Amen. Thank you very much, Brother Ben.
Well, I want to say, first of all, thank you, Pastor Shelley, for inviting me,
and thank you, all of you, everybody here, for being here tonight.
It's a great crowd for a midweek service, and I appreciate you coming out.
This is a great building, and this is the first time I've seen this building.
This building is amazing, and I'd only seen this part of it,
and usually Pastor Shelley is right in the middle of it,
so I hadn't seen this part of it, and this is great.
This is amazing. I am impressed.
It's a beautiful building, and, you know, that should tell you something about your pastor.
Something that you'll learn about leaders is that leaders produce results,
and this is definitely results.
This is a wonderful, wonderful building, and not only that,
but you guys also want to congratulate you on your first documentary.
Not your first documentary, but the most recent documentary,
Sodomite Deception, great job there, and a great documentary,
and congratulations on accomplishing that.
The music was great tonight.
Brother Dylan and Miss Jasmine, they are near and dear to my heart, my wife's heart,
and it's good to see you guys, and thank you for the accommodations.
Thank you for lunch. I had lunch with Pastor Shelley today and Brother Dylan,
and I appreciate everybody coming out and the hospitality and everything.
I have my daughters with me tonight, Elizabeth and Lydia.
You might have thought Elizabeth was a puppet, but she's a real person,
and she is on our puppet show, though, and so they're with me tonight,
and of course, we've got the rest of the family home,
but they all say hello, and they wish they could be here,
and I appreciate you coming out tonight.
Tonight, I'd like you to notice there in Proverbs chapter 16,
if you look down at verse number 8,
I'd like you to notice just the first word of this verse,
Proverbs chapter 16 and verse number 8, the Bible says better.
It says better, and throughout the Bible,
you will find that God often points out for us these options, these choices.
Throughout the Bible, you'll find that he tells us that it's better
to do this over that, that it's better to choose this thing over that thing,
and as I noticed that, I decided I wanted to preach a sermon on the subject of better,
better choices, because what I know, and I know some of you very well,
and I don't know some of you at all, but what I know about all of you,
even without knowing you, and what I know about myself is this,
that our life today, wherever you find yourself in life today,
whether it be spiritually, physically, health-wise, financially, emotionally, relationally,
wherever you find yourself today,
a lot of that is a result of the choices and decisions that you've made in life,
and where you will find yourself tomorrow,
and a year from now, has a lot to do with the decisions and the choices that you make today.
Our lives are a result of the choices that we make,
and if we know that, then we should want to make better choices.
We should want to make better decisions,
and I want to speak to you on the subject of better.
The word better is defined as an option that is more excellent, more effective,
more suitable, more appropriate, more useful, more advantageous, or important,
and what you find is throughout the Bible, God tells us that some things are better than others.
As I started to write this sermon and kind of study this out,
I realized that there's way too many verses in the entire Bible
that where God tells you something is better than something else for me to preach in one sermon,
so I'm just going to focus on the book of Proverbs tonight,
and I could preach a similar, completely different message out of Ecclesiastes, out of Psalms,
out of different passages, but I want to highlight for you tonight
where God tells you that some things are better than others,
because look, if God takes the time to tell you, hey, this is better than that, shouldn't you know that?
Shouldn't I know that? Shouldn't we take note of that?
If God takes the time to say, hey, when you've got these two choices, here's a better choice,
it would be better for you to know that and to apply that into your life.
So I want to give you some thoughts tonight in regards to how to live better, how to be better,
and I'd like to give you eight statements tonight.
If you're able to take notes, I'd encourage you to jot some of these things down.
If you've got a pen or somewhere to write, if you don't have a babysitter on your lap,
and of course some of you do, and that's okay too, but I'd like to give you some statements.
You're there in Proverbs chapter 16. I'd like you to notice verse number 8.
Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 8, the Bible says this,
better is a little with righteousness than, here's the other choice, than great revenues without right.
The Bible says better is a little.
Better is to not have much.
Better is to have a little bit, but here's what you do have, righteousness, than to have great revenues.
To have lots and to have a lot of things, but you have it without right, without righteousness, without being righteous.
You're there in Proverbs 16, flip over to Proverbs chapter 19 if you would, Proverbs chapter 19, look at verse 1.
Notice in Proverbs 19 we find a similar concept.
Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 1, the Bible says this,
better is the poor that walketh in his integrity than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool.
Notice the Bible tells us again, it's better to be poor and walk with integrity.
Go to Proverbs chapter 28 and verse 6, Proverbs 28.
If you're taking notes tonight, I would encourage you to maybe take some of these, jot some of these things down.
Here's the point, the Bible says it is better to be righteous and poor than to be wicked and rich.
The Bible says it is better to be righteous and poor than to be wicked and rich.
Proverbs 28, look at verse 6, Proverbs 28 and verse 6, the Bible says this,
better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness than he that is perverse in his ways, notice, though he be rich.
So look, here's what God says.
God says if you have a choice of being righteous, walking in integrity, being right with God,
having a clear conscience, knowing that your heart is right, but that keeps you poor,
or if you have another option where you could lie, where you could deceive,
where you could live unrighteously, where you could not do right, but yet have great revenue,
God says, hey, it'd be better to be poor and righteous than to be rich and wicked.
I mean, do you understand that?
Here's what God means by that.
He says it'd be better to be Pastor Jonathan Shelley than to be Joel Osteen.
