The Creator And The Creature

A lot of things have been happening. A lot of people are asking questions continually, and I've tried to answer them as near as I know how to answer them. The Lord shares it with me, then I try to share it with you. But, tonight if you have a question, if you'd like to write it down, send it up here to us, well we'll take it, and read it, and, ponder over it and see what the Lord will say. You got a question, like to just raise your hand and ask us from the audience, then you can do it. Okay Brother Jim-- Brother Taylor, have you got your Bible here? Okay, let's see where we're going, Jim? If you want to read it Frank, okay. (Brother Frank Taylor reads scripture test: Romans 8 19-20.) Okay, Romans 8:20, is it? Okay, eighth chapter, nineteenth verse and twentieth verse- now first of all, the thing that the Lord is dealing with when He says "creature", it might be good if we could absorb this because while I was in Indiana preaching or teaching at a school one time, there was a German scholar that was in control, and he just stood right up in the midst of the people and we were teaching on some things and he said, That's wrong!. And not being rude I just said, Sit down. You're out of order. And he set down like that. I said, When I finish with what I'm doing, then you can get up and do what you want to do; but you stay right there until I finish with what I'm doing. So after I finished with what I was doing, he never bothered to do anything, because I think he had a change of heart. But, he was a great scholar, and he and I also differed over this one scripture. We had a difference over it. Even though this was not while I was teaching, this was on the side that he differed with me. And he certainly was not an ugly type person. He was a very fine man, one of the greatest scholars perhaps I ever met in my life. So I'm not critical of him, even though he stood up in the audience the way he did. Now, in this it says, For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Okay, let's read just a little of it here now, to give you just a little ground work. I want you to notice what he's dealing with in the eighth chapter. He is dealing in the eighth chapter with condemnation. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now this is the main thing to notice. In this the subject therefore would have to be the flesh and the spirit. Isn't that right? Now if we start in the middle of the chapter, we'd probably have the same difference of dispute that me and the German scholar had. But if you'll notice at the first of the chapter it is dealing with the flesh and with the spirit. That's what the subject is about. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. All right I say again now, the subject is the spirit and the flesh. That's what we want to remember. Now right here is where me and some of the followers of Brother Branham would differ. This is where I get my difference with them on the teachings of the seed of the serpent, right here. I say that the thing that God was trying to get over was the flesh and the spirit, the warfare between them or the middle wall of partition. That is what I believe that God was trying to get over and the thing that he spoke to Brother Branham about, that's what I believe. See, the warfare between the flesh and the spirit or the body and the soul, the Bible said, There's a continual warfare between the body and the soul. Now Paul having a revelation was able to see this; whereas it was illustrated by Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel, it showed this warfare. I brought it out the other night concerning Jacob. How many of you remember what we taught about Jacob and Esau? Before the children were ever born into the world, they struggled together. The mother went to inquire what was wrong. It was said unto here that the elder shall serve the younger, for within thy womb is two nations. Then when the birthright was to be given to the elder, it went to the younger; whereas the mother accepted the fact that since God had said, That the elder shall serve the younger, that there was no other way to look at it, other than the fact that he had to have the birthright. Because she knew that whoever had the birthright got the inheritance of the father and was put over the household in the father's stead to be over the servants at the death of the father. So she reasoned in her mind about it and not being spiritual to that extent, she just decided that that's what it was; and then when this thing come up about the selling of the birthright, the mess of portage; you remember the story. Then she really felt that that's what it was. So that's what she did; whereas she was not wrong in the sense that that's what God had said; but God was speaking extensively concerning spiritual things. And I explained the other night how that Jacob did not get the birthright in the since of staying home, but spent twenty years away from home, that is to enjoy it. He did not get to rule in the time of his father's weakness; but, if you'll notice God did bring him home at his father's death to get the birthright, and to do exactly what God said He would do. But, he was driven away; and the mother suffered and so did Jacob. Now, in this it shows Calvary. You remember how that the skin was placed on Jacob. The father said, It's the voice of my son Jacob, but said, it's Esau was a hairy man. Hair indicated unsightliness, or the flesh, even like Samson's hair the strength of the flesh. In this we see Calvary, Jesus being made