Well, good morning, everyone. It is my great, distinct pleasure to cover the pulpit while our beloved Pastor Jonathan and his family and others are gone on a glorious camping trip. I pray that today this message is a strong encouragement to you evangelistically. Today we are going to sharpen the swords of evangelism and buckle up, because it's going to be a good one. This text, the reason I say that, is this text has been a deep encouragement to me. It's something for me to easily speak to, and I hope it's the same for you, and it builds you up and strengthens you and encourages you to go out into the world to be a faithful witness for our great King, Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So please bow your heads with me as I plead with the Lord for help in expositing this text today. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, please help me be faithful to your word, to honor you, to honor the Lord and the work that he has accomplished, to rightly represent your revealed will to us and what it means for us to be faithful witnesses of the work that Christ has accomplished on the cross in the world, to live out this life of Christianity to be faithful witnesses. I pray this is a blessing and encouragement and it emboldens our brothers and sisters to recognize what they have in Christ and what they have in Your Word. I pray that in Jesus' name, Amen. So for those who missed Sunday school this morning, you missed the great philosophical foundation and theological precedent that we set today for today's sermon. So I'd encourage you to go back if you have the opportunity and go to Emmaus Road Media. It's right on our page. We did it live. We broadcast everything live. Go there. There we discussed what Christian ethics are, what Christian ethics should look like, how to make sense of Christian ethics, I think often right now what has so provoked me to share this passage with you today comes as a result of being critically scrutinized, attacked even, by our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ on what an actual Christian ethic means. what it means to relate to the Gospel. What it means to stand firm in the truth. Now, I'm not saying that I'm the perfect example. I probably couldn't say follow me as I follow Christ in the same way Paul the Apostle could, but I sure could say in my broken and humble way, I try to do my best in being a faithful witness. in social media, in the workplace now, that I have a crazy full-time job. I try to be a faithful witness to my family, an expression, and I know I often fail at that, and sometimes my personality gets in the way. I tend to be on the tougher end of things, a little bit rough around the edges, and firm, as some might say, and blunt, even. I believe truth is important to get to, and the faster that we can get to the truth, this is where true growth begins. And so in that, my foibles aside, please accept this word humbly as it has dramatically impacted and affected me and my desire to go toe to toe with those around me. In contention of the worldly wisdom, as we read today in Proverbs 8, that we would be the faithful men, as represented in Psalm 1, of those who meditate on God's word day and night, and that that should have an impact in the way we live. As I shared in Sunday school this morning, proper orthodoxy, faithful doctrine, should, in some way, shape, or form, have an influence in our orthopraxy, and it will. Good doctrine should lead to right living, right? Amen. I believe we all agree with that. But what we do know about bad doctrine is it leads to bad living. Greg and I shared a live stream a few weeks ago on how bad theology hurts people. And it was done in the light of political involvement. And as you know, political involvement is not the awesome thing, the most attractive thing to share in light of ministry these days. Let me encourage you on what our forebears thought of that. Real quickly. John Wingate Thornton said this. He said to the pulpit, the Puritan pulpit, we owe the moral force which won our independence. Let me repeat that. To the pulpit, that is the Puritan pulpit, we owe the moral force which won our independence, speaking of the American Revolution. The American Revolution, as we understand it, was won from where? The pulpit. Listen to this. John Quincy Adams said, this principle, that the whole nation has a right to do whatever it pleases, cannot in any sense, whatever, be admitted as true. The eternal and immutable laws of justice and morality are paramount to all human legislation. The violation of those laws is certainly within the power of a nation, but it's not among the rights of the nation. I'm gonna repeat that again. Listen very carefully to what John Quincy Adams says, one of our nation's founders. This principle, that the whole nation has a right to do whatever it pleases, cannot in any sense whatever be admitted as true. A nation does not have a right to do whatever it pleases. The eternal and immutable laws of justice and morality are paramount to all human legislation. The violation of those laws is certainly within the power of a nation. They can violate them. However, it is not among the rights of a nation to do so. What do you think he means by that? What do you think he means by that when he says that? Whose ultimate authority is he deferring to? A nation may do it, but that doesn't mean they have a right to do so. What is a, What does it mean that our nation was founded on the moral force from the pulpit? There is a two-volume series, and I just started reading it again, and I highly encourage you to do so, on political sermons during our nation's founding. And the author of that work says, if you want to understand American history, there's no better way to do so, because they were speaking about pertinent issues during the time. They were speaking on it, and they were the moral force behind making the change in their city. I don't know about you, my friends, but I see a huge disconnect between understanding theology, orthodoxy, and orthopraxy right now as it relates to civics. A huge disconnect. It's the kind of pushback that we get often. May I say, I dare to say, is why our church is so small. We're going on our fifth year, and we're tiny. There are some churches that are bursting at the seams. Bursting at the seams right now. Do you want to know one of the distinct differences between our church, and I'm not saying that, you know, that has completely, and all the reasons why our church is smaller, but I do believe it's a great reason, is that we don't see the pulpit as the moral force in making change in our society. We really don't believe as a society, I'm not saying this group here, but I'm saying as a society, we don't believe in the Christianity, at least the Puritans did, the ones who founded our country. They don't believe that God has the divine right and rules over all things, and that nations are subject to His moral law. And they don't have the right to break it. And when they do break it, there's a group of people called the church that tells them that they're breaking it and that they don't have a right to do so. Let me encourage you with this text. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10, 3-5, he says, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ." Was Paul just talking about Christians? Was he just talking about Christians? Nod your head whether you agree or disagree. Was Paul just talking about Christians? No. Why? Because we find Paul in where? Acts 17? standing in front of the nation's leaders in Greece, the Areopagus, and calling them to an account. And how did he do it? He said, you have a creator who appointed your time, place, and habitation here. And I noticed you're a bunch of idolaters. You need to stop doing that. You're worshiping gods and you even have a idol erected to the unknown God. Let me proclaim to you who this unknown God is in a play of words, I like that. This unknown God you supposedly worship is calling you to repent and turn to Christ, the one whom he raised up from the dead and is exalted to judge the world. And you have an accountability before him. Now, interesting enough, some of our brothers and sisters out there, even maybe in this room today and others not in this room who I know who have challenged me, have said, Jeremy, Really, political issues are not something that we should be involved in. Civic issues, right? It's not something that we... It's kind of that messy area of politics. We need to stay out of it. And we need to just love the Lord. We need to love our families. We need to work hard and provide for them. But really, it's not up for us to change the world around us. Let me quote a dear friend. on Facebook, who posted something by a theologian and a pastor who we greatly respect. His name is Martin Lloyd-Jones. He said, I'd love to know the source of that, because I highly doubt Martin Lloyd-Jones. one of what we call known as the last remnant of the Puritans, would say such a thing. So I said, and I quote myself here, quoting Jeremy, this sort of comment is often misconstrued from a belief that the world is somehow exempt from Christian ethics. Is the world exempt from Christian ethics? Honestly, it's strange that Martin Lloyd-Jones would say such a thing. I question the source of that. Quote, Considering that such is the very thing that condemns the world, demanding a call to repentance and a belief in the gospel, all, not just Christians, are commanded to be holy as God is holy. It's the very reason we all need Christ and we preach the gospel. Do you understand that? Listen to the response. Agreed. This is a friend of mine saying, I will add though, that although men are commanded to obey the law of God, to repent and believe, listen, listen to the inconsistency here. He just said that all men are what? Commanded to obey the law of God? And to repent and believe, they are unable to, according to Ephesians 2. We are once dead in trespasses and sin and the rest, but God who is rich in mercy made us alive in Christ. I don't think the unregenerate man is able to even come to Christ unless the Father draws him and regenerates him. I don't expect a non-believer to be holy, in my opinion. So I think the quote assumes also. And I said, I agree. All are condemned because we cannot be holy as God is holy in Adam. God's law is a reflection of his holy, righteous, and good character. We all, Christian and non, bear God's image, do we not? That demands that we all reflect the holiness of God. That's the reason we need Christ. The command to repent and believe is general, but not all are effectually called. Do you understand the distinction that he is making between the two things? Because a non-believer can't obey it, They're not accountable to it? That's weird. Why would you call someone to repentance? You just said a moment ago that they need to repent and believe and obey the law of God. But we know that men fall short of the glory of God. They're incapable of obeying the law of God. Does that mean it's now null and void because they're a non-Christian? Quite the contrary. It's the very foundation and the principle and purpose for why we preach the gospel. You need a savior from God. R.C. Sproul wrote a book, Saved from God. Saved from God. What in the world does that mean? God has this holy, righteous, standard, these commandments that are impossible to uphold, but yet we are commanded to do so, even in Adam. And because you cannot obey them perfectly, you cannot be holy as God is holy, you must repent, turn to Christ, and believe the gospel. Otherwise, what? you'll face the judgment and the wrath of almighty God for falling short even in one jot or tittle. That's why you need Christ. You need to be safe from God's wrath, because that God is going to judge you on every point of violation. What does it say? He will bring all thoughts and intentions of your heart into judgment. We quote those verses, but do you really know what that means? All thoughts and intentions? Nothing is secret from God. Nothing is hidden from God. Everything will be brought to an account one day. What does that mean? Well, it's because we bear God's image, we have to be holy as He is holy. Is that not the command? Didn't he command that in Leviticus prior to Christ? He sure did. You're a nation that is holy to me. You must be holy as I am holy. Do you know that's reiterated in Peter? Peter said, yeah, we have to be holy as God is holy. Is that just for the Christian? Is it just the Christian that has to raise their kids in the fear and admonition of the Lord? You know, that blew my mom's mind when I shared that with her the first time. I said, you realize my brother's an atheist. I bring him up often in my examples and sermons. Hopefully one day he listens to these and goes, man, dude, that guy was pummeling me a lot when he comes to Christ. And I told her, I said, mom, do you think that like he doesn't have to raise his children in the fear and admonition of the Lord? Do you realize that's the very thing that we need to be calling him to repentance from? Whoa, that's like lights on, wow. I, yeah, no, he has to. Why? Because he bears God's image. He bears God's image. He's God's creature. He was made to glorify and honor God in his life, and he's not. That's why he needs Christ. It's why he needs Christ. It's the law. What does it say? We've heard it from Ray Comfort billions