Repentance - Part 1
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
Have you ever said something like "I wish I had said such and such or I wish I had done such and such?" I certainly have ... more than once. Hindsight, I suppose my greatest desire, if we could have "do-overs," would be to have been more of a "John the Baptist" preacher many years ago. Although I have always been oriented that way, I wish I had been more active in the past to speak the pure word of the gospel. For example, I have shared many times what the Lord revealed to me as to why He removed the candlestick from our New Testament house church in 1981, even though I still have never seen any church that matches what we had for a short season. The Lord showed me at least six reasons why that local church totally disintegrated after 14 years of operation. One of those reasons was because a bad doctrine crept in through several of the supposed "elders" and deacons. That bad doctrine is called the "prosperity gospel" or "name it and claim it." That false doctrine, which has been around for more than 50 years, says that God wants us all to be rich, materially, particularly the pastors. The prosperity gospel runs contrary to everything that Jesus preached. The only man who could have done something about it was not part of our local church, but he refused to confront that big lie. If you want to see a good video where an evangelist uncovers the total heresy of the "prosperity gospel" or the "money gospel," google www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmWg1NUnMhQ
Hindsight, I wish I had called for a meeting with all the elders and deacons and explained, from the teachings of Jesus, why the prosperity gospel is a total heresy. Then I could have suggested that either all those who advocate that heresy leave and start their own church or else I would leave and they could continue to do their own thing. As it turned out, the Lord told us the date and time to get out of that church or the ministry the Lord had put me into could not be fulfilled.
That church totally disintegrated one year later. Now some might say, brother, that would not have been very loving. Then I could ask a question ... was John the Baptist very loving when he called the religious elite of the day a "generation of vipers?" We know that Jesus said that a greater prophet than John the Baptist had never arisen. Was Jesus very loving when he called that same generation hypocrites? Absolutely! because a far worse fate awaited those who would not repent.
Of course, none of us can go back in time. At the same time, we must always resist the accuser of the brethren, who delights to remind us of our past failures.
My "hindsight" scenario is somewhat like what Paul said to the elders of the Church at Ephesus, in
The first word that John the Baptist spoke was "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The first word that Jesus preached was "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The first word that Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost was "repent."
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he (John the Baptist) said unto them,
That one voice crying in the wilderness will be a company of some number of overcomers. Only the Lord knows how many and who specifically will be a part of this company. This group of believers will constitute one voice from the wilderness. Their unified message will not be as a result of conferring with one another. They will all get the word of God from the Source, directly.
Today, we personally know a few mature ministries who are in the wilderness. They have been tried by fire, tried by a lack of (human) fellowship that is common to the natural temple, tried through much suffering in a variety of forms. But they have been counted worthy by the Lord to suffer in His Name. They have found that the Lord Himself is sufficient for all of their needs. They have been chosen as a tenth of a tenth of believers (Nehemiah 10:38). Many are called but few are chosen. The reason that few are chosen is because few choose. It depends upon our response to God. It depends upon the decisions that we make.
The preparation of a soul to stand with (or in) Christ in the Kingdom of God is severe, demanding, and stringent. Much rigorous preparation is needed before His servants can bear His glory to the ends of the earth.
The parable of the sower speaks of preparing good ground to receive seed. Much old ground has to be plowed and prepared to receive the word of the kingdom of God. Many long years ago I rented a rototiller to try to prepare a small plot of land to plant a few vegetables. It was hard work! Once we allow the Holy Spirit to begin His work in our soul, He desires to restore and then release that soul to live life in a freedom which only the remnant of the Lord can know.
Somewhere back in 1970 I received an unsolicited prophecy from one of the very few true prophets that I have met in my life. He said that he had seen a vision of the Lord slitting the soles of my shoes so that my toes would have room to wriggle around. I knew exactly what he meant by that prophecy. However, I had to wait another ten years for the fulfillment of that prophecy. But on May 30, 1980, the Lord sovereignly brought about the fulfillment of that word. Immediately I sensed a freedom and a liberty in my spirit that I had never experienced before. For me, that was indeed a day of jubilee in my life ... a jubilee that I have basked in for 43 years. At the same time, I am fully aware that what I experienced of the freedom and liberty of the Lord was/is only a drop in the bucket compared to the glorious liberty of the sons of God that still lies ahead.
