In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of using Jesus Christ as the measuring line and plum line for justice and righteousness. He references Isaiah 28 to support this idea. The preacher also discusses John 3:16 and uses a hypothetical scenario to illustrate the significance of love in the face of violence. He then delves into Romans 1:28-32, highlighting the consequences of rejecting God's knowledge and practicing sinful behaviors. The sermon concludes with a warning about the need for individual decision-making regarding one's relationship with Jesus Christ and the dangers of compromising righteousness in the modern church.

I had a meeting, in fact I had on two occasions this week, I met with two different pastors in town from completely different churches. Both of these men are seasoned pastors, they are godly men, and they love the church. We were having, just so happens we had coffee with each of them, and they didn't, the conversations were not connected in any way. But both said the same thing to me, what grieves their heart the most is that righteousness and holiness are no longer part of the church. What grieves their heart the most is that there is an element, a strong element of carnality and compromise that has crept into the church, and we are focused on everything other than putting Jesus as the center of the gospel. And I said to them, it's my heart, it's things that have been troubling me, and I was amazed that they would speak to me with that kind of clarity. Then we're meeting here with some of our leaders on our little discipleship program on Thursday, and as we were discussing some stuff, the Lord put a picture in front of me, a very clear picture, and I saw some things that I, clearer than some scriptures, in a way clear that I've seen for a while. And I'm going to, I want to speak to you today, not just this church here, but if I could I would stand on the rooftops and talk to a few more about the Duke Worm Church. And the, it's a reality in our generation, it's a reality in our time, and I want to put this concept of what it means before you in a way that I hope you don't forget. And I try and take these, the significance of the scriptures and lift them off the pages so that we can see clearly, clearly, clearly what God means and what he says when he talks about these things. So, we're going to start in, let's have a look in Revelation chapter 3, and we're going to, we'll read about the church of Laodicea, although if you take time and you want to read from the beginning of chapter 2, where they address seven different churches. Some are not doing too badly, they were all in the same geographical vicinity, but if you examine some of them, you'll find that they had a, the same problem. In Laodicea they are called Luke Worm, and elsewhere they call them something else, but it's exactly the same problem, there's a carnality and a compromise. But let's just read a few verses and then I will move on from there. And he says, to the angel of the church of Laodicea write, these things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know your works. Now in the other churches he often says I know your works and he compliments them on some of the things they've done before he corrects them. Here he gets down to the point. He says I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot, and I wish you were cold or hot, so then because you are Luke Worm and neither cold or hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Tough. Because you say I am rich and become wealthy and need of nothing. And do not, and don't you know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. And then from verse 18 his whole tone changes and he starts to plead with them and he says I'm asking you, I counsel you to buy from me gold to find in the fire and white raimans. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Behold I stand at the door and knock. You can hear the heart of God pleading with these folk. But let's have a look at this concept of Luke Worm first of all. The idea of Luke Worm is 50-50. It's not cold and it's not, now he's talking about attitude of our hearts, people's hearts. And it's not applying, as you'll see in a minute, to a Christian who has a bad day. It's not applying to someone who's, I'm struggling with my prayer life a little bit, I'm not making the grade. We can call ourselves Luke Worm. It's something far more serious and far more significant that he's talking about. He's talking about someone who has one foot, our feet are in two different camps. One foot is in the camp of the church, the other foot is in the camp of the world. I have the, I want the blessings of the world and I want the blessings of God. A Luke Worm person is looking to keep favor on both sides of the line. And so we say, I go to church because I somewhere, I know I need God to take care of me. I need God to look after me. I want something from the Lord, but I still love the world, the spirit of the world and what the world wants to offer. And so on the one hand, I want to try and keep favor with God. On the other hand, I want to keep favor with man and all that man offers. I've got my foot on either side of these witch doctors and all they do. And the way God portrays it are two very separate things. Right. Keep that in your mind. We'll come back to that in a minute. Now, there's another thing I want us to have a look at. All right. And that is God will always defend righteousness. I'm going to give you a little demonstration in a minute. It'll help you understand that. But come with me to Isaiah chapter 28 from verse 16. Therefore, thus says the Lord God. Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation. Who is that Zion? Who is that stone? Jesus Christ. A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. Whoever believes in him will not act hastily. And I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plummet. The plum line. Okay. So he said, I'm going to use Jesus Christ as my measuring line and as my plum line. I'm going to measure everything against the cross. Everything against the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Okay. Now, just come with me again. I want to show you something. John chapter 3. We'll read our favorite little verse, but we'll continue. John chapter 3 verse 16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. We start reading right there. Now, we need to appreciate that that concept of for God so loved the world means that God loved the world that he gave a one time offering of love. One time. He showed his love in such a magnificent way through the death of Jesus Christ that he cannot repeat it in any other way. He doesn't have another way to show you his love. He took all the resources of heaven, everything he was, all that he was. When he went to the cross and died, he set his love before humanity in such a manner that he cannot express it ever again. The fullness of his love came to a focus and a crisis, as it were, upon the cross. So God showed us his love through a one time act of Jesus dying upon the cross. And then it continues. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Now, he who believes in him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already. Because he has done what? He has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Now, this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world and men have loved darkness rather than light because the deeds were evil. Everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be clearly seen that they have been done in God. So we have a comparison here. We've got the love of God through Jesus Christ. Then we have this other word, condemnation, meaning that if I reject the love of God, I choose the wrath of God. Yes? If I reject the love of God, I have to face God on another basis. We have to understand that. And I want to show you that love is, that love defends righteousness. Because when we see that, a lot of the scriptures suddenly make a lot of sense. And we see and we start to look at God, can I say, with less complacency in our eyes and a little bit more seriousness. All right, Josh, come up here, please. Mr. Sweetman and Mrs. Langworthy, I need another model. All right, I'm going to do you a little play act. Josh knows what I'm going to do because I did it for the youth. Okay? Now, here we are. I'm walking down the street with my wife and we go around a corner. And she's gone ahead of me because she often does it when she's shopping. And she goes ahead of me and I come around the corner in time to see this guy with his knife assault my wife. And he wants her money and her cell phone. He's got a big knife in his hand. So he's assaulting her. Except that she would probably beat him up. But anyway, he's assaulting her. And I come here and I'm amazed. So I stand there and I say, I love you. I love you. And my wife falls to the ground and she's bleeding to death. And he runs off with her cell phone and all the money. And I say, I love you. I love you. I love you. Would you think I was cuckoo? But that's what you want God to do with us. Now, let's replay that. We come around the corner and there's the little thief. Okay? And I see him and I pull out a pistol and say, Hey! Don't get too close. Now, he has a choice in the next thirtieth of a second. I say, Hey, stop! If he falls to his knees, what will I do? I will forgive him. Amen? Barely, but I will forgive him. That's called repentance. When God walks into our lives and He says, Hey! Yes? Alright, stand up. But if I go, Hey! And He continues, what will I do? I'll tap off two rounds through his brain. And he will fall to the ground and be dead. And I'll kill him. Did I do right? Yes. I have the... Love defends innocence. Love defends righteousness. Love defends what's right. Does that shock you? You see, I want to shock you. Because the moment I play act something, all your values scramble in your brain. Like, how could you kill that poor innocent thief? He's not innocent. He had fully intended to assault us. I had the means to defend myself. I warned him. He didn't stop. I planted him. Will God defend righteousness? I promise you He will. Now, thanks Josh. If you take your little knife of rebellion and sin and your association with the world and you choose to take your little knife and you choose to attack the throne of grace, you choose to attack His righteousness, you choose to mock His name, you choose to defy Him. Will He defend His throne? I promise you He will. And your flesh