before, 00:38:23.00\00:38:26.03 David had the wrong spirit and it's often the wrong spirit 00:38:26.07\00:38:29.77 that leads us to do what we do. 00:38:29.80\00:38:31.81 But David said... 00:38:31.84\00:38:33.17 Let's look at the rest of it. 00:38:33.21\00:38:34.54 Go to Psalm 51. 00:38:34.58\00:38:36.21 I want you to answer the question. 00:38:36.24\00:38:37.58 When we enter into a covenant of repentance, 00:38:37.61\00:38:40.05 what do we desire? 00:38:40.08\00:38:41.42 What kind of heart do we desire? 00:38:41.45\00:38:43.75 Come on, say it. A clean. 00:38:43.79\00:38:45.32 What kind of spirit? Right. 00:38:45.35\00:38:46.96 The right spirit. 00:38:46.99\00:38:48.32 A clean heart and a right spirit. 00:38:48.36\00:38:50.49 A clean heart and a right spirit. 00:38:50.53\00:38:53.09 And the word there, the word there has its place, 00:38:53.13\00:38:57.17 when it says right, also means steadfast 00:38:57.20\00:38:59.70 because steadfast indicates that David is saying, 00:38:59.73\00:39:03.57 "From this point on, I am only going in one direction." 00:39:03.61\00:39:07.34 Steadfast. 00:39:07.38\00:39:08.71 And when the Bible uses the phrase, 00:39:08.74\00:39:10.28 if you look throughout the scriptures, when it said, 00:39:10.31\00:39:13.42 "He steadfastly set his face toward Jerusalem," 00:39:13.45\00:39:16.38 that means, he had his mind fixed in one direction, 00:39:16.42\00:39:19.05 he wasn't going back. 00:39:19.09\00:39:20.52 Steadfast. 00:39:20.56\00:39:22.29 Steadfast and unmovable. 00:39:22.32\00:39:24.66 He was established, 00:39:24.69\00:39:26.46 he was serious about his conversion, 00:39:26.49\00:39:28.93 serious about his repentance, and he said, "Lord, 00:39:28.96\00:39:32.37 give me a spirit of steadfastness. 00:39:32.40\00:39:34.87 I want that spirit within me." 00:39:34.90\00:39:38.21 Huh? 00:39:38.24\00:39:39.94 A man after the Lord's own heart. 00:39:39.97\00:39:42.61 A steadfast spirit. 00:39:42.64\00:39:45.41 After, exactly. 00:39:45.45\00:39:47.58 But now where are we going? 00:39:47.62\00:39:49.48 So write it down. 00:39:49.52\00:39:51.35 When we enter into the covenant of repentance, 00:39:51.39\00:39:53.92 what do we desire? 00:39:53.96\00:39:55.39 A clean heart and a right or a steadfast spirit. 00:39:55.42\00:40:00.66 I did say we were going to Psalm 51, didn't I? 00:40:00.70\00:40:03.13 I thought so. 00:40:03.16\00:40:04.70 Don't know why you guys didn't remind me? 00:40:04.73\00:40:07.97 I did say it. 00:40:08.00\00:40:10.21 I better not because I have it coming up again. 00:40:10.24\00:40:13.48 But keep it there 00:40:13.51\00:40:15.44 because I have some more parts of it coming up, 00:40:15.48\00:40:17.85 I don't want to jump ahead of myself. 00:40:17.88\00:40:19.75 But now question number 23. 00:40:19.78\00:40:22.98 Question number 23. 00:40:23.02\00:40:24.59 I was moved by the Lord few months ago 00:40:29.49\00:40:33.43 to talk about this topic of repentance 00:40:33.46\00:40:35.10 because you know, don't hear about it very much. 00:40:35.13\00:40:37.80 Don't hear so much about repentance. 00:40:37.83\00:40:39.33 Somebody said to you in California. 00:40:39.37\00:40:41.34 We were preaching in California 00:40:41.37\00:40:43.41 and somebody came to me and said, 00:40:43.44\00:40:45.41 "You preached the third angel's message 00:40:45.44\00:40:48.24 and you included everything except repentance." 00:40:48.28\00:40:51.25 And I said to him, "Tune in on Wednesday night." 