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The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty, Baptist
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message from God's word will be a blessing to you.
Chapter 12. Because we'll have to see how
far I go tonight. And I don't have any pain there,
but I know that it's kind of hard getting it out so we will
do the best, we can this evening.
But I'm glad to be back in the Book of Judges.
It's been over two months since we have been in the Book of
Judges and so we are back this evening.
Thank you. Anthony, in Judges chapter
number 12. So Judges chapter 12.
This evening in a message that II mean I'm so excited about
this title. I really am pack the car and the
subtitle in have it. Yeah.
All right and I would say this I think I called Marsha a couple
of days ago is like mashaa it's pasta and as soon as it came out
of my mouth I said you know that doesn't even sound right it
doesn't sound like she in fact she refused to call me back she
didn't want to talk to me after I had called her in that manner
and I don't blame her. She was us know, there was a
spirit of wisdom and her part and I appreciate that.
Just add a little bit of encouragement but no, you know,
it's funny. There are ways after living here
in the Boston are almost 10 years.
We moved here in April of 2012 and living in this general area
for almost 10 years. Now, there are some ways you can
know whether someone is from the Boston area or not.
And it's not just by the accent because not everyone from the
Boston area has the stereotypical Hollywood Boston X
and although, there are some who do have it but it's more
stereotypical than anything Else.
But there are some ways you could tell whether someone was
from Boston or not. If I was to put a box of
sprinkles in front of you, sprinkles for ice cream and ask
you what are these. If you were from this area,
you'd say they are Jimmy's. All right, very good.
You pass the test. That's good.
Fun to take you to water fountain at the local public
school. Now, is to say, what's the name
of this thing right here? You would call it a bubbler.
That's right? Or a bubula depending on how
deep into the accent. You are, if Were to go to Dunkin
Donuts. And you were to order a coffee
with cream and sugar. You wouldn't say, I want a
coffee with cream and sugar, you'd ask for a regular, that's
what you would ask for. I always laughed at the story.
Brother Sam Davis has told me the story at least half a dozen
times about the first time he went to Boston and he asked for
a regular coffee, this is what kind of coffee.
Do you want? He goes, oh, just regular.
And he meant just a black coffee because he said, 49 other states
of the Union, a regular coffee. Just it being regular would be
just a black coffee. She and they brought it back
with cream and sugar. He says, I this unfortunately
has cream and sugar and she goes, that's what you asked for.
You'll want it a regular and he said, well I wanted regular, but
this has cream and sugar, and she goes, that's what you asked
for you. It was right.
Like it was Abbott and Costello routine until finally.
She gave it him a black coffee and said, there you go, but it's
not regular. And so that's you know, there's
some one of the things I love about living around here is
there's some things that are very distinctly and very
uniquely Lee Boston or very distinctly and uniquely
Massachusetts. And while you might think this
is just small talk, I'm making before sermon that couldn't
possibly have anything to do with the Bible.
If you read ahead in Judges chapter 12, you would realize it
has everything to do with our text here tonight because there
was a group of men who couldn't pronounce one word right and
because it 42,000 men died. So make it start to think about
parking your car, in Harvard Yard and saying it the right
way. When you consider that zone, I'm
going to ask you to remain seated tonight and we're going
to read and Judges chapter 13. We're gonna start a little bit.
We actually start to begin the chapter just to give us a little
bit of background and remind us, where we were a couple months
ago. The last time we address this
text, so Judges chapter 12 verse number 1, and the men of Ephraim
gather themselves together and went northward and said unto
jeptha. Remember, he's the current judge
where four passes now over to fight against the children of
Ammon and did not call us to go with the, we will burn 9 house
upon the with fire. Remember the constant complainer
those men of Ephraim. They were the complainers and
jeptha said unto them. I am, I people weren't great
Strife with the children of Ammon and when I called you, you
delivered me not out of their hands and when I saw that, he
delivered me not, I put my life in my hands and passed over
against the children of Ammon and the Lord delivered them into
my hand, wherefore then are you come up unto me this day to
fight against me and Jeff the gathered together, all the men
of Gilead and smoke and fought with Ephraim and the men of
Gilead smote Ephraim. Because they said he gileadites
are fugitives of Ephraim among the ephraimites, and among the
Manan sites. And so, it seemed like the men
of Ephraim were much better at talking than they weren't
fighting and so Gilead. And jeptha in particular have
won the day. However, It says in verse 5 that
the gileadites took the passengers of Jordan before the
ephraimites. And it was so that when those
ephraimites which were Escape said, let me go over that the
men of Gilead said unto them, art thou any free of Might.
