seven references to the subject of repentance. And I'm going to read all these seven references if you can't turn to them as fast as I turn to them, or if you were just jot them down and look them up afterward. It'll give you time to turn to them if you would. In chapter two of Acts and verse thirty-eight, then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then in chapter three and verse ninety, repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Chapter five and verse thirty-one. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Chapter eight, verse twenty-two. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. Chapter seventeen. And the times, verse thirty. And the times of this ignorance, God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent, because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead. Then chapter twenty and verse twenty one, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Then verse Twenty of chapter twenty-six, the last verse I want to read. But so first are to them of Damascus and of Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance. Now you have these seven references, and it's very significant in going through your Bible how you have the number seven so frequently found. Starts off with seven days, six days of work and one of rest, and right throughout your Bible you find the number seven, seven miracles, seven parables, seven churches of Asia, the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne. the seven seals, and the seven trumpets, and the seven vows, and so on. And the reason you find that number seven so many times in your Bible is because it's the number of perfection. It's the number of completion. In other words, the subject should be covered completely and perfectly if you've got seven good texts backing you up. And I've read the seven references in Acts on the subject of repentance. There's one thing the Lord Jesus emphasized in his ministry before we got to the Acts, and that states, he emphasized repentance. He himself says, except he repent, ye shall all likewise perish in chapter thirteen of Luke. And he says that twice. He says, do you suppose that those sinners upon whom the car in Siloam fell were sinners, more than you Pharisees, you scribes? No, except you repent, you should all likewise perish. And he emphasizes that twice in that passage, except you repent, unless you repent. There is no alternative. unless you repent, you're going to perish. And so the emphasis is placed upon repentance, repentance. And I want you to notice to many times that word except, which adds emphasis, except in event, he shall all likewise perish. And how important that word except is. You find except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. That's in Matthew five and seven. Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, ye will in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. I don't know whether you realize it or not, but the scribes and the Pharisees especially the Pharisees. The Sadducees were more liberal, more to the left, but the Pharisees were extremely to the right, very strict, strong adherence to their faith, and they had a righteousness, I presume, outwardly speaking, a righteousness that was possibly the highest standard of that day. And the Apostle Paul speaks of his life before he was saved. And I am going to tell you he was a righteous young man. And yet, says the Lord Jesus, you put before you the most righteous Pharisees, the strictest of the Pharisees, the most sincere adherence to the law. And I want to tell you this. unless you've got a righteousness that exceeds that, you'll never enter into the kingdom of heaven. Now that's pretty strong language, but the Lord Jesus said it. He is referring to the difference between a righteousness acquired by works and a righteousness that is imputed when a person is saved. The righteousness that a man needs to take into heaven... is the very nature of God. And that is imputed the moment you are born again. If you haven't been born again, if righteousness has not been imputed unto you, then you're lost. Outside of that, you may be just as righteous as a... And there are some very righteous people, very honest, very sincere... their lives are almost beyond reproof, and yet it's self-righteousness, or human righteousness. And do you know how Isaiah sums it up? All that righteousness which is purely natural, the result of man's effort, and not the righteousness of God, he said, is filthy right. All our righteousnesses are as filthy right. That's what the Bible says. Now, what do you mean by imputed righteousness? Well, I mean this when a person comes to the conclusion. And here's where I will emphasize as we go along the need for repentance, which is changing of the mind, where you come to the conclusion of all your righteousness. all your good deeds and your good works and your good intentions, you may never have sworn in your life or killed alive or stolen anything or been guilty of drinking or adultery. You may be righteous, as man sees. You may attend every meeting held of the church. You may do all you can to pray with the good cause. you may be little in your offering, but if you haven't been born again, all your self-righteousness is as if he rags before God. That's a sweeping statement, and that's why the Lord Jesus said to one of the most righteous men that lived, Nicodemus by name, you must be born again. except your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven. Now