00:40:51.28\00:40:53.98 'Cause I didn't forget that. 00:40:54.02\00:40:55.92 Tune in on Wednesday night. 00:40:55.95\00:40:58.02 Question number 23. 00:40:58.05\00:41:00.56 "What happens in a person who has sincerely repented?" 00:41:00.59\00:41:05.73 What happens in a person who has sincerely repented? 00:41:05.76\00:41:10.87 Ezekiel 14:6. 00:41:10.90\00:41:15.77 Okay, I am on my way there. 00:41:15.80\00:41:18.47 Right before Daniel. 00:41:18.51\00:41:19.84 Ezekiel 14:6. 00:41:23.28\00:41:26.28 Okay, here it is. 00:41:28.12\00:41:29.88 The Lord speaking to Israel, here it is, 00:41:29.92\00:41:33.25 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 00:41:33.29\00:41:37.63 'Thus says the Lord God,'" what's the first word? 00:41:37.66\00:41:41.66 "Repent," what's the next word? 00:41:41.70\00:41:43.70 "Turn," "'Repent, turn away from your idols, 00:41:43.73\00:41:49.07 and turn your faces away from all your abominations.'" 00:41:49.10\00:41:54.41 Now this is a powerful passage. 00:41:54.44\00:41:56.95 What happens when a person 00:41:56.98\00:41:58.35 who has sincerely repented of their sin? 00:41:58.38\00:42:01.28 What word do you see there emphasized more than once? 00:42:01.32\00:42:03.49 Turn. Turn. 00:42:03.52\00:42:05.22 They turn. They turn. 00:42:05.25\00:42:06.99 Not only do they turn away from the things 00:42:07.02\00:42:08.76 that they have had their affections to, 00:42:08.79\00:42:11.19 but they turn their faces away 00:42:11.23\00:42:12.63 from all the abominable things they did. 00:42:12.66\00:42:15.80 The things that they once admired, 00:42:20.34\00:42:23.17 the things that had their attention, 00:42:23.20\00:42:25.44 they turned from their idols, 00:42:25.47\00:42:27.28 the things they idolized, they turned their faces 00:42:27.31\00:42:30.21 from all their abominable things that they had done. 00:42:30.25\00:42:32.71 So turn, turn, turn away, so Lord is in essence saying, 00:42:32.75\00:42:36.48 he says, "I don't even want, 00:42:36.52\00:42:37.85 I don't want you to adore those idols anymore, 00:42:37.89\00:42:41.96 and I want your face to be 00:42:41.99\00:42:43.46 in a completely different direction." 00:42:43.49\00:42:47.43 And in our world today, in our world today, 00:42:47.46\00:42:51.10 you've really got to... 00:42:51.13\00:42:53.64 And it doesn't just mean turn your face away, 00:42:53.67\00:42:57.44 but what in fact, when you turn your face, 00:42:57.47\00:42:59.47 what in fact are you doing? 00:42:59.51\00:43:02.34 What in fact are you doing? 00:43:02.38\00:43:03.71 Turning your eyes. Your eyes. 00:43:03.75\00:43:06.08 Are focusing in a completely different direction, 00:43:06.11\00:43:08.68 as one runner says, "You can't run ahead of you 00:43:08.72\00:43:13.09 while you look behind you." 00:43:13.12\00:43:15.69 When you repent, whatever is behind you, 00:43:15.72\00:43:18.06 let it stay behind you, turn your face 00:43:18.09\00:43:20.00 in a completely different direction, 00:43:20.03\00:43:21.56 turn away from the thing that had your attention, 00:43:21.60\00:43:23.53 had your focus, had your idolization, 00:43:23.57\00:43:25.80 and turn your face away from all the abominable things 00:43:25.83\00:43:28.10 you've done. 00:43:28.14\00:43:29.47 So the answer here is, what happens in a person 00:43:29.50\00:43:31.71 who has sincerely repented, what do they do? 00:43:31.74\00:43:34.34 What did you put down? 00:43:34.38\00:43:37.05 Turn away, turn, turn. 00:43:37.08\00:43:40.28 Turn away, turn away. 00:43:40.32\00:43:41.72 Twice. 