Beloved, turn with me to the inspired text of Philemon. Philemon, and there's only one chapter, it is the letter after Titus. Paul's personal letter to Philemon and also a letter for all God's people then and also today. as we are making this declaration that Christ indeed transforms social issues for a greater purpose. Purposes that I believe we would do well to heed to, especially in today's time when well-intended men and voices may be saying otherwise. I want to read this entire chapter for you, 25 verses, and by God's grace, we'll move forward to begin this study today. It begins with a greeting in verse one. It says, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus and Timothy, our brother. To Philemon, our beloved fellow working, Aphia, our sister, and Archippus, our fellow soldier, and the church in your house. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother. because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you. I, Paul, an old man, am now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus. I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me. I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I prefer to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion, but of your own accord. But this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bond servant, but more than a bond servant as a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I will repay it. To say nothing of your owing me, even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you knowing that you will do even more than I say. At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you. Epaphus, my fellow prisoner in Christ, Jesus send greetings to you. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. This topic that Christ transforms all social issues is not controlled by the current issues alone. Rather, this topic, this challenge has been resonating throughout the church, the universal church that is, becoming a very difficult topic to discuss, and in some cases a divisive topic. instead of a unifying one. And so as someone who loves the Word of God, loves the people of God, and my mission and ministry is to this local fellowship primarily, I am concerned about this, particularly over the general apathy toward the sufficiency of Christ in Scripture, that when we approach these topics It seems as if we abandon the word of God, not intentionally, but out of a desperate desire to see resolutions accomplished outside of the centrality of Christ and the gospel. And so what we do is we begin with the world, or our topic, our focus takes on a more of an anthropomorphic character. It's focused on humanity. It tends to distract the church and undermine its central purpose when this takes place. So I'm compelled to extend biblical encouragement and instruction for you and anyone who has ears to hear. At the same time, without dismissing any problem that is associated with society's struggles. We do not dismiss those problems. What we do is we address those problems within the parameters of the doctrines of Christ, and we move forward from there, instead of the other way around, which tends to oftentimes be predominant. Well, there are other concerns. As Christ's willing slave and your servant, and for that matter, I'm only a servant when I minister the word of God, It is wise to recognize the great things the Lord is doing, as it is wise to anticipate and head off when possible stumbling blocks towards sound, holy, and rich Christian progress for the glory of our praiseworthy God. Let me just share why I believe this is important. One of the reasons is we are from all walks of life. Some of us can identify with the problem of racism directly, either through experience or most likely we have knowledge of those who are close to us of those experiences. Some of you are aware of it through the informational channels, but have not been negatively affected by it. Meaning at some point you were never asked to ride on the back of the bus or drink from another water fountain. You've always had your voting privileges. So what you have witnessed has not affected you directly. But since this in some ways has reached the inner ports of the fellowship, not for all of you, for some of you, we do need to examine it closely because we need to share in these truths together and discuss together what Scripture has to say. And listen, beloved, very carefully and submit our arguments, our opinions, our thoughts, even what we concluded prior. We submit them and surrender them to the authority of Jesus Christ. We don't ignore what is happening in the world, but our attention is fixated on what Christ has to say concerning these matters. And as we move along, I will share to you some of the hazards that the church runs into in trying to overreach to accommodate a group of people. And in doing so, the church no longer becomes a church that glorifies Christ, but it glorifies man. And it seeks to edify Christ, as opposed to glorifying Christ and edifying man. All right, let's talk about the arguments, 1 Corinthians, I'm sorry, 2 Corinthians chapter 10. For we must move forward in resolving that all arguments that are contrary to the name, the exaltation, the honor of our Savior Jesus Christ must be destroyed. Paul didn't set aside for convenient time, placed in a different category, but if it opposes the advancement of Christ, our ministry, my ministry does not change. And that is what the apostle is saying about his ministry. He's saying this about his ministry. And in doing so, it affects the