The preparation for the second coming of our King will no longer be purely natural ... it must be a spiritual preparation. Our preparation is to allow the Holy Spirit to mold us into that which He desires. Our attitude is critical. Sometimes I get the impression that we are an "I know that" church. We have received much good teaching (and some not so good) and read so many books that "we know that." So we are no longer flexible and pliable in the Lord's hands. We have crystallized our doctrine, got it all down pat, searched the scriptures, and lead our own lives. We have built three tabernacles and here we stand. It is no wonder that after an initial spurt of growth, the real life of the Spirit departs from our fellowships. After some period of time, the Spirit of God is no longer in control. We are running on our own steam, following our own traditions, having a great time, and never knowing that something is wrong. The most difficult aspect of preparing the way of the Lord is to see the need for such preparation. Let us consider the "handwriting on the wall."
Of course, we should not expect our secular leaders to see the handwriting on the wall. They do not have eyes to see or ears to hear or a heart to understand that which the Lord is about. The trumpet call can be heard only in Zion, which speaks of the very elect, the remnant, the overcomers. Perhaps many professing Christians have, at one time or another, quoted the verse in
In those days the wedding garment was furnished by the host ... the bridegroom. "Garments" speak of righteousness, but "all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). So the man who was cast into outer darkness had trusted in his own righteousness, rather than the righteousness which comes only from the Lord.
The Lord will visit those willing to yield to Him. We must keep humble and little in our own eyes. If we get built up by a sense of our own importance, we are gone. The Lord has always sought humble people. He can use no other. There is much need always for heart preparation, in humility and separation, before God can consistently come to us.
The Lord is not asleep. The Lord is quietly and inconspiculously building up Zion. It is a marvelous work that is hidden from the eyes of man and can only be seen in the realm of the Spirit. And one day soon He will unveil His masterpiece. Then He shall appear in His glory ... the parousia of the Lord. The question is, Whose heart is stirred up? Who is looking for Him? Whose spirit is made willing to "prepare ye the way of the Lord?"
We hope to continue this word next week. Until then, who wants to be a John the Baptist preacher and speak only the pure word of God? And who wants to hear the pure word of God. Hope is alive and it is because of such hope that I speak with such boldness. Amen and amen.
Hindsight, I wish I had called for a meeting with all the elders and deacons and explained, from the teachings of Jesus, why the prosperity gospel is a total heresy. Then I could have suggested that either all those who advocate that heresy leave and start their own church or else I would leave and they could continue to do their own thing. As it turned out, the Lord told us the date and time to get out of that church or the ministry the Lord had put me into could not be fulfilled.
That church totally disintegrated one year later. Now some might say, brother, that would not have been very loving. Then I could ask a question ... was John the Baptist very loving when he called the religious elite of the day a "generation of vipers?" We know that Jesus said that a greater prophet than John the Baptist had never arisen. Was Jesus very loving when he called that same generation hypocrites? Absolutely! because a far worse fate awaited those who would not repent.
Of course, none of us can go back in time. At the same time, we must always resist the accuser of the brethren, who delights to remind us of our past failures.
Philippians 3:12-14, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
My "hindsight" scenario is somewhat like what Paul said to the elders of the Church at Ephesus, in
Acts 20:28-31, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."
However, my scenario was different in that our local church tried to operate on the model of the Church at Antioch, which was a plurality of leadership rather than the Church at Jerusalem where one man decided the actions to be taken. As a result, our local church operated with a democratic spirit ... one elder, one vote, the majority wins. The Church at Ephesus had a single, strong leadership for three years under Paul. In Acts, chapter 19, one evil spirit beat up seven Jewish exorcists. That evil spirit said, "Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you?" In other words, no bad doctrine could gain a foothold with Paul as the leader. That is an advantage of the one-man leadership, provided that the leader has the same God-given spiritual authority that Paul had. Sadly, very few pastors today match up with Paul in terms of his character, his understanding, his wisdom, his God-given power and authority. Therefore, potential problems exist with any type of leadership. With the departure of Paul, a vacuum was left in Ephesus.
The same situation happened in the time of Moses. When Moses was with the Israelites, he provided strong leadership to keep the people on the right path. But what happened when Moses was in the mountain with the Lord for forty days and forty nights? All of the people, including Aaron, built and worshipped a golden calf. That is simply amazing! The Israelites fell into total apostasy in forty days when their leader Moses was gone.
