Church, say amen.
Alright, let's all stand and go to number 448.
This is one of my favorite hymns.
Brethren, we have met to worship.
That's why we meet in church here to worship God and to praise him.
The single with power on that first stands a church brethren, we have met to worship and adore the Lord our God
Will you pray with all your power while we try to
preach the word
All is vain unless the spirit of the holy
one comes down brethren pray and holy man
will be showered all low. Second stanza. Brethren, see poor sinners round you slumbering on the
brink of woe. Death is coming, hell is moving. Can you bear to let...
your children sinking down. Brethren, pray, manna will be showered. Sisters, sisters,
will you join and help us? Moses, sisters, aided him. Will you help the trembling mourners
are struggling hard with sin. Tell them all about the Savior. Tell them that He will be found.
Sisters pray and holy manna will be showered.
Let us love each other too, let us love and pray for sinners till our God makes all things
new.
Then he'll call us home to heaven, at his table we'll sit down.
Man all around a man for the Jared. Can you praise him to the service, please?
Hey, man, let's go to number 327 let's stay standing let's go to higher ground 327
Sing it out with power church. Think about those words
I'm pressing on the upward way new heights. I'm gaining every day
Still praying as I'm on word bound Lord plant my feet on higher
See it out church. Lord lift me
And let me stand by faith on heaven's table and a higher plane than I have found.
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
My heart has no desire to stay without a rise and fears dismay, though some may dwell
See it out church Lord
Hey, man, that's good a higher plane that I have found
Ladies I want you guys to start the third stanza just the ladies I want to
Though Satan
amen everyone on that chorus lord lift me up and let me stand
a higher plane that i have found lord plan i want the guys on the fourth stands uh i want to
Till have I found Lord
Good job guys everyone on the course Lord lift me up and let me stand by faith on heaven's
table and a higher plane that I have found
And on higher ground amen you may be seated at this moment will have evangelist Justin Zon come and give us some announcements
All right, welcome back to the Shoe Foundation Baptist Church.
My name is Sonny Afton in service.
Raise your hand if you need a bulletin
and I'll show we'll bring one to you.
We have one here.
All right, let's look at the verse of the week Titus chapter 2 verse number 7
In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works in doctrine showing
Uncrupulous gravity
Sincerity outside preachers sermon this morning about double standards that we as Christians should be consistent in what we preach
So we should be serious and we should be you know showing ourselves a good a good example of
Good works, so let's look at the inside page
Please follow us on the social media on YouTube, Facebook, Grumble, and X.
We have surveys Sunday morning at 11, Sunday afternoon surveys at 4 p.m.
and Wednesday night Bible study at 7 p.m.
This Wednesday we'll be going over...
Ecclesiastes chapter number seven, so so far we've been learning a lot from this wisdom book a lot of practical applications
So please join us if you are able to so many time
Saturday Sunday afternoon at 1 30 and Saturday morning at 10 30 a.m. And praise the Lord
We have three salvations this afternoon and now that will make the year today 504 so
We've broken 500 salvations yesterday so hopefully we can have a great harvest
and pray for the stocking but the but the bread is going to the Philippines for two weeks
so uh is that right two weeks yeah kind of so he will be getting to the schools and priest the
gospel so pray for a great harvest so he's kind of like our like missionary okay there's no like
I just applied the invite just for the Philippines, so anyway
Let's see
Last week's attendance is for you to see as well
And if you're not in the WhatsApp group for the so many in prayer, please see myself or brother Matt so we can get you added up
So
Upcoming events pastor Anderson preaching here Friday, September 5th at 7 p.m. There'll be no Wednesday night service that week only will move
We'll move that Wednesday night service to that Friday night
And then the following Saturday is our Fall Fellowship at a park at 4pm, September 13th.
So please join us if you are able to.
Please also use the sign up sheet over there to sign up for the Pollock item that you are planning on bringing.
The church was applying the main grill, meat, patties, you know, I'll look at how much they cost because I want to do something nice for the main meat.
There's really no good place to get dog meat here, so even though I would love that, but
Dr. Stringer will be preaching for us. He's the vice president from the King James Bible Research
Council. He'll be preaching both services on November
30 so please invite people
To hear him preach. He is he's an expert on the King James Bible
And I think Dr. Stringer is a rare gem left, you know, because not not many Baptist pastors
Are taking such a hard stand for the King James Bible. So
Plus, plus he's very knowledgeable just on the manuscript and translation because obviously, you know, I preach sermons about the King James Bible based on, you know, based on what the Bible says, right?
But, you know, Dr. Stringer actually has some background just for the knowledge, so he's a, you know, he has a wealth of knowledge there.
And then, Sony Marathon, Detroit Sony Marathon is September 19 to 20.
Please see the video on the social media for detail. Also, attach the QR code for you to scan.
I'm coming so I can have a rough idea of the number of people let me know if
you're only planning on coming Friday or Saturday or both feel free to
talk to the people who you know who are coming so you can carpool maybe share
the same hotel room just to save money and then let's see
if you plan on preaching at the men's preaching night next Sunday afternoon please
let me know your sermon topic by Friday August 29th so again please let me know if you are
planning on preaching um let's see Titan offerings is for you to see as well if you flip on the back
side you can see the birthdays for the month of August if you haven't you know
If you haven't let me know your birthdays or the anniversaries, please write it down on the back of the communication card and
Drop it in the offering plate. So so I can keep information up to date
So with that being said, let's sing one more song and then we'll take up the offering
Hey, man, let's all stay seated for this song. Let's go to number 115. This is one of my favorite hymns
I learned it when I was at first baptister to Hammond. No one ever cared for me like Jesus
Think about those words.
