REPENTANCE
Christ 
Is Calling You
 By:  Pastor Max  Solbrekken

St. Peter declared, "Repent and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye 
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."   (Acts 2:38)

CHRIST IS CALLING FOR REPENTANCE & A 
   TOTAL REJECTION OF SATAN

It is time to repent.  Christ is calling the world, and the LORD is calling for total repentance and a total rejection of Satan.

St. John declared, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)

Jesus said, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all 
likewise perish."  (Luke 13:3)

During the past thirty years our nation has taken a nose dive, and at present, we are a people divided, despondent and depressed; politically, economically and spiritually.

THE TIME IS NOW TO REPENT & BE SAVED 

To say we are living in a very dangerous and frightening time is an understatement.  We are living in the end times and are facing world war, one world crisis after another.  The Bible clearly draws time lines with world events and we are drawing near the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Tribulation.

IT IS TIME FOR THE WORLD TO TURN FROM 
  SIN, SATAN & REBELLION

A divine call however, has gone out to our Nation and the world to repent.  Now is the time to turn around, to repent to Christ Jesus and forsake sin.    We MUST repent of our sins, surrender our wills to God and give up the futile effort of "doing things our own way."

It's time for the NATION to turn back from their rebellious ways; repentance & confessing to Christ our sins of unbelief, pride, immorality, jealousy, envy and prejudice. The time has come for a complete rejection of Satan and evil - for a complete repentance.  Its time to turn away from lust, greed, hatred, selfishness, anger, bitterness and deceit! To confront the devil - in the Name of Jesus Christ - telling him that he's not welcome in our lives anymore.

WE NEED TO REJECT SATAN & EVIL IN
   THE NAME OF JESUS

Now is the time for everyone to repent of their sins, reject and renounce the many dangerous, deceptive and occultist doctrines of the New Age Movement. As well as the cult of Secular Humanism that teaches, 'man ascended from the world of monkeys and apes, is self-sufficient and is his own God'!

GOD REQUIRES TOTAL REPENTANCE WITH 
   HUMILITY & SUBMISSION TO GOD

The Bible speaks about humility, repentance and submission to the Almighty God and a total rejection of Satan, who is the god of this world! St. James states, "Submit yourselves therefore unto God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

IT IS TIME TO REPENT & COME HOME TO   
  OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

It's time to come home and be reconciled to our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. To accept the invitation of our LORD Jesus Christ to talk things over.  We need to straighten out past failures and right wrongs. We need to receive total forgiveness and assurance, with new direction for the future!

The Bible says, "Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7)           

The divine call of God does not differentiate between rich or poor, educated or illiterate, men or women, young or old. There is no class distinction or favoritism due to race, color, nationality or culture with the Almighty!

ALL MAY APPROACH THE THRONE OF GOD
  AND REPENT OF THEIR SINS

The invitation of salvation is available to all.  Every person alive may approach the throne of God and repent of their sins.  We all can receive the mercy and grace of the LORD.  Through faith in the finished work of Christ on Calvary's cross you are saved.

How is this possible? The Gospel is free to everyone!

WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH 
   FAITH IT IS A GIFT OF GOD

The Bible says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."   (Ephesians 2:8-9)

SALVATION IS FREE - CHRIST IS WAITING 
   FOR YOU TO REPENT

There is no entry fee, cover charge or red tape to delay our coming to Jesus Christ and repenting of our sins.  There is nothing  to stop the process of salvation from functioning in our lives.  Christ waits for you to repent, Christ Jesus or Lord is willing to accept all  that will repent and Jesus Christ will  forgive your sins.

The prophet invited, "Lo, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; come, ye, buy wine and milk without money and without price."  (Isaiah  55:1) 

And Jesus assures us: "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out."  (John 6:37)

OUR REDEMPTION AND FREEDOM FROM  
  SATAN WAS PAID BY JESUS CHRIST ON 
  THE CROSS

The enormous cost of our freedom - redemption from sin and the power of Satan - has been paid for us, through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ!      

Jesus said, "...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."  (Luke 13:3)

The Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   (John 3:16)

St. John declared, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)

St. Paul emphasized,  "That through death, He  (Jesus Christ ) might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."  (Hebrews 2:14)

GOD WANTS YOU.  GOD IS WAITING FOR 
   YOU TO REPENT OF YOUR SINS & BE 
   CLEANSED

Jesus Christ's Gospel:  God wants us, he is waiting patiently for you to approach him.  God is waiting for you to repent of your sins and be cleansed in the Blood of the Lamb.