that was quite a shooting stick. Then you have another except in your Bible and it's in John. Your righteousness, or rather it's in John, yeah, six and forty-four. no man cometh unto me except the Father which has sent me God. No man cometh unto me except the Father which has sent me God. And what does that mean? Is the Spirit of God that has been sent into this world to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment? and it's the Spirit of God that begins to move and operate upon a human heart. That's why the Spirit is here, to try and single out individuals who mean justness with God and convince them that they need first and the first to take the initiative in the plan of redemption is God. Man is not the first. to take the initiative, guarding. For instance, when man sinned in the beginning, who was it that took the initiative? Diagon and Eve, they fled and hid behind the trees of the garden. They didn't want a face drop. Previously, they left them at the gate to their garden. There they conversed. There they rocked and cropped and chatted and enjoyed their environment, a sinless environment, but when sin came in, an awful deadening sensation came upon Adam and Eve, an eventful fear of the Holy God, and they fled. They didn't want to face God. But God came down to the garden of the school today, even though God knew what had happened. the blight of sin fell upon his entire creation. But God came down and when he did not meet Adam and Eve at the garden gate, Adam, where are thou? Here is God taking the initiative. He wants to have this fallen creature's back. Adam, where are thou? Friend, man and men and women today, are like Adam and Eve. There's a fear. There's a dread in their heart. They're aware that they're not fit for the presence of God. They're not ready for the presence of God. They dread death because they dread meeting of God. He wholly writes it, unyielding in his thoughts about sin. Sin is bound to be found. Therefore, God has sent His Holy Spirit into this world, that that spirit might rule over the human race. And wherever there's a person who searches it, or if God sees a person who would accept the facts if he heard them, the Spirit of God will certainly deal with that person. And any thoughts you have about God, any thoughts you have about your lost condition, Any thoughts you have about being saved and going to heaven, the Spirit of God is bringing them to your mind. Through the earth, and here is God taking the initiative. Where is man's responsibility? Man's responsibility is either to encourage those thoughts and allow the Spirit of God to lead him to a consciousness that of his own nothingness, then his absolute need of Christ. Well, that's what the Spirit will do. But if you say, when thoughts like that come into your mind, I wonder if I'm a Christian. I wonder if I'm saved. I wonder if I'm ready to make God put them out. They're disturbed. They're upset. Go, Spirit, go my way. some more convenient day on thee I'll call. And the Spirit of God is in this world to single out men and women who are willing to be saved and saved by now. And so, says the Lord Jesus Christ, no man can come to me, except the Spirit of God in his ruling and winning. For instance, you When they come, I will accept them, and in no wise pass them out. That's the next verse in that passage. Then again there's another accept. Accept the Father which has sent him, certainly draw him, and in Matthew eighteen thirty, accept ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God. except unless, for there is no other alternative, except to be converted and become us little children, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God. What does it mean to become like a little child? You go back to a little child. He hasn't lived a righteous life. He hasn't lived that long. And friend, I don't care how good a life you've lived from the time you were a little child in now. As far as God's concern, that amounts to nothing as far as American salvation is concerned. Go back beyond your good life, your good deeds. And go back beyond any other bounty. And take the place of a little child. There is no argument in your own defense. Take the place of a little child. And a child is known for its simplicity of faith. And if you would take the place of a little child, that can boast of no good life that he hasn't lived in. And take the place of a child in its simplicity. You can tell a little child almost any day. and it will believe me. Yes, the child is simple in its favor. And if you are that simple in your, the simplicity of it, you say, Lord, according to your word, I realize not my good work, not by works of righteousness which I have done, but according to your mercy, you save me. I am going to take the place of a little child not some intellectual, not some proud conceited individual, not someone who knows it all. The Lord, I'll take the place of just a little child. And I'll exercise the faith in a little child. Whatever you tell me, I believe it. Says the Lord Jesus, unless you do, you'll never enter into it. the kingdom of God. And then that remarkable verse that we often quote in John three, and there it's mentioned twice the word except John three and John three, by the except a man before again, shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. A great teacher many years ago, He wouldn't let a meeting pass without mentioning he must be born again. In fact, G.L. Moody preached that sermon to his on a new book, Over Three