ministry of those who teach. It also confronts, and remember, it also confronts the false teachers who would teach other matters that are not concerning the very character, person, and work of Christ, and how that affects the church's response to one another and the world. So this confronts the false teachers. False teachers may even be saying, hey, you know, we have a problem here. I know we say the gospel is enough and it's all about the gospel, but are we sure about that? That's starting to move toward the slippery slope of false teaching. Because the gospel is absolutely everything. From salvation to sanctification, even to our association with this fallen world and all of its social problems. It is a matter of the gospel at every breath and every scope. And when we do not preach in accordance to the gospel, after a few decades, it erodes and corrupts the church's conviction and foundation. And all of a sudden, we think the gospel is not sufficient enough. So we want to surrender those arguments, 2 Corinthians chapter 10, because this is supposed to affect us positively and truthfully. I want you to see what the apostle says, because even if our arguments are valid, chapter 10, verse 5, I'm sorry, verse 5 of 2 Corinthians chapter 10, we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God. And here's what is dangerous for us to think, that the Word of God is not sufficient, that we have to have a roundtable discussion, close our Bibles, and think that our minds will be illuminated? No, we ought to bring those. Those are arguments and those are lofty opinions that says the knowledge of God's Word is not enough. But also it says that there's a readiness, being ready to punish every disobedience. And notice what Paul says, when your obedience is complete, So Paul wants us to realize that, first of all, the essence of true gospel ministry is done out of true Christ-centered sincerity. Therefore, if I preach, and every time I preach I'm bleeding the cross of Christ, that is sincere gospel preaching. But also it is out of sincere love for Christ and his people. I love you more than I love your social issues, your social concerns, because I'm first of all concerned about your eternal well-being. And from there, we move forward. We don't go from down up. We start up and work our way down. I'm concerned about your soul. Apostle Paul says, so whatever rhetoric that might be appealing to the rest of this world, he says, we're casting all that. That's nonsense. It's foolishness. And if there be any teaching or philosophy that sets itself against the ministry of Christ. Now it may not do that in the natural sphere, but whenever we say that this of Christ is not enough, then we're saying that we need something else that is parallel to Christ or that will complement Christ. But that's not what the apostle is saying. Because anything that is on par with Christ that we need to supplement the ministry of Christ is setting itself against the ministry of Christ. Apostle Paul says that we do not preach it. No matter how noble the cause may appear to be. And this is the image the apostle is painting here. He's using military terms because he wants you to notice that there is a battle Where daily, weekly, minute by minute, he had to make a decision. And the Christian today has to make a decision. Because these kind of arguments, they're legitimate, but they're also extremely distracting. from the gospel ministry, but they're extremely attracting because it accomplishes something of worth, of human value, even though it is temporal and fleeting. So every day a decision had to be made, which one of these is going to die? This social cause, this philosophical cause, this selfish personal cause. You may not have a social cause, but we all have causes, we all have preferences, we all have desires that will, from day to day, make every attempt to dethrone the necessity of the ministry of Christ in our lives. But the battle here pictures conquering and destroying in war. That's the military image here. And so the apostle is taking this metaphor that you will see for two people who are in battle, in physical battle, and he's saying that there's an enemy. But the battle is spiritual. And in this case, it is principles, teachings, albeit they may appear to be noble. And here's the great deception. They may appear to be noble, but they're wrong because they're contrary to the ministry that we have been called to fulfill, and also that you have been called to live out. Wrong thoughts, wrong principles, because they oppose truth. they oppose true gospel ministry. Now, of course, they are right because they are real in one sense. We don't have to ignore them, but they can easily usurp the focus and the attentiveness that the church should have on Christ. So if they take precedence above the ministry of Christ in thought or action, Paul says, true gospel ministry, true Christ-centered ministry is this, our ministry for Christ and of Christ will prevail. You want to see a true, vestal servant of Christ in the midst of all that is going on in this world? That he doesn't get distracted. He doesn't call on names. He doesn't accuse his brothers or sisters on social media. This has been going on. All of a sudden, it's an Anglo argument pitted against people of color. People of color are saying that people in the angular community should not have voted for such a person. Paul says it's an argument that we destroy. True gospel-centered preaching, a minister of the word destroys those arguments because they exalt themselves