The Emperor’s New Clothes

Make sign of I’m OK your not ok

Let us open our precious Holy Bible to Romans chapter 3

Now Romans Chapter One starts off gloriously and…I love it, it kinda just builds to verse 16-17 of Romans chapter one for Paul says, “for I am not ashamed of the gospel of CHRIST, for it is the power of GOD to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of GOD is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” But then in verse 18 he starts off with, “for the wrath of GOD is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man, who suppress the truth and unrighteousness.” And from that moment Romans chapter 1 verse 18 and all the way through – the last several times I’ve studied these chapters this is like the last one before I go on. And in Romans chapter 3 verses 1-20, Paul is painting a dark picture of the seriousness and the reality of sin.

I remember the first time I was studying through the book of Romans with the precious HOLY SPIRIT, listening to my Great Shepard, we started off with great grace, and faith, and righteousness, and we got into the wrath of GOD…it’s like ok let’s go on. But it just kept kinda unfolding, the wrath of GOD, and the sin of humanity, and all the things that were happening with the Gentiles in Rome. Then the religious Hypocrisy that’s going on. Then chapter 3 even more, it’s like “gosh”, I started to get a light bout of depression. But all of a sudden you get to Romans chapter 3 verse 21 and all of a sudden once again the bright colors of grace began to unfold again. So I say this because you might be thinking, ‘wow! This is rather a dark and gloomy picture’. And it is! But it is necessary for us to go through this dark…realistic picture of sin, so that we can appreciate the grace of GOD, the goodness of GOD, the mercy of GOD, the righteousness of GOD, and the freedom that we have through faith in JESUS CHRIST PTL!

So, the title of this message I will take from an old story by Hans Christian Andersen called: The Emperor’s New Clothes. Do you remember that story?

Let us pray; “Heavenly FATHER, we come before YOU and pray and ask that YOU HOLY SPIRIT will speak to our hearts, LORD may this fellowship of YOUR body hear what YOUR precious HOLY SPIRIT speaks. In JESUS’ wonderful Name we pray. Amen” PTL!

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Well, ok number one, you see that where it says “I’m ok, You’re not ok.”? The reason I drew that sign there is, It is GOD who in Romans chapter 1 verse 18 through Romans chapter 3 verse 20. GOD is saying: “I’m ok, but you’re not ok”. He’s talking about humanity and in this teaching we will get a birds eyes-view, a heavenly perspective of what GOD sees when HE looks at mankind. It is not a pretty picture. And the reason I used this phrase, “I’m ok, you’re not ok,” is that when I was in a juvenile camp back in the early 1970’s the counselor I had passed the book out to all the boys that he had charge over and made us read it, the book was called; :I’m ok, you’re ok.” Transitional Analysis. “I’m ok, you’re ok” do you remember that book? The basic philosophy of “I’m ok, you’re ok” is that—hey it doesn’t matter what you believe, you’re ok. It doesn’t matter what I believe I’m ok. It doesn’t matter what you do you’re ok, it doesn’t matter how I behave I’m ok…so, if I’m ok and you’re ok with me, I’m ok with you and what you do and how you believe and…so everybody should be ok…

And, you know we laugh but that’s the kind of philosophy of the day: TOLERANCE. Tolerance is basically, “I’m ok, you’re ok.” Whatever you want to do, whatever kinda life-style you want to live in, wherever kind of personal morality you want to write…now either that is right or that is wrong. Either it is true or it is false. It is a philosophy and it has gripped our culture and our media and…and that is to say; everybody is basically ok. And the philosophy that—hey you can believe whatever you want to believe you just don’t try to…you know, put your belief upon someone else, because then that’s not right and you’re judging them and you’re not accepting them and so forth and so on. Well, that would be all find and dandy, that philosophy would be find—if—you looked at the world and what you read, and what you heard, and what you saw and the way people treat one another was ok. But as you look around it is quite apparent that everything is not ok. It’s not ok at our schools, I’m not talking about what they teach them, I’m talking about what’s happening there. It’s not ok what’s happening in the world, there are a lot of things—would you agree with me—that are not ok. And GOD says, “I’m ok because I AM HOLY and AM RIGHTEOUS. But you are not ok. You’re sick, you have an illness, a fatal disease, it will kill you, not only physically but spiritually, and its called sin”. And because GOD loves us HE doesn’t pretend that we’re ok. PTL!

