Now the part of this passage that I want to focus on is where the Pharisees and the scribes and so forth have come to John the Baptist.
And John the Baptist has just come on the scene, he's preaching the Word of God, he's baptizing all kinds of people that are getting saved.
And this is right before Jesus comes on the scene and John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, to prepare the way before Jesus Christ.
And he will then point people to Jesus Christ when Jesus starts his earthly ministry at age 30.
But here he is, baptizing, preaching, and the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees, they don't know what to make of him.
They want to know who he is. A lot of people are speculating, is this the Messiah? Is this the Christ?
And they come to him and they ask him and he basically just flat out tells them, I'm not the Christ, I'm not the Messiah.
And they ask this question, well who are you then? Who art thou? And that's the title of my sermon this morning, Who Art Thou?
They asked him that question and he basically just flat out told them who he was, because he wasn't pretending to be someone that he wasn't.
Look at verse 20, it says he confessed and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ.
He wasn't trying to pretend to be something that he wasn't, but they said, okay well then who are you?
And he said in verse 23, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet, Esaias.
Now of course this is the sermon that I preached on the very first Sunday of our church, because I wanted to tell people who I was.
I don't want people to wonder what kind of a church this is, even five years later as I'm preaching today.
And when I started this church five years ago in that first service, I wanted to make it very clear who I was, just like John the Baptist wanted to tell them who he was.
And I wanted to tell everyone what type of church this was going to be, and today five years later I'm going to tell you what kind of a church this is.
Number one, I want to say this, this church is a church that believes in soul winning, it's a soul winning church.
Turn if you would to Acts chapter 5, Acts chapter number 5 and while you're turning there I'll read for you Mark 16, 15.
The Bible says, and he said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Luke 14, 23, and the Lord said unto the servant, go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled.
Are you in Acts 5, 42? Look at verse number 42, it says, and daily in the temple and in every house they cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
This church was started upon soul winning. And that first service, the people that were there on Sunday morning were reached and won to Christ through soul winning and brought in that Sunday morning and brought in that Sunday night.
This is a soul winning church. And when I say soul winning, I'm not saying this is a church that just goes out and knocks on doors and hands out flyers and hands out tracts and invites people.
No, I'm talking about a bonafide, real, soul winning church. You see the Bible says in Ephesians 6, 19, and for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.
And today we have way too many people that are starting churches just based on handing out a flyer or having balloons and candy and fun.
Hey, have all the balloons you want, I'm going to go out and open my mouth and preach the gospel and win people to Christ.
You see, anybody can hand out a flyer. A machine can hand out a flyer. You can hire the mailman to hand out flyers for you.
But to preach the gospel you've got to be filled with the Holy Spirit and God is looking for a group of people that will go out and knock doors and preach the gospel to every creature because he's not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance and therefore were to preach the gospel to every creature.
It says in Romans 1, 15, so as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
That's where the power of God is, the preaching of the gospel. That's where the power of God is, preaching God's word, opening your mouth.
And God isn't just looking for the most talented or the best looking or the one that has the most skills and soul winning.
God said that with stammering lips and an unknown tongue, while I speak to these people, God can use anybody who will willingly offer themselves and that will go out and preach the gospel.
You may not be eloquent, you may be like Moses and say I'm not eloquent and I'm not a good speaker but God told Moses who made the tongue.
I'm the one who made your tongue and he said I'll give you the words to speak, I'll guide and direct you, I'll give you the power to do what you need to do.
And so everybody needs to be a soul winner, not just the pastor or the church. This isn't a church where you just bring unsaved people to church.
No, you go out and get them saved and bring them here already saved because you're a soul winner, because you preach the gospel.
And you say I don't know how to do it. If you're saved, you should know how to get somebody else saved.
I mean if you know how to be saved yourself, you should be able to open the Bible and tell somebody else the same thing and give them the same verses that you believe in.
The same way that you know you're going to heaven is the way that you can show somebody else how they're going to heaven.
But not only is this a church that believes in soul winning, this is a church that believes in separation.
Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 6.
2 Corinthians chapter number 6.
About halfway through the New Testament, 2 Corinthians chapter number 6.
Because soul winning is the main thing, going out, preaching the gospel, getting people saved.
