Okay, so Ephesians chapter 5, and I'd just like to read the last passage again there.
Ephesians chapter 5, we're going to look from verse 22.
So Ephesians chapter 5, 22 reads,
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he
is the saviour of the body.
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands
in every thing.
Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing,
but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So men to love their wives as their own bodies, he that loveth his wife loveth himself.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the
Lord the church.
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife,
and they too shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife, even as himself and the
wife see that she reverence her husband.
Now before the married couples here start getting uncomfortable and the singles start
switching off, we're not actually going to be looking at married couples here.
I want you to just look again for verse 25 quickly, where it says husbands love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any
such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
And the title of my sermon this evening is a glorious church, a glorious church.
I'd like to pray before we continue with this message.
Father, thank you for your word.
Thank you for this great chapter of the Bible and a chapter which so often is looked at
in terms of this last passage of this chapter about married couples and how we ought to
behave as married couples.
But help me to just preach the message that you laid on my heart, Lord, to preach about
a glorious church and what that entails, what that needs, what that means, Lord.
Help everyone here to just have attentive is, attentive hearts, Lord, to what your word's
got to say, Lord.
Please fill me with your spirit.
Help me to just preach boldly and accurately now in Jesus' name, the power of this.
Amen.
Okay.
So a glorious church.
When you read through the New Testament, and I'm sure, I hope everyone here reads their
Bible, when you read through it, you soon realize that church is an essential part of
Christianity, isn't it?
It's essential.
Jesus spoke to Peter of building his church in Matthew 16.
And after that first church in Jerusalem, we soon see multiple churches planted all
over the place.
Okay.
And the book of Acts is just constantly, we're just seeing all these churches popping up.
And something I say often is that without church, I would say that pretty much probably
about half of the New Testament just doesn't apply to you.
Okay.
So much about church life.
Lots of the epistles are written to churches with instructions on how we behave together,
encouragement to work as a team, church discipline.
You've got the pastoral epistles, how to run a church.
The book of Revelation starts with writing to seven churches.
Okay.
It's just, it's so much is about church life and look, it might feel nice sitting down
in a little, you know, with your family, you know, singing Kumbaya together or something,
playing pastor whilst regularly preaching things like Matthew 18, 20, which says for
where two or three are gathered together in my name, there are mine in the midst of them.
But that's not a biblical church.
Okay.
It's not a biblical church.
A biblical church has ordained leadership.
It's begotten by another biblical church.
And do you know what the purpose of a real church is?
It's both worshiping and serving God.
Okay.
A real church is about worshiping and serving God.
Turn over to Deuteronomy 10 because one of the big lies in fake and lame Christianity
is that church is all about you.
Okay.
It's all about you.
What can I get out of it?
How am I going to feel warm and fuzzy for an hour?
Basically, people believe that they're going to church to see what they can get from God.
And a lot of people like that.
What can I get if I go to church?
I'm going to get this blessing.
I'm going to get this or that.
But that's not the purpose of church.
Now, that's a great thing if you can get that from church.
But what's the purpose of church?
Well, we're looking at Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 12.
Deuteronomy 10, 12 says, and now Israel, what does the Lord by God require of thee?
And just pause for a second in case you're thinking, hold on brother Ian, this is, this
is Old Testament, isn't it?
This is Israel.
Nothing to see here, just a bit of history, or maybe you're already kind of creating a
mental picture of a lot of white Europe, like Eastern European types with silly sideburns
and an assortment of funny hats.
Well, this does apply to you because my Bible says in Philippians 3, 3, for we are the circumcision
who worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in
the flesh.
Not a load of fake Ashkenazi converts.
Okay.
And we're looking at Old Testament, we're looking at Christ, you know, at least all
the word of God, we're looking at, we're looking at, excuse me, Old Testament, Israel being
addressed.
We can apply this directly to ourselves, okay?
You are Israel if you're saved here.
Deuteronomy 10 and verse 12, God's talking to his people and he said, and now Israel,
what does the Lord by God require of thee but to, does he say go to anywhere that calls
itself a church once a week, just go somewhere and just play Christian?
No.
He said to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways and to love him and to serve
the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
That's important, isn't it?
He said to serve the Lord by God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the
commandments of the Lord and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good.
It's not what God suggests that you should do, it's what he requires of you.
And of course, when we're talking about the statutes, we're talking about the commandments,
the course, the meats, drinks, divers, watching carnal ordinances have been put away.
But that moral law, that living for God, that serving God with all your heart and soul,
God still expects that of you, okay?
That's what God requires of you.
That's what he wants of you.
And look, Romans, you don't have to know, Romans 12 one says, I beseech you brethren,
by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service.
That's your reasonable service.
That's just the bare minimum.
It's reasonable to expect yourself to basically present your bodies a living sacrifice to
the Lord.
If you're saved, look, Jesus Christ done a hell of a lot for you, didn't he?
Okay, is it too much to ask to say, well, maybe we should think about how we can serve
him?
Well, that's very hard to do without a church.
We talked about this this morning, church is staff headquarters.
It's where we get trained up, where we get motivated, where we get organized, where we
get sent out to do, like we said this morning, the greatest work you can ever do.
And that's pulling people out of the fire.
And it all comes from a church.
And if anyone here is thinking, well, I'm doing okay without a church, I'm soul winning,
I'm reading my Bible, I'm getting sin out of my life.
Let me point something out to you quickly, is that you probably got trained up, got motivated,
got organized to some degree by a church approximately 10,000 miles away, I'd imagine.
I would say most people here got at least some motivation to be out soul winning, to
be doing more things for God, probably from a church 10,000 miles away.
And that's the same with us, many in the UK, it's probably about half that, about 5,000
miles away that we were getting motivated and trained up and encouraged and learn really
the skill of your at least a nice orderly way of soul winning and everything else from
churches in the United States.
And it was a church.
For me, I know I got a lot of lessons, a lot of training, I learned a lot from a church.
Not some guy on YouTube.
It wasn't a soul winner on YouTube.
Now there are some soul winners on YouTube, but I didn't learn much from...
In fact, I haven't learned anything from random people on YouTube.
I've always looked for a church, because that's where it all comes from, isn't it?
Doesn't it?
That's New Testament Christianity.
And look, if you're sitting there thinking, well, yeah, well, okay, I've learned some
stuff from a guy.
I've learned from those churches.
I'm all right now.
Well, maybe we should think about how we can do the same, right?
How can you then do what those people did for you?
Because they made a difference to your life, haven't they?
Churches have made a difference to your life.
Now, turning off from our church, they will tell you in the last two and a half years,
they are doing far more than they ever did before they were a physical part of a proper
church.
Okay.
So you can say, look, well, you know, I saw, I watched, you know, pastor, maybe Anderson
pastor here, pastor Jimenez, whoever it is online, I go out and do a bit of soul-willing.
Look, believe me, it ain't the same until you're in a church.
Now, look, it's great.
Yeah.
Get out, do stuff.
But there's a big difference when you're part of a proper church.
Okay.
It makes such a difference when you get sent out by a proper church.
Now turn over to 1 Timothy 3, because the title of today isn't any old church.
Okay.
The title of today was a glorious church, not any old church.
And look, a church is better than no church, but the key word here is church.
Okay.
The key word is church.
And when I say church, well, what is a church?
The word literally means congregation, but the point is that it's a congregation of believers
for starters.
Okay.
If you're turning up at the local Roman Catholic church, then you're not turning up at a church
in God's eyes.
