(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music So it's two hours of jumping time. So I scheduled it for 40 people to jump. And if you didn't put your name in, then it's too late for you. So you can come and eat pizza because you just can't jump. If you didn't end up signing up, just come talk to me after the service and we'll see what we can do to make that happen. But anyway, so if you did sign up, please show up because it's going to be a fun time. So I think Pastor Jones and his family will be here to bounce with us. And so the barbecue thing, all that stuff is not happening. We're having pizza at Sky Zone. So lunch will be provided or lunch, dinner, whatever you want to call it. And then Pastor Jones will be preaching for us on Sunday morning at 1030 a.m. Then I'll be preaching the evening service. And so it's going to be a great weekend. And please make sure you try to show up for everything we got going on. And it is a celebration. So it's a celebration because, you know, we've been a church for six years. But, you know, Schur Foundation Baptist Church for four years. So praise God for that. We have a great church here. We all should be thankful for that. So all the other announcements there, there's no other announcements. But anyway, we're a family and a great church. We do have a mother baby room and a dad baby room back there on both ends of the church back there. And please make sure that you're taking the children out if they're like screaming or whatever. Utilize those rooms for whatever need you have. But please use them if you need them. So the rockers are for pregnant and nursing mothers or elders only. Please know men in the mother baby rooms or dads in the mom rooms and moms in the dad rooms during the church services. And please make sure you're watching your children at all times. Please know food in the assembly area. And just an announcement about the upstairs. All right. Officer Thompson has arrived. And I wanted to say, if you're eating upstairs, please make sure that you clean up your mess. Clean your utensils. Don't leave them. We don't have a maid service here. We have ladies that come in and work really hard and spend their time. It takes a long time to clean this place. So if you could clean up after yourself to the best of your ability, we'd really appreciate that. Please silence your cell phone if you would at this time. I think I need to myself. And escorts are available to anybody that needs them. You just tap one of the ushers on the shoulder and they'd be happy to do that. So anyway, let's see. I think that's all we got for announcements. Well, we got a birth announcement. Congratulations again to the Yankee family on the birth of Timothy James Berry Yankee. And he was born at 11 a.m. on 7-22-22, weighing in at 7 pounds and 10 ounces and 19 and three quarters inches long. Thanks to everybody for doing the food train. The family really appreciates that. Make sure you congratulate them on the birth of their son. I believe we sing happy birthday to everybody that we need to sing happy birthday to. So with that, let's sing another song and then we'll receive the offering. All right. Let's turn to Green Hymnals, page 41. Sweet by and by, page 41. Green Hymnals, page 41. Sweet by and by. Let's all sing it out loud on the first. There's a land that is fairer than day And by faith we can see it afar For the Father waits over the way To prepare us a dwelling place there In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore We shall sing on that beautiful shore The melodious songs of the blessed And our spirit shall sorrow no more Not a sigh for the blessing of rest In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore To our bountiful Father above We will offer our tribute a praise For the glorious gift of His love And the blessings that hallow our days In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore Amen. Great singing this evening. At this time, we're going to receive our offering. Brother Sean, would you bless the offering for us? Heavenly Father, I thank you for this day, Lord. I thank you for this church and the celebration for your anniversary, Lord. I pray that you would fill Brother Corbin with your spirit, Lord. Fill him with boldness and power, Lord, and just give us this year the message. And I pray you bless this offering. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. All right, go ahead and turn your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter number 4. If you don't have a Bible, raise your hand and one of the ushers will bring you one. Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians 4, the Bible reads, Ephesians 4, the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body and the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore in testifying the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ. If so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put off concerning the former conversation of the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil, let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Brother Bill, will you pray for us? Amen, so it's great to be here at Truth Foundation Baptist Church to all of you. I know I came back, I was up here a while back, I can't remember how long it's been, but I feel like this is kind of a home away from home a bit. I've spent a lot of time up here, it feels like, probably more than any other pulpit I've guest preached. I think it's been this one, so hopefully I'm coming across as a little bit more comfortable, although I might not feel entirely that way, but I definitely appreciate Pastor Thompson having me up here to preach and kick off your guys' anniversary weekend. I've known Pastor Thompson and Ms. Sherry since before he was even leading the satellite here. I feel a little nostalgic about kicking off the anniversary service, it kind of takes me back to when I first met Pastor Thompson, and he came down to Phoenix, and he was actually trying to get me to come up here and to start a church. He came down with some rope and some duct tape, and thankfully somehow I was able to get out of his head, I'm just kidding, but I'm glad everything worked out the way that it did, and that you've got a great pastor and a great pastor's wife here helping and starting this ministry and getting it going. It's exciting that it's been four years. I'm actually going into our four-year anniversary down in Tucson, so if you don't know, I also run a church plant in Tucson, Arizona, which is about an hour and a half, 100 miles south of Phoenix. I live there now, I moved up and bought a house there about a year ago, so I live there full-time and run that plant down there. We're coming into our four-year anniversary. I also am getting guest preachers because I've kind of developed a reputation with my people as being a bit of a downer when it comes to the anniversary services, apparently. I don't see it, but apparently I have this reputation of saying, hey, three years is nothing, you've got so much farther to go. While there is a grain of truth to that, you don't want to discourage people, obviously, on anniversary service. That's not what I'm here to do. Four years is definitely a milestone every year that goes by where you still have a church that's standing strong for the truth, the King James Bible is doing the soul-winning and is preaching the whole counsel of the word of God. Every year that goes by, that's something to be excited about, that's