I should hasten to add that the prosperity gospel is by no means the only heresy that our enemy has introduced into our churches, but it may be the worst one. Many more still exist, such as "once saved always saved"; the current manifestation of the sons of God; idolization of a man, such as William Branham; men who have started schools to bring forth prophets; and the false "rapture" theory, which has at least three or four different versions. The first apostles never taught any physical rapture prior to the great tribulation. That heresy was first introduced by a young girl in 1830.
Now there is perhaps an element of truth that we should not simply focus on what men call the "negative." However, consider Jeremiah, chapter 1, verses 7-10,
The same situation happened in the time of Moses. When Moses was with the Israelites, he provided strong leadership to keep the people on the right path. But what happened when Moses was in the mountain with the Lord for forty days and forty nights? All of the people, including Aaron, built and worshipped a golden calf. That is simply amazing! The Israelites fell into total apostasy in forty days when their leader Moses was gone.
I should hasten to add that the prosperity gospel is by no means the only heresy that our enemy has introduced into our churches, but it may be the worst one. Many more still exist, such as "once saved always saved"; the current manifestation of the sons of God; idolization of a man, such as William Branham; men who have started schools to bring forth prophets; and the false "rapture" theory, which has at least three or four different versions. The first apostles never taught any physical rapture prior to the great tribulation. That heresy was first introduced by a young girl in 1830.
Now there is perhaps an element of truth that we should not simply focus on what men call the "negative." However, consider Jeremiah, chapter 1, verses 7-10,
"But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
Note that four so-called negatives come before three positives.
Also consider Nehemiah, chapter 4, verse 10,
Also consider Nehemiah, chapter 4, verse 10,
"And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall."
The bearers of burdens are true intercessors who weep between the porch and the altar on behalf of the body of Christ. Sadly, today there seems to be more rubbish in our church community than ever before. Why? because of the lack of John the Baptist preachers. Where are those who preach repentance? For starters, we need to repent for ignoring all of the rubbish that exists in our churches.
I know a brother who has been praying for revival for more than 40 years. Every revival over all of time has been initiated by the grace of God when He sends forth a John the Baptist preacher. What does that tell us? apparently, we have been praying for the wrong thing. When we simply pray for revival, we are asking for God to do something. Instead, we should be praying that the Lord would send us prophets. Better still, we need to take some initiative and become John the Baptist preachers ourselves.
Throughout the ages the Lord always has had a remnant ... a Church within a Church ... men who have prayed, preached, prophesied, and pleaded with God's chosen people over the truth of "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"... men who have avoided the snare of humanism. One such revivalist in the 20th century was Leonard Ravenhill, who was a real porcupine. Every local church needs a porcupine. The kingdom of heaven is like a concrete mixer truck and the people of God are like the concrete therein. Unless we are constantly stirred up we get hard and set in our ways.
I know a brother who has been praying for revival for more than 40 years. Every revival over all of time has been initiated by the grace of God when He sends forth a John the Baptist preacher. What does that tell us? apparently, we have been praying for the wrong thing. When we simply pray for revival, we are asking for God to do something. Instead, we should be praying that the Lord would send us prophets. Better still, we need to take some initiative and become John the Baptist preachers ourselves.
Throughout the ages the Lord always has had a remnant ... a Church within a Church ... men who have prayed, preached, prophesied, and pleaded with God's chosen people over the truth of "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"... men who have avoided the snare of humanism. One such revivalist in the 20th century was Leonard Ravenhill, who was a real porcupine. Every local church needs a porcupine. The kingdom of heaven is like a concrete mixer truck and the people of God are like the concrete therein. Unless we are constantly stirred up we get hard and set in our ways.
Ravenhill, in his book, "Why Revival Tarries," said, (quote) "Oh God send us prophetic preaching that searches and scorches! Send us a race of Martyr-preachers - men burdened, bent, bowed and broken under the vision of impending judgment and the unending hell of the impenitent ... ""Preachers make pulpits famous; prophets make prisons famous. May the Lord send us prophets - terrible men, who cry aloud and spare not, who sprinkle nations with unctionized woes - men too hot to hold, too hard to be heard, to merciless to spare ...""We are tired of men in soft raiment and softer in speech who use rivers of words with but a smidgen of unction. These know more about competition than consecration, about promotion than prayer. They substitute propaganda for propagation and care more for their church's happiness than holiness ..."
(end quote).
