Reproof as a Part of the Gospel

Reproof as a Part of the Gospel

Bro. Lee Vayle – May 26, 1973

Let's bow our heads for prayer, shall we.

Our kind, Heavenly Father, we thank You now, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for bringing us together in health and strength, Lord, and above all, for ready minds to hear the Word of the Lord. O, God, may our fellowship be in Thee this morning, according to the Truth that has been revealed to us. And may we not spare ourselves, Lord, of any cost in body, soul, and spirit, to enter in to Divine communication with Thee, day by day, Lord, moment by moment. Help us, O God, to be Holy communicants in body, soul, and spirit. And may not one of us have any eyes, Lord, but for Thee. And, Lord, may Your Word find a lodging place in our hearts this morning. May It be true instruction, and not the imagination of man’s minds. We'll be careful to give You the praise, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

You may be seated. Because I'm going to switch from Scripture to Scripture rapidly you won't need to rise and read It with me, but you may follow along as we bring the Message this morning on "Reproof as a Part of the Gospel" - "Reproof as a Part of the Gospel".

1. In the Book of Proverbs 15: [32-32] just two verses to begin with, and then we'll go to the New Testament.

(32) He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.

(33) The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

2 Timothy 3:15

(15) And (know) that from a child thou hast... And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ.

(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

(17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

In Titus 2:11-15

(11) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

(12) Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldy lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

(13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

(14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

(15) These things speak, and rebuke... (rather) These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

2. In Galatians 4:11-16

(11) I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

(12) Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as you are: ye have not

injured me at all.

This sounds very, very peculiar though it's simply a play on words, here, but Paul was simply telling the people that he's a human being just like they are, and he's not trying to bond himself up, by drawing a comparison.

(13) (You) know (that) through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.

(14) And my temptation which was in my flesh (you) despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Jesus Christ.

(15) Where is then the blessedness (you spoke) of? for I bear you record, had it been possible, (you) would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

(16) Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

Now, Bro. Branham said, on the tape, that we do not come to the house of God for fellowship, but that we come to the house of God for correction. And it's evident from the Scripture that I have read, that reproof is a very strong, or major part of the Gospel, even as he said, "The Church order came under the Seven Seals," making that statement in [Mighty God Unveiled 64-29-06] And, if we study this Scripture, or the Word of God on reproof, you will find that from Cain onward, man has had his greatest battle in this area because man hates reproof.

3. Now, the Laodicean Church Age is an age which is characterized by the reproof of Almighty God. In Revelation 3:19

(19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

(20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: (and) if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.

For years, this Scripture of Christ standing at the door, and inviting people to have communication with Him, has been interpreted by the beautiful picture of Jesus standing at the door, which would typify, or types the heart of man, and asking admission. But, when they do this, they fail to realize the God, Who reveals Himself at the end time, Who is standing outside that door, for every age, no matter what it is, begins with a revelation of Christ, the Word. Certain pertinent, historical facts about the age are given, and then they're all invited to hear.

4. Now, the revelation of Jesus Christ at the end time is a two-fold revelation. The first revelation is that He is the Amen, which means, as the Amen, He must repeat what He was with Alpha - and I'm just glossing over this. Secondly, He is the faithful and true Witness, and that is He will absolutely show that Alpha is Omega with definable, definitive, and irrevocable proof, and that He is the beginning of the creation of God. Showing then that He is the Beginning, He must then become the Omega, which is the Finisher, which will bring us into that same relationship in the perfect creation. But, that's not where the revelation ends. The revelation starts again in verse 19.

(19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:

And this is why Bro. Branham said, "I am sick to death of God being called a God of love." It is not that He is not a God of love, but He is not some mamby-pamby old dotey grandfather, who let's anything slide. If you will come outside the church this morning, and leave your creeds and your dogmas, and you hope to consort with Jesus Christ, then you must understand that judgment begins at the house of God, and that God defines Himself, and sets Himself forth as a God of reproof. But people don't want to have a God of reproof. They are Laodicean in their complexes, in their way of living. That means they want to live above and beyond authority. They don't want to be rebuked. They don't want to be reprimanded. They don't want to be set in order. And people are leaving the church, wholesale. They're leaving the Roman Catholic church. They're leaving the Protestant church. They're leaving this church, they're leaving that church, but they're not coming under the admonition and reproof of Jesus Christ. They simply leave the hierarchy because they want to have their own ways. They want to go about doing things as they choose to do it.

But Bro. Branham rose up and he preached 'The Indictment' [63-07-07] and the reason he preached 'The Indictment' [63-07-07] is because that people do not want to meet with the revealed God of this age, which is that He is a God of reproof. And the Church doesn't want reproof. The Church doesn't want rebuke. The Church doesn't want passiveness. They want to say, "We're rich, increased in goods, and we don't need a thing. Just leave us alone, bless God, and we'll work this thing out." [Rev 3:17]

And Jesus said, "In spite of your own assessation what you think you are, and your protestation, too, because you're protesting," He said, "you are absolutely wretched, and miserable, and naked, and blind in My sight, as I reveal Myself as a reprover." People don't want reproof.

5. Now, I said it's from Cain onwards, that this reproof is what man hates. He doesn't want to be reproved. He'll take every opportunity to tell you he's just as good as you are, and who are you anyway to tell me anything.

Now, I don't know what your condition here is in this church, but I'm not stupid. The reason people like my preaching, and say, "Bro.Vayle, you make it so clear," is because I preach out of my heart. I know what I like, and I know what I don't like. I know what hits me, and I know, therefore, what you will like and what you won't like, and what will hit you. It's plain as ABC.

So, this Message is a universal Message. I can preach It at any church in America, and I can preach It to myself, I can preach It to your pastor, I can preach It to you, and It's going to cut across lines. It can't help It, because this is Laodicea, and you and I are a part of it. We are under that spirit of wanting our own way, of not wanting reproof and rebuke. It's the spirit of the age. (See?)

Now, from Cain onwards, we have not wanted reproof, simply because we misunderstand what it's all about. And we have not been taught what it's all about, so therefore, we fear it, or we hate it.

Now, let's go back to Cain, and see what this reproof is. And the reproof under Cain and under certain other areas in the Old Testament - and we'll show you what they are - must appear at this end time, because what was sown in Genesis must come to full fruit in the Book of Revelation. (See?) What was there must now repeat again, because that's exactly how it is.

6. Now, what was this reproof that God gave Cain? Let's go back to Genesis 4:3-7

(3) And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

(4) And Abel, also brought the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

(5) But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

(6) And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

And I'm going to give you the literal translation. "Thou hast offered right, yet if thou hast not rightly divided, hast thou not sinned?" This is what God said to Cain.

Now, notice, God's reproof to Cain was instruction and correction that Cain might be approved of God and might not suffer along. Now, you'll notice that Cain took it wrong. God was but trying to keep him from destruction.

7. As It says in Proverbs [15]:10

(10) Correction is grievous unto him that hath forsaken the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.

Now, people might say, "Bro. Vayle, that's a pretty strong statement. How can you take one Scripture and isolate It?"

I don't take Scripture and isolate It. The Bible distinctly says that he that hates reproof shall die. Now, if you don't believe that's right, let’s go to 1 Corinthians 11:27-30

(27) Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Now, that's the penalty. If such a thing could take place, then people must be aptly warned about it. And if they are aptly warned, and still persist, then they will pay a penalty.

Now, notice,

(28) But let a man examine himself,

And here, again, I disagree, and I may be cutting across lines here. I care not for a man's personality. I do not believe a pastor has any right to stand up and actually talk to any person going to take the Lord's Supper, and say, "Don't do it." It doesn't say the pastor examines him. It says, "Let a man examine himself."

Now, this has been taught from a man coming from Africa. I do not agree, because there is no Scripture for it. It says here, you examine yourself, not the pastor. (See?) That's right.

Now, It says:

(28) …let (him) examine himself, and so let him eat that bread, and drink that cup.

Now, if you know something about somebody, that's all right, you go before him sometime, meet him privately. See, that's how it's done.

(29) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation (or judgement) to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

In other words, God's got to judge, because It says so. If I am drinking unto judgement, according to the Word of God, then God is duty-bound to judge me.

Now, listen,

(30) For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (many die),

Just what the Book of Proverbs said. It said the man doesn't judge himself. If a man would despise reproof, if he will not take correction, and he goes to that Table of the Lord - and remember, he has got to go to that Table. This is that old "trial by fire", as it were. The Bible speaks of "trial by fire". He has got to go to that Table. He cannot refuse it. He is duty-bound to do it.

Then, It says that he does this and he will not take reproof or correction, he will not straighten up according to God's Word, the Bible said he will get sick. And if he persists in it, he will die. Just what the Scripture says here in Proverbs, that if this man will not take correction, it is grievous unto him. He forsakes the way of God. He hates reproof. He's going to die for it. (See?)

8. Now, remember, this is not only here, but again in Proverbs 29:1

(1) He, that being often reproved harden(s) his neck (In other words, he will not listen to that which is coming against his volatile

nature... ) He harden(s) his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

It says there comes a time when God will not fool with that person. And that person will be removed from the scene. Now, this is not talking to the world. Too many preachers use this in order to convict the sinner. This, as far as I am concerned, has nothing to do with the sinner, because Israel was God's people.

And over here, in 1st Corinthians, Paul is not teaching the sinner. He is teaching the man who identifies himself with the grace as found in the shed Blood of Jesus Christ. And he is commemorating that, but he refuses to come under the correction, or the reproof that demands a person walk worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the Scripture says, 1 to 10 commandments: "Thou shall not bear the Lord thy... the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.’

Now, that word 'bear' doesn't simply... or the... means, rather, as we call it "take the Name of the Lord in vain". What it is in the Hebrew - I quoted rightly - is to bear the Name of the Lord. We call ourselves Christians, we bear that Name. We are obligated by God to live such a life that we shall not cast any shame or expersion(?) upon Him.

