No. 25 - ARE YOU CRYING YET? By: John J. Blanchard Saturday, October 12, 2002 What does it take to make a human being cry? When we were young, it did not take too much. We used to call them a booboo. A scratch, a cut or the stubbing of one’s toe was enough to make us cry. Perhaps a broken new toy that you used for a few minutes would bring tears. Even something as small as dropping your ice cream cone in the dirt was enough to make us cry. Then we became a youth. It took a little bit more. Perhaps cruel jokes would make us cry or the rejection of our friends and peers. Unfair treatment by adults either our parents, a school teacher or someone else in authority could make us cry. Then we reached adulthood. By the time we are adults, most of us need more to make us cry. Maybe it is a broken engagement, the loss of our job, the loss of livelihood, marriage trouble or even worse divorce. Perhaps injury to a loved one or our children or injury to our spouse could cause us to cry. Often, unfortunately with human beings, we become increasingly hardened throughout life. It takes more to make us cry. It takes more for us to be affected and sometimes because of that we miss some very important points in life. Some of those points we are to learn come from God. We learn by suffering. If you would, turn to Hebrews chapter 2. We will see that we can learn from Christ, and as the body of Christ, that it is important to suffer. SUFFERING HELPS US BECOME PERFECT Hebrews chapter 2, verse 10: “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren...” It was important for Christ to suffer so that, first of all, we could have confidence that He understands what the human condition is like, and second of all, for Him to establish that He really is perfect. If we are the body of Christ, the same is true for us. Suffering can help us learn to be more perfect. If you would now, go to James chapter 5. We will read verses 9-11. By the suffering of the prophets, we should learn that our Lord was merciful and compassionate. We should suffer right along with them and we are to grow to perfection. In other words, we are to bear the same burdens that they bore and suffer the same persecutions that they suffered. Go now, if you would, to I Peter chapter 2. We will read verses 18-21. Christ suffered and He gave us an example that we are, or should be as part of His body, willing to suffer as well. We should suffer for taking things wrongfully directed at us. This is commendable before God. So what is it that we are to learn by suffering? Why is suffering so important? We can find in the scriptures that the concept does not change just like Christ never changes. Go to Matthew chapter 5. Indeed suffering is important. Suffering helps us to humble ourselves and not to think too highly of ourselves. We will read Matthew chapter 5, verses 1-5. Dropping down to verse 11 we read: “‘Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’” SUFFERING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE SHOWS AN ATTITUDE OF SERVICE So God says when we develop a poor spirit (a humble attitude), when we mourn which means saddened (suffering causes sadness) and when we are persecuted and take it and suffer for righteousness sake, this is very pleasing to God for it shows an attitude of service. It shows an attitude of love for others. If you would, go to I Corinthians chapter 13, which is the love chapter. We will read verses 1-4. Notice love suffers long. It bears under burdens a long time. It does not lash out. We are to learn and bear persecutions like Christ did. He did not lash out. He knew what His purpose was. We are the body of Christ. His purpose is our purpose. Go, if you would, to Micah chapter 6, starting in verse 6. “With what shall I come before the Lord...” That is a good question, especially when we are thinking about suffering. “...and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Taking suffering and persecution properly helps us become humble. It helps us to love those things and cherish those things as we saw in Matthew 5 that God dearly wants to develop in His people. Unfortunately, it takes pain and suffering to grow those attributes and those Godly characteristics. IF WE SUFFER WITH A WRONG ATTITUDE, IT PROFITS US NOTHING Christ suffered so He would know what it felt like and so He would have the empathy for creation that He helped make. He suffered to make sure He was perfect. How can the body of Christ say we do not need it? How can the body of Christ say we need not suffer? How can we say we need no pain for we know everything? It is ridiculous! If our Savior and King suffered, He said you will suffer also, but learn by it. Do not foolishly suffer deserving what you are receiving for then it profits us nothing. That is why we could actually give our bodies to be burned! We could actually allow ourselves to be martyred if we have not love, humility and compassion for others! It profits us nothing! That would, indeed, be a waste. In Christ’s example, going back to the title of the sermon, “Are You Crying Yet?” Christ felt sympathy for mankind. He felt tremendous sympathy. He had tremendous empathy. We know and cannot deny that since He lived in a human body for 33 1/2 years He knew what it was to suffer. He knew what it was like to feel pain, hunger, feel affliction, to be persecuted, to be murdered. He knows. We cannot fool ourselves into saying that we do not have a God who understands. That God had tremendous empathy for those who suffer on this earth. JESUS CHRIST FEELS OUR PAIN Turn, if you would, to John chapter 11, verse 28. It is the story of Lazarus “And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, ‘The Teacher has come and is calling for you.’ As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.” This is after Lazarus had died. Verse 30: “Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, ‘She is going to the tomb to weep there.’” Mary was deeply distressed and saddened because of the loss of Lazarus. Verse 32: “Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’” This was a woman in tremendous agony and distress at the loss of a brother she loved. Verse 33: “Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept.” Jesus groaned at the suffering that mankind goes through and was saddened and moved to pity. He wept real tears! They were not fake. He really was saddened. Verse 36: “Then the Jews said, ‘See how He loved him!’ And some of them said, ‘Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?’” Certainly He could have, but it was for a greater purpose. Just the fact that He knew He was going to resurrect Lazarus, He was still sad for the pain that the sisters and friends of Lazarus had suffered. That is how much Jesus feels our pain. Go to Luke chapter 19. We will read verse 41-44 where Christ is speaking. When Christ came to Jerusalem, He knew the future of that city in part because they would reject Him. He knew the pain and the suffering that city would endure and He wept! He was extremely saddened by that. He did not want that to happen. CHRIST DISPLAYED EMPATHY AND SHOULD BE AN EXAMPLE FOR US TO DEMONSTRATE EMPATHY We must learn to personify this attitude. The Church of God, you and I, must learn empathy. We must make sure whatever sufferings we endure in this life are not wasted. What an awful thing to become so hardened that suffering is wasted and we learn nothing by it. Let us take a moment and hold a mirror up to ourselves so we can see what we are really like. Turn to James chapter 1 if you would. We will start in verse 21 and read to verse 24. So we are going to hold up a mirror to ourselves and we do not want to forget what we see in that mirror. Continuing in verse 25: “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” There is a lot in those verses. We cannot even take the time to examine it all. The basic principle of looking in the mirror and seeing us for what we really are and then leaving that mirror and remembering what we saw, is the thing we want to focus on right now. QUESTION NUMBER ONE Let us ask ourselves some questions and hold that mirror up. First question: Do we hate injustice? Worse yet, are we unjust? Now when we look at the mirror and we ask ourselves that question, let us take it seriously. Do this with all spiritual intent and wanting to know from God what He sees when He looks at us. Ask Him to help us see so we see what He does. Then remember it. Psalm chapter 82, starting in verse 1: “God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. How long will you judge unjustly...” He is talking to His Church, His people. “...and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked.” God wants to know how long are we going to tolerate injustice. The poor and the needy are physical and spiritual. There are spiritually needy people out there. Go to Isaiah chapter 9 please. Isaiah chapter 9, verse 7: “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” This is speaking of Jesus Christ. “Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” All of us want to serve Jesus Christ in that government forever, that government that will increase for eternity; and in that government, judgment and justice will reign. Fair justice will reign! Turn to Isaiah chapter 59. Do we say, “Me unjust? Me unfair? I hate injustice. I would not be unjust”. Let us not be so hasty. Let us really look in that mirror and see what God is talking about. Is He talking about being in a court of law before a man, a judge, on this earth or being part of a jury? No! It goes way beyond that, brethren! Let us read Isaiah 59:4-5. Let us keep in mind, brethren, the Bible is written to the Church. The world cannot be held to the standards we are held to. Continuing in verse 6-8. Can this be talking about us? No, certainly not! Do not jump to conclusions. Continuing in verse 9 to verse 11. Who is looking for salvation? The Church! Continuing in verse 12 of Isaiah 59: “For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them: in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing from our God...” (this is the Church) “...speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.” Who understands the truth, brethren? The Church understands truth! Have we not, as a body, as a group departed from the truth? I ask this thinking of all the little groups as the Church, the body of Christ. Has justice not fallen in the streets? Of course it has. You will see as we ask ourselves these questions, just how much this is the case. Yes, God’s Church is hiding its head in the sand. God’s Church is fooling itself very often because we refuse to call a spade a spade. We refuse to look in the mirror and see for ourselves what it is God is so angry about even though His words express it very well to us in the scriptures. Let us see, could we be unjust? Remember we read earlier judgment and justice go together. Let us turn to Matthew chapter 7 and read verses 1-6. Because if we judge harshly, God has no choice but to judge us harshly! If we judge harshly and we do not want to be judged harshly, we are hypocrites! This applies to the Church. How do we dispense justice? How do we judge one another? Luke chapter 6, please, and verse 37. “‘Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.’ And He spoke a parable to them: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?’” Verse 42: “‘Or how can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye.” when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.’” We have a situation here that when we do not handle judgment well, when we judge harshly, God will have to judge us harshly but another problem arises. We are blind! How well do you or I see when there is a sliver in our eye? I have had slivers in my eye. With them I cannot see a thing. I shut my eye. It is very painful. I have had metal slivers and wood slivers in my eye. It is very, very difficult to see. So when we judge our brother harshly, we are hypocrites and we are blinding ourselves. That is why I ask are we unjust? Because we could be unjust and not even know it! QUESTION NUMBER TWO My second question is are we merciful? Turn to Matthew chapter 5, verse 7: “‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.’” Remember, with the measure we use it is measured back to us. If we have no mercy, why would we expect mercy? It does not happen that way. Luke chapter 6, verse 35: “‘But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.’” If we want to emulate God, we say we want to be part of the body of Christ, we better learn to be merciful. God loves those people out there who are deceived. Even in their sins yet who have not received Christ. God loves them. Do we? Are we merciful toward the world? Do we judge them harshly as well? If you would, please, go to Psalm 18, verse 25: “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless.” Once again, brethren, if we want mercy, (we all want mercy) let us measure it out in large quantities towards others. Do not judge harshly. Let us be merciful and compassionate. If we are not, we have the Jonah syndrome! We are just like Jonah. Turn to Jonah and read what God had to say to Jonah. Jonah I think, in some ways, is a very good example for us in the Church today. I see lots of evidence of the Jonah complex in the body of Christ. God is not very happy with that. Jonah was very harsh in his judgment toward the world even though he knew God was not that way! We all profess that God, Jesus Christ, is merciful and kind. I hear that from the Church in different Church groups all the time. What a loving God we have. Then I hear the harshest terms used for the world that you could even imagine. I hear every sort of condemnation. It is terrible, brethren. Let us read what God had to say about people with the Jonah complex. I say “people” because these words are good for doctrine, correction, reproof and for growth in righteousness. Let us not think that God was just writing these words to Jonah. Jonah chapter 4, starting in verse 1: “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.” This was after Nineveh was not destroyed. Verse 2: “So he prayed to the Lord, and said, ‘Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness. One who relents from doing harm.’” Jonah admits I knew you were a nice guy God! Doesn’t the Church admit that God is nice, God is kind and God is merciful? I have heard that in many a sermon over the years. Let us continue in verse 3: “‘Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!’ Then the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.” Jonah wanted a front-row seat. Let us see if Nineveh gets smashed! Let us see if fire comes down from heaven and wipes out these people! Jonah chapter 4, verse 6: “And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself and said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’ Then God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?’ And he said, ‘It is right for me to be angry , even to death!’” Can you imagine that attitude? I think of the Church and I think of an east wind coming when Jesus Christ returns out of the east. I wonder sometimes is this more than just an analogy? Or was this a prophecy? It could be a sermon subject in itself. Continuing in verse 10: “But the Lord said, ‘You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left and much livestock?’” I ask you, there are six and a half billion people in the world and much livestock, do we want front-row seats for their destruction? Or would we like to see God save them? Then I ask, do we love justice or are we unjust? Does that world know what they are doing or do they not know their right hand from their left hand? Are we holding up a yardstick and a measure that they cannot attain because they do not have the Holy Spirit? If the shoe fits, brethren, let’s wear it because we are looking in a mirror, remember? If we have that quality about us, let us acknowledge it and do something about it. Yes, without justice and without mercy we are very much the hypocrite. Do we love justice and do we love mercy? Let us follow Christ’s example. Before we go to the next question, let us read a couple more scriptures just to nail this point home. Luke chapter 9. A lot of us hide our heads in the sand and will not look in a mirror and acknowledge our true character. We say, oh, we would never be like Jonah. No, no, no, I would never be like Jonah! Luke chapter 9, starting in verse 51: “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.” This is Christ on His way to Jerusalem with the apostles. “And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.” In other words, the people were not nice to Him in this Samaritan village. They were rejecting Christ. They were not very hospitable. “And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’” Verse 55: “But He turned and rebuked them and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’ And they went to another village.” Do we look around the world and say, “You know the world thumbs their nose at God? They have rejected the Sabbath. They do not keep the holy days like we do. Let them get fried!” These are the people who in some cases cannot even read! They have never seen a Bible. If they have seen a Bible, they are deceived and confused. They do not know their right hand from their left. I say, with that attitude, we are self-righteous hypocrites! We do not really know what manner of spirit we are of. Then we fall into the category of Revelation chapter 3. Turn, if you would, to Revelation chapter 3, starting in verse 16. This is Jesus Christ talking to the Laodicean Church, the era that we now live in. “‘So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.’” Brethren, I am saying that with the hypocrisy of injustice and lack of mercy in the Church, with harsh judgment, we are blind! We are naked! We do not know it! We are talking about a spiritual condition here, and God wants to give us spiritual gold, spiritual riches and spiritual good raiment. How we judge is going to determine how much mercy we receive. Christ tells us, how you measure it will be measured back to you. If we want mercy, love and compassion then we better be more advanced than John and James in Luke 9 at that time wanting to call down fire upon people who do not know their right hand from their left hand. Laodicea means “judgment of the people”. I cannot think of a better term, a better name for this era of God’s Church. Judgment as run amuck in God’s Church. We judge and we judge harshly of one another, different groups, different ministers and the different people. Then we judge the world harshly. Let us all look in the mirror and admit it. Stop hiding our heads in the sand and be willing to call a spade a spade. Put our name there. It takes a little bit of courage. God wants to see a little bit of courage in this day and age. He does not want to see a bunch of people go hide their heads in the sand like an ostrich. QUESTION NUMBER THREE My third question is do we forgive? Turn, if you would, to Matthew. I have seen in this Church, and I mean the greater body of Christ, an unwillingness to forgive and a great willingness to carry grudges to extremes. It is an awful condition we have in the Church! Matthew chapter 11, starting in verse 25: “At that time Jesus answered and said, ‘I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’” Brethren, I ask a question. When we are hard hearted, judge harshly, have very little mercy within us and we cannot forgive one another, how can we say we are like Christ who is lowly in heart and gentle? This is God speaking. He is lowly in heart and gentle. Are we a burden to the world or are we to help the world? What are we here for, brethren? Turn to Matthew chapter 6, verse 9: “‘In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’” God says pray that you will be forgiven as you forgive. That is a scary thought, brethren! How forgiving are we? Let us hold that mirror up and look. Now let us go to Mark chapter 11. Mark chapter 11, verse 25: “‘And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your father in heaven forgive your trespasses.’” That is serious! If we do not forgive, we cannot be forgiven! It is one of God’s rules. He wants the body of Christ to reflect His character. Let us remember that. Let us ask ourselves, do we forgive? QUESTION NUMBER FOUR My fourth question is do we accuse? We often hear Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Brethren, do we know how we have accused the brethren within the body of Christ? There are countless articles, sermons, newspaper articles and clippings out there published by different groups in the Church full of judgment and accusation! It is brother to brother, sister to sister, minister to minister, group to group. We know Satan is the accuser. So who is behind all of this accusing? Think about that for a moment. Let us go to Revelation chapter 12, starting in verse 10: “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’” Satan has been accusing our brethren day and night since Christ has had brethren on this earth all the way back to Adam and Eve. Let us go back to what is considered the oldest book in the Bible, Job. Let us read Job chapter 1, starting in verse 6 where a group of angels went before God, and we will read to verse 12. Nothing has changed, brethren! Satan