The good news is that God wants us. He wants you and me. No exceptions, and no questions asked. We come just as we are! He knows all about us and yet He wants us, even though we are sinners. WHY? He is a specialist in the field of cleansing, reconciliation and re-birth!

IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, GOD IS 
  FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US

The Bible states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteous."  (1 John 1:9)

JUST AS I AM

An old hymn JUST AS I AM says:

"Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee
O Lamb of God, I come. I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot
Because Thy blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come. I come!

Just as I am; poor, wretched, blind
Sight, riches, healing of the mind
All that I need, in Thee to find
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve
Because Thy promise I believe
O Lamb of God, I come. I come!"

The Bible says: "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him..."  (2 Chronicles 16:9)

And God's Word says:  "The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and His ears are open unto their prayers but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."   (1 Peter 3:12)

THE FIRST SERMONS OF JESUS WERE ON 
   REPENTANCE

The very first sermons  preached by our LORD were the call to repentance and salvation, "Repent and believe the gospel."   (Mark 1:15)  The same was true of the great prophet, John the Baptist, (Luke 3:3; Matthew 3:2) as well as all of the Apostles! (Mark 6:12)

And St. Peter declared, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."  (Acts 2:38)

WHAT DOES REPENTANCE MEAN ?

To repent means to turn, to change course!  Repenting is godly sorrow for sin.  Repentance means  being sorry enough to stop committing sin and to change your life.

After St. Paul’s letter reached the Corinthian Church, they were sorry for their sins and repented, changing their evil ways. He writes: "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation..."  (2 Corinthians  7:9-10)

REPENTANCE IS FORSAKING EVIL - TO 
  REPENT IS A CHANGE OF LIFESTYLE AND 
  THINKING

Repentance is a complete forsaking of evil, unrighteousness of the world, the flesh and the devil.  When you repent you are changing, turning around.

Jesus said,  "..except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."  (Luke 13:3)

In his Mars Hill sermons, St. Paul shared with pagan Greek intellectuals the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His glorious resurrection from the dead.

GOD HAS APPOINTED A DAY HE WILL 
  JUDGE THE WORLD

Then he challenged them:  "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead."   

THERE WILL BE TWO JUDGMENT SEATS

Don’t let anyone deceive you, my friend, there is going to be a 'Great Day of Judgment’' when all of us will stand before Almighty God to give an account of our lives. We are living in the end Times, the second coming of Jesus and rapture of the Church is near.

THE FIRST JUDGMENT IS 'THE GREAT WHITE 
  THRONE JUDGMENT'

There will be two judgments: the first judgment is one is called, "The Great White Throne Judgment' where all sinners and unjust persons shall be judged in relation to their acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ the Jewish Messiah!

Here is Christ Jesus' solemn warning: "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."     

"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast out into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)

THE SECOND JUDGMENT IS CALLED
   'BHEMA SEAT JUDGMENT OF THE SAINTS'

The second one is called the Bhema Seat Judgment of the Saints. That is where all believers who have trusted in Jesus Christ as personal Savior will be judged for our works!

St. Paul warns: "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."

"If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."  (1 Corinthians. 3:8)            

In his defense before King Agrippa, the great Apostle rehearsed his Damascus Road conversion experience, and the words of Jesus Christ to him:

"Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me."  (Acts 26:17-18)

THE CALL TO REPENT IS URGENT

So urgent is the call for people to repent of their sins, the Bible says: "Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men."  (2 Corinthians 5:11) The Bible specifically declares: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God". (Rom. 3:23)

SIN MUST BE PAID FOR UNLESS YOU 
   REPENT OF YOUR SINS

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."   (Romans  6:23)

The great apostle wrote to the church in Rome concerning those committing sinful acts and others who condemn them, being guilty of the same sins!

"But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the DAY OF WRATH and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;"

"Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, ETERNAL LIFE: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;"  (Romans 2:2-9)

GOD'S GOODNESS & PATIENCE CAUSES 
   US TO REPENT & TURN TO HIM

Jesus said, "Behold, I come quickly" - literal Greek: Without delay, at once, soon. (Revelation 22:12)

St. Peter gave two reasons why Jesus had not yet returned:

1) One thousand years with us is like one day with the Lord! 2) God's mercy is reaching out for more sinners to be saved!

"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."  (2 Peter 3:8-9)

The Bible says, "Repent and be baptized...and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."  (Acts 2:38-39)   "Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out..."  (Acts 3:19)

And Jesus says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."   (Revelation  3:19-20)

Seek the Lord

Study the Bible

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