Use this Crisis to Correct Your Spiritual Course

Very beautiful. Really appreciate hearing from the young ladies with that. I want to say happy Sabbath to all of you up there in the San Francisco Bay Area. All of you, of course, we think about you quite often, and I wondered how all you were doing during this COVID-19 situation. We have kept in touch with Mr. Pebworth and Mr. Crow, and all of you seem to be doing fine, and we're happy about that. Joan and I are doing well. We're getting a little bit of cabin fever, though. I'm sure a lot of you are having the same problem, basically going out only, you know, when we have to get groceries and things like that. And we're trying to maintain social distancing. Joan is about six feet from me right now, so she's staying away from me. And, you know, when we go out to get groceries, I think she goes a little too far when she asks me to sit in the cargo of our van, you know, the cargo area. I know you guys are laughing, but it's kind of tough, you know, with a woman like this. But no, actually, my wife is so humble that she does it herself. She sits in the cargo area. I'm just joking about that. I think all of us, of course, have to have a sense of humor, don't we? You know, when we are in such close quarters with each other and all of that, make sure we, again, keep it lighthearted in the way we think during these difficult times. Because the times, I believe, are going to get worse. And I believe all of you know that, that you also feel the same way about that. So we're going to have to maintain good attitudes no matter what we go through, what we experience. You know, we are truly living, though, in surreal times. I've never seen in my lifetime, I've never heard four ladies sing a, you know, in a quartet individually, either. I've never seen that happen. I've never actually done this with Zoom. We have a little bit of a difference set up down in the Phoenix area, where you go, everybody goes over to Mr. Knudsen's house, and so I went over there to give the sermon I gave down there a couple of weeks ago. But we're doing truly interesting things, of course, and these are unusual times, unprecedented times. And they have impacted the entire world.

Now, I read yesterday about how wild animals are roving deserted cities, where, which were once busy because of all the people that were downtown doing the various jobs. And so we've seen this kind of thing begin to emerge, which we have never seen before. But all I have to say is, you know, under the current events of the world, I think it should give our nation pause for concern. I think, frankly, there should be some sort of a spiritual introspection, like what would happen with a lot of people in 9-11. For people to begin to evaluate about how to live their lives better. America, and I hope all of you would agree with me, America needs a massive return to right values.

The United States, and in fact the world, the nations of the world, the western world, particularly, has lost its way. And we're blinded to right paths to walk in. And we need, as a nation, a reawakening. And this international crisis is, again, unparalleled in history. And it should be awarding to the nations, and it should be like a shot over the bow, to change course before it is too late. Before things happen that are going to be so awful that the Bible talks about a time where people will be having heart failure from the fear of what is coming.

And I agree with what Mr. Dien-Rennie said, that we need not be afraid of these times that we're living in, but we certainly need to fear God, don't we, in the right way and in the right manner. Turn, if you will, with me to Isaiah 59. Isaiah 59 in verse 1 through 4 here, and it perfectly describes a nation that we are a part of. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor is the ear heavy that it cannot hear. You know, God is not lessened by what happens down here upon this earth that we live on, but your iniquities have separated you from your God.

And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear. Not that He cannot hear, but He will not hear. And this is going on here, for your hands are defiled. Verse 3 of chapter 59 of Isaiah with blood. Of course, violence fills the land, and there has been apparently more home violence since this has all happened, because people are in close quarters with each other.

And there have been some crimes that have increased across the country because of the situation we're in. But it says, and your fingers with iniquity and your lips have spoken lies. All you got to do is turn on television and watch the news, and you hear a lot of lies. Don't you? That are being told constantly. Your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plea for truth. They trust in empty words, and they speak lies. They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. You know, that's what the Bible says, and that describes the United States of America right now in the sad state of affairs.

I know we like to talk about, and I do believe it's true, that America is a wonderful nation and does a lot of great things for other people around this globe. But brethren, let's admit it to the nations, the United States certainly, and other nations as well, Britain and other Western nations, have lost their way. You know, on down here, let's notice verse 7 in Isaiah 59, their feet run to evil. They may case the shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Wasting and destruction are in their paths. It's like a biker gang coming through, wrecking everything. And it says, the way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways.

