(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Good morning. We're going to go ahead and start our service. Thank you for coming. We're going to go to one hundred and twenty-one. One hundred and twenty-one like a river glorious. Number one hundred and twenty-one. Like a river glorious is God's perfect peace. Over all victorious in its bright increase. Perfect yet it floweth, fuller every day. Perfect yet it groweth, deeper all the way. Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed. Finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest. Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand. Never folk and follow, never traitor's death. Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care. Not a blast of hurry, such the Spirit there. Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed. Finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest. Every joy or triumph, all live from above. Traced upon our diar by the Son above. We may trust Him holy, all for us to do. They who trust Him holy, find Him holy true. Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed. Finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest. Amen. Go ahead to the next hymn, number 20. When I see the blood. Hymn number 20. Thank you. Christ our Redeemer died on the cross. Died for the sinner, paid all in due. All who receive Him need never fear. Yes, He will pass, will pass over you. When I see the blood. When I see the blood. When I see the blood. I will pass, I will pass over you. Chiefest of sinners, Jesus can save. As He has promised, so will He do. Oh, sinner, hear His trust in His Word. Then He will pass, will pass over you. When I see the blood. When I see the blood. When I see the blood. I will pass, I will pass over you. Judgement is coming, all will be there. Who have rejected, who have refused. Oh, sinner, haste to let Jesus in. Then God will pass, will pass over you. When I see the blood. When I see the blood. When I see the blood. I will pass, I will pass over you. Oh, what compassion, oh, boundless love. Jesus has power, Jesus is true. All who believe are saved from the storm. Oh, He will pass, will pass over you. When I see the blood. When I see the blood. When I see the blood. I will pass, I will pass over you. Alright everybody, good morning. Thank you for showing up this Sunday morning. And if you need a bulletin, one of the men can get one to you if you raise your hand. But right there on the inside page we have our Sunday morning service time, 10.30. Sunday evening, 5.30. And 7 p.m. for our Thursday night Bible study. And our soul encounter on there. We updated the salvation, we had one salvation yesterday. We're up to 100 this year. So, also keep in prayer or expecting mothers. That's why I'm holding this baby right now because my wife is holding the other one. And that baby will be here Thursday. So, be in prayer for us this coming Thursday. We'll be having a little Samuel. Samuel Eugene Adair. And also be in prayer for Mrs. Whitney Reed. The Reed's over there, they've got a baby on the way. And then Mrs. Rachelle Hill, Matt and Rachelle. And obviously our pastor's wife, Mrs. Shelly, be in prayer for her as well. A lot of babies on the way, so that's good. It's a blessing. So, also we have updated our Bible memory chapter, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 8. So, we're moving on to the next verse. And the great verse, you know, we need to stay on top of that. Also, we've got our house wolves there. Don't let your kids be running around and, you know, swinging from the chandeliers. Don't let them be, you know, tripping people up in here. So, be careful and, you know, we need to have supervision on all our own children at all times. Also, no children back there behind the media table. You don't want to hit any of that sound board. So, also we've got the mother-baby room right over here. There is a mother-baby room inside the room right there with the window. And then we have the toddler room right there outside of that room. So, use those at your discretion. And also, you know, we've got the note on there for the water bottles. Don't let your kids be running around and, you know, swinging from the chandeliers. Don't let them be, you know, tripping people up in here. You know, we've got the note on there for the water bottles. Don't be just wasting all the water bottles. Don't be a freeloader, right? And also on the next page right over there, we have the Galveston Sewing Marathon still on here. But, you know, they just had that yesterday and I got the totals was 61 salvations yesterday. So, they had a good, they did a good work down there yesterday. They also went in on the beach, right? And I bet that was a lot of fun. We'll hear about it when they get back, right? And so, glad that we could have a part in that. And then also our Texas and Oklahoma Eastern Memorial Weekend, which is going to be a great weekend for Sewing. If you've been lax on your Sewing, you know, and we're trying to ramp that up, we're going to have Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. And then also Sunday, like we always have on Sunday, there will be a lot of Sewing time on that weekend. So, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. So, if you can, make sure that you get signed up on the sheets right over there by the media table. And then we have the Men's Retreat on there, you know, May 20th to 22nd. And, you know, if you need any further reasons why to go, you could ask Brother Ben. He was there last year for the Men's Retreat. And I'm sure he could give you plenty of good reasons why you should go this year. And also Pastor Anderson is going to be there preaching. So, that will be exciting. That will be fun. So, it was a great time last time I went. So, also, obviously, like I just mentioned, Brother Ben Naeem is here to preach for us all day today. And after that, this coming Thursday, Pastor Shelley is going to be up here to preach for us, March 11th. And then March 21st, Pastor Shelley is going to be back to preach for us. Pay attention. So, and then April 22nd, he's going to be back to preach again. So, he's going to be coming a lot here soon. That will be good. And then Pastor Aaron Thompson is going to be showing up April 25th. So, that will be great. And so, also on the back, there's a section on there so you can fill out the notes or take notes for the sermon. But we'll go ahead and go to our next song, song number 236, No Not One. Alright, song number 236. Alright, hymn number 236, No Not One. There's not a friend like the lonely Jesus No not one, no not one None else could heal all the souls he's even No not one, no not one Jesus knows all about our struggles He will guide till the day is done There's not a friend like the lonely Jesus No not one, no not one No friend like him is so high and holy No not one, no not one And yet no friend is so meek and lonely No not one, no not one Jesus knows all about our struggles He will guide till the day is done There's not a friend like the lonely Jesus No not one, no not one There's not an hour that he is not nearer No not one, no not one No knife so dark but his love can cheer us No not one, no not one Jesus knows all about our struggles He will guide till the day is done There's not a friend like the lonely Jesus No not one, no not one Did ever say find his friend forsaken No not one, no not one Or sin or find that he would not take him No not one, no not one Jesus knows all about our struggles He will guide till the day is done There's not a friend like the lonely Jesus No not one, no not one Was there a gift like the Savior given No not one, no not one Will he refuse us a home in heaven No not one, no not one Jesus knows all about our struggles He will guide till the day is done There's not a friend like the lonely Jesus No not one, no not one Amen and we're gonna go to the Bible reading, Ephesians chapter 5 Please turn to Ephesians chapter 5 while the men take the offering Ephesians chapter 5 The Bible reads, be ye therefore followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor but fornication in all uncleanness or covetousness let it not be once named among you as to become a saint neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks for this you know that no poor monger nor unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater hath an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience be not ye therefore partakers with them for ye are sometimes for ye were sometimes darkness but now are you light in the Lord walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth proving what is acceptable under the Lord and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light for whatsoever doth make manifest is light wherefore he sayeth awake thou that sleepeth and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light see then that ye walk circumspectly not as full but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil wherefore be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be filled with the Spirit speaking to yourself in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making the melody in your heart to the Lord giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God wives