So, that’s the reason I start off this story by Hans Christen Andersen, about the Emperor’s New clothes. And I think in many ways that is what’s being reflected today and…and what the elected or elite are telling us how to believe, you know kind of the education…and those who are smart, and those who are—you know—educated, those who are whipped, and those who are of the 21st century, it’s kinda like, “hey, everybody is ok ,” but it’s the Emperor’s new clothes.

Hans Christian Andersen told a very powerful story, a very famous story that’s humorous, but it’s humorous because it’s so true.

You know the story? A certain Emperor was fond of appearances and clothing. He lived in a relative age of luxury, and prosperity, and abundance with nothing better todo. Because of his fondness for clothing there was certain clever philosophers who offered to weave him the most beautiful, rare, costly, gorgeous garment that has ever been worn by any king of any time. And the Emperor was—oh you know—it fed his pride, he was thrilled with the idea of having the most beautiful garment that any human being as a king ever worn, I mean he especially liked the fact that they told him, “now this garment will be so beautiful, so costly, and so rare, that it will be invisible to everyone except to those who are wise and to those who are pure in heart.” Ahh, the Emperor was so excited he couldn’t wait, and he kept asking, “whens it gonna be done?” They said, “we’re still working on it.” So finally he sent his chief administrator to go check on it. His chief administrator walked in and he saw there was nothing on the looms, there was nothing being weaved, there was nothing to see at all. But, because he has been told by those philosophers, that only the wise and pure of heart would be able to see it for it’s beauty. He didn’t want anybody to think he was a fool and couldn’t see it.

So he went, “whoa, that’s gorgeous! It’s beautiful!” He ran back to the king and he said, “O, I never seen something so beautiful and gorgeous in all my life! Wait till you see it!” So the king—oh—he got even more excited, and he waited future and they finally sent to him and said, “oh we’re working on it but we need more money, please send more money to the weavers,” and then he sent his chief administrator again and he came back with this going, “O its even better than it was, its more glorious, more beautiful!” Finally the king couldn’t stand it and he came to the place and he said, “it’s now! I got to put it on!” He walks in and of course nothing there. But the king not wanting to be thought a fool said, “Oh! It’s the most beautiful, gorgeous robe that I ever seen!” So they said , “Oh great, lets put it on you,” So they stripped him—naked—and they put on the new beautiful coat and they said, “Oh let us have a parade and bring all the people”. They made an announcement all the people came…and this big parade and there was the king walking down the middle of the street all—NATURAL—you know “woo!” And all the people “whoa!” Nobody wanted to be thought a fool: “look how beautiful and how glorious it is.” But finally as he was coming around the bend there was one little boy watching and in a moment of relative quiet the little boy looked out, starred at the king dancing around and said; “the Emperor has no clothes!”  And everybody stopped, and they realized—Oh, it’s true nobody sees it-- That’s really bad cause the king is out there with no clothes on. The king realizes it and he ran off. And…that’s pretty much the end of the story

So any way, I use the phrase “the Emperor’s new clothes” to describe this common tendency; we remain silent when a fallacy or falsehood is being promoted, herald—“everybody knows this. Everybody believes this. Everybody says it. Everybody is doing it. Everybody adopts it. Why, everybody has this philosophy, what’s wrong with you?” We do not want to be thought fools. And because we don’t want to be thought fools no one says anything. Our brother Paul begins to address that issue in Romans chapter 3:1-20. Begin with me now in Romans chapter 3:1;

Paul asked this question, “are the Jewish people still chosen?” Because he’s wondering…people are wondering if the Jews are guilty even though they have the Law then, “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?” In other words what’s the big deal being a Jew if their GOD’s chosen people, but their sinners too? Paul answers the question in (3:2) “much in every way!”There is still an advantage to being a Jew, why? Because as he will show and share in the rest of Romans, especially In Romans chapter 9 -11. The Jews still are to this day GOD’s chosen people. And, so, in (3:2) “much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of GOD.” GOD gave to them the Law, GOD gave to them the WORD of GOD, GOD gave to them the prophecies, “For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written:

“That You may be justified in Your words,

And may overcome when You are judged.”

5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?

7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just. 9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.” (Rom 3:3-9NKJV).

