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

Can you hear me? There we go. All right, we're here in 1 Timothy chapter 3. I just want to thank Pastor Menes for giving me the opportunity to preach here again. And I want to focus on 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 15. And the name of the sermon is The Pillar and Ground of the Truth. The Pillar and Ground of the Truth. It says there in 1 Timothy 3, verse 15, but if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. One of the first questions people ask when they come to Verity Baptist Church, they say, what does the word Verity mean? And the word Verity appears a couple of times in the Bible, and it basically means truth. And so when we're talking about truth, we see here a great verse, 1 Timothy 3.15, and it says that church is meant to be the pillar and ground of the truth. Now, we oftentimes focus on that word truth, but what I want to do is go really in-depth and explain, what does it mean to be the pillar of the truth and the ground of the truth? Now, turn in your Bible to John chapter 14, John 14. One thing you'll notice is that churches, they don't often focus too much on the truth. That's not really at the top of the list of things that they consider important. Churches often focus on the music ministry. They focus on a lot of other things. They don't usually focus on the truth. Now, obviously, it's great to have good music. The music is great here. It's great to have a choir, great to have great music, but that's secondary compared to the truth. And see, churches, they don't often focus on the truth, and they focus on everything else because they don't have the same goals that a church like this has. And so why is it that churches don't focus on the truth? Now, we'll talk about that at the end of the sermon, but one thing it said is it's the ground of truth, the ground of truth. When you think of the ground, you're basically talking about the foundation. And what the Bible is telling you is that church is meant to teach you the right foundation, and then you personally build on that foundation with your Bible reading and your memorization. But church sets you up with the right foundation, the right truths, and then you build on that. One truth that obviously is very important is salvation. And in John 14, verse 6, what Jesus said is this. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And so it's very clear in this verse that Jesus says he is the way. He does not say, I am a way. He says, I am the way. You see, all roads do not lead to heaven. In fact, only one road leads to heaven. He says, I am the way. There are not multiple ways to get to heaven, and it's not a confusing verse unless you're trying to appease people and please them. Jesus was very clear, I am the way, which means the only way, the definite article, the only way to get to heaven. He says, I am the truth. And so when it comes to every religion besides Christianity, they're all lies. You say, what's good about Islam? Nothing. Nothing's good about it. What's good about Hinduism? Nothing's good about it. Buddhism, nothing's good. It's all lies, every single bit of it. You say, but wait a minute, they teach some truth in there. Yeah, but it's part of this whole lie. Of course, there's some truth mixed in there. Look, the devil, when he lies, he has some truth mixed in there, but the whole thing that he's saying is this big lie to confuse you. There is nothing good about a false religion. Every single bit of it is just heresy, and it's meant to confuse you and deceive you. Nothing's good about it because Jesus says he is the truth, which means everything else is a complete lie. Every single bit of it. It says, I mean, just think if you were solving a math problem and you did 9 out of 10 steps correct, and then you get to the end and 2x plus 4x equals 7. It doesn't matter if you did most of the steps correct. Your end result is wrong. And look, a religion could have a lot of things good about it. I mean, the same as we believe, but if the end thing is different, it's completely a lie. Look, every religion has some truth in it, but the overall thing with all that religion is it's a complete lie. Just because a church, wow, the women are dressed modestly. Look, the whole religion's a lie. It doesn't matter if some things are the same. The Catholics believe in the Trinity. The whole religion's a lie. It doesn't matter if they have a few things that agree, because Jesus said he is the truth, which means every other religion is completely false, 100%. Even if they have some truth mixed in, that is just part of the plan of the devil to confuse you. He says he is the truth, and he says he is the life. When he says the life, what he's saying is, I am the eternal life. I am the way. I am everlasting life. I am eternal life. So there is no eternal life any other way except through Jesus Christ. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Now, this is not a confusing verse. And he says he is the truth. And that's what we're talking about tonight, the pillar and ground of the truth. So it starts with salvation. There's no more important foundation than getting the right salvation. And so he says he is the truth. And yet, you have churches today that they would say, well, I don't know about someone who's in some deep, dark jungle. If they never hear the gospel, maybe they get a free pass into heaven. Well, not according to Jesus, because he says he is the truth, he's the way, and he's the life. There's nothing confusing about the words of Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with our works or baptism or repentance of sins or any of that, because Jesus says he is the way, the truth, and the life. Turn your Bible to 1 Timothy 2. 1 Timothy 2. It boggles my mind when you meet people who, you know, they listen to a lot of sermons online. And this is something we deal with a lot in the Philippines. And they go to a church that preaches repentance of sins for salvation. It's like, I hate to break it to you, but your pastor's not even saved. I mean, the whole religion's a lie. It's like, why are you staying there? Well, I mean, the women are dressed conservatively. They do evangelism. Yeah, what are they saying out there, soul winning? I wish they didn't do evangelism. I wish every church that had a false gospel, I wish they quit going soul winning, because all it's doing is making it harder for us. That whole religion's a lie. Just because there's some truth in it, why would you stick in there? It's ridiculous. And yet people will stay with religions knowing there's things that are massively wrong. Look, I'm not saying that every single thing that any church teaches is perfect, because everybody's a sinner. We're all still learning. There's so many things to learn in the Bible. But when it comes to the really important things, those are not up for debate. They're not negotiable. And if they're wrong on those things, then forget about that religion. Forget about that church. It's a false church. We want to have nothing to do with it. And yet there's people that are saved that just say, well, you know, there are pins topic. It's not really that big of a deal. Well, I mean, it was a big deal to God. When he says he is the way, notice what it says in 1 Timothy 2, verses 3 and 4. It says, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. And so once again, it talks about coming unto the knowledge of the truth. And this is the truth of salvation. Now, notice what it says in this verse. He says, who will have all men to be saved? You say, does that mean everybody's going to be saved? Well, no, but that's his desire. That is what it's saying. It's not that confusing. Who will have all men to be saved? God's desire, obviously, is that everybody would get saved. He wants them to get saved. He wants them to believe on Jesus Christ. But of course, they don't all get saved. You say, why don't they get saved? Two reasons. One is because we don't go and preach the gospel to them. And two, because in their free will, they often reject the gospel. But of course, he wants everybody to be saved. Look, that is not confusing. I mean, if somebody can't figure out what that verse means, then I don't want to have anything to do with them. He will have all men to be saved. He wants everybody to be saved and to believe on Jesus Christ. It's not complicated. He wants us to come under the knowledge of