God, our prayer is, please, help us to be a help to this ministry today. So I pray you'd give us words that need to be spoken, words that would meet needs that we didn't even know existed. And Father, I pray you'd meet with us today. And God, I pray this day be a life-changing day in somebody's life, maybe somebody's home. And Father, we'll certainly, we'll take time to give you the praise for all that you do. We ask it in Jesus' name, amen. God bless you, you may be seated. The Bible says that Moses is charging the people. The book of Deuteronomy, it's written in the last month or two in the life of Moses. Moses knows he's not going to be able to lead the people of God into the promised land. And so the book of Deuteronomy, it means second law or second given of the law. There's a lot of things repeated in Deuteronomy that he had mentioned in his previous books. But it's written that generation about to go into the promised land, and Moses knows he's not going to be able to lead them. And so, no doubt, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, he's given them the things that are gonna be most vital for them to succeed once they get there, knowing he's not gonna be there to help them along the way. I pictured it around me almost like a father or a grandfather laying on his deathbed. And he gathers his children or his grandchildren together and wants to impart to them things that they're gonna need to succeed in life. Knowing he's not going to be there to help them and instruct them. I look at Deuteronomy that way and so Moses is charging the people and He mentions when they get there half the tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim and from their blessings will be spoken and half the tribes of Mount Ebal from their cursings will be spoken and and the kind he's let us know we need a balance of both and I mean, if we're going to do well, we need to balance both. We need to hear about those things that will bring God's blessing on our life, but we also need to be warned about things we need to stay away from because it'll bring judgment or it'll make havoc of our life. We need a balance of both. You know, sometimes we got people, all they want to do is just always be positive, positive. Others are just always negative, negative. You know, I remember preaching with a guy one time. Every message he had was just, seemed like he was just mad at the world and everything was always just negative. God hates this, God hates that. And we were preaching together and somebody asked him, said, hey, preacher, do you even have a positive message? He said, well, you come tomorrow night, and I'll preach my positive message. So we were kind of all excited. He's going to preach his positive message. He got up. He said, I've been asked to preach a positive message tonight. So here it goes. I'm positive God hates drinking. And I'm positive God hates smoking. So he went about all things. He's positive that God hates and he's against. But we need both. And the message is declared. And then he said, the Levites are going to speak with a loud voice. And he kind of gives them, even ahead of time, what the Levites are going to say. I remember I was in a meeting one time and I'm in the office trying to put thoughts together and one of the other preachers come by and he said, what are you doing? I said, I'm just trying to get some thoughts for the message. And he said, don't you believe if you open your mouth wide, God will fill it. And I said, I do believe if we're on the spur of the moment, you know, the Holy Ghost can give us the same hour what we ought to speak. I'm just trying to be like they did in the Old Testament. God always spoke to them ahead of time. He said, son of man, speak to the miserable, thus shall you speak saying. And God gave him a message ahead of time. That's all I'm trying to do is just get a message ahead of time that God would have. And I never study. Of course, he didn't have to tell me that. I'd heard him the night before. Anyway, and so God's telling him ahead of time, the Levites speak with a loud voice. And here's what they're going to say. And he lays out a message. And you read through some of these verses. And some of these things, I'm thinking, does this really need to be said? I mean, don't lie with an animal. Do we really need to be instructed in that? And yet I look at the world today and think, I guess we do. I mean, I didn't think man could get as depraved as what is here in the instructions that are given. And I'm thinking, these really need to be written. But they're to speak with a loud voice, and here's a message proclaimed. And then it seems like after each statement that is made, he said, all the people, when they make this statement, shall respond by saying, amen. The last church I pastored had an assistant pastor. His father had passed away, and his father did not come to our church. And my assistant pastor had an older sister that went to one of the