Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000002
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00:19 Give Me The Bible.
00:20 You remember that old hymn, 00:22 and what a great hymn 00:23 it really is! 00:25 And it's also the title of this series with Pastor Kenneth Cox. 00:29 And every message that you will listen to 00:33 is going to come right out of the Word of God. 00:35 You will not be hearing a lot of philosophy. 00:38 You will not be hearing what somebody thinks 00:40 about what the Bible says. 00:42 You will be hearing line upon line, precept upon precept. 00:47 And our speaker, Pastor Kenneth Cox, 00:50 has spoken around the world. 00:52 He's spoken on every continent. 00:54 I have heard him speak in some of these places. 00:58 I remember one special place: the Garden Tomb. 01:02 And how the Holy Spirit moved as he spoke to us 01:07 at the Garden Tomb. 01:09 Tonight he's going to be talking about Jesus... 01:12 the One that came forth from that tomb. 01:15 The One that gives to us eternal life. 01:19 And this first weekend is all about salvation. 01:24 And I'm looking forward to every subject 01:27 that Pastor Cox will be bringing to us. 01:30 Right now we're going to enjoy a song by Pam Rhodes. 01:36 And she's going to be accompanied by her husband Jimmy 01:39 and also by Dona Klein. 01:41 And that song is "One Of These Days. " 01:56 One of these days we're gonna 01:58 understand the whole thing better. 02:04 One of these days we're gonna understand the reason why. 02:11 After this life, with all of its sorrow, 02:15 there's gonna be a brighter tomorrow. 02:19 Question marks will vanish forever one of these days. 02:26 When sorrows come our way 02:28 and despair our souls with trials, 02:33 it's so hard to see the reason and so easy to ask why. 02:40 But though just now it's hard His plan to trace, 02:44 someday we'll meet Him face to face, and... 02:47 we'll leave this mystery behind us 02:50 one of these days. 02:55 One of these days we're gonna 02:57 understand the whole thing better. 03:02 One of these days we're gonna understand the reason why. 03:09 After this life, with all of its sorrow, 03:14 there's going to be a brighter tomorrow. 03:17 Questions marks will vanish forever one of these days. 03:24 One of these days we're gonna 03:26 understand the whole thing better. 03:31 One of these days we're gonna understand the reason why. 03:39 After this life, with all of its sorrow, 03:43 there's gonna be a brighter tomorrow. 03:46 Question marks will vanish forever one of these days. 03:53 Question marks will vanish forever one of these days. 04:01 Question marks will vanish forever 04:05 one of these 04:08 days. 04:19 Thank you, Pam. Appreciate that! 04:21 And good evening. 04:23 Welcome. Glad to have you back with us tonight. 04:26 And we'd like to say welcome 04:28 to our television audience. 04:30 Welcome back to Give Me The Bible. 04:32 We are studying this week 04:35 spending 5 nights on the subject 04:38 of salvation. 04:40 What does the scripture say about salvation? 04:43 As I mentioned: What says the Bible? The blessed Bible? 04:47 This my only question be. 04:51 The teachings of men so often mislead us. 04:55 What says the Bible to me? 04:58 That's what we want to find out. 05:00 That's what we want to know. 05:01 That's what we're looking at. 05:03 And tonight we're talking about the subject of repentance. 05:07 What we're looking at is the subject of repentance. 05:09 What does the scripture have to say about it? 05:11 Tomorrow night... 05:13 Tomorrow night our subject will be confession. 05:17 Confession. Why does the Bible talk about confession? 05:21 What is the difference between repentance and confession? 05:25 And what does confession do for us? 05:28 That's what we're going to look at tomorrow night 05:30 as we talk about the subject of confession. 05:32 So we hope you'll be sure to be right here 05:35 as we take a look at what the Word of God has to say 05:38 about it. But tonight we're looking at repentance. 05:42 Repentance... What do you want to know, 05:44 what do you want to find in tonight's presentation? 05:48 Well, one thing you want to know is what is repentance? 05:51 What is it? So look for that. 05:54 What is repentance? 05:56 Secondly, what's the reason for repentance? 06:00 And also, what is the gift of repentance? 06:05 And then we're going to take a look at some hindrances 06:08 to repentance. 06:10 Those are the things we're going to look at 06:11 in tonight's presentation. 