God's Will Is Peace On Earth

I'd like to say that I appreciate a hearty welcome, and always appreciate the saints of God and the opportunity to talk with them. You can be seated. We are using a little different mike tonight. We have a cordless mike that I really prefer under the tent. We use these kind of mikes a lot of times, but it's so much better for my cordless mike. We've used it under this tent, and we've used it numbers of times under our big five pole tent, and it always works real good. As a matter of fact we take it overseas with us and use it in our open air crusades. It makes it a little difficult when you get to moving around and dragging a cord with you. But somehow they forgot to bring one part of the mike that they have to have, and that means that we have to use this one with the cord on it tonight. It's a pleasure to be here in the valley. It's been a long time since we were here. The last time we were here in the valley we were under part of the big tent and we had a wonderful crusade and we had a wonderful crowd of people, and people were very receptive. We had an outstanding meeting; the papers covered it. You know, I'd like to take just a minute, or two to say this to you. The heat is roaring. It might be a little problem to you to understand exactly what we're saying, but the acoustics are pretty good under this tent so I don't think that we'll have any real problem. But I'd like to say that I really appreciate the law officers here in the valley. We've preached around the world. That's our ministry. But I've never met any finer law officers anywhere in the world than here in the valley. As a matter-of-fact, the last time we were here they came and helped direct the traffic, and they've been very kind to us since we've been here in the valley. And I'll tell you what, folks, that means an awful lot. Everything in the entire world, including America, is being corrupted continually from the officers of law to the political fields. And Solomon of old, I remember something that he said, I have looked and in the places of judgment I have found corruption. And it can truthfully be said today that that is where everything is at. But, nevertheless, in the midst of all of this there are wonderful people that love Jesus Christ. They love the Lord with all of their heart. And because of the conditions of today and the way that things are shaping up more and more people are beginning to call on the Lord Jesus and press in a little tighter, because even though they might not be prophets, all of them might not be prophets, and they might not altogether understand, but they do know that they love the Lord, and they are the children of God. And because they are the children of God then they are in great expectancy of the coming of the coming of the Lord, and they're watching and praying everyday. You know, Jesus said watch and pray. A lot of people pray,  they don't watch. A lot of people watch and they don't pray. But Jesus said pray and watch while you're praying. And then He said when you pray believe. A lot of people pray and don't believe. A lot of people believe and don't pray. But He said when you pray believe. You desire anything of God when you pray believe that you receive it and you shall have it. So then, God wants us to have the very desires of our heart. He said if you will delight yourself in Me I will give thee the desires of your heart. I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth. I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob. My blessings shall make thee rich and add no sorrow for it is the Lord thy God that giveth thee the power to get wealth, and whatever you desire He said, I'll give it to you and make all of your beds in the time of your sickness. You shall be like a tree that's planted by the rivers of water, living water. You'll bring forth your fruit in your season and your leaves shall not wither, and whatsoever you do shall prosper. For, He said, if you shall confess your sin, and then after you have confessed your sins, He said, forsake your sins and whatsoever you do shall prosper. But, He said, if you cover your sins then you shall not prosper. The eyes of the Lord are throughout the earth beholding the good and the evil; going to and fro in the earth looking for the upright that He might show Himself strong in their behalf. But, He said, if you regard iniquity in your heart I will not hear you. So then, I thank the Lord for being here. It's a wonderful pleasure to be here under the tent. I trust that everything is comfortable. It appears that you are comfortable tonight, and that everything is going along real good. If it gets too warm we'll have to cut down on the heat. I'm going to slip this coat off if you don't mind. I don't know what happened to my little hanger that I put around my neck to hang my mike on jut in the event that I might want to do something. But I don't have it. They didn't give it to me. A lot of times I like to use it because if I'm praying for somebody, or if I am ministering in a special sort of a way sometimes I'm a little illustrative with my hands like preachers are and I try to click it in there and it makes a lot of difference. Does anybody happen to know who has this? Or where it's at? All right. Don't worry about it. Please don't come up on the platform after I get started preaching. I ask these things before I get started  preaching because a lot of times people that are carnal minded they don't understand and they come right straight up on the platform right in the middle of a sermon to adjust the mike, or to mess with something and they really cause a problem. It's not good to do that, so once we start it's better just to leave it alone. Now if you've got your Bibles you can turn over to the book of Saint Luke with us, the second chapter. The second chapter, the fourteenth verse. This is kind of an unusual text to read, and yet not at his time of life. It is very, very appropriate for this time of life, and for this season. And I might, after reading this verse I might comment just a little bit before we try to get into our thought for tonight. I might ask Chuck to turn this down just a little bit. He's trying to raise this up above those heaters roaring. I told them not to let you people get uncomfortable, and he had it just a little bit high, wanted to whistle just a little bit, so if it seems to be a little loud I have to keep it a little bit loud to be able to keep your attention during the time of  the heaters roaring. In the second chapter the book of Luke, in the fourteenth verse we find the angels appearing to men that are out in the shepherd's field. Now some of you maybe you don't know what the shepherd's field is. Some of you do. I've been to the Shepherd's field. I've been right there where the angels appeard in the Shepherd's field, there at the cave that they were in when the great light, as to the angel appeared to the shepherds about the time of the birth of the Lord Jesus. And they appeared here, and  in the fourteenth verse and they were saying, Praise God in the highest and peace on earth, goodwill toward man and I just want to linger just a little bit on this thought. And during this meeting, and during the other two meetings. We'll probably be here three nights, tonight, tomorrow night and the next night. And during these three meetings we'd just kind of like to use this as a pivot point of expression and to kind of orbit around this thought, peace on earth. I think if there is anything that we need today it's peace on earth. I think most of you will agree that what we need  is peace on earth. But since the time of this salutation from the angel and the multitude of the host of heaven that joined this angel to say these things, since that time we have had nothing but trouble, heartaches and sorrows, and we've had, seemingly, everything but peace on earth and goodwill toward man. But, nevertheless, even though we've had this it still remains a fact that God had said peace on earth and goodwill toward man.  