megachurch-type things, non-denominational megachurches, and she kind of handled the funeral arrangements and had her pastor speak. And my assistant got to speak as well, did a great job getting the gospel message out to those that were there. But when that pastor of the mega church got up and several, I mean, the place was just packed. He had several of the people from the church because the man's daughter had gone there, were at the church. And he got up, he talked about the hope of going to heaven. I like what your preacher said this morning, we have a hope. And you know, the word hope in the Bible is not used the same way we sometimes use the word hope. You know, we're looking for that blessed hope. The word hope in the Bible means an expectation. that blessed hope, the glorious appearing. I'm not hoping he's coming. I'm expecting him to come. And I have a hope. I have an expectation. As a matter of fact, hope deferred makes the heart sick when you're expecting something that doesn't happen. So hope in the Bible is not like, man, I hope this will happen. But he kind of put it that way. We all hope we get to go to heaven one day. And then he said, if you really want to increase your chances of going to heaven, you've got to get baptized. And of course baptism's a good thing, but Peter tells us it's a figure or a picture of salvation. It doesn't save you, it's a figure. It's a picture of the fact Jesus died, was buried, and rose again. The fact our old life is gone, we've got a new life, and such. He said it's a picture of salvation, and Peter went on to say not to put in the way of the filth of the flesh. In other words, he said it's not gonna wash a single sin away. He said, it's the answer of a good conscience towards God. It's something you ought to do after you get saved, but it's not going to save you. And matter of fact, you ever looked in a Baptist tree? It can't even keep it. It's not about to wash your sins away. But he said, if you want a better chance, you need to get baptized. And when he said that, all across the room, people responded with amen. And then he said, you want to increase your chances. And he started talking about good works and all these things to do. And with every point he made, all across the room, they're responding by saying amen. And I sat there thinking, why in the world are these people amening that? That's not truth. And then I began to think about all the Baptist churches across the land where truth is being spoken. And there's not a word coming from the congregation. So I went home and I looked up the word amen. And the word amen is found 78 times in 72 verses. I want to look at every one of them this morning. No, I'm just kidding. But I did. And the first mention of the word Amen is in Numbers chapter 5. If a woman is thought to have been unfaithful to her husband, instructions are given. She's to be brought in, and the priest takes some dust from off the floor and puts it in the water, and anyway, she drinks the water. And he makes a statement, if you've been unfaithful, then there's a curse that'll come upon you, and this water will cause your belly to swell. And your thigh, I think that's sometimes where we get the statement when somebody's expecting it's in the water, you know. But he said, it caused your belly to swell, your thigh to rot. But Numbers chapter five, verse 22, it says this, and this water that causes this curse to go into thy bowels to make thy belly to swell and thy thigh to rot, and the woman shall say, amen, amen. The first mention of the word amen, it's instructions given. It says, to be, then the priest take this water, he's handed it to the woman, and when he does, he'll respond, by saying amen, amen. The next 12 verses that contain the word amen is in our reading. So the first 13 verses, the first 14 times the word amen is found, about 17, the first 17% of the time, amen. Oftentimes you might be in a service and the preacher might say something like, and all God's people said, and we all say amen, and that's in the Bible. But the first say, not that they said amen, but instructing them to say. It's an instruction for God's people to respond by saying amen. And here in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is instructing the people of things they're gonna need to succeed once they get into the other land. And I thought, why in the world would this be vital and important? It's from God, and you want that in a pastor, do you not? I mean, you want your pastor to get with God and to get a message from God and to say, this is what God has to say. And you want him to bring a message that God's going to speak to your heart and help you in your life. And every God called man of God wants to do that. He doesn't just want to fill the time. Matter of fact, now that we're full time on the road and I'm pastoring different churches every week, it's not a matter of, OK, here's a set of sermons that I preach at this place. It's, dear