the Bible is good for us to study. There's none of it that we wouldn't profit by studying. And I find it kind of hard sometimes not to get a thought in mind that you could study, but try to get something in mind that you feel like the Lord wants us to do the most good. And that's been my desire this week, and I'm not settled all through the week is what we study. I'm sure the Lord will give it to us as we need it to go along. And we felt like tonight, something I've tried to teach on a couple of times, already this year in different places. I don't think I have in this section, but it's something to me that's serious. And I wish that we could have had all of our preachers and even visiting preachers here. I don't want to just pick on the two that's here, but I'm going to talk a little bit about preachers, and then we're going to turn the other side and deal with members. And now, I find this a little bit hard. I told somebody the other day that it's not as hard maybe to teach it somewhere else as it would be where you passed And the reason for it, it'd be very easy, I don't feel like you will, it'd be very easy to think that a preacher's trying to put himself up as some great something and trying to get people to, so to speak, bow to him and give him some kind of special honor. Now, I trust tonight that you know me better than that. I want you to anyway. I've never expected anybody to, as I say at his tip, their hat to me. And that's not my design. and for the hearers of the church that I want to get on our mind tonight. And I've said in preaching different times lately everywhere that I preach that I think we all admit that there are several things that maybe we have in our service but not to the point that it ought to be. Now we have God's power with us, but I believe we all know it could be greater. We have God's presence with us. I'm glad I can feel Him in our services, but I'll tell you what I'm convinced on my part and yours to be with us in a greater way. And there's something else I feel that's to some degree at least that we're losing sight of it or it's not in our service like it should be. And that's just real reverence for the service of God. Reverence for even the house of God. Just real respect in every way for God's work and God's service. I believe, and I'm not just trying to always go back to used to these, I know our forefathers had their folks, the people I grew up with as a boy, and they were older, they were great men, they had their folks. But I do believe I saw a time when there was more reverence to God in our services than there are now. I believe that I remember a time when a lot of preachers, and I'm sure that there's been some in every age that no doubt didn't care and was not concerned But my memory goes back to men that were very serious about their preaching. And move back to men, there was no joking about what they preached. Or they'd get on somewhere and maybe make bright remarks to somebody else about what they preached. Now, I don't feel like the preachers, Brother Harvey and Brother Ted, cheer with us. I don't feel like they're guilty, and I don't think they'll think I'm throwing this at them. But I feel like that they've heard the same thing I have. Now I hear preachers, and I'm saying they're good men, yet I think we've got an ingredient missing that we need in our lives, in our service. That's where I'm going to drive at tonight. I hear preachers after maybe preaching on a weekend or maybe at a meeting. And really Ted, I hear them kind of, to me, brag about how I preach to the people. And I hear this term, how I skimp the people, where I've got you. And really it bothers me, that affects me, to hear a man make that statement. And until I had the boy, I really got up and told him where I preached. Now, the first thing I think of when I hear a person with that attitude, that he missed everything it was about. Now, I don't believe that any true man of God that loves God, he'd have enjoyed, I believe, rebuking people. I don't believe a man enjoys that. I know this, I've come to the time, maybe not since I've been here, but at churches where we were having a lot of problems, and I knew that there just had to be a lot of plain preaching and the point of rebuking done with the Bible. And I really just got a hold of me bad enough that Saturday night had just been as well as there hadn't been a bedroom. Just no sleep. And I'm not saying that for any honor on my part. It bothers me that way. I've gotten out and just walked the yard at night to be sure I was in the right shape to bring the message the next day. And now when a person can seemingly just read his skull Preach hard and, as somebody said, skin people as they use the term. I think that's a bad term, but preachers use it. Preachers, now if they can do that and enjoy it, I'm not going to say what's wrong, but something's wrong. Now that's just not the way God wants it. And then maybe to brag about preaching to so-and-so, kind of sing with somebody else and preach to them. Now this thing's of God, and if it's not, we ought to quit. And if it is of God, then we need to let God have His way. Then there's another side I hear. And I don't know that one of you been guilty. I trust you haven't. I trust you don't become guilty. But I hear people that maybe go to church and leave with maybe a man preach his heart out, preach the truth. And I hear slight remarks made by members about what he preached. And I hear a speaker say, well, now, if he thinks he's going to get me to do that, he's crazy. I'll listen to him make that statement. Well, somebody missed the point. Somebody didn't get the lesson. And then members maybe go, and I trust, again, you haven't been guilty. And I'll teach this not in way of a charge against somebody, but to get over a lesson. And maybe others say that that man's my preacher. And he began to preach, and he gets kind of close to what we do. He begins to point out wrongs in maybe our individual lives or our family. And about the first thing you'll hear somebody say, that man got