What Shall We Do?

As we move along our Christian life, we quite often get at different crossroads. And we kind of ask ourselves, what shall we do? Just like we heard in the sermon, I think it's very appropriate. What do we need to do? So, we come to a point that maybe we need to ratchet up another little notch, our living according to God's word. I mean, we all come through that. That's why we re-evaluate ourselves. We have a post-over every year. We kind of analyze ourselves as, whoops, I better tweak a little bit here and get my Christian life a little bit more in sync with God's word. It's normal. We all do that. None of us is perfect. And we all analyze ourselves and try and improve. And so today, I want to ask the question, is, what is it that we shall do? Now, each one of us has got to look at that individually. But as we look, for instance, at God's law, which is the law of love, because God is love, then we look at it further. It's basically left towards God and left towards man. But we also, as we look at that, we realize that we need to reconcile ourselves with God and with man, because our relationship might not be perfect with God and with other people. Excuse me. So, we need to continuously remind ourselves that we've got to remember the first love. Now, you read in the book of Revelation, the messages to the first church of Ephesus, and it says, you lost your first love. And quite often, some of us, we struggle a little bit to understand what the first love is. But you know, the first love is actually reconciliation. Begetting reconciled to God. That's the first love and reconciled towards man. And we're going to do that in sincerity and truth.

And so, how do we go about that? Now, if you and I think about what he says, the Pharisees at the time of Christ, they were very committed to obey God's law. Now, it's a fact. They were very strict about obeying God's law. But there was something wrong in the quote-unquote strictness to obey God's law, because Christ was very critical of them. And as you know, he called them hypocrites, because it was an outward shell rather than something from the heart, in sincerity and in truth. So turn with me to Matthew 23, 23. Matthew 23, 23. Because Christ emphasizes He is a very important point. And it says, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Now, imagine if you're talking to people and one person's among you, and that person says, hey, you, you are a hypocrite. I mean, I think your blood pressure will go up a little bit. And he feels, who are you to tell me that? But yes, Christ telling these people, you're a bunch of hypocrites. And he said, for you pay tithe of little things like mint and anise and coming, you know, even little mint. You even tithe on that. And have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. These three, justice, mercy and faith, you should have done without leaving the others undone. Yes, you need to tithe. But you need to look at these big principles of the law, which is justice, mercy and faith. So the question is to us. As we analyze ourselves and we ask ourselves, what shall we do? How are we doing in these three areas of justice, mercy and faith?

How do we apply justice correctly? How do we extend mercy correctly? And how do we live by faith? Because in those three is the basis for peace and unity. And so let's just look at the biblical definition of justice, and that is in Psalm 119 verse 172. Psalm 119 verse 172. Psalm 119 is probably the longest chapter in the Bible.

And in verse 172, because 119 basically talks about God's law, and in 172 says, My tongue shall speak of your word, for all your commandments are righteousness. God's commandments are righteousness, are what is just, are through the basis of true justice. God's commandments are really the basis of God's righteousness.

So how do we apply God's laws, spiritual laws, in our life? And then if we put that together with 1 John chapter 2, if you turn with me to 1 John chapter 2.

My children, my children, my little children, these things are right to you that you may not sin. In other words, I'm writing to you that you don't say that you don't break God's laws. In other words, that you have, that you live in a righteous way. There is justice in the way you live. But then it goes on, and if anyone sinned, now each one of who of us has not ever sinned, we all sinned one way or another.

We all do. But it says if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. We have a merciful defending attorney. That's what he is, an attorney of defense, which applies mercy. And he applies that mercy in verse 2. He says, he himself is the propitiation for our sins. He paid it with his own life, with his own blood.

And we just went through the Passover, and we reminded ourselves of just that. He paid for our sins. And not of ours only, not of us just in the church. But of the whole world. So there will be a time when the world will understand us, and will come to this point. Not now, but it will be in the future. Continue then reading in verse 3. Now by this we know that we know him. We know that we know God, that we know Christ, if we keep his commandments. We've got to keep God's spiritual laws.

This is, we know because we try and keep God's commandments. Verse 4. He says, I know him. He says that I know God, and does not keep God's commandments. He's commandments. He's a liar. So we need to look at ourselves. We need to evaluate ourselves. He says, hey, how are we doing? He says, and if you're not doing this, the truth is not in him.