They've made themselves crooked paths where whosoever takes that way shall not know peace. I'm not going to know peace in your life and have peace of mind in your life if going that way, the way of this world. Therefore, justice is far from us. As verse 9 says, Nor does righteousness overtake us. We look for the light, but there is darkness for brightness, but we walk in blackness.

We grope for wall like the blind. We grope as if we had no eyes. We stumble at noon day as though as at twilight. We are as dead men in desolate places. What a description of our age if people are so, so blind that God indicted ancient Israel because of their spiritual blindness. You know, Mr. Armstrong used to talk about the greatest problem of this world is spiritual in nature.

That's what the law of God is about. And God says that we are groping the wall like blind men, but we don't know the way that we should go. Well, brethren, in this message, I want to challenge all of us, me included, brethren, to heed the warning of these times that we're living, to open our eyes more widely to our own spiritual condition. I'm sure that Mr. Crow and Mr. Pebworth talk about this with you quite often.

What is your spiritual condition? What's my spiritual condition? Now, there is in this COVID-19 international crisis, and it is a worldwide crisis, that the message being sent by God may be, maybe, just maybe a shot over the bow for us toward us of you ain't seen nothing yet. This is the small beginnings. Now, think about whether this was something that just erupted out of China in a natural way or Wuhan was a in a natural way or Wuhan laboratory. It came out and it ricocheted around the world.

Here, it reminds me of a book about the city of Kafka, which is on the shores of the Black Sea, that was a Genovese trading area with a lot of shipping and all of that that was there. That was run by the Italian government. And during the time when the Mongolians tried to take over the city, they were weighted down because of the Black Death. The Black Death was just beginning in that time. But it was among the Mongols. And so, interestingly, it came from the areas of China. But the people were stricken by it. The Mongols were stricken by it and their soldiers wasted away. And so what they began to do is that they would put the bodies of those died from the Black Death in their catapult. So they would catapult the bodies over the wall.

And as a result of it, the entire city contracted this Black Death. That people started leaving by the droves. And they went back to Italy and they went back up into Europe. And what occurred is that that pandemic then killed nearly half of the people of Europe. And then, in a way, this very well could be—I'm not saying it is—but it could be, you know, something that is a bioterrorist type thing. You know, diseases can kill a whole lot more people than a bomb. And look at the number of people that have been impacted by this international crisis. But we want to make sure, brother, we get the message. The world, unfortunately, most of them probably won't. Maybe some will. And maybe they will respond in the time of the Tribulation. But the question, the really big question, is will we in the Church? Will we respond? We fast today. Or tomorrow, I understand we have two days that we can choose to fast on. But we've been asked to fast and pray, number one, to ask God to work with our individual hearts and minds. That we would have the right attitude. We would have the right heart as God's people. And number two, to ask for the heart of service to look after the needs of the brethren. To think about our brethren. And think about all the brethren around the world, whether they are in France or whether they are in Africa or India or wherever they may be.

Are we thinking about them? And when we have opportunity, are we taking care of the needs of our brethren? Number three thing we should be praying about, and we've been asked to pray about by our President and Chairman of the COE, to pray for the commission, the great commission of the Church. And that is to preach the Gospel to the world. That that be accomplished. That that be done. You know, Jesus said that the end will not come until we have done our job. And you know, now is the best time when it's easier, easier for us to do it, frankly. And we pray that we do, again, eventually come out of this COVID-19 crisis and it will be over. But we don't know, again, what the future may bring. We have to be prepared. And again, the most important thing is to be prepared spiritually ourselves, like Luke 21, 36 tells us. Watch and pray always, that you're accounted worthy to escape the things that are talked about in Luke 21, and to stand before Jesus Christ. So are you—I'm asking you this personally—are you groping for the wall? Are you blind? I think all of you here, they're on this hookup here, would say, absolutely not. You know, I see, I understand. And certainly none of us are completely blind, but we do have our blind spots, don't we? All of us individually do. And ask yourself this, have you lost zeal? Have you lost zeal for the work of God?

