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🎵Piano music plays🎵 🎵Piano music continues🎵 🎵Piano music ends🎵 🎵Piano music plays🎵 Hey everyone, welcome to First Works Baptist Church. Let's all find our seats. As you find your seat, please grab a song book. Turn to song number 250. Song number 250, Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary. And let's all stand together for this first song, If You Are Able. Song number 250, Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary. All together nice and strong on that first verse. Days are filled with sorrow and care. Hearts are lonely and rare. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Jesus is very near. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Calvary, Calvary. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Jesus is very near. Cast your care on Jesus today. Leave your worry and fear. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Jesus is very near. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Calvary, Calvary. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Jesus is very near. Troubled soul, the Savior can see. Every heartache and tear. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Jesus is very near. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Calvary, Calvary. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Jesus is very near. Amen. Wonderful singing. Let's start off our service with a word of prayer. Dear Lord God, Heavenly Father, we just thank you so much for giving us another day, a beautiful day that we can come to your house, Lord, hear the preaching of your word. And I thank you for all the souls that are in this building this morning, Lord, and I ask that you please just bless our service, please bless the singing, and most of all, please fill Passover here with your spirit as he preaches unto us. Give us your spirit also in the congregation, Lord, that we may leave here changed. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. Please turn in your song books to song number 129. Song number 129, Rock of Ages. Song number 129, all together on that first verse. Rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the blood from thy wounded side which flowed be of sin the double cure. Save from wrath and make me pure. Could my tears forever flow? Could my zeal no languor know? These for sin could not atone. Thou must save and thou alone. In my hand no price I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling while I draw this fleeting breath. When I rise to worlds unknown and behold thee on my throne. Rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. All right, great singing. Thank you for being here this morning. Welcome to First Works Baptist Church. Just a few announcements here before we sing our next song, which will be song number 100 day by day if you want to get that ready in your song book, song number 100. If you did not get a bulletin, go ahead and raise your hand and one of the ushers can get one for you. Some important information on there. Of course, we have two guys right here that need a bulletin. Our Sunday morning service is at 1030 Sunday evening at 5 p.m. and then we have our Thursday night Bible study at 7 o'clock. Currently going through the book of Matthew. So hope to see you on Thursday evenings. And then, of course, we are a family integrated church and so infants and children are always welcome in the service. But for your convenience, the mother baby rooms are located in the back of the building should your child need some diversion. Changing tables, screens, and speakers are available there. And then, of course, you can come back in at your discretion. And then today is the first Sunday of the month and so we're celebrating the birthdays for the month of July. Who's birthday is in July? We got one right here, one there, one right there, one back there. Anybody else? Did I miss anybody? Okay, let's go ahead and sing happy birthday here for those in July. Sing it together. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, God bless you. Happy birthday to you. All right, I hope you enjoyed all the healthy doughnuts out there. And so happy birthday to you all. You see the schedule there for the First Works family nights. The first night there is carnival night, which is actually next week, next Sunday. And I'll give you a little more details in just a bit. We'll go over this actually at the end of the bulletin here. So let me just go over these quick reminders. Please make sure that you are supervising your children in the building. No children should be in the mother baby room alone without their parents. And of course no men allowed in the mother baby room or in the women's fellowship restroom. If you have diaper duties, dad, you can use the restroom right here in the kitchen. There is all the accoutrements that you need there to change diapers. And so just keep that in mind there. I want to say another thing here. Congratulations to the Carries. Brother Carey and Ms. Nicole are expecting, so let's give them a round of applause. First time Brother Carey actually posts something on Instagram. Just never says anything. Doesn't post a sermon, doesn't post a verse, doesn't post a... Man. But he does post when they're expecting, so congratulations to them. Happy for them. We'll put them on the bulletin. Please keep them in prayer. And then you see there on the right hand side, the 4th of July picnic is this Tuesday. And that will be at Eucalyptus Park at 1030. There is a sign up sheet in the back where the Usher Station is. And there's also a map there available because of the fact that there's typically a parade that takes place. Not like the really weird parade. That month is over, okay? It's for the 4th of July. And so that can impede people from going into the park there. And so we'll put a map there so you know what roads to take to get to the park there. And so just keep that in mind. That will be in the back there. And we'll start at 1030. We'll have food and games. And we're just going to fellowship. It's going to be a great time. And then this coming Friday is the men's prayer night. That will be here at the building at 7 p.m. Dinner will be provided. So men, hope to see you there. And as I mentioned, the family nights start next Sunday, July 9th after the evening service. And we're kicking it off with the carnival night. We're going to have a jumper for the kids. We'll also have the mechanical bowl. We'll have food and games for the kids as well. A lot of different stuff. I think we're going to also have cotton candy machine, popcorn machine. There's going to be hot dogs and hamburgers. And it's just a great way to start off the summer. I want to encourage you to make a decision if you haven't already, if you're not attending Sunday nights already, to start this coming Sunday night. I mean, start tonight. But, you know, officially start next Sunday night. And it's a great reason to stick around and fellowship. And so we're looking forward to the family nights there. Of course, the 16th is the ice cream social. The 30th is the men's preaching night along with the kids' Olympics. And then we conclude it on August 4th with the church bonfire. And that will be on Friday. We'll give you more details about that as we approach. And then the Samaria Soul Winning is on Monday, July 10th. Meet at the building at 1130. You can see Brother Ulises Hernandez for more details about that. You see the regular reminders there at the bottom. No food or drink allowed in the main auditorium except for water and coffee. Please make sure you're not loitering in the foyer or fellowship hall during the preaching service. And then quiet time is this afternoon from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. And then lastly, please make sure you silence your phones during the preaching so as to not be a distraction during the service. And that is it. Let's go ahead and sing our next song. Song number 100, Day by Day. Song number 100, Day by Day. Altogether, nice and strong on that first verse. Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here. Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear. He whose heart is kind beyond all measure, gives unto each day what he deems best. Lovingly, it's part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest. Every day, the Lord himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour. All my cares he fain would bear and cheer me, he whose name is counselor and power. The protection of his child and treasure is a charge that on himself he laid. Thy strength shall be in measure, this the pledge to me he made. Help me then in every tribulation, so to trust thy promises, O Lord, that I lose not faith's sweet consolation, offered me within thy holy word. Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meet him, ere to take as from a Father's hand. One by one, the days, the moments fleeting, till I reach the promised land. Amen. Wonderful singing. At this time, the ushers will come forth to receive the offering. You can turn your Bibles to Exodus chapter number four. Exodus chapter four. Ephesians chapter four. Ephesians chapter four. The morning we're in Exodus chapter number four, the Bible reads, And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice. But they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground. And it became a serpent. And Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand and caught it. And it became a rod in his hand, that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath appeared unto thee. And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom. And when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. He put his hand into his bosom again, and plucked it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken unto the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land. And the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant, but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth, or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and thou wilt be with thy mouth, and teach thee which thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of whom thou wilt send. And the air of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee, and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth, and thou wilt be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. And ye shall be thy spokesmen unto the people, and ye shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and to see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. And the Lord said unto Moses and Midian, Go, return into Egypt, for all the men are dead which sought thy life. And Moses took his wife and his sons, and sent them upon Anas, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand. And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in thine hand. But I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn, and I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. And it came to pass by the way, in the inn, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go. And she said, A bloody husband thou art because of the circumcision. And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him. And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and he did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed. And when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. Let's pray to the Lord our God. We just thank you for such a great church and for everyone here. Thank you for Pastor Mejia. I just ask that you be with him now. Please just bless him with your Holy Spirit as he preaches unto us. And please be with us also. And just prepare our hearts to receive the message that he's prepared. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Amen. Okay, we're in Exodus chapter 4 this morning. Look down at your Bibles at verse number 10. It says, And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant, but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? Who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And the time of my sermon this morning is dumb Christians. Dumb Christians. I want to talk about dumb Christians this morning. Now, when we think of that term or that word dumb, we often think about someone who just lacks intelligence. You know, that's the way people would commonly use it today. You're dumb, basically saying you're foolish, you're stupid, right? However, dumb actually just means unable to speak. Or unwilling to talk, unwilling to speak because of some deficiency in their vocals or whatever it may be. And this morning I want to talk about the fact that there are certain times where Christians are unwilling to say something. They're unwilling to speak. They're actually acting dumb, okay? And my admonishment this morning is stop being a dumb Christian. Stop being dumb. Make sure you speak out when you need to speak out. Say something when it needs to be said. Now here in Exodus chapter 4, of course, we're very familiar with the story of Moses. He's, of course, selected by God to bring deliverance to the children of Israel out of the hand of Egypt. And, of course, he enables him by giving him a rod that is able to turn into a serpent. He gives him supernatural signs that he can present before Pharaoh to essentially confirm that he's being sent by God, that he is the man of God to come deliver God's people. But then Moses starts making all types of excuses as to why he shouldn't be the man to do the job. And he says there in verse number 10, I'm not eloquent. He says, I'm slow of speech. I have a slow tongue. And really he's just making an excuse because we know, according to the New Testament, that Moses was mighty in word and in deed. So this is actually a lie, okay? It's not that he has a speech impediment, that he's not eloquent. He actually knows how to speak. He is very much an able orator, so to speak. But he's making all these excuses. And verse number 11, the Lord says unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? Who maketh the dumb or deaf or the seeing or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now, I remember reading this as a new Christian. And I basically interpreted verse 11 as meaning that God is saying, Hey, you know, I can enable you to speak, you know, because I made man's mouth. I make the dumb, the deaf or the seeing. I can enable you. I can help you. You know, I can essentially give you the supernatural ability to do these things. But that's not what verse 11 is saying at all, actually. What God is saying is like, Who are you fooling? Because he's the one who makes the dumb. He's the one that makes the blind. He's the one who makes man's mouth. So it's like, I know that you have the ability to speak. Don't come at me with that excuse. You know, because if Moses was actually dumb and mute and unable to speak, God would already know that because he made him that way. And so I don't know what Moses was thinking here, thinking that he can pull the wool over God's eyes to say, You know, hey, I'm not able to speak. I'm not eloquent. I'm slow of speech. I have the speech impediment. God is basically responding with, Don't give me that. I made you. I know what you're capable of. And so that's not a proper excuse. He says, Go, I will be with thy mouth and teach you what thou ought to say. So really what we see here in Exodus chapter four is an example of a believer acting dumb. OK, it's not that he can't speak. It's not that he's not eloquent. It's not that, you know, he's not mighty and worded. Indeed, he's just acting dumb because he doesn't want to take the responsibility of delivering the children of Israel out of the hand of Egypt. It's a great task, but God has called them to do so. But we see here that that Moses is acting dumb. And, you know, a lot of times Christians do the same thing where they have the capability to perform a specific task. God has enabled them to do something, but they're just acting dumb. OK, and it's not that they can't do it. It's not that they're deficient in a certain spiritual gift or a certain talent or ability. It's just that they're being lazy. Or they're just making excuses as to why they can't do a specific task or something that God has called them to do. They're acting dumb. Now let me just say this is that there are instances where Christians should be dumb. What is that, salsa music or something? Make that phone dumb, amen. Dumb down that phone. View the announcements for further details. There are instances where Christians should be dumb. What do I mean by that? You know, there's instances where Christians should be silent, where they shouldn't say certain things, and they need to refrain from speaking out for whatever reason. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53, you don't have to turn there, in verse number 7, He was oppressed, He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth, referring to Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Proverbs 17, in verse 27, He that hath knowledge tells everyone that he has knowledge. No, it says, He that hath knowledge spareth his words, and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit, even a fool, the Bible says, holdeth his peace, and is counted wise, and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. So, you know, there's instances where God says, when you shut your mouth, you're actually esteemed as being someone who's smart. And I think that's a very important point there, because of the fact that a lot of times people like to opinionate on specific things that they really don't have any knowledge of. Or maybe they haven't earned the credibility and the respect to speak on a particular topic, and they actually begin to discredit themselves, or do more harm than good. And it's in those instances that those Christians should be dumb. They should remain silent. They should keep quiet, okay? And not speak on particular things that they have no credibility or knowledge about, okay? But this morning I want to talk about Christians who are unwilling to speak up and speak out when necessary. Now, let's give some examples. What am I talking about? Well, how about in the most basic way? Let's talk about soul winning. You know, it's our responsibility to preach the gospel to every creature, which means that you're to go door to door, go talk to people, go with your local New Testament church, and open up the word of God, tell someone that they're a sinner according to the Bible, that they deserve hell, and what the Bible says about eternal life, that Jesus Christ died on the cross, and go through