Hope and Forgiveness in Times of Judgement (Part 4)

I wonder how many of us know people who in times of trouble. They never miss church and never miss on the school they never miss permeating every time the doors are open to church there. There in the Susa trouble is over.

There hardly be seen again. I wonder how many of us know people who reportedly confess their sins and repent of their sins more readily surrender simply because they want God to answer their prayers and want to get on God's right side and assume is a problem is over the repentance roles just like a cloud.

I have seen folks like that through the years of my ministry and I've seen people who act with their emotions and assume the sick, the emotions are over.

It's all over.

In fact I told about the story of four so the old-fashioned confession meetings.

Some of you may remember those some of you might not. I have read one or two where people gather together in the confess really more the symptoms of the sin than the sin itself and they get caught in that emotionalism of confession, and in one of those meetings. One man got up and he said I have been smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.

I am going to quit somebody else got up and is that all I've been drinking too much and I'm going to quit and then the third man got up and is a reliable and carousing are not living a holy life, and I will equip one little girl was caught up in all this emotionalism. She got up and stood on her chair so everybody can see her and she said I haven't done anything but I will equip that those who more about what I'm going to talk to about today than anything else, because God calls shallow repentance. Temporary repentance, cheap repentance. Unfortunately we have to much of that pastor David Wilkinson said recently said there are too many people today who are having emotional experiences and call it revival and he goes on to say I think revival will come through this hearing, piercing and convicting preaching when people truly turn away from sin. There are many people somehow confuse repentance with manipulating God to give them what they want. There are many people who confuse genuine repentance with trying to bribe God to give them their wishes. There a lot of people who confuse genuine repentance with trying to appease God in order to give them what they like with his truth.

Listen to me carefully place his truth from the word of God. Repentance is not only an act, but it is an attitude. Repentance is not just in words but in deed. Repentance is not just an outward thing. It is an inward action.

Repentance is not only a one time experience. It is a lifestyle. Repentance is not mere remorse but a genuine desire to change. Repentance is not just a regret. A lot of people regret bad things, but it is doing something about the same and out today. There are people who think that repentance really means just thanking God that the aunt as bad as our neighbors. Someone said churches today are full of people have been starched and ironed with two fewer been washed there.

Even some Christians who think that if you get a large gathering of people and a get together in public confession, but then go back to their homes living this halfhearted live for Christ. That God must act.

But here's the problem. In this culture which will live because we have instant coffee and instant breakfast. We think that we can have instant prayers, instant revival and instant answer to prayer. When God does not act the way we wanted to act will we give up gone there yet other believers who live any which way they live, and then they say, with Catherine the great, they might not verbalize it like she did the good Lord will pardon, that's his trade. We are in the midst of a series of messages from the book of Hosea and we have seen first of all how God revealed his broken heart through the tragedy and the tragic experience of the prophet Hosea who murdered a woman who turned out to be unfaithful to him and God says.

Hosea my people.

This is how I feel. I feel betrayed when I blessed my people in every way.

When I have done all that I've done on their behalf, and the miracles are performed and look what happened there turning their back on me then mixing me was bailed there worshiping me on Saturday unveiled for the rest of the week. I am a brokenhearted God. I can deal with it but I want to be merciful. And then we saw how the days of Hosea are so similar to our days. You have to be blind not to see it, for we have certain commonalities between our days in the days of the prophet Hosea. They marginalized God saw we they glorified sensuality saw we they have practiced religious syncretism and so do we. And then with further we saw that the same causes that caused the society of his route to collapse under the Syrian invasion of the horrible and the miserable things that had taken place we saw that the same because the thing that caused this collapse of society in Israel are the same causes that are working in our society today.

Number one rejection of the knowledge of God. Secondly, we saw that it is lack of direction on the part of so-called the ministers of God, and further, we saw the people of God have lost their passion for God and today we see, what I call the tragedy of cheap repentance.

Please hear me right and I wanted to look with me please if you haven't returned in your Bible turned to Hosea chapter 6 beginning at verse four. Look at verse four really come together versus in a minute mark those in your Bible. Here's what God is saying, what shall I do with US freedom. What shall I do with you, Judah you love is like the morning clouds you repentance is like a good Jew of the morning.

The disappears early in the morning. Obviously Hosea was preaching, prophesying, calling people to repentance and some people responded to his message. Some people got together and began to repent and turn to God, but you see the God who sees the hearts the God who knows everything he saw that this is temporary repentance. He sees this as cheap repentance. This is not the repentance is going to change the Hartford burden for God. This is not the kind of repentance that is going to produce fruit and far from being pleased with this type of superficial repentance what God is bemoaning is that tragedy of cheap repentance is bemoaning the tragedy of temporal devotion is bemoaning the tragedy of lipservice is bemoaning the tragedy of convenient loyalty God is bemoaning the tragedy of this fleeting repentance does not create permanent change in the lifestyle. God is troubled with, he was troubled with that. Then he struggled with that now when you look at verses one, two and three. You can't help but think all read the verses that must've been a genuine repentance that is taking place is a revival in the land. People are turning to him.

