What was the first message Jesus delivered after He emerged from the temptation in the wilderness? Scripture says, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
Jesus called people to repent before He even called them to believe. Mark writes, “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).
Christ preached, “Repent first—and believe.”
Elsewhere Jesus says of His mission, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13).
And He told the Galileans, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
Jesus’ gospel was all about repentance!
John the
Baptist also preached repentance, to prepare Israel for the coming of Christ. John’s message to the Jews was simple and straightforward: “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:1-2).
People came from everywhere to hear John preach. And he told them in no uncertain terms: “The Messiah is soon to appear in your midst, so you’d better get ready to meet Him!
You may feel excited that He’s coming, but I’m telling you, your hearts are not prepared because you’re still holding on to your sins.
Outside you appear clean and holy. But inside, you’re full of dead men’s bones!
You’re a generation of vipers, snakes, with absolutely no fear of God [see Matthew 3:7-12]. Yet you have no concept that you’re even sinners.
I warn you—you must deal with your sin So, repent, turn from your sin and live in a way that reflects genuine change!”
~David Wilkerson~
THINK of Lot and then think of a lily of the field! Think of the feverishness of the one and of the serenity of the other, or think of the ugly selfishness of the one, and of the graceful beauty of the other!
Look upon avarice at its worst, upon a Shylock, and then gaze upon a lily of the field! How alarming is the contrast! The one is self-made, guided by vicious impulses; the other is the handiwork of God.
The one is rooted in self-will; the other is rooted in the power of the Divine grace. God has nothing to do with the one; He has everything to do with the other.
So one becomes “big” and ugly; the other grows in strength and beauty.
Now the wonder is this, that we, too, may be rooted in the power from which the lily draws its grace. We may draw into our souls the wealth of the Eternal, even the unsearchable riches of Christ.
We may put on “the beauty of holiness.” We may become clothed in the graces of the Spirit.
When we are in the field of the lilies we may appear unto the Lord as kindred flowers of His own garden.
He that abideth in Me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit. “Rooted in Him,” we shall “grow up in all things unto Him.”
~John Henry Jowett~
Jehovah “is slow to anger.” When mercy cometh into the world she driveth winged steeds; the axles of her chariot-wheels are red hot with speed; but when wrath goeth forth, it toileth on with tardy footsteps.
For God taketh no pleasure in the sinner’s death.
God’s rod of mercy is ever in his hands outstretched; his sword of justice is in its scabbard, held down by that pierced hand of love which bled for the sins of men.
The Lord is slow to anger, because he is Great in Power. He is truly great in power who hath power over himself. When God’s power doth restrain himself, then it is power indeed: the power that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed.
A man who has a strong mind can bear to be insulted long, and
only resents the wrong when a sense of right demands his action.
The weak mind is irritated at a little: the strong mind bears it like a rock which moveth not, though a thousand breakers dash upon it, and cast their pitiful malice in spray upon its summit.
God marketh his enemies, and yet he bestirs not himself, but holdeth in his anger.
If he were less divine than he is, he would long ere this have sent forth the whole of his thunders, and emptied the magazines of heaven; he would long ere this have blasted the earth with the wondrous fires of its lower regions, and man would have been utterly destroyed.
But the greatness of his power brings us mercy.
Dear reader, what is your state this evening? Can you by humble faith look to Jesus, and say, “My substitute, thou art my rock, my trust”?
Then, beloved, be not afraid of God’s power; for by faith you have fled to Christ for refuge, the power of God need no more terrify you, than the shield and sword of the warrior need terrify those whom he loves.
Rather rejoice that he who is “great in power” is your Father and Friend
~Charles Spurgeon~
Enticements Always Come To Us In Borrowed Attire
In the Boer War
ammunition was carried out in piano cases, and military advices were
transmitted in the skins of melons.
And that is the way of the enemy of
our souls.
He makes us think we are receiving music when he is sending
explosives; he promises life, but his gift is laden with the seeds of
death.
He offers us liberty, and he hides his chains in dazzling flowers.
Things are not what they seem.
And so our enemy uses mirages, and will-o’-the-wisps and tinseled crowns.
He lights friendly fires on perilous coasts to snare us to our ruin.
And
therefore we need clear, sure eyes.
We need a refined moral sense which
can discriminate between the true and the false, and which can discern the
enemy even when he comes as “an angel of light.”
And we may have this
wisdom from “the God of all wisdom.” By His grace we may be kept morally
sensitive, and we shall know our foe even when he is a long way off.
~John Henry Jowett~
John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
A child of God was once overwhelmed by the number of afflictions that seemed to target her.
As she walked past a vineyard during the rich glow of autumn, she noticed its untrimmed appearance and the abundance of leaves still on the vines.
The ground had been overtaken by a tangle of weeds and grass, and the entire place appeared totally unkempt.
While she pondered the sight, the heavenly Gardener whispered such a precious message to her that she could not help but share it.
The message was this: “My dear child, are you questioning the number of trials in your life?
