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All right, so Isaiah 59 there, we're just going to be looking at one verse. We are still on the series on the armor of God. So we've gone through Ephesians chapter 6, we've gone actually through all of the armor of God that we see in Ephesians chapter 6, but there are two more pieces that we need to talk about, okay? And those two extra pieces are found here in Isaiah 59, and as I was teaching you, the reason it's called the armor of God is because it's God's armor. He wears it and then he passes it on to us so we can wear it as we go and do a good warfare with him. Now in verse number 17, Isaiah 59, verse number 17, it says, For he put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation upon his head. Now this is the next item, this is what we're going to be preaching about today. It says, and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, okay? The garments of vengeance, the title for the sermon this afternoon is Garments of Vengeance, Garments of Vengeance. Now I'm going to try my best to keep this sermon within 30 minutes, half an hour. As we've sort of mentioned, we've got some church business to take care of afterwards, so I'll do my very best and I've got my stopwatch on now so I'll make sure I keep it around 30 minutes. But the thing that I want you to notice here, why is the garments of vengeance not mentioned in Ephesians chapter 6? Why in Ephesians chapter 6 does God not say to us, get those garments of vengeance on? But we see that he wears it as part of his armor, okay, the armor of God he puts on those garments of vengeance and there's one simple reason. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, okay? Vengeance belongs to the Lord. But it's important, it's part of the armor of God, it's important for us to talk about this because it's going to help us in our spiritual fight. It's going to help us knowing that if something were to happen and I need to ask God for vengeance, he's got it on, he's got those garments on, he's ready to dish out the vengeance. Now that's all, that's the only verse we're going to be looking at there. Please turn to Deuteronomy chapter 32, Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse number 35, Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 35. This is a really great portion of scripture here and it really reinforces to us just how vengeful God is, okay? Now the Lord is going to repay, you know, we're going to reap what we sow, okay? We're not going to ever, you know, as believers but even the unsaved world, we're never going to get away, okay, with the things we've done. There's always going to be righteous judgment, there's always going to be vengeance, alright? Now what I'm thankful for as a Christian is that vengeance was put on Christ, okay? The sins that I've committed, there was judgment passed, there was vengeance given and it all fell upon Christ, Christ became the curse for us, that's such a great thing. But you know what, in our spiritual walk, we can get God pretty angry. He can recompense us of the wicked we do in our spiritual walk. Notice verse number 35, Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 35, God says, to me belong of vengeance and recompense. What's recompense? To pay something back, you've done something, I'm going to repay you, okay? God says to me belong of vengeance and recompense, their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste. What does it say there? The foot shall slide in due time. You see, when God passes down his vengeance, it's at the right time, it's at a due time. Sometimes for us, it's like, God, what's taking you so long? God says, no, it's coming, don't worry about it. There's a due time, there's a day of their calamity coming and that is the vengeance that God is going to pour upon those that are wicked. Look at verse number 36, there you say, well God's going to judge the wicked, praise God, yeah, praise God, but look at verse number 36, for the Lord shall judge his people, okay? That's you and me. Now, do you want to face the vengeance of God? We better get ready to be judged by God, you know, the way we live our life may be determined, you know, how vengeful the Lord may be upon you. Says the Lord shall judge his people and repent himself of his servants when he see if that the power is gone and there is none shut up or left and he shall say, where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, which did eat the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings, let them rise up and help you and be your protection. See now that I, even I am he and there is no God with me, look at this, I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand, okay? So we see the power of God right here, okay? Look at verse number 40, for if I lift up my hand to heaven and say I live forever, now look at this, if I wet my glittering sword, to wet the sword is to sharpen his sword. God's saying, look, I'm sharpening my sword. I'm getting ready for vengeance. I'm getting ready for payback, all right? We also saw kind of which passage it was and we saw that God is getting his arrows ready. It was in the Psalms, we're going through the Psalms and the Lord's getting his arrows ready. He's getting ready to fight. I've never said even that