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

The part of the chapter that I want to look at for the sermon this evening was a verse four of the Bible read, answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him, answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. Now these two verses oftentimes are brought to Christians by an atheist or an unbeliever to say, oh, there's contradictions in the Bible, right? Because it actually has the exact opposite statement in both these verses. One says answer a fool, one says answer not a fool, so which one is it? Well, I believe that it's very clear what the Bible is teaching here and we understand it from the latter part of the verse, but what is the Bible saying here? The Bible is saying when someone asks you a stupid question, okay, when they ask a foolish question, you should not answer the question according to their foolish or stupid logic. Sometimes people ask a question and it's very foolish or stupid. Here's one. Could God make a rock so heavy that even he himself could not lift it? So if you're going to go down their logic, you would try to answer their question according to this. Well, God's really strong, but you know rock. That's not how you're supposed to respond. You're not supposed to answer according to their folly, but the Bible still teaches you should still answer them, lest he's wise in his own conceit. Many times what the atheist or what these type of people are trying to do is they're trying to stump you. They're trying to ask you a question where you get dumbfounded and you say, I don't know. I mean, I can't figure it out. It's like a chicken or an egg type of question that they're trying to do, and Jesus Christ himself was often asked these type of questions. He was often asked, you know, these little riddles or these little things where people are trying to stump him, they're trying to confound him, and he does not answer their question according to their folly, but he does answer them lest they're wise in their own conceit. So that's what the Bible is clearly teaching here. Go to Matthew 22. Let's see this in action. Now the reason why that's such a stupid and foolish question is because God is not a finite being, so of course God could not create some finite object that could limit him because he's infinite. This is just like saying, look, since he's the truth, he could never lie. Some people say, well, if God can do anything, could he lie? The answer is no. Why? Because the truth can never be a lie. Something that's infinite could never be limited by something that's finite. We also understand that God is omnipotent, but what some people misunderstand this as, that God will do anything, that's not what omnipotent means. Omnipotent means all powerful. Omnipotent means you have all authority, but the Bible clearly says that there's certain things God can't do. He can't lie. Why? Because it would be wrong, because it's wicked, because it's unrighteous, and God is holy, God is perfect. There's no way that he could ever lie. And when we see Jesus Christ on this earth, all the unbelievers, all the people that want to attack him, they're constantly trying to ask him questions, not because they're interested in the answer, but because they're trying to stump him, because they're trying to trick him, because they want to falsely accuse him, and the Sadducees were one of these groups of people. The Sadducees are like our modern-day atheists today. They just don't believe certain portions of the Bible. The Bible tells us the Sadducees are the ones that didn't even believe in resurrection. They don't even just believe many of the parts of the Bible. Look at Matthew 22, verse 23. It says, the same came to him, the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren, and the first, when he had married a wife deceased, and having no issue, left his wife unto his brother. Likewise, the second also, and the third unto the seventh. And last of all, the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven, for they all had her. So what are they trying to do? They're trying to build a question, they're trying to build a scenario that would make the resurrection look foolish, because they don't believe in the resurrection. So they're asking this question to try and stump Christ, to where Christ would be like, I don't know. I mean, I guess that they all had her. I don't get it. You know, I guess the resurrection doesn't really make any sense. That's what they want him to say, okay? But let's see what he says. Jesus answered and said to them, ye do err. You just say, you're wrong. You know, some people, they're so offended today, they can't even just be told they're wrong. You know what Jesus would tell people? Hey, you're wrong. Ye do err. That's it. You got it wrong, buddy. Then he says, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. Not only that, he tells them they're stupid. Look, you're wrong, because you don't know the Bible. He's just straightforward. He's not cutting corners. He's not being nice about it. Maybe you misunderstood something in the Bible. No, he's just like, you're wrong. You don't understand the Bible. You're a stupid idiot. You're a fool. That's what he's telling them in modern vernacular, nor the power of God. Look at verse 34. In the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. So he does answer them, does he not? I mean, he still gives them an answer. It's just not the answer they wanted. And it's not according to their folly. He's not going down their trap. He's not trying to explain to them how, well, maybe it's the first guy, because he was the first one, so he gets the rights and the inheritance. No, it's really the last guy, because he's the last guy. He's not answering their question according to their folly, right? But he's still answering, lest they be wise in their own conceit. He's letting them know, you do err. You don't know the Bible. You don't understand the power of God. You're foolish. He's not getting the Bible, and then he goes on by saying in verse 31, but as touching the resurrection of the dead. Now why did Jesus say this? Because he already knew why they asked the question. They didn't really care. It's not like they actually had this scenario and they're worried, like, is she my wife or is she yours? We don't know. They are asking this question because they don't believe in the resurrection, and Jesus Christ already knew that. That's why he's going to tell them, well, as touching the resurrection of the dead, let me just help you out here, buddy. Have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine. So you see, Jesus Christ, he answers them quickly from the Bible, shuts them up and shuts them down. You see that he doesn't argue with them. He's not contending with them. He still answers their question, right? But he doesn't allow them to win in the sense that, hey, he's not able to, you know, defeat their stupid logic. It's just he doesn't go down their stupid logic train. And a lot of people, they get caught up in these stupid, foolish arguments and they go down these stupid, foolish trains of thought with other people. We ought to just stop it with God's word and then just move on. We ought to just turn the corner and say, you know what, that's a stupid question. And you know what, your school teacher, she was wrong. Hey, there's no such thing as a stupid question. That was a stupid statement. And yes, there are stupid questions. The Bible tells us to avoid foolish questions, okay, that there's stupid things that could be asked. You know, the fool has said in his heart there is no God. That's stupid. That's a stupid statement. You know, somebody that was just knocking doors today, we're knocking doors and he says, you think you have all the answers, don't you? And I was like, well, I don't have all the answers, but I do know I'm going to heaven. I do know 100% sure. Could I show you? He's like, well, I already know you're wrong because if you think that you have the answer to anything, then you don't know anything at all. It's like the closer you get to the truth, the further you are away from understanding anything. I'm like, are you sure about that? Look, these, I wanted to just be like, that's stupid. That's dumb. And maybe I should have, but what is the title of the sermon? Well, the title of the sermon is stupid things Christians say. There's a lot of things that Christians say that are just stupid. And so we're going to look at some of these and we're going to see how do I from the Bible actually answer these stupid questions? And I hear a lot of people say this kind of stuff. There are things that you've heard before, but let's see how from a Bible perspective do we understand them? Go if you would. I want you to go to Romans chapter 12, Romans chapter number 12. And the reality is when Jesus Christ was contending with these Sadducees, Pharisees, any of these people at any point in time, he did not sit down and try to just baby them. He didn't give them lots of opportunity. The Bible says, he that is of God heareth God's words. You hear them not because you're not of God. And a lot of times we get frustrated. We're like, hey, I showed him A, B, C, D, E. They still don't get it. Let me show you a verse. The reason why he's not getting it is not of God. That's a hard truth, I think, for a lot of people. But even saved Christians, they can sometimes just be resistant to the truth. They can have their conscience seared with a hot iron. They're not