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

Now Hebrews chapter 9, and really the whole book of Hebrews, but Hebrews chapter 9 probably most clearly shows us, you know, what does it mean to be in the New Testament versus the Old Testament. Now, I want you to do something, if you have your Bible with you right now, I want you to take your Bible and put your finger in Matthew chapter 1, okay? Turn to Matthew chapter 1 in your Bible, and I want you to stick your finger in Matthew chapter 1 and hold up your Bible in front of you and look at it, okay? Now, do you notice something about the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament? The Old Testament is a lot longer than the New Testament, isn't it? You see that it's actually about four times as long. You might have some dictionaries and things in the back of your Bible, but if you just take the New Testament between your fingers and then take the Old Testament between your fingers, you'll see that the Old Testament is about four times as long. And yet today, many Christians and many so-called Christians want to throw out the Old Testament. They want to just throw it out and it seems like you'll try to show them a scripture from the Old Testament, and they say, oh, if that doesn't apply, that's the Old Testament, that's the Old Testament. Wait a minute. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is, present tense, profitable for doctrine. There is something to be gained from the Old Testament. We do not just believe the New Testament. We believe the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and Jesus said it best when he said, think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I came not to destroy but to fulfill, for verily, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. But there is something that has changed between the Old Testament and the New Testament. It doesn't mean the Old Testament is not profitable, but there are some specific changes that God has made from Old Testament to New Testament, and that's what I want to talk about this morning. Now, Hebrews chapter 9, let me give you some examples. Look at verse number 8. The Bible says in Hebrews 9, the Holy Ghost did signify that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle was yet standing, which was a figure for the time then present. So we're talking about something temporary. We're talking about the tabernacle, which was a figure for the time then present, which was a temporary sign or symbol. That's what figure means. It was symbolic for a temporary time. He says in verse number 10, or let's keep reading verse 9, which was a figure for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscious. Now, the Bible says in Hebrews 10, you don't have to turn there, but it says, it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin. It wasn't that in the Old Testament the animal sacrifice took away their sins. No, that was symbolic. It was a figure for the time then present pointing toward the one who would come, Jesus Christ, and John the Baptist would say, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world. They were never saved by sacrificing an animal. They were never saved by the blood of bulls and of goats. It was a figure. But look at verse number 10. It says, which stood only in meats and drinks. Now, the word meat in the Bible is just referring to food, not just meat. The Bible talks about things that are made out of flour and bait. It calls them meat as well. It's just a little bit different in the language. But it says, which stood only in meats and drinks and divers, washings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. So we see from that verse that restrictions regarding food, meats, drinks, washings, and also carnal ordinances, carnal means fleshly, physical ordinances that they went through were only imposed upon them, it says in verse 10 there, until the time of reformation. You say, what's the time of reformation? The next verse tells us, but Christ being come, so that was basically until the time of Christ coming, but Christ being come and high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the blood, just the flesh, not going to save your soul, he says in verse 14, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without supply to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God, and for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, we'll pick up there in a moment. But the Bible's clear, turn back to Genesis 9, the Bible's clear that there are certain things in the Old Testament that were only temporary for that specific time, and he's very careful to name what those things are. He said the meats, the dietary restrictions, the drinks, the carnal washings and carnal ordinances, where you had to bathe your flesh at a certain time and go through all this. Now I'm sure it's a good idea to keep on bathing your flesh, you know, I would take a shower every day or at least every other day, but the point is, those laws were a figure, were symbolic for the time then present until Christ would come. Now let me prove it to you even better, look at Genesis 9, because you have to understand, the Mosaic law was not given to Adam and Eve, that came later on, thousands of years later with Moses, but look at this, in Genesis 9, this is God speaking to Noah, he says in verse number 3, every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you, even as the green herb have I given you all things, but flesh with the life thereof which is the blood thereof shall ye not eat, and surely your blood of your lives will I require at the hand of every beast will I require, and at the hand of man, at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man, here's the death penalty in verse 6, who is so shed of man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God may he be man. Now this is before that tabernacle that we read about in Hebrews 9, this is before Moses and the children of Israel set up the tabernacle and had the morning and evening sacrifice, the holy of holies, the ark of the covenant, all of those things came later with Moses and the restrictions about certain animals that could be eaten and certain animals that could not be eaten, but let me tell you something, when Noah got off the ark, he was told he could eat any living creature that moved, I mean it's very clear. So when Noah got