But remember, right at the beginning of this chapter says, I write to you that you may not sin. So yeah, we know this. We're walking in the light. We're trying our best, but we're imperfect. How many times have you walked and not seen something on the floor and tripped? Did you do it deliberately because you wanted to trip?

No! I mean, Kathy was in Dallas just recently, and during the day she was walking an area from the car to the house, and the grass was just a little dip. And next thing she tripped and fell, and there was nothing there, but it was just the floor was not really level, but it did not appear that because of the grass. It just looked level, but suddenly she kind of lost her balance and fell. Fortunately, nothing went wrong.

It should not break anything, but it just shows we all, with good intent, because we human, because we flesh, because we imperfect, even though we want to keep God's laws, we occasionally slip. And that's why we have an advocate, because we didn't do it with deliberate intent to say, I'm going to do this, to spite you, to hurt you.

That's not a heart, and God sees that heart. It's not a heart to do that. It's a repentant, a willing heart to obey God. And therefore, in those circumstances, the advocate is there to help us with mercy. You see, there's justice and mercy. Can you see the two together?

But justice has got to be first. You have to have justice first. And then mercy. You can't have mercy. It says, oh well, they're just going around and killing and whatever doing and committing adultery and whatever people are doing, and, well, I will just be merciful to them. No! Because Christ is not a minister of sin. So justice has got to be first. The right punishment must be applied. And there are consequences. But once there is a true repentant heart, then mercy is applied.

So let's continue our reading in verse 4. He will say, as I know him, and does not keep his command, he says, a lie. In other words, he's got the desired intent as a way of life, as a way of practicing life to obey God's law. To obey God's law.

So we got it as a desire. We got to do that. Because if not, we are a liar and truth is not enough. Verse 5. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. And so if we are really trying to do this, because God's law is love. God's law is love. It's not a hard law. It's not a petty law. Don't do this. No, it's just genuine concern for the brethren. Whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this, we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him, ought himself also to walk just as he walked. In other words, we are therefore to walk in faith as Christ walked. So yes, there's the justice. There's the mercy. And there's the walking in faith, just like Christ walked. You see, so it is a walk in faith. Now, what Christ said in Matthew 23, 23, in a sense, is nothing new. It actually is a restatement of a prophecy by one of the prophets, maybe of different words, but the intent or the content of what he was saying is the same thing. So turn with me to Micah 6, verse 8. Micah 6, verse 8. So Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. No, who? Habakkuk, Zephaniah. So Micah 6, verse 8.

And again, we're answering the question, what shall we do, brethren? What shall we do? And here we have in verse 8.

Micah 6, verse 8. He has shown you, O man, what is good, what does the Lord require of you? In other words, God is showing us what shall we do. And what is he saying here? But to do justly. There was still PayPal's law. Just like Christ said, to love mercy. You know, to really be merciful, justice, mercy. And to walk humbly with your God. In other words, you walk humbly in faith. It's a walk of faith. So you've got to walk humbly. Yeah, the Spirit must be a humble spirit. Not a proud one, but walk humbly with God. Walk in humility with God. So what Christ said in Matthew 23, 23 is nothing new, because that was already an Old Testament sign to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. And it's a walk in faith, in absolute faith. And those are indeed the weighty matters of the law. And when you think about it, that's exactly how Christ walked. Christ walked humbly. There's a wonderful scripture in Philippians chapter 2, which we're going to turn to now, which describes how Christ walked. And what is it that we need to imitate him? And in Philippians chapter 2, Philippians chapter 2, starting in verse 1. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, it was if there's any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of genuine, outgoing concern and love, if any fellowship of God's Holy Spirit, if any affection and mercy, what are we to do? Fulfill my joy by being like-minded. What shall we do? Let's be like Christ, with a mind that Christ had. Having the same outgoing concern, the same love, being of one accord, you know, as being united of one mind, let nothing be done through self-submission or conceit. In other words, I'm not going to do it for myself, for me to promote myself to be important or anything like that. But in loneliness of mind, that means it's in humility, in the mental state of humility. Let us esteem, let us respect, let us submit to others. Let's esteem others better than ourselves.