willing to do here. They're ignorant. But the Bible says, he that is ignorant, let him be ignorant still. It's not our job to try and contend with people all the time. We ought to have a good answer. We ought to be ready to provide good solutions, but we ought not sit here and just constantly contend with people and have to fall all over themselves and go down their stupid, logical train. You know what should we say? That's wrong. This is what the Bible says. See you later. And he that is of God is going to hear God's words. He's going to like it that you help them understand what the Bible really said. But here's my first one. I have 10 for the evening. The first thing, the stupid things that Christians say, hate the sin, love the sinner, right? From Mahatma himself, you know, he's saying, where does that say in the Bible? It doesn't. That's your first problem. You know, a lot of Christians are quoting things, they don't even realize it's not even the Bible, do they? Hate the sin, love the sinner. But let's just stop for a second. Before we even get down to the Bible, okay, let's just apply this logically, okay? Imagine I walked up and punched you in the face and say, man, don't you hate it when people punch people in the face? We should hate that, but you need to love me, right? I mean, imagine a husband going to his wife and be like, don't you hate it that people commit adultery? Well, you can't be mad at me for it, though. Let's just be mad at adultery, but you still need to love me, right? Why don't you go to the cops and into the, you know, the United States Legal Service when a cop pulls me over? Man, don't you hate speeding, officer? Well, I do too, but you got to love me. You know, they're detaching the sin from the sinner. You know where the sin came from? The sinner. If it wasn't for the sinner, we wouldn't have the sin. So if you actually hate the sin, you're going to despise the fact that the person committed the sin. It's just common sense. It's just logic. Man, let's just hate murder together, you know? Let's just hate, you know, punching people. Let's hate anything. No, let's actually get mad at the person committing the sin. That's the real logic. That should be the source. You know, I don't hate pedophilia. I also hate the pedophile. You know who commits pedophilia? Pedophiles! And if we put them all to death, then we wouldn't have pedophilia. If you really hate pedophilia, why don't you put all the pedophiles to death? If you really hate rape, why don't you put all the rapists to death? You know, the sad thing is, I wish that Christians actually even just believe this, though. They don't even hate the sin anymore. Let's put the Sodom flag out and let's say, let's love the sin and the sinner today, right? I mean, they don't even hate adultery anymore. They don't even hate fornication. They don't even hate drunkenness. They don't even hate sodomy. I mean, when's the last time you even heard a Baptist pastor get up and just say, well, sodomy's wicked, even if we let them in the church? No, they're embracing it, aren't they? Oh, God made you that way. God thinks you're special. I mean, this is not even an accurate statement, obviously, but they're not even believing that anymore, it seems like. They don't even hate the sin. They love the sin and they love the sinner. Let's go down the stupid Gandhi logic for a second, okay? Should we hate sin? Yes, we should hate sin. Look at what it says in Romans chapter 12 verse 9. Let love be without assimilation. Abhor that which is evil. Cleave to that which is good. So according to the Bible, we ought to hate sin. But the obvious consequence of that is you're going to attach the sin to the person that committed the sin. That's the obvious connection. Now according to the Bible, we're not supposed to hate our brother, period. I mean, if someone's saved, we're never supposed to hate them. The Bible also says that we should love the lost. I mean, we should want them to be saved. We should want them to come into the knowledge of the truth. But that doesn't mean that I have to tolerate their sinful habits. That does not mean I have to embrace their sinful habits. And also, this is where people are really saying this. Why would someone say we should hate the sin and love the sinner? Because I'm rebuking someone for their sin, right? That's where really someone would make this foolish statement. But go over to Leviticus chapter 19. How do I abhor that which is evil? Like what's my methodology? What is the vehicle in which I can hate this sin? Do we just write on a board the word adultery and let's look at this and hate this and abhor this? You know, if you actually abhor adultery, you know what you're going to do? When someone in your life commits adultery, you're going to tell that person that they're wicked to their face. Why? Because you actually hate adultery. You know what you do to the murderer? You put him to death because you hate murder. So you're actually going to punish the person that commits the sin if you hate the sin. If you don't, guess what? You hate that person. You hate your society and you hate God. You hate all the things that are holy and righteous. Let's see what the Bible says in Leviticus chapter 19 verse 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart, thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor and not suffer sin upon him. So what does the Bible say? The Bible says when someone sins, okay, you know what I'm supposed to do? I'm supposed to rebuke them. I'm supposed to tell them, hey, that adultery is wicked. You're a wicked person. You're a wicked person for getting drunk. You're a wicked person for doing drugs. You're a wicked person for talking bad about your wife. You're a wicked person for gossiping and railing and lying. That is how you hate the sin. And you know what? Whenever you have an angry countenance, it's going to draw away that backbiting tongue. That backbiting tongue is going to run away. It's going to flee away. And then you're actually going to solve something. You know, back in the 50s and 60s, I mean, when people would commit wicked sin, everybody would look down on them. You know what? It would cause them to not want to commit that sin. Oh, she has a bad reputation for being a whore. Well, don't be a whore. Then you don't get a bad reputation. But now we praise the whore. We put the whore in the television. We tell the whore how great she is and how hoarse she looks. They don't even hate the sin anymore. So it's really a stupid statement in and of itself. They don't even believe it anymore. But here's the problem. People try to answer this according to their logic, according to their folly. Look, I'm just going to say, you do err, not knowing the scriptures. Because what you're really trying to tell me is I shouldn't be rebuking somebody. But let me show you where the Bible says I should be rebuking them. That's how I'm going to answer that stupid question. That's how I'm going to answer that stupid statement is by going to Leviticus 19 and pointing out, why don't I hate my brother so, you know what, I'm going to rebuke him when he sins. Because that's why they bring up that stupid garbage statement. Well, I love, you know, hate the sin, love the sinner. You know, I am going to love that sinner, so I'm going to tell him what a wicked person he is. I'm going to tell him the sin that he did was wicked so that he won't do it. You know, the Bible says, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous, therefore, and repent. I'm going to look down on sin by rebuking people when they sin. That's going to be the greatest way to actually hate that sin. Now go if you went to Matthew chapter number seven, Matthew chapter number seven. Some people also say, well, is it, you know, in that first question, love this, love the sinner. Some people say, what about the worst sin, right? Now the Bible says about God himself. He says, God judges the righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day. So God's actually angry, not just at the sin. He's angry at the sinner because that's the person that violated the commandments of him. That's the one that's at fault. He doesn't hate inanimate objects. God's not up in heaven like, I just hate adultery. I don't know what it is, but I just hate it. No, he hates the adulterer. No, he hates the wicked person. He hates the atheist. He's angry with the people that are rebelling against him, the people that are idolaters, the people that reject him, the people that will never believe in him. God has nothing but hate and anger and wrath towards those people. Now God so loved the world. He did give his only begotten son. The Bible teaches that he died for everyone. Jesus Christ tasted death for every man. So in a sense, God loved everybody, period. Okay. But notice that the most popular verse in the Bible is a past tense verse. Ever noticed that? For God so loved the world. You know what he is right now? He's angry with the wicked every day. And the Bible says, even in the same chapter, he that does not believe on the son hath the wrath of God abiding on him. Right now. That means that God's angry with that person right now. You say, oh, is God angry at the sin? Yeah, he's angry at the sinner, though. That's the person that's causing these type of sins. And even us, the Bible teaches that we should not love God's enemies, people that hate God and detest God. It says, Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? Am I not grieved with those