Agreed?
I don't think anyone here is thinking, yeah, man, we've got to get in church.
Let's go down whatever the local Roman Catholic church, it says church outside on the billboard
or whatever they've got outside.
Well, in 1 Timothy 3, Paul shows us some other stipulations for a biblical church, and we're
talking about a biblical church because there's many places that call themselves a church.
He said in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 14, these things write I unto thee hoping to come unto
thee shortly.
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou altars to behave thyself in the house
of God, which is a church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
What's the truth?
Well, Jesus said in John 17, 17, sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.
You know, this Bible's the truth, isn't it?
Yeah.
The church has to be the pillar and ground of the truth.
And look, if a church doesn't have the word of God, it's not a church, is it?
Anyone think that if you went to a church and they were reading the Quran, would that
be a church?
No.
Obviously not.
But how about if you're going to a church and they're reading a false Bible?
Is that a church?
It ain't a church.
The church is the pillar and ground of the truth.
If I go to a church and they're putting out the NIV, the ESV, the RSV, the NASV, the HIV,
I don't really care, whatever V it is, some filthy, disgusting version of the Bible, it
ain't a church, is it?
Is that a church?
It's not a church.
Okay.
So straight away, that's ruled out.
I know in the UK, I don't know about here, that's ruled out a lot of churches.
A lot of so-called churches are ruled out, wiped out straight away because the church
is a pillar and ground of the truth.
And Jesus said, thy word is truth.
Right.
Okay.
So obviously it has to have the word of God.
Now, it doesn't matter then if you go to a church and they've got the ESV or they've
got the, it's like Bible of the month church because they love that, don't they?
It's just kind of, well, we were talking about this earlier, that kind of, we got the
ESV says this, the NIV says that, this one says this, they might even now and again throw
in the KJV now and again, and the KJV says it like this, yeah, and then they'll go, however,
I think it actually means this and everyone's like, wow, pastor, he must be such a, such
a language whiz, this guy, he doesn't even speak Greek, doesn't even speak Hebrew, but,
he told us what it means because he's decided from his lexicon and what, what's he really
saying?
We said this this morning, thus saith the pastor, that's what he's saying, thus saith
the pastor, I'll pick and choose and take what I want to go with my message because
I'm, I'm the final authority in this church, or they might just be, well, we just like
a bit of this, this week and this one that week and we just, the ESV, you're so learned
when you, when you follow the ESV, because there's some like intelligent guys that seem
to like the ESV, yeah, it's all nonsense, okay, that ain't a church and then it doesn't
matter, does it, how big the smiles are and it is all big smiles in them sorts of places,
right?
That's some big old smiles where they smile with the face and not with the eyes, how,
how warm the greetings are, you get a lot of warm greetings in those types of places,
you come in and they're just so pleased to see you, you know, they haven't even met you,
why are you so happy about me?
And it doesn't matter how, how fun the activities are because they, some of those churches have
some cool activities, right?
Some of those kids are painting all sorts of pictures of Jesus in a dress, I mean, it
looks like great fun, yeah, of all of that stuff but, but it's not, it's not a church
because they don't have the truth, a church is a pillar and ground of the truth, a Bible
that calls Joseph Jesus' father, calls Jesus Christ a liar in John 7, changes salvation
to a process, a Bible that cuts out whole verses, changes verses, verses, questions
God's word like the serpent in Genesis 3, right, is that a church, is that a Bible,
is that a church?
Look, that's not the truth and look, any church that uses corruptible seed is not a church,
okay, just for starters but that's the same with the Gospel, Ephesians 1, 13, you don't
have to learn this, it says of Christ, in whom you also trusted after that ye heard
the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
If the church is a pillar and ground of the truth, is a Pentecostal church teaching that
you can lose your salvation a real church, anyone think that's a real church?
Because they say it's grace through faith, don't they, a lot of them say the right words,
don't they, they'll go, oh yeah, oh yeah, and they'll add a little give your life to
Christ.
Yeah, well that's when I gave my life, say that a little, afterwards when you dig deeper
I actually, but you've got to keep living or something, a church, it's not a church,
they believe you can lose your salvation, they don't have the Gospel, the Gospel is
the word of truth, well ultimately this is the word of truth, the Gospel is in the word
of truth, right, okay, that ain't a church.
Is a Baptist church teaching that you have to repent of your sins a real church, anyone
think that's a real church?
Any real church?
It's a fake, it's a false church, now some of those are clever, I've been at these churches,
some of them will preach for months and months, grace through faith, grace through faith,
grace through faith, you're like, wow, this is great, I finally found a church in the
church, okay, that actually preaches the truth, they believe the Gospel, God's sins
to get saved, wait a second, you've been quoting Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 for the last six months,
what happened?
I'll tell you what happened, he was speaking out of both sides of his mouth, okay, and
I have no time for that nonsense at all, okay, if a church doesn't believe in the Gospel,
they're not a church, okay, let's get that straight, because a lot of people want to
try and justify a church because we just don't really want to believe that it could
be as narrow that way as it really is, and look, if they believe you've got to repent
of your sins, that ain't the Gospel, in fact that's not only a false church, the guy preaching
is a reprobate, do you understand that, he's a false prophet, he's reprobate concerning
the faith, I've known people that do this, who have saved people, people that claim to
love the Gospel, people that go out soul winning and will go to church every week and shake
hands with a man that is a reprobate, and call him pastor, and give him respect and
honour and all this stuff, and the guy believes a false Gospel, he preaches a false Gospel.
Look, anyone here have trouble explaining the Gospel to anyone, anyone here?
Anyone here find it difficult when someone says, well what's the Gospel, you go, I just
don't know, well you should at least try and be good, well there should be at least
some evidence of your salvation, does anyone do that?
Why not?
Because you're saved aren't you?
Because you know the Gospel, you believe the Gospel.
So if anyone's doing that and claiming to be a teacher of God's word, that's a little
bit suspicious isn't it?
When you go up to a pastor in a church and go can you just explain to me the Gospel and
they just don't go, well you've got to at least repent of your sins, well I mean you've
got to at least admit you're a sinner, what on earth, what on earth, oh no he's just been
confused a little bit, well why's he standing behind a pulpit then, if he doesn't understand
the Gospel, if he can't relay the Gospel in a simple way, my suspicion, and I'm usually
right about this, is that he's an unsaved heretic, okay?
The Gospel's simple, and if a church is a pillar and ground of the truth, it's upholding
lifting up the truth, right, what's the pillar and ground, what's it talking about, upholding
lifting up the truth, yeah, that's what pillars do, right, okay, well then why on earth would
a church not proclaim the truth to the lost?
Anyone answer me that, anybody riddle me this, why on earth would someone that believes the
truth is a pillar and ground of the truth not then tell that truth to the lost?
That's bizarre isn't it?
How hard is it to preach the Gospel to someone?
I'll tell you what, in South Africa, should I tell you how hard it is to preach the Gospel
to someone, not hard at all?
It's amazing here, do you know how receptive it is here?
Maybe you guys get used to this, me and Adam are just, this is amazing, hey would you like
to hear the Gospel, yes please, what?
This doesn't usually happen so often in England, right, okay, in fact we have to usually find
places where there's more people from places in Africa and stuff who actually want to hear
the Gospel, because most of the English don't want to hear it, and look, you're in a place
where people want to hear the Gospel, right, how hard is it to preach the Gospel, not hard,
so why on earth, why on earth, would a pastor not be out preaching the Gospel to people?
