All right, we're here in Psalm chapter 50, and the name of the sermon is Renown, Rebuke,
and Rule.
Renown, Rebuke, and Rule.
And renown, which is the renown of the heavenly point one, is to be well known.
And this is in reference to God here, that God is well known.
And notice what it says here in verse one.
The mighty God, even the Lord hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the
sun unto the going down thereof.
Now, really, before you even get into this first point, you see the stupidity of the
Jehovah's Witnesses.
Because Jehovah's Witnesses will always repeat this, well, God the Father is the almighty
God, but Jesus is the mighty God.
And they try to explain away Isaiah 9-6 and other places, and yet there's no doubt when
you look at verse number one, the mighty God rules everything.
No doubt in this chapter whatsoever, which, according to them, this is Jesus.
But wait a minute, they don't believe that Jesus rules everything, they think only God
the Father.
And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out almighty and mighty is referencing
the same thing.
And what it's referencing is the fact that God is all powerful, God is omnipotent, right?
And so the Bible says here in verse number one, the mighty God, even the Lord hath spoken.
And notice this, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down
thereof.
Now notice, it doesn't say that he called the Christian countries, or he called countries
that believe on Jesus, it says he called the earth.
This includes the Buddhist countries, it includes the Muslim countries, it includes the Hindu
countries, it includes everywhere, it includes all of the Philippines, every province, every
city, every barangay, every street, it includes everything, he called the earth, right?
What it says is from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
And so when you're thinking about a time, you kind of reference like six in the morning
to six at night.
And obviously, depending on the time of year, and depending on where you live, the sun rises
and it sets at a different time, but just generally speaking, the day starts at six
in the morning, and then the sun sets roughly around six p.m.
You know, here in the Philippines at this time of year, you know what, the sun hasn't
really gone down yet, but you know, roughly speaking, six a.m. to six p.m.
And it's what is thought of as the working day, right?
Because obviously, when they work laboring jobs, you would start right when the sun grows,
basically, and then you would end right when the sun set, because you wouldn't really be
able to work out in the dark, right?
But what I believe the Bible's trying to reference you to is thinking about on a job.
Let's say you just work a secular job, you go into an office, basically, the start of
your day, and the close of your day.
The Bible says that he called the earth, so imagine you get to your job at the beginning
of the day, and then you have a meeting, because I have a job where you start the day with
the meeting for the first five minutes, and then your boss says, okay, this is your job
today.
This, and this, and this, and this, and this, and then your boss gives you a list of assignments
to do, right?
And they can be varied by day, but basically, today this is your job, today this is your
job, and what you realize is, your boss has the rule over you, you do what he says, and
the Bible says, God called the earth, so God controls all of the earth, and he tells us
what to do each and every day, right?
Turn to Malachi 1, Malachi 1, Malachi chapter 1, and as you're turning there, I'll just
read you where the Bible says, the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, the
world, and they that dwell therein.
So the earth, the world, and everybody that dwells therein, belongs to God.
Everywhere on this planet, every single person that's here, I mean, even our bodies are the
temple of the Holy Ghost, they don't really belong to us, they belong to God, meaning
we need to do what God says.
Now a lot of people get mad at the rules of God, and they'll say things like, well, you
know what, my God would never give you a list of rules you have to follow.
And honestly, that's a true statement, because when people say my God, they're right, that's
what their God will do.
The problem is, their God is either the devil or he doesn't exist, whatever way that you
want to look at it, right?
But the real God of the Bible gives a list of rules, and imagine the stupidity, because
think about if you own a house, and let's say, for example, you rent it out to people.
So basically, every month, you know, it's 10,000 pesos or whatever the amount is, but
you have a contract with a list of rules.
And one of the common rules that you're going to have is this, no smoking.
Why?
I mean, if you own a house and then people are smoking, it can drive down the value of
the house because of the smell that's going to be there.
Or you could have a list of rules like, no drinking.
I mean, there's businesses, there's companies, there's restaurants, there's places where
you cannot drink any alcohol.
You'll have a list of rules that you have to follow, right?
Well, here's the thing, the earth belongs to God.
So of course, God has a list of rules to follow, and those are two of the rules, don't smoke,
don't drink, don't do drugs, read the Bible every day, pray without ceasing, all these
are on the list of the rules that God has for the earth that belongs to Him.
But you say, wow, you know, that's not fair.
I mean, I can do whatever you want.
Well, here's the thing, if you rent a house and the rule says, do not smoke, you can still
do whatever you want, but there's repercussions for breaking it.
You smoke in a hotel room, 10,000 peso fine.
Is this not true?
I mean, you can do whatever you want, you have free will.
But if you disobey what's said by the landlord or the owner of the business or whatever,
there is a punishment.
Guess what?
The earth belongs to God.
And if we do not do what He says, there is a punishment for disobeying God.
Now, you have free will to do whatever you want, but make no mistake about it, the mighty
God, even the Lord had spoken, and He is the ruler of everything in this world.
The Bible says in Malachi 1 verse 11, for from the rising of the sun, even on the going
down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles.
And in every place, incense shall be offered on my name and a pure offering, for my name
shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.
See, God says that His name ought to be great among the heathen.
In the book of Malachi, what you're seeing is God's people are departing from the laws
of God.
I mean, they don't want to follow God's laws, they say, you know what, it's such a burden
to follow God, they're complaining, and God's saying, hey, I am a great king, a great ruler,
I want my name to be great among the Gentiles.
The Gentiles would represent the unsaved world, right?
So what God's saying is, the unsaved heathen have a very low standard of living.
