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🎵Music🎵 Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to Steadfast Baptist Church. If we can go ahead and find a seat, we will get started. Once we find a seat, grab a hymnal, and we will start tonight with song number 173. Song number 173. Love lifted me. Song number 173. Everybody sing it out real loud on the first. I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore. Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more. But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry. From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. Love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me, love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me. All my heart to him I give, ever to him I'll cling. In his blessed presence live ever his praises sing. Love so mighty and so true, merits my soul's best songs. Faithful loving service to, to him belongs. Love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me, love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me. Souls in danger look above, Jesus completely saves. He will lift you by his love, out of the angry waves. He's the master of the sea, billows his will obey. He your savior wants to be, be saved today. Love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me, love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me. Great singing everybody. Let's open up the service now with a word of prayer. Lord, we love you and we just thank you so much for this church. Thank you for the ability to gather here and just sing to you and we just thank you for the preaching we're going to hear tonight and all the ways you're going to bless this church and it's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. All right, our next song is song number 145. Song number 145, a classic, it is Well With My Soul, listen out for the key change on the last verse. Ladies and men, let's sing their part, song 145, everybody sing it out on the first. When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my love, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul, though saints should buffet, though trials should come, let this helpless assurance control, that Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his blood for my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul, my sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh, my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul, and Lord, hast the day when my faith shall be signed, the clouds be rolled back as the scroll, the trump shall resound, and the war shall be sinned, even so, it is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul, with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul. Great singing. God bless, thank you so much for coming to the Steadfast Baptist Church. If you need a bulletin and you didn't get one, our usher can come by and get you a bulletin real quick. On the front, we have our Bible memory passage, Jonah chapter 2, we're on verse number 4, so any kiddos that can quote that can get an ice cream treat after the service. On the inside, we have our service and soul winning times. We also have church stats down below. Also on the right, we have our expecting ladies list, and then we have our prayer list. Also on the back, we have the note about upcoming events, and so we have the schedule right down below this. October 31st is also our Texas Chili Cook-Off, and then we have the Miami Soiling Marathon in November. As far as our schedule, I'll try to post the address of some of these events that are here listed in the bulletin into our church groups and stuff, but if you are interested, that first event is actually just meeting here, so just meeting in this area, and so it should be pretty easy to find, but if you're not sure, just ask me, and they'll get that to you. Also, we have some events that are going to be here at the church, and then we have preaching. I'll be preaching all of the three services that we have, so Friday, also Sunday morning and Sunday evening, and then also we have several just events. We have our spelling bee on Saturday at 9 a.m., and so if you are participating, you need to try and be here before 9 a.m. just to make sure. We will be starting with the youngest group first, just FYI, the youngest age group, and then going on to the next age groups, but it would be great if you could just come and participate. I think usually in times past, maybe it took about an hour and a half to two hours maybe to get through all the different age groups, but I'm just kind of throwing that out there, and then also if you'd like to help, we actually could use some volunteers for the Friday event at the church, and then also for the Saturday park event, and so maybe afterwards if you're interested, you can just let me know if you could help for either of those, and that would definitely be a blessing. That's pretty much all I have as far as the schedule is concerned. On the inside, we have our prayer list. We've been praying for the Naim's grandmother, and then we've also been praying for the Carlson's mother, Ms. Miller. We've been praying for her friend's mother as well, and then we've been praying for the Scotts' health, and we've been praying for Mrs. Garcia's daughter who's actually here with us. Congratulations to them, and thanks for being here with us. We're praying for them. We've been praying for Brother Foley and his fiancé. We've been praying for Brother Guzman's father. Next we've been praying for the Stewart's sister-in-law, who's also going through cancer, and then we've been praying for the Illies, which it sounds like it was getting a little bit better, but just continue to pray for their family and their health, and then that's pretty much all. Oh, yeah, there was one other thing I wanted to mention. Another church that was going to the Bahamas, a lot of us are probably familiar with them, Revival Baptist Church with Pastor Patrick Boyle, they had sent a group of missionaries to the Bahamas this week, and they were working with one of our friends, Brother Kenton Knowles, but unfortunately, something bad happened, and I was just going to read this, but it says that their mission team, the mission house was burgalized last night by three armed men at 1.30 a.m., says our team was robbed of most of their valuable longings, a couple of them had their passports taken, most of them lost their cell phones, wallets, and debit cards, and so they're having a hard time with that. It says the local police, the U.S. Consulate, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas are involved, and they're working on their behalf to figure things out. It said, praise the Lord, everyone is safe. They said, some have decided to return and are attempting to secure airline tickets back. Please pray for them, as they don't have phones, wallets, et cetera, and it also says the rest of the team have recommitted themselves to the work and have decided to stay. They're in schools this morning preaching the gospel, once again this morning, even after a long night with no sleep, so definitely just horrible, I mean, that's definitely really disheartening to hear that about them, so just be in prayer for their team and that everyone would be safe and that they wouldn't be discouraged about missions or that area, and so obviously, when you go on the foreign missions field, it can be, you know, dangerous, especially when you're traveling, and so we definitely want to pray for them and pray that God will get them safe. So I just wanted to update that. If you are interested, I guess there is a printout that has some of their information if you are curious, but we'll go ahead and say a prayer as a church family now. Thank you, Heavenly Father, so much for all of these ladies who are expecting in our church. I pray that you would also just bless those who are sick, that you would please give them healing, please help them with their cancer. I pray that you would just help all of the prayer requests here for favor and for just blessing in their relationships or in their jobs and where they need that. I pray that you would help those that we need to get the gospel, that you would give us boldness, that you would give us an opportunity, that you could soften their hearts, and I pray that you would just be with those soul winners in the Bahamas and for Revival Baptist Church and that you would just bless them during this difficult time. I pray that you could just help them return safely, that you would just restore whatever was lost and that you could be a blessing unto them and that they wouldn't be discouraged but rather they'd be encouraged that they were worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ and I pray that you would just give them extra blessing and extra favor for that and in Jesus' name we pray, amen. One other announcement I was going to make is our evangelist, evangelist Tanner Fur and his family have officially moved down here and he's going to actually be working part time for the church and doing a lot of extra things for the church and evangelism and so make sure to say hi to them and their family and we just, we thank you so much for coming down here and being a part of our church, let's give them a round of applause, alright? And Brother Fur and his family have been just a huge blessing to our church and they worked really, really hard up in Oklahoma and made a lot of sacrifices and of course they're making another sacrifice to leave their home and to come down here and to be a part of our church but we're very grateful, I'm very grateful, I've always really appreciated working with Brother Fur and he's a great, great man of God and he has a great family and they have a great heart and humble spirit and that's what I really like about him and so I'm really encouraged to have them down here and I hope that you guys will try to make friends with them and help them with their transition and everything like that so thank you so much for being here and I'm really looking forward to our conference and I hope you guys will participate. With that, we'll go ahead and sing our third song for the evening, it's going to be Psalm 119, our special handouts, Psalm 119. Alright, that was Psalm, chapter 119, Psalm 119. Those who know well, sing it out real loud. That I will keep thy righteous judgments, I am afflicted, very much quick in me. O Lord affording unto thy word. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I am not from thy precepts. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever. Thy word is a lamp unto my heat and a light, unto my path. Accept thy beseech, be the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments. My soul is continually in mine hand, yet do I not forget thy law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I am not from thy precepts. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever. Thy word is a lamp unto my heat and a light, unto my path. For they are the rejoicing of my heart, I have inclined mine heart to perform. Thy statutes obey, even unto the end. I hate made thoughts, but thy law do I love. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I am not from thy precepts. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever. Thy word is a lamp unto my heat and a light, unto my path. That's the book of Ecclesiastes chapter number 8. That's the book of Ecclesiastes chapter number 8. Ecclesiastes chapter number 8, the Bible reads, Who is as the wise man, and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. Be not hasty to go out of his sight, stand not in an evil thing, for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. Where the word of a king is, there is power, and who may say unto him, What doest thou? Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing. And a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment, because to every purpose there is a time and judgment, therefore the misery of a man is great upon him. For he knoweth not that which shall be, for who can tell him when it shall be? There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death, and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun. There is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city, where they had so done, this is also vanity. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. But it shall not be well with the evil, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he feareth not before God. There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked. Again there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry. For that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth, for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes, then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. Because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it. Yea, further, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, thank you for this chapter of the Bible. Thank you for the souls that were saved tonight. I just pray that you bless Pastor Shelley, fill him with your Holy Spirit, help us to learn from this sermon. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. Verse 1 says, Who is as the wise man, and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. The Bible is essentially likening the wise man to being the highest achievement. That it's one of the greatest things that you could possibly be. Not having riches, not being some great athlete, not having great possessions, but rather having wisdom. And that's what the Bible is alluding here. Who is as the wise man? And it's the epitome of what we should strive for. The Bible literally tells us to get wisdom. And wisdom is the principle thing. And the Bible just hammers the idea of wisdom. Knowing what to do and having the answers. And of course, the reality is that this is a rare thing. That's why it says, who knoweth the interpretation of a thing. And of course, the Bible is a complex book. The Bible has some simple things. There are some things in the Bible that are pretty easy. Even the unsaved person can read it and understand. And you know, that's what you have to understand. There's a lot of basic things in the Bible that even unsaved people can figure out. And they can understand the carnal truths of the Bible. I think that we could just grant that even unsaved people, for the most part, can understand a lot of the carnal truths of the Bible. To really understand the true interpretation in the spirit of the Bible takes the spirit of God. This is what the Bible clearly tells us in 1 Corinthians. That the natural man cannot understand the things of the spirit. And you have to be spiritual in order to understand the things of God. And so there is a desire of a Christian to become wise. Because then you can understand what the Bible is actually saying. You can interpret it properly. Now, of course, this word interpret is not what we typically think of as like changing from one language to another. But it kind of has a similar concept that we're changing from a carnal understanding to a spiritual understanding. Because the Bible is a spiritual book. And we never want to understand the Bible in only one. We want to always understand it in both. And it's kind of like a balance to help you understand that you have the right interpretation. Because when you don't have the right carnal application, sometimes it can cause you to come up with weird spiritual applications. And then when you don't have the right spiritual application, then it really doesn't prop you that much. Because the whole point is the spiritual understanding that we get out of the Bible. Because we could gain all carnal wisdom and yet it wouldn't benefit us at all. Yeah, we could gain the whole world and lose our own soul and it wouldn't really be that beneficial. But God helps us to understand spiritual truths with carnal truths. And that's what I've always said and I'll continue to elaborate on. But when you have wisdom, when you do understand the Bible, when you have these things, notice it says, A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine. It actually brings joy, it brings happiness, it can bring you boldness. And so it is something that we should strive for. And it's rare. We also have to recognize that not everybody is wise. Not everybody has a lot of wisdom. And we should be careful that we're seeking information and truth from people that are wise. Everyone wants to give you their opinion. Everybody and their brother has a podcast. Everybody and their brother has a church. I mean there's just an explosion of churches. There's an explosion of therapists and counselors and podcasters and the news. I mean almost everybody has their opinion. And I find this that the Internet itself contains every opinion that exists. Whatever you would like to hear someone say, you can find someone saying it on the Internet. And so we have to even be careful when it comes to research. We have to be careful when we're trying to find the truth. Because just say, I found this thing on the Internet. Well that's true because the Internet contains all opinions. I mean the Internet really has. Articles saying the exact opposite things everywhere. It'll say, drink milk, it helps you. And then you have another one that says, milk is bad. And then you have another one that's like, salt's good, salt's bad. Eggs are good, eggs are bad. Meat's bad, meat's good. And it's just like, well what do I believe? You know, doctor's good, doctor's bad. Medicine good, medicine bad. Exercise good, exercise bad. I mean there's whole articles telling you how running is horrible for you. And then there'll be books and all kinds of information telling you running's great for you. And I'm just trying to explain to you that you can't just go on the Internet and expect to always get all the right answers. Because it literally has every single opinion. And if you are just looking for someone to repeat to you what you already believe, you will find it on the Internet. And in fact this is what a lot of churches are today, is they just simply want to go somewhere where someone's just going to tell them what they already believe. And instead of saying, let's just look at what this says, and let's just decide this is our new opinion. We're going to transform and renew our minds according to the Word of God and according to the Bible. And of course, here's the thing. You know, I get up and I expound my interpretation. I give my opinions sometimes on the Bible as well. You know, I'm not perfect. I'm not always right. You know, for every single individual, you also should consider other sources. You shouldn't just consider me. The Bible says in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. Of course, the Bereans would go home after church and they would read their Bibles and they would search the Scriptures to decide, hey, is this really true? Is this really what the Bible is saying? Because that is our final authority. And you know, you can never and you should never trust any person 100%, right? And every single person is probably wrong about something. Let's just be honest, right? You know, no one's perfect. Nobody has everything dialed in. Some people are really good in one area. Some people are really good in another area. We all have our strengths. We all have our weaknesses. And yet at the same time, this is what's so funny to me, is when it comes to the Bible, when it comes to spiritual wisdom, everybody's an expert. And it's like one of the few fields that I find that people, just everyone is an expert on. Because you know, it's like when you go to the doctor and you need a heart transplant, typically people are arguing with the heart surgeon on how he's going to do surgery. I mean, I'm not saying it doesn't happen. I'm just saying it's usually not as common. And I've never done that. I've never been like, you know, you should probably use the scalpel this way and like, you know, maybe you should use this device, right? You know, we talk about the mechanic. I don't know a lot about cars. I don't go there and I don't tell the mechanic how to work on the car. I don't go around and go in the back at the restaurant and tell the chef how to make my steak. You know, I'm not telling him how to do all these things. But then when it comes to a pastor, it comes to the Bible, everybody's going to tell you how to do it. Everybody's going to tell you what to believe. And I'm just thinking like, do you not have any respect for anybody's opinion on the Bible? Like, are you just the greatest person on the Bible? It's so funny to me how everybody's literally an expert, when the Bible is saying this, that almost no one's the expert. In fact, in this chapter, it's basically going to say no one knows everything. Yet, it's just funny to me that everybody thinks they know everything. It's just like everybody has this idea of, like, they know all this stuff. But the Bible's basically saying, like, who is as the wise man? Meaning, like, virtually no one's the wise man. But it's funny because everybody else thinks they are. Like, everybody's like, yeah, I know. It's me. That's how people are. I mean, people literally think that they actually know everything, that they are the wise person, that they've got it all figured out. And you know what? That's just pride. It's just pride. It's arrogance. You know, people that are actually wise are actually humble people. They'll be honest with you. They'll say, like, I don't know, or I could be wrong, or they have different opinions. Of course, they're going to be confident in areas that they need to be confident in. Salvation is by faith. We're done. King James Bible is the Word of God. We're done, right? So, of course, there's going to be things that we just know for a fact, that we're confident on, that we have. Those opinions have already been established. But then there's going to be a lot of stuff out there that we just really don't even know. And that's okay. God gave us an entire lifetime to learn, and you still can't learn it all in that entire lifetime. And we should be humble. We should lower ourselves and recognize that we are very limited in our ability to understand and to know, and we should be very careful when we're making judgments, when we're thinking about things that we don't quite understand. We should come to the Word of God with reverence and fear and trying to seek what God really wants in all areas of our life, okay? The Bible says in verse 2, I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God, be not hasty to go out of his sight. Stand not in an evil thing, for he doeth whatsoever please him. Where the word of a king is, there is power. And who may say unto him, What doest thou? Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing. And a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. So verses 2 through 5 kind of give us this other idea or concept to really keep in mind is that we should be very careful how we respond to the authority in our country. And this is talking about a king. We, of course, don't have a monarch. We live in, in theory, a constitutional republic, okay? I get it that it's definitely been evolving lately and kind of transforming, but in theory, we live in a constitutional republic. But you know what? We should be very careful in honoring the Constitution because that is the highest law of the land. That is basically the ultimate authority, at least federally speaking. And then, of course, we have state constitutions. That's also an important document. And then we have judges and we have other authorities that are over our area of Texas and where we live and being a United States citizen. We should be very careful to keep the laws of the land, the laws of the land that we live in. And the Bible is saying that when we are maybe thinking differently or wanting to do something that's a contrary, it says in verse 3, be not hasty to go out of his sight, meaning that we don't want to make decisions lightly that go against our authority, go against the government, go against whatever they have. And it says, stand not in an evil thing, for he doeth whatsoever pleases him. Who's the he? That's talking about the king. The king is going to do whatever he wants because that's the point of a king. A king gets to make whatever decisions he wants. And so it's saying, don't stand against this guy, don't go out of his sight, don't just do these things because he's going to do whatever he wants. And then it says explicitly, where the word of the king is, there's power, saying not only is he going to do what he wants, he has the power and authority to do whatever he wants. And whatever he says, goes. This is, of course, true of God himself, the king of kings. Why is he called the king of kings? Because he's above all the other leaders in the entire world. He's in charge of all of them. And we're supposed to do whatever the king says. And who's that? That's Jesus Christ. He's our king, and then you have a second layer of kings, and then you have, of course, people underneath them. But their Bible says that there is power there with that king. Verse 5, Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing. Hey, if you're in line with whatever the authority is, if you're in line with whatever the government or whoever is ruling over you, he says you're not going to have problems. This is also what God tells Cain in the garden. He basically says that if he keeps the commandments, shall you not do well. He's just like, hey, if you don't do anything wrong, how is anything bad going to happen, right? But it's when you do something wrong, when you break the commandment, now you are a transgressor, now you're in trouble. In fact, that's the point of sin anyway. Sin is a transgression of the law. And that's reminiscent of, the Bible is basically a pattern of our government. Our government's reminiscent of God's word and how that is supposed to be structured and how that is supposed to work. It says a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment, meaning the wise man's considering the decisions he's making and realizing, hey, if I go against the king, well, there's going to be consequence for that. And am I willing to face that particular consequence because I know the time's coming and I know the judgment's going to come and I'm going to be rewarded to what I do. Now keep your finger here. I want to go to a couple places. Go to Romans chapter number 12 for a moment. Go to Romans chapter number 12. And I want to look at a few verses in the book of Romans. But we should be careful when it comes to authority. Now, look what it says in verse 18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. So the Bible is saying that we should always strive for peace as much as possible. And I would say this, when it comes to the laws of the land, if we can stay within God's boundaries and the boundaries of the law of the land, then we should try to do both. You know, and sometimes we might come up with our own personal standard, our own personal ideas that are not unbiblical, but they somehow cross a boundary within the laws of the land. And the reality is, if you don't have to break the laws of the land and you can still stay within the confines of God's law, then that's probably the best decision. That's really what it's kind of meaning. Like, we should try our best to live peaceably. And of course, if there were a law or there was something that came down the pike that's causing you to sin, you should probably say, you know, King, I don't want this to be the case. Is there another way? How can we remedy this? But it doesn't say do it period. It just says as much as possible, right? So as long as you can stay within those boundaries and still stay biblical, then, you know, we should basically do that. But when it crosses a certain threshold, like Peter and John are not allowed to preach the gospel in all of Jerusalem, they say, well, ought we obey God rather than men? I mean, are we supposed to obey you or are we supposed to obey God? Like, how in the world, if you're going to make this law outlawing me preaching the gospel, well, you know what? I'm going to keep preaching the gospel. Like, I'm not going to stop preaching the gospel just because you commanded and forbidden us to do this thing. And at first they get thrown in jail. Then they get let out. Then they get beaten. But then they just keep going. And then they count themselves worthy to have suffered for the cause of Christ. So we should be very careful, though, that we're not just breaking laws willy-nilly, that we're not going against the king's commandment just because we're trying our best to do it and to keep it. But when push comes to shove, we ought to obey God rather than men. That's what the Bible is telling us. If we keep reading, it says, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine. I will pace it, O Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirsts, give him drink. For in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. So when someone's against you or when someone does something wrong to you, the Bible says don't retaliate. Don't feel like you have to avenge yourself. Just allow God to take care of it and overcome evil with good. Verse 1 of 13, Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever, therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. Doesn't that fit what we're talking about here in Ecclesiastes? The idea that when you're against the king's commandment, evil's going to come upon you, and then it's bringing up here that the powers that be, they're ordained of God, and if you're resisting the power, if you're resisting the ordinance, then essentially you're resisting God, and you're receiving unto yourselves damnation. In fact, God goes so far as to describe unsaved worldly leaders as in verse 4, for he is the minister of God to thee for good. This is not saved people. Now, of course, there could be some people that are saved, but not every single person that's an ordained power is a saved person, but they're all a minister, which minister means just simply servant. They're all servants of God to do good. They're supposed to execute good. They're supposed to be someone that is supposed to be doing good, and rulers are not a terror to good works, but they are for the evil. They are to punish criminals. They are to essentially assist in keeping law and order and keeping civility in society. And so, again, we're supposed to be subject unto these individuals, even in verse 6, for for this cause pay ye tribute also, for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Man, this verse just hurts my heart, because it's like saying you have to pay taxes. I'm just like, I don't agree with this, you know? And this is what I'm saying. Like, if I just got to get up here and preach my opinion, I'd be like, I'm not paying taxes, you know? Like, I don't want to do this stuff. I'm going to clip this out and be like, Pastor Shelley is a tax protester. No, I'm not, okay? Pay your taxes. But at the end of the day, that's not something I like. In fact, if the Bible said not to, I would be happy to preach that, okay? I'm happy to preach things that are against the culture, you know? I've never been a person that's trying to see, like, what does the world think about what I preach? You know, I pretty much make everyone mad all the time, so, you know, it's probably never going to stop, obviously. But at the end of the day, like, this one hurts us. Like, you know, we're kind of like, I don't know about that, Pastor Shelley. Like, I don't know, you know, our government's pretty bad. And it's like, it is. But at the same time, God is still using them as ministers of God to thee for good. And, you know, as much corruption and as much evil is happening in our government, they're still arresting criminals. They're still arresting thieves, and they're still arresting murderers, and they're still arresting people. And, yeah, maybe 