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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Father God, we want to come before you as a congregation this evening to lift up our prayers and praises to your holy name. We want to start off by praying for opportunities to preach to unsaved family, friends and co-workers. We pray for the health and safety of all of our church families. We want to pray for the spiritual growth and wisdom of our church as a whole. We pray that God will continue to meet our church financial needs as we grow in number and space. We pray for the spiritual needs of our communities that they would desire the sincere word of God and to grow in doctrine. We pray for the safety, health, understanding and wisdom of our children as they grow up in this decaying world. We pray for the like-minded churches to continue to grow and be protected from those that wish us all evil. We pray for the wicked leaders in our local, state and national governments to be removed. And we pray for continued medical freedom when it comes to any medical mandates that our government tries to put upon us. And we want to pray for Brother Kevin's job situation, Lord. And we want to pray for safe and healthy pregnancies and deliveries for expecting mothers in the church, Lord Miss Melissa and Miss Joanna. And we want to pray for the health of Stan's brother. And we also want to pray for Brother Stan for safety during his travels. And we want to pray for Miss Melissa. She has an unspoken prayer here, Lord. You know all the details in that matter, Lord. We just pray that you meet your needs in that. And Lord, we just want to pray for Miss Bella's speech therapy as well. We want to pray for Miss Melissa. She has an unspoken as well, Lord. You know all the details in that matter, Lord. We pray that you meet your needs. And we want to pray that her parents would get the opportunity to give the gospel to her grandparents. Lord, we pray that you be with them in that situation and that you soften her grandparents' hearts to hearing the gospel. And we want to pray for Miss Patty, her family, to be open to hearing the gospel. And we also want to pray that she has safe travels for her upcoming trip. We want to pray for the healing and recovery of our church family who have been getting sick. And we just want to pray for extra protection during this upcoming allergy season, Lord. We want to pray that you protect us from all the elements that the change of seasons may bring. And we want to pray for Brother Skolk. He also has an unspoken prayer, Lord. We just pray that you meet his needs in that situation, Lord. And we want to pray for his unsaved family to open their hearts and that they receive the gospel openly and happily, Lord. And we want to pray for the upcoming church soul-winning event this weekend. We pray that people would have their hearts softened in hearing the gospel and that we'd see a great harvest out there, Lord. And we also want to pray for James. He has an unspoken prayer for his family, Lord. You know all the details of that, Lord. We just pray for his family that you be with them. And we want to pray for the health and well-being of Brother Joe Maple's family and the issues with his mom's health, Lord. We just pray for him and we thank you for him and his family. And Lord, we want to praise you, Lord, for the safe and healthy arrival of baby Selah Akers. We thank you for her and we just pray that you bless her. And we want to thank you for all of our church families and those who have been able to get saved. We thank you for our freedom to continuously preach the gospel every week and for you keeping us safe during the battles we all fight. We want to thank you for exposing those who would come into the church to do harm and that you weeded them out and that they're no longer here. And we want to thank you for Brother Jeff's new job. We thank you for him and we pray that you bless him in that new job. And we also want to thank you for Brother Kevin Jr. that he's no longer having scoliosis, pinched nerves, and any more seizures, Lord. We thank you for him and we pray that you bless him. And we also thank you for Brother Kevin's new job. And we pray that you bless him in that as well. And we pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Turn to Joshua chapter 5. Verse 1. And it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel. Until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was their spirit in them anymore because of the children of Israel. At that time, the Lord said unto Joshua, Make these sharp knives and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. And Joshua made him sharp knives and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise all the people that came out of Egypt that were males. Even all the men of war died in the wilderness by the way after they came out of Egypt. Now all the people that came out were circumcised, but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war which came out of Egypt were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord. Unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers, that he would give us a land that floweth with milk and honey. And their children whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised. For they were not uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from Ophiu, wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched corns in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land. Neither had the children of Israel manna any more, but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him, with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay, but as captain of the hosts of the Lord, am I now come? And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's hosts said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. Dad, would you lead us into a word of prayer? Thank you, Father, for blessing us here with another church service. In Jesus' name, amen. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen. All right, amen. Joshua chapter number five. So just to get you a real quick context of where we're at in the history of the Old Testament here. So the children of Israel are now led by Joshua. Moses has passed away, and God has brought them over Jordan. Kind of like how he brought the children of Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea. He dried up the ground. Same event, right, but only we're dealing with the Jordan. And so in chapter four, God says to the children of Israel that he wants them to set up these 12 stones, and those 12 stones would be a sign confirming that event. It was meant so that when people would come by later on, like the children and the subsequent generations, and say, Hey, what mean these 12 stones? God said, You're supposed to explain to them the miraculous victory that God gave the children of Israel by drying up the Jordan and bringing the children of Israel across onto our land. So with that understanding now out in the open, we're going to focus on the verses here 13 through 15. Now the end of verse 13 there, I want you to look after that last comma there. Joshua, seeing this man with a sword drawn, right, he's curious. He's kind of wondering what in the world's going on here. He asks him this question, Art thou for us or for our adversaries? Look at verse 14, it says this, And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord, am I now come? And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? So we're going to stop right there. We'll come back and break that down here in a minute. Now the title of the sermon this evening is Soy Boys in Silly Suits. Soy Boys in Silly Suits. What in the world does that mean? What does that have to do with anything? Well, obviously, you know what a soy boy is, okay? It's a term that we give people that are displaying effeminate qualities. Somebody who can't make up their mind on anything, who can't take a side, who can't choose right or wrong, black and white. It's always just, well, the truth is, you know, there's a whole third side of the coin, basically, okay? Brother David sent me a sermon a while back. It was called The Third Side of a Coin. And since then, I've seen tons of them. So I don't know if these guys share notes or share books, or they go to the same website to get their sermons, but I've seen quite a bit of this third side of the coin type deal, okay? And all this is is a cop-out, okay? And I'll explain that here in a second. So Soy Boys in Silly Suits. Silly Suits is just a reference to somebody being foolish. That's all it is, okay? So when people take this idea, well, you know, we shouldn't be necessarily against abortion really harshly because that could offend the world, but we don't want to promote it either, okay? What these new evangelical type Christians or these soy boys, I like to call them, in Silly Suits, are basically doing is saying, I don't want to take a stand. I don't want any persecution. I just want to float through life as comfortably as possible. That's what they're saying. But going back to that third side of the coin thing, here's an analogy for you, okay? Now, if I go grab a quarter and I flip it and I say heads or tails, right? It's going to typically land on one or the other, right? Now, what's the best way to actually get a coin on its third side, supposedly, or the edge? It's to spin it, right? How long does that last? If I come up here and I spin a coin, there's a few seconds and then it falls on one of the other two sides, okay? Kind of funny because the people that preach this third side of the coin garbage are always spinning the truth, aren't they? That's what I'm talking about today, okay? The sermon is about the importance of being on the right side of an issue, and of course, I'm preaching against preachers that can't make up their mind in anything. So, you know, I got to have these every once in a while. Now, before we get started here, many of you have heard the story about this actor named Will Smith slapping a comedian, okay? Everybody's heard about that. The reason why I'm bringing it up is because I've been asked about it every single day, okay? You know, I go into people's houses and try my best to fix things. And, you know, before this, it was always like, how long do these things last? Just how's the weather? How long have you been doing this? And now it's like, hey, the dryer's over here, but did you see that Will Smith slapped Chris Rock? Did you watch the Oscars? And it's every house, every day, every call, without fail. People who can barely speak English are asking me this question. It's insane. And they're like, who do you think was right, okay? And I'm like, you know, I think they're both a bunch of clucks, you know? I'm not on either one of their sides, okay? If you break that whole situation down, they're both wicked people, the thing was probably staged to get people drawn back to that because they're losing influence, right? You know, these other social media platforms are starting to take influence, and so right now the best way to gain influence is to assault somebody. I mean, that's how you get popular, okay? Even in the mixed martial arts community, if you don't know what I'm talking about, you know, mixed martial arts, UFC, there was a fight not too long ago between a guy named Colby Covington and a guy named Jorge Masvidal. Well, Jorge Masvidal lost this fight, and then a couple days or a week later, I'm not sure how long it was, saw Colby Covington at a restaurant, I guess, or a bar or something like that, and went up and threw a three-piece combo at him. You know, sucker punched him, basically, and went to jail, and now there's this whole legal thing, but I mean, you know, people, well, whose side are you on? Who do you think was right? It doesn't matter. The whole thing is for another purpose, right? I don't even have time to get into that, but the point is, we don't want to let people tell us that we have to choose a side on things like that, because we're on the Lord's side, we're outside of that whole idea. Ukraine is another one, okay? You know, if it's not Will Smith or this, which it's always at right now, it's probably going to be like that for a month, it's like, oh, man, you know, what about Ukraine? Of course you're not on, I'm not on any other side, okay? You know, you go to Ukraine, apparently, and I don't know if this is true, I just keep hearing this, I guess you can preach the gospel in Ukraine, it's not illegal, it's illegal in Russia. Russia hates queers, Ukraine's trying to bring them in, and there's probably a reason why our country's, you know, helping Ukraine, okay? It is for a wicked reason, I don't want anything to do with either one of them, okay? I don't care what happens, it doesn't bother me, I'm going to go preach the gospel, we're going to stand up for the truth, that's the side that I'm on. And I'll tell you how we can get to these conclusions. Now, you're there in Joshua chapter number five, let's look at these verses here again. And the bottom line that I'm going to come up, I'm going to give you here in a second, if you don't get this, you're going to be on the wrong side of every controversy in your life, so it's very important to understand this. Look again at verse number 13, so it says, And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked. Behold, there stood a man over against him, with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? Now, Joshua, he doesn't know exactly who this guy is, he knows that they're about to go to war, there's a battle, doesn't recognize the uniform, doesn't recognize anything, and he's like, hmm, I can't discern what's going on here. Whose side are you on? Verse 14. And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord, am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? Now, keep your place right there, but go to Luke chapter number 10. Luke chapter number 10. And we're going to get into this here in a minute, because in verse 14, in the modern versions, not every one of them, but a lot of them, I checked, they change nay for neither. Okay, and I'll get into why that's important here in a minute, and we'll obviously break down the effect that that has on people that teach that it should say neither instead of nay. We'll look at that here in a moment. But I want to give you the bottom line right up front, right before we get going in the sermon, and it's this, choosing the right side requires understanding who you are and who you serve. Okay, choosing the right side of any issue requires that you understand, not just know, but that you understand who you are and who you serve. That is the lesson that Joshua learns right here in these two verses. Okay, and we'll explain that as we go forward. But I want to teach that and kind of show you that here in the situation in Luke chapter number 10. So we've read this story before, a lot of great wisdom here. So Jesus is teaching, and you know there's food being passed around, and the women are serving here, and there's a complaint that arises, and I want you to see how the Lord deals with this here, because there was a decision to be made, and Martha makes the right decision here. Look at verse number 38, it says this, Now it came to pass as they went that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. But Martha, I'm sorry, I should have said Mary before, but I said Martha. Verse 40, But Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, does thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bitter therefore that she help me. Right, so she's got this complaint, she's like, Why is Mary just sitting around here, she's not doing anything, she's just listening to the sermon, she needs to be working with me, this isn't fair, Lord, you need to do something about this. Look at verse 41, so what is she ultimately trying to do? She's trying to get him to pick sides. Now what happens when we try to get God to pick sides? Well you're going to see here, verse 41, And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. Okay, and that'll preach all day long, we don't have time to get into that. Verse 42, it says, But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. Now go back to Joshua chapter number 5. So again, we see that in this situation, right, Martha, Mary, both had a choice. Jesus is teaching, he's preaching, giving wisdom, and Mary says, You know what, this is more important right now than anything else that's going on. It's more important than passing out food, I mean, think about it, right? Martha could have done the same thing. She could have sat down with Mary and said, you know what, let's just get the teaching and then we can eat afterwards, right? I mean, isn't that what we do? The story is why we do that. It's why we don't have people passing food out during the sermon, right? Because you think you're distracted now by whatever else is going on, you'd really be distracted if that was the case. And so Jesus says this, He says, So again, we've said this before, okay? What doesn't ever get taken away from you? The things that you sow to the eternal, right? That's exactly what she's doing. She's in church, she's about the word of God, she's about the teaching and preaching. Those things stay with you forever. When you die, when you leave this earth, the amount of biblical knowledge that you have is what you will enter into eternity with. You don't just go there and have to learn it all over again, you forget. No, no, it doesn't work like that. What you sow right now, you reap later on, okay? That is a biblical principle. But going back to the bottom line, which is choosing the right side requires that you understand who you are and who you serve. That totally applies to Mary, doesn't it? She understood that she was a daughter of the king. She understood who she was positionally in Christ. And she understood that that supersedes anything else that's going on in the world right now. So she knows who she is and she knows who she serves. Now that's not to say that Martha's not saved, kids, I'm not saying that at all. But she made the wrong decision, she made the wrong choice. And of course, being on the wrong side, what does she do? Well, she makes a wrong judgment and asks the Lord to choose a side, okay? God doesn't choose sides, he's always on the right side, okay? So keep that thought while we break down these verses here. So again, going back to Joshua chapter number 5, let's get into this here. So at the end of the verse again in number 13, verse 13, Joshua says, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? Keep in mind, he doesn't know who this is, okay? He just thinks it's some man, he's not sure what's going on. But by the response, he understands who he's really dealing with here. And God says, verse 14, and he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord, I am now come. Now look at the response here. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? Okay, now nowhere in the chapter, so verse 15, chapter number 6, we're gonna take a look at here in a second, does this man, which is obviously an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ, at no point does this man rebuke Jacob, or I'm sorry, yeah, Joshua. I get these confused. But at no point does God rebuke him, okay? So this is not just like an angel, okay? This is obviously an Old Testament appearance of God. He receives this worship, so it's just important to understand that. Now going back to what I said about the modern versions, I've heard a lot of sermons in my life, and going back to these third side of the coin type sermons, they love to use this passage to teach about choice, to teach about choosing the right side. And what they always say is, well, look at the response that God says. He says neither, so he's not for our adversaries, nor is he for us. Now just think about that for a second. Does that sound right? No. Okay, what is the response? And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. Okay, let me ask you a question. Is Joshua and the 12 tribes of Israel, their armies, are they part of the host of the Lord? I hope you're saying yes, okay? That at this time is the Lord's nation, okay? So obviously the Lord in heaven has his heavenly host, he has the angels, he has his legions of angels, and so on and so forth, we understand that. But at this time, we need to understand that Joshua and his armies are actually subordinate to God, okay? So he is the commander, he is the chief. And so they never want to bring this up. They just want to say, well, in the king James, it just says, nay, when it should say neither. He's not on either side, really. Turn to chapter number six, and let's see if that's even true. Let's see if that's even true. So look at verse number one. It says this. Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And if you remember from reading here in chapter four, five, and six, it says that the spirits of the nations that were surrounding Israel, that they were just basically quenched, they were gone, because they have heard of the mighty acts that God has done for the nation of Israel, so they have no spirit left to fight. They are afraid, okay? And so that's why they're not going in or coming out. They don't know what they're going to do. Look at verse number two. It says this. And the Lord said unto Joshua. So who is this man that Joshua asked whose side he's on? It's the Lord, right? That's what the Bible tells us. And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor, and ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days, and seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of ram's horns, and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. What does all that sound like to you? I know what Brother Kevin's thinking. Orders. Okay? Those are instructions. That's the battle plan coming from the commander to his armies, okay? What commander in this planet, what captain, what general, what officer, what sergeant would ever go to his people and say, Yeah, I'm not for you. Or for the enemy. Could you imagine we're being invaded by, I don't know, some other countries or whatever, you know, and it's probably what happens, so I better be careful. But could you imagine the leadership of our military just being, We're not for anyone in this. We're not for the invading forces, and we're also not for those who are born in the land. We just wish you all the best, okay? It's funny. Hopefully that wouldn't happen, but it probably would with the current leadership that we have, but you get the point. That just means that that's no leadership. That's no commander. That's no person that has any kind of control over their military, and so I bring that up to give you the answer on why Nahir in our King James Bible is correct. You have to understand that there is a difference between the word nay and neither. They mean two different things, okay? Now, neither fits perfectly for the soy boys in silly suits because it allows them to keep spinning that coin, which they so love to do, to get them out of actually choosing a side, doesn't it? That's exactly what that does. That's exactly what that does, and it's frustrating. But the word nay means, and really what it means is like or rather, okay? Or rather or more than that, or it's used to emphasize a more appropriate word than the one just used. So basically think of it like this, okay? Let's say, you know, me being in the military, this makes a lot of sense to me. Let's say I'm on night watch, okay? I've got a post. I'm supposed to be guarding it. I'm walking back and forth, and I see somebody in a uniform that I don't quite recognize. Doesn't seem hostile, doesn't seem agitated, and I challenge him, and I say, whose side are you on? Now, let's say that that individual that I'm challenging is my company commander in the newest release uniform. I just didn't recognize him. Do you think he's going to say, oh, I'm on your side? No, okay? Commanders don't talk like that, okay? What they would say is they would say no, or they would say nay, or they would say or rather, a better way to put it is I'm your commander, so you're on my side. You see, that's what's going on here. God is telling Jacob, like, no, no, no, you've got this all wrong. You don't understand who I am yet. You don't understand what's going on. So he says, nay, I am the captain of the host of the Lord. So he's basically saying, Jacob, your question's just not quite there yet. You're on my side. You work for me. Here's your instructions to go to war, okay? That's how this passage needs to be taught. That's how it needs to be preached, because so many soy boys in silly suits love to read this. They pull that NIV out, and they're like, see, God doesn't chew sides on anything. He loves the abortionist, and he loves the person that's against it, and you two are fighting for nothing. Nothing could be further from the truth. God does take sides on issues, and it's very easy to discern, okay? How do you discern it? How do you discern it? How do you go forth and make right decisions with that knowledge? Well, again, you understand who you are, okay? Making the right decision requires that you understand who you are and who you serve. That is the lesson that God is teaching Jacob. He's like, you need to realize who you are and who you're working for right now. You work for the Lord, and the instructions that I'm gonna have you implement are unorthodox, and faith is going to be required on your part and the part of your men in order to get things done. You see, that is the message that God was trying to convey to Jacob, or to Jacob, to Joshua, if you will. So look at verse number five of chapter number six. God says this, and it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. Now, no other battle in their history, or that I could even read, has ever had instructions like this. Yeah, I mean, usually when you're gonna take a city or you're gonna take a wall, I mean, you're just gonna get everybody that you can come up with a strategy and just go for it. You're just gonna start the attack, but God's like, no, you're gonna actually troll these guys. You're gonna mess with them a little bit. You're gonna do some psychological warfare on them, okay? And God had to show up to let them know, hey, I'm the commander. Here's a sign confirming that you need to do this. So what do they do? They follow the instructions of the commander and they win over the city. They are victorious. And that is us. That is how we need to be, okay? We need to understand that we walk by faith, not by sight, and that requires that you understand who you are in Christ. Because when you understand that and you understand who you serve, it makes the hard decisions come easier, okay? A lot of people know. A lot of people have a head knowledge. Oh, I know I'm saved. I know this, I know that. But the question is, do you understand it? Which requires what? It requires an ongoing learning of the word of God, knowing, understanding who you are in him, okay? Keep that in mind. Go to Joshua chapter number 24. Joshua chapter number 24. Joshua chapter number 24. So Joshua, I mean, this principle is really taught throughout the entire book. It's a book of choices. I mean, Israel's beginnings really, nothing but choice, right? Nothing but you have a decision to make, you have a choice to make, and we're gonna go back to Exodus here in a moment, but this is a very famous verse, and it's fitting, and we've gotta read it. Look at verse number 15. Look at what Joshua says towards the end of the book, towards the end of his reign as leader in this nation here. He says this in verse 15. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Go to Exodus chapter number 32. Exodus chapter number 32. I mean, this principle here is what makes or breaks a Bible-believing Christian, okay? You guys know this, okay? Once you're saved, you're always saved, but just because people are saved doesn't mean they're gonna become disciples. It doesn't mean they're gonna stay in this thing for the long haul. So what's one of the things that actually keeps a person coming back? Keeps a person growing, and it really goes back to understanding who you are. You're not just some person that comes to this church, walks through that door three times a week, or whatever it is, and sits down, okay? You're like, well, I'm not the pastor, so I'm really nobody. No, you are a child of the king. You are a soldier of Jesus Christ. There are standards. There are expectations. There is a mission for you, and it requires that you walk by faith and not by sight. It requires that you understand certain things so that you can make the right choices, because some choices are easy, but some, I mean, yeah, yeah, some choices are easy. Some are hard. You guys understand that, okay? And that's basically what Joshua was trying to tell the people. He's like, I know that after I leave here, just like Moses told you guys and made you sing that song about how weak you are, I know that a lot of you are just gonna be like, man, maybe the Amorite gods aren't so bad at all. You know, maybe those Canaanites were kind of right on this certain thing. You know, maybe the other Izites were right about this and that, and he's like, hey, you better understand something. You better understand who you are and who it is that you serve, because when you really have a good understanding of that and it's in the heart, the decision becomes easier, because there are things that happen in churches sometimes, and we're gonna talk about this here in a minute, okay, that require you to display courage, emotional courage, okay? So just keep that in mind. So you're in Exodus chapter number 32, okay? And you guys probably already know where we're going, understand the story. Moses has received the law from God, and God's been telling him like, hey, these people have quickly just turned aside, and Moses is like, I don't know, this is, you know, it's probably not quite that bad, I'm paraphrasing, obviously, but the Lord's like, you better hurry up and get back down there, and Moses is like, I think everything's gonna be all fine. He's walking down there with the tablets, and then he hears this noise, and you know, Joshua's like, wow, is that war going on? And Moses is like, that's not the sound of a war cry or anything like that, and then he realizes, Moses realizes what's going on, that these guys have fallen into idolatry, and he takes those commandments, he takes those tablets with the words of God on them, and he's so upset that he smashes them on the ground, okay? But he's upset, and before he actually executes a punishment or anything, he asks a question, okay? And the question is this, now he does grind up the calves and make them drink it, right, just a quick, but that's just an appetizer, okay? Just a little appetizer, you know, he wants to make sure that their mineral content is good to go, that it's right, so that they can have a clear thought process for this question in verse 26. Exodus 32, look at verse 26, it says this. It says that Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me, and all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. Now what a question is that? Who is on the Lord's side? Obviously not the only time that this is asked in the Bible. I mean, this question's asked to every man alive, every woman alive every single day. Who is on the Lord's side? The Bible says that God has written his law on our hearts, so, you know, the atheists that you talk to outsole and you knock on his door, basically you're trying to give them the gospel, essentially this is what you're asking them. You're asking them who is on the Lord's side. If not, we would like to provide you with the information so that you could be on the Lord's side, right? And what do most people do? Eh, I'm good, eh, I'm good, okay? And really this wisdom here, I mean, it really goes into any organization, anything that you do where people need to make a choice, right, even in the workplace, with our children, everything. And just listen to this here. If somebody refuses to take a stand outwardly in favor of a righteous cause, what does that say? It says that, it basically shows whose side they are on, doesn't it? That's what it does, it shows whose side they're on. So think about this. Moses asks a very simple question. After making them drink, you know, ground up powdered golden calf, okay? After he makes them drink that with a straw, what does he say? Who is on the Lord's side? Well, the Levites, what do they do? They make an outward expression, say, hey, right here, we are, we're on the Lord's side. Messed up, shouldn't have done that. Please forgive us, but we are on the Lord's side. What about all those other people? What does it say that they said? They didn't say anything, did they? No, they're over here like, well, what about that third coin? These are the type of people that are like, well, you gotta understand, there's your truth, there's his truth, and then there's the truth, okay? It doesn't always work like that, okay? Because sometimes you are right, you're in truth, and the other person's wrong. Sometimes it's the other way around. Sometimes you're both at fault to a certain degree. And, you know, then that other third part there, that trichotomy, the truth, stands out. But it's never just always that formula. It's never always like, oh, you know, this person's a little bit right, this person's a little bit right, and it'll wash out in the end, okay? It's not always so black and white is what I'm trying to say here. This is crystal clear. What does Moses do after this? After these people just stand there. It doesn't say that they're like, oh, we hate the Lord, right? They're just standing there like spinning the coin, spinning the truth. They can't make the right decision. And it's because they're not on the Lord's side. It's very simple to understand. Look at verse 27. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate, throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. Go to 1 Corinthians chapter number 5. What do you think about that? That would be pretty hard. I mean, these guys just got done partying together, right? These guys are all dancing, having a good old time, shouting around. They got the golden calves. They got their earrings. They got all their jewelry on, right? They are partying it up. I mean, they have a little bit of a bond. But now all of a sudden, it's decision time. And those who understood who they were in God and who they served, what decision did they make? They made the right one. And they went to Moses, right? The Levites, they darn well knew who they were. They're priests, for crying out loud. They know what's right, and they know what's wrong, even that early in their history. They knew that. They knew that that was wrong. Everyone there did. See, but the people who didn't answer, they said, you know what? To themselves, we just want to have, like, everything our way, right? They're Burger King Baptists. Burger King Baptists, you can have it your way. That's the church that most people are seeking today, the church where they don't go one way or the other. But when you get them in their houses, they got no problems telling you what side they're on, right? But still, they're on the wrong side. Who cares if Will Smith's right or if Chris Rock's right or whatever? God's right. We're on his side. The Oscars is satanic anyways, okay? How about that? That's the truth that nobody wants to talk about. So you're turning to 1 Corinthians 5. I want to read for you Matthew 12.30, which says this. This is Jesus speaking here, and he says, He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Okay? Now, who in here would like it said about them, hey, you're scattering abroad. You're doing more damage to the kingdom of God than good. Nobody in here, nobody in here wants that said about them, right? And Jesus said, hey, there's an easy way to remedy that. He that is not with me is against me. So we need to understand that we need to be with him, right, which goes back to my bottom line, which is what? Choosing the right side requires understanding who you are. The more Bible that you have, the more meditation that you do on the scriptures, the more you're around your brothers and sisters in Christ, the more work you do, the more application that you apply in your life, the better understanding you will get of who you are in Christ and who you serve, and you know what? That's going to help you with these tough decisions that we all face every single day. You get this wrong, you get everything wrong. It's simple to say, but it's really more complex when you break it down, isn't it? So going back to this event here in Exodus, what does Moses do? He's like, all right, it's time to mount up the swords, guys, and go slay everyone that wasn't on the Lord's side. So again, these guys just got done partying together, right? I mean, think about their emotions. That would have to be difficult. That would have to be somewhat hard, and that's why I said a few moments ago that making the right decision after you understand who you are and who it is that you serve requires emotional courage, right, because sometimes you're going to serve alongside someone. You're going to go to church with somebody. You're going to be around somebody who's saved, and all of a sudden, they step out of line. They step out of bounds, and they maybe have to be removed, or they have to be told, no, you're not coming back, and you have to be the strong one. You have to be the one that says, you know what, this choice is pretty simple because I understand who I am and who it is I serve, and who I serve says this in 1 Corinthians 5. Look at verse number 11. So Paul obviously rebuking the Corinthians here because they're all messed up. I mean, they got fanboys. They got people gorging on the Lord's Supper. I mean, these guys are just out of control. They got a fornicator that's doing stuff that not even the Gentiles are talking about doing, and so Paul's chewing them up one side, down the other. Verse 11, he says this. But now I have written unto you not to keep company if any man that is called a brother. See, this is the same thing that we're about to read here Moses executed at the message from God to the children of Israel, right? You see, it wasn't just Moses' decision. Oh, hey, you know what, I'm pissed. Let's just go kill everybody. No, that came from God because God wants people on his side. We don't go to God and say, hey, whose side are you on, God? No, we go to this. We understand who we are and who we serve, what his expectations are, and then we go from there, okay? We are on his side, and obviously, you know, he's on our side in that aspect. You understand that. But he says this. If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator or covetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one, know not to eat. Ouch. Look at verse 12. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? So Paul's like, hey, you know what, I'm not worried about what the world's doing. I'm going to preach against it. I'm going to take a stand against it, but I'm not going to fret about it. I'm not going to trip about it. I'm not going to make that my life's goal to go up to everyone and be like, you're messed up, you know, knock on someone's door. You're dressed like a hoe. You look like crap. What's that, you watch some Predator in the background? You suck. It's like, no, we're not going to do that. We're just trying to get people to say it and we're out. I mean, it's that simple. But when it comes inside the household of God, when it comes inside the kingdom of God, the nation of God, which we are, where we serve the commander, okay, there are certain people, there are certain situations where we're supposed to basically take the spiritual sword and execute it on them. And that comes from who we serve. And whether or not you will comply with this or not really boils down to whether or not you really understand who you are and who you serve. Let's just say, and I'm not talking about this church, I'm talking about this church. Let's just say we've got a situation where someone doesn't like something that's going on here, whatever. Maybe somebody made a troll video about us and they decide to believe it. Okay, let's just say that. A couple people, they leave the church, okay, and I get word that they're still running their mouths and trying to take people out, but I can't really prove it. And then we, you know, and I make that public. Like, hey, something weird's going on here. I've got multiple people coming to me, you know, saying that these guys are out there, so just be careful. Just be on the lookout. Let me know if you have any issues. And then all of a sudden, you're bleeding hearts over there eating dinner with them. Well, I'm still going to be friends with them. I'm still going to do this with them. You know what that tells me? You don't know who you are and who you serve. You lack understanding is what that tells me. And it shouldn't be like that. It shouldn't be a hard decision if you're really doing the reading, if you're really understanding who it is you serve. Let's just say someone gets kicked out of church, I don't know, for being covetous or an idolater, okay, which we haven't had here. Like, I don't think we've kicked anybody out for that. I'd have to go back to the records book and have someone read it to me while I can't sleep. And then maybe we could figure it out. I don't know, but let's just say we did. And someone in here is like, well, I don't, you know, at least he's not a fornicator. At least he didn't kill nobody. I'm still going over there. Well, now you become a problem. Now you're basically violating verse number 11 because Paul says, hey, if someone's been talked to, gone through the process with these things that he lists, he says, but now I've written to you not to keep company. Now, if you violate that, that is a problem. And I'm bringing this up just in case this ever happens, and it will at some point, okay, where someone is saying things that are not true about this church, about me, whatever it is, and you're like, well, I'm still gonna hang out. I'm still gonna love him. You see, I get accused, we all get accused of being an occult because of this, but I understand who I serve and I understand who I am in Christ, okay? I serve the God who wrote these words here. So if I'm in church and someone gets the boot for these things, I'm not gonna be like, well, I'm gonna go be an enabler, just go and hang out with them. You know, that's wrong. That's not okay. It's those types of people that go on and make YouTube channel after YouTube channel, troll channel after troll channel. That make up these stupid, fake, phony Facebook profiles and try to message me in the middle of the night like it's some young girl. I'm onto you idiots. You know, you're so stupid. You think I'm that dumb. You know, do you really think I'm gonna fall for that? You idiots. It's so stupid. Man, I don't even know why I'm talking about that, but look at verse 13. Look at verse 13. He says this. But them that are without God judge it, therefore put away from yourselves that wicked person. Now, again, we don't have time to really get into this, but what's the point of kicking somebody out that falls into these categories? Yeah, it's to get right, okay? It's to get right. It's kind of like if mom's over here, you know, really disciplined and a child and, you know, you can't have a cookie and you come up behind after mom leaves and you're like, here's three or four of them, right? Yeah, are you really helping the mom? No, you're being an enabler, okay? And our commander doesn't like that, okay? That's the wrong side. That's the wrong decision, okay? Go to 2 Kings 9. We're going to wrap this up. We're almost done. So while you're turning to 2 Kings 9, I'm going to read for you the last verse that I wanted to read for you, Exodus 32, which is verse 28. It says this. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses and their fellow people that day, about 3,000 men. 3,000 people lost their lives because they didn't understand who they were and who they served. Yeah, they crossed the Red Sea. They saw the miracles. They heard the miracles. I mean, they were all trembling when the mount quaked and said, oh, Moses, you talk to God. We don't want any of that. You take care of that for us. All of a sudden, when they're asked point blank and they have a decision to make, they can't make it and they lose their lives. How many Christians lose their way or not their salvation, obviously, but their way, their walk with Christ, flush it down the toilet or whatever, all because they couldn't make the right decision, all because they lacked emotional courage because they really never had a good understanding of who they are and who they serve. It's easy to say, oh, I know who I am. Really? But do you really understand it in your heart? Do you really understand the magnitude of who it is that you serve? Do you really understand that? Do you read the stories? Do you realize the power that God has? Have you seen him work in your life? Have you seen him work in your brother or your sister's life? Because if you have, that should edify you enough to hopefully help you understand who you are and who you serve so that you can make the right decisions, the tough ones, because, look, this 1 Corinthians 5 stuff is difficult. You're going soul winning with people. You're eating with people. You're fellowshipping with people. You're doing whatever with these guys. And all of a sudden, they make some wrong choices. They get caught up in the way of the world and they have to be dealt with, right? Don't be that person in the future that's just like, but I'm still, I'm still gonna love him. I'm still gonna go and party with him and help him out and this and that. You're not helping that person and all you're doing is just showing, you know what? You're really not on the Lord's side because he's got his orders. He's got his commandments. He's got his instructions. And they are unorthodox to what the world teaches today. Right? I mean, kicking people out of church, well, that's, you know, what are they gonna do? What are they gonna do? You know, the first person we ever kicked out of church, this lady comes up and she's like, what's he gonna do? This is all he had. Well, he shouldn't have been a clown. He shouldn't have fallen on this list here. It's not my fault. There's a reason why you're not in charge and I am. Have a nice day. That person, she didn't understand who she was in Christ and who she served. She would have been there when Joshua gave the orders, hey, we're gonna march around the city and be like, that's not gonna work. We need to get C4. We need to get claymores and dynamite and blow it up. That walking stuff, nah. Rams horns, ah, that's not gonna work. We need to get grappling hooks and storm the wall. That's what we need to do. That's the same thing people do today. When people start acting all crazy in church, we gotta get them in the boot. Well, that doesn't work. You're just hurting them. No, actually, you're just hurting them and you're hurting yourself too because you don't understand a simple concept, who you are in God and who it is that you serve. The more word that you have inside of you, the better decisions that you will make. It really is that simple. The hard part is staying consistent. The hard part is constantly learning and growing. That's the hard part, okay? Last thing I wanna leave you with this here, had to throw this out here because it's one of my favorite guys in the Bible. This is Jehu, okay? You guys know the story here. He's doing what he does, you know? He is going forth and conquering and steamrolling people. I really like this guy here. So it's time now to go after Jezebel. So let's pick it up here in verse number 30. Because Jehu loved to cast out a decision, didn't he? If Jehu showed up, guess what? Not only did he get there by driving furiously, he's coming to ask you a question and you better have the right answer or you're going down. Look at verse 30. And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it and she painted her face and teared her head and looked out a window. And isn't that how it goes a lot of times? You got a tough mission ahead of you. You have a decision. You have a difficult mission ahead of you. You have a difficult conversation coming up with somebody. You have to correct somebody. You have something that can be difficult to go forward with. And the other person comes and surely the bitterness of death has passed. Surely time heals all wounds. It's been a long time since I said that or since I did that. And yesterday was a long time from now. Hey, you're not still upset, are you? And they get dolled up. They start really pouring it on here. Look at the emotional courage that this guy has here. Verse 31. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, had Zimri peace who slew his master? So she knows she's helpless. She's like, hey, Zimri, when he slew his master, it hurt him for days and he was a wreck. He had anxiety. He had all these problems. None of that bothers this guy. Verse 32. And he lift up his face to the window and said, who is on my side? Who? He asks the question, who is on my side? And they're looked out to him, two or three eunuchs. Verse 33. And he said, throw her down. Okay. Hey, it's decision time, right? It's decision time, man. I mean, those eunuchs, I'm sure they didn't wake up that day being like, we're gonna have to throw our queen out of a five story window. It doesn't say how many stories it is, but you get the point. I'm sure they didn't wake up preparing their mind. We might have to make a tough decision, guys. No, they were just doing their daily things and all of a sudden you hear this crazy guy outside and he's asking them, who's on my side? Throw her down. Look at verse 33 again. It says, and he said, throw her down. So they threw her down. So they made the right decision, didn't they? So they threw her down and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses and he trode her under foot. I mean, we could go on for a long time here, right? But these eunuchs, man, they understood, you know what? We're not on Jezebel's side, right? When it came time for their life to possibly be required of them, they actually made the right decision. Think about that. We're in a similar spot in a lot of times in our lives and whether or not we get tossed out the window, whether or not we get hit with a sword depends on one simple statement. Choosing the right side requires that we understand who we are in Christ and who we serve, right? So what that means is when we understand what's required of us, what's expected of us, which goes back to what Jesus said about his yoke. His yoke is easy, it's light, it's not a burden, right? Following his commandments, reading the Bible, that should not be a burden to anybody in here. It shouldn't be vexing to you. Yeah, it's gonna be vexing to the old man, but it's never vexing to the new man. And every time you come to church, every time you read, every time you go sowing, every time you push past that resistance to the old man, you know that you're glad you did it. You're always happy. You're always like, yes, I made the right decision, okay? What does that mean? That means you're starting to understand who you are, that you have a purpose. You're not just simply a person who comes in here, oh, I'm sitting down so we can have good numbers. No. No, that's not, look, you are a vital member of the army of the Lord. And you're on his side. And he's got your back and he has instructions for you. And they are unorthodox from what everyone else around us wants to do and says that we should do. And it becomes easier and easier and easier to pull that sword out when we realize that and we know and we understand and we take at heart who it is we serve. So one more time, choosing the right side requires us to understand who we are and who it is we serve. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Thank you so much, Lord, for this wisdom in your word. I just pray that this would set well with us, Lord, that we remember this for many, many times, many, many years to come. And as decisions come at us, Lord, I just pray that you would bring these things to our remembrance so that we can make the right decision. And we thank you for all that you do for us, Lord. We love you, and in Jesus' name I pray, amen. All right. Your song books one more time. And turn to song 379, bringing in the sheaves. On the first. Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, sowing in the new tide and the new moon, waiting for the harvest and the time of repeat. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows, fearing either clouds or wind. And the labor ended. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, going forth with weeping, sowing for the master, though the law sustain our spirit oft to lose. When our weeping's over, he will bid us welcome. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves. We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. Amen. Brother Kevin, would you close the service out and award a prayer, please? If there come a time, Father, you can stand in along with the transgenders and the prayer members. You've got to remember who you are and who you are. All these prayers will be on your side. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.