off the ark, he was allowed to eat pork, he was allowed to eat whatever animal you want to name, because God made clear every living thing was meat for him. Well then the Mosaic law, that temporary setting up of the Levitical priesthood with the tabernacle, the meats, the drinks, the washings, the whole thing, which was a picture, a symbol for the time then present, well then once Christ came, look at Acts chapter number 10, because when Christ came, which the Bible calls the time of reformation, you know we're not talking about John Calvin and Martin Luther and all those kinds, we're talking about what the Bible talks about the time of reformation, it says in Acts chapter 10, this is talking about after Jesus Christ had come and the veil had been reigned in twain in the temple and they were no longer to offer a sacrifice because Jesus was the sacrifice once for all. Look at the difference here in Acts chapter 10 verse number 10, this is Peter, it says he became very hungry and would have eaten, but while they made bread he fell into a trance and saw heaven open and a certain vessel descending unto him as it had been a great sheet knitted the four corners and let down to the earth wherein were all manner, you get that, all manner of four-footed beasts, it says, of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air and there came a voice to him, rise Peter, kill and eat, but Peter said not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean and the voice spake unto him again the second time, what God had cleansed that call not thou common. Now look at 1 Timothy chapter 4, it's even more clear, I wanted to show you that story but really I want to show you 1 Timothy chapter 4 where the Bible interprets that story for us, look at 1 Timothy 4 toward the end of the New Testament, it says in verse 1, now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and, boy are we living in that time, and it says, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth for every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the word of God and in prayer. And so today we don't go by the physical fleshly ordinances, the washings, we don't go by the dietary restrictions, every creature of God is good, just pray for it before you eat it, that God will bless it and eat pork, carnitas, bacon, whatever, because we're not living in that Old Testament, we're living in the New Testament. But does that mean we should grow out the Old Testament? That means all of God's laws in the Old Testament are null and void? Absolutely not, we're going to get to that later. God specifically showed us the difference between Old and New Testament and the problem is Christians don't know the book of Hebrews, it's not just chapter 9, the whole book of Hebrews is there to give us the relationship between Old and New Testament, to explain to us in perfect detail what we need to know about the differences in the New Testament that we're living in. But it's clear that the food, the drinks, those things have been repealed, but back to Hebrews 9, let's see what else has been changed. Hebrews 9, let me get back there myself, but in Hebrews 9, we left off reading in verse 14, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Now look, that makes it clear that the people in the Old Testament, their sins were forgiven by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, just like ours. He said that he died for the sins that were under the First Testament as well. And so when Jesus Christ died on the cross, he was dying for the sins of all mankind, past, present, and future. Now people will try to say, in the Old Testament they were saved by works, now we're saved by grace. Wait a minute, no one has ever been good enough to go to heaven in the history of mankind. Adam wasn't good enough to go to heaven, Abel wasn't good enough to go to heaven, the Bible says Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, that means he got something he didn't deserve. Noah found grace together. Abraham believed God and it was counted in there for righteousness. No one has ever been saved by their good works. No one ever will be saved by their good works. We are saved by grace through faith, and it has always been so. You say, well in the Old Testament they had to do the work. Now wait a minute, you're telling me that in the Old Testament they had to do the work, but today if a person believes that they have to do the work, they're not saved, and they're going to hell. You know, God doesn't change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Jesus told Nicodemus long before he died on the cross, in John chapter 3 he said, verily verily I say unto you, ye must be born again. He said that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Two Nicodemus, and he even expected him to already know that, because he said art thou a master in Israel and knowest not these things? That's why it says in Acts chapter 10 when Peter was preaching to Cornelius, he said to him give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth shall receive remission of sins. That's Peter saying all the prophets from Abel all the way to Zacharias preached that whosoever believeth might receive remission of sins. That's what Peter said in Acts chapter 10. And so there's not a new gospel in the New Testament. Oh, back then they had to do the work, now we're saved by grace. No, it's always been by grace. The age of grace, we're not living in the age of grace now, except the age of grace that started back in the garden of Eden. The age of grace that started when Abel died and went to heaven, he was going by grace. He didn't deserve it. He was a sinner just like I'm a sinner just like you're a sinner. Abel was a sinner, Noah was a sinner, Abraham was a sinner. The only way that they made to heaven was by grace and they believed God, they had faith in the Lord and they were saved as a result. So what has not changed? Salvation. What has changed? You know, foods, drinks, and washings, right? Also the other thing that's changed that we see here is that we no longer need the blood sacrifice that they used in the Old Testament to purify the flesh. That's symbolism. Today it would be blasphemous, my friend, for us to offer a lamb on an altered day because it would be saying that Jesus Christ, once for all, dead on the cross was insufficient, that we have to somehow offer another