This sermon delves into the various types of the church, such as Zion, a bride, a virgin, and a mother, highlighting their significance in representing the people of God. It emphasizes the importance of not putting trust in material possessions or human leadership but in seeking the Lord's presence within the church. The sermon also addresses the consequences of sowing negative words and idolatry, leading to a lack of spiritual fruitfulness and brokenness. It calls for a return to true worship and reliance on God, rather than worldly pursuits.

Or at the church, sometimes the church is called Zion. The type of the church is a bride. The church is called a virgin. The church is called mother. These are all the types of the church. Isn't that right? Shake your head. Okay. It's called Jerusalem. It's a type of the church. Jacob is a type for the people of God. Israel is a type for the people of God. Judah is a type for the people of God. The General Assembly, which we just saw. The city. Of course, that's taught in the city, Jerusalem. The fortified city or tower and palace. Now, let me tell you something. A fortified city or tower is a place. Let me give you an example of that today. That's people who are in Babylon will go and walk in to a building and they'll find security in this building once they walk in. And this building is very reverent. You know right here is a temple, don't you? And the building just wouldn't stop. But when they walk in that thing, their heart goes and trusts buildings. Their heart trusts theology and different things like that. But they're deceived. They don't know the Lord. And in this building right there, this is what is called, you know, the building is not the church. The building is the meeting house. The church goes there, right? But see, in their heart, this has been perverted and made to be the church. And then their hearts, this building, this situation, is going to be the vehicle that delivers them into heaven. They're deceiving their heart. Because people who are deceiving their heart, that is the doctrines of demons to get your heart to trust something besides the Lord Jesus Christ. You can trust men. Your heart can trust men. Buildings, theology, intellect, denomination, masonry, a lot of things, okay? And that is the doctrine of demons. And so let's continue right here. There are different types for the church. And you already know these things because I'm just running by. Egypt is a type of the world, isn't that right? Syria is a type of the world. Sometimes the world is just called nations, right? Or if they're different kind of lands. There's a world land. There's a church land. And here's a land. Do you see this? This is God's field, you know, in 1 Corinthians 3, 9. This is the land, folks, you possess. This is the land you possess. That's where the Canaanites are. Amen? Canaanites are right there on that land. You get them off with a sword. You possess the land. Okay. You cross the Jordan and get them. Amen? Okay. Now, we have the different types for the demons. We found out there is a devil, right? All right, sometimes they're called the adversary. Sometimes a type, when you see, they're called the serpents. Sometimes they're called lions or young lions. Sometimes a thief or just the wolves. That's a type for them. Wild beasts, beasts of the field, scorpion, lions. There's sometimes strangers, birds of the sky, beasts of the field. See, not every time birds of the sky or beasts of the field, does that mean in any of these things, and by no means is this totally complete. Amen? What I'm saying right here. Now, another thing I want you to know, the Holy Ghost is a fire and the spirit of the devil is a fire. They're both a fire. You have to see how the Scripture's used. You won't have any problem with that. All right? Now, when you see these words, I wouldn't care if he wants to write these down. When you see these words manifested, I mean, when you see these words used, I want you to know in most cases they're a manifestation. If you examine your Scripture, you'll start seeing the powers of darkness, how the Lord's talking about the powers of darkness. When you see, first, start with the word flood, which you're familiar with, and I'm going to have to go back and explain that to you. You already see the flood, right? You see the flood, which is flood of words, and sometimes many waters, waves, and so forth like that. Waters and waves, the roar, uproar. What roars? Lions, then the uproar. When you see these words, and I'll be showing you as we go along, I wish we had about another half a day, but it's going to be all right to just stay here until 9 or 10. But I already showed you distress. You know, I sort of pointed out some things. Distress, when you see the word distress. Now, see, you're not going to get mad at me when I start down here, are you? If I say some things are in there, I told you I'm going to call it what it is, and you receive it when you see it in words. That's what we agreed with. Now, you can't be mad. Amen? Now, be sweet. Okay, when you see the word terror. Now, one of the terror is what? Now, one of the biggest words that's used for the powers of darkness is the word violence. You know how they do violence to the law or violence? That means pervert the Word of God. Or you employ violence. In other words, instead of employing the Spirit of God, you employ the spirit of the devil. You employ violence. That's what he talked about. You bring the powers of darkness in and let them come in and pervert the Word. Calamity is another word. Now, I never did... I need to just turn quickly, turn back to Luke. Turn back to Luke 8, and I never did get to this. You know, we looked at the parable of the Word in Mark 4. We looked at it in Matthew 13, but I never did look at it in Luke 8. And I just want to quickly just show you, give you an example. Let's just start with the birds of the sky. And I want to give you a little example, and then I want to just get on in this thing. Okay? Now, Luke 8. Luke 8, right now, first he's spoken a mystery, and then he took disciples and told them what he's talking about. Is that right? Okay, now, in verse 5, he's talking in a mystery. 8, Luke 8, verse 5. The sower went out to sow his seed, which is the Word of God. He sowed it some, fell beside the road. It was trampled, the Word is trampled underfoot. See there? They're trampling the Word. Now, we're going to watch the Word trampled underfoot directly. It's trampled underfoot, and who came and ate it up? The birds of the air. Now, we're going to look, I think it's over in 12, and we'll get to see who these birds of the air and what this seed is that come and eat, what it is that the birds of the air is after. And we see over in verse 12, those beside the road who have heard, then who comes? The devil comes, and he takes away the Word. Now, see, that's a seed, and so we know that the birds, what it's a type of, the birds of the sky, is the devil right here. Is that correct? So, there's a pretty fair example in Saul of you, Bible. But not in every case. Now, folks, I'm telling you why. You have to be careful that you don't read something into the Word that's not in the Word. Don't never say anything about the Word of God that everybody can't see it. You know why? Because I'll tell you what I've learned. You can start, if you don't truly see it all, and you start reading something in it, then you can take, you can have 50 things there if you have people with you, and then when you get to the one thing where they can't see it, and brother, it'll hurt you on the other. And you can just sin about that. If God hasn't showed you something, don't share it. We don't have anything to prove. We just say what God said. He proves it. Amen? Okay. Now, I want you to remember what I'm telling you. Okay. So, we see the birds of the sky right here, and that we see the birds of the sky want to come and take the Word from you. Is that right? Now, if that Word's not working in you, you can't be fruitful. If you don't take fruitful, you're not overcoming the powers of darkness. You're no threat to them. They get the seed from you, and the seed don't grow, and you're not going to have authority. You can't have any power over them. Is that right? And we know how's the war. How do they come? They bring affliction. They bring persecution. A lot of people say a lot of things, and then you get your mind on what they said, and then the first thing you know, the Word hasn't replaced. You've got to please folks. See it? They steal the Word from you, and they do it with the worries of life. Get your mind full of that. The deceitfulness of riches. The desires for other things. And you know, when you've got those things on your heart, you're, I mean, the Word's gone. They've got it. They replaced the Word with something else. That's how they get the Word. Now, I already explained to you that Paul fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, didn't he? And we know he wasn't fighting foxes. We know this was a type of something. This is a type for the powers of darkness that he was battling with there. And I think I might have mentioned to you that in Mark 1, 13, that Jesus was 40 days in the wilderness. He was being tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild animals. That just got thrown out. The beasts are still there, just like the beast of the field was with Satan when he was tempting the first Adam. They're with him when he's tempting the last Adam. Are you seeing that? You know, we saw that in Genesis 3, didn't we? That the beast of the field was with Satan. Now, he's more crafty than any other beast of the field, which he is. And so now I think I should give you an example of how a city would be a church situation, a congregation of God and a people of God. And I want you to see what the beasts are doing. You know Babylon was a dwelling place of demons? Babylon, the Word tells you in symbolism here in time, that a Baptist Babylon. And we learn a lot of things over here in the Old Covenant. Then we come over and see how it's applied in the New Covenant. Amen? Okay, now if you'll turn to Zephaniah. He was probably reading there yesterday. And Zephaniah, it's right before Matthew. Hurry. Can you hurry? It's about four. These are together, Zechariah and Zephaniah, and about four books before Matthew. All right? It's on page 1350, if you have a chance to print the Bible. You can visit a little bit when you turn to Zephaniah. Good to be free. The mission is over. Now let's look in verse 15. 2.15. Zephaniah 2.15. All right, now what does exalted mean? That means lifted up, doesn't it? Huh? Shake your head. Are you through visiting? You haven't found Zephaniah? How do you like any Bible drill? Zephaniah, verse 2.15. This is the exalted what? Which is a type of what? Of congregation of God or, you know, be like the church. This exalted city which dwells what? Oh, they just dwell so securely. Who says what? In the heart. That sounds like old Babylon over there. I'm the queen. I can't be a widow. I'm no widow. I'm Jesus' king. I'm queen. Right? Oh, that kind of reminds me of what Satan said over in some things in his heart over in Isaiah 14. I, where he says in his heart, you've been cast out because you said it in your heart. I will. I will. I, me, my. Right? All right, so you see Satan. You see who's talking to this city right here, this church. Who dwells? They dwell securely because they have said in their heart, I am. There's no one besides me. In other words, you've got to come over where I am. You're going to get what? My ticket's already punched. I'm rich. I'm increased in goods. And now she has become a what? Is there going to be abomination? Look at me. Is there going to be abomination in the last days that comes into the holy place to make desolate? And it makes desolate no word, no water, no fruit. There they are. She is a resting peace for who? That's just exactly what you see. That's the poor, harlot church, what you read in Revelation 18 yesterday. Everyone who places fire will kiss and wave his hands in contempt. You see a little of that? Go try to witness somebody got a Budweiser in her hand and say, you saved? Sure, I'm saved. He's been watching television. He's gotten to that. Sure, I know Jesus. All right, chapter 3. Here's her problem. Woe to her. She is what? Rebellious to the word of God. We saw what that gets you when you were over in Psalms 107. And she is defiled, defiled. You defile the holy temple, right? What did Jesus do? What was the type of Jesus? He went and he drove the thieves out of the temple, right? Amen. All right, now. Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled. The tyrannical city. Now, here's her problem. Here's why she's exalted and she's secure in her heart and she's like the devil and she's a resting place for demons. Here's her problem. She heeds no voice. She doesn't heed the word of God. She accepts no instructions. She is rebellious. She won't obey the word of God. She does not trust in the world. Probably goes to the world to get everything she needs. That's babbling. And she does not draw near to her God. She won't praise the God. Now, here in verse 3. Her leaders, her princes within her are what? They're just exactly like the demons. Demons are running to people, so they run to church. That's kind of like the Gentiles have got it. All right, now. Her judges are wolves. Now, are you seeing the beast? There's your roaring lion. There's your wolves. The judges are wolves at evening. They leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets, preachers are reckless, treacherous men. Her pastors, preachers have profaned the sanctuary. They've done what? Violence to what? The word, the law, the word. They have another word. It's been perverted. And now, I'm not going to turn back to Deuteronomy 28. To go through the blessings and the curses. And I think you pretty well understand that. You have the blessings in the head. And have God working with you. And whatever you ask, he'll give to you when you're bearing fruit and walking in company. Isn't that right? Then we see when you start living after this part. That you want to, you have the wrong motives. And he doesn't add to your prayers. Is that correct? We saw it in James 4. Now, let's go to, let's begin. And now, look at me here just a minute. I'm going to start down here. And this is going to smack against your box. Your petitions when I first start. Now, are you ready for it? You got to stand against it. If you get up here, you can't start up here and come down. You got to start down here and go up. Okay? All right? Don't be mad. You love me? Okay. All right. If you have your Bibles. Acts 13. Acts 13. And we're going to start tying some of these loose ends together. All right? It's good to tie loose ends together, isn't it? Praise you, Lord Jesus, for your grace, liberty, freedom, revelation, understanding, and your word. Praise the Lord. Now, do you believe when God says take heed, do you think it might be good to take heed? All right, he said it here. Verse 40. And if God says take heed, he's got a reason to say take heed, right? Okay. Take heed. Will you please do something with take heed? God wants you to take heed. I'm ready to take heed now. I believe a lot of people are ready to take heed, aren't you? Okay. How's your fear of God? You coming on all right? All right. Take heed. Therefore so that the what? I can't hear you again. Thing. The circle thing. I heard that thing again. The thing spoken of the prophets may not what? Oh, that thing's going to come on, so we're going to have to take heed so that the thing don't get on us, right? You want me to tell you what that thing is? Are you ready? Here it comes. Film. That's him. Okay. Behold you scoffers. Woo. That's mockers. Look here. They're right there. That's carton talk. Scoffers are cartons. It's hard. Scoffers. They'll follow their own ungodly lust and they scoff against. Now I'll show you about a scoffer. Are you ready? I hope you can take this. I have a scoffer in here. You're going to get mad. Okay. Behold you scoffers. And marvel and what? Might draw you a little line around scoffers. Draw you a little line around parish. Kind of connects them together a little bit right there. Scoffers. Parish. He says, For I'm accomplishing a work in whose days? Oh, your days, Mr. Scoffer. A work. Mark that work. Which you're going to never believe, Mr. Scoffer. Mr. Scoffer, you can't see it. Mr. Scoffer, as a matter of fact, you have a problem with being wise and intelligent. And you're not going to see it, Mr. Scoffer. It's a work which you're going to never believe. You're going to never believe it. Though someone should describe it to you. That sounds like Luke 10, doesn't it? Huh? You'll never see that thing, Mr. Scoffer. Though someone describes it to you. Because it comes by revelation. You better open up your heart. You better get ready. If you're a scoffer. So you can see this. Scoffers don't see this. Here it comes. Now, this thing is the same thing that the baby disciples saw when they dealt with the power of the doctrine. And now, this was taken right here, Habakkuk 1. And if you will please, please turn with me now back to Habakkuk 1. That's back there near the Z's before Matthew back there, close by. I think it's close to Nahum. And you can find it easy now. Right before Zephaniah. Zechariah. Zephaniah, I mean. I'm sorry. Right after Nahum. Okay. Now, everybody has it. Almost. I'll tell you what. You're going to like the minor prophets after this seminar today. They've just been waiting there all the time for someone to read them. Now. Boy, this would make a good church. I'll bet you're a good tither. You got a lot of money? You got Jesus as your brother. Amen. All right. Now, what did we just read over in Acts 13 and this was taken out of Habakkuk that he said he warned you, you take heed. You take heed to me that this thing doesn't come upon you but scoffers are going to perish and they're not going to hear it or see it and they're not going to believe it if you even describe it to them. Now, let me ask you something. Let me just share something with you right here. Who was it that Babylon used to bring against the people of God over and over and over again? The Chaldeans, wasn't it? Isn't that right? The Chaldeans. And they were the people that come to when Israel was disobedient, what did the Lord do? He turned the Chaldeans from Babylon upon the people of God because they wouldn't walk in covenant. Is that right? Well, isn't that kind of true about the Canaanite nations and so forth like that? He would just let the Philistines come and just beat them up all to pieces and so forth like that. They were on the land because when they wouldn't walk in the covenant of God. Right? Now, may I go ahead and tell you again that the Canaanite nations are the people on the land. I want you to know them and the Chaldeans is a type of the instruments that God used. They're a type of the enemy that comes against you today, the powers of darkness. Now, let me just tell you, I don't believe any Chaldeans are going to get you today. But you're ready to read about it. It got over in Acts 13 somewhere or another. But those Chaldeans are a type of something. Now, you're going to see them. And if this is from God, it's going to jump all over you like it does at me and everybody else. All right, here you go. Here they are. Verse 2, Habakkuk 1. How long, O Lord, will I call for help? Glory. And thou will not hear. I cry out to thee. What's his problem right there? Violence. All right, he's crying out. He needs help from who? The powers of darkness. Now, this is what this is a type of. Okay? Here you go. Thou dost not save. Why dost thou make me see iniquity? And if you see, it said, Why and cause me to look on wickedness? Now, look here. Here it is. Yes, destruction. And here it is. Violence are before me. Now, watch this. Strife exists. Boy, isn't that a familiar song? Contention arises. Where do you think all that comes from? Them? Okay, we're going to see them in a minute. Strife and contention arises. Therefore, when there's strife and contention there, the Word of God is what? It's ignored. And justice is never upheld. It's not helped. There's no discipline or anything. You just love a bunch of folks into something and make them, you know, look good out of the flesh and appearance. And justice is never upheld. And the wicked, that's them, surround the who. So, why righteous? Therefore, justice comes out what? And that's the way we've been seeing things, that justice has been coming out a little perverted. It looks good in somebody else's eyes instead of what God's eyes look like. All right, now, he says, look among the nations. Observe. This is what the Lord said. Be astonished and wonder. And here we go, what we saw over in Acts 13. He said, because I'm doing something in your days, and your days right now, you wouldn't believe if you were told. Mr. Flesh, scoffer, behold, I'm raising up the who, which is a type of what? The powers of darkness, the demons? Just plain old that's what it is. All right, here they are. I'm raising up that fierce and impetuous people who mark throughout the earth to seize what? Oh, they seize in these dwelling places which are not theirs. They doing that? A bunch. Verse 7, they are what? Oh, dreaded in what? Oh, are they dreaded and feared? Are the demons dreaded and feared? Listen, let's stop right here. Do you remember what I told you? What you told over in Acts 13? To take heed that this thing was not come upon you. Is that right? May I remind you again? Acts 13 wasn't telling you to take heed that the Galileans going to get you. Acts 13, your new covenant over here was telling you that them was going to get you. It didn't come upon you. And we've already seen that scoffers, the wise and intelligent, will never, never, never, never, never, ever fear. Amen? He already said you wouldn't believe if somebody described it to you. Okay. So they still driving. Now look at me. We're down here. I told you you're going to have to use that spirit of self, that fruit of self-control here. You're going to have to just maintain yourself a little while. It's all of your Bible. Everything we're reading over here, we're going to find that over there where we've been called something, something else. Okay, you with me? You love me? Amen. Okay. They're dreaded and feared. Their justice and authority originate with themselves. The horses are swifter. Now watch it, the beasts. The leopards, keener than the wolves in Eden. The horsemen come galloping. The horsemen come from afar. They fly like a what? Well, there's your bird. And they're swooping down to what? Devour. All of them come for what? Violence. There it is, Mark, violence. Their horrid faces move forward. They collect what? They collect captives like sand. They moult at kings. The rulers are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every fortress. They heap up rubble to capture it. Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. They'll be held guilty. They whose strength. It's their strength who is their God. And then how about the cast right here starting in verse 12. And now you're going to see the Lord Jesus Christ right in the middle of this. You ready? Here we go. Art thou not from everlasting? O Lord, my God, my Holy One, we will not die. Thou, O Lord, has appointed them, has appointed them, that they'll miss them, to what? Judge. Now you saw that. I'm going to turn back real good. You saw this back over. And when I was looking at Baba, that the powers of God were saying we're not going to be held guilty because they judged sin. When they see sin, they can move in. And that's what they see. And they're not going to be held guilty inasmuch as the powers of God said they have sinned against the Lord. You remember that? We saw it over in Jeremiah 15. I want to make a little note there. All right. Thou has appointed them to judge. And thou, O who? Who's that? Jesus has established sin to what? Correct. Or I'm thinking King James calls it chastise. But anyway, they are to chastise. They are correct. Thou has appointed them correct. Well, he goes on and say, well, how did these things get on us? They're worse than we are. Well, do you see it? That's a good question. So he put verse 13 in there. And he said, Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil. That's the evil in us. And evil is in all the people that God's ever had. And thou cannot look on wickedness with favor. Why does thou look with favor on those who deal treacherously? That's on the demons. Why is thou silent with the wicked? That's the powers of darkness. Swallow up those who are more righteous than they are. Why? Why then? Well, we're going to see why. Why has thou made men like what? Now, you've got to mark that good in your Bible. Make men like fish in the sea, like creeping things without a ruler over them, and the who? And a cow lives atop a who? The demons. The demons bring all them up with one. Now, look at it. God has, Jesus has some fishermen, doesn't