06:12 So we hope that as we go through God's Word 06:16 and we follow it, that you will see what it has to say 06:20 about the wonderful subject of repentance. 06:23 It means a great, great deal to you and to me spiritually. 06:29 Tonight we're very happy that Jim and Pam, Dona 06:33 are all here playing for us and singing for us. 06:36 We know you've been blessed. 06:38 Pam's going to sing a beautiful song, 06:40 one that I enjoy so much. 06:42 And I'm sure it will bless you very much. 06:46 "The Savior Is Waiting"... I think she's going to have 06:48 kind of a medley with it that "He's Also Listening. " 06:51 God bless you; appreciate it now. 07:09 The Savior is waiting 07:14 to enter your heart; 07:18 Why don't you let Him 07:22 come in? 07:25 There's nothing in this world 07:29 to keep you apart, 07:32 What is your answer 07:36 to Him? 07:41 Time after time, 07:44 He has waited before, 07:48 And now He is waiting again. 07:55 To see if you're willing 07:59 to open the door, 08:03 Oh how He wants to come in. 08:09 He's list'ning to you, 08:13 He's list'ning to you. 08:17 He knows ev'ry heartbreak 08:21 that you're going thru; 08:25 So tell Him today 08:28 that you're lonely and blue, 08:32 'Cause He's list'ning, 08:37 He's list'ning 08:39 to you. 08:43 No one knows 08:46 what a smile can conceal, 08:50 But God understands 08:53 how a young heart feels, 08:57 Your problems are never too great or too small, 09:03 For He sees the 09:06 tiniest sparrow fall. 09:13 He's list'ning to you, 09:17 He's list'ning to you. 09:21 He knows ev'ry heartbreak 09:24 that you're going thru; 09:28 So tell Him today 09:31 that you're lonely 09:35 and blue, 09:39 'Cause He's list'ning, 09:43 He's list'ning... 09:46 He's list'ning, yes He's list'ning, 09:53 He's list'ning 09:56 this moment 10:00 to you. 10:27 Heavenly Father, tonight 10:29 we come to You, realizing, Lord, 10:36 our condition. 10:38 Understanding that there's nothing that we have 10:44 that would merit or earn 10:48 the sacrifice that You made in our behalf. 10:52 We invite Your presence tonight. 10:55 May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts. 10:59 May we see and may we understand 11:05 our relationship to You. 11:07 And may we keep our lives surrendered. 11:12 May we be humble, 11:14 and may we look to You for guidance and direction 11:17 as we open Your Word, we pray. 11:20 In Christ's name, Amen. 11:28 I'm sure that most of you are familiar with the story 11:32 of Jonah. 11:33 You remember, God had told Jonah 11:36 that he was to go to the city 11:38 of Nineveh and to tell them 11:41 that they needed to repent 11:43 or else the city was going to be destroyed. 11:46 And Jonah didn't accept that with a great lot of good news. 11:51 He said: "Lord, I'm going to go there. 11:55 I'm going to preach 11:56 and these people are going to repent. 11:59 And when they repent, I know You well enough 12:03 that out of Your kindness and love that You will 12:07 forgive them and not destroy the city... 12:10 and then I'm going to look foolish. " 12:13 Therefore, Jonah caught a ship the opposite direction 12:19 to Tarshish. 12:21 On his way to Tarshish, well... there was a storm. 12:25 And as the sailors were discussing what was taking place 12:29 Jonah confessed that he was running away from God 12:33 and he said: "Throw me overboard 12:35 and the storm will stop. " 12:37 And they threw him overboard. 12:39 And it says that God had prepared a great fish, 12:43 and it swallowed Jonah. 12:46 And here Jonah is at the bottom of the ocean 12:50 in the belly of a whale, 12:53 and all of a sudden he begins to think about this. 12:57 In fact, the scripture records his thoughts. 13:00 He had this to say: 13:18 All of a sudden he was saying: 13:20 "Hey, this is a whole lot worse 13:24 than feeling foolish. 13:26 This is a whole lot worse than being embarrassed. " 13:30 Here he is down in the bottom of the ocean 13:32 in the belly of the whale, and he said: 13:34 "I remember the Lord and my prayer went up to You; 13:38 prayed to God into Your holy temple. " 13:41 You see he prayed to the Lord. 13:44 He repented. 13:47 Changed his way. 13:50 Said: "No, I shouldn't have done this. " 13:53 Repented of it and went to Nineveh and preached 13:58 to those people. 13:59 That... repentance means to turn around, 14:02 go a different direction. 14:04 Repentance is part of the gospel. 