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Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Good morning everyone. Please take your seat and open your hymnal to hymn number 29. Hymn number 29 at the cross. Music And of course ready, sing. At last indeed my Savior bled, and did my sovereign die. Both He devote that sacred head, for such a worm as I. At the cross, at the cross, for I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart drove away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I'm happy all the day. Was it for crimes that I have done, He groaned upon the tree. Amazing 50 grays a note, and lovey a degree. At the cross, at the cross, for I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart drove away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I'm happy all the day. Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shed His glory in. When Christ the mighty Maker died, for man the great to see. At the cross, at the cross, for I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart drove away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I'm happy all the day on the last. But drops of grief can near repay the death of love I owe. Here Lord I give myself away, this all that I can do. At the cross, at the cross, for I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart drove away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I'm happy all the day. Let's pray. Alright, good morning everybody. Welcome to Verity Baptist Church. Take out your bullets and we'll go through a couple announcements real quickly. Let's start by counting up any unreported salvations. So let's start in this section. Are there any salvations to report? How about in this section here, any salvations? Three. Anybody else? How about over here, salvations? Anybody? Alright, we do have so many this afternoon, and the tip will start at anthem and tip at 1.30, so many time at 1.45. Just a couple other things to mention. As I've said during the announcements before, the second sermon is going to be for the documentary on idolatry. So do your best to keep distractions at a minimum, especially regarding the kids. And also if you go to the restroom, don't walk in front of the cameras and everything like that. So this is going to be for the documentary. And also next week we have our monthly prayer meeting that's back. And also we're going to have a meeting for the Bekal missions trip for those that are interested. So that will be after soul winning and after the prayer meeting. The prayer meeting is pretty short. And then after that we'll have the meeting. And it's not going to be a long one. I just want to try to get as organized as possible for that. Anyways, I believe that's it for announcements. We'll have Brother Franklin lead us in another song. For our second song, please open your hymnal to hymn number 32. Hymn number 32, the lips on high. For the first ready sing. Christ the Savior came from heaven's glory To redeem the lost from sin and shame On his throne he wore the glue And upon Calvary he took my blame He lives on high, he lives on high Triumphant over sin and all his shame He lives on high, he lives on high Someday he's coming again He arose from death and all his sorrow To dwell in that land of joy and love He is coming back some love tomorrow And to take all his children home above He lives on high, he lives on high Triumphant over sin and all his shame He lives on high, he lives on high Someday he's coming again We resort to Jesus come confessing Redemption from sinning over sin Love to Jesus and receive a blessing There is life, there is joy and victory He lives on high, he lives on high Triumphant over sin and all his shame He lives on high, he lives on high Someday he's coming again For Bible reading, please get your Bibles and open it to Exodus chapter 32. Exodus chapter 32, we're going to be reading verses 1 to verse 19. Please again follow along silently with me as I read Exodus chapter 32, 1 to 19. Exodus chapter 32, verse 1. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him, Up, make us gods which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not what he's become of him. And Aaron said unto them, break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people break off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand and questioned it with a graving tool after he had made it a molten cowl, and they said, This be the gods of Israel which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made proclamation and said, Tomorrow is the face of the Lord. And they rose up early on tomorrow and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink and to rose up to play. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go get me down, for thy people which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves, for they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I have commanded them. They have made them a molten cowl and have worshipped it and have sacrificed their unto, and said, This be thy gods of Israel which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen these people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may walk hot against them, that I may consume them, and I will make thee a great nation. Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath walk hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swereth by thy own self, and said unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto you, unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand. The tables were written on both their sides, on the one side, and on the other were derided. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God graven upon the tables. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome, but the noise of them that sing, Do I hear? And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the cow, and the dancing, and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the table out of his hand, and break them beneath the mount. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we ask you to bless this time, Lord God. Give us years to listen to your sermon, Lord God, that you have given to our pastor. Lord, we pray that we will learn from this sermon, Lord, and we pray that you would bless him with the Holy Spirit as he preaches your word. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. All right, the name of the sermon is Idol Worshipers Are Wicked People. Idol worshipers are wicked people. Now, let me say just a few things before I get into the sermon. You know, I definitely believe there are people, I'm sure people at our church, that used to practice idolatry because it was tradition, and, you know, you thought it was what was right, you were trying to do the right thing. But what you're going to actually find is that around the world, in areas with a lot of idolatry, you're going to see a lot of sin. And what you're also going to see is there's a lot of people that, instead of actually trying to follow God's commandments, instead they just worship idols and they think that covers it, when in reality they live a pretty sinful and wicked life, okay? But I do want to be clear that I'm not saying everyone who's ever practiced idolatry was a wicked person, but if you were to look at the average person and the average nation that practices idolatry very heavily, you are going to see a lot of sin. I am not preaching against the sin of idolatry. I'm preaching that idol worshipers are sinful and wicked people in this sermon. And we're going to see what the Bible says. There's no doubt this is what the Bible says. You're going to see that here today. Now, notice what it says here in Exodus 32, verse 1. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him, Up make us gods which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not what has become of him. And so Moses is gone for a little while and then Aaron's in charge, and then they come up to him and say, hey, we don't know what happened to Moses. Now, they seem to be implying that Moses either died or ran away or whatever. And I would just say, you know, you should have some compassion because Aaron is the brother of Moses. It's like, what happened to Moses? We don't know, right? I mean, it's like if you're trying to imply that he's dead, that's not exactly the nicest way to bring it about to his brother, you know. But they're saying Moses is gone. We need something here because Moses is gone. We need something since he's gone. Verse 2, And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. As I talked about a few weeks ago, they're using something that actually has real value in order to make this golden calf. Now, I want you to realize that not everybody in this congregation wants to worship idols. Obviously, of the Hebrew people, there are some that believe on the true Lord, right? Good people like Joshua and Caleb, and they're not the only good people. There's a lot of good people that are there, a lot of people that are saved. But, you know, just because you have the same ethnicity doesn't mean you have the same beliefs. And there are a lot of people in that congregation that did not believe. There's a lot of them that were just bad people. And I believe the people that are coming to Aaron here are not good people. They're not godly people. They're not trying to follow the commandments. And, you know, one thing that you can see that shows a problem with these people in verse 10, it's like, why do your sons have earrings? Right? This is not like every single person of the Hebrews, all their sons have earrings. It's like, no, the group of people that have earrings, it's the heathen. The people that want to worship the golden calf, their sons are the ones with the earrings. They come up, and Aaron said, I need the golden earrings off your wives, your sons, and your daughters. It's like, well, why do their sons have earrings? Right? And I'm not preaching about standards of being men and women. You know, men ought to act like men, and women act like women. Right? Verse number three, and all the people break off the golden earrings which are in their ears and brought them onto Aaron, and he received them at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool after he had made it a molten calf. So Aaron does this trying to appease and make the people okay and happy, and he makes a golden calf. Right? Why does he make a golden calf? Well, the cow was the most worshiped animal in ancient Egypt, and there's nothing new under the sun because it's the most worshiped animal that there is today amongst people that practice idolatry. People worship it because cow meat is very valuable, it's worth a lot of money, and also the milk from cows is very valuable as well. Obviously, a cow is not the only animal that you can get milk from, but it's the primary one. Okay? I get it, how how the carabao, you love the carabao milk, but the cow is the primary animal that you get milk from. Right? And so they worship the golden calf, and it says here, and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Now I want you to notice the pronoun where it said, they said. This does not mean the entire congregation, and this is not including Aaron, because in the next verse, Aaron tries to reverse this. It's like, tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. You know, these people that want the golden calf, right after it's made, they're like, These be thy gods, O Israel, and it's like, I think in the heart of Aaron, he's thinking, What did I do? Why did I agree to this? I thought I was going to make the people happy and appease them, and it's like now, they're saying, These are your gods. Oh, wait a minute. Right? I didn't agree to that. And so in the next verse, it says, And when Aaron saw it, saw what? These be thy gods. He built an altar before it, and Aaron made proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. Right? So these people come up, and they're like, These are your gods, and then Aaron builds the altar. Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. Right? And I'm sure that he was going to sleep at night, and he's like, Oh, boy. Please, God, help me out of this. What did I get myself into? I want you to notice verse six. And by the way, this kind of shows, you know, you cannot appease people. You can't meet them halfway. It's like, Well, I don't want to offend the Hindus or the Muslims, so I'll just kind of say, Hey, you believe Jesus is good? I do, too. You can't meet these people halfway. Just stand on what's right and what you believe, because if you try to meet them halfway, they're going to require you to keep going. That is just the way that it works. Verse six. And they rose up early on the morrow and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. Notice they rise up early and they do something spiritual. They bring burnt offerings. They bring peace offerings. And it says, And the people sat down to eat and to drink. And I believe that's referring to the peace offerings and the burnt offerings. And then they are sitting down like a solemn assembly going through the motions and doing what is right. But then it says, And they rose up to play. And that is signaling the fornication, the drunkenness. You say, Well, I have trouble believing that people would just sit down and do what's right. And then they go home and commit major sin. Really? Have you ever heard of the Catholic Church? Because I'm pretty sure people rise up early in the morning. They're dressed correctly. They make sure their kids are not acting up during church. They act respectful. They do everything they're supposed to inside the Catholic Church. And those same people go home and they get drunk. You know that is true. That is what your relatives do, my friend. They go to church. They wake up early. They go through the motions. I mean, all the ladies are dressed very properly, very godly, very modestly. I mean, all the kids act very quiet. If they talk in church, their parents make sure they're respectful. They act good because in church you've got to act right. And then they rise up to play. They rise up to fornicate. They rise up to drink. And I'm not only talking about the Catholic Church. This is true with any religion. You drive by on a Sunday and you see people walking out of church and they always look so godly. They look so modest. The women are dressed modestly. The men are dressed up like they're taking it seriously. I mean, if you were to look at them, you'd say, man, these people seem pretty spiritual. They seem like very nice people. And those same people are often going home and getting drunk. There's nothing new under the sun because they rise up early on the morrow, just like Catholics rise up early to go to church. And they bring the burnt offerings and the peace offerings. And then they sit down to eat and to drink. They're doing everything respectfully. They're going through the service. And then all of a sudden they go home. It's like time to get drunk, time to celebrate. And that is exactly what they did in Exodus 32. You say, why? Because there's nothing new under the sun. But here's the thing. What is it directly linked to in Exodus 32? Idolatry. Right? Look, if you watch any documentaries on any of the Eastern religions, there are specific rules when you go inside their temple. If you walk into a Hindu temple, there are rules that you're expected to follow. You walk into a Buddhist temple, there are rules you're expected to follow. You walk into a Shinto temple, there's rules that you have to follow, whether it be to cleanse yourself, wash your feet, wash your hands. Some places you take off your shoes before you enter, and everybody will do it. They'll act respectfully. And then in the temple, in their religious place, they act modest and godly, and they do everything properly. Nobody inside the temple is going to use the Lord's name in vain. Do you really believe that Catholics inside of a Catholic church are blaspheming Jesus? Well, probably not inside the church, but when they go home and they get drunk. You know this is true. I mean, when you walk into a Hindu temple, people are going to act respectfully, but is that what they're doing when they go home? No, they're getting drunk. They sit down to eat and to drink, and they rise up to play. And you know what you're seeing? That idolatry and sin go hand in hand. You say, well, how is this possible? Because by going through the motions, people get to say and feel like they're spiritual, and then they have this mindset they can go home and do whatever they want. Isn't this true with Catholics? It's like on Sundays I get right with God, and during the week I can do whatever I want. So I just got to hope that I die on a Sunday, right, after I've gotten right with God. They just go out and do whatever they want during the week, and then on Sunday, on the Lord's Day, at church, what do they do? They act respectful. They act proper. They sit down to eat and to drink and act very respectful and properly. Go to Exodus 1. Now what I'm going to do in this sermon is look at three major idolatrous religions, and what I'm going to do is focus on the country that is the centerpiece of that religion. And when I look at the idolatrous religions, I'm going to be looking at Hinduism, obviously. I'll be looking at Buddhism, and I'm going to be looking at Catholicism, because these are the three religions that are primary major religions where there is no doubt that they practice a lot of idolatry. There is no doubt in Hinduism that they practice and they worship idols. I mean, in America, you cannot go to a donut shop without seeing a Buddha with donuts in front of it. You say, why? Because