Now I had considered bringing
a message this morning from this particular passage of scripture
and on this particular subject, the title of which is, You Neither
Know Me Nor My Father, John 8, 12 through 32, but I
received this letter Friday And it confirmed to me the fact that the Lord would
have me bring this message. I want you to listen to this
letter. And I receive letters of this
nature often. This is from Charleston, West
Virginia. It will be a while before you
read this letter. since I understand that you're
going to Africa and to England. My husband and I hope that you
have a meaningful Christmas. Your preaching still blesses
so many people that we would like to contribute even a little
to pay for your television expenses. Long ago, I asked God to please
not call me to be a nun. I grew up in the same Catholic
school from kindergarten to college, and we had what we called vocation
weeks. When you contemplate if you were
being called to enter the convent, I wanted to get married and have
a family. And in sheer desperation, I promised
God, pleased God, I'll do anything but not a nun. I still remember
it like yesterday. I'll do anything. So please accept
this offering to help your missionaries. Now here's a young woman who's
very religious, and she's been religious from kindergarten to
college and to whatever age she is now. She said it's long ago. Here's a young woman in religious
bondage. This young woman's in bondage.
This young woman's living in religious bondage with a feeling of depression
and guilt. There's no joy in that letter. This young woman is struggling.
and she struggled all her life. No one has ever set her free. She struggled with a feeling
of guilt and a feeling of depression, unable to find any peace or any
joy or any rest because of a religious system in which she was led evidently
by her parents. or by those whom she respected,
or those to whom she looked. She was led into this bondage,
this slavery, with the fetters of tradition and legalism and
self-righteousness binding her. I'd like to help her. I'd like
very much to help her, and I sat down and wrote a long letter
to her, hoping that God would let me help her, and I'd like
to help many like her. Because we're living in a day,
in this country especially, of religion. Religion is everywhere. Not spirituality. Not a God sent revival or refreshing,
but we're plagued with religion. We got it up to here. We're smothered
in And men and women and boys and girls are the victims. They're
the prisoners of tradition, legalism, ceremonialism. In our generation,
preachers and people, pulpit and pew, our generation is ignorant
of God. They do not know God. Now, my friends, to be kind and
sweet is not to know God. There are a lot of dear, sweet
old ladies that are so kind and sweet and so prim and proper,
but that's not to know God, honey, believe me. And to be religious is not to
know God. You can attend church, you say,
I haven't missed a Sunday in church, Since I was converted,
that's not to know God. And to be orthodox, and to be
a reader, a reader even of scripture, and a reader of books, and a
reader of good things, is not to know God now. You can do all
those things and not know God. To be orthodox is not to know
the living God. to be moral is not to know God. Saul of Tarsus, oh believe me,
believe me, Saul of Tarsus is a perfect example of a man who
did not know God. When our Lord appeared to him
on the road to Damascus, he said, Who are you? You know what he
said? Who are you? I wish that you and I could just
understand a little bit of how steeped in religion this man
was. We're not talking about the ordinary
run-of-the-mill church member who shows up for a few services.
We're talking about Saul, graduate of Gamaliel School, Pharisee,
member of the Sanhedrin, trusted servant of the great high priest. not just anybody, Saul. We're
talking about a man orthodox, with a rich heritage and background,
a man zealous, enthusiastic, determined, unmovable for the
traditions of his father. We're talking about a strict
moralist who could stand eyeball to eyeball with anybody in religion
and say, I'm better than you are. You know what he said? If
any of you think you have whereof to glow in the flesh, I'm over. And brother, I tell you, that's,
and yet he didn't know God. And here in my text, our Lord
Jesus brought a shocking, devastating charge against these religious
people. He's not saying you're wrong
doctrinally. He's not saying you're not orthodox.
