I want the Lord to give me an extra portion of his grace and
spirit this morning to deal with a subject that I think needs to
be dealt with in the light of what has happened in the last
two or three days in our country. And I'm entitling this message,
Do We March With Man or Do We Walk With God? And I spent a lot of time yesterday
listening to the Promise Keepers, their march on Washington. I
listened prayerfully, I listened carefully. Tried to listen with an open
heart and mind. But I'm still convinced and still
plan to follow the way I've preached and walked
through the years. I don't plan to join any marches
on Washington. I don't plan to participate in
any marches in the park and around the city. I don't plan to join
any organized armies. like the crusaders of old, whose objective is to convince
men and women to keep their word, to live decently and honestly
and godly, to love their wives and children and God in this
present world. Their objectives are good. Their objectives and their goals
are good. Men ought to love God. God commandeth all men everywhere
to repent. Men ought to walk in honesty
and godliness and truth. They ought to keep their word
and their vows and their promises. Their objectives are good. Their
methods are all wrong. All wrong. You see, all such
efforts are doomed to failure because love is shed abroad in
the heart by the Holy Spirit. Kindness, honesty, gentleness,
humility, grace is not a product of the natural heart, it's a
product of a new heart. A new heart. And it doesn't come
from men, it comes from God. And the spirit of holiness and
love and godliness and faith does not come from without. All
the armies in the world, all the horses and men and strength
and power of organization cannot affect these graces that come
from God. They come not from without, they
come from within. As a man thinketh in his heart,
so is he. Not as he professes with all
of the support of his buddies, says he thinketh in his heart.
Out of the heart the mouth speaks. And if you have an unregenerate
heart, you have an unregenerate mouth. If you've got a wicked
heart, you've got a wicked mouth. If you've got an unbelieving
heart, you've got an unbelieving mouth. If you've got a blasphemous heart,
you've got a blasphemous mouth. And that mouth will never change
until that heart's changed. And you can sign all the papers
you want to sign, all the marches, armies, organizations, wear t-shirts,
slogans, logos, and everything else. This grace of godliness is not
the fruit of determination. It's the fruit of regeneration. When the God of glory is pleased
to redeem a son of Adam, me, you, anybody else, when God is
pleased to visit a man in grace and mercy, oh, how merciful! And to redeem that son of Adam,
he gives him a new heart. He doesn't recondition the old
heart. He doesn't patch up the old garment.
He gives him a new heart. Gives him a new spirit. Makes him a new person and a
new creature in Christ Jesus. These men can get all their buddies
together and their objectives may be good. They may be tired
of their evil and tired of their wickedness, but being tired of
it doesn't put it away, doesn't change the heart. And they get all their buddies
together and go and get in a mob, you know, and do all this talking,
but when they go home, back to the job, back to the house, back
to their wife and children, back to their community. They're by
themselves then. They don't have the strength
of a mob and the cheerleader up talking about Jesus. They're
by themselves then. And they're the same old fellows.
Selfish, inconsiderate, self-centered, ungodly. And it won't take long
till that veneer wears off and out comes that old man again.
And slaying everybody around him. and devouring everybody
around him, he's still the same fellow that he was when he went
up there. Helpless, hopeless to do any
different, unless God does something to him. And when the Lord God brings
him by the power of his Spirit to Christ, he comes home a new
man, with a new heart, with new grace. He just doesn't have a
profession, a claim. He has a Christ. He has the Spirit
of God who dwells within him, gives him grace and strength
for the day. That's what Jeremiah said over
here in Jeremiah 31. Listen to what he said in Jeremiah
31. Verse 33, he said, this will
be the covenant that I'll make with the house of Israel. After
those days, saith the Lord, I'll put my law in their inward parts,
not written on paper, in their hearts, in their inward parts. I'll write it in their hearts.
I'll be their God, and they'll be my people, and they won't
teach. They'll teach no more every man his neighbor, saying,
and his brother know the Lord, they'll know me themselves. That's
the difference. We don't have to go to somebody
who knows the Lord by instructions. We know the Lord. You know, the Lord Jesus Christ,
look at Hebrews 10 a moment. The Lord Jesus Christ not only
does a work of grace for us, He does a work of grace in us. In Hebrews 10, Hebrews 10 verse
12, listen, This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for
sin forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth
expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one
offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. That's
the work he did for us. Now look down here at these other
verses. Verse 15, this is what He did in us, wherefore the Holy
Ghost also is a witness to us. For after that He said before,
this is what I read to you while ago, this is the covenant that
I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I'll put
my law in their hearts, so they'll love it. In their minds, so they'll
think on them, will I write them? And their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. Now, where remission of these
is, there is no more offering for sin. So, having therefore
brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way, which is consecrated for us through
the veil, that is to say, His flesh, and having a high priest
over the house of God, let's draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled with the blood with a hyssop from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let's hold fast
the profession of our faith without wavering. He's faithful to promise. Let's consider one another to
encourage, to love in good works, and not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting
one another, and so much more as we see the day approaching.
