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Well, it's great to be here tonight. I always enjoy preaching in Sacramento, California my hometown And so it's always a pleasure to be back here with my good friend Pastor Jimenez He and I have been very good friends now for what 18 years and so our friendship has reached adulthood now And so it's always good to be a Verity Baptist Church I couldn't believe how many people came you know just in spite of everything that's going on And it's great such a huge turnout last night and tonight praise the Lord for that so tonight I'm preaching on the subject of marijuana and Marijuana is a big subject right now Because of the fact that it's becoming legal all over the United States and because it's becoming legal all over the United States There are all kinds of billboards popping up because a lot of people want to capitalize on this opportunity They want to make money dispensing marijuana and so with all the billboards going up and all the Advertising it's in front of people's minds and when people see that advertising You know people are paying for that advertising for a reason because it works And so marijuana is just being put in front of us every day and young people Could see that and be tempted to partake of that. There's a lot of culture that glorifies marijuana There are movies that glorify using marijuana music Etc and so I want to get up tonight and preach against marijuana because I don't want young people Smoking marijuana and so you need to hear about how bad it is how wicked it is and how harmful it is to you So that you're not tempted by all the advertising and glamour surrounding it in 2020 so let me start out just by giving you a little bit of history of Marijuana use in the United States. Okay, so if we go back to the late 1800s early 1900s Smoking marijuana in the United States was not really a thing the drug that people were typically addicted to was opium in fact opium addiction became such a big thing in this country that by 1914 one out of 400 Americans were addicted to opium. I mean this is when people were literally drinking Opium cough syrups with you know literally I saw where heroin Was originally patented as a cough syrup as a cough medicine non-addictive all right And so you have people that were addicted to opium and in the early part of the 20th century The first people to use marijuana in the United States were bringing it up from Mexico So it wasn't really a thing in the mainstream American culture, but among Mexican immigrants It was a thing they brought it up from Mexico into the United States And they smoked marijuana for the first 20 years or so wasn't until the 30s that it started to spread a little bit outside of the Hispanic community and in 1937 the federal government passed the marijuana tax act Where they wanted to basically tax it and make it harder for people to get access to it, but in the 1950s Is when the government really cracked down on marijuana, and they said hey we got to put a stop to this and so the penalties that they enacted in 1956 for possessing marijuana any amount of marijuana if you possess any amount of marijuana in 1956 the minimum sentence was two years in prison Just for having marijuana on your person in 1956 Two to ten years was the sentence minimum of two Maximum of ten not even for selling it not even for smuggling it I'm talking about just for possessing marijuana on your person So this was serious. I was talking to my dad about this before the service because the 1960s is when marijuana entered the mainstream culture through the rock and roll culture was around 1967 that this became a big thing you know my dad grew up in Los Angeles, California Not exactly a backwater or anything like that. He's in a major city, LA Stone throw from Hollywood, and he said it was around 1967 that marijuana hit the scene and before that no one in his junior high smoked marijuana No one in his high school smoked marijuana and from one year to the next it just exploded on the scene and He talked about getting pulled over in the late 1960s because the laws were strict back then And he had police literally go through his car with a magnifying glass combing the carpet Because if they found one marijuana seed I mean if they found anything they're gonna nail you okay? So the the laws against marijuana used to be very strict in the 1950s and 60s and so forth it exploded on the scene in the late 60s partially because of the the wicked Spiritual practices of the rock-and-roll crowd of the late 60s you see bands like the Beatles and the Beach Boys They went over to India and started hanging around with a bunch of devil-worshipping Hindus Okay, and they're over there playing the sitar and guess what the Hindus have been smoking pot for thousands of years There's nothing new under the Sun and they thought it's gonna open their mind to a spiritual experience If you study the Hindu scriptures they talk about taking all kinds of mind-altering drugs And so they got the Beatles and the Beach Boys and people like that Smoking pot taking drugs, so they could kind of open their mind to this other experience folks It's of the devil is what it is and then Obviously when people see the Beatles doing it and everybody else doing it then they get into that pot smoking Hippie culture and so forth so that's when marijuana use really exploded in the late 60s in the 1970s this is just a little history lesson before we get into the sermon But in the 1970s is when the marijuana laws started to relax a little bit You know cuz in the 50s and 60s like I said, you know They're searching with a magnifying glass if they catch you with any you're going to prison for two years and my dad actually Knew of a guy in the valley there with him that ended up getting caught with $10 worth of marijuana Two years in jail. So this was something that was actually being carried out So in the 70s the law is kind of relaxed and in 1996 of course California legalized marijuana for AIDS patients and cancer patients and and very sick people and then since then It's been a domino effect where a lot more states have made it legal and now you don't have to have AIDS or cancer You just go in and just say it hurts everywhere, you know And you just get a prescription for pot today now if you would turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 6 1st Corinthians chapter 6 so I was just kind of a brief history of Marijuana use in the United States. It was promoted in the 60s by the rock and roll stars And today it's promoted by the hip-hop culture. I mean, dr. Dre Snoop Dogg They talk a lot about smoking pot every single day That's a big part of their culture and so that's made it popular, you know when people see that they think it's cool They follow that lead But the reason why this has become such a big deal in the last couple years is like I said as it has become legal Now all of a sudden people think well if it's legal it's okay to do it And let me tell you something just because something is legal does not make it right Just because something is illegal doesn't make it wrong. Okay, the government is not God God is God and the Bible decides what's right and wrong not just what some legislator somewhere says that something is legal Look what the Bible says in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient All things are lawful for me But I will not be brought under the power of any flip over to chapter 10 of 1st Corinthians So the Bible saying look just because something's lawful just because something's legal just because something's allowed Does not mean that it's good for you expedient is something that's helping you succeed. It's helping you become a better person Hey, marijuana is not making you a better Christian. It's not gonna make you a better employee at your job It's not making you a better husband It's not making you a better child or brother or cuz make you a loser is what it's doing It's not expedient unto you and Paul said hey, it might be legal, but it's not good for me And not only that I'm not gonna be brought under the power of it Whosoever committed sin is the servant of sin and marijuana is addictive people are addicted to drugs today Now the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 10 23 all things are lawful for me But all things are not expedient all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not it's not building you up It's not making you any smarter. It's not making you healthy. It's making you a fool now I'm gonna give you six reasons tonight not to smoke marijuana go to 1st Thessalonians chapter 5 the first few are gonna be more obvious But then I'm gonna get into some that maybe you haven't thought about but I'm gonna give you six good biblical reasons tonight Not to smoke marijuana folks is tempting and not only that but our kind of preaching and our kind of churches has over the years attracted a lot of people from the truth movement and Here's the thing a lot of people in the truth movement are into smoking pot Because they think oh this is alternative medicine the pharmaceutical companies don't want us to know How this is gonna benefit us and where folks do not believe those lies Marijuana is garbage and you say oh well God made it You know God created every green herb to be meat for us, but here's the thing about that though There are a lot of uses of the cannabis plant that are legitimate in fact throughout the 1700s and the 1800s in the United States of America like I said before pot smoking was even a thing Before that had even really been introduced in the 20th century as a recreational drug in the 1700s And in the 1800s, it was widely used as a textile It was used to make a plant-based fabric who here has ever seen or worn or used cannabis Clothing or hemp clothing, right? It's it's a you know, just like in the Bible There's linen which is a plant-based textile. Well, guess what? There's the hemp or cannabis type clothing There are legitimate uses for it. You could use that plant I'm not gonna go into all the legitimate things you could use but you know what it doesn't mean that God intended you to Light it on fire and smoke it and poison your mind with it and let me tell you something God made a lot of other things God made toadstools also, but you know what if you eat toadstools My mom told me I was a little kid you will die She said Steven you played with toadstools in the backyard wash your hands before eating or you will die and I said mom am I really gonna die if I do it? But you know what that was just the devil on my shoulder saying you should not surely die You know and my mom's like look she's like maybe I'm exaggerating but it's poisonous, okay, just don't do it Don't be a smart aleck and you know what? I washed my hands with soap because I didn't want to eat with toadstools on my hands because toadstools are poisonous Okay, I don't know how poisonous they are to this day. I'm not even gonna Google it I'm just gonna trust my mom and not play with toadstools and then eat a peanut butter sandwich. I'm not gonna do it You know, my mom also said if I use the same fork for mayonnaise and tuna, I'm gonna die No, if I put the tuna and the mayonnaise, you know, you gotta use separate, you know, she was good on food safety. Amen But look the point is There are poisonous things out there. There are berries that if you eat them, they're poisonous Everybody knows that there are plants and animals and Funguses and things that if you eat them, you're gonna die. It's like no man. God made these toadstools It's all supposed to be meat for us, man That's just stupid Okay, God made dirt. Don't go eat dirt You could eat all kinds of junk in this world just because God made something Doesn't mean he intended for you to roll it in a joint and smoke it that's a stupid argument But you know, obviously people who want to sin they're just gonna come up with some reason why it's okay So, you know you can find a Bible verse to prop up whatever your sin is if you approach the Bible with a wicked mind You can find something to take out of context and you can find a pot smoking verse in Genesis chapter 1 or whatever Well, let's see what the Bible actually says. Look at 1st Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 5 You're all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober Now the Bible tells us over and over again many verses be sober be sober be sober now a lot of people will say well when the Bible says be sober just means like be serious and Obviously that's part of sobriety is being serious But let me prove to you that when the Bible mentions sober It's also