He's not saying that you're doing that the wrong way. He's not
saying, like one preacher I heard recently preaching, he said,
now we disagree with our Armenian brethren. How can you be an Armenian brother? We are all so tolerant Baptist
pastor over in North Carolina, when the Pope got shot, had a
moment of silent prayer in a Baptist church for that great imposter,
the Pope. That's supposed to be leniency. But I'll tell you, our Lord wasn't
lenient here. He said to these men, you don't
know God. You don't know God. Isn't that
what he said, Jim? You don't know God. He said,
you don't know me or my father. These were the men of the strongest
religious heritage of the entire community. They said, We feed
Abraham's seed. You don't know God. These are
men who called God their father. They said, We be not born of
fornication, we have one father, even God. You don't know God. These men were examples of morality,
piety, and yes, generosity. They'd even tithe their spices
and property. And it was to them, it was to
them, and that's the reason I come to you, and that's the reason
I read this distressing letter. Here's a, this is a woman devoted
to her religion, enslaved to her religion, talking about God. She said, I promised God, some
God now, I promised God that I would do anything except be
a nun. And I remember it like yesterday.
She said, I haven't gone back on that. I'll do anything, that's
why I'm sending you an offering, because I'll do anything but
be a nun. God's got me in bondage, and I'll do anything. And it was to these people that
God said, You don't know me. Christ said, You do not know
me nor my... God said it. Christ is God. And I don't know of anything
more dreadful, and yet I run into this all the way through
Scripture. These people in Matthew 7, our Lord said, I never knew
you. These people who boasted of what
they'd done, how they'd preached, and what they'd given, and what
they'd dealt, He said, I never knew you. And I really believe
that they're I'll be totally honest with you, I believe there
are a lot of people in our day who have championed great causes
and built great hospitals and buildings in the name of Jesus
Christ, who will hear him say, I never knew you. I believe there
are men who have preached to literally thousands of people,
football stadiums, congregations, who will say, Lord, we preached
in your name, to whom he will say, I never knew you. I never knew you. You see, we
have a way of talking about, sure, these folks were religious
and didn't know God, but we're religious and do know God. Why
is there a difference? What's true of them is true of
us. In James 2, James says, you believe
there's one God? The devil believes there's one
God. Judas held a high office, the highest office in the church,
the office that doesn't even exist today. apostolic office. Yet he was a son of perdition
from the beginning. Demas was a companion of the
greatest preacher who ever lived. Walked with him, slept with him,
ate with him, talked with him, preached with him. Paul said
he departed having loved this present world. Evidently he didn't
love God, he loved the world more. I want to show you something
here in John 14. Turn over here a minute. Even
the beloved disciples Even the beloved disciples. Now,
you listen to this. I'm not trying to be sensational. I'm trying to dig down here where
we are. I want to know God. And I want you to. I want to
throw off these shackles. I want to walk in the light. Walk in the light of Christ.
I want to be free indeed. John 14. Philip said, verse 8,
John 14, 8, Philip said, Show us the Father, sufficeth up. Jesus saith unto him, Have I
been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?" Who's he talking to? Philip? You, and yet you haven't known
me? Have we heard all that we've heard Have we seen all that we've
seen? Have we read all that we've read? And I ask you, and have not known
him, if you consider this, you'll get some insight into what Paul
writes in Philippians. This makes this come alive in
Philippians 3, where I'm talking right now, and the subject with
which I'm dealing. I said this one time. Years ago,
and I'll repeat it, you know that the most dangerous place, the
easiest place to miss Christ, is right here where I'm standing.
And the next easiest place is right there where you're sitting.
Of course I'm saved, I'm a preacher. God doesn't save preachers, he
saves sinners. What do you mean am I born again?