sin, the life of Esau, being made sin, the inner Christ, the voice of Jacob. For it was the voice of the Lord in that one side of Jesus, that is the Jesus part, made in Himself twain both Lord and Christ, one side of it answered to the law and the Prophets, which was John the Baptist. John being as we would say like Esau coming out of the wilderness. The end of that, sin being brought to an end, Jesus being crucified, this is what Paul is speaking of the revelation, coming to this place to where Jesus died, the Christ coming out of the skin part, the beast part, that was placed over the spiritual man, that is to say the first man Adam, that was in the presence of the Shekinah, the skin covering that God put over them when He killed the animals as we would say, clothed them with skins, the skin covering lasted until Calvary. The voice of Jacob, the inner Christ; but the body of the sinner, Esau whom I have hated. In the morning I will hate your image because it will be the image of Esau. Therefore in this we see Esau, the world, we see this in Jesus. For He that knew no sin was made sin, that is the beastly part, putting the beast part over Jacob, the beastly part. It was the skin of a kid, to have the smell of the field, that is to relate it the world, to make it a worldly thing, showing the death of the little kid, the kid goat, because that was what was required as a sacrifice in the Old Testament. So then as a sin offering that's what it had to be. And it is true that with this we see the veil rent in two, Christ and Jesus, twain, the Lord separated from the Christ. The Lord separated from the Christ, in that the Lord was separated from the Christ then that part that would have got the birthright, the firstborn being Jesus, did not get it. That Son was rejected, made sin, that the second which was represented by Christ, Jesus representing the Jew, the firstborn, Leah. The next being Jacob or Christ or the spiritual Jew. Now, one being rejected of the father, the other being the recipient. This is shown through Calvary and it is shown back at the time when Jacob was down in Egypt, when Jacob started to bless the sons of Joseph; Ephraim and Manasseh, as he stared to place his hands upon them he crossed his hands like this. When he crossed his hand and Joseph said, No. He said, Yes. I know what I'm doing. Here he switched the birthright or the blessing because the birthright gave the blessing. The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and addeth no sorrow. H switched the birthright or the blessing thus saying that though it is given to the elder, the firstborn which is the flesh Esau, yet his image is after that of the beast. Esau have I hated; therefore through the cross that I'll change the blessing from the elder to the younger. I'll change it from the flesh to the spirit by means of Calvary. All right so then we see in this the switching over and the changing of the blessing through Calvary. Now so he said, Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated. Now, that is to say, Jacob represented the spirit, the clean man not hairy, relating not to the world, was not a hunter, didn't care for the field. Jesus said in the parable the field is the world. Esau going into the field to hunt. Jesus said the field is the world, relating to the world. Here we see the exchange of the change-about. All right now this is what Paul saw. Paul saw exactly what we're seeing tonight as we talk. He saw this in spiritual revelation, so he waxed bold to the Jews and he said, There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. See that is to say, they had their law, they had natural concept, they'd been tutored according to the scribes or the scribblings, they had been tutored in the writings but they were not spiritual. They did not hear from heaven. They did not think heavenly. Spiritual things did not come to them. The Word or spiritual things only came to the prophets. Before Calvary which brought in sonship nobody got spiritual things as a rule. You had to be a prophetess or you had to be a prophet because spiritual things didn't come to people like they do today. Because you are a son of God or a daughter of God, you've got the Holy Ghost. And because you've got the Holy Ghost, you're the body of Jesus and spiritual things come to you and fill your mind and talk to you. And even though they're still in the body today, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers; whereas, the Word of the Lord only came to the prophets back there, it comes to the body of Jesus today. For in time past God has spoken unto us by the prophets, but today by His Son Jesus. Which shall come to past, they shall all be taught of the membership of the body or by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, or by God. Now, it shall not be you speaking but your heavenly Father, God speaking from within you, teaching the Church. So he is saying here by revelation to the Jews, he that is a Jew outwardly is not a Jew. He said, You're not a Jew at all. That's only symbols. But he said, God is a Spirit. Therefore what God the Spirit is after is a spiritual relation, something that is a spirit, because He is a Spirit. He relates to the Spirit. So He is after a spiritual man, not a natural man, because He is not a natural god; therefore what God did was send Jesus as a natural part of a God that there might be a natural God or a natural side of God and that way manifest His spiritual state of being through a human body after that it had been processed and changed over to a glorified image, thus it would be a spiritual image showing the difference between Rachel and Leah. So he says here, There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, that is born again, who walk not after the flesh, that is the mind of the flesh, for they that do mind the things of the flesh they will die, but they that mind the things of the spirit, that is thinking in the spirit, shall live. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, that is made an image of flesh, and sent Him for sin, that is as a sacrifice, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, that is think about fleshly things. They think about eating, and drinking and riding and relaxing and making money and vacationing and prestige and convenience and, I mean that's their mind. Their mind thinks like that because they are fleshly. They are in the flesh, But they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit or they do mind the things of the spirit. That is they do think spiritually. See, that is to say they think about heaven. They think about fasting. They think about praying. They think about giving. They think about being about their Father's business. They think about preaching. They think about loving one another according to godliness. They think about the fruits of the spirit being holy, temperate, patient. They think about all the things of godliness, all of things of righteousness, all the things of the spiritual world; and they want to talk about revelation and talk about spiritual things and talk about things that are of God. See and they mind the things of the spirit, and their conversation is in heaven. Their conversation is in the spirit, and their thinking, their thoughts are in the spirit. For as a man thinketh in his spirit, that is in his heart, so he is. Whatever his make up is as the spiritual part of him is inside his heart then that's what he is. This is why I try to tell you a lot of times, I try to get this over to you a lot of times, see that God is a Spirit. He told the woman at the well, He said, Woman, the hour is coming and now is that they that worship God must worship God in Spirit and in truth. For God seeketh such to worship Him. See God seeketh such to worship Him in Spirit for God is a Spirit. All right now, so then I try to get it over to the people that it's a matter of mind. See, for to be carnally minded is death. Now why is that? I preach on the three minds. Why is it to be carnally minded, why is that death? Because it is a power, it is a life, it is a spirit, and that life, power, or spirit or mind if you want to call it that, it's an invisible thing that possesses and controls, dominates a human body and motivates the action of that human body in every respect of life; whether it tends to lean to the human passion of their five human senses of human desire, or whether it tends to lean to the inner desires of godliness, having mortified the deeds of the body, killing out the flesh, looking toward heaven, and drawing upon the things of Christ. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Therefore it is a matter of a mind within you. Is your mind a spiritual mind of God, or is it a natural mind of man? See, when satan comes in you will just automatically remain as you are in that you're born with satan inside of you, to the extent that when you become to the age of accountability all men are born into sin because of the blood stream of Adam. He got in through that blood life, and you just continue as you are though God made you to eat and drink and to enjoy life; yet, as your life grows satan, the disease within there, grows with you. And he savors the things that be of the world. Man would not have to die just because he eats and drinks. Adam didn't have to die because he eat and drank, but the thing is the disease on the inside is growing with him, and therefore because he cannot get the disease out there's no way to eradicate the thing; therefore it grows with him and his world becomes a possession of satan in that the disease through the individual controls him and masters all of his environment through him. Satan working through him has control of all of the world. Therefore, man has no strength to prevail against the fallen angel because man, that is the spiritual part of man as a spirit is made a little lower, that is weaker than the spirit of an angel. So the angel just overpowers him. Just like a man's spirit is stronger than a woman's spirit. A man's spirit can overpower a woman's spirit and seduce her unless she gets satan's spirit in her or God's Spirit, and then she's stronger than he is a lot of times or as strong as he is. God made that so that a man's spirit and a woman's spirit could be one. The same way with Christ's spirit and man's spirit. Okay, because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. See, the carnal mind is enmity against God. God is a Spirit; therefore to be carnally minded means to be, be fleshly minded, eating and drinking. A lot of people will say, Well, Brother Pike, that isn't being carnal. Paul said, Are ye not yet carnal? I'd like to speak unto you as unto spirituals, but I have to speak unto you as babes since you're yet carnal. Envy, strife, malice, he said, all these things are among you. Are ye not yet carnal? Now somebody said, But that's not carnal Brother Pike, because carnal things would be sin. No, that's not right, because Paul said, If I've sown unto you spiritual things, shall I not reap of your carnal? If other men be partakers of these things, shouldn't I be the more? Which