There's a work for us. But the Lord Jesus does a work
in us. And Joshua one day, he stood
before all those armies, and he had something to say over
here in Joshua chapter 24. He didn't depend on the army
to tell him what to do, or the organization for his strength
and faith and determination. He challenged them from the heart.
Listen to what he said in Joshua 24. Verse 15, here's one man
speaking. Joshua 24, 15, If it seem evil
to you to serve the Lord, you choose you this day whom
you will serve, whether it be the gods which your father served
on the other side of the river, the gods in Egypt, false gods
of pagan people, that's your choice, choose, serve them. Or
the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now dwell, wherever
you dwell, that's your choice. But I'm telling you, I'm speaking
from me in my house. And I'm speaking from my heart.
I've met Him. I know Him. He's come to me in
grace and love and mercy, and given me a new heart and a new
nature, written His law in my heart and on my mind. He knows
me and I know him. I'll tell you, as for me and
my house, I'm the spokesman. We're going to serve the Lord."
That's from India. And the majority of the army
didn't agree with him. The majority of the people didn't.
But he spoke from a regenerate heart, from a new nature. Determination was from within. by the grace of God. All right,
let's turn to Ephesians 4. Now, here's the foundation. Here's the foundation of our
conversation, our behavior, and our relationship with others.
It's because of our relationship with Him. Our conduct and character and
conversation and treatment of other people does not depend
upon our relationship with religion and with a group. It depends upon our relationship
with Him. He says here in verse 31 of Ephesians
4, look at it. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you
with all malice. And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's
sake, hath forgiven you. That's the foundation. For mercy. For love. For kindness. For obedience. My relationship
with Him. That's my motivation. He dwells
within. We're His children. Look at verse
1 of chapter 5. Be ye therefore followers of
God as children. We follow our Father. We desire
to imitate our Father. We desire to please our Father.
We desire to do best what's best for the family of God, because
we're one family. We're brothers and sisters. We're
not strangers. Forgive one another as God, for
Christ's sake, forgave you. Be ye followers of God as God's
children. Now listen to the next verse.
And walk in love. You know, we use that word so
often. But that's the key to all things.
That's the key. It's love. The whole law is fulfilled
in one word, love. Walk in love. Live in love. He loved us and gave Himself
for us. He loved us when we were unlovely,
undeserving, unworthy. He committed His love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, the worst kind of sinners.
Christ died for us. He loved us. We didn't love Him.
He loved us. We love Him because He loved
us. He loved us and gave His Son to be the propitiation for
our sins. We love Him because He loved
us. He loved us, we love Him, and we love one another. If a
person loves God, he can't hate his brother, he can't hate his
wife, he can't hate his children, he can't hate his neighbor if
he loves God. The Lord said that. How can you love God whom you've
not seen and hate your brother whom you have seen? It's an impossibility. Walk in love, listen, as Christ
has loved us. You love one another as I loved
you. You forgive one another as I forgive you. You show mercy
as you've received mercy. You be kind as God's been kind
to you for Christ's sake. There's the basis. He's my example. Be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving
one another, because I promised to keep my promises. No sir,
because God was kind to me. Because He forgave me. Love one
another and forgive one another. Why? Because I ought to. No,
because I want to. Because He loved me and I love
Him. Because I love him that begat,
I love him that's begotten. He loved us and gave himself
for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for sweet fragrance to
God. What's this talking about? That
sweet savor, that savor, that's not savior, that's savor. Fragrance. Smell. I love to smell good things. Do you? Every once in a while, Doris
will get these spices and things from these places. You ladies
buy those candles and things. My hearing is no good, but my
smell is good. I come in and, oh, that smells
good. That beet's smelling Armco, doesn't
it? Or the refinery. Or the tannery. Ah, it smells
good. And listen, you walk in love
as Christ loved you. and gave himself a sin offering,
a sacrifice to God. And that sacrifice to God is
unto God a sweet fragrance. Sacrifice. Love. I love my people. Greater love
hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend.