referring to an absence of alcohol Because look what the Bible says in verse 7 for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that be what? Drunken are drunken in the night, but let us who are of the day be sober. So let's not be drunk. Let's be sober Isn't that what sober means according to the Bible? Well, what sober actually means is your mind is sharp It's clear you have a clarity and guess what whether you're drinking alcohol or Smoking pot. There's a lack of clarity there. You are not sober You're not gonna be sharp and clear and sober minded if you just smoke pot and if you think so, you're crazy Okay, and you say well the Bible doesn't mention smoke pot and look you're right. The Bible does not mention smoking pot and Someone would say hey, I don't think smoking was around back then. I don't think smoky pot was around But there's nothing new under the Sun. I'm sure it was around but God Focuses more on alcohol because alcohol is the most commonly abused substance that there is and so He expects you to be smart enough to take the principles that he taught you on being sober and abstaining from alcohol and Obviously carry that over to drugs. Well, you didn't tell me to shoot up heroin You know, you didn't tell me not to shoot up heroin. I mean, can you show me the Bible where snorting cocaine is wrong? Isn't that kind of a dumb attitude? you know Jesus he took the commandments of God and the Ten Commandments and he expanded on them and Explained hey, look when the Bible says thou shalt not kill What he also means by that is you're not even supposed to be Hating your brother without a car without a or you're not supposed to be angry with your brother without a cause if you hate your Brother you're a murderer and so forth. Okay, when he tells you not to commit adultery He's also saying don't even look on a woman to lust after her, you know, he's he expands those things Obviously if God's teaching us this principle about being sober He doesn't have to chose Oh and by the way Also don't snort cocaine and also don't smoke pot and also don't sniff Elmer's glue He says have to go down the whole list Okay Go if you would to titus chapter 2 titus chapter 2 I'm gonna hurry on that point because I think most people have seen that in scripture that the Bible teaches us not to be drunken But to be sober and a lot of people say well the Bible doesn't say not to drink It just says not to get drunk. What else says to be sober? Be sober over here is sober over here is drunk And then there's a gray area in between where you're not quite sober and you're not quite drunk Well, you know where I want to be I want to be all the way over at sober where God told me to be Titus chapter 2 verse 1 but speak thou the things which become sound doctrine that the aged men be Sober grave temperate sound and faith and charity and patience the aged women Likewise that they be in behavior has become as holiness not false accusers not given to much wine Teachers of good things that they may teach the young women to be sober To love their husbands to love their children To be discreet chaste keepers at home good obedient to their own husbands that the Word of God be not blaspheme young men Likewise exhort to be sober minded isn't interesting in this long list of things for the young man the old man young women Old women the one thing that applies to all four is sober That's the one abinition that goes for the the elder women teach the younger women to be sober Old men be sober young men be sober. Hey, that's the one thing that all four get told be sober be sober be sober God is serious about this thing of sobriety go if you would to Genesis chapter 47 And you say well where exactly in the Bible does it tell me that smoking pot is a sin I'll give you chapter and verse on it right now the thought of foolishness is sin the Thought of smoking pot is stupid and being stupid is a sin there you go Okay, now if you would go to Genesis chapter 47 and while you're turning to Genesis 47 Let me point out that not only does number one smoking pot Cause you not to be sober so you're violating God's command to be sober but secondly marijuana Takes away your ambition and makes you apathetic This is the biggest thing I've noticed about pot smokers is that they're not motivated to do anything. They don't care They're just kind of sit around just kind of hang out and they don't even do anything Okay, these were not people that I enjoyed hanging around with in high school I had one buddy that I really liked but you know when he would smoke pot I didn't want to be around him because I liked him when he was sharp You know and we could talk and he was a smart guy, but then he just get this dumb grin you know And here's what the Bible said you're in Genesis, but the Bible says in Proverbs 1915 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep and an idle soul shall suffer hunger You don't want to be idle an idle mind is the devil's workshop, and you know what you notice about people that smoke pot They're not that motivated to do stuff Okay Look down at your Bible in Genesis 47 verse 5 and Pharaoh spake unto Joseph saying thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee The land of Egypt is before thee in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell in the land of Goshen Let them dwell and if thou knowest and I love this phrase if thou knowest any men of activity among them Then make them rulers over my cattle isn't that what employers are looking for men of activity Men of activity and you know what smoking pot does not get you motivated about furthering your education it doesn't get you motivated about picking up that extra shift and working extra hours and Putting in that extra effort on your job and getting that extra training and going out and building that business Hey, it makes you apathetic and not care and it makes you lazy and slothful and idle I want to be a man of activity I want to be around men of activity. I love that term men of activity. I like to always be doing something I don't want to just sit around and do nothing I want to build something be something make something preach something do something with my life I don't want to be a pot smoking loser who sits around just like just kind of hanging out man. I just kind of chill out But number three