That makes me to know something now. If we don't have any peace on earth today, and if there is nothing but troubles and turmoil and all of these perplexities and bewilderments of life then it has to be from somebody outside of God. If God's attitude toward man is peace on earth and goodwill toward man then that means that all of this other is a spirit of error, and the Bible said God has not given us a spirit of error then it must be coming from somebody outside of God. It must be emanating from another power and another force, and another place outside of Heaven, and it's not coming from God. One of the great problems of today, I feel, is that people as a whole, religious people now. We're not speaking of just people in the world, though it takes in the whole scope; yet people as a whole, even religious people, they do not know the will of God. This has been the most perplexing thing, I think, of my whole life as we have preached around the world. I've talked to ministers, I've talked to professors, I've talked to bankers. I've talked to all kind of people, in every walk of life as we've ministered around the world. I've talked to some of the leading men that are supposed  to be some of the greatest evangelists in the world, and some of the leading people that are suppose to be the most outstanding spiritual people in the world. And I have found that in most cases, in talking to them, they don't know the will of God. Even though some of them are doing great things out on the field when you come right down to the will of God some of them don't know the will of God, and don't understand the will of God and they don't mind coming and telling you and asking you, what do you believe the will of God is?  You know, to me it is real simple. God has told us in His Word what His will is and this is why I said that we will probably talk about this one thing during these three meetings because He has expressed Himself to humanity in such an outstanding way at once and for all saying, Peace on earth and goodwill toward man. It is very obvious that God has a good will toward man. Someone would say, Well, I know that, Brother Pike. But do you really know that? Do you really believe that? Do you really understand that? See? Peace on earth and goodwill toward man, and so we can stand and tell people that. That has been read many hundreds and thousands of time to people, large crowds. But for you to individually accept what God has said as peace on earth and goodwill toward you, as an individual, is one of the hardest things that you ever done in your life. Someone would say, Well, it isn't hard for me. It is one of the hardest things that any man in the world, or woman, has ever done. Someone said, Well, it is very simple. The Bible said it and I believe it and that settles it. I know. I know, and that's the way the world looks at it. The Bible said it and I believe it and that settles it. They've got a little saying like that but, folks, let me tell you. You can be so intellectual, religiously intellectual, that anything that Bible says you will accept it and you can quote it and you can tell everybody else and not believe a word of it, as to real true salvation, or faith. If intellectual concept of the word and study of the word, if intellectual reasoning of the word, to accept the word would save the world the whole world would be saved. No one would have to preach because this Gospel has went around the world. Satellite, television, whatever, printed page, and people today are in worse shape than ever before in the history of all of mankind, religiously speaking. So then, when I say this, I want to repeat it again. It is one of the hardest things that a human being ever done in their life, is to take this Word verbatim where it says peace on earth and goodwill toward man as an individual concern and really truly produce faith from their hearts to believe it. If that isn't true then one of the questions that arises in my mind, why is it that we are in a turmoil all over the world? Why is it our greatest of leaders are in a turmoil in their minds? Why is it that all of the problems still exist in the world today? Why do we have this problem where people are continuously killing and ravishing, and they are always thieving? Why do we have the problem in the schools today and  in our political offices of today? Why do we have these problems in the churches of today? It is because people do not believe this. It is because people have never really conceived of this and they've never really come to know God. The Bible says in the latter times they that know their God shall do mighty exploits. And  so then, they have not come to really believe in God, though they are religious and they do all of these kind of things, but they still don't believe in God. Now, another thing that I would like to say, if it is so easy for mankind to believe this why does the Bible tell us that there is a continual warfare between the body and the spirit, and that those things that we won't to do, Paul said that the very thing that I want to do I do not, and the things that I hate that I find myself doing. And he said if it is that thing that is contrary to what I desire in my heart then it's not me. He said there is another power warring against the law of my mind, and I find this power inbred within my members of my body. And I find that this is a power of resistance that keeps me from my goal toward God. So then, it's not just a matter of saying I'm an intelligent person, I read the Bible, I am a religious person. I believe what the Bible says. It is a matter of being able to conquer something that is in resistance to you. I is a matter of being able to overcome. That's why the Bible said He that overcometh I will give to him to eat of the hidden manna. And there is something there bigger than you are, and more powerful than you are, and something that you cannot cope with, and that  you cannot handle. And this is the problem with preachers today. That is the problem with the people today, is because they are trying to live a Christian life and they are trying to overcome. And they'll never be able to live a Christian life and they'll never be able to overcome because God didn't ordain that. You know, I've said this a lot of times. For a person to live a Christian life it takes the Christ Spirit on the inside of you. If you do not have the Christ Spirit on the inside of you you will not live a Christian life because you cannot live a Christian life. Someone would say, Well, Brother Pike, what do you mean by that? I mean that there is a power that is so much greater than you are as a human being there is no possible way that you can live a Christian life. But, beloved friend, when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you call upon the name of Christ Jesus for salvation, and when Christ sends His Spirit into you heart, and then with your heart you believe in the righteousness of the Son of God and Christ's Spirit comes into you then you've got something greater than all of the world and you've got something greater than the powers in the world. For the Bible said He that is within you is greater than he that is in the world. And the Bible teaches that this wonderful Spirit is given to you, and you have power over all the powers of the enemy. That the enemy shall not in any means hurt you. So then, living this Christian life it takes  the life of Christ. It takes the life of Christ to make you a Christian. They were first called Christians at Antioch because they were Christ like. So then, if you're going to live an overcoming life you've got to have the power to overcome. You've got to have a  power greater than the power that is resisting you for Jesus taught that before you can spoil a great man's goods you've got to be able to bind the strong man. You've got to be stronger than he that