Silencing the mocking voices.
You will go through seasons where you will
hear, and I will hear, mocking voices.
Do you know what mocking is?
Jesting, teasing, the court system, your friends, your
family, others, the way you live, they'll jest,
they'll mock.
And the whole point, I believe one of
the points of mocking the enemy will use
to get you and to get me sidetracked
and discouraged.
Are you going to start a Wednesday service?
Oh my goodness, that will never work.
You're already doing too much.
The mocking voices are already starting right here.
And the whole point is discouragement.
And last night I mentioned that when we
first started, planted the church in September 2010,
a lot of people mocked about Saturday nights.
You can't start a church on Saturday nights.
That doesn't happen.
You have to have a core group of
people in your home and you grow from
that.
What you're doing, Shane, doesn't work.
I don't know what to tell you.
We've got a free building and God wants
to do this.
I'm going to go on that.
And going on that is much better than
listening to the mocking voices.
And you know those voices.
You'll never amount to anything.
You'll never kick this alcohol or drug addiction.
You're a failure and you will always be.
And they just mock and they mock.
And if outside influences weren't bad enough, what
about the internal mocking?
I believe the enemy can plant thoughts.
And the only way you know those thoughts
are good or not is to take those
thoughts captive and look them up through the
scriptural mandates that God has given us.
But what do you do with those mocking
voices?
Is it just me or have you ever
been sidetracked by those?
Your family mocks you.
The courts mock you.
The world mocks you.
I mean, you look at the Democratic and
Republic National Conventions.
They mocked each other.
Big time.
There is mocking going on and it's getting
worse and it's getting worse.
It's joking.
It's jesting.
It's ridiculing.
And probably the worst example of this in
the history of the world is when they
mocked Jesus.
And that song touched me again this morning.
It always does.
That I could hear my mocking voice among
the scoffers.
Because not all of us have been following
Christ 100% have we?
We've mocked Him before.
We've taken His name in vain.
Thank God for the cross.
Thank God for the hope in Christ.
Verse 27, Then the soldiers of the governor
took Jesus into the praetorium and gathered the
whole garrison around Him.
And they stripped Him and put a scarlet
robe on Him.
When they had twisted a crown of thorns,
they put it on His head, and a
reed in His right hand.
And they bowed the knee before Him, and
they mocked Him, saying, Hell, King of the
Jews!
Then they sped on Him and took the
reed and struck Him on the head.
And when they had mocked Him, they took
the robe off of Him, put His own
clothes on Him, and led Him away to
be crucified.
What they did here is they mocked His
position.
They mocked what God was doing.
God had to.
This is the greatest saving event in all
of human history.
All of human history.
I love soldiers that have given their life
for our nation.
I love when people do something and they
give their life.
But this is the greatest saving event that
has ever happened in the history of the
world.
And the people mocked it.
They mocked His position, and they mocked what
God was doing.
Isn't this interesting?
God is doing this.
He says it's foretold in the Scriptures.
I foretold about it in the prophets.
The prophets you read.
The prophets you memorize.
This is My will.
But you are mocking My will.
You are mocking what God is doing.
So be careful, Christian.
We can mock what God is doing.
The Charismatics mocked the Conservatives.
And the Conservatives, guess who they mock?
The Charismatics.
The Baptists mocked the Presbyterian.
And some people mock emotional, charged worship.
Why are you worshipping that way?
You should just be solid and sitting there
and reverent.
And we mock each other.
And be careful here because blasphemy of the
Holy Spirit is attributing to Satan the works
of God.
That's what they were blaspheming.
These religious leaders earlier on in Jesus' life
were blaspheming the work of God.
They said, oh, that's the work of Satan.
So I think we just have to be
careful, myself included, on what we mock, what
we make fun of.
Is God truly moving?
Is God truly working in people's lives?
And many times we mock out of insecurity.
So just think of that next time.
Before we discount what God might be doing
and begin to mock, let's take it to
prayer and ask God to open our eyes.
Now as they came out, they found a
man of Cyrene, Simon by name.
Him they compelled to bear his cross.
And when they had come to a place
called Golgotha, that is the place of the
skull, they gave him sour wine mingled with
gall to drink.
But when he had tasted it he would
not drink.
Now it's interesting, just stop there for a
minute.
The place of the skull, obviously there was
maybe something in the area that looked like
a skull, a cave or something.
Golgotha, that's the name of a skull.
They were taking Jesus, that was the area
of crucifixion.
And there's no scriptural support, really, for the
crucifixion to have taken place on a hill.
Many times we have this imagery that Jesus
going up Calvary and walking up the hill.
And it could have been, or it could
have been down on a plain, we don't
know.
All we know is he was led away
to this place of crucifixion.