Sing it on that first.
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true
I would tell you how He changed my life completely
He did something
other friend could do
No one ever cared for me like Jesus
There's no other friend so kind as he
No one else could take this sin and darkness from me
Oh how much he cared for me
All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me
All my heart was full of misery and woe
Jesus placed his strong and loving arms about me
And he led me in the way I ought to
Amen
No one ever cared for me like Jesus.
There's no other friend as kind as he.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
Oh how much he cared for me.
Every day He comes to me with new assurance
More and more I understand His words of love
But I'll never know just why he came to save me
Till someday I see his blessed face above sing it out church
No one ever cared for me like Jesus
No one
That's he
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me
Oh, how much he cared for we're gonna sing that second stanza acapella
Oh, my life was full of sin when Jesus found me
Oh, my heart was full of misery and whoa
Jesus places strong and loving arms about me and he led me in the way I ought to go
no one ever cared for me like Jesus there's no other friend so kind as he no
one the sin and darkness from me oh how much he cared for me amen ushers can
come up and prepare for the offering for the Christian can you pray for the
offering please
We'll be in Revelation chapter 18. If you need a Bible, please raise your hand and one of the ushers will bring one to you.
Revelation chapter 18.
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power,
and the earth was lightened with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babel on the great is fallen, is fallen,
and has become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage
of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,
and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,
and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies."
And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
come out of her, my people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins,
and that ye receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto heaven,
and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Reward her even as she rewarded you,
and double unto her, double according to her works,
and the cup which she hath filled to her double.
How much she hath glorified herself, and live delicately, so much torment and sorrow give her.
For she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire.
For strong is the Lord God who judgeeth her.
And the kings of the earth who have committed fornication and live delicately with her shall be wail her and lament for her when they shall see the smoke of her burning.
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, Alas, that great city Babylon,
that mighty city, for in one hour is the judgment come, and the merchants of the earth shall
weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise any more.
The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and of fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble.
and cinnamon, and odus, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men,
and the fruits that thy soul lusteth after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and good are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
The merchants of these things which were made rich by her shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment weeping and wailing.
And saying alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet
and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, for in one hour so great riches has
come to naught.
And every shipmaster and all the company and ships and sailors and as many as trade by
sea stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, what city
and they cast dust on their heads and cried weeping and wailing saying alas alas that great city
wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her coastlines
for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her thou heaven and ye holy apostles
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone
and cast it into the sea, saying,
thus with violence shall that great city Babylon
be thrown down and shall be found no more at all.
And the voices of harpers and musicians
and of pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all
in thee, and no craftsmen or whatsoever craft he be
shall be found any more in thee.
And the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more
at all in thee.
and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee,
and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more
at all in thee. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth,
for by the sorceries were all nations deceived,
and in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints
and of all that were slain upon the earth."
Brother Wade, can you pray for the service?
Amen. All right. Can my timer start here? So, title of my sermon tonight is When the House Folds.
When the House Folds. So, I'm going to be preaching against a particular city called Las Vegas.
I'm sure everyone here is familiar with the city of Las Vegas and what is known,
but I'm just going to read to you a short introduction about the city of brief history,
Las Vegas is a city in car county, Nevada.
The area was originally a desert oasis used by Native American tribes and later by Spanish
explorers in the 18th century.
The name Las Vegas means the meadows in Spanish, referencing the spring-fed meadows in the
region.
In 1905, Las Vegas was officially founded as a city when land was auctioned to attract
connecting Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.
The city grew slowly until 1931.
This was really when the event in 1931,
when the city became, when it got on the map, became famous.
Because the state in Nevada legalized gambling
and the construction of the Hoover Dam
brought thousands of workers.
to the area. These events transformed Las Vegas into a hub for tourism and entertainment.
By the mid-20th century, it had become famous for its casinos, nightlife and elaborate shows
earning it the nickname Sin City, which I'm sure everyone here has heard at least that
term thrown by the city.
So, today, Las Vegas is known for all those things, and the verse I can think of immediately
is Habakkuk 12, which says this, woe to him that buildeth a town with blood and establish
a city by iniquity.
If you would turn with me to Isaiah chapter 15, Isaiah chapter 15.
So why preach a sermon like this you might be asking, you might be wondering, well this
is going to lead into my first point that preaching against places like cities and towns is biblical.
There are many people in the Bible, golly men, even Jesus Christ himself that have preached
against places like the known for their wickedness and things like that.
Isaiah chapter 15 verse 1 if you're already there says the burden of Moab because in the night of our
Of Moab is laid waste. So this is Isaiah preaching a prophecy against a place a country called Moab
This is you know to put in a modern day today be like me preaching against France or something like that or some country
Is laid waste and he's he's proclaiming their judgment in his place and brought to silence
Because in the night cur of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence
He has gone up to bejith into debon the high places to weep a Moab shall howl over nebo
Because during this time, Egypt was also being judged by God with warfare from Assyria.
Nibo was one of the towns that got taken over by the Assyrian military, Nebuchadnezzar,
as the general leading the charge for that in his southern campaign to Egypt.
So, they're looking at the neighboring countries and weeping over the destruction of warfare
that's going on in their region, you know, kind of like the Middle East today with like
all the sorrow, woe that's going on over in the Middle East and Israel today, and Palestine
and just all the horrible things that, you know, the Israeli government and the Israeli
military is doing over there to the Palestinians, it's sick.
Over Medaba on all their heads shall be boldness, and every beard cut off, and their streets
they shall gird themselves with sackcloth on the tops of their houses, and in their streets
everyone shall howl weeping abundantly.
