{"id":18634,"date":"2016-02-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-02-20T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/house-divided\/"},"modified":"2016-02-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-02-20T06:00:00","slug":"house-divided","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/house-divided\/","title":{"rendered":"House Divided"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[91],"series_event":[426],"sermon_service_type":[473],"speaker":[461],"class_list":["post-18634","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-1-corinthians","series_event-mens-breakfast","sermon_service_type-sunday-school","speaker-doyle-davis","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"House Divided","sermon_date":"20160220","sermon_month":"2","sermon_year":"2016","sermon_notes":"","sermon_slides":"","sermon_mp3":3394,"sermon_id":"","series_or_event":426,"service_type":[473],"speaker":461,"books_of_the_bible":91,"chapter_and_verse":"1:10","sermon_transcript":"Rev. Doyle Davis\nHouse Divided\n1 Corinthians 1:10\nMen\u2019s Breakfast, February 20, 2016\n\nAndy Woods: Good morning everybody, the speaker is Doyle Davis, he\u2019s been here before, this is just very needed in the time we find ourselves. Sometimes he\u2019ll deal with racial issues, political issues, he does it from a biblical position. I\u2019m not really sure what he\u2019s going to be talking about today but [can't understand word] and he\u2019s the pastor in the Houston area, what\u2019s the name of your church again?\n\nDoyle Davis: Abundant Grace Baptist Church\n\nAndy Woods: Abundant Grace Baptist and he\u2019s a College of Biblical Studies guy so I got to know him a little bit through that and [can't understand word] [laughter] and I liked him and he liked me so anyway, let\u2019s go ahead and welcome Doyle Davis.\n\nDoyle Davis: Again I\u2019m really appreciative for having been invited here. I always enjoy fellowshipping with you all. I have a great respect for your pastor. I want to thank Brother Ed for inviting me. But maybe I shouldn\u2019t have said your name out loud because if I do terribly they\u2019re going to blame you. [Laughter] So may I shouldn\u2019t have said that. [someone says oops] Yeah, oops! [laughter]\n\nBut I\u2019m glad to be here, you guys really make me feel welcome. I always enjoy being around the brotherhood; it\u2019s good to see a lot of men. I was telling your pastor how wonderful it must be to have so many men that are involved in the church. I know it makes me feel good; I know it has to make him feel good as well.\n\nSo we\u2019re going to get ready to go into the Word. Amen! You guys don\u2019t mind if we sing part of a hymn do you? You don\u2019t mind? [someone says something, can\u2019t hear, loud laughter] I don\u2019t know about singing good, I don\u2019t even know if I\u2019ll sing well either. [lots of laughter and someone says quit talking and get to singing. More laughter] Yes Sir ! Thank you Mr. McGowan, with an \u201ca\u201d [laughter].\n\nAmazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see. Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.\n\nFather, we come this morning to give you glory, honor and praise. We come this morning, Lord God, to proclaim Your Word, extol You Lord God, for I ask that you would empower me to do just that. Lord God, may I decrease as You increase. Lord, speak through me and let it be You and not me. Father God, I just pray that you\u2019ll be honored with what\u2019s said here. In Jesus name, Amen.\n\nThis is not a political speech. I am just passionate. I have to a lot of times say that my sermons are not political, they really aren\u2019t, but it\u2019s just that I\u2019m so passionate about America, I\u2019m so passionate about my country. I see what\u2019s going on, I\u2019m sure many of you notice what\u2019s going on in our society, our country, around the world today as well and I don\u2019t know about you but it\u2019s kind of unsettling to me how easily we\u2019ve been turned or are being turned from our Christian roots and heritage and how easily we\u2019re falling for propaganda and lies and half-truths, and it\u2019s like we\u2019ve forgotten who we are.\n\nWe\u2019ve never been perfect\u2026 we\u2019ve never been perfect but one thing I could say about America is that we\u2019ve always, as long as I can remember, have read, with all of our flaws we have always been a country with a conscience. We\u2019ve always, when we\u2019ve done wrong on some level, somewhere, sometime we\u2019ve always tried to correct that wrong. And we\u2019ve never really been afraid to say we made a mistake. We\u2019ve always tried to find the common ground but it seems like we are turning away from that now; we\u2019re becoming something else and I believe that today in America we are experiencing, on a scale that we haven\u2019t been in decades, maybe even a century and a half, is a division. There\u2019s a division that we haven\u2019t experienced in quite a long time.