Humble Yourselves & Repent!
Mathew 9:10-13
And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Every single person who has ever lived has issues and their own sins. It is those who think their ways are good and they don’t need to change, that really are the ones who need to repent of their sins. Repent means turn away from. To repent a person must truly repent by changing their heart and mind to no longer desire to do the evil they are doing. God Resist the prideful but gives grace to the humble. If you say, “I am good how I am and I do not need the Lord to change me from my wickedness”, then God will resist you because you resist him and he will not force himself on you. We all have free will and the Lord gives us all many chances to repent, but it is those who think they are good that never change. If you humble yourself and say, “God I need you. My ways are wicked and I want to change but I don’t know how to or have the power to do it. Please help me. I can’t do this on my own.” This is the humble prayer that God wants to hear.
God knows our hearts better than we know our hearts. The Bible says our hearts are deceitful and what man can know it? But God is the searcher of mans hearts. Ask God to search your heart out and remove all evil such as pride, anger, lies, deceit, thievery and all manner of lusts. Notice that it was the Pharisees who were the rabbis or religious leaders at the time. They looked holy to men but were inside full of all evil, pride and hypocrisy. They didn’t understand why Jesus was with the outcast and those that were looked down upon in society. That is how it is today. Much of the church is full of people who think they are good where they are at and God does not require them to change. I grew up Catholic (not Catholic anymore) and it grieves me how so many Catholics I have met think their ways are good and acceptable to the Lord when they are not. They think it is okay to sin because God will just forgive them. Yes, God can forgive us of anything and is full of mercy, but one of the wickedest things to do is to think we can willingly continue in our sins without repenting of them. God requires that we turn from our sins, not just continue doing them and saying, “Lord forgive me” but never trying to change.
God is a perfect and holy Father who has literally given us life and done so many things for us unseen that we are ungrateful for. This is just like a child who his father loves and does many things for him but the child does not recognize or understand it, yet the father continues to love the child. That is how God is but he is perfect. Now imagine how evil it is to think we can just do what ever we want and live only for ourselves like the world tells us to do? God gave us everything, so for us to do nothing for him is evil. Jesus said we must lose our lives to save it and whoever will not lose his life will lose it. That means we must forsake our own ways and go after the ways of the Lord. Love is a sacrifice. It is the sacrifice of righteousness. Just like a father sacrifices so much for his child that may not even deserve it or do and does not do good back to the father. That is how we must lay our lives down for our neighbors and for the Lord who gave us life.
There are two Christians, both of which are addicted to alcohol. One says, “Lord forgive me” but doesn’t seek the Lord with all his heart to change. The other says, “Lord forgive me because I am such a wicked and terrible person. I don’t know why I do the things I do, but I need help because I can’t stop. Please have mercy on me and cause me to repent.” If both these Christians died in this state, which one may the Lord show more mercy to? Now also imagine if the first alcoholic was a regular church goer and had nice clothes and looked good to others, but when he saw the other alcoholic, poor and in the street, he thought that the other men must be worse than him because of the way they look and because they don’t go to a church building. The truth is that there is none good and we must all repent. God will be merciful to us as we are merciful to others. If we condemn others but we have the same sin, then we are hypocrites and God will hold us accountable for this.
Mathew 15:24
But Jesus answered and said, I am not sent to any but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Psalm 14
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Galatians 6:3
For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
1 Corinthians 3:18
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
A Perfect Example Of The Lords Love - This Is Who Jesus Really Is
Luke 7:36-50
And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Mathew Chapter 23 - The Hypocritical Religious Leaders - It Is No Surprise How Much Hypocrisy Is In The Church Today
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
The Angels in Heaven Rejoice Over One Sinner That Repents
Luke 15:3-7 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
James Chapter 4
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