sermon. Sometimes I'm like, Lord, it's taking me so long. Let's get ready, right? There's a due time for this. The Lord's getting his sword ready. We saw what the sword is in the armor of God, his word, right? This is this, and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies and will reward them that hate me. You say, well, how, you know, I want to get rewarded by God. Well, yeah, you can be rewarded in a good way by loving the Lord, doing his will, doing the work of God. Well, that's the kind of reward I want, but, you know, the Lord's going to reward the wicked. He's going to reward his enemies. He's going to reward those that hate him with his vengeance, he's going to reward, with his sharp sword, all right? He's going to bring them down. Verse number 42, I will make mine arrows drunk with blood. Think about the picture there. Has God used his arrows already? Has he poured his vengeance? Has he been angered by the wickedness of this world? Okay, so when God has his arrow, yeah, he's sharpening some, and then other arrows, they're completely covered by blood. He's already gone and brought down vengeance upon his wicked enemies. Then it says here, and my sword shall devour flesh, and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemies. Is God going to take revenge on the enemy? Absolutely. Look at verse number 43. Now, this is the most interesting part of it all, okay? Because you would think, and this is what people say to you at the door. We had this not even that long ago with Brother Matt. We had a lady say, you're Christians, you're meant to love everybody. Doesn't the Bible say you're going to love everybody? Well, if I read them this portion of scripture, they wouldn't believe it, okay? That God will pour out his vengeance, that his arrows are drunk with blood, all right? That he's sharpening his sword to destroy those that hate him. And then how are we to respond to that, brethren? Knowing that God's vengeance is near. Look at verse 43. He says, rejoice, all ye nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land and to his people. So knowing this God of the Bible, knowing his anger, knowing his vengeance, knowing that he's ready and getting, you know, prepared to fight, and he has been fighting, he's been destroying the wicked. He says, hey, rejoice. Hey, my people should rejoice in that, knowing that I'm bringing down vengeance. And brethren, we're going for the armor of God. We're talking about a spiritual fight that we're involved in. And you know what's going to help us in the fight? Knowing that there's vengeance coming. Knowing that, hey, if I fight this battle, this battle with God, God's alongside me, he's got the garments of vengeance on. I don't need to worry about that part of that, you know, clothing. He's got it on, it's his, and he's going to bring the vengeance. And knowing that, just knowing that should give me great joy. Does it give you joy? I don't know. Amen? Yeah. But you know what, if I heard this as a child, this wouldn't give me joy. I'd be thinking, this is God? I don't know if this God's been preached to me at church. But it is the God of the Bible. Okay, and he wants us to rejoice knowing. And here's the thing, brethren, the reason we can rejoice, because you will face wicked people in this life. You know, you can do your best to avoid it. You can do your best to protect yourself, right? But there are going to be wicked people that take advantage of you, and you're just going to have a natural desire for that person to be taken down. Okay, you're just going to be like, oh man, I wish that guy just falls flat. I hope he destroys his life. But here's what gets you happy about it. Rejoice in, well, God, that's your business. You take care of it for me, God. You just want me to fight the battle, Lord. I need to make sure, and this is the most important part, by the way. If we're going to be fighting a spiritual war, it better be a war that God is fighting alongside us. It better be a war that God is fighting, okay? I don't want to be fighting some spiritual war that I think is spiritual, that is right, and God's like, why are you fighting that? You know, I don't have the clothing or the vengeance on there, and we're fighting that war. Maybe we're facing adversaries. You know, we're being torn down. We're like, God, pass your vengeance upon these people, and God's like, why? That's not my war. That's not my battle. And many times, Christians can fight wars, you know, nonsense, things that God asks us to fight in the Bible. Okay, we've got to pick our battles, make sure you start fighting the battles, the spiritual warfare that God is asking you to fight. Okay, start there, okay? Don't go off on your own tandem, you know, your own ideas, your own opinions of wars that you should be fighting. No, get back to basics. Get back to the fight that God wants you to fight. And so, what we see here is a natural expectation or desire that God will severely judge and destroy the wicked. Can't believe you said that, Baptist pastor. You're a Christian. Yeah, you know, there are people that hate God and God's gonna destroy them, okay? That's the reality of the Christian faith. That's the reality of the Bible. Now you know why people hate the Bible. I mean, if it was just love, love, love, love, love, love