Transcription
Yeah.
[music] [music] Heat.
[music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. Heat.
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[music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> Word that way.
>> [music] >> something.
[music] [music] You >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat.
[music] [music] Thank you, Danielle. That was nice. Good. I just want to let you know a couple of big dates for 2026. We don't have everything down on the calendar, but these are are two really big ones. and the open house for the adult class. You know who you are. And that is uh the 23rd of January. And we do that from 5:00 p.m. to 900 p.m. at our house. So 1:23 Friday the 23rd.
And then big schedule change. We want to do this um going forward as far as we can see. We're going to start having the family camp meeting starting Labor Day. So actually be Sunday we kind of kick it off but then Labor Day and then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Get it away from Memorial Day because when we do Memorial Day every other year we have the preaching conference and it really gets to be so much going on all within a few weeks of each other. So Labor Day week, that will be the week of family camp meeting this year. And then the missions conference October 14 through 18. You do want to write these down and and be sure you get them in your phone or whatever. I use an iPhone and I set alarms and and all that in the calendar. So, open house January 23rd, adult class 5 to9, family camp meeting, Labor Day week, and that'll be Sunday through Thursday. And then the um missions conference October 14 through 18.
Brother Brownfield, you ready with a passage for us to memorize?
>> All right, let's hear from Brother Brownfield. And as always, during the open house, you're more than welcome to park at our house.
>> All right, so let's begin with our Actually, before we begin, if you do not have a new verse card, please raise your hand high and one of the ushers will bring you one.
>> [clears throat] >> Keep it up. Anyone else? Is there someone up here? Oh, there's people behind me. [laughter] And they they'll also have them on the back table in the foyer. So, if you don't get one and you need one, they'll be there. Very good. Thank you, ma'am.
All right. So, let's begin with Habach 31 17-19. We ready? All right. Let's begin. Habach 3:17-19. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like hines feet and he will make me to walk upon mine high places to the chief singer on my stringed instruments. Amen.
Let's look at our new verse card. We're going to start working on 2 Timothy 2 11 through13. So looking at your card, let's quote verse 11 twice through together. It is a faithful saying, for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. It is a faithful saying, for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. Let's review one more week of Habach 3 17-19.
All right, I have a couple of cards I'd like to read to you tonight. First one is from pastor and pastor Bramwell and Amy Bramwell. Greetings from Del Del Marva. Amy and I would like to thank you for the generous Christmas gift. We are also very appreciative of your prayers for Amy during her recent health problems. She has been slowly getting back to normal for which we are thankful. Excuse me. I'm getting a little coarse. It feels like happy new year and we will look to serving our great God until he calls us home. Love Tom and Amy. Amen.
And this is from Pastor and Mrs. Mitchell senior says, "Dear pastor and church, thank you so much for the Christmas gift and for all the cards which we had received in the past few weeks. You are all a great encouragement to Mrs. Mitchell and me. We trust that you had a blessed Christmas and we pray that the new year will be filled with the Lord's blessings as you serve him. We love you, Pastor and Mrs. Mitchell, Senior. 1 Corinthians 15:58. Amen. We're talking about him and kind of remembering some of the things that he would say and do here. Doing that at the lunch table today. Praise the Lord that God's using them. Amen.
>> So, let's have the men come forward. Receive this evening's offering. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for Pastor and Mrs. Mitchell. And I thank you, oh Lord, that even in their age that they're so much willing to be sent to Sparks to help start a church.
>> Amen.
>> And what a testimony, oh Lord, of their character and their willingness to serve you. And Lord, I praise you for Tom Bramwell and Amy Bramwell, how you're using them in Federalsburg. Lord, I pray that you would bless them in that church in in Delaware. And Lord, I pray that your will would be done. I pray, heavenly father, you bless the offering this evening. Help us, oh Lord, to give cheerfully because you love a cheerful giver. Lord, I pray you'd help in the preaching. Help us, oh Lord, to hear and to obey your word. And if anyone here needs to be saved, Lord, I pray that they would hear the preaching, be convicted, that they would obey the gospel. Lord, I pray that you'd be glorified. And in Jesus Christ's name, I pray. Amen.
>> Amen.
[music] Heat. Heat.
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[music] >> [music] >> song books. You can stay seated and I'll just be calling out a few songs about salvation and brother Gch will lead. First one will be at Calvary. At Calvary 477 we'll sing three or four just talking about how we're glad the Lord saved us. Are you glad the Lord saved you?
>> Amen. If you're not saved, you can be.
>> Amen.
>> God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Praise the Lord.
[music] >> Years [music] I spent in vanity [singing] and pride carried up. My [music] Lord was crucified. [singing] No, we not he was our be on Calary. [singing] >> Mercy there was great and grace [singing] was free and there was to be there [singing] my found [music] [singing] by God's word and pass my sin I [singing and music] learn then I tremble at the law I serve [music] till [singing] my guilty soul and glory turn to
>> [music] >> Cal mercy there [singing and music] was great and grace was free and there was multipity [music] [singing and music] and calory. Now [music] I give to Jesus [singing] everything. Now I gladly [music] him as my king. Now [singing] my rape soul [music] can only see [singing] mercy there [singing and music] grace was free and there was [music] multip to me there my li [singing and music] [music] [singing] All the grace down to [music] me. All the mighty love my God [singing] is glory. Mercy there is [singing] great and grace was [music] free. There was to be there my [music] glory. [singing]
We'll sing 44. Can it be? And some of you have this other verse in the hym book. You have it, brother.
>> All right. If you have it, sing it. [clears throat] And that would be the um I guess the third
>> the third verse. His
>> So it' be the fourth verse. I guess we we'll make it the fourth verse. All right.
>> Actually, he puts us in the third.
>> Oh, I got you. Do it that way. That's good. Thank you.
>> Okay.
>> This was Pastor So's little note. Everybody got this? Everybody got a
>> bunch of us do. All right. Well, listen up. The words are, "Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound as sin and nature's night.
>> Thine eye diffuse a quickening ray.
>> I woke the dungeon flamed with light."
>> Amen.
>> My chains fell off. My heart was free. I rose went forth and followed thee.
>> Yeah.
>> Amazing love. How can it be that thou my God should die for me? All right. We'll sing that as the third verse. Okay. Got it. [snorts]
And can [singing and music] it be that I should and [singing] in [music] the Savior's bloody [singing] [music] for me who call his name for
>> [music]
>> He [singing] to death soon. [music] [singing] How can [music] it be [singing] and my God just died [singing and music] for me? Amazing.
>> [singing]
>> How can it be [music] that my God should [singing and music] I [music and singing] [music] He's [singing] all [music] his gra himself [singing] [music] and [singing and music] forget the sunless. [music and singing] How can it [singing and music] be that my God [music and singing] just for me? Amazing. [singing and music] How can [singing] [music] the power show [music] me [singing] all my embra SP [music] [singing] [music] and [singing] angels. Night. [singing and music] [singing and music] I the gently with [music] my [singing] chase. My heart was free. My ro [music] [singing] and thee. Amazing. [singing and music] How can it [music] be that love [singing] my God shows [music] for me? No [singing and music] condemnation now my Lord [music] and he is mine.
>> [music]
>> I [singing] believe I live [music] and [singing] I just [singing] [music] [singing] can [music] [singing] for Amazing. [music] [singing] How can it be [music] that [singing] my God show us for [music] me? [singing]
>> Amen.
>> Amen. How about one of the church members tell about how you're glad you're saved. Jump up and tell everybody you're glad you're saved. Brother Bill's ready. You know, I was thinking just recently uh today about pastor introducing how we should praise God, lift our hands up, and not be ashamed.