submit yourselves unto your own husband as unto the Lord for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the savior of the body therefore as the church is subject unto Christ so let the wives be to their own husbands and everything husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish so aught men to love their wives as their own bodies he that loveth his wife loveth himself for no man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it even as the Lord the church for we are members of his body and his flesh and of his bones for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and they too shall be one flesh this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself and the wife see that she reverenced her husband father thank you for your word or thank you for these truths that you preserved for us in this scripture father amen I want to begin by thanking Pastor Shelley for the opportunity to fill the pulpit today it's always an honor I also want to give a shout out to brother Tanner Fuhr and just exhort you guys to pray for him and pray for his family I think he's doing an excellent job here and I wanted to give him a shout out for all the work that he's putting in as the boots on the ground here at Steadfast Baptist Church in Oklahoma City so you heard there Ephesians chapter 5 being read and I appreciate that let's look at Ephesians 5 and verse 8 that's what I want to focus on Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 8 where the Bible read for you were sometimes darkness but now are you light in the Lord notice this part here walk as children of light see what this verse is explaining to us is that at one point we were darkness but now the Bible says we're light in the Lord and we have a commandment here walk as children of light my sermon title this morning is walk as children of light walk as children of light let's go to first John chapter 1 and lay down the foundation which is this God is like it under light God is likened unto light we see this in scores of scriptures but first John 1 is clear we also know that his word is a light unto us it says so in Psalm 119 verse 105 which says thy word is a lamp under my feet and a light under my path now here's the thing the Bible tells us in John chapter 1 that the word is God the word is a light under our feet the Bible says that's what it talks about there in Psalm chapter 119 his word illuminates our path and it's a path that we should take for our lives that's illuminated by the word of God this is what directs every direction that we're going to go it's the Bible it's the word of God the reason why we know anything about God's nature the reason why we know anything about his will for our lives is because we appeal to his word we appeal to this light that we all have and it's sitting on your laps this morning John chapter 8 says this I had you turn to first John 1 I want to quote something for you from John chapter 8 it says in verse 12 then spake Jesus again unto them saying I am the light of the world he that follow with me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life so we see that Jesus Christ himself describes himself as what the light of the world and we see also that in that scripture following him is juxtaposed with walking in darkness meaning that if you're following Christ you're not walking in darkness you're walking in the light and that's what I want to exhort you to do this morning is walk in the light and walk as children of light now as this world that we see today this culture that's surrounding us embraces darkness as it embraces wickedness as it embraces perversion today there's an even greater need I feel like in 2021 for the gospel there's an even greater need for the light of the word of God there's an even greater need for the Lord Jesus Christ as this world continues to slide down on its bobsled straight to hell we need the light probably more than ever today we need the word of God more than ever today and what we need is the gospel that's the solution the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ and you know what else we need we need God's people not to walk as they walk not to walk in the darkness but to walk as children of light and I'm going to be hammering that throughout the entire sermon this morning if there's one thing I want you to leave the building with this morning it's this walk as children of light not as darkness the children of darkness I should say first John chapter one notice verse five first John chapter one verse five the Bible says this then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that notice this part God is light and in him is no darkness at all if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth so again we see God is likened unto light and also the Bible tells us that if we say that we have fellowship with him but rather walk in darkness walk in the old man consistently we're lying you don't have fellowship with him if you yield to the flesh constantly you don't have fellowship with the Lord now here's what's interesting physics says that light moves so quickly that it's essentially outside of time in a sense well we do know that God is outside of time as well and God is light so we should walk as children of God the Bible says that we've been adopted into his family after we got saved look at first John one verse seven verse seven it says but if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin walk in the light what does that mean it means we have fellowship now here's the thing there are a large swath of the children of God who aren't walking in the light in fact they're overtaken by apathy they couldn't possibly care less about coming to church and they're not doing what's right in the sense of the work of God they're not going out soul winning they're not going to church they're not serving God this is why oftentimes and it's sad to say this but it seems like in many areas not all areas but in many areas it's the new YFB church that's doing a vast majority of the soul winning and these other churches that preach every Sunday morning and Sunday night about how loving they are are doing nothing about the fact that people are dying and going to hell each and every single day people that live just minutes away from the place that they congregate and that's sad it's sad and you know what those churches are not walking as children of life they're walking as children of the darkness today and they're not embracing the word of God and standing on the word of God let me ask you this question why is it that whenever one of our churches ends up in the news for preaching against the sodomites only an infinitesimal number of Baptist preachers are willing to get up with a spine by the way who actually have a spine why is it that such an infinitesimal number of Baptists are willing to stick their neck out for the word of God and say I stand with him why is that because unfortunately the state of Christianity today is not a very good one and most people who are saved are not walking as children of life the reality is folks we used to be in bondage we used to be in bondage when we were unsaved but now we're not you know you were darkness at one point why would you live like you still are today that's my question for you let's go to Ephesians chapter four if you would Ephesians chapter number four which says in verse number one Ephesians chapter number four again what's the sermon about walking as children of life Ephesians chapter number four look at verse one Ephesians four and verse one the Bible says I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called now what do I mean when I say walk as children of light what I mean is what this says right here in Ephesians chapter four verse one to walk worthy of the vocation to behave in such a way that you're worthy of the vocation wherewith you're called now think about this for a minute in the eyes of the lost in the eyes of those who don't know God the way we behave can be either a positive or a negative reflection of who the God of the Bible truly is you know I've noticed this out so winning is you'll talk to people who've been disenfranchised with respect to church and the things of God and oftentimes they'll blame that on man now is it right for them to do that no obviously we shouldn't use the actions of sinful man as an excuse not to serve the Lord Jesus Christ there's no doubt about that but whether it's right or wrong people still do it so we might as well be a positive reflection on the God of the Bible so that when people look at us they don't see a bunch of hypocrites who act spiritual on Sunday morning and Sunday night and Wednesday night but then act like the world each and every other day throughout the week but rather they see people who are living according to what they're preaching we see you see people and obviously we're all going to be hypocrites in the sense that we're all sinners and yet we all preach against sin right so I understand that but my point is this if all you do is walk in the old man if there's nothing outwardly that reflects the fact that you know what you believe the doctrines that are thundered forth behind this pulpit each and every single week if you're not