Amen. All right. Well, we're here in 1st Samuel chapter 5 and we have much of a shorter chapter this evening
So we'll try not to be too long this evening
But if you remember last chapter the Israelites were destroyed
Multiple times in battle and after their first defeat they wanted to seek to the ark of God
But they were actually not just wanting the ark of God because of what it represented but they were saying man
maybe this ark can save us maybe it can save us and as a result the Israelites were destroyed because of that and
Eli died his sons died. Really? This is a very low point in Israel's history here
this is you know a sad time for them the glory of God has departed departed from them and that's kind of the
Thought that we pick up the story here in 1st Samuel 5. Let's start reading in verse number one
It says and the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer on to Ashtad
So you remember that the Israelites were destroyed so bad that the ark of God was actually taken from them
And is now in the hands of the enemies of the Lord people that are not saved
They now have the ark of the Covenant. They have the Ten Commandments
You know
They have these holy items and I want you to see first of all this evening number one
The false religion of the Philistines the false religion of the Philistines notice in verse two
it says when the Philistines took the ark of God they brought it into the house of
Dagon now Dagon is their false God that they worship and of course
We know from the New Testament that the Bible says that pretty much any idol any false God when people are worshiping a false
God what they're actually worshiping is the devil
So here the Bible says it's the house of Dagon
But we know that really they have now just taken the ark of God
Into the house of the devil and they're worshiping the devil with the ark of God in the midst notice
And it says and set it by
Dagon and so, you know what a blasphemous picture this is to take something that's holy that's separated
That's consecrated to God and they bring it into their demonic little temple and they put it by the idol of their false God
Dagon that's where the ark of the Covenant is
Look at verse 3 it says and when they have Ashdod arose early on the morrow behold
Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord and notice this
they took Dagon and
Set him in his place again
And this really is a picture of all false religion
Because what man wants to do rather than submit themselves to the Lord is they want to create a God
they want to create a religion that they can manipulate that they can be in charge of that they can make the rules for and
You know worshiping the God of heaven is a lot different than worshiping some little statue that could fall down and you could put back
on the shelf
Because the little fake false God that you could put back on the shelf isn't gonna tell you how to live your life
He doesn't know all your thoughts he can't see everything at all times, you know
He's just a convenient little God for the world and you know
This is what a lot of false religions are like today go to Psalm 115 Psalm
115 and
think about
The mentality of the Philistines here. They just came off of a victory. So they're on an emotional high
They stole the ark of the God of Israel they put it in the house of their false God Dagon
You got to imagine that these guys are feeling pretty big and bad at this point
They're probably feeling pretty prideful thinking, you know, who is this God?
Is he really as tough as other nations have made him out to be?
I mean look we just stole his ark and he doesn't even seem to care
Well, look at Psalm 115 verse 2
It says wherefore should the heathen say where is now their God?
Don't you think that's probably what the Philistines are saying at this point when they've stolen the ark of God
But look at verse 3 says but our God is in the heavens. He have done whatsoever. He hath pleased
Here's the thing the God of Israel the God of the Bible. He's not a God
You could just put up on a shelf our God is the God of heaven and he has done whatsoever
He has pleased so look if you got the ark of God
That's only because the Lord allowed you to do that
If you destroyed the children of Israel in battle
It's only because God allowed them to do that
And so you can see a huge difference between the true God our God and all the other false gods of this world all the idols
Look what it says in verse 4 says their idols are
silver and gold the work of men's hands and
Really every false religion in the world is a combination of the work of man's hands and the work of the devil's hands
That's really what false religion is
It's either something that the devil
Has tricked man into believing or something that man out of his own wicked heart has just invented
False religion is that which man makes with his own
hands and
Every single false religion in this world what they teach as the way to
Salvation as the way to getting to heaven is the work of their own hands, right?
What does Mormonism teach that you have to be a good person in order to get the highest level of eternal life of the?
Telestial Kingdom, you know because they believe in three levels of heaven
What are the Catholics believe that you have to do good works to get to heaven every false religion is just like this
It's the work of men's hands and then worshipping Dagon is no different at the end of the day
Than being a Catholic or being a Buddhist or being a Mormon or anything like that
Look at verse 5. It says they have mouths
But they speak not see if you were to look at Dagon if you were to look at their false little idol
You would see something that resembles a mouth. You probably see some lips
You'd see some sort of facial, you know features, but guess what Dagon is never going to talk to you
Let's keep reading eyes have they but they see not they have ears, but they hear not
Noses have they but they smell not they have hands, but they handle not feet have they but they walk not
Neither speak they through their throat because they don't have a throat
They this is the verse that I really like look at verse 8
They that make them are like unto them
So is everyone that trust it in them notice the Bible is describing what an idol is like
It's dumb. It's deaf. It's blind. It's lame
It can't do anything and it's really foolish stupid inanimate
It does nothing right and guess what the people that make idols and that trust in idols are
Exactly like the idol itself. And of course, we know that it's speaking
Spiritually here because obviously we see people around this world believing in false religions
They could talk they could hear but here's the thing spiritually though
They're just like Dagon where they can do absolutely nothing
They can hear absolutely nothing and you know
You might think that this is kind of a silly analogy that the Bible is giving yet. We have
1.3 billion
Catholics in this world that are trusting in idols that are bowing down
Before statues it might as well be the statue of Dagon
Because it's just as much of an idol and just as much of an abomination in the sight of God
God feels the same exact way about Dagon the false god as he does about
Crucifixes where they make an idol of Jesus Christ dying on the cross
That's a wicked false idol and people that would trust in idols and think that idols are somehow
Divine or somehow gonna take them to heaven
you know what they're just as dumb lame and blind as the idols themselves and you know, you go to countries like Mexico and
When you're crossing back into the border in the United States, there's tons of Mexicans that are just trying to sell you everything under heaven
They're trying to wash your windows and but you know what? Most of them are doing
Most of them are just carrying around just a ridiculous amount of idols to sell to Americans
Going back to the United States
Why because a lot of Catholics in the United States visit their Catholic Mexican family members in Mexico?