Have you lost zeal in what you're doing? Do you have a great vision for the doing of the work from the time that God first called you? You know how you were when God opened your mind and began to work with you, and you wanted to get in there and be a part of the work in every way possible that you could. Is that still there, brethren? It is something we need to think about, again, as God's people, as we fast, we implore our God because we do want to please Him, don't we? We want to please Him as much as possible. So many are familiar with David's sin of adultery and murder involving Bathsheba. And you know, this was probably the most dangerous spiritual time, or the most dangerous spiritual time that David ever had in his entire life, what he sinned with Bathsheba, and all the events that surrounded that entire affair. The lessons are preserved for us upon whom the ends of the earth have come. But I'd like you to turn with me, if you will, to 2 Samuel over here in the book of 2 Samuel.

Now here, you know, in Samuel 12, 2 Samuel 12, and verses 1 through 6 will begin there. But notice, it again pertains to this situation with Bathsheba that rose in the land due to what David did. And then the eternal sin, Nathan's to David. So this is 2 Samuel 12, 1. And he came to him and said to him, There were two men in one city and one rich and the other was poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished, and it grew up together with him, and with his children, and ate of his own food, and drank for his own cup, and lay in his bosom. And it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him. But he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him. So David's anger was greatly aroused against this man. And he said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, this man who has done this shall surely die. You know, David was in his judgmental mode, was a king here. He's going to surely die. And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. That's kind of interesting, isn't it? That David's reaction to this, I'm sure all of us have read this many, many times over the years. But David clearly, David clearly saw someone else's sin. He was able to size this situation up. He didn't need a lot of time to figure out what should be done about this.

You know, Jesus, when he came teaching, he said to us, he said, Get the beam out of your eye to get the moat out of someone else's eye.

So David wasn't quite able to do that here, I suppose. But Jesus taught us that. Now, why is that we've got to get the, you know, this beam out of our own eye? Where are our emotions? Cloud, right, and wrong for us? It's hard for us to change, personally. And we're hardened if others accept ourselves. And I'm sure around King David, there were people that turned a blind eye to what David was doing. But, you know, it often takes a confrontation to wake someone up like Nathan was sent to do for David. You know, we can really be blind to our own sin. No one likes correcting others. I know I don't. I do not like going and sitting down and being the bearer of bad news to people about what I think they need to do, what they need to overcome.

But my dear friends and brethren, I call upon you from your hearts to shake off the trance of indifference of these times that we're living in and wake up to the realization that we are in the end time. That we must be a people more dedicated than we are now.

That we have to upper game all of us. In the time of ancient Israel, God made a covenant with them. And at that time, you know, it was one of the few times that we could look at the example of Israel as being good. But they set the pattern for us. And I would say when you and I, when we made a commitment to God to obey God, it came from in here, in the hearth. We've been beaten down and God said, you know, I want you and my family. He brought us to repentance and we were dependent of our sins. And it was from the hearth. But Israel had that kind of heart at the very beginning. When God, I'm not going to go to these verses, but you can turn to them later. But in Exodus 24 and verse 7, when God presented the covenant to ancient Israel, they said, God, all you have said, we will do. We will obey.

And interestingly, there are allusions in the Bible that say, in committing to obey first, they acted as did the heavenly angels. They were like the heavenly angels. They had pure hearts in saying, we will do it, God. And I dare say that all of us had that same true heart. I'll do it, God. I think all of you remember when I would get servants in the Bay Area about my calling, is I wanted to understand the Bible. And I finally prayed the prayer and I said, God, if you'll help me understand this, I will do it. I lived by these words. And I would guess that was the attitude of all of you who are listening at this particular point. Over in Psalm 103 in verse 20, it shows the same pattern of the angels that they first committed. They first committed to obey God. And then they listened and they applied all of the Word of God. You know, they heard, of course, they responded to what God commanded them to do. And they were willing to obey. But they not only were willing to obey what they heard at that time, but they were willing to listen and apply all that God told them. Now, that is from the heart. That's a real commitment. You know, the attitude of the angels was this. When God said jump to angels, they would say, how high on the way up? And, brother, that is the heart that we're talking about here. That we commit to obey God. And if God says jump, we say, how high on the way up? How high, God, do you want me to jump? How far do you want me to go?

So, brother, are you committed to obey and then listen for what God says and apply?

In other words, obey what you know, but listen so you can learn to apply more as God reveals it. Are we of that mentality? That's what I'm saying. I pray that this crisis in the world will shake God's people enough that we reaffirm that commitment in ourselves individually.