is holding those goods. And Satan has taken mankind. He has taken the soul of mankind. He is the god of this world. I know that we feel good about the world, you know. When we talking about the world and the frolics of the world, and the things of the world we major in those things, and we look forward to those things and we lay up our treasures in the earth. All of our ambitions are in the earth and we want something that will go along with our goals and our motives in the earth. And this is the great thing that is so besetting. All of our treasures are laid up in the earth when Jesus said lay up you treasures in Heaven. And the writer said where thieves don't  break through and steal and where moth doesn't corrupt for wherever your treasures are there your heart shall be also. Now it's very evident when you look around, as to where folk's treasures are. You don't have any problem telling because the Bible said the child is known by his doings. We are commanded of God to cast down every imagine and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge, to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in this that we are to meditate in those laws day and night. We are to be about our Father's business. We are to seek first  the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these other things will be added unto us. But. folks, when you look around do you find people doing that?   Do you find that people's hearts are in that, or what do you find when you look into the earth today? Someone would say, Well, Brother Pike, all these great wonderful things of earth God has given to us. It is true that the Bible says God has given us all things in Christ Jesus. That's true. But then it has to be run through the filter because all of  those things were lost through the fall of Adam. And as to sin and death and sorrow it was lost through the weakness of man. Death did not come by God. You know it is an amazing thing that though we become brilliant, though we become great, though we become billionaires, we might be exceedingly rich, we might be exceedingly prosperous, we might be a great exceeding person in the world, or the upper echelon, or in the world of the celebrities, but the thing that stings is that we have to leave our treasure, our reputation and all that we've ever been to someone else. Solomon said by wisdom I've gotten all these things, but who knows but I will leave it to a fool. And he went about to despair because he had tried very hard to obtain all of these goals in life, and he did. But then when the time came for him to die he left it to a foolish person. So what are we saying?  We are saying that we have not as of yet, as a people, with all of our medical profession, with all of our great professors, with all of our great discoveries, or whatever it might be in this day, we have not as yet conquered death. Everybody dies. Everybody dies; it doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter whether you or young or old;  you may be very young and die. You may be an elderly person and live a long life but you still die. See, there is one thing that is yet unconquered and that is death. And the Bible said it is the enemy of God. It is certainly not the friend of God. God did not instigate death, but the Bible said death came by the foolishness of man not honoring God's Word. If death came by the foolishness of man, in that they did not honor God's Word, it's very evident today that death continues because man will not turn to God's Word. He said My words are spirit and My words are life. And it's very evident that if death is in power today the way that it is of Jordan overflowing all of it's banks it's very evident that somebody in the world today  is not honoring God and obeying God. Someone would  say, Brother Pike, what do you mean? Do you mean to tell me that if I honor God then I don't have to die?  I'm telling you that if you honor God you don't have to die. But the Bible says it's appointed unto man once to die, Brother Pike, then after that the judgment.  I know that but the Bible said line upon line and precept upon precept.  He that God sendeth will speak God's Word. And the Bible also says it's line upon line and precept upon precept. That God looked down from heaven and heard the groaning of the prisoners and in a day 
 accepted He succored them and saved  them from death. He loosed the prisoners from their bondage. And also said, He that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ shall never come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life. There is now therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.  Someone would say, Well, Brother Pike, what do we have to do to keep from walking after the flesh? He that is born of God is not going to walk after the flesh because the Bible says he is not in the flesh for God has chosen him out of the flesh and translated him into the marvelous Kingdom of God, and hid him with Christ in God whom the heavens have received until the day of the time of the restoring of all things. So then, we know then that God is helping the people that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We know then that people that love Jesus has conquered death. Though it's the last enemy to be conquered so far as the people of the world that are in the human body, as to the flesh so far as them beholding this and seeing this, but  we have conquered death. And Paul brings this out in his teachings. Paul being the apostle over the church of the Bride that was to be for Christ he makes this statement. There is a mystery that I would like for you to know. It is a mystery, and this mystery is that we should not all sleep, but be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump when Christ shall appear in the clouds and those that have the hope of the resurrection within them shall see Him as He is and be changed into the glory of this great mighty God that appears in the heavens. So then, we understand that we are a predestined people. Now, a lot of times in the meetings I say things that are hard to be understood. Peter said one time after a conference with Paul, he said, Paul says things that are hard to be understood. And he said, They that are unlearned do wrest these things to their own destruction, even as they do the other Scriptures, not trying to conform to the way of the Lord, or the Word of the Lord, but rather trying to make the Word of the Lord conform to their way of life, and not trying to incorporate themselves into the desire and Word of God, but trying to incorporate God into the plans and programs of their own carnality. Whereas to begin with, the carnal mind is enmity with God. The Bible said it's not subject to the laws of God, neither indeed can be. The creature, as to the body, the old animal part of man, it was made subject to the things of the world and that by reason of God who subjected the same in hope, and that bondage that holds this creature is those five human senses which make him relative to the things of the earth and for survival he depends on these human senses and this is why that God referred to humanity in the fall as a generation of vipers that He'd placed upon the belly, saying that all their labor is for their belly, and their mouth, because their belly craves it of them. And from the dust thou art, Adam, and to the dust thou shalt return for in Adam all die, whereas in Christ Jesus all are made alive. Not that Adam was the beginning of the creation of God, but in Adam all die. And it was Lucifer that entered into Adam, and Adam's generation. So then, where does death come from? It comes from Satan. It comes form the carnal mind of the tree of intellectual reasoning and it is in power today and it still holds it's subjects today, and still holds it's prisoners today. But the Bible said Jesus Christ was the beginning of the creation of God and He was the beginning of the creation of God as to the first