\n\nThe nation has survived all sorts of rifts and tears and effects of war, both foreign wars and domestic wars that affect social divisions like women\u2019s rights or civil rights. And now we\u2019re having to deal with the gay rights and political correctness and the things that come along with it. We\u2019re having to deal with the animosity created by classism and the chaos and the anarchy of groups like black lives matter or occupy Wall street movements, even now Muslim protest groups. We\u2019re having to deal with all of that sort of stuff and America is divided and things seem to be unraveling before our very eyes. It seems like we\u2019re falling apart right before our very eyes.\n\nWhat should we expect? What would we think would happen in a dark and sinful world? This is a fallen dark world; what else can happen when the center of man\u2019s life and existence is himself and not God? Our American world is falling apart because the foundations are cracked and crumbling and it isn\u2019t strong enough to hold up under the weight of it all.\n\nBut what\u2019s even more disturbing is a division that is prominent in the church. The church is divided. The things that were once unthinkable are now becoming more and more thinkable among professing Christians. Satan has been busy you all\u2026 can I say \u201cyou all\u201d, we are in the south, right. Well Satan has become busy; he has worked systematically to weaken many in the church today. He\u2019s working overtime on it. His ultimate goal, and this is nothing new to you because I know this pastor, the devil\u2019s agenda, his sole agenda is to steal, kill and to destroy. Amen.\n\nAll who call on the name of Jesus he wants to kill. He wants to steal our joy, he wants to destroy our homes, he wants to destroy our communities. He wants to destroy our government. He wants to destroy our country because that\u2019s what he does. Satan wants to destroy all of mankind because it is in God\u2019s image that man was made. He can\u2019t be God so what do you do? You attack those that God loves. So he\u2019s here to steal, to kill, and to destroy.\n\nMen in the church today are not thinking or living biblically. They live and behave like the world Monday through Sunday, and they roll and waddle in mud and modernity and they\u2019re putrefied philosophy of the world. On Saturday [can't understand word] the soot of the weaker [can't understand word] for two hours or so. They listen to a sermon, they sing a hymn or two, they put their money in the offering plate and afterwards they feel spring fresh, clean, safe. And then they start it all over again. Yes, the church is divided; we\u2019re almost split right down the middle on issues like abortion rights, gay marriage, politics, etc.\n\nIf the body of Christ, the church of Jesus Christ is divided how can we ever hope our government, our nation, our homes will not be divided as well. Ladies and gentlemen, we\u2019re living in a house that\u2019s divided. That\u2019s what I\u2019m talking about this morning, a house divided, our house, God\u2019s house, the church -- a house divided.\n\nDuring the Civil War it was Christmas Eve and the Confederate camp was on one side of the creek and the Union Army was on the other side. And there had been a cease fire to observe the holidays. And you had one confederate soldier who was post on one side of the creek and a union soldier post on another side of the creek. And so the union soldier decided he\u2019d light a pipe, and he lit a pipe. And he heard from the other side of the creek, Hey yank, you\u2019re sure making yourself mighty clear over there, I see that pipe you just lit, you might want to put it out. He said well thank you Rev, I appreciate that. He said well, it\u2019s Christmas time and I guess I won\u2019t shoot you. He said I appreciate that Rev. Hey yank, how about a smoke of that pipe? Well, if you won\u2019t shoot me I guess I will. So the union soldier and the confederate soldier walked through the shallow waters of this creek and they find this dry embankment along this creek. And they began talking to one another, they began showing pictures of their families back home, talking about their wives and talking about their children, smoking on a pipe, talking about home, talking about the Lord. And when it was all over they took a final puff on a pipe and [can't understand word] said to the Yankee, Merry Christmas Yankee, and the union soldier said to the Rebel, Merry Christmas Reb and they left and went back to their post.