The House of God Lies in Ruin - Evidences of True Repentance — Phil Beach Jr.

The Joy of Loving God Above Everything

Greater joy that a man or a woman can know than that which comes when the heart By the grace of God and the Spirit of God and the mercy of God has been set free So that it's able to love God. It's able to want God more than anything else.

There's no greater joy No greater pleasure Than to be able to know that God is our dwelling place that God is the one that we're after and that he's the one that most satisfies our deepest desire and our deepest need.

And I trust that this morning God's Spirit has spoken to all of us and that through the many exhortations that we have heard We have sensed the Lord's earnest desire to have a people namely us and many others whose hearts are holy after him and Who are willing in the midst of the blessings that we're experiencing?

Resisting the Corrupt World

Who are willing at his bidding to lay everything down and follow him wherever he may lead us. We must be reminded over and over and over again Not to be seduced by the world that we live in. Brothers and sisters, please Please do not be seduced and led astray by the corrupt evil world that we live in.

I want to bring your attention to the book of Philippians Philippians and I want to show you This the what the Holy Spirit says here verse chapter 2 verse number 14. Do all things without murmuring and disputing that you may be blameless.

That word means no fault and Harmless that word means no mixture. God is looking for people who are without fault and Who have no mixture in their life? Now watch what it says here in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation or nation.

Brothers and sisters, please listen the Bible makes it very clear that we are living in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation. We must pray that God will not let us Be deceived by the crooked and perverted generation that we live in the midst of one sure way of being deceived is to become preoccupied with ourselves to become preoccupied with self-interest and To begin to think the way the world thinks.

Gentile Self-Interest Versus the Sons’ Pursuit of God

We spent months and months and months preaching from the Word of God on the difference between Gentiles and sons. Remember and what's the chief feature of the Gentile they seek after what? Gentiles seek after things.

Gentiles have their heart set on things the things that the world seeks after. But what do sons have their heart set on sons on? The Lord on his interests. And so a sure way to become deceived and Corrupted by the perverse generation that we live in is to buy into the lie.

That everything is about us to buy into the lie that Our chief goal in life is to get up morning by morning and to assess What's going on and then to ask ourself this question, what's best for me? What's best for me?

Okay, and as we ask ourself this question, what's best for me? We start thinking just like the world. What are some of the things we ask what's best for me? Help me out here. What's best for me? What what's part of the equation here?

What's best for me? Yes money money. The Gentiles and the nations of this world Make all of their decisions based on money. Money, what's another? Factor. Comfort, this is the me generation. How much money is in it for me?

Comfort how much comfort do I get. Number three? Security. Number four. Anyone else. Excellent excellent prestige protocol. Recognition. All of these factors significantly operate in the Gentiles and they put all of these things together and They assess What to do?

Based on these factors that's the crooked and perverse Generation that we live in let me ask a question. Where is God in any of this? What's God's will now? Let me ask a question. Listen closely. Is it possible that God as our Shepherd would lead us?

And instead of increase of money Comfort security and prestige. Is it possible that God may lead us in the way that John the Baptist prayed? Remember what John said I must what Decrease and he must increase.

So let me ask a question. Is it possible that God may lead his children from time to time? And I have a feeling it would be more than time to time if we'll be listening where? There would be a decrease a Diminishing of money a diminishing of our comfort a diminishing of our worldly security and a diminishing of our Recognizing and protocol and prestige.

Is it possible? Do you think that God may lead his children in this way? Of course it is but here's where I believe the concern is Many of God's people no longer equate a Leading. That would result in the decrease and diminishing of these things as from God and so we won't hear it.

We don't want to hear it. We don't want anything to do with it. We resist it and we surround ourself with a form of Christianity and Friends and books and whatever it is that support our belief that This must always be on the increase.

This must always be on the increase. This must always be on the increase. This must always be on the increase. And we cut ourself right off of Following the Shepherd wherever he may lead us wherever he may lead us and so God searches our heart and he wants a people Who will be after him?

Whose hearts Will say Lord, whatever you want Whatever you want in the midst of whatever blessing the Lord has got you in right now. Maybe it might be money. Maybe it might be increased. Maybe it might be Security, but all dear friends do not set your heart on these things Lest they become a snare to you and you cannot hear the Lord say Forsake all that now and follow me on.

I'm moving you on. I'm moving you on. You remember last week that we? began Sharing the heart of the Lord regarding the house of God lies in ruin and before we even were able to get into the Burden of the Lord in relation to the cause of why the house of God is in ruin the condition and the Consequences and the cure before we can even get into any of that.