9. Now, going from Cain to Balaam. Balaam was in great anger at the very thing that was working out his salvation. Now, I won't take time, this morning, to read Numbers 22:11- 35. Yet, here was a man who was a prophet. Now, he was not the true prophet. (See?). He was a prophet, but not the true prophet. Moses was. Yet, he was operating in the realm of a gift. And it wasn't that he didn't know God because he did know God, but he refused to listen to the correction.

Now, what was God trying to do with Balaam? God was not trying to hold Balaam back, as though Balaam was such an unworthy person that he would not be allowed to have a certain amount of prestige - that's what Balaam, of course, wanted, as well as money - but God was helping this man so that he wouldn't run afoul of the highest call in this world, which is the call of Almighty God. But Balaam refused the admonition and rebuke of God and became very angry at what God was trying to do, which was to help him. Now, you can read that for yourselves.

Now, in Cain and Balaam we find two reasons why men hate reproof. Now, this is not all the reason, for one minute, but they’re two reasons I want to bring out, just for a while. One is pride, and the other is greed. Blinded by greed, blinded by the desire to be important, made Balaam a very headstrong person. And you'll notice that what the Scripture says about this headstrong man who will not take reproof and rebuke, it happened to Balaam, because he was killed in battle by the children of Israel. Just what the Scripture says. He was wrong in his attitude.

10. Now, this defiance of man toward rebuke flared up in the primitive Church, the early Church. Paul reproved the Galatians and the Corinthians for their sins, and they rose up in pride. These people - Galatians especially - who'd have plucked out their eyes in order to help Paul when he first brought the Gospel, now are peculiarly hateful when he reproves them. And Paul says, "Am I now become your enemy?"

Now, you see, the Gospel, is a gospel of joy. It gives men the understanding that they can be forgiven for their sins. It shows them that they have access to God and they can be saved. And that's wonderful, and people like that. (See?) People like a church that they can go and worship God. They like to feel the church, and their fellowship as an open door of communication, and it's doing them good, fitting them for the Kingdom. But, you'll notice, when the Gospel gives way from the good news of sins forgiven, to a life that must be dedicated, to a life that must be corrected, then they rise up in anger. They don't want to stand corrected. (See?) And that was in the early Church. Paul said, "You would've given me your eyes," he said, "you loved me so much. Now," he said, "am I become your enemy because I am giving you the full extent and benefit of the Gospel?" (See?) He said, "I've become your enemy."

Now, the righteous reprover, which was Paul - that can go for anybody who does the work of God - the corrector, or the healer, has now become an enemy. Let me tell you this then, if you don't realize it already, these Galatians didn't know who their enemy was. That's right.

Just like Eve. The enemy in the Garden of Eden was a seducer, Satan, but she thought Satan was her friend, and she thought God was her enemy, because God said, "You must not touch of the tree in the midst of the garden, or you will die." [Gen 3:3] (See?) In other words, you must not go contrary to the Word which has been laid out before you, or you will die. (See?) You cannot go contrary to Christ the Word, Who shed His Blood, or you will come to a place of weakness, sickness, and even death, because God will remove you if you don't line up with that Word. And remember, God has removed many people, and God is continuing to remove many people, and God, at this moment, may be removing many people, because they will not straighten up, and walk according to the Truth.

11. Now, you'll notice in here that God said to Eve, as I brought out, "If you eat of that tree, you're going to die."

Now Satan came along, and he said, "Now," - in the form of the serpent, because he could deal with the serpent. He couldn't deal with Adam. (See?) He has to deal with the serpent, because you can't deal with a real child of God, and put him in that position, because Adam was too smart for him. So, the serpent, now, allies himself with Satan, and Satan goes to the woman, who is the by-product. And let's not have any if's, and's, or but's about it, and understand this: our flesh is really the by-product of the Spirit because the flesh body was made after we were spirit individuals in Adam. (See?) Now there's your by-product, that old flesh in there. So, he goes through the weak side of Adam's flesh, which was Eve.

Now, the serpent comes, and he says to her, "Why," he said, "don't you know," he says, "that God has lied to you? He's become your enemy. God doesn't want you to have this certain peculiar thing that'll come out of this tree, here, in the middle of the garden. Why," he said, "look at it. It's pleasant to the eye. It's good to eat. It'll make you wise."

Now then, she lines herself up with the serpent, and calls God her enemy. See, God becomes her enemy. Now, people, listen, let's understand this and get it straight. This may be hard to understand, this morning, but if I stand here, I am telling you the truth. (See?) When we do not line with that Word, it is because we feel there's something else, somewhere, we can line up with. And we treat God as an enemy. Now, Eve did not know who her enemy was. She thought God had become her enemy. Just like Ahab said to Elijah. He said, "Well, my enemy," he said, "you found me." [1 Kings 21:20]

Elijah said, "I am not your enemy. You are your own enemy. The enemy is Satan," he said, "and you will not line up with God, and you, thereby, make him an enemy."

Now, God became the enemy of Eve, in her thinking, because she felt that God was doing something contrary to what He should be doing. And the fact that God was withholding, and taking this way, made her think, "Well, God is my enemy." And she didn't know who her enemy was.

Now, let's watch this. The enemy lay in seduction, taking her away from the Word of Almighty God. She didn't understand this for one minute. And this problem is still in the Church. People hate reproof, (see), and in hating reproof they make the reprover an enemy instead of a friend, which it really is.

12. Now, these people hating reproof, they run from church to church, or they don't even go to church. Now, what makes people stay home from church, and to refuse to go to church, when the Bible said so much the more as you see the day approach? And they believe that Bro. Branham was a vindicated prophet - they call him Elijah. Some even call him Jesus Christ, which He certainly was not and is not. (See?) - and then they refrain from coming together where the correction of the Word is set before them. (See?)

These people "heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears", and they say, "Preach us a soft gospel". Truly they are not living church, they are playing church, and we see a lot of it.

13. Now, if I read my Bible correctly - and I think I have enough intelligence to read at least partly correctly - instruction and reproof form a major part of the Gospel. Now, let's find out for sure. We go to John, chapter 16. Now, this sermon is not preached for a preacher to use the Word of God as a club, for one minute, but it's preached in order that men may be enlightened. Now, watch what It says here John 16:7-8

(7) Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

(8) And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin,

The first ministry of the Holy Ghost to any individual, is to convict that person of sin. Now, let's understand this carefully, that if the Holy Ghost is Almighty God, and God does not change, then the reproving Spirit that brought us to Christ, ever remains a reproving Spirit that holds us in Christ. (See?) Many people accept the Spirit of God simply as a teacher. Teach us sweet things. That's the very spirit that the devil used with Eve. (See?) God's trying to hold something back from you. God wants you in a straightened path. God wants you in a narrow way. He tried to delude her, and he did delude her that the path of God was very, very wide; that anybody could enter into the door, and anybody could get in through the gate. But right here, the Scripture tells us, in the mouth of Jesus, who ought to know, He said, "When that Spirit comes back upon you, comes back into the world in order to bring men to God, he will reprove them of their sins".

So therefore, the Spirit of God is a reproving Spirit, and the end time revelation of Christ, outside the Church, the Holy Spirit descending as a Pillar of Fire, operating by means of the prophet, has to preach a message of reproof, indicting this generation because the people have forgotten that God is a God of reproof. The final revelation of this age, as I said, is He is a God of reproof. Why? He was that in the beginning. He has always been that. He has never changed because He reproves men of their sin in order that they walk worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ. A reproving spirit brought us into Christ. A reproving spirit keeps us walking in Christ. But, when correction comes in, to many churches, the people will not listen. And when correction goes by the board, lawlessness takes over, and God moves out.

14. Now, remember, what is lawlessness? There is no such thing as lawlessness. It's merely a figure of speech because nothing is in this world without a law, because nothing can be produced without a cause. Every effect is based upon a cause. If I could break any law successfully, that thing could never repeat again. If I could break the law of gravity, gravity would be finished. There is no such thing as lawlessness, per say. There is no such thing as sin, per say. There never was such a thing as sin, because God Almighty is the Creator, and He did not create sin, as we know sin. What it is, as Bro. Branham explained, sin is nothing but the right thing perverted. (See?) It's a wrong usage. It's a wrong way of going. And people have never learned as they ought to learn. But this age must learn to stand corrected. This age of perversion God has moved outside the Church, because the people have refused the correction. (See?)

Now, when we come to Him, we can only come to Him on the lines of being corrected. Now, John and Paul saw the work of pride in men's lives. They saw this error, this desire not to be corrected, and you understand, like Paul had to correct certain people. He said, "Demas has left this... forsaken me. He loves the present world.” [2 Tim 4:10] He didn't love the correction of the Gospel. And John said, "Diotrephes loves pre-eminence." And he said, "I'm going to have to correct him." James and Peter saw greed in people’s lives. All the time we see this undercurrent of people not desiring to receive the Word of God whereby they might walk worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ. They want enough Word whereby they feel secure, and whereby they feel that they're a part of God. And they want to have the love and the eternal Life of God, but they don't want to have that which goes with it.

Now, the growth of any Christian, in any church, will certainly be demonstrated by that Christian's or that church's ability to take reproof and correction from the Word which comes to them. It is said in God's Word, "The wounds of a friend, are faithful." (See?) In other words, the enemy... the enemy is not the wounder in the Church of God, it is the friend that’s the wounder. (See?) Just like God wounded the pride of Cain. He wounded the bull-headedness and desire for pre-eminence and money in the life of Balaam.

15. Again, It says: [Hebrews 12:5]

(5) ...My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, (and) faint when thou art rebuked of him: (See?)

People faint when they're chastened. They faint when they're rebuked. Again, in Proverbs 9:8

(8) ...rebuke a wise man, and he will love (you).

