1 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:05,960 Welcome to the Liberty Baptist Sermon Archives. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,040 The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:13,040 Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:17,280 or contact us at my libertybaptist.org or just look 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,760 us up on Facebook. And now we hope that this 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,080 message from God's Word will be a blessing to you. 7 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,400 We will be in First Corinthians chapter #5 this evening. 8 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:31,080 I will let you know that there's a different kind of message. 9 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,080 It's a message that is heavy on my heart. 10 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:37,080 It is one of great seriousness. I know that as a pastor, I like 11 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,800 to incorporate humor into my sermons. 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,120 It's not because I believe that I'm a stand up comedian. 13 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,480 It's because I do think that there are times that humor does 14 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:50,480 help to drive home a point or just helps to reinforce what's 15 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:53,000 already been spoken of. I never want to be a comedian. 16 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,080 That's not my desire of a my desire is to be able to preach 17 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,280 the word of God in a way that can communicate to the heart. 18 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,080 And so there are times that humor does help with that, but 19 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:05,280 there are times that the gravity of the text, the gravity of the 20 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,640 message does require that it is such that there really is no 21 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,760 space for humor because it would take away from the very 22 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:14,760 seriousness of what's being spoken of. 23 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,880 And tonight is one of those nights. 24 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,600 And I'd also say that even as the message is being preached, 25 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,400 there are some types of messages that for you, maybe those kind 26 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,760 of ones were amens are very appropriate, that amens kind of 27 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,680 really spur the preacher on. But there are other times where 28 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,760 there's not a lot of amens to be heard because there's a lot of 29 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,880 thinking, there's a lot of chewing on what is being said. 30 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,160 And I would dare say that tonight would be one of those 31 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,720 messages that I'm not looking for a bunch of amens, but I am 32 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,320 looking that we would all really dial into that which the Lord 33 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:50,160 has for us tonight in this text because of the graveness of that 34 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,040 which I'm going to preach to you this evening. 35 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:57,520 Diane, I met at Heartland Baptist Bible College back in 36 00:01:57,520 --> 00:01:59,680 2001. And I know that I talk about 37 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:01,400 Heartland Baptist Bible College a lot. 38 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,280 I'm thankful for the ministry of Heartland. 39 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,240 It is a Bible college, is not the only Bible college on earth 40 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:09,639 by any stretch of the imagination that's doing things 41 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,120 for the Lord. But yet it is where Diane and I 42 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,760 met and where we've received many blessings as well as our 43 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:16,520 training and of course for the day. 44 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,680 Miss Cassandra could say the same thing as well. 45 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:23,640 This evening during our time at Heartland, we were introduced to 46 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:26,480 a church called the Bible Baptist Church at Stillwater and 47 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:28,400 their pastor, Pastor Wayne Hardy. 48 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,960 That church was Diane's home church when she came to the 49 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,320 United States. She needed a place to be able to 50 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,160 go when she was on a break, when she didn't have another place to 51 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,760 be able to go to. And Stillwater, OK, became like 52 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,760 a second home tour in many ways to the point that when Diane and 53 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,640 I got engaged to be married and we talked about where we wanted 54 00:02:47,640 --> 00:02:50,760 to get married, we knew that we didn't want to get married at 55 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,120 the Southwest Baptist Church where we normally attended 56 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:55,600 because it can hold about a couple 1000 people. 57 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,800 And believe it or not, we don't know a couple thousand people to 58 00:02:57,800 --> 00:02:59,920 be able to fit into a church building. 59 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,760 But we did want to get married at the Bible Baptist Church. 60 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:04,960 It's Stillwater, where she had spent so much time. 61 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:07,520 And the pastor there was Wayne Hardy. 62 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,000 He's pastored there up until the last week for 26 years. 63 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,240 Pastor Hardy was very influential in many ways in my 64 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,920 wife's life, in my own life, and certainly in many other people's 65 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:23,520 lives as well. You might say, Pastor, why are 66 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:25,880 you talking about this tonight? It doesn't seem like it's very 67 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,640 relevant to us. I don't know, Wayne Hardy, you 68 00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:31,720 might say, Well, the answer is that many of you do, whether you 69 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,000 realize it or not. If you've ever received one of 70 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,280 these magazines that we give away a couple, well, I think 71 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,040 about every two months here at the church, this is the Baptist 72 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:45,080 Times and he is the editor in chief of the Baptist Times as 73 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:49,000 well as being the pastor of that church. 74 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:54,920 And his DNA, if you will, is all over these magazines where the 75 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:59,280 ideas of what we are as Baptist, why we do what we do, these 76 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:04,080 types of things, articles, all of them are found and they've 77 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,840 been handed out to you. We've been giving them away at 78 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:12,640 least for the last 7 or 8 years. I came to the knowledge last 79 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:17,440 week that Brother Hardy resigned from his church where he had 80 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:22,480 pastored for about 26 years due to some indiscretions as the 81 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:27,120 pastor or during his pastor. Over time, it has become very 82 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:31,520 clear that those indiscretions were literally a double life 83 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:35,520 that has taken place for years and years and years. 84 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,920 I want to be careful what I say tonight for obvious reasons. 85 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:41,880 I want to be very careful in how I present this to you tonight. 86 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,920 What I'm saying to you is, is public knowledge, and I won't 87 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,240 say anything that's not public knowledge this evening. 88 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:51,640 And you might feel a little uncomfortable right now, and I 89 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,080 understand why you would feel uncomfortable. 90 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,560 In many ways, I'm uncomfortable talking to you about this. 91 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,480 But I do think there is an important discussion that needs 92 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:03,080 to be had. Brother Hardy, over the course 93 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:07,200 of many, many years made many, many bad decisions. 94 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:14,120 Gross immorality took place in ways that I cannot explain to 95 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,840 you here tonight, but in ways that have hurt my spirit more 96 00:05:18,840 --> 00:05:21,920 than I can tell you here this evening. 97 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:24,400 Why? Why would I? 98 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,600 Why would it hurt? So much well, because of the 99 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,560 influence. Of truth that has been placed in 100 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:34,560 my life, preaching messages, lessons, lectures. 101 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,280 I I traveled last year to New York City. 102 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:39,680 To be able to hear him speak for two. 103 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,760 Days about the importance of biblical preaching. 104 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,680 I've read almost every single one of these magazines that has 105 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:51,320 come through. I've heard preaching and lessons 106 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,720 and on and on. Of course in our personal ties 107 00:05:54,360 --> 00:06:00,320 as well. And it hurts when someone you 108 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,760 know that you believed was going a certain way. 109 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:08,240 And stood for truth. Not only departed from the 110 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,560 truth, but had been departed for the truth. 