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If you have someone who
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for months has been saying
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"I just feel dead,"
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"No, I can't repent,"
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Or, "I'm trying to repent,"
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Do you know what I'm talking about?
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Is it ok to tell them -
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I don't know if what I'm telling someone is
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like pray for a regenerated heart?
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But I tell them if you feel dead
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go to the life giver who
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raises the dead.
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Is that the same thing
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as saying, well, go pray to God that you'll be alive?
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Tim: Well, see the problem with the people
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that say that they can't repent,
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is that the real issue is they won't repent.
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Again, you know what?
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Don't even cater and coddle
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people that say I can't repent.
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Because again, you know what they've done?
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They've shifted the blame.
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You know what they're effectually saying?
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"I want to repent, if I could,
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I have a will to repent,
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I have a desire to repent,
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and I would if God would let me.
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He's the problem.
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He's not letting me repent.
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I would. My intention is good.
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God is bad."
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Now they won't say it that way,
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but that's really what they mean.
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That's really what they're saying.
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Listen, the Bible says repent.
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(from the room - inaudible)
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That's what it is. Guarantee it.
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What they're saying is,
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God won't take me on my terms.
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They're saying I want to
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manufacture repentance of my own making.
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I'm not willing to turn from everything.
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And in fact, a lot of times,
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it's just a self-righteousness
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where they're trying to work out a repentance,
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they're trying to make God save them.
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Rather than when Peter is sinking,
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it's just, "Lord, help!"
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Rather than just in utter helplessness
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crying out to Christ,
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they don't feel utterly helpless.
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They're like, ok, I'm going to clean my life up.
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Look Lord. Look what I've done.
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I've tried to make myself pretty.
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And He's not saving me.
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Look at these things I've given up.
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Sometimes what they're not giving up
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is their own self-righteousness.
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They want to manipulate God.
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They want to make God their debtor.
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In other words, they want to put God in a place
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where He has to save them,
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rather than coming absolutely helpless,
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absolutely hopeless,
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and just crying out for help,
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falling totally incapacitated into His hands.
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Man is bent on offering something.
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And don't you believe it -
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I know it's hard.
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It's hard as a pastor.
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You get the people coming to you.
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You were one of them.
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You get these people coming to you,
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and they're all distressed and
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sometimes they're in tears
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and they're so frustrated.
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"I'm trying to repent, but I can't."
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It can get the person that's trying to
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minister to the person
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feeling frustrated with God.
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Like, Lord, they want to and You're not doing this.
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And see you don't want to let the sinner turn...
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because I'll tell you this,
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look, this does not conflict with God's sovereignty at all.
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Is it God's desire that men repent?
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Yes.
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How do I know?
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Because He commanded all men
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everywhere to repent.
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If He commanded them everywhere to repent,
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then it's His desire that they repent.
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And the fact is,
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what can I say to the sinner?
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I repented.
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So, it's possible.
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I want you to repent.
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God commands you to repent.
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He wants you to repent.
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Jesus Christ came preaching, "Repent."
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He wants you to repent.
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And the Spirit of God inspired the Word.
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Over and over it says to repent.
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Certainly, He wants you to repent.
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The fact is the Trinity calls upon man to repent.
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I'm calling upon you to repent.
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Many people here have repented.
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And you're telling me you can't.
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What I'm telling you is you won't.
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The real problem is the sinner won't.
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And I guarantee you every single time,
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you can trace it back to self-righteousness.
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Always.