Colossians, Chapter number 2. If it's okay with you, I'm going to take this coat off, because I can't preach with a coat on. I'll put this here, if that's all right. Colossians Chapter number 2. I want to bring your attention down to verse number 6. The Bible says there in verse 6, it says, "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. We know that the will of God for every man, woman, and child is that all men would receive Christ Jesus the Lord. If you're here tonight, and you have done that, you've accepted Christ as your savior, say amen. Hopefully all of you have, and don't leave here tonight without doing that, if you haven't. You've got to understand that that's just step number one. God wants all men to be saved. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
After that, God's will is that we would walk in him. Look at verse 6 again. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." If you notice verse 7, he says, "Rooted and built up in him." As we walk in Christ, we are to be built up in Christ, and God wants us to get rooted. Then he uses this word, "established." That's established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. God's will is that people would be saved. God's will is that people would be baptized, and God's will is that they would be taught to observe all things whatsoever Christ commanded us. God's will is that we would all be established in the faith, that we would be rooted down, that we would be built up in him.
I want to preach to you tonight about this idea of getting rooted down, and specifically, about the number one way, the number one way that someone can get established, that someone can get rooted, that someone can get built up in Jesus Christ, and that way is through daily Bible reading. The Bible teaches, and I will show you tonight ... I want to give you a few thoughts tonight. I want to give you three points tonight on the idea of, what happens to people who do not read their Bibles? What happens to people who do not read their Bibles/ I don't know if you're in the custom of taking notes. At our place, I encourage our people to take notes. If you have a pen, if you've got a piece of paper, you like to take down notes, I'll give you some points.
Point number 1 tonight: People who do not read the Bible get led astray. People who do not read the Bible get led astray. You're there in Colossians Chapter 2, look at verse number 4, just real quickly. Colossians Chapter 2 and verse 4, the Bible says this. "And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words." There are people out there that have very enticing words. They've got a smooth presentation, and they want to beguile you. They want to deceive you. They want to trick you. Notice verse number 8. It says, "Beware, lest any man should spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit." They want to come, and they want to give you all these impressive words. They want to tell you about all their philosophy, and all their systems of thought that they figured out, and all these books that they've read.
They haven't read the Bible, but they've read all these other books, and they want to talk to you about that. They want to deceive you and beguile you, notice, with vain deceit. The word vain means empty. It's useless. It's not profitable. It does nothing. After the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world. Here's the problem; not after Christ. People that don't read the Bible get led astray. There are people out there that want to trick you. Go in your Bibles with me, to the book of Ephesians. You're there in Colossians. If you just go backward, you go past the book of Philippians into the book of Ephesians. Ephesians Chapter 4, and look at verse number 14. Ephesians Chapter 4, and verse number 14, the Bible says this. "That we henceforth," meaning from here on.
From the moment you got saved, or from the moment you hear a sermon like this, he says that we henceforth "be no more children." Here's what a child does. They get tossed to and fro, and carried about with every whim of doctrine. Notice these words. By the slight of men. You see that word slight? You ever heard of this phrase before, the "Sleight of hand"? It's talking about a like, a magician that's doing a trick. He didn't really do anything, but he tricked you into thinking that. He's talking about, hey, there are going to be men who, by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. The Bible teaches that there are people out there just waiting to trick you, waiting to beguile you, waiting to deceive you.
They want you to be carried about with every whim of doctrine. The problem that we have is that many Christians are being led astray. Not because they're not saved. Not because they're bad people. It's because they do not read the Bible. They don't know what they believe. They don't know where they stand. Go to the book of Acts with me. Acts Chapter number 17. I know you've seen these verses before, but we'll see them quickly together. Acts Chapter 17. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and then you've got the book of Acts. Acts 17. In Acts 17, you've got the story of [inaudible 00:05:20], of the church in Beria, and Paul is basically came in to the church there, due to persecution, and here's what the Bible says about them. Notice what it says. Acts 17, verse number 11. "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they receive the word with all readiness of mind."
