"Exhorting with all Longsuffering and Doctrine"

Between Sundays Podcast: You know, I still haven't figured out how to start after the intro. I'm sitting here trying to think and what y'all missed was 10 seconds of awkward silence. We weren't even looking at each other. Okay. Who's been here going, okay. What do I say? No, it's good to be back. Um, yes. Glad for the rain. And then now the sun's out and beautiful. do. We've had two days of rain. do have to tell you, yesterday. may have been one of the best days I've had in years. I ain't even talked to you about this yet. Just, you know, I got up early. I listened to a couple of sermons, listened to a couple of teachings and while I was, you know, working throughout the house, doing those things, then had just a great time of study. And then, you know, the, the sun came and it was getting warmer and went and picked up the boys and we had a good day. Like it just. Lord bless me yesterday in a way. The Lord blessed me in a way yesterday that those are, those are those special moments and you just, leave feeling full, know, you know it, it's, it's eight, nine o'clock and you're looking back and you're like, today's a good day. Yeah. Yeah. You can put a cap on it and be like, yeah, that was a good one. ⁓ but I do have to say, you know, I'm going to go into detail about it, but an event transpired last week and it drew both of us. ⁓ ⁓ in a, conviction and, I actually spoke with, with Hunter about it on the phone. I reckon it was Thursday. It may have been Friday. and just, you know, ⁓ sit and you, you to get a 10,000 foot perspective of things. know you talked to me for about an hour and a half. ⁓ we talked for a while Thursday morning. just of, know, why do do what we do and. There's been times and God just, he worked in my heart through that situation that occurred know, Zach, you've been like Jonah quite a bit. You get sent to Nineveh, you ⁓ preach message, you tell people that destruction is going to befall upon you in 40 days. It's coming unless you repent. And like the King of Nineveh steps down from the throne, takes off his royal garb and puts on sackcloth and repents and begins to, to mourn and to weep. And when those people do the things that. Yeah, made Jonah mad to do. Yeah. He ran up and pouted over it instead of rejoicing. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's one of the things, and I do have to give a shout out to brother Spencer. Cause it was the, it was the same day and he made a post and it was talking about cult fundamentalist, crass fundamentalist and classic fundamentalist. think he's getting ready to do a lot of stuff about that. said something about that. I believe he's getting ready to do either a series or something about, that. Well, and because it's important because man in the IFB world, it's, it's different. see so much. And it's not like we've got a special revelation or God's spoken to us directly. It's just we spend so much time in the Word and we search the scriptures. We study to show ourselves approved. And then when we see things out in the world, it is so easy for the flesh to begin to take over and the rebuke and the reprove are unquestionable. And the doctrine is unquestionable. But then it's that point of and the long suffering ⁓ the love that comes with it. And and it gets, it gets cloudy sometimes. And you may think that, well, I'm not that Pope style ⁓ pastor. I'm not the one that's saying, Hey, if you're going to buy a new car, you have to come and get it approved by me first. But want to be that one that's saying, no, we're trying to draw people to the gospel. But then times it can come off as. You know, just kind of crass and, I was listening to Robert breaker there the other day. and he was doing a study in James ⁓ got to talking about, know, some of the things that he teaches. Some people they call them peculiar. Well, we're going to be a little weird when you're, ⁓ ⁓ got their little thing. Yeah. But you know, it's one of those things of, ⁓ you know, It's important to, to Mark and avoid it to Mark. have to call out names and Paul did so Paul, Paul did it specifically, especially in the book of second Timothy. names a bunch of names, but what was the purpose of him doing that? And I feel like sometimes I can speak for myself personally. turns into. Yeah, I am like Jonah. I want to see the fire rain down and I want to see the retribution and I become the judge, jury and executioner out there. Instead of just telling the good news, not. sway and that's one of the blocks within the IFB. Well, you're now you're starting to compromise. a very prominent pastor who for years and years and years, man, the work he did, the work that the Lord did through him and stuff. Now he's got a bigger name, got a bigger platform, people inviting to speak. He's very, very popular. And some that's went to his head. And I'm sitting there going, okay, we had 32 people in the congregation Sunday. What if this time next year? I told you this Sunday night for the service, what if we had 250 people? How would I handle that? Exactly. You know what I mean? it's, It's along the lines of, and this is very secular, but this is where my brain goes. When we're in scripture all the time with, with great knowledge comes great responsibility. I got you uncle Ben. You know what I mean? you know what I know what you mean. It's like, but you can't say that and expect me not to. It ⁓ great power comes. It's power. It's it's knowledge. It's it's enlightenment. There is a heavy, heavy burden with that. ⁓ And, the part your walk with the Lord that some that people Cause I know, I know, especially even with, you know, we've talked about this and she's such a patient, great woman, but I know that, and I was talking to Zach about this. I really, really, my prayer is that I lead by example way more than I lead with my mouth. Yeah. And I know recently, and even in the past couple of months, I've been trying to lead with my mouth more than lead by example. and that's. What, you know, occurred to me Wednesday or last week, but, ⁓ but that right there, want to tell you that's a biblical principle of confessing your faults. We don't confess our sins. If you would sit here and get, okay. Tuesday night was sitting on the couch and I said this, I go into, yeah, we don't need to go into detail. This isn't, you know, me and a priest in a closet confessing. We can confess our faults because now. me, people that listen, can come and pray for those things. ⁓ that's the humility. And that word has been very, very prevalent with me in the past week with everything that's happened is like having a true humble spirit about it because ⁓ is, it's, it's challenging. That's why the spirit in the flesh, they war it against one another. Listen here before I get into something there in 2nd Timothy, Galatians 5. Galatians 5 verse 16, says, This I say then walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Well, when we see lust, what immediately comes to our mind? Some type of sexual sin. Okay, I'm viewing a woman or, you know, A big prevalent issue in society right now, especially in, in culture of men, predominantly is, is pornography and those things. we would see