"God Has Forgiven You" Church Sign

By Justin Edwards

"God Has Forgiven You" were the words of a church sign I passed by in March on the way to our weekly evangelism outreach at UNC-Charlotte.  As I drove passed the sign, I could hardly believe what I read, so I made a U-turn to make sure I read it correctly.  As you can see in the picture, my eyes did not deceive me.

I had never heard of Metropolitan Community Church of Charlotte or its parent organization, The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. With a church sign that read, "God has forgiven you", and seeing the term "universal", my initial thoughts were that it was some kind of Christian Universalist organization. I did not, however, expect to learn what I did through research, but more on that later.

Obviously, what struck me the most was that a church had the audacity to suggest that God has forgiven every person who would read this church sign, which would logically extend to all of humanity.  How do they know this is true?  Certainly, they do not, as Scripture is clear that God has only forgiven those who are by grace covered by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith (Ephesians 2:1-10).  While the leaders of this church are no doubt sincere in their desire to comfort people, they are deceived and they are deceiving (2 Timothy 3:13), and sadly for them, they are mere slaves to their father the devil (John 8:44).

It is true that God has a common love for mankind (John 3:16), just as He shows common mercy (Psalm 145:9) and common grace to the world (Titus 2:11).  In fact, it is common love, mercy, and grace that people live by every day, lest they be judged immediately and receive the just penalty for their sin (Romans 2:5).  Moreover, this common grace and mercy restrains men and women from being as evil as they could possibly be. Otherwise, we would all be much worse than Hitler.  It is also by this common grace that people are able to act in righteous ways, thus performing good deeds and being kind and charitable to their neighbor (Romans 2:14).  We as humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), so we are like Him mentally, socially, and morally, although sin has corrupted our created likeness of Him (Romans 5:12).

But this common love, grace, and mercy does not equal forgiveness for all people. It is only a specific love (1 John 4:9-10; Romans 5:8; John 10:11; 1 John 3:16), a specific grace (John 6:37, 39, 44, 65; 17:2), and a specific mercy (John 1:12-13; Romans 9:15-18; Ephesians 2:4-5) that leads individuals to repent from their sin and turn to God through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:36).  So while God's love is unconditional toward mankind, forgiveness from God is conditional upon faith and repentance (Acts 3:19; 17:30; 20:21; Mark 1:15).

Upon my research into Metropolitan Community Church, I immediately discovered this church is more than seemingly a Christian Universalist organization, but it is primarily a church for homosexuals and their allies. From the Charlotte church's page What Is MCC?, they state:

Refusing to accept that God did not love lesbian and gay people, Reverend Troy
Perry founded Metropolitan Community Church on October 6, 1968 when 12
brave lesbian and gay Christians met for worship in Rev. Perry's living room in Los Angeles, California. Today, there are thousands of worshippers in hundreds of Metropolitan Community Churches found all over the world.

MCC Charlotte, founded in 1980, continues to share the Good News of God's
transformational love and acceptance with everyone, including those of every
ability, race, creed, gender, age, national origin, lifestyle, sexual orientation or
tradition.

As one might expect, the rest of the Charlotte church's website is absent of anything resembling the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is no mention of the holiness of God, nor mention of His righteousness, His justice, or His wrath.  In respect to these aforementioned attributes of God, there is no mention of His grace, mercy, love, or kindness toward sinners.  And as there is no mention of sin anywhere on the website, there is no mention of the wages of sin - eternal hell.  Instead of proclaiming Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2) and the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16), Metropolitan Community Church of Charlotte preaches a social justice jesus who embraces all people into the family of God, especially unrepentant homosexuals.  This false gospel preached by MCC is, unfortunately, only "loving" people to eternal hell, and these false teachers will experience severe judgment should they not repent from their destructive heresies (Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Peter 2; Jude 1).

The truth is, God has commanded all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30) from their lifestyle of sin.  Just as He has commanded the repentance of drunkards, fornicators and adulterers, so to He commands the repentance of homosexuals:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous  will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality [or women], 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

If you are reading this article as a practicing homosexual and perhaps one who is a member of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, this message has not been written to espouse hate or bigotry or intolerance.  I want you to know the Truth that is found in Christ Jesus, the biblical Jesus who is not preached in churches such as this Metropolitan organization.  Because God is holy, He hates sin, and He demands perfection from any who would enter the kingdom of heaven.  This righteousness that He demands of all men cannot be found within us, but only through the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. By grace through faith, God can pronounce the sinner not guilty and forgive their sins through the righteousness of Christ.

If you believe that God forgives people by just overlooking their sin, then you are deceiving yourself.  I do not have to tell you that homosexuality is a destructive lifestyle. It is as destructive as any sinful lifestyle, and this sin has you enslaved to the god of this world (John 8:34; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1-3).  But in Jesus Christ, the biblical Jesus, there is Life!  In Him there is true freedom (John 8:36; 2 Corinthians 3:17), and if you cry out to God to deliver you from this lifestyle, confessing your sin before Him out of a contrite heart (2 Corinthians 7:10; Psalm 51:17), seeking to be covered by His precious blood, He will save you from your sin, from spiritual death, and the torment of His just and holy wrath (Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Colossians 2:13).

It is no coincidence that you discovered this article.  If God is drawing you into His grace and out from the clutches of sin, then don't wait another minute. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

The following video excerpt shows that salvation is just as possible for homosexuals as any other sinner who recognizes himself as such (Mark 2:17).  David has been set free from his sin and has become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and God can do the same for you if you just cry out to Him. You can see the video in its entirety here:  Jesus Christ Saved Me from 27 Years of Homosexuality.