above the name of Christ, but also what do they do as they did to the church in Corinth? It divides the church. Now should these issues be preached? Absolutely. But they're preached with a central goal of how do we exalt Christ as we navigate through the ills in this broken world. Our duty is not to overturn every law. Our duty is to appeal to every heart. that votes for these laws, that seeks to institutionalize these laws, that God may save them. Our objective is first the people. So if this ministry of Christ is preeminent and primary, it will prevail. Why is that the case? Because the decision was already made. The decision has been made already. This is what we do. We destroy arguments. For we're not worn against the flesh, she says. This is a spiritual battle, but we cast those arguments down. We don't even entertain them. For we have already determined, as Paul said in the first epistle, the first inspired epistle, that we've determined to know nothing in the second chapter of 1 Corinthians, to know nothing among you save Christ and Him crucified. So the matter is we preach Christ and we preach Him crucified. And that is the essence of what the apostles crying out here in 2 Corinthians. That is my version of the Apostle's Creed to every preacher and every minister, but also to the congregation. It is Christ and Him crucified. There's something I think that is so fascinating here in this section. In verse 6, he says, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete. It almost seems as if the Apostle is connecting the obedience of the church in Corinth that is connected to punishing whatever is contrary to Christ. That means his ministry can go forward in addressing and punishing every disobedience when the church distinguishes itself by its obedience to the Word of God. So if that be the case, the church is effective God does his work of dealing with errors in the church, disobedience in the church, false teachers in the church, and the problems from the world that enters the church. As in Corinth, God deals with it decisively when those who uphold the person of Christ, the work of Christ, the gracious ruling of Christ, the ministry of Christ, when they do so by their obedience to his word. And so that principle, that truth remains for us today. It's true for us today, beloved. God's people have been called to do the same. It is our submission to the Word of God. We don't ignore the arguments, but we do not idolize the arguments. We destroy them whenever they seek to raise themselves against the knowledge of our infinitely wise God. no matter what it is. That is why it is best to see whenever we have these social issues, to see where Christ transforms them and how He transforms them. I want you to realize, beloved, our instruction is neither based on experience, whether it be good or bad, or what was done to us, whether good or bad. but it's from the pages of scripture. We find out how to destroy them. So you know what that calls for every Christian, no matter what the problem is, no matter what you have experienced, no matter what has been done to you. And I said, no matter who has done it, When it was done and how it was done, whether it be personal, family members, bring all that into the equation. We love to talk about what was done wrong to us, but very little about the wrongs that we have done to others. What about the greatest offense? It's the offense that we commit against Christ. and our sin until He redeemed us? Beloved, we learn how to respond to every situation of life from the pages of Scripture. We find out how to destroy arguments that will call us away from worship and affection from the pages of Scripture. We find out how to destroy every issue that is social, political, personal, whatever it may be, from the Word of God alone. And that is why I'm turning your attention to this book that we begin to study in Philemon, where we will address arguments raised, I believe, sadly, against the knowledge of our God, against the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is also a very important topic of discussion for this fellowship, because God has united us together And although we have eyes to see and recognize the various ethnicities among us, we're not separated by them, rather we're united by Christ. But you know what will separate us? These issues will separate us. When these issues become our God. When these issues become grounds for accusations. Instead of, what can I learn from this? Let me also say this while I'm at it. It is a good and God-honoring way to describe people instead of calling them black and white or whatever we may use. There are God-glorifying ways to do so. And whenever we do this, we may say, well, let's unite blacks and white. Well, you just said we can't unite. The mere fact that you're using color mean that we can't blend the colors together. Beloved, it doesn't matter what you look like. What matters is who is in the heart. When we preach from Romans, you're either in the first Adam or you're in Christ. That's it. There are no other distinctions necessary. We will make distinctions based on palate, eating style, cooking style, but even those, even those differences have a way of uniting people on the cooking networks. How much more should we be united in Christ Jesus? Beloved, ought that not to shame the church? But instead what we do, we say, well, this is what you've done to me. A flat-out, unsanctified, uninspired navel-gazing session. And pardon my frankness if you're offended, but it's a problem in our