That's not easy. But that is being like-minded to what Christ was. Christ looked to each one of us. You think about yourself. Christ looked at you, and He steamed you higher than Himself. Wow! Because He loves you, and He wants you to make it. Now put your name there. Christ wants you in the Kingdom. He'll never leave you or forsake you. Now, is that a guarantee that you'll make it? No! Because the choice is ours, whether I will leave or not. It's my choice. But Christ wants you there. Yeah, you've got a lot of problems. We all have a lot of problems. But Christ is prepared to wash them. Provided there's that repentant attitude and desire to do things in justice, He'll apply that mercy, and He can now walk in faith believing in you. Wow! That is big! When you and I look at our big sins and what we've done, and what is happening in our lives, we're going to be in a very difficult situation. And what is happening in our lives? And Christ is prepared to look at us and esteem us idly and says, I want you, put your name there. I want you to live forever in the kingdom and having the same joy as I have. Now, you and I cannot understand that. Because you don't know what He is to be a spirit being without pain, without weaknesses, without all the setbacks that we have as physical. We cannot really understand it. But one day when we then look back, we'll say, wow! Thank God! Thank Christ for that. And so, He esteem us, and therefore, in verse 4 says, let each of you look out not only on his own interests, but also on the interests of others. So, I'll encourage you, brethren, keep in touch with one another, talk to one another, encourage one another, phone one another, look in the interests of others, encourage throughout the week or the weeks, do that. Verse 5, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. That was the mental, let's call it the vibes, the way of thinking of Christ. That's what we need to do. What shall we do? That's what we shall do. Now, how do the Israelites do that? They missed the target, terribly. They missed the target, terribly. I mean, if you look at Hebrews chapter 3, it says certain things there, very significant. Hebrews chapter 3.

And we're going to read from verse 15. Hebrews chapter 3 verse 15.

And this is actually talking about the Israelites, and Paul is there writing about them, and he says, while it is said, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in rebellion. In other words, today, brethren, if you are hearing this voice of Christ touching your heart through God's Word, through God's Holy Spirit, and if that's touching your heart, don't be like those people that rebelled, that left Egypt and they rebelled, and for 40 years they walked in the desert and they had to die in the desert. Don't harden your hearts like they did, because that's the day of rebellion that's referring to verse 16. For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses? It was those people that left Egypt, they saw the great miracle, and they rebelled. Their hearts were hardened. Now, you and I can say, how could they ever do that? You read this stuff in Old Testament, and it's so easy to say, how could they do that? You know what? If a book was written about our lives and people would look at it back at us, we'll say, how could George have done that? You know, because we're all to one degree or other of the same. And so it's a lesson to us. It's a lesson to us. Verse 17. Now, with whom was the angry 40 years? Was it not with those who served? They served. Whose corpses fell in the wilderness. So that's why it says, don't be like them. Don't allow your hearts to be hardened, but let your hearts be soft, malleable, teachable, circumcised in heart. Verse 18. And to whom did they swear that they would not enter his rest? To whom did they swear they would not enter the promised land? To those people, those adults, they were in the wilderness. It was obviously to those who did not obey. They didn't obey. They did not obey. So we see that they could not enter in the promised land. They could not enter into the rest, which is obviously symbolic to us, to the Kingdom, which is our rest. Our ultimate rest is the Kingdom of God. It's symbolic to us. So they could not enter into their physical promised land. We likewise would not be able to enter into our spiritual promised land, which is God's Kingdom. And they did not enter because of unbelief. You see, so they did not believe in Moses, and therefore they did not obey. That's why I say, time and time again, beyond belief is obedience. So they did not have faith. They did not walk in faith. You see, there's justice, mercy, and faith. They did not walk in faith. And therefore they did not obey. Why did they not obey? Because their hearts were hard. Because they did not allow their hearts to be touched. They did not allow that softness of heart.

And so, you remember the today of Pentecost? After Christ died in Acts 2, verse 37. So if you turn with me to Acts 2, verse 37.

Acts 2, verse 37.

And when they heard us, they were cut to the heart. In other words, it touched their heart. They did not harden their hearts, but allow their hearts to be touched. It touched their heart. And said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? And that's where I got the title for the sermon. What shall we do?

And brethren, the question is, is your heart, is my heart, being touched by God?

It's not just the mind, it's the heart. I mean, you can know all the truth. Like the Pharisees knew, they knew all the commandments, they had all the intellectual knowledge.

But their heart was not right. That's the problem. You need the knowledge and the heart. You need both.

So I hope and pray, and we all pray and ask God to help our hearts to be touched. To be malleable. To be teachable.

