Recall Reflect Repent

II Faith

Joshua 24:15

• • Will face difficulties, but can be overcome

Cant get this by church going, money giving, sermon hearing, feast celebrating, sacrifice offering, pew sitting, item donating-- only by coming to Jesus

• God is interested in our character, not so much our comfort

• This is what is important about repenting

• Re 3:19 as many as I love I reprove and chasten
• Leads to being like Christ caring for people and each other
• We have hope that our problems here and suffering is not in vain there is a life after this life
• Have to take it on FAITH

• F=forgiveness Eph 1:7 cant have eternal life without it

• A=available for all not automatic Mat 7:21 but is there for everyone

• I= impossible for us to do so James 2:13,. Rom 3:23 God cant allow sin into heaven because He is Holy and righteous and just and sin aint

• T= turn repent Luke 13:3 this is a must not a suggestion .
• H=Heaven John 10:10 John 14:3 He is coming back, that is our hope to escape

• Abiding is to stay in Christ , by reading His teachings and learn from Him John 15:1-4

• We live to bear fruit, help others to know Jesus
• Then to care about each other, teach each other close to us and then far away
• Not just give help to those far away you cant see
• Take care of things here then there
• Jesus said start at home then go to the corners of the earth
• We only get there by repenting
• Is continual, no one here is perfect, don’t let them fool you
• We’re forgiven, but sin can block the power
• Like turning off the light bulb, dimmer switch
• Need to confess sins and shortcomings
• Heb 12:6 God will correct us
• Without which we would not know we sinned and would not repent

To imitate Jesus, have to forgive, repent, lay it at the cross and go on in His power, not ours

I John 1:8 have to confess our sins to each other and to God, this is not easy.

• We turn from our old way of doing things and listen to His Spirit

• Can be simple things nice words in place of harsh

We start to Forgive, then Repent then Abide then Disciple then Evangelize

We start to fulfill our purpose: to Worship, to have Fellowship, to practice Discipleship; to become a Ministry; and to spread Evangelism

• God is the refiner and we are like the gold

• He turns up the heat
• Any heat in your life, "no" your doing it wrong
• The crud rises and is skimed off
• Till He can see Himself in the liquid
• We are to be like Jesus

• II Chronicles 7:14 if MY people

• Talking to the church, believers
• To keep his ways , His laws
• Jesus showed us how to do that
• We today need to Recall, Reflect and Repent

• Eastertime, Lent—Passover—Easter

• When we recall, reflect and repent
• Thought turn to Jesus and His life
• Movie the Passion, released at some other time may not have impact it is having
• Lent is the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Sat before Easter Sunday
• Reflect we are not worthy to come before God and our best is like ashes to God
• The 40 days symbol of Jesus in the desert and temptations He faced
• • Time that prepared Him for His purpose
  • Time that prepared Moses when he was in the desert
  • Moses had a good job tending sheep and what not
  • Then God came along in a burning bush
  • Moses had training in leading and tending sheep that liked to do their own thing at times
  • Just like the children of Israel
  • 40 days with God on the Mount
  • 40 years in the wilderness
  • 40 days people saw Jesus after He rose from the dead
• .

• This reflecting leads us to the Cross

• To consider who we will serve, our own self interests or those of God

• This leads to repentance, true repentance
• A sorrow for what or how we acted
• We see how we fall short of the mark
• What is the mark, to be Like Jesus
• So we vow to do better and let Him do it thru us
• Let Him work thru us to His glory from God thru God to God to save us from God
• As we do that we become a follower of Jesus
• • We forgive, repent , learn and imitate Christ
  • We become dependent on His power not ours
  • Not by power or might but my Spirit
  • That Christ be lifted up as the Serpent was on Moses pole Numbers 21:6

• But we have to be willing to deny ourselves and take up our cross

• Matthew 16:24
• To learn self denial
• Cant tell Jesus the terms, He already spelled them out
• To be willing to give up ourselves for Christ
• Lent makes us think on these things
• Matthew 16:23----we are to mind the things of God, not of men or our creature comforts
• • Not be taken in by the things of man
  • Do this to get that Read the Bible
  • Give your life away to find your life

• When you realize that God, in His sovereignty, will bring good out of the wrongs done to you . . . you can have an attitude of forgiveness.
• When you realize that God, in His sovereignty, will use your location for good . . . you can have an attitude of forgiveness.
• When you realize that God, in His sovereignty, will use your every circumstance for good . . . you can have an attitude of forgiveness.
• When you are able to accept God’s sovereignty over your location, your circumstances and especially the wrongs done to you, and trust Him to use them one day for good . . . you will have success through your forgiveness.

• Joseph took up His cross, as did Moses, David, and Jesus

That attitude of forgiveness brings you to repentenace which brings you to the Cross as you Recall , Reflect and Repent

• The Cross was from God because of His love and thru God because of His righteousness and justice and to God because He has chosen Us as His people
• .

As we move to Easter we have to remember The Passion of the Christ in the Cross He took up for us

What are you willing to take up for Him?

What does this lent season mean to you!

• So, we must listen to John the Baptist, Jesus the Christ and Peter the Rock

• Prepare the way of the Lord
• Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand
• How much time do we have left?
• Live as if we have no time left, the 4^th quarter and use this time from Ash Wed till Easter to recall, reflect and repent
• Allow God to change you as you come to His Son in His passion and plead His mercy
• He will give it to you.

Psalm 40:1-8 Read this prayer!