everybody, you know, all the time, the world would love the Bible. It feels like that, all right? It was just love everybody, no matter what they believe, no matter what they've done. Love the pedophiles, love Hitler, love them all, love all the wicked people in this world. Yeah, the world would eat that up. They would love that book. That's not the truth of the Bible, okay? There are people that hate God and God is, firstly, he's probably used his arrows already, drunk with blood, sharpening his sword. Now please go to Psalm 94. Go to Psalm 94, verse number one. Psalm 94 and verse number one. As I said, there's a natural expectation from us. Don't think that you're kind of wicked or you're not right with God if you wanna see vengeance on your enemies. Don't think that's wrong. Now you should love your enemies, you should do good to your enemies, but there ought to be a natural expectation that you wanna see your enemies, the enemies of God specifically, being torn down and destroyed, all right? Look at Psalm 94, verse number one. The psalmist says, O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth, O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself. The psalmist says, Lord God, show yourself please. I need vengeance on these people, right? It belongs to you, Lord, I need you to step in. Verse number two. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth. Render a reward to the proud. Oh yeah, give him a nice reward. No, destroy the proud, destroy the pride for bring him low. Verse number three. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? This is a righteous position as Christians. When we see the wicked seem to prosper in this world, say, Lord, when is it gonna, how long is it gonna be? Look, it's not wrong to think that way. It's not wrong to feel that way. It's not wrong to pray to God like the psalmist prayed. Say, Lord, please show yourself and bring the vengeance. It's right, it's biblical, okay? Go to Psalm 58. Go to Psalm 58, verse number 10. Psalm 58 and verse number 10. This is perfectly consistent with what we saw in Deuteronomy, okay? Psalm 58 and verse number 10. It says the righteous shall rejoice. Oh man, we're gonna rejoice because we know we're saved here. That's a good time to rejoice. To rejoice because we're in church. Yeah, that's a good reason to rejoice. What's the psalmist saying? The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. When you see God take them down, when you see God cast the wicked into hellfire, okay? The Bible says the righteous shall rejoice. I can't rejoice. Well, you're not righteous. The Bible says the righteous shall rejoice, okay? And this is something challenging, all right? This is something deep. This is something you're not gonna hear in your average church. But this is the level of maturity. If you're growing in the Lord, if you're maturing in Christ, when you see the wicked destroyed, you're going to start rejoicing. And that rejoicing, guess what? Is from a righteous man, okay? It's righteous. Look at verse number 11. Oh, sorry. Well, let's keep going. When he seeth the vengeance, look at this. He, that's the righteous, shall wash his feet with the blood of the wicked. That's in the Bible? Absolutely. That's what, look, that's what it says. And look, you know, there's a part of me today, I'm not gonna lie to you, just thinking about people being cast into hell. You know, the great white throne judgment, the wicked being cast, those that didn't believe the Lord cast into hellfire. There's a part of me, right? That's like, it's hard for me to rejoice a little bit in that, right? Because, you know, I think about human beings and people that I probably love and know and, you know, friends and family that are unsaved and thinking about that eternal destiny. And yet it's good to feel that way because that's what's gonna drive you to get out and give them the gospel because we don't want them there, right? But when you put on the resurrected body and you don't have the struggles of the sinful flesh and you can understand and comprehend the righteousness of God, when we can stand before God and not be consumed, not be destroyed. Hey, when our will is perfectly aligned with the will of God and we see it on Judgment Day that is casting down the wicked into hellfire, we're gonna be rejoicing. We're gonna say, this is right. This is the right judgment. They've rejected Christ. They deserve an eternity of torment in hellfire. That's gonna happen to us, you know? So this is part of our Christian maturity. We ought to be growing in love. We ought to be growing in works, in righteousness, doing good deeds, should be growing in our desire to give the gospel to the lost. But the reverse is true. We ought to be growing in desiring the vengeance of God to come upon the wicked, all right? To the point where you're ready to wash your feet with their blood. It's the Bible teaching. I didn't say that. I didn't write that in your Bible. It's right there, brethren. All right, verse number 11. And then it says this. So that a man shall say, verily there is a reward for the righteous, verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth. Hey, what's the reward for the righteous there? What's the context? That we're gonna wash our feet in their blood. That's