Have you committed to obey God no matter what? And are you quick to listen and apply? Why? Are we open to listen to the church, what the church is saying?

And friends as well, if they are walking in the right track?

No. Are we willing to listen if we fall down? Are we willing to listen to someone?

Oftentimes, I hate to say it, but sometimes when people fall down in the church, I've gone to them. I've tried to reach out to them, but they are not willing to listen.

That is sad. They slap the hand of those that come to help.

I appeal to all of us, brethren, to be always willing to listen, always willing to hear.

And that's the mentality of the angels, and that's the mentality God wants us to have.

There is a saying that there is none so blind as those who refuse to see, or who refuse to listen. Are we again open to the church?

It talks about, in Ecclesiastes 4, that a three-fold cord is hard to break.

And you know, that three-fold cord is you.

And your mate and God. And that is a rope that cannot be broken if all are working together.

Or whatever that other strand is, whether it is a friend or whether it is the church, you know, as a whole. So if you're going to go to your brother, obviously it's best to go with somebody who knows the individual. And preferably you should know the individual if you're going to reach out to help them. And the Bible says that the church is the very last option, and it says, what was if we do not hear the church?

And yet there are some, again, who will refuse to be stubborn. But we need the attitude of David, who had an open mind to see his own sins. Do you still have an open mind, brethren?

Over in James, in the book of James, if you'll turn there with me, the apostle James writes about this, about how we as Christians ought to be.

That we not lose, again, our way with this. That we always have this attitude, and I know in dealing with many of you in the Bay Area and talking with you, you always had this wonderful attitude. We communicate well with each other, and there was a great deal of love and closeness and camaraderie. And you always had your your ears open, willing to hear. And that's allowed us all to endure a lot in our calling. But in James 1 and verse 18, let's go this year, that God brought us forth by the word of truth, and we might be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. So we are the first of the first who are applying God's way of life in this pioneering that we're doing in the church. But it says, so then, my beloved brethren, let every man, verse 19 here of James 1, let every man be swift to hear, so to speak, and slow to wrath.

At least in two of those ways, we are like John Wayne, right? That we're swift to hear and slow to speak. I wouldn't say that John Wayne was so slow in terms of his wrath. But we need to be slow in getting angry. We should be willing to listen to people. For the wrath of God does not produce the righteousness of God, or the wrath of man, I should say. Therefore, lay away all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted words which is able to save your souls, and be doers of the word, and not hearers only, but deceiving ourselves. So we need to be doers, again, of the word of God, applying, again, the word of God in our lives. So, brethren, are you, are you willing to are you willing to listen? Are you willing to hear what God is saying? And, you know, he often speaks through the church. He speaks through the church, you know, probably the most, in communicating with his people. Jesus Christ is the head of the church. He speaks also, though, through your friends in the church that want to look out for your best interest in making and being a part of the kingdom of God in the future. So, are you willing to listen?

Are you willing to study and listen to what's said there?

Next question I would like to ask is, how do we treat our brothers and sisters in the church? This is something we are fascinated about, actually. How are we treating each other? How are we reaching out? And how are we striving as God's people to help each other?

Well, let's go here, you know, and notice in 2 Samuel, again, back in the story about David in 2 Samuel 12, where we were. But on down here in verse 7, let's notice this. So David hears, gets funded by Nathan. God had set him on this duty to inform David that God was not pleased with him. And then Nathan said to David, you are the man.

You know, David was all angry. He was ready to apply justice to someone else. But Nathan said to David, you are the man. And thus says, the Lord God of Israel, I anointed you, king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master's houses and your master's wives and your keeping and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been, had been too little, I would have given you much more. First, David didn't want much more, did he? And so, you know, here we see that how God dealt with David using Nathan. Through Nathan, God reminded him of the great kindness that David had shown, been shown by God.

And this kind of approach is one that is founded on outgoing concern and love. For David. So how do we treat our brothers and sisters of the church? We should treat our brothers and sisters of the church the way God treated David.

