The Great Split

The title of the sermon today is The Great Split. The Great Split. What is the greatest split in recorded history, and how was that split achieved? Have you ever thought about that? That's the question we want to explore today. The greatest split in recorded history, and how was that split achieved? What do you think was the greatest split from following God in the history of the universe? I mean, this split was so cataclysmic that it brought the universe. It wasn't a local event.

It wasn't just worldwide. As we say, it wasn't just global. It was universal in scope. And how do you think that split was achieved? Let's go to Revelation 12 and verse 3, and we will get a description of the greatest split. Of course, somebody may say, well, that's subjective. That's your opinion.

But I believe once we look at this, we will see that it's the greatest split of all time. And it set the tenor in tone for all division, splits, chaos, confusion, competition, greed, and all of the things, the negative things, the works of the flesh that you can possibly name.

In Revelation 12 and verse 3, And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon. And that great red dragon is identified in verse 9 as the devil Satan. Satan the devil, the red dragon having seven horns, I'm sorry, seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads. Satan is the one who is the leader of this world, the god of this world, behind the great so-called world-ruling empires.

And his tale drew the third part of the stars of heaven. Revelation 1.20 identifies the stars, stars in the Bible, symbolic of angels. And his tale drew a third part of the angels, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman, which was ready to be delivered for it to devour her child as soon as it was born, just like prophesied in Genesis 3.15, that eventually God promised a Redeemer in Jesus Christ the Messiah. And he also said that Satan would be there on the scene, that Satan would bruise his heel, and Satan inspired the crucifixion of Christ.

He tried to kill Christ as soon as he was born, as we see here, but was unsuccessful. And the battle of the ages has ensued now for millennia. On and on it goes. So how could this dragon, the Satan the Devil, cause one-third of the angels to follow him in rebellion against God? How would you pull that off? Here are these spirit beings, created spirit beings. They were perfect when they were created. And it says that about Lucifer, the one who became Satan.

And all this power and all this knowledge and all this beauty and all the things that you could name that go with that, how could he draw a third part of the angels into following him? What do you think was his main strategy? Lucifer, who became Satan, of course, is a great created spirit being. He and the angels were created to be ministering servants to the heirs of salvation. Let's go to Hebrews now, chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1, we'll see this very clearly, the purpose of angels. Angels are created beings. And there's a great difference between angels and human beings.

At the present time, angels are greater in power and higher in that sense for the present time. But the potential of human beings to eventually be born sons of God, it's all together different of the same essence and nature of God. In Hebrews chapter 1, in verse 5, For unto which of the angels said he at any time, you are my son.

This day have I, canow you, I have gotten you. Now, the angels are referred to as sons of God in a couple of places in Job 38, also in one or two other places, but they are created sons of God. They're not begotten sons of God, and they cannot be born sons of God. And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.

And again, when he brings in the first begotten into the world, and the first begotten, ganow, depends on whether it's the action of the father or the mother. If it's the action of the father, it should be beget. If it's the action of the mother, it should be born. Father's beget, mothers bring to birth. And again, when he brings the first born, in this case, into the world, he says, and let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels, he said, who makes his angel spirits and his ministers a flame of fire.

Then we go to verse 13, and it repeats, but to which of the angels said he at any time set you on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool? He never did. He never did. And he said, are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? The angels were created to help us make it into the family of God. They are part of the purpose and plan of God and play a very important role.

But Satan and at least a third of the angels split off. They were not satisfied with the role that God had assigned to them. They wanted more.

Now we go to Ezekiel 28 and a brief description of Lucifer when he was created. Lucifer was one of three archangels, the other two being Michael and Gabriel. Lucifer was at the very throne of God at one time, as we read here in Ezekiel 28. The king of Tyre is a type of Satan the devil. Also, as we'll note in Isaiah 14, that the king of Babylon is a type of Satan the devil. In Ezekiel 28 and 11, more with the word of the Eternal came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyreus and say unto them, thus says the Lord God, you seal up the psalm full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

Evidently, Satan was the most beautiful of God's created beings. So beautiful and so full of wisdom, so intelligent.

