Isaiah Jeremiah. Forty-eighth chapter and the tenth verse. Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his leaves, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, Neither have he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remaineth in him, and his scent is not changed. In these verses you have a warning to preachers, you have a warning to profess Christians, those who profess to be what they're not, and also a warning to the out-and-out unsaved or indifferent. You'll notice those words, Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully. It seems strange that one should engage in doing the work of the Lord deceitfully, seeing that God sees and knows everything. You can't deceive him. Then why would a person seek to engage in the Lord's work in a deceitful manner? And yet it is possible, because this text distinctly says so, cursed it be ye that doeth the work of the Lord distinctly. Instead of man allowing the Word of God to straighten them out, he wants to bend the Word of God to the strange and queer curves and twists of his own mind. But we ought to bow before the Word of God, and whatever the Word of God says, that we must do. and it's not a case of trying to make the Word of God something like elastic so it might stretch the suit our views or our opinions, but it's up to us to bow before this rigid, unyielding truth and be influenced by it. And so here is a solemn warning against doing the work of the Lord deceitfully. Well, you say, how could one do the work of the Lord deceitfully if his motives are wrong. If a man preaches for popularity, if he is after place and position, he is doing the work of the Lord deceitfully. If he would use the pulpit to further his own cause and interest, then he is doing the work of the Lord deceitfully and the curse of God is upon him. If a man seeks to engage in the work of the Lord for wealth, or for the sake of money, just to have a job. He is doing the work of the Lord deceitfully, and how often pulpits are changed because of a larger purpose. Then one may be guilty of engaging in the Lord's work deceitfully, or a church, for instance, and they're putting the emphasis upon the building, trying to outdo some other denomination in a beautiful church building or structure. forgetting that the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands. And yet it's possible for people to engage in material things under the name of the work of the Lord and their motive is not pure. Organizations trying to make the organization run more smoothly and have more authority. An organization is emphasized at the expense of the glory of God, doing the work of the Lord deceitfully. That's a solemn thing for all preachers and churches to ponder. You know, you read in God's word that we're not to handle the word of God deceitfully. You read that in Second Corinthians four, too. Not to handle the word of God deceitfully or do the work of the Lord deceitfully. It's quite possible for one to do that. For instance, I remember one creature speaking to myself referring to the fact that he had a lot of unconverted people on his membership, a lot of unconverted people, men who were out and out sinners, and yet they were holding offices in the church. Well, he says the Bible says, let both grow together until the harvest, meaning it's all right for the two to be together in the church, saved and lost. That is handling the Word of God the seeker. And if he would turn to where that text is found in Matthew thirteen, he would find out where the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest, the Lord Jesus says the field is the world, not the church. Certainly the sage and lost grow together in the world, but not in the church. The Lord Jesus says the field is the world. and a church membership should only have born-again people in it, the church tells you. And so you see how they can twist the scriptures and take a verse out of its connection and context altogether and say, well, the Bible says, let both go together until the harvest, justifying having a lot of unconverted people on the rest. So you can see how you can do the work of the Lord deceitfully. Another thing, I've heard some say, we are saved by hope. If you don't know you're saved, the Bible says we're saved by hope. You can only hope you're saved. Once again there's a deceitful handling of the Word of God, because the hope whenever referred to in the New Testament refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ, are not the salvation of the soul. And so that one scripture could be easily exploded by comparing it with a lot of other scriptures. We're not saved by hope. We are saved, then, through the blood of Christ, and we know who we have believed. We don't hope for something we have. We've got it. But we are hoping for the coming of Christ because He hasn't yet returned, and the Bible says, looking for that blessed hope on the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And so there is a danger of handling the word of God deceitfully and deceiving people thereby. For instance, I remember a close friend of mine, Mr. Albert Burke. He's well up in years now, one of the oldest Christians in the little chapel that I came from