that, but, here's thing that right there is the lust of the foot. My, my flesh may lust after vengeance and anger. it may coming from a ⁓ good place say, no, I'm, I'm angry because. ⁓ I see what God says I see so many people falling away from it. Well, am I in the position is, is, am I the one that God is going to make the world into ⁓ footstool for? No. Do have any saving power within myself? ⁓ No. I have faults? Absolutely. And that's the example that I use there Sunday morning ⁓ is, you talking about brother Billy and said, you know, Billy's charged with three crimes the judge says you're sentenced to death for these three crimes. And I come up and go, no, no, no judge. I'll take his place. And the judge looks at me and goes, well, that's great. You're going to try to take his place, but you're also guilty of these three other crimes and you're sentenced to death seats. I'm just sinful. Yeah. I can't make the payment. ⁓ why Christ was perfect. And that's why the, the, the wrath of God was satisfied upon him. And now being in him were made. hardened by that we are justified. It's just as if you've never sinned before. He sees, he took everything that you had done. if you, if you expect me to be able to explain this perfectly, I can't, he became it. You see, another thing. We'll get back to Galatians. This, this is how this episode is going to go. We're just going to talk, talk the word and talk about life. ⁓ we were going to go to Daniel seven, but I don't think that's the direction the Lord's leading us to go today. He everything that I had done and it wasn't just placed upon him. He became that. And not just for me. That's for the whole world. And I sit there and think about, okay, every ⁓ of every act of adultery, every act of drunkenness, every act of homosexuality, every act of backbiting, all the things that we could make an exhaustive list in scripture that shows the faultiness in man that we were in, like it says in the book of Romans, were enemies of God. Yeah. When I heard brother Sluder, he, when he broke it down, man, ⁓ at that, at that camp meeting, when he said everything you've ever consumed, everything you've ever snorted, everything you ever smoked. And even if you've never done drugs. everything you've ever said, everything you've ever thought and that that list is infinitely long. Yeah. And he had him that and he had to become it because he had never known it. Yeah. Lived a life in this world, tempted in every way. Hebrews four fifth of. Hebrews 415 says, For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched the feeling of our infirmities, but was in points tempted like ⁓ we are yet without sin. So all these other false gods that people worship, they're removed from that. ⁓ the Buddha was enlightened and he never experienced that. That this, you know, kind of Demi-God is just above and can't, well, no, savior stepped out of heaven, became human flesh, and then dealt with everything that we've dealt with. Yet he did it perfectly. Yet he did it without sin to pay that price to say, look, I love you enough to where I'll step in. I'll become what you so my righteousness that I lived may now be imputed unto you. Which is something that never has before and will never happen again is people like, I just can't, I can't fathom being fully God and fully ⁓ man. ⁓ His are our ways. They're higher. His thoughts are not our thoughts. And even just that. snippet in itself, if you have any doubts about the gospel, maybe that should be the reason you look into it. curiosity maybe. Do remember we've talked about this a couple of times and I said it Sunday morning and Sunday school I said, you know, we tend to think that people don't understand the gospel because they don't know enough. Yeah. would surprise you how many times it's because people know too much ⁓ they'll get hung up on that and they'll say, well, how could Jesus be? I don't know how he became my sin, but I'm thankful he did and I believe it. know, that's not going to change anything with it. But to be, you know, these things in the flesh that try to go and try to be vindictive, like again in Galatians chapter five verse 17, for the flesh lusteth against the spirit. There's a war taking place and the spirit against the flesh. Now you notice how Paul writes that and he says the flesh lusth against the spirit, but it doesn't say the spirit lusth against flesh because the spirit's pure. Spirit's perfect. Spirit's capitalized. You're sealed with the spirit of promise. The Holy spirit dwells within you. Spirit has to fight that. Yes. And these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye. would well for me, you me. My fleshly temptation is I'm going to box your jaw. And if you're not sure about you, just put your name in there. That's, is ⁓ a, that's plural. That's talking about all of us. That's not speaking specifically to somebody in Galatia. He wasn't pointing it, but then said thou then, ⁓ you this doesn't apply, but yeah, right. And that ye would do. That way you cannot do the things that you would do. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." And then he goes through, and I want you to notice this. Listen, we were talking about an extensive and an exhaustive list of the things that our flesh can lust after, and the things that the sinful nature can... that the sinful nature can encompass. Verses 19 through 21. Listen to this list. Now the works of the flesh are manifest. They're seen, they're present. Which are these? Adultery, fornication, uncleanliness, lasciviousness. Now what's amazing about that? Adultery, fornication, uncleanliness and lasciviousness. Three out of those first four, and really four out of the first four that are mentioned, do have to deal with something sexual. So if you tried to back apply this and go, no, Paul's talking about sexual sins here when he says lust, just keep reading. Adultery, witchcraft, hatred, variants, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envies, murders, drunkenness, revelings. And then look at those next three words. And such like. Anything else that's like it. Look how exhaustive this list can be. You can keep going. And that's, nothing sexual about hatred. There's nothing sexual about envying in those ways. There's nothing sexual about murders. that's why the flesh lusteth after the things that the flesh wants to. And the spirit is at war with that. But then listen here after he says, and such like ⁓ of witch, tell you before. as I have also told you basically Paul using his famous phrase I've done told you once but I'll tell you again I want to put you in remembrance put this in remembrance in times past that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God notice how he says kingdom of God kingdom of God yeah verse 22 but the fruit now that is very very very key When people describe Galatians five, how do they always describe it? Oh, that's the, that's fruits of the spirit. Fruits. No. They make it plural because what we thinking, thinking you can, you can pick and choose and have some of these. Yeah. And not, and not, okay. So I've got love, joy and peace in my, and I'm gentle. ain't real patient. Yeah, exactly. But my long suffering and my