Repentance in Texas — Andrew Strom

Praise God, let's pray shall we Father we just pray for your presence God. Father we pray that your holiness will come down upon us God that your glory would be in this place. That the sword of the Lord would go forth father.

I pray place your word in my mouth. That I would speak utterances of the Holy Ghost that I would not speak of myself. But God that your glory would come down that I would speak your word and Father, I pray I would flow in the Holy Spirit because without you I'm nothing.

I do not want just another meeting and we do not want to just walk in the flesh and speak things that we know. But that are not life to us father. Let there be life. Let your glory come down. We want to see your glory God.

We want to glorify you. Thank you father, please be with us. Please come down amongst us father Jesus name. Amen praise God well. You know what? I came to America. We we've been here one year. Came to America because I believe God was speaking to me that now is the hour For America to come into her next awakening and if she doesn't all is lost.

America’s Need for a New Awakening

You know, we look at it look at America today and we see massive church attendance. Huge church attendance highest church attendance in the world. They say that it's 40 of Americans. Regularly or semi regularly go to church.

I Bet Texas is a high church going state. I'm sure it is. But you know what they've got in many other nations they have revival. They have the glory of God coming down if you were to go visit certain nations many nations actually in Africa right now.

You could go places and see Where the Holy Spirit is moving and power where it's like the book of Acts. You could go to China right now. And you could see the same thing you could go see the glory of God miracles and healings.

Repentance being preached. Thousands and thousands coming to the Lord and they're not even allowed open meetings. You go to South America and Then there's nations of South America that are full of the glory of God.

And God has been moving for years. The only places you can go and not expect to see a great awakening of God in this hour is in the Western countries. I Come from a Western country man. Where is dead as a doornail?

Dead as a doornail. But God's been speaking to me about America saying she has her awakenings every 50 years roughly. It's been 50 years since the last one and will she come into this? This is America's hour.

See I have a I have a theory that we've become fat and lazy. That us Westerners. We know about God. We talk about God, but we've become fat and lazy Christians. And I look back down the corridors of time.

I've been studying revivals for 20 years studying revival history. Well don't want to fall down there studying revival history for 20 years and I just. My heart longs to see those days again. I look at the you know, America has had some of the greatest prophets and preachers in the history of the world.

Charles Finney. George Whitefield spent much of his time here. Jonathan Edwards if you know anything about revival these names just ring down the corridors of time. Because they were the most powerful preachers some of them in history going back to the Apostles.

Revival Preachers and the First Great Awakening

Jonathan Edwards way back in the first great awakening that America ever had way back in 1742. I believe it was he preached. He preached a sermon called sinners in the hands of an angry God. Who's heard of that sermon put Your hands up sinners in the hands of an angry God.

They said he was the most boring preacher to listen to or to watch. He just held the Bible or held his his notes in his hand and he just spoke. He just stood there like this. But see he'd been crying out to God all night.

God. Let eternity be in my eye when I preached tomorrow and The people as he was preaching this message about the judgment of God we're hanging off the pillars and the railings because God was piercing them for their sin and Hell was opening up beneath their feet and these are church people and they're watching themselves.

Almost falling into hell and they're hanging on to the pillars and a great cry arose in the church. It said it got so loud that he had to ask for silence that he might be heard. Such was the outcry of people weeping before God.

And he was just one of those preachers. Gilbert Tennant. Another one at roundabout the same time. It was said of him that listening to him preach was like having a cannonball Discharged through your heart.

Charles Finney all of these great preachers, you know, they weren't treated as great in their time. They were very controversial. Jonathan Edwards was thrown out of his own church. John Wesley preaching in England was was never allowed to set foot in the church and preach.

Here's a man who this is during the same period of time he what there was a great awakening here in America. And there's a great awakening in England. John Wesley. This is how popular this guy was with the the ministers fraternity.

You know, this is how popular he was with all the local Ministers, he was an Anglican guy. He was trained Anglican at the time. That's pretty much all there was and They hated him so much. They banned him from every pulpit.

He went out and preached to the coal miners and 30 ,000 would gather at a time. To hear John Wesley and George Whitefield preach. And sometimes the glory of God was so strong that after he'd finished preaching two or 3 ,000 would be on their faces on the ground at the end of his end of his meeting.