marijuana is bad for your health go if you would Isaiah chapter 5 I Isaiah chapter 5 marijuana is bad for your health now first of all any Harmful effects that you can think of for cigarettes those apply for marijuana, too Just like bringing tobacco smoke into your lungs is bad for your lungs guess what? Marijuana smoke is just as bad for your lungs some people even think it's worse some people say well It's not quite as bad anytime you're bringing these burning particles into your lungs You're damaging the tissue in your lungs. It's not designed to be inhaled That's not what God created it for so obviously there's the lung damage. That's involved, but not only that the memory loss is Something and especially if you do this as a teenager while your brains developing you can do some permanent damage But it's known it's well known to produce memory loss So you basically if you want to have like the mind of Joe Biden or something then smoke pot We're just kind of like you know the thing all men are created you know the thing No No, we hold these truths to be You know you know I've got hairy legs. You know you'd be like Joe Biden All right Smoke pot don't he's like a walking Advertisement why you shouldn't smoke pot okay? I don't know if he ever smoked pot or not or if he just got dropped on his head or something. I don't know but anyway Maybe his mom smoked pot while she was pregnant with him or something. I don't know but anyway Marijuana is bad for your health lung damage Memory loss mental problem, but you know what there are all kinds of other Just harmful health problems that you can find being associated with smoking pot like here's one that I found tell me if this sounds fun Smoking marijuana has been tied to testicular cancer Sounds great a new study Published in the journal cancer, so this is in a scientific journal called cancer is The third study in recent years to link marijuana use to the development of testicular Cancer, so if you want to get emeralds in your secret parts smoke pot And it says here men who said they had ever smoked marijuana had more than twice the risk of aggressive testicular Tumors compared to men who did not smoke marijuana in And by the way in animal studies cocaine Also, it talked about cocaine also harming. It said this is what researcher Victoria Cortez's PhD said That cocaine has really devastating effects on the testicles They get smaller and smaller Well, that sounds great. That sounds cool. Hey you teenage boys. You want to be cool, right? You want to show a manly you are? You want to impress your buddies? How worldly you are and how cool you are and how manly you are yeah? This is gonna make you manly oh Well, just ask Dr.. Victoria. If it's going to make you manly She said they just keep getting smaller and smaller, but look what the bible says in isaiah chapter number 5 verse 22 and isaiah 522 you know God addresses this idea of people thinking that they're tough or cool because they abuse substances What does the bible say in isaiah 5 22 whoa unto them that are mighty to drink wine and men of strength? To mingle strong drink right oh, it's gonna Make me so tough if I show how I can drink a beer hey look how tough I am man I'm rolling a joint man. I'm edgy. I'm cool. I'm a rebel Folks it's not cool It makes you a loser, and it does not make you any tougher or manlier to abuse drugs and alcohol Okay, a beer belly doesn't just make me just oh man. That's the power right there Okay Do not be one of these people that's mighty to commit it You know if you want to be a rebel in 2020 live for God Live for God because you know what smoky pot doesn't make you a rebel. It just makes you like millions of losers That's all it does it doesn't make you edgy or cool. Hey, you want to be edgy and cool You know why don't you get a king James bible and get a sharp haircut and be faithful to church and go win some souls To Christ you're gonna be a rebel You're gonna be an outlaw. I know I'm serious. I've done it all right But number four not only that go to Ecclesiastes chapter number 10 verse 1 Ecclesiastes chapter 10 verse 1 Number one we said that marijuana takes away your sobriety. You're not sober when you're under the influence of Marijuana number two It takes away your ambition and makes you apathetic look be a man of activity be a woman of activity Be somebody who's doing stuff. You know one of the best ways to stay out of trouble is to do stuff Get involved in something productive Learn something do something build something join something work for something get a job Get a hobby get something that keeps you busy so that you're not just sitting around What do we do? What do you guys want to do? I don't know what you smoke some pot There's nothing cool about that, but not only number two does it take away your ambition not only number three Is it bad for your health, but number four marijuana ruins your reputation it ruins your reputation The Bible says in Ecclesiastes chapter 10 verse 1 dead flies in the ointment of the apothecary Excuse me dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking saver So does the little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor and you have to remember in the ancient world any kind of an ointment Any kind of a lotion or any kind of a perfume was a lot more expensive than it is now These things weren't being manufactured in a chemistry laboratory I mean these things had to be derived from natural substances And so you remember in the Bible when they open up that box of myrrh. I mean that was some costly ointment That was some expensive stuff It was an incredible amount of money that went into that ointment and the Bible is saying you could have this costly ointment a whole bunch of money went into it a bunch of effort went into it and flies could land in it and die in it and They could cause it instead of being a beautiful perfume to send forth a stinking saver And have you ever gotten those fly traps from Home Depot where it's like a little plastic bag And you hang them up from a tree who knows what I'm talking about those things are great I mean they work great, but you know what after a few weeks those things are full of flies and We've had those things hanging in our yard before where they get filled with literally hundreds of flies they work Okay, and they