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

Amen all right well I'm going to be starting a series and it's probably going to be about four different sermons, and it's called the spiritual house series, so the first sermon in the spiritual house Series is going to be God's chosen people and so I was at camp and pastor McMurtry Read the scripture and just some some great truths popped out at me And it's great when there's a verse that has a list of different things that just helps you how? To to preach that those verses when when you have a list it's easy to to organize your sermon so anyway So there's so much in that verse though in verse number Let's see verse number nine and second first Peter two says But you're a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation A peculiar people that we should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of the out of darkness Into his marvelous light which in times past were not a people, but are now the people of God Which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy, and so it's a great verse And there's just a lot packed in there There's a lot of doctrine that you can preach just out of verse number nine, and that's what I'm choosing to do I'm choosing to preach a series called the spiritual house series, and where do I get that from well? Let's look at first Peter 2 4 it says to whom To whom coming has unto a lively stone disallow disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious he also as Lively stones are built up a spiritual house and happen holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices Acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, so I get the series from Verse number five where it says to offer up spiritual or excuse me. Let's see to our built up a spiritual house See God when he calls us when he saves us. He also chooses us and God You know this sermon is not going to be about Israel Okay, I've preached those sermons a lot But we are God's chosen people and that I do want to help people to understand because some people get Messed up into Calvinism or they see things that appear like they might be Calvinism in the scriptures And it's this isn't a sermon about Calvinism either, but it's just a sermon about you know How God chooses us and how we are the chosen people because in times past? The nation of Israel was the chosen people right, but we believe at this church that the New Testament believer is God's chosen people right or God's chosen person if you're saved, and you're a New Testament believer Then you are God's chosen people. That's what we believe at this church and I could direct you to some sermons that I preached about just specifically the nation of Israel or You know or that doctrine of replay what people call replacement theology Now the reason why people call it replacement theology is usually like a byword. They're like oh you believe in replacement theology Yep, proud of it. I'm good. I'm good with that because the Bible says that Israel has been replaced So anyway again, it's not gonna be a sermon about Israel But you know you can't help but kind of dip into the waters a little bit when it comes to this subject so anyway So what is lively this in verse 5 it says you also as lively? stones are built up a spiritual house And so I look at that word lively and the live lively means full of life and energy active and outgoing so God likens us on to lively stones like energized stones or Active and outgoing you know why because God wants us to be a people of action You know for a spiritual house, and we're supposed to be offering up spiritual sacrifices Then God you know it says acceptable to God by Jesus Christ that means that we're supposed to be people of action You know there's a book called the book of Acts and part of that word is you know if you? Action is is something that you would do that's an act right if you're doing actions for God and God wants us to be Lively stones. He doesn't want us to be dead old rocks or dirt clods or anything like that He wants us to be lively and doing things and it says are built up a spiritual house And so we're supposed to be a spiritual house for God This is the house of God why because the church has gathered here the people that are saved and believers are here right now And this is a place where action should be taking place Not only you know not only just the church, but the church families themselves. You know in our homes We should be a Spiritual house right and if you get the chance to watch pastor McMurtry sermons from the camp trip He really touched on a lot of great subjects, and I'm not preaching his sermons But he did really make me think about a lot of these things so But it says that we're supposed to offer up spiritual sacrifices Acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, so what would examples of spiritual sacrifices be well tithing is a spiritual sacrifice Is it not you know when you give unto the Lord? That's a sacrifice that you're making that's ten percent of your income right That's what the tenth the tithe means it literally means tenth, so if you're giving unto the Lord Then and and that's a sacrifice so who here just wants to give money to people for no reason Anybody you like giving your money to the government, but yet you do So how much more should we give to God? You know and there's there's also offerings above the tithe which you're not required to do They're called free will offerings now some people choose to do that and some people don't But you know you can also have spiritual sacrifices with your time. You can sacrifice your time when you go soul winning and Really to be someone that follows Christ the Bible says that you know follow me And I'll make you fishers of men and so look if you're not following If you're not fishing then you're not following right if you're not going so when you're not following Jesus That's what the Bible is saying there, so there's many different sacrifices and spiritual sacrifices We make you know it's a spiritual sacrifice for a man to have his wife stay home and not work Because you know it might seem like a physical sacrifice But it's also a spiritual one because you have to trust God that he's gonna take care of you He's gonna take care of your family because he promised that he would because look if you keep his commandments He's gonna. He's gonna bless you if you tithe. He's gonna bless your your you know people just get