Preaching in the outdoors with no microphones. It was like a pin could drop and you'd hear it. That's how silent everybody was hanging on every word. You imagine 30 ,000 people in the open air. Totally silent and There was a saying that you could see the tracks of the tears down the coal miners faces.

They'd come straight out of the coal mines. Here they were listening to the man of man of God preaching incredible repentance. Repentance repentance. So we're at the 50-year mark again. And I've been around America enough to know that there ain't hardly any repentance preachers left in this nation.

Hardly any. And I have to ask the question who's going to preach the next awakening. Where are the prophets of God? Have you grown too fat and lazy America? For your next revival. Have we all got our SUVs?

And our lovely television screens and our DVD systems. And We're just too fat and lazy. To catch up with the rest of the earth. And see God move who is going to preach your next revival America. I believe that these windows typically open for seven years.

The Warning of Missed Revival

There was a nation we know Wales Was once a great land of revivals. In fact in the 1800s They had around 15 Sweeping moves of God. They were known as the land of revivals. Do you know Wales has not had a revival for 100 years?

The great 1904 revival in Wales was the last they ever had. The 50-year mark came around. Other nations had revivals. They had none. If you miss your revival America. What will happen to your land? God is calling at this moment for prayer warriors.

God is calling at this moment for preachers who will stand up and go to a hundred percent of the Word of the Lord and will not hold back. And They are in short supply. Because I tell you what you can do in America people I could.

I can see the pathway myself. It even opens up for me if I wanted to take it. All I got to do is go to 90 or 80 of the Word of the Lord. And Man, I can make a lot of money in this country. I Just go around and get the decent big offerings.

I just slowly Preach in larger and larger churches. I Just go and play the little game that so many are playing. Preaching ear tickling sermons to those that want to hear. Which is many many many. Telling Americans what they want to hear.

Yes, God doesn't mind you being a fat cat. Yes. God wants you rich. Yes, it's okay to be fat lazy laodicean Christians people. Are you hearing me? I'm sorry for being so offensive. I'm sorry for being so offensive.

Charles Finney would preach in such a way. It would be a miracle if the paint didn't peel off the back of the walls. Man I'm just being very gentle right now. Are we going to go down that you know, my country is just as guilty.

We copy America the whole Western world copies America because we figure America must have it right because they're doing so well, they're so successful. You know. We watch the ads and the films on and the television that comes out of America we think man.

We've got to be like those guys look at the success of those people look at that country. You're the leader of the world in so many ways not just political not just military but culturally and spiritually people.

They are now beaming TBN into Africa. Many of the African pastors and places like Nigeria copy all of the money-raising techniques. They see on TBN. They don't just do it once a year. They do it every week.

They are building for themselves great congregations and they are repressing and abusing those people. You go to Nigeria. You'll find if you stop at any intersection, you'll find lepers and People with hideous deformities coming up and begging for money.

The place is full of shacks. The place is full of poverty stricken people and A gospel of money is being preached. Will not God hold you accountable America if you do not come into your awakening if This generation does not find itself revival.

I tell you it will be the first in 250 years that has failed God. America has had regular awakenings five of them since 1741. That is why this nation is full of people who go to church. But is it full of true Christians, that is a wonderful question.

Is America full of true Christians? There was a once a guy called Savonarola. Who was the kind of preacher I'm talking about listen to this quote about him. They said his preaching caused such terror and alarm.

Such sobbing and tears that people passed through the streets without speaking more dead than alive. Does that sound like revival to you? Listen people our idea of revival is screwed up. We think revival is some great frothy thing where everybody jumps around and gets happier and happier and and the People pile into the churches because there's such joy.

There's a great quote about revival and so true. I've studied revival for years. I tell you this quote is very true. Revival is not the top blowing off. But the bottom falling out. The bottom falling out and what was the great cry of the Welsh revival being does bend us.

Oh God. We the church have sinned. And we cannot live this way anymore. Friend of mine published a really great email a few weeks ago about a month ago. It's called apology to the world and He was apologizing to all the world for being a selfish Christian living our Self-indulgent lives building our lovely buildings and forgetting the things that Jesus sent us here to do.