Repentance as the Foundation for Restoration

We had to recognize our need To be willing to repent. Repent and we learned last week that repentance Was the message that Jesus first brought when he spoke publicly repent. The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repentance is no longer a grace that the church is seeking after today. We have substituted repentance for remorse. I Want to turn. I want to invite you to turn your Bibles. We're gonna get this right from God's Word so we can get a clear foundation laid because I I feel as if The Lord would speak to us oftentimes the way he spoke to the Corinthians through Paul.

I Wanted to feed you With me, but I couldn't. The absence of the grace of repentance in the heart of the church forbids God Prevents God from wanting to speak to us many things that he would want us to hear because as God moves us on in the maturity process and Shares with us deeper depths of his heart.

There's a need for continual divine wrought repentance in our life. We can't move on see when we stop repenting we stop moving on. And so God cannot listen. God cannot move us any further Than our Cooperation to keep repenting to keep changing as we'll learn what the word repent means.

The Lord is tired of Remorse in the house of God. Feeling sorry. Oh, I'm I feel so sorry that I did something wrong. That's worldly sorrow that works death that does not work life and So turn your Bibles if you would please to 2nd Corinthians chapter 7.

Paul here is we're going to begin reading in verse number 8 first 2nd Corinthians chapter 7. Now brothers and sisters, please as We hear the Word of God as we listen to the Word of God. Ask yourself in the presence of God.

Lord have I experienced past tense and am I experiencing present tense the true gift and grace of repentance now. Here's how you know whether or not you are or not. When we read God's Word ask if the truth that we're about to read in God's Word is Working in your life.

Ask if it's working in your life. Do you see in your heart and in your life? That which God's Word says ought to be occurring when genuine repentance is operating and again We want to make this very clear.

We can't move on with God. You can't move on. I can't move on with God unless I come before the Lord and settle this issue and beg him to give me a heart of repentance and Then beg him to keep me in that state of having a heart of repentance.

Okay. Now, let's look to God's Word the light that shines and exposes all darkness and let's see where we stand so we can move on with God and Understand why his house is in ruin and what he wants to do in order to Cure the house of God and the state that it's in.

Okay, here we go verse 8 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 though. I made you sorry with a letter. Now he's talking about a previous letter that he wrote and in this letter Basically what Paul did is he rebuked him.

He rebuked him because they were in sin. Listen they were living lives Inconsistent with how people should live who claim to be Christians. Okay first Corinthians. Here's some of the things that were going on.

I love God's Word. Do you love God's Word? I Love to hear God's Word. God's Word is it feeds my soul it I can. I can. God's Word makes my spirit leap for joy. Here's some of the things that were going on in the house of God.

That Paul had to rebuke the Corinthians over first of all, there was worldly wisdom operating worldly wisdom first Corinthians chapter 1 and 2. Men were using their own wisdom and their own reasoning in the house of God.

Worldly Wisdom and Carnality in the Corinthian Church

Brothers and sisters there is no place in the house of God for worldly wisdom. Listen, this is worldly wisdom right here. To try and determine the will of God for your life. Based on whether or not you're going to make more money or not.

That's worldly wisdom. That's running rampant in the church today. That's the stuff that was in the Corinthian church that the Holy Ghost in Paul Remonstrated against stood against. He didn't the Lord doesn't want that kind of wisdom in his house brothers and sisters.

He doesn't want us to have an eye on what's in it for me. He wants us to have an eye. Lord, how can you get more glory? How can you how can your name be magnified in all the earth? How Lord how can you increase and I diminish and decrease?

I? Heard Michael card last night say there's very few people who have friends that are working with them and praying with them. So that they get smaller. Said most people have friends and they're encouraging them and building them up and saying go ahead.

You can do it. You can become greater. You can become wealthier. You can become more known. Come on. Come on, let me help you but where are the friends that we that we have that are encouraging us to get lower and weaker and Helping us to realize that nothing matters but the glory of God in our life and Whatever or whatever the Lord's will is where are those kind of friends?

I hope you have those kind of friends in your life. So worldly wisdom was in the Church of God. Comfort security prestige protocol. There was bickering complaining backbiting. They were lying to one another.

They were in fornication they were sinning sexually remember this. Then there was a lot of Schisms in the body. They were breaking off the church in Corinth was meeting in six or seven different homes.

