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

🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 Hey man, thank you all for being here this morning. Welcome to First Works Baptist Church. We're gonna get started with song number 49 as you find your seats. Song number 49 there in your hymnals. Meet me there. Song number 49. Song number 49. Meet me there as you find your seats. Let's all stand together for our first song. Song number 49. Seat on that first. 🎵🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 🎵🎵 Amen, wonderful singing. Let's start our service with a word of prayer. Dear God, Heavenly Father, how would you thank you so much, Lord God, for allowing us to be here in your house this morning, Lord God. We thank you so much for bringing everyone here safely, Lord God. Families and children, Lord God, ready to hear your word being preached. I do pray that you please just bless every aspect of the service. Please bless the singing unto you. Lord, and most of all, please bless the preaching of your word. I pray that you would please fill pasture with your Holy Spirit. That you would please guide him, Lord God, as he preaches unto us. And that you would also just be with us, Lord God, in the congregation. That we would be listening to your word being preached unto us. That we might leave here changed today. I pray now these things in Jesus' name, Amen. You may be seated. If you take your song seats, this world is not my home. If you did not get a song sheet, please raise your hand and the ushers will pass one out to you. Keep your hand raised. This is an awesome song right here. And just a reminder that this world is not our home, Amen. Keep your hands raised. If you do not have a song sheet, keep them raised high. Amen. We'll see it on that first. This world is not my home. I'm just a passing fool. My treasures are laid off somewhere beyond the blue. My angels forgive me from heaven's old rule. And I don't feel at home in this world anymore. Oh, Lord, you know I have no friend like you. If heaven's not my home, then, Lord, what will I do? The angels forgive me from heaven's old rule. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore. They're all expecting me, and that's one thing I know. My Savior's pardoned me, and now my heart will go. I know He'll take me through, though I am weak and full. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore. Oh, Lord, you know I have no friend like you. If heaven's not my home, then, Lord, what will I do? The angels forgive me from heaven's old rule. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore. I have a loving Savior up in Gloryland. I don't expect to stop until I can understand. He's waiting out for me in heaven's old rule. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore. Oh, Lord, you know I have no friend like you. If heaven's not my home, then, Lord, what will I do? The angels beckon me from heaven's old rule. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore. Just love and glory land will help me turn anew. The saints on every hand are shouting victory. Then songs of sweetest praise drift back from heaven's shore. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore. Oh, Lord, you know I have no friend like you. If heaven's not my home, then, Lord, what will I do? The angels beckon me from heaven's old rule. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore. All right, great singing. Thank you so much for being here this morning. Welcome to First Works Baptist Church. If you did not get a bulletin, go ahead and raise your hand and one of the ushers can get one for you. The next song will be 227 Saved by the Blood if you want to get that ready in your songbooks. Two hundred and twenty seven. Some important information on here for the bulletin. Our Sunday morning service is at ten thirty. Sunday evening is at five p.m. And then we have our Thursday night Bible study at seven o'clock. And we are currently going through the Book of Ecclesiastes. So hope to see you there on Thursday at seven. You see the so many times and teams, the list of expecting mothers and the important 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. Keep that in mind and no men allowed in the mother baby room as well. And then some of the upcoming events are taking place. Actually today we're celebrating the June birthday. So whose birthday is in June? We got some June birthdays. Nobody's birthday is in June? All right. So all right. We got one over here. One right here. One right there. One right here. Anybody else? That's it. So just this half right here. Who are you pointing at? Oh, Miss Vanessa. Oh yeah. She didn't raise her hand. Can you raise your cello please? No, I'm just kidding. Anybody else? All right. Let's sing happy birthday. Here we go. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, God bless you. Happy birthday to you. Hope you enjoyed the breakfast this morning. Sunday, June 20th is the most important day of the year. And that is Father's Day on June. Why are you laughing? Why are you laughing? It's true. Amen. I'm just kidding. Sunday, June 20th, Father's Day. We're going to have a special gift for all the dads on that day. So make sure you invite your dad or invite someone's father on that day. And the service would be geared towards dads as well. Friday, June 25th is the Ladies Prayer Night. June 27th, we're going to be having a baby shower for Miss Stevie. And that'll be after the service around 1230. And typically when there's a baby shower, we don't meet for Sony. Just dismiss right away or around that time. And so keep that in mind. Who are we seeing for more information about that? Miss DJ? Okay, so if you have any questions, please see Miss DJ regarding Miss Stevie's baby shower. And then Sunday, July 4th, we have the birthday breakfast. And we're also going to do some special after Sunday night service. July 15th through the 18th Red Hot Preaching Conference is coming up. Hope you can make it to that. And then you see the quiet time is today from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the main auditorium in the mother baby room. No food or drink allowed in the main auditorium except for water and coffee. I do want to say this tonight. I'm going to be preaching a sermon tonight. And it's not for the faint of heart, okay? So if you are offended easily, if you're a bit squeamish, if you get your feelings hurt kind of easy, I would encourage you don't come to church tonight, okay? If you're like, yeah, I like this church. Is it certain stances that the church takes? You know, I'm just, I don't know, I agree with that. Then stay home tonight, okay? Listen to some old IFP preacher or something like that. Of course we're in the month of June, amen? And so I love June. I think June is great because of the fact that, you know, I'm never lacking material in the month of June. Like typically I'm like, what should I preach on? You know, I don't know what to preach on. Well, I never have to think that in the month of June. So if you're a faint of heart, and I'm not kidding, if you are a faint of heart, if you feel like you would easily get offended, if there are certain things that I have said that have offended you or you think I'm a little too rough on, don't come tonight. I'm warning you, I warned you, I'm warning you, don't come tonight. Now I think everyone should be here tonight, obviously. And I think you'll benefit from the sermon greatly. But, you know, if you're easily offended, you might just be bitter against me like the entire week or something. And so miss tonight, miss tonight. So either we're going to have the skeleton crew tonight, in other words, probably like a couple of people in my family are probably going to be here, a couple of guys, or it's going to be like we're going to double attendance tonight. So I don't know. I'm just saying, I warned you ahead of time, okay? So just keep that in mind. Please make sure you silence your phones during the preaching so as to not be a distraction during the service. And that's pretty much it for our announcements. 