himself. that he's in the flesh. Well, now, I believe every one of you that say that's very close to God, I believe you can tell when a man's in the spirit, when he's in the flesh. Now, I believe I've listened to men preach, and I'm sorry to say that no doubt down through the years I've been guilty of some of that. And I'm sorry about that. I don't want it to be so anymore. But I believe if you're sitting listening to a man preach, and that man gets out of the leadership of God and just gets inhuman, I believe you can tell the difference. I believe you'll know that there's something wrong. Well now, it'd be time then, whether you said anything or not, that you might call out the humanity part. But I want to try to get over to us tonight, and I'm going to read several scriptures. And you that know my manner in Bible study, I don't quote a lot of scriptures. I quote some. I think it's better to turn and read most of them in the Bible study. I think it does us more good. And I'll tell where I'm going to turn. If you want to turn, fine. If you don't, I'm not asking you to. I'll leave that with you. But now, if we could get back to this point in our churches, that this is God's work. This is His business. When I think about the statement Jesus made to Joseph and Mary, wist you not that I must be about my Father's business. Now, you know, if this church work over here is not the business of God, we got the wrong thing going. It's supposed to be. And now, if it is of God, We need to listen to him. And I want to show you the responsible side to start with of preachers. And I'm going to be honest with you. I thought years ago when I started preaching, almost 35 years ago now, and I thought, well, when I preach a few weeks or months or maybe in a few weeks revivals, maybe have a few funerals and different kinds of services, I'll get to where it don't bother me. Well, now, as far as The audience bothering me, that part never has bothered me as bad as some. I don't say it's never had any effect, but it never has had the effect on me that some. I was blessed not to have that big a problem with that. But now, there is a part of it that bothers me worse now than when I started. I never get thinking about preaching and getting a fool of it that I don't have trembling feet. Now, you may not sense it. It may not be an outward trembling. But there's an awareness inside that what I'm fixing to do, that I'm responsible for. That I've got to meet my God. I've got to give an account for it. And I want to feel that way, and I want to preach and teach that way. And then the other side of it is that you are just as responsible for the message God sends, what you do with it, as a preacher is for preaching it. And now, one other thing, and I'll read the scripture. We're coming, and you hear this, say it, I say it, others. to about as loose daily and living as we've ever seen. We have never gone through what we're going through now. And I'm going to be honest, except a few that gets converted and try to live for God, I don't think generally it's going to get any better. I'm not looking for it. I think we're seeing the best of it now. We say we'd like to see it back like it was 10 years ago. I imagine 10 years from now, we'd like to see it back like it is tonight. Things are getting worse all the time. I think they'll continue. But now, we've come to the place that a lot of people just have a bad feeling when a preacher depends down on our lives and begins to preach that we ought to live right, get right down to our homes, to our manner of living, our manner of dressing, our manner of talking, everything we do. Now, I'm going to say again, I don't believe there's any preacher that just enjoys getting up and preaching all day. And I think everyone knows as much about it as I do that somebody's going to get their feet in the dirt. Somebody's going to get ill at you. They're going to have something to say. A lot of times you lose what you might have thought was French when you're preaching. But I want to get over to you first tonight. It's responsible to God to preach the message. And if he don't preach it, that's who he's going to meet. Now, I don't have time. It'd take more than one night. If I went back in the Old Testament, But I guess the scriptures got me to thinking about this more than any other scriptures in the Bible was God's writing to Ezekiel or God's talking to Ezekiel. And I'll just give you a couple of chapters. You can go read them when you have time. And I'm not going to try to read them tonight. But if you'll read Ezekiel 3 and Ezekiel 33. And I'll tell you what you do when you start to read those, as much as you can, put yourself in Ezekiel's place. and read that scripture and see if it sounds like a responsible place that God gave him and I find that he was responsible to God he couldn't make the people do but he was definitely responsible to carry God's message and if he didn't he was guilty and I'm going to read at least most of 1 Timothy chapter 1 and I want you to notice in this Paul writing to the young preacher Timothy and there was a lot of things out of order in some places he wanted Timothy to help correct and make right He was concerned about the truth being preached and the wrong things that were wrong not being preached, or those being stopped. And then one statement Paul made about himself that we'll take and try to study from. First verse of 1 Timothy chapter 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope, unto Timothy, my own son into faith, grace, mercy, and peace on God our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord. As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that I might discharge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies which minister questions, rather than God to edify him which is in faith, so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, out of a good conscience, out of a faith unfailing, from which some have swerved some havings were to turn aside and evangelize, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm. But