I mean, they're getting drunk, they're fornicating, they're doing drugs, they're doing all of
these things, but I want my people to have a very high standard of living.
And so you have to ask yourself this question in 2023, if you compare the Christian world
to the non-Christian world, do you see a very high standard of living?
I don't.
I don't see much difference.
It's interesting to me, because in the United States, the US is a very anti-Arabic, anti-Muslim
country, there's a very small percentage of Muslims, just because they're always at war
with Muslim countries, and the US will always criticize Islam, and I'm for that, criticize
Islam.
But you know what they criticize Islam for?
They criticize Islam for having the death penalty.
For murder, for homosexuality, for adultery.
They criticize Islam for the few things that religion is right on.
It's like you've got a ton of things you can criticize them about.
Criticize them for doing their works to be seen in man.
Praying in front of a grave multitude to do your works to be seen in man.
Why don't you criticize them for that?
Why don't you criticize them for Mohammed being a pedophile and marrying a six-year-old
girl, but he didn't constantly get married until he was nine?
I mean, that's your defense.
Criticize them for that, but yet then you'll see Christian countries, well, I mean, we
would never put anybody to death.
It's like that's the one thing that they're right on, and it's an embarrassment when
Christians ought to have a high standard of living.
Look, make no mistake, in 2023, the United States is the laughingstock of the world.
Yeah, it's still the most powerful country, but when you've got transsexuals taking
off your clothes on the White House, I mean, literally on the lawn of the White House and
transsexuals, these sexual permits are ripping off their clothes?
It's not an conspiracy, it's a fact.
Of course, the liberal media doesn't want to repeat that because it's a bit of an
embarrassment, but it's like you're an embarrassment to the world.
Right, and look, God's people ought to have a high standard of living, and if you say
you're a Christian, you ought to look at yourself and say, you know what, I'm not
going to be just like the world, I'm going to be a peculiar person in a dark and sinful
world.
I'm going to be different from the world.
The things I watch, the things I listen to, the things I say, the way I act, it ought
to be different.
You say, why?
God's name ought to be great among the Gentiles.
Verse number 12.
That was for added drama, right?
Just kidding.
It's like it reminds you of the Old Testament where you'll hear the thunder on the mountain
with Moses right here.
Verse number 12.
But ye have profaned it, profaned the name of God, but ye have profaned it in that ye
say the table the Lord has polluted and the fruit thereof, even as meat, is contemptible.
He said, behold, what a weariness is it, right?
I mean, it's so hard to serve God, what a weariness is it?
And ye have snuffed that, it saith the Lord of hosts, and ye brought that which was corn
and the lame and the sick, thus ye brought an offering.
Should I accept this of your hand, saith the Lord?
And then God's people, they were bringing an offering, but they're bringing the worst
to God.
They weren't bringing anything impressive whatsoever, just bringing the worst to God
and God's like, should I accept this?
You intentionally brought me the worst.
I mean, you literally brought me the cow that is about to be dead and that's your offering.
You brought me the animals that are just completely messed up and that is your offering.
And should I accept this, God says?
Verse 14.
But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male and bough and sacrificed
on the Lord a corrupt thing.
And it says, cursed be the deceiver, because people are claiming, this is all of God's.
This is the best I have to offer.
I couldn't give anything else.
And God says, you're a liar.
You're a deceiver.
He said, you did have something else to offer.
You could have given your best.
And in a symbolic sense, God deserves your best.
Not the worst, the best.
Right, you say, Brother Stuckey, I read the Bible 30 minutes a day, but I always read
it when the TV's on.
Yeah, you're giving God your worst.
Why not give him your best?
You say, Brother Stuckey, I only have 33 minutes a day.
Yeah, give God your best.
Give those 30 minutes to God.
Don't give them the leftovers.
Don't give them what's corrupt.
Give them your best.
Right, I mean, we ought to look at God and say, I'm not trying to give you my worst,
God.
I'm trying to give you my best.
Then it says this, for I am a great king, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful
among the heathen.
What that means is his name and who God is.
It ought to instill fear in the unsaved world.
I mean, you remember the story of Jonah, and then when they found out who the God of Jonah
was, they were afraid.
Why?
Because they had heard of the God of Jonah, and the God of Jonah instilled fear in him,
the same God that we worship.
They had already had the harlot, and then the fear of the true God, and that is a large
reason why she converted and got saved, because of the dread, because of the fear of the true
God.
But in 2023, is that what you ever hear about God?
No, it's just love, love, love.
Grace, grace, grace.
Patience, patience, patience.
Right, I mean, a 52 week series on every loving word you can think of.
First week is grace, then peace, then love, then long suffering, and look, all of those
things are true, and those things need to be preached, but you know what?
God is not just love, love, love.
The same God that has a heaven, has a hell, that he created, that he throws people in.
The Bible says the wrath of God abided on those people forever.
You can't say God is love, love, love when he's the one that created hell and is keeping
hell hot, and he's throwing people in hell for all eternity.
You can't say God is love, love, love when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
You can't say God is love, love, love when God destroyed Nineveh.
Yeah, they got the warning in Jonah, just read two books later.
There's the destruction of Nineveh.
You can't say God is love, love, love when God still judges the world in 2023.
Go back to Psalm 50.
Psalm 50.
I mean, in many ways, in 2023, the Christian or so-called Christian countries are worse
than average, everyday countries.
I mean, in the United States, I mean, San Francisco is kind of known as the gay capital
of the world.