And what are these Catholics doing? Well, they're trusting in idols
1.2 billion Hindus on this earth are just like the Philistines here
520 million Buddhists all of these religions
practice idolatry and while idolatry
Isn't something that we really see a ton of in our day-to-day life here in the Bible Belt in Oklahoma
we do still see some of it, but you got to realize that there's other parts of the world where like this is
Everywhere when you go to Mexico who's ever been to Mexico before?
Okay, a few people when you go to Mexico when you're soul winning there. I am not kidding
Every single street you will see an idol of Mary every single street. You will see some sort of Catholic
Effigy or some sort of Catholic statue and a lot of this world is like this a lot of Asia is like this
Where idolatry is just rampant now
Go to Romans chapter number one and keep your place in the sermon throughout first Samuel 5, of course
That's our text this evening
But also keep your place in Romans chapter 1 because we're gonna go here a couple times throughout the sermon
Romans chapter number one
We're talking about false religion here look at Romans 1 verse 18
It says for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men
Who hold the truth in unrighteousness verse 19?
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God hath showed it unto them
So notice God has made manifest
Certain things about himself to every single person on this earth. It says right here for God
Hath showed it unto them
What is it that God showed them?
Look at verse 20 for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen
So there's things that you could see that are invisible about God, but by looking at creation, you can clearly see these things
What are they being understood by the things that are made?
even specifically number one his eternal power and number two his Godhead even his eternal power and
Godhead so that they are without excuse. Here's what you have to understand about every single human being on earth
When God creates us God does not create man being an atheist
Because God has revealed from his creation
Certain things that are obvious that are manifest that are clearly seen and that are revealed to mankind
Through the Lord, what are they? Well by looking at creation itself, you can understand two things
You can understand that there's an eternal powerful God. You can understand that he's powerful and that he's God
That's what you can understand because any person looking at creation will automatically realize that this did not come into being by itself
you know, I went to the
Mercedes-benz
Factory Museum in Germany earlier this year and I'm looking at all these awesome
beautifully engineered cars and no one goes to this museum thinking like wow
This Mercedes just like got wrapped up by a tornado and just got landed here
Perfectly ready to go on the Autobahn at 170 miles an hour. Like how great is this?
No, everyone knows that some German dude created the Mercedes-benz
Everyone knew it knows that the Ford vehicle was created by a dude named Henry Ford
No one looks at things that are created and say like that came out of nowhere
No one looks at this world and thinks oh this came from nothing
Something has to happen to you for you to come to that conclusion, but it's not natural and here's the thing
No one naturally thinks that some little statue that some little idol is the thing that created this world
You know, you have to be blinded in order to think something like that
You have to be deluded in your mind
You have to be lied to from what nature itself even reveals
When you're looking at something and you're pouring milk on it and you're pouring food on it
Like a lot of places in this world do like India and you're thinking like huh?
It's weird that this thing can't eat or drink but somehow it created the world somehow. It's gonna give me eternal life. That's
Insane that's absolute insanity. But look what happens here
It says in verse 21 because that notice when they knew God
Every single person in this world at some point in their life in some shape or fashion knows God
Even it's just even if it's just knowing that there's a creator. That is what God reveals to all people
When they knew God what happens they glorified him not as God. They made a decision not to
Accept the truth that's in front of their faces and seek more truth and hopefully here's thing if you have seen some truth
You believe that truth and in your heart you want to seek more truth
You will end up believing in Jesus Christ all that seek will find
But here's the thing when you look at basic truths that God has revealed to you like the fact that there's a creator and you reject
That well, then maybe you won't hear a clear gospel presentation because you've already rejected
The small bit of truth that God has already revealed to you
You know, I'm not preaching about reprobates tonight, but I just want to say this thing
There's a false misconception about reprobates that every single reprobate has heard a clear presentation of the gospel and that is not true
but I will tell you this every single reprobate has been given some truth by God and
When any person rejects any truth given to them by God then they're in danger of going down the road of becoming a reprobate
That is what this Bible is explaining here in this chapter
Is that God's revealed these things to everyone but these specific people they rejected it
They glorified him not as God neither were thankful but notice became vain in their imaginations in
their foolish heart was
Darkened now, here's the thing. I'm not saying that every single person that works worships idols is a reprobate
But I will say that every single person that worships idols is vain in their imaginations
It's it's it's meaningless to imagine that this idol is doing anything for you spiritually
And it says right here in their foolish heart was darkened
Can we all agree that every person that worships idol is a fool?