meekness just ain't there. Well, I've got faith and temperance, but I guess I could have a little more joy. It is not a list that you that a box beside each one of those and you're sitting there going, okay, I got that. got that. Ooh, I got work on that. No. Yeah. All of those things are all in one. They all are ⁓ one thing they all go together it's the fruit of the spirit. It's not a separate. checklist. No, and it's the fruit of the spirit. This is the fruit of the Holy Ghost. This is, this is what should be embodied. So I'm going to make a very strong claim here. Um, I'm not meaning to ruffle feathers, but I'm wanting, I feel like one of the things that I would say has happened, especially over the last 50 years is the softening of sin being preached on. Absolutely. And I'm not pointing anybody out. I'm trying to do it. But what this looks like is, if the of the spirit, if you're displaying a couple of these, you're good. ⁓ You may be struggling with that sin. Well, look, Will. You know, you've got faith and you've got love and you've got gentleness and you've got goodness and you're displaying some of the fruits of the Spirit. But understand, I know you're still dealing with adult or fornication. I know you're still dealing with that. This is sealed by the Holy Ghost of God who comes in and dwells inside the believer at the point of salvation. If you're still struggling with those, You are in fault of that. of God will not be ⁓ with sin because these nine that are listed, okay, go ahead and wipe out that entire exhaustive list that's up above. They take every one of them away. And telling us that the flesh is warring with the spirit. Now you're sealed with the spirit. So if you're continuing on in these sins and you say, I'm battling sin, I'm struggling in sin. The way I read this, you're choosing to do so. do have the Spirit of God living in you. You are a child of God. Does that mean we're going to, and this is where we have to be careful. Does that mean we're going to be perfect and we're not going to sin? No, I'm not saying you're not going to sin. There's a difference in stumbling into sin and struggling with sin. ⁓ So the fruit of the Spirit, what is produced because of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Then look right here, against such there is no law. There's nothing that can buffet it. your flesh is warring against your Spirit, you know it is. The Spirit is contrary to the flesh. If the flesh is getting the upper hand, you're giving into that. and then you notice too, love, joy, peace. Those are things that are shown internally ⁓ the spirit, long suffering, gentleness and goodness. Well, those are things that are shown externally. ⁓ be long suffering to somebody else. I can be gentle to somebody else. I can show goodness to somebody else. And then faith, meekness and temperance. Well, those are all in your vertical. That's all with you and God. The faith that I have in God, the faith of God, the faith of Jesus that he took upon the burden that he did, the meekness, you know, the meekness, where does that come from? comes from God. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. And temperance. Okay. And I think that's very important there too. If the spirit is contrary to the flesh and the flesh is trying to lust after the spirit and war against it. If the spirit is showing temperance, that whole list goes away. If the spirit is showing meekness in you, you don't have envies. You don't have stripes. You don't have wrath. the spirit showing love in you, you don't have that. You don't have adultery. If it's showing, if the spirit of God showing love. Yeah. You don't have envy. No, you're not having murder. No, no, no, no. you know, if, if you've got. Envy in your life, where's the joy and peace. You if you've got strives, where's the love and peace. Well, I, ⁓ and thing you've got drunkenness, where's the temperance? Yeah. Where's self control basically, but, And I think this is one thing and somehow we always get to this in an episode, but I'll say it this week. This is why Bible translations are so important. It really matters. Because if you look at long suffering, me and you've talked about this. Yes, very, very, very good point. many Bible translations, it's patience. Yeah. OK. There is a massive difference between patience and long suffering. I can have patience waiting in a line. You're going out to eight. ready. You're sitting in the car. Beck has taken 10 extra minutes to get ready. Are you, are you displaying patience or are you displaying long suffering? That's patience. ⁓ patience. Yes. But let's look at what the Webster's 1828 dictionary says long suffering means. Bearing injuries or provocation for a long time, not easily provoked. Patience. The suffering of a fixed afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation, or other evil with a calm, unruffled temper. So I hear suffering, I think calm, unruffled Jesus long in the garden. That's ⁓ Jesus suffered Kaif is house to pilots play palace to Harrods palace. back to Caiaphas, back to the cross or up to the cross. That's long suffering. That wasn't patience. It's bearing the burden and going through the trial that it is for an extended time. I think of long suffering. is... ⁓ What was the result of his long suffering? What happened at the end of his long suffering? Death. Yeah. which long suffering is being enduring till the end. Endurance. Yeah. That's not preservation. No, it's, it's enduring until the end. And also during that endurance. It's knowing that the end of it could be death. that's okay with you. That's and accepting those things. Patience is required in the DMV line. You're not going to get to the desk and go, ⁓ you're our 200th person. get beheaded. Exactly. ⁓ that's thing. think about your when you have patience and then think about the attitude you should have when you're long suffering. That's something that's completely different. Yes, very much so. much so. And that's of the things that we've going back to the original topic that we've lost is we're, really patient we're not really long suffering. and the fruit of the spirit's not being shown there. There's, there's more of the The strife and there's more of the works of the flesh when we see apostasy, not, ⁓ a very clarifying term. Apostasy needs to be defined on what the Bible says it is, not what we think it is. Yeah. That's where, that's where I think the majority of your legalism begins come into place. because I think there's some churches that would say, ⁓ Man, it is a pipe organ or that's worldly. we, are we going, are we going by the, yeah. that, is that what biblical apostasy shows? Well, it's, you know, it's a slippery slope. And again, some people may look at this and say, y'all are starting to compromise. No, just take, let's take a long look at this. you know, ⁓ if, if biblically grounded in doctrine and you're rooted, you know, not just having a pipe organ does not equate all of a sudden to smoke machines. Yeah. Like we can't go from A to Z, you know, that fast. Um, but to see people that are, that are slipping, here's a question for us all. Um, softening of the gospel, softening on the preaching against sin, uh, falling