brother, and in Him there are many brethren. He the beginning of the creation of God and in Him all are made alive. By one man's sins all people are under sin and death, but by the righteousness and obedience of Jesus Christ, he was one man, shall all be forgiven and all be  cleansed from their sins. And today the blood of the atonement is there and to them that can believe on the Lord Jesus Christ he can be cleansed from that which he could not be cleansed from under the law, even as of the conscience. They under the law offering these things, even the Priests could never to away with the consciousness of sin. But the Bible says where these things are, as to the atonement of our Savior there is no more conscious of sin. Sin is never brought to God's remembrance, never anymore. Once and for all by the offering of His spotless body the Lord Jesus Christ put away sin. And when those people came to Jesus and said, What must we do to work the works of God that we may have this eternal life that you speak about? He said, I am the works of God. This was finished from the foundation of the world. And He said, I am the works of God. And then they were taught that with  the heart man believeth unto righteousness. He doesn't work his way unto righteousness, but he believeth unto righteousness with his heart. And by  that faith God purifies his heart and then the Spirit of the Son of God comes into our heart and He seals our spirit unto eternal life, and seals our body until the great redemption. And the Bible teaches that death can never touch us, and sin can never touch us, and we are spotless. We are without spot, wrinkle and forever and eternally from the time that we're born again we never sin, never again. You know, and we could say a whole lot about that before the world ever was and the sons of God that were in the foreknowledge of God that leaped for joy when the morning stars sang together. And we could speak about the predestination of God and what the Bible said about Paul preaching to those people, and they that were before ordained unto life believed and they that were not ordained unto eternal life did not believe. And as to being elect by foreknowledge where the Bible said, And God, God has elected you unto grace by what he foreknew of you before the world ever was and wrote your names down in the Lamb's book of life. That's why Paul waxed very bold when he said greet my women workers whose names are in the Lamb's Book of Life. Already while they were here in this world he knew that and he recognized them as the predestinated of God. The Bible said being complete in Jesus Christ, and he recognized that these were those of the foreordination and he recognized certain men and women in the world which were ungodly,  brute beast made to be taken and destroyed. And the Bible said, and those people turning the grace of God, as to the days of grace into lasciviousness as sporting their diamonds and pearls so lavishly, going abut doing the things that they wanted to do and he spoke of these people that these were foreordinations unto condemnation and that when the Gospel is preached that they do not believe. As a matter-of-fact He spoke of the children, the children of the world, or the children of bondage being in bondage to the beggarly elements of the world by the course of their human senses and not being able to get loose from those things and living in that mind. Whereas the Bible said, they that are of the spirit world they mind the things of the spirit, that is those that be of Heaven. And those that are in the earth they mind the things that are of the earth. That is to say, those things of the flesh. And that the child is known by his doing. So then, it is very obvious that we, being the predestinated, there  has to come a time and there has to come a day when we recognize who we are. It has been a long hard battle for the people of God and they have went through a lot of dark valleys. And I know that when we think back we think of all the precious souls that was lost, as to saying, Brother Pike, the sadness of my heart was that there had been so many beautiful saint of God lost because of backsliding and going back out into the world when they one time were gloriously saved. Folks, there never has been a person like that. There never will be a person like that. The  Bible disputes that altogether, and the Bible says concerning those people that if they had been of us they no doubt would  have continued with us, but they went out from us that it might be made manifest they were not of us. And Jesus boasted in His Heavenly Father, saying, Father, I have not lost a one of them that You give me, but everyone that you give me I will raise him up in the last day, and the only one that is lost is the son of perdition. And the Bible speaks of the son of perdition before he was ever born into the world saying, let another his bishopric take. Jesus said, I have chosen twelve of you and one of you is a devil. And though he received part of that ministry, just like the seventy that went about casting out devils and boasted that the devils were subject unto them in Jesus name, He said, Don't rejoice because devils are subject unto you, but rather because your names are written down in the Lamb's Book of Life. And these seventy obviously, their names were not written down in the  Lamb's Book of Life and all seventy of them forsook Jesus when He got into a spiritual revelation as to say you must eat my flesh and drink my blood. They thought He was cannibalistic and went away from Him and left. Jesus said then to the twelve, Will you also go away? And they said, Where can we go? Ye alone have the words of  eternal life. He that heareth these words and believeth on Him that sent me has passed from death unto life and shall never come into condemnation. These are the elect of God, and the Bible said, no man can lay anything to the charge of God's elect for they are elect according to the foreknowledge of God. According  to the Bible, Esau and Jacob before they were ever born into the world, it was said concerning Esau and Jacob, Jacob have I loved; Esau have I hated, never having been born into the world yet. It said, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated. And the Bible says, the children having done neither good nor evil, that this wonderful thing might stand according to the Word of God, and the grace of God, and the elect of  God, as to His foreknowledge and His predestination. So that it would stand not according to works but of Him that calleth. Then it was said that the elder shall serve the younger, for the younger I have loved and the older I have hated. So then, we realize that all of the works of God are known unto  Him from the beginning that through the telescope of time He looks down to the end of the trail. And He sees the end from the beginning and He calls that that is not as though it is, and because of that it becomes exactly what He has said. So then, we realize that God who hath ordained it then that means that it will come to pass. Looking and beholding according to your own choice, according to your own sovereignty that you might be a sovereignty in the world and make your own choice to either choose good or bad, but God from the foundation of the world He looks down and He sees what you will do. When you are born into the world He sees what you will do. When you begin to be motivated through the world He sees what you will be or do at the end of your life just before they plant you in the ground. And He ordains accordingly, and those that are called of God they make it in. Someone would say, Well, I'm holding on Brother Pike, and if I hold on I Know that if hold on and endure I will make it in. I said before, it's not possible for you to hold on, and it's not  possible for you to endure. He was the beginning of our faith and He is the end of our faith, and He was the author of our faith. He  started our faith