the truth. And there's no more important foundation than the foundation of the truth of Jesus Christ and salvation. Turn to Acts 16. Acts 16. And when it comes to salvation, honestly, it's a pretty simple topic in the Bible. Quite honestly, most things in the Bible are very, very simple. It's very easy to understand what's true and what's not true. And the reason why God makes it very simple is because he wants us to be able to follow what the Bible says and know what to do. Now, it's not easy to live the Christian life, but it is very easy to understand what we need to do to live the Christian life. It's not easy to read the Bible for an hour a day, but it's very simple to understand God would like us to do that. It's not easy to spend time praying every morning, but it is very easy to understand that God wants us to do that. See, it's not hard to figure out what God wants us to do. When it comes to the truth of salvation, obviously, he wants us to know what is the truth of salvation, what's true, and what's false. In Acts 16, verses 30 and 31, the Bible reads, And brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And so this is a great question where he says, what must I do? Or what do I have to do to be saved? What do I have to do to get to heaven? And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy house. Now, obviously, this is not the only thing that they said to him, because this would be like a five second gospel presentation. Obviously, in five seconds, you're not getting anybody saved. But this is basically the sum of what he's saying is, hey, believe. When we preach the gospel, my presentation, I spend 15 minutes, 20 minutes, but you can sum it up on, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. All the words I say, all the verses I use, every example, it sums up to, whosoever believeth in him. And so believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. What does that mean? Well, it means if somebody believes and they don't get baptized, they get saved. If they believe and they don't repent of your sins, they get saved. If they believe and they live a pretty rotten life, they get saved. Look, there are drug dealers we will see in heaven one day. There are drunks that we will see in heaven one day, because you can believe and yet choose to live a wicked life, because you choose to either walk in the flesh or walk in the spirit. It's your choice. And look, when people believe, they are saved, sealed forever. It's eternal life. It's not confusing at all in the Bible. There is no more important ground than the ground of salvation. Now turn to John chapter 3, John 3. And look, I'm not shy to preach about what I believe about salvation, but I find it interesting that sometimes I'll visit churches when I'm on vacation or something such as that. And you call various churches on the phone to find out what they believe. And you just want to find out what they believe. You're not trying to debate on the phone and waste your time. You just want to find out what Bible are they using, what do they believe about salvation. You're just looking for a basic church as you go on vacation. And you call and you ask them about the King James Bible, and you can't even understand from their response what they believe. They're so used to trying to please you, and you're just like, hey, do you think the King James Bible is perfect? Yes, we use the King James Bible. No, I didn't ask, do you use the King James Bible? I asked, do you believe it's perfect? They don't want to be clear, because they want everybody to come. They're trying to please people. Or you ask them about repentance. You say, do you believe a person has to repent of their sins to be saved or not? And then honestly, many times they avoid answering that question. You say, why? Because they're trying to figure out what you believe, and then they're going to say what they need to say to get you to come. It's like, just tell me what you believe. Look, I'm not afraid or ashamed to say, I do not believe you have to repent of your sins to be saved. Then that's work salvation. Why would you be ashamed or afraid to say that? But they're just trying to please people. In reality, they need to realize that they are the foundation of the truth as a church. And whatever you believe, just say it. But they avoid it. Now, you have to realize that this church has been around for nine years. Our pastor doesn't avoid saying anything. I mean, any topic. Certainly salvation. I mean, why would you be ashamed to say that? Look, if somebody is not saved, and they get so offended by you saying it's a free gift, they're probably not going to get saved if you talk to them one-on-one either. And it's just like, when it comes to setting a strong foundation, we need to set a strong foundation on salvation. You say, why? Look, when I first got saved, less than a week later, a relative of mine handed me a book called The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur. Now, what that book should have read was The Gospel According to John MacArthur. You say, why? Because it certainly isn't The Gospel According to Jesus. And I read that entire book shortly after I was saved. And guess what? I was a little bit confused. Look, I didn't know what I know now. I didn't know about the repentance topic and all these things. I just knew salvation was a free gift, and I was saved forever. And I didn't realize there was all these debates and these question marks. And look, I didn't have a strong enough foundation to understand what was true and what was false at the time. And the first church I went to after I got saved was a kind of a Baptist church, but it was kind of a non-denominational type, more of a fun center. And I left that church because I realized the King James Bible was perfect. And I went to a church that was King James only, independent fundamental Baptist. But I did not realize that it was a five-point, heavy Calvinist church. And so I was at that church. And I had only been saved for a year, basically. I was at that church for one year. And subtly, that pastor was confusing me and my friends, and we didn't realize it. And I remember he preached a sermon in the book of Jude. And he preached on lasciviousness and turning grace into lasciviousness. And he preaches that sermon. And my friend who led me to the Lord, his dad walks out of the sermon. And me and my friends are looking at each other like, what's going on? Because he was preaching, and it just didn't sound right. But I was positive my pastor was saved. I didn't doubt that for one second, because I just didn't know any better at the time. I figured, he's King James only. He's eternal security. And he's saying a lot of the right things. I was assuming he was saved. And then I realized as I was at that church for a few months after that, man, he's a full-blown heretic. And I heard him explain James too. And I felt like I was talking to a Catholic. I was like, what in the world? I was at an independent fundamental Baptist church. And then the pastor sounds like a Catholic as he's explaining verses. He's like, you can't be saved unless you're a disciple of Jesus. And it's like, what in the world? I mean, I thought we believed the same thing, that it was just a gift. But he was subtly trying to confuse us. But the problem I had was I didn't have a strong enough foundation yet. And when I got saved, I listened to a lot of IFB preaching. But some of it was good, and some was bad. See, if I were to listen to that same preaching today, some of it I would probably smash on the ground and destroy. At the time, I liked all of it, though, because I just didn't understand. I didn't have a strong enough foundation. But churches, they don't set a strong foundation on salvation. And their members will listen to whatever, because they just don't know about the repentance topic. They don't know about these things. They don't have a strong enough foundation. They don't know what to listen to and what not to listen to. Now, that's something that a baby Christian is going to fall for. But if you're at a church that's a real church, you ought to set a strong foundation on salvation. But look at the average IFB church out there. Do you really think they set a strong foundation on what's true and what's not? Look, most people in this world that are saved, they believe that like 20% of this country is saved. I mean, think about when you first started