showing people unapologetically that you love the Lord then what do you think they're going to believe about the God of the Bible what do you think they're going to believe about the doctrines that you espouse they might think you're not genuine and in fact the way we behave does reflect on the God of the Bible you see this with earthly parents they don't want their children to act up why because it reflects negatively on them as parents we know the same thing applies to God he is your father in heaven so we ought to walk worthy of the vocation we're with we're called walk as children of light now you might be asking well Ben how do I do that well thankfully the Bible tells us and that's what I want to spend the rest of the sermon talking about is how exactly let's be specific how exactly can we walk as children of light where this phrase is used in Ephesians chapter five it's also used in first Thessalonians chapter five and in both of those scriptures we actually see in my opinion instructions on exactly how we can accomplish this so let's go back to Ephesians chapter five and we'll learn about how we can walk as children of life how exactly we can accomplish this in our Christian life and my first point is this and it's simple walk in love now look I preach against these people who are totally imbalanced and all they ever focus on is love that's all they ever want to preach on that's all they ever want to talk about is just love love love the love of God only they never talk about God's wrath they never talk about God's judgment they never talk about the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is angry with sinners they don't talk about any of those things they just want a positive only message and there are a plethora of churches like that but just because we preach against those who are imbalanced in that way doesn't mean that we should forget about love either because you see we don't want to get imbalanced the other way and only focus on God's hatred right we don't want to get imbalanced in that way and only focus on God's wrath because the Bible contains scriptures about both and we see here in Ephesians chapter 5 that we're exhorted to walk in love it says in verse 1 Ephesians 5 verse 1 be therefore followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savers the Bible tells us here to walk in love and it describes Jesus Christ saying that we should walk in love as Christ did so the Lord gave himself for us so what do we learn here well we see obviously that you know his sacrifice was a sweet smelling saver which is a fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrifices the carnal sacrifices that pointed to Christ which they were a sweet smelling saver unto the Lord in the sense that they pointed to the spiritual truth that Christ's sacrifice was a sweet smelling saver to God the Father but Paul explains here to walk in love what does that entail what does that mean right because that's just sort of a platitude to be loving everyone says that oh you should you I love more right but what does that really mean well I think what we can derive from the text here is that first of all walking in love entails sacrifice because notice right after it tells you to walk in love it describes what Jesus Christ did for us his sacrifice for us so what we can learn then is that walking in love first of all entails sacrifice but it also entails sanctification later on in the chapter it talks about sins that we should abstain from and so walking in love entails both sacrifice and sanctification sacrifice and sanctification remember it said walk in love as Christ also has loved us and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice Christ's love was exhibited by the fact that he sacrificed himself for us and if you want to exhibit love in your Christian life you know what John the Baptist said he must increase I must decrease you know what it means it means demoting yourself and elevating others it means sacrificing your wants and needs for the wants and needs of others that's what it truly means to be loving the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 charity suffereth long and is kind charity envieth not charity bondeth not itself is not puffed up doth not behave itself unseemly seeketh not her own it's not easily provoked thinketh no evil charity lifts other people up charity is steams others better than yourself it's inherently selfless folks it's inherently selfless it's about lifting other people up it's about exalting others rather than exalting yourself and here's the thing charity is not demonstrated by meaningless platitudes okay it's not demonstrated by virtue signaling like all these Chuck E. Cheese churches do out there the virtue signaling about how loving they are when they open up their food pantry and give away free meals for everybody you know the homeless drug addict who hates God and exploits churches like that and then they blasted all over social media to blow the trumpet about how loving and tolerant and kind they are that's not love that's not love know what that is that's virtue signaling that's pride that's trying to lift yourself up to be seen of men you see a truly loving person does good even if no one's paying attention because at that point they're not going to get the glory they're not going to get the acclaim they're not going to get the praise from others but God sees what they're doing and they're rewarded accordingly see charity is demonstrated by spirit filled soul winners who are going out and they're reaching the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ they're walking as children of life by making known the mystery of the gospel look at that map back there that's pretty huge and if you want to walk in light then you'll dedicate yourself to being part of the mission that this church has to shade in every inch of that map that's what it means to be loving you know you talk to people out there who don't know what it takes to go to heaven and the really good salvation obviously you know some salvation people are kind of just they pray with you they say thanks and they go back to what they were doing but there are some who actually know they're very thankful for what you just did and when I encounter that person it makes every slammed door worth it every person who cusses me out tells me to get off their property every person who said I'm not interested every person who whined that he didn't have a mask on whenever I encounter someone who says you know tears coming down their eyes thanking their cheek I should say thanking the soul winner for taking the time to knock on their door and expose for them or teach them or illuminate for them what it takes to go to heaven when you encounter that person it makes every other rejection that you have to deal with worth it and that's what it truly means to walk in love that's what it truly means to walk in love to reach the lost to love the lost to minister to the lost you know these people a lot of the times they're deceived they're deceived they're ignorant and when we go to them with Bible in hand to try and explain to them what it takes to go to heaven you know what the missing ingredient is for some soul winners a true genuine love for the lost you say what can I do to make my soul winning better I feel like I've kind of plateaued a little bit what can I do to make my soul any better how about be genuine don't just act like a robot we're not there regurgitating speech a speech that we memorized right we're not we're not there to regurgitate some lines that we memorize we're not there to be a robot show genuine love for these people care about them those are souls who will go to hell if they don't get saved so show genuine love for these people care for them minister unto them be a blessing to them that's how we walk in love when we esteem them go to Romans chapter 12 if you would Romans chapter 12 the Bible says in first John chapter 4 beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another hey God loved us why don't we then love each other why don't we love each other have genuine compassion one for another be compassionate toward each other care about each other ask hey how's it going how's your week going is there anything I can say pray for you is there anything that you need me to pray for you about or whatever the case may be bear one another's burdens weep with those that weep rejoice with those that do rejoice that's what it truly means to walk in love notice what Romans 12 says in verse 9 let love be without dissimulation meaning in genuine abhor that which is evil cleave to that which is good be kindly affection one to another with brotherly love and honor notice this preferring one another again that means sacrificing your own needs for the needs of others preferring others better than yourself selflessness that's what it truly means to be loving it says that it shouldn't be coupled with dissimulation meaning there aren't any false pretenses you're not doing it so that you can blast it all over your Facebook account or your Twitter account to make yourself look good in the sight of men that's not genuine prefer one another honor one another lift each other up that's what's going to