I Want you to make note of that phrase. These were not critical people. They weren't sitting there with their arms folded, and they're just waiting. You know what I mean? They're just waiting for Pastor Anderson to say the wrong thing. You just need one good excuse to quit coming to church, and you know he's about to give it to you. You're just sitting there. People that walk up to you and say, "You said Jonah; you meant Noah. I'm not coming back." They have this critical spirit. The Bible says, "With all readiness of mind." "They received the word with all readiness of mind." They were ready to receive it. They wanted the preaching. They wanted to hear it, but notice, with all readiness of mind and here's what they also did. "Searched YouTube daily." Is that what it says?
"Searched the internet daily." Is that what it says? "Search the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." You're supposed to come to church where the man of God stands up and preaches the Bible and tells it how it is, and teaches you the word of God, but guess what. You're also supposed to go home and search the scriptures daily. You're also supposed to read the Bible on your own. You're also supposed to study, to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. You're supposed to learn the Bible, too, so that you don't get deceived. There are people out there that want to deceive you. There are people out there that want to trick you.
Go with me to the book of 1st John, towards the end of the New Testament there. If you start at the end with the book of Revelation and go backwards, you'll go past the book of Jude, which is one chapter, and you'll be in F1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. Look at 1st John, Chapter number 4. Look at verse number 1. We're not talking about having a bad attitude. We're not talking about just sitting there and "I'm just waiting for them to say the wrong thing." The Bible says you are to receive it. You ought to be willing and ready to hear the word preached, but then you are to go home and read the Bible for yourself. You ought to search the scriptures daily, whether those things are so. 1st John Chapter 4, look at verse 1. The Bible says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirit."
The word "try" means to test. "Try the spirit, whether they are of God." Why? Because many false prophets are gone out into the world. The people who don't try the spirits, the people who don't put them up to the test of the word of God, the people who don't receive a sermon or receive a message, and then search the scriptures daily, whether those things are so, those people who don't read their Bible, they get led astray. Those are the people that get on the internet, and they get on YouTube, and they're like, wow, the home church movement. Which is more like the no church movement. Or the "I'm just looking for an excuse to not go to any church" movement. They get tricked.
They get sucked into those things, and they'll say, "We're not supposed to tithe," even though Jesus mentioned tithing, didn't repeal it, talked about it in a positive way. Even though the book of Hebrews that repeals all sorts of Old Testament things, mentions tithing and doesn't repeal it. They say, "Pastors aren't supposed to get paid," even though Paul talks about the fact that you pay a pastor in the same way that you pay a priest in the Old Testament, which was through a tithe. You talk about the fact that "No one is supposed to be ruling," except the Bible talks about, "Obey them that have the rule over you., and submit yourself, for they watch for your souls, as they must give account."
Somebody was fighting with me about this. They're like, "You're running a business." I'm like, "The Bible calls it a business. Jesus said, "I must be about my father's business." You think, "Where did they get this?" Here's where they got it. They got it from some YouTube channel. They got it from some YouTube video, but they never read the Bible for themselves. They sit there in front of YouTube, and they're like, "The Nephilim’s." You know what I mean? They're like, "Flat earth." It's all these things, and what happens to these people? Why do they fall for these things? Here's why. They don't read their Bibles. People who don't read their Bibles get led astray.
Number two. People who don't read their Bibles, get lifted up. People who don't read their Bibles get lifted up.
Go to the book of Deuteronomy. In the old Testament, you got Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy, Chapter number 17. I'd like you to notice verse number 18. Deuteronomy Chapter number 17, and verse number 18. The Bible says this. Deuteronomy 17, 18. "And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom," this is talking about a king, but the Bible says, "We have been made priests and kings unto God and his father," so this applies to us, spiritually. He says, "He sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out about, which is before the priests, the Levites, and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein, all the days of his life." He says, "Look, I want him to read the Bible all the days of his life."
