Bear Fruit Worthy Of Repentance
5 Amens
Bearing Fruit Matthew 3:8
Jerusalem ,
Judea and the regions around the
Jordan came out to see this, under dressed, under fed, uneducated voice crying out in the wilderness. He had no church building, no worship band, service team, air conditioning, or helpers just him and his message. And millions flocked to hear those piercing words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
Read More“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance...”
There is this man named John. The greatest man to ever live, preceding Christ. He is out in a dessert wearing camel’s hair and leather belt around his waist. All he ate was honey and locusts and he had one sermon.“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
And the bible tells us that allAll of a sudden the real preachers started showing up. They had on their suits and entourages. They carried around their sermon folder if they were ever called on to deliver one of their well polished speeches. These were the Pharisees and Sadducees and as they began to arrive on the scene they were all bawling their eyes out crying in repentance and gnashing their teeth at the thought of their sin and wanting to be baptised by John. The bible tells us that when he saw them coming seeking baptism he said to them: “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
Than he laid this challenge that I want to put down tonight “Bear fruits worthy of repentance...”No one is interested in someone who talks about God and pretends to follow Him. They come to youth and attend the prayer meetings, yet the fruit they continue to bare is in stark contrast to the professio of their mouth. The world correctly labels them hypocrites and the church just sits back and hopes for the best.
Leading up to the Hebrides Revival 1949 a couple of young men were praying in a barn for God to come and move mightily in their region and one of the group stood up and read this passage form Psalm 24:3 “ Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face.”
He than went on to say: "Brethren, it seems to me just so much humbug to be waiting and praying as we are, if we ourselves are not rightly related to God." Then lifting his hands toward heaven he cried: "Oh God, are my hands clean? Is my heart pure?" He got no further, but fell prostrate to the floor. An awareness of God filled the barn and a stream of supernatural power was let lose in their lives. They had moved into a new sphere of God realisation, believing implicitly in the promise of revival.
I stand simply as the messenger here tonight. I am not concerned for your reputation, caring little for your self esteem, worried not for your success nor anxious for your comfort.
I have one concern and one concern only. I preach for one end and no other.
Are you saved??? Do you know Him???
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Who may ascend??? The one who has a purity of their;
§ Hands: What you touch: Who you touch and who you let touch you. Your hands are filthy with lusts of your flesh.
§ Heart: What you meditate on: Your thoughts and feelings. William Branham used to say that the thoughts in your mind are as loud as your actions in heaven. There is little between the two.
§ Soul: What your convictions are: How you worship and how highly you feel about God. Angels fall to their face before Him and they’re no mean beings! Look at the one who single-handedly killed 185,000 soldiers in one night. (I want to watch that when I get to heaven) What could make such a beast fall to his face and cry out HOLY!
§ Mouth: What you say: You will give an account of every idle word you have spoken. And by your words you will either be acquitted or condemned.
And this is the kind of fruit that John was talking about…
Who may ascend that Holy hill and see His face. The redeemed of the Lord may, and no one else.
If your saved and you assume so pompously you are because you attend church or give in an offreing than where is your fruit???
You’re supposed to be divorced from the world. You’re not supposed to fit in. You supposed to have nothing to do with broken systems of this corrupted world.
The same things that used to impress and entertain you should not entertain you anymore. The movies and TV shows you used to watch should make you feel ill. Sexual immorality and constant Swearing should make you want to vomit. Computer games that used to hold your attention are now an offence to you When people brag about their scorecard of how many girls or guys they have ‘done it’ with than the only urge you should have is to get up and walk off, for only the wicked partake in such conversation and they satisfy the desires of their father in hell! The demonic bile that teenagers are so accustomed to swallowing through a stupid little box in their living room or on their computer is the most putrid and vile stench to God.
Might I just say that if you’re accustomed to recommending such movies that portray these things to God’s children than you had better watch out!!! For if you cause the least of them to stumble than you would be better off to have a millstone tied around your neck and you be cast into the ocean.
Kata’s cousins overseas kept trying to ask me what kind of music I like and I couldn’t answer them because they just couldn’t understand that music is not about entertainment for me anymore. It used to be. I was once obsessed with the good music. I played in a band and wrote songs and spent all my time listening to my favourite bands but now I have experienced what it is meant for I just can’t be entertained by it. If it doesn’t draw me into His presence than I have no interest in it!!!
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1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
You are called of God to be Holy!!! Not so you can look clean or so you can impress others with how Christian you can act. You’re to be holy because God is holy. You have never been given a greater reason to do anything in your entire life than this.
The bible also says: “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” Heb 12:14
Leonard Ravenhill’ tells us of a small discussion he had with his son in his office one day when his son looked up and said to him; “Dad if we’re going to be holy people than we’re going to live lonely lives!”
It’s a terrible mistake when we assume we have all the time in the world to get our lives right. That’s poisonous thinking of the worst kind.
People don’t call on God in the time of terror. Norman Williams one of the only survivor from the worst aviation disasters of histories said that as he stood up in the cabin of the jumbo 747 which had just been torn in two by a runway collision. Jet fuel had sprayed right through the cabin and the intensity and fury of the flame was unfathomable. He looked around for a brief moment as hundreds of people were burning to death. He described people’s hair and clothes were on fire and all they could say were the most blasphemous curses the human mind can invent.
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You’re just as spiritual as you want to be. These powerful men of God In past years had the same bible I had, they had the same 24 hours in a day, the same Holy Ghost I have BUT they have fruit we don’t have.
No good looking at powerful men like the Apostles, John Wesley, Charles Finney, etc. And just assuming they were born with a bright star above their heads and they were gifted with some special power.
Comments:
Craig C. Ireland
Blessings
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