sacrifice again and again and again. No, Jesus died once for all. We don't need another sacrifice and one day there will be a morning and evening sacrifice in Jerusalem. Study the end times, study Matthew 24, study Daniel, study Revelation and it's going to be the anti-Christ and his crowd that are going to rebuild that temple, have the morning and evening sacrifice. You know, the people today that want to bring the Jews to Israel and rebuild the temple and all this stuff and, oh, there's a mosque on the side of the temple. We need the new temple. You know, that temple one day is going to be built and it's going to be to offer blasphemous sacrifices that Jesus already paid when he died on the cross, once for all. We don't need to build a temple over there. Hey, our building is not of God, or not of man, it's of God eternal in the heavens, the Bible says. Where our citizenship is not in Jerusalem, it's going to be the new Jerusalem that cometh down from God out of heaven. Not a physical Jerusalem, not a physical altar where lambs will be sacrificed. That is wrong. If someone sacrifices a blood sacrifice today of a lamb, it's wrong. Now the Jews don't even do it. They claim to believe their Old Testament, they claim to believe they're still looking for the Messiah. They don't sacrifice the lamb, but if they did it would be blasphemy against the sacrifices that may once for all. That's why when Jesus celebrated the Passover, he just had the unleavened bread and the juice, because hey, he was the Passover. They didn't have to kill the lamb. He was killed as the Passover lamb. And when we celebrate the Passover today, is when we have the Lord's Supper in church, the lamb's been slain. We just take the unleavened bread and the wine, which the Bible used the word wine, obviously it's not talking about we all get drunk, we all drink and everything. The Bible uses the word wine, that's a whole other sermon for Jews inside of a grape that hasn't even picked yet. That's just the difference in the English language over the last 200 years. But look if you would at Matthew 5. So we see, yes there is a difference between the Old and New Testament. What's that difference? Well first of all, we don't have to live by these dietary restrictions. The washings, we can basically shower on our own schedule. Also, we don't go to the tabernacle. We don't sacrifice a lamb. We don't sacrifice a bullock. We don't participate in those things because Jesus has already fulfilled all of those different signs and figures that were present with the tabernacle. There's a difference in the priesthood. It was the Levitical priesthood. Today we're the priesthood. After the order of Melchizedek, Jesus is our high priest and we as Baptists believe in the priesthood of the believer because the Bible says that you are a chosen generation of royal priesthood. And that's probably to every believer in the books of 1 and 2 Peter. The Bible says in Revelation 1, he has made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign in the earth. And many times in the book of Revelation, 1 and 2 Peter, we are told that we are priests. Somebody asked me one time, are you a priest? Because they knew that I was the pastor of a Baptist church. And they were coming from a Catholic background so they're not thinking in terms of pastors, they're thinking of the priest like the guy that's calling them. Whenever they say, are you a priest? I say, yes I am. Are you a Baptist priest? I say, yes I'm a Baptist priest. But you know, so are you. I'm not some kind of a special priest up here. I'm not a mediator between you and God. There's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. But we see here in Matthew, did I tell you to turn to Matthew 5? In Matthew 5 we're going to see another thing that has not changed. Because we see that some things did change and God is very specific about those. Let's see what did not change. Matthew chapter 5 makes this clear. Look at verse number 17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments. What least commandments are we talking about? The Old Testament because he said the law and the prophets. Now the law contains commandments. The prophets contain many commandments. He said don't think that I'm coming to destroy the law or the prophets. I came not to destroy but to fulfill. He's saying those commandments aren't going anywhere. And he said whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments is he talking about the Epistles of Paul which hadn't even been delivered to man yet? No. This is Matthew 5. The only scriptures that they had available to them at this time was the Old Testament. And he says whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Wow that's a pretty powerful statement isn't it? So the pastor who tells you, oh forget the Old Testament. We're in the age of grace. If it feels good, do it. And if the Holy Spirit hasn't spoken to you about it, it may not be wrong for you. You know it may be wrong for them but hey as long as the Holy Spirit hasn't told you it's wrong, as long as you feel okay about it, as long as your conscience isn't bothering you, you know legalism and all these laws and commandments. No man, we're in the age of grace. When he gets to heaven he's going to wear around a big sign that says Mr. Least. Mr. Least in the kingdom of heaven. He's going to be on the, I mean that pastor, the Bible says who teaches that doctrine is going to be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. You know the ones of them who are truly saved, who are teaching that kind of doctrine, when they get to heaven, they're going to be on the bottom shelf my friend. They're going to be sweeping the floor and cleaning up the place while those who teach men to keep God's commandments from the Old Testament will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Now what do you want to be called when you get up to heaven? Now hey, I'm just glad I'm going to heaven, right? Hey, no matter who you are, if you're going to heaven, you're in good shape. But you know what, when I get there, I think I'd rather be called great than oh, this was the least preacher in America. This was the worst preacher. I mean, thank God he was saved, but this guy was raped. This guy was the least. He was the worst. I mean, let's stop and think about it. Is that how we rape preachers today? Oh man, that preacher's mean. You