Respect

The French statesman Clemenceau—I guess you've all heard of Clemenceau, if you have it, you have now—the French statesman Clemenceau, upon visiting the modernization of India with its new buildings and skyscrapers, was asked, What do you think of this, sir? And he replied, What lovely ruins these will make! What did he mean by such a statement? He did not believe that the peoples of India understood maintenance. They did not understand respect for property and their environment. Clemenceau knew that the greatness of a civilization, a nation, any institution, any family, any individual, depends upon respect, which is, by extension, can be labeled as maintenance, especially in the physical realm. It's another way of saying that permanent greatness is dependent upon respect. Respect is the key to personal, interpersonal, and institutional relationships. Now, like Mr. Holcomb was talking about in the sermonette with regard to taking notes, we do not know the art of taking notes or else we don't take notes in the church. And how do you get to the point to where you can really have a broader worldview and understand more and more about what God is trying to communicate to us? So generally we write down a scripture. You already have the scripture written down. It's in your Bible. It's those things, those statements and commentary, explanation, that's what should stimulate, should generate the study and desire to learn more. So once again, respect is the key to personal, interpersonal, and institutional relationships. So you have a relationship with yourself. What do you think of yourself? Well, you know, the Bible says a man should not think more highly of himself than he ought to think. But on the other hand, you have a relationship with yourself. You have an opinion of yourself. And do you respect yourself? If you don't respect yourself, how could you expect anybody else to respect you? A person must respect himself, others, and the institutions he associates with, and the property, and the environment. All of those go hand in glove. How would you define respect? Just quickly in your mind, how would you define respect? Here's a working definition. To feel or to show honor or esteem, hold in high regard, to consider or treat with beautiful regard, to show consideration for, avoiding intruding upon or interfering.

I've seen beautiful new school buildings become a disaster within a matter of five or six years. There was no respect. Thus, there was no maintenance. If you want your children to be successful, you must teach them respect for themselves, others, and God-ordained institutions and God's marvelous creation. It is difficult sometimes to really define what there is about a person for you to say, I respect him or her. I respect that person. To me, it basically means this person is consistent, reliable, responsible, honest, tries to live by his or her convictions, and I believe that they will treat me fairly. This person is willing to stand up for what is right and will not act just for his own best interests. He or she is not mastered by expediency. They will strive to do the right thing regardless of the circumstance.

Will this person uphold, maintain, honor, and dutifully regard his or her relationship with God, with others, the institutions he or she associates with, and try to take care of God's creation? God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and what did he say? He said, look to me for the knowledge of good and evil, but he also said something else, that they were to dress and to keep the Garden.

People who do not understand how to respect others and the foundational institutions of society will never be truly successful. So we can ask ourselves, if you're a parent, grandparent, or whatever your relationship with others are, are you teaching your children how to respect themselves, others? God ordain institutions, their property, and the property of others in God's creation. As a child growing up, as I remember very clearly, I was taught by people who were born in the 1890s. My great grandfather that I live next door to briefly was born in 1875.

Of course, I was only five or six years old when he died, but I remember the community. I remember what the spirit of the community was. I remember what we were taught. I was taught to say, yes, no, ma'am, to say please, thank you, to respect others, to respect institutions, to respect my things, take care of them, and the property of others. Most people are quite respectful in face-to-face situations, but how are they with their peers when they are discussing other people, when the person that you're discussing is not present? You see, this society has been trained to be disrespectful and cynical with the advent of National Tatler, National Inquirer, People Magazine, and the list just goes on and on today, of revealing the secrets of the so-called celebrities and people living their lives vicariously through these publications. It's not just Mr. X or Y or Z, or Mr. X, Y, or Z, it's me. I'm there with them. And they love to dig the dirt. They like to look behind the scenes. There's nothing sacred. There's no one to be respected.