>> Amen.
>> You know, I'm thankful God saved me and I'm thankful. I'm sitting a church that we can praise the Lord. If you can't praise him here, you're not going to be able to do it out there.
>> That's right.
>> I just thank the Lord for that. You know, God knows
>> where I come from and what I was. My wife does, too. I'm just thankful he reached down. If he's no choice of persons or no respector that you want it, you can have it. So, praise the Lord.
>> Amen. Let's hear another one of the church members. Tell how you're glad you're saved tonight.
>> Go ahead. Brother Ziko,
>> I was thankful uh recently I I got to go on Treb Friday uh down to Connecticut
>> and I got to to show um the kids where where dad got saved.
>> Amen, brother. Praise God.
>> I'm thankful for that. I wish I could say that the the church there was still preaching the gospel,
>> but it's not.
>> Yeah. And I I I reminded them that's what can happen.
>> That's right.
>> If you if you don't have your life circled around the book.
>> That's right.
>> It can go downhill really quick. It it it used to be a Baptist church and now it's something something else.
>> Yeah.
>> And it's sad. Um but I'm thankful that when it was uh given the truth, I'm thankful I heard it and repented. And uh I'm thankful that uh I'm set in this church.
>> Amen.
>> Amen. Praise God for his great salvation. Let's sing that song. Heaven Came down and glory filled my soul. Okay. It's 473.
>> [music]
>> Oh, what a wonderful, wonderful [singing] day. Day [music] I will never forget. After I [music] wandered in darkness away, Jesus my savior [singing] I am. Oh my tender [music] compassion bread even [singing] the need of [music] my heart shell with joy he made all [singing] the darkness [music] heaven came down [singing] [music] my soul when at [music] the cross the [singing] savior made My sins [music] were washed [singing] away and thy night was today. Heaven came down in glory [singing and music] filled my soul. Born of a spirit [music] with life from above into God's [singing] heavenly divine. justified holy through Calary's [singing] love for the hand [music] is mine and the transact [music] when as a [singing] sinner I came to the offer of grace he [singing and music] did pro heaven came down and glory [music] fil my soul Oh, at [music] the cross the savior. [singing] [music] My sins were washed [singing] away and my life was turned today. [music] [singing] Heaven came down and glory filled my soul. [music] Now [singing] a hope that will surely [music] endure after the passing of time. [singing] I have a future in heaven for sure. There's [music and singing] venance of life and is because of that wonderful [singing and music] day. And at the cross I believe rich is eternal [singing and music] and bless is eternal. From his precious hand I receive. Heaven came down in glory [music] my soul. When at [music] the cross the [singing] savior behold my sins [singing and music] were washed away and my night was turned to day. [music and singing] Heaven came down and glory fil my soul. [music] Heaven [singing] came down and glory [music] [singing] fill my soul.
>> Amen. We'll have the players come down. Brother G, you sing one more with us. You guys all come down except you two. And we're singing about being saved. We're glad we're saved. We're so thankful. Amen. We're saved. All right. We praise the Lord. God looked down and saw an absolute wreck. And you can read about it in the book of Psalms, in the book of Romans, what he saw. And I'm glad it does not end with he saw,
>> but he came down.
>> Amen.
>> And then he laid down his life. And then he rose again from the grave.
>> Amen.
>> And then he reached way down. If you're saved, he reached way down for you.
>> You didn't reach up and grab a hold of God.
>> God reached down for you and he saved you. You responded to his call for mercy and grace. You responded to his call to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We've been singing about what he's done for us. Let's sing one more song about himself, about him. We'll sing Hallelujah. What a savior. Let's stand for this one. I think I think we ought to stand for this one. Yeah.
>> You know, when you're really talking about somebody great, sometimes you get on your feet, don't you?
>> And you show some real respect.
>> We ought to stand up and sing, "Hallelujah! What a savior." Let's sing it together. [snorts] 127 127.
[music] [singing] What a day for the [singing and music] son of God who came through [music and singing] to hallelujah. [singing and music] What a savior. caring [singing and music] shame and screw in [singing] my place. He stood [music] sealed my pardon with his blood. Hallelujah. [singing and music] What a savior. Guilty [singing] and helpless. [music] Aless of God was he [music] [singing] can be. Hallelujah. [music] [singing] What a savior. Lifted [singing and music] up was he [music] was [singing] his cry. How we spying high. [music] Hallelujah. [singing] What a sior. [music] When he comes [singing] our glorious king, all his res [music] to bring [singing] a new song will sing. Hallelujah. [music] [singing] What a savior. [music]
>> Praise the Lord. You may be seated.
>> Yeah. We'll be Ephesians 4. Before I read in Ephesians 4, I'm going to read from 1 Peter 1 verse 18 to 19. For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ.
>> It's of a lamb without blemish and without spot,
>> redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Amen.
>> And another one's in my mind from the book of Revelation where it says, "Unto him that loved us and washed us in his own blood." And it's in my mind to look at Hebrews chapter 12 for for just a moment also. And and to read here, it says that um ye are not come under the mount that might be touched and that burned with fire, nor under blackness and darkness and tempest, etc. But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the covenant, the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh present tense, speaketh better things than that of Abel.
>> I'm glad I'm washed in the blood and the blood is on the mercy seat in heaven.
>> Praise the Lord. Ephesians 4. I therefore, as the I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you're called with all loneliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring, working hard, laboring, studying, giving diligence, striving, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit. spirit in the bond of peace.
>> And we looked at the unity of the spirit last week and how that is kept. God gave it to us in a church where we are required to keep it. And you're not going to keep it if you don't even understand how you have it. And if you don't understand how to keep it,
>> if you don't even understand the basis for it is that God is one and the body is one and the spirit is one and there's one Lord, one faith, one baptism and God set the the members in the one body.
>> You're never going to understand the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace if you don't understand that. and God's program, his plan, his place for the unity of the spirit. It's in the church of the living God.
>> Amen.
>> I fear that we can make idols out of everything. I fear that we can make idols out of our looks, out of our pleasures of life, out of the food we eat, out of the air we breathe, out of the spouse God gives us, the children God give us. We could even make an idol out of the church. You could you could make the church which is the body of Christ and the pillar and ground of the truth and the house of God and the wonderful blessed church. You could make it where it is the end all instead of the means to the end of glorifying God.
>> I believe it's possible to make an idol out of the church. But I don't think that's much of a risk in these days we're living in
>> because what I see everywhere is the church is downplayed and relegated to some second or third class status.
>> It's a take it or leave it attitude towards the church. And the Bible says Christ died for the church.
>> And he walks in the midst of his church.
>> I doubt that there's many people that are in danger of making an idol of the church. Don't ever make an idol of the church. Don't ever somehow in some weird offkilter way put the church in place of Christ. But as a church, we ought to come together to worship and exalt and adore the Lord Jesus Christ and do his will.
>> And that's going going to require of each of us believing what it says. I am a member. You are a member. We are individual members. And so we must strive for peace in the assembly. And it's peace in the truth, not at the expense of the truth. Amen.
>> Amen.
>> That's right.
>> Well, we talked this morning some about the um about the bond of peace. And we pointed out from the Bible, you can never understand and have this if you do not have peace with God.
>> Right? If you have not been saved, if you have not been reconciled to God by, in, and through Christ, you cannot have peace with God. You, if you are not saved, you are at enmity in your heart with God. And no amount of you trying harder or trying to clean up or trying to do good things or whatever can get rid of that. Your sins can only be washed away by the blood of Christ.
>> That's it. There's no other way. There's no other fountain. Only by the Lord Jesus saving you, washing you in his blood, giving you his righteousness on your account can you have peace with God.