the context. Say, this is crazy. No, this is the Bible. This is the truth. And if this doesn't make sense, then you need to change, okay? You know, when we read something in the Bible, and it just seems too difficult to understand, we need to say, well, that's because I'm not right with God right now. That's because there's something in my life that's not lined up with the will of God, and I need to fix that. And I need to know the day that I wash my feet in the blood of the wicked is the day that I'm rewarded, that the righteous are rewarded to see the enemies of God taken down and destroyed. This is hard preaching. Listen, it's the Bible. It's Psalms. A lot of people like the Psalms. They like to sing the Psalms. Listen, this is the truth of the word of God, all right? Now, please turn to Isaiah 53. Turn to Isaiah 53 for me. Actually, turn to Jeremiah. Jeremiah, chapter 11. Jeremiah, chapter 11. Knowing God's vengeance will give you boldness to fight. Okay? Because part of the reason you don't fight in a battle or spiritual warfare is because there's a risk. You know, there's a risk that you'll be injured. There's a risk that you might lose certain battles, right? There's a risk that you might get hurt, right? And so we need the boldness to be able to get out there and even if we are injured in a spiritual fight, even if we do lose some battles, we can be bold. We can continue fighting because we know that God will step in. God's got those garments of vengeance. That's gonna give you the boldness, the courage to go and fight the spiritual warfare. All right? Look at Isaiah 53. Sorry, no, you're in Jeremiah 11. I'm going to read to you from Isaiah 53, sorry. Isaiah 53, verse three says, now, this is, if you don't have the boldness, you don't have the courage, this is a passage for you, so pay attention, okay? Isaiah 35, verse three says this. Strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees. All right, now, if you're just a new Christian, a baby in Christ and you're going, I can't fight spiritual warfare, I can't get out there and knock doors and preach the gospel, I can't really serve God, I mean, I'm weak. Well, yeah, look, strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm your feeble knees. Look at verse number four, it says this, say to them that are of a fearful heart, okay, so if you're fearful right now, this is what I gotta say to you. Be strong, fear not, behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense, he will come and save you. Say, what's gonna give you courage, confidence in the fight, knowing that God's gonna come with vengeance, the clothing of vengeance, he's got it on, ready to fight, that's gonna give you the boldness. Can't say, I'm timid Christian, I don't know what's gonna happen, God's gonna fight for you. That's why you gotta fight in the same war that God has enlisted you in, all right? Then it says this in verse number five, it says, then the eyes of the blind shall be opened. Now I want you to think about this. And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Hey, who's done this? Verse number six, then shall the lame man leap as in heart, and the tongue of the dumb, someone that can't speak, sing, for in the wilderness shall waters break out and streams in the desert. You know what that's about? That's Jesus, his first coming, all right? His first coming, he made the blind to see, right? Blind, ears of the deaf, made him open, the lame man could leap, and the tongue of the dumb could sing, all right? So what's that about? Just like these people with these disabilities, just like the power of God, the miracle of God can get them, can fix them up, right, can get them healed, can get them set, when the same way, if you're someone of feebleness, of weak hands, afraid to fight, knowing the vengeance of God is gonna make you courageous, it's going to make you bold. Just as much as a blind man who can now see, that's a great miracle, that's a great work, just like the lame who can't walk, can't leap, hey, that's a great miracle. You go, wow, that's amazing. Well, you know what's also just as equally amazing? Is when you are afraid to fight the spiritual warfare, and then you think about the vengeance of God, you know he's going to destroy his enemy, you know he's going to fight the war for you, that's going to give you the strength, that's going to give you the courage, that's going to give you the confidence to go and fight the battle, okay? You're in Jeremiah 11, Jeremiah 11. So the next point I've got here is God's vengeance is twofold. There's two aspects of it, I kind of covered at the beginning, right? God's vengeance can fall upon you as a Christian, or hopefully more likely it's going to fall upon his enemies, okay? Now, if we look at Jeremiah 11, verse 19, Jeremiah here is speaking against the men of Anathoth, okay, which is a representation of the world. Okay, these are enemies of Israel. Look at verse number 19, Jeremiah 11, 19. It says here, but I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter, and I knew not that they had devised the vices against me, saying. All right, so I think the Bible tells us that we should be like lambs, right? And so the prophet Jeremiah is saying the same thing. I'm like this lamb brought to the slaughter because I have