know, he's the least. This guy, man, he's just, he, and preachers today, they twist scripture. Here's a scripture that they twist. I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. So that's all I'm going to preach. Hold on now. Wait a minute. We're supposed to preach the whole word. Get the context, because that's a great statement, and I use that statement all the time. That's in 1 Corinthians 2. He says, when I'm speaking to unsaved people, I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. He said, well, we don't need to preach a bunch of laws to people who aren't saved. We need to preach them the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. But he says, how be it, among them that are perfect, we preach wisdom. Not the wisdom of the world, but the wisdom which is of God. So he says, when we first came to you, we just, hey, it was all about Jesus Christ and him crucified, but now that you're saved, now that you are made righteous and justified, now I'm going to preach to you. And look at all the preaching in 1 Corinthians. That wasn't all about Jesus and him crucified. He was rebuking fornication. He was rebuking lying and stealing. He was rebuking all kinds of things. And so these preachers will twist scripture and say, oh, I'm just going to preach about Jesus. You know what? Jesus is the word, number one. So why don't you preach what he said, which is the whole Bible. But they'll say, well, you know, I don't want to preach these Old Testament commands. You be a legalist. Now, can somebody tell me what the word legalism means? Now, I'm honestly asking you. Because to me, here's the way I see it. And correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm honestly looking for a definition of this. Because to me, the ending ism, is or ism, when I was in school, I learned that that means someone who believes it. Is, like a monotheist, was someone who believes in one God. Mono means one, theo means God. Is means someone who believes it. A polytheist, someone who believes in more than one God. You know? An abortionist, someone who believes in abortion. An atheist, someone who believes that there is no God. So to me, a legalist is someone who believes in the law. Now, I believe in God's law. Does that make me a legalist? I mean, somebody help me out. But are you a legalist? You're a legalist. OK. Yes, I am a legalist. Yes, I believe in God's law. And I will follow God's law to the best of my ability and teach other men to do so, because I want to be called Pastor Great when I get to heaven. Not Pastor Least Less Lesser Less. And so, the Bible is clear here. Look at verse 20. For I say unto you, he throws this in, except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. So in verse number 20, verse 19, he's saying, you know, this is just going to be called great in the kingdom of heaven. This is going to be called the least in heaven. And then he just says, and if your righteousness isn't better than the scribes' righteousness, you're not even going to heaven. Now you say, wait a minute, you have to be righteous? Paul said it this way. Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth him godly, his faith is counted for righteousness. You see, the scribes were pretty righteous people as far as following the Old Testament laws. I mean, they were constantly copying God's word. They lived a clean and separated life, but it wasn't good enough. And he said, you're going to have to exceed that to get to heaven. You have to be perfect to go to heaven. But thank God, it's not my own righteousness that's going to get me to heaven. It's the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed unto me because I'm a believer. That's why it said in Romans chapter 10, Paul said, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear the record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Now look, is it the end of the law as rules that we should live by? No. But as far as your righteousness, the law's not going to get you to heaven. Keeping the law's not going to get you to heaven. So that's why he said that in verse 20. He made that clear. But look at verse 21. Now a lot of people think, well, the God of the Old Testament was very strict, very demanding, and in the New Testament he just really lighted up. You know what I mean? He just really backed off and loosened up. Now hold on, think about it. Doesn't the Bible say unto whom much is given of him shall much be required? Now I would think that since we have so much more available today, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have the whole Bible, Genesis to Revelation, we have the local church where we can assemble, wouldn't more be required of us? And people say, oh, in the Old Testament it was strict. New Testament, hey, anything goes. Well, let's read this and let's see. And by the way, this is the first sermon that you'll read of Jesus preaching if you start reading the New Testament. You turn to Matthew 1. This is the first exposure to Jesus preaching, the Sermon on the Mount. Look what he says in verse 21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, killing's fine. Is that what he said? But that was the Old Testament. Don't be a legalist. It's okay to kill as long as the Holy Spirit doesn't convict you about it. You know, I mean, maybe the Holy Spirit just hasn't revealed to you yet that killing is wrong. You know, and sometimes, you know, now look, is that what he said? No. He said, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Now let me ask you something, is that more strict or less strict? He said, hey, it's not just killing that's wrong, it's also being angry without a cause. Now anger's not wrong, but being angry with your brother without a cause is a sin. He says, and whosoever shall say to his brother, Rekha, shall be in danger of the counsel. That's why whenever my kids say Rekha, I spank them. They say to their brother, no, I'm just kidding. I don't even know what that means. But it's some kind of a statement or a cursing that would basically incite, okay, incite someone against you is what he said. Because he's saying, you know, you're getting angry, picking a fight with people for no reason, telling them Rekha, you know, getting mad at them. And then he says, but whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. Now, is that saying that it's wrong to ever say to anyone, thou