they practice idolatry, those that are Buddhists. And look, whether Catholics want to admit it or not, they worship idols. And you know this, your relatives' houses are filled full of idols, and those same relatives probably are not that godly of people, right? It's their way of feeling spiritual, because everybody wants to feel spiritual. And so basically, they can do whatever they want. It's like, no, wait a minute. I am spiritual because this is where I worship God. I have these idols. I go to church. I worship God. And then they feel like they can go out and do whatever they want because they can say that they feel like they're spiritual, right? With Hinduism, the religion that I believe is the country that I believe is the centerpiece of Hinduism, and I don't think anybody would dispute it, is India, right? India is the land of Hinduism. India has over 1 billion Hindus, and around the world there's 1.32 billion Hindus. So the vast majority of Hindus live in India, and that represents around 79.8% of the population of India are Hindu. There's no doubt that it is the land, but not even just with Hinduism. To many people, India is the spiritual haven of the world. A common quote is that India is the spiritual heart of the world, or India is Mother India, the mother of all religions. So many great religions come from India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism. I mean, if you're feeling down, if you don't have peace in your life, it's like just make a trip to India, and then everything's going to be all right. That is the reputation that India has in this world. It has this reputation of being a spiritual place and a godly place. But let's just look at the evidence and find out if that's actually the case, because there's no doubt they're religious. It's no doubt that they are idolatrous. But are they godly? When it comes to India, let's talk about the violence of India. Let's talk about infanticide. Infanticide is the homicide of an infant. Or another term that's not as common, neonaticide is the homicide of a baby less than one month, I believe it is. And neonaticide, or infanticide, is more common in India than anywhere in the world by far. And when I'm saying more common, I'm not saying more number of people. I'm saying a higher percentage of babies born. They have the highest rate of infanticide. So most infanticide in this world occurs in India, the deliberate murder of babies after they're born. Here's what it says from Wikipedia. The practice, referring to the practice of infanticide, the practice has continued in some rural areas of India. India has the highest infanticide rate in the world, despite infanticide being illegal. Wait, wait, wait. I thought India was spiritual. I thought they were godly. Because people have this idea, wait a minute, India's spiritual, therefore they're godly. These are not the same things. India is religious, therefore they're godly. That's not the same thing. Because here's the thing. Ancient Egypt, did you know they were actually incredibly religious? See, that surprises people, because people look at Egypt as being very wicked. You're right. They were very wicked, as the Bible says, and as history shows us. But they were incredibly religious. You say, why? When it's the wrong religion, you know what ends up happening? You have wickedness. Egypt was filled full of idolatry, but they were very religious and they were a very wicked country, just like India is today. According to a 2005 report by the United Nations Children's Fund, up to 50 million girls and women are missing in India's population as a result of systematic sex discrimination and sex-selective abortions. 50 million girls have been murdered in India. 50 million young girls, baby girls, have been murdered in India. You know the population of India has a lot more men than women? You say, well, why is that significant? It's significant because men have a much higher mortality rate. Women live longer at every single age of life, from one week old to two weeks to one month to one year. I used to do that for a job, deal with mortality rates. Men have a much higher mortality rate than women do. I mean, around the world, baby males, infant males, are like five times as likely to die as a female infant, except in India. Because in India, the rate is much higher for women. You say, why? Because they murder female infants. You say, well, why do they do that in India? Well, India's got this warped system, their dowry system. When you get married, if a bride is getting married to a groom, the bride's family has to pay the groom's family. It's like, you know, we'll let your daughter marry us, but only if you give us money. Now, in every other culture around the world, it's the opposite if they have a dowry, isn't it? It's like the groom's family. I mean, the groom has to save up money, and that makes logical sense. But not in India, where they're extremely sexist against women. No, the bride's family. So what takes place in this oh-so-spiritual country? If people have a daughter born, they're like, we cannot afford this, and oftentimes they just murder the girl. And that is why the population is much higher of men than women in India. But there's nothing new under the sun, because notice what it says in Exodus 1 with an idolatrous country that is very religious. Exodus 1, verse 15, And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shipra, and the name of the other Pua. And he said, when you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him. But if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not, as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men's children alive. The pharaoh said, if the Hebrews give birth to a boy, just murder it. Just kill it. Now, look, obviously murder is a wicked sin, and obviously when I talk about sins that are horrible, abortion is right there near the top of the list, right? How could you kill a baby? You know, they're innocent. They've done nothing wrong. But even though abortion is wicked, I feel like it's to another level when they're born and then you murder them right afterwards. It's like, what is wrong with these people? How could you look upon their face, that crying baby, and then just discard it like it's trash? And yet in India, 50 million girls, that's what they've done to. Like, what is wrong with these people? And it's called the love of money. Now, here's the thing. One thing that maybe is good news, but not really, is that the rate of infanticide is dropping in India, but you know why? Because now that their technology is more advanced, they're more likely to be able to figure out the gender inside the belly, and now they're aborting the baby when they find out it's a girl inside the belly before the child's born. Now, infanticide is still incredibly common there, but all it means is you have an increase in abortion because people do not want to have a girl in India. They want to have a boy in India. Man, I cannot really think of something much more violent than just murdering an infant, murdering a newborn baby. Turn your Bible to Deuteronomy 22. I mean, why don't they tell us that on the news about India? Instead of telling us it's such a spiritual place, why don't you tell us about all the baby girls they're killing? Oh, Hinduism's such a peaceful religion. Well, it doesn't sound like that to me. I mean, murdering a newborn child? But not just infanticide. A major problem in India is rape. It is, I mean, just five years ago, and I have not looked at the more recent ones, but India was voted the most dangerous country in the world for women. And you know what? Apparently that's at all ages. It starts from when they're born to when they get older because India is commonly known as the rape capital of the world. Now, it's not the only country. Egypt also takes that name, so people have different opinions about that stuff. I think South Africa is one of the others. Well, the thing about rape statistics is they're not reliable. And the reason why rape statistics are not reliable is because depending on where you live, the chance of rape being prosecuted is going to be higher or lower. So if you live in an area where it's not likely that they're going to be held accountable, you might not go to the police about it. And here's the thing. In India, if you are in a low caste and you get raped by someone of a higher caste, you're not going to the cops. You say, why? Because you might get in trouble. I've seen documentaries where they talk about it. There's the live reaction of a father. His daughter runs home, his teen girl runs home, crying about what took place to her. He said, don't tell anybody about it. Why? Because they're in a low caste. They're the untouchables. They're the dollies. So basically anything can be done to you and nothing's going to happen. The police aren't