Well, I got another message here out of Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 5. I preached out of chapter 1 last week on the hard labor of preaching the gospel. Gospel preaching is hard labor. I have a lot of opposition. I tell you what, these old prophets, the more you read them, the more you appreciate their faithfulness. They did have a hard, tough time. God never did raise up and send a prophet until it was over with. Did you know that? He just sent a prophet to tell them the judgment is coming. It's in mourning. Old Jeremiah, he had a tough ministry, hard ministry. Only by the grace of God, faithfulness of the Lord, was he able to complete it. He quit one time, you know that, don't you? He quit. He signed through. I've had enough. It's not like me every Sunday night. But the Lord kept burning the word in his heart, his soul. He just couldn't withstand it. He had to preach it. He had to preach it. He had to preach it. He had to just keep preaching it, hadn't he? Chapter 5, look at chapter 5, verse 1 through 5. Run ye. Let's hit the streets now. Let's go. Run ye. Up and down. In and out. To and fro. Through the streets of Jerusalem. And see. See now, he says, and know. And seek. In the broad places, talking to the young people back there getting out of Proverbs this morning about the proclamation of the gospel goes into the chief concourses. The Lord sends it out publicly. There's a general call of the gospel that goes out. It may not be a call, but if you're chosen, that's the gospel. Proclamation must go forth. Must preach it. Must preach it. Whether people love it or hate it, receive it or reject it, it's got to be preached. So he says, seeking the wrong places thereof, he said, if you can find a man, if you can find a man, if there be any that executes judgment, that wants to do right, just wants to do right, that seeks the truth. Norm, you went out to Kansas, then you went to West Virginia. Did you have anybody flagging you down, begging for the truth out that way, up that way? Did you run up on many that was crying out for the truth? Huh? He said, now I'll pardon you. If you can find one, if you can find a man in Jerusalem, pretty big size little town at that time, wasn't it? Capital city. I mean, as far as religion was concerned, it was the heart, the seat of religion. Not paganism, but religion. We can say pure, it had pure religion in it. That was the seed of it, wasn't it? Jerusalem. But it was so apostate that God's making a challenge here. He's challenging here. He said, you go throughout Jerusalem, go up and down the streets, go into the public concourse, places where the people are. If you can find one man, One single man that does right, doing right, seeks truth. I'll pardon him. He's pronounced judgment upon Jerusalem, upon Judaism, upon the system, the nation as a whole. He's coming down to judgment. The Chaldeans are coming. They're coming. Those hasty, wicked, mean-hearted, mean-spirited Babylonians are coming. I'm sending them in there to put an end to this stuff. God made that proclamation. You defile the land. You defile the land. You fail to keep up and attend and comply to the land Sabbath. Seventy years have piled up on you. I'm sending the Chaldeans in there to take off captive what they leave. They're going to kill most of them, but what they leave is going to take them captive back into the land of the Chaldeans. That's modern-day Iraq. They said, they're going to hold you folks in prison for 70 years, and that'll pay for the way that you abused the land violated my commandment." He said, but now I'll turn my anger and I'll vent my wrath somewhere else if you can go into the city and find a man, just one, that does right, Tommy, that does right and that's interested in the truth. He said, I'll party. And then, wait a minute, he says, though they say the Lord liveth, boy, they going to talk religious. They going to talk about the Lord. He said, surely they swear falsely. I know the heart. That's the thing about it. That's the spooky thing about it. That's the scary thing about it, that God knows the heart. It's wide open to the Lord. I don't know it. I don't even know my own heart. You heard people say that, if I know my heart, well, Jeremiah 17 says you don't. It's too deceitful. It's too deceitful. The most deceiving thing in this world is the human heart. Let's take the devil out of it. The human heart is awful deceitful. We don't know it. We don't know its capabilities. God said in Jeremiah 17, He said, the heart is deceitful above all things. Who can know it? And desperately wicked. He says, O Lord, verse 3, are not thine eyes upon the truth? Thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved. Thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a literally flint, a rock. They have refused to return. Therefore I said, surely these are poor, they're foolish, for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God. Verse 5, I will get me unto the great men then. I'll turn away from the simple ones, you know. Norm would turn away from them. I would go to the men of the Greeks to learn. The Greeks, that's what he's talking about here. And I speak unto them, for they have known the way of the Lord. Surely they've known it. And the judgment of their God. But, wait a minute. These have all together broken the yoke, or broken off the yoke and burst the bones. Let me read that to you in Amplified. Read this to you in Amplified. Verse 1. Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and take notice, seeking abroad squares to see if you can find a man, like Abraham. I said, I'm going down and I'm going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham said, wait a minute, I got a nephew down there. So he starts out with 50, you know. Lord, will you spare it if there's 50 righteous people down there? Lord said, if you can find 50, I'll spare it. All the way down to 10. I mean, Abraham was trying to strike a bargain with me. All the way down to 10. God said, if you can find ten, I'll spare you. But the Lord knew it. That's what he's saying right here to Jeremiah. He says, I've already surveyed the situation. Checked it out. And there's not a man in there. God knew there wasn't ten, wasn't twenty, wasn't thirty, wasn't forty, wasn't fifty. He knew that there was a righteous man there, righteous lot, but he was only righteous by God's grace, justified by the Lord. So he did show grace, he did have mercy, he sent the angels and they took old Lot out, and then God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So that's kind of what we've got going on right here. If you can find a man, one who does justice, who seeks truth, sincerity, and faithfulness, I'll pardon Jerusalem. I'll do that for one uncompromising person. Verse 2, he says, and though they say now, though they say as the Lord lives, surely they swear falsely. Don't let them fool you with that, with religious language. I said recently in a message, you know, we do have a Jesus cult in America. Everybody loves Jesus. You want to talk to them about Jesus? Everybody loves Jesus. But the same ones that talk about Jesus with serpie lips turn right around if you talk about the lordship of Jesus Christ and impose the kingship of Jesus Christ upon them. They hate that Jesus. And they'll hate you for proclaiming that Jesus. That's so now. I'm telling you the truth. Verse 3, O Lord, do not your eyes look on the truth? They have meant to please you outwardly, but you look on their hearts. I'm reading from the Amplified still. You have stricken them, but they have not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to take correction or instruction. They have made their faces harder than a rock. Stone faces. Stone faces. I tell you what's true. I hate to preach to stone faces. I do. I like to preach to those soft, tender faces that are just sucking it up when you preach to them. When you preach Christ, you know, preach the gospel, they just suck it up. It's a difference. Spiritual sense at all, as a preacher, you can tell it. There's a difference. He said, they have made their faces harder than a rock. They have refused to repent and to return to you. Verse 4. Amplify. Then I said, surely these are only the poor. They are sinfully foolish and have no understanding. For they know not the way of the Lord, the judgment that is a just and righteous law of their God. They're simple people. They haven't learned. They just haven't been able to reach it. He said, well, go to the great men. Go to men of degrees. the learned, the intellectual powers. And speak to them, for they must know the way of the Lord. They got degrees. They've been turned out of the seminary. They graduated with honors. Surely they ought to know the way of the Lord. But I found the very reverse to be true. These had all alike, with the simple, the foolish ones, all alike, put them in the same barrel. They're all rotten apples. They've broken off the yoke. It's the law word of God. and burst the bonds of obedience to him from them. You know, just down this bottom line here, and you would think that as logical thinking. Folks, you know, the average person, call them simple ones, they just haven't been able to get it. But a man that's been educated ought to know it, ought to have it. But you know, great men in general suppress the truth. Now, that's what I found in my survey over the years. They suppress the truth. Well, that's scripture, isn't it? You know what Paul said in Romans chapter 1? He said, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against the unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth, who hold down the truth. I've talked to men who claim they