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Thank you very much. Welcome to May 4 Baptist Church, if you please find our seats in a row of our handles for today, we'll be singing the song number 33, Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. Christ the Lord is risen today, again that is song number 33. people who are not able to be here today for sickness or other reasons and in the name of Jesus we pray, amen. Amen. All right, please turn your song books to song number 19. We sing the song number 19, There is a Fountain, in the song number 19. There is a fountain in Jesus' hands, for strangers who dream in love. There is a fountain in Jesus' hands, for the mighty angels to sing and plant in his hand. And there in the palace we will show the signs of faith. Wash all the sins of faith. Wash all the sins of faith. Oh, daily and on average, wash all the sins of faith. The knife and the knife, wash all the sins of faith. To all the lands of Judah, we stand to sing the Lord. We stand to sing the Lord. We stand to sing the Lord. To all the lands of Judah, we stand to sing the Lord. There sits one in my soul, on the street, there is no place to go. In the evening the flesh will go, it shall be still on fire. It shall be still on dry. It shall be still on dry. For we do the work that's been done, it shall be still on us. In the evening the first thing is done, what's in the mountains we do. There is no place to go, no silence in the rain. No silence in the rain, no silence in the rain. There is no place to go, no silence in the rain. And then we'll start with Bill Dyer. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you for everyone. It's like bullets in the wind, some of them have been brought to you. And as always, we have our service time system in the back. We're in 10, 3 a.m. Again, at 5, 3 p.m. this evening. Thursdays at 7, and we're going through the book of Genesis with you in chapter number 36 this week. We have the Churchwide Soling Times and Regional Soling Times for both the salvation and the baptism of the book of the year. And also, there is a reservation soling trip coming up, I believe next week, I think might be this way. Yeah, this is actually coming up this week. So this would be this Friday and Saturday coming up, September 20th through 21st. And this is, of course, our reservation soling is mainly and really only to the Navajo reservation right now. It's the only reservation in Arizona that our church has not completely knocked every door. So obviously, it's the biggest one. It's the largest one. It's going to take the most time and effort to accomplish. But we're well on our way to achieving that goal. And this is another trip out there. So this is going to be over probably on the east side, I'm assuming, simply because of the fact that there is going to be some kind of recreation at Canyon du Chez, which I've never been to, but I've seen pictures. It looks like a very beautiful place. I know a lot of people enjoy going there. It's kind of a tourist attraction. So if you want to go there and check that out, you know that you get some good soling in, and you go to Canyon du Chez and mark that off the bucket list. I know it's kind of coming up quick. I apologize if I didn't make you aware of this sooner. But if you want to go, as always, our trips are always, these local trips here are free of charge. So we'll provide transportation, board, all that kind of stuff if you want to participate in any of these trips. With that, that's going to do it for now. So let's go ahead and sing one more song before we begin. All right. Please open up your handles to song number 36. We're singing song number 36, Christ the Rose, and I'm signing number 36. Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen. 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Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, my Lord, I thank you, for the honor you've seen, with Jesus, You know, the people that are humble themselves are often the people that are brought into positions of leadership, are the people that often are brought in to lead others. Why? Because to be in leadership is to be a servant, and it takes humility. Gotta have it. If you would, go over to Third John. So again, in James 4, the Bible says that God gives more grace. God resisted the proud. He giveth grace unto the humble. We don't want to be these people that think we're better than everybody else. And I love Galatians 6. Whenever I think about this topic, I always think of Galatians 6, verse 3. It says, For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Right? And I mean, that's really descriptive of the Pharisees this morning, the people that Jesus is warning us about, these Scribes and Pharisees, these people that really think they're something. Why? Because of the clothes they got on. They really think they're something. Why? Because of the things that people say to them, and the seats that they get, and all the praise of men that they get. But they're really nothing, and they're deceiving themselves. You know, the proud people often, they don't even see their own pride. Pride, that's why it's so dangerous, because pride is so blinding. We can be so blind to our own pride sometimes in our lives. And look, we all have pride to some degree or another. Some people are just filled with it. They're nothing but pride. You know, and pride is something that's always going to be there in this life, something we always have to battle. But sometimes people, you know, when they get proud, it's like everybody else can look at them and say, you're so puffed up and so full of pride, why can't you see it? It's just something about pride. They deceive themselves. They're not fooling anybody else. They really think they're something. In fact, they're nothing. And everybody else can just go, well, the