We've been taught to lampoon, to poke fun at time, honored institutions and values. It started, of course, with the revolution, I guess you would say, against the, to some degree, the Korean War and then the Vietnam War and the hippie movement, the drug rock saturated culture that developed and spread across the nation. So many different movements. The television programs initially like MASH, Three's Company, Archie Bunker, Barney Miller, Carter Country, and now the damnable, abominable, present-day programs on Fox, in which, I mean, nothing is sacred, nothing is held back, gross language aired in primetime. And then a host of sitcoms that air on ABC, NBC, CBS, TNT, and we could go on and on, WTS, and so on, or whatever it is. Disrespect and cynicism seems to be a disease, especially of the intelligent, educated, perceptive, insightful people with gifted minds. Instead of using those minds to really make a contribution to society, their thing is to sit in the seat of the scornful. Look at Psalm 1. Psalm 1. I wrote an article a few months ago that was in the United News on cynicism, not a person here mentioned that they had seen the article or read it in Psalm chapter 1.

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 the scornful. Oh yes, just about everybody today sits in the seat of the scornful, because if they were in charge, it would be much different. It would be a different way. Today we're fulfilling 2 Peter. Let's turn to 2 Peter. In chapter 2, 2 Peter chapter 2, beginning with verse 9. 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9. 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 9. For that righteous man, speaking of lot, dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds, the eternal knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. And of course, God delivered lot, and tried to deliver his wife and two daughters and sons-in-law. Well, the sons-in-law didn't want to have anything to do with it, so they didn't go. Lot's wife looked back, turned to a pillar of assault. Lot and his two daughters escaped. The two daughters got him drunk and wound up getting pregnant by him, and thus you have Moab and Ammon.

But at the same time, he vexed his soul. He cried out. He sighed and cried for the abominations in Sodom and Gomorrah. And he was delivered. But chiefly them that walk after the flesh, in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government, preceptious are they, seph will, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the eternal. But these as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption, and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness. As they that count at pleasure to riot in the daytime, spots they are in blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings, while they feast with you. Brethren, the Bible was written to us in the parable of the ten virgins, five are wise and five are foolish. I take it that all ten are, quote, attending church. Of course, there are a lot of people now throughout the nation, formerly with the worldwide church of God, and now they say they are scores of splinters. And a lot of these people take pride in the fact that they are where they are. Continuing, having eyes full of adultery, and the correct translation there is having eyes of an adulteress, that cannot cease from sin, beguiling, unstable souls, and heart they have exercised with covetous practices, cursed children. Commercial television today is basically all it is, is a series of commercials. It used to be that a commercial lasted a minute, then it was a minute and a half, then it was two minutes. Now it's three minutes to five. I would imagine, and I don't know, commercial television is going to go by the boards eventually because who wants to just hear a bunch of commercials?

Having an eyes of an adulteress that cannot cease from sin, beguiling, unstable souls, and heart they have exercised, that means trained, conditioned, with covetous practices, having children of curse. And here we are. Which have forsaken the right way and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Bozar, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but was rebuked for his iniquity, the dumb donkey speaking with man's voice forbade the madness of the prophet.

Jude also takes up on this theme. Jude is very similar to 2 Peter. Turn forward just a page or two to Jude in verse 9. In Jude in verse 9, Yet, Myfield the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuke you. But these speak evil of those things which they know not, but what they know naturally as brute beasts to those things they corrupt themselves, woe unto them. For they have gone to the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and punished in the gainsaying of Korah. And it goes on and on to the very end of this chapter. You notice down there toward the end of the chapter, verse 18, How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who will separate themselves, sensual, having not the spirit, but you beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto eternal life. And some have compassion making a difference. You wonder about that verse, some have compassion making a difference. If there's any spark, any resemblance of, I want to get back where I'll be, I want to get back to doing the things I ought to do that I know to do.

