We are in Joshua chapter 17 and verse 14 where the Bible reads here and the
children of Joseph spake unto Joshua saying why hast thou given me but one
lot and one portion to inherit seeing I am a great people for as much as the
Lord hath blessed me hitherto and Joshua answered them if thou be a great people
then get thee up to the wood country and cut down for thyself there in the land
of the parasites of the Giants if Mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee and the
children of Joseph said the hill is not enough for us and all the Canaanites
that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron both they who are
of the Bethsheon in her towns and they who are of the valley of Jezreel and
Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph even to Ephraim and to Manasseh saying
thou art a great people and it has great power thou shalt not have one lot only
but the mountains shall be thine for it is a wood and thou shalt cut it down and
the outgoings of it shall be thine for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites
though they have chariots excuse me though they have iron chariots and
though they be strong and the time of my sermon this morning is lessons from
Compton lessons from Compton now what a great work that was done yesterday in
the city of Compton and one of the reasons I was really excited about going
sowing in there and and having a group go there and by the way this if there's
families coming in men if you can give up your seats all right for the ladies
or for their children that would be great now one of the reasons I was
excited about Compton is because I lived in the city of Long Beach which which
was a city that's right next to neighbors Compton and to be quite honest
with you I've never heard of a church I've never heard of a independent
fundamental Baptist Church who has made the effort to go out and actually preach
the gospel in Compton why is that well because Compton has always had a bad
reputation in NWA dr. Dre bloods and Crips and all these you know things that
take place in that city and by the way at one point it was pretty bad all
right during the 90s they would say don't drive through there if you drive
through they're gonna pull you out of your car you know you get robbed and all
these things and they were telling the truth but you know what it's not like
that anymore and the fact is that any church that says yeah you shouldn't go
there cuz you know it's not wise to drive down to Compton and try to send a
group out there it's not wise you don't have any discernment if you do that you
know they're just a bunch of lazy churches who are fearful and are not
trusting in the Lord you know it's our responsibility to go out and preach the
gospel to every creature doesn't matter what city they're in okay now one of the
one of our members said this is like yeah Compton's not that bad we need to
go to Inglewood Inglewood is the new Compton all right well we're gonna go to
Inglewood too and look why should we be afraid of going to a city like Inglewood
or a city like Compton if we're Christians if we're Baptist we got the
gospel you don't you think that God can protect us from these things and look I
guarantee you the majority of the murders you've heard about in Compton
we're not soul winners all right so it's just not you if you look there's like oh
yeah this owner died for preaching the gospel I guarantee you that's not gonna
happen but I'm excited about that and I'm excited about what took place
because it just goes to show what happens when God's people take God's
commandment seriously they go out and do the great work and see a bunch of people
saved it's awesome one of the stories that when we're preaching the gospel
they wouldn't even get to finish our block and so many different I'm sure a
bunch of people come up here and give stories and testimonies of people who
got saved and very touching testimonies one of them that I got to experience I
got to lead a man to the Lord and he was a deacon in his church okay and so he in
a Baptist Church so he gets saved and he literally just said this he said man you
know I was born and raised here my family has been here since the 1930s he
goes no one's ever come out here to do what you guys are doing and he said
thank you for doing that you know you know what that means that means there's
been a but been a been a bunch of bloods and crypts who have died and have gone
to hell year after year decade after decade why because no independent
fundamental sowing Baptist churches we're willing to go out there and give
them the gospel and look not every blood and crip is a reprobate let's just let
you know that right off the bat that's just the environment they grew up in
that's what they know you know and that's just the life they live but they
want to get saved you know if you give them the gospel and so what a great work
that was done there and and that's not the last time we're gonna go there you
know when we plan to do it I said man I hope it turns out well if it does we're
gonna keep going back there every week you know and it's not even that bad so
let me give you a couple lessons here from this story that we can apply just
the sowing in general but just what the experience of the Compton sowing
marathon in mind you see this story here and what is Joseph the tribe of
Joseph and ask you doing they're complaining you know they're like man we
want this other land too and and all these things and and Joshua comes up
and is like look you guys are a great people go do it you know go take the
land and if you read earlier in the chapter you see that they had ten cities
they had all types of possessions but yet they felt they couldn't not
overcome this possession right here you know they felt like they could have
come to like well they have iron chariots over there you know they got
guns and they got Crips and Bloods over there they got all kinds of gangs and
all kinds of bad news that takes place over there but you know what though they
have chariots of iron we can overcome that we can possess that land okay now
look at Joshua chapter 17 in verse number five I'm gonna give you a couple
points here first and foremost let me say this is that God has a lot prepared
for his people now I don't mean a lot as in abundance though that's part of it
I'm talking about a portion okay a possession prepared for his people and
in fact look what the Bible says in Joshua 17 verse 5 and there fell ten
portions to Manasseh beside the land of Gilead and Bashan which were on the
other side of Jordan and so go to Joshua chapter 18 and we see this throughout
the Old Testament as God is promising to give a land a possession to his people
he's like look this land is yours it's yours for the taking it's just really up
to you whether you want to go up and take it it's really up to you if you
want to go up and fight those battles you know obey the commandments of the
Lord to go out and fight the enemies of the Lord but guess what it's yours it's