And it's amazing as I look back over the last five years at how many doors our church has knocked over a quarter of a million doors and no one was handing a flyer or just inviting.
I'm talking 250,000 doors of actually trying to give somebody the gospel from the Bible.
Just a little church.
And I wonder if other churches across America would get off fire for soul winning the same way.
How many times every person in America would hear the gospel.
You know, what could the big church down the street do with hundreds of people if just this little bitty church in the last five years,
starting from scratch, starting with nothing, no financial support, has knocked the doors of three quarter of a million people just about.
What's the problem?
It's that God's people need to get out of soul winning and do the work.
It's not that God's methods don't work.
It's that God's people don't want to work.
It's not the methods that are the problem.
But not only are we a church that loves the lost and loves the unsaved and wants to bring them the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ
and to show them how they can be saved and go to heaven and avoid hell.
But number two, this is a church that believes in separation.
Second Corinthians 6 17 says this,
Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.
The Bible commands us to be separated in our lives.
The Bible commands us not to touch the unclean thing, to live a clean and pure and holy and godly life.
And this is not a church that just says, well, we'll just reach everybody at any cost.
No, we're going to reach everybody, but once we get them saved, we're going to teach them to live a godly and holy and separated life.
Now look, you don't have to live a godly, separated life to be saved.
All you have to do is just believe on Jesus Christ.
But once you're saved, once you're his child, just as I have commands that I demand my children to obey,
God demands that we obey him, and if we don't, we're going to be chastised, we're going to be chastened.
And God commands us, he says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4,
For God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
Look at Isaiah 58, Old Testament, the three big books at the end, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
Look at Isaiah chapter 58.
Isaiah chapter 58.
You see, what's the point of even having church if we're going to be just like the world?
I mean, if we're going to pattern our music after the world, if we're going to pattern the way that we act,
and the way that we dress, and the way that we talk after the world, then why even have a church?
The whole point of having church is to go somewhere that could be an oasis out of this world,
where you come and be around people that believe like you believe,
that want to hear preaching, that love God, that love the Bible, that's why we're here in church.
But it says in Isaiah 58, 1, this is a commandment to a preacher,
it says, cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet,
and that part of the verse is often quoted, but look at the next part,
and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Now look, nobody likes to be the bad guy that points out sin,
but the Bible says that it's a job of the preacher to show God's people their transgressions,
to point out their sins, and that's why this is a church that believes in separation,
that names sin from the pulpit, not just a vague sermon that says,
well, sin's bad, you know, be careful of sin.
And too many people today are afraid to lift up their voice and call out the sin of today for what it is,
and they're scared, and the Bible says that God has not given us the spirit of fear,
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,
and I'm not going to stand up here and be a preacher that has no power behind the pulpit
because I'm afraid to preach what needs to be preached. I'm not afraid of anything.
Go ahead, make an ugly face in me while I preach.
Go ahead, tell me after the service that you don't like it.
Go ahead, give me a dirty look, but I am the messenger of the Lord of hosts, the Bible says,
and it's my job to get up here and preach what needs to be preached.
Turn, if you would, to Ezekiel chapter 2.
Look at Ezekiel chapter 2.
Ezekiel chapter 2.
You see, this church's goal is not to be a popular church, it's to be a soul winning church.
This church's goal is not to be a popular church, it's to be a separated church, it's to be different.
If we wanted to be popular, we'd be the same as the world around us.
But the Bible says in Ezekiel chapter 2 verse 3, and he said unto me,
Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me.
They and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day,
for they are impudent children and stiff-hearted.
I do send thee unto them, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are a rebellious house,
yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them.
Neither be afraid of their words, though briars and thorns be with thee,
and thou dost dwell amongst scorpions.
Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are most rebellious.
You see, from this passage it's clear, God is not so much concerned with the reaction that his word gets.
He's more concerned that his word is just being preached in truth.
He says, look, whether they'll hear it, or whether they'll forbear, is not the point.
God repeats that over and over again. That's not what matters.
He said, I'm going to give you my word Ezekiel, and you're going to preach it.
And if they hear it, great. If they forbear to hear it, so what?
He said, nevertheless, they'll know that a prophet has been among them.
Because a real preacher doesn't care about the reaction.
He just preaches God's word faithfully and lets the chips fall where they may.