Like I said, if it's a pillar and ground of the truth, it's upholding the truth, that
means they're going out and preaching the truth in one way, no form of outreach at a
church, it's upholding the truth, what's the whole point of the church?
To preach to the lost, right, turn to Revelation chapter 2, in Revelation 2, Jesus gives a
stern warning about this to the church at Ephesus, there's a stern warning which shows
us what really the reality is with places that maybe have the King James Bible, maybe
even believe the Gospel, but then don't go and proclaim the Gospel to the lost, Revelation
2 and verse 1 says, Revelation 2, 1, it says, unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write,
He sings, saith he, that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the
midst of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience,
and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and thou hast tried them which say they
are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars, and hast borne and hast patience, and
for my name's sake hast laboured and hast not fainted.
So this church has got some good stuff going for them, isn't it? They're exposing evil,
they're preaching hard, they've lightly endured through some trials as well, by the sounds
of it, right? He then says, nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast
left thy first love. What's the first love? Well he said in verse 5, remember therefore
from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works, the first works, or else
I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou
repent. The first works, the great commission, the outstanding commandment after Jesus Christ's
resurrection is to go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. That's
the first works, that's the first love. They basically had started slacking on the job.
Okay, and that can happen to a place, can't it? That can happen to a church. They start
slacking for one reason or another, often because the pastor maybe is busy with things,
stops going out and preaching the Gospel, he's not leading for the front, other people
stop as well. Did Jesus say, well we'll give you a few decades and hope that some soul
winners inspired by the NLFB join your church? Is that what he said? Let's just hope some
like soul winners turn up one day and then the candle straight back up again. No? He
said do the first works or else I will come unto thee slowly. Did he say slowly? Quickly,
quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent. Okay, look,
if a church isn't preaching the Gospel, if the churches are getting out and getting people
saved, that candlestick for me is removed quickly. I don't think it's that Jesus Christ,
he runs there so fast, that's what he's talking about. He said I'm going to come unto you
in a short amount of time if you don't repent and do the first works. And look, these dead
social club churches out there, let's meet up and, you know, congratulate each other
for being saved, type churches. Yeah, and they're everywhere, okay? We've got loads
of them in the UK and sadly most of them are unsaved. They probably lost the candlestick
a long time ago. It was, oh, just, we're just going to hold out another few decades, give
it another 10 decades and hopefully someone might turn up and go and do some soul winning.
Look, go back to Ephesians 5. Sadly, look, a lot of places aren't real churches, but
the title isn't, by the way, an acceptable church either, okay? It's not an acceptable
church. The title of my sermon this afternoon is a glorious church. Okay, so I, if anyone's
unaware of who I am or what we do, okay, or anything like that, I lead a church in the
UK, I'm the evangelist there and we're a satellite church of Pastor Aaron Thompson, Shaw Foundation
Baptist Church over in Vancouver, Washington, okay? Now, Pastor Aaron Thompson, I think,
he's up to about six churches right now, okay? And when I say six churches, I'm talking about
satellite churches. Look, we're going to be, we're going to be an independent church pretty
soon. So will other churches that he's planted as well and he has a heart and he has a love
for planting churches. Do you know why? Because he was one of, like we were, of a group of
guys up in, right up in the northwest of the United States without a church and thank God
that there was another pastor with a heart for it, Pastor Roger Jimenez, who ended up
basically making them a satellite church. They're originally a Verity Baptist Church
and they are now Shaw Foundation Baptist Church and he's continued that, okay? And he has
a heart for planting churches and that's another thing, but again, I'm not going to say it
doesn't make someone a church, but that's just weird, isn't it? How many churches out
there and, you know, I'm not talking about good churches, it's all these like churches
that you see around where they've got no interest at all in any other church, right? That's
weird, isn't it? Okay, but he's got a heart for it. He wants to plant other churches.
Pastor Thompson planted us, okay? And I'm not going to, the line doesn't stop there
with us, okay? We want to plant churches. We want to find areas and people and the right
ingredients to plant churches, okay? That's what we want to do because, look, that's,
for me, that's a clear part of being a church is to then continue to plant other churches,
but we don't just want to plant a church which is okay and kind of ticks a few boxes and
does a few things. We want to plant a church which has a potential to be a glorious church,
okay? That's what we want. We want glorious churches. What is a glorious church? What
is glorious, noble, excellent, renowned, celebrated, illustrious, very honourable and, look, I'm
going to be honest with you right now, I'm hoping from preaching this sermon, I want
people to be convicted to want to be a part of a glorious church.
So I really want at least a church which can one day become a glorious church and has the
ingredients to do so and has the people with the right attitude to do that. Be part of
making a church glorious because it takes everyone who's part of a church, okay? It's
not just the guy preaching at the front. Verse 27 said that he might present it to himself
in Ephesians 5, this is, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing
but that it should be holy and without blemish. That's the goal and if you're part of a church
that you feel like, look, there are people here at churches, right? If you feel that
you can help your church to reach this goal then great, good on you, crack on, stay in
your church, get it right, yeah? I hope that everyone comes away from this sermon fired
up to serve God at your local church if you've got a local church. If you've got a church
that has no, like I said, there are some stipulations for it to be a church. If it's a church, yeah,
if it's got the word of God, if it's preaching the gospel, if it's going out and reaching
the lost, amen, make that church a glorious church, okay? Do your best to do that. However,
however for those that would like to be part of a potential church plant here, let's look
at some ingredients in Ephesians 5 which are needed for a glorious church. So we're going
to look from verse 22 in Ephesians 5 where it says, wives, submit yourselves unto your
own husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is ahead of the wife even as Christ is ahead
of the church and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject
unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. So the title
is A Glorious Church and point number one, and we're back to a three-point sermon again,
you know, like I said earlier, I like routine, yeah? We had a three-point this morning, we're
having a three-point this afternoon, okay? Point number one is a glorious church is subject
unto Christ. A glorious church is subject unto Christ. A glorious church is not subject
unto the mainstream media, okay? A glorious church is not subject unto whatever the media
is pushing right now as what should be holiness, what should be love, what a Christian should
be like because the media's got a lot to say and a lot of people out there who aren't saved
and don't even believe the Bible have a lot to say about what a Christian should behave
like, don't they? I'm sure many of you have heard people say things like, well, shouldn't
a Christian judge not? Shouldn't a Christian just love everyone? Should a Christian, I
mean, I used to have this a lot, should a Christian be into fight sports? Have you read
the Bible? I mean, Pete was cutting off ears. What on earth, you know? Two consenting people
with pillows on their hands punched each other in the face, what on earth is wrong with these
people? These same people, because people love to make their own standards, don't they?
But people come out with this stuff all the time, but no, a glorious church is subject
under Christ. Are we? Now look, we want to obey the government where we can do that without
going against the word of God, okay? We're not going to compromise on the word of God
though, are we? And obviously, again, these are quick verses. Acts 5 29, it says, then
Peter and the other apostles answers said, we ought to obey God rather than men, okay?
