Turn to 403 through grace.
♪ And if the king ♪
Sick this evening,
help us to sing out for you this evening.
His name we pray 22 to.
Are you one?
Please raise your hand if you're one.
Said this morning,
Pastor Shelley's preaching at Faith Word Baptist Church today.
Preached a sermon this morning called LGBT Terrorists.
So that's one you're gonna wanna go check out
for this evening's service.
But blessed to have Brother Ben filling in for us
this evening.
So make sure to give him your full attention this evening.
We have our Bible memory passage on the front there.
Psalm chapter 58 verse two.
You can quote this to myself, Pastor Shelley,
or an usher if you're 18 or younger.
We'll get a prize after the Wednesday evening service.
It's a pretty short chapter,
so it's a great one that everyone could accomplish for sure.
On the inside of our bulletins,
we have our service times listed there,
well as our church-wide soul winning times
that always meet here at the building,
as well as our regional soul winning times
with their respective years there.
As usual, please turn in your completed maps
to the completed bin.
If you win in the van, turn those to the van bin.
If you win by yourself, put those in the singles bin.
Also, we have our July soul winning
and baptism stats there.
And also on the right, if you'd please be praying
for all of our expecting ladies here
at Setfast Baptist Church.
And then our prayer list is listed there.
If you have any prayers that you'd like us to add
to this list at any time, please just email the church
at setfastbaptistkjv@gmail.com
and we'll get that added for you.
And those are updated weekly.
So if you'd like that to stay in longer,
please email us every single week,
letting us know that, that would help us out a lot.
Upcoming events, this Wednesday,
we're looking forward to having Pastor Anderson here.
It's gonna be a great time and we're excited to hear him
tear the house down, he's a great preacher for sure.
We have our Mighty Men's Conference
in August, August 17th through the 19th.
That's gonna be a great time as well.
And there also is a signup sheet for that
at the front of the building.
October 12th through the 15th,
we have our Fire Breathing Baptist Fellowship
that we're gonna be hosting
and we're very excited to be having this again.
I think last time we had it was 2021,
so it's gonna be great to be having that again.
This year, listed there on the back
is some church reminders.
Make sure to familiarize yourself with those.
And at this time, we're gonna go ahead
and turn to Psalm 148.
Psalm 148.
Let's sing it out nice and loud together.
Psalm 148.
♪ Is he the Lord ♪
Genesis chapter 25,
this is chapter number 25.
Genesis chapter number 25, the Bible reads.
Then again, Abraham took a wife and her name was Keturah.
And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Midan,
and Midian, and Ishbeck, and Shuah.
And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan.
And the sons of Dedan were Asherim, Tushim, and Leumim.
And the sons of Midian, Ephah, and Ephur,
Hanuk, and Abida, and Deah,
all these were the children of Keturah.
And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had,
Abraham gave gifts and sent them away from Isaac, his son,
while he yet lived eastward unto the east country.
And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life,
which he lived in 103 score and 15 years.
Then Abraham gave up the ghost and died in a good old age,
old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
And his sons, Isaac and Ishmael,
buried him in the cave of Macpele in the field of Ephron,
the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre.
The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth,
there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
And it came to pass after the death of Abraham
that God blessed his son Isaac,
and Isaac dwelt by the well Lehi-Roi.
Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son,
whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid,
bear unto Abraham.
These are the names of the sons of Ishmael by their names,
according to their generations,
the firstborn of Ishmael, Nabajoth, Qadar,
Abdeel, and Mibsum, and Mishma, and Duma, and Massa,
Adar, and Tima, Jeter, Nephish, and Kadima.
These are the sons of Ishmael,
and these are their names by their towns,
by their castles, 12 princes according to their nations.
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael,
in 130 and seven years he gave up the ghost and died,
was gathered unto his people.
And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur,
that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria,
and he died in the presence of all his brethren.
And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son.
Abraham beget Isaac, and Isaac was 40 years old
when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel,
the Syrian of Padanahram, the sister to Laban, the Syrian.
And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife
because she was barren, and the Lord was entreated of him,
and Rebekah his wife conceived.
And the children struggled together within her,
and she said, "If it be so, why am I thus?"
She went to inquire of the Lord,
and the Lord said unto her, "Two nations are in thy womb,
and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels,
and the one people shall be stronger than the other people,
and the elder shall serve the younger."
And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled,
behold, there were twins in her womb.
And the first came out red, all over, like in hairy garment,
and they called his name Esau.
And after that his brother came out,
and his hand took hold on Esau's heel,
and his name was called Jacob.
And Isaac was three score years old when she bare them.
And the boys grew, and Esau was a cunning hunter,
a man of the field.
And Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
And Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison,
but Rebecca loved Jacob.
And Jacob sawed pottage, and Esau came from the field,
and he was faint.
And Esau said to Jacob, "Feed me, I pray thee,
with that same red pottage, for I am faint."
Therefore was his name called Edom.
And Jacob said, "Sell me this day thy birthright."
And Esau said, "Behold, I am at the point to die,
and what profit shall this birthright do to me?"
And Jacob said, "Swear to me this day,"
and he swear unto him, and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils,
and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way.
Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Let's have a word of prayer.
Lord, thank you for this evening's service,
and thank you for Brother Ben.
I pray that you'd fill him with the Holy Spirit now,
that you'd just give him boldness
to preach your word this evening.
Help us to be attentive to the preaching of God's word.
We love you, and thank you for all that you do for us.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
- Amen, I wanna open by thanking Pastor Shelley
for the opportunity to fill in for him today.
And I'm getting over some kind of light, cold,
or virus or something, so if I sound sick,
I apologize in advance for that.
You'll just have to bear with me.
But in Genesis 25, where we are starting,
in verse 29, we'll pick up there.
It says, "And Jacob sawed pottage,
"and Esau came from the field, and he was faint.
"And Esau said to Jacob, 'Feed me, I pray thee,
"'with that same red pottage, for I am faint.'
"Therefore was his name called Edom."
Now, Esau is faint.
He asks for pottage to alleviate the hunger here.
In verse 31, it says, "And Jacob said,
"Sell me this day thy birthright."
So the response from Jacob is this,
let me get your birthright,
and we can solve the issue here.
Verse 32, "And Esau said,
"Behold, I am at the point to die.
"What profit shall this birthright do to me?"
Real dramatic from Esau.
Desperate.
Verse 33, "And Jacob said,
"Swear to me this day,"
and he sweared to him,
and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
So for carnal gain,
Esau, willing to sell his birthright
to alleviate his faintness
and his hunger,
which is what that is referring to.
