In this sermon, the preacher focuses on two passages from the Bible: Philippians chapter 4 and Matthew chapter 13. In Philippians 4:8, Paul encourages believers to think about things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. He emphasizes the importance of following Paul's teachings and examples in order to experience the presence of God's peace. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable about a sower who sows seeds in different types of soil, representing different responses to the word of God. The preacher highlights the need for believers to be receptive to the word and bear fruit in their lives.

This message is one of the Times Square Church pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, P.O. Box 260, Lindale, Texas, 75771, or calling 903-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted, and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to FRIEND. For those who have not yet fully understood the purpose of division that happens from time to time when we come to Christ. There are some people here tonight that you have been hurt by division. I'm going to talk about various forms of division. We're going to open the word of God. We're going to look at why division occurs, how to understand division. And in that understanding, I'm believing with all my heart that the Holy Spirit is going to pour the healing oil of Christ in hearts that are able to hear and to respond. Precious and holy Jesus, I love you tonight. I thank you for the anointing of your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, I acknowledge you tonight. Acknowledge your presence. Acknowledge the desire of your heart to heal those in the body that you know have been wounded. The hurting and bruised people in this assembly tonight. And God, you're going to touch lives tonight. You're going to restore. You're going to heal. Lord, I thank you that you are indeed the balm of Gilead. Lord, you are that high tower. You have a tender hand. And even the leper, when he came to you and said, Lord, if thou willst thou can make me clean. We see your compassion. You reached out, you touched him and took his uncleanness upon yourself. And you said, I will be thou clean. And tonight, Lord, I bring before you every wounded heart in this house who has ever been bruised, who have been caught in any kind of division whatsoever, who have not understood your purposes and your plans. They've not fully comprehended your kingdom. I ask, O God, by the revelation of truth that tonight that you would set them free, absolutely free and make them strong for the days that are coming ahead. I thank you for this in Jesus name. Amen. Luke chapter 12, please. My message tonight is entitled Necessary Divisions. Necessary Divisions. Luke chapter 12, beginning at verse 51. An incredible statement of Jesus. So contrary to perhaps what some people think that his purpose in coming was. Luke chapter 12, verse 51. Jesus says, suppose you that I'm come to give peace on earth. I tell you, nay, but rather division. For from henceforth, there shall be five in one house divided three against two and two against three. Now, Jesus is speaking an incredible thing to his disciples. They are under the opinion that he's come to bring glorious restoration to the kingdom of Israel. And indeed, he had to take all of the people that are scattered and dispersed to bring them together, that they all may be one. And indeed, he had come to do that in as much as he's come to do that in our day. But until that day is fulfilled, when we are called home to be with him for all of eternity, and that day is coming, my brethren, that day is not too far away. There are some necessary divisions that have to happen in our lives. There are necessary divisions that have to happen even in the house of God. We're going to open the word tonight. We're going to look at them. And I'm trusting God with all of my heart that it will bring some understanding and strength into your lives to understand some things that may have happened to you in the past and to understand how you can be prepared for things that may happen in the future. Now, first of all, we talk about divisions and when we come to Christ, the preaching of Christ, the grasping of Christ, the understanding of Christ is automatic division. It divides light from darkness right in the book of Genesis. The Lord spoke and said, let there be light. And the light was divided right at that moment from the darkness. And the moment we come to Christ, we find ourselves divided from the world. We find ourselves divided from the people that we used to associate with old friends all of a sudden. And many of you here tonight, you've known the pain. And it's not always easy. You come to Christ. We're excited about what we have found. And then all of a sudden we find that we are placed in a division where we're no longer we don't have the same heart as we used to have. Christ comes into our life and begins to give us newness of life. And so we go to our old friends and sometimes we're excited about what we found and we we share it with them and we find out that they're not as excited about what we found as we are about what we found. Go to the book of First Peter, please. Chapter four. First Peter, chapter four. Now, we're going to just take a look at one of the divisions that happens, one of the very first divisions that happens when we come to Christ. First Peter, chapter four, beginning of verse one. For as much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lust of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have brought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, banqueting and abominable idolatries, wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you. How many in this sanctuary tonight have come to the place of living out this scripture? They think it's strange. That means old friends. They think it's strange that no longer do you want to run in lasciviousness and lusts and banqueting and idolatries and revelings and wines and all of the rest of the things that people without God do. Then you come to the Lord and they think it's strange. What strange thing has happened to you? And then they begin to speak evil of you. To walk with Christ is an instantaneous division