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Welcome to First Works Baptist Church. If you could, go ahead and come on in and please be seated. Go ahead and please stand with me as we sing song number 413, Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus. Song number 413, Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus. Song number 413. On the first verse. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross, Lift high his royal banner, It must not suffer loss, From victory unto victory, So shall he lead, Till ev'ry foe is vanquished, Then Christ is Lord indeed. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, The trumpet call obey, For to the mighty conflict, If this is for your sake, Ye soldiers of the cross, Against the numbered foes, Let courage rise with danger, Head straight to strength that falls, Stand up, stand up for Jesus, In his strength alone, The arm of flesh will fail you, Ye dare not trust your own, Put on the gospel armor, We're watching unto prayer, Where duty calls for danger, In ever wanting there. Great singing. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this wonderful and beautiful day that you've given us. Father, I just ask for your spirit, Lord, for the preacher to come, but also for the singing that glorifies you. We love you, and I love you. In Jesus' name, Amen. Song number 259, please be seated. Song number 259, Jesus saves, Amen. If you're saved tonight, can I get a witness? Amen. Hey, that's right. Jesus saves. Song number 259 on the first verse. We have heard a joyful sound, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Spread the tidings all around, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Bear the news to every land, By the schemes they cross the waves, All were killed by voice of man, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, We are not in a rolling tide, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Send the sinners far and wide, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Sing the islands of the sea, And come back the ocean caves, Herbs shall be heard you by thee, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, On the third, sing above the battle-stride, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, By his death and endless light, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Sing it softly through the gloom, Then mercy craves, Sing in triumph o'er the tomb, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Give the winds a mighty voice, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Let the nations now rejoice, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Shout salvation full and free, By his hills and deepest caves, Makes a song of victory, Jesus saves, Jesus saves. Great singing. All right, great singing. Thank you for being here this evening. Welcome to First Works Baptist Church. Just a few announcements here. Before we sing our next song, which will be 301, Sweet Hour of Prayer, if you want to get that ready in your songbook. Song number 301. If you did not get a bulletin, go ahead and raise your hand. One of the ushers can get one for you. Important information on there. Of course, 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 on Thursday evenings. So good to have you here. And then you see the soul winning times and teams. The list of expecting mothers. Please continue to keep them in prayer. And then the regular reminders there at the bottom. Please give heed to that. And then some of the upcoming church events. Tomorrow night is the men's prayer night. That'll be at 7 p.m. at the church building. Dinner will be provided. And then the TJ soul winning is on Monday, September 11th. We'll meet here at the building approximately around 9 o'clock. That's when we want to take off. No later than 930. And so if you can get with brother Ulysses about that, if you want to attend and participate in the soul winning there, please get with him so we can get a heads up and plan for that. You do need a passport if you want to cross the border there. Actually, you don't need a passport to cross the border. You need a passport coming back. That's the issue there. So you can actually cross the border and no one will check on you. And according to Connor, if you cross the border, literally anything can happen to you and no one will ever find out. Maybe I shouldn't have announced that part, actually. God's protecting us, amen. But on the way back, you do need a passport for that. And so I want to encourage all Spanish speakers, especially those who know how to preach the gospel, to participate in that. We're looking forward to a great harvest of souls. Sunday, September 17th is our sixth year anniversary. And then we have a homeschool field trip coming up on Friday, September 29th, Kids Space Children's Museum at 9 a.m. You have the address there. If you have any questions, if you'd like some details about that, you can see my wife Sarah about that. And then you see the regular reminders there at the bottom as well. No food or drink allowed in the main auditorium except for water and coffee. Please make sure you're not loitering in the four-year fellowship hall during the preaching service. And then please make sure you silence your phones during the preaching so as to not be a distraction during the service. Go ahead and pull out your prayer sheet there. We'll go over that briefly. And then Brother Cody, I believe, is going to be the one praying this evening. Of course, continue to pray for God's favor on our church, the sowing, the teams, and the missions. Please continue to pray for our trip to Belize coming up in November. We prayed that it would be a fruitful trip. We're going back to San Ignacio. And that's where we're going to have the preaching service. But we're looking to expand out to a city called San Jose, which is about 30 minutes away from San Ignacio, to do some sowing there. That doesn't exclude the sowing that we're going to be doing at the schools in San Ignacio, though. But please pray that the preaching service would be full. I'm looking forward to the sowing, but I'm really looking forward to see how many of the converts from the last year or so are going to be attending that preaching service. And we'll see what the Lord does there. Pray for traveling mercies. And of course, the missions trip, it's actually the week before Thanksgiving. And I meant to have the date here, but I don't have the date on me. I'll give the date on Sunday. But please be in prayer over that. Protection of our church, spiritual numerical growth, more laborers, and of course, new people in our church. And pray for our church family, those who have just been getting sick and out sick and all that. And so please continue to keep that in prayer. Continue to pray for Brother John and Miss Olivia and their baby, that the baby would continue to gain weight. And there's no really other complications other than that. The baby's doing great. It's just a matter of gaining weight. And so please pray for the baby and the family. And then you see the other prayer requests there that are made by individuals in our church. Keep them in prayer as well. If you have an additional prayer request you'd like to be mentioned on the bulletin, please put that at the bottom, tear that off, put it into the offering plate, and we'll make sure that it gets on there for the following week. At this time, Brother Cody's going to come on up and pray over these needs. Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. Dear Lord God, thank you for every soul here right now, Lord. And just thank you for the church you've given all of us, Lord. And just thank you for salvation and for the King James Bible, Lord, and just everything that you blessed us with. And Lord, I just pray that we continue to have your favor on our lives, Lord. Each and every individual, Lord. I just pray that you continue to bless us, Lord, as you have so abundantly given us, Lord. And I just pray for the soul-winning efforts at our church, Lord, that we continue to go out and preach the gospel to the lost, Lord, add new laborers, Lord. And I just pray that we're able to reach new people and just continue to see people saved as the months and years go by, Lord. Specifically, I want to pray for the soul-winning in TJ, Lord. I just pray that the souls out there, that they continue to get saved, Lord. And I just pray for the soul-winners, for their safety when they go out there, Lord, and that they're able to win a lot of souls to Christ, Lord. And I just pray for the soul-winning efforts at TJ, Lord, and for Belize as well, for the soul-winning efforts, Lord. I just pray when church members go there, Lord, that it's a fruitful time, Lord, and they are able to see more people saved there at Belize, Lord. So just please be over that time. And be over the service, Lord, the service at Belize, Lord. I just pray that you've been stirring in the hearts of the people at Belize, Lord, to where they'd want a good church there at Belize. And I just pray that people would show up and just want the truth, Lord, want to hear the preaching of your word, Lord, and just seek that out, Lord. So just pray over Belize and for all that time there, Lord. And I just pray for protection of our church, Lord, from the enemies of God, Lord. I just pray for this time of reprieve, Lord. And I pray that you continue to keep us safe, Lord, from people who would want to harm our church and mess with us. And I just pray that you keep those people away, Lord, including any city officials, any leaders, Lord, out there. I just pray that we're not bothered and we can just continue to serve you, Lord, and continue to win souls to Christ, Lord. And I just pray for the families at our church, Lord, that they continue to grow, Lord, for all the people at our church, Lord, that we grow closer unto you, Lord. And I just pray that we continue to just put you first, Lord, continue to read our Bibles, Lord, and just continue to go soul winning, Lord. So just continue to keep a fire in our hearts, Lord, to want to serve you, Lord. And all these requests, Lord, I know that we all have different needs that we ask you in prayer, Lord, and I just pray that you could answer those needs, Lord, as you see fit. And I just pray that you bless every one of our church members and just answer these requests in a way that they would know that you answered their prayer, Lord. And I just pray, lastly, for Brother John and Miss Olivia, Lord, that their baby would continue to stay healthy, Lord, and continue to gain weight, Lord, and just be over that and just have your hand upon them, Lord, at this time. And just please protect that baby, Lord, and just comfort Brother John and Miss Olivia at this time, Lord. And I pray that you bless the service, Lord. I pray that you bless the preaching, Lord, and fill Pastor Mejia with your Holy Spirit, Lord, as he preaches your word unto us and that we have attentiveness during the service, Lord. So just bless this time and keep us safe on the way back home, Lord. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen. Please read your songbook to song number 301, Sweet Hour of Prayer. Song number 301. Song number 301 on the first verse. Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, Sweet hour of prayer that calls me from a world of care And bids me at my Father's throne, Make all my wants and wishes known, His seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief, And oft escaped the tempest fair, My thy return, sweet hour of prayer, Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, My wings shall my petition bear To Him whose truth and faithfulness Engage awaiting souls to bless, And since He bids me sink His face, Believe His word and trust His grace, I'll cast on Him my every care, And wait for Thee, sweet hour of prayer, Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, May I by consolation share, Till from out His skies, Flaw behind, I view my home and take my flight, This robe of flesh I'll drop and rise, To seize the everlasting Christ, And shout, Through the air, Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer. Amen. As the ushers come forth with the offering, please turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 19. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. We're in Matthew chapter 19. And the Bible reads, And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these sayings, He departed from Galilee and came to the coast of Judea beyond Jordan, and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. The Pharisees also came on to Him, tempting Him and saying on to Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And He answered and said unto them, Have you not read that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh. Wherefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. They say unto Him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and put her away? He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your heart, suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, comitteth adultery, and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto Him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But He said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs which were so born from their mother's womb, and there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men, and there be eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. Then were there brought unto him little children that he should put his hands on them and pray, and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them and departed thence. And behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good things shall I do that I may have eternal life? He said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one that is God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness. Honor thy father and thy mother, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up, what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. But when a young man heard that, saying, He went away sorrowful for yet great possessions, then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee, what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Let's pray. Thank you Heavenly Father for the King James Bible, dear God, and every precious word in it. Thank you for our pastor, and please bless him tonight as he preaches your word unto us. And please bless us in the congregation, and stir our spirits also that we may receive your word. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Okay, we're in Matthew chapter 19. No need to do any review of the previous chapters as I typically do because I finished last week. And so we'll jump right into 19 here in chapter 19. There's actually three particular subjects that we're going to cover tonight, and two of which are going to be fairly extensive just because there's a lot to say about this. So let's go ahead and start here in verse number one. It says, And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee and came into the coast of Judea beyond Jordan. And great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there. The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? So the first subject that we're going to cover tonight in this particular chapter is once again the subject of divorce. And here we see that the Pharisees are coming to him not because they're sincere, not because they want to learn, not because they actually want the truth. It says there that they came here tempting him. And what that means is they're trying to catch him in his words. They are trying to test him. It's not because they're sincere, because they want the truth. And the reason they are bringing the subject up of putting away a wife for every cause, or as we would say just divorce, is because of the fact that in chapter five, which is the first time that Jesus Christ teaches about it, he's actually just preaching about it in his particular sermon there, the Sermon on the Mount. And he covers the subject of divorce. And if you remember in chapter five, he says that they have said of old, right? And he's talking about the Pharisees there. But obviously he's not naming them particularly. But we know according to chapter five, he kind of builds up to talking about the Pharisees. And so I believe that maybe the Pharisees were among the people there. And so that's why they're kind of bringing it up here in chapter 19. Because they're coming to him, tempting him, telling him, asking him, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Now he said, why is it that it says that they're tempting him? Because it sounds like a sincere question. You know, is it okay to put away your wife for every cause? Well, because of the fact that they're going to answer with, they know he's against divorce. So they're going to answer with what? Moses. Because remember, according to Matthew chapter 23, they sit in Moses' seat. And so they're going to bring up Moses, how Moses essentially suffered them, and permitted them to write a bill of divorcement because of the hardness of their hearts. So that's kind of what they're trying to do. They're trying to set him up by saying, hey, is it lawful? They know he's going to say no because they already heard what he preached in chapter five. And so they're going to respond with, well, Moses said this. And obviously Moses is an authoritative figure here in the Bible amongst especially the Jews at this time. And so they're trying to contradict him. They're trying to see if he's willing to go against what Moses taught. And so they ask this question here, look at verse number four. And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read that he which hath made them from the beginning, made them male and female? Now, before he even answers the question of whether it's right to divorce or not, he brings up, well, let's see what God originally intended for marriage, right? And he says God made them male and female. Now, before we get into the subject of marriage, notice it says male and female, not male, female, non-binary, cat man, dog woman, or these people who want to identify as whatever, just male and female. There are men who are definitely effeminate because they have too much estrogen. They don't have enough testosterone. They are just, you know, they're softies. But, you know, even the faggotiest dude out there is still a man, right? When you dig into that dude's chromosomes, you'll see he's a dude no matter what. He can dress like a girl, act like a girl, look like a girl, smell like one even, get his hair done like a woman, paint his fingernails, do whatever he can. He could even, as we're going to see later on, he could even, you know, make himself a eunuch per se, right, by chopping off his privy members, but he's still a dude no matter what. Even if he despises himself, you know, the Bible tells us, can the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? So it doesn't matter how much they want to change and what they're trying to do to make themselves softer or more feminine. They're still a dude no matter what. Now there's two groups of people who do this kind of crap. One of them obviously are the reprobates of this world, okay? The sick, demented reprobates of this world. But I believe there's also another