We just had a family come to our church, they said they used to go to Joel Osteen's church before they were saved,
and they talked about how he would, you know, have his Ferrari sitting out front of the building there,
just to show off, just to brag.
But you know what the Bible says?
The Bible says, hey, better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with right.
I mean, it's better to be Pastor Shelley than it is to be Joel Osteen.
It's better to be Pastor Anderson than it is to be T.D. Jakes.
It's better to be Pastor Mejia than it is to be Kenneth Copeland.
I'm trying to remember all of the false prophets from Texas.
Did I get them all?
I can go to the California ones, Rick Warren, John MacArthur, oh, John Hagee.
It's better to be anyone than John Hagee.
But you know, the point is this, look, it's better to be righteous and poor.
And you might get, now, as preachers, we have to make that choice, right?
We could be wicked, we could lie, we could steal, we could trim the message,
we could leave some things out and maybe increase our crowds and increase the offerings.
But God says, hey, it's better to be righteous and poor than to be wicked and rich.
Go to Proverbs chapter number 30.
But look, in your life, in your life, you might find yourself, you might find yourself in situations,
especially you men, you go to work, you might find yourself.
And God may allow you to be put in situations where you could lie, you could hold back the truth,
you could deceive a little bit, you could just kind of, you know, maybe not do exactly what you're supposed to do.
And it might produce a raise, it may produce a promotion, it may produce a bonus, it may produce.
But look, God tells you, when you find yourself in a situation where you have to choose between money and being wicked,
or maybe not having as much but being right, God says, look, it's better to be righteous.
It's better to be righteous and poor than wicked and rich.
And the truth of the matter is this, that it is a rare person.
It is a rare person that God can entrust with riches and not have those riches corrupt them.
Proverbs chapter 30, you're there, look at verse 8.
Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 8, the Bible says this, remove far from me vanity and lies.
Here's the prayer, here's the prayer of a believer.
This would be your prayer, you know, financially.
He says, give me neither poverty nor riches.
Feed me with food convenient for me.
He says, hey, don't make me rich and don't make me poor.
You say, well, you know, just kind of keep me right somewhere in the middle, just kind of middle class.
You say, well, why would I want to be middle class?
Well, notice verse 9, lest I be full and then I thee.
The truth of the matter is that most people, if they got money, if they won the lottery,
if they got some huge inheritance, if they had some, you know, money just land on their lap,
most people would get full and deny God and forget God.
Now, I'm not saying that that money is bad.
The Bible doesn't say, the Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.
It doesn't say that money is the root of all evil.
But yet the truth is that there are few people who can handle a lot of money.
Now, sometimes God blesses certain people.
Sometimes God blesses people like Abraham or Solomon and He entrusts them with those riches.
And if God feels He can trust you with that, then praise God and praise the Lord.
But that ought not be our goal.
We ought not lie.
We ought not sell our integrity in order to have more.
Because the truth is when you get it, you might get full and deny thee and say, who is the Lord?
Or lest I be poor.
Here's the other side.
Lest I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain.
He says, look, if you're poor, He says, can you keep me, give me neither poverty nor riches.
You say, why?
Because if you're poor, you might steal, you might do something you shouldn't do, just because and take the name of God in vain.
But if you have too much, you know, you might deny Him.
Look, I've noticed Christians will often struggle with this and they want more and they want to accomplish more and they want to get more.
But that ought not to be the driving force of your life.
And you say, well, if I have a decision to make, you know, better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.
And if you have to ask for something, say, give me neither poverty nor riches.
You say, well, can't God use a rich person?
You know, He seldom does.
You ever notice when Jesus went out looking for 12 disciples, He found middle class working people?
Found fishermen, He found one tax collector, you know, but had to get him right with God.
But, you know, He just found people that were working, just working class.
You know, the truth of the matter is that it is just the average, just kind of middle income person that's going to go to work,
that's going to show up to church on a Wednesday night, that's going to show up for soul winning on Saturday,
that's going to show up on Sunday night, show up on Sunday morning.
Hey, your goal should be to just, you know, give me neither poverty nor riches.
And if you have to make a choice between being righteous and poor or wicked and rich, you ought to choose to be righteous.
It's better to be righteous and poor than wicked and rich.
Let me give you a second one tonight.
Go to Proverbs chapter 3, if you would.
Proverbs chapter 3.
Here's another one.
It is better to have wisdom than money.
Proverbs 3 and verse 13, notice what the Bible says.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it, the merchandise of what?
Wisdom.
For the merchandise of it, notice, is better than the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof than fine gold.
You know, it's interesting how the Bible says that.
Because usually we associate merchandise with money, merchandise of gold, merchandise of silver.
You might think, well, there's lots of things, there's lots of things that gold and silver could buy me.
There's lots of merchandise that gold and silver can buy me.
But God says, hey, it's better to find wisdom.
The man that getteth understanding, for the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of gold.
Here's what he's saying.
He's saying wisdom can get you better things than money can.
I mean, wisdom can get, money can get you some things.
Money can get you a Ferrari.
But wisdom can get you to not be a false prophet like Joel Osteen.
I mean, you say, money can get me a girlfriend, but you know, wisdom can get you a virtuous woman.
See, there are some things that money can get you.
But there are other things that wisdom can get you.
And the things that wisdom can get you are better than the things that money can get you.
Because the things that money can get you will get corrupted and broken down and get lost and get stolen.
But wisdom can give you things of eternal value.