of times. It's perfect, converting the soul, right? The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. Not perfect accent, but you know, you guys have heard it. He's quoting Psalm 19. The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. It brings to recognition how you failed before a holy God. Your utter depravity before a holy God. Your lack thereof of holiness, righteousness, and goodness. Your injustice, your inequitableness, right? Before a holy God. And that's the command that he has upon you. And that exposes us, the law exposes us, as Paul says in Galatians. It brings the whole world, ascribes the whole world under condemnation, he says in Galatians. and in Romans, all have fallen short of the glory of God. All have found guilty before his holy word. His holy word represents him, as we said in Sunday School this morning. It's his word that represents him and his person and who he is, what he is. He is holy, righteous, and good. And what happens when you bring the word of God to bear on a society that utterly rejects God? Are they like super happy about it? Are they excited to hear it? Is it fun? No. Most of the time, I want to say things like, hey bro, don't shoot the messenger. I'm just conveying the message. This message finds us all guilty before a holy God. It's not just you, it's me too. And apart from Christ, I'd be in the same position. And then the whole, who are you, to have that conversation with me, come from. That's what I hope to exposit today. So one, what does Paul say? One, he says we're in a war. You're in an absolute battle right now. He describes the battle, doesn't he? Two, he says, but you have weapons. You have a weapon and that thing has divine power. And three, we're called to be warriors. Now you don't just get to sit back and cloister, live in your Christian ghetto, right? only hang out with the homies who love the Lord. That's not how Christianity was intended to be. As a matter of fact, if Christianity were that way, which often has been mainstreamed today, you would have never heard things like, in the book of Acts, these men are flipping the entire world upside down. They're saying Caesar is not king. He is not God, if you will, right? They're telling our gods are false gods. They're destroying our economy. They're saying that these false gods aren't worthy of being worshipped, and the idol-makers are now in upheaval in Ephesus, right? Diana, Diana. She's not a god. She's a figment of your imagination. This unknown god, you need to worship him, I'm going to proclaim him to you, but you're idolaters worshipping false gods. Oh, and by the way, brought before governing authorities, told to do so. And if you think for one moment when Paul appealed to Caesar, and that he did not say to Caesar's face he is not king overall, The world, the known world, you're out of it. I think that's probably why he was put to death. There's good reason to believe that. Luke and Acts was written, I believe, as a defense for Paul in Rome to express that the religion that he was sharing and expanding that was flipping the Roman Empire upside down wasn't new. It's just the Jews didn't embrace their Christ, their king. the only one and true king. It was a very much politically oriented message. When you say Jesus Christ is king, like we pronounce today, sung in our songs, and we pronounce often and we share in the word, I think that literally falls on like, something happens, there's some cognitive dissonance that happens. And we go, Jesus Christ is king and we worship him. And then when we have discussions around civics and the practical issues of life, it's like, oh, no, no, no, we don't get involved in that political issue. Just preach the gospel. The gospel is not political. What? The moment you say he's king, it's political. You're saying there's a ruler that exists over all rulers in the world. You're saying that the nation's leaders have to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't they? Because he is capital king over all those lowercase kings. Capital lord over all those lowercase lords. And they're conquered people, by the way, taken in triumphal procession. Where were they conquered, you guys? Where were those nations' leaders conquered? Once and for all. Never to be able to reclaim any sort of power or authority over the world. On the cross. That's what Paul says. And then he describes these other leaders who were given an appointment by the Lord, prophets, apostles, teachers, elders, shepherds. He says, we are to what? Equip the church for the work of ministry. It's our job to send you out equipped into the world to do what? Tell them about the king that they have that they're going to have to give an account to one day because he was vindicated in his ministry by the Lord resurrecting him from the dead. That's going to be a hard message. People aren't going to really like to hear it. They're going to have to be told they have to be obedient to this king. But the cool thing is you have a power, a powerful weapon that destroys every single argument that they raise up against it. You've been issued a weapon that has God's literal power in it. And nothing that they can say will make any sense. You'll be able to destroy everything they say. Do you guys believe that? Do you believe the Word of God does that? It's the only offensive weapon the Christian has. We love quoting Hebrews 4.12, right? We love Hebrews 4.12. What is Hebrews 4.12? Some of you guys are already saying it, right? The Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and tensions of the heart. Nothing will escape it. All things are exposed and naked to the eyes of whom we must give an account. Whoa, I'm getting chills talking about that. Like, that's scary, thinking about it. That's the word of God. You're saying, wait a minute, Jeremy, this is sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing to the division of joint and marrow, soul and spirit, and is a discerner of all thoughts and tensions of the heart, and all things are exposed and made naked to the eyes of him whom we must give an account. Yes. Do you believe that? Do you believe that it is mighty for breaking down all... Let me emphasize all. All arguments. Nothing can stand against the wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom is what Paul describes as the treasure of all wisdom and knowledge. He is. Let's take a look at that. Let's dig in. So first, if we're in a war, wouldn't you agree that we probably should understand the battleground that we're in, the context. I have a military background. I know a few of them. I studied military strategy. I've read many components of the art of war. I have studied it, understand it. I