Can we go for a revolution people as? Texas still a revolutionary state I believe it is. Because God that's what God's requiring. There ain't nothing less than a revolution in Christianity coming because we so desperately need it.

That's what reformation is when God seems another great reformation, which we desperately need, you know, we have 33 ,000 denominations 33 ,000 divisions and the world out there is despising Jesus because of us.

Do we live like him do we walk like him? Today we can live in a Christianity where we just come along on Sundays where we go down the front to get saved and all we are asked to do is pray a little two-line prayer and write our names on a little card and The guy has the gall to say to us You're saved now brother.

Welcome to the kingdom of God. Finney would be sick. He would physically throw up if he saw that kind of thing. Seriously, he would go and just about bury himself. Out of shame and horror that this is what Christianity had fallen to if you repent today.

It's almost an accident. If you can somehow get into a place before God with where you're walking with a clean conscience before God. It's a miracle in our church today. We are taught this low low low Christianity, which funnily enough I cannot find in the Bible.

Cannot find it anywhere searched high and low. For the garbage Christianity that us Westerners love and I could find it nowhere. I've come to this conclusion that many of us who call ourselves saved Simply are not.

I include in that Pentecostals and charismatics. Because I'm one of those I'm a guy that that was brought up by parents that were spirit-filled before I was even born and so. You know I've been involved in the charismatic and Pentecostal scene for years and years and years and we claim to be filled With the glory of God, you know, the Holy Spirit is a Holy Spirit.

And we claim to be filled with the very presence of God and look at us man you count miracles. Most of us most of the time the miracles that we're seeing you could count them on. The fingers of one hand going back years.

We're not seeing the things that they're seeing in Africa. We are simply too lukewarm. We are simply too lukewarm. What is lukewarmness? What is compromise? That's when things sneak up on you. So slowly.

You don't really realize That that it's happened to you and the latter C in church is a church that's immersed in warm water. Not hot water not cold. It's immersed in this kind of warmth. Everything's warm, you know.

Everything's friendly. Everything's lovely our worship is beautiful. Everything we do is so beautiful and lovely and we've got it all together and we have our Organization down pat and everything works and we've got enough money to throw it anything we want to do.

We're living in Laodicea. We're living in a dream world. Jesus is going to visit us and judge us for not doing the simple things. He said I Wasn't even supposed to preach this sermon. I'm supposed to be preaching a different sermon at 4 a .m.

One morning. God woke me up. I had that hardly ever happens to me. I'm not one of these guys that you know, this is happening every night. God woke me up and Just in an instant flash. I saw something I'd never seen studying Finney.

I saw God showed me The one of the secrets of his preaching it let me just give you a quote about Finney before we go down this road. Okay, you've heard about these guys preaching repentance. They preached a piercing word.

They preach sin righteousness and judgment. What is the beginning of wisdom people? Do you know the Bible says it's the fear of the Lord the fear of the Lord. Looking at our churches today. You'd think it's the fluffiness of God.

The the the grace grace grace. Oh, have you had enough grace yet? No, it's just pile a bit more on there. Grace grace grace of God. No the beginning of wisdom. It's the fear of the Lord. We do not fear him.

Therefore. We do not know him. We don't want to hear preachers who preach this stuff because it doesn't get the massive offerings. It ain't about money. It's not about popularity. It doesn't say the fluffy things that tickle our ears.

And so those guys we shun The fluffy guys we stick him on television. We say boy, you're good at getting an audience motivated. You're a wonderful charismatic personality. Let's get you on television, brother.

So you can make more money. I want to tell you people. Amongst those kind of preachers there is a tremendous cynicism about the people giving the money. Behind the scenes they are mocking them for being so stupid and deluded.

When a preacher comes up with a figure out of his head like they sometimes do. Oh, I hear the the number 392 is the number of the day the first people up the front giving $392 in the offering today will be utterly blessed and God will return a hundred for blah blah blah blah blah blah.

We can all preach that garbage. Can't we? America when will you wake up and stop giving to these people and calling them charlatans like they are. They are ruining the earth. Not just America now. They beam satellite TBN into Fiji and Samoa now as well as New Zealand.

The whole earth is watching as They parade a Christianity of money. Across the television screens of the world. What will God do? What does God have to do to stop that where was I Charles Finney, this is the kind of thing.

