Prepared Hearts
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Hook
Hook
We have been asking God about what he has been doing in the colleges around the nation, and even some of the churches. We truly believe God is pouring out His Spirit out. And our pray has been don’t miss us.
Prepare your hearts.
I believe that there is responsibility on our end as we “wait” for God.
How do we prepare out hearts?
What does waiting really look like?
Response to the cynicism and skepticism.
Book
Book
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’ ”
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Look
Look
Prepare your hearts.
John was preparing the way with what? Repentance. Our hearts are prepared for encounter with Jesus with Repentance.
Repentance is necessary because it destroys pride. Pride is the heart of sin. I don’t believe this is God, are we that prideful that we know when it God. Doesn’t scripture tells we judge a tree by what fruit?
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
We are simple giving God what dos not belong. The sins that are taking real estate God wants that space.
David asked God to search him, psalm 139:23-24.
Tonight we have a time of repentance, and we ask God humbly to search us. Then we repent and turn.
Sin is the gab between man and God. Ignoring sin doesn’t remove sin. Hiding sin doesn’t bridge the gap, doesn’t remove sin.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”
30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent:
What does waiting really look like?
I. [קָוָה] verb wait for (probably originally twist, stretch, then of tension of enduring, waiting: Assyrian ‡ûû II, I. wait, ‡û, cord; Arabic 📷 be strong, strength, also strand of rope; Syriac 📷 endure, remain, await, 📷 threads, so ᵑ7 קַוִּין spider's threads, web);
This is important to understand that after repentance we wait for, we intwine ourselves in God’s word, presence, prayer, we tighten the gap.
The disciples in Acts 1:13-14
13 And when they were come in, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were abiding; both Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 These all with one accord continued stedfastly in prayer, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
The disciples waiting for the promise Holy Spirit to be poured. How were they waiting intwining themselves, twisting themselves in with God. Waiting is not a time thing, like God just wants to see how patient you. Now the tighten you twist something the less room for unnecessary things remain. How to do dry a towel . the more intwine the close we get to God, the more work God has do with repentance in removing the things that separated us.
Response to the cynicism and skepticism.
Other’s opinions do not hold more wait then what God has spoken.
Skepticism: pray that skeptics experience God.
Skeptics are those who doubt what you experience. Sense when do we allow people to dictate what we have experience to be real. they hold no wait and we do not need to argue, but pray for those. Skeptics met with experience make the best evangelist.
Ex Paul.
This is cynicism: it is cynicism: God is pouring out his spirit upon thousands of people who have no agenda and they are going back home and then God is pouring out his spirit. And its all for Him. He wants to be experienced, he wants to be worshipped, he wants lost found, he wants the skeptics, he wants the agnostics, he wants the atheist, he wants everyone.
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”