All right, let's take our Bibles and turn to Malachi chapter 3.
Malachi chapter number 3.
Should I put the axe back in place?
I don't know how to install it.
Figure it out.
There you go, right there.
There you go.
All right.
You got it.
I don't want to lose that cutting edge, you know?
Malachi chapter number 3.
And we'll read the entire chapter beginning in verse number 1.
And you can follow along silently.
Malachi chapter 3.
The Bible reads,
Behold, I will send my messenger,
and he shall prepare the way before me.
And the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple,
even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delighted.
Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
But who may abide the day of his coming,
and who shall stand when he appear?
For he is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap,
and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver,
and he shall purify the sons of Levi
and purge them as gold and silver,
that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old
and as in former years.
And I will come near to you to judgment,
and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers
and against the adulterers and against false swearers
and against those that oppress the hireling and his wages,
the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside
the stranger from his right.
And fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.
For I am the Lord.
I change not.
Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Even from the days of your fathers,
ye are gone away from mine ordinances
and have not kept them.
Return unto me, and I will return unto you,
saith the Lord of hosts.
But ye said, wherein shall we return?
Will a man rob God?
Yet ye have robbed me.
But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee?
In tithes and offerings ye are cursed with a curse.
For ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,
that there may be meat in mine house.
And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts,
if I will not open you the windows of heaven
and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not
be room enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground.
Neither shall your volume cast her fruit
before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
And all nations shall call you blessed,
for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
Your words have been very, have been
stout against me, saith the Lord.
Yet ye say, what have we spoken so much against thee?
Ye have said, it is vain to serve God.
And what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance,
and that we have walked mournfully
before the Lord of hosts?
And now we call the proud happy.
Yea, they that work wickedness are set up.
Yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another,
and the Lord hearkened and heard it.
And a book of remembrance was written before him,
for them that feared the Lord, and that thought
upon his name.
And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts,
in that day, when I make up my jewels,
and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son
that serveth him.
Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous
and the wicked, between him that serveth God,
and him that serveth him not.
Let's bow our heads forward.
Father, please just bless the preaching now,
and fill me with your Holy Spirit, dear God.
Help every single person who's here to listen carefully
and to be filled with the Spirit, dear God.
Help us to put aside anything else that's in our mind
right now so we can focus upon your word
and the preaching, dear God.
And in Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Amen.
Now the part of the chapter that I want to preach from
is beginning in verse 16, when the Bible says,
Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another,
and the Lord hearkened and heard it.
And a book of remembrance was written before him,
for them that feared the Lord, and that thought
upon his name.
Look at the last verse of the chapter.
Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous
and the wicked, between him that serveth God
and him that serveth him not.
Now what I want to preach about tonight is about your friends,
about having the right friends.
And not only that, but a lot of the friends that you think
that you have, they're not really your friends.
They don't really love you.
And those aren't really the friends that you should be
speaking off of with.
And that's what I want to preach about tonight.
You would turn in your Bible to 2 Corinthians chapter 6.
2 Corinthians chapter 6.
And while you're turning there, let me read some verse
for you about friendship.
You say, well, why is it so important who my friends are?
Or do I really even need to have friends?
Well, yes, you do, because the Bible says that
Ecclesiastes 4, two are better than one,
because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow.
But woe to him that is alone when he falleth,
for he hath not another to help him up.
Again, if two lie together, then they have heat.
But how can one be warm alone?
And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him,
and a threefold cord is not easily broken.
How can one be warm alone?
You get alone by yourself.
You're away from church.
You're away from other believers.
You're away from people who are on fire for God.
You could get cold.
And God says, look, when you get lukewarm,
or if you get to the point where you're going to fall
and you're going to quit,
it's good to have somebody there to pick you up.
It's good to have somebody there to lean upon
as the right kind of friend that's going to build you up.
It says in Proverbs chapter 27, it says,
iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth
the countenance of his friend.
But it says in 2 Corinthians 6, where you are, in verse 14,
be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness,
and what communion hath light with darkness,
and what conquerth hath Christ with Belial,
or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
Now what does that say?
That's telling us right here,
not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
He said, you don't have fellowship with unbelievers.
What is fellowship?
It means something in common,
something that both of us share.
The Bible says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God.
It says, the whole manner of love the Father bestowed upon us
that we should be called the sons of God.
Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not.
We're not of the world.
Hey, they're of the world.
Therefore speak they of the world,
and the world heareth them.
We are of God.
He that is of God heareth us.
He that is not of God heareth not us.
Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
You see, we're different.
We're not like the people in this world.
We're God's children.
And we're to be separate from unbelievers.
Now does that mean that we're never supposed
to reach out to unbelievers?
Of course, Jesus sat down and ate with,
with unbelievers and sinners,
and he reached out to them.
But you want to know who I'm going to speak often with?
