Music
You
King on
Bethlehem's plane
Gold I
bring to
crown him again
King
forever
ceasing
never
over us
all to
reign
Oh
Star
of wonder
star of night
star
with royal
beauty
bright
westward leading
still
proceeding
guide us
to thy
perfect line
frankincense
to
offer have I
incense
owns
a deity
nigh
prayer and
praising all
men raising
worship him
God on
high
Oh
star
of wonder
star of
night star
with royal
beauty
bright
westward leading
still
proceeding
guide us
to thy
perfect line
myrrh
is mine
it's bitter
perfume
breathes a
life of gathering
gloom
sorrowing
sighing
bleeding
dying sealed
in a stone
cold tomb
Oh
star of
wonder star
of night
star with
royal beauty
bright
westward
leading
still proceeding
guide us
to
thy perfect
light on the last
glorious
now behold
him arise
King and
God and
sacrifice
Hallelujah
peels through
the earth
and skies
Oh
star of
wonder
star of
night
star with
royal beauty
bright
westward
leading
still proceeding
guide
us to
thy perfect
light
Amen
All right, our second song is song number 285, Angels We Have Heard on High. Song 285, Angels We Have Heard on High. Don't leave me alone on the chorus, going Gloria by myself, okay? Song 285, Angels We Have Heard on High. Let's sing it together.
on the first.
Angels we have heard
on high
sweetly singing
o'er the plains
and the mountains
in reply
echo back
their joyous
strain
glory
in excels
sees day
oh
glory
in excels
sees day
oh
shepherds why
this jubilee
why
your joyous
strains prolong
say what may
the tidings
be which
inspire
headly song
glory
in excels
sees day
oh
glory
in excels
sees day
oh
come to
Bethlehem
and see
him whose birth
the angels
sing come
a door on
bended knee
Christ the Lord
the newborn king
glory
in excels
sees day
oh
glory
in excels
sees day
we only got to make it through one more on the last
see him
in a manger
laid
Jesus Lord
of heaven and earth
Mary Joseph
land your aid
with us
sing our
savior's birth
glory
in excels
sees day
oh
glory
in excels
sees day
oh
great singing with that we'll have our
announcements
good evening everybody welcome to Schur Foundation Baptist Church
let's take our bulletins and go through the
announcements
need a bulletin if you didn't get one
raise your hand and one of the
ushers will bring you one
anybody else over here?
right over there
he's going to take the long way
on our front cover
we have our verse of the week
it says I sought the Lord and he heard me
and delivered me from all my fears
psalm 34 verse 4
on our inside there we have our service times
1030 in the morning for our Sunday morning service
3.30 pm we'll be in
Joshua chapter number 5
and oh no we're not
we're going to be doing something special this weekend
but anyway
Thursday Bible study we're also
skipping our normal Bible study
I'm going to be preaching something else tonight
and let's see we have our
sowing times
we had sowing tonight do we have any salvations out there?
one salvation praise the Lord
alright that's a quick
dark sowing
was it completely dark when you went out?
yeah so it's gotten dark really fast
now and pitch black out there
so praise the Lord for that one salvation
and so that brings us up
to two salvations so far
so that zero is not really accurate there
and let's see
what do we have going on? we had our first
choir practice last Sunday so we'll have another
one this Sunday after church
and the cookie exchange is this
Saturday at 11 am
at the Bender residence
and you get their address from
them either Rywin or
Ms. Juleen they have
moved so if you think that you know where it's at
you don't really know where it's at because
they moved unless you helped them move then you know
where it's at so
there's a white elephant game played
every year there
and if you're playing it's a
$20 gift or under
if you don't know what that is
google it and you'll figure it out really
quickly
bake three dozen cookies to exchange
if you are able to do that
see Ms. Juleen for any other questions
and
so that's this Saturday
December 8th is
the next day it's brother Sean Collins
ordination as the evangelist he's going to be moving
up to Seattle he's bought his house he's
taking his family up there
and we're going to
have a good time fellowshipping
after the service and enjoying some round
table pizza he's going to be preaching
for us for the evening service so
make sure you're in prayer for their family
did you get somebody to help you?
okay so he's got someone to help you he's actually
moving the 14th but
the ordination is going to be this
Sunday so anyway it's going to
be sad to see their family go but
I'm sure that won't be the last time we see them
of course you can always go up and visit them
they're only two and a half hours away
so it's a
great work that he's going up there to do
so I really appreciate it
but it's definitely going to be
a hit for our church because
you know usually
the best families go when they
have to go be sent out to do
great work so
anyway pray for him and his
family as they go up there and
for the church up there so
December 12th is going to be the
children's Christmas party
at the church building here 10 a.m.
to 1.30 p.m.