going soul winning, and you were shocked. So many people aren't saved. And we're like, yeah, very few people. When it says narrow is the way, it's really narrow. It's very narrow. You think it's this narrow, it's like, no, it's like this. Very few people are saved. But see, when people don't go soul winning and they don't hear real preaching, they don't realize that. They think that everybody that says the name of Jesus is saved. They think everyone in the non-denominational churches is saved. They think that half the Catholics are saved. They don't understand because they don't have a strong enough foundation. And quite honestly, it's the church's job to set a strong foundation. Look, people can get saved but not have a super strong foundation on salvation. Most people that are saved, if you ask them what the word repent means, you're going to hear a dozen different answers. And you know that's true. But see, at this church, you're not going to hear a dozen different answers. You're going to basically hear one answer from pretty much everybody because we know what the truth is because this church has set a strong foundation. Now turn to John chapter 3, John 3. So obviously, when it comes to setting a strong foundation, obviously it starts with salvation. There is no more important foundation than salvation. Look, if a church has the wrong message of salvation, then you shouldn't go to that church. If I lived in a country and there was no church preaching the right message of salvation, I wouldn't go to church. Now obviously, in America, there's plenty of churches you can go to preaching the right message of salvation. I'm not saying this is the only one. But I will say that there are certainly most churches that are preaching a false gospel. And you better be going to one that is preaching really strong about what salvation is. Now another thing that churches do not set a strong foundation on is on the commandments of God. Now notice what it says in John 3, verses 19 through 21. And this is the condemnation that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. And the Bible says that men love darkness. They don't like light because their deeds are evil. You say, why don't people like churches like this? Because their deeds are evil. Because they don't want to live a godly life. You have first time visitors at a church like this, and they love the preaching. They love that sermon, but at the end of the day, they don't want to change their life, usually. They don't like this kind of preaching because it makes them feel guilty because their deeds are evil. Now if you're innocent, you won't get offended. Look, if you never listen to rock music, you don't care what I say about rock music up here. But if you listen to it every day, you're going to get pretty offended by it. And so the Bible says that people like to do evil. They don't like coming to the light because their deeds need to be reproved, because they're living a bad lifestyle. Notice verse number 21. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Now if you're living a godly life, you love a church like this, you like to know what the truth is, you want to make changes in your life. But you say, why is it that preachers and churches don't preach a strong foundation on the commandments? Because they don't want people to leave. They want to bring in everybody whose deeds are really evil to their church. They're fine with that because they want to build a church rather than build a group of people that love the Lord. Now building a church of people that love the Lord, that takes time and it takes effort. But look at this church nine years later. This church started just from the living room with a small congregation. Look at this church now. Look, if they did it the right way, they could build a real church. But instead, they want to take shortcuts and change the message, they don't want to preach hard against sin, because preaching against sin offends people. If you never preach hard against anything, then you know what, people love that church. They love to be lied to. They love coming to a church that never tells them no. But you know what, if you want to find people that actually love the Lord, you're going to actually preach the truth. And it's going to cause your church to be smaller, but it's going to cause it to be a real church of people that actually love the Lord. Turn your Bible to Proverbs 23, Proverbs 23. Now obviously, we could focus on many, many different sins that people struggle with and things that people are guilty about, but I want to show you about alcohol and drugs. Because I don't want to just preach something and not prove from the Bible, but I will prove to you that drinking any amount of alcohol and doing any drugs is a sin, according to the Bible. And notice what it says in Proverbs chapter 23, verse 29. The Bible reads in Proverbs 23, verse 29, who hath woe, who hath sorrow, who hath contentions, who hath babbling, who hath wounds without cause, who hath redness of eyes? The Bible's speaking about a person who would be drinking alcohol, and they have woe. They have sorrow. Basically, they're not happy. They're miserable. The alcohol is destroying their lives. Who hath contentions? They fight with people a lot. Who hath babbling? They sound like a Pentecostal. They're babbling nonsense because they're drunk. Who hath wounds without cause? You know, when I went to college at West Virginia University, which they like to brag, cheers, beers, and mountaineers. We're the number one drink in school every single year. You know, you see fights all the time for people. I remember just seeing people get in fights. And you know, I'm sure they wake up with wounds without cause. I mean, when I was a freshman, I went to like four or five football games. And I got saved as a freshman. But I was appalled by the stuff I saw. And probably half those games, I wasn't even saved when I started going. But even then, it was just like the things you saw. You know, I remember just seeing this guy who was drunk. And he was just in public just using the bathroom on just people standing there watching the game. You say, why would someone do that? Because they're drinking and they're a fool. Because they're a moron. Because when you drink alcohol, you have no sense of what you're doing. You have no sense of right and wrong indecency. And people act like fools. Look, having the Holy Spirit gives you boldness to do what's right. Being filled with evil spirits and alcohol gives you boldness to do what's wrong. People, when they're drunk, they do things they would never do when they're sober. You say, well, how do you know it's a sin? Maybe it's just dangerous. The Bible commands you to be sober. What does sober mean? It means no alcohol. Look, if you drink one beer, you're not drunk. But you're not sober either. And the Bible commands you to be sober. That's what the Bible teaches. It says in verse number 30, they that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine, look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. The Bible says the man who would drink alcohol, his eyes will behold strange women. You say, what does that mean? It means he's lusting after women he's not married to. Look, wives in this room, do you want your husband to lust after other women besides you? I mean, here's the secret. Just buy him some wine. Just buy him some beer. And secretly, what he's going to be doing is lusting after other women, according to the Bible. Is that what you want? Look, alcohol gives you boldness to do what's wrong. Things that you would not do when you're sober, and yet when you drink alcohol, people act foolish. Look, we all know plenty of stories of people where alcohol destroyed their lives. I know people that died drunk and driving. I knew somebody in college who got stabbed to death, someone in my Spanish class, because he threw a snowball, and then they were arguing when they were drunk, and he got stabbed. Look, people die because of really foolish reasons. And when it really boils down to it, it really boils down to just drinking alcohol. And God commands you to be sober. It's not that complicated. Turn to Malachi chapter 2, Malachi 2. And I promise you, adultery often is caused because of alcohol. You say, how do you know that? Because men look on women they're not married to, and their eyes behold strange women. Adultery often starts due to alcohol, and people do foolish things that they would not have done. You say, Brother Stuckey, I don't know this offends me. Look, am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? Because we're speaking about the truth here tonight. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? Look, don't get mad at Pastor Jimenez when he preaches hard against something you're guilty of. Look, here's the truth. Every single person in this room, you've had times where Pastor Jimenez preached, and it hit your toes pretty hard. Look, I've been in this church before, and I was like, man, that really hurts. And sometimes your natural reaction is to get a little bit upset about it or try to make excuses in your mind about why you're not really guilty of that. No, if the truth fits, then just apply it to your life. If you're guilty, just make the changes. And here's the thing. If you're not guilty, you won't get offended. If you are offended, it proves that you're guilty. And if you're guilty, you just make the changes. Look, when I started going to church, I wore shorts and a t-shirt. Now, I'm not saying the outside's the most important thing, but I can promise you on the inside, I wasn't the same as I am today. The music I listened to, the movies I watched, look, I had a lot of changes I had to make. And if I just got offended every time the pastor stepped on my toes of the church that I went to, I would have quit church a long time ago. Look, every single one of us, we've had to make changes because you see something in the Bible, and it hurts. But church is supposed to be the pillar and ground of the truth. This is the purpose of church, to teach you what the Bible says, and you decide if you're gonna apply it to your life or not. Look, sometimes you preach things, and you know what, it offends people. The truth is this, no preacher actually likes to preach like that, though. I don't like preaching sermons when I know people at my church might get offended and get really mad at me. I can think of specific sermons I've preached in the Philippines, and I knew there are gonna be certain people that are not gonna like this. I hope I don't lose them as church members. I hope they don't get really offended. But you know what, I cannot avoid preaching topics of the Bible because I might lose a church member. Because once you do that a little bit, it's gonna be more and more and more and more. And it's like the truth is the truth. If they can't take it, then you know what, it is what it is. There's plenty of churches they could really love down the road then that aren't gonna preach the truth, but a church is meant to be the pillar and ground of the truth, and you trust in the Lord to build that church. And this church has grown in nine years. Notice what it says in Malachi 2, verse five. My covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. See, the Bible says the law of truth was in his mouth. When it comes to spiritual leaders, one of the big defining characteristics of that person should be that they preach the truth. And if you go to a church and you hardly ever learn anything, and he's never really preaching on anything, it's not a man of God. The Bible says the priest's lips should keep knowledge. He should preach the law of truth is coming out of his mouth. And one thing I can promise you is that at this church, you know this church, holds by its name Verity Baptist Church. It preaches the truth. It doesn't hold back. And yes, some people have left and gotten offended through the years, but there's plenty of people still around here today. Notice what it says in verse seven. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. The Bible speaks about people seeking the law at his mouth. Do you realize there's people in Sacramento, California? They are searching for a church just like this. There are people that are unsaved right now that wanna know what the truth is. There's people that are saved in lame churches. They wanna know what the truth is. You say, well, how do we find them? We go out and get them. Because they might not come across our church. Maybe they don't spend all day on YouTube. Maybe they have jobs and they have a life, and they're not just searching conspiracies all day. And so maybe they're never gonna find our church because they're not really looking for IFB churches. They don't even know IFB is the right type of church. They don't know anything about the King James Bible, but they're just willing to change when they hear the truth, and that's why we need to get them. And when they come here, their reaction is gonna be, I have never heard a sermon like this in my entire life. Unfortunately, although that is everybody's reaction, some like it and some don't like it. Most don't like it, but there are some out there that do like it. And look, there are people in Sacramento, not just people that are gonna move here. There are people in Sacramento that wanna know the truth and whose lives will be changed through the preaching of God's words. Now, turn back to 1 Timothy 3. And yet I'm sure probably all of us could tell stories about being in church, and you could go a month and just say, I didn't learn a single thing in the last month at church. And that's not an exaggeration. Look, when I first got saved, every sermon I was learning a lot. But then that kinda stopped after six months. And I was like, okay, I've heard about salvation many times. Do you know anything else? I mean, are you gonna teach me anything else? And you kinda get bored with church because you're not learning anything. And the honest truth is that at most churches, you learn virtually nothing. It's like, well, wait a minute. What's the purpose of church? Is your purpose to have this big Sunday school class and to just teach all these kids and have vacation Bible school and focus on the music ministry and all these games and activities? Or are you trying to preach the truth to people that wanna hear the truth? Churches don't focus on the truth. They'd rather just build this big congregation and make people happy. Notice what it says in 1 Timothy 3, verse 15. It says not only is church the ground of the truth, but it says, but if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. So when we speak of the pillar of the truth, what exactly are we talking about? Well, a pillar can be a few different things in the Bible. One thing a pillar can be is something that basically upholds a building, right? When you think of something that holds a building, a pillar, it's something that's strong. It's immovable. It doesn't move. You don't have to worry about just kinda shoving it a little bit and it just topples over. No, it's holding up the entire building, and a church ought to be strong and immovable. Basically, you don't change from year to year on your doctrine. You believe something and you stick with it. And it doesn't matter if half this city becomes sodomites, you still preach the same thing. You don't water it down or change it, whether it's popular. Turn to 2 Timothy 4, 2 Timothy 4. It's amazing how much churches change in today's world. Look, I became an independent Baptist in the 2000s. And I remember I went to a church a couple times when I was looking for a church, and it was a church that knocked the doors. It was a Hyles Anderson church. You know, I like the pastor. I don't think he's a bad guy. But man, did they knock the doors. And that was something that really impressed me. 10 years later, man, they didn't knock the doors anymore. I mean, you go from having like 25, 30 people knocking doors. They had salvation numbers in the bulletin that they were counting and telling stories. I mean, it was exciting. 