he? I believe Satan has him some fishermen too, doesn't he? He fishes for men too. You see that? Men are like fish in the sea, and the Chaldeans, the demons, bring them all up with a hook. And now you see something that's been accursed all through the Old Testament, being drug away. See it right there? Drag, they bring them up with a hook, and they drag them away with their what? Now, that's what the curse, the one of the curses you see all the way through the Old Testament. Now you know what that is. The powers of darkness drag away. Now, and they gather them together in their fishing net, and therefore, now when it talks about the Lord throwing a net on you, you'll find out that he lowers the heads, he says, sick them. Now, I'm telling you now, and this is what you're going to see all over the Bible. Now, therefore, they rejoice and are glad. Now, verse 17, will they therefore continually, therefore empty their net, and continually slay nations without sparing. And that's exactly what they're doing, slaying nations without sparing right now. Now, I want you to turn to Hosea 4, please. And we're going to, that's where we had to start at, didn't we? You have to start somewhere, don't you? It's all right to start somewhere, isn't it? Good. Hosea 4. Well, you say, well, I haven't been taught to study the Bible like that. Well, I hadn't either until God showed me to do this. Old Dudley, you know, that answered your question last night? Old Dudley, one of the best Bible teachers. They are in this world. And I remember the first time I began showing him, going through this thing with a bunch of pastors down in Dothan, Alabama. An old Dudley. And that's kind of encouraged, because Old Dudley, when I heard it, I resolved and said, I've got a new Bible. It's going to be amazing. You know, when you see these things, you know what's going to happen. You're going to figure, you're going to see how this flows and everything. I want to tell you, brother and sister, you're going to, I by no means am going to have time to cover this, but it's going to change the reading of your Bible when you put this in practice, when a word like this is going to change. It's so exciting. It really is. You're going to want to reread it. It will make a tremendous difference. All right. Now, by the way, just for your notes, I turned Amos 4 to it. You know, it's talking about the last day. It says, God, I'm going to take the last of you with fish hooks. And if we had any time, I'd run over there. But anyway, in Hosea 4, which is the top, well, back up there to 2. Hosea 2, I just want to look at one verse while we're close by. 2.19. I will betroth you to me what? Forever. Think it's not me, Jesus, speaking? Huh? Yes, I will betroth you to me in what? Righteousness and justice, in loving kindness. That's covenant love. That's a God kind of love. 2.19. Hosea 2.19. In loving kindness and in compassion. And I will what? Betroth. You'll be married to me in what? Faithfulness. Then you're going to know the Lord. Amen? Isn't that good? Boy, the Lord's everywhere, all over this Bible, isn't He? Now, let's go back to chapter 4. We're going to start looking at a congregation. Okay? Now, we're going to see if this congregation had a few problems. I mean, it's kind of like a palace. And then when we come to something, we're talking about Israel, we're talking about Judah, or Jacob, or it'll switch around like that. You're still talking about the congregation, and it'll switch it over. You're still talking about a people that's supposed to be a people of God that's supposed to be walking in the covenant of God. Now, I want you to watch what the Spirit of God is saying to you. Now, began in Hosea 4. Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel. Now, are we sons of Israel? For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land. Well, He has a case against Israel. Because there is what? Today, there's no faithfulness, there's kindness. You can see it in the church. It's not the faithfulness, kindness, or what? The knowledge of God in the Word, in the land, rather. But here's what's going on in the hearts of people. There is swearing. There is deception. Murder is in their heart. Stealing is in their heart. adultery is in their heart. And watch what they do. They employ what? They employ violence so that what? Bloodshed follows bloodshed. All right. Now, when you employ the powers of darkness, when you employ perversion, now, I'm just telling you what this is right now and you're going to see it clearly. What happens? Bloodshed. You employ pervert in the Word. Bloodshed follows bloodshed because there's no hedge or protection. Do you see that? That's how you spill the blood of the righteous. Now, therefore, the what? Verse 3. Look here. The land, look here, mourns. This land mourns. Where did we see that? Over in Jeremiah? You know when he's talking about this? The land mourns because of the curse. And this land, I'm telling you, there's some people on this land that cause this land to mourn and they're not blessings, okay? That's them. The violence there is talking about. Therefore, the land mourns and everyone who lives in it languishes. Now, underlying languish, that means they lack force and are weakened. Now, look who's on the land with him. Along with the who? Beats the field and the who? Now, you see who's on this land? Do you see it? Okay. And also the what? When they get on the land, the fish of the sea, who are they? Men. They disappear because they're the fishermen and they come and bring them up to hit the fish up and drag them away. Is that right? Now, if you kind of get some surprised look on your face, you might as well get adjusted to this because your Bible's fixing to change. Okay. All right, here's the kind of congregation this is. There's no faithfulness. There's a kind of congregation of compromise. Here they are. Verse 4, Let no one find fault. Let none offer reproof. Now, let's just love them into it. For your people are like those who contend with the priests. So, here's what you're going to do. You're going to stumble by day. Now, look at me. In daytime, you're supposed to see where you're going, but you're stumbling in the daytime. You can't find the way, the way of the Lord. Right? Okay. For you will stumble by day, and the prophet also is going to stumble tonight, and I'm going to destroy what? I'll destroy your mother, which is your what? I'm going to destroy your church. You're absolutely right. Now, my people are destroyed for this reason, for lack of knowledge. You know what Paul said about, I pray for Israel, for their what? Salvation. They salvage, zeal for God, but it's not according to the Word. Amen? Okay. You are destroyed because you have rejected what? You've rejected the Word, so I'm going to reject you from being what? I'm going to reject you from, when you reject the Word, I'll reject you from being my priest. Since you've forgotten the Word of your God, I will also forget your what? I'm going to forget your children. Now, let's just look in chapter 5, and we see Ephraim, we see Judah, we see Jerusalem, we see Israel. These are all supposed to be a type of God, a type of the congregation of God. Okay? And you'll see a change from one to the other, and you'll get used to it in a little bit. Hosea 5. Let's start in verse 11. Here it is. It's a type of the congregation or church of God. Verse 11. Ephraim is oppressed. They are crushed in what? The judgment is the reason they're oppressed, because here's their problem. He is determined to follow what? He's determined to follow man's command. So when you follow man's command, the anger of God and the wrath of God comes, and they come right behind him. So therefore, he says in verse 12, the Lord says, Therefore I'm like a what? Now, listen. The curse of God, the curses of God is explained like being rotten or a moth. Now, we've already run that once more. We're going to see it all over. Now, these are some terms you're kind of getting used to. When you start putting the powers of darkness back in the Word, then you start having to get used to new things if you left them out, right? So you just go ahead and adjust right here just like all the other hunters that do it. See it right here when God did, and you're going to see it. Now, when you talk about the moth, that's them. The moth, and that's the way the powers of darkness, it's just a slow deterioration. Now, therefore, when you follow man's command in verse 12, Therefore I'm like a moth, Ephraim, and like what? There is your rottenness in the moth. You'll see it over and over to the house of Judah. Now, here's what the church is doing in verse 13. When the church, when Ephraim saw his what? All right, when he saw his sickness, and Judah his what? Wound. All right, when he saw their sickness, then the church, Ephraim, went to where? Which means they went where? They go to the world with their sickness. Okay. And said to King Jerob, but he is what? He's unable to heal you, or cure you of your what? Your wound, your sickness? For I will be like a what? Folks, now, I want you to get used to these terms. When the Lord says, I'm going to be like a thief, you're going to see now that when he said, I'm going to be like the powers of darkness, because when I turn them loose in sycamore, I'm an enemy to you. Amen? Now, you get used to this, because it's all over. Okay? All right. For I'm going to be like a lion to Ephraim. There's your powers of darkness. I'm going to be like a young lion to the house of Judah. Now, let me just stop right there. You know that all the congregations throughout the Word of God, when they disobeyed God and disobeyed to God, he hasn't turned any boxes and bars and lines and whoops on them, has he? No. These are a type of something, just like all the other things in the Word. And so I'm going to be like a lion to Ephraim, like a young lion to Judah, house of Judah. I even are going to what? I'll tear to pieces and go away. I'll tear away and there'll be none to deliver. Now, I want you to remember this word, tear to pieces. I'm starting down here again. I'm just going to have you look at me. I'm starting down here just a minute, and I'm wanting to tell you so you can get used to this term, tear to pieces. Now, if I'd been able to share with covenant right here, you could clearly understand this a lot clearer. Now, used to, when they used to walk through the pieces, when two would make covenant, they would make the figure eight, they would drink the wine, which is the blood, they would feed each other the bread, which is blood and flesh. That was covenant that they would make. When they walked between, they would split an animal from, they wouldn't cut its head off, I mean, from tail to head right there. And then when they'd make covenant with one another, and this, by the way, is what Abraham and God made their covenant together. There wasn't any need for Abraham. God just made it for Abraham. Of course, that's what Jesus did for you too. But see, when you walk through the pieces, that is a walk of death. That is a walk of death. When you walk through this walls of blood, and that's what covenant is, is a walk of death to yourself because your identity is changing. Now, one of those, you know, these blessings and curses in every covenant, any time you make covenant. Now, you know, like old Scott and I would make covenant with one another, but then one of the blessings, I'd just speak blessings all over his family and all these things. I'd show him how much I had in the bank. All these things are his now. Everything I have is his. Everything is his is mine. That's what, when two become one blood, one flesh. Amen? And then would come the curses. Now, see, I've turned my whole life and everything, I've given it over to Scott. Of course, now this time, you know, this is what we do with the Lord. And you know how much more serious it would be if you do something like this with God. See, this is why we've not understood because of why we've just been a little at liberty about and deceived about the things of God. But one of the things, you'd speak all kind of curses on each other, and people of this day understand when you speak the word curses, James has a lot to say about it, speaking curses on people. See, it's been all right to speak curses on people since there wasn't any powers of darkness or, you know, these things have been left out. So then we'll have to speak curses on them. And one of the things that we would agree to, we would point to these pieces where we walk through