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Jonah

Recorded at Mt. Carmel Center Waco, Texas on April 25, 1989.

Transcription by Mark Swett

David: God made the birds, and on that day of creation what did God also make?

Class: The fish.

David: The fish. The birds were created in the water. So the birds were to come out of the water. Now the book of Jonah has been a book - like I said before - throughout Christendom for hundred's of years, its been a book used as a bedtime story. But its lesson is clear, and its purpose is true. There's two sides of God. One side of God is the extreme wrath of unretributable retribution, you know? Retribution only God can give. There can be no come back on God. I mean there's no contenders. Nobody can do anything about it. And there's this side of God that states a truth such as the book of Jonah. It say's: Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and cry against it. Do what?

Class: Cry against it.

David: For their wickedness is come up before me. This city is wicked. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Jappa - which is a seaport, and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof. You can imagine Jonah getting his wallet out - getting his ticket. And went down into it - into the ship - to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So Jonah did not want his responsibility, did he. Can you imagine what was going through the mind of this man. What will they think? What will they do to me? What's gonna happen to me? I don't want to die, you know? So Jonah didn't have a real comprehension of God yet, did he? Did he? No, he didn't. So sometimes God chooses men who have weak minds, who haven't really yet studied the natures of science, to comprehend and fathom the power of the Almighty. {It's the natural reaction of being involved}, isn't it - to avoid their responsibility. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Pretty powerful storm, huh? Then the mariners were afraid - that's the ships crew - And cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares - which is the merchandise - that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. They wanted to make the ship a little lighter so it would float a bit higher, right? But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. I mean they're like shooting a bunch of wild turkey out in the woods, huh? In other words, maybe your God will help us. Every man's crying to his own god, right? It's apparent that at this time, the shipmaster knows that everybody's god's all out of town, huh? And they said everyone to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they decide to pick sticks, huh? So you would think that would just be time and chance wouldn't it. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon what?

Class: Jonah

David: Just by chance, huh? Jonah came up with the short straw didn't he.

Tape Interruption

David: The God of what?

Class: Heaven

David: Which hath made the sea and the dry land. Now Jonah's like most of us. He's a hypocrite, isn't he Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea was wrought, and was tempestous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Was Jonah a fair man? He knew he had failed God. He knew he had put people into jeopardy by his sin and transgression. So now he tells them to let him walk the plank, huh? He was gonna take his licking, huh? Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land. Because they weren't gonna what? Here's some men who worshipped pagan gods - that are better then Jonah - men willing to risk their own lives then to have one perish, huh? But they could not. They couldn't get the boat to land, could they? For the sea wrought, and was tempestous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this mans life, and lay not upon us innocent blood. They didn't want to kill him, did they? They didn't want to throw him off, did they? For thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. What did they vow? From now on they would serve the God that Jonah didn't. Sometimes the death of one man, because of all the hell that breaks loose, will cause people to convert and get on the right course, right? This was a miracle to these men, wasn't it? Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fishes belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet thou hast brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came unto thee, into thine holy temple.

Steve Schneider: Vernon, there's a guy at the gate that just stopped by and wants to hear. No one knows who he is.

David: Well, what does he look like? Anybody know - recognize him.

Male: He's a pretty clean guy. He has a pickup truck.

David: Huh? Well, go out there Perry and see. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. So what's the object lesson here? What's the object lesson? Huh? Well, Jonah served a real God - a living true God who had power over the land, earth, and sea . Anything contrary to the God of that temple that Jonah prayed to is vanity. Now Jonah knew enough of this God that he explained to the guys that the reason why this was - cause he had turned away from an obligation God had committed to him, and this obligation was for the sole salvation of many people, wasn't it? To cry against Nineveh, the great city of Assyria. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. What was the vow that all Israel was to make unto God?

Class: {unintelligible}

David: That's the vow of Israel since the days that God brought Israel out of Egypt by the hand of Moses. {For their seed and their seed cease throughout all generation to obey the present truth? And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. So we can say at this point Jonah realized that he was nothing but puke, right? Right? Jonah wasn't nothing but old puke was he? So who was he to deny the authority of the most high, and to fear man, or the son of man which was made as grass, right? Now people always think that prophets have to be holy and divine, but this story is a record to show you that God is the one in charge of salvation, and God is the one who chooses whom he will choose. God could have easily slain Jonah and chose a multitude of others, but the story is written so that we might be confident that God's purposes are His purposes and we're not to judge or misjudge God's reasons for doing what he does. God used Jonah to save, even though Jonah wasn't {in any hurry} to be in the ministry, was he? God chose to raise up the sea, and to use Jonah as an object to save, not that Jonah would tell a man anything. Here's the keynote. And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. Ok. Here's the object lesson. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. Let's pay attention. Let's pay attention, Rachel. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be what?

