["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Welcome to Steadfest Baptist Church.
We're going to go ahead and get started this morning.
you would go to find a seat grab a hymnal and our first song we'll start
with is number four hundred and thirty while shepherds watch their flocks. Hymn
number four hundred and thirty four three zero while shepherds watch their
flocks. On the first. While shepherds watch their flocks by night, all seated on the ground, the angel of the Lord came down and glory shone around.
And glory shone around. Fear not, said he, for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind.
What tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind, to you and all mankind.
To you in David's town this day is born of David's mind.
The Savior who is Christ the Lord, and this shall be the sign, and this shall be the sign.
The heavenly pig you there shall find, to you and you displayed.
All need be wrapped in swabbing net, and in a manger lay.
All glory be to God on high, and to the earth he peace.
Good will henceforth from heaven to men, begin at heaven's ease. Begin at heaven's ease.
Amen. Let's open with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we just thank you for this day and for all the folks that came out, Lord, to just hear preaching in your name, to sing out praises for your name.
Lord, I just pray that you would be with all of us here this morning, that you would open our ears and our hearts to the message that you've laid on Brother Dylan's heart.
I also pray that you just fill in with your spirit this morning. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
All right, for our next hymn this morning, turn if you would to 146, A Shelter in the Time of Storm.
Hymn number 146, 146, A Shelter in the Time of Storm.
Let's sing.
The boards are up, in him we hide, A shelter in the time of storm.
Secure whatever will be tight, A shelter in the time of storm.
Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, A weary land, a weary land.
Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, A shelter in the time of storm.
A shame I gave defense by night, A shelter in the time of storm.
No fears of lark, no foes of fright, A shelter in the time of storm.
Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, A weary land, a weary land.
Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, A shelter in the time of storm.
The raging storms may ground us deep, A shelter in the time of storm.
We'll never leave our safe retreat, A shelter in the time of storm.
Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, A weary land, a weary land.
Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, A shelter in the time of storm.
Oh, our divine, our refuge here, A shelter in the time of storm.
We bow our helper ever near, A shelter in the time of storm.
Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, A weary land, a weary land.
Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, A shelter in the time of storm.
So if you're able to stick around for that, we would definitely love for you to do that.
We've got our expecting ladies there to be in prayer for as well on the right hand side.
Our next 5th Sunday fellowship is December 31st, so New Year's Eve.
And the theme for that is going to be Earl's Rib Palace.
So you're in for a treat if you decide to stick around after the evening service.
And we will also kind of have a fellowship up until the point when you're sick of being here and you want to leave.
You're more than welcome to stay till midnight and there will be plenty of games and fun things like that to do.
And so I encourage you to stick around for that.
December 10th, which is today, you're here, you made it.
We're going to have Brother Dylan, all his preaching for us.
And if you've never met Brother Dylan, I'd really encourage you to go and introduce yourself, meet him and his family.
He's a great guy.
I've had the pleasure of getting to know him over the last couple of years, consider him a great friend.
And so definitely excited for him to be here preaching for us.
And then December 15th, we're going to have our Christmas caroling event.
That's a Friday from 6 to 7 p.m.
And we'll meet here at the church at 6 and then we'll go out to a neighborhood, do some Christmas caroling.
And then afterwards, we'll come back to the church for a pizza fellowship.
So definitely make plans to stick around as well for that.
And then December 24th, we're going to have a special service in the evening.
We're going to move that service up one hour to 4.30 p.m.
And we're also going to have men's popcorn preaching.
So every man that would like to prepare a 5 to 7 minute sermon, I encourage you to work on that in the coming weeks.
And also we'll have a couple special music performances by some of the kids that have been practicing for the recital.
And so it'll be a fun day and you'll get out of here a little bit early.
You can spend that extra time with your family on Christmas Eve.
And then January 13th, we're going to have the Ward family baby shower.
So please make sure that you are in contact with them on as far as the registry is concerned.
I know that all that is set up.
So if you have any questions, you can see either my wife or Miss Maddy on that.
December 27th, we're going to have our first soul winning marathon of the year and that's going to be in Guthrie.
So I'm really excited about that.
We've never done one in Guthrie before.
It's about 45 minutes north of the city.
And really, depending on where you're at, it may be even a smaller, shorter drive for you.
There's plenty of apartment complexes there to preach.
And so I'm really excited about that.
One last announcement, too, for some of our guests that we have.
Just to kind of give everyone an idea of where everything is at.
We do have the mother baby room right here to my right.
And then there is a nursing area as well in this back room.
And we do have sound in each one of those so that way you can still listen to the sermon.
There's a bathroom if you go all the way to the end to your left.
There's a bathroom here and then also another one in the kitchen area.
And so please help yourself to whatever you guys need for that.
And that's all the announcements I have.
Great to see everyone here this Sunday morning.
We're going to go to our next hymn, hymn number 196,
I Will Sing the Wondrous Story, hymn number 196.
Alright, hymn number 196, I Will Sing the Wondrous Story.
Notice on that third stanza down, the time signature changes.
And what that means for those of you that don't know what a time signature is,
is the feel of the song, the counting of the song is going to change a little bit.
So 196, I Will Sing the Wondrous Story.
On the first.
I will sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me.
How he left his throne in glory for the cross of Calvary.
Yes, I'll sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me.
Singing with the saints in glory gathered by the crystal sea.
I was lost but Jesus found me, found the sheep that went astray.
Through his lovely arms around me, drew me back into his way.
Yes, I'll sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me.
Singing with the saints in glory gathered by the crystal sea.
I was bruised but Jesus filled me, fate was high from many a fall.
Sight was gone and fears possessed me, body freed me from them all.
Yes, I'll sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me.
Singing with the saints in glory gathered by the crystal sea.
Days of darkness still come or me, sorrows pass, I often tread.
But the Savior still lives with me, by his hand I'm safely led.
Yes, I'll sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me.
Singing with the saints in glory gathered by the crystal sea.
On the land he will keep me till the river rolls its waters at my feet.