understand what you need to do in order to be successful in a mission scenario. What must you first understand? Well, what's the context? What kind of battle am I in? What terrain am I fighting? Who is my enemy? Why are they my enemy? What do they hope to accomplish in their fighting against me? It's very simple, right? Battlefield strategy. But you've been given all that according to what Paul says, right? He says, what does he say? You're not waging war according to what? The flesh. What are you waging it according to? The spirit. What does that mean? Don't we want to understand if we're waging a war, let me reiterate, you are waging a war. Most Christians think, no, no, no, no, we're pacifists, we just hang out. We get in our Christian ghettos and our clubs, Chip and Dip Bless Me Clubs, we hang out, pat each other on the back, we pray, encourage one another, brother, sister, we send each other out, and then we go out and do our stuff, and then we hide from the world and we run away from it. No, no, wait, what are you talking about? What Paul says here is we're not waging war. He didn't say we're not waging war. He says we're not doing it that way. We're definitely doing it this way, right? And you have a weapon that is not of the flesh, but has divine power to destroy strongholds. That's huge! Would you agree? I mean, I almost would fall on deaf ears sometimes. You read over that, it's one of those verses you just glance by and go, oh yeah, we have weapons of... We don't battle in the flesh, we battle in the spirit. And then we make everything spiritual. However, you're waging a war. It's physical, as Paul says. It's not physical, it's mental. Because where does the spiritual realm exist? Where do you access the spiritual realm, if it really does exist, in fact? Where do you access it? Where do you access the spiritual realm? Have you thought for a moment that your mental faculties are really connected to something else besides the physical world? Think about that. There's a funny example Dr. Bonson gives where when he was trying to prove this point, he writes a number three on a chalkboard, okay? Do it yourself if you're note takers. Write a number three real quick on your paper, okay? Okay, and now we have to ask the question, is that the number three? If you were to write it on the piece of paper, we have some shaking their head, no. Is that the number three? If you were to write it on the paper, Silas, is it number three? Say you were to write on a piece of paper a three. Is it the number three? Yes? Some say no. Okay. Why do we have conflict in the room? Some are saying no, some are saying yes. What is it then? What happens now, Silas, if you were to erase it? Is it still there, number three? Did you just destroy three forever and no one ever can use it again? You did? I still see number three over there on that clock. If we took the three off that clock, would it no longer exist? There's another three over there on that clock. And there's threes everywhere. There's a three up there on that clock. Uh-oh. So if we erase number 3 on our paper, it did destroy it for everyone to ever use for all time. Somehow, 3 exists somewhere. Where is 3? Where is 3-ness? Where is it? If it doesn't exist in the physical world, 3-ness must be somewhere. And we all access it, and we use it. We even do math in our head, like 3 plus 2 equals 16. Why are you laughing? 3 plus 2 equals 16. Are you saying it doesn't equal 16? How dare you? So offensive. You laugh, it's so hilarious, right? Three plus two does equal 16. And how dare you offend me? Because I believe three plus two equals 16. And you're messed up for laughing at me right now. That's jacked up. I identify as three plus two equals 16. How dare you? I get to define my own reality. And you laugh. You haters. Three plus two equals 16 haters. I'm part of the three plus two and S equals 16ers. I don't care, you guys are all haters, bigots, slanders, backbiters. That's going on right now in the world, isn't it? You laugh, why are you guys laughing right now? What's so funny about that? Don't I get to define my own reality based on my own terms? I don't. Are you sure? A lot of people think that. Clayton read something from a Supreme Court decision on Planned Parenthood versus Casey this morning that ruled from the Supreme Court on high that we get to define our own reality. 3 plus 2 equals 16, fools. Don't you dare disagree with me. You're all haters if you do. Bigots. Racists. We laugh. Why is that so funny? Let's throw this out there. What would you say to me? for saying that. Silas, what would you say to me if I said 3 plus 2 equals 16, bro, and don't you dare disagree with me? What would you say? It's wrong? That's a moral issue? It's wrong to say that? Why is it wrong to say that, Silas? You're part of the 3 plus 2 equals 5ers? Racist. You're telling me it's wrong to say 3 plus 2 equals 16? Like it's a morally wrong thing to say that? Like I'd be leading people astray, like lying to them if I said 3 plus 2 is 16? Where do you get that from? He's part of the 3 plus 2 equals 5 club. Racist. Hopelessly racist, by the way. Can't help it. He's been taught his whole life by a bigoted group of people that 3 plus 2 equals 5. That's reality that you live in right now. And Christians can come along and say, like Silas, you're wrong. 3 plus 2 does not equal 16, fool. That's ridiculous. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Obnoxious. Why would you say that? And how dare you say to me that I'm wrong for saying 3 plus 2 equals 5? You're right. You stood in your ground. Good for you, Silas. It's true to say 3 plus 2 equals 5, and it always equals 5. It never doesn't equal 5. And that's a matter of fact. You know what's real crazy though? Neither three nor five-ness exist in the physical universe. Somehow we're accessing that. Somehow we know that that's true and we know that's a moral foundation. And you'd be lying to people if you said otherwise. And people would get incensed at you. I want to start building bridges with three plus two equals 16 math. And an architect or, you know, a bridge builder, an engineer would come along and go, you're fired. The bridge will never work. Oh, wait a minute, why'd you get all morally crazy with me, bro? What? No, no, I do a different math. The engineer in the company that desires to succeed would go, I'm sorry, bro, you can't work here. Three plus two is not 16. No matter how you cut it. I'm gonna go with Silas. Silas is hired as the engineer. He's three plus two, five. That works for me. We can build bridges with that. Because it's a matter of fact, and it's true. And if I were to say otherwise, it'd be lying, wouldn't it be? Do you know why? Because