And others, save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh, those deeds that caused them to go the way they went in the first place. And so much of it has to do just with lethargy, just not doing what you need to do, to the point that it just sort of doesn't matter anymore. You don't really respect the great calling that God the Father has given to you. There can be no greater calling, there can be no greater gift than what God has communicated to us through His Spirit and through His Word. It is the pearl of great price. It is that to be treasured above all things. If any man come to me wanting to be my disciple and love not less, Father, Mother, yea, even His own life, He's not worthy to be called my disciples. You know, the rich young ruler that came to Jesus Christ and said, good Master, what thing must I do to enter into life? And Jesus said, if you would enter into life, keep the commandments. He said, well, which commandments? And Christ listed some, and He said, I've done this for my years. What else do I lack? And Christ said, if you would be made perfect, then go sell what you have and take up your cross and follow me. And the young man went away sorrowful because he had great goods. He cannot even rend his goods. He cannot even rend his garments, much less give his life, give up self in what he had.

And others say with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh, now unto them that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy to the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, now and forever.

The great prophecy of the end times summarizes what it means to be disrespectful. Turn now to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3 is a succinct summary of where the world is, especially the western world at the present time. We know nothing yet of the misery, the sorrow that so many people in this world are going through. Thousands have fled from Syria. Yesterday they showed thousands fleeing from Afghanistan because the Taliban is making a comeback in Afghanistan. They were setting up another tent city. How are they going to get water? How are they going to get food? How are they going to take care of the basic bodily needs?

I mean, it's such a challenge every day. 2 Timothy 3.1. They know also that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers to those that are good. Oh no, you cannot take a stand for what God says, because that's what's dividing us, is having some kind of code, some kind of code of ethics, some kind of law that you're willing to commit your life to.

Oh no, don't do that. Traders, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures, more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof from such, turn away. The power of God is this, that if you are willing to surrender, submit, and serve Him, and lay down your life, He will create within you holy, righteous character that no person can take from you.

You will lay up treasure in heaven, where thieves cannot break through and steal, and no matter what the stock market does, or doesn't do, and no matter how much money the fed feeds into the stock market, or how much money they do not feed into the stock market, or any of those things. The beginning of wisdom and respect is summarized by Proverbs 1.7. Let's notice a couple of passages here now, different places in Proverbs. The Word of God. I mean, just as we hear it so often, the Word of God.

Well, to the world now, it literally means nothing. Only 25 percent. We read this survey. It was in the news items that we published here that it seems very few people pay any attention to. Sometimes I wonder if I should even continue, but I get letters from around the nation, and emails, and so on, and continue. We're not going to do cybercast. The next speaking schedule to the Texarkana and Ruston, because on those Sabbaths in which we do cybercast, their attendance is no more than half to two-thirds of what it normally is.

Last cybercast and Texarkana, we had six. So, I'm looking for people who are committed. They're not those who want to stand off. Proverbs 1.7, The fear of the eternal is a beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. If you really want to learn respect, you have to fear God. Look at Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8, Wisdom is personified beginning in verse 12 of Proverbs 8. I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

The fear of the eternal is to hate evil. To hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the forward mouth do I hate. Counsel is mind and sound wisdom. I am understanding. I have strength talking about wisdom. If you don't fear God, if you don't understand the importance of wisdom, how could you ever have the kind of respect that God expects us to have toward him, toward ourselves, toward others, toward the institutions that he's ordained, toward his wonderful, marvelous creation?

By me, kings reign and princes decree justice. By me, princes rule and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me. So we could all ask ourselves, are we seeking that kind of wisdom that leads to respect? Look at Proverbs 33 verse 8. Proverbs 33 and verse 8.

There is no Proverbs 33, so I have a typo here.

If you want to be successful in life, you must learn to respect God and his creation, including humans, God-ordained institutions, and the environment. He created the heavens and the earth. Yet there's far more to respect than what we have mentioned so far. A person must learn to respect himself and the institutions he associates with. This is one of the greatest problems in this society. People are somewhat forced to depend on institutions they don't respect or trust. In a recent survey, it was about somewhere in the 20% of people trusted the federal government. I'm surprised that it's that high.