know the truth, but they suppress the truth, hold down the truth. What kind of man is that? Well, he's more dangerous than the fool, the unlearned. That's so. I'd rather have a rattlesnake crawl around under my pews than somebody like that here. Somebody just suppresses the truth. How many housemen gonna be safe if he doesn't receive the truth? Salvation, according to the scriptures now, is coming to a knowledge of the truth. Over the years, I've run up on those men of degree, those great men, in my younger days, who warned me against preaching the truth. Don't preach it. Yeah, that's so, young man, that's so. You're right, if you're on the right track, that's what the Scripture teaches, but you'll run your ministry if you preach it. And tell me that, you'll run your ministry. I'm going to tell you right now, I learned a long time ago, listen, if the truth ruins a ministry, that ministry ought to be ruined. That's right. Ought to be ruined. So you've got a good application here. If you want an application, you can apply this to the gospel, this concession, just as well as you could to the times of the prophets. It applies, doesn't it? It doesn't disapply. It's virtually the same. Whatever period of time you put it in. When people depart from the truth and refuse the word of God, Go their own way? That's what it says here, they know not the way of the Lord. And we're on dangerous ground, whatever age we live in, when people know not the way of the Lord. How in the world can a man tell a man how to get there if he doesn't know how to get there himself? Huh? I've always said this, it's just impossible for a man to say, well, you don't know this, come where you haven't been. Isaiah said this, Isaiah said, and judgment is turned away backward. Isaiah 59, 14, and judgment is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off, for truth is fallen in the street. Inequity cannot enter. Do you find yourself there? Do we find ourselves there today, folks, dear children? Truth has fallen in the street. Back here in chapter 2, the old prophet's writing, verse number Number eight, you see it there, he said, the priest said not, where is the Lord? They're not interested in him, the priest. Those that were ministering at the temple, day in, day out, going about their duties of ministering, offering the sacrifices. And this was a priest. Priests, they're not interested. They that handle the law, the word of God knew me not. The pastors who transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, falsely. False prophets. And walketh after things that do not profit. I seek the profit of your souls. That's all I seek. I don't seek yours, your materialism, what you have. I don't seek that. I mean, if you cut my salary tomorrow, if you let me stand, I'll still seek the profit of your souls. I've got no other interest in this place. I'm not seeking you or yours, I'm seeking the profit of your souls. I search this Bible, I seek the Lord's message, I want God to speak to my heart that I can speak to you. Why? That you might profit. We're all heading out of this world, pretty rapidly, leaving here for a long time. And what does it profit a man of Scripture if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? When it's all over, said and done, what would a man give in exchange for his soul? He'd give ten thousands of these old worlds that we live in, everything they offer. Because nothing means anything when you leave this world with a soul that's in union with Jesus Christ. I don't know. I'm not a prophet. I'm not a prophet. As far as being able to tell you what's going to happen tomorrow, next week, next year, I don't know. I just wonder though sometimes. I just wonder in our own state of affairs. And now we're pretty well to keep up with things globally. Used to. We didn't know anything about anything except what's going on around us next door. No news much. Certainly didn't know a thing across the waters, did we? Very little. Back in the days when there was no televisions, no cable news, knew very little. But we know about everything across the globe now. You see what's going on over yonder, the far reaches of the world? It looks like this thing's global. I don't know. But I know one thing about our country, and I wonder, I just wonder, I don't know, I say, but I just wonder if God has not given this generation up. Can't get an ear for the gospel, can't get an ear for the truth. If you don't have some means of entertaining somebody, you're not going to get them. You're not going to get them to listen to you. You've got to have them in your ear. I don't know where that lady went a while ago. She got up after the first song left here. You see that Ed? I don't know what she's looking for. Sure that's a wonderful hymn, but it's sort of dragging to most folks that don't know the gospel. Man, what