And if he said nay, then they said unto him.
Say now shibboleth, say now shibboleth, and he said,
shibboleth for he could not frame to pronounce it right?
Then they took him and slew him at the passage.
Jordan. And there fell at that time of
the ìiî of mites 40 and 2000 and jeptha judged.
Israel. Six years then digest of the
gileadites and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
We see in our text here tonight that we kind of need to address
some of the who are these people.
We have jeptha, we have the ammonites, we have the
gileadites, we have the ephraimites, and people are
fighting, and people don't seem happy and 42,000.
Men are I'd have died, what's going on in our text here
tonight. And remember, jeptha was the
judge who was brought in, he was forsaken by his own people
because of the past that he had because he was born into a
household. His mother was a woman that had
had an illicit relationship with her father and all of these
things came into play. He was thrown out from his
household, he was thrown out of his country, but at the same
time, he had amassed a certain amount of army of people who'd
also been displaced people. I've been treated poorly and he
had an army and so his own people to gileadites called him
back and say, we need your help because the ammonites are
oppressing us, and we know, you have an army ready to go.
Ready to fight. Will you defend us?
And he said, I will defend you. I will help you.
I will put the oppressors out from our land, but you'll have
to make me your judge. You won't throw me out like you
did. When I was just becoming an
adult know. You'll have to make me your
judge, and make me your leader, which they readily agreed to.
And so, it was through that time, that jeptha and his army
were able to win a Wait, military victory over the
ammonites, but when we get to chapter number 12, there were
the men of Ephraim Ephraim and Gilead were both regions that
were to the Eastern side of the Jordan River.
They were kind of what we would call the wild west but for them,
it will be the wild east of the nation of Israel because they
were kind of on the outskirts. These were people's that live
more on the land. These were people that were more
ranchers and farmers and those type of things they were very
heavily into that in the land of Elliot and in Ephraim and
Manasseh and such. And so they get to this area
here and the ephraimites say we wanted to help you and you
didn't call us and so because of the great offense that you have
put against us, we're going to kill you when you kill your men.
Now we saw from our text and I'm not going to re-preach the
message, I preached two months ago but the idea is Gilead or
rather Jeff the had called them, they had not come but now that
they had won the day, they wanted to be included.
Das some of the victors of the day just like the old saying
goes that defeat is alone, but victory has a thousand fathers.
And so they didn't want anything to do with Jeff though, when
they thought the odds were long. But now the jeptha and the
gileadites had one, they feel offended that they weren't
included in this military Expedition and so in Zwolle, it
devolves into what becomes a Civil War and we find in verse
number 4. It says in Jeff, the gathered
together, all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim and Men
of Gilead smote Ephraim because they said you gileadites are
fugitives of Ephraim among the ephraimites and among the many
sights and the men of Ephraim had done this in the past.
We even look that this was not the first time that they had
done this, they did this with Gideon some years back as well
or they refused to fight. But then afterwards, it said,
well, why didn't you call us? Because that's kind of what
complainers do. Don't they love to be the Monday
Morning Quarterback. They don't offer any help, but
they love when everyone's done the people that actually do the
working saying, well, why didn't you call Us.
We would have loved to help when they were nowhere to be found.
And so when this argument devolves into war with, I
believe Jepsen, the gileadites being right with the Lord and
the men of Ephraim not having the right spirit and not being
right with the Lord, this fight occurs.
And as I mentioned, as we were reading the text, the men of
Ephraim were great talkers but they weren't great Fighters.
And it's probably also another characteristic of those were
complainers that love to talk but when you had put a
broomstick in there and all of a sudden they don't know what to
do. And so it says this brings us to
Where we are in our text tonight.
It says in verse number 5 and the gileadites took the passages
of Jordan before the ephraimites.
And it was so that when those ephraimites which were Escape
said, let me go over that the men of Gilead said unto him.
Art thou in III might if he said nay then they said in him say
now shibboleth kind of read in a verse number 6 just because of
the pattern of the verse there. But this is what happens the
ephraimites are starting to lose the battle and as such They are
retreating from the battlefield. And so the Fords, their the
streams of the Jordan River that are nearby.
They realize the gileadites realize, if they get across
these streams, if they get across these four words, they're
gone. We're never going to get our
hands on them. And so, what they do is, they
stop all of the ways of retreat. They put guards at posts at each
of these streams at each of these four words places where
the ephraimites would try to cross the Jordan River and all
of a sudden, not be able to be caught again and so, As they're
stopping these men on the battlefield, they ask them.