those verses, and that responsibility is not just for me. Did you know that? It's not just for the evangelists. It's not just for deacons or evangelists. You know, according to the Bible, it's for every single Christian. And therefore, it's the responsibility of believers. The Great Commission has been given to every believer to go out and preach the gospel, to open their mouths boldly, to make known the mysteries of the gospel, but there are certain Christians that just want to remain dumb in that area, where they're just like, well, I'm unable to speak. I'm unable to go soul winning. I'm unable to speak eloquently. But you know what? Don't be a Moses in that area. You do have the ability to do so. You can preach the gospel. You can't use that as an excuse. God has made man's mouth, and he's made our mouths, and he's designated us to partake in the ministry of reconciliation, which is preaching the gospel. But you know, other areas could be, for example, speaking out when someone is involved in a particular sin. And I don't want to get ahead of myself, but that is definitely an instance where someone, a Christian, because they don't want drama, they don't want trouble, they don't want conflict, they refrain themselves from speaking out against a particular sin, because they don't want any conflict with someone, right? Or how about this, when another Christian is going in a bad direction spiritually, and then their friend, their brother in Christ, refuses to confront that individual, and say, hey, you're making bad decisions, you're going in the wrong direction, let me just help you with this, let me confront you about this particular thing here, let me speak up and say something about it. Instead of just allowing your friend, allowing your brother in Christ to just go down a dark path, away from the Lord, out of God's will, don't be a dumb Christian in that area. Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, if you would, 1 Corinthians chapter 1. A lot of areas that we can point to in the Christian life where Christians can be like Moses, and essentially decide to be dumb, where they don't want to speak out. How about a father leading his home, right? Leading his wife, leading his children, where there's instances where because they don't want conflict in the home, they refuse to speak out against a particular trend, a particular ideology, worldliness is entering into the home, and a father, you know, because, a father or husband, because they don't want conflict with their wife or something, they don't want conflict with their children, they don't want that fight, they just become dumb. They'd rather just not speak out against it, but then of course, they're going to suffer the consequences of it later on, and God wants us to speak out against it. Why are Christians dumb? Let me give you some examples as to why Christians are dumb. And again, what I mean by dumb, meaning they refuse to speak out or they can't speak out, for whatever reason. Number one is because they're deficient in knowledge and lack utterance. One of the reasons Christians act dumb, or they are dumb, is because they actually don't have anything to talk about. They lack knowledge, right? And we're talking about spiritual matters here. You know, one reason they can't talk about the Bible is because they don't know the Bible. Because they don't read the Bible, okay? Now, let me say this, is that in our church, we want to keep an atmosphere of talking about the Bible. It's not an embarrassing thing, it's not a weird thing to do, but folks, let me just say, there's churches out there, fundamental Baptist churches, or even non-denom churches, where coming to the church and speaking about the Bible, it's like, whoa, that's a little taboo there. You're going a little overboard there. Where these progressive Christians, it's like, well that's a little extreme. You bring up Bible verses and you want to talk about what the Word of God says, and all of a sudden you're seen as this extremist or something like that. Well, God forbid that we would be religious extremists in the local New Testament church. But you have churches that are deficient in knowledge, they're not reading the Bible, they're not talking about the Bible, and let's just be honest, they're not preaching about the Bible either. And so they produce churches that are deficient in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the knowledge of the Word of God. We want to cultivate an atmosphere, cultivate a church where talking about the Word of God is normal. Talking about doctrine is something that's normal. Asking questions about the Bible is absolutely normal, it's not looked down upon, it's something that we esteem as being something that's important in God's house. I mean, the Bible says to give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. And this is referring to the local New Testament church. They lack knowledge and they lack utterance. What does it mean, what are we talking about when we say utterance? The ability to speak. Look what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1, let me read to you a couple of verses actually here. It says in 1 Peter 3.15, People that just can't speak on spiritual matters because they don't know anything about it. Look at 1 Corinthians 1 verse 4, it says, Ye are enriched by Him in all utterance and in all knowledge. So it's not just loving like Jesus, you know, because all churches will promote that. Oh, you need to be like Jesus, you need to love like Jesus, and to that we say amen. But you know what, that's not the only thing we're supposed to do. According to the Bible, God wants us to be rich in works, He wants us to be rich in utterance and in knowledge. And that requires you, that requires me to read the Bible, to study the word of God, and to gain, fill these chambers with all knowledge and wisdom of God's word, so that we actually have something to talk about when we're in church. And I'm not, don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. When we come to church it's not like we don't talk about anything else. It's like all you guys talk about is Genesis to Revelation or something, and you don't mention anything else. Of course we talk about other things. However, what I'm saying is we want to normalize that when biblical topics arise, it's not looked down upon. Because I'm telling you, it is in certain other churches. Sometimes people lack the power to speak either because of defects in vocal organs, or because of hereditary deafness. So sometimes people can't speak because they're actually partially deaf. Did you know that? You know, they can't really listen to themselves speak, and so they have trouble talking because they're actually deaf. And when you think about it from a spiritual perspective, that's actually true as well. The reason someone can't speak about spiritual matters is because they're not listening to spiritual matters. You know, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, the Bible says. They've grown dull of hearing, the Bible says. And the Bible tells us that we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. And so if you're constantly filling your mind with the world, you're constantly filling your mind with nonsense and things that are not biblical, then it's no wonder you can't speak on spiritual matters because the Bible says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. You know, what kind of treasure do you have in your heart this morning? Or do you have, like, the only treasure you got is like the little gold coin that when you open it up it's like chocolate. You know, it's like the fake coins. It's like there's no actual treasures of substance of value in your heart. You have monopoly money or something like that in your heart because all you're doing is listening to, watching, adhering to the knowledge of this world, the wisdom of this world that has no substance. Hey, listen to preaching, amen? Listen to godly music, listen to preaching, be in church, listen to the word of God. Don't check your football score in church or what your bitcoin has made this morning or something or whatever else. Have your mind in church listening to God's word adhering to the Bible and don't think to yourself, well, I've already heard this before, you need it again. You need it again and again and again. And the person who thinks I've heard this before is going down a path called being dull of hearing. And you know what? According to the Bible, the person who's dull of hearing cannot excel in the Christian life. They will not learn anything else. They need to be taught again. For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need to teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God and you have need of milk and not of strong meat. So you need to hear God's word. You need to listen to the Bible. You need to read God's word and fill your heart with biblical content. Go to Mark Chapter 7 if you would. Mark Chapter 7. Now obviously a babe in Christ, when they first get saved, they can't really speak on spiritual matters. Or should I say they shouldn't speak on spiritual matters. Because, you know, sometimes babes in Christ think that they just know everything, apparently, right? And so they start speaking all kinds of spiritual