afraid to tithe Why are you afraid? Cuz God you know look he promised to make sure that you have enough And so when you tithe and you give that you don't you should just be able to forget about that money And just say hey, I'm gonna tithe. I'm gonna give what God expects me to give which is the tenth of Our income and it's a scary thing it really is a scary thing when you think like This is how much I make this is how much my bills are How does this make sense God? But he makes it make sense He makes it enough And he gives you work so that you can do enough you know and if you're not making enough money to support your family then work harder You know work harder because millions of wealth on welfare are depending on you also Which is a sad fact look we're giving money to things we don't even want to give it to but you won't give your money to God So being us having a spiritual sacrifice is something that you're just saying hey God I'm gonna trust you with my finances, and I don't care I'm just talking to worry about it the Bible says don't let your right hand know or left hand know what your right hand do With or whatever right you're supposed to just give and be done with it right so Now lots of people have like different you know well is it of the gross it is it of this whatever hey look That's between you and God what you want to do the I'm God commands us to tithe in the Old Testament, right? But if you don't are you going to hell no If you don't well, it's what's God gonna. Do he's gonna curse you He's gonna curse your finances. He's gonna curse your car. He's gonna curse your clothing. He's gonna curse your shoes Hey, I got the new Nikes they're really awesome, and then your toe holes blow out on the on both sides Right Josh's toe hold toes blew out on both sides. I'm not saying cuz he didn't tithe, but ha ha ha I Don't know how your pinkies shoot out of each side of your I Got it's my it's my every sermon rip on Josh thing so I got it. I'm sorry Josh. I love you, buddy but Seriously when the children of Israel were in the were in the wilderness God made their shoes to last that whole 40 years. He made all their things to last They know God can shoot holes in your money bag that you think that you're like well I just you know I know God says the tithe, but you know I'm just gonna. I'm just gonna not I'm just gonna give 8% I'm gonna give 5% It's funny the people that don't believe in tithing too, and you know it's never that they always they always You know want it's because they want to give less than what God says it's never because they want to give more It's like hey. You know you're wrong Pastor Thompson. It's 10%. It's not 10%. It's 25% They never say that it's because they just want an excuse not to give yeah, and look I don't preach on finances a lot, and I'm really that's not what I'm preaching about today, but I'm just saying it's a spiritual sacrifice That you make to God going soloing with your time is a spiritual sacrifice that you sacrifice Because you could be home Resting your feet or whatever right you could be home doing something you could be spending time with your kids But you know God wants us to spend our time making sure that other people can get saved besides just you And so sacrificing your finances also When it comes to letting your your wife stay home and just trusting God that he's gonna He's gonna do what he said is he's gonna do What would another spiritual sacrifice be anybody got any ideas that brother Justin? I know you got an idea come on Yeah giving up you know it's a sacrifice to give up the worldly things that you've enjoyed for so long You know in burning them in a bonfire Okay and some of them you know some people can handle some of the things that are worldly in their life And and enjoy them, but some people can't You know smoking cigarettes is not is something that you should give up Now are you gonna go to hell if you smoke cigarettes no But it's a it's a sacrifice because your body's supposed to be a living sacrifice under God And so we're supposed to give up these things in our lives that we might enjoy Now I always joke around and say because I used to smoke a long time ago When I smoked or I've been quit for a long time, but I always say this and I'm joking kind of That if I found out I had two weeks to live that I'd probably go buy a pack of camels right now Because that's how addicted I was to them you know, but I probably would you know cuz I pastor Menes I was telling him about it He was laughing, but he said you know is that how you chose to live your last two lives Or your last two weeks is you know maybe I would have let you live longer if you hadn't chose to quit and start Smoking I guess like oh, man. Okay. Well. I can't say that to people anymore but Because you know what you chose to smoke cigarettes instead of going soul winning for the last two weeks of your life You've lost your rewards. You know so anyway. It was funny So anyway so today. I'm gonna focus on being in the spiritual house series is gonna be about You know of being a chosen people and so look Calvinism is is wrong Calvinism is not the truth Calvinism God doesn't just choose Who's saved because he likes them better for some weird reason? Okay, but again that the sermon is not about Calvinism, so let's look at Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 6 Or just turn over there, I'm gonna read set first Peter 2 9 again. It says, but you're a chosen Generation a royal priesthood and holy nation of peculiar people They should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light So God has chosen You if you're saved as you know and you're like well, what do you mean Pastor Thompson? I thought we chose him well we do choose him, but he chooses us because we chose chose him So and I'll and I'll prove that to you because a lot of people said well you'd show me that in the Bible Okay, well I'll show you where we have choices, okay? First Peter, let's see you're in Deuteronomy 7 verse 6 now This is the Old Testament where God's tell talking about the children of Israel How they're his chosen people in the Old Testament, so it says for thou art and holy people unto the Lord thy God The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto him Above all people that are upon the face of the earth so God chose the nation of Israel to be a chosen People for him now was everybody in the nation of Israel saved no so obviously It's not talking about just