He's looking for a quick solution to this problem.
He's looking for a quick, tasty solution
to this situation that he finds himself in.
And of course, Jacob ends up selling his,
or I should say, procuring his birthright.
Look at verse 34.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and potage of lentils,
and he did eat and drink and rose up and went his way.
Thus Esau despised his birthright.
He didn't regard it with any prestige.
And this is kind of a picture
of how the Jews rejected their Messiah
and evidently didn't think about the consequences
of their actions there.
This was an impulsive decision by Esau.
This was a short-sighted decision by Esau.
And it was one that could not be reversed.
In a moment, the birthright was sold for carnal gain.
And, you know, it doesn't appear
that Esau really evaluated this situation very well.
He didn't really think about it.
He didn't deliberate his decision.
The Bible says he despised his birthright.
Like I said, didn't treat it with very much regard.
And the consequence is he lost it.
Now turn over to Proverbs chapter 19.
He didn't really think this through.
He makes a hasty decision and in an effort to procure some food, sells his birthright.
Now in Proverbs chapter 19, this is where I will derive the title of my sermon.
In verse 2, notice what the Bible says in Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 2.
It says, "Also that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good, and he that hasteth with
his feet, sinneth."
So Esau, he makes a hasty decision.
He was hasty.
He was short-sighted.
He was impulsive and the Bible, I believe, is trying to teach us a lesson about this
in Proverbs 19 and trying to tell us that having this kind of attitude can lead to sin.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the Bible says in Proverbs 19, 2 that the soul
be without knowledge.
It is not good.
And then right after that, he that hasteth with his feet, sineth.
He that hasteth with his feet, sineth.
And it says that right after describing an individual who does not have knowledge.
So what I take from the verse is this, if we have knowledge, we won't have a hasty attitude.
And if we don't have a hasty or short-sighted mentality, then we won't put ourselves in
a situation to commit sin or do something we're going to regret for a long time to come.
Now what am I talking about when I use this word, short-sighted or hasty or impulsive
or kind of like having a myopic view of life?
I'm talking about basically an individual who makes decisions or makes choices without
regard for the consequences of those choices.
And I feel like in our society today, this is running rampant.
It's like people don't think things through.
They don't deliberate the decisions they're about to make.
And so as a result, they act impulsively.
They put themselves in scenarios that they end up regretting in some cases until the
day that they die because they didn't think it through first.
They didn't consider what the ramifications are going to be for their choices, for their
actions.
And having a hasty attitude is defined in that way.
Someone who doesn't recognize or somebody who refuses to recognize what the effects
can be of their behavior without regard for the consequences.
That's how they act.
And I believe the soul that does not have knowledge is prone to hastiness, prone to
putting themselves in a regrettable position.
And I think also that knowledge is the antidote to this attitude.
If you're someone who struggles, if you're someone who has a short-sighted view in life,
if you're somebody who's nearsighted, if you're somebody who is hasty, if you're somebody
who's prone to making impulsive decisions, struggling with impulsive behavior, I believe
knowledge will help fix that for you.
The knowledge of what though?
Obviously, this is all general.
The knowledge of what?
The knowledge of the consequences of your actions.
And that's why the title of my sermon tonight is Consider the Consequences.
Consider the Consequences.
And I believe if you apply this expression to your life, it will help you to not make
as many impulsive decisions, as many short-sighted decisions that you're going to be regretting
forever, perhaps.
You're far less likely to make bad decisions in your life if you consider the consequences
first.
If you stop to think about what are the potential ramifications if I do this, if I go down
this road, if I make this decision, if I make this choice, what can happen to me?
What can happen to my family?
What can happen to my children?
What can happen to the people I love, my friends, those around me?
What can happen if I go down this road?
If more people thought about that, if more people deliberated on that for a moment before
just going along with what society is doing, before going along with a multitude to do
evil, I believe that you would have people making much smarter decisions in their life.
Turn if you would to Proverbs chapter 21, Proverbs chapter 21.
Now I believe all of us are susceptible to making short sighted, impulsive decisions.
But I think young people especially sometimes struggle to look past their 20s.
Sometimes they struggle to look past the immediate future.
I can't even believe it.
I'm turning 30 in November and some folks, yeah, they're like, "Really Ben?"
I feel old.
All right.
I'll be honest.
But there was a time where I couldn't think past my 20s.
As a teenager and all of a sudden 30 is knocking on the door.
It's right around the corner and it's like, "Wow, life really comes at you fast.
Before you know it, young people, you'll be in my position."
How am I this old already?
But time goes quickly and you need to make the most of it.
You don't want to put yourself, when you're building the foundation for your life, you
don't want to put yourself in a situation that you'll regret in your 30s, in your 40s,
in your 50s.
And so this sermon, I want to talk to the kids, but some of the things might not necessarily
apply directly to them.
I want to talk to the single people in the room.
I want to talk to those of you in your 20s.
I want to talk to those of you who haven't been married yet.
You haven't had kids yet, perhaps, and you're still in those beginning stages of your life.
You're still a baby, practically.
I'm getting old so I can say that now.
Look at Proverbs 21, if you would, Proverbs chapter 21.
You're starting to build the foundation on which your life will be built.
And so you need to take heed to a sermon like this.
You young people need to listen up carefully.
I know it's almost 6 o'clock, maybe you went out soul winning, it's 178 degrees outside
or whatever.
You might be tired, I get it.
But just try and pay attention because I think this will be useful for you.
And I'm preaching it because I care about everyone in the room, I just want to make
sure that no one makes hasty decisions that can ruin them.
Proverbs 21 in verse 5, it says, "The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plentiousness,
but of everyone that is hasty only to want," to be short-sighted, to be hasty, to make
decisions without regard for the consequences, folks, you'll be left wanting.
Unsatisfied, lacking, carefully think about the direction you're going to go in your
life.
Proverbs 25, Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 28, Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 28.
Here we have a verse that's talking about someone who lacks self-control, and it describes
what this person really is in Proverbs 25.
It says in verse 28, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is
broken down and without walls."
This is someone who leaves themselves in a vulnerable position because they cannot control
themselves, and so as a result, they put themselves in a position to get hurt.
And look, we're tested in this area as a church often.
All you have to do is walk in on some days, thankfully not today, and your ability to
control your spirit is tested.
Can you do it?
Can you maintain control?
And I think most people here do a great job with that.
But to be short-sighted, again, it's to be hasty.
It's to make decisions without regard for the consequences.