And every preacher in America today needs to read Ezekiel chapter 2 right here
and understand what it means to have the privilege of preaching God's word behind the pulpit
God is a responsibility that says, I'm going to preach the word.
I'm going to be instant, in season, out of season.
I'm going to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
And hey, the Bible says that the time will come when they'll not endure sound doctrine.
But after their own lusts, shall they heap to themselves teachers.
Notice they're not heaping up preachers, they're heaping up teachers having itching ears
and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables.
And you say, well Pastor Anderson, times change. Yes, times do change for some people.
But for this preacher, they don't change because my soul is anchored to the rock right here
and Jesus said, I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
The Bible says Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever.
And so this is not only a soul-winning church, not only a church that believes in separation,
but this is going to be an old-fashioned church because there's nothing new under the sun.
It's not new methods that we need. It's not a new Bible version that we need.
It's not a newer, better approach to soul-winning that we need.
It's not a different prayer that we need. No, we just need more of the same.
And we need somebody who will preach it all. And we need people that will heed God's word
and get on board and serve God. You see, it's not complicated living a Christian life.
Read your Bible every day, pray, win souls to Christ, be instant in season out of season,
don't trim the message. It's not complicated, it's just hard to do.
And if it were easy, everybody would be doing it.
But my goal in Phoenix, Arizona here is to be a voice crying in the wilderness.
In a wilderness, perhaps, of a tangled mess of churches that, you know, using all the Bible of the month club,
you know, whatever Bible they're on this week, whichever new version that they're on,
you know, whether it's the NIV, the HIV, the ESV, you know, the SUV, the STD, whatever,
you know, whatever version came out this week that they're on.
You know, in a wilderness of churches that claim to be a soul winning church,
which involves just putting a door hanger and walking away like they're the Avon lady or something,
you know, in a wilderness of churches that maybe their building's like a palace
and maybe they have all the music and all the fun, but are they out preaching the gospel
in the poor and run down areas of Phoenix, Arizona?
Hey, we need somebody to be a voice crying in the wilderness.
You need to be a voice crying in the wilderness.
John the Baptist said, I'm the voice.
He said, are you Jesus Christ?
No, but I'm a voice.
No, are you the Messiah?
No, but I'm pointing people unto the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
And that's who I want to be today.
John the Baptist did no miracle, the Bible says, but yet what other man was there?
Well, Jesus said it himself.
Among men, there's not risen a greater than John the Baptist.
Notwithstanding he that is least, the kingdom of heaven was better than he.
Why was John so great?
Because he didn't try to lie to people about who he was or what he believed.
Why was John such a great man?
Because he won souls to Christ and baptized him.
Why was John such a great man?
Because John was willing to be a voice crying in the wilderness
in a time when everyone else had apostatized and had changed the message.
He was willing to stand up and go against the tide and be called crazy.
I mean, you know what people said about him?
They said, he hath a devil.
They said he was demon possessed.
And he was the greatest man that ever lived.
The greatest preacher that ever walked the face of the earth,
according to Jesus Christ himself.
We ought to be a church that's not ashamed of who we are.
We're a soul winning church, no apologies.
We're a separated church, we're old fashioned, no apologies.
You see, that's why I love the invitations that we hand out here.
And this is the old, I have the old invitation today,
the original invitation that we used back five years ago when the church started.
You know, I love this part right here on the far right where it just says,
what we believe.
And it just lays out everything that we believe right there.
No bones about it.
You see, we're not trying to sneak up on people and kind of,
you know, ease them into our church
and then just kind of slowly expose them to what we believe, you know.
And that's what a lot of people do today.
They want, you know, they don't want to shock them, you know.
I mean, John the Baptist was a pretty shocking preacher.
But yet people flocked to him. Why did they flock to him?
Because they wanted something real.
Because they were looking for something that was legitimate.
Because they wanted to hear God's word preached
and they knew they weren't going to get it from the Sadducees or the Pharisees.
So they were willing to go out into the middle of a desert
to listen to John the Baptist preach.
Not in a fancy building, but in a wilderness and be baptized,
not in a fancy baptistry, but to be baptized in the River Jordan.
And they came to him because he was the real thing.
And you know what? Our church is the real thing today.
Day 4 Baptist Church is the real thing.
Talk to the people. Get to know the people here.