the pieces and say, Lord, you do to me and more, pointing to these split pieces right here, if I don't keep my covenant. Now, that's an oath before God. Now, when do the powers of darkness turn loose on people? When they're breaking covenant, they're not walking in covenant. The hedge comes down. Now, see, we're running some new things here, and you're going to just see it, and it'll all tie together, and you're just going to see it. But that's when they tear it to pieces. So when you tear it to pieces, who do you think tears you to pieces? Who do you think tears you to pieces in Deuteronomy 28 when you do not walk in covenant right there? He said, if you do not obey the word, the hedge comes down, and here they come. They tear you to pieces like a mountain, like rocks. Amen? Amen. Okay. So I'm going to go... Let's look at it again, verse 14. For I'm going to be like a lion, and he's going to be like a thief to Ephraim, like a young lion to the house of Judah. This is the Lord. I, even I, am going to tear it to pieces. I'll go away, I'll care away, and there will be none to... What? Nobody's going to... See, when the Lord goes away, there's nobody to deliver you. You can't be free. If the Lord don't set you free, you've got an enemy too strong for you, there's no way for you to be free. He's the only one stronger than the powers of darkness, and not one demon does one thing against the will of God. Is that plain? Okay. Now, 15. I will go away, when this happens, I'll return to my place. In other words, his presence is gone, and a lot of his presence is gone, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face. In other words, there comes repentance. When they repent, my presence is gone until they repent. And in their affliction, and you see how the affliction comes on, they will earnestly seek me. Now, turn to chapter 7. Now, we're going to look at the world in the church. Chapter 7, verse 8. The church, Ephraim, mixes himself with the what? With the world, nations. Ephraim has become a cake not turned. There is your harlotry. A cake not turned, that's the harlotry. Now, strangers, now, what's your name? Strangers, that's them, they devour his strength, yet he does not know it. Scoffers will never know it. They won't know it if you describe it to them. He devours his strength, yet he does not know it. Gray hairs are sprinkled on him, yet he does not know it. In other words, he's growing older and older in this situation, and he doesn't know the state that he's in. Now, verse 10. Though the pride of Israel, there's the pride of the church, testifies against him. Now, how does the pride of the church testify against us today? You know, won't go to the altar, won't praise the Lord, won't humble herself. That's how your pride testifies against you. Though the pride of Israel testifies against him, yet they have neither what? They won't repent. They neither return the Lord their God, nor how they want, salt him for all this. So Ephraim has become like a silly dove without sense. They call to what? They call to the world. Egypt, they go to Syria, Madison Avenue. When they go, I'll spread my what? Did we read about that net over in Habakkuk 1? I'll spread my net over them. I'll bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will what? Now, what's he chastised with? He chastised with his net. Amen? I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation of their assembly. Now, what's the proclamation of the assembly? The proclamation of the assembly is in Deuteronomy 28. If you don't walk in the covenant and receive the blessings, then I proclaim that you'll walk, that you'll have the curses upon you. That is the proclamation. So you see why they get there. Now, so you'll see where this all directed against and where it's coming against. You can look at it clearly. Now, things start getting clearer and clearer. You know, we started on Wednesday just building and building and building and building and tying. And when you think you've run into something, well, we just get it all tied together. We go on to the next thing, and there you go. Now, chapter 8. You're going to see where all this is directed against. Now, what's a trumpet? A trumpet's when you sound a warning. Do you believe a trumpet's blowing right now? I hear the trumpet blowing. Amen. Now, chapter 8, verse 1. Put the trumpet to your lips, and this is a warning. And this is what you've been hearing for three days. Like an eagle, there's your birds of the air. The what? The enemy's coming against what? The house of the Lord. Now, this is everything we're reading about right here. The enemy's coming against the house of the Lord. Why? Because they have transgressed what? They transgressed the covenant and rebelled against what? The Word of God. They rebelled against the Word. And then verse 2. They cry out to me, My God, we of Israel, no thee. You're the king. We're the queen. We can't be a widow. Ho hum. Israel has rejected the good, verse 3, and the enemy will pursue him. They have set up kings, that's leaders, flesh, but not to me. See, they set themselves in a position to be controlled by men. They've appointed princes and leadership, flesh, but I didn't know it. And with their hundred dollar bills and their silver gold, they've made ladles for themselves. But they might be what? They let themselves get into a situation where they're controlled by men. Now, 5. Sounds like a gold cave, doesn't it? Huh? I can't hear you. All right, verse 5. He has rejected your cave. Old Samaria is saying, My anger burns against him. Now when his anger burns against him, what happens next? Here they come. And how long will they be incapable of innocence? Now here's what they're doing in this congregation church situation. Verse 7. For they sow the wind. What is wind? Words. Just write it in there. I'm going to give you a second. They sow words and they reap the what? When you sow words, you reap the whirlwind, which is the storm. Amen? And the standing head has no grain, which means it's straw, right? That's what words bring, straw. We saw it in Jeremiah 23. It yields no what? Words don't yield any fruit. There's no fruit. You put it. No grain, no fruit. Should it yield, who's going to swallow it up? Huh? That sounds like them over in the Bible of the Word. They come to steal the Word, right? Come and take the Word away from you. They come and take it away. The strangers come and take it away. Okay. Verse 8. The church is swallowed up. They're now among the world. You see that? They're now among the world like a vessel in which no one delights. It might have something. Can't you just see a place like this right here, a church like this? They probably got a big sign out front giving the world time and temperature. And it might read something like this. Our super young marriage are on the grow. Come in and get counted, world. Boy, I can't wait to get in there and get counted. Like a vessel which no one delights. For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey. Here's your harlotry. All along, Abram has what? They hire their lovers to get numbers. They hire their lovers to Madison Avenue to get nickels. Oh, my. What would God do without Madison Avenue? I want to ask you something right here. Do you remember? I want you to write this down on something, this verse right here. Exodus 20 and 25. I want you to look at it. Write it down. I want you to look at it right here just a second. Write it right up at the top of Hosea 10 where it says Hosea 10 just right. Exodus 20 and 25. Now, I want you to look at me right here, and I want to tell you what that said because I'm kind of just a little bit behind. You know when they were building the altar, and he said, what's the altar for? That's where you come to worship and sacrifice and worship and praise the Lord. Isn't that right? And they used to bring the sacrifice and the praise and worship to the Lord often. Now, this is how. In Exodus 20 and 25, it says, when you build an altar for me, he said, here's how you're going to build it. You build it of uncut stones. It's uncut stones. You will not wield an iron tool on it. You're just going to pick up the stones and pile them up there and put it. You're not going to wield any iron tool on it because when you do, you're going to profane my altar. In other words, what he's telling them, don't you get these stones and start fancying up and it'll get fancier and fancier and fancier and fancier and bigger, and then people's hearts go to the altar instead of to me. Are you seeing? So don't you wield an iron tool on this thing or you're going to profane it, right? Now, let me show you what's happening. What's that altar a type of today? Now, do you know the foot of the cross? Calvary is the real altar, but that altar is a type, you know, in a meeting house where we come to. That's what a meeting house is, you know, to come to the foot of the cross to worship the Lord and all. All right, now, you let people come to that and it just gets beautiful. You know, God deserves the best. Let's get her drapes about a half inch thicker and God deserves the best seats. Let's get her cushions about three more inches thicker. God deserves the best carpet. Let's add another inch or two of the thicker than that right there, and let's get the best and everything, and, you know, pretty soon it starts looking like a palace. You know, do you ever see these high-backed chairs up here? You know, look like little thrones up there, you know? They look like little boys sitting in them, their feet dangling off, you know what I mean? Who do you think's talking to them about that? If you didn't know better, it'd look like a palace, wouldn't it? Well, then people walk in one of these palaces and their hearts start trusting the altar. And you know what God says? You know what really God sees in their heart? He said, I'm rich, increased in goods. God really needs me. Look how I'm helping him out. I don't fear God. I don't fear King Jesus. I mean, what can Jesus do for me? I'm already there. I'm rich. I'm already there. Fear the Lord? What do I need to fear the Lord for? I don't need to fear the Lord. I mean, what can King Jesus do for me? I'm doing it for him. Well, God knew it would be that way that's why he didn't put the Hosea 10 in there. Look at this. Verse 1, Israel, the church is a luxuriant vine. You'll see it's an empty vine in King James or degenerate vine. It's the wrong vine. It's the vine of the world. He produces fruit for who? Might be nickels, noses, numbers, building. Does not love joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, gentleness, meekness, temperance, faith. Right? Okay. This kind of fruit. He produces fruit for what? Himself because he's making a name for himself. Right? I'm telling you what, if you don't listen to me, you're going to miss something. He produces fruit for himself. The more his fruit, the more altars he makes, more meeting houses, the richer his land, the more of those silver and gold, hundred-dollar bills, the better and bigger he makes these what? Sacred pillars. Their heart is faithless. Now they must bear their guilt. The Lord's going to break down their altars. He'll destroy their sacred pillars. Surely now they'll say, and this is what's in their heart, we have no king. There's King Jesus. For we do not fear the Lord. They don't fear the Lord. This is what's in their heart as for King Jesus. What can he do for us? They speak what? Mere words with worthless oaths. They make covenant. And what? There it is. Judgment. That's it. Judgment of God. Sikkim. Sprouts like what? Poisonous weeds into what? Now look. Let me show you where judgment sprouts up at. Right here it is. Here it comes. Right here in this field right here. That's where the thorns and the thistles. That's where the... That's where the... That's why he said, if the ground needs to be plowed up so you can receive some seed, right? Well, I knew he was going to say that because look over in verse 12. This is what they need. 12th verse. So with a view to what? Now, righteous, they're walking right in God's eyes. Isn't that right? If you sow the flesh, what do you reap? Corruption, you sow the spirit. You reap eternal life, which is righteousness. That's right and done. So with a view to righteous, reap in accordance with what? Kindness. Break up your foul ground. Here it is. Look at me. Break up this field right here. Judgment's on it. Possess the land, he said. Break it up. Have good soil. Do you remember that? Have good soil so you can understand, receive the Word. Okay. Break up your foul ground for it's time to seek the Lord until he comes to reign. There's your Holy Spirit. Righteousness on you. Now, here's what you've been doing, church. You have plowed wickedness. This is what's been in your field. You've reaped injustice. That's what's been coming out of your field. You've eaten the fruit of lies. There's your traditions because you have trusted in whose ways? You've trusted in your way and in your numbers. That's what you've trusted in. You've trusted in lies. You've trusted in your way and your numbers. Now, I want you to hold your hand right there and I want you to turn back and I want to show you something. Oh, there's a lot more, but I want to show you just a little about numbers. 