It's to act without really deliberating first.
And often these people, they lack self-control.
And as I said, they put themselves in a position that they look back on and think, "I really
wish I didn't do that, but I wasn't thinking straight.
It's the heat of the moment, and I wasn't thinking straight."
They make catastrophic choices because of a lack of impulse control.
And I believe if you consider the consequences first, you'll be a lot less likely to do this
to yourself.
Again, this is for everyone, but especially the young people in the room, especially the
young single men in the room, especially you who have so many years ahead of you.
I want to read to you an article about a teenager, and I think teenagers really do struggle with
this.
This is a teenager who made a very stupid choice.
Did not consider the consequences, and folks, when you hear the story, you'll realize, wow,
it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out this was dumb.
It says in the headline, "Louisiana Teen Missing After Jumping Overboard on a Dare on Bahama
Sunset Cruise."
An 18-year-old boy from Louisiana was celebrating his recent high school graduation during a
sunset cruise in the Bahamas Wednesday when he reportedly jumped overboard on a dare,
triggering a large-scale search.
On Wednesday evening, just hours after their arrival, Robbins and his friends went on
a sunset party cruise.
According to witnesses, around 9.40 p.m., the 18-year-old, who was apparently acting
on a dare, took a plunge off the boat into the ocean near Athol Island, and this individual
was last seen splashing in the dark waters a few feet from the boat before vanishing
from view.
And if you look at the video, you can see this online, if you look at the video online
of this incident, the kid jumps over and the video starts with him already in the water,
in the dead of night, splashing around, and the kids are laughing.
The teenagers that are still on the vessel, they're laughing, "Oh, man, he actually jumped!
I can't believe it, we were just kidding."
He acted on a dare, him and his buddies, they dared him, "Hey, why don't you jump over this
boat?"
And he did it without even considering the consequences, which again, it doesn't take
a brain surgeon to figure out if you jump off a boat in the dead of night, you're going
to drown, and that's what happened to him.
So picture this for a moment, it's pitch black.
You find yourself in the ocean by yourself, nobody around you, and the vessel that you
jumped off of is slowly inching further and further away from you.
You have no hope, there could be sharks under you, you don't know.
And the kid drowned, he died.
And look, I don't take any joy in that, it's too bad, it's horrible.
But you know what kids, if you're listening right now, pay attention when some idiots,
when some morons dare you to do something that's going to hurt you, when they dare you
to do something that could lead to you losing your life.
How about you consider the consequences first and realize they don't have your best interest
in mind.
Be careful who you hang out with.
There are a lot of bad people, bad influences in this world that'll hurt you.
Don't burn yourself on the stove first before figuring out that it's hot.
He succumbed to peer pressure.
He did not consider the consequences before jumping off this vessel.
And peer pressure itself, folks, it can lead you to making some horrible choices in your
life, some horrible choices, because you feel pressured to do something you normally wouldn't
do because a bunch of people are trying to convince you to do it.
And I think one of the top examples of this, turn to Titus 2 if you would, Titus chapter
2, would be this, drugs and alcohol.
And regarding drugs and alcohol, people who normally would have never tried it will do
it for the first time simply because their "friends" pressured them into trying a drink
for the first time or pressured them into trying alcohol for the first time.
And they normally would have never done that.
They normally would have never had an alcoholic drink for the first time or smoked weed for
the first time.
It might not have been something they even had a proclivity to do, but yet because of
the people they were hanging out with, all of a sudden they tried it because they were
pressured into doing it.
And the reason why I put air quotes around "friend" is because any "friend" who would
pressure you to try drinking for the first time or to try drugs for the first time is
not your friend, that is an enemy.
Run away kids from that person.
Run away young people from that person.
Stay the hell away from them because you don't know what they're going to influence
you to do that can hurt you for many years to come.
What's the title of the sermon?
Consider the consequences.
Why?
To help you stop making bad, short-sighted decisions that you regret.
If I take my glasses off, I can't see you guys anymore.
You're just blobs because I'm literally short-sighted.
I can't see past like here, which comes in handy in some situations, but here's the thing.
In one moment, one choice, one second, one hour could destroy your life.
I don't want that to be you.
Titus 2, look what it says.
The Bible is so clear on this, Titus 2, verse 2, Titus 2, verse 2, it says that the aged
men be, what, sober, sober, it says.
Verse 3, the aged women likewise, that they be in behavior, as becometh holiness, not
false accusers, not given to much wine, skip to verse 4, verse 4, that they teach, excuse
me, that they may teach the young women to be sober, it says.
S-O-B-R, sober, I'm not sure how much more clear the Bible has to be about this subject,
and you know what, I don't care if it's a drop of alcohol, I don't care if you're just
taking a puff of that cigarette or marijuana, whatever the case may be, you run away screaming
from that scenario.
Look what it says in verse 6, young men likewise exhort to be what?
Sober minded.
We need to make this the standard for the next generation because it's drugs and alcohol
that are ruining people and it's a shame.
People who have the potential to be something great in their life end up ruining their life
because they tried a drink for the first time, because they tried a drug for the first time.
All of a sudden they're addicted.
All of a sudden their life spirals out of control.
They might even die early.
Why?
It all started with one drink.
It all started with one smoke.
The Bible emphasizes soberness.
Be sober.
It says it over and over and over again.
Do you want to adhere to the word of God or not?
Do you have a reverence for the word of God or not?
And if you do, take this seriously.
Be sober, the Bible says.
Somebody comes up to you, "Hey, why don't you try this for the first time?"
No, no, no, no, no.
My Bible says be sober.
And I'm going to follow Christ, not you.
The drug of choice for a lot of people is marijuana.
And you know, for young people, this is cool to do marijuana.
It's fun.
It's cool.
It's harmless.
That's not the biblical worldview, my friend.
The Bible said be sober, didn't it?
Oh, but God made it.
It's like, He didn't make us forget to smoke it.
Hello, anybody home here?
Say, well, what are the consequences of marijuana?
How about mental illness?
It's been linked.
The Wall Street Journal actually admitted this, that smoking weed can lead to mental
illness.
It fries your brain.
It makes you stupid.
All you have to do is beat around.
You want to talk about the consequences of smoking pot.
All you have to do is hang out with them for five minutes and you see how utterly stupid
they are.
They're idiots.
They act like morons.
Oh man, you ever think about, man, how the sky, man, has the clouds and everything?
It's like blue, man.
It's like philosophy, dude, you know?
It's like you're brain dead.
Why do you want to hang out with someone like that?
