Honesty and Integrity

Lord we do appreciate your goodness. Lord you are so good, yes you are good. Amen Lord, we think of the times that you have helped us on through and we're so appreciative.

We thank you that Devin is home Lord, I guess it was quite a surprise to the doctors and we appreciate that and we pray that you'll restore his appetite so he'll gain back his weight rapidly Lord. Thank you for this wonderful blessing for Devin. And we pray for each home represented here Lord, that you'll bring peace and health and safety, we may dwell together Lord in your presence.

We pray for all the children that are out Lord, you'll be with them and their helpers and bless them Lord, be present with them. And as we continue Lord, you know the needs that are here, you know them, I don't. And I pray the Holy Spirit will add Jesus where the need is and no one will leave without something from you Lord I ask.

And thank you in Jesus name, Amen. You may be seated. We'll turn in our Bibles to John, we're going to read chapter 3, 16-21.

John 3, 16-21. Boy, I like that when the kids go out, half the church is gone, that's a good sign. 3, 16-21.

Alright, we'll read together. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict. Light has come into the world but men love darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil.

Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. And we've come in our study in Ezekiel and we're going to go to Ezekiel 45 verse 10 now.

To the subject of honesty. I didn't plan it this way but it's interesting that this is coming up just before the election. I didn't think of that until Andy was speaking.

We want to talk about honesty and integrity. Something that our nation used to have to a greater extent than it has now. And because cheating and lying are so common, almost accepted, it's called embellishment.

We used to call it evangelistically speaking. But because it is so prevalent and on the verge of being acceptable, God is not pleased with that. He will not put up with lying, with dishonesty, with lack of integrity.

We start on this last Tuesday night. He will not stand for that. With God, the ends do not justify the means.

He is not pragmatic. If a thing is done wrong, God will not accept it. And we see that where the Lord said to people, you have prophesied in my name, you've worked miracles in my name, but you have to leave me because I will not accept it because you are not righteous.

God has called us in righteousness. First imputed and then wrought out as we follow Jesus every day. We're talking about in this study in Ezekiel, we're talking about the fact that the temple of Ezekiel tells us many things about the image of Christ.

And we're being made in that image. We want to be in the image of Christ. We want to be just like our Father.

We want to be like Jesus. And to this we have been predestined, Romans 8.29. And a big part of it, of the image of Christ, is honesty and integrity. And there's such a lack of it in our government.

There's such a lack of it in the churches. And God will not accept it. We used to accept evangelistically speaking.

Someone would say there was 500 at a meeting and there was actually 200 or 100. We'd say, well, it's evangelistically speaking. What it is is lying.

And I mentioned Tuesday night about the number of tracts and stories that have come forth in evangelistic circles that, evangelical circles I should say, that have some heart-throbbing story about something or other. And it's all made up. And people accept it for the gospel.

And the idea is, well, it got soul saved, or somebody repented. It's not right. The Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit.

He's holy. And lying is not holy. So we need to this morning be thinking about this and asking God to get out of our spirit, out of our person, any form of lying, whatever, whether it's in business, man, the business in the United States, the stuff that goes on.

Well, it's not for us. And God will not bless it. He will not bless anything that is dishonest, anything that is a lie, anything that is a lack of integrity.

God will not bless that thing. And so as we're repenting and turning back to God in our day, rejoicing and praising the Lord, with the high praises we also have the sharp two-edged sword of the Spirit. And that cuts into our personality right down to the core to see if what we are is a lie or what we are is the truth.

He that does truth, he runs to the light. He wants everyone to see that his deeds have been wrought in God. But whoever has a lie in him, he hoards the light.

He doesn't want the light to shine on him because his deeds are not true. Now, we're born that way. We're born Jacob.

We're born supplanters. We're born heels. Jacob, wounded in the heel, can't stand upright.

And God wants to change our name to Israel. He wrestles with God. Jacob means the planter.