group who's just being peer pressured into doing that stuff, you know, whether it's taking, you know, certain hormones to make themselves softer or whatever, because this is what's being promoted in schools and in the culture this is what's popular now. But no matter what, a dude is still a dude no matter how soft he is, okay? And a female is still a female no matter how dyke-ish they look. Even if they put on a man's clothes, this is not a man, he's a transvestite. She's a transvestite, okay? And I'm not for, you know, when you meet these people in public, if you were to just run into them, you know, using their pronouns to address them or something. It's like the proper pronoun is he, it's like no you're she who's trying to look like he. Now I don't really even get into conversations with people like that because I don't really run into them, but if I were to, you know, I probably would even, first of all I wouldn't even talk to them because I have no business with them, you know? But I've had instances where I'm talking to someone, you know what I mean, and I refer to them as sir or something like that because they kind of look like a sir, but then you hear them talk it's like oh this is a chick. And then from then on out I'll just refer to as it or ma'am or something. You say well that's insensitive, well God made them male and female. There's nothing outside of that, okay? And people can create things in their imaginations if they want, and they can be evil in their imaginations all they want, their chromosomes don't change, their bone structures don't change, it's still male and female. It's just that it's a feminine male and a masculine type of a female because she's shooting herself up with testosterone. She can make her voice a little deeper if she wants and, you know, build muscle or whatever and try to look as masculine as possible. It doesn't matter at the end of the day. Science says she's a female and let's just forget science. God says she's a female, okay? So that's how God made them, and no they didn't evolve either. Because according to evolution, evolution means they're supposed to become better. Well these people are worse. I mean this group of people, these trannies, they're just likely to kill themselves a lot of the time, which in the evolutionary model that's not necessary evolution now is it? You're degrading, you're regressing, okay? And so I just want to throw that out there because it's important to talk about these things because we have a generation that's coming up where this stuff is already in existence, whereas we have been in a world prior to this where this stuff was not big, right? It was not promoted the way it is now. So it's important for our young people to know that just because a dude injects himself with all types of hormones to make himself more girly, he's still a man at the end of the day. He can't make himself a woman. He can get all the plastic surgery and chop off his private parts and try to get the parts of a woman on him or whatever. At the end of the day, he's still a dude. There's nothing that will change that, okay? He can fool himself into thinking he's a girl, but he's not. By the way, there's people out there who are like, they move beyond that now. Now there's just like they're a white dude who wants to be identified as a Korean, transracial. You know what I mean? And so there's this ridiculousness. People call it a mental illness, but it's not a mental illness. It's just a reprobate mind is what it is, okay? And stop calling it a mental illness, conservatives. They're like, oh, it's just a mental illness. We need to get these people some help. Reprobates can't be helped. They're filthier in their mind. They have corrupt minds. The reason they even got to that point is because they rejected Jesus Christ. I'm going to say this. If this offends you, it's because you've been saturated by the culture. You are probably best friends with your high school teacher or something like that who's a tranny himself or herself, okay? This is the Bible. This is the word of God, okay? And you should be offended at what the world has done and what the world is promoting. You should be offended for God, not at God, okay? And so, I mean, folks, in the Old Testament, a dude who had his privy members cut off could not enter into the house of God. Think about that. If a man had his stones damaged, he could have become a priest. But if he had his privy member cut off, he could not enter into the house of God. So that's why we don't let trannies in our church, amen? Because this is the house of God, the pillar and ground of truth, amen? And so, male and female. You know what we've got in this building? Males and females. Nothing in between, nothing to the left, nothing to the right, just strictly males and females. I know that's very basic, but this is 2023 and I guess we have to mention this stuff in case someone would think otherwise. And don't be afraid to teach your children this stuff, too. You know, your kids have questions, you answer them and explain them to them that these people are sick in the brain, they're reprobates, or they're just being deceived by the culture and so they want to become this way or whatever because it's popular, which in my day, it was just never popular to be gay. It was like the worst thing you could ever do, you know what I mean? And so, times have changed. Times have changed, my friends. Look at verse number 5, it says, So again, he goes back to the rudimentary teachings of marriage and he says there that Twain, referring to both, shall be one flesh. So once a woman and a man get married, God essentially views them as one unit. And he says there, one flesh. And then he goes on to say that because they're joined together and now one flesh, no man should ever put them asunder. In other words, no man should ever divide them, should never separate because the topic at hand is to put away your wife, meaning to separate a wife from her husband because of whatever reason. And when I think about when he says, A good way to explain this as to why God doesn't want him to be put asunder, aside from the fact that obviously he hates divorce, is because if you think about it, a flesh, a person, a body for example, is soul and body. We are soul and body. And the only thing that can really separate that is what? Death. Death separates the soul and the body. And the only thing that should ever put asunder a man and woman in marriage is what? Death. According to Romans chapter 7. Now whether the woman is the soul or the man is the body, you guys can argue with that. It's just an example here. I'm just saying that God views them as one flesh, meaning they're one unit. No man should put them asunder. The only thing that can separate them is death itself. And that's exactly how it is in marriage. According to Romans chapter 7, the only thing that should ever separate you from your spouse is death. And at that point, you are free from the law of your husband. You can go and marry another. You're free from the law of your wife. You can go and marry another. And it's right in the eyes of God because death has essentially removed them and removed you from that covenant. So he says, there are no more twain but one flesh. Therefore, God has joined together. Let no man put asunder. So what is he doing by mentioning these verses from Genesis? He's basically saying, you're saying Moses said this, but let me show you what it was from the beginning. Which from the beginning was obviously previous to Moses. So whatever Moses is teaching or adding on to this, obviously is an exception that he's making, according to the Bible, to those who have become hardened in their heart. But from the beginning it was not so. The reason he's even making the so-called exception is because he knows people are going to do it. And so when people do it, obviously he puts stipulations to that. But from the beginning it was not so. Now what does this show us? It shows us that marriage should be till death do us part. And marriage is something that should be taken serious and you should realize that when you make a covenant before God to be faithful to your spouse and only your spouse, but then you decide to divorce, you're basically deciding to quit. You're basically saying you're not willing to work things out. Whereas God wants us to work things out. Because marriage, as wonderful as it is, it can become difficult. There's hard things that happen in marriage. It's a wonderful thing, but there's trials and tribulations. There's times when you might not get along with your spouse and you might offend each other in a great way. And so making that covenant before God helps you to realize, okay, well divorce is not on the table, so I guess we have to work things out. The only other option is to work things out. Yeah, but you don't know him. Yeah, but here's the thing though, you married him. So because you made that covenant before God to marry this person till death do you part, your only other option is not murder, it's to work things out. Because divorce is not on the table. It should never be on the table, because from the beginning it was not so. Let no man put asunder that includes you. Yeah, but you know, he cheated on me or she cheated on me. Well, you know what, as wicked and evil as that is, as horrible as that is, that's still not a cause for divorce according to the Bible. Now that's a major offense for sure. But God still expects you guys to stay together. Now the world hears that and they'll clip that little sermon and be like, can you believe this pastry expects you to stay in that toxic relationship even though