111 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:16,120 From a very long time in their personal life and was really 112 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:20,680 portraying one thing publicly and was living in a completely 113 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,280 different way all the rest of the week. 114 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,160 Say, pastor, why are you? Preaching this tonight, is it 115 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,800 because you want to dance on the grave of a man who is 116 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,240 spiritually dead on arrival this evening? 117 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:37,960 And the answer is no, that's not my desire. 118 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,280 He doesn't have to answer to me for his actions. 119 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,040 There's one he has to answer to. And that's the same one that 120 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,920 every one of us have to. Answer to for actions, certainly 121 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,800 he has to answer to the church itself and the leadership there 122 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:53,880 and the members that are there. He is not without 123 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:56,040 accountability. Just because you're a pastor 124 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:58,040 does not mean you're without accountability. 125 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,040 Let me say that again. Just because you are a pastor, 126 00:07:02,280 --> 00:07:05,360 I'm one of them, does not mean you are without accountability. 127 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,000 We are not kings of our own kingdoms. 128 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,080 We are not czars of our own empires. 129 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:15,400 No, we are biblical preachers that are under the command of 130 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:17,440 Jesus Christ because it's his church. 131 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:21,680 But also understanding that there's a membership of the 132 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,080 Church of which we are a part of, that we must live in a way 133 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:27,880 that is good and pure and right and above board. 134 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,240 And if you're not sure about that, the book of first Timothy 135 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:32,920 in the book of Titus makes it very clear that there's some 136 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,440 things that a pastor must be and there are some things a pastor 137 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,000 must not be. And these have been violated in 138 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:45,840 a way that. Boggles my mind in his case, but 139 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:49,080 here's why I want to preach on this tonight. 140 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,120 This is what I have been wrestling with for the last 141 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,000 several days in this instance, and I do think it's important 142 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,760 that I publicly. Mention him by name because of 143 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,080 the fact that he has had influence in this church through 144 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,520 this magazine that he no longer will have and that this. 145 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:09,440 Magazine does not exist. As of now, it has been 146 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:12,120 cancelled, it has been cut. It is no more. 147 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:13,480 We will not receive them anymore. 148 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:15,840 So I do think it's. Important that I let you know 149 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:18,720 that we're not going to have it and why we don't have it without 150 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:22,760 giving any type of salacious details this evening, but just 151 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:26,320 mentioning the bare minimum. Of what I can publicly tonight. 152 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:28,760 But here's what I've been wrestling with. 153 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:37,000 How can someone know so much about the Bible, but get so far 154 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:41,480 away from what the Bible says in their personal life? 155 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:46,400 How can someone know so much about this? 156 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:52,400 Book but yet live in complete opposition of this book and 157 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:56,080 everything that they teach and they preach to get up and to 158 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,760 preach hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of messages knowing 159 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,760 that you don't live. The very things you're telling 160 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:07,160 everybody else to live, how is that even possible? 161 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:10,920 It really comes down to this and it's the title of my message. 162 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:12,000 This this. Evening. 163 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:18,520 Knowing the truth is not enough. Knowing the truth. 164 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:23,640 Is not enough. My message tonight is not to 165 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:25,240 Wayne Hardy. He is not here. 166 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,840 He is not under my authority, nor do I desire to have a 167 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:33,760 platform to speak to him. But I do know that God wants to 168 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:37,360 speak to us. And God wants to speak to me 169 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:42,200 about this very serious issue. Is the truth important? 170 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:47,760 Of course it is. But the truth in and of itself 171 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,600 is not enough in the life of the believer. 172 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:53,840 And I'll explain what that means in just a moment. 173 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:55,760 Why don't you remain seated? We'll read all First Corinthians 174 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:57,960 chapter 5. And again, I do recognize we're 175 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:00,640 backtracking this evening, but I think it's important that we do. 176 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:03,760 It says it's commonly, or it's reported commonly, that there is 177 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:07,640 fornication among you, and such fornication as is not as much so 178 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:11,080 named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's 179 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:13,240 wife. And you're puffed up, and if not 180 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,760 rather mourned, that he that have done this deed might be 181 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:20,880 taken away from among you. For I verily as absent the body 182 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:24,560 but President Spirit have judged already as though I were present 183 00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:27,840 concerning him that hath so done this deed in the name of our 184 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:30,280 Lord Jesus Christ. When ye are gathered together 185 00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:34,480 and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver 186 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:37,800 such an one and to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that 187 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:41,720 the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus without re 188 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:43,320 preaching this you understand this evening. 189 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,240 This is talking about the process of which we call church 190 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,160 discipline. Someone who is a part of the 191 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:54,440 body, who is flagrantly living in a way that is opposition 192 00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:58,440 without repentance whatsoever. This is not excommunication. 193 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,800 That is an invention of the Catholic Church. 194 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,080 This is Church discipline. It should be used rarely. 195 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,840 It should be used specifically, but there are places where it 196 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:12,000 does need to be used. And here Paul is saying when 197 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,440 there is someone who refuses to repent of their sexual misdeeds, 198 00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:18,480 this is what needs to happen. There is church discipline. 199 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,680 Your glory verse 6 is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven 200 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:25,400 leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out there for the old 201 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,600 leaven, that you may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened for 202 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,400 even Christ, our Passover sacrifice for us. 203 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:34,680 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither 204 00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:37,120 with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the 205 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:39,560 unleavened brand of sincerity and truth. 206 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:44,280 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators, 207 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:48,520 not all together with the fornicators of this world, or 208 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,120 with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters. 209 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:53,920 For then must he needs to go out of the world. 210 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:57,080 But now I have written unto you not to keep company. 211 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,160 If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or 212 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,400 covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an 213 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,560 extortioner with such, and one know not to eat. 214 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:10,600 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? 215 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:14,200 Do not ye judge them that are within, but them that are 216 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:15,600 without? God judgeth. 217 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:19,800 Therefore, put away from among yourselves that wicked person. 218 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,000 You might ask yourselves, pastor, why would you choose to 219 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,320 go back to chapter #5 this evening? 