And so, we go through different crossroads in our lives, in our Christian life, to analyze ourselves. And God has, let's call it, a special tool, a special instrument, a special spiritual instrument to work with our hearts and synchronize our hearts. And if you turn with me to John 16, verse 7 and 8. John 16, verse 7 and 8.

John 16, verse 7 and 8. It says, nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is to advantage that I, Jesus Christ talking, go away, because if I don't go away, the helper will not come to you. Now, who is the helper? Who is the helper? You just have to go back, keep your finger there, because we're going to come back to this verse, but just go back one page or two to John 1426. It might even be in the same page, but just go back to 1426.

But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name. It's the Father that gives us the Holy Spirit. It's the promise of the Father, but the helper is the Holy Spirit. The Father that sends in Christ's name, by Christ's authority, Christ said yes. And so the two work together, the Father and the Son working together, but it originates from the Father. The helper is the Holy Spirit. And therefore, continue reading in John 16, verse 7, it says, it is your advantage that I go away, and if I do not go away, the helper, in other words, God's Holy Spirit will not come to you, but if I depart, I will send him to you. It obviously comes from the Father, but it comes in Jesus Christ's name with Christ's authority. He says yes, send him, and then he comes to us, and will receive God's Holy Spirit, which will receive at the baptism, or after baptism, by the laying on of hands. And when the Holy Spirit has come, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. It's the Holy Spirit that touches our heart, and works out our heart, and sees that we have sinned, that we need to be righteous. And remember, that is going to be a judgment, so therefore we gotta work on ourselves. It's the Holy Spirit that touches our heart. That's that element of justice.

And a little bit lighter, in verse 13 of the same chapter, John 16, 13 says, However, when he, the Spirit of truth, was when God's Holy Spirit has come, he will guide you in all truth. It's God's Holy Spirit that opens our minds, that shows us, it's God's power, it's God's special instrument, it's God's surgical instrument that gets right there between the bone and the marrow, and gets right to the heart, and touches our heart. And we must not harden our hearts, not allowing the Holy Spirit to do its work, because when we do that, we're really getting into big trouble. So we must allow God's Holy Spirit to do its work, and to touch our hearts. For the Holy Spirit will not speak of its own authority, but we have years, whatever years, he will speak, and he will tell you things to come. Why? Because it touches our heart, and we get these thoughts, pricks our conscience, and all these things, and we say, I'm going to do that, and George shouldn't have done that, or whatever. And God is guiding us through that pricking of our conscience and our hearts. So, how are our hearts touched by God's Holy Spirit? But not only by God's Holy Spirit, and if you just go a few chapters back, still in John, John 6, John 6, verse 63, John 6, verse 63, and it says, It is the Spirit who gives life, and flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. The words that Christ speaks to us, the Bible, Christ's words, Christ's instructions are spirit. They are life. And so, you and I are convicted. Our hearts are touched by God's Word, working together with God's Holy Spirit. I can't convince you to do something. No minister can convince you to do anything. We can preach you God's Word, but it's God's Word with God's Holy Spirit that will touch your heart. And what shall we do? Don't hearten our hearts. Don't hearten our hearts. So, the Holy Spirit and God's Word are the convicting agents. I don't have to stand here and shout at you, and scream, and tell you, You must do it, those! We'll have no effect. We'll have zero effect. What they say is that something like this, it says, He that's convinced against his own will is of the same opinion still, or something like that. But, you know, if you get convinced against your own will, you still say the same thing. But it's God's Spirit with God's Word and God's Spirit that touches our heart. And we analyze ourselves, and we work on the weighty matters of the Lord, which is justice, which will repent, and we make sure that we obey God and repent us, and then we come to Christ for mercy, because we all have failed, and then we go forwards and walk in faith. And we need to do that with sincerity and truth, with a clean heart, with a pure heart, sincerely and truth. And so, this Word, therefore, must be preached. This Word must be preached. And that's the very purpose why the Church of God is established as a mother to teach us, as a mother teaches us. As spiritual mother, the Word must be preached because the day of judgment is coming. The day of judgment. The Lord's day is coming. Remember? God's Holy Spirit convicts us of righteousness and of judgment. The day of judgment is coming. Therefore, if people are doing things wrong against us, there will be a judgment for them. They'll have to either repent or be judged. They will have to repent and judge, but that's between them and God. And I'll leave it in God's hands. But a judgment is coming. Look at the Scripture, yeah, in Joel. I'm going to turn to Joel, because I want to turn to another Scripture that will refer to it. But I want you to look in Joel first. In Joel, chapter 2, verse 11. Daniel, Mosiah, Joel. Joel, chapter 2, verse 11.