Class: Overthrown.

David: Now class here comes a message - here comes a messenger whose purpose is to threaten a city - given an allotted time period. Now you've got to imagine the kind of men that were inhabitants of this city. You have to meditate, and realize that in a city such as Nineveh the capitol of Assyria - you know how the Assyrian's were - that they would even consider a message not even from their own origin. Jonah was a Hebrew - a stranger - an alien to this society, and yet here comes a man out of his social atmosphere, and he comes and tells the world's greatest city at this time that God's gonna destroy them within forty days. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. Now that's strange. But now we've got to meditate upon the object of this lesson - the book of Jonah. The object is the reason why this book is written. First of all, we see the purpose of God. Second of all, we see the man whom God has chosen to use. God has chosen Jonah. Jonah fled from his responsibility. Fact? And nevertheless God, for some purpose unbeknown to us at this point, God decides to use Jonah even still. There's other stories in the Bible where God informed men to do certain things, and they refused, and they were slain. But this is in the scripture for a reason. Let's proceed: For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. You could say that by the authority of this spirit, that the king of Nineveh was convicted. Now remember in our study the other day. When God confronts the arm of the LORD, God say's: Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Now the Bible student is fully aware that Rahab the harlot was not any wise cut or wounded by any sword of man. For this woman, while time permitted, was to partake of the covenant given to Moses. That is, the covenant that God told to Moses, of all the nations that you shall come up against, if they shall war against you, you shall utterly destroy them. But if they shall proclaim peace against thee, and shall come unto thee saying, we will serve thy God, and be under thy yoke. Then what was Moses to do to those nations? To bring them in, and they were to be as one of Israel. Weren't they? Now Rahab the harlot, a champion no doubt for the service of Satan, in that any harlot would be - right? Rahab was given opportunity by the situation and circumstance to show faith in the purposes of God, right? She knew well that God's purpose was to give Israel the whole land - the land of Cannan, and by the example done unto Egypt, and by the power manifested by the Red Sea being opened. Rahab quit while she had a chance, didn't she? Who convicted her of the impossibility of her having victory against these Hebrews?

Class: The Holy Spirit

David: The Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can convict of sin - reprove the world for righteousness, right? Ok. Now when God confronts the arm of the LORD God explains: Art thou it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? We were talking earlier about the commission of God to Adam and Eve. The warfare's between the woman and the dragon. The seed of the woman is to wound the what?

Class: The head of the dragon.

David: The head of the dragon. And the dragon is to wound the heal. Well, we have a lesson don't we? It's been through the working of the spirit of God that men - men who have been led of Satan have had their minds blown. The ultimacy of God's purposes: His mercy, His goodness, His truth, and this is what causes true conversion. And we can see the wisdom of God for our benefit. When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Here is God represented as a snake. Well, we thought the devil was the snake. Well, they thought Christ was the devil, until he was lifted up. Then he would draw men to him though the wisdom of God. We were wrong, he was right. This is the object lesson, isn't it? So we see that through this message of Jonah - through God's efforts - the God who had made the whale, or the fish, the God who had made the sea, and the land, the God who had caused the tempest, the God who had done everything so forth, that these men by hearing the words of Jonah were convicted, not by the presence of Jonah, but by what?

Class: The spirit.

David: The Holy Spirit who had power over all this situation, correct? So we as the Bible students, as we behold these things, we're to learn the lesson if it all. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water. Now this is thorough repentance. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and a cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? So what conviction was rested upon this king of Assyriah? Huh?

Class: The spirit of truth.

David: The spirit of truth. Some ministers say that when Jonah walked into the city he was white from digestion. Do you think that's a possible reason that the king of Assyria repented? Because he saw a monster? I don't think so. As a matter of fact, I know not so. And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. So God chose not to bring his wrath upon them. Now the next focal point of this lesson. What kind of person was Jonah? That's the question. What kind of character had this wonderful prophet developed after coming so close with eternal ruin? What kind of divine Christian deportment was he now to show? Let's review. The man had been given a message from God. He ran from this divine responsibility. So definitely we can conclude that he did not have a full scope or comprehension of God's greatness. He ran and he tried to escape from the presence of God by going to a boat, and in the boat the sea arose, and all the men's lives were in jeopardy. They all cried to their own god. And then Jonah had the nerve to say, well it's my God who's causing this, because I serve the God who made heaven and earth. Of which the men hearing this statement didn't throw him over yet, because - do you think they really believed him?