And Heshban shall cry, and alightly their voices shall be heard even unto jahaz, therefore
the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out, his life shall be grievous unto him."
And that's just one example. You can turn it if you want, but my next place is going to be Jeremiah chapter 51
So that was Isaiah and there's many places in Isaiah
Whereas I there's like whole chapters or Isaiah specifically just preaching to a place and saying God's gonna overthrow this place
He's gonna burn it alive. It's gonna be destroyed. It's gonna be desolate. I mean
So this is something, this is a big theme in the Bible.
You see a lot of people in the Bible
that God uses to preach or proclaim judgment to a place
or to preach against for its sins andiquities.
This isn't my notes, but Jonah is another example
where God would have told Jonah,
go to Nineveh and preach God's judgment to that city.
Amen.
So that's another example.
Jeremiah 51 verse 7 says this,
Babylon has been a golden cup in the Lord's hand
that made all the earth drunken.
The nations have drunken of her wine.
Therefore the nations are mad.
Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed.
How for her?
Take balm of her pain.
If so, be she may be healed.
We would have healed Babylon
But she is not healed for sake her and why not everyone go into her own country for our judgment reach a thumb to heaven
He's lifted up
Even to the skies so Jeremiah is proclaiming judgment here about Babylon
Which at that time was actually Babylon in the Middle East, but this also can prophetically be applied to mystery Babylon
Which you know a lot of people believe is America some people have different theories as well
But you might be thinking, well, that's Old Testament, that's Old Testament, that doesn't matter today.
Everything's all nice and lovey-dovey all the time with hippie Jesus, right? With hippie-gone-here Jesus.
So everything's all good all the time. We don't have judgment anymore.
Well, turn with me to Luke chapter 13. Jesus Christ in the flesh actually proclaimed judgment in rebuked cities as well.
You know because if it were only Old Testament one of God made a clear a distinction of change
If that were the case in New Testament, you don't find a verse like that in the Bible
God still feels the same way about wicked cities as he does back then and the Bible says we serve the same God as in the Old
Testament, it's not like we have a different God in the Old Testament and different one in the New Testament
No, they're both the same God
says here in Luke chapter 13 verse 2 it says in Jesus answering sent unto them
suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because
they suffered such things now verse 1 it says that Pilate did some weird thing
mingling the sacrifices of the blood of the victims here with the sacrifices
some people got different theories on what that means but just for the sake of
the point here for this point
Basically, they were destroyed by Pilate.
Pilate went in and destroyed this town.
And God was like, well, were these people just so bad
and just above the worst sinners?
That's why they had these things happen to them?
No, this is what he says in verse 3.
I tell you, nay, or no,
but except ye repent,
ye shall all likewise perish.
Now, this can be applied physically and spiritually.
Spiritually speaking, repent, meaning change your mind, put your faith and trust on Jesus
Christ.
You escape going to hell, and you escape perishing, burning hell forever, and you're with Jesus
Christ.
But I believe this is more literal here, given the fact that I'm talking about a little
In the Bible, you see people turning from their wicked ways not to be saved, but to escape and obtain mercy from God on earth, as a nation or a town as well.
The book of Jonah also talks about that, how they turned from their wicked ways and got spared Nineveh in the book of Jonah.
So if we keep reading...
It says in verse 4,
All those 18 upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them,
Think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwell in Jerusalem,
I tell you, nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
So God's given a warning here to these cities,
Hey, if you're going to be a wicked city,
if you're not going to follow my commandments, I will wipe you out.
That's what God said, except you repent, you will perish.
Matthew 11 is my next place, if you want to turn there. Matthew 11. And again.
God is merciful. God has mercy. He's willing to forgive. If you were just to come to him in meekness and humbleness and just say
Hey, God, I messed up. You know, God is what will God wants to forgive. That's his default
He doesn't want to come down on us like a ton of bricks
So don't give him a reason to give him a reason to give the know be humble
Don't be stiff necked when you get rebuking from a preacher or a pastor
You know, you should get right in your heart and say, yeah, you know gotta get right
Because none of us are perfect. We've all messed up.
It says here in Matthew 1 verse 20,
then begin He to abrade the cities.
Abrade is meaning to like,
skull to really rebuke.
That's another word, abrade.
In this context.
Then begin He to abrade the cities
wherein most of His mighty works were done
because they repented not.
So these are the cities that God did miracles in
and they did not believe on Him.
This is God's response to that.
Woe unto thee, Charazen, woe unto thee Bethsaida, for thy mighty works which were done in you
had been done in Tyre and Psydon, they would have repented long ago in Sackhoff and Ashes.
But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Psydon at the day of judgment
than for you, and thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down
For if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, have been done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day.
But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee."
So picture this. These are cities in Jerusalem, not Jerusalem, Israel, or Judah.
So these are cities, supposedly in God's chosen nation year, and he's saying if these miracles were done in Sodom and Gomorrah,
The city would still have been there.
God would not have wiped out Solomon and Gomorrah
because they would have repented.
You know, that's a pretty strong rebuke from God right there
is when God is even saying the most wicked city
in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis,
where literally the king of Solomon and Gomorrah
was literally trying to bargain with Abraham for the slaves
Get him that victory against the other from the week from the
The confederate of the other nations at that time in the book of Genesis, you know
When you got nations wicked is that we have both old and young
Surrounding a house trying to defile two angels when God says even they would have repented when they would when that's they would remain to this day
To a city that is rejecting Jesus Christ and what he did there. That's that's that's some strong stuff right there
So all those verses are to approve that preaching against cities is not something that's new
It's it's something that's been throughout the Bible
It's something Jesus Christ even did Jesus Christ preach against cities and wicked cities
And he used golly man the Old Testament as well to do the same thing
So that that is my first point, you know preaching against cities in nations is biblical
Point number two, Las Vegas is a city built upon wickedness
If you would, turn with me to 1st Kings chapter 16.