they're cheating on you or something? Shut your mouth, you don't know what the hell you're talking about. This is the Bible, I'm teaching the Bible right here. And I don't expect unsaved people to know what the Bible says, because the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. And I'm not advocating for committing adultery on your spouse either. I'm just telling you that according to the Bible, even the most grievous sins such as adultery is still not a reason or an excuse to get divorced. What am I supposed to do then? According to the Bible, work things out. Yeah, but he's done this and she's done this. And here's what I say and I know it sounds callous. I know it sounds just like I'm just being mean here and you can think that all you want, but it's fact and that is you chose them. I did not choose them for you. No one forced you to marry them. You chose them. So we as adults need to take responsibility for our actions, my friends. And if we're taking responsibility for our actions, we recognize, well this is the life I chose, so now I made my bed and now I've got to sleep in it, is that what it is? You made your bed and now you've got to sleep in it. We live in a society where there's too many quitters. They quit on marriage for everything. They treated it like a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship. They treated it like high school relationships. It was like, oh, they did something they didn't like and all of a sudden they just dump them or something. Now this isn't Hollywood. This is church. This is the Christian life. In the Christian life, you work things out no matter how difficult it gets. No matter how great the offense is, you made a covenant, you work it out and you know what it does? It makes you a better Christian and God commands you to do it, okay? Now when I preach this, you know, there's divorced people in our church and people often think, oh man, he's just so angry at the divorced people. No, I'm not. I love the divorced people in our church and some of the divorced people in our church are some of the best Christians I know. And just because they're divorced doesn't mean they're horrible people or they're just less Christians than anybody else. You know, never have that attitude. And by the way, let me just insert this. Someone who's divorced doesn't mean they're perpetually and adultery either. There's this view out there that when that person's divorced, they're just perpetually and adultery. That's such a stupid teaching by ruckmans, ruckmanites or whatever. Once the deed is done, it's done, okay? But I'm not even preaching at them because obviously they can't change what happened. You know what I'm talking to? Those who have not yet gotten married, okay? Talking to you and those who are currently married so as to teach you, don't quit. Work it out. Yeah, but he hurt me. Let's see. Accept the bee for hurting each other's feelings. Accept the bee for mean things he said. Yeah, but he cussed me out. Accept the bee for the fact he cussed me out. Yeah, but she threw a pan at my face. Here's my advice to you if that ever happens. Duck. Problem solved. Be faster. There's no escape clause when it comes to marriage, my friends. You say, well, hold on a second. Let's read on though, Pastor. Okay, let's read on. It says in verse 7, they say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away? He saith unto him, Moses, because of the hardness of your heart, suffered you to put away your wives. But from the beginning it was not so. Again, he's bringing this up. From the book of Genesis, this wasn't God's will. And in fact, all the way throughout even to the book of Malachi, he says that God hates putting away. So why would you participate in something that God hates? If he's clearly telling you, I hate divorce, it's just like, well, let's go with Moses on this one. He, Moses is with God on divorce. He's just like, there's people who have been divorced, so the hardness of your hearts, you can't seem to forgive. Okay, here is what you can do. Okay, verse 9, And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commiteth adultery. And whoso marrieth her which is put away, doth commit adultery. Now, I don't need to explain this because I feel like I've explained this a little too much already regarding the so-called escape clause of fornication in marriage. I mean, it doesn't really make sense for someone to say, well, they committed adultery. The Bible says here, except it be for the cause of fornication. Well, fornication and adultery are not the same thing. Fornication takes place prior to marriage. Adultery is something that happens within marriage, right, when people are already married. So why does he say that? Well, because obviously, if he's referring to this sexual act as being fornication, and he's talking about it in context of marriage, then this is obviously something that's taking place during what's known as the betrothal stage. You know, when people are engaged, and they have not yet consummated the marriage physically, when you're engaged, you're almost considered married, except for the fact that you have not yet consummated the marriage, you have not yet come together physically. If this sin is taking place during that window of time, that would be considered fornication now, wouldn't it? So if you are engaged to someone, and you find out that this someone commits fornication, I mean, it's a horrible sin, but according to the Bible, obviously, now, especially in the culture in which we live, and with the laws, you don't have to write a bill of divorce for someone you're engaged to. But you can say, well, I'm not going to marry this person because they did X, Y, and Z. So obviously, the example that we have here is not even, you know, what people try to use this for is like 10 years down the road, 20 years down the road, when they've been married for like a long time. Okay? That's not what this is referring to. This is obviously referring to prior to the consummation of the marriage, as proven by the fact that he's using the term fornication, and what that means is something that takes place prior to marriage. Okay? And so, you know, you say, man, you're being a dead horse. He's the one who's bringing it up. He brought it up in Chapter 5, and he's bringing it up again. But you know what I find? As a pastor, I have to just keep bringing it up. I have to just keep bringing it up. You know why? Because this society is just filled with a bunch of quitters. And the stuff hits the fan, and all of a sudden, they want to quit on their marriage. They want to throw in the towel. And let me say this, folks. And I'm going to say this to the cows come home, and that is, you know, from the beginning, it was not so. And let me say this. If you choose to get a divorce, okay, you won't be thrown out of our church for getting divorced. But once the divorce takes place, I'm calling it out in church, because it's just that wicked. And what we're trying to do here as parents, as pastor and parents, we're trying to raise our kids to have the ideology, the biblical ideology, that they are being raised to marry godly spouses and to stay faithful and loyal to that spouse till death do them part, and that there is no quitting. I want my son and my daughters to be married to their spouse till one of them dies, because that's God's will. And so when people in church are entertaining, talking about, or getting divorced, then I have to bring the hammer down. And you can stay in our church, but hey, we don't agree with what you're doing. It's wicked. It's sinful to consider divorce or get divorced and try to make excuses. And let me say this is that, you know, if you get divorced, first of all, don't try to use the Bible to back up what you're doing. And don't say, well, I have peace about it. If you have peace about it, you know, then obviously you're not reading the Bible, and you're being carnal, you're not listening to God's word. And when people say, well, you know, I have peace about it, they're basically saying, I've already made up my mind. Because God's not going to counsel someone into, God's not going to come with an audible voice and say, do it, divorce. And I am with you all the way. Doesn't work that way. But let me say this, the ramifications to divorce are devastating. And people who get divorced, let me just say it just bluntly, they're selfish. And again, I'm not preaching to those who have been divorced in our church. I'm preaching this as a preventative measure for those who are going to get married and those who are already married, they're selfish. And by the way, you may be divorced and be like, yeah, you know what, maybe that's true, I was selfish, you're right. But let me say this, people who get divorced are selfish because of the fact they don't realize the ramifications that it can have on their children. You destroy your house, you will destroy your children, you will destroy your daughters and your sons if you choose to take that path. And people who do that and still do it, they just don't care. It's wicked, my friends. It's wicked. And there's been times as a pastor here at this church where I've heard of people considering divorce, and I'm just thinking to myself, is my preaching in vain or what? Like, I mean, like, are they not reading what the Bible says? And I'll tell them, like, this is what the Bible says, and they're just like, I'm still going through with it. It's like, what? What about your kids? Just like, I've already made up my mind. And, you know, in their minds they might think, oh, it's, you know, a tad ripple effect or something. No, no, no, it's like a tsunami. It's