Notice, It says that a wise man is a man that takes correction, takes rebuke. And in Ecclesiastes 7:5

(5) It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools.

What's the song of fools? People that sing your praise, and say, "Well. you're all right." People that take issue when the chips are down, and say, "Well. that man had no right correcting you." (See?)

16. Why, this age is so rotten, that when my... our young... older boy was in school, a certain school teacher was trying to persuade him to leave home and live with him, because we corrected our boy. Only prayer snapped him out of it. That spirit is so strong in the world, and people fail to remember that Satan's main target is the Church. When the bars are let down and that spirit gets in the Church, what kind of a church is it? (See?) But people want someone to sing their praises, you know. Difficult situation. And you even got preachers preaching a positive gospel. They say, "Oh, don't worry about the negative. Don't even look at it. Don't even think about it. You just talk about the good, positive things."

Well, I want to know where the Scripture for that is. I can't find it, because, if things need correction, then something is wrong. And anybody knows this is an age that needs correction. It's better to hear the rebuke of the wise. In other words, a wise person will be one who wants the correct situations. And he'll do something about it. But the fool in the sight of God, opposite the wise - or the unwise - is the one who only wants to hear nice things said. (See?) Nice things. You know, goody things.

Like one fellow said, "I couldn't tell those dear, sweet ladies," he said, "not to wear slacks." What in the name of common sense is so dear and sweet about some slop that runs around in slacks? Dear, sweet. First of all, he's so mixed up in his mind, he's stupid. When correction goes by the board, and the preacher has no place for correction, there's something wrong with him, because the Gospel has a terrific amount of correction in It.

17. Now, let's go further. There will always be more people who can hand it out or correct the other fellow than those who can take it. Now, that's amongst the people. That's one of the sad parts of this whole life we live. Just as soon as Bro. Branham corrected the church, they ran someplace else. He said to Bro. Neville, he said, "The church is out of order. They're getting you all messed up because they keep coming to you to prophesy, prophesy, prophesy. It's not being done right. It's not in the right manner, but," he said, "just leave it alone. And when I correct it, we'll see if it's a bastard child."

Now, what happened when Bro. Branham corrected the church? They all ran down the road to another fellow's church, but the man still came back and said, "Bro. Branham," he said, "Is this for your church, or for mine, too?" Bro. Branham, knowing the man steered to the left from my church. Now, who do you want to line yourself up with? A vindicated prophet, or you want to line yourself up with somebody that doesn't want what the prophet said? (You see?)

Now, as I say, people can't take it, but they can dish it. That's one of the tragic points, and parts, of the whole ministry. Now, if you’ve got a proper spirit, you can give it and you can take it. Now, the reason people can't take correction is the spirit of retaliation, which is a child of pride. You'll notice that most people, instead of taking correction, immediately say, "Well, I want to tell you something. You're not perfect either."

Well, the Apostle Paul wasn't perfect either, so there might not be any use quoting him. That man refused to take the tithes of the people, turned it down flat, then admitted he robbed others to take care of somebody else, and literally had to hold his hat in his hand and go begging. That's right. Read it for yourself. He's the same man that wrote 1st Corinthians 13: and yet, had a showdown fight with Barnabas over John Mark, and went off in a huff with Silas, or at least he went off with the very adamant structure that he shouldn't have had, and had to apologize for it. (See?)

Certainly, there's no such thing as a man that attempts to correct as though he were somebody who was absolutely perfect. But the minute correction starts, there is always this: "We'll, who are you anyway? And I can see plenty faults in your life." The point is this: It doesn't matter who has so many faults, it's what is being done about those faults, regardless, because we can all be wrong together. As one fellow once said, he said, "Well, there'll be a lot of fellows in hell just like me." You'll still be in hell. What comforts are there? (See?) That bull-headed spirit of retaliation. (See?)

18. Now, let's notice where this came from, this lashing back. You go back to the Book of Genesis. We don't need to turn back there. But God came, and He said, "Listen", He said, "who told you, you were naked?" [Gen 3:11] He knew.

And Adam said, "Well, the woman that You gave me." (See?) "Now, that's the one that caused it."

Notice the lame excuse. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. (See?) But did God overlook it? Now, that's the point. After he blamed her, and she blamed the serpent, did God say, "Well, now, I'll tell you what, that's all right. Everything's fine. I can see where it all worked. It wasn't your fault."

If that's the way it was, how come He cursed the serpent? (See?) And put Adam and Eve under the discipline of a cursed nature. Now, remember he never cursed them, but he cursed nature. And when nature was cursed, then, you'll notice, how the cactus came into existence. The bugs that used to live on plants, now have a lot of fun sucking blood instead of the juice out of a plant. (See?) The animals that would've been subject now became blood thirsty. Instead of sheathing their claws, they bared their claws. (See?)

19. Now, we see here, that God demanded a correction and a retribution in the correction. In other words, the correction of God is grievous, as the Bible says. People don't want that thought. Read the Scripture on it. But that is there. Now, God tried to help Cain. And this is what we must have in mind. God never laid the lash on Adam and Eve, and future generations, for the sake of saying, "Now, look, you did wrong, and I'm going to beat you up for it. Now you're going to have to bear a punishment."

This is not what this Message is about. What it is, is getting to the root, and doing something about a situation that can end in disaster. Now, this must be the attitude of all who reprove, or are reproved, if someone is trying to help me. Now, someone is not trying to help you, but to simply make an issue to make you look sick, or to make himself look good, then that’s a hundred percent wrong. I don't care who is doing it, and who's receiving it. The Bible speaks of this which God is doing. It's done with respect to the individual in order to help him. And that must be the attitude of those who would understand this subject, who would involve themselves in it. Now remember, we're all involved anyway, so we've got to learn what the attitude is.

20. We go to Hebrews 12:9-10

(9) Furthermore, we had fathers of our flesh which corrected us,

Now, what kind of a parent is it that doesn't correct his children? Now, let's watch this carefully. Paul is teaching by nature. He said, "Children need correction." Now then, if they need correction there's something in there that's basically wrong, that must be turned into right channels. In other words, we're born with it.

Now, it's no shame to be born with anything. Yet, we make a shame of it, today. Why? Because of our stupid hypocrisy. A man may be born club-footed. You get enough little brats around him, that poor little club-footed kid, and every little kid on the block will tease him. If I caught my kid teasing someone like that, I'd blast his brains out. But parents never seem to realize that that's inherit in the kid. They got a buggy nature. They got a miserable nature. The sweet innocencey of kids is a lot of hogwash. They're no more innocent than nothing, because they're born crippled in the head and in the spirit. They’ve got to be corrected. You see, if they were as innocent as people try to let on, then how come God has an age of accountability? They're innocent as far as God is concerned, concerning their sin which Jesus died for, until. And from the moment of until, they better make right with God, showing that this so called innocencey of kids is merely God not holding them accountable for the little devils they are.

Now, I'm just putting it in pretty rough language, so nobody misunderstand me. You get the picture? For let's face it, if that stuff wasn't in the kid in the first place, there wouldn't be any adult murderer. If that wasn't in there in the first place, there wouldn't be any adult liars. If that wasn't there in the first place, there wouldn't be any adult robbers, assaulters, muggers, rapers, and all the rest. (You see?) That's why It says here, that you correct a child born in the flesh. (See?) How much more should, then, we be in subjection to the Father of Spirit. What about, then, when we're born again? How we should realize how badly we need correction and must be trained in order to be right.

Now listen, It said:

(10) For a few days (our fathers) chastened us (Truly it says they did it. We know they did) after their pleasure...

After their understanding; after their own experience, which was finite, which was not wise many times. But notice:

(10) ...he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

There has got to be a correction. There has got to be a conforming to the standards that God lay down in order to participate in all that His holiness brought us. See, it's not just a matter that Jesus died upon Calvary and is our substitution. No sir, there's a walk that God demands. And that walk, according to this Word, here, can be worked out, and is only by God Almighty, training us in the way we ought to go.

21. Leaving that for a second, and coming back to it, we go to 2 Corinthians 10:8 Now, It said:

(8) (For) Though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:

Yeah, and we're going to lose our place amongst the nation. They said only one thing to do, is get rid of them. The Apostle Paul had the same problem. He said, "Look, I didn't come here to destroy you. He said, "You think I came here with my teaching," he said, "to make you feel ignorant? To make you feel ashamed? To put my hand over you as though I'm somebody and you're nothing?" He said, "Brethren,"…to the Galatians… "Don't you understand that I'm a human being just like you; that I'm fallible, that I'm expendable, that I've got to take the same medicine I'm giving you. But," he said, "you're not taking the medicine. You turn it down."

Now, Bro. Branham had the same problem. He said, "I hold their noses, and give them the medicine. They spit it out."

When he came as a vindicated prophet with correction, which is what the Seventh Seal did, they turned him down flat, and said, "Oh, well, we're without their organization. What's this man trying to do? Rip our houses down and destroy our churches. Is he running our women off?" (See?) They refuse to take the Word of authority, which would not destroy, (see?), but would build them up into the full grace, which was in Christ. (See?)

People say, "Well, I don't need that, bless God. I've got the Holy Ghost. I don't need any man to teach me. I don't need this man correcting me." (See?) "God deals with me." Liars. Unmitigated liars. Because God doesn't deal with anybody the way they say He deals with them. He deals with them according to His Word, here, or it's not God dealing.

22. We go to 2 Cornithians 13:10

(10) Therefore, I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, ...

Ha, who's this fellow, runs around the country? He's so sweet, he wouldn't even dare say the things that the Holy Spirit had Bro. Branham say. Oh, he's so sweet. Paul said he was going to use sharpness. "Oh, Paul, you mustn't use sharpness because that's not love."

(10) ...sharpness, according to the (authority) which (God gave) me to edification, not destruction.