God said those that feared the Lord
spake often one with another.
He said that iron sharpens iron.
He said that we should be yoked together,
teamed up with, that's what yoked together means,
teamed up with believers,
teamed up with people who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
like we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Your friends, your buddies, your pals
that you're speaking often with,
they ought to be saved, first of all, number one.
They ought to be saved.
And let me just break something to you.
Not everybody around here that calls themselves
a Christian is really saved.
You know, especially in a place like West Virginia
where a lot of people are saying I'm a Baptist.
A lot of people are saying I'm a Christian.
But let me tell you something.
Not everyone, Jesus said, 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,
many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, if we not prophesy in thy name,
then thy name will cast out of the heavens.
And watch this, in thy name done many will works.
They're trusting in their works, my friend.
And many, many people from West Virginia
are gonna stand before God and say,
God, I've done the works.
And he's gonna say, depart from me, I never knew you.
It's not about works.
It's believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and I shall be saved.
And you brought up the verse earlier.
If thou believeth with all thine heart, thou mayest.
It's like you said, it's where is your faith.
It's not how much faith.
None of us even has the faith of a grain of mustard seed.
But is all of our heart trusting in Jesus
or are we trusting in Jesus plus works,
Jesus plus baptism, Jesus plus speak in tongues,
Jesus plus repent of my sins?
No, it's believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
with all your heart and you say.
And guess what?
Most people don't believe that.
And say, oh, these are my Christian friends.
Do they believe in the eternal security of the believer?
The Bible says, this is the record that God gave us.
That God has given to us eternal life
and this life is in his son.
He said there's two kinds of people.
He that believeth on the son of God
have to witness in himself.
He that believeth not God has made him a liar
because he believed not the record that God gave us.
And this is the record that God has given to us eternal life.
Amen.
So do they believe that record?
They're saved.
Do they not believe that record?
They're not saved.
It's that simple.
It couldn't be any simpler.
True.
That's it.
That's salvation.
Amen.
And so what are you doing
spending most of your time
talking to unbelievers on the telephone?
What are you doing
if you're spending most of your time texting
and palling around and hanging around with unbelievers
when you've got a group of believers right here,
you've got other believers outside this room,
you've got people who love God, who want to win souls.
Let me ask you, where are you going to be tomorrow?
Are you going to be hanging around
with a bunch of unbelievers?
Are you going to be at some unbelieving Halloween party?
Are you going to be trick-or-treating
like a little kid
or dressed up at some drunken party
with a bunch of people?
And by the way,
I have a great Halloween costume.
This is a good Halloween costume for girls.
Why don't you dress like a modest Christian lady?
People will think it's a costume.
You know what I mean?
Like a feminine, modest, Christian young lady,
they'll think that you're dressed up for Halloween.
Because nobody dresses that way anymore, unfortunately.
And you say, well, what's wrong with trick-or-treat?
Are you against going door-to-door on Halloween?
No, I think everybody should be going
door-to-door on Halloween.
That's good.
Yeah, go door-to-door.
You want door-to-door?
You think it's fine to go around the neighborhood
knocking on people's doors?
When you said knocking on their door,
dressed up like something wicked
and some pagan, satanic thing, trick-or-treat,
why don't you say, hey, do you know for sure
if you die today you're going to have it?
That's the door-locking that I want to be doing.
And so we've got to be careful
that we're not violating scripture here.
And you say, why is it so important?
Well, look down at verse 17.
He says, wherefore, come out from among them
and be ye separate.
Come out from among who?
You know, unbelievers that we're yoked up with,
that we're teamed up with, okay?
Come out from among them and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing,
and I will receive you.
What's the impression there?
God will not accept you hanging around
with a bunch of unbelievers.
Do you see that?
Because he says, then I'll receive you
and will be a father unto you
and ye should be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.
You say, wait a minute,
I thought I'm already God's son.
You know, I'm already God's son.
I'm saved, I'm born again.
Well, you know what?
Your spirit is saved.
Your spirit is born of God.
But you know what?
The flesh is the same old flesh.
And if you're walking in the flesh,
you don't have that father-son relationship with God.
It's not until you walk in the spirit,
separate yourself from other believers,
is God really being a father to you?
Is God really playing the role of a father in your life?
Because if you're in the flesh,
if we say that we have fellowship with him
and walk in darkness,
we lie and do not the truth.
So don't tell me God is your close father
and he's there for you and you walk with him
and he's so close with you
if you're walking in darkness.
He said, if we say we have fellowship with him
and walk in darkness,
we lie and do not the truth.
But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another.
And the blood of Jesus Christ, his son,
cleanses us from all sin.
You see, if we want to have a close walk with God,
we've got to unyoke from unbelievers
and start yoking up with the right people.
That's why church is so important.
Because you're getting around.
You're speaking often one to another.