that rise up against me? Now, those are good things to look at and talk about. But when someone says hate the sin, love the sinner, they don't really want you to go down a Roman's road and explaining the reprobate doctrine and usually get them kind of more confused. I'm going to go straight to Leviticus 19. Why? Because that's really why they're asking that question. That's really why they're making that type of a statement is because they don't want you to rebuke somebody for their sin. So I'm just going to answer their, you know, I'm not going to let them be wise in their own conceit and think because you'll say, well, the Bible does teach us some people we should hate. They'll be like, I don't believe that. You know what? If you just show them a clear verse that says it's hatred not to rebuke your neighbor. You know, he that is ignorant, let him be ignorant still after that. What's another one they'll say? This is very similar. Same context. They'll say, judge not. Right. Christians will. I mean, I knock on so many doors. Well, who am I to judge? I don't judge anybody. I never judge. We're supposed to not judge. What does the Bible say? Well, Matthew seven, verse one, judge not. Oh, I guess they're right, huh? That you be not judged. So if we don't want to be judged, we ought not to judge. What does it say in verse two though? For with what judgment you judge, ye shall be judged. And with what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you again. So now in a sense, maybe they're making a little bit of sense because this obviously most of the people that say this, they don't know the Bible. They're obviously living very wicked lives, so they don't really want to be judged according to the Bible right now because they're going to be found wanting. They're going to come short of the glory of God in a lot of ways. But what the Bible is really teaching here is in a sense that we should not be hypocritical in our judgments, and we should at least be willing to be measured by the same measure that we judge others with, okay? What do I mean by that? Well, if I'm going to call someone wicked for committing adultery, guess what? If I commit adultery, I should be receiving of being called wicked. If I'm going to throw somebody out of the church for being in fornication, I should be willing to be thrown out of the church if I commit fornication. When I show people 1 John chapter number four, verse one, it says, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. You know what I'm telling people? Please judge every pastor. Please test them. Please try them. You know what? I'm willing for them to try me. I'm willing for them to open this book and hear what I'm saying and compare it and figure out if I'm true or not. And I say, you know what? I don't want you to just apply that to me, everyone. We would solve Christianity real quick if all the saved people would just actually try the spirits. They actually just opened their Bible. They weren't just ignorant of what the Bible said. So whatever judgment I have, I should be willing to be judged in the same way. And that's what God is saying to you. If you look down upon people for a particular sin or for a particular action, you ought to think, would I think the same thing about myself? This is more oftentimes in little ways. You look at somebody, how they deal with their kids or with their children, and you think, well, I wouldn't let my kids do that. The question is, would you? A lot of people say that. They don't have kids. You know, a lot of people, they have great parenting advice when they have no children. Why would I never let my kids do this? I would never let my kids say that. Then they have kids and they're like, oh, man, they keep saying that and doing that and I don't know anything about it. You don't really know until you're in that situation. And you ought not judge people with a spirit in which you would not be willing to be judged yourself. You ought not have a higher standard for others than you have for yourself. In fact, you ought to have the highest standard for yourself and then have a lot of grace for other people. You know, one practical step that I have for this is for myself, I have real high standards when it maybe comes to clothing or, you know, how much I'm going to read the Bible or church attendance or these type of things. And when people don't necessarily meet my personal standard, I don't have to look down upon them because I think that's great if they want to do their own thing. But it'd be hypocritical for me to think, you know what, I think everybody in this room ought to wear a suit and I come in a life beater, you know. I don't even show up to church, you know, and a lot of times people don't do it that directly. They'll have a standard really high on clothing, but you know what, they have a really low standard on food, you know. They just eat a bunch of junk food and they're really, you know, off on one category of their life and they're judging people in another. That's why the Bible talks about having a beam in your own eye and them having the, you know, moat in there. So it's important, whatever kind of judgments you're going to have towards other people, realize God knows your heart and God knows how you judge others and He's going to start judging you in the same way. When you see your children being unfair to a sibling and being hypocritical in their judgment, it makes you want to come down harsher on them. When you see them being forgiving and kind under their siblings, it makes you want to be gracious and kind unto them. That's how God interacts with us. So when someone says, I don't judge, well, first of all, that's a stupid statement because you know what judge means? Make a decision. I don't make decisions, okay. You're going to have a lot of problems, all right. How do you even know what clothes to put on? How do you know when to go to bed? How do you know how to get in the car? You know, I have to make a lot of judgments when I'm driving, left lane, turn, signal, where I'm going to go. Look, to say that you don't judge anybody is just an outright lie. But go if you would to John chapter 12, John chapter number 12, let's see how would I answer this type of a question. Well, the Bible first says, judge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment. I always point out the fact that Jesus Christ literally commands us to judge righteous judgment. Now how do you get righteous judgment? Whatever this says, not whatever I say. And in fact, whenever someone is saying judge not, I am not the person that's judging them. And I don't think we should. You know who really judges them? God. I'm just the messenger. I'm just the one pointing out, this is how God's judging you, my friend. This is what God's standard is. It doesn't change the fact that it's reality if I point it out or my friend points it out or they point it out, we're not judging you. And in fact, when Jesus Christ came on this earth, he wasn't judging anybody either. You know what? He was just the messenger. Look at what it says in John chapter 12 verse 46. I am coming light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not, for I came not to judge the world but to save the world. He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day, for I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak. You know, when I go out and knock on doors and I say, for all sin and comes short of the glory of God, that's not my judgment. I'm not judging you. God already did. And you came found wanting. I'm just the messenger. I'm just trying to help point you out how God's going to judge you, what God already said. So you know what? I'm not going to judge you. Judge not. Okay, great. I'm not going to judge you. I'm going to judge you what the Bible already said. And I'm going to let this book judge you. The only person that matters is God judging. Okay, well let's let God judge you real quick. All right? Let's see how you do. You want to go down some lists? You want to go down the list of Revelation 21.8? Now go to 1 Corinthians 5. So when someone wants to point out, hey, judge not, I'll say, okay, let's just let the Bible do all the judgment. Because Jesus said to judge righteous judgment. And you know what? This is all the righteous judgment right here. I won't judge you of my own accord. I'll let the Bible make all the declarations about you. And in fact, that's how we get righteous judgment. You know, if I tried to judge something of myself or of my own opinion, oftentimes it would be wrong. That's why the Bible teaches to not trust in yourself, but to trust in the Lord. And to lean upon His understanding. Not my own understanding. You know, Proverbs chapter number 3. And so a lot of people, they don't have a King James Bible. They don't believe it's the perfect word of God. They are their ultimate judge. And they don't even get that. If you truly want to have no judgment, which is not necessarily a bad thing, you would just lean upon this book and say, my opinion doesn't matter. You're right. I won't judge you. I'll let this book judge you. And guess what? It has a lot of things to say. But it's foolishness to say that I'm judging you when I'm just telling you what this book says. That's what, you know, ultimately that's what Christ even did. Christ did not come down to judge his own opinion of his own accord. He's just saying, well this is what the Father said, this is what Moses said, this is what the Bible is saying, let me just tell you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. God said that. You know? I'm just delivering you God's word. I'm not even speaking of my own accord. This is just what I was commanded to speak. Now here's the third thing that people say that's very stupid. Church is a hospital. I hear this all the time. And again, you're going to find a theme in a lot of these statements. What is the theme in all these statements? Please don't tell me anything I do is simple, right? Because if church is a hospital, what are they trying to say? Everyone's welcome. We should just let anybody come in. The most broken people are the ones that need the church the most, man. I mean the guys that are hurting, and the people that are suffering, those are the ones we need to minister to, because church is a hospital. Lies. That is not what the Bible teaches. That is not a biblical concept. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 5, look at verse 11. You know this list is the list of people that are worse off. The people that have the worst disease. Let's take their analogy, okay? The people that are the sickest. The people that have the most disease. They're not welcome in church, from a spiritual perspective. Now obviously I'm not saying because someone has some kind of illness or something they're not welcome in church. I'm saying in the spiritual sense, the person that's the fornicator, the person that's the railer, they're not welcome in the house of God, because church is not a hospital. You know what church is? It's a place to worship God. You know what? I don't even like going to hospitals. It's a bunch of sick people, you know? I feel yucky, even though they try to sterilize it and they try to make it all nice and clean. I still feel like, ugh, it's kind of gross here. I feel nervous. Most of the people there have a different ideology than I do. I don't like the hospital. I don't want to be in the hospital. You know what? I love coming to church. And I love being around people that are whole, that are healthy, that love the Lord. And in fact, even in the Old Testament, go through it in Numbers 12, we see an example of the same picture, where even in the Old Testament, church was never for the sick, okay? The sick, you know where they were taken? Without the camp. They're told to go away. Get away from us. You get better, then you come back. That's what the Bible teaches. You know, the Bible says in James chapter 4, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. You know what he tells you? Clean yourselves up. God doesn't like you coming and worshiping with dirty hands, with a dirty life. There used to be this expression, you know, this person's more nervous than a whore in church. And it's like, why did that go away? Because they stopped preaching against the whores, didn't they? Oh, because church is a hospital now. Well, this church ain't a hospital, all right, my friend? And you know what? The whore would be real nervous in this church. When I read 1 Corinthians chapter number 5. Why? Because she's supposed to be thrown out. Now, obviously, we're not talking about context of salvation. You know, when I go out, I'm trying to heal the lost, you know, save the lost. We're trying to help them understand that they're, you know, in need of a savior. They are wholly not a physician, so obviously, those people that are not saved, they need someone to show them the gospel so that they can get saved. But when we're in the context of church, it's not for people that are sick, spiritually and mostly physically. I mean, if you've got, you know, some kind of infectious disease, stay home. I don't want it. My kids don't want it. You know, some people, they'll bring in their sickness. They'll bring in the hives, and they'll bring in the chicken pox, and they'll bring in the lice, and they'll bring in, like, you stay home. You get it cleansed, and then you come back. That's what the Bible teaches. Look at Numbers chapter number 1. And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Had the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses, had they not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek above all men, which were upon the face of the earth. So what's happening? Well, first of all, I learned from this story, don't speak against the man of God because God gets really angry when you start speaking against Moses. And the thing is, is they're trying to downplay Moses's, you know, authority. They don't like how Moses kind of has the supreme leader, you know, all right, it's Moses. It's Moses program. It's not about Moses or whatever, right? But the Bible clarifies for us that Moses was very meek. Now some people that misunderstand the word meek, they think meek means timid. They think meek means shy. They think meek means weak. But that is not what the Bible means. Meekness, in this context, means that Moses is going to do exactly what God says. Whatever God says, Moses is going to do. And it's saying Moses was very meek, meaning he was never going to put himself in a position of leadership unless God was telling him for sure, you're the guy. You be the leader. In fact, he didn't want to do it. When you read the story, he's like, send someone else. Please put anybody else in the position. I don't want to do it. And God's like, no, you got to do it. And he's like, okay. Why? Because he's meek. Because if God said jump, he's going to jump. If God says you be the leader, Moses is like, I'm going to be the leader. If he said, Moses, you be the least of the brethren, I would have been the least of the brethren. And that's why God put him in charge. Because he was very meek. But he's getting attacked, okay, even by his own brethren. Sounds like the Lord Jesus Christ, right? Even his brethren didn't believe in him. Even his own brethren are falsely accusing him, being like, well, why are you? Why are you the Moses? Why are you the guy in charge, you know? But guess what? God gets very angry at this stupid railing accusation. Look at verse 10. And the Lord said unto Moses, if her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp seven days. And after that, let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days, and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. So what does the Bible say? Well, God cursed Miriam with leprosy, just right then and there. And then she was taken without the camp. And even Moses, think about this, he's being falsely accused by his sister and immediately he's asking for restoration from God, because he just loved people that much. I mean, they would say all manner of evil against Moses, and he still prayed for them, he still loved them. And we see God did not want her to be healed at this time. He wanted her to actually go out without the camp so she would learn her lesson. That's the point. That's the point of church discipline. That's the point of telling people they can't come to church, so that they get cleaned up, then they can come back. That's why the church as a hospital is a stupid idea, because then you don't heal anybody. You don't fix anybody. You actually cause more disease, more infection, more problems. By actually telling people, no, you need to fix your life, then come back, it actually helps people better. It actually gets things right. You know, when someone does something wrong, you should tell them, you're wrong. Get it right. Rebuke thy neighbor. Don't hate them in your heart. We should hate the sinners, you know, whenever they do wicked things. Now I'm saying in that context, I'm not saying hate your brother. I'm just saying we should rebuke them and tell them what they're doing is wrong. Now go, if you would, to Luke chapter number six. Luke chapter number six. You know, the Bible says, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you've learned and avoid them. So how could the Bible give us a clear commandment that says some people are not supposed to be in the church and be like, well, it's for everybody, you know. Church is a hospital. Well, it's not for these people. It's not for these heretics. The Bible says in Titus chapter three, a man that is in heretic after the first and second admonition rejects, knowing that he that is such is subverted and senteth being condemned himself. So if someone says church is a hospital, what they're trying to say, we should let everyone in. So if I show you first Corinthians five that says these people are thrown out, if I show you Romans chapter 16 that says avoid these people, if I show you Titus chapter three that says, hey, this person that's a heretic reject after the first and second admonition, you know, out of the mouth of two or three witnesses to ever be established, if they don't get it, you're going to, I'm going to just let you be ignorant still. Stupid thing to say. The Bible can clearly demonstrate there's some people that need to be thrown out of church and that's how we're going to always operate. What's the fourth thing that I have that people say they're stupid. They say the Bible says to love everyone. Now these have been kind of snowballing, very similar concepts. Now when we are approaching this subject, okay, I want to try and make it as concise and clear and easy to be articulated because a lot of us have family members, friends, people that'll bring up these type of arguments and if you were to try and explain the reprobate doctrine to somebody, it can be confusing and a lot of times it's just because people don't necessarily explain it very well. There's a lot of pieces of the puzzle. They've never really heard that. So I wanted to give you an argument or I wanted to give you some verses where you could just easily disprove this stupid idea, okay? So go if you would to Luke chapter 6, look at verse 27. But I say unto you, which here love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. This is what people will point to and they'll say love everyone, right? I mean who's heard this? Who's heard this from a family member, a friend, love everyone? Well let's just destroy it instantly. Go to 1 Corinthians 16, okay? If I said, if the Bible tells me to not love someone in the New Testament, does that not immediately disprove your stupid theory? I mean all I have to do is basically point to any person that I'm not supposed to love, that I have no love for and then instantly your stupid doctrine is thrown out the window. Well the Bible tells us there's certain people that are supposed to be cursed in the New Testament. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema marinatha. Oh I thought you were supposed to love everybody. This guy's saying let him be cursed, curse him. How can you say you love that person? Hey, if this person loves not Jesus Christ, curse him. Now obviously when we understand this verse, this is the reprobate doctrine, my friend. What is the reprobate doctrine? Hating God's enemies, hating the people that hate the Lord, them that rise up against him. I could take you to Psalms 139 and that's a good supporting verse, but let's just go New Testament, here's a verse, curse him. Go to Galatians chapter 1, let's get a secondary opinion. Is there another group of people that are supposed to curse? It's the same people though, FYI, alright? Galatians chapter number 1, this love everybody doctrine is easily disproven from many portions of the Bible. And so if I was going to talk to somebody, I'm just going to show them a couple clear verses that say look, there's some people supposed to curse. How can you say I'm supposed to love everyone? Now then, let's say they hear these words and they say, you know what, you're right. Then maybe you say, let me show you another group of people. Let's go to Romans 1, there's another interesting group of people that we're not supposed to love, alright? Then you can start showing them that. It's kind of like the appetizer to the entree, alright? Let's just understand a little bit before we get in a little bit deeper. Look at Galatians chapter 1 verse 8, but though we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, love them a bunch. Oh wait, that's not what it says, does it? Just be super kind. Let him be accursed. How many times do I need it? Well the Bible says you need it at least once more. Let's read again. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, then that you have received, let him be accursed. Now how many times in the Bible does it just directly repeat itself? Not that many. I think God's trying to sell us a message. We should not love those that have a false gospel. We should hate them. How can you go out and give the gospel every single week of your life and realize how many people are damned and be like, well that's great, all these false prophets. I mean, how many people do you run into that don't go to church? Virtually everybody I talk to says they at least go to church sometimes, occasionally, a little bit. How come none of them are saved? Because all these false preachers preaching a false gospel, let them be accursed. I have no love for these people. I have no love for someone damning someone's soul to hell. That's stupid. That's foolish. Come with me to stupid. Love everybody. Dumb. You do err, not knowing the scriptures. Let me show you 1 Corinthians 16. Let him be an anathema maranatha. That's who I hate. Those that hate God, they don't love the Lord Jesus Christ. They preach another gospel. Go to Romans chapter number 6. So those first four, they're kind of related, they're kind of similar. People don't want to be rebuked for their sin and people just want to love everyone. Just bring them all in, bring the sick in, bring the God haters in. What's another one that people will say? When you try to rebuke them for their sin, they'll say, well we're not under the law. We're under grace, man. Don't try to bring me back under the law, bro. I mean, we're under grace. We got so much grace today. Well let's see what the Bible says. Romans 6 verse 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you're not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we're not under the law but under grace? God forbid. So according to the Bible, we are not under the law. But what does that mean? That's the real question I have. First of all, it cannot mean that the law does not apply. And that would be the most important thing to probably get these people to understand. Because in these verses, it still says, shall we sin? Now the only way you can sin, let me help you out, you must have commandments. Where there is no commandment, there is no sin. Just look back at chapter 4, verse number 15. It says, because the law worketh wrath, for where no law is, there is no transgression. If you have no laws, then you have no transgression. Therefore, when it says we're not under the law, that does not mean that there is not still laws of God that we're supposed to follow. That has nothing to do with what it's trying to teach. All of God's laws are still in effect, okay? Now some have been fulfilled in the New Testament. Some no longer are applied to New Testament Christianity. But that does not mean that there isn't still law, there isn't still commandments, that we can't still sin. Go to chapter number 7 and look at verse 7. In fact, how can we even know what sin is without the law? Look at verse 7, what shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid, nay, I had not known sin, but by the law, for I had not known lust, except the law had said, thou shalt not covet. So why are people even bringing up this accusation? You'll say, you're not supposed to have a tattoo that's a sin. Oh, you're bringing me back under the law. You're trying to bring me into bondage. Well, first of all, let me help you understand something. The laws still apply. We still have law because we still have sin. That's why God's commanding us not to commit sin. But let's go back to the verse that they were going to, Romans 6, look at verse 16 now. Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness? Because they're trying to say this, why are you bringing me into bondage? Well, look, sin is what's bringing you into bondage. That's what the Bible just said. It said when you start sinning, you're going to be under the bondage of sin. So when it's saying you're not under the law, you're under grace, that has nothing to do with you being brought into bondage. It has nothing to do with whether the laws still apply unto us. Go if you went to Matthew 22. Let me help you understand what it's trying to say. In Matthew 22, when it says you're not under the law but you're under grace, the Bible says in Galatians that we're not under the curse of the law. Now what's the curse of the law? Cursed be he that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them. What is the curse of the law? Death. For the wages of sin is death. You know what? You're not under the curse of the law anymore because you're under grace, meaning whatever sins you commit, okay? They're not going to be recompensed unto you because God's grace is going to cover it. That's why it says, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. So I'm not under the law in the sense that my sins will continue to be imputed unto me when I stand before God in judgment because I'm under grace, because God's grace is going to cover that transgression. So I'm no longer under the law in that sense. That does not mean that the laws do not apply to me today. And it says in Matthew 22 verse 36, Master, which is the great commandment of the law? Jesus said unto them, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. You know what the Bible teaches? The most important thing is love, loving God and loving your neighbor. If you do these two things, you will fulfill all of the law. You say, I'm not under the law. You know what? You still need to follow all of God's commandments. That is not what the Bible is teaching. What the Bible is teaching is that you're not under the curse of the law. And in fact, we're also not under the Old Testament covenant anymore. We're now under the covenant of grace. We're now in the New Testament. There has been a change of the law, but the law still exists. And in fact, who could say that I'm not supposed to still love my neighbors myself? Oh, you're bringing me under the law. Yeah, I am. You're supposed to follow all of God's commandments. We're under the law of Christ. What was the law of Christ? To love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and to love thy neighbor as thyself. Upon these hang all the law and the prophets. So whenever I show you something in Leviticus, you know what that ultimately is under? Either loving God or loving your neighbor as yourself. You know when I print marks on my body, you know what I'm doing? I'm not loving God. Why? Because I'm the temple of the Holy Spirit. And whenever I defile the temple, whenever I defile the temple of God, God gets angry. God will even destroy me, destroy my physical body if I defile it too much. That's why I need to love God by not destroying