In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of embracing biblical doctrine in our lives. He challenges the notion that doctrine is boring and should only be discussed by theologians. Instead, he argues that doctrine is essential for every believer to stay grounded in the truth and avoid being led astray by false teachings. The preacher highlights the need for strong, biblical doctrine in a time when many pulpits are promoting unbiblical ideas centered around human desires rather than the glory of God. He urges believers to prioritize the preaching of the gospel and to live according to the word of God, warning of the dangers of departing from the faith and embracing doctrines of devils.

I didn't read the bulletin out loud, but you can read it. Go to Romans chapter 6. I started two weeks ago up on a small exhortation about the importance of biblical doctrines. Kind of ironic being I'm not watching the John Bevere series with you, but I'm in meetings with our pastors. And last week Donna came to me and said, guess what he talked about? He talked about doctrine. Isn't that amazing? And again, I know sometimes that we have this seeming dread that grips us whenever we start mentioning that we're going to minister on doctrine. You're like, man, this is going to be dry. You know what? True biblical doctrine is the essence of life. It's not the dry, crusty theology that stays in the corridors of universities. We're talking about the essence of the gospel, my friend. Doctrinal truths that we need to have rooted and grounded in our heart if you and I are to stay rooted and grounded in Christ. We need these biblical doctrines. And never in my years of ministry have I had the sense of urgency to preach about the importance of solid biblical doctrine as I have now. It's something that God's worked in me for the last month or so. In fact, just recently, Greg Gordon with Sermon Index and we've been buddies for a while and just talking back and forth. And he's invited me to preach at one of his conferences coming up in May. And I asked him what he wanted me to preach on, if he truly wanted me to preach. Because I really don't feel like the caliber of preacher that they normally have at their conferences. And I told him that. But he told me that I could share what I felt was important and something that God has been dealing with in my heart. Some people are probably going to hear about the importance of strong biblical doctrine and the importance of that in the life of the saved, regenerated child of God. Amen? And so we are living in a time where the doctrines that are coming forth from a good number of the pulpits across our land, especially in the western hemisphere, are unbiblical in nature. And they talk about Jesus, but all of it centers around the whims and the needs and the desires of man instead of the glory and the majesty of God. And it is my endeavor in life, that by God's grace and God's power, to turn this upside down thing right side up. That we all come together, if there be 20 of us, if there be 5 of us, if there be 2 of us or 2,000 of us, that it's all done for the glory of God. That everything that we preach, every message, every sermon that we pour out into the hearts and the lives of the people, that it's about the glory of Almighty God because that is the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ, all things under the glory of God. Now, Romans 6, 16 to 18 says this, Know ye not that to whom ye yield your servants to obey, his servants ye are whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness, but God bethanked that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered unto you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. Now, in 1 Timothy 4, 16, you can turn there if you want or if you want to listen to me read it. It says, Take heed unto thyself and to the doctrine. Take heed unto yourself and unto thy doctrine and continue in them. For in doing this, thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee. We need strong, solid, biblical doctrine, the preaching of the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need that more today than any time marked through history, if I could say that correctly. Let's pray. Father, just enlighten our understanding with truth. Father, we don't just need an awareness, but a revelation of truth. Father, I pray that you would press upon us, Lord God, our need for these great doctrines of the faith. Lord, that we'd be no more children tossed to and fro by every doctrine of man. But Father God, that we could be fixed upon the truth of the word of almighty God. The sovereign word of God. Lord God, that we not be swayed neither to the left nor to the right. But Father God, that we be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Father God, I pray, Lord God, that you would unveil and reveal and impress upon us our need for solid biblical doctrines that we not fall away or astray in this hour. Father God, give me the time to learn. Let me be able to speak this word with precision, with an unction, with an anointing that it not be me, but Christ within me, the hope of glory in Jesus' name. Amen. Now, I'm not going to go back and talk about anything, really. What I talked about last time. We have those CDs back there and they're free, no charge to you if you want part one. So we're going to engage in part two in 1 Timothy chapter 4 if you'll go ahead and turn with me there in your Bibles. We're going to launch out upon this. We have to overcome some mindsets that we have that doctrine is boring. We have to embrace the realities that doctrine is life. We have to get past some of these notions that we've been taught to us by a failing religious culture, that doctrinal issues are only for the theologian. To be expressed within the halls of the seminary