smell so bad you know when you need to change them You know cuz there's like a liquid and they fly in they land and they fall in the liquid and at first There's like ten corpses or whatever, but you know you get busy about your life, and you know time flies No pun intended and then like two three weeks later. You're like What's that smell and? You look over and there's no more liquid yet It's just this genocide of just it's just like it's literally just like four inches of just solid dead fly corpses And it smells horrible, and you know what honestly though Just one fly if it dies and decomposes is gonna send off that stinking saver And so the Bible says dead flies caused the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking saver so does a little folly Him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor so basically you could spend you spend your life building a good reputation You're doing good works You're excelling at your job You're smart you're talented and then you could just do a few stupid things that just ruin your reputation with people and smoking marijuana will ruin your reputation you know I remember I was dating a girl in high school and I found out that while I was dating and this is a Christian girl while I was dating her I found out That she went to a party and just tried marijuana one time And you know what I was just done with that girl done. I Heard that about her that she tried marijuana I verified it that it was true And I said I want nothing to do with that girl cuz that was a red flag to me You know I don't smoke, and I don't chew and I don't go with girls who do All right, and so the fact that that girl and look I'm just being honest with you That as a young teenage boy I want to date a Christian girl and when I found out that even though she's a well I just tried it one time. I just experimented with it. I'm just thinking like well. I don't know what you're gonna try next so I'm just gonna move on that's trashy Now look I'm not saying if you've tried pot one time you're a horrible person I'm just saying that the teenage pastor Anderson didn't want to date you if you tried at one time and guess what there are other people that when they hear that about you and look I have I have tons of church members that have smoked pot and everything and I love them And I'm you know obviously I don't care what they did 10 years ago 15 years ago 20 But look when I was looking for somebody to marry though You know and I'm looking for somebody to spend my life with I don't want to marry a pot smoker Here's the thing about that you know You could ruin your reputation And you could lose out on important friendships or relationships because you think it's cool to go smoke pot And you know what you're probably gonna impress some people by smoking pot But then some other people are not gonna be impressed And they're gonna want to distance themselves from you And you know what you could end up with some wrong friends and losing some good friends when you're a young person And they find out that you're into smoking pot you know what they're gonna gravitate away from you And then maybe the wrong people are gonna gravitate towards you and look I'm not saying whether it's right or wrong for people to think that about you But I'm just telling you that's how people are gonna think about you Don't ruin your reputation by smoking pot okay because smoking pot has a stigma Associated with it of being sinful trashy wrong so don't do it Amen Guard your reputation on that front but number five Marijuana is a gateway drug Marijuana is a gateway drug. Don't let anybody tell you that marijuana is not a gateway drug and The Bible verse that came to mind on this was behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth Behold how great a matter a little fire Kindle it because guess what it's not gonna stop at marijuana, and you said no no I'm just gonna smoke marijuana, and that's it wrong because sin always takes you further than you want to go It keeps you longer than you want to stay and it costs you more than you were willing to pay And if you think you're just gonna smoke marijuana That's ridiculous because once you've opened that door to smoking marijuana What is gonna stop you from going to the next thing I mean stop and think about it Let's say you've already smoked pot, and you've already opened that door and said that you're okay with that okay? Then what's gonna stop you from taking say a prescription drug like Vicodin and mixing it with alcohol I? Mean how can somebody really get up and say well? That's way worse than smoking pot or well That's that's totally different. That's bad That's not as bad as smoking pot or that's worse folks really isn't it all kind of the same Type of thing and here's the thing once you've smoked pot, and then you say well Hey, why don't I get my buddy's prescription from oxycodone? Maybe a little Percocet after all these are legal drugs. You know I mean, I don't have a prescription But you know I'm prescription for marijuana either So what you know once you're smoking pot? What's gonna stop you from abusing prescription drugs? Can you tell me that? Well, you know I smoke pot, but I would never touch Vicodin or Percocet and guess what the people I've talked to that smoked pot You know what they also did they took Vicodin, and then they go to the bar and drink because then they said hey I could drink two beers and get as drunk as if I had drunk four or five So they said it was a savings of money for them Instead of having to buy five six seven alcoholic beverages I popped some Vicodin and then put the alcohol on the Vicodin mix the two and then boom it's like I'm Doubling the effect. It's like it was like a discount coupon for them I'm not kidding. I mean people have explained this to me Now Folks once you smoke pot it opens the door It's called a gateway drug because once you cross that line You're gonna do other stuff on the other side of that line. That's what made me nervous about that girl in high school It's like well if she tried pot. What's she gonna try next? What's she gonna do next? Where's this leading? What's next do not be so foolish as to think oh? It's just gonna stop there and by the way if you're abusing alcohol all the time What's the big deal about smoking a joint at that point? That's