I mean, the United States, the same country that sends out more missionaries than any
country, the same country where Christianity was the backbone and made it a great country,
that same country is possibly leading the world in the LGBT in 2023.
Joe Biden was the one leading the fight in 2023.
And it's like, what kind of world are we living in?
Right?
I mean, it was only about 40 years ago in the US when Ronald Reagan, one of the most
conservative presidents in US history, I mean, you can see clips of him online, and
he said the problem is people aren't reading their King James Bible every day.
Well, that's not the world we live in in 2023.
I mean, the Philippines, what's the Christian country?
I mean, Asia, I should say.
The Philippines.
The Philippines is the most Christian country in all of Asia, by far.
By far.
Is it the godliest country in all of Asia?
I mean, I don't know, maybe Taiwan and Thailand are ahead in the LGBT and cross-dressing culture,
but I'm not sure about that.
I've never been there other than I've been in the airport in Taiwan and I didn't see
what I see going on here.
And even if this is not the leading country, even if Thailand still is like the sickest
part of Asia in terms of sexual perversion, the Philippines is by no means the most righteous.
The Philippines leads all of Asia on kids born out of wedlock.
And this is the Christian country in 2023.
Why does this exist?
Because churches aren't free to the truth, and people are not afraid to rebel against
God.
That's the reality in 2023.
But see, the Bible says God's name ought to be dreadful among the heathen, and so when
people hear about the God of the Bible, they say, man, that God's an extreme God.
That God is a strict God.
That God is a holy God.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.
Psalm 50, verse 2.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty God hath shined.
Now, is there anything inherently beautiful about Zion?
I mean, no.
I mean, I've seen videos and pictures, I mean, over in Jerusalem and Israel.
I mean, they've got beautiful places, but you know, all around the world there's beautiful
places.
I grew up in West Virginia.
I mean, it's known as arguably the most beautiful state in the United States.
It's a beautiful state.
I mean, there's beautiful places all over the world.
So what is the beauty of Zion?
It's not the landscape.
It's not the climate.
It was the fact that God's people were dwelling there.
That's what made it different, because in the book of Psalms, that is where you wanted
to be if you were serving God.
This is before you have the break off of the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern
kingdom of Judah, and so God's people were primarily located in that one area.
So let me ask you a question.
In 2023, what is the most beautiful place in the world to God?
Because this is the perfection or completion of beauty.
What is the beautiful place in 2023?
It's called the local church of God.
Whether it be here or some other good local church around the world, this is where God's
presence dwells.
This is the beauty, the perfection of beauty in 2023.
God's house, the local church.
Which means we've got to take it seriously.
Church is important.
You have to love the preaching of God's word.
I mean, look, I don't claim to be the greatest preacher in the world, but I believe if you
come to this church via the preaching of God's word, you will learn new things and you'll
be motivated to serve God.
And it's not just this church, there are churches all over the world where you can sit in those
churches and you can learn each and every week whether you've read the Bible a hundred
times or you're just starting.
It's the local house of God and people ought to take it very seriously.
For number one, we see the renown of the heavenly.
God is meant to be known ever, the true God of the Bible.
It'll make no mistake, there is a difference between the God of the Bible and the God of
other religions.
Look, if you read any of the Hindu scriptures, just sexual perversion.
They literally have a book in the Hindu scriptures that is just a pornographic book just teaching
these graphic, disgusting things.
And just the general Vedas in those books, it's really no better.
It's not just Hinduism.
If you look at old Greek mythology, it's like Zeus was a sexual pervert, a bisexual sexual
pervert in their stories.
That's the books of the heathen.
That's the books of the unsaved world.
But unfortunately, God's people are afraid to say the parts of the Bible where God is
too strict and God is too holy.
And yet the central attribute of God on the Bible is what?
Holiness.
That's what you see pop up all the time.
Yeah, God is a loving God, but there's a reason why we have songs like holy, holy, holy, because
that's the central attribute of God in the Bible, that God is a holy God.
In fact, I would say this, the first time you read the Bible cover to cover, your reaction
is always going to be, man, God is holier than I realized.
I'm not going to walk away and say, man, he's so much more loving than a realist.
You're going to say, man, he's holy.
I mean, I had heard about Sodom and Gomorrah, but when I read this story, wow, God is laying
down the hammer, right?
And I'm not embarrassed to say that about God, that God is a holy God.
Number one, the renown of the heavenly.
Number two, the rebuke to the holy.
The rebuke to the holy or to the saved people.
Psalm 50 verse three, our God shall come and shall not keep silence.
A fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
He shall call the heavens from above and to the earth that he may judge his people.
The Bible says that judgment must begin at the house of God.
God is going to judge his people.
Now, if you're saved, obviously you have eternal life.
That will never end no matter what.
But God will judge you for your sins in this life.
Don't think you can just go out and do whatever you want and then God doesn't care.
No, God is going to judge his people, the Bible says.
The Bible says in verse five, gather my saints together out of me.
Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice and the heavens shall declare his righteousness, his righteousness, his holiness.
For God has judged himself, say like, hear all my people and I will speak O Israel and I will testify against thee.
I am God, even thy God.
Go to Psalm 40.
Psalm 40.
Psalm chapter 40.
Look, people have this backwards in 2023.
People have this idea and I'm not trying to go on a rabbit show in the book of Malachi.
But they have this idea that the amazing thing is that God just loves Israel so much that they can just be as wicked as possible and start wars with every country and then God will preserve them.
Is that what you read in the Old Testament?
Actually, in the book of Malachi, it says the opposite. Isn't the example God gave to Israel that's complaining?