And again, I just read you the brief history of Las Vegas.
Does that sound like that was a city I was built on,
like, you know, a good principle?
Oh, like, we're going to build this city,
you know, to have a golly place or something?
No, they built it for pioneers and settlers
to settle in it when they're traveling to Los Angeles
when they were going out west at that time.
And it became basically a brothel.
It basically became a whorehouse,
is what in the 1930s and stuff like that.
That is not a city.
God is going to bless.
Verse 23 it says this
In the 30 and first year of Asa, King of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel 12 years
Six years reigned he in Terza, and he brought the hill Samaria of
Sheemur two towns of silver and built on the hill and called the name of the city which he built after the name of Sheemur
Oh, I don't know the hill Samaria now Sheemur Samaria Samaria
You can see how that kind of came from that word Sheemur there in the phone
Fun little fact right there, but you see here's a history of a city being built here
But was it built upon righteousness like other cities?
Well, if we look here if we jumped on a verse 31
We'll see what the principles of the city turds of the capital of Samaria was built on verse 31
And it came to pass as it had been a white thing
For him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam. Now King Jeroboam was the first king that really got Israel to into idolatry
So that was a light thing for this king that built the Omri built this city for
It says here
It was a light thing work walking the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat
That he took to wipe Jezebel so a have the son of Omri Omri dies after 12 years of reigning then his son a
Ab takes the throne and he he marries a wicked woman called Jezebel the daughter of f-bale and
king of the Sidonians and went and served Baal and worshiped him.
So this king thought, well he just worshiped idols like the golden calf and stuff like that, that's a light thing.
I want to worship Baal, I want to worship the devil, just straight up.
That's what this king was doing, King Ahab.
And he reared up in altar for Baal in the house of Baal,
which he had built in Samaria.
So not only is he personally worshiping
this horrible, disgusting, satanic false god, Baal,
in his own personal life,
but he's also having taxpayer money
build a grove for this wicked false god.
So that is an example of a city being built
that was really wicked.
And it says in,
Verse 34
Yeah verse 34 and his days did heal the Bethelite Bill Jericho
He led the foundation thereof in a byroom his firstborn and said the gates thereof and his youngest son
Seagub according to the word of the Lord which he speak by Joshua the son of none now the reason why that's a big deal
Rebuilding Jericho's his God explicitly said cursed to be the man that built that would rebuild Jericho
If you you can't turn with me you want but I'm gonna go into Joshua chapter 6 just to point that out
Joshua chapter 6 verse 26 it says this and Joshua adjourned them at that time
saying curse it be the man before the Lord that rises up and buildeth this
city Jericho so it was destroyed by Joshua but then later on in first
Kings it gets rebuilt up and that city was always built upon wickedness when
It's not the biblical see Jericho will be destroyed again
so
In 1931 the construction of the Hoover Dam began
It was one of the largest engineering projects in the US history
And it put Las Vegas on the map as a destination for tourists and workers alike the small town
grew from 5,000 to 25,000
After that construction it took about four years. It was complete 1935 the Hoover Dam and a fun fact about the Hoover Dam
Almost a thousand workers died constructing that dam. It was a very surprising very uh
Deadly project, and there's a lot of conspiracy theories
I'm not going to conspiracy theories about the Hoover Dam tonight
But definitely look into it if you're interested in that kind of stuff because they do have a monument of the Hoover Dam of some weird
Sun God thing saying they died and it says on the monument
They died to make the desert glow like that's a little weird. You know just a little
thing there
So since most of these newcomers were single working men because they were working for opportunity at West
That's why they were going out West. They're going, you know along the way. Las Vegas was like their stop out to Los Angeles
You know, this is during the gold rock. Well, not the gold rush, but just going out West to uh,
You know find work
So the city became known at known for its many brothels and gambling establishments because we got a bunch of single guys with money
Well, are most single guys with a lot of money smart with it?
No, not really.
So they're going to gamble it away.
They're going to do all sorts of disgusting
things with women, too.
It's just that's what they do, unfortunately.
So they were profiting from that.
So if you would turn with me to Proverbs chapter 7,
just I'll go through a few verses in Proverbs chapter 7
relating that.
Las Vegas is built upon this, the gambling establishments,
the nightlife, the brothels, and stuff like that,
which brothels is just a nice word for whorehouse.
It's just a place of iniquity.
So part of chapter seven, it says this.
In the first couple of verses, it
says to follow God's law, keep them and bind them
upon that fingers.
I'm sort of verse nine here.
Actually, I'll start at verse eight.
Now verse 5, they that keep thee from the strange woman.
Now you'll see this theme a lot in Book of Prophets, the strange woman.
If we keep reading in verse 5, from the stranger which flattereth with her words, for at the
window of my house I look through my casement, and beheld among the simple ones I discern
among the youths, a young man void of understanding, passing through the street nearer a corner
as he went on.
went the way to her house.
So this sounds like the young single man going out west
to find work in California, right?
And he stops by Las Vegas and sees a woman at this house.
This brothel.
You know, these are women you don't wanna be with,
by the way, young men.
You don't wanna be with a woman.
You know, if you're meeting a woman,
she's just coming on to you.
She's just saying all these swollen words to you,
just flattering you.
