Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross. That's a great old hymn. But in this day of apostasy, most Christians will only sing that hymn sitting down. But we do want to thank you for tuning in to the True Gospel broadcast here on the Liberty Works radio network. I'm Sam Adams, pastor of the Independence Baptist Church in Bellevue, Florida. You can find our website online at www.independencebaptist.com. We've been presenting a series of messages in the last couple weeks about our conclusion that contrary to popular and fundamental Christian eschatology, America is indeed mentioned in Bible prophecy, that in fact what was once a great Christian nation has become America the Babylon, and is in fact the last days Babylon of Revelation 18. On next week's program, the Lord willing, we'll come back to further arguments as to why this is true. We'll also show the connection to the Vatican and Rome, and how America, as the daughter of Babylon in Revelation 18 and Jeremiah 50-51, has a mother from whom she still takes marching orders, and who is seen in Revelation 17 as Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, which we believe is the papacy, who is also the false prophet that teams up with and is judged with the Antichrist in Revelation 16, 19 and 20. But before we go there, for today we want to continue with the so what part of this message, and about God's call of Revelation 18-4 to His people to come out of Babylon. We believe that call is going out right now, but God's people in America are not listening. As we said in last week's message, we must come out of Babylon spiritually. And one of the ways that we believe Christians in America must do so is by mass exodus from the state-run churches. The Churches of America, by their 501c3 contract with the federal government in Washington, D.C., literally become federal franchises of commercial Babylon, mouthpieces for the government and emissaries of the state rather than of the Lord Jesus. This message was inspired in particular by a sermon posted to Sermon Audio by the pastor of a pseudo-Baptist church in Ovalo, Texas, lamenting the phone calls he gets from what he calls conspiracy people, asking if his church is a 501c3 corporation. His position, based on complete ignorance and shared by most of the preachers and pastors in this land, is that the question is not relevant, that it doesn't matter if his church is 501c3, that not only is 501c3 status not a doctrinal or a biblical issue, but that it's a non-issue altogether, because they're not telling him what to preach, and that 501c3 status has not silenced him or any other church that he knows of. Our response to this absurd, ignorant position is that it doesn't matter whether or not the state is telling you what to preach. The question is, who is your Lord? This extremely theological, doctrinal issue goes to the heart of who is the Lord Jesus, what is His role in the Church, and will He share His glory with another? We believe every Christian in America needs to hear this message, which carefully and simply explains how the creator and head of every 501c3 corporation is the state. and why a New Testament church cannot become a 501c3 tax-exempt corporation without absolute denial of Christ as if church is only a head, without surrendering His word, the Bible, as its sole authority for faith and practice, or without acknowledging the state as a higher authority than God, and in effect declaring, we have no king but Caesar. Please listen to this message. I want to talk to you tonight about who is Lord Philippians 2, verse 5 says this, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Let's pray. Father in heaven, Lord, I do pray that you'd help us, Lord, to learn from your Word tonight, to understand fully the Lordship of Christ and what it means in our lives. Help us, each one here, Lord, to not only understand it, but to be willing to apply it in our own lives and not to compromise it. In Jesus' name I do pray. Amen. I think that the most important question in the universe is the question of who is Lord? That really is the most important question in the universe. This world is submerged tonight in conflict and struggle for supremacy. Every conflict that takes place ultimately revolves around the question of who is Lord? Who is Lord? The spiritual universe has been at war since the day Lucifer rebelled against Jehovah. And he said, I will. In Isaiah chapter 14, Lucifer says, I will ascend into heaven. He said, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit upon the mount of the congregation on the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High. That's what Satan said. Yes, we can. I will. We do have a real adversary, Lucifer, Satan, the devil, who truly does want to be Lord of the universe. He really does want to do that. He says, I will. He is very deceptive. And he knows that if he can get us to just give him a small place of lordship in our lives, that he's won the battle. He knows that the Lord Jesus said, no man can serve two masters. And if he can get us to just give him a small piece of lordship, And we've surrendered. A couple nights ago, I was at home and I got a call from Jade and Sherry. And Sherry had been doing some digging on Sermon Audio and had searched the keyword 501c3 and only found one hit, I guess. There was one sermon she found. And that was then. This is now. I've taken care of that. I've fixed that. But at the time, there was only one message that popped up on 501c3. It was from a pastor of a Baptist church down in Texas. He has a message titled 501C3 Craziness. 