What are you saying, Malachi?
They that feared the Lord,
spake often one to another.
There's fellowship there that's talking to each other.
There's being close friends
so that they can pick you up when you fall,
so that they can sharpen you and encourage you,
which the wrong friends are going to do the exact opposite.
So number one,
we're not talking about unsaved friends,
because he said the adulterers and adulteresses.
Know ye not that the friendship of the world
is enmity with God.
Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world
is the enemy of God.
Now that's a pretty strong statement.
Now who was called the friend of God in the Bible?
Does anybody know?
Abraham was called the friend of God.
He says, wait a minute,
you want to be a friend of the world?
You're the enemy of God.
Now stop and think about that.
You want to walk onto the campus of West Virginia University
and everybody just, oh, you know, here he is.
You know the popular people,
everybody just loves them,
and they walk in and everybody just wants to be around them
and thinks they're so cool.
You know what?
You are not living for God
if that's the way people treat you
when you walk onto that campus.
If you're just the buddy of the world,
everybody just loves you,
woe unto you when I'll speak well of you.
He said, for so did they the false prophets.
They love Billy Graham.
They love the TV preacher.
You ought not just be the big hero, the big shot.
And you know what?
If that's your goal,
you're not serving God with all.
Because he said you're actually his enemy.
That's a pretty strong statement.
This verse blows me away every time I read it.
I forget how strong it is.
Even now I'm shocked by it.
You're the enemy?
It's a powerful verse.
You're the enemy of God, wow.
But if you would turn in your Bible
to the book of Proverbs,
we're gonna look at a few verses.
So number one we see,
unbelievers should not be our buddies, our friends,
our close friends.
And you say,
oh, but I've been friends since I was a little kid.
It's my close friend.
And get them saved.
Amen.
It's good.
And you know what?
If you keep giving them the gospel,
keep giving them the gospel,
eventually they won't even wanna be your friend anymore.
I know that from experience.
And so you oughta sit there,
you oughta have to say,
well, we're just buddies,
we just don't bring up that subject.
You don't love that person, man.
You know what I mean?
If you love him, get him saved.
But here's a good verse, Proverbs 17, 17.
Because not only should we have friends that are believers,
but what is a friend?
Because today,
a lot of people have the wrong idea
about what friendship is.
I think of the verse in the book of Judges
where it talks about Samson,
and it talks about the man
who Samson had used as his friend.
Does everybody know what I'm talking about?
It says, whom he had used as his friend.
And that's what most friends are in the world, by the way.
Basically, your worldly, unsaved friends
that you just don't wanna give up,
or your friends that are saved,
but they're worldly,
but they're not serving God,
but they're not living for God,
those aren't your real friends.
Let me tell you something.
Remember the story about the prodigal son?
He went on to a far country,
spent all his money on riotous living.
He had all the friends.
He was Mr. Popular, threw all the parties,
blew all the money,
but whenever he didn't have any more money,
all his friends forsook him.
Nobody wanted anything to do with it.
The Bible says no man gave up to him.
That's when you find out who your friends are.
But look what the Bible says about a friend
in Proverbs 17, 17.
It says, a friend loveth at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
You see, the unbelievers
are not gonna love you at all times.
The worldly Christian
is not gonna love you at all times.
You say, prove it from the Bible.
I'll prove it to you right now.
What was the primary application
of that 2 Corinthians 6?
We think about what it's usually preached,
not to marry an unbeliever, right?
They say don't be unequally yoked,
and they're talking about marrying someone
who's an unbeliever?
Well, wait a minute.
You're dating an unbeliever.
You're married to an unbeliever.
Does that person really love you?
Well, my Bible says everyone that loveth
is born of God and knoweth God.
That's what the Bible says.
Beloved, let us love one another,
because everyone that loveth
is born of God and knoweth God.
You see, the unbeliever doesn't even know
what love is.
God is love.
And the person who's not saved,
that doesn't have the Holy Spirit
living inside of him,
doesn't have the fruit of the Spirit,
which is primarily what?
Love, joy, peace, all these things.
Love comes from God.
And so your friend, you say,
oh, my friend, they love me.
They're going to be there for me.
They're going to stay with me.
Hey, everyone that loveth is born of God
and knoweth God.
And they're not just born of God.
They know God.
And there's a big difference
between being saved and knowing God.
Paul, who's been saved for years,
said that I may know Him,
and the power of His resurrection,
the fellowship of His suffering
is being made conformable unto His death.
The people who know God the most
are the people that love you the most.
Look, I've been through some rough times.
I've been through times
where a lot of people
were turning their back on me,
even recently.
A lot of friends,
a lot of people
that had stood with me in the past
turned their back on me
when it becomes unpopular to be my friend.
And by the way,
right now it's not very popular
to be my friend.