we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslavers, or whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust." Now, I read several verses. You could tell what he desired of Timothy. It was Paul who desired to first see Timothy go right and then see that was wrong. corrected or at least made right by preaching the truth. Now listen, Paul makes a statement about himself. And I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious. For I obtained mercy, but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly and unbelievingly. Now I'm going to stop with that. Paul goes around and makes several statements about himself and about other men. He encouraged Timothy to war, a good warfare. And Paul named some men that they had been delivered to Satan or he felt like he delivered them to Satan that they might learn not to blaspheme, trying to no doubt warn Timothy and instruct him. Now I read one verse mainly that we want to get our thought from. Paul mentioned about himself. Of course, Paul felt unworthy. to be what God had made him, and I feel he and the rest of us feel the same way. But he said in verse 11, I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me in the ministry. Now, don't get in your mind the Bible says that everything that a man's gonna teach or say is something you've never heard of before. Now, a lot of times it's things we already know and no doubt need our minds stirred up. Now, we have come to a time years ago There wouldn't have been a lot of being or maybe need of stressing this part. But now, we've come to a time that the ministry is not even by many people looked upon as something that God has. You know here, I don't know how long that may have been, I think maybe it was about the time I came here, maybe sometime last year at least, that I preached several messages on the local station right here. And I mentioned how that God, that the ministry, was a divine call that ministers didn't make their own choice. And you'd be surprised at the backlash I got. And I even met some people that claimed to be Baptists, not any of ours. But they said really they didn't believe that. You've got a lot of people that just don't accept that. Now, if a man has not chosen of God to preach, he's waited too long to quit. He ought to already quit. I thought about one question an old man asked me when I first announced my call to preach. And he was very serious about it. He had kind of an odd way of asking, but he got over his point to me. And whenever he met me, he said, well, James, I heard you started preaching. And I said, yes, sir. The old man announced my call and told him when. But he said, I got one question to ask you. He said, could you quit now? And I said, no, sir. I tried to keep from starting. And he said, well, that's a good answer. You just go right ahead. But he said, if you could quit now, you quit. He said, if you could stop where you are now, don't you ever preach again. Well, I believe that if a man could quit, he don't need to preach. Now, the first thing to get in our mind, that it was God's choice to put him in the ministry. Now, God calls men. I feel like other men feel just like I do about this. It looks to me like sometimes, and that might sound odd for me to say it, Looks to me like if I'd have been going to pick out somebody to preach, I'd have made a lot different choice than what God did. I tell you, when God burdened me to preach, I named several people that was in my home church that I felt like do a lot better job than I did. I named some people that had a lot more of learning every way than I had, and I felt like more gifted in every way. But Brother Ted, it seemed to be God's choice if they go ahead and fill the place they were fitting, and I preached. Now then, drop right down to chapter 3 of the same book, just heard it, and I'm not going to take a lot of time for qualifications, but I want to read it. And the reason I'm doing this is that God still calls me. And since it's such a serious work, that God did put some very strict qualifications on a man preaching. And I think it's easy to see it. Now, I'm not trying to use what's happening in our Congress or our law-making bodies, I don't mean to turn to that tonight altogether, but I notice for any man to fill a place that he might be going to fill in our government, where it's overseas or here at home, an important place that usually his whole character, of course, I'll admit there's probably a lot of politics in it, maybe a lot of things brought out that might not be so, and maybe a lot of things should be brought out that's not. And that's not the point I'm getting over, but the principle is what I want you to get. that usually they check that man's life. And they see if there's anything bad back in his life. And if it is bad, many times it might keep that man from fitting the place that they planned for him to fit. Now, God certainly has a greater work than any government job that you could name. And now, I believe he lets the church do some looking, but the way he does, God calls men And then God gives the church some qualifications that they can look at and see if that man has them. And now, if you listen to them as I go on to read other scriptures tonight, I think you'll see why that God's strict about those he calls to preach. He said in chapter 3 of 1 Timothy verse 1, this is a true saying, if a man desires the office of a bishop, he desires the good work. That didn't mean if a man thought he wanted to preach. Now I've heard that verse blown out of his shape every week. Now I understand Bishop is an overseer. He's one to fill a pastor's place. And now, there's nothing wrong if God's called a man, and that's the desire that man's got, that's a good work. That's a good place, that's where God wants him. He said a bishop then must be blameless. Now let's take just a few minutes, and we're not trying to waste time, but let's don't run over our Scripture. Now I'm not teaching, and you know better, than sin is perfection in a man's life. None of us are sinners. There's sin about