away from certain fundamentals of the faith. yoking up and fellowshipping because there's a difference in that's a key to I'm going to try to get thoughts finished before something else comes. But well, I'm not going to yoke up with them. I hate them and I reject them. ⁓ yoking up is not fellowship. And like, we're not going to leak arms with somebody and go fellowship with them when they're preaching a different gospel. But am I long suffering toward them? Yeah. And, and along those lines. Once again, I'm going to bring it up. Bible translation. The next one, not not to move past long suffering, but they go hand in hand right here. Gentleness. Mm I've heard that before. As kindness. Yeah. There's a big difference between being kind to somebody and being gentle to somebody. If I'm going to sit here and I'm going to confront somebody in their sin. I can do that gently. Yes. But if I'm to be kind to them, I'm not going to do it. You're not going to say what really, really sugarcoated and not get very, very good point, which goes to the whole thing of kindness is great, it's awesome, we all should be kind to one another. But I would equate it as, stick with me here. Caleb has a dirty diaper. And you have to change. Baby has a dirty diaper. Yeah. To be kind to him, to keep him from crying and doing all that. You would just leave me just leave him in the, you can change him gently. ⁓ all right. We're almost done, buddy. I can't type it. Yeah, exactly. That might not be the greatest example. No, it's, good because the most kind thing, ⁓ I wanted to be kind, I don't want him to cry at all. That's why when I hear pastor say, Let's be kind to want to know how about how about you be gentle, gentle. means you're still doing you. You still presenting the gospel. You're still confronting somebody based upon what the word of God says, but not based upon what Willard's Act says, but based upon what the word of God show them how the law was the schoolmaster in that. But you're doing that with respect and you're doing it with gentleness because you're just kind like. Cause I've heard love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gratefulness. I've heard someone say faith is gratefulness. doesn't make any sense to me. You know, gentleness, another one, another one. Uh, I've heard meekness described as gentleness. Yeah. No, there's the, can be gentle towards something or I can be meek towards something. If I'm gentle all the time, that means I'm never going. to use the sword when I have to. Jesus was meek. Exactly. Yeah. Meekness is. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Exactly. Temple was cleansed. that's meekness. Gentleness would have been like Pharisees, come on guys. do y'all mind getting these things out of the temple? Yeah. know. and not to get on a tangent, but that's, mean, well, it's, just like we talked about last week, the first says Salonians five 22 abstain from all parents of evil. That that's where Bible translation is extremely important because if, if I read first says Salonians five 22 from an NLT, uh, and I said, no, we need to get away from even the appearance, even the look of something that's Quit being so legalist. says be away from, you know, this kind of evil or reject evil or abstain from evil. Of course, course, but it's the appearance of evil. It's meekness. ⁓ It's faith. It's the long ⁓ suffering those that you could say, well, those two definitions you read, they sound kind of similar. Yeah, because they're under the same umbrella. But just because something sounds similar, doesn't mean that it's the exact same. Yeah. Would you rather going back to what you were saying before I kind of interrupted you, but would you, I would rather you come to me in gentleness to talk about apostasy than I would in kindness. Cause if you come in kindness, you're probably not even going to bring it up. Yeah. I just, don't want, I don't want ruffling feathers here. But there's, but there's a way to ruffle feathers that you're not plucking them out causing harm and the cat around. Yeah. ⁓ know, but then like, you know, here in second Timothy, you know, ⁓ he, just known calling out hominidus and phallitis who this is scathing Paul gives because he says their word will eat as doth a canker. words that they're saying that the resurrection has already happened, not the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, they have erred. So he's saying, your word is like cancer, you're wrong, and then it says that they overthrow the faith of some. So what that would look like is to say... Your words are like cancer because of the wrongness you're doing and it's leading people astray. See, where some IFB pastor stop at is you're wrong and your words like cancer. That's it. you're leading people astray. And look what he comes up with after that. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." He's still calling them to that. Now he's looking and saying that in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and silver. This is kind of a reality check. You realize in the family of God, in the sons and daughters of God, there are some people that are going to stick in the word and they're going to understand the things and their vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth. Some to honor the gold and silver, some to dishonor. So if you're a vessel of, if you're allowing your flesh to override the spirit that dwells within you and you're partaking in the works of the flesh, instead of producing the fruit of the spirit, Hey, it's okay to come to you and say, That's dishonorable. That is a work that's laid out before God. You're still in the great house. You're still in the house. Those vessels are still in the house. They're not outside. the complimentary passage to this is 1 Corinthians chapter 3. At the judgment seat of Christ, that the works will be laid out and they'll be tried by fire and some will make it through and some will be burned up. Look what he says, if a man therefore purge himself of these. I'm imploring you at this point. calling what you're doing wrong. I'm telling you how it's hurting people. But if you will just purge yourself from these, he shall be a vessel in honor. Here the reproof. Here is the rebuke. Now what's Paul doing? He's exhorting. He's had doctrine the whole time. And how is he exhorting? through long suffering. He's fulfilling what he's getting ready to write to Timothy in chapter four. a man therefore purge himself from these, his shall be a vessel in honor ⁓ and meet for the master's use. Hey, if you think you're doing it right, but you're not even, you may think you're doing the work of God, but you're not allowing God to work through you. But if you'll purge yourself from these things, God will work for you, through you. and prepared and every good work. And then he goes down through here in verses 22 through 24. Look what he says gives another list. Flee also youthful us, but follow righteousness, faith, charity. Charity is the Greek word agape. That's that's love. Peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. It's it's much like what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 about, you know, coming beside