So has God forgiven you?  I pray that He has or will, but it will only be by the grace of God alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.  It will only be because you have been born again (John 3:3-5).  You can learn more about this here:  Eternal Life

For additional resources for homosexuality rooted in the love and grace of Christ, please see:

Rodgers Christian Counseling

Exodus Global Alliance

Stephen Bennett Ministries

What Is Wrong with NON-Lordship Salvation? - Part 3

By Justin Edwards

I'm thankful that Christ saved me, but I'm not ready to obey Him. Jesus is my Savior, but I do not love Him enough to hate my sin and flee from it. Jesus died for me and I appreciate that, but demanding that I follow Him is a little too much right now - maybe later. I love God with all of my heart, but I still love my sin. That's ok, right? I believe God is in control of all things, except me - that's why I want to retain control of my life and do things the way I want to do them. God's will for my life is nice, but my will still be done, at least for now. Jesus came into my heart, but I'm not ready for Him to teach me yet. Christ forgives me because I believe, but thirsting for righteousness and being holy is for disciples. I'll be a disciple one day, but for now I'm happy with just being saved - after all, obedience is for "super Christians". In short, I will not bow to Christ, at least not yet - but praise God for grace, yes? - John "no-lordship" Doe

Ridiculous, isn't it? This is the implication for those who reject so-called "lordship salvation". These are the things they allow with the position that one only has to believe, but not follow the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience and love for the cross and the person of Christ. Such a person is Dr. Andy Woods of Sugar Land Bible Church who was recently featured on the Bible Prophecy Blog with the article, What Is Wrong with Lordship Salvation?

In Part 2 of this series titled, What Is Wrong with NON-Lordship Salvation?, I addressed the matter of saving faith. Dr. Woods teaches that all one needs for salvation is an intellectual assent to facts about Christ and His work on the cross. He also believes the following words are synonyms of each other: belief, faith, trust, confidence, and repentance. So with that, let's tackle the differences between Dr. Woods' definition for repentance and biblical repentance.

Part 3 - Repentance

Dr. Woods begins his second argument against lordship salvation with the following:

Second, Lordship Salvation places an impossible requirement upon the unsaved. The unsaved person is dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1) and thus incapable of doing anything of spiritual value, such as obey, submit, forsake, etc...By making these other things the conditions of salvation rather than simply believing, obstacles are placed in front of the unbeliever that he or she is incapable of fulfilling.

Perhaps Dr. Woods is referring to Jesus, when He said:

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. - Luke 14:26

And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. - Luke 14:27

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. - Luke 14:33

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. - Matthew 10:37

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. - Matthew 10:38

He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. - Matthew 10:39

Impossible? Absolutely - for the carnal mind:

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. - Romans 8:7

Who then can be saved? Who then can meet these impossible demands of Christ?! The disciples asked Jesus these very questions after they witnessed the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22 walking away from Christ because he was not willing to forsake all that he was and all that he had for the Kingdom of God. He loved his riches more than he loved God. They were his idols and he was not willing to forsake them. But Jesus answered them in Matthew 19:26,

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Oh but for the sovereign grace of God, none would be saved! It is indeed utterly impossible for the flesh to submit to the authority of Christ, but by grace, we are willing to do so - and will do so.

Continuing, Dr. Woods says:

The lost are capable of doing only one thing that is pleasing to a holy God: trusting in His provision for salvation.

No, Dr. Woods, the lost are not even capable of doing that. It is because we are dead in our trespasses as carnal men that we can do nothing but rebel against God. We cannot please Him, period (Romans 8:7). So, even our faith, even our trusting and the ability to do so is a gift of God, lest we should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

Finally, on the doctrine of repentance, Dr. Woods suggests:

What then shall we make of the numerous biblical commands for the lost to repent (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 2 Pet 3:9)? The Greek word translated repent is metanoeō. It comes from two Greek words meta and noeō. Meta means change, as in metamorphosis. Noeō means “to perceive.” From the word noeō we get the English word notion, which refers to an idea emanating from the mind. Thus, repent or metanoeō means to change one's mind about Christ rather than to change one's behavior in order to come to Christ. In this sense, repentance is a synonym for faith. Position Statement #6 captures this idea when it says, "With respect to salvation, repentance is a change of mind regarding the Person and work of Christ."

From my experience in learning of the non-lordship salvation position, the two major points of contention are the sovereignty of God (sovereign grace creating saving faith) and the definition of repentance. Dr. Woods has echoed what most contend from his position that repentance is nothing more than a change of mind about who God is and what Christ has done. Further, they misrepresent true repentance by asserting that Gospel preachers and teachers teach that repentance means to change one's behavior before coming to Christ. On the first hand, Dr. Woods definition is biblically insufficient. On the second hand, biblical repentance does not mean to change one's behavior before coming to Christ, but biblical repentance always results in changed behavior.

The Blue Letter Bible features the 19th century Anglican Archbiship of Dublin, Richard C. Trent, to explain the different forms of repentance. Trent sums up biblical repentance that leads to salvation as follows:

It is only after metanoeō has been taken up into the uses of Scripture, or of writers dependant on Scripture, that it comes predominantly to mean a change of mind, taking a wiser view of the past...a regret for the ill done in that past, and out of all this a change of life for the better...μετανοεῖν and metanoeō gradually advanced in depth and fulness of meaning, till they became the fixed and recognized words to express that mighty change in mind, heart, and life wrought by the Spirit of God (‘such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice,’ Kettlewell), which we call repentance.

In other words, while metanoeō does technically mean "to change one's mind", its usage and context in Scripture is deeper than that. Biblical repentance, therefore, involves a change in the mind (intellect), in the emotions (heart), and the will (volition leading to changed behavior).

One such evidence of this can be found in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5, where we see that only the poor in spirit, the mournful, the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will see the Kingdom of Heaven. The poor in spirit recognize they have broken God's Law and have sinned against a holy God. They understand their lost condition, and recognize their desperate need of a Savior. For having offended God, they are contrite in spirit and mourn over their sinful behavior against God (Psalm 34:18, 51:17; Isaiah 57:15, 66:2). This leads to a resolution to turn their back on the very thing that hung Christ on the cross, a changed attitude toward sin and a desire to obey the One who saved them. This kind of repentance is a change of mind, a change of heart, and a change of the will. Please see Blessed Purity for further explanation.

