Psalms chapter number one. Had this on my mind all day and after the service last night. You know, sometimes we don't appreciate what we got till it's gone. That's the truth. I'll give you just a minute for that to mull that over and you drink that in just a minute. Sometimes we don't appreciate what we've got till it's completely gone. Miss Hannah, that's the truth. You and Dallas are young'uns, and I'll just give you some good advice. Seize every good thing that's around you. Seize every good, holy, biblical thing around you and cleave to it. One day it may be gone, but Dallas, you enjoy it and drink it up until it is. Enjoy it. Because we don't know how long our days will be here. Oh, I know I'm going to live forever. Miss Cheryl, I know where my home is. I don't have a doubt in my mind. I don't deserve it. Nothing of the sort. But God's been good to me. And he's been good to you. You say, preacher, you don't know me and you know nothing about me. I know God's good. I know God's character. He is good. And if God's not being good to you, I learned this a long time ago. My dad was a preacher and a pastor almost all of my life at home. I didn't appreciate that. I was lost all my days at home. The first church my dad pastored, Christian Home Baptist Church out in Trappeal, North Carolina. There was a couple that had a little baby, and that little baby didn't know my dad. And my dad was talking to her at the back door one day, and her dad had her all up in his arms, and her dad said, give the preacher a hug, and she done this. Hard to hug somebody like that. It's hard for God to bless us like that. It really is, it's hard for God to bless us when we're saying no, God. No, no, no. God is good. He's even better than we ever imagined. When we spiritually get into our proper place, then we, only then do we realize just how good, merciful and kind he has been. That's the truth. This whole message tonight, you ought to guard what you got. You ought to guard what you've got. Because one day preacher, it may be gone. We have no idea. You ought to guard what you have. Enjoy the blessings of God. Because brother, one day we have no idea. You know what Job said? Job said this. He said, the Lord giveth. There's a conjunction word in there, and. They're tied together. And the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. It may not always be like it has been. The Bible says, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doeth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Heavenly Father, thank you. for being so kind to this preacher. God, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity. God, that you have blessed me with, I wanna say thank you. God, I pray, Lord, that you'd help me, Lord, I pray, yet one more time, Lord, as I have this opportunity to stand, help me, oh God, Lord, that I might decrease And oh God, that you'd use, Lord, what's left. God, that you might increase. I pray that you'd help us mightily. And I pray, oh God, that you'd help these dear people. Illuminate our hearts and our minds and feed us from your good word tonight. Help us mightily, I pray. In Jesus' name we ask and pray, amen and amen. Only yesterday evening after I got home, and all day today, I got to thinking about this as a successful Christian. Now there's a lot in that chapter I could preach, and I got plenty of notes to keep us here probably till 12. Now people on Sermon Audio will probably think, well that's just about perfect. but they have no idea it's 7.30 p.m. on a Wednesday night. No, some of you are in sheer shock right now. Is he serious? I'm not preaching till 12. You can breathe. I'm not preaching till 12. But a successful Christian is always on guard. On guard. You gotta guard the good. You say, preacher, why? Well, because the Bible tells us that there's a devil. And I'm gonna tell you right now, because there's a devil, I don't know where I put that scripture in, but there's a devil. And he walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. He wants to tear your life all to pieces. Oh, he cares if you're happy. He cares if you're saved. He cares if you're not saved. The devil hates you with a passion. You say, preacher, why? I didn't do anything to the devil. See, you and I are made in the image of God. And he hates God. He hates God. A successful Christian is always on guard. Church, I'll tell you this, and whoever you are here among us tonight, if you are born again, guard well what God giveth you. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. First thing I want to mention tonight, if God will help me, I want to cover three things tonight. Number one, I want us to remember to guard our walk. Preacher, a wrong walk is ruined. A many a Christian. The wrong walk. Church, the wrong walk has ruined a many a church. Ruined its testimony, it's ruined a many a person. It's ruined who they are and what they are. The Bible gives us a couple of things. I want you to understand something, pig pen livin' will not do. You can't be saved and live like the world. Sinful mud holes ever now and again are unpleasing to God and it will ruin your walk. You may even say this, you may listen to the lies of the devil and say, you know what? No one is looking, watching, or no one knows me. There's a God in heaven that knows it all. And anybody that does see you, it's ruined your walk and testimony with them. The Bible gives us this scripture. 