see Ms. Sherry for all the details
about that and
do you have a sign up for that
Ms. Sherry? No just show up
and I think she's got everything
that she needed for that so let's see
Dr. Stringer is coming to preach
next weekend not this weekend but next weekend
for both services
he's going to be giving a report on his trip to
Egypt and then preaching about something else
I forgot what it was but he told me but I just
forgot so I'm sure it's going to be something
good because Dr. Stringer
always has interesting things to preach
about so December
21st is Super
Sewing Saturday it's going to be
12 to 3 p.m. I think we're going to do it in Gresham
eating at Buster's BBQ
don't wear a white t-shirt
guys because
you're going to look like a slob when you leave there so
apparently it's pretty good I
think I might have been to the one that was over on the other side
of town once but
anyhow so it'll be
it's in Gresham so it's like
200 and something in like division or something
right so we'll have
all that information for you but 12
to 3 and it'll be
apartments and
it'll be ghetto so hopefully it'll
be receptive
so 12 to 3 Super Sewing
Saturday December
21st right
December 22nd is going to be our Christmas
service and we're going to have the
children's choir singing for us in the morning
we'll have a Christmas dinner and a
potluck in between the services
meat will be provided by the church
we will need volunteers to cook
that meat probably be a ham
involved and some
other kind of
heathen meat
that we are now allowed to eat in the New Testament
so and we'll have
a good time and
let's see December 29th is
going to be a men's preaching night for the evening
service and then December
31st is going to be
the New Year's Eve
service and that will replace
the Thursday night service
so we'll have a New Year's Eve service
we'll pray the New Year in
and we'll have some games and we'll eat
some food and we're just all
going to be
we're definitely going to get or fill
a good holiday food and
and fun and then
um we'll start the New Year
off right all the other
stuff is
everything we already know about the family integrated
services and the
offering at the bottom of the page
already up to date
and it's today's Josh and Olivia's
anniversary already saying to them
and tomorrow Zoe's
birthday and then Brandon's
a day that will live forever in
infamy is also on
Saturday so that's all I have
for announcements
I'm just going to read through the prayer request
um
real quick here
while I'm up here I know I'm
throwing you a curve ball here but
uh so Jessica Baker
is our
you
next song number 280
oh little town of
Bethlehem song number 280
oh little town of Bethlehem
song 280
oh little town of Bethlehem
let's sing it together on the first
oh little
town of
Bethlehem
how still we
see thee lie
above
thy deep
and dreamless
sleep the
silent
star
the silent
stars go by
yet in
thy dark
street shineth
the
everlasting
light
the hopes and
fears of all
the years are
met in thee
tonight
for Christ
is born of
Mary
and gathered
all above
while
mortals sleep
the angels
keep their watch
of wondering
love
oh morning
stars together
proclaim
the holy
birth
and praise
and sing to
God the king
and peace to
man on earth
how
silently
how silently
the
wondrous gift
is given
so God
implores to
human hearts
the blessings
of his
head
no ear may
hear his coming
but in
this world
of sin
where meek
souls will receive
him still
the dear Christ
enters in
oh holy
child of
Bethlehem
descend to
us we pray
cast
out our sin
and enter
in be born
in us
today
we hear
the Christmas
angels
the glad great
tidings
tell
oh come to
us
abideth us
our Lord
Emmanuel
Amen
good singing brother Ramon would you bless the offering for us
thank you
you
amen
turn to Romans chapter 16
turn your Bibles to
Romans chapter 16
please follow along as we read
the entire chapter
Romans chapter 16
the Bible reads
I commend unto you Phoebe our
sister which is a servant of the church
which is at Sincrea
that you receive her in the Lord has become
as saints and that you assist her in whatsoever
business she hath need of you for she has
been a suckerer of many and of
myself also
greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers
in Christ Jesus who have for my
life laid down their own necks unto whom
not only I give thanks
but also all the churches of the Gentiles
likewise greet the church that is in
their house salute my
well-beloved Epidetus
who is the first fruits of Achaea unto
Christ
greet Mary who bestowed much labor on
us salute
Andronicus and Junia my kinsmen
and my fellow prisoners who are of note
among the apostles who also were in
Christ before me
greet Ampleus my beloved in the Lord
salute Urbane
and our helper in Christ and Stachys my
beloved
salute Apiles approved in Christ
salute them that which are of
Aristobulus' household
salute Herodian my kinsmen
greet them that be of the household of
Narcissus which are in the Lord
salute Tryphina and Tryphosa
who labor in the Lord
salute the beloved Persis who labored
much in the Lord salute Rufus
chosen in the Lord and his mother and
mine
salute Asynchronous, Phlegon
Hermes, Petrobis, Hermes and the
brethren which are with them
salute Philologus and Julia
Nereus and his sister and Olympus
and all the saints which are with them
salute one another with an
holy kiss
the churches of Christ salute you
now I beseech you brethren mark them
which cause divisions and offenses
contrary to the doctrine which you have
learned and avoid them
for they that are so
serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but
their own belly and by good words
and fair speeches deceive the hearts
of the simple
for your obedience has come abroad
unto all men
I am glad therefore on your behalf
but yet I would have you wise unto that
which is good and simple concerning evil
and the God of peace shall bruise Satan
under your feet shortly
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you Amen
Timotheus my work fellow
and Lucius and Jason and
Sosipater my kinsmen salute you
I Tertius who wrote this epistle salute
you in the Lord Gaius mine host
and of the whole church saluteth you
Erastus the chamberlain of the city
saluteth you and Cordis a brother
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you all Amen
now to him that is of power to
establish you according to my gospel
and the preaching of Jesus Christ
according to the revelation of the
mystery which was kept secret since the
world began and now is made manifest
and by the scriptures of the prophets
according to the commandment of the
everlasting God made known to all
nations for the obedience of faith
to God only wise
be glory through Jesus Christ forever
Amen
other Robert can you
pray for the service
Amen
alright like I said I am preaching a
different sermon than I normally would
usually it's a
it's a bible study but
tonight it's kind of like a bible study
I guess but I am teaching a specific
doctrine and I don't know that I've
taught this specific doctrine like this before.
We probably have a good idea about this,
and it probably is common sense,
but sometimes common sense goes out the window.
So I'm preaching tonight about respecting
the mark of church discipline,
respecting the mark of church discipline.
And you know, a lot of times someone will get marked
and people will still communicate
with that person that's marked.
And there's nothing I can really do about that.
It does happen, and even though they know
that they're not supposed to contact that person,
they're not supposed to have it,
but sometimes I get, you know,
you were friends with that person or whatever,
and there's like things are left unsaid,
and you're not really sure what kind of state
that person is really in.
But the Bible's really clear about this subject
that there's a reason why their church discipline exists.
And it's really not a great,
it's not a fun topic to preach about necessarily.
It's not something that I like to do
regardless of the reputation that I might have
with people online and people outside of our church.
But I really don't like doing church discipline.
I don't like throwing people out.
I don't like marking people.
And in reality, people that actually know me
know that I really try to go,
I'm really long-suffering with people,
maybe sometimes too much.
And I try really hard to give people every opportunity
to repent and to not go through
with what they're gonna go through with.
But a lot of times, you know,
they just, people are just bent on what they wanna do,
and they just can't seem to get off
of the road that they're on,
so it kinda leaves me no choice.
But recently, I had a situation where someone actually said,
like, I don't agree with a mark that you had,
and I'm going to be friends with them anyway,
which I respect the fact that they said
they're gonna do that.
You know, at least they told me they were gonna do it.