I'm an elder. God doesn't save elders, he saves
sinners. What do you mean I don't know
God? I sing, and I preach, and I teach a class. That doesn't mean you know God. The Apostle Paul taught the scriptures,
the scribes transcribed the scriptures, and the Pharisees went about
all the commandments of the scriptures, but they didn't know God. Really, I think, I think it might be, I'm weighing
this carefully, I think it just might be easier
And you might be a little more fluent and a little more self-confident
being a false preacher than a true preacher. A true preacher preaches
with fear and trembling. A false preacher and a false
prophet and a fellow promoting his own cause does it with personality
and psychology and self-confidence and this sort of thing. He's
got all the answers, just ask him. But a believer, a true believer
doesn't have all the answers. He preaches in part, prophesies
in part, knows in part, and sees through a glass darkened, is
ever conscious of his own weakness and inability, and ignorance,
and fearful, and stands with fear and trembling. He's got
no confidence in his flesh. He doesn't say to any man, follow
me. He says, follow Christ. He doesn't say to any man, I've
got all the answers. He doesn't have them. And here Paul says in verse 7,
I count what things were gained to me, Philippians 3, 7, I count
loss for Christ. Be doubtless, I count all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and I
do count them but dumb garbage that I may win Christ. That I
may win Christ. and be found in him, not having
my own goodness, morality, holiness, righteousness, which is of the
law, but that I might have that righteousness which is through
the faithfulness of Christ, the righteousness which is of God
by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection,
O that I may know him." There's no cockiness there. There's
no carnal presumption there that I may know him. Well, and you
know the Lord Jesus said in John 17, he said, This is eternal
life, that they might know thee, the living God, and Jesus Christ,
and thyself. Well, I ask this question. How
can a man know the living God? And I considered this, and studied
it, and thought about it, I'll give you three things. And they
may seem like elementary things. Actually, the gospel is the simplicity
of Christ. Christ's simplicity is his greatest
glory. Do you know that? We complicate
this thing. It takes a man two hours to tell
a fellow how to be saved, and God says, L-O-O-K. And two of the letters
are just a lot. Now I say three. Number one,
my friends, if you would know God, the living God is revealed
in creation. That's right, that's very simple,
isn't it? But David didn't think it was all that simple. He talked
about the profound glory of it. He said, the heavens declare
the glory of Let's look at Psalm 19. In Psalm 19. I just wish that all of us, like Moses stood out there by the
Red Sea and told that bunch of nervous Israelites, he said,
stand still and sing! Stand still and sing! We went out to a Chinese restaurant
few nights ago and they get the fortune cookies. Did you ever
go there? Well, you have to break them
open and read them. I'll pass you on. That's right. I think it was Luke's little
fortune in there that says, take time to smell the flowers. That's good. Because who made
the flowers? Who made the snowflakes? Did
you ever stop and look at snowflakes on a windowpane as they come
down and hit? They're all these different shapes.
They tell me that none of them are just alike. Millions and
billions and trillions of them, they're all different. God made them. He says here in Psalm 19, verse
1, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth
his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night showeth knowledge." Knowledge of what?
Of God. The day and the night. There's
no language, no speech, no language, no tribe, and they all have these
different dialects and languages. There's no speech and no language
where their voice is not heard. Whose voice? The voice of creation
revealing the glory of God. And when I start to smell the
rose, that hut and pot who speaks some gibberish, he can smell
the same ripples over in his land. See the same stars, sun
and moon, sky, clouds, raindrops. There's no language. Their voice,
verse 4, their voice is gone out through the whole earth and
their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a
tabernacle for the sun. What David is saying there is
that if you just look around, you'll find out something about
God, if you want to know the living God. Don't crawl in some
mystic, dark, damp cave and see some silly-looking old man with
a beard sitting there cross-legged and expect him to tell you about
God. He's retreated from God. He's retreated into his own circle,
his own selfish person and his own warped, twisted, perverted
minds what he's doing. Get out of the cave, and out
of the tent, and out of the mosque, and all of these city-looking
buildings with all their funny shapes, and get out there where
God is! Where the beautiful stream ripples
down the mountainside, and the falls, and the sky is open and
clear, whether it's cold or warm, and the sun shines, or the dark
clouds at night when the millions of stars are there, and hear
the voice of God speak as the wind blows through the pines,
and hear the song of the birds, that's God speaking. And look at Psalm 139. Listen
to this. Psalm 139. I like this here. David speaking again. In verse
14 of Psalm 139, I will praise I will praise thee, Psalm 139,
14, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous at thy works,
and that my soul knoweth right well." Talk about yourself. Take
your little baby and hold him in your arms this afternoon,
and see those marvelous cameras that God has made and sustained,
and speak, and see his little head turn, and how God has made
a receiver set in his head that picks up every sound. Feel his
little heart pumping. The heart is a machine. They're
making these artificial hearts, but they're plugged into something.