227, Saved by the Blood, song number 227 in your songbooks. Song number 227, Saved by the Blood, song number 227. Sing it on that first. Saved by the blood of the crucified one, Now as he comes in and a new word be done, Sing praise to the Father and praise to the Son, Saved by the blood of the crucified one, Saved by the blood, save, save, I'll save your heart with my mildness on the hand, Saved, saved. Saved by the blood of the crucified one, Saved by the blood of the crucified one, We angels, rejoice, Because it is that The charge of our fathers who hair broke the sun, the sun, saved by the blood of the crucified. Save, save, my sins all part and my feelings all gone. Save, save, I'm saved by the blood of the crucified. Saved by the blood of the crucified. Save, save, I'm saved by the blood of the crucified. Saved by the blood of the crucified. Save, save, my sins all part and my feelings all gone. Save, save, I'm saved by the blood of the crucified. I'm saved by the blood of the crucified. Saved by the blood of the crucified. All hail to the Father, all hail to the Son, all hail to the Spirit, the Great Being One. Saved by the blood of the crucified. Save, save, I'm saved by the blood of the crucified. Save, save, I'm saved by the blood of the crucified. Amen. Wonderful singing. At this time, our ushers will be receiving the offering, and you can turn your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians 6 Ephesians 6 Ephesians 6 Ephesians 6 Ephesians chapter 6, the Bible reads, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise. It may be well with thee, that thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, or bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart as unto Christ. Not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will, doing service as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of Persians with him. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, but on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith, for with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I might speak boldly, as I ought to speak. But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, take a kiss, a beloved brethren, faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that ye might comfort your hearts. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Let's pray. Dear Lord God, I just thank you for this opportunity to gather for the preaching of your word. I just ask that you be with our pastor now. Please strengthen him, fill him with your Holy Spirit. Please bless the preaching, and continue to bless our church. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Okay, we're in Ephesians chapter number 6. Look down at your Bibles at verse number 10. It says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. And the title of my sermon this morning is Satanic Strategies Against Our Church. Satanic Strategies Against Our Church. And I want you to notice there in verse number 11 that it says that we need to stand against the wiles of the devil. And when it talks about wiles, it's referring to that, the strategies. It's referring to the devices, the rues, the stratagems that Satan puts forth in order to bring our church down. And make no mistake about it, Satan is constantly on the opposition when it comes to attacking Bible-believing churches who are doing something for God. If you are winning souls to Christ, people are getting right with God, they're cleaning up their life, they're repenting of their sin, they are fixing their marriages, they are leading their homes, they are raising their children for God, they are living godly lives, Satan is not happy with that. You say, why is that? Well, because that means that there's going to be another light in a different city that is actually putting forth the Word of God. They're putting forth the Bible and the doctrines of the Word of God. And he knows that Christians can have a global influence upon others because of that. And so what is he going to do? Well, he's going to develop strategies, devices against that local body of believers in hopes that he can bring a stop to that. And make no mistake about it, Satan, even since we've started about three years ago, going on four in August, amen, he has attempted to stop our church because he knows the potential that First Works Baptist Church has. And let me just remind you, this is that although Satan attacks, although he brings these devices against us as individuals or as a church, the Bible tells us that no weapon formed against he shall prosper. So it doesn't matter how hard he attacks, no matter what he throws, no matter what darts he tries to throw at us, the Bible tells us that those weapons cannot prosper, the weapons that are formed against us cannot prosper, they shall not succeed. Because if God be for us, who can be against us? But I want you to know this, and what I'm preaching on tonight, I typically say this, I often say we're going to have family time. I'll say we're going to have family time, and what that means is we're going to get a little personal this morning. Typically we get personal at night, but I have another sermon that I want to get personal about tonight. And so I have some things I need to get off my chest tonight. But this morning, I want to remind you that just because we went through a battle, we came out of a battle at the beginning of the year, the war's not over. And in fact, if you remember in the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he was tempted by Satan for 40 days, and what happened at the end of that? Well, he resisted Satan, Satan fled for him for what? For a season. What does that mean? It means he's going to come back again to fight against the Lord, he's going to come back and fight against you. There are seasons when Satan attacks, we resist the devil, he flees from us, we draw nine to God, he draws nine to us, we know the wiles of Satan, he gives up, he goes away, but only for a season. And what happens after that? He comes right back. Are you saying the sodomites are going to come back? I mean, that might be the case. But that's not the only strategy that he uses. And he says there that we need to stand against the wiles of the devil, we need to put on the whole armor of God. I'm going to give you three strategies that Satan will use to try to bring our church down. And let me just say this, obviously we know, according to the Bible, that the only people that can destroy us is us. The only person who can destroy me is not Satan. He can destroy my body, he can cause people to persecute me, he can cause people to threaten my life, and at the end of the day, God is protecting me, God is protecting us, and at the end of the day, we're the only ones that really can destroy ourselves. Why is Satan attacking them if he knows that? Because he knows that if he puts the pressure on some people, they can throw in the towel. If he puts the pressure of persecution on certain people, they can throw in the towel. He can throw a device out there that makes you think it's hopeless, that makes you think it's from God, that makes you think, well, you know, nothing else to do but to throw out my hands and then, you know, renders you basically inefficient, okay? And I'm gonna give you three strategies that he uses today. Go to Matthew chapter 26, if you would. Matthew chapter 26, what are Satan's strategies against our church? And it's not just against our church, obviously. This is what he uses against all churches who are doing something for God. Folks, hey, and look, don't get scared, don't be scared! If Satan is attacking you, or attacking our church, what is that? That is validating the fact that we're doing something for God. It's showing you, hey, this church is winning souls to Christ, they're discipling the converts, the churches are growing, people are having babies, people are getting married, people are getting right with God, this is a good thing. Well, I just wanted to be in the Christian life and have nothing bad happen, doesn't work that way. The Christian life is not a bed of roses. It's gonna come with opposition. It's gonna come with Satan. And the Bible tells us when there's a great and effectual door opened unto us, there are many adversaries on the other side. So we need to expect the adversaries, we need to expect Satan to fight us, and you know what, if Satan's not fighting you, it kind of shows you you're probably not doing anything for God. I don't know about that. It's true, it's a fact. Strategy number one, what does he use? Number one, smite the shepherd. Smite the shepherd. Strategy number one to try to take down a local New Testament church is this, smite the shepherd. You say, who's the shepherd? Me. Now obviously we know that Jesus Christ is the chief shepherd, but humanly