Listen beloved, Paul was always sure that GOD’s plan for Israel were not finished, and even though the nation of Israel as a whole did not believe in JESUS as the MASSIAH, there was always; always has been, always will be, and is to this present hour a faithful remnant of Jews that do believe. And who do know that JESUS is the MASSIAH. But because Israel as a whole didn’t see it blindness in part came to the Israelites, a door opened to the Gentiles, and in the end GOD said HE will use the Gentiles to help open the eyes of the Jews. That GOD would in the last days bring back HIS people into the land—which is happened—in unbelief—which is happed—and once their there in the land unbelief GOD will reveal HIMSELF to them ad HE will use the (ecclesia) church in order to do that.

In the meantime beloved, GOD has committed to the Jewish people HIS writings. HIS WORD. Now dig this, it was in Hebrew that GOD communicated and that GOD spoke to the world. We owe so much to the Jewish people for their preserving of the precious Holy Scriptures. If you have a Holy Bible in your hand dear saint I want you to lift it up like a wave offering—please do it don’t worry about who’s around you—Ahh beautiful, beautiful, beautiful—all of that! Do you know there are churches you don’t need to bring a Bible any more—what’s the point! 

Beloved we don’t come to hear what some man has to say—I want to know what GOD’s Word has to say. That’s why I’m confident that in every preaching or teaching that GOD uses me, as HIS vessel in, GOD is going to speak because we are gonna open the precious Holy Bible. And we are gonna read the Bible; what has GOD have to say. But do you know my dear saint, if it were not for the Jewish people you or I would not have the Bible today. If it wasn’t for the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they maliciously copied down the words originally spoken by the SPIRIT of GOD, and they wrote down every word and they copied it from generation to generation. And they were so accurate. They copied it by hand. Every letter. If they missed one letter, if they missed one word, if they missed one crossing as it were of the (t), if they missed one dotting of an (i) on a page they crumbled the whole page up that had taken hours to write and they through it away and they started all over again.

You and I think of; oh a page—not too bad. No! They did scrolls where a whole book was translated. So they might be at the end of the scroll; --woops, mistake. Throw it all away. Start all over again. Every time it was written a scroll had to be perfect, why? Because GOD is perfect. That’s why beloved saint we can have confidence in what we have today is inspired, GOD breathed Word of GOD.

When they came to the Name of GOD, to the Jewish [people it was so Holy—the Name of GOD—that when they wrote HIS Name they wouldn’t put the vowels in. They would only put the consonants. And they revered it with such Holiness that they would…go get a new pen and a new inkwell just to write the Name of GOD, and to pray. And then they would also go take a bath…a spiritual religious bath; they had just written the Name of GOD. A when they were done they would go back and get a new pen, pick up where they left off. So, in your Bible you know there is Lord: L little (ord), that’s a title (Lord). There are also in your Bible many places where it is capital (L), (O), (R), (D). Whenever you see all capitals “LORD” that is the name of GOD that GOD revealed to Moses. JEHOVAH (YEHÔVÂH3068) or YĀHWĒH (YHWH), we don’t know exactly how to pronounce it because all we have is the consonants, but that’s how much respect they had for the Name of GOD. If you ever read the Psalms sometimes the Name of the “LORD” comes over and over again and they would be taking a lot of bathes that day when they were writing the precious Holy Scripture.

So beloved, we owe the Jewish people, there is an advantage. But our brother Paul is having an imaginary argument; and I have to summarize here: 1) “What advantage” is it being a Jew? Paul’s reply “every” advantage especially possessing the Word “the oracles of GOD.” 2): does Jewish “unbelief” cancel out GOD’s “faithfulness?”Paul’s reply, absolutely “not,”it establishes it. Even thought they were faithless GOD remain faithful; “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2:13NKJV) 3),”if our” sin “commends” “GOD’s” “righteousness”, why does HE judge us? In other words there is some who might say, “well, hey we sinned and when we sin we give GOD a opportunity to be gracious and forgiving. So, in essence—the more we sin—the more GOD gets to be GOD, and HOLY, and Righteous. So, we’ll do our part by sinning and GOD can do HIS part by forgiving us; Great partnership!” Paul says; no, if that is your philosophy, if you take advantage of GOD’s grace, you’re “damnation is just”. We do not “do eveil, that good may come”, GOD judges righteously.------------------------

Romans 3:9-20 “9 what then? Are we better that they? Not at all, for we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.10As it is written; there is none righteous, no not one; 11there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after GOD.12They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.13There throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practice deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips. 14Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.15Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16destruction and misery are in their ways; 17and the way of peace they have not known.18 There is no fear of GOD before their eyes. 19Now we know that whatever the Law says, it says to those who re under the Law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before GOD.20Therefore by the deeds of the Law no flesh will be justified in HIS sight, for by the Law is the knowledge of sin”.