salvation here It's talking about a nation that he's chosen, but this look This is the Old Testament and the New Testament if you're God's chosen people you're saved See how there is differences between the Old and New Testaments, but back then Just because you were in the national nation of Israel didn't mean you were automatically saved Okay, and it's still the same today if you live over in a place where they do this against the wall And you know they say hock phlegm, and you know grow their little curls down to here that doesn't make you God's chosen people Because you have to put all your faith in Christ to become God's chosen people But look at verse 7 it says the Lord did not set his love upon you Nor choose you because you are more in number than any people for you were the fewest of all people And isn't that true today like because you know we could we should be able to look at the Old Testament and glean things from it Okay, but the fewest of people in number today are probably people that are saved Because you know people a guy asked Jesus. You know are there few to be saved And he basically told him yes There is few to be saved you have to choose the narrow way, and it's so narrow that you can only believe one way There's only one way to heaven one way to get there one person you have to believe in and there's that that way is so narrow That there's only one way there's not 15 different ways. There's not Buddhism and Hinduism and all these different things Look, it's not all the same God Muslims. Don't believe the same God we do So there's only one way to be saved and it says for you were the fewest of all people But because the Lord loved you and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of Bondmen from the hand of Pharaoh the king of Egypt Which is also a picture of God redeeming us from the the slave the slavery of sin that we're in And so when you're a sinner God has has redeemed us the Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed us with his precious blood and once You're saved. You're you're no longer a slave to sin You're no longer a servant or a bondman see because you're we you know they were under heavy labor weren't they? Because when you're a sinner, and you're not saved you're you're in hard time labor Because you're you're you're bogged down with the sin in your life, and there's no way to escape it The only way to escape it is to be redeemed and the Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed us from the hand of Pharaoh so to speak from the world Egypt represents the world and so we've come out of the world God saved us okay verse 9 says Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God the faithful God which keepeth covenant and mercy With them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand Generations and that's a lot of generations isn't it folks? But it says he's the faithful God See we can count on him we can count on him to do what he promises to do we can't even count on ourselves you can make a promise to someone and then you don't keep and you're like I Meant to keep that promise, but you know what you're you're just a sinner And you're not gonna be able to keep a promise like God can keep a promise you can say hey I'm gonna be at church tomorrow, and then your car breaks down Did you keep the promise you know what God doesn't need a car to get to places right? So the point is is that you know he's faithful, and we're not always able to be that way But it says that keepeth covenant and mercy See he keeps them. He's made a covenant with us It's called the New Testament, and he says if hey if you put all your faith in Jesus You call upon him and ask him to save you then he's gonna keep that Covenant with you right and that covenant is that you're saved for everlasting life Okay, and that means that he so he keeps his covenant, and he keeps his mercy and mercy is when you know You're you're in trouble, or you know mercy is when? God does something for you that you don't deserve which is also grace grace. He gives us grace Even though we don't deserve to be saved. He still gives us that grace turn to 2nd Timothy 3 16 2nd Timothy 3 16 I Actually turn to Ephesians 1 I'm gonna read 2nd Timothy 3 16 2nd Timothy 3 16 says this all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for Reproof for correction for instruction and righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all Good works so all Scripture is profitable for us so going back to Deuteronomy to show the chosen people in the Old Testament Is gonna help us to understand the New Covenant also You know there's spiritual things in there for us to glean out of there. They were a physical nation, right? We're a spiritual nation We can look at their physical nation and glean things out of the scriptures And show us where God changed things see God's changed things in the New Testament There is no he he took away The name the kingdom from the Jews and gave it unto a spiritual nation He gave it to New Testament believers here in Ephesians 1 verse 3 says blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world That we should be holy and without blame before him in love having Predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will To praise the glory of his grace where he hath made us accepted in the beloved now This is where a Calvinist will get this and they'll take it and they'll go see God's chosen us He chose us before the foundation of the world you didn't have a choice of that matter and he predestinated us So what does it mean to have a destiny it's something that's gonna happen right and To have it predestined means that it was before you were born Before you know before the world was born before the world was even created and I agree with that I Agree that God predestinated us. You know look the Bible. That's what the Bible says But here's the problem is the Calvinist will take these terms and flip them on their head and say things that just are not true And most Calvinists will won't be able to point to a time that they were saved except for some kind of mystical type of a story like I Was just sitting there and the Spirit of God the Shekinah glory came down upon me, and I became saved You know because God gave me the ability to believe The Calvinist believe some weird stuff but God the Bible says God chooses us based on whether we choose to believe in him Okay, and and I'll prove that to you here in just a few minutes But I