God, what is needed for these people? And your pastor wants to get what's needed for you. He wants God's best on your life. And you want that in a pastor, do you not? I mean, you want him to open the Bible, read the Bible, preach the Bible to you. You want that in a pastor. And he's got a responsibility to get a message from God and to proclaim to you what God has to say. And when he does, you have a responsibility to respond to the truth that is being preached. both verbally and visibly in your life. It ought to be when he preaches, he says something like, man, I'm telling you, it's just good to be saved. And there ought to be a response. With an amen, nodding to the head, like this, not like this. Nodding to the head. And I know this. If everybody fell asleep when I was preaching and put them end to end, they'd be a lot more comfortable. Invitations given, altar calls given to respond. Oftentimes, before I preach, someone might say something like, are you ready? My response is always the same. What if I'm not? You won't have to say anything. We'll both know it. But I want to be ready. Every time I get behind the pulpit, I want to be ready. But I want to turn it around just a little bit in the Sunday school hour and ask you a question. Are you ready for church? Because just as the man of God has a responsibility to proclaim truth, when you come to church, you have a responsibility to respond to the truth that is being proclaimed, verbally and visibly in your life. So why is this so important? Why is this needed? And I'm gonna just tell you, no God-called preacher preaches to get amens. He's going to preach truth whether you respond or not, because it's a call upon the life. And no God-called preacher preaches to get amen. But why is this vital? Why is this important for them to succeed? Let me give you about 400 reasons, and then we'll quit, all right? Why should I say amen? Why should I respond? Well, number one, because God said you ought to. I don't think anybody heard that, because God said you ought to. I mean, his message, his responsibility, get a message, preach it, and when he does, you have a responsibility to respond to that. Amen, preacher. That's right, preacher. Amen, preacher. God said we ought to do it. In our text, a line was spoken, amens are heard. Another line is spoken, amens are heard. I mean, all through this, with every line, it appears that every line that's spoken, with every statement of truth, the people are instructed to respond by saying amen. So God said it ought to be that way, so that ought to be enough right there. Let me give you a second reason. It declares unity amongst God's people. It's said in all the people, she'll say. And I'm telling you, our unity is centered around truth. It's not about amen in the preacher, it's about amen in truth. And all the people said it declares unity amongst God's people. And I mean, David rose early when he was sent to check on his brother. He rose early. When he got there, he shouted for the battle. You didn't have to wonder whose side David was on. I mean, it declares unity amongst God's people. We're all centered around this thing together, and I remember we Our ministry has been either starting churches or taking ones that have dwindled down and going in and building back up again. And it's not what we planned to do. It's just kind of the way our ministry ended up going and such. We took one church and dwindled down to one person. She's 81 years of age in a town of 1,500 people. The police were in there the last several weeks with fistfights breaking out. I mean, what a good testimony in a small town. And I preached a meeting there several years prior to that, probably five, six years prior to that. And we had a great meeting. It ended up going three weeks. It was a one-week meeting. It ended up going three weeks. Over 200 first-time visitors. A bunch of folks got saved. Just had a great service. The pastor then ended up, he was in a car wreck and was on some medication, and it affected him. But rather than the people gathering around and encouraging and helping the man of God like he'd done for them for so many years the assistant got a Letter going around everybody to sign a petition to get rid of the pastor. He heard about it So rather than create problems, he just stepped down and That wasn't enough. The bylaws stated he could stay in the parsonage for 60 days. So they voted out their bylaws, had him evicted out of the parsonage. And, you know, sometimes people don't understand. There is a God in heaven. He's not going to bless things like that. And it dwindled down. And so that youth man took it, and it dwindled down. Fist fights through the keys. This 81-year-old woman says, good luck. And she kept calling me, saying, Brother Maury, I know you're supposed to be here. And I keep saying, I know I'm not. But the more she called, I couldn't get away from it. And we went. And I'm telling you, God blessed. And she got