The nation is turning to God, but not with God's eyes it was not there.

Had the citywide revivals them. I had the appearance of turning to God. But all of these did not result in permanent change in the heart and in the lifestyle for God did not result in the on going victory over sin did not produce the fruit of the spirit. It did not produce a daily conformity to families of the living God. In fact if you look closely at verse three. It is really a messianic prophecy arrived at the new Bible.

If it doesn't have the margin is a messianic prophecy about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ 700 years before it happened. The prophet Hosea was privileged by God to look down to the future and see the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ 700 years before it happened you would ask why is it protecting here is a prophet Hosea is safe, knowing that even though he lived in the Old Testament that it is only through the power of the resurrected Jesus Christ, will we be able to have the power to repent is only through the power of the resurrected Christ.

Can we have repentance as a lifestyle. It is only through the power of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Can we live a life of a daily obedience for him and we are the ones who are living in those days that Hosea longing for and yet we work and live in way could go on, as if Jesus is still dead. How many of us are wanting to really live with the power of the resurrected Christ and the apostle Paul told Ephesians that that is a very power that is working in you right now, here's the cry of God's heart.

Your love is like the morning clouds.

It's like the dude that goes early in the morning, knowing the Middle East when you wake up in the spring days they don't get spring rain within you wake up in the spring.

Dave is a missed and then the residue in the grass and some mornings when the sun began to shine is the most exquisite view that you can imagine, it is the most suspect macular view when their only warning cloud early morning mist in the blistering of the early morning dew. It's fantastic. It's beautiful beyond description, but it is temporal is temporal morning clouds in early June to flight date to produce a harvest morning clouds in early two are too shallow to withstand the heat of the sun morning clouds in early July are too temporary to produce a permanent results please him a ride. This is the cry of my heart. If there is one to this great country that I love so dearly. I want to tell you that the superficiality of fleeting Christian commitment creates a difficulty for God. The half hearted Christian life creates problems for God the son, thymus, spiritual people are a source of irritation for God's will.

Gotta say, I know how to deal with atheists. I know how to deal with the agnostic.

I know how to judge the out and out sin on how to judge rebellion to deal with that God is saying.

My problem stems from those who claim to be believers, but their submission to him is only part time, God's problem stems from those who claim to be believers, but the surrender to him is only on the outer perimeter of the life God's problems stem from those who are into religion and into rituals but have no intimate relationship with his son on a daily basis. God's problems stem from those whose prayers are constant, monologue never wait for God to speak to them, bring them with the conviction in order to deal with her sin.

I was thinking about this and I thought of a story a friend of mine told me about the how in the Catholic Church and only go to confession. Often the penances to do a retreat that is to go away and contemplate in this man had the nagging sin, secret sin, and he just couldn't keep it in the longer so he went to confession.

He said to the priest.

He said there forgive me father for I have sent or the priest said what did you do he said well I have been stealing building supply from the lumber yard which I work said well how much did you steal Mensa well enough to build a house and then enough to build a house for my son and then I took enough to build the two houses for my two daughters and then I took enough to build a cottage on the lake increase of man. This is a big sin.

I have to think of some far-reaching penance for the in the priest thought for a moment and then he said to the man he said well have you ever considered doing a retreat and the man said no father I never have.

But if you get me the plans I get the lumber that is not the kind of repentance that God is looking for because the cry over his people. Is this your devotion to me your surrender to me.

Your commitment to me is like the morning clouds and they really do and always reading today. Some statistics by George Barna that the so-called evangelical Christians do not live any differently from the pagan that the average Christian spends more time watching television one evening reading the word of God and all wake that the average Christian genuinely believes that God is happy if they are happy. I read somewhere again that 4/10 evangelicals don't even believe in biblical absolutes well after this introduction, muscle and just make it easier for you. I don't have three points on have to remember seminary was ask your professor preaching is at service and how many points of sermon should have said at least one, and I will make two points to reasons why God's people give God trouble why God's people give God trouble. The first reason is this, they rely on the feeling instead on the character of God and the second reason is this, they have mixed motives instead of a singly unified mindset and serving God. They rely on feelings. I wonder how many of you would know that you're lying on your feelings and your dealing with God really irritates God, why are you telling me that feelings are wrong on a solemn site ceiling has its place feeling has its value feeling is absolutely necessary, but feeling is not enough ceiling is the wind to the sale of a ship to little over you going anywhere. Too much of it creates a shipwreck. This too much wind moving too much in your feelings you're in trouble if you have no feelings at all, you're in trouble for those who rely on the feelings are constantly either crashing down all the time all the time and you know some people like that or they never get off the ground. They do nothing. These people operate only on their feelings are either more down than up or never do anything. In fact, somebody said that those who live by their feelings. The companionship is like a pebble in the shoe. Have you ever had a mailing issue and this will gotta say people who are living by their feelings like a pebble in God should the irritating him.