>> There's no other way.
>> He is the way, the truth, the life. There's none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
>> Jesus is it. And I'm glad I'm glad it's not confusing. I'm glad God made it simple so I can get it.
>> It's not like, oh, it's a buffet. figure out whatever works for you. I know the way that works because I know the one that invented the entire thing.
>> It's his eternal redemptive plan. You must have peace with God. As a believer, you can have the peace of God. Philippians 4. Peace is a characteristic of the fruit of the spirit. Blessed are the peacemakers. Jesus said, "As much as lith in you, live peaceably with all men. The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." James 3. seek peace and ensue it. Oh, by the way, if you're going to obey that passage in totality, it tells you a lot about how how to live a good life and see good days. It says, "Seek peace and ensue it." That's one part of it. A big part of that passage is control your mouth. That's where we often lose the peace that we're to have with each other. Follow after things which make for peace. Follow after things which make for peace. It's like I said in men's prayer time, you know, it's not the best idea to sit down at Thanksgiving dinner and say, "All right, so who here thinks we landed on the moon?" And who doesn't? It doesn't make for peace. It doesn't matter.
>> It doesn't matter.
>> Amen.
>> Just breaking right in with all kinds of stuff that gets people arguing and all. And there's things, everything the Bible says matters,
>> but there's some parts of the Bible that you ought to deal with at certain occasions. There's a time for every purpose under heaven. And there were people trying to sort through biblical practice in the church at Rome there. And uh you read about in Romans, and they're trying to sort through about circumcision, uncircumcision, and all. And Paul had to show them those things really don't matter in this era we live in, in the church era. And he said, 'You know, seek after things that are for peace. Every word of God matters. Every doctrine matters, but you don't need to be contending over every doctrine every minute of every day.
>> And and you know, you know what you ought to be really interested in is what your church is studying right now.
>> There's a good idea.
>> There's a good idea. Be really into the book of Amos. Certainly read the Bible. read through the Bible and I'll and and certainly there's things that you find interesting and you study out a word or whatever, but I I like hearing brother Gats talk about study out strife. That's great. But there's something wrong if you study your own thing, but you don't even care about Amos.
>> When your pastor Brownfield is preaching through the book of Amos, like we're one body. Amen. Pastor Mitchell is preaching a series, don't sin against the Holy Ghost, and you hear it and you go away and you don't think about it all week. That's not unity. That's right.
>> That's not one mind, one mouth. You say, "Well, I'm just really fascinated right now. I'm studying the the Levitical priesthood." And uh so I just don't care about the the Holy Ghost right now. You ought to get in unity with the church.
>> Study the Levitical priesthood, too. Have a good time with that. And if you don't come out on the other side saying Jesus is better, then you missed the point of the Levitical priesthood, didn't you?
>> Amen.
>> I want you to be encouraged. to go for things that promote peace in the truth. What I preach this morning, I want to show you the the enemy of that, the opposite of that. I want you to go to Proverbs 6. This is something's been in my heart a few weeks that I've been looking at and and considering and studying. I've got something with me tonight in my pocket. I've got a little packet that I got out of my pocket. I'm not writing a Dr. Seuss book. But I got a pocket from my pack a packet from my pocket. But I don't have a wacket in my pocket. In this little packet, I've got some seeds. You hear them? You hear them? [snorts] You see those seeds? Most of you can't even see them. I'm going to sew some seeds. You didn't even see them. I sewed them. I threw them out. You don't even see it, but I'm sewing seeds. The Bible says in Proverbs 6 verse 16, these six things doth the Lord. You notice all capital in that. That was the way that God used the King James translators help us know when you see Lord all capital that's Jehovah Lord God Almighty.
>> Amen. Amen.
>> The self-existent, eternal, immutable Lord God Almighty.
>> Amen.
>> It says these six things that the Lord hate. If he hates something, I want to be sure I'm not doing it. That I'm not in it. And by the way, I want to hate what God hates. The Lord commended the Lord Jesus Christ, his son, when he said, "Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity." I pray almost every day. I pray and say, "Lord, help me to grow in hating iniquity and in loving righteousness." If there's things that you if if there's not some things you hate, you need to get right with God. You ought to hate everything God hates.
>> What does God hate? Yay. seven are an abomination unto him. It's an abomination. I love these little babies here. We got a few little babies and uh they wear their diapers and what fills that diaper needs to be bundled right up and put right in the trash. Amen. Don't you put a dirty diaper on this pulpit. Don't you put a dirty diaper diaper on one of those tables we eat on back there or lay it on the kitchen counter. Amen. That's abominable.
>> That's refu. That's human waste. Get it out of here. It's an abomination. That's right. And there are people and there are practices that God says it's an abomination unto him. These six things do the Lord hate. Yeah. Seven are an abomination unto him. And the first one is a proud look. I'm preaching this. These right here will be the opposite of the bond of peace. And it is interesting to me. God hates pride. God is against a proud heart. But in this place, it doesn't even say a proud heart or pride. It says even just marching around with a proud look. God hates it. There's a way to to put off yourself, you know, to to show yourself that's proud.
>> That's look at me. Watch me. Aren't I special? Everybody ought to notice me. God in heaven hates it. God hates that.
>> You don't want that. You don't want to carry yourself in a way that's a proud look, a proud look, a lying tongue. God hates lying. God hates outright bald-faced lies.
>> God hates what the world calls little white lies. God hates it when you lie by withholding a little bit of information that could lead someone to think something other than the truth and you say, "I didn't technically lie. I just didn't let them know that part and I let them reach their own conclusion." You liar.
>> That is lying.
>> It's not how God functions. That's not how the Lord operates. That's lying.
>> Politicians are very adept at that, aren't they? They call it spin, the spin machine. They get done with the debate and then they say, "And now the spin machine gets fired up."
>> Spin, spin, spin. God's people don't spin. We tell the truth.
>> We can be tempted with lying. We can be tempted with deceiving. But when you're about to do that as a Christian, there's somebody that chokes you up on it. And if somehow you get through that, he's not going to leave you alone. You're going to be miserable about the fact that you lied and you're going to have to say, "I lied. I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Lying. Exaggerating. Lying. Exaggerating. If the fish was that big and you said it's that big, that's lying. We need to be careful about that. BH Carol wrote about lying and he said that we get in trouble with facts and figures, distances, numbers, measurements. That's right. We do. We do. Well, I was out fishing one day and and the waves got so big, I don't know, they must have been 20, 30 feet high. I think a lot of people would know about that storm. That's pretty big waves. I caught this fish. I don't know. I'm guessing maybe maybe it was 24. Yeah, maybe 48 in. It's better to just to say it was a big fish. I'm not really sure because we don't want to lie. Amen. God hates lying lips. A lying tongue. He hates that lying tongue. And we need to hate it, too. I need to hate it in in me and you need to hate it in you. And if someone's lying, we ought to be disgusted with that. There's people that get on the news, I turn it off because I'm not listening to a lying tongue. God hates a lying tongue. I'm not listening to it. It's a lie. It's a lie. We've had We've had leaders in our country. We've had news people and all that. You know how you know they're lying? Their lips are moving. It's that simple. They can't tell the truth. God hates it. I'm not listening to it. And then it says, "Hands that shed innocent blood." There's blood that ought to be shed, but hands that shed shed innocent blood. God hates those hands. And then there's a heart that devisth wicked imaginations. I want to tell you right now, I'm glad it doesn't say a heart that has ever had a wicked imagination.
