Repent Frederiction — Eli Brayley

The Word of God and the Fear of Mankind

Ladies and gentlemen, City of Fredericton, behold, mankind's greatest fear, the Word of God. Mankind, why is it the greatest fear? Well let me tell you, there's tons of countries already in this world that have banned this book, and our country is already moving in that direction.

And you know, we've kicked it out of the schools. How many of you older people can say you remembered when the Word of God was in school? Well why have we kicked it out? Well let me explain to you, we're afraid of this book.

We're terrified of this book. Why are we afraid of this book? What is in this book that terrifies us so much that will kill people if they have it? In other countries, people are being killed because of this book.

Why are we so afraid? Well let me tell you, because this book contains the very words of Christ. This book contains the very words of life. City of Fredericton, let me read you this morning from the book of Acts, and it says, the God who made the whole world and everything in it, the Lord, He made the heavens and the earth, and He does not live in temples built by hands.

He is not served by human hands as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man, He made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth, and He determined the times set for them to live and the exact places where they should live.

Paul’s Sermon at Athens and the Call to Repent

God did this so that man would perhaps seek His face, reach out for Him and find Him, even though He is not far from any of us, for in Him we live and we move and we have our being. Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold and like silver.

In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now He calls all men everywhere to repent, for He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He appointed, Jesus Christ. He has given proof of this to men by raising them from the dead.

Paul said this in the city of Athens. Athens was a city of idols, and I want to say this morning, Fredericton is a city of idols. Fredericton is full of idols, and an idol is anything that we put above God, and anything that we worship above God.

Fredericton’s Idols: Appetite, Alcohol, Sex, Money, and Schooling

You know what an idol can be? You know what? We people of Fredericton, we Frederictonians, you know, we worship our stomachs, we worship our appetites, we just seek to please our flesh, and we don't give a thought to God.

Let me tell you, you drunkards out there, you who drink alcohol, that you've set that up as a God. Alcohol is not wrong, but you set it up as a God, and you worship it, and you live for it, and you live for the next weekend, don't you?

I know you do. How about sex? You people put sex as an idol, and you put it above God. You worship it above God. What about your job? All you businessmen out there, all you trying to make money, have you put money before God?

Jesus said, the love of money is the root of all evil. Well, have you put that above God? Have you put money above your Creator? Have you done that? How about your schooling, you students out there? You're more concerned about getting good marks, than you are about getting the right heart before God, God who made you.

It says that God made. He gives us breath. He gives us life. The only reason you're here this morning, and you're breathing, and your heart is beating, is because God has chosen to let you live. God has given you life.

The Body as God’s Vineyard and Coming Judgment

And in the Bible, there's a parable, Jesus said, the parable of the tenants, and he rented out the vineyard to workers. Well, let me tell you, if you're alive today, God has rented out your body. God has given you a body, and he's given you breath.

And what are you doing with your body? It's not your own. God gave it to you. God made you, and your conscience confirms it. So what are you going to do when he calls and says, what have you done with my vineyard?

What have you done with my body? Have you set up idols in your heart? Well, I tell you, if you rented out your vineyard to tenants, and they abused it, you would come and you would punish those tenants.

And if you abuse your body, and if you set up idols before God, God will come and punish you. God will come and punish you in the end, for he has set up a day of judgment for all men. Are you listening to me this morning?

Seeking God by Obedience and Turning from Darkness

Now, it says also here, that God, he set up the exact time and the exact place when we should live and where we should live. So here we are in Fredericton, year 2005. Here we are at the market, and here I am preaching the gospel to you.

God has ordained it this way. And you know why he set up these times so precisely? It says, so that you would seek him, and that you would find him, because he's not far from us. In fact, God has set up the proper conditions for you to find him.

The perfect conditions are here for you to find God. You haven't found God, you say. Well, let me tell you, it's not God's fault. He set up the perfect conditions for you to find him. The reason you haven't found him is because you yourself choose not to find God.

You yourself have said, I don't want to find God. He set up everything perfectly for you. And you know what? This is how you find him. You obey him. Jesus said, if you obey me, I'll reveal myself to you.

And because you don't want to obey, you won't find God. That's the reason why. Because he made it easy for everybody. He made it easy for everybody. And the reason you don't want to, is because you love darkness more than you love light.

That's what Jesus said. He said, you people, you love darkness more than you love light. You love the world more than you love God. That is what the Bible says. And if that's in your heart, that's in your heart.

If you love darkness more than light, look at yourself this morning and ask yourself, do I love Christ? Do I love his law? Or do I love myself? And I just care about myself. And I don't want to live for God.

I want to live for myself. And I've set up idols in my heart. Examine yourself this morning. You know what the Bible also says? It says, in the past, he overlooked such ignorance. But now, he's calling men everywhere to repent.

The Urgent Command to Repent and Obey God’s Word

That means to turn from your sin and come to God. And I solemnly charge you, in the name of Jesus Christ this morning, to turn from your sin this morning, to obey God, to look at his word. There's Bibles everywhere.

We are a country that allows Bibles. I don't know how long that's going to last for. But why don't you find one? Why don't you pick it up? Why don't you read it and obey what it says? If you really love light and you love God and you listen to your conscience, you would go and find one and find him.

And God says, I will reveal myself. So I charge you this morning, repent. You know what you're doing that is sin, and God knows. And you're not going to hide from him forever, because you're going to die at one point, and then God is going to judge you for every deed done in the body.

He's going to judge you for his vineyard that he's rented out to you. Repent. Repent, Fredericton. That is what God is saying to you. Repent from your sin, before God comes and judges this city as he said he will.

He's going to judge all the nations. He's going to judge all the hearts. And you know what? Jesus even said, if you don't repent, Sodom and Gomorrah is going to have you better off on the day of judgment than you are.

Christ’s Love, New Heart, and Freedom from Judgment

Listen, Fredericton. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Do you listen to that this morning? Jesus Christ loves you.

Jesus Christ loves you. God loves you. And he died for you. He loves you. He loves you despite your sin. But he's not going to let you live in sin. He loves you, and he's calling you this morning. Listen to him.

Listen to the word. Repent. Come to Jesus. He loves you. He'll clean you up. He'll give you a new heart. He's not going to leave you the same way you came to him. He's going to give you a new heart. He's going to make you come into the light, as a child of the light.

And you'll be free. Free, Jesus said. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Free from fear. Fear from sin. Fear from this world. And free from judgment. God loves you. Repent. He who has ears. Let him hear what God is saying to Fredericton.