and at Calvary He finished our faith. Somebody say hallelujah! So then, the works are of God. It was what God done and not what we did. So then, we glorify God. That's why we praise God. That's why we love God, is because God did it for us and we are complete in the Lord Jesus Christ. So then, when we think of these might things that God has done for us then we realize that, as the Bible says, he that is born of God cannot sin. Somebody say hallelujah! I said, He cannot sin. Somebody says, I'm trying not to sin and I'm not going to sin by the help of my strength, Brother Pike. There is no hope for you at all. He that is born of God cannot sin. There's no way he could sin for the Bible said the seed of God remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God. Somebody says, Brother Pike, the Bible says if any man say that he hath no sin that he is a liar and the truth is not in him, and that is true. But the same fellow that said that also made the other statement that if you will come and confess your sin that God is just to forgive you of your sin and that when God takes away your sins. In Him there is no sin, my beloved friend. There is no sin. So then, we know that he that is born of God keepeth himself and the evil one toucheth him not. This is why I say that an intellectual approach into religion will not do, for the Bible said that if you have his spirit you are none of His. You may teach what you want to, and I may teach what I want to but the thing is that when it comes to the final analysis and the show down of the thing, it's what God said about it. It's not what I believe. It's not what I teach. It's not my doctrine. It's not your doctrine. The Bible said, He that God sends will speak God's Word. A lot of times we find prestige. We find position. We find preeminence. We find the thing that feathers our nest. We find that we can do these things that we want to do, and be among the people and be a great leader but in the day of judgment you will face God, and God will have the real man of God standing there with the Word of God. And Paul said, And this Gospel that I'm preaching unto to you you will be judged by in the latter times and in the last days and even the very thoughts of you heart shall be revealed at the judgment according to this Gospel. The very secrets of your heart. So then, that means that we have to believe the Word of God. The Bible said at the latter times many shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, having their conscience seared with a hot iron and getting past feeling. See? And they'll do all kind of things and say, this doesn't bother me. I can do this. You can't do this, but I can do this. They'll leave the old time way of holiness, and the old time past. Whereas, the Bible said if you want peace and rest  for your soul ask for the old paths and walk therein. They had the way. Don't move the landmarks of the fathers. Don't  start bringing anything in as today. The Word is the same yesterday, today and forever. The world may get modern and it may discover a lot of things, and it may do a lot of things, but God is the same yesterday, today and forever. In the beginning is the Word and the Word was God and the Word came, dwelt among us and we beheld Him as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and that same spirit within that human body is in you today according to the measure that you allow to be in you. And if you have not His Spirit then you are none of His no matter what you teach. We must believe in God. We must believe in the Word. They'll depart from the faith having all kind of teaching. And faith is by the hearing of the word of God. I'll say this right hurriedly here. We're going to close in just a few minutes. I remember the publication in the paper that's been back several years ago, and I'm sure some of you perhaps remember this. I've referred back to it quite a number of times. There was a little article in the paper and it was written like this. It said, And at a certain day we're asking all the faiths of the world to come together and pray for peace. We want everybody in all religions to come together. I read it and when I read it I said, My God! There is no such thing. I said, That's not possible for all faiths to come together. I said, The Bible says there is one faith, one God, one baptism. There is one Lord Jesus Christ who is our Savior. And there is one name that is given for salvation and none other name given among men whereby men must be saved. And salvation is in none other name, and it shall come to pass that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved beginning at Jerusalem and the uttermost parts of the earth that remission for sin shall be taught in His name. And being in Jerusalem a number of times, preaching there in Nazareth and different places there in Jerusalem and around through the land of Judah, we're well acquainted with it and as to what has been said and what is to be done. God purchased a place there by using us. He purchased  a place there and put it in our hands. He gave us the money to pay for it. Right there inside of the old city. Now, if you don't have God's Spirit then you are none of His. When a man and a wife starts their union, as to fellowship for a family, unless that woman, unless that woman can bring forth a little one that has that man's Spirit then that means that that child is not his. And since we are the Bride of Christ then we are the apple of His eye and our conception is divine, in that Paul said, I travail until Christ be formed within you, then the same as Mary as to the divine conception. She brought forth Jesus with the Spirit of Christ. And, beloved friend, you're going to bring forth the Spirit of Christ and if the Spirit of Christ is within you then that means that you are going to act like your Heavenly Father. You are going to bear the image of the Heavenly Father, because a nature determines the image, and we are the partakers of the divine nature of  the Lord Jesus Christ and we are going to have His Spirit and we are going to react that way as that Spirit that's the same yesterday, today and for ever and we will be about our Father's business. So then that means that is you don't have the Spirit of Christ then it doesn't matter how religious you are, it doesn't matter what church you belong to, it doesn't matter how many people go to your church it is just like anything else; if we're going to  judge by number. We've got all kind of people in the world.  We've got the great Papacy of Rome who gathers together many millions of people. We've got Billy Graham that gathers together millions of people. We've got Oral Roberts that gathers together millions of  people. We've got other great evangelist across the world that has gathered together millions of people but which one belongs to God, and which one is preaching the Gospel, and which one should you follow? We've got great mighty denominations. We've got the Baptist. We've got the Methodist. We've got the Presbyterian. We've got all kind of denominations. We've got Non-Denominational people, every kind of walk of life. Which one is right? Which one of these is right, Brother Pike? Which ones of these are cults? Which one is right? As we've preached in times past and told our people, there is but one kind that is a cult. And a cult is one that does not preach the Gospel of  Jesus Christ, as to the Word of God. Anything that leaves this Word, it doesn't matter if it's one tiny bit it is a cult. Anything that founds itself full upon the principles of Jesus Christ, as to the Word of God, is not a cult. And, folks, let me tell you something and you wake up as Christians. Don't you go by the newspapers, and don't you go by the radio, or some carnal person that passed out of a college, or somebody that doesn't know anything about serving God. Or somebody that doesn't know anything about the Bible. To let some carnal person, knowing that that person