Why would you want to be around someone?
Why would you want to be that person?
The Bible says we should chase after wisdom and knowledge, not smoking dope, weed, marijuana,
being a pothead.
You know, in college, I had roommates like this.
All they cared about is smoking weed.
And you know what?
These idiot rappers, Snoop Dogg, smoke weed every day or whatever.
That's all they care about, smoke weed every day.
You're a loser if that's your attitude.
You're a loser.
You have zero respect for you.
You say, "Well, that's me.
I like smoking weed every day."
Zero respect for you.
You're dumb.
You're brain dead.
You're stupid.
Cut it out.
It doesn't make you cool.
It's not cool.
Being mentally ill is not cool.
Getting addicted to smoking is not cool, folks.
But anyway, so these roommates I had in my college, unfortunately, I roomed with them
for a little while, and all they did was smoke weed every day.
That's all they cared about.
They flunked the classes to smoking weed.
And so one day, they got ransacked, because they pissed off the wrong dealer.
The dealer knocked on the door with a gun in hand and ransacked them.
I didn't witness this, but I know what happened.
I was in my room with the door locked, and I was just like, I don't know what I was doing.
But it happened while I was there, but I was in my room.
And these people came in with guns, ransacked the guy.
And I walked out after it was over, and they're like, my roommates are telling me somebody
showed up with a gun and ransacked the apartment.
And that was it.
I was gone.
I walked in to my parents' house.
But my point is, when you get into drugs, when you start smoking this garbage, who are
you putting yourself in the company of?
Who are your friends?
Who are the people that you're making contact with?
Low life scum.
Consider the consequences before you take that first smoke.
Consider what you're going to do to your life.
You're going to fry your brain.
You're going to be an idiot.
You're going to act like a complete moron.
Is that who you really want to be?
Ephesians 5, you don't have to turn there, it says, "And be not drunk with wine, where
is an excess, but be filled with the Spirit."
The Bible tells us regarding alcohol, we should not be drunk with it, but rather be filled
with the Spirit of God.
And as Bible-believing Christians, would to God that our young people would say, "I want
to be filled with the Spirit, not poison.
I want to be filled with the Spirit of God and learn about the things of God and go to
church and be zealous for the things of God and not go down a rabbit trail that's going
to destroy my life." And alcohol will destroy your life.
Drugs will destroy your life.
Don't sit there and just nod off and think, "Oh, I've heard this a million times before."
Take heed to the warning.
It'll destroy your life.
Run away.
Stay the hell away from drugs and from alcohol.
And if you're faced with this decision, if somebody comes up to you and tempts you to
try it for the first time, consider the consequences.
Consider the consequences, and it'll help you not to make a short-sighted decision and
try it for the first time.
It'll help you see what can happen in the future, and it'll help you reject it.
I have another article here, 18-month-old dies when parents leave her in hot car overnight
after Fourth of July party, Florida authorities say.
A mother and a father were charged with manslaughter in their daughter's death after Florida authorities
say they left their 18-month-old in a car after having returned home from a Fourth of
July party.
Joel and Jasmine Rondon, 33, went to a holiday celebration in Lakeland with their three children,
all under age nine, and did not return home until 3 a.m. Wednesday, the Polk County Sheriff's
Office said.
Jasmine told Joel to bring in the 18-month-old while she took the other two children inside.
Upon their return, the Sheriff's Office said Joel brought stuff inside their home and when
he went back outside, he saw all four doors to the Hyundai Elantra closed and assumed
Jasmine had gotten the toddler out, the Sheriff's Office said.
The couple went to bed and did not inquire about their 18-month-old until Joel asked
one of the older children to check on the toddler at about 11 a.m.
The Sheriff's Office confirmed this.
After the toddler was not found inside the house, Joel found her still strapped in her
car seat unresponsive.
Joel and Jasmine submitted to drug tests later in the evening and both tested positive for
marijuana and alcohol, authorities said.
Joel also tested positive for meth, the Sheriff's Office said.
Is that who you want to be?
Is that who you want to be remembered for, leaving an 18-month-old in the car because
you were too drunk and high to remember to take them out after spending your Fourth of
July partying until 3 a.m.?
This is mortifying.
This is embarrassing that we have things like this happening in our society and let me tell
you what's to blame, stupid people making stupid, short-sighted decisions.
Take heed, realize what can happen to you, consider the consequences.
Consider the consequences.
You don't want to be a lowlife punk who ends up on the news for doing something so detestable
like this.
Consider the consequences.
This is a microcosm of what happens when people who shouldn't even be parents take drugs and
alcohol and their kid is gone now, mortifying, disgusting in fact.
Consider the consequences, liver damage.
Consider the consequences, cardiovascular and respiratory issues.
Consider the consequences, gastrointestinal disorders.
Consider the consequences of weakened immune system.
Consider the consequences, deterioration of organ function.
Oh, this all sounds fun, doesn't it?
Does this sound cool?
Does anybody in the room think this sounds cool right now?
Consider the consequences, anxiety, depression, psychosis, because drugs fry your brain.
All you have to do is visit a big city and look at, even just here, and look at the homeless
people who do not have a brain anymore.
They don't know what planet they live on.
Driving while intoxicated, does that sound fun?
Selling an innocent person because you were intoxicated, like an idiot.
Mental illness, like I mentioned earlier, impaired cognitive function, and increased
risk of assault because you do not have any awareness of your surroundings.
Does this sound cool?
Does this sound fun?
Obviously not.
Consider the consequences before you have that first drink, before you have that first
drug.
Consider the consequences, and it'll help you do what you ought to do, which is decline
it and run away screaming in the other direction.
You say, "Well, Ben, you're kind of scaring the kids."
Yeah, that's the point.
Yeah, good.
They should be.
They should be afraid.
They should be afraid of making a decision like this that'll ruin their life.
Because again, it's not just one drink.
It's not just one smoke.
It can lead to a downward spiral that ruins your life.
Consider the consequences, and you'll realize, "You know what?
I don't want to be an addict.
I don't want to do something dumb.
I don't want to take these substances."
I'm going another direction.
I'm turning away.
Consider the consequences.
Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.
What's the title of the sermon?
Consider the consequences.
Why?
So you're far less likely to make hasty decisions that have the potential to ruin your life,
that have the potential to ruin your life.
And here's another shortsighted decision that people make, especially younger people, teenagers
in their 20s really, those in their 20s.
And a lot of folks are doing this, adults, and I get it, it's preached about a lot,
but it's worth mentioning again, and it's fornication.
