RUNNING BUT GETTING NO WHERE!
True repentance hates the sin, and not merely the penalty; and it hates the sin most of all because it has discovered and felt God's love. -Taylor
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Revelation 2:5
My wife and I use to have a treadmill. I really didn’t like it though because when you got on the thing and started walking it didn’t give me a sense of instant pleasure. I didn’t see any new sights as you get when you walk outside. A butterfly flying around pollinating the flowers, a squirrel chasing another, a beautiful sunset, all bring about a sense of accomplishment. With the treadmill all I got was the same ole view and I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere.
When we get on life’s treadmill of unconfessed sin, we don’t get anywhere. David said in Psalm 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation…” In this repentant Psalm, we see David has lost his joy in the Lord because of sin in his heart. The only thing that will cure that and get him back moving forward is true repentance and faith in the Lord. David said, After I repent, God can use me; “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” Psalm 51:13
Have you been trying to do something for the Lord but you’re not getting anywhere? Do you have sins that to men’s eyes are hidden? Do you harbor sin as if some cherished keepsake, afraid of what may happen if you trust and obey God? GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH with mindset of, I’m going to confess and ask God to forgive me. Trusting He will do what is right and you will accept the consequences. It is then, and only then, God can and will use you for His glory and your good! It is then you will be getting somewhere!
IN CHURCH BUT NOT IN THE CHURCH
There have been many professions of faith but not many possessions of the faith.
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:23
Some people have never been saved so it shouldn’t surprise those of us who are when they don’t live Godly. Lost people will do, what lost people do. They will not be faithful to church. They will not handle sin properly; confession and repentance. They will not forgive those whom have done them wrong. They will not give what God asks. What it all boils down to is— they will not be obedient to the Word. I am reminded this morning of another scripture… If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15
What are you trusting in your salvation for? If it’s anything other than the finished work of Jesus Christ—you’re still lost! You’re not part of the church… you’re just in a church!
REVIVE US LORD!
Worship renews the spirit as sleep renews the body. –Cabot
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
After David was confronted by Nathan the prophet, the Lord convicted him of his sin with Bathsheba. David cried out in this repentant song asking for mercy, forgiveness, and for his joy to be returned so he might proclaim the grace and mercy of God to those who have strayed off the straight and narrow and those who have never repented.
David surrendered his will for the Will of God. When he did, we find David worshipping our Saviour in such as way he proclaimed: “O God, thou God of my salvation:” What a testimony for you and I! If we repent and ask God to forgive, He will! When He does- it is natural for us to worship!
Aren’t you tired of running from God? When is the last time you trusted the Lord enough to ask Him to forgive you? When is the last time you repented of some sin that it brought you to the point of worship and it gave you rest?
RETURN TO THE JOY YOU ONCE HAD!
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Luke 15:24
While you are alive there is always time for you to return to the joy you once had. When the prodigal son returned home he was expecting the father to put him out with the hired hands, that’s not what he did. He did not rebuke him, chastised him, or punish him for his willful disobedience. What he did do was rejoice in the fact that his son had returned to the family he left. How do you think the son felt? We don’t know but I can’t help but to think his cup was running over!
Been out of the will of God long? There’s room at Calvary for you! The Heavenly Father is waiting for your return.
REPENTANCE IS THE KEY!
Christ and we will never be one until we and our sin are two. -Spurgeon
You have probably heard the message of David and Bathsheba before. David wasn’t where he was supposed to be, with his body or his heart. He ended up with a child by another man’s wife, had him killed, and married Bathsheba to cover it all up. David had one problem, God saw it all!
When confronted with his sin, David repented. When He did, He was restored to the fellowship he once had with the Lord. He went on and served God faithfully! He ruled faithfully.
I believe many people are walking around with sin in their life. They are so overcome with it they can’t become what God wants them to be. They are living with shame, guilt, and the deadly consequences of not repenting.
Are you one of those people? Do you need to confess and repent? Let me remind you of what it says in Proverbs 28:13, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
GEARING UP FOR A PARADE!
One day we will all be brought before Jesus, bowing down before Him, and confessing Him to be God.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
We are gearing up at Calvary to be in our first Christmas parade in Kinston, NC. Many people have pitched in and helped make it go well. We have a manger scene with Mary, Joseph, some Wise Men, and of course, Baby Jesus. We will be heading down the street shortly with hundreds if not thousands of people smiling, waving, and saying Merry Christmas. Oh I am anticipating a great time!
We are also gearing up for another day in our future in which no one knows except the Lord Himself. It is the day when all of mankind will kneel before Jesus’ feet giving account of their life. For those who did not bow in life, will bow that day, confessing Jesus as God, and then to be cast into hell forever. For those, it will be simply too late. For the others, we geared up to live forever in Heaven by repenting and making Jesus the Lord of our life!