Because what a foolish thing that this thing they can't talk hear speak taste see is somehow
Divine or somehow helping you spiritually and notice what they did in verse 23 and
Changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into and what?
image
Made like to corruptible man into birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things
This is what false religion does it rejects the truth of God
It rejects the glory of God and it changes it it perverts it into something else
Specifically, what do people often change it to to a corruptible what image to an idol?
That's why you see so much idolatry in this world is because there's so many people in this world
That have been had truth revealed to them, but they reject that and they pervert that into something
corruptible like an idol now go to Matthew chapter number 28 Matthew chapter number 28
People do not want a real God the real God to submit to
They want a little day gone that it could fall over they could put it back up
Why because false religion wants to be in charge false religion man wants to make the rules
We want to make things of our own hands and we want to be the ones in charge
That's what false religion does but you know what?
There's even people within the realms of Christianity that do this to an extent where they want to pervert the truth of Christianity
They want to pervert what the Bible says to make it to where man is still in charge
They want to take away the authority from Scripture and they want to bring it to someone else
so that they could just put their little
spiritual day gone on their pulpit and control things the way they want to look at Matthew chapter number 28 now
Who I'm talking about. That's a very specific
Example of this is a guy named Andy Stanley and I preached a whole sermon on this guy recently at faithful word
I highly recommend you go listen to that sermon, but this is a person that wants to make a man-made religion
He claims to be a Christian this guy is not a Christian
He preached this sermon and it was called I believe encouragement and discouragement was something similar to that
But this was his text verse in his sermon Matthew 28. Are you there look at verse 18?
it says and Jesus came and spake unto them saying this is the part he focuses on all power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth
Go ye therefore and teach all nations
Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever. I've commanded you and lo. I am with you always even unto the end of the world
Amen. Now. This is a passage. It's very familiar to us. This is the Great Commission
So where Jesus is giving his desire for the church to go out reach people with the gospel
Baptize them teach them all things whatsoever. He commanded
Well, Andy Stanley focuses on something completely different when it comes to this passage now
I'm not gonna read his whole super super long quote
I'm just gonna take out some parts that I want to focus on but if you want to hear the full
Context and everything that he preached you could listen to my sermon that I preached at faith for word, but he said this
Andy Stanley said and then Jesus begins his farewell address with what I in my opinion
I think this is the most important and the most overlooked statement in the entire New Testament
Maybe in the whole Bible
So according to Andy Stanley the Great Commission is the most
overlooked passage in the Bible
which I would say that this is like the passage that every church cares about or at least pretends to care about and
How every church basically models their church is more about getting people saved in church than it is about preaching the whole counsel of God
So it's like the Great Commission is what churches are pounding behind the pulpit whether they're doing it the correct way is another story
But this is not an overlooked passage in the Bible
Okay, every church knows this passage but he says this he's quoting it
He says all authority in heaven and on earth heaven and on earth. That's pretty much everything, right?
Heaven to earth all authority in heaven and earth how many times he gonna say it has been given me by my father to me
your Savior my Savior if you're a Christian claimed to be the ultimate authority or
To put it in another way if you use this language the Bible says that Jesus is our ultimate authority
Not the Bible
So what is he doing here?
He's trying to mess with the minds of his congregation because of course when we read that all authority has been given to Jesus Christ
We agree with that. We rejoice in that. We're like, yeah, of course, he's God, right?
But then he says notice this doesn't say that all authority is given to the Bible. It's given to Jesus Christ
So what he's trying to do in the minds of his audience is he's trying to disassociate these two things
Jesus Christ and the Bible whereas we know that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word
Was God so we know that Jesus Christ is the Word of God
You can't disassociate these two things. So when Jesus said all power has been given unto me
Yeah, we believe that and we believe that this book right here is the words of Jesus Christ
And so if all power has been given to Jesus Christ, then everything in here is the final authority
That's the actual logical conclusion to believing that Jesus has all authority, but he says no, I want you to separate these two things
He says this that the Bible infers if you just take the Bible as if the Bible had a voice
The Bible proclaims that Jesus your Savior your King is your ultimate authority
More importantly Jesus said that Jesus is our ultimate authority and ignoring the implications of this statement is
How church leaders have gotten by with so much harmful nonsense?
Century after century after century so notice
He's upset that churches are giving authority to the Word of God and not to Jesus
Which we know they're the same things and he says by churches giving the authority to the Word of God
That they've gotten away with harmful nonsense
How blasphemous to say that to say that someone that's giving heed to the Word of God is preaching harmful nonsense
But you know what Andy Stanley is
He's a false prophet that has created a perversion of Christianity that he wants to make his own little God that he can control
Because you say oh, okay. So the Bible is not the final authority. Jesus is okay. Well, where is Jesus today is?