my own body, by not defiling it, by not committing sin, by not breaking the commandments. You say, hey, I'm not under the law. Great, sounds like you're going to heaven. You know what? God could destroy that physical body of yours. You still have to follow God's commandments. Know ye not that you're the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? It's an important doctrine that we understand that all of the commandments ultimately are either loving God or loving our neighbors ourself. And then it's very easy to also understand the things that have been changed in the law. Let's say dietary restrictions. How does that really relate as far as loving God or loving our neighbors ourself? We can see that's an easy fulfillment of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible clearly teaches that it's the picture of the Jews and the Gentiles, how there's no more distinction in the New Testament. But there was the distinction, and that distinction has always been the saved versus the unsaved. And the Bible teaches that at one point there will only be the saved and the unsaved. There will be no mixing, and all Israel shall be saved is what the Bible teaches, when the fullness of the Gentiles be come in, right? Go to Romans chapter number 8. Romans chapter number 8. But simply, if I were to re-summarize this last point, okay? We're not in the law, but we're under grace. I would just go to Matthew 22 and say, Look, loving God and loving our neighbors ourself, that's fulfilling all the law. And we're still supposed to do that, right? I mean, they're not going to understand, you know, the contradictions they're holding in their head when they think that we're not under the law, but we still have to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. Because every one of these, you know, fake Christians or one of these pseudo-Christians, they still believe they're supposed to love God. Then you can help them understand if all the law is loving God or a neighbor, then everything in this book pertains to love. Now, what's the sixth thing that people will say? The Holy Ghost has not convicted me on that one. Well, first of all, first they'll say, well, you know, we're not in the law, we're under grace. Well, actually, we're supposed to follow all of God's commandments because the fulfilling of the law is in one word, love. They say, oh, okay, but the Holy Spirit hasn't convicted me on that one, though. You know, I haven't been convicted about getting my tattoo. Well, let me explain to you why that is the case, okay? Romans chapter number 8, verse 1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walked not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus have made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak to the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walked not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is entity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. The Bible teaches that we are in the flesh, okay? So our flesh can't please God. Our flesh doesn't even have the concepts of following God's law in its mind. It says, look, the carnal mind, it's not subject to the law of God. Your carnal mind does not want to follow God's commandments. So you know why the Holy Ghost hasn't been telling you it's wrong? Because you're in the flesh. Because your carnal mind doesn't want to be subject under the law of God. If you're actually in the Spirit, then the Holy Spirit would, guess what, wake you up. You know what, we also have to learn a constant about the Holy Spirit. Go if you would to John chapter number 14. John chapter 14, in 16, I'll read for you. The Bible says, the Spirit of Truth, it says, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he will show you things that come. The Bible teaches that the Holy Ghost does not speak of his own accord. He only speaks that which Christ gives him to speak. Only Christ's words, okay? Look at John chapter 14 verse 25. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. So what does the Holy Ghost do? He brings into remembrance Christ's words. So guess what, when I open up my Bible and I show you a verse, that's the Holy Spirit convicting you, my friend. Hey, the Holy Spirit's not convicting me on that one. He is right now. Let me just point to you a verse, okay? Cuz the Holy Ghost, that's the only thing he uses. He only uses the Bible. And the reason why you haven't been convicted is because you don't know any of the verses in the Bible, cuz you're only in the flesh. And the flesh is never gonna be convicted from any of God's commandments. Any of these unsaved people that know no Bible, how often are they stopping from sinning against God? Never. Why? Cuz they're only in the flesh. The flesh isn't gonna determine on its own, I need to stop sinning, I need to get right with God. You know, it has to get from that spirit. Their spirit has to be quickened, their spirit has to be made new, and then they have to decide to walk in the spirit. That's how they're gonna get the conviction. Some people have this stupid idea that the Holy Spirit's just gonna tell you everything that's right and wrong of his own accord. No, he only speaks what the Bible speaks. So if you're ignorant of the Bible, the Holy Ghost will not speak to you. You're not gonna hear the Holy Ghost. When you're unsaved, you're not gonna hear him. When you don't hear any of these words, obviously an unsaved person, the Holy Spirit can convict them when they hear the Bible about being a sinner, about the fact they deserve to go to hell. But I'm just saying, if they're never hearing these words, they're not gonna hear the Holy Ghost speaking to them. And if they don't have any Bible verses memorized, they're not gonna hear the Holy Ghost speak to them. If you want the Holy Ghost to convict you and speak to you, you gotta read this book. You gotta memorize it, study it, hear it being preached. Go if you would to 2 Timothy chapter 3, I've got a couple more. Here's another one I hear. Well, that's what Paul said, but what did Jesus say? It's called your red letter Christians. There's some people, they only believe the red letters are what we should abide by. Now this is very foolish. This is one that a lot of people understand why it's stupid. But the first question I have is, let's go down this folly for a moment. Let's say that Paul said something different than Jesus, okay? Well, what did Paul warn in Galatians chapter 1, what we already read? If any man preach any other gospel, let him be accursed. That would mean Paul's either saying, let me be accursed, or let Jesus be accursed. That's your two options. What a horrible way to interpret the Bible to think that they're preaching different gospels. But 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for a proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works. The Bible says that all of the scripture is profitable, meaning it's good. Go to 2 Peter chapter number 3, 2 Peter chapter number 3. Now some people would attack Paul though. Maybe some people say, well, I don't even think Paul was inspired by the Holy Ghost. I don't think that what he said was right or was accurate. But the Bible says, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they are moved by the Holy Ghost. So when Peter's talking about the Bible, he says these people aren't talking of themselves. It's the Holy Ghost speaking through them. But he also says something in chapter number 3 about Paul's writings. He says in verse 16, as also in all his epistles, speaking of Paul, speaking in them of these things and which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned in unstable rest, as they do also the other scriptures under their own destruction. When the Apostle Peter looks at the words of Paul, you know what he says they are? The scriptures. He calls them the scriptures. We know that this is God-breathed. And none of God's words are going to contradict itself. God's not the author of confusion. He is no lie. There's no uncleanness. There's no wickedness. There's no darkness in him. He's holy. He's righteous. And it wasn't Paul that wrote these words. The Holy Ghost spake through him. And in fact, most of the epistles were not even physically penned by him. It was Tertius, you know, or somebody else. He's just opening his mouth and the Holy Ghost is giving him the utterance and he's just preaching God's Word. So if you're going to say, well, I think the red letters are more important, you're just ignorant of how he got the Bible. All of the Bible is from the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost came upon every man and they preached the Word of God. Even Jesus Christ himself, when he was on this earth, was filled with the Holy Ghost and he did not speak of himself. He spoke with the Father and commanded him to speak. That's how he got the Bible. You say, who wrote the Bible? God. God spake all these words is what the Bible teaches. And holy men of God, whether they repeat it or not, doesn't matter. That's how he got the Bible. That's stupid to elevate the red letters over the black letters. Now, I'm not saying you're a bad person if you have a red letter Bible. I have a red letter Bible in my hand right now. I'm not against you having a red letter Bible. I'm just saying I don't look at the red letters and think, well, that's just definitely more important than the black. Of course, obviously, it's good to emphasize what Christ said and emphasize what Christ taught, but we ought