cover of The Armor of God - Do You Need It?

The Armor of God - Do You Need It?

The Armor of God - Do You Need It?

Christian Biblical Church of God

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Transcription

The speaker emphasizes the importance of fellowship and the need to protect it from both outside and inside attacks. He refers to the fellowship between God and Jesus Christ, and how believers must first have fellowship with them in order to have true fellowship with one another. He warns against bringing in false teachings and false teachers, and encourages believers to put on the whole armor of God to protect their fellowships. He also mentions some resources for studying the purpose of fellowship and highlights the presence of Jesus in the midst of believers. The speaker emphasizes the need for humility and the importance of staying close to God in order to discern truth and protect fellowship. Well, greetings to everyone from down under, a little country called New Zealand, really at the bottom of the earth, but certainly one that God has blessed over many years. The subject today was going to be, will be, about the hour of God and do we need it? But before we get into that, I would like to turn, if you'll do with me, to John. And there was the first epistle of John, because there's something very important there that we need to see. So that's 1 John, chapter 1, because this has to do about fellowship, and it has to do about the fellowship that we are enjoying today as part of the body of Christ. And the reason that I wanted to look at this is because there have been problems in the past with the fellowship of God. Many of us will remember the things that happened to the organization that God called us into in the beginning, and that was the Worldwide Church of God. For some, it would have been the Radio Church of God before that. But it's important that we understand the purpose for fellowship meeting, and once we understand that, or once we, for those who already understand this and are well versed in this, this is just a reminder of why we've come together in fellowship, whether that be in a church meeting, a church service on the Sabbath or on the Holy Days or a Bible study, or whether it be in small groups, fellowship groups. And we've seen in the past, we've seen how one fellowship group, the whole body of the Worldwide Church of God, were destroyed from the inside. And if it can destroy, if a group as large as the Worldwide Church of God can be destroyed from the inside, yes, it was attacked in the 1970s by the Attorney General of Southern California and survived that attack from the outside. But when that attack came from the inside, what happened? We have our top guns running the Worldwide Church of God, but where are all those top guns today? They've gone. And what God is doing is God is looking for those who are of a humble and contrite spirit, those who will be faithful to his word, those who will walk in the word of God, those who will walk in the spirit of God, those who will love God and love the brethren. The first John, chapter 1 and verse 1, the Apostle John writes this, and we know that the disciple of John, that God loved the Apostle John, and that which was from the beginning, and that is the beginning, talking about the gospel built to us by Jesus Christ and then given to his apostles to continue that message to mankind. That which we have heard, that which we have seen with our own eyes, that which we have seen for ourselves and our own hands handled, and the apostles handled John, and after his resurrection, Jesus said to Thomas, he said, Thomas, you have seen me and believe it. He said, you reach out and you touch my body where the wounds are. And that's how we actually handled him. John, we know at the Passover, the last Passover, was kneeling on Jesus' breast, and we'll know that they had very close fellowship and companionship. So this is what John was talking about, that which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our own eyes, yes, they saw Jesus Christ, that which we observe for ourselves and our own hands handled concerning the Word of God, and the Word of God that they handled was the Jesus Christ, and we know that, we've seen that many times, and the light was manifested. We have seen and are bearing witness and are reporting to you the eternal light which was from the Father and was manifested to us. That which we have seen and heard, we are reporting to you. Now the next statements are critical, they are so important. In order that you also may have fellowship with us, this is a very close, personal, intimate relationship that we see first reflected between Jesus, the Christ, and the apostles, except for the one we know who was a traitor, but he was replaced. So these were the eyewitnesses, they had that fellowship that was so intimate and so closely aligned with each other. But notice what it says, to have fellowship with us for the fellowship, keep those words in mind, what is this fellowship all about? We don't know, but it's something that we have to preserve because it's being attacked from the outside, but most