Spiritual Virginity — G.W. North

The Possibility of Becoming What God Wants

I want to turn you to God's Word tonight on a theme that the Lord has been sort of, keep on nudging me about since I've come here. And I want to be obedient to the movings of the Lord. I can remember first preaching on this theme some years ago up on the Wirral, not very far away from here.

It wasn't at a famous house that you know about, but it was in the course of a campaign in which I was asked to join. And I can remember with what great pressure at that time God came to me that I should minister along this tremendous line of God.

And it is a tremendous thing. You know, beloved, God has prepared great things for us. I'm so thrilled, really, that once a man or a woman becomes acquainted with God and with His powers, that God does not hesitate from that time onward to make known to those people the greatness of His love.

And by reason of the power and the grace and the presence of the Spirit of God, that they can come to be what God wants them to be. Now, I'm so glad about that. I'm so glad that God has not tried to make us attain to impossible things.

I'm thrilled that when Jesus came into the earth, He started off this way. With God, nothing shall be impossible. A statement like that prompted the great Charles Wesley to write his hymn. All things are possible to him who can on Jesus' name believe.

Lord, I know more thy truth blaspheme. Notice his strong language. Thy truth I lovingly receive. I can, I do believe on thee. All things are possible to me. And as you would expect of that great prophet, he wrote right down the lie that God raised up those two Wesleys to preach in this land.

The effect of which has not yet completely died out of it. Praise God is preserved to us at this moment of time. I expect sometimes when you hear me talk, first you must think I must be, I'm a Wesleyan.

And another time you'll think I'm a Quaker. And another time you'll think I must be Pentecostal after all. And then perhaps you'll think I might be a holiness. Then you'll come to the conclusion I'm just about a mix-up of everything.

Well beloved, the great truth about God is that though men have specialized certain doctrines and attitudes. And brought them out as time has succeeded to time through the earth. Because they've been lost sight of by other things.

God is greater than all the little partial things. Amen. Isn't that a wonderful thing? And in him is all truth. And we are told that when the Spirit of God, and we were told this by no less a person than Jesus Christ himself, should come.

He would lead us into all truth. Now the tragedy with so many people is that they have partial truth. Now I don't suppose anyone would claim that they have all the truth. But what they do have is the Spirit of all truth.

So that when the real truth is preached. That Spirit who if he's inside will witness to you that it's true. Because he's the Spirit of the truth. And it's a glorious thing that once we really yield up to that truth.

Then that truth makes us utterly free. Free from the doubts. Free from the little cliches. Free from the little sort of cul-de-sacs into which we run ourselves unhonestly. If we face it we find there's no way through.

Only we're too proud to turn back and admit it. But God adds truth to truth. And makes clear his wonderful ways. He's always done this throughout time. As he approached his people of Israel of old. He came under all kinds of figures and names even.

Beginning right in the beginning of the book with say the simple definition of God. L .E .L. meaning power or the hand which indicates work and power. Moving on through his revelations of himself as L .E .L. or L .E .L. this or L .E .L. that God almighty.

So on and so on and so on. Kept revealing himself. More truth. More truth. More truth. As people without the Holy Ghost in those days. Little upon little. Line upon line. Could assimilate and take in.

Broke in through Abraham. Came in through Moses. Revealed himself through people like Joseph. All sorts of things like that. And he kept coming and coming and coming. Drawing out from those first beginnings a people that should be exclusively his.

The earth having started to become overrun and would have been overrun by that which was entirely evil. If God hadn't have stepped in say upon occasions like Babel where he confounded speech. In order to stop wicked hearts conniving.

And then when he came down say and judged Sodom and Gomorrah. Or when he flooded out those terrible abnormalities in the flood. All these kinds of things. And God gradually moved if you like to give himself elbow room.

Space to keep the holy seed going. Until he could at last bring in that which he wanted. The meanwhile speaking to us by figure. Speaking to us by shadow. Speaking to us by type. Foreshadowings of course.

Setting out beforehand in this way and that way. Something of the largeness of his heart. And the greatness of his love. Trying to make us see things. He brought his people out of Egypt for instance. He called Israel his first born son.

Destroyed the first born of Egypt because the devil through Pharaoh had gotten hold of God's first born son. So he destroyed the devil's first born. And brought his own son. First born son out. Brought them in.

These who were the children of Israel. Laterally after 40 years of necessary wandering. Suppose you mostly heard people say it was needless wandering. I want to tell you it was necessary. As we read this morning in the book of Deuteronomy.