why alcohol can be a gateway drug and by the way if you're constantly smoking cigarettes all the time Then it's probably gonna not be as big of a deal to you to smoke a joint because you're already smoking like a chimney anyway With tobacco so the point is you got to be careful not to open that door Don't open the door of that gateway drug that's gonna lead you into other drugs now listen I'm gonna tell you a story That is just it's horrific of a story And this is about this is someone that I knew personally and this is from the year 2020. This is not some old illustration that I'm pulling out But I was preaching somewhere, and I was talking to a guy And this is a guy that I know and of course I would never reveal who this is But I was talking to this guy, and this is a Christian soul-inner Baptist I mean and this guy is saved. He's a real Christian it's the real deal so I'm talking to this guy and He was basically justifying marijuana to me. You know because it's the big thing right now, and he was talking about Oh, it's not a big deal. I have a prescription And it's just it's just only something I do rarely It's not that bad It's not a big deal And he was kind of just justifying it to me that it was just a minor thing to just smoke a little bit of pot Every once in a while totally legal totally on the up-and-up And he was basically trying to justify and I was telling like no like do not smoke pot And I was explaining to this guy that he shouldn't do that right okay? Well. Let's fast forward You know maybe a year or six months I don't remember how long it was but let's fast forward to this year And you know the whole coronavirus thing happened and and let's face it the coronavirus pandemic or Crisis or whatever you want to call it You know what we've been going through as a country in the year 2020 for some people It hasn't really been a big deal, but some people have been affected by this dramatically Now in my church very few people have been affected by it financially Virtually everybody in my church said you know no my job still going on all four cylinders I'd very few people who lost their job over it or even got downsized It's like our church does like 400 people, and it was like I could count them on one hand okay But it's not just the fact that people's livelihood could be affected You know some people are just kind of freaking out right now You know my dad was telling me it seemed like people are driving Like almost like Mad Max or something on the roads like like in Sacramento people are driving kind of crazy And I've kind of noticed that too because people are just upset. They're perturbed. They're agitated so people are driving bad and Also, just a lot of people just from being kind of cooped up You know sheltering in place, or you know their routines have been upset. You know they're used to going to school now They're not going to school anymore They were used to working at the office now. They have to work from home. Maybe that's causing friction with the family I mean look a lot of people are going through a lot of hard things right now And a lot of people who aren't going through anything or just kind of mentally freaking out right now even if nothing's going on in their life just because they're just kind of freaking out because things are weird right now and I don't think anyone would argue with the fact that things are a little bit weird right now in our country We're going this is the weirdest year ever Okay so You know this guy You know he was a little bit upset freaked out. He's struggling because of what's going on with coronavirus And so he decided to not only smoke pot But he decided to up the ante and snort some cocaine And remember this is the guy who is you know christian soul-winning baptist guy and he was justifying the pot But then when things are going roughly in his life when he's going through a hard time and look Stressful times is when we could be tempted to sin the most when we're going through stressful times. We're out of our routine We're freaking out. You know, that's when you got to be on your guard. You got to be vigilant Against these things and and look this is how it starts people will have a little sin that they're kind of playing with And they've got that sin under control They've got just a little bit of alcohol going on But they got it under control a little bit of pot got it under control But in times of stress or crisis, you know what? Ah, let's drink the whole bottle. You know what I mean? Just because of the fact that they're under pressure So this guy Instead of just smoking pot He snorted some cocaine and let me tell you something cocaine's a hell of a drug. All right, this guy snorted cocaine And he totally freaked out Not sleeping at night freaked out paranoid Everybody's after him the police are after him. Everybody's after him in his mind. Totally crazy. He takes a sharpie And goes outside of his apartment complex and starts writing sharpieing on his door You know bleep you cops and bleep you police. He's writing on other people's doors. He's freaking out He's saying all these wild things. So eventually he caused a big disturbance at his apartment complex because he's completely losing his mind So then the cops show up And he's obviously freaking out acting crazy they end up arresting him Taking him down to the jail. He's freaking out in the jail cell He ended up getting the snot beat out of him By the other people in jail with him because he was starting stuff with them because he was just out of his mind folks the story ends With him being put into a solitary cell right because he got beat up in the main cell. He caused problems He was freaking out. He ends up getting put in a solitary cell He uses the restroom on the floor of his solitary cell both number one and number two On the floor of the cell sits down and begins to eat his own waste Why would someone do that But you know what I don't think that's what he had in mind When he just got that prescription And started smoking a little bit of pot. Do you really think that he thought you know what a year from now six months from now I'm gonna be sitting in a jail cell confused Not knowing what's going on Just got beaten up and i'm eating my own dung Do you really think that that's where he expected to be and let me tell you something is that what dr Dre told you it was like Is that what snoop dog told you? Huh, is that what the movies and the billboards and the music told you? Hey, this is what it's like. It's fun and let you say well, I'd never snort cocaine But you know what when you smoke pot you've opened the door and next thing, you know, you're taking pills next thing, you know You're doing this that and the other and you know what once you're already impaired from alcohol once you're already impaired from marijuana Your good judgment's the first thing to go and then you're gonna say hey, why not snort a little cocaine? And you know what you think this couldn't happen to you. Let me tell you something It could even happen to a christian person. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall It's a stupid doctrine that teaches all christians don't sin Oh these people that get into sin, they weren't really saved or something really, okay Well, if that's true then why did the bible spend so much time telling us not to sin if we're just automatically not gonna sin If being saved is enough to just automatically make you walk in the spirit and not sin Then why does he have to tell us be not drunk with wine? flea fornication Why does he have to warn us over and over again to be holy and not to be with the wrong friends? And not to fall into these wicked temptations. It's because we all are susceptible to temptation Okay, every single one of us has the capability to commit sin And you know what if I started drinking or if you started drinking any of us could become a drunkard Well never happened to me You know, I remember when I was a kid they used to have these commercials that would say like, you know I'm gonna be a track star when I grow up Who grew up in california and saw the commercials i'm talking about, you know I'm gonna be a track star and they show this guy running and then shows the cop like running after him And puts a hand, you know, and he wasn't actually running track He was actually being chased by the police and then they're like no one ever says I want to be a junkie when I grow up You seeing those commercials Or they'll show like some dirty filthy public restroom and say, you know, nobody wants to lose their purity here But that's what's gonna happen if you take drugs. Well, guess what that is what happens if you take drugs every crack whore every junkie every derelict on the street, you know what they started out with just with some friends teenagers Having a little fun. Let's break into mom's wine cellar. Let's break into dad's booze cabinet Let's grab some prescription drugs It starts when they're 12 13 14 15 years old with just a little bit of kids having fun It's normal to experiment at that age fast forward 25 years later, you're a dirty toothless crack whore in stockton, california Serious It's like how did I get here You know what you get there by going through that first door of the gateway drug The gateway drug and you know, you say i'd never eat my own excrement Well, you know what? No one in their right mind would ever eat their own excrement But you know what somebody who snorted a bunch of cocaine they might eat their own excrement You know people who've taken lsd have jumped off buildings because they thought they could fly You know, I I mean I could tell all the horror stories But look i'm talking about what a christian did and you know what that guy now he's totally clean totally sober You know, he's back in his total right mind and and he's telling me this story Telling me, you know, I don't even know why I would do such a thing I can't even believe as i'm telling it to you now. It sounds so crazy, but he said it's because I was on drugs I was on drugs. I didn't know what was going on. I was confused Folks do not play with drugs And my last point is this so we let me just do a quick review number one We said and look all six of these are good reasons not to smoke pot If you don't like one or two of my reasons just pick one that you do like Any one of these is a good enough reason Number one you're not following god's command to be sober Number two and by the way, forget god's command. Don't you just want to be sober? Why do you want to be an idiot? Hey, you know why I want to be sober because the devil As a roaring lion is walking about seeking whom he may devour So I want I mean look if you knew that there was some dangerous killer on the run If you knew that there was some wild beast Let's say you're out hiking and you knew there was a wild bear a wild lion or something Would you want to be impaired? Or you'd want to hear every little twig breaks or you'd want to be alert Well, guess what spiritually that's what's going on The devil's a roaring lion be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil. That's why Why hey, why why should I be sober because the devil that's why And as soon as you're impaired, he's gonna be like gotcha Gotcha. Oh, you're a little bit impaired. You're all gleeful and you're high Okay. Now let's just get you to snort a little cocaine Now let's get you to pop a few pills Now let's get you to drop a couple tabs. Let's get you to do something. He'll get you to take the next step So number one, it takes away your sobriety Number two It takes away your ambition. It makes you apathetic and lazy and idle number three. It's bad for your health Number four it ruins your reputation Number five. It's a gateway drug and number six you are not listening to advice when you smoke pot You're not listening to counsel go if you would to proverbs chapter number 11 Proverbs chapter number 11 the bible says In proverbs elsewhere the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth to counsel is wise You know a lot of times you just think that you know everything especially teenagers know everything Teenagers think they're so smart and they've got the world by the tail when they're 16 17 18 and they don't know jack about life Okay They don't know anything about life compared to people that are my age Okay, people that are 30 40 50 know a lot more about life than a teenager But teenagers think they know more if you talk to them And I know because i've been a teenager when I was a teenager. I knew more too But now I realize no I did not know I was wrong on many things And the thing is the way of a fool