It's interesting because in the Bible, there is a direct connection between someone who reads and knows the Bible, and someone who is humble and has humility. Notice what it says. Look at verse 19. "And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein, all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God." Notice, "To keep all the words of this law, and these statutes, to do them." It's not just enough to know it; you got to do it. You got to apply it. Don't just be a hearer of the word, but a doer, also. Notice verse 20. "That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren." The Bible says there's a direct connection between someone who reads the Bible, and someone who knows the Bible, and someone who does the Bible, and someone who is not lifted up.
You know what's interesting? There's also a direct connection between someone who does not read the Bible, between someone who does not know the Bible, and with someone who is lifted up with pride. Let me show it to you. Go to 1st Timothy, Chapter number 3. 1st Timothy, chapter number 3, you can find 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus. 1st Timothy chapter 3 are the qualifications for a pastor. We find the principal here in 1st Timothy Chapter 3, and verse number 6. 1st Timothy chapter number 3, and verse number 6, the Bible says this. "Not a novice." The word novice means newbie. Means they're a baby. Means they're new at this. It's not a bad thing. We're all babies at some point. He says, "Not a novice." Notice the connection. "Not a novice." He says, "Don't make a novice, don't make a newbie, don't make a baby, a pastor or a leader. Don't put them in that position, because not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride." There's a connection between someone who doesn't know something, they get lifted up. The people who read every day, they don't get lifted up above their brethren.
People who don't read their Bibles every day, you know what happens to them? They get led astray. You know what else happens to them? They get lifted up with pride. Are we supposed to be impressed with you, because you've got an amazing ability to log on to a website and listen to an mp3 file? Are we supposed to be impressed with you, because you've got an amazing ability to log on to YouTube and watch a bunch of videos? Listen. We're impressed with you when you've read your Bible, cover to cover, five times, ten times, fifteen times. I'm not against watching videos. I'm not against listening to preaching. I listen to preaching. I listen to Pastor Anderson. I listen to Pastor Brozen. I listen to Pastor Amel, but guess what. In the morning when I wake up, before I go on the internet, before I go on to listen to some sermon, my wife and I, every day, we try to get up, we grab a cup of coffee, we get our Bibles, we spend time in the word. Why? Because God wants us to read the Bible.
God is not impressed with people who watch videos and think they're godly, but haven't read the Bible. I get criticized a lot on Facebook, which is why I don't go on Facebook. I was recently told that ... There's a guy who, I think this guy wants to be a pastor. He was criticizing me on Facebook. Not really criticizing, but he just made a joke. It was funny. He told one of our church members, "You're going down to Sacramento. The climate's nice over there. It's cool. Just like Pastor Eumeta's preaching." It was funny. I thought it was clever. I thought, that's pretty funny. Then I thought to myself, why would someone criticize a pastor?
Think about this. How many guys are there in America, who are King James Only, and don't go back to the Greek? Who are anti repent-of-your-sins. Who are anti birth-control. Who are not pre-trib. Who think Sodomites ought to be put to death. How many guys in America are there like that? Four? And you're going to criticize us? Are there not enough Billy Grahams out there to criticize? Are there not enough Joel Osteen’s out there to criticize? Are there not enough compromising fundamentalists out there to criticize, that we're going to start fighting amongst ourselves? Listen to me. Why would you do that? There's only one reason. I'll tell you what it is. Pride. Pride is not a victimless crime.
In order to lift yourself up, you often have to pull someone down. Am I really mad that I get criticized on Facebook? Not really. You get used to it after a while. You know what I mean? Here's the thing. You guys, especially you guys that want to be pastors, instead of wasting your time on the internet, why don't you just read your Bible cover to cover ten times, and let's worry about that. Why don't you just get to the place where ... Here's the thing. I guess this guy thinks I don't preach hard enough against Obama, or he doesn't think I preach hard enough against Bruce Jenner. Here's the thing. We need someone who is against Obama, and we need someone who is against Bruce Jenner, and we need that type of preaching. We need to preach against the Sodomites, and we need to preach against the trans-genders, and we need to preach against the trans-humanists. I'm not even sure what that is, but we need to preach against it.
