Christian Convicts

Well, happy Sabbath, everybody! Don't you just feel wonderful? Isn't it great to be alive? And to have such a beautiful day, to be able to keep the Sabbath. You know, all of that wrapped up, you know, in the life that God has given us. We really appreciate the opportunity, always. Some of you have asked me how jury duty went. I was dismissed, by the way, for the good news. And I waited until the very last, again this time, and got there early, and I had to wait until the very last. And I stood up. I didn't say one word. And he said, Mr. Tuck, you were dismissed. So, anyway, that's what happens. So, I've been around, you know, courtrooms, judges, and so forth this week. And it was kind of interesting, because it sort of ties into what I'm going to talk to you about today. Not much, but it does tie in to it. It was a bold statement made long ago that has been attributed to the Greek philosopher Socrates, who said that the unexamined life is not worth living. I don't know if you've ever quite thought of that statement. Maybe you've heard that that statement before. The unexamined life is not worth living. I think it'd be good for us to meditate on it and think about, in fact, that particular statement that Socrates made.

You know, in fact, examining one's life is one thing that a Christian needs to do on an annual basis, at least. We should be examining our lives more often than once a year. You know, we should have, of course, not just a cursory examination of our lives, but a meaningful examination of our lives, because it is important to salvation, eternal salvation. Let's go over to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and down in verse 28 here. Chapter 11 verse 28, 1 Corinthians, here again, it says here, after talking about keeping the emblems of the Passover, not being guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But in verse 28 it says, But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. Again, we're talking about the Passover emblems here. For he who drinks and eats in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. And so we want to make sure that we have examined ourselves. And then on down here, verse 31, Paul says, for if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. We wouldn't need to be judged if we judged ourselves. So, brethren, since we are approaching the Passover, I think it's very clear, and this one verse really shows us this, it's imperative that we take a look at ourselves, that we examine ourselves. And, you know, God's festivals help us to do that. And, in fact, the Sabbath helps us to do that, because it helps us, the holy days and the Sabbath, help us to keep our spiritual bearings in life. Know who we are, what we are, and where we're going. What we need to do in our lives. You know, Webster's dictionary says this about the word examine. It means to inspect closely, to scrutinize, to investigate, to question, to test by questioning. In other words, we ought to put ourselves, as it were, on the witness stand and be interrogated by ourselves. Now, that's a Freudian thing that, you know, probably a lot of psychologists would wonder if we're schizophrenic by doing that, but that's what we have to do. We have to put ourselves, again, on the witness stand and question ourselves, and to scrutinize ourselves.

You know, if we're placed on the witness stand, brethren, and hopefully you've been there a number of times through your calling, if you put on the witness stand and you start to question yourself, I want to ask you this, brethren. Have you found yourself guilty of being a Christian?

Or have you found yourself innocent of being a Christian? You know, of course, we don't want the innocent side, do we? In other words, brethren, am I standing before a group of convicts here?

You ever thought about that way? We're all Christian convicts. You know, and, of course, we're trying to reform. We're trying to change. Of course, if you're a convict in the world, oftentimes you've got things that you're really trying to conquer that cost you your freedom. In a way, the same is true for us, isn't it? Because when we're not living God's way of life, we're really not free. You know, in reality, we are in prison. And so we ought to be, again, be able to be convicted of being a Christian convict. And we're trying to reform in our lives, and transform, as even the Bible says. Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 13. 2 Corinthians chapter 13.

Over here, the Apostle Paul again emphasizes this main point about how we ought to be examining our lives because the Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. And let me say this, brethren. The unexamined life will not be lived ultimately, because it will come to an end. It will not go past, in fact, the flesh.

