His Body Will Bring Justice — Robert B. Thompson

The Call to Spiritual Warfare and the Return of Jesus

And I pray that the people will feel the call to war, Lord, that some of us are feeling, Lord, and they'll realize that this Sunday is different from what it was a year ago. And what was smack dab in your will a year ago is not the same today.

It's a new challenge, and we must rise to meet it, Lord. In consonance with your return, we must rise to go forward with the Spirit of God, and I pray you'll put that in each one of us, and there'll be the joy that is required for spiritual battle.

We will have the joy of your presence and your glory as you lead the way, Lord. We are looking entirely to you, Lord, and not to our own devices, but entirely to the Lord Jesus Christ. So be real to each one of us, Lord, as we seek to do your will.

We pray, Lord, you'll bless the homes here, that Satan will be kept from our households. They will have peace, and that we will have health and safety, Lord. Be with us, Lord. It's a perilous time, I know, Lord, but your protection makes us more than conquerors.

I pray you'll bless the children's church, Lord, and those who help us. And now as we continue, Lord, we need to know what you're saying right now, today, on this day, Lord. We need to know what God is saying to each one of us.

So help us together in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated, and we'll turn in our Bibles to the 42nd chapter of the book of Isaiah. Now, this is not the only place in the Old Testament that the servant of the Lord is mentioned.

But it's one that God has made real to me, and I preach on it from time to time. So let's read verses 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Isaiah 42. Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight. I will put my spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout or cry out or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice. He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on the earth.

In his law the islands will put their hope. Now, the servant of the Lord is, first of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. But for the purpose of the 2 ,000 years of the church era has been to build a body for the head.

The head is Jesus Christ. Now, that idea of the body of the Messiah, Christ and Messiah are the same word. The idea of a body for the Messiah was not revealed apparently to any of the apostles except Paul.

He's the only one who uses the term, the body of Christ. And it's a great mystery. I don't know what else to say. But I do know when God began to emphasize this idea was around the middle of this century.

After 50 years had been in force, Pentecost had been in force for 50 years. Bring us up to 1950. Right around that time God began to emphasize the body of Christ. And that expression became common coin in the churches.

Now, there's the term church, which means in the Greek, called out from. The meaning of the word church is called out from the people of the world by the Spirit of God. The term body of Christ is another way of referring to the church.

But it's important that it be emphasized because the word church in our usage has come to mean a building. A building in which the members of the Christian religion gather. That's how we use the term.

That's how the world uses the term. Church is a building in which members of the Christian religion gather together. Whether they be Catholic or Protestant or whatever part Greek Orthodox or whatever they may be.

That's what a church is. And so the idea of the body of Christ, while it refers to the term church as it's used in the New Testament, does not refer to a building and members of the Christian religion who gather therein.

So it has to be emphasized for that reason. Because if we use the term body, we get one picture in our mind. If we use the term church, we get another. Because the term church is very familiar to us. And it means something that the term body is not referring to.

The Body of Christ Versus Religious Institution

Now, the difference between the way we use the term church and the way the Bible uses the term body of Christ is that the church as we think of it is a religion. There is the Christian religion. There is the Muslim religion.

There are other religions in the world, many of them. Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, many religions. A religion is usually started by an outstanding teacher. And they gain adherence and they practice the rules of their religion.

That's a religion. And Christianity is a religion in our country. But the body of Christ is much more than a religion. And you can be a church member and a member of the Christian religion and not be in the body of Christ.

So when we're talking about the servant of the Lord in Isaiah 42 and other places in Isaiah, we're talking about Christ and then not just his churches as we understand the term, but something else. So in a way of speaking, there is a church within the churches.

This will become apparent in the future. When we have enough persecution, the church, the true church will come forth. And the Christian religion will just grow and enlarge and larger and larger. But out of this will come the true church.

And to a certain extent, this is beginning today. Not meaning you leave your church. It's what you do in your heart. You can leave the church and not come out of Babylon at all. Now, what this means to you and me this morning, and what God is pressing this morning, is it's a much closer relationship to Jesus than we've realized.