Israel is... He wrestles with God. And God wants us to wrestle with God until what we do is truth. No lie.

Not religiously. Not politically. Not in business.

Not in our home. And if we have a lie this morning before we leave or are contemplating something in business that is not scrupulously honest in spite of what the bank says or the brokers, in spite of that, in spite of the fact that everybody's doing it, if we've got any kind of a lie in our personality this morning, something that's not true, that we're hiding, we need to confess that to God before we leave here. Because he will not accept that.

And if we don't, and we don't accept it, we don't renounce it and denounce it, God will see to it that it comes up in our life so that we're faced with it and we can then be rid of it. But that's a hard way to go. Much better to catch it when you know that it's there.

Don't hide from it. It will come out. That which is spoken in secret will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Believe me. That which is spoken in secret will be proclaimed on the housetops. Oh yeah.

How true it is. Alright, in Ezekiel 45 verse 10, you are to use accurate scales, an accurate ephah, which was I think a bushel of grain, and an accurate bath, which was a measure of liquid. And then again in Leviticus 19.36, Leviticus 19.36, use honest scales and honest weights and honest ephah and honest hen, which was a liquid measure.

I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt. See the connection there? Why do you do this? Why do you not cheat in business with a dishonest measure? Because I brought you out of Egypt. And that's why we don't lie.

What was his name? Hubbard. Ellsworth Hubbard. He was a philosopher I used to read before I became a Christian.

And he, Ellsworth Hubbard. Oh, that's close. Who? Elrod.

He's from upstate New York, by the way. We've driven through there in his town. He said, you're not a gentleman because other people are, but because you are.

You're not a gentleman because other people are, but because you are. And the same thing is true with telling the truth. You don't tell the truth because other people lie.

You tell the truth because God brought us out of Egypt. We're not part of that world of lying and malice and hatred and cheating and everything else. We're not part of it.

And God wants us to come out of it so we can be in the image of the Lord Jesus. Alright. Notice in Exodus 20, verse 16.

Now, remember Exodus 20. What's in Exodus 20, kids? The Ten Commandments. Remember that.

That's an important place in the Bible is Exodus 20. It's the Ten Commandments. And in chapter 20, verse 16, what's he talking about? False testimony.

Now, when you gossip, you're bearing false witness. You're breaking God's commandment. Because it's very solemn that when people gossip, they're telling the truth.

Very solemn. They're telling their impression of something. They haven't heard both sides.

They haven't heard from the Lord. It's just some colorful garbage that they want to chew on like a dog with an old bony drug dug up out of the yard. Gossip is bearing false witness.

Slander. But you know, an interesting thing. If you would ask anybody if it says thou shalt not lie in the Ten Commandments, probably most Christians would tell you yes.

It says thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery. But it does not say thou shalt not lie. It says thou shalt not bear false witness which is only one small part of lying.

And I've pondered that. I've gone to God about that. Now, it does say in Leviticus 19.11, I'm bringing this in so you know that God knows what He's talking about.

Leviticus 19.11 says, it'll be up there in a minute, in one of God's rules. Do not steal. Do not lie.

Do not deceive one another. But it is not in the Ten Commandments which I find very interesting because that's a major sin. And I think as I've pondered that, the reason is because lying is at the heart of all sin.

It's not a symptom like do not steal, do not lie, do not deceive one another. These are symptomatic of something. But when you get into lying or a lack of integrity, you're at the very root of evil.

What did Jesus say about the Jews of His day, the Pharisees? Remember? It's in John 8.44. You are of your father, the devil. Now, what did He say? He is a liar from the beginning, and a father of it. So, we're born with this corrupt nature.

I love children because their faces, if you watch their faces, they change like a kaleidoscope. Their faces reflect what they're thinking. But we soon learn to wear our mask.

We wear one mask to church, another mask at a party, another mask in business, another mask here, there, and everywhere. I'll tell you something, that it takes an awful lot of fire to get the lie out of us. Oh, brother, God deals with us, and He's got all kinds of ways.