And when our Lord went to that cross, loving his friends, loving
his church, loving his people, gave his life, sacrificed himself,
God was well pleased. And God smelled a sweet fragrance
at Calvary. People around it smelled blood,
smelled hate, smelled vengeance, smelled rebellion. God smelled
a sweet fragrance. The greatest love ever shown
on this earth, the greatest perfect life, the greatest sacrifice.
God smells sweet fragrance. Let me tell you something. Turn
to Philippians chapter 4 and listen to something here. How
can we be identified with that? Look at Philippians 4 verse 18. Look at it with me. Paul was in prison. The church
at Philippi sent him some gifts. They were poor people, but they
sent him some gifts by their pastor Epaphroditus. And Paul
says, verse 18, I have all, I have received all, and I abound, I'm
full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from
you, an odor of a sweet smell, A sacrifice, acceptable, well-pleasing
to God. These people got together. Their
friend Paul was in prison. Some of the other believers were
with him. They didn't have much, but they got it together. It
was a sacrifice, Paul said. A sacrifice. And they sent their
pastor. He got real sick. The pastor
there nearly died, the Epiphanalist did, on that trip. But he brought
these things to Paul, and Paul, with tears in his eyes, received
them. He said, I'm full now. And I want you to know this sacrifice
on your part was a sweet smell to God. I'll show you another
verse, Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13, verse 15-16. Listen. Hebrews 13, 15, By Him, therefore,
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That
is the fruit of our lips by giving thanks to His name. And to do
good. To do good to one another. Don't
hurt each other. Wound each other. But do good. Communicate. Share. Don't forget
to do that. For with such sacrifices, God's
well pleased. That's what I'm talking about.
He's our example. He's our example. The Lord God is pleased with
those who walk in Him and are motivated by His love and His
example and His grace and His indwelling. And it's a sacrifice well-pleasing
to God. But there's a lifestyle and an
attitude and a spirit that God hates. And God will deal with it in
judgment. And this is the way of God's
children. It's the way of mercy. It's the way of forgiveness.
It's the way of resolving differences. It's the way of forgiving. It's
the way of being kind. And showing mercy. That's the
way of God's children because that's the way they've learned
from their Savior. That's the way they learned at Calvary.
You have so learned Christ. That's what Paul talked about.
You have so learned Christ. And modern methods can come along,
won't change it. Modern ways and acceptance of
modern ways, but it doesn't change God's way. Modern philosophies,
compromise, weight, lifestyles, so-called progress, fashions,
It doesn't change God's way. It doesn't change that word that
He has written on our hearts and that way that He has shown
to us. It's His way. There's a way that seems right
to a man, and the end is destruction. It's God's way. Now, I want you
to take chapter 5 and 6 and underscore six words. I want you to underscore six
words in your Bibles. Chapter 5, verse 22, underscore
the word, wives. There it is, right there. Verse
25, underscore the word, husbands. Underscore chapter 6, verse 1,
children. Verse 4, underscore the word
Fathers. Verse 5, verse 4 is Fathers. Verse 5, underscore the word
Servants. And verse 9, underscore the word
Masters. Now here's what I'm saying. I'm
saying that What men are trying to do by
organizations and armies and marches and religion and pep
talks won't accomplish this objective. When God comes in saving grace
and gives a new heart and a new nature, makes a man, any man
be in Christ, he's a new creature. Sheds about his love in the person's
heart. He's not the same person, the
old man. He's still there, but he's mortified,
he's crucified, he's put down, he's pressed under, he's rejected
as a new man. And greater is He that's in you
than he that's in the world. And God gives us strength for
the day, and grace for the day, and mercy for the day, and we
sacrifice because of Him, and His example, and our love for
Him, and this sacrifice. Seek not your own things, but
the things of others. Look not on your own things,
look on the things of others. That's your new nature. You want
to please them. More blessed to give than to
receive. Not my way, it's His way. It's what's good for the
family. What's good for the church. What's good for the gospel. What's
good according to the Word. Not what I want or think or seems
right to me. What does He say? And that doesn't change. You
can get modern and all that, but that doesn't change. That
doesn't change from the day God gave it. It's the head of the
home, and the leader of the home, and the priest of the home, and
the spiritual leader of the home, and the provider of the home,
and the authority in the home. Because that's God's way, that's
your way. And you love it. You wouldn't
have it any other way. That's God's way. The husband
is the leader of the home. God said that in Genesis 3.16.