God will not allow it to occur. But 2 Corinthians chapter 13 over here, verse 5, once again, it says, examine yourselves, scrutinize yourself, question yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Are you in the faith? Are you here for the right reasons? You know, is maybe another way you might ask yourself, test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus, the Christ, is in you unless, indeed, you are disqualified? And he said, I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

And, of course, we can't do anything without Jesus Christ. You know, in the Phillips, a modern translation of this particular passage here, it says you should be looking at yourselves to make sure that you're really Christ. It is yourselves that you should be testing. You ought to know, by this time, that Christ is in you, unless you are not real Christians at all. And when you've applied your test, I am confident that you will find that I, myself, am a genuine Christian.

Of course, there were some that didn't necessarily think that about Paul, did they? They maybe thought they were Christians, but, you know, Paul is saying, look, you examine yourself whether you're a Christian, whether you're in the faith, and you'll find that I am. From the Revised Standard Version, it says, examine yourself to see whether you're holding to your faith.

It's not good enough, brethren, for us to believe we have to hold to our belief, hold to our faith. You know, here's the Revised Standard emphasizes. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus is in you unless you indeed fail to meet the test? And he said, I hope you will find that we have not failed. Let's go to Galatians. Galatians, the book of Galatians, again, examining our lives, you know, as God's people. The book of Galatians over here, Paul once again, who writes a major part, in fact, of the entire New Testament, but in Galatians 6 and verse 3, notice it says, for if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

You know, so any one of us who somehow thinks that we don't need to pass over, you know, we don't need, in fact, the forgiveness comes through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and we don't need to look at ourselves to examine ourselves is deceiving himself. And it really doesn't see the true picture. But verse 4 it says, but let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

So we ought to, brethren, scrutinize our own life, our own works. And, of course, then once we've done that, once we've scrutinized our life, we ought to be keeping, you know, whatever it is that we find out about ourselves, particularly if it's good, we ought to keep it to ourselves, and we should not be comparing ourselves to another person. We, we in fact, should be changing, examining ourselves, and being transformed, and we should not be, again, comparing ourselves to others. Because, you know, the Bible talks about those that compare themselves among themselves, what does it say?

Are not wise. They're just simply not wise. Oftentimes that's what people major in in their lives. Now, how do you, how do you scrutinize your own works? Well, you know, how can you tell whether somebody's a true minister or not? How can you tell that? How do you scrutinize that?

Well, you know, a true minister of God is subject to God's authority. A true minister of God is subject to this book. And a true minister of God lives and teaches the truth. I know there are some people, though, that, you know, they, they can, can somehow find themselves listening to people who are most egregious in their, their transgression of this book. A true minister of God changes if he's wrong, and has made many changes in his life. A true minister of God obeys the commandments. And, you know, a true minister of God, you know, is more concerned about the people than he is about himself. We could go on and on.

How do you, how do you scrutinize that? There's a lot more, of course, that, that one would, would examine to know who a true minister of God is. And yet we live in a time where people have itchy ears, you know, they, they want to go follow whoever tickles their fancy, without regard to how they're living, how their life is, and what they're doing.

You know, it's kind of a difficulty in our damn time, brethren, because the standards are so low in our society out here. The world that you and I live in, brethren, we tend to sometimes not expect very much of one another. And, frankly, sometimes we don't expect much of ourselves. This world, again, is becoming more and more evil, you know, and evil men, as, as in fact, Paul said himself, are waxing worse and worse. And, and deceivers are waxing worse and worse in the world, as well. Let's go to Psalm 26. Psalm 26.

Psalm 26.

And we'll go through the first eight verses here.

Psalm 26.

In Psalm 26 here, this is one of the Psalms of David. But notice what he says here. He says, Vindicate me, O Eternal. That's like he realized that he was in God's court of law. Vindicate me, O Eternal. For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord. I shall not slip.

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me. Try my mind and my heart.

No, David knew he wasn't perfect, by the way, but he knew his heart was right. He knew that he was striving to do those things that according to God's law. He knew that, absolutely.