A couple months ago,
it wasn't very popular to be my buddy,
to be my friend.
And you know what?
That's why most people
forsook me a couple months ago.
And it's funny how some of the same people
listen to the same sermon and say,
oh, that's a great sermon.
Love the sermon.
And then CNN gets a hold of it,
and then everybody starts saying
how bad it is,
and all the worldly people,
all these ungodly whores and whoremongers
on the silver screen,
these bunch of perverts
who have the audacity
to call themselves a Christian,
like Rick Sanchez on CNN.
Oh, I'm a Christian.
I pray to Jesus.
You pray to Satan, Rick Sanchez.
And they get up there,
and they, oh, I pray to God.
I pray to Jesus.
You know what?
They start criticizing you,
and then you find out
who your real friends are.
You know, all of a sudden
the wind's blowing
in a different direction,
and all of a sudden
people start forsaking you.
But let me tell you something.
The people that stood with me,
the people that have always
stood with me
throughout my whole life
were people that were
saved and loved God.
It wasn't the fair-weather
friends of the world.
I can look back
over my elementary school,
junior high, high school,
friends that I had in college,
and you know what?
None of them, none of them
is standing with me today
or would help me today
if I needed it
or would be there for me
today if I needed it.
Why?
Because they were
just worldly friends.
They weren't saved.
They weren't saved
in many cases
or they didn't love God.
They're not serving God.
And you know, the people
who've been my closest friends
who've loved me
were people who really,
let me put it this way.
I've never been loved
by a liberal.
It's true.
I've been in liberal churches.
They never love you.
They don't do anything for you.
It's the fundamental Baptist
that loves you.
It's the one who tells you
the truth that loves you.
It's the one that's there
for you through thinking,
and they love you at all times.
That's what the Bible says.
A friend loveth at all times.
And brothers are born
for adversity.
But who has that kind of love
to love you at all times?
Those who are born of God
and those who know God.
The people who read the Bible
and know what it said
and preach what it said
and win souls and do the work.
Hey, they love God
and they love you
because they love God.
Because they know what love is
because love comes from God.
The unbelieving boyfriend,
you know, girls that are
listening to this,
the unbelieving boyfriend,
he'll tell you he loves you,
but he doesn't love you
according to the Bible.
That's right.
The watered down,
liberal, sissified
Christian boyfriend,
he says he loves you,
but he doesn't really love you.
That's right.
He's going to put you
in a pair of pants.
He's going to send you to work
while he sits.
He's not going to take care of you.
I see the guys
that girls date today,
you know, they,
oh, he's so cool.
He's so fun.
He's a loser in many cases.
He's going nowhere.
That's right.
You know,
what you ought to be looking for
is a young man that knows God
and loves God.
That should be the first
two criteria.
Amen.
Because I'm sure every woman
wants to be loved by their husband.
Well, that means
if you go to the Bible,
that's the first two things
you look for in your head.
Number one,
is he born of God?
Number two,
does he know God?
That's what you ought to
look for right there.
Not whether,
oh, we like the same music.
Oh, we both like the same TV show.
But this is what people
look for.
It's ridiculous.
But look down,
if you would,
let's look at some more things
from Proverbs.
Look at chapter 18.
Proverbs 18, 24.
A man that hath friends
must show himself friendly.
And there is a friend
that's taken closer
than a brother.
So God says,
if you want to have
friends,
you've got to be the
right kind of a friend.
You've got to be friendly
in order to have friends.
And he says that
there is a friend
that's taken closer
than a brother.
I mean,
even sometimes when
even your own brother
would turn his back on you,
the right kind of friend
will still be there with you.
And you say,
I don't need friends.
I can stand on my own two feet.
Hey, God says,
you're going to come
to a time when you might fall.
It's good to have a friend
to lean on.
That three-fold cord
is not easily broken.
None of us is above sin.
None of us is above failing
or getting discouraged
or quitting.
We've all been discouraged.
We all get down.
We all get disheartened
and heavy from all the things
that life throws at us.
Hey, it's good to have a friend,
especially three times a week.
Sunday morning,
Sunday night, Wednesday night,
getting around some friends
that really love you.
That'll build you up.
That'll edify you
and strengthen you.
And he says here,
there's a friend that's
taken closer than a brother.
And obviously,
Jesus Christ is our friend
that sticks closer
than a brother.
But even many earthly friends
can stick closer than a brother.
He said in verse number six
of chapter,
go to chapter 27,
Proverbs 27.
You see,
the friend is the one
who loves you enough
to tell you the truth,
not the one that's just
going to butter you up
because look what it says
in verse six.
Faithful are the wounds
of a friend,
but the kisses of an enemy
are deceitful.
You see,
there are people in this world
who try to kiss up to you.
There are people in this world
who will be nice to you
or friendly,
but that's not what
we're talking about.
We're talking about love.