churches today. We don't start with Christ, we start with us. The songs are for us. The scriptures seem to be just for us. It's never for someone else. It's never really for the glory of God. The preacher has to fit our profile. It's all about us. I'm not Christ. Beloved, it is not helpful what is going on right now. And so I am concerned about this body. And, you know, if this frustrates other people, I'll live with that. But I cannot live with the fact that we'll just throw the name of Jesus Christ up like it's a hobby and not our life. Of course, you may ask, What is the justification for using Philemon besides the fact that it is in scripture and it is inspired and should be preached, even though it's not preached often? But specifically, why now? Why preaching now? It's a good question and I want to answer that. Using the situation, if you turn to Philemon, using the situation found in this letter, A social concern has made its way into the church involving Philemon, Onesimus, and the Apostle Paul. We believe that Onesimus was a slave of Philemon, who either fled from his master or had aspirations toward fleeing. Of course, there has been some discussion about the nature of the situation, but on a fundamental level, there was a problem between these two men, and Philemon was most likely Onesimus' superior. Now, before we move forward, let me just be clear on one point. significant point here. It is so easy for us to import our context and experience into the first century, instead of learning what the first century was going through first, and then learn from it. But it robs us of the riches of this truth, and in essence, what this text is teaching us. There's also been some debate that Paul didn't say enough for us to know why he wrote the letter. But I will argue once, and I'll argue on several occasions, Moving forward, that Paul generally, as he's done in his prison epistles, for example, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. In his prison epistles, the outline for his letters are often contained in his prayers. What he wants Philemon and the church to learn from is typically in his prayers. I think you'll find that to be true in verses 4 through 7. of this letter, that within this opening there is a prayer, and oftentimes within the prayer, Paul is saying, this is what I want, this is what I'm praying for, this is what I seek after. He did the very same thing in Philippians chapter one where he's showing the church his circumstances and what his circumstances has led to. He wasn't crying injustice, although that may have been true. He's preaching the gospel to Jews and Gentiles and he's going to prison for doing something good. He's not robbing anyone. He's not stealing. He's not a murderer. But yet he says the gospel is being advanced. He's saying, let me show you how to use your circumstance to advance the gospel. The God is in his sovereignty. In fact, there's an idea behind the word that Paul says, my circumstances is in the sovereign hand of God to produce exactly this end. And the end is the gospel is advancing, even though I am in chains. And you would say, well, that's Paul. No, Paul is writing for every Christian to follow this example. in chapter 3 says, I want you to have a specific imitation. Imitate after those men like Timothy and Epaphroditus and myself. Most of all, imitate Christ and men who follow that same pattern, including no matter where I find myself in the rung of life, whether I'm the lowest of the lows or I'm at the heights of the heights, I will use my circumstances in life to advance the cause of Christ. And you would say, well, that's not very helpful for our times. It is absolutely helpful. It's the help that the world needs. It's just that it's not the one that we always like. But it's still what the world needs. Once again, every argument that wants to exalt itself and become an idol above the knowledge of our God in the face of Jesus Christ, we don't just set aside for dessert and we'll chew on it lightly. He says we destroy it. We don't destroy the intent to serve and help others. We destroy the argument that says that Christ is not enough. That Christ and his sufficiency in our salvation and sanctification and for how we interact with the affairs of life is not enough. Those are the arguments that we cast down. So Philemon, as we will note, was a prominent figure within the local church and very familiar to the apostle. And so there are lessons for us to learn from this, principles to apply. And one of them is on why relationships need to be resolved a particular way. We don't sit on the table, beloved, and say, well, what have you done to me? Paul says, look, if there's something that is owed, By Onesimus to you in verse 18, he says, charge that to my account. We're not going to sit here and jostle. We've got progress to make. We've got an advancement to make, and it is the cause of Christ Jesus. I also want you to think about this. As we read this letter, there were glowing words applied to Philemon. He was a gifted encourager of the body. Now here comes If we were to use this construct, here comes a former slave who was a runaway who may have taken from him. Let us say for the sake of argument and what this text seems to be indicating that Onesimus had caused some problems. Here's the guy who comforts the people of God. Now here's the man who's turned from sin, Onesimus. He's saved under Paul's ministry. What does it look like for you to say, I have the gift to comfort others, but I can't comfort you because you did something