is enmity with God, being carnal, don't let them tell you what a cult is and what a cult is not. They themselves are a cult. You should have more strength in God. More understanding in God. More stability in God to stand up against foolishness and not let the world just blow you about with every cunning sly or doctrine of mankind. If a man preaches the Word of God he is a man of God. If he lives that Word then that means he is a Christian, Christ in him the hope of glory for the Bible said Christ alone was made heir to that glory. And if you don't have Christ in you you are none of his; you couldn't have the hope of that glory that He stood in on the Mount of Transfiguration when He stood between Moses and Elijah when He appeared in glory before John, James and Peter. So then,  today we need to stand up for the Gospel. It is high time that  the church world and it's Christians stood up for Christianity and stopped this evil aggression that is coming against the church, scattering and destroying the people of God. The  Bible said, Lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people of their sins for they come before me in delight to come in to my services as them that did the will of God but, said, they did not do it. And lift up your voice like a trumpet and tell them of their sins. Now, let me say this. We are right now in a turmoil such as we've never known. The political state of affairs is one of the worst in the history of all of the world. I told my wife what I understood would happen. I said, Betty, I'm telling you, the revelation of Jesus Christ which I've been privileged to understand shows that it is the end of the world and that this election is going to be the great finale of that which is to come to pass just before the coming of our Savior. And, folks, let me tell you. You listen to be real careful. I don't care who you are. This includes Brother Pike, this includes every evangelist. This includes every denominational walk of life. Every religious body in the world, every creed, every sect every color, every kind. The Bible says two cannot walk together unless they be agreed. Two cannot walk together unless  they be agreed. And the Bible said that if you bid anything Godspeed you are partakers of that whether good, or bad. You hear me real close. It's not possible for a body of people to bid a thing Godspeed, no matter who it is in office, or what they stand for, or whether it be for people's rights or not people's rights, it is not right in the sight of God whether it be for a denominational power to gain prestige, or to build a church, or to  have a body of people that  they can say we are the biggest church, or the first church.  It is not right for them to stand for gays, and for sodomites, and for the sinful, evil, adulterous things of this world. The Bible said a sinful and adulterous generation that seeketh after a sign. It's not right. And, beloved friend, when people stands with somebody whether it's in the political field, or whether it's in the offices, as to the offices of the church, when they stand with them in those things those people that cast their lots for that they are the same kind or they wouldn't have done it. I appreciate, I appreciate the way that you respond. It makes me to know that you are clean holy people  that love God, that wants the right thing. But I'm just telling you that it's going to take more than just thinking this. It's going to take more than that. The Bible speaks of the saints being beat down and worn out. And, folks, they're just about worn out with every kind of political power and everything  that they can enforce in law, or school, or whatever it might be to take away prayer, and to take things away from the people of God to press them in a corner they are doing it. Just like the issue that has  just come up, if you'll pardon my expression, of the passing out of condoms and teaching human relations to children in the fourth grade. And not only that but closing down the private schools so that there won't be any prayer at all, and forcing these in to something that will make  them look good to save a dollar, to try to meet some kind of a budget that will never be met. Now, another thing in this to show you that it is drive against the Christians and that it is an aggression the Kingdom of God, and that it is high time that the people of God begin to withdraw from these things and stop trying to mix light with darkness. To show you that it is an aggression against God's people, all of a sudden, they say now it is a forced issue that if you are a private school if you don't go pro, as to allow these things and to welcome them into your school then you will not be an accredited school. Do you realize what that means? Do you realize what that means? That means that every great operation that's in the world today, like the Oral Roberts operation and the Jerry Falwell operation, and many other great operations, that if they don't accept gays and sodomites in the schools then they are not accredited anymore. Is that an aggression against God's people? Sure. You know that is an aggression against God's people. And you let those people that are in that kind of condition and that kind of a mind, as to the newspapers, or the magazines, or the testimonies, or political powers, or whatever it is decide what's a cult and what is not a cult. Pardon my expression. I don't mean to be rude. Paul said, sometimes rude in speech but not in knowledge. They haven't got enough understanding to get out of the rain, let alone tell us what is a cult and what is not a cult. We need people with understanding today, and there is a people in the world that does have understanding, and who are they? They are God's people. The Bible  said, And His people shall be of a good understanding, and the Spirit of God shall be upon them and make them of a quick understanding. But He said, Those that are out in the world they shall not see when good comes, for Lucifer even the god of this world, has blinded their eyes that they should not see. The eyes of their understanding being blinded that they shall not be able to see good when good cometh. I'm telling you, folks, as one that loves you, it's time that this thing was split right down the middle. I said to Sister Betty, I said, you're going to see America split, never before, I said, but you're going to see it this time. And already it's coming to pass that things are split up like splinters just since we made that statement. And things are getting worse. And we've got all kind of things that's going on, folks. And let me tell you something, when people stand for the rights of those kind of people they are opening the bottomless pit. And I'm going to tell you something else. God is not going to bless America. You can sing God bless America until you fall on your face but God isn't going to bless America. God is going to curse America. We want God to bless America. God has always blessed America. He has always blessed it because of the Christians. He's always blessed it because people love God. The Bible said, righteousness  exalteth a nation and sin is a reproach to any people. Do you believe the God of Heaven is going to bless a bunch of Sodomites? Somebody said, Brother Pike, you have to be merciful. I believe in mercy. The Bible said he that is merciful shall obtain mercy. Somebody said, Well, there is something wrong with those people. Years ago they said there was something mentally wrong with them. And then they said, No we're wrong. Somebody said. But, Brother Pike, that's allowed by God just as much as anything else. It's for sure that anybody that believes that is either a babe and don't understand, or either they've been turned over to a reprobate mind to believe a lie and be damned. That's all there is to it. Because they had not a love for the truth. Think about it now. What does the Bible say? Folks, we've got so much philosophy today. We've got hundred and millions of books and publications by everybody. Everybody is suppose to have the answer when you know and I know that Christ  is the answer. That's the only answer that there is to the problems of the world. And you stop and you think about it today. What does the Bible say about those people. You've got to have an absolute somewhere. There's got to be an absolute. It's just like your money. There is a standard. You've got to have a standard. It has been gold in the past and money was no good unless it had a standard in gold. And you've got to have an absolute somewhere. With the millions of  people in the world today reasoning about the Bible and manipulating everything, giving their opinion. The Bible said knowledge. Science falsely so-called, Paul said. Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. There is a truth of knowledge, and the people of God have that knowledge. In the Old Testament the prophets went to the Kings, and the Kings listened to the prophets. They didn't listen to the philosophers, the agnostics. Now, you say, Brother Pike, what are you saying? I'm saying, What does the Bible say? This is where faith comes from. There's no God without the Bible. There is no salvation without the Bible. There is no faith except by the Word. You can't bring all together. There is one faith and that's by the hearing of the Word of God. You can believe anything you want to but that's not faith. You can believe you're going to live when you're going to die. You can believe you're going to heaven when you're going to hell. You can believe that you're healed of cancer when you are still dying, and will die. But, beloved friend, when you believe in your heart, and you get faith in your heart,  I don't care whether it's cancer, I don't care what it is, God will move the thing. He said He will  move it and He will move it. Hallelujah! Somebody would say, Well, what do you think, Brother Pike? What do you recommend? Somebody said cast your vote for whoever. Let me tell you something, casting  your vote that's fine just like they cast lots when they needed somebody to fill Judas' place. Just like they cast lots when they decided as to who it was when Jonah was on board and they were about to drown. But I'm going to tell you something. The Bible said God lifts up one, and God puts down another. And the Bible said God rules in the affairs of men, and God creates the evil and God creates the good, and God works all things after the counsel of His own will, and God has His way in the affairs of mankind. And it said when you do wrong I raise up the abased, and when you do right I raise up the good. You can cast your vote for whoever you want to. God let's the government be of the people, and by the people and be for the people. But you know it's not  today. But, anyway, that's what it's suppose to be as to our forefathers who gave us a real liberty and a real nation, a real heritage. But, folks, though God allows you to retain that the thing that God does is give it to you, not according to the casting of votes but according to your heart, and according to your good, or wicked doings. And the Bible said if they that are called by my name will call on me I will hear from heaven and I'll heal their land. It don't matter who casts their vote anywhere, He said I will raise up the right one. Like a man said the other day about something that had just took place, He said, Why did God do that? He did it because of the wickedness of people's hearts in blinding the people. The people absolutely went blind. Now listen just for a few minutes. What about this situation of today? And I am going to try to close right short here. Is there a deficiency with a person that is a sodomite? Wasn't those people sodomites in the days of Lot? Didn't Paul speak of Lot as being a symbolic, or typical thing of the church? And didn't he say the very moment that Lot went out of Sodom and Gomorrah God rain fire and brimstone down upon those people's heads? Does God love the wicked, or is the Bible right when it says God is angry with the wicked everyday? and I will pursue the wicked 'til they perish from off of the face of the earth? There is no peace to the wicked, the Bible said. I would that the wicked should not perish but would repent and have everlasting life, but if they're going to be wicked then I'll rain fire down upon their heads. Let's examine it in the light of the Bible just before we close. How do we know what's right? How do we know the will of God? How do we know we understand? Goodwill toward man. God loves you. If you'll just try to walk right the best you can there is a goodwill from God, there is healing for you. God wants to heal your body. It's His desire, and if you begin to believe that God wants you well I'm going to tell you something. Up here won't do you any good, as to the intellect, but when you get that down in your heart and you begin to think, My God! God does love me and God does want me well, I'll tell you what, your faith will blossom out like a rose and God will heal that body. That strength will come and you'll say, My God! My God! This is real. They preached and said all kind of things but, folks, this is real. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!  The Bible said in that day there will be no healing medicine. We don't need to go down to Egypt for our help and we don't need to lean on the arm of flesh. I thank God for every medical aid. I don't like the filth and the corruption that is mixed in with it, as to the boycotting and robbing the people.  But, folks, let me tell you, that is only a reflection from the saints of God. That's only a  reflection from the saints of God. Those folks are not brilliant. They are not discovering nothing. They don't know nothing. That is a reflection  from the saints of God, and the Bible said the very day that the saints of God go out the whole world goes into darkness. And the Bible said they can't even perfect one bottle of healing medicine. Not one bottle of healing medicine. While the blood is on the seat of atonement they reflect the life and understanding of Almighty God and the saints through the mercy of the blood on the seat of atonement. But when the saints of  God go out they go into total eclipse and all of their brilliant men can't even perfect one bottle of healing medicine. And the Bible said in that day there shall be no healing medicine and they shall gnaw their tongues for pain. Let's look it over for a minute now. What does the Bible say about the Sodomites? And we're going to close here.  What does the Bible say?  Paul said, and the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times we're living in right now, that some will depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, having their conscience seared with a hot iron and getting past feeling. Just doing anything, making their faith shipwrecked. And he said in the latter times, and that's today, he said, men, women, said, and the men will leave the natural use, as to their body, and the women will leave the natural use of their body, and rather than reproduce, as the Bible says, to multiply and replenish the earth that the women will burn in their lust toward another woman. And the man will burn in their lust toward another man. And man with man, and woman with woman, working that which is unseemingly receiving within their body that recompense of reward that God has given to them that have not a love for the truth, turning  them over to a reprobate mind causing them to believe a lie and be damned. For the Bible said, I will send them strong delusions causing them to believe a lie and be damned. Now, in  the light of that Scripture does that mean that they are sick? Does this mean that they are just like anybody else? It says they are burned in their lust. Burned in their lust. They don't have a love for the truth, and they don't have a love for God, and they don't  have a love for