14:07 In the very first part of it you find that when John 14:11 the Baptist preached, he talked immediately 14:15 about repentance. It says: 14:34 He said: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. " 14:38 It was part of his message. 14:41 You'll find that the scripture tells us that it was 14:43 part of Christ's message. 14:45 Christ said: 14:56 "Kingdom of heaven is at hand. " 14:59 This was part of the gospel. 15:01 Folks, this is more than feeling bad. 15:05 This is more than feeling you need to do something. 15:11 This is a command from God's Word 15:14 that you and I are to repent. 15:17 So we ask ourselves what is repentance? 15:21 Talking about repentance... 15:22 what is repentance when we take a look at it? 15:25 On the Day of Pentecost, Peter... 15:29 Peter is preaching on the Day of Pentecost. 15:31 And as he is preaching, he had this to say to them: 15:50 I mean they were "cut to the heart. " 15:52 That meant they saw their condition. 15:54 They realized the condition they were in. 15:56 They were cut to the heart and they said: 15:58 "What must we do? " 16:15 So he told them they were to repent. 16:18 So repentance means that I am changing 16:23 my direction. You see, the words repentance 16:27 and conversion are somewhat synonymous. 16:30 They are the same; they are used in the same way. 16:33 And so when it says to repent it means to change your direction. 16:37 An old preacher explained it this way: 16:41 He said: "I'm going to hell, I'm going to hell, 16:44 I'm going to hell, I'm going to hell. " 16:47 Turned around and said: "I'm going to heaven, 16:51 I'm going to heaven, I'm going to heaven. " 16:53 That's what it's about. 16:55 That's repentance. 16:56 I turn around... go the other direction... 16:59 not continuing on in the same direction. 17:02 Repentance is to leave 17:05 the sins that we loved before. 17:08 That's repentance: to leave the sins 17:10 that we loved before 17:12 to show that we in earnest grieve 17:16 by doing them no more. 17:18 That is repentance. 17:20 It's terrible... 17:25 absolutely terrible, when I run onto people 17:27 that say "God can't forgive me. " 17:32 When you say that God can't forgive you, friend, 17:37 you are putting a limit... 17:39 you are limiting the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. 17:44 If you have said God can't forgive you, 17:49 dear friend, STOP. 17:51 Think that through. 17:53 That is not the case. 17:55 God WILL forgive you. 17:57 Nowhere... absolutely nowhere in God's Word 18:01 does it say your sins are so great that they 18:04 can't be forgiven. 18:05 The Holy Spirit never says that you can't be forgiven. 18:10 That is something God will do for you 18:14 and for me if we just will step out in faith, 18:19 believe, and follow Him. 18:21 A few days later as Peter and John were at the 18:25 Gate Beautiful, and here this cripple was begging alms. 18:30 And Peter looked upon him and asked him 18:33 if he wanted to be healed, and he healed the man. 18:36 And that attracted such a crowd of people 18:38 that gathered that Peter was speaking to them... 18:41 talking to them about the Lord, and here in Acts the 3rd chapter 18:46 verse 19 you find Peter saying this to them: 19:00 You see, no, friend, it doesn't say 19:02 that the sins that you've done can't be blotted out. 19:05 It says they CAN be blotted out. 19:12 So God says that if you and I come to Him, 19:15 confess our sins, that they will be forgiven. 19:20 Godly sorrow produces what? 19:24 Huh? 19:26 Godly sorrow produces repentance. 19:30 That's what it does. 19:42 Those are the things that take place. 19:44 You see, I can't... How should I put it? 19:49 To repent, folks, is not to be sorry for the suffering. 19:55 There's a lot of people that are sorry for the suffering. 19:59 That's not repentance. 20:00 And you have some excellent examples of that in scripture. 20:04 For instance, one was a fellow by the name of Balaam. 20:09 You remember, a king by the name of Balak had sent 20:15 for Balaam... wanting him to come and to curse Israel. 20:19 God had told that prophet in no uncertain terms 20:24 he was not to go. 20:27 But Balaam... he was finagling and went back to the Lord 20:32 and kept questioning things until finally 20:35 God said: "OK, go. " 20:38 So he gets on his donkey and heads out. 20:43 And as he's riding along on his donkey, 20:46 here standing in the path is an angel with a sword drawn. 