You have been in Eden, the Garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, and he names those stones. The workmanship of your tabres and your pipes, these pipes can be applied to music. Satan, one of the great tools that Satan has used to pervert almost anything he wanted to name, but especially he has been able through music to create some of the chaos and confusion you see today among our youth, and to help create the generation gap. And your pipes was prepared in you in the day that you were created. So evidently, Satan had the ability to play beautiful music. You are the anointed carob that covers. Of course, in the Holy of Holies, you had a replica and a sense of God's throne with the two carob beams facing in each other, and the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant, symbolic of the very throne of God, and above the mercy seat, the glory of God shown, called the Shekinah, or Shekinah, glory by the Jews, the very presence of God.

Your anointed carob that covers, I've said you so, you're upon the holy mountain of God. You walked up and down in the midst of the stone of fire. You were perfect in your ways from today that you were created, but Satan had what we call free will, and so did the other angels. They had free will they could choose. Evidently, after a period of time, that character was set, I don't know how long their period of testing was, so that now you have the holy angels, two-thirds of whom remain faithful unto God. By the multitude, well, I'm sorry I didn't read that last. You were perfect in all your ways when you were created, until iniquity, as lawlessness, was found in you. By the multitude of your merchandise, I have filled the midst of you with violence. You have sinned. Therefore, I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of God. I will destroy you, covering carob from the midst of the stones of fire. And here's one of the summary, as it were, of the main things that he did. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, and beautiful people really have difficulty in this life. In fact, there's been recent research released about beautiful people, how it's very difficult for beautiful people and handsome people to really make it in this world, though they are given favor. They're given favor if you were to go in most places, and you are not so beautiful or handsome to look on, and you're standing beside the handsome, beautiful person. Generally, the handsome, beautiful are going to get served first. But anyway, that's a different story. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness, and I will cast you to the ground. I will lay you before kings, and they shall behold you. So at some point, Lucifer and at least a third of the angels were placed over the earth, apparently for the purpose of preparing the earth for human beings. We see this in Jude 6. One verse here in Jude 6 talks about habitation. Jude, just before Revelation, Jude 6. Jude 6. And the angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation, they had an assignment from God. Now, I don't know if half the angels were there, three fourths, how many were there? Was it just a third? And Satan was able to lead everyone that had this assignment with him away to rebel against God.

The angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation, he had the reserved and everlasting chains under darkness, under the judgment of the great day. The demons have certain restraint placed on them at the present time, but apparently at the end of the age that restraint to some degree is taken off. We'll notice quickly here, if you turn back a page or two, this is once again, I'm letting myself get off track a bit, but you go back to 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 19 we'll read, In the days of Noah what the ark was preparing were in few that is eight lives were saved by water.

Now also in 2 Peter you see this restraint that was placed on Satan the devil, where it talks about him being cast down to a condition of restraint or tartaroo. In 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 4, For if God spared not the angels that sinned, and cast them down to tartaroo. Three words in the New Testament that are translated in hell in the English, tartaroo, gujena, and hades. Cast them down to tartaroo, a condition of restraint. Evidently when he went and preached to the lost souls in prison, he put an additional restraint on the demons. And at the end of the sermon we'll perhaps come back to how at the end of the age it seems that this restraint to some degree has been removed or is removed. So he cast them to tartaroo and delivered them into change of darkness to be reserved unto judgment. Of course, Paul even talks about the saints. We'll judge angels in 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Now we go back to Isaiah. In Isaiah 14 and verse 12, where Lucifer is, or the king of Babylon is a type of Lucifer. In Isaiah 14 and verse 12, I've always been intrigued by this question of how did Lucifer draw a third part of the angels? How did he get a third part of the angels to follow him? These spirit beings, what strategies did he employ? Well, we read from Ezekiel that his wisdom was corrupted by reason of his brightness. He was such a beautiful being, full of some of wisdom. And you can't really be wise unless you're very intelligent and have tremendous knowledge. Wisdom to a large degree is the right application of knowledge. So in Isaiah 14 verse 12, how are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations? The nations are in the condition that they are in today because Satan is the god of this world. They've listened to him. They made the wrong choices instead of listening to God.

For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I'll take over above the stars of God, above the holy angels. We'll turn back to Revelation 12 in just a moment and see that there was warfare in heaven. Michael and his angels fought, the devil and his angels fought. And so we see here in Revelation, I'm sorry, in Isaiah, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be liked the most high, yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the sides of the pit. They that see you shall narrowly look upon you and consider you saying, is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms, that made the world as a wilderness, destroyed the cities thereof, and opened not the house of the prisoners.