00:43:41.75\00:43:43.08 Turn away from doing something and turn your face away, 00:43:43.12\00:43:46.35 don't even look in that direction any longer. 00:43:46.39\00:43:48.82 Get your mind on something completely different. 00:43:48.86\00:43:52.89 Another part to this very same question 00:43:52.93\00:43:54.96 is in Ezekiel 18. 00:43:55.00\00:43:59.37 Ezekiel 18, 00:43:59.40\00:44:02.47 let's look at that. 00:44:02.50\00:44:06.91 Ezekiel 18. It's a sobering topic. 00:44:06.94\00:44:08.98 Very sobering topic. 00:44:09.01\00:44:11.11 Ezekiel 18 and let's look at verse 30. 00:44:11.15\00:44:15.18 Here it is. 00:44:15.22\00:44:16.55 "'Therefore" the Lord says, "I will judge you, 00:44:19.79\00:44:23.32 O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,' 00:44:23.36\00:44:29.13 says the Lord God.'" 00:44:29.16\00:44:31.70 Let's read the rest together. 00:44:31.73\00:44:33.44 "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions," 00:44:33.47\00:44:38.17 this is powerful," 00:44:38.21\00:44:39.54 so that iniquity will not be your ruin". 00:44:39.57\00:44:43.98 You know what iniquity is? 00:44:44.01\00:44:46.31 Iniquity is not just sin. 00:44:46.35\00:44:48.02 Iniquity and tres... 00:44:48.05\00:44:49.68 An iniquity and a trespass is not the same. 00:44:49.72\00:44:53.89 An iniquity... 00:44:53.92\00:44:55.26 A trespass is a stumble, an iniquity is an embrace. 00:44:55.29\00:45:01.46 An iniquity is something that has gained 00:45:01.50\00:45:04.60 your complete attention. 00:45:04.63\00:45:07.44 But a trespass... 00:45:07.47\00:45:09.54 'Cause there are different kinds of offerings, 00:45:09.57\00:45:11.24 there are trespass offerings, sin offerings, different types, 00:45:11.27\00:45:14.48 and they have to bring different types of sacrifice 00:45:14.51\00:45:16.34 for different types of sin. 00:45:16.38\00:45:18.75 Iniquity was the greatest of them all. 00:45:18.78\00:45:21.88 But the Lord says, "Repent, 00:45:21.92\00:45:23.39 and turn from all your transgressions, so that" what? 00:45:23.42\00:45:26.92 "Iniquity will not be your ruin." 00:45:26.96\00:45:29.49 So is it possible to be involved in iniquity 00:45:29.52\00:45:33.23 and repent and turn away from it? 00:45:33.26\00:45:35.00 Yes or no? 00:45:35.03\00:45:36.36 And we found out earlier how it happens. 00:45:40.04\00:45:41.97 Godly sorrow leads to repentance. 00:45:42.00\00:45:46.71 Because iniquity is a thing that just has become a... 00:45:46.74\00:45:50.55 The thing that just finds its way into your fiber, 00:45:50.58\00:45:56.08 in your being, in your thoughts, 00:45:56.12\00:45:57.45 in your mind, in your action. 00:45:57.49\00:45:58.99 But the Lord says, "Repent, 00:45:59.02\00:46:00.36 and turn from all your transgressions, 00:46:00.39\00:46:02.39 so that iniquity will not be your ruin." 00:46:02.42\00:46:04.76 So if you look at these both of these answers 00:46:04.79\00:46:07.10 of both of these questions you find here, 00:46:07.13\00:46:09.13 what happens when a person 00:46:09.16\00:46:10.50 who has sincerely repented of sin? 00:46:10.53\00:46:12.27 What do you find in both cases? 00:46:12.30\00:46:14.50 Turn, repent, and turn. 00:46:14.54\00:46:19.24 Not only turn, but repent, and turn. 00:46:19.27\00:46:22.78 Move your life in the right direction. 00:46:22.81\00:46:25.01 And I must say here, 00:46:25.05\00:46:27.42 somebody once asked me... 00:46:27.45\00:46:28.98 they said, 00:46:31.45\00:46:34.19 "What do I have to do to join your church?" 