501C3 Craziness. And it's not a message preaching against 501C3 incorporation. It's actually instead condoning it and encouraging it. And basically it's a short 26 minute diatribe where he laments the phone calls he gets from crazy conspiracy nuts asking him if his church is 501C3. And these people annoy him and he doesn't like to get those calls. He paints the people he gets these calls from as radical extremists who get their theology from YouTube and the internet rather than from the Bible. He says when they call he just wants to say, you call to find out about our church and the first question you ask is about if we're 501c3. By the way, I'm glad he's getting these calls. I'm glad people are waking up to this issue. So he says, this is a quote from what he says, you would think that your first question for a church would be, I don't know, what do you believe about God? Do you believe in the doctrine of the Trinity? Can you explain the doctrine of the Trinity? What do you believe about salvation? You know, baby food stuff. This is what he thinks they should be asking about. What do you believe about justification? He says, we could go on and on about very important doctrinal issues that should be foremost in your mind when you call a church. But for some out there, it's all about if the church is 501c3. Because, you see, if a church has that 501c3 status, they work for Antichrist. And he makes fun of Antichrist, you know, because he's a Reformed Baptist and they don't believe in Antichrist because he's way back when. He says, they have received hush money from the federal government and the government will stop them from talking about important things. He studied Peter Kershaw's website a little bit. His point is that 501c3 status is not a doctrinal or a biblical issue. It's not a doctrinal issue. It's not a theological issue. That's his point. He quotes from Peter Kershaw's hush money website and he tries to infer that the only alleged danger of 501c3 status is being silenced and being told what to preach. And therefore he concludes that not only is 501c3 status not a doctrinal or a biblical issue, but it's a non-issue altogether because they're not telling him what to preach. It's the typical response that most preachers have. They're not telling me what to preach. It doesn't affect my church. That's what they say. It's a non-issue because 501c3 status has not silenced him or any other church he knows of. And then he spends most of the rest of this diatribe talking about a church in Kansas called Westboro Baptist Church that has been labeled as a hate group that actively protests at gay rallies and military funerals with rather inflammatory signs that say things like, God hates fags. And so, because this church, this hate group, who's been investigated by Southern Poverty Law Center and by Fox News, because they can do this for 16 years and the IRS hasn't shut them down yet, 5-1-C-3 is not an issue. That's what he says. He asks the question, how do you reconcile that in your minds, you conspiracy people? I mean, word for word, that's what he says. You conspiracy people. How do you reconcile this in your minds? He asks the question, should churches be 501c3 tax exempt? And he answers with a statement that 501c3 status has had no negative impact on their lives as a church. He makes a standard excuse, no one's telling me what to preach. No one's telling me what to preach. See, the problem is that this thinking is not isolated. I don't need to name this so-called Baptist preacher, because he simply expresses the thinking of 99% of the preachers in America today. That's the way they all feel. There's no need to call him out, because that's the way they all are. And by the way, that's why America is going to hell in a hurry. Because this is the type of thinking displayed by the men that occupy the pulpits of America, and this is the kind of preaching people are getting. Should churches be 501c3 tax exempt? Does it matter? Is it a non-issue? Is it an issue? Is this a biblical issue? A doctrinal issue? Or is it a non-issue? I have news for you. This is by far the most important issue facing the churches in America in this hour. And I believe the reason this is the most important issue facing the churches is very simple. It's because the most important question in the universe is, who is Lord? Who is Lord? We do have a real adversary, Lucifer, Satan the devil, who is very deceptive. And he knows the Lord Jesus said, no man can serve two masters. And he knows if he can get us to just give him a small piece of Lordship, that we have surrendered. And these pseudo-Baptist preachers can deny all the way up to the judgment seat of Christ, if they want to, that the 501c3 is an important issue. But this is a very important doctrinal, biblical issue of who is the Lord Jesus, what