And hopefully, brethren, we know that about ourselves. That we know what a heart is, what our desire is. That we want to obey God. That we want to walk in God's way of life. But verse 2, it says, Examine me, O Lord, and prove me. Try my mind and my heart. For your loving kindness is before my eyes. And I have walked in your truth. I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, nor will I go in with hypocrites. I have hated the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with a wicked. So, David, not only, brethren, scrutinized himself. I don't think he was the kind of man that was hateful of other people, but he did choose who he associated with. Who his associates were. You know, oftentimes, again, associates can pull you down. They can affect you. Sometimes people can have friendships that are so strong that the influence from a friend can, in fact, cause a person to do things that they ordinarily would not do, particularly if they're in a down period of their life. And they begin to have doubts. But going on here, let's notice, he says in verse 6, and I will wash my hands in innocence. So I will go about your altar, O eternal, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all your wonderful works. Lord, I've loved the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. I loved it. I'm going to ask you, brethren, do you love being here today?

Are you happy to be here today? Are you thankful that you've had the opportunity to be here, to observe the Sabbath, to be with God's people? You know, are you striving to rejoice as God commands us to do? David enjoyed being, you know, at the temple. He just enjoyed it with something he loved and he wanted to do. And God wants us, brethren, to want to be with each other. He's not going to drag you and me kicking and screaming into the kingdom of God and saying, you will be happy. Not going to happen. He's not going to make us do these things. And, brethren, if we're not happy now, we probably wouldn't be happy then.

So hopefully we can see the value of where we are. The word examined, by the way, that is up here in verse 2 comes from the Hebrew word, bakan. B-A-C-H-A-N. And you know what it means? It means to investigate. Investigate. To test, to prove. And so David asked God to investigate him, to look at his life. You know, of course, we want to make sure our hands are clean, you know, and that we've repented, you know, in our lives. You know, if we've got major flaws, you know, that are there, you know, God examines our lives. You know, particularly, we're going to have to be careful if you want him to chase you until you're right, because that could be a little dangerous. But certainly to go before God and to repent and to keep your life clean, and then to go before God and say, God, you know, you'll see that I'm obedient to you. I'm trying to walk in your way. And God, if there's something I don't understand, would you please reveal it to me? But not in your hot displeasure, you know. So anyway, I know you to pray those things, but I'll just caution you about it. If you want God to chase in you, you know, you better say, but gently, God. You know, because we all do have a hard head, don't we? And it can be difficult. Zechariah chapter 13. Zechariah chapter 13. Zechariah 13. Here, the prophet Zechariah, you know, here toward the end of the minor prophets. But Zechariah chapter 13, and down in verse 8, here it talks about what, in fact, God is going to allow also to happen at our time with modern Israel. But here it says, it shall come to pass in all the land, says the term, that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die. We know that time is coming, isn't it?

As shocking as it sounds. And by the way, increasingly others are, in fact, talking about this. You know, in fact, no connection with religion. They're talking about not a third, but ninety percent of people dying. But that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it. And I'll bring the one-third through the fire.

The fire, of course, symbolic of tribulation. Terrible tribulation. And we'll refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. And they shall call on my name, and I will answer them. And I will say, this is my people, and each one shall say, the Lord is my God. Which, of course, Americans have not done. Not all Americans. They, as we know Christ even says, he that says, Lord, Lord, and does not the things I say. You know, they are not my servants. To those that, in fact, think that they're God's servants, some who claim to do momentous works, Christ will say, depart from me. You never, I never knew you. You workers of iniquity or lawlessness. Because they were trampling all over God's way. One thing that happens, though, brethren, when trials and tribulation comes, as it shall happen for this country, this nation, I know we don't like to hear the bad things that are going to happen, but what will occur is that man will have a chance. Because what happens when you go through tribulation, then the bad qualities come out, and God will allow those bad qualities, hopefully to be sort of slicked off, like the slag on the top of silver that heats up, the dross that builds up, to kind of dip that off, and what will be left will be, you know, a changed heart, a changed mind. Because, brethren, when we go through trials, the bad qualities of those come out, don't they? Everything's wonderful. Everything's peachy king and hunky dory, brethren, as long as everything goes well. But if something goes bad, then it really tests our mettle, doesn't it? It tests our minds, and then we'll find out about ourselves.

