Sermonette given by

Seattle, WA 1982

What does it mean Brethren, when Mr. Armstrong says “BACK ON THE TRACK?” For Christ had shown him that He’s going to put his Church “BACK ON THE TRACK.” You know since June 1978 Mr. Armstrong has been telling us that Christ has shown him that Jesus Christ himself was going to “put His Church BACK ON THE TRACK.”

And from that time, we heard about the Church itself being put BACK ON TRACK, the Plain Truth magazine, Ambassador College, various things that were going on. One after the other, as it was addressed and found not to be as it should be, was put back, and is being put BACK ON THE TRACK. One after the other and that job’s not done yet. There’s still more to do. But yet, the major turn around has certainly taken place.

But what does it mean to be, “BACK ON THE TRACK?” Take a look at John chapter twelve. The Apostle John faithfully recording Christ’s words for he says in John chapter twelve, and verse 49 and you can find several scriptures where Christ says this very same thing, or very similar to it. He says, ‘For I have not spoken of myself’. The words that He brought, and He spoke were not His own words.

Christ did not claim authorship for the words that He delivered. ‘For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment what I should say, and what I should speak’. Now you know most of us would be reluctant to say something like that. We just don’t want to say, we just speak what we’re told to speak.

But Jesus Christ faithfully said that His words were not His own. He spoke the words the Father gave Him to speak. And He says, ‘And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore even as the Father said unto me, so I speak’. Christ never claimed authorship for His words.

He always said the words were from His Father, who is greater than He. Take a look at John, chapter seventeen. You’ll remember that this was the last night. This is the prayer that Christ prayed to the Father before He was crucified. A very moving prayer and it’s got a lot of knowledge, a lot of spiritual knowledge, and understanding for us.

Notice in John seventeen, and verse 6. He said, ‘I have manifested your name unto the men which you gave me out of the World. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word’. Notice again, He doesn’t claim authorship. He says they have kept the word of God the Father. They kept God’s word. ‘Now they have known that all things whatsoever you have given me, are of you’.

The Apostles, or they were the disciples at this time, recognized that the words that Christ gave them were not Christ’s words. They knew that He was sent from the Father, with a message. They understood that.

And He says now, ‘They have known that all things whatsoever you have given me are of you. And I have given unto them the words which you gave me.’ The word was given to Christ. He was sent to the Earth with a message. And He gave it to the Apostles. ‘I have given them the words, which you gave me; and they have received them’. They recognized them for what they were. ‘…and have known surely that I came out from you, and they have believed that you did send me’. The Apostles knew that. They recognized Christ as the ONE THAT WAS SENT by God, and his words as God’s words.

Now notice what they were to do in verse 18 of that same chapter. ‘As you have sent me into the World’, Christ said. That’s why Paul refers to him as an Apostle, He WAS SENT too. ‘As you have sent me into the World, even so have I sent them into the World.’ Those Apostles were given the words of God.

Christ FAITHFULLY DELIVERED them to the Apostles. And then He SENT them into the World to take them, and preach them. And whosoever would hear, THEY would listen, and RECOGNIZED THE WORDS for what they were.

Notice in II Timothy chapter three, II Timothy chapter three and verse 14. Here’s Paul who was trained personally by Christ as well. And Christ, you know was so much identified with the word of God and it so filled Him that He’s called the WORD OF GOD. God permits that name to be on Him, because He’s so much like it. He is exactly the WORD OF GOD.

He says in II Timothy chapter three, and verse 14. The Apostle Paul trained personally by Christ as well. ‘But continue in the things which you have learned, and have been assured of…’ Timothy was a young Minister. He was told to keep going the SAME DIRECTION. ‘…knowing of whom you have learned them.’ Knowing that the Apostle Paul had taught him and he had a DIRECT connection with Christ, who had taught him the words of the Father.

And that Christ had FAITHFULLY DELIVERED the Father’s words. ‘…knowing of whom you have learned them; And that from a child you have known the Holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.’ Timothy knew the words of God, the Old Testament of course from a child.

But did he understand them? No, not till an Apostle came, and explained it to him and showed him what those words were. And helped him to put them together, here a little, and there a little, to understand the words of God.

Notice Brethren, it’s always called the WORD OF GOD. It comes from the Father, and it was SENT by Christ. Christ was SENT into the World to bring the WORDS OF GOD. And He gave them to the Apostles. And the Apostles were to faithfully pass them on to the membership, and the Ministry, ALL OF IT. And they would CARRY THEM ON FAITHFULLY.