He causes us to do things that we're ashamed of, and we repent, and in the meanwhile, the candle of the Lord keeps going down, keeps going down, keeps going down, because God wants steel down there in the fundamental core of our personality. God wants righteousness in there, iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to the Father, way down, and that takes time. But as God moves down in our personality, as we go through our pilgrimage, and we suffer these fires, the strange fires that Peter talks about.

Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial. The purpose of that is to get the lie out of us. The reason no man can see God and live is because we have such a lie in our personality.

We're so used to putting on a front. We're so used to conning the situation. How many know that God cannot be conned? Do you know that? Like Aslan in C.S. Lewis' Narnia Tales.

Don't con him. He just looks at you. It was my fault.

Up to that time, it was everybody else's fault. When it finally gets done, it was my fault. He doesn't want to hear.

The Lord doesn't want to hear about how bad other people are. How many know that? He doesn't want to hear about how bad other people are. Just throw that stuff in the wastebasket.

It's a good idea, too. When you find yourself chewing about somebody, whether in the church or out, but especially in the church, when you find yourself chewing about somebody, get your wastebasket. Put it in the middle of the front room and put it on the wastebasket and then empty it somewhere and don't go out digging and looking for it.

You'll be a happier camper, I'll tell you. Your health will spring forth like the light. Forget it.

God is not into your judgment of other people. In the first place, you don't know both sides of the story. I assure you.

We rush off to judgment, don't we? We hear one side, oh, I just knew it, as now we've got a nice juicy bone to chew on. Haven't even heard the other side of the story. Don't have a clue it's the other side of the story.

Much less have prayed and asked God what the truth is. Off we go into the wild blue yonder bearing false witness, cursing the innocent. It's amazing what we've got inside of us.

We've got this big lie. How many lied last week? No, raise your hand. Or everybody's doing it or the bank says you can get away with it or whatever.

Be sure if you're a Christian the chickens will come back to roost. Just be sure that this is going to happen. Other people can get away with it.

Yeah. You can't. Why? Because the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

That's why. I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt. That's why you can't lie.

You have to tell the truth. Alright, now. Revelation 14.5 We've looked at this verse a lot.

But it's got the whole ranch here. The whole ranch is right here. El rancho grande.

Allá en el rancho grande. Allá donde vivía. That's where I live.

That's where I want to live. No lie was found in their mouths. El rancho grande, Margaret.

There it is. Allá donde vivía. That's where we live.

And therefore they're blameless. And they follow the Lord wherever He goes. But it takes so much to get there.

King James calls it guile. It takes so much to get that out of us. Because we're so convinced that if we don't we won't accomplish what we wish to accomplish.

And to just tell the truth when it hurts. When it's not going to get you what you want. But you tell the truth or else shut your mouth.

Be still. The Lord brought you out of Egypt. Tell the truth.

Hey, right before November 7th. This is an interesting discussion here. Luke 8.15 And this is something Luke 8.15 This is something that I have commented on many times.

You can't You'll never make it as a Christian if you're a phony. You'll never make it. Because you may join the grand parade at the beginning and slip up your hand and they write you down in the book as being saved in the wonderful.

And all But you haven't been tested. And if you're basically a weasel in there it's going to come out. And you're going to have to fish or cut bait.

You're going to have to decide whether you're going to hurt and accept the Lord or have a good time and forget the Lord which is what it amounts to. The reason people don't take up their cross and follow Jesus is because it's not pleasurable. And we Americans must have pleasure or we'd sue somebody.

Now this is speaking of the seed, the Word of God that falls on good seal. NIV says noble. King James says honest.

But it's the only kind of ground that bears fruit. There's a lot of people that make a profession of Christ. They may last for years.

But eventually they will fall because they don't have an honest or a noble and good heart. You have to have integrity some integrity in your Adamic nature or you can't make it as a Christian. And the Christian churches is full of people that do all sorts of things.