I'll tell you what, if you haven't been through a serious trial, and I know that some have not, but wait, brethren. You shall, if you're going to be in the kingdom of God. You shall. I don't wish it upon you, but I'm just promising you that it will happen to each of us. That fiery trials are coming, but the bad qualities will come out, brethren. But in a way, that's going to be good, because it'll help us to confront them. I'll tell you, when I was in the hospital, and I had all the things happen to me, I've described it to you before. I don't want to bore you with that or belabor it, but one thing that I went through is a little period of, God, why me? What did I do? It was an incredible thing. In a way, there was doubt that began to creep out. I began to, well, maybe it doesn't matter if you obey God or not. But the experience sort of brought that out, and I confronted it and said, no, that's not right.

Job went through problems, but he didn't deny God. He didn't doubt God. Of course, I realized that Satan was trying to tempt me in that way. I'm just telling you, again, my experience with it. I've talked to other men who have gone through similar things, and they've dealt with the same issues. But in the end, hopefully that which is left is pure. After a while, by the way, if you have ever been really down physically, you come to the realization this physical life is not not very that important, ultimately. And so you lose your life. Next split second, you're going to know you're going to be in the kingdom.

When I had my problems and I was out for a week, my wife said I was carrying out a conversation. But maybe that's the old ministerial reflex. I don't know. I just kept talking, you know? But I don't remember a solitary thing. I said to her at that time.

But, you know, if I had died in that whole thing, the next split second I would have known, I would have been in the kingdom, hopefully. At least that's been my goal of my life, and I want to be there. I pray for that to be there. I hope I am worthy to stand before Christ in the kingdom when all things begin to happen. You know, it's something I desire from the depths of my being. I want to be there, and I know you do too, President. Like I've told you before, when I, there's certain hymns I read, Brother, I can't hold it together. I can't make it through. I've tried to make it through the whole song, and I can't.

Because I, it just hits me. Because I look forward so much, Brother, into the time when Christ is going to be standing before us and all the saints, and he's going to tell us, you know, that, you know, enter into my family. It's going to be the most joyous time, you know, in our lives, and frankly, it's going to be the most joyous time in the history of the world. When God's spiritual family begins in a real, in an earnest way, where spirit beings are inducted right into the family. Let's go to Revelation chapter 3. Revelation chapter 3.

One thing, again, I learned is to keep going. Keep going. I think I've told you that, you know, when I was called, I made God a promise.

I told him, I said, I didn't know whether or not I could, you know, make it across the finish line, but I promise you I will try to crawl across if need be. So, God made me actually make me do that, crawl across the finish line, but be that as it may. Revelation 3. Revelation 3 and verse 10. Here it says, because you've kept my commandment to persevere, to endure to the end, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which have come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. See, the world's going to go through this test. That's what the tribulation is going to be about. That's why, again, two-thirds of our people are going to die, you know, from war and famine and disease, and a third that are going to go into captivity. That's why these things are going to test, you know, again, so that the wrong things can be confronted and people can really truly turn their hearts to God. Going on down here, verse 18, notice it says, God says to the way of the sea, and I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire. In other words, gold in the sense that needs to be purified, fire a symbol of the tribulation, that you may be rich, rich spiritually speaking, in white garments that you may be clothed, that you be righteous instead of just thinking you're righteous, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, that you could put some spiritual clothes on, and that they would be white garments, and anoint your eyes with eyesab. Of course, this is spiritual discernment that you may see. And he says, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, therefore be zealous and repent.

And so this is what God says, brethren, to the lukewarm, and God tells us, brethren, to scrutinize ourselves now so we won't have to be scrutinized later. You don't want to be scrutinized by the tribulation. You don't want the the droats to come up then. Better for it to come up now, brethren. Confront yourself now. Are we patiently, brethren, keeping God's word no matter what? Have we learned to do that? Or do we compromise the laws of God? Do we compromise? Do we have itching ears to hear something else? To tantalize our fancies mentally?