God didn't plug this one in. It just beats. It just beats. And these lungs pump air. And
this voice speaks. Marvelous! David says how fearfully,
in verse 15, my substance, my strength, or my body, was not
hid from thee when I was made in secret. When I was just a
seed from my Father, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of
the earth, thine eyes did see my substance yet being unperfect,
and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuous
were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. My soul, how
wonderfully I am made!" Just the hand, the hand of man can
tune the violin and play the Swedish music or a guitar or
a trumpet or roll over the keys of that piano or over this organ.
Just a hand so marvelous, can paint marvelous pictures. The skill of a surgeon. I tell
you, the fool has said in his heart there's no God. He's got
to be a fool. And God dealt with Job this way,
turn to Job 38. Would you know God? Look around. Look around. Don't be as a dumb
ox and a dumb beast and a dumb ass. He said the ox knows his
owner and the ass knows his master's crib. The ox knows where his
food lies, the ass knows where his food is served, and he comes
to his master. But the people of God, they're
dumb. They don't know who supplies
their every meal and breath. Isn't it awful to be called dumb
as an ox? In Job 38 verse 1, then the Lord
answered Job by the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth
counsel by words without knowledge? Now you gird up your loins like
a man, and I'll demand of you, and you answer me. Where were
you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare if you
have any understanding. Who hath laid the measure thereof,
if you know? Who hath stretched the line upon
it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof passing? Who laid the
cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all
the sons of God shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea with doors,
when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of its womb? When
I made the cloud of the garment there, and the thick darkness
of swaddling-bland for it, and break up for it my decreed places,
and set bars and doors, and I said to the seas and the oceans, I
said, Hitherto shalt thou come, and not one way further." This
world is two-thirds water, isn't it? God turned loose the tidal
waves that covered all the land, but he said, he just made the
seashore, and I said, as far as you can come. Oh, it laps
up every once in a while, but that's as far as it can come.
Verse 17, have the gates of death been opened to you? Verse 22,
have you entered the treasures of the snow? Oh, he just goes, you can read all
that. But what I'm saying is this, and you'll see it in Romans
1. I'd like you to turn to Romans 1. You'll see it over here in
Romans 1, verse 18. Romans 1, verse 18. The true and living God is not
revealed in these strange, mysterious and hermitages and convents and
old dusty books and folks with twisted, warped minds. The living God is revealed in
what the living God has Himself made with His own hands. See,
He made man, but man fell. Man is dead. So don't go seeking
the living among the dead. In Romans 1 it says, verse 17,
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness,
because that which may be known of God is manifested to them,
for God hath showed it to them. For the invisible things of him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
with the things that are Even his eternal power in God, dear
soul, is without excuse. God is known by the things that
are made. All right, here's the second thing. Go back with me
to Psalm 19, and I'll try to move quickly. How can a man know
the living God? Number one, he's revealed in
the things he's made. Two, he's revealed in his Word. In his Word. And my friends,
let's honor and respect and make much of the Word of God. I wish
I could encourage you. The Word is infallible, inerrant,
unbroken, verbally inspired. This is the Word of God. And
I know it was written in Hebrew and written in Greek and translated,
but God who wrote it by men, Holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Spirit. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God. It's God-breathed. But the same
God who gave it can preserve it. The same God who moved the
mind of Moses to write and moved the hand and mind of David to
write and Isaiah and all the apostles can move the hand and
the mind and the will of the translators. Now there's some translations
going on today that are suspect. There's some translations going
on today, but I recommend to you the King James Version. I
recommend it. There are others you can compare
with the King James, but God has miraculously preserved it
and kept it, and I'm going to continue to use it. But let's
look here at Psalm 19 again, verse 7. He talked about the
heavens declaring the glory of God. Now look at verse 7. The
law of the Lord, that is, the doctrine of the Lord, the word
of the Lord, is perfect. Converting the soul, the testimony
of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the
Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandments of the
Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. If a man would know God,
You don't have to go to the book. Now in 2 Timothy, let's look
over here a moment. In 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter
3. 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 16. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable. And we're talking about Old Testament
and New Testament. I'll tell you what I told our
Sunday School class this morning. Most of the Bible is written
to believers. There's things in here for unbelievers,
but it's judgment. It's judgment. It's warning. In all Scripture, the writings
of Moses, Rose of Nica, Christ said, All Scripture is given
by inspirations God breathed, and it's profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be perfect or mature, growing in grace,
in knowledge, in the understanding of the word of Christ. Throughly,
throughly perfected, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Now turn to 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1. We're talking about the Word,
we're talking about the Bible. And brethren, remember when you're
reading, whether it's my commentaries or anyone else's, and we receive
help from men. It's like the Ethiopian eunuch
said to Philip, how can I except some man show me? But it doesn't
matter what man you're reading, it's still a man. Kindly remember
that. and hear that man and receive
that man only as he speaks in accordance with the word of God.
