In this sermon, Pastor Bobby Johnson passionately speaks about the importance of repentance as the command of God. He expresses his concern for the state of America and the world, particularly in light of a recent decision made by the Supreme Court. Pastor Johnson believes that unless there is a collective repentance and turning to God, judgment will befall the nation and the world. He acknowledges the troubled state of the world, filled with turmoil, immorality, and hatred, but also holds onto hope for pockets of revival in America.

Welcome to from the pulpit. Each week, we bring you a different message from some of history's greatest speakers in the Christian faith and powerful summons from modern preachers to this week. We have Bobby Johnson with his message. Repentance is the command of God. If this happened to be the last sermon that I ever preached, this would be the sermon that I would want to preach. Acts, Acts, chapter 17, verse 22, Acts, chapter 17, verse 22. Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said, You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious, superstitious. For as I pass by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God. That's who America is serving today. Whom, therefore, you ignorantly worship him, declare I unto you, God, that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Neither is worshiped with men's hands as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things, and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation. That they should seek the Lord, if happily they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. God's right here right now. For in him we live and move and have our being, as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring. For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like under gold or silver or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance, God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent because he hath appointed a day into 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. We're going to preach for a while. Repentance is the command of God. And we're going to cry grace to those sins that stand in our path, like the rushing of a mighty wind. Like the rushing of a mighty wind. Like the rushing of a mighty wind. Come and fill our hearts again. Lord, like the rushing of a mighty wind. Yes, yes. You may go to your seat. From the earliest existence of humankind, there has been an inexcusable tendency toward wickedness. Uncleanness, debauchery, immorality have seemingly been the order of the day. Jealousy, hatred, and bloodshed have and were in operation in the very first family, and these characteristics have continued throughout every generation to the present day in which we are living. We are all aware that we are now living in a very, very troubled world. Turmoil, stress, anger, immorality, perversion, anxiety, distrust, malice, and hatred cover the entire world. Fears in the national and international area and arena are no secret. In fact, nations are public in their acknowledgment of fear and hatred of each other. Iran hates Israel. Iran hates Iraq. Iran hates the United States. Iran hates the rest of the world. Israel cannot stand Iran because Iran says we're going to wipe you off of the face of the earth. Let me just put a PS right here. I've got news for Iran. You're barking up the wrong tree, sonny boy. You're barking up the wrong tree. For this reason, there is a race on in the preparation of implementation of warfare, bombs, nuclear warheads. That's why Iran wants a nuclear bomb, and that's why Israel is saying no. And the United States leadership is lying out our teeth when we're telling, and the president is telling what he's saying. Folks, he's lying. He's just flat-lying. That's why ISIS is the enemy of the world, and especially the United States. ISIS is demon-possessed. Ability to kill the greatest number of people in the shortest time seems to be the ultimate goal. The horrible oppression of wicked men in high places have sent millions of people in search of peace and safety. You always know it's getting toward the close of the day when small men cast long shadows. From these troubled spots of the earth some enter America by way of the Golden Gate on the West Coast, others approaching on the East Seam by the Lady of Peace in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty. They stream by the millions across the unprotected border of the South. They come legally and they come illegally. They come because of the cartels, and they come because they want out of their situation. Some are so thrilled with the prospect of peace that they fall upon their faces in gratitude for their newfound security under the stars and stripes. But I've got news for them. There is no security under the stars and stripes anymore. Little does this troubled, riddled world know of the real peace and absolute security that is to be found by coming into the port of entry called repentance. Repentance will set you free. Repentance will deliver you. Repentance will give you joy. Repentance will give you absolute and total freedom. Repentance of which I speak is the act of turning evil to righteousness, changing one's mind, his purpose, and his choice. And there is absolutely no other way into God's favor and acceptance other than personal peace and repentance through Jesus Christ. You can't find it in drugs. You can't find it in alcohol. You can't find it in perversion. You can marry a thousand different people and never find peace until you repent. And what I say today Joel Osteen wouldn't say. And what I say today some of these folks in high places wouldn't say. But I'm telling you the truth. I'm telling you what this book says. It's not about finding a good parking place downtown. It's not about finding the best hotel in town. It's not about some favor here or some favor there. If you repent, if you come to Jesus, if you fall on your face before God and say, forgive me of my sin, that is the only way you're gonna make it. That's the only way you're gonna make it. There are some high, high-position preachers that need to come out and make a stand on same-sex marriages. Are you for it or are you against it? And then if they are for it, they need to repent. There is no such thing in our day as an adulterous Christian. There is no such thing as a lying Christian. There is no such thing as a stealing Christian. There is no such thing as a homosexual or lesbian Christian. There is no such