help this church stay together and continue to do the work of the Lord Philippians 2 says let nothing be done through strife or vain glory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves you see how do I do that how do I esteem others better than myself let me ask you this question when you get on your knees to pray every single night are you only praying for your own needs do you ever find yourself praying for other people so I don't know what to pray about take a look at the bulletin there's some pregnant ladies on there that I think could use your prayer so here's my question do you only pray about yourself or do you find yourself praying for the needs of others when you're in conversation with someone when you're fellowshipping with someone are you only talking about yourself or are you asking the person you're speaking to about how their day is going about how things in their life are going are you asking about them the things that they're doing or do you only just talk about yourself go to Ephesians chapter 5 what else do we know go back to Ephesians chapter 5 what else do we know about walking in love well like I said it's not just about sacrificing your own needs in favor of the needs of others it's not just about lowering yourself in order to elevate others but it's also about sanctification sanctification or separation that's what I mean by that word Ephesians 5 look at verse 3 now remember we just talked about walking in love we just read that commandment look what it says in verse 3 but fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness let it not be once named among you as becometh saints neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient but rather giving a thanks you say I'm not sure what some of those words mean well fornication would be when you engage in a physical relationship sanctioned only for marriage when you're not married that's what fornication is basically going to bed before you're married covetousness desiring that which doesn't belong to you the Bible also talks about here foolish talking or jesting inappropriate comments jokes things that you wouldn't expect to come out of the mouth of a Christian the Bible says these things should not be named among us if you want to walk in love you'll abstain from these things if you want to walk in love then you know what you'll do you'll sanctify yourself you'll be separate from the world because why walking in love entails a love for God and if you want to love God that means you're going to keep his commandments that's what Jesus Christ said and if you keep his commandments then the inevitable result from that is you'll be separated and sanctified from the world look at Ephesians 5 verse 5 for this you know that nor whoremonger nor unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater had any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God so people might get confused on that it's not saying that a saved person who commits these sins isn't going to heaven we're looking at two groups here and verse 5 is just referencing the unsaved in general of course all people who are unsaved have no inheritance in the kingdom of God okay but obviously if you are saved and you commit these sins you can't lose your salvation we have eternal life that's not what the verses is talking about look at verse 6 let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience so again we were talking about the unsaved there in verse 5 look at verse 7 be not ye therefore partakers with them so what is this saying display behaviors that are consistent with what you would expect out of a child of God and it says be not ye therefore partakers with them if you walk in love if you walk in love for God then you will take what the Bible says seriously here you know you'll take heed to what the word of God says there when it says be not ye therefore partakers with them why because walking in love implies sanctification separation 1 John 2 says love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the father is not in him love sacrifices for others love sacrifices for God and love sanctifies us from the world as well why because we love the Lord and again if you love the Lord what's the inevitable result you're going to be different from the world you're going to be different from the world see you got to pick do you love God or do you love the world and for some Christians out there you look at what they're watching on television you look at what their internet history looks like and it doesn't seem like they love the world in fact let's go back to actually not Ephesians let's go to 1 Thessalonians 5 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 if you would here's my second point watch and be sober watch and be sober that's my second point now we see that this phrase children of light is used in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and we also see that it's coupled with instruction on exactly how to do that 1 Thessalonians 5 says in verse 5 ye are the children of light and the children of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness therefore so because of the fact that we're children of light here's what's expected of us let us not sleep as do others but notice but let us watch and be sober now when people think of the word sober often they're thinking about abstaining from drinking alcohol excuse me or taking drugs which I do think the word is in reference to that but I think based on the context here what we're referring to is awareness obviously if you take alcohol and you take drugs your awareness is inhibited I understand that but with respect to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 it's saying watch be sober meaning be aware of what's going on open your eyes be aware of your surroundings be aware of what's happening in this world now why would you need to be aware well if you've ever paid any attention to end times Bible prophecy you know that we need to be aware of what's going to come to pass in the future because there's a lot that must transpire before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ head over to Matthew chapter 24 if you would Matthew chapter 24 it's so important for us as children of God and children of light to watch and be sober meaning let's be aware of what's going to come to pass in the future let's be aware of what's happening around us Matthew chapter 24 says this in fact it exhorts us to do that Mark 13 says the same thing Mark 13 also is about the Olivet Discourse where Jesus talks about the end times and what's going to happen in the future before his second coming and he says what I say unto you I say unto all watch now what does he mean by that I mean study your Bible know what's going to happen so it doesn't take you off guard doesn't catch you off guard look at Matthew 24 verse 43 it says this but know this that if the Goodman of the house had known and what watched the thief would come he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken up now let me just do a quick side note here for a second this is kind of a little commercial break Jesus uses carnal truths to expound spiritual truths what's he saying here if the Goodman of the house had known that a thief was coming he would have watched and he would not have allowed his house to be broken up you know what that tells me that tells me self defense a okay if you're some people think that it's wrong for you to defend yourself or defend your family using lethal force if necessary but Jesus said that the Goodman of the house he wouldn't have allowed his house to be broken up if he knew that a thief was coming that tells me that if somebody wants to try and break into my apartment in the middle of the night then I have every right to grab my Glock 23 and blow their brains out to protect my wife protect my child has nothing to do with what I'm preaching but just wanted to point that out look at verse 44 therefore notice be he also ready for in such an hour as he think not the son of man cometh hey be ready for the end be ready for what's going to come now look obviously we're not going to be able to predict everything and a lot of end times Bible prophecy or I should say some components of it you got to leave up to conjecture because we're not exactly sure how it's all going to happen but if you at least have an idea if you studied your Bible then it's not going to surprise you when the world continues to depart from biblical truth see the children of darkness those who aren't saved right now a lot of them are running around like chickens with their heads cut off at the civil unrest that we're seeing today at you know everything that's going on with respect to political turmoil OK people don't know how is it that America just gets worse and worse and worse how is it possible for some of these people they don't know what's going on they have no idea what's happening like I said they're running around like chickens with their heads cut off because they're not expecting this to occur there's some folks out there who think that the world is going to get progressively more godly as we inch closer and closer to the end that's what Jeff bourbon thinks from apostasy a church he thinks as we get closer to