everyone, and yet we have tried to justify a lot of wrong with just that statement. But now then, if a man's blameless, if you were looking at that qualification or that quality in a man, you wouldn't think about somebody that's had everything in the world laid to their charge. Now, brethren, I'm not going to say enough to even let you guess it, these preachers might. But I've been invited to ordinations, and I've been told that I made myself a judge, but I didn't. I didn't answer them, and I don't care to. I just answer to God and let that be it. But maybe just before time that this man started preaching, and maybe ordained shortly, there was all kind of tales following the man. His life, just not what it ought to be. And the church set him up to ordain. Now, if I get in one of those, it'd be ignorance. I just don't plan on being involved. And I know I see that. Now, I feel like the ordinations today are becoming in every way more slack. It looks like church is overlooking more principles every day. Now, I'm not expecting some man started preaching here. I'm not expecting a man that there's never been a mistake in his life. But I'm going to tell you this. If after God's called that man, he's made his call known, or made a call known, whether God called or not, I put it that way. You can look and see all kind of wrong that's in that man's life, and you've got all kind of reports of what that man does, you better hold off ordination. We're slipping if we go ahead. Now, the Lord wants a man to be blamed as the husband of one wife. Now, I've never tried to go overboard on the marriage question, and I'm not doing what I've heard a few teach it as an unpardonable sin. By no means, I'm not implying that. But I do believe God meant just what he said with his ministry. Now, I heard a man, I don't mind calling the man's name. I heard a man years ago, we had an article he wrote, Preacher D.N. Jackson. Was no doubt a well-versed man in his day. He had a wonderful memory. And I heard him make light of some of this. And his statement was that it meant one at a time. Now that's the most ridiculous statement I ever heard a preacher make. I said this, if a man's got more than one at a time, he shouldn't be allowed in the community, let alone the pulpit. And now when the Lord said to the husband of one wife, he meant just exactly what he was saying. And now for a man to fill the place that I want to show you that minister fills, I think you can see why God said it. Vigilant, sober, of good behavior. All this could take a lot of time, and I'll just try to read them distinctly and let you listen to them. Given to hospitality. apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous, one that rooted well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity." Listen to that statement. Now that requires a lot. For if a man know not how to root his own house, how shall he take care of the Church of God? Now I'm going to stop with that. That goes on to talk about a novice. But I just read you a few of the qualifications that God mentioned that for a minister to have if he's going to oversee the flock that God gave. Now turn back me to Acts 20. And let's approach it from a little bit different angle now. And I want to show you another fault that no doubt we've run into. You know, this Venice god only calls a man and gives a church qualifications to go by. But now a church should be sure that they're spirit-led when they select a man to fill a place as an overseer. Now, I think I've seen too many times that there's too much humanity in our churches when it comes time to select a pastor. You know, I still hear this statement made by some, and I've heard it different times. In fact, I ran into it last year when several churches were hunting pastors, trying to get pastors, and one man made this statement to me. He said, we won't have any trouble getting a pastor. I trust you won't." I didn't have any idea what he was talking about, and he told what their offering was. Well, I've always let that burn me just a little bit when a man takes that approach to it. And I said, well, I know it all. I must get more than we deserve. I said, I'm glad I do. I wouldn't have enough probably to get gas to get home. But I said, I want to tell you this. There was a few men preaching before there was much money in the churches, and there will be some preaching when he quits. If he does, I said, never God's had some men preaching. And I scolded the man. I said, really? I had more confidence in you than that. I said that you'd even look at that side in considering calling a pastor for a church. Now, I want you to listen just to one verse, verse 28 in Acts 20. And this was talking to the elders. He said, take heed, therefore, unto yourselves and to all the flock. And here's the main statement. Over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers. over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Now, he's telling us not only does God call men and God wants qualified men, but God's Holy Spirit is to place men over the flock that God wants over. And now there's nobody can know like God. God knows the place for a man. I don't know, you don't know, this is not for the bishops to do, or the elders to do, or the convention to do, or the association to do. But it's for God to do. That God does it through His Holy Spirit. Now, turn to 1 Peter chapter 5, and let's begin a little bit of thought on what the preachers to be and not be. 1 Peter chapter 5, and I'll read about the first maybe four verses. The elders which are among you I exhort, and now there's time in the Bible we think about elders, we think about older people, but the usual thing is talking about ministers in the Scripture, and here that's what he's talking about. To the elders or the ministers which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Now, brethren, listen to the instructions. God's guilty. Feed the flock of God, which is among you. Now let me stop and reason with you as an audience. I mean, how many of you mothers ever fed your children things