This sharpness was not to pull people to pieces, but this sharpness was over what was going on in the Church and was not corrected. People get an idea sometimes I'm sarcastic. And I am. They think I'm sarcastic to them. I'm not sarcastic to people. You sit down with me in conversation any day of the week. Come to my home. I'm the same in the pulpit, out of the pulpit, and my language is never sarcastic to an individual. It is sarcastic concerning conditions. (See?)

A fellow not long ago - I met him in Jeff. [Jeffersonville, Ind.] at Easter. I never met him before; been in touch with him, but never met him. Very jolly fellow. And he was tickled to meet me. And he said, "Bro. Vayle, I'm glad to meet you. I heard a tape of yours, and I thought when I heard you, I said, 'Who is this smart alec fellow?'" But he was a teacher himself, in school. He finally realized I'm not a smart alec, but I know what I'm doing. I know how I teach, and why I teach a certain way, not to cut people to ribbons. My sharpness is identical to the sharpness that I knew Paul and the rest must use, and that is to hold up, in the light, these principles, in such a way, you can't help but get them. Because unless such a thing is used than I am blamable before God if you do not stand. But as far as sharpness is concerned, and as dealing with you individually, let me assure you, now …I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings…you don't mean that much to me, as though I got to stand in your boots on judgement day, because the Bible said every man should bear his own burden. But I can be judged if I fail to make it clear.

So, Paul said, "I will use sharpness." And the Word of God is a sharp two-edged sword, (see?), discerning the thoughts and the intents, dividing bone from marrow. And that's exactly the way this Word of God must come forth in its corrective power, so that people will be edified. The cancerous growth of the disposition, to be disobedient, must be cut away from the individual. And when the cancer of growth is gone, then watch the normal activity in the body restored to the individual. (See?) Once these things are dealt with, watch the Holy Spirit begin to move.

23. Now, Pentecost has been fooled…terribly fooled. You go to Pentecostal church, even the preacher up there may be living in adultery. Sure. Many, many times, but he's fooled by the tongue's anointing. And he gets up, they all talk in tongues, and the spirit seems to accelerate faster and faster. People living in sin, doing things they ought not to do. Pretty soon you’ve got a spiritual binge going on amongst you; you’ve got an anointing. And oh, how that man with fire, and zest, and zeal, preaches that positive word of God. The people are in flames; they're set on fire, and they go out of that building and say, "Hallelujah, what a wonderful demonstration of God."

Absolutely fooled by anointing, being torn down, not built up; being taken away from God, not built up. How many men have said, "Well. bless God, I talked in tongues. Bless God, I had a vision." (See?) Priding themselves on the fact that they think they got somebody, and they won't even bring their own homes under obedience, when they got the lawful right to do it, and still won't do it. When a woman's got her man behind her, and she still wears her rotten slacks and goes around doing things she ought not to do. (See?) Or some man's got his wife behind him, and he won't be the head of the house and rule his family and all, won't take correction. How much Holy Spirit is in the man and the women's life, when He's a reproving Spirit? Would be saying 'Amen' to every word. As Bro. Branham said, he said, "That Spirit of God in you will say 'Amen' to every word."

Now, that's just not somebody standing up here, and preaching, and you say, "Amen," and, "Amen," to a doctrine. It's a person knowing that he's got to say "Amen" to the Word of God, that puts his house in order and all. (See?) Let's cut this thing right down the line, to see what the Spirit of God does. Bro. Branham said, "The Word of God is never lost. It's always magnified."

Jesus came, and He said, "A man that's committed adultery, he was in trouble. But,” He said, "A man who now looks at a woman, and lusts after her, he's in the same trouble. He's committed adultery in his heart already."

24. All right, how many women in this Message do I know, even preacher's wives, who needle their husbands, dare to stand against him, will not cooperate. Let me tell you women this, if you’ve got that attitude, you might as well cut your hair, and put on slacks, the same as a man has committed adultery by lusting, so has a woman cut her hair and put on slacks when she takes the leadership that's not granted her by the Word of God. See, let's nail it down.

You say, "Bro. Vayle, I don't like that kind of preaching." Can you take correction this morning? (See?) Out there out west, all I heard for years, these people, they want to get rid of their wives and marry a virgin. They say, "The prophet said it." But they have a spirit of lust on them, not the Word of God anointing them.

I said, "You guys out here make me sick. If the Rapture took place, some of you men would have your hand out, trying to grab a virgin on the way up." That's sharpness, that's sarcasm. Not to cut anybody to pieces, but to show them just where they stand. Don't try to fool me about a spirit. I wasn't born yesterday. I know as much as any man knows about these pleasures in these things. Why does a man do it? If you haven't got enough brains to know now, you ain't even out of your knee pants. Because my kids, I think, knew about that when we lived in Canada about four years old. (See?) People plead ignorance about things. Don't plead ignorance. This Word of God has dealt with every condition, every situation, everything in a man's life. And there is correction for the whole of it. And it's not a blanket coverage either where, "Hallelujah, God saves, and God does this." Sure, He does, but there's a correction in His Word. (See?)

The Bible says, here, "I'm going to use sharpness." (See?) That sword of God's got to cut, so the people don't leave with a hazy understanding what it's all about. They leave with an absolute understanding what it's all about. Why? It's got to be that way in the Bride, because the Bride cannot come into judgement. She's got to be judged here and now. (See?) Judgement beginning at the house of Almighty God. (Pardon me)

25. Let's go to Ezekiel, the 20th chapter…little Old Testament thought back here…Notice what Ezekiel said here.

(37) And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

Brother/sister, listen to me, that rod is a disciplining Word of Almighty God. And It says you're going to have to pass under it to be under the bond of the covenant. Now, God is a covenant making God. Now, you say, "I believe the prophet." Sure, we do. What... who was that covenant making God, at the end time revealed to us? He was that One that came down, the Revelation 10:1, with a rainbow over His head. That's the covenant that "I'll not destroy the earth again by water, but by fire". That same covenant God, is the One that raised His hand and swore by Himself that His Seed would be in Abraham, and the inheritance would come through that line, which I can't explain at this moment. That's another sermon entirely.

Now, you see two covenants there. The covenant that God is going to destroy the earth, and secondly, that God is concluding the Bride. Now, he says here, "If you don't come under that Word, you will not escape what's coming upon this earth, and you'll not be in that Bride because," he said, "the bond of the covenant can only come under correction." That's right. Yet, who wanted correction? The Church turned Him down flat. (See?) People said, "Oh, those Seven Seals, when they open, oh glory, hallelujah." And they said, "Oh, them Seven Thunders, oh glory, hallelujah." Glory, hallelujah, huh? What was the glory and hallelujah? The corrected Word. (See?) The Church turned It down. Then, where is their faith? It's a reprobated bastard faith. And their worship is in vain.

26. Let me tell you something about this fellow, Cain. Cain worshipped the same God that Abel worshipped. No, don't think there was a difference. There wasn't any difference. They both used the same Bible, the same Word of God, because Cain offered a legitimate offering to God. Many people think that Cain made this offering up. Cain no more made that offering up out of his head than nothing, because the first-fruit offering, which Cain offered, is a genuine Scriptural offering because God said, "You offered right." And also, the Bible said Cain... Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, so therefore if the offering of Cain was excellent, it had to be of God. (That's right) But you see what happened. He didn't divide the Word. Then what happened? The minute that Cain found himself pitted against Abel over the interpretation of the Word, he became a murderer. The first murder in all Bible was a religious murder over the interpretation of the Word of God.

Now, if you don't think the ecumenical council would do his best to murder you over your interpretation of the Word of God, you don't even know what this Message is all about, because the first murder was over it, and the last murder will be, too. And remember, they murder the Son of God to themselves by repudiating the Word, if they're religious. Then, there's only one way to handle the Church, and that's to keep the Word of God before the people so they are constantly corrected, because if you don't stop the thing by the Word of God, it's only going to snowball.

Yet, how many times do I know things, have all been to a church fight, let one person be corrected, let one person have to stand up, what's he got? He's got a bunch of relatives. Dear mother-in-law, or dear father-in-law, or dear stupid mother, and dear stupid father, stupid kids. Right. I'm using this language pretty rough, but don't take it personally as though I'm talking to you. But I go around the country, and I've been a pastor many, many years, myself. And most of my life was engaged in pastoring, and I know exactly what it's like. They take a personal issue over the whole thing.

Who stands up for the Word of God in the time of crisis? Or somebody says, "Well, you shouldn't have handled it that way." What would you have done? (See?) The Bible says right here, you’ve got to handle the thing, handle the right spirit, do it the right way. If you don't do it, there'll be more and more sins added to it.

27. Now, you know as well as I do, you let a kid get away with one thing, he wants to get away with two things.

Kid comes home Friday night, and says, "Well, I don't feel like doing it."

Mother says, "Any homework, son?"

"Well, ah, ye-ah, mm, ah... we got a study period Monday morning."

"Well, if you’ve got any homework, do it."

"Well, can I play ball first?"

Well, right away say, "Well, that's legitimate. It's going to get dark. We'll let him play ball."

Well, you may have a schedule. Well, it gets dark.

"Well, can I watch TV?"

"Well, there's a nice kiddies program."

First thing, the kid never does any work. From there out, the next thing he doesn't do. You know, the only successful family life is where the parents say a thing and mean it. Then they stand with it. You won't find one in a million doing it. One in a million... not one in a million do it. If the minute we did it, there would be no trouble. Same thing goes in the church. Now, remember, God stands behind His Word to perform It.

"Oh," he says, "oh, those critters that think about Divine healing." How about the fact we often get sick because we're disobedient? How come we're sick because we don't take correction? Then God stands behind that part of the Word, "I'm not going to heal you until you straighten up." (See?) We have to understand those things.