accuses us before God day and night. He is looking for what is wrong with us. Why do we give him so much to accuse us of rightly? We should be working with Christ. We should be allowing Him within us to change our character and get rid of these harsh qualities. We should be reflecting the love of Jesus Christ. Or else we can end up in a real bad situation, brethren. Go to Jude starting in verse 5: “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” Now the Book of the Bible is written to the Church. We have all been called out of spiritual Egypt and Babylon and we know that. Let us not forget our heritage. When they did not believe when they came out of Egypt, they were destroyed. Could that happen to us? If we stay in the attitude of accusation, it certainly can! Verse 6 of Jude: “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries.” That term “dignitaries” actually is “glorious ones”. Anybody in the body of Christ, as a potential son of God, will be glorious. We have the glory of God dwelling within us now. Let us be careful how we talk about the body of Christ! Verse 9: “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” Look at the difference between Satan and Michael. We saw in Job Satan is an accuser. He always has been since he went bad. Michael, a loyal angel, is not an accuser. Let us look in the body of Christ. Are we loyal to the body of Christ and Jesus Christ? Or have we fallen for Satan deception and become accusers? Continuing in verse 10 Jude: “But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts...” This is going back to the people within the Church who do not believe. “...in these things they corrupt themselves.” Continuing in verses 11-12. Brethren, we do not want that to happen to us! One of the surest ways to let that happen is to become an accuser, a merciless accuser of the brethren. Let us not become a harsh judge of the brethren and, indeed, the world. Let us be careful. Michael would not go there. Let us not go there. QUESTION NUMBER FIVE My fifth question is do we oppress? Are we oppressors? Before one answers too hastily, we must think. Turn back now to Ezekiel 34, starting in verse 1: “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, “Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?’”’” Let us pause there just a moment. I have heard many ministers in the different groups of God say this pertains to the Protestant churches; this is the Catholic Church; this is everybody else. Then you will hear another sermon on another date that says the Bible is written to the Church? The Church better look at itself in the mirror. God is concerned about His flock here in Ezekiel 34, and His flock is not ruled over by ministers out of the body of Christ! So let us stop hiding from the truth, stop putting our head in the sand as it were and be afraid to look in the mirror. Continuing in verse 3 of Ezekiel 34: “‘You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.’” Brethren, in too many of the groups today, this is true, abundantly true! People are ruled over with the rod of government cruelty and harshly while the sick and the scattered do not get sought. I could tell you many stories and you probably all know some yourselves of brethren kicked out of different groups or brethren lost and confused. They are called the stay-at-home church and self-righteously pointed out as “bad people”. They label them “people who have let Christ down”. When actually they are hurting people in many cases. They are hungry and in need of help. Who is going after them, who is helping them? They are judged harshly just like we read earlier and that leads to blindness. Continuing in verse 5: “‘So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.’ Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and did not feed My flock’ therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.’” This is God’s Church, scattered, driven away, used to support shepherds who use them as an income to do whatever work they proclaim is their work while trampling on the sheep! Let us stop hiding from the truth! We need to look in the mirror, examine the situation and see if the shoe fits. If the shoe fits, take it off! Let us put on some righteous footwear, some righteous garments. Continue in verse 16 of Ezekiel 34 because I have also heard a lot of brethren point to the ministers and blame them for everything. God has a lot to say about the entire Church today. We are all Laodicean. We all live in the Laodicean era. Verse 16: “‘I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment. And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet?”’” God is taking to task all the people. Yes, there are some people who have survived the apostasy up until now, hung on to the Sabbaths and the truths, eating in decent pasture and condemning all of their other brothers and sisters who have not made it so far. They are condemning their brothers and sisters in other groups. God says you cannot do that! Continuing on in verse 19: “‘And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.’” In other words, they are not giving good food to the brethren who are spiritually starving, but they are just taking care of themselves. Verse 20: “‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them - My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.”’” Brethren, I ask how many of us, just people in the Church, have become rams pushing the others away from the truth, repelling the brethren and lording it over them? How many set themselves up to be ministers? That is very common today. It is very common for a strong individual within a congregation or little group to use their power, knowledge and intellect, whatever it is, to abuse the sheep around them. So before we hastily point our fingers at ministry, we need to all look at each other. Have we been part of the problem? Examine that very carefully. Hold the mirror up ourselves and learn whether we have become what we despised. Have we become an oppressor? In the New Testament Christ also has some harsh words for people who oppress. Go to Matthew chapter 24. We will read verses 45-51. Brethren, this is serious! When Christ returns, He does not want to see His servants, including the ministry and the people who are all the servants of God, mistreating one another. If we are beating one another with our words and with our actions, slandering one another, accusing one another and oppressing one another, we are in deep trouble. If we are pushing people out of our congregations, disfellowshipping unnecessarily, ruining people’s reputations, putting things on the Internet that makes God’s Church look awful to the world, we are in deep trouble! We need to beg God for mercy or else we are a wicked servant beating God’s other servants. This is an important message to take to heart. Hold that mirror up and do not be afraid of what we see, because only when we know what we are like can we really do something about it. As long as we deny reality, we fool ourselves and deceive ourselves. That means we have fallen for Satan’s trap, the arch deceiver. The arch accuser has tricked