Getting Ready for the Presence of God
Luke 3: 4a & 6, KJV, "Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight...and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
What are you preparing for?
Are you building up treasures in heaven? Often when we prepare for something we have to tear something down or get rid of something that is not needed or causing problems...Like building a house, often we have to cut down trees and clean things up before we can build a strong foundation...
If we are to receive the powerful presence of God, we must prepare ourselves...John the Baptist was God's messenger to help people prepare to receive the Savior of the World...John preached unwaveringly: "Repent, For the kingdom of Heaven is near you"! (Matt. 3:2, KJV.).
Those who heard this message and prepared their lives recognized Jesus when He came, and they left all to follow Him... This was especially true of the disciples, whose hearts God Himself prepared...Preparation must precede God's presence!
The message that was put into the heart and words of John the Baptist was specific, "repent..." This involves a complete change of mind, heart, will, and behavior toward Him...He is LORD, and your life must be prepared to receive Him as your Lord...Anything less is inadequate...Some were obviously unprepared to follow Jesus and missed the opportunity...(Are you prepared to follow Him?)
The religious leaders of Jesus' day were largely unprepared for His arrival...They knew the Messiah was coming...They even knew where He would be born...Yet, when word came that the Saviour had been born, they made no effort to join Him, preferring instead their religious ritual...
If you are unprepared, you, too, will miss the opportunity to experience Jesus...You may practice religion, but you will miss God...While others encounter the Lord personally in worship, your heart will remain unmoved...As others receive a fresh word from God, you will experience a painful silence...
Religious activity can never substitute for a heart that is pure before Him...Purity only comes through repentance...But repentance must come from a contrite spirit...Repentance must be united with "Godly Sorrow..." (2nd Corinthians 7:10 KJV., "For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death...")
Pray, as the psalmist did, that God will examine your heart and reveal your need to repent of your sins...
Psalm 139: 23-24, Search me, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting...
Robert N. Graves, Sr.
Fisherman for Christ
posted by Fisherman For Christ at 12/22/2007 11:48:00 AM
1 Comments:
Repentance must come before Revival!
Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that asinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 21 But if the wicked will aturn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his atransgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23 Have I any apleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24 ¶ But when the arighteous bturneth away from his crighteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his dsin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
30 Therefore I will ajudge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your btransgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 ¶ aCast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new bheart and a cnew spirit: for why will ye ddie, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
LUKE 3: 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the abaptism of repentance for the bremission of sins;
4 aAs it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The bvoice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every avalley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the asalvation of God.
9 And now also the aaxe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good bfruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two acoats, let him bimpart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
12 Then came also apublicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed ayou.
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any afalsely; and be bcontent with your cwages.
The prophet Joel prophesied the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in Joel Ch 2 and in
JOEL CH 2: 12 ¶ Therefore also now, saith the LORD, aturn ye even to me with all your bheart, and with cfasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And arend your heart, and not your garments, band turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great ckindness, and drepenteth him of the evil.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall ahumble themselves, and bpray, and seek my cface, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
16 For now have I achosen and bsanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
James Ch 1: 2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into adivers btemptations;
3 Knowing this, that the atrying of your faith worketh bpatience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be aperfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 aIf any of you lack bwisdom, let him ask of God, that cgiveth to all men liberally, and dupbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him aask in bfaith, nothing cwavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A adouble minded man is unstable in all his ways.
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22 But be ye adoers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a ahearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a bglass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
CH 2:
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt alove thy bneighbour as thyself, ye do well:
;19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the adevils also bbelieve, and tremble.
CH 4: 7 aSubmit yourselves therefore to God. bResist the cdevil, and he will flee from you.
8 aDraw bnigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. cCleanse your hands, ye sinners; and dpurify your hearts, ye double minded.
Matthew Ch7:
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth agood bfruit; but a ccorrupt tree bringeth forth devil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good afruit is bhewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their afruits ye shall know them.
21 ¶ Not every one that asaith unto me, bLord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that cdoeth the dwill of my Father which is in eheaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not aprophesied in thy name? and in thy bname have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never aknew you: bdepart from me, ye that work ciniquity.
John Ch 14: 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that abelieveth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I bgo unto my cFather.
What did Jesus him self say about his commandments?
-15 ¶ If ye alove me, bkeep my ccommandments.
-21 He that hath my commandments, and akeepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be bloved of my Father, and I will love him, and will cmanifest myself to him.
-23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will alove him, and we will come unto him, and make our babode with him.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
1 Peter 1:
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former alusts in your bignorance:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye aholy in all manner of bconversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am aholy.
Matt. CH 12:49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my amother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the awill of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my bbrother, and sister, and mother.
Matthew Ch 6:33 aBut bseek ye first the ckingdom of God, and his drighteousness; and all these ethings shall be fadded unto you.
Matt Ch28:19 ¶ Go ye therefore, and ateach all bnations, cbaptizing them in the name of the dFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 aTeaching them to bobserve all things whatsoever I have ccommanded you: and, lo, I am dwith you alway, even unto the eend of the world. Amen.
Matt. Ch 7 : 3 aAnd why beholdest thou the bmote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the cbeam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou ahypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Ecc. Ch 12:13 ¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: aFear God, and bkeep his commandments: for this is the whole cduty of man.
14 For God shall bring every awork into bjudgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Mark Ch 1: 2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my amessenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3 The avoice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and apreach the bbaptism of crepentance for the dremission of sins.
-7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I indeed have baptized you with water: abut he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall ahumble themselves, and bpray, and seek my cface, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
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