We're all legit here. It's the real thing.
And we don't want to have anybody wonder about who we are.
Now, most of the things that are listed under what we believe here aren't that popular today.
But you know what? They're biblical.
A lot of these things, I guarantee you, there are a lot of those 700,000 doors that we knock.
A lot of people said, yeah, I'll be there until they read this.
Because they thought we were just another sweetness and light church,
like something down the street.
And we need to understand that the darker that this world gets,
and the darker that our nation gets, the more important it is for us to stand up and shine the light,
holding forth the word of light, and to shine the light of the glorious gospel in this area.
Look, if everyone is compromised, I mean, when the Son of Man comes,
are you going to find faith on the earth?
You know, somebody's got to toe the line here.
Somebody's got to pay the price to stand up and just let it all hang out,
and not hold anything back.
And you know, today people turn, if you would, to Mark chapter 8.
It seems that today people are ashamed of what the Bible says.
Now, John the Baptist, you know, confessed and denied not.
I mean, whatever they asked him, he said, I'll tell you who I am.
I'll tell you what you want to know.
I'll give you an answer to bring back to the people that sent you unto me.
But today people are ashamed of God's word, because here's the thing.
Our nation has changed greatly, and our world has greatly changed.
But yet God's word has not changed.
And so now God's word here and the world that we live in are no longer compatible.
I mean, this book is not compatible to the average, and the average American today,
you know, because that's where we live in the United States.
The average American is out of tune with this book and doesn't know what it says.
And when they hear what it says, they'll make faces at you and say, oh, I can't believe you believed that.
I mean, I've actually showed so-called Christians something in the Bible,
and they pointed at my Bible and said, you believe that?
Of course I believe this. Why else would we even be here?
But look at Mark chapter 8. Here's a key verse in verse 38.
It says, Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation,
of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
I mean, that right there says it all, doesn't it?
It says right there that when you're living in a wicked and adulterous generation,
you ought not be ashamed of God's word.
It's pretty sad that we're not ashamed of the filth of the world that we live in.
We're not ashamed of Hollywood's filth. We're not ashamed to advertise their garbage.
We're not ashamed to talk about all the movies that we just went out and saw and all the TV shows that we like to watch
and have all the stickers of all the music that we listen to that promotes everything that's sinful and wicked and adultery.
We're not ashamed of the half-naked women that come across the TV screen today.
We're not ashamed of the adultery and fornication and homosexuality that's crammed down our throat on the television set.
But then we have the gall to, in the face of that dirty, wicked world, be ashamed of the glorious word of God?
To actually be ashamed and embarrassed about something in the Bible?
Because people in the world find it offensive? That's because they're offensive.
And the Bible says that the just is an abomination to the wicked just like the wicked's an abomination to the just.
You know, the world looks at the Bible and they're insulted by it. They're offended by it.
Well, you know what? I'm offended by them. I'm insulted by them.
And we need to decide whose side we're on today.
You know, are we actually going to be ashamed of God's holy word in the face of a wicked and adulterous, a sinful and adulterous generation?
And then one day when we look Him in the face, He's going to be ashamed of us.
Now how's that going to feel one day? How's that going to feel after God has judged this earth and judged all the sin in it and you're standing face to face with Him?
How are you going to feel when you know that you were ashamed of Him and not just ashamed of Him?
Because you know, the name of Jesus is accepted by a lot of people, but it's not the Jesus of the Bible.
That's why He said, He said, if you'll be ashamed of Me and of My words, He said, in this adulterous and sinful generation,
of Him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
And today, pastors try to avoid the parts of the Bible that are a little bit offensive.
Look, if you don't believe the Bible, why even come to church?
You can't just take the part that you like or part about Jesus dying on the cross.
I mean, if John 3.16 is in the Bible, then Leviticus 20.13 is in the Bible too.
I mean, if the Bible tells us that if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we'll be saved, right?
We know that's true. We know that's God's work.
But yet the same God is the one who just a few verses later said,
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abideth on him.
The same God that made heaven is the God who made hell,
and said, The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever,
and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image,
and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Hey, the same God of heaven is the God of hell.
The same God that'll save you if you just believe on Jesus Christ
and gives you the free gift of eternal life is the same God that said,
Be holy as I am holy.
That demanded holiness and righteousness from his people.