>> Because you can have things come into your heart that you did not devise and you did not mean to have in your heart and you wish weren't in your heart. And as soon as they come in your heart, you reach in by the grace of God and rip it out of your heart and throw it away. Amen.
>> But if you're a heart that sits and pers and schemes and plans and devises wicked imaginations, that's ungodly.
>> God hates that. You better hate that if you've got any of that going on in your heart. And then the Bible says, "Feet that be swift in running to mischief." You like mischief. You like trouble. And you run to it. God hates that. You with me? Amen.
>> Every one of these would be opposite of the bond of peace.
>> You have a church where somebody's got a proud look. Somebody has a lying tongue. There's hands that shed innocent blood. You say, "Well, nobody's murdering anyone." You know, there's more than one way to murder people.
>> You can murder people's character. You can murder people's reputation. And heart that deiseth wicked imaginations. You got that in a church. You want to have the bond of peace. You want to have the unity of the spirit. feet that be swift and running to mischief. A false witness that what?
>> God hates that. You say, "Well, well, I was there and I saw it and this is what happened." And that's not what happened. God hates that.
>> That says God hates that person. I know. I know. I know. Everybody today says God loves everyone. He doesn't hate anyone. There's people the Bible says God hates.
>> Still gives them an opportunity to be saved. He hates a false witness that speaketh lies.
>> David said in a psalm, "Do not I hate them that hate thee."
>> And he doesn't say, "And I'm really sorry, Lord, about that." There's some things we ought to hate.
>> There's practices we ought to hate. There's people we ought to say, "I hate what they're doing." I I think it's biblical with with some folks, I hate them for what they do. But it's a righteous bib. I'm just lining up with God's assessment. I'm not myself saying I hate I'm just lining up with God and I want them saved and God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Amen.
>> But it says what it says and I don't I don't change the Bible. It says what it says. It says God hates the heart that devisth wicked imaginations and he hates the feet that be swift and running to mischief. And he hates the false witness that speaketh lies. And here's another one he hates. He that, read it out loud with me, seth discord among brethren. Right here we've got one, two, three, four, five, six stringed instruments. Now, when you get them all playing together with the piano and the bass, you could call that an orchestra. You could also call it a band. Isn't that an interesting word that it's called a band? Why do you suppose it's called a band? Because they are banded together for the purpose of producing sound music. Amen. And to do that, to be a band, there has to be bands that bind them together. There's got to be like ligaments to a group of musicians that play together. What is it that's going to bind them together? Well, they're going to play at the same tempo. That's one thing. The same tempo. They're going to play in the same key. There's something that binds them together. And they're also all going to be tuned up to the same standard pitch. I believe, Brother Zach, you tune everybody to uh 440. Is it the A note?
>> Yeah. And the piano we trust is tuned accurately. And so, and we get that done a few times a year. So, they strike the A note and then all of the strings tune to the piano. Wouldn't I be a devious little weasel if I walked in here after they tuned and I just reached back here and just, you know, you don't know what I'm doing, but I'm just cranking the strings a little bit. Turn that one down a little. Turn this one up a little. And then they begin to play the offering song and it's all discordant and it won't work together and it sounds terrible. I would be sewing discord among brethren.
>> That would be a just a ridiculous and evil thing to do
>> and then maybe do that and then and then kind of sit back and smirk while they're playing and they're all trying to figure out what's wrong and they're trying the tune and I'm just kind of over there in my heart chuckling thinking I'm going to learn IQ. No, what I am is a discord ser.
>> It's wicked,
>> right?
>> It's ungodly. Amen.
>> If I went to work and I I had my place of employment and I get in there and and I see this guy's got this tool set up to work on this job and I slide that tool back around where he can't see it. So now he's going to be 15 minutes looking for that. So time is being wasted. Maybe somebody else I go over and uh and and they're working on something and there's different chemicals and elements and as I walk by I just pour a little bit of my bottled water in there so I have messed up what they're doing. That's wicked stuff. That's sewing discord. That's making it so the work won't function like it ought. Playing little games with people. Doing that type of thing in a home. Doing that type of thing in a church. There's people that do that in our society. There's people that uh they they revel in society being discordant. Matter of fact, the anarchist movement, it's all about that. By the way, every guy I've ever known that wanted anarchy wouldn't survive two minutes if anarchy actually was going on. You don't want anarchy. If anarchy was happen, you better be the biggest baddest dude and you better have the biggest guns and you better have all the other guys like you all on your same team. And you're going to have to, by the way, have some unity so that you can function to survive in the anarchy you created. But that's the idea sewing discord among brethren. Here I have a little packet of seeds. Do you see my little seed packet? You hear them? Little tiny things. I can throw a couple over there and most of you can't even see them. I could I could just be talking and I could be dropping little seeds all over this building. And you know something? I did that all morning and none of you even saw before church, before Sunday school, after I I dropped seeds all over this building. I dropped seeds on the nursery. I dropped seeds on the fellowship hall. These seeds right here, you didn't even see me doing it. You were totally unaware of what I was doing. I was being a little seed sewer and you had no idea, but it was happening. At one point, I walked over and said to Mrs. Gutch, "That's a nice bean bag. What's the name on that?" And what'd you say, "Granny?" And while I was talking to her, I dropped a few seeds in her bag.
>> Yeah, you can be sneaky when you're sewing seeds.
>> You can be devious. You can have people don't even know what you're doing. I dropped some in Timmy's hair. I was talking to Timmy and I reached in my little packet from my pocket and I patted him on the head and I left a few seeds in his hair. To illustrate, that's how you sew discord among brethren. When people sew discord among brethren, they don't say, "I want to say something to you because I want to get you out of tune tune with her. And I want to get you out of tune with her. And I'd like you to be at odds with her. And I'd like you to question everything he says and does. And I'd like you to wonder about Brother Brownfield. Should we really pay attention? I wouldn't I don't do that. If I'm sewing seeds, I don't come out and say it. I just quietly sneaky drop a little seed. Hey, you're not even aware. Maybe maybe you're some maybe you're somewhat aware and you're like wonder why he said that but because you're forbearing and forgiving the devil likes to play with us and use these you like well I don't know maybe it was just me thinking what he said about maybe it was just me that took what she said that way I don't think that they meant to show discord you know good thing to do like that it wouldn't ever hurt just to go are you sewing discord because it kind of seemed like you were I don't want to think that about you. I want to forbear and all that, but that just seemed weird. What you Why did you say that? You do that and a discord seer is going to go, "Oh, no, no, no. Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't take it that way." You may not get them to stop being a discord sewer, but you'll stop being soil for them to sew discord onto. I want you to notice it does not say here he that planteth discord among brethren. It says he that sweth. I want to show you this is my other prop. And Heather didn't even need know I was going to need a prop and she supplied it. If I came to your house and your property and I had a plant, now this is obviously not a real plant but let's pretend it is. and I wanted to plant this on your property, you would know it. I would have to get a shovel out. I would have to get the hole dug right. I would have to place this in it. You would see it. You would know it. You'd be like, "What are you doing, brother?" I'd say, "Oh, I got this for you. Do you mind if I plant it?" And you would say, "Well, I do. I really don't want you to plant it there, but would you plant it over here?" You know what that would involve? He that planth and he that waterth are it would it would involve unity. It would actually involve teamwork. We would be together on that. But if I just wanted to do a little seed sewing on your property, I might hang out at your property for a picnic or to shoot guns or something and I might sew little seeds all over your property and you'd never even know it. You'd be totally unaware. I could be out at the show's acreage out in Richmond and I could just say to brother showay, hey, do you mind if I just walk around and look and and you know, maybe I'll shoot my I got this Glock a few months ago. I haven't even shot the thing yet and I'd like to shoot that little and he'd say, "Sure." and he'd have no he could be on there studying and he has no idea that I'm actually throwing seeds all over his property and and then when the water and the sun work together and everything, he's got a bunch of wet coming up, stuff he didn't plant, stuff he didn't want planted. It's discordant with what he has. He didn't intend for this to be planted. He's maybe trying to put a nice line in and I'm out there acting like I'm shooting and I even am shooting. Pow! Pow! Pow. But then I'm also doing a little seed sewing. You know, stick with me with this illustration. If I wanted to plant some plant something at your house or in this church, it'd be obvious. But I can sew seed discreetly or even deceptively. If I have a genuine concern about a member of this church, I could go to that member and I could be biblical and just say, "I love you and I care about you and there's something I'd like to talk to you about because I'm genuinely concerned with a Bible concern, not just my personal everyone's got to line up with me. We dealt with that, right? That's not the bond of piece. But I actually there's something. Can you take that? See, we're going to I'm not sewing little seeds between us. We're actually working together. If if I have a mutual friend and both of us will say Emory and I members of the church and we both love Josiah and we're both concerned for Josiah and and we want to help Josiah get something right in his life. It would be an obvious thing. It'd be like, "Hey, we love him. We want to help him. We both can't help but notice this failure of his or whatever. Let's help him. That'd be like this. But me getting with Emory and not really loving Josiah and not really caring about him, I might just say things like, "Hey, uh, so nice seeing you, Emory. And, um, so what's the deal with Josiah, man? Some of that stuff that guy says, you know, now I'm sewing, aren't I? I'm sewing some seeds. I want to see if he's receptive.