This is a shortsighted decision, and in fact there is an individual in the Bible who went
down this road, and we'll see the ramifications of that.
In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, notice verse 3, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3,
the Bible says, "For this is the will of God."
If you're a Bible believing Christian, you should probably care about the will of God.
I think we can all agree on that.
It says even your sanctification or separation that you should abstain from fornication.
Now what am I talking about?
I'm talking about a marriage relationship before marriage and the Bible says we should
abstain from this.
We should abstain.
We should flee from this.
That is God's will for your life that you flee from this.
It is a short sighted decision and you ought to consider the consequences when you're faced
with the choice to commit this sin, this wicked sin.
Turn to Genesis 35 and I'll show you an individual who did not consider the consequences in a
really weird story.
It's weird.
And you'll see what I mean.
Genesis chapter 35 and I'm talking about Reuben.
Genesis chapter 35 and look at verse 21 when you get there in Genesis chapter 35 and verse
21.
Now Jacob had two wives and two concubines, Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah.
And here we have something that occurred between Reuben and Bilhah.
It's weird.
Look at verse 21.
"And Israel journeyed and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar."
Verse 22.
"And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah
his father's concubine, and Israel heard it."
Now the sons of Jacob were 12.
Reuben lays with Bilhah.
I don't know who put the moves on who, but this is weird.
This is gross.
This is shameful, humiliating, it's sick.
It's his father's concubine, and Reuben lays with her.
He commits fornication.
Now look at Genesis chapter 49.
There's a consequence for this action.
Elsewhere in the Bible we see that the consequence for this action is literally God sending a
plague to kill people.
So there's one consequence but here we have another one, Genesis chapter 49.
Jacob is on his deathbed here.
He's blessing his sons and it says in verse 3, "Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might
and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power, unstable
as water.
Thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then defilest thou
it.
He went up to my couch."
Think of Reprimand's Reuben for laying with Bilhah.
The Bible says Israel heard it.
Again, embarrassing, shameful, weird.
And there are ramifications for this.
We see that he's judged.
But we can go even further if you look at 1 Chronicles chapter 5.
If you would go there, 1 Chronicles chapter 5 and we can see the lasting effects of this
decision.
This is a short-sighted decision.
When you think to do something in the heat of the moment, you could end up regretting
it.
Now I get it.
Sometimes people really think hard and they still make a bad decision.
I understand that.
But the chances of you making a bad choice are drastically lowered when you consider
the consequences.
And here are the consequences for Reuben in 1 Chronicles 5.
It says, "Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, for he was," we're in verse 1,
"for he was the firstborn, but for as much as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright
was given unto the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel."
So he lost his birthright, a valuable possession, gone, because of the choice that he made to
lay with Bilhah.
And it says in verse, we'll keep reading, in verse 1, "His birthright was given unto
the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after
the birthright.
For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler, but the birthright
was Joseph."
So, the birthright with respect to the inheritance, it went to Joseph.
And here's the thing, Reuben, he went on, he had four sons, right?
I'm not saying that everything was long, but this is a lasting damage that happened here.
This is lasting damage because of a hasty, short-sighted, stupid, horrible decision that
he makes.
So, when you choose to sin, and you don't deliberate, if you don't consider the consequences,
you could do something that leads to lasting damage.
And that's what happens here.
Israel judged Reuben.
And make no mistake, God will judge you, young people, unmarried people, if this is the
direction you choose to go down in your life.
God will judge.
The Bible says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," and
he hates fornication.
He hates those who would take something that should be exclusive to marriage and commit
that act before marriage.
He hates that.
He judges that.
He killed people for it.
Now let me be clear.
I'm not talking about the law of Moses, but I'm talking about divine judgment, divine
chastisement, a supernatural chastisement.
It can happen to you.
Consider the consequences if you choose to do this, if you choose to commit this sin.
Consider the consequences.
You can be judged.
Reuben was.
Hebrews 3, you don't have to turn there, I'll quote this for you, which says, "But Christ
as a son over his own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the
rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end?"
We are the house of God.
And in Hebrews 3 it tells us in verse 6, I just quoted it for you, you didn't have to
go there, but it says that we're the house of God, whose house are we if we hold fast
the confidence until the end.
Some people get tripped up with this, but think about it.
What does the Bible tell us in 1 Corinthians 3, 17?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.
If you fall into a wicked sin like fornication, you can't tell me you're a Christian who's
holding fast.
You won't be the house of God in the sense that he could destroy you, he could destroy
your body, he can give you a disease, he can judge you.
He can judge your flesh to the point that your temple is destroyed because it's a sin
that you're committing against your own body.
The temple of God, you're defiling the temple of God.
Consider the consequences.
First Corinthians 5 tells us another consequence of this.
How about church discipline?
How humiliating would that be?
Church discipline, kicked out until you repent and get it right.
Nobody would want to experience that.
Consider the consequences when you're faced with a short-sighted decision to commit this
act.
Humiliation.
In Reuben's case, Israel heard it.
Embarrassing.
Weird.
How about an unwanted pregnancy?
Judah had that happen to him.
STDs.
Consider the consequences.
Like I said, you could get kicked out of church.
Consider the consequences.
How about this one?
This should strike fear into the hearts of everyone in the room.
The judgment of God.
It is a fearful thing to fall into his hands, the Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 10.
And young people, those of you not married yet, you should be afraid of committing this
sin.
You should be scared to death of committing this sin.
And when faced with the opportunity, run away like Joseph did.
Run away.
Even if you're being enticed, run away as fast as you can.
Consider the consequences and it will help you to make the right choice if you're faced
with the temptation, which is all around us, I get it.
With the temptation, the legitimate opportunity to commit this sin.
And if you consider the consequences, I believe it will help you realize it's not worth it.
It's not worth it to go down this road.
It's not worth it to sin egregiously against God.
It is not worth it.
Consider the consequences and it will help remind you of the fact that it's simply not
worth it.
Here's a message to the ladies in the room who are maybe not married yet.
Hey, there are a lot of guys out there where all they want is that, the fornication that
I'm talking about.
And some of you, you might be dating.
You're still in that period of life where you're looking for a husband.
You're looking for a spouse.
And let me give you a word of advice.
If this guy that you're dating, if he's unwilling to put one of these, if he's unwilling to
put one of these on your finger, he's worthless.
If he's not willing to put a ring on your finger, he's worthless because he only wants
one thing.
If he's unwilling to put a ring on your finger, he's going to use you and toss you aside
like trash.