speaking, I am the shepherd of this church. Jesus Christ is the head of the church, but the person who's basically governing the physical part of the church, the people, is myself. When Satan knows if he can smite the shepherd, what happens? The sheep shall be scattered. Look at Matthew 26, verse 30. And when they had sung of him, they went out into the Mount of Olives. Then said Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night. For it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men should be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Go to Revelation chapter number two. So what do we see here? We see the evening before Jesus Christ is delivered to be crucified. He delivers this message to his disciples and says, hey look, I just want to let you know they're going to smite the shepherd and you guys are going to be scattered. You guys are going to be offended. Why? Because of the fact that the leader brings security to the flock. When the leader is confident, when the leader is where he needs to be, when he's fulfilling his duties as a leader, it instills confidence and boldness in the flock, right? But hold on a second, what if the shepherd is smitten? What if he's taken out of position? What if he's discouraged? What if he falls to some sin? Well at that point, the shepherd is smitten and the flock shall be scattered. And this is one of Satan's strategies right here, is to go after yours truly. Ah, you're putting too much importance on yourself. Folks, all pastors who are doing something for God have a target on their back. Satan knows the value of a leader who's leading a church. Satan knows the value of a pastor who's preaching God's word and he knows if I can just remove that guy, if I can just get him to fall, if I can get him discouraged, if I can get people to attack him, if I can get him to fold under the pressure of persecution, the sheep shall be scattered. And then there is no more work at First Works. You know? There is no more First Works Baptist Church as long as we can get that guy. So yeah, you know what? The reality is this. I'm a target. I'm a target. Satan will try to take me down and you know what? He's tried to do it for the last three years. It still hasn't worked because no weapon for and against me shall prosper. But that doesn't mean it's not a possibility. Okay? Now in Revelation chapter 2 is 2 and 3 are the seven letters, excuse me, the letters that are written to the seven churches which are in Asia. And every time he addresses one of the churches he says to the angel of the church of and then he says the church. And I believe this is actually referring to not an angelic being, I believe this is actually referring to the pastor of that church. Okay? The person who's sent forth to proclaim God's word that's who it's referring to here. And so when we look at what Jesus is telling these churches obviously we can look at them and say well he's speaking to the church as a whole and that's absolutely true but in context who is he talking to? He's talking to the pastor who's leading that church. Why? Because everything rises and falls on leadership. Look at Revelation 2 verse 8 and unto the angel of the church at Smyrna write these things saith the first and the last which was dead and is alive. I know thy works and thy tribulation and poverty but thou art rich and I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not but are of the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried and ye shall have tribulation ten days be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life. What is Jesus saying to the pastor here at Smyrna? He's saying this, hey Satan is going to send his minions, his principalities his powers to put you into prison. Why? To try you. To cause you to go through tribulation for ten days in hopes that that pastor will throw in the towel. And you know what? There's plenty of pastors out there who have done just that. When the pressure hits, when the stuff hits the fan, when Satan begins to attack, they throw in the towel, they can't take it. But you know what I've learned through experience is that the more pressure, the better. The more pressure you receive the more you come out like a diamond. You know, and I've learned through my leaders and pastors before me that you don't throw in the towel, you just be faithful unto death. If it takes your life, let it take your life but you know what? I'd rather die a bold man than quit as a coward. But this is one manner in which Satan will seek to try to take down our church is by smiting the shepherd, smiting the pastor. Go to 1 Peter chapter number 5 if you would, 1 Peter chapter number 5. We're talking about strategies, satanic strategies against our church. Now look folks, we are all on the same plane, the same level as far as essence and importance. Not one person in here is more important than the other. But the position of a pastor is essential though. And it's for this reason and let me just have a heart to heart conversation with you. You know I want to encourage you to pray for me. I hope you pray for me. I hope you pray for my wife. I hope you pray for my children. I hope you pray for my walk with God. I hope you pray that God places a hedge of protection about me. Why? Not just for my sake, for yours. Because I'm leading this ship and if the shepherd is smitten and is no longer able to go forth to battle, then that's not good for you. Look at 1 Peter chapter 5 in verse number 1. This is Peter writing to these churches in Cappadocia, Bithynia, Pontius, etc. And he says in verse number 1, the elders which are among you I exhort. Now when the Bible uses the term elders, it's not referring to those weird Mormons out there who can't seem to afford a long sleeve college shirt or something. Or, you know, some bicyclist out there. You know. Elder is simply a pastor. Because it's referring to someone who's spiritually mature and in context it's referring to a pastor. A person who, a bishop so to speak. The elders which are among you I exhort. So this is who he's addressing. Who I'm also an elder. He's saying he is also a pastor. And a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. So this is the instruction that he gives. He says, feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof. Not by constraint but willingly. Not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind. Neither is being lords over God's heritage but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. So he's basically saying, look, you as a pastor you need to make sure you feed the flock of God, the word of God. You need to preach the word of God. Be in season, out of season. Take the oversight. Don't do it just because you feel like you have to. Do it willingly with a good attitude. Don't do it for filthy lucre's sake. You need to do it of a ready mind. You need to be ready to lead as a pastor. Ready to preach the word of God. Ready to solve problems. You need to be ready for these things. Don't be a lord over God's heritage. Don't think that you're the lord of this church. Okay. You need to be an example to the flock, etc. So he's addressing the elders. He's addressing the pastors. Look at verse number six. Still in context. Humble yourselves therefore into the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him for he careth for you. Look what it says. Be sober, be vigilant because what? Your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Now folks, in context it's talking about the elders. Now we can apply this to everyone. But in context, who is Satan looking to devour? The shepherd. Who is Satan seeking to devour and to destroy? The elder. Who does Satan want to take out of the picture? The pastor. Whom resists steadfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Okay. And folks, so what we see here is that Satan whatever it may be, this is a reality folks. Now how does he smite the shepherd? Well he does it by attacking my wife. That's how he does it. Why? Because if he can render my wife ineffective then he can render me ineffective as well. Because my ministry is my family. It's important that my wife is taken care of. To me it's important that my wife is taken care of in order for me to carry out the responsibilities that God has given to me. Now make no mistake about it, I'm a man of God before I'm a pastor, before I am a husband or a father, I'm a man of God first. But here's the thing, if my wife doesn't