<TITLE>05. Par 21-24</TITLE>L-21 Now, way back, we're going to speak now on the subject of--of "God Making His Promise." Now, this text that we have under consideration today, I think is one of the most outstanding texts in the Bible. I do.
It would--taken place on the river of Jordan some two thousand years ago when the world had been in a chaos for a long time. Israel had rejected God, rejected His laws, His statutes, His ordinances, and had been carried away. And never was Israel ever harmed as long as they stayed in harmony with God's command.
And never will a church fail, never will a program fail as long as those who are in charge stay in the center of God's will. God's will is perfect. And everything will fall right into its place if you'll stay in God's will. But get out of God's will here, it throws the whole program out. Just one place, you remember Achan's wedge.
Now, just have to move out in one place. If you see you're out, go back and repent for that, make it right. You can never go no farther till you make that thing right. You've got to come square and straight with God.

L-22 Now, notice this, when God so desired to introduce His Son to the world, He introduced Him as, or presented Him as a Lamb, a beast, a animal. Could you imagine that? That God speaking of His Son, and introduce Him as a Lamb, a sheep, young sheep? Wonder why He did that?
And God, when He introduced Himself to the world, was in the form of a Dove, a bird, the Fowl of heaven. Now, here's to my opinion. The lamb is the most meekest and gentlest of all the beasts there is on earth. There's nothing any more gentler than a lamb.
And God likened us unto His sheep. The reason, one thing, I've raised sheep. And sheep can--they're not self-sustaining. They cannot take care of themselves. If a sheep gets lost, he's just done, that's all. He can never find his way back. He's totally helpless and lost. And he will stand right there and bleat till the wolf takes him or he will die standing there. He's lost and he's all turned around. He doesn't know which way to go; he can't guide himself.

L-23 And that's just exactly what the human race is. We are absolutely, totally lost and can--we're not sufficient in ourselves. We've got to have the Shepherd to lead us and to guide us. We are lost without it.
We cannot save ourselves. No matter how good your program may be. No matter what kind of a motive you have towards that program, what--what is your alternatives, or why--how great your church is, that's all fine, nothing against it; but without the Shepherd, you're lost and you're only fighting the wind. True. You must have the Shepherd.
And the church is wonderful, every denomination. But without the Shepherd of the flock, you're just building your church in vain. You're rejecting the very Cornerstone.

L-24 The builders, when they built the old church, they hauled it down to Joppa by ox cart and floated it in in different ways and the cedars of Lebanon. And when they went to put the temple together, they found a freak stone. It didn't look right. So they kicked it out over into the weed pile. And they went laying the--the block. But they kept laying, and they couldn't find a stone to fit this place. And finally, come to find out that the very stone they had rejected was the chief cornerstone.
And friends, today we have some of the smartest and the best scholars in our pulpits that we've ever had. We have some of the finest buildings that the church has ever known of having. We've got some of the richest people in the church that we've ever known to have. And yet, friends, we wonder why God's program doesn't go on? They've rejected the chief Cornerstone, Christ. Oh, you take Him by lip, but I mean by heart. It's from your heart, the chief Cornerstone, the whole building's fitted together.


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