want to I want to define some terms here real quick for for you know God chose us Before the foundation of the world, but the reason why he did that is because he knew see God lives outside of time God isn't bound by our time constraints. It's you know 1148 right we keep time we have Church at 11 o'clock we have Church at 5 o'clock We have Church at 7 on on Thursdays because we are keepers of time There's days and months and years that we're bound under but God is outside of that God doesn't God doesn't you know he doesn't have to dwell on the same time zones that we have to dwell in He can believe it be every place at once at the same time Right and he can go in and out of history as much as he wants to Because he's outside of that time frame So he looked down and saw who would choose him to be saved, and that's being predestinated So God knows and so we're predestined and in in the fact that we God saw that we would choose to be saved by him, and so I've heard it like this This is a really good explanation to me Say you have you know you're able to you know you record on TiVo a football game Okay, TiVo or whatever you know you can record football games right so you can watch them later or basketball or whatever you want to Record and say your friend comes over, and they're you're watching the game, and you go hey That guy's gonna fumble on the next play and the guy goes and it happens while you're watching it with them like no way How'd you know how that was gonna happen? Well the thing is is that you it's pre-recorded God already you know it's the same thing with God's like history has already been is done He knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning right so it's the same way that God Looks and he sees that you're gonna choose him and therefore you become chosen by him Okay, hopefully that makes sense But with the TiVo thing yeah, I mean Someone that watches that and they think well. I can't believe you you must have made that happen You made him fumble No, I just knew he was gonna fumble because this is a pre-recorded thing right it's the same thing with God You know God doesn't make people saved He saves them because he knew that they were gonna make that choice Okay So God chooses us based on whether we believe on him and you say prove that Pastor Thompson prove that Calvinism is not right. Okay. Well. That's real easy to do turn to Genesis chapter 3 and This isn't usually a scripture that people go to to prove Calvinism but number one. I only have two points Number one God gives us free will okay. God gives us free will God gives people choices in the Bible does he not I Mean this book would make sense that people didn't have choices to make you know if God just controlled everything and Everything was all his doing and all his choices Then that wouldn't make sense Because why would he have places where he says hey if you do this I'll give you this if you do this you keep this commandment. I will bless you if you don't I'll curse you You know if ever if he's making people make the wrong decisions, then what kind of God is that? If he's making people saved and not saved because he just likes one better than the other that doesn't make sense So let's look at Genesis 3 it says and they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord amongst the trees of the garden So God had told them he made Adam and Eve and he blessed them He told him be fruitful and multiply and then he said don't eat from that tree don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or you're gonna die and So he gave them a choice he put that one decision Before them if you don't eat from this you're gonna live forever You know basically they would have lived in a paradise all their children would have been lived in a paradise and all the children Would have been born saved Because it would be sinless right and so eternity could have gone on Without that but they they've made the wrong choice didn't they as it says And verse 9 it says in the Lord God called into Adam and said unto him where art thou and he said I heard the voice And thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself And he said who told thee that I was naked Hast thou eaten of the tree wherever I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat and the man said The woman whom thou gave us to be with me She gave me of the tree and I did eat and the Lord God said unto the woman What is this that thou hast done and the woman said the serpent beguiled me and I did eat the Lord God said unto the serpent because Thou hast done this thou are cursed above all cattle Above every beast of the field upon the belt upon thy belly shalt thou go dost shalt thou eat all the days of thy life And so Satan had a choice to didn't he? But Satan fell why did he fall because he sinned it says because thou hast done this thou are cursed Above all cattle so God cursed the devil for making doing what he because he did something Thou it doesn't say because I made you I controlled you Satan to do this It says because thou has done this so I mean and it's the same thing with Adam and Eve Because they did what they did God cursed all of mankind Doesn't make sense to you that God just said I'm gonna make these people and then When they're in the garden for a little while, I'm gonna make them eat of that tree And Then say that they did it That doesn't make sense That does not I mean come on that does not make sense And so if you believe in the God of Calvinism that does not make sense Because the God of Calvinism is not the one true God the God of Calvinism believes Something different and if you believe that in the God of Calvinism you're believing a false gospel You're believing something that's not right because we are responsible for our own actions God is not a puppet master up in the sky that just says hey, I'm gonna make him a queer I'm gonna make you know, I'm gonna make him molest those people, you know, do you think God does that? Do you think you know because the Calvinist will say that that we do everything for the glory of God? Even the people that are wicked that's are you telling me that someone molest people big for the glory of God? That's a sick God that you believe in if that's what you believe So He cursed Satan because of what he did says because thou hast done this and Because of what Adam and Eve did he cursed them also Right, and so it doesn't make sense that God just set them up for failure Because just