And what a penalty to carry the very
thing you'll be executed on.
They would make the prisoners carry their own
cross and mock them as they walked by.
I mean, when you take your mind back
there to that setting, it's amazing to picture
this big beam and you're dragging it and
this is what's going to kill you.
And they're mocking you, thieves, robbers.
The people would mock the people.
It was not uncommon to spit on them,
to throw stones, to throw dust.
And they're mocking them this entire way.
And on this issue of sour wine mingled
with Golgotha drink, the theologians are divided.
I myself am divided.
I mean, you could go either way on
this.
The first thought is this, the sour wine
was too bitter.
They put too much bitter herbs in there
and Jesus just could not taste it.
It was too bitter.
Or the other group, which I would probably
tend to be on this side, would say
that Jesus wanted not to dull or numb
his senses, but to absorb the full wrath
of God and not to use wine.
What wine mainly was used in Jesus' time
was for medicinal purposes, to ease a pain
and also for joy.
Those are the two areas we find in
Scripture that God would use that.
So whatever it is, Jesus is refusing that
drink.
And the Talmud says this.
The Talmud was something the Jews used that
would have the ceremonial laws and the other
laws of their society in this book that
was extra from the Bible.
The Talmud says that when a person was
led out to execution, he is given a
goblet of wine containing a grain of frankincense
in order to be numb his senses.
So that was the whole point of giving
somebody wine is to be numb.
I don't think we use that word now
too much.
Their senses, to dull their senses.
And I don't know if I can get
off on a huge rabbit trail like I
did last night, but let me say something.
Just a word about wine, a word about
alcohol, tying in here.
That was the main purpose in the Bible,
is medicinal or also joy.
The fruit of the labor at a wedding,
say, and there was joy there.
But the person who consumes alcohol walks a
very fine line between freedom over here and
sin over here.
Between responsibility and carelessness.
Between liberty and abuse.
It's a very fine line there.
And this line is even narrower now.
In Jesus' time, you didn't have the mobile
station on every corner.
But this issue now in our culture, it
seems like many people are hiding behind this
liberty and actually becoming addicted and abusing it.
Now, I'm not talking about the person who
has a glass now and then or a
beer now and then.
They know who they are.
It's not a big deal.
They probably don't even know when the last
time they had one was.
They don't think about it.
It just occurs.
The liberty is there.
And scripturally, you cannot take a position of
abstinence.
But it is a very wise position for
many people.
Here's what's happened.
This group who has one now and then,
nobody really knows.
Now there's this middle group, especially young adults.
They just love to flaunt their liberty.
They want everybody to know they're having a
six pack of Corona on the beach via
Facebook.
And that's not liberty.
That's addiction.
It's abuse.
And there's a very fine line there because
what God has given as a liberty easily
becomes an abuse.
When the alcohol is, many people I know
that love their liberty and they'll put a
big old goblet of the brand new IPA
ale beer on Facebook so I can see
and go, oh, that looks good.
And they'll make your neighbor stumble.
They just send it out to five, six
hundred friends.
Maybe a hundred of them have a problem
with the very thing they're promoting.
And they look at my liberty.
Look at my liberty.
I'm flaunting my liberty in your face.
I don't think we should put anything about
alcohol on Facebook.
Be very careful in this area because it
causes people to stumble and it doesn't send
the right message.
If you enjoy one in your home, great.
Wonderful.
Enjoy it.
Don't tell a thousand people because then that
liberty can easily slip into abuse.
What happens now?
I know pastors and churches in the valley.
It's at every potluck, every function, every baby
shower, everything.
Alcohol is the center.
It's at three, four times a week.
But I have a liberty.
No, you have an addiction.
Just because you're not drunk and lost your
job doesn't mean you don't have an addiction.
So be careful because I've seen people in
this area, this liberty, they go from, that's
why I said it's a very fine line
between freedom.
Freedom, they have one.
That one turns into three and now they're
feeling a little good and they're going to
go drive and do something.
That just became a sin.
Do you see where that goes there, right?
Now the big thing too is craft beers.
Craft beers, 24 ounce mug, ten percent alcohol.
You just had about six, five or six
regular beers based on that alcohol content.
But I just had one.
So I'm only bringing this up because, be
careful in this area.
Because our society is promoting this liberty.
A Christian liberty is a person who enjoys
one or now and then they know exactly
what I'm talking about.
But this middle group that's about this big
is the dangerous area.
Because you can slip into this side, addiction,
very careful.
I actually, hopefully I can pull it right
up.
My mom was there last night.
She's a marriage family therapist.
And I asked her about this question.
She said, I started thinking personally about people
in my life who drink too much.