Another piece of evidence for repentance that results in a change of attitude and behavior is found in 1 Thessalonians 1:9:

For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

What do we see in this passage? The Thessalonians turned to God, from idols, to serve God. In other words, they could not serve God unless they forsook their idols. Repentance, therefore, is a turning away from sin and turning to God to love Him and obey Him. To make this point even more clear that repentance is turning from sin to God in faith, we see in Acts 14:15 where Paul and Barnabas rebuke the men of Lystra for worshiping idols,

Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,

Notice Paul did not charge them to only turn to God. He clearly tells them to turn from their idols and to turn to the living God. Those who teach that men do not have to forsake their sin are those who do not value the law of God. They often use Romans 7 to show that "even Paul" sinned and did not do what he wanted to do, but rather did the things he did not want to do. It sometimes comes across that they may be looking to minimize, excuse, or justify their own sinful behavior. However, what they fail to understand is that Paul hated his sin and saw himself as wretched:

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! - Romans 7:24-25

And because the born again believer has the mind of Christ at the moment of conversion (1 Corinthians 2:16), he will go on to bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Luke 3:8). Martin Lloyd-Jones said of repentance:

Repentance means that you realize that you are a guilty, vile sinner in the presence of God, that you deserve the wrath and punishment of God, that you are hell-bound. It means that you begin to realize that this thing called sin is in you, that you long to get rid of it, and that you turn your back on it in every shape and form. You renounce the world whatever the cost, the world in its mind and outlook as well as its practice, and you deny yourself, and take up the cross and go after Christ. Your nearest and dearest, and the whole world, may call you a fool, or say you have religious mania. You may have to suffer financially, but it makes no difference. That is repentance.

Interestingly enough, in his second argument Dr. Woods did not share the statement that follows "With respect to salvation, repentance is a change of mind regarding the Person and work of Christ." Position #6 actually closes with:

That being said, we just as strongly maintain that salvation in Christ will result in a changed life (2 Cor. 5:17, 1 Cor. 6:11).

Precisely, Dr. Woods, which is why your theology is a mess of contradiction. Why do you think it is that salvation will result in a changed life? It is only because salvation is a work of God alone from grace alone whereby He gives to us the gifts of faith and repentance (Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 2:25). The new heart He gives us, at conversion, is wrought with godly sorrow and a turning from sin (2 Corinthians 7:10), a saving faith (Matthew 13:23), and a love for His commandments (1 John 5:2-4).

In closing, Scripture is clear that not just any faith (Parable of the Sower) and not just any repentance (Judas, for example, had merely a repentance of the mind alone) is enough for salvation. Moreover, faith and repentance are not synonyms, but rather two sides of the same coin. What God requires is a repentant faith, which is only possible as a gift from God. This type of faith, or trusting in God, is a contrite faith, with a heart's desire to obey in love the commands of Christ. It is love for the One who saved and delivered them from their sin, and it is love for the King, Ruler, Master, Sovereign, and Lord who rules over them, not with a rod of iron, but with pierced hands and feet.

Please continue to Part 4 that addresses the mysterious "carnal christian".

For additional articles on biblical repentance, please see:

What Is True Repentance?

Godly Sorrow or Hopeless Repentance?

Is Christ Your Lord?

True Repentance

Spurgeon on Repentance

Are You Living a Lie?

By Justin Edwards

When I come across brothers and sisters in Christ who have a similar testimony as me, I rejoice in the fact that God removed the scales from their eyes like He did mine, but I am made all the more aware that there are still so many people out there who cling to a false assurance of salvation. Carnal Christianity, as it is called, is a cancerous epidemic in the visible church today. It gives rise to a false security, which oftentimes comes in the form of trusting in a prayer someone once prayed at the altar, or perhaps even "rededicating" one's life to Christ. The reality is, however, such decisionism - determining out of one's flesh that they are "gonna get it right this time" or trusting in the once-said prayer prayed 20 years ago as the assurance of salvation - will only lead to death because the evidence of salvation is nowhere to be found in the life of this professing Christian. Please allow me to explain why that is the case.

Are you living a LIE?

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16). We are not born again because of something we do, no, we are born again because God supernaturally transforms us. He does not make our old life better, no, He actually makes us a new creation. It is therefore futile and unbiblical to believe that man can simply just change the way he thinks, or as someone like Rick Warren teaches, to undergo behavior modification (Pelagianism). That is why so many people, though they profess to believe in God or Jesus, profess to know Him but they deny Him with their works (Titus 1:16) and walk as enemies of the cross because they have their minds set on earthly things (Philippians 3:18-19). Scripture, on the other hand, tells us the grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously, and godly lives today (Titus 2:11-14). In other words, being conformed to Jesus Christ is not an option for the believer, it is a necessary consequence. And it is not because of some methodical man-made plan, but because of the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit to those who have been regenerated, or born again.

My dear friends, as I trust many of you know but some may have not come to grips with these biblical facts, there is no such thing as a continuously carnal Christian! Yes, Christians do sin, but the difference between the Christian who struggles or wrestles with their sin and their flesh and the carnal Christian - that is, the non-Christian or Christian in name only - is that the Christian is a slave to the righteousness of Christ whereas the non-Christian is a slave to their sin. The one is a slave to God, while the other is a slave to the god of this world. The one is a slave to obedience, while the other is a slave to disobedience. The one follows their Master every day, not just superficially on Sundays like carnal Christians who follow the devil Monday through Saturday. The one is a child of God, while the other is a child of wrath. The one has in store for him the riches of the Kingdom of God as a co-heir with Christ, while the other has stored up for him the fury of God's wrath for His unrepentant heart. While the one has crucified his flesh with its passions and desires, the one still continues to love the world, manifesting the works of the flesh and the pride of life, revealing that the love of God is not in him.

Do you see the difference? Merely believing the facts about Jesus does not save you. An emotional experience that urged you to "make a decision" for Christ or "ask Jesus into your heart" on a Sunday morning does not save you. Yes, there are no doubt born again believers who have done both of these things and are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, but they are not saved because of what they did. They are saved in spite of what they did because salvation is the work of God alone by His grace alone. However, it must be made clear, if one made such a decision, and their life reflects one that is in rebellion against God, that "decision" or superficial prayer did absolutely nothing but give you a false assurance of salvation.

This is what the Word of God says:

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. - 1 John 3:9

Can it be any more clear? Now, perhaps this might need to be hashed out a bit to avoid any confusion as to sinless perfection, the heretical doctrine that teaches that Christians do not sin. Let us then look at the words of the great 19th-century preacher, J.C. Ryle:

A person who has been born again, or regenerated, does not habitually commit sin. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination. There was probably a time when he did not think about whether his actions were sinful or not, and he did not always feel grieved after doing evil. There was no quarrel between him and sin; they were friends. But the true Christian hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, considers it his greatest plague, resents the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be completely delivered from it. Sin no longer pleases him, nor is it even a matter of indifference to him; it has become a horrible thing which he hates. However, he cannot eliminate its presence within him.