You know, are we different than this world? Are we people that are settled and solid in God's way? We know where we are. We know what we have to do. The problem with the latest CNN is, you know, Jesus Christ is standing at the door and he's knocking.

You hear the knock? Hopefully we don't. Hopefully Christ is in with us. We've been, you know, imbibing of him, sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ these many years.

You know, it's like the women's Bible say tomorrow, are you a Martha or are you a Mary? Are you willing to sit at the feet of Jesus Christ and to listen and to hear? Job 23. If anybody, by the way, knows what it's like to examine yourself, Job does.

You talk about the psychoanalysis of a human being, the book of Job.

He had friends that were psychoanalyzing him.

You really get to see Job in a very personal way, don't you, in reading through the book of Job. I know we've gone through this book in the Bible reading program. But in Job 23 here, let's go down to verse, just a couple verses here. But in verse 10 through 12 of chapter 23, Job 23 verse 10, it says, For he, Job says, he knows the way that I take. When he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. You see what I said earlier about being tested produces the gold. And, brethren, if we can really, if we can learn to test ourselves, if we can examine ourselves, then the gold can be produced that way. We don't have to go through the keyhole backwards, as they say. We don't have to be pulled through a trial so that the gold can be refined in us. And it says, I have not departed from the commandments of his lips. I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. That was more important. God's Word. You know, how do you apply that today? He said that God's Word was more important to him than the food.

Well, I don't think Paul, in this case Job, would have compromised the Sabbath, would he? Just to work. He wouldn't do that. You know, he wouldn't break the Sabbath to keep a job. Because food was not as important as what God commanded and what God instructed.

You know, I've been in the ministry a little while now, and I have never seen anybody in the church that went hungry because they kept the Sabbath. Never. I've been around a little longer than some of you, not all of you, but in terms of the church. I've seen a lot. I've seen a lot of people through the years, and not one have I ever seen.

Now, I will say this. I've had to see people gone through trials, but they've never gone hungry. God takes care of his people. But, Joe Britt recognized that when he went through trials and difficulties, goal resulted. So, brethren, what is our character? And will we compromise any one of the commandments of God when we're under stress? He's to keep God's laws, isn't it, when we're not under stress?

When everything's going well and sort of going our way. You know, what kind of a people would we be, brethren? That as soon as you started keeping the laws of God, your life, I mean, it was just like the rainbow was around your head all the time.

This place would be so packed you wouldn't be able to stand in here.

You know, it would be such an overflow of people. No, God didn't work that way.

In the future, God's going to give us many, many blessings, brethren, but He's trying to find a character right now that is built, brethren, not just when we're under stress, but when we're not under stress. Again, what would cause you to doubt God? You know, if we pass our scrutinization, brethren, then we're in the faith, aren't we? If we ask ourselves certain questions, and we we scrutinize ourselves, and we are in the faith, and Paul said, I trust that we are in the faith.

But if you were called into a courtroom, brethren, again, could you be convicted of being a Christian? Could you be convicted? They put you up there on the witness stand, and they started asking you the right questions. Oftentimes, they don't even know what questions to ask, but supposedly, God puts it in their head to do that. Would you be convicted of being a Christian?

Psalm 17. Let's go over to the book of Psalms. Again, a prayer of David over here. First, a few verses here.

Here, David says in this prayer, Hear, adjust cause, O eternal. Attend to my cry. Give ear to my prayer, which is not from deceitful lips.

Let my vindication come from your presence. Let your eyes look on the things that are upright. You have tested my heart. You have visited me in the night. You have tried me and found nothing. I have purposed that my mouth should not transgress.