Maybe we do realize it, but that many people do not understand. It's a very close relationship to Jesus. And I encourage the young people, I encourage them, to not think of yourselves just as members of the Christian religion, or just a Christian in the ordinary sense, but as a member of the body of Christ.

Because from the age of six on up, in the case of some children, five, you're old enough to be baptized at that age. There's children at the age of five that understand water baptism very well. And if you do, you're old enough to understand what it means to be a member of the body of Christ.

And not just a member of Mount Zion Fellowship. It's infinitely more than being a member of Mount Zion Fellowship. First of all, it's very personal. It's very personal. It's one-on-one. You can't bring anyone with you.

Not even your mother and father. Not your brother and sister. It's between you and the person who created you. And while you must be subject to your parents, and when you're not, you're out of God's will, tell you that right now when you're young.

But I don't fear that you would take my words to mean that. Nonetheless, God wants you to understand that even as a child, Jesus expects to have a one-on-one relationship with you. One-on-one. And that can only come as you give some time each day to talking to the Lord, just you and the Lord, and getting acquainted with Him.

And listening to what He says. Now, He may speak to you. He may not. You may have a feeling. You may not. But rest assured that God is hearing you. And it will come out in little ways in your life that you don't anticipate.

Because God is not a feeling. You may feel real religious. You may feel rotten. But when you say something to the Lord in Jesus' name, you better know He hears you. You may feel that He doesn't. You may feel that He's not even hearing you.

But watch what happens in your life. You may pray and feel, I didn't feel a thing. And I feel rotten. I don't think God has heard me. And all of a sudden you'll find out next Tuesday, it happens. And when it does, be sure to thank the Lord.

That's why it's a good idea to write down your prayers in your journal. When you pray for something, write it down. And then look at it each day. And it will be answered. When it is, praise the Lord. Right after it, PTL.

And that one's done. That way, you will gain a personal relationship with Jesus. And you will become a member of His body. Now think about that for a minute. Each of us in here has a head. And each of us has a body.

Christ as the Head and Believers as His Body

Now, the body is dependent on the head. Would you agree with that? I mean, if your head is cut off, your body goes into chaos. Your body doesn't know what to do. Because the directions come from your brain.

Okay? Right? Amen. Well, the same is true for the head. If you cut the head off from your body, barring death, just not figuring in death, just figuring, let's say they both stay alive, and your head's in one place, your body's in another, there's not much your head can do but sit on the table.

I used to have in my 5th grade classroom, we had a boy whose mother worked in the city morgue. And I asked her for a brain. So, the boy came to school with a brain packed in a jar of formaldehyde. I kept it on the piano to remind all of us of the brevity of life.

See, that was a person. This isn't a public school that's doing this already. Better listen to your sister, Matthew. Matthew, you know what I'm talking about, do you? What did I just get through talking about?

A brain. Hey, yes he did. And am I pleased you made a liar out of me. Alright, now, your head without your body isn't going to go anywhere. And God hasn't given us that figure of speech to be funny or because he had nothing else to do.

It's actually very real. And what it's telling us is that Christ has made himself dependent on us. He has no hands except your hands. He has no legs except your legs. Now think about that. Another figure is the vine and the branches.

The vines do not bear grapes. But we are the branches. That's where the grapes come from. So it pleased God to make Jesus dependent on you and me. You see, when you go back to Adam and Eve, Adam and Eve is a story, real enough, but it's a story that tells us about Christ and his body.

And see, none of the things that God told Adam were possible apart from Eve. And what God has told, promised Christ is impossible without you. I'm not kidding. He'd have come back long ago if his body was ready.

But you can't move people. We're learning that, aren't we? People don't like change. Huh? They move slowly. Say, Lord, give me a couple thousand years. There's only a day in my sight. We'll get there.

The Church's Disconnection From Christ

Alright, now, here's what happened during two thousand years of church history. The body, the church has had a condition that Eddie will know about, and Kathy Pankarich will know about, and Chris will know about, and I forgot my other... and Mary Brown will know about.