220 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:28,000 And perhaps your first thought is because of the sexual 221 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,360 misdeeds of this pastor. And perhaps I'm trying to make a 222 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,440 connection with that which is taking place here in chapter #5 223 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:37,760 and ironically, that is not the case. 224 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,000 Although I do think tonight we can just very quickly make an 225 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:45,480 application that God takes sexual sin very seriously. 226 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:48,480 When you look throughout the Word of God that God takes 227 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:52,200 sexual sin very seriously, be sure about this. 228 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:56,040 The idea of there being something called casual sex is a 229 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,760 myth. The idea that sex can be 230 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:05,560 utilized outside of a God honoring marriage is exactly 231 00:13:05,560 --> 00:13:07,560 opposite to what the word of God says. 232 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:12,200 God has ordained a sexual relations inside marriage to be 233 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:16,000 beautiful and God ordained but yet outside of those boundaries 234 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:17,960 it. Is destructive. 235 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:22,880 In reference to adultery, Proverbs 627 says this. 236 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,360 Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? 237 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:27,920 And of course we know the answer. 238 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:30,440 Practically speaking to that is no, it's impossible. 239 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:34,360 But yet the same. When the fire of sexuality is 240 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:38,080 taken outside the confines of marriage and is placed in some 241 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:42,520 other arena, you find that every single time, while there may be 242 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:46,120 pleasure in sin for a season, it only lasts for a season. 243 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,520 Be sure your sins will find you out, the Bible says, but that's 244 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:54,000 not why I've addressed. This text here this evening. 245 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:57,080 It's certainly very obvious that there is some connection here, 246 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:00,640 but I really want to draw a connection more for us this 247 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:02,520 evening. And in the midst of this 248 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:07,600 chapter, Paul puts 3 verses that I want to focus on more than the 249 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,680 others that are there above it and beneath it. 250 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:15,040 Go back to verse number six. It says this, Your glorying is 251 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,840 not good. Know ye not that a little leaven 252 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,400 leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out there for the old 253 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,320 leaven, that ye may be a new lump as ye are unleavened for 254 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,960 even Christ, our Passover sacrifice for for us. 255 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,960 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither 256 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,240 with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the 257 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:35,840 unleavened bread of sincerity or truth. 258 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:39,160 Now when Paul was writing the epistle of first Corinthians, 259 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,920 it's very likely that he was writing it somewhere around the 260 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:46,760 general time of the Passover. Because if you get to the end of 261 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:50,680 the book in chapter 16 verse 8, he says, but I will tarry at 262 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,760 Ephesus, excuse the Ephesus until Pentecost. 263 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:57,640 The day of Pentecost would have been 50 days after the Passover 264 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:01,200 penty meaning 50. And so if Paul is writing this 265 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,680 and it's being delivered, of course this wasn't delivered by 266 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:05,920 e-mail. This wasn't delivered by the 267 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,200 United States Postal Service. This would have been slow moving 268 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,240 to be able to get from Paul's location to the people of 269 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,600 Corinth. It's very likely that he was 270 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:17,800 sometime writing this at a time when he assumed they will be 271 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:20,320 reading this around the time of the Passover. 272 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:24,600 And so Paul uses the upcoming Passover feast and their 273 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,800 familiarity with it to drive home a message about leaven. 274 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:31,360 Look again, it says, your glory is not good. 275 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:34,400 Know ye not that a little leaven, leaven at the whole 276 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,120 lump. Almost every single time we find 277 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:39,440 leaven in the Word of God, what do we find? 278 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:43,240 It is a picture of sin. Now, why is that? 279 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:47,520 Because leaven or yeast as we would use it today, as it's 280 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,360 added into a little bit of bread, what do you find? 281 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:53,360 You can put it in dough. You can put it off to the side 282 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:55,600 and you might have a little bit of dough. 283 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,080 But that leaven, given enough time and enough darkness, 284 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,680 ironically enough, ends up what happening. 285 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:05,280 It ends up growing exponentially from that which it was. 286 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:09,240 A little leaven in the dough can make a little bit of dough turn 287 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:12,680 into, well, a lot of dough. And so he says this, don't you 288 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:17,040 understand that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 289 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:20,760 But then he continues and he, he, he says that purge out there 290 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,360 for the old leaven. Now stop right there. 291 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:25,360 You might remember when we took the Lord's Supper with our 292 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:29,000 membership a few weeks ago, we talked about the Haggadah. 293 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,560 We talked about the order of service that they would have 294 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:34,880 used for the Passover and before the Passover takes place. 295 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,600 And this still happens even today for the Jews. 296 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:41,040 They have what's called the Beticott Hamats, and that is a 297 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:44,800 purposeful time where they go through the house and they purge 298 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,160 it of every little bit of leaven. 299 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,960 They make sure that anything that could have leaven in it is 300 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:53,480 purged from the home. And at the very last moment, 301 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,320 right before the Passover, the father goes through and 302 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:58,760 basically conducts a white glove inspection. 303 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,480 And he goes through and he checks all the different places 304 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:03,880 in the home to make sure leaven has been removed. 305 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:07,560 And the mother typically leaves one small piece of cracker, one 306 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,680 small piece of bread, something that would have leaven in it, 307 00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:15,000 and she leaves it behind for him to be able to find it and 308 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:19,359 ceremoniously scoop it up and take it out of the house, dump 309 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:23,839 it out and show that every last bit 11 has been, well, what's 310 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:28,319 the word purged from the home that there is no more leaven 311 00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:30,720 that is left. Now, the church at Corinth is a 312 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:33,880 Gentile church, but yet there are Jews who are in the church. 313 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:36,440 And because it was a very metropolitan area, I believe 314 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:39,080 that they would have had some level of understanding of the 315 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:42,520 Passover just because of it being part of the Christian 316 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:45,400 heritage and because of the Jews who are part of the church, and 317 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:47,560 because of the fact that there were many nations and many 318 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,400 cultures that all lodged themselves there in Corinth. 319 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:54,560 And so he says when it comes to sinfulness, you need to purge 320 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:58,320 the whole lump. And he goes beyond just the 321 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,760 things of the Passover. And he makes it clear in verse 322 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:06,400 #7 when he says that ye may be a new lump as ye are unleavened 323 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:09,640 for even Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us. 324 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,560 So he's making a connection that for us, we do not have the 325 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,440 Passover today. We are not required to follow 326 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:17,640 the Jewish feast. Why? 327 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,400 Because all the Jewish feasts point to Jesus Christ, and we 328 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:24,120 have Jesus Christ. You are not required to follow 329 00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:26,480 the Passover. You are not required to follow 330 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,920 the Feast of Booths. Aren't you glad we don't have to 331 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:31,880 go out and build our own huts and live out in them for a few 332 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:33,520 days? Praise the Lord, we don't have 333 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:37,480 to worry about that. But yet he says that Christ is 334 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:42,760 our Passover, meaning that Christ is is who we follow 335 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,120 today. And yet there is this idea of 336 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:49,000 the Passover and that this is not something that we celebrate 337 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:51,000 just once a year as the Jews did. 338 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:53,960 But Christ being our Passover means this, that we wouldn't 339 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,440 just purge the leaven out of out of our homes or out of our 340 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:00,760 souls, if you will. Once a year, we're to be. 341 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:06,160 Purged all the time that our homes and more importantly, our 342 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:09,480 hearts are all constantly purged. 