because God knew what was gonna happen Doesn't mean he made it happen that way. Does that make sense? Hopefully that does Okay, so Adam and Eve chose to sin in the garden after telling after God told them not to eat of that tree and God did not make them eat that tree And so he could let billions of people die and go to hell I mean, what kind of God do you believe in if you believe in that that's just garbage Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 23 Verse 23 Deuteronomy 2 3 2 3 I'll show you some verses that say that we do have a free will see Adam and Eve had a free will To choose to eat or not to eat of that tree But if the word free will is in the Bible, which I'm only showing you like four examples But it's oh, it's multiple times in the Bible the word free will and what does free will mean? It means you have the freedom to choose what you want to do Right, you know, whatever your will is you have the freedom to make that decision See God doesn't want robots to follow him He wants us to love him and choose him because we we want to not so that because he wants to control us So the Bible says in Deuteronomy 23 23 says that which has gone out of thy lips shall thou keep and perform even a free will Offering According as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God Which I was promised with thy mouth and by the way, if you promise to do something for God You should keep that promise because he expects you to keep it So but it says so if you don't want to make a free will offering don't offer to do it Then you have the choice, you know just because you know We've got I'm sure we've all gone to churches where they're like you need to give above the time you need to do this No, you don't it's called a free will offering you don't have to give above the time you can tithe 10% and you'd be right with God your whole life when you choose To make a free will offering then you're choosing to do that on your own accord It's not something that God requires you to do turn to 2nd Chronicles 3114 2nd Chronicles 3114 2nd Chronicles 31 14 I'm gonna start reading the Bible says and Korah the son of Imna the Levite The porter toward the east was over the free will offerings of God to distribute the oblations of the Lord and the most holy things Turn to Ezra chapter 3 verse 5 Ezra chapter 3 verse 5. I'm going to read for you Ezra 1 verse 4 Ezra 1 verse 4 says and whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth Let the men of this place help him with the silver and with gold and with goods and with beasts Beside the free will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem All right Well last last one here is Ezra 3 5 or I had you turn it says and off and afterward offer the continual burnt offering Both of the new moons and of all the set feast of the Lord that were consecrated and of and of everyone that willingly Offered a free will offering unto the unto the Lord. So God makes it really clear here, doesn't he? He said anyone that willingly Offered a free will offering. So what is a free will offering? Well, it's a choice to make an offering above the tithe Because you want to do it because you love God because you want to help with something that needs that where there's lacking Like if we're gonna remodel the church building you say hey, I just want to give a little more just to help You know, that's a free will offering but I'm not gonna do a building fund Okay, if you want to bring more than what God told you to that's your choice You know if you want to give to help and remodel the building that's your choice also I'm not gonna ask people to give more Than what they I mean, I might say hey if you want to you can But I'm not gonna say you should because you're not right with God because you know, you should be given 25% The Apostles, you know when in the early church the people came in and sold everything they had and then gave it to them But you know what? That was their choice That was their choice. They didn't tell them they had to do that and Ananias and Sapphira Why were they killed? It wasn't because they didn't give Everything they had it's because they lied to the Holy Ghost and told God that they were gonna give and then they kept back part of the portion of the money Because they were greedy pigs, right? And so God killed them For that so if there are free will offerings in the Bible, but what does that have to mean? What's the conclusion that you come to with that? But we have free will amen, thank you so number two God allows Whosoever to choose him so whosoever is a is a word that's that's used a lot of times in the Bible also And what does it mean? Anybody know what it means? Anybody right so God allows whosoever to choose him whosoever. Okay turn to Joshua chapter 24 verse 15 So this is when Joshua's giving the charge to come in and conquer Canaan Joshua chapter 24 verse 15 it says if it seemed evil unto you to serve the Lord choose You this day whom you will serve Whether the gods which your father served were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites and whose land you dwell But as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord and I think I misspoke there This wasn't when he went to go Conquer Canaan those after they've already conquered it and he was getting ready to die. So anyway But it's it says a very important word here for you to understand says if it seemed evil to you to serve the Lord choose You this day whom you will serve see Joshua's telling them. Hey, you got a choice You can choose to serve God or you can choose not to serve God and look in a spiritual house You can choose to serve God or you can choose not to serve God You can choose to fully follow him partially follow him not follow him at all, but it's still your choice And as a spiritual house as and as a family and as a as the people of God as the lively stones We should choose to follow after him, shouldn't we we should choose to offer spiritual sacrifices in our life But hey, it's still your choice I can get up here and hit the pulpit and scream as loud as I want But it's not gonna make you choose what I want you to choose. You have to you have to make that choice for yourself You have to just see what God's Word says and followed it and decide to follow that or not follow it But whosoever is Anyone right and so we have the choice to be saved because whosoever will right But let's look at some scriptures where God puts the for instance