20:51 The donkey sees it; Balaam doesn't. 20:55 And the donkey, out of care, 21:00 laid down... 21:02 even crushed the prophet's foot against the wall. 21:06 Made Balaam so mad that he took his rod and beat on the 21:09 donkey and said: "If it was a sword, I'd kill you. " 21:14 And then his eyes were opened, 21:16 and he saw the angel standing there with the sword drawn. 21:20 And when he did that, he said: "Oh my! " 21:23 He said: "I have sinned. " 21:24 You see, Balaam wasn't sorry for the sin. 21:28 Balaam was sorry that he was about to be killed. 21:32 That was what he was concerned about... 21:35 not... not for the sin. 21:37 See, that's not repentance, folks. 21:39 Repentance requires that I am sorry for the sin 21:45 that I have been doing. 21:47 Another clear example was that of Pharaoh. 21:51 Remember, the plagues had fallen and finally the tenth plague 21:55 when all the first-born in the land had been slain. 21:58 And he called for Moses and Aaron. 22:02 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste and said: 22:09 He was not sorry for his sins. 22:13 He wanted the plagues stopped. 22:15 Because the moment they stopped, then what did he do? 22:18 Turned right around and tried to take Israel captive again. 22:22 No, he wasn't sorry for that, 22:24 he just didn't want the plagues to continue. 22:26 That is not what the scripture classifies as repentance. 22:32 I must be sorry for the sin that I am doing... 22:38 of what I am doing. 22:39 Now I can remember talking to a young lady. 22:41 We were talking about conversion, 22:44 and she said to me... 22:46 She said: "Brother Cox, before I came to the Lord 22:49 I thought everybody was stupid. " 22:52 And she said: "Then I came to the Lord and found out 22:56 that I was the one that was stupid. " 22:58 You know... And that's what it does 23:01 is we see ourselves as we really are. 23:05 You know the old saying? 23:07 Oh that God would give us the gift to see ourselves 23:09 as others see us. 23:12 That's one thing. 23:14 You know, it'd be quite something else 23:17 if God would give us the gift to see ourselves 23:21 as God sees us. 23:23 That might be really revealing 23:27 if we saw ourselves as God sees us! 23:30 But repentance gives us the opportunity to see ourselves. 23:35 David... David repented. 23:39 That's one of the reasons that God said he was a man 23:42 "after His own heart" 23:44 is because David understood what repentance was, 23:50 because he said: 23:57 No question. "I have sinned against the Lord. " 24:00 But you see, that wasn't enough. 24:02 He wasn't saying "Listen, you know, 24:04 I've sinned against the Lord. " 24:06 He goes on and takes it to the point of telling us 24:09 exactly what repentance is. Watch: 24:29 See folks, this is not just saying 24:31 forgive me of my sins. 24:33 That's talking about "Listen, Lord, I need a change. 24:37 I need a change in my life. " 24:46 Wash me. I shall be whiter than snow. 24:57 He said: "Lord, create in me a clean heart. 25:00 Make me a new person. " 25:02 This, folks, is repentance. 25:04 And so with you and I... 25:08 We must come to God and we must repent 25:12 of the way we are. 25:15 I must see it as it actually is 25:20 and confess it before God. 25:22 It's necessary. 25:30 I, over the years, have visited with people 25:35 and I've had them tell me: 25:37 "Well Brother Cox, there's a few things I just really need 25:42 to clear up or clean up before I come to the Lord. " 25:45 No. That... repentance doesn't 25:50 earn you one thing. 25:54 Get it clear. 25:55 Repentance does not earn you one thing. 25:59 It does not even put you in the position for forgiveness. 26:05 That's not the purpose of repentance. 26:09 Repentance is the purpose is for you to see 26:12 what you really are. 26:14 That's what repentance is to do. 26:16 It's to help you understand your true condition 26:19 and what you really are. 26:20 It isn't to make God all of a sudden be favorable 26:24 to forgive you. 26:26 No. That's not what it's for. 26:29 It is a gift, and God - simply out of His love, 26:34 out of His mercy we talked about last night, 26:38 out of His grace - He invites you to come. 26:42 And He says here: 26:51 Says "Come to Me, all you that are heavy laden, 26:55 I will give you rest. " 26:58 But not only will He give you rest 27:01 but He'll give you repentance. 27:05 Because He says here clearly: 27:26 You see, He gives that person repentance. 27:30 You don't earn repentance. 27:34 It's not something that you offer. 27:37 It's not something that makes God desirous 27:41 of forgiving you. None of that. 27:44 Repentance is just simply to help you and I 27:47 understand our true condition 27:50 and understand where we stand before God. 27:54 And, you see, I'm a sinner, folks. 