>> If I really care about him, I'm just Oh, I got some in your hair. There we go. Get those out of there. If I If I really care about him, it'll it'll Let's Let's plant together. Let's help him. I'm just concerned for our church. Well, then let's get to work putting a plant in.
>> That's right. But little hints and suggestions and little questions that really aren't questions. They're really statements veiled with a question mark. That's that. Who's going to jump on board with me while I sew some seed? What can I get growing around here? And God hates it.
>> And God hates him that so with discord.
>> I don't want to be on the bad side of God. You know, when I stand up here and preach the word of God, I'm sewing seed, but it's real obvious what I'm doing. I'm not hiding it. I don't try to get people to come in here with, hey, you should come in here and and we're going to talk to you all about how to have a successful life and marriage and and and and just, you know, make America great again and all this, you know, and then you come in and I kind of sneaky kind of, you know, slip a little gospel in there when you're not watching. I'm throwing a little gospel. That's not what we do. We openly and everly preach. That's how Jesus preached. He said, "I open and ever."
>> That's right.
>> If it's good and sound, you could be open and never about it. So I stand up here and seow seed. Absolutely. I also stand up here and plant. Well, if it's good Bible seed, it's open and manifest.
>> It's obvious what we're doing. Maybe I'm exhorting. Maybe I'm warning. Maybe I'm saying this is the way walking in it. But it's open. It's humble. It's to be humble and to be gentle. But
It's to be frank, not sneaky. Paul said, "We're not these guys that come in and sneak around." You know, like, "Hey, I want to help you have your best life now, but actually what I really want to do is tell you about Jesus, but I'm just trying to bait you with your best life now." The old bait and switch. That's not how you see Jesus preaching. No, he's preaching repent and believe the gospel.
Sowing can be good and positive. Sowing can be good and positive. Some people you're trying to sow truth into them and encouragement and they're not ready for you to just grab a shovel and plant a giant, you know, big old tree, but you're just you're sowing the gospel with them. Maybe the the guy that works at the gas station and a couple times a week you greet them and you're sowing. You don't you don't have 20 minutes, you don't have an hour, but you throw a few seeds.
But sowing can also be negative. And sowing discord is always negative. It's always negative. He that soweth discord among brethren. If I want to sow discord, I definitely don't want to plant. I want to sow. I'm going to drop little seeds here and there.
But listen, I'm not just going to drop seeds here and there. Unlike my illustration where I've been sowing seed all over this building, I know nothing's going to grow. The soil, there's no soil. What it's landing on, it's not going to yield anything. It's carpet. It's tile. Nothing's going to grow. It's a bag. It says granny on it. Nothing's going to grow.
But if I'm a discord sewer, the soil is the heart of whoever I'm talking to. And I'm going to be looking for potentially fertile soil. I don't know if you're fertile soil for my discord sowing, but I don't know until I try. So, I got to try. So, maybe I I couch it in things where there is plausible deniability. Plausible deniability. I'll talk about that in a minute.
I'm looking for potentially fertile soil. One person that that might I might find easy to sow some discord on is that person that that doesn't like to interact with all the other sheep and all and they like to be a loner and keep all to themselves. By the way, that's totally contrary to the nature of sheep. Sheep naturally like groups of other sheep. Sheep like to be with other sheep.
We saw that in the rodeo out in Wyoming a few years ago when they it's my favorite part of the rodeo when they have the mutton busting and that's where these little bitty kids they put a helmet on them and and all that stuff and they basically bubble wrap them and they stick them on a big old sheep and they let that sheep come flying out of the gate and of course the sheep throws the kid off pretty quick and then and then the sheep the first one will will just pick whatever corner of the giant rodeo corral and they run over there. Well, then after that, every sheep that comes running out, all these people yelling and hollering and screaming and everything and the little kid gets thrown off and that sheep just right to the sheep. Do you have a sheep? And then the next one and and just that's just what they do. They get together.
If you just don't like getting together with the church and you don't want to move with the church and you don't want to be with the church and you're always wanting to be either way behind or way out in front or way off to the side or whatever. It's not real sheep sheep. It's not real sheep like and you're making yourself a target if you are a sheep. You're making yourself an easy target for the wolf that comes to steal and to destroy. Amen.
But if I'm a if I'm a discord sewer I'm looking for maybe that one that seems like like they kind of relish or or they really enjoy kind of being that outsider. Well, I want to maintain my independence. I actually want to be in the body. Me. I actually want to be with the ligaments. I actually want to be with the members. I preached in a church and there was a guy more than once would come up to me right after I was preaching. He'd be like, "Well, I just got to tell you I'm a rebel. I'm a rebel. I got a few questions about what you said." I couldn't imagine starting off with I'm a rebel when God hates rebellion. God says that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. You know, it wasn't long and you go back to that church to preach. Well, where's he? Well, he's gone. Well, duh. He's a rebel. He needs to be saved.
Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, but that type of guy would be prime soil for my discord sowing. I'm looking for fertile soil like the lonely, maybe the vulnerable, maybe the new, maybe the young, the tender, the uh the soil that isn't yet loaded up with a lot of good biblical nutrients. Maybe I can get them to receive some of my discord sowing. Maybe soil that's been broken up a lot, hurt, been through some tough stuff. I noticed there's kind of some pain there and there's kind kind of some trauma. And Jesus talked about soil that gets broken up and then they put dung on it and all. And there's some people discord seers, they'll look for someone. They've been through tough stuff and they've just had a lot of rough stuff come in their life in their heart and all and and they'll kind of look for that throw a little here and a little there because they want it they want it to grow. They want to sow discord.
But any soil can be soil that they attempt because like I said, you don't know till you try. Think about the gospel. Just sow to everybody because you don't know. Is he hard-hearted? Is he soft-hearted? Are there thorns down in that soil? Uh what's I don't know. So give everybody the gospel. Well, on the other side of it, the discord sewer, he'll try with a lot of folks. It's interesting. They don't seem to try too much with really strong. The Bible talks about that. I'll give you a verse in a few minutes about that. But any soil can be tried. That's why I'm not going to get offended if someone tries to sow some discord into my ears and on my heart. I'm not going to get offended like, "What do you think I am, stupid?" I know they're being what they are. They're going to try. They're looking for a receptive heart. And they're looking for receptive gates to the heart. Receptive gates.