A. W. Tozer, in his book, The Size of the Soul, pages 128-129, said (quote), If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, renounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath. (end quote) Tozer spoke of the 20th century.
The first word that John the Baptist spoke was "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The first word that Jesus preached was "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The first word that Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost was "repent."
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he (John the Baptist) 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." Matthew 3:7-8
But there was no genuine repentance. There was no fruit, just branches and leaves. Even the common people were simply looking for a natural king to deliver them from their oppressors. Something must happen in our heart which will reflect itself in our life. In other words, true repentance demands a change in our life - a turning to the will and ways of the Lord.
Just prior to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus on earth, in
Just prior to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus on earth, in
Matthew 3:1-3, "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."
John the Baptist was to have been the fulfillment of preaching the word of preparation.
Mark 1:2 says, "As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee."
Repentance is NOT a popular word so John the Baptist was rejected and killed. The same thing happened to Jesus. We believers like the "good" part, but we don't care too much for the suffering, travail, denying of our self, etc., that must precede that "good" part.
The time of John the Baptist was a time of transition ... a transition from the dispensation of law to the dispensation of grace. The time of the new John the Baptist Company is also a time of transition ... a transition to the age of the kingdom. We are on the verge of the dawning of a new dispensation. God is raising up a people who have been tried by the fire and turned into an altar of praise to our God. The new John the Baptist Company will consist of people like Amos, who said,
The time of John the Baptist was a time of transition ... a transition from the dispensation of law to the dispensation of grace. The time of the new John the Baptist Company is also a time of transition ... a transition to the age of the kingdom. We are on the verge of the dawning of a new dispensation. God is raising up a people who have been tried by the fire and turned into an altar of praise to our God. The new John the Baptist Company will consist of people like Amos, who said,
"I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit. And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel." Amos 9:14-15
That one voice crying in the wilderness will be a company of some number of overcomers. Only the Lord knows how many and who specifically will be a part of this company. This group of believers will constitute one voice from the wilderness. Their unified message will not be as a result of conferring with one another. They will all get the word of God from the Source, directly.
Today, we personally know a few mature ministries who are in the wilderness. They have been tried by fire, tried by a lack of (human) fellowship that is common to the natural temple, tried through much suffering in a variety of forms. But they have been counted worthy by the Lord to suffer in His Name. They have found that the Lord Himself is sufficient for all of their needs. They have been chosen as a tenth of a tenth of believers (Nehemiah 10:38). Many are called but few are chosen. The reason that few are chosen is because few choose. It depends upon our response to God. It depends upon the decisions that we make.
In Matthew 4:1, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil."
The wilderness is God's proving ground. Waters break out in the wilderness, not in the cities, not in the traditional churches. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness; He did not just decide to go there. So it is also with all of the faithful believers who are suffering in the wilderness. They have been led into their place of suffering by the Holy Spirit. Now when we are in the wilderness, our response to God leading us there is crucial. We can murmur and complain and just die in the wilderness, as did all of the Israelites (except two adults) when they came out of Egypt. Or we can patiently endure, just waiting for relief. Or we can be overcomers. Only we as individuals can make that choice. It is OUR decision. But make sure you know what you are doing if you pray, "Lord make me an overcomer," because then the Lord will give you something to overcome. When we look at the response of Jesus, in Matthew 4, it is abundantly clear that Jesus was the Prime Overcomer. What happened as a result? Jesus began to preach, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17); and in
Matthew 4:23, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people."
So it shall be with the overcomers. When the Lord blows the trumpet, there will be a new release of a healing ministry. This healing ministry will NOT be like what we have seen to date. It will be a complete healing of body, soul, and spirit.
"And saviours [deliverers] shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S." Obadiah 21
In addition, the message to be preached is the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
God has all the while been preparing the overcomers, the remnant, the man child. He has scattered them into the wilderness and has refined them as silver is refined in the fire. He has used suffering of all different kinds to press His remnant into Christ. And He has a timetable for the true to emerge. Only the Lord knows when that time is. But surely that time is close at hand. One characteristic of the overcomers is that they will trouble all Israel because of the apostasy of the church. Darkness hates the light.
God has all the while been preparing the overcomers, the remnant, the man child. He has scattered them into the wilderness and has refined them as silver is refined in the fire. He has used suffering of all different kinds to press His remnant into Christ. And He has a timetable for the true to emerge. Only the Lord knows when that time is. But surely that time is close at hand. One characteristic of the overcomers is that they will trouble all Israel because of the apostasy of the church. Darkness hates the light.