in Canada, a great friend of my father. And he said one time he was coming over from England, but that's where he came from originally. And he asked if he could have a service on board ship. Did he have a meeting announced in the chapel? And the captain of the ship said, certainly, we'd like to have chapel on board ship. So he found out that there was a clergyman there, one who had his religion reversed. You know the collar that goes all the way around. Well, anyway, he saw that he's a clergyman by this collar and asked him if he would like to take part in the service. And he said, Yes, I'd be delighted to. Well, Brother Bert says, You go ahead and preach first. And this clergyman got up and he took this part of the text, We are all the children of God. In other words, the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. And he said, folks, we're all the children of God. And my, he became eloquent in expounding the fact that everybody in the world was a child of God. We're all the children of God. Well, I know Brother Burke, and he doesn't mind an encounter with anybody. And he got up and he says, folks, you've just heard this brother say, we're all the children of God. I wouldn't have called him a brother. But Brother Bert did so. He said, this brother says, we're all the children of God. He said, but he didn't finish the text. The rest of that text did, we're all the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Meaning it's only those who have had faith in Christ, who have accepted Christ, who are born again, that are the children of God. Now you see how you can prove just about anything if you want to break up the Bible and extract two or three verses here or two or three words out of the verse there. And here's a man, he takes the first half of the verse and preaches on it. We are all the children of God, and he leaves out the most important part through faith in Christ Jesus. Handling the Word of God deceitfully, and so we need to be on our God. Cursed be he, that handleth the word of God deceitfully, or doeth the work of God deceitfully. You know, in the Old Testament there's a very solemn passage, and I think of Deuteronomy twenty-seven, where Moses is reading a number of things. And when he reads the blessings, then he blesses the people, and they ought to say, Blessed be the Lord. But when he reads the curses, they ought to say, Amen. Amen. And here's one of the things that the whole congregation said amen to. Cursed be he that causes the blind to wander out of the way, and all the people shall say amen. And the Lord Jesus refers to blind leaders of the blind, and those blind leaders were religious leaders. The blind leaders of the blind, and he says both shall fall into the ditch. Now the Lord Jesus said that. Both the leader and the lead will fall into the ditch. And because the man deceives you and leads you astray, that will be no excuse before God, you're going to be lost. If you're led wrong, the Bible says so, the blind, leave the blind, and both fall into the ditch. Cursed be he in that day that caused the blind to wander out of the way, and all the people at the great white throne shall say, Amen. And if ever a man will get the curse of God and the curse of humanity upon his soul, in that day it will be the man who stood in a pulpit and deceived the people, who led people astray, telling them that they live a good life, if they do the best they can, if they line up with the church, they'll be in heaven. They'll be in no such place unless they've been born again. Cursed is he. that do the work of the Lord deceitfully and handle it the word of God deceitfully. Now that's in your Bible. That's not Lester Wilson's language. You read it right here. Now the only way you can do the work of God without deceit is to do it with one object and aim in mind, to win precious souls to Jesus Christ that all the glory may go to God. That's it. If my service is centered around that one thing, if my sole motive, an object at aid, is to preach God's word, to try and win precious souls to Jesus Christ, whether they come into fellowship at the Gospel, chapels, and other things, I want to see men and women saved by the grace of God, if they never enter these doors again. And after they're saved, and we can help them with the word of God and teach them the truth of God, we'll be happy. We'll do it to the glory of God, whether we see souls saved or God's people helped. It's all to the glory of God. That's the only way you can avoid doing the work of the Lord deceitfully. And there's something stronger here. What is the next thing? And keepeth back his sword from blood. That's a strong statement. A curse is on the man who doeth the work of God deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. In Genesis three-twenty-four, I think is the first reference to the sword. Remember the serapins, the cherubins stood with a flaming sword, which turned every way, guarding the way to the tree of life, lest Adam and Eve should touch or taste of the tree of life and live forever. And that means as a sinner. There was something about that tree in the garden that whoever partook of it, they would live forever in the state. they partook of that fruit in. And