Beware of the Angry Watchmen - Part 4

And now, the second half is, once the bride has been seduced by this, is commanding her to abstain. In other words, you've got to work your way now back into his favor. You must not taste this, you must not touch this, you must not handle this. You must work your way back into the favor of God. Oh, it will look so holy. Oh, same gang of false prophets that led thousands astray will now curse them as the people they led astray try to head back and find Christ again. It'll look so holy. But Paul calls it a departure from the faith. It's a false revival. It's the enemy's attempt to discourage those who in the last days are going to try to find the safety of Christ. Now, I'm sent into this pulpit this morning to issue a warning to the angry watchmen. It is you, and not the returning bride, who stand in danger of God's judgment. I speak particularly to the young, impressionable and impulsive young men who are going to take upon themselves the office of a prophet. But you're going to have a heated mind and a heated spirit and you will not be representing God in this last hour of time. You'll think it's so holy. You'll condemn the returning bride, but it is you who stands in danger of judgment. If you're not calling God's people to a banquet table of his love, then you dare not open your mouth against her. Yes, there's a role of a prophet. There are true prophets of God who will stand and say, Listen, you shouldn't have done this. You shouldn't have gone that way. Paul had the authority as it is of a prophet, but Paul stood in the storm when everything was going to be destroyed. And what was Paul's message? You should have listened to me, but you didn't listen. So now this destruction is coming. Nevertheless, he said, be of good cheer. I've been with God. Nobody here is going to lose their life. Everybody who stays on board, you're going to make it to the other side. Take some meat now. And he takes what food is left and breaks it up with his hand. Here, come on, be of good cheer. You're going to need strength to finish this journey. He breaks the bread, which is a type of Christ, the provision of Christ he brings to the people. I warn these young prophets before you even begin. I'm standing in this pulpit under a mandate of God. I warn you, in Christ's name, you better seriously consider this before you begin, because Jesus is not going to let you touch his bride. You must not remove the veil from the bride of Christ. You dare not touch the bride of Christ. I was thinking if my daughter is getting married shortly, and I was thinking if she was sitting in a waiting room here, and she had her veil and her dress on, and somebody dared come in and point his finger at her and start speaking about her failings and frailties, only God could help you at that moment if I was there. Only God could help you. How much more? How much more? How much more? Christ has had enough of his bride being abused. He's had enough of it. He sent me into this pulpit, now the false prophets will laugh and scoff at this. But you've never tasted fear until you stand before God one day. Now listen, you who are the bride of Christ, you who know your failings and want to come home, you who are not playing a religious game with God, you want him, you want the Savior, you want to come home to him, but you know you're far away. As David did, you're going to have to learn to pass by their voices. David let Shimei do his screaming, and he just kept on going knowing he was in the will of God. You're just going to have to pass by their voices. You must not stop and give them an ear. Just pass them by and tell those that want to fight with them, just leave them alone. Let them scream, throw their stones and throw their curses. Pass them by. I'm speaking now to the bride of Christ who's going to be coming home. I'm speaking to people who are going to be leaving the prosperity camp, which of course is going to be in ruins very shortly, trying to make your way home. Pass them by. Pass them by. Don't let these voices turn you away from your journey. Because as it was for David, it is for you. The heart and the arms of God in Christ are open to you. At the end of this journey back, you're going to find God is not angry with you. His arms are open to you. Leave them in their delusion and let them throw their stones. Song of Solomon in the first chapter, the bride says, listen to what she says. She says, don't look at me. She says, I don't feel very lovely. I'm going to paraphrase it. This is Song of Solomon chapter 1 verse 6. My mother's children were angry with me. And they made me keeper of the vineyards. In other words, they were angry with me. And they made me work in my own vineyard I've not kept. And this is how many, many are feeling even in this moment. So I've tried to make my way to the bridegroom. But I ran into these angry children of supposedly the same family. And they sent me to work. Somehow perhaps to gain favor of the bridegroom. And I worked real hard, but I don't feel very lovely. I don't feel like I'm desired by God. And when she finally meets him, she says, don't look at me. Don't look at me. I'm so ashamed. Now listen to what he says to her. I want you to hear this in chapter 4 verse 7 of Song of Solomon. Listen to what he says. And I want you to hear this clearly. Verse 7, he says, Thou art all fair, my love. There is no spot in thee. They tried to tell you you're unclean, but I don't see you that way. There is no spot. There is no spot. He said, I've given you a righteousness. And that righteousness is mine. The covering that's on you is not yours. It's mine. I give you my covering. Therefore, every tongue that rises against you in judgment, you have the right to condemn it. This is the heritage I gave you. I gave you a heritage. And I'm not speaking just to this congregation. But I realize this is going to be a message that's going to be given wings by the Holy Spirit. And many out there are going to hear it. And you don't feel good about yourself. And you feel unclean and unworthy. But God says to you, you're all fair. There's no spot in you. Now how can you know this? He says, verse 8, Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse. With me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Amana. From the top of Shinar and Hermon. From the lion's dens and the mountains of the leopards. In the dwelling place, he said, of all these things that would devour you. Come with me. Let's stand right in the middle of it. Let's go to where these threats against you as it is are. And verse 9, he says, Thou has ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse. You've ravished my heart with one of your eyes and one chain of your neck. Jesus says, the moment you look towards me longingly again, you've ravished my heart. Hallelujah. The moment you turn and said, I want him. I want the Christ of the Bible. I want the Christ that saved me. I want the Christ that's calling me. He said, the moment you turned and with one of your eyes looked at me, you stole my heart.