If he wants nothing to do with that but only wants a physical relationship, he's going
to use you for that and toss you away like you have no value.
But let me tell you something, the Bible teaches that you do have value.
The Bible teaches that your pureness, it is valuable.
Don't just toss it away for the first guy that tries to take it from you.
If they don't want to put one of these on your finger, that's not someone you should
be committing yourself to.
Consider the consequences first, and I believe it will help you to flee fornication.
Here's another one, if you would turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 7, Ecclesiastes chapter 7.
How about uncontrolled anger?
Uncontrolled anger.
The Bible tells us, "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly."
As you turn to Ecclesiastes 7, "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly, and a man of
wicked devices is hated."
Unrighteous anger, or having a propensity to snap at people, making the short sighted
hasty decision to be prone to snapping in anger constantly.
This can lead you down a road from which there is no return.
And I'll get into what I mean specifically, but obviously there is a righteous anger,
right?
I'm not condemning all anger, but the Bible does tell us that we should love our enemies.
The Bible does speak negatively about an angry man.
It tells us, you know, cease from anger and forsake wrath, the Bible says.
So there's a type of anger that is unrighteous that we should flee from, and you have to
control yourself when you feel like you're about to get angry when you really shouldn't.
If Ecclesiastes 7, look what it says in verse 9. Ecclesiastes 7 and verse 9, it says, "Be
not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, for anger resteth in the bosom of fools." Don't be hasty
to get angry. And we see that this is linked with foolishness. This is linked with foolishness.
Being hasty to get angry is linked to foolishness. It's a short-sighted decision to snap, to
lose all control and do something really bad that you might feel the effects of for many
years to come. Now, people do this all the time. And here's an example of unrighteous
anger. Here's an example of a situation in which people aren't in control and they make
a shortsighted hasty decision that could lead to them having a criminal record, for example.
How about this? Road rage. Road rage. Let me read this to you. You say somebody already
preached about that. Well, you know, no one said that I couldn't do, okay? It says here,
did you know that each year in Texas, there are thousands of accidents involving road
rage. In 2022 alone, there were 2,510 road rage related accidents in the state. According
to data, we analyzed from the Texas Department of Transportation. One example here I have
from USA Today, 50 year old Ronald Butler was driving his four children to a birthday
party in Milwaukee when he leaned out the window to tell another driver to slow down
and was fatally shot. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cites this, from 2006
to 2015, road rage related fatal car accidents went up by 500%. 500%. Road rage is a product
of uncontrollable anger. It is the product of having a short sighted mentality where
you blow a fuse the second you're upset with someone and then, like this moron, commits
murder. Or maybe you get into a physical altercation on the side of the road, which is embarrassing.
I mean, what is wrong with you? That's what toddlers push and shove each other. And there's
adults out there acting like literal toddlers because, "Oh, I got cut off." So what? How
about you just move on with your life? Are you so prideful that if somebody does something
so minute out on the road, are you so prideful that you can't just let it go? You have to
get out of your vehicle and scream at them, do a symbol with your hand that I won't do
right now, but I think you know what I'm talking about. And there's times where I'm driving
and it's like I'm merging into another lane and I'm not in the wrong, all right? And of
course some of you are like, "Well, how do I know that?" I'm not. I'm driving normal.
And I look behind me and the guy's flipping me off and like cursing me out and I'm like,
"What's wrong with you? Just chill out." And I'm legitimately concerned that if I do one
thing wrong potentially, that it could legitimately lead to someone chasing me around the city
and it happened to somebody in this room. He didn't do anything wrong. He's just driving.
He merges lanes and some nut job, some crazy person, chases him around Houston looking
to take his life. That's how insane people are because they don't have any control over
themselves. They don't have any control over their anger. They have a hasty spirit. They're
making short sighted decisions every day to get angry and to snap at people without realizing
it's not worth it. Consider the consequences. Do you want a criminal record that you have
to deal with for the rest of your life because you punched somebody on the side of the road
because they didn't use their signal? Give me a break. You think with everything going
on in America, is that really the most important thing? How prideful are you? Just move on
with your life. That is just so embarrassing. It is so embarrassing. You know, I'm driving
one day and I see two pickup trucks pull into a gas station. The drivers get out and
they're about ready to duel with their fists. Over what? It's vain. What's the point? Control
yourself. Control your anger. Just relax, alright? Everything's going to be fine. Everything's
going to be fine. Folks, consider the consequences before you become someone who snaps at people
constantly and can't control your anger. This could affect your relationships. You can find
yourself snapping at your friends, snapping at your family, snapping at your wife, snapping
at your kids or your husband because you can't control yourself. You're unable to restrain
your anger. Consider the consequences before giving into unrighteous anger. Consider the
consequences before you give into that feeling boiling up inside of bitterness. How about
you just love your enemies? How about you just love those who do harm to you personally?
That's what Jesus Christ told us to do. Turn if you would to Leviticus 19. Consider the
consequences. I believe you'll be far less likely to engage in confrontations that will
benefit no one. You might end up with a criminal record and that'll be embarrassing to try
to explain to a future employer. "Well, the guy didn't use his signal and I punched him."
Okay, Leviticus 19. Here's another short-sighted decision. Young people might make this. Tattoos.
I'm sorry, Leviticus 19 verse 28. Leviticus 19 verse 28. I realize this was mentioned
last week. I'm adding to it. Leviticus 19 verse 28. It says, "He shall not make any
cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you. I am the Lord." Now what
part of that, these, you know, Jeff Bourbon and James White, we had a sermon on Calvinism
in the morning. Apology at church. What don't they understand about this? It's pretty clear
to me. Don't print marks upon you. This is a short-sighted decision. People think when
they're in their 20s or even as a teenager or 30s or whatever the case may be, "Oh,
I'll get a tattoo. It looks kind of cool." Okay, hold on a second though. But what about
when you're 60? What about when you're 70? What about when you're 80? Is that sleeve
tattoo, the biker tattoo you got on your arm really going to look that cool when you're
a grandpa? The answer is no. And you say, "Well, I got a tattoo." I'm not against you.
I'm not trying to make you... I'm not trying to condemn you or anything. It's a mistake.
You made it in the past. You move on. And now you use that experience to warn others,
"Hey, don't do what I did when I was younger." That's the reality. But my point is this. Tattoos,
they can fade. They can blur. They can stretch. And a lot of them just look ugly. How about you
consider the consequences before you go down to the tattoo parlor and get, I don't know,
a moose head or something printed on your body? Canadians out there or whatever. I mean, there's
some really weird designs. Pastor talked about a burger or something. It's like, what is, why?
