We Have Forgotten How To Blush
"For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.... Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 6:13,15, KJV).
The prophet Jeremiah saw a horrible condition coming upon God's people. To hide their sins they had begun living behind a facade of superficial peace and security. Greed and covetousness had so overcome their hearts that they camouflaged their hurts with a phony brokenness. Their entire lives had become superficial — superficial tears, superficial repentance, even superficial healing.
God's people had lost their sense of shame and grief for sin — sin in society, sin in the church, sin in their own lives. They no longer felt God's hatred and wrath against sin. Sin had become "just one of those things."
Jeremiah cried out, "Were they ashamed when they sinned? No! They were not at all ashamed — neither could they blush!"
What Is Holy Ghost Blushing?
Holy Ghost blushing is not just red cheeks from simple modesty. It is feeling wounded, ashamed, devastated — grieved that the name and purity of Jesus our Lord has been trampled, that His reputation has been smeared.
Jeremiah gives us a picture of the terrible moral breakdown that occurred in Israel and the house of Judah:
"Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it. And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely. O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? Thou has stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return" (Jeremiah 5:1-3).
God's people sat under a message of searing truth — yet they turned away from it. They rebelled against it! Read it again: "They made their faces harder than a rock; they refused to return."
They were committing adultery by romping with harlots and lusting after their neighbors' wives. In verse 11 Jeremiah called it outright treachery against the Lord!
In spite of all the prophetic warnings by Jeremiah, these people went their merry way, saying, "Neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine" (verse 12). "Judgment is not God's message for us," they said.
Their fear of God was waning. There was a revolting, rebellious spirit rising up in the hearts of multitudes of God's people: "But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart.... Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God" (verses 23-24).
They had enjoyed great prosperity, but it had become a snare. This trap led to deceit, and eventually their houses became dens of iniquity. They were winking at sin — sin that should have grieved them deeply.
"As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge" (Jeremiah 5:27-28).
God warned His people to heed the instructions of the Word being delivered to them or He would depart from them. "Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee" (Jeremiah 6:8). And again God said: "I am speaking clearly! I am warning! But who is listening?"
"To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised [closed], and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it" (verse 10).
The original Hebrew says the people grew weary of rebuke. They grew tired of being exposed and stripped by the Word of God. At one time they had delighted in His Word. It had been a joy to them as honey is to the soul. Yet now they took no pleasure in it. Why?
"And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations" (Nehemiah 9:25-26).
Why did they turn away from the hard warnings of the watchmen? Because a nerve had been touched. Their idolatry, greed and covetousness were being exposed; they were committing secret sin. "For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest" (Jeremiah 6:13).
Both in the pulpit and the pew, the hearts of God's people were being led away by greed and covetousness. But they excused and justified it all! They had no shame! They did not blush! No one could bring himself to believe that the prophet was speaking to him personally.
God Sets Watchmen Over His People.
The Lord said, "Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken" (Jeremiah 6:17).
God's people turned from the warnings of their God-sent prophets and watchmen and began walking in the desires and imaginations of their own hearts.
Why would God's people refuse to listen to prophets when they knew God Himself had set these men over them? They did not dispute that God had anointed and sent them. So why did they refuse to hear? Why did they make their own plans and do their own thing?
The answer to that is found in Numbers 16, which relates the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, Abiram and No. These four men rose up with 250 others of renown from the congregation to question the authority of Moses.
"They gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord? And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face" (Numbers 16:3-4).
This is the spirit behind all rebellion and rejection of the true pulpit warnings. The rebellious person says in his heart, "Pastor — prophet — watchman — you are not the only ones God speaks to. We also hear from God. We, too, are holy. We get God's mind. You take too much upon yourselves. You are lifting yourselves up above the congregation."
When Moses heard this from these men, he fell on his face, overcome with grief. A holy anger arose within his soul. He was not angry because his word or authority was being questioned; he could care less about being in charge. He knew they were not rejecting him personally or his own word, because he had been chosen and set in place by God Himself. Moses grieved because they were rejecting God! "Thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord" (verse 11).
Moses could say, "O God, these are not my people. This is not my work. You put me here and told me what to say. All my words and all these works — I have not done them of my own mind (verse 28). I have spoken the mind of God."
The Lord always vindicates those who are truly anointed, and He brings down quickly all that comes from the flesh. "And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses.... They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit.... And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense" (Numbers 16:32-35).
I have no desire whatsoever to exercise authority of any kind over any of God's people. I can say with Moses, "I have not taken (anything) from [this people], neither have I hurt one of them" (verse 15).