00:46:34.22\00:46:37.63 And I responded, I said, 00:46:37.66\00:46:39.26 "First of all, I don't have a church. 00:46:39.29\00:46:43.06 It's God's church." 00:46:43.10\00:46:45.00 And I said it that way because 00:46:45.03\00:46:46.40 I didn't want that person to think 00:46:46.43\00:46:49.64 that I had any outline for them 00:46:49.67\00:46:53.84 to follow that I made up. 00:46:53.88\00:46:56.41 I said, "If you follow God's Word, 00:46:56.44\00:47:00.32 and you do what God says in His Word, 00:47:00.35\00:47:03.69 and you follow in the footsteps and the example of Christ," 00:47:03.72\00:47:08.36 but they asked me, "What do I have to give up?" 00:47:08.39\00:47:10.59 And here's what I responded by saying because... 00:47:10.63\00:47:12.59 By the way, the word repent also means give up. 00:47:12.63\00:47:16.53 They said, "What do I have to give up 00:47:16.56\00:47:17.90 to become a member of your church?" 00:47:17.93\00:47:19.27 And I said this, "Anything you give up, 00:47:19.30\00:47:22.40 you get something far greater." 00:47:22.44\00:47:25.14 Ain't that right? 00:47:25.17\00:47:26.57 Whatever you give up, you get something far greater. 00:47:26.61\00:47:30.08 Do you remember that story? 00:47:30.11\00:47:31.45 Let's go to the Book of Luke. 00:47:31.48\00:47:32.81 Go to the Book of Luke. 00:47:37.52\00:47:38.85 It's a story that... 00:47:44.46\00:47:47.93 I am in Luke now, the rich young ruler. 00:47:58.54\00:48:03.78 This story of what he needed to do. 00:48:12.79\00:48:14.86 Luke 10. 00:48:21.90\00:48:23.23 No, no, no, no, no. 00:48:26.23\00:48:27.57 Luke chapter... 00:48:30.97\00:48:33.81 There are two of those but I want to make sure 00:48:33.84\00:48:35.34 I'll get the right one. 00:48:35.38\00:48:36.75 I want Luke, it's Luke 18. 00:48:45.39\00:48:47.56 Luke 18, and let's start with verse 18, 00:48:56.06\00:48:59.83 the rich young ruler. 00:48:59.87\00:49:03.07 Watch this. 00:49:03.10\00:49:04.51 "Now a certain ruler asked Him, 00:49:08.94\00:49:13.42 saying, 'Good Teacher, 00:49:13.45\00:49:15.12 what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'" 00:49:15.15\00:49:19.39 And this is the category of the give-ups. 00:49:19.42\00:49:21.42 Let me show you this. 00:49:21.46\00:49:22.82 "So Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? 00:49:22.86\00:49:25.93 No one is good but One, that is, God. 00:49:25.96\00:49:28.70 You know the commandments. 00:49:28.73\00:49:30.43 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 00:49:30.47\00:49:33.20 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 00:49:33.23\00:49:36.50 'Honor your father and your mother.'" 00:49:36.54\00:49:38.61 And he said, 'All these things I have kept 00:49:38.64\00:49:41.94 from my youth.' 00:49:41.98\00:49:44.78 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, 00:49:44.81\00:49:49.08 'You still lack" how many things? 00:49:49.12\00:49:51.79 "One thing. 00:49:51.82\00:49:53.46 Sell" how much? 00:49:53.49\00:49:57.19 "All that you have and distribute to the poor 00:49:57.23\00:50:01.86 and follow me. 00:50:01.90\00:50:04.00 You will have treasure in heaven, 00:50:04.03\00:50:06.33 and come, follow Me.' 00:50:06.37\00:50:08.77 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, 00:50:08.80\00:50:14.44 for he was" what? 00:50:14.48\00:50:15.81 "Very rich. 00:50:15.84\00:50:19.38 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, 00:50:19.41\00:50:22.22 He said, 00:50:22.25\00:50:23.82 'How hard is it for those who have riches 00:50:23.85\00:50:29.02 to enter the kingdom of God! 00:50:29.06\00:50:31.29 For it is easier 00:50:31.33\00:50:35.03 for a camel to go through a needle's eye 00:50:35.06\00:50:37.47 than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' 00:50:37.50\00:50:42.20 And those who heard it said, 'Who then can be saved?' 