they didn't want? You knew it was good for them? You knew they needed it? You know, most of our children were real hard as far as eating. I thought about one or two of them that if you'd have given them what they wanted, it would have been a little what we call knick-knacks, just a little sweets. desserts. You can fix a plate of something that had real nourishment about it and we had one or two who pushed that back. And all they would have wanted is a few bites of something that really would have done them a whole lot of good. I've seen my wife fix in that plate what she felt like they ought to have. And she'd just take time to feed that child. Well, I've seen the time with medicine. Have you ever gotten a medicine that tasted real good that didn't do you much good? You know, most any of it I've ever taken, if it was any good, it usually had a bad taste to it. Somebody said something to me about taking bad medicine. I said, you grew up in the wrong age. You ought to come along with black draught. It usually had a bad taste to it. Somebody said something to me about taking bad medicine. I said, you grew up in the wrong age. You ought to come along with black draught and 360s, and I named a few other things. all my daddy knew they had for medicine when I was growing up. And I said, just a pair of thoughts of taking those three sixes. I said, you're about to lock my jaws. But I said, that's about all. And I've seen him take his nine point, and I don't know what and all he thought he cured, but he's lived up in his 80s, and he still does. It's something working pretty good. God's taking care of it. But I've had him take his nine point many a time and get the quinine bottle. And I'd get a little bit fevered. little something wrong, maybe my blood a little bit infected it. He'd measure me out some quinine on that box. And I learned right quick you had to hold your breath so you could swallow. Well, I'm not just trying to be comical, but I want to get something over to you. Now, we could say this is an awful charge with Richard, the preachers, to feed the flocks. Feed them what? And now don't get me wrong, but let me just ask you, folks of thought, feed them what they want? Did you know sometimes we don't want the right thing? Did you know I listen to people talk about sometimes preachers they like? And I heard two men, I was in a meeting last summer, and it's nobody you know all that much about, but I heard two men, and one better said, now if I had my choice, that's the only two preachers I'd ever listen to. And of course he was kind of picking at me with it, but he was telling me how he felt. And just kept on, some others had about the same feeling. And I finally asked him, I said, well, what's so great? I knew he wanted me to buy it anyway. Well, he said, one thing, one of them never preaches against sin. And now a lot of people kind of like that. And he says, the other one don't preach for a few minutes. And he said, now, if I was going to have my choice, that's the two I'd want. Well, now then, you know what reading you might need? And I'm not saying, I'm not trying to say This church needs rebuking and all that, but it might come the time it would. Did you know what you might need may not be what you enjoy? But have you ever thought about what God has told the preacher? Feed the flock of God. And Mother Hardy, you're responsible to feed the church at Baton Rouge. You're responsible to feed the church in Denver Springs. And now unless we do it, he didn't say feed them if they won't. That's often been said, you can put the water in the trough or the feeding trough, but you can't make one eat it. I know that. But now God has actually put on the preacher the responsibility of putting the feed down. And I'll tell you that within itself will make a preacher shudder to know that by the word of God, I'm to feed the people of God. Then he said, take in the oversight. And that just sent the means to look over, watch over. You know, sometimes we get offended the preacher learns too much about us. Somebody kind of thinks he's snooping around. Well, I don't really think he has to learn a whole lot. Now, going back to what I read in Acts 20, 28, the same Holy Spirit that makes the preacher overseer over a flock. It's going to cause him just to happen up at the right time and see the right thing and hear the right thing, and he'll know more than you ever thought he knew. And somebody say, how is it so God? Now, if God puts a man over a fox to be an overseer, don't you believe God will help him to oversee it? Don't you believe God will give him the oversight? And I'll tell you this much now, it is not wrong for a pastor to watch over the fox that God put him over. In fact, he's wrong if he don't. He says, and taketh the oversize up, not by constraint, but willingly, not for a filthy lucre, but of ready mind. If a man is watching over a flock or preaching for just what he gets out of, or out of it, he ought to be gone. You don't have any use for it. Unless the man's concerned about you, he's not going to be a blessing to you. If you just act for what he gets, he'll never do it. Now then, here's one of the principal verses. And this has been used wrong, different ways. Neither is being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock. And I'll read the other verse. I'm not going to study it with you, but it's in with this. And when the chief shepherd, that's Jesus, shall appear, he shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Now, verse 3, let's study it just a moment. Neither being lords over God's heritage. Now, it's right that preachers not to be addicted. And I believe that. I don't want to leave any impression with the church ever that I'm to be a dictator. I don't want you to ever thought that I'm trying to run your business or lord over you. But now I feel like we're going overboard the other way with this thing. Somebody say, well, I know the preacher preached so-and-so and maybe this message or the other, but you know, I don't have to listen. He's not my boss. He's not. Have