It is better to have wisdom, the Bible says, than money.
Go to Proverbs chapter 8, look at verse 11.
Proverbs chapter 8 and verse 11.
For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
Here's what God says, God says, if you have a choice, if you have a choice between wisdom and money, choose wisdom.
It's better, it's better to have wisdom, wisdom is better than rubies.
Go to Proverbs chapter 16, look at verse 16.
Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 16.
Notice what the Bible says, how much better, if you haven't noticed, that's our key word for the day.
How much better is it to get wisdom than gold and to get understanding rather than to be chosen, excuse me, rather to be chosen than silver.
The Bible says, hey, it's better to have wisdom than to have money.
Now, here's the thing, where do we get wisdom from?
I mean, we're in the book of Proverbs, it's the book of wisdom, right?
Proverbs chapter 9, go to it if you would.
Look at verse 10, Proverbs chapter 9 and verse 10.
Proverbs 9, 10 says this, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Go to Proverbs chapter 1, look at verse 7 if you would.
Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
See, here's what God says, God says, it is better to have wisdom than to have money.
So then we might ask the question, well, how do we get wisdom?
And here's the answer, through the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
You get wisdom through God, how do we connect with God?
We connect to God through the word of God.
We speak to him through prayer, he speaks to us through the word of God.
We read the word of God, the preaching of the word of God.
Hey, do you know that you show up here on a Sunday morning, on a Sunday night, on a Wednesday night,
and you have a man of God that takes the word of God and imparts wisdom unto you?
And the Bible says it is better to have wisdom than money.
Here's what that tells me, go to Matthew if you would, keep your place in Proverbs, we're gonna come back to it.
Matthew chapter 6, God says, hey, if you've got a choice between wisdom and money, choose wisdom, it's better to have wisdom.
He says, happy is the man that finds his wisdom and the man that get his understanding,
for the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver.
Here's what that tells me, it's better to show up to church on a Wednesday night than work late at work and get overtime.
I mean, if I've got to make a choice between wisdom and money, you say, well, I could really use the overtime, you don't understand.
I want to buy a car and I want to do this and I want to do that.
God says, hey, wisdom can get to things that money can't.
It is better to have wisdom than money.
You say, well, you know, I'm just gonna go ahead and work on Sundays and get double pay.
God says you're making a foolish choice.
God says there's a better choice, there's a better choice, choose wisdom.
Choose God, chase God, chase after God.
Because the truth of the matter is this, that you cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew chapter 6 verse 24, notice what the Bible says.
Matthew chapter 6 verse 24, Jesus said this, no man can serve two masters.
For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.
Notice, ye cannot serve God and mammon.
What's mammon?
Stuff, things, Ferraris.
You can't serve two masters.
So when you get the choice, when you get the choice between wisdom and rubies, wisdom and silver, wisdom and gold,
when you get the choice whether to come to the house of God and have the man of God take the word of God and impart some wisdom,
or maybe get a few extra dollars working overtime, when you get the choice, the better choice is wisdom.
It is better to have wisdom than money, the Bible says.
It is better, the Bible says, it is better to be righteous and poor than wicked and rich.
Go back to Proverbs 16 if you would, Proverbs 16.
You'll notice that a lot of these have to do with money, they don't all have to do with money, but a lot of them have to do with money.
And that's just how God wrote the Bible, so we'll just deal with what, you know, we'll just deal with what God said.
I said number one, it is better to be righteous and poor than wicked and rich.
I said number two, it is better to have wisdom than money.
Here's point number three, it is better, it is better to be humble and poor than proud and rich.
And the truth is this, it's better to be humble than proud.
But if you say, yeah, but if I'm proud, I'll get rich, Donald Trump, and if I'm humble, I'll stay poor, God says it's still better.
It is better to be humble and poor than proud and rich, Proverbs 16, look at verse 19, notice what the Bible says, Proverbs 16 verse 19.
Here's our word, better.
Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly.
The word lowly means low in status or degree.
The Bible says better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud.
He says, look, pride should be avoided at all costs.
In fact, he says if it costs you, if it costs you to avoid pride, he says it's better to be poor and humble than to be proud and rich.
You say why?
Because pride is dangerous.
Pride should be avoided at all costs because pride will destroy you.
I mean, let's run some verses, we just read Proverbs 16, 19, look at Proverbs 16, 18.
Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
The Bible says pride goeth before destruction.
Go to Proverbs 29, look at verse 23, Proverbs 29 verse 23.
The Bible says this, a man's pride shall bring him low.
A man's pride shall bring him low, but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Look at Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 2, Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 2.
Proverbs 11 verse 2, the Bible says this, when pride cometh, then cometh shame, but with the lowly is wisdom.
See, the Bible says that we should avoid pride at all costs.
Why?
Because pride will destroy you.
What I've learned over the last 10 years of ministry is this, that pride is the easiest thing to see in someone else and the hardest thing to see in yourself.
It's a difficult thing to see in the mirror.
It's hard to really see pride and understand pride.
And let me tell you something, in my life and in your life, because pride is so dangerous, in my life and in your life, we must constantly be guarding against pride.
There are three characteristics, as far as I can tell, that pride does.
And I would encourage you to be constantly looking into your own life and asking yourself, am I filled with pride?
You know, you say, what are the characteristics?
Number one, pride promotes self.
Pride promotes self.
Anytime you're promoting yourself, you're filled with pride.
You say, oh, does humility, you know, not promote self?