Beware.
that that's not a woman that is
Now I'm not saying every woman that does that is like out to get you or something like that
No, obviously there's some women that actually
You know complimenting you stuff like that. There's nothing wrong with compliments
I'm talking about over the top flattery. Oh, you're just the best guy ever. No one gets me like you do
Oh, we're just love at first sight like yeah, okay sure buddy, you know
It's yeah, I believe that
and
So that's you know, you'll see that a lot of problems the strange woman how she catches men and she hunts for the precious life
I mean you got to be aware of women like that. I must listen most women are regular people trying to live their life
But they're all wicked. There's wicked men out there don't want to do this to women and there's wicked women don't do this to men
Okay, they're out there
Says here and obviously the guy was being stupid too. He was going right where that woman was
So if you avoid her she won't bother you
Just don't go to where the working woman is and you'll be fine.
It says in verse 9, in the twilight, so this is happening during the day,
this is happening at night, in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.
You know, sin happens at night.
Why do you think in Las Vegas it's always after dark, it's all the night shows,
it's all the gambling at night? It's because sin happens at night.
That's why we need as Christians to walk during the day.
We need to be honest, we need to be people of the day.
And behold, there met him a woman within the tower of an harlot in subtle of heart."
And I'll jump down to verse 13.
So she caught him and kissed him again with a flattery.
I mean, she just met this guy.
You know, if you meet a woman she just kisses you, it's like, whoa, what, you know?
And with an impugnant face and said unto him, I have peace offerings with me.
This day have I paid my vows, therefore came my forth to meet thee.
She doesn't even know this guy. He's like, oh, yeah, I got all these vows. I came to meet you
You don't even know me
You came to meet me
There's you always seek that face and I found the and then she goes on on saying she's got all this awesome stuff at her house
And he you know through her in the Bible says
Through her first speech she forced him so
Again, and this is a very prominent thing in Las Vegas the whole prostitution scene
And that's the point I'm making with going to Proffer's Chapter 7.
You know, gambling was legalized in 1931 after construction of the Hoover Dam.
That brought all sorts of traffic into the city.
But also, it's not just that. It's also the bootlegging of alcohol as well.
That made the city really corrupt with Mafias and mobsters running the city during the 1930s.
Because again, during the 1930s, what was going on during that time? It was debt.
abolition of alcohol by the government. It was illegal to purchase and consume
alcohol in America. So, places like Chicago, Las Vegas, and other cities were
having all these crazy crime scenes where a bunch of officers were in
syndicates were bootlegging and trafficking all this illegal alcohol to
people so that they can, you know, drink alcohol.
You know in drinking alcohol is a sin by the way
I know we live in a society today where it's a very relaxed
As you towards alcohol, but it's still a sin God still hates it
It's right and you know if you're a Christian you're saved and you're doing all you got to get right with God
You have to because alcohol will destroy your life if you allow it to
And the Bible says in Proverbs chapter 15 verse 27
He that is greedy of gain trouble with his own house, but he the hate of gifts shall live
So if you're trying to get rich quick by hitting the casinos, you're not going to get rich because
The only people that get rich running those casinos are the people that run the casinos
You know the same goes the house always wins. Why because they rig it where yeah
You may win the first couple games, but then they hook you. Oh, I won five grand at the sauce or whatever a black shot
Whatever, I'm gonna keep playing because that's how the mind works. You're gonna keep you know
Reaping the benefits supposedly that you think and actually no you just dropped 20,000 after winning 5,000
That's a net of 15,000 you lost
When you walked in and let's say you betted. I don't know $1,000
You just lost over 20 grand right there. You got to borrow a car with that money, you know
But so you wasted it away by thinking you gave it's quick with gambling
That's what the Bible says, if you're quick to get gain, if you're greedy, meaning you're
just really desiring, you're obsessing over gain.
You're gonna trouble your own house now
I've had family not direct not an immediate fan immediate family
But I've had extended family where I've heard stories of like people on my mom's side
Who have had gambling problems gambling addiction and how literally they had to live
Really buy their means to get by because he would just spend all his money away to go gamble somewhere and
Know if you're a father and a what in a husband
And it's your responsibility to look after your wife and your children, take care of
them, defeat them, decode them, everything, and you go out and spend up all your money
on gambling.
I mean, you're being a terrible example to your family.
Your family's going to see that and...
They're going to be like, they're going to have no respect for you.
You know, if you're a father and you're a husband, you want respect from your wife and
your kids.
Be a godly husband and father.
Be someone that works hard at their job.
Be someone that's faithful to church.
Be someone that is going to uphold righteousness and earn money the right way by working hard.
Because that's the only way you can earn money God's way.
It's by hard work.
There's no betrayal in hard work, as the saying goes.
Hard work portrays none.
I'll tell you one thing, I don't have a lot of money, but somehow, despite me working hard
and just following what God says, I have more than enough.
Because God provides.
God provides for His children.
He will never allow His children to be begging for bread.
So it says here.
And again, I said it before, prostitution is a really big thing in Las Vegas.
Now, it's up for debate if it's legal or not.
Some parts it is, some parts it isn't.
But it's still tolerated at the very least.
It's still very much a tolerated thing in the city.
Well, this is what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6-18.
Free fornication.
Did the Bible say, oh, fornication is okay?
A little bit? No, no, just free from it.
Now fornication is sex before marriage. You're a single person and you have a physical relationship
With someone before marriage. That's a sin. That's a grievous sin
God has killed people for that sin and you know what if you do that sin
Oh, God may just kill you. He might if you're saved now if you're not saved
He may let you get away with it because you know obviously if he won't say you're not you're not a child
But if you're a saved Christian, if you've got the Holy Spirit, you know your own heaven
because you put your faith and trust on the Lord Jesus Christ, he's going to hold you
to higher standards.
And especially if you've heard hard preaching, you know, about fornication, and you still
do it anyway, you're just asking for God to come after you.