something to celebrate, that's something to rejoice over, that there's still somebody that's standing in the gap wherever that church is. That's kind of what I want to preach to you about tonight, is that the whole idea of an anniversary, basically what we do at that time of year is we stop and we kind of remember the past. We look back on where we've been, we look back on how far we've come, but really when you think about the purpose behind remembering is really to think about also the future. We think about how far we've come, but we don't want to lose sight of the fact that we still do have much further to go. No matter how long a church is going, there's still a lot of work to be done. If we were celebrating the 25th anniversary of this church, we would still want to think about the fact that there's still this great work that has to be done, there's still many more souls that have to be saved, there's still many more people that have to grow in Christ, there's still many more sermons that have to be preached and stands that have to be taken. Whenever we're celebrating, we have to remind ourselves of the fact that we still do have a great work to do here. I want to preach to you tonight a sermon called, Four More Years. Four more years. Now, you probably might recognize that phrase when you have, of course those are three words our current administration will never hear. No one's going to be, not even the Dems are going to be going, Four more years. They're going to be saying, anybody else? But that's kind of where I'm coming from with that title. Saying, what's the next four years? We've come four years, let's get four more years. There's nothing wrong with just thinking about the future and looking ahead. I know that we're supposed to live as Christians, taking no thought for the morrow and we shouldn't boast ourselves for the morrow. But even Jesus, when he planted the church, he had this forward thinking attitude, he had this idea of what was to come. He said in Matthew 16, I'll read to you, it says in verse 18, And I say unto thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. He's thinking about what is to come. He's not just saying, well, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, guys. He's saying, look, I'm going to build this church. He's thinking about what is to come. He's thinking ahead. And that's a mentality that we have to have as Christians. We don't ever want to just say, well, we've come this far. Let's just take it easy. Let's just kind of rest on our laurels and just see where these things go. We always want to be thinking about the future. What can we do more? We always want to be planning. It's great that we've made it four years, but hey, what about the next four years? Where are we going to be at four years from now? Are we still going to be in church? Are we still going to be serving God? Are we still going to be doing the things that have gotten us to where we are today? We need to think about the next four years, planning to continue for four more years. So the question is, how is Shura Foundation Baptist Church going to continue for another four years? How are we going to make it through the next four years? Well, it's the same way you got to where you are today, by playing your part. You're going to get through the next four years by playing your part. And obviously, we all have a part to play, and the first part I want to look at is the pastor's part. And I'm sure none of this is news to Pastor Thompson. He's somebody who works very hard as a pastor, but it's also good to be reminded what exactly it is that your pastor is doing as a pastor. As somebody who's pastoring a church, sometimes I've noticed that people might, and maybe this is just my own paranoia or something like that, or my own bad attitude, I don't know, or maybe there's actually a grain of truth to it, but sometimes it just seems to me that even church members, from time to time, tend to think that the preacher, the pastor, he just shows up on Sunday, he just preaches a couple of sermons, and he does them midweek, but the rest of the week, he's not really doing anything for the ministry. And that's really not the case at all. Pastors are constantly putting out fires, constantly on the phone, constantly helping this brother, helping this sister, writing the sermons, preparing. There's a lot that goes into a pastor's work, especially with your pastor, who's also working a full-time job. It's not like Pastor Thompson, he gets out of the pulpit on Sunday night, and he goes home, and Ms. Sherry just kind of puts them in a closet, and then plugs them in with some kind of a cord, and he just sits there till Thursday, and the sermon just kind of downloads into his brain, and he just kind of walks back out here like he's some kind of automaton. He still has a life going on, he still has everything, he still has to deal with all the same things that you have to do. There's still people. And so it's good to be reminded of the pastor's part. Not necessarily for your pastor's sake, but really for the people's sake, to be reminded that we were given pastors. It says there in verse 11, And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. There is a part that somebody has to play if Sure Foundation Baptist Church is going to continue for four more years, and that person is your pastor. Without the pastor, without leadership, without a head for this church, things fall into disarray, things can fall apart, no one really has a direction. The pastor is sort of the head of the church, obviously. Somebody has to call the shots, somebody has to pick a direction. And we know that ultimately Christ is the head of the church, but your pastor is the under shepherd. He's the head of this church, and not necessarily in place of Christ, but in Christ's stead. He's kind of, of course, still subject to the Bible like we all are. We all understand that. But think about what if that head was removed? What if your pastor was just gone? For whatever reason, what would happen? Would you continue four more years? We would like to think so, but there's a possibility that without leadership, things would just fall apart. Without the shepherd, the sheep could be scattered very easily. So the pastor's part is very important. Don't ever take your pastor for granted. That's who got you where you are. Somebody six years ago stepped up to the plate and said, you know what, I'm going to go ahead and put myself out there and take on this work of starting this church, and praise God, it's been six years strong. But how are we going to make it through the next four years? By your pastor continuing to play his part and do what needs to be done to lead a church. And that's why we've been given pastors. That's something that God gave to us, it says in Ephesians 4. We're going to be in Ephesians 4 all night, we'll come back and forth, so just bookmark that. But notice in verse 12 it says, it gives us the reason. Why were we given pastors? Is it just so the pastor can get up there and listen to the sound of his own voice? Is it just so he can feel important? No, we were given pastors for our own benefit. The pastor is here, he's playing his part for your sake. That's why he does it. He says in verse 12, for the perfecting of the saints. We were given pastors and teachers for what? For the perfecting of the saints. He goes on and says, for the work of the ministry. For the edifying of the body of Christ. Now here's three strong