you Amen, you better heed the warning. Sin will take you further than you ever thought you'd go. It'll cost you more than you'd ever thought you'd pay, and it'll keep you longer than you ever thought you'd stay. Go ask the prodigal son what it did to him. And may the Lord help us. You better listen to your father. That's the title of the message today. You better listen to your father. And I welcome you on this Father's Day here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We're getting ready for Vacation Bible School this week, excited about all that God's gonna do for us. And if you'd like to find your place in Proverbs chapter one, Proverbs chapter one, we'll begin reading in verse seven. It says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother. Proverbs 133, if you'll go down to the end The chapter there, it says, but whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil. You see, verse seven here emphasizes our need to listen to our Heavenly Father. We'd better listen to what God has to say about salvation. This past week, we was out on visitation, knocking on doors and met this 35-year-old man that had children. and there was children in his home there, and we began to talk to him about the Lord, and he said he was a religious man. He said he was a Catholic man, and we began to tell him about Jesus. Not one time did I mention that he needed to turn to a certain religion or a certain denomination, but all we did was presented him Jesus Christ. who died on the cross, was buried, and rose again for his justification. And it seemed like the more we talked about Jesus, the more he asked questions about religion, and he asked questions about these things, but right here's the greatest question that had to be answered, is why would a God love you and me so much that he would send his only begotten son Ask the question that needs to be answered. Oh, I tell you, we can't understand it, but we know that God loves us because of what he did for us. He proved his love by giving his son to die on the cross for you and me. Oh, as we begin to weep with this man even, and conversate with this man and try to get him to understand the truth of God's word about salvation, that religion could not save you. I said, how good of a religionist are you? I said, you say you're Catholic, but how often do you go to Mass? How often do you pray? And I mean, his answer was silent. I said, man, you're not really good at that. I said, what makes you think God would let you in based on what you've done? The Bible says there's none good. No, not one. There's only one good, and it's God. And God gave his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. And there's no other way to get to the Father but through him. He is the way, the truth, and the life. And no man, that's every man, is not going to heaven unless they go through Jesus, and what Jesus did on the cross. And we begin to explain that, and he had one last question. He said, what about Mary? What about Mary? And it seemed like he was coming to the end of his arguments. I could already see a change in his countenance. It seemed like he was more broken than he was when we first saw him there. You could just see the look on his face. We'd been there about 30 minutes expounding in the scriptures and telling him about Jesus and giving him Bible verses. The Holy Spirit was working on him. And his last question was, what about Mary? And I said, what about her? I said, she was a lost person like everyone else, and she would have to get saved like everybody else. And he said, well, she wasn't perfect, she wasn't sinless. I said, absolutely not. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. and she had to be saved like every other person. And I said, there's no prayer to Mary that can save you. I said, do you remember the story about the two thieves on the cross beside of Jesus? And he said, yes, I know that story. I said, who did that thief that accepted Christ as his savior? that put his faith in him. Who did he reference? Who did he talk to? He sure didn't talk to Mary, and Mary was there. She was right there at the foot of the cross. Mary was even free. Jesus was hung to a tree. He was nailed to a tree there, the Bible says, but Mary was free. Why didn't he look to Mary and say, Mary, would you ask your son to please forgive my sins? Would you please intercede for me? No, he looked directly to Jesus. And there he said, Lord, remember me. I'm gonna tell you, he didn't ask for Mary. And Mary couldn't do nothing. Mary couldn't do anything. But old Jesus could. And Jesus gave him the hope of eternal life. As we got through speaking with this man, as we got to the end of this, it seemed like all his arguments were gone. Tears were coming down his face. He was even shaking and trembling just a little bit. But yet, but yet, he refused to accept Jesus as the only way for salvation. You better listen to God and what God has to say about salvation. You better listen to him. You better listen to the Heavenly Father. You better believe what God says is the way, the truth, and the life. And about the only way to get to him is through Jesus Christ. You better listen. Now I trust this man caught on the Lord after we left sometime maybe. But if he was to die without Christ, in hell he'll lift up his eyes being in torment and so will anybody else. Anyone else. that doesn't believe in Jesus Christ as their savior. Oh, you better listen to what God has to say about living for him. If you're saved today, you better pay close attention to what God says about you living for him. In Romans 12, it