Class: No.

David: No. Because no man who served that kind of God would be running away from him. So they row even harder don't they? But finally they realize they better do something. So they say, God, don't hold us chargeable for innocent blood. Why not? He's the one who said, let me go over. So they sent him over, the sea went calm. Now they believe, don't they? The death of this unfaithful prophet - that is as far as they're concerned it's death - these men believe in the God of Jonah. Now they know from now on that you don't run away from the God who made heaven and earth, right? And that's the God they better fear - least likewise they also end up taking a boat trip ending up in the ocean too - , dead. Now - so see - God's wisdom is revealed in this story, isn't it? But nevertheless God had prepared a fish. So God was working from two avenues. God had now saved these seamen, now it's time to save Jonah - to convert Jonah the hypocrite. The fish vomits Jonah and the word of the LORD comes to Jonah saying; now go cry unto this great city of Nineveh. Jonah now convinced of the authority and power of God goes to Nineveh and cries against Nineveh - but nevertheless Nineveh repents. Now Jonah should be thoroughly converted. This wonderful man of God that your Bible talks about should be thoroughly brokenhearted at the wonderful mercy of the Almighty. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O, LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. Why? Jonah is going to be called, as far as he thinks, a false prophet. Do you understand the scripture, and what it's trying to portray? The unthankfulness, the unrespectfulness, the selfishness, the audacity of this man of God. The city repents. What minister would love to see his congregation repent of their transgressions and prepare for the kingdom to come. Not so of this man. This man who came so close to death in that he was the digestive part of a whale, a man who {unintelligible} was spit up, mangled with puke of a whale, now is angrier, because deep down inside his pride is eating him up more then the acid in the fish. He'd rather die than to have to face not having his prophecy be fulfilled. Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry? You hear that same statement echoed from something we heard earlier before. Who can tell me where that was echoed from?

Class: Cain and Abel.

David: Cain and Abel. Cain chose to do his own predetermined will. Whereas, Abel chose to follow the revealed will of God, didn't he? That's what we're talking about. The present truth - the revealed will of God. In other words, do you do well that you're angry? I mean - is this what's going to make you a better person? Doest thou well? Is it advantageous for you? Is it the present thing you should occupy your time in? So Jonah went out of the city, and he sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. And the LORD GOD prepared a gourd. This is interesting. It say's a {palmquest} in the margin. And made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. What was the cause of Jonah's grief? He's worried about being a false prophet, isn't he? A man who had just gotten eaten by a whale is worried about being a false prophet. A man who had just had an experience - I mean this is an unreal story, isn't it? A manifestation of the hardness of some men's hearts. The wickedness of some of man's own selfish purposes. So Jonah was exceedingly glad of the gourd, wasn't he? Why? Because the gourd covered him, the leaves kept the heat off of his head, and wasn't he happy. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did rise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. The lesson's clear, isn't it? Some people serve God because they have to and all along the way they're selfish, evil, wicked people. What possible lesson can you derive from this book? And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. What kind of spoiled brat is this. Have you ever had a child that wanted two cookies when you gave him one? And he won't eat the one because he can't have the other one? What is wrong with a child like that? Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd. Why? Covered him - kept him from the heat. For the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more then sixscore thousand persons. How many is that? That cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? What does that mean? These people don't know nothing. Did the men that Jonah occupied the ship with - did they know the living God?

Class: No.

David: No. Did Jonah?

Class: No.

David: No, Jonah knew of - Jonah knew - but yet Jonah had some sever character problems didn't he? Now Jonah would have been well happy, you can see from this story, if God would have brought Sodom and Gomorah's fire upon Nineveh, right? Because Jonah would have been the great prophet throughout his country, you know? The great prophet who had proclaimed fire upon this evil city. We'd read the story of the fire came upon Nineveh, and we'd thought wow, what an awesome prophet. And it would have said, and Jonah exceedingly rejoiced in the LORD his God, and said to the LORD, Thou hast tramped over my enemies, and subdued those who were against me under the soles of my - right? The story would have ended; Wow, what an awesome prophet. But we read this book in the Bible, and we think to ourselves; man what a sorry person. The only thing he loves about God is when God does something good for his personal self, and as far as anybody else, Jonah could care less. Now Mike, why do you think inspiration has permitted this book to be in the Bible? Many scholars of today say that it's in there because it was just a fairy tale - it's not really true. Anybody got an opinion? Mike? Come on you're a ministerial student. Let's hear it.