So now we go to Revelation 12 and pick it up about Lucifer and what happened here when he said, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God and above the stars of heaven. In Revelation 12, in Revelation 12 and verse 4, we'll read again, His tale drew the third part of the stars of heaven, did cast them to the earth, and the dragon stood before the woman, which was ready to be delivered, for it would flower her child as soon as it was born. She brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up unto God and to his throne. Of course, that covered a wide sweep of history right there in that verse. And the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared of God that they should feed her there 1260 days. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought, the holy angels, the good angels, that remained faithful against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. So this war in heaven, two great archangels leading the battle and prevailed not, that is, Satan prevailed not, and there was no place found any more for him in heaven. The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying, Now is come strength and salvation, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ, for the accuser of the brethren is cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they love not their lives under the death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and all you that dwell therein, woe to the inhabiters of the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time. So that period of time, it seems that some of this restraint had been placed on, as Satan has taken off, and when the dragon saw that he was cast into the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. So how did Lucifer draw a third of the angels from following God and bring them under his control, so that they would rebel and fight against God? So as we have noted, Lucifer had determined in his heart that he would not take a back seat to any being, including his Creator. In other words, pride can cause mental disorder. Pride can mess up your thinking. For this reason, pride can and does lend itself eventually to despair, self-destruction, or even worse. You know the verse that talks about pride goes before a fall. Pride puffs up your head like a balloon. Eventually, if it pops, if it goes out too far, it pops and it just collapses. You've seen a balloon that has collapsed before. And we have read that your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. The fear of the eternal is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction, and pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Notice in the Bible what God says we can take pride in. In Jeremiah 9, there's a right kind of pride. We don't want the kind of pride that oftentimes can lead you into the path of destruction. We want the kind of pride that is wholesome. I know my mother used to tell me about different ways that I would dress. Well, son, don't you have any pride? Go back there and do this or that. Go back and comb your hair, or go back and do this. Of course, I guess she didn't know that I hated brushing my teeth. She should have stood there and made me brush my teeth. Now, I wouldn't have had to have an oil surgery the past year and a half and be out $25,000. But anyhow, it's too bad when mama has to stand over you for you to do simple things. They had to hold me down to get a haircut. Of course, my daddy was a barber, and we had these old clippers like this. They weren't electric, you know. And you squeeze them, and, oh, my head was so tender. And they would pull a hair, and it just, oh, fly all over you.

I don't know what else to turn to. Jeremiah chapter 9. What should we have pride in that is the right kind of pride? In Jeremiah chapter 9. I still hate getting a haircut.

I wore a crew cut until I came to ambassador, and they finally talked me out of a crew cut. They said it made you look too... you already look mean, so you've got to change your hair. That'll soften you just a little bit, but it didn't help me much. The skin stretched wrong on my face. But anyhow, in Jeremiah 9 and verse 23, Thus says the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Satan must have gloried in his wisdom. Some people glory in their intelligence and their cunning. Some people glory in their looks. Neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Some people glory in their strength and their athletic prowess. Let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him the glorious glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Eternal, who exercises loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, says the Eternal. So those are the things we can really take the right kind of pride in.

Pride and jealousy, the green-eyed monster, work hand in hand. And they both, that is, pride and jealousy, played a great role in moving Lucifer to plot against his Creator and cause a split among the ministering spirits who were created to be ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation. Let's see how it is now. James, remember this sermon I gave about four weeks ago here in Houston south before we combined. And even this sermon was given before the split in the church in recent times. The green-eyed monster. Jealousy has been called the green-eyed monster. Envy jealousy is one of the greatest evils of all times.

In James chapter 3 verse 13, Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation, good conduct, his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying, and strife in your heart, scoring not, and lie not against the truth, why this wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

If you have envying and strife in your heart, it's of the devil. It's not of God. It says it very clearly right here. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion. How many times have people called me in recent times and said, I'm just so confused. I'm so confused. I don't know what to make of this. Brother, get on your knees with the Word of God, and trust and believe in Him, and you'll know what to make of all things having to do with that which is spiritual. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. But if you're going to make peace, you have to have a plan for making peace. You can't just go continually in air abroad every kind of grievance that you have and say, everybody needs to know this. And without a plan, what is your plan to bring peace? What is your plan for reconciliation? It seems to me, after certain steps are taken, that as they used to say back in Appalachia, when they had the feuds among Hatfields and McCoy's or whomever else had them, it's time to bury the hatchet. I mean, put it away. We've already hacked and clawed.