matters. Sometimes you need experience as well, coupled with knowledge. And I mentioned this a couple weeks before, because of the internet, we're able to accumulate biblical knowledge faster today, right? We're able to accelerate our knowledge of the Bible because of the internet, because of YouTube, because of, you know, the fact that we have access to biblical content and we can learn it a lot faster than people in times past. However, you still need experience. But let's talk about those who don't necessarily feel like they can speak on spiritual matters and they're babes in Christ. That's okay. You know, as a babe in Christ, just learn the Bible, read the Word of God at least once in a year, go to church, take notes, memorize verses, learn how to go soul winning. One of the best ways to learn the Bible, listen to this, one of the best ways to learn the Bible is actually by going soul winning. You say, why is that? Well, it keeps your sword nice and sharp. And I have learned over the last 16 years that, you know, for example, when I first got saved and I would go soul winning, people would stump me at the door all the time, you know, because we didn't have soul winning demonstrations or anything like that. It's just like we learned raw, basically, you know, we knew about the Romans road, but I remember going to doors and just getting stumped. And it's just like, I don't have an answer for that. So it would require for me to go back home, open up the Bible, learn the content so I was ready for that question in the future. And so you would learn the Bible that way and you're like, you know, that's a great question. Let me find out a way to kind of refute that or answer that. And it would require for you to actually learn the Bible, study the Word of God. So one of the best ways to accelerate your learning of the Bible so you get biblical content, you're growing your knowledge and in your utterance is by actually going soul winning. Okay, you increase your wisdom and your knowledge. Look at Mark 7 and verse 31. This is the story of a man who is going to be healed by Jesus Christ. Of course, he did that many times throughout his ministry. And it says here in verse 31, And again, departing from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, he came into the Sea of Galilee through the midst of the coast of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. And they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude and put his fingers into his ears. And he spit and touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said unto him, Epitha, that is, be open. And straightway his ears were open and the string of his tongue was loose and he spake plain. Now this is a literal miracle that took place. But obviously the spiritual application to this is that when someone is deaf and dumb, they're unable to speak or hear. In my opinion, Jesus putting his fingers into his ear is basically what people do today to get stuff out of their ear. You kind of stick your finger in your ear. I know you guys have done that. Don't look at me like that. You get a little wax in your ear and then you kind of stick your finger in your ear and get that stuff out. Well you know what? Christians can sometimes fill up their mind and their ears with the wrong things. And so sometimes they need a preacher to come and stick their finger in their ear and get all that crap out. Remove all the gunk from your ear. All of the podcasts. All of the MGTOW teaching. All of the world's teaching. All of the conservative talk. All the Republican nonsense that's out there. All of the news and get my finger in there and just move it out. And then also, obviously he spits on his tongue. And don't worry, I'm not going to do that to you. There's like faith healers out there that will do that though. Disgusting. It's out there. But you know when I'm preaching, I'm slobbering all over the place. I'm spitting. Spitting facts here. Spitting the Word of God. But at the end of the day, you know, he does this and then of course the Bible tells us that he's able to hear and that his tongue was loose and it says that he spake plain. So he's able to speak with what? Clarity. And you know what I've learned is that Christians who are saved, who don't necessarily have a good biblical foundation or maybe they go to a church that doesn't really necessarily teach the Bible, they can't really articulate what they believe. Right? Even if you meet someone who is saved, who believes on Jesus Christ, if you were to ask them about salvation and to tell you how to be saved, they can't really speak plainly about it. It's all convoluted. You know, they're like, give your life to Christ or something. Or you know, you have to just, I don't know, they have a relationship with God. And it's just all this convoluted terminology that confuses the listener even more. Whereas, when you actually get under some biblical preaching, hellfire and damnation preaching and get that finger in your ear to take all the wax out, get the spiritual spit on your tongue, then you're able to speak plainly and say, well, it's by faith in Christ alone. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And you know what? Sometimes we don't even need to articulate salvation with our own words. Sometimes the Bible just does a greater job than we do. What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Just quote John 3.16. Quote John 3.36. Quote John 5.24. Just quoting verses is the plain, to get the plain understanding, the plain reading of God's word. Don't be dumb. Don't be a dumb Christian. Don't be the type of Christian where you don't have knowledge. You can't utter what you actually believe regarding spiritual matters. You know, your friends come up to you and talk to you about spiritual matters and they're like, why do you believe this? And you're like, just listen to the sermon. Just watch this. Just listen to this. No, why don't you tell them how to be saved? Why don't you tell them what the Bible says about that? Why don't you give them that verse? Why don't you actually open your mouth and teach them the word of God and tell them actually what the Bible says? God has designated you to do it. Stop giving me all the rewards. Why don't you take some? Stop designating the rewards for someone else. God has deputized you to open your mouth and talk about those things. Stop being a dumb Christian and being unwilling to speak and utter the truths of God's word to those who you love or to strangers. Go to Leviticus chapter 5 if you would. Leviticus chapter number 5. The reason that Christians are dumb is because of the fact that they don't have any knowledge. They don't have knowledge. They don't have utterance. Maybe they went to a seminary, some sort of Bible college that didn't necessarily teach them what the word of God actually says and so they don't really know how to speak plainly regarding spiritual matters. They don't know what the Bible says or not reading God's word. Or they might be a part of a church that doesn't emphasize the importance of reading God's word themselves. They have the verses on the screen. They use different versions of the Bible. That's not a plain speech. That's not a plain doctrine. We need to speak clearly of what the Bible actually says and not be dumb about it. But next one is this. Sometimes Christians are dumb because they want to avoid drama. So why do Christians avoid speaking out on spiritual matters? They don't like controversy. But let me just tell you something. The Christian life is filled with controversy. And you can't necessarily live the Christian life without experiencing some conflict and controversy. And in fact, some conflict and controversy is actually a little fun. You need to develop an appetite for some controversy. Look, I mean when we read the Bible, we read about a lot of conflict and controversy. And guess what? We like it. It makes the Bible even more interesting. And what's better about that is the fact that we get to live that out as well. But you know there's Christians out there that avoid that. They act all dumb. They're acting dumb. What do you mean by acting dumb? Well, you know I think about times when I've gone soloing and I'm knocking a door. Or I'll approach a door and that door right next to it has like sandals or shoes outside. You guys know where I'm going with this? And I always say, okay this is an Asian's door. Right? Am I wrong? I mean that's a fact. I mean I'm not saying that not everyone else does that. But I would say 90% of the time I'm right. And I'm even more right if they have some sort of altar or something next to it. And she's like for sure, this is an Asian's door. I'll knock on that door. The person will come out and I'll start talking to them. And what do they say? No English. No English. Right? So then I'll kind of start fishing for what language they speak. And most of the time I hope it's either Mandarin or Cambodian or Khmer because I know some words in both of those languages. And you say, well can you preach the gospel? No, I can't preach the gospel in those languages. But let's say it's a Cambodian person. I'll say, sok sabai. And I've had instances, for example in Omani there's a Cambodian community there. I say that and they're like, oh you speak Khmer. And it's just like, oh