God's Sovereignty Is My Sanity — Shane Idleman

Rest and Seeking God in Turbulent Times

I've got an important message this morning on God's sovereignty. The title is, God's Sovereignty is My Sanity. On Wednesday, I'm going to give a message at our Wednesday night service, How to Find Rest in Turbulent Times.

Anybody need rest right now from anxiety and fear and uncertainty? As much as I would like to give that message now, it's going to have to be Wednesday at 6pm. But on Wednesday, I was also going to announce something to the congregation and maybe give you a little bit of background so you can know where I'm coming from because a lot of you are new.

I think over 100 people left the church during COVID. They moved to different states. California has the biggest, I think, with New York coming closely, with people leaving. And so a lot of new people I don't even know.

We've got meet and greets that you can sign up for where I get to know some of you. But last year at this time, after 10 years of preaching and leading a church, I was going to take a sabbatical. And what happened this time last year?

Yeah, COVID. I remember I was leaving Burbank Airport and I was speaking at a large men's conference in Minnesota. And he said, hey, I'm not sure if it's a go. And I'm like, well, I'm on the tarmac. I need to know if this is a go.

So I land in Dallas, Fort Worth, and I find out it's not a go. So I have to wait in Dallas for 12 hours and fly back home. And COVID started. I came back to the church and didn't take that sabbatical.

What a sabbatical is, it's a time of where you actually unplug your cell phone, your media, church-related things, anything you've been doing, you just unplug. It's a time to just rest and seek God. Kind of like what Jesus did in 40 days there in the wilderness and seeking God.

And if you can do it wherever you're at, I would encourage you to do it. And moms are saying, yeah, right, right with the kids. Well, you can give them mini sabbaticals. And but with pastoring, it's 24 -7, seven days a week.

And what a lot of you have been feeling in the media, correct? Have you been feeling that? The church, you know, we've been feeling a lot of it, too, with YouTube stopping some sermons and I got Facebook notices and all kinds of things.

It's massive censoring that's going on. And December, I took some Sundays off, as you know, and it was actually the busiest month I've ever had with looking into, you know, I was part of Young Evangelicals for this current administration.

And God say, you say his name, you're in trouble these days. But so I was looking at all the evidence, Sidney Powell's 270-page report, Lin Wood's materials, the voter fraud. And I mean, it was just a mess.

Our nation is in a mess. It's in a crisis. And all the different things going on and conference calls, Zoom calls. And I was actually spending way too much time doing that stuff looking back now and not as much time focusing on what God wanted me to focus on.

But sometimes we have to take a stand for righteousness. We have to do what is right. We have to stand for those things that are right. And so I don't know what that balance is. But December was very difficult, very challenging.

Sabbatical, Calling, and Spiritual Preparation

I think the bubble burst in many of our lives and we realized what could, I mean, when you can shut down somebody on Facebook or Twitter, what's next? You know, PayPal just shut down a church for giving.

I mean, it's just alarming where this can go. So I was going to take a sabbatical this summer, this coming up and take a break this summer. But we talked to the city of Lancaster. Again, I filled out the form for JetHawk Stadium on Saturday night.

So there goes that idea. And also we're working on something you can keep in prayer. A friend of mine who's pretty influential in the Christian community and knows a lot of people, we want to start getting stadiums in different parts of the country.

And the nation's going to change from the inside out. And not charging people, not getting big name worship leaders. I mean, you know, they can come, of course, but it's not about name and making money.

It's about getting the altar open again and seeking the heart of God. So that kind of might be on my plate as well for June or July, doing some of those things. And so we realized that this time of sabbatical might not come anytime soon.

And I was feeling, like many of you, you know, worn out and exhausted. And I can keep doing this. You know, it's not a burnout. The reason you take a sabbatical is to prevent a burnout. You kind of take that rest before you need it.

So out of the blue, Paula, who's at the first service, she asked my wife how I'm doing, you know, as far as taking some rest and another person. And so there's a lot of confirmation that God was giving us.

Talked to the elders. And so I'm going to actually take that fairly soon. Take that time of rest, 40 days, 50 days, I'm not sure. And I'm going to come back better, stronger, less, you know, just, I think, I don't know what the right word is.

Rested. I guess that's a good word. Rested. And we've got Pastor Abrams going to speak. Pastor Rob McCoy. I've reached out to him. I don't know if he is yet. Or Jim Garlow. Also, Ken Graves. If you YouTube Ken Graves, he's a great man of God as well.

And so we're going to try to get the pulpit full. I don't know who can respond or who can make it with COVID and different things. So it's not a bad thing. It's actually really a good thing just to step away from, I've got a new cell phone for this.

No emails, no Facebook, Twitter, none of that stuff. I've never been able to get away from that and just seek God in this area. What does he have? What's the next step for West Side Christian Fellowship?

Because we're going into interesting times ahead. The real church, the capitulating church will be okay. The real church that wants to stand for God's word and do what is right is going to be going to very interesting times.

And I don't know if I ever get this opportunity again. We're going into, you know, difficult seasons. And I want to just be ready for what is coming. So it's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. I think it's going to benefit everyone, but I'm going to talk about that more this Wednesday.

So if you want to come for that message, that would be great. But what has been getting me through, and I guess I should back up a little bit. What getting me through sounds like, oh, you know, what's going on?

Are you about ready to fall apart? No, not at all. I'm strengthened in the Lord like many of you, but it's been exhausting. It's been exhausting when you see evil get away with evil. It's been exhausting when you see the unrighteousness is being elevated.

The wicked freely prance about as wickedness is praised throughout the land, Psalm says. And you see shenanigans taking place. You see as horrific it was at the Capitol and in embarrassment. We totally condemn it.

There was some instigation going on. There's some things going on in the back end that you'll hopefully come out soon. But now who knows? I mean, Hunter Biden's laptop is no longer an issue. And who knows what else is no longer an issue?

I mean, everything's being pushed underneath the rug. And you might see this time where evil, it begins to really dominate. But that is when I believe the church can be even stronger. And I'm going to explain that in just a minute.

God's Sovereignty as the Foundation of Sanity

So I'm very encouraged because God's sovereignty is my sanity. And he's going to be your sanity. Now, I'm going to begin with the quote of the month. Somebody asked, God, why are you taking me through deep waters?

Anybody feel like that? Or just me? Why are you taking me through deep waters? And he responded, because your enemy can't swim. Yeah, let's clap for that one. But isn't that true? This isn't psychological babble.

This isn't like just positive thinking. This is the truth that almighty God reigns on the throne. No enemy will stop him. No political figure will outrule him. God is God and he will be God until the day we all perish.

And so what is the definition of sovereignty? You might wonder, what is, what do you mean, sovereignty? Sovereignty means God is in full control. He has full authority and he has the right to do whatever he chooses.

Bottom line, plain and simple. That's, that's, I gave you just tons of theology in a sentence. Sovereignty is God is in control. So here's the problem. When God's sovereignty is going this way, my plans are going this way.

But I thought this. I wanted this. I felt this. Isn't this best for the church? And then God's sovereignty doesn't line up with that. And that can actually lead to depression if we're not careful. It can lead to confusion, fear, anxiety.

How many people are going to seriously question their faith? Oh, it's happening big time. Big time. People are questioning their faith. Shane, what's going on? I'm still getting emails of people saying, Shane, you've lost faith.

You've lost hope. What's wrong with you? Trump will win on Wednesday. Well, okay. Maybe I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have went in these waters. But there's, there's a website out there that said the inauguration's been canceled.

He's got it. I'm like, well, you better check your sources because that's the only website who's saying that. All the other ones, as much as I desired that, as much as I fought for that, as much as I, I thought, you know, that was going to happen.

It's becoming clear that that might not happen. And people need to be prepared for that. So how many people are going to fall away because we trusted in what we thought was best versus in what God is doing.

And it's going to make sense in a minute there. I know this is irritating. This whole two months has been irritating for many people. Somebody asked me how I was doing. And I said, I am beyond angry, but I am peaceful.

I am so irritated, but I'm filled with joy. So you have this, this battle within. And I felt like Jeremiah, oh God, why do the wicked prosper? Why do the wicked prosper? Habakkuk wrote that as well. And Habakkuk, he said, why are the wicked prospering?

And, and he told Habakkuk, hey, write it down on the table. So when, when, when I finally speak my truth and I judge them, those who will read it will know that I am the God in heaven. Though the vision is yet for an appointed time, it will speak.

My word will go forth. God's word will always hold its ground. When it's not God's time, you cannot force it. And when it is his time, you cannot stop it. So this has been a very difficult season for Shane Eidelman to get positioned into God's sovereignty, right?

You had to go through all the emotions of anger and frustration and, and, and, and fear. Uh, when, when, when you can censor like that, where does it stop? Where does it stop? Our, our, our website hosting company.

Oh, we don't like this conservative church. Boom, done. PayPal, we don't like your giving. Boom, done. It's just, it's just, it's just right in our face. So we have to rest in God's sovereignty. Because we have faith in God, right?

What is faith? Faith is the evidence of things not seen, the substance of things hoped for. So I can't see what's going on, but God does, does. So I trust in him. And this is great comfort to the Christian.

Isn't it? You don't, very, first service look a little more encouraged. There we go. Smiling. Everybody's got In-N-Out burger on their mind. Second service. But it's great comfort. Great comfort. Knowing that God is in control.

I can go to sleep at night. And all those nights that my kids forget to lock the front door. And I wake up in the morning, go out. Oh, wasn't that nice? I rest in God. Oh, you ever put the key in the door and you realize it's still outside the car.

They could have took your car too. And so resting in God's sovereignty. There's, there's just, just so much joy in that. If you get your mind wrapped around that. Because I get fearful and anxious. And then, oh, I just get back to God's sovereignty.

The Mind as a Battlefield

And taking those thoughts captive to the obedience. That's why your mind is the battlefield. Your mind is the battlefield right now. That's why they're going after your mind. With fake news. And things.

Be not conformed to this world. But be transformed by the ringing of your mind. By watching Fox News and CNN. By the word of God. That's the only source of strength. And I've got, come to a point now even in saying.

I don't have all the answers. I don't know if that's true. I don't know if that's true. I don't know why that, I don't. But I know that God is true. Because there's so many theories floating out there.

Isn't there? There's so many things going on. From vaccines. To the global reset. To the deep state. To conspiracy theories. To Q and all this stuff. It's just like mind boggling. And I've noticed those people focus on all those things.

Are rarely focused on God's word. They lack stability. And they get mad at me often. Because I challenge. I'm sick of all that stuff. Aren't you? I want to know what God's word has to say. God reigns.

He has not vacated his throne. Is the definition. I like what Spurgeon said. I'm going to paraphrase. Whatever turmoil and rebellion there may be beneath the clouds. The eternal king sits above at all supreme serenity.

And everywhere he is master. Let his foes rage as they may. They cannot stop him. And I love one of the prophets gave an example. Though the waves are raging. Have you ever seen those waves? I mean they look.

I've seen guys surfing 60, 70 foot waves. It's just. And they're coming and they're massive. But then they turn to foam. They're nothing. And the prophet said. Why do the nations rage? Or why the oceans roar against God?

Who is going to stop God Almighty? So we trust in his sovereignty. Thank God. But guess what? We have a responsibility. With sovereignty. I gave this analogy. And it is an analogy. It's not true at the first service.

I don't want anyone getting mad at my kids. But it'd be like my son saying. I can say, son, go get a job. He says, no dad. I'm trusting in God's sovereignty. True, right? Let me put my foot up on the TV.

Just watch TV. Go do something. I'm trusting in God's sovereignty. Go do this. I'm just trusting God's sovereignty. Everybody's still on their January. Their New Year's resolutions kick, right? Health and weight loss.

Well, I'm trusting in God's sovereignty. As I go to Krispy Kreme. I'm going to. There's responsibility. God's sovereignty requires responsibility. How many times in the Bible do we hear or see the word if?

Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility

In the Bible. If you seek me with all of your heart, you'll find me. If my people humble themselves and pray. If you turn from your wicked way. Or in Revelation, even when the judgment of God is falling out.

If you cry out to me. If you call upon the name of the Lord. Judah, Israel. Actually, before they were broken up in southern northern kingdoms. He said, Israel, the whole nation of Israel. I will bless you.

If you follow me. And so we see there's a sovereignty we can trust in. But we will have moral responsibility in that sovereignty. And I should probably clarify for those. Maybe you're new. I love our nation.

I love godly leaders. I love godly legislation. I think it's important for the church to be involved in the political process. It's one area that God has given the church, the family and government. Government is his idea.

That's actually God's God's God's idea. God's God created government. Why? To govern the affairs of men. To be a tear to those who do evil. And so we want to we want godly legislation. All these areas.

Isaiah's Call to Repentance and Obedience

But something interesting I believe is happening in our nation. I want to talk to you about that. Let me just give you one example. Isaiah 1 18 through 20. You know the verse. Come now, let us reason together.

Have you heard that before? A lot of apologetics ministries use that. They'll say, let us reason together. In other words, sit down. Let's think about this. Let's talk about this. So come, let us reason together, says the Lord.

Though your sins are like scarlet. It's just red. It's death. It's crimson. The crimson blood. It's terrible. They shall be white as snow. Though they are red like crimson. They shall be as wool. And then you can imagine Israel saying.

Oh, thank God. Doesn't that sound great? Well, we got to keep reading. If you are willing and obedient. You shall eat of the good of the land. But if you refuse and you rebel. You should be. You will be devoured by the sword.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. And when God says something. You cannot reverse it. You cannot manipulate it. So many people think they can manipulate God's word. I'm not going to listen. I'll just wait.

Eventually he'll give up. No, he won't. He's got eternity. That's why we call it absolute truth. When God sends truth in motion. You cannot change it. Now there are times where the Bible says. Some translations you have.

They'll say God repented. Really what that word means in the Hebrew language. Is when it uses it. I believe more. Is God changed his mind. That's where we get some hope as well. Because he said. Go tell Jonah.

Go tell Assyria. Go tell Nineveh. That great Assyrian capital. That I'm going to judge it. 40 days I'm going to judge it. And they repented. And God restrained his hand of judgment. For about 150 years.

And then he told Hezekiah. Put your house in order. You're going to die. And Hezekiah pleaded with him. And he changed his mind. Wicked kings were going to be judged. And God would change. Because of the condition of the people.

So that's why the sovereignty is complex. Because some things are clearly written. He told Jeremiah. Don't even pray for the people anymore. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine that? If we are hit with the weight of God.

Saying don't even pray for this nation anymore. The judgment hand of God is falling. Don't waste your prayers on it. But he hasn't said that yet. Praise God. And this theme of judgment. I want to talk about it for a minute.

Biblical Judgment and the Unchanging Character of God

But people ask me. Oh, why do you talk about that? Well, my convictions come from the Word of God. So when you spend time in Isaiah and Jeremiah. And Lamentations where he's lamenting over the fall. In Ezekiel where he's in captivity.

And Daniel where he's in captivity. And Joel and Amos and Obadiah. And Jonah and Micah and Nahum and Habakkuk. The prophet Zechariah, Zephaniah. Haggai preaching. And you look at even God's character hasn't changed.

Because people think. Well, that was the God of the Old Testament. If anybody tells you that. You better tell them it's the same God. Same God. Now there are dispensations. They're under what they would call the sacrificial system.

The blood of bulls and goats. Temporary. And now we're under the new covenant. Because Christ's death is all sufficient. It's all we need. It's not Christ plus something. And so there is in regard to salvation and different things.

And the ceremonial laws are no longer of course. And the dietary laws are no longer. But did you know that God doesn't give things. Tell you to do things that are bad. For example, the dietary laws. Do you know how many of those are good?

For example, sea fish. Or shellfish. Sea fish. Sell fish. Not that healthy for you. They like eat all the toxins. All the garbage in the bottom of the ocean. They clean the ocean. God knew what he was doing.

Pigs are not real good. I could get into the worms and stuff. I'm not going to get there. But when God tells us to do something. It's always beneficial. Now the moral laws though. The moral laws have not changed.

When God sets morality in motion. It's still moral today. It's not thou shalt not commit adultery. And thou shalt commit adultery. It's not thou shalt steal. Not steal. And thou shalt steal. The moral.

So you see the moral character of God. Throughout the nations. Or throughout all the scripture. And now I will give them theologians who. You know Old Testament. There's God dealt with his people differently.

And there's some truth to that for sure. But it's also interesting. If you read Revelation. He says come out of her my people. From Babylon. Come out of her my people. Lest you share in her sins. And receive of her plagues.

Her stench has reached my nostrils in heaven. Metaphorically speaking in that regard. I paraphrase a little bit. And Babylon is judged. Nations are judged. So we see that there is. There's some type of judgment.

When a nation. When the land becomes defiled by. By the sickness and the perversion of sin. Because Sodom and Gomorrah. It was so perverted. That God began to judge those nations. He rained down the fire and the coal.

Whatever you know. Whatever he used to wipe that out. What about before Noah? The wickedness on the earth was. There's a defilement that comes in the land. And so here's the problem. Christians live in the midst of that.

He doesn't put us on Jupiter for a while. I wish. Don't you wish? Utopia. But we go through that often. Jeremiah had to go. Jeremiah. Read Lamentations. You want your heart to break? He's lamenting over a nation.

That drew away from God. That drifted from God. And he used foreign enemies. To come in and judge them. Jeremiah. This prophet of God. Mighty man of God. Is weeping. Daniel. Solid. He was led into the exile as well.

Ezra was in exile. Coming back to rebuild the temple. Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a prisoner. Not really a prisoner. He was a cup bearer. But he wasn't. He was sad. He said. And the king said. Nehemiah. Why are you sad? He said.

Why should I not be sad. When the place of my father's tombs. Lies in waste. And you see that God would judge. And there would be. His godly remnant would still be. Still be influenced. Or affected by that judgment.

And so how does that all play out today? I don't have exact answers. I just know the character. And nature of God. I know his principles. And I know. It's not looking too great. Psalm 12. The wicked freely prayed.

And prance about. While evil is praised throughout the land. And Isaiah. In a commentary Bible I have. For Isaiah. The commentator wrote this. Must the remnant of righteous. Also suffer with the nation.

Jesus and the Old Testament Witness

And the reason we use the Old Testament. Is Jesus quoted the Old Testament. Well did Isaiah say of you. Well did Isaiah say of you. You see. But you don't really see. You hear. But you don't really hear.

You draw nigh unto me with your lips. But your hearts are far from me. He would talk about Jonah. He would pull in Moses. He would pull in. Oh haven't you read in the burning bush passage. Haven't you read in the.

And he would pull in Old Testament. To their time. Paul said the Old Testament was written as an example. That you might not lust after evil things. Like they lusted. And so we have this. We have this wonderful.

Anybody who spends significant. Let me put it this way. Anybody who spends significant time in God's word. Both the old and the new. They will understand that America is on very shaky ground. Bottom line.

If all you're doing is reading John 3 .16 in the morning. You might think differently. But that's people. They have little Bible studies. Oh I read this verse today. Have you ever read through the whole Bible?

No no. Just this verse for today. Now that's good. Please grab a verse for the day. I do too. But that can't be your meal. That's the appetizer. That's a good thought for the day. Now look at the whole counsel of God.

Because the Bible makes. When people say I don't understand it. And that's why one of the things I'm excited about. Is teaching through the Bible. And it seems God keeps postponing these things sometimes.

But I want to show how it makes a lot of sense. But in our pride as a nation. We can often say like Israel. When they were being judged. A nation came in and just tore down their buildings. And they said but the bricks are destroyed.

We will rebuild. We will rebuild. We don't care if God judged us. Even though they have torn down our sycamore trees. We will replant them with cedar. So no. What it. What was it? Not cedar. Oh yeah it is cedar trees.

The big ones. And we will rebuild. It doesn't matter if God's judging. It doesn't matter. And what they do is they shake their fist. In the face of God. And there's an arrogance about that. On this issue of judgment.

National Sin, Moral Collapse, and the Need for Awakening

Do you know why we're called the great Satan by Iran? I mean it's obviously support for Israel. But America is referred to as the great Satan. The reason is they get their information from Hollywood. They realize that we're the number one distributor of pornography in the world.

Let me just read some of these things that happened under the last. In the last four years. Do you know what one of the fastest growing online businesses is in our nation? The fastest. One of the fastest growing online businesses in America.

Child sexual exploitation. Did you catch that? I'm going to put a number on the screen as well. This is how many visits. One free porn site. The largest received in 2019. Porn sites receive more traffic than Netflix, Twitter and Amazon combined.

Sex education. I've seen it. That they're teaching in our schools. Is more perverted than anything we've ever seen in our nation's history. The sexual perversion that they want to launch into your children.