Adam and Eve had fallen, and had they partook in of that tree of life, they'd have lived forever in a fallen state, and that's why God guarded that tree of life. There is the sword of justice in the Garden of Eden, and that sword of justice that was brought about by man's fall was never seized until it was seized in the heart. of the Lord Jesus Christ as you have over in Zechariah thirteen-seven. When God says, awake, O sword, that same sword of justice and judgment, awake, O sword against the man that is my fellow, smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. Here is Jehovah using that sword, and certainly it brought forth blood at Tel Aviv. It brought forth the blood of Christ. God says, Cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. God saw that his sword brought forth blood at the cross when he was punishing sin. God was a just God and a holy God. And he sheathed that sword, he stained it crimson in the heart and with the blood of his own son. Cursed be he, he says, God, who keepeth back his sword from blood. God speaks of the future. He says, I'm going to wet my glittering sword. That he will do in a day to come. I'll tell you, when God wields the sword, he wields it in justice and in judgment. And it takes effect. Cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. You know, the word of God is like a nun to a sword. You read that in Ephesians six, seven. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. In other words, laying hold of this precious book, get a good grip of it, just like you would a sword, and use it. God wants you to use it. You read that in Hebrews chapter four. The word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. And I defy any human being to dissect between soul and spirit. He can't do it. No man can dissect between soul and spirit. They can split the atom. I'll ask any scientist to split soul and spirit. He can't do it. The Word of God can, piercing even to the divining of some that of soul and spirit. And if the discern, and that word discern means a critic of the thoughts and the intents of the heart, the Word of God will criticize your thoughts and the intents of your heart. Oh, how keen is that edge? You hear announcements on the radio about razor blades being so keen. There's nothing as keen as this precious book. Sharper than any two-edged sword. My, what a wonderful book we've got. It cuts both ways. And in the Revelation, when the Lord Jesus in chapter nineteen at the Battle of Armageddon is coming in judgment, out of his mouth go with a two-edged sword. Meaning there's this word. The two edges speak of it cutting both ways. It cuts the Christian as well as it cuts the sinner. It cuts the preacher as well as it does the people in the pew. It cuts both ways. It's the old-colored preacher put it. He says, brethren, he says, when I'm done pointing my finger at you, he says, that old son's pointing right back at me. And so it is. In other words, it comes right back. It cuts both ways. cuts the rich as well as the poor, cuts the educated as well as the uneducated. It's too educated. And it's a very sharp instrument, the Word of God. It pierces, it criticizes, lays bare or exposes the human heart that flays it, it reveals its content. As you read in Jeremiah four, ten, the sword reaches even unto the soul. That's what the Word of God will do. If any man will get in the pulpit and take a good grip on this sword and wield it correctly and use it, it will reach the souls of men and women, reach their hearts. That's the duty of every preacher to plunge this sword as deep as he can and that necessary turn it when he's plunged it in that it might take effect. Cursed be he that keep the back his sword from blood. God says, I want my word to take effect. When a man uses a sword in his blood, you see the sword is cut or the sword has pricked. The sword has taken effect. And that's the intent of preaching God's word, that it take effect. And I trust that what I'm saying tonight is taking effect, reaching even unto the soul. You know, you thank a surgeon if he lands as a boil or something to let the corruption out. Isn't it strange that people, they don't appreciate anyone using the word of God when it seems to pierce even to the soul? God doesn't want anybody to get up and use his word and then apologize when it takes effect. Friends, I make no apologies for God's word. If what I say hits you, if it brings forth blood, if it hurts, I am thankful. For the word of God it kills and then it makes alive, it wounds and then it heals, it brings down and it lifts up. We make no apology for God's word. God says, is it not my word a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? And I'll tell you a hammer when it comes down it hurts. He said, is not my word of fire and a hammer? And when you come in contact with fire you get burned. When a hammer falls upon your finger, you feel it. And when a sword picks you or cuts you, you also feel it." God never intended that preachers should get up and entertain their audiences with a lot of platitudes that mean absolutely nothing. His word is to take effect. It's to reach unto the soul. Like the doctor, a surgeon who would operate upon a soldier boy who had gotten