David: Why is the Almighty Great God who we are supposed to believe in put a book like this in the Bible - to show how rotten a prophet can be? And yet God has a purpose. Do you know of another story in the Bible about a rotten prophet?

Class: Balam.

David: Huh? You people are thinking real hard aren't you.

Class: {Unintelligible}

David: I'm amazed at you people. I'm ashamed actually. I'm really ashamed of that kind of answer. I know of a prophet, with all the other prophets, who talk about a man who overeats, who's stingy, covetous, who has a stony heart, and whose divine purpose is to proclaim a message that Babylon is the cage of every foul, and unclean, and hateful bird. Even so much that Isaiah testifies this man as being a ravenous bird from the east. The man who executeth my counsel from a far country: saying, Yea, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. Know what I mean? And you tell me Balam? Balam is only in one record of the Bible, except when the New Testament refers to when Micah refers to him. Micah refers to see what Balam consulted of Balak, that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD . And that refers back to that bird in the book of Micah that Isaiah also foretells, right? So the one, nasty, dirty, filthy, lucrative prophet Balam who prophesied of another in the last days in Numbers 25, what you gonna do - answer Balam, or answer the prophecies he foretells? Now again, Steve, you're a teacher. In your educated opinion, through all your years of teaching and all that, explain to me why you think that God has permitted this book of Jonah to be in the Bible. It ends with a very bad taste, in regards to the way Christian character should be developed.

Steve: You about said it there. To show who is God's people in the last days, and in fact, it's like the dream yesterday - all a bunch of devil worshipers -

David: Well.

Steve: - that came to unclean and {unintelligible}birds and -

David: You mean to say that in the revelation of Jesus Christ, those who are blessed with the full knowledge of this testimony, you're saying that God is to prepare a people in the last days to fulfill the prophecies of a people scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning. From the beginning hitherto. A nation meeted out. Most people who believe in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as many of you have been, are people who believe in a record of a man who's done more divine miracles than any testimony before. A man who was called God - the Son of God. Although works were done and scriptures were quoted, nevertheless, the Bible student is amazed to see in context these verses. The verses quoted by the New Testament do not harmonize with the subject matter of the old. But that again is an ignorant statement. We call the prophets the Old Testament, but nevertheless, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, a book given in the last of the New Testament states, That in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished -

Class: As he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

David: Definitely the New Testament points to a record of the past, and not because we're ignorant willfully, but because God has chosen a better wisdom for us. We are again to review the record of the past that we might know what God has proclaimed for the last days. Common sense will verify that through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John we can weed out what has been, and what has yet to be. Common sense that is. You have to read. You have to absorb. You have to understand. We had a dream the other morning and the dream was placed upon tape, and after - how many days we been together so far?

Class: Six - Five.

David: Five. Now class, honestly, many of you have been in different churches, different denominations. How many of you can honestly say that you have learned more conclusive reality scripture? In other words, how many of you can say that you caught the vision of the prophecies more in the past four or five days then you have all the rest of your professed Christian lives? Now why is that? It's because we have a duty and a responsibility, or is it because we are supposed to be self deceived in the fact that God gives us information, and we're like a little piggy bank. God's gonna shake us at the end of time to see how much we have inside. Is that what God does? Is His purpose for prophetic truth - is to put it inside us, and see who receives? Huh? The penny represents eternal life, huh? Is every new truth you learn supposed to be another little penny you put in your bank, so God, at the end of the world can destroy all the empty banks, and ah, this bank is all full of pennies. Huh? Is that the way God does? Is it? It is! Judy!

Judy: Well, I -

David: You're the husband of a minister? You're the wife of a minister?

Judy: Sorry.