Jesus preaching the sermons at his church is
Jesus leading the songs is
Jesus the pastor of his church
No, he's not you know how Jesus has remained as the head of the church by this being our final authority
That's the only way you can have Jesus as the head of the church
But here he makes his little false day gone that he sets up and says you know what the Bible's not the final authority
Just basically whatever Andy Stanley says is the final authority
he says
Because somebody like me
Because I'm so well acquainted and well versed in the verses of the Old and New Testament
Somebody like me can use and misuse
Apply and misapply the Bible in such a way that I can justify pretty much anything you want to do
Speak for yourself, man. You know when I'm preaching when I'm writing a sermon, I'm not thinking well, you know
I know the Bible so well so I could just abuse and misuse any passage
I want to try to pervert the minds of my congregation. What a perverted thought that is what you know?
Projecting here that he's doing leaking of his heart. He says I'll find you a verse. I'll find you a story
I'll find you an implication. I'll find you a loophole and
You know
This is what Christianity is slowly drifting to become today a lot of churches are becoming like Andy Stanley
Where they're throwing away the authority of the Word of God
Where they want to make their own false little version of Christianity that they can have knocked off the shelf and put back up and
Fashioned any way they want. They don't want to submit to God
That's what a lot of Christians have done today people want to exalt their opinions their man-made ideas
over what the Bible says
You know
I saw a good example of this this week because I overheard a group of men today having a conversation about
Abortion and this group of men were all blue-collar
Christian ish dudes conservative dudes and
Half of them are arguing saying that yeah, you know, I'm pro-life
It's a life in the mother's womb. You shouldn't kill it. And then half of the people are saying well us men should never ever
Vote to do anything to a woman's body
We have no authority over what goes on in a woman's body
It's like first of all women shouldn't even be voting at all because the Bible teaches that they shouldn't be an authority
Sorry to burst your bubble there. But oh, yeah, I'm not worshiping Dagon
I actually have a Bible verse to tell me that in 1st Timothy 2
I actually have a Bible verse to tell me that in 1st Corinthians chapter 14
I actually have a Bible verse to tell me that in 1st Corinthians 11
But many Christians say which is oh I just I mean men shouldn't be involved in making decisions for women's bodies
What if I told you that every law virtually speaking is telling you what you can and cannot do with your body?
Virtually every law on the books is about what you can and cannot do with your body
Do you know that a speed limit is telling you how fast your body is allowed to make your vehicle go?
You know that laws about assault are telling you when you cannot touch someone or hit someone
battery robbery
Burglary, I mean just Nate just think of a law. It's telling you what you can and cannot do with your body
What a stupid idea. Oh what we can't legislate what people do with their bodies. That's every law
That's how we even have a society is because we have this thing called first-degree murder
Which tells you it's not okay to use your body to go kill someone else and
Here we are in Christianity where a bunch of blue-collar construction dudes
Half of them are so stupid and ignorant and haven't read their Bible because they've been at Dagon Baptist Church
Where the pastor has put up little false idol of love
Abortion love faggots and love women presidents to while we're at it. That's that's I mean Andy Stanley that pretty much sums him up
That sums up a lot of false Christianity go back to 1st Samuel chapter number 5
first annual first Samuel chapter number 5
You know what I don't think that the Bible is a bunch of harmful nonsense like Andy Stanley thinks it is
I think that the Word of God is pure that the law of the Lord is perfect
And I think that our world would be so much better if more preachers actually preach what the Bible said
Rather than putting up some Dagon for their church
first Samuel chapter number 5
Verse 3 it says and when they have asked odd arose early on the morrow behold Dagon was fallen upon his face
To the earth before the ark of the Lord
So notice Dagon has been a based
below the ark of God and they took Dagon and notice what they did and set him in his place again and
This is just what people do right
I mean people will just keep trusting in false religion no matter how many times it fails them
No matter how many times it screws up their life
I mean you could have people that they don't want to submit to the Bible
they want to go get a divorce right and they go get a divorce and
they go get remarried and they get remarried to some random dude and that dude goes and molests their kids and
Their kids grow up and their kids say, you know, I don't want to grow I don't want to submit myself to the Bible
I'm not gonna listen to the rules that the Bible has I'm gonna drink alcohol become a drunk and
That person's life gets destroyed too. That person goes and commits fornication. They don't listen what the Bible says
They have bastard children out of wedlock. Their life is ruined
I mean how many times have you seen someone's life just ruined ruin ruin and it's always the same reason
Because they're not listening to what the Bible says and here you got the Philistines their idol falls down
And instead of figuring out huh? I wonder why this idol keeps getting knocked down. I wonder why it's below the ark of God
there's like let's put it back up again and
This is just human nature is just to be stupid and foolish and not to actually look at ourselves and change our ways and figure
Out what's wrong with this picture?
They just keep putting Dagon back on its shelf over and over and over again
Go to Philippians chapter number two Philippians chapter number two
But
You know, this is just a picture of the fact that false religion will always fail you
false religion will fail you and you know what perverted versions of Christianity will also fail you a
Christianity that tells you no rules. No judgment. Do whatever you want. You don't have to listen to the Bible that
Christianity will fail you
Your life will be destroyed with that version of Christianity
But just like
Dagon was brought lower than the ark of God, you know someday every single person
Religion thing in this world will be brought lower than Jesus Christ and will acknowledge and exalt him
Look at it in Philippians chapter 2 verse 9
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus
Every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father
Someday every single knee that God ever created in the history of humanity
Will bow before the Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledge him as being God as being the true Lord
You know someday every single day gone will be cast down to the ground before the great ark of the Lord
Before the Lord Jesus Christ and so you know what?