only person you're fooling, buddy, is you. Look at 3 John, chapter number, well, the only chapter, verse 9 there, it says, Again, this is the Apostle John writing, right? The disciple whom Jesus loved. If you remember in the Gospels, you know, there's the 70, right? There's the 12, and then there's Peter, James, and John. And then even amongst Peter, James, and John, there's John. You know, John is the one that leaned upon Jesus Christ. John is known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Now, Jesus obviously loved all his disciples. He loved all of mankind. But, you know, he had a soft spot for John especially, it seems like, when you read the scriptures. You know, John, there's just something about him. I don't know what it was. We're not really sure. But Jesus, you know, it seems like of all the apostles, I don't want to say he played favorites, but John was the closest. Not everyone got to lean upon Jesus' breast at the Last Supper. John did. So that's who's writing this. Now, keep that in mind as you read this. This is John writing. He says, I wrote unto the church, but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Can you imagine the apostle John writing and trying to show up at your church and not being received, and him not being received by some Diotrephes? Who's Diotrephes? I don't know. This is, you know, this is it. You know, we just hear about him here. He's not in the, he wasn't with the 12. He wasn't with the 70. He wasn't with Jesus. John was. But Diotrephes, he loves to have the preeminence. See, and again, the point I'm making this morning is that this is one way in which pride manifests itself. We want to be seen of men. As it says in John 12, there were certain chief rulers among them that believed, but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him. They did not confess Christ, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. If you as a Pharisee or even just an attendee, as a good faithful Jew back then, started professing Christ, you would be put out of the synagogue. You'd be kicked out. Why wouldn't they profess him? Because they love the praise of men more than the love of God. You know, more people are more concerned with what other people think about them than what God thinks about them. And that's a form of pride. And here you have a guy named Diotrephes who kind of falls into that same category. Somebody who loves to have the preeminence among them receive it that's not. He doesn't want anybody else to be considered better than him or to have the preeminence. Look, if the apostle John showed up this morning, I would gladly sit down. And look, it doesn't even have to be the apostle John. I could give you a list of some much more you know, ordinary men that I would just gladly say go ahead and preach, you know, by all means. It wouldn't have to be an apostle to get me to sit down, okay? Don't take that the wrong way. But this guy, Diotrephes, even when the apostle John is writing unto them and trying to say hey, here's some others to receive, this guy won't receive them. Why won't he receive them? Oh, because he thinks they're bad people? No, because he loves the preeminence. He wants it all to be all about him. Look at verse 10, wherefore if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, priding against us with malicious words and not content therewith. Can you imagine bad-mouthing the apostle John? Crazy. Neither doth he receive himself receive the brethren, and forbideth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. I mean, he's not letting people in church, he's casting people out of church that refuse to recognize him as the preeminent preacher or the leader. Look at verse 11, Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. So this is a form of pride, okay? Now, hopefully I don't end up preaching two different messages here, but we're going to go back to Mark chapter 12 and look at verse 40, okay? Because the source of the problem here is pride, right? We read in James 4 that stern warning, okay? Not a descriptive warning, but stern nonetheless because of who that warning was coming from. God resisted the proud. And we want to make sure we're on guard against pride in our lives because pride, as the Bible says in Proverbs 16, pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Pride goeth before what? A destruction. You see someone who's proud and lifted up, just mark it down, they're on their way to destruction. There's a fall coming. A haughty spirit comes before a fall. Remember I read that, I always think about how proud people, that expression, they look down their nose. They've got their head up in the air. They don't see what's right at their feet. They don't see the problem that's right there. They don't see the obstacle that's right there. Why? Because they're just looking out and they're just lifted up and they're just, you know, sneering at everyone. But the humble person, you know, often, you know, if you want to just think about in terms of maybe sometimes body language, I'm not saying if people don't exhibit this body language, they're not humble people, but you know sometimes the way that might be expressed in body language is, you know, a person who's humble you know, would kind of maybe slouch a little bit, their eye would fall down. It would be, have more of a downcast countenance, right? Well at least that person sees what's right in front of them. At least that person sees the potential obstacles. At least that person sees, well this could be something I stumble over. This is something I could fall over. There's a cliff over here. There's a, you know, a precipice over here. There's something that caused me to stumble and fall and be destroyed. At least the humble person can see that, right? They don't have their nose up in the air. They're not looking down on others. They're