by the professor and to the student. And to be kept within those confounds. Beloved, we have got to come to the knowledge of the truth that biblical doctrine is imperative unto the life of every man, woman, boy, or girl that's truly born of God. But we need these doctrines to keep us from going astray unto doctrines of demons. If there ever was a time to learn these doctrines of devils, was it an epidemic? An epidemic today is the day. Today is the day. It doesn't take much investigation to come to a finding that there is a lot of damnable heresies being taught abroad, especially on Christian television shows. Now the Word of God says in 1 Timothy 4 verse 1, Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith. Beloved, it's talking about departing from biblical doctrine. It's about practices. It's about the lifestyle whereby we have lived according unto the Word of God. There are going to be some that depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and the doctrines, say doctrines, doctrines of devils, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their consciences seared over with a hot iron. So we see here the Spirit of God speaking expressly to the last days, especially to the last of times, that there's going to be an exodus from the biblical foundations of doctrinal truth into the lies and the air of unbiblical heresy. But yet it's all embraced in the name of religion. 2 Peter chapter 2, please. Turn with me, please. I have two great passions. One is studying of the Word of God. Rarely do I find myself in the kind of state that I find myself whenever I'm studying the Word of God. And those of you that are good Breans and that you like to open your Bible and get on your knees and to pray and as God begins to reveal divine truth unto your spirit man, you know what I'm talking about. There's no greater feelings of just being engulfed in the enormity of God's presence than when you have the Word of God open and that God begins to speak to you by His Spirit as you're dividing the Word of truth rightfully and studying and preparing and crying out to God for revelation. And as God begins to pour that revelation forth. Listen, if you're not familiar with that sensation by that commitment, then you need to get before God on your knees with your Bible open and pray. And when God begins to reveal His Holy Word to your heart by the Holy Spirit, beloved, you're going to be completely overtaken whereby you're going to become a lover of the study of the Word of God. It completely overtakes you. It becomes one of the most heightened times of your life is whenever you're studying the Word of God. And then the second is preaching that revelation that God gives is number two. And to be able to share that with those that you love. Now, in second Peter, chapter two, the Word of God says, and there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. Now, I don't have time to go into deep revelation here about this passage, but I'll tell you that in their denying the Lord that bought them, what it is is a denial of the doctrinal truths of the Word of God. These people are not people that say we don't believe in the supremacy of Christ, but these are a people that have engaged themselves in a heretical worldview concerning sacred scripture. They allow things to creep into their belief system that are extra biblical or unbiblical. And so that begins to be a part of their doctrines and so it's a denying the truth of the doctrines of Christ about the glory of God and it's a denying of allowing that to have place in their lives and their hearts. Are you with me? It's not a saying, well, I just don't like Jesus anymore and we're just going to go down to the bar and get drunk and then go sleep with some girl we don't know. That's not what it's talking about. And the Word of God says, and many shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. The way of truth being evil spoken of. And through covetousness, they shall with vain words make merchandise of you whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not in their damnation slumbereth not. It's talking about there are those that creep in that introduce other doctrines other than the biblical doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, the Word of God says that the way of truth, beloved, this is the way of truth. Look at me. This is the way of truth. There is no other way. But they introduce extra biblical principles, unbiblical principles that are not in line with the doctrines of Jesus Christ. And so by them, the way of truth is evil spoken of. We have to have a culturally relevant gospel. I'm going to get on my bandwagon before we even get going here. One of the greatest delusions, my friend, to mark the end of times is a doctrinal delusion. And beloved, if there is a doctrinal foundation in your life, there is no open door nor access for doctrinal delusion. Those that do not have a foundational aid. Those that do not have a work. Listen to me. I've been a student of the Word of God for nearly 20 years now. Reading the Word of God and reading the Puritan writers and even all the way back to guys like Augustine. Reading their writings and just studying and praying and seeking the face of God. And beloved, I am still working on a foundation of biblical doctrine in my life. I have not arrived nor have you. And beloved, as students and followers of Jesus Christ, we're hungry for truth. Amen? We desire truth. But we're living in a generation, my friend, that all but rejects disciplined studies of the truths of the Word of God. We're living in a very undisciplined culture. A very undisciplined society. We're very disciplined at watching TV. We're very disciplined at social events. But beloved, when it comes time to open the Bible up and to get before a holy and a majestic