February 13 “Repent” Luke 13:3
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3)
There is a story told of a little boy that applied for church membership. The Pastor asked, “Why do you want to join the church?” “Because I want to show everyone that Jesus has saved me!” “Do you feel that you are saved? Who saved you? asked the Pastor. The little boy replied, “It is the work of Jesus Christ and me!” “What was your part in being saved?” asked the Pastor. The little boy quickly responded, “I repented, and Jesus did the rest!” What is Repentance? Repentance is that change of a sinner's (Romans 3:23) mind which leads him to turn from his evil ways and live. It could be said as the little boy said – it is our part (Something that we MUST do), and then HE will do the rest! Will He do the rest if we don’t do our part? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! God is not going to save a man that does not want to be saved! As I counsel with individuals that are suffering with various challenges, I always talk about salvation and repentance and the fact that we are all sinners, and that we all fall short of the glory and majesty of almighty God, and invariably, the vast majority tell me that they are not sinners and that they are not lost and that I sound like every other pastor. (I AM QUITE PROUD THAT I SOUND LIKE A PASTOR!) Equally sad, is the individual that refuses to forgive his or her neighbor! Living under the burden of unforgiveness will always hamper your own forgiveness. Daddy used to tell me that people, must “Get Lost,” before they can be saved, and that is so true! We must recognize and acknowledge that we are lost before we can be found! The very first thing that Peter said to the multitude, on the day of Pentecost, was about how to become a child of God. Acts 2:38 says, “…Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Notice that he didn’t say that to be saved you had to first join the church, or the first thing was to be baptized; no, these come after being saved. He says that the first thing that you need to do, is to “Repent!” Throughout the Bible, we read about the importance of repentance and God’s forgiveness! God is merciful enough to forgive us of our sins, if we are man enough to come to Him and ask for that forgiveness. Amazingly, for some folks, it is the hardest thing that they could possibly do, is to ask for forgiveness! For them, asking for forgiveness is Hard! Are you willing to humble yourself and to say, “Christ, I realize I am a sinner and I realize that I cannot save myself, and I realize that if you do not have mercy on me, I am eternally lost! O God, I confess my sins, please forgive me.” HE WILL HONOR YOUR REQUEST AND HE WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL!! “…and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out!” (John 7:37) This is the answer to our earthly human struggles and issues! This is the solution to our dilemmas of life! If you missed it, let me shout it to the rooftop… “REPENT AND BE SAVED!” Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!