FIVE OUT OF SEVEN
Sermon of the Week for January 24, 2010
Ladies and Gentlemen, in the second and third chapters of Revelation the Lord Jesus Christ wrote a personal letter to seven churches. In five out of seven of those churches He told them to repent. If Jesus told five out of seven churches to repent, by what possible logic could churches today think that they don’t need to hear sermons on repentance? Now I am aware that neither you nor your church need to repent, but five churches out of seven do. Repentance is one of the most neglected doctrines of the Bible, because people don’t want to hear negative sermons and preachers protect their turf by leaving it out. Because repentance is left out of the message the line of demarcation between the world and the Church is so blurred that it is hard to tell the difference between the two. Now I know that neither you nor your church need to repent, but five churches out of seven do.
So here are a few references as to what the Lord had to say about this important subject. The message of John the Baptist was a message of repentance. Repent ye, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. When John was locked up the Lord Jesus began His preaching ministry with the same theme, “Repent ye, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In the Great Commission according to Luke Jesus said; “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all the nations beginning from Jerusalem.” On the day of Pentecost those who believed the gospel story were told to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, and in the second gospel sermon a similar audience was told to repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out. When Paul preached on Mars Hill to the Athenians he told them, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He hath commanded men all everywhere that they should repent.” And then Peter tells us that the Lord is not slack concerning His promises as some men count slackness, but is long suffering to you, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
It seems from these few references that repentance is a very serious matter as far as God is concerned, but as far as man is concerned it is not worth mentioning. Now I am aware that neither you nor your church needs to repent, but five churches out of seven do. One preacher said in the news that preaching on such things as sin makes people feel worse when they leave the services than they felt before they came in.
Actually there are times when people should feel worse when they leave than when they came in. The people who heard the first gospel sermon on the day of Pentecost felt a lot worse after they heard the sermon than when they came in. They felt worse because the sermon pricked them in their hearts and they cried out what shall we do, and when they were told what to do and did it they felt real good.
After Paul and Silas spake the word of the Lord to the Philippian jailer and all his house, they washed their stripes showing their repentance and were baptized the same hour of the night and rejoice greatly. They felt bad before the sermon and felt real good after. Now here are a few examples from scripture of repentant preaching. The first is the preaching of John the Baptist. Now I am aware that neither you nor your church need to repent, but five churches out of seven do.
JOHN THE BAPTIST
And in those days cometh John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The message of repentance was a strange message. If I had been there and had charge of arranging John’s speaking engagements and I knew he had this big sermon on repentance I would have advised him not to do it. I would have said John there are at least two hundred synagogues in Jerusalem besides Herod’s Temple. There is more religion in Jerusalem than any other place in the world. No body plays the lottery, no body plays the ponies, and not a single movie house is open on the Sabbath day. There is more holiness here per square foot per square heart than any place in the world. If you want to preach on repentance go to Corinth that is the place where they need to repent. However I remember the word of God says there came a man sent from God whose name was John. It was God’s idea for John to preach the message of repentance. And we need to use the plan of John by preaching the message of repentance today in the holiest place of all, namely the meeting places of the Churches of Christ. Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. However since the Kingdom of heaven has already come in the establishment of the church on the day of Pentecost, we need to pray thy kingdom come as far as the eternal phase of the kingdom is concerned. Paul tells us in the first chapter of Colossians the Father translated us from darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
Now if you had attended the services in the temple or any or all of the over two hundred synagogues in Jerusalem you would not have heard in any of them the message that John was preaching; namely repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. John was a voice crying in the wilderness, and the Church of Christ today where you will hear the message of repentance is also a voice crying in the wilderness. Hear it again, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Now I am very much aware that neither you nor your church need to repent, but five out of seven do.
John told those who went to hear him preach to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. A good example of bringing forth fruit of repentance is the church at Thessalonica. In the first chapter of First Thessalonians Paul told them they had turned unto God from their idols to serve the living God. In Acts nineteen Luke gives an example of how they turn away from idols. Many of them came and declared their deeds. They that practiced magical arts brought their books and burned them in the sight of all and they counted the price of them and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. We need a book burning today. We need to bring forth fruits of repentance too. Bring forth all the books of pornography, the porn videos, the astrological signs, all the books of evolution, all the religious creed books that contradict the word of God. Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance.
Another example of fruits of repentance is in the Corinthian church. Paul reminded the worldly members of that church that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, not adulterers nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. Then he reminded them that such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Repentance is not popular. I read of one preacher who said he never mentions sin in his sermons. Evidently sin is bleeped out like some profanity on television. What about the verse that says, Christ died for our bleeps. The soul that bleeps it shall die. The wages of bleep is death. Arise and be baptized and wash away thy bleeps. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto the remission of bleeps. Repent and be converted that thy bleeps may be blotted out. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the bleep of the world. Now here is another example of repentant preaching in the rich man and Lazarus. And remember I am acutely aware that neither you nor your church needs to repent, but five churches out of seven do.
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
Most of you remember this story that Jesus told of the rich man and Lazarus. They both died and the rich man was buried and in Hades he lifted up his eyes being in torment. And lifting up his eyes he saw Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom and being in torment asked Father Abraham, “Send Lazarus that he might dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am in anguish in this flame.” He was told it could not be done so he asked that Lazarus be sent to his father’s house for he had five brothers and testify unto them lest they come to this place of torment.