you ever thought the Lord likens a church to a flock? Let me ask you a question. How far can a shepherd lead sheep that won't fopper? Far and wide with shepherds. And again, I'm not trying to say do everything I say. Be sure it's what God said and that's what I want to tell you. But I feel like there needs to be a closeness first between the minister and God. To know what God wants the people to hear. And then the people need as much as possible to just forget the preacher. Don't see him as some man you specially like or dislike, but as a mouthpiece for God in bringing you God's message. And he's not to be a lord over the flock, over God's heritage, but an example to the flock. And I know we can either say it's no worse for maybe the preacher to do it than it would be for me or for me than it would the preacher. Now, I think we all live for God. I'll say this. You got some statements in the Bible. I started to take that rap tonight and I'm not, but there's some terms in the Bible that teach us to do and then teach. Not teach and then do. Now, if I'm not going to do a thing myself, I don't need to teach you. I don't need to get up here, somebody said, the old colored man said, and say, do as I say and not as I do. Now, that's not the attitude that God wants us to have. I need to convince you, and I pray God I can, that I'm God's man. And that I will bring you God's message. And somebody said it don't matter where you hear it or not. It matters with me whether you hear it or not. If it didn't, I'd quit. It makes a difference where you hear it or not. And I want to preach in such a way that at least you will feel like that it's God's message and not mine. And then I'm going to turn the other side in a few minutes. God expects you to listen. Turn with me to Revelation chapter 1 now. And I'm not a preacher. If there are any members bypassing church authority, I'll leave a church that's got jurisdiction over a preacher, but I'll mention that. There's another side I want to get to. Revelation 1 verse 10. We'll read down through about verse, well, 16 or 17. And I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice of a trumpet saying, I'm Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. What I see is right in a book. And sin of the seven churches which are in Asia, under Ephesus, under Samarna, under Pergamos, under Thyatira, under Sardis, under Philadelphia, and where I see them. And I turned to see the voices speaking with me, and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. Let's stop that just a moment. If you will drop down and read the last verse, I will not read it. you'll find beyond any doubt these seven golden candlesticks were the seven churches of Asia. And now, I don't know how you feel, of course, that'd be beside the point. I believe the fact of them being seven of them had a meaning to it. And I don't try to run out and be an extremist with numbers, but I'll say this, there was more than seven churches in Asia. But God saw fit to use the number seven. And I believe with all my heart that there's enough sevens to convince any earnest inquirer of the Bible. That seven has a meaning and that's completion. And I feel like, and I want you to get a picture here, not just the seven candlesticks out at John's soul in Halifax, but I want to get on your mind, your church age, the churches, the entire complete church age. And I want you to see the Lord among the churches now as well as then, and not just the picture John saw then." Now, listen to it, "...and in the midst of his seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, clothed a girdle down to the foot, and girded about the pouch the golden girdle, clothed a garment down to the foot, and girded about the pouch the golden girdle. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were in the flame of fire." Now, if you study these different statements, I think there's lesson in every one of them. You see him among us, his eyes wide, there's not a thing our Lord misses. He appears, his eyes sees everything, his feet, I believe, to know his judgment like fine brass. He said his feet like a fine brass if they burn in a furnace, and his voice is the sound of many waters. Now then, get in your mind him walking in the midst, and I'll let me repeat, not just seven churches then, but see our Lord still among his churches. I know he's not pure-bodied, but I believe spiritually he's among his churches now as he was then, as the same authority over him now that he had then. Now get this verse, verse 16. And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp, two-edged sword, and his countenance as a sun, shining in his strength. When you read about these stars, you find that these stars were the angels of the seven churches. I'll write down the verse 20 again. Maybe I should just read that verse. The mystery of the seven stars, which I saw is in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. Now, you preachers, and you might correct me back when I get through, I've heard a lot of argument and difference about the angels. Now, if God has or ever has had what we know as an angel that God sends down to bring message to a church, it's more than I know. Now, if he has that kind of work, I don't know. Now, I believe he's talking about the messenger to the church, and that's the more than a pastor that God puts over a flock. And I think we're safe to say that the stars in his hand represented the messengers or pastors to the seven churches of Asia. All right, he went on to tell us further that the seven stars and the seven churches, the seven candlesticks which I saw are the seven churches. Now then, I want you to get a picture in your mind that Jesus in the midst of his churches and in his right hand holding the ministers of the churches in his hand. Now if we had time to go back, God told Ezekiel in talking to in chapter 3 and again chapter 33 about the same statements he said you're to get the word at my mouth and carry it to Israel and if you don't know where to get your message now Ezekiel you're to get it