says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world. but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God wants you to live for him. God does not expect you to become a martyr for him. He wants you to simply live for him and he wants you to live a holy life according to the word of God. a life that's acceptable unto him. And the Bible says that's our reasonable service. And he says, be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable. and perfect will of God. Hey, you can't live like a devil and then think that God's gonna be happy with you. You can't live like the world and think that God's gonna be happy with you. No, you gotta live according to the will of God and the word of God for your life. You better listen to what God has to say about worshiping him. That's an important one, especially in the days that we're living in. In John 4, 24, it says, God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. In 1 Corinthians 14 40 it says, let all things be done decently and in order. Oh, where the Bible says that we're to be different than the world. Our worship has to be different than what the world considers worship. In 2 Corinthians chapter six and verse 17 it says, wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate. saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Our worship cannot resemble the world's worship. Our worship songs cannot sound like the world's songs. Oh, we had a great quartet here this past week during our revival meeting, the Golden Avenue Quartet from Golden State Baptist College in Santa Clara, California there, And oh my goodness, ain't nothing they sang sounded like the world. Everything they sang sounded like God honoring and God blessed and holy music. I tell you, thank God for that. My heart was stirred by what I saw and what I heard. Old Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus and he told them how their songs ought to be. In Ephesians 5, 19, speaking to yourselves in Psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. He wrote to the church at Colossae and he told them how their songs ought to be done. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, Colossians 3, 16, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Oh, where did Paul get this from? I tell you, he got it from the word of God. Way back in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 16, it says, sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Oh, years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not, and my Christ with my Lord was crucified. Hey, you know what that talks about? That talks about the wondrous work of salvation. In Psalms 95 too it says, let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. In Psalms 105 in verse two it says, sing unto him, sing psalms unto him. Talk ye of all his wondrous works. And James 5.13, is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any married? Let him sing psalms. Our worship should be God honoring. We better listen to what God has to say about investing in eternity. In Matthew chapter six and verse 19 it says, lay not up treasures for yourselves, treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves do not break through nor steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Moses gave up all the treasures of Egypt because he had his eye on that eternal reward. In Hebrews 11, 26, it says, esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. And then we get to verse eight here in our passage and it begins with a series of instructions that this father's gonna give to his son in order for his son to finish well in verse 33. Here in verse nine we see the present benefits. There's benefits in listening to your father. In verse nine it says, for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head and chains about thy neck. Oh, you know, when old King Nebuchadnezzar came into Judah and took those young people from Judah captive, he wasn't looking for a rebellious crowd. He wasn't looking for a slouch. He wasn't looking for slackers. He wasn't looking for people that did, didn't care if they did well or did not do well, if they didn't dress well. No, he wasn't looking for somebody that had bad manners or who looked like a thug or looked like a raptor or a gangster or a swifty. He wasn't looking for a Taylor Swift follower. Oh, the Bible says that King Nebuchadnezzar was looking for the best behaved children. Listen to what this worldly, earthly king was looking for. And the king spake unto Asphodas, the master of the eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel the king's seed, and of the prince's children, in whom was no blemish. but well-favored and skillful in all wisdom and cunning and knowledge and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning of the tongue of the Chaldeans. Oh, if a worldly king was looking for the best and the brightest. I think it'd be fitting to say that the king of kings and the lord of lords also wants the best of the best for himself. But let me clarify something. God will save anybody. God will save anybody that comes to him by faith. God will save you. Amen? Anybody. He'll save someone that's a slackard. He'll save anybody that hasn't applied themselves. He'll save a sinner. Thank God for that. Oh, but once you're saved, then God expects us to act like a child of the king. In 2 Peter 3, 18, it says, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5, 17 it says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. In 1 Peter 2 and verse 9 it says, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. and holy nation, and underline