It's talking about the day of the Lord. In Joel, chapter 2. So I'm breaking into the context, but it says, yeah, the Lord gives voice before his army. For his camp is very great. For strong is the one who executes his word. For the day of the Lord is great and terrible. Now, I've gone, and I'll probably go sometime in the future again through prophecy. And the day of the Lord is that period that Christ begins judging. For one, is that lost one year before Christ comes. But it also implies that whole period. There's different layers and double dualities in meaning. So, but the point is, there's going to be a judgment. And that day of the Lord is going to be terrible just before Christ comes back. That's in the context here. Who can endure it? Now, look at verse 12. So the question is, who can endure the day of the Lord? Who can survive the things that are going to come before Christ coming right at that lost critical moment? Now therefore says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and with mourning. So, rain your heart and not your gums. You see, these are lives with repent and tear the clothes and rip the gums. God says, now, what we want is look at our hearts. Let our hearts be touched and our hearts be torn and really our hearts be repentant. Return to the Lord your God for His gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. You see a guy? Justice and then mercy. And it relents from doing all. In other words, then go ahead and walk in faith. It's the same sort of principle. Look a little bit further down in verse 32 of the same chapter, Joel 2. So, the question here is, you know, what shall we do? And he says, turn to me, repent because God is gracious and walk in faith. That's exactly the same thing. But look at it in verse 32. He says, and it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How do you call upon the name of the Lord to be saved? We just read in the previous verses, repent, change your life, call upon God with mercy, walk in faith. That's how you call upon the name of the Lord through repentance, mercy, and walking in faith. That's how we call upon the name of the Lord. Repentance. It's not just saying, hallelujah, hallelujah! Come to church and say, hallelujah, hallelujah! And you'll be saved. As many churches say, well, stay as you are. Just give your heart to the Lord. No, there's going to be a genuine change in which your heart is touched by God's Holy Spirit, and you change. You repent. Mercy is applied because Christ is our advocate, and we walk in faith. I think it's pretty simple. That's what we shall do, and do that in sincerity and truth. And it says, and wherever the fork calls on the Lord, how? By doing these steps of just justice, mercy, and faith, you shall be saved. Now, why did I go to Julia? Because I want you to read Romans 10.

And we'll start reading in verse 13.

And look how it starts. Romans 10 verse 13. For whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Where was that quoted from? Joel 2 verse 32. And so, if you read this just out of context, as many people say, how all I have to do is hallelujah, hallelujah, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, then they miss the point. Because what it's talking about when you read a context, what the scripture is talking about, in Joel, what this is referring to, it's actually talking about changing our lives through justice, mercy, and walking in faith. That's how we call on the Lord. And therefore, we continue reading now in verse 14, how then shall they call on him in whom they've not believed? And how shall they believe in him whom they've not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they're sent?

You see, it's not that a person says, aha, I have now appointed myself to be a pastor. No, he says you sent. Now, I worked for a large corporate. I don't want to mention the name now because I know it's being recorded, but I worked for a large corporate. Imagine you walking down the street and you come to the large company and it says, excuse me, I'll be the new managing director. Do you know what they'll tell you? Goodbye, you mad! You know, or excuse me, I'll be another manager in your company. You think about any company, large company out there, there's a person in the street says, oh well, I've decided now to be the new managing director or the new manager in your company. They'll tell you, cheers! Why? Because that's going to be promoted from within. And the same thing, God promotes people from within and he sends people to be his ministers of Jesus Christ. He sends them. People don't promote themselves and make themselves a minister. It's God that chooses and sends. And it's saying, yeah, how shall they preach the truth, the real truth unless they send as one of the true ministers of Jesus Christ? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace. That means the good news of the kingdom of God. That's the only possibility is going to bring peace to this world. Who bring land tidings of good things.

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. They have not all obeyed this good news for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed your report? See, they don't believe. Therefore, they don't obey. So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And so living in faith comes through God's word. God's word of God's Holy Spirit is two together, convicting agents, working us, and we need this word to be preached. That's how God established this word. The word has to be preached.