Then he'll bear me safely over where the love was thy shall be.
Yes, I'll sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me.
Singing with the saints in glory gathered by the crystal sea.
Amen, good singing this morning.
As the offering plates are being passed around, please turn if you would to Isaiah chapter number one.
Isaiah chapter number one.
All right, Isaiah chapter number one.
The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amos, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken.
I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
The ox knoweth his owner, and he asks his master's crib, but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
A sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters.
They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger.
They are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken anymore?
Ye will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores.
They have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire, your lands strangers devour in your presence.
It is desolate, as overthrown by strangers, and the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard,
as a lodge in the garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city, except the Lord of hosts hath left unto us a very small remnant.
We should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the Lord, ye ruler of Sodom. Give ear unto the law of our God and people of Gomorrah.
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord?
I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullets, or of lambs, or of he-goats.
When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to thread my courts?
Bring no more vain oblations. Incense is an abomination unto me.
The new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies I cannot away with. It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed beasts my soul hateth.
They are a trouble unto me. I am weary to bear them.
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you.
When ye make many prayers, I will not hear you.
Your hands are full of blood. Wash you and make you clean.
Put away the evil from your doings, and before mine eyes cease to do evil.
Learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye will be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
How is the faithful city becoming harlot?
It was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.
Thy silvers become dross, thy wine mixed with water,
thy princes are rebellious and companions of thieves.
Every one loveth gifts and followeth after rewards.
They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
Therefore, saith the Lord of hosts, the mighty one of Israel,
I will ease me of mine adversaries and avenge me of mine enemies.
I will turn my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy dross and take away all thy tins.
I will restore thy judges as at the first and thy counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward, thou shalt be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Zion hath redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness,
and the destruction of the transgressors and the sinners shall be together,
and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which they have desired,
and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth and as a garden that hath no water,
and the strong shall be as the towel and the maker of it as a spark,
and they shall both burn together and none shall quench them.
Let's pray.
Lord, thank you so much to have you gathered here together today,
and I pray, Lord, that you at this time help us to minimize distractions,
help us to focus on the preaching of your Word and apply it to you.
Amen.
Well, good morning, everyone.
It's great to be here again.
I know it's been a long time, and first of all, I want to thank Pastor Shelley
for giving me the opportunity to come down here and see you guys.
You know, I'm really excited for the future of this church
and just for all the opportunities that we have to serve in the ministry
in different areas, different churches right now.
I'm really excited.
I want to also thank everyone from Steadfast Baptist Church that made it out.
It's great to see all you guys as well.
So it's great to have a packed house this morning.
And let me just say this.
You know, the first time that my wife and I ever visited this church,
this church really did feel special to us.
We really love the people here.
And of course, you know, in the new IFB, we all have the same spirit.
And you can visit any new IFB church and you immediately, you know,
love the people there and get along with the people there.
But there was something special about this church.
We visited it.
We really love you guys.
And we like the area a lot.
It's kind of more my style of life, you know, not as much traffic
and stuff like that.
So I do like Oklahoma.
I like the colder weather, too.
It gets a little colder here in the winter.
So really excited to be here.
And thank you all for coming this morning.
And we're here in Isaiah, chapter number one.
And I want to start off by reading verse number 10, where the Bible says,
Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom.
Give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Now, Isaiah is having this vision and God is basically speaking of
the people in Judah at this time.
And of course, the people in Judah was God's nation.
But yet he's saying he's comparing them to people like Sodom
and like Gomorrah.
You know, these people had gotten so wicked that God was actually
comparing these people to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
And obviously, you know, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah,
how the people of that city were full of homos,
that they were full of reprobates that hated God.
I mean, that's a pretty extreme statement that the Lord is saying here.
But notice, let's read starting in verse 11, it says,
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me,
sayeth the Lord?
I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts,
and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs or of he goats.
So notice these people, they're being compared to Sodom and Gomorrah,
but yet they still have a form of religion, right?
I mean, these people aren't atheists.
No, they're actually sacrificing to the Lord.
They're sacrificing bulls and goats and bullocks.
Look at verse 12, it says,
When ye come to appear before me,
who hath required this at your hand to tread my cords?
Bring no more vain oblations, meaningless oblations.
Incense, notice, is an abomination unto me,
the new moons and sabbaths,
the calling of assemblies I cannot away with,
it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts, notice,
my soul hateth, they are trouble unto me,
I am weary to bear them.
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you.
Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear,
your hands are full of blood.
Notice, these people, they're not atheists here,
they're performing all these different religious actions,
but God says that the actions that they are doing are an abomination to him.
He says that the stuff you're doing, my soul hates.
He says you may be praying, but I'm not even listening to you
when you pray, and why is that?
Because not every religion pleases God, okay?
And the title of my sermon this morning is religion that pleases God.
It is not just enough to have a religion.
It is not just enough to have a form of religion
where you're performing all these different actions.
I mean, these people, look at all the stuff they're doing.
They're making sacrifices. That's a lot of work, right?
That's taking their money, their assets, their cattle,
and sacrificing it unto the Lord.
And a lot of people, if they were to do that,
if they were to sacrifice of their money to church,
they would think, man, I'm a pretty good person.
I'm a pretty religious person.
You know, the Lord must be pleased with my actions.
But yet, God hated what these people were doing.
God said that what these people were doing was an abomination.
Notice, they're worshipping him.
They're observing the Holy Days.
It even says that they're spreading forth their hands,
like the Pentecostals, right?
I mean, these people are getting down in the church.
They're having a really passionate church service here.
What does it say that they're doing?
They're praying to him. I mean, prayer is good, right?
Of course prayer is good.
But from these people, God said it was an abomination.
God said that his soul hated it.
And here's the thing, I'm all for religion.
Religion is a word that's attacked today, wrongly so.
But let me tell you, your religion is worthless
if it's not pleasing to the Lord.
It's not enough to have religion.
We need to have religion that pleases God.
We want to have religion that pleases the Lord.