Look, that's who we ought to obey. We ought to obey God rather than men. A real church
is subject under Christ, not the government. If the government's telling you to do one
thing and Jesus Christ tells you to do the other thing, I know who I'm answering. I'm
answering to the higher power. Is a glorious church, okay, is subject under Christ, not
a denomination, not a denomination. And there's a lot of churches out there which are subject
under a denomination, aren't they? Okay? And they'll be like, well, yeah, but the head
of our denomination says this. So it doesn't matter what I read in my Bible. It doesn't
matter that I've just got to a point where I'm convicted as a leader, pastor, priest,
whatever they are. And of course, many of these are unsaved and the Bible says one thing,
but my denomination says something else. I mean, you can see the problems with that,
however, there is a lot of that in Baptist circles where it's not quite obviously a Baptist
church shouldn't be a denomination, but they'll have their union, they'll have their organization,
which all believe, for example, the pre-trib rapture, even though the Bible is clear that
there's no such thing as a pre-tribulational rapture. But none of them will even think
would even want to entertain the thought of studying it because they're, let's be honest,
says elsewhere. It says something else, doesn't it? And not just things like that. What about
Israel? I mean, the Bible says time and time and time again, for you are all the children
of God. How? By faith in Christ Jesus. However, how many churches out there just refuse to
believe what the Bible says? God's not done with the Jews yet. Who are you even talking
about, man? You're talking about them Eastern European guys. Funny outfits. God's not done
with them. They converted about the eighth century, didn't they? What on earth has that
got through with anything? What a load of nonsense. People love to bring, people just
love to bring, this is a carnal flesh, loves to bring race into it. It comes down to there's
so many people, it's all about bloodline and race and everything else. But weren't we told
to avoid foolish genealogies? Because in the New Testament, that stuff's done away with, man.
Anyway, now here's the thing as well. When it comes to those sorts of things, remember we're
subject unto Christ. Now we are New Independent Fundamental Baptists, anyone's wondering here
and going, isn't this guy just, you know, another one of these Baptist guys? No, we're what we call
New Independent Fundamental Baptists. This isn't a denomination, though. This is a group of churches
which we use that title because it differentiates ourselves from the old IFB and sadly, where so
many of these churches have, some have just kind of gone weak, some are literally just full on
apostate, okay? And they're full on just work salvationists and everything else. But we're not
denomination, we're independent churches with our own independent way of doing things, okay?
And now it's all as Christ honouring as possible, like we've just said, a glorious church subject
unto Christ. But for things which aren't as clear as you'd like maybe in the Bible, we'll do things
our way. For example, our church will observe the Lord's Supper different to other churches
amongst the New Independent Fundamental Baptists. I interpret passages of the Bible different to
even our pastor does, different to other people. And look, as long as it's not obviously, I'm not
talking about salvation or anything which is anything really serious, yeah? But look, we're
independent churches, okay? You've got to understand that because there's a lot of people that
in our sort of movement, that they'll become part of a church and then instead of, well, I'm of
Paul and I'm of Apollos, there'll be a church going, well, I'm Stephen Anderson and I'm a
Pastor Jimenez, you know? And it's like, no, no, no, you're kind of a church to serve a church.
Look, that's great. They're great men of God, you know? Great pastors, great everything else.
But we won't be planting fanboy Baptist church, okay? This ain't fanboy Baptist.
Never say. Instead of, well, what does the Bible say about that? It's like,
my favorite pastor said this so, you know? It's like, yeah, but what does the word of God say?
Okay? Because look, if you base your whole life and your whole beliefs on what someone says,
believe me, you're setting yourself up for full, okay? Look, it's not I'm of Paul, I'm of Apollos,
I'm of Christ, okay? Study your Bible and get some conviction for yourself, right?
Okay? This isn't fanboy Baptist. And look, look at, well, in fact, yeah, turn to Hebrews 13
quickly. Turn to Hebrews 13 because there's something you've got to understand when you're
part of a church, okay? It's not whoever your favorite pastor, your favorite preacher,
whoever it is that you are suddenly, you know, that you're going to be in subjection to.
Well, no, Hebrews 13, 17, Hebrews 13, 17 says, obey them that have the rule over you.
And that's not a pastor thousands of miles ago when you're part of a church. And submit yourselves
for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not
with grief for that is unprofitable for you. Now, look, that's not in every area of your life,
but when it comes to church life, if you're part of a church, your pastor is your spiritual head
there, okay? You need to submit to him and not to your favorite pastor who you've never even met.
Okay, look, by all means, listen to the preaching. By all means, learn from that preaching.
You've got to understand that you're part of a church, right? A church is important thing.
And that could be a problem if it's like, well, yeah, I'm just going to go to church because my
favorite pastor told me to go to church. I've got no interest. What goes on that church? What's
going on? I can just tick that box and then go back and kind of carry on, you know, in my own
separate spiritual life. But a church is a team. A church is one body. It's the body of Christ, okay?
We're Shaw Foundation Baptist Church, okay? And we also are subject unto Christ. We're not subject
to a deacon board here. Anyone ever heard of these sorts of churches? Oh, there are quite a few of
those out there. So this is the sort of church where instead of listening to what the pastor
says, instead of the pastor being the authority in that church, no, no, no, it's a group of people.
I remember that, and I think it was a pastor Anderson when he was talking about them being
mossback deacons. These guys are kind of like these old sort of parts of the furniture in a
church which basically decide what the pastor does and doesn't do. They ultimately almost decide
what he preaches as well. That's not right, is it? We don't model ourselves in the world's fake
democracies, okay? And there's a lot of those sorts of churches out there. Everyone's voting on
everything. Since when was that biblical? You ever see anyone voting in the Bible on church life?
I haven't seen that at all, okay? There's a hierarchy, and the ultimate top of that hierarchy
is who? The Lord Jesus Christ, okay? So, well, you could even say God the Father there. So
a glorious church is subject under Christ. Look at verse 25. It says husbands love your wives even
as Christ also loved the church, gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the word. This is back, sorry, in Ephesians 5. That he might
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. The title is glorious church. Number
one, a glorious church is subject under Christ. And number two, a glorious church is cleaned by
the word. A glorious church is cleaned by the word. Now that goes without saying, doesn't it?
But how many Christians can't take a good scrub down? Yeah? Do you know how many Christians just
cannot take a good, they can't take a good scrub down? Too many delicate, self-important,
sensitive, little snowflake type Christians out there. There's a lot of them out there, yeah,
that cannot take a good cold water hosing down from the word of God. They can't deal with it.
And we've had those in our church. We probably continue to have those in our church. Now our
primary goal, yeah, is for somewhere basically to come, you know, come to worship, to serve,
and to get sent out soul winning, okay? What, yeah, there are some secondary goals, okay?
There are secondary goals to being a Christian. And obviously this goes in hand with the primary
goal anyway. The fellowship, that's important, isn't it? Some of you guys, I was talking to
someone earlier who was telling me about how it can feel lonely as a Christian when you're stuck
in the middle of nowhere. That can feel lonely, can't it? Yeah, you come to church, it's good,
that fellowship. The encouragement and the self-improvement as well, okay? That's all
important stuff from church. And you know what's good for self-improvement? There's nothing like
a good face-ripping sermon. Do you know that? There's nothing like, and I haven't come here
to rip on your sins and stuff. Look, I don't even know you guys that well yet, okay? But look,
back at our church, I'll rip on their sins sometimes, you know? And there is nothing
like that, okay? You need that. And when you get that, you can clean up your life, okay?
There's a big part of that in preaching. The word of God prescribes that. God prescribes that, okay?
And you know what? That can be a lot easier to take when it's a pastor thousands of miles away
talking to his church and you can pick and choose the bits that you want to apply that you're ready
to listen to than it is when it's your own pastor or church leader if you're a satellite church
preaching to you in your church. A lot of people find that hard, okay? They find that really
difficult when it's someone that was your peer. Yeah, that was your peer. Maybe it was someone
that was your soul-winning partner that week. Maybe they were just out soul-winning with you
and then that Sunday they're preaching on some sin in your life and that could be really,
that could be tough. A lot of people, the pride, they just can't take it. They can't deal with it.