10 years later, oh, you know, they have a couple of people doing visitation once a week. And it's like my friends and I kind of went there and started to rebuild the soul winning program. But what happened in 10 years? You say, Brother Stuckey, that's just one church. That's every Baptist church in this country. I mean, every church did that. Every church just changed. They didn't go soul winning anymore. Why? Well, soul winning doesn't work in this millennium, does it? It only worked for like, you know, through the entire book of Acts. But it doesn't work in today's world because people just don't want to know it. No, soul winning has always worked. But it's always been the few that got saved. It was never the majority that gets saved. Even in a receptive country, it's the minority that gets saved. It's never going to be the majority, but you still knock the doors. Look, if you had to knock doors for 25 hours to get one saved, wouldn't it be worth it? If you went soul winning one hour a week, and you went 52 hours during the year and got one soul saved, is that not worth it? You do that for 20 years, you got 20 souls saved? Of course that's worth it. And yet churches, they stopped doing it because it's not popular, it's not easy, and they're just focusing on all of these other things. Churches have changed quite a bit through the years, just in my lifetime, and I'm not that old. And churches have changed quite a bit. You can even look at famous churches. Look at the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has completely changed. Like 50 years ago, they just changed what their church is about. Pope Francis doesn't even believe in hell anymore. It's like, you don't believe in hell? It's like, I thought that there was a time where if you didn't go to the Catholic Church, you went to hell according to them. Now everybody goes to heaven. It's a completely different church. Look, churches change, but you wouldn't expect a Baptist church to change. And yet the independent fundamental Baptist churches are no better than the Catholic churches. They do the same thing. They change depending on what do the people want to hear, and they change the message. Notice what it says in 2 Timothy 4, verses 1 through 3. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead as appearing in his kingdom. Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. The Bible says we are to preach the word, be instant in season, out of season. You say, what exactly does that mean? Well, think of a fruit. There are certain fruits and veggies that grow pretty well here, but not in the Philippines, and vice versa. My favorite tasting fruit is mangoes. But there's a problem here in the US, and that is that mangoes are not always in season. They're basically always in season in the Philippines, but here, oftentimes, they're out of season. Now, do you want to eat a mango if it's out of season? Is it going to taste good? No. But see, what the Bible is saying is whether or not it's popular, whether it tastes good or it doesn't taste good, whether it's not popular, whether it's in season or out of season, you still preach it. So no matter what happens in this world, no matter how much it changes, whether it's in season or out of season, you still preach it. Look, it's out of season to preach against the LGBT in today's world. And it will always be out of season until the end of this world, I believe. It's out of season now, but it needs to be preached. And in fact, it needs to be preached more because it's out of season. Since it is out of season, we have to focus on it because people are so brainwashed and confused about it. Look, if there were no sodomites, you wouldn't have to preach on it. You say, why do you preach on it all the time? Because when you walk down the street, you see tons of them. I mean, I walk outside where I live, and so many guys are dressed as women. It's like, good night, you thought the LGBT was bad here? Visit the Philippines for the missions trip, and you will be shocked at how many sodomites you see dressed as women. And everyone who's been there would say, I agree with that. I was shocked about that. They're all over the place, and they're all over this world. And you have to preach on it because of the fact it's out of season, and people need to hear it because of that. Look, if there was no problem, you wouldn't have to preach on it. If everybody in this room read the Bible for like two hours a day, we wouldn't need to preach on it. But the truth is, it's hard to read the Bible. I struggle with it as well, and we need to hear it because otherwise we would stop doing it. That is why you need to hear it preached. It says, whether it's in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. And see, the Bible says people will not endure sound doctrine. And honestly, the world we live in today is very similar to that. And because they will not endure sound doctrine, we need to preach it. Because people are so confused about these things, we need to preach it. You say, why do we need to preach it now more than before? Because honestly, if you go to the world we live in, if the world is confused on topics, they're not going to learn it at the public school. In fact, they're going to learn the opposite of what we teach. They're not going to learn it from the TV. They're going to learn the exact opposite of what we're saying. They're not going to learn it from Lady Gaga. They're not going to learn it from Justin Bieber. They're going to learn the opposite of what we're teaching. They're going to learn the exact opposite, so even more so, churches need to preach what the truth is to stand against what the world says. Because the world is lying to them. Turn in your Bible to Acts 20. Acts 20. And so look, whether or not it offends people, that really doesn't make a difference. I mean, didn't God pretty much tell every prophet of his in the Old Testament, you know what? I need you to preach this. And they're not going to listen to you. Isn't that what he said? He's like, you're going to preach this. And guess what? They won't hearken to your words. They won't be happy with your words. What happens? Oh, they get thrown in jail. They get persecuted. Some of them get killed. They get tortured. They get in trouble for the things they preach. But God says, you know what? I don't care whether they hearken or not. You preach it, and you gave them the warning. Look, it's not Pastor Mendez's fault if people are in this church and they hear the truth and they say, you know what? I don't care. I'm going to do what I want to do. No, it's his job just to preach the truth. He sets the foundation. He preaches hard and doesn't move on his doctrine. And then you decide if you're going to apply it to your life or not. And when it comes to preaching the truth, honestly, oftentimes they don't apply it to their lives. And it's sad. I preached a sermon recently on the power of social media. And it was something that I wanted to talk about a lot of young, zealous guys in my church. And I told people, delete your Facebook account and just start a new one with a fake name. I was like, you guys will never be hired for a job with the things that you say online. And unfortunately, the guys I was really thinking of, and I preached on it for like 10 minutes. And I wasn't mad at them. I'm trying to help them out. Because it's like, man, you rip on the Catholics on your Facebook all day. What Catholic boss is going to hire you? You rip on the Catholics and the Sodomites. It's like no one is going to hire you for a real job. And unfortunately, you preach it. And then you see the guys you're thinking about. And they don't apply it. And it's like, well, it is what it is. I sent out the warning. And if you have to work at Jollibee your whole life, that is your fault. Because I told you I don't want you to work at Jollibee your whole life. But you're not applying it. And the same thing is true here as well. Honestly, when you preach sermons, usually the people that you're thinking about that really need to apply it, usually, oh, it goes right over their head. Then you've got somebody who's maybe like a really humble person. And you preach a sermon on pride. And they're like, thanks, pastor. I needed that. I've been struggling with that. And then the person that's the most prideful person in the world, it goes right over their head. And you're like, oh, man, what do I need to do? That's the way it is. But the Bible says whether or not they harken or not, you still preach what the Bible says. Notice what it says in Acts chapter 20, verse 20. Paul the apostle speaking, he says, and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house. Now, when he says publicly, I think what he's saying is that in public places where people gathered, he would meet and preach the gospel to them and teach them the word of God. In some countries, you have public parks where there's just filled with people. And you can just approach people and talk to them. So whether or not in public places where a lot of people gather or house to house, he was preaching the gospel, and he was also teaching the word of God to people. Verse 21, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, when it says repentance there, my Bible does not say repentance of sins. My Bible says repentance toward God. So what the Bible is saying is basically that you change your mind about who God is, and you put your faith on Jesus Christ. See, that is what repentance is. It's a change of mind. And basically, it's saying, hey, change your mind about who God is and place your faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. You place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you get saved. Verse 22, and now behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there. Save it, the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me. See, when we're talking about a pillar, it's something that does not move. Look, if a pillar to a building falls, the whole building's going to fall. You need those pillars to stay there and not move and be strong and stable. Look, if they move, the whole building's coming down. And Paul the Apostle says, you know what? None of these things move me. I've taught you everything, and I don't care if I get arrested. I don't care if I get killed for the name of Christ. I will not change what I believe. Look, Verity Baptist Church is pretty much the most stable church you could imagine. This church has been around for nine years, and it's slowly progressively grown. This church has started many church plants that are very successful, very stable. This church was surrounded by tons of protesters before. You say, what if one day Pastor Mendez preaches an unpopular message, and we're surrounded by just hundreds of protesters? Well, I mean, what happened three years ago? And what happened to the church? Has anything changed in the last three years? I mean, the weak left, and more strong people came. And the people that stuck around got stronger. But I didn't see the church changing on any doctrines. I didn't see them changing what they believe. I see the church that just kept with exactly the same sort of preaching it had three years ago, and it has not changed to this date. You say, why? Because this church is the pillar of the truth. It's not going to move. It's not going to change. Whether it's 10 years from now, you say, I have a young child. I want to know what this church is going to be like in 15 years because I want my child to grow up in a good church. Look, this church isn't changing. This is what our church is. 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now, it's not going to change. Now, the world is going to change, though. See, if we're this far from the world right now, we're not moving. We're not changing. But this is going to be all the way over there on the other side of the piano in 10 years. See, the world is moving, but we're not moving at all. We're standing here, stable as can be. Nothing's changing. The whole word of God is going to be preached. Nothing's going to be held back. Why? Paul said, none of these things move me, and church is supposed to be the pillar of the truth. And yet, in today's world, you see churches just flip-flopping on what they believe. Look, the Bible says a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Churches are constantly changing. You go to a church, and then you go five years later. It could be a completely different church. You say, how do you know that? Look, I have been to plenty of IFB churches, and churches have changed on the repentance topic. There's been a huge change. I am very lenient with IFB churches, because I learned and grew and changed a lot of my music and movies with the IFB. I started going soul-winning with the old IFB. I made changes in my life. I changed the way I dress. I learned, I grew, and let me tell you something. Those IFB churches, they have changed on repentance. There's a lot of people that I used to defend, people that are kind of famous IFB people. And I was like, well, you know what? I know they're wrong on some stuff, but I don't really care about the rapture. They're right on salvation. They're doing some soul-winning. That's fine. And yet some of those same people, I'm like, you hear them say things now, and I'm like, I don't know. I don't even know what they believe. It's like the repentance topic comes up, and they're saying something different than they did 10 years ago. It's like, I have no clue what they believe anymore. They're changing on what they believe. You say, why? Because it's not popular to preach a strong believe on the Lord Jesus Christ message in today's world. Look, great comfort skyrocketed in growth, and that's what everybody thinks, and that's what everybody wants to hear. So now churches are changing to meet what is popular. Churches today, they don't really preach hard against sin. Look, you can look at this famous IFB preachers. I'm not even talking about our movement. I'm saying the famous ones from Hyles Anderson over these last 50 years. And you can find clips of them ripping on the sodomites. You can find a famous one from West Virginia where I'm from. Man, he is ripping on TV, ripping on the sodomites. I mean, he laid it down. He laid down the hammer. He said, you shouldn't even have a TV in your home. And that same guy, I remember on YouTube just apologizing, saying, I never really meant that. The first time I heard that, I thought it was a joke. I was like, I've heard you in person before. I've heard you preach in person many times. And yet then he says, well, you know, I never really meant that. It's like, what in the world? The same Baptist that took a strong stand, and now it's like they just completely changed. Why did they do that? Well, it's not really popular in today's world to preach against sodomites. It's not really popular in today's world to preach against the TV. The same pastors that once preached against the TV, they don't do it anymore. Why? Well, it's not really popular in today's world. And these same famous pastors that I used to listen to when I first got saved in West Virginia, I remember one of them came through, a really famous guy. He came through, and he wasn't from West Virginia. But I remember him just ripping on being effeminate. And then he was one of the big guys defending the Born That Way Ministries. And I'm like, what in the world? It's like, am I living in the twilight zone? I mean, these churches are changing, and yet church is supposed to be the pillar of the truth. No changing in that church. And as the world becomes stranger, look, if the world goes 20 feet this way, we don't follow the world 20 feet. See, it's like most Baptist churches are happy to be this far from the world. No, I'm not happy to be a distance from the world. I'm happy to be standing right where I need to be. And as the world changes, look, we're standing here. We don't move at all. And a church is meant to be the pillar of the truth. It doesn't change whether or not it's popular, because you preach it whether it's in season or out of season. Now turn in your Bible to Genesis chapter 31. Genesis 31. I mean, there's even Baptist churches that changed on the King James Bible. Famous Baptist churches out there that many of you would know, and it's like you changed whether or not you're King James only? I mean, what in the world? Because that's kind of one of the big things about being IFB is like you take a strong stance, and yet they changed on those things. You say, why did they change? Because it's just not popular anymore. So they changed the message to make people happy. But I want you to understand when the Bible speaks about being the pillar of the truth, a pillar doesn't always just mean that it's basically holding up a building, strong, immovable. It's also something in the Bible that's mentioned as basically being a memorial. So when you see a pillar, it makes you remember something. Notice what it says in Genesis 31. There's many examples, but in Genesis 31, verse 44, it says, now therefore come now. In Genesis 31, verse 44, now therefore come now. Let us make a covenant, I and now, and let it be for a witness between me and thee. And Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar. And he basically sets this pillar up for something that will witness and remind them and be a memorial. And you'll see this in the Bible. And see, when it talks about the pillar of the truth, basically, a church is supposed to remind you about what the truth is. So basically, when you come to church, you get reminded of what