00:50:42.24\00:50:46.57 But He said," what did he say? 00:50:46.61\00:50:49.61 "These things which are impossible 00:50:49.64\00:50:51.41 with men are" what? 00:50:51.45\00:50:53.01 "Possible with God.'" 00:50:53.05\00:50:55.52 You find in the other gospels when Jesus talks about this 00:50:55.55\00:50:57.89 very same story, he said to Peter, 00:50:57.92\00:51:00.46 "If he had only followed me, 00:51:00.49\00:51:02.46 he would've had a 100 times more in this life, 00:51:02.49\00:51:07.10 and in the world to come, he would've had eternal life." 00:51:07.13\00:51:10.57 Here is my point. 00:51:10.60\00:51:11.93 When the Lord asks us to repent, of whatever it is, 00:51:11.97\00:51:14.97 He'll replace it with something far greater, 00:51:15.00\00:51:17.47 and far more abundance, and of greater value, 00:51:17.51\00:51:20.58 and lasting value than what we have. 00:51:20.61\00:51:22.98 And then not only that, 00:51:23.01\00:51:24.35 we could have the assurance of eternal life. 00:51:24.38\00:51:26.68 Amen, someone? 00:51:26.72\00:51:28.05 Amen. 00:51:28.08\00:51:29.42 The Lord is not asking us to give up anything. 00:51:29.45\00:51:32.65 He is asking us to embrace everything. 00:51:32.69\00:51:35.32 Now you know I am into astronomy, 00:51:35.36\00:51:37.69 I am gonna get the courage one day to do 00:51:37.73\00:51:39.49 a program on astronomy, 00:51:39.53\00:51:40.86 I don't know how it will fit into this topic. 00:51:40.90\00:51:43.93 But I'm gonna get the courage one day 00:51:43.97\00:51:45.30 to do something on astronomy 00:51:45.33\00:51:46.67 because our planet is a little speck of dust 00:51:46.70\00:51:51.21 in a mega warp of time and space that just 00:51:51.24\00:51:55.21 is too great for even astronomers to measure. 00:51:55.24\00:51:58.95 And we are fighting over that little piece of dust 00:51:58.98\00:52:01.65 out in God's vast ocean of worlds unknown. 00:52:01.68\00:52:06.86 And we want that little piece of dust, 00:52:06.89\00:52:08.99 and we are saying, "What do I have to give up?" 00:52:09.02\00:52:10.63 So let's go ahead. 00:52:10.66\00:52:11.99 Here we are, on this speck of dust, 00:52:12.03\00:52:16.60 "What do I have to give up to join your church?" 00:52:16.63\00:52:19.17 "Your cigarette, your life, your habits, your practices." 00:52:19.20\00:52:23.81 We don't give up anything 00:52:23.84\00:52:27.78 that measures far greater than what God gives us 00:52:27.81\00:52:30.75 when we give up those small things. 00:52:30.78\00:52:32.88 Isn't that right? 00:52:32.91\00:52:34.45 Everything we give up, 00:52:34.48\00:52:35.82 He replaces with something far greater. 00:52:35.85\00:52:37.65 Let's get to next two questions. 00:52:37.69\00:52:39.59 So if you think about, "Well, I got to give up this," 00:52:39.62\00:52:44.29 whatever you give up, and by the way, 00:52:44.33\00:52:46.26 you can't take it with you to heaven anyhow. 00:52:46.29\00:52:50.00 Tracy, what are you taking to heaven with you? 00:52:50.03\00:52:51.77 Nothing. 