But the irony of this is people will curse the government and at the same time take whatever they can get from the government. Of course, some people are in desperate straits. They have no choice.

God is the author of several different institutions. Do we really respect those institutions? Do we really understand what they're all about? Of course, the greatest institution that God established on the earth is the church. Before he established the church as an institution, God ordained the institution of marriage. Let's look at Genesis chapter 2. I would say the institution of the church is first, the institution of marriage is second, but you had to have people before you could have a church. God ordained marriage, family. He made it possible for male and female to come together and to reproduce, to have children. God, at the same time, as you know, the parallel of God is bringing sons and daughters to glory, begetting them with his spirit, and eventually bringing them to birth at the resurrection in his kingdom. In Genesis chapter 2 verse 21, the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof. Here's the first anesthesia and surgery. The rear of which the eternal God had taken from men made he a woman and bought her unto the man. Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman because she was taken out of men. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. So here we have the institution of marriage. It is God ordained, whose God is the one who ordained marriage and established the marriage covenant. God is the author of the institution we call the church. We say the church is not an organization of men, but a spiritual organism. When we baptize someone, part of what we say is, I'm now going to baptize you not into any denomination or organization of men, but into and go from there. So we look at these things.

We say that the church is not an organization of men, but a spiritual organism. However, that does not mean that the church is not organized.

So let's note scriptures that verify what I just stated about the church. Let's look at Matthew 16 and verse 18. Or maybe I've reversed that. I have more and more trouble with my dyslexia, which aggravates me and others. In Matthew 16, verse 18, and I say unto you that you are Peter, Petru's little rock, and upon this rock I will build my church. I will build my church, and the gates of the grave, Hades, will not prevail against it. So who builds the church, who founds the church, who ordains the church? Well, God and Christ.

You look at Ephesians chapter 2.

Who is the one who established the church?

Is God the Father through Jesus Christ?

Paul, of course, in Ephesians, is writing to Gentiles. He's talking about how Jew and Gentile are joined together in one body, verse 16. For that he might reconcile both, that is, Jew and Gentile, unto God in one body by the stake, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you, which were afar off the Gentiles, and to them that were near the Jews, the circumcision. For through him we have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Now therefore we are no more strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints in the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself, being the chief cornerstone, whom the building fitly framed together grows unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom we also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. It is a place where God dwells. It is a spiritual organism in that sense, but who is the one that is building? Look at Hebrews chapter 8. Hebrews chapter 8. Now men labor in it. We are laborers together with Christ, as Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. But what other foundation can any man lay than that which is laid, and that is Jesus Christ? In Hebrews chapter 8, now the things which we have spoken, this is the psalm, we have such an high priest who has set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched am not man. Who founded the church? God through Jesus Christ. It is a God-ordained institution. Now look at Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. In Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 9, now that he ascended, what is it but he also descended first in the lower parts of the earth, of course Jesus Christ was in the earth three days and three nights. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things and he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. For what purpose is their structure, is their organization within the church.

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, who we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

But speaking the truth and love may grow up unto him in all things which is the head even Christ. Ephesians to a large degree is about holding the head, Jesus Christ, from whom the whole body fiddly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies according to the effectual working, in the measure of every part makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love. Who is the one that is doing this? Jesus Christ ascended on high. He gave gifts to some. For what purpose? For the perfecting of the saints, that we may be all joined together in one body, not tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. Now you look at 1 Timothy chapter 3 and 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15. 1 Timothy 3.15.

But if I carry long that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. The pillar and ground of the truth. If the church were not organized, you would have chaos, confusion, and every wind of doctrine. And Satan now has many who were once committed, trusting, and loyal to God's church over a barrel. How so? How so? After the heresies of the 1980s and early 1990s, people became distrustful of the leadership of the church. Many wanted an excuse to become independent, do their own thing. Some were just waiting for an excuse to plunge back into the world. And that's what most have done.