God, we're a very undisciplined culture. A very undisciplined generation. Whenever it comes to the disciplined study of doctrinal truth, we live in a generation that all but rejects it. And beloved, what we find is that this has become a snare that captures multitudes of church attending and professing believers in Jesus Christ to bring them underneath the lies of a very strong delusion as the Word of God speaks. This marked distaste for biblical doctrine is the very gateway through which heretical and damnable fallacies flow. Whenever we have a distaste for biblical doctrine, my friend, for a disciplined life, a devoted life, to it we study the Word of God and seek these things as good Berean Christians to see if they are so or not. Whenever we reject the biblical doctrines, whenever we have a distaste for biblical doctrines, it is the very gateway that heretical doctrines flow and multitudes are led astray, led astray into new, exciting religious experiences. Listen to me. Authentic experiences, powerful experiences, but demonic experiences. I pray to God this pierces your heart. And beloved, when we don't have a foundation laid in our heart of solid, true, and powerful and scriptural, biblical doctrines, beloved, it's the gateway to where the enemy comes in and leads us astray into other extra-biblical religious experiences, that all be it powerful, but yet the power that's behind it, the foundation underlying it, is satanic and devilish and ungodly. And that's exactly what Timothy is being warned of by the apostle. It's exactly what Peter is warning us of. It's about a doctrine that creeps in unawares because we are not biblically founded upon the doctrines of Jesus Christ to whereby we know the truth that we have a standard, an instant in our heart that this is the doctrines of Jesus Christ and any new thing that creeps in in the name of Christ but is not of the Spirit or the Word of Christ that we say no way. We'll have nothing to do with it or with any of those that participate with it. Beloved, there are experiences that take place in the name of religion that are not of the power of God, that are not of the presence of Christ, that are not of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They're extra biblical experiences. And these experiences and these lying spirits that we are speaking about have become a pandemic. They're empowered by the spirits of seduction wrapped in the guise of modern fundamental excellence applauded by cultural acceptance. But it leads us blinded followers into experiences that are essentially intimate and borderline erotic. I was talking to a preacher the other day about a new way that's come into the church and I can't even talk to you about it because of the explicit nature of it and it's taking place within the walls of what people are calling a church. Borderline erotic. And beloved, this idealism that I'm talking about this morning is not some distant occurrence that's waiting to fulfill itself in the future. It's happening right now and it's happening in our city. It's being participated in by people that you possibly know and people that you possibly love. And earlier I mentioned the word pandemic and I speak that emphatically. The influences of these seductive spirits and the power of them is all demonic. And it's becoming a pandemic in the church. And many unaware believers are not too concerned about these ongoing and relatively new forms of worship but they are the most deadly poisons that hell has emitted as of yet to date. More so than pornography. This pandemic of deceptive doctrines that are creeping in and distracting and taking people captive. Extra biblical and unbiblical practices all underneath the guise of the name of church. Are you with me? And beloved those people that are fellowshipping within the sanctums of these religious seductive services they're twice dead to whom as the word of God declares the mist of darkness is reserved forever. Very strong words isn't it? Twice dead to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. And you may say Pastor why do we need to mention these things in our preaching? And I must instruct us my friend that our lack in biblical doctrine and the practical adherence to the doctrines that we know that we're hearing that we apply to our life is the very catalyst that empowers spiritual seduction and opens avenues for those that are unstable to fall headlong into doctrinal error or better yet said doctrines of demons. Beloved not everything that looks like Jesus is Jesus. Not every assembly that uses the uses the name church is a true church. There is the use of the name of Christ amiss. Are you with me? There's an assembly of people in a religious setting my friend that is amiss. Without the foundation being laid of solid biblical doctrine my friend we cannot call any assembly a church even if it plays guitars even if it sings religious songs even if it lifts up their hands even if it preaches sermons even if it makes altar calls it does not constitute a church. The reason that we can comfortably coexist with these heretical and demonically empowered religious assemblies is because the depth of our doctrinal deficiencies is so acute that we can barely tell the difference. We can barely tell the difference. Dearest friend listen to me if we are not individually and corporately rooted and grounded in the scriptural doctrines of truth the truth of the word of God we can rest assured that we will gladly cohabitate with the very spirit of antichrist that is vehemently set against God set against his glorious truth simply because we lack in the biblical foundation to be able to differentiate between the two. Now creeping into the religious scene today is a powerful movement. I'm going to talk about it just for a little bit so that you can