reasons that we were given pastors. That we were given people that are going to help us in our walk with Christ. And the first part I want to look at there is the perfecting of the saints. This is part of your pastor's role. The pastor's part is the perfecting of the saints. It's not for himself, it's not to glorify himself or to edify himself. It's there to perfect all of the saints. It's there to make them complete, to make them whole, to help them to be the Christians. They need to be to help believers continue to grow and to become spiritually mature. Because when we get saved, we don't start out spiritually mature. It's just like Christ likened salvation unto a new birth. Except to be born again. You have to be born of the Spirit. And that's where we're made a spiritual babe in Christ. That's what the Bible says. I'm not going to take the time to go there. But we are babes in Christ when we're first born again, when we're first saved. That's a natural state. There's nothing wrong with being a babe. That's where we all start. But you know what? That's why God gave us a pastor. So that we would not remain babes. And people, you know, they get this idea, they think, well, you know, I can grow on my own and I can be the child of God that I need to be. I can grow into a full mature Christian without the church. And I ask, I say, well, can you really though? Because the Bible says that we were given pastors for what? The perfecting of the saints. And that perfecting in the Bible isn't talking about how he's going to make you sinless or the way we use perfect. It's perfect in the sense that he was complete and whole wanting nothing. That's why we were given pastors. That's the part that they play in making the saints perfect and helping them to grow and to mature. And you'll see people have this attitude, well, they don't need to follow a man of God. They don't need to be in a local church. And I'm sure you can do some growth like that. I'm sure you can learn things from the Bible if you have the Holy Spirit. You know, you can progress, you can mature as a Christian, but you know what? It's going to be a stunted growth. It's going to be something that's going to take a lot longer than it needs to if you would just get plugged into a local church, get under the preaching of a man of God who's there to help you and perfect you and make you into the Christian that you need to be. That's one of the roles of your pastor, to perfect the saints, to help them grow. If you look there in verse 14, it says that we henceforth be no more children. That's what Paul's saying here. Look, he gave us pastors, he gave us teachers, why? So that we would not remain children. It's okay to start out a child, but you know what? We want to grow, you know? And we think about that with our own children. You know, in a way, you know, obviously we're endeared to our children and it kind of breaks our hearts as parents to see our kids grow. You know, that's what I'm finding out. I've got my eldest Karen here with me and this whole drive up here, I'm just looking over there and thinking, you know what? She's just getting older and pretty soon she's going to be an adult and pretty soon she's going to be coming to me and talk to me about some boy at church and I'm going to be saying, no way. You know? But you know, she's going to grow up and she's going to want to get married and have grandchildren and it's, you know, here's the thing, I would love to have my little baby girl always be my little baby girl. But you know what? That's part of the process of life, watching your children grow, you know, and that makes us what? Proud parents. When we see our children grow up and become good, godly adults, you know, that's something that we can, you know, we pride ourselves, if I can use that word. That's something that fills us with a sense of accomplishment and joy and you know, and then hopefully we get the grandbabies and it all starts over again, right? But you know, it's the same way spiritually. You know, your pastors here, the part he's playing to perfect the saints is so that you won't just remain, you know, that spiritual child. Like he's saying here, that you would henceforth be no more children because children are unstable, you know, they're tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. You know, my daughter, whenever we get into these hotel rooms, when she travels with me, one of the first things she wants me to do when we get in there, we set the bags down, is pick her up and throw her on the bed. It's just like a tradition we have because they just, you know, because they like to be tossed to and fro, right? But you know, this last trip, she's like, Dad, when we get to the hotel, you got to throw me on the bed, right? And I kind of said, well, you're kind of, you're a little big now. You know, and Dad's a little older, you know. I mean, I don't want to have to show up here all, you know, with a blown disc or something like that. I knew we had to move this piano, you know, so I want to make sure. So maybe when we get back, we'll carry on the tradition. But you know, that's the illustration, that's the picture there, right? Our children, we don't want them to just remain these little rag dolls that we can just throw around. We want them to become strong and to have strength and to be able to stand on their own two feet. You know, it's the same way with your pastor, that's the role that he plays, to perfect you, to make you, to not be a child anymore, that gets easily tossed to and fro, carried about with what? Every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. You know, that's why your pastor or pastors are called, you know, shepherds. They're there to protect the flock, to keep the wolves at bay. Notice verse 15, he says, but speaking the truth in love may grow up into all things which is the head, even Christ. You know, that's why Christ has given us pastors, that's why we've been given, you know, the teachers and the pastors that we've been given so that we would not remain children but that we would, what, grow up into all things. You know, and that's the role that a pastor plays, is perfecting the saints and that takes patience, doesn't it? You know, that's one thing I'm learning, you know, as somebody who's pastoring and looking over a flock is, you know, you have to allow people time to grow and that's something we should all endeavor to do, you know, as fellow believers. The other thing a pastor has to do, you know, is not just perfect the saints but it's also, you know, as it says there in verse 12, the perfecting of the saints, what? The work of the ministry. You know, the ministry is work, you know, publishing the gospel. You know, that's what I would think, that's what that makes me think of, you know, the work of the ministry, going out and preaching the gospel and anybody, you know, who's done that knows that's work. You know, you guys are going to go out Saturday on that soul winning marathon and knock doors, you know, that's work, that's hard. Anyone who's done it knows that that's something that is difficult, that's something that can be, you know, trying, that's something you have to put effort into to do consistently. You know, that's part of your pastor's role and not just himself going out, you know, but to send others. Like Jesus, when he started his ministry, you know, he sent them, you know, two by two before his face whether he himself would come. Obviously Jesus also went but, you