Hey, are you with ephraimites? We'll listen, if you are with
the gileadites, you see another gilja tight, you're happy to see
one of your brethren. They have a sword in their hand,
but if you're an E4, you might who's running away from the
gileadites and you see a man of Gilead there with a store.
And says, are you need for you? Might imagine your blood
pressure is about to go up quite a bit, isn't it?
And so it's an Ephraim a'ight. It's only in their best interest
to say. Oh no.
I'm not one of those ephraimites, I'm one of you, but
here's the thing. There were no driver's licenses.
There were no passports, there were no identifying documents
that they would have been carrying around with them.
How could they have known the gileadites?
Whether they were truly ephraimites or not, how could
they have known? Could I put it this way if they
were Friend or Foe? Well, there was a regional
dialect that they had there was, could we put it this way and
accent that the ephraimites had that the other people did not
have in the area and these accent did not allow them to
form the sound in different words, you know, kind of like,
saying, yard, You know, or pastor?
And the idea like here where we know in the Boston area we like
taking ours off of some words and somehow depositing among
other words that have no business having the are in the
first place. Well, they had this sound that
they could not pronounce the ephraimites as the gileadites
would say, here's the password. You say the password will let
you over. You can't say the password, your
Annie free of Might and you're dead.
Are you ready? Here's the word shibboleth.
Shibboleth to pasture. What does shibboleth mean.
The interesting is thing is doing some studying this week.
There's a lot of disagreement about what the word shibboleth
actually means. There's some that believe it
means stream which would, you know, make sense because they
were right there next to streams.
But really the idea is what's important is not what the word
meant, but what the word sounded like, can you say the word
shibboleth? And I can only imagine.
Because I know sometimes we read these verses in black and white
and we don't remember, we don't think maybe These are real
people, real events and could you imagine knowing that you
have to say the word shibboleth and you don't know that your
mouth can actually pronounce it right on the first time.
And, you know, if you can't say it, right?
You're about to die and the ephraimites as much as they
tried to say shibboleth. They said both laugh and every
single ifrah might who said the word Sybil leth.
Die. Because of an accent.
Now, by the way, this isn't the only time in the Bible where
someone's accent gives them away.
You'll remember that in Matthew chapter 26, when Peter was
warming himself by the fire that there were those who questioned
him and they questioned where he was and whether he's a type of
disciple of Christ because he was From Galilee and then he
believed that those of Galley, had a fairly distinct accent.
Matthew 2673 says, and after a, while came unto him, they that
stood by and said to Peter, surely thou.
Also, one of them for thy speech, be re at thee, your
speech betrays, the fact that you are Galilee and in your with
Jesus Christ. And maybe that's also the case
in Acts chapter 2 verse 7, where it says on the day of Pentecost
and they this is the crowd and they were all amazed and
marveled saying one to another behold are not all these which
speak galilaeans kind of like this mean, how could hayseeds
like this actually know what they're talking about because
many people thought the galileans were unlearned because
The way they talked and because of the way they often handle
themselves and so accents, you know, we sometimes you know,
laugh about them and we look at different regions of the
country. They have different accents or
even different accents in different parts of the world.
And even some here tonight, have different accents depend on
where you lived or where you didn't live.
And I think of, even my family, my wife's family living in
Scotland, she's the only one that doesn't have a Scottish
accent, but she also lived in Australia.
And I've heard a recording of her when she's about 12 years
old singing Once where Singing with a Scottish / Australian
accent, at the same time as one of my favorite things I've ever
heard in my life in such an awesome thing.
But she has a sympathetic accent wherever she goes.
She takes on the accent of the area until we got to Boston.
It seems like but she had the Scottish accent then had some of
an Australian accent and then got to Oklahoma and got really
confused, which is pretty much what happens when you get to
Oklahoma. You get very confused and so
accents. And so the shibboleth here was
such and, you know, the word shibboleth is actually something
that's coming to Modern vernacular.
Cooler. Today, it's actually something
today that this is actually the definition of shibboleth.
If you were to look it up in the dictionary.
It says this in modern context, a shibboleth is any identifying
word manner of speaking or behavior that shows someone to
be part of a particular group. It's a way to know if someone's
a local or not, for instance, during the Revolutionary War.
If you were to go to Faneuil Hall, even today, I think I
mentioned this before, we would have Faneuil Hall.