be aware. If you have the book of the shock at home burn it please it's devilish. I know Stephen Curtis Chapman has given his endorsement I understand that burn it burn it saddle up your horses and burn it. Beloved creeping into the religious scene in this hour that you and I are sitting here hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ being preached. There's a powerful movement that is organized. It is demonically empowered and there are cultists and they call themselves emergent Christians. I'm going to talk about the emergent church. Beloved I want you to understand this is not Christianity. Make no mistake about it my friend it is not Christianity. Nonetheless it is the very fastest growing religious cult in the western hemisphere. I'm going to read to you some of their beliefs and I want you to see that there are people that you know that claim to be born again that have the same beliefs and the same mindset and this should cause us to shudder and tremble in fear. The emergent church and I got this from apologetics index on the internet. And I'm going to give a few of their beliefs. Number one the world is radically changing and the church must radically change with it. Beloved if the church changes with culture the church is in bondage to culture. Let me tell you something friend and I've told my mother this you don't have to be a drug addict to know how to minister to a drug addict. Are you with me? You don't have to be an alcoholic to know how to minister to alcoholics. I'm going to tell you friend Jesus Christ was no drug addict. Jesus Christ was no alcoholic and he ministered and is ministering now by the power of God. You don't have to experience the sinful life to be able to minister to those bound in sinful lifestyles. The gospel of Jesus Christ the unchangeable the immutable word of God is the gospel that we preach that changes lives. Beloved whenever we become a church that's culturally sensitive and culturally aware and are changing in our culture we have fallen away from the gospel of Jesus Christ and from the doctrines of our God and we are ensnared with the very same spirit to which they're ensnared by. Emergents believe that postmodern modernity represents a dramatic break with the past and that only an extreme transformation in the church can keep the church relevant and effective in this environment. What they say is need is not just a change in methodology. They say we need a whole new kind of Christian. You know the kind of Christianity that Paul preached is no longer viable. The kind of Christianity that the apostles lived is no longer important or valuable. The kind of Christianity that was lived by the martyrs that were burned at the stake namely Tyndale and great men of God that died for the faith that no longer is it relevant to our society. The culture is crying for a new kind of hyper-tolerant Christianity that embraces every sin as okay. Next they say since the church has been culture bound for so long we must re-examine and question every belief and practice in the church finding new ways to define and express these. And he goes on to say that visiting the blogs and the web of the emergents, we can't call them emergent Christians because they're not Christians, emergent lost folk. One will find that absolutely any doctrine or any moral doctrine or moral standard can be questioned. It seems at times that emergents are engaging in a complete reinvention of Christianity accompanied by a radical redefinition of Christian terms. D.A. Carson points out that the emergent post-foundationalism is based upon yet another of their false anti-theses saying in effect the anti-thesis demands that we be God with all of God's omniscience or else forever be condemned to knowing nothing objective for sure. One of the leading men that's leading this movement is a man by the name of Brian McLaren. In his book, The New Kind of Christian, he goes on to say that scripture is neither authoritative nor a foundation for faith. They also go to say this, that since we cannot know absolute truth, we can only experience what is true for our communities. So what's relevant to us in our group? There is no absolute truth. But this is absolute truth. Let God be true and all men be a liar. God's word is true. It's absolute. And since we cannot know absolute truth, we cannot be dogmatic about doctrine. Emergency orthodoxy is generous, that is inclusive of many beliefs. Christians that have thought historically to be heretical, they embrace. Many leading emigrants have echo McLaren's refusal to assert Christianity's superiority to other world religions. What chamber of hell did this guy come from? Since we cannot know absolute truth, we cannot even be dogmatic about moral standards. Absolute stands on issues such as homosexuality. They're viewed as obsolete. Activities such as drinking, clubbing, watching sexually explicit movies are seen by some emergence as opportunities to show those who are not part of the Christian community that we don't think that we're better than they are by giving them a sense of or by giving off a sense of moral superiority. Hello. He's like, this is like some something that's on Mars right now. Listen, the fastest growing religion in the Western hemisphere, they're outgrowing evangelicals. Ten to one. This is the emergent church. I could read more. That's I'm starting to get sick at my stomach. There's a whole lot more here. I've got pages of the stuff. We're all welcome to join the conversation as long as I behave in a kind and an open minded manner. Emergence believe that believers they reject any posture which hints at exclusivism. Dogmatic evangelicals, however, are not treated as kindly in the conversation as other are as others are. They're not treated as kindly. Listen to this. This is the doctrine. The