busy looking at their own walk. They're busy looking at where their own footsteps are falling. So the warning again this morning is that pride can creep in. This is just one way we're looking at it. One way we're looking at which it can creep in, right? But the warning is, is that destruction is what follows. That God judges proud people. Look at verse 40 of Mark 12, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers, right? I didn't really touch on that too much, right? They have the, you know, they have the long written out prayer, you know. These shall receive greater damnation. Greater damnation. There's some people that are going to receive damnation, but these guys in particular, it's going to be worse for them, okay? This is why the teaching that all sin is equal is unbiblical. It's foolish to think that. One, it's foolish to think that, you know, some minor infraction is the same as creating, you know, committing some abomination, right? They're not equal. That's why he says there's some people that have the greater damnation, and the people in this chapter, this passage, that are going to receive greater damnation than others are people that are filled with pride. Now again, that greater damnation could be referring to a person's eternal soul, but it could be referring to just judgment in general. Now if you would, go to Romans 13, Romans chapter number 13. In Mark 3, for example, Jesus warns that those that blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of what? Eternal damnation. So not all damnation is necessarily referring to being cast into hell. And that is eternal damnation, because once you go to hell, there's no getting out. You know, the smoke of their torment got to send up forever and ever, day and night, and forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night, okay? But there's other, you know, damnation could also just mean, you know, judgment in this life. Look at some passages that show us that. Look at Romans chapter 13, verse 2. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God. Right? Talking about the higher powers and forms of governments, you know, municipalities, so on. And they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. Right? Look, if you go out and break the law and get caught, you're going to be judged. You're going to go before a judge. You're going to be given a citation. Depending on exactly what it is that you do, there's going to be some form of damnation. Right? You're going to be condemned. Okay? You know, we don't really use that word damnation in the, you know, in the same context that the Bible is using it. Okay? But that's basically what he means by that. Showing us that even we as believers can be, can come into condemnation. That we can be condemned. That we can face damnation. That we can face judgment. Not eternal damnation. We're saved. We're always saved. We all get that, hopefully, this morning. And if you don't, we'll talk about it. Come see me. But even we as believers in this world, in this life, can be judged by God and we are still subject to the same laws that everybody else are in this world. You know, if I go out there this morning and do 20 over the speed limit, like everybody else in this town. Right? If I go out there and do 20 over and get pulled over, you know, I can't just go, well, but I'm God's child. I can't just go, I'm a Baptist minister. I'm deacon Corbin Russell. Oh, oh, oh, excuse me. Right? But there's some people that they think that their status, their title, their standing will get them off the hook. We've probably all seen the video of the guy who's doing 130 and some, you know, Hellcat or whatever gets pulled over by a state trooper. And he's like, well, I'm an off duty officer. And he's like, I don't care. Your career just ended. Right? Because that's reckless endangerment. Anything, I think once you get to 20, it's reckless endangerment. They could literally haul you off to jail for doing 20 over. But some people think, well, you know, I've got a badge. I'm just so special. I'm more important than other people. I had this great standing. We've all seen the videos, you know, the councilmen, the mayor, whatever gets pulled over for speeding and they, well, I run this town. You know, you're in my payroll. No, you're still subject to the same laws as everybody else. And look, just because we are saved and we are God's children and there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit, that, you know, we still can fall into condemnation if we walk after the flesh in this life. From the ordinances that are ordained of God, the ordinance of God, or from God himself. If you would, go over to 1 Timothy chapter 5. 1 Timothy chapter number 5. And really, you know, because we are God's child, we're called to a higher standard. Meaning, I believe that we that know God's will and know the Bible and have been taught these things that that makes us more accountable. That doesn't give us a free pass. We're actually more capable of falling into greater damnation than say somebody else. God might actually judge us harder because we are his children than he would maybe some unsaved person. You ever wonder why sometimes the wicked are getting, it seems like they're getting away with everything that they're doing. But really, sometimes, often that's the long suffering of God. God knows that that person's end, if they don't get saved, is hell. And he's giving them space to repent. He's giving them space to get right, to knock those things off. He doesn't just always come down on them. Now, sometimes he does I get that. Look, God's judging people literally every day in this world. Every day people are being judged of God. I'm just saying this morning that we, as God's people, as God's children, we could be subject to greater damnation, not less. For example, in 1 Corinthians 