Amen. I want to first thank Pastor Menes and Verde Baptist Church for putting on
this conference. I feel very honored and privileged to be here, and I really love
this church. Let's get into the sermon. Look at verse number four where the
Bible reads,
Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might. Talk
about a commandment. In fact, when Jesus Christ talks about it, he says it's the
greatest. He's asked, hey, what's the greatest commandment? This is what he quotes. And
we see the purpose of our life is to love God, and not just a little bit, not
just a tad, with all of thine heart, with all of thy soul, with all of thy might.
That's what the Bible says. And when we look at this commandment, it has a broad
application. I mean, there's not an area of our life where this could not be
applied to, but the Lord really laid on my heart a specific area that I want to
focus on this evening. Go to Hebrews chapter number 10, Hebrews chapter number
10. The reason why we're here is to worship God. You're on this planet to
worship and to serve God, and the Bible is instructions on how to worship and
serve God from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible says in Colossians that whatever
we do, we're supposed to do it heartily as unto the Lord. So we're supposed to do the thing with
all of our strength, all the might, all the power that we possess. Look at Hebrews
chapter number 10, verse 24, the Bible says, and let us consider one another to
revoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the
more as you see the day approaching. The Bible says that it's a commandment to go
to church, and the title of the sermon this evening is, Go to Church with All
Thy Might. Go to church with all thy might. When we look at the commandments and we
can't combine them here, we see it's a very powerful commandment. We shouldn't
be going to church on a whim. We should be going to church with all of our might,
and we see in this passage there's two main points. There's some people who are
forsaking church today. There's a lot of cheap substitutes for church today.
There's a lot of people that are attacking the local church today, and
it's a problem, but the purpose of us being here, it says very clearly, is we're
supposed to exhort one another, to provoke one another. So those are the
two points that we're going to look at this evening, but the Bible says we're
supposed to esteem other better than ourselves. You know, you ought not look at
churches, what can I get out of it, but what can I put into it, and in the
context of Hebrews chapter number 10, the Bible says in verse 26, if we keep
reading, for we sin willfully, after that we receive the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for
of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that
despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much
sore punishment, suppose ye, shall ye be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith ye was
sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace.
Some people think that the Old Testament God, he was way more strict. When I read
this passage, I see it's the same God, and you know what, God is not mocked, for
whatsoever man soweth, that she also reap. You know, we're gonna reap the
consequences of our sin, and the Bible's saying, look, you need to be in church, so
that way you're reminded how wicked sin is, the punishment of sin. And you know, if
you're not in church, you're not gonna be reminded. You know, nobody on their own
just decides to get right with God. Nobody just outside the church walls
just decides, hey, I think I'm just gonna do that which is right today. You know
what, they actually have to hear God's preaching, they have to hear God's Word,
because faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. You know how
people get right? Going to church, hearing Bible preaching, by hearing the Word of
God coming into their hearts. Go to Matthew chapter 16. The church is so
important, and when I try to think, what would make the single greatest impact on
every single person's life for the next year? It's going to church. Why? Obviously
reading our Bible, and praying, all these things are, you know, invaluable. They're
things that are commandments, they're things we're supposed to do, but if
you're going to church as much as humanly possible, you know you're gonna
be constantly reminded to do? Read your Bible, go soul winning, get the sin out
of your life. It's gonna be the center point to understanding all the Bible, and
its commandments, and its application, and being exhorted to do that which is
right. And if you go to church with all thy might, I guarantee, if you go to
church with all your might this year, and you look back one year, you're gonna see
a major change in your life. You're gonna say, wow, I'm a lot different than I was a
year ago going to church with all thy might. And you know what, I don't want to be
burned up in God's fire indignation. So I might as well just go to church with all my might.
But let's get the importance of church from the Bible. Matthew chapter 16, look at verse 18.
The Bible reads, and I say also unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and I
will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou
shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven. So we see a special provision, a special
protection from the Lord Jesus Christ that he's gonna guard his church. The
gates of hell are not going to come against his church. I want to be in that
building that the Lord Jesus Christ is protecting, that he's not gonna let the
gates of hell come against. Go to Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20. In fact, in
Revelation chapter 1, I'll read for you, it says in verse 20, the mystery of the
seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden
candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the
seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. In Revelation chapter
1, the Lord Jesus Christ says he has the angels in his hand of the churches. He's
guarding the churches. The churches are precious unto the Lord Jesus Christ. The
Bible says in 1st Corinthians chapter 5, what have I to do to judge them also
that are without? Do not you judge them that are within, but them that are
without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
You know, when you're outside the church, the Bible says God's gonna judge you
harshly. And you know what? The Apostle Paul delivered one unto Satan for the
destruction of the flesh when he got out of church. You know what? I want to be in
church where I'm guarded and protected by the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's see how
much he cared about it. Acts chapter 20, look at verse 26. Wherefore I take you to
record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned
to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore in yourselves,
and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Sounds like
church is pretty important to the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean he came to this earth
he was beaten, he was bruised, he had to drag his cross up the hill, he was nailed
to the cross, his blood was shed for the church. The church is precious to the
Lord Jesus Christ. We ought not take it lightly. Oh, it's just church. I'm against
institutionalized religion. Oh, I guess you're against the blood of Jesus Christ
then. Because he purchased it with his blood. How much is that worth? How much is
the precious blood of Jesus Christ worth today? It's priceless.