And now, there's a law of first mention in the Bible, how something
mentioned the first time, that's the way it is. It doesn't change. In Genesis 3.16, He said to the
woman, Genesis 3.16, I will greatly
multiply your sorrow and your conception, In sorrow you'll
bring forth children. You ladies know about that, the
sorrow, the travail, and the joy of the birth. And your desire
shall be your husband, and he'll rule over thee. And God's going to hold us husbands
responsible to be the kind of leader we're supposed to be.
and our wives to be in subjection to that leadership. Such a husband should be respected. He should be admired and obeyed. And it says here in verse 23,
listen, Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as unto
the Lord. The husband is the head of the wife. Even as Christ
is the head of the church. This is the example. And I know
today says that's not so anymore. Marriage is a 50-50 proposition.
Why? So you know what the story is
today. Well, Christ as the head of the church hasn't changed,
has he? And neither has the husband the head of the home. Therefore, verse 24, as the church
is subject to Christ, so let the wives be their own husbands
in everything as unto the Lord. That's God's way. And when a
woman has a new heart and a new nature, she wants to do things
God's way. And God's way is her way. But
now, there's no use me organizing an army to get all wives to be
in subjection to their husbands. It won't work. But when God touches the heart
of a dear woman, a dear girl, a dear lady, and she loves a
man, and He brings her to that man as He brought Eve to Adam,
He took Eve out of a rib on Adam's side, right by his heart, for
him to love her, under his arm for him to protect her. He didn't get a piece of Adam's
head and make the woman equal in leadership, got her under
here. And that husband, we'll get to
that in a minute, but that wife, because this is God's way and
the best way and the only way, That's what she believes in here.
She's happy that way. And she doesn't want it any other
way. She's not going to usurp authority.
She's not going to get up here in the pulpit and start preaching
and usurp authority over men. God never called a woman in this
world to stand in the pulpit and preach the gospel. I suffer
not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over a man. That hasn't
changed. They're not the leaders. Man is the leader. Now we come
next, and that man better be a good leader. You say, women ought to obey
their husbands. Men ought to love their wives. Look at that
next verse. Husband, love your wives. Love
them. How much should a man love his
wife? Like Christ loved the church. Years ago, one of the old Puritans
was criticized for loving his wife too much. She died. John Newton. She died and it
really nearly wrecked him. It took him four or five years
to get over her loss. He wrote poems and songs in her
memory and to tribute. And one man was heard to make
this statement, well he just loved his wife too much. And
a wise man hearing that remark said, too much? Too much? We're commanded to love them
like Christ loved the church. How can you love them too much? Love your wives. That's the key. If we love them, we won't mistreat
them. You don't rule. The husband doesn't
rule in the home with a rod of law, and he rules with love. And there's no conflict. Now,
I'm the head. No. God gave you that right and
that authority, and it's established, and everybody knows it. You don't
have to reinforce it. Christ loved the Church and gave
Himself for it, that He might sanctify it and cleanse it with
a washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself
a glorious Church. Not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing that it should be holy and without blemish.
So men ought to love their wives as their own bodies. You don't forsake them. You don't
leave them. You don't cast them out. Any more than you would your
own body. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. No man ever
hated his own flesh. I'm not going to divorce this
arm. God willing, while I've got my right mind, I love it. He nourishes it, He cherishes
it, even the Lord is cherished. We're members of His body, of
His flesh, of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and their
one flesh, and one person before God. I promise before God and these
witnesses, I'll be to her a true and devoted husband, in sickness,
health, and poverty, and wealth, and the good that may gladden
our days, and the bad that may cover our days. And to be true
to her and her alone as long as I shall live, I promise."
Promise keepers. I didn't make that promise to
you, I made that to Him. This is a great mystery, and
I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Nevertheless, let
every one of you in particular so love his wife, even as himself,
and see that that wife reverence her husband, love her husband,
speak kindly to him and of him. It chills me when I hear some woman
criticize her husband to someone else, speak disrespectfully of
her head. He's not perfect, but neither
is she. But don't ever do that. Some of you already messed up
your marriages in the past. I'm talking to these young people.
And when I get on this subject, I have people get mad at me.