Hundred Times in his life. A lady went up to hear this, went up to this preacher after she had heard him. She said, How is it, brother, so and so? Every night I come, and I've heard you every night since you began these meetings, why is it that you're emphasizing he must be born again? He says, ma'am, just because you must be born again, in order to get there. And there's no alternative to that. You've got to be born again if you're going to enter God's heaven. And Christ says in John six and fifty-three, except ye eat the flesh and drink his cup, you know, like in you. He's not talking about communion here. Except ye eat the flesh and drink his blood, You have no life in me. Some drink that this teaches, unless you have the literal flesh and literal blood turned into that substance by some miraculous act, unless you eat the literal bread in the communion and drink his blood, you have no life. Christ didn't mean that at all. He says, I am the door. Was he a little boy? No, he was seeking to get across to his listeners. He was a way of entering. He said, I am the vine. Was he a little vine? No. He said, I am the living bread which came down from heaven. Want the living bread. Did he come to meet the appetite of the body? Or did he come as food for the soul? He came as food for the soul. And when he said, Except you eat this bread and drink this blood, you feel like a new, he was meaning simply this, unless you take it into your heart. We read about those in Hebrews, and they had tasted the good word of God, and they became apostates, and they were condemned to eternal punishment. They just tasted it. In other words, yes, it tasted it. You may taste something and your palate will say that's good. If you don't swallow it and digest it, it'll do your body more good or probably give you more nutrition. Christ says you might hear about it and it tastes good. It listens well to know that you can have all your sins forgiven. You can have peace with God. You may know that you'll never hurt it. on that you're going to heaven. Yes, that sounds good. That is good. If you can't say, I've done it. I know my sins are forgiven. I know I have everlasting life. I know I'll never perish. I know I have peace with God. And your life corresponds to it. When you eat food, It gives you energy. When you eat good food, it is shown up in your life, in your physical being. And when you legally accept Jesus Christ down deep into your heart, with three things, it will come out in your life. There will come out in your daily behavior. That's what the Bible says. except you eat, or assimilate by faith, receive Christ not into your head, but into your heart. He said, unless you do, there's no light, nor no spiritual light in you. I asked you this morning, had you really digested the gospel. have you really received Christ into your heart or is Christ no more than a historical figure like Columbus who discovered the night? For can you say Christ is a living, life reality to me, I have received him into my heart, except you so deceiver. Jesus Christ said, except you eat thy flesh and drink my blood, thy feet, accrehened that I am the Son of God who laid down my life and shed my blood for the sinner beneath all the righteous requirements of a holy God and save and sacrifice lost humanity and that for all eternity unless you slip this in to the extent that when doubt in your life that changed life there's no heaven that's what the Lord Jesus Christ is when the man tells me he's saved he's accepted the law well I don't and there's no change whatsoever in his life I have good ground to respect there's something wrong over in Matthew thirteen the seed that planted good ground sprang forth some thirty some sixty, some a hundredfold, showing that in every person who is saved, every person who's got the root of the matter in, there'll be some degree of error. And if there's no good at all, there's no, it'll be thirty, sixty or a hundredfold. God wants us to yield a hundredfold. But if you are a born-again Christian, there will be some evidence that you have the life of God within you. Then again, he says, except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die at the height of the gold, and John fell under the wood. Except the corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies at the height of the load, but at the die of bringing forth much. you can take a corn of wheat and keep it in your house in a box. And if you could keep a thousand you here, I don't suppose you would last in and let that be. And that's from the specialty. But it would still remain one kernel, one grain of wheat. How is it going to multiply? It's got to be put into the soreness. and in a certain sense it dies and out of it comes a corn stock with a number of corn crops on it then you can take all those corn crops every five or six and you can plant them and so on and so on until you've got a rash harvest running into the millions but that one corn of wheat has got to die over the remaining Lord. Jesus Christ had to come into this world and go to the cross and die if there's going to be a great harvest of humanity, save humanity in heaven. So the Lord Jesus is impressing upon us the need of his death. Except upon us we fall into the ground and die in a fight of the alone, but it will die. Jesus is the thing of the world. must be. Then, Christ says in Matthew twenty six forty three, O my Father, if this cup may not pass from me, except I bid it, that I will be done. The Lord Jesus was facing, facing