It originally need not have been. And it's like this with so many people. If you'd have gone through originally with God. You need not have gone through what you've gone through since. But having refused to go through originally.

Then it's been necessary for you to go this long long old trail. Until God has eliminated that awful thing which in the beginning made you hold back from going through with God. Read Deuteronomy chapter 8.

Make a mental note of it. That will explain it to you. But God in the end as he always does. Praise him. Despite everybody's folly, stupidity, wickedness. Turnings aside. Brought his people into the promised land.

Giving them their inheritance. So that they were God landed people. With substance of their own. Finally he established his own way of worship. And everything in their midst in the great tabernacle. And he got a people for himself.

That at last. And you won't find this word occurring very early in the Old Testament. We're going to dwell on it in a minute. I expect you all at God to know what is he really going to say. It's a long introduction.

Well that's fine. My wife sometimes says to me. Why don't you get on with it dear. But there it is. Well I sent her home. Well at least she's gone to my daughters. And her daughters of course too. Her privilege I have to stay among other people's daughters and sons.

Spiritual Virginity and the Church as Christ’s Virgin

But the great thing about it is. That we should be looking at it in a moment. That God got this people together. That started from a vagrant almost. Wandering seed. Started with a man named Abraham for instance.

And God brought him out. Dealt with him. And kept working. Working. Working. Called them his son. Called them his children. And then finally. Having brought them into his land. He got them to a point.

Where he called them his virgin. His virgin. And I want to talk to you about spiritual virginity. His virgin. You know. That this word virgin is usually conferred. Upon pure maidens. And what a wonderful thing it is.

And what an honor it is. For you girls. You women. To be able to bear such a description. And God looks upon his church. And he can think of perhaps no higher thing. To call his church. Than virgin. Yes.

You were born again he called you his son. Yes. He gave you an inheritance. Yes. He taught you how to worship. Yes. He brought you into things that you could say were your own possessions. And you were his landed gentry.

And you talked about being in the kingdom of God. And God your father. But he looks down from heaven. And God knows in this age in which we're living. His eyes are running to and fro in the earth. Looking right down here now upon us Lord.

Right down here into every heart. And he's looking for virginity. Let's read. We're going to read. In Jeremiah. Now Jeremiah as you know. Has a name. Amongst the mockers. For being a broken hearted. Weeping prophet.

And occasionally in the newspapers. You will find politicians described as Jeremiah. If they raise up a weeping voice. About certain states in the country. Very rarely because by and large. Newspaper writers are uneducated.

But occasionally. They come to the knowledge of truth. Occasionally they take up things. And they use them quite wrongly. But this Jeremiah. Was the man that was chosen of God. To come to the place. And this is what you'll understand beloved.

To show the heartbreak of God. And the mockers may mock. And those that don't understand. Can say their ignorance. But people that know. Will understand clearly. That in the latter days. Of the history.

Of Israel and Judah. God raised up prophets among them. That should weep forth his heart. In the ears of men. That they for whom God had done so much. Should have turned away from God. In spiritual fornication.

And that broke him. And that brought a Jeremiah onto the scene. A whole seer. Had to appear. To weep forth again. The heartbreaks of God. And this is what you'll find. And a Joel had to arise. And tell the priest to weep.

Between the porch and the altar. That's what they had to do. Because everything had gone rotten. Down to the seed under the clods. And God was moving. To show his heart. Dr. Campbell Morgan. That prince of preachers.

In his day. Preached a series of sermons. On whole seer. Subtitled. The heart and holiness of God. To show God's heart. And I want tonight to read in a famous chapter. Of Jeremiah. And move here and there.

On to other scriptures. Finalizing in the New Testament. For what is anything worth to us. That doesn't finalize in the New Covenant. On this great theme. The chapter 18 then. Of the book of Jeremiah.

The weeping prophet. And in this 18th chapter. The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Saying. Arise. And go down to the potter's house. And there. I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house.

And behold. He wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay. Was marred in the hand of the potter. So. He made it again. Another vessel. As seemed good to the potter. To make it. I want you to see what God is saying.

The potter made another vessel. Not the original one. See. He doesn't say he remade the same vessel. He made it again. Another vessel. That should speak volumes to you. Then the word of the Lord came to me.