28:02 Are you? 28:05 But see, when you repent you're still a sinner. 28:11 I'm a sinner now. 28:13 When I repent I'm still a sinner. 28:16 That doesn't change. 28:18 I'm in need of God's grace; 28:23 greatly in need of it. 28:25 It doesn't make me all of a sudden worthy 28:29 to receive His grace. 28:32 Doesn't do that. 28:34 It just helps me understand and see what my condition is. 28:40 Probably Peter, who just said those words 28:46 that I read with you, 28:48 he understood repentance probably better than 28:51 anybody else because you remember 28:54 He had denied his Lord. 28:58 Suffered greatly over that. 29:00 The crucifixion has taken place, 29:03 the resurrection has happened, 29:06 Peter and the disciples are down at the Sea of Galilee 29:10 fishing. They had fished all night. 29:11 And they look over there on the shore, 29:14 and they see Christ on the shore. 29:16 It says that Peter jumped into the water, swam to shore. 29:20 Told the Lord he wasn't worthy. 29:23 But as they sat down there and they are eating breakfast, 29:28 I want you to listen to what it has to say: 29:56 Three time he denied his Lord. 30:02 Three times Christ asked him that question: 30:05 "Simon Peter, lovest thou Me? " 30:09 Oh, how embarrassing, 30:13 how stinging that must have been 30:16 to sit there with all of the disciples around him 30:20 and say to him "Simon Peter, lovest thou Me? " 30:25 There is not any indication here, friends... 30:28 no indication of forwardness, 30:32 no indication of impetuousness, 30:36 no indication of self-will. 30:40 None of that old Peter is there. 30:43 Just not there. 30:45 But he's calm, and he said: 30:48 "Lord, you know I love You. " 30:50 "You know I love You. " 30:52 You see, a change. 30:56 Change of direction. Change of his life. 30:59 There in the Garden of Gethsemane after he had denied 31:02 his Lord, he got a good, good picture of himself... 31:08 saw what he was. 31:11 Repented with bitter tears 31:15 and saw his true condition. 31:18 And as he saw his true condition, 31:21 he in turn could see the marvelous love and grace 31:26 of his Savior, Jesus Christ. 31:29 And so he said: 31:31 "You know I love you, Lord. " 31:33 The Lord said: "Feed My lambs. " 31:37 "Feed My lambs, Peter. Care for them. " 31:40 That's repentance. 31:42 That's why it says: 32:10 Certainly, if John the Baptist 32:14 opened up his ministry by preaching 32:17 "Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand, " 32:20 and if Jesus opened up His ministry by saying 32:24 "Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand, " 32:26 in this day and in this age, 32:29 in the time in which we are living, 32:31 we certainly ought to be saying REPENT 32:33 for the kingdom of God is at hand. 32:36 It is! We need to be preparing for the coming of the Lord. 32:46 Why should I repent? 32:50 Reasons for it. 32:51 Well, there are several reasons for repenting. 32:54 One is you don't even know your own heart. 32:59 You see, you are not aware 33:05 of really your own condition. 33:09 If you ask most people if they're a sinner, 33:14 most people would tell you "Yes, I'm a sinner. " 33:19 But how many of those people want their heart changed? 33:24 How many want their heart changed? 33:27 Because that's what it takes. The heart has to be changed. 33:38 If I don't know my own heart, 33:42 then it's really impossible for me 33:48 to repent. 33:52 Ever think about that? 33:54 If I don't know my own heart, 33:56 it's really impossible for me to repent 34:01 of something that I don't know. 34:05 That's the reason we'll look... It says that "it is a gift 34:10 that God gives" to you and to me. 34:13 It goes on and tells us here: 34:34 The goodness of God leads to repentance. 34:37 And as I see what God has done, 34:42 I understand what God has done, 34:45 it leads to repentance... change. 34:50 I will never forget. I went to visit a couple 34:54 as a pastor. I got out there, 34:57 and visited a little bit, and they said: 34:59 "Brother Cox, we appreciate your coming, " 35:01 Said: "but you're wasting 35:04 your time. " 35:05 And I said: 35:07 "What do you mean I'm wasting 35:08 my time? " 35:10 They said: "We're lost. " 35:11 Said: "There's no hope for us; 35:13 we're lost. " 35:15 And I said: "What are you talking about? " 35:18 They said: "Oh, Brother Cox, we smoke. " 35:21 Said: "We smoke, and we've never been able to gain the victory 35:25 over it and there's no hope for us. 35:28 We've gone through Five Day Plans. 