343 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,200 In a way that's similar to the Passover, but that we would do 344 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:20,520 365 days a year. But Paul says in verse #7 he 345 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:24,000 says something about the character of the believers in 346 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,160 Corinth, but also saying something about the character of 347 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:29,440 believers today, including you and I. 348 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:32,760 He says purge out there for the old leaven, that you may be a 349 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:36,880 new lump as ye are unleavened. What does that mean? 350 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:42,160 Could I maybe give us the idea that is being spoken of here? 351 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:46,040 The day you got saved, you became unleavened. 352 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:50,080 What does that mean? You were forgiven of your sin as 353 00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:53,040 ye are unleavened. He says that you are unleavened, 354 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:57,080 but yet there's a problem. They have reincorporated leaven 355 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:00,240 into their lives. It's almost as if they were 356 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:04,280 saved from sin, but now they're sinning some more. 357 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,360 Can anyone maybe understand what that's like? 358 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:12,480 Like maybe all of us that we were saved from our sin, but yet 359 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,560 we still live. In our sins, because we deal 360 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:19,560 with this rotten, stinky old flesh every day of the week. 361 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:21,440 And I don't know about you, but the thing that I'm looking 362 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,320 forward to perhaps the most in heaven is not necessarily that, 363 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,880 you know, I won't have to deal with the aches and pains of this 364 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:29,680 life. Although certainly I imagine 365 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,320 there's many of you that would feel even more greatly about 366 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:34,840 that. But even more than that, that I 367 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,280 won't have to deal with old rotten flesh anymore. 368 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:40,240 I'll tell you that's. Something I look forward to even 369 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:42,920 more than the aches and the pains and the no sorrow and then 370 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,000 or crying. Then I have to deal with the 371 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,720 temptation. And the flesh is something 372 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:52,480 that's just wonderful. But it says there that ye are 373 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,040 unleavened. That's the character of who we 374 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:59,760 are when we got saved. But the problem. 375 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:08,320 Is is that we return to the leaven after we get saved. 376 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,800 We still struggle with sin. That's why I went to mortify our 377 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:13,520 flesh. But the name was so right just a 378 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:16,400 few days ago when he preached and said, you know, go back to 379 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:21,200 Romans 6. Go back to Romans 7 and find out 380 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,120 what it says about this flesh and mortifying the flesh and, 381 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:26,920 and, and, and not being the servant of sin. 382 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,480 Remember I preached a few weeks ago, You will serve someone. 383 00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:32,600 Either you will serve Jesus Christ or you will serve your 384 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:34,960 own flesh. You will serve somebody. 385 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,840 But we were unleavened. But then it says in verse #8 386 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:44,280 Therefore, Now I've taught you this before, and I'll say this 387 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,560 again tonight, Whenever you see therefore in the Bible, you want 388 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:51,280 to see what it's there for. I know, smart, huh? 389 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:53,800 That's as close as I get to. Being funny tonight, all right. 390 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:56,880 But that's what it is when it says therefore that means 391 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,960 there's a transitional statement, there's a connection 392 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:02,040 statement. It's saying here's the truth 393 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:05,520 over here. Therefore, because this is. 394 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:07,800 True. Then there's something else that 395 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:11,640 needs to be true over here. So where do we start with here 396 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:13,840 tonight? Verse 7, Verse 7, it says this. 397 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:19,680 It says ye are unleavened. Therefore, what are we to do? 398 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,440 Let us keep the feast. Now he's continuing this 399 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,800 connection with the Passover. So let us keep the feast, if you 400 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:27,360 will. With what? 401 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:30,720 Not with old leaven. What's old leaven? 402 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,960 Could I submit to you tonight? The old leaven is the very 403 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,960 things that you got saved from. And if we're not careful, we go 404 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:41,760 right back to like a dog to its vomit, like the pig to the slop. 405 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:45,440 See, God saved you from your sin. 406 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,000 But if we're not careful, some of those pets sins we can run 407 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,200 right back to not long after we get saved. 408 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:53,720 That doesn't mean somebody's not saved, but it does mean this. 409 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:56,440 They need to purge themselves, the old leaven, because there's 410 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:58,520 some things in their life that they're going back to that they 411 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:02,280 ought not go back to. That we were saved from them. 412 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:04,600 We have no desire. We shouldn't have a desire to be 413 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,520 able to go back to those things. Don't let your old sinful 414 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:12,080 lifestyle creep back in again. When God saved you, He saved you 415 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:17,040 all the way. But yet we can let the flesh 416 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:19,760 take us back to some of those things we got saved from. 417 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,600 So he says this in your life, you know what you need to do 418 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,760 because you're unleavened. Purge out any old leaven that 419 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,640 starts to sneak back in. But then not only that, he says 420 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:34,720 neither the leaven of malice. What is malice? 421 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:38,840 The definition is to a disposition to injure others 422 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,840 without 'cause you know when you start getting away from the Lord 423 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:46,640 and you put yourself first, you don't care who you run over. 424 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,560 If they're in your way, then you're going to get them out of 425 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:54,400 the way. And he says here, don't add 426 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:57,240 malice. What else? 427 00:23:57,760 --> 00:23:59,960 It says in wickedness. What is that? 428 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:04,280 Everything else? That's pretty much a catch all 429 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:05,920 there, isn't it? I think we know what wickedness 430 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:08,760 is. Anything that is against the 431 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:12,160 very holiness of God, anything that is sin, He says you are 432 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:16,720 unleavened, therefore don't. Let in the old leaven, and don't 433 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:21,760 let in malice, and don't let in wickedness, and. 434 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,160 Basically, that's the end of the sermon, isn't it? 435 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:30,160 No. I mean, that's the thought 436 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:32,760 process, OK, This is who I am in Christ. 437 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:36,160 I am without leaven because I am that in Christ. 438 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:39,000 What do I need to do? Make sure in my day-to-day life 439 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:43,480 I keep the leaven out. Here's the problem. 440 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:44,880 And and you're thinking of the answer. 441 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,480 You're thinking of this already. We know. 442 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,080 This. But how do we do it? 443 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:53,800 It's not a surprise for me to preach to you tonight. 