Now my beloved friends in grace, beginning in verse 9, how does GOD see mankind? Our brother Paul gives us a three-fold picture: As a JUDGE, as a PHYSICIAN, and as a HISTORIAN.

HE sees us as a JUDGE in verse 10 through 12. Beginning in verse 10, here is GOD as a JUDGE looking down at humanity. “As”…by the way he is quoting here Scriptures, he’s putting together like Jewish Rabbi’s would do, he is stringing together all these Old Testament Scriptures. If you have in your Bible the footnotes of all the quotes, you could look in the margin and you can see that he is quoting all over the Psalms, he’s quoting Isaiah, and he’s putting them together all these quotations, Paul is pulling them from memory, he memorized all of them. It’s a good thing isn’t it? “thy Word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against thee” (Ps 119:11NKJV). So, our brother Paul is putting…stringing together--: A.T. Robertson in his ‘word pictures in the New Testament’ says that; “Paul here uses a catēna [a closely linked series] or chain of quotations to prove his point—strung together for certain purposes as proof—text”. And the Hebrew have a word for it called charaz (keraz2737), whichmeans stringing pearls together, it’s like a necklace of pearls. Paul is stringing together all these Scriptures.

So here in verse 10 is the First one: 10 “As it is written there is none righteous, no, not one; ‘there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after GOD.12They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one”.Ok, as Judge GOD looks at humanity and HE sees that the fabric of man’s inner being is controlled by sin. His mind is controlled by sin, why? Because “none who understands” that is talking about every human being, that’s over six billion people today, but it’s a lot more than that going back through human history. This is what GOD says, GOD says, “not one” human being truly understands spiritual things. That is what sin has done to our minds.

Secondly; our hearts have been affected—or—infected by sin. “none who seeks after GOD” imagine that my brothers and sisters! GOD made man after HIS own image, after HIS own likeness, and “not one” of them “seeks” after HIM. No human being truly “seeks after GOD”. Why? Because their hearts are infected by sin.

And thirdly; man’s will is infected with sin,-- none, “there is none who does good”. There is no one who lives righteously, no one who lives perfectly or sinlessly. Notice how many times the HOLY SPIRIT uses the Word “all”or “none” or in some translations “no one” measured by GOD’s perfect righteousness, no human being is sinless. No sinner even seeks after GOD. So beloved we’re in trouble.

Therefore, if there is no human being that understands GOD. No human being that seeks GOD; then there is only one way that we will get to GOD and that is …and that is if GOD seeks after us. That’s the story of the Gospel.

You say, ‘hey, wait a minute what about me, I’m seeking GOD, I go to church, I really enjoy your preaching and teaching that I even share them, and I got my Bible, and I been seeking the LORD and I love JESUS and I want HIM’. Great, all that indicates is GOD first sought you. You say, “I love GOD’. Great, but all that signifies is that GOD first loved you. “We love HIM because HE first loved us” (1 Jh 4:19), touched your heart, melted you with HIS love and now you are reciprocating [responding]. The truth is that no one really wants to discover GOD unless GOD draws him or her. If you have a pen or pencil write down this Scripture John chapter 6:44, “no one can come to ME unless the FATHER who sent ME draws him and I will raise him up at the last day”. JESUS says, “no one can come to ME unless the FATHER who sent ME draws him”. O beloved saint, do you know how excited that makes me? Because I love JESUS. Because I am following HIM. I want HIM. I want a relationship with HIM. I want to go to Heaven. I want to be with HIM for eternity. And what it tells me is: I have to be drawn; I have been drawn by GOD. I have been drawn by the FATHER. I have been smitten, I have been sought after, and I have responded to HIS precious love. PTL!

So, if you love the LORD, if you desire the LORD, if you have a spiritual hunger within your heart, it is a sign (Tit 2:11) “that the grace of GOD that brings salvation has appeared to” you, that the grace of GOD is upon your life.PTL! Praise the LORD!!!