the return of Christ we're going to get more godly than Jesus is going to come back and set up his kingdom wrong you know what's coming the antichrist and if you study the word of God if you know what's going to come to pass if you understand Bible prophecy then you know things are going to get a lot worse and here's the thing as children of God let's not be perplexed at it like the children of darkness are you know we ought to watch we ought to be sober and not be surprised by the things that are going on obviously should be angry about it but don't be surprised get in your Bible be prepared so that you're not caught off guard be aware of what's going to happen before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ don't be like these pre-tribbers who when the antichrist comes on the scene like what happened I thought we were supposed to get raptured oh you know their faith might take a hit and if they're saved obviously not going to deny Christ but man some of those people are going to be very confused about the end times if they thought that we were going to get raptured out of here you know at any point between now and then walk as children of light the children of the world are perplexed they don't know what's going on they're confused and they're in despair at the civil unrest and the political turmoil but the children of light they know what to expect they're aware they're studying their Bible and notice why I said study your Bible I'm not saying it's wrong to look at the news every once in a while but you know what I don't think we should obsess over that I don't think we should obsess over what's going on what you know what the news is saying how about we obsess over what the word of God says okay and the Bible tells us what's going to happen before the rapture let's be aware in the sense that we understand Bible prophecy and we understand what's going to happen before the return of Christ go back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 none of this should take us by surprise my third point is this put on faith and put on the helmet of salvation that's what it talks about there in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 it says put on faith and put on the helmet of salvation is what it talks about look at verse 7 when you get back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 it says for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that be drunken are drunken in the night but let us who are of the day be sober putting on the breastplate of faith and love and for in helmet the hope of salvation what separates the children of life from everyone else our faith the fact that we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we have faith that you know when the Bible says all things work together for good to them that love God that that's true that it will work together for good the Bible says and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith the children of darkness don't have that we have that hope see whether it's sickness or stress or anxiety or whatever it is you're going through in your life don't hang your head like the children of darkness who have no hope you have faith the Bible says of God before us who could be against us let's not hang our heads in shame let's not hang our heads like those who have no hope go to Hebrews chapter 11 if you would Hebrews chapter 11 the faith chapter talks all about this when you get to Hebrews 11 look at verse 32 Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 32 see the people out there they don't have hope we do act like it Hebrews 11 verse 32 it says and what shall I more say for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah of David also and Samuel and of the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms wrought righteousness obtained promises stopped the mouths of lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the armies of the alien so the Old Testament heroes of Christianity the Bible tells us here through faith they were able to accomplish mighty works for God it was through faith that they were able to do these things and notice what it says in verse 34 it says out of weakness were made strong how are they made strong out of weakness because of their faith and for people who are maybe new to the Christian walk they might feel a sense an overwhelming sense of weakness how is it you know for example homeschooling moms who maybe have never done that before they might feel a sense of weakness at the prospect of teaching their children at home and not sending them to the public full system so for you homeschooling moms listening to this sermon this morning let me ask you this question do you have the faith to overcome that feeling of weakness that you might be feeling it again at the prospect of teaching your children at home at home because the Bible tells us here out of weakness that these Old Testament heroes of Christianity heroes of the faith that it was through faith that they were able to overcome that weakness it was through faith in fact that out of weakness they were made strong so if you're homeschooling mom today and you're feeling weak if you're homeschooling mom today and you think I can't do it how am I supposed to teach my children at home without relying on some teacher somewhere in the public school system how am I supposed to do this it seems overwhelming well you know what the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 11 that through faith you can derive strength out of weakness and you can do it rely on the Lord to give you the wisdom necessary to accomplish that task so you can raise the next generation of soulwinners so you can rate you can raise the next generation of wise Bible believing Christians who go out and do mighty works for God let me tell you something about my son I don't care you know if he wants to be a pastor one day great but I'm perfectly fine with him just being someone who loves the Lord that's all I want for my son that's all I want for my children just love the Lord you know it doesn't matter if they have I think it'd be great if he just had a blue collar job an honest job if he was a plumber working with his hands whatever the case may be but here's what I want out of him you love the Lord you go soul winning you contribute to your local New Testament church that's what I want and how is he going to get that way depends on how he's raised depends on how he's raised but you know what it also depends on the education he gets especially when he's young and you know where I want that education to come not from a bunch of atheists who hate God and are going to teach them about evolution and faggotry I want him to get that education at home and if you're a mother and you say I want that for my children as well here's something that I think could encourage you that through faith you can be made strong out of weakness even if you doubt your abilities and you doubt whether or not you can accomplish this task you have faith in the Lord that he'll give you the wisdom to do it and I believe he will there are fathers in this room today who might be worrying about whether or not they can provide for their family on one income you know I was there and there are couples I've met who because they were afraid of what their financial outlook might look like if there was only one income coming in courtesy of the father of the house the wife was working as well she was out they put the kids in a nursery somewhere they had somebody take care of the kids while both mother and father were out working now if you're a father today and you're the sole provider of your home and you feel a little weakness you're you're worried about how exactly you're going to provide on one income let me tell you this the Bible says that God has never seen the righteous forsaken nor a seed begging breath and so if you love the Lord today if you're serving God today then you shouldn't be worried because God is going to make sure that you're fed God to make sure that you have enough money in the bank to provide for your family through faith you can derive strength out of weakness and you can serve the Lord Jesus Christ on one income you can you can engage in what I believe is the biblical model for marriage women at home taking care of the kids cooking and cleaning and the man going out and working his tail to the bone to provide for his family that's what it's all about and if you're afraid today of doing that if you if you think man you know I don't know what's going to happen if I take that first step of faith and I and I tell my wife to quit her job and you know the family just relies on me to put food on the table I'm really worried about how that's going to work out is God going to see this through I'm here to tell you that if you love the Lord then yes he will he will and that's what separates the children of light from the children of darkness because we have that faith inside that all things work together for good to then that love God if you're a lazy derelict you're going to end up on the street just like a lot of them do all right but here's the thing if you love the Lord you're going to be fine and that's what you should be worried about not whether or not God