But the act of just saying, like, I disagree with it,
I'm still gonna be friends with them,
I've decided I'm gonna be friends with them anyway,
and, you know, so basically what they're saying is that
I'm wrong, and they're right,
and so they feel like their decision
overrides my decision as the pastor of the church
to discipline someone out of our church
or to mark someone that's no longer part of our church,
and that, so they're basically just saying that I'm wrong,
and they're gonna continue to be friends
with that person anyway, or reestablish the friendship
that they previously had with them,
regardless of whether I like it or not.
And I've never had that situation happen before,
and so I really kind of thought about it.
I actually went to a couple different pastors,
friends of mine, and I was just like,
hey, have you ever had this situation happen?
No.
I mean, obviously everybody's had a situation
where they're like, yeah, they thought or they've heard
that other people might be talking to certain people
that were kicked out or whatever,
but like, you know, that stuff kind of just happens,
and unless you just have some kind of hard knowledge
of that, there's really not a lot you can do about it.
I obviously don't approve of that,
but what do you do when someone just blatantly says,
I'm gonna do it anyway,
regardless of whether you like it or not?
So I just wanted to kind of just look at the scriptures
that talk about kicking people out.
I'm gonna go through an Old Testament passage
where it talks about what to do
when God is actually judging people
that are thrown out of the congregation,
and what he recommends, Moses tells them.
So let's look at our text here in Romans 16, verse 17,
and hopefully by the end of the sermon,
you'll kind of understand where I'm coming from
when it comes to respecting the mark of church discipline.
We should respect the mark, okay?
Look at Romans 16, verse 17, it says,
now I beseech you, brethren, mark them
which cause divisions and offenses
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned.
So we're talking about people
that are preaching false doctrine,
but it could just be people that are,
they're bringing division within the church
over doctrine that they don't,
I mean, it is basically about doctrine, right?
And it says, and offenses
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned.
So, and it says, and avoid them.
Does it say hang out with them?
No, it says to avoid them.
It says mark them, like, hey,
these people have done something wrong,
so we mark them, and then it says, and avoid them.
That's why we say mark and avoid, right?
And it says, 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.
So these types of people that it's talking about,
they're good at using their words,
using fair speeches, and they deceive people.
And this is why you have to mark them
and say, hey, these are people you should not listen to,
you should avoid them, you should stay away from them,
and you avoid them.
You don't hang out with them,
you don't go eat with them,
you don't have, it's the same thing as 1 Corinthians 5,
you just have nothing to do with them.
So there's one passage,
and that's kind of where I get my,
you know, my title is Respecting the Mark
of Church Discipline.
It's something that we must respect.
And it's the apostle Paul,
he's authoritatively saying to do this.
It's not an optional doctrine.
So if we're supposed to do that,
he's telling us this as a warning,
he's telling this as a matter of authority also.
And if you don't believe that,
well let's just keep looking at some other ones.
Let's look at 2 Thessalonians chapter number three.
2 Thessalonians chapter number three.
Because what I'm teaching tonight
is that it's not optional.
It's not like, well, you know,
I know the pastor said we should avoid these people,
but I don't really agree with what he said.
You know, maybe he's just a little over the top on this,
as if it's just our discretion
based upon every decision that I make.
You know, if you're following me
as the pastor of this church,
if you're, you know, because I'm the authority of the church
when it comes to these matters,
then if you don't want to follow what I'm saying,
then you should leave.
Or you should find another church to go to,
and that's kind of where it's at.
Like if you think that I'm wrong about it,
and you, instead of just going around
and hanging around someone that you're not supposed to,
you should just leave.
2 Thessalonians chapter three verse six.
Now we command you, does that sound like an option?
Now we command you, brethren,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you withdraw yourselves from every brother
that walketh disorderly.
So what's that saying?
Get away from that person.
Don't stay, hang around him.
And not after the tradition which he received of us.
So is it a command, yes or no?
Yes.
To do what?
Withdraw yourself from that person.
That's doing what?
Walking disorderly.
It's gonna explain by the context
what that's talking about.
For 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 wrought 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 ensemble unto you to follow us.
For even when we were with you,
this we commanded you that if any would not work,
neither should he eat.
So now he's gonna begin to tell us
what this disorderly conduct is.
So, and it says, for we hear that there are some
which walk among you disorderly.
What is he talking about?
Working not at all, but our busybodies.
And these are men, probably and women,
that are just not working.
They're just mooching off of people.
And it says, now them that are such,
we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ.
What's it say again?
We command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is authoritative, isn't it?
That with quietness they work and eat their own bread.
Stop being idle.
Stop being wicked.
Stop being a bum.
And work for what you have.
Eat your own bread.
Quit being a mooch and work.
And so this is a reason why you would withdraw yourself
from somebody.
Skip to verse 14.
It says, and if any man obey not our word by this epistle,
note that man, and have no company with him,
that he may be ashamed.
So what is the purpose of keeping no company,
or avoiding someone, or marking them,
or withdrawing ourselves from them,
is that they would be ashamed
that they're behaving in this manner.
And so in this specific instance,
it's talking about men that refuse to work.
Men that refuse to labor.
They're busybodies.
They're just going around mooching off people
and causing problems.
Because look, if you don't have something to do,
you're just gonna go around and cause problems.
But again, it's a commandment, isn't it?
It says, yet count him not as an enemy,
but admonish him as a brother.
So yes, this person's still a brother,
but we're supposed to still have no company with them
that they'd be ashamed.
And what's the point?
Well, we want them to get it right.
You know, we don't just like to throw people out
and every time they just can never come back.
But for some reason, people just like,
when they get thrown out of our churches,
they just like to burn every bridge that they've had
and make it impossible to have them come back.
It's like, I hope for the best,
and then I just realize that people are gonna
just seem to do the same stinking thing
every time that they leave.
Not every time, but a lot of times they do.
Where then comes the talking and the lying
and the backbiting and all the other stuff,
and instead of just getting things right,
they just do everything wrong.
It's not every time, but it is often.
But then we're blamed that we're just like going after them,
preaching against them and all this other stuff.
It's like, I try to avoid that.
I try to avoid publicly preaching against people,
especially if it's someone that I think could be restored,
you know, or if it's somebody that's really wicked
and really bad and they need to be publicly marked,
then I will preach against them.
But generally, I don't do that.
Now, look at 1 Corinthians chapter five.