And that is what happens to your... what happens to you when your head and your body get out of contact, when they're not contacting, when your body is not getting the signals from the head. What happens, Eddie?

What do we call that? It can be paralysis, or it can be the opposite. It can be uncontrolled movements. When the head and the body are not in sync, the head can give a direction, but the body does not respond.

For two thousand years, the Christian church has been like that. The reason is, people have created a religion, but it hasn't been a body. And so Jesus can think whatever he wants to, but the churches do whatever they want to.

And so we've had two thousand years of massive confusion. To this day, we have massive confusion. And the reason is, most of the believers are not that much in touch with the head. Not that much in touch with the head.

They're good people. Probably the best there are, Christian people, for all their faults, are still, for the most part, clean, hardworking, decent, trustworthy people. And that's to the good. But to know Jesus one-on-one, to spend time with him, so that you know what he is saying, is difficult, whether you're a member of the congregation or a member of the ministry under the present format.

It's equally hard for the ministry, as it is for people who are not in the public ministry. As a minister, you're tempted to do all kinds of things. It just depends on your personal ambition, your fears, your desire to please, whatever bondages you have in the flesh, your worldliness and your need to be rich.

All these kinds of things move people in the ministry, just as they move people who are not in the public ministry. When you're young especially, but not exclusively, by any means, it is difficult to conceive of a life lived so that you are always listening to the head.

That is difficult. Believe me. At every age, it is difficult. Why is it difficult? Well, for a lot of reasons. Sometimes we don't trust God. He's not that real to us. But most often it's because we have a lot of stuff we want to do.

And even after we've got the victory over that for about ten years, then something else crops up and bang, off we go running like a hound after a red herring. Off we go. We've been solid right on for ten years and then something comes up that attracts us.

And we forget about asking the Lord. We just assume. Never assume anything. Remember Joshua in the Gibeonites. Don't take anything for granted. Pray about everything. Sometimes you get nine camels watered and that ten camel doesn't come around, doesn't come around.

You better cool your jets because God waits to see if we really are going to be a member of His body or if we're going to do our own thing. Now that may seem like death to you but let me tell you as someone who has been where you are and if you think I dropped down from Heaven then you're crazy.

I didn't even have a Christian upbringing let alone drop down from Heaven. So I went through all the stuff that kids go through including the teen whatever it is, period of adjustment. When I was 17 I saw a sandwich board outside of the post office.

Green and dressed blues. I finished it for me. That was not a rational decision. I should have waited to get drafted but that's what you do when you're young. I didn't say God should I enlist in the Marine Corps.

I wasn't even a Christian. I'm not talking to you as you know be good my little man but the difference between you and me is this I've been where you are but you haven't been where I've been. That's the difference.

So I'm higher up the mountain by virtue of my great age and I know some things you don't but you will know when you're higher up the mountain. I know you're thinking boy I hope I never look like him but your day will come your day will come unless they develop an elixir of youth or something.

But I want to tell you as a friend as a friend that the sooner you make up your mind that the only way to go is with Jesus. Now I'm not talking about church Annie I'm not talking about being churchy. I'm talking about a one on one relationship with Jesus Christ the person who's alive and who is here now with us the happier your life is going to be.

I can't trust him as to who I marry. Okay go ahead become a saint see what I care and you will if you marry the wrong person. I suppose the wisdom of that is lost on us. You will be a happy camper if you learn to listen to Jesus every day it will save you more broken hearts and frustrations and self recriminations and it might even save your life in this day because the penalties for losing your self control can be pretty severe.

I've got an expression flow with the go. You say he got it wrong he always does no I haven't got it wrong it's flow with the go you find out where Jesus is going and then you flow with it. Oh yeah that's right flow with the go you can use it you don't have to give me credit or anything but honestly if you want to get more churchy I could sing you.

Oh what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry what? Everything to God in prayer. That's how we used to sing it which was somewhat different from this morning but that's the way we used to do it.

The body of Christ is not everyone who's a member of the Christian religion or calls himself a Christian. It's the people who have been brought into the head so that they are getting their signals from the head.