us about our own selves, about the body of Christ! I am afraid right now the body of Christ has been tricked and deceived very badly. QUESTION NUMBER SIX The sixth question is do we pollute God’s Church and His temple? First of all I would like to examine the subject that we have talked about many times and that is our minds being the temple of God. Turn to I Corinthians chapter 3 and we will read verses 11-17. We are the temple of God. Once we have covenanted with God and received that Holy Spirit, we are where He dwells. So what do we let into our minds, brethren? What comes into our eyes and ears by our own allowance? In this world we cannot help but run up against wicked things by accident. That is bad enough. What do we allow in our spare time? What television programs do we watch? What music do we listen to? Which movies do we go see? What books and magazines do we like to read? What do we look at on the Internet? These are the things that enter our mind and defile our temple. So before we say, we do not pollute God’s temple and His Church, let us examine our lives. Let us look in the mirror and see what we are really like. I want to dwell on another aspect of pollution and that is our teachings. Let us dwell on our teachings and what we say. I Timothy chapter 3. There are other ways to pollute God’s temple. Let us read I Timothy 3:1-13, which opens up talking about the qualifications of an elder being spoken of here. Brethren, God says before someone should attain the position of elder or overseer or deacon, there are a lot of qualifications and tests that that individual must pass. I am afraid to say, but applying the principle of Ezekiel 34 within the Church of God today, there are many people setting themselves up as elders, as teachers. There are hundreds and hundreds of little flocks with sometimes a benevolent little dictator leading them and sometimes a very harsh and cruel person. Sometimes it is a man and sometimes it is a woman. The body of Christ has broken down in a terrible way today. Many people do not look at these scriptures. They set themselves up as teachers to the great harm of the body! This is something that we need to be very, very careful of. Yet throughout the Church today, we see these errors being fallen into time after time after time. It says it is a snare of the devil to fall into that. We must be very, very careful otherwise we end up polluting the temple. Go back to I Timothy chapter 2, starting in verse 8 to prove my point. “Therefore I desire that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for woman professing godliness, with good works. Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.” This is talking about elders. Remember we went straight into elders in chapter 3. I am not talking about women can never say anything knowledgeable or intelligible or teach anyone anything. It is in the position as an elder we are speaking of here. We have to keep this in context. Women are every bit as intellectually sound as men and can study the Bible just as well as men. So let us not get that confused because we see people way on the right and not allowing any women the right to open their mouth, and we see movement way to the left where people go to the other extreme and set women up as elders. There are little church groups in the Church of God today setting up women as elders. This cannot be. I know this is going to rankle some people, but you saw the list of the qualifications that a man must have and now we see qualifications of a woman because this is portraying a great mystery. The family is a great mystery of Jesus Christ and what His plan is and God the Father’s plan. In the Church that mystery is portrayed in the responsibilities outlined by God. This does not have anything to do with studying and learning and bringing truth to a family, talking things over between a husband and wife or even between minister and member. This has to do with setting up before Sabbath services or a Bible study and putting women in the position of an elder. We are talking about the government as God has outlined it. In a sense we are all women eventually when Christ marries His bride. We will all be subject to Jesus Christ. We are emulating that now in our families and in our Churches. A lot of people do not hear that but it is the truth. So let us examine ourselves before we say, “Oh, me and my Church group we do not pollute God’s law. We do not pollute God’s teachings. We do not pollute God’s temple.” We need to examine ourselves in all of these areas to see if, indeed, we are upholding the principles that God Himself wrote in His word. It is very important. Put that mirror up, and I know we are going to squirm. A lot of us are going to squirm at different points here. That is the point of the mirror Christ said. We need to look and see what we are really like and then do not turn away and forget. Do something about it while there is still time to fix it. Let us go to I Timothy chapter 6, starting in verse 1: “Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.” This is what we saw back in I Timothy chapters 2 and 3. We have to teach and exhort the things that God wants us to. We have to. One of the things that I forgot to comment on is what Christ says in I Timothy 2:8-9 that women should adorn themselves modestly with propriety and moderation. That is another way a woman can be of service to the Church, to look the part of a lady. They can help the congregation go forward in modesty and to not make it harder for the men around. This is an act of love and service, as well as not setting themselves up as an elder. God was telling Timothy this is all part of the same Book. Sometimes we like to chew things up into little parts without realizing the main thrust of this book here. I Timothy, is about eldership and what it takes. It tells us what God wants to see from each of us to be a leader, whether a man or woman, and the type of leader He wants. If we say we want to please God, we better look at these things and hold that mirror up. I am continuing in chapter 6 of I Timothy, verse 3: “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” So the upshot here is godliness with contentment. Be content with what we are: man, woman, not an elder, an elder, not a pillar, a pillar. Be content with the talents that God gave us doing the very best that we can, prayerfully and humbly, helping the body go forward. This is our goal. We need to all work on this together with no vain disputations and useless wranglings. Before we say, “Oh, me and my church group we do not pollute the temple of God or His Church,” look at the tremendous number of vain disputations and wranglings going on in the body of Christ today. Who is the author of that other than the accuser and the deceiver Satan the devil? God did not author this mess. We should not promote this mess. We should help bring orderliness back to the Church, and government back to the Church, respectful government in a loving manner helping and encouraging one another in whatever position we have. This is our duty and too many of us have