I think there's three attributes in religion that we need to have
in order for us to have a religion that is pleasing to the Lord.
And number one, the first thing that we have to have is the right salvation.
Look, if you want to have the religion that's pleasing to God,
step one, you have to have the right salvation.
And if you have the wrong salvation, nothing else matters,
and all of it is worthless and vain and abomination unto the Lord.
Notice verse number nine of Isaiah chapter number one.
Notice it says, except the Lord of hosts had left unto us.
Notice a very small remnant.
What is that saying?
That of this group of people, there's only a tiny fraction that are actually saved.
Notice he says we should have been like, we should have been as Sodom,
and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Sodom and Gomorrah, they didn't even have that tiny remnant.
The whole nation was just reprobates except for Lot and his family.
The angels took them out of the city.
And he's saying right here, he's like, look, right now the nation of Judah,
unless it was just for a small group of people that are saved,
we would have just been like Sodom and Gomorrah.
What does that tell us?
They didn't have the right salvation.
That tells us that they did not have the right salvation.
Look at verse number 18.
Verse number 18.
Here's another clue we can get to see that these people are probably not saved.
Verse 18, come now and let us reason together, sayeth the Lord,
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Notice, what happens when you get saved?
Your sins are washed away, right?
And the Lord is imploring them to do this, to get saved.
Why would he be imploring them to do that?
Because they're not saved.
What does that tell us?
They did not have the right salvation.
Now go to Revelation chapter number seven, Revelation seven.
He's imploring them to have their sins washed away.
And you know, God is imploring every single false religion on this earth
to have their sins washed away today.
God wants all people to be saved, but how is it that we get saved?
Look at Revelation chapter seven, verse 14.
We're going to see some similar language here.
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.
And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation
and have washed their robes, and notice this,
and made them white in the blood of the land.
How is it that we wash our garments?
How is it that our sins can be washed away?
There's only one way, and it's by the blood of Jesus Christ.
But that is not the soap that most religions are using today
to wash their garments.
Today, the soap that most religions are using is baptism,
like the Church of Christ.
Oh, I know how I'm going to wash away my sins.
I just have to get baptized.
Wrong.
It's by the blood of Jesus Christ.
It's by the blood of Jesus only.
You know, you've got religions like the Catholic Church that says,
I know how I'll wash away my sins.
I'll confess my sins to the priest.
I'll do the catechism.
I'll do all these rituals and rites.
No, that's not how you wash away your sins either.
According to the Bible, how is it?
By the blood of the lamb.
All these false religions, they always have something for you to do to get saved.
There's some action you need to perform.
There's some sacrifice you need to make.
You know, the Mormons, they have to sacrifice their youth at 18 years old
and go to a foreign land or a foreign state
and dedicate that time to perform a mission.
And they think that because they're going on a mission,
that they're earning their way to heaven, right?
Or getting married in the temple.
Or you even have a lot of repenting your sins Baptists,
people that claim to be our brothers in Christ,
that teach, well, you just have to repent of all your sins to be saved.
You have to live a clean life.
You have to let God become the Lord of your life.
And allow him to control all your actions.
All of that is the wrong soap.
And here in Isaiah chapter 1, what are these people doing?
They think that all their sacrifices, all their oblations,
all of them following the Sabbath and the holy days
and spreading forth their hands unto God and making prayer unto him,
that that somehow is going to wash them of their sins.
But guess what? They didn't even have the right salvation.
And how could God be pleased with anyone that's not even saved?
You're not even at step one.
And there's so many religions today.
They're working hard. They think they're following God.
They've been following the Lord their whole life, they think.
And in their heart, they're convinced of this truth,
yet they're not even saved.
How sad is that?
And look, those people need someone to wake them up
and say, look, God is angry at you.
God thinks that your religion is an abomination.
He hates the Catholic Church.
He hates the Mormon Church.
He hates Baptists that would corrupt the gospel of Jesus Christ and make it work.
He's angry at those people. They're not even saved.
Go to Matthew chapter number seven.
Matthew chapter number seven.
And look at verse 21.
Matthew chapter number seven, verse 21.
Let's read what the Lord said.
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven,
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Notice, not everyone that just proclaims the name of Jesus Christ is going to be saved.
So, think about all the religions that are out there, all the churches that are out there
that proclaim the name of Jesus Christ.
A lot of people have a really simple-minded idea that all those people are just saved
just because they call themselves Christians.
But notice what Jesus said in verse 22.
Many.
Now, that's a sad word when you keep reading this.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in
thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works.
You know, I bet you that's what the people of Judah during Isaiah's time would have said.
Lord, Lord, have we not sacrificed all these cattle and all these animals?
Have we not observed the holy days?
Have we not observed the Sabbaths?
Have we not prayed unto you?
Have we not said your name and done many wonderful works in your name?
Notice what Jesus said.
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you.
Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The only people in Isaiah's time that God knew was that small remnant that the Bible's talking about.
Everyone else that's just putting on a religious show but hasn't put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ,
they will go to hell when they die.
Jesus will say I never knew you.
Not I used to know you and you lost your salvation because you didn't keep doing good works
or you didn't repent of your sins enough.
No, he says I never knew you because they never put their trust in Christ.
Where are these people's trust?
It's very clear.
It's in their works.
When you go out soul winning and people tell you, oh, I know I'm going to heaven because I'm a good person.
I go to church.
I live a good life.
I save cats out of trees.
I help old ladies cross the street.
I feed ham sandwiches to the poor in downtown OKC.
Who are they trusting in?
Themselves.
And God looks at those works and he says, look, this is an abomination to me.
Your religion is not pleasing to God.
Why? Because you're not even saved.
So, look, if we want to have a religion that's pleasing to God, number one, we have to be saved.
We have to have the right salvation.
Now go to John chapter number three.
John chapter number three.
You know, a good example of this is a man named Nicodemus.
And let's read the story of Nicodemus here in John chapter number three.
Look at verse one.
It says there was a man, notice, of the Pharisees.
Now, who are the Pharisees?
They're the religious class.
