Becoming transparent so Jesus can shine through our lives.

  1. John’s Message

John had one sermon and it was not…

  1. Do you have Jesus in your heart?
  2. Do you know the four spiritual laws?
  3. If you were to die tonight do you know for sure that you would go to heaven?

John’s one sermon was “Repent of your sins, turn to God for the kingdom of heaven is near” Matthew 3: 2

Jesus The time promised by God has come at last (No longer near, but here) Repent of your sins and believe the Good News. Mark 1: 15

Jesus Matthew 4: 17 Repent of your sins and turn to God for the kingdom of heaven has come

2. Repentance Defined

Repent = return to God and obedience to the bible

More than just change your mind, quit sinning, turn around, and start doing good.  more than just a change of mind, it is a change of behavior.  Sin is transgression against God’s commandments,

the word used is “Lawless”

Want to look at two aspects of repentance.  Corporately and individually

3. Corporate repentance

Daniel 8: 23 spirit of lawlessness which will get worse until it reaches its full height.

2 Thessalonians 2: 7spirit of lawlessness is already at work…until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.

Taken out of the way could also mean lose its saltiness.  ( see http://www.logosapostolic.org/bible_study/RP355-9-2Thessalonians2v7.htm)

If the salt loses its saltiness what good is it. IT WILL BE TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT.  Matthew 5: 13

Spirit of lawlessness in last days.  2 Timothy 3: 1 – 5

2 Timothy 2: 19

  1. The Lord knows those who are his
  2. All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil
    1. What is the definition of repentance?  (quit sinning, turn around and start doing good)
  3. Wealthy home two types of vessels.
    1. Great vessels of honor
    2. Common vessels
  4. It is up to us what kind of vessel we are to be. Vs 21
    1. Keep yourselves pure

4. Individual Repentance

Spiritual healing from the one who came to call sinners back to himself.

Luke 5: 31, 32  Everyone is healed through repentance.  physically broken, the mentally ill, the spiritually sick,

There is no middle of the road with God.  he was serious about the need to repent.

Luke 13: 5 unless you repent, you will perish too.

I hear it so much we need to repent as a nation, God is asking us to start with his own church.

  1. Prayer in schools or prayer in the church
  2. Ten Commandments in our judicial system and parks , but we don’t even know what they are.
  3. No wonder we have lost our saltiness in this world.

2 Corinthians 7: 10 For the kind of sorrow god wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation.  There is no regret for that kind of sorrow.  Worldly sorrow which lacks repentance results in spiritual death.

God takes the smallest things seriously.

  1. healing of small cell before it takes over the body and destroys it.

5. Light taken out

Revelation has a vision of Jesus looking at a candlestick with a candle.  The candle is the church.  Warnings in the letters to the churches. Repent or your candle will be blown out.

Revelation

2: 14 You tolerate teaching of Balaam…which taught it is alright to commit sexual sins.  You also follow the teachings of the Nicolaitans (Which taught compromise with world system, materialism and tolerance for immorality.) Repent or I will come fight against you.

3: 2, 3 What is left is almost dead. go back and believe what has been taught at first and hold onto it. Repent and turn to me again.

3:15 The things you do are neither hot or cold but lukewarm. I will spit you out of my mouth. You say have need of nothing but are poor blind, and naked Repent and turn to me again.

2: 4 I have this complaint against you.  You have lost your first love for me.  Look how far you have fallen Repent or I will remove your candlestick