you live in God's world. And it's not okay to lie about math. It's not okay to say to someone, you better believe three plus two equals 16, and then demand I celebrate it. It's not okay to say that that's a morally good thing. It's lying. Stop lying to yourself and other people around you, transgenderism. Oh, now it got real weird, right? You bring that up, dude wants to be a girl, girl wants to be a dude, and they're going, three plus two is 16. And you're like. No, it's not. 3 plus 2 is not 16. You're a dude, you're a girl. Not 3 plus 2, 16. It's the same thing, you guys. Why? Because God has made you a particular way that you cannot escape. You would be lying to yourself if you thought you were a woman and a man at the same time. Those two cannot coexist. Your biology, the way God designed you and made you, says, dude, woman. And by the way, your biology also points to a designed order the way you were made. I know that, why? Because the necessary context has been clearly conveyed to me in God's word. Whoa, you're using God's word in this, man. You're gonna bring the Bible into this. We don't know if the Bible's true or not, no. Hang on a second. Try to argue against it like three plus two is 16 and watch everybody laugh at you. But all of a sudden, we're not laughing at people when they say they're a dude when they're not. We're not laughing at people when they say they're a woman and they're not. That's laughable. It should be hilarious as much as three plus two equals 16. but we don't, right? We go, oh yeah, maybe we need to embrace that and be kind and sensitive to them. Get out of here with that. You need to call them a liar. You are a liar. You're lying to yourself and you're lying to other people and you're forcing us to celebrate it through what? Civic arrangement. What kind of civic arrangement? Laws that say it's hate speech if you disagree with me. It could become hate speech in this society for the 3 plus 2 equals 16ers. Anybody disagrees with the 3 plus 2 equals 16ers? You're smoked. You're going to jail. Hate speech. We're going to take everything from you. You don't make me a cake that says 3 plus 2 equals 16. I'm coming after you. I'm going to destroy your business. You need to celebrate this. The same way it's laughable about 3 plus 2 equals 16 should be the same way it's laughable about homosexuality, transgenderism, the whole alphabet mafia. That's what they are. They want to destroy your liberties by making you celebrate what is a lie, a lie. They want to tell you that it's completely acceptable because of bodily autonomy. I get to decide and dictate the reality of what I am and you don't get to say otherwise because God's word is not true. This is the bind that we're in today. So this mental struggle that we have has to be dealt with in words. You have to be able to tell them something. I like what the English author Edward Bulwer said. He said, Bulwer-Leighton, excuse me, the pen is mightier than the sword. You've heard that before. The pen is mightier than the sword. What does that mean? It means words have power. They're meaningful. The only reason they're meaningful, the only reason they make sense is because why? There has to be a meaning giver or else really we're just kind of left to our own subjective experience to get to determine reality however we want. Is that the case? You ever had an atheist demand of you that you need to be good? An atheist demand of you to not bash people that you disagree with? You ever had an atheist tell you, like, that that's really wrong to, you know, be mean to other people? It's wrong to kill people? That's weird. You should laugh, like 3 plus 2 equals 16. No, that's ridiculous. Why for an atheist is any of that mean? You just don't like it? Like it's uncomfortable for you? Because you're a cosmic accident according to what you believe. You get to define reality on your own terms. So do I. I think that taking your shoes is great right now. Give me those things. I'm going to win this debate by gunpoint, as Bonson would say. It doesn't matter. The moment you become incensed and say, well, that's wrong. Why is it wrong? Why is it morally evil from an atheist worldview who believes that God doesn't exist, a God hasn't ordered all things, that we have no reason to obey this God, this God's a figment of our imagination, a bunch of bronze age sheep herders made this all up, and you're an idiot for believing it. I heard a comedian the other day as I was working in the brewery, one of the fellow brewers in there, was listening to this comedian. He said, yeah, you guys remember the Bible made up by a bunch of Bronze Age sheep herders? We were idiots for believing that. I mean, everybody's laughing. And I went, oh, really? What do you believe? You want to see someone get clowned, bring me onto the stage with this guy, and we'll see who really gets clowned for saying such a thing. And it'll look real funny. Everybody will hate me, but I'll be cracking up trying to see you defend that sort of a position. That's mean, Jeremy. That's mockery. No, no, no. Words have power. And our written and spoken word must be founded upon God's word because if it's not, if it's not, then it's just left up to your own imagination, which is exactly what Paul says, doesn't he? What are we destroying? What are we destroying? Arguments. What is the weapon, he says? We possess divine power to destroy all strongholds. The gospel is, as I shared in a previous sermon, is it not the power of God for salvation? It's a word, a spoken word. And that word possesses divine power. Not because it's of our own ability, but it's because God who attends it. It's God who attends it. You proclaim this word and God says, I'll call people to myself. But you've been commanded to proclaim this word. What is it? It's the good news of the kingdom. Proclaim this good news. This is really good news for those who are elect. And God is the one who calls people to himself. What does this word attack directly? Well, Paul says elsewhere, aside from 2 Corinthians, he talks about it in Romans 1, he says it attacks arguments. And those arguments are designed and crafted as false worship, erected as false worship, exchanging the truth for a lie, worshiping something else. And in doing this, they suppress the truth and unrighteousness, Paul says in Romans 1. They are literally pushing down the truth, is the way he describes it. And what's interesting is he says they do it unapologetus. They do it without a defense. They have no defense for pressing the truth down. The harder they press, the harder it pushes back, and eventually pops up somewhere else. Because Bonson uses the beach ball under the water, right? Keep pushing that beach