But I talked about plausible deniability whereby a devious, disrupting discorder can frame certain statements or questions. And when you respond with, "Why are you saying that?" They can say, "Oh, oh, no, that's not, "No, I didn't mean it like that." There's times we legitimately say things and we didn't mean it like that. Anybody been there?
But discord seers, they do this as a way of life. They have become professional at throwing out stuff. And if there's a response of, "Yeah, me too. I can't stand that guy. I hate when they do that. Yeah, I don't like it either." They're happy with that. But if there's, whoa, why do you sound like you're so in Discord? They've learned how to quickly be able to go, oh, no, no, that's not how I meant that at all.
So, if I'm someone that continually has people saying to me, why are you saying that? And I'm continually having to go, oh no, I didn't mean that that way. Maybe I ought to just start shutting down about half of what I'm saying till I can learn how to speak biblically, right? You know, to not if I'm not a discord serpent don't want people to think I am. Amen. I want to be approved of God and man. I want to love God and others.
But the plausible deniability, you know, it can be like like the dripping. The Bible talks about the uh the nagging wife who is like a a a dripping on a rainy day. You know, just driving you crazy. Drip, drip. You ever had a leak at your house and you have to set a pan down? Plunk. And just about the time you think it's done. Plunk. There's another one. Discord seers can be like that. And when it talks there in Proverbs about that type of a woman, it doesn't talk about a pouring or a roaring or a gushing or a rushing. It's just that drip. You know, dripping can drive you crazy. You ever laid in bed at night and there's something dripping? You think, well, you know, especially if you're on town water, that can add up. You don't want that. If you're on a well, you don't you just don't want it. And and I've jumped out of bed. Well, it's not that sink. Is it the bathtub? It's not the bathtub. It must be the kitchen sink. And you go, well, and then you must be back in the bathroom. And you go and which one is it? And you're trying to figure it out. And and so finally say, "I'm tired. I'm gonna forget about it." And you lay down and now it's like somebody has hooked it up to a microphone system. Boom. It's exploding. And you're saying, "I can't take that. I got to figure out what this is." A dripping. Discord seers can be like that. Just a little drip here, a little drip there, a little seed here, a little seed there. And oftenimes it's hard because you want to say, you know, it seems wicked what you're doing. But then they say, "What do you mean?" And you can't put a finger on it because they're good at what they do. It's just that little seed and that little seed. And if you say, "Why did you sow that?" They're like, "What? I I don't see it. Matter of fact, I threw all kinds of seeds right here and I don't see them." So now I can go, "I don't even see what you're talking about." And then if you say, "Well, I'm going to show you." Wow, you seem to have an attitude. Why are you so angry at me? You ever been there? You ever had that happen? Why are you turning against me like this? Hey, you just sewed 50 seeds of discord right here and you're trying to act like you didn't. And so now I'm telling you you did and you're gaslighting me as Robert said. You're trying to you're trying to tell me don't believe your lying ears, you know, like what in the world? And it it can get weird really quick. Amen. It's devilish. It's satanic. It literally is because you know the discord sewer, they love to use questions. Who's the first one that pops on the scene with a question? Hey, I'm just asking questions, man. I'm not trying to stir things up. I'm just saying, "Shalt thou surely die?" Is that Is that what he said? You sure that's what he said? That was Lucifer. That was the serpent. That was the devil. Am I telling the truth? He comes with a question.
You know the thing about questions? Questions can be awesome. They can be incredibly helpful. The Lord Jesus Christ used questions to teach. Hey, the Lord Jesus Christ used questions to teach. Sleepy head. Amen. He used questions to teach. But so did the Pharisees come with questions. Uh Lord Jesus, master. Um, uh, so, uh, it's written in the law. And how do you read that? They didn't care how he read that. They just wanted to trap him and get him to mess up, but he won't mess up because he's the Lord. And along come the Sadducees, and they denied the resurrection. They denied angels and miracles and all that. and they come along and they say, "Well, Lord, uh, master, we just have a just have a question. All of the Lord's hearers are there, lost people, saved people, the apostles, they're not there because they're curious about, can you please answer our question because we're in the dark and we want to know." No, they're there to sow discord in the Lord's church. So, the disciples are all going, "Yeah, how's that work?" And they say, you know, a certain lady married this guy, you know, and tough stuff. You know, it wasn't like Elizabeth Taylor who just married, divorced 25 of them. It was the I just exaggerated. Uh I forget how many I think it was seven she went through, but it wasn't like that. But this this poor lady just the worst luck ever. She married this guy and he died. So she went to his brother and he died and then she and he died and he died. And so whose wife will she be in the resurrection? Hey, we're just asking questions. Just asking questions. No, they weren't. They were sowing discord.
Questions can be wonderful. How many of you know I welcome and like questions? Amen. I do. I love them. I like them. You probably have questions about this sermon. That's great. Bring them. But don't come at me with a question that's really designed to cause discord. And by the way, I know you're a Discord seer. If you have a question about this message and you have a question about it for weeks and months and you talk to other people about it and you question them about it and you never even come and say, "Pastor, tell tell me something about that sermon you preached. I know you're a Discord ser now because I'm really easy to get a hold of." bobby mjrgmail.com 7510116. Church phone number 37308181 Durham Road, Brunswick, Maine. Amen. 04011. Social sec. No, not giving you that. All right. [laughter] Credit card and Amazon account number. No, you're not getting those questions can be great, but they can be used to stir the pot. They can be used to sow discord. The Herodians came with a question. What do we do about this tax stuff and all, Lord? I mean, you know, and he just said, "Let me see your coin." All right. Whose image is on that? Okay. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar. And whose image is right here? You give this to the Lord God and we're made in the image of God. And you pay your taxes to Caesar because that's got Caesar's image on it. But they they weren't curing taxes. That was not the point at all.
Discord sers, the point is never what they're talking about. The point is never the answer to the question they have. Discord sewing can be effectively done I said with questions with plausible deniability. It can be done with little oneliners just little one little zinger or even just one word even the emphasis of one word. Do you know the difference between Let's have Let's have for illustration sake, Brother Brownfield preaches. Bill gets in the minivan, starts it up, looking looks at Lyanna and goes, "Well, that was interesting." Now listen, that difference between that and looks at Le and says, "Well, that was interesting." It's a whole different thing, isn't it? It's and yet yet someone could hear that and say, "Bill, if if you don't think what Paul preached was biblical enough, why don't you talk to him about it?" And Bill in that illustration could, "Well, all I said was that was interesting. Are you with me? You know you can do that. You know, people can do that. You know, we're capable of that." And that's discord sewing with plausible deniability with trying to have a sneaky little way out when actually what you wanted to do was cast dispersion on the man's preaching. Now, I just totally made that up. Brother Bill does not do that. It's a madeup illustration, but you get the point, don't you?
You know, someone, you know, a pastor could say, "Hey, could you men meet with me and we're going to work on a few things and we need to get settled for the next year." And a man could say, "Okay." And another man could go, "Okay, two different things. All I said was okay." But you sow discord to the five other men because you want them to know you're not really happy with this. Where it'd be better just to be frank and say, "Pastor, with all due respect, could we not get together at that day and time? I really have something I need to get done." Just be frank. Frank. You know what Frank is? It's a decent name for a man, but it just means just say the point. Be real. Be be thoughtful. Just get it out there. Don't be a weasel. Amen. Frankness. I don't believe we need to be bombastically blunt. But there's something about good old-fashioned biblical frankness. By the way, that's one of the definitions of for the word boldness in the Bible.