will come through for you but rather whether or not you love the Lord that should consume our thoughts that should be what we're concerned with do I love God because if you do then all things will work together for good you know I know this godly lady her family right now is persecuting her because of the fact that she wants to have as many children as possible and in fact continues to grow her family in that way she's fruitful and she's multiplying and this godly lady has you know her own mother is persecuting her for it distancing herself from this lady say well how could you do you're so selfish how come you have such a big family how is your husband going to be able to provide for you this is a child of the darkness who just doesn't understand the faith that we have you see the world out there they would look at a family who continues to multiply they would look at a family with one financial source one man going out working a job to provide for a family of five or six kids and say that's insane how could you do that I'll tell you how because I have faith I'm not there yet maybe one day I will or the mat seems to be on the way congratulations another child coming soon folks we have faith that's why because if you love the Lord like I said God has never seen the righteous forsaken or a seed begging bread so why then let me ask you this question if they can't understand if the children of darkness can't understand why you would turn your life around in that way why then would you walk as they walk they don't have what we have they don't have faith so you know what increase your faith when the Bible talks about putting on the breastplate of faith obviously we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation some of you in this room today obviously most of you had enough faith to believe the gospel and get saved but it's unfortunate that some people just don't have enough faith to rely on the Lord to make sure that hey you know what he's going to make sure we always have something to eat on the table some of you don't have enough faith to say hey I'm going to make sure in my family that the man goes to work and the woman doesn't some of you don't have enough faith to say you know what let's have as many kids as God gives us it's unfortunate a lot of people struggle with that they have enough faith to believe the gospel but not enough faith that God's going to feed them carnally go to Romans chapter 8 what about the hope of salvation the Bible talks about putting on the helmet of the hope of salvation the hope of salvation and by the way women who work at home I think that's great I don't have an issue with that what I'm talking about is you both have full time jobs and you got to put the kids in a nursery or something like that I don't believe that's the biblical model Romans chapter 8 look what it says in verse 24 it says for we are saved by hope but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth why does he yet hope for notice but if we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it so first Thessalonians chapter 5 it talks about how you want to walk as children of light this is what you do put on the breastplate of faith but then it also says a helmet and what's that helmet describe it's the hope of salvation look if you believe on Christ you're saved but some people take their salvation for granted that's what I think it's talking about when it says to put on the helmet of the hope of salvation is that you meditate on the fact that you're saved you thank God for the fact that you're saved you don't take it for granted right you have a gracious attitude never take your salvation for granted the children of light they put on the helmet of the hope of salvation and you know what that does for you it actually enables you not to be overly obsessed with carnal matters because think about it for the children of darkness this life is all they have so obviously all they're going to care about is the carnal but that's not true for the children of light the children of light are anticipating something better in heaven so never take your salvation for granted the reality is this it talks about the hope of salvation doesn't matter how bad America gets it doesn't matter how wicked America gets if you put on this helmet you have hope so like I said earlier don't hang your head down like the children of darkness do go back to Ephesians chapter 5 if you will Ephesians chapter 5 my fourth point examine what is acceptable to God that's how we can walk as children of light as we examine what is acceptable to God notice what it says in Ephesians 5 I know I read this earlier but I'll go ahead and read it again in verse 8 it says for ye were sometimes darkness but now are ye light and the Lord walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth verse 10 proving what is acceptable unto the Lord what's the saying it means examine or judge or determine what is acceptable to God and then seek that out every see the children of light they discern whether every thought every word every action is pleasing to the Lord that's what separates the children of light from the children of darkness and let's read a verse about this go to Psalm 19 if you would Psalm chapter 19 meanwhile I'll read from 1 Thessalonians 2 head over to Psalm chapter 19 the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 2 but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel even so we speak not as pleasing men but God which trieth our hearts so the primary focus that we should have as children of light is to please the Lord Jesus Christ and not man Psalm 19 says in verse 14 Psalm 19 verse 14 it says let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer we need to ascertain whether what we say or who we are is in alignment with God's will and that it pleases the Lord that's what I believe the Bible is telling us it said that in Ephesians 5 it says it in Psalm 19 verse 4 and here's the thing we can make knowledge claims about what God likes and what God hates based on his word and the children of God appeal to the Bible to determine their world view this is how we figure out what God wants for our life it's not from some revelation that you get in your sleep no one's going to hear the words of God what I mean by this is you know God's not going to give you some extra biblical revelation if you want to figure out whether something is pleasing to him or not you appeal to his word you don't appeal to political commentators you don't you don't appeal to Hollywood OK you don't appeal to society you don't appeal to the media because their standard is always changing you know you don't appeal to these bunch of cancel culture freaks who plaster social justice warrior buzzwords on children's books now they're saying Dr. Seuss is racist their morality constantly changes and if you ask them what the will of God is then they're going to give you a completely different answer from what's contained in the Bible today and that's why we don't appeal to them we don't appeal to the children of darkness to figure out what the will of God is we appeal to the Bible and we make sure that everything we do every behavior we exhibit is pleasing to God that's what it's all about let me just say this you know about the whole cancel culture thing they say Dr. Seuss is racist right and it's like Mr. Potato Head they claimed now all of a sudden isn't a male now it's just gender neutral these things are always changing they're getting more and more ridiculous but here's what's funny about it they claim Dr. Seuss is racist but then these same people push evolution on children and what did Charles Darwin write in his origin of species book it talks about I think I wrote it down here actually the origin of species it says this it talks about the preservation of favored races how's that not racist think about this if you're upset over what a children's book says but not Charles Darwin and his Darwinism and this book that talks about the fact that favored races are going to be the ones that end up excelling in nature this guy was like a true white supremacist they like to throw that word around constantly that phrase constantly but these same people they'll push Darwinism down the throats of kids but then ban stupid little children's books it's ridiculous that's why we don't appeal to this culture to figure out what we should be doing and how we should be acting and what we should be saying I don't care what they think is offensive I care about what God thinks is offensive I'm out to please him not these freaks these weirdos out there cancel culture and you see my question for you is this would Jesus Christ would Jesus Christ be ashamed of your conduct on the job would Jesus Christ be ashamed of your behavior at home would Jesus Christ be ashamed of how you live your life outside these walls that's what matters and the children of God ensure that whatever we do pleases the Lord the children of the light ought to make sure that whatever we do pleases the Lord are you concerned with what man thinks or with what God thinks that's the question go back to Ephesians 5 if you would and I'll go to my fifth point my fifth point is this seek wisdom the children of the light seek