between light and darkness. There's a separation that comes. You cannot avoid it if you're going to walk with God. I remember when I first got saved and went to went to work, I was a policeman at that time and I remember going to work and all of a sudden there were people that wouldn't work with me anymore. All of a sudden there were people that I thought were my friends that all of a sudden weren't my friends. And all that had changed in me, at least at that point, is I didn't want to drink anymore. I didn't want to lie. I didn't want to do things that other people did around me. I thought it was making me a better person. I was excited about what I had found and I found out they weren't quite as excited about it as I was. And then they begin to speak evil and there's some pain that comes into your heart. And but we make the choice. And tonight, if that's where you are, I hope that you're making the choice to move on. Light has no fellowship with darkness anymore. And you may try to stay there, but you can't stay there any longer. You may try to stay with the old friends and and somehow think that they're going to accept you, but they're not going to accept you. The spirit of the world will never accept the spirit of Christ. If their hearts are such that there's a hunger for God and they're going to turn to God, then, yes, maybe there's a chance that they will still cherish your friendship. But if their hearts are against God, you're going to find yourself cast out of their midst. And if you try to stay, you're going to find that they speak evil of you. They're going to look for every little thing that you do that's wrong. I remember one time I was playing badminton. I used to love to play badminton. I was playing badminton in the gym and I was really, really attempting to walk with God. I wanted to stand up for Christ and I was trying to do everything right. And I remember I was playing badminton one day with my partner and at lunch hour, there were a whole bunch of guys in the gym and the police station working out. And it was a really easy shot. I was running to the net. I took a swing at it and I missed it. And before I could stop myself from saying it, I said a word that I shouldn't have said when I missed missed the bird. And everybody in the gym turned around and said, aha, all of a sudden at one, they said, you're just like the rest of us. And I said, no, I'm not like the rest of you. Hallelujah. And so there's a difficult transition when we first come to the Lord and we're stepping out, but it is a necessary division. It is a division, but it's a necessary division. It has to happen. If you don't make a break from your old way of life, if you don't make a break from your old friends, you will find that they will draw you back into the doing the things you used to do, that you will lose your strength. We have to make that break. And there is a necessary. Yes, we love them. We minister to them. We tell them about the Lord. We be there to do good whenever they need help. But we need to come away, come apart from the things that they do. And we need to live for God. And sometimes it's hard. We're not overly familiar with the church and the ways of the church. And the transition can be difficult and sometimes it can be painful. And then we go home to our family. Sometimes it's our mothers and fathers, our brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles. And we find that there's a secondary division now that comes in and it's a division right in our own home, right in our own family. Go to the book of Matthew, chapter 10. This is another division that Jesus spoke about. Matthew, chapter 10, beginning at verse 32. This can be one of the most painful divisions that we have to encounter when we come to the Lord. Matthew, chapter 10, verse 32, Jesus said, whoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my father, which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my father, which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I come not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter-in-law. Against her mother-in-law and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Now, here's a division that causes a lot of pain. I remember when I first came home after receiving Christ as my savior, I thought maybe my family would be happy that I finally turned from some of the things that I used to do. But I found that that wasn't the case. After all, there was a bitter division between some of my family members and myself. And I remember the pain of that division. I mean, I this is the family I grew up with, the family that I loved. And I come home, given my life to Christ. I want to walk with God. And they look at you simply like you've just landed off of another planet or something. And it's a very, very painful time. I remember there were some very difficult moments between my father and myself. But I challenge every one of you here that's going through that kind of division right now. Stay true to God and believe his word. One day I was praying and the Lord spoke to my heart and said, if the apostle Paul can tell a dirty old Philippian tailor that if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you'll be saved in your house. Then that promise also applies to you as well. Believe on the Lord Jesus, enter into that covenant relationship with him and begin to intercede and pray, trusting him and believing him. And I have watched God work miracles over the years. I have watched him touch the hearts of my family. I have watched the tenderness come into their hearts. I have watched them open with open eyed surprises. They have seen the blessing of God that's come upon my life and upon my home. I have seen all of the religious arguments fall into the dust. I have seen the tenderness of Christ. I have heard the testimony of my mother just a few weeks ago when she called up and was listening to the recording made here at Times Square Church and began to dance in the house that I was raised in as a teenager. Began to dance all throughout the house as the spirit of the Lord came upon her. I tell you, God is faithful. God is faithful. God is faithful. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Some of you are going home tonight. You're leaving the service. You're going home to a hard place. Some of you are going home. Maybe it's not so hard at home, but it's hard in the sense that you tried. You tried to send letters to your family and you get back scornful responses. You tried to go to family gatherings and they cast you out as if some evil thing had come upon you because you came to the Lord. But understand that it's a necessary division. If you don't come apart, they will never come to God. That's why God said to the prophet, you be a wall unto them and make them come to you. You don't go back to them again, but love them. Stand firm in the things of God and love them. Don't let bitterness ever get into your heart. No matter what anybody says to you. Remember, we're not fighting flesh and blood. We're fighting powers and principalities that want to take your moms and dads and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles right straight to hell. That's who we're fighting against. We're not fighting flesh and blood. Don't get in a battle with flesh and blood. Hallelujah. But stand in the gap and say, Lord, I believe God. Do whatever you have to do. Send the Holy Ghost miserables into my home if you have to, Lord. Oh, Lord. But God, I'm standing in the gap and trusting that your Holy Spirit is here with me and God, you're going to touch my family. You're going to save my my relatives, those that are closest to me. Hallelujah. I'm not going to let the devil come and sow bitterness in my heart. There are wives here tonight that you need to understand. There is a purpose. The devil's starting to try to tell you, go back, go back and just just compromise. In your faith, compromise in the things of God and everything will go smooth in your home. It won't go smooth. It's just a lie. You don't have to go back to him. He's got to come to Christ. That's what the difference is going to be. And the same for husbands that are here who your wives or whatever the case is, don't want to walk with the Lord. Hallelujah. Stay true and believe in God. There are people who get saved and you come out of the world and the world rejects you once you come to Christ. It was hard to understand in the beginning for me that that the world that the people that I knew and worked with even risked my life for what would cast you off and just push you out of the presence. They didn't want anything to do with you because now you belong to Christ. It was hard to understand that there are family difficulties that arise sometimes because you come to the Lord and you think that you're going to be received with open arms, but you're not. Rejection comes into your life and the pain of it sometimes is is very intense, especially when you're young in the Lord. And then you come to church and church is the refuge. You come into the house of God that isn't careful of me tonight. And you say, oh, finally, I'm among fellow believers. Finally, I'm among people who have been rejected by the world like me. Finally, I am among people who have been rejected by their families, perhaps just like me. Finally, I'm in a place of like minded fellowship, a place of peace, love, joy, harmony, no more divisions, right? No, no. Some people are sad that the divisions that arise in the church, they say, I've come out of the world where I was rejected by friends because of Christ. I suffer division in my family because of Christ. And now I see division in the church. This hurts so much. And some draw back at this point and even begin to doubt the reality of God. Sad to say, it's simply because they fail to understand that the truth, where it is preached under the unction of the Holy Spirit, causes division. The truth causes division. You cannot get away from it. There is a division going on in your life right now. The truth is causing division. That's where it first starts. When we sit in a church that is preaching the word of God under the unction of the Holy Ghost, there is a division going on in our lives continuously. It's going on in your life. It's going on in my life. As I prepare this word, as I deliver the word, the division is going on in my life. Hebrews chapter four. If you look there very quickly with me. Hebrews chapter four. Verse 12 talks about the word of God and the purpose of the word of God. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the what the dividing, a sunder of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart when we sit in a church where the word of God is being preached under the unction of the Holy Ghost, God is sending his word right into our lives and the division is going on between the things of the flesh and the things of the spirit. Between our thoughts and the thoughts of God, between our ways and God's ways is a constant division. And if truly we are children of God in our hearts, we desire to put off the old nature, put off the old ways and put on the new man, which is created in righteousness and true holiness after Jesus Christ. We don't want to live unto ourselves anymore. That's what marks the child of God. There's a constant division. Every time you sit in a church like Times Square Church, where the word of God is going forth with a sharp sword is coming, even when it's a tender word and it's still dividing, it's still cutting, it's still discerning, it's still exposing thoughts that are not of God and those who belong to the Lord love that kind of a word. Those who belong to the Lord keep saying to the Lord, just like in the days of Moses and Joshua, Lord, draw a line in the sand continuously that I may step over and prove my love for you, that I may walk with you, that I may always be on the side of righteousness and truth. I want to know the truth because your word says I shall know the truth and the truth shall set me free. Lord, I want the truth. I don't want anything that's of myself. I don't want to lie. I want the truth. I want to be in a place of truth. I want to hear the truth. Oh, God, thank you, Lord, that you are dividing. Thank you, Lord, that every time I come into your house, you are speaking something that is showing me areas of my heart that are unlike you, that I can lay them down and walk and draw water of the wells of salvation, that I can be strengthened, that I can live to see the image of Christ formed