1 Corinthians chapter five,
I'm just gonna read Titus five,
or excuse me, 1 Timothy five, eight,
which kind of goes along with the theme
of the last passage there.
It says, but if any provide not for his own,
and specially for those of his own house,
he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.
So that pairs with 2 Thessalonians chapter three,
because it is talking about not only someone
that just refuses to work and needs to be marked,
but someone that just refuses
to provide for their own family.
You know, some man that refuses to provide
for his own family is just like being a mooch and a bum.
That person, the Bible says he's denied the faith
and is worse than an unbeliever,
or an infidel is what that's saying.
And so, what do you think about somebody like that?
Well, I mean, the Bible's saying how bad they are.
It's not saying that they are an unbeliever,
but they're acting worse than an unbeliever would.
It's almost like the man in this chapter is,
he's doing something that even the heathen wouldn't do.
Look at verse number one.
Said it is reported commonly
that there's fornication among you,
and such fornication as is not so much
as named among the Gentiles,
that one should have his father's wife.
See, it's not even,
even the Gentiles aren't doing this weird stuff.
And it says, and you're puffed up,
and have not rather mourned,
that he that hath done this deed
might be taken away from among you.
So what's Paul saying?
He's like, you're so puffed up,
you won't even throw this guy out.
You just think you're so high and mighty,
you won't do the right thing.
It says, for I verily as absent in body,
but present in spirit have judged already,
as though I were present concerning him
that hath so done this deed.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when you're gathered together in my spirit
with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to deliver such an one unto Satan
for the destruction of the flesh.
So what's he saying that we're supposed to do?
In the name of Jesus, with the power of Jesus,
we are supposed to deliver someone like this,
that's committing such sin in our church,
to deliver them unto Satan
for the destruction of the flesh.
What does that mean?
Like we just have some service and go,
we deliver you to Satan,
and then like, we just like carry them out,
and Satan comes and devours them or something?
No, we throw them out of the church,
which is what it's talking about, like we mark them.
It says that the spirit may be saved
in the day of the Lord Jesus.
See, the devil is gonna punish,
God's gonna use the devil to punish that person
for the sin that they're doing,
and if they don't like that,
they don't like being punished or beaten up by the devil,
then they'll get right,
and they'll come back and make it right.
Now it says, your glory is not good,
knowing not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
What's the purpose?
We don't want that leavening our church
and causing it to be corrupted.
It says purge out therefore the old leaven.
Get that out of your church
that you may be a new lump as your unleaven,
for even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven.
See, when we do the Lord's Supper,
what are we supposed to do?
Get that leaven out,
and so if people are in serious sin,
they need to make sure that they're right with God,
because not all sin is revealed.
God's not gonna just come and strike you dead
with a thunderbolt in the middle of the service,
but you might get sick afterwards,
you might die afterwards,
so it's a very serious thing.
But it says, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
I wrote unto you an epistle
not to company with fornicators.
Now it's gonna differentiate the different types of people
or different types of fornicators,
we are okay to be around in short bursts here.
Yet not altogether the fornicators of this world
or the covetous or extortioners or with idolaters,
for then must he needs to go out of the world.
If we couldn't be around anybody like that,
we would have to literally go and live on some compound
and then how are we gonna reach the world for Christ
if we can't be around them at all?
How would we work a job around other people
if we couldn't be,
I mean that's basically what we have out in the world
are these types of people.
So we couldn't ever be effective
to reach the world for Christ
if that was some kind of stipulation.
But yet there are Christians that do these things,
they're called cults,
and they make these compounds and go out in the middle,
they have places like Waco,
and I'm not saying what the government did to them
was right,
but I mean David Koresh sure needed a bullet in his head.
So I was okay with that one,
but how they did it,
yeah, I don't know.
But I guess God's vengeance upon him struck anyway.
So sometimes more wicked people than yourselves
are gonna come and take care of business.
So anyhow, I'm not preaching about that.
Verse number 11,
but now I have written unto you not to keep company
if any man that is called a brother,
so they are saved,
be a fornicator,
or covetous,
or an idolater,
or a railer,
or a drunkard,
or an extortioner,
with such a one know not to eat.
So what are we supposed to do?
We're not supposed to eat with people that are saved
that are doing these specific sins.
And it says for what have I had to do to judge them
that are without?
Do not you judge them that are within?
But them that are without God judgeth.
Therefore, or for this reason,
put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
So are we supposed to hang out with them?
No, it says put away from among yourselves.
So what's Paul saying?
Get rid of those people.
Throw them out of the church.
You're not supposed to be hanging out with them.
So I mean this is several verses in a row now
that I'm just showing you what the Bible is saying.
The Apostle Paul is the one that's just telling us
over and over again.
Now let's look at Jesus' own words.
Matthew chapter 18.
This is where people are like Matthew 18, Matthew 18.
We'll see what Matthew 18 says.
So the Apostle Paul,
who was an apostle by the way,
that's why he's called the Apostle Paul,
had authority to say these things.
And he's saying we command you to do these things.
This is what we're commanding you to do these things.
In other words, it's not optional.
It's not well, I just think this.
Doesn't matter what you think.
It matters what the Bible says.
And if the pastor has said hey,
this person's kicked out because they've done this
and it's been proven that it's true,
then it's not up to you to make the decision.
Well, I agree with this one,
but I don't agree with that one.
I just think it doesn't matter what you think.
Matthew chapter 18.
It doesn't say oh question every time
someone gets kicked out over every single thing
and then stroll back to memory lane,
just make sure everything lines up.
No, you mark them and avoid them.
Matthew 18, 15, it says moreover,
if thy brother shall trespass against thee,
go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone,
which most people don't do,
if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
This is how we're supposed to solve disputes
amongst ourselves.
You go to the person, not your friend,
not somebody else in the church,
but you go to that person and say hey,
you know, I got a beef with you
because you did this or whatever.
And it doesn't necessarily have to be every single thing
that someone offends you with, by the way,
but it probably should be more serious things.
But anyway, verse 16.
But if he will not hear thee,
then take with thee one or two more
and in the mouth of two or three witnesses
every word may be established.
So this is where it ramps up.
This is where a pastor needs to get involved
and when the mouth of two or three witnesses,
every word will be established.