ball and try to like plop on it, what happens to the beach ball? Pops out the other side. It's really hard to, float on a beach ball or push it down without it pressing back on you. That's basically what's happening. So the unbeliever takes the truth that they know, Paul says, they know it. Why do they know this? Whose image is God made in? Or whose image is man made in? God's image, right? They push it down, they're made in God's image, but yet they can't and they know it's true and they know they're suppressing it. What are they suppressing it in defense of? Their unrighteousness, Paul says. They're trying to defend an unrighteous position, erecting for themselves a false god. They erect these arguments for the purpose of trying to defend a worldview that is untenable, undefensible, incoherent, inconsistent, and falls apart at the phrase, every time. And your job as a Christian is to do what? destroy those things, to destroy them. They are merely lofty opinions, as some translations say, imaginations, and they are obstacles to the truth. They are seriously putting a blockade and obstacle in front of you as much as they can. Why? Because they love their sin. They're like backing off, and you're backing off into a corner, and we've seen this, right? Those who have experienced this and have understood this principle have like, hey, just lovingly challenged, hey man, can I provide a loving challenge to what you just said right there? What you just said here doesn't make sense with this. You can't be an atheist, a Darwinian evolutionist, and all of a sudden start demanding I tell the truth about reality and not steal your shoes. You guys get that? Why? What does an atheist believe about the world? Well, we're cosmic accidents. We're biological bags of goo. Just doing what biological bags of goo do. My biology is doing a thing, and your biology is doing a thing. And how dare you appeal to some universal standard, like we all need to tell the truth, like all existence isn't just mere matter in motion. That's weird. Well, no. They get so incensed, like, duh, you gotta be kidding me. Of course we need to do the right thing. Says who, bro, you and your homies? You guys get to define the right thing? I don't even know how you agree with each other. Half the time they don't. You should see how much atheists fight with each other. You think they fight with us? Man, it's bad. And what's really weird is they're fighting. Are you guys familiar with the euthyphro dilemma? Socrates introduced something called the euthyphro dilemma. The Euthypro dilemma says something along the lines of, is it right because the gods say it's right? Or because it is just right, like there's some inherent intrinsic value of rightness? And if that were true, then why do the gods fight? You guys catch that? Listen, is it right just because the gods say it right? Is it right because the atheists and their homies say it right? Or is it right because they have some general consensus, like they've agreed that it's right? Or is there some intrinsic value of rightness that all of us must adhere to? What's that? What is the atheist going to struggle with? Where does rightness come from? From a mere material universe. Do things call other things right or wrong? Or are they just things? Like you sit on a thing. The chair is like, this is the right and correct proper way to sit on me. Is the chair telling you that? Does the chair dictate value? Does the rock dictate value? Does the rock ascribe value to the sky? Well, according to an atheist, all you are is an evolved rock. Ponscum, rocky soupy substance that came from stardust. That's you. So then... As of all rocks and soupy substance, do you get to tell whether things are right or not? Because aren't you just a thing that has somehow evolved into another thing that's a thing, and a thing, and a thing? Where does value come from? Value comes from persons. So, you get to say as a Christian, things are lawless. Sin is lawlessness. And sin and lawlessness by an unbeliever is unrationally and unreasonably defended. They're left without a defense. It's unjustifiable. An unbeliever tells you, no, I can live the life the way I want. Okay, well if everybody thought that way, what would the world look like? If everybody got to dictate their own reality, and then we tried to build a legal system around that, what do you suppose that would look like? Chaos or tyranny. Only one of two. That is the result of your beliefs. So what does Paul say? All thoughts must be taken captive to obey Christ. As I shared earlier from Colossians, in whom are all the treasure and wisdom of knowledge. Listen to what Paul says. He says, for I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and those at Laodicea. This is in Colossians 2, one through five, if you want to follow along. He knows the struggle. Well, what is the struggle for those in Laodicea? For all who have not seen Paul face-to-face, that their hearts may be encouraged and knit together in doing what? In love, to reach all the riches of full assurance and understanding of the knowledge of God's mystery. Awesome, right? Super mystical experience. Is that what Paul's talking about? No. He's saying it is Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. So was he saying like the sweet, warm, fuzzy time with Jesus in the closet where I get to experience this personal devotion time? some mystical experience where God parts the clouds and imparts to me his divine will by audible voice so I could tell other people God told me or Was it that we grow in this knowledge and understanding that no one may dilute us with plausible arguments? You mean the same ones, Paul? The very ones you're talking about here in 2 Corinthians that we get to destroy? Yeah, because they're plausible. What's the matter with a plausible argument for those philosophy students? What's the problem with plausible arguments? How could you be diluted by them? Think about what atheists say. You challenge them on their incredible faith in Darwinian evolution or the LGBTQ mafia. And you say, you don't get to dictate reality on your own. Like, that's madness. Who says, Jeremy? Well, you believe in this materialistic only worldview or this existentialist crisis that somehow says, well, I need to reach out and figure out what I am. And I'm left with the burden to do so. And then you come back and say, well, no, the Bible says that you have to do this. You go, well, how do I believe the Bible is true? I believe this, that, and the other. And you go, well, why do you believe that what you believe is true? Where did you learn that? Why do we so easily give up? You know what they say? Well, you know, Darwinian evolution, that's