There are people who will be
nice and friendly
and kiss you
and tell you how wonderful
you are,
but it's deceit.
He said,
faithful are the wounds
of a friend.
Sometimes your friend
might tell you something
that you don't want to hear
because they're telling you
the truth.
And sometimes the truth hurts.
But they'll tell you the truth
because they love you.
They're not just going to
tell you what you want to hear
and lead you down the wrong path.
Look at verse 10.
Thine own friend
and thy father's friend
forsake not.
God's commanding us here.
Don't turn on your friends
because you need them.
He said,
neither am I to go into
thy brother's house
in the day of thy calamity,
for better is a neighbor
that is near
than a brother far off.
Look at verse 17.
Iron sharpeneth iron,
so a man sharpeneth
the countenance of his friend.
Look, if you would,
at Amos chapter 3.
Look at Amos
toward the end
of the Old Testament.
Amos.
One of these short books.
The Minor Prophets.
Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos.
I love these short, profound
verses in the Bible.
Just short, succinct statements
that God makes in the Bible
that just seem to sum things up
a little bit.
But he says in
Amos chapter 3, verse 3,
kind of a famous verse.
He just says this.
Can two walk together
except they be agreed?
And yet today,
how many Christians do we see
yoking up with the wrong people
and it's their downfall?
I think of pastors.
You know, I've known some pastors
that are a great guy,
but they're under somebody else's
wrong influence.
There are pastors who are part
of a denomination.
And it's making them corrupt.
Because they cannot,
they cannot be right,
they cannot preach right
while they're yoked up
with the world.
When they're yoked up
with unbelievers,
when they're yoked up
with ungodless.
And it seems like
that's where they can really preach
and be what they need to be.
I remember, you know,
when I was at Hyles Anderson,
there were a lot of things
that I was believing
and preaching and saying
that were wrong.
But you know what?
When I got away
from the bad influence
of Dr. Jack Scott,
it was almost like
I could see clearly now.
You know what I mean?
It was like there were certain things
that were just kind of,
it's almost like
you're under their spell.
You know what I mean?
It's hard to explain.
But you get away from it all,
you get away from all the garbage
and the phony preaching
and all the garbage.
You get away from it
and it's like all of a sudden
it's just you and God
and you can see clearly now.
And you know what?
You get in the wrong associations,
you get yoked up
with something that's dying
and you know what?
Those germs are going to get on you.
That putrefaction
is going to corrupt you.
You can't walk together
unless you're agreed.
You've got to be separate from unbelievers.
Look at Romans chapter 12.
Romans chapter number 12.
And you know,
this is a very important sermon
because you really are right now
or you soon shall be
what your friends are.
You know, if I look at
where your friends are going
I can tell where you're going.
I can tell the direction
that you're going.
Some of you guys
that are listening to me preach right now,
you've been saved for a very short time.
And yet you are more spiritually mature
than Christians that I know
that have been saved for decades.
Why?
Because you're friends with people
who are spiritual,
who are winning souls,
who love the Bible,
who love God.
And that's why you are leaps and bounds
ahead of other people
who are just as sincere as you are,
just as interested in growing
and being a good Christian as you are
but they're not around
the same kind of friends that you're around.
And that's why you're leaps and bounds
beyond them
because iron sharpens iron
because that friend is picking you up
and building you up
and lifting you up.
I'm having trouble finding the verse
that I'm looking for.
Somebody, oh here we go,
verse nine, sorry.
Romans chapter 12, verse nine.
Watch this.
Because having a friend
is all about what?
Loving that person at all times.
Being there
for when that person falls
you're going to be there
to pick them up.
You're going to be there to help them.
Look what it says right here.
Let love be without the simulation
of for that which is equal
cleave that which is good.
What does dissimulation mean?
What does it mean to simulate something?
What's the simulator?
Is it real?
No.
The simulator is fake.
And let me tell you something.
Your love is fake in many cases.
He says let love be without dissimulation.
Don't have love that's fake
and he tells you the formula
for how not to be a fake,
a fake friend.
Have you ever heard of
a fair weather friend?
Yes.
A false friend?
A fake friend?
And you know what?
We've all had fake friends.
We've all had people turn on us.
And I mean people will turn on you
at the drop of a hat sometimes
when they're not a real friend.
He said right here
let love be without dissimulation.
Abhor that which is evil.
Cleave to that which is good.
The person who really loves you
hates sin.
Did you hear that?
The person who loves you
hates sin.
Look, you've got to have some friends
that you can rely on
that are going to love you.
You want your wife
or your husband to love you.
You want your friends
or your companions
or the people in your church
to love you.
They've got to hate sin.
That's who really loves you.
And your friends that love sin,
they don't love you.
Their love is fake.
It's dissimulated.
It's also because they're
part of the world.
They're running with the world
even if they're safe.