2 Timothy chapter number two, starting in verse 14, Paul is writing a letter to Timothy and these are his words. of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. but shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness, and their word will eat as doeth a canker. Of whom is Hamanias and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal. The Lord knoweth them that are his, and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Now God even gives us he. I enjoy doing this sometimes, especially when it's good. I like a nice picture for my brain. In this instance, God paints us a vivid picture for our brain about this very topic. But in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver. See, that's your goal. You want to be a vessel that is gold or silver in the hand of Almighty God. But the Bible says this, but also of wood and of earth and some to honor and some to dishonor. God is painting us a picture. There are some folks that dishonor their own self. They dishonor the call of God upon their life. They dishonor the testimony that God has blessed them with. If a man therefore purge himself from these things, what things? Sinful things. He shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. That's good preaching and all I've done was read the written word of God. God lets us know. We ought to guard what he has given us. Knowing how to walk, talk, and function with God's blessing daily comes from a daily consolation with God. You have to have a daily consultation with almighty God. There has to be a daily reading of the word of God, a daily prayer meeting with God that we might be instructed by almighty God. Isaiah elaborates. Chapter 30, verse one, woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord. Notice he defines that, what this is. That take counsel, but not of me. Oh my. That cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin. I don't know about your house, And I don't believe your pastor has had the privilege. He may have, though. He may have. You ever stepped on a Lego in the middle of the night, barefooted? You ever had that pleasure? Boy, ain't that great. God said they're adding sin upon sin upon sin upon sin. That go down into Egypt, you're going to the world. And have not I ask at my mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. Be careful and guard what God has given you, O church. Be careful what God has given you. Now you may even do this, you may even look at your church, your family, your home, and you may look, most of the time us pastors get inspected quite regularly, and this is the thing you're gonna find about your family, if you're honest, your home, and your church, if you're honest. Well, it's not perfect. It's not perfect. There's not a pastor in the house that's perfect. in the place that's perfect. There's not a deacon that is perfect. There's not a Sunday school teacher that is perfect, but I'm glad, thank God there was people that were willing, willing. Preacher, I'm glad there was some men that were willing because without the preaching of the word of God, God said it pleased him by the foolishness of preaching, not foolish preaching, but the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. I'm glad there was some men that were willing to preach the word of God and still are. I'm glad there's still some deacons that are willing to take the word of God and still deacon on. I'm glad there's Sunday school teachers that are willing to take their time to study the Word of God so they might give what the Word of God says in Sunday school. I'm glad for folks that will faithfully come to the house of God just because God said so. I'm glad for people that will daily walk with God because God said that's how it's supposed to be done. Can I tell you, that is successful Christian living. We ought to guard our walk. Guard your walk because the devil does care and the devil will do whatever he can at any given opportunity to mess your walk up. I was reminded when we pulled in the parking lot, I was thinking about something coming down the road and I had to run some research just right quick. Preacher, how do I do that? Well, Psalm 63 verse one, David's doing the talking here and he gives us a kind of a clue. Oh God, thou art my God. Early will I seek thee. That's good advice. Early will I seek thee. Preacher, I don't like getting up early. It's a good thing for you to do. Seek God early in the day. My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. You know what he's saying there, and I'm not gonna elaborate, I'm gonna go on to the next point, but I want you to hear this. David was saying this, not only am I gonna seek you early, but Lord, nothing else will do. There is no substitute for Almighty God. I will seek you early and I will seek you earnestly because only you, oh God, will do. Church, if you don't get that, it'll just be a series of meetings and it will not last. Make it last. Preacher, how can I make revival last? Miss Cheryl, that's quite easy, guard it. Guard it. I went to my dad's house one day and I'm gonna move on to point number two. I went down to my dad's house one day and he said, he called my wife, he said, can y'all come over? He said, I need some help. When I pulled in and got out, walked down to the barn, mom said he was down at the barn. Miss Cheryl, he was down there digging holes with a hole digger that big around, and I thought, what are we doing? I didn't know if I needed to run, if he had had enough of his son, and there was a good place to lay him to rest. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. You know what he was doing? He said, I'm going to fix a fence. I thought, what in the world are we corralling in that fence? He said, I don't want no bull nor cow coming out of this fence. And I thought, amen, brother. Ain't nothing coming out of that. I don't care if it's a rhinoceros. It ain't coming out of that fence. I mean, he buried telephone poles for fence posts. And I said, good gracious, he was guarding what could happen. You give your family the word of God. I give this advice to some folks the other day, I'm gonna give it to you. You ought to bathe everything in your life with prayer in the word of God. You ought to absolutely saturate it till it's completely full. My dad was doing that with light poles because they were old light poles saturated in Chris Oak. They won't rot, they might dry rot off, but they sure ain't gonna water rot off, it ain't gonna happen. You ought to bathe everything in your life with prayer and the Word of God. Point number two, we must guard our step. Or guard our stand, I'm sorry, guard our stand. The Bible tells us this, that we're to keep ourselves pure. Guard your stand. See, the scripture reads thusly. He says this, he said, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. Preacher, what's the big deal? I'm gonna tell you what will happen. According to verse number one, if you start walking in the counsel of the ungodly, are you looking at your scripture? Don't look at me, look at the scripture, verse one. If you walk in the counsel of the ungodly, the next thing that's gonna happen, step number two from walking in the counsel of the ungodly is you're gonna soon be standing in the way of sinners coming to Jesus. See, that's step number two. Preacher, I don't see the big deal with living like the world. You're gonna soon keep people from getting saved. You're gonna soon stop people from seeing Jesus high and lifted up. That's step number two, on your way down. It ain't never good when you're going down. It's never good. Because see, step number three, you know what? You can see it on your face. See, step number one and step number two. See, step number one, you may not be able to see it on your face, but step number two, you're gonna start telling things on people's faces. Now, my church don't like it. They don't like it when I say, you look tired. You look bad. Because women take that wrong. It's like Maybelline ain't working right. Honey, she ain't magic. Now, I just want to tell you that, that way you ladies know. So your husband, you're welcome. You don't, you can't say that, but I will from right here. Don't even bother me. None. I don't even feel a bit bad. Maybelline is not magic. Amen, sweetheart. And man, if you're in here wearing Maybelline, God help you. I'll meet you at the back door. Me and you need to pray. And the reason I said that and made light of that, because step number three, you're gonna be sitting in the seat of the scornful and preacher. You can see that every time. You can spot that a mile away. You don't even have to be of good eyesight to spot the scornful. Because they usually walk around with their arms crossed. And they got that look on their face. And preacher, I don't care what you preach. I don't care how you preach it. It doesn't matter what time you let out. It doesn't matter what version of the Bible you use. It doesn't matter what goes on. I hate it. And there's somebody else that can do it better than you. And they're my favorite. That's exactly that junk. That right there will ruin a church. You know why? Because people like that rarely ever keep their mouth shut. They'll stand up like a little Banny Rooster and flap their little wings and they'll, er, er, er, er, er, till everybody in the church has heard enough. And people will start leaving. If you're not on guard, you'll turn in to that little Banny Rooster on your little soapbox. Well, I'll tell you right now, if that preacher would do it my way, listen, you didn't save that preacher. Now, he ain't told me nothing, so don't get no idea, and he may even have somebody in his mind right now, oh, dear Lord, they're gonna say something. Me and him do not have that kind of conversation. We never have, and I don't think we ever will. Us preachers don't call another preacher, and I've only had it happen once. I did have a preacher that called me, and his very words was this. He said, you skin them till the blood runs. That's his very words. When he said that, he wasn't joking, he wasn't kidding. And Miss Cheryl, when he said that, I'm not gonna lie to you, I automatically felt sorry for his people. And I thought, oh my. If you're saved, you're God's sheep. You're God's sheep and we are God's caretakers for the sheep. Amen. We're to try to keep you from harm. If you in Seastone walking into a bear trap after you've been informed, then that's your fault, that's not our fault. I love you and I promise you, I do. I'd probably die for you, because I don't know if you're saved or not. I know I'm saved. But I want you to understand something. Your soul is yours. We're trying to care for it. We're trying to lead you to safety and help. You ought to guard your pastor. I mean that with all of my heart. You got bad news to deliver. You got some kind of junk that you're going to deliver. Don't you give that to the man of