seriously and importantly, it is also being attacked and will continue to be attacked from the inside. And over the course of time, we want to go look at all those scriptures that show us how we can identify those who will attack the very fellowship that we have with God, the Father, and Jesus Christ from the inside. Now if our fellowship is not first with the Father and with Jesus Christ, we're not having fellowship. We're having a friendly get-together, we're having a social club. Well, yes, we can discuss the Bible, but God is not involved and will not be involved. So it's so important that for you and for me and for all the saints, that we must ensure that first, our fellowship is with whom? Because God the Father and Jesus Christ, through his precious blood, have brought for us eternal life, salvation, the salvation that Paul says he was willing, Philippians 3, to give up everything, even his own life, and count everything that he had as an advantage to him to count it as so much done. And I think Paul is referring to human excrement. That's how he considered anything about him that was not of God, that was not of Christ. He wanted to wash himself, he wanted to rid himself of everything that was part of his fleshly life, his life apart from Christ. He wanted to be totally looking towards Christ and his way of life. And he said also that he may, if above all things, that he could gain eternal life, that he could be with Christ in the kingdom of God. And that's a beautiful chapter, Philippians chapter 3. But let's read that again for the fellowship. We're fellowshipping now. I don't think I had a little bit of that, I wouldn't have been that upset if it was somebody who's a little bit more confident that it was computers, and I'll take full blame for that, but I should have plugged the power in earlier. But you see, that doesn't alter our fellowship. Why? Because we, first and foremost, our fellowship was God the Father and Jesus Christ. So that when we come together as a group of people, what happens? Well, our fellowship is with the Father and with his own son, Jesus Christ. If that is not there, and I would take it that there are probably many groups functioning today where that element is missing. Therefore, question, is it a fellowship group or not? You answer that, but that is the key. Now, the reason I'm giving this is that in reading some documents, some transcripts of God, I would like to offer you to go online so that you can study this subject, if you've done it before, to study it again, because we have got to put on the whole armor of God to protect ourselves and to protect the fellowships that we are a part of from those who want to destroy it and those who are destroying it. And maybe they don't even know it, and destroying it from the inside. Jesus said in Matthew 24, he said, be on guard, because there are going to come many false Christs. They're going to come with a sea of many. And there are so many scriptures in the Bible that say that. So we need to put on the full armor of God, which we'll discuss, if not this week, a little later, to put on the full armor of God so that we can do our part in preserving the fellowship that we have with each other, that the Father and Christ, our fellowship with them must come first. It's paramount. So there is an article, a transcript rather, which is called The Purpose of Fellowship And this is from the Christian Biblical Church of God. This is from Fred. And also, there's another one here, which was done more recently. That's an old one. Now, the church has grown since then. So there's been some adaptions and some upgrades on the instruction of how to conduct a fellowship meeting. However, the teaching hasn't changed. We've grown in the grace and knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have grown in our knowledge of the Father. We have grown in the knowledge of God's plan. We are growing by putting on the mind of Jesus Christ. Those are some of the points that will protect our fellowship. First and foremost, with God the Father and Jesus Christ. I can't repeat that too many times. And once we have that fellowship, then it's possible for us to have the fellowship with one another that God desires. And we come together, we are taught from the Word of God. And this is where some of the groups are going astray. They're bringing in strange fire. You know what happened to the two sons of the high priest, Aaron? They brought in strange fire into the tabernacle, something God had told them not to do. And what happened? Fire came out from God and burned them, well, to send this or just completely burned them up into smoke. So in our fellowship groups, do we want to ensure that we're not bringing in strange fire in the manner of false teachers who are coming in, as Jesus said, false Christs claiming to be the servants of Christ? Like Satan's ministers, who were told, Paul tells us, transform themselves into ministers of righteousness on the surface. But they're bringing in strange fire and we're destroying some groups and leading people astray. And again, we'll cover many scriptures on that, if not this week, then next week. But