the feeble-minded and helping them, but foolish and unlearned questions avoid. So now if you're in the middle of that and somebody comes up and they begin to spout their own doctrine, they begin to spout their own opinions, they're not holding true to what the Word of God says, that's where we avoid it. Now it's being avoided. Knowing that they do gender strife, what's the only thing that's going to happen at that moment? going to have a fight. It's just going to be a fight. And what is strife listed under? It's under the works of the flesh. It's not afraid of the spirit ⁓ the servant of the Lord must ⁓ strive. So many of us and look at and look what's ⁓ yeah. Yeah. ⁓ So many us are ready to fight. Well, Zach, how do you equate that with what Jude says to earnestly contend for the faith? Here's what I'm telling you. You're going to have contentions, scripture is not going to contradict scripture and we must allow scripture to interpret scripture. So if we're going to earnestly contend for the faith against those men who have crept in unawares, who could possibly be people just like Hymenaeus and Philetus here? Whose word doth eat like a canker? Who in doctrine have erred? overthrowing the faith of some. When we contend with them, it better not be a fight. How's it going to be a fight when you strive? How is it going to be striving is when you're in the flesh and you're not allowing the spirit to work through you because look at exactly what they're actually doing. Be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient. And verse 25, I think is very key. In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves. If you begin to look at what people are doing and you really start to understand they are overthrowing the faith of some, but where is it all starting? They're actually in opposition to themselves. How are they in opposition to themselves? Because they're allowing the flesh to win the war against the spirit. They're allowing that to happen. A Christian will not struggle with sin, a Christian will stumble with sin. And when we stumble with sin, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of them and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I would say if you're earnestly before you feel like you must earnestly contend for the faith against someone else, you better earnestly contend for the faith within yourself. Yes, because you flip that right there. it turns into strife. Yep. Now you're opposing yourself because the flesh is now overriding the spirit. Yeah. It, mean, that's, that's some deep stuff there, but, what it boils down to is what Paul's main objective here in writing second Timothy two in writing Galatians five in writing first Thessalonians chapter five, what are all these things? And to me, it goes back to verse 15. It's, one of the most important verses in all the New Testament to show thyself to prove. And to God, your intentions are right, it won't turn into strive because now it's not flesh and flesh. It's the spirit producing the fruit. And now you have the instructions on truly how to contend. Yes. The root word for contend has contention in it, but if it just turns into name, Colin, fighting and strive. That's not from God. That's from the flesh. right there, then ⁓ not going to need to be ashamed. You won't be. There is shame. There is. If if you're not doing it this way. Exactly. And that's why I got under conviction because I felt I felt ashamed. I'm I'm no one. I'm not. But ⁓ again, does he say? But did I did you? Yeah. Have we studied to show to ourself approved unto God, unto God? Or is it? and demand. Timothy chapter four verse two preach the word. Amen. instant in season out of season. ⁓ Amen. rebuke. ⁓ Amen. doctrine. Amen. But also to exhort ⁓ with ⁓ all what's word long suffering with all long suffering, not patience, all suffering. It's ⁓ This is why it's hard. is why it's hard. And this is why you can, again, we keep coming back to this same steer into one ditch or the other. You can either be a compromiser or you can be belligerent in the way you do it. Or you we it too easy. Apostasy. Call out. Yeah. For what purpose? to, to, to bring them back closer or to, or to say, recognize the apostasy. see it because I've studied and we're going to publicly ⁓ person. This is some hard stuff. This is a reality check that I think needs to be discussed. Yeah, I mean, it's but look, look what Paul says again in second Timothy chapter four, right after he gives that list. then notice what he said. Let's go to verse one. I charge thee therefore before God, you're not doing this for the approval of me, just the same way you're not studying to show yourself approved unto me or ⁓ other I'm not charging you to do this in front of other men. The calling and the charge is before God and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is one thing that I've read this verse and I've not thought about as much. But again, if we're going to allow scripture to interpret scripture, we should know. Who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom? Now take verse one and say, he's going to judge the quick. He's going to judge those vessels of dishonor. The wood hay and stubble is going to be burned up. He's going to judge these that will not indoor sound doctrine. Brothers. He's going to judge you too. that's why ⁓ quick. the living and the dead, all those that have gone on, all those that are still living at the time of his appearance, when we're caught up and we're there before the judgment seat of Christ, look at first Corinthians chapter three, second Corinthians chapter five, those words that accounts going to be given. What was the intense of her heart? So then he gives the command, preach the word, be instant in season out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering doctrine for the time will come when they will not endorse sound doctrine. But after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves, teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned on the fables. So this is a common passage to be preached to slam down on the pulpit. And I've done it before. But with everything we just read in Galatians and with everything we just read in two chapters before, in chapter two, now what's that look like? You know what I mean? But look what he says in verse five. Yeah, I was getting ready say, but watch thou in all things, in all things, watch. That includes you. That includes yourself. Watch yourself. Look what he says next. Endure afflictions. And do the work of an evangelist. full proof of thy ministry. You know how you make full proof of your ministry and you know how you do the work of evangelist? Is not by going out and just condemnation. By watching what you do in enduring afflictions. Enduring. Endure affliction. It doesn't say endure to the end. Again, that's a teaching for tribulation Jews from Matthew 24. doesn't matter what Calvinism says. It doesn't matter what anybody else wants to say. This is what the word says. But when we're interpreting scripture, we just grab a section, because here's the thing. A Calvinist is going to grab Romans 9 and hold to it to say this affirms their doctrine. That's their box. Seventh-day