So, God has proven the heart of David, it's saying here. And, of course, God knows whether our heart is right, doesn't he? And, frankly, we do too. Oftentimes, know when our heart is right and when it's not right. But God, brethren, looks to the Christian, who agonizes over the foibles too of his own human flesh and aches for his own sin. And, of course, that person that is striving to overcome, who is striving to change, we know the blood of Christ washes their sins away. That real desire is there. And God is willing to forgive. He's willing to wash us clean. And, quite frankly, that's the only way we're going to ever stand before Christ, is pure silver and pure gold. That's the only way the dros, the slag, the slop of our human life can be put behind us.

Psalm 139. Psalm 139. Psalm 139. Here are several verses here that I want to read. I bypassed that for some reason.

You know, I look at these young people with their little phones, and their thumbs are just going crazy. And I can't do any. I can't do that. Can you do that? I mean, you know what happens to me? I push two buttons at once. In fact, oftentimes getting, I have to do like that. They'd pull me over fast. If you asked me to do a text while I was driving, man, I'd take a whole ten or twelve cars out. I did that, but I wouldn't. Of course, I've never done it. But I don't even have one of those phones. I'm having a hard enough time turning the pages up here. So that's why I say that, brethren. But 139. This is my little thing in a right here, this slender Bible. But 139, verse 1, it says, O LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. But David realized God knew him backwards and forwards. And there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O eternal, you know it altogether.

Do we look upon God that way, brethren? David looked upon the fact that God was always watching him. Now in verse 23, he says, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties, and see if there's any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Lead me in the right way everlasting, David says. So we must, brethren, come to see ourselves. But oftentimes, brethren, we are blind to our own sense, aren't we? We've got faults, but God will help us, brethren, if we truly look to him. He'll help us to change. He'll help us to overcome.

From the living Bible, these passages in verse 23 and 24, David says, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. We want to please God. And, you know, God blesses his brethren, according to 1 John 3.22, because we do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And so, God wants us to please him. And here, David says, Look, if anything makes you sad, God, lead me in that way. I think, certainly, he didn't earn the moniker, a man after God's own heart. By the way, God just wanted to put that on somebody. David was that mentality. You know, God found David a man who had a willing heart. You know, David made a lot of mistakes, but one thing he never made a mistake with is when he was wrong, he changed.

You know, are we that way, brethren? Have you ever made an about face? Well, I heard that today, and it was in the Bible that God revealed to me. It was said in a sermon, it was said in a sermonette, I'm going to do it. Have you ever walked out of services with that attitude?

I'm going to change this. I didn't know that, you know, somebody might think, but boy, I do now, and God's holding me accountable. So, brethren, hopefully we are trying to be transformed, and we have the kind of attitude that David did. Chapter 7 and verse 8.

Chapter 7 and verse 8 of the book of Psalms. In verse 8, it says, The LORD shall judge the peoples, judge me, O eternal, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.

And it says, O, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just, for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense, though, David says, is of God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a just judge. God is angry with a wicked every day.

Now, we don't want to be in that camp, do we? That God is angry with a wicked every day. You know, in the world today, of course, though, we have to be aware there are many people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, you know, as they often say in the churches of this world, that God will consider to be wicked as far as He's concerned. The very ones that oftentimes talk about the greatest works that have been done through their ministries or through their life, brethren, Christ is going to say, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you.

Again, think about this, brethren, because we want to be counted again among those who are righteous. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 9. We know that many, many things are coming for the United States and Britain ahead of us, and the world for that matter, but, you know, the United States and Britain, as we know, have been blessed so abundantly above other peoples up on the face of the earth. But the time is going to come, brethren, where, you know, it's like, you know, the fella in Chicago said, though, you know, the chickens are going to come home to roost. But we know what is going to happen, what's going to occur, is a lot different than that Protestant minister was thinking about. But here in Jeremiah chapter 9 and verse 1, it says, Old that my head were waters, Jeremiah says, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I may weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people. Old that I had in the wilderness a lodging place for travelers, that I might leave my people and go from them, for they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. You know, all you got to do, in other words, to find out the kind of world that we live in is to watch the Oscars. Now, I didn't see the Oscars, but I've seen it plenty enough in the past. But, you know, we live in a world that is worse than that, though. You've got murderers, you've got all kinds of people, and they oftentimes are the ones that are leading the country. And, again, I'm not saying I know who they are, but I know it goes on. But going on here, chapter 9, down in verse 3, And like their bow, they have bent their tongues for lies. They're not valiant for the truth on the earth, for they proceed from evil to evil. Almost like you have to think it up. Think up these evil things to do. For they do not know me, says the Eternal. They do not know me.