means a car, food, clothing, Paul said, Don't I have a right to those things? Somebody would say, Now I'm mixed up. If all these things that are carnal is sin, then why does God let us have these things? Why are we entangled with these things? Why does God put a plague upon us when we can't help it? Why has He pressed upon us, putting us in a place of necessity? This is what Paul means. the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. All right now, here's what he's saying. First of all, he hasn't put you under the power of carnal things in that carnal things are sin. There is nothing sinful about a carnal thing. Paul said, There is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth a thing to be unclean to him it's unclean. Therefore he was partakers of those things; so the sin is not in the apple, or the eating of the apple, or the appetite. The sin is not in your wife and your children and loving one another. The sin is not in having the stars and the moon and the earth, the car and the house; there's no sin to those things. Those things are freely given to you in Christ Jesus. For my God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory. You need those things. When it rains, thunders, lightning, you need to be in a house. So then that's not sin, that's carnal things. So he did not say that you would die and go to hell because of that, now did he? But he said to be carnally minded, that's where the sin is. When you become thus minded, the sin is in the spirit. The sin is in the mind. It is not the apple that is a sin, but it's for you to get apple minded. Now that sounds a little strange, isn't that right? See it's not the automobile that is a sin, but for you get automobile minded. For you to drive down the road and enjoy your automobile with your wife, that is not a sin; but for you to get vacationally minded or to get frolic minded or to get leisure minded or to get your mind on clothes and houses and lands and money and prestige and convenience; when you get to thinking day in and day out about that you are going to die and go to hell. There ain't no short, simple terminology for it. Other than that you're going to die and go to hell because you are carnally minded; and I don't mean to get to preaching. I'm trying to answer a question. But you are going to die folks. There ain't no way to get around it. See when you are carnally minded, I forget what I'm doing, and I get excited, but, but the thing is you are thinking, your thinking is what done it. You let a power get in there into your thinking. Now if you're hungry, the Bible said, Blessed is the nation or a people when their king eats for strength. Now that's the difference right there. If you get hungry, you go home you say, Hey, fix me a meal. Set down and eat you a good solid meal. Ain't nothing wrong with that; but then you get up from that meal and you say, Give me a glass of this and you drink that; and give me a chunk of this and you eat that; let's go get a hamburger, and I wish I had a hotdog and where's the ice cream shop? Now see, that's bad. The pounds will start coming, and it won't be long. Now you know a lot of times folks look at fat folks and say, Yea, that's where it's at right there. That's not true. A lot of times that person might not eat as much as you eat. You're just one of them that runs from hamburger shop to hamburger shop and keeps it all run off, and you might eat two or three times as much as they eat. Sometimes it's a good proof that they might stay home a little more and might be a better wife or a better husband, now or might be seeking the Lord a little more. Now you say, Well now you're condoning fatness. No, no that ain't got nothing to do with it. You could be fat and still be like that too. Now, I'm just trying to show you something folks. See, it's not in how much you weigh or how much you don't weigh. Sin is not in that. Elephants weigh tons, I guess, or they weigh a lot anyway. Now it depend on how big they are. But yet, they've not sinned. (Tape turned over.)...gawky looking something that walks through the woods that can pull down a tree with a trunk. Well they haven't sinned at all. They might, you take a lion, he might, I mean he could just eat and eat and eat. He could eat men and not even feel bad about it. Eat all of me. But see that, that doesn't make him sinful, because he's got an appetite that he could eat something as big as a human being. Now isn't that right? So then, I'm saying again, it is because you are carnally minded. Somebody said, Well, you can't tell the difference. Now don't tell me you can't tell the difference. The Bible said, A child is known by his doings. I can tell in just a little while if I'm around a person whether their spiritual minded or carnal minded, because if they're spiritual minded they're going to talk about the things of God, if they're carnal minded, I don't care how many times you open the conversation about spiritual things, it won't be long before they're back to strawberries and cakes and cars and houses and money and who they saw and where they went and what they've done and who they talked to yesterday and what they think about a situation. They're plain carnal minded. That's what it is. So, a person that's spiritual, I don't care how much you get on the carnal side, you give them a little time, they're going to switch that conversation back over. They're going to get back on spiritual things as sure as you live in this world. Because it's in them to do that. It's just in them. That's their life. All