<TITLE>05. Par 19-23</TITLE>L-19 Now, Israel was a nation something like this nation. It made its same mistakes that this nation's made. And we find out that Israel come up out of Egypt and drove the occupants out of the land and possessed the land; the same that we come seeking an oasis, and drove the natives here back and possessed the land. Israel had favor before God. We believe that our pilgrim fathers did also. Israel in its early stages produced some great men. Well, they had for instance David, Solomon, Joshua, great men; and we had a Washington, Lincoln, and a great men.
But finally Israel, in its politics, formed around and got a renegade on the throne: Ahab, a halfway believer, lukewarm church member. And Ahab wasn't such a rascal as it was his wife. She was the one that could just handle Ahab. Any way she wanted to make him go, she did it. And you don't have to be too spiritual to understand what I'm talking about. It's the system behind it. But in that day they had a prophet, and his name was Elijah, and he was a fearless godly man.

L-20 And I think a lot of you...?... good Democrats that sold your birthrights to politics to do such an evil thing that you've done, God be merciful to you. Yes, sir. One day this nation knowed that old thing, but she's forgot it. She's sold out, because the church got lukewarm and got away from God. That's exactly. I'd better leave off of that, 'cause I said I wasn't going to preach on that.

L-21 Now, as we go on (but you know what I'm thinking), notice. But in that same day God sent a mighty one in the land, just before that there come a plague that swept the land out. And God was proven. Now, during this... After Ahab's death, his son took his place, and... Ahaziah, and he reigned in Samaria. And one day walking out in the lattices he fell through, and some disease set into the place where he got hurt. And now, instead of following like the forefathers did, to consult God about it, he sent to the idol, Beelzebub.

L-22 It's a strange thing that a man that's supposed to be an Israelite would consult such as that, instead of going back to the very God that brought them over into that land and give it to them, because he was trying to follow the trend of the day, and after his father and mother.
That's what's happened in the churches today, too much. We have got away from the spiritual application of the principles that this nation stands for and has got up on politics, and union, and big time, and belly-full, and a new car, and new homes; and--and got away from the real principles of things, the real principles of Christianity. It's too bad we have to say these things, but somebody's got to say it. And it's got to come to pass. We must be frank, and honest, and sincere. And you do not need spiritual interpretation, because it's before your eyes. You--you can see it.

L-23 But we have, as they did in those days, sold our birthrights for a mess of pottage, and we are going to reap just what we sowed. And it's done past now. And the revival that we had sweeping across the country, it's died down to a little smoldering flame here and there, or something. We don't want to believe it, but it's the truth. That's right. And we went out and sowed a bunch of great denominational seeds. And when the Spirit fell, what did we reap? A denominational crop. If we'd have sowed the Word of God, we'd have reaped a church of God, if we'd have done it. But we got off on the wrong side.
The rain comes upon the earth to water it. And if the... Whatever what kind of seed that's in the field, that's what it brings forth. That's right. And so the same Holy Spirit that brings forth the church of the living God brings forth the weeds also, the denominationals. But you see what we've reaped: "Million more in '44," for Baptists, and so forth and on down. And that's what we've reaped, just exactly as we've sowed. It's always going to be that way.


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