a piece of shrapnel in his leg, didn't have any anesthetic or anything to kill pain. They'd run out of the supply. The doctor said, Lattie, it's going to hurt. All right, Doc, he said, go at it. And that poor soldier boy, he held on to the bed. His knuckles were white, and he bit his lip with the doctor. When in there, he took out a piece of shrapnel and bound up his leg. But the swelling didn't go down, nor did his temperature drop. The doctor said, Boy, we've got to go in there again. I didn't get it all. And he went through it again. And still the leg didn't heal. The doctor had to go in the third time. So finally he found the piece that was causing all the trouble. The boy was able to walk again. Now did that soldier boy criticize or feel harm toward that surgeon? No, he thanked him. He saved his life. Although it hurt, he was willing to be hurt if it meant healing in the end. Men and women should appreciate if the Word of God takes effect, if it produces spiritual healing, we ought to be thankful. Instead of being lulled to sleep, there's someone getting up and flashing the sword, reaching over and tapping them on the wrist with the flat side of it, meaning nothing, accomplishing nothing. And so we're to use this sword. We dare not flash it in order to attract attention to ourselves. That's not the mind of God, nor to blunt it. by apologies, nor dull it by human interpretations, let alone sheath it in favor of tradition, and that's the trouble today. God's Word's being sheathed in favor of tradition. Well, what saith the church? Church doctrine, church law, church procedure, church government. These things are replacing God's Word. They're gradually putting the sheath in the sword in the sheath. coming out with men's ivy. God doesn't want that. He wants this sword pulled right out of the sheath, and he wants it used. He wants it used with effect. You'll notice now what he says here in verse eleven, after this warning to preachers, verse eleven, Moab has been at ease from his youth. Now he's talking about Moab, and Moab had a very bad beginning. If you turn to Genesis Moore began with a drunken father and two daughters, a very bad, unsavory beginning. Noah. And God speaks of Noah because of that, or the eat of Moabites, as having no hope. He says, a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord forever. There were doomed destruction. And you'll notice in verse forty-three of this very chapter what God says about the Moabites. Here and the pit and the snare shall be upon thee, O inhabitants of Moab, saith the Lord. And so here is Moab having a very bad beginning and certainly had a very bad end. That's true of the human race. We all had a bad beginning. Adam and Eve sinned. We were born in sin in shape and immaculate. We had a bad beginning. It's pretty hard, isn't it, to look at that cute little baby cooing away in the grift. Think it's a sinner. God says it is. The reason it sins later on is because there was something hidden in that little heart from birth that all it required is time and opportunity that's going to come out. It was born in sin, in shape and iniquity. That's the Bible said we all had a bad start. But you notice what this says. More have been at ease from his youth. You know some people, they've been at ease from their youth. They've never been stirred up. about her soul. They have the audacity to say, I've always been a Christian. No one has always been a Christian. They find the ease of religious sinners over in Amos six and one. Woe be unto them that are at ease in Zion. Here is God saying, Woe be unto them who are at ease in Zion, and Zion was the religious center of the Jewish nation and the city of the great king. Here are people at ease. Some people say, I say I was brought up in the church, I was cradled in the church, I came up through all the classes of the church, I've always been a Christian. No, you have. You were born a sinner. There's got to come a time when you pass from death unto life. That's what your Bible says. There must be a time when you were born again. If ever you found a man who was religious, look at the Apostle Paul and see what happened to him on the Damascus Road. He had the discovery was lost. He was at ease in Zion. I've met lots of people, said I've always been a Christian. No, you haven't. Christ died for the ungodly. Christ died for sinners. You've got to take the place of a sinner and the ungodly before you can profit from the death of Jesus Christ. We're sinners. We're ungodly. We must be born again. And yet there have been those who say, I've been at ease from my youth. I've always been a Christian. God says, Woe be unto you. Woe be unto them who are the ease and sign. Then you have ease in prosperity over in Luke chapter twelve. You know the rich man, he says, So take thine ease. Here's a man And he's got the ease of worldly wealth. He's got the ease and comforts of material things. And Christ said, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, just as loud an awakening and just as rude an awakening as the religious sinner who says, I've always been a Christian. He's got a real awakening coming. And so has the sinner who's finding his ease in wealth and worldly things. You