They're the religious elite of their day.
They're the ones that have the law of God and are preaching the law of God.
The true God, that is.
But notice it says there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
So this man is religious, right?
Just like the people in Isaiah, he's a very religious man.
Let's skip down to verse number seven for the sake of time.
It says, Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and now hearest the sound thereof.
But canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth?
So is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Notice that Jesus is talking to him about salvation.
This is a religious leader, and when he's talking to him about salvation,
Nicodemus is kind of like, What are you talking about?
I don't understand this being born again thing.
What are you talking about?
The wind blowing where it listeth and the Spirit.
I don't understand any of this.
Why is it that he didn't understand it?
It's because he wasn't saved.
And Jesus is saying, Wow, you're a religious leader, and you're not even saved?
And what does that tell us?
There's a lot of religious leaders that aren't even saved.
Most religions are not saved.
Of course, that's why Jesus said, Many will say unto me in that day.
Let's look at verse number 16.
Jesus goes on to tell them how to be saved.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And isn't that a great verse?
Arguably the greatest verse in the whole Bible.
And it's a verse that everyone knows, and so few people understand.
They could quote it to you.
Oh, what did that verse say we have to do to go to heaven?
Be a good person.
What?
Are you a master of Israel, and you don't know these things?
You're a Catholic priest, and you don't know these things?
You're a Southern Baptist preacher, and you don't know John 3 16?
Wow!
That's an abomination of a church you have.
That's an abomination of a religion you have when you don't even have the right salvation.
Look at verse 17.
For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God.
And some people would hear this point, which is just so simple to all of us that go to Steadfast Baptist Church, and they would say,
How mean that you're saying that other religions are going to hell?
How mean that you're saying that these people don't have the right salvation?
But, hello, could God have made it any easier for these people to be saved?
God sent his son not to condemn the world, but to save the world.
Isn't that a loving thing to do? Isn't it loving to give someone a free gift?
Isn't it loving for God to send his son to be tortured of wicked people, to die on the cross, to descend into hell for three days and three nights, to take our punishment, to rise again from the dead, and say,
Hey, all you have to do is put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved?
Isn't that a loving God?
But people hear this message, and they get offended at the most basic thing that we believe, salvation.
And how sad is that?
How sad that in Isaiah's time, even the people of Judah, you know, when Isaiah is preaching this message, a large portion of them are just offended by it that's stiff in their neck.
No, we need to wake up this country today with the gospel of Jesus Christ and remind them of true salvation.
Go to Galatians chapter number one.
Galatians chapter number one.
God loves people and wants people to be saved, and that's why God is very harsh against a false gospel, because God does not want anyone to go to hell.
So when someone is preaching a false gospel, when someone is perverting the gospel of Jesus Christ, that makes the Lord very angry.
And we'll see that right here in Galatians chapter one, verse eight.
This is Paul speaking through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
In verse eight he says,
What's Paul saying? He says, hey, I've preached you the gospel.
If you hear any different doctrine when it comes to salvation, let that person go to hell.
By the way, this is a good proof against the Ruckmanites that teach that Paul and Jesus had different gospels.
Because if that was the case, Paul would be saying right here that Jesus Christ is accursed.
Because they say, oh, Jesus had a different gospel.
Well, Paul said if anyone preaches a different gospel than what he's preaching, to let that person be accursed.
So if you're believing that, that's a blasphemous doctrine to believe.
No, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul, the apostles, all Christians that are saved have the same gospel.
Even in the Old Testament, you know, it's being referenced to the blood in Isaiah chapter one, being washed like crimson.
What is that? That's a foreshadowing of Christ.
The whole Old Testament has foreshadowing of Christ.
People in the Old Testament were saved by looking forward to the cross.
I don't care if the Ruckmanites don't like that.
Look at verse nine.
As we said before, so say I now again, he really wants to get this message across.
If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which he have received, let him be accursed.
And I find verse 10 interesting.
He says, for do I now persuade men or God, or do I seek to please men?
For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Notice, the gospel that Paul is preaching, it's not pleasing to man.
Why is that?
Because works salvation plays on man's prideful nature.
Man wants to be the one getting the honor for salvation.
Man wants to be able to tell you, look, I've earned my way to heaven by my good works.
I'm the one that's read the Bible every day.
I'm the one that's prayed every day.
I'm the one that's gone to church.
I'm the one that's done all these great things.
And so I want to have part of salvation.
And Paul's saying, look, I'm not trying to please man right here, because you know what pleases man?
A false gospel works salvation.
He's saying, I'm trying to persuade God.
I'm trying to serve God.
And if we want to have a religion that pleases God, we must have salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
That's the only way we could please him.
Go to Galatians 2, flip the page, Galatians 2.
Look at verse 16.
Paul said, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law.
For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
I love this verse because it's like, how many times can Paul tell you just in one verse that you're not saved by works?
I mean, you could tell that Paul was a preacher because he's just repeating the same things over and over and over.
He's like, I know some of you aren't listening.
So a man's not justified by the works of the law.
Okay, if you didn't hear that, you're justified by the faith of Christ.
Even we that have believed in Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law.
For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
I mean, isn't that kind of funny when you read it like that?
I mean, he really wants you to get the message.
Look at verse number 20.
I am crucified with Christ.
Nevertheless, I live, saying I wasn't physically killed with him, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
If you can be saved by following the law of God, if you can be saved by doing good works, why did God have to send his precious, innocent son to die for us?
It would be in vain, Paul is saying.
It would be a worthless sacrifice.
And no one likes a worthless sacrifice.
You know, I think about, let's just use a carnal example, right?
Let's think about the Iraq and Afghanistan war, where tens of thousands of America's sons shed their blood in a foreign land for nothing.
What is it?
A vain sacrifice.
Think about it physically.
I mean, that's sad to think about.
Oh, we're fighting the Taliban.
And then Biden says, here's billions of dollars of U.S. equipment, and here's all of America's assets, and here you go.
And doesn't that just make all those men's sacrifice feel vain?