wisdom you say I want to be I want to walk as the child of the light well seek wisdom the Bible says in Ephesians 5 verse 15 it says here in Ephesians 5 verse 15 see then that ye walk circumspectly notice this not as fools but as wise so what's the saying it's saying first of all walk carefully as a child of the light but also with wisdom not as fools not as an idiot but walk with wisdom the Bible tells us in Colossians 4 walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time you know what people who act like morons who act like fools who act like idiots they're not walking as children of light the Bible tells us to get wisdom people who glory in their own stupidity are not walking as children of light you see people do this especially I hate to say it Baptist do this a lot of the time well I'm just a country book and I don't know I can't read the words of the Bible I don't know anything I'm just an idiot I ain't the sharpest drawer in the knife you know what I mean it's like you think that's pleasing to God when you see when you when you meet children who are smart doesn't that make their parents look good well you're a child of God when you run around glorying your own stupidity what do you think that makes people think about the Lord Jesus Christ probably not good thoughts right head over to Proverbs 3 I want to make a point here Proverbs chapter 3 the Bible emphasizes getting wisdom not acting like an idiot again unfortunately it's just part of some people's culture where they like to exhibit this false humidity well I'm just an idiot guys that doesn't make you humble you know people think that if they bash themselves that makes them humble I know a guy who definitely exhibited this false humility sat in the front row of a different building same church though Bo Ballard this guy was the epitome of what it means to be fake humble and people think oh well if I just bash myself and call myself an idiot that means I'm humble no it doesn't it just means you're stupid alright and it means that you're not walking as a child of the light that's not what God wants from you look at Proverbs 3 verse 13 happy is the man that findeth wisdom Proverbs 4 go to Proverbs chapter 4 verse 5 Proverbs chapter 4 verse 5 it says get wisdom get understanding forget it not neither decline from the words that I'm out Proverbs 4 verse 7 look at verse 7 wisdom is the principle thing therefore get wisdom and with all that getting get understanding be smart alright that's what I mean and you say well I didn't have the upbringing that allowed me to do that's fine that means you could start today pick up a book read books learn you know and unfortunately people who think that they're walking as children of light embrace stupidity they start believing a bunch of dumb doctrines you know like Ruckmanism the idea that if you translate the King James version of the Bible into a different language that whatever the Bible is translated to into a different language must match the King James version word for word now you try doing that in Google Translate it's going to sound horrible it's going to sound idiotic I speak a little bit of Arabic when you say thank you to someone you say you slum a holy day alright so if somebody were to pass you like you're having dinner and they pass you the salt or whatever that's how you would say thank you now if I want to translate that word for word it literally means bless those hands this is called an idiom right if you translate an idiom into a completely different language and it's a literal word for word translation it's going to sound goofy imagine if you're hanging out with somebody and you ask them to pass the ketchup or pass the salt while you're having dinner and you go bless those hands they're going to think like who's this weirdo right because in our language in our vernacular that idiom does not does not carry over and guess what there are certain idioms in the Greek that don't carry over word for word into English and these people who would just they would consume this ruckmanism and think that always word for word you know it's got to be word for word that's not walking as a child of the light OK that's not walking in wisdom that makes the KJV only position look dumb and that's the last thing you want to do with respect to good doctrine so how about this don't believe stupid teachings you know run away screaming when people start to you know people come with you want to tell you about the flat earth just run away run away as fast as you possibly can why because that's not walking as a child of the light if you want to walk as children of light walk in wisdom learn something new learn how to speak properly learn good vocabulary and I understand everyone has different upbringings I understand that and for some of us we've perhaps you grew up in a family that didn't emphasize this or maybe didn't teach it to you but you can start today learn how to speak properly have a good vocabulary learn science I think that's great learn history those are great things learn a new language perhaps learn deep doctrines of the Bible put on wisdom walk in wisdom that's what it means you say I want to walk as a child of the light well then put on wisdom walk in wisdom don't glory in your stupidity go to Proverbs chapter 17 if you would Proverbs chapter 17 I touched on this already multiple times throughout the sermon but children can reflect either positively or negatively on their parents I know a child at steadfast the son of a friend of mine I think he's three or four years old and he's able to recite entire chapters of the Bible that folks reflects positively on the father and on the mother you know that child is a commendable ambassador of his parents well how about we commend how about we be commendable ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ how about we be commendable ambassadors of God the father and you know you're not going to be a commendable ambassador of God the father when you're running around calling yourself dumb well I'm just I'm just you know I can't even put a puzzle together I just think I just think the Earth's flat and there's a there's a there's an ass wall surrounding it the ass wall and you know that's Antarctica and the sun's going around in a circle and it's like get away from me you're you're an idiot that is not what it means to walk as children of light look at Proverbs chapter 17 verse 25 the Bible says this a foolish son is a grief to his father Proverbs 17 verse 25 a foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her that bear him a foolish son grief to this is an earthly father and an earthly mother if my son comes up to me and you know starts talking about how the moon is its own source of light and things like that I'm going to feel like that's going to be a grief to me OK and how do you think God feels you know there are people who are saved who just they want to embrace stupidity for some reason and they think it means that they're humble the Bible says walk in wisdom when people claim the name of Christ and they deny reality they say they can't put a puzzle together you know when they when they call themselves retarded that's what they do all right that's not walking as a child of the light that's that's not walking in wisdom now obviously I'm not saying that you should be a pseudo intellectual OK there's a caveat here I need to add to this you have guys like James White they'll use unnecessarily big words to make themselves look like they're these scholars who know all of these amazing vocabulary and they're so smart and everything like that no I'm not saying to be that way but you know don't combat James White pseudo intellectualism by denying reality and calling yourself an idiot that's not how we do it head over back to Ephesians chapter 5 if you would so what was my point here my point was this walk as children of light by walking in wisdom walk as children of light by walking in wisdom Ephesians chapter 5 when you get there look at verse 11 and I believe this is my last point this is my last point right here you want to walk as a child of the light you say Ben I want to walk as a child of the light well reprove the unfruitful works of darkness that's what it says in Ephesians 5 it says verse 11 verse 11 and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light for whatsoever doth make manifest is light remember in creation what did God do he divided the light from the darkness didn't he and what we're supposed to do as children of light if you want to walk as a child of the light that presupposes an attitude that says I will rebuke evil I will reprove evil I hate iniquity I will have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather I'm going to reprove them that's what it means to walk as children of light and notice it said it is a shame to speak of those things which are done of them in secret you know what that means it means don't share on Facebook a picture of some disgusting tranny to expose it it's a shame to speak of those things which are done of them in secret I don't need to see filth with my eyes I don't have to defile my eyes with filth in order for me to know that it's wicked I don't need to look at a tranny you know this tranny that