is His rightful place in the Church, and to what extent is He to be the exclusive Lord of the Church. This is all important. It's life or death for us as a Church. And I have news for the churches today. Every church that has submitted itself to being defined as a 501c3 corporate church has already surrendered Christ's Lordship over their church. They've already bowed their knees to the stake. In effect, they have said, we have no king but Caesar. In effect, that's what they've done. Why is this true? How does 501c3 status affect the Lordship of Christ over His Church? I do want you to pay attention. To answer that question, we first have to explain what is meant by 501c3 status. What does that mean? Back in the Old Testament, there's a story about Joshua and the Gibeonites. It's in Joshua chapter 9, verse 1, where it says, And it came to pass, when all the kings were on this side Jordan, and the hills, and the valleys, and the coast, the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, and the Hivite, heard thereof, and they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel with one accord. They had heard the Israelites came across the Red Sea and they were coming into the land and were going to take the land over. So we've got to get together and withstand these people. So they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel with one accord. When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they did work wildly. And they went and made as if they had been ambassadors. and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles old and rent and bound up, and old shoes cladded upon their feet, and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. And they went to Joshua into the camp of Gilgal, and said unto him to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country. Now therefore make ye a league with us." Verse 14. And the men took of their vittles and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a league with them to let them live. And the princes of the congregation swearing to them." See, Joshua made a big mistake. Joshua entered into this contract and this covenant without seeking God. Did not seek God. Didn't even read the contract. Just like today's preachers have done exactly the same thing. They have trusted the CLA, The Christian Law Association, so-called, they did not seek God. They didn't even read the contract that they were signing. Well, this is what the lawyers are telling us to do. This is what the colleges are telling us to do. It must be right. I'm convinced if they would just read the section of the Internal Revenue Code they're buying into, they'd have to look at it and say, we can't do that. But just like Joshua, they didn't even read the contract. Or if they did read it and then agreed to it, then they're really in trouble with the Lord, I believe. I don't see how a born-again Christian can read these things and not see the problem. All you have to do is read these things to know that they cannot apply to a true New Testament church that wants to operate under the authority of the Lord Jesus. They cannot apply. What is 501c3? 501C3 is a federal statute contained within Title 26 of the United States Code, also known as the Internal Revenue Code. And this section defines the types of organizations that the IRS will allow to be tax exempt. Title 26, Section 501, Subsection C, Subsection 3. Section 501 is exemption from tax on corporations, certain trusts, etc. then section C below that, the list of exempt organizations, then section 3 below that. This is the section that all of the not-for-profit organizations by which they're obtaining tax exemption. Corporations and any community chest, fund or foundation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. That sounds like the church, doesn't it? No part of the net earnings of which inures the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. That sounds like the church, doesn't it? How can you read that and think that sounds like a church? I'm here to tell you that for a church to submit to such, to be willing to be defined by such foolishness as this, is a gravestone against Christ. Gravestone against Christ. It's no less than downright idolatry for a church to accept 501c3 status. Why is that? I've got a few reasons for you. Number one, for a church to even desire tax exemption in the first place. they have to take the position that they are taxable. To even desire tax exemption, you have to admit that you're taxable. Tax exemption is a privilege granted by the government to otherwise taxable entities. At the government's expense, by the way. Because they're letting you off the hook. So basically, it's costing them money to let you off the hook. So it's a privilege status given to taxable entities at the government's expense, which is why In the Bob Jones University case, it was ruled by the Supreme Court that tax exemption is a government subsidy. You follow me? Because it costs the government. They lose money. It costs them to do that. They can only grant exemptions to taxable entities. So to request exemption from taxation is to acknowledge that the state has authority to tax God's tithe. Are you with me? To