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Man, 1 Samuel chapter 8, the title of my sermon tonight is, Being Like All the Nations. Being Like All the Nations. Look what it says in verse number 5 there. And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. Look at verse 19, Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, and they said, Nay, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. The idea that I want to preach on tonight is the idea of Christian young people, people growing up in a Christian home, or even just Christians who have been saved for a while, preparing to fit in with this world and be like everybody else. You know, hey, we just want to be like everybody else. We want to be like all the nations. We want to be like the Gentiles. We want to be like non-Christians. I'm here to tell you tonight that God has called us to be different, and to be a peculiar people, not to just be like everybody else. Go if you would to Exodus chapter 19. Exodus chapter 19, we're independent, fundamental Baptists, and often when you talk about being an independent, fundamental, sometimes a lot of other adjectives get thrown in there, you know, independent, fundamental, soul winning, King James only, separated, sometimes you'll hear Baptists, and what that means is the idea that we believe in coming out from among them and being separate, sayeth the Lord, and not touching the unclean thing. You cannot expect to be a zealous, dedicated Christian and be accepted by the world at the same time, and be buddy-buddy with the world. The Bible says, whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. If that's your desire to just fit in with the world, be like the world, buddy-buddy with the world, accepted of this world, if that's what's in your heart right now, you're setting yourself up at enmity against God. You're not on God's team at that point. You have to decide, I'm not just going to desire to be rich, as the Bible says, and I'm also not going to desire to be loved by this world, because if so, you're going to be at enmity with God, especially as a preacher. You know, what if I decided I want to be accepted of this world? I want the world to like me. I want the city of Tempe to like me. You think I would be preaching faithfully God's word if that was in my heart? No, if that was in my heart at all, it would very much affect the way that I preach, because I cannot be faithful to God's word and be loved by the world at the same time. The Bible says, marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you. But I want to speak especially to our young people. I don't even know why you would want to desire to be like the people of this world anyway, because the people of this world are, in many cases, a failure. In general, the world system is a failure. It's not going to bring you the joy and happiness that you crave in life. And there's no point in being accepted by this world, because without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the better. I'm not looking for this world's blessing, because I don't think that this world is better than me. I don't think this world is better than the Lord. I don't think this world is better than Christianity. And so I'm not looking for them to approve me or accredit me or validate me because of the fact that I actually serve the Lord Jesus Christ, which puts me on a higher level. Sorry. But the Bible says in Exodus 19, verse 4, you've seen what I did unto the Egyptians. Why do you want to be like them? The Egyptians lose in the end, and God's people win. You've seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I buried you on eagle's wings and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people. So being a peculiar people, it's not just being different. The Bible says you're above. Being a peculiar people puts you above other people. I'm not saying this to puff you up with pride, because none of it's through our own goodness. It's all through the grace of God that we are Christians. But I'm not going to go kowtow to this world today when God has made me part of a nation that is above this world. Why would I go down and say, oh, would you please give me your approval? Can I please fit in with you? Can I please hang out with you? I don't want to be like all the nations. I want to be part of that peculiar nation. I don't want to downgrade to just being like every other nation. People who think that being like every other nation is an upgrade are worldly people that aren't being spiritually minded, according to this book, and realizing that God's way of life is a better way of life. You think I'm embarrassed about my family's way of life in front of worldly people? No, I actually think that the way that God has taught us to live our lives is a better way to live our lives. So I'm not embarrassed like, oh, yeah, you know, yeah, you know, I've just been married to the same person for 20 years, you know, 11 kids. I know, it's so embarrassing. No, you know what? People ought to be embarrassed when they're on their fifth spouse. That's embarrassing, okay? Having bastard children all over the place is embarrassing. Why would I be embarrassed? But yet Christian young people, they grow up and sometimes they're embarrassed of who they are and they want to try to fit in with the world and try to get as worldly as they can. Folks, what's the point? Why don't you just be who you are, a Bible-believing Christian, and dress that way, walk that way, talk that way, act that way, and not be ashamed of Christ or of his word in this evil and adulterous generation? Trying to please this evil and adulterous generation, trying to please the Lord. And you know the community that I want to fit in with is this community right here, Bible-believing Christianity, God's people, the local church, and others that are of like faith. The Bible says in verse 5, now therefore, if you will obey my voice and deed and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. Notice the above there. It's a privilege. It's a blessing to be one of God's people. Why would you want to be like all the nations? Look at verse 6, and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. If you went to Deuteronomy chapter 14, now you say, well, Pastor Anderson, you're in the Old Testament. You're talking about Israel. That has nothing to do with us. Well, no, because the Bible teaches that in the New Testament, this applies to us, because in 1 Peter 2, 9, it says, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. He's quoting from Exodus 19, and now he's applying it to Christians, saying, now you're the nation now. And he says that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time past were not a people, but now are the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lust which war against the soul, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. You see, even if people speak against you as an evil, oh, these darn Christians, can you believe these right wing, fundamentalist, conservative, Christian, you know, in the long run, they're going to glorify God on your behalf. That's what the Bible says, that they'll see your good works, and they're going to glorify God in the day of visitation. In the end, in the long run, they're going to realize, hey, you know, this is what's right. This is good. And so the Bible says, in time past, we were not a people. Why? Because, you know, if you look around the auditorium, you're going to see people that are red, yellow, black, and white. So it's not like, oh, yeah, we've always been a nation here. We've always been an ethnicity here. No. In the New Testament, we form a new nation that's made of people of all ethnicities come together because we're in Christ. That's what is the common ground, not a skin color and ethnicity or anything like that. And so in the New Testament, we are the chosen people. So we can look back at things in Exodus and Deuteronomy, where God's explaining to them what it means to be a peculiar people. And we can apply that to ourselves, because in the New Testament, he says, you're that chosen generation now. You're that royal priesthood. You're that peculiar people. And so we want to apply it in that way. Now look at Deuteronomy, chapter 14, verse 1, ye are the children of the Lord your God. Let me ask you this. Does that apply to us as Christians in the New Testament all day long? We are the children.