It's matchless. Go you would to Matthew chapter 10. People forsaking church,
you're in clear violations of the scriptures. You don't have the provision
and the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you know some forsaking of
church, it goes a little bit more subtle than just not showing up. There's a lot
of cheap substitutes out there. How about parachurch ministries? Say what's a
parachurch ministry? Well, Wikipedia defines it as a Christian faith-based
organization that usually carry out their mission independent of church
oversight. They don't have anybody to answer to. They just make up their own
rules. That's not how God instituted it. Christ is the head of the church. You
know the pastor is subject to the Bible. He's subject to God's Word. These
parachurch ministries, they just do whatever they want. In fact, they're
self-consciously interdenominational and many are ecumenical. That's from
Wikipedia. They're already hard preaching. They're ecumenical. They're
interdenominational. What are some of these examples? The Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association. Is that authorized by the Lord Jesus
Christ? Is that within the local church? The guy that gets up and says you don't
even have to know the name of Jesus to be saved to go to heaven? What a lying
devil. He knows that you have to believe in Jesus Christ now. Burning in hell, the
wicked devil, Billy Graham, parachurch ministry, Christian Research Institute.
Oh, I like them. Well, it's not part of the local church. Dead waters. I'm sorry,
bitter waters. I mean, living waters. Ray uncomfortable. I mean, this guy is a
devil. And look, even if he was right in the gospel, I wouldn't give him a penny.
I'm not giving my money to some parachurch ministry. That's not what
Christ purchased with his blood. It was the local church. Hocus pocus on the
family. I'm sorry, focus on the family. Promise creepers. Student life camp. You
know, send your kids off, get some ecumenical lesson, learn about how
everybody's going to heaven. It's lies. How about this one? The International
Mission Board. Oops. Parachurch ministry. What's the local church over the
International Missions Board? It's unbiblical. They just set up kings by
themselves, not after the Lord Jesus Christ. Coming from the Southern Bastard
Convention. And look, I don't want to be a denomination. They're a denomination. We
ought to be independent Baptist churches commended unto the Lord because iron
sharpens iron. But you know what these conventions do? Wickedness. They go to
the lowest common denominator, the NIV. You get all the Bibles, you boil it down
to the worst one, NIV. That's what they all have to use because they all have to
buddy up and be pals. They have to water down their doctrine. Oh, salvation is just
repentance and faith. What does that mean? Well, we don't want to define that for
you because then we might actually have some division. You might actually know
how to get saved then. So we can just bring everybody in. The International
Mission Board, it's a joke. And you know, these councils are unbiblical. I was
thinking about the word council in my Bible and every time a council gets
involved, nothing goes well. Look at Matthew chapter 10 verse 17. But be aware
of men for they will deliver you up to the councils and they will scourge you
in their synagogues. You know, when the council got together, they didn't like
Jesus Christ. They didn't like what he was preaching. Go to chapter 12, chapter
number 12. Verse 14, then the Pharisees went out and held a council against him
how they might destroy him. Hey, when we get everybody together, what do they
think about Jesus? Crucify him. That's what they think. Go to chapter 26. You
know, on the president of the Southern Ambassador Convention, JD Greer, the
wicked false prophet, he got up and said that we need to be friends to the LGBT
community. We need to apologize to them. Here's my apology. Go to hell. I'm sorry
I've been saying that for my entire life. I'll say it more now. That's my
apology. Matthew chapter 26 over 59. Now the chief priests and elders and all
the council, they sought good doctrine. Oh wait, no. They sought false witness
against Jesus to put him to death. I feel like I'm getting a message about these
councils. Go to Mark chapter 14. Mark chapter number 14. Anytime you see a
whole bunch of people getting together, you know what happens? It comes out of
that wickedness. The lowest common denominator. We don't see in the Bible
great councils being brought out. We see great men of God being great leaders.
Moses, Abraham, Gideon. We see David. Whenever they get the council together,
all the people do wicked. They do that which is right in their own eyes. I'm not
going to start a council. Look at Mark chapter 14 verse 55. And the chief
priests and all the council sought for a witness against Jesus to put him to
death and found none. Go to Acts chapter number 4. Acts chapter number 4.
So we see every time the council's brought together, do they want to worship
Jesus? They want to say, oh this guy's a great preacher. Let's bring him in. They
want to seek false witness against him. They crucify him. They hate him. They
despise him. Probably because he was preaching so hard against him. Acts
chapter 4 verse 15. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the
council, they conferred among themselves. So when Peter and John are brought before
the council, they go secretly and look what they say in verse 18. And they called
them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
That's what the councils want to do. They want to limit the Bible. They want to
tear sections out. They don't like Leviticus chapter 20. They don't like
anything that's unpopular. They want to tell you not to preach in that name.
Don't preach the Word of God. Water down. Just boil down to the NIV, to the
weak butter knife. And you know where the IMB came from? Well it came out of the
the fact that deputation doesn't work. And look, the parachurch ministries,
they're just a substitute for church. But they're not something we should be
involved with. We shouldn't set up parachurch ministries. We should be
investing in the local church. You know, at deputation, it kind of looks like it's
coming from the local church, but it's not. You know why? Because they're not
laboring in their local church. You know, I call deputation hibernation. That's
what they really do. Let me read for you the definition of hibernation. A state of
inactivity and metabolic depression and endotherms. I mean, they just go on
hibernation. They're not doing anything. They're not laboring. Go to 1 Thessalonians
chapter 2. My Bible says it's a problem when you're not laboring in the church.