Yet one thing I do know is this: God sent me here to New York City. He sent me as His watchman to warn, to cry aloud and to spare not. I don't care to frighten anyone, nor do I strive to put anyone under fear of my anointing.
Nevertheless I and the other pastors of Times Square Church — as well as other watchmen — have been set in place by the Lord. Along with me, they are responsible for your soul.
Your response of obedience to the Lord is not a matter of going to your prayer closet, then coming to the house of God to hear His Word so you can compare it with what you hear — picking and choosing as it fits your mind-set. I listen to other truly anointed prophets and watchmen, and the Word they bring forth not only blesses me — it strikes terror in my soul! I don't measure their words by what I think is right. I receive it when I know it is founded on God's holy Word and delivered in holiness.
Why are we here in New York City? Why has Times Square Church been raised up at this time and in this place? We are here to build up a body into the true image of Christ. We are to tear down any idol that would try to fuse us with the world. We are here to weep over you, to guard your soul and to call you out of this world. We are here to uphold the dignity of the Cross!
There is a dignity in walking in holiness and purity. A church that is overcoming the world has such dignity. We are here to put a Holy Ghost blush on your face because of God's grief and hurt over sin.
It Is the Duty of Watchmen to Expose the Hideousness of Sin — And to Bring God's Blush to Our Souls!
Ezra was a watchman who was so devastated by the sins of God's people that he could not look God in the eye. "And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God, and said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens" (Ezra 9:5-6).
Ezra felt such deep shame before the Lord that he blushed because of the sin that had crept in among God's only remnant left on the earth.
The remnant that had returned to Jerusalem numbered only 42,337. That's a small group compared to the nearly 3 million that came out of Egypt. This tiny remnant, which made up less than two percent, represented God's eternal purpose on earth. Unfortunately they winked at sin and were consumed with compromise — without feeling the slightest tinge of guilt or remorse.
Suddenly Ezra appeared in their midst. Here was a man of God with a deep remorse for sin, a man who blushed with shame for them. In fact, they had become so wicked that Ezra said, "We cannot stand before God because of this."
Beloved, if we are going to stand before God in these days of spreading compromise, it will take much more than we have been giving God. It will cost us what it cost Ezra!
I. We Are Going to Have to Get Much More Serious About the Things of God Than We Have Been in the Past.
When God is about to do a new work, He pours out a spirit of intensity upon His remnant. We can no longer be spiritually lazy, complacent, nonchalant and easygoing. We must become intense, full of heat and passion toward Christ, feeling deeply and seriously about the work of God.
Today God is raising up a people who hate sin and tremble at His Word. His remnant must hear and believe in holy prophets. They must not vacillate and grow lukewarm. Instead they must grow more intense and serious for God as the days go by.
Consider the intensity of Ezra. Look closely at his passion against anything that hurts God, and you will see his utter hatred for mixing with the world. "And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished. Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice" (Ezra 9:3-4).
Saints, here are the blushing believers! They gather around a heartbroken prophet — and they, too, become intense for God's honor. They know something very dangerous is happening, and they share God's grief. Whole households of God's people are cozying up to the world. Strange wives are standing at the altar. Holy seed is being mixed. These blushing believers know the devil is trying to assimilate them and swallow up God's testimony of separation and holiness.
What a scene! Ezra was sitting as a heap of godly sorrow, pulling out his hair and beard "because of the transgression of those that had been carried [swept] away" (verse 4). One by one, all who had a trembling heart gathered around him. God had just one man who would blush over sin — and through him he brought forth a body of mourners:
"Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore" (Ezra 10:1).
That is what drew many of you to this ministry — a cry for holiness and separation! You felt God's grief for sin and you blushed in shame. You wanted to get serious about walking with God.
Nehemiah had this same intensity for God. "Hannai, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I [Nehemiah] asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 1:2-4).
The remnant had returned to the holy place, but reproach and lethargy had crept in. Things were still in a dilapidated condition. No spiritual progress was being made.
Scripture says Nehemiah began to weep, mourn and "pray night and day" (verse 6). It was not a matter of God waking him up in the middle of the night and dropping a burden into his soul. No! "I asked them, my brethren, about the remnant" (verse 2). This man of God initiated the burden! He asked for it!
Likewise Daniel spent hours, days and weeks studying God's Word. God did not drop a supernatural burden into his heart. Rather, Daniel chastened his own heart. He developed and nurtured a true burden for God's people by diligently studying and gaining an understanding of what God was saying. "I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes" (Daniel 9:3).
Talk about intensity, blushing, mourning and weeping! Daniel said, "I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.... I retained no strength" (Daniel 10:2-3,8).