ridiculous. What do they say? Well, we just don't know enough yet. Wait, did you observe Darwinian evolution happening over billions of years? Can you prove to me Darwinian evolution's true? Have you thought of challenging them that way? What are they gonna typically say? We just don't know enough yet. as science develops, as things evolve, as we come to a greater and firmer understanding of what? Your apprehension of the so-called facts that you believe sit before you? Well, no, we actually believe that over time as we grow and learn, that we apply them, that we come to a greater understanding of what they are, what they might be, And then, you know, we see it actually comport with reality as we try to apply our understanding. So like math, you've seen that. You've seen logic. Where's logic in a materialist only view? Where's reason? So you know how you keep demanding me to be reasonable and rational? Where's that at? Where have you observed that ever? As Bonson would say, is it growing on trees? Is it in a cupboard somewhere where we can observe rationality? Laws of logic? Where's that at? Where is it? Think of it. We just don't know enough yet. Well, that's really a slimy way of getting out of telling me what I have to do and not have to do with my life, based on your beliefs, because they're incredible beliefs. I have a word from God that says you can't make sense of anything apart from it. And as you've spoken for a while now, it has come clear and clear that you cannot defend that position. And by the way, how dare you demand that I live according to your standard, your agreed upon standard, and that you demand that I can't worship in a church right now, because it's distasteful for you, because there's something called COVID. There's a cold you're afraid of catching. And then the whole nation gets locked down. And then a dude gets to prop himself up and celebrate how he's, accelerated gas prices and reduced them over a few months. Look what I've done for this great economy. Shut up, bro. You don't get to shut that comedy down and destroy it and destroy it and then celebrate how much you've helped it. I have a right to say that the unbeliever does not think of that. So we're all warriors. We're all warriors. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised up against the knowledge of God. If you decide to depart from this, you will not be a warrior, you will be an idiot running around with half your armor on and no sword. You will be, and you'll be treated as such. You fail to stand on the word of God, you'll be exactly like Jesus said, you'll be building your house on something else, as we talked about in Sunday school, the sands of human autonomy, some other standard, your own personal one, some other ethic, your own feel-good one, what makes you feel good for today. You'll do Bible studies like, this is the way this passage makes me feel. and then you go on to do your own thing unless you stand upon the Word of God. You will not be able to live in the power and the strength that is promised. We're called to be warriors, salt and light, cities set on a hill. You can't be that and hide in your prayer closet. You cannot be that and hide in your Christian ghettos, your chip and dip bless me clubs. You will have no force at all. You have laid your sword against the wall. It'll be collecting dust on your bookshelf, this sweet decorative item that you hold your papers down with on your desk. or that you stare at every once in a while when you walk by, but you're not taking it serious enough, at least not the way Paul described it. So in preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ has political implications. By the way, guys, everyone has a political view. Everyone's sharing it all the time. Matter of fact, they're preaching it. They're cramming it down your throats. The 3 plus 2 equals 16 people are telling you, man, this is the way you need to think. and they're mocking you, and then you hide behind some moral high ground like you're some great people, pietistic people who do nothing in society. So heavenly good, so heavenly mindful you're no earthly good. Meanwhile, they advance their governing, their plan for civics, and then eventually they force you right out of society, which is a form of God's judgment on the church. That might be hard to hear for some, but that's real. Like God still judges his people. It's not that we're eternally condemned, but he definitely judges us for our action. When you're commanded to preach the gospel, when Jesus Christ says, everything in heaven and earth is mine, I think he meant that in the Great Commission. Everything in heaven and earth is mine. And you're to point people to the Lord Jesus Christ and say, everything in heaven and earth is his. Caesar, like Paul did to Caesar, President Biden, Jared Polis, our local city council members. Everything in heaven and earth is Jesus Christ, and I'm his ambassador. And by the way, you allowing abortion in our city is an evil, wicked thing. And our city is under God's judgment as a result of it. Abortion, I would say, is an expression of God giving people over, as Paul says, to the darkness of their hearts and minds. Doing for what is unnatural. He describes homosexuality in that very passage. Backbiters, slanders, murderers, they hate God. And so you're like, well, that's kind of an icky part of scripture. I don't really like talking about that. Wait a minute, then you don't really love people, do you? You're not willing to share the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ and what he accomplished on the cross, but sin must be exposed. The light of the gospel must come through the papal proclamation of God's full word on the matter. People have to be called to repentance. They need to turn from their wicked, idolatrous, self-important, self-exalting imaginations back to the one and true God, their creator, to believe the gospel. It's the only way any of us can make sense of the world, our reality, who we are and what we are, and how we should live our lives. The only way. Have you thought of the Word of God that way? It's the only way that we can make sense of anything. When an unbeliever challenges you, this is what I want you to think of next. I don't want you to think about defending the Word of God. I don't want you to think about defending the character of God. I don't want you to think about defending the many, many historic examples of God's active work providentially throughout history, as explained in the testimony of Scripture, like creation. You don't need to defend Noah's Arkenney. What you need to tell people is, why do you disagree with this? I want to understand what you believe. Because from what