\n\nWhat was the common bond between two men who normally would be shooting at one another, who would be killing one another? What was the commonality that they had? What was it that made them forget about their lethal fatal differences? The difference that had caused so many to die, ultimately 650,000 men died because of those differences; what was the one thing that made them one at that moment? Their faith. Their Christian faith.\n\nAnd I submit to you this morning that same Christian faith can reunite and energize and make the church solid again if we just practice it. If we\u2019d come together on the thing that\u2019s most important to us, our faith, maybe we could heal or mend this tear that we\u2019re experiencing now.\n\nPresident Lincoln quoting Jesus in a speech he gave during his campaign for President said: \u201cA house divided against itself cannot stand.\u201d He said \u201cI believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.\u201d He said, \u201cI do not expect the union [can't understand word] to be dissolved, I do not expect the house to fall but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It would become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it and places where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction, OR its advocates will push it forward till it shall become lawful in all the states, old as well as new, north as well as south.\n\nLincoln didn\u2019t say that America would cease to be; he didn\u2019t say that. He uses an interesting word. He says it would not endure, it would not endure, in other words it would not vanish but it would not be the same, it would be something other. And that\u2019s what we are beginning to experience now. America is not going to vanish; she\u2019s just going to become \u201cother.\u201d She\u2019s not going to be the America you grew up in or I grew up in. I\u2019m looking at some of the older gentlemen here today; it\u2019s not going to be the America you remember, it\u2019s not going to be the America that you had dreams of for your sons and your son\u2019s sons. It\u2019s going to be something \u201cother,\u201d it\u2019s going to morph into one thing or another.\n\nAnd if we want to stop that morphing, that transition, if we want this country to endure the church needs to heal its splits. I\u2019m not saying that you can\u2019t be a Bible church or I can\u2019t be a Baptist church, but we must be solid on the important things, the non-negotiables. The problem is, like I said earlier, the things that we thought were impossible not they\u2019re\u2026 who would ever think that 40% of the Church or Christians would think that same sex marriage is okay. I would have never thought that, not in my\u2026 you could hit me over the head with a bat but I would have never thought that. But here we are\u2026 here we are! We\u2019re a house divided.\n\nIf our nation is going to cease from being divided the church needs to cease from being divided. There are Republican Christians, Democratic Christians, liberal Christians, conservative Christians, every flavor under the sun Christians. What\u2019s more needful are authentic Bible-believing Christians, Christians whose hope isn\u2019t in the platform of any part but in the platform of Christ Jesus Himself. God does not want His house divided; He wants His house unified in purpose and active obedience, Amen. [men say Amen]\n\nTurn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 1. I\u2019m going to be covering from verse 10 mainly but just for context and continuity I\u2019m going to start reading at verse 1. Okay. 1 Corinthians 1, now Dr. Woods, I have to confess, I says man, is this the text I want to come from, I said because hey, I\u2019m sitting here preaching and teaching in front of a professor, you know, and I don\u2019t want to flunk, you all. [Laughter] I don\u2019t want to flunk so I\u2019m under a little pressure here, okay.\n\nSo just put it out there, okay, verse 1. \u201cPaul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ for the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, [2] To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, both theirs and ours. [3] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [4] I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, [5] that you are enriched in everything by Him, in all utterance and in al knowledge, [6] even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, [7] so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation or our Lord Jesus Christ, [8] who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.\u201d\n\nAnd here\u2019s the focal text, \u201cNow I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.\u201d He said \u201cI plead with you, brethren, by the name of Jesus Christ\u201d to \u201cspeak the same things.