That God reminded him of the things that he had done for David. No, we can exhort people to remind them again what God has done for them in their lives. You know, Paul says this, he says in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 14, Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, and be patient with all. So no matter who it is, we should always approach someone humbly with a great deal of love and concern and compassion, realizing that unless God had helped us, we'd be in the same boat. We would do the same thing. No, vanity causes us to vault ourselves like we don't sin sometimes. It was like in the situation with the woman that was caught in the act of adultery, that Jesus says, He that is without sin cast the first soul, as we all sin. We all make mistakes.

And much more than probably most people know. God knows, though, all of us are on the individual screens now, and nobody sees us in the situation unless you're on this panel here. We might see in that way. But realize that God has a picture of all of us, just like this, and He can pull any of us up any time He wants anywhere we are.

Do that. I don't know that God needs Zoom technology, though. He doesn't need that. He's got Zoom beat by a long shot. He can probably do it in three feet.

He can be in the room, as He wants to observe or send an angel to do that. But oftentimes, vanity does cause us to fawn ourselves. We need to empathize, if we go to somebody who is our brother, to be very clear that their sin could alienate them from God. And this is what David did, just as God instructed him to. But again, do it in a very humble way. And be prepared that even if you do that, it doesn't mean that you'll have the results you would like. That's why it's very good to pray about it. Really pray about it. Make sure your attitude is right, that you're not coming across as a goody two-shoes, someone who seems to think he knows it all or she knows it all.

But we ought to, again, be clear with him, even as God was with David through Nathan here, expressing it to him. The next point is be clear about the infraction and the sin and the consequences of inaction.

Again, how a minister might take care of these things and, you know, is perhaps different than what an individual might do. You know, friendships, of course, are involved in how you deal with somebody. There might come a time where you're going to have to go and report it and talk to the minister about it. But if you do have to go to someone and you talk with them, don't be clear about the infraction, what it is, and the sin and the consequences of not doing anything about it. I'm letting that slide. Over here, notice in verse 9, here in chapter 12, you know, your God, again, through Nathan says to David, why have you despised the commandment of the eternal to do evil in his sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with a sword. You have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with a sword of the people of the land.

And now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house. And it says, because you have despised being taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

And so God said, you know, the sword was never going to depart from his house. These were the consequences of what was going to happen. And God told him, verse 12, you did this secretly, but I will do these things before all Israel, before the sun. So all will see. All will be aware. So God really spelled it out today, the dead name.

And you know, brother, we can't repent unless we know what our sin is.

Unless we really see it clearly, we can't repent. Nathan spelled it out. What would happen because of David's sin? You know, the Bible tells us, does it not? Cry aloud. Spare enough. Spare enough. Lift up your voice like a trumpet. Tell my people their transgression.

Well, I know that the ministers of God do strive to cry out to the brethren. And of course, they cry out against their own problems that they're dealing with as well.

But we are to cry out so that Jacob knows what their sin is. And I hope as a church, we are bolder to make those statements as time goes on.

And there will be situations where we're going to be able to do that, to tell people just what their sins are.

And of course, tell them about the incredible mercies of God as well, and about the incredible plan of salvation. But, you know, be reminded of the fact, brethren, all of us need to be reminded of this fact. But if you do not do so, God told ancient Israel, then take note. You've sinned against the eternal, and be sure your sin will find you out. The sin has a way of finding out all of us, of exposing us. Our sins will catch us if we don't repent. Because the penalties they can to show.

You know, Romans 2 and verses 1 through 3, I'll just read to you.

There it tells us, you know, if we're judgmental of other people, and not judgmental of ourselves, therefore you are without excuse, O man. Everyone who judges, for in that, in which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge do the same things. But know that the judgment of God is according to truth on those who practice such things. And, O man, the one judging those who do such things and practice them, do you think this, that you shall escape the judgment of God? No, we're not going to escape either, brethren. We know the world may be worn right now, but that's why I say, brethren, we're being worn. And the fast is a good time to take advantage of this crisis, to to re-examine ourselves as we did at the Passover, and not lose ground that we made there. I look forward to the time when we get back together, and just see people in the flesh. You can talk to people, you can hug people, and talk to them in person. You can do it now, but telephone is not quite the same, is it?

Even by video, it's not the same.

You know, the interesting thing is if a person is truly repentant, if they have a right heart, and again, that's what we're fascinated about. Do we have the right heart? Do we have the right heart? Is God's people?