forgotten our duty in this last time. Let us read II Timothy chapter 2, verses 1-5. Let us all obey the rules, brethren! They are not that hard. Let us not try to twist God’s word to mean something it did not intend it to mean. This says, set men up to be faithful teachers and uphold the truth. So let us try to do that. Let us be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, our Commanding General, and do what He wants us to do. Let us run the race abiding by the rules. God does not like cheaters. Human beings do not like cheaters and God does not like cheaters either. Continuing in verse 6: “The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.” So let us beg God for this understanding. When we hold that mirror up, ask Him for help. Drop down to verse 24 of II Timothy 2: “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” Remember, Christ said I am gentle, I am meek. We cannot have the servants of God (whether ministry or members) lording it over the others, quarreling and harshly judging when we should be humbly teaching. Why should we be harshly correcting when Christ Himself is not harsh? Let us remember, if we do these things we are polluting the body of Christ, and we will be judged with whatever measure we judge others. QUESTION NUMBER SEVEN My seventh and final question is do we divide and scatter? Do we repel the brethren or do we help draw them together? Mark chapter 9. The stories of the brethren today are replete with people driven away from their church, from their group, from the brethren. People who are driven sometimes to despair by the lack of love displayed by the body of Christ. This should not be. Mark chapter 9, starting in verse 38: “Now John answered Him, saying, ‘Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side.’” So the apostles had to learn to be a little less harsh in their judgment. In many instances this was shown us. Verse 41: “‘For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble...’” This person is in a different category, Christ says. “‘...it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea’” Now how quickly do we want to drive someone away from our fellowship? Now how quickly do we want to trash somebody’s name? How quickly do we want to use harsh judgment if it hurts one of Christ’s little ones? Verse 43: “‘If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched...’” There are some groups on this earth that cuts a man’s hand off for stealing. God is talking about hurting His little ones. If your hand is used to hurt one of God’s little ones, cut it off. Verse 45: “‘And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched where “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” And if your eye makes you sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire where “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.’” Why is salt compared to peace? Bring peace to the body of Christ and help preserve it. Let us get rid of the attitudes that divide the body of Christ. Let us be humble, teachable, assuming the positions God has given us. Let us be grateful that we have been called into this wonderful body of Christ. Let us be grateful for all the things God says He will do for us if we are willing to lay down our desires and work for Him. Go to II Timothy chapter 2 again, starting in verse 14 where Paul is talking to Timothy: “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.” Let us not strive over words to ruin the hearers. Be careful how we say things. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Before we say we understand something and we are going to show something to somebody, we need to be positive and sure we have divided the word of truth right. We cannot run off half cocked and hurt people who hear what we have to say. It is too dangerous to fall into that game, and we will be held accountable. Verse 16: “But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” All these crazy arguments and disputations, putting one another down only leads to more and more of it. The only one who laughs at all of this is Satan. Verse 17: “And their message will spread like cancer.” He mentions a couple of people here. Verse 18: “...who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.” In other words, he is speaking of doctrines. If we do not understand the doctrines, we are better off not talking about them. It is terrible to set ourselves up as a teacher and let people hear what we have to say and be harmed by what we are teaching! Continuing in II Timothy 2, verse 19: “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.” God knows who His teachers are. God knows who His servants are. God knows who His sheep are. We should be able to hear our shepherds voice. When someone is saying something that divides, scatters, accuses, lambastes, slanders, puts down, is lacking in forgiveness, lacking in mercy or lacking in compassion, be suspect. If they are saying all of these things or any of them, be suspicious of that person. Are we drawing together or are we scattering? Are the people we are following drawing or scattering? It is an important distinction. It is something we must learn. COULD WE CAUSE OTHERS TO BLASPHEME GOD? If we fall into any of the categories of the above seven questions that I have given here, we can actually be causing mankind to blaspheme God! We look in the scriptures in Revelation and we say, “Look at those hard-hearted people blaspheming God. They will be fighting against God when Christ tries to come back.” I have heard that described a number of times in God’s Church. What if we are the fault of it? I would not want to be the fault of that! I would not want to be guilty of blaspheming God by being anything like one of these seven categories. We all need to look and admit where we have fallen short and change it. If you do not think that I am talking to you without knowing, I will show you in the word of God where it is spoken of that we could cause the world to blaspheme God by our conduct. Go to Romans chapter 2, starting in verse 1: “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge...” This is talking to the Church. “...for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?” Verse 4: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Be careful, God says, when you are judging others. “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God...” What are we treasuring up for ourselves in this body of Christ today? It makes me shudder. Verse 6: “...who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’” God is going to render to us according to how we judge! Verse 7: “...eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness - indignation and wrath...” If we obey unrighteousness, we are going to receive indignation and wrath! God warns us repeatedly. Many will walk up to Jesus Christ when He returns and say, “God, glad to see you. I did a lot of work in Your name.” And He will say, get away from me! I do not know you! Is it because they never held a mirror up and looked to see if one of those seven characteristics applied? We all need to do that, me included. Humbly ask God for