What are you doing to yourself? Consider the consequences. That's not going anywhere. Oh,
but I can get rid of it. No, you can't. You can't. Look, this is what they do. They try and melt
your flesh and then call it erasing the tattoo. Do you really want to be in a position where you
have to have your flesh melted to erase some stupid tattoo you got on your arm? No, no. It's there
forever, folks. Consider the consequences. Some people say, "Yeah, but I got my girlfriend's name
on my neck, tattooed on my neck." Have you thought that through, buddy? What if she dumps you? How
are you going to explain that to your future wife? "Well, you know, we were young and dumb."
Well, don't be young and dumb. That's the purpose of the sermon. Consider the consequences. A lot
of people, they date someone and then they put the tattoo on their body of that person's name.
That's weird. Stop. Stop doing this stuff. Consider the consequences. It's like people
forget that this is permanent, it seems like, that you can't erase it. It's on there until the day
you die and melting your flesh. It's not going to effectively get rid of it. Research from the UK,
US, Australia and Canada, the only places that matter honestly, and survey, I'm just, I'm kidding,
only the US matters. Research from the UK, US, Australia, Canada and surveys by notable
organizations report that 78% of tattooed people regret at least one of them. They regret at least
one of them. And I bet you that figure is probably even higher. They regret it. So consider the
consequences. How about this? Regret. Consider the consequences. How about this? Skin infections.
Look it up. Consider the consequences. How about this? Allergic reactions to the ink.
Consider the consequences. I already talked about it. It's permanent. You're putting Chinese
lettering. You don't even know what it means. What if it means, you know, I got ants in my shoes
in Chinese. You want that on you forever? Consider the consequences. It is permanent. Before you make
the short-sighted impulsive decision to go out and get a tattoo because it's so cool. Everyone else
is doing it. Consider the consequences and I believe you'll be a lot less likely to make a
destructive decision like that. You'll be a lot less likely to make a decision you will regret.
You will regret it, especially if it's a really weird tattoo. You will regret it. And let's move
on. Let's see how much time I got here. All right. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 6. I'm going to wind
down the sermon soon. 2 Corinthians chapter 6. Here's another short-sighted decision, and I'll
go through this one quickly for sake of time. Here's a short-sighted decision that people make
without considering the consequences being unevenly yoked in marriage. The Bible says in 2
Corinthians 6 and verse 14, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness,
and what concord hath Christ with Belial, or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?"
I believe this passage can be applied in multiple ways. You could talk about friendships, you could
talk about different areas of your life, but an important one would be marriage. You want to be
evenly yoked in marriage, and this is why God emphasizes in the Old Testament that the children
of Israel don't go out and join in marriage with heathen nations, not because he cares about their
physical attributes, but rather because he cares about their spirituality, the fact that they're
weird heretics, they worship false gods, and in doing so if Israel were to join with those nations
in marriage, those false gods, that false religion would infect the nation, and it already we've seen
examples of this happening. Think of Solomon. The Bible says that atlantic women caused him to sin.
He was unevenly, obviously the issue is tenfold there in that he married multiple wives, many,
many, many, hundreds of them, but they were also not godly women. Many of them weren't, and so you
have a situation where he's being led down the wrong path regarding religion and to appease his
wives getting mixed up in false religion, and I don't want you young people who are not married
yet. I don't want you to be the next person calling into a Q&A live stream and asking a
question like, "Hey, you know, my wife is chasing me around the kitchen with a butcher knife,
and she's screaming Hail Satan, and I don't know what to do." And look, I feel bad for these kind
of people, but you see it. They call into the Q&A, and they're married to somebody truly awful,
and I believe the reason for that is it's an unevenly yoked marriage. They didn't take care
to make sure this individual was saved before marrying them. And for you single people in the
room, if you find someone who's interested in you, men, and she has green hair, and she's a
libtard, you might want to pass on that, because you're not... Now look, if she gets saved,
hypothetically great, but if she wants to remain unsaved, wants nothing to do with the Bible,
and for whatever reason is interested in you, you might want to say no to that proposition.
You might want to try another option. You might want to try and meet someone
who you can get saved, or that is saved, that agrees with you on the fundamentals of the faith,
that agrees with you on the Bible, that agrees with you on the lifestyle you want to live.
You know, I believe, and I had a couple say this to me, and I loved it. They said, "You know what?
Marriage should be between two people who are best friends." And this woman told me,
"My spouse is my best friend." And I loved that. Your spouse should be your best friend,
but can two walk together except they be agreed? And how can a person that you marry be your best
friend if they're not even saved? If they don't believe the Bible? If they hate Steadfast Baptist
Church? If they hate fundamentalism? If you're so separate in this area, it'll affect your marriage
negatively. Consider the consequences before getting entangled in an unevenly yoked marriage.
You might end up in a horrible marriage with fighting every single day. You might end up in
a horrible marriage where you don't see things eye to eye. You're constantly arguing about the
Bible. You're constantly arguing about crucial elements of the Christian life. Maybe it even
leads to divorce. Do you want to be someone who cannot serve God with your spouse because you're
in an unevenly yoked marriage? No. And so be careful, single people. Be careful. This is a
life-long decision. Don't rush into it when the person gets them saved or ensure that they're
saved. I made sure with my wife before we got married, I told her, "Hey, I want to serve God
with my life." And I made sure that she was willing to follow me in any direction that I go
spiritually. And she said, "Absolutely. I'll follow you wherever you lead me." And that was all I
needed to hear because we were just made for each other. And I really badly wanted to marry her,
but I wanted to make sure before doing so that we were on the same page spiritually, and we are.
She loves the new IFB so much I had to kind of rein her in sometimes. But she really, she loves
this movement and I feel so blessed to be in that type of marriage. But you have to make sure
before you get married that you're not entering an unevenly yoked marriage. Be careful who you
marry. Be careful who you marry. Carefully deliberate and think about that decision and
consider the consequences of rushing into something with someone who might take you out
of serving God, who might lead to you not serving the Lord, who could cause you to stop serving God.