wrong to me? What does it look like when you cannot comfort someone who's wronged you but they're now in Christ Jesus? Does that look like a gift? has come from the Holy Spirit or something that you have conjured up yourself. Well, this has implications for the church that apparently seems to be in Philemon's house. It is a personal letter, yes, but it has an impact on the congregation. The same is true of us. We are simply not here to look our brothers and sisters in the eye and say, you know, something happened 19 denominations ago, and so you have to repent. That is simply inconceivable. Someone takes the fall for it and says, charge it to me. What's the charge? So that we can move forward in the gospel ministry. So your gift in Christ doesn't look like a fraud. We take the fall so that the ministry of Christ can go forward. And if it means we're disadvantaged, if we're disenfranchised, if we're dishonored, all for the glory of God, for our crowns are not being made on earth, but they're stored for us in heaven. So beloved, whether it involves slavery, racism, or just general conflict, there is a way to resolve relationships for the advancement of Christ. Christ transforms these social issues. He also transforms these personal issues of life that you have, whatever challenges it may be, but are you willing to destroy those arguments? that say Christ and his word has no answers for these problems. Whether it be the mistreatment of slaves by their master or the current treatment many believe they're receiving from churches, for example, a lack of equality in the church, failure to repent of past sins, men who have died and long gone on can't even speak for themselves. I can't repent for people who are dead. That's Roman Catholicism. That's Mormonism. That's not Christianity. I simply can't do that. I don't want to hold anyone accountable. I call you to repent of the sins you have committed. Denominational sins, where's that in the Bible? There's no such thing. The church addresses these things on a community basis, on a local level, and we call all God's people. If you have any form of prejudice in your heart that you know is there because we all have some of it, if God has exposed it to your attention, repent of it. But a Sidian call for some global treaty is absolutely contrary to Scripture. Once again, it's an argument that has raised itself above the knowledge of God. And so there are timeless principles from this passage, because we need to consider a different route. And that is the route of Scripture, especially in this time. Let me just make it clear, coming from me by God's grace, I harbor no ill done by anyone. The history of slavery in America is gruesome. It is sad. But beloved, if it were reversed and I had the same opportunity, I would treat you just the same. Granted the opportunity to use you to my advantage. I mean, what's happening now in our society? Men are using women to their advantage. You think that is a product of the system of low income and the welfare system in America? No, we're doing that right now still in Africa, where Africa is not suffering from an issue of currency. Those nations in Africa are suffering from an issue of character. They don't lack the material. They lack the person of Christ. Here's something that is marvelous. I give God thanks. As gruesome as it may have been, that God saved lives through it. God has redeemed men and women who would have been immoral in their thought and lifestyle had he not rescued them. We don't often think about that according to Genesis, what you may have meant for evil, God intended for good. At the end of the day, we have to wrestle with the absolute sovereignty of a gracious, a loving, a good, and a merciful God in the midst of the melee of humanity's decadent, dark activities. That in spite of that, the light of the gospel shines forth, and God has saved some from it. We need to take a different route. We need to go to the scriptures more than before. So our goal, beloved, is to mine those truths, those principles, and every lofty opinion that opposes it, that has been exalted above the name of Christ, we will destroy. This is a very small, it's an explosive book. There are no conflicts of why slavery wasn't abolished in this text at all, because in everything that our Savior did, he said this as he was about to be crucified, my kingdom is not of this world. He's redeeming men and women in this world to establish a kingdom in the future. And the way that these issues are abolished in a biblical sense is by appealing to men and women based on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, that you are now a part of a new humanity in Christ Jesus. Whether you be a master or a slave, it doesn't matter because you're all one in Christ. therefore the master is to treat the slave as a brother in Christ Jesus or if it is a female a sister in Christ Jesus because we are one in Christ therefore if your brother or sister is hungry you will feed him or her if they need clothing, you will feed them. If they need a place to stay, you will house them. Because if you've done it to the least of these, my brothers, Jesus said in Matthew chapter 25, that is his people, his children, no matter where they are from all walks of life, he says, you have done it unto me. So I have no issue about what was done in the past that may have been done wrong. This is what I would say. True, biblical, Christ-centered preaching that exhorts the believers to obedience produces a system in such where we will fight against every