And those people are more likely to go to, you know, liberal little pat on the back Baptist
church where they'll never preach on sin at all and instead they'll just preach on deep and
wonderful doctrine and they can feel very intellectual and very smart and everything else
but all they really rip their face off because they've still got all those sins in their life
but they're not dealing with it because no one's preaching on it. Yeah, well, I can read the Bible
that'll tell me about my sin but I'll tell you what, it's a lot different when someone preaches
that. Yeah, it is a lot different. Some people will act like, well, who are you to tell me? You
know, that's in their mind. You can even see it. Oh, who are you to tell me about this? You know,
I saw you, I don't know, I saw you say, I saw you sin once. Yeah, but what does the Word of God say?
If we're preaching the Word of God, we're preaching the Word of God, aren't we, right?
Now, if that pastor is preaching the Word of God, okay, then you've got basically one of two
options, okay? So when you hear, feel that hard preaching, there are two options when you're
a Christian in a church. You could humble yourself and get sanctified and cleansed, amen. Anyone here
not want to be sanctified and cleansed? The truth is there probably are people that don't. That's
the sad truth, in certain areas. I mean, oh yeah, I'm kind of up for the sanctifying and cleansing
in this area, not that area though, because that's my, that's a stronghold in my life, maybe. That's
an idol in my life, something else, okay? So there are those that just humble themselves and then
listen and will try and get sanctified and cleansed and want to apply, and then there's those
that harden their neck, their hearts, and just end up wallowing in the mire. They don't get cleansed,
they don't get sanctified, they don't get the hose down, they don't allow themselves, because it's
your choice as well. Look, the face-flipping sermon is great, but you've got to let it affect
your life. You've got to let it apply to you. Turn to 2 Timothy 4. God, like I said, he prescribes
preaching to clean his people, and you know what? It's not just the New Testament. From as early as
Abel, described as a prophet in Luke 11 through Enoch, okay? Enoch was a preacher. I don't know
if anyone's aware of this. Enoch, who was translated, who walked with God, Enoch is
described in Jude as basically preaching on reprobates and end-time judgment. He's preaching
on the ungodly of all the ungodly things and ungodly sins that ungodly men have committed,
okay? Enoch was a preacher, and Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Noah was a preacher
of righteousness. These were all preachers, and they're all preaching the truth, and through
history, throughout Bible history, God has cleaned his people and condemned the world
through preaching, and you know what? When I said through preaching, I mean through preaching.
I don't mean by standing here pointing at whiteboards, or nowadays it's smart boards,
isn't it? And kind of going, you know, and look, look, there's a bit of teaching. Look,
there is some teaching in life, yeah? We need some teaching from the Word of God,
but do you know what most people need more is some preaching. They need some hard preaching.
People need to hear their sins preached, and they need someone to put a rocket up them. That's what
they need. Not someone just constantly showing them graphs and things and trying to make them
feel so clever. I'm standing here because I'm just so intellectual. I'm really getting to,
you know?
Through the Word of God as well. Look, I've done a lot of that in church, where I'm just preaching
on devils in our church, and I preach at them, and I preach at them, and I'm condemning their
actions and showing the church not to behave like that, and weakening them all the time. And you've
got to be able to take that, because sometimes when those devils are getting preached on,
it's stuff that you need to deal with as well. And look, church life is like that in a real church,
preaching his word boldly, okay? And he's done this throughout, for me, throughout Bible history,
through men of God lifting up their voices, right, and letting rip. He said in our, you've
turned to 2 Timothy 4, but he said in Isaiah 58, 1 to Isaiah, to cry aloud, spare not. He said,
lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of
Jacob their sins. Okay, that's it. That's a strong command, isn't it? That's to cry aloud, to spare
not, to lift up thy voice like a trumpet. And don't worry, I'm not going to go too much louder
in here, okay? But that is a command of God to Isaiah, and you know what? That continues
all the way through Isaiah's preaching, all the way through to many of the minor prophets, all
the way through to the New Testament, all the way through to John the Baptist, who was preaching ye
generation of vipers, didn't he? Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? And that's
continued, and it continues all the way through to chapter 4, where we see, look,
Timothy being told the same thing, because, look, before we read it, okay, just...
...
...way that there's an ultimate way that we do that. 2 Timothy 4 and verse 2 says,
to preach the word. This is what, in fact, let's look from verse 1. He said, I charge you, therefore,
before God and the Lord Jesus Christ. So he's not just saying, oh, I think you should try a bit of
hard preaching, Timothy. He said, I command you, who shall judge the quick and the dead that is
appearing in his kingdom, preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, saying,
look, whether it's popular or not, whether people want to hear it or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort,
with all long suffering and doctrine. Look, if a church isn't doing that, look, for me, man,
you need to find a church that is, okay, because it makes such a difference. It makes such a
difference to your spiritual life as well. It'll make such a difference, ultimately, we're talking
about this with soul winning. When you've just got these sins mounted up in your life, man,
it will start to weaken you and it will start to affect salvations and other things.
We want to be spirit filled, don't we? How do we get spirit filled? By denying the flesh.
What's one of the ways that God helps you deny the flesh is through men of God preaching,
preaching about those fleshly temptations, those lusts, those things in your life to help you get
rid of them out of your life. Because nothing like having someone in a room pointing out your sin
while you're sitting there, looking at each other, looking at the whites of each other's eyes while
he's preaching on your sin, that is hard, okay? And you've got to be a certain man of God to be
able to take that, believe me. To be able to sit in a church and just take that and go, no, I'm
going to dust myself off. I'm going to get myself right and I'm going to get back in church. And,
you know what, it's a purging process for a church as well. And when you do that, that's when you end
up with Gideon's 300 instead of a load of clowns, a load of wicked clowns wandering around your
church who just aren't ready to get right with God. And what gets done? Do you know what gets
done? Eventually it just becomes this breeding ground. So scared of losing church members,
they won't just preach the truth. They won't just preach the word. They won't just preach hard.
He said, reprove, rebuke and exhort. And look, we need encouragement as well. But I noticed
reprove and rebuke first and then exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. He said, for the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap themselves
teachers having itching ears. And of course, we think of the wicked, obvious false prophets,
the TV preachers, the Joel Osteen, the smooth talking, you know, these sorts of guys out there.
But look, I've seen these guys in so-called Baptist churches, OK, where people aren't
enduring sound doctrine. They're refusing the clear stuff of the Bible. Instead,
it's half their own lusts. They're heaping themselves, these teachers just making them feel
so whatever it is, whatever it is that they need to feel. And there's a false prophet for everyone.
Believe me, there's a flavour for everyone out there. OK. And you've got to reject that stuff
and go, no, I need I want to get well, I want to do what the Bible says. I want to hear some
proper preaching. Right. I want to hear someone preaching the word. He said in nature, I'll turn
away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. And there's a lot of fables out there.
The preacher of rapture is a fable. OK, the Ashkenazi, you know, God's chosen people is a fable.