He's like, hey, there was Esau and there was Jacob.
Two brothers, two twin brothers and I love Jacob and I hated Esau and the reason why is because of the works that they did.
And then we see the destruction of Esau, the fact that Esau is going to be a desolate place that shall never return and he's warning them the same thing is going to happen to you.
If I judged Esau or Eden for being wicked, why would you think that you're going to be okay?
That's what people think in 2023.
They think just, oh, you just do whatever you want. No big deal. That's not the God that I want.
Psalm 40 verse 7.
Then said I, lo, I come. In the volume of the book it is written to me, I delight to do thy will, O my God.
Yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation.
Lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart. I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation.
I have not concealed thy love and kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
So the psalmist is speaking about preaching the truth and holiness and righteousness in the congregation of God.
And so when sermons are being preached, you need more than just your best life now.
You need holiness. You need righteousness.
Whether it be specific sins that you cover, specific doctrines, specific characteristics, you need to hear the truth.
And lo, the truth hurts sometimes.
Look, on Saturday I preached on the sin of anger, which anger is not always sinful, but it usually is.
And look, I think we're honest, all of us struggle with that.
But you know, here's the thing, that's what you need to hear if you're going to make changes.
Look, if you go to the doctors and you've got major problems and you go to get a checkup
and there's major problems, but the doctor is too loving to tell you the bad news.
I mean, you're at the point where you need triple bypass heart surgery, but the doctor's too loving to tell you that.
And the doctor says, man, you're doing great. I expect you to live very healthy until you're 100.
And you're really at the point where you're about to die. Is that doctor loving?
I mean, sometimes you just need to get practical examples, because for whatever reason, when it comes to the Bible and religion, people make no sense.
The person who lies to you behind the pulpit is loving.
But if a doctor did that, I mean, literally, their license would be taken away.
They might be thrown in jail for doing that. Right? But that's what you have in churches in 2023.
And make no mistake, God judges people.
And I think there's another idea here that if we don't declare the righteousness of God, then God's going to declare the righteousness of God.
You say, well, how does God declare the righteousness of God? Via volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis.
So people understand the mighty God that exists and he will judge wickedness.
Go to Psalm 92. Psalm 92.
Psalm chapter 92.
You say, Brother Psyche, your sermons are always so mean and hateful.
We're going verse by verse in the book of Psalms.
We're preaching on what the Bible is talking about.
The Bible said that he may judge his people. How else am I supposed to preach it?
What's the Bible trying to say? What is God trying to say?
And look, we go verse by verse in a lot of sermons.
I mean, we took a break from Matthew, but often two out of three sermons every single week are verse by verse just going through what the Bible says.
And it's like, we're just going to preach what the Bible says.
And look, I'm sorry, but when you're reading the Bible, it is not primarily love, love, love. It's actually the opposite.
It's primarily holy, holy, holy. It's kind of like this, reprove, rebuke, exhort.
Two thirds negative, one third positive.
Now, what I strive to do in sermons is kind of give you that balance where basically there's two thirds negative and one thirds positive.
The idea is, it's like, okay, we heard the sermon on anger and now how do we fix the problem? That's the exhortation, right?
But the primary, the primary part of preaching is negative.
That's what you see in the Bible, reprove, rebuke, exhort.
The Bible says in Psalm 92 verse 7, actually Psalm 97, Psalm 97, Psalm 97.
Psalm 97 verse 2, Psalm 97 verse 2.
Clouds and darkness are round about him. Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
I thought it was love and peace are the habitation of his throne. Why does the Bible say righteousness and judgment?
The fire goes before him and burneth up his enemies round about.
That doesn't sound that loving. That doesn't sound that nice.
His lightning's in light of the world. The earth saw and trembled.
And you know what? There's kind of two ways to look at this because he's really talking about natural disasters here because a fire, I mean, obviously, I mean, what is it in Hawaii?
They have these major fires that have burned down a bunch of stuff recently.
And then when it says the earth saw and trembled woke up, I mean, the people of the world can tremble out of fear of God.
But the earth literally trembling is what? Referring to an earthquake.
What the Bible's trying to show you is these major natural disasters are the judgment of God.
Now, of course, earthquakes happen on a daily basis on a very minor scale where they cause little to no damage.
But when you're seeing earthquakes that kill like 5% of the country of Haiti, that's not just an accident that took place.
Or you see Mount Pinatubo explode and everybody has to flee their homes. It's not an accident.
It's called the judgment of God.
And here's the thing. If God's people would declare God's judgment, God wouldn't have to send an actual disaster.
But since that doesn't happen in 2023, what do you see? Well, you see a lot of God declaring his own right systems.
Bible says, is light things in life, the world, the earth saw and trembled.
The hills melted like wax at the presence of the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord, the whole earth, the hills melting like wax.
What does that sound like? Sounds like the volcano.
The heavens declare his righteousness and all the people see his glory. I thought the heavens declared his love.
The Bible says the heavens declare his righteousness.
And here's the thing. To the unsaved world, the first thing they need is judgment to understand they need salvation.
Look, if somebody's unsaved, what do we start with? The bad news that they deserve help?
Now we say it in a kind way. We're not rude as we preach the gospel to people, but we're honest with people because they have to realize they're being saved from something.
And to the unsaved world, they need to know about the judgment of God.
Not just love, love, love, but the judgment of God because they're not saved.
And to us that are saved, we also need the judgment as a wake-up call that, wait a minute, God will judge us equally.
Because God does punish us here in this life if we disobey.