to see it, went through two building programs, got 40-some acres. And man, we ended up averaging 240 driving crowd in a town of 1,500. And she got to see it. He got in. He didn't know all the church words like amen, hallelujah. And man, I'm preaching along. He's getting excited. Pretty soon, he goes, hot dog. You know right in the middle of church just hunting it hot dog and I'd say he said a hot dog in the house of gold You know and and I mean just just hot dog and and you know one time he took his leg off that was a little much that was a little much and But but you know and and and and we we had a military church one time man You talk about I loved it military already knew change of command They knew do it by the book church was their home away from home and man They got in I'd be over studying and and I'd hear within the church building somebody say hey, brother John. Yeah, brother David 20 minutes till preaching time, and you hear them, whoa, carry on. I'm like, good. You think that doesn't get you ready to preach? Pretty soon it's, hey, Brother David, yeah, Brother Reed, 15 minutes till preaching time, and whoa, and they're all came in. Whoo, man, we get out there, come preach. I just set my Bible on the pulpit, and they're standing up, and you think that doesn't get you ready to preach? I had one old gentleman in there. He said, you know, preacher, I don't know if all this amen is real. I said, I'll be honest with you. I don't know if it's all real or not either. But I know you're sitting there all dried up is real, thank you for that. He said, well, I just don't want to be a hypocrite. I said, you know what a hypocrite is? It's someone who... And so, I mean, I mean, it all... There's unity there. It's everybody. Because we're unified around the truth. It's truth that we're amening. Which brings me to point is that 1 Kings chapter 1. It's sick. Adonijah, the brother of Absalom, is setting himself up as king. Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet come in and tell David about the situation that's taken place. So David calls for Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehovah, and he instructs them to know that Solomon is the next king. And when he does, 1 Kings chapter 1 verse 36, it says, Benaiah the son of Jehovah answered the king and said, amen. That's the first time somebody says it. They're instructed. He said, and he said, amen, the Lord God of my Lord, the king say so too. He said, amen. That's what God says. We all amen it because it's truth. Again, it's not a matter of amen and the preacher, it's a matter of amen and truth. It's the truth that binds us together. This is the fellowship of the gospel. That's what pulls us together. That's why they got so many crazy church. We need something to bind us together. They got so many crazy churches. They got cowboy churches. Guess what they have in common in a cowboy church? Anybody want to guess? Cowboys, horses. They got, I'm thinking, man, I don't have a horse. They got biker churches. And I do have a bike. I asked the doctor, would it help me if I got a bike? He said, oh yeah, it'd help you a lot. So I got a Goldwing. And I hadn't lost any weight, but man, it's a blast. They got bikers. Guess what they have in common at a biker church? Anybody want to guess? That's what binds them together. We need something to cause us to unite together. But when the fellowship is the truth, it's the word of God. You can be a cowboy and fit in here. You can be a biker and fit in here because we're sitting around the truth. It's truth being spoken. It's not a matter of amen and the preacher. It's a matter of amen and truth that is being spoken. His desire is to give you truth. And the responsibility then is to respond to that truth. We ought to respond because it's truth being spoken. Another reason, it exalts the Savior. 1 Chronicles 16, next mention the word Amen. David sings a song, it's a song of thanksgiving to the Lord when he's finished. Verse 36, blessed be the Lord God of Israel forever and ever. And all the people said Amen and praise to the Lord. Now Amen-ns are turning to praise. Why? Because the Word of God was lifted up. This book talks about Him. And the more people respond to truth, the more Jesus is lifted up because he is the truth. And now it's turning to the fact that they're praising the Lord. It lifts up the Savior. And so it promotes, it exalts the Savior. It lifts him up. This book is all about him. And when truth is spoken and we respond to truth, it lifts up Christ. If I'd be lifted up, I will draw. Let me give you another reason. It promotes growth amongst God's people. The next mention is the word, Amen. Nehemiah chapter 5, verse 13. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise. You know what they're doing now? They're obeying what is being preached. Why? Because the word of God's been lifted up. How's it been lifted up? The preacher preached it. People are responding. It's lifted up, Christ is lifted up, people begin to praise the Lord, and now they're obeying. They're applying what is being preached. Next men's word, amen. Nehemiah 8, 6, and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, amen, amen, with lifting up their hands, and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. More amens are heard, some of them even Raised a hand once in a while. And now they're falling on their face, worshiping the Lord. In fact, this modern praise and worship has missed it. Most of the time you find them worshiping the Lord, they're on their face. It's a humbleness before a holy God, just adoring Him, loving Him. People are falling in love with Him. Why? Because truth is spoken, people respond, Christ is lifted up, people start praising the Lord, people start obeying. Man, you just get drawn closer to him, you start loving him. I'll tell you another reason y'all to say amen. It encourages a preacher. Now he doesn't preach, he's not gonna preach for amens. But when a preacher gets a truth from God and he proclaims it and he sees people getting it, Responded to it, applying it, and it's just an encouragement. Acts chapter 17, Paul goes to Athens. He sees the city holding him to idolatry. And he said, a spirit was stirred in him. when he saw the city given. I mean, he's just, his spirit is stirred. He preaches there at Athens. Not much happens. There's no church established. Not much takes place. He leaves there. He goes to Corinth. Matter of fact, when he went to Athens, he had left Macedonia. He left Timothy and Silas up at Berea and Thessalonica and encouraged the churches. And he now has left Athens. He's come to Corinth. And he's in Corinth, and it says he's reasoned in persuading the Jews and trying to deal with them, and then Sidus and Timothy show up. And when they show up, business picks up. Remember, the Bible said Acts 18.5, and when Sidus and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the Spirit. and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. In Athens, he saw the city given adultery. He stirred in the spirit, man, he just moved him, and he preached, not much happened. He comes to Corinth, and when Silas and Timothy show up, he's now pressed in the spirit. The word pressed means to be compelled. It's taken from a word where we get our word companionship. And Paul is saying, I don't feel like I'm all alone anymore. I can imagine Paul saying, I'm telling you, Jesus is the only way. And Silas said, amen, Paul. And he said, I'm telling you, you can believe this book. And he's the one. And Silas says, hot dog. You've got to understand the Greek to get all that. But it's got to be there. And the preacher, he's just encouraged when he understands people are getting this. His whole call in his life is to proclaim truth because that's what's going to help people. It's the preacher that makes a difference in hearts and lives. And that's his whole desire. He wants God's best on your life. He wants God's best on your marriage. He wants God's best on your home. And so he's saying, he declares truth unto you. And when he sees people out there that are getting this and respond to this, I'm telling you, it's just an encouragement. That's his whole call upon his life. Yeah. Why would that encourage people? Because people are getting involved. They're responding. The truth is working. There are preachers and preacher's wives all across this land discouraged and defeated because of the lack of involvement of the people. They'll preach. People sit there. They're giving them an invitation. Nobody moves. And they pour their hearts out week after week. And they wonder, does it just drop when it gets over the pulpit? Is anybody getting this? Elijah was a great man of God. Would you agree with me? Take your Bible to the first Kings, chapter number 18. Got your Bible with you. Just want to say amen. I don't know if I mentioned this, but this is a good book. You'll never go wrong with this book. 1 Kings chapter 18. Probably one of Elijah's most famous messages. This message is probably preached more than any other in the Bible. He's got all the false prophets that are there. And in verse number 21, Elijah came to all the people and said, how long halted between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him. And Baal didn't follow him. I mean, probably his most famous message, this text probably has been preached more than any other of his messages. And he said, how long halted between two opinions? Why don't you just, why are you standing there? If the Lord be God, and he is, if the Lord be God, then follow him. I mean, it's a simple thing. If God's God, just follow him. And probably his most powerful message. Look at the end of that verse. What's it say? And the people answered him, not a word. He stood, he preached, and the people just sat there looking at him. Look at the next verse. It's Elijah and the people, I, even I only. You know what he said? I feel like