Today, very high, the top of Faneuil Hall on the Weathervane.
There is a grasshopper. If you were a local to Boston,
you would know it's a grasshopper but if you are not a
local, it's high enough up there, that's really hard to
make out what it is. And who would think a
grasshopper is on a top of a Weathervane on top of a large
building like that. And so it was That during the
Revolutionary War, if someone was believed to have been a spy,
they would take them to Faneuil Hall.
And they would say this, what's on top of Faneuil Hall.
And if they knew as a grasshopper, it was obvious that
they were a local. If they did not know, it was a
grasshopper, very likely they were a spy and usually they were
put to death. What's the grasshopper on top of
Faneuil Hall? It's actually one of America's
oldest and most famous shibboleths I'll give you a
shibboleth that you have used before.
I know you have whether you realize it or not you ever had
someone who was from out of town, come to town and you're
driving down the interstate and you see a sign and you say this,
hey Is the name of that City. Worcester.
We're sure we're sure Worcester
and you say no it's Worcester or Worcester depending on where
you're from, that's a shibboleth.
What about Leo, Minster? What about Peabody?
Or Haver Hill. Or even part uh, kit which is
learned over the last few years as Pawtucket.
What about? Quincy people say Quincy.
But if we know, if you've been around Long of its Quincy with a
hard Z at the end know, I said some of those wrong on purpose
and some of those, right? But you know, the first time we
went to Haverhill, we called it have her Hill and you know what,
everyone the church realized. Yeah, you've never been here
before. When I was a teenager, we came
to through on the Mass Pike through Worcester and someone
who was in the car, so that was a local said, what do you think
the name of that place is and roared with laughter as a bunch
of teenagers? Tried to say Worcester, they had
no idea and we had no idea, you know, that it's a simple that
it's something to local nose easily, but someone who is not
local, can't really put their mouth around and explain away
the local wood and So you say pastor, this is very
entertaining, this is very interesting.
I love talking about Boston accents, and Faneuil Hall, and
all this, and sure that's there in the Bible, but I mean, Pastor
is our is our possibly anything about this that could do with us
today. And of course, I think you've
been around Liberty Baptist Church enough if I'm standing
behind the pulpit. I'm talking to you tonight.
Yes, there is something about this text, and about the idea of
a shibboleth, it is very much appropriate for us to understand
and apply to our lives. And I think, I'll put it this
way. There's a General application.
I want, you understand? And there's a specific
application. I want to understand tonight
about why this shibboleth is so important to the context of how
we live today. There's a General application,
but there's also a specific application.
The general applications of the one, we like, because it's the
ones that don't really apply to us specific applications of the
ones that typically get a little bit uncomfortable because it
hits a little too close to home. So because that let's start with
a General application. First tonight, the idea of a
ship. Both may seem remote and
unnecessary but I believe it's not it.
And here's one of the reasons a General application of the
understanding of this text is necessary, you know, there are
many, who claim to know, God, there are many, who claim to
speak on behalf of God, there are many who call themselves
bible-believing groups. But yet, how do you know,
whether someone or some entity? Is a Bible believer or not, did
you? No, that the Bible gives us some
shibboleths to know whether someone actually is a Bible
believer or not. And I'm not talking about
whether Someone Saved or not, I'm not telling you that I can
look into someone's heart and tell whether they're going to
heaven or not. If I could say that tonight,
you'll be flying against everything.
The word of God says, but the Bible does say this to judge
righteous judgment and our they're not religious groups out
there that say we speak on behalf of Jesus Christ.
Isn't it important for us to know whether that's a group, we
should follow or not aren't there?
Those who wave the flag of Jesus Christ, that their leaders of
thought they are leaders of theology that they say, oh yes,
we believe in Jesus Christ. Well, isn't important.
If we know whether they believe in Jesus Christ, before we start
reading their books, listen their podcast, and be influenced
by who they are. Who be important that we use a
Bible given shibboleth to know whether they are.
Are a true Bible believer or not?
One of the ways we could do that and we can take our leave of
this text will return a couple different places.
Turn to First, John chapter 4 tonight 1st, John chapter 4,
First John chapter 4 verse number 15, here's a shibboleth.
How do you know whether an organization believes in the
Lord or not? Well, here's one first John
chapter 4 verse 15 whosoever shall confess.