right, so then here we are, the earnest expectation of the creature, all right we'll read this right on down. It won't take but a minute. To be carnally minded is death, because the carnal mind is enmity against God:...it is not subject to the law of God, nether indeed can be. Now this is where, this is what he's saying in the seventh verse. See the carnal mind is made subject to vanity. That is the creature in which the carnal mind is in, the creature was made subject to vanity. It is not subject to the spirit neither indeed, that is in it's actions can be, it will desire the things o the natural. But it was made subject to vanity; that is to relate that it might naturally as the beast part relate to the beast side of life; that on the inside of that individual life could reside, live and go through a training process from childhood or babyhood to a grown-up as it develop. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. That is that think, think carnally minded, they're in the flesh. But ye are not in the flesh, that is in the flesh mind, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit, that is born again, Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. That is if you ain't never been born again. And if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. It doesn't matter if he's a believer. It doesn't matter what he says he is; shouts, speak in tongues, dance. He can say I believe in healing; whatever, go to church. He is not God's if he don't have the Spirit of God. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Right here Paul is saying if you're born of the Spirit, then this is where the birthright change, what I was speaking of awhile ago about Jacob, the sons of Joseph, through the cross, your flesh is dead. It's lost it's life that the spirit may gain it; through Calvary, I changed the life over from the body to the Spirit; thus they that are born of the Spirit are dead in the flesh, mortified the deeds of the flesh, buried the flesh in Jesus name; they're out of operation as far as the world is concerned, don't desire to be part of the world, don't desire to have a career in the world, don't desire to be a big celebrity in the world or popular or famous in the world, all of that's out. They don't desire money. They don't desire prestige. They don't desire convenience. They don't desire those things. All of that's behind them. God switched it over at Calvary. He sees that person as being absolutely free from the flesh; yet, knowing that they have need of the things of the flesh, the Bible said, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these (needful) things shall be added unto you. And if you'll delight yourself in the Lord, He'll give you the desires of your heart. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. That is, you can feel the quickening in your body, and not only this, but He's speaking of quickening the body to the acts of righteousness, that this quickening that Paul said, There remaineth one thing and that is the quickening, the quickening. The only life there, take away all, and the only life there is is like an electrical charge, you can't see it but it's the quickening. And if you don't believe it's quickening you catch ahold of it and you'll feel the quickening. So Paul said, There's nothing left but the quickening which is God, the Spirit of Life, and He will quicken your mortal body not only by the feeling of it, but that is to raise you up from the dead should they lay you down in a coffin. Quicken your mortal body by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. That is to bring you to sonship. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (That is keep overcoming the flesh.) Paul said, I keep under my body, bring it into subjection, lest after I preach to others, I myself become a castaway. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (That is mind the things of the Spirit, and be led to do things that are spiritual.) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; (That is we were subject to fear.) The Bible said, All of our life we were subject to bondage of fear of death until we were born again. But ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (That is that confident feeling that we know there's a Father and we're His Son. We feel that relation.) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, (You feel that spirit.) that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and join-heirs (which means we have whatever He has) with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. (For the Bible said, Shall he not with Christ freely give us all things.) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Now right here, we're back again, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Now this is where the man lost the dispute right here. I couldn't get him to see it, but that's where he lost the dispute. See, it says, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us... in us. Now I say that this revelation is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, glory to glory, coming into His temple to suddenly appear within His temple in the fullness to be made manifest in the human body as the manifestation of the Son of God within us. Now he says here I don't think the trouble you're having can even be compared with what's about to happen when you see your new body in it's change Paul said, and what's inside of you manifested through your mortal genes. He said, I just don't think there's not comparison with it. All right he said, For the earnest