is going to be right in his own eyes Well, yeah i'm right But he that hearkeneth to counsel is wise so when people are giving you advice listen to them Here's the kind of people you should listen to in your life your parents Your pastor Successful people godly christians And what does the bible say in proverbs 11 14 where no counsel is the people fall But in the multitude of counselors there is safety Go to chapter 19 verse 20 Elsewhere it says without counsel Purposes are disappointed but in the multitude of counselors They are established proverbs 19 20 hear counsel And receive instruction that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end And let me tell you something if you smoke pot You are not listening to counsel Because everybody's telling you not to smoke pot Everybody's telling you not to smoke pot. Your parents are telling you not to smoke pot Your pastor's telling you not to smoke pot. The bible's telling you not to smoke pot People that are godly Christians pastors your teacher at school is telling you not to smoke pot now if you're on a university campus They might be telling you to smoke pot. I was talking to a buddy of mine at faithful word and he said That back when he was at arizona state university, he went on a geology field trip With the geology class he went on a field trip and at this time in his life he smoked pot And so, you know, they're camping Checking out the rocks and the layers and whatever And he kind of broke away from the group to smoke a little pot So he kind of sneaks off from the class, you know, he doesn't want to get busted because he's not a school outing And he's just getting ready to pull out his joint and smoke pot and the teacher walks up And he's kind of like oh, you know puts it away and the professor the geology professor is like, what are you doing? And he's just like oh, you have nothing And then the professor like oh, okay professor just pulls out a pipe and starts smoking pot the professor So then he's like, oh, okay, you know, so then he starts smoking pot, too You know, you want to know where all some of these wild scientific theories come from That's where they're coming from Dude these layers in the great canyon I was on a field trip with my geology professor who's really opened up to us, you know It's not the flood man, it's like billions of years man. I saw it I saw billions of years man. All right But the but the but the point is Think about how many people are giving you the advice not to smoke pot Parents are telling you not to smoke it the doctor vanessa or whatever her name was victoria. She's telling you not to smoke it All right Your parents your pastor your teachers school, you know All of these authorities in your your job's telling you I mean, I don't think your job has a safety meeting on monday morning. It's like all right, you know We're gonna have a safety meeting about how to use pot in moderation The safety meeting is going to tell you not to use pot at all Everybody's telling you not to smoke pot. I mean for crying out loud. How many tv commercials did we see? Warning us and telling us. Hey, this is your brain. This is your brain on drugs any questions? We've all seen it Okay, how many times did we go to the video arcade? And right when we died and lost our last man, what did it tell us? winners don't use insert coin to continue Everybody's telling you not to do drugs and you know what if you smoke pot you're ignoring your parents You're ignoring the doctor. You're enjoying the pastor because you think you're still smart. You're a fool Listen to godly Council in your life take advice from people who are older than you and smarter than you not some Gray ponytailed hippie at the university But take advice from the pastor from your mom from your dad from your grandparents from godly Christians from a video game for crying out loud from a tv commercial tell you don't do drugs Do not do it If you smoke pot i'm telling you you'll do the next thing as well Once you cross that line It's not going to edify you oh it's legal now You know what? I don't care if it's legal make it legal make you know what they can make whatever they want legal It's not going to be in my house I don't care what laws they pass They can legalize heroin for all I care. It's not going to be in my house As for me and my house, we will serve the lord I'm going to preach against it. I'm going to speak against it and you know what if you think That the new ifb is somehow friendly toward marijuana because we're part of the truth movement or whatever you're wrong Because i'm sure my fellow pastors all hate marijuana just like I do None of them think that that's legitimate And you say well, I just need it for medicinal use. You know what? It's not worth it, right? Okay, and people are constantly well, what about medicinal people are just they're just like finding whatever to get a prescription for Right It's like, you know marijuana is the answer. What was the question? You know like they they gotta go find an illness Anybody can just fabricate pain in their body is oh it hurts, you know Every look when you get i'm only i'm only uh, 38 years old and everything's already starting to hurt Should I go smoke some pot? Absolutely not Okay, and so do not get sucked into this it's stupid it's wicked It's on par with drunkenness and in many ways it's worse and leads people into worse things Because it's that gateway drug Do not smoke pot. Amen. Let's bow your heads in that word of prayer father. We thank you so much For all the warnings that you give us lord help us be smart enough to listen to counsel Help us to listen to the council of proverbs help us to listen to the council of our pastor our parents The every public service announcement that's tried to warn us lord Help us not to harm our bodies lord our bodies of the temple of the holy ghost lord and help us to Respect that and lord if there's any young person here today That has dabbled in this lord. I pray that they would just decide right now that they're never going to smoke pot again And lord if there's any young person here that has not smoked pot and they were maybe Considering that or thinking about that lord. I pray that they would just make a decision tonight that they will never touch Marijuana in their whole lives in jesus name. We pray. Amen