444 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:58,040 Christians don't sin. That's not a surprise. 445 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,720 You would be surprised if I came up here tonight and said, once 446 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,720 you're saved, listen, you're going to heaven, so do whatever 447 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,400 you feel like doing. You all would be really shocked 448 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:09,840 if I preached that because you know, it's not biblical. 449 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:13,600 So the opposite is true. You know that we are called to 450 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,560 live a life of holiness. Be holy for I am holy, that we 451 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,080 are called to live a life that glorifies God. 452 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:23,160 Love God, love others. Upon this hang all. 453 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:25,920 The Law on the Prophets. This is what we are called to 454 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:28,280 do. If you love me, Jesus said, keep 455 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,920 my commandments. So we understand this 456 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:33,520 progression. We're unleavened. 457 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:36,480 Therefore live in a way that's unleavened. 458 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:40,440 But how? But how? 459 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:46,080 And this is where I want us to focus for the next few minutes. 460 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:48,840 And this is where I've struggled. 461 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:54,400 Therefore, verse 8, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, 462 00:25:55,280 --> 00:26:00,640 neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with 463 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:05,040 the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 464 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,000 How are we to live in an unleavened way? 465 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:16,320 Paul gives us 2 components, sincerity and truth. 466 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,560 Sincerity and truth, you know, when you think about it, 467 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:25,000 sincerity and truth are really the two guardrails of the 468 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:28,880 Christian life. You can't have one without the 469 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:34,000 other. You got to have sincerity, but 470 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,560 you got to have truth. There's a lot of people out 471 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:40,800 there that are very sincere. A man's field, quite often out 472 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:44,280 in there near where Joe lives, there's a Muslim school that's 473 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:48,440 there, and there's a lot of people who dress in Muslim garb 474 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,960 and are very faithful to the Muslim called a prayer, and 475 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,800 they're very sincere. Some are more sincere than some 476 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:02,800 Christians, but because their sincerity has no truth, they're 477 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,040 lost. Unless they call upon Jesus 478 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,440 Christ to save them, which is not found in Muslim doctrine, 479 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:11,480 then they will die and go straight to a devil's hell. 480 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:17,960 Sincere but not truthful. Even in some Christian circles 481 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,400 you can find there's a lot of sincerity but not a lot of 482 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:21,680 truth. Being preached. 483 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,200 I remember someone that I knew growing up, I told the story 484 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:27,480 several years ago that she went to a church where there really 485 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,480 wasn't a whole lot of preaching. It was a lot of feeling and 486 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:33,560 there's a lot of emotions and it was all services to to pull the 487 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:36,080 heartstrings. And I remember her telling me 488 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:37,840 that, that, that, that she told me the story. 489 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:39,800 I don't know why on earth she would tell me the story, but 490 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:43,880 she, she told on herself, if you will, And she said, Adam, I, I 491 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,240 went to a a service. And I remember we had our 492 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:48,280 worship time and their worship time didn't have a. 493 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:50,800 Lot to do with biblical worship from what she was saying and the 494 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:57,320 fog machine was going and she said and it was amazing she said 495 00:27:57,320 --> 00:27:58,880 the. Pastor started to preach and she 496 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,680 says. And, and it was like, she says 497 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:07,520 it, it was like I saw the presence of God in a cloud. 498 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:10,160 And she said it was unbelievable. 499 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:14,360 And she said to one of the pastors at the church after 500 00:28:14,360 --> 00:28:17,720 service, she goes, I want you to know is that I, I saw, I saw the 501 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,440 Lord in the cloud. Remember, she's telling me the 502 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:24,200 story and. The pastor says oh. 503 00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:28,720 He called her by name. Actually, I don't know if you 504 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,000 know that, but in the middle of the message, the fog machine 505 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:36,520 turned back on and what you saw was the fog machine and not 506 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:42,960 necessarily a vision. She was so sincere, but what she 507 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:47,840 thought she saw and the truth of what she saw was not the same. 508 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:52,840 That's why we have to stick to the Bible and not trust our 509 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:56,160 emotions. Because we're not just looking 510 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:58,680 to have an emotional experience here at Liberty Baptist Church. 511 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:00,840 I I don't just want to move your, your emotions. 512 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:02,880 You know why? Because when you go home and the 513 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:06,280 emotions are gone and the feels are gone, what's left? 514 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:15,400 It's got to be truth, but. We go to Baptist Church. 515 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:21,440 Hey, we got the truth. Aren't you glad that we have 516 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:23,280 truth this evening? Aren't you glad that we uplift 517 00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:26,280 the truth of the Word of God here at Liberty Baptist Church 518 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:27,720 and other churches that are like us? 519 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:29,680 We're not unique. I'm not here to tell you that 520 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:31,680 we're the only people who are preaching truth. 521 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:35,320 That's not the case. I'm very aware and I'm very 522 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,000 confident that we are in a place where the truth is exalted. 523 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,200 I'm very confident that you understand what the truth is 524 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:45,440 here this evening. But here's where the rubber 525 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:51,320 meets the road. The guardrails are real, you 526 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:56,760 have truth, but you have to have sincerity. 527 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,920 And this is where so many go wrong. 528 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:07,760 And this is important for us particularly who go to places 529 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:11,840 that preach the Bible and that have great confidence that our 530 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:18,120 doctrinal statements are good and right and Bible based, that 531 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:24,680 we can think that we are immune from difficulties and trials and 532 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:29,480 temptations because we are in the truth. 533 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:36,040 But the problem is that if you have truth and you don't have 534 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:42,240 sincerity, then you are very easily going to allow Levin to 535 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:45,400 come back into your life. He said it right here. 536 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:47,720 You want you want the unleavened bread. 537 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:51,560 You want to remain unleavened, then you must have sincerity and 538 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:53,800 truth. What is sincerity? 539 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:57,440 Well, the 1828 dictionary says it's honesty of mind or 540 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:03,040 intention, freedom from hypocrisy, disguise or false 541 00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:08,360 pretense. That's what sincerity is the the 542 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:11,160 Greek definition. If you go deeper, it literally 543 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:14,640 means this sincerity purity tested. 544 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:21,080 By sunlight meaning this, what is it like when it's in the 545 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:23,760 light? I worked in the jewelry store, 546 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:26,160 both Kay's and Gordon's Jewelers for several years in Bible 547 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:30,680 college, and I didn't realize how important lighting was until 548 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:32,600 I worked for jewelry in a jewelry store. 549 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:35,880 We had. Our Kay Jeweler store just had 550 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:38,800 opened a couple years ago, but then there had been advances in 551 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,200 lighting and LED lights and all those things that were still 552 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:43,360 very new back then. The different types of bulbs, 553 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:46,080 the CFL bulbs, all that stuff. I don't know why I understand it 554 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:47,320 all. All I know is our bulbs are a 555 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:48,720 lot more expensive than they used to be. 556 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:52,680 But, you know, our bulbs used to be pretty yellow. 