Now, I will say this, if you've done it in the past.
And that's something you've done in the past and you forget and God's forgiven you that sin. Well, don't do it again
You know, I'm not gonna be mad at you for that. God's forgiven you
There's just don't do it again. Just like people that committed adultery. Well, I've committed in the past
But I've asked God forgiveness. You know what you can still serve God. You can still be someone that serves God
But it's not recommended. I'm really talking to people who haven't done it yet. Don't commit fornication. Don't commit adultery
It's ill destroy your life. I don't care how funny may be at the moment. It's just ill destroy you
It's just one of us. I've seen it personally destroy lives. It's horrific. It's not worth it. Don't do it
So that was my second point just about Las Vegas and how it
How it lines up with God for judgment in the Bible
So so far I talked about how preaching against cities is biblical Las Vegas and its history. It's built upon wickedness
Point number three Christians should have nothing to do with this city
Now what I mean by that is we should not be partaking in the sinful activities at the center of the sinful city offers
So obviously like oh if you were to visit the city overnight or something and you just went a restaurant, okay?
I'm not mad at you. I'm not I'm not saying that
but
We shouldn't be partaking in the nightlife there, at all.
We shouldn't be hitting up the casinos, we shouldn't be hitting up the bars,
or especially not the brothels, okay, at all.
That's something we should stay far away from, let God be blasphemed.
You know, we say we're Christians, we have the Bible,
and actually now we go to our city doing that.
I mean, how do you think the enemies are going to think about this?
Very much, you know, evangelism has preached a great sermon earlier today about hypocrisy.
How hypocritical would it be for me to preach against fornication next thing you know, two
weeks down the line I go to Las Vegas and I do that.
I mean, you won't take me seriously anymore.
Oh, well, this seems to be a hypocrite, you'd be right.
I would be a hypocrite if that happened.
Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship have righteousness with
unrighteousness and what communion have light with darkness and what concord meaning union
Have Christ with Belial and what part hath he to believe it with an infidel
And what agreement have the temple of God which is us by the way our bodies our housing the Holy Spirit by the way
I mean, I feel we forget that
When we're saved, we have the Holy Ghost living and dwelling with us.
You think He's going to be okay with you coming for an indication?
No. You're grieving the Holy Spirit if you do that at that point.
Now, you're still saved. You can never lose your salvation for any reason.
I don't care what it is.
Because if you put your faith in trust in Jesus Christ, you're sealed with the Holy Spirit.
You're going to look unsealing that. You can't do it.
So, you're still saved, but man, are you grieving the Holy Spirit?
He's going to punish you. He's going to make your life hard in this life.
Temple of God with idols
For ye are the temple of the living God as God has said I will dwell in them and walk in them
And I'll be their God. They shall be my people
Wherefore come out from among them and be separate save the Lord save the Lord and touch off the unclean thing
And then and I will receive you
So the problem is very clear God after we're saved
We should live a holy life
Now are we gonna be perfect? Are we gonna just do right all the time? No. I I still sin. I'll make that right now
I still struggle sin every day. I'm like if I go an hour without sinning
I say that often now so many like no, I'm not without sin. I'm not perfect
I'm not getting out of your pontificate. Oh, yeah, well, you should guys be like me. I just live perfectly
No, we all we all got the flesh. We all have our sins that we struggle with
But you know what? We should try we got the Holy Spirit
We have the ability to resist sin today if you're saved
So do not be seeded by the city lights. It's man's plight and it says in second Corinthians chapter 11
You know, I know I'm in second Corinthians a lot tonight, but you know
This is a great book on spiritual warfare and
Just dealing with sin in your life. I'd never recommend reading first and second Corinthians
This does address a lot of sins that a lot of men and women struggle today with today
2 Corinthians 11 verse 14, and no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel
of light.
So, even Satan himself can really transform himself and make himself look like the real
thing.
I mean, why do I think it's so hard to find a good church here in Indiana, and we're in
the Bible about.
Well, close to it.
I mean, Indiana is a very receptive state from my experience in soul winning compared
to other states I've been to.
You know, why is it, you know, why is it so common in this church why so many people are driving hours to come to this church?
Why I could I could think of like five churches in my town alone that I live in that is like only two five minutes from my
From my house. Why am I driving an hour and a half up here?
When I got a church right down the street, I could go to well because Satan has made many counterfeit
Churches that just are not taking a hard stand on the King James Bible that are not preaching the truth
They're using corrupt Bible versions. They're preaching a different gospel a gospel that is not about hey
We're all sinners we deserve hell, but Jesus Christ paid for all just trust him believe in Jesus and you're safe
They're preaching. Well, yeah, that's half right. We also got a repent of your sins. Well, you gotta live right
Well, you can lose your salvation if you're not really good, so you've got to listen to me.
I'm the middleman now, so I'm the one that determines if you're saved or not.
You know, it's all garbage like that, or we don't even have a choice in the matter,
it's all just determined by God beforehand, you know, the Calvinists.
And I'll just say this, you know, I am a Calvinist, but I'm a zero-point Calvinist.
I agree with exactly none of their points.
So, hey, don't get mad at me, blame God, he just decided that beforehand.
That's a little good Calvinist joke I like to say every so often.
But you know, gambling is sinful, you know, because it's this way to think you can get
rich quick, and the Bible says, labor not to be rich sees from my own wisdom, okay?
So what the Bible says, but I think God wants us to struggle a little bit too to earn our
money so that we stay humble.
Because, you know, I mean honestly, if I got everything I wanted, that would be a punishment for me, that wouldn't be something that would be good for me, because then I would have no character.
I would have all this gain, well I think rich people are so hard to get saved, because they get everything they want and they didn't have to work for it.