50% of murders go unsolved, but there's still 50% that are getting solved. I mean, do you really want no one to go to jail? Do you really want no punishment whatsoever? Now, again, we can argue and say they're not doing as good a job as they should. We could get disappointed at the fact that they're not as effective, and maybe they could improve. But we have to be honest that they do some good, don't they? They provide some civility for us, and they provide some level of good in general. And, again, I'm not saying there isn't corruption. I'm not saying there isn't some unjust things going on. I'm not saying all the laws that we have that are enforced are good, because, frankly, some laws are not very good. But, generally speaking, they're still ordained of God, and they're still someone that we should hearken unto, and we should be careful that if we go against something that we have God on our side. Go back, and here's the thing. That principle is what the Bible is saying explicitly. But this concept is brought up in all spheres of our life. It's not like only obey the government. It's obey authority. God always sides with authority, and think about this. This is what's crazy to me. Can you really argue with me that God gives the authority and the power to our government based on these orders? I mean, wouldn't you say, like, God pretty much just said, yep, U.S. government, U.S. police officers, whatever, they're ministers of God, we should obey them, we should do what they say unless we have a clear commandment, right? And then let's think of other areas in our world that you're supposed to obey. How about pastors? You're supposed to obey the pastor and the church. You're supposed to obey your parents, right? Doesn't the Bible say, honor thy father and thy mother? Doesn't the Bible say, children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right? And, you know, this is what's crazy. Kids and people will get mad at pastors and churches today because they think that they're not good enough to be obeyed. And I'm like, let's compare that to the United States government. Like, is this pastor worse than Joe Biden? Is this parent worse than Joe Biden? And do you even know, like, do you know anything about Joe Biden's parenting? And I'm just saying, like, you know, some people, they think, like, they're just and resisting authority in their life because, well, this person's not perfect. And I'm like, if that is a legitimate thing, then we should never have to obey the United States government ever. Because talk about not being worthy of being followed. Talk about not being a very good example. Talk about not being right with God. Talk about having some severe issues. Talk about being full of corruption and bribery and evil. But you know what? What does the Bible say? They're still the minister of God. You still have to default, go with authority. And people hate this message. People don't like this message. You know why they don't like this message? Because they don't like authority. And you know what? And you know what? When you don't like authority, you really just don't like God. Because God gives us rules. They're called the commandments. And you're supposed to obey them. And you know, well, I like God. Okay, but if you're resisting authority, you don't, because he told you to obey your authority. And he didn't say only to the good. He said to the evil and to the froward. You know, when you go against authority, you're wrong. No, I'm right, because they're wrong. No, technically you're wrong. Now, does that mean that the other person isn't wrong, too? Here's the thing. You can both be wrong. But guess what? You're still wrong. That's what some people don't get. It's like, just because they're wrong doesn't mean you're right. Tell this to every Republican out there, please. Call all the Republicans and say, like, these Democrats are bad. And it's like, yes, so are you. You know, it's like, just because they're bad doesn't make you good. Okay? And then sometimes people, they think, like, just because you point out someone's problem or someone's flaw, that somehow justifies you or your actions or everything that you're doing. And that's just not how life works. We are supposed to obey our authority. And here's the thing. If children are only allowed to obey when their parents were perfect, then no one would ever obey their parents. There is not such thing as a perfect parent. There's not such thing as a perfect pastor. There's not such thing as a perfect husband. There's not such thing as a perfect mother. There's not such thing as a perfect teacher or babysitter or anything. Whatever authorities exist, though, you know there's not a perfect soul winning captain. There's not a perfect soul winner. If you're the silent partner, don't usurp the authority of the talker when they're at the door. Be the silent partner. You would think it would make sense. You're called a silent partner. And then it's like, they get confused and want to interrupt. It's like, no, no, no, your job is real easy. It's called silent. And again, I'm not saying that, you know, if you say like, hi or something, like if the person's like, hi, you're like, I am silent partner, you know. But it's just like, you know, let the person do their thing, right. Now they say, hey, can you help me or hey, do you know a verse or whatever, and they invite you into the conversation. Get in there, right. If someone's like, hi, it's like, hey, how's it going, you know. You know, I'm not saying like to be a robot or something like that, but you know what, whatever situation you find yourself in, we should be obeying that authority. We should be obeying that instruction. And this is just how life works well. Your boss at work, you just do what he says. And you know, it's so funny. It's like every sphere of people's lives, they don't agree with this except for their job. And you know why? Because they know they'll get fired. And so it's like, I mean, all these women in the world, they cannot obey their husband, but they can obey their man boss at work. And it's just like, he's not even as good to you as your husband anyways. And yet you don't do anything because he can fire you. And that's the problem is a lot of people, they don't fear consequence or they don't think there's a consequence, and so they just do whatever they want. But you know, even if there is no consequence, there's a consequence with God. And so that's why it's important to obey our authorities and to do what they say and to do what they're commanding us as long as it's not a violation of Scripture. And I always give that clear covet. Hey, if your husband tells you to do something that's not right, according to the Bible, you do what the Bible says. If your parents tell you to go against the word of God, you do what the Bible says. You know, Ananias and Sapphira, they basically conspired to lie and deceive the Holy Ghost, which you can't, good luck on that one. They're not going to trick God, but they lied, and you know what, both of them died. But that wife should not have gone along with her husband, that wife should not have lied. That wife, when she came in three hours later after getting dressed, she should have just been like, you know what, my husband's a liar. But you know what, she lied with him, and you know what, she ended up dying as well. When she was asked, she should have either plead the fifth or just told the truth, and she shouldn't have lied, okay? And the reality is that so many people, they want to usurp authority because they're prideful, and then they have an excuse of, well, they did something wrong. Well, you'll always have that excuse. Unless you're talking about God, there's no authority, human authority, that you could never have the excuse that they're not doing something wrong, because literally everyone's doing something wrong. Everybody has some kind of law. And then everybody thinks that they're justified in doing this, but you know what, godly people should fear we should be in subjection, we should obey the authorities that we have, and not only to our boss because he's going to fire us, but hey, to the other people in our lives. Now, if we keep reading, it says in verse 6, because to every purpose there is time and judgment. Therefore the misery of man is great upon him, for he knoweth not that which shall be, for who can tell him when it shall be? And again, this because is related to what we just brought up. Why in the world would I obey the king? Why would I do what authority says? Because, guess what, there's going to come a time and judgment, because eventually it will come back to you. Okay, and so that's why it's important. And then it says, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. You know, you just bucket authority, you just go against the king, well, you know what, eventually your time's coming, eventually your judgment's coming, and it's going to be a misery. It's going to happen. You're going to reap what you sow. And it also says in verse 7, for he knoweth not that which shall be, for who can tell him when it shall be? This is the other thing about it. He's saying, just because you transgress, we don't always know when that's going to play out, though. And he can't know. So, we can know you're going to get paid back. We can know that the Lord's going to avenge. We know that the Lord's going to take care of it. We don't know when. It could happen right away. It could happen the next day. It could happen the next month. It could happen six years from now. It could happen 20 years from now. And, of course, when it comes to life, these things are all possibilities. Of course, we should pray and ask God for grace when we screw up, so that day doesn't happen. So it's like, hey, you're going to be punished tomorrow. You better get right now. And then he's like, okay, I'm going to let go. I'm not going to do that anymore because you got right with me. But you know what? When we go against authority, there's going to be issue. And people, the reason why they do it is because they can't see the future and they don't understand the consequence of their action. But you know what? There is coming a consequence. It says in verse number 8, There is no man that hath power over the Spirit to retain the Spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death, and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. Here's kind of the ultimate conclusion. You might even pay with your life. And he's saying you don't have an ability. Notice what he says here in verse number 8. There is no man that hath power over the Spirit to retain the Spirit. We all have a spirit. And