These are people who associate with churches, yet they don't really respect the church as an organization. Just the world is in crisis. So is the church of God in many ways.

Are we going to hold on?

Because people have used many different excuses to become their own ministers. They have lost respect.

And once you lose respect in marriage, if you lose respect for your mate, it is very difficult to renew it, to regenerate it. It can be done. Very few do. But it can be done.

Respect is what so many things hinge on.

Of course, some of the excuses that people have used are valid.

Has there been abuse in the church? Sure there has. Have there been people who go the wrong way? Have there been people who have taught false doctrine? Sure. Are there people who have set the wrong example? Sure.

But none of those things have changed one word, one jot, one tittle in the Bible, not one with. But, brother, we are in difficult times, and I think sometimes it's the old frog analogy. The water gets a little warmer and then a little hotter, and we sort of don't even recognize it. Before we know it, the frog or our goose is cooked. Some of the excuses are valid, but God does not desire that his sheep be scattered without a shepherd. You look at Zechariah 13, and one of the things that has surely happened in recent times, which people have lost respect for the church as an organization and for the ministry, and as I said, there can be many valid reasons. And of course, the Harris's that came on in the late 80s and the early 1990s, which came to a point in 1994 and 95, but which I knew about for sure as early as 1987, because I was there.

And I began the defense then.

In Zechariah 13 and verse 7, A waco soared against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, says the Lord of hosts, smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. Look also back in Zechariah 10 and verse 2. Zechariah 10 and verse 2.

For the idols have spoken of vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams. They comfort the vain, therefore they went their way as a flock. They were troubled because there was no shepherd. Jesus Christ himself quotes and says something similar. You look at Matthew 26 verse 31. Of course, back in Zechariah, there have been people who, you know, they try to plug in names into what's back there in Zechariah.

In Matthew 26 and verse 31, Jesus Christ himself speaking, then said Jesus unto them, all you shall be offended because of me this night, for it is written. There were a lot of people offended when Paul was put in prison. Well, I wonder if old Paul is really an apostle after all. Paul wrote to Timothy and said, Do not be ashamed of me, the Lord's prisoner.

God allows all kinds of things to happen to people who are doing his work. Just read the book of Acts of all the things that the apostle Paul went through, and you wonder how on earth could this man be God's apostle?

All the things. Couldn't God have prevented that from happening to him? Well, I guess he could have, but he didn't. Matthew 26, verse 31, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, The long men shall be offended because of you, yet I will never be offended. And Jesus said unto him, Verlai said unto you, That this night before the cock crow you shall deny me three times. And when he got in the presence of the peers and everybody around, Oh, I don't know this fellow, no, I don't know him, he denied Jesus Christ three times. He had spent all of this time with him. He had traveled with him. They had eaten together, no telling where all they had to sleep, and spent all this time, and he denies his Lord and Master. Back in Matthew 9, 36.

Matthew 9, verse 36. Yes, we all need to be shepherded. You know, I know I could call the name. It doesn't live all that far from here. Boast it that he was not a shepherd.

The shepherds are to shepherd the sheep to feed the flock, teach them the truth, to respect God's Word, to be committed, to act on their convictions. In Matthew 9, verse 36. When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep, having no shepherd. Sheep are going to scatter when they have no shepherd. No shepherd.

So God ordained and structured the church. Now, we go to sort of an irony here. We go to Ezekiel chapter 34.

You know, on the one hand, God says to mark those who caused division and have nothing to do with it. Just covered it in online ministerial training class, 1 Corinthians chapter 5.

And word there, and also in Romans chapter 16. In Ezekiel 34, a message to the shepherds and the failing of the shepherds, in Ezekiel 34, the Word of the Eternal came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say unto them, Zest says the Lord God unto the shepherds. Now, of course, the shepherds could range from the king to the prophets, all the way through to the priests. Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do, that do feed themselves, should not the shepherd feed the flock. You eat the fat, and you clothe you with a wool. You kill them that are fed, but you feed not the flock. The disease have you not strengthened, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound out that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away. You see, you're in this dilemma kind of thing of mark those who cause division, avoid them, have nothing to do with them. I'm quoting, well, might as well turn there. Look at Romans 16. Do we want the Bible? Do we want to know what the Bible says? Do we want to adhere to what the Bible says? Or do we want to become our own minister and make God over in our own image?