It would be so much better for people to quit just putting their idol back up on the table and just before that happens
Acknowledge him as the supreme God before that
Go to 1st Samuel chapter number 5 for Samuel chapter number 5
We saw the false religion of the Philistines
Number two, let's look at the humiliation of the Philistines verse 4
And when they arose early on the morrow morning behold Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground
Before the ark of the Lord and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off
Upon the threshold only the stump of Dagon was left to him. So notice
Dagon he fell down they put him back up. He falls down for the ark of God
This time though his head and his hands are cut off. It doesn't say that they broke off
You know when I picture this story, I don't picture Dagon falling down and just kind of looks like a broken piece of glass
No, it's cut off
I picture this as just being a complete smooth clean cut to where you walk up to this thing and you know
Like this is not normal what just happened. This is not some natural thing where cup falls over and it breaks
It's like it was cut off. I mean, do you see what the Bible says there?
Upon the threshold now go to Hebrews chapter number 12 Hebrews chapter number 12
We kind of see here that you know God's trying to get the attention of the Philistines. He knocks it over
They put it back up. He knocks it over. They put it back up
They knock it over then God actually cuts the head and the hands off that and I think this could be a picture of a
Couple different things number one
It could be a picture of God's increasing anger with the wicked and that in the end times
God's gonna get more and more and more angry with the world
And it's gonna punish them greatly but even Christians who he's not punting punishing us out of hatred or anger or anything like that
sometimes when we despise the chastening of the Lord, you know your life can go from just maybe being knocked down and
Brought back up and knocked down and brought back up when you're not listening over and over, you know
Things might start getting cut off. It might start getting worse and worse and worse to where you know, God's
Humiliating and upping the ante here. Look at Hebrews chapter 12 verse 5
Says and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children my son
Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him
So notice we shouldn't hate or not want to endure or not want to deal with God punishing us
You know, we should embrace it when that happens
We should be accepting of it when God decides to punish us and we shouldn't faint when we're rebuked of him
We shouldn't get tired of hearing the scripture. We shouldn't get tired of hearing preaching that steps on our toes
You know when God does that we should embrace that verse 6 for meaning why?
Or because whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth
So, of course because God loves us because he's a good Heavenly Father
He disciplines his children by the way fathers that actually love their kids will spank their kids
Mothers that actually love their children will spank their children. That's not a bad thing
That's actually a very loving thing to do
But the idea is that when your parents spank you you're being corrected and you actually make a change
You actually stop doing the action that got you spanked or you stop or you start doing the action that your parents want to do
Same thing with God when God corrects us. It's because he's trying to change something in our lives
Look at verse 7 if ye endure chastening God dealeth with you is with sons for what son is he whom the father chasteneth?
Not but if ye be without chastisement where of all our partakers then are you bastards and not sons?
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh
Which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits and live
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure
But he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous
Nevertheless
Afterward notice it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness
unto them which are
exercised
thereby
So while chastening is not fun the Bible saying it's not gonna be pleasant. It's not gonna be enjoyable
You're not gonna be like yeah, I'm being punished by God
but here's the thing if you actually
exercise the thing that God wants you to do if you actually change your life is gonna produce something that
every single human being wants
peace
peace and
You know, there's a big difference between two people where one has peace and one doesn't I mean peace is just such a wonderful
thing to have
Even when things are hard even when you're going through trials when you just know that you're right with God
When you just know that your family is right with God, you know, you can have peace
you could put your head on the pillow at night and sleep like a baby, but you know when you just
Don't pay attention to or you don't endure the chasing that God gives you and he's knocking things down in your life
And you're just putting it back up. He's knocking things down in your life. You just put it back up
You know, he might have to start cutting things off to really get your attention and I don't know about you
I'd rather just be pushed over and stand back up then get my arm chopped off
Because there's a difference between standing up and getting some you know
Grass off you then throwing a tourniquet on your life and stopping you from bleeding out and just dying
There's a big difference between these two scenarios and I want to be punished by God as little as possible
So, you know what God just comes up to me and just shows me a little bit
It's just gonna be like yes Lord. I'll stop right now
I'm not gonna wait until he gets out the sword and starts chopping things off in my life
Go to first Samuel chapter number four or five first Samuel chapter number five verse four
Number three, let's look at the unrepentance of the Philistines
the unrepentance of the Philistines verse four and
When they arose early on the morrow morning behold Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord
And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off notice this upon the threshold
That's gonna be important in a minute
Only the stump of Dagon was left to him
Therefore so because of the fact that Dagon was destroyed again cut off upon the threshold because of that
Neither the priests of Dagon nor any that come into Dagon's house
Tread on the threshold of Dagon and Ashtad unto this day
so notice here the Philistines they recognize and they understand that God is doing this and
Here's the thing they even change their behavior to prove it they're saying like whoa
We see Dagon getting knocked down here and his head and his arms are cut off
Upon the threshold and since God did that since God lowered him upon the threshold
We are never gonna step on this threshold ever again. And what are they doing? They're getting superstitious