know, part of his job in the ministry as the shepherd of that flock was to send others out and to have them to go fulfill the work of the ministry. You know, that is the main thrust of the local New Testament church and we should never lose sight of that. You say, well, what are we going to do over the next four years? As, you know, what are we going to accomplish next four years? Well, hopefully it's publishing the gospel. You know, maybe next year there won't be a bounce house or whatever it is. You know, maybe there won't be some, you know, maybe there won't be all these frills and things. I mean, there probably will be. You know, but that's not why we come to church. You know, we're planning on our anniversary to smoke up some briskets. You know, we're going to have a couple of brief. You're welcome to come, so let me know you're coming, right, so I can get another one if I need to. It's only about 1,500 miles. It takes about 22 hours to drive and trust me, I know, right. But, you know, what if we weren't going to have that? What if we just say, you know what, it's just not in the budget. We can't afford it. You know, well, is that what we're there for? Just to enjoy all the things that the church affords us, all the fellowship and the nice things that the church can do for us. No, the main thrust of the ministry is to do what? To do the work of an evangelist. It's to do what? It's for the work of the ministry. That's the part that your pastor plays. That's the role that he's here to fulfill. Not to just, you know, you know, pander to everybody's want and desire, not to just coddle everybody and just, you know, treat everybody extra special and nice and make sure everybody's just perfectly comfortable in every way. You know, his job, you know, is to send you out there to preach the gospel. That's why we're here. And that was the great commission that Christ gave us, to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. It's a huge job. And that is what we're here to do, publish the gospel, to go out and find what? Other babes in Christ and to bring them in. If you would, go over to 2 Timothy 4. Keep something there in Ephesians 4. Go to 2 Timothy 4. This is, you know, part of a pastor's role. This is how Assure Foundation Baptist Church is going to continue for four more years. This is what you're going to be doing because this is what you've been doing. You know, I say, how do you know that, Brother Corbin? Well, because I know what churches like this do. I know how they operate. We're soul-winning Baptist churches. This is what we're here for. We go out and we publish the gospel. This is what pastors do. 2 Timothy 4, verse 5, it says, but watch thou in all things. Of course, this is Paul writing to Timothy, a pastor. He's saying endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist. Make full proof of thy ministry. How do you make full proof of the ministry? By doing the work of an evangelist. Is it, you know, going on lots of homeschool field trips? Look, those are great. And if you can do them, great. Is it by having a roller skating night? You know, those are great. And if you can have them, great. Is it by having a camp and guest preachers and potlucks and everything? Look, all those things are fine and good, but that's not what we're here for. Those are things that, you know, we're allowed to enjoy. You know, but what we're here to do is the work of an evangelist, to go out and to do the work of the ministry, to publish the gospel. And you say, well, we're doing that, and that's great, but here's the thing. People can get burnt out on doing that. People can get into that and they're excited about it first, and then they find out that, you know, the work of an evangelist is the work of an evangelist. You know, and they can start going through dry spells with their soul winning. They can start to get frustrated if they're not in a receptive area. You know, but that's just part of doing the work. You know, that's just something you're just gonna have to get over and just accept as a fact. You know, people often ask me wherever I go somewhere, I always end up getting asked this, what's the soul winning like in Tucson? And I say it's like anywhere else. There's some spots that are really receptive and there's other spots that aren't. You know, I'm not really sure where all the unreceptive spots are because I'm avoiding them like the plague right now, right? But I can tell you where the receptive spots are. They're in south central, you know, Tucson. Anything on the south side is great. You know, but here's the thing. What if we only went to the, you know, unreceptive areas? What if we got everything else done like we have in Tempe and now we've got to plow through these unreceptive areas? You know, that can wear people down. You know, that could cause some of us maybe to get a bad attitude and just think, oh man, this is, why are we even out here? Because we're supposed to go to every creature. You know, and you're just going to have to be more creative when you're in those unreceptive areas. I mean, that's what I learned to do. Typically when you're in the unreceptive area, you're not in, you know, some ghetto somewhere. You know, you're typically in a nicer neighborhood and typically I've found in the nicer neighborhoods that's where you find a lot of, you know, the nicer gardens, the nicer, you know, flowers and plants and things like that. Maybe just kind of enjoy the botany of the area. I don't know what to, you know, I'm trying to just give you an idea here, you know? I mean, that's what I've done. That's what I learned. You know, I would go soloing with people and we would just start talking about this cactus and we'd start talking about that palm tree and this bird and, you know, I'd pull out my smartphone and point the Google Lens at it. I'd learn the, you know, scientific name and then, you know, promptly forget it immediately after. Or I'd take a picture. I mean, there's a lot of things you can do besides, you know, between the doors where people are just being, you know, unreceptive. They're not being nice or they're just not interested. You know, there's other things. You can enjoy the fellowship of your fellow soul winner. But you have to keep doing the work of the evangelist. That's what we're here to do. That's the pastor's part. Look, I know Pastor Thompson in the next four years, I'm sure he's not going to say, well, hey, let's back off from the soul winning a little bit. You know, the soul winning has gotten unreceptive so maybe we should just not do that anymore. You know, this church is going to continue to be a lighthouse here in the, you know, Pacific Northwest. It's going to continue doing the work of the ministry. That's the role that we're here to play. What's the next thing a pastor has to do? He says there to edifying, you know, edifying of the body. So he said in Ephesians chapter four, keep something there in 2 Timothy but he says, and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry but also notice for the edifying of the body of Christ. So, you know, your pastor's job is not just to send us out there, to go out there himself and to win people to Christ and to bring them in but once he's got them in here, you know, it's also the pastor's role to edify you. And edifying obviously it has a very positive, you know, connotation. You know, we like to be edified, right? But sometimes, you know, the edifying that the pastor does can be a little rough around