557 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:57,680 And one of the things that really was troublesome for a Kay 558 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:01,920 Jewelers, if you will, was that because the light wasn't right, 559 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:05,280 a diamond that could be colorless could actually look 560 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:11,320 like it had a yellow tint when it was held in the light because 561 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:13,960 the light was off. There were some diamonds that we 562 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:15,800 sold. I was hoping that nobody would 563 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:19,000 take out into the light because in that case it looked really 564 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,360 good. But once you took it out, you'd 565 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:24,240 see all the imperfections that were on it. 566 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:28,480 But what did Kays want? That they wanted to try to have 567 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:30,880 the best light possible because they. 568 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,360 Believed that their diamonds were the best and they wanted to 569 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,360 show them off in the best life. They wanted to show that what 570 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:40,320 they were selling was. Sincere that it could be held 571 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:43,640 out to the light and turned this way and that. 572 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:49,880 You know, you can have a personal belief in the Lord, A 573 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:53,680 doctrinal statement of your own if you will, that is right on 574 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,400 the money. But can your faith be held out 575 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:04,120 into the light, the light of the sun, SOM, and be gone this way 576 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:07,320 and that way, and to be inspected? 577 00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:10,960 I know none of us are perfect. We all struggle with sin every 578 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,400 day. But there's a difference between 579 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:15,880 struggling with our sins on a daily basis and trying to get 580 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,120 right with the Lord at every chance we get, and living in a 581 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:23,600 way that is insincere from that which God has told us to do. 582 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:30,480 Sincerity says I am unleavened now, therefore I am going to do 583 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:34,960 whatever I can do with sincerity and truth to live in a way that 584 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,240 is also unleavened. We can put it this way. 585 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:41,800 Our life for Christ must reflect who we are in Christ. 586 00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:43,800 Remember that for you one more time. 587 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:50,320 Our life for Christ must reflect who we are in Christ. 588 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:54,280 You know your walk ought to match your talk. 589 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:59,320 That who we say we are on our doctrinal statement ought to be 590 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:03,840 who we are. Who I tell people on Sunday I am 591 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:06,520 ought to be who I am the rest of the week. 592 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:11,040 We shouldn't be singing holy, holy, holy on Sunday and living 593 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:13,120 like an alley cat Monday through Saturday. 594 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:17,000 Now I imagine there's not many people who are living that way 595 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:22,159 to that extreme. But when we allow even the hint 596 00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:27,679 of insincerity in our Christian life, we can go to dangerous 597 00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:30,719 places, places that you never thought. 598 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:36,639 Is the truth important? It's one of the guardrails. 599 00:34:37,639 --> 00:34:39,920 All sincerity. No truth is just as bad. 600 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:45,600 But I'm afraid in our good churches, or we're confident 601 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:48,639 what we believe and why we believe it, we can think then 602 00:34:48,639 --> 00:34:52,360 therefore we are immune from struggling with certain things 603 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:56,760 or that we're above certain things because we go to a church 604 00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:00,560 that believes the right thing. And you can believe the right 605 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:03,960 thing, but that doesn't mean that sincerity puts it into 606 00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:06,440 practice. This issue of sincerity is found 607 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:08,880 all throughout the Word of God. It's not just in this chapter. 608 00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:12,800 Joshua 2414 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in 609 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:15,400 sincerity and truth, and put away. 610 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:17,960 The gods that your father served on the other side of the flood 611 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:20,640 and in Egypt serve you, the Lord. 612 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:24,240 Paul talks about sincerity more than anyone else in Scripture. 613 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:26,440 Second. Corinthians 88 I speak not by 614 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:29,240 commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others to 615 00:35:29,240 --> 00:35:30,720 prove the sincerity of your love. 616 00:35:30,720 --> 00:35:33,360 He's talking about giving. He says don't just tell people 617 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:37,120 you love them, give to them in a way that shows that you love 618 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:38,680 them. He was talking really about 619 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:42,160 giving to what we would call missions today and saying don't 620 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:44,560 just say you believe in it, give like you believe. 621 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:49,120 In it. Sincerity Ephesians 624 Grace be 622 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:53,760 with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, Amen. 623 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,160 Philippians 110 That you may approve all things that are 624 00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:00,600 excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till 625 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:03,800 the day of Christ. Titus 27 And all things showing 626 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:05,600 thyself a. Pattern of good works and 627 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:09,440 doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity or sincerity. 628 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:14,440 Sincerity, or a lack thereof, causes believers to live 629 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:16,320 differently at home than they do at church. 630 00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:20,880 It causes believers to live differently in private that they 631 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:23,360 do in public. It causes. 632 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:25,240 Believers to refuse. To admit they even have any 633 00:36:25,240 --> 00:36:30,760 problem with sin and it pushes unbelievers and weak believers 634 00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:35,800 away from the church when they see insincerity. 635 00:36:37,720 --> 00:36:39,800 I don't know about you, but sometimes I look at some of the 636 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:43,480 things that comes across the news and people who are doing 637 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:49,120 awful things and what's 1 of the things that I see across on 638 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:51,960 their neck? What does that say? 639 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:57,280 Insincerity. I'm not there to be there judge, 640 00:36:57,280 --> 00:36:59,920 jury or executioner, but what I'm saying is that there's some 641 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:02,840 things that are being done and being said, all with having a 642 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:06,960 cross on it, as if that is to deflect from the issues at hand. 643 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:10,160 There is an issue that we all have to deal with with this 644 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:13,120 problem of sincerity. Is truth important? 645 00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:17,000 Yes it is. This is truth, this is truth, 646 00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:23,000 this is truth, this has truth, this has truth, and on and on 647 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:30,800 and on it goes. But without sincerity, there's 648 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:38,810 not much left. You may feel uncomfortable and I 649 00:37:38,850 --> 00:37:43,090 feel uncomfortable about this, but I think sometimes we have to 650 00:37:43,090 --> 00:37:46,730 sit in some of these things that are uncomfortable and really 651 00:37:46,730 --> 00:37:52,050 think about them in our own life because it's so easy to be in 652 00:37:52,050 --> 00:37:56,930 the truth, but to lack the sincerity of doing that which 653 00:37:56,930 --> 00:38:01,800 God has wanted us to do. 1st Corinthians 1012 says this. 654 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:04,520 Wherefore let him that thinketh, he standeth. 655 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,880 Take heed lest default. Who is he saying that? 656 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:10,280 I just said? He's saying that the people 657 00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:12,480 Corinth, we just went over that couple weeks ago. 658 00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:15,960 Those people Corinth were so sure because they were in a 659 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:18,160 biblical church that they were doing well. 660 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:22,200 He says you better take heed because this could happen to 661 00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:24,360 you. Am I saying that you will have 662 00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:27,480 the same indiscretion as your life as what we have said here 663 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:30,640 tonight about this man? No, that's not what I'm saying 664 00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:32,320 at all. But what we're saying is it's 665 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:34,600 something much more broad and much more important than that. 666 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:36,880 It's not don't be like this person. 