the old daughter. Here he is in the garden of this sin. Nature is weeping out this very strain. His very blood was crimson with the bursting of those tiny blood vessels under the pressure of what was before him. As he swept that floodlight strain, his free will fall on earth, if there not another way. is the no possible way by which you can say, man, without my point of the cross. He is tremendous Christ. Know my trust, there is no other way. An angel didn't die for a fallen eternity. Man can't work his way to heaven. There's got to be a sacrifice for sin. Without the sharing of blood, there is no remission of sin. And that blood has got to come from a sinless man. That's why all the blood of bulls and of goats could not put away sin. They just covered it up until the one supreme all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ was offered on Calvary. And the blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanser us from all sin. No, my son, this is the one and only way whereby I can say sin and do it rightfully, except I drink it. And he says, I will be done. If that's it, Father, it's going to take that. I drink it. I drink it. If you were to drink some fluid that was able to reflect and has been known, you saw a reflection in that fluid, and you looked into the glass. Jesus Christ looked into that glass of suffering, that cup that he purged you. And he saw a reflection of himself, and Jesus Christ saw in that cup his blood. that would reflect his likeness and his character to of all eternity. And therefore, for the joy of the set before him, having multitudes of saved men and women, like himself, in glory forever, that was the job that he set before him. He endured the cross. He took the cup, bringing it to its glass, the glass, That's why you and I can be saved. Except my son, I'll drink it now because of the joy that's set before me that in the coming eternity I'll have my companion, I'll have my associate, I'll have my bride composed of saved men and saved men. And as the Bible teacher, just like a woman, who forgets the paville because of baby form. No woman wants to go through the paville for the paville's sake itself. No. She's looking beyond the paville. She's looking forward to that little baby boy and a little baby girl that she's going to be able to cuddle in her arms and flex you again. That's a joy. that the stage they're going through the valley. Jesus Christ had something that sustained him as he went through the ordeal of the cross. It was the joy of having me, the joy of having me, the joy of his cross, the rose in his neck, and in his arms were rolled from him. That was the joy of the set before him. He endured the cost. He despised the shame. He now sat down on the right hand for the majesty of God. Yes, Father, I did it. And he did. Then was another except how can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods? Accent! He first bind the strong man. and take its sport. What is Christ referring to here? He's referring to this fact. Satan is the strong man armed. We are the goods he had. He says, shackled us with sin and his power. Someone's got to go in. He is strong to the next strong man. And he's got to deal with the next strong man. grab it on his power and take prominence for it. And there was only one who could do that, the Lord Jesus Christ, with his Savior. Sacred as strong and armed people as pallid as goods were in peace. Sad to say that a lot of his goods are still in peace. A lot of people who are not saved at all, they have In the midst of so much turmoil and trouble, they seem to have a peace, but it's not God given to them. What kind of a satisfaction that the Bible says saying peace, peace when there is no peace. It's the peace that devils you. But when Christ comes along and he deals with Satan, which he did at the cross, he nullifies his power. and is able to deliver Satan's good, he's able to save many women in the country, an ultimate good of Satan and his angels in each other. There you have that person in, that says he first dined the strong man, and then he will spoil his house. And the last is in John four, forty-eight. Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. Except you see signs and wonders. You will not believe. We're taking up the tongue to be on that tonight. Some of the signs are. And he's speaking to the Jews here. He said, unless I show some signs, perform some wonders, you won't believe. You've got to see some. Now my word has come. There are not going to be any more signs or any more wonders. You've got my word. And unless you accept me on the basis of my word, instead of signs and wonders, you will not believe. In other words, you will not receive. You say, well, if I saw someone come up the front here and was definitely healed, If I saw someone come up here and had the demons cast out of them. If I saw someone reeled in here in a casket, a corpse, and that person was raised from the dead, I believe in, God says, you won't be saved. Well, you're not going to see any such signs or remnants. You take my word, Lord, or you'll not be saved. My word is worth more than all those signs. It's an insult to Jesus first to ask for signs. And he said on that occasion, it's certain you see signs of wonderliness you won't believe. Therefore you won't be saved. God has given us his word today. We're not looking in the age of signs and wonders. The first part of this dispensation, the church aid did see signs and wonders before they got the Bible. After the