respect me, if my wife you know, starts getting off kilter and doesn't follow me, I can no longer be a pastor. Well let me say this, if she doesn't respect me and doesn't respect my authority and I don't fix that, I can no longer be a pastor. Okay. Or how about this, if my wife falls to some physical sickness where all of my efforts are being put into helping her to get better and I can't fulfill the duties of a pastor, I can't be a pastor. Pretty complex sometimes. What's complex is having to stand. The instruction to stand is simple, but it gets difficult when you're actually standing there being bombarded by Satan and his attacks. You just have to stand, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Well I feel like I'm at the end of my rope. Oh good, that means it's almost over. Well I feel like I'm just almost done, I'm not going to be able to make it. That's great, that means it's almost done. Strategy number one, smite the shepherd. Strategy number two, hinder the work in the church. Look at Nehemiah chapter number six. Let me read to you from 1 Thessalonians chapter two verse 14, it says, For ye brethren became followers of the churches of God which are in Judea, which in Judea are in Christ Jesus for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and have persecuted us and they please not God and are contrary to all men forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sin always for the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost but we brethren being taken from you for a short time in presence not in heart endeavor the more abundantly to see your face with great desire wherefore we would have come to you even I Paul once and again but Satan hindered us. You know how Satan can stop us or can hinder us, can slow us down from getting the work done? It can happen. And here we see that in context he's talking about the Jews. He's saying forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved and then he says later on Satan hindered us. So you can see how those are kind of tied in together there. But what do we see here? We see that sometimes wicked and unreasonable men will seek to stop us from doing the work of God. They won't be able to stop us but they can't hinder us. You know when we got bombed and when we were getting protested all our energies and all our efforts went into going to war with those people. With the sodomites. It was well invested though. It was energy well invested into that war and into that battle but you know we were hindered on other fronts. Yeah we won some souls to Christ but you know what? Not as much as if we didn't have that battle. And this is what we would refer to as the attacks from without. The attacks from without is when Satan sends wicked and unreasonable men to try to hinder us from the work of God. How does he do that? Through infiltrators. People who try to infiltrate our church, teach false doctrine, cause all kinds of strife and divisions, heretics, people who want to teach false doctrine, that can hinder a church. And we've got to throw people out for being that. But attacks from without, the sodomites attacking us from without, it doesn't cause us to disband, right? It doesn't cause us to tuck our tails and run between our legs and run. It doesn't cause us to be afraid. You know what it does? It unifies us is what it does. Their agenda was well let's attack them, attack their church, let's bomb them, let's protest them, you know let's cause them to be afraid, let's make them scared so that they don't preach the word of God anymore. You failed! I got a call from the chief of police last night of Omani. He texted me and he said, can you give me a call as soon as you can? I'm like, did they bomb the building again? Dumb, we're not even there anymore. I call him back and he's like, hey I'm getting all kinds of calls from the LGBTQ HIV. He's like, I'm getting all kinds of calls from them saying that you're still meeting at the building, you're still having church services at the building. I'm like, in Omani? He's like, yeah. He's like, but you're not there though, right? I'm like, how can I be? It's completely blocked off. They blew it up. He's like, well that's what I told them. I said, how can they meet there? He said, because we saw them on YouTube preaching still. Well duh, didn't I tell you that before all this took place? If you move me, it's not going to change anything. I don't need a location in Omani to preach against the sodomites. All I need is a Bible and that's it. So they're shocked, they're like I don't understand. We blew him up, we protested, we threatened his life and he's still preaching God's word. Yeah, I told you that was going to happen. Joke's on you. Okay, he's just like, I'm not trying to you know me, I'm just trying not to be involved in that. You do whatever you got to do and that's your thing. You know, I just, he's like, but are you in the city though? I said, no, I'm not in the city. Okay, because many people are like and he said that he told them, it's a different building, look where he's preaching, it's different. But they're so paranoid and they can't believe that they invested so much time into their little glitter bomb and it didn't stop us. Why? Why? Because attacks from without don't do anything but strengthen us. It grows us. Makes me angrier. There it is. Wicked and unreasonable men who sought to stop us only caused us to go a little further in our work. And in fact, you know, so far, even the old IFB is like, so far, even the old IFB is listening to what we're doing. I had an old IFB preacher yesterday tell me, you know, we're talking, he was a mentor of mine, haven't spoken to him in a long time, and he was just kind of asking me about the events and you know all these, you know, the bomb and everything. And I said, yeah, but it worked out together for me. He's like, did you lose anybody? I'm like, no, we actually gained more people because of it. We grew because of it. And I told him, I got to preach the gospel to like thousands of people. He's like, really? I'm like, yeah, I was on Infowars, and he's like, oh yeah, I saw that. Oh, you did, did you? I saw, I saw that. We're good. Look at Nehemiah 6, verse 1, Now it came to pass when Sanballin and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian and the rest of our enemies heard that I had builded the wall and that there was no breach left therein, though at the time I had not set up the doors upon the gates, that Sanballin and Geshem sent unto me, saying, come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono, by the way, that's a no-no. If it's an oh-no. Oh-no! But they thought to do me mischief. This reminds me when the city manager wanted to meet with me in the chief of police. Hey, we want to meet with you, you know. But what was it, there's mischief behind that because they wanted me to apologize for my preaching. And I sent messengers up to them saying I'm doing a great work so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease whilst I leave it and come down to you? Yet they sent them to me four times after this sort and I answered them after the same manner. So what is Sanballin, Sabaian and Geshe are trying to do? They're trying to hinder the work of God. These outside forces trying to come in, hinder the work of God. And what did Nehemiah say? I'm doing a great work. I can't come down to your level. Because that's where you're going. Any time you go at it with these people, any time you give them the time of day, you're going down to their level. Come down to you. That's why we don't go and protest Omani. That's why I'm not protesting keep Omani friendly and these other queerbaits. Why? Because I'm not trying to come down. Down. To their level. Because I'm saved and I can't go to hell. And they're so down that they're in the center of the earth. They're twice dead, plucked up by the roots. That's not nearly as offensive as it's going to be tonight, I promise you. If that offended you, then for sure don't come. I warned you. Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand wherein was written. It is reported among the heathen that Gashmu saith that thou and the Jews think to rebel. For which cause thou buildest a wall that thou mayest be their king according to these words. And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem saying, there was a king in Judah and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore and let us take counsel together. So what do we see here? We see that they're gaslighting the community, right? They're spreading these lies saying that Nehemiah is trying to make himself a king. Is that what he's doing? No. But these are the kind of attacks that wicked and unreasonable men will bring to the table in order to recruit more people in opposition against the work. He says in verse 8, then I sent them to him saying, there are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou faintest them out of thy own heart. For they all made us afraid saying, their hands shall be weakened from the work that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen our hands. So what's another way that Satan's strategies against our church to hinder the work of God? To weaken you. How? By causing you to be afraid. Trying to get you to stop coming to church. Trying to get you to stop preaching God's word and taking a stand. And look folks, when those attacks came to us in the beginning of January, I wasn't the only one that was being attacked. Many of our church members were attacked as well. Many of our church members were threatened with death threats. Marcos got a death threat yesterday. Still getting death threats. Why? Cause they're trying to make you afraid. So you can stop doing the work of God. What do we do? Go to chapter 4 of Nehemiah, chapter 4. Look what it says in verse 16, and it came to pass from that time forth that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows and the Hibergians, and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which build it on the wall, and they that bear burdens with those that laid it, everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and the other held, excuse me, with the other hand, held a weapon. So what are we just doing? They're like putting the concrete on the wall and they got a sword in the other hand. Slab concrete, slay an enemy. They're just, they're doing both. So how do we apply that spiritually? We got to build the work, go soul winning, preach the word of God, and fight against the enemies of God as well. We do both. Okay. Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. I'm going to read to you from 2 Corinthians 11, 23. It says, Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more, and labors more abundant, and stripes above measure, and prisons more frequent, and deaths off. Of the Jews, five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep, and journeys often, and perils of water, and perils of robbers, and perils of mine countrymen, and perils by the heathen, and perils in the city of Omani, and perils in the wilderness, and perils in the sea, and perils among false brethren, and weariness, and painfulness, and watchings often, and hunger, and thirst, and fastings often, and cold, and nakedness, beside all those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Could you say that maybe Paul was a little stressed out from time to time? He has all these things coming from without, and then on top of that he has the care of all the churches because he was planting churches all over the known world at that time, right? He's doing a great work, but yet he has all of these things that are on his plate. And why are these things happening to him on the outside? Because they're trying to hinder Paul from working because Paul's getting a lot done. Folks, this is why I was almost jumped doing the Omani mega marathon over in Santa Ana. When they came to me and tried to jump, hit them in the little fag buddies, tried to come to me and jump me in front of my wife and kids. You coward. You little coward. Folks, even people in the hood know you never hit up another gang if they have their wife and kids with them. They get what's called a free pass. Yet these these disgusting, filthy, cowardly people hit me up and I'm not even a gang member. Before my wife and three, my pregnant wife and three children. He said, why do they do that? To try to get me to, oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it against you guys. This is all just a misunderstanding. I'm sorry for the things that I've said. I was immature and stupid in those days. They wanted me to Jeff Owens them. They thought they could intimidate me and get me to just stand down. You said, what did you do? I stood up. What do you believe about gay people? I told him, you know what I believe about gay people. I said, you know who I am. You can't preach. I'll preach wherever I want. And you're not going to stop me, I told him. In front of him and his buddies, you're not going to stop me. I'll preach wherever I want. He said, well, you can't preach or hate here. Too late. I said, there's 50 of us already out here preaching God's word. You can't stop us. So you got a problem with that? Go call the police. Why do you got to get the police involved? I'm not getting the police involved. I'm telling you, you should go call the police if you think what I'm doing is illegal. And then this is what he did. Started filming me. You like how I'm dressed or something? What's up? You need some views for your YouTube channel or what? And that's what they did, is just try to intimidate me, to try to get me to stop preaching, apologize. No apologies. He said, what did you say? This is what I said. I can say whatever I want. I can preach whatever I want, whenever I want, and no one's going to stop me. I said, come children. Put them behind me, and we walked away. And that was it. He said, what was Sam Ballot and Sabiah trying to do? Trying to hinder the work of God? Trying to tell me to calm down? Strategy number three, and this is very important. Cause we're talking about how Satan has tried and will continue to try to attack our church. How will he do it? By smiting the shepherd. How will he do it by trying to hinder the work of God? Through the reprobates. Through wicked and unreasonable men. Strategy number three is actually a strategy that is quite effective, and I'll explain to you why. You see, when the shepherd is being smitten, you guys can see it. You guys will run to my aid. Right? I hope so, right? Right? I mean, when we were going through that whole thing, they were trying to smite the shepherd, and the men stood up and defended him. Right? If the shepherd is smitten, because the congregation loves the pastor, and they know that the pastor loves them, they're going to come to the aid of the pastor. Something that can be visibly seen. Hey, when there's attacks from without, that's easy to kind of fight against, because it's very visible, we know what's going on. Right. But this last one is very effective because of the fact that church members do not see this. This is like a blind spot. If you're driving in a vehicle, and there's a massive 18-wheeler on your left hand side behind you, like pretty far behind you, you can see it. It's like, okay, he's coming up. You can see whatever's in front of you, but it's that little blind spot where you can, where you typically can't see. If there's like a motorcycle there, a small vehicle, if they can get into that blind spot, you're not going to be able to see it coming. So what's strategy number three? Carnal stripes and divisions in the church. It's when you begin to fight others in the church. No. What? Me? I'm not fighting with anybody in church. I'm just bitter at someone in the church. I don't have problems with anybody in church. I just have a problem with that person right there. I don't have a problem with Jordan, okay. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Carnal stripes and divisions. And this is really the main reason why I wanted to preach this sermon, because we're having family time right now. Okay. Let me say this, our church is great at taking care of the pastor. And thank you for that. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for taking care of my wife and my kids. Thank you for defending me. Thank you for standing up for me. Thank you for fighting with me. Our church is great standing up against the reprobates. I mean, it's kind of fun. We not only stand against the reprobates, we do it with style. We do it with savage glasses. I mean, epically, just epically doing it. But here's one area you need to work on. Strives and divisions in the church. Ephesians 4 1 says this, you're in 1 Corinthians, stay there. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another, and love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. What does that mean? You need to work on keeping unity in the church. Now let me just disclaimer here. I'm not referring to the new IFB right now. Okay? Because look, this is what happens sometimes when a pastor says this and it only pertains to our church, or to our church, they'll cut that little part. Oh, I agree Pastor Mejia. All kinds of division and strife's going on and people don't seem to recognize it. No, I'm not talking about, you know, Pastor Fritz and all that stuff that's going on. And let me just say this, let me just tell you where I stand in that regard. I stand with Pastor Thompson, I stand with Pastor Shelley, and I stand with Pastor Jimenez and Pastor Anderson, and all my Westside buddies, okay? I stand with them. Pastor Fritz was a great friend of mine, but he's wrong. The guy's wrong. He needs to apologize. People need to take down those posts, humble themselves, and get right, and stop acting like that. They get mad when they get called out and, you know, they're throwing sucker punches for an entire year, even against yours truly. I don't fight back. I let them say whatever they want and all of a sudden, you know, they get hit and now they're freaking out or something. It's like last Red Hot Preaching Conference when I preached against the pastor and the pastor called me and said, yeah, I slapped you, but you body slapped me. I'm like, well, I mean, you just admitted that you slapped me first. The difference is, I don't slap by double leg. So, I mean, and let me just say this, if you don't, if you can't take it, then don't dish it out. If you can't take scrutiny, then don't dish it out. If you can't take the criticism, then don't give it out. So, I'm not referring to that strive for division, okay. You know, I stand with my friends because I believe that they're wrong. I believe that Pastor Fritz is wrong on that, and he's wrong. And you may differ with me on that, and that's okay if you do. I'm just telling you, the guy's wrong. I mean, it's been clearly laid out, what was said on Facebook, it's been clearly laid out, what he said on YouTube multiple times. People have sent me videos of times when people believe that he was criticizing yours truly. You know what, a year ago, a pastor friend said, hey, he's like, it looks like he's criticizing you on this video. And I'm like, no, he's not, and I listen to him, I'm like, oh man, it kind of does sound like that. You say, what did you do, did you just let it go? I called him right then and there. Cause that's the way I do it. I say, hey, are you talking crap about me on this sermon? That's literally what I said. Hey, what's up? Hey, quick question, are you talking crap about me on this sermon? No. He said, no, no, no, I was talking about the people in my church. I was like, are you sure? He's like, yeah, I was like, alright, cause it kind of sounds like you're talking crap about me. But if you say you're not, then I'll just believe you. And I told my friend, I was like, I guess he's not. But then you see that same pattern over and over again taking place. Anyways, it's not the sermon. But I want to say that because people, oh yeah, you got these bleeding hearts who will hop on my channel, my comments section and say, oh yeah, pastor, I agree 100% about that point. Visions and strives that are taking place. It's ridiculous. And let me just say this folks, let me just get on this real quick. You know it's a good way to see who's side is the right side sometimes. It sounds almost foolish, but it's true. Who are the kind of people that are liking the post? Right? When you have like Joe Major liking the post, oh snap, this is the wrong side. Unlike, unlike. When you have these guys who are like the enemies of the new IP liking the post, that should show you, look this is what you do. You look at the post and say, where does this person stand? Just click on the likes so it drops down that list and scroll through that. If you start seeing you know, Joe Major, if you see Manly Perry, you see Boyle on there, you see Adam Fannin. Just know this. Oh man, this is not where I need to be. Okay, so this is a wrong you said you really judge it based on yeah, because why do you think they're liking your post? Cause it's fomenting their agenda as well. Cause they think you stand where they stand. Well I don't stand where they stand. Yeah, but what you're saying is perceived as though it is. I'm saying from all appearance of evil. That's right. I love the new IFB folks. I love the new IFB movement. I am a new IFB pastor, unashamed and no, it's not a movement filled with idiots who don't have brain cells and have no compassion and love. That's a false statement that's a false accusation. I got a lot of love. I'm very compassionate. Right, I do. Anyways, carnal strifes and divisions. Look at 1 Corinthians 3 verse 1 and I brethren could not speak unto you as into spiritual but as into carnal even as into babes and Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with me for hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither yet now are you able for ye are yet carnal for whereas there is among you envying and strife and division excuse me are you not carnal and walk as men? What is Paul dealing with here? He's dealing with carnal Christians inside of a church who seem to be fighting amongst each other. Now look folks, there's no way to avoid conflict in a church. Why? Because people are people and personalities conflict people say things that are offensive to one another. It's going to happen. Conflict resolution is what's important. Not avoiding conflict resolution going towards conflict resolution. And let me just show you how I deal with conflict. If I hear that John is saying something bad about me I don't go to this guy Maury and say hey I think John's saying something bad about me. What I do I go to John and say John are you talking crap about me? I heard you were saying this is this true? Why? Because that's the way it's supposed to be done. And you know what if he says yes I was because you were saying stuff about my ties and stuff. You were saying that I wear ties from like the 70s and 80s and I tell him well it's true though. And you know what we hash it out we apologize and we move on. Now let me explain something here okay. And the reason I'm saying this is because within recent weeks things like this have been coming up a lot. A lot. And at first I was just like oh it's just normal but you know I started realizing oh wait we're still in this cycle. Smythe the shepherd last year. Wicked and unreasonable men the beginning of this year. That's died down. Divisions and stripes in the church. Oh he's back at it again. This one's easy to pinpoint. And guys don't you remember at the beginning of the year I said hey just because the sodomites are not fighting doesn't mean he's not going to attack. How many remember me saying that? I said the battles are coming. Yeah that's right that's right yeah for sure yeah glory to God. And then it's just like then it comes and no one notices it. This is one fight that Christians don't notice in the church sometimes. Why? Because it's in their blind spot. You say well how can I see it? Well I'm showing you right now. I'm that little annoying little sound in your Tesla or whatever or new car that's telling you that someone's in your blind spot. I'm telling you right now this is a satanic attack on our church trying to cause divisions and stripes in our church to disband us to cause disunity and thereby hinder the work of God. No but my point is valid though. Yeah everyone's offense is valid. You're not the exception to the rule folks. Don't walk as men. Walk as spiritual. Yeah but this person keeps offending me. Well I'm sorry I never read a verse in the Bible that says that if you get offended seven times seventy then that's not valid. No in fact it says that if a brother offends you seventy times seventy you're supposed to forgive him seven times seventy over and over and over again and the last time I checked when someone asks for forgiveness then they get right with you. You know what you're supposed to do? Let them live it down. I mean don't we have that standard for people who get thrown out of the church and they come back and they repent. They said I'm not going to be a drunkard anymore. I'm not going to be a fornicator. I'm not going to be an adulterer. What do we do? Do we just keep bringing it up over and over again? If we forgive them do we