So it's a step past being religious. It means for you and me an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ giving your life to him not just in word but in in truth and in fact so that you are listening for him every day and asking his wisdom and his will in all that you do.

I don't think older people are going to do this because they're older because they don't. It doesn't happen when you get 21 or even 18 or even 17. It doesn't just happen. It happens only when you get ready to make it happen.

It doesn't come along with your driver's license or the right to vote. It happens when you make it happen when you decide Jesus. I don't want to be just a Christian. I want to be a member of your body.

I want to be in touch with you Lord. You're what I want in this world and shuck everything else. When you do that you'll be a member of the body of Christ and of the servant of the Lord. Amen. That's from a friend boy if I'd only started doing that when I was 6 and I'm stuck with all these memories.

And as fast as they come to me I say Lord remove that from my memory bank. Oh God remove that from my memory. You don't want to go through that. That is absolutely reprehensible. That's what happens when you don't know the Lord.

Do all kinds of stupid things. Anybody in here ever do anything stupid? Well not 3 or 4 people. But I have done many stupid things. And it wasn't because I was following the Lord either. It's because I wasn't.

Isaiah's Servant as Christ and His Body

Here is my servant. There was no servant to see. There was no servant. There was no servant when Jesus was born except the head. For 2000 years the Lord has waited till his church wakes up to the fact.

Christianity is not just a religion. It's a one on one with Jesus. Boy you want to see some innocent looks I'm getting. They're masterpieces of the art form of drama in the 53rd chapter which we're not going to.

But you'll all remember it. It's talking about the servant of the Lord. He's a root out of a dry ground. He has no form nor comeliness. When we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

Yet we did esteem him smitten of God and afflicted. That also is the servant of the Lord. But that's the head. So the Jews could look and look and look and not figure out what in the world is the servant of the Lord.

What's going on. They knew he was Mashiach. But what is this? Today we understand. Today we understand what God is saying not of Isaiah. Today God is revealing the meaning of the Bible. You search your commentaries you'll see they still have not an agreement about the servant of the Lord.

It's Christ head and body whom I uphold. And that's to our advantage. Because times are going to get tumultuous. If China decides to take over Taiwan you're going to see some interesting things. I don't know what the United States will do.

Probably nothing. But they may and you may see some interesting things in the times to come. And if you want to be upheld by the Lord if you want that rock under you so that you can stand no matter what happens no matter what happens.

If we have no money no food and nothing we have nothing you will be established. And you will help others to be established providing you're part of the servant of the Lord. He doesn't say here is my servant.

The Christian church whom I uphold it's those who are part of Jesus. So if you want to stand true and help others to stand true whatever comes whether we have a big flap over the computers or whether we don't.

Or whether we have war or whether we don't we'll have something that assures the world. Because every nation that behaves like us has always God gets at one way or the other. You want to stand get serious with God become one of His servants whom I uphold my chosen one.

Now the choosing you wouldn't be here if you weren't chosen my words wouldn't mean nothing to you. What in the world. You wouldn't hear it all. But you can hear it because you're chosen of God chosen of God.

That's why you're here young or old. That's why you're here because God has chosen you. God doesn't waste anything. He doesn't give me understanding to give to you and then sends people that are not supposed to be here.

If you're here in this church it's because God has sent you. And if God has sent you to this church it's to hear what's being preached. We had quite a word come forth in the we had a meeting of the pastors of the North County Division on Friday and the superintendent of the North County Division is Coleman Phillips who is pastor of the Big Four Square Church in Escondido.

I've never heard him prophesied before. Never but as always when Audrey and I were going to the divisional meeting we were praying that God would do something and give us something. Boy he did. Coleman prophesied and I had to say afterward.

Well you know at the risk of being thought of someone who was covering favor with the boss I thought hang that I've got to say this and I mean that was from God and we better listen to it. That was from God.

And what he said was not exactly in line with everything that had gone before. It was like it had cut across everything and God said to the effect to these pastors. There was probably twenty pastors there and God said I've appointed you to preach and what I want you to do is get behind the pulpit and preach what I give you and I will make the changes he emphasized.