They've never met the God of the house of God. There's drunks that have more integrity than some Christians. It's the same man.

I'm not an advocate of booze. The truth is if you're a phony it's going to come out. Because the Lord is going to put you in a place where it isn't fun to be a Christian.

And every child should learn that. You know we should teach our children that. Some of the people in the church here have enough money that the child's toy room looks like Toys R Us.

And the thing is that they cannot deny their child anything. Oh my poor darling has got to have this. They've got to have that.

Now they've got to have a $200 game from Sony. Now they've got to have a razor scooter even though we nearly lost Devin over the thing. But my child wants that.

And I don't have the heart. So how do you expect your child to be a Christian? How do you expect him suddenly when they're at some magic age say, oh by the way to be a Christian you have to take up your cross and follow Jesus. At what point are you going to interject this truth? Well what does that mean? It means you have to deny yourself.

You can't have everything you want. Well I never heard that. My mother always gave me whatever I wanted.

And if she didn't I played her off against my dad. And one or the other give me what I want if I have a tantrum. And then when they're 11 or 12 or 15 or whatever we're going to say, hey kiddie to be a Christian you have to deny yourself.

And it may cost you your life. And you may be extremely unpopular. And Jesus wants you to share his sufferings.

Cool it daddy-o. Don't lecture me. By the way may I borrow the keys to the car? Cheer up.

Some of you don't have children yet that are in their teens. Look forward with joy to that day. How about teaching the children when they're young that following Jesus.

You might read them a few stories. Well for example the families during the Boxer Rebellion when it dawned on the lady queen of China that Christ was not only a savior but a lord. And he meant to rule.

And when that dawned on her she put Christians to death. And I remember one story where the families were standing there with their little children waiting to die. Saying don't worry honey we're going to be with Jesus in a few minutes.

At what point do we prepare our children for this? Dennis talked about going to the nations. And I says amen, amen, amen. I believe it's God's time.

And some of us ought to be praying about what nation God wants us to go to if he wants us to go to a nation. And I think there are people in here that God has in mind to send forth. But you'll have to hear it from God and you'll have to present yourself to God and you'll have to act like that's what you want.

Because God isn't going to come in and just bust up your doll house. And when you begin praying about some of these nations that need God you're going to find out that a lot of the little things that bother you suddenly disappear in the light of higher priorities. God might, oh yeah.

Then you won't be worried about whether you have to get your child a $200 electronic game and then a razor scooter and then this and that. Boy we'll be lucky to get out of this with our skin. Can you hear me? We talk about going as a missionary.

That requires sacrifice. If God has called you to be a missionary it'll be more joy than you'll ever have in this country of ours which is an immoral slide. You'll have more joy in your heart going to some culture where the people will love you and you'll find yourself.

Hear me, because there are people and I listen to him. He's got a spirit of prophecy on him. He says people will train in this house that God is going to send you forth with the word of the kingdom.

Now begin to think about that and pray about it. But you'll find that it's fun to talk about traveling but when you find out what it's going to entail it's going to take more determination and willingness to put up with inconvenience than is true of most American Christians. I mean, you've got to sacrifice in that sense.

Not that you don't move to joy. You will move to joy. God's not going to have anybody on the field that is, Whoa, it's me.

I wish I was back in good old America and could watch the commercials. God is a king. He's not going to be in debt to you or to me or to anybody else.

He's going to give you the desires of your heart. What I'm saying is we've got to toughen up. We think this Christian business is a nice middle class American life.

There's a lot of saints that have been killed. And we need, and the children are tougher than we are if you catch them at an early age. You don't present it as, Oh look, we look like beef hanging on a butcher's hook.

This is through gates of splendor. And so don't give your child everything he wants. Wait until something that he wants real bad and then don't give it to him.

It's called denying yourself. It'll be excellent training. And then accompany it with the child.