Because it was!
But, you know, thank God Jesus' sacrifice was not vain.
Jesus' sacrifice meant something, right?
And look, I'm not saying anything against those people that served over there.
It's a condemnation of our leaders, is what it is.
But thank God that Jesus' sacrifice is not vain.
It truly does cover our sins.
Flip the page a couple more here to Galatians chapter 5.
Look at verse 4.
This is a verse I like to use out soul-winning.
It says, Christ is become of no effect unto you.
Whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace.
Look, you either have to take 100% faith in Christ, and trust in His sacrifice 100%, or Christ's blood, His sacrifice, is of no effect unto you.
Zero effect.
You have to choose.
Is salvation by works, or is it by faith?
You have to make a decision.
And this is the problem with the people in Isaiah chapter 1.
Go back to Isaiah chapter 1.
I'll read for you a famous passage here in Ephesians 2.8.
It says, For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
And look, this church, thank God, is solid on this doctrine in salvation by faith alone.
But we need to always remember that if we want our religion to be pleasing to the Lord, we must have the right salvation.
And Lord willing, if I am ever given the opportunity to serve as your pastor, this will always be a church that preaches salvation by faith alone.
That will never be compromised.
It's not on the table for discussion.
It's salvation by faith, or you're going to hell.
That's it.
That's the only options you have.
Back to Isaiah chapter number 1.
So we talked about how is it you can have religion pleasing unto God.
Number 1, you have to have the right salvation.
Number 2, you have to have sanctification.
If you want to be a religion pleasing unto the Lord, not only do you need to be saved, you have to have sanctification.
Notice verse 18, it says, Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord.
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
That's salvation.
But look at verse 19.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
That's sanctification.
So there's salvation, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, him forgiving all of your sins.
Then the blessings of God, eating the good of the land, how is that obtained?
By being obedient to God.
By being sanctified, by being set apart, by being holy, by obeying God's living standards that he gives you in the Bible.
Look at verse 20.
But if ye refuse and rebel, that's a condition, notice, ye shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
That's the consequence.
Look at verse number 21.
How is the faithful city become an harlot?
It was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.
Notice he's saying, Judah, this faithful city here, it's become a harlot, but it hasn't always been that way.
Notice he says it was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in it.
What does that teach us?
It teaches us that judgment equals righteousness.
He's saying, look, before you were a harlot as a city, before you were a whore that forsook God's commandments, what were you?
You were a people full of judgment and a people full of righteousness.
And look, we need to bring back this to religion in America, this word, judgment.
We need to bring back judgment to the house of God.
The Bible says judgment begins at the house of God.
And of course, we should start by judging ourselves with the perfect law of liberty and working on ourselves.
But you know what?
The preacher, the people preaching God's word, they need to judge others too.
And this just sounds crazy in America like, whoa, we're never supposed to judge.
No, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5 that he's judged already.
He was mad at them for having not judged already.
You know, the Christians in America today have simply just not read the Bible.
But when God is rebuking these people, he's saying, look, you've become a whore as a city, but you used to have judgment.
What does that tell us?
God was pleased with that.
God was happy when they had judgment.
Look at verse 22.
Thy silvers become dross.
Thy wine mixed with water.
Thy princes are rebellious and companions of thieves.
Everyone loveth gifts and followeth after rewards.
Notice, they judge, not the fatherless.
God's angry about that.
Neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
So notice, God gives a couple of illustrations here when he's talking about these people.
First, he calls them an harlot.
What is a harlot?
It's a harlot.
It's a whore.
And what is a whore like?
It's dirty.
It's gross.
It's filthy.
Right?
It also says that their silvers become dross.
What is dross?
It's waste matter.
It's when you're purifying metals, the waste matter that comes to the top, the stuff that's just gross, that's nasty, that stuff that isn't worth anything.
He's saying that that's what these people have come like, too.
He says that they're like wine mixed with water.
What is it?
They're being pure and diluting it, watering it down.
And what are some examples of the things that they were doing?
Well, in Isaiah 123, it says that their leaders were hanging out with thieves, it says that they were taking bribes, and it says that they weren't judging righteously.
And it makes me think, I wonder if God looks down at our nation today and is angry at us for the same reasons.
When he sees our leaders taking bribes, I don't know, like the Biden family.
Two years ago, there was even a judge in Texas that was arrested and sent to federal prison who was taking bribes for criminal convictions.
So you think you get your fair day in court?
Turns out, no, the judge is being paid off, and he's giving you a guilty sentence whether you're innocent or guilty.
That kind of stuff makes the Lord angry.
You know, because when we don't judge, it affects people's lives.
When we decide our ideas are better than the Bible's, we're just going to disregard his commandments, no big deal, it affects people's lives.
It hurts individuals.
Go to John chapter number 17.
So we saw the illustration that God gives here, but what's the application?
Well, the application is that God is not pleased with any religion that doesn't have sanctification, that doesn't have separation, that isn't following his commandments.
John chapter 17.
Now John 17 is a great chapter about separation, about sanctification, and a lot of it is the Lord praying to God the Father.
Look at verse number 11, it says,
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.
Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are.
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name.
Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
And now I come to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
And I love this next phrase, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
So notice, when it comes to separation or being sanctified, God's desire for us is not that we just remove ourselves from society.
God doesn't want us to just move out in the middle of nowhere and have like a Christian only commune where we're never around unsaved people.
That wouldn't make a lot of sense because we're supposed to get those people saved, right?
But God's desire is that though we are in the world, that we are removed from the evil of this world.
And how do we do that? We do that by sticking close to God's word, to God's commandments.
Look at verse 16, they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Here's this word, sanctify, meaning separate, set apart, sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.
Like I said, how do we get sanctified? The word of God.
Verse 18, as thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
And notice, the problem today with Christianity is that when it comes to separation, when it comes to sanctification,
most of Christianity today views sanctification or separation as a fixed standard from the world,
but not necessarily a fixed standard from God's word.
So what I mean by that is when the world gets more and more liberal, Christians, they're still behind what the world believes, but they kind of move with them.