the Bible even tells us in James chapter number 2 that the body without the Spirit is dead. It's saying when your spirit is departing from you, you literally have no way of keeping it. You can't be like, I'm going to stay alive. You can't hold on or cling on to your spirit. When your spirit is departing, it's departing. And so that's what the Bible is saying. When it's your time to die, you have no ability to stop that from happening. We have no idea when we're going to die. At some point, your spirit will leave your body. The only exception, in a sense, is those who will be raptured where they basically change in the twinkling of an eye in just a moment. They're just transformed. You just get to basically do a body swap right there. But essentially, everyone else, your spirit will depart from your body, and you cannot control that at all. Now, it says there's no discharge in that war. There's a struggle, right? You can hang on. But he's saying you can't make a difference, though. Like, no matter what you do, if it's leaving, it's leaving. And neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. Even the wicked. It doesn't matter how much money they have. It doesn't matter how much money that rich elites have in this world. Elon Musk or George Soros or a Rothschild or a Clinton or any of these people. It doesn't matter. Whenever their day comes, their day comes, and their wickedness will not deliver them. Nothing will deliver them. It's over. Verse 9, All this have I seen and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun. There is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. Here's another thing that he brings up, and this is kind of just a different concept, and I kind of said this last week, but Ecclesiastes kind of does a little bit of what Proverbs does, where it kind of brings up some different concepts here and there. So it's giving us a few verses that relate, and then it's kind of bringing up new concepts. It's a little bit different of a concept, but he's saying that specifically in some cases, there's times when someone has an employee or a servant or someone under their authority, and that particular person is going to harm them. Like, essentially, they bring someone under their wing or they do good unto somebody or they help somebody, and they have authority over that person or whatever, and it ends up harming them, hurting them, damaging them, doing bad to them. And this is just sad. Go to Romans, chapter number 16, go to Romans, chapter number 16. And this is, you know, there's a lot of context that we could probably apply this chapter. The one that I first thought of was just if you own a business, you have to realize sometimes you can have a bad employee. And what you need to do as a good boss is sometimes you have to fire people. And, you know, that's not necessarily fun. It's not necessarily something you want to do. And I get it. As someone that has had employees or someone that has, you know, been in situations like this, it's not fun to have to deal with those kind of situations, maybe fire someone. And sometimes when you fire people, it's not even necessarily that they're a bad person. It's just maybe just not the right fit. You know, sometimes people fire people because their business is shrinking. They just have to let go of people or something or maybe the work that they had runs out and they just don't have work for that particular person. You know, there's going to be all kinds of different scenarios, but there's some scenarios where the person's just an evil, wicked person. And this evil, wicked person needs to be purged from your company, from your employment. In fact, look up the statistics, but I think I remember when I was looking up theft, it's like a lot of stores, it was like 90% of their theft was from employees. And it's like a crazy statistic that it was like most businesses, like a huge percentage of the theft for many businesses was their actual employees. That or probably being in California these days, but you know, it's one of those two things. But you know, sometimes we have to identify bad employees and sometimes we have to identify bad individuals. Another thing I thought of was bad church members. And you know, we exercise church discipline in our church. And you know, the Bible brings these concepts up. You know, it's very unpleasant. But here's the thing, if we want to have a good church, if we want to have unity, if we want to thrive, sometimes we have to purge out bad people. And you know what? This church is no stranger to this concept. I don't know, maybe some of you are new, but I'll just be honest with you. When I started pastoring this church to now, I've had to have about 100 people go through this process. And of course when I say 100, you know, a lot of times it's like one person and their family, but that includes, you know, five, six, seven, eight people sometimes. With the Jacksonville split, we started out with about 45. I mean, basically the list just started with like about 45. And then it was like a Preacher's Sermon against Flat Earthers and then we got like 12 to 15 more people just right off the bat right there, okay? So that was about like 60 people. And then just through the time we've had all kinds of other crazy things and weird things just here and there. And you know, our church is better for it. Now again, I'm not saying that every single one of those cases was the exact same. I'm not saying every single person was. But you know, sometimes we just have to purge ourselves of certain people because it's going to cause us problems. It's going to hurt us if we just allow this person to just keep being under that authority. Romans chapter 16 says in verse 17, Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. For they that are such serve not a Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. So the Bible says when someone's causing division in the church, well, sometimes you have to get rid of that person. And you know, that comes to the discretion of the pastor, the leadership, and those people that are in charge, that sometimes they have to address people and say, Look, you know, we can't allow that kind of a teaching in here. We can't allow people to start causing division. And you know, I've been, in my mind, gracious. Probably to the world I'm not gracious at all, but I don't really care what they think. But you know, I've had people come to our church and they believe that the earth's flat and I didn't throw them out. And look, you already know that I don't like that doctrine, okay? And that's not the only doctrine. There's all kinds of things people believe that are weird and goofy and whatever. And I've never thrown someone out for that. But at the same time, if someone was going to come in here and then start trying to tell everybody and teach everybody and bringing them aside and doing whatever, then I would have to go to that person and say, Look, I just don't want that to spread. I don't want you bringing that and talking to people about that and taking them over to your house and teaching them all this junk. You can believe whatever you want on your free time, but I just don't want you spreading that to our church because it's going to cause some kind of division. And you know, if they decide, Well, nuts, I'm the flat earth evangelist of the world. I have to tell everybody about it. Well, then, you know, I'm going to say, Well, you have to leave our church, right? And then somebody's like, You're a cult. And it's like, first of all, cults aren't kicking people out, okay? Cults are keeping people in, okay? But at the end of the day, like, that is an example. If someone's coming around and they're teaching heresy, you know, or they believe heresy and they're trying to draw people out with them, that's something we'd have to address. Or, you know, it could be a few other situations. I think if someone's just sowing seeds of discord, if someone's going around just trying to poison everybody against somebody, and it's not just me, it's anybody in this room, you know, that would have to be dealt with. We don't want our church to have all these factions and all these divisions and all these problems. And, of course, as a pastor, I try to go to this person individually and say, Hey, here's going on. Do you want to fix this? Do you not want to fix this? Whatever. And then try to deal with it appropriately, right? Because that's how we should operate as a church. Now, go to 2 Thessalonians 3. Go to the right a little bit more. I want to go to a couple other examples of some of these things. But, you know, sometimes we just have to get rid of people in church because of the fact that it's going to cause harm to the pastor. It's going to cause harm to the church. And, you know, frankly speaking, if you don't like your pastor, you should just not go to that church, okay? And, I mean, you know, it happens, and it's just weird to me. It's like, if you hate our church, if you hate your pastor, like, you just shouldn't go to church there, right? It happens, though. People get disgruntled. And, you know, I'm not... This church is not the only place to serve God at. There's plenty of other good churches. Plenty of people have told me, like, that they don't want to go to my church or they want to leave or whatever, and I recommend other churches and whatever and help them. But you know what? I still think this is the best church to go to in our area. And it's not because of me, it's because of the people here. You know, good luck. You know, even if you don't like me or you don't like everything I say, good luck finding a group of people in the pews that are like this people. Good luck finding as many normal, kind, nice, compassionate, soul-winning people as the people that go to a church like this. And, you know what? Good luck. I'm just going to say that. You know, that's what I also like. I feel like I have a privilege to preach at one of the greatest churches in our area. You know? And it is, it's a privilege and an honor to get to serve with you guys. So that's what I really like about Steadfast Baptist Church. And I don't want to ruin that. And you know what keeps it, you know what keeps it like that? Me getting rid of all the other people. Okay? Now if you want to go start a church with those other hundred people, have fun. That is a, that is not the kind of church that I want to be in. And that group is not the nicest people that I've ever been around. They have some, some of those people have some serious, serious issues. Okay? Second Thessalonians chapter three, look at verse one. Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all men have not faith. Here's the thing. Some people are just unreasonable. And you know, it can't really work. You can't really have fellowship with people that are just completely unreasonable. And look, what's unreasonable? It's someone that cannot agree to disagree. Man, someone that cannot agree to disagree is unreasonable. And boy, it's just so frustrating how so many people cannot just disagree respectfully. They can't just disagree politely. They can't just say like, I have a different opinion. It's just like they have to just hold your feet to the fire, and you have to be exactly like them, and you have to agree with their opinion because you know what? They know everything, and they're so much smarter than you. This is flat earth. There's attitudes for sure, okay? And then there's a lot of other people, but it's just like, man, it's insufferable. It is insufferable. And you know what? Those type of people, you know the Bible says to cast out the scorner. Let's go to that verse. Go to Proverbs chapter 22. It's back where we were. It's to the left just a hair. Go to Proverbs chapter 22. Look, this principle is everywhere in the Bible. But you have to understand, there's going to be sometimes people under your authority that you have to get rid of. And so I'm just trying to help you guys, especially you men, especially if you're in leadership positions, especially if you have employees, if you run businesses, if you lead anything, you do anything. Sometimes you have to identify this person needs to be dealt with because if I keep them under my wing, it's going to hurt me. It's going to harm me. And you know what? As a pastor of this church, if I just tolerate everything and tolerate everyone, it'll hurt me and it'll hurt you and it'll hurt all of us. So that's why we have some rules. That's why we have some discipline issues. The Bible says in Proverbs 22 verse, I believe it's 10, yeah. Cast out the scorner and contention shall go out. Yea, strife and reproach shall cease. Some people are just on a hair trigger to pick a fight with you. They're against you and they're against everything you do. They take everything personally. I can't tell you how many times somebody gets mad at me about something I said, thinking it's about them, and it's not. Now here's the thing. Some people have come to me and they're like, hey, this is about me. And I'm like, yes. Now usually that's just my default answer just because I just want them to realize. Because here's the thing. If you're triggered, it was obviously about you. But it's not that I was personally thinking that. I didn't know. It's the Holy Spirit that pricked your heart and told you, hey, this is about you, buddy. Hey, this one's about you. But I've literally had people tell me, like, hey, you're saying this about me specifically. And I'm like, no. I'm like, if it was, I would just tell you. It's not like I wouldn't tell you. It's so funny. It's like, hey, if it's about you, then I'm just going to be like, yeah, it's about you. You know, because you know what? I'm not afraid of telling you it's about you. Now from a congregational perspective, I try to just preach what the Bible says and keep things, you know, applicable to a lot of people. But obviously sometimes it applies more to other people than others. And you know it is what it is. But I don't think it would be healthy for a church for me to just literally start naming everybody every time I make an application. Right? I don't think you want that to be church. And then at the same time, it also wouldn't be beneficial if I never said anything that applied to anyone in the room. What would you like for me to do? Say like, hey, every time you preach, it's had nothing to do with me at all ever. How is that beneficial? Like, what's the point of even showing up? I want to talk about, you know, evolutionary scientists. Everything I'm going to say only applies to them. Like, why do you even care? Like, shouldn't I be preaching to save people? What if I only preach the gospel? Aren't there some pastors that are only preaching the gospel? Does that apply to you? Wouldn't you get a little sick and tired of it if I'm just keep telling you guys how to get saved? Wouldn't you be like, man, it would be nice if you could preach something about being saved. Or like, after being saved. Or like, something about, you know, marriage. Or something about husbands. It's like, hey, was that sermon about husbands about me? Or are you a husband? Then yes. You know, it's like, why do you, why are you getting offended about sermons being about you? You know, you should hope that every sermon is about you. That's what I feel. You know, when I see a sermon and it's like, how to be a good housewife. I'm like, I don't want to listen to this. I'm like, honey, here you go. You know, like, I'm not that interested, right? I'm hoping, I'm hoping that it's about me. You know what I mean? But it's just so funny. And the, the, the scorner, then he, he's just like getting offended and mad and everything's about him. And it's just, it's just everybody being a little bit selfish and kind of narcissistic about everything. But you know what? If it's about you, then just make the change anyways. Right? I mean, what's, what's the point? Here, here's the thing. If it's about you, that's not the more important question. Here's the important question. Is it what the Bible said? Is it true? It's like, hey, you said I did this thing that's wrong. But did you? You know, like, well, let's talk about that. Instead of talking about, you know, whether or not it's about you or not. Let's just see, is that what the Bible actually says? Are you guilty of that? Then, you know, let's deal with that issue. You know what I mean? But let's just be honest. Some people are unreasonable. Some people need to be dealt with. That's what the Bible says in verse number nine. It says there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. Bad employees. People that are going to stab you in the back. Judas Iscariot, who's going to betray you with a kiss. I mean, Jesus Christ poured his ministry into this guy, gave him all kinds of different things, helped and loved him, and then he literally stabs him in the back. You know, think about the Apostle Paul saying, Demas hath forsaken me. The Apostle Paul saying, all of Asia is turned away from me. We have the Apostle John saying, man, diatrophes. He loves to parade against us with malicious words. I mean, you have the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts in chapter number 20. He's saying, hey, I know even some of you elders, even some of you guys are going to start speaking perverse things, trying to draw away disciples after yourself. You know, and he said, I warned you night and day with tears because people are going to turn against you. People are going to go against you. You're going to have constant people just backstabbing you, attacking you, being a traitor, being a truce maker. You know, there is a reason why I hired Brother Dylan Oz to come work for our church, and let me tell you his number one, two, three, four, five, six reason I hired him, because he's loyal. Because, man, you know, there's so many problems someone can have, and look, Dylan has a couple of problems, okay, but I'm not going to tell that to you, but being loyal is not one of them. He is loyal, and you know what? I like that. And you know what he's loyal to? The Bible. You know what he's loyal to? Good men. You know what he's loyal to? The truth. And you know what? I like people like that, and I like people that are humble, and you know, it's just frustrating when people just stab you in the back. It's frustrating when people go against you, but you know what? If you stick around long enough, you're going to see it so many times. You're going to see it just happen over and over again, and you know what? It's just frustrating. It's not fun. It's not enjoyable. I didn't write the Bible. I didn't write Ecclesiastes chapter 8. I didn't write verse 9. We're just reading the Bible, and it said, hey, sometimes you have someone, and they just stab you in the back, right? It's all over the Bible. That's what the Bible says. Look at verse 10. And so I saw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This is also vanity. Now, it's just, you know, basically just saying, some people, they lived their entire life just being evil. They're just like a troll. They're just like a hater, and they just live a wicked life, and then he's saying once they die, it's like their entire life was so pointless. It was just like, you know, it's just so funny to me how many people watch our sermons and they hate them. And I'm like thinking, like, you know, like, that's a lot of time. Like, just think about how much commitment. I mean, I remember I interviewed this guy called the friendly atheist. Who's heard of this guy, okay? I actually sat down with him, and you know what? I'll be honest, he was friendly, at least in our conversation. So, hey. Hey, you lived up to your name, buddy. Friendly atheist, okay? I'm talking to this guy. He says he listens to every single one of my sermons. I'm not saying, I'm not making that up. He's telling me, and not just me. Like, all of our pastor friends, and not just our pastor friends, all kinds of pastors, Greg Locke and just, like, Pentecostals and all these people, I mean, this guy is just listening to just hours and hours and hours of preaching that he hates. He's an atheist, folks. And it's like one day he's going to die, and it's going to be like your entire life was pointless. It's so funny, there's all these people that just hate pastors and hate the new IFB, and they hate Pastor Anderson, and they hate all these people, and they want them to be destroyed, and I'm thinking, like, no, you don't. Your life would be over. That would be the saddest thing for you, you know, if we didn't exist because you'd have nothing to do anymore, right? I mean, they live on this stuff, okay? Hey, you know what? There's plenty of haters that are going to exist out there. There's plenty of people, and you know, just don't live your life being a hater. And, you know, there's plenty of people that are not just a hater. They're just wicked. I mean, they just live their whole life drinking alcohol, being a drunk. There's people that go out and just commit fornication their entire life. There's people that live a whole life of smut, of filth, of just degeneracy, and then they're going to die, and it was just all just meaningless because, you know what? Sin is meaningless just as much as living carnally. You could be a Mormon and live a very sinless, you know, life, living a pretty separated life and die, and it's meaningless, and you could live a gangbanger, just drug dealer life, and it's also vain. The only thing that matters in life is serving God. That's the only thing that has any value. That's why it says at the very end, Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. There's the whole point of the book of Ecclesiastes, just trying to explain to you, I don't care which way we slice it, being good, vain. Being bad, vain. Being good and bad, vain. You know, it's just like it doesn't matter because, you know what, even if you're wicked, it really doesn't matter at the end of the day. Most of the wicked people, we don't even know who they were. It was just a complete meaningless thing, and notice this, they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. All their troll comments, nobody even remembers anymore. All the slander and all the railing and all the lies and all the drugs and all the alcohol and all of the weird stuff that they did, becoming a Hindu. There was somebody that's a sworn enemy of our church that is now a Hindu, and it's just so funny. It's just like, what in the world? Like, this person's a Hindu? You know, it's just like, whatever. I mean, it's just so funny. It's like these people, we call them out and say, these people are frauds or whatever, and people will be a bleeding heart towards them. It's like, are you still going to be a bleeding heart towards them when they're a literal Hindu? I don't know. I give up, okay? Look at verse 11. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully setting them to do evil. You know, because we don't actually execute criminals like we should, like murderers and rapists and all those kind of things in our country, that's why it's so dangerous. If, man, they got caught, we got the witnesses, we had a fair trial, we had sufficient evidence, it's beyond a reasonable doubt, and we just executed them within a week or something, yeah, people would stop committing as much murder. People would stop committing some of these grievous sins. It would actually be really beneficial to our society. It says in verse 12, Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days which are as a shadow, because he feareth not before God. There's a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there be just men unto whom it happeneth, according to the work of the wicked. Again, there be wicked men to whom it happeneth, according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. Now, this couplet, or this triplet, I guess, of verses here is kind of trying to help you explain something. Generally speaking, wicked people have miserable, evil lives that end short. Good people have happy, blessed lives that last a very long time. But there's always exceptions. And that's basically what he's saying. He's trying to make it very clear that it's not going to be well with the wicked, he's not going to live a long life. Because why? Because he doesn't fear God. And, I'm sorry, that was verse 13. Verse 14, though, is then he's trying to explain, but there are some just people that get what the wicked deserve, get that short life and bad things happen to them and whatever. And then sometimes there's wicked people who they get the life that's kind of like the blessed guy, where everything happens for them good and they end up living these long lives. And what he's trying to help you understand, though, is the exception does not prove the rule. And that we can't base our judgments on the few wicked guys that live these long lives and are successful, because then we'll have the wrong, perverted judgment, and we will think that there isn't really a consequence. But look, there's many of evil people that are getting judged according to the Bible, it's the vast majority of them, and the vast majority of the righteous are getting what they deserve, but of course there's always going to be exceptions. And so we have to be careful, because we don't want to necessarily accuse Job, but at the same time we don't want to live where we're all Job. Some people are Job. Not everybody is Job. And so we have to be careful, and sometimes we don't always know. Of course, time will always tell. We'll eventually find out who's Job and who's not. But generally speaking, sometimes there's going to be exceptions. It says in verse 12, we kind of skipped over it, but it's the same concept. Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God. Notice he's saying, look, some people, they just get away with it. And even though they're punished a ton of times, they just keep living, and they just keep going. Sometimes life is confusing. You're just thinking, when is this guy going to get what's coming? But you know what? When God punishes them, it's a very severe, quick judgment. That's what the Bible says. For the sake of time, I don't want to read all this psalm, but go to Psalm 73. I just want to read a few verses of it, because it parallels with this, and it's the same concept being brought up. I like to go sometimes in a Bible study to another place, just to show you that my interpretation is taught in multiple places. Of course, the Bible brings up the same concepts over and over and over, and that's good, and that's important, because a lot of times people, you'll explain a passage to them, and then they're like, I don't think that's right. But you're like, well, look, it's everywhere. It's here, it's there, it's in the Old Testament, it's in the Proverbs, it's in the New Testament, it's in all these different places, and that's to help us recognize, hey, this is the right doctrine, because it's just taught over and over and over. We see that same pattern, the same example. Psalm 73, look what it says in verse 1. Truly God is good to Israel, even as such as art of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped, for I was envious of the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Notice, hey, I'm envious of the wicked, because it seems like they're doing good. They've got a lot of money. And this chapter just details all the good things that are happening with the wicked. I mean, we just keep reading all the verses, it's just like, verse 4, for there are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm. It's just like, they're not dying, they're not having loss, blah, blah, blah. Skip down to verse 16. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me. He's like, man, when I look at all these wicked people prospering, it just makes me just sick. It makes me physically hurt to think how good their life is and how mine's not like that. Then he says, in verse 17, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their it. So he's like, you know what, the only thing that'll fix your thinking is the Bible. Going into the house of God, hearing the word of God being preached, and realizing, oh, yeah, that person's going to hell, though. I mean, does it really matter? Oh, this guy had all these cool girlfriends, or he had all this money, and he had all this success, and he had all this fame, and I was really envious of him. But then I realized he's going to be burning in hell for all of eternity. And I was like, oh, yeah, I guess it's not that great. I mean, whatever carnal pleasures you could have in this world, whatever fame, fortune, whatever good things you could have in this life, it doesn't matter. I mean, the Bible literally describes this guy in Luke. The Lord Jesus Christ is talking about a rich man that fared sumptuously every single day. Now, I added the single there for emphasis, but the Bible's saying that the rich man fared sumptuously every day. What does that mean, sumptuously? It was plentiful. It was overbounding. He basically just had everything he could want, everything he needed. Just every day was good. Just a good day, good day, good day, good day, good day, good day, good day, and then hell. Then he died, and he lifted up his eyes, and hell, being in torment, cried unto Abraham, Father Abraham. You know what? He wasn't thinking about all those days that he fared sumptuously anymore. Oh, I don't like going to the Baptist church. I don't like serving God. You know what? There's worse fates than being in this room stuck with me preaching at you, okay? And just praise God that you're not going to hell already. Now, of course, you don't have to come here to escape hell. All you have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. One time, you're good. But you know what? God can still punish us while on earth. And here's the thing why it's important to go to church is he can't be punished in heaven, so you know where you're going to get punished? Here. And because you've probably been coming to this church for a while, you probably have a lot of knowledge. You've probably learned a lot. And you know what? God holds those that know a lot more responsible than those who know less. So be careful how much you learn, okay? Be careful how you hear is what the Bible says. You know, it's like dangerous to learn a lot of Bible if you're not willing to do it. You know, and I'm just throwing it out there. It's really bad for the people that know what to do and know what they should be doing and them not doing it. Now, again, God's still merciful. God's very gracious. Sometimes we can really screw up. Peter screwed up, and God was really merciful to him. And you know what? I would hope that everybody in this room would be like that. If we screw up, we get right with God. And the thing is that the problem we don't understand is when God punishes, it's such a severe punishment that that's why it takes so long. Because it's just sudden destruction. So it's not like, well, why aren't they getting, you know, these light chastisements? Why aren't they getting these scourgings? Because God doesn't scourge the bastards. He destroys them. God doesn't lovingly and kindly reprove and rebuke the bastards. He eliminates them. I mean, look what it says in verse number 18. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places. Thou cast them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation? As in a moment. They are utterly consumed with terror. So he's saying when God finally does something, it's over. So that's why it takes a while because it's not like they're going to get this slow burn necessarily. In many cases, when he judges the wicked, it's just Sodom and Gomorrah one day, just an ash heap the next day. I mean, think about how many people he judged just in like a moment. How about the flood? One day they're all partying, having fun, drinking, making merry, and then the next day it rains and they're all drowned and dead. Because when God judges, it's just like, bam. I mean, it's just that big bodyguard at the door that weighs 350, solid muscle, and you keep egging them on. It only takes one punch, okay? It's not like you're just like, why isn't he doing something? Because as soon as he does something, it's over, okay? As soon as God punishes, doomed. Damned. It's over. Sudden destruction. Well, but I just think they're getting away with it. But we don't know when that hammer's going to drop. We don't know, and when it drops, you know, one day they're buying shoes, the next day they're dead in an alley. You know? Go to Ecclesiastes, chapter number 8. You don't want to mess with God's people, because that sudden destruction will come upon you. Look at what it says in verse 15. Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing unto the sun than to eat and to drink and to be merry. For that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which God giveth him unto the sun. So you know what? Enjoy your life, though. The Bible doesn't say, like, don't still enjoy things. You know, you never know how much time you got. You never know how things could change. So you know what? Tomorrow, enjoy a good meal with your family. Don't just live this ascetic lifestyle where you never enjoy anything. You know what? You don't know if you're going to even... Like, I just want to save up all the money I have. You know, but you're going to lose all that probably. Have a nice meal. Have some fun. Enjoy your wife. Enjoy your husband. Enjoy your kids. Enjoy your life. Hey, you know, we're going to have a youth conference this weekend. Have some fun. Enjoy your kids. Hey, you know, there's been a lot of drama in the last few weeks. But I'll say this. I'm not letting any of that drama stop this conference, interfere, or even come into the play. You know what I'm not going to allow? I'm not going to allow kids to be punished for adult drama. And you know what? We should celebrate our children, and we should do good under our children. And you know what? We shouldn't allow our circumstances to stop us from enjoying the good that God has given us. Enjoy your family. Enjoy your kids. Take them out to the park. You know, I just remember when we were going through COVID, and I'd go outside, and it's like beautiful. It's beautiful, and the birds are chirping. And just everybody's like cowering in their little houses with masks on, just like... And we're just thinking like so many people could be outside like having fun and enjoying, going to the picnic, riding on a bike, doing all this stuff. And it's like this like mind virus that everybody's been infected with at that time, and it was just frustrating. And you know what? As the end times approach, and as we get closer to Christ, the world's going to get more dangerous. There's going to be more peril. There's going to be more evil. There's going to be more drama. There's going to be perilous times. The Bible says there's going to be more truce-bakers and more drama. And you know what? I wish I could say, hey, the next 40 years of Steadfast Baptist Church, we're going to have no drama. We're never kicking anybody out, no conflict. You know what? I just know that's not true at all. And if you're waiting for a time of peace to enjoy what you have right now, you're never going to enjoy it. Have some fun with your family. Enjoy your family tomorrow. Enjoy your family this weekend. Enjoy the meals that you have. God gave you some money to actually enjoy your life, not just to save up some trophy house or something. And again, I'm not against you having a nice house. Sometimes we need to save money for these things. We also shouldn't necessarily not enjoy the moments that we have in an effort to heap up riches. We need to, every once in a while, have some fun, enjoy the things that we have. The Bible says rejoice with the wife of thy youth. The Bible says that a man was not to go out to war for the first year of his marriage, but was to cheer up his wife. The Bible talks about the importance of enjoying the things that you have and taking the time. At some point, our kids are going to be grown and old. And this is the moment to enjoy them. This is the moment to enjoy toddlers and to enjoy the young adolescents and to enjoy the teenagers, if you can, and to enjoy them as they get older. Enjoy your grandkids and enjoy the people that you have in your life. Enjoy your older parents. Here's a sad reality. I would love to go back in time and spend more time with my mom. You know, it makes me really sad. It almost makes me cry sometimes when I think about my mom not getting to hang out with my kids. That hurts my heart. And you know what? You guys that have an opportunity to do it, do it. Enjoy the things that you have. That's what God has given us. I commended mirth. What is mirth? Mirth is joy, happiness. We are to fellowship. That's another great aspect of this church is the fellowship of this church. Some churches, a lot of people just show up, and then within five minutes, they're gone. And you know what's the cool thing about this church? It's kind of cool is how we have to kick you out of the building, okay? I mean, there's times where we're just like, man, I'm glad you like each other, but bye. See you later. And look, I'm not telling you to get out right after service, like, you know, you don't have to stay forever, okay? Praise God for the young singles that like to stick around. I really appreciate them. But you know what? God gave us some time to enjoy, too. Let us enjoy the moments we have. We work most of the time, but when you get a time to enjoy, enjoy. Verse 16, when I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done under the earth, for also there is that neither day nor night, see you sleep with his eyes. Then I beheld all the work of God, and a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun, because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it. Yea, further, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. So, you know, the last point I'll make, and I'm sorry, it was a little bit of a longer sermon, but you weren't going to go home for a couple of hours anyway, so. No, I'm just kidding. But he's basically just saying that God can see everything, right? Whether it's day or night, he's not sleeping. God doesn't sleep. God's always paying attention. Because you realize that there's daytime all the time, somewhere. Right? Somewhere, someone's waking up in the morning. Somewhere, someone's doing work today. Somewhere, someone's having lunch. Somewhere, someone's having dinner. Somewhere, someone's, you know, in the Earth's sphere, of course, right? But even if you're a flat-tard, there's still daylight the whole time, okay? So this is just a true fact, that God is always paying attention, God's always seeing, and even if you tried to figure out everything, you never can. I tried to look at all the work that's done under the sun, and even if I seek it out, what does he say? Yet he shall not find it. So how did the Bible start in this chapter? It started like, who is as the wise man? And he's saying, even if you seek it out, you still can't figure out everything. That's why we need to humble ourselves and be a constant seeker of truth, a constant seeker of wisdom. We need to not always trust in our own opinion. We need to lean not on our own opinion. We need to trust in the Lord with all our heart. And you know, we should consider the multitude of counselors. We should consider people that are actually wise, people that are actually successful, ask their opinion. You know, there's people that do care about you. You know, if you don't think that I care about you, then go find a pastor that cares about you and ask him to help you. You know what, we should at least consider the pastors that God's given us in this world and consider their opinion, consider their advice. You know, if you want medical advice, ask doctors. If you want parent advice, ask parents that have raised really good kids. If you want advice on marriage, ask a couple that's been married for 50 years. Ask a couple that's been married for 60 years. You know, you want to know how to be a good employee, ask a boss. You want to know how to be a good boss, ask a boss. Ask somebody that's really successful in business if you want to be good at business. And we need to make sure that we're seeking wisdom from the right people and we're seeking wisdom from the person that created everything. He's a pretty good source. You want to learn about computers? Learn who created them. So you want to learn about the universe? Ask the guy that spoke it all into existence. He's pretty good at it. He's pretty good at telling you how this works. And of course, we'll never get it all, we'll never learn it all. But you know what? We should still seek to learn as much as we can every single day. Let's close in prayer. Thank you Heavenly Father so much for our church. Thank you so much for the wisdom that you've given us. Thank you for giving us instructions so that we could have some light in this dark world. I pray that you would just help motivate us to seek wisdom and to follow the applications that you give us in the Bible. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Alright, in closing, let's go to song number 274. Song number 274. Take me every year. Come unto me. I will give you rest. Take my hope upon you. Hear ye and be blessed. I am eke and lowly. Come and trust my God. Come, my yoke is easy. And my burden's wide. Are you disappointed? Wandering here and there. Dragging chains about and blowing down with care. Do not only feeling the struggle in your breast. Bring your peace to Jesus. He will give you rest. Come unto me. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Hear ye and be blessed. I am eke and lowly. Come and trust my God. Come, my yoke is easy. And my burden's wide. Stumbling on the mountains, dark with sin and shame. Stumbling toward the pit of hell's consuming flame. I live hours of sin, deluded and depressed. Hear the tender said word, come to me and rest. Come unto me. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Hear me and be blessed. I am eke and lowly. Come and trust my God. Come, my yoke is easy. And my burden's wide. And have you by temptation often conquered men. As a sense of weakness brought distress within. Christ will sanctify you if your claim is best. In the Holy Spirit, he will give you rest. Come unto me. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Hear me and be blessed. I am eke and lowly. Come and trust my God. Come, my yoke is easy. And my burden's wide. Great singing everybody, you are all dismissed. . . . . .