That Jesus is the son of God. God dwelleth in him and he in
God, you say, well Pastor, what's the big deal about that
at? That seems to be something
that's very obvious. Well, it's not as obvious as I
would think because there are groups that call themselves,
Christian groups. Today the Mormon Church the
Latter Day, Saints Church, would say to us that they are
Christians, just like we are. But the question is, does that
mean that they're Christian just because they call themselves
Christians? Well, one way we could know
whether that's the case or not is to apply a Bible shibboleth,
which would be this whosoever shall confess.
That Jesus is the son of God, God dwelleth in him and he is in
God. What about first, John 5 verse
7, Also, with that for, there are three that bear record in
heaven. The Father, the word and the
Holy Ghost and these three are one.
Now, the word Trinity is not used their.
However, we see the doctrine of the Trinity there, don't we?
That God is one God. It's not three different gods.
He is not three different gods. He is one God, but yet, he's in
three distinct persons. The Father, the word, and the
Holy Ghost, the word being John 11, Jesus Christ.
The Had its taught neck, 1729 and Romans 1:20 in Colossians
2:9 and John 14:26. I don't know.
This are to have you write those all down, but this idea that,
that Jesus Christ is God and that he is part of a Triune god,
father, Son and Holy Ghost. Listen.
There's a lot of people who would say this, we believe in
God, I could bring a Muslim up here tonight and I could bring a
Jewish man up here tonight and I could say, Do you believe in God
and Do you believe in God? And they would all say yes, we
all believe in God. And maybe they would even say
this, we all believe in the god of Abraham, but here's the
shibboleth. Confess the name of Jesus
Christ. Confess the name of Jesus
Christ. And you know what, the more
wood, you know what the the Muslim will do he'll say?
Sybil leth. Because his mouth can't frame
the word. We'll ask our Jewish friend on
this side. Say the word.
Jesus Christ is Lord saying. Civil f.
Cuz he can't get his mouth around it.
Now, imagine we take a, a Mormon on one side and we take a
Jehovah Witness on another side and maybe we even get a
Christian Scientist up here, and of course, Christian Science,
Mary Baker, Eddy got its founding up in this very area,
you could go down to do Boston today and you could go see the
immense buildings and things that they have there and all the
Mary Baker Eddy houses that are around including one in
Stoughton in a place that she live and imagine we take them
and say this, there are three that bear record in heaven.
Can you confess that? There are three, the Father, the
word, and the Holy Ghost. You know what they would have to
say, all three of them. Sybil f. you can't say, That's
why I've asked Jehovah Witnesses before they will say to make a
place of agreement. Oh, we believe that Jesus is the
son of God and I'll say this or the, we believe he's the son of
God. I say, well, that's fine.
But you also believe that he's God.
The son saying this, do you believe that he is part of the
Triune God? Which by the way, the son of the
term, Son of God does not take away from his deity.
All he had to do is go to the Book of Daniel and realize
actually elevates his deity. But at the same time to help
them understand that he's part of a Triune God.
I believe he's God the son but do you believe he's the son of
God or the other way around? You understand what I'm saying?
That's what trouble. All right.
I'm trying to squeeze some pity out there and you know what
they'll say Symbol F. They can't say it and there are
times that we as Believers need to have discernment and
understand where people stand in these areas.
Because if we do not, we may be influenced by wrong teaching, we
may be influenced by wrong Theology and so we have to take
those things and ask can you frame these words?
That that is a that is a Bible term.
In fact, so compare first John four fifteen and first John 5:7
to this verse second John verse 7.
So just to Age away. 2nd. John verse 7.
So compare what we just read with this.
For many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not
that. Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh. What is it?
This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
It is not the Antichrist but as a person that is opposed to
Christ, they have the spirit of antichrist within him.
So what do we have to do? There are times we have to
impose some Bible shibboleths to know whether someone is of the
right Doctrine or not and I know.
Time to get into this tonight, but I would also say there are
other shibboleths in the Bible as well.
Including this does someone believe in the death and burial
and resurrection of Jesus Christ that he bodily died and was
buried and he rose again on the third day, what about this is a
shibboleth, the blood atonement. There are some of those who
would actually deny the fact that Jesus Christ blood was
necessary, including at one point, John MacArthur himself,
the blood atonement being necessary.
For salvation, that is a shibboleth.
What about this salvation by grace?
And not of Works Ephesians 2:8 and 9 teach us that our
Salvation is not of ourselves. It's the gift of God, not of
Works. Lest any man should boast.
What happens if someone teaches there's oh, Jesus Christ.
Oh, he's the son of God, Jesus Christ.
