Denying Ungodliness

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about Denying Ungodliness. Let’s turn to Titus 2:11-14, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us; did you know that the grace of God teaches us?, 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. Let’s turn to Php 3:1-21, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Heb 3:6-19, But Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, they always go astray, and they have not known My ways. So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. Heb 4:9-16,  There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. When we are being tempted, we can come boldly to the throne of grace and find help in the time of need. 

Let’s go to 1 Pet 1:13-25, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 

because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. The scripture says, Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. What is holiness? Holiness is simply being separate from sin, separate from that which is evil, that which is defiling: separated unto God. As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever… This is how we purify our souls: by obeying the Word of God through the Spirit; the Holy Spirit leading us to do the Words of God. As we continue in the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will teach us His Word, and He will be leading us every day in doing it, and that’s how we will be purifying our souls; that’s how we will be being set free from the things that bind us up, from the things that defile us. Chapter 2, verses 9-12,  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 2 Pet 2:1-9, But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds, then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment… We see here in verses 7&8, that Lot was vexed by the filthy conversation of the wicked. It says in verse 8, For that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds. The same is true today: as we see and hear the lawless deeds that are before us every day; it vexes our souls if we are after righteousness. If we are seeking to walk in righteousness and holiness before the Lord, those things that we see and hear in this wicked world every day vex our souls. Abraham interceded  for Lot before God, in the plains of Mamre, and God had His angels deliver him out of Sodom before He destroyed it with fire. All the wicked were consumed in the fire. There is a fire coming. The angel told Lot and his family, Don’t look back, but, because of the condition of her heart, her love of the world, the things she had in Sodom, Lot’s wife looked back, in disobedience to the Word of the Lord, and became a pillar of salt. Jesus said, Remember Lot’s wife. The Apostle John said, Love not the world; if any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Jesus, by His own intercession for us, with the sacrifice of Himself, has delivered us out of the fire that is coming. The wrath of God is coming. All the wicked will be consumed in the fire; they will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. As you are being delivered from the destruction to come, are you looking back? Do you love the world and it’s pleasures? If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Is your heart overcharged with the things of this life, so that that day will overtake you, and come upon you unaware?

2 Cor 6:14-18, 7:1,  Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.  Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Remember: Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Are you touching unclean things? Are you being defiled by the things you indulge in, on your phone, your computer, or your TV? It’s so easy, and made readily available to you! You’re going to have to come to the place, like the Apostle Paul did: to count it all dung, and to put it out of your life, seeking the Lord with all your heart at His throne of grace, to help you to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, that you might know Jesus, and the power of His resurrection, if by any means you might attain to the resurrection from the dead: the first resurrection. Blessed is he who has part in the first resurrection; on him the second death has no power!  That’s what we’re after people! We want to be a part of that first resurrection! There is nothing of this life that is worth hanging on to, if it’s going to keep you from being a part of that! Forget what is behind and reach forward to that which is before! Press toward the mark for the prize: the prize! There is a prize: the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!

 Becoming Fruitful

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about Becoming Fruitful. Let’s turn to Psalm 1:1-6,  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. First of all, we must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, and we also must not stand in the way of sinners; we must not sit in the seat of the scornful, if we are going to bring forth fruit unto God. Then we must delight ourselves in the Word of God. His Word must be our delight and joy, and we must meditate in it, day and night, all the time. Let’s turn to Luke 8:5-15, The Parable of the Sower, A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold. When He had said these things He cried, He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Then His disciples asked Him, saying, What does this parable mean? And He said, To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Jesus said, Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the Word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. We see here that the thorns choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful in our lives, and we bring no fruit to perfection. Let’s go to Luke 13:6-9, He also spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down. We must seek the Lord with all our heart to deliver us from the counsel of the ungodly, from the way of sinners, and from the seat of the scornful, or the contemptuous: those who mock and deride; from the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the pleasures of this world; to change our hearts; to dig about us and fertilize us; to make our hearts good ground, where the seed can take root and bring forth fruit according to our abilities: some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundredfold. It’s about our hearts. Do we really love Jesus? If we do, He said we would keep His Words; we will love His Words, we will continue in His Words, and we will learn the truth, and the truth will make us free from the previously mentioned things which keep the Word from bringing forth fruit in our lives. Our desire will be to glorify the Father by bringing forth fruit that remains to His Glory. We will bring forth fruit in his season.

There is a season when the fruit begins to manifest: we’ve been sowing the Word in our hearts, continuing in reading and meditating in the Word of God, day and night; the Holy Spirit teaching us, and revealing it to us and leading us in doing it. Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 7: those that hear His sayings and do them. Let’s go there, Mat 7:17-27,  very, very important scripture, Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. 

Going back to bearing fruit in his season: The seed begins to germinate as our hearts become more and more broken and fertile, through the various trials and testings that the Lord has been leading us in. Soon, in the spring, the buds begin to appear on the tree branches. Then, throughout the heat of summer, because we are planted by the rivers of water, our leaves will stay green, and the fruit will continue to develop, until, in the season of the harvest, the fruit is ripened and the harvest comes forth. Then there is great rejoicing for the harvest, and God is glorified!  He will be glorified in His people. Amen! We do not want to meet Him empty handed. We want to meet God, when the time comes, with joy and confidence in His great work of salvation in our lives through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead, by which He has made us His sons and daughters, with arms full of fruit, bringing glory and honor to Him!

Let’s go to Mark 7:6-13, He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do. He said to them, All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and he who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say, If a man says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban— that is, a gift to God, then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do. This is where we go astray: If our heart is not toward Jesus, we will end up in the commandments of men, and we will not bring forth fruit, because it’s the Word of God that brings forth fruit through our heart- hearts that love Him- hearts that are given to Him. Our hearts need to be turned from ourselves to Jesus. He has saved us. We must love Him and His Word; His Word has saved us, and serve Him with all our hearts.

Whether we live, we live unto Him; whether we die, we die unto Him, that whether we live or die, we are His! Hallelujah! We are not our own; we have been bought with His precious Blood through the sacrifice of Himself: His great love wherewith He loved us! Therefore we must glorify Him in our bodies, bringing forth fruit that remains to His Glory, and the Glory of the Father. Jesus said in John 15, Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples. If we will do what is written in Psalm 1, and meditate in His Word, day and night, with the Holy Spirit teaching us, as it is written in 1 John 2:27&28, let’s go there, But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. Abiding in Jesus, and His Words abiding in us, we will bring forth fruit in his season, if we will remain faithful to our Savior, and continue with Him, as He works in our hearts and lives, conforming us more and more to His image.

If we will not do these things, we will not bring forth the fruit, and we are in danger of being cast off as an unfruitful branch. We are without excuse. Jesus has warned us in John 15:1-14, let’s go there, He said, I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. In so doing, and bringing forth fruit, we will become His friends. Isn’t it great that God has made a way for us to become his friends? Isn’t it worth doing? Are the things of this life worth that much to you, that you would forgo such an opportunity, and even risk eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire for them? Really? Don’t be deceived by the lying prophets who prophesy peace unto you who won’t love the Lord, after He has loved you so much to give His life for you on the Cross, and suffer for all your sins. Your destruction is coming if you won’t repent. Repent now! Turn to Jesus with all your heart, confessing your sins, and He will abundantly pardon you and bring you into all His goodness, if you will be faithful to Him, and continue with Him, doing His Words. Hallelujah!

Psalm 1:1-6, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Do we love Him? If you love Him you will want to keep His Words; you will love His Word if you love Him. If you will do these things, you will be able to stand in the Day of Judgement, where every man will give an account of his doings before the Living God; you will be able to stand. But the ungodly shall not stand in the Judgement, and they will not stand in the congregation of the righteous. 

 Married To Jesus

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called Married To Jesus. Let’s turn to 2 Cor 11:1-4, Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! Let’s turn to Rom 7:1-6,  Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.  This is a marriage. When we come to Jesus in true repentance and faith in His sacrifice on the Cross for us, confessing Him as our Lord, we enter into a covenant with Him: an everlasting covenant in His Blood. In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. When we truly repent of our sins and come to Jesus, trusting in His sacrifice for our sins, and receiving Him as our Lord, He comes to dwell in our hearts by His Spirit. 1 John 5:20, And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Gal 4:6&7, And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father! Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. John 1:10-13, He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. As we repent and believe and are baptized into His death through water baptism, our old sinful nature is crucified with Him and buried with Him. All our old sins are washed away. And when we arise out of the waters of baptism we are raised with Him, truly as a chaste virgin, because His Blood has washed us white as snow. Then we are married to Jesus; we are in Him and He is in us, and He gives us the Holy Spirit. If we will ask the Father, He will baptize us in His Holy Spirit that He may lead us every day. Jesus said that we must deny ourselves and take up our cross every day and follow Him. We put to death every day our own desires, our own understanding, through the Holy Spirit, yielding to Him to do the will of the Father. Jesus is leading us by His Spirit and cleansing us and purifying our souls as we continue through the Spirit to obey His Words. We do this because we love Him; we love Him because He first loved us and gave Himself for us. The Lord is gracious, and He will help us to continue with Him in His Word. He will lead us in righteous pathways to deal with our rebellious and wicked hearts, cleansing us more and more with His Word, and through His power, conforming us more and more to His image, setting us free more and more from the things and powers that have had us bound in darkness, bringing us out of darkness into His marvelous light. It is a wonderful and marvelous thing to be married to Jesus; to be a member of the Bride of Christ. His love is wonderful, and as we remain faithful to Him, if we will truly love Him, He will perfect us. The Lord wants us to walk perfect with Him. He said, Be holy, for I am holy: separated more and more from this present evil world with all of it’s corruption and wickedness. The pleasures of this evil world cannot ever compare with the Glory of God that He will bring upon those who truly love Him. 

Rom 8:9-18, But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

Let’s turn to 1 Peter 1:3-25, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 

that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into. Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 

having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever, because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and it’s flower falls away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. As we continue with Jesus in His Word, with the Holy Spirit guiding us and teaching us, His Word will begin to bring forth fruit in us, and through us in the lives of others if we will yield to Him and follow Him, and ask Him to deal with our hard hearts. 

Let’s turn to Luke 8:4-15, The Parable of the Sower: And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on a rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold. When He had said these things He cried, He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Then His disciples asked Him, saying, What does this parable mean? And He said, To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the Word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the Word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. If we will ask Him, if we are really serious, Jesus can change our stony or thorny hearts, if we will let Him break us and deal with our lives, that we may, with patience, bring forth good fruit to the glory of the Father. Jesus is the vine; we are the branches. If we will love Him, be faithful to Him, and abide in Him, He will bring forth much fruit through us. John 15:1-14, I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

This is a marriage. A marriage only works when both parties remain faithful to one another, and continue loving one another. Jesus is faithful, and He is loving us. He has proven His love for us. Let us remain faithful to Him, loving Him, and following Him in the work that He has for us to do.

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am God Almighty. You who are listening to my servant Rob this day: turn to Me with all your heart. I have given My Son a living sacrifice for your sins. He loved you. He washed you in His own Blood from your sins. Turn to Him with all your heart; be married to My Son. Be the Bride of Christ! Become a spotless bride for My Son and I will receive you into my Kingdom says the Lord.

 The Sheep And The Goats

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is about The Sheep And The Goats. Let’s turn to Mat 25:31-46, When the Son of Man comes in His Glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His Glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. Then they also will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You? Then He will answer them, saying, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Before we get to the main meat of this message, I’m reminded right here: these are the two places where the entire human race is going to go; some into everlasting life, and some into everlasting punishment. Believe me, these things are real! This is the truth. This is where the whole human race is going. Only the righteous are going into eternal life; only the sheep. In Matthew 7 Jesus said, Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but they that do the will of My Father. They that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. They that love Jesus will keep His Words. He that does righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that practices sin is of the Devil. So, as we Christians follow the Lord to do righteousness; to be led by the Holy Spirit to do the will of the Father, He will be leading us in doing good works. Mat 19:16-21, Now behold, one came and said to Him, Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? So He said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to Him, Which ones? Jesus said,  You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said to Him, All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack? Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. We need to be following Jesus in giving to the poor and doing good to the needy. Let’s turn to Luke 10:25-37, And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? So he answered and said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. And He said to him, You have answered rightly; do this and you will live. But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Then Jesus answered and said: A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you. So which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? And he said, He who showed mercy on him. Then Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise. We are called as believers to do likewise; to show mercy; to have compassion. But we also are called to be led by the Holy Spirit. It’s so important that we understand this, and that we obey the Lord in showing mercy and doing good in giving, in taking care of others. It is so important: Jesus said, My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me. That’s what we’re called to do as Christians. Before Jesus went back to be with the Father He told His disciples, I will not leave you alone. I will not leave you comfortless. When I go to the Father I’m going to send the Holy Spirit, that He may be with you forever. So Jesus has not left us alone. He sent the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and we as believers can receive the Holy Spirit; be baptized in the Holy Spirit and be led by the Holy Spirit to do the will of the Father every day, denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him every day. That’s what Jesus has called us to do. He’s called us to love one another. Let’s go to 1 John 3:16-19, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. Let’s go to 1 Cor 13:1-3, This is the chapter on love: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. So if we are giving to the poor; if we are visiting prisoners and the sick, and we’re not doing it in love, it profits us nothing. Jesus said, If you love Me, keep My Words. So, as we’re walking in love, and walking in obedience, He will lead us, in fact He will bring people to us that He wants us to minister to. And if we love the Lord, and if we love one another, if we have love in our hearts, as we read in 1 John, we won’t shut up our hearts. But, according as we have, we will give, we will share, we will do what the Lord leads us to do in every situation.