But as the big picture we go now from GOD the Judge to GOD as a Physician (v13-16). And notice here in verse 13 the first thing that our brother Paul says, and he’s quoting again the Bible, he’s quoting the Old Testament, Old Covenant. KJV v13 “Their throat is an open sepulcher: with their tongues they have used deceit: the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”. Here Paul gives us an x-ray study of the lost sinner from head to foot, and as a physician even to this day (just the other day I went to the doctor’s office) you know, your general doctor, when you go in what is one of the first things that a doctor does, when you come in to see how you are doing, how you’re feeling? He says, ‘open your mouth’. Isn’t that true? GOD does the same thing. You come in and they take that little stick and they say, ‘ok open your mouth’,and then they put it in your mouth and make you gag—what’s up with that, so your ‘ahh…ahk…bah’ you know, then they go, ‘yep you got something’. And that’s one of the first places you can see the health of a person is by looking in their mouth, and by seeing is there soreness, is there redness, -- the tongue actually is one of the first places a doctor will see if you’re sick. I just seen on the PBS channel not too long ago, it was about the Peregrine Falcon, they some how come to New York city and now are roosting on top of the highest buildings and once a year some people will go atop of these buildings to count them, measure them, etc. But! The first thing they did was open their mouth and stick a little stick in it. Well guess what? Spiritually it’s the same thing. Only it’s not your physical tongue, it’s the words that come out of your mouth.

Now I want you to think for a minute, look at the world at large, look at the things you hear people saying --what’s coming out of their mouths? Is there cursing? Do you know someone that cusses? Is there anybody who speaks with bitterness, and foulness, and coarseness, and…all of these foul things that come out—you know who they are. And what does the LORD say? HE says, ‘wow, I open man’s mouth, I looked in and it was a sepulcher’.That’s like a…do you realize how gross that is? ‘I even I AM HE who opens his mouth and it’s like a graveyard’. And that’s the way some people are in the world. They open their mouth and it’s like—old graveyard mouth you know, JUST PLAIN FOUL.

And you know their…it’s just weird to me how there are people kinda nice, and their funny, and got their weird little idiosyncrasies and personalities, and yet, they’re mouth could be some of the most foul, filthy—they’re language, and attitude, and the cynicism, it’s just like a graveyard mouth. GOD say…that’s…bad. The connection between words and characters, (Mat 12:34) “NIV for out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”. King James says: “far out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. Do you want to know what is inside of a person’s heart, you hear it every day, what comes outta their mouths? -- Dear Christian,-- their mouth is a reflection of their spiritual health. Are they basically uplifting?

Now as a Christian we should be…our mouths are filled with praise. Our mouths are filled with gratitude, and thankfulness, and…and goodness, and righteousness, and love, and blessing. And, so you have this pure stream—and yet you have this foul…a kinda graveyard mouth thing that is happening as well. The sinner, beloved, is spiritually dead by nature therefore—only death can come from outta his mouth.

And as you listen what is being spewed by the modern philosophers, the modern media, the modern elite, the modern intelligentsia --what they are saying; their speaking death into our society, into our culture, making it appear normal “and any rational person, any…you know smart person, any wise person knows this is the way it is; it’s wonderful!” And even makes it sound wonderful and beautiful; --and all the while it’s the Emperor’s New Clothes.

But, precious listeners of this discourse, the condemn man can become a converted man by confessing “JESUS IS LORD” with his or her mouth. Our brother Paul says; “that if you confess with your mouth the LORD JESUS and believe in your heart that GOD has raised HIM from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom 10:9-10 NKJV). “JESUS IS LORD’. Do you know why it is important to say that in order to be saved, “JESUS IS LORD”? Because “JESUS IS LORD”! It’s the truth. And the truth is pure. The truth is sweet. The truth is Holy. The truth is righteous. The truth is like water that is untainted. It’s fascinating in the government—if you watch the PBS station—they were reading these studies, their talking about how much arsenic is in water, and what’s allowed, they’re kinda arguing: “I think this much”…well I think that much…” and I’m kinda like, why is there any arsenic in our water? I just want to drink water; I don’t want to drink poison!

And in many ways that’s what the Emperor’s New Clothes is about, is—hey, you know how much arsenic our we gonna be able to allow in our society? And GOD is saying, ‘no! I want to give you pure sweet waters’. And that is reflected in being able to say “JESUS is LORD”, can you say that with me right now? “JESUS is LORD”. Wow!...it’s true. PTL!

Do you remember when JESUS stood before Pilate and Pilate said, “so are YOU king of the Jews?” Remember what JESUS said, how HE responded? I always thought it was rather odd. JESUS would respond by saying, “you said it’ that’s kinda funny. “are YOU the king? ‘Yes.’ ‘Are YOU king of the Jews?’ ‘No’. ‘Let ME explain’” But JESUS would say, “you said it”. What does that mean? I believe what JESUS was saying was, “you said it”, you are half way to the kingdom of GOD, if only you would mingle faith in what you just said. Because out of “mouth confession is made” but “with the heart”salvation comes when you believe what you speak as the truth.