See, the question that you're asking is already filled with pride.
Because, notice, the subject is self, you.
You say, well, pride doesn't promote self, so what would humility promote?
Christ.
See, sometimes people get this idea, they say, oh, no, I'm not pride filled because, you know, I'm always talking about myself and I'm always talking about how bad things are going in my life.
It's still all about you.
See, pride promotes self.
Look, and that's why you need to be real careful with the social media culture you and I live in because we've developed these things, these websites, these social media outlets.
And look, I'm not against them.
We use them, Verde Baptist Church has Facebook and Instagram, and we have YouTube, and we use those things as a tool to reach people and promote Jesus Christ.
But you've got to be real careful with these social media outlets because what do they become?
They just become a tool of bragging and boasting.
And you say, oh, I'm not bragging, I'm just showing everybody how wonderful my life is.
You know what pride does?
It promotes self.
Pride promotes self.
You know what pride does?
It prefers self.
Bible says, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but on lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.
You know what pride does?
Pride puts me first.
Pride says, if it's between me and my wife, all wins shall lose.
If it's between me and my children, all win, they'll lose.
If the option is between me and my fellow church member, all win, they'll lose.
If the option is between me and my pastor, all win, he'll lose.
You know what a humble person does is they esteem others.
They prefer others better than themselves.
Could you imagine how it would revolutionize your marriage if you husband said, you know what, I'm the leader.
Yes, the Bible teaches that, but I'm going to lead for the benefit of my wife.
I'm going to lead in such a way that if someone has to lose in this relationship, I'll lose if it means that I prefer her, that I esteem her.
What if your wife woke up every day and said, I'm just going to be my husband's help me in every area of my life.
I'm just going to try to make sure that he wins and that he...
Look, if you have a wife who has an agenda of helping her husband succeed,
and you have a husband who has an agenda that as a leader,
he will leverage the leadership that God has given him to make sure his wife succeeds and his children succeed,
you have a beautiful thing there of a Bible-based marriage.
You might have a Bible-based marriage.
You might actually find that your wife wants to submit.
When she realizes that you're not leading for your own benefit.
You might find that you can't actually be the head of that home.
It is better to be humble.
What does pride do? Pride promotes itself, prefers itself.
What does pride do? Pride presumes about itself.
I'm preaching through the book of Esther at our church. This is last week. I preached the sermon of Haman.
Haman is probably one of the most comical examples of someone that presumes about himself.
King Ahasuerus has a plan to do something kind for Mordecai.
Haman shows up and he says, hey, what do you think I should do for the man that the king wants to honor?
And Haman, the Bible says, he thinks in himself, well, who would the king want to honor more than me?
Presumptuous.
You know, the Bible says, let another man praise thee, not thine own lips.
You know, when you start presuming, see, a lot of the problems we have, a lot of the conflicts we have,
a lot of the issues that we have in relationship, a lot of it has to do with expectations.
Well, when we got married, I just expected that she.
Well, I just expected that he.
Well, we never really talked about it, but I mean, I just expected that I would go to work
and then I'd come home and dinner would be served and then I'd put my feet up on the table
and then she'd rub my feet for 40 minutes.
I mean, that's just what I thought it was going to be like.
And then that didn't happen.
Or maybe it did for a day and then she got pregnant.
I mean, and also now you're rubbing her feet and it's like, wait a minute.
And you have all these unmet expectations.
But where did those expectations come from?
Because only pride presumes.
Someone who's humble just says, hey.
See, someone who's humble never gets mad at the pastor.
Well, he didn't give me credit for what I did.
Why were you doing what you did?
Well, I did all that work at the church.
They went down and moved into that church, but I did all that work.
They never had a special day in my honor.
Pride.
And what's wrong with that?
What's wrong with it is that pride will destroy you.
Pride goes for destruction.
A man's pride shall bring him low.
When pride cometh, then cometh shame.
It is better to be humble and poor than proud and rich.
It is better to choose humility than to choose pride.
Go back to Proverbs 16.
I'm not sure where you are.
Go to Proverbs 16, if you will, in verse 32.
Let me give you a fourth one.
We got eight of these, okay?
So we're only halfway through.
I said, number one, it is better to be righteous and poor than wicked and rich.
I said, number two, it is better to have wisdom than money.
I said, number three, it is better to be humble and poor than proud and rich.
Number four.
Notice Proverbs 16, verse 32.
He that is slow to anger, don't miss this.
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty.
Now, that doesn't really make a lot of sense by manly logic because the word mighty in
our Bible is often used to describe like a soldier, a warrior, someone who knows how
to fight.
And we would associate the word mighty as a positive thing.
I want people to call me mighty.
Even if it's just Mighty Mouse, I still like it.
That's how you want to be described, mighty.
When you're a man, you want to say, well, there's a mighty man.
Here's what God says, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty.
Here's what he says, he that is slow to anger is better than the guy who can fight.
And he that ruleth his spirit, what does that mean?
He that has control, temperance, can control his spirit, can control his words, can control
his actions.
He that ruleth his spirit, then he that taketh a city.
You say, what does that mean?
Here's what God says, it's better to know how to avoid a fight than to win a fight.
I mean, he said, what's good to know how to fight?
He says, you know, that's good, but you know what's better?
You know what's better than to know how to get in a fight than to know how to win a fight?
He says it's better to avoid a fight.
It is better to know how to avoid a fight.