not emphasize it over other scripture and say it's more important than other scripture. Go to Romans, chapter number eight, Romans chapter number eight. You know, the Bible even says in First Timothy, chapter number three, that we're supposed to know how we ought to behave ourselves in the house of God. That's one of the instructions that Paul gave to Timothy. Now, Christ didn't give instructions on that. So how would I know how to behave myself in the house of God if I'm only a red letter Christian? In fact, why would God have to tell us, well, Jesus, repeat every other thing in the Bible that was important for us to hear, just so we know that it was important? That's stupid. That doesn't make any sense. But you know, Jesus Christ, he constantly confirmed all the things in the Old Testament. He taught things in the Old Testament. He made things manifest to us from the Old Testament. But even the apostles themselves, the words that they gave us, they're God-breathed. They're just as important today, and they give us instruction on how to work and live in this life, how to go out and win souls, how to operate the church, how to expect the Christ coming, how to understand doctrines, how to apply the New Testament principles in a practical way. That's why we're going through on Wednesdays the First Corinthians. He found a church that's doing things not correct. He's saying, let me help you understand this is what you're supposed to be doing. This is how you're supposed to run the church. This is why you're not supposed to have divisions in the church. Now the last few that I have, they're not necessarily, you know, building off the same. They're just a couple other ones that I've heard that are very foolish. But the eighth one I have is some people say there's a reason for everything. Now a lot of times I hear this when something bad happens. They try to justify something very wicked or something very evil by saying, well, I'm sure it happened for a reason. You know, all things just kind of happen for a reason. There's a good reason. But really what it does is it makes it where people don't take personal responsibility for their actions is what they're trying to do, is what they're trying to say. And they're using this verse out of context. Look at verse 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. According to the Bible, God can take a bad situation, something that's negative, and end up using it in a good way or having a good outcome come out of it. But this in no way implies that every bad thing that happens was good. That is not what the Bible is teaching. And some people, they'll look at something very wicked, and they'll say, well, for God's glory, why don't you ask a Calvinist, hey, is rape going to give glory to God? All things give glory to God. All things happen for a reason. That's wicked. That's evil to think that the bad things that happen in this world are somehow justified because God could somehow use something as a blessing in some way. Now, obviously, someone that goes through a great pain or great suffering, they could end up having empathy and relating to somebody that goes through the same experience and helping them. So even though they went through this horrible experience, they could still use that for good. But to say that getting raped is good is always wrong. And we need to take personal responsibility for our actions. The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish. It's not giving glory to God that people are just dying to go to hell that would have gotten saved. You know what would give them more glory? It's that they'll go out and preach the gospel and get them saved, and then they'll be in heaven literally giving them glory and honor. That's what gives them honor and glory. And we ought to take personal responsibility for our actions today and not just say, well, God just wants all these people to just go to hell because they're not running into this church, falling down asking how to get saved. Well, the Bible never said that was going to happen anyways. These stupid Calvinist heretic devils having this Calvinist-type attitude. You know, the Bible says some have compassion, making a difference. How could I say, well, everything happens for a reason if I could also make a difference? Those are incompatible. The Bible does not teach, oh, well, all the bad things that happened, that was just exactly how it should have happened. No, a lot of times God gives hypotheticals where he said, hey, if you had done this, it would have been better for you. Better things could have happened. We actually affect our destiny. We affect our outcome. We affect God's relationship with us, and we ought to take personal responsibility for our actions. And when something bad happens, not just say, well, everything happens for a reason, we ought to say, well, that was stupid that I did that. I need to learn from that and do better next time. I need to not make the same mistake next time. We need to put this rapist to death so he doesn't do it again, and not just say, well, it just happens for a reason. No, that's stupid logic. That's not what the Bible teaches. Go to 1 Corinthians 15, actually don't go, you know this verse, go to Luke chapter 18. The Bible says, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain. Notice those phrase, your labor is not in vain, why? Because what you do makes a difference. God's actually going to recompense you according to your work, according to your labor. Don't get this Calvinist attitude that says, well, I guess God just wanted me to be lazy. He wanted me to get backslidden. He wanted me to sin. He wanted that person to die and go to hell. No, God's not willing that any should perish. God never wants someone to die and go to hell, ever. It was man that failed to get him saved. It was man that failed to give him a clear presentation of the gospel. It was the guy who heard the clear presentation of the gospel and just rejected it and resisted the Holy Ghost and resisted God's will. It's not God's fault that bad things happen. If it went according to God's will perfectly, then every good thing would happen. No one would sin, everything would be right. It's because he gave us free will that he allows us to resist, allows bad things to happen. Now obviously, his ultimate will will be accomplished in the sense that Jesus Christ died on the cross. You couldn't stop that from happening. Jesus Christ is coming back again. You can't stop that from happening. People that believe in Jesus Christ, you can't stop them from going to heaven. You want people that reject him, you can't stop them from going to hell. So in that sense, God's will will not be dissolved by a human will, but he gives us the option and the opportunity to resist him for good and bad things to happen. We have the opportunity to make the world what it is. We have the opportunity to make this church what it is, a church that gets destroyed. Don't be like, wow, God wanted that to happen. No, God wants every church to thrive. He doesn't want the gates of hell to prevail against the church. And if we build ourselves upon the rock, it won't. That was his promise. That's what he told us would happen. So ultimately, people will say this. This is my ninth point. We're almost done. They'll say, well, God is in control. Something will happen. Again, it's pretty much the same line of thinking. But they'll say, well, ultimately, God's in control of that situation. Look, God is omnipotent. God is all powerful. But you know what? God gives us the ability to make decisions, to make a difference. We ought not get an apathetic view and just say, well, if God wants that to happen, he'll make it happen. God has ordained us to go out and preach the gospel to every creature. You say, well, if God wants it to happen, it'll happen. No, if you want it to happen, it'll happen. Because God does want it to happen. God's going to enable us to get it done. The only person stopping the whole world from hearing the gospel is you, is me, is us. That's the only one. God's on our side. If God is for us, who can be against us is what the Bible teaches. What a stupid attitude. God's in control. No, we're in control with God enabling us. We have the ability. We're the arbiters of God's work. We're his ambassadors. We're his messengers. We're the tool he wants to use. We're the one that has the ability to go out through his power, through his might, to his glory to get people saved. Never get this stupid idea that God would ever want someone to go to hell. I hate that. I hate this doctrine. You know, go if you would to Luke chapter 18, right, look at verse 8. I tell you that he will avenge them speedily, nevertheless when the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth. The reason why God gives us the option of free will is because that gives us the ability to have faith. What is faith? Faith is putting your trust in what God said. It's something that you have not seen. It's something you have not experienced. And if you have this ultimate viewpoint of God, this Calvinist viewpoint that believes that he's in control of everything, you know what you've done? You've destroyed faith. Faith is the essence of our salvation. Faith is everything. Faith is what we built our entire foundation upon. It's about faith. And if you say, well, God's ultimately in control, God chooses who's damned, and God chooses who's saved, you know you've eliminated faith. What was the point of faith? All Calvinists destroy faith. God