Bible is given, God says those things shall see. Jesus' tongue shall see. And these signs are going to see. You'll have my word. And if that's not enough, you'll just have to tell. Thomas wanted sight. Except I see. Remember the Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples. and Thomas wasn't there. When Thomas heard about it, oh, he's telling me that stuff, telling me you'd see the Lord? No. He wouldn't even believe the Lamb of them. He said, it's Seth, well, the Karen of Judas at this time had let the crowd. He said, it's Seth, I see in his hand the fruit of the made. thrust my hand into his side, I'm not going to believe. I've got to see him, for if we live today, he'd say, I'm from Missouri. You've got to see him. Christ said, all right, next Sunday, Thomas was there, and the Lord, gee, appeared the second time. He knew what the conversation had been the week before, and none of the others had gone and told him. He knew what Thomas said. As soon as he saw, he says, Thomas, he took it at thy finger, thrust it into my hand, and he took it at thy side, and plunged it into my side. In other words, he opened the room, thrust at thy finger into the palm of my hand, and he took it into my hand. faster hand, injury, I sighed, fear not, faithless, but believe it. Thomas didn't do it. He didn't mason his finger with that blood. If there were blood, I believe the blood was all shed on fire. He turned down and said, my Lord, I'm my God. Oh, Lord, forgive me for my unbelief. I'm sorry, I'm repentant, I've changed my mind. I believe, Lord, that you're the least insane. The others told me that we could go, you were alive, but I wouldn't believe them. I believe the power. You fell at Jesus deeply, and he said, My Lord, and my God. Christ said, Father, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those which have not seen me yet. and believe. And that's where you, that's what I commend. Not to look at signs of wonders, but to take your third. That's what Satan. Taking him and his word, believing what he says. I've shown you these texts on repentance and what repentance is not. In fact, there are a number of things we have to go into. Our time is about up, but I'm going to give you one. the negative side. The repentance is not. It's not fear. It's not fear. A lot of people think it is. No, it's not fear. I can give you cases in the Bible. Here is Terry back in the Old Testament. God is pouring out his judgment upon the nation of Israel. Remember that storm that broke when the lightning flashed. and the thunder peeled, and the fire ran along upon the ground. So, time for Moses to come. Go Moses. Moses, I'll let God's people go. He was shaken to the very roots of his being. I'll let Israel go. Only ask God to stop that thunder. Stop that storm. I never have been to shed all my life. I never heard thunder so loud a lightning so flat. I never seen fire running along the ground. I never seen the storm like it molded. Astronomy was found. Moses appealed to God and God stopped the storm. Did Pharaoh repent? He didn't repent. Because soon the sun went through and the storm was over. He says, I will bet it will go. Fear is not the thing. Not the enemy. There are plenty of souls in hell today who feared God and feared hell all along. But they never repent. They got scared. And there's where the danger of deathbed confessions can be. People make confession on the deathbed. share. We wish they had a few years or months afterwards to prove whether to hear them. It was fair that one got compassion from them, not genuine repentance in many ways. What God wants many women to do is to repent. Change your mind. And there are a number of things we'll go into next Sunday morning or getting on your subject. I've only got my introduction in that journey the way it is. The good thing I've got to wait on the staff and then you folks wouldn't get out of here at one o'clock. But repentance is simply change in your mind. You know that's the hardest thing for a man or a woman to do? I don't know which is worse. The man will work. The change of his or her mind. It's the hardest thing for the human being to... Admit I shouldn't lie. I've got to change my mind. My thinking has been amiss. And the only way you can get straightened out is come into this book. And that's how you get your mind, Jim. And that's true repentance. When you're reading repentance to the point you're ready to change your mind, tell them about things. That's why God says, turn me. Oh, turn it a while, he dies in the world. God wants you to turn about this. Your face is toward the tip. Your back is toward God. God says, turn around. Taste me and come to me. And your back will be toward the tip and everlasting life. That will be real repentance. God grant you the experience of this morning. Senator. Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you come to be, you ask thy blessing on thy good. We trust that some have received light and understanding from what you said. How fee the leper, if possible, do you own the God, the foundation of soul, in our Lord Jesus' precious name? Amen. Let us sing a verse or two of two forty three. Two forty three. Softly and tenderly, Jesus calling, calling for you and for me. See on the purpose he's waiting and watching, watching for you. And shall we stand if you've accepted Christ and not publicly confess them? is your opportunity. If you're not in a position you'd like to be in think, I can help you come and receive. First verse, uh, two, forty-three.