in my life by the power of the Holy Spirit within me. Hallelujah, Lord, that I can go forth and bear fruit under your name, that I can be part of your church. Lord, that I can truly be a light that shines in the darkness. That is the cry of a true child of God. Oh, Lord, divide. God, divide me. Split me asunder, oh Lord. Put me in pieces, Lord, that I can know the favor of being picked up once again by your hand and healed. Hallelujah. But also, when we're in a house of the Lord where the word is being preached, there will be a division among brethren. Division has to come. I'll show you the principle of this. Go to the Matthew chapter 13, please. We need to see this. This is the house of God now. Matthew chapter 13. Another parable of Jesus, it's the parable of the sower. I was a pastor, I've seen all of this over the years. I see it in this house, too, as well. I see this parable enacted continuously because where the word of the Lord is preached, there are necessary dividings going on. Now, Jesus himself bears witness with this parable that when the word is preached, it is received in different ways by different people. In other words, there's a division in how it's received. In verse three, says he speak many things unto them in parables. That's Matthew chapter 13, saying to them, behold, a sower went forth to sow. And when he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell on stony places where they had not much earth and forthwith they sprung up because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched. And because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns and the thorns sprung up and choked them. But others fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some 100 fold, some 60 fold, some 30 fold. Who has ears to hear? Let him hear. Now we go to verse 18, where he explains this now parable to his disciples. He says, hear ye, therefore, the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and understands it not, then comes the wicked one and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside, but he that received the seed into stony places, the same as he that hears the word and an honor immediately with joy receives it. Yet he has no root in himself, but jurors for a while. And when tribulation or persecution arise because of the word by and by, he is offended. That means he turns away. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches chokes the word and he becomes unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word and understands it, which also bears fruit and brings forth some 100 fold, some 60. And some 30. Now, Jesus is talking about four different people receiving the same word with four different responses. Essentially speaking, in other words, he says the word is going forth and there's a division that happens. I see that division happen all the time in the house of God. You see the stranger come in, sit in the house of the Lord, sometimes arms folded, sometimes with a very inquisitive look, other times with a frown. The word of God comes forth with power. The heart may be as touched a little bit. He comes into the house of the Lord. He experiences the things of God, sees God's people worship, hears the word of God. But for whatever reason, he just simply turns away. The scripture says the the devil comes and just steals it right out of his heart. And he walks out of the door. He says, we here's the word of the kingdom, understands it. Not the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which receives seed by the wayside. I'm sad to say there are people who come into Times Square Church and sit in the service. Maybe you're one of those tonight. I hope you can hear me. If you're one who's sitting here with an inquisitive heart, at least your desire to hear the things of God, they hear and say, oh, this is not true or this is not for me. Or maybe you don't even understand and turn around and walk out the door, many of them walking out of the kingdom of God for absolutely all of eternity. And then you have the second person who hears and receives with a burst of joy, almost instantaneously. The word sounds so good. It sounds like life. It's what I've been looking for all my life. I remember I was able to lead one time a police officer to the Lord and such a sad situation. It was sitting in my car one day and I remember it was raining. We were driving and it was one of those days where I really didn't feel like witnessing. You ever had a day like that? I didn't feel like talking to anybody about anything and it's raining. It's a dismal day and we're driving and I'm not talking to him. He's driving. I'm not talking to him. I'm just sitting there. And finally, he said to me, he said to Carter, he said, what is this Christian thing that you're involved in? What's it all about? And I'm sitting there and I think, oh, you know, I've been witnessing my heart out for weeks and sometimes with not too much results. And so this day, I just didn't feel like talking. So out of obligation, I just shared with him the plan of salvation. I don't even know how I said it. I just shared it quickly. This is what I found. This is how you get saved. This is this is it. You know, just a plan of salvation type thing. I didn't even look at him. I had no enthusiasm in my life at all that particular day. It's almost like I wasn't even sure I wanted it myself. And yet he was asking me. And we're driving down the street and he bangs his fist on the dash in the police car and he says, I want that. And I looked at him and he said, I've been searching for that all my life. He said, that's what I've been looking for. That's been the missing part in my life. And that man so received Christ, I took him to a meeting that night or the next night. I took him to a meeting. He was baptized in the Holy Ghost. I mean, I never he went to a meeting. We were in uniform. We dropped into a place that was having a meeting. He was baptized in the Holy Ghost. He fell on the floor. He'd get up. He'd fall down again like it was really not becoming for somebody that was a police officer. But and he was speaking in tongues so fast that you couldn't you couldn't I never heard anything quite like it. He got in the car with another policeman that had come with us and he