The desire to be number one was a great overriding factor in Lucifer's rebellion. I will be like the Most High. I will exalt my throne. I will exalt myself above the throne of God. I will take God's place as the greatest being in the universe.

Satan evidently began to work on the angels and cause them to doubt the love that God had for each of them. Can you imagine a created being saying something like, have you ever imagined a conversation Lucifer would have with the angels?

He would be talking about his Creator and he'd say, well, who does this God think that he is? How would he initiate the conversation to get them to follow him to the point that they would rebel against their Creator?

Who does God think he is? I mean, you know, I've been there their own. I've been at the very headquarters of God. I've seen all the workings there. Who does he think he is?

Man, I'm just... Look at me. I think I'm just about as bright. Or maybe I'm brighter. Maybe I have more knowledge and more wisdom than he does. Look at the way he's doing things. He's just letting things go out there. And, you know, I don't know exactly. You have a... Maybe you took creative writing in college or whatever. Now, the imagination is just sort of mind-boggling to even think about, well, how did this happen? I think what brought on the jealousy, and this is my personal opinion, to a large degree, was that we read from Jude 6 that Satan and the angels, the demons that followed him, left their habitation. We read from Isaiah 14 how they tried to take over the throne of God.

We read from Hebrews that they were created, that is, they being the angels, to serve as ministering servants to the heirs of salvation. So, probably, God shared with Lucifer his plan for bringing beings to birth, sons and daughters, into the kingdom of God, so that they would be literal born sons of God and a family relationship. And thus, then they would be higher than the angels. In Hebrews 2, it talks about, at the present time, we were made a little lower than the angels, but the ultimate potential and purpose is that we would be higher than the angels. And I think this gives us a clue as to why Satan so hates the family and the roles of males and females.

And it might give us some insight as to why Satan is the author of perverted sex. Now, perverted sex is not a new thing, but I mean, we have come to the point in our sex-saturated culture that it's just you can hardly do anything. Now, they've got this big row going on concerning this new program that MTV has out called Skin, in which you have these adolescent teenagers doing the things supposedly the teenagers are doing now, and it's just laden with sexual innuendo, sexual behavior, sexual undertones, overtone, simulating the act, and on and on it goes. And some organizations and parents are up in arms, and Taco Bell announced either yesterday or today, they were withdrawing sponsorship from it, and maybe they'll stop it. It definitely borders on, I don't think it borders. It is, at best, or I don't know if it's at best or worse, soft porn and perhaps child porn. And I've noticed also another trend in advertising that more and more they are depicting children scantily clad. I'm not talking about babies in a diaper, but children. And of course, the pedophiles are stalking the streets every hour, and you would be surprised how many registered pedophiles there are in this area of the world. So, Satan hates God's procreation process, would allow him to wreck it, any nation, or any person. Any person that pitches their tent toward Sodom is going to wind up in Sodom. Lot, remember, pitched his tent toward Sodom. He chose what looked like the best way. The greenest pasture is when he departed from Abraham. And if you pitch your tent toward Sodom, you wind up in Sodom.

And any nation that pitches their tent toward Sodom, they're going to wind up in Sodom. And this nation is on its way, and well on its way. Notice Luke 17.

Luke 17 and verse 26, talking about signs and the end of the age here, Jesus Christ Himself. Luke 17 verse 26. Luke 17 verse 26, And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, who were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. See, one of the greatest escape mechanisms is that of denial. Oh, it's all things continuous from the beginning.

They said as the armies closed in on World War II in Berlin, that some of the elite higher-ups and the German army and also the aristocrats there, they were partying as if nothing were happening. They could hear the gunshots off in the distance, and the cannons and whatever. They had more than cannons, of course, in World War II, and the bombs and all going off. But it's like nothing will ever happen to us. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot. The days of Lot. Do you remember when Lot was down in Sodom? And God told Lot and his family to get out of Sodom.

And God had to virtually grab them by the nape of the neck and set them out.