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty.
Now please, don't misunderstand me, we need to be ready to fight.
The Bible says that we are, spiritually speaking, that we are to earnestly contend for the faith.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual awakeness in high
places.
We understand that we need to be ready to fight, but you know, at the same time, we
should try to avoid all fights.
We should try to avoid fights, we should try to avoid fights, but also be ready to fight
when needed.
Proverbs chapter 20, if you would, look at verse 3, Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 3.
Proverbs 20 and verse 3, notice what it says, it is an honor.
Proverbs chapter 20 verse 3, it is an honor for a man to cease from strife.
But every fool will be meddling.
He says, you know, it's actually an honorable thing to be able to cease from strife.
Proverbs 29 and verse 8, Proverbs 29 and verse 8, the Bible says this, scornful men bring
a city into a snare, but wise men turn away wrath.
Look, I'm not saying that we shouldn't fight.
We should be ready to fight.
But when at all possible, we should try to avoid a fight.
The Bible says this, recompense to no man evil for evil, provide things honest in the
sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.
Now look, sometimes you can't avoid it.
David said this, I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
That's Pastor Bruce Mejia's life verse.
I mean, sometimes you can't avoid a fight.
Many of you have asked me when I walked in, how are things going in California?
Things are going great.
The occasional building blowing up, things are going just fine.
Look, I'm not saying, I'm not saying we shouldn't fight.
We should be ready to fight.
But you know what God says?
God says that it's better to know how to avoid a fight than to win a fight.
It's better to know how to avoid, and look, by the way, let me just say this.
Part of that has to do with knowing how to choose the right fights.
Some fights just don't need to be fought.
It's funny to me how, you know, back in 2020, we can say it that way, it doesn't look like
2021 is going to be any better.
In 2020, people were, you know, people attacking me, attacking your pastor, attacking Pastor
Anderson, attacking Pastor Mejia, attacking Pastor Thompson.
You know, I just named men who've had the queers, LGBTQ mafia, you know, attacking them,
protesting against them, fighting them.
And then people were calling us compromisers because we weren't fighting about the masks.
You compromiser, because we're not fighting about the masks.
You know that it is better to know how to avoid a fight than to win a fight?
Well, can't you make a good argument against the mask?
Yeah, but, you know, it's better to avoid a fight than to win a fight.
And part of that has to do with choosing the right fight.
And I don't know about you, but I've got bigger fights to fight than one about a mask.
I don't understand this thing, you know, people say to me, like, oh, well, I never walk into
Walmart without, you know, calling the manager and getting in his face about the mask.
And I'm thinking to myself, you've got more time than I do because I'm busy.
I'm just here for the milk, man, just put the mask on and give me the milk.
I just got to go.
I don't know what you've got going on, but I mean, I've got fights.
I've got battles to win.
I've got children to raise.
I've got a wife to spend time with.
I've got time to mess with something about a mask.
Now when your building blows up because the queer mafia, then call me.
I'll stand up and fight with you on that.
It is better to know how to avoid a fight than to win a fight.
Now be ready for the fight.
Be ready to fight the right fight.
And part of that has to do with choosing the right fight.
Part of that has to do with making sure that you're fighting the right fight.
Somebody just, brother Dylan, we were having lunch and he brought this up to me and I just
have to go there.
And he, I had somebody send this to me so I could read it.
Talk about fighting the wrong fight.
Here's a message that Michael Johnson posted somewhere on social media about pastor Bruce
Mejia.
Here's what he said.
Bruce Mejia is a proven liar that has been bringing railing accusations against true
men of God.
Like, who are you talking about?
Oh, you?
Is that what you mean?
I guess how you define true men of God and how I define true men of God are two different
things.
Here's what he said.
Bruce Mejia is a proven liar that has been bringing railing accusations against true
men of God.
I wouldn't stand with him or anywhere near him for that matter.
Looks like the hedge of protection is gone and he's no Job.
Here's what's funny about this thing is that you know who else told Job that he was no
Job?
Job's friends.
I mean, isn't it funny?
Job is just minding his own business, serving the Lord, loving the Lord, fighting the Lord's
battles.
Bad things happen to him and here show up his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and
they say, Job, this is your fault.
You're to blame.
And then Michael Johnson gets up and says, Bruce Mejia's no Job.
Pastor Mejia's no Job.
It's like, here's Pastor Mejia minding his own business, loving the Lord, fighting the
Lord's battles.
Then his building gets blown up.
And here comes Michael Eliphaz Johnson, Michael Bildad Johnson, Michael Zophar Johnson saying,
it's your fault.
I mean, talk about not knowing which fight to fight.
What kind of a so-called Baptist preacher sides with the queers, sides with the fact,
sides with the pedophile, sides with the unnatural, bestiality against a pastor?
You think you'd just be smart enough to keep your mouth shut.
I mean, look, it's better to avoid a fight than to win a fight.
It's better to avoid a fight than to win a fight.
But part of that has to do with choosing the right fight.
And if the fight comes, then fight.
We tell our kids, you better not fight.
We go through the jiu-jitsu classes and things we do at home with our boys.
And my daughter.
Better not mess with my daughter.
I think she's nice on that puppet show.
She'll mess you up.
And we tell our kids, you better not start a fight.
But if somebody fights you, you put them down.
Be ready to fight.
But we're not looking for a fight.
We're just buying our own business, posting billboards about sodomite deception and serving
the Lord.