11, I'll just read to you. I'm talking about the Lord's Supper. He says, he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself. Meaning if we take the Lord's Supper unworthily, having not examined ourselves, or we're treating it like a flippant thing. The Bible says that we actually drink damnation to ourselves, not discerning the Lord's body. We're not being sincere. I'm not going to go into all the time, into how that plays out, or exactly what that means. The point is, is that Paul's saying here that you can actually condemn yourself. You can eat and drink damnation to yourself. You can actually bring the judgment of God upon you if you eat the Lord's Supper without discerning the Lord's body, if you eat unworthily. So this is just another example of people, believers being subject to damnation, or what you would call judgment. Look at 1 Timothy 5, verse 11. Of course, 1 Timothy 5 deals with widows in large part. He says, but the younger, in verse 11, but the younger widows refuse, for they have begun to wax wanton against Christ they will marry. If you remember, he says that a widow should not be received under three score, years old, had been the wife of one man, well-reported of good works. If she had lodged strangers, if she had watched the saints beat, if she had brought up children, it's not in that exact order, she had been obedient unto every good work. She has to have met certain criteria over the course of her life before the church would financially support her. Even then, the Bible says that if any children would have children or nephews, meaning grandchildren, nephews is a grandchild in the Bible, that let them, meaning the children and grandchildren, learn to show first piety at home and to requite or repay their parents and even their grandparents. That's a biblical teaching. That, you know, the Bible says we are to honor our parents. There is a financial aspect to that, by the way. And look, I understand we're living in a day and age where people set themselves up for retirement, they don't have to rely on their children, but you know, Roth IRAs and 401Ks and pension plans haven't been around for all of eternity. That's kind of a recent development. It wasn't too long ago where you worked until you couldn't work anymore and then you just relied on your children and grandchildren to take care of you and take you in. And that's actually a good, wholesome thing. So hopefully my kids will do that for me one day. I'm counting on it. That'd be nice. And look, you say, man, what a drag I'm going to take your grandparents. They're not going to be around that long. They're old. What do you got, like 10, 15, maybe years? You've got the rest of your life without them. And I'm kind of joking there, but you know, we would want, hopefully if we were destitute, we'd want our family, especially those that we've raised, those that we gave life to, whose little butts we wiped and whose little mouths we fed, those that we clothed and sheltered all their lives and protected to repay us in our old age. And it's not even that big. I mean, what, do you got to give me a little corner of the room somewhere and feed me my mush twice a day? It's not that big of a deal. I don't know how I ended up going off on that. Yeah, first 75, right? And he's saying this is the requirement for widows to be taken into the number. But he's saying refuse younger widows, those that are under three score years old, because eventually they're going to wax wanton and they're going to marry, look at verse 12, having damnation because they have cast off their first faith. Now that damnation there does not mean that they're going to be, they're going to go to hell. God's going to judge them for that. If you would, go over to, I don't know where I had you go last, but go to John 19. Actually, you know what, go to 1 John 5. I'll move through here a little more quickly. I wasted my time making jokes about being old, but it was worth it. You know, certain, we as believers can actually bring greater damnation in our lives. I'm just showing us this morning that damnation is something that can happen to a believer, someone who's going to go to heaven no matter what. They believed in Christ, they're eternal secure, they have the sealing of the Holy Spirit unto the day of their redemption, they're saved, but they can still be judged in this life. Paul warns Christians about this in the Epistles, that you can still be judged by God and you can fall into the greater condemnation, or as Jesus said in John 19, that there's some people that have the greater sin. Look at John 5 verse 16, not all sin is equal. If any man see his brother sin of sin which is not unto death, he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it. You know, if we commit a sin that's actually punishable by death, which the Bible has a list of many, of course, you know, it's all dependent upon whether or not society, the government wants to use the Bible as their source of law and if they actually want to enforce these things, right, and back then it was probably a lot more common, even up until recent history. He's saying, look, if a brother in church or a brother in Christ, you know, commits a sin that's actually unto death, we're not to just try and sweep that under our, we're not going to pray for that and just say, well, you know, God forgive you for committing that sin, right? Sins like adultery, sins like murder, sins like rape, okay, there's certain sins that are a sin unto death that even believers are capable of committing. All unrighteousness is sin and there is a sin not unto death, meaning there is a sin that's unto death, and I'm just showing us that there's degrees of sin here. Go to Luke 12, Luke chapter number 12. So, hopefully everyone gets that, you know, we can all come into condemnation, we can all come to damnation, and look, we're all going to be chastened of God. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter number 12 that God chasteneth every son who receiveth, right? Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then you are bastards and not sons, okay? That if you're God's child, you become a child of God, a son of God, a daughter of God, you're going to go through chastisement, chastening to some degree or another. Why? Because God punishes sin, period. And we're all sinners. We all are going to commit sin. But here's the thing, what we don't want to be guilty of is greater damnation. There's some people that are going to be more harshly judged than others, and you say, what's that going to be based upon? It's going to be based upon what they know, what they've been taught. They're going to be held accountable for the things that they have been taught, I believe, out of the word of God, okay? Look here in Luke chapter 12 verse 42, the Bible says, and the Lord said, who then is that faithful and wise servant whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing. You know, the blessed servant is the guy that's doing the will of God when God comes and finds him. God looks in on him, the Lord looks on him, hey, that guy's busy doing what I commanded. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. You shall be exalted, he shall be given grace. Verse 45, but, and if that servant say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to beat the men servants and maidens and to eat and drink and to be drunken. Just starts living for the flesh, just starts mistreating others, I mean, starts beating the men servants and the maidens, which is basically like young women and girls, you know, just violently beating them, beating a bully, I mean, why would anyone do that? Pride. Pride. Pride that says I am better than somebody, it's okay for me to mistreat them and mishandle them and treat them poorly because they're beneath me. That's pride. Or, you know, they start getting into just the sins of the flesh, the eating and drinking, right, they're just being given over this, you know, hedonism, they're just living for the flesh to be drunken, okay. The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him. Oh, God's not going to judge me, look out. I'm not doing anything wrong, God's not going to look at me, don't listen to that preacher, don't listen, you know, my parents are full of it, they were trying to, eh, whatever. Yeah, you know what, God's going to show up and judge you in a day when it's going to come out of the blue when you're not even looking for it. That's how judgment happens. He'll looketh not for him at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him asunder and will point him as portion with the unbelievers. And that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes, okay. So he's saying that that guy that mistreats and is full of pride and just living for the flesh and mishandling others, thinks he's better than other people, mistreating them, he's going to be judged in an hour when he thinks not, he's going to be cut asunder and he's going to be, his portion is going to be that of the unbeliever, okay. Now some people take this to mean that that person really wasn't saved, it's a parable, I don't think that you can really say that with any certainty but what I believe you can say based upon other scriptures is that that person, you know, that servant of God is going to have his portion with the unbelievers. What's an unbeliever's portion from God? It's nothing. They don't get anything from God. They get damnation, they get condemnation, they're going to get the same thing in terms of reward that an unbeliever gets. Nothing. They're not going to get the blessing of God. And that servant which knew his Lord's will and prepared not himself, what's the problem with this guy? He knew the Lord's will and prepared not himself. He knew what the Bible said. He had heard biblical preaching, they had heard sound preaching, they've been taught the Bible in the home, they've been taught the Bible at church and they said no thank you, not for me. I reject that. And they did, neither did according his will shall be beaten with many stripes. Not just beaten, right, but with many stripes. Which is basically like being whipped, that's what he's talking about. The Bible says, you know, a rod for the back of fools. Verse 48, but he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes and he did the same things, but the only difference is one guy knew the Lord's will and one guy didn't know the Lord's will. He shall be beaten with few stripes. Is he still going to be beaten? Yes. But it's not going to be the greater damnation, the greater condemnation, it's not going to be the greater judgment or punishment that comes upon him from God. It's going to be less. It's going to be fewer stripes. Look, no stripes is what's preferable. It's better to just not be beaten at all. We want to keep God's judgment to a minimum in our lives. It's going to be there, we're all going to slip up, we're all going to be making mistakes and yet God's going to show grace and mercy too and maybe God sometimes will look at us and see the things that we're doing and whatever and maybe based upon our past behavior give us a pass from time to time. But look, if we're someone who knows God's will and refuses to do it or does things contrary to God's will, it's just a matter of time until that person is beaten and perhaps even destroyed by God. Why would God destroy anybody? Well because God is a God that judges and if you don't think that God wouldn't judge his own people you haven't read the Bible. I mean that's basically the overarching theme of the Old Testament. God's people falling into sin, being judged, getting right, falling into sin, getting judged, getting right, I mean that's basically