They didn't have to make sacrifice, they didn't have to work that 60 hour work week.
They didn't have to work 10, 12 hour work days to earn a paycheck to pay their bills
and have very little left over.
They didn't have to save their money for years and years and years to get a better car and
drive a crappy one in the process.
They didn't have to do all that.
They just have, a lot of them have it handed to them or they're just successful in business
and make a lot of money very quickly.
And quite frankly, I'd rather be rich in faith.
I'd rather be rich in the spiritual things.
I'd rather have some character to me and a good work ethic than have a lot of money.
His money is temporary at any day. You can't bring your money with you. That's right when you die. You just can't
Be nice, but you can't
Prostitutions also grievance, and I think that that's kind of self-explanatory like if you're
Doing mood things with a woman like that. I mean, yeah, I mean, I don't think you know when the church is going to defend that
It's for an occasion. It's adultery if you're a married man. It's it's horrible
so
If that isn't if this city is known for having that reputation for being built and having that kind of reputation
And again, if you're going there for different things
Um, how about Maddie or anything like that? But again, this is not Bible. This is my opinion on the matter
So I'm not saying oh, this is dogmatic or anything. It's just my opinion on it
Be personally based on my opinion. I don't think as Christians. We should even visit the city
Now again, if you do, hey, we have individual solverity, I get that.
I'm not saying you're going to, you're like a horrible person, you're going to hell or anything like that.
Just me personally, why? Because the Bible says we should abstain from all appearance of evil.
They're a point of cities in America that do have sinful activities going on, I get that.
But those cities don't have a history built around that, while Las Vegas does.
And it's just so well-known too. You think of Las Vegas, you're, I mean, come on, you're thinking of alcohol, you're thinking of gambling, you're thinking of other horrible things as well.
I mean, that's just what our minds go to.
So, that was my third point. So far, I talked about preaching in cities is biblical. Las Vegas is a city built upon wickedness.
And my third point was, how Christians should have nothing to do with the sinful activities in the city.
My fourth point is this the coming judgment of Las Vegas
I'll say this right now. God hates Las Vegas for its sin and God will judge that city when the time comes
Turn with me to Ezekiel chapter 27
Ezekiel chapter 27
You know if God does not judge Las Vegas you have to apologize for destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. That's what I'll say
That city is built upon weakness is built upon iniquity, and it is something we should not support at all
You should not be gambling your money away you should be being good stewards with everything God has given you
Says in Ezekiel chapter 27
I'll go to
Let's see
I'll start with verse 33 and go to verse 36.
When thy wear, so this is talking about the city of Tyre,
which is very rich with its maritime trade, its sea trade.
Verse 33, when thy wares went forth out of the seas,
thou fillest many people, thou disenriched the kings
of the earth with the multitude thy riches
and of thy merchandise.
In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas
and the depths of the waters thy merchandise
and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.
all the inhabitants of the aisle shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be so afraid,
they shall be troubled in their countenance, the merchants among the people shall hiss at thee,
now shall be a terror, and never shall be any more." So God said, yeah, you're getting rich with
all this trade, but you know what, I'm going to destroy thee in one day, and everyone's going to
hiss at thee and hate thee and destroy thee. That's what it says. And you compare this with
the Chetra was read before the sermon,
this one's a perfectly with a mystery of Babylon,
where it says Babylon is fallen,
as fallen has become the habitation of devils
and the cage of the very foul spirit
and the hold of every unclean and hateful bird.
So, again, like Tyre and Babylon,
Vegas will have its day of reckoning.
And so the reason why I'm preaching this sermon,
talking about this is,
how evil Las Vegas is, how we as Christians should approach this city.
But here's some good news. Not for them, but for us.
In June of 2025, Las Vegas saw an 11.3% drop in visitors compared to the previous year.
With international travelers decreasing by 13%,
hotel occupancy fell by nearly 15%, and airport passenger traffic also declined.
The downtown has been attributed to factors such as rising costs, political tensions and shifting
travel preferences. And Las Vegas is also experiencing very recent heat wave as well,
which, you know, you don't have to turn there, but I'm just going to turn to Revelation chapter 16.
I thought about this verse immediately when I read about that. It says in Revelation 16 verse 7.
And I heard another out of the altar say, even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are by
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, and power was given on him to scorch men with fire.
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which have power over these plagues.
And they repented not to give him glory.
So and what one of the plagues that God's gonna do when he pours out his wrath during the time of revelation is he's just gonna
Really torment the people of the earth with extreme heat like you think it's bad like in the American Southwest with the heat now
It's gonna be worse than it's gonna be like maybe 200 degrees Fahrenheit
I don't know how hot it's gonna be, but it's really it's gonna be so hot there would be crowd paying really blaspheming God's name
So that's gonna be a pretty extreme heat
So
Now God is judging Las Vegas God is judging America every day. He the Bible says he judged with all nations and
Know what gives them the right? Well, he's God. He created everything God is the righteous judge
So in closing I'll say this
Keep your mind pure and on Jesus Christ if you turn with me to Proverbs chapter 4
You know, it's easy to get distracted with everything this world the lights to glamour
And I get it, you know, we're only at church sometimes once a week, sometimes three times a week, depending on when you can be here, you know.
So sometimes you're not thinking about spiritual things, you know, I even catch myself doing that, you know.
I like to think I'm a pretty spiritual person, but I still, I've seen the flesh, I still walk in the flesh, we all do.
So, it's easy to lose sight of heaven, hell, the Bible, Jesus, and things like that.
But we have to renew our minds daily to stay in those things because we can't see Jesus.
We can't see the spiritual realm.