I said number one.
Go back to Proverbs, if you would.
Proverbs chapter 15.
I said number one.
It's better to be righteous than poor, than wicked, than rich, to have wisdom than money,
to be humble and poor, than proud and rich, to know how to avoid a fight than to win a
fight.
Here's number five.
It is better to have little with peace than to have lots with strife.
Proverbs 15, look at verse 16.
Better.
Better is little.
Little treasures, little clothes, little house.
Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great troubles, notice these words, and
trouble therewith.
Look at Proverbs 17, look at verse one.
Proverbs 17 verse one.
Better is a dry morsel.
Better is a dry morsel and quietness therewith than a house full of sacrifices with strife.
See, here's what God says.
He says, it's better to have little with peace than to have lots with strife.
You know what I've noticed?
That people will often live their lives in a constant state of stress.
They'll live their lives in this constant state of stress.
They're just constantly under stress.
And it's because of the fact, it's because of the fact that they're trying to do or get
too much financially.
You know what the Bible says?
It's better to have less with no stress.
The Bible says it's better.
Go to Ecclesiastes if you would.
Ecclesiastes is in Proverbs, just one book over, Ecclesiastes chapter four.
Look at verse six.
Ecclesiastes chapter four and verse six.
Ecclesiastes four and verse six, notice what the Bible says.
Better is a handful with quietness than both the hands full.
I can't, I broke my finger, I can't close my finger, you know, in case you're wondering.
In both hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.
He says it's better, it's better to have less with quietness than to have both hands full
with travail and vexation.
Look, let me just give you, let me give you a little help.
We've already kind of talked about it tonight.
Learn to live within your means.
You know, here's the problem that I've noticed with people, is that the people that make
60,000 a year, they don't want to live in the same neighborhood with all the other
losers that make 60,000 a year.
They'd rather get into credit card debt and get into this debt and get into that debt,
because they're going to live with all the people that make 80,000 a year.
And then you know all the people that make 80,000 a year?
Well, they're not going to live with all the losers that make 80,000 a year, because they
know that everybody that lives in the 80,000 a year neighborhood actually makes $60,000
a year, they just have a lot of debt.
So you know what they do?
They move into the $100,000 neighborhood.
And then they're just stressed and pinching every penny and just barely making it and
barely getting there, because they have to drive the nice car, because they have to have
the nice house, because they can't, you know, wear thrift store clothes.
You know what the Bible says?
Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with strife.
Better to just have less and have peace, have less and no stress, have less and not fight.
You know how most marriages and most marriages we're told divorce, many of them are divorced
over finances, fighting about finances.
You know what would be better?
What would be better is to make 80,000 a year and live off of 72,000 of that, because you
tithe, of course.
You know what would be better?
It'd be better to make 100,000 a year and only live off 90,000 of that and be happy.
You say, no, no, no, I want to have that.
I think that'll be better.
No, it's not better.
More stress.
Then the boss shows up and says, I know you said you go to church on Sundays, but I also
know you're financially stressed out.
I'll pay you a dollar extra if you work on Sunday and you sell your soul.
Of course, not literally.
You compromise yourself.
Here's what I'm telling you, here's what I'm saying.
It's better to have little with peace than to have lots with strife.
Go to Proverbs 21, if you would, Proverbs 21, look at verse 9.
Proverbs 21, verse 9.
Better is a handful with quietness than both hands full with travail and fixation of spirit.
Here's point number six.
Proverbs 21, look at verse 9.
It is better.
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop.
What does that mean?
That means your man cave is the attic.
That means that you got a corner in the attic.
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop than with a brawling woman in a white house.
Proverbs 21, look at verse 19.
It is better to dwell in the wilderness.
Some of you wives are going to find out right now why your husbands like to go camping so much.
It is better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and an angry woman.
Proverbs 25, look at verse 24.
Proverbs 25, verse 24.
It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than with a brawling woman in a white house.
And look, you can swap that out and say the same thing about men.
There's a reason why God told fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.
Men have tempers and have short fuses and they can be the brawling man in the white
house too.
You know what the Bible says?
It says it's better to stay single than to marry a miserable person.
Now if you've already married the miserable person, you just make that work.
How do I make it work?
Wife, you reverence your husband.
You submit to him.
Husband, you lead your wife sacrificially and selflessly.
You lead for her benefit.
You lead for the benefit of your family.
It'll work.
Say, I don't need to know your husband.
I know what the Bible says.
You don't know my wife.
I don't need to know your wife.
I know what God says.
It'll work.
But you know what would be better?
You know what would be better?
You dating couples.
Don't waste, you know, I watch these dating couples.
We got all these dating couples at our church.
And I hope that they're listening and I hope that they're not doing this.
But you got these dating couples and they're wasting all their dating time talking about
stupid things that don't matter.
Like how nice the blue in your tie brings out the blue in your eyes.
What?
Oh, how beautiful this and how beautiful that and, you know, and look, there's a time and
a place for that.
And look, you got the Song of Solomon.
We get that.
Okay.
You know, why don't you save that for when you're married?
You say, oh, I'm not supposed to be talking like that when we're dating?
No, no.
You let husbands and wives talk like that.
You let a husband tell his wife that she looks like a horse or whatever Solomon was saying.
I'm not sure.
It was obviously, I don't know, it must have been a good thing.
Whatever.
I don't know.
You say, what are we supposed to be talking about when we're dating?
How do you want to raise your children?