God before the service starts. Matter of fact, can I ask you this? Would you do me a favor? If you count me any kind of friend at all. Now some of them already got looks of skepticism already. I know what I'm telling you is biblical truth. If you think I'm wrong, you bring your Bible and show me where I'm wrong. I'm that kind of preacher. I love you, but I'm going to guard that book. Because that's God's word. That's not man's word. If you're going to bring your criticism to your pastor, I'll tell you what you ought to do. You ought to get on your knees and pray about that for 30 days and get God's okay for you, ever approach you with it. I'm being honest. Well, preacher, I'm a deacon, that's my job. It is not your job if you're a deacon. No, God didn't lay this on my heart, it is not in my notes or on my message, but here it is. I love you today. I don't know where in the world a deacon gets it that, hey, I'm gonna tell you, that's my job to approach the pastor and moderate him. It never has been, it is not Bible, nor will it ever be. That's God's man. That's God's man. And you may say, oh, I disagree. Again, you bring your Bible and show me where I'm wrong. I'm trying to help you as a church to absolutely fix your church, that your church would glow and shine and grow and be everything God would have it to be. And pastor, if I cause you any problems, I love you. I am so sorry, but I want you to have help as a church. You might say that's not popular. It may not be popular, but I promise you all of heaven says amen to everything I just told you, because it's biblical truth. I don't care about the Baptist Association. I don't care about this association and that association and this clique and that clique. I'm more interested in what does say that King James Bible. I am. because I'm gonna stand before God one day, did I spout out the truth or did I give a lie? I want you to know the truth. We're to guard our stand. We're to keep ourselves pure. We're to make sure biblically that our stance is right with God daily. We must not behave like the wicked. You can't handle church like the world handles the world. You can't do that. You can't do that and have peace in the church. That'll never happen. Amen? I'm gonna say now, if I've erred from the way, somebody stand up, give me chapter and verse. Amen? I love you tonight. You might say, oh Lord, you throwed water on the service. Nope, friend, I'm telling you, I'm giving you the book. If you believe the pages of that King James Bible, then it shouldn't be nothing new to you. You ought to be excited about taking up for your pastor. Amen? Well, to guard our stand on a daily basis. 2 Corinthians 5, 17. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. You reckon we ought to act like a new creature or act like the same old thing when we walk out the door? Now, your pastor said last night, he's 100% right. When God saves somebody, he puts them on display. It's a workmanship. That was it, workmanship. It's a work of art. It's a work that God sees fit to put on display before the whole world. Now today, we throw that word Christian around like it ain't nothing. But with God, it still means something. It does, it still means something. Don't ever get the idea that Christian don't mean anything to God. They were first called Christians at Antioch. Little Christs. Little Christs. Amen. All former things are passed away. If you are saved, your old life is gone. And your life now is hid with Christ in God. The old man has to be and must be put away forever. Forever. The Bible says about love, it says this, he's talking about Christians. First Corinthians 13 five, doeth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. So if you thought I come in here to tear your playhouse up, nope, I didn't. I come in here to make sure the walls are sure and steady, the foundation is good and it's right, there's no washout, there's no problems. If we've got a problem with what the word of God teaches and tells us, then we have a problem. And we gotta get that straightened out before we can ever go forward. You ever had a problem with your car? You ever had an automobile problem with your car? Well, I'm going to tell you before you go on vacation, I was preaching a message similar to this one night. And I said, how many of you's ever went on vacation with a gas needle laying on empty? Your oil is a quart low. You got four ball tires and your brakes are scrubbing. And one little old woman went. And after service, she said, I did. She said, I did it. And I thought, wow, you are insane. Her husband wasn't there. I'm thinking, did he make it? Can I tell you something tonight? You know what church is supposed to be? Refreshing. I've never heard it called a golden corral. It's pretty good. I like that. Forget it. It's pretty good. I like that. Glory to God, I'm gonna tell you right now, when Golden Corral is run right, makes me love everybody, makes me love, don't it? Don't it, don't tell me you wanna walk in the Golden Corral and everybody's got pooch mouth. They're bumping into one another, they're mad, they're upset, they're aggravated. We gotta guard our stand. Who you are and what you are, do you want people to think you're not a Christian? Because you can do that by taking the wrong stand. You can do that. You can make people automatically question whether you're even saved or not. I love you. I want everybody to believe you're a Christian if you're