thing as a drinking Christian. There is no such thing as a part-time Christian. There is no such thing as a perverted Christian. In the very early history of humankind, it is recorded in Genesis 6 6 and it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. The only way now for man to undo his wrong is to show God a penitent heart and say, Lord, forgive me of my sin. I'm sorry for what I have done. This is the reason that God tells everybody to repent. I know this message is a message that is not the popular thing to preach, but it is the message that will get you to heaven. You cannot get to heaven unless you repent. Period. Period. Forgive me of my sin. Let's look for a little while at the world leaders. The world leaders of today should follow the example of the King of Nineveh, who upon finding his dominion in immediate danger of judgment, arose from his throne, laid aside his robe, which signified his majestic position, superiority, and leadership, and he donned a coat of sackcloth and led his people in a march to the ashes of humility. His proclamation left no doubt in the minds of all of his people as to his desire as how what he said, listen, let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed nor drink water. He said, don't let the people, but don't even let the herds and don't even let the flocks eat anything or drink any water, but let every man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God, yea, let them turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hand. Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away his fierce anger that we perish not? Nineveh's danger as it was made known to them by the great prophet Jonah was that forty days it would be overthrown and they should perish. Sounds like America, sounds like the world of today. Oh God, would you let somebody repent and say forgive me of what I've done and turn from our wicked ways and call upon God Almighty. Call upon God Almighty. July 26, 2015 will live as a day of infamy, a day of disgrace when five judges of now the infamous Supreme Court can make a decision. They're not even elected by anybody. They're appointed by some liberal president and now they're making a decision on the rest of our lives. God help their souls. God help their souls. America and the rest of the world stands in peril of terrible judgment unless God can see in our attitude a feeling of obligation to him and a desire to serve him. I believe there will be pockets of revival in America in the last days, but I believe America has taken the train too far down the track to turn it around now. Because the majority of the people do not want to turn it around. Folks, we are, I'm praying somebody listen. Will somebody sound an alarm? I'm not trying to be an alarmist, I'm just telling you what it is. I'm too far down the track to tell you any lies. I'm too far down the track to tell you something that's wrong. I'm trying to tell it. Will somebody listen? It's like the Titanic. No one would listen. No one. They were playing their cards, they were dancing, they were having a gala affair, they were having a wonderful time until that ship that struck that iceberg did the only thing you can say about it, it did the only thing it was not supposed to do. It sank. It sank. It sank. I preached my heart out for years and years in this church and I'm praying God will somebody listen. I'm preaching. At times I look back and some folks in the choir are sound asleep. I look back here and some are sound asleep. I'm saying oh God will somebody listen to what I'm saying. Listen to the Word of God. It's like the folks in the Roaring Twenties. I heard on television they were bringing back a big affair in the Roaring Twenties where they're having affair to relate back to that. The Roaring Twenties everybody had a wonderful time. They were dancing, they were drinking, they were doing everything that their whole heart desired to do until suddenly there was a crash. Suddenly the whole world came apart. Suddenly everything fell apart around them. I'm just saying wake up before the day. Wake up before the time. We are living in a day when our financial system is about to, it is free-falling. Within the last two months our stock market has fallen almost 2,000 points, 530 points in one day Friday, 330 points in two days just a little before then and seems to be in a free-fall and everybody's wondering what is going to happen on September the 13th when they say this thing is just about to crash. We're looking for, I can tell you judgment is coming. Listen to me, hear me. Judgment is coming. China is just about to have her yuan devalued, placed on the market. When it does, America's dollar from a financial standpoint, from financial advisors, from financial experts, the dollar could literally crash to nothing. Go to the euro, our dollar would be meaningless. What you have in your 401k's, your 403b's, all of the other could be zero. You hear me? I'm telling you, I'm telling you like it is. Could be zero. You say you're trying to scare me. I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just trying to tell you what could happen. America could crash within, I am told from high authorities, America could crash within the next 30 days. Within the next 30 days. And we sit here and have a wonderful time like we're going to live forever and everything is going to fade off into the sunset and everybody's going to be wonderful. It's time for America to repent and say as that king in Nineveh, perhaps God would turn his anger from us if we repented. Jonah said you're going to die, you're going to be overtaken, you're going to be overthrown in 40 days unless you repent. And then Jonah got mad because they did repent and God smiled upon them. I still believe God will smile upon those who will repent and say, God forgive us of our sins and our iniquities and our wrongs and let us live for righteousness and purity and holiness in the Holy Spirit and by the Word of Almighty God. We are living on the brink of disaster. You say, you preach, you know what you're talking about. Say on, say what you want to, I'm just telling you like it is. Out of the evil imaginations of humankind have come to devices that can easily annihilate. Whatever it is permitted to strike and reproduce the scenes of Sodom and Gomorrah where righteousness and decency had no place, had no place. If God would not tolerate evil in the times past, is there any reason to expect him to be more lenient today? Repentance saved Nineveh and