your portion you know what I get sick and tired I get fed up with hearing
about Christians who want to have these strong victories they want to be a part
of these great battles but they don't want the process that comes with it you
know they want to have the great numbers and the great exploits but they don't
want the process that goes along with it so what do they do they have an
artificial type of process right bus ministry track drops you know door
hangers and look I'm speaking from experience because I come from a church
that did that day in and day out week in and week out year in year out and look
they would ten thousand fifteen thousand tracks a track drop but you know what
it's all in vain it's an artificial process that makes you think you're
doing something for God but you're not and they want to make they want to make
themselves out to be these great organizations and great churches that
are doing a great work by passing out twenty thousand invites that doesn't do
anything you know the real work comes when you actually get out there open
your mouth boldly make known to mysteries of the gospel the real work
comes when you actually pray God that he fills you with the Spirit and go out
there and preach the gospel see people say now look at Joshua 18 verse 3 but
what's the problem here look at verse 3 and Joshua sent it to the children of
Israel how long are you slack to go possess the land which the Lord of God
of your fathers hath given you you see God has already prepared it God has
already given to give it the land to them they're just slack what is that
they're being lazy they're lagging it is what they're doing okay and look I want
to make sure that faithful or Baptist Church of Omani is not lazy slack and
taking over the cities that surround us right here Los Angeles is a very neat
area there's a lot of lost people here that are open to the gospel yeah you
have Hollywood and the homos there and the reprobates or whatnot we're not
going to touch that with a ten-foot pole but you know the rest of the cities
there's people out here who want to hear the truth we don't want to be slack you
know what the Lord is not slack concerning his promises as some it would
count for slackness but he's long-suffering toward us not one than
any should perish but that all should come to repentance so we as God's
people are not to be slack either okay and look we're a small church but you
know what a lot is being done with just a little and it's typically God using
the small little remnants to do a great work you know so we never we should
never think well you know that mega church down the street or these churches
that have you know run a thousand two thousand the Paul chapels and
Lancaster's and the North Valleys and how they have thousands of people yeah
but they're not doing anything then they're getting anything done so why
don't we just go ahead and pick up the torch and just say hey don't worry I'll
do it for you we'll go ahead and take over California
along with pastor Jimenez and everyone else is gonna come up brother Chad
Morgan's gonna start a church next year let's take it up but look you know what
we can't be slack concerning it and let me say this in a battle like this don't
just be a spectator be a participant especially if you're part of our church
you don't want to just be a spectator and just enjoy the YouTube you know
videos and say yeah I'm part of that church no no you need to be a part of
the church and a part of what the church is doing oh yeah that's my church
yeah but are you a part of the work that's going on in that church you know
you're doing the soul winning that's going on in the church you know it ought
to be that every single one of us want to be a participant not just a spectator
spectators don't get anything participants do okay we need to make
sure they look so when you obviously there's everything everything's
important okay we're not trying to say the Sony is the most important in a
sense because you know there's other things that God puts in priority as well
but it should be at the top of the list of a lot of priorities that we have okay
and look we only get so much time to do a great work for the Lord take advantage
of that take advantage of the fact that this opportunity comes up and the future
opportunities as well to say this is my chance this is my opportunity how do you
know God's not going to shelve you for not doing something you know God says
you know what I given you everything you needed and you're still just like
throwing it away I'm just gonna go ahead and take you home and shelve you because
you don't seem to be appreciating what's going on here yeah that could
happen I don't want God to look down on me and say that I want to make sure that
I take full advantage of the opportunities that God has given to us
in our church don't be slack go to Psalm 17 excuse me go to Luke 12 I'll read to
you from Psalm 17 but God has given us a portion okay God's given his people a
portion and yeah there's churches out there that are saved God's given them a
portion as well there's an opportunity for them to do great works as well but
you know what are they taking advantage of that opportunity the Bible says in
Psalm 17 verse 4 for men which are thy handle Lord for men of the world which
have their portion in this life you know we ought not to seek the portion of this
life you know the goods that this life can offer and the riches and the and the
possessions and all the material wealth that this life can offer us that not not
to be our goal to want to have you know what shall it what shall it profit a man
if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul we think of that when
it comes to unsafe people but you know what we can lose a lot as well we can
sit at the judgment seat of Christ and be saved yet so as by fire because
everything just burns why because we're striving to have our portion in this
world you know the portion without a desire is the portion that comes when
God when we do the work of God and we get those eternal rewards look at Luke
12 verse 42 and the Lord said who then is that faithful and wise steward whom
his Lord shall make ruler over his household to give them their portion of
meat and deuce season blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh
shall find so doing of a truth I say unto you that he will make him ruler
over all that he hath the Bible says you know the Bible is telling us is that we
ought to have an eternal mindset right we ought to seek the portions that we're
gonna get from the Lord the spiritual portions you know seek those things
which are above nothing not the things which are on this earth but seek ye
first the kingdom of God in his righteousness and these things shall be
added unto you the portions of this world they're important in a sense to
basically maintain us so we can keep doing the work of God but that are not
to be our primary focus you know our primary focus ought to be the portion