ultimate goal of the emergent church is to make the world a better place to live. The emerging church movement envisions a utopia in which the oppressed of the world are free. The poor are no longer in pock impoverished. The environment is clean. Glory to God. It's all green. And this paradise is achieved through social activism. Many emergent leaders think it is selfish folly to live for the return of Jesus Christ. The fastest growing religion in the western hemisphere. It's a hyper tolerant. The embrace all that we're just going to stand around the campfire and cook bonbons and sing Kumbaya as we all go to hell together. There are no absolute moral standards. The word of God is relative and not absolute. In fact, it's outdated. It's going away. We'll write a new one that matches who we are. It's culturally irrelevant. What's going on? We don't have any doctrinal foundation to stand up against it. The masses are following this demonically empowered lie that's captivated them. Why? Because they are not lovers of the truth. It's the love of the truth. Beloved doctrinal truth. That is our safeguard against these demonic and doctrinal anomalies. Listen to the word of God. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Go ahead and turn there. Let me tell you something. If we are not embracing the need that we have for doctrinal truth, beloved, we'll be swallowed up by these foul doctrines of man that completely destroy your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and make you a man pleaser, someone that bends with every shift of culture. Let me tell you what. These doctrines of devils will swallow you up just like the whale swallowed up Jonah. Swallow you. You'll have nothing where with you can withstand them. Nothing. God tell you, beloved that our God has been burning this into me that I need to prepare the people that people need to have a doctrinal awareness, a doctrinal foundation, the doctrines of our God that have been proven true for thousands of years that we are not moved away from them in the quest to be more culturally relevant. Make me puke. My goodness. Second Thessalonians chapter two, verse 10. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness and them that perish because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved and for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Doctrinal neglect fuels doctrinal deficiency, which leads to doctrinal apostasy. It's altogether possible to attend a doctrinally sound church and remain a doctrinally unsound pew warmer. Attending a church that preaches sound doctrine, beloved, is not necessarily a safeguard exclusively. We must be individually lovers of the truth. Believers that diligently search the scriptures, beloved, to see if these things be so. The love of the truth will be demonstrated by a diligent, a disciplined study of the scriptures, as well as being a man or a woman of God that's submitted to the preaching of the doctrines of Christ. You may ask, how can we increase in biblical knowledge? How can we increase in this biblical revelation? And I'm going to give you about six points right quick, if you want to write them down. Then I'm going to change gears. The first of which is prayerful study of the Bible, with strict attention being paid to the foundational doctrinal subjects. Beloved, I'm not just speaking words that have no worth. I'm speaking to you the truth that will keep you from these heretical idealisms that will terminate your faith. Prayerful study of the Bible, with strict attention being paid to foundational doctrinal subjects. Number two, being perpetually submitted to the powerful preaching of the whole counsel of the word of God. Perpetually being submitted to the powerful preaching of the whole counsel of God's word, number two. Number three, surrounding yourself with like-minded believers that are lovers of the truth. Lovers of the truth, number three. Number four, separate yourself from the fellowship with those who participate in idolatrous religious practices. That might be a little bit tougher on you than you think. There's folks in your life that you appreciate and like a whole lot, that are participating in religious idolatry. And the word of God says that we're not to touch the unclean thing. Number five, read books upon solid biblical doctrinal subjects, i.e., regeneration, repentance, faith. Not that modern garbage. I'm talking about faith by authors like Wesley, Whitefield, Spurgeon, great men of God. And on the character of God, listen, you won't find it at Mardell's. Get on christianbooks.com and order A.W. Tozer's book on the attributes of God called The Knowledge of the Holy. It'll undo you by just the majestic revelation of who God is. What about the second coming of Christ? The second coming of Jesus Christ by doctrinally accurate authors, most of which are older than 100 years old. And lastly, spend time in prayer, petitioning the spirit of truth to illuminate the truth of God's word to your heart. Amen? Six little points of what you can do to increase in doctrinal knowledge and doctrinal revelation. Now, are you all OK? Listen, in my notes, everything that you're hearing, other than the random comments that I make that make people mad, is in my notes. If you want a copy of these, I'll be glad to email them to you. Just give me your email address, and I'll send it to you if you want to go back over this. And I'd encourage you to do that. Now, I want to begin to lay a foundation, right quick, for the historic and the authoritative biblical doctrines that we need deeply embedded into our spirits, my friend. I'm going to begin to lay a foundation of the historic and the authoritative biblical doctrines of the word of God. Albeit it is imperative to mention the need for sound biblical doctrine, it's equally