What will it take for you to believe? What will it take for you to make Jesus the Lord of your life now? You say, “Preacher, I am saved and on my way to Heaven?” My respond is, “What evidence is shown in your life, right now, that you are?” Is it the way you dress? Is it the way you talk? Is it the places you go on the computer? Is it the love you show the world? Matthew 7:20 says, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” What kind of fruit are you producing? The very next verse says, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
So with those thoughts in mind, how about making sure you are geared up to go! “…give diligence to make your calling and election sure:..” 2 Peter 1:10
FOR REVIVAL TO COME THERE MUST BE A PURGING
True repentance hates the sin, and not merely the penalty; and it hates the sin most of all because it has discovered and felt God's love. -Taylor
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:2
Let me remind you that revival isn’t for the lost man it’s for those who have repented of their sin and trusted Jesus as Saviour. So with that being said, if you’re saved and you have been drawn back to the wickedness God saved you from in the first place, repent of it! Acknowledge your sin to God and beg for His mercy and grace! Your sin is what is withholding God’s revival in your heart! Repent Child of God and cling to The One who can wash you whiter than snow!
LIFE WITHOUT JESUS IS HOPELESS
Tho' Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born, if He's not born in thee, thy soul is still forlorn. --Johannes Scheffler
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 1 John 5:12
John the Baptist came with a message, “Repent!” Peter went forth with a message, “Repent!” Pastor, Preachers, and Evangelist proclaim the message to you today, “Repent!” That single message is what will make a difference in your life. Have you repented? Have you been born again? Has Jesus washed your sins away? There is hope for the hopeless in Jesus!
GET A LITTLE CLOSER
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. James 4:8
It is never my intention to push anyone away from the Gospel message. What we try to do is point them to Jesus. But what many do is run from Him. They attempt to hide. They do not want to hear the truth. Sure, everyone wants to go to Heaven but many are not willing to do what it takes and all they have to do is take God at His Word; “…”except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
How’s your walk with the Lord this morning? Do you need to repent? Do you need to get a little closer? Open the Word of God and get a little closer with Him.
SURGERY IS NECESSARY!
Christ and we will never be one until we and our sin are two. –Spurgeon
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1
You want to have God’s blessings on your life—cut out sin! You want to have peace that passes all understanding—cut out sin! You want to have life and have in more abundant—cut out sin! Child of God in order for you and I to live a life honoring and glorifying to God we are going to have to deal with the sin issues in our life! How? Confess and repent— allow the Lord to do surgery on your heart!
MIA- REPENTANCE
Sin and hell are married unless repentance proclaims the divorce. -Spurgeon
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
I believe many people make salvation harder than what scripture proclaims. I believe they read into the Word of God something that just isn’t there. I do not know why they do this other than to make themselves seem to be more intellectual but many people are going to hell because they believe they are not and cannot be part of the chosen few.
While I do believe there will only be a few that repents and comes to Jesus, it’s not because God doesn’t offer it to them, it because many will not repent and choose to serve God. They will not accept Jesus so they choose to spend an eternity in a devils hell.
Have you repented? Have you chosen to serve the Lord? Have you cried out to Him and asked Him to forgive you of your sins? If not—why not? If not now—when? Do not put off today what you’re not guaranteed of tomorrow! “…And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31
HAVE YOU EVER ASKED THE LORD TO SEARCH YOUR HEART?
I believe the holier a man becomes, the more he mourns over the unholiness that remains in him. -Spurgeon
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: Psalm 139:23
We sing the song, “SEARCH ME OH GOD” which comes from Psalm 139 in our church. I often wonder as we are singing it if we are really thinking about the message of the song. Do we really want the Lord to search our hearts? Do we really want Him to see if there be some wicked way in us? Do we really want Him to make us pure within?
Oh friend, we should echo what David said in Psalm 139. We should ask the Lord to search our hearts. We should allow Him to “See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE…REALLY?
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11
In the instant gratification society we live in there is a break down on every corner. People change jobs like they change sheets on their bed…once a year. They change their marriages like they change houses…once every fifteen years. And change churches like they change cars...once every five years. This society promotes these changes by emphasizing the grass is always greener on the other side. The problem with that is it’s a lie!
There is a cure for discontentment….repentance! Most of the time, we do not need to change our job, our church, or our spouse. What we need to change is us! Consider what Paul told Timothy; “But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6”
LIFE IN CHRIST!
With every rising of the sun, think of your life as just begun. –Anonymous
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
Someone once said, “Invest in your life as if you will live for eternity but live your life today as if it will be your last on Earth.” That was some of the best advice I have ever heard.
Investing in yourself with the Word of God each day will not only help you today but for all of eternity! Just the knowledge of the Bible isn’t enough to save you though, Ye must be born again! Ye are born again if you have asked Jesus to save you, confessed, and repent of your sin! That my friend is how you have life and have it more abundant! That is how you have life in Christ!
Forgiven but cannot forgive?
"I can forgive, but I cannot forget," is only another way of saying, "I cannot forgive." –Beecher
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. Luke 17:3
Sooner or later someone will hurt your feelings. They may not have wanted to but they did. Whether or not they wanted to doesn’t change the fact of what our response should be—to forgive. In forgiving the person that did us wrong we show them the love of God. We show them what Jesus did for us on the Cross.
Do you have someone that you have a hard time forgiving? Think of it this way; if the Lord forgave all you ever did against Him, why should you not forgive the one that did you wrong? No matter what they did!!