1 Chronicles. Turn back to 1 Chronicles. Right before Psalms. 1 Chronicles 21. Okay? 1 Chronicles 21. David really got crossways with the Lord one time. David got crossways with the Lord and a bunch of folks got killed in Israel. He sure wouldn't do that today, though, would he? Hath God really said? Well, 1 Chronicles 21, verse 1. Then, right before Psalms, then who stood up? Satan stood up. I don't want anybody to see this. I don't want to run off and leave you. It's after Kings. I'm just going to wait on it. It's important for you to see this. Okay, here we are. Verse 1. Then Satan stood up against who? He stood up against the people of God and what did he do? He moved David's... Who moved David? Satan moved David to what? Start counting. Amen? Let's start counting and see what we got here. So David said to Job and to the prince of the people, Go count Israel. Go start. Let's count and see how many we got. From Bathsheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their number. And Job, you know, knew. He said, May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many. Let the Lord do an adding. But my... Lord the King, are they not all my Lord's servants? Why does my Lord seek this out? Why should you bring this cause, the guilt of Israel? He knew it was some of that, didn't he? Well, let's see what the Lord thought about all that. Him listening to Satan and getting caught up in his heart and his numbers. And then verse 7. And God was displeased with this thing, so he struck Israel, the people of God. And he struck them, and David said to God, I have sinned. What? I've sinned greatly getting involved in my heart, going after these numbers, and then I have done this thing. But now please take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly. Right? I've been very foolish. And then verse 14. So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell because their hearts got turned toward the numbers. And you say, Well, God sure wouldn't do this today. Well, let me tell you something. When we get through that New Testament today, you might change your mind. There might be something over there you hadn't noticed. Okay, we're back over in Hosea. Now, you're not as mad at me as you was, are you? Now, chapter 13. Takes a little time. Hosea 13. Now, here he's talking about these people and continues to talk about them. Hosea 13, verse 6. As they had their pastor, that's where you come to feed, they became what? Oh, satisfied. Now, I'm going to put you a little one right there. In being satisfied, their heart becomes what? Satisfied people become proud. Boy, God needs them. And therefore, after you become proud, what's the next step? You forget God. You become satisfied, then you become proud, and then you don't need God. So, God says in that case, verse 7, So I'm going to be like a what? Here he comes. He's going to be a thief. He's going to, I mean, let's see what he does to them. I'm going to be like a lion to them. Now, watch all the different kind of beasts that he is, which is a type of the powers of darkness that have come. I'll be like a lion to them, like a leopard. There's another beast. I'll lie and wait for the wayside. Verse 8, I'll encounter them like a what? Bear. There, you've got the leopard, the lion, and the bear. Robbed of their cubs. I will what? I'm going to tear open their chest. In other words, tear them to pieces. They are breaking covenant. There, I will also devour them like a what? I'll devour them like a lioness. As a what? Wild beasts would tear them. It is your, now, see, you've got the lioness, you've got the wild beasts, you've got the bear, the leopard, you've got the lion. They all turn loose because people are proud. They turn away from God. They're satisfied. Okay. Verse 9, It is your, what's that word? Destruction. Oh, Israel, oh, church, that you're what? That you are against me. Now, I'm going to show you that. Something about that. We're going to get over in New Testament. You remember where that is. Now, are you seeing all these things, how the Lord's becoming a thief right there? Well, amen. All right. Now, I want you to look now in chapter 14. Chapter 14. Now, what he's saying to the church right here in chapter 14 is, Return, oh, Israel. In other words, what's he saying to Israel, the church? He's saying to her to repent. Amen? Repent. Return, oh, Israel, repent to the Lord your God. For you have what? You've stumbled because of your what? Your sin. Now, take your words with you and repent. Amen? Just turn loose all those words and everything and repent and return to the Lord. And say, here's what you need to say to him. Say to him, Take away all sin and receive us graciously that we may present the fruit of our lips to praise the Lord. The world's not going to save us. We're not going to ride on horses. We're not going to follow flesh anymore. And nor are we going to say again, Our God, to the works of our hands. Isn't that right? For in thee, in the Lord, the orphan, that's a lost person, finds what? Now, see, he hasn't got a father. Let's don't get into flesh like this. This is what he's talking about, a loss. He finds mercy. And now, you know how we get into the presence of the Lord? By having good soil. Isn't that right? Isn't that correct? Well, good. All right. You sure have a sweet spirit, haven't you? Dropped everything. I got a little test. And I'm blessed. Thank you, Lord. I'll always triumph in your name. You should see this. Okay. Now. Okay. You get into the presence of the Lord, that means in His shadow. Isn't that right? You get in His shadow. Okay. Let's look down in verse 7. They repented, haven't they? And they're talking about them repenting up there. Those who live in His shadow, that means His presence. Isn't that what we saw in James 4? You get in His presence. We'll again raise what? And that grain is what? When you get in the presence of the Lord, you're going to raise fruit. Isn't that right? And you get in the presence of the Lord by dealing with all your sin and bearing fruit. Is that right? Now, you're going to get Jesus all over the place here. Now, get ready. You'll again raise grain. And their blossom, they will blossom like the vine. Does the blossom come before the fruit? There has to be a blossom. Some blossoms blow away and dry up or fall off. But this blossom, and they will blossom like the vine. His renown to be like the wine of Lebanon. Now, O we from old church, this is the type of the people of God. What more have I to do? Now, let's just slow down a little. What more have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. By the way, this Lord speaking. I am like a luxuriant cypress. Here it comes. From me comes your fruit. It's the Lord. Now, verse 90 asks you a question. Whoever is wise. Now, I want you to know the one who is wise, who hears the Word of God and walks in it. The wise person walks in covenant with the Lord. Amen? Oh, it says here, who is wise, let him what? Now, the wise can understand these things. The scopper never, never, never, never will understand it. Okay? Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Whoever is what? Discerning. Let him know them. Now, discerning is hid from people who draw near with their mouth. Well, you saw it in Isaiah 29. There's discernment that's going to be concealed for people that draw near with their mouth and their heart's far from them. Amen? Okay. Now, whoever is discerning, the wise, the ones who are going to understand it, whoever is discerning, let him what? Know them. Now, if you're not wise and you're not discerning, you're not going to understand this. Amen? Let's go ahead. For the ways of the Lord are what? Right, which are righteousness, and the righteous are going to what? The righteous are going to walk in these ways, but transgressors are going to what? Look at me. They're going to stumble in it. They're going to stagger. They're going to stagger. A transgressor of the covenant cannot find his way. He'll stagger. Now, I'll tell you a little verse you might want to write down there. Blow that. You recall that we saw over in 1 John 3, I believe, was it 7 or 17? Little children, do not be deceived if 17, the one who is righteous, practices righteousness. And is that kind of saying the same thing? Huh? Absolutely. Now, since we kind of got work through some of these things, I want to show you how these powers of darkness there kind of work. Let's turn to Jeremiah 8, please. Jeremiah 8. Turn back to Jeremiah 8. Jeremiah 8. Now, this is where we was earlier, you know, that the people had turned to continual apostasy, and they're like a horse charging into battle. They don't know the ordinance of the Lord, the lying scribes, the writers have twisted and made it into a lie. So they're going to give their fields to new owners, which is possessing ones. All right, now let's look over in verse 17. Here's what he's going to do to these people right here. Verse 17. For behold, I'm sending what? Serpents against you. Have any idea who that is? Them. Adders from which there is no charm, and they're going to what? They'll bite you, declares the Lord. My sorrow is beyond healing. 18. My heart is faint within me. Verse 19. Behold, listen, the cry of the daughter of my people. The daughter of people is just another type of the church of people of God. The cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land. Now, you're going to get asked some questions right here, and I wish you would start numbering right there. Now, the first thing it asks in this congregation right here, in this church, is it says, Now, number one, is the Lord, that's the Lord Jesus, not in Zion? That's your first question. Okay? The next question, it asks the same thing. Is her king not within her? That's King Jesus. Okay? In Zion. That's the king of Zion, isn't it? Shake your head. All right. He is the king, and he's the Lord. Okay. All right. Why have they provoked me with their graven images, with their foreign idols? Now, watch very closely in 20. Harvest is past. Harvest is past. Summer is ending. Summer is when you're supposed to be bearing fruit, isn't it? Huh? And there wasn't anything to harvest, it don't sound like. And we are not saved. Wonder who they bear fruit for. Sound like Babylon, don't it? For the brokenness of the daughter of my people, I am broken. I mourn. Dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Now, all right. Now, there's the next question. Now, look here. There's the next one. Who is the physician? Who is the real physician? Jesus. He says, is there no physician there? This already asks, is the Lord there? Is the king there? Is the physician there? And if it asks, and what he's saying, is Jesus there? And then the next question, if Jesus is there then, why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored? And that's a congregation I was reading to you about, was it yesterday, that was in continual apostasy, that the lying scribes had twisted the word of God. See, why are you not restored? Why are you not healed? Now, look with me in Jeremiah 30, and I want you to see how the Lord does this. Jeremiah 30, please. Jeremiah 30. All right. In Jeremiah 30, I want you to read three verses with me. Let's start over in verse 12. Okay? For thus says the Lord, 30 verse 12, your wound, your sickness is incurable, and your injury is serious. There is no one to want to plead the cause. The Lord Jesus. There's no what? No healing for your sore. No what? There's no recovery for you. Why? Verse 14, all your lovers. Now, Jesus is not pleading for you. He's not your advocate. All your lovers have forgotten you. Now, you see, where's he loving at? He had some gods out there in the world. We've seen this over and over. See, the lovers have forgotten you. They do not seek you. Now, here's what's happened to you. For I have what? I've