a Christian. We're to act like that. Preacher, everything is not perfect. Can I ask you this? Does it suit God? If it's suiting God, you might better leave that thing alone. You might better leave that alone. And the reason I said all that, I want you to put your thinking cap on for just a minute. Think about this. Sometimes we don't realize what we got till it's gone. It happens like that. We don't realize what we got till it's gone. Somebody's holding this office or somebody's holding that office. Somebody's doing the very best they can. Preacher, they're biblically doing their best to follow God and do what is right, and then the next thing you know, you know what? They're offended, they're tore up, they're upset, and they're gone. Now Dallas, what do we got? He said it right when he done this, nothing. We got nothing. Sometimes we need to appreciate what we have. Now listen, if it's biblically wrong, it's biblically wrong. But I'm gonna tell you right now, you said, preacher, I'm looking for perfection. Well, I have great news for you. I really do. I have fantastic news for you. When you get to heaven, you will shout with the shouters and run with the runners, because it will be absolute perfection. I mean, you think this is golden corral? Woo, glory. That's gonna be western spirit over yonder, hallelujah. Man, good stuff, wipe that brown gravy all off of there. Woo, that's how it'll be over yonder, perfect. But we need to learn to appreciate one another. I read something the other day and this is not how I think or it ain't how I thought before I read it. We need to learn to appreciate the gifts that God's give others besides us. I love you. We need to learn to appreciate. You know what I do? I have a bad habit, Ms. Grace. I have a terrible habit of when I hear choir singing or this, that, and the other, I'll bow my head and I'll close my eyes. And the Holy Spirit started telling me this week, you need to quit doing that. And I thought, Lord, I've done that ever since I got saved, and God let me know this. You need to enjoy other people's spiritual gifts. Look at them. Smile at them. Encourage them. I told Miss Grace last night, smile. I don't know how she smiled. She had her back to me the whole time while she's leading that choir. I don't know if she smiled or not. Did you smile? She give me that, all right. Smile. I got that in my nose. Smile. It is welcoming and it's pleasing unto God. Preacher, you don't realize what's going on in my life. Evidently you don't know the God of your life. Cause there ain't nothing too hard for God. Nothing too hard for God. Guard your stand. The devil will do his absolute best to try and deceive you. Beware, be vigilant, bring everything to the scrutiny of God and his word. Let God throw the magnifying glass of his word on what you're about to do or what you think or what you've got on your mind. Here's the scripture for that. 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse number five. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Guard your stand. When you start tapping that thing, it's in my coat pocket. When you start tapping that, is that what God would have you put? Before you ever hit sin, is that what God would have you to say? Is that biblical? Is it nice? Is it loving and caring? I know I'm just busting bubbles all over the place tonight, ain't I? I love you. If you want to have real church, if you want God to walk the aisleways of your church and to bless and to move and souls to be saved and it to get out of the banks, that's my favorite part preacher. I love it when it gets out of the banks. I love that miss Cheryl. That is better than any kind of milk or honey heaven, or I mean, earth has even got to offer. That is fantastic. When she gets out of the banks. when God comes through and begins to just move madly because the people got out of the way and they just decided to let God have his way. You know what? That's gotta start with everybody letting God have his way in their life personally. Amen. Guard your stand. Don't stand in the way of folks seeing or coming to Jesus. Make sure what you stand for and what you allow are biblically correct. Hear this, and I'm going on to my last point. Make him and his way larger than life because he is. That's what John meant when he said, I must decrease. He must increase. This ain't about you, I hope you've done figured this out, this ain't about Mark Adams getting some prestige, honor, and glory, because I done preached myself out of a paycheck, that's just how that is. God didn't tell me to preach like that, he told me to preach my word. That's what I'm doing my best to do. If we really want to build a church, and it to be to glorify Almighty God, and standing on the Bible, then we gotta do it God's way. We have to do it God's way. Guard your stand. Lastly, I wanna mention this. Guard where you sit or you reside. Don't sit in the seat of the scornful. Our friendship with the world must come to an end. It has to. James said it like this right here. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. That's what he says. He said, do you think the scripture saith in vain that the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? That's a little less. That is our spirit. Preacher, I want what I want. Join the club, the rest of us do too. That's the same desire every human being has. That's the reason I encourage folks, you have these little babies that are crying, she's got her will, she's fine, she's okay, she's just being a little younger. Well, that's okay, I would rather have that youngin' anywhere else. Glory to God. I'm telling you, I can preach over one youngin' or three or five, that's fine. Grace has got the volume knob. I mean, I can make them things vibrate if we need to. What we need to understand is this, we have our own personal will. And I wanna give you, I wanna illuminate something for you, if God will help me. Our will ain't certain. My will ain't saved, your will ain't saved. My feelings are not saved, your feelings are not saved. But my soul is saved. And I want my soul as well as the rest of my body to follow Almighty God, cause he is good. And as for God, his way is perfect. Amen. Amen, that's just how it is. We need to guard how we look. We need to guard that. The Bible says this. I ain't got there yet. I'm gonna go somewhere else. I ain't got there yet. Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you. We can't run around rubbing elbows with the world and be serving God. I don't remember how he put it the first night, but he's exactly right. Listen, go to the lost, compel them to come to God's house, give them the gospel, and then get away. You have to do it that way. You say, preacher, but I want to be their best friend. You be their best friend. You know what you're going to start doing? You're going to start acting like them, walking like them, talking like them, and believing like them. And notice, they're called unbelievers. Amen. Next thing you know, you're going to be some backslid. It ain't even going to be funny. And when you get in a backslid shape, Hannah, can I use you tonight? Hannah gets in a backslid shape. And then, Cheryl, I love you. Please, please, please don't come after me after service. Her and Hannah's been hanging around the wrong crowd. Then Cheryl's hanging around with Hannah. Next thing you know, they don't follow the will of God. And this one gets out of the will of God, and that one gets out of the will of God. Then the pastor gets out of the will of God. They don't know what to do. Next thing you know, you've got a back-slid church. And folks come in the back door wondering, I don't know what's going on with that church. That's the truth. The devil is slick, he is sly, he knows what to do if you will lay the tabernacle of the church all to pieces. Amen? So people will die and go to hell. Your community, this community, where God set this white house, die and go to hell. because we refuse to stop rubbing elbows with the world. God tells us to come ye out from among them. Does it mean for you to hate them? God never told you to hate them. He said you love them. You love them. Give them the gospel. Shine, be a bright shining light and salty salt that they might see Jesus high and lifted up and get saved by the grace of almighty God. You be, I mean you be honey to them. Get them in the house of God so the preacher can preach to them, that they might be saved. Then you'll have a friend. Then you'll have a friend, somebody you can rub elbows with. Amen, you can come sit on the same pew, worship the same God, hear the same preaching, come to the altar together, pray together, have Bible study together. Then you'll have a friend. Hallelujah. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, God tells us all about love, and how it ought to overtake everything in our lives, because he is love. He loved me and you that much. Choir was singing, and choir, you've done a fantastic job this week. Every singer done fantastic. I ain't seen an off thing yet, it's been fantastic. Worst thing about this week's been the pitiful preaching, but I tell you right now, you've had preaching anyhow. But the truth of the matter is, is this. Glory to God, I'm gonna tell you right now, we ought to stand with the believers. We ought to stand with those that say so. Stand with those that stand on the old King James Bible. Stand with those that are standing on what is right, what is true, what is just, what does say the word of God. You have no idea what God will do for you. how God will bless you. I wanna give you just a couple of things to remind you in closing. 1 Corinthians 3, 8. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. 1 Corinthians chapter four, verses 11 through 13. Even under this present hour, we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place. And labor, working with our own hands, being reviled, this is how they handle it. Preacher, you don't realize and don't understand what was done to me. Paul gives a wonderful, he gives a wonderful analysis. Is that the right word, Mr. Grace? A wonderful analysis of how we're to handle what's been done to us. Listen to me. Say, preacher, where are you at? First Corinthians chapter four, 11 through 13. Listen to this. Paul said, and labor working with our own hands, being reviled. Preacher, you ever been reviled? I know you have. This is how God said to handle that. Paul said, being reviled, we bless. Being persecuted. All who will live godly is gonna suffer persecution. You know what he said? He said, we suffer it. Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world and are the offscoring of all things unto this day. Preacher, I'm not gonna put up with that. Yeah, that's part of suffering. That's part of suffering. Preacher, what do I do with that suffering? You cast your care on God, for he careth for you. But preacher, I can't deal with that. You might not be able to deal with that, but if you'll ask God to help you deal with that, he'll help you. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 15, 58, therefore, my beloved brethren, he's talking to the church, be you steadfast. Preacher, why such hard preaching this week? God wants you to be steadfast. I tell you what you'll never do. Now, I have a five pound rubber mallet at my house. Saw it at the cattle sale in Wilkes County. I was living over here. I just had to have it. Yeah, my wife looked at me like some of y'all are looking at me. I mean, why would you buy a five pound rubber mallet? Because, buddy, a rubber mallet is a handy thing. But I tell you what you don't do with a rubber mallet. You don't drive nails with a rubber mallet. Preacher, why the hard preaching? Because sometimes we have to get some things nailed down. We gotta get it nailed down. We have to get where we stand nailed down. How we have church, we gotta get that nailed down. How we're to believe, we gotta get that nailed down. How we're to act, we gotta nail that down. You wanna have real church and it be, I mean, you can't just garden any old way. I'm just gonna throw it all in there. Ain't gonna work. If it ain't gonna work in the garden, it sure ain't gonna work at church. I wanna tell you that there's a way to have church. There's a way for a Christian to live daily. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding, that's going forward in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. There is a reward day. Preacher. You don't realize that's the number one thing and the number one starter of the devil. I bet he tells me that five times a day. You don't realize. Or Miss Cheryl, it's not fair. God already told us life wasn't gonna be fair. Can I tell you this? I'm walking with the Savior, who you walking with. Things may not be fair, but you know what? I'm walking with him whom nothing is impossible for. I'm walking in his strength. Preacher, if it wasn't for him, I'd be on my way to hell or I'd be in hell. Hey, glory to God, I'm walking with him. Who, listen, when you look, the first time I ever tried to do a funeral, you know what I've done? I don't remember which one it was. But I look in the Bible, how Jesus do it, he raised the dead. Yeah, you think about that after a while, tomorrow you'll get that. Oh my goodness, Jesus raised the dead. Never performed a funeral. because he was always raising the dead. That's who I'm walking with. Who are you walking with? He's a friend like no other. He's a friend like no other. And he said, your work, if you're working for Jesus, walking with Jesus, standing with Jesus, having church with Jesus, he said, it's not in vain. Because I see a lot of people today that are saying this, is it really worth it? Is it really worth it? I've about been nice long enough. Yes, it will be worth it. We used to sing a song. Won't it be worth it, my child? Won't it be worth it, my child? For Jesus to feed us, the angels to greet us. Oh, won't it be worth it, my child? It will be worth it. And Jesus said this in the book of Revelation, chapter 22, verse 12, and behold, I come quickly. We're nearly done. Preacher, how long am I supposed to hold on to? Hold on to Jesus comes. Miss Hannah, that's the best news I've heard all day. He said, I'm coming quickly. I'm on my way. I'm coming quickly, just stand there. He even tells us this. Preacher, what order? Occupy till I come. That's what he told us to do, Preacher. Just occupy. You just live life right there. Uphold me, glorify me, keep your eyes on me. I'll be there in a little while. He said, and behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man. Preacher, little old me, There ain't no such thing as little old you. God saved you, wrote you in the Lamb's Book of Life. There's no such thing as little old you. You're one of the children of God. You're a child of God. To give every man according as his work shall be. I'm saying this, I'm done. Listen. Guard against the downward progress. Now this is very important. Why do you think the devil interrupted right then, because right here it is. Guard against the downward progress. Now hear me, hear me. If you'll hear me for just a moment or two, I promise you I'm done. Guard against the downward progress. Remember what? First, he was walking with God's people. Then, he was standing with his tent pitched toward Sodom. And then he's sitting in the gate of Sodom. That's the path that Lot took. And you know what? It eventually lead to the total downfall and the complete ruin of his entire family. Guard well what God has given you. And in closing, here's the scripture. First Timothy 5.22. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins. Keep thyself pure. That's the exact scripture. God's got a plan for me and you. He wants church to go exactly according to his plan, not ours, and he's wrote his plan down. so we know what the plan should look like. He's told me and you exactly how to have church, how to conduct ourselves, that we're not alone, he would be with us. He would bless us, he would go with us, he would feed us from his hand. Glory to God, preacher, he'll feed us with handfuls of purpose. Glory to God, heavenly honey, God will give us that. if me and you are willing. And if you're not willing to guard what God will give you, I promise you there's a devil willing to snatch it away so you'll have nothing.