The only way we know about these things is from the Bible, from this book that we have.
It says here in Proverbs chapter 4 verse 24, it says this,
Put away from the a-forward mouth and perverse lips.
Put far from the what thine eyelids look right on, and what thine eyelids look straight before
thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand, or nowhere to the left, remove thy foot from evil.
No, I love this verse so much and I had this is one of my verses
I memorized early on to my Christian life because I would always get distracted with stuff
You know, I said no what my eyes look right on let me look straight ahead towards Jesus Christ
What we not be distracted with the things of the world because if you allow the world to get an inch of your life
It will take a mile. It doesn't take much saying
Me it's only by Jesus Christ that keeps you safe from from say we're not stronger than the devil
The devil can destroy your life like that
if you're not in God's protection. How do you stay in God's protection?
If you're reading the Bible every day, if you're praying Him,
if you're in fellowship with Him, how can you have fellowship with someone you don't talk to?
You know, if someone's your best friend, when do you say you talk to them
often, right? Oh, that guy over there, he's my best friend.
When was the last time you talked to him? Never. That'd be weird, right?
You're going to stay in fellowship with Jesus Christ. That's how He knows...
Listen, Jesus Christ knows your needs, but He wants you to tell Him.
You know if you ask him he'll do it now
We're not a Calvinist here you actually got to ask God for help
And I get it sometimes being a man you want to be like all I can do it myself
I get no you need God you can rely on your strength for only so long and then you run out
You need God to help you it says in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2 looking onto Jesus the author
finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross
despising his shame and set down the right hand of the throne of God. You
know, Jesus Christ is our example. He's the one we should look to when we go
through hard times. He will help you. He's a great comforter. The Bible says
he is our comforter. He sends us to come to the Holy Spirit. And it says, you know,
and the pleasures of sin never last. You know, the Bible says, and he was 11
Uh, left Egypt, it says in Hebrews 11 verse 25,
he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
So, yeah, sin has pleasure, but only for a little bit.
Then it wears off.
Like drug acts, it's like the first month or two months,
everything's great.
It's like, wow, I'm starting this drug and I feel awesome.
But then after that, it wears off,
now you're addicted to this thing.
And now you just, you gotta take this drug
just to feel normal.
How would you like that in your life?
That would be terrible.
Life started hard enough for me.
The last thing I need is to be a heroin addict or anything like that.
That would be...
That's why the Bible says the way of the transgressors is hard.
It's hard to be a drug addict.
That's why they have no money because they're constantly spending money to get their fix.
And it's not legal too, so they're constantly worried about the cops catching them.
I mean, no, I don't want that stress in my life.
No, what living a life is all by assistance hard enough you got me taxes you got pay bills and stuff. I don't need that extra
Yeah, no, thank you
So what and another application is with a holy sanctified life that pleases the Lord don't give your strength to the world
You know the world will have nothing more than the sea of Christian fall the world hates Christianity
I mean the last couple weeks with no the people coming against this church, right?
And what they've been saying and falsely accusing us of now how much they hate us
It's funny how they say they're loving yet. They're the least loving people on this planet right bunch of hypocrites
They should listen they should listen to evangelism on sermon this morning. It was it calls them out
So I'll close with this verse and then we'll be done
You can turn there if you want James chapter 1 verse 26 and 27
If any man among you seem to be religious, and blood with not his tongue, but deceiveth
his own heart, this man's religion is vain, pure religion and undefiled before God, and
the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep
himself unspotted from the world.
What is religion?
Religion is soul winning.
It's visiting the fatherless.
and the widows, and their affliction, and keeping yourself unspotted from the world.
The world today likes to twist that word, religion.
Oh, it's not about religion, man. It's about a relationship.
Well, the Bible actually uses the word, religion.
And it defines it saying, hey, religion is keeping yourself holy from the world
and staying away from sin.
So that is what we as Christians should be doing. We should be staying or keeping ourselves pure as pure as possible
And one way is by just never visiting Las Vegas because let's face it. There's nothing but filth there a lot of times
Is there some things you could do there aren't sinful? Yeah, but why pray with a grenade?
Why put yourself in that position where you know, let's just make no provision for the flesh
Don't even give it a chance to ruin your life
All right, let's pray.
Heavenly Father, thank You, Lord, so much for giving me an opportunity to preach, Lord.
Thank You, Lord, so much for this church, Lord, and the people here, Lord.
Lord, I just pray for everyone's protection, Lord, as they drive home tonight, Lord.
And that You would have everyone, just keep themselves on spot from the world, Lord, and
keep themselves pure, Lord.
In Your name, Jesus Christ, and our prayer.
Amen.
Great sermon brother Stephen his sermon reminded me of number 116 he leadeth me number
116 he leadeth me. Let's go there
Let's all stand for this last song
Ask God to help us lead us not to go to Las Vegas
First stanza, he leadeth me, O blessed thought, O words with heavenly comfort fraught,
What ere I do, where ere I be, Still scot-ent that leadeth me, he leadeth me, he leadeth me.
Leadeth me by his own hand, he leadeth me, His faithful father I would be for by his
hand, he leadeth me, Sometimes midscenes of deepest gloom, sometimes where Eden's
still or troubled sea still tis God's hand that leadeth me he leadeth me he
leadeth me he leadeth me his faithful fowler I would be for by his hand he
Nor ever mermor, nor repine, content whatever lot I see,
since his God's hand that leadeth me.
He leadeth me, he leadeth me by his own hand,
And when my task on earth is done, When by thy grace the victories won,
Heavenly Father, thank you for this day Lord. Thank you for allowing us to be here in church. Lord Ashley
Please help our church Lord as we go through our week