In this sermon, the preacher discusses the importance of standing for the truth and not compromising one's beliefs based on the opinions of others. He criticizes Christians who shape their lives based on the approval of others rather than what is right in the eyes of God. The preacher uses the story of Jacob and his sons to illustrate his point, specifically focusing on the incident involving Dinah and Shechem. He highlights the brutal act of revenge carried out by Simeon and Levi, acknowledging that while their intentions may have been justified, their actions were excessive.

Now, the very interesting thing is, notice what happened. And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son, and the young man deferred not to do the thing because he had delight in Jacob's daughter, and he was more honorable than all the house of his father. I would say this boy is doing the honorable thing at this point. And Hamor and Shechem, his son, came under the gate of their city and communed with the men of their city, saying, These men are peaceable with us, therefore let them dwell in the land, trade therein. For the land, behold, it's large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only herein will the man consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? Only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. In other words, they expected, really, to rob Jacob before it was over. I'm going through the ceremony for everyone except the boy who wanted to marry the girl. It was as phony as it could be. It's like just joining the church when you're not converted. And unto Hamer and Shechem, his son, hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city. Every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of the city. And it came to pass on the third day when they were sore that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man as sword and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males. This was really trickery, let me tell you. And Dinah's brothers were Simeon and Levi. They were full brothers that wanted to get revenge. And notice their revenge. They go a little too far. And the very fact that Hamer intended to dispossess Jacob and his sons of the great wealth which Jacob had accumulated in Haran, it doesn't justify the brutal act of Simeon and Levi, but it does reveal the impossible situation of dealing with the inhabitants of that land. And the thing they've done is a very terrible thing. Now notice, they slew Hamer and Shechem, his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and spoiled the city because they had defiled their sister. The other sons joined in on this. Now this reveals something in the family of Jacob, as you can see, that's not right, that they had learned in the home of Laban. They took their sheep, their oxen, their asses, that which was in the city and that which was in the field, and all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives, took they captive and spoiled even all that was in the house. And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites, the Perizzites. And I being few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and slay me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. Now again, notice something that is obviously wrong here in the life of Jacob. Jacob rebuked Simeon and Levi for giving him a bad name. He says, why, they'll all be after me. But he doesn't rebuke them for the sin that they've committed. That is the interesting thing here. We get today a wrong perspective, I think sometimes, of sin and of our actions. We think of the effect that it's going to have. Now, we have in the churches today, many men and women, for that matter, they won't take a stand on certain issues. Why? Well, the little crowd they run with may not accept them. They are with a little click, and they don't dare stand for anything that the little click wouldn't stand for. It's never a question of whether it's right or wrong. It's a question of whether it ingratiates me to the crowd. God have mercy today on Christians that shape their lives by those that are around them and are constantly looking for the effect their conduct's going to have on others. And they don't look on whether this is the right thing or the Christian thing, or as a child of God, is this something I should do or not do? And that's the reason our churches are filled today with those who compromise, and little wonder that today we have so many frustrated, unhappy Christians. I tell you, it's a wonderful thing to stand for the truth today, and when you stand for it, that you don't have to compromise. How wonderful it is when we'll do that. But poor old Jacob, he's growing, but he hasn't grown that far. You may be sure of that.