You know what I mean? Here's the thing. You know what you guys need? You guys that want to be pastors, you don't need another sermon on Obama. Get off of Facebook. Quit being lazy. Get up early. Stay up late, and read your Bible. That's what you need. People who don't read your Bible get led astray. People who don't read their Bible get lifted up with pride.
Number three. People who don't read their Bible lack strength. Can you go with me to the book of Matthew? Matthew Chapter number 13. Matthew Chapter number 13. Look at verse number 5. Matthew, chapter number 13, and verse number 5. This is the famous parable of the sower. The Bible says this. "Some fell upon stony places." We'll just key in on the second ground there.
"Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth. Forthwith, they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. When the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away." That's the parable. Later on in the passage, Jesus gives us the explanation. Look down at verse number 20 there, in Matthew Chapter 13. Verse number 20. I'm not going to preach very long tonight, because this is my third sermon in three days, all right? We'll be done soon. Look at verse 20. Jesus explaining this passage. He says, 'But he that receive the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and along with joy, receiveth it." There's a lot of controversy in regards to this, whether this person got saved, or not saved. I personally think this person probably is saved. It says they received the word. In the book of Luke, it says that they believed, so I think they were saved.
Whether you think they're saved or not, doesn't make a difference. The principle is the same. Notice, "But he that receives seed," verse 20, "Into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and along with joy, receiveth it. Yet hath he no root in himself." Here's the key words. "But do it for a while. For when tribulation or persecution ariseth, because of the word, by and by, he is offended." People who do not read the Bible, lack strength. When you don't have a foundation, when you're not connected down to the root, Jesus put it this way. When you're not connected to the vine, you're not going to produce any fruit. In fact, you're not going to produce anything. Here's the point. It's fine. It's good, until the sun comes up, until the persecution comes up, until it gets hot, until it gets hard, until it gets difficult.
Then the people that are not connected, the people that are not strengthened, the people that are not established, those people endure it for a little while. That's why there are some people here, who next year, or a year-and-a-half from now, or whenever Pastor Anderson decides to have me back, some of you won't be here. That's not because you're bad people. It's not because you're not saved. It's just because you don't read your Bible every day, and you're not strong. The people that have been here year after year, people that have been here for five years, and seven years, and coming on ten years, the people that will be connected to this church for 20 years and 30 years, the people that will serve God until they die, and like Paul, be able to say, "I am now ready to be offered. The time of my departure is at hand."
Those people are strengthened by something more than just the internet. It's the word of God. It's reading the Bible. It's getting strengthened. Go to 2nd Corinthians Chapter number 4. 2nd Corinthians, chapter number 4. Look at verse number 8. 2nd Corinthians, chapter number 4, and verse number 8. 2nd Corinthians Chapter number 4, and verse number 8. See, Paul went through some hard times. He said, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed." When you start living the Christian life, I'm not talking about this weak, shallow Christianity. I'm not talking about the Calvary Chapels. I'm not talking about the Sunday morning onlys.
I'm talking about people, when you show up to a church like this, and you get connected, and you're here on a Wednesday night, and you're here on a Sunday night, and you go out soul-winning, and all of a sudden, your wife's not working anymore, and she's staying home with the kids, and now you pull the kids out of public school and you're homeschooling them, and then you got to tell your in-laws that no, you're actually not going to vaccinate them, you know what I mean? People start thinking, "Are you in a cult? What's wrong with you? Why aren't you going to do these things?" They're going to start criticizing you, and they're going to start bad-mouthing you, and they're going to start saying you're crazy, they're going to call CPS on you. The pressure will come on, when you serve Jesus, when you serve God.
Notice what Paul said. Look at verse 16. He said, "For which cause, we faint not." He said, "But though the outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." You know what Paul understood? Here's what Paul understood. The whole world can be falling apart. Paul understood that there can be tribulations. There could be persecution. There could be people stabbing you in the back. There could be people criticizing you on Facebook. There could be all sorts of things. There could be people lying about you, everything. You could lose your job. Everything could be falling apart, and he said, "I will be fine. Though the outward man perish, as long as the inward man is renewed." Day by day.