But each home was becoming a little division. Where it's in closed house where the real truth is. No, it's in Phoebe's house. No, it's in Norman's house. No, it's in Carrie's house when the Saints gather with Carrie.

That's where the Lord's really moving. No, it's over in it's over in uh in Jim's house when Jim has the Saints over his house boy. That's where God's really moving. They they're carnal. They were they were backbiting and they were in competition one with another.

This is what was going on in the Corinthian Church. And so all these things were going on now. These are these are believers now. These are believers Paul called him called sanctified saved preserved under the coming of the Lord.

Filled with all knowledge and utterance. Okay. So this is why he said I though I made you sorry with a letter. I don't repent. I don't regret it. Why though I did repent? For I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry though it were but for a season.

Now I rejoice not that you were made. Sorry. Listen carefully, but that you're you sorry sorrow to repentance. Oh. Please please. Follow this right here. Follow this. Paul was sad because he wrote a letter and he rebuked him for all of their sin, but He felt bad, but nevertheless he got over it.

And the reason why he got over it was because their sorrow Led them to what? Repentance. There you go. Their sorrow led them to repentance for you sorrowed. For you sorry to repentance for you were made Sorry after a godly manner that you might receive damage by us and nothing.

Watch this verse 10 for godly sorrow works repentance. Unto salvation not to be repented of. Or in other words You don't have to regret being made sorry when your sorrow Produces godly repentance and you change.

Did you get caught? Don't regret it if getting caught means you changed. Don't regret it. It's good that you got caught. It's good that the Lord found you out. Don't regret it. Don't regret anything that's ever happened in your life.

I. And true repentance, thank God for it. What freedom here, huh, what freedom what freedom? But the sorrow of the world works death. There you go. The sorrow of this world works death now. Listen ask yourself two questions.

Look at godly sorrow Produces repentance worldly Sorrow Produces what? Death. Now what are some of the characteristics of worldly sorrow? Feeling bad guilt. Anyone else feeling bad guilt? Regret. So you can have all of these feelings working in you.

Regarding sin in your life. You could feel bad. You can have regret. You can feel guilty. You might even have sinned against someone and you might go to them and say I'm sorry. And then keep doing it over and over and over again.

I'm sorry over and over and over again. Okay, that's worldly sorrow. But here's godly sorrow. Godly sorrow produces repentance. Now, what did we learn last week the word repentance means? Change. A change in heart.

A Change in mind and ultimately a change in what? Action. Now, we'll prove that by the word right here. Look at what Paul uses in verse number 11 to describe 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 verse 11. 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 verse 11 mark this in your Bible.

The Evidences of True Repentance

This is the fruit of true repentance. Every time we truly repent about something this Should be what follows in our life. Watch this. For behold this self same thing what self same thing that you sorrowed after a godly sore Paul saying hey you guys really repented your sorrow was godly and.

Look what happened? What? Carefulness it raw carefulness concern. True repentance produces a Genuine God-wrought concern in our heart for the thing. That's not right in our life. It produces such concern that we are before the Lord.

We are very diligent and earnest in our heart and broken before God to the point where we say Oh God I am so concerned. I'm so concerned about this wicked thing in my life. You've got to change me. You've got to free me.

That is repentance. That's when you know, you've been given the grace of repentance when it's when you when there's carefulness wrought in your life. Mark these down. Brothers and sisters don't buy into the the lie of the world.

They don't repent with carefulness. Now watch this. Watch this carefulness it wrought in you what clearing of yourself? The second quality. True repentance works the desire within us. To clear ourself from the wrong that we have done.

To clear ourself from the wrong that we have done. What did Zacchaeus do? When he repented and he stood in the presence of the master. What was the confession that came out of his mouth what clearing?

There's repentance. Remember that Zacchaeus Lord Lord if I have taken anything from anyone unjustly I'll return it back to him four times just to prove that I'm really a changed man. Oh my that's what the Lord's after.

What clearing you see what clearing of yourself? What zeal what desire to set things, right? You want the Lord to move us on? You want the Lord to grow you up more? You want to grow as a Christian you want to grow more with other brothers and sisters.

This has got to start working in the life more and more or we're not moving on and you know. What frightens me about the thought of not moving on? You you don't stand still. You move on or you go backwards.

Okay. What clearing of yourself what indignation? Now what would why would what would it why would repentance work indignation. Everyone have another translation there. Indignation. Same word. I'll tell you what the Lord's after here.

What indignation what? Anger. Over the sin that we've committed. See God wants us to be angry. He just doesn't want us to sin in our anger. We need to be angry. We need to be angry at the things. God is angry at.