expectation of the creature (that is your body I went through all that to get to this to make it clear your body) For the earnest expectation of the creature. (That is my body's earnest expectation, it longs for, it desire, it moans and groans, not that I should be unclothed, but rather clothed upon with my house from heaven, he makes it clear.) For the earnest expectation of the creature (which is your body now) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (That is the inner part to be manifested in the outer genes.) For the creature was made subject to vanity, (that is your body) not willingly, (That is it didn't have anything to do with it; God did it on His own.) but by reason of him (God, by reason of God, God's plans) who hath subjected the same in hope, (That is Christ within you the hope of glory.) You are subject to vanity, subjected to vanity, until you can finish your spiritual process as the inner man that it may be made manifest in your mortal genes, Thessalonians change, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye from the hope within you. For every man that has this hope within him purifies himself even as He is pure. Subjected the same in hope, Christ within you the hope of glory. Because the creature itself (that is the body) also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation (Now, here is the other part. The whole creation which takes in the animals, which takes in the trees, which takes in the earth, the waters, the stars, everything.) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (including mankind now) And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, to wit the redemption of our body. (So he makes it plain. He's talking about the body.) For we are saved by hope; but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; (That is to please God to bring this thing to pass; we don't know what to ask God to give us to make this thing come to the fullness of His plan.) But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us (That is the spirit within.) for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them He also called; and whom he called, the He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I hope that explains what the brother was speaking of there. We're not going to get a chance to explain anything else. How many of you understand now? Okay. I hate to go through such a long, drawn out thing you know as somebody would say. But, I enjoy it myself, but for your sake; but I don't know of any other way to explain it you know in few words. The bible said, Great is the mystery of godliness. And that's part of the mystery right along in there. Great is the mystery and you just can't say it, Thus and thus. You have to just get into it. Paul said, Being a steward of the mystery you have to get into it and explain it according to spiritual things. So then I trust that that is understandable; and that you see how great you are in the Lord, and you see the difference, the difference between Cain and Abel, the difference between Esau and Jacob, the difference between the natural man and the spiritual man or the war, the continual war between your body and spirit while you are yet living in this world, waiting for the redemption of your body, that is to wit the redemption. All right, let's stand together. There's a lot of things I'd like to say tonight that would be real helpful along that, especially to some of you. Maybe from time to time as we border on those things or say things, you can relate back to that or say things to it, and that will make you, you know, make you to understand much better. But folks, take my word for it, don't be carnally minded. For Christ's sake don't die and lose the greatest thing that you could ever have, because the world and all that is therein perish, but he that doeth the will of God, he abideth forever. So then, let's think on spiritual things. We have to do natural things in this world, but we don't have to be naturally minded. We don't have to be naturally minded. When you get to enjoying this world, you are thus naturally minded. As long as this world is grievous to you, a burden to you, then you know that you're not of this world. You know that you're not enjoying it. But when you begin to enjoy this world, then it means that you don't have God. The reason for that is because that which satan owns, that is he has control of it, this time being the prince of this world; he controls to this extent, that is Lot said, He was vexed down in Sodom and Gomorrah. And Solomon said, All of this is vanity and vexation of the spirit. And if you get natural things and they're not fully dedicated to God down to the very jot and tittle, and you're not using your strength, your mind, your body, your thoughts, everything you got for God all day long, brother, sister, if you are not vexed then that means you are of this world. But if you do have these things that God has blessed you with and you are vexed, unless you're thinking on godliness or withdraw from the natural, or unless you are doing something godly, if you are vexed then you are a son or daughter of God. That is to say, if you can get out there and enjoy the things of the world and doing the things of the world and it doesn't vex you, then we just have to be honest, you're just not born again. But if you don't find a relaxation and every time you want to let yourself go to drive around or to ride around or to eat and drink or to get into things of the world, all of a sudden you feel like you just, you know you're so relaxed and