He's part of the Triune God but you can come to him through your
works. That's a shibboleth that tells
us. That's not something that I want
to be a part of, that's not something I want to be
influenced by as Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, is
salvation, plus nothing that I can do.
If you have to add something, you do to the gospel message,
that makes you part of the Gospel in adding to Salvation.
And there's nothing that I can add to Salvation.
All I can do is confess Jesus Christ as my Lord and ask for
forgiveness of my sins and repent.
That's what I must do. That's the shibboleth.
What about the reality of sin? There are preachers out there
today that if you were to ask them this, can you just say the
word sin from the pulpit? I'm not trying to be cute
tonight, but there are preachers.
That literally will not even use the word sin from the pulpit.
And if you were asking when the pulpit, could you say sin, they
would go see. Sybil ethe.
They can't say it. What does that mean?
Well, that's not someone that I want to be influenced by.
I told you that I was reading a book by Joel Osteen a few years
ago and I got it online and I got it on purpose and it was
talking about how to have your best life now or something along
the vein that he normally teaches on and because it was an
electronic book, I literally could find a word.
You just go in the search box and find a word.
I put the word sin in and I found the word sin in this 200
plus page book. One time.
And so I thought, well, maybe it's a mistake.
So, you know, sometimes when you search you can search for every
form of the word. And so I put sin in the search
box and I made sure I was searching for every form of the
word one time. How can you have the kind of
life that God wants you to have without addressing sin in your
life? You know what that is.
That's a shibboleth to me. They go that's not probably
something I need to be influenced by because I want to
make sure that I understand that I'm a sinner that only Jesus
Christ can save me and that a lot of the problems I have in my
life are seeing problems. That every problem I have in
life is a sin problem that's joke about that but I can tell
you that there are problems in our life that are seeing
problems their self created. And so what do we do when I see
a teacher like that I'm just telling you for my life.
This is why I say that's a shibboleth I do.
Want to be influenced by that, I don't.
So there's a General application tonight.
That the word helps us understand who we should be
influenced by the word tells us who we should listen to, because
we want to make sure that someone who is speaking.
Who is teaching, who is influencing us is being true to
the word of God. And that's true of preachers.
That's true of theologians. That's true of movements, that's
true of denominations. That's true of religious
organizations. You name it.
God has given us this shibboleth to be able to say, I need to
know that you are teaching and preaching what the word of God
says. Now by the way we cannot make
shibboleths out of our own preferences.
We have to make sure our shibboleths actually come from
the word of God. And there are some people who
cause Division and sow Discord because of preferences and not
because of Bible teaching and preaching and we have to be
careful, even our own Spirit, not to be that way.
But God has given us these things in his word to make sure
he smoke is very clear and 2nd. John 7, look.
If you can't confess that, Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, get
away from that person. They've got the spirit of
antichrist. John later on says this, hey,
don't even better. Godspeed, I mean it's serious.
Don't even bid them. Godspeed.
So that's the general application here tonight.
And if I was to just close up the Bible and say, amen, I mean,
I think we would all be, you know, that's that's good.
Pastor, that's helpful. That's, that's something that
could I can take and I can use, you know, as I kind of go
through life and do those things.
But I would also say to you that there is a specific application
that comes from our text here tonight.
And that's this. Let me remind you the definition
of shibboleth. Is any identifying word manner
of speaking or behavior? That shows someone to be part of
a particular group? Any identifying word manner of
speaking or behavior? That shows someone to be part of
a particular group. Now, tonight, you should be able
to tell if someone is a believer, By what comes out of
their mouth. And maybe could I make it a
little bit more specific? Someone should be able to tell
whether you are a believer. Depending on what comes out of
your mouth or not. because a lot of times we say, oh, I'm a
Believer, but we can't say shibboleth because what comes
out of our mouth is not good, and right?
And holy, can I, our speech should show that?
Were the children of the light not that were followers of the
flesh? Are speech, should show that.
We are children of the light and not followers of the flesh.
Luke 643 a good man out of the good Treasure of his heart
brings forth that which is good. And an evil man out of the evil.
Treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil for out
of the abundance of the heart. The mouth speaketh, do you see
What comes out of our mouth is a shibboleth of what's actually
inside the heart. Ephesians 4:29, let no corrupt
communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is
good to the use of edifying that it may Minister grace to the
hearers. That's a shibboleth Colossians
4:6. Let your speech be always with
Grace seasoned with salt. That ye may know how you ought
to answer every man and others should be able to tell if we're
a Believer by how we walk and by how we talk.