read that in Luke chapter twelve. then you have the careless ones. The ease of the careless. Over in Isaiah thirty-two, nine eleven, tremble ye women that are at ease. Be troubled, ye careless ones. Here are those, and they are careless. And yet as careless as they are, they are perfectly at ease. They are undisturbed about the fact they need to be saved. And then you've got the complacent sinner here, at ease in his complacency. More has been at ease from his youth. What's the next thing? He hath settled upon his leaves. Settle upon his leaves. What does this mean? Well, it just means he's one that has never found out he was lost. Wine left standing undisturbed before being used. It must have the leaves strained off. Then before God can use you, the sins have got to be strained off of your soul. Remember that. You've settled down. You're going to push Christianity entirely out of your mind for a while. You're going to have a good time. You're going to enjoy this world. You're settled upon your leaves, not realizing that the sins are piling up and the leaves are getting thicker. That layer of sin, scum, and iniquity has got to come off. Before you're going to be in heaven, you, like mold, have settled upon your leaves, satisfied with your sin. The third thing... You have not been emptied from vessel to vessel. Find that in the middle of verse eleven. In other words, in your Bible you read about the vessels of wrath, the vessels of displeasure, the vessels of dishonor, marred vessels, empty vessels, weak vessels, unclean vessels. But you also read in your Bible about vessels of mercy, vessels of pleasure, vessels of honor, useful vessels, full vessels, strong vessels and clean vessels. more has not been emptied from vessel to vessel. This means a complete change, if it means empty. Whatever was in this vessel is emptied out completely into another vessel, a complete change over. That's what conversion is. They that are in Christ are a new creation. All things have passed away. All things have become new. And you're emptied from a vessel of wrath to a vessel of mercy. from a vessel of pleasure or displeasure to a vessel of pleasure, from a vessel of dishonor to a vessel of honor, from a marred vessel to a useful vessel, from an empty vessel to a full vessel, from a weak vessel to a strong vessel, and you're empty from an unclean vessel to a clean one. That's a complete change in that. They that are in Christ are a new creation. Old things have passed away All things have become new. If you rebel against this, refuse to allow it to take effect. It's an awful solemn verse for you. Remember, these things are in the Bible. He says, I'll dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. That's what's in store for everyone that will not break under the word of God. He says, I'll dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. And he's referring to the day of judgment. In other words, friend, it means total destruction, not annihilation. You may take the most beautiful vase or vessel and you may smash it on the floor and it goes into a thousand pieces. You haven't annihilated it. You have spoiled its usefulness. There are the pieces. It's useful. Remember when a sinner dies, he's not annihilated. but that for which God had created them and hoped to save them, to be useful, has been ruined. And he smashed, shattered all his hopes, shattered into a thousand pieces, lost forever. Solemn thought. Now that's what the Lord Jesus said. Not me. The next thing you notice here, he has not gone into captivity. That's the fourth thing. How do you go into captivity? You go into captivity to Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ led captivity captive. In other words, I was a captive of sin and Satan until I was nineteen. Jesus Christ led me captive. He led captivity captive. He led me into captivity to himself, who was formerly a captive of sin and Satan. That's why Jesus Christ speaks of himself as the prisoner of Jesus Christ. the willing slave, the willing captive of Jesus Christ. He was captivated by the love of Jesus Christ. So you read concerning more, he had not gone into captivity, no surrender, no willing prisoner of Jesus Christ. So you see all it says about this case of Moab. Then again, notice the next thing that it says. Therefore, because he's not gone into captivity, therefore his taste remaineth in him, and his scent does not change, two things. Because he's not gone into captivity to Christ, therefore his taste remaineth in him, his taste for earthly things. No taste for the word of God, no taste for prayer, no taste for fellowship with God's people, no taste for soul winning, still has a taste for earthly things. A lot of people make a profession of religion. They go up and join the church, but their taste has not changed. They still have a taste, a palate, for the same old things, earthly things. There's no change of taste. They don't say, well, now I love the Bible before I didn't. Now I love to pray before I didn't. Now I've got an appetite. and a desire to fellowship with God's people. Now I've got a longing to win souls for Jesus Christ before I didn't. His taste is not changed. And the woods are full of people who join the