imperative for us to understand what constitutes biblical doctrine and what these doctrines really are. It's one thing to talk about how much we need it, but if you still don't know what it is. So we're going to lay a foundation. I'm going to start this morning and over the next several weeks, I'm going to give an in-depth treatise of the sound biblical doctrine, the biblical doctrines of the faith of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And so that you will know what you need from the word of God. Amen. Throughout history. Men have produced documents outlining the fundamentals of pure biblical doctrine, and one of these historic documents is called the Westminster Catechism. And there's the longer and there's the shorter version. And this was penned a few hundred years ago. It's biblically sound. Lining out the doctrines of the Christian faith as directed by the word of God and the first three articles of one hundred and seven articles of the shorter Westminster Catechism are as follows. And they're in question form, but they're articles one, two, three. And the other hundred and five fall under these three. Number one, what is the chief end of man? Why are we here? Why have I been created? But this is important doctrine. Why are you on this earth? Why have you been created? What is your purpose in creation? What has God ordained for you to do and to be? And the answer is man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. To glorify God, the chief end of man. Now, beloved, this is sound biblical doctrine. Historically, authoritatively, it's the word of God. God has created mankind for his own good pleasure. It is my calling. It is my purpose in life to glorify the king of kings and the lord of lords. The majestic God that we serve, Jehovah, our God, your way and enjoy him forever. Not only in my earth and experience, but forever throughout eternity. Question one, man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Beloved, any doctrine that gravitates away from that reality, it's false doctrine, and it's a lie from the pit of hell. Hello. Beloved, we're living in a day and time to where doctrine is pronouncing that God is the servant of man. And I have I have been taught. And I have heard taught in my younger, foolish days, and I didn't know any better, I have taught. Oh, God's mercy. I told Pastor Pete in an email, if it wasn't for the mercies of God, I'd be struck dead. I'm I'm serious. I would be struck dead because I have taught this to young people that you can command God, taking completely out of the context, the scriptures and the Psalms. I was teaching what I was taught by man, not what I was taught by the word of God. Let me give you an article, number two of the shorter Westminster Catechism. Westminster Catechism. What rule has God given to direct us upon how we may glorify him and enjoy him? What's the means whereby we can glorify God and enjoy God? The answer is the word of God. The word of God, which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. It's from the word of God. It's from the word of God. Question number three, what do the scriptures principally teach? The answer, the scriptures principally teach that what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man, the first three articles in this shorter catechism cover the other hundred and five or one hundred and four. There's one hundred and seven altogether articles of the shorter Westminster catechism. And so, again, the subsequent hundred and four articles are all in proportion to the first three articles, albeit important. I don't think that we have time today to do a lengthy instruction upon all of them now. Is everybody OK? Is it good? Is he falling asleep? Anybody like a nice cold lemonade? I would, too. I want to make some statements, friend. I want you to be alert and conscious of what I'm saying. Coinciding with the first article of this catechism, all biblical doctrine hinges upon and rotates around the principle that man's chief end is to glorify God and it's the very purpose for mankind's creation. Being so, any doctrine that gives emphasis to or centers around man's delight, man's comfort, man's happiness, man's fulfillment, man's entertainment or any other man centered or man purpose is a flawed and unbiblical doctrine. True biblical doctrine, my friend, is rooted and grounded upon the truth that God is the center of all things and that man's purpose is to glorify him. There are current doctors being herald abroad that promise the very idealism that God is man's servant. Whenever man becomes in want, whenever man becomes uncomfortable, whenever man suffers like whenever man is bored, it's the responsibility of God to meet those needs and desires that man has. It's being taught internationally. You and I both know it, we've seen it, we've listened to it, and most of us have to get this perch from us because it's rooted in us. Many of you here today, my friend, you've been influenced by these doctrines of devils. Beloved, it's not the responsibility of God to serve you. It's not his responsibility to entertain you. It's not his responsibility to meet your needs and desires. On the contrary. It's man's responsibility to glorify God and hence meet and minister to his needs, minister to his desires. Therefore, and thereby is our purpose in creation. Turning things right back right side up. Therefore, listen, any doctrinal issues that deviate from this principle, we must deem heretical and void of any truth. For example, as we spoke in our first message upon this topic, when the benefits of the gospel began to overtake and overshadow the very gospel itself. It begins to deviate away from the foundational truth that man is to glorify God. Are you with me when the emphasis is placed upon the benefits of the gospel, whenever