We're not going to have that this Christmas because we want to learn about Jesus. We want to learn what it means to be a Christian. Hallelujah.

You know, you're taking that real well. But it's the truth. Of course, some of you in here, you don't have enough money.

All you've got to do is say, I'm broke. I've heard that before. Alright, now, we're talking about having an honest and good heart.

The seed must fall. Now that's not talking, that honest and good heart is still talking about before you're saved. That's where the seed falls.

And you said, well, you just got through saying that we have a lot of guile. Yes, we do. But nonetheless, underneath there, there has to be an honest personality or you'll never get rid of the guile because somebody in there has got to say the guile is wrong.

Do you track that? There's got to be something in there way down deep that says, I've made a start for Christ and I'm in this thing for keeps so it doesn't matter if anybody goes with me. I'm a Christian and that's all there is. Period.

That's what it takes to make it. While the rest of them are flopping around. Flipping floppers.

Now, I like, we talked about John 3.20 and 21. Let's look at that again. John 3.20 and 21.

That's a favorite passage of mine. I like it. It covers a lot of territory and it's a good thing to have in your bag of tricks.

John 3.20 and 21. Most everybody knows John 3.16. Not as many people know John 20 and 21. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

If you've got something going on in your life that you're afraid people are going to find out, that's a red flag. Better bring that to the Lord. You better bring that to the Lord.

I'm not saying you've got to cough up your past to everybody. I'm not implying that. I'm saying if you're doing something today that is wrong, today, not history, today, you're doing something today that is wrong and you know it and you're hiding it from your family or from the church or whatever, you better, you're not, you know, you've got evil in there.

Evil. E-V-I-L. Hates the light.

He will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. That's why when Satan begins to lead you into a track of deception, like, you're really called to be a great prophet or you can do some immoral thing or it's alright if you steal because you're going to use it for God's purposes or all these other lies and then he'll say, but don't tell anybody because that would spoil it all. You don't tell anybody because they wouldn't understand.

Huh? Anybody like that this morning? You've got something in there they wouldn't understand? God told you it's alright for you to commit adultery because you're a type of Christ in this church? I can't tell other people that they wouldn't understand. You've got something in you that people wouldn't understand. You better watch it and find out an elder in the church of the same sex as yourself and say, I've got something here I'm questioning.

Boy, you bring that subjective thing down into the light of objectivity which happens when you tell it to another person you'll know instantly whether it was just Satan was condemning you or whether you're really hiding something that needs to come out. Alright, but whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly. People that are doing what is right, they love to come to the light.

They love the people that they show off. Look at how holy I am. Look what I've done.

It's all righteous and everything. Isn't that a good feeling to be able to come to the light and know that there's nothing there but praise? There's nothing there but righteousness? Isn't that a good thing? Everybody take a deep breath. Alright, I'm about through.

Pretty near. Not quite. I've got the people in Tape Land to consider.

Let's look at John 117. James, James. 117.

Every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of the Heavenly Lights who does not change like shifting shadows. That's the way God wants us. Where there's no shadow cast by turning.

Our light is straight. Our words are few. We say what we mean we mean what we say.

When we speak we speak to edifying. Now, that's a sign of maturity. I don't expect us to put it on like a coat when we walk out of here.

But it's a goal that the things we say should have purpose. They should be for the purpose of building up our hearers. They should have meaning.

And when they don't we need to ask God about it. Because Jesus said a very unusual thing. Every idle word that a man shall speak he shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment.

Well, now if it was Albert Hubbard that said that hell, that's his name. If it was Albert Hubbard that said that, that's a nice saying. But God said it.

Every idle word that a man shall speak Every idle word An idle word is a word without purpose. How many here this morning are garrulous? That means you talk because it feels good to have your mouth working. That's a sign of the Adamic nature.

That is not the spirit of God. Oh, Brother Thompson, that's my favorite indoor sport. I recognize.