is actually a very little consequence to an angry God. If you choose, He will stop you. He will say, Whoa! That's the Holy Spirit. Whoa! Stop! Repent! If I choose to override those mocks and I'm going to push the boundaries with God and I'm going to start to challenge God and I'm going to start to play with what is unrighteous, God has a time frame for every human being. But I can promise you the day comes and what He will do is He will defend righteousness. Hebrews chapter 1, look at it. Do I make sense? I hope I do. Chapter 1 verse 8. It says, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is a scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and you have hated lawlessness. What is lawlessness? Any form of rebellion defies the throne of God and it includes witchcraft. Mm-hmm. All right. Come back to me in Romans chapter 1. Our theme. Lukewarm. I want to have one heart, one foot in the church and with the other foot I defy God. One foot in the church, with the other foot I want to do what is and follow the world. God says that's totally unacceptable. I don't allow you to have two gods. I don't allow you to worship me and to worship darkness at the same time. Not a chance. Romans chapter 1 verse 16. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes. For the Jew first and to the Greek for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith. Fantastic scripture. Verse 18. Whoa, fall off our horse. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against what? All ungodliness and the unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. The word suppress means we knew the truth. The word suppress means I'm aware of the truth. The word suppress means I take what God is talking to me and I put it down underneath my feet and I defy God and say no, I know the way is right, I know what to do but I chose to do it another way, my way so I'm actually lifting up my knife and I'm saying to God in the spirit I will defy your throne. I will attack your values. I will stand against you because I want my way. Be careful. Because the little word wrath is attached to God right there. Don't make God an unhappy chappie when it comes to that. Turn the page if you have to. Verse 28. And even as they did not like to attain God in their knowledge now I'm skipping through this because it's dealing with other subjects but I'm taking out the core thought. They did not like to attain God in their knowledge God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things that are not fitting. Verse 32. Who knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death not only do they do the same but they also approve of those who practice them. Interesting isn't it? Alright. Now I want to give you a little story. A very interesting little story. Judges chapter 17. This little story occupies two whole chapters of Judges. Amazing. God takes time to write this little story here. I would have given it about two lines if I was God. I'm not going to read the whole thing but I want you to see where it is. Now in chapter 17 it's a story about a man called Micah and he's stolen his mother's silver. Obviously he's quite an honest fellow. Now he then goes and returns the silver to his mother who is so happy to have it back that she takes part of it and she goes and has a silver idol cast. A little idol made out of silver. And they start a family shrine. A little place in the house, a little table and they put up their little silver idol because that's what the nations all around about them were doing. They had their various gods and what she's saying is and what Micah's saying is if I see that these guys are worshipping these gods even though I'm a Hebrew then what I'll do is I have my own little god then the blessings that these gods bring on their people will come to me as well. Yes? Then I will also be a Hebrew and I will have the blessings of God but I'll have my little idol and I'll have the blessings of the idols. So in the morning I'll go out and I'll say oh hello Jehovah, great and mighty Jehovah and in the evening I'll come back and I'll bow down by my little shrine and say hello little silver god, please take care of my needs. I have one foot in each camp I'm called lukewarm but I have the best of both worlds. That's what lukewarm is. Looking for the best of both worlds. Believing that I can get a blessing from there and a blessing from there. Trying to play one off against the other trying to keep a foot in two camps. And so old Micah was a happy chappy and then along comes a Levite who comes from Bethlehem he's wandering around and he comes to Micah's house now a Levite's job was to teach the people and point them towards the law point them and remind them about the things of Jehovah so this little Levite was wandering around he comes to Micah's house and Micah obviously had quite a big family and a bit of an establishment and so he says to the guy wow a Levite, I tell you what if I give you ten shekels of silver and a shirt for your salary won't you come and live in my house and be my priest and you can run the altar for me look after my little silver god and you can teach us about Jehovah at the same time and the Levite thinks I've got a job Amen I'm a Levite so I can represent God and I can look after