Why, I just, you know, my God would never do that. I mean, my God is just too lovely to do that.
Well, let me ask you, how do you raise your kids? You raise your kids and just let them do whatever they want no matter what?
Are you insane?
I mean, you let kids do whatever they want. You know what they're going to do? They're going to eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
They're never going to brush their teeth. They're going to go to bed at 1130 because, you know, they're watching the TV or computer until they fall asleep a couple hours after you do as a parent.
And they're going to wake up exhausted.
I mean, is that the way you raise your kids? You have to have rules. You have to have boundaries.
And if you're saved, what are you? You're a child of God.
Whether it's the Old Testament or the New Testament, sons of God are saved people.
So here's the thing. Obviously, God has rules for us, just like you have rules for your children.
The Bible says in verse 7,
Confound in me all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols, worship him, all ye gods.
And, you know, of course, when you're applying this to the Philippines, the Philippines is an extremely idolatrous country.
There's no doubt about it.
You know, the Feast of the Black Nazarene, even you go soul-winning some places, and there's like these giant idols in the background as you're talking to someone.
Anyway, here's what's interesting about this.
You would think that if somebody has a lot of idols that they live a pretty holy life.
But that's not usually what I see.
I remember going soul-winning recently, and there's this guy as drunk as a skunk, and he had, like, the fanciest idols in his house.
Like, literally, the idols in his house, I think, cost more than the house.
And he's just, like, drunk as a skunk.
And it's just, like, no godliness whatsoever.
And it's kind of like if I get those idols, you kind of feel like, okay, well, I'm not going to obey God's commandments.
I'll just get an idol, and that way you can feel like your spirit.
Right?
And he says,
Confound to me all they that serve greater damages, that boast themselves of idols, worship him, all ye gods.
I mean, think of how foolish this is.
I mean, look at this idol that I made with my hands.
You're boasting and bragging.
Look at, I spent, and I've seen this at stores, where you have, like, the idolatry section.
And I've seen the prices before.
It's like 25,000 pesos.
It's like, are you insane?
It's like, like, people literally spend this much money on idols?
Why would you boast about that?
Hey, look at what I got for $20,000.
A piece of wood that I prayed to.
Why would you boast about that?
Face them since, and that's what people know.
Verse number 8.
Zion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O Lord.
For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth.
Thou art exalted far above all gods.
Now, of course, the gods here is not a real god because there are no real gods other than the true God.
But there are devils.
And when people are worshipping idols, what are they doing?
They're worshipping devils.
Now, it is my belief that when you're looking at major idols, because even in the idolatrous world,
when you look at the philosophical reasoning for worshipping idols,
they will say that as you pray to idols, you breathe life into those idols,
and it becomes a habitation of spirits.
And I think that is literally what takes place.
Idols that get worshipped a lot are going to be filled with devils all around them.
So here's the thing.
When people go to the Feast of the Black Nazarene and they touch it,
and all of a sudden they feel, I feel so much better.
I've never felt this before.
Yeah, because you probably just got possessed by a devil.
That's the reality.
Right?
But the Bible says God is far above all gods.
There's no comparison between the God of the Bible and the false gods that are out there.
All you have to do is make just a statement.
The Bible speaks about how there's no rock like our God.
There's no comparison.
Just look at the primary religions that are out there.
You've got Christianity, and I use this term very broadly,
because even Catholicism will claim to be under Christianity.
But the God of the Bible versus the God of other religions.
The God of the Bible versus the God of Islam.
Well, the primary prophet in Islam was a pedophile.
Wow!
I don't know which religion to follow!
Well, look at Hinduism.
The Hindu scriptures are sexually perverse.
And they don't follow strong laws or commandments at all.
I mean, in Hinduism you can worship God in whatever way you want.
That's why there's like 50 bazillion versions of their God.
You want to worship Him like this or this or this?
Buddhism!
Let's compare Buddha to the God of the Bible.
Buddha, when his son was born, he left his wife and his child and deserted them.
For what was it, seven years or something like that?
Because he was a derelict loser of a father.
What's the comparison?
And those are really the only four religions that have like that.
That's a ton of people.
That are above the 50 million mark.
Unless you consider Buddha, which is kind of a religion where you worship other religions as well,
but in Buddha they just literally worship devils.
There's no comparison between the God of the Bible and the God of these other religions.
It's not just that God is above all gods.
He's far above all gods.
There's literally no comparison between the God of the Bible and the God of other religions.
The very bottom of Psalm 50.
Psalm 50.
Psalm chapter 50.
So point number one is the renown of the heavenly.
Point two, the rebuke to the holy.
Point three, the rule of the heavenly.
So the renown of the heavenly is the fact that God is known.
And he's meant to be known.
He's meant to be dreadful among the evil.
But the rule of the heavenly is the fact that God is in charge.
Psalm 50 verse 8.
I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings to have been continually before me.
I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.
For every beast in the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
And what God's saying is, every beast in the forest belongs to God.
Every cattle belongs to God.
Every animal belongs to God.
Not only us as people, but every animal belongs to God, according to the word of God.
I know all the fowls of the mountains and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine and the fullness thereof.
While I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats, offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows on the Most High.
And call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
And what he's saying in these verses, verses 8 through 15, he's showing his rule.
He's showing he's in control of everything.
What he's also saying is, I'm not going to approve you for these sacrifices or burnt offerings, because it's not really about the sacrifices and burnt offerings.
Because here's what you have to understand.
People can obey a list of rules.
But what God's saying is, I want more than you just doing what my rules are, I want your heart.