00:52:51.80\00:52:53.13 Huh? 00:52:53.17\00:52:54.50 Nothing. Only my character. 00:52:54.54\00:52:55.87 Thank you. I was waiting for that answer. 00:52:55.90\00:52:57.77 What are we taking to heaven with us? 00:52:57.81\00:52:59.14 Character. 00:52:59.17\00:53:01.51 I just got an epiphany. 00:53:01.54\00:53:03.71 No, we are not taking our character. 00:53:03.75\00:53:05.81 We are taking His character. 00:53:05.85\00:53:07.18 Amen. 00:53:07.22\00:53:08.55 Amen? Amen. 00:53:08.58\00:53:09.92 Just got an epiphany. 00:53:09.95\00:53:11.29 Thank you Lord for straitening me out 00:53:11.32\00:53:12.65 on international television. 00:53:12.69\00:53:14.02 I am not taking my character. 00:53:14.06\00:53:16.76 We are taking whose character, Pastor Denzy? 00:53:16.79\00:53:18.39 God's character. 00:53:18.43\00:53:19.76 His character. 00:53:19.79\00:53:21.33 We will see Him as He is, 00:53:21.36\00:53:22.90 but one day we will be like Him, 00:53:22.93\00:53:24.57 He is not going to be like us, we will be like Him. 00:53:24.60\00:53:27.74 Praise God for that. 00:53:27.77\00:53:29.10 That was a light bulb right there. 00:53:29.14\00:53:30.74 That was a light bulb moment. 00:53:30.77\00:53:32.11 Thank you, Lord. 00:53:32.14\00:53:33.48 Question number 24, is that where I am? 00:53:33.51\00:53:36.31 Number 24? 00:53:36.34\00:53:37.68 "How can we tell when someone has repented 00:53:37.71\00:53:41.55 of past transgressions?" 00:53:41.58\00:53:43.75 How can we tell when someone has repented 00:53:43.79\00:53:46.82 of past transgressions? 00:53:46.86\00:53:49.22 I'm gonna start with Matthew 3. 00:53:49.26\00:53:53.09 Matthew 3. 00:53:53.13\00:53:54.46 I have the answers on paper but I like to turn to the Bible 00:53:58.63\00:54:01.64 because the Bible, that's how you get to know more. 00:54:01.67\00:54:05.57 Here it is. 00:54:09.68\00:54:12.25 The answer is, it's very short and to the point. 00:54:12.28\00:54:15.12 Together, "Therefore, what? 00:54:15.15\00:54:17.89 "Bear fruits worthy of repentance." 00:54:17.92\00:54:22.19 What does that mean? 00:54:22.22\00:54:23.79 What does that mean? 00:54:23.83\00:54:25.16 Have you ever gone to the fruit stand before? 00:54:25.19\00:54:28.46 We go to the fruit stands. 00:54:28.50\00:54:32.83 The most accessible fruit stands 00:54:32.87\00:54:34.50 where we all live out here is Walmart. 00:54:34.54\00:54:37.94 Okay, and it probably grows some place overseas. 00:54:37.97\00:54:42.64 I don't know. 00:54:42.68\00:54:44.01 But when you go to the fruit stand 00:54:44.05\00:54:45.38 and all the fruits are separate, 00:54:45.41\00:54:46.75 I know Brian does this 'cause he loves oranges, 00:54:46.78\00:54:48.72 the only guy I know that will eat like nine oranges 00:54:48.75\00:54:50.49 at potluck is Brian. 00:54:50.52\00:54:53.22 But that's good. 00:54:53.25\00:54:54.59 I try that lately and it's really good. 00:54:54.62\00:54:56.22 I mean not at potluck but I've tried that on the road. 00:54:56.26\00:54:58.93 But what do you when you go to select your fruit? 00:54:58.96\00:55:02.83 What do you do? 00:55:02.86\00:55:05.07 You kind of look at it, you kind of look for blemishes, 00:55:05.10\00:55:09.57 you check it out, and then you put, 00:55:09.60\00:55:11.71 and you always come out with the idea 00:55:11.74\00:55:13.17 that you got the best fruit which means you left the worst 00:55:13.21\00:55:16.48 for the people that come after you 00:55:16.51\00:55:18.55 because you would not have left the worst 00:55:18.58\00:55:19.91 if you took the ones 00:55:19.95\00:55:21.62 that you felt were the better ones, 00:55:21.65\00:55:23.32 and because you... 00:55:23.35\00:55:28.06 The tree bore the fruit that you liked. 