to expect? I know what to expect. It doesn't make a difference what you preach. It doesn't make a difference how far you are from the truth. I mean, you can take a reader's digest and read a little story, and as long as you've got them jumping pews, they'll come. Yeah. Truth doesn't matter. That's what we are. No interest in the truth. And I tell you, he's done it before. He did it right here. He's done it time and time again. We read the history of how God works. You cannot despise the truth and abuse the truth long until God says, OK, I'm through with you. There you go. Wash my hands. Go your way. If you're not interested in my way, go your way. And you're gone. And I tell you, when I read here, other portions of God's history, the way He worked, our old nation has all the earmarks of a reprobate nation, this generation, reprobate. And it looks like to me, it just might be going to hell in a handbasket. I don't know. Here's something that seems to apply so perfectly. Out of Romans chapter 1, professing themselves to be wise, huh? It's kind of like his generation. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Intellectual fools, that's what he's talking about. And changed the glory of the incorruptible God. into an image made like the corruptible man. We've got a generation of folks today that molds themselves out of God that fits their fantasy. It's their imagination. You don't have to carve you out of something out of a chunk of wood or a piece of granite or something like that, you know, and set it down before you and have an idol, something to worship. Just worship the corrupt, Misconstrued, perverted, distorted imagery of the mind. Make God, make your God out of what comes out of this right here. And it's this God right here. If it doesn't fit that God that comes out of your mind, you'll be like that lady, you'll get up and walk out of here one true session. That's not the first time that's happened folks, that's happened. Many times this will hold church. Isn't that right? I'm sorry. We don't have one thing to offer. For 37 years, right here, I've been trying to hone in on this one thing ever. Sit right here on this rock pile. Take this hammer. Just hammer it away. Hammer it away, hoping God gonna bless this thing. Don't know nothing else to preach. Don't know nothing else to do. I'm getting tired. I'm wearing down. I know that. I can feel that. I'm wearing down. Changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like two corruptible men. God also gave them up. This is what he does when they say, away with this God. I don't want nothing to do with this God. I don't want that. Don't want to hear that. That's not what I'm looking for. God says, okay, go. That's what He said to you. God gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature. They got more there, but the word there is rather. Rather. You can't worship God, bless Him over you. If you worship God, you don't. It's rather. If you don't worship God, you're on the rather side. Rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Amen. He said, for this God gave them up to vile affections for even their women. He goes into this, what do you call it? Gay movement. Where did anybody ever come up with that? Gay. Nothing gay about that, is it? This perverted movement, this proper names queer movement. Queer. See, but that's not political correctness. Don't want to offend nobody. Tell God that. God don't hold back nothing, does he? But that's where it goes. It goes down, down, down in a spiral. Down, down, down. When you leave God and leave truth, you go down, down, down. Nowhere else to go. I wish you wouldn't go there. I do. I really do. Now ask this question here. I wrote this down. Let me raise this to you. What does God need do, what does He need do to turn a man into hell? Huh? Just let him alone. Let him go his way. Isn't that so? He doesn't have to predestinate him there. Just let him go! Let him go his way. He said this in Isaiah, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways. When folks going to wake up to that? For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. What's he saying there? Well, he's saying to man, there's an infinite distance between the way that you choose and the way that I choose. His distance as far as heaven and hell is apart. Long way. Matter of fact, the distance is so great, God's got a gut fixed. A partition. They can't come over here, and you can't go over there. Talking about hell and heaven. Hell and Heaven. I read this out of the Proverbs. There is a way that seems right to a man. Don't like ways now. But the end thereof are the ways of death. There is a way that seems right. About everybody I talk to, whatever they believe, they believe it's right. I mean, they believe it's right. They think what I'm doing, trying to spin my opinion, and it's just the way I believe, it's the way I think, you know, this is my idea. And I said, no, I'm trying to tell you, I believe it's consistent with the Word of God. No, no, that's just what you think. That's just what you think. They're convinced that they're right. There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. That's Proverbs 14, 12. You know God doesn't have to say something but one time for it to be so. But you go two chapters over in the book of Proverbs 16, 25, and he says the same identical thing there that he said there in Chapter 14. How many doesn't favor not one bit? Precisely the same words. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Let me tell you something. Are you listening to me? Are you? Are you? Are you listening? My God, the God that I believe, the God that I preach, the God of this bound, He is not coming over to your way. I keep telling folks that. He's not going to change His mind. You know that? Do you believe that to God this Bible is the immutable God? I am the Lord, I change not. Do you believe that? He's not going to change. Folks change, but God doesn't change. Era of time changes, doesn't it? Philosophy changes. Ideology changes. But this Word here says so in the Book of God. 1 John tells us that this Bible is settled forever in heaven. It's not going to change. Men may change it. They may try to change it. They do, they do, they do. That modern time, men have come up and devised every kind of way in the world to change this Book here. New translations, paraphrases, whatever else. Huh? But God has not changed. Are you listening to me? You getting that? He's not going to come over to your way. Just mark that down. You'll be damned waiting for Him to do so. My soul, unnumbered millions have tried to convince God that their way is a good way. Their way is a better way. And I'll tell you what, they were damned in their attempt to do so. Hey, you remember Cain? This goes way back over in the beginning, doesn't it? The first two signs of the first two parrots, Cain and Abel, you remember Cain? Well, Jude tells us, we read it in Jude, he said, Woe unto them, talking about those that refuse the truth and distort the truth and seek to pervert the gospel and deny the once for all faith given to the saints. We still got that crowd around. I know that was written 2,000 years ago, but we still got that crowd around. You see, they generate these people. They come through generations, right on down the line, right on down to our time, our generation, always seeking to distort and pervert the way. And you know what Jude said about it? He said concerning old Cain here, you woe unto them for they have gone the way. the way of Cain. You know, Cain tried his best to convince God that his way was a fine way, a good way. Don't you believe he did? He did. Surely God would accept this? I mean, he brought a nice vegetable carton of cabbages and potatoes. Don't you know they were the finest tomatoes ever grown? I grow some pretty nice tomatoes, but I like to sunk my teeth in some of those early tomatoes. I love tomatoes. But I tell you what, God was not going to be convinced. Old Cain was looking at his vegetable garden, and old Abel was beholding the lamb. And God said Abel's way is the way. And I accept Abel, his person, and his sacrifice, but you, your person, Cain, and your sacrifice is rejected, unacceptable. And there's still a world of folks going that way. There are. It just won't work, folks. It will not work. Yeah, he tried his best to convince God. Do you know where he is? Where's Kenneth? He's in hell. And his way leads to hell. Hey boy! He found the way. He saw Christ. He was beholding the Lamb. while Cain was beholding his works. Atonement, folks, and acceptance with the Holy God is in the blood. Atonement, life, life, life everlasting. Acceptance with the Holy God is in the blood. It's in the blood. It's in the blood sacrifice of Christ Jesus the Lord. Do you know it? Do you know it? The way of Cain is a salvation by reward and not gift. And the scripture makes that very, very clear. For by grace are you saved through faith, It's not of works, lest any man should boast. It's the gift of God. It's the gift of God. Not of works of righteousness, which we've done, but according to His mercy, He saves sinners. You remember the two sons of Aaron? I'm just throwing out a few here, examples. They tried other ways. You remember the two sons of Aaron? Leviticus, Chapatinus, Abihu, and old, uh, Abihu and Nadab. Old Nadab. Nadab and Abihu. They were priests, serving God under their father Aaron. Well, they got a clever idea. They put fire in their censer. They did. that went out and offered, what the Bible said, a strange fire to God. You remember that? It didn't work, did it? No, they wanted fire. God said, well, I'll fire up a place a little more. You want fire? I'll