This prophecy was rather lengthy and Coleman was acting it out gesticulating with his hands. I've never seen him do anything like this before and it resonated with me. I thought that's right. We're discipled by hearing the word.

You'll be forever changed from just what's been said to you this morning. I'm not boasting about myself. You'll be changed by the prayer service. You'll be changed by everything that you put into it. You will reap what you sow.

The Lord's made that clear to me. So I quit worrying about people. They're going to get out of it what they put into it. Okay Lord. But I do grieve when I see people coming short of what they could have had but the Lord has given me peace about it.

You'll get out of it what you put into it. But God if God has sent you here and I believe he has and you're chosen my servant whom I have chosen and you're chosen to be a servant of God. Then God sent you here to be changed for the word to change you otherwise why would you be here.

So you're chosen you're chosen of God. If you weren't you wouldn't be here. I really believe that now he says in whom I delight. And many times when we go through hard places. I've been reading autobiography of Brett Butler.

Well I asked Bob if he knew him. Bob doesn't know him. I don't think anybody in here knows him. You know him? Eddie, you know Brett Butler? Huh? Very, very, very famous baseball player and and he he came.

Yeah he's all star stuff big stuff. But you probably haven't heard of him because he he doesn't play on the Padres but he has played in Los Angeles San Francisco with the Mets Atlanta Braves and all over the place the Dodgers.

But anyway he's quite a Christian quite a Christian. And when I get through with this book those that want to can read it but in any case he felt a need in his life to go deeper. So he had there's a lot of these baseball players they're very, very devoted Christians.

And of course he being a Christian he knew them and there's a raft of them and some of them were way farther along in the Lord than he and so he listened to them and he realized that he wasn't where he wanted to be.

But he heard that if he went deeper with God you know he's either be hurt in some way because that's that's what they all were telling him. So he went to these guys and he said can't and tell the Lord can't I go deeper with God without something dreadful happening.

And they said just just pray God will bring you through whatever. So he he did pray. And his wife and they prayed we want to go deeper with you Lord. Well sure enough it hit him and he had a bad situation.

I won't go into what it was. But he survived and came out a much stronger person. But when these things happen to us and we press into God and then things happen that are not as pleasant as we'd like.

I want you to remember one thing in whom I delight in whom I delight. God delights in you. I see I need to say that again if you're going through a hard time right now it may seem like he doesn't care about me.

Oh boy he knows every time you inhale and exhale and he delights in you. Sometimes when you have a hard master it seems like you can never please him. No matter what you do. It's never good enough. He's holding up that standard so high you just can't make it.

I'll never please this guy as long as I live. Well sometimes the Lord comes across like I can never meet his standard. You've got to know that God delights in you. You may not be meeting your own standard.

But God delights in you. You may be fumbling all over the place but God delights in you. God delights in you. Amen? Well think about it and let it Moses its way through. I don't know the verb for osmosis.

Does anybody? I don't know osmosiate its way through let it permeate. And no matter what happens and no matter how you blow it and how you feel God delights in you. Yes just you I will put my spirit on him.

The Holy Spirit and the Priestly Calling

Now we're in Pentecost and we have sought the spirit and we have spoken in tongues. But we may not have known the purpose of it. The purpose of God's spirit on you. Its not on the people in the world.

You know the reason his spirit is on you is to make you a member of the body of Christ. The reason God put his spirit on you and not on everybody in the world is because he has something for you to do.

God just doesn't put his spirit on everybody. The Holy Spirit is a priestly anointing its holy, holy. The Holy Spirit is much more than talking in tongues. Its because God is saying you are a member of the priesthood.

Its like in the old days on the priest they would put anointing oil well in the New Testament its the Holy Spirit and its on you. Because you are a priest of God and a member of his body.

Yeah I'm not even making it. Yeah I know that.

But you shall if you don't quit don't quit. If I've learned anything its don't quit. Then it says something that is absolutely absolutely absolutely. It is contrary to all that's taken place in Christianity today.

It really is so. I don't expect you to accept it overnight or to grasp it or anything because it is so 180 degrees out of sync with all we're hearing. The big cry today is when the Lord comes. He's going to take his church to heaven whether before or in the middle of or after the tribulation.