Matthew 720 says this wherefore by their fruits, ye shall know
them. When we scream at someone in our
home but we blow our top but we're saying is civil leth.
Sybil leth. When we sing the songs of faith
during the song service, but we don't treat our Brothers and
Sisters in Christ with the same dignity that we just sang about.
We're really saying symbol F heard a preacher.
Say many years ago, that the time the Christians Li the most
is during the song service trust and Obey.
I surrender all we sing these words.
But do we actually think about and mean them or really just
saying civilized When we take it out on the person who answers
the phone after we've been on hold for 30 minutes.
We're really saying civil F. It's a revealer that our heart
is not as clean and pure, as we say, it is.
It's so easy to do because we live in a fallen world and
people aggravate us Annoy Us, some do it on purpose, some do
it on accident. Some of it is just the fact that
we live in this world and and this world's a mess, but we lose
opportunities to be able to be the person that God calls us to
be when we cannot form the word shibboleth.
And we look like someone who's not a Believer could you imagine
what would happen when we act like the non-believers in the
world? Should just stop here, but I'm
going to tell the story. And I've been fighting in my
mind for the last two days, about whether I should tell the
story or not. A few weeks ago.
Las Vegas. We're not Catholic, it's not
confession. But Thanks, Sam.
Cuz I was on my way there, but so We all have different things
that set us off. We all do.
I'm going to ask you to say, Amen, I'm telling you a fact.
Okay, you can all look at me like a cow.
Look at a new gate. I'm just telling you, the fact,
we all have different things that Annoy Us.
And the funny thing is that what annoys me, probably doesn't
annoy you and sometimes maybe you're around other people and
they think you're on for being annoyed by that and you think
they're odd for not realizing how incredibly crazy everyone
else is for not being annoyed by that, So, I have, I have this
pet peeve about going to Walmart.
I could just stop there but I'll continue about going to Walmart.
There's never anything open. You have to check out yourself.
There's 18 people hovering over you.
While you check out yourself, there's cameras recording you.
While you check out yourself, there's TVs showing you that
they're recording you, while you check out yourself, and then as
if all of that is not enough, there is someone at the door who
is smiling at you. When you came in and said, Isn't
it a great day and now they want me to produce the receipt of
what I just did 10 feet away from them just three seconds
ago. And it annoys the fire out of
me. Yeah, so good.
Yeah, I know this this I feel like we're having a breakthrough
here right now so it does and some of you are saying but
that's so that's so trivial, right?
That went a octave or two above it, it's just I don't want to
get into why it really bugs me, and I'm thankful for some people
that agree with me anyway. So so we were my wife and I were
out a few weeks ago. It's late.
I don't want to be at Walmart and it's obviously employees
want to be at Walmart. I'm in line waiting to go
through the line. Oh, guess what?
You have to check yourself out. It's all self.
Check out tonight. Okay, let me check it out.
She's got a car, she's doing stuff.
I got a card, I'm doing stuff. I take the receipt and I just
shove it in my My pocket, I'm not even thinking about it and
we walk out and I realize there's the guy.
He was so friendly coming in, but he's checking receipts
because he's going to make sure that those grapes are paid for.
And so, I try to tell Diane follow behind me fall behind,
because what's followed by me? And he's talking to somebody and
I said, this is my time. He's checking someone's receipt.
So or spinning around this guy who's checking someone else's
receipt and he said she didn't shoot me sir.
No, no one's ever stopped me before when I walk out.
And I'd like to think I'm pretty articulate.
But I was caught somewhat by surprise and he says, I need to
see your receipt and I said, well why?
He says, well I need to see your receipt.
Well and I don't want to get in the legalities of all this to
be. Honestly, I believe legally.
I don't have to show him my receipt.
It's not Costco it's not BJ's where you sign an agreement
saying that they check your receipt.
I just we were trying to check out and the sand and the Machine
stopped working and different people to come fix the machine
for us. We had in an effort for
efficiency. They've got more people helping
us then if one person was checking out.
And so we get into a little Disagreement, I never raised my
voice. Never yelled at the guy, but I
was miffed. And the more we went, he says,
well I'm I'm going to have to I'm have to write your
information down. I said, well, go ahead.
I didn't steal anything and he he's telling me to wait, I don't
want to wait, we're going back and forth.
We're going around or two. And finally, I just said, let's
go. And I'm looking at my wife,
whose eyes are filled with amazement and sorrow and
disappointment all of the same time and we're out of there.
Now, some of you think your pastor is not not able to do
these things, your pastor is more than able and willing to do
these things. At a moment's notice.