give you fire. So he sent down fire and it fired both of them. You remember that? If you don't believe me, go over there and read it. It's in Leviticus chapter 10. I've seen folks left here and leave here, left here. It is sort of a deadhead place sometimes. I've seen them leave here and make a statement after they're gone. There just ain't no fire down there. Ain't no excitement down there. I'm going to find me some fire. That's so needy of me. That's so needy of me to buy you. Buy me some fire. We'll find it. Find it. I'm going to be honest with you and tell you up front, it's not the way. Strange fire, wildfire. See any more folks telling anything yet? I mean talking about getting in it, you know. Getting in it. Hoop it up. Hoop it up. Hooray for Jesus. Fired up. No gospel. No truth. That's not the way, no. That's not the way. David, boy, David, he made his mistakes about as many as I have. Old David, he did what he thought was a good thing. Let's go down and get the ark and bring it up. Hey, let's do it in a good fashion. That's the ark of the Lord. Produce me a nice new ox cart and some fresh trained ox and then we'll have a bulldog cart full. Let's put that thing on a new ox cart and let's bring it up to the tabernacle and set it up where we can worship God." God said, that's not my way. He killed that old priest. Do you remember that? to put it in David's heart that that's not my way. That arch cart, I mean that arch represented the gospel of Jesus Christ in every fashion. Everything about it was a type of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and you don't lighten the burden. You don't take it to the people in a new fashion way. The gospel is the burden of the heart. How did they carry that old ark prior to that? On their shoulders. Four priests hoisted up that ark and let it rest on the shoulders, and they carried the ark. That's the gospel. You change of eyes and you wave, carry the gospel, and expect God to bless it. We're not going to do it. It's a burden. It's a burden. That's why I say it's a burden. It's a load. Hard, heavy load. You got to stay with it, though. Stay with it. Remember now, there is a way, which seemed right to man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Remember now, it doesn't matter how right it appears, if it is not Christ, which is God's way, it will lead a man to hell, straight down to hell. Jesus said to, who was Philip, I'm the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life. No man cometh to the Father except by me." Pretty simple, isn't it? You can't alter that. You can't whittle that down. You can't water it down. You can't compromise that. That's why he's asking, Jeremiah, if you can find one uncompromising fellow in Jerusalem. I'll spare Jerusalem. Jesus said, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. He said this, neither is there salvation in any other, for there's none other name given among men under heaven whereby you must be saved. That's the way. There's one God, one mediator between God and man. Who is he? He's the man, Christ Jesus. That's the only way, folks. That's the only thing I've got to preach. I know it doesn't attract folks, but that's the message. It'll get you to heaven if you believe. It will. It'll get you into glory if you believe. You see, the one and only way that God gives a sinner is to repent, of his or her sins, that means turn from it, set your eye upon Jesus, never take it off, and you'll get there. You'll get there. My Father, my God in heaven, I thank you, I bless your name for the infinite mercies of the Almighty God. We're here today in the mercies of the Lord. We're privileged, Father, by divine privilege, to have your word before us and for the blessed Spirit of God to lead our minds and thoughts and give us a word for the people. And this is all you gave me. It's all I had for them. I hope they'll be blessed to their hearts. I hope they'll be blessed to make use of it. I hope, Heavenly Father, it will redound to the glory of thy name and to the eternal profit of every soul in this place. I pray, my God, that we might see a day when we do get a hearing. When we do find a people that have an interest in the gospel, just an interest in the Word of God, the simplicity of the gospel, Salvation is in Christ alone. That's pretty simple. Pretty simple. Folks seem to be looking for everything in the world but that simplicity that's in Christ. But may the Lord be pleased to give us a day when I see a moving of the Spirit of God in a mighty way, awakening hearts, turning folks from this old world and all of its pleasures to seeking the Lord. Seeking the Lord, my God, we pray. Move madly that we may see an upturning of hearts to seek after the Lord while there's time, while there's space, while there's space. Have mercy upon us, we pray, for Christ's sake. Amen.