And pass laws where they can change your sex without telling you. And you don't think the judgment hand of God is not due? Give me four more years and we'll be good. What happened in the last four years?

Why is this okay? Do you know what killed more people worldwide? The number one cause of death in the whole world last year. Anybody know? Abortion. 43 million children. Number one cause of death in America, I'm sure, is the slaughtering of our own children.

And you're going to lecture me about four more years? Now, let me tell you, I was... God's dealing with my heart. I wanted four years of Pompeo and Pence and Ben Carson. Tony Perkins, I know, at the Family Research Council.

The guys on the president's advisory team. Godly people are in positions of office. The lady who was over the schools for the nation. Very godly Christian woman. I wanted that. I desired that. But I begin to realize something's wrong here.

They're thinking doctors are proposing now to ban gender terms on birth certificates at the hospital. So I begin to just really realize, what are we doing? This is growing, okay? Okay, four more years of an administration that will protect the church.

Great. What about if four years of a difficulty brings the church to the altar? Think about it. Nobody comes to the altar. Prayer meetings. Worship mornings. The church is dead. I didn't come here to win a popularity contest.

I came here to speak the truth. We need to wake up. That's what this is. This is a rude awakening that's happening in our nation, isn't it? A rude awakening precedes a great awakening. In order for God to get your heart, he's got to break it.

I wrote this in an article you might have. The church as a whole has become comfortable. All-night prayer meetings have been exchanged for all-night Netflix binges. Powerful worship services where the spirit of God is moving have been turned into 60-minute programs designed to entertain.

We are measuring success by likes and followers rather than Christ-likeness and following him. You know, let me, can you put that number back? Oh, it's still up there. Any guess how many of these are in Christian homes?

Could it be by the grace of God that we don't have four more years of pride and arrogance in our hearts? I know this is going to tick people off. I don't care. I'm not reading emails anymore. But somebody's got to say it, correct?

If what I'm saying is wrong and unbiblical, tell me, tell me. When God said, when God said, because of the sins of Manasseh, I'm going to judge the nation. The sins of Manasseh weren't compared to this filth.

They would give their children to Molech, burn them alive. God says, what are you doing? This hasn't even entered my thoughts. But because of your giving your children to the gods of Molech, because you're perverted, my judgment is going to fall upon you.

What makes us think we are any different? Because what I'm trying to do is get the church to break. Humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. In due time, he will exalt you. He says, church, cry out to me.

Church, see your sins. See your depravity. See your wickedness. Stop being the church of Laodicea because you're miserable and weak and blind and naked. But come to me and I will give you refiner's fire.

Just fall before my feet and cry out to Almighty God and say, God, save me and set me free and cleanse my heart. Oh, I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people with unclean lips. And the spirit of God comes and he touches the coals of Jeremiah's words and he gives him this fire of God to call the nation to him.

Nothing has changed. He said, Jeremiah, go until I send you. Pull out, root out, destroy, and then rebuild. But we got to dig deep to rebuild. What do you do with a sick branch in a tree? You prune it.

What do you do with an arrogant attitude? You break it. What do you do with a cracked foundation? We have a cracked foundation, don't we? We have to rebuild it. God has to rebuild it. So I hope you hear my heart.

Persecution, Refinement, and the Possibility of Revival

I was praying for godly leadership. I was praying for legislation and leaders that protect the church. But I begin to wonder, what's it accomplishing here? If it breaks us and it humbles us, how many millions will come to know Christ?

How many countless Christians are going to finally fully surrender their life and have the fire of God because of difficulty? And by the way, did you know that persecution is the normal for the church for 2 ,000 years?

That's normal. I don't like it. I didn't say I liked it. I don't want it. But it's the norm of Christian church. Did you know Jesus said, I didn't come to bring peace? Shane, come on. I'm going to have to call you on that one.

No, you're not. Jesus said, I didn't come to bring peace. He's a peacemaker. He's a wonderful counselor, mighty God, prince of peace. Right, that day's coming. But right now he said, I didn't come to bring peace.

I came to bring a sword. I'm going to divide father and son, mother and daughter. Jesus said that. That's why you got to read all of the Bible. What's he talking about? It's crystal clear in context. The words of life, the words of Christ, the words of doctrine, the words of truth.