the edges. Maybe it's not going to feel so edifying sometimes when the pastor fulfills the role that he's called to fulfill. You know, it says there in 2 Timothy chapter four, if you look at verse two, he said preach the word. You know, that's how your pastor is going to edify the body of Christ. That's how he's going to edify the saints, is through preaching the word of God. You know, not just getting up here and pulling on your heartstrings and telling some story. Look, those things are all fine and good but those aren't the things that are going to challenge you and motivate you and cause you to get excited about the things of God or get sin out of your life and get godly habits into your life. You know, what's going to do that? It's the preaching of the word of God. And look, when the man of God gets up and starts to preach the word of God, it's at some point going to step on your toes. At some point, you know, it's going to hit you right between the eyes. I know because, you know, it's happened to me on multiple occasions. I mean, I don't know how many sermons I heard. I was like, man, was the pastor following me around this week? Like, how did he know? You know, it's called the Holy Spirit. You know, it's called the word of God. Right? But it says there in 2 Timothy 4, verse 2, preach the word. Right? Be in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. You know, we like to focus on the exhorting. Yeah, just the exhorting. No, there's also the reproving and the rebuking. When the pastor gets up and fulfills his role of perfecting the saints, of preaching the word, of edifying the body, you know, there's going to be some negative things that come across the pulpit. There might be some things that the pastor has to deal with in the church. He has to get up and preach about this sin or this situation, or, you know, names have to be named, whatever. You know, or maybe he's just kind of preaching in generalities, but boy, it's really hitting home with you. You know, it's something that you're guilty of or of doing or not doing. You know, that's just part of the job. And look, if you have a pastor that's willing to get up and do that, you should thank God for that. Because, you know, that's what got you guys where you are today. That's what's gotten people to where they are in their Christian life. That's what's caused people in this room to grow and to become better Christians and to improve themselves as God's children and to grow up and to be no more children. It's been the preaching of the Word of God. Now, I have to imagine, you know, I haven't listened to every single one of Pastor, excuse me, Pastor Thompson's sermons, but I'm sure there's been some that have come across the pulpit that have been kind of gnarly. There's probably been a few that you've kind of gone, oh, man, ouch, right? Well, praise God for that. Thank God that you have somebody in your life who's not just going to pretend that, you know, you don't have anything wrong. It's not just going to get up there and say, oh, everything's fine. There's no fires to put out, you know, the whole place is on fire. That's willing to, you know, run off the wolves. That's willing to get up and call out sin. You know, that's the, you know, and you say, well, that's just not very nice of him. Yeah, you know, it might not be very nice, but it's his job. It's the part that he's called to play, you know, and that's what's going to keep Sure Foundation Baptist Church going for another four years is the preaching of the Word of God. You know, so we talked about the pastor's part, right? What about the people's part, right? And the pastor's part, you know, I know your pastor. Look, he's not struggling in any of those areas. We all know that that was for us. You know, that's for the people in the pew to be reminded of what it is that your pastor is here to do as a man of God. We all understand that, but you know, what about the people's part? You know, the pastor has his part, but the people also have a part too. If you look there again in Ephesians chapter number four, he says there in verse 12, you know, that he gave us these pastors, these teachers, what, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, verse 13, till we all come in the unity of the faith. You know, you have a part to play. Say, well, it just sounds like the, you know, this is just a, this is the pastor's job. You know, the church is not a one-man show. You know, church is a congregation, it's an assembly of believers. It takes a whole group of people, you know, to get a church to do what it needs to do. Obviously, the more responsibilities, more burdens fall upon the pastor, that's the role he's called to play. You know, other people in the church should also step up and play their part too. You know, there's a lot, your pastor can't do it all. I mean, he probably could, but it's probably going to, you know, shorten his lifespan. You know, it's probably going to make him maybe just want to throw his hands up and say, what's the point? You know, it's going to be more difficult for him. That's not how a church is supposed to operate. Obviously, churches go through different seasons and churches in different places in their lifespans and things like that, and sometimes pastors have to, you know, take on more responsibilities until somebody else comes along and is able to hand that off onto somebody else. You know, but who is it that's going to be handed off to? It's the people, right? It's you. It's going to be the people that are sitting in the pew. That's why it's saying there, look, we're giving these pastors, verse 13, till we all come in the unity of the faith. You know, we all have a part to play. We're all to come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man of the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. You know, you have a part to play. So let me just kind of wrap this thing up by reminding you, and obviously I can't go through everything that a pastor is here to do, everything that the people in the pew are here to do, but let me just give you a few thoughts here as I close the sermon, you know, about things that you can do that are going to help, you know, Sure Foundation Baptist Church continue for four more years and for many years to come. You know, the four more years thing, obviously that was just kind of a, you know, a convenient title because of that chant, right? Well, look, we're not just looking for four years, folk. We're looking for five years, we're looking for six, we're looking for four decades. You know, we're looking for everyone in this room to eventually grow old and die and a whole other generation rising up and carrying on the torch of Sure Foundation Baptist Church, that this church would continue on beyond even the lifetimes of the people in this room. You know, there's no reason why that can't happen. You got a pastor who's doing his part. If you got people that are doing their part, you know, that is a very real possibility. To me, that's exciting. You know, to think that, you know, I could be part of a church that's going to, you know, have been in an area for decades even after I've dead and gone. That there's still going to be a lighthouse there that's preaching the gospel, that's preaching the word of God, and is still standing strong for Christ even after I'm long gone and everybody I know in that church is long gone. That's exciting. But if that's going to happen, look, it's not just the pastor that has