David: We're supposed to daily be empty aren't we. Empty of what we're to know. We receive that we might share. Now class, Steve has gone over with you this morning the counsel given to the churches in Asia. But Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - believers of the scripture - are those who review a testimony of 2,000 years ago. A miraculous work done for a generation whose beginning started on the basis of one whore Mary Magdalene - who only with one young boy John remained with the one who claimed to be the Son of God. The others forsook him. We see a record of truth and how it feel in the streets. It fell in the streets by the death of one who had foretold his death. We see how men's minds were not latched upon the divine statements made by the one who only could give life, and only take it away. People didn't pay attention to the word. They did not listen to understand. People possibly far more intelligent than us, and yet we today can be wiser in that we see their failure to be our steppingstone. What they stumbled over, we should walk over in clear light, shouldn't we. But nevertheless, we ourselves have the same problem - Adventism - denominationilism - the movements who failed to progress into the ever unfolding ray of truth, the spirit of prophecy - God's purpose on earth. The prophets state clearly the Lord GOD will do -

Class: - nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

David: And what secret are we dealing with? What secret are we dealing with? Well, in the last days after we have received Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Christ tells the Apostles, he does not tell the Congregationalist's, but the Apostles, those who through Acts, Romans, to the book of Jude are consistently arguing, and fussing, and fighting to their denominations to walk in the light as they have received. This is the truth. The same spirit that proclaimed to Nineveh repent is the same spirit in this divine government established on earth - the New Testament - to instruct, and to prove, and to reprove the ministry - the ministry that was ordained to teach the lessons taught by the prophets. What does Corinthians say about the government of God?

Class: There are apostles and prophets.

David: Then what?

Class: Pastors, teachers, evangelists.

David: The Lutheran Church - where is their Apostle, and where is their prophets?

Class: They don't have any.

David: Well, Martin Luther is dead. The man who began with a vision is passed away. Well, because of that there was additional light that came. Through who?

Class: Knox.

David: John Knox. Think John Knox was a holy man?

Class: No.

David: Do you think Jonah was? Do you think God was holy? You think God had a purpose for the Lutheran Church? What was it? To increase in Christ. Christ is the truth, Christ is the word. John Knox was given a commission in 1547 wasn't he? Who did he come to? Foreigners?

Class: No.

David: His brethren. Who is his brethren?

Class: Lutherans.

David: Lutherans. Who were the Lutherans? The real protesters weren't they. They were the protestant reform. Reform - they reformed from the darkness of Catholicism. They reformed in that they chose not to follow the heresies and the traditions of Rome, but to follow only the thus saith the Lord as recorded in the word of God. Luther brought this out to them the just shall live by faith as it is written, not as it's prelated through the prelates, huh? Now Luther died. Was Luther a good man?

Class: No.

David: Not to our standard. What were some habits that Luther had in his day?

Class: Pork chops, cussing, beer drinking -

David: Beer drinking and cussing. What - does that make - he was a bad man?

Class: No.

David: He was a good man in the light that he had, wasn't he? That's all the light he had. All the light that was given to him in those days. Did he faithfully give his message to the Nineveh of that time?

Class: Yes.

David: Was he sad at heart when the Roman Catholic Church rejected his message?

Class: Yes.

David: Yes, he was. Did he cuss at them?

Class: Yes, at the leaders.

David: Did he get mad at God?

Class: No.

David: Have you read some of his letters? He wondered why God didn't wake them up more. He was heartbroken. Did he enjoy Katherine Von Bora? He loved the gourd God prepared for him, huh? Well, in those days Monks and Priests didn't marry, and when they finally uncovered that the Bishop had more than one wife as the scripture said - of the five men in the Lutheran Church ah - of the Catholic Church, five or six guys got together, and just happened to be about five or six nuns too. Just happened to be you know? God had prepared a fish I guess. And they decided they were going to practice this new strange Christian doctrine of marriage. Know what I mean? And Katie Von Bora, she say's she's going with Luther. Luther, he was going to serve God. He really didn't want a wife, but she kind of chose him you see? It's a beautiful story. You should read it sometimes. He called her: " My lord Katie." Why do you think that Luther enjoyed Katie - the work of God's hands - the truth as revealed in the Bible? Do you think he realized the difference between the error of Catholicism - that is celibacy - which they never really practiced, or do you think that he agreed that Genesis was a true story of perfection when God said that man should not be one, huh? So Luther finally found the God of creation didn't he? Didn't he? The God of light. Let there be light, but Luther didn't have all the light did he?

Class: No.

David: No, he didn't. But the light that he had was the light that he followed for that time. Luther died. What did he die of?

Class: Overeating.