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 1 Kings 18:17
The preparation of a soul to stand with (or in) Christ in the Kingdom of God is severe, demanding, and stringent. Much rigorous preparation is needed before His servants can bear His glory to the ends of the earth.
"If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work."
2 Timothy 2:21
Such preparation has always been necessary before any revival to "make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). How much greater, then, is the need for ultimate preparation for the ultimate manifestation of His glory upon the earth within His overcomers. The time for the fulfillment of Isaiah 60:1-2 is close at hand.
"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee."
To whom are those verses addressed? to those overcomers in these end times who will allow the Lord to make them into His image. Now no man is perfect (yet) and no man on earth can at this time bear the glory of the LORD. That is why much more stringent preparation is necessary within His chosen vessels before,
"And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." Isaiah 60:3
The parable of the sower speaks of preparing good ground to receive seed. Much old ground has to be plowed and prepared to receive the word of the kingdom of God. Many long years ago I rented a rototiller to try to prepare a small plot of land to plant a few vegetables. It was hard work! Once we allow the Holy Spirit to begin His work in our soul, He desires to restore and then release that soul to live life in a freedom which only the remnant of the Lord can know.
Somewhere back in 1970 I received an unsolicited prophecy from one of the very few true prophets that I have met in my life. He said that he had seen a vision of the Lord slitting the soles of my shoes so that my toes would have room to wriggle around. I knew exactly what he meant by that prophecy. However, I had to wait another ten years for the fulfillment of that prophecy. But on May 30, 1980, the Lord sovereignly brought about the fulfillment of that word. Immediately I sensed a freedom and a liberty in my spirit that I had never experienced before. For me, that was indeed a day of jubilee in my life ... a jubilee that I have basked in for 43 years. At the same time, I am fully aware that what I experienced of the freedom and liberty of the Lord was/is only a drop in the bucket compared to the glorious liberty of the sons of God that still lies ahead.
The preparation for the second coming of our King will no longer be purely natural ... it must be a spiritual preparation. Our preparation is to allow the Holy Spirit to mold us into that which He desires. Our attitude is critical. Sometimes I get the impression that we are an "I know that" church. We have received much good teaching (and some not so good) and read so many books that "we know that." So we are no longer flexible and pliable in the Lord's hands. We have crystallized our doctrine, got it all down pat, searched the scriptures, and lead our own lives. We have built three tabernacles and here we stand. It is no wonder that after an initial spurt of growth, the real life of the Spirit departs from our fellowships. After some period of time, the Spirit of God is no longer in control. We are running on our own steam, following our own traditions, having a great time, and never knowing that something is wrong. The most difficult aspect of preparing the way of the Lord is to see the need for such preparation. Let us consider the "handwriting on the wall."
Of course, we should not expect our secular leaders to see the handwriting on the wall. They do not have eyes to see or ears to hear or a heart to understand that which the Lord is about. The trumpet call can be heard only in Zion, which speaks of the very elect, the remnant, the overcomers. Perhaps many professing Christians have, at one time or another, quoted the verse in
1 Peter 4:17, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"
The question is, "Does the Lord require something more from us than just to quote that verse?"
Now let us read what Jesus said about John the Baptist in
Luke 7:24-28, "And when the messengers of John were departed, He began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. But what went ye out for to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written [in Malachi 3:1], Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
Therefore, to repeat, the most important exhortation that any man could speak today is "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" ... prepare for the second coming of the Lord to earth, or, as one good brother put it, prepare for the glory. That is a personal word to each of us; it is also a corporate word.
Jeremiah 13:16-17, "Give glory to the LORD your God, before He cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, My soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive."
We need an enlarged vision in this hour ... we need to know where we are going and how to get there.
The most important handwriting on the wall is that Jesus is coming back to earth soon! Are we looking for him? Are we prepared for Him? Now the next questions are "Why do we need to prepare the way of the Lord? How do we prepare the way of the Lord? How do we make His paths straight? What happens after we prepare the way of the Lord?" May the Holy Spirit stir up our hearts to prepare for the Lord's soon coming.