Why are people poor? There are many reasons, and the Lord knows: the Lord knows why a person is on the street; why a person is homeless; why a person is begging. The Lord knows every heart. That’s why it is so important for us to be led by the Holy Spirit when we give to the poor, or when we visit prisoners, or when we help the needy. It’s so important. Jas 2:14-17, What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. God will lead you in His love to give to the poor, help the needy, visit the sick and the prisoners. He will bring those brothers and sisters that are needy across your path: the ones that He wants you to minister to. He knows every heart. He knows what they need, and He knows what you are able to give to them, and He will lead you by His Spirit what to do in every situation. We must be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in this, for there are many deceivers and seducers and false brethren who are very skilled in getting people to give to them. Some are able to carry on their deceit for a long time. The Lord will lead you. He will bring the needy ones to you and show you what to do to really help them. I’ve also experienced preachers that are very skilled and very crafty, and they know how to get money from the people because Christians want to do this: they want to give; they want to help the needy, and they want to give to those that teach them. But there are many false prophets: Jesus said they are wolves, ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing. The sheep’s clothing is the Word of God. They speak the Word of God. They quote the Word of God, and they know how to deceive the people and to get money from them, big money. The only thing is, they don’t count the cost. I’ve always said this. They are very crafty and they use their craftiness to get money, but they don’t count the cost, because one day they will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and they will have to give an account for what they’ve done to His people, and how they’ve treated His sheep. Remember, Jesus said, If you’ve done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you’ve done it unto Me. So, if you’ve stolen from Jesus it’s not a good thing. That’s what Judas did. In the Book of John, John said about Judas that he had the money bag. That tells you several things: First of all it tells you Jesus wasn’t too concerned about money; He let Judas carry the bag, and John said that he was a thief, and he used to pilfer from the money bag. So, can you imagine: one of Jesus’ twelve disciples was stealing from Jesus! It didn’t work out too well for Judas. Neither will it work out well for these false prophets, and these wolves in sheep’s clothing, if they don’t repent; if they don’t stop taking from God’s sheep. We are supposed to be doing quite the opposite! Now there are many ministries and people doing things to help people, but the question is: Is God leading them? Are they being led by the Holy Spirit in what they are doing, in giving to the poor, or helping the needy, or visiting prisoners, or the sick? Are they doing it in obedience to the Lord, or are they doing it as a dead work: something that they come up with on their own? And they are ministering to people and it’s not according to the will of God. So, we must be led by the Holy Spirit. We must have a heart of compassion. Jesus had compassion on people, but He said, I only do the will of My Father; I only do what I see My Father doing, and I only say what I hear My Father saying, and we are called to walk in the same way. And we can! Recently I heard a message about this very subject, about how we must have a heart for the poor, for orphans and widows. We must have a heart to minister to them and help them. And when I was praying about this, the Lord told me, I will bring them to you. Again: 1 John 3:16-18, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 

 Is God Mad At Us ?