Even though they claim to know God, And every one take heed to his neighbor, And do not trust any neighbor or any brother. For every brother will utterly supplant, And every neighbor will walk with slanders. If there's ever an occasion against you, people will be like piranhas turning on you, slanders of others. Everyone will deceive his neighbor and will not speak the truth, And they've taught their tongue to speak lies.

They weary themselves to commit iniquity. Again, they're thinking about, what else we could what other wicked thing they can do. Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit. Through deceit they refuse to know me, says the Eternal. Therefore thus says the Eternal Host, Behold, I will refine them and try them. I'm going to refine them. That's why the tribulation is going to come, brethren. I'm going to refine them and try them. For how shall I deal with the daughter of my people? Their tongue is an arrow shot out. It speaks to see. One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in wait. Shall I not punish them for these things, says the Eternal? Shall I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? It says I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains and for the dwelling places of the wilderness of lamentation. Because they're burned up so that no one can pass through, nor can men hear the voice of the cattle, both the birds of the heavens and the birds have fled. They're gone. Imagine again this country when these things begin to happen. But, brethren, some will say God is unfair. He's unfair. God is unjust. When, in fact, brethren, it's the other way around. It's the other way around. People are going... they doubt God. They, in fact, sometimes blaspheme God.

These verses don't... doesn't sound like the United States of America.

I mean, what could be clearer? This country that we live in right now? But, you know, this is the standard that you and I are up against out there. No wonder sometimes we look so good compared to the world. The standard is so low, like I said earlier. Now, we better not compare ourselves to the world, I'll tell you. We'll be really in a heap of trouble. It's easy to feel righteous when you're living amidst so much wickedness in our day. Now, I'm not saying that everybody in society, by the way, is wicked to the heart's core. But I think, unfortunately, you know, we've passed the 50 percent barrier. You know, and more perhaps are going that way, further and further away from God. But then, can we be straight arrows in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation? That's the question, isn't it? Can we live God's way when the world isn't? Nobody is. What if you were Noah? What if you were Abraham? Well, if it came right down to that, brethren, could we be a straight arrow, no matter what we face, what we see in this world and in this society?

Let's go back to Job, the book of Job. The book of Job.

Job 34.

Job 34, in verse 2, beginning in verse 2.

Now, this is a Lihu talking here, but, you know, the words, some of the words he uses are, quite frankly, wise. But it says, Here are my words you wise men, give ear to me, you who have knowledge.

You know, listen to what I'm going to say. The Lihu says, For the ear test words as the pallet tests food. Interesting, you know, analogy here. You know, the ears test words. No words, whether they're true or not.

I reminded whenever I was living back in the sixties, and I didn't know the truth. But, brethren, because God's Spirit was working with me, when I heard it, I recognized it. The ears test it. That's where you test whether something is right or whether it's wrong.

You know, our ears determine whether or not it's truth or not. The unfortunate thing is that man has done a terrible thing. He shuts his ears up, and he doesn't listen. Sometimes we hear the truth, and then it's like we like a little switch to turn it off. You know, because if I listen to him, I'm going to have to change.