we've got to protect it. We've got to be ready. And one of the pieces of the armament that God has given to us, we can read about in Ephesians 6, is to have our feet shod with the gospel of peace. And when we understand what that is, we'll understand how we're able to protect our fellowships. But they're being attacked. There are some who are even saying, well, you know, God called us individually, therefore, you know, we can just sort of visit with any group. Well, the scriptures that show that that is a false concept also. That is a satanic deception. It's fake, phony, and false. We have to be able to see that. And we have to be able to reach out sometimes and pull people back from the fire. We're also instructed to do that when we have the opportunity. So again, special message, the true fellowship with God. And the point that Fred mentions here is this one scripture that we've just read in 1 John 1. Our fellowship, again, I repeat, our fellowship must first be with God the Father and Jesus Christ. And we mean it seriously, because if we don't have that, we cannot have the true fellowship with one another. Now, it's interesting that as we as the elders listen to our brothers and sisters as you speak in comments afterwards, it comes through quite clearly that the fruits of God's Spirit are within you. Because of your comments, they come across as true. They come across as solid. They're really hard. And it's clear that the comments you're making come from having that fellowship with the Father and Christ. In fact, it's a real joy to hear your comments. It's a real pleasure. Then among us were those who were new. There were those who were doubting. And those are the ones that we need to be able to help. And those who are more mature in the faith can do this. All right. There is another transcript here, which you can get online. And if you can't, we can get the link to you. The purpose of fellowship groups, and again, the same material basically is covered. Now, this was a more recent one, I believe, that was the original. So the original was the purpose of fellowship groups. And the one which was a recap, oh, here it is, down at the bottom. The purpose of fellowship groups, which was a reissue in 2014, it's a video sermon, that is, but it's a reissue of a message Fred gave on the 1st of July, 1992. And that video may be of a great help. But we, each one of us, has to make sure that we are doing our part to protect the fellowship. And there are many things that we can do. And we'll find those things and what our actions can be from the Scriptures. Now, let's have a look at Matthew 18 and verse 20, which is an interesting Scripture. Matthew 18 and verse 20. These are the words of Jesus in verse 2 and 3. I'm using my hard copy. I'm just taking Fred's advice to get used to the hard copy, again, after using the digital one. It's interesting where at the beginning of chapter 18, verse 2, And after calling a little child to him, Jesus said to him in the midst and said, Truly, I say to you, unless you are converted, that is, we have repented of our sins. We've been keeping the Sabbath day, the holy days, the Passover, most important, if we want to understand the will of God, the law of God and the plan of God. And said, truly, I say to you. Now, this is what Jesus is telling us. This is the attitude he wants to see in you and in me. Unless you are converted and become as little children, there is no way that you shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. It's sad today that we see the attitudes of little children being so spoiled and turned into evil in many cases. What a joy for those parents who are able to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and see those little children so responsive and willing. Now, some have a little bit of confusion of understanding the difference between sir and ma'am. He's much older now, but he used to say, when we would ask him to do something, he would say, yes, sir, ma'am. But he always did it with a great attitude. He was always a great son. And verse four, let's move on. Therefore, whoever shall humble himself as a little child, is to hear that as you give your comments, that this is seen by everyone. And, you know, that is a real joy to the body of Christ. That's the joy. And this is what brings real fellowship when we have this kind of spirit attitude. Shall humble himself as a little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven or kingdom of God, as it is in other of the gospels. Now, let's come to verse 20. Matthew 18 and verse 20. For where two or three are gathered together. Is that where it ends? Or is there something else that Jesus added? Remember, the one speaking here created the heavens and the earth. He put your body and my body together, particle by particle. We are naked before him. He sees everything that our bodies are composed of. He sees and reads everything that is in our hearts and in our minds. But he says, for where two or three are gathered together in my name. You may want to do a search through the scriptures of that terminology, where it says my name or in my name. Let's continue. Where I am