the shrine at the same time and so he agrees and this is how this chapter finishes now so Micah verse 12 consecrated the Levite the young man became his priest and lived in the house of Micah and then Micah said now I know that the Lord will be good to me as I have a Levite as a priest silly deceived man but that's what he said now instead of Levite put pastor I'm serious put modern pastor who the modern pastor will come along and instead of pointing the people to Jesus Christ and putting Christ at the center of the gospel he will come along and say I can preach from the Bible but at the same time I know all about the customs and the heritages of the different tribes in Zimbabwe and where we come from and all about the ancestral spirit worship and so I'm more than happy I'm more than happy to preach the gospel but at the same time to accommodate all your beliefs I'm more than happy to do it I won't confront it I won't make anybody feel uncomfortable so that when for instance when somebody dies what we do is we bring the dead body into the house why do we bring the dead body into the house? so it spends the night there for what reason? that you want to stare at it all night? no because the spirit of the dead person can spend one more night in the house right? wrong? no takers? right don't go quiet on me yes sir so we bring the body into the house so that the spirit of the dead person can have one more night with the family before they leave and go roaming around but I just told you that person is not dead that person is not dead so what are we doing? we are saying bring the body back in so a little demon can spend a night in the house with our family and then tomorrow morning I will do a funeral service all about Jesus while I have been honoring the spirit last night who's in charge? Jesus or the demon? who's the authority? Jesus or the demon? the demon and you confront the pastor he says no no no no no no no you must understand if we don't do it we will offend the family of course you will offend the family they are pagans of course it's not about offending the family are you afraid of offending the family? or are you afraid of offending God? I don't care about the family but I do not want to get on the wrong side of Jehovah you see that's called lukewarm I have one foot in the church I am the little pastor there and I have the other foot in the community and I keep both happy because I don't want to offend the family because I want the blessing of the spirits because they believe and also I half believe that if I cross the line and all the spirits get mad things will go wrong so I keep peace with the spirits and peace with Jesus Lukewarm God says you try that number I will spew you out of my mouth because he says I am here I will defend righteousness you try and attack my throne with your little demonized arrows and your little demonized knife you stand against my righteousness my friend I am going to come against you because I do not tolerate darkness in any form whatsoever yes sir I told the boys I'm going to get my Land Cruiser started this morning have the engine running after this meeting I'm getting in and leaving but you better see things clearly because many of the things that we do because it accommodates the people is in fact accommodating witchcraft yes or no alright so I Mr. Baum comes with me and we go into a store we walk in together and we discuss something but now Mr. Baum is a good upright fellow and I'm not a good upright fellow so I decide I'm going to uplift about five or six packets of chips I put them up stuff them inside my shirt we walk out together I'm apprehended by the police do you think he is apprehended with me yes was he there when I stole them absolutely he may not have touched them did he see me yes is he an accomplice to the crime yes he can wriggle and squirm and stand on his head the judge will say were you there I was there did you know I didn't know off to jail don't give me your Christian story off to jail same with God were you there when the family was worshipping demons I was there did you honor the spirits yes I did did you pray no no I didn't pray but I was there because I had to honor what the family says I had to also if I don't do it the family will be angry because they won't be blessed in the curse to be on the family so I have to go to stop the curse therefore I'm an accomplice to the crime therefore I am lukewarm do you want to know why you can't pray do you want to know why heaven is brass do you want to know why things you touch turn bad because you have one foot in each camp until you understand the love of God defends righteousness and the love of God will reach out and he will do whatever he can to stop us going down these little paths that submit our lives to darkness submit our lives to iniquity until we understand the holiness and the righteousness of God and we start to play games we're putting ourselves on the wrong line on the wrong side of the line we were discussing on Thursday these new prophets my favorite story don't call these new prophets men of God and so your people are doing now you know how it is in the rural areas if someone has put a curse on your family or you've got a problem with someone what do you do with a footprint in