You know, so hopefully we're not turning it off, but we're opening it up. And so we'll hear what's being said. Verse 9, for he has said, it profits a man nothing that he should delight in God. Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness. Now, this Elihu speaks the truth. No, God doesn't do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity. You know, God simply does not do that, does He? So if we go through a trial, God, if we go through a trial, God is not unrighteous for letting us go through the trial. He simply isn't. You know, God is not wrong. He's not an error by letting us go through a trial. God allowed Job to go through the trial. Apparently, God could have stopped Satan from doing what he did. But he did limit him, remember? So Satan has no authority whatsoever other than what God gives him. But was God unjust by allowing this to happen to Job? Now, he paid a very big price. His family, and even got the point his wife was practically about ready to disown him. And, you know, it got down pretty low, didn't it? Is God unjust? I guess if we think in terms of this physical life being only an important thing, but it is not to God. To we mortals, you know, we think this physical life is everything, don't we? It isn't. It simply isn't. It's what happens in this physical life. That's everything. And what we do with it, the character that we build. And God was trying to build something in Job. But in verse 11, notice here, for he repays man according to his work. God is just. He gives to a person according to his work. What is your... or his way, as it says here in the latter part of this. God makes man to find a reward according to his way, how he lives. And we can know how we live. All I know, brethren, is that I don't deserve the blessings I have had in my life. I really don't. I know I don't. Do you? Do you deserve the blessings you've got right now?

Or are we sort of like Ma and Pa Kettle? You know, Paul, remember he would sit at the, you know, the table and he would do the prayer. I remember this from the time I was a little boy, seeing this. It was funny then, it's still funny today. And, you know, Pa Kettle would say, God, you know, thank you for the food, even though we had to work hard for it. You know, and we put in all the labor and all the work, but thank you, God, for whatever you did. You know, sort of like that. I can't remember. I haven't heard that a long, long time. Are we that way somehow? Do we think we deserve to be where we are? What we're doing? Do we deserve the blessings are in our lives now? Do we deserve to even be called now? That's the question. Who among us deserves to be called in this time? Well, I think if you really examine that, none of us deserve to be called now. But notice verse 12, it says, surely God will never do wickedly. God never will. Nor will the Almighty pervert justice. God is just. Now, in verse 21, for his eyes are on the ways of man, and he sees all his steps. So God is watching us, brethren. Verse 26, or verse 36, I should say, all that Job were tried to the utmost because his answers are like those of wicked men. For he adds rebellion to his sin. He claps his hand among us and multiplies his words against God. I think he lied who was right. The one thing we do not want to do, brethren, is add rebellion to the sins we've already committed. That will give us nowhere as far as God is concerned. So, brethren, if we don't examine ourselves and repent, frankly, it is rebellion, isn't it?

If we're not examining ourselves and seeing problems that we need to overcome, and have a willingness to overcome it, isn't that rebellion? On our part of God reveals it to us. If he shows it to us, I've told people many, many times who come to church and they keep coming and they're not baptized, I've told them many times, God holds you accountable for what you're hearing.

Whether you like it or not, he's going to hold you accountable. And if we claim, well, I didn't hear that, God will say, well, let me do a little... Is this you sitting here? Let me turn on what was said.

Talk about being convicted.

One other way, brethren, we should examine ourselves is look at the fruits of the Spirit in us.

I'm not going to go to Galatians, but I want to read this to you from Galatians 5 verses 19 through 23.

But it says, but when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your life will produce these evil results. Go contrary to God's law, this is what's going to result. Paul says here, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, spiritism.

That is encouraging the activity of demons in our lives if we allow that. Hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group, and there will be wrong doctrine, wrong teaching, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all sorts of things, Paul says. Let me tell you again, as I've told you before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, it will produce the kind of fruit in us of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And here, there's no conflict with Jewish laws. So, brethren, are we developing the fruits of the Spirit, or are we developing those carnal fleshly problems that are foibles of this human experience? You know, are we developing the carnal desires more? Or are God's ways being embedded in us, brethren, as God's people?

So, brethren, let's place ourselves on the witness stand as we approach the Passover, and let's question ourselves. Let's scrutinize ourselves. Let's examine ourselves as we approach the Passover, brethren. Let's face our faults. Let's confess them to God, and let's make real changes in our character. Our goal, brethren, is so that we can be convicted and being found guilty of being a true Christian. So, I ask you, am I sitting before a bunch of Christian convicts today?

I hope I am.