28. Let's go to Galatians 6:1-5. Now, I'm not teaching this subject to club this morning. I'm teaching it as a revelation from God's Word, that this is part of our existence as Christians. And there's nothing to fear about, but it's got to be done. Now, when a thing has got to be done, it's like paying your income tax. Pay your income tax or get hauled into court and be thrown into jail. Take your choice. Galatians 6:1- 5.

(1) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault. (you) which are spiritual, restore such (a) one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Paul said the same thing. "Brethren, I'm like you; you're like me. I'm not lording it over you. I'm not coming and saying, 'Now look here, fellow, there's something radically wrong with you'."

You don't come and say, "Look, I don't do these things. You mustn't do them either."

You’ve got to come and say, "Look, I understand how you're in this condition, but this condition you must not remain in. Something's got to be done about it. Let's do something about it," because It says here, you must come in a spirit of meekness. It's not coming to tell a man he's a sinner. It's coming to a man to help him. And you must consider yourself, knowing that you're a human vessel, and if you take any attitude other than the right attitude, you'll find yourself in the same mess that guy's in, or worse, because the Bible said, "If any man thinks he can... he's standing, take heed lest he fall."

Now, It says:

(2) Bear ye one another's burdens, and fulfil the law of Christ.

What burdens? If the person is a true child of God, he is aware of his condition, and he hates his condition, and wants somebody to help him in it. Now, nobody can help you as though they can take it off you, but they can come and council you, talk with you, pray with you. Just like Alcoholics Anonymous. They say, "Now, just a minute, as soon as you need help, you feel you need a drink, then phone me now. Get in touch with somebody. Don't wait a second." How many Christians come in that spirit to other Christians?

(2) Bear one another's burdens, and fulfil the law of Christ.

How did Christ do that for us? He took his sins... He took our sins upon Him; He that didn't have that sin. So, it is that people must really learn to come to the place where their correction is not simply saying, "Look, you're wrong and you know it, and we all know it, the whole church knows it," but to do something about it correctively, which is to help the person overcome that which he is in.

Now, if he turns the person down, then he's stuck, because there's no such thing as anybody coming to you to help you, and you turn it down. That's a wrong spirit.

29. Now, It says here:

(3) ...if any man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceive(s) himself.

Many people can't understand why a prophet like William Branham would make himself so humble and so unworthy before the people. Because in himself he knew he was nothing. The ministry that God gave him was all of God. So therefore, he could not boast as though he had earned it or got it by some means that was specially earned. As Paul said, "If God gave it to you, why do you boast as though God didn't give it to you, as though you got it yourself." (See?)

Now, It says, when you're nothing, you admit you're nothing. Some people get caught in some very bad sins, and somebody comes along, and they're horrified, like, "Oh, my, what a terrible thing.” Well, sure it's a terrible thing, but if you considered, except for the grace of God, you'd be messed up just the same way. (See?)

Now, as I lay this on as correction, bring out the strong point, I've got to bring out the spirit in which it is done. There can be no correction of anybody unless the person himself realizes that he can be trapped just as bad. (See?)

Now, I've been in a couple churches where the sin of adultery came up in the pulpit. Done did my best to handle it in order to get the people lined up with thinking, that, "Look here, this person is not the only one that's ever done this, and it's no different in the pastor than anybody else. It's wrong. And there must be restoration." Well, frankly, the spirit of restoration amongst the people is so little that if it was dynamite, it'd have a hard job blowing up cigarette paper. The Bible said, "You’ve got to consider, lest you yourself are also tempted.”

Now, if the guy is running a bluff, and liked to sin and would do it again, that's a different thing. (See?) Then, something's got to be done that's desperate about that situation. But in many cases...in most cases, you will find that if a person has something from God, which is the rebirth …because that's the thing you’ve got to have…that reproving spirit, day and night, has haunted him or her concerning the unspiritual condition the person is living in, that person needs help. And the only people that can help him are other Christians who understand it, who perhaps have gone through the same thing, and they're there to lift him up by every means possible. And that 'possible means,' means that the person would put himself out to do it.

30. Now, It says here:

(4) ...let every man prove his own work, (that) he shall have rejoicing in himself alone, and not another.

In other words, it's time to grow up and be strong in Christ.

(5) For every man shall bear his own burden.

Now, this also means something. A person can't turn around and say, "Well, I got a weak nature. I was born that way." Now, I admit people are born a certain way. I admit they have a nature they're born with. And I admit that that nature can be there until the day you die or until the day your changed. But that's still no excuse. The Bible says that whatever you do, you're going to bear the burden for it; whatever you do, you're responsible.

Here's the thing people don't understand about the fact of reprobation and election. They say, "All right, Pharaoh couldn't help it. He was reprobated." That's true, but let's look at it. Every one of us is a sinner. Every man, woman, and child is a sinner in this world, but who said they got to speed? (See?) Who said they got to lie? Who said they got to commit adultery? Who said they got to fight? The fact that we're born sinners doesn't mean we got to do certain things. We don't have to run to excess. The fact that we're born sinners simply means that everybody's got a have a Savior, as well. But to say Pharaoh had to destroy those children, he didn't have to; to say Herod had to kill, he didn't have to; to say that you and I have to do certain things because we're sinners is a gross error, otherwise God could never judge this world in righteousness.

No man would stand before God, and not be able to say, "Well, I was made this way”. You, Yourself, and Your Word said, “Can a thing formed say to him that formed it, why have you made me thus?'" But on judgement day, the Stalin's and the Hitler's, and the Herod’s, (see?), and the Pilot's, and the Pharaoh’s, are going to be judged. Why? Because they didn't have to do it. Every man's going to bear his own burden, knowing that this is why God has set watchdogs in the church. (See?) That's why God has set shepherds. God has set every member in the church to be beneficial one to the other, which means we edify and build each other up.

31. Let's go to, Matthew 5:21-26

(21) (You) have heard it said of old time, (You shall) not kill; and who- soever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement:

(22) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother with- out a cause shall be in... angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement:

Notice, angry without a cause. You know some people just irk the other fellow. It's not the guy that you blame for doing the irking, it's within yourself.

(22) ...and whosoever say (that) brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: and (who) shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Now, listen.

(23) Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the alter, (you're worshipping God now) and there remembered thy brother hath ought against thee;

(24) leave there thy gift before the alter (don't try to worship God. God won't accept that kind of worship); be reconciled to thy brother, then come and offer thy gift.

Either make things right, or don't let it bother you; whatever your brother does, let him do it, it's okay by me. Just turn the other cheek, that's fine. But if it comes to the place where it makes that great difference, the Bible says you better do something about it. Now, watch.

(25) Agree with thine adversary quickly, ...

Now, it means somebody's come against you. He's done you damage. Now, It says you agree with him, get things made up. Now watch.

(25) ...whiles thou art in the way with him;

"Let not the sun go down upon thy wrath." This is hard... this is hard Word this morning, here, because this is very difficult. Now watch.

(25) ...lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and thou be cast in prison.

(26) Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid utternost farthing.

Now, It says right here, the guy that's doing the damage is the fellow that escapes and you're the guy that's going to get the punishment because you won't reconcile yourself to what? What God is laid down in this world, that we must have adversary. We must have enemies. We must have trials. We must have tribulations. We must run the gauntlet. And It said, if you don't recognize that, and learn to come to grips with it, you will pay a price until you do learn. How many people are learning that much? (See?) They don't want to learn that lesson. (See?) The Bible said, "Where there is no oxen, the crib is clean."

A fellow was telling me how... what a bad time his church was giving him, several years ago. "Well." I said, "I'm going to tell you something, son. The Bible said, 'Where there's no oxen, the crib is clean'. Now, if you want a church, you just better buy yourself a shovel. And the bigger the church, the bigger the shovel, because you're going to have just that big a mess to clean up because that's what cows do, mess all over the barn. You're going to have to clean up."

Now, there's only one way to get rid of trouble with people. That is, you can blow your brains out or kill everybody around you. Now, you can't do that. And the Bible shows right here what we got to learn. We've got to learn to be able to do the right thing by ourselves and by each other, to give correction, to take correction, because we're in this thing according to Scripture, and it's got to be done. But people aren’t doing it. Or they're doing it the wrong way. (See?)

I admit that many a time a man will come and try to correct. A fellow sat in my home years ago, the minute I met him, he rubbed me the wrong way. And the rubbing was I caught right in the spirit. And I told my wife, I said, "Alison, I'm going to tell you something. When the chips are down, that man's going to fail. He doesn't even know what he's talking about." When the chips came down, he walked out flat. He left this Message, flat as a pancake because a little chip was down.

Now, you can't walk out of anything. If my hand gets mad at my other hand, it cannot walk out of my body. If my eye gets mad at the other eye, it cannot walk out of my body. (See?) There has to be this learning that's been missed in the churches.

32. Now, since the one bringing reproof is only doing so, or should only be doing so, on the grounds or desire to help or bring peace and unity, the one who is reproved must be submissive to the person... not to the person, rather, but to the Word because the person has no authority outside the Word, because what is correction? What are you going to correct by? What's the standard?

Bro. Branham said, "If God will judge the Church by the Methodists, then the Baptists are out. If He judges it by the Baptists, the Presbyterians are out; by the Presbyterians, the Methodists are out, or the Pentecostals." He said, "By the Catholics..." What Catholics church? Several of those, too. (See?)

See, can't do. You must be submissive. He must be submissive to the Word and treat the person as a helper and not an enemy. In other words, the reproof is legitimate under the proper conditions.

33. Let's go to Hebrews 13: You know many people don't know the Word and so they just run off at the mouth, and it's a pretty pitiful situation. But when you get to the Word, really... what the Word really says, it's another situation entirely. Now, let's look at this situation I'm talking about.

(7) Remember them which have the rule over you, ...

Bro. Branham talks about that in 'The Indictment' [63-07-07] page 26 and paragraph 1, I believe.