OK, the all that it's all fables, it's fables and people. You've got to reject that stuff. Now,
look, again, if. You believe it's a church, great, OK, make that church great. However,
there's so many people that are just choosing places where really they could be part of a
proper church. They have the we have people like that in the UK where people still who haven't
even visited our church, who are in these sorts of churches, like what is wrong with you? What is
wrong with you? These guys are just dropping by the wayside. They're not sowing. They're not doing
anything anymore. They're hardly doing a thing, but they're just persevering in some dead as a
dodo church. If you could even call it a church who are just preaching all these fables, all these
fables are not just preaching on their sin. And a lot of the time it's just because they just can't
take some hard preaching. You've got to be able to take the hard preaching and that's going to
improve your life. And what that does is ultimately will improve your soul as well. Now, a glorious
church is cleaned by the word. Look at verse twenty seven back in Ephesians five, Ephesians
five and verse twenty seven, where the Bible says this, it says that he might present it to himself
a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but it should be holy and without
blemish. So it's not always a glorious church. A glorious church is subject to Christ. A glorious
church is cleaned by the word. And number three, a glorious church has holy standards. A glorious
church has holy standards. Now, just a quick point here, not holier than thou standards.
A lot of people love the holier than thou standards. Like I said earlier, they love their own
extra biblical standards, the ones that they can deal with that aren't even in the Bible.
And then they fall, they fall badly with many other things, but they manage to keep that kind
of quite quiet. Yeah. And we, I've been across a lot of these people in life. They come to churches,
they come to your church and they try and impress you with the holiness, but inside it just full of
pride and wickedness and all sorts of guile and all this stuff. You're just like, what on earth?
You know, they're trying their best to try and promote it onto other people. And these people
can be a cancer in a church as well because they start to affect us people like, well,
I just can't match up to these people because they're constantly pushing and promoting it.
They're often boastful as well. They're often what we call gnat straining camel swallows,
you know? So they'll swallow the camel of a false gospel, but they'll strain the gnat of
some perceived holiness of their own, right? Okay. So that's not the sorts of people I'm
talking about. I'm talking about people basically being holy, not conformed to this world. Okay. And
there's a difference there, isn't there? Turn to first Corinthians chapter five,
because a glorious church, and this is something you've got to understand about our sorts of
church, which sadly seems to have just lacked amongst other gospel believing churches,
real church that there is a glorious church.
Practice church discipline. We're not a cult. Okay. In case anyone's ever heard these sorts
of insults before. Okay. A real church isn't a cult. We don't force you to stay. Often we'll
force you to leave. Okay. We will force you to leave a church. Our sorts of churches aren't
forcing you to stay in here. We're not taking control of your bank account and, you know,
not letting you go anywhere. No, a lot of the time we will force you to leave though,
because a church has to have holy standards in it. Now, some will try and act like they're so
holy because they'll let anyone in. You've ever been in these sorts of churches? Oh, you know,
we just love too much. We just love the sodomites. We just love, you know, whoever it is. We wouldn't
kick them out. We're just so forgiving, you know? Well, look, they think they're holier than Jesus
Christ. Because Jesus Christ is the word of God, right? And my word of God says something
different. Look at 1 Corinthians and we're going to look at verse five. We'll look from verse six,
which says this. It says, your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven,
leaveneth the whole lump. So first point, when you have open wickedness going on in churches,
that's going to leaven the whole lump. It's not loving to leave that going on because you're
going to affect a whole church. Our church, we've got kids everywhere. We've got families
everywhere. We've got impressionable people. You have new Christians coming in. You have older,
more mature Christians. You've got everything across the board in there, okay? And that little
bit of leaven will leaven them, okay? It will leaven that lump. And you don't want that. And
what that's basically saying is that the analogy really, you could probably say more like sourdough
stew. You could raise the whole lump of dough, won't it? It only needs a tiny bit. You haven't
even done any. And like, oh yeah, look how holy we are. We don't care that we've got this
fornicator in the church. And it's like a wicked type of fornication as well. And it says,
your glory is not good. Know ye not that a little leaveneth the whole lump. Purge out
there for the old leaven that ye may be a new lump as ye are leavened for even Christ our
passover is sacrificed for us. So he's saying, look, you need to get out of that. Get that stuff
out. Yeah, get that stuff out. Then he says this. He says, therefore, let us keep the feast, not
with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth. I wrote unto you in an epistle, he said, not to company with fornicators.
Okay, so basically what's going on, if anyone's never read this book before, is basically
that there's this guy in the church and he's fornicating. Now it says with his father's wife,
some people try and get in this debate with this and go, oh, see, so fornication is actually
adultery. And then they're trying to justify divorce. That's why people just want to justify
divorce all the time. Okay. But where it says he's being fornicated with his father's wife,
some people then go, well, maybe like it's his, you know, that his father's
wife, he was probably fornicating with her before they got married. Okay. So I think he was,
so the father is getting remarried for whatever reason. This guy's been fornicating with her and
she's now his father's wife. And they're all thinking, this is great. Look how forgiving we
are. Look how holy we are that we just let him in. We just forget. But they never did anything
about it. Okay. So he says here, he says, I wrote unto you an epistle, not to company with
fornicators, yet not altogether with the fornicators of the world or with the covetous
or extortions or with idolaters for them, for then must your knees go out of the world. Again,
the holy of the nows will then try and cut off everyone outside of the church, all their unsaved
family and friends who are in these sorts of sins on this list. But that's not what it's talking
about. Because then you'd need to go out of the world because they're all at it, aren't they?
Okay. We live in a world of fornication and many other sins. It's talking about a brother in the
church, right? He said, but now I've written unto you not to keep company if any man that is called
a brother. And obviously we're talking sisters here as well. Be a fornicator. Okay. What's a
fornicator? These are people having a physical relationship outside of marriage. Okay. You have
a brother in the church doing that. They need to get kicked out. Okay. We're not, oh, well,
everyone's doing it nowadays. No, you want to have a physical relationship. You need to get married.
And if you're not married, get out. Yeah. Get out. We don't want those sorts of people in our church.
Now, if I have a new person come to our church, we'll give them a couple of weeks. Okay. First,
if they've just come and visited, I'm not preaching this to them at the door. I'm not like
after it's going, right. You know, unless it's clearly, they actually asked me about it.
We give new believers a couple of weeks. And if they start, if they want to be a part of our
church, if someone is a part of, wants to be a brother and a part. Okay. That's a load of old
nonsense. Okay. Getting in like a lifelong debt to, to try and have a better wedding than your
friend had. Yeah. Okay. That's it. It's just, it's carnal. It's nonsense. They can have a
shotgun wedding or they can get out the church, get out the church. Okay. We're not having that
sort of stuff around our kids. Yeah. And around everyone, a little level level in the whole lump.
Be a fornicator or covetous. Okay. What's a covetous person. These people are just,
just basically having an inordinate desire for money usually, but it's just coveting anything.
It's coveting things that aren't yours. But now there's someone that is a covetous person.
A covetous person is someone that, that, that shapes them. And again,
always just being false prophets. Okay. They always just ended up being, you know,
just blatant church infiltrators just there to cause trouble. All they think about is money.
That's all they can talk about. And again, when I say all they try and act like they're not,
but it just ends up coming out in conversation, money, cash, how you can make more, how you can
trade with people in church, all this sort of stuff all goes hand in hand again, to be kicked
out. Idolator. Now, now people go, well, that's just for like, you know, people in India or
something, isn't it? You know, with all those statues and things like that. What are all the
gods of the world? What are all the gods of the nations? They're all idols. So these are people
that are basically worshipping a false god. Now you go, isn't this unsaved people? Again,
a lot of this does just apply to people. A lot of this is good in terms of just getting out
false prophets, false brethren, infiltrators, which will come into churches. Okay. We talked
about this briefly this morning. That's just a part of Christian life. And this stuff is good
for that because this stuff, this stuff, a lot of them will be into these sorts of things that
gives you a reason to kick them out because they don't admit that they're unsaved. However,
what this, what you also have, there are people as well, for example, who maybe come to your church,
but maybe they come, maybe half the time that you're, they're going to some false church.