in the midst of them. So here we are meeting online, scattered around the world. Is Jesus in the midst of us, even though we're separated by thousands of miles? Absolutely so. Absolutely, yes. He's in our midst. Can he do that? Can Christ, can God the Father be anywhere at any time? Can they be everywhere? You know, since Jeremiah 23, God tells us, Jesus tells us, he says, you can't hide from me. He said, I feel the heavens and the earth, his presence. His presence. He's aware of everything. It says he upholds the entirety of the cosmos, the entirety of the universe. And yet, he looks down on this little planet, out on the edges of the Milky Way galaxy, which is probably towards the outer limits of whatever that or however the universe is. And this is what he says. Creator, for where two or three are gathered together in my name. Well, there's more of us here today. I don't know if I can just catch the figure, but we've got a number of people scattered around the globe, meeting together in the name of Jesus Christ. And he is right here in our midst. Now, what's the governing text on this? Why is he present? Present? Why has he said, yes, I want to be in the midst of this group and go to meeting? John 1. Chapter 1. Now, fellowship began this morning or this afternoon or this evening, wherever you are. It began in the presence of God, seeking God's company in prayer, reading his word, filling our minds, filling our hearts with the love and the joy. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. That's interesting. And that comes out in the feet shop of the gospel of Ephesians 6. And we'll see more of that a little later. But that's such a beautiful, beautiful statement there. We have that confidence. He's in our midst. Therefore, how should we behave in the midst of Jesus and the Father who are watching over us? We know what our motivation is. Do they want us to bring in strange fire? Do they want us to bring in speakers that the brethren don't know? Why has Fred chosen to expose more specifically the elders so that you can know us? So that you can come to trust the words that we speak? Because we're going to be, as it says in Nehemiah 8, if you want to go back and read that, where the prophets, Israel, where he stood up. All the people were gathered. And this was at that time of the Feast of Tabernacles. He stood up. And do you know what he did? And the other Levites and the others around him, they read from the word God. And then they explained its meaning. Is that a requirement for the churches of God today? Is that something that you can witness that actually happens in the Christian Biblical Church of God today? Because as we're told in the scriptures, by our fruits, we will be known. So we're being exposed. And that could bring a lot of hardship. It could bring the guillotine in the end. But it's been done because, as Fred says, you know, in his latter years, the brethren need to come to know who's serving amongst them. When Fred passes, do you think the Christian Biblical Church of God is going to reach out to some other part of the church of God? Or this man over here is claiming to be a minister of God. This man, he's such a wonderful speaker. He's just got some exciting stuff that he can bring to us. How do you know he's not a false prophet? How do you know Satan is not working in him? We don't know him. Was it Xanax about these Jews who were running around casting out demons? Demons said to them, Jesus we know, and Paul we're aware of, but who are you? And then the demonic attacked these men and they lost all their clothes. They lost all their clothes and they had to take off. So we have to stay close to God. And when we stay close to God, and when we're in fellowship with the Father in Christ, you and I are going to be able to detect and determine the fruits of those who are bringing the Word of God to us, reading the Word of God, and then explaining its meaning and the understanding by the Spirit of God and by the power of God. God has a lot of power that he can bring the truth to us. And I'm sure that as elders, we submit ourselves to God. We ask him to use us and to speak to us because, frankly, we have no confidence in the flesh. And oftentimes, if we're speaking before the people of God, the brethren, you, our brothers and sisters in the faith, we can be in quite a lot of trepidation. Should we not be faithful with the Word of God? Yes, we can make mistakes, but God can correct us. And if you have a mistake from the scriptures that you see that we clearly make, then you need to write us or contact us and tell us. So fellowship is important. That's interesting. When we come together as a fellowship group, even here on the Internet, is this hallowed ground? If Christ is in our midst, are we not standing on hallowed ground? You remember Moses back in Exodus 3? He saw the burning bush, the flaming bush, which was an angel revealed himself to him, but then God spoke to him through the burning bush and said to Moses, Moses, take off your sandals because you're standing on holy ground. You know, while we're in the presence of God, we better make sure we take off our spiritual