I always get afraid when somebody quotes scripture and says, now
that doesn't mean that. Or somebody who says, well, that
was for that day. When Paul wrote, let your women
keep silence in the church, some woman said, well, he was a bachelor.
Well, that doesn't change what he said. Here he was a bachelor. But women are more educated now.
We can think of a lot of reasons to get around the Word. It's
like a dear friend of mine was telling me the other night, I
said, what do you all do at the Lord's table? What elements do
you use? He said, grape juice and plain bread. I said, why
don't you use wine and unleavened bread? The Bible says to use
it. Well, he said, we had a fellow in the church who used to be
an alcoholic. So we don't use wine on account of him. Well,
what if you got somebody to pour you water when you quit baptizing?
You see, for convenience, you can totally destroy this book,
just being convenient. It's God's Word. Leave it alone.
Bow to it. Submit to it. Do what this Duke
I say. It doesn't matter whether a fellow
has been an alcoholic or not. You don't change the word of
God because of somebody's culture, or custom, or background. In 1 Peter 1, verse 24, listen,
he says, All flesh is his grace, and all the glory of man is the
flower of the grass, till grass withers, the flower thereof falleth
away. But the word of God endureth
forever, and this is the word which by the gospel is preached
unto you. The Word of God is not changed
for convenience or conformity or because of a change of environment
or change of dispensation. It's the same. God's the same. Man's the same, really. Sin's
the same. Christ is the same. Salvation's
the same. Redemption's the same. One other
verse on this, 2 Peter 1. 2 Peter 1, 17. And I've given this so many times,
I'm going to give it briefly, but it's so vital and important.
It's one of the things that helped me years ago when I discovered
this in reference to the Word of God. Peter talks here in verse
17 about that incident, the transfiguration of Christ, which he witnessed.
He said, he received from God the Father honor and glory, When
there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, this
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. The Lord was transfigured,
his garments glistened there before them. And this voice which
came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the
Holy Mount. But we have also a more sure
word of prophecy than voices from heaven. whereunto ye do
well, that ye take heed, as on the light that shineth in a dark
place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your heart.
Knowing this verse, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private
interpretation, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will
of man, but the holy men of God spake it, and were moved by the
Holy Ghost." Peter says there's something better than a voice
from heaven, and that's the Word of God. There's something better
than a vision, and that's the Word of God. And I know this
sounds very strange, and I know it would be a real test for us. But if you had the choice of tonight having a dream, or
even hearing a voice, and coming here together tonight and reading
this book, which would you take? I know us. We'd sure like to
hear that voice. But you couldn't be sure it was
God's voice. But you can be sure this is God's
voice. Jim, you see what I'm saying?
You can be sure this is God's voice. This is his word. And
that's the reason you take Brother Mahan preaches election and sovereignty
and effectual redemption. I just preach it because God
says it. I read it right here in the book. I preach God's sovereign. I preach Christ is the only way
because the Bible says he's the only way. I didn't dream that
up. I'm not trying to start a new
denomination. It just says I am the way, the
truth, and the light. No man cometh to the Father but
by me. Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission.
That's what God says. And personally, I see no reason
to change it. You say, well, you get along
with more people. I'm not trying to get along with people. I'd like to, but I'm not trying.