What indignation what anger what? Fury it puts in us not toward people but toward the sin. We should learn and pray God help me to hate the sin that I've committed help me to hate it. Help me to despise it.

What does it say about our blessed Lord and Savior. Thou has loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Oh My goodness.

Do we want to know the anointing that rests on Christ the Anointed One? Do we want to share in that anointing then? We must pray God work in me the indignation Against sin that the Son of God has who lived a life pure holy and undefiled and separate from sinners.

This is what we dealt with three four weeks ago. What did God say to the Israelites when they went into Canaan? Destroy them. Don't make a peace treaty with them. Don't learn their ways God was saying to Israel when you go into Canaan learn to hate the practices of the Canaanites and the Jebusites and All the heights he said don't ever ever ever let your heart begin to to to go toward the practices of that ungodly land.

Rejecting Worldly Immorality and Recovering the Fear of God

And what's happened today. We don't even blush and immorality and nakedness anymore. We hear somebody's cheating the government. We laugh good for them. You know government deserves to be cheated. We hear about dishonesty.

We hear about lying. We see violence on TV. We've become accustomed to it. It's the ways of the Canaanites and the Jebusites and instead of the church praying Oh God, give me indignation against the foul unclean crooked perverse ways of this generation.

We have bought into it and now we've taken them into our home. We've taken them into our bosom and the things that the world does doesn't bother us anymore. We should cry and weep. Shouldn't we? Shouldn't we?

Is this not biblical Christianity? This is why We're still in pampers and hot milk. This is why brothers and sisters. Because the Lord's Word It's not precious to us. What fear? Fear. What's the beginning of wisdom?

Where's the fear of God in the house of God, where is it who trembles at God's Word anymore and Goes to it. It says Oh God. This is your word. Help me to bow before it help me to make it the authority of my life.

Where's the fear of God the Holy Fear though? He were a son. What does it say about Jesus? Though he were a son. All of those things are right, but I'm thinking of the the one in Hebrews where it says He he he he was heard by God in that what he feared.

He feared so these preachers who are telling you that now that we're Christians. You don't need to fear God. That's an Old Testament concept. They're deceived because Christ was the Mediator of the New Covenant and he feared God.

He feared his father. He had no reason to fear because of Inherent sin, but yet he feared he revered God. He trembled before God. Why. Because he knew the awesome power of his father in heaven. Where's the Holy Fear of God in our hearts?

And I've said this before and I want to say this again watch out when you buy into a grace. That doesn't teach you to fear God. Watch out. The reason why a lot of Christians don't fear is because they've they believed a false grace a grace that says Hey, it's okay.

God loves you. You're saved and They don't fear Sin because of forgiveness. So brothers and sisters pray right here. It is that God will work these qualities in us. What zeal? Look at this what revenge in all these things you have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Examining Ourselves for Genuine Repentance

There you go, I just want to make a comment that we I'm sorry about the air conditioning if some might be chilly. But the air conditioning is stuck on that's why we're not turning it off. So we have the doors open.

But I apologize. It's a little frigid. Okay, brothers and sisters. Now ask yourself this question. Ask yourself this question. Husbands ask your wife. Wife ask your husband's kids. Ask your parents. Parents ask your kids.

Do you see any evidence of this kind of repentance working in your life. Do you see this kind of repentance working in your life? True godly change. You remember the book of Jonah? Jonah Was about a day a city called Nineveh.

You know Nineveh was possibly the most ungodly nation or ungodly city in the Old Testament. They had horrible terrible abominable practices. That's what the book of Jonah is about. It's about God telling the Prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn them that if they didn't repent God was going to destroy him.

Listen carefully. We know the story about Jonah the disobedient prophet and how he decided to disobey God. He got himself in trouble and ended up in the belly of a whale. But nevertheless he made in his disobedience.

He made the whale so sick the whale vomited him out. Let me tell you if a disobedient prophet makes a whale sick. What do you think it does to God? Makes him sick. It makes him sick. That's why Jesus said to the Laodiceans listen.

You are not hot. You're not cold. You make me sick. That's what he said. I'm gonna vomit you. I'm gonna throw you up. I mean, why do people throw up right. Because they feel sick. And it's not a pleasant feeling.

Is it that's that's the language the Lord's trying to use. He's saying when we're in a state of lukewarmness, it makes the Lord sick. So anyway to make a long story short. Jonah Got right with God. He went to Nineveh and he preached to Nineveh and You do you know what happened in that city that wicked city, huh?