sandals so that we can surely be honoring God, that we truly can be walking humbly in his sight. Now, Isaiah 56, there is a prophecy which says that the house of God is called the house of prayer. Now, for us here, whether we're meeting in a service, meeting as God's people, or whether we're meeting as a fellowship, in that sense, as the church of God or part of the church of God, are we not entering into the very house of God when Christ is in our midst, when we've got that direct access with God the Father in heaven? We actually come into the presence of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Should we not take our physical sandals and the spiritual sandals that are not part of our worship of God, take them off? If we come to, let's see, Matthew 21 chapter, just over a page or two from where we were, we see an application of this scripture. One that we're all well aware of, Matthew 21 and verse 13 or around verse 10. Let's begin in verse 11. And the multitude said, this is Jesus, the prophet, the one who is from Nazareth of Galilee. Next verse. And Jesus went into the temple of God and he cast out those who were buying and selling in the temple. And he overthrew the tables of the money exchanges and the seats of those who were selling does. Now, what do you think he said? Well, he was, he, he repeated what he had already said through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 56. He has written my house in meeting around the world on GTM here, we're actually meeting in God's house, we're meeting in the presence of Almighty God, the Father of Jesus Christ. We can't see them. Jesus said to Thomas, Thomas, you've seen me and believe more blessed of those who have not seen me and yet believe and we believe. How can we do that? Because God revealed himself to us when he called us through his Sabbath, through his holy days, but more specifically through the Passover, repentance, baptism, laying on of hands, receiving God's spirit. That God is teaching us through the word, which is spirit and which is guided and directed by the Holy Spirit as well. My house shall be called a house of prayer that notice the rebuke, but you have made it a den of thieves. And this is the danger of fellowship groups that are not meeting, who have first and foremost in fellowship with God, the Father and Jesus Christ. There are many people after the collapse of worldwide, of course, scattered, different groups were formed. Some good, some bad. Oh, but Lyle, how can you say that? Read Revelation chapter 2, chapter 3. Revelation chapter 2, chapter 3, give a template for how the church of God is today. There are some who are good and doing good works, but there are others who are doing what we might call bad, even evil works. And Jesus rebukes and he says, I've got these things against you unless you repent. And in one case, he said he would even take the candlestick, which was the whole church group, take the candlestick away. Did God not take, did Christ not take the candlestick away from worldwide church of God because it was destroyed from the top down? That's why it's important to know who your leaders are. And by leaders, I mean those who are bringing you the truth of God, the knowledge of God, the word of God. To bring somebody into a group that has not been proved by the brethren can be a fatal mistake. Oh, but we know this man from old. He was a faithful minister. He gives wonderful messages. But Jesus we know, Paul we know, but who is this maybe an uncircumcised Philistine speaking metaphorically, appearing as a minister of righteousness, but actually the servant of Satan, the devil, one of his ministers. Let's read that again, verse 13. He said to them, it is written in my house, today we are all before God's presence, God in heaven above, Jesus Christ, Jesus said, he's right here in our midst. And this house is called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. Think about that regarding any fellowship group. Now, I know it can be a temptation for some where there's no elder or minister in CBCG to blend into one of these fellowship groups. But look, we'll have a meeting. We'll have every so often videos, CDs, books, literature. And I remember in WorldVentures, we've got all, we could never translate, we could never have our own copy of the Bible, we could never do a translation of the Bible. Well, that statement proved to be wrong. It's not a fact. That was fiction. So we'll plug into a Bible which had so many mistakes in it. Thank God and praise his name that those errors have been eliminated. So again, as I say, we are in the presence of God the Father. We are in his house right now. We've taken our sandals off because we recognize who is God. We've recognized who our shepherd is. We've recognized those servants that God has called, and as God's servants, elders are obligated to preach the word of God, to preach the truth of God, to exhort, to encourage, to challenge, to war. Because we don't want to see any one of God's lambs for those who are new in the body of Christ, or sheep. We don't want to see any one of them. As God also says, he has got no desire to see any