You're not either. If I please men, I'm not the
servant of Christ. I want to get along with Christ. I'm going to preach his word.
Let's get into the book. Here's the third way, and this
is where I ought to dwell longer. The living God revealed in Christ
Jesus. You want to know God? Look around.
You want to know God? Open the book. You want to know
God? Look to Christ. The disciple said, Show us the
Father. He said, He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.
No man knoweth the Father save the Son, that he to whom the
Son will reveal it. No man hath seen God in any time,
save the Only Begotten, who dwells in the bosom of the Father. Never
left the bosom of the Father. Though he came to earth, but
he never left the bosom of the Father. Great is the mystery
of godliness. God was manifest. God was what? Manifest in flesh. That's right. God was manifest
in the flesh. The angel said, Joseph, call
his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin.
And this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, which
said, Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Immanuel, God with us. I got a story by this verse,
so I better read it. John 12. John 12, verse 44 and
45. John 12, 44 and 45. Let's read verse 42. Nevertheless,
among the chief rulers, also many believed on him. But because
of the Pharisees, they didn't confess him, lest they be put
out of the synagogue. They loved the praise of men
more than the praise of God. Jesus cried and said, He that
believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
And he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me. You want to see
God? Want to know God? In Christ. Christ came to reveal the Father.
God who spoke to our fathers by the prophets hath in these
last days spoken to us by son. You want to know God? I'm telling
you, I'm saying, I've been around a while, I'm 60 years old, I've
been preaching, almost 60, but I've been preaching preaching
the gospel since 1950. I've been reading the Bible,
I've been studying the Word of God, I've been associated with
religion, I've been to a lot of places, I've seen a lot of
religion. I'm telling you with all my heart
that religion is a bondage. Being religious and pious and
self-righteous and Going about all your works and strivings,
it's a bondage, it's a slavery, it's a dungeon, it's fetters
and chains. There's no freedom, joy or peace.
But there is freedom, joy, happiness, love, rich grace and mercy in
knowing God. God doesn't dwell in temples
made with stone. God doesn't dwell in places.
God dwells in His world and in His people. He's everywhere. He's omnipotent, omniscient,
and omnipresent. He's the living God. He is love. He is life. He is truth. He is
life. He's happiness and joy. He's
just and righteous and holy, and He's wrath against sin. He's
God. And you're not going to find
Him in a denomination or in a building or in a trend, and He's not an
it. I've found it. That's what you
found was it. But if you want to know God,
get out there and get introduced to God by the things he made.
That's what the Bible says. That heaven declared the glory,
his wisdom, his power, his majesty, his greatness. And then, if you're
not hoodwinked, and deceived by these so-called intellectuals
and educators and professors of this day who think because
they've got a Ph.D. or because they're doctors or
lawyers or physicians or rich men or wise men that they know
everything, they know nothing as they ought to know. Buy your Bible. God wrote it
for you and for me to reveal Christ. God never intended for
this book to be shut up in a monastery and collect dust. He never intended
for this book to lay on a preacher's desk and be opened by no one
but him. He, by his marvelous power and
purpose, has had this book translated in over a thousand languages
for the people. The right of private judgment,
really! And you only believe me as I
preach the Word. But you believe a thing I say
if you can't find it here. And you watch that fellow twist
it, and rest it, and take it out of its context, and jumps
here, jumps there, jumps somewhere else like a crow in a cornfield. You follow and listen to that
man who takes the word as it is and goes straight through
it. Straight through it. And lets God speak for himself.
You want to know God? Get in the book. Get in the book. And you want to know God, I tell
you this. You're not going to have to bow to, look to, submit
to, receive the Lord Jesus Christ in his omnipotence, in his omniscience,
in his deity, in his creating power, in his sovereignty. Let
God be God. Don't bring God down here to
fix your mold. Don't make a mold for God. I
think God ought to do this. God's not going to do anything
because you think he ought to. Your thoughts are not his thoughts.
He does what he will, when he will, with whom he will, for
his glory. Just bow. Just bow. Just bow.