you believe and why you believe it. Turn to Psalm 73. Psalm 73. See, it's very important that a church reminds you about what you believe, because at your secular job, I can promise you, nobody ever walks up to you and asks you, hey, what did you think of that sermon from Pastor Menas about Ezekiel chapter 35 the other night? Nobody's going to ask you that question. Nobody says, hey, I just learned something in this verse in the book of John. What do you think about that? Nobody ever asks you those questions, do they? No, they ask you about, hey, did you watch the sports game last night? Did you watch the Oscars last night? Did you watch that movie yet? You know, blah, blah, blah. They ask you about things that honestly have nothing to do with the Bible. They don't talk about the Bible. In fact, the world will talk to you about everything else but the Bible all day long. And they're deceiving you. And the important thing is, you come back to church and you're reminded about what you believe. Because when you're taught and trained by the world all day, the world will kick you around. The world will make you question what you believe. The world will make you depressed. Your family will make fun of you. Your family will mock you. They will criticize you. They won't agree with what you say. They'll be mad at what you say. And you know what? When they get mad at you, honestly, it gets you down, doesn't it? We just had someone, I mentioned this sermon this morning, just one of my wife's close family members, just saying how we're evil and hateful, blah, blah, blah. And when you hear stuff like that, it kind of gets you down, doesn't it? Because I'm just trying to read the Bible. I'm just trying to go soul winning. I'm just trying to live a godly life. I mean, I used to drink. I don't drink anymore. I used to watch movies. I don't watch movies anymore. I used to live a bad life. I'm trying to live a good life. And then my family is basically just criticizing me, saying, oh, you're hateful. It's like, my goodness, I'm not even trying to do anything. I'm just trying to serve God. But all of us have dealt with that, because all that will live godly shall suffer persecution. See, my story is no different than your story. See, every single person has dealt with that. Their friends rejected them. Their family rejected them. That's the way the world is. The world will always hate the message of the Bible, because last I checked, they killed a lot of people in the Old Testament. Last I checked, Jesus didn't exactly die the best way. Last I checked, John the Baptist didn't have a good, nice, died in his sleep as an old age. That's not what took place. That's not what will ever take place. False religion will always persecute the true religion. And God warned us about that over and over again. But unfortunately, at most churches, they don't tell you about that. Most churches don't prepare you for the battle to come. And see, it's important when you go to a church that you're reminded about, hey, this is why we're King James only. This is why we take a strong stand on salvation. This is why we take a strong stand against the world. Because if the church doesn't remind you of that, you're going to say, what's the purpose of having these stances when it just gets me made fun of and criticized? You're going to change what you believe. Because honestly, it's not easy to believe what we do. It's difficult in today's world. It would be very easy to just switch to being kind of a non-denominational type Christian, wouldn't it? Basically, just please everybody. Nobody gets mad at you. Everyone thinks you're friendly. Look, when you decide to live for God and hold to what the Bible says, a lot of people criticize you for what you believe. They won't like what you believe. And honestly, you need to go to church and get reminded. You say, well, how do you know that? Well, look at Psalm 73. Look at what it says, Psalm 73, verse 2. Here's an example where we get to see the inside of a man. And he's basically very depressed at this point. He basically has this foolish thought of, you know what? I don't want to really live for God anymore. Because all these wicked people are really being blessed. And their lives are so great. And they're so happy. What's the point of serving God when it hasn't really gotten me anything? And the truth is that every single one of us feels like that from time to time. Now, maybe you don't take it as far as other people. But every single one of us from time to time feels like, man, you know, it just seems like the wicked world out there is having so much fun and living such a great life. Notice what it says in Psalm 73, verse 2. But as for me, my feet were almost gone. My steps had well and I slipped. For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. And so basically saying, I envy the foolish person. I envy the wicked people out there. I envy the politicians, the actors, the actresses, the athletes. I was envious, and their life just seemed so great to me. Verse 14, for there are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men. Neither are they plagued like other men. So here's a depressed man. He's basically depressed on living for God. He doesn't want to do it anymore. Go down to verse number 13, verse 13. And he says, verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency. He said, why did I quit listening to the worldly music and quit watching the TV? And why did I clean up my life? I did it in vain. There's no reason. It didn't benefit me living a godly life. Verse 14, for all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning. Being chastened by God when he makes mistakes, he's like, man, what's the purpose of even doing this? Verse 15, if I say I will speak thus, behold, I should offend against a generation of thy children. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me. This is how all of us feel from time to time. Isn't that the truth? Look, I've been serving God, going soul winning, for a long time now. But you know what, life has its ups and downs. Every single one of us, we have times where we really want to serve God. And every one of us has times where we don't feel like serving God. In a church this size, I promise you, in this room right now, you feel this way right now. You feel like, man, I'm trying to serve God and it feels like my life was better before I served God. It feels like, what's the purpose of serving God? But notice what it says in verse number 17. Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I therein. What he's saying is, man, I felt terrible, I felt miserable, I felt like, what's the point of living for God? Until I walked into church. See, that is the way people ought to feel about a church. Basically, that church reminds them why they believe the things they do. And look, you know, a church that only preaches on love, love, love, they don't remind you of why you take strong stands in your life. They don't help you with that. Look, a church like this, you're going to be reminded why you believe what you do, and what's the importance of that. But quite honestly, most Baptist churches, they are not helping the members that actually want to serve God. Because the people that want to serve God are the ones that make changes in their lives, go soul-winning and do these things. And unfortunately, at most Baptist churches, they will walk in depressed, and walk out depressed with no change. But see, at a church like this, you fellowship with people that love the Lord, you go soul-winning and hear about the stories, you hear the amount of salvations in the bulletin, you see all these great things, and you realize, you know what, every second of effort I put in my life is worth it. And isn't that true? Every effort in our lives is worth it. But you know, honestly, we don't always feel that way. And you need a church that is the pillar of the truth. You go to that church and it reminds you, hey, this is why I changed my lifestyle. And you know, when you talk to people around here, people talk about their lives, they talk about the changes they made, they talk about their kids and things like that, you get reminded every single service. You talk to people, you see the stories. I mean, one thing I've been impressed with with this church, and I've really noticed this as I've been back, is how this church is really preparing these kids at a young age, these men, these men at