mercy. Learn to be merciful so we can receive it. Continuing in verse 9: “...tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” That “Greek” there should say Gentile. Continuing in verse 11 of Romans 2. We will read verses 11-16. Everyone will be accountable, but to those who have been given much, much is required. Verse 17: “Indeed you are called a Jew...” We are called spiritual Jews and we have the Holy Spirit. “...and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law...” Talking about those of us who have had the Holy Spirit and we think we know so much. “...and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.” God says you who think you understand Me and who have received My Holy Spirit and you who have set yourselves up to be teachers now. You know so much. Verse 21: “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?” Did you not look in the mirror Christ said. You mean you have been teaching people and you did not look in the mirror yet! How did you do that, he says? How did you know how not to be the blind leading the blind if you cannot even see what you are like? You have that big beam in your eye, remember? I have to judge you now because you have that big beam in your eye and you were running around judging everybody. You were judging My body itself too? You were judging them and you never took that beam out of your eye! I am sorry, I do not know you! Continuing in verse 21 which we did not finish. “You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?” Do we steal God’s tithes? Do we steal His offerings? Do we steal sacrifice from Him and that sacrifice being us? God is always much more concerned with the heart. Verse 22 of Romans 2: “You who say, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” Concerning adultery, there are a lot of people in God’s Church who would never commit physical adultery but how about going back to Easter worship, going back to Sunday worship? Do you not know that that is adultery in God’s eyes? We have gone to another god! We have gone somewhere else. We have taken our affections to another god. When we fall into the category of one of the seven things that I talked about, we could be committing a form of adultery. We are falling for Satan’s deceptions. Do we rob temples? Are there people trying to pull brethren here and there for either their tithe money, for numbers, church by the numbers? Who is the temple? We just read that in I Corinthians 3. We are the temple of God. We might not steal physical things but we could be robbing God’s temple! Verse 23: “You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,’ as it is written.” Now we have answered the question! Can we pollute God’s Church and can we make the world blaspheme God? Could they look at us and say, “They claim to be the Church of God. Look at the way they treat each other! Look at the things they teach.” There are people out there who can look into that Bible and say I know part of that group and they have some woman over there teaching them. I know part of that group and they say the most slanderous things. They are in court. I can see I am not supposed to take my brother to court. Why are they taking each other to court? Why are they suing each other? Why are they slandering one another? That cannot be the Church of God. They could inadvertently blaspheme God’s name and put down God’s Church because of our conduct! Let us hold that mirror up and look carefully, brethren. We are in the last days. Laodicean is “judgment of the people”. Too many of us are accusers of the brethren, judging harshly, without mercy towards brethren and towards the world. We could cause this world to blaspheme God! HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS? Does any of this matter? You know it does. The Church, the bride, the body of Christ has great responsibility. We hear a lot about protection and being worthy of that protection. It is spoken of all over the Church today. So many want to claim to be the Philadelphians who will be protected and yet doing these things to one another. I ask do we care? Do we cry for the body of Christ? Are we sad that it is divided? Do we mourn what has happened to the body of Christ since Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong died? This was a wonderful Church that we had. Or are each of us proud and self-righteous in the little group we are in? We have a body today that hates itself! We have a body today that is devouring itself. We have a body that actually hides the love of Jesus Christ by the things it says and does to itself! Then we wonder why we became scattered. We wonder why we have been battered. We wonder why all of this has happened? There are very good reasons why all of this happened to us, brethren. The Church is full of division, accusation, hard-hearted people and full of injustice. It is full of self-righteousness as well as unrighteousness. Turn to I Corinthians chapter 12, starting in verse 12, read to verse 15. Can any part of the body declare itself out? Think of your own body. Can any part of your body say, I do not like being part of this body so I am off this body? I am out of here! It cannot happen. Let us continue reading on in I Corinthians chapter 12, starting in verse 16 and reading through to verse 30. In other words, we are different, brethren; but we are all in one body. When any one of us suffers, we should all suffer. Woe to those who cause the body to suffer! Woe to those who cause the little children of God to suffer. Let us look in the mirror and see and ask do we cause the body of Christ to suffer? When someone in the body of Christ is suffering, do we feel their pain. Remember where we started. Christ feels our pain and He wept. Are we crying yet? Are we weeping at the condition the Church is in? Do we care? Christ is weeping, and the Father and Jesus Christ care very much about the body. So I ask you are you crying yet? Christ is. WE SHOULD BE WEEPING If you would, please, turn to Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 15. It is an interesting little scripture. “Thus says the Lord: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.’” Why do I say this is interesting? Because Rachel lived over 1,000 years before this was written. Traditionally the Jews today read this scripture in remembering the fallen temple. That is when this was quoted by Jeremiah in 586 B.C. when the temple fell. Because you see the mother (the Church, the ecclesia) was pictured by a matriarch. Do you think women are not important in the Church? We think of Jacob, the patriarch. We do not think of Rachel very often, do we? But where would the children have come from? Jacob needed Rachel. Rachel is weeping because of the loss of her children. The Jews quote this in remembrance of what happened to the temple in 586 B.C. Why do I read that today? Because of what has happened to God’s temple today and who is weeping? The Church, the mother of us all, should be weeping as Rachel wept and as Christ wept. I told you one example of Christ weeping over Jerusalem. He said what would befall the city and the temple (not