to play his part, it's also the people that have to play their part. We all have to come united in the unity of faith. So, real quick, you know, what's something you can do to play your part? You know, I think probably one of the things that we probably, hopefully not the case, but probably gets neglected the most is prayer. You know, if there's one Christian discipline that's probably neglected more than Bible reading, it's probably prayer. You know, and so on that note, let me just say this, you know, you want to play your part in the local church and help your pastor, here's what you can do, pray for your pastor. You know, some people struggle with prayer, so I just don't know what to pray for. Well, I could tell you one thing you could all pray for, for sure. And there's a whole litany of things that we could all talk about to pray for. But, you know, on the top of your list or somewhere near the top, you ought to have your pastor's name written there. You ought to have his wife's name written there. You ought to have his children's names written there. You say, well, why is it? You know, go to 2 Timothy chapter number 3, you know, why should I have to pray for the pastor? Isn't he just a man enough on his own to just kind of grind through it? Yeah, you know what, he probably is. You know, he has a prayer life, he walks with God, but you know what, him and his family could stand your prayers if you're not praying for them. You say, well, that just seems kind of weak. Well, you know what, a man like the apostle Paul asked for prayer. You know, and last I checked, and Paul was no weak man of faith. Paul was a mighty man of God, but he still asked people to pray for him. He said in 2 Timothy chapter number 3, look at verse 1, Finally, brethren, pray for us. And he wrote this whole epistle, the second one in Thessalonians, and he's wrapping it up, and he's saying, hey, before I go, let me just impress upon you one last thing before I go, pray for us. I need you to pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you. You know, he's asking for prayer and for those that are working alongside him in the ministry. You ought to pray for your pastor. You say, well, why should I pray for my pastor? Why is Paul asking for prayer? I'll tell you why, because he's the primary target. He's the, you know, if the enemy could get in here and take out anybody they wanted, you know who they go for immediately? Your pastor. Because as I said earlier, without a head, you know, without a shepherd, the sheep will be scattered. You know, that's how important a pastor is. You know, that's who the enemy is gunning for, is the man of God. Oh, sure, you know, he wants you and he wants everybody else if he can get them, but you know who he wants the most? You know what trophy he wants to put on his wall? Whose head he wants to mount more than anybody else? You know who's going to take center, have that, you know, he's got that special spot right above the mantle that he wants to just fill and have that big, you know, head mounted there? It's your pastor's more than anybody. You know, the rest of us, you know, we might get like mounted over here on the sides in the devil's trophy room, right? But man, he's got that spot up there. It's just that's for Pastor Thompson. I'm trying to get him. And he is. You know, I know some things that have gone on. You all know things that have gone on. You sit in there and you go, why is this happening? It's because the devil wants to get at your pastor. You know, there are people out there that wanted to see ministries like this destroyed. That would love to see your pastor fall. That would love to see this church taken down. That nothing would make them happier. You know, and we could think about maybe specific individuals, but, you know, more than that, there's a, you know, we have an enemy called the devil who walketh about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. You know, and he's walking around and, you know, he's watching your pastor. You know, we need people to pray for the men of God, to pray for your pastor, to pray for his family. They are targets. I mean, that's what Paul's saying here in 2 Timothy chapter 3. Well, why was he asking for prayer? He said, pray for us. Why? Verse 2. That we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. You know, there are unreasonable and wicked men in this world that go after the man of God. That's what they make their whole life about, just trying to destroy some man of God. Just going after him, trying to, you know, just call him out, falsely accuse him, besmirch his character, destroy him. That's all they care about. They live for it. Their whole life is just, that's all it's wrapped up in, is trying to destroy a man of God. You say, well, what can I do? Pray. Pray for your pastor. That's what Paul said. Pray for us. Why? That we might be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. Pray for him. So why should I pray for him? Well, it'll keep you mindful of your pastor. You know, the more you pray for your pastor, the more you might realize how much you should respect him and appreciate him. You know, you might walk in and say, hey, can I help you out, pastor? Is there anything you need me to do? You know, how can I get more involved? If you actually realize that, you know, the burden that is put upon the man of God to lead this church. And look, I'm sure there's plenty of people in this room that do a lot of work for this ministry and are on a great benefit to their pastor. Praise God. You know, but what if you're one in here who's just the last four here, he's just kind of been coasting? Just kind of, you know, just kind of enjoying the show, you know, step up, get involved if you have and try to do something. And if anything else, at the very least, pray for your pastor. Pray for Pastor Thompson, pray for Ms. Sherry, pray for their children and their grandchildren, because you know what, they have a target on their back. So one, pray, but also participate. And it says, you know, that we are to come into, that we all come into the unity of the faith. You know, the faith that we have, this church, you know, it's to be united. You know, meaning everybody's on the same page. Meaning everybody's getting involved. You know, and look, I understand not, you know, there's only so much work to go around sometimes. You know, this piano move is a perfect illustration for this. You know, when I went to load it up in Tucson, I put out the call, I said, hey guys, you know, Sunday morning we're loading up. And I had so many guys were there that there wasn't enough piano. You know, I kind of felt bad. I'm sure they were okay with it. Right, and they're like, oh, you got it? Okay, all right. That's how I felt yesterday. You know, and when some of you guys got in there, the younger guys especially, were like, we got it. I'm just like, all of us, I'll supervise. You know, I'll be the brains of the operation. We got the brawn, so, you know, you guys take it from there. Right, so I understand that, you know, sometimes it's hard to understand, you know, how can I get involved? You know, what can I do? Well, let me just give you one practical thing you can do, and that's come to church, church attendance. And I understand, you know, in churches like this, it's the same case down in Tucson, you know, some people live very far away. And just getting there once a week, you know, is, you know, praiseworthy because of the fact that I