So, the LORD looks and HE sees this spiritual x-ray of our mouths, and the mouths of the world is full of Death,and full of Deceit, and Poison, and Cursing,and Bitterness. But then he goes to head to foot v15: “their feet are swift to shed blood”. Isn’t that true? v16: “destruction and misery are in their way”. Here is the sinner’s feet! GOD looks down…its very simple, how do you know what kind of a person that they are? Well watch them walk and see what is in the wake of their walk. See, just turn around and look behind them and see what is in the wake of their walking. GOD looks down upon humanity and HE sees the wake of humanity,-- the path of that lies behind where humanity is walking, and HE sees “destruction”. Listen, the Christian’s feet leads to a path of Good News: (Rom 10:19NKJV) “how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things”, and healing, and love. But the lost sinner’s path is strewn with “blood”, death, “destruction” and “division,” and hurt, and “misery,” and “pain,”and “selfishness,” and “greed” wherever he or she goes. What is in the wake of our path while we enjoy this discourse?

If you will follow the LORD your path would be a narrow path, in (Mat 7:13-14NIV) let’s read it out loud now together “enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it”.

Do you realize that if you start with your mouth speaking only that which is right, and pure, and holy, and good, and wholesome, and loving, and encouraging, and positive, and the truth, and then your feet begin to walk in ways that are full of blessing people, and encouraging people, and loving people;--Listen-you will be walking against the tide. Look, most people that are in a office, most people that are in a little community (and there are a lot of little ones established every where) there’s a kind of a group mentality that either tends toward gossip or cynicism, or mocking, or snide, and…and it’s a cool attitude. And you walk against the grain being a Christian, you’re gonna start rubbin’ them the wrong way, they’re not gonna like it. “so, little Mr. Dapper Dan or little Miss Goody Two Shoes over there, we won’t say anything around you, we’ll watch it very carefully”.

Now beloved, what I am speaking (by the HOLY SPIRIT) I’ve applied to my life—which is in JESUS—and know through and by experience. You’re gonna feel like you’re being isolated, and their kinda persecuting you and mock you and make fun of you. But know this precious saint, they’re also testing you. Because in any group of five or ten and they are all laughing at the jokes, believe me there are one or two of them that are going, “know what, that is not really funny. I think that is gonna hurt people’s feelings that’s not right”. But it takes somebody with the courage to walk away and say, “you know what? That really wasn’t cool. I’m gonna walk away and start another direction by loving people”.

Would you agree with me beloved child of GOD, you can never, as a human being be encouraged enough? Have you ever got to the end of the day and gone, “ahh man, I just got way too much encouragement today…I don’t know if I can handle it”. Has that ever happened? No! But how many times you get to the end of the day, and you go, “man, I don’t know if I could get up and do it again, go through the routine. Because everything is so negative, and it’s so foul, and its so cynical, and its so filthy and depressing, and discouraging, and hopeless, I don’t know if I can keep on”. Their world my friend lies in darkness. Their waiting, they’re yearning, their testing, challenging, looking; is there anybody whose got a different path? You know…any dead fish could swim down stream it takes a live fish to swim against the current and go up stream: that’s what you’re doing when you are a Christian.

Now, in closing verses 17-20 GOD looks at humanity as a historian. GOD looks and says to humanity, “and the way of peace they have not known”. I think beloved that says it all, that’s the whole history of mankind. “the way of peace they have not known”, Why do we have Memorial Days? Because even in the 21st century “the way of peace they have not known”. Maybe it’s not exactly happening in the United States, but, in around the world there are wars going on right now, and in some of them we have soldiers stationed. There are other areas not only in military sense that we don’t have peace here in the United States of America. And the world right now we have never been so smart. We are the smartest human beings who ever lived, breathed and walked the planet earth—we’re way smart! But on the other hand we’re kinda dumb, because we don’t know how to live in peace. We can’t get it, we can’t figure it out. The most brilliant minds cannot figure out how to live in peace, let alone among governments, communities and neighborhoods, “homes”, why? “the way of peace they have not known”.