righteousness. And they are burned in their lust because the demon spirits that wonder through darkness, that cannot find rest, looking for human bodies to enter into, these demons have entered into them, and these people are possessed of the devil. That is demon possession and the only way to help them is to cast the devil out of them. Somebody would say, Brother Pike, you can't prove that. Let me tell you, I happen to know some of them. In preaching in California, in Anaheim, California for the Full Gospel Businessmen there was one that came and made his confession as we preached the ax is laid unto the root of the tree and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. All of them were on  their face crying, including the man that over the chapter and the woman. And the man came to me and said, I was a sodomite, Brother Pike, but God delivered me from it and I love the Lord Jesus Christ and I'm serving God. The devil has gone out of my life; I want to do what is right. Somebody say hallelujah! They need the devil cast out of them. They don't need pity; they need the devil cast out of them. Somebody would say, But, Brother Pike, don't you pity them? I pity their soul. I love them in the sense of the human creation, and I'd love to see them saved and I'll do anything I can to lead them to God but, folks, let me tell you something. I'm not going to fellowship them and I'm not going to give my time to them. And I'm not going to be part of them because two cannot walk together unless they be agreed. And I'm not a sodomite and I'm not a gay, and I'm not anything like that and I'm going to preach against it because they're going to burn in hell for what they're doing. That might sound just a little bit strong tonight, but I just want you to know that it is time that we as the people of God that we got away from these things, folks, and we stood up for what is right and stop letting the people with their intellectual doings boggled our minds up and keep us in some kind of a trance, or in a fog trying to say, Well, we can do this little thing and we can dabble in the world a little bit over here. And we do have to try to be a neighbor. And after all we do have to live with them, and we're just going to have to realize that we're a little bit too churchy. And we're a little bit too religious and we can't appear to be a fanatic so we're just going to get boggled down just a little bit, and mix just a little bit, and accept a little bit of leaven, and the Bible said when you do it will leaven the whole lump and you're just exactly like they are?  What then can I do? The Bible said come out from the world, be a separate people, touch not the unclean things and I'll receive you, saith the Lord. Be holy in body and in spirit. Be holy in body and in spirit. Your body is a temple of the living God, and it's holy and it is glorious. And this is why all the sickness is in the world today is we're not letting God in His fullness and His freedom live in the body for He is the Prince of Life and He said, I come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundant and that means filled up and overflowing. I want you to have the desires of your heart. All right. Let's stand together. You've been a good audience tonight. I can tell that you believe the truth, and I can tell that you want to serve the Lord and you want to have the right thing in your life. I trust that during the time of this meeting, it will be just a couple more nights, that you come out and you'll join in with us and that you'll do whatever needs to be done. I appreciate a policeman tonight. He told some of them, he said, Say, I can hear that all the way over to the Police Station. And my Joseph said, Should we cut it down? He said, Oh, no, said, it sounds good to me. Somebody say hallelujah! Praise God for policeman like that. I hope they'll make him the chief. They might have a chief already that might be just like that. I don't know. But if you ever need another one, he's the one you ought to have. Hallelujah! Anybody that makes way for God that's the kind of folks you need. All right. Are we then down on people. Oh, no, we came to the valley to try to win souls and to help people come to God and that's why we're in the valley. We're not here to  dispute doctrinal difference even though ministers need to come together and do that. But I'm going to tell you, folks, where the problems is is ministers wants to dispute doctrinal differences before little sheep and keep them so confused that they don't know which way to go. And  most of the time people that defend things it is because of position and money. But we need to come together as ministers and have our differences and get everything lined up right and when we present it to the little sheep they need to know what is right, and know whether or not the shepherds are together, or not together. And anybody that don't come together on the Word of Lord that couldn't be a shepherd. If you find Brother Pike out of the Word of God and you know that; it's not just your idea, you need to make really sure and find out because he may be talking about something spiritual that you don't understand, but if you'll follow through you'll find it has a Biblical foundation, because there's one thing that I learned from God when I went into the Spirit of Revelation. The Bible said pray that God will grant unto you the Spirit of Revelation. And there is one Spirit, many operations. And when I went into the Spirit of Revelation the one thing I learned from God that everything that come from God, no matter what it is, revelation, gifts, or whatever, it's founded upon the Word of God one hundred percent and there's not one alteration, or exception. So you remember that, and that's where we have to come together. Can we sing a little chorus together? (singing) Can you sing that with me? (singing) Can you sing it with me like this now? (singing) Can you sing it with me? (singing) While we're singing these little choruses together now I want to give you a chance to come to the altar. I know that our altar is our heart; I realize that, but with boldness a lot of times we step out so that we can be a public testimony in the eyes of the people that they may know that we're numbered with the truth and that we're supporting the truth. That we  believe in the truth and that we're not hiding in the shadows of the evils of the world, to stand up for God that we might not be ashamed of God but in that day He might boldly stand before the angels and all of the world in our behalf and not be ashamed of us in that day. Let's stand for the truth. Jesus said, I'm set for the defense of the truth and of the Gospel, Paul said. So let's remember that and let's step out for God as we sing another little chorus here. Let's sing this little chorus together. (singing) I wonder if we could come to the altar tonight? Wouldn't it be wonderful if all of us could come to the altar tonight? The first night of the crusade here in the valley, all of us coming to the altar tonight to stand for Jesus; to say, Lord, I'm numbered with the blessed and with the good.  Would you do that tonight just to make it one hundred percent. Would you step out tonight? If you are a minister, if you are a child of God then step out that others may see a light. Let your light so shine that men may see your good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. Can you do that tonight? (singing) Sing that with me. (singing) Sing this chorus now. (singing) One more time. (singing) Can you lift your hands up and close your eyes and worship the Lord tonight? Can you do that? Just lift your hands up. (singing) Lift your hands up and praise the Lord. Can you give Him a wave offering? (singing) Sing it like this now. (singing) Can you lift your hands up, close your eyes. (singing)

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

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

Holiness Unto The Lord