that we're gonna receive in the life to come and a lot of churches have gone off
of that road and they're starting to focus on the you know the big nice
buildings you know how many buses that can accumulate in there in their
driveway you know how how many fountains and LCD screens or whatever they can
have in their in their churches and how many pianos they can accumulate you know
ivory white pianos they can accumulate on their platform and all these things
those aren't important what good is it if you have all those things but you're
not winning anybody into Christ you're not doing a great work for the Lord and
look some of these churches they might have soul owners but you know what
because the pastor is dying spiritually when it comes to this matter of having a
vision for souls guess what the followers who follow them are the same
their girl lacks lazy lukewarm cold and they don't have a desire for the things
I've got that's why in churches all across America you have people on their
phones checking the scores you know the the World Cup I think who won though I
don't even know who won the war cuz anybody is the World Cups even still
going on yeah exactly it doesn't matter but you know why in many churches it
does probably more important than the preaching of God's Word more important
than souls you know they slip out early during their invitation time right so
they can get to their cars and get home and go watch the soccer game okay no you
know why you know what we're doing after church we're going so an inch we want to
make sure that we're maintaining good works for the Lord okay and so we can
inherit that portion that's the portion we want you know and Lord willing this
next generation that's rising up of churches will primarily focus on that
portion okay not in the portion of this world but the portion that's of the
world to come go to 1st Corinthians chapter number 2 the Bible tells us in
Ephesians 2 verse 8 through 9 and 10 it says for by grace are you saved through
faith and then not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works that
stated man should boast we don't have to work to be saved but then it says this
for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God
hath before ordained that we should walk in them the Bible says so the Bible does
tell us that afterwards we should get to work and I'm thankful man yesterday a
lot of work got done people are out there ladies with their strollers and
their babies and you know the people from Tempe this weather was like nothing
to them for us it's just like this is how I'm dying out here and they're like
what's so cold crazy someone told me like we went to the beach but man it
was cold I'm like cold what in the world is like this is summer this is hot
for us but you know what people are out there and they're doing the work okay
getting the job done and see this type of leadership and this type of church is
what's needed because everything's evenly spread as far as the work is
concerned it's not like the pastor is the most important person and he's only
one soul winning or the deacon or whatever no everyone's doing the work
everyone's a part of what's going on everyone can have a piece of the pie
okay look at 1st Corinthians 2 9 but as it is written I have not seen nor ear
heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him ain't that sad there's all kinds of people out
there that they're saved but you know what their eyes aren't seeing what God
can do their ears aren't hearing the the great sermons the biblical sermons you
know that's not entering into their heart the things which God has prepared
for them that portion that lot but look what that goes on to say verse 10 but
God has revealed them unto us by his spirit for the spirit search with all
things yea the deep things of God of course primarily let's talk about the
Word of God right being taught the Word of God but we can apply it to even
something like this where it's like you know what but his spirit can reveal it
unto us why because we asked him to be to fill us to give us boldness to go out
there and see people saved you know I'm sure there's new soul winners that come
out and when they see someone say for the first time it's like wow this
actually does work it was like I can't believe this person just like God say
you know when I went to Compton yesterday and I was with my partner I
ran into this guy wearing all red I don't I don't know what why what was
that you guys know what that's all about he's wearing just all red and you know
immediately what do you think this guy's not gonna listen you know I'd rather
just go talk to like a teenager or something and I said hey I want to give
you this invite and but more important than that you're 100% sure if you die
today you go to heaven he's like I don't know I said can I take about ten minutes
to show you from the Bible he said yeah and he just stood there and by the way his
friend came and kind of disrupted a little bit his friend actually be ended
up being from Arizona he was like on his way back to Arizona Phoenix you know so
I just waited there they finished talking and then I talked to him gave
him the gospel he got saved his name is Aaron and then when I left that
conversation I was like man shame on me for even having that thought that
potentially you wouldn't want to listen because he's wearing all red you know
red and blue black or brown they're all precious in that town they want to
listen he got saved he was very thankful the other guy that I mentioned before I
remember after he told us you know we haven't had anybody come out he had the
most grateful spirit she said thank you so much for coming out here you made my
day he said that touches the heart and that goes to show us that we are not to
judge anybody and say oh you know that's that's calm that's the CPT you know we
are gonna send the bus ministry over there to go gather the kids there and
give them candy and stuff don't even get them saved as long as we fill up the
buses that's wicked you know there's people out there dying in year in year
out and they don't have one gospel preacher to go over there and give them
the gospel we'll take that portion but you know what thankfully we get to see
with our eyes we get to hear with our ears and see with our hearts the things
that God has prepared for us go back to Joshua chapter 17 Joshua chapter 17 so
God has something a great work prepared for us a great reward and I'm thankful
that that he entices us with that you know he shows us and he says hey this is
waiting for you come and take it you know he doesn't just hand it to us we
got to put in the work but it's promised that if we put in the work we'll get it
the Bible says in Joshua 17 verse 15 and Joshua answer them if thou be a great
people then get thee up to the wood country and cut down for thyself there
in the land of the parasites of the Giants if Mount Ephraim be too narrow