Here's what he understood. "As long as I get along with God, as long as I make time for the word of God, as long as I read the Bible, as long as I get connected to thevine, as long as I'm strengthened with the vine, as long as I get that strength from Jesus Christ, I can make it through anything. I can make it through the tribulation. I can make it through persecution. The outward man can perish, as long as the inward man is renewed day by day. People who don't read their Bibles, you know what happens to them? They get led astray. We don't see them here. We'll see them in that Hebrew Roots movement. We'll see them in these other problems and issues. It's not that they're bad people. It's just, they don't know. They don't know what the Bible says. They've never read it for themselves.
You know what happens to people who don't read their Bibles? They get lifted up with pride, and they get arrogant. Think about how foolish this is. Some 19-year-old shows up here, who has never read the Bible once, cover to cover, and he wants to tell Pastor Anderson he's wrong. They want to go to a man of God, who has read the Bible, who has walked with God, who knows what he's ... He's not perfect, but he knows what he's saying. Here's the perfect description. Desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they're from. They want to teach. They don't really tell you what the Bible says about it. Can't really tell you what the word of God says about it, because they've never read it for themselves. They just watched the video, or they just listened to some guy on the radio, or they just listened to some guy on the internet.
Listen, I'm not criticizing listening to a preacher. I think you ought to listen to preaching. I'm thankful for every single person that has walked up to me and said they listen to my preaching on the internet. Praise the Lord for it. I hope it's a blessing to you, but listen to me. If it's between listening to Pastor Humenez, or Pastor Romaro, or Pastor Burzen, or Pastor Anderson, or reading your Bible, do us all a favor, and read your Bible. It will strengthen this church way more. People who don't read their Bibles get led astray. People who don't read their Bibles get lifted up, and people who don't read their Bibles, lack the strength that they need to endure for a long time. They dureth for a while.
Here's the challenge I have for you tonight. Real simple. One of the most stressful things I do every year is come and preach at Faith Forward Baptist Church. You know why? What do you preach at the Faithful Word Baptist Church? I just think, just stick with the basics; Bible reading. Here's the challenge I have for you. There are some of you here, I know for a fact, that there are people in this room who don't have a time with the word of God every day. It's just a fact. I'm not mad at you. We get busy. You read your paper, you go to work, but I want to challenge you. Would you take the next 30 days, and just decide, "I will, every day for the next 30 days, I will begin my day with Bible reading." Why would you do that? "Why would you challenge us to do that?" Here's why I would challenge you to do that.
The greatest thing that a church member could do for a church like this, is to get in the word of God. You say, "I want to be a help to Pastor Anderson." Read your Bible. You'll be the greatest help you could be. "I want to see this ministry go forward. I want to see this ministry reach people. I want to reach people." Read your Bible. It's the greatest thing you could do. I want to challenge you. Maybe you're here. You say, "I used to read it a lot, and I kind of got away from it." I want to challenge you, get back to it. Get back to it. Get back in the habit. You are in a danger zone right now. If you're not reading your Bible every day, you are in danger of getting led astray, getting lifted up, and lacking the strength you need to survive the trials that we all go through. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your word. Lord, I pray that you would use this challenge in our lives. Lord, I know it was a short sermon tonight, but it's a short thought. An important thought. Lord, if there's someone here tonight who says, "I just haven't made time for the word," Lord, I pray you would challenge them. Challenge them. Lord, I ask you for these men that want to pastor someday, Lord, we need every single one of them. We don't need any of them quitting halfway through. We don't need any of them getting lifted up with pride. We don’t need any of them getting led astray. Lord, I pray you would motivate them to spend time in the word. Father, I pray you’d help us. I pray you would use us. Thank you for this church. Thank you for the man of God that you have here. In your precious name I pray, amen.
Speaker 2: All right. Great sermon. Let’s turn in our song books to song number 12. All right. We broke our Wednesday night record. How many do we have?
Speaker 3: 141.
Speaker 2: What was the old record?
Speaker 3: 129.
Speaker 2: 129 was the old record. 141 tonight. That means we have ice cream after the service.