of whosoever in here. So look at Matthew chapter 12 verse 32 Because when it comes to salvation we have a choice also we do have a choice So we could choose to serve the Lord we could choose to be saved or we could choose not to be saved We could choose the tithe we could choose not to tithe. We have choices people our God is not Calvinistic at all He doesn't make us give money or not give money just so he can punish us Hey, I'm gonna make Temo not come to church tomorrow night because I want to punish him for my glory What that makes no sense Matthew 12 verse 32 says and whosoever Speaketh a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come Sounds like you have a choice there if you speak against the Holy Ghost Then you're choosing not to be saved you're choosing to become a reprobate You're choosing to never be forgiven Just like the people in the blasphemy challenge who's heard of the blasphemy challenge Where people are uploading videos to YouTube blasting in the Holy Ghost Tempting the Lord God to send them to hell for all eternity because they're too stupid to realize what they're doing But maybe they're just doing it because they want they're doing it because they're choosing to do it like hey I don't believe in your God, or I don't want to believe in your God or I hate your God And so I'm gonna choose to be in hell instead I Guarantee you the moment their carcass hits hell They're gonna be sorry that they made that choice, but it's still their choice to make So at the at the door when we're so wanting do you make people get saved? Come here You're gonna get saved No We don't make people don't pull knives on people and threaten to kill them because they need to be saved you will choose oh We say hey, would you like to hear the gospel yes or no no okay? See ya That's what we do Because we're going and giving people a choice. We're not Muslims here. We're not saying hey You know jihad You will die we don't do that because We believe in a choice. It's a free choice to be saved. I better put this knife away for I stabbed myself with this really sharp Okay so Look at Matt mark chapter 6 verse 11 mark chapter 6 verse 11 Mark 6 verse 11 The Bible says whosoever shall not receive you Nor hear you when you depart thence shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them Barely, I stand to you shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city So the Bible is saying when you go into a city, you know we've got we go to small towns sometimes We're gonna go to a cascade locks. We went to prospect, Oregon where we're up at camp, and we had two people saved but you know what the rest of the people said no, or we didn't get to them because their town is so weirdly laid out and Hidden by trees you can hardly see the houses there so and there's no GPS So it's hard to make maps when you know you can't even drive to get there, but anyway That's a different subject altogether But the thing is is that people you know God said hey if a host if a city just you know is super Doesn't want to take you know doesn't want to hear the gospel It's gonna be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, which was filled with queers by the way in the day of judgment then for that city So that's that's a big testimony because you know Sodom and Gomorrah didn't exactly have you know Abraham didn't exactly go and and try to Reach the city before God burned it in ashes right so You know if you if if you're one of the cities that were fortunate enough to be in a time where you know 25 soul winners came to your town out in the middle of nowhere, and he said no that was your last chance You know it's gonna be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than it is for that city They didn't want to hear what you had to say He says and so people have a choice if they won't hear you Then they were choosing not to hear you right. I mean it's pretty simple mark chapter 9 verse 42 turn to mark 9 verse 42 the Bible says and whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me It's better for him than a millstone were cast about his neck and he were cast Or hanged about his neck and he were cast into the sea So whosoever shall offend a little child that believes in him you know in in Matthew says that believes in him Oh here. It says if they believe in me see children believe in God automatically pretty much You know they have to be taught not to believe they have to be taught and evolution and all this other weird stuff and Eventually you know all the stuff that they heard from the Discovery Channel or whatever television show is telling them the God isn't true and You know that's a person's offending a child, but also a person's offending a child's a child molester a child predator a child rapist Whosoever does one of that it's better that you were cast a Millstone were hanged about your neck and you were cast in the sea than to do one of those things Because even if that happened to you, and you didn't do one of those things But yet you believe you'd be saved, but you know you don't do that And you're not gonna be an offender of children, but see they have a choice as whosoever right Luke chapter 14 verse 11 says for whosoever Exalted himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted look you have a choice to be a proud person And Your God's gonna and God's gonna make you be an exalted person If you're I mean excuse me if you're a proud person you're gonna be a based If you're proud you're gonna be a base that means God's gonna knock you down some notches And God giveth grace to the humble But resists the proud God resistive the proud person in their heart And so if you're one of those people, it's just a proud person You know you're like proud of your looks you're proud of what how good your status is in life Or just anything you're proud about how many scriptures you have memorized you're proud about how many people have you guys saved well God's gonna knock you down some notches But it says whosoever Exalted himself and that means whosoever humbleth himself also you have a choice to be humble or to be prideful, right? John 3 15 says that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life Here's your choice to be saved right here turn to John 3 15 John 3 15 Whosoever believeth in him should not perish That means anyone right so if anyone believes what what happens they don't won't perish God doesn't make you believe God Gives you the choice he you have free