But you go ahead and get mad at me. I'm telling the truth. That's right. I'm telling the
truth to these young people. If I can save their marriage,
I will. If it makes you mad and the whole world mad. You messed
up, we don't want them to mess up, do we? Right? I've had people quit me and leave
me because I enforce these truths, and I continually will enforce
them if everybody stands up and walks out. This is the way. Amen? This is the way. God's way. And when this is regenerated,
this is the way people walk. And marching on Washington won't
save marriages. Walking with God will. Walking
with God will. All right, chapter 6, verse 1,
children. This is talking about unmarried
children who are still living at home with their parents. Children, obey your parents in
the Lord. This is right. Boys and girls, listen to me. Obey your parents, their instructions
and their wishes, as if it were God Himself speaking to you.
Because it is. Your parents are God's authority
in the home. And it is God speaking to you. If you ever hear from God, you'll
hear from a man. There was a man sent from God
whose name was John. God spake to our fathers by the
prophets. That's the reason this is an
awesome responsibility here upon me as a pastor and teacher. It's
an awesome responsibility on you. If you hear from God, you'll
hear from me. If I'm his servant. Is that right?
Or through these elders? We have pastors and teachers.
I read you that from Ephesians 4. When Christ ascended, he gave
gifts to men, apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors and teachers,
for the perfecting of the saints. And children, when your parents
speak, that's God speaking. And their instructions are for
your good. They love you. They seek your
good and your growth. And they've had experience. And
they know from the mistakes they've made, and the successes they've
had, and the failures they have, they know. And from the Word
they've read, they know the Word. Listen to them. Obey them in
the Lord. And listen to verse 2. Honor
your father and mother. Love them. But wait a minute.
Listen. This is a step. This is a beyond just loving
them. Now, don't I get beyond loving
them. This is more, this is something else anyway. It's to love them,
but it's to regard them highly. Esteem them highly and respectfully. You can love a person and not
esteem them highly. But where your parents are concerned,
not only love them and obey them, but esteem them quite highly.
You see, it's tough to be a parent. It's a difficult work. It requires
sacrifice, it requires patience, it requires perseverance, and
we're just human beings. We're called upon to have wisdom
that we just don't have. Make decisions we're not capable
of making, but we've got to make them. Have to make them. Of leading and controlling lives
that only God can do. So children, for their great
work, for their sacrifice and patience and love, honor them. This is my dad. This is my mom. And not only love them and obey
them, Honor them. Esteem them highly. Esteem them
highly. I know, I see television programs,
these situation comedies, and they pop off to their parents
and sass their parents. Under God, don't you ever do
that. For your soul's welfare, don't
you ever do it. You might as well curse God as
curse your father. I'm telling you the truth now.
In fact, go ahead and curse God before you curse your daddy or
mother. I'm telling the truth. Because
they're God's authority and God's spokesman and God's spiritual
leader in the home. That's why I'm telling the truth.
Because look at verse 3, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on
the earth. Children, Obey your parents in the Lord, and honor
them, esteem them as unto the Lord, that it may be well with
you. Fathers, I've got to move on. Listen, give me a few more minutes.
Fathers, this is what comes from within. Provoke not your children
to wrath. Bring them up in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. Parents, listen to me, what a
responsibility. Every one of us who are my age
would like to take another shot at it, wouldn't you? But let me talk to those who
haven't finished their task and run their
course. Maybe you can profit by our mistakes. But when you provoke children
to wrath, it means that you make them resent you and your principles
and your doctrines, and your religion. A couple was fixing to get a divorce.
I've known all their lives down in the southern part of the country.
And I wrote to them. I said, don't do that. You've
got four children. And every one of them you'll
lose. You'll lose every one of them. For the church, for the
gospel, for the principles you claim to believe. Well, they
didn't listen to me. And they did, and they did. None
of the children ever hear the gospel anymore. You see, you provoke them to
wrath by a bad example, by claiming one thing and doing another.
You provoke them to wrath by unreasonable discipline, harsh
words, harsh treatments, and tantrums, temper tantrums. You provoke them to wrath when
you publicly rebuke them, when you publicly belittle them, when
you belittle them and rebuke them in the presence of even
other children. You provoke them to wrath. You provoke them to
wrath when you desert them, when they need you the most. A teacher told me recently she
has 23 students in her third grade class and 20 of them have
only one parent. three children, deserted. Provoke them to wrath. You left
me when I needed you the most. You provoke them to wrath by
not allowing them reasonable recreation and wholesome fellowship with
other children. It may be you live in Chicago
where schools are impossible, but you don't live in Chicago.