no idea. I had no idea that there were wicked people trying to devise things against me, saying, let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof and let us cut him off from the land of the living that his name may be no more remembered. So these enemies here of Jeremiah were trying to stop him. They didn't like his preaching. They wanted to kill him, right? They wanted to make sure nobody remembered him. Thank God there's a whole book of Jeremiah. No one's gonna forget him now. I already saw last service that the Bible endures forever. Look at verse number 20, though. But, O Lord of hosts, that judges righteously, that triest the reins of the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them. For unto thee have I reviewed my cause. Was Jeremiah a great prophet? Absolutely. Did he have enemies? Was he in a spiritual fight? Absolutely. And what does he ask God? He says, let me see thy vengeance on them. Lord, I know you're gonna step in. I know you're going to destroy them. But not only that, I wanna see it. Hey, those are the words of a righteous man. That's the words of a prophet that was used mightily by God, okay? And what vengeance is he looking for? Looking for vengeance on these men of Anathoth. And like I said, they just represent the world, right? They're not the people of God. These are enemies of Israel. But now, same prophet, go to chapter 20, Jeremiah chapter 20 and verse number 11. Jeremiah chapter 20 and verse number 11. Now Jeremiah's having some problems with, I'm not sure how to pronounce it, I think it's Pasha, the priest. Okay, you can read these verses in your own, these chapters in your own time. But there's a priest, you know, one of the priests of Levite, you know, one of God's supposedly religious leaders on the land. Well, he's made himself an enemy toward Jeremiah, okay? And not just him, he's got others in Jerusalem, other people that are, you know, the people of God in the Old Testament turning against Jeremiah, okay? So now I want you to think about this as believers, as other people of God, you know? Other Christians potentially. Look at Jeremiah chapter 20 and verse number 11. It says, but the Lord is with me as a mighty, terrible one. Therefore, my persecutors, and again, that's the priests and the other people in the city, shall stumble and they shall not prevail. They shall be greatly ashamed, for they shall not prosper. Their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. But, O Lord of hosts, that tryest the righteous, and seest the reins and the hearts, look at this, let me see thy vengeance on them. For unto thee have I opened my cause. All right? So again, why is it that he's asking God for the vengeance? He says, look, I've opened my cause to you. And this is what we do, brethren. When we're out there fighting the spiritual warfare, you have enemies, people seeking to hurt you or your church, all right? Then you need to reveal your case to God. Say, God, I'm fighting this warfare. You've told me in your word, I need to fight this battle. These are some enemies that I'm facing right now, God. Can you please bring your vengeance? Can you please destroy these people? And let me see it. Let me see it, okay? And this is how Jeremiah was able to fight. This is how he was a powerful warrior, because he was counting on the vengeance of God to fall upon the enemies, all right? So look at verse number 13, let's keep going. It says, sing unto the Lord, praise you the Lord, for he have delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers. Okay, again, a reminder, when the vengeance of God falls upon them and you're washing your feet in their blood, we ought to be rejoicing. We ought to be singing to the Lord. Thank you, Lord, for your deliverance. Thank you for taking down the wicked. It seems like a bit of a strange sermon, like to me, because I've gone to church my whole life and I've never heard this preached. I mean, I've heard it preached online, but I've never heard it preached in the church, like in church that I attended. Even in independent Baptist church, I've never heard this stuff preached. And yet the Bible is so consistent, is it not? I mean, I'm not making this up. This is clear as day. This is black and white. This is easy. You can find two or three witnesses teaching this. You know, this ought to be an established doctrine in your heart, you know, that we are looking forward to the vengeance of God. Now please turn to Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 29. Hebrews chapter 10, I better hurry up. Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 29. Because even we as God's people, if we are to treat our brethren, our saved brethren poorly wickedly, you know what? Your brother in the Lord may very well go to God, the God who's got the garments of vengeance and ask him to step in. You may very well face the vengeance of God if you do wickedly to people of God, all right? Now this is confirmed for us here in Hebrews chapter 10. You might say, well, those were the Old Testament. Maybe they were not believers. Maybe you're right. We don't really know always in the Old Testament who was saved and who was not saved, but we could see that God was bringing his vengeance upon the priests and the people that were trying to hurt Jeremiah. They're supposed to be the people of God, but Hebrews chapter 10 confirms this for us. Hebrews chapter 10, verse number 29. It says, of how much sorrow or punishment suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who have trodden underfoot the Son of God and have counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified in unholy thing and have done despite unto the spirit of grace. So well, that's an unbeliever. Well, let's keep going. Verse number 30. For we know him that have said, vengeance be longeth unto me, I will recompense save the Lord. And again, so this is the same thing, and again, the Lord shall judge his people. Verse number 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, all right? So listen, we have a good church. We have a great church, okay? And I'm not saying that because I'm the pastor. Each of us make up the church, okay? I'm one member of this congregation. We have a great church. We've been given a lot. We've had the new air conditioners put in. God's blessing us. God's rewarding our service for him, right? We've got so many things. Slowly, slowly, the Lord is blessing us, giving us more and more, trusting us with more and more, okay? Please enjoy what you have. I mean, how many Christians do not have a good church like this? How many Christians desire to have a church like this? And you might just not care about church, whatever. You know, just who cares about the hymn books? You throw them around. Who cares about those Bibles? You know, the kids make a mess. Who cares? Someone else will clean it up. Someone else will pick it up. Listen, if you don't appreciate what God has given us, there can be terrible vengeance, okay? It's wickedness to the house of God. If you don't look after this body, this congregation, we care for one another, look out for one another, right? Do the best to serve one another. Hey, if you just show contempt for the people of God, for the house of God, expect vengeance to fall upon you, all right? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. I want his hands to just keep me saved and protected. I don't want the hands of vengeance on me as well. Just can you keep that for the enemies, God? Just chastise me softly, please, Lord, when I need correction. I don't want the full vengeance coming upon me, right? Be careful, be careful. Yes, we ought to rejoice when the Lord destroys his enemies, but the Lord can do quite a lot of harm to his people as well, okay, if you do wickedly. Now, I'll get to turn to one more passage because I better hurry up. Go to Numbers 14, Numbers 14. Now, I just wanna confirm once again, vengeance belongs to God. It's not for us to take vengeance. Someone's done you wrong. It's not for you to go and make things right, okay, for you to take vigilante behavior or actions upon somebody or some religion or whatever, okay? We are not to avenge ourselves. You know, even when it comes to this, the wicked world of sodomy, the LGBTQ plus, you know, agenda, it is wicked, it is filthy. I hate that stuff, okay? Those are the haters of God. They've turned their backs on God. God's given them over to a reprobate mind and even them, you know what? I'm not to take vengeance on them. I'm not, okay? I'm not to go and do them harm. I'm not there to go find a parade and light them all on fire or something like that. That's not my job, okay? In Jude chapter, in Jude chapter, verse number seven, it says, even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner given themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. The fire of God fell from heaven upon that city. They faced hell fire before they even went to hell. Okay, that's how angry God was. Hey, but it was the vengeance of God that took them down. Okay? God did not send Abraham to go and destroy the city. God did not send his people to go light it on fire. Okay? We can hate those things, we can hate those people, but it's not our job to go and destroy them. Okay? Now, I'm saying that because if someone is too extreme here and goes and does some wicked thing, I'll be like to the authorities, well, listen to my sermon. I said, don't do it. All right? So look, as much as we'd love to see certain people destroyed, and look, if our local governing authorities aren't doing anything about it, because it once was illegal, it was once a death penalty on sodomy, okay, many years ago, but listen, at the end of the day, if we can't do anything about it, if our governing authorities want to let it go and make it all legal, whatever, well, I'm just gonna wait for the Lord to step in, in due time, in his right time to step in, and I'm going to be washing my feet with their blood. All right? Romans chapter 12, verse 17, I'll just read it to you, recompense to no man evil for evil, look, to no man, okay, recompense to no man evil for evil, provide things honest in the sight of men. If it be possible, as much as life in you, leave peaceably with all men, dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord, therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him, and if you thirst, give him drink, for in so doing, there shall heap coals of fire on his head, be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. I've got an enemy, I've got some guy that's making my life hell, making it difficult, do