Secondly, God has trouble with those who have mixed motives mixed motives is only two years ago that I really kind of header a jolt when I saw people going into ministry for mixed motives. I really did.

For some reason my naïveté, I thought that everybody got the ministry the way I did. Basically, I wanted nothing to do with is not perfect English, but you understand what I mean. I mean, I did not want it.

I ran away as far as I can.

I'm literally I went to Tarshish, I mean I have done everything possible in my life to get away from that, I want nothing to do with a call to the ministry and literally God grabbed me by the scruff of my neck in Boardman. Here's a boy you can preach. I was shocked to discover that mixed motive of people in ministry is very common. Many don't even know what the call is and that's precisely why we in the trouble we ran, and then isolate where my shock at the word of God, show me.

Example after example of people have divided heart and serving God. Isaiah who was a servant of a larger after Elisha turned name of the Syrians money he ran after him and lied and got the goal and leprosy struck him and his family for the rest of the life some of you remember bailing man I'm in here you that it is not the will of God to God because God's people. Every time the king of the Canaanites, increases the amount of money. So, will he not been to pray about this and more easily than he goes to put the goddesses don't know if this is more money is going back to prep you know God had to get a master talk forbade him to wake up people who have mixed motives like the boy who told his mother when their church service.

He turned his mother's and mother longer be a preacher. She said what something like this is it. Well I have to go to church anyway and I hate sitting still and been quiet.

Might as well stand up and holler.

He will turn out to be a preacher but you know there are so many people in our culture. The surrounding is the everywhere who want to identify with God's people. Some of the time. There are many people who want to identify with Christ. Only if is not going to customer change in the lifestyle of many people who want to serve God, only if it is comfortable there are many people who want to belong to church as long as is not challenging them to repent of their sin. There are many people who are subdivided in the minded double deals all day long. They don't even know who they are mixed motives, mixed motives, mixed motive is like that lady who lost her purse in a big mall in a short time later and honest boy found and he returned it to her and as she opened her purse she looked truth and she said that's funny, I had a one $10 bill.

Now I have 10 one dollar bills and the boy quickly replied.

He said that's right, lady. The last time I found the latest.

First, she did not have change for reward mixed motive's is, and that what we do sometime everything we have comes from God. Every blessing we give God little crimes of what he gives us an important call out to God, give us a whole know God in the crimes of the six chapter 6, God said, I desire steadfast love, not a sacrifice knowledge of God rather than burnt offering, you know why God is saying this, listen to me very carefully because people use that as an excuse. All I love gods. I don't have to give anything no that is not what is meant here. Listen carefully, God is saying when I am constantly in a state of obedience to the Lord. He will get my sacrifice, but that way I'll give it to the right motive. God is saying that when I'm in a constant state of intimacy and repentance and broken and contrite heart before God. I will give a burnt offering, but this offering will be given for the right reason not to appease God not to got off my back. Not to just pacify God no cheap repentance does not please God. Temporary repentance does not honor God.

Occasional repentance trouble. Scott, I grew up in the life of bankers since I was a little boy and all the brothers were all bankers and many of them would come late. Home because they had to balance the books every day, and often remember that how many believers balance a book with God every single day.

This would pray for our country. We must and we will we pray for revival and we should and we will listen to the heart of a pastor who loves you, until God's people themselves live in the state of repentance until God's people come clean with God come clean with God with their money until God's people come dependent of self-sufficiency and subtly rely on God until God's people give up gossip and backbiting and dishonest dealings until God's people turn away from bitterness and resentment and unforgiveness until God's people truly submit and surrender their will to his will. Prayers are going nowhere to go nowhere. Scripture certified Klein the sin in my heart if I rationalize it. If I explain it away. If I hide my prayer will not be answered, my God deliver us from cheap repentance. There may be some people today. This message is designed for believers is premature for them because they haven't gone to first base. Yet they haven't turned to the Lord and seek him as Savior and Lord of the life they haven't repented of their sin. Now is the moment that you can turn your life over to repent now and live the life of constant repentance before God that repentance be your lifestyle and then to all of us who have known God, who have grown to take him for granted we have grown to take his forgiveness for granted we have grown to take his mercy and grace for granted. Let this be a word from God for us today to turn repentance into an attitude instead of just an act to turn it into a lifestyle.

Instead, when we just need something from God.

God this is your word assort your spirit and speaking it and I pray that your Holy Spirit will use it to touch every single heart that not one single person says will. This is for so-and-so I'm sorry is not here.

She's not here. This is for you.

Let this word of God by the power of the spirit of God penetrate deep into your heart in the recesses of your mind that in all of us to produce genuine true lasting repentance. Father we pray that in Jesus name. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that LTW.Ward