667 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,200 It's more that of the lines that the Word of God is saying, don't 668 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:43,720 have leaven in your life. Don't tolerate it. 669 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:48,400 Don't allow it in. Because it allows us to be 670 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:53,120 insincere. So what do we need to do to be 671 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:55,040 in? We don't need to do anything to 672 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:56,360 be insincere. We just need to live. 673 00:38:56,360 --> 00:39:01,320 Yeah, the way I was to be funny. I just had to say the wrong 674 00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:03,960 thing, I guess. What do we need to do to be 675 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:05,640 sincere? Can I Can I give? 676 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:08,320 You some help with this tonight. First of all, we need to 677 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:10,280 regularly confess our sins before the Lord. 678 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:13,440 Keep short accounts with your Savior. 679 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:16,880 We confess our sins. He is faithful and just to 680 00:39:16,880 --> 00:39:19,120 forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 681 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:20,160 first. John 19. 682 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:25,440 By the way, if you've messed up in the past, this is true for 683 00:39:25,440 --> 00:39:28,280 you too, you know. Again, I'm not dancing on 684 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:30,680 anyone's grave here tonight. Aren't you glad that even with 685 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:33,280 some of the back stories that some of us have this evening, 686 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:37,320 that first John 19 is still true for the believer that you could 687 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:40,800 be insincere, you could be doing wrong, but yet you can go back 688 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:44,640 in sincerity to the Lord with with godly sorrow that worketh 689 00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:46,280 repentance and God will forgive you. 690 00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:50,200 That's what the Bible says proves 2813 He that cover the 691 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:53,520 sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh 692 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:56,560 them shall have mercy. This issue of sincerity is even 693 00:39:56,560 --> 00:40:01,480 the idea of I see sin within me, so I need to confess it. 694 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:07,320 Instead of doing this and pretending like it's not there 695 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:12,920 to regularly confess our sin before the Lord, what else do we 696 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:14,640 need to do? We need to read the word of God. 697 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:17,360 I know I mentioned this on Sunday, but we could mention 698 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:20,600 this. Every service have a daily walk 699 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:26,440 with God that includes Bible reading and prayer every day. 700 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:30,560 A walk with God will keep you walking in the right direction. 701 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:35,800 Galatians 516 This I say then walk in the Spirit, and ye shall 702 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:37,200 not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 703 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:40,040 Now this shouldn't sound controversial. 704 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:42,400 Maybe you think that it is, but it shouldn't sound like that. 705 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:48,000 If you walk in the Spirit, you cannot do those things which the 706 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:51,400 Bible calls unseemly. That's really just what 707 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:55,040 Galatians 516 says. If you allow the Spirit to lead 708 00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:58,760 in your life through the Word of God, then you will make the 709 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:01,760 right decisions when they come. And when we don't make those 710 00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:04,080 right decisions, it's because we're not heeding the Spirit who 711 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:06,240 lives within us and the Word of God. 712 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:10,160 Proverbs 620 through 24. My son, keep thy father's 713 00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:11,760 commandment. Forsake not the law of thy 714 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:14,000 mother. Bind them continually upon thy 715 00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:15,440 heart, and tie them about thy neck. 716 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:17,280 When thou goest, it shall lead thee. 717 00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:18,920 When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee. 718 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:20,960 When thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 719 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:25,800 For the commandment is a lamp, the law is light, and reproofs 720 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:27,320 of instruction are the way of life. 721 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:30,960 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the 722 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:35,880 tongue of a strange woman. The Bible says if you want to do 723 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:39,960 right, read what's right. Don't just read it so you can 724 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:46,320 check off a box, but take time to allow the Word of God to come 725 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:51,040 into your heart and to affect your life regularly. 726 00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:52,880 Confess our sins. Read the Word of God. 727 00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:58,520 If you want to be sincere regularly, or rather reassess 728 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:01,880 yourself every time you're confronted with the Word. 729 00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:06,000 This is so important. When are we confronted with the 730 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:07,840 Word? When we read our Bible. 731 00:42:08,720 --> 00:42:10,000 When are we confronted with the word? 732 00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:14,200 When we hear a sermon, when are we confronted with the Word? 733 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:18,360 When we have a biblical conversation with someone, when 734 00:42:18,360 --> 00:42:22,880 the Word of God confronts us? Be willing to allow the Word to 735 00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:27,360 do its work in your life. That's where sincerity comes in. 736 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:32,200 Psalms 139 verse 23 and 24 Search me, oh God, know my 737 00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:35,200 heart, try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be 738 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:38,840 any wicked way of me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 739 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:41,320 Hosea 14 verse nine. Who is wise? 740 00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:44,000 And he shall understand these things prudent, and he shall 741 00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:46,080 know them. The ways of the Lord are right, 742 00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:48,320 and the. Just shall walk in them, but 743 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:51,480 transgressors shall fall therein. 744 00:42:52,880 --> 00:42:55,040 To me, This is why the invitation is so important. 745 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:57,240 And it's such a shame that churches are getting away from 746 00:42:57,240 --> 00:43:00,160 the invitation. Because when we're confronted 747 00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:04,640 with the Word of God, we need time to be able to reflect on 748 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:07,600 what the Word is telling us. To be able to allow the Holy 749 00:43:07,600 --> 00:43:11,800 Spirit to identify places in our life where we need to be right 750 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,600 with him. That there shouldn't be a time 751 00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:17,080 when we come to this church that we're not willing to say, Lord, 752 00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:21,880 if I'm confronted with something in your word, I'll do what I 753 00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:25,920 need to do to make it right. There should never be a time 754 00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:29,480 that we open our Bible and if we read a verse and we see that it 755 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:32,440 has to do with us and the Spirit makes application that we're not 756 00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:35,840 willing to do what we need to do to be right with God. 757 00:43:36,560 --> 00:43:39,040 When was the last time you came to church and, and had that hard 758 00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:43,360 attitude as you're walking in? You know, Lord, whatever you say 759 00:43:43,360 --> 00:43:46,600 to me tonight through Your Spirit in conjunction with the 760 00:43:46,600 --> 00:43:51,520 Word, I'll make it right because I want to be right with you. 761 00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:54,560 You know what that sounds like? Sincerity. 762 00:43:55,320 --> 00:43:59,080 Sincerity isn't being perfect. Sincerity is saying when the 763 00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:02,120 leaven is identified, I'm willing to take it out. 764 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:05,400 That's a big difference. Because if you're thinking that 765 00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:07,520 I'm preaching perfection here tonight, well then I've already 766 00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:09,880 failed. We all have. 767 00:44:11,320 --> 00:44:14,080 But sincerity is when the leaven is identified. 768 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:17,680 I see it for what it is. I scoop it up. 769 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:19,840 I take it out. How? 770 00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:24,520 By confessing it to the Lord, by giving it to Him. 771 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:28,360 And that brings us to the 4th and final thing, which is this. 772 00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:31,960 Remember humility. Remember humility. 773 00:44:32,760 --> 00:44:38,080 There's one thing in common. Anytime we deal with habitual 774 00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:43,240 sin or sin that is hidden, it always comes down to 5 letters. 775 00:44:43,720 --> 00:44:48,480 PRIDE. I've heard it said the pride is 776 00:44:48,480 --> 00:44:52,320 the summation of all sins, that the root of every sin is pride. 