We could give examples all day of this. I mean, we could go around the room and we could all say, "How about this? How about that?" Oh yeah, there's a lot of ways to do it. You can sew discord though with just little subtle complaints where you're complaining but you're not complaining. You can sew discord with just nonverbal noises. Even you're working with some folks in the church. Brother Zach's leading the orchestra. He says, "We're almost there. Let's check the tuning one more time." All right. I want a metronome on. And an orchestra member goes, [sighs] that's discord selling. You're wanting to say, I'm not happy. I wish I didn't have to do this. I don't like how brother Zach's doing it. I'm not pleased with this situation. But instead of just saying, hey, brother Zach, is there any way just instead of that? It's the And then if you're not careful, we, you know, sighing is actually part of how we like relax and unwind. God build it into us that we're going to have a big exhale every now and then. That could happen. It could just be coincidence. But if you're making a point with that sigh and then you get asked, "Are you making is there something wrong?" And you go, "Oh, no, nothing. No, just just an exhale." Well, now you lied. Be honest. Be honest. It could be a coincidence, but don't be a liar. God hates lying lips. God hates discord song.
You can sew discord with nonverbal. You can sew discord with body language. We all know that. How many of you have ever had your children sow discord in the home and they didn't say a word? How about your wife or your Don't answer. Just sit there. Okay? Just stare. Okay? Has your wife ever done that in the home? So discord? Your husband ever done that in the home? You know, you can so discord with the faintest movement of the eyes. Don't even move your neck or another. They're saying things. You can sew discord with your countenance, but you know, you can stop discord with your countenance, too. Did you know that?
I'll read to you something from Proverbs 25. Verse 23. The north wind driveth away rain, soth an angry countenance, a backbiting tongue. Have you ever used that? You know what a backbiter is? That's one of those words that's pretty easy to figure it out. It's somebody that on someone else's back. In other words, behind your back, I'm biting at your back. I'm biting at you behind your back and I'm maybe biting to him about you when all I had to do is just come and tell you, "Hey, I didn't really appreciate what you did or I didn't appreciate what you said or I wish you'd get more with it or whatever, but instead I'm backbiting." You know, if I backbite, if you backbite, you know, the kind of person that'll put a stop to backbiting, if you come up to me and you backbite on someone else and I and I go, maybe I I'm showing an angry countenance and you're going like, well, no. So, anyway, no, I was just thinking, you know, so I could stop it with an angry countenance. That's what the Bible says here. But I can sow it with an angry c or with a countenance too.
Maybe brother Earl and Britney get up here and sing. And maybe you have some attitude about Earl and Britney singing. Maybe you even think, why don't I get asked to sing more or something? They get up to sing and so you do the old like you're suffering and enduring and there's people around you that see that. And now instead of them being able to just receive the ministry of the song, they're wondering what you're doing. They're wondering what's going and the unity of the spirit of just them singing and us rejoicing in the Lord receiving their song, you're killing it with your face or your huff or whatever. Now, if you leave here and you're thinking, "Man, I am scared to death. I mean, next time I go to church, if I cross my arms, if I tilt my head back because my neck is sore, I mean, what's going on? Pastors got me so nervous now. No, you you know it. You know what you're doing when you're doing it. And I don't I I see someone sometime do that. I don't not thinking like, oh yeah, they're back. They're thinking like, "Oh, how much more?" I'm not thinking that about you. But you know if that's what you're doing and you know that when it's affecting others when you do know what you're doing and it is discord.
I'm going to take you to 2 Samuel for us for the closing. It's about time to land this airplane. This airplane has not been a pleasure jet. We've been hauling freight, haven't we? Something to really think about. In 2 Samuel 5, this guy kind of sums up the entirety of everything the Lord hates. A proud look. 2 Samuel 15, I'm sorry. 2 Samuel 15. Abselum. Now, wasn't he proud? He got his hair weighed so he could tell how heavy his hair was. He's the kind of guy that would have all kinds of Instagram and and kind of guy or girl that would have all kinds of Instagram and Facebook selfies. Look at me. Look at me in this suit. Look, check out this dress. Look at this. Look at this flower. Look at my cupcake I'm eating. Look at me. Look at my hair. I'll tell you ladies, you'd be better to just just have your husband look at you than to be someone that for some reason you want these uplo pictures for everybody out there to see. My wife's not doing that and I'm glad. And and one and listen, I don't think she'd do it even if I let her, but I don't let her. You know, you are a man. The woman hath not power over her own body. Isn't just talking about bedroom stuff. You know, you ought to ask your husband if he really wants pictures of you for everyone to look at. I don't think it's wise. I just don't see it as a wise thing. And uh but Absom, he was that kind of guy. If Absom was live today, he'd be a social media guy. I mean, all the way. He'd have a huge following. He'd be talking about his hair. He'd be talking about what product he's using in his hair. You know, people I've had people say to me, "What product do you use?" Whatever's under the sink. I mean, I was one day I was preaching this youth camp in Virginia and in the summer my hair gets blonder in parts and not as and this kid and I had this like this brighter whiter streak right here. Just happened that way from the sunshine. And I and this boy walks up to me and says, "Oh, do you use like highlights in your hair?" And I said, [snorts] I like honestly I'm offended you even asked that, thought that. I thought we were friends. And I said, "Have I given off some impression about myself that I wasn't realizing I was giving?" And he was like, "Sorry I asked." Yeah, that that's not manly. That's not that's not for men. But that was Abselum proud look. He had a lying tongue. He had a heart that devised wicked imaginations. He had a He had feet that were swift and running to mischief.
Look at chapter 15. And it came to pass after this that Abselon, David's son, King David's son, prepared him chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him. Why'd he do that? Because that's how kings had. He wasn't a king, but he was trying to act like a king. That's devious. That's putting himself out there in an attempt to draw away disciples after himself. And Abselum rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate. Well, who would stand there? Men of renown judges in Israel. And it was so that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment. So here's a guy. He's maybe been hiking for three or four days from way up in northern Galilee and he's come down to Jerusalem to to get a hearing at the court of King David. But Abselam s and said, "Hey, hey, hold on a second. Where are you from?" And here's this young man with this big beautiful hair and this the Bible says he was just good-looking in every respect. This big, beautiful man. It's weird to say, but it's what the Bible's [snorts] saying. He's very good-looking. And and this guy's coming in the gate. And here, not only is this guy got all these good looks and everything, and he's just something, but he's got 50 men with him. Seems really important. And so this man coming to David, here's this young man say, "Where are you from?" And he says, "Well, thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel." And Abselum says, "Come over here a second. Come here. Maybe I can help you. See, thy matters are good and right. But there's no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Now look at what he's doing. He's not saying my dad David is failing as a king. He's not saying dad doesn't know what he's doing. He's not saying I'm better than King David. He's just going, you know, I sure wish that I wish the king would do things a little bit different. It's just too bad there's not someone here that that is deputized to hear matters like yours. It's just a shame. You could sow discord like that.