(7) Remember them which have the rule over you, (how?) who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

In other words, knowing them as you do, are they coming to you in order to stir you up, or do they really want to help you? Now listen, it's hard to go to somebody that you love when you know they're doing things that are wrong, that are not particularly outrageous as though they're immoral things, because the guy is a good guy, but he's let down the bars somewhere. It's hard to go and say, "Listen, I want to talk to you," because you know that you might be doing things as bad or worse than he is doing, or she, but you can tell the fellow needs help because he's not doing right by the family. Often times you've got men that are fine men. They're able to work hard but they got something about them that mismanagement, where the family never comes out right. Why? Because they simply will not attend to business.

Now, the Bible condemns that man and calls him a heretic if he's got the ability to be right with his family financially, and won't buckle down to brass tacks. Now you’ve got the same situation the preacher had who said, "Well, I couldn't ball them dear sweet women out about their slacks and short hair. Oh, those dear, sweet women." Hogwash.

God calls a man that doesn't take care of his family like a heathen infidel. But who wants to tackle those problems? Now, the Bible says you’ve got to tackle them, knowing yourself that you're just a human being, knowing yourself, like Paul, you can write 1st Corinthians 13: then have a blow-up with Barnabas.

I'm not trying to run Paul down, any more than I make David my whipping boy. Here's a guy with five hundred wives, sees a pretty girl out there that's gone naked before him, said, "I got to have her, too." Why didn't he just go down and take one of his wives? That's legitimate. Go ahead, all you want. Don't preach nonsense and junk to me about being spiritual because you stay home, and you don't have your own wife. You'll get trapped. You better watch it. Don't give me nonsense. I'm a no-nonsense preacher. I told you I preach out of my heart. I know what's going on because I know what goes on in me. I know what goes on in you because we're just alike.

The Bible doesn't say Jesus died for this kind of sinner, and that kind of a sinner. He died for sinners. That's what you and I, is. We know each, right? All right, just the way we've got to treat this subject this morning, we know each other. Not that we're hypocrites, now, (see?), say, "If I'm going to correct you, you correct me," but we're sincere. (See?) We know what goes on. We're not trying to gild the lily. (See?) It's difficult to do it. It's embarrassing, but you show me where we're not supposed to do it. (See?) Why? Because we're supposed to edify.

34. Let's look at that 17th verse.

(17) Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account,

God is set in the Church, certain authority through the Word, that they must use and give account before God for your soul. That's right. They're accountable. What if the preacher came in your home, someday, and say, "I want to tell you something, son. You're doing wrong about your kids. You're not correcting those boys. You're letting girl go wild."

"Don't tell me how to run my family!"

You just showed you didn't have the Holy Ghost, or at least you never, ever learned what He was all about. Sonship, is obedience.

Now look, we don't have too much. Bro. Branham said a long time ago, he said, "I can prove that," he said that, "by what you think you have the Holy Ghost, you talk in tongues." He said, "I'll give you an evidence that just about disqualifies everybody." Now, he said, "The angel came by looking for those that sighed and mourned over sin." He said, "How many of you would He touch if He came by with an ink horn?"

How many, this morning, would qualify being recipients of the Holy Ghost under what I just said? Now, I'm not trying to read to anybody out of the party. I'm not trying to say nobody has the Holy Ghost. I'm just trying to show you this: that we are not at all mature as we ought to be concerning the Word of God, which is what we must mature in. (See?) People even talk about, "Well, there's nothing more to come. The prophet brought the Word." And their whole church in the condition that I'm addressing you in, and you know you're in, and I know I'm in, and nothing to come? You mean we'd make a Rapture in this condition? Now, come on. Nobody's kidding me, because a prophet said otherwise. He said, "They don't have hardly enough faith," he said, "to get a little wound healed, little sliver healed." And it takes plenty faith to obey this Word because it means you've got to have confidence when you go. You're not going to be held up to ridicule. And not correcting somebody else, you're not going to fall flat in your face. (See?) What about when your turn comes? (See?)

35. Now, let's watch the Scripture here. Jesus turned to Peter and he said, "You love me more than these?"

Then Peter says... finally said, "Yes," he said, "I do."

Now, each time Peter came to a decision as an authority in the house of God, having those keys, a revelation, he said, "Feed my sheep." In the Protestant Bible it's, "Feed my sheep, feed my sheep, feed my sheep." In the Catholic Bible it's, "Rule my sheep, rule my sheep, rule my sheep." In the Word of God, never mind the Bible, it's, "Feed my sheep, rule my sheep, feed my sheep."

Now, people say, "God duly constituted authority in the Church. He puts nobody above another." He doesn't, you're right. He puts the Word over everybody. But how does He do it? He does it by a five-fold ministry, or by the elder, making the sixth, and the seventh a deacon…that acts as policeman, but God has a seven-fold ministry. A true five-fold elective ministry, and two who can come in by probation, because they meet a certain standard. Remember, Bro. Branham said, the pastor in five-fold ministry do not have a standard. He said the standard laid down for an elder is far above any of the five-fold ministries that come by grace. You'll find it yourself. (See?) That may sound strange, but it's true. (See?)

Now look, it's the Word that has the rule. If somebody can therefore come with the Word of God in the correct spirit, then the person must be teachable and amenable to what that Word says, and through help, if necessary, to come to a place of correction in order that the whole church go forward, because remember, we're coming up into the full stature of Christ. And remember, if love is the last one…which is number eight, a definite virtue reserved for the Bride age, because the seventh church age only has got brotherly love…and love is the full obedience to the command of God because He said, "If you love Me, you'll keep my commandments," (see?), then love will be in full obedience in face of that Word. And brother/sister, we ought to be striving with every ounce of energy we have, in order to come to it, which we've got to. (See?)

36. Now, in the beginning I mentioned the rebellion and reproof that's in the Laodicean Age; an age of rebellion that needs reproof. It's an age in Malachi, chapter 3 and verse 18. Notice what It says here.

(18) Then shall (you) return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked...

That's not true, doesn't say that. It said:

(18) ...(you) shall return, and discern between righteous(ness) and wicked(ness),

At the end time, the people are so confused by the disobedience to the Word of God, that they don't know right from wrong. That's when a woman could say, "Well, look at me. I want to tell you, if I go out in that garden, I'm not going to wear my skirt, lest the wind blow my skirt up and I'll be embarrassed. I'm going to put a pair of slacks on because that'll save my shame." You better be embarrassed than be an abomination, because God can forgive embarrassment - doesn't even look upon it, acts as though nothing happened, but an abomination's going to be judged. (See?)

37. So, let's understand it. At the end time, the people don't know right from wrong. And the prophet sets it right. So, today, through the revelation, when our hearts are turned back to God, the reproving Spirit of Christ can reprove us all the more. Now, this should give you a little consolation to let you know why you, who claim to be Bride, have more condemnation than anybody else has, that you have more guilt complexes, that you have more doubts that you'll make the Rapture, than those who aren’t going to make the Rapture because they said the prophet is not the prophet of God; it’s because the Holy Spirit has finally come into His Own where He can not only teach us the doctrine, whereby we have faith, but He is so in such a pre-eminence now, that He can keenly make us aware of our faults. Not to make us as though we have complexes, and try to run from God, but if He's keenly making us aware of that which is wrong with us, then ought not He also be making the five-fold ministry and the people aware of the ability to help others to bring them into a dynamic relationship of conduct with Jesus Christ. (See?)

Now look, this brotherly kindness which we have, must be coming to a fine edge. As Bro. Branham said, "You fuss, and you fight... a spirit." (See?) And if He's the Father of Spirit, remember - and I'm just using this as an illustration because the Spirit of God is God, but let's just say He's fathered that Spirit that came into us. Then, if father is like son and son like father, that Spirit must reprove us of those things which not ought to be done, that have been left undone, or should have been left undone. (See?)

38. It's kind of a joke, but it's not really a joke. It's a play on words. But a man went to a town one day and he said, "What church will I go to?" He didn't know. He drove round and round and round on Sunday, he said, "Well, it's too late. I better go in this church."

He got in there just as the preacher was finishing a prayer intoning. And, the preacher said, "Oh, Lord, forgive us, for we have done the things we ought not to have done, and we have left undone the things we should have done. Forgive us."

He said, "This is my kind of a church. That's exactly the way I am."

Now listen, that couldn't hold for Laodicean church age for the Bride. For the Laodicean church age it does, but for the Bride, no. She must do what God told her to do, which is to effectively help others so that their lives may be more of a credit. Where the husband is stronger, he must help the wife. Where she has become the stronger, …now that's possible. That's possible. Not that she becomes dominant, but she has become stronger in the faith. Not that her sweet love and you know, that kind... that motherly love is a bunch of nonsense in the sight of God. Hasn't got a thing to do with being spiritual. That mother-love can destroy rather than help. A real mother has got to correct her children along with the husband and all, see. But if she should be in a position to attempt and could help her husband spiritually, that is by her way, and this is correction, now, not taking the Word... even the Word of authority over him, but simply saying, "Look, I know how things are going. You had a bad day at the office. Let's pray and so on." It's her job to do it, to encourage each other in the Lord Jesus Christ.

39. Now listen, John the Baptist came to correct Israel. The Book of Luke 1:16-17

(16) And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

(17) And he shall go before (the Lord God) in the spirit and power of

(Elijah), to turn the hearts of the father to the children, (even) the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Now, this word 'disobedient' does not mean a person who is directly contradicting a given command. It means to teach those who do not understand the Word of God, to give them the Light of the true revelation. John the Baptist came to do it. That's what William Branham came to do. That's what the Seals are all about, is to reprove the Church, to correct the Church. The Shout, which was the Message, was a military command. A military command is the Seven Seals. The Seven Seals is correction. (See?)