the sand you very carefully scoop up the footprint in the sand and you go off to the local Nanga and he's going to have that sand or that footprint and he's going to pray something over that person so that they are going to stop being a pest to you have you heard of it you all know about it yes I'm not asking have you done it I'm saying have you heard about it so what we're doing in Orari now is if you have a neighbor or someone who is causing you trouble you collect the footprint you put a couple of dollars in the bag and you go to the prophet and he prays over the sand obviously having taken your very healthy offering and put it in his pocket he prays over the sand or he pretends to pray over the sand so that the trouble you have with your neighbor is broken yes that is called witchcraft that is called witchcraft these men are exactly the same as this little Levite going to Micah he's coming along he's adopting the vigorous of the pagans the style of the pagans the ways of the pagans and he's trying to mix it with the worship of Jehovah and he's putting one foot in each camp and God says that is called lukewarm in the church before in the book of Revelation he says you have among those who taught the doctrines of Balaam who then taught the people of Israel to go and commit whoredom with the Moabites it's exactly the same thing Balaam went to Balak and he said God loves these people if you can only get your girls in among the men and they start to fornicate with them you will turn God against them these were the people he had gone to the desert for 30 years walked with them for 30 years taken them out of Egypt through the Red Sea when they came to the line that they started to mess around with the Moabites and challenged the authority of God he had to put a disease on them until they died will God defend righteousness? he is not emotional if we in our hearts purpose that I'm going to love the things of the world and defy the authority of God I enter into the realm of being lukewarm one foot in the world, one foot in the kingdom and I want the blessing of both it does not happen what does happen is a lot of trouble comes down the line 1 Kings chapter 6 where am I? 1 Kings chapter 18 Elijah on Mount Carmel and he challenges his prophets of Baal verse 20 and Ahab sent for all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel and Elijah came to the people all these prophets of Baal are standing over there they've governed their lives for years and he said how long will you falter between two opinions if the Lord is God follow Him but if Baal, then follow Him and the people answered him not a word because they knew about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob they knew about what is right but they were so involved in Baal worship that when the prophets stood up and said you can't walk with two opinions, you can't walk in two camps if God is the Lord, follow Him if Baal is God, follow Him make your choice they go, we don't know what to do yes enter Mr. Modern Christian Jesus says pick up your cross my friend come follow me and you go, oh no, because there's a price attached I don't want the road of righteousness because I don't want to let go the road of the world so what am I look what I have half a heart for God half a heart for the world and I'm not prepared to give up God says I can't do anything with you until you give me your heart, not perfect I have your heart I will walk with you but if you want to divide it, no ways Judges chapter 6 my last little scripture the story of Gideon very interesting little story, Mr. Gideon the angel comes and speaks to Gideon who obviously is hiding, and he tells him God has chosen you to go and lead the nation he thought the angel was smoking him bungee and said my friend you are crazy the angel says listen to me my boy, verse 25 no, verse 23 that the Lord said to him, peace be with you do not fear, you shall not die he thought, because he knew if he had to stand for God with those pagan Israelites he was in trouble so Gideon built an altar there and called it the Lord is Peace now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, here comes the problem take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has and cut down the wooden image that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in a proper arrangement and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down, it was a big image and so Gideon took ten men from his servants and did as the Lord said to him does that sound like causing trouble? does that sound like a secret faith? where was his father? his father was committed to Baal worship his father was committed to all the things of the ancestors and all the traditions of the people and all the mixture and God comes to this man and says I revealed myself to you now my friend you are going to draw a line in the sand and your parents are going to know and your family is going to know that you are going to walk in righteousness and have nothing to ever to do with their nonsense you are not going to follow me but when you meet your parents you are going to talk like you know dad the angel came I don't want to cause you any offense dad don't get excited you know God does want to do something in Israel maybe we could make a plan you could worship Baal once a week and a few other days you can come with me to church I don't want to hurt your feelings hey man look warm God said my friend you step right in there and you give the old man the fright of his life and the next morning this Baal thing is burning and there is the oxen offering and he said who did this we are going to kill him do you think our families and our people are going to be happy when we draw a line in the sand and stand for righteousness of course not but the modern church is lukewarm the modern church we are wanting the blessing of God we are wanting the blessing of the world we are wanting to do whatever we can to get money to get material wealth to get the blessing of the world into our pockets to keep the spirits happy because we don't want to have any trouble with them and we want the blessing of God the church in the spirit has lost her unction she has lost her authority she has lost her power she has lost her zeal she has lost her clarity because we have little Levites in the church preaching a compromise gospel week by week and day by day and the state of the church in our country is lukewarm and so are the Christians and I'm dealing with this issue of witchcraft we won't talk about the prosperity gospel and all the other nonsense that goes on outside it's exactly the same thing I have a little bottle of oil I have a little bottle of holy water I have a little holy handkerchief whatever it is I am taking things out of context so that I can get a blessing and I can take the things of the world and bring the blessings of the world into my home but I'm not following righteousness I want a little bit of both you choose you choose but God is very clear last week we looked at Lot's wife I won't say remember because you probably do Amen the problem with Lot's wife she had one issue she was lukewarm she halted between two opinions she saw the way to Zohar she saw the way of safety she looked back because her heart was still there in Sodom she wanted the blessings of Sodom and when the fire came down it consumed her she was caught in between we have got to come to a place church where as Christians Jesus Christ is the reason we live he is the purpose we live we are unashamed of him and if it means that and I don't mean about going and causing trouble at home and arguing with our families and having a wrong spirit not at all I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand and saying for me and my household we will serve the Lord Amen and if they don't like it I will love them in the practice they don't like it but I'm not going to bow my knee to their intimidation so when they phone you and say we are having a memorial service for Grandpa so that we can all meet in Grandpa's house and bring back the spirit of Grandpa who died a year ago we can take the thorn bushes from the grave and put them on the roof of the house so Grandpa can come back and join the family are you going to go yes you will and when I ask you what you say to me well you see if I don't go it won't be we'll be in bad luck and my family won't speak to me your choice who's the authority Grandpa you went out of fear you went because you had to honor something we went because we could not say no no my friend it is time to say Grandpa is not there and I'm not about to bow my knee to Grandpa and all his nonsense and all his spirits I have found freedom in Jesus Christ I will not falter between two opinions I know who my Savior is I know who my Redeemer is I belong to Jesus Christ and I'm ashamed to attest dear Christ as for me and my household we shall serve the Lord Amen remember as much as God loves the church if you push God to the corner he will defend righteousness and that's what he's saying in Revelation please he says I stand at the door and knock I stand at the door and knock I've lost my toy this is a starting pistol by the way it is not a proper pistol just in case you duck I was going to put a live cap in here and squeeze it but I knew you would leave church if I did it or tell the police or something see when God says stop when the Holy Spirit says enough when God draws a line across your life and says that trace of iniquity is over my friend you are now crossing the line to me what are we going to do challenge him in his mercy he says stop you understand now I talked to that little thief here and I pointed in mercy I said enough he fell on his knees if he hadn't he would have died maybe not today or tomorrow but we come to a point when God steps in and we realize last week we looked at what happened when Jesus returned those who are faltering between two opinions were not part of the rapture and I warned you last week that when that thing happens you're not going to get an email telling you it's coming you're not but you will see something happen in the sky that will run you to hide the holes in the holes of the rocks in such a manner that you realize it's too late the modern church has compromised righteousness in a terrible way and we've included all these little things from the way we grew up and try to justify them and Christianize them and folks we cannot do it it's for each individual to decide where Jesus Christ lies in our hearts it's for each one understand the picture very clearly about being lukewarm I have one foot in each camp and my heart wants the blessing of both in the end I will get neither amen alright let's pray father all I can do is pray this morning that you open the eyes of our understanding that we must look at your throne of grace and realize that your love for us has never changed that the way of repentance is never closed that your heart to take care of our lives never changes the problem actually is not with you it lies with us it lies in our attitude towards you it lies in our willingness to to dilute what is precious to you to dilute the call of God upon our lives it's our hearts that have to change for God doesn't and it's a sad thing when we push you Lord to a point where it breaks your heart but you have to defend your throne in preference to a human life you showed everything you had to us when you died on that cross you gave us everything you could for our safety, for our future for our provision you humbled yourself in a way that no man can ever comprehend all I can pray is that you would open our eyes to see the subtlety of our compromises and realize that they are not as subtle as we think they are but to see them from heaven's point of view and not from man's reinterpretation of it it is my desire Lord that each one of us here would leave knowing that somewhere and somehow we are at peace with you the fear of man brings a snare says the scripture but whoever puts his trust in the Lord will be safe it's not for me to judge I have my own race to run and you give me the grace each day for that race and you give us each one of us the grace each day for that race that's not the question it's not the race we run it's whether we want to run the race that's all we can't mix the world into the temple of God we can't go back and take spirits and try and accommodate them and believe that if I talk to a spirit they'll talk to Jesus doesn't work doesn't work I ask you Lord to set people free today free from the fear of man free from lies free dear God from spiritual oppression that has strangled our freedom in Jesus Christ only you can do that we know as we sat in the meeting this morning you felt the Holy Spirit in your heart and we've known and it's like the Lord has said spoken to us in our own unique way and said you see this you see that freedom how long will we halt between two opinions we can't we can't it's life and death we can't do it anymore I know that my heart breaks for the church not necessarily this church but the church in Zimbabwe we're going to sing and we're going to worship the Lord in a moment and the altar is open if you want to bring your heart before God you're entirely free to do so doesn't mean that I'm going to come and pray with every person not at all I think and I firmly believe that there are times that we need to let the Holy Spirit be our teacher when the Holy Spirit speaks we need to let the Holy Spirit be the one that we listen to for when we leave this church it's the Holy Spirit that will continue to talk to us not me but you're here today and you know it's your time to say Lord I'm not going to halt between two opinions anymore I'm not going to walk two roads I've tasted of your grace and I want to benefit from it I want to give you my life fully deliver me from the fear of man and all the pressures that go with that because they can be terrible terrible terrible I just know that God has to put a faith in our heart for the righteous things of the Lord that we can stand and serve him in confidence and in clarity and not be deceived and tricked anymore it says you worship the Lord we worship the Lord this morning if you want to make use of this altar you are free you are free I'm not going to try and manipulate anybody here or give any special altar call but I believe that it would be good for some folk if you wanted this time in the presence of God alone thank you Jesus thank you Jesus church let's stand let's worship the Lord you are free our desire is that Jesus Christ is the center of our hearts and our lives that our lives are consecrated for your service we are not sucked into these side shows that take a man's heart so quickly whether we're at the front or whether we're standing here in the church may we say this morning Lord I want you to have first place in my heart it doesn't mean I'll be perfect that's not the question it means that my life is like clay in your hands and I want to serve you and I will lay aside every weight and never lie sad things that so easily beset me that I can run this race in front of me but I will not halt with one foot in each camp the days are too short and the times are too serious and the enemy plays high stakes for the souls of men and so Lord I pray that you would encourage everyone here that we would leave here knowing that our God reigns that we are secure with you that you have a plan for our lives and no man can take us out of your hand O Lord Jesus may we dig our wells deep, deep in you awaken within us a passion to pray a hunger for spiritual things clarity to discern what's happening around about us that we be a people unashamed of the testimony of Jesus Christ strengthen every heart and every life here Father we thank you for it we bless your name Amen