\u201d There\u2019s a problem in the church today, we\u2019re not speaking the same things. We have our own agendas. We have our own goals. We have our own opinions. What did I say about opinions? Everybody has one, but there\u2019s only one opinion that matters and that\u2019s the opinion of God and God gives His opinion through His Word.\n\nPaul says, \u201cI urge you brother,\u201d the word, if I\u2019m not mistaken, Dr. Andy, in the Greek it\u2019s parakale\u014d, and it means to come alongside, to come with me. Paul is saying come with me, stand breast to breast with me. Stand shoulder to shoulder with me, let\u2019s have a united front together. He says come alongside, I exhort you; it\u2019s almost like he\u2019s commanding, but he\u2019s really pleading, he\u2019s begging. He says please join with me in this, let\u2019s PLEASE speak the same what? Thing! Speak the same thing! The church has to be clear on the issue of who Jesus Christ is. If we were clear on the issue of who Jesus Christ is a lot of this stuff we wouldn\u2019t be having. If we actually knew who God was and is and what His requirement, His holy and righteous requirement is of us we wouldn\u2019t have the rift and the division in the church that we have.\n\nAnd wherever the body of Christ will find itself, whether it\u2019s in the Mayor\u2019s office, [can't understand word] attorney, the preacher. Believe that or not, he\u2019s a preacher. But if we were silent on who Jesus is He wouldn\u2019t be making or come here with the policies and the ideas he has. Jesse Jackson, a preacher, (that\u2019s the rumor), if he was silent on the Word, if he was silent on who God is, we wouldn\u2019t have the issue with him that we have. We have to speak the same things and because we\u2019re not speaking the same things we\u2019re not clear on the issue who Jesus Christ is. When it says \u201cspeak the same thing\u201d that word it\u2019s leg\u014d, it means to lay out, to affirm, to put out there. Paul says come with me and let\u2019s definitely, with no fogginess, without any debate, set out what is the truth of God\u2019s Word? What is it that God says? Who is this Jesus? Let\u2019s leave no doubt about it, lay it out there, affirm it, don\u2019t hide it, don\u2019t be a submarine Christian.\n\nJesus isn\u2019t some monogram we wear on our sleeve, on our lapels to make a spiritual fashion statement. It\u2019s not like carrying a Bible with us so people will say oh boy, that\u2019s a big Bible, you must really be spiritual. No, that\u2019s not who Jesus is; He\u2019s not some cross around your neck to impress people. That\u2019s not who He is! He\u2019s not a fashion statement. For the believer Jesus is the one to be imitated and to be emulated in our lives, in our thinking, in our doing. We cannot be foggy in our proclamation of who Jesus is.\n\nThat\u2019s a big problem in the church, is Jesus straight or gay? Was Jesus really a woman? Was Mary Magdalene His chick? Is He just a good prophet? You\u2019ve got all these controversies in the church. In the Jewish seminaries now days to determine whether Jesus is this or that they use beans. Come on. We\u2019re not clear on issues. Every Christian should both conservative and radical. What do I mean by that? Conservative in preserving the faith and radical in applying it. That\u2019s what John Stott says, \u201cconservative in preserving the faith, radical in applying it.\u201d Is that us?\n\nLook at the text again. It says, \u201cNow I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ\u2026.\u201d Who is Jesus? Jesus is Lord, in other words, Jesus is master; that\u2019s what Lord means. If Jesus is Lord or He is Master, then the believer is his doulos, His slave. We like to fix it, Dr. Woods would say His servant. But it really means slave, I mean SLAVE. Servants take breaks, no; slaves don\u2019t take breaks, okay. Servants have unions, slaves don\u2019t have unions. He says, \u201cMaster,\u201d and then we as believers, we\u2019re His slaves and slaves only have one agenda. What\u2019s a slave\u2019s agenda? The agenda of their master and that\u2019s it. He has one itinerary, one goal, to please his master. The slave\u2019s life isn\u2019t his own but the master\u2019s. So which [can't understand word] being sold out to other parties, other [can't understand word]. I mean, we were sold out to the Master, all this other stuff will take care of itself, Amen. I\u2019m not losing you, am I?\n\nHe says \u201cLord.\u201d It also says Christ has the power and the wisdom of God, in other words, our confidence isn\u2019t in the impotent power of any party or the finite wisdom of any political pundit, our confidence is in Christ, our candidate, and His gospel our platform. Jesus ought to be our candidate, the gospel is our platform and our confidence should be totally and completely in Him. Our commitment, our dedication is to Him above all else! Not to any one man, not to any one woman, not to any one part but to Him, and if our complete commitment and dedication was to Him can you imagine what America would be today? Can you only imagine?\n\nWhen Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with the Roman legions he took a bold and decisive step to assure the success of his military venture, he ordered his men to march the edge of the Cliffs of Dove and he commanded them to look down at the water below and to their amazement they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent there was nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer and that\n\nWe have to make up our minds, gentlemen, that we\u2019re not turning back. We have to make up our minds that we\u2019re going to fight for Christ, we\u2019re going to fight for the unity in the body, we\u2019re going to fight for truth, we\u2019re going to fight. We\u2019re not going to go into that sleep peacefully. We burned the bridges behind us. Amen!\n\nPaul reminds the Corinthians of their commitment and allegiance to Christ, so we the church ought to be reminded as well. Amen! Our primary allegiance is to who? Christ, and His Kingdom. And there\u2019s nothing else, there\u2019s no turning back.\n\nLook back at the text again, it says, that \u201cyou speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you,\u201d that there be no division amongst\u2026 the church has closed ranks, she has to stand in the gaps and be unified. [I Corinthians 1:10, \u201cNow I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.\u201d NASB] No division, there has to be no schism, no splits, no rifts, no gaps. Paul asks the rhetorical question in verse 13, is Christ divided?\n[1 Corinthians 10:13]\n\nAt the church at Corinth they were arguing about who is their spiritual superstar. Some say hey man, I hang out with Apollos. Hey man, I hang out with Paul. Hey man, I hang out with Cephas, or Peter. Or I am with Christ. Paul turns around and says hey, \u201cIs Christ divided?\u201d\n[1 Corinthians 1:13] And that\u2019s a rhetorical question because Christ was not what? Divided. Then why are we?\n\nAgain I\u2019m not talking about the church of America, I\u2019m talking about united on these issues, united on the mission purpose of the church. Are we divided? We don\u2019t have to necessarily agree on the peripheral issues; we must be unified on the essentials and the person and the mission of Jesus Christ. We must not be divided if our country is going to be healed. We\u2019ve got to be\u2026 what\u2019s that show where the guy gets out the window and he says\u2026 golly, it\u2019s an old movie. He just screams it out. A person needs to get mad, we need to get mad. I\u2019m mad and I\u2019m not taking it any more. We need to get so mad that we just won\u2019t take it anymore. We need to say enough is what? ENOUGH!\n\nPsalm 133:1-2 says, \u201cBehold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, it\u2019s like the precious oil upon the head, running [2] It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down to the edge of his garment.\u201d\n\nGod wants us to dwell together in unity in church, and in Amos it says how can two walk together unless they\u201d what? \u201cagree.\u201d If we\u2019re going to be unified we have to what? agree! [Amos 3:3, \u201cCan two walk together, except they be agreed?\u201d KJV] Solomon said in Ecclesiastes though one may be overpowered by another two can withstand him and a threefold cord is not easily what? Broken. [Ecclesiastes 4:12, NIV, \u201cThough one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.\u201d]\n\nI think through all of these verses it just talks about what? A oneness, a unity, a commitment to God. If we don\u2019t want our nation divided\u2026 did you know that there are Christians in almost every high and lofty place in this country? Just imagine if our Christian judges lived by their faith. Just imagine if our Senators and our Congressmen lived out their faith. Just imagine it Supreme Court Justices lived out their faith. Just imagine if our police chiefs lived out their faith. What would this country be like?\n\nAll we have to do is live it out. If the church is going to have an impact on the contention in the nation we must deal with the contention in the church. England\u2019s famed general, Wellington, was faced with the overwhelming task of battling France\u2019s great General Napoleon at Waterloo. Wellington\u2019s forces were outnumbered by the world\u2019s conquering French. Napoleon, after pounding the British with artillery than sent in its fierce cavalry to finish the British off. They swooped down the sloped hills into the mass of British soldiers below. Wellington, however, decided to place his army in a four diamond shaped formations which caused the charging French cavalry to be divided into several smaller groups. The smaller British army was then able to defend itself and ultimately defeated the larger French army. Napoleon was defeated, not because of numbers; he was defeated because of division.\n\nThe only way we can be defeated, the only way the church can be stopped, the only way this nation can be stopped is that we\u2019re what? Divided! We have to mend the tares, gentlemen. The Corinthian believers would not positively impact the culture around them if they themselves wouldn\u2019t split. How can a church ever hope to influence and turn our nation and communities around if we\u2019re divided. We can\u2019t allow ourselves to be distracted by peripheral agendas.\n\nThere\u2019s a saying that goes, I\u2019m not sure who said it, it says: And the essential is what? Unity, non-essentials, liberty, and in all things charity. [\u201cIn essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.\u201d \u2015 Augustine of Hippo]\n\nBrothers, we have to be united. And I talk to so many people that are Christians, as a matter of fact I walked into the Post Office the other day, I go in there often do business at the Post Office, and I usually get the usual clerk and I walked in and I\u2019m a pretty cordial fellow, I\u2019ll talk but I don\u2019t make a scene, I don\u2019t make myself too obvious, and I walked up to the counter and she says \u201cHow\u2019s my Republican friend doing?\u201d [Laughter] This is a black lady. I said how could you know I was a Republican? She says oh, by how you talk in here. I said I don\u2019t say a whole lot when I come in here. I said I don\u2019t recall saying anything that would clue in that I was a Republican or otherwise.\n\nAnd so how did this woman know that I had Republican leanings? And then it dawned on me, she knew my name and she went to my Facebook site and she reads my posts and things like that. That\u2019s the only way she could have known. And then she said well, you started talking about Trump, you know, that Trump this and that Trump that. I said yeah, I can\u2019t stand him. And she looked at me like that, surprised, and I said you weren\u2019t expecting that, were you. She didn\u2019t say no, I wasn\u2019t expecting that. I said I\u2019m not Republican, I said the only reason I vote Republican is because I vote my faith. I\u2019m influenced by my faith so that\u2019s why I vote Republican. And then she did an about face, she said well I voted for Bush the last time. I said good for you. Well good for you.\n\nThat\u2019s my point, she was a Christian woman\u2026 she was a Christian woman! Sure she loved the Lord, but too many people in the church hang their hats at the door. We have to take our faith everywhere we go, on our jobs, as well as the voting booths. Whether you are a garbage man, a police man, or a Republican, you have to take your faith with you. We can\u2019t be divided on the major issues. We can talk about the peripheral stuff, but if we\u2019re not unified on the major issues we will always be a house what? Divided. And if the church is divided, guess what? The nation is going to be what? Divided.\n\nBut guys, guess where it starts\u2014it starts with us. We can point the finger, we can complain, we can pitch and moan, notice I said Pitch, [laughter] and moan but it starts with us. Don\u2019t give up the fight, burn the bridge behind you, no going back. Be unified, don\u2019t be divided, and maybe, just maybe things will turn around for us. Amen! Is it all right to give the Lord a hand of praise here? [clapping]\n\nAndy Woods: Well, that was very important what he says and as the Psalms say, Selah. You all know know what Selah means? It means consider, carefully ponder, so let\u2019s give Doyle a round of applause. And I\u2019m going to close us in a word of prayer. Father, we are grateful for Your Word, first and foremost, and how it teaches us that we really, in these days that we find ourselves need to stand on not man\u2019s word but Your Word. Help us, Father, to take this message to heart and not to be one person on Sunday and then a totally different person on Monday. Help us to really take Your truth and apply it to every area of life, whether it be voting or marriage or how we handle our finances or how we treat people. And we know, Father, that You\u2019re very grieved over the state of Your church, but we just ask that right here in this room an awakening could start where we could be, perhaps of the first in this city just to really start standing, not on man\u2019s agenda but Your agenda as you make it clear to us through Your Word. I pray that we will just take to heart what Doyle shared with us and that we would be men that You called us to be in these last days. And we\u2019ll be careful to give You all the praise and the glory. We ask these things in Jesus name.","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t