777 00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:54,440 Why is that? Because even at its basis level, 778 00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:58,320 we get to the place where we think in our pride that we know 779 00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:03,080 better than God and His Word. I know God said not to do it, 780 00:45:03,720 --> 00:45:07,960 but I can do it anyway. You want to talk about the 781 00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:11,880 ultimate of pride, that you and I think that we know better than 782 00:45:11,880 --> 00:45:15,800 God. I mean, that's foolishness. 783 00:45:18,160 --> 00:45:21,520 You take an expert in a field that you know nothing about and 784 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:23,160 they tell you what to do and lecture. 785 00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:24,840 You want it and you say, you know, I don't think I want to do 786 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:28,400 that, I'll do something else. We would call you foolish in 787 00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:33,960 that area. Now magnify that times Infinity 788 00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:38,680 to an all knowing God who's an all loving God. 789 00:45:39,560 --> 00:45:41,560 Who tells us these things because he loves us. 790 00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:46,880 And then we turn around and say, no, I think I'll do it my own 791 00:45:46,880 --> 00:45:49,520 way. That's the height of arrogance 792 00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:52,800 and pride. What would we need to have? 793 00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:57,840 We need to have humility. Acts 20 verse 18 and 19 When 794 00:45:57,840 --> 00:46:00,960 they were come to him, he said unto them, you know, this is 795 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:03,960 Paul saying to the men of Ephesus from the first day that 796 00:46:03,960 --> 00:46:06,480 I came to Asia after what manner I have been with you all 797 00:46:06,480 --> 00:46:11,320 seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind. 798 00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:19,800 Paul says the MO of my ministry is humility of mind, a man who 799 00:46:19,800 --> 00:46:24,400 saw more than we could imagine, who God revealed more than we 800 00:46:24,400 --> 00:46:28,760 can conjure up in our minds. The Bible gives us some glimpses 801 00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:31,320 of it, but we can't fully understand that which God 802 00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:34,240 revealed himself in the ways he revealed himself to Paul. 803 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:38,440 And he said this despite all those things I've seen, but all 804 00:46:38,440 --> 00:46:40,480 those things I've experienced. Getting caught up in the 3rd 805 00:46:40,480 --> 00:46:43,520 heaven, I'm going to come to you in humility. 806 00:46:44,720 --> 00:46:47,520 If Paul saw the need for humility, who are we? 807 00:46:49,040 --> 00:46:50,520 We're people that need to be humble. 808 00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:54,920 When we're not humble, we are not living a life that can be 809 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:57,640 sincere because we can't be corrected. 810 00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:01,120 We can't be corrected. Let's be cool. 811 00:47:01,160 --> 00:47:02,600 Nobody likes to be corrected here. 812 00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:05,760 If you, if you said pastor, I enjoy correction, I'd say 813 00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:08,000 there's probably something wrong with you. 814 00:47:09,080 --> 00:47:11,160 Because in our flesh, we don't like being corrected. 815 00:47:12,280 --> 00:47:14,560 That's why when the pastor preaches on something that might 816 00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:17,000 be personal, and I'm not trying to be personal in the sense I'm 817 00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:20,480 looking around the room taking a straw poll of who I can offend 818 00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:22,280 and how I can offend. Looking up on everyone's 819 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:25,640 Facebook and on your ex and on your on your Instagram to find 820 00:47:25,640 --> 00:47:27,680 out what people are doing to preach on it. 821 00:47:27,880 --> 00:47:30,160 You know, I don't want to see anything on those things. 822 00:47:30,960 --> 00:47:33,920 I want to preach with a heart that has nothing to do with what 823 00:47:33,920 --> 00:47:35,560 anybody's doing. Just preach the word as it's 824 00:47:35,560 --> 00:47:38,320 there. I have no desire to do that any 825 00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:46,200 other way but to us to have the. Heart of humility that just as 826 00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:51,800 the words preached as as the word is read, and it hits me 827 00:47:51,800 --> 00:47:55,040 right between the eyes, I won't be humble enough to say Lord 828 00:47:55,680 --> 00:48:00,360 it's me as David did and was a man after God's own heart. 829 00:48:00,480 --> 00:48:04,560 Not because he was perfect, but you can't argue that David was 830 00:48:04,560 --> 00:48:08,040 sincere. He was sincere down to his very 831 00:48:08,040 --> 00:48:09,680 core. And when he was confronted by 832 00:48:09,680 --> 00:48:13,760 God every single time he said, yes, Lord, I was wrong. 833 00:48:15,920 --> 00:48:17,240 I'll tell you this story and I'll be done. 834 00:48:19,240 --> 00:48:21,320 I was an ordination a few weeks ago and I was talking with a 835 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:27,160 pastor friend of mine and we were encouraging this gentleman 836 00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:29,200 that was getting ordained. In fact, I could tell you is 837 00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:31,200 Denwood Ross. He's preached here several times 838 00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:36,360 and I remember being at the ordination and, and, and part of 839 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:39,800 it was questioning and part of it was just sharing practical 840 00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:43,520 ministry helps with this young man. 841 00:48:44,760 --> 00:48:50,400 And at a pastor to my left who said something along these 842 00:48:50,400 --> 00:48:53,960 lines. He says you need to make sure 843 00:48:54,680 --> 00:48:58,640 that you are being sincere in your walk with God. 844 00:48:59,880 --> 00:49:03,240 And he went on to tell a story that he'd gone to Bible college, 845 00:49:03,880 --> 00:49:06,200 not Heartland Baptist Bible College, but he'd gone to Bible 846 00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:09,600 college with a friend of his that after Bible college 847 00:49:09,600 --> 00:49:12,560 graduation, that they went their separate ways but kept in touch. 848 00:49:13,280 --> 00:49:14,880 He's a pastor up here in New England. 849 00:49:14,880 --> 00:49:17,880 The other gentleman became a pastor in the Middle Atlantic 850 00:49:17,880 --> 00:49:21,200 states. And it seemed like for years, 851 00:49:21,240 --> 00:49:24,680 everything this pastor did, it turned to gold. 852 00:49:25,480 --> 00:49:29,560 The church was small, but then it exploded. 853 00:49:30,760 --> 00:49:32,800 Ministry after ministry is opened. 854 00:49:33,680 --> 00:49:40,120 Anything that he did it seemingly was amazing until one 855 00:49:40,120 --> 00:49:45,840 day he had to stand up in front of a church and because of gross 856 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:52,520 marital infidelity had to resign from his position. 857 00:49:53,880 --> 00:49:59,000 My pastor friend takes a few months and calls his friend. 858 00:50:00,160 --> 00:50:02,960 They talk for a little bit and he says calls him by name. 859 00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:05,840 He said, I need to ask you a question. 860 00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:07,240 We've been friends for a long time. 861 00:50:07,240 --> 00:50:09,520 And if you don't feel like you can answer then, then just tell 862 00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:15,040 me that you won't. He says, how did you get to a 863 00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:20,000 place where you could do this? Have a wonderful wife, have an 864 00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:23,440 incredible ministry, God kept blessing. 865 00:50:25,480 --> 00:50:31,120 How did you get to a place where this was OK and is my pastor 866 00:50:31,120 --> 00:50:33,720 friend is relaying this to Denwood Ross. 867 00:50:34,600 --> 00:50:37,720 He says that the answer to that question was this. 868 00:50:38,280 --> 00:50:42,000 I got to a place where I thought the rules didn't apply to me 869 00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:47,520 anymore. He had become so successful that 870 00:50:47,520 --> 00:50:50,760 he thought the rules didn't apply to him anymore. 871 00:50:51,840 --> 00:50:57,080 That story has rattled around in my brain for the last 2 1/2 872 00:50:57,080 --> 00:51:03,280 months since I heard it. Because maybe we can't 873 00:51:03,280 --> 00:51:06,480 necessarily say that we think we're so successful that the 874 00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:10,320 rules don't apply to us. But when you live insincerely, 875 00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:13,080 you don't really think about the rules. 876 00:51:13,800 --> 00:51:18,360 You think about yourself. And why are those rules there? 877 00:51:18,960 --> 00:51:21,920 Because God wants to put a damper on your style. 878 00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:26,960 Because God doesn't love you. Because God wants to make you 879 00:51:26,960 --> 00:51:29,720 miserable. You know, he has those things in 880 00:51:29,720 --> 00:51:35,080 place because he loves you and he knows the damage that sin 881 00:51:35,200 --> 00:51:42,520 will do. The blast radius of this is so 882 00:51:42,520 --> 00:51:44,600 hard to calculate. I don't know that I can. 883 00:51:45,320 --> 00:51:48,800 There's a Church of hundreds. There's hundreds of churches 884 00:51:48,800 --> 00:51:51,840 that receive this. They host a men's retreat. 885 00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:54,960 They had to cancel last week. Over 1000 men were supposed to 886 00:51:54,960 --> 00:51:57,400 be there. I wonder how many of those men 887 00:51:57,400 --> 00:52:01,360 were maybe on the brink in their marriage, needed help and now 888 00:52:01,360 --> 00:52:04,360 they don't get it. People have gone that church 889 00:52:04,360 --> 00:52:08,320 30-40 years. He taught at the Bible college. 890 00:52:09,560 --> 00:52:10,720 You know, you could choose your sin. 891 00:52:10,720 --> 00:52:13,200 You can't choose your consequences. 892 00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:21,160 And for us, what do we need to do as believers? 893 00:52:21,640 --> 00:52:24,840 What's the take home truth for us tonight again? 894 00:52:24,840 --> 00:52:26,680 Is it? Is it to take someone who has 895 00:52:26,680 --> 00:52:31,240 done so badly and to just point at him and say look at him, look 896 00:52:31,240 --> 00:52:38,160 at him and a mock and make fun? No, it's to say when there is a 897 00:52:38,160 --> 00:52:43,080 lack of sincerity, even when there's great truth, one of 898 00:52:43,080 --> 00:52:46,040 those guard rails are gone and you don't know where you'll end 899 00:52:46,040 --> 00:52:48,480 up. Let's don't just think, because 900 00:52:48,480 --> 00:52:53,920 we go to a good church and that we read the right Bible, that 901 00:52:53,920 --> 00:52:56,640 we're immune from the issues of life. 902 00:52:58,240 --> 00:53:03,760 Truth is everything, but sincerity is everything too. 903 00:53:04,640 --> 00:53:09,720 And if we're so about truth here, and we are that, we ought 904 00:53:09,720 --> 00:53:14,680 to be equally about living that which we know is true. 905 00:53:15,640 --> 00:53:18,320 Thank you for listening to the sermon from the pulpit of 906 00:53:18,320 --> 00:53:21,240 Liberty Baptist Church. If this message was a blessing 907 00:53:21,240 --> 00:53:24,680 to you, or if there's any way we can serve you, please let us 908 00:53:24,680 --> 00:53:29,320 know by contacting us at info@mylibertybaptist.org. 909 00:53:29,600 --> 00:53:34,120 Or you can visit us this Sunday at 800 Washington St. in Easton, 910 00:53:34,120 --> 00:53:36,960 MA. May the Lord bless you as you 911 00:53:36,960 --> 00:53:38,160 grow in His Word.