institutional law that is contrary to loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. What happens? The preaching becomes political. It becomes moral. And so you have moral, as one writer says, therapeutic deism. It is all the all do right and be right and you're not justified. Stop the drinking, stop the smoking, stop this and stop that instead of being more like Christ. Instead of dealing with sin in the heart, we deal with issues that may not be a matter of sin at all. That's the problem. And we get off the platform of true biblical preaching. That, I believe, is what happened during those times. True biblical, faithful, consistent exposition was not the case. It became more and more political, or more and more moral. Coercing and manipulating in a political system to get the lawmakers to adjust things the way we want. Now, I'm not saying there's something wrong with that, but when the church preaches it from the pulpit constantly, people never really think about, how do I love my neighbor? as myself. Guess what we're doing now? We're doing the very same thing in our preaching. It is political. It is moral. It is ethical, which all of those truths are there, but it is a therapeutic deism and not a Christocentric truth. It is not based on Christ. It's based on our comfort, our ease. and our sinful desires for this world's pleasures. Well, in this text in Philemon, there are several Christ-centered appeals that will be made that will reveal the sincerity of faith in these three men and what true sincere faith looks like in reconciliation, forgiveness, and what does it mean to love. This man who was once wayward, and rebellious to see that the ultimate goal in reconciliation, beloved, is for the blessed name of our glorious Savior, Jesus Christ. It is for the name of our Savior, not for an equality or justice outside of justification. It is that God's people would have a Christ-exalting zeal. Now this is very important foundational truths for you beloved, but I wanted to share another concern that must be raised and this one is rather controversial and it's probably going to be offensive to some. And so I will be leaving quickly from this exit door and I have hired a guard this morning because I will leave swiftly after service. But this was instigated by others and I think it is, it is worth addressing. Now, Throughout this preaching, I will use examples, maybe of articles that were written, but I will not call the names because the names of these men are faithful men of the Word, as far as I see it. And for me personally, I think the name-calling has been an atrocity to the gospel. Here we are in these Reformed circles, and someone who's outside the Reformed circles just stumbles on our social site. And guys, I believe the doctors of grace are just going at each other. What does that look like to the world? So I will not name names. I'm addressing the concerns. I'm not attacking the character. I'm addressing the concerns. I'm addressing the issue. And that's what you need to know most of all. And pray for these men, because I think, for me personally, as I look at the Word of God and how this is being approached, that they may be making a mistake. So for me, I want you to think through this objectively, because this is a polarizing figure for some. And guess what? It's going to really show who we worship. It's going to really show where our altar is, where our exaltation truly centers on. But this man in particular, his name has been heralded for several decades. And this year, marking the 50th anniversary of his death, I would say that he is to be respected for his philanthropic efforts. that is his humanitarian efforts, his charitable deeds for humanity. And his name is none other than Martin Luther King Jr., the great civil rights activist. Beloved, let me just be clear, my gratefulness is toward his efforts, but I have a deeper concern, and I believe it's theological. And I would say the reason, for that reason, the church has absolutely no obligation to recognize him. as a preacher of the gospel. A different gospel? Maybe. This gospel, once and for all delivered? No. And this is in accordance to his writings and his messages. For that reason, he was not and should not be celebrated when we worship Christ Jesus. And in some places, annually, they will do that on a Sunday. Beloved, that is a high-handed abomination. It is an abomination. because it is an attack against the nature of Christ Jesus, the person of Christ Jesus, and the finished work of Christ Jesus. As I've told you before, our affection should be towards Christ. We honor men, but we get off their boat when they begin to sail away from the truth of Christ Jesus. That's just it. And this is a question of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, you know, it just looks like the Anglo-Communion just got you sucked in. No, let me tell you what drew me in. It's the Word of God. It's the Word of God. It's not the Anglo-Community. They don't have enough power to pull me in. None of you in this room have enough power to draw me in. None of you. My affections are towards Christ. Yeah, of course. It's not very helpful for church growth. I've said that before, but that's not my interest. My interest is in the growth of God's people for the glory of my Savior. I have no other motivation. Paul says, in that way, his heart is set towards Christ. Therefore, when we worship Christ, he ought not to be celebrated at the same time as we will not celebrate Gandhi or others. Why? Because his message, though it