the scriptures say, and it's very clear, that unless you believe this, you won't be able to make sense of anything. And you listen to those arguments that they erect. They will want to attack your position. As a Christian, don't they? They want to attack, what do they do? They center on the word of God, they center on you, ad hominem, they go after your character, what a horrible person you've been in your life before you came to Christ. Had a dude say to me the other day, I bet you're one of these guys who partied it up and stuff, and you're that youth pastor who just, you know, did horrible things and now you're, you know, walking with God. I went, that's really funny, that's exactly what it was like. And I go, as such, we're all of us. We are all these horrible people in the eyes of God. Gave me a great platform to preach the gospel. And then he went on to say, well, I was a Christian, Jeremy, but then I, you know, uh, they had this really uncomfortable message that was preached to church and went to one of these big mega churches and this uncomfortable message preached about lukewarm Christians. He goes, well, I guess I'm one of those. So I'll leave and I'll just think for myself. And I went, what'd you start thinking about for yourself? You definitely were thinking for yourself. I want to know what you believe now. What do you believe now, bro? Like what have you concluded that? What's the truth, right? Because if Christianity is so wrong, you must have the truth then. Think of that difference. You know what he said? Oh man, well, I don't know, I was just thinking about it. No, no, no, that's it, that's it, that's all you have, is you're just thinking about it. Will you ever be able to arrive at the truth apart from the context provided for that truth? No, you will not. The very power of the gospel, the very power of the word of God says this claim, and this claim is incredible, that unless you believe it, you won't be able to make sense of anything. It's called the argument from the impossibility of the contrary, is that you cannot rebel against God, as what was said in Proverbs 8 this morning, right? And expect to be blessed. You cannot rebel against God and expect to live the good life, nor expect others to define the good life. You have no basis for the good life. You cannot rebel against God and expect things to go well for you. You live in a God-rigged world, and it'll become so obvious that you can't defend your rebellion against God because you've been made in God's image. The image bearer will come out. As Bonson said, you give an unbeliever enough rope, they'll eventually hang themselves. You just gotta ask enough questions and provide enough challenges. Their arguments will all fall short. But here's what's interesting. That doesn't mean they'll necessarily agree with it, but that does not negate your responsibility for exposing it and calling them to repentance. Why? Think of it this way. As long as unbelievers exist in the world as God allows them providentially to exist, you do realize that they are promulgating the very problem of evil that bring all the woes, the suffering, and the pain in the world. That's what they're doing. We were part of that. We were children of wrath, dead in our sins and trespasses, dead in our lawlessness. But then we were made alive in Christ, Paul says in Ephesians 2. Remember that. They're dead in their sins and trespasses, they are enslaved to it, and you need to expose that. You're either going to be someone who is working for righteousness, justice, and equity in society, seeking the welfare and the good of the society, or you're going to be an active part of either excusing the promulgation of the problem of evil or part of encouraging the problem of evil. And that's a tough message for all of us. So with that said, you need to understand that we're in a war. The war is very real. You have an incredibly powerful weapon in the Word of God that you need to wield, you need to use, you need to armor up. Let me read this last passage in light of everything that I've shared. Ephesians 6, we love this passage, right? Ephesians 6, think about what Paul says now in light of what I shared. Ephesians 6, 10 through 20, finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers." Rulers? Against authorities. Authorities? What authorities and rulers? Against the cosmic powers of this present darkness. Against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. The zeitgeist. The spirit of the age. Vain imaginations. Things that exalt itself above the wisdom of God is what you wrestle against. And there are people who are in places of authority that need to be told that. But do it in this, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all to stand firm. Stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. You can extinguish them all. You can walk in righteousness. You can stand firm. I have no power over you. Take the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication, To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints and also for me, that words may be given to me to open my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains to the rulers and authorities and all people on the planet Earth. And I'm going to strike down all their arguments. And I'm going to stand firm for the gospel. That's what he's talking about, not just Christian. He's an ambassador of chains for a reason. He is put into prison for a reason, because he had a public ministry, that he may declare it boldly as he ought to speak. Let's conclude in prayer. Please bow your heads. Heavenly Father, I pray that this word was a word of encouragement, maybe a word of rebuke and exhortation to those who decided to leave their sword on the shelf, as it were. Those who decided to defend you in some weird way, when you are perfectly capable of defending yourself and have done so in your word. Your word represents you and who you are, your character, your personhood, your existence, and it's left to those to deal with it. And for those who decide to rebel against such a word, good luck making sense of all of it. Because they live in your world. They're moral creatures made in your image who cannot escape it. And it was because of your love that you decided to redeem us. And Lord, encourage my brothers and sisters to stand bold as they stand firm in your word, knowing that they will receive resistance. There's a reason we have to wear armor. but note the armor deals with truth, righteousness, salvation, and faith to protect us. I pray we'd be an encouragement to one another in doing so, and that we would flip over Colorado Springs, and even Colorado as it were, for the kingdom of God. In Jesus' name.