You live in one of the finest areas in the country. Don't you
take your children out of school and homeschool them and separate
them from other children. That's a little wisdom, very
little, but I've got a little bit. Don't take them away from
other children. This is a world in which they
have to live and people with whom they have to associate and
be identified. And don't put that burden on
them by not allowing them fellowship with other children. And don't
provoke them to wrath by discussing adult problems in front of them.
Don't provoke them to wrath by spewing out dislike for other
people, gossip and criticism of everybody in the country.
A critical spirit of a critical parent will raise a critical
child. He's going to be just like you. Don't provoke them to wrath by
forgetting that they're children. They're children. That's all
that they are is children. They don't have the experience.
They don't have the understanding. And without that experience and
understanding, it'll lead to mistakes and to failures. And
these mistakes and these failures are to be expected. that to be
forgiven. It's all right. I understand. You know, you're
a parent. If anybody can understand, we
ought to be able to, shouldn't we? Because we've been there. And if it wasn't for God's grace,
there's not a mistake in this world we wouldn't have made.
Just don't forget that, children. Verse 5, chapter 6. Servants. Everybody in here is a servant.
We all work for somebody, don't we? Servants, be obedient to
them that are your masters, your foreman, your boss, your employer,
according to the flesh. With fear and trembling and singleness
of heart, as unto Christ. You see what this foundation
is? As unto Christ. marched up here and decided with
a bunch of fellows, we're going to do this. No, Christ said this. He gives me a heart. Be loyal to those who employ
you, who are your bosses, your superiors in things pertaining
to the flesh. If you work for a man or a company,
do what you're told to do. Do what you're hired to do. Do
what you're paid to do. Do it without complaining and
griping. Do it as if you work for the Savior. Somebody said,
I'd love to work for a believer. I do. And you do too. As unto the Lord. Listen to the
next verse. Verse 6. Not with our service
as men pleasers. It doesn't matter whether the
boss is on vacation or sitting next to me. Some folks pretend
to work with great diligence when the boss is present. While
they're watched, when they're left to themselves, they neglect
it. That's our service. That's men places. That's not
the way to work. You work, listen, verse 6, as
a servant of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. From the heart. With good will,
doing service as to the Lord and not to men. Knowing, verse
8, that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall
he receive of the Lord, whether he is bond or free. All right,
here's closing. Masters, verse 9, do the same things unto them,
and don't threaten, knowing that your master is in heaven, and
in no respect to persons with him. As a foreman, as a superior,
as a person who works other people. Be unto them as you would have
them be to you. Treat them like you want to be
treated. Somebody asked me one of them, how can you be a good
employer, a good master? I'd recommend two things. Both
of them are mentioned here. Number one, in your mind, reverse
the roles. You become the worker, him the
boss. Put yourself in their place,
and them in yours, and then you speak to them as you want to
be spoken to. And you pay them as you'd like
to be paid. And you regard them before God
as equals and not inferiors. Secondly, remembering you've
got a master too. He's in heaven. He's my master. And I'm going
to give an account to him. That's where this whole thing
is resolved. My relationship with him determines
my relationship with you. And like I said a while ago, I'm responsible to tell you the
truth. No matter who it fits or doesn't
fit, wounds or doesn't wound, is offensive or inoffensive,
it's the way of God. And when God does a work in here,
it becomes sweet, doesn't it? It becomes pleasant. It becomes
our way. And so when we walk with God, we don't have to march with men.
Men are marching in the wrong direction most of the time. All
right, you receive the Word as God sent it to you. And do this, every one of us
do this. Those who have this spirit of
grace in your heart, that these are pleasant words and joyful
words and words of life, give thanks. And if you're here this
morning and this is not, this is not an experience that you've
had of grace, of love for Christ to where His
way is your way. Even if it, what sacrifice it
requires. Pressing down self, forgetting
my own, my own ways. Ask Him to give you grace. Seek
the Lord. While He may be found, call upon
Him while He's near. But going up there marching,
that won't do it. It's going in the closet. Shutting
the door and saying, Lord, I messed up. I fouled up in every way
from the sole of my feet to the top of my head. I don't think
straight, walk straight, live straight. Be gracious to him. Be merciful to me. That's what
the publicans said. God, be merciful to me, the sinner.
Do something for me.