Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many years ago, I needed to run a group of kids back home after we had spent the day together, but I was a little low on gas, so I stopped at the nearest gas station and filled up the tank. About an hour later I pulled into my driveway, and went into the house to begin making dinner. It was only a short time later that I heard a knock on the door, and was greeted by a local policeman who stopped over to chat for a few minutes. After speaking for a few minutes briefly, He took me outside to the driveway and asked me if I noticed anything strange about my vehicle. When I walked around to the opposite side, I was shocked to see the handle for the gas pump still sticking out of my gas tank. I had forgotten to hang it back up when I was done using it, and when I pulled out of the gas station I had ripped the handle right off the hose.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
The pump handle sticking out of my gas tank was clear evidence of the foolish thing that I had done, but I quickly took care of the matter by paying the gas station so they could purchase a new one. This is what repentance is, when we turn away from the wrong things that we have done, and take the appropriate steps to make it right. In order to get to heaven, each of us must do the same thing by owning up to our own foolishness, and bringing forth fruits that are meet for repentance. This is a message that has been preached for thousands of years, by the Prophets, the Apostles, and disciples of the Lord.
Matthew 3:1-10 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
To truly be a Christian in one’s heart requires a complete change in your lifestyle. To become a saint, one must live as a saint, by humbly submitting to the teachings of the Gospel. But there are many people who profess to be followers of the Christian faith, that are no different than the religious leaders of old. They claim to believe in Jesus with their lips, but their hearts have never gone through a transformation. Without obedience to the will of God, which is taught throughout the teachings of scripture, people are going to come up short on Judgment Day. They might have known the teachings of scripture very well, but they never really repented, by putting them into action.
James 1:21-25 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Many people have taught that we are saved by faith alone, but true faith will have actions of obedience towards the will of God. If there is no evidence of a change from the sinful way that they once lived, then their faith is dead.
James 2:20-22 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Many people who claim to be Christian have no fear of God whatsoever, and without repentance and a change in their behavior, God is going to punish them. Just like a dad punishes their own child for their disobedience, God will do the exact same thing.
Psalms 55:19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
Bringing forth fruit that is meet for repentance, is to have outward evidence that you have turned away from sinful living. Genuine faith is manifested through perfect obedience to the will of God, and those who say anything different are deceivers.
2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
The Lord Jesus rebuked the religious leaders harshly for their complete hypocrisy and impenitent hearts, because they claimed that God was their Father, but their works completely denied that statement. There is a huge form of false Christianity in the world today that is filled up with the same types of people. They too claim to know God, or to be followers of Christ, but they refuse to repent of their heresies and submit to the will of God.
Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
At one time of his life, the Apostle Paul was persecuting the Churches of God, but when he finally became a believer, he began starting them instead. His life is a role model of bringing forth fruit meet for repentance, a message that he also preached wherever he went.
Acts 26:19-20 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
All of us have sinned and done wrong in our life, but repentance is about turning from wrong to what’s right. It’s a very simple message, one I will never forget, each time I hang up the handle, and….
……..Pay at the Pump
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️
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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 