David: Overeating. He didn't know how to regulate his mouth, did he. That had not yet been given to him yet huh? Back in those days when you used to be sick, do you know what they prescribed to you? Food! You got a bellyache you need to eat some food. Any kind of pain in the stomach was you were hungry. Dark days in those days. Nevertheles when Luther died the voice of inspiration died in the Lutheran Church - but did God leave the Lutheran Church alone?

Class: No.

David: Did God ever leave Israel alone throughout all those thousands of years? Did God {?} for Israel? Never. Has God ever left his church alone?

Class: No.

David: Yes! For a period of time - for a period of time. But the prophets had foretold that God would again let His light shine. Luther was the beginning of that light. Here comes John Knox, thus saith the Lord. He comes to his brethren. His brethren forsake him, and kick him out. Of necessity, the just shall live by faith. But what was John Knox's message?

Class: You must be born again.

David: By what agency?

Class: The Holy Spirit.

David: Faith without the experience of the spirit, that is, the trust in God's word proclaimed by God. That's the only spirit you want. It was the spirit of God, the one who speaks the word of God. There are many spirits - many spirits, but those spirits are not backed up by God's testimony. Today we have many feelings. Satan has triumphed by getting men to react upon feeling. Feeling is not spirit. God does not move men by feelings. You can watch Pinochio when he becomes a little boy. You can get feelings. You can sit and watch Christmas shows. God did not ordain Christmas - Rome did. It's not a truth of God, it's a truth of Rome which is a lie in God's sight. You can have all kind of mixed emotions, and people say now because it's good it must be of God. That's not what the Bible teaches. Jonah did not feel good about going and proclaiming the message to Nineveh. John Knoxs' efforts were to show the church of Christ, those who had an ear to hear, that the working of God's spirit could be only based on the testimony of God's own word. What was not written was not the spirit of God. Did the majority of Lutherans accept?

Class: No.

David: No, they thought that faith in God was just faith in God, and so therefore they practiced many of their own habits, and yet had faith in something they couldn't see. Before, they had faith in things they could see - Catholicism - the ceremonies and rituals of man, but now they went overboard in the other direction. But now - God now was to wink at their ignorance no longer. What saith the word? What saith God? What spirit harmonizes with that spirit of God's word? That's what faith by the spirit was to be - essential. Now after John Knox - of which the start of what denomination?

Class: Presbyterian.

David: How come the Lutherans didn't become Presbyterians? Because they kicked John Knox out, didn't they? And there had to be a necessity of new name hadn't there. Didn't God change the names of Judaism over to Christianity? And now the Lutheran Christians - after now - become Presbyterian Christians - if they want to take on with the new ray on light, right? Wesly is the next reformer after John Knox. He comes with a prophetic message. What does he believe in? He believes in justification by faith through the spirit - that is the testimony of God. But many who were aware of God's word, the spirit of God, were not really consistently keeping what God's word had to say. They were falling many times. But nevertheless, found in this word by Wesly was a doctrine that the just shall live by faith and not of themselves, right? It's a gift of God - God's word. And were saved by -

Class: Grace.

David: Grace. We may approve the things of God. We may see them clearly, and understand God's word, but does that mean we're going to keep it consistently?

Class: No.

David: No, so the effort and struggle of the human agent to take the body and place it in submission to the will of God as revealed by the word - that was the message of Wesly. Grace in that in your effort to conform by the testimony of God, there is sufficient grace for you. Was not Paul the Apostle a great workman for God? Paul talks about the thorn in his flesh doesn't he? Where's that found Steve?

Steve: Ah -

David: Ah - ha!

Steve: Corinthians - let's see.

David: Is it in Timothy?

Steve: Yes.

David: The messenger of Satan to buffet him. Wicked conscience huh? And he prayed to the Lord three times that this might be taken away from him. But what did the Lord tell Paul?

Class: My grace is sufficient for you.

David: My grace is sufficient for you. Ok. I mean - we can't all be perfect every day can we? Ok. Now did the Presbyterians accept Wesly when he came with his message?

Class: No.

David: No. So again of necessity - the Presbyterians who wanted to believe in Luther's faith and in John Knox's faith based upon only the word of God; if they were to believe in Wesly's faith their brethren would kick them out - and what denomination did this become? Huh?

Class: Methodist.

David: Methodist. Now why do you think the Methodists had to finally become the Baptists, and the Baptists become the Adventists, and the Adventists become the Seventh-Day-Adventists, and the Seventh-Day - Adventists become ...

[End of Tape]