will you have free choice? Choose you this day whom you'll serve and If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, it says whosoever believeth on him shall have eternal life, right John 3 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever Believeth in him should not perish but have ever lasting life Okay, it's pretty it's pretty simple. I mean I'm I know I'm driving this point in pretty hard, but There's a lot of people that believe in this Calvinism garbage And there's a lot of people that don't understand why we're God's chosen people You know why we're God's chosen people because we've chosen to believe in him. We had the choice. We made the right choice Not the wrong choice John 4 13 turn to John 4 13 John 4 13 says Jesus answered and said unto her and it's talking about the woman at the well Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again talking about the well water, right? Verse 14 says but whosoever Drinketh of the water that I shall give him Shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up Into everlasting life. So hey you drink the water the living water that Jesus offers to you Then you have everlasting life and that's the choice that you made acts turn to Revelation 14 verse 11 I'm gonna read for you in Acts 2 21. It says and it shall come to pass In Acts 2 21 who shall come to pass at whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved Hey when we're out soloing, you know We go through the whole gospel with people and we say hey This is what the Bible says if you call upon the name of the Lord you ask him to save you then you'll be saved And people have a choice at that time you give them that choice don't say hey pray with me right now Don't force people to pray with you Ask them if they want to Ask them if they pray Ask them if they if they believe this that if they call upon the name of the Lord They will be saved and and and we what happens is a lot of times people will be stillborns. You know why they're stillborns Stillborn means, you know They were about to be birthed into the world or they're about to be birthed the new birth And then they just decided at the last minute to not do it And they spiritually die at that point. They're about to be saved and they choose not to they say no Let's just do it some other time. I'm gonna go pray in my room I'll do it later But a lot, you know, and maybe they do maybe some people do and I believe that probably some people do do that But a lot of them is just because they don't really believe They choose not to believe the message that you presented to them Revelation 14 verse 11 says in the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the Mark of his name. Look you people are gonna have a choice in the end times to take the mark of the beast Or to not take the mark of the beast. What happens if you don't take the mark of the beast? You're killed. What happens if you do take the mark of the beast? Well, you eventually get killed and then you die and go to hell for all eternity Because you made the wrong choice So it's better to not take the mark, right? Because you're saying you could be safe still I'm just talking about people that aren't even saved that have that choice because there's gonna be people that aren't saved And I don't know about that Worshipping the beast, you know, I think the Bible says something about you know You're going to hell for all eternity. You have no choice anymore. Look once you make that choice. The choice is is non-reversible Someone who goes to heaven that choice is non-reversible. That means when people say well Hey, you know if I stop believing then look you don't have that choice anymore The choice is heaven or hell Okay, and someone that makes the choice to go to hell that takes the mark of the beast that alters God's Word and tries to Make their own Bible version make it say whatever they want. Those people don't have a choice anymore those people that said hey I'm gonna choose to blasting the Holy Ghost on YouTube and show it in front of hundreds of thousands of people of me saying I Reject the Holy Ghost or whatever whatever they say and look they say some filthy things about God and Specifically filthy things about the Holy Spirit and I believe that that person is gonna split hell wide open the moment they die because they've chosen and Tempted God with the fact that they are gonna blasting the Holy Ghost. Look, there's no reversing it. It's over for you It says in verse in Revelation 20 turn to Revelation 20 I'm almost done here revelation 20 verse 15 The Bible says and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire Look that person chose whether they want to be put in that book or not. I tell people about the book I tell people hey God has a book and every person that's saved is in that book You know, do you want your name to be written in that book? Because look if it's not Then what's gonna happen you're gonna be cast into the lake of fire Revelation 22 turn to Revelation chapter 22 verse number 15 revelation 22 verse number 15 Revelation 22 verse 15 says for without our dogs and sorcerers and Foremongers and murderers and idolaters and what whosoever loveth and maketh a lie So these people are without the city of God these people are once once eternity Future these people are gonna be without the city of God. They're gonna be cast into the lake of fire so revelation 22 verse 16 says and Jesus and I Jesus have Sent mine angel to testify unto these things of the in the churches I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star and the spirit and the bride say what? Come and let him that hearers say come and let him that is a thirst come and what? whosoever will Whosoever will let him take the water of life. What? Freely It's free. It's a free gift. It's a free choice. It's a free whosoever. It will choke shall be saved, right? And so but there's people that are gonna say you know what I don't want that that's your choice That's their choice. But look the God of Calvinism is not a is not the true God The God of Calvinism is something that was made up by some ex Catholic priest who's roasting in hell right now named John Calvin And nothing good comes from that tree If you're a false prophet nothing good comes from that tree So if they're preaching a false gospel if they're preaching a false God Then they're everything that that's underneath that is false So John Calvin and his world of followers are going straight