I saw it now. He was ready to hear it. When he saw what the potter did. He's ready to hear. O house of Israel. Cannot I do with you as this potter said the Lord? Behold. As the clay is in the potter's hand.

So are ye in mine hand. O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation. And concerning a kingdom. To pluck it up. And to pull down. And to destroy it. If that nation. Against whom I have pronounced.

Turn from their evil. If you've got an ear to hear. Hear this word. If that nation. Against whom I have pronounced. Turn from their evil. I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation.

And concerning a kingdom. To build. And to plant it. If it do evil in my sight. That it obey not my voice. Then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. Did you see what God says?

This will explain so much that's happened in so many lives. If you'll take it in. Into the depths of your heart. The potter changed his mind about the vessel. He started to make it one thing. And it was marred in his hand.

So he changed his mind. And made it something else. Same basic clay. Now therefore. Go to speak to the men of Judah. And to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Saying thus saith the Lord. Behold I frame evil against you.

And devise a device against you. Return ye now. Everyone from his evil way. And make your ways. And your doings good. And they said. There is no hope. But we will walk after our own devices. And we will everyone.

Do the imagination of his evil heart. Therefore thus saith the Lord. Ask ye now among the heathen. Who hath heard such things. The virgin of Israel. Hath done a very horrible thing. Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon.

Which cometh from the rock of the field. Or shall the cold flowing waters. That come from another place. Be forsaken. Because my people have forgotten me. They burned incense to vanity. They have caused them to stumble in their ways.

From the ancient paths. To walk in paths in a way not cast up. And so God goes on. I want to ask you a question. What do you think incense really stands for? If you don't know. Originally it stood for.

In the original sense. In the original type. It stood for the life of a man. Ground down to powder. Or little pieces. And burned. Before God. To give the smell. The aroma. Of a life. Of course that man was Jesus.

But he only offered in your place. Because your life gives off an odor. Your life gives off an incense. What does it smell like to God? What is it you get incensed with? Lust? What is it you get incensed with?

Pride? Jealousy? What is it that incenses your being. To do this, that and the other. So that the wrong odor. Rises to God. This was the trouble with the Virgin of Israel. She stank. The Virgin had turned.

From her virginity. She had left her high and holy calling. God didn't just want to look upon them as a group of men. That were sons. Or just as a children in possession. In royal possession. In some holy land.

He wanted to look upon them. As a people whose hearts were pure. And fixed in eternal and abiding love on Him. Without defection. And without turning aside to waste its affections. And its inward powers and possibilities.

On this man's invention. Or this thing of religion. Or that practice amongst men. Or hand themselves over to the smashing, grinding thing. That breaks down your whole inward man. And gives forth some savor.

Not unto God. But unto men. This was the thing that God accused Israel of. You ought to read in the opening chapters of Jeremiah. He says, My people have gone about seeking love. They stand in the ways like a wild ass in the wilderness.

She'll be found in a month. He says, Give in your loves to this. Give your loveth to that. Give your loves to something else. And God wanted pure, virgin love unto Himself. That nothing else could share.

Except it be given out in the pure way that I spoke of earlier this night. To include in all those who have by a birth. Miraculous being brought into a life and a state. And filled with the Holy Ghost.

That they themselves also exist as one pure burning flame. With whom you want to burn. In devotion unto God. And God alone. That's the marvel of God's grace. Oh! In the beginning He had a people that were virgin unto Him.

Hallelujah! They had no loves for anything else. They didn't lose out. They didn't get a love for this. And a love for a weed. Or a love for a bit of glass. Or a bit dug out of the earth. Or they called it a stone.

Or they called it a diamond. Or something like that. Love for these kinds of things. Love for flesh. Love for I don't know what. The ways of the world. And God is wanting a people that are virgin unto Him.

Absolutely in their birth state. And never changed. Oh! What could look down on every one of us tonight. That here in this room. We are in that glorious place. And state in which God gave us birth. When we came out.

That blessed pure blood and water that flowed. As Jesus' heart opened womb like on the cross. To bring forth His people unto God. And make our people that come through His flesh. And through His blood.

And through His water. And through His Spirit. And through His glorious humanity. Unto God. To be a new people unto Him. Totally given up to Him. Virginity. Who have never played with sin. Since. Who want to keep themselves.

Oh! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! This was the tragedy with ancient Israel. And I want to say this. Beloved. And all you men come up smiling now. God counts you virgin in this. It's nothing to do with the sex.