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called, Is God Mad At Us? I want to start in Jer 22:3-5, Thus says the Lord: Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you indeed do this thing, then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David. But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. Let’s turn to Jer 23:1-24, Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed my people: You have scattered my flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings, says the Lord. But I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking, says the Lord. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the Earth. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. Now this is his name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that they shall no longer say, As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, but, As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land. My heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake. I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine has overcome, because of the Lord, and because of his Holy Words. For the land is full of adulterers; for because of a curse the land mourns. The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up. Their course of life is evil, and their might is not right. For both prophet and priest are profane; yes, in my house I have found their wickedness, says the Lord. Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery ways; in the darkness they shall be driven on and fall in them; for I will bring disaster on them, the year of their punishment, says the Lord. And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: they prophesied by Baal and caused my people Israel to err. Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem profaneness has gone out into all the land. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, The Lord has said, You shall have peace; and to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, No evil shall come upon you. For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and has perceived and heard his Word? Who has marked his Word and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury—a violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has executed and performed the thoughts of his heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my Words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings. Am I a God near at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? says the Lord; Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord. 

Is God mad at us? Why did this happen? God’s wrath is upon the wicked: those who continue in their sin and will not come to his Son in repentance, that they might be cleansed of the evil and come into fellowship with Him, through believing in his sacrifice for them at the Cross for their sins. Jesus bore our sins in his body on the Cross at Calvary. His Blood was shed; the Blood of the sinless Lamb of God, to cleanse us; to cleanse us of all unrighteousness, that we through faith in Him might become the sons and daughters of the Living God; that we might inherit eternal life with Him and live with Him forever in his glorious Kingdom, where there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, and we will see his face! God is definitely angry with the preachers who pervert his Words and will not speak them faithfully to turn the people to Him; to restrain them from their sins; teaching rebellion against the Lord. His judgement is in the land, and it is severe, because of the severity of evil that is continuing in his house. The proper response of the Church of Jesus Christ when God’s judgement comes upon them is described clearly in 2 Chron 7:13&14. Let’s turn there, When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. This is what we must do. The only hope for America is if the people that are called by his name will turn to Him in great repentance; with fasting and weeping and true mourning for our sins. If we will come to Him now with true repentance; if we will truly turn away from the evil and amend our ways, He will hear from Heaven, and He will heal America. He can do it! All things are possible with Him! There is nothing too hard for the God that we serve! But if we want to hang on to our pride, and continue talking about how great we are, while we slaughter the innocent, go after dishonest gain, and continue to commit adultery and fornication, trusting in men, and their fair speeches and their good words, and not in the Living God, who loved us so much that He gave his only beloved Son to die for us that we might live with Him in his holiness and glory forever, then, you see, his wrath is upon us. Because it is so severe of us to trample underfoot the Son of God, and consider his precious Blood, which He shed for us, a common thing, his wrath is therefore severe. It is not because He doesn’t love us. He has proven his love for us on the Cross, and He never changes.

Let’s turn to Heb 10:26–31, For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who rejected Moses' law died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 

Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And again, The Lord will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. It is when we reject his love for us: when we reject his good Word and his good way, to walk after wickedness, that his wrath will come upon us, to judge the wicked and to turn the righteous from the error of his way. Jer 6:16, Thus says the Lord: Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it. All of God’s promises are conditional. If we will come back to Him, with true repentance, He will forgive us, because, and only because of the sacrifice of his Son for us on the Cross. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. If we will seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him. If we will not do these things; if we will not humble ourselves, but continue to harden our hearts to walk in lies, then greater judgement will follow, and our nation will not be healed, but it will become a desolation. Repent people of God of your evil ways! Those of you who name the name of Jesus, come back to your first love! In Rom 11:22 it says, Behold the goodness and the severity of God. Rom 11:20-22, …do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. Remember what I said earlier: God is not condemning us; He is not here to condemn us. We condemn ourselves when we reject his Word; when we pervert his Word; when we choose darkness rather than light. Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Verse 4, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Verse 12-14, Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. In Acts 7, Steven was talking to the Pharisees, to the religious leaders. In verse 51 he said, You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. God’s judgement is so severe because Jesus’ suffering for us was so severe, and we are trampling Him underfoot with our perverted ways which we love. God is seeking to turn us from our evil ways that He may bless us again. If we will not turn; if we will continue to reject the truth and embrace lies, then we are condemning ourselves. He is not condemning us.

Rom 12:1&2, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. John 3:18-21, He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. 