What do you think about vaccinations?
Do you want to homeschool your kids?
Are you a psychopath?
You know, those are good questions.
You talk about all this lovey, lovey, lovey stuff.
Then you fight about all the things you should have been talking about when you were dating.
And here's all I'm saying.
Here's all I'm saying.
It's better to stay single than to marry a miserable person.
It's better to dwell in the corner of a housetop than with a brawling woman in a white house.
It's better to dwell in the corner of a house.
It's better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and angry woman.
And it's better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and angry man.
Look, don't waste your dating time talking about stuff that you should be talking about
when you're married.
Use this time to figure out who you're marrying.
And if you're married, and this verse could apply to you, if this could be your life verse,
mom, wife, if provoking out your children to wrath could be your life verse, sir, you
got to really ask yourself, is that how you really want to be remembered by your children?
Psalm 90 in verse 9, you have to turn there, the Bible says this, for all our days are
passed away in thy wrath, we spend our years as a tale that is told.
You say, what is life?
Life, we've been talking about it tonight, is a series of choices.
And those choices create memories.
And my children will either grow up and say, see, life is a tale, the Bible says, it's
a tale that is told, we tell and retell the memories of our life.
Look, I don't want my kids to grow up and say, oh, you know, my dad, you know, he was
a pastor, we would travel with him and we went to Texas and Hawaii and there and there,
you know, and he preached, but I'll tell you something, at home, he was just always angry.
I don't want them to say that.
Listen to me, mom.
You say, oh, I'm just having a bad day.
Yeah, but it's every day.
You listen to me, dad, you say, oh, I'm just under some stress right now, but you're always
under stress.
Is this a tale that you want told?
Is this how you want to be remembered?
Are these the choices that you want to make?
Because it would be better.
It would be better to control your spirit.
It would be better to love your wife and love your children.
It would be better to live your life the way you'd like it to be told, because let me let
you in on a little secret, that is how it will be told.
And it's better.
It's better to make better choices.
Go to Proverbs 27, look at verse five.
Proverbs 27, verse five.
Let me give you number seven.
We got two more.
We'll finish up.
Proverbs 27, verse five.
Open rebuke is better than secret love.
You know it is better to be rebuked openly than love secretly?
You say, what does that mean?
Here's what that means.
It's better for you to show up to church on a Sunday night and have your pastor rebuke
you in front of everybody.
Say, he just preached that for me.
Look, whenever you say, he just preached that for me, realize there's like five other people
in the room saying that.
And you're right.
He preached that for you and all the other four.
I don't understand this.
You just preached that for me.
Well, I thought that's what I was supposed to do.
Who else am I preaching to?
The heavenly host in heaven?
What are you talking about?
You showed up.
He just preached that for me.
Well, you need it.
And it's better, it's better to be rebuked openly.
It's better to have somebody tell you, no, that's wrong, no, don't do that, no, stop
doing that, no, don't go there, no, don't make those choices.
Hey, that's better than to have somebody, oh, I love them, I don't want to hurt them.
You know, when someone rebukes you with truth, you know what that means?
They love you.
Look at Proverbs 27, look at verse 6.
People are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
When someone soothes you with lies, they do not love you.
When someone rebukes you with truth, they love you.
And yet we take that the wrong way.
Someone rebukes you with truth and you say, ah, that person, they hate me.
But then the person who lies to you, and look, don't we want to be lied to?
We just want to be lied to.
We have itching ears.
That's why Paul said, am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
Look, when you show up to church and Pastor Shelley steps all over your toes and you're
uncomfortable, and look, we can all tell, we can tell, there's a difference between
this guy and this guy.
There's a difference between, hey, Pastor, great sermon, and look, when you feel like
that, I get it.
When you feel like that, nobody likes that.
When you feel like that, you know what you got to say, hey, thank God, I got a man of
God that loves me because you know what?
It would have been easier to not go there.
It would have been easier to not say that.
It would have been easier to not preach that.
It would have been easier to not say what the Bible says, but if he loves you, he'll
tell you the truth.
So look, when you feel like, I feel like he's kind of directing that at me, then just realize,
man, I've never been loved.
You have never been loved until you've been loved by Pastor Shelley, I'll tell you.
On a Sunday night, on a Sunday morning, or whenever he wants.
Look, when you feel rebuked, when you feel corrected, hey, kids, when your parents correct
you, you know why they do it?
Because they love you.
It would actually be easier to not discipline you.
It would be easier to let you do whatever you want and let the cops spank you when you're
older.
But they spank you because they love you.
They correct you because they love you.
It is better.
It is better to be rebuked openly than to love secretly.
Go to Proverbs 27.
Look at verse 10, I'll give you the last one tonight.
Proverbs 27 verse 10, I said, number one, it is better to be righteous and poor than
wicked and rich.
Number two, it is better to have wisdom than money.
Number three, it is better to be humble and poor than proud and rich.
Number four, it is better to know how to avoid a fight than to win a fight.
Number five, it is better to have a little with peace than have lots with strife.
Number six, it is better to stay single than to marry a miserable person.
Number seven, it is better to be rebuked openly than love secretly.
Number eight, notice Proverbs 27 verse 10, thine own friend and thy father's friend forsake
not.
Neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity.
He says this, for better, for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.
You know what the Bible says?
The Bible says it is better to have a companion near than a relative far away.
Go to Matthew chapter 12 if you would.