And look, if, and it is a way I've looked at this. Yeah. And I've done a whole series on these sins
before. If the gods of the nations are idols and someone's going to a church where they're clearly
preaching that the Jesus that they believe in makes you have to repent of your sins to get saved
in one way or another, because they will have their own version of it. And they will happen
as long as they all have some version of it, as long as you don't preach the truth, right?
Or yoke up together. What is that Jesus? Is that the real Jesus? So what is he? He's an idol.
He's a false God. So if someone's coming to your church on one hand and then going and worshiping
and knowing, not, not somewhere they don't really know, but they know that they're going to a church
just because they still got their family of friends there. Oh, well, yeah. But, you know,
I just really like it. They've got a great music there. You know, your music is a bit too traditional
himmy. You know, we like the contemporary stuff where there's like no doctrine. It's Jesus, Jesus,
you know, and all that stuff. So I still go there on a Wednesday night, but we'll just come to you
on a Sunday. They're going and worshiping an idol. They're there getting involved in the service.
What are they doing? They're worshiping an idol. Should they be in your church?
Get them out. Get them out. Get right and get back in the church. It doesn't mean they're
unsafe, does it? No. You think just because you're saved you're automatically just right
with everything you do. No. There are unsafe people in all sorts. I'm sure half the people
have got saved. It doesn't mean they're not saved, does it? Don't ever get pulled into that.
Well, if they're saved, then they'll just get right and go to church. No, because this place
would be packed so would every other proper church around. Okay. That's not the truth, is it? They
will go and those people, if they're worshiping idols and they want to come to your church and do
both, they can't do that, can they? Okay. Idolatry or a railer. What's a railer? We kicked out a lot
of railers out of our church. So railing is basically, and addictory gives the wrong
definition of this. Addictory tries to claim it's just like using insulting language. Well,
that would make Jesus Christ a railer because he called people vipers, serpents, snakes. He called
them foxes and everything else. Okay. So no, a railer is someone, it's always got some bit of
dishonesty. It's an untruth. It's basically slander, false accusation, but it can be subtle
as well. Okay. And whenever we see railing in the Bible, it's always got some element of that.
And look, railers will come into your church. They'll start trying to slander people in church.
...kicked out. Okay. We had a lot of people that we could prove were railing,
tried to rail against me at the church and we had evidence that they were railing and
kicked them out. But, and again, a lot of the time they'll just be false brethren.
Railers, drunkards. Now this is important one, isn't it? Because how many people try and justify
boozing? Yeah. I don't know about South Africa, but the UK is a nation of boozers,
nation of alcoholics. Now this is where it gets a bit complicated because people then go, well,
I believe in social drinking. Now, look, if you believe in social drinking and you believe
the Bible, you're a moron. Okay. Let's just get that straight. Okay. You are an idiot.
Okay. Because my Bible says to not even look upon the wine when it giveth its colour in the cup,
when it moveth itself aright. Okay. That's fermented alcohol. If you're one of these
guys that like, no, it's always talking about alcoholic wine when it talks about wine in the
King James Bible, again, you're a moron. Okay. Well, you think Jesus' first miracle was to have
a booze up when, when they had well drunk, it was time to get out the strong stuff, guys.
Come on. Okay. That's ridiculous. Isn't it?
If you aren't sure about that, there are loads of good stuff.
Read the Bible, read the Bible and just take off the beer goggles. Yeah. Put them over there.
Read the Bible.
You'll start to think, Oh, okay. That makes a bit more sense now. It's the same word. Okay.
Wine can be fermented or unfermented. Okay. And you have to decide the context. It's not
for the translators to decide for you. Okay. They're just going to translate the Bible.
You decide whether it's fermented or unfermented based on that. And when it,
when it says wine is a mocker, I know which sort of wine it's talking about.
I don't think that's grape juice. Strong drink is aging and whosoever is deceived thereby
is not wise. You want to be wise. Don't get deceived by that junk. It's filth. It will ruin
your life. Okay. It will wreck your life. Get out of your life. Don't try and justify. However,
when it comes to being a drunkard, unfortunately, even though people just because they love it so
much and they love the, and they like a lot of these guys, what you'll find is they probably
aren't sinking the 10% cider and the, and the, and the vodkas and stuff like that. What they,
what they do is they try and, they try and justify a bit of vino. Well, I have a bit of
wine because I'm so cultured. It's got a lot of nose, you know, and they're like trying to like
act like, look, come on, you lie. You wouldn't drink that if you didn't have alcohol in it. Yeah.
And they try and justify it and act very cultured and everything else. Yeah. And the problem is you
can't go right where you're definitely a drunkard. Okay. That's the truth. However, is the way we
look at it is like this. Okay. If you're drinking, if you're drinking regularly,
you're a drunkard. Okay. If you're, and again, just let me get this straight one last time.
You shouldn't drink at all. The Bible's clear. Okay. However, to kick someone out of a church
for being a drunkard, a drunkard is slightly different. Okay. If someone, if you're drinking
regularly, you're a drunkard. Okay. If you, if you're drinking, for example, drunk driving,
some sort of fighting, all this sort of stuff, you have some sort of police issues with that,
and you're still drinking, you're a drunkard. Okay. If you're, if you're drinking on your own,
you're a drunkard. And you go, oh, but I'm not rolling around in the gutters. Look,
that's not what we're talking about here. Okay. We're talking about, we're talking about having
some, it can be a mental addiction to alcohol, basically being unable to not drink. Have you
noticed, I don't know if you have this here, we have something in the UK where they call it
dry January. And all these guys that claim not to be drunkards are high-fiving and celebrating
and even getting sponsored to not drink for one month. That's a drunkard. Okay. That's ridiculous,
isn't it? Okay. But if you're drinking on your own, you're a drunkard. That's not social drinking,
is it? Oh, I'm a social drinker. I just like have a glass of wine on my own in the evening every
night. You're a drunkard. Okay. If you're getting drunk, you're a drunkard. Now what is drunk? Look,
I would say being not sober is drunk, but if you're like sinking drinks and acting clearly
as a drunkard, you're a drunkard. Okay. So that's the way we would, you know, because again, we're
a bibble. Oh, well, we just decide if you drink anything, you're out. Okay. Look, you should,
and I'll preach that hard. I preach from the pulpit a lot. However, that's, you know,
that's how we define a drunkard. Let's move on for drinking anyway. I think everyone understands
that. What about an extortioner? What's an extortioner? Because you said here,
but now I've written unto you not to keep company with any man that's called a brother,
be a fornicator, a covetous, an idolator, a railer, or a drunken, or an extortioner.
Extortioner is someone that's basically conning money out of people.
Jobs that are basically extortion. You can probably think of a lot of kind of financial
type jobs and certain jobs that people are literally just getting ripped off getting conned.
And I'm not going to go through a list. I don't know what you guys have to deal with here,
but I can think of a few back in the UK with those. But here's another one as well that
I've preached from our pulpit as well. I think it kind of goes hand in hand really
where in Thessalonians, I think it is, I'm trying to remember the chapter where, where
away from among you. But I think it kind of really goes hand in hand. If someone's trying
to blag money out of people in a church and coming in and trying to pull on the old heartstrings,
tug at the old, you know, they are, oh, I just, just really can't get, really just can't afford
a meal this week and stuff like that. Look now, if they really can't and they're really in a bad
way, we'll help people out. You have a lot of people just come to church to extort people.