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am with those that are with Me. Those that will seek Me with all their heart, they will find me, as it is written in my Word. Fear not, those of you that love Me with all your heart, for I will care for you, I will protect you from my wrath coming upon the nations. Fear not, says the Lord, but look unto Me. Seek Me with all your heart. Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you, says the Lord. Enter into my fellowship; my righteousness, my holiness will come upon you, if you will forsake the evil, if you will turn to Me with all your heart, says the Lord. For I love you! I gave my Son for you to save you from your sins, says the Lord! Therefore repent of all your sins; all of them, and turn to Me with all your heart, and be forgiven and rejoice with Me in my Glory and in my Kingdom, says the Lord!

 Call A Solemn Assembly

Greetings in the name of Jesus. This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Today’s program is entitled Call A Solemn Assembly. Let’s go to 2 Chron 15:1&2, this is talking about King Asa, Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. Now we’re going to read about King Hezekiah. Let’s go to 2 Chron 29:1-6, Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. 

Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, 

and said to them: Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and turned their backs on Him. 2 Chron 30:1-15, And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner. Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: Children of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord; and enter his sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn his face from you if you return to Him. So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them. Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the Lord. Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook Kidron. Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. 

Verses 22-27, And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the Lord; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers. Then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the leaders gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah. So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, to heaven. Chapter 31:20&21, Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered. The humbling of ourselves before God must be with all our hearts. The confession and repentance must be with all our hearts. The returning to the Lord our God and to his Word and his ways must be with all our hearts. And then, the rejoicing before our God, when our prayers come into his holy dwelling place, even into Heaven, must be with all our hearts. Hos 6:1-3, Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth. Chapter 10, verses 12&13, Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men. 

Let’s turn to Joel 1:1-20, The Word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; and what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. Awake, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth. For a nation has come up against my land, strong, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the fangs of a fierce lion. He has laid waste my vine, and ruined my fig tree; he has stripped it bare and thrown it away; its branches are made white. Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. The grain offering and the drink offering have been cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests mourn, who minister to the Lord. The field is wasted, the land mourns; for the grain is ruined, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails. Be ashamed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley; because the harvest of the field has perished. The vine has dried up, and the fig tree has withered; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree—all the trees of the field are withered; surely joy has withered away from the sons of men. Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; wail, you who minister before the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, you who minister to my God; for the grain offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. Consecrate a fast, call a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed shrivels under the clods, storehouses are in shambles; barns are broken down, for the grain has withered. How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment. O Lord, to You I cry out; for fire has devoured the open pastures, and a flame has burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field also cry out to You, for the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the open pastures. 

Chapter 2, verses 12-27, Now, therefore, says the Lord, Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him—a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a solemn assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; let them say, Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God? Then the Lord will be zealous for his land, and pity his people. The Lord will answer and say to his people, Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. But I will remove far from you the northern army, and will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, with his face toward the eastern sea and his back toward the western sea; his stench will come up, and his foul odor will rise, because he has done monstrous things. Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; for the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you—the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. In verse 18 we read, Then the Lord will be zealous for his land, and pity his people. When? When you call a solemn assembly; when the priests weep and cry out; when the people come before Him with weeping and mourning. 

2 Chron 7:8&9, At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt. And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. Verses 12-14, Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. The Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and spoke verse 13&14 to him. Clearly these are judgements of God. IF my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and I will heal their land. People of God, our land needs to be healed; our hearts need to be changed. It is upon us, when these calamities come, to humble ourselves and pray and seek his face and turn from our wicked ways. Then, and then only, will He hear from Heaven and will forgive our sins, and then, and only then, will He heal our land. If we say we have no sin; we are under grace; we are forever justified and forgiven, and we refuse to acknowledge our sins to Him, it will not happen. We will proceed from the judgement of this hour to greater judgement. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. If we will turn to Him now, with weeping and fasting and repentance, and sow to ourselves in righteousness, we will reap mercy; if we will break up our fallow ground, if we will rend our hard hearts before Him, and seek Him with all our hearts, then, and only then, will He come and rain righteousness and his blessing upon us. Sanctify a fast! Call a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God and cry unto the Lord!

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am God Almighty. Behold, I have sent these tornadoes; it is my judgement upon you. I want you to humble yourselves. Do not be offended at these words, but humble yourselves! Cry out to Me! Call a solemn assembly! Come into my house, all of you that are called by my name, and seek my face with weeping and mourning, and cry out and acknowledge your sins before Me, and I will hear from Heaven, and I will turn and relent of the evil that is yet to come! If you will humble yourselves, I will hearken and grant you mercy and grace, says the Lord.