Adventist is going to grab certain passages from the Old Testament. They're going to hold to it to affirm their doctrine. The Catholic Church is going to grab John chapter six ⁓ retroactively write in the Eucharist and say, this proves transubstantiation right here. They've built their box of doctrine. hold to it. And if we can't look within ourselves, we're no different. We're no different. And we can't just build a box with this doctrine and then negate everything Paul said in two and negate everything Paul said in Galatians five and negate everything that Paul said in first, this alone is chapter five. it all has to be together. All long suffering and doctrine. And for ⁓ so a doctrine pieces. That's the whole fast. And the reproof and the rebuke, that's the whole vast, But there's also the long suffering and there's also the exhortation that comes with that. The upbuilding, the encouragement. Paul rebukes and reproves hands down from verses 16 down to 26 in chapter two. There's, there's not a doubt in my mind, but he also exhorts and he gives doctrine throughout. But then there's a piece of long suffering there. Cause he even talks about patience. He talks about gentle. He talks about how you can handle yourself to not be one of those vessels under dishonor. I thought I was good till we started talking about this and I'm just, know, just taking a whooping again. It's good. And needs to happen. This has got some heavy tribulation leanings in it, but there's doctrinal application for, for the within it. Book of Hebrews chapter 12 verse three. For consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him when you were rebuked of him. Verse six for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth that to me. we're not getting discipline exactly. Yeah, we got another check. got to do. ⁓ good. It's a good thing. It's even a good thing. ⁓ a necessary that will occur. Yeah. And ⁓ you it's just there's there's certain sins because of the prevalence that's within society. There's certain sins because of the, you know, not tolerance of it, but the acceptance of it. think one of the things that we can just preach I mean, fire and brimstone with it is against homosexuality. there's a whole lot of backbiting and gossiping that goes on. Yeah. There's striving that goes on within the church. There's envying that goes on within the church and take a ⁓ true step. We're really wanting to teach and preach the whole council of God acts 2027. And we have to, we have to assess those things too. Again, just as much as we do. What? mean, for lack of a better term, the, the big ticket items. Yeah. The ones that the ones that, Hey, it's the ones, you know, you're going to get some amen. Somebody who was not saved and just walked off street. They would, they, they'd probably be like, well, I walk in this church. They might talk about homosexuality. You might talk about murder, abortion, abortion and drunkenness. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Now there's a lot more. It's more than, be to God for the men that don't care. if the people don't like it, it's, it's the word of God. It's those messages that you know, you ain't going to get a whole lot of amens out of ⁓ it's ones you're going to say it ⁓ and going to take that big gulp and it's going to be awfully quiet and you know, it's come. You know, it's coming, but preach it anyway, preach it. Be instant. ⁓ That's the, see, that even going back to that, that verse is not just when things are popular and when things are not like, or when it's easier to or not. When I've preached that before, because I've preached that passage twice. I thought about boy had been easier to preach against sodomy in the fifties. Then it is now. So we got to be instant with it. Well, it's also when it's in season, out of season where you may have to preach on modesty to your people. Yeah. Yeah. You may have to preach on gossiping your people. That's not in season. People don't, people don't, everybody's okay. When you're in a church and you've, you've, you've come to the Lord for salvation to say, yep, I was a wretched sinner. was, ⁓ as wicked as it could be. but every one of us ⁓ can haughty in our own mind and be like, well, that, that applied to me back then. Yeah. ⁓ Or sin doesn't apply to me. Well, you know what we're going to find one that does. don't, I do that anymore. Okay. Well, you do other things. It's the same lesson. Paul teaches in Romans chapter 1. So listen, he just us that no one ⁓ without excuse, and we have to go back to Romans chapter 1 verse 16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. So if you preach one thing and you hammer it and you don't preach the other and you're not being instant, remember these are all writings of Paul, this is the same Holy Ghost that inspired all of it, it's all going to be conducive with it. ⁓ I'm not ashamed of the gospel. Well, if you don't, if you preach against homosexuality, but then you don't preach against backbiting, then you're being ashamed of the gospel. And I know this sounds like we're targeting this towards just preachers, but this is also for, for anybody that's a child of God to be able to apply to their life. Because whether you want to believe it or not, you're being watched. we've all been called into a royal priesthood ⁓ all been called to do the work of an evangelist and do those things. For it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also the Greek. Now he gives how the invisible things of creation of the world are clearly seen, that there's no one without an excuse. I love verse 22, professing themselves to be wise, they become fools. There's another gut check for you. verse 24, wherefore God also gave them up. to uncleanliness through the lust of their own hearts. See, there's that word again. It goes back to lust. That's what we're reading about in Galatians. To dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who charged the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this cause, God gave them unto vile affections. for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature. here, homosexuality. I like it, Paul, keep going. ⁓ likewise also, the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust towards one another, men with men working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error, which was meat. Paul, I like it. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to reprobate mine to do those things, which are not convenient. Side note here, see how God didn't give them over to a reprobate mind until they did not like to retain God in their knowledge. Take that to a Calvinist and read them that verse just like how God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Well, Pharaoh had already hardened his heart. They said, God, I don't want nothing to do with you. The, the, the invisible things of you and creation are clearly saying, I know I ain't got no excuse, but I want nothing to do it. And God goes, all right, there you go. Notice that that notice that they did not like to retain God and their knowledge before God gave them up. So versus 25 through 28, you know, you can sit back and go, yeah, he's getting them. Exactly. Problem is, is there's. There's more. Four more verses. Yeah, there's more. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetedness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, backbiteers, haters of God, despicable, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. OK, that's enough, Paul. Have you ever, have you ever got mad, ran up the steps and slammed your bedroom door and said, I can't stand them. Guess what? Paul is real good there for a little bit. Now Paul's laying and dropping a hammer on everybody without understanding covenant breakers without natural affection, implacable, a merciful who knowing the judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death. Not only do the same, have a look at this. Not only it, but have pleasure in them that do them. So this right here, before we go into the next part, this ties back together with first S slayings, five 22 abstain from all appearance of evil. You may be ⁓ a heavy rocker, but do you get pleasure out of them that are that? You may not be a murderer, but can you watch a movie, a horror movie and see how are you getting pleasure out of them that do that? You see how it takes it. It's not because look at things externally. God looks at things internally. Samuel up, sees Eliab goes, there's my next king. God says, you don't see things like I do. I see a man's heart. ⁓ Sarah inside. God says, why did Sarah laugh? goes, ⁓ didn't, I didn't laugh. Yeah. Yeah, you did. Cause he knows the intents of the heart. So you may have said, well, I've never done those things. I've never been a sodomite. I've never, fornicated. I've never been wicked. I've never been full of envy. I've never murdered, have in them. Even that do them even proud. Proud's in there. Yeah. And see, and what, what you don't want to do is you, you don't want, you don't want to go down here and say, Oh, proud pride June, go back up to the, no, no, no, no, no, keep, keep, keep reading. Have you ever been disobedient to your parents? Well, my daddy would have whipped me. Well, you got whooped because you know that he would have whipped you. there's a point that you were disobedient to your parents. You learned that then in chapter two, he says, therefore thou art. inexcusable old man who so ever thou art that judges. And then he goes down through here and gives all of these examples of you can't be judging this up here. You can't judge verses 26, 27 and 28 or verses 26 and 27 when, when 29 through 32 apply to you. That's why that you can't judge me where a preacher may go out and at a pride festival, preach out in front of an abortion clinic. But are they showing pride when they do that? Are they they boastful in the manner in which they're doing that? I would say if they're ⁓ doing just for click. Yeah, ⁓ there go. ⁓ You what I mean? And then he goes and he says, ⁓ That's this is all to the Gentiles, right? And he says, Jews, ain't off the hook. Look at verse 21 in chapter two, the other for which teaches another, teaches thou not thyself. Hmm. that preachest a man should not sell, dust thou still still thou that sayest the man should not commit adultery, thus thou commit adultery thou that aborrest idols, thus thou commit. sacrilege. we have markers in the faith. We have traditional things been passed down, but I can't stand up here and preaching it's the idol worship of Mary when there's certain things that ⁓ the independent fundamental Baptist are just no, this is the way we do it in the South and hold to it. When has nothing to do with doctrine. Yeah. When it has nothing to do with with preaching the gospel, it's just no, this is this is it. Cause like at the end of the day, like, again, this can be seen as they've lost it. They're starting to compromise. If that's your thought when hearing this, you need to do the same evaluation. just did because that's the thought we had before last week. If anybody was the snitch and it's, not falling away. It's not going to, it's, it's allowing God to work through you and doing it the right way. He continues on, Thou that makest thy boast of the law, thou break the law, dishonest thou God, for the name of God is blaspheme among the Gentiles through you as it is written. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keepeth the law. But if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. You know what? You can preach as hard as you want against homosexuality, but if you do it in a main, boastful, arrogant manner and you're striving, you know better than them. They ain't doing nothing. Yeah. I got chill mumps right now, man. That's tough. tough. Especially we. This is when it gets hard. is when it gets hard because... that constant war between the flesh and the spirit. Yeah. It literally, like, I don't know how to say it's constant and it, and it, never ends until either the Lord comes back or until we, you know, until we go to sleep. But that constant fight is something that's what you have to Be focused on that's what you use and it's. what will, what will, ⁓ will people do? They'll go, how many times have I sat there with the perspective of a human, know, which ⁓ human. You know what I mean? How times have I sat there with the perspective of man going, well, I'm doing what it man, I to church. Yeah. I read my Bible. I had a good prayer session. I'm a called man of God. Okay. shared at the beginning how great yesterday was. What's got to do with today? Yeah. The spirit is working and moving in that church service. What happens when you cross that threshold? Yeah. And it ain't even just that. Your flesh may be warring with your spirit in that while the preacher's preaching. ⁓ yeah. You're sitting in the pew. Okay. financial job situation, all these other things. somebody cuts you off trying to pull into the parking lot. you know, ⁓ whatever may be going on that war's happening right there. We can't ever. That's why I go back to it. Paul gives the commands to put on the full armor of God. He gives ⁓ no about reapplication. Yeah. He never says take it off and put it back on. No. No, like, it should never be taken off. The moment you think that I'm safe, you're susceptible. Oh yeah. You're in trouble right there. You can't just say, well, I'm in church. can't happen here. You don't The devil entered into Judas at the last supper. Will after Jesus got down on his hands, which I thought was pretty cool the other week. Somebody said, you notice that he washed the souls of the feet, like the souls, how dirty it was. He cleanses our soul. I was like, Hey, that's pretty good. Um, spelled different, but cool. Um, but like, here's Judas entering in, in that moment when he's saying, here is my body. This isn't transubstantiation. Here's my body. Here's my blood of the new covenant. Take it. Here's what's happening. This is my last night with y'all. This is what's going to happen. Here's, here's all the things that are coming and the devil entered in right there. Well, that was then has he changed since the beginning? No. Well, you're saying the devil can enter into people at the church. No, he sure will try to attack you. What did Jesus tell Peter? He looks to sift you like wheat. He's looking to do that. Did Jesus tell him Peter right there? And you know what? Peter left last supper. He got to go into the inner part of the garden with the Lord and he falls asleep and he rejects him and he hides himself away. happened to the apostle Peter. Why can't it happen to you? Maybe should call this episode gut check or reflection. That's what I'm having to into here today, but it's. but it's good. It's good. has to happen and it will happen. And I'll leave you with this. First Corinthians 10, 12. Let's give a little context here. Because in first Corinthians 10, Paul goes back through and gives Israel in the wilderness as the example. And he talks about the rock there, her horrib, and when Moses struck it and Jesus was the rock. But it's amazing that he uses that one. And again, I preached on this Sunday night. He doesn't say, and then Moses went and struck it again. Because it's amazing how all the sins in the Old Testament were washed away at the cross. We're in the New Testament. They're not spoken of in that way. But look at verse 10 or verse nine. Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for in samples. It's an example in us. And they were written for our, what's that word? Admonition. Admonition. To admonish us. that sink in. That's what it was written for. Not so that we can look back and go, look how better we are than them Jews out in the wilderness saying, now we need more than man. ⁓ we ain't got no water. All these serpents are coming. ⁓ God, we should have just died as slaves in Egypt. Upon whom the ends of the world are come. Look at verse 12. Yeah, right. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. But then, okay, that's review can approve. Look at the exhortation that comes in verse 13. There hath no temptation taken you, but such is common to man. But God is faithful. will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able. But, I think that's where people say, God won't give you more than you can handle. Read Job. Yeah. But with the temptation, look, look, making a way to escape that you ⁓ may be able to bear it. Almost sounds kind of like long suffering, doesn't it? Wherefore, dearly beloved, flee from adultery. I speak as to wise men, judge you what I say. Check me on it. I'm talking to you. I couldn't talk to you before, like I said, in chapter three, because you were carnal, because you were picking a man and you were holding to that man. Then he actually says, I'm glad I didn't baptize any of you way. You couldn't hold to me. Wherefore let him thinketh that he standeth, take heed, lest he fall. goes back to Romans chapter one, goes back to every, guys, we didn't plan any of this. ⁓ no, we didn't. The only thing we planned was. Daniel 7. Yeah, Daniel 7. But when we start to think, look at, look, look, look, look, look, and we start to strive, you better take aid. Yep. Because how quick can you fall? Very quickly. a good Bible study. Yeah. some people might be like, I have no idea. I don't have any idea, but what are you know, what are they talking about? What happened? Well, we're not going to go into it, but. The Lord does a great job and I've said it before, ⁓ getting your attention. ⁓ will get your attention. And you're not even expecting it. either you, you either take heed or Or he's going to keep trying and it's going to lead to catastrophe. Well, you know what I could have done in that moment? And if I had to take heed, I could have rejected Jesus in that moment. Exactly. Could have happened. Could have happened. Satan wanted me to. And how easy would that have been? And you know what the whole point of it was? My flesh was warring against my spirit. Yeah. And besides me, who else would have known? Nobody. Nobody. Nobody. I didn't like go out and get drunk or anything. was no, no, no, it was, it was something that happened in service Wednesday night. just affected that way. Yeah. ⁓ You guys might be like, really? what you're about. Look what, look what the fruit came out. That's what the Lord used. It was something that happened before, during the service Wednesday night, God moved in a way to show me the error of my way. Will gave me information afterwards about the whole situation and I went, ⁓ man. And it started a, it's, it's unlocked this. With me before I even told you, Warren and within me, cause I was sitting there saying, well, I guess he knew I want to him, you know, did I, was I, was I kind or did I do it gently? don't know. think it was afterwards, but if you had been you wouldn't have said nothing. Nope. I wouldn't know. Not my Not my place to nothing. ⁓ place to say nothing. Okay, What an Let me pray us out brother. Absolutely. Father, we come to you again. God, just so thankful for the rain that you gave us. Thank you for the beauty of this day. Thank you God for checking us. God, thank for the chastisement. It's like when I would get spanked as a young and I wouldn't understand how this hurts me more than it hurts you and this is for your own good. Lord, it didn't feel like it at the time. But Lord, I saw the fruits of it later. Lord, I pray that we could all take an internal evaluation, Lord, and hold the mirror of scripture up to our lives and see the faults and to not be like that man in the book of James that walks away and forgets what his face is like. But truly, this is how we truly apply your word. into our hearts and allow it move in our lives. And God, I pray for the church in which you've called us to. I pray for Will and his family. I pray for my family. I pray for all the listeners and their families. God, and above all, I pray for the lost. Lord, that we wouldn't get caught up in the things of the day and we wouldn't get caught up in, Lord, these things that ⁓ to take away from the gospel of your Son, that we all are wretched, unworthy that Jesus came to die for and so graciously took upon that burden, took upon that wrath and imputed His righteousness to us and became our sin for us. I may never understand it on this side of eternity, but I believe it and I'm so thankful for it, Lord. And Lord, there'll be one day when that rainbow won't just be half in the sky, it'll be full because it's around you at the throne. And I'll know exactly how all of it worked. But Lord, in the meantime, in this world, When the flesh wars against the Spirit, help us to let the Spirit guide us. Walk in the Spirit, not just stand and let the flesh gain an upper hand. And to be able to take an evaluation of ourself based off of what your Word says, and to take the chastisement and to move closer to you be able to tell others, God, of who you are. Lord, give us clean hands, cleanse us. Lord, let our lips be pure, let our hearts be pure. The only way we can do that is walking in your spirit to guide us to bring more to you. And all these things I ask in your sweet precious son, the Lord Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Absolutely. Well, like, yeah, like Zach said, what an episode. but yeah, it's none of this was planned. This is where the Lord led it ⁓ got to let him go. Glad we listened. Absolutely. Absolutely, but yeah next week. guess we'll try to get back to it or if the Lord has other plans We'll follow them, but ⁓ yeah, thank you guys for listening. We love you. God bless