like a tsunami. And by the grace of God, your kids might make it, but I wouldn't want to roll the dice on that. Because obviously, you know, we have even people here who are children of divorced parents, right? And they're serving God. They want to have a godly marriage. They've strayed from the path of their parents who have quit on their marriage. And you know what? Good for you. But you know what? And you may think to yourself, well, yeah, my kids will turn on that. Do you really want to roll the dice on that, though? Because that's not God's model. If the people in our church have come from a divorced home, they've survived, you know, they survived the onslaught of trauma that comes with divorce by the grace of God. But that's not God's original will. It's not His intent. Why? Because from the beginning it was not so. God's original intent for your kids is for them to see marriage modeled before them until they're ready to get married. God's intent for my kids is for my kids to see me love my wife as Christ loved the church and for my wife to respect and reverence me and for us to just grow old together, just be old farts, loyal and faithful to each other. So it's ingrained in them to say this is what life is, this is what marriage is, and this is what I want. And they go into life seeking a spouse who wants that type of loyalty and faithfulness and then that's the biblical model, my friends. And I always say this, don't use the D word in your household. And I'm not talking about damn either. I'm talking about divorce. Don't be a quitter. And if you choose to get divorced in our church, you won't get thrown out. But man, you got a fiery sermon coming towards you. You got one hell of a sermon coming at you. And I'll do everything but call your name out, but you'll know that I'm talking to you and so will the rest of the church. Because I'm unashamed about taking a stand about not getting divorced. And so, you know, it's important. Like, oh man, this is kind of awkward. It's a hard saying. Look at verse 10. His disciples said to him, if the case of the man be so with his wife, it is good not to marry. This is your first MGTOW, right, response. It was like, oh man, then all women are wicked then and I shouldn't marry. And look at verse 11. But he said unto them, all men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. He's like, yeah, I know some people can't handle this kind of preaching. And this is why a lot of pastors don't talk about this stuff behind the pulpit because they know men can't receive it. And so because they cater to their church members, they don't talk about it. But don't quit on your marriage. If you ever get to a point in your marriage where you just feel like I just can't be in the same house as this person. I just can't agree with them. The only thing that I would advocate for is like a physical separation for a time, but not divorce. And that's like a last resort where you're just like, you can't even be in the same household because knives are being thrown or, you know, it just gets too chaotic. I would advocate for a physical separation, but not for divorce. Where you physically separated to the point where you just miss each other once again and you reconcile and you get back together. You know, you throw on some Al Green, let's stay together. Amen. Thank you, Brother Jose. He understood that reference. That's the only thing I would advocate for. But you know, if you divorce, you're just telling me, you're telling God, you're telling the world, you're telling the church, I don't like to work things out. I don't want to work things out. And you know what? That is reflective in your spiritual life as well. When problems come up in your spiritual life, you just give in to every fleshly whim because you don't like to work things out. That will be reflective in all of your relationships with friends, with family, that you will always have conflict because you're just not willing to work things out. And you know what? It's exhaustive to work things out. It's taxing emotionally to work things out. But so what? Do it anyways. It's God's will. But I know all men can't receive the same. But you're going to hear the same. He says in verse 12, for there are some eunuchs which were so born from their mother's womb. In other words, you know, a eunuch is someone who has his privy member not there. And for different reasons. But he's kind of using this as a symbol. He says there's some eunuchs which were so born from their mother's womb. He's referring to people who maybe are born with like a deformity. You know about, you read about people in the Old Testament whose stones were not working and they couldn't become priests because of that. Okay. So there's some people who are just born that way, right? Just physical deformities. That's very common. And there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men. What is this referring to? Well this is kind of like talking about Daniel for example. Daniel was a eunuch in the Bible. Who his privy member was removed. And this is something that commonly took place in old times when there's a queen involved. She would be surrounded by all these men. And they would make them eunuchs so as to lower the risk of them becoming physically involved. Okay. And so some people are born in that state with some sort of deformity. Others are made this way of others. And then he says, and there be eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. And what is he referring to there? He's referring to people who can essentially remain single. Okay. I'm not called to that ministry obviously. And most men are not. Most people are not called to this. It's a special calling in my opinion. Where they're fine with just remaining unmarried. They don't need a spouse. They're not burning to have that physical relationship. They're just content with being single. And a good example of this is who? The Apostle Paul who remained single. And he was able to attend unto the Lord. I forgot the wording. Undistracted. He was uninterrupted. That's why he was able to do so much missions work and evangelistic work because he didn't have a wife and kids to come home to who was worried about him. They're like, what happened to you today? I was stoned thrice. Where were you? Dinner was ready at this time. I was like all shipwrecked for a couple days or whatever. He didn't have anybody waiting at home for him so he can do a lot for the Lord and just serve the Lord without distraction, uninterrupted. And so he essentially symbolically made himself a eunuch, not physically. He didn't do this to himself. It's basically referring to the fact that he chose to remain unmarried. Okay. And this is not bad. Some people do this. Now I know that once I got saved, I'm like, I want to get married. I'm not called to be an Apostle Paul. In fact, I've knew this since I was like 12 or 11 or something like that. I remember just being really young and just telling my parents. I think I told my dad or my mom, I'm going to get married to one woman and one woman only. I might have done it to spite him or something. But I told him, I was like, I'm going to be married to one woman. I couldn't wait to get married even as a kid. I just love the idea of having a wife and kids. And so, but you know, there's some people who are just like, they're kind of like indifferent about it. It doesn't really bother them. And that's fine. Okay. But let me say this. If you think that, you know, you're like, well, you know, I don't really feel like getting married now. So maybe this is my calling to be a spiritual eunuch, which I wouldn't call it that, by the way. You know, to just be unmarried. Don't make any covenant before God that that's what you're going to do. Just say, you know what? This is the stage of life that I'm in right now. I don't have a desire to get married. Maybe later on, somewhere down the road, I will get married because things change. You know, you could be here and some girl walks in and you're just like, whoa, where have you been all my life? And then all of a sudden that desire changes. Okay. And vice versa. Okay. And so very important sayings here. He says, he that is able to receive it, let him receive it. And I think what he's saying there is like, you know, people who have this calling, let them have that calling. So it's designated for a special group of people. This is not something that happens very commonly because, again, from the beginning, God made them male and female and he made them to get married. Okay. It's not good for a man to be alone. So the Bible says. And so young men, prepare for marriage, amen. You're like, well, I think when I'm like, you know, maybe like 35, 40, I'll consider marriage or something. Get married young. You can start developing a culture where people get married young again, amen. You say, why? You can have a bunch of babies for a long time if it's the Lord's will. But it's great to be married. If it were my choice, I would have gotten married young, younger. You know, I got married when I was like 29, I think. So I can still say I got married in my 20s. But from the beginning, it was not so. I didn't want that. I wanted to get married a lot sooner than that. So if you have the opportunity to get married young, do it. And here's the thing is that obviously you need to prepare spiritually in a sense of you have a consistent walk with God. You're putting God first in a lot of things. You are spiritually mature. You want to prepare financially, but really, you know, preparing financially doesn't mean you have to have 50K in the bank or something, which often that's like a standard for some people. It's