If he said that he had no sin, he would be lying (I John 1:8). But he can say that he hates sin and that the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts from entering his mind, or shortcomings, omissions, and defects from appealing in both his words and his actions. He knows that "in many things we offend all" (James 3:2). But he can truly say, in the sight of God, that these things cause him grief and sorrow and that his whole nature does not consent to them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

That is the question, professing Christian - are you born again? Are you solely and completely sold out to God? Have you forsaken everything as the Lord Jesus Christ commanded in Luke 14:33? Have you denied your will, control, and lusts of the flesh, taking up your cross as you slay the misdeeds of the body, and continuing to follow after the Lord Jesus Christ as He commands in Luke 9:23? Or, professing Christian, does your life give evidence that you continue to fulfill the pleasures of your flesh? Do you continue to ride the fence trusting that, although you know you're not living right, one day you will submit to Christ? That God is full of infinite chances and will allow you to continue to trample on the blood of His Son as if you hated Him?

The fact is, dear carnal Christian, you hate God. You are His enemy. Your lip service is only making your destination to hell more comfortable. Unless you cry out to God out of the brokenness of your soul for having offending His holiness and disregarding the grace He freely offers you, you will die in your sins. Jesus said in Luke 9:24-25,

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

Is your sin worth it, carnal Christian? Is your sin worth an eternity in hell? This is what Jesus commands in Matthew 5:29-30:

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Please don't go to hell, dear carnal Christian! Repent from your sins and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ! For if you continue procrastinating, if you continue seeking the pleasures of life and the abominations of the flesh (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), the eternal destruction of your body and soul will be the pleasing aroma of a Holy, Holy, Holy God, and He will be glorified in the fury of His wrath against you. Do not be deceived. Do not justify your lifestyle. He knows your every thought and your secret sins, and demands for you to obey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Out of Christ flows living water, my friend. Jesus did not command you to invite Him to come into your heart - He commanded you to follow Him! His yoke is easy and His burden is light and He will give you rest for your soul (Matthew 11:28-30). Take refuge in the grace of Almighty God. Run to Him with nothing in your hands. Turn your back on this world and the things of it. Neither your friends nor your sin is worth an eternity without the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, repent from your sins, and be saved!

Now, returning to the opening paragraph of this post, I'd like to direct you to the following video. My new friend, Jay Wingard, posted this on his wonderful blog, Soli Deo Gloria, and I want to share with you. Both Jay and Ryan Richie (from video) have seemingly identical testimonies to my testimony. As false converts for 20+ years, we trusted in a prayer, was deceived by the incomplete doctrine of "once saved always saved", and fooled into believing that there are two types of Christians - holy Christians and carnal Christians. Such false assurance permitted us to live the worldly lifestyle, and it's only by the grace and mercy of God that we now stand covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and eternally sealed by the Spirit through repentant faith. I pray Ryan's testimony, in addition to this post, will cause you to examine yourself to see if you are truly born again (2 Corinthians 13:5).

I'm always available to talk about your situation. All you have to do is ask.

God Saves Bad People

By Justin Edwards

Did you know that God saves bad people? He saves sinners, that is, He saves sinners who recognize themselves as such. It doesn't matter what you've done, or who you did it with, there's nothing in your past or present that God will not forgive. He calls you to repent and place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and He promises to save all who lay their life down before Him. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and submit to His rule and reign in your life, and the gift you receive will be Life Eternal.

Transcript below:

 God Saves Bad People

God loves to save the most despicable kinds of people. And that's certainly true in my case. In getting me God wasn't getting something good. In getting me God wasn't getting anything special, in getting me God wasn't getting anything that would add to Him or benefit Him in any way, shape, or form. Have you forgotten by any chance the sewer out of which God rescued you? Which means, dear friends that our hope, our joy is grounded in this: that our God is absolutely relentless in his passionate pursuit to save sinners, not good people. God doesn't save good people; good people don't need to be saved. God saves bad people! Are you a bad person today? Then I am exceedingly glad that you are here, because that's what this congregation is, a congregation of bad people. Why do you come to this place? So that you can hear of the God Who saves bad people, Who loves bad people, Who rescues and delivers and extends mercy to bad people. Why bad people? Because doing so reveals the glory of His grace and the expansive boundaries of His love. Because doing so exposes the true potency of His saving accomplishments in His Son Jesus Christ. God loves to save bad people.

We raise our fist in God's face and we say, "Why do You save some and not others?" And it makes us mad. In our arrogance it makes us mad. As the pot, we think we have rights to the Potter. "Why do You save some and not others?" And you understand of course the predisposition that's behind all of that: the assumption that we're all innocent. But when you understand as Rahab does that we are all guilty, then suddenly the amazing thing is not that God saves some and not others, the amazing thing is that God saves any! When you understand that we're all guilty, suddenly saving any becomes the most amazing display of the grace of God.

This is the Christian God. The God Who saves bad people. The God Who has revealed Himself to you most fully in Jesus Christ. The gracious God, the generous God, the warm-hearted God, the open-armed God, the God Who is for sinners! Are you a sinner? A sinner like Rahab, dominated by sin because of your enslavement to sin? The God of the Bible is full of power and full of love and eager to save. And He does so, dear friends, by the One Who is now come to us through the redeemed womanhood of Rahab, God's Own Son Jesus Christ. You are not beyond the reach of God's grace. It makes no difference, dear friend, how scandalous your sin may be; even if it's as ugly as that of Rahab's. Like Rahab, ask God to save you from death, and He will in ways far greater than you could ever begin to imagine. Ask God, like Rahab, to save you from death. Because of the One Who has come to us from the lineage of Rahab, because of Jesus Christ, God will give you life.

(HT to Greis Vllahu for transcript)

Heart Inventory - do you serve god or God?

By Justin Edwards

Please take inventory of your heart as you read this post, and know that these things as described below are the overall markings of an unbeliever or false convert, and a child of God saved by repentant faith. We are all at different levels of maturity, but rest assured, those who are redeemed children of God possess sovereign grace,

teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.- Titus 2:11-14

Whether by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ or by death, our days are numbered. The question is, are you ready?  Please contact me or comment below with any questions or concerns.

Do you serve the god of this world, or the One True God of the Bible?

If you serve the god of this world (Satan), the world will love you. If you serve God, the world will hate you (John 15:18-19; 1 John 3:13).

If you serve Satan, you try to serve two masters. You may profess to know God, but He takes a back seat in your priorities. Your money, your will, your control, your desires - they are your master. If you serve God, you serve Him alone (Matthew 6:24).

If you serve Satan, the idea of submitting to the lordship of Christ is repulsive to you. You desire to hold on to your sin, while receiving the benefits of salvation. You think you can receive Christ as Savior, but not as Lord. You are proud, and God resists you. If you serve God, you humble yourself before the Lord, donning the yoke of Christ, and with meekness, you commit to serving Him all the days of your life (James 4:6-10; Matthew 5:5; 11:29-30).

If you serve Satan, you love the world and the things of this world. If you love the world, the love of God is not in you. If you serve God, you hate the things of the world because you love God and His love abides in you (1 John 2:15).

If you serve Satan, you are friends of the world. This makes you an enemy of God. If you serve God, you are not conformed to this world (James 4:4; Romans 12:2).

If you serve Satan, your closest friends are of the world and they corrupt you. If you serve God, you are not yoked to unbelievers, rather, your closest friends are born again believers (1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Corinthians 6:14).

If you serve Satan, you take pleasure in unrighteousness. You love fornication and idolatry. If you serve God, you flee sexual immorality and idolatry and you hunger and thirst for righteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; Matthew 5:6).

If you serve Satan, you do not obey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you serve God, you obey the Gospel (1 Peter 4:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:8).

If you serve Satan, your mind is set on earthly things. If you serve God, your mind is set on heavenly things (Philippians 3:18-19; Colossians 3:1-2).

If you serve Satan, you are a slave to sin. If you serve God, you are slave to righteousness (Romans 6:17-18).

If you serve Satan, you are most concerned with the affairs and cares of this world, you seek to fulfill your fleshly desires, you love money, fornication, and drunkenness. If you serve God, you have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (1 John 2:16; Galatians 5:24).

If you serve Satan, you walk in the flesh and are controlled by the works of the flesh. If you serve God, you walk in the Spirit and are controlled by the things of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23).

If you serve Satan, you stand condemned as you have from the beginning. If you serve God, there is no condemnation in  you (John 3:18; Romans 8:1).

If you serve Satan, you are controlled by him and he has dominion over you. If you serve God, you have been freed (2 Timothy 2:26; 1 John 5:19; Ephesians 2:2; Colossians 1:13; John 8:36).

If you serve Satan, you are blinded by him. If you serve God, He has shined His light through you (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

If you serve Satan, you justify and/or deny your sin. You give yourself excuses to live any way you want to, and expect God to just forgive you. You call God a liar, and the truth is not in you. If you serve God, you confess your sins and He cleanses you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-10).

If you serve Satan, you profess to know God but you still walk in darkness. You claim to have fellowship with God, but your lifestyle confirms otherwise. You do not practice the truth, and you are not saved, although you think you are. If you walk in the light, however, you are a child of God and have fellowship with the brethren, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 1:5-7).

If you serve Satan, you do not keep the commandments of God or the teachings of Jesus. If you serve God, you love Him, which means you obey His commandments and teachings (John 14:15; 2 John 1:6; 1 John 2:3-5).

If you serve Satan, you hate the brethren. You have no fellowship with the brethren, for you'd rather hang out with your worldly friends. You have no actionable desire to fellowship. If you serve God, you love the brethren and seek fellowship with them (Hebrews 13:1; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 John 3:14-15; 4:20-21).

If you serve Satan, you rely on your self-righteousness to get you to heaven. You believe good works, church attendance, tithes, and being "good enough" will ensure your eternity in heaven. If you serve God, you realize there is nothing in you that is good, no amount of good deeds can save you, and it is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone that you are saved (Romans 3:10; Revelation 3:14-22; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8-9).

If you serve Satan, you call Jesus Lord but you do not do what He says. If you serve God, you confess Christ as Lord and you do the will of His Father (Luke 6:46-49; Matthew 7:21-23; 12:50).

If you serve Satan, you practice sin as a lifestyle. If you serve God, you practice righteousness as a lifestyle (1 John 3:4-9).

If you serve Satan, you cannot please God and you walk in the flesh. If you serve God, you walk as Jesus walked (Romans 8:6-8; Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 2:6).

If you serve Satan, you wallow in your sin and you love your sin. If you serve God, you purify yourself as He is pure, and you become holy as He is holy (1 John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 2:15-16).

If you serve Satan, the commands of God are burdensome to you. His expectations are just to high for you. If you serve God, you love His commandments and they are not burdensome (1 John 5:2-3).

If you serve Satan, you follow his voice as a false shepherd. If you serve God, you do not follow strange voices, but you hear and know the voice of your Shepherd, and you follow Him (John 10:1-30).

If you serve Satan, you are still dead in your trespasses. If you serve God, you have been made a new creation in Christ (Ephesians 2:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

If you serve Satan, you may have received the Gospel with joy and continued for a time, but when trials and tribulations came, or when you desired the cares of the world, you fell away and were choked out by the pleasures of life. If you serve God, you received the Gospel with a noble and good heart, and go on to produce fruit (Luke 8:11-15).

If you serve Satan, your idea of repentance is being sorry because you got caught. Your sorrow is of your flesh, and the guilt you feel is that of feeling guilty of the consequences. If you serve God, the repentance you know is wrought from godly sorrow, for you are sorry for offending God. This causes you to hate the sin that offended Him, and by His grace, you turn from it, which leads to salvation (Matthew 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 7:10).

If you serve Satan, you refuse to forgive those who offend you. If you serve God, you forgive everyone, no matter what they have done to you (Matthew 6:14-15; Luke 17:3-4; Ephesians 4:31-32; Colossians 3:12-13).

If you serve Satan, you hate your enemies. If you serve God, you love your enemies and bless those who persecute you (Matthew 5:21-23; 44).

If you serve Satan, you create a god in your own image, one that is not holy, just, or righteous, and one you believe is only love and will forgive you no matter what kind of lifestyle you live. This gives you license to sin and you trample on the grace of God. There is no actionable desire in you to love and serve the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. If you serve God, you know the holiness, righteousness, and justice of God, and because He loved you first, you can love Him. You yearn to serve and love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength (Jude 1:4; Exodus 20:3-4; Psalm 45:7; Deuteronomy 10:12; 30:6; Mark 12:30; 1 John 4:17-19).