Lot and two daughters escaped. Lot's wife turned to the pillar of salt. Evidently, the son-in-laws stayed. So as in the days of Lot, they did eat and drink. They bought, they sold, they planted, they built.

But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom and reigned fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all, even thou shalt it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

So if the Bible tells us very clearly, that's the way things are going. Why is Abbot sexual behavior becoming more and more the norm in the U.S.? It is because the spirit that works in the children of disobedience is the author of it. Christ concerns us, Christ instructs us concerning how we can become great. Satan wanted to be great. So many men want to be great. I heard one minister talking in recent times about a person who said, Well, you know, they've stuck me off here in a little church. I have no responsibilities. I have no responsibilities.

To be the shepherd of one, is that enough? Or do you need to be the shepherd of 500? Because you've been faithful over little things, I'll make you ruler over a lot of things.

That's what the Bible says.

The recipe for greatness in the Bible, we know it well. Let's go there. Matthew 20, verse 24. Matthew 20, verse 24.

The responsibility of being a minister, and I know before I was ordained, some of the ministers there at the college said, Oh, Don, you don't ever want to be a minister.

But I confess, I thought that God was calling me to be a minister.

And that I had spent my life teaching, and I started teaching the Bible very early on in life. And I thought that was what God had called me to. And I believe he did. But let me tell you, it ain't no easy road.

It ain't no easy road. It is a hard old road to hope. Most of you, well, I guess a few of you, have hodled a few hard roads. But I have hodled literally and figuratively. In Matthew 20, let's notice here this recipe that Jesus Christ gave for greatness in verse 24. And when the 10 heard it, and that was, of course, James and John's mother came and asked Christ that her two sons could sit on the right and left hand in the kingdom. And Christ asked them, well, are you able to be baptized? The baptism I'm going to be baptized with. And he is speaking of the manner of death he would suffer. And they said, we're able. And according to legend, all of the apostles died and martyred them.

When the 10 heard about what went on with James and John, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them unto him and said, you know that the princes and the gentiles exercised dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you, let him become your minister. And one of the words that this has derived for has the connotation of running through the dust for others.

Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom for many. That's not the strategy that Satan employed.

Satan's greatest strategy, of course, is that of deceit. And Satan turns his great intelligence into the sinful art of deception. We know the story in Genesis chapter 3, verses 1 through 5. His deceitful strategies based on carefully crafted accusations and lies.

Perhaps the greatest lie of all time, Satan told Eve. Remember, God had told Adam and Eve that when you eat of this tree, you're going to begin to die. Satan said, you so not surely die.

Virtually every false religion on the planet that's ever been conceived has this element of teaching the immortality of the soul.

With this deceit and his lies, Satan became the greatest mass murderer of all times. Why would I call Satan a mass murderer? Because he leads people into sin, and the wages of sin is death. And because Christ himself says in John 844 that Satan is a liar and a murderer from the beginning.

Satan's strategy has not changed from the Garden of Eden to the present day. Create doubt, create suspicion, destroy the credibility of people. Accuse and slander those who are striving to obey God. Try to get them to act on emotion rather than on the Word of God. He's the absolute master of slander and accusation. Let's go back there and read it again in Revelation 12, verse 10. Revelation 12, verse 10. On the way there, back to Revelation 12, verse 10, you know the story of Job. How that in Job chapter 1 says, There was a day when the sons of God came before God, going up and going to and fro upon the earth, and there came among them Satan. And God said, Have you considered my servant, Jo? That there is not an upright man like him on the face of the earth. And Satan says, Oh, just let me take everything away from you. He just obeys you because you've so blessed him. You've given him all of these things.

Let me take that away and see what he does. God allowed him to take that away. And Job still did not curse God or defame God. Satan came back. God said, Well, Satan said, Well, let me at his being. Let me at him. God said, Go ahead. Just don't take his life. Satan is the accuser of the brethren before the throne of God. We have that example here, but we have this in Revelation 12, 10. And I heard a loud voice saying, In heaven now has come salvation and strength in the kingdom of God. And the power of his Christ, for the accuser of the brethren is cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. Now, what does God say about this? Let's go to Proverbs 10, verse 18.