So, you know, think about examples like this. The most obvious one is America's views on sodomy, on homosexuality.
I mean, it used to be illegal in our country. It used to be literally having the death penalty in many areas.
When I went through a law enforcement program in high school, it was taught by a man in his 40s,
and he told me that he was arresting people for the crime of sodomy in Ada County, Idaho in the 1990s.
So, look, Christians have changed their view on this, but what they do is as the world gets more and more wicked with their view, Christians just stay right behind them.
Right? So it's like, oh, you know, sure, they shouldn't be put to death, but they can get married.
Now it's like, okay, it's fine if they get married, but please don't chop my children's genitals off.
And who knows where it's going after that, right? But that's how the world views separation, or that's how Christians a lot of times so-called view separation.
But look, we need to get back to the way we view sin, the way we view sanctification is based on what the Bible says and nothing else.
Forget Steven Crowder's views on it. Forget Ben Shapiro's views on it, or Alex Jones, or Sean Hannity, or any of these conservatives.
Forget what they think and care about what God says about it.
Look, we need to get back to a Baptist church in America that says no alcohol, period.
Not just, well, just don't get drunk. It's fine if we drink in moderation, but just don't get drunk.
Says every drunk. Says every drunk preacher. Any preacher that preaches that garbage is likely a drunk himself.
You know, we need to get back to saying no, no alcohol, period. How about this? No murdering babies in the womb, period.
Oh, what if the mom was raped? That's okay to murder a child then. Oh, what if it's incest? Oh, that means it's okay to murder the child then.
No, murder of a baby is always wrong, period. End of story. No questions asked.
Why? Because I'm not interested in just being a little bit behind what the world thinks. I'm interested in believing what God says.
How about this one today? Dressing modestly. I mean, this is gone in America. The world doesn't dress modestly.
They don't care about covering their nakedness. Even men today are showing off parts of their bodies like, what is going on in this world?
It's gross. But look, I don't care what people think about it. I care about what God says. And we need to preach modesty for God's people.
We need to preach that divorce is never allowed, period. And not like the old IFB taught for generations and generations that divorce is permissible if your spouse cheats on you.
You know, I read a book called The Home by a famous Baptist preacher. And look, this preacher is a man of God. I love this man. He taught a lot of great things in his book.
But he was very permissive of divorce. And we need to clean that up in Baptist churches where we're not telling people, oh yeah, if your spouse has some sort of sexual immorality, whatever that means, then your marriage bound is gone.
That's what they teach. Verbatim, this preacher taught that the only difference between adultery and fornication, they taught that adultery is just prolonged fornication.
Right? So when you get Jesus explaining the process of annulment where it says, except for the cause of fornication, you can't get a bill of divorcement, which we would call an annulment, because that separation would have happened before the consummation of the marriage.
They just say, well, fornication is just ongoing adultery. So at any time in your marriage that your spouse cheats on you, you're good to get a divorce. That's wrong. That's wrong. And we need to preach God's living standards on this subject.
How about this? Drugs and alcohol is wicked. You know, here in Oklahoma, marijuana is legal, right? It's legal here. That doesn't mean that it's right for God's people to do.
It doesn't matter that the world says, the government says, hey, this is legal. This is fine. No, the Bible says to be sober and smoking marijuana takes away your sobriety.
It's not something that Christians should ever be involved in. Christians should not be abusing even prescription medications. You know, I understand sometimes you go through a really traumatic injury or something like that and you're given some pain pills under careful supervision of a doctor.
I understand that. But look, a lot of people are just abusing those drugs to get high. God is definitely against that.
You know, we need to get back to men getting a haircut in America and not having the stupid man bun or trying to go back to like the Viking Norwegian era where it's like these dudes, all they do is spend every day, all day in the gym and curling their hair to look like some weird Viking.
Look, I'm Norwegian. My great, great grandfather came from Norway. My last name was Langerud, for crying out loud. I don't want to have long hair, though. Why? Because the Bible says it's a shame.
Nature itself teaches us that a man should have short hair. And if every single man in this world wants to get a long hair, I'm still going to get my hair cut.
And you know what? This world's getting so crazy. I like to keep my really short. You haven't noticed. I'm not saying you have to have it as short as me. But look, I'm trying to say, hey, I'm a Christian. I'm a Baptist.
We're getting back to the old-fashioned standards of living. And hey, follow me as I follow Christ. Cut your hair. It's gross. Get back to having ladies wearing skirts and dresses.
And look, you know, women aren't supposed to wear skirts and dresses because they're Christians. They're supposed to wear skirts and dresses because they're women. It's not even a religious issue. It's a gender issue.
But of course, since our society doesn't believe in gender, they also don't believe in dressing according to your gender. But you know what? It's kind of a shame because other nations put America to shame in this.
When I lived in Vancouver, Washington, it was a very heavy Russian population. And I can't tell you how many times my wife and I were at a grocery store, and some woman would walk up to us and be like, oh, Theodor Skaia, saying, oh, you're a Russian.
It's like, no, she's just a woman. But Russian women always wear skirts and dresses. Why? Because they're women. Because they haven't been brainwashed by trannies and drag queens that they should start dressing like men or vice versa men dressing like women.
How about this? We need to say no to faggots in our country. We need to say no to sodomites being in church. We need to say no to sodomites being alive.
We need to get back to having the death penalty on this crime, this abomination that our nation used to have. You want to know why America was great? It was because of this book. It was because of these laws. That's what made America great to begin with.
And you know, our nation is going down such a disgusting path to hell right now. I mean, it's sad what we're seeing.
And I'll say this, Lord willing, if I ever am given the privilege of serving as your pastor, we will be a church that preaches hard on sin. We will be a church that preaches the living standards of the Bible, regardless of what Stephen Crowder, Ben Shapiro, Alex Jones, limp-wristed, weak pastors that are afraid of the word of God, whatever they have to say, we don't care.