This is kind of like,
this is where it's kind of serious business.
Someone's ripped somebody else off.
You know, it's not just for every little thing in the church.
Okay?
And it says, and if he shall neglect to hear them,
tell it unto the church.
And this is, again, something led by the pastor.
It's not just someone walks up
in the middle of my preaching and goes,
hey, I'm bringing something before the church.
No, everything must be done decently and in order.
So it says, tell it unto the church,
but if he neglect to hear the church,
let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
So, now, when it says he the man and publican,
obviously, we're not supposed to hate heathen men
or publican, we want them to be saved, don't we?
But what does it say?
They're not supposed to be in the church, are they?
I mean, obviously, we allow people
that are not saved to come to church,
but we're supposed to treat them as,
they're not part of our church, so to speak.
So, what would we do?
Well, we would throw them out.
So, you're supposed to throw them out.
They don't wanna hear, they don't wanna get it right
with their, the first step.
They don't wanna get it right with the second step
when it's proven that they're wrong.
They don't wanna hear what the church has to say.
Well, then, they're out.
So, that's the third step there
is that they're cast out of the church.
And then, it says, it was very important right here,
verily I say unto you,
whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.
So, if I throw somebody out for a reason
that's in the Bible, then what does that mean?
That in heaven, that stands with God.
That's what it's saying.
And whatsoever ye shall loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.
So, if that person's forgiven
and they're restored back to fellowship,
then that's also loosed in heaven.
God's like, okay, I forgive it too.
It's just like when the,
you know, and I'll get to that passage later,
but Paul tells the Corinthians later to forgive that guy
that ends up fornicating with his father's wife or whatever.
Even though that's really weird,
he still gets it right, doesn't he?
So, some people can get things right
and get things sorted and get forgiven.
It's not like every person that gets thrown out
needs to be anathema and maranatha
and they can never be forgiven, they're cursed forever.
That's not the way it's supposed to be.
Now, let's look at an Old Testament passage here
in Numbers chapter 16, Numbers chapter 16.
Now, of course, we don't have time
to look at the whole story,
but the whole story is pretty dramatic and cool.
We'll look at several verses, but not the whole passage.
So, let's look at Numbers chapter 16, verse 19.
Now, remember, Korah, he's like upset
because he's not one of the priests.
He's got a different job that he doesn't like.
He doesn't wanna carry the furniture.
He wants to be the one that lights the incense.
And so, he basically says, we're all holy, Moses.
Why do you take so much upon yourself, Moses?
Why do you think you're the top dog, Moses?
And he kinda just, that's really basically what he says.
And then Moses, who's a very meek man,
the meekest man on the face of the earth,
he falls on his face, and then he's just like,
well, God, you're gonna have to take care
of business for me here.
And so, God judges between who is right and who is wrong,
and he shows all the congregation
who's right and who's wrong.
Now, let's look at some context here.
Look at Numbers chapter 16, verse 19.
It says in Korah, so this is when Moses said,
don't respect his offering.
He's just like, he's pretty upset.
He gets upset, but here's where they actually come
with the congregation, Korah, he says,
show up, bring your incense, and light it, and show up.
But Korah's done more than that.
He's brought the whole congregation against them.
So, I've never really recognized this before.
I was reading this tonight,
but look at verse 19, what it says.
And Korah gathered all the congregation against them
at the door.
So, like basically everybody,
he's turned everybody against Moses and Aaron at this point.
Of the tabernacle of the congregation,
and the glory of the Lord appeared
unto all the congregation.
And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron,
saying, separate yourselves from among this congregation,
that I may consume them in a moment.
So, he's ready to consume them in a moment.
What does that mean?
He's ready to catch them all on fire and start over.
And it says, and they fell upon their faces and said,
oh God, the God of the spirits of all flesh,
shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth
with all the congregation?
So, Moses, like usual, steps in and saves
their sorry carcasses from getting consumed, right?
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
so he's obviously listening to Moses,
he's like, all right, okay, I'll save him again.
And it says, speak unto the congregation,
saying, get you up from about the congregate,
or from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
So, he tells Moses to tell them this.
Speak unto the congregation, saying,
get you up from about the tabernacle
of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
So, why is he saying this?
Because they need to be separated from, that's why.
Get away from them.
And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram,
and the elders of Israel followed him.
So, now they're following Moses.
And it says, and he spake unto the congregation,
saying, depart, I pray you, from the tents
of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs,
lest you be consumed in all their sins.
So, very solid advice.
Get away from them.
Give them a wide berth, don't even stand next to them.
Don't touch anything that belongs to them.
Get away from their tents.
Get away from these wicked men, lest you be consumed.
Why is he saying this?
Because if they don't, what's gonna happen to them?
They're gonna go down into the pit,
just like the rest of them, and he's like,
get away from them.
So, can you see how this applies to the New Testament also?
Look, the Old Testament has a lot of the same things
as the New Testament does.
Just a bigger congregation.
Moses' congregation was like a megachurch.
It had millions of people in it.
And here, he almost turns the whole congregation,
then they kind of start seeing the light here a little bit.
I mean, literally, God appears to them,
the glory of the Lord appears to them,
and they're like, ah, maybe I should follow Moses now.
It's like, and God's ready to kill them all,
because they're close to them,
because they're following him.
Instead of following the right guy,
they're following Korah, who's about to go down in flames,
literally.
It says, verse 27,
So they got up from the tabernacle of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram on every side,
and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood
in the door of their tents, and their wives,
and their sons, and their little children,
and Moses said,
Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me
to do all these works,
for I have not done them of mine own mind.
If these men die the common death of all men,
or if they be visited after the visitation of all men,
then the Lord hath not sent me.
But if the Lord make a new thing,
and the earth open her mouth,
and swallow them up with all that appertain unto them,
and they go down quick into the pit,
then ye shall understand that these men
have provoked the Lord.
And it came to pass,
as he had made an end of speaking all these words,
that the ground clave asunder that was under them.
And the earth opened her mouth,
and swallowed them up, and their houses,
and all the men that appertained unto Korah,
and all their goods.
They, and all that appertained to them,
went down alive into the pit,
and the earth closed upon them,
and they perished from among the congregation.
So why did he say to get away from them?
