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!

 

 Stand

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Christ! Peace be to you in the name of Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about standing. I just want to give a little background: This morning we were praying and the Lord brought up three scriptures: Rom 14:4, Jude 1:24&25, and Eph 6:10-20; and that’s where we’re going to start, and we’re going to talk about standing.  Rom 14:4, Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. God is able to make his servant stand.  Jude 1:24&25, Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, or keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen! God is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his Glory with exceeding joy; to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen! We need to believe these Words! Reading from the King James Version: Rom 14:4, Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. God is able to make his servant stand, and God will hold him up. God is with his servants. If you are God’s servant, if you are obeying God, if you are speaking his Words, do not let Satan discourage you; nor anyone else who is speaking against you and judging you wickedly. Who are they to judge God’s servants? Be strong and obey the Father! Obey your Lord and stand! For He is able to make you stand! Amen! Thank God! Jude 1:24&25,  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen! God is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his Glory with exceeding joy! The Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness! Though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow! Thank you Lord! Eph 6:10-20, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth; we need to have the truth of God’s Word in our hearts. Amen. Jesus is the truth. His Word is the truth. We must have his Word in our hearts. That’s how we are going to be able to stand: with our loins girt about with his truth, his Word; the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth; having on the breastplate of righteousness. We’re going to have to walk in righteousness. We’re going to have to hate evil and love righteousness. Repent of all evil in your life! As the Holy Spirit convinces you, repent of all evil. You won’t be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil if you allow disobedience in your life. You won’t be able to fulfill your ministry. Turn from it with all your heart. If you’re having trouble with it, call upon the Lord; come boldly before his throne of grace to find help in the time of need. Forsake the evil! Forsake the evil! It’s not worth it; it doesn’t matter how good it feels, or how good it looks, or whatever it is, forsake it! Forsake it! You don’t even have on your breastplate. You’re open prey for the Devil. If you’re walking in any sin, repent from it! Don’t say, oh I’m under grace. You know you are sinning! You out there who are born again believers, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and you have sin in your life, you know it! Repent! Turn back to God! Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; the Gospel gives us peace; peace with God through faith in the Gospel: Jesus died for our sins; He was crucified for our sins. He bore our sins in his body on the Cross. He was marred more than any man. He was buried in a tomb. On the third day the Father raised Him from the dead. He was crucified for our sins, and He was raised again for our justification. Your faith is in the Gospel. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. So your feet are shod with the Gospel; you are walking in the Gospel; walking in faith, believing that you are made righteous: God made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Glory to God! You must have all of this in your life in order to stand against the wiles of the Devil! The Devil has wiles. He has wicked servants; they want to bring you down; they want to destroy you! They sit in their closets and pray against you; they curse you. You have to stand! They talk one with another to try to bring you down. They are his servants. He has servants. He has wiles. He has ways. He has temptations, but God is with you! He will uphold you! He is able to make his servant stand! It doesn’t matter what they do; the scripture that I read earlier: Who are you to judge another man’s servant?! To his own master he stands or falls. So we have to stand before our Master.  Above all, taking the shield of faith; so your faith is in the Gospel; you know you’re justified. You know through the sacrifice of Jesus that you’ve been justified. Your faith is there. You’re walking with a clear conscience. You’ve confessed every sin. You don’t know of any sin in your life; if God shows you, you repent. You don’t want any sin in your life. You love God; you want to walk with Him. Folks, that’s the key: loving Him, loving one another, walking in love. None of this will work if you don’t have love, as we will read in 1 Cor 13. Thank you Lord! So you have the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; those fiery darts coming at you; you have the shield of faith. You’re justified; you know where you stand in Jesus. Jesus is causing you to stand. His righteousness, his shed Blood causes you to stand. All your sins have been washed. It doesn’t matter what they say; what you did in the past; whatever the Devil brings up to try to condemn you. You have the shield of faith: No! I believe that I’m justified by faith in his shed Blood! Amen! You stand in that faith! And then, you have the helmet of salvation: your mind is protected by your salvation. You are saved, born again, baptized in water, baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ bore your sins in his body on the Cross. The Devil cannot torment your mind. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of a sound mind! Hallelujah! Your mind is sound in Christ. And you have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God! When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by the Devil, praise God, He said, It is written; He spoke the Word of God to Satan by the Holy Spirit. Notice, it says, the sword of the Spirit: It’s the Word of God with the Holy Spirit, wherewith you’ll be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. You’ll be able to fight the good fight of faith; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. We must pray always in faith, in the Holy Spirit, watching with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Jesus said, Pray always; let’s go there, Luke 21:36, Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things. He was previously talking about all the evil that’s going to come upon the Earth. And it’s coming. Actually it’s already here, but it’s going to get worse. So Jesus said, Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. Remember that scripture that we read, God is able to make you stand before the presence of his Glory with exceeding joy! Hallelujah! We need to believe that. We need to believe that we can stand before the presence of God when Jesus returns with exceeding joy! Amen! Glory!

Rom 8:31-39, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Saints, it is a reality, it is the truth: Jesus is at the right hand of the Father; He is our Great High Priest, and He is making intercession for us. We need to believe that. That’s not a religious fairy tale. Jesus is alive! He’s at the right hand of the Father, and He’s interceding for us. We need to trust Him; that He’s with us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, that covers everything, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let’s turn to 1Cor 12:31. Chapter 12 talks about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are given for the edification of the body of Christ. Verse 31, But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. Chapter 13, verse 1-13, 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. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.  And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever lives and believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. In almost every message I do it comes down to love. It’s all about love. Without love it won’t work. We keep God’s Words because we love him! He loves us; we love Him; we keep his Words. We love Him; we obey Him. And that’s how we’re going to stand, and that’s how we’re going to be able to endure all the things that are coming upon the Earth; through prayer and faith, with God’s help. Love endures all things. Thank you Lord!