They're recognizing that this is the act of God
But notice they didn't repent as far as changing where they were putting their trust. They repented of just like, okay
We're gonna stop stepping in this place. And you know what this story it should have been that they come in
They see Dagon's fallen on the ground his heads cut off his arms cut off
they see him upon the threshold and then they decided to believe in the God of Israel and
Believe that he is the true God and believe that he is the powerful one
But instead they continue in their hard-heartedness in their impenitent heart and they just continue going on
Worshipping Dagon, but the only change they made is they just don't step on that threshold now
I told you to keep your place in Romans 1 go back there real quick
Romans 1
Stories like this helped me understand parts of Romans 1 look at verse 21 because that Romans 1 verse 21
Because that when they knew God did the Philistines here know who's doing this
Do they understand that this is God? Yes, they did. But notice they glorified him not as God. That's the difference
Neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened
professing themselves to be wise they became fools and
Changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man into birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things
This is the same path that every single human soul goes down that someday ends up in hell
They know God, but they choose not to glorify him as God
Even if people are you know almost all the way to the truth where they believe in Jesus Christ
But they also believe you have to repent of your sins. You have to live a good life
They're still not fully giving the glory to God. They want to share that glory with themselves
Then you have other religions that completely just reject the glory of God altogether like Islam
They want to worship Muhammad and say that Jesus was just a good guy that he was just a prophet
Not that he's God or you got the Philistines where they know God they know God's doing this but did they stop worshiping Dagon?
No, they didn't and so here we see the repent the unrepentance of the Philistines. Look at Romans chapter number two
Romans chapter number two flip if you flip the page, you know who else was a lot like this Jews
Jews are exactly the same way where they knew God, but they chose not to glorify him as God look at Romans 2 verse 1
Therefore thou art inexcusable. Oh, man
Whosoever thou art that judges for wherein thou judges another thou condemnest thyself for thou that judges do is the same things
but we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things and
Think is thou this o man that judges them which do it which do such things and do is the same
That thou shalt escape the judgment of God
notice or
Wisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering not knowing that the goodness of God
Leadeth thee to repentance now think about this story in 1st Samuel 5
Spoil alert at the end of the story God punishes them really really bad with emerods
Which we're gonna get to in a minute, but before that what happened there was lots of longsuffering shown by God
There was lots of kindness shown by God where God's showing them. Hey, I'm the true God
I'm knocking down your false idol. Hey, I'm knocking it down again
Hey, I'm cutting off the head and off the arms, but did the goodness of God lead them to true repentance?
No, it didn't same thing with the Jews
God sent them prophet after prophet after prophet in the Old Testament to preach unto them to tell them of the coming Messiah and
Did the Jews accept that when Jesus came?
Nope, they didn't God's goodness and longsuffering did not lead them to repentance
But what happened to them verse 5 but after thy hardness and
Impenitent heart meaning it's not repentant
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasure us up unto thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and
Revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render to every man
according to his deeds
Here is the truth
Here's the reality of our world the more truth that God reveals to someone the more light that is shown in a human
Hearts in a human's heart the more punishment that person is going to receive from God
Here's the thing just looking at creation alone is enough to tell you that there's a God and that he's powerful and if you reject
That alone you will go to hell
But you know who's gonna go to the lowest hell
People that saw Jesus Christ in the flesh face to face and
Rejected him those people are gonna have a much worse hell to go to and here are the Philistines
They're given, you know mercy longsuffering kindness from God, but you know, what's gonna end up happening to them
God's gonna render to them according to their deeds and that's what we're gonna see for the rest of this chapter
Go back to 1st Samuel chapter number five
Number four this evening notice the punishment of the Philistines
The punishment of the Philistines look at verse 6 of 1st Samuel 5
but the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashtad and he destroyed them and smote them with
Emrods even Ashtad in the coasts thereof now, what are
Emrods, let's get into this skip down to verse 9 for a minute
And it was so that after they had carried it out
the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction and he smote the men of the city both small and
Great, and they had Emrods in their secret parts. This isn't very fun. This isn't very nice
This doesn't sound like a pleasant situation. You know, what's happening God's rendering to the Philistines according to their deeds
He's paying them for back for having such an impenitent heart now go to Psalm 78
Psalm chapter 78 refers back to this story in 1st Samuel chapter 5
And the Bible is going to kind of explain even more
About this topic that we don't really want to know much more about but hey
No one can say that the Bible is boring because this is not boring. That's for sure
Psalm 78 verse 60
So he that forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh the tent which he placed among men verse 61 and
Delivered his strength into captivity
That's the ark going into captivity from the Philistines and his glory into the enemy's hand
The glory has been departed from Israel verse 62
He gave his people also over unto the sword and was wroth with his inheritance was angry at Israel
They lose in battle verse 63
The fire consumed their young men and their maidens were not given to marriage
Their priests fell by the sword and their widows made no lamentation
Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep and like a mighty man that
Shouteth by reason of wine and he smote his enemies in the hinder parts
He put them to a perpetual reproach
That's some punishment right there
That's a it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. You know what M rods are its hemorrhoids
I think that's pretty much what I think this situation is talking about. That's crazy, right?