one stone left upon another and the slaughter that would come), and it made Him weep. He was talking about the fall of the temple and the city in 70 A.D. How much more is He weeping now? WE SHOULD MOURN FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST Are we going about our daily lives without mourning, without caring, not feeling sadness for the suffering in the body of Christ? Yet we claim to be part of the body! How is that possible? Perhaps we can begin to see why God would tell so many of us maybe if we do not change, I do not know you! You were hurting My body. You were not feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. You would have been doing it to the least of Me had you done that. You were a servant beating your fellow servants and scattering them! How could you do that to your own body? I do not know you because I am not like that! I am humble and gentle. My yoke is light. You were harsh! Now I have to judge you harshly. None of us want to hear those words, brethren. We need to look at ourselves and hold that mirror up and examine ourselves very, very carefully. Do something about it while there is still time. Christ Himself is weeping very much so right now. Turn to Isaiah chapter 49. CHRIST WEEPS AT THE THOUGHT OF DYING IN VAIN Isaiah chapter 49 is interesting because it relays a conversation between God the Father and Jesus Christ about our condition today by the way. Isaiah chapter 49, starting in verse 1: “‘Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; from the matrix of My mother he has made mention of My name.’” The “Lord” here is speaking of the Father. This is talking about Jesus Christ being called forth from the womb. Verse 2: “‘And he has made My mouth like a sharp sword...’” (the word of God) “‘...in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and He made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me. And He said to me, “You are My servant, O Israel...”’” Jesus Christ is a servant compared here to Israel, the first ecclesia and spiritual Israel, which is us today. “‘...in whom I will be glorified.’ Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain...’” This is Jesus Christ talking. “‘...I have spent My strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely My just reward is with the Lord, and My work with My God.’” Now why would Christ say He spent Himself in vain? Because we are the body of Christ, and here at the end of time when we should be a bride ready to marry Him and a temple ready for Him to come back to, we are a complete and total mess! We are a failure at this point who causes the world to blaspheme God. We are a stiff-necked, hard-hearted bunch of people who judge harshly and who do not have the love of Christ in us to reflect to the world. Let us not pussy foot around and hide our heads in the sand. The Church has to put on Jesus Christ and reflect His love and at that point He can marry us. He is trying to dwell in a very sick body right now. He is crying about it. NOT ONLY JACOB...BUT THE WORLD! Here is what the Father says. Verse 5 of Isaiah chapter 49. “‘And now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and My God shall be My strength), indeed He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”’” Now there is no doubt this is God the Father talking to Jesus Christ. God the Father is telling Him here do not weep, You did not do this in vain. I am going to fix it! We are going to do something wonderful together that We set out to do eons ago! As a matter of fact, God the Father tells Jesus Christ, it is so small of a thing for You just to save Your Church, Your body, that We are going to go and We are going to do it to the world! We are going to do it to the ends of the earth! It will be a marvelous thing. Let us not think God’s arm is short, brethren. He is all powerful. Do we believe it or not? Are we going to get in His way or are we going to help Him? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves. Because right now the Church is getting in His way! We can change that by humbling ourselves. Yes, it does matter. We need to measure ourselves because we are being measured by God. While the Church sleeps, it is being measured! The Church is pretty drowsy right now and unaware of a lot of what is going on. It is far too physical in its outlook. It is far too harsh in its judgments. LEARN TO THINK SPIRITUALLY Brethren, let us turn to Revelation chapter 6 at this point. Why I say we are too physical in our outlook is because we just cannot see anything anymore because we are so blind. We need to ask God for help. There are people in the Church all over looking for a physical sandstone temple to get built and be defiled. Here the Church is being defiled left and right! There are people looking for the sun to go black and to mourn. Did you know that when the sun goes black that is called mourning? Turn to Revelation chapter 6, verse 12: “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.” Do you know this is describing the Church today, the body of Christ? The moon has become like blood because of the devastation in the Church. Jesus Christ is characterized by the sun. You can see “sun” here and “Sun” in Malachi 4. When it becomes black as sackcloth, that sackcloth is a mourning garment. The sun up above the earth cannot mourn, but Jesus Christ can mourn. He is mourning right now because His Church, as you go on to see here, is a mess. His Church, His body, His bride is a mess. That is why He was crying in Isaiah 49. JUDGE OURSELVES WHILE THERE IS TIME The Father is going to fix it. The Father is the One who decides to send Christ back to His temple suddenly. So I say, hold that mirror up and look carefully; because when that happens, it will happen suddenly at an hour we do not expect. God is not going to take kindly to any servant beating His fellow servants or to anyone causing the world to blaspheme His name. This is serious. I wanted to read quite a bit of Ezekiel 9, but I am just going to read a little bit of it. Go back to Ezekiel 9, because I ask you does this really matter? Yes, it does. How are we going to help the situation? How soft or how hard is our heart? Start in Ezekiel chapter 9, verse 1: “Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, ‘Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.’” This is after chapter 8. I would tell you go read chapter 8 sometime when you have time. The abominations in the temple are spoken of there. We know who the temple is. The temple is the Church of God. The abominations of the temple lead to this in verse 2 of Ezekiel chapter 9: “And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.” Verse 3: “Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.’” This is within the city, within the temple, the spiritual city of Jerusalem. Go look at Galatians 4. Study the temple. Because those who are going to receive mercy, protection and help in all of this devastation are those who sigh and cry for what has happened in this Church. Because He says here in verse 5 go throughout the city and kill and have no pity, I ask you, “Are you crying yet?”