I recognize that. But nonetheless, it's a sign of the Adamic nature. What did James say about the tongue? And you can tell that by putting your fingers in your mouth.

The further in you get, the warmer it gets. It says the tongue is set on fire of hell. It's your speech.

You can control your tongue. It's like a little rudder on a ship. You control your whole body.

You can control your tongue. How many Christians can control their tongue? Would you say? In the world? Glory. Ten? How many can control their tongue? I mean, it's good to not put yourself in a place where you know you're going to say a lot of things that you're going to regret later.

It's good to not go to such situations. Keep. Walk with God.

You can never be lonely if you have God with you. And God can abide. He does not jabber.

God does not jabber. He says a few words. We got a lot of voices speaking in the land today, but I don't think God is speaking yet.

When He speaks, all these tongues will be silenced. God has few words, but boy, when He speaks, whoa. They're being made in His image, people.

And that is something to shoot at. But you've got to see it. You've got to see that it's desirable.

You've got to pray about it. Lord, help me to say only things that are edifying. Build up, people.

Keep me from gossip. Keep me from rushing off half-cocked when I've heard one half of a story to make sure I can make bad matters worse. Oh, some of you look so serious, but I know you look serious because you're not doing that.

And so you're wondering, who in the world has given to that kind of loose talk? Not exactly what you're thinking. Who could it possibly be in this church who doesn't have control of their tongue? I wonder whoever it could be. Oh, glory.

The tongue. Oh, Lord. Well, anyway.

John 14, 6. How many have that memorized? I am the way, the truth. When Christ is in you, truth is in you, and it will come out if you pray and ask God to control the basic lie which we are. 2 Corinthians 8.21 For we are taking pains to do what is right not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.

You know, sometimes we say, well, I can do something and my heart is pure. It really doesn't matter. But you know, the Bible says abstain from the appearance of evil.

We have to do what is right in the sight of men. We may not. As Americans, I think that probably runs counter to our feeling of independence and you know, I'll take care of my house, you take care of yours.

But we cannot do that as Christians. When we do something, we have to think how that is affecting other people. And sometimes things are perfectly righteous that we're doing, but we know that it could be misconstrued.

And then as Paul said, we're judged by another person's conscience. We are judged by another person's conscience. And so Paul said, I won't eat or drink or do anything that will put a stumbling block in my brother's way.

That's important. Because many times we feel, well, I know it's right, and if they don't see it, that's too bad for them. No, we have to be careful that we don't do things that cause other people to stumble.

Provide things honest in the sight of all men. Ephesians 4.25 Boy, what a topic just before the election. I wish the candidates were here.

So you cannot lie. You cannot even embellish. And if you say you're going to do something, you have to do it or resign the presidency.

That ought to be true in our land, you know that? If they say we're going to cut taxes and they don't do it, they should resign. They say we're going to do this or the other, and they don't do it, they should resign. Huh? Well, anyway, I'm not holding my breath.

Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood. There's been so much preaching in the last, well, since I've been a Christian, which is 342 years, there's been so many things that have come up that counter that verse. One of the new ones is, if Christ is in you, that's it.

You don't have to worry about a thing. Has anybody heard that? That's a new one on the block. Christ is in you, you've got it.

You're sanctified, everything. There's nothing you have to do because Christ will do it in you. Any of you heard that? That's new.

But look what the Bible says. It says if Christ is in you, when he gets around to it, you won't tell lies anymore. Isn't that exactly what it says? Isn't that exactly what it says? Isn't it? Ha ha! I know you're half asleep.

Now, let me say it again. Be strong and have a good courage. And whatever you do, don't turn around and look at the clock.

It says if Christ is in you, you don't have to worry about it because in his time, he'll take care of it. Amen. Amen.

I didn't say wait for Christ to do it. It says put it off. Well, how do you put off falsehood? How do you put off falsehood? And that, it's 15 to about 25, is it? Somewhere in there.