from me all right the same principle in the New Testament time now if you'll read and I'm not going to read the next two chapters but if you'll read you've got seven letters in chapters two and three of revelations and each one of these letters starts with a similar statement. The first one said, On the angel of the church of Ephesus rise. On the angel of the church of Ephesus rise. You will find the other six are started the same way. Now then, let me back up and I'll come back to this in a moment. I believe this church, you've got two of your ministers sitting here tonight, that whole membership in your church. Now I know that you laid hands on them and you've got authority over them to a certain extent. as a church. Now, if you get a report that Brother Harvey or Brother Ted or one of the others is preaching heresy, you've got a perfect right to check on them. And according to what Paul told Titus, you need to admonish them if they are. If that comes up again, you owe a second admonishment to them. Now, if they continue, Paul told Titus that the first and second admonition reject, and that was dealing with a heresy. I believe their life can become immoral, they can become dishonest, and I believe you have a right as a church to check into it. But now then there's a side that you don't have right. You have no right to tell this man what he's to preach Sunday. And as long as he's preaching Bible, time has no jurisdiction over it. When Brother Ted goes to Grace or Star Hill, You have no right to tell him that, Brother Ted, you preach so and so. This is Easter Sunday coming up, and you're going to preach about Easter. You're going to preach what we won't preach. Now, those things are not right. Now, what I'm getting over, the ministry is called of God. God gave some strict qualifications for it. He's put over the church by the Holy Ghost of God. And then He's not to be a Lord, but set an example as He works with us. And then he's in the Lord's hand. He called him. He appointed him to preach. And now he's to get his message from him. God knows what we need. Now it's just amazing to me to go into a place you know nothing about anybody. You know nothing about what they're doing or not doing or need or don't need. And then began to preach. And looks like somebody had told you everything that was there. That's nothing more than the work of God. God knows what to do now. The preacher is to be in the hands of God, and God's the one that's to use them or give them the message to preach. Now back up to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. I wrote a word meaning down here I want to read to you in a minute, or somebody might differ with me. I'm going to read just maybe one verse here for the sake of time. I've got some other scripture that I want to get to. Let's read verse 20. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 20. He said, now then we're ambassadors for Christ. Now the word ambassador, I looked up the meaning, and maybe you don't have to have that to do in some time, but I have to go back and kind of rehearse and get my meaning straight again. Now the reason I mention this, I hear this preached that all the members of the church are ambassadors, Paul told his church. Now listen to your word. Now then we, Paul's talking about himself, he mentioned Timothy being with him, ministers of God, or ambassadors for Christ, and listen to it closely. As though God did beseech you, who? Corinth. That's who he's writing to. Beseech you by us, we the ambassadors. We pray you in Christ's stead. Christ is not here now. And we're begging you, we're praying you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled unto God. Now what I'm stressing, that he's using the word ambassadors for his ministers here, and not the common run of the church. Now let me read you the word, it's used this way in two places in the Bible. And the first thing is to be elders or seniors, that's one of the meanings. And then we think about, we think about maybe just Webster's common meaning, we think about a high ranking diplomat maybe in our country, I usually use the form young when I do Webster for Bible works. But now he's talking about elders in this case. And in Ephesians 6 and 20, he uses the same statement. Paul said, I'm an ambassador in bonds. I'm a preacher of the Lord, and I'm in bonds. Now, what I'm getting over again, the greatness of it, the Lord's called me. They're in God's hand to get His message from God, and they're ambassadors for Him. And now, if you'd stop, and this almost makes me tremble to think about it, let alone try to consider putting it into place. They said, now, the Lord's not here, but we beseech you, or beg you, in his stead, be reconciled unto God. Now, if I get up here, and I know I've made a many a failure, and I'm sorry for every one of you, but if I get up here and bring you a message from God, and it's God's message, and your life is not reconciled unto God, Your life is out of harmony with the will of God. Or something Pine Church is doing is out of harmony with the will of God. Then God put me in the gall to stand here as an ambassador for Christ and beg you to be reconciled to God. Now I'm not here to reconcile God to you. Paul said we're not here persuading God, we're persuading men. I'm not trying to beg God to accept what you're doing. but begged you that you accept the way of God, be what God wants. Well, the same thing with the Sermon. Turn to 1 Corinthians 9. Let's get one other verse, and I want to turn to the other side, the churchy side for a moment before we run out of time. I want you to listen to a man that saw seriousness in preaching the Word of God. For the sake of time, 1 Corinthians 9 is a choice chapter to me. It's been a great blessing to me. It stirred me many times just to read it. We'll drop down to verse 16 for the sake of time and read just a few verses. Paul said, for though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to go around. For necessity is laid upon me. Listen, yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. And