I want you to be thankful.
I want you not just to follow things on the outside, but on the inside you love God.
Look, when it comes to religious cults, they always have a list of different rules.
They're often very bizarre, where they'll have a low standard of living in certain areas, but they have a really, really high standard of living in other areas.
And those people feel spiritual because they follow a list of rules.
But what God says is, this is what I want.
Offer unto God thanksgiving.
Yes, obey the rules.
But what God wants you to do is wake up and say, God, thank you for all the blessings that you've given me.
Thank you for the word of God.
Thank you for salvation.
I want to follow what you say.
I want to praise you.
I'm thankful for what you've given me in my life.
Look, there's people that go to their secular jobs, and they do all of their assignments.
And inside their heart, they're bitter and angry about it every single second of the day.
They don't want to do it.
They're not happy to be there.
But they do it because that's how they get paid.
But here's the thing.
God doesn't want you to do what he says, and then on the inside, it's like, man, how dare God tell me to do this?
God wants you on the inside to be thankful and praise him and be happy for the blessings he's given you.
It's not just about the sacrifices.
I mean, those are the rules they had to follow.
What God's saying is, I want more than that.
I want you to be thankful.
I want you to really want to serve me, not just on the outside, but on the inside.
Look, I can show up here wearing a dress shirt and a tie and dress shoes.
That doesn't tell you whether or not I've read my Bible.
That doesn't tell you if I'm praying to God.
You can follow a list of rules.
You can, as a guy, cut your hair and do whatever.
That doesn't mean that you're following God and you love God.
God's saying, I don't want you to just do rules.
I want you to actually love me and want to serve me.
Go to your Bible to 1 Samuel 15.
1 Samuel 15.
1 Samuel chapter 15.
And the Bible says in 1 Samuel 15 verse 20,
And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord,
and have gone the way which the Lord sent me.
This is the second time where Saul majorly rebels against God and is getting rejected here.
And he said, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord.
So he's arguing with the man of God saying, I did obey,
and have gone the way which the Lord sent me,
and have brought Agag the king of Amalek,
and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
But, and what he's saying is, I obeyed some of what you said,
but the people took up the spoils, sheep and ox, and the chief of the kings,
things which should have been utterly destroyed to sacrifice in the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
Now first off, why is he bringing Agag?
Because every person was supposed to be killed in this story.
And every animal.
That is what God said.
And it's interesting how Saul tries to kind of get out of it a little bit,
because in verse number 21 when he sees he's in trouble,
but the people took up the spoil.
You're the one in charge.
You're allowing it.
God said, I'm going to destroy everything.
But then he said, but we took the best to sacrifice unto God.
So God says, do this, and they disobey.
And then they say, but we're going to sacrifice some of what we should have killed.
And God's like, are you kidding me?
I just told you to do this.
Just obey what I said.
The problem was on the inside, Saul didn't really want to serve God.
When you see Saul in the Bible, what does he want?
He wants people to follow him.
He wants a reputation.
He wants to look good among some people.
This is why when he gets rebuked, he makes excuses.
But he did obey.
And he keeps saying this over and over and over again.
And eventually he says, OK, I did wrong, but honor me now in front of the people.
And it's like, yeah, you don't have true godly sorrow.
You're not really sorry.
You're just doing this because you got in trouble.
And Samuel said that the Lord is great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
and obeying the voice of the Lord.
Behold, you obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is a sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is his iniquity and idolatry
because thou has rejected the word of the Lord.
He hath also rejected thee from me.
Turn to the Bible Psalm 50.
Psalm 50.
So when it comes to someone being in charge, what do you do?
Well, you follow what they say.
And when it comes to God, you're thankful for his rules.
You're thankful to follow.
You're happy to follow.
You're joyful serving God.
Look, there is a great joy in serving God.
There's a great joy.
Oh, it's such a burden.
I'm so tired, man.
I got to come to church for the midway service.
You don't have to do anything.
You can do whatever you want.
You have free will.
But why is it a burden to come to church?
Why is it a burden to learn the word of God?
Why is it a burden to be motivated to serve God?
I mean, there's 168 hours in the week.
You spend 20 hours on social media every single week.
Oh, it's such a burden to come to church for a couple hours.
Really?
But you're on Facebook for a couple hours earlier today.
You're on Instagram for a couple hours earlier today.
When we get back from church tonight, you're going to get on Instagram.
Right?
So why is it a burden to just be in church?
Why is it a burden to take 30 minutes out of your day and give your best to God?
But I only have 33 minutes.
Why is it a burden to give your best to God?
Obey what God says and be thankful.
But I'm just going to disobey and try to impress God.
Yeah, that's what Cain did.
That's what Cain told us.
Just do what God says.
Point one, we see the renown of the heavenling.
Point two, we see the rebuke to the holy.
Point three, we see the rule of the heavenling.
Point four, we see the rebuke to the heathen.
Rebuke to the heathen.
Psalm 50 verse 16.
Because remember, he's talked about judging his people.
But now in verse 16, we're going to get a switch.
But unto the wicked God saith,
What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth,
seeing thou hatest instruction, and casteth my words behind me?
You see, there's wicked people that will quote the Bible.
Oh, the Bible says judge not.
I mean, a cross-dressing queer will quote judge not.
That doesn't care what the Bible says.
They hate the Bible, and then they pretend like they're an expert at the Bible.
They pretend like they believe in the Bible.
They take part of their life, and they take it out of context to try to prove their point.