Did God put that right heart in us? Or did He revive that right heart, or restore that right heart? You know, in the United Church of God, we don't have revivals, because it's always been felt that that is a Protestant thing. But, you know, the Bible does talk about revivals. The people need to be revived.

Now, brethren, all of us need to be revived. All of us need to be more zealous, more enthused. I know I do. I need more enthused, yes, for doing the work of God.

Remember, we used to say in the Church of God to the degree that you have your heart in the work of God. That's how much you're going to grow spiritually. That was one thing that was said often in Ambassador College. And we always talk about recapturing true values at Ambassador College. Well, now is the time, brethren, to remember those values that we know, that we might recapture those true values. When someone is truly repentant, brethren, they have the right attitude, the right heart about them. You know what? They will have a godly response. Now, what was David's response when God pointed the sin out to him? He said, I have sinned. In verse 13 there, he knew he didn't sin just against human beings. He didn't sin against the Bachelor, who might have been somewhat innocent in all of this, in the end that, you know, he was pushed into it by David.

We don't know the full story again of that.

Uriah, of course, he sinned against. And Joab, this was not the issue. The issue was he sinned against God. It was an affrontary to Almighty God. You know, David said over in Psalm 51, in verse 3 through 4, I confess my sin. It is ever before me against you, and you only have I sinned. You know, when we fully repent from the heart, there is a cleansing that takes place in us.

In fact, it says that over in 2 Corinthians 7. Read that account over there about the Corinthians, and how Paul was able to guide them with God's help into a godly repentance. And he says, what a what cleansing of yourself, what clearing of yourselves. And full repentance does that for us. And you know, you read the account there in 2 Samuel 12, God forgave David immediately. He forgave him of his sin.

And God will do that with us, and he always hears us. He always hears us. Remember the account of when Simon Magus, it's in Acts 8, where Simon Magus had been baptized by Philip, and he called for Peter and John to come down to lay hands on them, because Philip was a beacon. He had not laid hands on Simon. Simon. And Simon saw, in fact, when people had their hands laid on them by the apostles, they received the Holy Spirit. And he wanted to buy this ability, to lay hands, that this power might be granted of the Holy Spirit. Of course, that's where we get the word simony, the buying of an office. And Peter said to him this, he says, when Simon wanted that, he says, you have neither part nor portion in this matter. For your heart, he said, is not right in the sight of God. He had the wrong attitude. And Peter pointed that up to him, brethren. And he said, repent therefore of your wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. That's where it all starts, brethren, in our hearts and in our minds. And you know, if our hearts and minds are right, we will never be afraid. It's like Mr. Di Andretti is talking about, you know, the fearfulness and the, you know, we ought to fear God. He could take it all away from us. Men might take away our physical life, but God could take it all, even the potential for each fair life away from us. And like it says in Old Badaiah, it will be as though we never were. We never exist. You know, God wants to hear from us, brethren, and He will forgive us again if we have the right heart.

And you know, He says over in 1 John 1, verse 9, that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God's willing to do that no matter what it is. There isn't a sin that God will not forgive us of. If we have a willingness to repent, then oftentimes somebody's willing to blaspheme God, they don't have the heart, do they? They don't have the heart to repent, the heart to change. But be aware of this, that when we sin, God may forgive us, but sometimes there are penalties. There can be physical penalties that impact us. You know, God told that to David, look, you sinned, I'm forgiving you of the sin, and your slate is clean, all your sin's been wiped away. But this is going to be a sin. But this is going to happen now because of what you've done.

Now, David, you know, began to have problems in his family. He had problems with several of his sons. His major problem with Absalom, who always took over the kingdom entirely, and great, you know, David had to weep, you know, a long time over the loss of his own son. Absalom.

But the sin of David may have caused some of those things that resulted in the life of Absalom.

It's like a drug addict might overcome the problem, but the damages remain. I remember visiting with drug addicts in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

One particular man comes to my mind, he had a family, and it was just a pitiful situation. Going in and talking to him. God was beginning to open his mind, and he was beginning to see the truth. And there in the city of Harrisburg, down in the seedy part of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and I don't know what happened to him. He had a family, though, and the family was in complete turmoil. He never really ever got himself on the track. But, you know, God couldn't even call a person, but sometimes can hound them all of their lives and drag them back down to where they were before. Health issues can emerge. Broken marriages can happen. And families, children can be impacted by wrong decisions that people make in their lives.