Let us emphasize that there is a distinct difference between being born again and walking in the kingdom of God. There can be little doubt that the Lord will return to earth very soon. Now some may say, well brother, believers have been saying that for 2000 years. True, but who can doubt that the world is rapidly going from darkness to gross darkness? (Isaiah 60:2). But from Isaiah 59:19, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." What or who is that standard? the manifestation of the sons of God ... the very elect, the remnant, the overcomers. The enemy has been coming in like a flood for many years and it will get worse. Coming in to where? to the Church, the body of Christ. There are many reasons why the Church has allowed the enemy to come in like a flood.
What should we do to be ready for this shaking that we are in and the even harder times that are sure to come? Most evangelicals and some charismatics believe that the church will not have to endure this difficult time because of something men call the "rapture." But too many scriptures indicate that we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom; that will not only make us stronger but we will be purified through the trial to become the Bride of Christ. The so-called "rapture" doctrine has contributed beyond all measure to the apathy, complacency, and lukewarm attitude of the Church. That complacency should give us considerable concern. Like Israel of old, we assume that God is on our side and that He is bound to protect us and prosper our cause. God bless America so we can continue to do our own thing. Lord, take away this Covid pandemic so we can continue running our nice machine, which we call a church.
The Bride, the Lamb's wife must make herself ready. How? by obedience to the faith of Christ ... by keeping oil in our lamps ... by being a wise virgin (Matthew 25:1-13) rather than a foolish virgin. What is the portion of the foolish virgins (who likewise represent born again Christians)? They must go through great tribulation.
The most important handwriting on the wall is that Jesus is coming back to earth soon! Are we looking for him? Are we prepared for Him? Now the next questions are "Why do we need to prepare the way of the Lord? How do we prepare the way of the Lord? How do we make His paths straight? What happens after we prepare the way of the Lord?" May the Holy Spirit stir up our hearts to prepare for the Lord's soon coming.
Let us emphasize that there is a distinct difference between being born again and walking in the kingdom of God. There can be little doubt that the Lord will return to earth very soon. Now some may say, well brother, believers have been saying that for 2000 years. True, but who can doubt that the world is rapidly going from darkness to gross darkness? (Isaiah 60:2). But from Isaiah 59:19, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." What or who is that standard? the manifestation of the sons of God ... the very elect, the remnant, the overcomers. The enemy has been coming in like a flood for many years and it will get worse. Coming in to where? to the Church, the body of Christ. There are many reasons why the Church has allowed the enemy to come in like a flood.
What should we do to be ready for this shaking that we are in and the even harder times that are sure to come? Most evangelicals and some charismatics believe that the church will not have to endure this difficult time because of something men call the "rapture." But too many scriptures indicate that we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom; that will not only make us stronger but we will be purified through the trial to become the Bride of Christ. The so-called "rapture" doctrine has contributed beyond all measure to the apathy, complacency, and lukewarm attitude of the Church. That complacency should give us considerable concern. Like Israel of old, we assume that God is on our side and that He is bound to protect us and prosper our cause. God bless America so we can continue to do our own thing. Lord, take away this Covid pandemic so we can continue running our nice machine, which we call a church.
The Bride, the Lamb's wife must make herself ready. How? by obedience to the faith of Christ ... by keeping oil in our lamps ... by being a wise virgin (Matthew 25:1-13) rather than a foolish virgin. What is the portion of the foolish virgins (who likewise represent born again Christians)? They must go through great tribulation.
Matthew 22:1-14, "And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen."
In those days the wedding garment was furnished by the host ... the bridegroom. "Garments" speak of righteousness, but "all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). So the man who was cast into outer darkness had trusted in his own righteousness, rather than the righteousness which comes only from the Lord.
The Lord will visit those willing to yield to Him. We must keep humble and little in our own eyes. If we get built up by a sense of our own importance, we are gone. The Lord has always sought humble people. He can use no other. There is much need always for heart preparation, in humility and separation, before God can consistently come to us.
The Lord is not asleep. The Lord is quietly and inconspiculously building up Zion. It is a marvelous work that is hidden from the eyes of man and can only be seen in the realm of the Spirit. And one day soon He will unveil His masterpiece. Then He shall appear in His glory ... the parousia of the Lord. The question is, Whose heart is stirred up? Who is looking for Him? Whose spirit is made willing to "prepare ye the way of the Lord?"
We hope to continue this word next week. Until then, who wants to be a John the Baptist preacher and speak only the pure word of God? And who wants to hear the pure word of God. Hope is alive and it is because of such hope that I speak with such boldness. Amen and amen.
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