even have people that travel over an hour to come to church. You know, and I'm not going to jump down their throats like, why aren't you here at three to thrive? You know, it's, you know, that's, you know, I'm just glad they make it at all. You know, but what about the people that they could very easily be here three times a week? You know, church attendance is something that should not be neglected. You say, how can I participate? How can I get involved in the unity of the faith? Show up for the church times. Be here when the doors are open for the preaching of the word of God. You know, the pastor isn't getting up and preparing sermons just because, you know, he doesn't have anything better to do. You know, just because, well, I just had all this free time to just, you know, write a sermon. I figured, well, let's have a third service during the week. No, it's there for the perfecting of the saints. You know, it's there. That's why we're preaching the word of God. That's why we're proving, rebuking and exhorting with all long suffering and doctrine. To get, you know, to exhort you and to help you to grow. That's the point of preaching. But, you know, if you're not here to hear it, what good is it? You know, if you're not here to hear that sermon that may have been, you know, just, you know, something that would have really made an impact on you, you know, you missed out. You know, you've got some problem in your life maybe you didn't even know about that if you had been there for church, you know, a little light bulb would have gone off. You've been like, oh, that's what's been wrong this whole time. But, you know, if you're not there to hear it, how's that supposed to happen? You know, church should be, to me it's just a no-brainer. Church attendance, you know, it was just so simple. Even as a babe in Christ, when I first got saved, you know, 20 something years ago or whatever, and decided, hey, you know what, I want to start living right and pleasing the Lord. You know, one of the first thing I thought of was like, well, I got to be in church. You know, when I got in church and I realized, you know, this church meets three times a week, I should be here for all three services. It's not like he's getting up and preaching the same sermon every service. Every service is different. You know, and I said, well, hey, that's just elementary. That's just like the basics of the Christian life. You know, you've got to be three to thrive. Yeah, three to thrive. I believe in that. I mean, I like coming to church. That's what I don't get. I like being around God's people. I like being somewhere where there's people that believe like I believe. You know, you don't get that out in the workplace. You don't get that out there in the world. You know, what do you get out there in the world? Yeah, you get people pulling up next to you saying, hey, you got an ID? Can you go buy some weed for me? Right? That's literally happened. You got some kid, you know, driving up, you got some kid chasing you down on a skateboard. Sir, sir, it's like, I already know what you're going to ask. No is the answer. I don't carry cash because of people like you. Oh, I take debit. You know, I'm just waiting for that. You know, I'm driving up here stopping at these rest stops and I'm seeing, you know, boys in dresses. That's where we're at. It's like, well, man, I got to get away from this. Where can I go where people are normal? And I know the world looks at us and says, you're not normal. I look at the world and say, you guys aren't normal. You know, I know what gender I am. You know, I know that my son is never going to wear a dress. You know, that's a whole other sermon. You know, that's the whole more reason to be in church because at least when you're here, you're around people that believe like you, that believe the word of God, that love the Lord, that when they, you know, when they say the Lord's name, it's because they're praising him and not, you know, blaspheming it or using it as some kind of a curse word. There's a reason to be in church. Oh, church is such a drag. It's so hard to get there in the midweek. And look, I get it and I've done it. Like, I know what it's like when you've worked a long day. You know, you might not even have time for dinner. It's Thursday. You're tired. You got to get up early the next day. You know, so does your pastor, by the way. You know, you've been working hard and then you get here and it's getting that soft seat. The AC starts blowing. You hear the hum. You know, maybe the pastor's kind of droning on a little bit and you're kind of, you know. Like, I've been there. You've got to keep yourself awake and pay attention. Like, I know it's, you know, there's that aspect of it. But you know what? Even in spite of all that, I still want to be there. You still should be there. Look, we all know Hebrews 10, right? Verse 24, let us consider one another to provoke one another unto good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is. People just get in the habit of not coming to church. You know what's the funniest thing to me? One of the most ironic things to me? Is the people that live the farthest away are the ones that are there early. They're the ones that are there like a half hour, 45 minutes. But the people that are the closest. Boy, it's getting quiet in here. The people that are the closest are the ones that are like walking in 10 minutes late, five minutes late, showing up right before the service. And I never say anything until I get in somebody else's pulpit. You know, not far enough away from them where they can't, you know, lynch me or whatever. You know, but I always notice that. I'm kind of like, that's kind of funny to me. You know, they show up, they're just coming in, and look, I'm just glad they're there at all. You know, but to me it's like, I can't wait to get to church. And I understand things run late, we have schedules, but it's like if I can, but on Sunday morning, I think most people's schedules are pretty clear, wide open. It's like, I want to be there at 10 a.m. and not just on Donut Sunday. I mean, it's like good night, sometimes even the donuts aren't enough to get people to show up early. It's like, what's going on? But you know, the people that live the farthest away, they're the ones that are there before anybody else. You know, it ought not be that way. You know, you say, well, you know, I'm there, that's enough. You know, but here's the thing, you know, visitors a lot of times will show up. And when you decide not to be there. And this is something I've noticed, you know when visitors show up to church is when the least amount of regulars are there. And look, I'll preach to one person, I'll preach to five, I don't care, and I've done it. And I'll do it again if I have to. You know, but what's disheartening for a pastor is when you see visitors show up and the people that could have been there just aren't there because you know what, they just didn't feel like it. And I get it, people have things that come up and stuff like that. And what I'm getting at is, you know, playing your part. You say, well, how can I help? How can I make sure that your Foundation Baptist Church is going to continue to go on strong for the next four years? Show up for church, pray for your pastor. These are just simple, practical things that are going to have more impact than you might ever know. Just these simple things, just being there, maybe showing up a little earlier to greet the