Nineveh’s Repentance as a Model of True Change

They repented. Verse 7 chapter 3 and he calls it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by decree of the king and his noble saying Let neither man nor beast herd nor flock taste anything. Let them not feed nor drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God.

Yay, let them turn everyone from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not now. Watch what it says and God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God Repented of his evil and he said that he would not do to them what he said.

He was gonna do. There's repentance. Now, let me ask you a question. We're gonna close now. Hopefully next time we get together God be willing the spirit be willing and free. Now that we have laid this Foundation we're going to go into the house of God why it's lying in ruin and I hope to God we can approach this subject with a repentant heart because if we just sit and listen to this information that God has for us and we're unwilling to change and We're unwilling to say Lord.

Show me where my show me where I'm contributing to the ruin that's in the house of God and we're not willing to say Lord. Give me a repentant heart then it'd be better if we not even hear it. Be better if we not even hear it.

Receiving the Grace of True Repentance

Now, let me ask a question as we close. Where in your life has the Lord dealt with you? About an area of sin and you see all of the qualities of Worldly sorrow working in your life. You see regret you see feeling bad you see guilt.

But you have not seen a change today. God is offering To every one of us who have ears to hear The grace of true repentance That will work in us the zeal fear indignation desire to clear ourself importunity earnestness desire that we see in Corinthians and in the book of Jonah that results in not only true change in our life, but God coming with an open heaven restoring healing and moving us on in His work in our life.

Let's bow our hearts for a few minutes and let God search us. God we come helpless Begging you to change our hearts. We acknowledge Lord our need to repent we acknowledge Lord that we live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and Every single one of us here have been affected by the perverse ways of This generation that we live in it's affected the way we think it's affected the way we talk.

It's affected the way we act and Lord You're calling us as your church if we claim to be your church to repent. You're you're calling us to repent. You're Commanding all men everywhere to repent turn from your wicked ways Lord.

We have felt sorry in the past. We have felt guilty. We had a troubled conscience. We couldn't sleep at times at night, but Lord We've not touched true repentance now father. Part of the promise of the New Covenant is the power to do What we can't do in ourself and So I ask Lord that each one of us today By the power of the Holy Spirit would be given the faith to believe you for genuine repentance to work in their life With all the genuine fruit that should follow.

So that we can be prepared to move on in your work in our heart and grow and be that people in The end hour who show forth the praises of him who called us out of darkness Into your marvelous light. I beg you father for Jesus sake.

Don't let any of us fall short of godly repentance. I'm asking you Lord every child every adult here teach us the life of true repentance. Now in the quietness of the Lord, I wanted to say this everyone pray.

A Public Stand for Repentance

If there are any if there's anyone here today Who believes God may be asking you to take a public stand and to come forward? And in doing so you're saying to God Lord, I want this repentant heart. You feel that it's necessary.

You feel it's important that you take a public stand. Some of us might not there may be one person here. There may be more than one. You want to take a public stand by getting up and walking to the front here so we can pray with you.

Then I want to give that opportunity now if God's dealing with you now. Is the time because some people struggle over what people think about them some people struggle over that and Let me tell you some of us are held captive because we're too concerned about what people think our friends our peers.

And if we don't learn Even in the presence of those that love us to take a stand for God. We're certainly not going to take a stand for God in the world. And so I just want to wait a few moments. And give everyone an opportunity doesn't matter how old you are.

You want to stand to your feet and you're saying to God and to us as your brothers and sisters. I want God to give me this grace of repentance. I want to truly be able to Sing a hymn or play a hymn. Want to give this opportunity for anyone to come.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you Lord. I'm standing together to with Carrie up here publicly though. I have a microphone. I'm placing myself in the category of One who is in need and so I want to say it that I'm here to standing.

Saying Lord change my heart. Give me the grace of repentance. Let me know the power of godly sorrow. Thank you Lord. Anyone would like to come we're just gonna.

Sing a few of these courses here and then we're gonna pray together. All right, everyone up here. Can I just get a little.

Affirmation here. Do do we have a need of this or what? I mean, is this like. Is this God's Word hitting a bullseye this morning or what? I just want to make sure. I mean It's. I mean is this really. Don't we need this.

Aren't you are. Aren't you tired of worldly sorrow? That just makes you feel guilty, but you never change. I mean, this is God's Word and it's here. This is grace. Grace. Gives us the power to become what God's.