was heading for home. He was driving down the street. He saw a poor man on the street. He jumped out of the car before it even stopped at the light and ran across the road and gave him everything that was in his pocket so he could buy some food. Like there was a transformation. This man received the Lord with great joy, absolute joy. He went to work. He was sharing with everybody. He was giving tract out. He was just doing everything. He was just alive. And God, he was going to every meeting he could go until he went home. And his wife said, if you persist in this, I'm going to leave you. And Jesus said these words. He received the seed into stony places, he hears the word and with joy he receives it. Yet he has no root in himself. He endures for a while. But when tribulation or persecution arise because of the word by and by, he is offended. And I watched as this man turned away from God. I watched as he made a choice, his his wife over a savior. Now, that's a hard choice. And I don't I've never had to go through that. And I don't I don't say anything lightly about that. But I I watched him make the choice to stop reading his Bible and to stop going to church. I watched him choose between his career and another another case. Not only this man, but another man that came to the Lord with almost equal zeal. I watched him choose between his career and his savior. And he chose his career. And I watched both of their lives go downhill. I watched them lose the joy of the Lord. I watched them lose their discernment. I watched them lose their understanding. I watched them walk away from God. Here's the word with great joy. There are many that come into Times Square Church and with great joy they hear the word and they receive it. But there's there's no firmness of commitment. And when trouble comes, that's really what this talks about. When trouble comes, they're offended and they walk away. There's a division, another division in the body of Christ. And then there's a third one. This is the most dangerous man of all or woman. He that receives seed among the thorns is he that hears the word and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches chokes the word and he becomes unfruitful. I call this type of person the unfruitful rejecter of complete surrender to Christ. The most dangerous person you will ever find in the body of Christ, an unfruitful rejecter of complete surrender to Jesus Christ. These first two usually walk out the door. They don't take anybody with them. They don't cast the church down. They know that they're making a choice and they turn and they walk away. And these first two rarely, if ever, cause any trouble in the body of Christ. The end of side one, you may now turn the tape over to side two. This is a person who's rejecting the claim of Christ upon their life, a person who comes and hears in this church, you are challenged. I am challenged to lay our lives down in complete surrender to the will of God, that if Christ calls us to the mission field, we go to the mission field. If Christ calls for our bank account, we give him our bank account. It's not that the church puts any kind of imposition on anybody, but it's the Holy Spirit. We're called to be obedient to Christ and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. But this man becomes ensnared by the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches. He has heard the word, but he's made a choice. It's the person who builds their own altar in the house of God. And they say to the Lord, I will go this far and this is where I worship. But Lord, I will not go any farther. And the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches chokes out the word. The word comes, but the word has no place in his heart anymore. And he becomes unfruitful. He has two choices. He can either acknowledge that he's unfruitful in the things of God, or he can set his hand to destroy the standard in God's house and to establish his own standard of righteousness. Romans chapter 10. Look there, please, with me quickly. Romans chapter 10. The apostle Paul speaks about this type of person. He's talking about his brethren, the Israelites, but we could equally apply it to this type of person in the house of God. Romans chapter 10, verse two. I'm going to I'm explaining to you now why church splits happen. Paul says, for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. They will come and they will make every attempt then to cast down the righteousness of God. They will generally do this by attempting to cast down the existing leadership in the church, not only the pastoral leadership, but leadership of different ministries. They don't want to submit to the word of God, and they have they are unfruitful rejecters of total surrender to Christ. And instead of look at the condition, they have to cast the church down in order so that their condition will not appear to be so serious. They have to cast down existing leaders and authorities in the church because this authority is the channel through which God is challenging the refusal to come to complete surrender in certain areas of the heart. We go ahead to the book of Jude, please, just before revelation, just before the last book in the New Testament, the book of Jude. For 16, Jude says, these are murmurs, complainers walking after their own lusts. Their mouth speaks great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. But beloved, remember you the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that they told you that there should be markers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the spirit. They separate themselves from the working of God. They separate themselves from the true body of Jesus Christ. Did you know that in this church, the word of God is causing division, continuously dividing between soul and spirit, between flesh and spirit, continuously and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. Some of them who refuse to walk with God find others of a like spirit. They form groups and they split from the church, usually casting down the church and making all sorts of accusations. I've seen it over and over and over and over again. You go to a pastor's conference and that's all you hear. This little group rises up and they usually say the church is unloving, the church is unkind, the church is not anointed, the church is not this. The accusations are as varied as the despicable human heart can come up with. And they run from the church. You know what the reality is? The cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches have choked them out and they have become unfruitful. The evidence of their speech, their speech should be sufficient evidence to tell us what they have become. And a fearful truth is found in Psalm 125. Let me just read it to you. Verse five. The psalmist says, as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with workers of iniquity. That's an incredible scripture. As for such who turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth. In other words, they will form a pact. You find it happening wherever there's a church that's preaching the truth from time to time. Divisions will happen. What I'm trying to explain to you tonight is that they are necessary divisions. The word of God goes forth. There are a core of people in every church who will reject the truth. They will reject the claim of Christ. I hope with all of my heart that it doesn't happen in this church, but it happens almost everywhere. There are core who will reject the call of Christ. They will reject the claim of Christ. They will reject the word of God. So God will allow them to find one another. It usually starts with one murmur and complainer. He finds another. They find a third. They find a fourth. They find a fifth before you know it. They can have 40, 50, 60 people in their little group. They will eventually feel bold enough and strong enough, just like Cora in the day that they rebelled. They were men of renown that rebelled against Moses, just like Miriam and Aaron. They will rise up. They will gather a core who also have rejected the word of God. They will rise up. They will accuse the church. And the sad thing that they don't realize is the Lord is leading them out. They say the Lord is leading us and they're absolutely right. The Lord is leading. Now you watch what happens. I've seen it over the years. I've seen it when I was in Canada and pastored the very same thing. You watch, they'll go and they formed their own thing. It lasts about a year, a year and a half. If they're really lucky, two years, then they're at each other's throat. They literally choke each other to death and the whole thing just goes up in smoke. Whatever is birthed in rebellion, my brethren, cannot survive. It can't live. God will never bless it. Go to the book of First John, please. Just go back to the book of First John, chapter two. I'm talking about necessary divisions. Verse 19, John says they went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. It was happening in John's day and it happens in our day. I'm trying to speak a word tonight that the Lord has put upon my heart to help those who have been through church splits in the past and you fail to understand what it's all about. It's to help those. Maybe there are some visitors tonight. You'll be going through a church split sometime in the future and you come in and your heart's so excited. You're so in love with Jesus and you come into the church and all of a sudden there's a split in the church and you say, oh, I thought this was the kingdom of God. I thought it was the house of God. The good news is it is the kingdom of God. It is the house of God. But many people don't understand the word causes a division. When the word is preached, the word will separate the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats. The committed from the uncommitted, then the uncommitted will rise up. They will form a group. You will find it happening over and over and over again throughout the years. They will form a little group. They will cast all kinds of slander against existing leadership and out the door they go. It's part of the preaching of the word of God. You and I can't get away with it. I hope in the Holy Spirit that I've come as a pastor tonight to share from my heart what God's put on my heart. When you get saved, the word divides in your own life. Then it divides you from old friends. Then it divides you from family members. Then it divides you from false brethren in the house of God. It divides you. If you're going on with God, if you're a seeker of truth, it divides you from those who don't want to walk with God. They don't want to come under authority. They don't want to surrender their lives in totality to the lordship of Christ. And so the word divides. There are necessary divisions in the house of God. The apostle Paul, well, first of all, Jude, going back to the book of Jude again in verse 20, he says, but ye beloved, but ye beloved. He just finished talking about markers and separators, central having not the spirit. But he says, but ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ onto eternal life. In other words, stay away from murmurs. Stay away from complainers. Don't let them get you in the corner in the body of Christ. From time to time, we have people come behind the platform and talk to Pastor David and myself or Pastor Richie, Pastor Harry, others. And talk about these people that somebody got me in a corner and started bringing accusations against so-and-so or this or that. Do you look at Romans chapter 16? I want to talk about a necessary division. Hallelujah. You don't have to be sad. This is not a sad word. Romans chapter 16. Here's a division that's necessary. Romans chapter 16, verse 17, listen to what the apostle Paul says. Now, this is the word of God. Now, I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned. And do what? And avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly. And by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. Look at the book of Proverbs, please. Chapter seven. Go way back in the Old Testament. Hallelujah. You saw, I love this word so much because this word has become my life. This word, I don't go by my feelings. This word is my guide. And I hope it's yours. Once you know this book, you'll never get caught in another thing again. And if something happens, you're not going to be shaken by it because you're going on with God. You've determined in your heart, I'm going to be a pursuer of truth. I'm going to know the truth that sets me free. I'm going to know the truth that sets my family free. I'm going to know the truth that sets multitudes free who are lost in darkness. Let the murmurs murmur. Let them form their groups. Let them run and start their thing. I'm going with the truth. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Romans, Proverbs, chapter seven, verse 21, here's, uh, it's, it's, it's a, uh, a story about, uh, uh, a young person that gets caught and very often the murmurs and complainers will try to catch others and draw them into their thing that they're doing. He says in verse 20, he says, he had taken a bag of money with him. In other words, the good man's not at home and he will come home at the day appointed. Verse 21, Proverbs seven with her much fair speech. She caused him to yield and with the flattering of her lips, she forced him. He goes after her straightway as an ox goes to the slaughter or as a fool to the correction of the stocks till a dart strikes through his liver. And as a bird haste to the stair and he knows not it is for his life, it's for your life. My brother, my sister, if you don't hear anything I'm saying tonight, I'm here. This, if a murmur and complainer tries to get you in a corner and usually they'll tell you how wounded they've been. That's, that's one of the favorite lines or how off centered the leadership is or off this or that it's, it's used. It's against some authority somewhere. The reality is that they're not willing to surrender to Christ. They're not willing to believe God in their situation. They get you in a corner and they begin to speak with fair words and flattering lips. And my brothers, my sisters, I don't know how to impress this upon you, but to read it from the word of God, it says he does not know that it's for his life. It's for your life. If you begin to listen to them, if you begin to give ear to it, it's for your life. The devil is using unsanctified hearts and he's going for your life. He's going for Christ within you. He's going for your yearning heart, for the things of God. He's going after the one that says, I want to go all the way with God. Maybe he was young in the Lord and a little bit confused at some of the things sometimes that happen in the body of Christ. And he's going after you for your life because the moment you receive it, poison gets into your system. You can't hear from God anymore. You begin to retreat bitterness. You become bitter of spirit. And before you know it, you're heading out the door with some group that says they're being led by God. And ironically enough, they are, but not to the place that you think it's for your life. It's for your life. It's for your life. I've warned anybody in this house. Don't you ever dare try to draw me in the corner and ever accuse anybody in leadership in this house. Hallelujah. And even if I wasn't here as a pastor, if I was a Christian in some place, I know it's for my life when a murmur tries to corner me. Not a chance. Not a chance. I'm not giving the devil one inch into my house, not one inch into my family, not one inch into the ministry that God's entrusted to my life. Hallelujah. There's only one life I want. He's the way he's the truth and he's the life. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Philippians chapter four, go to the new Testament, please. Philippians chapter four. Verse eight. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report. If there'd be any virtue and if there'd be any praise, think on these things, those things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Paul says, do, and the God of peace shall be with you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Hallelujah. There's one more division coming. Matthew chapter 13. Turn there with me. I want to show you this one. One more necessary division. Verse 37. He answered and said to them, he that sows the good seed is the son of man. The field is the world. The good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tears are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sold them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world and the reapers are the angel. And therefore, as the tears are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. The son of man shall send forth his angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom, all things that offend and them which do iniquity. One more necessary division. He shall send forth his angels and gather out of his kingdom. His kingdom. All things that offend and them which do iniquity, he shall cast them into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. Jesus once again says, whoever has ears to hear, let him hear. There's one more division coming. One day. Christ is coming for his church. One day. You know, he's coming for not people that are perfect. Coming for people who love the perfect one. Coming for people of a heart for God. They trust him as the author and finisher of their salvation. They said, Lord, come what may. I'm going with you. I'm walking with you. We sing that song. Don't none go with you yet. Still, I'm going to follow and God, let the murmurs and let the complainers arise. But I have chosen in my heart to go with you, Lord Jesus. I've chosen to walk a path of truth. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Because you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Hallelujah. God, I want my life to count as I have gone through the years of serving the Lord. There have been no shortage of murmurs and complainers rise up in churches that I have attended just as a person in the church places where I've been in leadership. There's never been a shortage. I have seen the principle over and over again. And brothers and sisters, it took me a long time to understand how this principle works. Where the word of God is, there is division dividing between the just and the unjust, the holy and the profane, those who will go on with God and those who won't go on with God. There have been there are people here tonight that you've been hurt by division. You've been hurt by friends, by family, and you've even been hurt in the church. But I hope tonight and believe I know that God put this on my heart and I hope and believe that the word of the