going to prosecute it. But here's the thing. You don't have to take my word for it. Let us just hear from India's main opposition Congress party leader, Rahul Gandhi. And you can watch this video on YouTube and he said, India is known globally as the rape capital of the world. I mean, he gets up there and he stands in front of all these politicians. He's like, why can't we protect our women and our daughters? He's like, everybody knows we're the rape capital of the world. It's like, what's wrong with our country? And nothing ever happens in India. You say, why? Because usually it's just people that are attacked that are in a low caste. And look, I have nothing good to say about Islam, but the reality is, you know what? A bunch of young girls are getting raped that are Muslim over there because Hindus do that to Muslims all the time over there. And I get it. Islam's a wicked religion, but don't get this idea, but Hinduism's so peaceful. Doesn't sound like it to me. It sounds like it is a violent hellhole in India. Here's what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 22, verse 25. Deuteronomy 22, verse 25. But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die. Look, the Bible says if somebody is guilty of rape, they get the death penalty. It's that simple. And here's the thing. If they actually did this around the world, it would get rid of the problem largely because people would be afraid to commit that crime. And yet it happens all the time in India. Nothing ever happens over there. Turn in your Bible to Judges 16. Judges 16. Look, India's not the only country I'm preaching against here today. But I am pretty sure after this sermon I'm not going to be welcome in India, okay? That's a pretty famous politician over there, though. And you can watch on YouTube him saying that we are the rape capital of the world. It's just a fact. You say, well, how can they be so spiritual? Because there's no doubt they're spiritual. And yet there's so many problems. Because look, the fact that India is the dirtiest place on the planet is outside the scope of this sermon, okay? How can it be so spiritual and have so many problems? Well, I listen to the guy who's the head of the Hindu Academy. It's one of the big Hindu apologetics things where he's explaining. And he said, we are so blessed as Indians because he said India used to be a place with lots of money, advanced technology and mathematics. It was clean. It was great. But it's like, our people made a decision a long time ago to focus on the spiritual rather than the material. And it's just like, say whatever you need to to help you sleep at night. But the proof is in the pudding, my friend. Because God commands us not just to be spiritually clean. We're commanded to be physically clean. And when you look at India today, it doesn't take long. It's like, you hear, this is such a spiritual place. And then right when arriving, okay, this is not what I expected. It is a very violent place. Not only do you see infanticide or neonaticide of young girls, you also see rape. But you also have an ancient practice which is still in existence in some parts of India called Sadi. And Sadi in the Hindu stories was one of the wives of Shiva. And basically, she burned herself to death to atone for the sins of the family. And all throughout India's history until 200 years ago, what was very common is that if the husband died, the woman would be burned to death to atone for the sins of the family. You say, well, I don't know if that's true. That sounds like a conspiracy theory. Well, let's just read from Wikipedia if you don't believe what I'm saying. Sadi is a practice, a chiefly historical one. Translation, it's not completely just historical. It's mainly a historical one. And since modern technology and iPhones, we can't get away with it as much, it's a chiefly historical one in which a Hindu widow burns alive either voluntarily or by coercion on her deceased husband's funeral pyre. Now, perhaps you've heard of the missionary William Carey. He's kind of known as the father of modern missionaries. He's a very famous missionary coming from Great Britain, and he went to India. Here's what it says about William Carey. It says that he conducted in 1803 and 1804 along with other missionaries a census on cases of Sadi for a reason within the 30-mile radius of Calcutta, finding more than 300 such cases there. The missionaries also approached Hindu theologians who opined that the practice was encouraged rather than enjoined by the Hindu scriptures. And basically, it's like they do it either voluntarily or by coercion. So basically, burn yourself to death voluntarily, or we're going to force you to do it. Now, nowadays, with modern technology and just with the Internet and all these things, you can't really get away with these heathen and wicked practices. But what is also very common in India today is that if your husband dies, your family will often kick you out on the streets, and you live as a homeless woman. And I've watched documentaries on that as well. This is a very modern thing. And what often takes place with women on the streets in a country where women are very in danger, guess what ends up happening to those women? That is the reality of India today. It shouldn't be a shock to us that they have this kind of extreme violence that is unheard of for a part of the world like this. I mean, you're not going to see these things in the Philippines, at least not commonly. If somebody did something crazy like this, you're going to see this on the front page of the newspaper, like, what is wrong with these people? Whereas in India, it's just common practice. But it shouldn't be shocking to us because the gods themselves in the Hindu scriptures are the most violent and evil and disgusting and perverse creatures that have ever existed. Some of the examples of this is the story of Ganesh, the famous elephant-headed god. And here's the story of Ganesh, how he got his elephant head. Shiva's wife Parvati had created a child just from thin air, and she created a child for her and Shiva called Ganesh. And Shiva was gone when this child was created. And she was going in, I think, to take a shower or bath or whatever, and she said, don't let anybody cross. And then she tells this to her son, and then Shiva comes home, and he doesn't realize this is his son. And then Shiva wants to come home, and then the child Ganesh is like, you cannot enter. And it's like, I'm Shiva! It's like, let me pass. And look, all you have to do is pull up an animated video. That's basically the way it goes. He's screaming at him like, ah, enraged. And then all of a sudden Ganesh is like, no, and then he cuts off his head. So then all of a sudden Parvati comes outside. She's like, what did you do to our son? He's like, this was our son? He's like, oh, no. And then he just runs out into the middle of the jungle, and all he can find is an elephant, so he chops off the head of that elephant, puts it on his son, and then you see the husband, the wife, and their elephant-headed son, and they're smiling, and they're such a happy family. This is what they're teaching. I mean, look, growing up, you hear stories of the grasshopper and the ant or the tortoise and the hare. You know what they're watching in India? They're watching Shiva cut off the head of a little child. What do you think is going to be the effect on the culture if those are the things they're being taught at a young age? Or you could see a picture of Kali, this evil goddess in India with a necklace of skulls of all the people she's killed and her foot on top of someone she just killed, and she's like... These are the goddesses that they worship. It's like, what is wrong with this religion? But if that's what the religion is, what are the people going to be like? But here's the thing. We can just look at the Bible, and we could realize that when you are worshiping idols, you're going to be violent people, because if you think of the group called the Philistines in the Bible, they worship Dagon, right? They worship the fish god. They were very religious, very idolatrous. Were the Philistines a godly group of people in the Bible? No, they were not. Notice what it says here in Judges 16, verse 20. Judges 16, verse 20. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as at other times before and shake myself. And he wished not that the Lord was departed from him. The Philistines took him and put out his eyes. What does that mean? It means they ripped the eyes out of his head. I'd say that that would qualify as violent, wouldn't you? I mean, just kill him. But they're torturing him. They ripped the eyes. This is not just a story we're reading. This actually happened. They ripped the eyes out of his head. They take out his eyes, and notice this, and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of brass, and he did grind in the prison house. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god. They ripped this man's eyes out. They torture him, and then they're worshipping their false god. Well, Samson's right there. Imagine if you came to church today, and we had ripped somebody's eyes out of their head, and they were standing up here, chained up, and I'm preaching a sermon. It's like, what is wrong with these people? They're idolatrous. They're religious, and they're very violent, aren't they? And it says, And to rejoice, for they said, Our God hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, Our God hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. I mean, just think about this for a second, if it doesn't gross you out. Imagine, Brother Marlin's standing up, and he's just leading the music, and there's somebody up here, chained up that we've been torturing. It's like, to God, because they're praising their god. To God be the glory, great things he hath done. It's like, what is wrong with these people? And someone gets up to read the scriptures. Let's have a solemn time of prayer and trying to draw close to God. And it's like, well, someone is being tortured up here. But this is idolatry, and this is violence, and this is not me just preaching about India. This is in the Bible. Idolatry and violence, they go hand in hand together. Turn to 1 Samuel chapter 6, 1 Samuel 6. I mean, we read through a lot of these stories in the Old Testament, but we should really just stop to think about them for a little while, because it's showing you that idol worshipers are what? They are wicked people. Countries that practice major idolatry are wicked people, and is a wicked country. Areas with a lot of idolatry are just incredibly sinful and wicked and heathen and disgusting people. Don't come up to me and say, but India is the spiritual heart of the world. India is such a peaceful and a godly place. By what metric? By what? It was voted the most dangerous country in the world. Their own politicians say it's the rape capital of the world. What could you possibly say, other than what you've heard on TV about how Hindus are so peaceful? There's a story from 30 years ago. I think it was an Australian medical missionary in India. He would go around and cure people that were in the provinces over in India. He was traveling through. He was going to go to another area. He was with his son. Then they rested on the long trip to sleep in the car. All of a sudden, they woke up to a hundred rabid Hindus that burned the car while he was inside of it, and his son was inside of it. They sat there on the outside, and all these rabid Hindus, because they wanted to kill the Christian that was on the inside of the car. It's like, what is wrong with these people? Don't sit here and tell me that India and Hinduism are a peaceful place. But it's not just that. What about the sexual perversion in India? Perhaps you've heard of the Kajuraho temples, the temples with the sexual perversion on the temples themselves. Literally, in these places, on these temples, they have graphic pornography that are sculptures on the temples themselves, including bestiality, humans with animals. Can you imagine walking in to worship God, and right before you walk in, you see pornography? That is literally on a lot of the temples in India. It's like, look, when they have bestiality on their temples, you're going to expect sexual perversion in that religion, aren't you? Or there's a famous story of Mohini and Shiva, and Shiva is married to his wife, and all of a sudden, Vishnu, which is one of their three primary gods, Vishnu the preserver, and Vishnu, to win this battle against the devils, he had to transform himself into a woman. He had to become trans. So Vishnu transformed himself into Mohini, and there's Shiva with his wife, and he's so attracted to her that he cannot help himself, and he just runs after her in front of his own wife, and he rapes Mohini, and they have a child together. What are you teaching the kids in India? These are the stories they're hearing. This is Hinduism. This is their scriptures. You can't think of something that's more vile than this in their scriptures. It's like, what are you possibly teaching? Because if the gods themselves are wicked and disgusting and evil, what do you expect the people that are following this religion to be like? I mean, the Bible says, Be ye holy, for I am holy. Jesus was perfect. Jesus was sinless. He never did anything wrong, and so we have the example to follow to be holy, to be godly, but in Hinduism, the example of their gods are pretty evil. There's the Devadasi tradition in India, and this is a temple where people worship one of the avatars of gods and goddesses, and they go into this temple, and there are women that are basically ordained to be at the temples, to run the temples, and what they are is their prostitutes, and in our modern day, they actually have a lot of homosexuals as well, homosexual males that are these prostitutes for the temple, and people go to this place so they can sleep with the prostitute, and in the same area, then they go and they worship their idols. It's like, what can you even respond to this? This is Hinduism. But there's nothing new under the sun because the Philistines were not just violent. The Philistines were also sexually perverse. Notice what it says in 1 Samuel 6, verse 4. Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods and five golden mice according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on you all and on your lords. Wherefore, you shall make images of your emerods and images of your mice that mar the land, and you shall give glory unto the God of Israel. Peradventura will lighten his hand from off you and from off your gods and from off your land. Now in the story, the mice are basically eating up all their crops, and obviously mice and rats are very dirty animals, and the people are getting STDs. This is an old-fashioned word for hemorrhoids. So basically, they get hemorrhoids, and the mice are eating up their food, so what's the response? We need to make golden mice and golden emerods. They are making gold idols of an STD. Like what? Talk about being sexually perverse. Now they're religious. I mean, they're into idolatry. They're religious. They're violent. We saw that. And they're also sexually perverse. You say, why? Because these things go hand in hand. Idolatry and violence. Idolatry and sexual perversion. It kind of makes you understand a little bit more when King Saul realized that he was going to fall into the hands of the Philistines. It's like, kill me. Lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. You say, what do you think he meant by abuse me? I think he was afraid of being sexually defiled and tortured and all of those things. He's like, just kill me. And when the armor bearer wouldn't do it, he's like, all right, I'll kill myself. And what does the armor bearer do? It's like, I'm going to do the same. You say, pastor, what would you do in that situation? I probably would have killed myself too. It's like, that's the Philistines. They're idolatrists. They're religious. But they got the wrong religion. And they're filled full of violence and sexual perversion. You know what? The same is true with India today as a result of that wicked religion of Hinduism. Turn your Bible to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26. Look, this is not about me hating India. This is just looking at the facts. I mean, this is just a fact if you do any research. Well, India is a spiritual place. If you actually look at any evidence, it's like, is there any evidence they're godly? There is none. They are not godly. They are a very wicked and messed up country. But you know, it's not just India and Hinduism. When you look at Buddhism, I mean, there's no doubt that Buddhists are very religious and very idolatrous, right? I mean, there's a lot of idolatry. I mean, most of the major statues in the world that are extremely tall are statues of Buddha. I mean, a lot of them are. I mean, you'll see Buddha statues everywhere. I mean, even here in the Philippines. I didn't realize we lived in a Buddhist country, but when I moved here, it seems like every Catholic house that I go to, they got statues of Buddha. I don't understand that. But it's true. I mean, it's like everywhere you go, you got statues of Buddha. It's just a matter of do you have the fat Buddha or the thin Buddha, right? The fat Buddha, I understand, is the Chinese Buddha, which in reality, Buddha was an ascetic. He was very skinny. He was very thin. But it's like you'll see Buddha statues everywhere. And sometimes he's got like the gauges in his ears and his ears are hanging down or whatever it's like, but they got these statues and these idols of Buddha. Now, when I think of Buddhism, the