The Bible says in Proverbs 29, 25, the fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth
his trust in the Lord shall be saved.
So again, just like the other scripture that we looked at, what's the opposite of fearing
man?
Trusting in the Lord.
You know, you trust what the Lord's telling you to do, or you fear man and what he can
do to you.
Now flip over to Acts chapter 20, because a big problem today is that pastors are afraid
to rebuke sin, or they're afraid to preach on certain subjects because they're afraid
of being persecuted.
We read the scripture of Jeremiah in chapter 38.
He's being thrown in prison, he's being attacked, he's in trouble with the law.
And a lot of pastors today, frankly, are afraid to preach the truth because they just don't
want to deal with the persecution.
And the Bible says, yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
And a lot of pastors today are willing to trim the message because they don't want to
lose church members, they're afraid that people are going to leave the church, and then they're
afraid that they're not going to be able to pay the bills, or they're just afraid of the
persecution, and they don't want to be under attack, and they don't want to have people,
you know, retaliating against them in various ways.
You know, and thank God for Pastor Jimenez, and you know what, that's why this church
is so important.
Because this church is not just another independent Baptist church in Sacramento.
It isn't.
I mean, yea, there are other independent Baptist churches, but you know what, how many of them
are really willing to get up here and call a spade a spade and not leave anything out
but to preach the whole counsel of God.
Look what Paul said in Acts chapter 20 verse 19, serving the Lord with all humility of
mine and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in way to the Jews,
watch this, and how I kept back nothing.
This is his style of preaching.
Keep back, who was it that told me before the service, don't hold anything back.
Who was it, was that, yea, yea, she said, hey, don't hold anything back tonight.
Hey, she must have read my outline.
You know what, I'm not going to hold anything back.
Because you know what, if I'm going to be like the Apostle Paul, he said I kept back
nothing.
There's nothing that I said, oh well I don't know if they can handle that, or well I better
not say that, that's going to get me in hot water.
Look if it's in the word of God it needs to be preached.
And who are we to decide, well I think this is appropriate in 2015 America, whereas this
chapter, this scripture is a little rough, you know it's a little edgy for our society.
So God said preach the word, in season out of season, if it's popular or not popular.
Look down at the Bible, he said I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, and
the Bible says all scripture is profitable.
So what he's saying is he preached all scripture.
Anything in the Bible, he preached it, no subject was off limits.
He said but have showed you, and have taught you publicly.
So did he get up on Sunday morning and preach a watered down, positive only sermon, and
then take aside the inner circle and say okay let me tell you guys what the Bible really
says.
No he said I taught everything publicly.
I got up and what was told me in the ear, I preached it from the housetops as Jesus
said, and I didn't keep back anything from public preaching for everybody to hear.
He said I taught it from house to house.
He was going solo and he was preaching the word of God.
He said in verse 21, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward
God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
And now behold I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall
befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds
and afflictions abide me, but none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received
of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
He said I know about the lying and weight of the Jews, he said in verse 19.
He said I know that afflictions and bonds abide me.
I know that I'm going to be persecuted because the Bible says ye in all that will live godly
in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
But he said none of that moves me.
It doesn't affect my preaching.
It doesn't stop me from doing the work that God wants me to do.
And he even said I'll tell it to the Jews and the Greeks.
Even if the Jews are mad about it and hate me, I'll preach it to both.
I'll preach it to everybody.
I'll preach the gospel to every creature and I will keep back nothing from the church.
And then right after this he's going to admonish those pastors there from Ephesus and those
places.
He said feed the flock of God which is among you.
You know, teach the whole counsel of God, speak all of it.