If only the world could have peace in our homes, peace in our minds, peace in our hearts, peace in our wills, peace in our family, peace in our relationship, peace in our community, peace in our nation, peace in the world; this would be an awesome place to live. But, “the way of peace they have not known”. In (v17) deals with the sinners mind. The reason there is no peace in the world, is that there is no peace of mind. There is no peace of heart because we do not know the way of GOD’s peace. That is why JESUS wept over the city of Jerusalem “the way of peace they have not known”.

But (v18) tells us why. Here’s the reason, (v18) “there is no fear of GOD before their eyes”. Beloved, the world doesn’t respect GOD: “the Bible? That’s old, we don’t need that, we’ll make up our own rules!” So they make up one i.e. Buddha, Ying-Yang, Allah, Maroni, etc. GREAT!! How much better are we doing than the ancient people? Oh, we’re a lot more sophisticated, we are a lot more…you know, we have a lot more technology, we have a lot better medical health care, we may live a little longer—but there is still something wrong—“there is no fear of GOD before their eyes”. Only those who have a relationship with GOD their MAKER, their CREATOR have peace with GOD. So how could we know peace with GOD?

Look with me in (v19): “now we know that what things so ever the Law says, it says to them who are under the Law: that every mouth may be stopped”. What could the world say in argument to all od these things? The only way my beloved that the world could deny Romans Chapter 3:1-20 is to prove by their words, by their life, by their behavior that they could live in peace without GOD! And they had a long time to try it and to prove it and they still can’t quite get it together.

So, we know this; “that every mouth” to this day is “stopped”. I don’t care how…you know—you could be an agnostic, and you can be a philosopher, and…you know, tell me what you believe, but, you have to look at the reality of human history and the human condition “and all the world may become guilty before GOD”.

What do we learn in (v19) my young servant of GOD? That GOD’s way of peace is not through the Law. Our old nature is irrevocably opposed to GOD. So GOD strips away our “Emperor’s Clothing” of deceit and reveals our soul’s true nakedness.

Here’s how the world solves the problem—the world comes along and tells us that we are “ok” just the way you are. Whatever you are, however you are, whatever you feel, whatever you believe, however you want to behave you’re ok, everybody is ok. And everybody is beautiful and well robbed. But the problems still remain, the act is still there, the division still arise, the jealousies, the competitions, the prejudices, the wars within homes and wars between nations. We Are Not OK!! And GOD says we’re not ok!

But, HE says, “I love You—even as you are”. (Rev 3:17NIV) Let’s read that out loud: “because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and necked.” That’s what GOD sees. You say, “oh, ‘I am rich’ doing pretty good”. But GOD says, “well you know that ‘you are wretched’ inside ‘pitiful’in your heart, ‘poor’ spiritually, ‘blind’ to the things that are important, and ‘necked’”. And you’re walking around like everything is cool, dancing around, prancing around, and believe me the angels and everybody in heaven can see—the real condition. (Rev 3:18NKJV) Let’s read that out loud. “I counsel you to buy from ME gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see”. The LORD says repent ask for forgiveness. GOD’s way of peace is at the feet of JESUS so let’s read (Rom 5:1), “therefore having then justified by faith we have peace with GOD through our LORD JESUS CHRIST”. And…that’s what it’s all about “faith”! Faith is the key…faith opens the door…faith brings Heaven into your soul…faith brings the righteousness of CHRIST into your life…faith brings peace of mind…faith brings—the precious HOLY SPIRIT. Faith does it all—it’s awesome.

But in the meantime what do you and I need to do as Christians, as believers? Well, here’s what we need to do, you can close your Bible, this is a final, little exhortation no extra charge.  PTL!

This is from the precious HOLY SPIRIT putting upon my heart to you as HIS steward and your friend.

I think that as Christians…we know that we are sinners, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD”(Rom 3:23). I don’t think I need to press that further. We know that we are saved; “for you were saved by grace through faith” (Eph 2:8). Here’s what we don’t know…I think that we still don’t know that we need “so” much help as a pilgrim. That it is so hard in this world to be a Christian, JESUS did not say that, “once you follow ME everything will go easy”. In fact in many ways once you begin to be a committed believer in CHRIST it gets harder, it gets worse, its more difficult. Its more challenging, and you’re going against the tide. So now…bad enough when I was headed down like a lemming off the cliff…but now I’m going against the tide so the whole world seems against me—very difficult.