country I think of as being the heart of Buddhism, I mean, the country that's known as the heart of Buddhism or the land of Buddhism is Thailand. Thailand is more than 95%, around 95% Buddhist, and it's second only to China in the most number of Buddhists, but obviously China's population is so huge, their percentage is not actually that high. Thailand has the second most Buddhists. They're slightly behind Cambodia in the highest percentage, but Cambodia is not a big country. So Thailand is known as the land of Buddhism or the heart of Buddhism, although I would say everything I'm going to say about Thailand is also true about Cambodia as well, just on a smaller level because it's a smaller country. Those are the two big countries that are like all Buddhist. Now, to understand Buddhism, you have to realize that in Buddhism, there is no such thing as sin. Here's what it says from Wikipedia on the concept of sin in Buddhism. American Zen author Brad Warner states that in Buddhism, there is no concept of sin at all. The Buddha-Dharma Education Association also expressly states the idea of sin or original sin has no place in Buddhism. Zen student and author Barbara O'Brien has said that Buddhism has no concept of sin. Walpola Rahula also disagreed with the notion of sin, saying, in fact, there is no sin in Buddhism as sin is understood in some religions. Now, I don't recognize those names, but I guess they're very famous Buddhists, and all of them say there's no such thing as sin. Now, here's what there is in Buddhism is the teaching of karma, and Buddhism teaches that if you do bad, bad things will happen to you. If you do good, you'll have good things happen to you. What often is the case is that what we would call sin lines up with what they would call a bad thing to do. So, for example, stealing from a 7-Eleven, they'd say you're going to get bad karma because what you did was a bad thing. But they don't have the concept of sin like you've transgressed or broken God's law. And what also takes place is some things that we would say are very sinful, they would be like, no, it's not. For example, like being part of the LGBT, they'd say there's nothing wrong with that at all, right? There's no concept of sin in Buddhism, and what takes place to a country when their religion says there's no such thing as sin? Isaiah 26, verse 9, With my soul have I desired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early, for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. The Bible says when God's judgments are in the earth, the people are going to learn righteousness. So what's going to take place if God's judgments are not in the land? The exact opposite. And it's going to be a very sinful and wicked area. And, look, there is no question that if you were to go to Thailand today, you would see a very sinful and wicked country. Go to Leviticus chapter 18. Leviticus 18. You say, pastor, you just hate those countries. Look, I can say this is a fact. My favorite type of food is Thai food. I love the taste of Thai food. I think it's the best that there is. I also love Indian food. I think it tastes great. But it's still a wicked country. There's nothing to do like, oh, you just don't like the culture, you don't like the food. This has nothing to do with me not liking the food. I love the food from these countries. They are just very sinful and wicked countries by any metric that you want to look at. When you think of Thailand, it's known as the land of Buddhism. I know Thailand to be the land of sexual perversion. If I were to think of one country that is sexually perverse, I would vote Thailand every single time. You say, well, based on what? Well, let's start with gender reassignment surgery. What kind of a name is that? I hadn't heard that name until I prepared this. It's not like, hey, I had a class in college and I reassigned it to another class. Or we reassigned the teachers. They were teaching here. We reassigned them. It's like, just reassign your gender. Translation, changing your gender or sex from a man to a woman or a woman to a man is what they're saying. When you look at areas of the world that this is common, guess what country is number one by far? It's Thailand. It is not even close. It says here from this article, gender reassignment surgery in Thailand. If you're paying out of pocket for gender reassignment surgery, Thailand offers an unbeatable combination of highly experienced GRS surgeons, state-of-the-art medical facilities, affordability, and the warm hospitality that has made the country the tourism jewel of Southeast Asia. Come to Thailand today. Beautiful food, beautiful beaches, and you can change your gender. It's like, this is how you're advertising your touring to Thailand? It's like, beautiful beaches, beautiful food, and the best medical facilities to change your gender. State-of-the-art, less expensive, and look, I have no doubt that most people in the Philippines that change their gender go to Thailand. That's the number one area they go. You say, why? They got state-of-the-art medical facilities. I mean, it's the best place to change your gender. Go to Thailand. I mean, wouldn't you be embarrassed or ashamed? Well, not if you don't believe in sin. They think it's normal to just change your gender. You say, well, but don't they believe that God created them a certain way? They don't believe in a creator God. Buddhism is an atheistic religion, so they can do whatever they want. There is no God making rules. There is no God to fear in Buddhism. And so what happens with the country that their moniker is we don't believe in sin and we don't believe in a creator God, you've got Thailand. That is the result. And it says here, in this introduction to gender reassignment surgery in Thailand, you'll find out why Thailand continues to top the list of surgery destinations for trans women year after year. Joseph Woodman, the CEO of Patients Beyond Borders, he said, Thailand is the most popular overseas destination for patients seeking sex reassignment surgery. I mean, I don't even know what to say. I mean, I would be embarrassed or ashamed if that was known about the country that I lived in. But that is what Thailand is. But that's not the only sexual perversion that exists in Thailand. I mean, another sexual perversion that exists in Thailand is the LGBT. I mean, the term lady boy is a term primarily you think of with Thailand. And I can say this as an American, where I'm from in America, the country that has the reputation for being sexually perverse, it's Thailand, by far. And I'm just saying the average person. I'm not even saying people that are fundamental Christians. Thailand has the reputation. Yeah, you want to go to a place with the LGBT, go to Thailand. Prostitution, go to Thailand. Gender reassignment surgery, go to Thailand. Thailand has that reputation. Here's what it says from this article. Lady boy is an informal term for a person who was born male but dresses and acts like a woman. The term is often used in reference to people in Thailand, Cambodia. Boy, the other Buddhist country, what a shock! And Laos, where the term Kathoi is more commonly used. In Thailand, lady boys are an accepted part of society and can be found in many different jobs, including in beauty salons, restaurants, and entertainment districts. They are also often involved in beauty pageants. While the term lady boy is sometimes translated as transgender, it is rarely used in Thailand. Some say that the term has been used as a slur against transgender women and gay men who appear feminine, but the community has reclaimed the word. Okay, let's just get back to what the Bible says to clear our minds for a little while, okay? Leviticus 18, verse 22, Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind, it is abomination. It's not just a sin, it is a major sin. I mean, and it's to a whole other level when you're dressing and acting like a woman, when you're a guy. And in Thailand, the term lady boy, I mean, this is common. I mean, it's shocking to see guys dressed as women. I mean, what kind of a guy wants to wear high heels? What kind of a guy wants to spend his life What kind of a guy wants to spend hours in the mirror and wear tight clothing and put on a bra that's like, what is wrong with these people? But it is a sexually perverse and wicked society of group people that worship their idols and they hate the God of the Bible. But you know what? It's not just the gender reassignment surgery. It's not just the LGBT. It's also the prostitution, because where in the world would you say is the center of prostitution? Bangkok. Is that not true? If you were to think of one area for prostitution, the first place on everybody's mind would be Bangkok. Probably all over the world, people think of Bangkok. It always tops the list of the area with the most