Because they're going down, baby.
They're going all the way down into hell itself.
And so, look, what's the lesson here?
Stay away from people that God has said to get away from.
And so in the New Testament, what's our application?
Hey, if someone's been marked,
if someone's a false prophet,
if someone's just a bad person
that just needs to be stayed away from,
maybe they're not a false prophet.
Maybe they just need to be stayed away from,
and the Bible says in all these verses
that I've already read to you,
to stay away from them, avoid them,
you know, get away from them,
and you don't do that,
and you just think it's okay to hang out with them
because you don't care what the pastor says,
you don't care what mark has been put on them,
then you're an idiot.
You just simply are an idiot
because you're not listening to what the Bible says.
You're like, don't say idiot.
Well, okay, you're foolish.
You're not, how about this?
You're not wise.
Does that make you feel better?
Okay, my wife approves.
As long as she's appeased, then I'm okay.
And all Israel that were round about them
fled at the cry of them,
for they said, lest the earth swallow us up also.
You think that's there for no reason?
No, it was a lesson to them,
hey, I'm so glad that I got away,
and by the way, I'm terrified I'm gonna run away screaming.
It says, and there came out a fire from the Lord
and consumed the 250 men that offered incense.
So, no, they didn't get to get away either.
They were barbecued along with the rest of them.
So, what is the point of this sermon?
Well, I wanna make sure that people understand
that it is a serious issue,
and just because you don't think it was bad enough
for them to get marked, that's not your option.
The commandment was to get away from them.
If they're marked, stay away from them.
If they're marked, keep away from their family.
Everything that appertains unto them,
don't touch any of their stuff.
Stay away, and look, this helps them.
You're just hurting their chances of coming back
if you just are being a little simp to them,
and then, oh, I'm sorry the pastor did that.
You know, I agree with you and stuff.
It's just like, you're not helping.
The whole purpose is to shun them
and make them feel bad for what they've done.
You know, if anything, if you're gonna say anything to them,
say, hey, you know, I just hope you get things right,
you know, and then just walk away.
And, you know, respecting other pastors' marks.
I think that pastors should respect other pastors' marks,
but what do you see when people leave our churches?
These other pastors around here,
they don't respect our marks.
They'll take the rebellious people
that have been thrown out of our church
and be like, oh, well, they're just like new IFB people,
so, you know, they must be crazy about something.
And they don't care.
They don't call me and get my side of the story.
They just bring them right in, you know?
And you wonder why they're a curse
unto your church when they come,
and why they have all left your church when they've left
and been nothing but a disaster to your church
when now they're not there anymore.
Because you don't respect marks.
Because you know what?
If I knew that some old IFB member came to my church
and that they were thrown out of a church,
I would say, hey, you need to call that pastor
and you need to get it right with him before you come here.
So whether it's an old IFB pastor,
a non-denominational pastor, an evangelical pastor,
if they called me and said, hey,
those people that are coming to your church right now,
they had some serious issues
and I threw them out of the church.
This is what they're marked for.
I would say, I would talk to those people and I'd say,
hey, this is what the pastor of your old church said.
You know, you need to get this right.
We had somebody not too long ago
show up at our church service
and I didn't really recognize him.
I was like, yeah, it kind of looks like that person,
but then I was just kind of walking up to preach.
He sat through the service,
but then quickly this person was identified
and I talked to the person after the service
and I said, hey, you know,
you're gonna have to get this right
before you're allowed to come back here.
That's just, that's how you do it.
You can't be wishy-washy like that.
But I've seen pastors not respect marks and it's wrong.
And, you know, I don't care if that pastor likes me
or I like him, I don't respect rebellion.
So hopefully they can learn to be the same way
because if they just are gonna respect,
you know, they're gonna be like,
well, I don't like that guy
because of what he believes about the Israel.
So what, you're gonna just allow rebellious people
to come to your church
because of what I believe about Israel?
What in the world does that have to do with anything?
Is that like a salvation issue or something?
I'm gonna side with what that church has decided
because, you know what, God has bound in heaven
what they bound in their church.
And until that's loosed in heaven,
loosed in their church, then I'm gonna stay,
I'm gonna keep what's bound in that church
bound in this church.
Because I don't want what God's bound in heaven
to come and be let loose upon my church.
And I will not necessarily,
if a pastor's done that to me or whatever,
I won't completely break fellowship necessarily
with that pastor because I don't control
what happens in their church.
But I do think it sets a bad precedence
and I think it's, you know, it's kind of hard
for a pastor to complain about someone else
harboring a rebel when they harbor rebels.
And, you know, I think if a pastor allows a rebel
to come to their church before they've made it right
with that church or that pastor that kicked him out,
there will be a reckoning for it.
There's gonna be a reckoning, it's gonna happen,
you know, you might not even recognize it
because you're so filled with pride,
you're not gonna recognize it,
but there will be a reckoning for it.
But it's not my job to bring that reckoning.
God's the one that knows.
So if I've been done dirty, I probably have.
There's probably pastors that have done me dirty
in that way and I just don't even know.
But you know what, and look, I don't want
that to happen to people, but it's a lesson
that people need to learn.
It's a lesson that pastors need to learn
because it obviously happens a lot.
Because there's been people that I know
go to Baptist churches in Spokane,
go to Baptist churches here and other places
that those people have been thrown out and marked
and yet they're still going to church somehow.
Well, how'd that happen?
Well, maybe they should have checked the mark.
You know, if they didn't know, then they didn't know.
Whatever.
But I'm sure that some of these bozos have told them
what church they went to and then they're just like,
oh, well, yeah, they're Andersonites or whatever.
They believe in the pre-Trib rapture.
They're going straight to hell.
Or post-Trib rapture, they're going straight to hell.
Anyway, but if I see or hear,
what's my policy about harboring fugitives?
Well, if you've been thrown out of a Baptist church
and I know about it, I will not allow you to attend.
It's just that simple until you've gotten things right.
That's my policy.
And if I see or hear one of my church members railing
or making an accusation against an elder
from another church that's saved, obviously,
without two or three witnesses or in the correct setting,
I will throw that person out.
And I have done it and I'll do it again.
I've done it more than once.
And if they do not repent and make it right, that is.
Because I'll give people a chance
to make things right, of course.