You see, tomorrow
a lot of people are going
to these parties.
People here might not have
plans to go.
Yeah, I hope not.
But they're going
to Halloween parties
filled with unbelievers,
filled with drinking.
Oh, you're not going
to be drinking.
But you're yoking up.
You're pounding around
with drunks.
That's what the Bible calls
people who drink.
It calls them a drunk.
A drunk.
You're hanging around.
Go back to Malachi 3
where we started.
You're hanging around
with drunkards,
fornicators,
sorcerers,
idolaters.
You're hanging around
with unbelievers,
and you say,
these are my friends.
They're not your friends.
Your friends are the people
you know that believe
on Jesus Christ and love God.
That's who your real friends are.
Treat your friends right.
Thine own friend
and thy father's friend
forsake not.
When you have a true friend,
you better do everything you can
to keep that friend
because it's a rare thing.
It's a rare thing
to have a real true friend
that you can rely upon.
But look at Malachi 3
where we started.
He said in verse 16,
Then they that feared the Lord
spake off in one to another,
and the Lord hearkened
and heard it,
and a book of remembrance
was written before him
for them that feared the Lord
and that thought upon his name.
And they shall be mine
save the Lord of hosts,
and that day
when I make up my jewels,
and I will spare them
as a man spareth
his own son that serveth them.
Watch this.
Then,
so after you get to the point
where you're hanging around
with the right people,
where you're speaking off
in one to another
with those who fear God,
not even just saved
but that fear the Lord,
that love God,
that serve God.
He said,
Then and only then
shall you return
and discern between
the righteous and the wicked,
between him that serveth God
and him that serveth him not.
You see,
you've got to get around
the right people
and be able to discern,
Hey, wait a minute.
These people who call
themselves Christian,
they're not serving God.
They don't love God.
They don't love me.
They don't care about me.
They don't care about people.
Hey, if you care about people,
you'd go out and win
souls to Christ
that the psalmist
was preaching on.
He said,
Hey, if you believe
that hell is real,
and that was a great message
that showed all these things
in the Bible,
these infallible proofs,
this evidence.
And he said,
Hey, if you believe
that hell is a real place,
you're going to go out
and love people enough
to go give them the Gospel
and get them saved.
And the Christians that you know,
that say,
I don't care about them.
I'm saved.
But to hell with everybody else,
let's go trick or treat.
To hell with everybody else,
let's go to this party.
We'll just drink a little bit
because it's moderation.
Or, you know,
to hell with my friends,
to hell with soul winning,
I'm going to go to a rock concert
on Sunday.
I mean, think about it.
Christians that would skip church
and go to a rock concert
on Sunday to go see,
you know,
one of the U2.
Come on.
You know,
oh, we got to go see U2.
We got to go see,
who do people listen to?
Help me out.
Worldly.
Metallica.
Yeah, you know.
We got to go see,
come on,
worldly ones,
help me out.
Don't be afraid to give me,
come on,
help me out here.
Miley Cyrus.
What?
Miley Cyrus.
Get out of here.
Who invited this guy?
At least you can sing like Eminem.
You know,
people that will skip church
and go to a rock concert on Sunday
and say,
oh, we got to go see,
oh, it's the Super Bowl.
You know,
let's all go sit around
the Super Bowl
or let's go do this.
Let's do that.
And everybody's got
everything else to do
and they just want to
have fun, fun, fun.
And they don't care
that the world's
going to hell.
They don't care that
people need the gospel.
They don't care that
you're the only hope
that these people have
and that there's probably
hardly anybody in this state
that's really knocking
doors aggressively,
preaching the gospel
to every creature.
And if you don't do it,
then it's not going
to get done
and you're going to
get yoked up
with the right people
because Jesus sent them out
two by two
and he said,
go ye into all the world
and praise the gospel.
He didn't send them
by himself.
He sent them two by two.
Hey,
yoke up with the right people
and get with somebody
that's going to be your partner,
that's going to be your friend,
that's going to love you
at all times
and you're going to love them
and you're going to
stand with them.
And when other people
criticize them,
you're going to stand up for them
and be their friend
and love them
and stand with them
and they're going to
stand with you
and you're going to go out
together in the Bible says.
Him that soweth,
him that reapeth
can rejoice together
and say,
hey,
we are in the yoke,
it's me,
it's you,
it's Jesus
and we're going to
get somebody's hand
instead of wasting our life.
It's good,
it's good,
it's good man.
See,
when I preach on friendship,
you need a friend
because you need somebody
to go knock doors with you.
You need someone
that's going to pick you up
when you fall.
You need somebody
to encourage you.
You need somebody
to stand with you.
Are you going to get that friend?
Are you going to get that friend
at the party?
Are you going to get that friend
at the rock concert?
Are you going to get that friend
at the bar?
Are you going to get that friend
at the night club?