it becomes out of balance and the idealism shifts to the purpose of the gospel to be given to the well-being and the blessedness of mankind, we have a problem. Love of the means of the gospel is to glorify God. The work of God in the incarnation is to glorify God. It's not to make you happy, to make you comfortable, but it is there in the redemptive work of Christ benefits for mankind. Well, most assuredly, I was telling our pastors this morning in our meeting, we preach the gospel and the benefits manifest. We don't preach the benefits to overshadow the gospel, we preach the gospel, but what it is like going into marriage just for the benefit of sex. And not for the commitment to the person, the reality of the true gospel is that the end is always in the glory and always to the glory of God, even when the subjects of the gospel, even when the subjects of the gospel are benefited by the gospel. Beloved as beneficiaries of the gospel, the chief end of the gospel's perfect purpose in benefiting man is to the glory of God. You're beneficiaries of the gospel. You're a beneficiary of the gospel, but the chief end of the gospel is not your beneficiary or your status as a child of God is to the glory of God. Get that through your heart. We're living in a generation. We demand our rights. We demand our rights. Rights come from grace and grace can't be demanded. It wouldn't be grace any longer. Grace is unmerited. Let's talk about glorifying God here. First Corinthians chapter six. Listen, we are reading just a little bit of these things about this, this one facet. The emerging church. And we all blush and we all go, oh, dear Jesus, this is awful. But listen, if you don't have a foundation of solid biblical doctrines in your heart, you'll fall prey to that or something else. There will be something new blow in the town that it will excite your emotions for a little bit and you'll become a slave. Just the way that it is, but we need to have a steadfast devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the person of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Listen to this. You are bought with a price. First Corinthians six, 20. You're bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. Well, this is about the glory of God and redemption and salvation. It's not the purpose is not for you to be benefited. The purpose is that God be glorified. And are you benefited? Most certainly the blood is standing thing right side up. The chief purpose is to glorify God. You're bought with the price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. The salvation that you enjoy and that you love is God's salvation. You're participating in something that is his. We got to think right to be right. Let's think biblically. The chief purpose of God and redeeming mankind is not to save mankind from hell. Even though mankind is saved from hell by the mercies of our great God. But the chief purpose of God and redemption is the glorification of God for God's good pleasure. Ephesians one. Is this making sense to you? Good morning, Barbara. Have you all met my friend, Barbara Hardy? Barbara, would you stand, let everyone get a good look at you. I just wanted this is my friend, Barbara Hardy, Ephesians chapter one. Thank you, Barbara. Again, we're going to see the glory of God and redemption having predestined us. And to the adoption of children, don't worry, Pastor Tim, by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. How? Why? To the praise of the glory of his grace, according to the good pleasure of his will, in whom we have redemption through his blood, forgiveness of sins. Talking about some benefits, eh? Right? Say these are benefits. According to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to what? His good pleasure, which he has purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of fullness of time, that he might gather together in one all things in Christ. Both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, that we should praise, uh, we should be to the praise of his glory, that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. Psalms 106, setting things right side up that God is preeminent. God is preeminent, even in redemption and not man. God is glorified Psalm 106 verse seven. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even at the red sea. Nevertheless, he saved them. He saved them for his own namesake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. He saved them for what? Well, we thought he saved them because he didn't want them to all be killed by Pharaoh. No, he saved them for his namesake. He saved them for his own namesake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. It's for the glory of God. It's for the glory of God. Daniel chapter nine, verse 19. Don't turn there. I'll just read it. Well, you can turn there if you want. Oh Lord here. Oh Lord, forgive. Oh Lord, hearken and do. Defer not for thy own sake. Oh my God. For thy city and thy people who are called by thy name for thy own sake. Oh my God. Hearken unto me and defer not. Now. Whether we must be balanced in this. We truly are the subjects of the benefits of the gospel. Well, yet the purpose for each of them is not for the glory of man, but for the glory of God. I don't know what they're doing back there, but I think it's getting violent. It's okay. Art, don't hurt anybody. Bloody God. God is glorified in his omnipotent power being asserted over that which he has dominion over all things everywhere in heaven, on earth, beneath the earth. Amen. All things. God asserting his dominion and power. When God ordains mankind to be the beneficiaries of the gospel. It is only as he is glorified in them. It is only as he is glorified in them. Man's purpose is to glorify God. And the gospel is God's chosen means towards that end. Any