35:30 We're lost. " 35:32 And I said: "Well... " 35:34 I said: "I didn't come out here to talk to you about joining 35:37 the church. " And they said: 35:39 "Well, what did you come out here for? " 35:41 And I said: "I came out here to ask you to accept 35:43 Jesus Christ. " 35:45 And they said: "Are you trying to tell us that we can accept 35:49 Christ and smoke? " 35:50 And I said: "That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you. " 35:53 They said: "Let's hear what you have to say. " 35:56 So I just explained to them what it meant 35:59 to give their hearts to Jesus Christ. 36:01 Asked them if they would like to accept Christ, 36:04 and they said "yes. " 36:06 And we knelt there... 36:08 knelt there and they gave their hearts to the Lord beautifully. 36:11 Wonderful time. 36:13 And after we were through and I was about ready to leave, 36:15 they said to me... They said: 36:17 "Brother Cox, what about our cigarettes? " 36:20 And I said: "Well smoke if you want to smoke. " 36:22 Walked out the door. 36:27 They came to the meeting that night, and they said: 36:29 "Brother Cox, " said: "we just can't tell you 36:33 what a load that took off of our backs. " 36:36 They said: "You just don't know what that did for us. " 36:39 They said: "It just changed everything. " 36:42 I said: "That's great! " 36:43 They were about ready to leave, they said: 36:45 "What about our cigarettes? " 36:47 I said: "Smoke if you want to smoke. " 36:50 Came back the next night, and they said: 36:53 "Man, what a difference it makes. " 36:55 They said: "The grass is green, the birds sing. " 36:58 They said: "We haven't had a day like that we can remember. " 37:01 They said: "This is wonderful! " 37:03 And I said: "That's great. I'm glad you are rejoicing 37:06 in the Lord. " And they said: 37:07 "Brother Cox, what about our cigarettes? " 37:09 And I said: "Smoke if you want to smoke. " 37:13 Well they came back the next night and they said: 37:17 "We just want to thank you again. " 37:19 They said: "We thought there was no hope for us at all. " 37:24 Said: "We thank you so much. " 37:25 And I said: "You're welcome. " 37:27 They said: "What about our cigarettes? " 37:30 And I said: "Well, smoke if you want to smoke. " 37:33 They said: "It's running us nuts! " 37:35 I said: "Well, quit if you want to quit. " 37:37 They quit! 37:39 Now, you see there's something there, folks, that you have to 37:44 understand, and it's the thing of coming to Christ 37:49 and seeing the goodness of the Lord and what He does 37:52 that changes the life... makes it different. 37:55 I see and I understand what God does in my life 37:59 and what a change it makes. 38:01 That leads me and leads you and each one of us 38:06 to repentance. 38:07 This, you see, is the... 38:13 That's the reason it's a gift 38:17 because it's the Holy Spirit that works in our life 38:21 that changes us and makes us different. 38:24 That's what the Holy Spirit does. 38:39 Let me tell you something. When you come to the Lord, 38:42 the Holy Spirit is the One who works on that heart 38:45 and convicts you of sin. 38:47 That's the work of the Holy Spirit. 38:49 Convicts you of sin and you see yourself in light 38:53 that you have never seen yourself in before. 38:56 That is the work of the Holy Spirit on your heart. 39:01 When He's done that work, 39:03 then He begins to show you 39:07 the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 39:10 And let me tell you something... 39:12 When you begin to see the righteousness of Jesus, 39:16 the closer you come to Him 39:19 the more sinful you are going to appear in your own eyes. 39:23 That just happens! 39:25 That's the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. 39:29 And as He convicts the world of sin, 39:32 then of righteousness, He also convicts them 39:37 concerning the judgment. 39:39 And I see very clearly that in the judgment 39:43 I desperately need a Mediator. 39:47 I need someone to stand in my place. 39:50 This is what the Holy Spirit does in our lives. 39:54 Christ told a parable 40:01 how some people react to this. 40:04 And He said here about a tax collector and a Pharisee. 40:08 Let's read it and see what it says: 40:21 Now put it down... 40:23 Of all the people that Christ couldn't do anything for, 40:29 it was the self-righteous. 40:31 OK. Those were the ones He had the hardest time with. 41:19 Worthy. 41:24 I'm an elder in the church. 