one perish. And it is so sad when we see some people who in the past have become so hard-headed, they set their minds like steel and like iron. Their minds are impenetrable. It doesn't matter how much you explain the word of God, the truth of God to them, that they can't understand, they can't grasp it. And we have examples of that in the scripture over and over again. Ancient Israel, spiritual Israel, it also occurs within the church. This is why we need the other. And this is why we need that fellowship. I'm not going to apologize for saying it again. John 1, 1 John, chapter 1. The fellowship must first be with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Then we can come into fellowship, go to meetings, Sabbath serves, whatever, or meeting another brother or sister. We can enter that with great relief and peace of mind, the peace of God. And we are able to discern the spirits, whether the speaker is of God or not. Will this strange speaker bring in strange calls, strange fire into God's temple, is of God? And were it not those who invite the strange fire into the body of Christ, he will hold each one of us accountable for our works. And won't God say, Revelation 18 and verse 1, this angel came down from heaven, a great angel with great authority, and it says that his glory was so great and his authority was so great that he illuminated the entire earth. Now, was that all at one time or not? Personally, I'm inclined to believe it will be all at one time, but I don't really know. But it's going to come and say, this angel, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen. What is that referring to? It's referring to every church or body of people claiming to be a church that is following the teachings of ancient Babylon. And today we have this great modern-day Babylon, Babylon the Great, which is a spiritual entity, but it is not functioning on the spirit of God, but the very spirit of Satan and his demons, and that penetrated the very church of God back in the, well, 70s, 80s, and 90s. So the church of God that we knew was totally decimated, destroyed. God just tore it down. Do we want God tearing down the fellowship that we are a part of? Yes, we call it the CBCG, but we're in fellowship because God called us into this body. I know he didn't call me into any other body. When I quit Worldwide, I told my friend, Ray Murray, when he said, Lon, you need to get back to the ministry. I said, I can't do that until God shows me, clearly. Well, after seven years or so, he did. And it was then that he brought me into the fellowship of the CBCG. Now, one of the reasons behind that is probably the same way as it was for you. Let's turn to John 10 and see what Jesus had to say as John recorded, and John was able to record things that are not in the other Gospels. And this has to do with our fellowship, and any true fellowship, a part of any of the churches of God, the same thing applies. I've had this thought, like, well, I don't know, but I'll just throw it out. You can decide how you take it. God scattered the brethren of the Worldwide Church of God. And one group went this way, another group went that way, in 101 different directions. And two groups pop up here, a little group pop up there. Are they all of God? I don't know. We'll know how, by their fruits. And this is true for anyone who's speaking before a fellowship that is truly of God. We must know their fruits. Why is it that we have elders ordained, but they're not ordained until they meet the conditions? Now Paul said to Titus, he said, I'm sending you to Greece. Why? To complete and finish the things that need to be done. So that's a responsibility of Titus, who was an elder. He was sent to set things in order. He also had to ordain elders in every city. But again, there were conditions to that. He would only ordain them if they met the conditions. And he goes on to explain what that was. Paul said the same to Timothy about somebody who desires to be a shepherd or an elder. There were conditions. Are we all of those conditions? Yes, we need to be if we're going to be listening to them. But since God called you and me, assuming that that's where you are today, into the fellowship of CVCG, God says that we need to be satisfied. We need to be content of where we are. Unfortunately, some look over into the other side of the fence and they see these green pastures there. So they either go through a gate or they jump the fence into the pasture, which looked green from where they stood. But once they get there, they find that the grass has probably faded, turning brown and dropping over like the flowers. So what do they do? Well, they look for another group and then another group and then another group. And what they do, of course, is they're accumulating many teachers. They become double-minded. And you know what Scripture says about double-mindedness? Totally unstable. I'm in a certain future unless there's repentance. So where were we? John 10. Very important statement by Jesus, the head of the church. There is only one head of the church. He gives instructions how to organize the church, how to organize fellowship groups. Yes, the