These missionaries, they go around like a traveling salesman with their
PowerPoint marketing, you know, campaign. It's the same message. They're
professional panhandlers. Have you ever had one of those people come up to you and they
get, hey, I just got to tell you the story. You know, my sister's cousin's uncle, you
know, he was this bad person and we were trying to go reach them and our car broke
down and we couldn't get there and can I get 20 bucks? It sounds like these
missionaries on deputation. They're like, oh, man, I was trying to get to this
country and I can't get there and can I get 25 bucks a month? They're a
professional panhandler. And just because they got a suit on and they got a
PowerPoint presentation, it's no different. It's gross. 1 Thessalonians
chapter 2 verse 9, for you remember, brethren, our labor and travail for
laboring night and day because we would not be chargeable unto any of you. We
preached unto you the gospel of God. Oh, man, what an example Paul said, hey, I'm
going to go out and just preach to you for free. I'm not going to call and say, hey, can I
show you my PowerPoint presentation so you can give me money? They usually don't even preach a sermon. They don't even go soul winning. They're not doing any of the work of the Lord. They just want to call you up and say, give me money.
Go to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Say, why are you saying this? Well, maybe it's because every single week I have people calling me and harassing me. I don't even know them. Hey, will you give me money? Can I come present at your church? They must not look us up.
And look, I try to be nice to them. I say, look, I only support missionaries out of my church. That's what the Bible teaches. That's the example we see of Paul sent out of the local church. I said, if you want to be sent out from our church, you want me to pay for it.
I'll pay for you. Come to my church. Labor in my church. We'll send you out if you got the zeal. 2 Thessalonians chapter number 3, verse 7, for you yourselves know how you ought to follow us. For we behave not ourselves disorderly among you, neither did we eat any man's bread for naught, but rot with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you, not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us.
For even when we are with you, this we command of you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. Why would I pay for some lazy missionary to do nothing?
In fact, I got a call this week from some guy who wants to go to Japan. I got a guy who wants to go to Japan. His name is Pablo. I was thinking like, Pablo? What? Do you speak any Japanese? No.
My employee at the church, he calls him back. He says, so how many people did you get saved last year? I don't know. Maybe one. Two. How many people did you get saved this year? Zero. Zero. I'm not going to pay for you to eat. Hey, will you give me money so I can go to Japan and learn the language? No! You idiot! You moron! Hey Pablo, maybe you should try Mexico.
I mean, come on! Common sense missions. Go to Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter number 13. It's ridiculous. The Bible makes it clear that you should be able to work with your own hands.
And why would I pay for somebody? Look, he could go over to Japan, learn the language, and still get zero people saved. Great. What did that accomplish?
Why would I take the money that was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, the church's money, and give it to somebody to go on vacation and learn Japanese? In fact, I know people that live there right now. They're trying to leave because it's so unreceptive.
And look, I'm not against giving the gospel to the people of Japan, but why don't we focus on areas that are receptive anyways? Why don't we start there first?
In a language you know, Pablo, alright? Acts chapter 13, look at verse 1. Let's see an example of the Bible.
Notice that the local church is sending people out to be the missionaries, to be the evangelists. They didn't say, hey, why don't you go on a PowerPoint campaign? Why don't you go out and raise some money?
No, they just went out and they preached the gospel. And notice at the beginning of this verse, at verse 1, he says certain prophets are teachers. Where was the apostle Paul laboring? In his church already!
He wasn't a do-nothing at his church and we're sending him out. He was a prophet. He was a teacher. He was laboring in the church. He was serving the church. And they said, you know what, let's send this guy out. He's great.
I've got zero people saved this year. What in the world? How do you call yourself an evangelist? What were you doing? Just evangelizing the Jews? I mean, read the rest at the end of Acts, okay?
But, you know, I don't want to just tear people down. What's the right solution? To have people be in the church, serve in the church, then lay hands on them and send them out. Like Brother Matthew Stuckey, amen?
When you say this guy was laboring in the church, he was serving in the church, this guy's prophesying in the church, and then you send him out. That makes a lot of sense.
Then just Pablo calling me up, I don't even know the guy, I want to go to Japan. Well, let me just write the check right now. Are you kidding? How does that even make sense? What Bible verse are you reading?
Go to 2 Corinthians 3. Why don't we do missions like Verity Baptist Church is doing? And sending people out that they've already trained, that they know, that are working hard.
I guarantee Matthew Stuckey doesn't even go a week without getting someone saved, let alone a year. Good night.
You should give your money to the local church so then they can empower the missionaries to go out and do the work of the Lord. Not to these parachurch ministries, not to Pablo, okay?
I don't even, you know, Pablo's getting a rap on this server. Nobody's going to name their kid Pablo after this. I'm just kidding.
But we need to go to church with all our might, not Bible college. All these parachurch ministries, people going on deputation, forsaking the assembly, and then going to Bible college.
You know, the institution of higher learning. You know, every time I read my Bible, there'd be the kings, they'd be like, that king did that which is right inside of the Lord. Nevertheless, the high places weren't removed.
Oh, that higher institution of learning. Yeah, you want to go worship in the high places, don't you? Bible college, the seminary. Oh, come be a professor with us. Learn the Bible.
No. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 1.
You know what degree you should get? The degree of the local church. Like the deacon did. He had a good degree because he served in the local church. He was a good prophet in the local church. He's helping the local church grow.
And you know what? That's the degree that you should have when you go out. Not just some writing on the wall that says, oh, now you're a master of divinity. You conquered God, apparently.
That's blasphemous. Wicked. You know what you're a master of? Dung. That's what the apostle Paul said about his education. It was dung.
Don't show me your epistle. I'm not interested. I'd rather have some Charmin Ultra. That's all your epistle's worth.
You're against deputation and parachurch ministry and bio-ecology. You're against everything. No, you know what I am for? The local church. Go to church with all thy might.
Quit getting sucked into all this garbage. It's not biblical. There's no verses to support it. God purchased the local church with his own blood. He's not wanting all these fake substitutes today.
It's garbage. Don't get sucked into it. Don't be a part of it. Don't give your money to it. Go to 2 Chronicles 34. In fact, the word college is only found in your Bible twice.
Let's look it up. See what's going on here. College. So great. In fact, it's pretty much the same story. There's another reference to it.