wants us to put all of our faith into him and then to do big things through us. And some Calvinists will say, well, you're trying to say that man gets glory for, you know, the work. No, God gets all the glory because it's not about the vessel. It's about us putting our faith in him, and he does the mighty work through us. You know what? The only way God is going to get that glory is if we put our faith in him, if we give him the option to do that. So if you actually care so much about God's glory, then you just put all your faith in his promises, and you actually follow all of his commandments. You actually do what he said. This stupid God is in control is an apathetic viewpoint. I hate apathy. You need to listen to my morning sermon and get some desire. Get some desire for the things of God. See what the Bible says, hear what I'm saying right now, hear the words of God, and then do them. And then realize, yeah, God's omnipotent, God's all powerful, but you know what? He's entrusted us the ability to go out and get someone saved, and we need to go out and preach the gospel to every creature. You know, Jesus said, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Oh, I thought God was already in control. Jesus was praying that his will would be done in the earth. Why do you have to make that prayer if it's just automatically done? Because it's not. God's will is not being done in a lot of places on this earth. There's a lot of places where there's darkness, where the gospel's not going forth. There's a lot of wickedness in this country. I mean, you really think that America is God's control and God's will? This filth cesspool that's praising all these sodomites and all these faggots today? That's not God in control, my friend. You think all the abortion happening in this country is at God's will and God's discretion? He wants that? You're a sick, perverted person if you think that. You're sick if you think God wants that. God wants everyone to be saved. God wants us to read our Bibles. God wants us to have faith. But the question is, when Jesus Christ comes back, will he find faith on the earth? Oh, God's in control. You know what? You're in control of your faith. You're in control if you're going to put your trust in God and say, you know what? I want God to get some glory on this earth. I want to put faith and trust in him so he doesn't return sooner. You know what? When everybody's just bad, he'll just wipe out the whole place. He'll just destroy it all. When people just stop believing in him, when he has no use for us, too bad. The Bible says in Hosea 8, they have set up kings, but not by me. God has labeled the devil to have control over this earth to some extent. Obviously, he's still subject unto God, but the entire world system is not at God's discretion. It's not doing exactly what he wants, necessarily. That's why free will exists. That's why he's so powerful is that he even gives people the option to have free will. We'll go to my last point, James Chapter 1. This is what people will say. It's not a religion. It's a relationship. Stupid things that Christians say. Some of this is for you to understand how to combat these responses, but another one is so you don't get infected with their stupid garbage doctrines, so you're not affected by what they're trying to say. When you hear something a lot, what I teach this morning, sometimes you start to believe it. Sometimes you get infected with that toxic, stupid doctrine. We need to be reading our Bibles and understanding what the Bible says. When someone says it's not a religion, it's a better relationship, what are they trying to say? They don't want to be condemned for their sin. They don't want to be condemned for their not worshiping of God. But here's why this is so stupid. You and me can have a relationship. You know what? That's not a religion. You know why? Because I don't worship you, and you don't worship me, and Jesus Christ is not looking for just a bunch of relationship, just a bunch of people to hang out with. You know what he wants? He wants a people to serve him. He wants a people to come to the house of God and worship him. Whenever you say it's not a religion, it's a relationship, you know what you're taking out of the puzzle of the Bible when it says praise you the Lord, sing praises unto him? That's called religion, my friend, when you actually worship God. Church is about serving God. People say, I don't like church today. I don't like institutional religion, institutionalized religion. Well, guess what? That just sounds like you don't like worshiping God. Hey, she's my buddy. We're friends. I just call him my pal, my Jesus pal. What blasphemous garbage is that junk? Why? Because they don't actually want to serve God. They don't actually want to worship him. Look at James chapter 1, verse 22, or 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Now who would look at this and say, well, that's bad. Visiting the fatherless, the widows, look, it's doing the service of God and keeping yourself from the filth of this world. Why? So you can praise God with clean hands. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, is what he said in chapter 4. We're supposed to worship God in spirit and in truth. You know, and I have relationships with my family, friends, but I'm not worshiping them. I'm worshiping God when I come to church and I sing praise in them. The Bible says without faith it's impossible to please him. So I have to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have to come to church. I have to worship him. Why? Because that's the religious part of the Bible. Now obviously God wants to have some relationship, but here's the problem. That word is never found in the Bible. You realize the word relationship is not in your Bible one time? Let's say it's a religion, it's not a relationship. Well how come a relationship is not even a word found in the Bible then? You know what it is? Found in the Bible? Praise the Lord. Follow his commandments. Love the Lord thy God. That's the most important commandment. Why? Because that's what the Bible is actually telling you to do. Worship him. Serve him. But let's address the last point, okay? The relationship aspect. Go if you would to John chapter 14, the last place I'll have you turn. First John chapter 1 says, and these things write unto you that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin. You know what the word that they're trying to use here is fellowship. Now Christ does want us to have fellowship with him. You know what? Even if you're saved, you can have a strange relationship with the Lord. You can even be an enemy of the Lord if you don't follow his commandments. So when people say it's not a religion, it's a relationship, you know what they're trying to say? Well, I don't really want to follow those do's and don'ts. I just want to hang out and drink beers with Jesus. This stupid blasphemous garbage, that's what their viewpoint of God is. You know, they're supposed to come and have fear of God. You know this whole book, which will be a good sermon in the future, is about worshiping God. It's instructions on how to worship and serve God. That's what it's telling you how to do. You read from the beginning all the way to the end, it's constantly telling you this is how you serve God, this is how you love God, this is what you do in order to praise him. And when people say it's not a religion, it's a relationship, they're mocking the whole Bible. They're mocking everything that our faith is built upon. The Bible says in verse 15, where you turn, if you love me, keep my commandments. You can't say that you love God and not be following his commandments. And when you point out to somebody, hey, what you're doing is wrong, that's biblical, we're supposed to rebuke our neighbor. And when they come up with this garbage, it's not a religion, it's a relationship, you know what? They don't love God. Look at verse 23. Jesus answered and said to him, if a man love me, he will keep my words, and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. If you want the relationship with God, it comes through following his commandments. And when people bring up stupid things, okay, it's going to happen. It always happens. All of you have heard a lot of these, okay? It's very common. We ought to turn to the Bible and let the Bible still give the answer, and in our flesh we want to argue and we want to contend and we want to go down their folly, but really, the ultimate source of truth is this book. So we should really just point to this book, here's the answer from the Bible. You do err on not knowing the scriptures, and if they don't want to hear the Bible, you can't fix it. We shouldn't answer a fool according to his folly, but we should answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. Let's close in prayer. Thank you, Father, so much for your word. Thank you for giving us your wisdom that comes down from above. Thank you for giving us the option and opportunity to serve you and to love you. I pray that we would never fall victim to all these stupid, foolish ideas, but rather we'd cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, but we'd bring our minds into conformity of your word, and that we would love you by following your commandments. Thank you for giving us the power through the Gospel, through the Lord Jesus Christ to make a difference in this world, for giving us such an important job. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.