If you serve Satan, you will perish in the Lake of Fire for all eternity. If you serve God, you have eternal life (Revelation 21:8; John 17:3).

What Is True Repentance?

Godly sorrow worketh repentance. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the work of the Spirit of God. Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature’s garden. Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows itself in sinners except divine grace works it in them. If thou hast one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it thee, for human nature’s thorns never produced a single fig. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh.”

True repentance has a distinct reference to the Saviour. When we repent of sin, we must have one eye upon sin and another upon the cross, or it will be better still if we fix both our eyes upon Christ and see our transgressions only, in the light of his love.

True sorrow for sin is eminently practical. No man may say he hates sin, if he lives in it. Repentance makes us see the evil of sin, not merely as a theory, but experimentally-as a burnt child dreads fire. We shall be as much afraid of it, as a man who has lately been stopped and robbed is afraid of the thief upon the highway; and we shall shun it—shun it in everything—not in great things only, but in little things, as men shun little vipers as well as great snakes.

True mourning for sin will make us very jealous over our tongue, lest it should say a wrong word; we shall be very watchful over our daily actions, lest in anything we offend, and each night we shall close the day with painful confessions of shortcoming, and each morning awaken with anxious prayers, that this day God would hold us up that we may not sin against him.

Sincere repentance is continual. Believers repent until their dying day. This dropping well is not intermittent. Every other sorrow yields to time, but this dear sorrow grows with our growth, and it is so sweet a bitter, that we thank God we are permitted to enjoy and to suffer it until we enter our eternal rest.

Charles Spurgeon

(HT: Apprising Ministries)

True Repentance - This Is for Church People Too

By Justin Edwards

I had the privilege of viewing another video by Nate Pheil today and I want to share with you again (please see the first video here: The Fire). I share this because I love you, even if I don't know you. The video is about true repentance - do you know what that is? Do you know that it is a necessary part of saving faith? Do you know the difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow?

I have had both sorrows. I have lived a life where I told God I was sorry for the things I was doing, but after telling Him sorry hundreds of times for the same offense against Him, I realize just how much grace and patience He had for me. I thank Him for not relenting after I showed only worldly sorrow. How much longer would He have remained patient with me before He finally hardened my heart? How much longer will He wait for you before He hardens your heart? I used to think I was saved for 20 years, but most of my life said otherwise. What does your life say?

How do you know you are saved? Is it because you said a prayer once? Is it because you "accepted Jesus into your heart"? Is it because you believe He forgives you? No matter what you do? Dear friend, do not be deceived. A life saved by God is a life changed by God. True repentance leads to a lifestyle of repentance. If you are living the same life as you did before you made this confession of faith, have you ever asked yourself why?

Do you have so much pride to think that God has forgiven you when you have not truly repented? Repentance means to change your mind in how you view sin. Instead of being insensitive to it or relishing in it, you hate it. Sin is breaking the Law of God, and by doing so you are a lawbreaker. When you agree with God that you have broken His Law and your very life is an offense against Him, you become broken. And when you become broken in your sins, when you agree with God that you are a vile sinner, this will result in a changing of the will.

Repentance is a change of the mind and a change of the will. You turn from the direction you were going and you turn toward God. Many today do not understand this principle. The modern church is so influenced by easy-believism that the Gospel it preaches does not have the power to save, therefore it does not have the power to change. This change is a supernatural act of God. If He saves you, He changes you.

Have you changed? Is your life marked by a pursuit of holiness? Or is your life marked by a lifestyle of sin? Do you love the world and the things of the world? Are you pursuing God in His Word and spending time with Him in prayer, or does entertaining yourself with worldly things consume all of your time?

My friend, my professing brother, please, take a look at yourself. Examine yourself in the mirror of God's Word. I am pleading with you to not trust your own heart that you are saved. If you have never taken the time to examine yourself with the Holy Word of God, I think you might be able to answer the question of your salvation without me having to. How do you know you're saved if you don't even know what the Bible says?

Are you relying on what people tell you about your salvation? Are you relying on what a televangelist said or what your preacher said? Did someone tell you you're saved? Nobody can do that. Only God knows your heart, and only you can be sure of your salvation if you get into the Word of God.

Some of you about to watch this video have no eternal security. You have not been sealed with the Holy Spirit because you have never been born again. Surely you think you are saved, but Jesus Christ will tell you He never knew you - that is, unless you fall on your knees before Him today and cry out from the brokenness in your sins. Some will watch this video and put this off. And these will also find their way in hell because their pride was just too great.

You refuse to repent. You refuse to let go. You refuse to deny yourself. You refuse to deny your own will. You refuse to forsake it all for Jesus Christ. You refuse to count the cost. You refuse to transfer control to God. You refuse surrender everything you are to the One who surrendered Himself on the bloody cross. You continue to love the world. You continue to satisfy the lusts of your flesh. You continue to be disobedient to this gracious King. You continue to fellowship with darkness. You continue to go down the wide road that leads to destruction.

And if you continue, you will surely die. You will never see the Kingdom, and you will only see pain, gnashing of teeth, darkness, screams, torment, and fire for all of eternity.

This is as real as it gets. Tomorrow is not promised to you - where will you be the moment you die? In the grace of the Savior, or in the furor of His wrath? How do you know?

I speak these things to you in love. I do not want you to perish. I want you to live.

Won't you? Examine yourself.

Chosen from the Beginning

By Justin Edwards

When one is regenerated by the Holy Spirit unto salvation, they are made a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and as such are no longer citizens of this world, but citizens of heaven. This citizenship cannot be revoked.

In 1 Peter 1:1-2, Christians are called the elect, the chosen, according to the prearrangement (G4268) of God. We are, in fact, aliens sprinkled by the blood of Jesus Christ, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, for obedience to God's Son and the work He prepared for us beforehand (Ephesians 2:10).

Romans 8:28-30 further explains God's sovereign role in our salvation:

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

The idea that God would choose some but not all is perhaps the most controversial doctrine of Christianity. Yet Scripture is clear that God will have mercy and compassion on whom He pleases (Romans 9:14-24).

Volumes upon volumes of books can and have been written on the sovereignty of God in salvation and it remains controversial, so this short post will not come close to solving this centuries-old debate.