But we see in 2 Chronicles 34 verse 22, the Bible reads,
Notice the only person Josiah can find in 2 Chronicles 34 that will preach to him is a woman in college.
What a great Bible teacher. A woman in college. But look at verse number 8. There's a connection here. It says in verse 8,
Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and Maasiah, the governor of the city, and Joah, the son of Jehoaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.
So notice when church is forsaken, what's the only thing thriving? The college. You know what we ought to do? Forsake the college and repair the house of the Lord.
And you know what you're not going to find in the house of the Lord? A woman preacher. You're not going to have to find holed up, okay? Held up in the college.
The Bible says,
You need to put your money into the church and get a man of God to stand up and teach you the Bible. Teach you the word of God.
Go to I Timothy chapter 4. I Timothy chapter 4. Who's going to rebuild the house of the Lord though, Pastor Shelley? You are. We are. We are going to repair the house of the Lord in this generation.
I'm not going to repair the college. I'm going to repair God's house, the local church. You know what? We need to do it right. We ought not get a fake church. A cult.
See, what's a cult? Well, look at I Timothy chapter 4 verse 14.
Notice this.
Oh, is that just the homeless guy off the street? He'll just call me pastor? No. Elders beget elders. The laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
We don't just see people just popping up, oh, I'm just a pastor now all of a sudden. That's not how it works. That's a cult. That's a fake church.
Ashen Yacton. Who's that guy? Some cult that was started in Spokane, Washington.
Forsaking the assembly, because guess what? There's a local church there. Ask Pastor Aaron Thompson. A real church, a biblical church, one with an ordained elder over it.
Not a cult. Churches beget churches, too. They don't just spring up out of nowhere. When your role models are Joseph Smith and Muhammad, you're doing something wrong.
They just sprung out of nowhere. It's not biblical. It's not scriptural. The church begets the church. How about we got our own, you know, cult churches.
LOL Baptist Church. It's a joke. This guy's not an ordained minister leading this church. He wasn't sent there to start a joke church.
He has no authority. He has no power from the local church. He's not in the protection and provision of Jesus Christ. He's not in the hand of Jesus Christ.
It's a fake substitute for real church. And you ought not get sucked in to a cult. You ought to go to a real house of God, where there's a real man of God standing there who had the presbytery lay hands on him.
Because that's what my Bible says. Go to Revelation chapter 3.
There's a lot of fakes. There's a lot of substitutes. But even within that, there's some churches that have just become a social club now.
Lukewarm Baptist Church. You know, sadly, many churches are having less services. They're canceling the Sunday night service.
They're canceling the midweek service. They're canceling the soul winning. They're canceling all the programs of the church.
They're not sending anybody out. They're not getting anybody baptized. They're not seeing anybody saved. The preaching is weak and boring.
It sounds like they just mixed five commentaries together and the people are starving today. And it's just become a social club, where you just show up and you just basically save face.
Revelation chapter number 3, we're going to read about a church that, frankly, they haven't got a lot going on for them.
Revelation chapter number 3, look at verse 14.
Enter the angel of the church of the latest scenes right. These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would, thou were cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot,
I will spew thee out of my mouth. That's not going to church with all thy might, being lukewarm.
We ought to come to church and say, you know what, I'm going to give it my all. I'm not just going to show up and just say, I'm good.
No, I'm going to come with all of my strength, all of my power. I don't want to go to a fake church, of course.
But then I also don't want to go to lukewarm Baptist Church, to the social club Baptist Church.
You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to go to the best church in my area, period. Whatever's the best church, I'm going to be there.
You know what, if I live anywhere near Sacramento, you know where I'm going to be Sunday morning? Verity Baptist Church.
You know where I'm going to be Sunday night? Verity Baptist Church. You know where I'm going to be in the midweek service? Verity Baptist Church.
And you know what, when Pastor Jimenez says, you know what, we're having a special service, I'm there too.
And everyone preaching tonight, I'm there too. Hey, we're having soul winning this time, I'm going to be there too.
I'm going to go to church with all my might. That's the commandment of God. That's not a suggestion.
Love the Lord God if you think so, if you want to. No, with all of thine heart, with all of thy soul, with all of thy might.
The thing he purchased with his own blood. I'm going to be your every service.
You know, some people, they make every service of the football game. They get season tickets.
They know where they're going to be on Sunday morning. The football game. The basketball game.
Why can't you decide, you know what, I already got my season tickets at church.
And that's my seat, and I'm going to be there, and I'm going to show up, and I'm going to go to church with all of my might.
You know, people drive across town for a really good meal, won't they? How about church?
You know, even myself included. I'll go across town for a good meal.
I remember when I lived back in Canyon, there was a restaurant. It was like 40 miles away.
I mean, it was just like this other town. It was really far, but it was really good.
So I'd drive all the way over there just to eat their chicken fried steak because it was great. I loved it.
You know, if I'm going to have to spend money on food, I think, why not just get the best food I can possibly get?
I mean, if I'm going to spend money on it, right, might as well enjoy it.
And you know, on the way, I'm going to pass McDonald's. I'm going to pass Burger King.
I'm going to pass Taco Hell. I mean, Bell. It never sits right. I always regret eating this.
It's terrible. I'm going to pass it, okay? You're going to pass a lot of restaurants onto the way to the one you want to get to.
So you know what, if you go to a good church, you know you're going to pass a lot of crappy churches.
Taco Bell Baptist. It stings afterwards. That pre-trib rapture. Oh, man. It's a burning sensation. It hurts.
Look, and when I get there, I'm going to eat the food, too. I'm not going to just show up and just look at the menu.
I'm actually going to order, and then I'm going to eat it. I'm going to get my fork and knife, and I'm going to chow down.
You know, it's rude to turn food down. If someone makes you a meal, you eat all of it.
When your mom makes you a meal, children, lick the plate and say, thanks. Can I have another? It was great. It was wonderful.
I loved it. All of it. You know, it's childish to turn food away. It's disrespectful to the chef.
The chef gets very upset if you turn away food. In certain cultures, I mean, you eat the food on the plate.
You know, when Pastor Jimenez is preaching on Ezekiel on Wednesday, you eat that food.
You eat that Ezekiel bread. You say, thanks. Can I have another?
Look at Matthew chapter 5 verse 6. How can you eat that, Pastor Shelley?
Well, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
It's a great feeling when you show up hungry. You just chow down.
And don't complain about that Ezekiel bread. Just lather up the dung and just stick it down.
You know, the Bible says the full soul loathed in honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
You show up, you're like, oh, man, this is great. This is wonderful. Where has this been all my life?
Now, some people are like, I just want the steak and potatoes Sunday morning. Don't they?
I don't want those Sunday night vegetables. I don't want to show up for that Ezekiel bread. Man, it's intense.
But, you know, honestly, if you were coming to Verity Baptist Church, I guarantee those vegetables prepared on Wednesday night,
they've been sautéed. They've been seasoned with salt. They're delicious. They go down well.
You actually get to the point where you want them. You know, when you become an adult, you actually like vegetables.
When you're a kid, you just kind of choke them down. But then after a while, you learn to like it and you say, I want more.
Load up those green beans and the broccoli. Give it to me. I want it now. I like it.
Well-balanced meal. I'm very excited. What's the application of your passage? You're like, because I'm hungry, all right?
Not for broccoli. Look, the Bible is spiritual food here.
And when you come to church, God wants to feed you through your pastor, through the man of God that's standing by the pulpit trying to serve you.
You know, and it's rude to turn down a meal. You better lick that plate. It's rude.
And look, God's the master chef. He's just trying to use the guy standing here as his vessel. He's just trying to serve you.
God's trying to give you. I wonder how many meals you've turned away that God had prepared for you.
God said, man, I have this great meal for you. You just didn't want to eat it. Not interested in it.
Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, 1 Corinthians chapter 1. You know, there's many times throughout the week where I'm preparing my midweek service.
And I think, man, there's somebody in my church that I know that this portion of scripture would help them.
I know that the struggles they're having in their life, if they would just get the commandments of God in their heart and do them, it would help them.
And I'm so excited. I write it, and I'm thinking, oh, man, it's going to really help them. Not there.
And it was God that wanted to give them that message. It was God's word that was going to get it in their heart.
And they have so many problems because they're not interested in the things of God.
And look, you can only preach so much when you get behind the pulpit. You can only preach so much on Sunday morning.
You need that Sunday night sermon. You need those vegetables on the Wednesday night sermon. We need all of it.
Quit being a baby. Show up and eat all the food. Well, that's how God ordained it. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 21.
For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that belief.
God ordained it that men would stand up here and preach you the word of God. That's how He ordained it.
That's how He likes it. He desires it. It pleases Him. That's what He wants you to do is come hear a man preach you the Bible.
God's constantly trying to speak to you three times a week. Where are you at?
Luke 4 says that man should not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
And you know, when you come to church, it's not necessarily for just the pastor.
You know, some people, they're not interested in eating the meal when brother so-and-so gets up to preach.
Brother so-and-so is going to be in the pulpit. Half the church shows up.
But here's my question. Are you going to church for just the one guy, or are you going to church for God?
To go to church with all they might. Say, you know what, I'm just going to be in church.
I'm not going to forsake it. I'm going to provoke and exhort others to come to church.
I like all the brother so-and-so sermons. I listen to them all the time. They're great.
You need to come anyways. Go, if you would, to Hebrews chapter 5. Hebrews chapter 5.
Is that really loving God with all of your might when you say, well, I don't really want that sermon.
I don't really want to go in brother so-and-so's in the pulpit.
Look, it's about getting God's word into your heart. And we ought not forsake church. We need to go more.
The Bible says in so much the more as you see the day approaching. We're supposed to be going to church more.
You're saying, how many services does that pastor show? Look, I'm sticking to three right now, right?
But you know what, if we open up four at Verity Baptist Church and I lived here, I'm coming to four.
Five, six, seven. Look, the world's getting so wicked, I only like coming to church anyways.
But what's the purpose? Why are we going more and more? Why are we showing up at church?
It's to exhort others. And I only have, I have a few more points for the rest of my sermon.
And the first part of my sermon, it was not alliterated. So I know Pastor Jimenez, he likes the alliterated sermon.
So the latter part of my sermon, I alliterated it for Pastor Jimenez.
But why should we be exhorting others? Well, how can we do this? By being present.
My first point is we need to be present at church if we're going to exhort others.
You know, we need church to resist the wickedness of this world. The world's on a bobsled to hell.
And you know, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places.
And our leaders and our government is trying to destroy this nation with their false gospel of faggotry.
Trying to promote all the faggots today, cramming it down our throat.
It's on the TV. It's on the movies. It's in the public school. They're rolling on the floor at the library with them.
It's disgusting. It's filthy. It's perverted. They're constantly trying to sodomize you.
And turn this country into an abomination of filth. A literal Sodom and Gomorrah.
I read Genesis 18. I'm not interested. I don't want to live there. I'm not going to sit here and be quiet like Lot.
I'm going to actually open my mouth boldly and preach the word of God and say it's wicked, it's filthy, it's disgusting, it's abominable.
But you know what? Some people, they are like, I can't believe you just said that.
You know why? Because you don't go to church. You're not going to church three times a week, so you don't know what the Bible says.
For the time when you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God.
And it becomes such as of need of milk and not strong meat.
For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby, is what the Bible says.
You're such a baby. All you have to do is turn to Genesis 9. I mean, that wasn't that many chapters of the Bible.
Cursed be Canaan. Then you just flip over a few more chapters and you find out, hey, God killed them all with fire and brimstone.
You know, all these babes, they say, homosexuality is a sin. You're a baby. You need to elevate.
They can't get to the reprobate doctrine because they haven't read Genesis 18 yet.
They don't even realize that they're worthy of death. They don't even realize in Judges 19, they don't realize that the law says that they're worthy of death.
They shall surely be put to death. They read about the righteous kings. They're breaking down their houses.
They're removing them from the land. Then you finally get to Romans 1 and you know what?
You learn about the reprobate doctrine. You know what? Most people can't handle that because they're still on stage baby.
They're still on homosexuality is a sin. Maybe. Don't hit me. J.D. Greer says we have to love them.
We have to be their friends. These are wicked reprobate though.
You know, the more you love God, the more you'll hate the enemies of the Lord.
And if you're going to church, you're going to learn how to love God. You're going to learn what the Bible says.
You're not going to be deceived by this world and you can fight the battle. The real battle is here at church, exhorting the brethren.
You know who goes out and preaches the gospel? The church. How shall they preach except they be sent?
And when you show up, you know what you do? You exhort others to show up.
But you need to be present to learn the doctrine. You need to be present to grow up. You need to be present to hear the word of God.
Do we have any Isaiah's in the building that say, I want to repair the house of the Lord. Here my Lord, send me.
That's what we need today. We need to have some people that are present in church, serving in the local church,
going with all their might, being raised up and saying, Lord, send me to save this nation.
The wickedness of this nation is intolerable. I mean, I don't see how the baby boomer generation can look at our world and still enjoy it.
They've just let it go to hell. They're just watching it burn and laughing all the way to the Social Security,
which is taking advantage of them now. Their nickels are rubbing together.
God sanctioned and ordained the local church, not your parachurch ministry, not Creation Science Evangelism,
not your self-filled ministry, not your mission strip, to just learn the language of Japan, Pablo.
Jesus purchased the local church with his blood. Go to Titus chapter two, Titus chapter two.
Why would you turn your back on the one institution that God gave us with his own blood?
Titus chapter two, look at verse number 11, the Bible says,
Verse 12, teaching us that
You know, we need men of God that get up behind the pulpit and don't let people despise them for the word of God.
They actually rebuke with the word of God. They actually exhort others with the word of God.
And you know what they exhort you to? Deny ungodliness.
You know what? If you go outside the church, you will not deny ungodliness.
You will be carnal and full of the world. You will love the world.
You know how you learn how to deny ungodliness?
Coming to the local church and letting the man of God rebuke you with the word of God, learning the Bible.
You need to let a pastor come and exhort you and rebuke you.
That's how you're going to get your life cleaned up.
And you know, you ought to love him for that, kind of despise him.
You ought to embrace him and encourage him and support him and tell him thank you.
Thank you for helping me get the sin out of my life.
Thank you for telling me how wicked I am.
Thank you for telling me I need to come to church so like my life can be better.
My life, it gets better every time I come to church, not worse.
I grow more.
And we need some men of the house that are going to take their family to church, exhort their family to show up.
Show them that church is important.
You know, when you don't go to church, you know what you send the message to your children is?
Church isn't that important.
I don't need to go.
You know why the dad needs to go?
To exhort the children to go, to exhort the wives to go, to be the example, to lead others, not just for yourself.
Oh, I don't need the preaching. I already know the Bible.
Do your children know the Bible?
You know, a lot of independent fundamental Baptist churches, they take for granted the fundamentals of the faith.
Their children grow up in church and they never actually teach them the doctrine.
They don't teach them the fundamentals.
They take it for granted and then the children raise up.
They don't even know why they have a King James Bible in their hand.
Have you ever been to an independent fundamental Baptist church?
Everybody uses King James and you ask the young people why?
They have no idea.
Zero.
It's sad. It's pathetic.
You as the man need to realize if you're so great, why don't you start teaching children then?
Why don't you start being a prophet in the church?
Why don't you show us how great you are instead of telling us how great you are?
And you know, if you're great, you'll actually be in church every time the doors are open.
You say, oh, it's a difficult task of leading.
Well, just lead.
Quit being a henpecked man and telling me, oh, my wife didn't want to come to church.
It's weak.
My wife was tired.
The baby was tired.
Look, babies are tired.
In fact, why can't he sleep in church?
It sounds great.
I liked it when the baby was actually wanting to take a nap when he was tired.
That was great.
He would go right to sleep in her arms.
I can still hear the word of God preached.
Look, you need to get your wife in the proper role.
It's sad and pathetic when men come to me and they say, oh, man, my wife, she's just tired.
She didn't want to come to church.
Weak.
How are you going to lead your family if you can't even get them to come to church?
How are you going to be the spiritual leader of your family when you can't just exhort them
and just pick your wife up and put her in the car?
Seriously.
You sound like a woman when you tell me you can't get your wife to church.
Look, I'm not saying a medical emergency or something, but that's not 99% of the cases.
If you can't get them in church, who's going to be the parent to your children?
Parents have to sometimes tell you to do stuff you don't want to do.
Drag your kids to church.
Bring them to church.
I know people, they say, hey, this is my kid.
He's acting up.
He's into the world.
I'm like, well, is he coming to church?
No.
You really think a teenager in this world today is just going to decide, oh, I just need to show up to church?
You've got to make them come to church.
You've got to exhort them to come to church, and you know what?
You need to put them in the car, lock the door, they have the child locks,
and just bring them in here and set them down and tell them to pay attention,
and you know what?
Later, they'll start liking the vegetables.
They didn't like the vegetables at first, but now all of a sudden they learn to love the vegetables.
You can end up a child in the way you should go, and when he is old, he does not depart from it.
Go over to 2 Kings 5.
You know what?
You need to have your family with you in church.
Sometimes I see people, they're scattered across the building.
I see people playing musical chairs in church.
I'm thinking, what are you doing?
You need to have your family with you and make sure your children are paying attention.
When I would not pay attention, I would get in trouble with my dad in church.
I had to sit there with my Bible open, looking and listening to the preaching.
I'm not sitting here with a coloring book and a toy and a gun and a cell phone and a laptop.
I mean, what are you doing?
Managing NASA's satellites while we're having church service?
Why do you need all those contraptions?
Because you can't actually use the belt?
Because you can't actually use the rod of correction with your child?
Look, if you use the rod of correction with your child, they can obey in church.
I promise, it works.
So what's the threefold cord that's going to help us come to church?
We need to be present.
If you want to go to church with all your might, you have to be present.
And here's one.
How about you show up on time?
You know, there's some people, they show up to church two minutes late every time.
I'm not kidding.
It's two minutes late, they're there.
You know what you're saying?
I guess that first hymn's not important.
How many songs that you're supposed to sing with all your heart in the Lord did you skip out on?
You know, and women, they want to be able to yell amen during the service.
Well, you get one time to actually sing, and you're not there to sing the hymn.
Why don't you show up on time?
How is that going to church with all thy might?
Does your boss like it when you show up to work two minutes late every time?
Or are you going to get fired?
I'm pretty sure God's a little bit more important.
Purchasing the church with his own blood.
Why don't you start showing it to church 20 minutes early instead?
Stop missing the first song.
You know, and go for God, not a particular speaker.
Some people, they only like a particular speaker.
Look at 2 Kings 5, verse 9.
So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
And Elisha sent a messenger on him, saying,
Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
But Naaman was wroth and went away and said,
Behold, I thought he will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God,
and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
So Naaman, he comes and he wants Elisha to come out and do some special service for him.
He wants him to clap, you know, Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church.
Come tell me what you want and I'll just do it for you.
But what does Elisha do? He just sends a messenger.
You know, and sometimes you just need to hear the message from the messenger.
You don't just have to have Elisha.
Why don't you just actually go into Jordan and dip and be cleansed?
Why is it all about the messenger?
It's not. It's about the message.
It's about God's Word.
You know, I myself have the same temptation.
When I went to church, there would be the temptation not to want to show up by a particular speaker.
You know, there's a temptation, if you live in an area where you don't have a great church,
to skip every service.
But you ought not.
You ought to go to church. I don't care where you are.
If you're in the United States of America, you better be in church three times a week, period.
Find the best church in your area and you go and sit down and learn the Bible.
You know, even myself, I went to a church. It was pretty lame.
The preaching wasn't great.
They preached on the pre-trib rapture January 1st.
And then the next week, and then the next week, and then we get to February.
It's like, hey, we're doing pre-trib again this month.
And we're doing pre-trib March.
And pre-trib April.
And I was like, what in the world?
I was like, God's testing me with this, like, keep your mouth shut stuff.
Because it's intense.
I mean, the pastor's getting up after the sermon saying, nobody could debunk the sermon I just preached.
Then pre-trib's absolute truth.
And you're just like, are you baiting me?
Are you trolling me from the whole bit?
What's happening here?
But, you know, going to those church services,
in my family, there was a point of contention in our marriage.
And me and my wife were at Alex's.
There was something, you know, I couldn't explain to her that she would want to see.
But even through this weak vessel, even through the stammering lips,
when the verse of God's word came off his mouth,
it changed my wife's heart.
And she wanted to get right.
Maybe your marriage is struggling and you say, oh, my wife won't listen to me.
Well, maybe you take her to church and you're God's word, her heart will change.
I can't change my wife's heart, but God's word can.
You know what? I'm going to just drag my wife to church until she likes the vegetables.
I'm going to drag my children to church until they like the vegetables.
And even a weak, watered-down vessel can still be used by God.
We're all sinful man here.
Why don't you just come and let God's word come and do a work in your heart?
Let brother so-and-so change your marriage.
My second point is that we need to participate in the church service.
How dare you show up to church and not have a Bible in your hand?
That's ridiculous.
How can you actually show up at a church and you don't have God's word in your hand?
There's people, they'll show up, they don't have a Bible.
What are you doing here?
You ought to have a Bible in your hand.
And the us are sitting here saying like six times,
if you don't have a Bible, we'll get you a Bible.
Raise your hand and get a Bible.
That's so disrespectful to show up
whenever the man of God wants to actually teach you the word of God
and you don't even want to look at it.
Get a Bible in your hand. Pay attention.
Even your children.
Go to Nehemiah chapter 8, Nehemiah chapter 8.
The Bible says, blessed is he that readeth.
You know why you're not blessed? Because you're not reading the word of God.
Why don't you actually bring a Bible with you to church?
Why are you in here? Red hot preaching.
If you can't even take the fact that you need to have a Bible,
you've got some problems.
Let's start at baby level one. Get a Bible.
Show up to church, get a Bible, start reading it.
It'll change your life for the better.
The Bible says in Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 2,
And as the priest brought the law before the congregation,
both of the men and women,
and all that could hear with understanding,
upon the first day of the seventh month,
and he read therein before the street that was before the water gate,
from the morning until midday,
before the men and the women and those that could understand,
and the ears of all the people were attentive under the book of the law.
You need to be attentive to the preaching of God's word.
Eat all of it. Love it. Get a Bible. Read it.
You better not, by the next time the sermon,
the next sermon comes up with Pastor Anderson,
put a Bible in your hand.
You better be attentive under the words that are being spoken unto you.
Coming to church, people sit there and look at email, take a nap.
There's people sleeping in church, every church service.
What are you doing? I would rather sleep in bed.
This isn't that comfortable.
If you're going to show up to church, get your eyes open,
get them on a Bible and pay attention.
It's God's word.
You know, you need to turn to the places, too.
Don't just fake it.
He's like, turn to Genesis.
It's the first book, buddy.
Turn to the places and actually read the scriptures.
How could you honestly say, I'm going to church with all my might.
I don't have a Bible.
You fail.
You need to sing the songs.
Sing with all thy might.
I like your singing voice when I can hear it with everybody else.
It sounds good.
It blends together with the loud music.
I like being over here. It's great.
You need to show up for the soul winning.
Do the first works.
Go out and preach the gospel.
That's how you love the Lord with all thy might.
You know what will change your life?
Going soul winning.
That's the purpose of your life.
To show up to church and to be sent out to preach the gospel.
Welcome to the Bible.
Welcome to God's word.
You know what we do in heaven?
We sing praises about the gospel and we sing praises to God.
It's like a big church service.
So you better start learning to like it now.
I'm excited for it. It sounds great.
You know what? You need to show up to church and have fellowship.
We're supposed to exhort one another.
Say, hey, I noticed you didn't have a Bible.
Here you go.
Hey, do you need a hymnal?
Let me help you.
Genesis is the first book, buddy.
Let me help you turn to the page.
Make a friend.
That's the purpose of coming to church.
We need to provoke one another and set a good example.
Go to 1 Timothy 4.
1 Timothy 4.
My last point.
So we're supposed to be present at church.
We're supposed to participate.
But you know what we really need to do?
Provoke one another.
We need one another to say, hey, I can't wait to see you on Sunday night.
I can't wait to see you on Wednesday night.
Hey, I'll pick you up for soul winning.
Hey, let's go grab some ice cream after soul winning.
Hey, let's talk about the Bible together.
Let me show you where Genesis is.
Let me go pick you out of the Bible at the bookstore, okay?
We need to provoke one another and not be a distraction during the service.
Moving around, getting up, constantly using the bathroom.
I don't remember taking a potty break during the sermon.
I don't remember any pastor doing that.
That's a different story.
You really think it's okay for me to just take some calls right now
and just get up and be moving around and just doing whatever I want?
Look, you ought to be respectful to the church service.
And you know what?
If you're sitting on the front row and you have a screaming baby
and then you just go stand over here by them or in the back,
it's still annoying.
They don't like it either.
You know, some people, they have a screaming baby
and they'll just go stand by another person right next to them.
Why are you doing that?
And look, all babies are going to scream.
They're all going to cry.
There's provided rooms.
There's things we can do.
But why not try to not be a distraction to the church service?
Sit there and bother other people.
Just because you're not interested doesn't mean they're not interested.
Maybe they do want to hear the word of God.
Dressed in your pajamas.
You know, Wal-Mart got a bad rap for people being dressed like freaks.
It's called Wal-Martians.
There's all these memes.
Wal-Mart, they have a bad rap.
Our churches ought not have a bad rap for being dressed in their pajamas.
Oh, I'm going to church with all my might, dressed in my life beater,
my wife beater.
What?
People show up, and you're just like, what in the world, dude?
Do you not own, like, even a collared shirt?
What are you wearing?
Do you ever see the pastor up here punked out?
I wouldn't show up again.
It's ridiculous.
Going to church with all thy might.
You know, we ought to set a good example.
1 Timothy 4, look at verse 11.
These things command and teach.
Let no man despise thy youth,
but be thou an example of the believers in word and conversation
and charity and spirit and faith and purity,
till I come, give attendance to readings, exhortation to doctrine.
Neglect not the gift that is in thee,
which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
Meditate upon these things.
Give thyself wholly to them,
that thy profiting may appear to all.
Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine.
Continue in them, for in doing this thou shalt save thyself
and them that hear thee.
Notice that the preacher is supposed to revoke others
by his good example.
And you know what?
You, as a church member, ought to provoke others to be a good church member.
Set the example.
Be there early.
Be there on time.
Have your Bible.
Don't try to go to his hands.
You're just thrown in the language, all right?
Go to 2 Corinthians 9, the last place I want to have you turn.
2 Corinthians 9.
Let's recap.
What's the title of the sermon?
Go to Church with All Thy Might.
Again, if I could think of the one thing that's going to change your life
more than anything in this next year,
it's you going to church with all your might.
You know, I love to come to this conference
and to get all excited and to sing the songs
and to get red hot, but you know what?
You can be red hot every single week of your life
when you show up to Verity Baptist Church on Sunday night
and Wednesday night
every time there's soul winning.
You can just be red hot your whole life.
Why not just be red hot till the next conference?
You know you're going to get ice cold when you skip the church service,
when you don't bring your Bible,
when you're dressed in your pajamas.
It's ridiculous.
2 Corinthians 9, verse 2.
For I know the forwardness of your mind,
for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia,
that Achaia was ready a year ago,
and your zeal hath provoked very many.
Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord, is what the Bible says.
And you know what?
We ought to go to church with all thy might.
Let's call some prayer.
Thank you, Father, so much for purchasing the local church with your blood.
Thank you for giving the opportunity for us to come
under your protection, under your guidance.
I pray that you would raise up a crop of young preachers
that want to go out and start more local churches,
not fake ministries, not cheap substitutes,
but rather people would pour their lives into the local church,
they would drive to the local church,
they would support the local church,
they would love the local church,
and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.
I pray that you would bless this church
and all the other men and their churches in this room.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.