wounded you with the what? The wound of an enemy. That's how Jesus becomes a thief. You see it over and over and over. See, these are not isolated places. I can't even begin to get into this thing in a short time. We're going to look at this today. It is absolutely all of your work. I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy with a punishment of who? See, that is what it comes from, the punishment of the criminal because why? They sound like he got this sickness because of sin. The powers of darkness were turned on because of sin, and the powers of darkness brought the sickness there. Amen? The enemy brought it with the punishment of a cruel one because your iniquity is great and your sins are numerous. Is that real clear? All right, now, let's look back in Jeremiah 15 a minute. Okay? Tommy, would you take that list up there, please? All right? Jeremiah 15, verse 16. Thy words were found, and I ate them. In other words, what Jeremiah's prayer and God's answer we're looking at is that I ate them and I took them in the Word, took them to my heart. And thy words came for me, became for me a joy and a light of my heart. This is Jeremiah speaking. For I have been called by thy name. There's covenant. Amen? Oh, Lord, God of hosts. Now, verse 17. Jeremiah says, I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, nor did I exult, I wasn't proud. But because of thy hand upon me, I sat where? I sat alone. It's kind of lonely sometimes, isn't it? For thou did fill me with indignation. Why has my what? My pain been perpetual. Sound like a little sickness there involved, doesn't it? All right? It'll get clearer. And my wound, what? Why has it been incurable, refusing to be healed? Will thou indeed be to me like a deceptive string? In other words, is your word no good, Lord? Your word doesn't work. Is it a deceptive string? With water that's word, is your word that is unreliable? Your word's not reliable. Therefore, thus says the Lord, if you now repent, return, then I'm going to restore you. Before me, you will stand. And I want to tell you something, folks. All you pastors and people in the ministry of the Lord, I want you to see this is very, very important scripture. I tell you, God has said this to me over and over. He said, now, you're going to repent. You and I'm going to restore you, and you're going to stand before me if, if you extract the precious from the worthless, you'll become what? You'll become my spokesmen. They, for their part, may turn to you, but you, as for you, you must not turn to them. Then, after this, I'll make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze, and though they fight against you, they'll not prevail over you, for I'm with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord. So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I'm going to redeem you from the grasp of who? Who's the violent? Absolutely right there. He's going to redeem him from them. Now, back up to, well, let's go there to 4th verse, the next chapter, the 4th verse. I don't think that's going to sound right. Let's back up to 3. For thus says the Lord, concern the sons and daughters born in this place, and concern the mothers who bury them and the fathers who beget them in this land. They're going to what? They're going to die of deadly diseases. Do you see that? That's what God said. They're going to die of deadly diseases. They will not be lamented or buried. They will be as dung on the surface of the ground, and they're going to come to an end by the what? The sword, not a man. What is that? That's a sword. It's a curse, and the famine. That's a famine of the covenant, the Word, and their carcasses is going to become food for who? See, when God withdraws His covenant with somebody right there, I'm telling you, when they're not in covenant, they're dead in God's eyes if they're not in covenant with God. But He said, their carcasses is going to become food for the who? The birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth. For thus says the Lord, Do not enter a house in the morning or go to lament or console them, for I have what? I have withdrawn my peace from them. I'll tell you how the peace is withdrawn. The heads come down, the powers of God, the darkness come to attack your mind and your will, your emotions, and your soul. And there's no rest, there's no peace until you're repented and resistant to the devil. And the hedge comes up. For I have drawn my peace from this people, declares the Lord, my loving kindness, that's covenant, and compassion. In other words, the hedge is removed. Now, let's look in verse 9. For thus says the Lord, See, the deadly disease is coming on. For thus says the Lord, the host, the God of Israel, Behold, I'm going to eliminate from this place before your eyes and in your time. I believe this is what we read about the Babylon, the church, over in Revelation 18. I'm going to eliminate the voice of what? Rejoicing. The voice of what? May I ask you how much rejoicing and gladness is in the church today? I'm going to remove all these voice rejoicing, the voice of the gladness, the voice of the who? Who are we talking about? Jesus. And I'm going to remove the voice of the what? And the deadly diseases are going to be there. When in the covenant of the blood of goats and bulls and ice and heaven, they weren't going to have any diseases, was they? All right, here we go. Verse 10. Now it'll come about when you tell this people all these words they will say. For what reason, what reason has the Lord declared all this great calamity on us that whole churches are demonized and so forth? What has all this happened for? And what is your iniquity? What is our sin? What have we commanded against the Lord our God? Then you're going to say to them, it's because your forefathers have forsaken me and they've handed it on down to you, declares the Lord. And you follow the other what? Who are those other gods? Sacrificing and falling and receiving the idols of the world, the idols of demons and names, reputation, images, and silver and gold because you follow the other gods and you've served them and you've bowed down to them, but they've forsaken. They have but me, they have forsaken and they've not kept my word. You too have done evil more than your forefathers for behold, you are each one walking according to the what? You're walking the stubbornness of your own evil heart without listening to me. You don't have to obey the word. Yes, you don't have to walk in covenant. Well, there is a difference. Now, we saw over and over the foundations of people are foolish who do not walk in covenant and obey the word of God, right? The prudent and the wise are the ones that walk in it. Now, it'll get a little interesting right here when we get to 16. We'll see where we're headed right here. I hope you understand who they are by now. We reasoned out some fishermen over in the back of one. Well, you'll see a lot of them. Behold, I'm going to send for what? Many fishermen declares the Lord and they're going to what? They're going to fish for these folks right here. What did he say about Babylon that they were a dwelling place of what? I can't hear you. It was a dwelling place of demons, the fishermen. Okay, I'm going to send for many fishermen declares the Lord and they're going to fish for them. Underline, they're going to fish for them and afterwards, I'm going to send for many hunters and they'll hunt for them. Sound like some folks being taken captive, do they? From every mountain and every hill, from the clefts of the rock. Verse 17, For my eyes... You know what the Lord's eyes is? It's His Spirit. For my eyes are on all their ways. My Spirit. They are not hidden from my face nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. Is that getting a little plainer? All right, let's turn to Isaiah 1, please. Turn back to Isaiah, the first chapter. This is a rebellious people. This is a rebellious congregation. This is a rebellious church. And Isaiah 1. They're rebellious people. Now, I would just love... I'm going to tell you, that's one of the things you ought to do when we get through this, you just start reading Isaiah and it'll jump all over you in a different way. And then read Jeremiah. Okay, this is a rebellion of God's people right here. That's what Isaiah is about here. A rebellion of God's people. Okay. Verse 1. Verse 2. Verse 2. Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth. Sounds like a world, don't it? For the Lord speaks. Sons, I have reared and brought up. For they have what? They revolted against me. An ox knows its owner and a donkey its master's manger. But Israel, the church, does not know. My people do not what? Understand. It sounds like they're ever learning, never able to come to the knowledge of truth. Right? Verse 4. Alas! What kind of nation? Sinful nation. People weighed down with what? Sin. Offspring of evildoers. Sons who have corrupted their transgressions. They have abandoned the Lord. See, they become satisfied, proud, and forgot God. They have despised the what? Now, how did you hate and despise Jesus or the Word? When you pretend obedience to Him. That is what an adulterous does. Adulterous pretends obedience to the Lord and they hate the Lord. They despise the Lord. We saw that in Psalm 81, 15, if you make a note. We also saw that in Jeremiah 23 when we was talking about that prophet that speaks from his own imagination to this congregation that despise him. Now, verse 5. Were you be stricken, in other words, a judgment on you, were your judgment, were you be stricken again as you continue in your what? Rebellion, that's rejecting God's Word. We saw in Psalms 107. The whole head is sick of the congregation and the whole heart is what? Faint. It's stricken and sick. From the sole of the foot, even to the head, there's nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts, and raw wounds. That's all disease. Not pressed out or bandaged, not softened with oil. Doesn't sound like the Spirit of God, the oil is working with them right. As a matter of fact, kind of kick out the wounded it sounds like, doesn't it? Your land is what? Now, desolate. No fruit, no water, no word. Your cities, your churches are what? They're burned with what? Fire. All right. Now, what's the next part right? Your what? Right here, your fields. Who are devouring them? Strangers are devouring them in what? In your presence. You see that? Now, that's what happens. It is a desolation as overthrown by what? And who's going to be the abomination that comes into the holy place to make desolation? There it is. Okay. Verse 8. Here's how God sees the church today. I just want to tell you. And the daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in the vineyard. Here it is. To God, it looks like a watchman's hut in a cucumber's field. Like a besieged city. I guess it looks impressive to the natural eye or something. Boy, I'll tell you what. I'm going to go just a little further right there than I planned to. Let's jump over to verse 21. See, it's corrupted. Zion, the church is corrupted. Why don't you look at it? How the faithful city, the faithful church has become a what? Become a harlot. She who was full of justice, righteousness, wants to dwell there. It's not there anymore. But now what? Murders. They try to destroy all the spiritual things, right? We saw it in James 4. Boy, and you don't get your way, you commit murder. You pollinate your bread. Now verse 20. Your silver has become gross. In other words, it's rejected. Your drink that's the word of God is what? It's diluted with what? Words. It's watered down so it has no effect. I mean, does it have any effect if you don't say what God says? See, His word's watered down. Your rulers, in other words, your rulers, your leaders are what? They're rabbis. They obey us to the word. And companions are thieves. In other words, they're seeking their own ways, rewards. Everybody loves a bride. They're taking advantage for the flesh. Careers, a name for themselves, a name for their ministry. And they chase after what? Seeking opportunity for flesh. Now, that's what's going on. They do not defend the lost, nor does the widow's plea. That's a loss. Now, this widow is a lost person. Does the widow's plea come before them? That's the cry of the lost persons. Well, I've just got to identify. I'm telling you, Isaiah's a lot of fun sometimes. Jump over 27. What do we say there the rest of the afternoon? 