You know, there is a time to confront evil, and there's a way to do it. If your brother sinned against you, you go and talk to him. But one of the greatest problems, and one of the things that I wrote to the administration and council of elders, I think it was in August, had to do with this first work that I believe that the Church of God has been negligent in for decades, maybe for centuries, maybe since the time of the scribes and Pharisees, where Christ told the scribes and Pharisees, you pay tithe of men, anise, and coming, but you have neglected the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. These ought you to have done and not to leave the other undone.

The first work is to be reconciled to God and Christ, and to be reconciled to your brother. But when disagreements and things come up, what we have done historically is we tell somebody else, and we hear it abroad.

I've seen many a time in the worldwide Church of God, a pastor would fall out of favor with a congregation. Somebody would write a letter, then another one or two or three have had it happen to me. One of my transfers from Big Sinti to Pasadena was for this very cause, accused us of setting up chairs on the Sabbath before sundown so that we could start basketball early. It was a lie, but it got the job done at the time.

And as they say, we were blown out of the Sabbath. But nobody ever said, I found out sometime later. Well, this is really what happened. Somebody told me, you know, later on, instead of us leveling with each other. In the sermonette, we heard about loving each other and developing those bonds of love. You cannot have true love unless you are honest with each other. I talked about last week about intellectual honesty.

And it's almost like in the Church of God that, to me, it is a disrespect to the brethren and to be a sycophantic. You know what this word sycophantic is? That is a highfalutin word for apple polisher. There are other names you can put on that, too.

A sycophantic spin doctor. That you spin it in such a way that you want people to hear it so that it may ingratiate you in the eyes of somebody else.

Because maybe you don't want to be that pastor off over there with 45 people, average attendance. I did that for 10 years. Probably the best 10 years of our lives. I mean, what are we here for? We are here to seek glory and honor and immortality in the Kingdom of God. If we're seeking glory and honor in this world, we're not going to get there. What if you were President of the United States? Or name whatever great office you want to be. That's not going to get you there.

In fact, it may be a strike against you, depending on whether or not how you use it.

Proverbs 10 and verse 18, He that hates hatred, he that hides hatred with lying lips, and he that utters a slander is a fool.

And I think one of the things that... another thing that we have been battling mistaken about is that you can say, well, I'm just telling the truth. I saw John Doblow, whatever his name might be, I saw him, he was there in that restaurant, he was drunk as...

I don't guess snakes get drunk, however drunk he was. He was drunk as a snake, and he was smoking cigarettes as smoke coming out his ears. Now, I didn't go talk to John, but I told so many other people, and pretty soon it was pretty widespread about old John being drunk as a snake and smoke coming out of his ears, and nobody ever said anything to John about it, but we all know about it.

I found this little book. We moved into this house. Our first coaching assignment after I graduated from college. A little book of poems, and it's by Douglas Mallet, and it says, dedicated with affection to my son, Donald. That's my name, Donald.

And this is titled, Here Say, in every town, in every street, in nearly every house you meet, a little imp who wriggles in with half a sneer and half a grin, and climbs up on your rocking chair or creeps upon you anywhere, and when he gets you very dear, he just whispers something in your ear, some rumor of another shame, and little here say is his name. He never really claims to know he's only heard that it's so, and then he whispers it to you, so you will go and whisper too. For if enough will pass along the rumor, even though it's wrong, if John tells Henry and Henry Joe, and Joe tells Mary and Mary Flo, and Flo tells Mildred and Mildred Ruth, it very soon may pass for truth. You understand this little elf. He doesn't say he knows himself. He doesn't claim it's really true. He only whispers it to you, because he knows you'll go and tell some other whisperer as well, and so before the setting sun, he gets the devil's mischief done, and there is less of joy and good around your little neighborhood. Look out for hearsay when he sneaks inside the house and slander speaks. Just ask the proof in every case. Just ask the name and date and place. And if he says he only heard, declare you don't believe a word, and tell him you will not repeat the silly chatter of the street. Have her gossip, smile, and smirk. Refuse to do the devil's work.