Remember the vineyard and learn from it. The gardener stops pruning and trimming the vine or weeding the soil only when he expects nothing more from the vine during that season.
He leaves it alone, because its fruitfulness is gone and further effort now would yield no profit.
In the same way, freedom from suffering leads to uselessness.
Do you now want me to stop pruning your life? Shall I leave you
alone?”
Then her comforted heart cried,“No!”
~Homera Homer-Dixon`
And they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.—Acts 4:13.
A christian
should be a striking likeness of Jesus Christ.
You have read lives of
Christ, beautifully and eloquently written, but the best life of Christ
is His living biography, written out in the words and actions of His
people.
If we were what we profess to be, and what we should be, we
should be pictures of Christ; yea, such striking likenesses of Him, that
the world would not have to hold us up by the hour together, and say,
"Well, it seems somewhat of a likeness;" but they would, when they once
beheld us, exclaim, "He has been with Jesus; he has been taught of Him;
he is like Him; he has caught the very idea of the holy Man of Nazareth,
and he works it out in his life and every-day actions."
A Christian
should be like Christ in his boldness. Never blush to own your religion; your profession will never disgrace you: take care you never disgrace that.
Be like Jesus, very valiant for your God. Imitate Him in your loving spirit; think kindly, speak kindly, and do kindly, that men may say of you, "He has been with Jesus."
Imitate Jesus in His holiness.
Was He zealous for His Master? So be you; ever go about doing good. Let
not time be wasted: it is too precious.
Was He self-denying, never
looking to His own interest? Be the same.
Was He devout? Be you fervent
in your prayers. Had He deference to His Father's will? So submit
yourselves to Him.
Was He patient? So learn to endure.
And best of all,
as the highest portraiture of Jesus, try to forgive your enemies, as He
did; and let those sublime words of your Master, "Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do," always ring in your ears.
Forgive, as
you hope to be forgiven. Heap coals of fire on the head of your foe by
your kindness to him.
Good for evil, recollect, is godlike. Be godlike,
then; and in all ways and by all means, so live that all may say of you,
"He has been with Jesus."
~Charles Spurgeon~
For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. 2Co 7:5
Why is it that God leads us in this way, allowing such strong and constant pressure on us?
One of His purposes is to show us His all-sufficient strength and grace more effectively than if we were free from difficulties and trials.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (2 Cor. 4:7).
Another purpose is to bring us a greater awareness of our
dependence upon Him. God is constantly trying to teach us
how dependent we are on Him—that we are held completely
by His hand and reliant on His care alone.
This is exactly where Jesus Himself stood and where He desires us to stand. We must stand not with self-made strength but always leaning upon Him.
And our stand must exhibit a trust that would never dare to take even one step alone.
This will teach us to trust Him more.
There is no way to learn of faith except through trials.They
are God’s school of faith, and it is much better for us to learn to
trust Him than to live a life of enjoyment. And once the lesson
of faith has been learned, it is an everlasting possession and an eternal fortune gained.
Yet without trust in God, even great riches will leave us in poverty.
~Days Of Heaven Upon Earth~A. B. Simpson~
Why must I weep when others sing? “To test the deeps of suffering.”
Why must I work while others rest? “To spend my strength at God’s request.”
Why must I lose while others gain? “To understand defeat’s sharp pain.”
Why must this lot of life be mine When that which fairer seems is thine? “Because God knows what plans for me Will blossom in eternity.”
At times during my years in ministry, I have been overwhelmed by enemies who have risen up against me. In those times, I felt the discipline of the Lord like a rod on my back.
I remember one period in particular, when I was being slandered on all sides. Other ministers asked me, “David, I’m hearing questionable things about you. Are they true? Is all this stuff about you coming from the devil, or is God trying to speak to you?”
Even that question offended me and I became totally overwhelmed by the emotional pain of it all. I grew physically exhausted from the ongoing battle and could barely face going to church to preach.
One morning my wife literally had to lift me up from my chair in my study. About halfway to church, I told her I couldn’t go on. I could no longer face another person in our services wondering if I was a phony.
Finally I cried out, “Lord, what have I done to deserve this? Where is my sin?” Then God directed me to this prayer of Jeremiah: “O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing”
(Jeremiah 10:24).
These words from Jeremiah became my daily prayer throughout that severe time of testing: “Lord, chasten me and judge me if you must. But, please, don’t do it in anger! If I hear one more wrathful word, it’ll destroy me. Please don’t reduce me to dust, Lord. I’m low enough!”
Whenever I uttered this prayer, the Lord answered me, “David, if I choose to correct you, it’s because I love you. This test is not about My judgment at all. I am merciful and loving toward you, so stand still and see My glory!”
This knowledge of His glory carried me through to a place of total rest—and God vindicated me on all sides.
Beloved, once you have this revelation of God’s glory, you need never again fear that He will correct you in anger. He carries His rod in a tender, loving hand. He will discipline you, but only in gracious compassion. He will never hurt you or cast you aside. Should this not cause our hearts to melt before Him in worship?
For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth (Proverbs 3:12).
~David Wilkerson~