By taking a look at a few of the words in Romans 8:28-30 we get a clearer picture of how salvation is for the glory of God alone:

Called: Many have been called or invited, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). Not everyone who hears the voice of God through the Gospel will respond to the calling. But those who are called according to His purpose, will indeed have ears to hear and be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

Foreknew: This is Strong's #4267. It means to have knowledge before or to foreknow. In context, it means to foreknow of those whom God elected to salvation or for whom He predestined. It is the same word used in 1 Peter 1:20 where Jesus was foreordained before the foundations of the world to fulfill the will of His Father. Another form of this word is found in 1 Peter 1:2 and has the context of prearrangement, or to arrange in advance. We see that this foreknowledge is not merely having knowledge of something beforehand (in this case, who will be saved). But even if that is the case, this foreknowledge was reinforced by predestination.

Predestined: This is Strong's #4309. It means to predetermine or decide and appoint beforehand. This allows for no room that God's foreknowledge is restricted to only having knowledge of those who will respond to the calling of salvation in the future. No, God has not only called us to salvation, He has also chosen an elect for salvation, and it is for His good pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 1:5, Ephesians 1:11).

Conformed: God appointed His elect to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. God will fashion His children to the glorious image of His Son by the working of the Holy Spirit. We become conformed to Christ by transformation through the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). It is a supernatural act of God that our minds are renewed.

Justified: Those who God has predestined for salvation are justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. This is a legal transaction whereby the righteousness of Christ is imputed, or attributed to, those who have responded to the calling by faith. No one is righteous in all the earth because we have all broken God's Law. It is impossible for any lawbreaker, any sinner, to be considered justified before God on the day of judgment. Thus, Jesus' finished work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead has been considered payment in full by God. Because we have no means to make ourselves justified, Christ's payment is attributed to our deficient account, and through the blood of Christ we can be justified, or made righteous, before the throne of God.

Glory: Lastly, the glory of God is imparted to the born again believer through the Son. It is for the very glory of God that we are saved. Everything God does is for His glory, and it is why He has chosen a people for Himself. 2 Peter 1:3

³His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

By God's abundant mercy and grace He has called and chosen His elect so that His name will be glorified. The glory of God in salvation is of utmost importance to understand as relegating the work of salvation to man has resulted in a form of easy-believism that has given far too many a false sense of security in salvation. Man's responsibility in salvation is to respond to the calling, yet all who are called according to His purpose will indeed respond by faith. John 6:37:

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

John 6:44

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Furthermore, because we were dead in our transgressions (Ephesians 2:5), it is only by His grace that He grants us repentance to respond by faith and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 2 Timothy 3:25

...correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

True repentance is only found through godly sorrow by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Here is the result in 2 Corinthians 7:10

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Any other form of sorrow is of the world and leaves a state of hopelessness as the person, though they are striving to please God, miserably fails because they have trusted in themselves alone to please God. Without this godly remorse, the unrepentant sinner will continue down this path of condemnation. It is only when they have been broken by their sins against God that they will be led to salvation through repentance produced by godly sorrow. The trust in themselves for salvation is transferred to Jesus Christ alone.

To those who have been chosen by the mercy of God, His grace will yield in His children hope, peace, joy, patience, longsuffering, kindness, humility, gentleness, self-control, and a selfless love found only through the Lord Jesus Christ. The born again Christian is given a new nature by which he will overcome the world and the things of the world because of the work of the Holy Spirit within him. He is no longer controlled by the works of the flesh, but faithfully walks according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1). This same Spirit has sealed the born again believer as a deposit to guarantee our inheritance of eternal life (Ephesians 1:14). Because we are now God's possession, we who have been bought for the price of Jesus' precious blood, we are eternally secure in this salvation.

As such, salvation is a sovereign act of God that He will see through completion. Jesus Christ is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). If a professed Christian stops believing, stops trusting, stops repenting, stops confessing and reverts back to a lifestyle of sin, darkness, and habitual carnality, it is evidence that they were never saved. Those who are in the Vine will abide (continue) in the Vine (John 14:16). Therefore, we are instructed to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith. This will give us assurance that Christ is within us, unless of course we fail the test (2 Corinthians 13:5). 2 Peter 1:10-11,

¹⁰Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, ¹¹and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And how do we make our calling and election sure? Peter makes this clear in the previous verses,

⁵...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

The consequence of not growing in the faith you possess will prohibit you from having genuine assurance of your salvation. Not growing in your faith will lead to doubt. Not examining yourself by the Word of God to see if you are growing in your faith could be evidence that there is no Hope within you except the false hope in which you profess. This should give rise to work out your salvation with fear and trembling before a Holy God. For if the fear of the Lord is not within you, God may not be working in you at all (Philippians 2:12-13). 

In conclusion, every born again believer has been chosen by God. Salvation is a sovereign act of the Lord performed for His glory alone through Jesus Christ. God draws the sinner to repentance, which leads to faith, which leads to justification, which leads to sanctification. Sanctification is not an option for the born again believer. Like salvation, sanctification is the glorious work of God through the Holy Spirit. Everyone who names the name of Christ must depart from sin (2 Timothy 2:19). And by His grace, the child of God will do just that as they are no longer a slave of disobedience, but a slave of righteousness (Romans 6:1-23). Because the born again believer has been washed, justified, and sanctified (positionally made pure), he has been perfected forever in the eyes of God (Hebrews 10:14). This means he cannot lose his salvation because salvation is not a work of man, but a work of God alone for His glory alone.

Why has God decided to have mercy and compassion on some but not all? I don't know. Who am I to question the Potter? But let us give thanks to Him who chose us from the beginning, let us make our calling and election sure, and let us obey the command of God to preach the Gospel to every creature. Who will He choose? I don't know that either, but whoever He chooses, He will not cast out.

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,  to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.- 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

Godly Sorrow or "Hopeless Repentance"?