And I hope that's what we do. You know, I'm absolutely amazed listening to people talk about how they're making their decisions concerning the current crisis in the church. They say something like, I was going to stay with United until I heard such and such, or I'm leaving United because I don't believe the leadership of the church is going in the right direction. Whereas, I believe that decisions on a spiritual matter should not be based on hearsay, but on this. And once again, I say a lot of things can be true that are very detrimental to a person, and you can destroy people's character, and you can destroy their reputations with your mouth. In today's world, you know, we used to say, well, you are innocent until proven guilty. In today's world, you're guilty until proven innocent. And even when they are proven innocent, there's this clown over their head. You know, well, that's a guy they said did so and so, or such and such. And it's like they never get over it. You know, if David were here today, where would David be? Here's David, an adulterer or murderer. He numbered Israel, resulting in scores of thousands of deaths of Israelites. The Apostle Paul out-killing Christians. And they have been forgiven and will be in the kingdom of God. Brethren, as far as spiritual growth goes, our work is cut out for us. And it is time for intellectual honesty. It's down to what grandma used to say, let's get out of brass tacks.

The code of ethics of the Church of God Worldwide Association states they would not try to recruit. But if you continue to spew forth accusations and slander in the name of telling the truth, there's no way that the average person can possibly verify these accusations or rebut them. They just don't have the information. But if you get your emotions stirred up to a certain point, you're going to act on that, and this, the Word of God, will become secondary. Sadly, people will be moved emotionally by these accusations, and the obvious motive is to draw out more followers or to make those who have gone feel, have done the right thing. Man, glad I got away from all those evil folks. But as I said earlier, if there is no proposed strategy to resolve anything, no procedure for reconciliation, then all you're doing is sowing discord. We heard read in the sermon, Ed, from Proverbs 6 verses 16 through 19. And one of those seven things that God hates is He that sows discord among the brethren. Has any discord been sown among the brethren?

Is it deceitful to release a document and say it's from members of the GCE when another organization has been started and their name is clearly stamped on the organization?

Well, you can answer that.

One statement is made here, our desire is to speak the truth and love. It is the only way that true peace, unity, and desired reconciliation can be accomplished. There is no procedure. There is no methodology for seeking it.

Brother, it seems that we're at the point that the die has been cast, and we need to really do what we need to do to draw close to each other and do the work of God. And I believe, as we talked about last week, that we can do it. There are a lot of things that we can do.

And we don't have to just, quote, pay and pray. We can do many things to spread the truth of God and to serve our fellow man. You would think that after you have drawn about a third of the members of the body of Christ and you started your work, the accusations would stop.

The principal tool has been based on accusations about men. The commission of the church is found in Matthew 28, 19-20. The commission of the church, Jesus Christ, said, Go ye therefore into all the world. Disciples all nations, make disciples of all nations. Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I command you, and lo, I am with you, even unto the end of the age. The apostle Paul writes to Timothy and says, Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season.

Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

So, brethren, I hope that he who has an ear to hear, that we will open the pages of the Bible and we will pin our hopes and our policies on the Word of God.

If there is no plan or procedure for pursuing reconciliation, when you begin to air the mistakes, and maybe they're true, and I go back once again, you can destroy a person with the truth. What God says what you're supposed to do is to try to save him. Let's look at James chapter 5.

In James chapter 5, the last couple of verses, two of the most important verses, I believe, in the whole Bible. And once again, this goes back to the exercising of judgment, mercy, and faith. In James chapter 5, the last two verses of James and Thistle.

In James chapter 5, The Lord is a God.

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one epistrepho, that's the Greek word, it means turn him about. Let him know that he which turns about the center from the air of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins. See, that's true love. Remember the Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. You can't just say, oh, brother, I love you. Oh, I love you. Of course, we're quick to do the physical, but are we quick to do the spiritual? We know that God is not the author of confusion. God is the author of peace and safety. The first three fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, and peace.

So, brethren, let's to some degree summarize what we've said here today with this Psalm that we have sung so many times. Psalm 1. Have you ever noticed this contrast in Psalm 1? We generally focus on, blessed and happy is the man. In Psalm 1, the contrast, blessed is a man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scornful. See, one of the things that Satan is doing right now with us, and if we're not careful, we'll fall into this trap. We will become cynical because we have seen so many things come and go, and it's like nothing is going to work out right anyhow, so I might as well just do whatever, and you become cynical, and every move that is made is viewed with cynicism.

Blessed is a man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Eternal, and in his law does he meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters that brings forth his fruit in the season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper. Now the contrast, the ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment nor centers in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. So, brethren, let us be trees, trees of righteousness planted by the riverside.