to hell So look when someone says hey, I'm I'm a Calvinist I'm saved you try to get him saved Because they're not believing in the true God Because if you look at all these verses that I've showed you and look I've showed you a lot Then you have to come to the conclusion if you have a brain in your head that God gives us choices God allows us to choose to be saved. God allows us to choose to keep his commandments He allows us to choose to give tithes He allows us to go so, you know choose to go so on here not go so winning football games So winning, you know, you have your choice to make and so but we have actions based upon Actions that take place based upon the choices that we make it's not because God chooses all this stuff to happen And it was all for his glory. I Believe that everything's that's done is for God's glory when it's good When you're keeping these commandments and when you're building your spiritual house God Builds a spiritual house by our lively stones. Everybody in here is a lively stone some uglier than others but Talking about Dylan. I'm just kidding. But uh Some are more lively than others too. Why because you choose to be more lively than that other person It's based upon you the individual and it's based upon you as a dad if you're gonna make your house a spiritual house also Hey, you're gonna you're gonna whip that family into shape and show them what's up and look pastor McPherson made a really good point I'm gonna I'm gonna steal this from him a little bit When you get saved you decide you're gonna you're gonna change things you don't just he had this thing It was like a checklist or things that we believe Things that are important and in the new IFB right things that are important just as Baptist or as Christians you know and he was like had these lists like What was it? Organic food Modest appearance, you know television in your home and all those things But you know when you're choosing that and then your wife might not be a hundred percent where you're at You know to say get those get get those pants off and put a skirt on you can do that But guess what if you approach it in that way, it's a good chance that they're just gonna move further away from you There is ways to do things where you don't, you know learn to dwell with your wives with knowledge Because I didn't have to tell my wife to get into a skirt. I Didn't have to tell her to do that. She did it on her own because she saw God's Word and changed on that And people are like, why are you wearing dresses three times a week? Well because I'm choosing to Well because she you know, she was convinced of the truth and so it's an abomination for a woman to wear pants Well, look just that doesn't mean that you have to go you abomination, you know get out That's that's probably not gonna win you some points if you're trying to build up your spiritual house, you know You got to build it up, you know, sometimes that's one stone at a time, right? So you don't have to just rip the foundation out and one and one fell swoop and just make your house You know go into a turn into a crazy house So is it right is can you tell your wife to stop wearing pants? Well, of course you can but you know the way you do it might depend on how soon it gets done if ever right Bible says in Revelation 22 Actually, I already read that but wait, let's turn to Galatians will be our last one We turn to I'm gonna read for you in John 12 32 says and if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me God gives us the choice, but he all he gives everybody the choice Cuz here's one thing that Calvinists don't really recognize in the Bible when it says all That that really does mean all And if Jesus was lifted up the earth was he lifted up from the earth? Yes, he was It says he will draw all men unto me. That means everybody gets a choice So it's not just the certain people that God's chosen The way that Calvinists will try to make it seem so Here's some real profound statements real quick if we're allowed to choose that means we have a choice If the Bible says whosoever will that means guess what we have a choice, okay Why would God punish us for things we don't have a choice in That doesn't make sense does it and The fact that there's not many people saved shows people can choose to be saved, but don't choose to be saved Okay, and again God's not a tyrannical puppet master that chooses people to go to hell because he doesn't like them now He might choose them to go to hell after they choose not to love him After they choose to do something that can makes them a reprobate After God draws them and they say you know what I don't want this I Don't want your God I'll choose Whatever else I choose to believe in well. You know I still have my faith I'm just gonna continue the faith that I was brought up in That's what a lot of people say Well I know you showed me lots of different things that you know totally contradict everything I believe in but I'm just gonna continue to choose the religion that I was brought up in that's That's insane that's idiotic, but it is still their choice, so we need to respect the choice Obviously be compassionate and try to pull people from the fire but it's still ultimately their choice and Look, it's your choice to build your spiritual house and you have the choice to serve God and make spiritual sacrifices to him and Not to do that last verse, and I'll just show you that we're the chosen people okay? Galatians 3 26 says For a year all the children of God by what faith in Christ Jesus Here that's how that's how we're the chosen ones for as many of you has been baptized in Christ have put on Christ There's neither June or Greek. There's neither bond nor free There's neither male nor female for you're all one in Christ Jesus And if you be Christ in your Abraham seed and heirs according to the promise So the promises were made to Abraham right but That was through his seed who's the seed Christ so if we put our faith in Christ? We are God's chosen people. Let's pray Heavenly Father We just thank you so much for this wonderful day and God I just pray Lord there would be people saved out soul Any today Lord I pray that you'd help us to Lord understand and we can answer somebody when they come when we come up to the door of a Calvinist or Someone that just chooses not to believe or we can show them that they have a choice And help convince them to make the right one Lord pray these things in Jesus name Amen