Sodom and Gomorrah were annihilated for the lack of penitence. Somebody here knows that it would be a wonderful, miraculous thing for every world leader, president, emperor, prime minister, king or queen, and dictator to lose sight of their lofty positions long enough to repent of their sins and turn to the King of Kings. There would be leading nations that would cry out unto God if the president of the United States, if Mr. Obama would turn to God instead of Islam, if Mr. Obama would turn to God instead of the world and the enemy, and cry out to God and call upon this nation to repent and return to God, no telling what would happen in America. No telling. He's more in love with Islam than he is Christianity. And God help us. God help this nation. We weren't founded on that kind of irresponsibility. We weren't founded on that kind of leadership that led America away from God rather than to God. This might be my last sermon that I ever get to preach, but let me tell you from my heart, America needs to repent. Our president needs to repent. The Supreme Court needs to repent. Our congressmen need to repent. We're headed on a slippery slope. We're headed on a downhill slide into hell. Unless something happens and America must repent, the church must repent, and families must repent, and we must cry out to God. Oh God, save us before it is too late. Save us before it is too late. If you're taking medicine, you can leave. It's 8 minutes after 11, but I'm going to tell you something this morning. We would immediately have a revival. We could beat our swords and our weapons into plowshares, our spears into pruning hooks. This world would immediately take care of the problem with Iran. We've been lied to like a dog about that. Let me tell you something, folks. We're marching down a road toward the slaughterhouse if the Congress does not repeal that horrible, horrible treaty. Do you hear me? Do you hear me? We're marching. We're marching down the road toward the slaughterhouse. But nobody's listening. Iraq, Syria, China, Korea, Afghanistan, all the other conflicts between nations could be solved with repentance, with repentance. Let's look at the church, the church in this perilous day would do well to take inventory and find its shortages so that a great impact might be made upon the world. The church is never going to make an impact upon the world acting like the world. We are never going to make an impact upon the world singing songs like the world. We're never going to make an impact upon the world coming to church and living and acting and doing just like the world. The church needs to be stronger today than ever before. The church cannot be afraid. The church cannot retreat. The church cannot feel inferior. When the church is her weakest, that's when she is the strongest, because she realizes that it is not by might nor by power but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. When the church quits trying to see how much wine she can drink and still be saved, when the church quits trying to see how much she can gamble and still be saved, when the church quits trying to see how nude she can be and still be saved, when the church quits trying to see how sugary she can be and realize she is supposed to be the salt, when the church quits trying to pacify every little worldly desire of every carnal church member, when the church quits trying to coddle up to the devil's crowd, when the church quits trying to play both sides against the middle and realize that it's either one side or the other, when the church quits trying to reduce her operation from amazement to amusement and make God's house a place of social benefits and worldly attire and worldly disrespect, when the church quits trying to fraternize with Baal's crowd and realize she must be set apart, when the church finally realizes that the Supreme Court and or the President established a church that is built on the Rock of Ages, only then will she realize that she can be an impact in our society and change this world by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. My, my, we need to be impressed with the fact that the burning bush of divine calling must be made to blaze again, so that the wonder at the backside of the desert can be called and sent forth on his or her way to the promised land. The bush is still burning and the fire is still there. All I have to do is get close to it. All I have to do is let it consume me and let me be blazed with the power of Pentecost. Oh God, let the world know that repentance is our only way for an answer. In a situation we find ourselves, this is the time for the church to shine as never before. This is not, not, I said this is not, capitalize it, not, underline it, bull print it, not the time for the church to hide. We've hid long enough. We sat there long enough and let the world just take over. We sat here long enough and said, just do what you want to do. We've been so concerned about little nitpicky things that don't matter and five years, one year, one month, one week from now you won't even be thinking about it. We better get down to serious business of right and wrong and repentance and say, God forgive me of all of the things I've done and let me, I'm preaching today to church members. I'm not talking just to sinners. I'm talking to all of us. We need to say, God, look way down in the recesses of my heart, way back down in the deepest, deepest part, that secret corner and that secret passage and let me weed everything out and let me get everything out that's unlike you and let me crawl over and fall on my face and cry out to God almighty. This is the time for the church to be front and center. This is the time for the church to shine. This is the time for the church to stand tall. This is the time for the church to do what she always has done. It's time for the church to sing as she's never sung before. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. It's time for the church to sing as we did this morning. Shades in the twinkling of an eye. It's time for the church to sing. I'm on my way to heaven. I'm bound for the promised land. I said, it's time for the church to get on their feet and declare who she is. She's heir of God and adjoined heir of Jesus. We've had every Tom, Dick and Harry come by and we followed everything they've said because they might have had a little money or they might have had a little prestige or they might have had a little this or a little that. I'm just telling you what the Word says. But now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Repent. I cry out to God. Forgive me today. Forgive me today. I'll be anything that I've done wrong. Forgive me today. Look deep inside, oh God, and everything that's everything that would be wrong, anything that's crossfire, anything that's cross-threaded, anything that's not right. Take it out, oh God, and put a song in my heart. I can tell you, church, you may be going through the dark hours and we may be persecuted and we may be laughed at and scorned and mocked. But that's when you sing anyhow. Paul and Silas in the midnight hour, when everything was wrong, they'd been beaten, they'd been ridiculed, they'd been scorned, they'd been put in stocks and bonds. But Paul said, Silas, I may be crazy and you may think I've lost my mind, but I've got a song down in my heart in this midnight hour. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His holy name. Somebody needs to sing your song in the face of the enemy, in the face of Satan, in the face of the world, in the face of your problems. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. My. My, my, my. Let me tell you, lack of repentance will steal your song. Lack of repentance will steal your victory. Lack of repentance will steal your joy. But when you repent, you can have a song in the midnight hour. When you repent, you feel the love of God that flows like a river and the peace of God that bubbles like a fountain. Oh God, this is the time for the church to sing in the face of it all. The reason this world's in a mess is because we got today tele, tele, mega television evangelists who aren't telling the truth. You can soft-soap it if you want to. Tell the truth. Tell the truth. I beg every preacher that's listening to me, if there's any preacher that wants to listen, I beg you to tell the truth. I beg you to stand in your pulpit and tell them, you must repent. There's only one way to heaven, and that's through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. You must repent. You must repent. You must repent. There's only one way. There's only one way. There's only one way. I want to fall on my face and say, Lord, everything that's within me that's wrong, clean it out, cleanse me, purify me, wash me whiter than the driven snow. There comes a time when God laughed at it, but now he says, you need to repent. It's not fun and games anymore. No, no. It's serious business. We're down to the wire. We're down to the end. This nation is crumbling. This nation is crumbling. I told you the financial part of it, and yet I just hit the highlights. I'm telling you, if you knew the inside, and I just know the highlights, but if we really knew the inside, there would not a one of us in this room that right now would not stand to our feet and run to this altar. Run to this altar and say, God help us. God help us. God help us. God help us. China owns us right now, and when they come into this mix within the next month, they have already been approved to do so, only God knows what will happen. Only God knows what will happen, but it's time in the face of it all for the church to sing it out, sing as she's never sung before. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunge beneath the flood, lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains. At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by faith. I received my sight, and now I'm happy all the day. It's time for the church to cry out to God, Lord, forgive us of our inactivity, forgive us of our apathy, forgive us of the things that we have just laid back and let ride on. I credit the church for not standing up. We should have stood up in the face of the enemy, in the face of the politicians, and told them, we will not put you in office if you let them take prayer out of the school. We will not stand and let you go in office if you take Bible reading out of the school. We will not put you in office. We could list a long line and say, do you agree with these? If you don't, we're not voting for you. And it's time, you know, you say you're going to lose your tax status for this or that or the other. I'm talking about moral issues. I'm talking about issues from the Word of God. I'm not talking about whether you're, as I said Wednesday night, whether you're a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or Ignorant. It doesn't make any difference. I'm just talking about the Word of God, what it says you need to repent. You can't lie and get to heaven. You have to repent. I'm halfway through, but stand your feet across this room. Come back here. There is a fountain filled with blood. Draw up Emmanuel Faines. God's in this room this morning. God's in this room. The Holy Spirit is calling men and women, He said everywhere, but I now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. To repent. This should be an easy altar call. I don't care whether you've been saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost, and standing in the way for 50 years. I don't care whether you've just been saved. I don't care what position you find yourself. I call for this entire congregation to repent. Lord, I'll lead the pack. I'll lead you. Lord, forgive me for anything. I say it publicly, I say it privately, Lord, forgive me for anything that's unlike you. Forgive me for anything that's hidden in the recesses of my heart. Folks, the choir is singing. Signs are everywhere. He's coming. He's coming. He's coming. There is a fountain filled with blood this morning. I want you to come one and all. I know we can't all kneel, but you can come stand from one side to the other down these aisles and shut yourself in with God and say, Lord, I stand in your presence today, and I ask you, I repent of anything. I repent of anything that's unlike you. I repent of anything. I plunge beneath that flood. I plunge beneath that flood. It's a solemn assembly. It's a solemn time when the priest fell between the porch and the pillars and began to cry out to God. You've been listening to From the Pulpit. This week you heard Bobby Johnson with his message, Repentance is the Command of God. Tune in next week for another powerful message from God's Word on From the Pulpit. This week on From the Pulpit, you heard Bobby Johnson. This sermon on From the Pulpit was preached Sunday, August 23rd. The pastor, Bobby Johnson, spoke from his heart. If this would be my last sermon to the church, here's what I'd say. Pastor Johnson passed into eternity only hours later in his sleep.