And look, we've been there. We've seen it. We've seen the videos of the Nazarene pastor saying, yeah, the Bible does say in Leviticus 2013 that sodomites should be put to death, but I don't know what that means. It's like, we'll say what it means. We'll say what it means here. Why? Because we want to be a religion that's pleasing to God. How do we do that? We have the right salvation. How do we do that? We also have sanctification. We also have separation. We also preach what the Bible says about sin.
Go to Isaiah chapter number one, but not only to have a religion that's pleasing to the Lord, do we need to have the right salvation. Not only do we need to have the right sanctification, but you know what? We also need to have service. We also need to have service as Christians to be a religion that's pleasing to the Lord.
Look at Isaiah chapter number one, and also get your place in James chapter number one. Isaiah one and James one.
Isaiah one, look at verse 23.
Notice this.
Now, if you're familiar with the New Testament, when you saw this phrase about the fatherless and the widow, you probably couldn't help but think of the book of James.
Now, look at James chapter number one, verse 27. Notice what it says about religion. It says,
What is this? This is religion that's pleasing to God right here.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Notice, in that verse we saw sanctification, keeping himself unspotted from the world, but we also saw service, visiting the fatherless and the widows in their affliction.
You know, of course, it's great to visit people that are actually widows and actually widowers and actually orphans.
You know, this church has a nursing home ministry where you go and a lot of these old ladies, they're widows, and you're ministering to them and you're preaching to them.
That's great. That's good service. That's pure religion as the Bible defines it. That's something that we should do.
You know, we could also think about this spiritually. You could stay there. I'll read for you John 1-12.
It says, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
Notice, when you get saved, you become God's child. What does that mean? It means before you're saved, you're like an orphan.
You're spiritually an orphan. You have no father spiritually. And so, what can we do? We can go visit the fatherless by preaching people the gospel.
We can go out into the community of Oklahoma City and we can preach to the fatherless and get them grafted into the family.
Get them adopted and introduce them to their Heavenly Father. That is service. That's what we should be doing as Christians.
And notice how it said in Isaiah chapter 1 that they were rebellious princes that refused to do this.
You know, there's so many churches today that are so rebellious against God's commandments that they won't go soul winning.
Pastors today that just refuse to go soul winning, all they want to do is live in an ivory tower and just spend all week reading and just doing nothing.
They're not going out to the doorstep. They're not walking the miles. They're not going up the apartment staircases.
They're not trying to get people into the family. Why? Because they're rebellious.
And look, if we want to have a religion that's pleasing to God, we have to have service.
What's one way we can do that? By visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction.
How do we do that? By preaching them the gospel. By being soul winners.
Go to Matthew chapter number 28. Matthew chapter number 28.
And you know, I'm all for service. I'm all for helping people that are legitimately in need and being there for people and preaching to the nursing home.
I love all that. You know, there's nothing more important we could ever do in our lives than preach the gospel.
Nothing you do will ever even touch that level of importance when you preach the gospel.
Look at Matthew 28. This is what Jesus said before he departed this world.
Look at Matthew 28 verse 19. It says,
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 have commanded you.
And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
You know, have you ever have you ever wondered why you exist?
I'm being serious. You know, that's kind of a silly question that people will ask in the world. What's the meaning of life?
But have you ever actually considered that question?
Why is it that when you got saved, God didn't just take you immediately to heaven?
The answer is right here in Matthew 28. It's to go into all the world and to preach the gospel.
That's why he left us here. That's why he said, I will be with you always.
This is the heart and desire of the Lord Jesus Christ for us to spend our lives preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
You know, would to God we would have a generation of religious people,
people that desire to have the religion that pleases God, not pleases themselves, not pleases man,
that would just decide, you know what? I'm not going to spend my life trying to be rich.
I'm not going to spend my life trying to be some high level CEO that just makes handfuls of money.
I'm not going to spend my life worshiping sports and following every twist and turn of the NFL season or the MLB season.
I'm not going to spend my life just worshiping myself and spending all my free time on just entertainment and things that I like to do.
You know, would to God we would have a religion where we decide we dedicate our lives to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That's what we need to do. You don't need to be a pastor. You don't need to be an evangelist.
You don't need to be a deacon to do that. You don't need to be a man to do that. You don't need to be an adult to do that.
If you are saved, you can preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and when you do that, I promise you, that's the religion that God is pleased with.
People think if I just go to a big church with all the shiny bells and whistles with the nice glass and the nice music and the nice programs,
and look, there's nothing wrong with those things, but people think if I just go to a really nice church like that, that's the church that God's pleased with.
Not if they're not preaching the gospel. It doesn't matter what kind of palace you have, if you're not preaching the gospel, God is not pleased with that religion.
Why? Because they have no service.
Go to 2 Corinthians chapter number 4, 2 Corinthians chapter number 4.
2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 1, Paul said this,
Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.
Notice that Paul says we collectively have this ministry.
People like to use this term full-time Christian service or going into the ministry full-time and I understand what people mean by that,
but the truth is that we all as saved people have the ministry of Jesus Christ.
It's been committed to all of us and you personally should take personal ownership of the Great Commission, that you're a part of that ministry.
And notice what he says, he says,
As we have received mercy, we faint not.
I will never understand how someone can get mercy from God, how someone can get a free gift from God,
have all of their sins forgiven, have their ticket punched for heaven and not care about getting that same gift to other people.
I will never understand that.
I will never understand how you can be so selfish to take a free gift that everybody can have.
It's in limitless supply, everyone can have it and you don't even tell people about it.
You don't even warn people about hell, you don't even tell people about the free gift.
That's insane.
I mean that is sick.
If there were free gifts carnally, you would tell people.
What if at your work, your boss said, hey, this would never happen, but salvation is a miracle.
So this is an okay example.
Let's just say you're at work and your boss says, hey, I bought a thousand Ford Raptor trucks.
And you know what, any family member you want, any friend you want, just write their name on this piece of paper and I'll give it to them for free.
And you're just like, I'll just take one.
It's like, that's messed up.
I mean, don't you think your brothers would want a free Ford Raptor?