 Godly Sorrow

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about Godly Sorrow. Let’s turn to 2 Cor 7:8-11; the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth said, For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Let’s turn to Psalm 51:1-17, 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, 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. I just would like to point out verse 7: Purge me with hyssop; hyssop is what they used to put the blood of the Passover Lamb on the door posts in Egypt; it signifies the Blood of Jesus cleansing us from all sin. Let’s turn to Psalm 32:1-11, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. 

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! 

Let’s turn to Mat 21:42-44. In verse 42 Jesus said, Have you never read in the Scriptures, The Stone which the builders rejected has become the Chief Cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 

And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone. When you come to Jesus, and you fall upon Him, and you give yourself to Him, coming to Him with weeping, with godly sorrow, repenting of your sins; when you come to Jesus, you will be broken, you will be broken, and you will be changed, and you will be conformed to his image: from faith to faith, and glory to glory. It is not easy, but you will bring forth fruit as you are conformed to his image more and more. The Bible says, Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of your faith, who, for the joy set before Him; right!, for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high!  Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! Amen! Glory!

Let’s turn to Psalm 38: 15-22, For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. 

For I said, Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me. For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin; or, I will be sorry for my sin. But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; and those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. Those also who render evil for good, they are my adversaries, because I follow what is good. Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! Psalm 126:5, They that sow in tears shall reap in joy! Godly sorrow works true repentance. True repentance brings forth joy. Worldly sorrow brings forth death. Let’s go to Psalm 107:31-43,  Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders. He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground; a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it. He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. There He makes the hungry dwell, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place, 

and sow fields and plant vineyards, that they may yield a fruitful harvest. He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; and He does not let their cattle decrease. When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction and sorrow, He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth. Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord. Verse 1, Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever! Psalms 39:12-13, and 40:1-4,  Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more. I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Let’s go to Psalm 116:1-9,  I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul! 

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He helped me. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.  I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 

As you can see, we’re beginning to talk about Jesus. Let’s go to Hebrews 5:6-9. In verse 6 it says, You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek; who, in the days of his flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of his godly fear; though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. 

Godly sorrow is just as it says: sorrow that is godly, sorrow that is in truth; you know you have sinned, or you are truly sorry about a situation, and you call upon the Lord in truth, acknowledging the truth of his Word. There is true repentance. There is a true crying out for justice, or mercy. There is a true understanding that God is merciful, and a hope and expectation that He will hear our cry and respond in his great love and grant us grace. And especially, because of the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ on the Cross, there is faith in our hearts as we call upon Him. And then when He responds, there is a washing and a cleansing. Justice comes, mercy is granted, and there is a great rejoicing. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Jesus was sorrowful and heavy in his great trial of affliction and suffering on our behalf in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross. But it was on the Cross that He overcame all the sin and iniquity, and all the sickness and pain, and all the power of darkness, as He offered Himself willingly to suffer and die there. The Scripture says that He said, It is finished, and He gave up his Spirit. Then He descended into the lower parts of the Earth, in death, where He cried unto the Father: Therefore did my heart rejoice and my tongue was glad, moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope, because you will not leave my soul in Hell, neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to Me the ways of life. You will make Me full of joy with your countenance. Jesus was full of joy when the Father, on the third day, raised Him from the dead; not only for Himself, but for all of us who would trust in Him and be raised with Him from all the sin and grief and sorrow and death of this wicked world, into his glorious Kingdom, to live with Him and the Father forever! Hallelujah!

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am with you my children, those of you that love Me, those of you that are trusting in my Son and his sacrifice for your sins; his Blood was shed to wash you clean; white as snow from all sin. When you have sin, if you will come to Me in godly sorrow, truly sorry for your sins, his Blood is more than enough to wash you white as snow and cleanse you from that sin, and I will remember it no more. It will be blotted out of the books. You will be washed clean. As you trust in his sacrifice for your sins, his Blood will cleanse you, and I will cleanse you of all that unrighteousness, and you will have joy as you enter into my presence, as you are restored into fellowship with Me, says the Lord.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah Father, hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise you Father! Praise you Father! Praise you Father! Thank you Father for godly sorrow working true repentance!