like you've got to have all this money in the bank. I don't agree with that. By the way, if the parents of the woman you are dating has a requirement, then that's what you've got to do. But I don't believe in that. When I say prepare financially, it means you have a job, consistent job, where you can financially provide for another person. Like you can feed your spouse food. Like they can live. You know what I mean? Like they can live with you. They won't die. Like you can put a roof over their head, clothes on their back. That's important. So you have to be ready financially, spiritually, and at that point, then obviously start seeking out a spouse and start looking for a spouse. Your desire should be in the Christian life, if you have desire to get married, you should have some timing in your life. Just say, you know what, it's time to put childish things away, things that are holding me back from maturing spiritually and emotionally and financially. It's time to get serious about being a grown man, having a job, being responsible, and seeking out a woman that I can trick, I mean that I can convince to marry me. And let me say this, marriage is awesome. It's awesome. It sucks being single. And I know people are like, oh, you should be content. I was content as a single, but I strongly desire to be married, because it sucks to be single. And the reason I have to say that is because in the day and age in which we live, people talk a lot of crap about marriage. It's like, oh, man, you don't get to do all this fun stuff and travel and all. What's so fun about traveling? Being on an airplane, oh, yeah, it's great to go places, you know, by yourself or whatever with no husband, no wife, no kids. I'd rather just have like a wife. I enjoy coming home and having a full house no matter how crazy they drive me sometimes. But I have five children that are excited to have dad home. My wife is excited to have me home. I mean, that's exciting. I prefer that over any trip any day. Yeah, but then you can't, you know, have all this money for what? For what? I prefer having a family over money, because money comes and goes, and money can't buy you happiness. I'd rather be flat broke and have a family or just be able to make it, just like head above water a little bit, but I got myself a wife, because that's more important. Having a family is more important, okay? Because, you know, oh, yeah, I'm just, yeah, but if I have a lot of money in the bank, you know, I can buy all kinds of toys and possessions and do all these things. Yeah, but once you're done with all that, you'll see that life's pretty empty, because money doesn't buy happiness. It doesn't fulfill you. It pays the bills. It does what it needs to get done, but it's not, you know, when God told Adam it's not good for man to be alone, he didn't just give him a pile of money, right? He didn't say, here's a grand, you know, I own all the cattle, here's all the gold and silver, have fun. He made him a woman, right? Obviously, he had some animals to work with there and, you know, kind of play with, you know, a giraffe, whatever, but at the end of the day, he gave him a woman. It's a lot more fun, amen? And by the way, you know, you're like, well, yeah, I'm not going to get married. I'll just have a little puppy. I'll just have a cat or something. It's not fun. Those are animals. Obviously, it wasn't enough for Adam, right? I'm spending too much time on that. Marriage is a blessing. And when you go through hard times, listen to me, when you go through hard times in your marriage, you stick it out. Don't be a quitter. Don't quit on your marriage. You stick it out. You're like, oh, it's so hard. Then come to church where people can encourage you to keep pressing forward, keep fighting for your marriage. Don't quit. Let's move on. He says, So here we see that the disciples are getting a little too strict here where they feel like children just can't come to Jesus Christ. And this is one of the reasons why. And of course, he rebukes them and he says, Hey, allow them, don't forbid them from such as the kingdom of God. This is a good philosophy to have or that we have as a church that that's why we keep kids in the service with their parents. It's like, oh, no, no, no. Send them away to Sunday school class. Send them away to their own little fun service or whatever where they give them candy, sugar them up and teach them a Bible story. They teach David and Goliath for the 50th time or something. Let them be in church with their parents. Let them hear the word of God. Yeah, but they're so distracting though. Oh, oh, I'm so sorry that a child in church makes noise. You know, thank God that there's children in church that are making noise. Right? And I know that can be a little crazy sometimes. And, you know, I'm preaching. It's just like, ah, you just hear this roar from the back or something. And these kids are going crazy. But you know what? I prefer that over a church that segregates the family any day and suffer the little children, forbid them not. And obviously we have mother baby rooms, so don't take this too crazy where it's just like your kid is just like losing their minds in service and you're just there and you're just like suffering them now, pastor. And it's just like, go take them to the mother baby room if they're losing it. You know, go calm them down and bring them back in. Please, let me just public service announcement. Please don't be the parent. I'm just looking down right now. Please don't be the parent that when your kid is losing it, you and I make eye contact and you're not going anywhere. Because, you know, I'm trying to be patient because I know kids make noise. My daughter makes noise. My little ones, they cry. We have to give grace, amen? Because, you know, my wife doesn't have me there. It's different when both mom and dad are there. But my wife doesn't have me there. Like every single service, my wife, she's the only one handling all the kids and it's only going to get harder for a couple more years. Lord, will we have more kids? But, you know, Helen starts losing her mind. You know, my wife, she has to get Helen. She has to get the bags. She has to instruct the kids. So it takes a little bit to get out of the service. And, you know, you might be in that same boat, but please do me a favor. If your kid is losing their mind, you holding him and just allowing them to lose their minds and just making eye contact with them doesn't help. It's distracting to other people. So if your kid is losing their mind and you can't calm them down, take them outside for a little bit and then bring them back in at your discretion. Okay? But let me also say this. Don't be so extreme that just because your kid makes a sound, it's just like and they just take off. You know, obviously kids make noise. I'm just saying if it's like a perpetual siren, everyone knows what I'm talking about because we've all been in that service. It's just perpetually and they're just, we can't calm them down. Okay, parents, mom, dad, it's time for you to like pick them up. Let's see some progress. You know, you're looking at me, but you're grabbing your stuff. You know what I mean? You're just like. I'm just like, all right, they're getting it. You know what I mean? I'm going to point everywhere so no one thinks that I'm thinking about something specific. Let's point over here, over here, over here. All of you, okay? Let's see some progress here, okay? You know, have some cues where it's just like, okay, one little screams, not bad. Two little screams, not bad. Perpetual screams, weeping and wailing and gnashing of gums. You want to take them out, you know what I mean? Because then you're going to make me look at you, and then you look at me and you're just like. And I'm thinking to myself, because this has happened. This has happened a couple times, and I'm being conservative with that couple. When I say a couple times, I'm being conservative, okay? More than a couple times. When I look at a parent, they just give me the fluoride stare or something. And I'm thinking to myself, like, I can't even hear me talk. I can't even hear me preach. How are you even listening? How are you even focusing on what I'm saying? Because the yelling is right there. I know I spent too much time on that, but I'm just saying, okay? So don't be too extreme on either side. If your kid's just losing their brains, they're just losing their minds, they're just crying and screaming, be considerate of others. Don't have the attitude, suffer the little children, forbid them not, my kid's going to be in the service, bless God, no matter what. Have some discernment that if you feel like your child is being distracted into the service, take them out, bring them back in. We want the kids to stay in the service. We also want to train them on how to behave themselves in the service, which means not screaming their heads off the entire time. But in like manner, just because your kid makes a noise and screams loudly at one point doesn't mean you just got to drag them out real quick and fast, you know what I mean? We're just saying if they're just throwing a fit. I think that's a good marker right there, right? They're throwing a fit. Okay, it's time to take them out. But if they're just like, ah! We can deal with that, you know what I mean? You might get some people in church that are just like, they have no discretion, they're just like. You know, be kind to our parents here. They're trying to train their kids to stay in the service and behave themselves. And let me say this, we will finish this chapter, okay? We're going to finish it tonight. Even if we have to