You're going to get that friend
at church.
You're going to get that friend
from people who love God
and know God
and walk with God
and you're going to get
with that person
and you're going to walk
the same direction.
It's time,
you know what,
and I hate to say this,
but it's time to cut loose
with some of your so-called friends
that don't even love you.
That's not a popular thing to preach.
This subject is never popular.
You preach this subject
and people get upset
because they say,
well, this is my buddy
and so what if they're Mormon?
I say, you know what,
love that person.
Give them the gospel.
Be kind to them.
Pray for them.
Reach out to them.
Be there for that person
when they fall,
but don't speak often
with that person.
Why don't you?
You want somebody
to speak often too?
Get with God's people.
Team up with God's people
and two are better than one,
my friend.
That's what the Bible says.
The threefold cord
is not easily broken.
You get what the Bible says.
One of you
shall chase a thousand,
but he said
two of you
shall put ten thousand
to flight.
You see that?
It's not double.
It's ten times as powerful.
Ten times as powerful
when you have two people
joined together.
It's ten times the power.
The threefold cord
is not three times
as strong as one cord.
You guys are a bunch
of engineers.
You should know that.
You guys want to know that?
I mean, you're right, Bob.
You have a degree
in engineering
and I'm explaining to you,
hey, the single cord,
if you braid three cords,
it's not three times stronger.
How much stronger is it exactly
to do the math for me?
It's a lot, lot, lot stronger.
I don't know how much stronger,
but it's much stronger.
It's not triple.
It's ten times stronger.
And it's the same thing
with your friend.
You guys ought to thank God
that you have this group.
Amen.
Thank God for it.
When I was your age,
I would have loved to have
this group right here.
You don't even know
how fortunate you are
to have this group.
That's right.
I remember being
in my young 20s.
Thank God I had my wife.
It was pretty much
just me and her there
for a while.
We didn't really have
friends our age.
We didn't really have
people with us,
but thank God
there were the two of us.
Thank God we had that.
But I remember
before I met my wife
when I was just about
18, 17, 18 years old
in the Fundamental Baptist Church,
there wasn't really
anybody my age
that I could really relate to
in the church I went to.
I didn't have anybody
to pick me up.
I didn't have people
to go soul winning with me
that could be my friend,
that could be my wife.
I remember
Roger Jimenez
came along at one point
at that church.
Boy, when Roger Jimenez
came along and he and I,
we got hooked up
and we got together
and we started soul winning
as teenagers.
I was 19.
He was 15, I believe.
When we got together
and started soul winning
together,
we didn't do double
the soul winning.
We quadrupled the soul winning.
I'm going to tell you something.
We motivated each other.
We strained each other.
And just that friend,
Roger Jimenez,
made me do much more for God.
And I made him do
much more for God.
And we built each other up.
Getting married
helped me do
a lot more for God
because now I have
somebody on my team,
a partner.
But what happens
when you're out dating
the world?
Is that what you're
going to end up with?
A partner that's
going to help you?
That's going to go
soul winning with you?
Is that what you're
going to end up with?
You say,
oh, well, you know,
it's OK to just date
unbelievers.
You know what?
Take them on the first date.
I'm all for you taking
an unbeliever on a date.
And send them down
and open in your Bible
and give them the Gospel.
That's your date.
And if that's not your date,
then you're not right with God.
That's right.
Right.
And so let's bow our heads
in that word of prayer.
Father, please just help us
to let this sink in,
dear God.
It's so important that we
don't pal around with the world.
We don't want to be
a friend of the world.
We don't want to be
yoked up with the world.
Help us to be different,
dear God.
Help us to be separate.
Help people look at us
and see a difference
and that they'll know
that we're your disciples
because of the love
we have one for another.
God, help us to love
our friends.
Help us not to turn our back
on our friends
and just use our friends,
dear God.
Help us to be a friend
and to lift them up,
to encourage them,
to love them at all times,
dear God.
Help us to choose
the right friends.
Help us not to have
this simulated love
where we love sin,
we love the rock and roll,
we love Hollywood,
we love the force
and whoremongers
of Hollywood,
and then we claim
to love our friends.
God, help us.
Help us to have true,
genuine love, dear God,
and go out two by two
and get people saved.
We love you
and in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
All right,
let's sing another song
that we want to sing here.
I want to say something
real quick.
Sure, go ahead.
You did a sermon
that I love
and I'd love for you
to just talk about
a little bit where God
puts the emphasis
so much greater
saved and saved
as far as his brotherhood
as opposed to
his blood brothers
who were lost
or John and Mary.
You hit on that in the sermon.
You know, I read it
and it never clicked
with me until you said it.
Right, yeah.
You're talking about Matthew.
What about the importance?
Matthew chapter 12.
Yes, sir.
Let's turn there
and look at it real quick.