you know, what the Old Testament's about. Broadly speaking. And God judges his own people more severely than he would even somebody an unbeliever who does not know the Lord's will. They're ignorant. He that knew not and did commit things with his stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whosoever much is given of him shall much be required. Who to whoever is given much of him shall much be required. You know if you're sitting under sound biblical preaching, if you're being taught the Bible especially from your youth, you have been given much. You've been given far more than a lot of other people in this life. You know it's always so just frustrating when you see Christian young people, people who are brought up in a godly home who despise their father, despise their mother, and throw away everything that they've been taught from their youth. And look I've known multiple people like this over the years. I've known people like this over the decades that I've been a Christian. I've seen this play out over and over and over again. People who grow up in a godly environment, not perfect parents, not sinless parents, but parents that did their best to shield them and protect them from the filth of this world that did their best to be godly examples and to teach them the word of God, to bring them to a church where they can receive sound biblical preaching and then they just throw it all away. And they just go headlong into the world. And they think foolishly in their pride that they're going to get away with it. But the Bible says that to whomsoever much has been given of him shall much be required. And I'm just saying this morning if you know the Lord's will you've been given much. And his commandments are not grievous. It's a nice thing to know the Lord's will. I wish I had learned a lot of it much earlier on in life. It would have spared me some problems. It would have spared me some heartache to have known the Lord's will earlier on in life. Knowing the Lord's will is a good thing. It's a privilege. It's a blessing. It's being given much. And we this morning, all of us in this room who know what the Bible says about things, if we refuse to do those things, if we go contrary, we go against it, we have no excuse whatsoever. We might have a reason and it's probably pride. And pride goeth before destruction. I mean if we know what the Bible says and we do the opposite and then God asks us, well why are you doing contrary to my word? What answer are you going to have for him that's going to say, oh I can understand. Well I see where you're coming from. You don't have one. You don't have an excuse. There is no excuse. At least the unsaved, unregenerate person who's never had the privilege, the opportunity, the advantage of being taught the word of God at least has the excuse of, well I didn't know that. And I understand according to Romans 2 that the heathen that know not God have the law of God written in their hearts. I'm not saying that they're still going to be beaten with stripes but not as many as the person who knows the Lord's will and does it not and rejects it. And you know if you're sitting there and you think, well I don't believe any of that. I don't believe that what he's saying in Luke 12 is true. Well stand by. You know, judgment is loading. The little wheel is spinning. And you know sometimes people think they're getting away with it and it's because God is long suffering and merciful. God's not standing up there just waiting for you. You're like, oh just step out of line one time. It's like get you. But the problem is a lot of times is that people don't just step out of line and get back in line. They step out of line and they get as much distance between them and that line as they can. They just go running in the complete opposite direction. And that's the person who God eventually has to just smack down. God chastens his sons. God chastens his children. And those of us that know the Lord's will, we're actually more accountable to God than those that don't. If you would go over to, go to Psalm 103. We'll end there. I want to make this last point in closing. There are some people in this world that are going to receive greater damnation than others. We saw it this morning in the passage. Right? They make pretense for pretense they make long prayers. They devour widows' houses. They love the chief priests. Now these scribes, these Pharisees that were described in the chapter this morning, Mark 12. Jesus said of them, these shall receive greater damnation. Those people were worthy of more punishment than others. And we saw that even God's own people are still subject to God's judgment in this life. And that those that know the Lord's will and do it not are going to be held more accountable than others who don't do God's will but are ignorant of it. Who have been given much, more shall be required of them, not less. And that God is a God that chastens his children without exception. And that even we as human beings, you know, in the institution of the church, in the institution of the family, even we have to exercise judgment. Even we have to exercise condemnation upon other people. 