church and sit in a fuse every Sunday, and their taste has not changed because they didn't go into captivity to Jesus Christ. Had they gone into captivity to Jesus Christ, It means this their taste would have changed, and as newborn bays they would have desired the sincere milk of the word that ye may go thereby. People don't like this kind of preaching, but friend, they're going to have to like it when they find out it's too late. Older people that are going to awaken when the door is shut to find out they're lost. And the Lord Jesus refers to them in Matthew seven, when the door is shut and they begin to stand outside that door and knock and say, Lord, Lord, open unto us. Have we not prophesied? There are your preachers. Cursed be they. Have we not prophesied or preached in thy name? And in thy name we've done many wonderful works. We've eaten in thy presence. We've taken the communion. He shall say unto them, Depart from me. ye cursed into everlasting pyre, I never knew you. There it is. That's what Jesus Christ said. They've not gone into captivity, their taste is not changed. And the next thing and the last thing is, it says, and his scent is not changed. His taste remained within him, and his scent is not changed. His scent or his smell, speaking of his discernment, That's why so many people profess to be Christians seem to have no discernment. They can listen to the old-fashioned revival hour, and they can push the knob with the radio and listen to POSDIC, and they see no difference between fuller and POSDIC. Well, they're all preaching religion. I like to hear them all. They don't know the difference between beef and bull's foot when they come to the things of God. They don't know what's fundamental or what's modern. They know not the difference between fundamentalism and modernism. The old-fashioned gospel and this new theology. Their scent has not changed. That's it. They're the people who say, I don't see any harm in this. When you try to preach what God expects of a true Christian separation, I don't see any harm in a social drink. I don't see any harm in playing cards. I don't see any harm in a dance. I don't see any harm in this and that. His scent is not changed. He has no spiritual discernment, and that's Moab. Those people have not gone into captivity with Jesus Christ. That's what you have here in this book. The flesh never changed. The flesh is the same at ninety-nine as it was at one years of age. The flesh never changes. His sense, his discernment is just the same as far as the things of God are concerned. He don't understand these things. For the natural man understandeth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned. And you've got to have a spiritual nature to discern spiritual things. This is quite the searching passage, isn't it? They that are in Christ are a new creation, a complete change. They've burnt empty from vessel to vessel. They've gone into captivity. There's a captivated heart. The changed palate, a quickened and discerning mind. That's what happens when a person is released. The heart has become captivated. The heart and the appetite of change. The mind has been quickened and alerted by the Spirit so they can discern good and evil, what's right and what's wrong, what's truth and what's error. John says to young Christians, he need not that any man teach you what's error and what's truth. The Holy Spirit teaches you all things. And a young Christian doesn't need to be taught that some of these courts like Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventism and Mormonism and so on. Christian science, they don't have to be taught that they are wrong. If they're born again, the Spirit of God will tell them they're wrong. That's what your Bible says. Ye need not that any man teach you. And he's talking about error and false doctrine. The same anointing which you have received, the Holy Spirit, teaches you these things. Oh. And so you have this quickened mind. In other words, the whole secret is this. Christ wants a captivated heart. He wants a changed palate. He wants a quickened and discerning mind. Christ wants all or nothing. Remember that. He wants all or nothing. He doesn't want any partial payment. He doesn't want someone to come to him and say, Lord, I want you to take over when I'm about to die. this side of my death, that's for me. I'm going to take care of this part. I'm going to live for this world, and when I think I'm going to die, then, Lord, I want to turn things over to you. You're not going to get saved that way. The Lord wants to save you that you might live for them right down here. Make no mistake about that. Christ wants all or nothing. Why? Because He gave all and repelled nothing. Jesus Christ gave all. He gave himself. And let me say, Jesus Christ deserves all, because he died for all, and he longs for all. And you say, I surrender all. Can you? Don't boast about being a Christian unless you can. I surrender all. Jesus Christ gave himself unstintedly on the cross. He withheld nothing back in reserve for some future time. He gave his all then. Lay down his life then. And this is the price of discipleship that you forsake all and follow him. That's it. You forsake all and follow him.