just say hey how's it going? Are you still an adulterer? Remember that time you were an adulterer? Remember the time you cheated on your wife? Remember that time you fornicated? You know I still haven't really gotten over that. That's wicked folks. Amen. And let me make something very clear okay. Let me make something very very clear. If the contention between you and the brother is so sharp that you feel like you just cannot even look at the person talk to the person you're angry with that person you're bitter against that person and you feel like you can't move on here is my counsel to you my friend. You need to go find another church. You say what? Why? I just don't get along with that one person. That one person is part of this church. And that one person has done everything they could to apologize to get it right and if that's not good enough for you then guess what this church is not good enough for you you need to go somewhere else. Because we're not going to sacrifice our church as a whole because of your bitterness that can spoil a lot of people. Folks Christians in our church should not be bitter one against another. There should be no bitter envying or strife in our church. That will destroy our church. I promise you. You think it would be bad if the sodomites were to infiltrate? It's worse folks it would be worse if our church began to fight each other. Because then we don't have a leg to stand on. There's no unity. We can only win battles when there's unity. And one of the most painful things for me as a pastor is to see Christians not realize who the true enemy is. It's painful for me to see that. No it's this person. No it's Satan. Who's making you think it's this person. This person is your brother in Christ. This person is going to be in heaven with you forever. Satan is going to split hell wide open. This person is not your enemy. You need to forgive forget and let them live it down. And I mean folks didn't I say haven't I said numerous times in sermons haven't I told you hey someone in our church is going to offend you. Didn't I say it? You think I was joking when I said that? You think I'm just saying it because I'm just trying to fill up sermon content or something? I've said that so many times. And when it happens it's just like I can't believe this is happening. I was like I told you this is going to happen. What do you mean? I tried to prepare you for this. And if they offend you forgive them let them live it down move on because this is the Christian way to do it. And folks don't judge people based upon what you think that they're thinking. I mean do we have thought polices in here or something? Where people are just like oh man I think this person has this motive. You don't know that. Folks none of you are psychics in here. None of you are Jedis. None of you are eight balls. The little thing where you used to shake. None of you. No one is able to determine what someone's motive is or what their agenda might be. All we know is what people say. Well I think he's insincere. I mean what tone do you want to say it in? It gets to a point of ridiculousness folks. And this is what we will not have in our church. Listen to me very carefully. This is what we will not have in our church. We will not have such disunity when now there's cliques in our church. That happens at liberal churches right? Where they literally will have little cliques in the church gossiping about one another. Talking smack about one another. Kind of having their little powwow with one another. Because this group of people can't stand this wife. These group of ladies can't stand this sister in the church. These group of men can't stand this guy in the church. So they have their little cliques and their little powwows. That's called causing division. Listen to me. I have no problem throwing not just one, but even an entire clique out of the church. I have zero issue taking a band of five, six men who are cliquing up together like a bunch of little ladies gossiping about another individual who's already gotten that right. I will throw you out. Yeah, but don't you want the church to grow? Nope. Not at that expense. Liberal churches, they allow themselves to grow and have gossiping people all the time. Not here. You say, no cliques? Okay, one clique. First works Baptist Church. And that's it. It's the only clique that exists here. Let me say this. When someone gets right with you and they ask you to forgive them and they get right, and you go around and continue to talk about it, that's not you forgiving them. Gossiping, bringing it up and other conversations with other people, that's called tail bearing and being a gossiper. Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. This is a strategy, folks. If I'm talking to you this morning, if you know that I'm talking to you, I'm not mad at you. I'm not upset at you. You're not my enemy. I'm trying to preserve the church here. But enough is enough, folks. Enough is enough. And let me just say this. This is my last warning. My last warning. My last warning. My last warning. Because if I start seeing cliques and people attacking and devouring one another in our church, you're out of here. Well, then I'll start a YouTube channel and I'll start... Go for it. Promote my stuff. Do it. I don't care. Here in 1 Corinthians, James chapter 3 says this, Who is a wise man and a dude with knowledge Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. Did you get that? If you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory as if you're justified by having that. The Bible says you're lying against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above to this earthly, sensual, devilish for envying and strife is listen to this, there is confusion and every evil work. You say, I was involved in that. Was I involved in evil work? Yeah. Yeah. I was involved in confusion? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's what it says. Pastor, you're offending me with this sermon. How about that? Cast me outside, how about that? You're offending me with this sermon, how about that? Well, here's the thing I'm not offending you, the Bible is because I'm reading from the Bible. And they that sin rebuke before all, the others may fear. Look at 1 Corinthians 12, 14 For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? Did you know you would never say, hey ear, hey hand, hey foot. This thing offends me every time. It doesn't throw right, it doesn't right correctly. You can't do that because it's all part of the same body. Well, I'm going to get along with my left hand, I'm going to get along with my left ear, my right ear, my right foot, I'm getting along with the entire body. It's just that hand, just that one hand, I don't like that one hand. It doesn't work that way. Yeah, try chopping off your hand and see how that works off for you, right? All the members are needed. And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now have God sent the members, every one of them in the body, as it had pleased them, and if they were not, and if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our comely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our comely parts have no need, but God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part, which lack. Look what it says, that there be, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. What's a schism division? God looks down at a local church and says there should be no schism in this body. No division. Why? Because everyone should have care one for another. Well, I like him, I love him, I just don't like him. Well, that works at some like you know, secular realm or something like that, but this is church. Right? Well, but aren't we supposed to live peaceably with all men, as much as lies within us? Yeah, people outside of our church, we expect you to automatically live peaceably with those in your church, because you came to this church because the church is made up of people who believe just like you. It's called unity. Right? You're here because you like my preaching, you agree with my preaching, but not just that, you like each other. And if you feel like you can't like each other, then you need to go somewhere else. After the service, you need to come to me and say, Pastor Mejia, I appreciate that sermon, but I don't agree with it, I'm going to go ahead and head somewhere else, and I appreciate it forever. And look, if you came to me and said that, if