27. Now, here's your church. Zion will be redeemed with what? There's got to be discipline. There's got to be obeying the word. And her repentance, her wands are going to be redeemed with the righteous. And the righteous, what you mean, they're going to start walking in covenant. But transgressors of the covenant and sinners are going to be crushed together, and those who forsake the Lord shall come to an end. Now, watch very closely in 29. On a slow-down level. Surely you're going to be ashamed of the oaks. These oaks are strong men after the flesh. That's where your heart goes to. The men after the flesh. You're going to be ashamed of these strong men which you have what? Desired. And you're going to be embarrassed at the gardens. Now, this is what you're growing in your gardens, which you've chosen. It could be buildings and religious and sold to the flesh. You see that? You're going to be embarrassed at your fruit. Here's what's going to happen to you, verse 30. For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away. What causes an oak's leaf to fade away? There's no water. Isn't that right? So that means a famine of the word. The oak leaf fades away when there's no water for the tree. Isn't that right? No word. Okay, now he said that's what you're going to be like, an oak whose leaf fades away. Or as a garden that has no what? See, there's no word for you. And the strong man, that's that flesh leadership, will become what? Tender, it's going to dry up. No word. And his work, all his works are going to be a what? Spark. It's going to be wood, hay, and stubble and they're both going to what? The strong men and all their works are going to be burned up. You see that? Huh? They're all going to be work and there's going to be none to quench it or stop it. Well, let's go back where we was right there and we'll... Let's go to Jeremiah 5. Jeremiah 5. It's going to go a couple of places real quick and we'll try to go eat again. We're going to take a real short little thing because we're going to finish and I'm going to tell you what, folks, I'm telling you now in Jesus' name, you better not talk. If I let something talk you out of leaving here, this might be one of the most important days of your life. I have seen people. I have watched them and you know I'd see them and I'd say, boy, I'm just looking. And I could see them kind of receive the word and boy, I just wanted them so free and free and boy, I just look forward to seeing them. The Lord would just let me see, to see them be free because the word is just... And I'd watch them right at the last minute before we was going to take authority. I'd watch them get up and leave there and it'd absolutely break my heart and there's not one thing I can do about it. It's totally out of my and your hands. All I can do is tell you and that's all. Now, we've got to stay in this long enough to where you're sitting. We've got to tie these things together. We've been saying some pretty heavy stuff. All right? Now, in Jeremiah 5, let's start in verse 3. Oh, Lord... Will you back up to 4 a little bit? There's something. I won't be back this way again and you've got to see this. I'm telling you what's the truth. See, that's what happens when you just got an afternoon lap. It should be a week. All right, Jeremiah 4, verse 6. Lift up a standard. In other words, lift up the Word of God towards Zion, the church. Seek refuge. Do not stand still for I'm bringing evil from the north and great destruction. You want to know who that is coming out of the north? That's them. A lion, there you see it, has come up out of his thicket. That's them. A destroyer of nations has set up. He's gone out from his place to make your what? He's sending these to make your land. Look at me right here. Your land right here. They're not going to get your gardens. Right here they're going to make. Not where you grow okra. They're going to make this land a waste. Is that clear? Okay, your cities, your churches will be in ruins without inhabitants. For this, you had better put on sackcloth. You better repent, lament well for the fierce what? Anger of the Lord has not what? It's not turned back from us. Now here's what he's telling us to do today. This is what he's saying in verse 14. Wash your heart from what? All right, now look at me. I'm going to show you how you wash your heart from evil. Please look at me. You wash your heart from evil because when you get full of lies and traditions right here, you have to take the Word of God and the Word of God and the truth begins cleaning out all these lies. It washes and so you can see and know when you start seeing the truth, then the truth starts setting you free from everything else, right? So wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem church, that you may be saved. How long will your wicked what? Thoughts going to do what? All right, now look at me, folks. That is a very extremely important Scripture and something I've been telling you. See, you can't help these flaming missiles coming to your mind. Awful thoughts. I mean, sometimes when you're praying just ungodly, awful things, but the thing, let them pass on through. Let this lust pass on through. Let that unforgiveness pass on through. Let all of this ungodly stuff. Don't let these wicked thoughts lodge up there. Amen? They're probably lodged up there and they need worse with the Word so they can be saved. Amen? Now you see why I want to jump back, didn't you? Okay, let's go back over where we started at in 5. Jeremiah 5. Let's begin in verse 3. O Lord, do not thine eyes look for truth? That's what he looks for. Thou hast smitten them. I mean, turned the powers of the Lord off and just beaten their heads off, but they did not weaken. They just hang in there. Thou hast consumed them. It's hanging there like the world. But they refuse to take correction. They won't repent. They've made their faces harder in the rock. They have refused to repent. Then, here's the Lord. This is what he's saying today right now. Here's what the Lord said, verse 4. Then I said, They're only the poor. They are the foolish. For they do not know the... They don't know the way of the Lord or the word of their God. So here's what God says, verse 5. Here's what I'm going to do. The Lord said, I'm going to go to the great. I'm going to go to their leaders. And I'll speak to them. For they know the way of the Lord and the word of their God. They know it. But they, too, with one accord, they've broken the yoke. They've burst the bonds. Therefore, verse 6, here's what's going to happen. Here's what God said. He said, Therefore, a lion from the flowers is going to... All right. He turns loose the powers of darkness which come to kill, steal, and destroy. The hedge is down. Therefore, a lion from the forest shall slay them. Here comes ye beasts. A wolf of the desert shall destroy them. There they are. A leopard is watching their cities, their churches. Everyone who goes out of them is going to be what? Now, you remember when I told you about that torn to pieces? Why? Because their transgressions against the covenant of God. Do you see that? Because their transgressions are many and their apostasies away from God are numerous. So he tells these powers of darkness, we look in verse 10, Go through her vine rows and destroy this vineyard, but do not execute a complete destruction. Strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord's branches. Verse 12, They've lied about the Lord in their traditions and said, Not he. Misfortune's not going to come on us. No demons will come on us. No demons will come on us. And say, We're not going to see the sword. No curses are down today. We're not going to see no famine of the word. We've already rich and increased. There's no famine of the word by us. We're not ever learning, never able to come to knowledge of truth. Now let's go to verse 23. But this people, this people here has a stubborn and a rebellious heart. They have what? They've turned aside and departed, fallen away. They do not see in their heart. They don't say in their heart. They might say it in their head. In their hearts they don't say, Let us now what? Let us now the fear of the Lord our God. No, they don't say that who gives the Holy Spirit the rain in its season. Put HS there. Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, who keeps rust appointed weeks of the harvest. Verse 25, Your iniquities, your sins have turned these away. Turned the Spirit of God away. And your sins have withheld good from you. Is that what the Lord's saying in the church today? For wicked men, there they are, are found among my people. They are unequally yoked. They watch like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap. They catch men like a cage full of birds. So their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they become great and rich. I told you. They're fat. They're sleek. They also excel in deeds of wickedness. They do not plead the cause, the cause of the lost, the orphan, that they may prosper. They do not defend the rights of the lost, the poor in spirit. Verse 29, Shall I not punish these people, declares the Lord, on a nation such as this? Now here is vengeance. Shall I not avenge myself? Instead of the blessings, they get the curses. So verse 31. No, verse 30. An appalling and God-causing, a horrible thing, appalling and horrible thing in God's eyes has happened in the land. The prophets are preaching falsely and the pastors rule on their own authority and my people just love it so. But what are you going to do at the end of it? Now quickly to Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel 34. I'll tell you what, I was going to look at the shepherds here in 34, but I'm going to drop up and look at the congregation in 33. So we're going to add something a little extra here. Ezekiel 33 in verse... I think it's good to look at the congregation. Verse 30. 33, 30. We'll start there instead of where we started to start. Verse 30. As for you, son of man, your fellow citizens, who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, they speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, Come now and let's hear the message which comes from the Lord. Oh, come. And they come to you as people come and they sit before you as my people and they hear your words, but they do not do them. For this is what they do. They do the what? They do these lustful desires expressed with their mouth and their heart is where? Their heart goes after their gain. What a congregation. And behold, you're to them like a sensual song. They just love feelings. But one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on instrument, for they hear your words, but they do not practice them. So when it comes to pious as it surely will, then you'll know, they'll know that a prophet has been in their midst. Chapter 34. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, here's a prophecy against the shepherds of the church today, right now. Verse 2, Son of man, you prophesy against these shepherds of the church, Israel. You prophesy and you say to those shepherds, Thus says the Lord God. Woe, shepherds of Israel have been feeding themselves. Should not the shepherds feed the flock? In other words, you don't pick and choose and hand them out there what's going to be yours like it's going to be your glory. You say what God says. And I'm going to tell you what a shepherd does. He does the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the only ministry that's been handed down. He will preach the gospel, this gospel. He'll cast out demons and he will heal the sick. And you will see this right here. Now, verse 3, Shepherd, you eat the fat and you clothe yourself with the wool and you slaughter the fat sheep. The fat sheep is the best ones. They get slaughtered without feeding the flock. Now, let's see if this shepherd right here has got a problem because he's not doing the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see it in 4. Those who are sickly, you've not strengthened them. The disease, you've not healed. The broken or demonized, you've not bound up. The scattered, you've not brought back nor have you sought for the lost. But with force and with severity, you've denominated them. They've been your glory, not the Lord's glory. And they have been scattered. How have they become scattered? They've become worldly. And when the ministry of the... I'll tell you what, when the shepherd stands in the door and the ministry of spirit can't get to a flock, I'm going to tell you what, that the flock is always scattered. Here they are, verse 5, and they were scattered for lack of a what? They're scattered for lack of a shepherd and they have become food now for what? Brother, when they get scattered and get worldly, the demons have them and they were scattered. When the spirit of God and the ministry of God cannot get to a flock to get them set free, to get them healed and to receive all the Word, not part of it, not pick and choose through it, then they become worldly. Now in 7, Therefore, you shepherds, you hear the Word of the Lord. As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my flock has become a what? My flock has become a prey. My flock has even become food for all the demons for lack of a shepherd, the beast of the field. And my shepherds did not search for my flock, but rather shepherds just fed themselves. They didn't feed my flock. They didn't give them the gospel. Now verse 9, Therefore, you shepherds, you hear the Word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I'm against the shepherds. I shall demand my sheep from them. I'm going to make them cease from feeding sheep, though the shepherds are not going to feed themselves anymore, but I shall deliver my flock from their mouth that they may not be food for them. And he's doing it. Verse 11, Today, for thus says the Lord God, Behold, I myself, I'm searching for my sheep and seeking them out. Glory be to God forevermore. Verse 12, As a shepherd cares for his herd in a day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for my sheep, and I'm going to deliver from all these places of which they got scattered on a cloudy and a gloomy day. I'm telling you where they got scattered. They got scattered where it was in the dark places. There's darkness in the churches where they get scattered. It's cloudy and gloomy, and I'm going to bring them back, saith the Lord. They got scattered in that darkness, that dark, dark, cloudy, gloomy church, and I'm going to bring them back. Now, verse 16, He goes on to say, I'm going to seek the lost. I'm going to bring back the scattered. I'm going to brine up these demonized and strengthen the sick, but with a fat and a strong, I'm going to feed them with what? Good, but you've never seen it like it's being fixed to be turned loose. Verse 17, And as for you, my flock thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I'm going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. Is it too slight a thing for you, Mr. Shepherd, that you feed in the good pasture of this Word right here, that you just tread down and trample with your feet the rest of the Word, the pastures, or that you should drink of the clear waters, that's the good Word, that you just foul the rest of it and skip over it and pick over it and pick-choose it? You foul the rest with your feet? Verse 19 is, And as for my flock, they must eat what you tread down as you pick and choose and water it down with your feet. They must drink what you foul with your feet. And we've got a congregation in our glory. We've got our kind of people. We've got partiality. There's nothing but our kind of people. Somebody can help our career, help our name, help us. And all these weak, all of them, it's not our kind of people. They've got a church over across the tracks for them. 21, here it is. This is its control and force and flesh. You push with the side and with the shoulder and you thrust out all the what? All the weak, the sick, the wounded, the afflicted, not our kind of people with your horns, that's your power and the flesh until you've scattered them abroad. Well, I'm going to tell you what, the fallen booth of David, is it going to rise up? Is it? You better believe it. We're talking about it at lunchtime. Read all Amos. I can't get in Amos about the last days. See it overnight, talking about David right here. You get a shepherd like old David right here and watch what happens. Verse 23, He's setting over them one shepherd. Look in 25. Here's what happens when you get a shepherd. And I'm going to make a... You get the right shepherd and I'm going to make a covenant of peace with them. They're going to have peace. I'm going to eliminate these demons from the land, these harmful beasts from the land. And they're going to live securely in the wilderness and they're going to sleep in the woods. That's what God is doing. He's rounding them all up right now. I'm going to... You're going to have to bar the doors of the Holy Service. Don't you worry about the numbers. You ain't got to all get in. You ain't going to get there unless you meet in the field. But you'll be tested first. You'll not have one of these blocks. Verse 26, And I'm going to make them in the places around my hill. That's His presence, a blessing. I will cause showers, that's the Holy Spirit, to come down in their season. There'll be showers of blessing, glory. Also the trees of the field. I mean the people of this church are going to yield its fruit. Boy, it's going to be fruit for the Lord. And the earth is going to yield its increase. They're just going to prosper. They'll be secure on their land. Then they're going to know that I'm the Lord when I've broken the bars of their yoke. Glory be to God. He's doing it today. And I've delivered them from the hand of those who've enslaved them, the powers of darkness. And they'll no longer be a prey to the world, the nations and the beasts of the earth. We're not going to devour them, but they're going to live securely, and there's not going to be any fear in them because there's going to be no one to make them afraid. Amen. Glory be to God. Verse 29, I'll establish for them a renowned planting place, and they'll not again be victims of famine of the Word. They'll not be victims of famine of the Word in the land. They'll not endure the insults of the nations anymore. And just like old James said, just so you'll know it's not the sheep raising business, so you know what you're talking about, 31, as for you, my sheep, the sheep of my pastor, you are men, and I'm your God, declares the Lord. Glory be to God. Praise the Lord. Matthew 9. We don't need a break. Won't make you tough. You can take one when I take one. Can't stop. Matthew 9. And Jesus was going about, verse 35. I told you it couldn't stop. 35, and Jesus was going about all the cities and villages. He was teaching in their synagogues. He was proclaiming, Thy mean He had the gospel of the kingdom. He was healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness, and I'm going to tell you, folks, as you look across it and as I see it, I'm telling you just like I told you when I walked up in the church with this pastor up there in Tulsa, and I walk and I see this thing, I'm telling you what, it just absolutely breaks my heart because you can't go up in 25 words or less and change all of this. You understand what I mean? And this is what the Lord sees in me. I'm telling you, when you see the demonized, when you see the sick, and God Almighty and His grace has given you understanding about it, and you know from His Word what you can go over and do about it, and I'm telling you, they're just one of you, and you see them and it just absolutely breaks your heart, and there's not enough of you to go around, and that's the way it was with Jesus. So that's the reason why we're in the disciple business right now, brother. We're going to be fruitful and multiply. Amen? All right, now, this is what the Lord Jesus saw. This is what I see right now of the demonized and the sick people. I mean, the powers of darkness is the one that's doing it, and they're the one that's got it, and I'm going to tell you what, it doesn't matter what anybody says, what anybody thinks, I mean, Jesus has come to set you free, and I want you to know in verse 36 He says, and seeing the multitudes, verse 36, He felt compassion for them because they were what? What did I tell you about that word distress? They were distressed, and they were downcast. Mark that word, downcast, like sheep, because they didn't have a shepherd. That's how come it would be in that way. Now, that's what the Lord said. I want to know the Bible. Now, let me show you what the Lord said. So, you get a sheep. Somebody had a sheep right here, and they just brought this sheep in here, this fool drove the wolf. You could take this sheep right up here, and I'll show you what a downcast sheep is. You could put him right on his back right here, and that sheep right there would die there. A sheep with a fool drove a wolf cannot get back on its feet again. That's exactly the way Jesus saw these people without a shepherd. It's the way of this sheep. That is a downcast sheep. He can't get on his back. That is exactly the way I see it. Unless there's someone to lead and show them the way and will to not be afraid of what men and the traditions and organizations and denominations and folks and white folks want to receive what God says, let God be God and truth and let everything else be a liar and just trust God right there. They cannot be led, and they can't know. You take a sheep, a sheep, and they slaughter houses. I've heard stories of some of the ones that kill a sheep for it. I mean, they just absolutely have. I've heard a story. I don't know whether it's true or not. I just was told it, that where they, you know, they cut their throat one after another, and they're so innocent. See a lamb. You know they're innocent, just beautiful lives, just innocent, and just take these sheep, and as they come through, just cut their throat. You can take a little lamb. You can go up and you take your knife, and you can just cut this lamb's throat, and it won't make a sound. And that blood will just roll out on that little white coat right there and just run right off of him and he won't make a sound, and he'll just have that little innocent look until he just drops dead. You do that to a hog and you can hear him in Houston. All right, now. So there is a sheep without a shepherd. Now I want you to turn with me in Matthew 12. It's Matthew 12 in the New Testament. Okay. Matthew 12. You know, I'm headed down there at about, well, this whole, the religious crowd got around Jesus there, see? Here he had the religious crowd around him. He'd been casting out demons, and they say this is of the devil. He does this with Beelzebub, the prince of demons. It's of the devil. So he had a little talk with these church folks about demons, about the powers of darkness. And here's what he said in verse 28. He said, If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God... What do you say he cast out demons by? Oh, he cast the Spirit of God. How are you going to cast out demons? How many different spirits are there? Is there one spirit? The Holy Spirit of God. That's the only one you're going to cast it out with. Amen? All right, he said, If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, I want you to know that the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strongman's house and care for his property unless he first binds the strongman? You can't talk about it. You've got to do it, church folks. And then he'll plunder his house. And I want you to remember something, church folks. This is just about the final thing I'd like you to know right there. I'm in this demon. I'm after this darkness. I came to set the captives free. Verse 30, He who is not with me is what? What did he say about the ones that was against him? You're against me. Against your help, O Israel. So I'll send the beast against you and they're going to tear you to pieces. Is that what we read? Okay. He who's not with me is against me and he who does not gather these from the powers of darkness, what's he doing? I believe that's what we just read over in Ezekiel 34. Didn't we? They're scattering. If you're not gathering, you're scattering. You're making them worldly. They're going right back into the world because that's what the powers of darkness... If you don't deal with the powers of darkness, no shepherd can properly shepherd any flock. Every time he moves forward one step, he's going back two. Isaiah 56, chapter 56, verse 9, All you beasts of the field... Come on, demons. All you beasts in the forest, come to eat. His watchmen, the watchmen, the preachers are blind. All of them know nothing. All of them are dumb dogs, unbelieving the Word, unable to bark, unable to preach. Dreamers lying down who love to slumber, asleep, and the dogs are greedy, worldly. They are not satisfied, and there are shepherds who have no understanding, ever learning, never able to come to the knowledge of truth. They've all turned to whose way? Only I, me, my, we, us, our church, each one to its unjust gain, to the last one worldly.