Now when you have it straight down the line, and you get God’s MIND on any subject, on any subject there is, and it comes FROM the Father, and it was GIVEN to Christ. And He FAITHFULLY PASSED it on to the Apostles. And the Apostles faithfully passed it on in the words that we’re reading now, which is called the WORD OF GOD, so representing Christ’s message that it’s the WORD OF GOD, too.

And when we’re faithfully in line with that, and it comes from the Apostles, down to the Ministry, and to the membership, and it’s straight, and there are no changes, or dilutions, your ON TRACK.

And when there’s anything that’s distorted, or somebody gets in the way, and changes it, and decides he’s NOT going to deliver it faithfully as he has been taught it, then its diluted, or distorted in some way, and then your OFF TRACK. Then it’s not God’s word faithfully passed on down that might be on a subject like the Sabbath, which is very clear in the scriptures which we can understand very clearly. Or, a subject that’s not covered directly like smoking, where the principals of God’s are applied. And the clear will of God is plain about in the Church of God that we don’t smoke, even though there’s no specific prohibition about it.

Whether it’s on keeping God’s annual Festivals, the Holy Days and again, it’s clearly set out in the WORD. And kept in there, and taught faithfully right through. Or something like applause in Church or a certain decision has to be made based on the principles of God’s law and the principles of his way of life.

Whether it’s a matter like tithing, which again shows God’s mind very clearly in the scriptures that He wants us each to tithe or something that’s not covered directly. Like, calling a Minister by his first name, but a principle based on God’s law.

When we have God’s MIND on those subjects passed on down from God to Christ, to the Apostles, and our own Apostle and on down through the Ministry, and membership, then we’re faithfully ON TRACK, and we’re going THE WAY God wants us to go.

There will be two results of that. That we now enjoy far more in the Church of God, than we did when we were OFF THE TRACK. And the one result is PEACE. Where no one is arguing, and bickering for his own point of view. He wants to have GOD’S POINT OF VIEW on every subject. And he wants to know what Gods MIND is. It cuts out all the arguments and all the fights and the bickering.

And the second result is that we’ll all SPEAK THE SAME THING. Exactly God’s word as it comes down from him, right through Christ, the Apostles, right on down through God, the Ministry, and the membership.

And I’ll tell you, that is a pleasant thing. It can be because you see God knows the WAY OF PEACE. He knows the WAY that men should go. He knows how we should have a proper relationship with God. And He knows how we should have a proper relationship with each other, and nobody else does. And when we have HIS WORD STRAIGHT and we’re following it, we’re right ON TRACK. Exactly the WAY we ought to be.

Take a look at Ephesians, the Book of Ephesians, chapter four. You know it’s instructive that if anyone could alter the words of God, the most qualified to do so was Jesus Christ himself. He’s absolutely perfect. And yet, in the scripture he goes time, after time, after time, to say that He DOESN’T ALTER. He DOESN’T CHANGE it, that they’re not His words. And that he faithfully passed it along, just the WAY the Father gave it. And each of us in our own lives should, DO EXACTLY THE SAME THING following God’s will, following God’s WAY.

Notice in Ephesians chapter four verse 11. ‘And he gave,’ Christ did, ‘some Apostles, some Prophets, some Evangelists, some Pastors, and Teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints.’ So that the Church, the people that are the Saints, would be perfect, for the WORK of the Ministry, ‘for the edifying,’ or the building of the body of Christ, ‘till we all come,’ all of us, ‘in the UNITY of the Faith.’

There’s ONE FAITH. There’s ONE WAY to go. ‘…and of the knowledge of the Son of God,’ the knowledge of GOD’S WAY the knowledge that he brought from the Father. ‘…till we all come in the UNITY OF THE FAITH, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto a measure of the stature of the fullness: of Christ.’ TILL WE TOO CAN BE CALLED, THE WORD OF GOD, identified with God’s WAY. And to be fully, although we may never have that title, that’s his. But that we, FOLLOW THAT WORD UNTIL WE ARE LIKE IT. And we all have the SAME MIND. And we serve God with ONE consent. And when we are, when Christ brings that UNITY to his Church, it can be clearly said that the CHURCH IS ON THE TRACK.