you literally came to me and said, hey Pastor Mejia, you know, I know what you're saying, and I appreciate your love for the flock, I just don't agree with that, I'm going to head out, I'm going to go to a different church. I would not blast you for it, I would not say, how dare you? You know what I'll say? Hey, thanks for coming, I love you, I hope everything goes well for you, and I'm thankful that you have the maturity to do that. Because it's actually immature for you to still feel bitter towards other people in our church and remain in our church. It's wicked. It's better for you to say, you know what, I can't, I still have this bitterness in my heart, I need to go somewhere else. I would say, brother, I hope you're able to overcome that, I hope you get that right in your heart, and you know what, you might be right in your heart, but being here around that individual probably doesn't help that, so yeah, maybe you do have to go somewhere else. I'll pray for you, I hope you succeed in your Christian life, I love you, we'll see you. I would have more respect for that than for you to say, well yeah, I get along with 99% of the people in this church except for that 1%. Not respectable, not right. Cause this is a local church where people are supposed to have care for one another and there should be no schism in the body. Last verse, Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12. I know I'm long winded today, I know. That's why we put the clock in the back, so you can't see it. Chris, why are you looking at the clock, Chris? I'm almost done. I'm confronting Chris. I preach this out of love for you. I am. I'm not preaching this because it just it sounds good, I'm preaching it because of the fact that it burdens me as a pastor. That there would be division and strife in the church that people just can't resolve. We should be able to resolve these things. And folks, let me just say this. If you don't resolve this now, you're going to be the demise of our church for future battles. You're going to be the demise of our church for future battles. We will not be able to effectively battle the reprobates, effectively battle the attacks from without, if we're not able to resolve the conflicts that are within. It will not happen. Look, I would hope that at the end of the sermon you think to yourself, I'm going to go get right with someone right now then. I'm going to go say, hey, I've been bitter but I want to say that I forgive you for that and I hope you would forgive me for being bitter towards you and I want to be friends again and put this behind me because there's a greater battle. There's bigger fish to fry! Stop focusing on the little anchovies. Go get a swordfish! Why are you trying to catch the anchovies? What's a big fish? Okay, Moby Dick. A whale? Dang. I regret asking Jacob that. A whale! Isn't a whale a mammal? A whale's not a fish, right? Is there a marine biologist in here, in the house? Sharks are the biggest. Sharks are actual fish. A whale shark. That's what he meant, right? The whale shark. Good save. Folks, forget the anchovies. Go for the whale shark. Why are you busy fighting the little anchovies in the Christian life when you can be going after something so much bigger? Right? Why are you fighting each other when there's an actual enemy that is actually devising that strife and division in your life? Think about that. Have you ever thought about that Satan has gotten one up on you? That he's gotten in your blind spot? Hey, he that standeth take heed lest he fall. It might be that you thought, oh, we're taking a stand for God, we're just standing, we're confident, and then Satan goes, okay, you're not going to see this one coming. That's the strategy number three. And look what it says in Matthew 12, verse 25. Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. If you're divided against one another, we will not stand. If this house is divided against itself, we will not stand. If this house is divided against itself, it will not stand. Not only will it not stand, it will be brought to desolation. So I'm preaching this sermon just to let you know either you fixed the problem or I'm going to be forced to step in and fix the problem and you're not going to like the solution that I bring to the table. Because I will not permit for you to forgive someone and continue just not letting them live it down, reminding them gossiping, tale bearing, I will put that to an end immediately. Because there's more at stake. The church is at stake. Don't be ignorant of Satan's devices, folks. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your word and thank you for a great church, Lord. And we're thankful for great people and Lord, I know even in my personal life, I've been gravely offended in times past of people that wrong me, but in order for me to move forward in my Christian life, I needed to let them live it down, to forgive them, to not be bitter towards them because there are bigger fish to fry. There's bigger things to be done. And I pray, God, that you would touch the hearts of the people in our church, Lord, through this sermon, that they would take it to heart and not take it lightly. This is something that can destroy our church. Smiting the shepherd can destroy the church. Yeah, attacks from without can destroy it if allowed to prosper. But more than anything, it's the division within. It's the implosion that can really bring down the church. And I pray, God, that you'd help us to be understanding of that, to humble ourselves before you, Lord, to recognize our faults, our sins, and to let others live it down because one day we're going to offend someone and we're going to hope that they show that same mercy that we expect that we gave to others. And I pray that you'd help us to do so. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Song number 19, there is a fountain. Song number 19 there in your hymnals. Song number 19. That's our last song, song number 19. Sing it on that first. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from a man whose face and sinners clutch beneath that blood lose all their guilty stains lose all their guilty stains lose all their guilty stains and sinners clutch beneath that blood lose all their guilty stains the dying thief rejoices to see that fountain in his name and there may I though as he wash all my sins away wash all my sins away wash all my sins away and there may I wash all my sins away dear dying left thy precious blood shall never lose it till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more be saved to sin no more till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more ere sins by faith I saw the stream thy flowing roots supply redeeming love has been my thief and shall be till I die and shall be till I die and shall be till I die redeeming love has been my thief and shall be till I die then in an over sweeter song I'll sing thy power to save when this poor little stream stammering top lies silent in the grave lies silent in the grave lies silent in the grave when this poor little stream stammering top lies silent in the grave Amen. Let's sing song number 24 as we wait for our baptisms. Song number 24 and can it be song number 24 and can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood and we'll sing it on that first on that first sing it out and can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood who died he for me who caused his pain for me who hid him till death pursued amazing love how can it be that thou my God should die for me amazing love how can it be that thou my God should die for me Alright we have a baptism here. Brother Eric if you can play it lightly over there tell us your name. David. David have you trusted Jesus as your Savior? Yes I have. Ok 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 going to cross your arms over your chest buried in the likeness of his death raised to newness of life. Congratulations. Congratulations. Right here right here. Alright let's pray and we'll be dismissed. Father we thank you so much for a great day Lord we're thankful for church and thankful for great people and of course the baptism I pray God that you bless us as we go on our way Lord help us to give heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip Lord and I pray God that you bless the remainder of our evening our afternoon and evening and keep us safe as we come back to church in Jesus name we pray. Amen you are dismissed.