But because of the pressure of being a “Christian”, a child of GOD, I think I must pretend that I’m ok. I’m not really ok. That I am well robed, my life is wonderful—and outwardly it is very simple to put forth a veneer, especially when, you know, the economy is sort of rolling along and we have some kind of things to complain about, but we’re doing pretty well, especially compared to the rest of the world.

We can pretend in our marriages, we can pretend and deceive our own minds and our own hearts! But eventually it all begins to unravel and we our afraid “oh no!” because here I am a Christian and I’m ready to fall apart, and I can’t do that. So I better hold on and hold it together. “Wait a minute, I’m a Christian, I can’t tell people what I’m really thinking because that wouldn’t be very nice, or they might stumble, or they wouldn’t understand”. But beloved, let me give you an encouragement, listen very carefully:

I think it would be very wise of us to be more…to tell the truth more openly and honest and less spiritual. At least what we think is being spiritual. Being spiritual is, “I’m doing ok, it’s hard I got things I don’t like”. We’re not really being honest. The truth of the matter is; “I’m dying inside, I’m hurting, I’m bleeding”. And we have this—Americans especially—this John Wayne or Rambo, Ché Rivera, or Shaft attitude, we been shot, our leg’s half off we’re bleeding; “well, I’m alright, I’ll be ok…don’t worry about me I’m fine”. We’re walking, bleeding and we think we’re being cool, we’re being American and we can drag along and we’ll be fine don’t worry about me. But reality is…is you know, you’re bleeding, and it’s not normal to walk and be bleeding behind you, you know what I’m saying? It’s not right, it’s not good, and it’s not healthy.

📷 Look precious lamb, it’s not unspiritual to say; “I’m depressed”. Have you read the Psalms? Read the Psalms to really pray, to be honest. I read the Psalms still to this day and I think, “David! How can you say that!” Our brother David said some amazing things. He said things like, “GOD take my enemies and break them and their jaws and their teeth” (Ps 3). Have you honestly ever felt that way like David? Com’on now? I know I have. But, to pray it? To tell GOD—O it feels good.  That would be honest, that’s how I really feel. But no, we pray these spiritual prayers and then we take our secret, real feelings and we mumble and grumble somewhere back here

Was David right to pray GOD to “break their teeth”? No. JESUS came along and said, “love your enemies” (Mat 5:44) But, hey, reality is, I’m not there yet. So why pretend as if I can hide who I really am from GOD? Here is one of the neatest spiritual secrets that I can give to you: “bring your most unholy, unspiritual moments, thoughts, truest feelings into the presence of GOD in prayer. GOD has big shoulders, broad shoulders, HE can handle it. And guess what? By being a little less spiritual you will be a little more honest. And if I may say; the more honest you become, the more spiritual you really are”. We should be able to say to a brother or sister, “you know what? I’m not doing so hot”. “Hey, you ok?” “Yeah I’m ok”. “You fine?” “Yeah I’m fine”. We’re all fine, FINE!  But we’re not fine.

So you need to open your mouth and tell the truth in order to get healed and to get help. You may need to come and ask for prayer. You may need to ask for counseling it is not unspiritual to need counseling (Pro 11:14; Pro 15:22; Pro 24:6). All of us need wise counsel. Nobody could do it alone. GOD didn’t make it so that we would all be individualistic. And that’s the problem with America we are all so individualistic, we’re all “do it on our own, we don’t need anybody else”. GOD says, “NO!” you’re body, you’re family, you’re liked “a hand, a eye, a foot” (1 Cor 12:14-27). Hello, you need help, You need people, You’re connected, You’re not the whole—it’s not all about youy—you need one another. That’s why the precious Holy Bible says, “confess your faults one to another”(Jam 5:16). Share when you need help, when you need prayer, when you are discouraged, when you’re battling, when you’re depressed, share it, be opened and honest.

Now if somebody does share or open their heart to you let me give you two little pieces of advise. 1), no matter what they tell you; NEVER! Under any circumstances looked shocked. Somebody finally opens their heart and tells you something that you didn’t know and you being their friend for fifteen or twenty years and you go: OK MY GOSH YOU!” That would not be encouraging to them:-O No, you just…ok, yeah that’s normal, but then you just go on.

Secondly #2, do not give them your advice. Do not give them your experience. Do not give them your counsel. What do you do with them? You bring them to JESUS. You give them to JESUS. You turn them to JESUS. You point them to JESUS. You pray with them. You comfort them. You listen to them. You encourage them. But you just bring them to JESUS and HE will do all the rest. PTL! Amen.