And what the Bible's saying is, there's these wicked that don't care about the Bible,
they don't care about the word of God,
but yet they're pretending that they follow the statutes and the commandments.
One great example of this is a man by the name of Richard Dawkins.
Richard Dawkins is one of the most wicked people that has existed in the last 100 years.
The man wrote a book called The God Delusion.
It sold millions of copies around the world.
He mocks the idea of God being real.
God being real is a joke to him.
You're deluded. You're an idiot.
And if you've ever heard this guy speak, he is such a mayavang piece of garbage.
He acts like he's more intelligent because he does not believe in God.
The same guy who thinks he's a genius said the one religion that makes sense is Hinduism.
It's like, what a fool.
But yet, he will quote the Bible all the time to try to mock the Bible.
Here are some things that Richard Dawkins said about the Bible.
And it is funny because he specifically targets the King James Bible.
Isn't that interesting?
I mean, you can target the NIV.
You can target the ES.
Why doesn't he target the King James Bible?
What is going on about the King James Bible that makes you so mad, Mr. Richard Dawkins?
And he says this,
People who do not know the Bible well have been galled into thinking it is a good guide to morality.
So basically, if you've never read the Bible, people are tricking you into thinking that it's a good guide for morality.
Why even find your own logic that doesn't make sense?
Because I read the Bible fifty times, and I think it's a good guide for morality.
What are you talking about?
I mean, mister, there are no rules because of the Big Bang and evolution, and that's your morality.
And then you're looking down the Bible, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery.
But his problem is he doesn't like all of the commandments.
He'll agree to some of them, but wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.
The Bible says you should do this.
And he says people have been galled into thinking it is a good guide to morality.
He added, I have even heard the cynically misanthropic opinion.
And don't you love these arrogant people that try to use words that people don't understand to sound intelligent?
People don't talk like this.
Right? Cynically misanthropic opinion.
Why don't you just talk like a normal human?
Because you're trying to talk like you're smarter than everybody else.
All you're showing is that you're arrogant.
You know, because here's the thing, a good teacher talks on a level that everybody understands.
So why are you trying to talk in a way that people don't understand?
Because you're an arrogant piece of garbage that is trying to sound more intelligent than every single other person.
I've even heard the cynically misanthropic opinion that without the Bible as a moral compass, people would have no restraint against murder, theft, and mayhem.
Now here's the thing, I actually do not believe that you must have the Bible to have a moral compass.
Because there's something that defeats the atheist called conscience.
In fact, the Bible speaks about the conscience.
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature, meaning naturally, they're born, do by nature the things contained in the law,
these having not the law are a law to themselves, the Bible says.
Which show the work of the law of God written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness.
So here's the thing, everybody is born with a conscience.
Here's the problem with Richard Dawkins, his conscience was seared with a hot iron a long time ago.
He no longer has a conscience, but he was born with a conscience.
Well, where did you get that conscience from?
When did that conscience evolve into human beings?
Now he's going to argue that there is no conscience.
Now why is he going to argue that? Well, he doesn't have one.
But here's the thing, 99% of the world is going to agree, yeah, you know, there's a conscience.
I feel guilty when I do wrong. Explain that to me.
Well, it's just because you've been brainwashed.
Then why does a little kid naturally know?
Well, even my son Ezra, when he knows he's in trouble, he doesn't want to look at me face to face.
Even if he's not going to get in major trouble like Ezra, and then all of a sudden he's just like trying to go away,
leaving the scene of the crime, doesn't want to look at me in the face.
Why is it that he at a young age, because he already knows certain things,
where he doesn't say, you know, that's not right.
Kids don't have to be taught to lie, they learn that, and they don't learn it, they just are born with that.
Right? And so here's the thing, we have the conscience.
Even with the Bible, not us, it confirms the conscience.
Because the same things you naturally feel guilty in, 99% of the time, they're the same things the Bible exactly says, hey, this is right, this is wrong.
Now Paul does state there's certain things like, you know, that he would not know sin, known sin except by the law.
But primarily those things in your conscience, you know, lying, stealing, murder, people know those things are wrong.
It's born into them.
And even other things in the world, people live very sinful and licentious lifestyles, but they know those things are wrong.
They feel guilty about it, but they're just trying to like ignore it because they don't want to feel that guilt.
But he said that without the Bible's moral compass, he would have no restraint against murder, theft, and mayhem.
Well, they have a natural restraint called the conscience, where people don't just go around and murder people at a young age because they know it's wrong.
But then he says the surest way to disabuse yourself of this pernicious falsehood is to read the Bible itself.
And he says, you know what, by reading the Bible it's going to prove how wrong and wicked the Bible is.
Now here's the thing, there's one thing Richard Dawkins and I agree on.
I agree, everybody reads the entire Bible for yourself and then you make up their minds.
Now to the people that hate God, of course they're going to say this about the Bible.
Here's a man who hates God, here's a wicked man, he's going to mock, I mean this is a guy who wrote the book, The God Delusion.
He mocks the existence of God.
He hates God, specifically he hates the God of the King James Bible.
But he has no problem with the Hindu goddess. Imagine that.
And of course, when he reads the Bible, he'll say it's foolishness.
But here's the thing, most people are not reprobates like you, Mr. Richard Dawkins.
I would love it if everybody read the King James Bible one time for their self in this world.
Every single person, that would be great.
And us that are saved, we read the Bible and we know, hey there's no doubt this is the word of God.
No questions whatsoever.
Then he says this, whatever else the Bible might be, and it really is a great work of literature.
Because nobody can deny the fact that the Bible is just, I mean it's the most read, most printed book ever.