“You Serpents, You Generation of Vipers”

He used to he would open with a line like this. Can you imagine this the preacher gets up? He says nothing else, but this this is his opening line. You serpents you generation of vipers. How can you escape the damnation of hell or He would preach on a text like without holiness.

No man can see the Lord and he'd prove to his and all and his entire audience. The whole sermon would be about how they are not holy. So he's proving to them. You are never gonna see the Lord. Are you sir?

Never in your present state. Never will you see the Lord? You are not holy. You are not holy quite often he'd be preaching to church people very often. People that consider themselves Christians people that had belonged to the church for 20 years.

There were people in some of his meetings. The shock was so great to them because they thought of themselves as Christian leaders for years. Some of them were struck dumb for days with horror. We think it's great if someone struck dumb, you know.

One of the preachers goes whoo, and everybody falls down and they ever get carried out. No in Charles Finney's meetings, they got carried out struck dumb with horror. Falling down under such conviction of sin.

They were in agony over their own sins. Such preaching as this we have not heard in a generation. America who will preach your next awakening. Where will we find the men daring enough and the woman for that matter?

Daring enough to stand up and preach a hundred percent of the Word of the Lord in our day. Who do not want to get on TBN? Who don't want it unless they're gonna make it repent. Where will God find these because I tell you.

Having traveled enough over America, I mean I haven't traveled in every part. There is a dearth of the truth of God. We have a famine of the hearing of the Word of the Lord and we are satisfied with that.

Charles Finney right wrote this one time. I had not spoken to them in this strain of direct application for more than a quarter of an hour. In other words, he spoke to them really directly for quarter of an hour all at once an awful solemnity seemed to settle down upon them.

The congregation began to fall from their seats in Every direction and cry for mercy. If I had had a sword in each hand I could not have cut them off their seats as fast as they fell. Fired had a sword in each hand.

I could not have cut them off their seats as fast as they fell. We think it's an anointed meeting when The preacher up the front is saying. Oh the glories come and people start falling over. In Charles Finney's meeting.

He says a great solemnity came down upon the audience. In fact in this meeting. So great was the outcry. Literally within seconds. He said it was like a shock that fell upon them. Everybody in the building fell on their face before God and started crying for mercy to God at the top of their voice.

He said I couldn't preach anymore. In fact, I raised my voice to a Scream just to get the one guy that invited me there to hear me and I asked him to pray. He said I screamed at the top of my voice just to get his attention.

That's how loud the crying was. So anyway, God was waking me up at four o 'clock in the morning and saying this is what Charles Finney did. Basically saying to me. This is what I want you to do from now on.

Questioning False Assurance of Salvation

He would go to these places and instead of assuring them that they were okay and that they were saved He would do the very opposite. He would question their salvation. You might say that's a kind of a simple thing to say.

It was like our blinders fell off my eyes and I suddenly saw of course We're in the day of the Laodicean Church. We sit beside people every Sunday and so many meetings and they're raising their hands.

They're clapping their hands that they're doing all the things. They know how to put on that Christian face that says Oh God bless you brother. Oh God bless you sister. The whole fakie little thing that we do the whole little Western smiley happy Christian thing that we do and Is that person utterly walking with God or not?

We have no idea. I believe that The vast majority and I include charismatic Pentecostal churches in this the vast majority of our churches. Show little sign of being a saved church in the New Testament sense.

We show plenty of sign that we've gone up and we've prayed that little prayer. By the way, it's not in the Bible. I Mean it didn't take me actually that long to do Bible studies and find out that ask Jesus into your heart simply ain't in the Bible and Say this little prayer after me.

I used to do that I used to belong to the Navigators, which is an organization that Memorized Bible verses and preach the gospel to people. I'd go around leading people in a little prayer. That's what we were taught to do.

Get them to ask Jesus into you into their heart. And then when they do that, you tell them they're safe. They're fine. They're okay. Praise God brother. I Knew full well doing it on certain occasions.

I would watch the person and I had absolute full confidence. Nothing has happened in this person nothing. Has this person been transformed into a new creation in God? No. Where is the evidence that we're Christians.

All that America shows me on so many occasions is this we're very religious. We know how to do meetings. We know how to go and sit in lovely buildings and sing beautiful songs. How many of us are demonstrating Jesus in the earth?