seems close, almost, is still good enough to go to hell. if the gospel is not right. So whether it be on the anniversary of his death, which was recent, and a conference was done by believers in honor of him, that is also wrong, as I see scripture, because he did not uphold the central tenets of the first century church. He did not uphold the tenets of the faith that the early church and the catechisms formed to actually address men like him. So whether it's the annual holiday, if you want to march with a band down on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, knock yourself out, but the church ought not to do it. Beloved, please hear my reasonings now. I gave you like the nuclear bomb first. Now I'm going to give you a mass for resuscitation. Let me give you my reasons why Dr. King was openly defiant of Jesus Christ. He did not believe in the supernatural. Now listen, in the way that Scripture communicated it. Someone could say, well, yeah, I do believe, you know, but... No. Either Jesus Christ was raised in a physical bodily form or Jesus Christ is a flat-out liar. There's no spiritual resurrection. He rose physically with a body. And the glorifying of his body is a picture of what our bodies will look like in the future, but it will be a physical body according to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Well, in that, from our records, there was a bit of a pushback. Being an anti-supernaturalist or passive toward it or indifferent toward it means that the incarnation Where you have the God-man, fully God, fully God, and fully God, fully man in one person. Two natures in one person, the deity of Christ, the bodily erection of Christ. King was at least doubtful, somewhat or largely skeptical. But where does that place him? Well, I'm going to place him according to what I believe scripture teaches in Galatians chapter 1. Dr. Martin Luther King, if you were here today, I would say I am so astonished, because that's not what your dad believed. As far as I know, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I'm so astonished that you're quickly deserting him, who called you in the grace of Christ, and it turned into a different gospel. I'm surprised that your father hijacked Martin Luther King's name, who believed that justification by faith alone. Upon it, the church lives or dies. In fact, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it's not just another one. It's a different gospel of another kind because it's not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well, Dr. Martin Luther King, if you are here today, I would say, but even if we are an angel from heaven should preach or you should preach, as noble as your efforts are, a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you, let him be accursed. You say, well, that's strong. No, beloved, it's stronger to preach a deceptive, lying message and tell people that they're on their way to hell and they're on their way to hell on a cruise ship. Everything is fine. The weather's great. You set the temperature for them. It's 78 degrees in their cabin. They get all the food that they can eat. You're intoxicating them with your lies. And when they die, they go to hell. That's the gospel that he was preaching. Well, you may ask, what happens if you repented? Such repentance needed to be in public. because much has been done to the name of Christ, which we have no record of now. We do have accounts that he backtracked his firm position on the resurrection. Instead of not believing it happened in one sense, he believed in a spiritual one, as I said before, but that's simply not enough. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning with the very early part, verse three, around that section of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, on that the church lives or dies. We're either despicable Christians or we have hope because Christ was raised. Beloved, in reality, the bodily resurrection is inseparably bound to your salvation. It's inseparably bound to your sanctification and your future bodily resurrection. You thought the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you throw everything about Christ out. It's either all or nothing with Christ. He's either everything he said or he's nothing at all. From our indications, and I look over many of his messages, excerpts, his research papers, he did not. Beloved, these truths, among others, which I will not name, disqualified him from ministry, gospel ministry, and placed him, in my estimate, and I say this humbly, I'm not trying to be critical at all. I know this is not going to be a punitive argument, but from my standpoint, he tore the line of apostasy, knowing the way but rejecting it, knowing the way but despising it. Yes, he was influential in opening our insights into the prejudices in America. But Beloved, at the same time, for opening our human eyes to this, he darkened the mind even more towards the prejudice that humanity has concerning Christ. My dear Beloved, for that reason, the social issues of our time, they are not carnal, they are spiritual. In fact, if racism is a gospel issue, venerating King, sainting King on the same forum you would honor Christ is a departure from the gospel in another sense. Because he didn't embrace the Christ that we embraced. Therefore, every discussion we have about him is like, wow, man, but he didn't believe. From what we can tell, what we truly see as true key tenants of the faith, every time we talk about King, we wonder where he is in eternity. How can I celebrate a man