fool? Well, Paul said to the Galatians and to the Corinthians, thou fool. In 1 Corinthians 15, right, Paul says to the Corinthians, he said, thou fool. But get the context. It's talking about picking a, hey, you fool, Rekha, you know. And then you're upset, you wonder why there's a fight or someone dies as a result of picking a fight like that. That's what he's talking about, okay. Because there are people in the Bible, Jesus said, thou fool, Paul said, thou fool to people, okay. And so get the context. That's what he's saying. So is it a sin to pick a fight with someone for no reason? Either with your words or through your actions, you know, calling them names, getting angry, picking a fight with somebody for no reason? Yes, it is. Let's jump down to verse number 27. You have heard that it was said by them of all time, thou shalt not commit adultery, but in the New Testament, it's free love. Is that what it says? No, it says, you've heard that it was said by them of all time, thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her had committed adultery with her already in his heart. So is that more lenient or less lenient? Now let me ask, but see, here's what I don't want you to mix up here. God's laws didn't change. Now killing was still wrong. Adultery is still wrong. But wait a minute, is this a new law that Jesus is doing about looking on a woman to lust after her? No. The Old Testament speaks against lust. I don't care if it was Noah lusting, thinking of lustful thought, it's always been a sin. You know, God's laws forever settled in heaven. What's right now has always been right, what's wrong is wrong. It was wrong in the Old Testament. The Bible says in Proverbs, lust not after her beauty in thy heart. Job said, I made a covenant with mine eyes, how then should I think upon a man? On and on through the Old Testament, speaking against lust. But Jesus is just showing them, hey, it's more than just the Ten Commandments. Not killing and not committing adultery is not enough. He's saying, you shouldn't even be looking with lust. You shouldn't even be going out and picking a fight with people. He's saying, you shouldn't be angry with your brother without a cause. But look at verse number 31. It hath been said, whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a riding of divorce men. But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeeth her to commit adultery, and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, commiteth adultery. Now, is that more strict or less strict? Nothing here is backing off anything. Jesus is calling for more righteousness, more clean living. Oh, Jesus just preached love and accept everybody and accept every lifestyle and accept every way of life. No, Jesus preached the Old Testament and he said, let me make it even clearer, let me call for an even higher standard, and it goes on and on. Look at the next one. Again, he had heard that it had been said by them the whole time, thou shalt not forswear thyself, which means to make a vow and then break that vow. He says, but shalt perform unto the Lord the Lord of the notes. But I say unto you, swear not at all. Now, is that saying it's okay to break a note? No. He's just saying, you know, swear not at all. He said, don't swear by heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king, neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black, but let your communication be yea, yea, nay, nay, for what service more than these cometh evil? Ye have heard that it had been said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Now, wait a minute, hold on. What were the first examples that we had? Thou shalt not kill, but don't even say reika, right? Thou shalt not commit adultery, don't even look with lust. But were killing and adultery still wrong? Yea. Okay? Thou shalt not forswear thyself, okay, but don't even swear at all. Was it still wrong to forswear yourself? Absolutely. Every example. So here, when he says, you've heard that it had been said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, is God repealing eye for eye and tooth for tooth? The first thing he said was, before I even preach this sermon, I want you to know that I am not come to destroy the law of the prophets but to fulfill it. Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth still applies. Life for life. That was all the way back in Genesis chapter 9, before the Mosaic law was even created. I mean it was created but before it was revealed to mankind. Okay? Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, life for life is God's law, my friend. But what he's saying here, he's adding something more for Christians, a higher standard of saying, hey, I'm going to allow someone to smite me on the cheek. I'm going to allow somebody, look at verse 40, if any man will soothe thee at the law and take away thy cloak. Let him have thy cloak also. Now does that mean that it's right for somebody to steal your coat? Does that make it right for somebody to steal your cloak? No. But he's saying, hey, suffer yourselves to be defrauded. Like he said in 1 Corinthians where he talked about people suing each other. He said, hey, somebody in the church is suing you to say fine, here you can have it. Here's an extra 50 bucks. I'm not going to sit here and fight with you. But does that make it right? No. And so people will try to use these scriptures and say, oh, see, that's where he did away with the death penalty right there. Wrong. The death penalty still applies today, my friend. Don't sit there and say, well, there's no death penalty today. Just because Jesus gives us the command that we should let things go if somebody smites us on the cheek, turn them down also. You know, I've had people physically attack me before. It doesn't mean that I'm necessarily supposed to strike them back. Now, this isn't talking about somebody trying to kill you. This is just somebody smiting you on the cheek. There's a difference between somebody slapping you in the face and pulling your head on you, right? Two different things. But here he's saying, hey, resist not evil. Somebody smites you on the cheek. But are we going to say, oh, let's tell this to the government. No more justice. No more eye for eye. No more tooth for tooth. If people murder, just forgive them. Let them go. People are nuts, aren't they? Hey, God's laws do not change. He came to explain them. He came to expound upon them. He came to fulfill them. But he does not negate any of these commands. And today, eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is still today's motto for justice, then and now and forever. And people say, oh, the Old Testament is like eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Well, you know what? That's God's word. That's God's pronouncement of judgment. Just like thou shalt not kill didn't change, get it in the context of the chakra. Just like adultery didn't change. It's like divorce didn't change. Just like swearing didn't change. And then looking out at the next one, it says, ye have heard that it has been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. Now, does it say anywhere in that verse that the Bible ever said that? No. Because he said before, it's written. He said, you've heard that it was said by them a little time. It's written. But look, did God ever say anywhere in the Old Testament, love your neighbor and hate your enemy? Never did he say that. He never said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Did he say thou shalt not kill? Yeah, I can turn you to that. That's Exodus chapter 20. Did he say thou shalt not commit adultery? Exodus 20, Deuteronomy chapter 5. Did he say all his other things? Yes. But did God ever say in the Bible, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy? No, he just said it's been said. People have said that. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully confuse you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your father which is in heaven, for he maketh his son to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publican so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect. Now look, we are commanded by God to love our enemies. Someone who is trying to sue us, someone who is trying to steal from us, someone who is maligning us and speaking evil of us, blaspheming us, persecuting us, we're to love our enemies the Bible says. Right? Pretty clear, right? Amen. Amen and amen. We're to love our enemies. Now let me give you an example. Whenever I was beaten up and tasered by the border patrol and the Arizona State Police, and they basically tortured me with a taser for 18 seconds straight with no reprieve, they maliciously slammed my face in broken glass for no reason. I was just sitting there like this, not resisting, doing nothing. We got the evidence on video and pictures. There's no question about it. The evidence is there. But you know what? I can honestly say that I was memorizing the names of those who did this to me. When I was sitting in that trailer and blood was coming down my face, I said I was all tied up behind my back. I was memorizing the names of the border patrol agents and the DPS officers because I wanted to be able to have the evidence against the people who have beaten and abused me. Okay? Obviously I needed that evidence. But you know what? When I was in the back of the squad car, I had to go to the bathroom. I had to be driven for an hour. I was all jammed in there, tied by my back. My head's bashed in. I had broken glass still in my head. Blood, everything. You know what? I prayed for each of those people by name that they would be saved. I did. Hey, as Paul said, God is my witness. As I can stand here today, I can tell you that I prayed for each of them by name that they would be saved. And I prayed and said, God, I said, you know what? I said, you know, these people have abused me and done wrong for me. But I said, you know what? Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do. I said, you know what? I said, I don't want these guys to go to hell just because they, you know, they did wrong. They've been brainwashed. They've been trained. They're just following their training. They've committed sin. They've beaten someone who's innocent. They've laughed about it. They thought it was funny. They smiled about it. But I said, you know what, God? I said, forgive them. And I prayed very specifically. I said, God, I pray that somebody in Yuma, maybe there's a Baptist church in Yuma that would go knock doors and bring them the gospel. That somebody would knock on their door and ask them, do you know for sure that I didn't give them the gospel if they could be saved? I said, I don't even want them to go to hell, okay? You told us to love our enemies. I'm praying for them to be saved. But does that mean that they should be punished for what they did? No. But do I want them to go to hell? Do I hate them? Do I hate those agents and those officers? I honestly can tell you right now, I do not hate them. I have no hatred in my heart for them at all. I love them and wish that they would be saved. Okay, but people will take this scripture and they'll try it and they'll try to negate the Old Testament with it. And in the Old Testament, I can show you at least 30 places where the Bible talks about people who He does hate and who we are commanded to hate. And people say, oh, hate is wrong. Oh, hate is wrong. Love, love, love. That is false doctrine. There's a time to love and a time to hate. A time of war and a time of peace. Who do we hate? Should we hate our enemies? Should we hate those who do wrong to us? Should we hate those who despitefully use us and persecute us? No. But the Bible makes it clear that the wicked and him that loveth violence, his soul hated him. Now it's one thing for me to forgive somebody who wrongs me. Forgive somebody who steals from me. But you know what, the Old Testament is clear. You say, oh, you're preaching hate. Yes, I am preaching hate. Yes, I'm preaching love and I'm preaching hate. Because I'm going to preach the Word. And I'm not going to preach a one-sided message today that's just all love. Look at some of the scripture. Look at Psalm chapter 5. We'll go through some of these. You know, the Bible is consistent. And people don't like this kind of preaching and that's why you don't hear this kind of preaching. But it's true. The Bible says in Psalm chapter 5, I'm going to show you just a few of these scriptures. I'm going to close with this. Psalm chapter 5, the Bible says in verse number 5, the foolish shall not stand in thy side. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing. The Lord will abhor, which means to hate, to despise, the bloody and deceitful man. Look at Psalm chapter 11. Psalm 11, verse 5. The Lord triteth the righteous, but the wicked and him that loveth violence, his soul hated. And you say, well, that's not telling us to hate. Okay, let me show you some scriptures that are telling us to hate. Keep your finger in 2 Chronicles 19. Put a finger in 2 Chronicles 19 in terms of Psalm 139. Psalm 139. And notice it's the violent, the bloody, the evil, the deceitful, the evildoer that wants to violate innocent life and murder innocent people and they enjoy it and they want to rape and molest. Hey, the Jeffrey Dahmer's, the Adolf Hitler's, the Joseph Stalin's, the Mao Zedong, the John Wayne Gacy, these sick, inhuman animals that would be just wanting to molest your child that are on the list for being a pedophile and they go to jail for 4 or 5 years and then they get out and they're on the loose and they want to come to your house and they'd love to get your cute little boys and girls and abuse them. Look what the Bible says. Verse 19 of Psalm 139. So look, we're going to love our enemies, our personal enemies. But those who are haters of God, those who are evil and hateful toward the Lord Jesus Christ and God, he says, hey, I hate them that hate thee, is what David said. The man after God's in the heart, the sweet psalmist of Israel, said I hate them, in verse 22, with the perfect hatred. I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Look back at 2 Chronicles 19. 2 Chronicles 19. The problem is that people today think we somehow got a new God in the New Testament. Nope, same God. Same Lord. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One word of God. It's not changed. 2 Chronicles 19 2, watch this. Love them that hate the Lord? So he's being rebuked here in 2 Chronicles 19 2 for loving those who hate the Lord. And he says, therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. So he says, shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Look at Hosea 9.15. Hosea is at the end of the Old Testament. And really, I can't show you every verse that talks about us hating bloody, deceitful, violent people. I can't show you every scripture that talks about how God hates people that are sick and perverted and rapists. But you know what? How many do you have to see before you believe that it's God's word? You know what I mean? I'm just going to show you a few. Look at Hosea 9.15. This is the Lord speaking. Because you know, holy men of God's fake is they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Hosea is written by God. Psalms is written by God. Genesis is written by God. Look at Hosea 9.15. All their wickedness is in Gilgal. For there I hated them. For the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house. I will love them no more. All their princes are revolters. Look back at Leviticus chapter 20 quickly. Leviticus chapter number 20. Actually I believe it's chapter 18 is what I was looking for. Leviticus chapter 18. Let's see here. Good night. I'm having trouble finding the verse that I'm looking for. But it says in verse number 22. Leviticus 18.22 it says, Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind. It is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith. Neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto. It is confusion. Defile not yourselves in any of these things. For in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you, and the land is defiled. Therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomit thou their inhabitants. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, neither any of your own nation nor any stranger that so drinketh among you. For all these abominations have the men of the land done which were before you, and the land is defiled. That the land spew not you out also when you defile as it spewed out the nations which were before you. For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore ye shall keep mine ordinance that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein. I am the Lord your God. Now I'm trying to find the verse I'm looking for. Let's see here. Maybe it's in chapter 20. I will not stop until I find it, so help me find it. But anyway, look at verse number 22. Now in chapter, let me explain to you, look at chapter 20, Leviticus 20 verse 22. Let me explain to you the difference between Leviticus 18 and Leviticus 20. In Leviticus 18, God gives us a list of a lot of abominable, horrible things that we should not be doing. In Leviticus 20, he comes back and gives us a punishment for those things, and he lists them again. One of them, of course, Leviticus 20. It says, if a man also lied with one mankind, as he lied with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. Look at verse number 22. Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my judgments and do them, that the land whither I bring you out to dwell therein spew you not out. That's exactly what he said in chapter 18. And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you. For they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. And that's why they all died. That's why God sent them to the throne of Israel and they slew the Canaanites, the Hivites, the Parisites, the Jebusites, the Amorites. Look, God is love. God is the God of love. But you can't love the flowers without hating the weeds. You can't just say, oh, I love everybody. Adolf Hitler, I love Hitler. I mean, think about it. I'm being attacked right now in the media. You know, CNN, MSNBC, you know, the reporters out there. Somebody's holding a sign saying abort Pastor Anderson and he's Satan and all this stuff right outside our church right now. But wait a minute. Hold on a second. If I held up a sign that said I love Hitler or I love Stalin or I love Jeffrey Dahmer, people would think I was a sick person, wouldn't they? I mean, what if I put a sticker on the back of my car that said, you know, I love mass murderers. Think about that. But wait a minute now. If I put a sign on the back of my car that said I love mass murderers, I love pedophiles, I love freaks and weirdos, I love perverts, I love rapists, you know what? People would think I was sick and I would be sick if I loved rapists, if I loved pedophiles, if I loved Adolf Hitler. Well, you know, I would agree with everything about him. But, you know, I'd say no. You'd say no. The guy's a mass murderer. You know, Adolf Hitler was a mass murderer. He was evil, a satanic. Boy, he needed to die. Right? It's