1 Corinthians 5 is a great example of that. And elsewhere in scripture where people can do certain things where they're actually kicked out of church and as Paul put it, they are delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh. That's damnation. That's condemnation. That's judgment of a believer. You're guilty of these certain sins. You can't come to church here. You're kicked out so that Satan will destroy you and your flesh. But the hope is that person will repent and get right. You know, we should understand first of all, you know, we're all brethren. One master, the one master we have is Christ. And we are all brethren. And what I want us to understand is that we're all capable of greater damnation from God. There's none of us in this room that's exempt from that. And that, you know, when we see somebody that is headed towards the judgment of God, we should not be happy about that. We should not have an attitude of, yeah, serves them right. Look, it does serve them right. They get everything that's coming to them. But it's God that's going to determine exactly what that is, not us. And we should not take pleasure in the fact that somebody is going to be judged by God. That's a sad thing. It's an unfortunate thing. In fact, Paul told the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians, referring to that same person that he had before in 1 Corinthians said to be delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, he then had to encourage the Corinthians in his second letter to receive him back because he got right with God. You know, maybe he started to feel that destruction coming upon him. Maybe Satan started getting a hold of him. Maybe he realized, he certainly realized, what he did was wrong and he repented. He got that sin out of his life. And Paul said that he was to be received again into the church. That's the purpose of church discipline. You know, sometimes people, because we practice this here. And thankfully here in Tucson, we've never had to practice it that I can remember. Maybe one time. But, you know, it's something I've seen up in the Tempe location over the years. And we will practice it here. I'm not saying, oh, we're different. No, we're on the same page. Fornication, drunkenness, covetousness, all these things, extortion, you know, sowing discord among the brethren, walking disorderly, you know, these things will get you kicked out of church. And we'll practice it here. But it's not like, I'm, you know, I'm going to go tally you up if that happened to you. Like, yeah, got him. Right? That's the wrong attitude. You know, and people accuse our church of being unloving for practicing a biblical practice called church discipline. But the reason that we do that is, one, to protect the flock. Because a little leaven leavens the whole lump. If you just let someone come in who's committing fornication and being a drunkard, taking drugs, and just not kicking that person out, you know, you're tolerant of sin. It's going to spread in a church. Other young people can say, oh, so and so can get away with it. Why can't I? What they need to be shown is that, no, we don't tolerate that. And in fact, that person is headed for the judgment of God. And I would rather them to be judged by God out there in the world than here in this church. I don't want to be collateral judgment you know, in somebody else's collateral damage excuse me, in somebody else's judgment. But again, we know we're not to be gleeful over that, happy about that, because the point is to bring somebody back. He said in Saint Corinthians, sufficient unto such a man is the punishment which was inflicted of many. You did your duty. You did what you were supposed to do. It's sufficient. You don't need to go above and beyond what the Bible says. So that contrary wise, you ought rather to forgive him and comfort him. And I've known people over the years that have committed sins that have gotten them kicked out of church, sometimes more than once even, and have been welcomed back and forgiven and those things should never be brought up to them again. And we've practiced that here and those people have gone on and to this day are continuing to live godly, they're not perfect, no one is, but living godly Christian lives, they're having families, they've gotten those sins out of their life, and they've moved on. Why? Because one, they were warned, they were punished, and then they got right and they were forgiven and comforted and given a second chance. Sometimes a third chance. Less perhaps one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow. You know, sometimes people they get punished, you know, if they're not too filled with pride, they get humbled by god, they get punished, and then they realize, well, you know, I see now, I was wrong, I want to go back, I want to make this right. But what if they were trying to go back and say, hey, you know, I cleaned that up, can I come back? And we were just like, no, never again. That person might despair and then just go even further into sin. He said, I beseech you, Paul said, to confirm your love toward him. That's the purpose of church discipline. Okay? God will condemn, God does damn, God does judge. And not just the unbeliever who goes to hell, but even his own people. You know, judgment must begin in the house of God. Unto whosoever much is given, shall much also be required. But I had you go to Psalm 103. If you look at verse 8, the Bible says the Lord is merciful and gracious and slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. And we should never be on a hair trigger to condemn somebody. We should never be on a hair trigger to just cast somebody out. It should be something that's done slowly and after space has been given, after mercy has been shown, and after grace has been given. I believe that. Now look, sometimes it has to be swift judgment, I understand that. Someone's preaching some heretical doctrine, someone's going around, you know, sowing discord, someone's trying to split a church, you know, that person needs to be thrown out immediately. But some people, you know, they need to be given space to repent. I mean, good night. Jesus even said in the book of Revelation when he was writing on the seven churches of Jezebel who taught his saints to commit fornication, that it says even of her, she was in the church teaching the saints to commit fornication. Even her, Jesus said, but I gave her space to repent. He gave her a season of time to get it right. You know, God is merciful, God is gracious, God is slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever. God gets angry, but he doesn't always stay angry. You know, if we come under the judgment of God or somebody else comes under the judgment of God, you know, let's not be happy about that and let's not, you know, commit to just staying angry at that person forever. Let's open pray that people get things right. Because yeah, there's going to be people that we know, people that are worthy of greater damnation, but I'm not wishing that upon them. I'm not, you know, I'm scared for people that fall into that category. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Because you don't know what form that judgment is going to take. I mean, think about all the different ways that God can judge us. Because it's not going to be a lightning bolt from heaven, although that would be kind of cool. That would be hard to deny, unless you're Jim Caviezel, right, who was literally hit by a lightning bolt twice when he was wrongfully and sinfully portraying Christ in the movie The Passion. By his own admission, he says he was hit by a lightning bolt during the crucifixion scene. He was electrocuted. And his stupidity was like, you know, I just assumed God was just trying to teach me what it was like to suffer. There's other ways, Jim. Right, you rank Catholic. He needs to repent. I don't know what the, anyway. It's not always going to be, you know, a lightning bolt unless you're Jim, okay? Jim Caviezel. No offense to Jims, right? You're okay. It could take all kinds of different forms. And sometimes I think, sometimes I think people assume that it's going to be this great big dramatic thing that God does in their life when he judges them. That when God is actually judging them in some other way, like some ordinary commonplace way, that they don't even recognize it. And I'm not saying every single thing that happens to somebody, if it's bad or negative, is the judgment of God. But it might be. That's for them to figure out. That's for them to search their hearts and pray about and wonder about and talk to God. It very well may be. But I mean that's, my point is that it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. And when you're worthy of greater damnation, that's a scary place to be. And I don't take joy or pleasure in seeing people being put in that position. It's not good. I don't want to, you know, to the merciful that he will show mercy. I want to be a merciful person. I want to be a forgiving person. I want to be a long suffering person. I'm not saying I don't ever want to be angry or upset. But I want to be slow to anger. And I want to be quick to forgive. And I don't want my anger to go on forever. When people have been punished, when people have gotten right, when people have gotten upset, you know, they need to be forgiven and it needs to be forgotten and they need to be able to live those things down and move on with their life. And it's, because it's scary to think about all the different ways that God, who the Bible says holds your breath in his hand. I mean there's been people, I mean go, there's been an eye in Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit at church and just drop dead. They just, right there. Was it cardiac arrest? No, they just died. Did they have a brain aberration? No, the Bible says they just died. That the Holy Spirit just killed them right there on the spot. I mean God could just take your spirit right out of you just that quick. He's God. And your breath is in his hand. And I understand that's an extreme example, but it's in Scripture for a reason as a warning to the rest of us that there's no way in which God cannot touch you. And we're not going to get away with it. And if we take the long suffering and the mercy and the grace and the forgiveness of God for granted, and if we willingly and just disobey God and if we just forsake the things that we've been taught we are going to be held to a greater damnation. We are going to be held to a higher standard. More is going to be required of us and as a result we shall be beaten with more stripes at whatever way those stripes come to our lives. We're all, all of us are subject to this fact. So when somebody else is put in that position don't get all like, heh heh heh heh, so and so's got it coming. Yeah, they do. And it's sad. And it's unfortunate. And hopefully it leads to the proper conclusion of the matter where they recognize that they've done wrong, repent, get right with God, and don't just sit under the greater damnation of God for the rest of their lives to the point where they're destroyed. Why would we wish that on anyone, let alone one of our own brethren, a child of God? Let's go ahead and close in a word of prayer. Dear Lord, again, thank you for your patience. Thank you for your long suffering. Thank you for your mercy, Lord. We all need it. Every single one of us, Lord. We all have sin. We all have shortcomings. We all have rebellion in our hearts. Lord, we all, to some degree or another, depending on where our background is or where we've been, we've all learned something from the word of God. At least this, this morning, that we are accountable to you and that you are a God who judges in the earth and that you will chasten your children. And Lord, I pray you'd help us to be a merciful people, Lord, so that we can have mercy from you. And Lord, I pray that you would work in the lives of those that have put themselves squarely in the cross hairs of your judgment, Lord, that you would, as Habakkuk prayed, Lord, in wrath remember mercy. We ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. Alright, we'll go ahead and sing one more song. Alright, could you please turn your song books to song number 66. We'll sing song number 66 at Calvary, and then song number 66. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...