recently got confirmed to the I guess it's the health secretary or something like that recently got confirmed by the US Senate I don't have to look at it to know that it's disgusting I don't have to look at it on my Facebook timeline to know that it's a disgusting dog that should put a bullet in its head so stop sharing that picture it's all over my Facebook timeline everyone's like oh look how disgusting this is I don't need to see it I know it's disgusting the Bible says it's a shame to speak of those things which are done of them in secret we don't need to go into grave detail about sodomy and all these these abominations we don't need to go into grave detail about these things it's a shame to speak of those things which are done of them in secret it is an absolute shame go to Ezekiel chapter 6 if you would Ezekiel chapter 6 just as Gideon's army they shined these lamps which emitted light and darkness and it caused the Midianites to fight amongst each other we need to shine our light as bright as we possibly can and that'll drive out darkness that'll drive out darkness in this world and the way we do that the way we drive out darkness is by rebuking evil reproving evil reproving wickedness walking as children of light entails rebuking wickedness and that's exactly what Ezekiel was commissioned to do in Ezekiel I think I had you turn to Ezekiel chapter 6 Ezekiel chapter 6 look what it says in verse 2 it says son of man set thy face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them look at verse 11 skip down to verse 11 thus sayeth the Lord God smite with thine hand and stamp with thy foot and alas and say alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel for they shall fall by the sword by the famine and by the pestilence he that is far off shall die of the pestilence and he that is near shall fall by the sword and he that remaineth and is deceased shall die by the famine thus will I accomplish my fury upon them so Ezekiel is told here hey preach against Israel prophesy against Israel he says smite with thy hand and stamp with thy foot why because of the abominations of the land because of their idolatry because of their worship of false gods and in fact in chapter 8 we don't have time to go there but in Ezekiel chapter 8 God actually shows Ezekiel the idol worship that's been going on in Israel the abominations that are done and the worship of false gods and the idolatry and Ezekiel is told to pronounce judgment on Israel to pronounce judgment on God's chosen nation and I think that serves as an example for us remember the Bible says walk as children of light and in that same chapter it talks about having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reproving them and how do we do that well you walk as children of light by making a commitment to say I will reprove evil I will stand against the evils of this world you know what that means it means you get angry about it get angry about sin there aren't enough Christians who are who are angry about sin there's a righteous anger that you can display and it's towards sin get angry about sin get upset about sin you know smite the Bible talks about smiting and stopping and lifting up your voice and you know if you're a preacher I know there's a preaching rotation going on here there's nothing wrong with getting animated lift up your voice like a trumpet and get angry about adultery get angry about fornication get angry about people who turn their back on God get angry about the abominations of America just like God said to Ezekiel you look at what went on in the nation of Israel at this time the abominations that they engaged in you know here in the United States we're going down that path as well and we need men of God spirit filled men of God from behind the pulpits of America to say I stand against this wickedness I stand against this iniquity and I love the Lord where are these men of God today where are these spirit filled men of God today to say I will rebuke the unfruitful works of darkness not fellowship with them think about Elijah he didn't have a tea party with the prophets of Baal he smote them he killed them he didn't try and you know he didn't create some sort of ecumenical organization to minister under them or something like that there is no Chris long in the world of of Elijah Rick Warren there is no I'm going to reach there's multiple pathways to heaven Islamicists it's okay if you put your women in hajib and you worship Muhammad and you deny that Jesus is God and you believe in a work salvation that's totally fine because there's multiple pathways and no that's not what it means to reprove the unfruitful works of darkness that's not what it means to walk as a children of the light you know what it means it means that you have no room for compromise now obviously there are some doctrines I feel like if you have no choice but to go to an old IFB church and they're pre-trib or Zionist I'm fine compromising on those issues I'm fine with it but you know I'm not going to go to a church that believes in repent of your sins for salvation I'm not going to go to a church that believes in oneness I'm not going to go to a church that contorts the essential doctrines of the Bible if you want to walk as a child of the light it means you don't compromise on the truth of God's word essential truths of God's word there's no room to mince words today we need preaching to get more hardcore we need preaching to get more spirit filled we need more hard preaching not less don't mince words today you know what that means that means that you without apologizing get up and say you know what Islamicists Muhammad was a pedophile all right Muhammad was an illiterate pedophile who's burning in the lowest hell today it means you make videos like Pastor Anderson does dismantling the lies of that sheikh whatever his name is the psychopath weirdo who doesn't understand the Bible at all and yet claims that it has contradictions that's what it means to walk as a child of the light to rebuke false doctrine to rebuke false religion and yet there are some Christians out there I guess who think they're more loving than God and they refuse to do that makes me sick you know here's the thing let's like Elijah did let's figuratively smite the progenitors of Islam and Mormonism and the Jehovah's false witnesses and you know what let's get their followers saved in the process let's get their followers saved in the process let's not hold hands with them let's show them what the Bible says about how to go to heaven and then we'll hold their hand all right figuratively because the children of light should have no fellowship with the unproofful works of darkness but rather reprove them just like Ezekiel did he was commanded to do so and he did it just like Jeremiah just like Moses just like David just like the prophets of God throughout the entire scriptures from Genesis to Revelation who walked as children of light let's use them as an example for us and walk as children of light as well so here's my conclusion I'll wrap it up I said this I said point number one you want to walk as a child of the light walk in love exhibit love for God love for your brothers and sisters in Christ which entails sacrifice and sanctification I said point number two watch and be sober there's a lot that must come to pass before the second coming of Christ let's be aware of it by studying our Bibles point number three I said increase your faith put on the helmet of salvation I said point number four examine what's acceptable to God point number five I said seek wisdom and point number six I said reprove the excuse me reprove the unproofful works of darkness you want to walk as a child of the light today let's follow these steps outlined in scripture let's pray Father God we thank you so much for this church I pray that you would help us to walk as children of light help us not to walk as children of the darkness and Lord I also pray that you would continue to bless Steadfast Baptist Church in Oklahoma City and help this church to be a light to this city and to reach many with the gospel and to preach against sin and to hate sin and help Christians serve you better in Jesus name I pray Amen we're going to go on to the last hymn nothing but the blood number 30 alright number 30 nothing but the blood that's our final hymn for this morning what can wash away my sin nothing but the blood of Jesus what can make me whole again nothing but the blood of Jesus oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow no other fount I know nothing but the blood of Jesus for my part in this I see nothing but the blood of Jesus for my cleansing this might leave nothing but the blood of Jesus oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow no other fount I know nothing but the blood of Jesus nothing can force an atone nothing but the blood of Jesus not of good that I have done nothing but the blood of Jesus oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow no other fount I know nothing but the blood of Jesus this is all my hope and peace this is all my righteousness nothing but the blood of Jesus oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow no other fount I know nothing but the blood of Jesus