But that's what God did to punish the Philistines and I'm telling you Jesus Christ
God the God of the Bible is a God to be feared
The Bible says that he's terrible not meaning that he's bad, but he's one that invokes terror
Why because you cross him he can just strike you with M rods
Man that doesn't sound fun
But you see the more that God gives to someone the more that he reveals to someone the worst punishment
You're gonna get go to Romans chapter. Number one Romans chapter number one
Here's thing
God still punishes people like this today
God still punishes people with all sorts of gross nasty diseases in terrible ways that you would never want to happen to you
But he doesn't do it for no reason
He does it because they knew God and they glorified him not as God
They knew the truth and they rejected it and they rejected it and they rejected it and because of that
Look at Romans 1 verse 24
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
Through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves
Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator who's blessed forever. Amen
For this cause God gave them up unto vile
Affections he's saying the people that hated me the people that rejected me that despised the light that I gave them
I'm gonna give them up unto vile
Affections what's vile something that's gross something that's disgusting something that you would never want
Naturally, it says for now it's going to specifically explain what he's talking about
Even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature and
Likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burn in their lusts one toward another
Men with men working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error
Which was me so notice with our story in first Samuel 5 they're rejecting rejecting rejecting
They're not getting the message finally God smokes them with a serious punishment
Here in Romans chapter 1 you have people that know God they glorify him not as God. They don't believe in him
They reject him they reject him finally God rejects them back
God gives them up to a reprobate mind and God gives them up to vile affections
Then the Bible explains what those vile affections are he causes women to start burning in their lot lust towards other women
He causes men to start burning in their lust
Towards other men you want to talk about a vile thing you want to talk about a disgusting thing?
And here's the thing God still punishes people in
Terrible ways today. It's called every single sodomite every single faggot every single tranny in our world is a walking
Person that's being punished by God the world wants to tell you. Oh homosexuals are born that way
Oh, you know we should just love them because of course I mean who's to judge someone because who they love let me tell you
Why homos like the same gender it's because they rejected God and as a result God
Punished them with the disgusting vile affection of having affections towards the same gender
This is something that's not natural. This is something. That's not normal
It doesn't just you're born, and you just happen to be gay. No you went down a long road of
Despising the truth
Rejecting the truth and finally God gives you over to those things verse 28
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge
God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not
Convenient you know we need to reject the brainwashed
mentality of our world that every HR department wants you to think that hey we should never
Discriminate against someone and then they'll list all these things their age their country of origin their financial status
Their sex all these things their their marital status, and then they'll just throw in and if they're a filthy faggot, too
It's like hold on a second
One of these things is not like the rest
it's like we played this game in kindergarten where it'll show like an elephant a giraffe a deer a
Dog and a building and it's like which one of these is not like the rest
It's like yeah, don't discriminate someone because of what color they are because they were born that way
Yeah, don't discriminate so against someone because they're old because everyone gets old
But you want to know why someone is a faggot why someone is a disgusting sodomite is because they hate God
And you better believe I'm gonna discriminate against someone that hates God that rejects God
No, I don't like them. No. I'm not gonna love them tolerate them accept them
Because the fact that they are who they are tells me that they hate the Lord Jesus Christ
Go back to first Samuel chapter number five first Samuel chapter number five
First
Samuel chapter number five verse seven and when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so they said the ark of God
Notice the ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us for his hand is sore upon us and upon Dagon
Our God did they know who was messing with them or what they knew?
They knew
Lastly number five. I want to show you the sending away of the ark the sending away of the ark
Look at verse number eight
They sent therefore and gathered all the Lords of the Philistines unto them and said
What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?
And you know, this question is the question that every single human soul has to answer someday
God has revealed himself to every single person. There's no excuse not to believe in him
But you know what a person has to do a person has to make the decision
To believe in the God of Israel a person has to make the decision to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation
Not their false religion not Dagon not the Catholic Church
Not the Mormon Church not your good works not repenting of your sins, but trusting in
Jesus Christ and every single person has to ask themselves. Hey, what shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?
Keep reading it says in the answer let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about
Unto gath and they carried the ark of the God of Israel about litter
Isn't this the reaction most people have when they're posed with this question? Hey, what are you gonna do about the ark of the?
God of Israel Oh send it down. Send it down that way. Send it away. Send it away
They don't want it. They don't want to deal with it. They don't want to face this question. Let's keep reading verse 9
And it was so that after they had carried it about the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction
And he smote the men of the city both small and great and they had emeralds in their secret parts
Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron
Okay
And it came to pass as the ark of God came to Ekron that the Ekronites cried out saying
They've brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us to slay us and our people they're freaking out verse 11
So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines
So now the people back on they're saying hey, why did you send this to Ekron now? We're getting wrecked here
Hey, what are we gonna do now about the ark of Israel now? They're asking themselves this question notice what they say
Send away the ark of the God of Israel and let it go again to his own place that it slay us not
And our people but there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city
The hand of God was very heavy there and the men that died not were smitten with the emeralds and the cry of the city
went up to
heaven
now
We're gonna close here in a minute turn to Luke chapter number 13
So what do we have in this final part of the chapter here? You know, this great question is posed to them
What are we going to do with the ark of Israel and their reaction is the reaction?