for thee skip down to verse 17 it says there and Joshua spake unto the house of
Joseph even to Ephraim and to Manasseh saying thou are a great people and has
great power thou shall not have one lot only you know often we see that the
people who do the least amount for the Lord are the ones who basically God is
the least in their eyes they don't think they have a big God to do it but you
know God is saying here hey you are a great people with great power why because
we have a great God who can do great things okay and look that's why I like
the the style of our churches it's their minimalist churches because we don't
have a whole bunch of ministries you know I mean we don't have a Sunday
school and are you ministry and you know bus ministry and all these different
ministries that spreads everyone thin no we have one ministry it's called the
Ministry of Reconciliation all right and everyone can be a part of it you don't
have to sign a covenant to be a part of that one okay you could be a part all
God's people could be a part of it the Bible says in Daniel chapter 11 and
verse 32 and such as do wickedly against the Covenant shall he corrupt with
flatter by flatteries but the people that do know their God shall be strong
and do exploits obviously that's referring to the end times but that's
something we could apply today I mean can't you say that we saw a great
exploit done yesterday a great work and they that understand among the people
shall instruct many you know teach all nations baptizing them in the name of
the Father the Son of the Holy Ghost yet they shall fall by the sword and by the
flame by the captivity by spoil many days go to Joshua chapter number one
please so look the portion is there the lot is there don't be like Joseph don't
be like Manasseh it's just like oh you know there it's just too hard they got
chariots of iron over there you know it's too ghetto over there you know it's
just not nice look if you go to this church you know what ghetto is look you
know what we're doing right before church Mark and I someone threw a dead
German Shepherd in our garbage can okay so everyone who's walking in and they're
just like it's not a sweet-smelling saber okay we're busy like pushing that
thing across you said why do they talk because it's Elmani that's what they do
sorry I'm sorry that that's your first impression of faithful Baptist Church of
Elmani a full-grown dead German Shepherd in front of the church decomposing they
threw it inside of a trash can and then they put it in the dumpster like that I
was about to move it I was like whoa there's a dog in here you know that's
what people do and it's I'm sorry but that's that's what happened so look if
you're part of this look didn't Compton's no different I mean you know
yesterday it was funny that if you haven't seen the video brother Frank and
brother angel they're out soul winning and I was with brother Chris and you
hear the ghetto bird does anybody know what a ghetto bird is it's not a rule
it's not a literal bird it's a helicopter it's the police is what it is
and they're flying around in our area and you can tell they're looking for
something because the helicopter is tilted and it's only going around in one
area you know but they're actually in the area where the angel and Frank were
and you see the video and Frank is like giving the gospel you see in the
background you see a sheriff pull up he gets out pulls out an m16 you know has
like headgear and he's like walking around and he looks at he goes hey you
guys better get inside he might be coming this way you know it's like that's
pretty crazy now they're fine and it makes for good storytelling okay now the
second point I want to give you is this is that a lack of obedience often
results in a lack of success so a lack of obedience often results in a lack of
success if you have a lack of success in your Christian life you know whether as
individuals or even as churches it simply is due to a lack of obedience
because if God commands something we can have faith that if we obey it we'll
receive the success that he promises to give us and if you fail at it don't
blame God we just got to reevaluate what we're doing and see if we're doing it
the right way or sometimes it's a matter of just God just building our endurance
God building our determination you know if we fail it doesn't mean that we ought
to quit it means we ought to get back up and try it again it builds fortitude it
builds determination you know if you go out so many you don't see anybody save
that's not the time to quit this doesn't work I'm going back to track dropping
you know I'm going back to the bus mission that no no God says preach the
gospel it's gonna work we've all had a dry season out there when we go out
there for a week and like no one gets saved but you know what that's not all
the time we need to be consistent and can continue to go out there realize
that a lack of obedience often results in a lack of success Joshua 1 6 says
this be strong and of good courage front to this people shall thou divide for an
inheritance the land which I swear unto the fathers to give them only be thou
strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe to do according to the
to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee turn not from it to the
right hand or to the left that thou mayest prosper with us over that goes so
it's interesting to know that in verse number seven he's telling us to be
strong and courageous not to do the work but to obey God sometimes it takes more
courage and strength to just obey the Lord you know it takes more strength and
courage to just I'm gonna go out and preach the gospel obey the Lord then to
go somewhere that's really scary to go do it okay look what it goes on to say
in verse 8 this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou
shall meditate there in day and night that thou mayest observe to do according
to all that is written therein for then now shall make that way prosperous and
then now shall have good success God says you'll be successful if you obey me
you'll be successful you know me times I've heard throughout my Christian life
we're not going to Compton it's just not a very receptive area you know and
this is their favorite phrase look brother you can reach down but you can't
reach up I mean you've ever heard something like that that's the favorite
phrase of the old IP you can reach down but you can't reach up in other words
we'll send the bus ministry to Compton Inglewood and all these ghetto areas you
know but we're not gonna send our church out there you know we want to focus on
reaching the people who have Teria that's Spanish for money okay money why
because you can reach down but you can't reach up you say do people really yeah
people really say that I've heard it all my Christian you can reach down but you
can't reach up that's a lie that's garbage that's a garbage philosophy to
have that's you being a respecter of people you're having the faith of our
Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons and you need to memorize James
chapter 2 now go to John chapter number one no the Bible says just obey just go
do it okay don't think that you're smarter than God don't think that you
know more than the Lord don't think that you have more wisdom than him you know
he's like well you know we need to be wise about this and we can't just send
out a whole whole entire church what if something happens well you know what
if nothing happens have you ever thought about that what if you don't get shot
what if you don't get banged on and you're just successful isn't that worth
the risk right yes it's worth the risk but they want to focus on all you know
you know there's a lot of black people over there my old I have beer racist
man so racist it's just like this is like yeah you know I remember at House
Anderson College okay they would literally say for the bus ministry they
said no more than five black kids on this bus yeah that's wicked as hell
they're all welcome everyone's welcome okay now why is that mentality there
well simply for this it's it's a chain it's a basically it's a result of bad
just discernment on their part to say well you know we can't preach hard you
know therefore because we can't preach our work we have to preach these soft
sermons or whatever to keep the people we don't want to offend anybody so if we
bring all these ghetto kids from these ghetto neighborhoods it's gonna be
offensive to those who have the money you know to me and they're not gonna
want to pour their investment in such a ghetto little church with all these
ghetto kids and stuff like that yeah forget you and your philosophy you know
I want to see all of them saved and even if they don't come to church as long as
they got saved it's the most important you know I talked to someone yesterday
and they were like well how many of them are coming to church I'm like I don't
know do you know where they're at yeah they're in Compton I can show you some
of the houses of the people I live to the Lord yeah but you know what it's
better than nothing in fact it's the most important thing and look maybe God
was gonna destroy Compton at one time but I guarantee he's not gonna do it
anymore why cuz now there's a righteous remnant there those people who are saved
there and we're gonna keep going back okay but here's the mentality a lot of
people have in regards to like a city like Compton look at verse number verse
number 46 we'll start at verse 45 Philip finding the Nathaniel and saith and say
we have found him of whom Moses and the law and the prophets did write Jesus of
Nazareth the son of Joseph and Nathaniel said unto him can there any
good thing come out of Nazareth Philip saith unto him come and see isn't that what a lot
of people say like can there any good thing come out of Compton I mean when
the wicked Jews of this world are looking for a wicked rapper they go to
Compton so can there any good thing come out of Compton yes and look this is the
way it starts a good thing goes into Compton get people saved and then now a
good thing comes out of it but they want to have this mentality is like well
there's now there's no good thing that can come out of Nazareth any good thing
you can come out of Compton well we just saw yesterday that there was okay go to
Joshua chapter 17 but look at the result of fear what happens when they have that
type of mentality Joshua 17 in verse number 12 it says here yet the children
of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities but the
Canaanites would dwell in that land yet it came to pass when the children of
Israel were waxing strong that they put the Canaanites to tribute but did not
utterly drive them out so we see that even in numbers God commanded say look
when you go into this land make sure you drive them all out don't leave anyone
behind and what do they do they left them behind even to the point that they
basically taxed them just to live in that in that land that's not what God
wanted God didn't want you to just like get along with them and hire them and
have them work for you and you can tax them and just do whatever you want in
that regard no he said wipe them all out but you know what God told him it was
gonna happen they're gonna be thorns in your sides and pricks in your eyes this
ultimately will be your downfall and how do we apply that spiritually to churches
today those churches that did not want to obey the Lord and just go into every
city preach the gospel ultimately that's gonna be their demise why because what
gets someone more fired up then going to a city like Compton seeing a bunch of
people saved you get excited about those things but you know when your
church is not doing that the people don't get fired up then it becomes
lukewarm it became begins to get cold people are gonna get carnal and fleshly
and worldly and what does the pastor do in order to keep people in the church
they got to put the hoochie mamas up here with the CCM music to try to keep
them in which ultimately will happen that will be their demise you see you
think of a church like Lancaster Baptist Church they started hard man
Paul Chapel used to preach hard from what I heard okay he used to be a great
soul in him but you compare where he's at where he was at ten years ago or even
20 years ago to where he had he's at now it's a vast difference what happened
they didn't drive out all the inhabitants they didn't obey the Lord
completely and what happened they began to get more wise and you know they have
the wisdom of this world and said well you know if we bring in the CCM the
hell songs and all these things you know that's how we're gonna keep the
people no that's your demise Paul Chapel your church is gonna get destroyed
because of that God's gonna remove your candlestick from your church and they
have this attitude where if you can't beat them join them tax them you know if
we can't beat them just let them live in the land and we'll tax them they want to
they want to pattern themselves after the liberal churches of this world
that's not the way to go about it the Bible tells us in numbers 33 verse 51
speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them when you are passed over
Jordan to the land of Canaan then he shall drive out the inhabitants of the
land from before you and destroy all their pictures and destroy all their
molten images and quit pluck down all their high places verse 55 but if you
will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you then it shall
come to pass that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your
eyes and thorns in your sides and shall vet you in the land wherein you dwell
more of us shall come to pass that I shall do unto you what I thought to do
unto them I mean that should scare the fire out of you he says look not only
are they gonna be pricks in your eyes and thorns in your size I'm gonna do to
you what I was thinking of doing to them I'm gonna bring that judgment on you