good to them. Feed them, if they're hungry, okay? And let God step in. You just start putting coals of fire on their head, don't worry, the time will be right when God steps in with his sword, with his arrows, whatever it is that he's going to do, fire from heaven maybe, and destroy them at due time, okay? Now in conclusion, I said that we cannot put on the garments of vengeance, that belongs to God, okay? Therefore, we need to be fighting the battle that God wants us to fight. And I just wanna end on numbers 14. Numbers 14, because what we have in this story is very quickly, Israel delivered from Egypt, the Lord's leading them into the Promised Land, remember they sent the spies, and most of the spies are like, nope, we can't go, and they turn the hearts of the people against God, and they're like, we're not gonna go and fight, you know, we're going to be destroyed, right? And so they lose faith, God gets angry and says, well, in that case, you're gonna be wandering the wilderness for 40 years, and you know, your children, your grandchildren, I guess at the end of the day, they're gonna be the ones that go into the Promised Land, those that were under 20 years old, right, going into the Promised Land. So another story. Anyway, when God gives them that news, well, you're gonna be in the wilderness for 40 years, well, the people are like, oh man, we don't wanna be in the wilderness for 40 years, let's go to Canaan, let's go and fight now. Hey, isn't that what God wants us to do? Yeah, God did tell you to go to Canaan, God did tell you to fight, but now he said, you're gonna be wandering the wilderness for 40 years. And they're like, well, whatever, no, we're gonna go and fight, we're going to the land of Canaan, we don't wanna be in the wilderness for another 40 years. What happens? Hey, are they fighting a righteous battle? Do they wanna fight a war that's actually correct? Yeah, they do. But is God telling them to go and fight that war? No, okay? We'll go to verse number 39. Numbers 14, 39. And Moses told these saints unto all the children of Israel, that's the 40 year thing, and the people mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning and gat them up into the top of the mountain saying, lo, we be here, and we go up unto the place which the Lord have promised, for we have sinned. And Moses said, wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord, but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, that ye be not smitten before your enemies. It's very immature to think you're going, every fight, every persecution, every trouble I face is because I was just trying to serve the Lord. No, that's not the truth. Well, we see these guys, yeah, they are trying to do what God first wanted them to do, all right? But now they had displeased the Lord, they weren't serving in faith, all right? God had brought judgment, you're gonna be wandering the wilderness, and they're like, we don't want to now, we wanna go and fight. And what does Moses say? Moses says, the Lord is not among you. Be careful of the fights, the battles that you fight. You can't just expect God to step in if he didn't send you to the battle, okay? Verse number 43. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you and ye shall fall by the sword because ye are turned away from the Lord. Therefore the Lord will not be with you. But they presumed to go up into the hilltop. Nevertheless, the ark of the covenant of the Lord and Moses departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill and smote them and discomfited them, even unto Horma. So they lost the fight, they lost the battle. Many would have died in the sword. It's a small battle in this story, okay? But it's a war that God did not want them to fight. And they went for it and they were slain, they got destroyed, okay? Oh, persecution, no, it wasn't persecution. You're just stupid. God told you not to go and fight and you went to fight, all right? So we need to be careful, brethren. I don't wanna go fight a war where God's vengeance is not with me. I want God to be wearing the garments of vengeance and I'm counting on that, you know? And here's the thing, we have many wars to fight, okay? Part of the war is just preaching God's word. And so many people just wanna avoid, I mean, these passages, how many passages that I just read today do you think are gonna be read in churches today on Sunday? Very unlikely, a lot of those passages, they're probably gonna be purposely avoided, okay? Fighting for souls. There's a lost world, there's a world in darkness. We need to get out there with the word of God, our feet shot with the gospel of peace, prepared, the preparation of the gospel of peace. We need to go out there and fight those wars, okay? I don't care about every false religion that's in the world. It's been like that from the very beginning. Read your Bibles. Israelites are constantly fighting against other nations with other gods, right? And they're doing their thing and they're gonna be destroyed by God in due time. But listen, the Bible's very clear. There are certain battles that we are to fight. Let's fight those battles. We fight them and we can have, we know that God's on our side, the garments, and that will give us boldness. All right, 37 minutes, let's pray. Heavenly Father.