How many of us are demonstrating Jesus in here? There's got to happen there before it comes out. I Believe most of our churches most of our people demonstrate no signs of salvation. I'm talking about the book of Acts type of salvation.

I'm talking about New Testament salvation the salvation that Jesus invented. Because we invented a different kind. When we did that and why I have no idea. Maybe it's when we started having big crusades and out of convenience.

We made it they just come forward and do this tiny little simple thing, which not in the Bible and we'll call them Christians. How does that sound praise God? What a great idea? Wow. It really happened pretty slowly it happened over time and it grew Less and less biblical as it went.

Repentance, Baptism, and the Holy Spirit in Acts

What did they do in the Bible. Throughout the book of Acts when they wanted to become a Christian, I'll tell you what they did always. You can check many occasions of this in Scripture. In fact read the book of Acts and find out.

They repented. They were baptized in water straight away and They were baptized in the Holy Spirit straight away those three things were always there. Go through the book of Acts and test me out. Those three things happened on the first day.

What is baptism in water? Is it some little symbol? No. Does scripture ever say it's just a ritual? No. Is it just symbolic of death? No. Baptism in water is supposed to be death. To God and the devil.

I believe they watch it and they go. Oh, man, we lost another one. Because when you die says Romans chapter 6 when you die, you are dead to the law you are dead to sin. When you rise into a new life. You're supposed to walk in the Spirit and that is a Christian if you have not been baptized in water.

Have you died the Bible way I could go into Romans 6 right now, which I'm not going to do and prove this to you it talks about. Those of us who are baptized into Christ have died with them buried with him in baptism.

Very well known scripture buried with him in baptism. Listen those of you in here who are struggling with sin areas in your life. Have you been baptized in water? Have you repented from your sins and been baptized.

This was the most basic ABCD thing that would happen in the Bible. It happened on the first day then that pray for them to get baptized in the Holy Spirit. When I when I got baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoken tongues for the first time my life was revolutionized.

I was a new creature. I suddenly had The glory of God residing in me and I could walk a Christian life before that I didn't have it. I know I Was a timid weak trying to walk trying to believe. That's all I had.

We're not even really getting far into this yet guys because Many of us in this room. I'm assuming okay many of us in this room have Gone through these stages many have been baptized in water many have received the Holy Spirit.

I Guess the question we've got to come to next is why is it that even the churches that have that? Do not seem to walk in a true Christianity today. Why. Now here we get into What a lot of people start calling.

Oh, you're talking about deeper life in Christ. You're talking about the deep things of God you're talking about walking in a kind of way up Sanctified Christianity. And I say no, I'm sorry, sir. You may think that I'm actually just talking about the ordinary everyday Christianity where?

Everybody walks in the spirit. And if you don't walk in the spirit you go to hell. That's the type of Christianity. I want to talk about Turn with me to Matthew chapter 7. This is a scripture that should Impact every one of us.

Matthew chapter 7 verse 21. Matthew 7 verse 21. This is a scary scripture. Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. But only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven on That day meaning judgment day on that day.

Many will say to me Lord Lord. Did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? Then will I declare to them I? Never knew you Depart from me you evildoers.

So here's Jesus on the day of judgment. These people are saying to him Lord Lord surely we're gonna make it in. Didn't use we did miracles in your name. We cast out demons in your name. Obviously, these are tongues speaking Pentecostal or charismatic believers here.

These are people that have gone the whole nine yards and they think they've got it right with God and he's saying to them I never knew you. Depart from me you evildoers. What does the Bible tell us about Judgment Day.

We know that Jesus is going to be extremely angry on that day. We live in a moment in time where God's grace is very apparent right now. Because he's saving all his anger for the end. What's it like to face an angry judge.

I'll put this before you just a very basic example. You imagine that you have gone the wrong way on a one-way street and the and the traffic cops saw you and he He's caught you and you've got to go to court.

You've got to have a little court appearance and you're thinking yourself this. This is ridiculous. I everybody knows it's gonna be about a it's gonna be a hundred fifty dollar fine. I don't know why I even have to go to court for this.

This is ridiculous anyway, you show up at the courtroom and You look at the judge and one look at the judge tells you you're in big big trouble. Some foolish person that day has got in there and made that judge incredibly mad.