40. Now, you show me where Bro. Branham didn't correct. He corrected the Word so you don't have a wrong doctrine, so your faith is right. He corrected the people. He told them what to do, yet you’ve got people who try to out-prophet, the prophet, and out-God, God. Now, that's one thing I like about Bro. Branham. They'd say, "Bro. Branham, is it okay," they said, "if the women should possibly tint their hair?"

He said, "I've got no Scripture against it." Yet, how many preachers constantly want to find Scripture where there's no Scripture. Now, I'm not a champion of these things. To me, they're so irrelevant, it's pitiful. But what I liked about Bro. Branham was, he didn't try to out-God God, or out-Word, the Word. When there was no Word he shut-up! But you can't find many preachers doing it because they want to out-God, God and out-prophet, the prophet. Yet, put the finger on their lives, they got a lot of things against them.

Now, you’ve got to be right, sensible, and human in these things, and understand them. The prophet did the correcting. The doctrine's a hundred percent solid. (See?) What he said goes. Oh, how people misunderstand some things that he said.

They said, "Bro. Branham, is there any Scripture for a man to marry, divorce, and remarry?"

He said, "Now, you asked a question, 'is there any Scripture?' No."

Right away people said, "Well, that fellow's remarried. That's done it."

41. Let me ask you a question this morning. Can you give me one Scripture where it's says a man can sin? That he can steal? Huh? That he can lie? That he can fight? Show me. You can't find it. But what if they do it? Blast against the Holy Ghost, not marriage and divorce.

You say, "Then Bro. Vayle, do you think man can, at this late age, marry, divorce, and remarry?" I didn't say that. I don't believe he can. But when the prophet said you're forgiven; then why did he want to hold a club and say they're not forgiven? Why'd they want to say, "Well, that preacher can't preach?" The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (See?) Always trying to out-God, God. Out Scripture, Scripture. This I think maybe one reason why the people are on their high horse so much, and they can't be corrected. And when correction does come, it doesn't do any good. The sincerity of the revelation is missing.

Now, the prophet brought it. The doctrine has been corrected. The same man stood up in the pulpit and he said, "If you find me off that Word, you are duty-bound to come to me, and tell me." Why don't people do it? If the prophet had that kind of a spirit, where is that spirit in the preacher? Where is that spirit in the people? (See?) Correction. If a person is wrong, he wants to be made right. As one person once said, "I would sooner be right than king." Today in the States they'd sooner be president than, right. Like the Catholic that sold the presidency to other Catholic friends on a 'crooked democratic' party. Matter and (See?) You don't find that in Scripture. Brother/sister, I'm going to tell you one thing. No thief or robber will ever thieve his way into this Bride. He can't do it.

You see the day we have come to the place where all things are propitious for the Church to come into its own by being the guardian of the souls within the Bride by their conduct, by their fervor, (see?), by their dedication to bearing each other’s burdens, to keeping the record straight. (See?) Now, it's not easy.

42. Let's go back to Hebrews 12: We'll be out of here by 12 o'clock. Give me a few more minutes. Let me show you something here.

( 11) Now no chastening for the present seem(s) to be joyous, but grievous:

You say, "Well, that's the person being corrected."

No, that's the both of them, corrector and correcting. Now, some people have a spirit where they just love to correct. Forget them. Ain't nothing in those guys, just windbags, anybody who loves to correct. Now, you love and therefore correct, but you don't love to correct. Now, you only love to correct because it's going to help somebody. Therefore, loving correction, is all love all the way through.

Now listen,

(11) no chastening for the present seem(s) to be joyous...

There you are. It tells you. He says, "Look, you aren’t going to like this. The person doing it isn't going to like it, and the person getting it done isn't going to like it. It's simply not joyous. It's simply not fun. It's simply, therefore, not coming to church to say, "Isn’t God good? Hallelujah. Let's praise Him. Let's get a good spirit. Let's have a fine time." You can get an anointing on you and be as crooked as the devil and rotten as skunks. You know what I'm talking about. (See?)

Watch. It's grievous. The fellow doing it hates to do it because he's a human being and he could be tempted too. "Who am I to tell somebody?" That's what Bro. Branham... he just hated to hurt people’s feelings, but he did it.

Now, it's grievous. Nevertheless, here is a guarantee: What you do will not cause a running sore. You will not cause it to be a tumor, aggravated to a cancer.

(11) ...it (will) yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them (that) are exercised thereby.

What's exercise? Riding a horse. Go ahead and ride a horse. The first day, ooh boy, you can't sit down that night. The next morning you can't sit down on the horse, but you do. Ooh man, that hurts. You ride him again. After a few days, there's no soreness. It's like you're made of leather instead of just ordinary skin. No problem. Do some chest exercise if you haven't done it for years. Go ahead. You watch if those muscles pull you to pieces. In fact, you can't even do it, most I bet can't even do chest exercise. You'll start… blip. Pull yourself up on a bar, see if you can do it. I can maybe do it once and I'm shot. Chest exercise I can do. The other I can't. Let me do it a while, what happens? Oh man, I'm sore. It just pulled me to pieces. Let me do it a few days. No problem. Feels good. Says the same thing here. [Knocks on pulpit] Exercise.

43. Now listen,

(12) Wherefore (because this is sown down here a church, what we're to do as Bride) lift up the hands (that) hang down,

Don't gang up on somebody. Go help him. (See?) Here's where the Church is failing. We don't even get any brotherly love along this way, worth a hoot. Now, I'm talking about when the thing is done right, the people are sincere. Not some lousy hypocrite that lies in your teeth, tries to use you as some patsy. I've seen too much of that in this ministry, so called, amongst the preachers. I'm not hitting you. I'm talking about preachers.

One fellow lied to me till I got all the evidence. His girlfriend gave it to me and I've still got it. Don't fool with me. [Knocks on the pulpit] Don't you fool with this, or you'll pay a price like you never dreamed you could pay. When that man comes sincerely and honestly to help you and you smart off, you'll pay a price. You might even die for it. You'll lose your friends. You'll lose your honor, your dignity. You'll come down because God said.

This is serious. And the Church has not learned it. [Hebrews 12:]

(12) ...lift up (those) hands (that) hang down, and the feeble knees (people that can't walk right);

(13) ...make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

God wants a healing in the Church. He wants the conditions met head on in the way He prescribes, and woe betide anybody who takes issue, you become partaker of the sin.

44. I've been through enough church fights, it's sickening. The last church I pastored, the Baptist church. Everybody got mad at this certain woman. I was mad at her, too, but I never got sucked into it. I wasn't mad like they were mad. Her sister, her brother came, and her sister-in-law came. They tried to get mad. I said, "Look," I said, "you're mad at her. I'm not mad at her. At least at this time I'm not. Don't expect me to be mad because you're mad." I learned all I want about church fights. They came to me, others came. I said, "I'm going to tell you something. I refuse to handle the case because you want blood. You don't want restoration. When you can come and prove to me that you want restoration and not blood, I'll listen. In the meantime, do your dirty work. Don't come to me."

I'd say the same thing to you. What if something came up in this church? Are you going to want to see blood? You take a pleasure in fights? Will you chuck your lot with personalities? Or would you go to the Word? How many amongst you, from the pastor on down, can stand the effect of the Word? Because if he's going to be the authority, the leader and the ruler by the Word of God, there's got to be some type of behavior required of him, required of you. This is no institution where you want as a cloth.

45. A fellow was alienating his own son in a certain church. And the son let me know he was sick of his dad just talking about the preacher, "Well, it's the Word, it's the Word."

I said, "I'm going to tell you something, sir. You've got the best Roman Catholic spirit of anybody I've seen."

"What do you mean, Roman Catholic spirit on me?"

I said, "Because it's the cloth, the cloth, the cloth, and the preacher can do what he wants." I said, "Let me tell you something. No preacher can hide behind a ministry as though he's a preacher and does what he wants, crooked this and that, and the other thing. We've been given an obligation to walk straight before God." I said, "You better get rid of that Roman Catholic spirit you've got on you. You think of something sweet and nice."

Brother/sister, you come to grips with reality. Not to break anybody's heart, not to break anybody's back, not to destroy anybody. It's not for destruction. It's for edification, and if you hide the sin when it does break out, it might be too late.

46. Now, let me show you something here.

(14) Follow peace with all men, and holiness (you're coming to make things right), without which no man shall see the Lord: (See?)

Now listen.

(15) Looking diligently lest any fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

The wrong handling of a situation in the church will pull up the wheat with the tares. Now, let's watch that one. You've got to handle situations, but you better be careful because if you start slashing, you'll pull up the wheat with the tares. You'll injure pride while you think you're going to run off the tares. See how careful you’ve got to be in this subject?

(16) Lest any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

So, there you are, he wanted the money. He wanted something.

Now look. This is how God has set it forth. It's grievous. It's a difficult job to keep a church corrected, but not just one person's involved. We're all involved. There is nobody that can keep track on you like you yourself, and your own family. There's no one like you and your friends, because let's face it, you must admit today that you are thicker with somebody in this group than you are with somebody else. You must admit that you have a preference for some over others. And because you do you have a natural tendency, therefore, to know more about each other. Then you are the ones that are obligated to each other to help each other, (see?), to iron out your problems that bother you.

47. The Bible says, distinctly, if people are sick, It says confess your faults, one to another that you may be healed. That word 'sin' in there is a peculiar word. It's not the same word used in Romans, concerning the sin nature. It's your area of weakness, where you know you have your problem. God says to some of us, "Don't wait until that weakness breaks out before the people. Go to somebody and talk it over and get their help." Not some blabber-mouth that will run around the country. There's too much loose talking. When someone tells you that thing, you're duty-bound before Almighty God to say not one word, unless you advise the person to go to somebody else and discuss it. Then it's free... you're free of it. But you're duty-bound to help the people. (See?) And then when that person has been corrected it's up to you to hold up those hands, and say, "Look, don't think you're not one of us." Say, "Look, brother, if there is a man came down the street, here, and he came into our church, and we knew he was the biggest criminal in town, and he came to this altar, being a murderer, and a thief, and a liar, and a seducer, we'd praise God for the grace, and say, 'It's okay, brother, sins are sins, it's all past."