By Justin Edwards

A powerful message on repentance by Pastor Loran Livingston: Godly Sorrow.mp3

NOTES:

• Until Jesus comes into your heart, you belong to the devil
• Until He comes in, you are the temple of the devil
• A nation or individual who tries to do better without calling on the true and living God is only setting themselves up for worse sin
• This happens every January 1st
• What needs to happen is a transfer of ownership, and this only happens when one professes he is a sinner in need of a Savior

• (Luke 11) Good intentions may change the appearance of the house, but it is still empty
• The later state of the man is worse than the first

• Cleaning up your life will not do a thing for you
• people are going to hell thinking they're saved
• they think because they quit doing something, they're better off
• And you don't go to heaven because YOU stopped doing something, you go because Jesus came and did a miraculous transformation in your life
• You can't stop doing things, He has to start doing something inside you!
• Today's church is offering people a cheap way to feel better about themselves without reminding them you must be born again!
• You got to go to the cross and humble yourself in the site of the Lord

• You have people in a repeated manner TRYING to do better, but you go a little further each time you revert
• Each time you try do better without salvation, you revert and go a little further
• This is what happens when YOU try to do better and for a while it seems like you're clean and in order, but the devil knows to come back in and fill you up and draw you farther and push you deeper, and if you do this enough, 2 things will happen:
• 1. Develop a seared conscious; 2. Hopeless repentance

Sidetrack:

• This nation has no conscious
• when you vote, you better make sure you know where he stands on abortion, same-sex marriage, and Israel
• You become responsible when you vote them in!
• And we're gonna pay for it.
• Both parties stink because both have lied, deceived, overspent, and in favor of anything that keeps them in office
• We don't belong to it, we belong to the Kingdom of God!
• We Christians need to get our minds off this world and on to the One that's coming! And get our hearts ready. You can't be home in this world anymore, you need to learn to say "Even so come Lord Jesus!"

Back to message:

• Hopeless repentance
• Judas Iscariot
• If you constantly attempt to straighten out your life without Almighty Help, and see yourself continuing to experiment and go deeper and do more things, a sense of hopelessness will overtake you
• "I will never be able." "It's impossible." "I've tried too many times." "I can't do this."
• You will actually feel you can't be saved and delivered from sin because YOU tried to do it and you can't.
• You will lose hope in God when you should have lost hope in you!
• But in God there's hope! There's the power to live right. God can change anybody. Yes Jesus! the Son of God can take what's wrong and make it right!

• Puffed up Christians
• Sorrow leading to repentance
• Sorrow in godly manner
• Sorrow - one is godly sorrow, one is a worldly sorrow
• Worldly sorrow - being upset with yourself because of a string of messes with yourself
• Never settled down, doing this or that, never getting caught, or getting caught - "I'm sorry I've lived this way"
• Worldly sorrow will kill you
• You can be sorry for your mistakes, even for your sins and still go to hell
• Because sorrow is not about how you have failed people or yourself, sorrow must first go back to Him...I failed Him! And until it's about Jesus, you're still lost.

• Men don't straighten up, but for a little while
• sinners can't straighten up until their sorrow is projected in the right direction, they WILL never straighten up and they WILL never see Jesus as Savior.
• worldly sorrow leads to death, but godly sorrow leads to repentance not to be regretted.

• It's not "look what I've done to people, look what I've done to my family, look what I've done to myself, look how may lives I've destroyed"
• When a person comes to Jesus, what they realize is and what they say is, "Look what I did to God! Look how I've offended heaven. Look what I've done."

• Here's how you know you've repented:
• not because you feel bad about it
• Here's a definition:
• that you've sorrowed in a godly manner;
• what diligence it produces - when you truly repent, you become diligent - read your Bible, prayer, get involved at church, surround yourself with believers, get off your knees and get into action, there will be an immediate and noticeable change
• living a way people will know I've repented
• I want to be clean before Him and before them
• I've had it - discipline enters your life
• fear - I'm capable of doing that again; I have the same nature inside me, but I must stay on my knees, and God, I don't want to fall!
• Vehement desire -- zeal!
• You can't be a relaxed warrior. Nobody is fighting when they're laid back
• I don't care what my friends do, what my family does--I'm going to heaven!
• Not because "we" are going, but because I got my mind made up!
• Vindication - going to show God how much I appreciate what Jesus did on the cross
• Gonna pick up my cross, carry it on my shoulders, and carry it daily
• In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter -- with your attitude and your actions you have proved you have repented, it is not a worldly sorrow, it is a godly sorrow.
• And when you live like this you're on your way to heaven!

• Psalm 51
• If David had been Joseph in a time of testing and temptation, he would not have had to write Psalm 51
• Joseph - "How can I sin, this great evil, against God?"
• A man that loves God, I can't handle this on my own
• I'd rather be in jail with a clear conscious, than on the throne with a guilty one
• This is not about me, this is about God!
• That realization that he owed God his life, kept him from doing a destructive sin
• David paid for it the rest of his life
• But Joseph ran
• I've been delivered, I don't belong to myself, I belong to the Lord!
• I have to reconcile every day
• Devil will tempt you every day
• Jesus has come into this house!
• With God's help, I'm going to live for Christ!
• You will never forget your sins
• You gotta fight, you gotta flee every day of your life
• Flee upward with eyes on Jesus!
• Fight, flee, and forgive

• 
  
• Do you want Jesus to give you the calm assurance that He has forgiven you, that He has forgotten?
• He can save anybody from anything anytime if you'll ask Him
• Remember, no matter how bad it was, this is what Jesus can do
  
• You can't make it on your own, you can't stop on your own, it has to be God's Holy Spirit
• You have to humble yourself, and mean business about living right.

A Broken and Contrite Heart

By Justin Edwards

   Have mercy upon me, O God,
         According to Your lovingkindness;
         According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
         Blot out my transgressions.
   Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
         And cleanse me from my sin.
       
   For I acknowledge my transgressions,
         And my sin is always before me.
   Against You, You only, have I sinned,
         And done this evil in Your sight—
         That You may be found just when You speak,^[a]
         And blameless when You judge.
       
   Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
         And in sin my mother conceived me.
   Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
         And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
       
  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
         Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
  Make me hear joy and gladness,
         That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
   Hide Your face from my sins,
         And blot out all my iniquities.
       
    Create in me a clean heart, O God,
         And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
    Do not cast me away from Your presence,
         And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
       
    Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
         And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
    Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
         And sinners shall be converted to You.
       
    Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
         The God of my salvation,
         And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
    O Lord, open my lips,
         And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
    For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
         You do not delight in burnt offering.
    The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
         A broken and a contrite heart—
         These, O God, You will not despise.
       
    Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
         Build the walls of Jerusalem.
    Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
         With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
         Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Psalm 51