you speak English. So what happened? They're acting dumb. They're acting as though they can't speak but they really can't. You know, because of convenience. And look, people who come from different countries do this all the time. They just act dumb. They act like they can't speak that particular language but they can. But from a spiritual perspective, Christians do the same thing. They act dumb. It's not that they're deficient in a certain area. It's not that they can't speak the spiritual language. It's because they refuse to for whatever reason. Now the second one that I'm giving here is that they want to avoid drama. Look at Leviticus 5 and verse number 1. It says, And hear the voice of swearing, and as a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it, if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. Look at verse number 4. It gives a little more clarity here. It says, So the Bible is telling us, you know, if you hear about sin, a person pronouncing with his lips an oath or a vow to do evil, for example, to commit a crime or to do a particular sin, and you decide not to say anything about it, you're going to bear your iniquity. This is what the Bible is saying. Now obviously we don't want to pull out everything from here that's not necessarily in the text, but we can look at this and say, Well today, for example, in a church, we need to make sure that if someone speaks of evil or they speak of a false doctrine or there's a particular sin in the church that you find out about, you'll be dumb about it. Speak up. Say something. Come to the pastor. Go to someone. Go to a spiritual leader and say, This is what I heard. I'm just letting you know this. I'm going to the proper authorities for this so that it can be taken care of. And I think this is a really important point because of the fact that throughout the lifespan, over the last six years of our church, we've thrown out a couple people out of our church, and every time we throw someone out, afterwards, after we throw them out, like they're gone, then like five or six people always come up to me and be like, You know, there was this one time, and I'm thinking in my mind, So when were you going to tell me about that one time? You know, it's just like, You know what? They did say this one time. They did pronounce to do evil this one time. Folks, we need to stop being dumb. And when you hear of something that's sinful, some iniquity taking place, that we don't just refrain our lips from speaking out and uttering and going to the proper authorities and exposing a person if it needs to happen. And we need to make sure that church discipline in our church, it starts with all of us, really. Because I can't be everywhere at all times, and if someone is involved in a particular sin that merits excommunication from the church, I'm not policing the church, I'm not going around asking people, but sometimes God allows you to hear something. He allows you to be in a conversation, or pass by a conversation, where something is happening, and it's your job to actually say something about it. You're like, well, snitches get stitches, though. Not in Christianity, snitches get riches in Christianity. If someone's involved in sin, you need to make sure you say something about it. I don't want conflict. I just want all the drama and the controversy, where you're going to get conflict and controversy if you don't say something about it. You say, from who? From me. You think of David, for example. King David, he had a really bad guy working for him named Joab. And Joab did some pretty shady stuff throughout the story with him and David there, and he killed a lot of people, really shady, dishonest, just a scoundrel of a person. But we see that David would always kind of turn away from, and turn a blind eye to, what Joab would do. He never corrected Joab, he never fired him, never got rid of him. He'd just allow him to go unfettered in his kingdom, because he didn't want the drama with Joab. Why? Because Joab knew about David's dealings and his sin. So sometimes Christians avoid conflict and controversy, because they think to themselves, well, I'm kind of involved in some stuff or whatever. I don't want to judge or something. Then get that right, and then judge. And so, let's give some examples in this regard. How about a father or a husband in their own home? A father and a husband have a responsibility to judge their home. It doesn't matter what the world says. This is the order of things according to the Bible. And the Bible tells us that a father needs to judge his home, a husband needs to judge his home, and not refrain himself from uttering judgment, because you're afraid of what kind of conflict you're going to get. Stop being afraid of your wife. Stop being afraid of your kids. And speak up when something needs to be said. If a husband sees that a home is not going in the right direction, well, it's his responsibility to redirect it, which requires the father or the husband to actually say something about it and not say, well, I just want to avoid drama with my kids. I just want to avoid drama with my wife, and she's going to nag me. She's just going to say X, Y, and Z. Wrong. That's not the right attitude. Now, here's the thing. Obviously, you know, we want to have peace in our homes, right? And if you have an instance where it's just like, I'm going to have all kinds of conflict if I say something, then you have other matters that you have to address as well then. You know, being a good leader, for example. And leading your family, leading your wife, leading your kids, so that you have the liberty to actually stand up and say something when it needs to be said and so that it's not rejected. You know, when your family doesn't refuse you because of your lack of leadership, we need to make sure that we establish ourselves as leaders in our homes and we earn the right to actually say something when it needs to be said. So that when we do say something, you know, it goes over well. I'll give you an example of this, okay, in my home. This is a very minuscule thing, but I think it's a great example. It just came up in recent days with my wife and I. We had conflict. My wife and I, we had conflict, you know. You say, what was it about? It was about giving my sons mullets. I want my kids, my boys to have mullets. And they're going to have, I mean, they've got a semi-mullet right now, but we're working on it and I want those mullets bad, okay. Because they just look adorable. Now, mullets look horrible on grown men, that's just my opinion, okay. It's just like terrible. But on little kids it looks great. And so, you know, my wife, you know, she wasn't really happy about giving my, because I told her, I was like, the boys need haircuts. And now is the time to take advantage to give them a mullet. So give them a mullet today. And my boys are actually really excited, but they've been wanting mullets for a long time too. My boys, my son is like, when am I going to get the mullet, Dad? Let's get this mullet going, you know. I'm like, soon my son. Patience. And here's the thing, like, my wife was not happy about giving my sons mullets. I'm just going to expose her right now. I'm not going to remain dumb about this, okay. She was not happy, she was actually, like, borderline upset about giving them mullets, okay. And, you know, the morning of, I'm like, today's the day they need to get, you know, their haircuts, they need to get the mullets. And she's like, okay, I'll give it to them, you know. But I found out later, she told me, she was like, I want to apologize, because I didn't have a right heart attitude towards you. Because in my heart, I was really upset that I was giving our sons mullets. And she was like, I was going to text you this entire thing about, like, if anybody has, I'm going to say that you're the one who made this, and all this stuff or whatever. And she's like, but then I deleted it. And she said that after she gave them the mullet, she was just like, actually, it looks pretty cute, you know. And so you say, what's that all about? How are you going to apply it to this? Well, here's the thing is that, you know, I have the liberty to lead my family into the mullet arena. Because I know that my wife respects me and she loves me and she's going to do what I say, no matter what, obviously. And, you know, within the boundaries of God's laws and, you know, things of that nature. But, you know what, God blessed my wife too because of the fact that he blessed her obedience and her reverence. And even though she wasn't happy with the mullets in the beginning, she's like, you know what, actually, I kind of like it now. You understand? And so it's important for homes to have to fulfill their biblical roles in order for these to operate in this manner. Okay. It's important for us to fulfill our biblical roles as fathers, as husbands, as wives, and as mothers. So when those roles are in place, when conflicts arise, I don't have to hold my tongue in regards to a specific judgment. I don't have to worry about, oh man, is my home going to fall apart if I say something. It's just like, well, we're already fulfilling our roles. My wife knows her place. I know my place. And so I need to speak out and not be dumb about the mullets. It's a really dumb