Don't you think your mom and your dad and your cousins and your friends, I mean, it's free.
Okay, then you have heaven, how much greater than a Ford Raptor, right?
And what happens if you don't get the gift?
Hell, how much greater of a consequence than missing out on a free car, just as free though, just as limitless, more so.
But you don't tell people.
How selfish, how do you even sleep at night?
If you're not a soul winner, you say you sound like you're judging.
Yeah, we need judgment.
We need to have the word of God preached.
We need it to judge us.
Look at verse two, but haven't renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully,
but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God notice.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
If you decide not to preach the gospel, the faith that's in your heart that could be transferred from faith to faith by opening your mouth, it's hid to those people.
There's people that will go to hell that you could have reached if you don't preach them the gospel.
That's what Paul is saying.
And you know, Paul took this very seriously in his life.
And I will show you a verse towards the end of his life about that.
But before I get there, look at verse four, it says,
In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Notice the God of this world, who's that?
The devil, it says that he's blinded the minds of them which believe not.
You know, if you're unsaved in this world, you're just walking according to the course of the devil without even knowing it.
And you're never going to get yourself out of that situation.
Someone has to preach you the gospel.
You have to at least hear a video of someone presenting the gospel.
You're never going to just be blinded by the devil, walking according to the course of this world, and just get yourself saved.
It's not going to happen.
We have to preach to them.
We have to go to them.
Look at verse five.
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants, for Jesus' sake.
You know, we should look at Oklahoma City, the state of Oklahoma, the United States of America, and the world, and we should say,
hey, we are your servants, for Jesus' sake.
We're not preaching ourselves.
We're preaching the free gift of eternal life, and we need to make ourselves servants to the lost people of this world by how?
Ministering unto them the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Verse six, for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Notice that light has shined to us.
Someone preached us the gospel.
We got the free grace.
We got the gift of God.
Let's spread that light to other people.
Let's let our light so shine before men, and make sure that everyone gets the gospel.
Look, if we want to have a religion that's pleasing to God, we have to have service.
We have to have soul winning in our church.
A church that does not go soul winning is not a real church.
It's not a real church.
Go to Isaiah chapter number one, Isaiah chapter number one.
Isaiah one, look at verse fifteen, it says, and when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you.
Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood.
And of course, you know, we know God is furious with actual murder, violence.
God hates. God hates murder.
But how about the blood of people on their hands, spiritually, that refuse to preach the gospel?
How many preachers today are standing up this morning, Sunday morning, in Oklahoma and in Texas that call themselves Baptists,
and if you were to put the spiritual goggles on, you would just see their hands dripping with blood.
Why? Because they refuse to preach the gospel.
I mean, that'd be kind of a crazy thing to see.
But you know, that's the truth.
When you don't preach the gospel to people, your blood is on their hands.
Actually, let me just read this for you.
Acts chapter number twenty, towards the end of Paul's life, this is what he said in verse twenty-six.
Wherefore, I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men.
Wow, Paul took this seriously.
Paul said, hey, I don't want you to put on the spiritual glasses and see my hands covered with blood.
No, I'm pure from the blood of all men.
How? Because he preached the gospel to everyone, that's how.
He made it his life's mission to preach the gospel to every creature,
and you know, I wonder if that could be said of you and I today,
that we are pure from the blood of all men.
You know, if this church is pure from the blood of all men,
and you know, obviously, we're not perfect, no one's perfect,
but we should strive in our lives to be pure from the blood of all men.
And let me say this, Lord willing, if I'm given the opportunity to pastor this church,
we will always strive to be a church that is a soul-winning church.
That is not something that's up for grabs, this isn't a program that's optional,
this is something that makes us a church, this is something that gives us religion that's pleasing to God,
is by serving other people, and the most important way that you could serve other people
is by preaching them the gospel, is by being soul winners.
And you know, we need to make it our goal to fill out that map in Oklahoma City,
to reach the Indians in this state, to reach other cities in this state,
to go throughout other states in this country and preach the gospel.
Yea, Lord willing, to go to the whole world and send out missionaries.
And thank God for the churches that are doing that right now.
You know, Brother Duncan Urbanic going out to the Philippines,
you got Pastor Stuckey out there, you got a church being started in Poland soon,
you got pretty much every other church in existence being started by Pastor Thompson,
I mean it's great, right? That's good, that's what we should spend our lives doing.
Preaching the gospel to the world, let's make that our goal. Why?
Because we want a religion that pleases God.
Because we're not in this for ourselves, we're in this for the Lord, we're in this for other people.
You could say there, I'm going to read one last verse, it says in Hebrews 10 31,
it says, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
You know, don't be deceived in your mind today if you think,
well I'm in church this morning so God's pleased with me.
Or I read my Bible so God's pleased with me.
Or I sacrifice my money to the church so God must be pleased with me.
We saw in Isaiah that's not necessarily the case, right?
There's more to it than that. Look, if we want to have a religion that's pleasing unto God,
we got to have the right salvation.
If we want to be a religion that's pleasing unto God, we have to have the right sanctification.
We have to preach hard on sin, we have to stand where the Bible stands, not where the world stands.
And what else do we have to do? We have to have soul winning.
We have to have service if we want to be a religion that's pleasing unto the Lord.
Please have a word of prayer.
Lord, thank you so much for this day.
Thank you for your precious word that leads us and guides us in this world.
I just pray that you would touch the hearts of every person here with the desire to be a soul winner, Lord,
and they wouldn't want to live for self or for any selfish reasons.
They would dedicate to serving you and to serving other people.
We love you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
We love you. Amen.
Let's sing there, starting on the first.
Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight, adore all the earth.
He who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ the newborn King.
Shepherds in the field abiding,
Watching for your flocks by night.
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the infant light.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ the newborn King.
Sages, weave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar,
See the great desire of nations,
Ye have seen his fatal scar.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ the newborn King.
Saints before thee, altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord descending,
In his temple shall appear.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ the newborn King.
Amen.