be here late, I'm just kidding. You know, but let me say this is that you should be training your kids, though, on how to behave themselves in church, okay? And I'm in that same boat as you. So that boy right there, Bruce, you got Kyla with you? You know, I have to watch them as the pastor, even though, you know, my wife's in the back, but I got to watch them. I got to make sure they're praying. In fact, what are you guys doing back there? Come back there, come up here. I got to watch you guys. Come on, come on, come on, hurry, hurry, hurry. Come on, Kyla. Come on, come on, come on. Is it just you two? Okay, come sit in the front. You know, I got to watch them, okay? And so, you know, I got to watch them because my wife's in the back watching the other ones, so they got to be watched by dad because they got to learn how to behave themselves in church. They got to learn how to sit up straight, to listen, not goofing off, not horse playing. And you know what? You have to teach your kids. So if I can do it from the pulpit, obviously I have maybe a little more liberty, but, you know, they don't really appreciate when I call them out on service, you know, so it's a little more embarrassing for them. But if I can do it, you can do it too. You got to teach your kids to sit down, to sit up straight, to listen. And part of that training happens not just in church, it happens at home. So teach your kids how to behave at home, to listen in church, to hear preaching, not goofing off. You know, teach them at home so that when they come here, that teaching is just reinforced, okay? It's not easy, but you know what? This is our luxury as a church is that we keep the kids in service. It's a blessing, right? But it just takes a little more work. Hey, homeschooling is a privilege and a luxury, but it takes more work. Having your wife stay at home, you know, and you working, that's a luxury, but you know, it takes a little more work. And so make sure you're putting in that work to teach your kids how to behave themselves in church. We're not going to suffer them. We're not going to forbid them, excuse me, to be in the service, but you got to help out too. Teach your kids how to behave. Amen? All right, let me finish off here. I will be fairly quick on this one, okay? So we're going to talk about the rich young man. It says in behold, verse 16, one came and said unto him, Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? Now right off the bat, it's the wrong question. Because he wants to know what do I have to do, and he's not saying like, he's not asking like, what do I have to believe? Obviously, we have the man in Acts 16, he's like, what must I do to be saved? But what this guy's asking is obviously what he has to obey, what he has to physically do or something to have eternal life. He says in verse 17, and he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good, but one that is God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandment. So Jesus Christ responds by stating that there's none good, including the guy who's asking. He's trying to get across to him what Romans 3 10 and 11 tells us, which is there's none righteous, no, not one. There's none that doeth good, right? And he says there's none good but God, and obviously Jesus Christ is God, which means he's good, because he's God. And notice that the guy said, what good thing shall I do, implying that good works will get him saved. So Jesus Christ responds to him by saying, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. You're like, whoa, how come you say believe on me? Well, because this guy is depending on works. And by the way, this statement is true, though. If he wants to be saved, he has to keep the commandments. But here's the thing, no one can do that, right? So theoretically, if you're able to keep all of God's commandments perfectly, you can be saved. But we have a problem here. There's none that doeth good, no, not one, right? No one can keep the law perfectly, and therefore he's trying to strip him of his self-righteousness, which he obviously has. We're going to look that he has that in just a bit. But he's saying, if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, which Jesus said, Thou shalt not do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, unto thy father and thy mother, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. So look at this answer that he gives him. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up. What lack I ye at? So in this guy's mind, he's basically sinless, because he's kept all these commandments. He said, what am I lacking? Well, here's the thing. There's not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not. So obviously, he is trusting in himself to save himself, based upon his ability to keep the commandments, which obviously, he has not kept all these things, because of the fact that whoever says they don't have sin, they're a liar. They make God a liar. He says, what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. Now notice he doesn't say, go and sell all that you have, give to the poor, and thou shalt be saved. What is the answer he gives him? He goes, thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Because he's basically saying, okay, if you're saved, then follow me, sell everything you have, and then you'll have treasure. You'll have a recompense in the eternal. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Now this guy was not saved. And he says there in verse 23, Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Now go to Mark chapter 10, if you would, Mark chapter 10. Because Mark 10 gives us a little more info on this particular story. It's the same story, but it gives us a little more info. Look at what it says in verse 23 of Mark chapter 10. Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God? And then he says, And the disciples were astonished at his words, but Jesus answered again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God? Now why is it hard for people who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God? Because obviously, they're not dependent on anybody. Salvation requires for you to be dependent on someone outside of yourself, specifically Jesus Christ, to be saved. But a person who's rich is only dependent upon themselves. They're dependent upon money, riches. A person who's basically wealthy, they don't really rely on anybody. And that's why it's hard to get them saved. And you know what? We know that by personal experience. The hardest places to sow in are the rich areas. Now we have to go there, but we don't really go there very often, because we want to go where the fish are biting. And in fact, the first day I went sowing with my pastor, we actually went to a place called Bixby Knolls in Long Beach, which is a very rich area. And he said, you know, we're going to a rich area right now, and let me just tell you, we're probably not going to get anybody saved, because rich people are hard to get saved. And I was like, what? And he explained this parable to me. And I was like, wow. He goes, he's like, poor people are typically the ones who are more open to the gospel. And so we like to go to the poor areas. He's like, we like to go to the ghetto areas, because people in the ghetto are receptive to the gospel. He goes, but you know, I'll just be honest with you, we have to do this because it's on the map, and this is part of what we're doing here. But you know, it's just going to be hard to get people saved here. The first door we knock on, this guy opens the door, and my father-in-law is like, are you 100% sure? That if you die today, you go to heaven? He's a yes because I go to the synagogue. That's the first thing he says. And my father-in-law looks at me, he gives me that look like I told him. You know, Jews, obviously. This guy had a double whammy. It's hard for a camel to go to the eye of a needle, but it's also hard for a Jew. You could almost insert that too, because they're so prideful and arrogant. They're both rich and super wicked. They're of the father of the devil. I mean, they got a lot of things, okay? That was my first experience, someone who was a Jew, and the guy was not receptive at all, and it was a horrible first time experience, because this guy just, you know, I learned later, obviously, what the Bible says about Jews. And so, you know, it's hard to witness to rich people, because they're just, you know, he's giving the example of a camel, but man, it's hard for me to get a thread through the eye of a needle. I mean, it might be easy for some of you, but me, it's just like, you mess with your mind a little bit. Imagine a camel, he's just saying it's hard, it's not impossible, but it's not impossible, it's just very hard, because of the fact that rich people are dependent upon, they're reliant upon their riches, it's hard for them to be dependent upon or reliant upon someone else to save them. Now, let me finish off here in this particular chapter, the same thing that's taken place in chapter 19. Look at Mark 10 and verse 28. So, by the way, he tells the rich guy this, and he goes away sorrowful, obviously because he has a lot of possessions, meaning, it's indicative of the fact that he's reliant upon riches, not upon God, that's why he didn't get saved. So then verse 28 says, Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all and followed thee. Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake in the gospels, but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the world to come, eternal life. So what's going on here? Because it sounds kind of weird. It almost sounds as though like Jesus is saying like, Hey, if you want eternal life, you got to like forsake all to follow me. You can see how people can kind of twist that to mean that. But you have to understand that in chapter 19, when Peter asks, What shall we have for we have left all? The Lord responds by saying in the regeneration. In fact, go back to chapter 19. Verse 28 says, Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall stand on the throne of his glory, ye shall also sit upon the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Now he's saying here, he didn't say if you have left all, if you followed me, you will be in the regeneration. He says this is what you're going to get in the regeneration, because the only people who qualify to get anything in the kingdom of God are those who are in the regeneration, meaning those who are saved. That's why he says, Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, meaning in the resurrection, which only comes by believing in Jesus Christ. This is what you're going to get. And then, of course, he says there you'll get a hundredfold. And according to Mark chapter 10, in this life, and then he says, in the world to come, eternal life. Right? Well, here's the thing, when you get saved, you don't get eternal life in the world to come, you get it right there on the spot. Salvation is not like, you know, okay, you're saved, okay, you believed on Jesus Christ, all right. Make sure you show this ticket when you get to heaven, because if you don't have it, then you're not saved. You get eternal life once you get to heaven. No, no, no, no, no. I have eternal life in me right now. Like 16 years ago when I believed on Jesus Christ, from that point on, I have eternal life. I don't get it when I die and I go to heaven, I have it at this moment right now. So when he says, in the world to come, eternal life, what he's referring to is the fact that everything that you invest in, everything that you sacrifice, you will see in the eternal. Because in the context he's saying you'll have a hundred fold now and in the life to come, life eternal, he's basically saying your resources, your investments, your sacrifices, that's going to have eternal life as well. It's going to be transferred over to the eternal, is what he's talking about there, okay. So what is the main teaching there? Is that when you follow the Lord, you forsake everything to follow the Lord, God will repay you in this lifetime, a hundred fold. But you will also get it in the life to come as well. So it's not like you have to wait till heaven to enjoy the Christian life. You can enjoy it right now and you can even reap some of the benefits right now. But in like manner, another teaching that we can get from this is, hey, you're saved, you better start working for the Lord. If you want something in the eternal. If you're saved, you're going to go to heaven. But hold on a second. I want something when I get to heaven though too. I want some rewards. I want to be rich in heaven. I want to be crowned. I want the jewels. I want the recompense for serving the Lord this side of eternity. I want whatever I'm investing in this side of eternity, I want it to be transferred over. I want that currency, you know what I mean, to be transferred over in the eternal. And this is why he says at the last verse, but many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first. People who put the world first, people who put riches first, they're going to be last in the kingdom of heaven. In other words, they're not going to get anything. But people that are last right now, meaning you're serving the Lord, you're investing in the things of God, you're going to be first in the kingdom of heaven. That's why it's important that we don't put an emphasis on the riches of this world. Don't live for money. Don't live for possessions. Don't live for fame and fortune in this world. You know, be a good investor. A good investor realizes, you know what, I'm going to put my resources into that which will make me rich. You're like, well, that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to be rich. Yeah, but those riches will fade. The temporary riches are going to fade. You're not always going to have them. I'm trying to be rich forever. Right? I mean, am I the only one? That's a good place to say amen, amen. I mean, you guys can be broke if you want in heaven. I'm trying to get that money in heaven. And so, you know, I'm foregoing the riches of this world because I know it's temporal, it's meant to feed me and my family and keep the ministry going. And I'm willing to forego all of those things because I know that in the kingdom of God, I'm going to be banking. You know, I'm going to have a lot of riches for serving the Lord because that's what he promised me. And so, you know, that's why, you know, as a pastor, I'm constantly drilling this into our congregation. Don't live for the temporal. Don't live for the temporal. Don't get caught up in the temporal. There's an eternal out there. Lay hold on eternal life. Invest your time, resources and talents into the eternal because I'm trying to make you rich in heaven. Because when all is said and done, you know, there's going to be people in heaven, you know, they're going to be broke, have nothing to show for nothing because they did nothing. But then there's going to be people in heaven who are just going to be like rich. Why? Because they serve the Lord with their lives. And so this is what he's referring to here. You know, if you have forsaken houses, brethren, sisters, if you've sacrificed a lot for the gospel, don't worry, it's an investment. OK, you've sacrificed a lot of emotional, you know, you just a lot of emotions and you've gone through a lot of trials. Don't worry, you're going to be paid good in the kingdom of God. OK, and God pays well. So let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your word. Thank you for chapter 19 and the great reminders here. And I pray, Lord, that you'd help us as your people to recognize, Lord, the value of the eternal and the value of laying hold on eternal life and to be eternally minded on a day to day basis. It's hard because we've never seen eternity. We are here day in and day out. And so that's the challenge. Help us to be spiritually minded, eternally minded. Help us to think upon heaven, upon you, upon the millennial reign that it may determine our actions here and may it provoke us and motivate us to soul win, to preach the gospel, to serve our husbands, to serve our wives, to serve our children, to serve our brethren and to sacrifice and invest all that we can, knowing full well that there is an eternal recompense that we shall receive one day, Lord. And I pray that you bless us as we go on our way. Give us a great weekend. We love you. We thank you. Pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. Good job to that parent. Amen. Ask them. We need a real life illustration. Amen. Amen. Please turn to your song book, song number 327, Higher Ground. Song number 327, Higher Ground. Song number 327 on the first verse. I'm pressing on the upward way New heights I'm gaining every day Still praying as I'm onward bound Lord, plant my feet on higher ground Lord, lift me up and let me stand My faith on heaven's table and A higher place than I have found Lord, plant my feet on higher ground My heart has no desire to stay Where doubts arise and fears dismay Though some may dwell where these abound My prayer, my aim is higher ground Lord, lift me up and let me stand My faith on heaven's table and A higher place than I have found Lord, plant my feet on higher ground I want to live above the world Though Satan's darts at me are hurled My faith will part the joyful sound The song of saints on higher ground Lord, lift me up and let me stand My faith on heaven's table and A higher place than I have found Lord, plant my feet on higher ground Alas, I want to scale the utmost heights And catch a gleam of glory bright But still I'll pray till heaven I've found Lord, lead me onto higher ground Lord, lift me up and let me stand My faith on heaven's table and A higher place than I have found Lord, plant my feet on higher ground We have a baptism, so go ahead and please Song number 22, are you washed in the blood? Song number 22 On the first verse Have you been to Jesus for the fasting pout? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you washed in the blood In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Go ahead and have a seat, legs forward Scoot up a little bit, there we go Alright, tell us your name Tamia, have you trusted Jesus as your savior? Okay, upon your public profession I'm going to baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Go ahead and cross your arms over your chest right here Ready, here we go Buried in the likeness of His death Praise the walking inness of life Congratulations Let's pray it will be dismissed Father, we thank you again for this day Thank you for our salvation We're so thankful for this baptism And I pray that you'd help us to take to heart what we learned tonight, Lord and be resolved in serving you and following you despite conflicts and trials and difficulties And it's not just in the matter of soloing It's just also serving you by serving our spouse by serving our families, serving our children and help us, Lord, as your people to have that enduring spirit and also recognize, Lord, that you can strengthen us through the hard times so that we don't always have to endure We can also enjoy the journey as we serve our families, our spouses our kids, our brethren May God bless us as we go on our way We love you, we thank you Pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen