In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of staying committed to the word of God and not being swayed by old traditions or wrong teachings. He urges the listeners to follow the messages in the series in numerical order to fully understand and receive the teaching. The preacher highlights the consequences of not taking the covenant of God to heart, leading to desolation and lack of peace. He concludes by warning that the enemy is coming against the house of the Lord, calling for a trumpet to be sounded as a warning.

It's sometimes conflicts with what he has previously been taught. This causes you to have to deal with old traditions or wrong teaching. These tapes may contain some new light from God's Word, and it may be opposed to some traditions you have previously learned. Therefore, follow through these messages in your Bible, in sequence, in order that you may be able to make a choice for the Word of God rather than the traditions of men. This is tape number 15 in the series. We urge you to listen to all the tapes in the series in numerical order, so that the whole teaching can be received and understood. Listening to a part of the series or to the tapes out of sequence can lead to a misunderstanding of the nature, the intent, and the importance of this series. Let's look at it again, verse 14, for I'm going to be like a lion. He's going to be like a thief. Like a young lion to the house of Judah, there's a Lord. I, even I, am going to tear to pieces. I'll go away. I'll care away, and there will be none to watch. 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 end their affliction. And you see how the affliction comes on. They will earnestly seek me. Now, turn to chapter 7. And we're going to look at the world in the church. Chapter 7, verse 8. The church, Ephraim, mixes himself with the world. 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, 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. They devour 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, that is 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 the back of one? I'll spread my net over them. I'll bring them down like the birds of the sky. Now, what does he chastise with? He chastises 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 is all directed against, and where it's coming against. You can look at it clearly, Ephraim's got it clear and clear. You know, we started on Wednesday, just building and building and building and building and tying, and when you think you've run in something, well, we just get it all tied together, and 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 the 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 know 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 the 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 ladders for themselves, that 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 the 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 that in Jeremiah 23. It yields no what? Words don't yield any fruit. There's no fruit. They put it, no grain, no fruit. Should it yield, who's going to swallow it up? Huh? That sounds like them over in the power of the Word. They come and 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. They 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. Oh, 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'm not going to interrupt you. I want you to write this down on something, this verse right here. Exodus 20, 25. Oh, I don't want you to look at it. Write it down. I don't want you to look at it right here just a second. Write it right up on top of Hosea 10. Where it says Hosea 10, just write Exodus 20, 25. Now I want you to look at me right here and I want you to tell you what that said because I'm going to wait. I'm kind of just a little bit behind. You know when they were building the altar, 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. Now this is how. In Exodus 20, 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 just go and 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 me, don't you get these stones and start fencing them up and they'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 up. What's that altar of type of today? 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 foot of the cross to worship the Lord and an altar. 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 seat. 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 of that right there. And let's get the best and everything. And, you know, pretty soon it starts looking like a palace. You know, have you ever seen these high back chairs up here? You know, they look like little thrones up there, you know? They look like little boys sitting in them, their feet dangling off, you know, and everything. Who do you think is talking to them about that? If you didn't know better, it would 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 them 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. Fear the Lord? Fear what 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 a degenerate vine. It's the wrong vine. It's the vine of the world. He produces fruit for who? It might be nickels, noses, numbers, buildings. It's 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? Now, 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. It's 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. And what? Poisonous weeds. And 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 you can ground and eat the plowed earth. 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. You have to tell them. 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 fallow ground. Here it is. Look at me. Break up this field right here. Judgment's on it. Possess the land, He say. Break it up. Have good song. You remember that? Have good song. So you can understand, receive the Word. Okay. Break up your fallow 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 to that. 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 cross ways with the Lord one time. David got cross ways with the Lord. And a bunch of folks got killed in Israel. He sure wouldn't do that today, though, would he? Has God really said? Well, 1 Chronicles 21, verse 1. Then, right before Psalms. Then, who stood up? Satan stood up. I don't want everybody 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. Who moved David? Satan moved David to what? Start counting. Amen? Let's start counting and see what we've 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've got. From verse 7, Even to Dan and bring me word that I may know their number. And Job 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 to Medieval, 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 in 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. In that 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 dumbers. And you say, Well, God sure wouldn't do this today. Well, let me tell you something. When we get through with 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 down. Hosea 13. Now, here he's talking about these people. He 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. But they're 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. And 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 beast that he is. Which is a type of the powers and darkness. Here it comes. 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 beast would tear them. It is your. Now, see, you've got the lioness. You've got the wild beast. 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 Utah. Do 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 the word 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 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 gone apart. Father, let's don't get in the flesh like this. This is what it's all about. A lost person finds mercy. And now, you know how we get into the presence of the Lord? By having good soul. Isn't that right? Isn't that correct? Well, good. All right. You sure have a sweet spirit, haven't you? I dropped everything. I got a little test. And I'm blessed. Thank you, Lord. And I always triumph in your name. You should see this. Okay. Now. Okay. You get in 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. Hadn't they talked about 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. Isn't that right? Now, you're going to get Jesus all over the place here. Now, get ready. You again raise grain. And there 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 off and fall off. But this blossom. And they will blossom like the vine. It's renowned to be like the wine of Lebanon. Now, O we from O 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 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. 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 is discernment that is going to be concealed. For people that draw near with their mouth. And their heart is 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 are not wise and you are not discerning. You are 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? Walk. The righteous are going to walk in these ways. But transgressors are going to what? Look at me. They are going to stumble in it. They are going to stagger. They are going to stagger. A transgressor of the covenant cannot find his way. He will stagger. Now, I will tell you a little verse you might want to write down there. Below that, you recall that we saw over in 1 John 3, I believe it was 7 or 17. Little children, do not be deceived. It's 17. The one who is righteous practices righteousness. 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 are 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 are going to give their fields to new owners, which is possessing ones. All right. Now, let's look over in verse 17. Here is what he is going to do to these people right here. Verse 17. For behold, I am sending what? Serpents against you. Have any idea who that is? Them. Adders from which there is no charm. And they are going to what? They will 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 are 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 head. All right. He is the King and he is 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 ended. Summer is when you are supposed to be bearing fruit, isn't it? Huh? And it 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 is the next question. Now, look here. There is the next one. Who is the physician? Who is the real physician? Jesus. He says, Is there no physician there? It's already asked. Is the Lord there? Is the King there? Is the physician there? And if it asks, what is it 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 what? Plead your cause. Who is the one that pleads the cause? The Lord Jesus. There is no what? No healing for your sore. No what? There is 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 is 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 have 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. And 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? It sounds like you've 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 a 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 at 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 to work, took them to my heart. And thy words came for me, became for me a joy and a delight of my heart. This Jeremiah speaking. For I have been called by thy name. There's covenant. Amen? O 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. 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. Sounds 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 to violate? 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, let's back up to 3. For thus says the Lord, concerned the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerned the mothers who buried 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. And I'll tell you how the peace is withdrawn. The heads come down, the powers of God and 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 resisting 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, the host, 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 of 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 will 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 or what is our sin when we command it 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 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. 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 don't 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 read about 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 it 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 there 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. In 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 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've 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 adulteress does. Adulteress pretends obedience to the Lord, and they hate the Lord. They hate. 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 were talking about that prophet, it speaks from its own imagination to this congregation that despises Him. Now, verse 5. Will you be stricken? In other words, a judgment on you. Will 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 to 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 he sees. Not pressed out of bandage, not softened with oil. Doesn't sound like the Spirit of God. The oil is working with him right. As a matter of fact, it kind of kicks out the wounded, it sounds like, doesn't it? Huh? 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, Brad? You're 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. I want you to 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. Fallen at your breath. Now verse 20. Your silver has become dross. 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 God's Word doesn't 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... I didn't even... I'm telling you, Isaiah's is a lot of fun sometimes. Jump over to 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 repented ones 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 the end. Now watch very close 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. Could be buildings and religious and sowed 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 caused an oak's leaf to fade away? There's no water. Isn't that right? So that means a famine of the Word. 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 man and all the 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 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, or I'll let something talk you out of leaving hurry. 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 see the word, and boy, I just wanted them so free and free, and boy, I just looked forward to seeing them. The Lord would just let me see, to see them be free, because the word is just, you know what I mean? 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? 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've just got an afternoon lamp. 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 and the church. Seek refuge. Do not stand still, for I am bringing evil from the north and great destruction. Do 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 that, 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, and wail. 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 want 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 them. 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? There are problems and they lodged up there and they need worse with the Word so they can be saved. Amen? Now you see why I won't jump back, didn't you? Okay, let's go back over where we started at in 5. You're in my 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. Just hang in 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're the foolish. For they do not know the what? 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 they're going to have. Here's what God said. They said, therefore, a lion from the forest is going to what? 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 your beast. 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 is not going to come on us. No demons will come on us. No demons will come on us. And we're not going to see the sword. No curses around today. We're not going to see no famine of the Word. We've already reached an increase of good. They don't famine of the Word by us. We're not ever learning, never able to come to the 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 H.S. there. Both the autumn rain and the spring rain. Who keeps for us the 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 is 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 are fat. They are 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. Note the verse 30. An appalling, and God calls it, a horrible thing, appalling and horrible thing, and God says, 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. So what are you going to do at the end of it? Now quickly to Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel 34. I tell you what. I was going to look at the shepherds here in 34, but I am going to drop up and look at the congregation in 33. So we are going to add something a little extra here. Ezekiel 33. I think it is good to look at the congregation. Verse 30. 33, 30. We will 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 by their mouth, and their heart is where? Their heart goes after their gain. What a congregation. And behold, you are 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'll 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 one. 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 diseased, 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 a shepherd stands in a door and the ministry of the Spirit can't get to a flock, I'm going to tell you what? That the flock is always scattered. Here they are in 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 in 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 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 the 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 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's among his scattered sheep, so I will care for my sheep and I'm going to deliver from all these places by 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 the fat and the strong I'm going to feed them with what? Judgement! You've never seen it like it's being fixed to be turned loose. Verse 17. And as for you, my flock thus says 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 fowl the rest of it and skip over it and pick over it and pick-choose it? You fowl the rest with your feet. Verse 19 is 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 fowl 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 is 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 in 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, setting over them one shepherd. Look in 25. Here's what happens when you get a shepherd. And I'm going to make, 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. You'll be tested first. You'll not have one of these flops. 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 will 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, you're talking about 31. As for you, my sheep, the sheep of my pastor, you are a man and I'm your God, declares the Lord. Glory be to God. Praise the Lord. Matthew 9. We don't need a break. It won't make you tough. You can take one when I take one. You can't stop. Matthew 9. And Jesus was going about verse 35. I told you it couldn't stop. Verse 35. And Jesus was going about all the cities and villages. He was teaching in their synagogues. He was proclaiming, I 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 and 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 them. I'm telling you, when you see the demonized, when you see the sick, and God Almighty in 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. And so that's the reason why we're in the disciple business right now, brother. We're going to be fruitful and multiply. Amen? Alright, 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 see in 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 it's coming to 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 full growth of wool. 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 full growth of wool 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 is someone to lead and show them the way and not be afraid of what men and the traditions and organizations and denominations and folks and white folks, I 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 these slaughterhouses, I've heard stories of some of the ones that kill a sheep. 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. Do you know that lamb? Innocent. Just beautiful eyes. 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 can take your knife and you can just cut this lamb's throat and it won't make a sound. And that blood will just flow out on that little white coat right there and just run right off of him and he'll 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. 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 he's saying, 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 with? 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 strong man's house and care for his property unless he first binds the strong man? 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 for 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 he said about the ones that were against him. You're against me. Against your help, oh Israel. So I'll send the beasts against you and they're going to tear you to pieces. Is that what we read? Okay. He who is 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 scattered. If you're not gathering, you're scattered. 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 do it with the powers of darkness, no shepherd can properly shepherd any flock. Every time he moves forward one step, he's going back, too. Isaiah 56. Chapter 56, verse 9. All you beasts of the field... Come on, demons. All you beasts in the forest, come be 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. Ezekiel 22, please. Ezekiel 22. Ezekiel 22. We're talking about the sins of the church, the sins of Israel. Hath God really said? He's dealing with it that way then, and He's dealing with it that way right now. Covenant is covenant. God is God. Sin is sin. All right, Ezekiel 22. Now, I'll tell you what, I want you to be very careful. Now, you can listen to me. I hope you will. When we get into Ezekiel 22, and we start reading this, I suggest that we're going to stop all the way through this. You're going to need to write something, because when you go back through this again, and if you don't mark what men do, that's the reason I told you, you want to make empty his own thing, write it in there, so when you come back again, you can see it, and you can stop, you can slow up, and you can get the same thing when you read it again. Now, we're going to start Ezekiel 22, verse 24. And it's talking about the sins of Israel. Son of man, say to her, You, Israel, church, are a land that is what? You're not cleansed. You're not cleansed with the Word of God. You've not washed. You're a land that's rained on. The Holy Spirit's not on it. In the day of indignation, that's the day of the Lord, there is a conspiracy of the preachers of the church. A conspiracy. In her midst, they're like roaring lions. They're agreeing right with the demons. A conspiracy. Flesh. They're tearing the prey. They have devoured lives and doing it. They have taken treasure, that's money, rewards, careers, and precious things. They have made many widows, lost people. In the midst of her, they're stumbling blocks. Her preachers have done violence that's perverted by word. They have profaned by holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the profane. Don't upset the congregation. They have not taught the difference between the unclean flesh and the clean. And they hide their eyes from my Sabbath. In other words, they're not in rest. They're like a horse charging into battle. And I am profaned among them. They want to make God look like them instead of holy. Verse 27. Her princes of the church, these leaders of the church within her, are like wolves. They're just like the demons. They're a manifestation of them. In the flesh. They're tearing the prey. And here's how they're doing it. By shedding blood, teaching form. And they're destroying lives in order to dishonest gain. They're living out the flesh. When you make a ministry, a career, or look good, or build an image, or build a name for a church or something rather than God. And her prophets have smeared whitewash. They cover it all up, make it look good out of the flesh. For them, they're seeing false vision, perverting, and divining, preaching lies, traditions. For them, saying, Thus says the Lord God, When the Lord has not spoken to distort the truth and the gospel. The people of the land have practiced oppression. They've committed robbery. They have wronged the lost. The poor. And the needy. That's the sick and afflicted. And they have oppressed the sojourner without justice. Jesus can't help you. Thirty. And I search for a man. I hope you're one of those men. I search for a man among them who should build up the wall. Stand in the gap before me for the land. What is that wall? The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And He only comes after the Word. That I should not destroy it, but I found no one. They're defeated. Intimidated by everything. Scared of everything. Scared of folks. Scared of denominations. Scared of the reputation. Scared they'll lose a job. Scared they'll lose their career. Thus I've poured out my indignation on them. I've consumed them with fire of my wrath. There's the powers of darkness. I've consumed them with the fire of my wrath. Their way I've brought down upon their heads, declares the Lord. Turn to Jeremiah 12. Jeremiah in chapter 12, it's been telling the Lord that these people, they're near their lips but far from their mind. Oh Babylon. So here's what God answered to him in verse 7. And here's the church. Verse 7, I've forsaken my house. I've abandoned my inheritance. I've given the beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. My inheritance is to come to me like the demons. They're like a lion in the forest. She's roared against me. Blame God for everything. The devil don't ever get any credit for it. It's always God. Therefore I've come to hate her. Is my inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to me? Are the birds of prey against her? Where? Now when you say on every side, the birds of prey are the powers of darkness. When you say on every side, that's what we saw over in Jeremiah 50, over in 51, it's what you see over and over and over. The birds of prey, they come from every side, which means they surround the church. They surround it. They're on every side. Go gather all the beasts of the field. Bring them to devour. Verse 10, many shepherds have ruined my vineyard. They have trampled down my field. They've made my pleasant field. That's a pleasant field. That's a field of peace and fruit for the Lord. A desolate wilderness. There's no fruit, no word, no water. That's what happens to words. Tell me a nice story, preacher. Verse 11, it has been made a desolation. Desolate mourns before me. The whole land has been made desolate. Why? Because no man lays his covenant to heart. On all the bare heights in the wilderness, destroyers have come. For a sword, this is a curse. The word of the Lord is devouring. From one end of the land, even to the other, there's no peace for anyone. They have sown wheat, and what have they reaped? They've reaped thorns. They have strained themselves to no profit. But be ashamed of your harvest, the kind of fruit you're bearing, because of the furious anger of the Lord. This concludes tape number 15. Please fast-forward this tape to return it to the beginning. Please proceed to tape number 16, where this message continues.