I have heard people say if they go to hell they would have plenty of company. This man Jesus talked about did not want any company. One mass murderer said before he was executed if there is a hell I will adjust to it. This man that Jesus talked about could not adjust to it.
Abraham told him they had Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. The rich man said, “Nay father Abraham if one go unto them from the dead they will repent.” The rich man knew his brothers needed to repent. He insulted God by indicating His word was not plain enough. Today in addition to Moses and the prophets we also have Christ and His Apostles. Evidently the word is not plain enough today. There are too many begats, begats, begats. Ladies and gentlemen the Bible is the only message from God you will ever get.
I have often wondered what would have happened if God had granted the rich man’s request and sent back Lazarus to preach to those five brothers? Suppose Lazarus came back to the house, knocked on the door, and said, “Gentlemen, I have come to tell you that I used to live in this city and I was a beggar. I had an awful lot of sores. I had no job and I used to come to your brother’s house and beg for the scraps that he threw out to the garbage. And one day your brother and I both died and went to the spirit world. Your brother had a little talk with Father Abraham and at his request Father Abraham has agreed to send me back to testify to you and to tell you to repent. He said to tell you if you don’t repent all five of you would wind up in hell with him.
If any one would suggest a person who never amounted to anything would wind up in hell, not to many people would object, but it would be dangerous for a preacher to announce that some prominent person who was not a Christian had no promise of heaven. It is significant that just before Luke told this story of Jesus that he prefaced it by the statement of Jesus: That which is exalted among men is an abomination with God.
Jesus who told the story did not think the five brothers would have believed him. Jesus said if they won’t believe the word of God they will not believe if one rise from the dead. In fact it was just a short while after Jesus told this story that He did raise up a man by the name of Lazarus and some of those who saw it would not accept it. Evidently from the true story that Jesus told there is no second chance after death, the Bible is the only information you will ever get, and repentance is necessary. Out of love let me remind you again that I know neither you nor your church need to repent, but five churches out of seven do. So here is another repentance story from the word of God in the story of the Tower of Siloam.
THE TOWER OF SILOAM
In Luke chapter thirteen there were some present who told Jesus of some Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices. I do not know exactly what this was all about, but evidently it was not a mystery to those who brought it up. What ever their sin was the Lord’s answer was, “Think you that these Galileans were sinners above all sinners in that they suffered these things? I tell you nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.” They saw the sins in others and did not see that they were stricken in sin also. The message of Jesus to them was, “Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.“
We see on the television, read in the news all manner of violence, murders, churches that are being split where they make laws to marry men to men and women to women, rapes, and drive by shootings. We are convinced the morals of America are shredded. If the Lord does not hold America responsible for this debauchery, it appears that He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah for the fire and brimstone he rained on them. The comment of the Lord Jesus Christ is the same now as it was when He tabernacled in the flesh among men: I tell you nay, but except you repent you shall all likewise perish. Of course neither you nor your church needs to be concerned about this because you don’t need to repent, but five churches out of seven do.
Then the Lord added another example. He said those eighteen on whom the Tower of Siloam fell, think ye that they were offenders above all the men that dwell at Jerusalem? I tell you nay, but except ye event ye shall all likewise perish. This reminds us of the bombing of the twin towers. Think ye that those terrorists were sinners above all sinners in that they did these things? I tell you nay, but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.
Thousands died in that attack and they were referred to as innocent victims. True they were innocent as far as that act was concerned and it is reasonable to suppose that many of the slain were Christians. But it is also reasonable to suppose that many of them were not under the blood of Jesus Christ. Think ye that the unsaved were saved as well as the saved in that they suffered these things? I tell you nay, but except they repented they shall all likewise perish. And now here is one more example of Jonah who preached repentance to the city of Nineveh. Now I don’t want you to misunderstand, I am totally aware that neither you nor your church need to repent, but five churches out of seven do.
THE PREACHING OF JONAH
In Matthew twelve the Lord Jesus said of Jonah the prophet, “The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonah and behold one greater than Jonah is here.”
The Lord gave Jonah a commission to go to Nineveh and cry against it because their wickedness is come up before Me. That is the big difference between Jonah and most modern day preachers. When Jonah finally arrived at Nineveh he cried against it. In most churches today the preacher never cries against anything. One elder of a church where they were trying to find a preacher told me they had to be careful what preacher they hired. He said the wrong man would drive half of this crowd away. I understood what he meant. If the church has an attendance of 200, you can preach it down to 100 by telling them to repent. If a church has an attendance of 1,000, you can preach it down to about 400 by telling them to repent.
Jonah prophesied yet forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed and God saw their works that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil He said He would do unto them; and did it not. Whatever the Ninevites were doing back there in those days, they stopped doing, and Christ called that repentance. They turned from the life style they had been living to a life that was contrary to the way they had lived before. The earthly roll books of the churches today are filled with people who said that they believed in Jesus, but did not change anything regarding life style, and were baptized, and thought they were saved. The bottom line of the whole theological mess is in what Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Now I must apologize for preaching this sermon, because I am fully aware that neither you nor your Church need to repent, but five churches out of seven do.