It's the same God.
The same God who says these things that people find so offensive
and people try to hide from and lie about.
Look, the Bible right here, it tells you that God created the world in six literal days.
Okay, the earth isn't millions of years old.
It didn't come from an explosion.
We didn't evolve from a monkey.
And people are ashamed to say that today.
Hey, I am proud to stand up and say I don't believe in this world's garbage.
The same people who lie about everything else, these bunch of scientists
who are in bed with a bunch of pharmaceutical companies
and promote global warming for political agendas,
all these bunch of crooks today who teach that I evolved from a monkey.
No, I'm a man created in the image of God.
I'm not ashamed of that. I'd be ashamed to believe what they believe.
You think I'm going to be ashamed of in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth
and this sinful and adulterous generation?
You're wrong because I'm not ashamed of that.
I'll stand up and tell you that right now.
This world's not millions of years old.
The people who preach that are going to spend millions of years in hell.
That's the only millions of years I believe in.
The millions of years that people will be damned to are not saved.
You think I'm ashamed of the Bible's condemnation of sodomy
and homosexuality and filth, the disgusting actions that people commit today
and the Bible calls it vile?
The Bible calls it an abomination?
The Bible calls them beasts?
The Bible says that they're wicked and reprobate?
You think I'm going to stand up here and beat around the bush to make some deacon happy?
To make some visitor happy today?
If you're a visitor and you're not happy today, I'm sorry.
God's word makes me happy today.
I'm going to preach it.
And some people like this kind of preaching believe it or not.
Now maybe five years ago you would have thought,
well nobody will come to this church.
Well here we are.
Here we are.
God's army of soul winners out preaching the love of Christ
and the glorious gospel from door to door
and then coming behind the pulpit Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night
and crying out against sin and wickedness and ungodliness.
It's called balance.
Not all just love, love, love.
But yes, we love the lost and want them saved
but we're going to get up here and condemn the wickedness and sin
that wants to creep into our lives as Christians.
You see the Bible's clear.
God has commanded me to be a voice.
He's commanded me to preach the word.
He said if people want to hear it, great.
If lots of people come to church, great.
Nobody shows up, well at least they'll know that a prophet has been among them.
You know and today it's more important to me just like it was five years ago
to get up and preach what the Bible actually teaches
and to warn people and to call sin what it is
and to call soul winning what it is
and to call out this phony soul winning of just handing out pieces of paper.
It's more important for me to preach the truth today
than it is to be popular and to be loved.
And you know what?
All I know is that I don't want Jesus Christ to be ashamed of me when he comes back
because he said, well you left out certain parts of the Bible
because they offended certain groups of people.
You were ashamed to get up and preach this one part of the Bible.
I've striven to preach the whole Bible
and if I've left anything out in the last five years,
in the last 750 some sermons that I've preached,
come see me after the service and tell me.
I'll take care of it next Sunday morning.
I hope you understand who I am today.
And you say, well I don't like this church.
Well, there are plenty of other churches to choose
that will trim it down for you.
They'll cut out the word hell all the hundreds of times.
They'll cut out everything in it that offends.
But you know if you want to come to a church
that basically is just going to preach to you the truth
and just let you decide.
They'll censor it for you and package it up for you
and spoon feed you.
If you want a church that's just going to give you the truth
and let you decide, just give you the whole counsel of God,
the good, the bad, and the ugly,
you know what, you're in the right place.
But if you're looking for another social club,
if you're looking for another feel-good encouraging sermon,
you know you're in the wrong place.
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Father, we thank you so much for this church, dear God,
and for the many, many people who have been saved, dear God,
the lives that have been changed.
And God, it's never fun to point out people's sins
and to point out the smut of this world,
but dear God, somebody's got to cry aloud against this stuff.
And so Father, help me to do so.
Help me to have the boldness to do so
and help me to keep my life clean, dear God,
and to preach holiness and to preach salvation through faith.
And God, just help our church to continue to grow
and to continue to be faithful to your word.
And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
All right, let's sing song number 162.
Song 162.
To God be the glory, 162.
Let's sing it out on that first verse.
Song number 162.
Let's sing it out on that first verse.
To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
so loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
who yielded His life and atonement for sin
and opened the life gate that O may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the earth hear His voice.