Okay. And that for me, if you can see that and you, and you could show that that's an extortioner,
we'll kick them out as well. And that's probably one that you're going to deal with more often
than people literally holding people in the corner going, give us your money. Could happen,
does happen. Kids can do that stuff as well. You know, you're bullying kids around the
Trump bully other kids and take stuff off, especially in a big church. Okay. That's
extortioner. What can we add to that? We'll turn to Romans chapter 16,
because there are a couple of other things we're talking about here. We're just talking about
the clear, um, the clear, uh, biblical discipline in a church, because we want to present to,
to the Lord Jesus Christ, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that it should be holy and without blemish. Uh, and Romans 16 verse 17 says, now I beseech you,
mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine, which you have learned
and avoid them for they that are such serve, not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly and
by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. Okay. There are people that will
come into a church and try and whisper false doctrine and all that sort of stuff. We kick
them out as well. Okay. They get kicked out. Anyone preaching some whispering about a false
way of salvation or any of that stuff, they get kicked out of the church, right? There to be gone.
We don't have that stuff in our churches either. And, and last one with that, and just, just a
quick point. So before we go with that, he does say in verse 18, for they that are such serve,
not our Lord Jesus Christ. These are unsaved people. Okay. These are unsaved devils.
Watch for that in a church. There are people that try and make their own little groups,
their own little stuff, where they try and pull people to themselves, try and get their own sort
of forming group together to then challenge the leadership, to challenge the church and stuff,
to try and take the hearts of people. Honestly, this stuff goes on. You'd be amazed. Okay. How
many devils will come into a real church? And you've got to really watch and just check them
at every point. Obviously, in fact, we're not going to move on, but last one that you could
add to that would be Matthew 18's refusing church judgment. Okay. Look, if, if, if you've been
Matthew 18, you've gone to the church leadership with that stuff again. So these are all things
now. The point of me going through this stuff is most of you, if you've been in any other churches,
which aren't if someone watches pastor Steven Anderson, kick them out or something. That's
a lot of churches are like that. Yeah. I mean, they like forget all the, what the Bible says.
What about, Oh, if they don't agree that the Jews are God's chosen people, get them out. They're
antisemitic, you know, whatever it is. Okay. And look, but what does, but we don't do on biblical
church discipline. No, honestly, we, if someone comes in our church and they, they believe in the
pre-trib rapture, they're welcome to stay in our church. They believe in that, you know, they
believe in Zionism. They get, they're welcome to stay in our church. I'm going to preach those
truths. They better not go and whisper it to other people. Let's start whispering heresies
because that stuff is, it's heresy. It is heresy. Okay. They're whispering that to other people,
kick them out. Okay. But the sad truth is that most churches aren't practicing that. And then
what's the problem. So you're going, what are you going on about this? Okay. Oh, last point before
I do sodomy and other vile affections, kick them out. We don't allow that filth in the church like
that. You go, why? Well, firstly, you could just go, well, fornicators are to be out. Okay. But
secondly, it's an open, clear sign of reprobation. Reprobates are God haters. They're not welcome in
our church. Why would I bring in the devil's children, sons of Belial into our church? Okay.
They get kicked out. We don't even let them in in the first place if possible. And if we suspect
someone, then when they're going to get kicked out. Okay. Now you go, well, why, why? Because
that stuff is disgusting. It's filth. It's absolute filth. And I'm not just talking about sodomites.
And of course, a lot of the time it goes hand in hand, but I'm talking about child molesters.
I'm talking about people, and I don't want to go too graphic, but people into like all these
vile affections from Leviticus 18, Leviticus 20, bestiality, all sorts of just disgusting things
that we don't even want to talk about. Right. It's a shame to even think about that stuff,
isn't it? However, look, people into that stuff, they're not welcome in our church either.
And I say that because how many churches are trying to welcome those people in?
How many so-called churches are trying to say, get them in around your children? That is disgusting,
isn't it? Get these vile people in and start fellowshipping with them and acting like they
can get saved. It's, it's a laugh, isn't it? And it's not a funny laugh either. It's ridiculous.
Okay. Now we have, now why do we have all this in a church? Because we want, well, the Lord Jesus
Christ said that he might present it to himself a glorious church and ultimately washing with the
word. And this all comes from the word, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
but it should be holy and without blemish. So when we, when you have a church like ours,
you're going to have a church where people are kicked out for the right reasons,
where you try and keep the church clean for the right reasons, where that stuff isn't running
rampant. Now you're going to have these wicked people in the church. You will,
but it's not going to be open and brazen or they're going to get kicked out. Okay. And we'll
kick them out as quick as we can with any sort of stuff like that. And what do you have? What's
the result of that? You have a church, which is more capable of being a glorious church and not
a church full of all. Church has holy standards. Let's look back at Ephesians five and finish off.
Verse 28 said, so all men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife
loveth himself. Verse 29 says for no man ever yet ate his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherishth
it, even as the Lord the church. The Lord loves the church. You know that? He loves a proper
church. It's not just that you're a Christian. He loves a proper church. Okay. This isn't talking
about a universal church. This is a church. Okay. For we are members of his body, of his
flesh and of his bones. That when you're in a church, you're part of the body of Christ. Okay.
That's why it's so essential to have a proper church. Isn't it? He said for this cause shall
a man leave his father and mother shall be joined unto his wife and they too should be one flesh.
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning to every one of you in particular. So I love
his wife even as himself and wife see that she reverence her husband. Okay. So the title's been
a glorious church. I just want you to think about this point. These points one last time,
the glorious church number one, a glorious church is subject unto Christ. A glorious church is
cleaned by the word and a glorious church has holy standards. Now, the point of the sermon,
like I said, I was honest with you from the beginning, right? I hope that everyone here
wants to be part of a glorious church. If you've got a church that you believe can be
a glorious church, great. Be a part of that. Try and strengthen it. If you're not,
I hope that you'll come away from the summit and say, okay, look, we want to be a part of a church.
Okay. And if, and if we think we can make something happen here, we want to make a glorious
church. Okay. But it has to be the right things, the right ingredients, the right people, people
that are zealous for a proper church, not people that just, like I said, aren't like fanboy Baptist.
Well, we're just kind of come down and tick the box, but we don't really care. No. We want to be
part of a church, right? Part of a church. Um, on that we're going to pray.
Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you for, um, well, you know, just, just the fact
the, the, the new Testament church, Lord, the church that is a pillar and ground of the truth,
help us to, well, to all be a part of that, Lord, help us to want to be a part of that,
help us serve, help us to want to just serve you with all our, just, just all our strength,
all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our strength, help us to want to just be,
you know, the Christians that you want us to be, Lord, not, uh, not to just kind of want to just
be tick box Christianity, but people who just want to serve you through your institution,
the new Testament church, to want to make, make a church, uh, you know, a glorious.
Uh, to, to want this for this nation, Lord, and for others, and to just, um, to,
to just keep trying to make that happen, Lord. We pray for, uh, pray for the fellowship time now and
for, um, for, for the rest of the week, for everyone going forward, and just have a blessed
week and that they're able to just keep you at the centre of it to get, get out of soul winning,
Lord. And, um, and in Jesus' name, we pray all of this. Amen.