brethren by name, to shake some hands, get to know people, get to know the family that is your spiritual family. I've noticed this, that, you know, the people that put a priority on church attendance are the Christians that seem to grow and mature more quickly and to a greater degree. You know, pitch in, get involved in the program, you know, the soul winning, the volunteering, you know, the cleaning, the music, getting in the pulpit, you know, the guys that, you know, sometimes the preacher needs somebody to fill in for him. You know, it's great that you have guys here. You know, it's great that you have guys here that can step up and fill the pulpit. That's important. I want to close on this thought though. You know, go to Matthew chapter number six, Matthew chapter number six. You know, if you're going to play your part in the pew, you have to, you know, number one, pray for your pastor. You know, that's probably, honestly, the most important thing you can do. You know, get involved in the spiritual battle. You know, come to church, show up early, get involved, be here on time, pitch in where you can, help out, get involved in the soul winning program. In closing, because I started the sermon thinking about, you know, we're looking back on four years, but part of an anniversary is the fact that you should also be looking ahead. So you should prepare for what's ahead. You know, what about the next, you know, the four more years? What about it? What's it going to be? I can't tell you specifics. You know, I can't call, you know, 1-800 Miss Cleo, you know, for anyone that remembers that one, you know, with my mom's MasterCard. Never did that. I'm just joking. You know, I can't take you to the tarot card reader and have her tell you what the next four years hold. But I could tell you one thing. It's going to be what? More of the same. You know what you've been through? You think about what you've been through as a church the last four years. You know, and this church has gone through some battles and it's gone through some struggles. You say, well, what's ahead? More of that. Well, this isn't a very encouraging sermon. Well, I don't know what else to tell you. Because that was the same mistake I made when I was, you know, in the pews at Faithful Word in Tempe. I'd see Pastor Anderson go through some battles and say, well, I'm glad that's over. Never have to go through that again. A year later, same thing. Well, I'm glad that's over. Twice, you know, it's probably never going to happen again. Then it happens again. It's been the worst it's ever been. Worst battle. It's like, well, good night. And look, I understand there's, you know, peaks and valleys. There's ebbs and flows to a ministry. There's, you know, we come in and out of storms through life. But you know what? The next four years hold for Sure Foundation Baptist Church is just more of the same. You know, if not in four years, then in five years. If not in five years, then in six years. There's just going to be more battles. There's just going to be more people that are going to try to, you know, infiltrate. There's going to be more people that are going to defect. You know, those things are going to happen. But you know what? Also, there's going to be more of, there's going to be more people laboring. You can't just focus on the negative. Obviously, you can't be naive about it either. And that's kind of what I'm saying here in closing. Don't be naive about what's ahead for Sure Foundation Baptist Church. That's why you need to pray for your pastor. That's why you need to participate. That's why he has to play his part. That's why you need to play your part. Because there's just going to be more battles, more infiltrators, more people defecting. More people just getting pulled out of church and more people just quitting on God. That's going to continue to happen. That is the ministry. You might as well just suck it up and get used to it. You know, we could just dwell on that. But you know, then I wouldn't be a very encouraging preacher, would I? So let's close the prayer. No, I'm just kidding. But you know, there's also going to be what? There's still going to be people laboring. There's still going to be people preaching the gospel. There's still going to be people showing up and provoking one another to love and to good works. Those things are going to continue too. So what's ahead in the next four years? Just more of the same. That's what you should expect. But you know, maybe as you look back over these last four years, maybe you should just think about, you know, what part did I play over these last four years? And you know, maybe you can kind of hold your head up high and say, you know, I've been a part of this ministry. I have been praying and participating and doing my part. Amen. You know what? More of the same. Keep that up. Maybe you could take it up another notch. But if you're sitting there and kind of going, well, you know, last four years, I've just kind of been, you know, drifting through this church, just kind of been along for the ride, just kind of observing. And I've seen some things. Well, you know, maybe the next four years you could ask yourself, hey, how can I do more? What can I do to get involved? Maybe it's time to get out that piece of paper and start writing out that prayer sheet. Maybe it's time to start learning the names of the people around you and getting to know them and understanding what their needs are and praying for them and praying for your pastor. You know, more of the same if you're playing your part. But you know, if you haven't been playing your part, well, you know, that's what anniversaries are for. To think about what has been but also what is to come and how you can do your part in the next four years here at Sure Foundations. Go ahead and pray. Dear Lord, again, thank you for this great church. Thank you for Pastor Thompson and thank you for his leadership here. Thank you for the people that are here serving faithfully, serving you. Under his leadership, Lord, I pray that you would just bless the weekend to come. Bless all the preaching that's going to take place over the next couple of days and the soul winning that's going to take place. And I pray bless this weekend, not only that, but Lord, the years to come and not just in the short term, Lord, but also in the long term. That you would bless this church for many more years to come. That we could look back and celebrate just even greater milestones here at Sure Foundation Baptist Church. We know that that's possible through you as we serve you faithfully. And we ask these things in Christ's name, Amen. Alright, we'll go ahead and sing another song before we go. Amen. Let's open our hymnals for our last song, page 125. In your green hymnals, page 125, the solid rock. Green hymnals, page 125, the solid rock. Sing it out loud on the first. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. When darkness veils his lovely face, I stand up his unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. His oath is covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, he that is all my hope in stay. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. When he shall come with trumpet sound, oh, may I then in him be found. Dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. Amen. Thank you for joining us this evening. I'd like to see you back here Sunday morning at 1030. Brother Sean Harrington, can you end us with a word of prayer? Amen.