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REPENTANCE

            When we seek God in diverse and troubling situations, His presence is invoked if He accepts our approach to Him. That is, all that God is is enthroned upon our situation and our mind can be at rest if God is ‘big’ in our thoughts. If He is small in your thinking, then you limit God’s ability to work on your behalf because you lack faith to believe. Many faint in the day of adversity because their strength, that is, their ability to see God’s Omnipotence and Dominion over all things is clouded. They truly fulfill Proverbs 24:10 which says; “If you faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Or in other words, you are separated from God! Doubt, unbelief and fear take over. You wonder where God is and why He does not hear you. Could it be that your sins have separated you from God?

            When we seek God in an acceptable manner, fear, doubt and unbelief are dispelled. God actually is enthroned upon our situation and He raises up a standard against the enemies of those who oppose His loved ones. However, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me!”

GOD DOES NOT RECEIVE ALL PRAISE AND WORSHIP!

            Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

            Americans are the most religious people in the developed world. More than 90 percent tell pollsters that they believe in God, 43 percent say they attend religious services at least once a week, and 58 percent report that religion is very important in their lives. What does it really mean a recent article asks written by Mona Charen of Creators Syndicate Inc.? Her article says that America has a religion that omits sin! They are actually doing what the scripture says not to do. They are regarding iniquity in their heart today, but there was a time in American history when things were different!

 Link;

www.marriagedivorce.com/mdjonathanedwards.htm" Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God!

Quote!

            “When every one from Hillary Clinton to Ralph Reed professes to be motivated by religious values, can those values have any identifiable content? When the society at large enshrines ‘tolerance’ and reluctance to make moral judgements as the highest virtues, what can they be hearing at those weekly services? James Davison Hunter answers that question in the spring edition of The Public Interest, and he concludes that at this moment in history the secular world view is influencing the churches far more than the churches are influencing the surrounding society. In particular, Hunter examines the moral education curricula at churches and synagogues around the nation, and he finds that the old categories of sin, repentance and redemption are out. The therapeutic language of self – esteem and self – love are in!

            The mainline churches go even further! Here’s a United Church of Christ pamphlet for young people: ‘Loving myself is at the heart of living, loving, and growing.....To love one – self is holy.’ A Rabbi at a large Reform congregation in Manhattan was asked whether theological concepts like sin are used to instruct the young; ‘sin isn’t one of our issues he replied, my guess is that in 12 years of religious school, our kids will never hear the word sin.’

            A principal of a Catholic School in San Antonio Texas expressed a similar view of sin: ‘Oh no, that kind of language would not relate to them anyway. When I was growing up, I personally might have responded to someone if they said; Hey this is a sin. Today though I don’t think that young people would respond to that. The most you can say to them is; that is not allowed.’ End of quote.” Need we say more for the reasons there is very little Divine Presence in our lives?

            I fear for all believers in the world, particularly America for God is not mocked! Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. When we suppose that God is accepting our praise and worship and we accept not His very word which speaks against sin, then our praise and worship is a sham.

            ‘Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; ...... Then shall they call upon Me but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me:’

Quote!

            “What is repentance? asks Maimonides in Chapter 2, Section 2 concerning the Laws of Repentance. And he answers: ‘It consists of this: that the sinner abandon his sin, remove it from his thoughts and resolve in his heart never to repeat it again....that he call Him who knows all hidden things to witness that he will never return to this sin again.....And he must confess in words, with his lips, and give voice to these matters which he has resolved in his heart.’ In this chapter, Maimonides speaks of a process of remorse (haratah), while in Chapter 1 he speaks of an additional element — shame: ‘How does one confess?....I repent and am ashamed of my deeds and I will never do this again.’ These two elements— remorse and shame— give us the right perspective of the value of confession. Repentance remains incomplete if confession from the heart has not taken place! End of quote.

            The Apostle Paul a man who sat at the feet of Gamaliel penned a letter to the Churches stating; “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

            The process of remorse (haratah-godly sorrow) comes from God alone. By the preaching of His word He brings at least three times conviction to the heart of man. When this conviction comes from God, we need to respond, for this is the only way God can draw us to repentance with godly sorrow.

            There was a fornicator, or profane person called Esau who sought God with tears, but found no place of repentance. God had cut him off from the blessing! Be careful what you believe to be true when it comes to repentance.

Salvation only comes through God given Repentance!

2 Timothy 2:25-26 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. {recover…: Gr. awake} {taken…: Gr. taken alive}

            When we confess to God our sins and have no remorse, we are only breaking off the weed that sticks up out of the ground. A few days later the weed comes up again and quite often spreads because the root has grown stronger since it does not have to support the stem above the ground. So to, when we repent with words only and no godly sorrow, the root is still in our heart that satan can use over and over again.

Hebrews 12:15

            Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled!

Proverbs 24:30-32

            I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, [and] nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, [and] considered [it] well: I looked upon [it, and] received instruction.

            There is a baptism of fire mentioned in the New Testament which comes from the Torah teachings of old. The comments on this subject by Rabbi Soloveitchik are as follows;

            Quote! The baptism of fire, represents the great act of breaking one’s own will, passing through the fire of one’s passion. This is proof of man’s self-transcendence, when he succeeds in subjugating his animal will to the supernal (God’s) will. This emersion is what brings man to the stage of true repentance which God accepts. End of Quote.

Joel 2:12-13

            Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye [even] to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

            Today there are many who have a form of godliness, but there is no power in their spirit to say no to the things of their past which they are ashamed to speak openly about. So they seek for places of worship which accept their sin by not preaching true repentance. The blind being led by the blind! People hopelessly get lost in the darkness of their sin by declaring and believing the lie that there is a permissive will of God. Because there are preachers in pulpits that have never found godly sorrow, they become hirelings who care not for the sheep, only their weekly salary. However, God is still looking for chaste virgins!

            This ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men to repent! Jesus further stated in the book of Revelations Chapter 3:18-19 ‘I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’

To God be the Glory!

Dr. Strome Th.D.

Given by the Lord Jesus our Messiah!

May 3^rd 2004

Other Scriptural readings on this subject! Lamentations 3: 35-57; Job 5:17-18, 33:27-32, 36:5-14; Proverbs 3:11-12, 28:12-14; John 3:17-21; Matthew 4:17, 11:20-30; Hosea 14:1-9; Hebrews 12:5-15.