Even by the heathen world, they say this is such a great piece of literature.
That's why even in the past, people that didn't believe the Bible, they still read it because it's like on the top of the list of books to read in the world.
And he kind of says that in the past, he says it is not a world book, and young people need to learn that important fact because they are very frequently told the opposite.
The reality is, this is a man who has a problem with chapters like Genesis 19.
This is a man who said that teaching people the Bible is child abuse, but literal pedophilia is not harmful to kids.
He said a literal pedophilia is not psychologically harmful to kids like teaching the Bible is to people.
So he's basically on the side of those in Genesis 19 and against the judgment in Genesis 19.
Yeah, I think I know pretty much everything I need to know about you, Mr. Richard Dawkins.
And his proof of this is like that pedophilia haven't been a hitman. It didn't harm him at all.
Well, when I look at your life, I would state the exact opposite, my friends.
Psalm 50 verse 18.
But this is what you see. You see these people that don't believe the Bible, and then they'll act like they're some sort of expert on the Bible, and they'll mock the Bible, and they'll quote the Bible just to try to criticize it.
You know, stupid things like, well, do you mean shellfish?
Man, if I haven't heard that a hundred times out solely before, in the U.S. I heard that all the time.
It's like, you should be worried, do you mean shellfish?
And it's like this one-liner that they've memorized from a website that knows nothing about the Bible, when obviously the clean and unhealthy animals, it symbolizes Jesus Christ, and those things are done away, which the Bible is very clear on.
Anyways, verse number 18, we'll close out now.
When thou sawest a thief, then thou contendest with him, and hast been partaker with adulteries.
Now notice what it's saying. People like Richard Dawkins, they will look at certain things, and they say, man, stealing is really wrong, and they'll contend with a thief while committing adultery.
And what it's called is, these wicked people, they pick and choose what they're going to follow, or claim to follow, so they can look good, they can look holy, while you're willingly just committing adultery.
You contend with thieves, and yet, you're committing adultery. Don't pretend like you're some follower of the Bible.
Thou givest thy mouth the evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.
Thou citizens speakest against thy brother, thou slanderers thine own mother's son.
These things hast thou done, and I kept silence.
Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such and one as thyself.
And you know what, this is what the LGBT think.
They'll mention Jesus. I mean, they're just like, wow, Jesus is just love, love, love, he's one of us.
And God's saying, I kept silence. I allowed you to get away with it for a little while, and then you think that he's one of us.
And isn't this true with the LGBT wicked world?
It's like, well, God is love, love, love, and you're saying hate, hate, hate. God's not a God of hate. God's a God of love.
They think God's one of them.
Man, you should have read Genesis 19 a little bit better.
You would think when you're the one who put the six-color rainbow, even though a rainbow has seven colors, you'd think that would light.
But no, why did they put the rainbow? Because the rainbow was God's promise he's never going to flood the world again.
And they use it to mock God, saying, hey, we can do whatever we want, there's no judgment.
No, he didn't say he wasn't going to destroy the world.
He said he's not going to destroy the world with the flood.
I mean, there is a book called Revelation.
There's famous movies based on the Battle of Armageddon. They have movies based on these things.
I mean, this is also written, my friends.
Yeah, he's not going to destroy the world with the flood, but he is going to destroy the world.
It's funny, you know, on a side point, the pope, he thinks there might be another world by the flood.
It's like, do you know anything about the Bible?
There will not be another worldwide flood that destroys the world, but God is going to destroy the world.
In fact, he explains to us how that takes place.
Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such and one as thyself.
But I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes.
What he's saying is these wicked people, I will reprove them.
They think I'm one of them. They think I hold their values.
They think I would never judge anyone, but you know what? I will reprove them.
You see, it's hard sometimes, you know, God judges us.
You know, God judges us for our benefits.
The Bible says, you know, I'm going to misquote this in Hebrews 12,
but he chastens us and says, for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
God punishes us that way that we can be more like him.
You know what's interesting? When you discipline your kids, you know what happens?
Your kids actually really love you.
They want to make mom and dad happy.
And you know what? If you endure chastening, the Bible says God deals with you as with sons.
If you endure the chastening and you're thankful for the reprove so you get better,
you're going to find yourself actually very happy that God approves you.
When it comes to the heathen, they're not going to be reproved for their benefits.
When it comes to the wicked people, people that have rejected God,
the LGBT that thinks that God is one of them, oh, they're going to be destroyed forever in a place called the lake of fire.
Right? I mean, and God gave plenty of examples reserved in fire under the day of judgment.
It's like even in Sodom and Gomorrah, Jude 1, all you have to do is look at it.
It says, I will approve thee and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, he that forgave God, lest they tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver.
Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me, and in him that ordereth his conversation to write, will I show the salvation of God.
This is a very powerful chapter. We saw the renown of the holy, the fact that God's name is meant to be known everywhere.
We see the rebuke, renowned in the heavenly, the rebuke to the holy. God will judge his people.
We see the rule of the heavenly. We also see the rebuke to the heathen.
And for us, the rebuke is something that's small and of course we're still saved eternally.
For them, it's a permanent rebuke, a permanent punishment in the lake of fire forever.
Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today.
Just getting to see this great chapter and I ask you to help us to just try to serve you and do right, God.
Help us to obey your commandments. Help us to understand that you are the ruler of everything, but that it is a joy to serve you.
And thank you for your abuse. Thank you for your chastening.
I ask you, God, to help us. Show us our sins. Show us our faults so we can be better.
We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
Let's sing our last song.