Now, obviously, we understand how this applies physically, right?
If you have a neighbor that lives next door to you or lives a couple of houses down from
you, but it's not related to you, and you've got family in Arkansas, in a time of an emergency,
you're having a heart attack or something happens, hey, it's better to have a neighbor
nearby that can come by and help than somebody that is related to you a thousand miles away,
500 miles away.
We understand logically how that applies physically.
For better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.
But you know that this also applies spiritually.
See, some of you have physically moved away from family to come to a church like this
to be near spiritual neighbors.
Some of you have had family leave you.
You got saved, and you started coming to church, and you started soul winning, and you joined
the cult.
And maybe they haven't physically left, but they don't want anything to do with you anymore.
They've left you spiritually.
And sometimes people get down about that, and they say, oh, man, my family, they're
not with me spiritually.
They're here locally in town, but they don't really want anything to do with me.
They don't agree with how we're raising our children.
They don't believe in homeschooling, and they don't like Pastor Shelley, and they don't
like steadfast, and they don't want anything to do with me.
Or people say, you know, I moved here, but my family now is so far away.
And look, we understand that you want to love your family, and if they're not reprobates,
then you want to try to get them saved.
We understand that.
But you know that the Bible says it is better to have a companion near than a relative far
away, right?
Matthew chapter 12, look at verse 46, notice Jesus said kind of the same thing, he just
said it a little different.
Matthew chapter 12 verse 46, the Bible says this, while he yet talked to the people, this
is Jesus, he's ministering to people, behold, his mother, he's preaching, behold, his mother
and his brethren stood without.
The word without means that they are outside, designed to speak with him.
Now this is before his brothers were saved, we find out later that his brothers got saved
after the resurrection.
But right now, Jesus is having a service, and his mother and his brethren stood without.
I gotta ask the question, why are you without, why aren't you within?
I mean, could you imagine that?
I'm blessed to have most of my family be part of my church, my entire family be part of
my church.
My mom and my dad and my siblings, they all are part of our church in Sacramento, I'm
very blessed in that way, that's not something that's common for pastors I know, but the
Lord has allowed me to be born in an independent fundamental Baptist home and my family's been
loving and supportive, but could you imagine if I was preaching here tonight and my mom
was just standing outside, just refusing to come in, and I don't think Mary is a bad lady,
but obviously she's being influenced here by her brother and there's some issue here,
we know that the brothers of Jesus at times were not kind to him before his resurrection.
His mother and his brethren stood without, designed to speak with him, look at verse
And one said unto him, Behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without, designed to speak
with thee.
But he answered and said unto him that told him, he says, Who is my mother and who are
my brethren?
Then notice what he does in verse 49.
And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples and said, he stretches forth his
hand and points towards his disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren for
whosoever shall do the will of my father which is in heaven, that is my mother, my brother
and sister and mother.
And he underlines this idea that it's better to have a companion near than a relative far
away.
So whenever you find yourself getting sad about your family, look, and I'm not saying
you shouldn't be sad about your family and if your family's lost you should have a desire
to get them saved, but if they've left you, if they say they don't want nothing to do
with you, if they've rejected the gospel and they've rejected you or maybe you've left
and you're here and you get sad during Christmas time and you get sad during the holidays,
just remember the Bible actually says it's better to have a companion, a spiritual neighbor
near than a relative far away.
It's better.
This applies physically.
This applies spiritually.
It is better to have a companion near than a relative far away.
You don't have to turn here, but I'll just, you can maybe jot this down.
Dear Army 3019 says this, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that
I have set before you life and death, blessings and cursing.
Or choose life that both thou and thy seed may live.
Your life, my life, is a result of the decisions and the choices that we've made.
Our future, the future of our children, will be a result of the decisions and the choices
that we've made.
So why don't you just make the better choice?
Why don't you decide to choose what God says is better?
Because here's the truth, and maybe you've gotten this from the sermon.
What God says is better is counterintuitive to what we would say is better.
We would say money's better.
We would say, no, no, all these other things are better.
God said, no, here's the truth.
The truth is, it'd be better to be righteous and poor than wicked and rich.
We would say, oh, no, money, money, money's good.
God says, no, you know what's better?
Wisdom.
Yeah, I'd rather be poor and rich, just like my hero, Donald Trump.
God says it'd be better to be humble and poor.
Oh, it'd be better to learn how to win a fight.
God says, you know what's better?
Learn to avoid a fight.
God, it'd be better to have lots.
Not with stress.
You know what would be better?
A little with peace.
I'm just going to marry her.
Well, you might want to figure out who she is or who he is because it'd be actually be
better to stay single and to marry a miserable person.
Be better to have a pastor who rebukes you openly than to be loved secretly, and it's
better.
It's better to have all these neighbors spiritually near than to have relatives far away.
So why don't you choose what's better?
Let's bow our heads in our word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you.
Lord, I thank you for this church.
I thank you for Pastor Shelley and his wife and his family.
Lord, you know what they mean to me and to my wife.
Lord, you know what this church means to us.
We love steadfast Baptist church.
Over the years, they've really learned to live up to this name.
They've been steadfast.
Lord, I pray you'd bless this church.
I pray you'd bless this pastor.
I pray you'd bless this ministry.
Lord, I pray that you would bless everybody who's here tonight, anyone who may be listening
online.
We will all have choices to make in life.
Help us to choose that which is better.
In the matchless name of Christ, we pray.
Amen.