Paul realized God expects it out of me, and woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, A dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. Now brethren, if I willingly go do it, I got a reward. But if against my will, God still said go do it. He didn't ask me when he started to call me, do you want to go? He didn't ask these other brethren, but God requires that we do. And the difference is, if I'll go willingly, God said I'll reward you for it. That's what Paul was talking about. He said, What is my reward then, Barry, that when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I have used up my power in the gospel? For though I be free from all men, yet, won't you listen to how serious this man was? Yet if I make myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews. To them that are under the law as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law. to them that are without law, being not without the law of God, but of the law of Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. And Paul didn't mean he misbehaved himself or left doctrine. He tried to approach men in a way to be a blessing to them. And I'll say this, maybe I haven't faced what that man did. You do not approach every person the same way and try and be a hit to them. And now here's a verse that's meant a lot to me. He said, To the weak became I as weak. that I might gain the week. I made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." Now, hurriedly turn to 2 Corinthians 11, and I'll just cut it down and make it two scriptures along that line. And preachers, you might teach me something on this, what about I don't know, but I want to get over to it at least in a partial way. Have you ever considered the responsibility of a man over a church? You know, if one of you was hired tomorrow to take over a business, and you're to help run that business. You're responsible for how you conduct yourself, what you do, whether it prospers or don't. You do a good job with them. Have you ever considered a preacher facing the Lord whenever the church that he pastored or people he pastored meets him? Listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians 11. Would to God he could bear with me a little in my folly, and he'd bear with me. Here's the verse. For I am jealous over you, with God the jealousy. for I have espoused you to one husband." That didn't mean that he engaged the church in Christ. Christ did that while he was here. But now, I was espoused to you. He got their attention on one fellow, on Jesus. And listen, that I may present you, and that's the same word present identically as used in Romans 12.1. And I'll give you this scripture. He said, I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercy of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which you will reap, my servants." Now, I believe we know what he meant by presenting our body to the Lord. Paul said that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. Have you ever thought about the minister having that part when the church meets Jesus? Turn to Philippians 2. Let's get one other verse to go with it. I had some others, but we're going to have to cut some of them out to get on to one I'm going to close with. We'll start reading verse 12, Philippians chapter 2. Wherefore, my beloved, you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputes, that ye may be blameless and harmless as sons of God without rebuke. In the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom he shined his lights in the world, holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ." And that's talking about when the Lord comes back, that I hadn't worked in vain. Now, he's going to know how that church stands and meets the Lord. Now, let me give you one other to go with it. It might help you. It's along a different line. And I don't even read it. But in the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, when you have time to read it, Paul mentioned to them how they turned from idols to serve a true and living God when he went. And what it was, he preached the gospel to them, and they got saved, and they turned to God. Now then in chapter 2, the closing verses, he said, What is our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing? Are not you, even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ? at his coming. And Paul said, what is my hope, my joy, my cry of rejoicing? It's you Thessalonians, I led to Jesus when we meet Jesus. Now Paul was going to know, Brother Ted, that those people got saved under his preaching. Now then, men that's preached right here is going to know their worth when they meet the master. Now it's easy to say, oh, I know the good side of it, but then we know the bad side too. And this man was concerned that a church be where it ought to be, not to feather Paul's nest. But I want to present you in the right condition before the Lord. Now I've got one other scripture, and it won't take but a few minutes to read through it, Hebrews 13. And we'll maybe confine it to just a couple of verses, but I want to get down to some real serious thoughts here and leave them on your mind. Let's read verse 7, Hebrews 13, the last chapter. And again, I'm not reading this for my good or these brethren's good, but this is scripture, and it's good for all of us. Verse 7, remember them that have the rule over you. It's not talking about government. It's not talking about a legislative body or the police force or the deputy force. And the word rule actually means to lead or guide. That's what he's talking about. Remember them which have the rule over you. who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith followeth, considering the end of their conversation." We'll skip all that good reading down to verse 17. This is probably the last verse we'll read. I want you to look at verse 17. He makes it strong right here. Now, I didn't put that there. And that didn't mean that you had to run to a pastor to find out what you're going to do tomorrow. We're talking about preaching the word of God.