And I have.
But I mean, I can think of one particular pastor
that I thought was saved then,
but don't think that they are now.
But I had a church member that was just ripping against them
and saying all kinds of stuff.
And I knew for a fact that that person wasn't on our side,
but it wasn't kind of common knowledge at the time.
And I still threw that person out of our church.
Because I'm just not gonna put up with it.
Even if I just don't know for sure,
I'm still gonna, I'm gonna side with leadership
when it comes to stuff like that.
Because look, if I just start,
if I start compromising on stuff like that,
then someone's gonna do it against me too.
And I don't want that on me.
So I wanna be, even if other people aren't doing that
in my benefit, I still wanna do it for them
because I, again, I wanna be, I wanna do unto others
as I want them to do unto me.
And hopefully they can get their act together.
And what I won't do is continue to be friends
with people that do stuff like that
and just act like it didn't happen.
And go out to dinner with them.
And be Facebook BFFs with them.
When they're talking crap about other pastors.
I'm just not gonna do that.
So, public marks.
Well, I kind of mentioned that earlier.
Some people call for public marks.
If it's some wicked false prophet,
if it's maybe some Judas that needs,
people need to be warned against them,
I will publicly mark someone.
You're like, well yeah, you'll preach against pastors,
or you'll preach against Mark Ward.
He needs to be publicly marked
because of his weird trying to turn people away
from the King James.
Yeah, of course I'm gonna publicly mark him.
Non-public marks would be people that would,
I'm gonna just turn the cameras off
and I'm gonna say, hey, this person's marked at our church.
Because the world doesn't need to know
that that person's marked.
And I want to give them a chance
to be able to live things down.
So, a permanent mark versus a non-permanent mark.
Obviously, a permanent mark would be someone
that is a false prophet.
They're never coming back.
And a non-permanent mark is someone that can come back.
I mean, it's pretty simple, right?
That's restorable versus non-restorable.
Some people are not restorable.
There's a guy that went to our church in Spokane.
He's now a Catholic.
I mean, he wasn't saved.
Oh, big surprise.
Dane that went to our church there is now a Catholic.
And he's like, I'm so glad I have a mother now.
Mother Mary, or whatever.
It's like, obviously, he wasn't saved.
So, he's not coming back.
I mean, it's just real simple.
You're like, well, what if he gets saved?
Well, I don't know.
He was like a Calvinist after he left our church,
and then he became something else,
and now he's a Catholic.
So, he's probably ever learning
and never able to come to the knowledge of truth.
So, anyway, Galatians 6-1.
Let's read Galatians.
I'm almost done here.
Galatians 6-1.
Obviously, there are people that we can restore,
and we should.
Galatians 6-1 says,
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault,
ye which are spiritual, restore such an one
in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted.
Now, but I don't think we should be,
you know, it should be people from our church
just going around saying,
hey, are you ready to be restored yet?
Ha, ha, ha, you know.
It says, in the spirit of meekness,
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Look, we don't want to be tempted
and lured away by some weirdo.
You know, like, hey, you know, have you changed your mind?
Have you repented?
You know, I'm here to help you.
You know, just don't be ridiculous about stuff.
But if someone's overtaken and you can help them,
maybe give them some kind of a scripture or something,
then cool.
But don't let yourself fall because someone else did.
Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter two verse four.
2 Corinthians chapter two verse four.
2 Corinthians two verse four.
So this is the guy Paul's talking about
in 2 Corinthians chapter two verse four
that's from 1 Corinthians chapter five
who's thrown out for fornication.
Now Paul says in verse four, it says,
for out of much affliction and anguish of heart
I wrote unto you with many tears,
not that you should be grieved,
but that you might know the love
which I have more abundantly unto you.
But if I have caused grief,
he that he hath not grieved me,
but in part that I may not overcharge you all,
sufficient to such a man is this punishment
which was inflicted of many.
So apparently they did what Paul said.
They threw him out.
It says, so that contra wise
you ought rather to forgive him and comfort him
lest perhaps such an one should be swallowed up
with over much sorrow.
So there are times that we should forgive
and Paul says, hey, you should forgive him.
You should comfort him.
You should make him feel like one of you again
and hey, once someone's forgiven
and they're brought back into restoration,
then we just, we let it go.
You don't hold that over their head.
You make them feel like they're part of the team again
because you don't want them to be swallowed up
with over much sorrow.
We do forgive people.
It says, wherefore I beseech you
that you would have confirmed your love toward him.
Make him feel love.
Make him feel like they're one of us again.
It says, for to this end also did I write
that I might know the proof of you
whether you be obedient in all things.
So throw him out when I say to throw him out.
Stay away from him when I say to stay away from him
and bring him back and forgive him
when I tell you to bring him back and forgive him.
That's what he's saying.
Whether you be obedient in all things.
To whom you forgive anything, I forgive also.
So Paul's like, I'm gonna forgive the guy too.
For if I forgave anything to whom I forgave it,
for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ.
Lest Satan should get advantage of us
for we're not ignorant of his devices.
So how would that be an advantage for Satan?
Well if we're not forgiving, of course we're supposed
to forgive our brothers in Christ that sin against us.
Obviously we're supposed to restore people
if they're able to be restored and bring them back.
So first of all, if we don't throw them out,
Satan gets an advantage in our church
and sin corrupts our church.
And if we hang out with them,
then we are partakers with their sins on the outside.
And then if we don't forgive them,
then Satan corrupts us because we're proud and haughty
because we refuse to forgive people
when we should be forgiven because we are Christians.
But some people wanna forgive people
before they've even been asked to be forgiven.
And people just, Christians just like
wanna do everything backwards.
That's what Satan likes to do too.
He likes to do everything backwards
and trick people into doing things the wrong way.
So if we would just do things the way the Bible says
to do them, hey maybe more people would be restored
instead of just keeping contact with them
and oh I don't agree with everything pastor says
but you know, just do what the Bible,
how about you just do what the Bible says.
You don't have to agree with everything I say.
But we don't want Satan to get an advantage from us.
And so if someone's thrown out of our church,
my policy is if someone is marked,
noted to be avoided, no company to be kept with,
no not to eat, shunned, and someone in our church
just openly defies that, my policy is that that person
is also to receive the same punishment
that that person got.