That's the most common to human nature and it's not to actually think about it and say you know what here's a crazy idea
Why don't we just trust in the God of this ark of Israel? Why don't we start worshiping him? Why don't we forsake Dagon?
Why don't we have real repentance where we don't just not walk on this threshold anymore?
But we actually change where our trust is in our hearts. What do they do? They just send it away
Isn't this a lot like soul winning?
Where you knock on someone's door and this person by the way, their life is probably terrible
Because when you're not saved, let me just tell you something. Your life is terrible. I can't tell you how many stories
I've heard in last week of people's lives destroyed by alcohol and divorce and drugs and having bastard children
Let me just tell you when you're knocking on someone's door. That's unsafe chances
Are this person's life sucks and then it's completely jacked up and you say hey, here's this ark
Here's God. Here's the God of the Bible. You say what are you gonna do about this ark?
It's like just send it to the next door
And just this makes no sense. I mean, what a crazy thing
You're worshiping Dagon your God sucks so bad. He keeps getting knocked over
Your God sucks so bad. His head and his arms are cut off. Why don't you realize that you're in the wrong camp?
Why don't you realize mr. Philistine that you need to come over and join spiritual Israel, but you know what they don't do it
Look at Luke chapter 13 verse 23
This question is asked to Jesus then said one unto him Lord
Are there few that be saved and he said unto them strive to enter in at the straight gate for many?
I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able go to John 15
This would be the last place you go to this evening
Jesus has asked hey, are there few that be saved and in short answer, you know, Jesus said yes
There are few people that actually get saved and you know just get used to the fact
That if you know the truth if you're saved this evening
if you're a soul winner just get used to the fact that every door you knock is not gonna get saved and
Not every family member you preach the gospel to is going to get saved
It's a sad reality. I mean think about it
When my grandfather died this kind of hit me for the first time like wow
I go out and talk to all these random people every week and their family members don't care about them enough
To get them the gospel. I'm getting some random grandma saved. I'm getting some random
Person's brother or sister or whatever save but it's like but my grandpa goes to hell
That's just the reality, you know, that's what Jesus said and I'm not trying to discourage you with that fact
but I just want you to live in reality and just realize most people will reject the ark and
Some people don't even want to get saved because they realize that their family members are also unsaved
It's like dude
Yes, they're gonna reject the ark. But please you accept it you please get saved don't follow after their footsteps there
John 15 18 Jesus said if the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you
If you were of the world the world would love his own but because you're not of the world
But I've chosen you out of the world. Therefore the world hateth you
Remember the word that I said unto you the servant is not greater than his Lord. They have persecuted me
They will also persecute you if they have kept my saying they will keep yours also and you know
we got to remember is that if the Philistines rejected God when God's literally cutting the head off of their idols and
The ark is before them their gods being debased before the ark of God
if those people reject God people are often going to reject us too and if people that
looked at the Lord Jesus Christ and saw him in his earthly ministry and
Still didn't believe on him. And in fact, not only did they not believe on him, but they hated him
They despised him. They lied about him. They tortured him brutally on a cross. They killed him
Yeah, a lot of people aren't gonna just immediately accept us when we come knocking on their door with the gospel of Jesus Christ
But you know what some people will
Some people will and you know
What we're trying to do in life is we're trying to knock on a door and we're gonna hear that person say no
I'll send the ark down. It's like whatever I'll send the ark down
Hit that next door that person might actually want to get saved
That person might actually want to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and yeah, you know, it may not be my grandfather
And that sucks, but you know what it could be your grandfather
It could be some random person's grandfather that I'll never meet that person
I want might want to get saved and so just hey
Don't let it discourage you that a lot of people are gonna reject the ark
Just get that ark to everyone you can and just try to get as many people saved as humanly possible and
You know nuts to whoever doesn't believe in it. Let's find the ones that do believe in it
I'll leave you with this verse Psalm 126 6 says he that goeth forth and weepeth
bearing precious seed shall doubtless
Come again with rejoicing
Bringing his sheaves with him, you know
If you've got soul winning and you don't get anyone saved that week don't let that discourage you
Don't let that stop you from being a soul winner. You preach to your mom. She didn't get saved
Don't let that stop you from being a soul winner because you know
the Bible says that if you go forth weeping bearing precious seed you will
Doubtless come again with rejoicing. A lot of people are gonna reject the ark, but we're trying to find the ones that will accept it
Let's pray Lord. Thank you for this chapter. Thank you for the exciting stories in first Samuel chapter number five
I pray that you would use it to inspire us to want to serve you
To want to be on fire for you to be a soul winner for Jesus and to serve you in any way we can
Love you. Pray that you bless our church now. We love you Jesus name. Amen