example, but, you know, it does justice in my opinion. And I'm just happy about the mullets. Okay. And so don't be dumb in your home. Say something when it needs to be said. Don't let things go unfettered because, let me say this, it's harder to correct the issue in your home if you let it go unfettered for years on end. If you want to correct it later, it's harder. Because then there's all kinds of layers of callousness, rebellion, and disobedience that you've accumulated because you don't speak out against something. It's better to do it right then and there when it needs to be said. Hey, if you're not happy with the way your wife dresses, say something about it. Now, again, take it into account that you have, that the roles are in place. Right? But if you don't like the way your wife dresses, say something. Like, well, we have a good relationship and, you know, the roles aren't set in place. I just, you know, I just feel kind of, you know, I just, I just, I just. Stop being dumb. Say, you know, no more pants. Throwing away all the pants. Here's a bunch of money to go get dresses. Go get the best dresses you got that you can get, you know. But don't say, well, I'm just going to not say anything because I want to avoid conflict. It's not the way to go about it. Go to Isaiah chapter 56. Isaiah chapter 56, if you would. Talking about dumb Christians this morning. Let's talk about pastors. Okay. Because we're getting on the congregation, we're getting on individual Christians, but what about pastors who are acting dumb? In other words, they refuse to say things from the pulpit. Why? To serve their own self-interest. These are the pastors that refuse to speak out against particular topics, subjects, because of the fact that they're afraid what their congregation might think. They're afraid of what the world might say. They're afraid of the persecution they might receive. They're afraid of the backlash they might get from their church members. And ultimately, some just do it because they want to serve their own self-interest. They want to please everyone. They want to be a politician and not a pastor. Look at Isaiah 56 and verse number 10. It says here, his watchmen are blind. They are all ignorant. They are all dumb dogs. They cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough. And they are shepherds that cannot understand. They all look to their own way, everyone for his gain from his quarter. Come ye say they, I will fetch wine and we'll fill ourselves with strong drink and tomorrow shall be as this day and much more abundant. So we see here and obviously in its literal context, the dumb dog is actually referring to a false prophet. Because a dog in the Bible is a false prophet. It's a reprobate. But it's obviously applicable even to saved pastors because some saved pastors will refuse to say certain things and abstain from saying certain things maybe because they are covetous. Because they are greedy or because they're afraid of the repercussions. But it says here that they are blind and ignorant. Now, what does that mean? Well, first and foremost they are just not saved. To be blind spiritually means that you are not saved. And they are ignorant because the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God and neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned. But if we were to apply it to saved pastors, blind means they are not growing in their faith. They don't know anything. They are not studying the word of God. They essentially have stopped their growth. They stunted their growth. And it also says that they cannot bark. Now, for me personally, I kind of like that. If dogs don't bark, especially when you're out sowing and you run into these little chihuahuas or something, and they're like, and you're just trying to like, you just want to just... Let's just be honest. I'm only saying, I'm not dumb here, I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking. You have these little dogs and you're trying to give the gospel, and you're just like, ha ha, you're just kind of like, oh, cute dog. But really you just want to... You want to field goal that thing, you know. So, you know, literally speaking, that's pretty good. But when it comes to, you know, guard dogs for example, if you have a guard dog in your backyard whose job is it to guard and tell you when there's intruders and thieves that are breaking in, you want the dog to actually do something about it. So a dog is useless if some thief climbs over or whatever and is trying to like break in, and the dog just like stares at him, licks his hand, shows him the way, you know, sniffs out the key and tells him, you know, under the mat, and they're just, you know, and they just kind of... That's a useless dog, okay. The right kind of guard dog is the one that just, you know, some murderer comes through and the dog just tears them apart, okay. That's a good dog right there. Skip the barking, hey man, just go straight for the jugular if the person's trying to commit murder or something like that. Or just in general, you know, you want the dog to bark because it's supposed to show that there's presence there. It's going to impede the thief from actually... It's going to cause them to think twice before going back there and trying to steal something. But, you know, a dog, you know, if you have a pit bull, just really big, a Doberman Pinscher type dog. What's that? The King Corso type dog, right? And you do that because you want to protect your home, but then the thief gets in, it doesn't bark, doesn't do anything. It's just like, this is a worthless dog. It's too friendly. It's unable to warn, you know, the people of the home that people are breaking in. Well, in like manner, God sees pastors who are unable to warn as dumb dogs. They're not willing to bark when they need to bark and actually say something about something to rebuke and reprove, okay. The Bible tells us you don't have to turn to Ezekiel chapter 3 verse 25. It says, But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them. And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb and shall not be to them a reprover, for they are a rebellious hell. So what does it mean to be dumb? It means that you're not willing to reprove, okay. And let me say this is that we need more pastors today to get behind the pulpit and actually rebuke their congregation when needed. Okay, to correct their congregation and not be afraid of their faces, not be afraid of what the repercussions might be. Oh man, I might lose ties or something. Oh man, but the building program. Oh man, but what if it's just empty on Sunday morning, then so be it. Your job is to bark. Bark, rebuke, correct when it needs to be done and not be afraid of the congregation, not be afraid of the millionaire in their church or something who has all the money, not be afraid of whatever repercussions might happen. You know, you need to warn people. And truly, you know, a pastor who's unwilling to rebuke and warn is worthless. He's a worthless pastor. The Bible says, Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. And if a pastor is not willing to get behind the pulpit and tell it like it is, he's worthless. You might as well get yourself a chihuahua. You might as well get one of those weenie little dogs that doesn't do anything, those ankle biters, that make sowing just a living hell sometimes because it's just worthless. They're unable to speak. They're unable to warn. And it's our job as pastors to not just rebuke the congregation, but rebuke the world. You know, when Pride Month comes around, they're just like, zip. I don't want to say nothing. I don't want to rock the boat. I don't want to rattle the cage. I don't want to create any controversy. I might get a rock thrown through a window or something. I might get pizzas ordered to our church or something like that. I might get our church blown up. Who cares? You know, your job is to bark. Let the owner take care of the possessions. Our job is to bark, to warn people of the wolves in sheep's clothing, the predators that are coming, the wicked people of this world. Let the owner take care of everything else. You're not the owner. But not only that, we see there that they love to sleep. It says sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. And spiritually, what this is referring to is that they're not necessarily awake, spiritually speaking. They're not paying attention. They're not filled with the Spirit. Go to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, if you would. Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Look at 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse number 4. It says here, But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all children of light, the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. Now how does this translate to pastors being asleep? Well, you know, some pastors just put everything on cruise control. They just stop fighting. They just kind of put everything on cruise control. They stop fighting. They stop really taking the Christian life serious. And in fact, they get out of the fight. But folks, our job as pastors is to fight the good fight of faith. To make sure that we're fighting false doctrine, fighting false prophets, fighting sin in our church, fighting bad habits in our church, fighting to keep our marriages together, fighting to raise godly children, fighting to raise a godly church. Fight, fight, fight! It's all about fighting, not sleeping. Get up! Awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light. The Bible says, Awake to righteousness and sin not, for some have not the knowledge of God and speak this to your shame. So it sounds to me like the Christian life is about not being asleep. It's about being awake in Christ and fighting to have the biblical church, the biblical home, things of that nature. What else are they guilty of? It says there, Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough. And this is one characteristic that really fits even safe pastors today. One of the motivating factors for pastors not to bark and to warn people is this right here. It's money because they're greedy, a filthy lucre, they are covetous, they can't have enough, but folks that should never be a motivating factor for any pastor. And if a pastor gets into the pastorate, they become a pastor of a church because of money, well number one they're probably a false prophet. They're a wicked false prophet and they are probably not saved because they want to make merchandise off of the flock of God. They view church as an opportunity to accumulate wealth. And then lastly, they have a defeatist attitude. He says there, Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine and we will fill ourselves with strong drink and tomorrow shall be as this day and much more abundant. In other words, they're just like, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. They're like a Laodicean type church. They don't want to fight. They're just like, my glory days are over with. No folks, the best days are ahead of us. Amen. The best is yet to come. And so, never have that attitude. Let me hasten here. Go with me if you would to Matthew chapter 26. Talking about dumb Christians here. Don't be a dumb Christian. Open your mouth. Say something when it needs to be said. Don't be silent. What's another reason why Christians are dumb? How about the fact that, and I mentioned this before, but they're afraid of the repercussions of what might happen if they actually say something. And I think a good example of this, actually it's a bad example. A good example of a bad example is Peter. Now Peter in the Bible was known for putting his foot in his mouth a lot of the time. Saying something when he shouldn't say it. Rebuking the Lord. Just kind of, let us create three tabernacles. Not really knowing what he's talking about. And then he's also guilty of not saying something when he was supposed to say it. Now obviously this is in the early days of the ministry here. And so let's just kind of give him the benefit of the doubt that he's like a babe in Christ apparently. Because he's got these two mixed up here. Now here in Matthew 26, Jesus Christ has already been arrested. And you know they're starting to persecute the believers here. It says in verse 69, I know not what thou sayest. So he just punked out in a time when he could have literally stood up for righteousness. And said something and said, you know what? Yeah that's me. I'm Peter and I stand for what Jesus Christ believes and I'm a follower of the Lord. I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God. But instead he's like, I don't know what you're talking about. I know not what thou sayest. Now how do we translate that today? How do we apply that today? Well you know what? At your job or with your family, be a Christian. Be a Christian. And I'm not saying, you know, because people take this to the extreme. And it's just like, oh okay that means I got to preach at church or at my job then. You know, got to preach on the clock and just be all hyper spiritual. That's not what we're talking about. I'm talking about have Christian conduct at your job or with your family. When you're with your family, you know, if they start blaspheming the Lord and taking the Lord's name in vain, that's the time for you to say something. To actually stand up for Jesus Christ and say, hey don't use the name of the Lord in vain around my presence. And if they make fun of you for that, be like, well this is the last time you're going to see me here because I'm not for that stuff. That's disrespectful. I'm a Christian. I'm a believer. And I find what you just did blasphemous. And so, peace out. The food sucked. You know, you're just like, walk out. You know, make it clear what you actually believe. Because let me say this, there's family members, listen to me, there's family members that will test the waters with you. And they want to see how far they can get with you. They want to see how much they can just push the line with you, how much of a committed Christian you really are. And so they'll say all the filthy jokes. They will use the Lord's name in vain. They will say all manner of, you know, controversial things regarding things that are against the Bible. Just to kind of see what you're going to say. See if you're going to play dumb. Don't be dumb about it. You know, let your business be known from the start. And let me say this, one of the best ways to do it is make sure you don't go to the barbecue on Sunday either. Because once you do that, they got you. So I'm actually like, oh, they make exceptions for the things of God then. And so if they see the exception that you make on Sunday, then they're going to test the exceptions that you make in other places as well in regards to what they talk about. So you're like, well, you know, I like to just every couple Sundays just hang out with my unsafe family where they drink alcohol. They smoke marijuana, you know, they do it in the corner somewhere. And they watch wicked things. They talk about wickedness. And there you are being a dumb little Christian. Just not saying anything about it. Just not doing anything about it. You know, it's time for Christians to actually take a stand for the things of God and not be silent when your uncle is over here pounding beer or whatever. And, you know, in your presence be like, you know what, what am I doing here? Don't be like Peter is just like, oh, you know, yeah, you know, this guy's a Christian is just like, well, you know, I've never once in a while go to church, you know, you're all embarrassed or something. It says in verse 71, What does that mean? The way he was talking exposed who he really was. You know, you're at your family's function and they say something to you and you're like, amen. They're all, amen? Oh, this guy's a Christian. Like, all right, God bless. Oh, okay. Then began he to curse and to swear saying, I know not the man and immediately the kakuru. So, you know, he's trying to like really cake on the worldliness here. So he's just cursing and swearing trying to make himself not look like a Christian. I mean, what a complete joke. But, you know, Christians do this all the time with their family members and with their friends. You know, the co-workers when they are, you know, they're taking a break in the lunchroom or something and the co-workers start talking about filthy things. And you just allow yourself to be in that in the presence of that filth. They blaspheme the Lord, they make fun of the things of God, and they're just testing the waters with you. And you know what? You're just allowing them to take you further and further from your convictions. Say something, stop being dumb about it. You know, your older brother who you respect, you admire, and, you know, you're just someone who's important to you starts talking down on the things of God. Take a stand. Who cares how old he is? Your father or your mother starts saying things. You know, there's nothing wrong with making a wise appeal to your mom and dad. And say, Mom, Dad, you know, I'm a Christian now so I don't do those things, I don't talk about those things. Your parents will appreciate that. Your cousins, your uncles, your aunts say something, speak up and say something about it. Actually take a stand, stop being dumb and tell them I'm a Christian and I go to church on Sundays, I go to church on Thursdays, I read the Bible, this is what I believe and I can't be a part of this. Stop making compromises with your family, you go to some function and they have a table full of beers, that's your indicator, oh, this is the wrong party to go to. Oh, it's this kind of party. Okay, we're gone. You're like, what's wrong with being there? I'm not drinking. Yeah, but you know what you're doing? You're being a bad testimony by showing unbelievers that there's some Christians that are willing to compromise. Because you're not there to win them to the Lord now, are you? It's not like you're there trying to preach the gospel to them, right? It's not like you're there actually, you're trying to have some fun is what you're trying to do without all the other elements that they put forth, alcohol or whatever. But it's time for you to just kind of be like, you know what, I need to find some new friends. I need to find a new family. You know, I made it abundantly clear to my family in their early days, this is who I am. I'm on church on Sundays, if you guys want to hang out, you got to come to church. If you guys want to see me, you got to come to church with me. If you