But you and I know there's going to be a famine of the world. Why? Why is there a famine of the word? Because people are dull of hearing. They don't want to hear the truth. You can go out into the street and do public appearance campaigns, and you do send out the good news, and thousands of go out, and I know many people actually respond. Very few. Because they dull of hearing. Because their hearts are hardened. Because the society has put things into people in such a way Satan has blinded people in such a way they are now dull of hearing. And therefore there's a famine. Because they're not eating the food. They are refusing to listen to the truth.

So brethren, as we look ourselves, what shall we do? First, we've got to judge ourselves. We've got to evaluate ourselves. You know the story about the man that went, Christ mentions that parable, the man that went to to the temple and said, oh, I'm led, I'm not like that one, you know, I'm far better. And then there's the other one that says, God, I'm nobody. And then Christ said, which one of them is more righteous? So it's the one that is repentant. We've got to judge ourselves. See, when we talk about justice, mercy, and faith, we've got to judge ourselves. And then there's the story about the woman that was caught in adultery. And they all accused that she was her caught on the very act. I'm sorry if it was a very act, there should be two, not just one. But anyway, and they all ducked after Christ wrote something on the sand. They all said, goodbye, cheers, goodbye. And then Christ asked her, where is your accusers? Are they all gone? So Christ said, I don't accuse you either. Just go out and don't sin anymore. Why? Because Christ discerned, perceived, so in her a repentant attitude. And that's what's important. Judgment. Judgment. So hearts are convicted of sin, so that we repent. We know there's a judgment. And when we repent, we've got an advocate that shows us love and compassion. Now we are walking faith. Now we are walking faith. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, please. 2 Corinthians chapter 5.

2 Corinthians chapter 5. We're going to start reading in verse 18.

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Brethren, this is the true love. When we are reconciling to God and to fellow man, we are working in this big state of true love. And he says, that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing the trespasses to them, and has committed to us.

God the Father, through Christ, has committed to us. That is, God's ministry. God has committed God's ministry, in other words, as entrusted God's ministry. In a sense, because it comes from God, it's a cycle of trust, as entrusted with you. A bigger responsibility to God's ministry, and entrusted us the word of reconciliation. We, as God's ministers, have to encourage everyone to work on this which is reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. We are representatives of God's kingdom. Christ is our King of kings, is our Messiah, is our leader, is our Chief of Chiefs, Supreme Commander, that we trust Him. We are therefore His ambassadors. In celebration, as a body, we are all a body, we are all a body, and we are all together. There's fingers, there's nails, there's livers, there's hearts, there's kidneys, legs, toes, we're all together, tied together, ultimately to the head, and crushes the head. And therefore, we look after one another, so there's no division in the body. You don't have this hand that got hurt, and it's so, and in this hand says, haha, I told you, da-da-da. Now, this hand's so, this other one's going to help the other one. So there's no division in the body. You read that in Corinthians 12, you read that in Romans 12, it's one body. It's the Church of God. We're all together. We're all brothers and sisters. And our love towards one another is to work on this reconciliation, and we are peace and harmony, and the Church grows. So brethren, turn with me to Galatians 6, verse 1. Galatians 6, verse 1.

Galatians 6, verse 1 says, Brethren, if a man is overtaking in any trespass, you are spiritual restorer, such a one in the spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. So if you see there's any problems, you first go to God and make sure that you and God are right. But then, if there's a need, there's got to be a spirit of restoration, of reconciliation, in gentleness, in gentleness, not in, oh well, I'm better than you, and I'm telling you that you're wrong, but in gentleness, in love, in compassion. And that's not easy. That's not easy. I'm not saying there's any problem amongst us, but I'm just emphasizing what is it that we must do. We've got to look at ourselves. We've got to judge ourselves. And with others, we just show them in love and help them and encourage them in a way to restore them when they need help, when they're down, just like a hand. If this hand is hurt, this other hand gently helps this hand to do extra work. There's that spirit of gentleness, of restoration, of helping one another. In James, puts it in another way. It's called the meekness of wisdom. You've read that. I'm not going to read it now, but it's in the meekness of wisdom. And when there's that meekness of wisdom that comes from God, which is a wisdom which has teachability, which is gentle, which is kind, which is soft, and that wisdom which comes from above, it's the way of peace and unity. So brethren, what is it that you and I must do? Let us remember to walk in sincerity and truth by judging ourselves, asking Christ for mercy, and walking in faith in the days ahead.