Just before you're going in to see him and be judged by him. Incredible anger is in his eyes and you just know you're in terrible trouble. You're thinking to yourself. Oh my goodness I should have bought my lawyer.

Oh My goodness, what is the maximum penalty for that thing that I did? Is it three thousand dollar fine? Is it a year in prison? You know, all the horror stories are going through your head because you're in front of an angry judge.

Judgment, the Book of Life, and the Lake of Fire

You're in front of an angry judge if We go to revelation where it talks about the judgment seat of Christ. We see a judge so angry it says revelation 20 That the earth and the heavens have fled away from his face and there is found no place for them.

So angry is he and it says if your name is not written in the book of life. You are cast into the lake of fire. It even says in the book of Matthew, I believe it is. That there will be on that day Angels hacking people in pieces and throwing them into outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

I Want you to imagine that you're in a line of people waiting to be judged and in front of you. You're seeing some famous preacher and you're thinking yourself. Surely this guy's gonna make it in. Because he's worked miracles and he's cast out demons and he seemed like a good Christian man.

And I heard him preach and I'm sure he's and you're seeing angels hacking these people to pieces. Jesus saying to him you stole from the widows and the orphans. How dare you appear before my throne this day and expect grace and mercy from me?

You dishonored my name in the earth be gone. It will be just like that. You want to read a horrific scenario go read Matthew 25 where it talks about the sheep and the goats the sheep and the goats and.

So it says it in Revelation 20. It says If you if your name is not found written in the book of life. You're cast into the lake of fire. Your name is not found written in the book of life, you know, we have a.

You know, I talk about reading out lists of names, you know, we have a Rugby team in New Zealand. They usually first or second in the world in rugby. That's our favorite sport and when the national team gets read out usually it's live on television and People stop people would take a television to work or something like that.

They'll watch those names being read out. You could even you could it would be similar to maybe the dream team the basketball team from America that goes to the Olympics. It's almost like one of those incredibly top-notch teams and everybody wants to be on it even being a reserve in that team.

Now there's a tremendous hush when those names are read out. I Want to tell you there's going to be a hush in heaven when the Lamb's Book of Life is opened and The names are read out and There's going to be people crying.

Because there's no lawyers. There's nobody who can get you off. You either in or you're out. There will be people crying at the top of their voices. Lord Lord. Didn't you see what we did for you? We asked Jesus into our heart.

We went down. We gave our tithes every week. We went to church and and Bible study every week. Jesus will be saying don't come at me with that. I Never knew you. You loved your television more than you loved me.

You loved your car more than you loved me. You never sold anything and gave it to the poor. So Matthew 7 21 Will come true. Sadly for so many Pentecostals so many of us who think we're spirit filled. Spirit filled we find in that day that our lamp is half full and The gates are shut and though we clamor and smash on those gates with all our might.

They never will open. What is normal Christianity? Normal Christianity, I want to describe it to you totally biblically the answer of a good conscience towards God. What is Jesus restoring? When we become a truly saved person and walk in salvation He is restoring to us the state that Adam was in before the fall not in our bodies.

We know we have a fallen body. Okay, that won't change before the resurrection day, I believe. What God is restoring is the inner man. He's saying I once walked with Adam in the cool of the day. I once knew him we were like this and every day I would walk with him and he was clean before me and and There was nothing on his conscience dividing him from me.

He was pure through and through. Jesus died to purchase that back. People do you know what Christianity is? It's that Adam. Where are you? He called out Adam. Where are you? I've lost my friend and so the second Adam comes.

And restores it all back again or gives us the opportunity to enter and walk in that and I want to say to you if your Christianity is not that you're shortchanging God. You're not in the fullness of what he requires of you and your life is in danger.

I say it again. Especially two of those things you're shortchanging everything that Jesus died to purchase for you and Your life is in danger. What happens we know in the parable? That there are people who client who try to climb in by a different a different road.

There's the wedding supper of the Lamb and in the parable Jesus is saying to somebody sir. How did you get in here without a robe? Without the white robe, how did you make it in here? He's throwing out.

What about the person with a spotted robe. Once washed with the blood of Jesus that person once walked Totally pure before God, but they no longer do. There are things on their conscience between them and God.