You know having a great marriage is so important in the Christian life and in doing so you can
serve the Lord freely with a best friend by your side and that is a beautiful thing. It is a
beautiful thing. I'm not saying I agree with my wife on every single thing. We have some differences
like on food. She's not totally, you know, we don't have a hundred percent agreement. She hates
McDonald's and that's okay but you know what when it comes to the King James Bible she loves the
King James Bible. When it comes to salvation you better believe she loves the the Doctor of
Salvation by grace through faith alone, eternal security, hating reprobates. No matter the whatever
the case may be she's on board with the essentials. She's on board with the things that I care about
the most and look for a woman man look for a husband ladies that you know is going to be
on board with you about the most important elements of life. Why are we on this earth
to serve God? And you ought to be able to do it with the person by your side who loves the Lord
the same way you do. Now look I realize that not everyone is in this scenario and I would say just
be the best spouse that you can be then. If your husband or your wife is not as on fire for God as
you and that's your situation right now just be on fire for the Lord yourself. Be the best spouse
you can be and maybe in doing so you can influence them for the better. Maybe your actions can
influence them to change and to be better and to start loving God. Don't make the short-sighted
decision though of entering into any marriage and just settling for a green-haired freak
because well you know she's interested and I don't want to be single anymore.
No, consider the consequences of a horrible marriage that you might enter into in haste.
Let's wrap it up. This is the final point that I have. I was going to talk about laziness but
we're out of time. This is the last point that I have. Turn if you would to 2nd Timothy 4 and
we'll wrap it up. 2nd Timothy 4. How about this one? Quitting the Christian life and this is it.
I'll be done. Now I want you to think about the scope of eternity. In the scope of eternity,
the life we're living in right now, the Bible refers to it as a vapor. It goes, like I said
earlier, it goes by so quickly. You only have for some people 70 years, 80 years, 90 years,
whatever the case may be. And after that time is up, what do you have? All of eternity. And
think about how short-sighted it is to quit on the Christian life because you wanted to enjoy things
that gratify the flesh for another 20 or 30 years, however long you have left to live. Think of how
short-sighted that is when you have all of eternity to look forward to, and that's what you should be
investing in. Consider the consequences of quitting on God before making such a horrible decision,
and I believe it'll help you not to make a horrible decision. The Bible says, "I had you turn to
2nd Timothy 4," but I want to quote this for you, "laying up in store for themselves a good foundation
against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life." That they may lay hold on eternal
life. We need to, as Bible-believing Christians, have a zeal for laying hold on eternal life,
living for eternity, living for the life that is to come, living for the Lord Jesus Christ,
living for the Word of God, living to do things that will be rewarded for, for all of eternity.
That's what we should be focused on and if you're not, you have a short-sighted attitude and I would
ask you, I would beg you to please consider the consequences of quitting, consider the consequences
of backsliding, consider the consequences of sitting at home and eating Cheetos all day and
doing nothing for the Lord and realize, hey you're missing out, you're missing out on blessings,
you're missing out on rewards. The Bible says in 2nd Timothy 4 verse 9, "Do thy diligence to come
shortly unto me, for Demas," verse 10, "for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world."
Having loved this present world. Young people, I've been talking to you frequently through the
sermon and I want to make this clear. The world is not cool and it's not worth it. It's not worth
loving this present world because it's not cool. There's something really very wrong with this
world. Very wrong with this world. And it's getting worse and worse every year. And young
people, teenagers, they often, they want to be rebels. Often they want to think that they're so
cool. They want to be cool. They want to be the cool kids. They want to hang out with the cool kids.
They want to be the cool kids. Let me tell you what is the coolest thing you can do. You want
to be a rebel. You want to be countercultural. How about you be a straight-laced Bible-believing
Christian, my friend. That is straight-laced. That is counterculture in a society that's getting
weirder and weirder by the second. You truly want to be involved in a countercultural movement? I've
got one for you. The new IFB. Fundamentalism. Actually believing every word of the Bible,
leaving a straight, laced, conservative, clean, pure, separated from this world lifestyle.
There's nothing cooler than that. That's rock and roll in 2023. It is. And kids, they have this
proclivity. I want to be cool. I want to be different. Believe the Bible. That's the
counterculture in the modern era. Believing the Bible. And my request for you is this. Hey,
consider the consequences of going the opposite direction and quitting on God. When you get older,
a lot of the kids in this room, they'll have the choice. One day you're going to move out of your
parents' house and the choice will be yours. Will you follow the teachings of your parents?
Will you love the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you keep going to church? Will you keep going
soul-winning? Will you keep serving God? Will you teach your future children the things and pass
down the things your parents taught you out of the Word of God? Or are you going to backslide?
Are you going to quit? And in doing so, you'll miss out on rewards. In doing so, God might choose to
judge you. The Bible talks about this in Hebrews chapter 10, a certain fiery brand of divine
chastisement. Consider the consequences, God's judgment. Consider the consequences. Consider
the consequences. Missing out on rewards. First Corinthians 9 talks about this. The apostle Paul
describes his anxiety over being a castaway. Consider the consequences of being a castaway,
losing out on rewards, blessings, and divine chastisement if you choose to quit on the Lord.
Let's go to Ecclesiastes 10 and that'll be it. Ecclesiastes chapter 10. The Bible says,
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so,
he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach them,
the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Do you want to be the least or do
you want to be great? The choice is yours, but consider the consequences before you quit on God
because you'll end up being the least forever. Consider the consequences. I believe they'll help
you realize, "Hey, you know what? I want to serve the Lord with my life." If you consider the
consequences, it'll help you realize it is worth it to invest in eternity. It is worth it to get
some souls saved. It is worth it. I don't want to miss out on eternal rewards. I want to obtain
a better resurrection. I want to obtain a better resurrection. If you consider the consequences,
I believe you'll be a lot more likely to have that attitude. This is the last verse and we're done.
Ecclesiastes 10, notice verse 1. Ecclesiastes 10, notice verse 1. "Dead flies cause the ointment of
the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor, so doth a little folly him that is in reputation
for wisdom and honor." You can spend years building up a reputation for yourself, you can spend years
doing that which is right, and in one moment that reputation can be crushed because of a hasty,
short-sighted decision in which you did not consider the consequences. And so I would urge you
to really take this expression and apply it to your life. Even a little folly, even one mistake,
one impulsive decision, one hasty choice can ruin it all for you. Consider the consequences.
Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for this church and I just pray, Lord, that you would help
everyone in this room, including the young people especially, to consider the consequences so that
we don't make hasty, short-sighted decisions that have the potential to ruin our lives. Lord, help us
to closely and carefully deliberate the decisions we make, Lord, so we can serve you and not be
derailed by a silly, silly decision. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. All right, for our final song
of the evening, we're going to go to 441, "Great is thy faithfulness." 441, "Great is thy faithfulness."
Song 441, "Rate is Thy Faithful."