41:26 See? 41:30 I give 41:33 very, very liberally 41:36 to the church. 41:39 I have much to recommend me to God. 42:04 Said: "O Lord, just be merciful to me a sinner! " 42:10 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified. " 42:30 Have you ever stood 42:35 and kind of said: "Well, 42:41 I'm sure glad I'm not like that fellow standing on the corner? " 42:45 Hmmm? 42:47 Or have you ever felt exalted? 42:53 God said: "No. That's not the way you 42:58 and that's not the way I'm supposed to be. " 43:00 I'm supposed to be humble. 43:03 Wait on the Lord; listen to Him. 43:06 This is what He wants us to do. 43:09 Now probably of anybody in all the Bible, 43:13 of any individual in all the scripture 43:15 that understood this thing of being exalted, 43:19 of being puffed up, that thought well of himself... 43:23 Paul probably is one that could speak out of experience 43:29 better than anybody else. 43:32 Listen... Listen to Paul as he talks about himself. 43:35 This is before he found Christ. 43:38 This is before he came to the road of Damascus. 43:42 This is before he confronted Christ face-to-face. 43:45 This is what he said about himself: 44:01 I mean, he's telling you he's got the pedigree. 44:04 He's got it all; he's done all this. 44:06 Watch: 44:19 I mean he's telling you this... I had it. 44:22 I did all these things. 44:25 Exalted. And then the day came 44:31 when he met the Savior 44:34 and he saw Him face to face. 44:38 And from that day on his life was changed. 44:52 You see he saw... When he saw Christ, 44:55 he saw the spiritual side that he had never seen before. 45:05 And he said: "I am crucified with Christ. 45:08 Nevertheless I live, yet not I 45:12 but Christ liveth in me. " 45:16 Change of life; change of his way. 45:20 Let me talk about some of the hindrances 45:24 of repentance because as you preach and you visit 45:29 over the years you run into many, many different hindrances 45:35 that people have to repentance. 45:37 And the one that I'm going to 45:39 share with you may come as kind 45:40 of a shock to you. 45:42 But this is the one I've run into over and over 45:45 and over. One of the biggest hindrances that I find 45:49 is old age. 45:53 Old age. 45:55 I run onto person after person say: 45:57 "Oh, Brother Cox. It's no use. 46:00 I've been a sinner all these years. It's too late. 46:05 God can't forgive me. 46:06 Too old. I haven't followed the Lord all this... " 46:10 And they use old age as an excuse. 46:14 I want to share some things with you. 46:18 Did you ever realize this? 46:20 Listen to this: 46:40 Solomon in his old age left the Lord 46:45 and went out and served other gods. 46:48 And finally right down at the end of his life 46:52 he came back. 46:55 And you know what? 46:58 God accepted him. 47:01 Came back... God accepted him. 47:04 I mean, here he had... David was his father. 47:09 Here he had all the evidence in the world 47:12 and yet he left God. 47:14 And in his old age he came back, and God accepted him. 47:18 Let me share another king of Israel with you. 47:21 This one always amazes me. 47:24 I think of any story in the Bible, probably this amazes me 47:27 more concerning God's grace than any other story. 47:30 Manasseh. 47:42 He reigned longer than any other king. 47:46 Reigned longer than any other king of Israel was Manasseh. 47:51 His father was Hezekiah. 47:55 Hezekiah was one of the best kings of Israel. 47:58 I mean, a great man of God. Watch this: 48:14 Did evil in the sight of the Lord. 48:33 I mean, everything that Hezekiah did 48:36 he tried to undo. 48:38 Took the whole nation of Israel and brought them back 48:42 to serving foreign gods. 48:45 Now listen... Listen to what happens here: 48:58 Spoke to them. They would not listen. 49:01 What happened? 49:22 Came in, overtook them, carried him off. 49:25 Watch what happens here, folks. 49:37 I mean, here he is in bonds and affliction. 49:40 How sad. 49:43 How sad 49:46 that he had to be afflicted. He had to be in bonds. 49:50 He had to go through all that before he woke up. 49:53 Before he realized what his condition was. 49:58 But he did. 50:19 And Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. 50:22 Now folks, here's a king that went all of his life 50:27 and went just the opposite direction until he was old. 50:33 I mean OLD! 50:35 And then God what? 50:37 Forgave him. 50:39 Accepted him back in. 50:43 All that's the greatness of God! 50:45 Wonderful what He does for you and for me. 50:49 The other is... a hindrance to repentance is 50:55 self-righteous. 