this church. Man, you guys are light years ahead of where I was when I was 18 years old. I mean, you guys are prepared with careers and what you want to do in life. This church is preparing people. And when you see that, you realize, man, all the effort is worth it to help these kids. Because these kids, they're not gonna grow up listening to the same rock music I heard, or that you heard. These kids, they're gonna have a much better start than we ever had in life. And that's great to see. You know, we're reminded of why we do the things we do at this church. Verse number 18, surely thou didst set them in slippery places. Thou castest them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation as in a moment? They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh, so, oh Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reigns. So foolish was I, and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee. Look, these wicked people out there, they're gonna burn in hell forever. And look, the more wicked they are, they're just gonna burn even harder. Look, their end is pretty bad. Look, it might be tough for you in this life, but you know, God never promised you an easy life. Life is not going to be easy. And it's not gonna be easy whether you're serving God or not. Look, if you're not serving God, life certainly is. I mean, ask a homeless person out there how easy their life is. They got no boss, no responsibility, and yet, you know what, they've got the most miserable life and a much more difficult life because the way of a transgressor is difficult. It's hard, the Bible says. The way of a transgressor is hard, but you know, the way of a godly person, it's also difficult, but it's gonna be easier than someone living a wicked life. But look, you are gonna feel like sometimes that you know what, honestly, what's the purpose of doing this? You need to remember this, that the wicked people out there, they put a smile on their face no matter how they're feeling on the inside. Look, everybody puts a smile on their face. How often do you shake somebody's hand and you ask them, hey, how are you doing? They say, man, my life is terrible. It's awful. Let's just sit down and talk for 20 minutes. You know, it started two weeks ago. Look, those people are rare, okay? Most people will say, hey, you know what, it's going great right now. Never been better before. Look, they'll basically just say their life's going good no matter how it's going. Isn't that true? Look, if you're on Facebook, all these people that get drunk all the time, your old college buddies, look, they seem happy, but just wait until they're on their third marriage and see how happy they actually are. They're not really happy. Look, people living a wicked life, look, they act happy. Actors and actresses, they seem happy in all the tabloids and everything. Then why are they all getting drugged up and dying at a young age? Why are they committing suicide if they're so happy? It doesn't make any sense. Look, they're not happy. Just because someone puts a smile on their face that does not make them happy, okay? Yes, we go through trials as Christians, but if you leave church and get out of church and just go live a worldly life, you're not gonna be happier. You're gonna be miserable. And see, church is supposed to remind you of that. That way, when we think of foolish thoughts, when I think of foolish thoughts, when you think of foolish thought, you come to church and basically God just preaches it out of you immediately. And that needs to happen to all of us from time to time, including myself. There's times I don't feel into it anymore, and that preaching really just gets you, and you're like, man, so foolish was I. We've all been there. Now turn in your Bible to Jeremiah 5, Jeremiah 5. And so you might ask this question, well, why don't churches preach the truth? Because it's pretty clear in the Bible, isn't it, that church is supposed to be the pillar and ground of the truth? I mean, that's a really important aspect of church, and yet most churches do not focus on the truth at all. You say, why? Because they have a goal of building a big church. They don't care what they say. They just wanna have a big church. And what you need to understand is that when it comes to pastors that are false pastors or watered down, quite honestly, the reason why they preach the way they do is because there's a market to preach that way. What am I saying? There is a symbiotic relationship between the false pastors and the average person out there. Most people wanna be lied to. You say, prove that to me from the Bible. Jeremiah 5, verse 31. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so, and what will you do in the end thereof? What the Bible says is the prophets are false prophets, and yet the people like that. They want to be lied to. You say most people out there wanna be lied to. Yes, they do. Most people wanna be patted on the back when they come to church and told, man, you're such a godly person. That's what they want. They don't wanna be told you're not right with God. They don't wanna be told to change their music. They wanna be told that they're doing everything right. That's the truth. The only reason why false prophets exist is because there's people that wanna hear that kind of preaching. Look, you look at your false prophets that are just these wicked devils. They are intentionally like that because they know there's people that wanna hear that. That is what they're interested in. You think of Baptist churches, even saved Baptist pastors out there that are watered down and changing the message. They're doing that because there's a market for it, because they say there's people there that wanna be lied to. But the problem is those people are not gonna become your soul winners that love the Lord. See, people that love the Lord, they don't wanna hear that kind of preaching. People that love the Lord, they're not doing deeds of evil. They're trying to live a godly life, and they wanna hear preaching like this. But when it comes to most people out there, are most people living a godly life? Are most people reading the Bible every day? Are most people trying to serve God and live a separated life? No, they're not. Very few people. And so the reality is they don't wanna go to a church where they're being preached to about how they need to change their life. You say, but Brother Stuckey, that's not the way I feel. Yeah, you must understand you're an exception. You're not the normal person. Look, you say, if somebody that I was friends with, a coworker, family member, would just hear this kind of preaching, they'd change their life. I do believe the Word of God can change people's hearts, but I also believe people can just close off their mind and their heart to the truth and say, I don't wanna hear that. And quite honestly, that is most people. That is why false prophets exist. And it says, my people love to have it so. Look, most people don't wanna know what the truth is. Even people that get saved, they are happy to know about salvation, and they say, hey, I'm going to heaven. That's all I care about because my life is all about me. But the Christian life is all about other people. And the truth is that there are not a lot of churches like this. See, church is supposed to be the pillar and ground of the truth. It's supposed to be teaching you the truth. It sets the right foundation. It's stable, it's strong, it's immovable. And when you come to Verity Baptist Church at our ninth anniversary, isn't that what you could say about Verity Baptist Church? This church truly is the pillar and the ground of the truth. Let's close in a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here in your house today, and I ask you to help us apply this sermon to our lives. Help us realize how special this church is, including myself, all the great things I learned here, and working with Pastor Menes and the great ministry we have here and the great things you're gonna do through the years at this church, God. Help us to appreciate a church like this and people like this and a pastor like this and a family that's serving you, God, in a wicked world that's not changing the message, not watering it down, not trying to build just this giant congregation, but trying to actually find people that love the Lord and trying to just preach the truth, God. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.