request tax exemption is to acknowledge that the state can tax what the churches are telling people they're giving to God. In other words, you're saying the state has authority to tax God. Can a lower entity tax a higher sovereign? Can children charge their parents rent to live in the home that the parents bought in the first place? Katie says yes. No. Can't do that. No. Can't do that. A subordinate entity cannot tax a higher authority. Just that in itself. Just to admit that the church is a taxable entity as idolatrists. Are you with me? Churches are not taxable. You can't grant an exemption to something that's tax immune. The church is immune from taxation. Doesn't need an exemption. The church is non-taxable. Why? Because it's God's. And by the way, churches are guaranteed immunity in America by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that says Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Congress cannot establish a religion. It cannot protect a religion. It can't decree one particular sect of Christianity to be the proper state version of Christianity. Nor can it inhibit the free exercise thereof. They can't legislate for or against the church. They can't pass a law that taxes the church. Are you with me? They can't do that. Number one was that for a church to even desire tax exemption, they must first take the position that they are taxable. That in itself is idolatrous. Number two, for a church to qualify under section 501c3 of the code, They must recognize the authority of the Internal Revenue Code in their church. Why would you want to be defined as, well, we're a 501c3 organization. That's basically what this guy says. I've got no problem with 501c3 status. In other words, I've got no problem with the Internal Revenue Code defining what we are as a church. For a church to qualify, they must recognize the authority of the Internal Revenue Code in their church. how soon we forget. Does anyone remember what the foundational doctrine was for the Protestant Reformation? It was a doctrine that the Baptists had already been adhering to for centuries before the Reformation, for which they'd been persecuted before the Reformation by the Papists, and after the Reformation by the Protestants. It's the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. What's that mean? The Bible alone and in its entirety is to be the sole authority for faith and practice in the Church. Throughout the centuries, the Baptist had been marked by seven doctrines that we call Baptist Distinctives. And the first and primary of all historic Baptist Distinctive doctrines was the doctrine of the sole authority of the Scriptures. It was the foundation for all other Baptist Distinctives. If the doctrine is not in the written Word of God, we're not going to go by it. We don't believe in transubstantiation. We don't believe in baby baptism. It's not in the Bible. And for centuries, Baptists were hunted and hounded and persecuted because they believed in the sole authority of scriptures. And that doctrine, then, led to the second Baptist distinctive doctrine, the doctrine for which the Baptists were the most hated and hounded of all persecuted groups, and that's the doctrine of the separation of church and state. That's a Baptist doctrine. That's the doctrine that because the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice in the church, then secular or statute law has no authority in the church. Period. None. Because the Bible is our authority. You see, once you acknowledge another law for the church, you are acknowledging another ruler. Are you with me? Once you acknowledge another law for the church, you acknowledge another ruler. I'm not a big fan of R.J. Rushduny. R.J. Rushduny is the so-called father or godfather of the Reconstructionist, Preterist movement today. I'm not a big fan of his, but some of his quotes bear repeating. One great quote from R.J. Rushduny is this, when a nation changes its laws, it changes its God. When a nation changes its laws, it changes its God. That's true also for the church. To acknowledge another law for the church than the Bible is to acknowledge another ruler. God is to be our only lawgiver, Old and New Testament. Jesus is the sole head of the church and only His word can be the law in the church. The Internal Revenue Code has no authority in the church. Why these people call themselves Baptists? This guy talks about, let's not talk about 501c3, let's talk about theology, let's talk about doctrine, he even says, let's talk about church history. If he knew church history, he would know that he has apostatized, has no right to call himself a Baptist. Because Baptists believe in the sole authority of scriptures. That the Internal Revenue Code has no authority in the church. I can hear the objections out there already, but we're supposed to obey our earthly rulers. Romans 13 says so. I don't have time right now for a dissertation on Romans 13, but there are three things I want to say about Romans 13, as Romans 13 applies to this issue. Number one is that as individuals living in a society of men, we, as Christian individuals, have a sort of dual citizenship. I've discussed this before. Paul made this abundantly