A mom can sit her kids down and say, say, "Kids, you know, dad's such a good man. Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? Dad's such a good man, but you know, I just wish that he noticed more your good homework. I just wish that he that he noticed more how pretty you're becoming, young little lady. I just wish that dad, you know, if your husband's not noticing those things, you know, you know, there's a way to have a humble, respectful, frank conversation with him and maybe suggest that he pay a little more attention like that. There's a way for maybe you to make up some of that, but to show discord against your husband, that's lousy. Amen. Older brother saying to younger siblings, "Well, you know how dad is. You're a discord sewer. You ought to knock that off." Well, I was hoping we could do this, but you know, dad's going to say no. Boy, if I was in charge, that's what Abselam went to. If there was somebody deputed, it'd be great. You know, no offense to the king. God forbid I would say anything about David. He's God's man. It's a man after God's own heart. Amen. But it's just a shame. And then he added to it. Oh, that I were made judge in the land. You know, if dad had that judge that was deputized, I'd love to help in that way that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me. You know what? I I would do him justice. You get a justice warrior. So often behind that so-called justice is other stuff. You know, I really want justice. I believe in justice. I pray for justice. I pray for justice. I seek justice. That is biblical. When you're praying, thy kingdom come, you're asking for justice. A lot of times in this age in which we live, when somebody's trumpeting justice, a lot of times it's watch this hand while this hand comes around and the only justice I really want is for me to get what you have. Look out for it.
So, you still with me? I know it's a long sermon. I know. I've even heard a little bit of snoring, seen some seen some eyes closing. Hey, don't be a hypocrite. Just stretch out and take a nap. If you're going to do that, just be just be a man or a grown woman and roll out and just take a nap. How about it? All right. And I might do it, too, in a few minutes. I said, I need a break.
Now, again, I want you to keep a balanced thought here. God forbid that we'd have an idea of don't ever make suggestions. Don't ever because that's discord sewing. It's all about why you're doing what you're doing. You know, if I noticed Brother Zach, he's got all this music he's dealing with and all. And if I said, man, it'd be great, you know, if if we could find someone that could kind of be like an assistant to Brother Zach, that's fine. That's like planting a plant. But Discord s a bit boy, it's just a shame that Zach doesn't, you know, matter of fact, if people recognize my talents and all, I'd be happy to do that. I appreciated a brother Patrick a few weeks ago. He said, "Pastor, it's something I want to offer myself for. Just I'm offering myself and whatever you do with it, you know, whatever." But he said, "I'm available to take over some of Brother Pal's responsibilities if you want." That's planting, right? But if Patrick was a weasly discord sewer and he just dropped a little hint here, little hint there, he's telling Mr. Minet about it, telling Keegan about it. Few days later, he's sitting over dinner and telling Suzanne, "I just don't know why my abilities aren't recognized around here." That's discord sewing. Just come up and say it. That's planting. Or you understand the difference. It'd be terrible if we didn't have any like make good suggestions. Most of the great stuff that goes on in this church is because somebody here besides me had a great idea and you suggested it. And it's like, boy, that's a good idea. Amen. But that's not what Absalam did. Abselam was sowing discord.
And of course, what did it grow to? It was so that when any man came denied to him to do him obesence, he put forth his hand and took him and he kissed him. And on this manner did Abselam to all Israel that came to the king for Judah judgment. So Abselum what? Stole the hearts of the men of Israel. The word so there it has to do with like so. This is how he did it. First he put himself out there like he was something that he wasn't. Then he got a bunch of people to come along with him. Then he went to a place of prominence that he wasn't put in by the king, but he just kind of took it. Then you know, it'd be you think about how crazy and weird this would be. But what if we walked in here Thursday night and there's Elijah sitting in that chair? Just like, you know, we'd be like, that's that's weird. What's Elijah doing? That clearly that's the chair where brother Brownfield or brother show sits during services. What are you doing? What if we came into a service and he was sitting up there and you saw all the young men, we'll say 25 and younger, were all sitting right here looking at him and he's looking over at them and saying some things and they're all going, "Amen. Amen." We'd be like, "That's interesting." I mean, hopefully they're just sharing some Bible together and he wanted to sit there. But it would make you wonder, what is he thinking? That's how Abselon did it. He He gets there, he gets these men with him. He then be, "Oh, I care about you." I'm not saying David doesn't care. I'm just saying I do care. And you know, David, oh, I love him. What a great king. It's too bad though, he's never deputed someone. Boy, if he did, I'd love to help in that capacity. And uh and then now you come and and they and they give that kiss. And that's a way of showing loyalty in that society. And he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
You know, you can sow discord like he did. He just kept dropping hints. And so we need to conclude our sermon on sewing discord. Abselum's a very sad example. It's all the opposite of endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There's many ways you can sin against the Holy Spirit in this matter of keeping the unity of the spirit. Discord sewing stands as a giant in the way of the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. And you need to ask yourself, do I sow discord? Maybe maybe I have at times unwittingly. Maybe I'm not a discord swower, but I've sure behaved like one a few times. Maybe maybe I just like drama and I like trouble and I just like stirring things up. It feeds a part of my flesh. You know what? You know there's pleasure in sin. I'll sin. There's people It's weird. But you know what? I'm going to say it first. It's weird. It's weird that you that you enjoy so discord. But there's other sins you don't commit that you think they're weird. It's all weird before God because it's all out of place. If you sow discord, you need to repent. You need to hate it. You need to stand against it so much that at times you just bite your tongue if you have to. Just a good chomp right on. I mean, literally, there's time you just need to say, "I need to really think about what I'm saying here." You might need sometimes you start to say something and the other person's like you're right in the middle of your sentence. What? And you and it's okay to just go I'm not finishing that sentence. And they're going to say, "Good job." Amen. Good job. You say, "What if they turn around and go, she started telling me something and quit mid-sentence. I know what that means." Well, they're a discord ser. Amen.
Let's cheer each other on in fighting being discord sers. Let's cheer each other on in not wanting to do this. The discord sewer is an abomination to the Lord. I sewed little seeds all over the building. Right while you were out here before Sunday school, between Sunday school and church, before church, right after men's prayer, while I was preaching, I sewed them all over. But you know, none of them are growing because there's nothing receptive here for them. But I still tried. If someone tries with you, don't put up with it. And if you're trying and you're trying and you're you're a discord serpent, you'd be better just to not even talk for a while than to be something that God hates. Let's keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. If you're a discord sewer, you're going to leave and go, "Wow, real nice of him throwing those seeds everywhere. Now the floor cleaners have to clean them up." You're a discord sewer. We got things worked out. Amen. Let's stand together. Will you take this seriously? Will you examine your heart and your mouth? Your intentions. Have questions. Have good questions from good hearts. Have comments, good comments from good hearts. Deal with issues and friction, but do it as a man or a woman, as a Christian. Make suggestions. We need them. We need them, don't we, church? We welcome them, but don't do it as a discord server us, I pray, from sewing discord. Lord, if there's discord sewing in this church, what I'm asking is that you just deal with individual hearts and they get it right between you and them. Or if they need to get it right with someone else, they get that right with them, too. I'm also asking, Lord, that if they won't get it right and they won't put it off and they won't quit, I ask in Jesus' name you'd expose them so we can lovingly and graciously urge them to repent so they don't sow discord among us. And then Lord, if they just will not quit and they are just a died in the wool, hardened, committed, discords sower, I pray that you'd get them out of this church because it's going to hurt us. It's satanic. It's devilish. The devil's the accuser of the brethren. And so I really mean this, Lord. And that goes for me and everybody I love. I love everybody here. I don't want anybody to fail of the grace of God in this regard. What I really want is just we repent. May the good seed of the word of God fall exactly where it needs to fall tonight. And may it bring forth the good fruit of peace and righteousness. We pray it in Jesus name. Amen. Say, "Well, should we talk about that sermon? Is that discord song?" You ought to talk about sermons. Ought to talk about that one all week, but don't do it like a discord server would. Amen. Lord, answer that prayer. He will answer it. God bless you. We'll see you. [music]