Almost every question is designed to cause you to stumble. These people, such as a court-appointed counsel, judge, prosecutor, clerk or a policeman work for a system of darkness, a system of heavy burdens. Any time they ask you a question, your antennas ought to go, "B'BEEP!~ B'BEEP!~ B'BEEP!" and go right off saying, "Whoa! Wait a minute! Where are they thinking? If they ask the question, where is their mind set? What are they thinking? How can I respond?" We know that most of their questions, almost every single one of their questions, you cannot answer "Yes," you cannot answer "No," and you cannot remain silent. So you must overcome their question with a greater statement. We make a statement that they must address before they can continue with their question.
In other words, what they've done is they are sitting in a great big tree and they want you to come join them in this tree. Therefore, with your own mind you must fill in all the rest, in order to communicate with them. As I've said, scripture says, "What communion hath light with darkness?" There is no communion. Therefore, be not disappointed if you cannot commune with darkness. In order for you to commune with darkness, you must enter darkness yourself. Therefore, when you respond, speak from a position of light. If there is to be any communion at all, they must come to light. They must commune with light. It's the only way. Do not answer their questions of darkness. Period. Overcome their darkness with light. As I've been saying, a solution might be: "Hi. I'm an ambassador sent on a mission by the Embassy of Heaven Church. I have diplomatic immunities. I am not under your law. Therefore, the question you have asked me I am unable to answer. For me to answer your question, we would both have to assume that you have Lordship over me, or that I am part of darkness and not of light. I am from a separate government." Let your mind go crazy on it. There are many ways to try to communicate, but remain in light, remain in His dear Son.
Jesus remained in light. He did it over and over. They brought question after question to Jesus and He didn't say 'yes,' or 'no.' But Peter did. Peter made a mistake. At Matthew 17:24 the tax collectors came to Him and said, "Does your master pay taxes?" Peter came back with a 'yes' answer. And even if he'd said 'no,' I think he would have been in trouble. A 'yes' or a 'no' is not a proper response. Later they came to Jesus Himself and asked about paying taxes. When they approached Jesus directly with approximately the same question, it was a loaded gun. If Jesus would have answered 'yes,' then he would have been no prophet. If he had answered 'no,' he would have been no friend of Caesar's. He couldn't put either leg out there with a 'yes' or a 'no' or the trap would snap. Therefore, He overcame them by making a statement, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and render unto God that which is God's." And they were no wiser than when they began. But the question was posed as a trap. They do the same thing today. Therefore, let us study the principles of Christ. Let's study His encounters with darkness and how he responded to darkness. Let's imitate Him.
When you do overcome, be prepared for them to get angry and mad. Be prepared for the judge to lose his cool and want to put you in contempt of court. But smile because you know you have walked away victorious. You have won. But if you go in and build a defense and start answering their questions you have lost - you have lost the crown of glory. I will get a contempt any day of the year over being tried and making a defense. You have lost by building a defense. You never go to court, you never defend before any of these people - never, ever, ever, ever. They are not our judge. The next time they try to take your liberty away through their licensing laws or other requirements, remember that their government is foreign to us. We are pilgrims, we are ambassadors of the most High, we are His representatives.
It's not enough just to have a righteous life. It is not enough. We must do more than live righteously. We must do more than help the needy. When we are attacked by Satan's agents, we must overcome them. We must not fall into their snares. And their snares are easy to fall into. They continue and continue to bombard us with question after question. Therefore, we must give to them the hope that is in our hearts. We must give the words of light. Be not insulted when you can't answer their question. The question was designed so that those who are of the Kingdom would not be able to answer it. God designed it that way from the beginning. In Genesis 1:4 He created the darkness and the light. And He separated them and that was His first day's work. He separated them for eternity. There shall be no communion with light and darkness.
Therefore, when they ask a question in darkness, be not surprised if you cannot answer it in light. There is no communion. The only way to commune with a dark question is with a dark answer. And guess what? There are "yes-no's" in darkness and there are "yes-no's" in light. Be cautious of where the question originates. Did the question originate out of darkness or did it originate out of light? It's important. If the question originated out of darkness you must enter darkness to answer it. If the question originated out of light, you have to enter light to answer it. Then the scripture comes true, "Cast not your pearls before the swine, lest they trod them under foot and turn and rend you." How is that possible? Because your pearls, that you perceived as light, were handed to the dark side. A pearl can be a "yes," or a "no," and darkness does nothing but trod it under foot. They are the hireling. They have no interest in your soul, they have no interest in your salvation. They have only one thing in mind - their belly. And they're going to buy and sell you. It's your soul they want.
Therefore, if you're dealing with merchants of bodies and souls of men, you have nothing to share with them. Nothing! About the most that I would share is a declaration. I would have a confession, what I've been giving all through this. It's the same as saying, "Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior and I will only answer to Him. My entire allegiance is to Him." But they do not understand that. It goes whirling right over the top of their heads. Therefore, I believe we need to take a little bit more effort in communication. They do understand Churches, they do understand government, they do understand diplomatic immunities. By our numbers, our increasing numbers, we proclaim to them that the Lord Jesus Christ also has ambassadors and a Government, a real Government.
Unfortunately, we have the churches of the world that are party to the State. They're incorporated in the State, and they are numerous. That's where part of the confusion is. Most people say, "I go to church." But their church has joined with the State. If it wasn't for all the harlots, we wouldn't have a problem. Therefore, we have to go beyond a simple confession. When we're talking to legalists - judges and lawyers, and maybe even a few preachers, we may have to say more. We may have to say, "The Embassy of Heaven Church is separate from the State of Oregon, it is not incorporated."
Prepare yourself up. Put on the whole armor of God. Be prepared to tell them the hope that's in your heart. Tell them of the Kingdom, tell them of this government that has set all men free. You see this is what's so wonderful about the Kingdom. It's not by our works that we enter the Kingdom, lest anybody boast. It is by God's graciousness. You see every one of us has committed adultery with the world, every single one of us. Adultery! We have gone to bed with darkness, and God is upset. God is our husband. Jesus Christ is our husband, one and the same. The Holy Ghost, one and the same. And we have come short of the glory because we have committed the greatest of all sins - going to bed with someone else, with another god. Idolatry! There is no greater sin, and by His graciousness, His graciousness alone, He says, "Come out of Her. Quit doing that evil, sinful thing that you're doing. Be not partakers with her and I will receive you once again."
Do you know, under the Old Testament, under the Mosaic law, it is death. The penalty for adultery is death. God has an absolute right to put us to death and never receive us. But because of His grace, not of our works, He will receive us back. And He did it through His Son. That's the hope that we have. In baptism into His Son and being resurrected with Him we live - and we live forever. Amen.