clear. In Philippians 3, verse 20, Paul said that our citizenship is in heaven. Our citizenship is in heaven. In Colossians 1, Paul said we have been translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. Right? When you're born again, you're translated into His kingdom. He is our Lord. He is our King. We're under His law. So we are a citizen now of the kingdom of heaven if we're saved. Amen? But then we also see Paul, same man that wrote those verses, enacts three times making use of his Roman citizenship to avoid unjust punishment. So Paul believed in dual citizenship, right? It was Paul that wrote Romans 13, by the way. And so Romans 13, rightly divided, teaches that we as individuals in this society are to submit to earthly rulers, but only to the extent that they submit to God. That's number one. Number two is that the church does not have dual citizenship. The church does not have dual citizenship. The church is God's embassy here on earth. The church is an outpost of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. The church is not subject to man's laws, except possibly to turn, if it needs to turn one of its members over to the state. Possibly, for commission of some common law crime. There might be instances like that. But the church itself, as the body of believers, is not subject to man's laws. Period. The sole authority for faith and practice in the church is God's Word. Point number three about Romans 13. Please listen here. Aside from the fact that as individuals we have dual citizenship, And aside from the fact that the church does not have dual citizenship, the fact of the matter is, that doesn't even matter. Because this issue of 501c3 status and tax exemption is not a Romans 13 issue. It doesn't even come into play. Because there is no law requiring churches to incorporate. There's no law. There's no law requiring churches to seek tax exemption. They do it voluntarily, just like Joshua did. Voluntarily. So please, the taking of 501c3 tax exempt status is not a Romans 13 issue. It has nothing to do with obeying earthly rulers. Because there's no law requiring churches to do so. As I had stated, every church that has submitted itself to being defined as a 501c3 corporation has already surrendered Christ's lordship over their church. They've already done that. They've bowed their knee to the state. In effect, they've said the same thing to Jesus that the Jews said, we'll have no king but Caesar. What Pilate said, shall I crucify your king? We'll have no king but Caesar. Why do they say we have no king but Caesar? Because for a church to even desire a tax exemption, they must first take the position they are taxable. Number two, They must recognize the authority of the Internal Revenue Code over their church. And number three, for a church to qualify under 501c3 status, they must abandon biblical church polity and adopt an unbiblical organizational structure for the so-called church approved by the IRS. Not a church. It is not a church. corporations, an innate community chest, fund or foundation, organized to operate exclusively for religious or charitable or scientific or testing for public safety, literary or educational purposes, or to foster national or international sports competition. That's the church, isn't it? The purpose for the church is to foster national or international amateur sports competition. Or for the prevention of cruelty to children and animals. No substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda. They don't define propaganda, though. They leave that open for them to define at some later time. So, to attain 501c3 tax exemption, churches have to organize in some approved business structure. And the first one listed here is corporations. They have to be incorporated. What is a corporation? We've got the definitions there for you in the handout. What is a corporation? First of all, you've got Black's Law Dictionary definition of a corporation. See if this sounds like the church. An artificial person or legal entity created by or under the authority of the laws of a state. Is that a church? An artificial person? By the way, the reason they create these corporations as artificial persons, at law, in court, they are a person. They have rights to sue and be sued that law in court. That's why the attorneys want us to incorporate so they can represent this corporation in court. An association of persons created by statute, not by the Lord Jesus, not by the Bible. But notice it says created by or under the authority of the laws of a state. That can't be a church. How does the U.S. Supreme Court define a corporation? In the landmark decision, Hale v. Hinkle, this is what the Supreme Court said. A corporation is a creature of the state. What did Jesus say? Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. But a corporation is a creature of the state, not built by the Lord Jesus. It is presumed to be incorporated for the benefit of the public. Does the church operate for the benefit of the public? No. The public is the world. Jesus said the world would hate the church. The church does not operate for the benefit of the public. The public's not welcome here. This is the community of saints, of born-again believers. We come together as born-again believers in Christ, and if you're not born again, we as Baptists believe in the doctrine of a regenerated church membership. We don't allow membership of pagans who aren't saved yet. We do not exist for the benefit of the public. A corporation does. By the way, a corporation has to. Because it's a public organization. By nature. It's created by the laws of the state. So it's public. That's why they've got to keep their doors open. It receives certain special privileges and franchises. Does a church operate by privilege? Or by right from the command of the Lord Jesus? Jesus said, go into all the world and preach the gospel. That's not a privilege. That's a right and a duty that we have. Not a privilege. Holds them subject to the laws of the state. Not the church. The church is subject to the Bible. The limitations of its charter. Do you see that merely by becoming a corporation, without even seeking tax exemption, it's idolatry. The Supreme Court says a corporation can make no contract not authorized by its charter. That's the Constitution and bylaws of the corporation, not the Bible. Its right to act as a corporation are only preserved so long as it obeys the laws of its creation. That's just charter and bylaws, not the Bible. There is a reserved right in the legislature to investigate its contracts and ascertain if it has exceeded its power. That means they have to have their quarterly business meetings, and they've got to keep those meetings, as their records, available for public inspection. By law. Because they're a public corporation. Created by the state. The state has a right to look at their records if there's a lawsuit or something like that. That's why they've got to have their business meetings and keep their minutes and have their corporate officers. You know, it should be obvious to every thinking Christian that every statement in this definition of a corporation, if they would just read it, every statement is diametrically opposed to the biblical definition of the church. into the concept of Christ's lordship over his church. All you have to do is read that. It's just plain as day, isn't it? Incorporated churches are not and cannot be true New Testament churches because they're created by the state, not by the Lord Jesus. Because their head and master, by law, is the state, not the Lord Jesus. Because the Bible cannot be the sole authority for faith and practice in the church, their corporate constitution of bylaws are their first their supreme written authority, not the Bible. They can't be a true church because their pastors do not have biblical authority over their flocks, but they're mere hirelings under the authority of corporate trustees. The corporation organizational structure turns church polity on its head. They can't be a church. You say, Brother Adams, you aren't giving us much scripture in this message. You usually cite lots of scriptures. Well, let me give you some scriptures to think about. Matthew 16, 18, Jesus said, I say also unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus said, I will build my church. Jesus said the church belongs to him. It's his. I will build my church. The church is not a creature of the state. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 20, Paul said, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name in His name, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church. God's elevation of His Son Jesus to Lord of the universe includes decreeing that Jesus is to be head over all things to his church. Not just some things. He doesn't share that headship with anybody. He doesn't share it with the IRS. Jesus does not share his church with the state. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 23 says, The husband is head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. And he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands and everything. Christ is head of the church. Colossians 1, verse 12. Paul says, "...giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his own dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Who is? Jesus is. The image of the invisible God. God reveals himself to man through Jesus. When you see Jesus, you see God. That's why Jesus said to Philip, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. The firstborn. That means He is in the place of preeminence over every creature. For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and in the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things and by Him all things consist. And it's a part of that elevation, that exaltation of the Son. Paul says, and He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. But in all things, He might have the preeminence. If Jesus does not have preeminence in the church, He doesn't have it in the universe. This message is about who is Lord. It's not about, are they going to tell us what to preach? That's a side issue. Side issue. The issue is who is Lord. That is a doctrinal, biblical issue. That is a theological issue. Who is Jesus? Is he head of the church or not? His headship over the church is paramount. Every church that has submitted itself to being defined as a 501c3 