Scriptures are all there, giving us the principles of how we can do this. The reason I'm doing this is because we know what the Scriptures say. We know what the apostles have said to us about what is coming up against the church. Peter says, in the last days, there'll be many false teachers, many false prophets. Paul says the same thing. Jude, John, Peter, they kind of warn us of this over and over again. So I appreciate that this can be heavy, but it is an absolutely necessary part. Because if we love God, if we fear God, you know what the prophet says that the fear of God is? The fear of God is to hate evil and to love the law and what God gives to us. Definition of the fear of God. And when we've got the fear of God, that gives us a peace of mind. That gives us a confidence, not only in the flesh, but in the Word of God, in the Spirit of God, in God our Father, and Jesus Christ, our elder brother. Yes, Jesus said, you are my brethren, you are my brothers and sisters, creator of the universe. What a calling we have. What an incredible calling we have. Let's continue in chapter 10. Jesus says, truly, truly, I say to you, the one who does not enter through the sheepfold. Now, we'll be talking about this and what we've said up to this point in time. The one who does not enter the sheepfold through the door, he comes in the back door. Why would he come through the back door? Why wouldn't he come through the front door? Well, we can answer that question. But he climbs up some other way. He hasn't come through a clear entrance. He hasn't come through an open door where he can be seen entirely for who and what he is. He's hiding something. He's got an agenda. And as Jesus goes on to say, but climbs up some other way, that one, now think of it, somebody coming into a fellowship, a true fellowship of any one of the churches of God. Jesus said he is a thief and a robber. We need to think very carefully on what Jesus said. Are we listening to thieves and robbers or are we listening to something else? Let's continue. But the one who enters through the door is the sheep of the sheep. So here Jesus is telling us there are going to be false prophets. There are going to be those who come through another way. They're going to try to get in to subvert. They're going to come to you to subvert you or even destroy the fellowship that you're a part of. So what should you do if you find you're a fellowship, well, a fellowship such as that? Well, the scriptures say rebuke the error. But the other scripture is what the second voice said in Revelation 18, about verse 4 or 5, come out of her my people. So for those who may be in a group that does not first have fellowship with God, first have fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus' own words, which I believe is that voice which comes from heaven, and the words that Jesus spoke were given to him by God the Father. And you can read that back in the very first chapter, the whole book of Revelation. Where did it come from? Well, God the Father gave the information to Jesus Christ and Jesus gave it to his angel. And his angel brought it and gave it to John in vision. And that marvelous, wonderful book of Revelation came from God the Father. And so the statement there in Revelation 18 and in verse 4 or 5, where it says come out of her my people. Now that just does not refer to the church we know as modern Babylon. And most say, well, you know, that's the Roman church, that all its brothers and sisters, but even within the churches of God, there are some of those churches or groups within those churches that will need to come out of. The words of Revelation 2 and 3 say it gives a message. The angel gives a message to the church. And then it says what Jesus said about what is good from the church, what is good from their works. But then it says for Jesus, but I have something against you, repent. And if you read each of those churches, you'll find in most cases, although the message is to the church, the message is also to you and to me. And to me, it says the one who hears, take heed, therefore it's listen and follow the instructions that Jesus is giving to summarize that. John 10 verse 2, the one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him, the doorkeeper opens. So when we open that door to our minds and our hearts, are we opening it to the shepherd? Or are we opening it to the one who climbs up some other way? Who is a robber or a thief and a robber? So we open our minds and our hearts to the fellowship of Jesus Christ and God the Father. He calls his sheep by day and leads them out. When I first heard the message that God was sending to me through CBCG, this is what really got me, convicted me, just as originally I was convicted. Powerful, just on the Sabbath, like I'm sure many of you had your areas were gone. So he could convict you so that you could repent. And he calls his sheep by name. God knows your name. He's going to give you a new name. And he leads them out. Well, enlist me and say he leads us out of false fellowships. If we are in a false fellowship. And these are not idle words. I'm putting it in my own language that the messages from God the Father, Jesus Christ, come out of her, come out of that group that is taking you to destruction, that wants to make merchandise of you. When he brings the sheep out, he goes before them. And Jesus does. He's feeding us. Now, for those who will be a part of this body, which, you know, we call the Christian thing called Christian Biblical Church of God, that explains our goal, our purpose. And as Fred said recently, the motto of the church is what? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength. With everything that is within us. Totally loving God. And we're all learning to do that. Hopefully a little more each day. As we grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. So we follow Jesus. And we follow those in whom we know Jesus is speaking to. Because they're preaching the Word of God. And they're explaining and expounding the Word of God. No more travelogues. We don't have any travelogues. Which can take up all servants. Used to in the past. And many other things. Reading from Shakespeare. And other philosophers. Not from the Word of God. And the sheep follow him. Why? Why would we follow Christ? Why would you follow Christ? Why would I follow Christ? Answer? Because they know his voice. What are the voices we're listening to? We just need to be listening to one voice. That's the voice where we're recognized by the Word of God, the Spirit of God, that that is Christ speaking to him and his elders today. In the past, he spoke through his prophets. Then he spoke through his son. Then he spoke through his apostles. And we have all those words that God has given to us. And every word as it is in the languages that God gave it to us. We have it translated for us, thankfully. But every word came out of the mouth of God, as Jesus said. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And every word that is written there, God had it recorded for a purpose. Whether it's prophecy, whether it's history, whether it's the law of God, it all fits together beautifully. And we can have confidence in that Word of God. Because as Jesus said, it's all Spirit. And even when it's written on the page, when we read it, the Spirit of God helps us to digest that Word into our minds. And into our hearts. So it brings joy. It brings pleasure. It brings peace of mind. And we'll talk more about that next time. Verse 5 of John 10. But they will never follow a stranger. Somebody they don't know. Somebody they don't know. The one who has climbed up some other way. That one who is a thief and a robber. For they will flee from him. This is what we've been talking about. Come out of her, my people, whatever that means for you or me. Because they do not know the voice of strangers. And with God's Spirit and our knowledge of God's Word, that's a description of those, and hopefully that will go to all of us, who are faithful to the Word of God, who are faithful to the Father Jesus Christ, who are having fellowship with the Father Jesus Christ. This is why we can enjoy the kinds of meetings being set up by Steve. And also hosted by Steve and by Norbert. And the third man, oh boy, I'm sorry, Albert, yes, so Steve. Norbert, Albert, you know, they're the hosts. They're the appointed hosts. And they change. And that's another point that Fred makes about the groups, is that if you've got men who can conduct those, change it. Give other men the opportunity to grow in the grace and knowledge, and just in organizing those physical things. But overall, because of this point, where there is a host for a group, whether it's a regular host or one that changes with others, do stay in contact with the elder that is responsible, that God has given responsibility over that part of the work. Talk to him. Listen to him. Follow the instruction that he gives in order to keep the strangers from coming within. In order that if there's a necessity for a mid-course correction, maybe just, you know, or even the need for equipment or whatever it is, so that we can follow the Word of God, the teachings of God. And God has blessed us with such an abundance. I've been following this now for many years. The Word of God, the Church of God, through CBCG. And I feel like I've only just scratched the surface of all that has been there, given to us, prepared for us. It's absolutely astounding. God has filled our plate. You know, as David said, his cup is overflowing. There's no shortage. Why would we want to bring in one who climbs up some other way? And if you're a host, if you're responsible for doing that, you need to repent before God. Because by doing so, you are violating the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Strong words, but those are from the Scriptures. Well, I think time's up. My apologies to everyone for the technical upset there, but I am glad that I was able to bring this message to you today. We love each other. We love God the Father. We love Jesus Christ. And we're meeting together here in this amazing way that God has brought us together. Just to love Him, to love the Father, and to have that unfeigned love for each other. May God bless you as you progress in this December's day.