It says, well, how do you do that? How do you quit sinning? You don't do it anymore. Well, now you're saying that as long as we're in this world, we can quit sinning. Well, you have to, yes, that's what I'm saying because that's what the Bible says.

It says he that commits sin is of the devil. 1 John 3. Well, I can't believe that. Well, you can if you subscribe to the plenary verbal inspiration of the received text.

I know you don't want that to get on you. It's a mirror. It's a mirror.

Like the laver. It's a mirror. You look at it and it says, whoa! Put off falsehood! Here I lie like a salesman.

I'm sorry, Larry. Whoa. And you may be a liar.

You may be a liar. You may be a liar. We have to sin, or I'll be perfect when I die, or when the Lord comes, or something else.

You do what it says. Amazing. Well, how do you do it? Some of you are here in retail sales, so you need to find out how to do this thing.

You tell the Lord, I've been telling lies. I'm lying here, and it's not what's not scriptural. God doesn't lie, and I want to be in His image.

He doesn't lie. God, help! You don't have to pray in Hebrew or Greek. Help! I'm lying! And you said, no.

You said, you can't eat at my Psalms. You cannot, if you're dishonest, you cannot eat at my table. And I want to eat at your table, Lord.

I don't want it in me. Well, that's the first step. The reason we don't get delivered is because we don't make up our mind.

Say, I want to be delivered from alcohol. We do and we don't. I want to be delivered from gossip.

We do, but we don't. I want to deliver from talking when I'm not saying anything. We do, but we don't.

Mario, did you ever talk when you weren't saying anything? We do. You'll never get delivered because you're double-minded, and the Bible says a double-minded man will receive nothing from the Lord. You might as well save your breath to cool your oatmeal.

You won't get delivered. You've got to come at that thing like you're training a dog or a horse. A dog and a horse will know when you mean business.

And so do the demons. You've got to come after them and say, Lord, this thing is wrong. That was fit only for the lake of fire I went out of.

That's history. I'm through with this thing. And no buts.

It's the goats that butt. The sheep don't do that. No buts.

I'm through with this thing. It's history. Guess what? The Lord will say, well, I've been waiting for you to say that ever since you've been a Christian.

He's got the power. You think He can't deliver you from falsehood when He's holding up the universe by His power? He can take the falsehood out of you. And me, He can take it.

He's got the power. It doesn't really matter. Well, you won't get delivered, so forget it.

It's not going to get delivered and you make up your mind it's gone. It's going. Christ will do it.

Then all you've got to do after that is exercise a reasonable amount of willpower. Read your Bible every day. Pray every day.

Gather with fervent saints. And act like a Christian. And you'll be delivered from falsehood totally completely even before you die.

And dying isn't going to deliver you from falsehood. And if you're waiting for the Lord to come, what He's going to do is come and judge you like He did in the parable of the talents. He doesn't come and deliver the man with the talent.

He put him in the outer darkness. We're looking in the wrong direction for deliverance. Deliverance is here now in Christ Jesus.

If you don't believe me, try it. If it doesn't work, we'll give you back the money you put in the offering. He will deliver you.

He will deliver you. He's got the power. Let's stand.

I tell you we're going to do something about it. If you want deliverance from falsehood or something else, come up and stand. We'll have the elders pray.

We're going to go after this thing. The way I'm yelling up here, it must be that someone's got problems. I'm too old to yell.

I'm too old. Too old. Oh, yeller.

If you want to be delivered from falsehood, come up here. We're going to pray about it. Of course, if you're already perfect, that's fine.

Just stay there and pray for me. Praise the Lord. Now, to get delivered, to get delivered, I don't have to yell now because you're up here close to me.

To get delivered, you've got to want to. You've got to say, I don't want it anymore. It's out of me.

Believe me. You don't have to lie. You can get along in life without lying.

That's the truth. Satan says, oh, you've got to lie to get along. He's a liar.

That's why he said it. Let's have some of the elders come up. Would you please, some of the council members, President Paso.