suddenly something pricks in your heart and you start talking about something natural, and then something pricks you in your heart, and you say, My dear God, I wish I'd never got on that subject because I didn't mean that, I didn't think that, I wasn't planning to go that route. Then you know that you're a son of God. Otherwise, if you can enjoy it and just go right on, just running your mouth as the world says, and riding and eating and drinking and having a good time, and you just get the biggest kind of relaxation out of it, you just haven't got the Spirit of God that's all. Because Satan is out there in those realms; and if you are a son of God you can be sure every time you look in his direction, he's going to prick your heart and he's going to torment you, and he's going to say, Come on. Give up what you got and be one of us; otherwise I'll torment the life out of you. You say, My God, let me get out of here; let me get out of here, because my mind is going in the wrong direction. My thoughts is going in the wrong direction. I'm tormented. I'm vexed. You'll want to get away from it. Now I mean that works in eating and drinking the same way. You just set down and relax and start eating and drinking. That'll torment you. But in Christ, if you're fasting and praying and seeking God and you know you are; and you're giving to the Lord and sharing with the Lord and you can enjoy your little home. You can enjoy your car, whatever. But if you got plans in the world and you're just giving a little bit just to like Ananias and Sapphira, holding back on God and you're just doing a little bit just to console yourself that you are a Christian and want to be part of it, you're not part of it at all. You're on the other side and you're just, you're just throwing in a little as we say just to make yourself feel like you belong to the family of God but you don't. Your joy is not in what we're doing. Your joy is in what they're doing out there to whom you belong. But it works the other way around for the children of God. They have to contribute to the other side of life in the sense that they have to get out there and work a little or mess with the natural thing, but they hate it. They hate it. David said, I hate evil with a perfect hatred. And they hate the carnal side of life. The Bible said, it has to be so strong, the hatred has to be so strong that if any man come to me and hate not his own life, then he cannot be My disciple. He must hate his own life because it's vexating. It's vanity; but if he forsake all and hate his own life, seek not to save that which could be his life out there, but lay down his life for me, he shall gain his life. Let's sing a little chorus together. I really don't see how that, I don't see how you could go wrong in what I've tried to tell you and explain to so carefully. If you're sincere, if you really want to know, if you really want to know Jesus and love Jesus, I don't see how you can go wrong; but brother or sister, if you want to play a game you can go wrong. It's like Brother Gary was saying, he said, Brother Pike, he said, You know, said, when you really come down to this thing, he went on to elaborate in few words, that you talking about the coming of Jesus, that's one thing. You think on the coming of Jesus, that's one thing but, his expression was, when you really get right down to it and Jesus is coming, and you think about yourself in the light of His real coming, that's another thing altogether. Then you begin to realize, as Gary said, that you're not what you thought you was, and you're not where you thought you was, and you're not ready at all. You know we talk about death, Lord, let me die. Lord, let me die. I'm ready! Glory to God, I'm going straight to heaven but when the sting of death begins to come around and the shadow of death begins to fall, and you begin to choke and you can't get that breath down and you know that's the end of the trail; then, you're not all that sure anymore. You begin to think about all them things that you wasn't suppose to do that God was displeased with and all them things that you was suppose to do that God was pleased with, that is those things that you did not do. And you think, my God, I've played it. I've played it. Give me another day Lord. Just another day as the songwriter said. So I'm telling you, it's better to get down to business folks and not play games because one day, death is coming. Death-beds is coming. One day it's coming. And we're getting, all of us is getting nearer and nearer to the judgment. The coming of the Lord is getting closer and closer. So if you want to enjoy life, there's but one life, that's the life of Christ. Enjoy it. Get Him. Do all that you can for Jesus, and then whatever you are partakers of in this world, you can enjoy it. As long as you keep doing it for Christ and doing it through Christ. But you just step out of that one time and it'll be like a dart striking through your heart. You'll be so vexed and tore up until you'd give ten thousand worlds if you hadn't even thought upon it. That's why I try to walk in the spirit, try to stay spiritually minded, try to meditate in His laws day and night, because it vexes me. If I just get my thoughts out there for just a few minutes, it just vexes the life out of me. I'm tormented. I want to run from it. You say, My God, let me back in. God keep me safe. Keep me on the right side. Don't let me get out there Lord, at all. Let's sing this little chorus. (Brother Pike sings: There's Room At The Cross.) Sing it again, can you? (They sing it again.) Tonight there's room at the cross. I want you to close your eyes with me. Lift your hands up, and I want you to ask the Lord tonight. Just say, Lord, God of Heaven, do I have a cross? You know a cross is where the spirit and the flesh crosses one another. And they're contrary one to another, satan working in the flesh, the human senses, the creature subject to vanity. The other side of you, Christ relative to heaven, wanting to do His will, and they're cross one to another. There is a continual warfare between them and they cross one another, the spirit and the flesh crossing one another. Do I have a cross? For Father, if I don't have that conflict and continual warfare, I'm not a son of God? I've never been born again. If I am at peace and relaxation with people of the world and the things of the world, and to be contented to eat and to drink and buy and sell, I don't have a cross. There's no conflict within me, but oh God if there's something tearing me to pieces Lord on the inside that makes me want to run from the flesh and turn to the things of the Spirit. God, if there's a continual warfare and a conflict within side of me, and my fleshly mind of carnal desire is always God being crossed by the spiritual mind of Christ within me, my heavenly desire. Lord, if this mind of spirit is always warring with this mind of carnality and the carnal mind is alway warring with my spiritual mind, and I'm mourning and groaning on the inside, begging and pleading to deliver me from the body of this death. Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Paul said, It's all in the body. Satan is in the body. He's got control of it, but through Jesus Christ in Calvary, I'm safe, for He hath killed the body, crucified it and buried it; in His name it is buried. And today I as a spiritual man, left the body and went back to heaven to be with God, and I am a spiritual being, not to know me after the flesh anymore, but after the spirit. The second man Adam, a quickening spirit, and I am now with God whom the heavens have received, hid with Christ the Spirit, in God who is the Spirit, until the day of my bodily redemption. All the restoration, or Revelation 19 the coming of the Lord, or the change of Thessalonians. Lord, is there that conflict; is there that conflict? If so, then I've got a cross. I've got a cross. And Father, in that I've got a cross I know that if I'll overcome, He that overcometh, I'll receive a crown. If I can overcome the flesh, they that have the spirit have mortified the deeds of the body. If I can mortify the deeds of the body, kill them out, overcome them with the spiritual mind, then I can receive this body as an inheritance. This spiritual mind will become the master of this body and this body will never perish. But Lord, if I give into this other mind, satan will take my body and he'll be the master of my body and it will decay. The skin worms, satan will take my body and he'll enjoy it in the lust of the flesh, as a parasite while it's in this world and then I've lost it forever. He's got control of it at death and I can't have it. It's taken away from me and my life goes with it. Therefore I give my body to thee; I give my spirit to thee; I give my mind to thee; I give my life to thee to love you with all of my strength; all of the strength I got, I'll spend that strength doing something for you Lord, and not doing something for the natural, convenience of the world. All my strength, all my mind, I'll love you with all my mind because all my thinking will be on you Lord. All my strength, all my mind, all that's within me. I love the Lord with all my heart and I'll overcome this body by abiding within the Spirit and obeying the Word. When I stumble and stagger and make a mistake, when I'm doing my best, I know that the blood of Jesus will atone. I know that beyond my mistake He's overlooked it, because I done my best and I never tried to do anything wrong. It wasn't willful. I didn't mean to do it, Lord, I just got caught in the snare, but for God's sake, forgive me through Christ. Forgive me and I know I am forgiven through the atonement. If any man sin, the propitiation with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous prevails. So then, there is room at the cross. I have a cross tonight; therefore, I have a crown. Brethren, sisters, if you walk upright before God, Paul said, and finish your course, you can say with him like Paul did at the end of the course, he said, I've finished my course. I've fought a good fight. I've kept the faith. And from henceforth there is a crown of righteousness laid up for me and not only for me, but everyone that will do the same that I have done in fighting a good fight. Don't give up. When you've done all you can to stand, stand, be strong in the power of His might. Fight a good fight. Stay with it. Finish your course. He that endureth tot he end the same shall be saved. So Lord, I've fought a good fight. I've finished my course. Say that with Paul. Hold on until you can. And Paul said, There is also for you a crown of righteousness laid up. For everyone that loves Him, everyone, there's a crown for you. Oh that crown is a crown of life, which means eternal living with the jewels of splendor, and royalty and riches, youth, health and happiness, peace and joy. It's all for you. Let's just lift our hands and pray together.

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

Founder and first President of Jesus Christ’s Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.

Holiness Unto The Lord