In Romans 16-17, now, beseech your brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them. Now, you look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5. We have those in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 9, I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators, yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters. For then you must needs go out of the world. So, God does not want us to be monks, does not want us to be nuns, or a forester to weigh somewhere in a monastery. But now I have written unto you not to company of any man that is called a brother be a fornicator or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one no not to eat, or whatever I have to do to judge them that are without. Do not you judge them that are within, but them that are without God judges, therefore, put away from among yourselves that wicked person. So you got this on the one hand, and then on the other you got go seek out that one that is lost. Leave the ninety-nine and nine as the Good Shepherd would do and go seek that one.

I think all of us could do a lot more with, you know, the one of the big things coming out of the home office now is that we really need more laborers. We're praying that God will add to the church, and we're trying various ways to do it. By and large, the church grew when the people were of one accord, and they went forth spreading the good news. They spread it to their family, they spread it to their neighbor, they spread it to the people they work with. They were not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but of the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and to the Gentile. In Ezekiel 34, verse 4 again, The disease have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost, but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered because there is no shepherd. And they became food or fodder to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered throughout all the mountains upon every high hill, yes, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore ye shepherds hear the word of the Eternal. As I love, says the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat, food, fodder to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherd search for my flock. But the shepherds fed themselves and fed not my flock. Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock. Neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat, food, fodder for the hirelings, the wolves, any more. Thus says the Eternal God, Behold, even I, I will both search my sheep and seek them out. As the shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people and gather them from the countries, and will bring them down to their own land and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers in all the inhabited places of the country, unless you think that was for some distant past. So, brethren, we do have quite the challenge before us.

You know, you come to believe what you practice. How would you like to be taught to swim by the swim or drown method? I would not like the method. We're going to have kids coming over tomorrow morning to swim. I can teach you to swim. I taught swimming one summer, though I'm not a good swimmer. I sink like a rock, but I can teach you to swim in two or three minutes. I taught my wife to swim. She was afraid of the water all her life. It's easy if you're willing to put your face in the water.

Obviously, we're not obligated to respect that which is against the law of God.

There are several scriptures that address respect even for civil leaders and institutions. Jesus Christ writes, or states, render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, render unto God that which is God's. Look at Romans 13 in verse 1. You know, we have had church members who have some have gone to prison because they didn't pay taxes.

It's unconstitutional in all the rigmarole that you go through it.

In Romans 13 verse 1, let every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God the powers that be ordained of God, wherefore therefore resist, whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves judgment. So God instructs us to even respect and to give honor to those to whom honor is due. You look at 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2, we covered this quite extensively in our Bible study several weeks ago. In 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 13.

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the kings as supreme or unto governors as to them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God, honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. So it's sort of a summary of who to respect. Now look at Acts chapter 5. Of course, there is this exception. Can you imagine what the early apostles went through? The Jews, both Pharisee and Sadducee, were in on this, and there were six major sects that crucified Jesus Christ, and after Pentecost, they went out preaching the Word of God without fear boldly. They were beaten. They were put in prison. They suffered all kinds of different things. I'm telling all of us, I'm telling everybody, home office, whomever else, we're living in unusual times, and God has given us a space of time. I don't know how long, but a space of time to lay it on the line. We cannot just blend into the rest of the world. In Acts chapter 5 verse 29, Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Now that was in response to verse 28, Saying, Did not we straightly command you that you should not teach in his name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. And Peter continues verse 30, The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you slew, and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sin. And you are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Spirit whom God hath given to them that obey him. And Peter says unto them in another place, We ought to obey God rather than men. Well, we just read that at the top. Verse 29 again, Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. So ask yourself, Am I disrespectful, critical, judgmental, filled with sarcasm, disrespect, cynicism? Senticism means that you attribute virtually every action to some ulterior motive. Well, he did that because blah, blah, blah.