Now, you show me where Jesus Christ is the intercessor for that man before he comes into the Bride. He was not intercessor. He was merely mediator. But in the Bride, He is the intercessor to save from the uttermost to the uttermost, already come unto God by Him. And He'll lose none. "Therefore, lift up the hands that hang down." [Heb 12:12] (See?) Once that person shows one sign of repentance, makes one word of the desire for correction, then the weight and influence, which is all in the body of Jesus Christ, goes behind that person to raise that person up and to keep that person in the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.

48. Now, for as Cain and Balaam were both reproved, so has this age been reproved, that it might, through worship, and understanding of the Word, minister to God correctly, and thereby truly serve Him, for all that is not corrected is in vain. (That's right.) Nothing outside this Message comes to life.

Hear what Jeremiah 10 and 24 said.

(24) O LORD, correct me, with judgement (Where's the judgement? In the Word); not in anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. (That's right)

You say, "If this thing goes on, God must rise up and do something." That's right. The reason we have trouble in the church today is because people have not done right. They knew it. They knew about it and didn't do a thing. Stood back and took issues; went over personalities and so on. You’ve got to do something about it. (See?)

49. Now, when you think of this Message, which I have said, you read with me just a few verses in closing in Psalm 19: That's a beautiful Psalm. I think it's one of the favorites of the Bible. Won't make me not like Psalm 23: of course not, but it's one that people seem to read a lot. Now, but we're not going to read the part they quote. We're going to start in [Psalms 19:] verse 9

(9) The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever: the judgements of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

Now listen, true and righteous are Thy judgement. What I've said this morning is the judgement of Almighty God. It is something that must be obeyed in the Church. It must be done.

(10) More to be desired are they than gold (not in Laodicea. They love the gold. They don't want the righteous judgement of God.), yea, than much fine gold (We're increased with good, don't need a thing. Listen), sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Not glossing things over now, and being sweet, sweet, sweet, ignoring conditions, but doing something about It because wrong is wrong, and right is right. And the judgements of God, though you don't think they are, they're absolutely right. They're better than anything anybody could give you by way of favor. It's much more blessed and wonderful than just glossing over and being sweet, and say, "Well, love will cover a multitude of sin."

50. What is love, but obedience to the Word. And if love says, "Obey this Word and do something about your brother and sister that's wrong," then where is you love by saying, "Well, I'll just pray about it, just be nice, you see?" Listen.

(11) Moreover by them is thy servant warned:

What kind of a preacher person won't warn another one. Bro. Branham said, "What if that boat's going to go over waterfall and the man doesn't know it?" He said, "You'll scream, 'Turn back!'" But they didn't turn back when he screamed out.

(11) ...and in keeping them there is great reward.

(12) Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

You know sometimes we're doing things we shouldn't do, and we don't even know we shouldn't be doing it. Somebody comes along and says, "Hey, do you realize you're doing that?" Well, a person would be very grateful, say, "No, I didn't know that."

(13) Keep back thy servant also from Presumptuous sins (Daring to go where you have no authority); let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

What's the great transgression? Doing the things against the Word of God we ought not to do. Now listen,

(14) Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

What's he talking about? [Psalms 19:] Verse 9.

(9) ...the judgements of the LORD are true and righteous...

Then let me keep in my mouth, and let me meditate upon what the Word of God says, and then when I do it, (see) come into the recognition of this, talking it, and striving to do it, he said, "Then I'm going to be acceptable and you watch how strong I get in my Redeemer."

Say, "Bro. Vayle, are you trying to tell us that weak Christianity, it is weak because of this very thing?"

I don't tell you anything. The Bible already done told you. There's no such thing as a strong church except those that are diligent in the Word of God.

51. Now listen, I lied to you. I showed that five minutes worth of lying, and one more Scripture. Sorry honey, but that's the preachers right to lie if he doesn't mean to. I'm not a hypocrite. I just sincerely boo-booed because I forgot to tell you this verse.

Now listen, in Hebrews 10:24, It says, here.

(24) And consider one another to provoke unto love and good works:

That's a command of God. And the word 'provoke' means; ‘to excite to paroxysm’. In other words, it's to so bring the Word of God to people’s attention like the prophet did. And though he was a judgement prophet he did not preach judgement as he preached the love and the glory of God in people's lives who obey the Word will bring them into this tremendous place in Christ. And that's what the Bible teaches here, and to encourage each other until we are so excited about the reality of the goodness of Almighty God in the lives of those who obey this Word, that will want to obey the Word, will be so excited; not the thoughts you're going to get sick, you're going to die, or going to go to hell. The Bible doesn't say do that. That's the approach of the negative, although that must be thought of only on the scale of warning. But It says, now that you know these things, how are we going to come into it? Excite each other.

52. Franklin Hall came by and wrote a lot of books on passing. Got them all excited. Killed the whole bunch. I said, "Don't write those books, Bro. Hall. You'll destroy people." He wrote them anyway. Everybody got excited. I got excited. I read them. I said, "Phooey, I can’t take all that." Couldn't go for it. Men read those books. They got excited. they said, "Oh, look what Bro. Hall did." I'll shut the door. I'll lock myself in. I'll shout in Heaven. Hallelujah!" They came out with gifts. Their souls are lean. They're going down to hell for it. Not because I say so. The Word of God says so.

Where are we getting our excitement? Oh, if anyone said so true, if people are not excited spiritually, they'll get their excitement someplace else. (See?) What's wrong with the Church? I read it to you. Can't sit in your hands and do nothing. You’ve got to do something about it.

For years I've been a positive preacher. This morning my message was not as positive. If I were back in the old days everything would be positively. Positive, see. Why? not to discourage anybody, but to cause people to march forward. But I had to bring it this way because this is the way I wanted to bring it. But I've not taken away the positive side, and the positive side is that I showed here from Scriptures. When we do it, what will happen? You might not like to do it. Do it anyway.

53. Like Bro. Branham said, "The inner veil, talk about love.” He said this woman…a Pentecostal preacher's wife…husband in big ministry, so-called, living with about an eighteen-year-old girl. She said, "Okay, I'm going to leave. I'm going to go to New York. I'll get a job." And you could tell by his voice how he's crying for her. He said, "Sister, don't do it." He said, "Don't do it. Don't even go to him." Puts your eyes on the man you love, and no matter what he's done, you forgive him. Why? Because It’s God and His glory, to stay. (See?)

Now, the point is this: he can't be told to, "Look, it's okay. You can have her and have me, too." That's not what she said. Somebody may say, "Well, it's okay. What's the difference? God forgives. What's an extra marital affair. She evidently wasn't good enough or something." No, it's wrong. It's got to be dealt with. But how can it be dealt with? (See?)

Oh, you could be heard; I can be heard. All I've ever seen in my life is a church coming into a mess, "Hurt her." Where was a preacher who could preach this sermon I preached this morning? Where was he when I needed him? I'm preaching to you out of thirteen years and better, have solid experience along this line. And the Church has failed to do it. The Holy Ghost people haven't done it. You know who's come closest? The people who don't even have the Holy Ghost. What a tragic thing to say from the pulpit. The people who have experience, they come as far as justification and sanctification, but they never even come to the baptism. And they do the best job. [Knocks on the pulpit]

54. The devil works the hardest, my brother/sister, on the Bride. Believe me, the serpent did not talk to anyone but Eve, the bride. He didn't lie to anybody, but to Eve, the bride. You know, Satan didn't even lie to Jesus. He just said, "If you're the Son of God, I would like to see you to do so and so." Satan didn't lie to Adam, he lied to the bride. You’ve got that same one lying right today. And he wants to get the Church away from what's right. (See?) But wouldn't it have been great if we'd have been taught the truth. Our church squabbles, our fights, all the deacons didn't handle right. (See?) How many of you have been turned lame away because they've done it wrong? But it's got to be done.

See, we're right back where the prophet taught doing God a service apart from His will. Preach the Gospel, but not women. (See?) Do certain things, but not you. Now, the same thing comes today. This is something which must be done, but it must be done in a... it's got to be done right. But the thing is this: People are afraid to do it because they're afraid it won't be done right. Brother/sister, listen, it's got to be done. Right? And it's got to be done right. And if it isn't done the Church will fall apart and explode, (see?), because many be defiled. They'll be defiled if you left a rotten apple in the barrel. They'll be defiled if you grab the rotten apple and treat it wrong. Now you tell me God doesn't have narrow lines drawn, He doesn't have a straight path? It's straight. May the Lord help us all. You've got a job. I've got a job.

See, I'm no pastor. I can't pastor. A pastor's a man that can take two people by the hand... take them both by the hand and say, "Let's iron the thing out." Won't take issue. I can come to church, do a good job that way. Church is in an uproar, I can settle them down. But I'm not a pastor. I just teach. (See?) What about my personal life? I'm just as duty-bound as an individual to warn and exhort, as you are as individuals, when a brother or sister is not right in his life. We've got a job. Then watch the peaceable fruit of the Spirit. Now look at that calmness. When the storm's over, the waters lie untroubled. In the old days, they poured oil over the waves, so those waves wouldn't cause destruction. We got the same today. The Lord bless you. Shall we rise.

Gracious Heavenly Father, this morning we thank You for our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has loved us enough to so stand in the breach, that we know that we do positively do have Eternal Life in You; that nothing can separate us from Your love, which we read of last night, and know so well. We've memorized it, and studied it many, many times. And know that Thou art our assurety, Lord Jesus. And if You guaranteed such a passage for us, as the prophet taught, that little girl that would... [End of tape]