these words right here, a peculiar people. He didn't say weird, he said peculiar, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in times past were not a people, but now are the people of God. You get what I'm saying? Hey, you belong to God. You ought to act different than you did before, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Let me give you the definition of the word peculiar. It means appropriate. An appropriate people. That means a people that's been set apart for. A people that's been assigned for a particular use. In Revelations 1, 6, it says, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever, amen. Do you think, do you think a king is expected to act a certain way? Do you think a priest in the Old Testament was to act a certain way? You know, it's God that prescribed the priest a particular wardrobe to wear. It wasn't left up to them what was appropriate or not appropriate. God gave them the way to dress. Did God tell them what he expected out of them in each position? Absolutely. God did not leave it up to the priest to decide what they wanted to do or how they thought they were supposed to look. You remember what happens to Aaron's sons when they came in with a strange fire? They brought something that wasn't appropriate to church, to the tabernacle. The Bible says there went out a fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord. Look, we're Baptist, but we're not any kind of Baptist. We're not a recovering Baptist, let that be known loud and clear. We're not part of the recovering Baptist. We're not part of the new independent, the new independent fundamental Baptist. We're not part of them. We're not Southern Baptist. We're not Reformed Baptist. We're not Calvinist. We are whosoever will. We are independent, fundamental, King James, separated, missionary-minded, pre-Triod, pre-millennial, soul-wedding Baptist. We're not part of an association. but we have been given a heritage. We've been given traditions to uphold. We have God-given standards that need to be upheld, and we're governed by the holy scriptures of God. Did you read what the Southern Baptist Convention decided this week? Wasn't this a shame? The Southern Baptist Convention on Wednesday fell just short of the two-thirds majority vote needed to enshrine in its constitution a ban on women as church pastors. The proposed constitutional change banning women pastors, known as the Law Amendment, had been approved during last year's annual meeting. By church rules, any such change should be approved at two consecutive annual meetings, and this year it was approved by 61.45% of the church leaders who voted, short of the 2 3rds majority required. They're voting on changing their beliefs. If you can't stand on the word of God, what are you gonna stand on? These people are voting to change God's word. Who do they think they are? We don't vote on what God has already ordained. And let me wrap this up real quick here. Let's read verse 10. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause, let us swallow them up alive as the grave and hoe as those that go down into the pit. We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil. "'Cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse. "'My son, walk not thou in the way with them. "'Refrain thy foot from their path. "'For their feet run to evil and make haste to shed blood. "'Surely in vain the net is spread. in the sight of any bird, and they lay wait for their own blood. They lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain, which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. His father is telling his son that there are certain people that you ought not to hang around. If that crowd's cursing, you ought not to hang around them. If that crowd's lying, you ought not to hang around them. If that crowd's stealing, you ought not to hang around them. If that crowd's cheating, you ought not to hang around them. If that crowd's talking dirty, you ought not to hang around them. If that crowd's speaking evil, you shouldn't hang around them. Hey, you shouldn't hang around anybody that's gonna try to drag you into a gang or to their crowd. Hey, but you better listen to your heavenly father. You better listen to heavenly wisdom. If you wanna have a long life, then you better honor your father and your mother. Well, the next few verses, wisdom is begging every person to listen to her. Oh, please don't refuse God. You better listen to the Bible. You'd better listen to God. In verse 32, it says, for the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. Have you been saved? Have you listened to God in Romans 3.23 when it says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God? That's every person has sinned. We've all come short. No religion can save you. No amount of good works can save you. There's nothing you can do to save yourself. The Bible says, for the wages of sin is death. What we deserve is a death in hell separated from a holy God's what we deserve because of our sin. But here's the good news. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5.8 says, but God commendeth his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The Bible says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever, that means anybody, whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Are you saved? If you're not, you better get saved. You're not promised another day. Matter of fact, what you are promised is a certain death. And after that, the judgment comes. I trust you know Jesus Christ as your Savior. Christian, are you heeding what your Heavenly Father expects of you?