wicked. But then today, you'll point out the Adolf Hitlers of today, the people today who want genocide and infanticide and mindless warfare all over the world. You know, they want to kill a million Iraqis and who cares and whatever, you know. And they want to, for the love of money, which is the root of all evil, they want to go fight a bunch of wars, they want to murder the unborn, they want to kill people, they want to torture people. And the United States of America, which has the Constitution, which says cruel and unusual punishments shall not be inflicted. And they want to torture people in our country. It's unbelievable. You say, oh, but that's not what Sean Hannity said. That's not what I heard from Russ Limbaugh. Why don't you read the Bible? Nowhere does God tell us to torture anyone. Our Constitution says it's illegal to torture anyone. And yet today, we have torturers, murderers, thieves running our country and you try to point somebody out and say they're wicked. They're wicked. I hope they get brain cancer like Ted Kennedy. The wicked evil doer that he was. And then you get all over CNN and MSNBC for preaching what David preached. For David said in Psalm 55, 15, let them go down quick into hell. Their blood be upon them. I mean, that's one example. But you see, people today, they want to take their Bible and they want to tear out the first 80% of it and just remove it. And then they want to remove a lot of the New Testament too, right? Because the Book of Revelation, we can't handle that. And then, oh man, this part where Jesus is calling the Pharisees' names. No real preacher would ever call anybody names. We got to get rid of that. That must not really be right. The part where Jesus is chasing people out of the temple with a whip, better remove that part too. That kind of destroys that image that we have on the Hallmark card of Jesus as a long-haired pot-smoking hippie or something. I mean, sometimes I literally want to...and you know, it's funny, but at the same time, it's blasphemous, the pictures that they have of Jesus. I mean, I want to go up and draw the marijuana cigarette in his mouth because that's the only thing that's missing. And they say, that's Jesus. No, it's not Jesus. Jesus is the Word. If you want a picture of Jesus, open the Bible and start reading it. You'll know who Jesus is. You don't need to look at a picture. You can read the Word. And I'm here to tell you this morning, God is not just the God of sweetness and light. Yes, He's the God of heaven, but He's also the God of hell. Yes, He's the God of love, but He's also the God of wrath and vengeance. And I'm going to tell you something, whether I preach or not, and you know what? It seems like I'm the only one preaching it. Because where are all the pastors of America standing up and saying, hey, what Pastor Anderson is saying was from the Bible and we agree with it. We'll stand with Him. We'll stand with God's Word. We'll stand with the truth. No, they're all like... And I'm like... Where are they at? Huh? Why doesn't somebody take a stand today and say, hey, I'm with the King James Version and I'm against Obama. I'm against the homosexuals. I'm against the left wing communist revolution that's going on right now, whether you know it or not, whether you'll acknowledge it or not. Why doesn't somebody stand with me and say, I am with Steven Anderson? No. No, because you know what? They're scared. That's why. They'll probably send me a little email and say, I agree with you. You know what? Here's the funny thing. Whether any of them agree with me or not or stand with me or not. And even if it's just me alone and everybody else is like, man, I don't know that guy. He's not my friend. It doesn't change the truth. And you know what? I could get up and lie to you this morning and say, oh, man, God just loves everybody. And boy, He did love the world and die for everybody. He died for Hitler. But Hitler rejected the truth and he became a reprobate and became an evil person, okay? And they're evil people today. But let me tell you something. Whether I tell you the truth this morning or lie to you, whether I stand up here and say it's all sweetness and light, everything's great, or whether I'm the only preacher preaching and nobody else does, it doesn't change the truth. And one day, my friend, God will pour out His wrath on this world. And let me tell you something. At the first moment when the people of America and the people of the world get their first sight of Jesus Christ's second coming, they will instantly know that it was not who they thought it was. They're not, you know, wait a minute. Where's the long hair? You know what I mean? Wait a minute. He's not wearing a tunic. He's not wearing a dress. Wait a minute. He looks mad. Hey, it's going to take him this long to say, you know what, to the rocks, fall on us. Hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of His wrath has come and who shall be able to stand? And you know what? I can preach whatever you want me to preach, and other pastors can preach whatever their congregation wants them to preach, and we can all smile and say that God is only love and He's only happy. But you know what? One day, Jesus is coming in the clouds, my friend. It's real. Jesus will come in the clouds, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn when they see Him. And they will be scared to death, running for the rocks and the mountains to hide from Him. It's coming, my friend. And you know what? If your pastor is going to lie to you or I'm going to water down and tone it down lightly, nothing can change the truth. And you know, go ahead. Let the heathen rage. Let the people imagine the vain thing. I will preach this book until I die, and they're not going to stop me. Nobody's going to stop me. It's the truth. And you know what? You call me a hate monger? You know what? I'm a love monger, okay? I was out yesterday all day knocking doors trying to get people to go out and tell them how to be saved. I'll do it again today. I'll do it again next week. Hey, we're preaching the good news, the gospel. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. But we're preaching a rebuke to this nation, because this nation needs a swift kick in the pants, or we're all done for. And it's not just going to be Pastor Anderson. It'll be all of us. Let's bow our heads in that word of prayer.