Here's where we have difficulty in life.
I believe I was right. But in the course of being,
right, all he could hear was Sybil left.
Because all I can hear. In my desire to be white.
And I think it's unjust and I think it's foolish and I think
they use all kinds of excuses. Like I even read on their
website, was it? We're just trying to make sure
that, you know, you don't get overcharged.
Oh sure. You're trying to make sure that
it's because you look at the cart.
You're not even looking at anything.
You're looking at the receipt you're pretending like you know
what's going on and you check it off.
And by the way I'm not just venting I'm going somewhere
here. Just make sure you know this I
was so willing to have my rights and Justice that all you could
hear was civil up. There has to be a way where we
can get that, which is right as best as we can, but still be
distinct and different as Believers.
Maybe to be the only one who was cheerful in not showing his
receipt or maybe talking to him about it now.
He may, he may not have cooperated from the looks of it,
he was going to cooperate, no matter what and maybe.
Yeah. They I really pretty sure they
put all the Napoleon's at the door at Walmart.
Nene like it man but here's end of the week of Christmas.
Yes. So But I wonder how many times I
have lost opportunities to reach somebody because I was so
wanting to get the food right? Or to prove my point.
Or to make sure that the person who cut me off gets cut off in
a, in a moment. that all they hear is someone saying civil
with See, it's a little bit more concerning than the General
application. Well I mean I have rights what
we do and I believe Romans 13 says that we have rights and
responsibilities in this government and in the land that
we live that we need to, you know, protect and we should be
careful about. But at the same time, I am
supposed to be distinctly Christian before.
I am distinctly American So that's dual loyalty.
Not do a Lords, they have single loyalty and that's the Lord
Jesus Christ. There's no dual loyalty about
it. But here's what I know.
I've also gone to a Dunkin Donuts and I'm going to give you
this and I'm going to be done and I'm not telling stores the
sake of stories, but I feel like this is a problem that we, as
Believers have. And it's a problem that I have
sometimes Dunkin Donuts on Five Corners here if you live in
East. And you know, and this is being
recorded and put online. It is the worst Dunkin Donuts.
Probably known to man on Five Corners.
They don't get stuff, right? They'll keep your change as a
donation. and that just really, It's a kindred spirits but the
damn, we should get some coffee after church.
Just not at that Duncan. All right.
But that's right. So, but it really bugs me but,
you know, a few weeks ago, I got to meet a woman there named
Julia. And started talking to her and I
gave her a track. We went there yesterday to
counsel with a couple at the Dunkin Donuts and I recognized
her at a table. She was on her break again and I
couldn't remember a name, I looked at my phone because
actually type names on my phone sometime so I can remember them.
I said are you Julia? She goes.
Yes. You remembered of course I would
do. We started talking to her
invited her to church again. I'm praying that Julia will come
one of these days to church, you know, Julia's salvation is more
important. Than Navy me.
Losing a bunker to it dumped him.
Now that doesn't mean that I don't go to them and say, no,
you know, you really shouldn't take my money, 75 cents return
and change is not a 75 cent tip for you.
I'm not saying we shouldn't do that, but there's a way to do it
while being a distinct believer, so that you can say shibboleth.
And show that what is on. The inside is a Believer who
wants to honor Christ, Ceci Velasquez, actually a lot
different than just pack. The kind have a yard, and
Jimmy's and Worcester at all that stuff.
It's actually a pretty serious thing and it's a password that
God has given for us to understand those who are Bible.
Believers are not in a general sense but also specifically it's
a reminder to us that we better make sure what we say with the
outside matches what Christ has done in the inside and if we
have some words that are coming out, Out on the outside that are
not, right? We can't say, well, it was just
a mistake. Well, the Bible says out of the
abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.
And so before we rebuke the mouth, we better go rebuke the
heart and get the heart, right? And then the mouth will be
right. Thank you for listening to the
sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church.
If this message was a blessing to you or if there's any way we
can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at info,
at my Liberty Baptist dot org. Or you can visit us this Sunday
at eight hundred Washington Street and East and
Massachusetts may the Lord bless you as you grow in his word.
Thank you for listening to the sermon from the pulpit of
Liberty Baptist Church. If this message was a blessing
to you or if there's any way we can serve you, please let us
know by contacting us at info, at my Liberty Baptist dot org.
Or you can visit us this Sunday at eight hundred Washington
Street and East and Massachusetts may the Lord bless
you as you grow in his word.