what I thought to do unto them you know that reminds me of 1st Corinthians 11
where it says for if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged but it
but when we are judged we are chasing of the Lord that we should not be condemned
with the world you know what do you have today churches that just basically
assimilated to the culture around them to the liberal churches around them with
their music and their low standards and their false doctrine and what are they
doing they're basically bringing condemnation upon themselves and the
Bible says that there's pricks in their eyes what does that mean they have no
vision you know it's just another year you know they have their vision
statement with the banner in the back you know the banner in the back that
says you know someone give me what's the phrase build together what each one
bring one each one bring ten each one reads ten how about that one you know
they have all these cute little phrases that they put on their banner to inspire
them that doesn't inspire anybody I guarantee none of you even paid attention
to that one right there okay but at least that's a Bible verse but you know
they have they think they have as you know the Bible says where there is no
vision the people perish but he that keep it the law happy as he why because
when you keep the law you're obeying God and you're gonna have what good success
the Bible says but if you have no vision you ain't going nowhere
they're pricks in your eyes your liberal standards and methodologies have placed
pricks in your eyes and you can't see it far off you've forgotten that you're
purged from your old sins you're not growing you're not abounding we want to
abound we want to grow he said you want to become a mega church I honestly don't
care if we do or not but what I want to do is reach mega mega people see mega
mega people saved that's a good you know goal to have yeah but what if it's like
you guys only grow to like 50 or 60 then that's more glory to God if you reach
mega numbers of people because it's a small group reaching a lot of people
okay now turn with me if you would to go to Joshua chapter 23 we don't want
that to be our demise you know we want to make sure we keep the main thing the
main thing the main thing is soul we want to make sure that we never have
this attitude that when I get up here and I say hey we're going to Inglewood
we literally had some when I first announced it okay don't tell anybody you
know we let it I said we're going to Compton and one person was like what his
heart melted it's like why would we go there it's like why not why are you why
are you so fearful it's not even that bad some people from from Debbie said I
think El Monte is probably bad worse than that you guys don't even have
parking over here but that's not the kind of attitude we want to have well
we say hey we're going to Inglewood and it's just like what haven't you're in
Inglewood always up to no good haven't you heard that that's not that's not
that's what the rappers talk about yeah that's why we're going over there
there's lost people there so as a church we want to make sure that whatever city
we go to it's like amen let's do it what is the day what's the time let's do it
let's band together strive together for the faith of the gospel let's go do a
great work don't be a little sissy coward and say oh man that's the ghetto
yeah well you know what your church is in the ghetto I was trying to wean you
on to that I was trying to condition you to get used to it but there's there's
like gangs over there so what makes it even look I like the fact that our
church is in the ghetto because that means the possibility no sodomites come
in protest here because it's too ghetto and I'm glad there's no parking here
because then they can't park their faggoty cars they like there's no
parking here we're gonna have to go somewhere else you gotta always look at
the silver lining of everything don't be a complainer when we go to Inglewood
Compton or these surrounding cities and say oh man you know what then then go
somewhere else go to Lancaster Baptist Church and go
enjoy the little the little sign in the back that says reach one each one or
whatever if that's the kind of Christianity you want that's that's not
the kind of Christianity God wants you know we ought to be bold as a lion okay
you know I'm just scared then pray from oldness we all get scared from time to
time okay there's fear that grips our hearts from time to time but at the end
of the day God did not give us the spirit of fear but of power and of love
and a sound mind okay look at the Bible says in Joshua 23 and verse 13 know for
a certainty that the Lord your God will would no more drive out any of these
nations from before you but they shall be snares and traps unto you and
scourges in your sides and thorns in your eyes until you perish from off this
good land which the Lord your God hath given you and almost you could kind of
like read into this that God is basically saying you know what I was
willing to drive them out but because you're not willing to do it I'm just
gonna let them overcome you and it says until you perish you know cuz I'm
sometimes you think how are these mega churches allowed to just go on and on
and on you know and we think how can they why does God allow their church to
even exist well they're not they're dying and God is basically allowing the
snares and the traps and the scourges and the thorns there until they perish
from off the land and like you could see it you could even in IFB churches you
can see it you know where it's just like man that church is dying and I am I get
reports from people who are still in the old IP churches who listen to us and
they'll say this church is dying it's that no one goes so any here they have a
name that they live it but they're dead it looks like we're doing a lot but
we're not the pastor doesn't go so any no one goes so and everyone does
visitation they just have this personas if they're doing something but they're
not you know it's what's happening they have thorns they have snares traps
scourges and they're perishing is what they're doing so you know what we're
just gonna let him perish and Lord willing the people who are involved in
these churches who are listening to us will just come over here that's the goal
amen they should come over here and be a part of a thriving church a church that's
going soul winning a church that has a name that lives and is living okay now
let's see here go with me if you watch Isaiah chapter 61 Isaiah 61 so lessons
from Compton what are some lessons here hey look God that's a that's a that's a
lot for the taking right there you know if you guys if churches don't want it
all right we'll take it take it look if Tempe was willing to drive out here we
got people from another state taking your portion California Southern
California they're like if you guys don't wanna we'll take it we'll take
your your portion we'll take your lot we'll take your success we'll take that
reward they belong to you if you don't want it we'll drive out there and take
it and look let me say this the tacos helped but it's a girl hey it was a
success well sir they're they're testing us and say we'll see if it pans out
brother Perry I'm like I'm a test of our brother Perry he saw no one saved the
very oh not no one say like one person saved the first half okay then he
confessed his sins he got right with the Lord and he ate like ten tacos and like
revival broke out after that pastor Anderson knows what he's talking about
it's not just jokes it's true try it out he ate those tacos and I was just like
boom they're like what must I do to be saved and he's just giving them the God
they're just getting saved so for next year so you know brother it works all
right ready now look at Isaiah 61 so here's another principle under that is
you know we ought to desire to have preached the gospel to the poor now I
understand there's not poor people necessarily in the United States okay
it's like there's not people who you know the guy who's standing on the
corner with the sign saying a buck please or something or whatever that
guy's not poor he's just a lazy bum okay I'm talking about people who are poor
in spirit you know people who are humble and I met a lot of people yesterday who
just humble they're just humble people they saw people who came to their door
who just what we weren't even interested in bringing them to church I think that
trips people out by the way sometimes it's like you know here's an invite to
our church it's like well I got my own church well you know I don't want you to
come to my okay it's like more important is I wanted to make sure that you're
going to heaven and it's like okay well this guy doesn't have like an ulterior
motive because you know in their mind I'm thinking he wants me to come to
church so I can tie them pay a salary and pay for all that's what they're
thinking because they got what's his name Noel Jones in Los Angeles who does
that to everyone okay he just wants everyone they take like three offerings
and one of them is a $20 mandatory offering no joke that's not what we're
about you know and we give them the gospel and they get saved you know these
people were humble okay look what Isaiah 61 verse 1 says the spirit of the Lord
God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto
the meek he had sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the
captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all
that mourn to a point unto them that mourn in Zion to give unto them beauty
for ashes the oil of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness that they might be called trees of righteousness the planting of
the Lord that he might be glorified now obviously this is a prophecy of the Lord
and he fulfilled that but you know what that's we can apply that to our personal
lives as well because when we get filled with the Spirit of God that's what we
can do to people look I gotta tell you this story so we're out there it was
brother Chris and I and here's the thing is obviously not everyone's open there
you know those people I'm sure they got rejected and they're just like no I don't
want it I got this one guy and he was just like you ever you ever run into a
soul winner and or excuse me a person you're trying to win and they're just
like they're listening but they're not listening they're just like they're kind
of going along to get along and they're just like yeah come on it's just like
he's like talking to five different people you know and it's just like this
guy's not paying attention I got that yesterday and I was just like well hey
that's the invite you know if you ever have a question or want to come by
that's her address I said you mind if I talk to her he goes yeah go for it so he
went on about his business and his wife came she listened she got saved but as I
was preaching the gospel to her her niece was standing right there she's
about 10 years old her name is Helen and I'm giving the gospel to her aunt and
then Helen just interrupts and says wait hold on a second but I never even heard
like a 10 year old talk like that he goes hold on she goes what if I don't
want to go to hell though I don't want to go and she was dead serious she goes
I don't want to go to hell so what do I have to do not to go to hell I'll say
that's a great question I'm gonna explain it to you right now so I'm
explaining to her and then before I could even get to eternal security we
talked about you know trusting Christ and believing on the Lord she goes like
this she goes well hold on a second she's obviously she's like a thinker you
know I mean and she's like what if I trust Christ though and then I sin
afterwards do I have to get like saved again I mean this is like low hanging
fruit it's already on the ground it's like it's on a strand you know you just
have to go and I said I said no you don't have to get saved again let me
show you and I showed her the verses and she had this very innocent just very
humble spirit about it and I said Helen would you like to get saved and she goes
yeah and she got saved her and her aunt got saved you know and obviously that
doesn't happen all the time but man that's awesome when it does it goes to
show you that there's people out there who are meek this is in Compton who are
me who would just want to hear the gospel so what you need to do is this
get some stones churches get over your fears and go meet the Helen's out there
the children who are probably going to be born and they'll die in Compton they
probably will know nothing other than Compton you know they'll just know the
helicopters the sheriff's with the guns the Bloods and Crips tortilla flats and
all these other gangs there and that's all they will know what a sad existence
isn't it so you who have the light why don't you go out there and give him the
gospel she was willing to listen she was willing to hear it and she did and then
another story is a lady in Spain by the way if you go to Compton you gotta learn
you gotta know some Spanish how many ran into a lot of Spanish speakers out there
okay you know this lady she was willing to listen but she was kind of one of
those people who were just kind of like uh-huh you know just kind of not get she
was answering right until I would ask her like the next question then she was
just completely go back to like what you have to work for it and all that stuff
but then her son was in the background just kind of walking by and just like
listening like he was just kind of like he wanted to know what's going on I say
hey man what's up I said can I talk to you real quick can I give you one of
these and he's like yeah sure what's up and I was like from a church and and I
said goodbye to the mom and I said yeah if you ever want to come by you know
I just right there his name was Israel and I gave him the gospel man he
understood it completely he you know people get it that when you give the
illustration of the gift they like laugh you know it's like here's a gift now can
you go wash my car and he starts laughing you know he's just like you
could tell it like clicks in their mind like okay he gets it it's a joke to say
that it's a gift and you're charging someone after you give it to them so
he's getting he's like enjoying it and he gets saved you know and there's so
many stories like that of people that we saw saved but you know they they require
a person who's spirit filled to go out there not to not to not to be some rich
you know with a nice church and all these things they just require someone
who loves them and that's really what it comes where it comes down to isn't it
yeah it's someone who has love in their heart for it doesn't matter what color
what race they are to have enough love in their heart to go out there and said
I'll do the work I want to see Helen saved I want to see Israel saved you
know I want to see Terry saved I want to see these people trust Christ as their
Savior I want to go do be a part of doing that great work for the Lord to
preach the gospel and to the poor now go to James chapter 2 and we're almost done
Bible says in James 2 verse 1 my brethren have not the faith of our Lord
Jesus Christ the Lord of Lord with respect of persons for if they're come
unto you your assembly a man with a gold ring and goodly apparel and they're
coming also a poor man in vile raiment and you have respected to him that
we're at the gay clothing and saying to him sit down here in a good place and
say to the poor stand out there or sit here under my footstool are you not then
partial in yourselves and are become judges of evil thoughts harken my
beloved brethren hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith I met a
lot of people who are rich in faith they just believed it and heirs of the kingdom
which he has promised to them that loved him but be but but ye have despised the
poor yeah do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats
you know our president the pastors today is the rich people in their church look
if you want me to keep building your building I mean you make sure you keep
this place the way we want it kept now you're exaggerating know it happens well
like the rich people in the church they dictate they're they're the real
pastors of the church okay through the pastor now go to Joshua chapter 17 we're
done last point is this just because it's difficult doesn't mean it's
impossible that's what Manasseh needed to understand and Joshua was trying to
convey that to them so look just because it's hard doesn't mean it's
impossible to do now we can't say that Compton was difficult in fact I think it
was easier in most places we've gone to it's very easy but this is a good
principle all around that God is trying to teach Manasseh here is like look
though they have chariots of iron just keep thinking about that phrase there
verse 15 says Joshua answer them if they'll be a great people then get thee
up to the wood country and cut down for thyself there in the land of the
parasites of the Giants if Mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee and the children
of Joseph said the hill is not enough for us and all the Canaanites that dwell
in the land of the valleys have chariots of iron both they who are of Bethsheon
in her towns and they who are of the valley of Jezreel skip down to verse 18
but the mountain shall be thine for it is a wood and thou shalt cut it down and
the outgoings of it shall be thine for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites
though they have chariots of iron and though they be strong now I don't know
anything about this type of warfare I just I do know this is that I'm sure
chariots of iron are hard to take down I'm sure it's a lot harder than wooden
chariots right wooden chariots you just light it on fire or something but you
know it's not impossible to take it down especially if you have God on your side
it's not impossible but a lot of people they want to use that as an excuse to
say well it's just too hard therefore it's impossible know what God all
things are possible okay is anything too hard for God his ears not his hands not
sure that it cannot save the Bible says his ears not heavy that he cannot hear
what does he need he just needs people to go out and do it and believe that it
can be done so what's the what's the sermon today Compton's population is
97,000 as of like 2015 or something like that over 97,000 so what we did
yesterday was a drop in the bucket but it was a drop and that's just the
beginning of it though we're gonna go back again and again and again until we
see more people saved okay so what's the message the message is simply this
you know we need to get out of this mentality and I'm not saying we because
I don't we don't have that mentality but Christianity just in general needs to
get out of this mentality that these forbidden cities you know these ghetto
neighborhoods are unclean you know touch not the unclean thing no you know what
you need to do is go ahead and go out there as God to fill you with his power
and spirit take a Bible in hand and go preach the gospel and you'll see
success you know what maybe maybe God will spare your church if you decide to
do that maybe God won't put out your candlestick if you decide to love the
lost in Compton and in Inglewood maybe God will have big plans for you you know
God is very merciful you think of Hezekiah and all these kings who did
wrong and then once they repented God gave him like years more to live God can
do that with these lame churches if they just woke up and said you know what
forgive us Lord for not loving the lost and not loving the poor we're going to
Compton too I'd say amen to that I'd say all right you go Friday we go
Saturday you don't even have to claim us as friends or anything like that if you
just want to go out there and do the work amen let's just get the job done
but if not we'll get it done we'll make sure it gets done why because we want to
make sure that we're loving the lost there and it's not impossible to reach
them amen let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer father we thank you for
this day thank you so much for all the soldiers that came out to preach the
gospel Lord and all the souls that were saved 142 and that's conservative number
there's people in our groups that we didn't count and so it potentially might
be even more but I pray God that you'd help us Lord to continue to have a soft
heart for the loss for the poor and not to judge these cities as if they're
heathen nations that can't be touched can't where we can't give the gospel to
may we not think of ourselves so highly that we wouldn't humble ourselves to go
to areas like that we're not for the grace of God we'd probably be in the
same place I pray God that you'd help us Lord to to continue to have that love
and to be humble and to depend on you to be strong and very courageous to obey
you and in Jesus name we pray amen
you