who may have perished? Not only that, he's caused much division in the church. For now, you're forced to choose sides that you have been encouraged. If you have ever looked at a conference recently to read his material, to which I can't tell you what to do, but my answer would be no, unless you're trying to research. There's absolutely no orthodox, divine, theological conclusion from Dr. King. And listen, it's not that he had unfortunate education. He studied the greats. He studied the reformers. In fact, he critiqued Calvin and Luther. treaties on God, theos, Christology. He critiqued these men and the doctrines of grace, and he despised it. Dr. Martin Luther King said, there's enough good in man. They're not radically depraved. Well, that scripture says there's no one good. Well, what's that? No one good that they can't cut the grass? Slice the steak? feed the cows, get a job, retire after 30 years and be exempt from the company. That's not the point. See, we see it on that level, but the goodness scripture means is that no one has it in their heart to please God, nor do they have the ability to do anything in their power that is righteous and acceptable before God for men in every way. has been tainted no more than that corrupted and defiled by sin. Dr. Martin Luther King says, no, there's enough goodness to spark that God can spark this divine fire. So he's saying, they got wood in them and they got fuel, they just need a match. And the match is the goodness that is in them. And just say, you've got the good and you just need a little bit of grace. There's the fire of salvation. Actually, this came from liberal theology. In fact, Dr. Martin Luther King can trace his spiritual heritage to the likes of German, I call him Antichrist, Frederick Daniel Ernst Schlamach. Notice what he says, this German, he had a very, his father was conservative, but this man had a problem. And this is This is one of the men who I believe influenced King. Notice what Frederick says. He says, I cannot believe that he who called himself the son of God was true, was the true eternal God. I cannot believe that his death was a vicarious atonement. These are the lines that King has followed. These spiritually illogical lies. And this man, Frederick, was the father of modern liberal theology, something that King came to know and love. In fact, he says he has some issues with liberal theology, but he appreciates the fact that they got rid of the doctrine of hell. Therefore, Jesus Christ lied again, because hell isn't real. This is a departure, beloved, from the first century leaders, the great reformers, true biblical teaching, true biblical practice. It has nothing to do with a lack of information. On his part, it was the presence of spiritual death. So therefore, this year, this man was placed in a conference amongst believers, at a table discussion amongst believers. That's an abomination. I don't have a better way to put it. My bad if you think it's too heavy. I just don't have any other way because it is an argument that says that Christ is simply not enough. You've got to do something specifically for me. In fact, when you meet me tonight at service, you've got to do something for me to show that you repented. I need food of repentance. I need a donkey, a mule, and a six-bedroom house at the beach of Long Beach. That's what I need from you because I labored for your success. And you say, well, why are you saying this? That's the problem. When we don't see conversion for what it is. That we are a new humanity now. We're seeking to be renewed in the image of our creator, Jesus Christ. We're pursuing sanctification. We want to be like him and I want to encourage you to be like him. I don't have time to talk about what you did and didn't do or what someone did on your behalf. That's Catholicism. That's like a purgatory principle. Generations ago, those who committed these acts are in purgatory until you say, forgive me. No. What sins do you have in your heart now against your brother or your sister? What prevents you from being reconciled to them? How is it possible for you to love the brethren, Philemon, but here's Onesimus? Why can't you love him and refresh him as you would do me? That's the call. Do you love that brother or sister next to you with what Peter says, this fervent love? Or do you have this flaming out love? It flames out when you see them. But true, fervent love of Christ burns with a relentless passion. And it doesn't matter what color they are. You want to be with them. You want to love them. You want to pour out the gifts and the talents that God has given you toward them. That's what reconciliation does. That's what reconciliation does. Beloved, please stand to your feet. As we ask God to graciously remind us of our need, that we preach Christ and Him crucified, and we work through all the difficulties from there. For we begin with Christ our Savior. Oh, Father in heaven. Father, if anyone believes that this was strong or difficult or hard. There's a man who preaches out of conviction and a sincere love for you. I'm a human vessel channeling these emotions, but I'm wanting to submit to your word, but I'm passionate about your son. He's done so much for me, for this local fellowship, and it's so easy to set him aside even though we don't think we are. May we be focused on him. May our issues in life never become bigger than magnifying our Savior. And so to this great congregation, those who have been called by your grace, I pray that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.