So if that person is thrown out,
then you are thrown out too
because you're openly defying that order.
You're openly defying what the church has decided
and no I'm not the church, we are the church.
But we should all be in agreement on those things
because that's what the Bible says, right?
So AKA they are thrown out, they're marked
and anyone else that wants to be part
of that sort of rebellion could just go with them.
Instead of just staying here,
pretending like you're part of our,
look this stuff happens.
Like people just stay and pretend
and try to be spies or whatever, it's just weird.
Just go.
I just can't, I've never stayed at a church
to try to sabotage that church before.
When I leave, clean break, bye.
Like I'm on to bigger and better things.
I've never just hung around
and tried to just pretend like I liked the pastor
when I really didn't.
And here's another thing that I did.
If I left the church, I went to the pastor
and I sat down in front of him eyeball to eyeball
like a man and I told him the reason why I was leaving.
It wasn't a text message.
It wasn't some I'm just leave and never come back
and just oh what happened to so and so?
I don't know, they just never came back.
They never said anything.
After they were your pastor for all those years,
you don't have enough sand to just go to that person?
What, are they gonna beat you up or something?
Oh I'm afraid pastor's gonna beat me up
if I go to his office.
I've had a pastor actually F bomb me in his office
when I told him I was leaving church
and then he apologized for doing that to me
but I was like I don't care.
It doesn't bother me I'm leaving.
You can say that all you want man.
It really doesn't offend me that much.
I'm friends with Pastor Shelley.
But no, I'm just kidding.
I'm just kidding.
I gotta take it, sorry.
Sorry Pastor Shelley, I love you brother.
But anyway, I'm friends with Brother Paul.
No, I'm just kidding.
But anyway, if you're gonna leave a church,
at least leave right and then just move on
and go to the church you want to go to.
Nobody's trying to trap you here.
No one's, we're not trying to be a cult.
You make it a cult.
These people have an idol in their heart
and it's some pastor.
It's a pastor.
And then when that pastor fails them in their heart,
then their whole world comes crashing down.
And it's like, what do I do?
What do I do?
And then they, it's like a,
it is like a crazy ex-girlfriend.
And everything that they do, they make a shrine.
And then like, they hate them.
And they pretend like they're going on dates with them.
And they just can't handle it.
And so, this is what happens to a lot of people like,
that are quote unquote, new IP people,
that like when their idol fails them,
they just, they crumble.
And they can't handle it.
Like, look, are you in this for Christ?
Or are you in this for your idol?
So, what other people do should have nothing to do
with what happens in our church.
And I just really do not understand that.
So, but, where do I get this doctrine from?
You're like, well, this is a new doctrine, pastor.
It's not really a new doctrine.
It's just what the Bible teaches.
And it should just be common sense.
That if someone just openly says,
I don't care if you mark that person,
I'm still gonna be friends with them.
What do you think about that?
You know, do you want me to stay here?
Do you want me to go?
And it's just like, well, you're gonna go.
You know, whether that's kicking or screaming,
or whether it's gonna be, you know,
with a big ruckus, one way or another,
you're gonna go, or you're gonna quit hanging out with them.
You got three choices.
Repent and get right.
Stay and be thrown out, or just leave quietly.
And if you don't leave quietly and you cause a problem,
then you're gonna be marked afterwards.
That's still being kicked out, in my opinion.
Like, people are like, well, I didn't get kicked out.
I left, because blah, blah, blah, blah.
Yeah, you left because I let you leave in that capacity.
Because I am nice, and I want people
to just be able to leave like normal human beings.
But they always gotta come back.
And for one last scare, they always gotta come back
and say a bunch of, talk a bunch of crap,
even though I was nothing but good to them.
And everybody in our church was nothing but good to them.
And then try to drag good people out of our churches
and stuff, it's just annoying.
So, all right, I got two minutes.
I'm gonna ramble off the scriptures here really quickly.
So where do I get this belief?
Well, if you haven't been paying attention,
then I'm not gonna just let someone be in open rebellion.
I mean, wouldn't that be weird if like,
I'm like, these people are marked, avoid them.
And then someone over here, Miss Sheila's just like,
I don't care what you say, master.
I'm gonna be friends with them.
Mm-hmm.
And I'm like, okay, Miss Sheila, go ahead.
I'm just not gonna do anything about it.
It's okay.
What message would that send to the rest of our people?
That people could just do whatever they want
and there's no teeth.
I'm like a fangless lion.
Like, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
Just not gonna do anything about it.
I'm gonna throw you out, or I'm gonna ask you to leave.
It's just that simple.
Number 1626, and he spake unto the congregation,
saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents
of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs,
lest he be consumed in all their sins.
Matthew 18, 17, and if he shall neglect to hear them,
tell it unto the church.
But if he neglect to hear the church,
let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.
Verily I say unto thee, whatsoever ye shall bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth
shall be loose in heaven.
First Corinthians 5, 13 says,
But then that are without God judgeth,
therefore put away from among yourselves
that wicked person.
Second Thessalonians chapter three, verse 14 says,
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle,
note that man, and have no company with him,
that he may be ashamed.
Romans chapter 16, verse 17 says,
Now I beseech ye, brethren, mark them
which cause divisions and offenses
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned,
and avoid them.
Let's pray.
Lord, we thank you so much for the Bible
and how clear it is.
I pray that you just help us, Lord,
to follow leadership, and Lord,
to avoid those that have been marked.
Lord, and sometimes it is hard
because there might be people
that we've been friends with for a long time.
And Lord, you know best,
and sometimes our feelings clash with scripture,
and we should, Lord, always choose
what the Bible says over what our feelings say.
I pray that you would help us to be people
that are people of the book
and not people of our feelings.
And Lord, sometimes it is hard,
but I just pray that you give us the strength
to do that which is right in your sight
and not just how we feel
and what gives us the warm and fuzzies.
And we pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.
Song number 279, Away in a Manger.
["Away in a Manger"]
Song 279, Away in a Manger.
Let's sing it together on the first.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed.
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay.
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes.
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky.
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay.
Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care.
And take us to heaven to live with thee there.
Amen, good singing.
Brother Alex, would you close with a prayer?