We know that in man's flesh dwells no good thing. Paul makes this clear, Romans 7.23. Paul even says to himself, I know that in me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing. An apostle taught by Jesus Christ. That's what he said.

However, God has commanded us not to be debtors to the flesh, not to respond according to the human mind. Romans 8.6 says to be carnally minded is death. He even goes so far in Romans 8.7. He says, a carnal mind is imited toward God, not subject to it. Neither indeed can be. But, he goes on to say that you can rule over it.

The difficulty that so many people get into is that they are so used to being cynical toward everybody and everything, that they become cynical toward the Word of God. Maybe not verbalizing it, maybe not saying it out loud, but they show that they do not believe through their actions. They affirm that they do not believe the Word of God. But when they get in trouble, and when the chips are down, they call on God. Many do. Of course, at the end of this age, it talks about in Revelation 9 that the unbelieving and so on continue to curse God. The Bible says, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. How do you reason around that? How do you reason around that? Oh, you try to reason around it by saying, well, the Sabbath has been changed the first day of the week. Or you reason around it and try to say, well, one day it seems one man is seems one day, one another man is seems another day, which is easily shown to be erroneous.

A lot of people tend to focus on the messenger and not the message.

Jesus Christ says the words I speak, they are spirit in their life. You see, they criticize, especially the Pharisees, criticize Jesus Christ. Oh, we were not born out of fornication.

We see, we're not possessed by a devil. You must be possessed by a devil. The miracles you do must be through Beelzebub. So they accuse him of being illegitimate, being possessed by the devil. If we are to learn respect, we must follow the instructions of God. Look at Philippians 2.

Philippians chapter 2. Philippians 2.1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any vows and mercies, fulfill you my joy that you be like-minded, having the same love being of one accord of one mind, let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves. That means high respect, high regard. Let each esteem others better than themselves. Not that you don't respect yourself, but that you do have respect for others, unfeigned love for the brotherhood. That you respect the institutions that God has ordained, marriage, family, the church of God, God's wonderful and beautiful creation that man has so polluted and destroyed, to the point that God says in Revelation 11 and verse 18 that one of the reasons he's coming back to this earth is to deal with those who are destroying the earth.

In Philippians chapter 4, one of the great signs of respect has to do with whether or not you are thankful. And what we think on, Philippians 4, 4 is not written as a suggestion, as written as a commandment. In essence, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. See, one of the reasons people don't respect God the way they should is because they don't understand that if it were not for God, they would not have drawn breath in the first place. But they exist because of a loving God who wanted to share his being with them. Be careful for nothing, or be anxious for nothing. In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. Now, what will that result in? And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. You see out there in the world today, and you look at the various statistics of murder and mayhem all over, and you wonder, what have these people been taught? Well, basically, they have not been taught anything. They don't respect anything. Anything goes. It's the law of the jungle. It is survival at the rawest, basest level of animal instinct. No human beings, of course, are not animals. But they can resort to a cruelty that exceeds that of animals. Because animals basically do their killing or preying upon the prey because that is a part of the food chain. But it's far different with human beings who have a choice.

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report, if there be any virtue, there be any praise, whatever I can think of. And now, let's go to the greatest summary passages in the whole Bible. To Matthew 22 and verse 37 we begin. If these admonitions here by Jesus Christ, and actually they're to be viewed as commandments, are put into action, you'll have respect. You'll have respect for God. You'll have respect for your neighbor. You'll have respect for the institutions God has ordained. You'll have respect for God's marvelous, wonderful creation. The world will be a different place. In Matthew 22, verse 37, Jesus said unto them, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. The whole ball of wax resides right here.