We are not in agreement but we are in agreement that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming from heaven to take his church to heaven. How many know. That's true. Boy. You're a suspicious group. Well let me ask you a question.

Christ's Return and the Purpose of Justice

What are we going to do when we get there. Anthony what are you going to do when you get there. I'm going to cook breakfast for you. What did he say. Well I'll go for that. I've sampled some of your cooking.

I'm with you there. Just as long as it's oatmeal. We don't have the foggiest what we're going to do there. Except we're tired. The young people aren't ready to go to heaven yet. Everybody over 25 is exhausted.

If I could just go to heaven.

And I've got my income tax and I've got my bills and I've got this. And which long distance carrier shall I choose. And the dishwasher's broke. I don't know whether to invest my money in this that or the next thing.

The other is saying I wish to have money to invest. I wish I could pay the rent.

The kids are sick. I wish I could go to heaven and just rest.

Or maybe talk with my friends or maybe chew bubblegum something anyway. Ok. You're going to chew bubblegum in heaven. How many are going to chew bubblegum in heaven. Well we don't have anything to do.

So God has spent all this time teaching us patience. How many have been taught patience lately. Anybody? Anybody in here been taught patience lately? Teaching us courage. Anybody in here been taught courage lately?

Teaching us wisdom. Anybody in here need wisdom today? Teaching us to listen to Jesus and not go our own way. Teaching us to be kind. Why is he doing this? We don't need it in heaven would you ever wonder about that?

If you're one of God's chosen God is dealing with you day and night and day and night. And other people can get away with things. And you can't get away with anything. Audrey used to love to tell me about an elementary school.

The teacher would go out and the kids would go bananas throwing erasers around the room and everything else. And of course Audrey sitting there being real good and then she'd pick up an eraser and walk the teacher.

Whatever happened to you? Everybody else can be bad but if you are things go wrong nobody? Well it happens that way with God's chosen. God's on your case all the time because he's doing something with you because he has a desire and he needs you to fulfill that desire.

Did you ever wonder that Jesus has needs? Like a head sitting on the table already? Or a vine without branches? Maybe the man has needs? Maybe there's something he wants? Maybe there's something Jesus wants?

Maybe there's something Jesus needs? Well that shocked you didn't it? Yeah we've got everything. Oh yes he does because God has commanded him here to bring justice to the nations. Now if you know anything about the nations today you can see that they are all happy campers.

How many know that? Are any of you aware of what's going on in Sudan? In Africa? Have you any conception of the way Christians the Muslims are trying to eliminate the Christians all together and they are bringing whole families into slavery including the children doing terrible things to the women torturing and killing other Christians.

There are Christian groups in this country that are going into the Sudan with money to buy back the Christians who have been forced into slavery. It's an unbelievable horror story just in Sudan. That's not talking about what's going on in China or in the Middle East or in Peru.

These are the main trouble spots. The main trouble spot right now is between China and Taiwan. That's the one that has the biggest potential to really involve the war involve us in war. And then of course there's Bosnia which we sent troops into.

You remember all the action in Bosnia? You know what Bosnia has become? A center for drug supported terrorism. The terrorists. And that is the main problem. The main concern in our country today see war is always changing always becoming more sophisticated.

And the problem now is not atomic bombs from airplanes. The problem now is terrorism and the terrorists used to be supported by several nations such as Iran Syria and Libya. But this pattern has all changed now.

And the terrorists and these are people whose target is the United States and they're very interested in wiping us out by the hundreds of thousands of people. I kid you not. We've closed any number of our embassies recently because they're targets but our country is targeted and behind the scenes.

The government is working and preparing the police forces in our country without trying to get the public to panic. But we are very vulnerable because we are a democracy to terrorism. Well the terrorism now instead of being supported by nations is being supported by drugs.

And one of the big centers is Bosnia where we went in with our troops to make some kind of stability. And the next place undoubtedly will be Kosovo because it's always been on the drug run from Russia goes through Kosovo so we don't know what we're doing.