You know, there are probably many children who would be in the church today, if not for choices made by some parents. I'm not going to say that entirely the blame of parents, because it isn't. But, you know, I take responsibility for my children.

I know that if I had been a better example, maybe they would have done differently in their lives.

You know, we have two wonderful fellows that are in the church with three sons. We love them all. They're all very good people, very decent people, and the church is very dedicated to God's way of life. I wish all of our sons were.

And I pray for that to happen still. I pray for that every single night.

My wife and I pray for that all the time. But remember, what you do in your life impacts other people. It has a ripple effect. And the better you—the earlier you catch it in your life, the better for you and the people that are around you, that know you, that love you.

Sin creates a chain reaction like the sin of Adam that ricocheted through the entire world. It's a cause and effect in the last 6,000 years. So man has been brought to the very brink. We may be near the brink of when man's going to blast all life off the planet than we really even know.

You know, David didn't just lose a child, is what I'm trying to say, brethren, but he lost many other things because of his foolish sin with Bathsheba.

The worst kind of blindness is spiritual blindness, when we don't see our own sin.

And you and I have been called to break, brethren, to break the cycle of human history. A lot of people that never, ever seem to get out of the spiral of a downward as a society is going. But God has called us to lift us up, to bring many sons in the glory. Jesus is the captain of many sons that are going to be brought into glory. Our time is now. God has called us now.

The society of our time is blind as a bat, like those of Laodicea. Of regulation 3. They're blinded of their sin by the affluence and the materialism.

Most thinking that they are rich and increased with good spiritually, because they're rich physically. Well, brethren, I hope we're not of those ill people. I hope we will humble ourselves, all of us individually, through this fast that we're going through. And that we will rededicate ourselves, that we will restore, be restored spiritually if we've lost ground, restore the zeal and the enthusiasm for doing the work of God. Jesus counsels those in Laodicea of Revelation 3, buy gold of me, try them the fire. He says, anoint their eyes with staff that they might see, the resource site so that they can see clearly and repent. Well, brethren, hopefully our eyes can see. But let's just fast, clear away the fog and all of us to help us. I hope you don't mind me being a little preachy here.

That's what I am, a preacher. You know, that's what I do. That's what Mr. Pevworth does and Mr. Crow and others. God has called upon us to cry loud, it's better not. But just realize, brethren, all the fingers are pulling back at me, as I pointed to you. I've got a lot of changes to do. I will know that. But I want to see myself clearly. I want to be in the Kingdom of God.

I would like, if God so wills it, I pray it every day to escape the time of trouble that's coming. And you know what? I pray for all of you too. I pray for my wife, I pray for my sons, I pray for all of those in the Church of God that we can escape the time ahead when we've done our job of preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The cards, brethren, are stacked in our favor that we're going to make it. All we have to do is on part and repent and change, to change what we are. So, brethren, let us use this crisis and this fast that we're going through to correct our course and obey and listen to our great God.

Oh, as it was said in the first message, it is our Father's good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. Well, let's do our part so that we can be there. I want to thank everybody that has been listening to hear, and I hope you've been able to hear what I have said to you. And I hope it's been as clear as possible. Incidentally, I did want to say that if they will let us fly someday again, I intend to come up and see all of you folks in the Bay Area in person. I want to see how much great hair some of you have accumulated in the last three years, or how much hair you may have lost, or, you know, whatever's happened. But, but anyway, I want, Joan and I want to extend our love to you and our thanks for all of you and your dedication. I didn't want to pass on this good news to you. I communicate with the Southwest Ministries fairly regularly, and I call and talk to the South Central Ministries, because I'm now the regional pastor of the South Central Region, and there are very few people I know of that have even heard of anybody that had the COVID-19. No one in the church, in the areas of people that I talk to, but I talk to all the pastors. There are people that they know of, I should say, not many, but they know of people that have the coronavirus, but they say very few. And personally, I don't know of anybody, but, you know, if even one person is affected by it, it would be certainly too many. And we pray for all of those people. Well, we pray all of you will have a wonderful Sabbath, and may God bless you all, and so we can see you again in person.