When the hand of God touched Daniel, these words came from the throne: "From the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words" (verse 12). In Hebrew, the word "chasten" means to browbeat the flesh in order to bring it into submission. Paul also said, "I bring my body under subjection!"
Many of us are like little children with short attention spans. We chafe under the burden of intensity. We continually backslide into our old ways of indulgence and spiritual laziness.
Noah lived with the great intensity of a judgment message concerning the destruction of the earth. For 120 years he was "moved with fear." He never swerved from the burden of the Lord. He was serious because he knew that God meant what He said.
Let the world laugh, Noah said. Let the others say, "That's too heavy! I can't live like that! It's too gloomy!" Noah nurtured that burden. For 120 years it remained fresh in his heart and he did what the Lord told him — up to the very last hour.
God has been exposing to me my own lack of intensity. Within all of us there are certain desires or tendencies that carry us away from God or that rob Him of our time, money or devotion. Often these things are not evil in themselves. Even hobbies have a way of being used by Satan to draw our time and hearts away from God.
Yet even now God is shaking out all those who are fooling around, breaking vows and covenants with Him! The Lord is going to have a people today who are wholly given to His work. He is going to have a people who are intense, passionate and broken — giving every spare hour and dollar to that which represents His interests on earth.
II. We Are Going to Have to Go Beyond Pointing to the Sins of Others and Confess Our Own Failures to God!
All of these mourning, blushing, brokenhearted men of God had one thing in common: they identified with the sins of the remnant!
They never prayed like the publican, "Thank God I am not like others." They blushed over mixture that resulted in adultery, treachery and compromise. But they humbly prayed, "God, I am also guilty." Not guilty of these gross sins, but of falling short of God's glory.
Ezra prayed, "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.... All that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass.... Behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this" (Ezra 9:6,13,15). "Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God" (verse 10:1).
Nehemiah prayed, "We have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee" (Nehemiah 1:6-7).
Daniel also identified with the sins of God's people. He prayed, "We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: neither have we harkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.... I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people" (Daniel 9:5-6,20).
These were all holy men, blameless before God. They were not compromising or mixing with the world. Still they stood in the gap, confessing both the sins of the people and their own sins.
If you follow in the same path as these men and determine in your heart as they did to seek the Lord — fasting, praying, weeping, mourning, blushing for sin — it will have the same effect on you. God's hand will touch you, and He will send His word to you. You will share the very heart of God. You will enter into His glorious presence. And once there, you will understand how far short of His glory we all have fallen.
Let me share with you the key to what God is trying to show us:
Ezra cast himself down before the house of God. He did not yet stand up before the people with a word from God. First, he humbled himself before all the people.
When Daniel heard God speak, he said "Then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground" (Daniel 10:9). John said, "When I saw Him, I fell at his feet as dead" (Revelation 1:17).
Saints, what is your praying and seeking after God producing in you? Is it putting you on your face, cast down before the house of God, like a dead person?
I want to see these kinds of believers: the sighers, the criers, the blushers — not the thrill-seekers, the fun-and-games Christians, the prim and perfect ones. I want to see those who can admit, "I've not arrived. I have failed God. I grieve over my failure but I believe God can touch and heal me."
God, send more failures into Your body! Send people with a sense of need.
III. Finally, It Is Going to Require a Night-and-Day Vigilance Against the Enemy.
When the blush had returned to Israel, sin was cleansed and mixture dealt with. There was confession and real repentance. Now it was time to stand with each other to resist their common enemy.
Prayer and humility, along with a hatred for sin, produces a mind to work. "So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work" (Nehemiah 4:6). True revivals of holiness always produce workers. Books and seminars and lectures don't — but revival does!
When God is doing something genuine among His people, Satan conspires against it. "But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, and conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it" (Nehemiah 4:7-8).
The enemy became very angry and conspired to come up against them to fight and to hinder! His tactic was to secretly infiltrate the body by sneaking up on them unexpectedly. "Our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease" (verse 11).
They planned to bring into their midst a secret army of pretenders in disguise. The enemy had no sudden, open, frontal attack, but said rather, "We will come in the midst among them!"
The tactic was inside sabotage! The enemy said, "They will never know it is happening."
And Satan's strategy has never changed. Even now he is sending his "angels of light" into gatherings worldwide with doctrinal sabotage and seductions.
How can we detect them? What is our safeguard? "Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them" (Nehemiah 4:9). The key here is an intense hatred for sin, true brokenness, fervent prayer and constant vigilance — along with staying saturated with the Word of God.
Beloved, God must restore the blush to His people! Allow the Holy Spirit to probe your heart very deeply and very thoroughly, that you may walk wholly blameless before the Lord in this late hour.