50:56 Those that are self-righteous 51:00 never, never see their need of God. 51:06 They never understand their true condition. 51:10 They are self-righteous. 51:26 Self-righteous... can't do anything for them. 51:31 Let me tell you something. 51:32 The dark angel... the dark angel of sinful living 51:38 has slain his thousands. 51:42 But the white angel of self-righteousness 51:46 has slain his ten thousands. 51:49 You and I need to be very, very careful 51:55 that we don't get into being self-righteous. 51:58 The other is pride. 52:01 I can't be proud. 52:04 Can't be lifted up. 52:06 Those are hindrances to repentance. 52:20 Said: "You need to repent. " 52:23 Probably one of the great stories of repentance 52:26 in the scripture is the story of Job. 52:30 How he repented. 52:32 You know, he's gone through all this. 52:34 He's lost his cattle; he's lost everything he has. 52:38 He's lost his children. 52:39 He's got boils; he has all that. 52:42 We're down to the end. 52:44 Down to the very time of his life, 52:47 and listen to what happens here: 52:57 He said: "Lord, I know You can do everything. 53:00 Nothing can be withheld from You. " 53:21 Said: "I said all these things I really didn't know. " 53:34 Now listen to Job as he answers: 53:58 He said: "I see myself, Lord. 54:00 I understand my condition. 54:02 I repent in dust and ashes. " 54:07 Saw himself 54:09 for what he really was. 54:10 So you and I 54:12 need to take a look 54:14 at our lives. We need to understand 54:18 where we are. 54:20 Says that Jesus came saying: 54:31 The gospel of Jesus Christ is offered to you 54:36 and to me 54:37 that if we will repent 54:40 and come to Him. 54:42 Oh, dear friend, the Savior is waiting. 54:45 The Savior is waiting with arms open 54:49 to receive you and take you into His kingdom. 54:53 You and I just simply need to come to Him... 54:57 open up our hearts and let the Holy Spirit do its work 55:02 in our lives and to change us 55:04 and to make us sons and daughters of God. 55:08 This is what He wants to do 55:09 for you and for me. 55:12 May we each one learn to come humbly before the Lord 55:17 and depend upon Him. 55:20 And He promises that if we do 55:23 that He will bless us 55:25 and that each one of us can be children of God 55:30 because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. 55:34 May God bless you in your walk with Jesus Christ. 55:38 Day by day stay close to Him. 55:41 He'll care for you; for this we thank God in Christ's name. 55:49 Jesus said in John the sixth chapter 55:52 "I am the living bread that cometh down from heaven 55:55 that a man may eat thereof and not die. 55:58 He who comes to Me will never hunger or never thirst. " 56:03 He went on to say: 56:04 "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit 56:08 and they are life. Just as the Father sent me 56:11 and I live because of the Father, 56:13 so he who eats of this bread will live because of Me. " 56:20 So many people in this world are literally starving 56:24 and weak because they do not feed on the Word of God. 56:27 Their minds are filled with matters of minor importance. 56:31 Instead of eating the bread which came down from heaven, 56:34 if they would only eat the Bread of Life, 56:37 they would be regenerated and renewed. 56:40 The bread sent down from heaven would give them new life. 56:43 The Holy Spirit would show them things of God. 56:46 As we feed upon the Word, 56:48 we would become new creatures in Christ. 56:53 Our whole ministry exists for one purpose only: 56:56 to bring the Bread of Life to those who are hungering 56:59 and thirsting for truth. 57:01 I wish you could see the eagerness with which 57:03 they take hold of the spiritual food that we offer them. 57:06 I wish you could see the light that comes on in their eyes 57:10 as they accept Him as their Savior. 57:12 Christ is able, Christ is willing, 57:15 Christ is longing to save all who will come unto Him. 57:20 Please pray for these souls. 57:22 And I hope you will consider supporting our ministry 57:26 as we continue to offer Jesus, the Bread of Life, 57:30 to all who are hungry and thirsty for new life. 57:34 We thank you for your support. 57:37 If the Holy Spirit impresses you to support this ministry, 57:41 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 57:57 Thank you for helping us to bring the gift of salvation 57:59 to millions all over the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17