I'm all alone. He said, well, they were all there, but they're just sitting there looking at him. No response. And Elijah got discouraged to the point you look at the next chapter and he's contemplating the end of his life. I've had some preacher friends that have taken their lives. And I met guys that just stood and proclaimed truth. But they get discouraged. The only thing that encouraged Elijah was to find there was others that had not bowed their knees. It's not about hearing amens. It's about seeing the Word of God work that somebody is getting this. If men like Paul and Elijah need encouraged, do you think maybe your dear man of God and his precious wife might need it as well? Just to know that when they give their life to proclaim truth, somebody's getting it. Amen, preacher. That's right, preacher. Invitation given and people coming to an altar. Life's being changed. I think one of the things that, I'm working on a message, one of the things that COVID has killed is the altar calls. In the Bible, there's an altar unto the Lord. You can make that anywhere. Anywhere can be an altar of the Lord. They set up their altars anywhere. You can do it. You can do it at home. There's also an altar of the Lord. And the altar of the Lord is placed where God wants it to be. The altar unto the Lord is a private altar. You can set it anywhere. The altar unto the Lord is a public altar, by God's choice. Somebody said, well, don't you think the main thing is that people make a decision, doesn't matter where? I do, but my thoughts aren't his thoughts. He said, whether it's greater the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift. Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord. He didn't build an altar until he repaired the altar of the Lord. We made a sacrifice. Let me give you the last reason we ought to respond, because it convinces those with a need. In Acts 18, when Paul's at Corinth and after being pressed in the Spirit with Timothy and Silas show up, verse 8 says, and many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. There's something about when Paul said, this is truth, and there's people responding that had an impact on others that sat there listening. In fact, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 24 and 25. But if all prophesy in the coming one that believeth not or want to learn, he's convinced of all. Everybody's convincing him. He's judged of all. And that's where the secrets of his heart may manifest. So fall down on his face, you will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth. I wonder how often people come within the church house with a need. Maybe salvation, maybe their marriage is crumbling. Maybe a wayward child. maybe financial problems or physical, bad physical news they've received. And the preacher's got a message from God and he stands and he pours his heart out. And oftentimes they'll even raise their hand at the end. God spoke to me, I'm lost. Or God spoke to me, I'm needing something. But they don't respond. And I wonder how many times it's not because the preacher didn't do his part, but it's because we didn't do our part. That day I went to the funeral, I knew what I believed. And I knew what that preacher was saying was not right. But had I not known when he made those statements and all those people were amen, they would have convinced me that what he was saying was right. God's given you a man of God that does his best every week to be ready for church. And if you ask him, are you ready? Well, I want to be. Much lies within me. And now to turn this around, are you ready? Imagine the difference it'd make if he was ready for church and we were ready for church. And he proclaimed truth, and we responded to truth. Amen, preacher. That's right, preacher. You don't have to say hot dog. Maybe once in a while, just so somebody says, how's that Brother Gibson did that? Invitation given, people responding. I've always said, as a husband, my wife needs to see me at an altar. Bow down before God. Humble before God, seeking direction, power, wisdom, responding to truth in my life. As a daddy, my children need to see me at an altar. Bow down before God. As a peepaw, my grandchildren need to see me at an altar. We've got 27 grand, six children, 27 grandchildren, one great, the rest of them are just average. As a peephole, my grandchildren need to see me at an altar, bowed down before God, humbled. And could I say as a man, I need to be at an altar. He proclaims truth. I guess I could ask this, why would we not respond? Can you give me a good reason not to respond? Other than pride? to the truth that is being proclaimed. Father, thank you for the morning you've given to us. Thank you for the truths in your book. What an amazing book. I know I say that a lot. I don't know what else to say. It's just an amazing, amazing book. It convicts my heart, feeds my soul. Bless now the service to Father. We'll thank you for it in Jesus' name. Amen.