It's to do with the state of the heart. And of the mind. In the presence of God. It's nothing to do with your married or unmarried in the flesh. It hasn't to do with a girl suddenly thinking she's going to take the veil and marry the church.

And remain virgin. And all this business. It's nothing to do with that. It's to do with a glorious spiritual state. Into which Christ. The King of Glory. Can bring the life. All glorious and pure. And holy.

And acceptable in heaven. That's what it's all about. Israel. When God had done what he did for her. That's the tragedy. And Jeremiah. Weeps his tears. And breaks his heart. He cannot leave it. He knows what's going to happen.

God says. I've devised an evil device against you Jerusalem. And he did it. And as you turn to his book. Called the book of lamentations. Jeremiah again brings out this marvelous yet dreadful thing. You know that he's found sitting down outside of Jerusalem.

After it had been sacked. By the Assyrians. When God. Because these people turned from their state. Dealt with them. So I want you to keep your finger in the second chapter of lamentations. And turn back with me first.

Into the book of Isaiah. Or in thought you may. We need not turn to it exactly. But perhaps if you want to. I was just thinking of the time factor. We'd better turn to chapter 39 probably. Of Isaiah. Sorry 37.

And in 37 you have the account. Of the attack of the Assyrians. On Jerusalem. And how they come. To set up mounts against Jerusalem. The terrible Assyrians. And they mock God. And they send a letter to Hezekiah.

And all sorts of things like this. Verse 14. The letter is received. And he goes to prayer. He spreads the letter out before God. In the end of verse 14. I don't know whether you've ever done that. I've often spread letters out before the Lord.

And Hezekiah prayed under the Lord. All sorts of things. Listen to this man. In the state of his virginity. This is how he prays. Oh Lord of hosts. God of Israel. That dwelleth between the cherubim. Thou art the God.

Even Thou alone of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth. See the man who is virgin, the God. He says, Thou art the God of all the kingdoms of the earth. And you say, what's the man talking about?

These Assyrians, they've got Bel. They've got Nebo. They've got all these other gods. Whatever Hezekiah. Has he gone mad? Is he living in dreamland? Doesn't he know that the nations all around have got this kind of God and that kind of God.

And here he is praying. Like a blind man. As though he can't see and understand anything. He's saying, Thou art the God of all the kingdoms of the earth. Amen. Thou hast made heaven and earth. Hallelujah.

The gods of these other kingdoms have never made anything of any of them. Except fools. And here's the Lord. Hezekiah only sees the Lord. He's got a pure eye. A single eye. He's got a pure heart. At this point of his life.

And let's go on, shall we? Climb thine ear, O Lord, and hear. Open thine eyes, O Lord, and see. And hear all the words of Sennacherib. Which hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord. The kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their countries.

And have cast their gods into the fire. But for they were no gods. But the work of men's hands. Wood. Stone. Therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God. Save us from his hand. That all the kingdoms of the earth may know.

That thou art the Lord. Even thou alone. Then Isaiah, the son of Amos. Sent unto Hezekiah, saying. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel. Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib. King of Assyria.

This is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him. The virgin. The daughter of Zion. Hath despised thee. And laughed thee to scorn. The daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head. At thee. That's how God speaks.

That's the virgin state. See its victorious living. At that time, there was this remnant still in Israel. These people who had shut themselves up to God. And for their sakes. And for their sakes alone.

God moved. And if you read the rest of the story. And history confirms it by the way. Independent testimony to the Bible. Sennacherib. And all these people. Though they are not given that name. In the account of the Assyrians.

Their Assyrian name is given here. Here is the Hebrew name given of it. Sennacherib. You know what happened to him? You don't? Well, read the rest of the chapter. That's what you have a Bible for. And as you read right through.

You will find that God moved. Because these people there. Just a handful so to speak. At that time. Were keeping themselves for God. And for God alone. I hope you know. What power there still is in a godly people.

In the midst of a godless land. A nation. I hope you know that God still moves. For the spiritual minority. I hope you know that. I hope you do. I hope some of you. Even at school. Let me refer to something that affects our own land.

Some of you went to school. And I don't suppose even the sort of blandest approach. From the simplest of souls. In this room tonight. Would ever by any measurement. Call our country Christian. But there came a time in the last world war.

I told you about the first one last night. But I can remember the second one much more clearly. When the king said we will have a day of prayer. And we had a day of prayer. And God sent such a calm in the channel.

That rowing boats could bring soldiers out of Normandy. The spiritual minority. Always. Little rowing boats could go across. It was as placid as a lake. More calm than Galilee ever knew to be. God's not going to keep on doing that.

He didn't keep on doing it for Israel. I give you an illustration. Of what God still will do. For a believing remnant. And marvellous it all is. When God moves. That's what he did. For a virgin people.

A people that only saw God. A people that reign as a virgin. We shall laugh at you. You can always tell a virgin cheeks filled with holy laughter. You can always tell her. I'm speaking of a spiritual virgin of course.

You can always tell her she remains in confidence. When others are in panic. She doesn't know anybody else. She doesn't seem to have the senses. Whereby other people sense all kinds of doom. Darkness.

Desolation. Gloom. Despair. Overrun by the enemy. I don't know what she abides alone. She looks up into the face of God. She triumphs over everything. That's the calling. That's the glory. And God at that time found virginity toward him.

People who would not go to this or to that or the other. But stood alone before God. One of the tragedies of the country in which we live. It rests with the church. All the tragedies in England rest with the church.

All the tragedies in the world rest with the church. Of course they do. You find books written by bishops. Disgusting revelations of their own atheism. Muffled up under the title bishop. And all this kind of thing.

There was a time, I don't know, I've lost count now. If you've heard me say this before. I remember the time when I discussed this with dear Edgar Trout. Who's now gone on to be with God. Eighteen bishops of the Church of England.

Headed the list for psychic research. In England. Leading them straight into the devil and to hell. By the leaders. Eighteen bishops of the Church of England, brother. And what do you think of it? Do you wonder now that they've licensed sodomy in England?

Do you wonder now that they've allowed witchcraft to flourish in England? My lords have consented to it. And they're the spiritual leaders. Into darkness, death and hell. Not only the Church of England.

I don't want to just go through all these things. I state what could be public knowledge. If you try to exercise yourself to find out. And because leaders are blind. Don't you be blind followers of blind leaders.

You and I ought to know the truth. There is a state of virginity. And one of the most tragic prostitutions. Of spiritual life. In this day in which we live. Is with witchcraft. White magic. Black magic.

Spiritism. Not spiritualism as it's called. Spiritism. Selling ourselves out down the river. I don't know whether any of you people have got mixed up in this. If you have. And you've never been dealt with about this.

This night you must get it clear with God. That everything that comes through mediumistic or psychic powers of research. Is fornication. Handing out your soul and spirit. Unto devils. God be thanked. There is a virginity still in the earth.

There is a people. That have shut themselves up to God. Not monastically. They live out in the thoroughfares of life. They live out in the busy streets. They go to it's business houses. They work in it's schools and it's hospitals.

Or out in it's forests. That's what they still do. They live in a tiny little house along some street. Or else somewhere like that. But they are living for God. I bless Him that He spoke about our lovely Jesus spoke about.

You are the salt of the earth. Hallelujah. You are the salt of the earth. The whole earth is one great big lump of meat rotting away. Without bone in it. No backbone. Except to do sin. How God has called us unto Himself.

To be holy. To be pure. To be His alone. Glory be to the name of the Lord. He said, the virgin of Israel has done a horrible thing. This is what God says. It isn't often He uses that word. See His heart.

It's horrible. Horrible He says. God should give His Son. I know He hadn't then. But all the animal offerings only bespoke the giving of the Son. The coming of the Lamb of God. Still in the future in Israel's day.

Nevertheless so all powerful that it affected them. Hundreds of years before Jesus ever came. Reaching backwards and forwards. The sacrifice of Calvary has been the only salving power. To stop this earth spinning away.

Into its destruction. That's all. And God has kept His word to us. Amen. He says it's a horrible thing. When a man does that. When a man has been born again to the Spirit of God. When at the cost of the agony.

The bloodshed. The sacrifice. The self-giving of God. Wrapped up in one glorious act on a cross. That a man should come into all the good of that. Oh God help us. When he's seen the agony of his God for him.

And seen the power of God at Calvary. That he should give himself away again under sin. Horrible. When God's been sacrificed for you. Where will you go next? If you despise that. There's no house of prayer that can hold you.

There's no cell of monastic power that can do anything for you. Nothing. Only Him. Glory. But I want to say something to you to put hope into your heart. If you happen to be one of those people who have turned away from this.

I want to tell you that when the vessel is marred in the potter's hand. It's still in the potter's hand. He'll make you another vessel. If you're ready. He can restore the virginity. He can bring that glorious place.

He can fashion a vessel for himself. But let's look into the lamentations now shall we. In chapter 2. Jeremiah came later than Isaiah. Not only in order of scripture but in history. Not a lot later. But he came.

Let's start to read in verse 10. The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground and keep silence. What a tragedy for an elder brother. Not a word to speak. Nothing. They've cast up dust upon their heads.

They've girded themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground. Mine eyes do fail with tears. My bowels are troubled. My liver is poured upon the earth. Hark unto the grief of this man.

That he should use such language. He's weeping for God. He's representing God among the people. It's a forestatement of Calvary surely isn't it? His tears. His livers poured out upon the ground. The destruction of the daughter of my people.

It's all because of this. Because the children and the supplings swoon in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, where is corn and wine? When they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city.

When their soul was poured out into their mother's bosom. What thing shall I take to witness for thee? What thing shall I liken to the O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I equal to thee? That I may comfort the O virgin daughter of Zion.

For thy breach is great like the sea. Who can heal thee? And here's the trouble. You may have wondered why I spoke as I did a little earlier. Taking the word bishops on my lips. This is your reason. Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee.

They've not discovered thine iniquity to turn away thy captivity. But have seen for thee false burdens and causes for banishment. And false prophets. The preachers are wrong. That's what God says. I hear a man stand up and he exalts the nation.

I won't name him. I've got nothing against him, dear man. But I had to disagree with him. He stands up and he says, Those of us that are followers of Christianity. You may have heard him. And when he said it, I was listening that morning.

And one of the rare mornings I get a chance to hear anything about him. I don't know whether it's a repetition at night. I don't know. Of this famous man. The followers of Christianity. And I said to my beloved wife, I said, I'm not a follower of Christianity.

What do they think? Here it is, you see. I said, I am a follower of Christ. Not an amity. That's the tragedy. He's manufactured a false thing for us. And he's, well I won't say where he is. He'll tell you who it is.

Who's following Christianity among us? I tell you, if you follow Christianity, you'll land up in as big a mess as those that are proclaiming Christianity. It's Christ! And Christ alone. The living, glorious Lord in your heart.

So you don't have to follow Christianity. False prophets. Manufacturing false reasons. They've not discovered thine iniquity. To turn away thy captivity. When a man or a woman wants to get free of their bondages.

And their captivity, beloved. They've got to have their iniquity discovered first. So says the scripture. You don't have to discover who it is that's holding you in bondage. That's the devil. But the iniquity for which he's holding you in bondage.

Has to be discovered. And only true prophets ever discover that. And they don't care if in process of doing so. They break a person's heart. Better have a broken heart. Than go to a lost eternity. Better know the truth now.

Than know it when it's too late for you to do anything about it. This then is the great testimony of God. Thy breach. It says here. Is great. Like the sea. Who can heal thee? You know. How great the breach of the sea is when it comes, don't you?

When that tremendous wind came last night, you know. And all sorts of things happened. Some of our minds went back to a. Well, mine did. To an occasion about two years ago. I've discussed it with dear brother Gerald since.

When the sea came up in that mighty gale and tide. At Aberystwyth. When it washed over the top of the hotel there on the front. Smashed the place and the water surged in. And brother Gerald who's no spring chicken.

Probably about the strongest man in the room I would think. Having been a retired champion boxer. Or still is. Not having been. Sorry. And then. Opened the door and found the weight of the water at his front door so great it forced him back.

And that was only a little of it. The sea that came up and lashed over the top of the house. Roared its way in. And who's going to stop it when it comes? And God says that's what happens when a man or a woman leaves their original virginity.

That state into which God brings them. By his grace through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And he leaves it. You leave it. You think you open a little chink. I tell you that the sea comes roaring in.

You can't stem the hellish horde as it comes in. There's no barricading against it. A little praying or a right comforting little messages as they're called won't help you. You need a prophet of God to come by his power and say that's the cause.

It's vile. It's filthy. It's iniquitous. You've sold yourself out for nothing. Repent. And get right with God virginity. Priceless. Who can buy it? Virginity cannot be bought. It's born. And what a terrible thing when anybody lets it go.

Tragic. Tragic. Let me go one step further. Into that book of Amos. The story is repeated again and again. These minor prophets. I wonder sometimes whether they're called minor prophets because their writings are small in space.