deviation from this biblical doctrine is flawed and it's devilish and it robs God of his glory. And beloved, how can I make this any clearer? The foundation upon which the gospel is built is the honor and the glory of God, the honor and the glory of God. And the premise of much of today's doctrine is wholly man centered. And we call this humanism. We call this humanism. It's subtle, but evident in many of the culturally embraced religious communities. And it's quickly identified by whom the doctrine gravitates around as its chief subject. And more times than not, man is the theme of the doctrine. I made mention earlier to their pastors just this week. I was looking at a website of a familiar church and the messages that are listed upon that website. Every message out of the multiplicity of messages that I saw are centered around the blessedness of man and his and his well-being while upon earth. Every sermon and people are flocking to it. How man can become more successful, how man can become happier, how man can earn more money, et cetera, et cetera. Now, don't misunderstand, my friend. In the new birth, there are benefits and we truly are the beneficiaries. Listen. Yet the chief end of these benefits is that God might be glorified. And not man, therefore, we must understand that all biblical doctrine has its true expression in the glory of God. Being so, if we hear a gospel that emphatically pronounces and declares the well-being and the blessedness of man or the fulfilled man, the happy man, the over coming man, when taking taken out of the context of these being means to an end. And that being the glorification of God, we can know that it's a damnable doctrine being empowered by seducing spirits. Does that make sense? And it is from these doctrines, my friend, that we must flee. We must flee into the very refuge of Christ from whence all true and beautiful doctrine flows. Listen, friend, I don't believe that the greatest struggle today for the Christian is pornography, even though it's an issue. It's not the greatest. I don't believe that it is. Divorce. Even though that's an issue, I don't believe it's drugs, I don't believe it's drinking, I don't believe it's adultery, even though those things are taking place. I believe that the greatest threat. In your generation, in my generation is doctrinal heresy, whereby man becomes. The center of the universe. And not the ancient of days, beloved, listen to me. If you don't have these biblical foundations laid in your heart. You will hear these doctrines, the voice and the draw on the gravitation of your natural man. Will run to them in full force, false doctrines, and you'll have nothing where with you can fight against it. You'll have nothing. I want you to read the epistle of Jude, read the epistle of second Peter, chapter two, read in Timothy's epistles, Paul's epistle to young Timothy about heresy and the end of those that fall prey. And beloved, it is my intention. If we can get people to show up for church. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and give strong biblical doctrine, backed up by many infallible truths of the word of God, sacred scripture. That you can have inscribed upon the tablets of your heart that whenever you hear these things being taught, you can cry out unclean, unclean, that you may flee from the wrath that is to come upon these things. Love it. I believe the greatest threat in the church is doctrinal. It's doctrinal. We're tossed to and fro. We run from event to event. We knew fat and new fab. One day we're looking for feathers. Next day, we're looking for gold teeth and gold dust. Why is it we run to these licentious things? Because we don't have a firm biblical foundation to know that they're unbiblical or very, very best extra biblical. When I say unbiblical and extra biblical, I'm saying the same thing. If it's not there, it's not of God. And some of you may not have a clue what I'm talking about, but there are people that run the meetings because they think that the angels are flapping their wings and feathers are coming out and they're blowing around and they're picking up. Oh, we've got an angel's feather or that people are getting gold teeth in place of their, their silver ones that are, that are in their mouth or that they're finding gold dust in the floor. And it just that God has been there and angels have been walking. And, and it's just a bunch of religious jargon that's backed up by the powers of darkness to distract people away from the lively hope that in Jesus Christ being their sufficiency. Love it. If you can fill this whole stinking building up with gold, bull yawn, give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. And if all of the feathers that come from all the wings of the angels pile up in so much that we can't contain them, burn them all and give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. I don't need it. I don't want it. I want him. I want him. The first message I preached and I proved to you by sovereign scripture. That you can not be saved without sound biblical doctrine. I proved it in Romans chapter six. I proved that in Timothy's epistle, you cannot be saved apart from biblical doctrine and beloved. It's my intention. The time we're through to have laid a foundation, a treatise upon pure God ordained biblical doctrine, the tenants of the faith that you will know if you hear something that comes in the name of Christ, but it's not in the spirit of Christ, it doesn't line up with the word of Christ that you can run. That you can run, get away from it and get away from those that participate in it because they're unaware they'll drag you right into the middle of it. Oh, blah, blah. Take heed. When you think you stand, take heed. The greatest threat to modern Christianity is unbiblical. Let's stand.