Yeah, that's good.
Matthew chapter 12.
All right, I'm going to
start over
with a whole new sermon now.
I'm sorry.
Amen.
Matthew chapter 12
verse 46.
Yeah, that's a great point.
It says,
While he yet talked
to the people,
behold, his mother
and his brethren
stood without
desiring to speak with them.
And these are his
four half-brothers
that are listed by name,
James, Joseph,
Simon, Judas,
that are his earthly
half-brothers,
the children of Mary and Joseph.
They're standing out there
with Mary
desiring to speak with them.
Then one said unto them,
Behold, thy mother
and thy brethren
stand without desiring
to speak with thee.
Verse 48.
But he answered
and said unto them,
They told him,
Who is my mother
and who are my brethren?
And he stretched forth
the sand toward his disciples
and said,
Behold, my mother
and my brethren,
for whosoever shall do
the will of my Father
which is in heaven,
the same as my brother
and sister and mother.
Amen.
I mean, think about that.
You know, you've got
your family,
you've got your earthly mom,
your earthly dad,
your earthly brothers
and sisters,
but you know what?
We call people brother.
Oh, brother so-and-so.
You know what I mean?
It kind of rolls out
the time I go to church
and say,
oh, brother Anderson,
brother Simon,
brother Robinson.
But do we stop and say,
hey, this is my brother.
I mean, do we really believe that?
Do we really feel that way?
And say, hey, you're family.
You're my brother.
And Jesus here,
he's not even,
it's not that he didn't like
his mother or his brother.
He's using them
as a good comparison.
But he's saying,
you know what?
This is my brother right here.
Amen.
That's good.
I'm not gonna just forsake
these people
because my physical brother
is out there
because he's like,
these people are just
as much my brother.
I mean, how many times
does God say,
like, for example,
in First Corinthians,
for example,
in First John,
chapter four,
where he says,
for he that loveth
not his brother
whom he hath seen,
how can he love God
whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment
have we from him
that he that loveth God
love his brother also.
And then he said,
whosoever believeth,
or whosoever shall confess,
let's turn it real quick.
I'm gonna turn it.
I don't wanna quote it wrong.
I wanna end with this.
But he said,
actually,
I wanted to end before.
No, I can't.
Whosoever,
I love this,
I didn't wanna quote this wrong.
This is one of my favorite
verses.
First John five one.
I didn't wanna misquote this.
Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ
and born of God.
Now,
is there something
hard to understand
about that verse?
Isn't that pretty simple?
And yet everybody
gets all complicated.
Oh,
well,
you know,
you gotta repent
and you gotta have
a willingness
and there's gotta be
a change.
No,
whosoever believeth
is the Christ
and born of God.
Whosoever believeth
is the Christ
and born of God.
Now,
Jesus is the Christ
and born of God.
Amen.
Period.
Done.
And watch this.
And everyone that loveth
him that begat
loveth him also
that is begotten of him.
Now,
wait a minute.
Do you have to love God
to be saved?
No.
Because if a man
say I love God,
you know,
he said,
if you love God,
he keeps his commandments.
Not every Christian
keeps his commandments.
We grow in love
toward God.
There's degrees of love.
Some people in this room
love God more than others.
You say,
which ones?
The ones who obey God
more than others.
Alright,
why?
Well,
wait a minute.
If you love God,
if you love him
that begat,
are you listening?
If you love him
that begat,
you love him also
that's begotten of him.
Yes.
And God's begotten us
again unto a
lively hope.
Right.
And so,
if you love God,
you'll love your brother
also.
He said,
this commandment,
he will love God
and love your brother
I mean,
stop and think about that.
This is your brother.
Somebody who saved,
somebody who loves God,
somebody,
that's your brother.
And God emphasizes that
even more than,
how many times
do you see Jesus
with his physical brothers
in Matthew?
You know what I mean?
You know why?
Because they didn't believe.
They were unbelievers.
The only time
you even see him
interact with his brothers
is where they're antagonizing
him in the book of John.
They're making fun of him.
They're mocking him.
And he says,
hey,
Jesus,
I'm not gonna go.
You go on your own.
Get out of here.
And he went to his real brother
and all those that were saved.
Now,
later on,
thank God,
they ended up getting saved.
After he rose from the dead,
they got saved.
They became great preachers
and Christians
and soul winners.
But you know what?
This is family right here.
Amen.
You say,
why would somebody
drive all the way
from North Carolina?
You know,
why would somebody
drive all the way
from Maryland?
Why would another person
drive all the way
from Maryland?
That's what the Bible says.
I was told there was
gonna be food here.
Oh, okay.
We don't have different reasons.
Yeah,
whatever happened
to all these,
like,
what,
peanut butter fingers
and what was all that?
Is it here?
Yeah.
All right.
So,
what song are we gonna sing?
I don't know.