prostitution, the area people go for prostitution. And here's what it says from this article. You say, why does this exist? Because don't they consider prostitution a bad thing in Buddhism? Not really. Because what I'm going to show you from this article is that prostitutes think they're going to get good karma by sleeping with Buddhist monks. And actually the vast majority of Buddhist monks by statistics in both Thailand and Cambodia have slept with prostitutes. The vast majority, like around 90%. But it's like they think they're going to get good karma. Don't waste your time, but there are a lot of videos and articles about monks acting badly. I thought they were peaceful and just normal. No, they're not. That's completely false. Here's what it says from this article. Second, there exists a sort of reciprocal relationship between Buddhist monks and Thai prostitutes. This relationship is evident in that the monks seem to condone the practice of prostitution. This is just an impartial, non-biased article. It's not from a fundamental Christian. It says that the monks, they seem to condone the practice of prostitution, though it is viewed as an immoral, demerit-earning behavior, when they accept prostitutes' gifts with no mind toward encouraging them to choose an alternative profession. These prostitutes, of course, are making such donations to the monks in order to make merit, which will consequently improve their karma. So the prostitutes think, if I sleep with this Buddhist monk, I'm going to get good karma, and if I get reincarnated, I'm not going to be an E-piece or whatever, right? Turn your Bible to Romans 10. Romans 10. Technically, someone's going to watch this sermon and say, you don't know what you're talking about. We don't believe in reincarnation. I know you believe in rebirth, whatever. I know you believe something a little bit different than the Hindus. But when you think of Hinduism, I don't think there's any doubt that India is the country you would think of with Hinduism, right? With Buddhism, there's very little doubt that the country you think of is Thailand. No question about that. And it's not surprising, because ancient Egypt was very idolatrous, very wicked. The Philistines were very idolatrous, very religious, very wicked. Now, with Catholicism, this is really the one where, you know what, it's kind of up in the air a little bit. When I think of the country, though, that is the most zealous with idolatry of Catholic countries, I think of the Philippines. The Black Nazarene is the biggest in the world of any Catholic festival. I mean, this is a very religious country. There's no question about that. By number of adherents, Brazil and Mexico are the only countries above this country. But the percentage in the Philippines that are Catholic is a higher percentage than those countries. Now, I would say that if you were to look at Brazil and Mexico, you're going to see a lot of similarities in the exact things I'm talking about, though, because Rio de Janeiro, where they've got that massive statue of Jesus, it's also right up there with the highest LGBT percentage places, any city, in anywhere in the world. So it's very similar there as well. But the Philippines, there is no doubt, we are a very zealous country and very Catholic country and very into idolatry. I mean, most people here in the Philippines have literal and actual idols in their houses that they worship. Here's what the Bible says in Romans 10, verse 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. The Bible speaks about the Jews during that day that they had a zeal of God. They were very zealous, but not according to knowledge. And when I would look at people in the Philippines today, I would look at people that are very religious, very zealous. I mean, the Black Nazarene, just a little bit ago, there was millions in the streets, very religious, but not according to knowledge. It's like, what kind of a statue is that that you're worshiping? They're zealous, but not with knowledge. Go to Exodus 32. Exodus 32. Exodus 32. Now, I will say this, that obviously, in my opinion, Hinduism and Buddhism are far worse than Catholicism. I mean, they're all false religions, but I would certainly say the countries we just looked at are far worse than this country. Now, if you want to look at areas that are very idolatrous, if you want to go back in time a little bit, let's go back 500 years to a man by the name of Martin Luther. Okay? Martin Luther is one of the most famous religious people that's ever existed, started the Lutheran Church, and Martin Luther was actually a Catholic. He was a Catholic priest, and he was a young man, and you know what? He was very Catholic, very zealous about it, and so his heart's desire was to visit Rome, because he figured, you know, Rome is the centerpiece of Catholicism. I mean, it's the godliest. I mean, it's like his version of Mecca during that time period. Go to Rome. Right? And so Martin Luther was really excited to go to Rome, and guess what he found when he got there, even amongst the priests? Gambling, prostitution, massive sin, fornication. That's really the root cause of why he left Catholicism. Martin Luther went to Rome. He figured this is going to be spiritual, and then he gets there, and he's like, this is the most sinful place I've ever been. In fact, you know, there's a YouTube video that I've seen where it's this Catholic apologetics channel, the Catholic Answers, and they've got these two guys talking about this, and these are these experts in apologetics on the pro-Catholic side, and they're talking about there's this man who lived a while ago, a wealthy businessman, and he was thinking about converting to Catholicism, and he's telling this priest near his area that he's going to become a Catholic, but he said, I want to do one thing first to just make sure it's the right thing. He's like, I want to visit Rome first just to make sure. He's like, I'm a businessman. I like to be educated. I want to make a wise decision. He's like, I'm going to come back and get baptized, but I want to go to Rome first. And the priest is like, no, you don't want to do that. He's like, no, no, why don't we just baptize you now, right? Because, you know, if you get baptized Catholic, you're Catholic for life, right? And for some of you, it's like, I hate to tell you, you're Catholic for life according to them, right? But he's like, no, no, no, you don't want to do that. Get baptized now. Don't go to Rome. And he's like, no, no, no. He's like, I want to be educated. He's like, I'm going to go to Rome. And then all of a sudden, he goes to Rome, and he comes back, and he's like, all right, I'm ready to be baptized. And the priest is like, you went to Rome, and you came back, and you still want to be baptized? He's like, look, if an organization can have this much sin and wickedness in it and still survive, it must be of God. And I'm like, what? I mean, I just started laughing when I heard this. It's like, are you kidding me? Your defense is, it's like, well, I mean, that proves that it's of God, because this much sin? I mean, look, the mafia still exists, you idiot. Casinos exist that are sinful. There's a lot of things that are sinful that still exist. If an organization can have this much sin and still exist, it must be of God. It's like, what? But that was the centerpiece of Catholicism 500 years ago, and guess what? You would find more sin and more wickedness in Rome than anywhere else on the planet. Exodus 32, verse 17. Exodus 32, verse 17. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, there is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, it is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome, but the noise of them that sing do I hear. And Joshua says, you know what? I hear these people. There's a lot of yelling, but they're not yelling because they won the battle. They're not yelling because they're losing the battle. They're singing. Right? I mean, this is the people that were worshipping these idols. It's like, all right, you know, they were sitting down. They sat down to eat and to drink. It's like, all right, let's just go up now. Let's turn on the loud music, sing the Egyptian music, go out, fornicate, and get drunk and do all these things. And it came to pass as soon as he came nigh of the camp that he saw the calf and the dancing, and Moses anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands and break them beneath the mountain. Go to verse 35. Verse 35. You say, well, pastor, what proof do you have that they fornicated? Verse 35. And when Moses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked under their shame among their enemies, look, if the people are naked, use some common sense. Fornication, adultery, all kinds of sin and wickedness is taking place. They sat down to eat and to drink. They went through the motions. They were dressed right. They acted proper. They didn't say anything bad. And then all of a sudden they get done. Time to drink and party and fornicate. And isn't that what you see here in the Philippines with Catholics? I mean, they go to church and they act respectful and nice and godly and all those things. They're dressed right. They act right. They talk correctly. They act appropriately. And then they go home and they live in sin. You say, well, what proof do you have of this? Well, let's just talk about the LGBT, because I do believe that Thailand is the area, I would say is the main centerpiece of that. But you know what? The Philippines is not that far behind. We're very idolatrous. We're very religious. And the reputation of the Philippines in America before you visit is that it's a godly place. It is the Christian country of Asia. And yet recent statistics put the Philippines up and voted it number one most LGBT country in the world at 11%. I thought it was a godly country. I thought the people were worshiping these idols so they're spiritual and godly. Is that what you see? Because what I see with my eyes when I go soul winning is a bunch of guys that dress like women. And then I see a bunch of other homos that are acting like women. And when we preach at the schools, you find a large percentage. I mean, of the older population, it's not so much. But you look at the younger generation, it's like they're not just watching Vice Pangeet on TV. They're acting like Vice Pangeet in their personal lives as well. But not just the LGBT. What about the children that are born out of wedlock? Here's from an article online. It says, If ever there is a crisis the Philippines must urgently confront, utterly paramount is the deteriorating state of our families and children. From the PSA data, we see that in 2010, 765,074 illegitimate babies were born. One year later in 2011, practically the first full year of the Noi Noi Aquino presidency, that number grew by 1.8%, making it nearly half of the babies born that year being illegitimate, 44.6% or 778,680. By the end of Noi Noi's presidency, that number had risen to 49.2%, or 851,088 babies. In 2018, more than half of Philippine births were to unwed mothers, 54.3%. By 2020, that rose to 57%, or 878,820 illegitimate babies. Now look, in 2010, it was three out of seven babies were born out of wedlock. Ten years later, four out of seven. So, I mean, by 2030, we might be a five out of seven. I mean, 57% a few years ago, it's probably higher now, of children are born out of wedlock here in the Philippines. Now look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad for any choices people have made in the past, but we don't want this for our kids, and it shows a wicked country. And yet it shows people that worship their idols, they feel spiritual, they feel religious, and they go home, they rise up to play and fornicate. That is the reality here. 57%! And the rate at which it's climbing, 42% to 57 in ten years? Man, I don't know what the world's going to be like when my kids are grown up. That percentage could be in the 70s, legitimately. This is the reality of the Philippines. And you know this to be the case, because in your personal life, you have relatives, you know plenty of people, your neighbors, and this happens all the time, all the time in the Philippines. And I would bet that at your neighbor's house, they also have idols that they worship also, don't they? It's not just the LGBT and children being born out of wedlock. And by the way, it's not just you say, well, that's a high percentage. What about the other countries? We are so far above other countries in Asia, it's an embarrassment because we're supposed to be the Christian country. Why is it that everybody would say Japan is wicked and they have a small percentage, and we have a massively high percentage? Why is it the only area you're not seeing this take place is in the Muslim-run areas of the Philippines? That is an embarrassment! And trying to attach it onto Christianity as if it's a good thing, it's an embarrassment! 57%! But it's also the abortion rate. If you were to go back to 1990 to 1994, in terms of unwanted pregnancies that were aborted, it was 23%. About one out of four unwanted pregnancies were aborted, or babies born, babies conceived out of wedlock. From 1995 to 1999, that number grew from 23% to 25%. 2000 to 2004, that number grew to 27%. 27% of unwanted pregnancies were aborted. 2005 to 2009, 35% of unwanted pregnancies were aborted. 2010 to 2014, 48% of unwanted pregnancies were aborted. 2015 to 2019, 51% of unwanted pregnancies were aborted. And likely, it's probably higher now. Well, let's just do some simple math, because if most children are born out of wedlock or conceived out of wedlock over half, 57%, and over 50% of them are aborted, you know what that means? Over one out of four pregnancies in the Philippines ends in abortion. 57% times 51%, you're looking at roughly 30% of babies, are aborted here in the Philippines. I mean, honestly, because I've used these statistics before, when I first saw this, I was shocked. It's like 30% of pregnancies end in abortion in the Philippines? That's like one out of three. And it might be higher now. That's insane. One out of three pregnancies end in abortion? Oh, but it's such a spiritual country. It's such a godly country. I mean, we saw all these people go down to the Black Nazarene. Look at how godly they are. You know what you see? That idolatry and wickedness, they go hand in hand. Idolatry and sin, they go hand in hand. And you also see that when people get rid of the idols, they start to become more godly. Is that not true? I mean, if you're in this room, I'm not trying to rip you for whatever you did in the past, but honestly, you're probably a lot more godly than you were back when you worshiped idols. You say, why? Because you realize, you know what? If I want to be right with God, I better do what God says. To obey is better than to sacrifice, the Bible says. Just do what God says. And yet, when you look at areas that are heavily into idolatry, whether it be in India, whether it be in Thailand, whether it be the Philippines, whether it be anywhere else that is heavily in idolatry, you know what you're going to find? You're going to find a wicked country far above other countries in metrics. You know what you're going to find here in the Philippines? I promise you, if you took the average person that worshiped idols here in the Philippines versus the average person that did not worship idols, the person that does not worship idols is like 100 times godlier and holier than the person that's actually worshiping idols. Because people want to feel spiritual. And here's the reality. You know what? It's hard to obey God's commandments. It's difficult to resist the flesh. But you know what's not that difficult? To bow down to a statue, give a statue a melt bath, put a doughnut in front of a statue. That's pretty easy. You know what's hard? Is to actually deny your flesh and do right. And what people do is they substitute godliness with idolatry. And what you're going to find is areas with a lot of idolatry around this world, they are sinful and they are wicked people. The sin itself is an extremely wicked sin, but the people themselves by and large are pretty wicked themselves also. Let's close in word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today and thank you for allowing us to see this topic and help us to understand this God and help us to reach people here in the Philippines that are worshiping idols, God. Help us to reach them with the gospel. Help us to get them saved, God. And help all of us in this room just to try to get the sin and wickedness out of our own lives, God. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. For our second song, please open your hymnal to hymn number three. Hymn number three, Jesus' Spirit. On the first, ready, sing. I hear the Savior say, Thy strength in me is more, shallow witness was in pray. Fine in me died all in all, Jesus' Spirit all, all to Him I owe. Sin held up a crimson stain, He was in white as snow. Lord, now indeed I find, Thy power in Thine alone contains the leper's mask and melts the heart of stone. Jesus' Spirit all, all to Him I owe. Sin held up a crimson stain, He was in white as snow. Lord, now indeed I find, Thy power in Thine alone contains the leper's mask and melts the heart of stone. Jesus' Spirit all, all to Him I owe. Sin held up a crimson stain, He was in white as snow. Lord, now indeed I find, Thy power in Thine alone contains the leper's mask and melts the heart of stone. Jesus' Spirit all, all to Him I owe. Sin held up a crimson stain, He was in white as snow. Jesus' Spirit all, all to Him I owe. Sin held up a crimson stain, He was in white as snow. Amen. We're now at Smith's.