corporation has already surrendered Christ's lordship over their church. In effect, they've said, we have no king but Caesar. But they're not telling me what to preach. And the day they do, then I'll get out. He even says that. That's pretty typical. The day might come when they do that, and if they do, I'll get out. No, you won't. You're a liar. No, you won't. If you won't take a stand when it's easy to stand, you'll surely not stand when it's hard. By the way, they are telling you what to preach. If you won't take a stand when it's easy, you won't take a stand when it gets hard. That's what Jeremiah said, Jeremiah 12, verse 5. He said, If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, how can thou contend with horses? And in the land of peace wherein thou trustest, they have wearied thee. How wilt thou do in the swelling of the Jordan? You know what? The Jordan's about to swell. And these pseudo-Baptists, calling themselves Baptists, who deny the doctrine of the sole authority of the Scriptures, who denied Christ's Lordship over his church. If they won't take a stand for Jesus now, they won't take a stand when it gets hard. They're cowards. They're not telling me what to preach. And the day they do, then I'll get out. Listen to me, please. It doesn't matter whether or not they're telling you what to preach. It doesn't matter if your other Lord is being nice to you or tyrannical. The issue is you have another Lord. We're not to have another Lord, period. We're not to acknowledge any authority in the church other than the Lord Jesus and His law. It doesn't matter they're not telling you what to preach yet. What matters is are you willing to give the state jurisdiction or authority that only belongs to the Lord Jesus. Because if you are, you're an idolater, and you're a coward. I want to ask this so-called Baptist preacher in Texas, and every other pseudo-Baptist preacher that pastors an incorporated 501c3 church, doesn't loyalty to Christ mean anything to you? Doesn't the sole authority of the Scriptures mean anything to you? Doesn't the fact that the Bible says that Christ is head over all things to his church mean anything to you? You know what? I want to ask those questions, not only to the preachers of America outside this church. I want to ask those questions of anyone gathered here with us that thinks that we, as Christians, can sacrifice the Lordship of Christ for a better music program. Or thinks that we can sacrifice the Lordship of Christ for a bigger crowd. I ask those questions of anyone gathered here that thinks we can sacrifice the Lordship of Christ for a youth program or a better youth program. By the way, I don't see any youth pastors in the Bible. I don't see youth groups in the Bible. When the church came together, they didn't split off into adult and children's church. For anyone here today that thinks we can sacrifice Lordship of Christ for what you might think would be a better church, I'm asking you today. Doesn't the sole authority of the Scriptures mean anything to you? Doesn't the fact that the Bible says Christ is head over all things to his church mean something to you? Doesn't loyalty to Christ mean anything to you? You know what? I'd much rather have a church with 10 people in it that know and love the truth than have a church filled with 300 people that don't know and don't care. I'd much rather. Paul said in Philippians chapter 2, Let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of men. Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him the name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in the earth and things under the earth. And every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Who is Lord? Jesus is Lord. He's the only Lord. He's not just the Supreme Lord. He's the only Lord. There is no other. A few weeks back, I preached a message called, Servants of One Master. where Jesus said, no man can serve two masters. And this message is, in a sense, a sequel to that. Just as no man can serve two masters, neither can the church. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Let's pray. Father in heaven, Lord God, I do pray that this message got through to someone here. that needs to remember that we cannot sacrifice the Lordship of Christ for some other program. That this is a matter of paramount importance. That the issue of, is Christ the Lord of the Church, is the most important issue facing the churches today. I pray that you would convict those here who may have been thinking it's not so important. It's not that big a deal. These things we do pray in Jesus' name. Amen. We're out of time for today, but we want to remind you that you can hear these messages online by going to the sermons page on our website at www.independencebaptist.com. Once again, that's www.independencebaptist.com. If you appreciate this program, we'd like to know it. So please take a minute to send an email to us at truegospelbroadcast at gmail.com. If you don't have email, you can also write to us at post office box 99 in Brooksville, Florida, 34605. The Lord willing, we'll be back next week on the True Gospel Broadcast, so please join us then. Until then, may the Lord bless and keep you in His grace.