want to spend time with me, I'm at church. I'm not hanging out on Friday nights, I'm not hanging out on Saturday. I don't want alcohol in my presence. You know, if we go to some Christmas function, I don't want to be there if there's wine being delivered or drank or whatever. If bad things are happening, I don't want to be a part of it. Why? Because I'm a Christian. And let me say this, I've even told my family, you know, if my faggot of a cousin shows up, don't invite me. I don't want to be there, I don't want to look at that. And you know, my family gave me a hard time about that in the initial stages. I'm not your cousin though, and you know, all these other things. I mean, I don't see you like that. You know, I don't want my kids to be around that dyke. I don't want to be around that, I don't want to be in the presence of that because I'm a Christian everywhere. I actually believe what the Bible says everywhere I go. And you'd be surprised, you know, my family actually respected my decision. So thereafter, when they would have a family function that I was invited to, they no longer invited that dyke. And it's just like, good, because I'm better than that person. You're going to like my presence more than that person anyways. I'm more enjoyable to be around anyways. So you made the right decision. I'm funnier, I'm saved. Better personality. Like you have to force yourself to actually like that family member. And like look at them and talk to them, you don't really want that. I'm very honest with my family, and you know what, it's been years now, so it's just like now they just know. You know what I mean? Now we're the ones who hold the family functions, and you know, they come to us or whatever. Whatever family still wants to associate with me at least. Alright, go to Ephesians 6. Ephesians chapter 6, and then we're going to go to Jeremiah 20 and we're done. Don't be dumb, actually say something, take a stand in your family. And look, it's even, it's far more important as a father and a husband to make sure you take stands like that. Before your family members. Because let me say this, your children are impressionable. They see what you do. They see the exceptions that you make. They view the compromises that you make. And they will esteem and value the things of God as much as you do in secret. So you may actually put yourself forth as having high Christian standards and you're a believer while you're in church. But it's a different story when you're placed in a position where no church members are around but just you and your family. Your little ones are going to see those decisions that you make. So don't be a hypocrite. Actually be a Christian other places, in front of your family, in front of your kids, it's important for them. You're building their convictions now. You're building their standards now by doing so. Last reason why Christians are dumb, really it's because of the lack of the Holy Spirit's filling. That's what it is. Because the Bible says to quench not the Spirit. What does it mean to quench? It means to kind of like put something over a fire, right? To just kind of douse a fire. And the Holy Spirit can be likened unto a flame within us. It's constantly burning. It constantly wants to do that which is right. So when we choose not to speak up, we choose not to preach the gospel, we choose not to open our mouths, we're essentially quenching the Spirit. It says in Ephesians 6 verse 19, It requires being a Spirit-filled Christian to say what needs to be said, when it needs to be said. And it takes courage, right? It takes courage but that courage comes through the Holy Spirit's power. Go to Jeremiah chapter 20. Jeremiah chapter 20. I'm here to remind you this morning not to be dumb and to take Christianity, your Christian life far more serious. You know it's easy to be a Christian when we're all here. It's easy to speak Christianese when we're here. It's easy to speak Christianese fluently when we're here. It's a different story when you're somewhere else around different people who are not Christians and you're required to take a stand and actually say something when it needs to be said. Look at Jeremiah chapter 20 and verse number 7. I love this passage here. It says here, So Jeremiah's throwing a little fit here. He's throwing a little tantrum, right? He's like, I'm not going to talk anymore about this. I'm going to be dumb is what he's saying. I'm going to keep my mouth shut and I'm not going to say anything anymore. I'm not going to do it. It goes on to say, What is he saying? We all get to a point where it's just like, I'm just tired of saying something because it's not working or because I feel like it's just falling on deaf ears or, you know, the word of God becomes a reproach unto us. However, if you have God's word in your heart, if you have the Bible in your heart, you're not going to help. You can't help yourself but say something at one point or another. That's just it. You know, I'll be honest. There's times when I get tired of preaching. I actually get tired of preaching. Like I grow weary of preaching sometimes, you know, for different reasons. Okay. It's an exhausting thing to do. And sometimes you feel like you don't see the fruits of preaching and it's just like, man, sometimes I just don't want to preach. I'll be honest. But you know what? By the time the next service comes around, his word is in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones. And I'm just like, I want to preach now. Like, you know, like after tonight, I'm like, I'm done preaching. I don't want to preach anymore. Monday, I'm just like, I don't want to talk about preaching. I don't want to preach. I don't want to prepare any sermons. But then, you know, Thursday starts coming around like, man, I can't wait to preach because the word of God is in my heart. And then Thursday night, I'm just like, man, I'm tired of this. No one's paying attention. Everyone's all tired. Got that glazed, got that fluoride look, giving me the fluoride stare. I was like, am I even making a difference? And he just become like, just become self-critical regarding my preaching. And then Friday, I'm just like, but then Saturday, he's just like, you know what? I want to preach again. And I don't care if they have the fluoride stare. They're going to get it no matter what. And it's not because of me. It's because of the word of God in my heart. And it has the same effect on everyone's heart. So here's the point. The point is to avoid being a dumb Christian, put the word of God in your heart. Make an effort to put Bible content in your heart because what happens is the word of God does not return back void. You're going to want to say something about it. The more Bible you put into your heart, the more preaching you listen to, the more Bible you read, the more you are going to want to talk about it. Because it's like a burning fire shut up in our bones. It's just like, I just need to let it out. And so what's the sermon this morning? Stop being dumb. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your word, Lord, and thank you for the principles thereof. I pray that you help us as your people to avoid the trap of being a dumb Christian, just unwilling to speak and say something when it needs to be said. Maybe your brother or sister needs to be corrected, needs to be reproved. And the natural propensity is just to avoid that conversation because it's uncomfortable, because of the conflict that may arise. But I pray that you'd help us to be filled with the Spirit and confront them anyways, of course, in a loving manner. And I pray that you'd help the husbands and fathers in our church to take stands and make judgments in their home. For pastors all across the country to use their pulpits to speak the truth and reprove and rebuke and not be afraid of what the congregation or others may think about it. Help us, Lord, to accumulate knowledge and to grow in our utterance, that we may preach the entire counsel of God to our family, friends, and the unsaved. In Jesus' name, Amen. Please turn your songbooks to song number 397. Song number 397, little is much when God is in it. Song number 397, all together nice and strong on that first verse. In the harvest field now ripened, there's a work for all to do. Hark, the voice of God is calling to the harvest calling you. Little is much when God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame, there's a crown and you can win it. If you'll go in Jesus' name, does the place you're called to labor seem so small and little known? It is great if God is in it and he'll not forget his own. Little is much if God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame, there's a crown and you can win it. If you'll go in Jesus' name, are you laid aside from service, body worn from toil and care? You can still be in the battle, in the sacred place of prayer. Little is much when God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame, there's a crown and you can win it. If you'll go in Jesus' name, when the conflict here is ended and our race on earth is run, he will say to all the faithful, welcome home my child well done. Little is much when God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame, there's a crown and you can win it. If you'll go in Jesus' name.