00:55:28.09\00:55:31.09 In essence, here is what I am saying, 00:55:31.13\00:55:34.16 "The fruit of a tree is never on the inside, 00:55:34.20\00:55:37.90 the fruit of the tree is" where? 00:55:37.93\00:55:39.27 "Always on the outside." 00:55:39.30\00:55:41.37 So when the Bible says, 00:55:41.40\00:55:42.90 "Bear fruit worthy of repentance," 00:55:42.94\00:55:44.91 somebody will look at you, me, 00:55:44.94\00:55:47.31 or anybody else and would say, 00:55:47.34\00:55:49.61 "You know, I knew that guy 00:55:49.64\00:55:53.21 but he is not the same. 00:55:53.25\00:55:56.35 Look at the life he lives. 00:55:56.38\00:55:58.22 And I've been wondering if it's just a fling, 00:55:58.25\00:56:00.76 if it's just a momentary spark, 00:56:00.79\00:56:02.66 but it's been like two years now. 00:56:02.69\00:56:04.26 He has really changed." 00:56:06.83\00:56:09.46 That's what the Bible means when it says bear fruit. 00:56:09.50\00:56:11.77 And let's look at the next one very quickly 00:56:11.80\00:56:13.50 because you guys are taking so long, 00:56:13.54\00:56:16.14 our time is going to get away from me. 00:56:16.17\00:56:18.47 So how can we tell someone has repented 00:56:18.51\00:56:22.98 of past transgressions? 00:56:23.01\00:56:24.55 What do we examine? 00:56:24.58\00:56:26.35 What do we examine, Norie? 00:56:26.38\00:56:27.72 Fruit. 00:56:27.75\00:56:29.08 The fruit, examine the fruit. 00:56:29.12\00:56:32.65 It's important to have good fruit 00:56:32.69\00:56:34.02 because you know the old saying, 00:56:34.06\00:56:35.39 "One bad apple spoils a whole bunch." 00:56:35.42\00:56:39.23 Now, why do you look for the fruit? 00:56:39.26\00:56:42.60 Matthew 7:20, this is why you look. 00:56:42.63\00:56:47.67 I know you all know this text together, 00:56:47.70\00:56:49.04 so we've got to end on this text 00:56:49.07\00:56:50.57 reading it all together. 00:56:50.61\00:56:52.07 "Therefore by their" what? 00:56:52.11\00:56:54.68 "Fruits you will know them." 00:56:54.71\00:57:00.52 Repentance, let's go ahead and wind it up tonight. 00:57:00.55\00:57:03.85 Sin, repentance, 00:57:03.89\00:57:08.12 conversions, sins blotted out, 00:57:08.16\00:57:12.89 the Lord creates in you a clean heart, 00:57:12.93\00:57:15.70 He renews a right and steadfast spirit, 00:57:15.73\00:57:18.57 then all of a sudden, 00:57:18.60\00:57:20.00 this new tree starts putting out stuff 00:57:20.04\00:57:23.17 that it's couldn't before, 00:57:23.20\00:57:26.07 good fruit, good fruit. 00:57:26.11\00:57:29.51 So you examine the person from where they were 00:57:29.54\00:57:32.68 and you start saying, "Where did this... 00:57:32.71\00:57:34.12 No way that who they were then 00:57:34.15\00:57:36.95 could represent these fruits now." 00:57:36.99\00:57:39.22 So how does it come out? 00:57:39.25\00:57:42.02 How does it come out? 00:57:42.06\00:57:44.99 I left the last... 00:57:45.03\00:57:47.10 Jesus says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. 00:57:47.13\00:57:52.03 He who abides in me bears much fruit." 00:57:52.07\00:57:56.07 So friends, if it doesn't make sense, 00:57:56.10\00:57:58.61 keep studying because one day, 00:57:58.64\00:58:00.44 it will come into A Sharper Focus. 00:58:00.48\00:58:03.61 God bless you. 00:58:03.65\00:58:04.98