Lord tonight has helped you to understand why divisions come and they will come. Live long enough on this earth and you will live to see division again. It will come. There are seasons when the wicked will rise and will turn their faces against the word of God. I pray with all my heart that you'll never be part of it. Never. I pray continuously that God will keep a unity in this body. To the best of my knowledge, there's a unity, a holy unity in this body. It's not to say that there are not workers working against it all the time, but because of the anointing of the spirit of God, they can't get a wedge in anywhere. I challenge you with all my heart. Don't ever give ear to a complainer and a murmur. Don't ever let somebody take spiritual authority over your life. That's not been put in that place by God. Be careful. Hallelujah. Tonight, there are some would say, Lord, I've been hurt and I just didn't understand. But Lord, thank you for helping me to understand. And thank you for helping me to forgive those that have really they've hurt me along the way. And I've not understood. But God, thank you. That's what the Lord wanted to do tonight, to pour oil into every heart that's ever been hurt because you've been part of some division somewhere. Now, if you've been part of the division or cause of the division, I would ask you tonight to walk humbly before the Lord and confess that to God and say wherever it was and however it happened. Confess it to the Lord and say, God, I'm I'm sorry that I've ever been part of anything that would be contrary to your word. Lord, I thank you tonight for forgiving me. That's why the Lord sent his word tonight. But primarily, it's for those who have been hurt and because you've been hurt, you've drawn back and you have a mistrust for people. You have a mistrust even for the house of God in some cases, and you've drawn back. And it's just simply because you haven't understood. You haven't understood and hope the word tonight is preparing you for whatever may happen in the future. You you make a close friend in the church. You love certain people that all of a sudden they rise up and rebel and you say, oh, God, I thought this was your house. And God says, it is my house. I thought it was your kingdom. And God says, it is my kingdom. I thought it was going forward. It is going forward. But now we're coming to the place in our lives as Christians where we've got to put off the milk and take on the meat. And part of the meat is understanding this is not a picnic. It's a war. It's an absolute war. It's a war for your soul. It's a war for mine. It's a war for the souls of the people out there. The devil will send whatever he can against the church to cause division so that the testimony of Christ will be diminished. It's a war. It's not a picnic. It's a war. And no matter what you see happen at any time, anywhere, don't ever let it deter you from going on with God. Choose you this day, Joshua said, whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. We will serve the Lord. Hallelujah. Let's stand together. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Lord. Lord, I want to thank you tonight that you have raised up a church that is going to go forward. A church is going to walk in truth. A church is not going to be moved by any winds of adversity. Lord God, thank you. Thank you, Lord. That your word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. Hallelujah. I will hide your word in my heart that I might not sin against you, Lord. Thank you for truth, O God. Thank you, Lord, that you do divide in my life. You do show me what are your thoughts and what are the thoughts of the world. You do show me, Lord, the difference between light and darkness. Lord, you do reveal why sometimes things happen in your kingdom that I don't understand. God, thank you, Lord. Thank you for the revelation of the heart of God. Thank you, Lord, for the understanding. We're going to sing a chorus. And as we do, I want to give an altar call tonight for those who have been wounded and you just simply didn't understand. I'm going to ask you to come. You didn't understand. And tonight the Lord's going to just pour something into your heart. And give you the grace to forgive. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Up in the balcony, you can go to either aisle. Don't be ashamed. Don't be ashamed. There were times in my life as a younger Christian that I was so hurt by people that I thought were Christians. So hurt and so wounded until God opened this book and showed me why these things happen. It's his kingdom going forth. His kingdom moving forward. Necessary divisions. It has to happen. Hallelujah. I mean, I know in my heart that the Lord's going to heal you tonight. He put this message so strongly on my heart last night that he wanted to pour a healing oil into the hearts of those that have been wounded in the house of your friends. There's no deeper wound that we can experience that in the house of our friends. But the truth sets us free. Now, it sets us free from the effects of it, but it sets us free to forgive. The truth sets us free to love. We're not to rail on people that have have and will do things contrary to the word of God, but we're to pray for them. We're to uphold them before God and believe that they can be restored. That's the heart of God. Forgive me, Father, for resenting my friends and family. I've not understood until tonight the purposes of division. I forgive them, Lord. Please save them. Give me the courage to stand in the gap and to pray for them until they come to know you as Savior. Oh, Lord, keep bringing those necessary divisions. Into my own life, divide truth from error, your ways from my ways, keep me from evil, Lord, keep me this day and for the rest of my life, walking on the side of truth, give me a humble heart, let me never be part of the murmurs and complainers that oft times I've heard. Can become so plentiful in your kingdom. Thank you for helping me to understand the working of your kingdom. Hallelujah. Lord, I forgive those who have hurt me. And I ask you that you would heal them. And I thank you for healing me tonight. For pouring oil in my bruised heart. Thank you, Jesus. I just thank him. This is the conclusion of the tape.