The hurtful words, the destruction of relationships, the
loss of confidence, the hurt children, the trust
in parents.
It makes it the most dangerous of all
drugs and I believe the research shows that
alcohol abuse is responsible for more destruction than
any other substance abuse.
I thought of all the disregarded and violated
scriptures such as, to name only a few,
Proverbs 18, the power of life and death
are in the tongue.
Matthew 12, by our words we will be
justified or condemned.
Ephesians 4, let no unwholesome word proceed out
of your mouth.
Alcohol can strip us of our power to
monitor our words and our actions.
I'm praying that those who do not see
the harm in abusing their freedom would see
it.
And those who see but are in bondage
would pray for deliverance and help.
That's from her.
And I like what John MacArthur said.
It is irresponsible for any pastor to encourage
the recreational use of intoxicants, especially in church
sponsored activities.
The ravages of alcoholism and drug abuse in
our culture are too well known.
And no symbol of sin's bondage is more
seductive or more oppressive than alcohol.
Now the reason I'm bringing this up again
is because I believe I have a biblical
mandate to share what God's word says.
I'm not going after those people who enjoy
one now and then.
You know who you are, you don't make
it a big deal, it's not a big
deal.
I'm concerned about this growing number in the
church where it's everywhere, it's at every event.
We have friends right now, they would hate
this part of the sermon by the way,
they actually own a breathalyzer.
Just to make sure before they leave that
they're not quite, I mean this is, it's
addiction, it's everywhere, it's at all these events
because everything is surrounded by alcohol.
It has to be there.
Why?
Because it makes us feel good.
The Bible never encourages crossing the line.
A preoccupation with alcohol is just one indicator
of alcoholism.
Jesus was filled with the spirit.
This is the big point I'm trying to
make.
Jesus was filled with the spirit because they
say, well Jesus had some at a wine
or Jesus did this.
Yes, but this cannot be said of those
who consume alcohol regularly.
What is today's preoccupation with alcohol?
Conversations often turn away from the Lord if
they were ever there to begin with and
we'd rather head to Las Vegas than a
prayer meeting.
Basically, what it's doing in many cases, not
all, is it's not leading people closer to
God, it's leading people further away from God.
Just look in your own life and people,
you know how much damage has been the
result of it.
I mean my wife's here and my mother
-in-law and she lost, my wife lost
her brother and Linda lost her son to
a drunk driver right before I met Morgan.
I mean this is serious stuff but that's
why it's real silent in here because it's
hurting.
I have a feeling.
But we have to speak about these issues
and I've been open about my past before.
I can't just have one because I'll want
ten.
I know it.
You've got to know your limits.
You've got to know where you're, you know,
give me a piece of gum, I want
the whole pack.
Give me a little six ounce coffee, six
ounce coffee, let's go get the venti.
Or when they say try this little chocolate
cake, no I want the whole pie, the
whole piece.
It's that nature that just can't have a
little.
That's why they call it addiction, being overwhelmed
by certain things.
So you have to know what those triggers
are.
So I just want to throw that out
there for those who are struggling in this
area because I would say it's probably one
of the number one struggles in the church
today.
You would not believe how many marriages right
now are falling apart because of this.
Or how many people are in denial because
of this.
So here's the answer.
Confess it to others and bring it to
the light so that sin loses its power.
You can't handle this on your own.
You have to go to somebody and say
hey I've got a problem in this area.
Because what normally happens is the person who
has this liberty, it quickly turns into abuse.
And then as we all know sin doesn't
just hold tight right there.
Sin wants to kill, to steal and to
destroy.
So the ultimate goal of what the enemy
wants to do is kill, steal and to
destroy.
So he's looking for an open door.
So by confessing it you close that door.
So now back on track.
Verse 35.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
casting lots that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the prophet saying they divided
my garments among them and for my clothing
they cast lots.
Sitting down they kept watch over him and
they put this over his head the accusation
written against him.
This is Jesus King of the Jews.
It was in Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew written
over the cross area there.
This is Jesus King of the Jews.
How true.
Then two robbers were crucified with him one
on the right and the other on the
left.
And those who passed by blasphemed him wagging
their heads and saying who destroyed the temple
and built it in three days?
Save yourself.
If you are the son of God come
down from the cross.
See they're saying if you are the son
of God come down from the cross.
They didn't realize.
Thank God he didn't come down.
Commentator Leon Morris said this.
They said they would have believed he was
the son of God had he come down
from the cross.
We believe he is the son of God
because he stayed up.
See they're mocking him because God this isn't
your will.
This isn't your will.
What are you doing?
Come down.
If you're really the son of God you
would save yourself.
He saved others himself he cannot save.
If he is the king of Israel let
him now come down from the cross and
we will believe in him.
He trusted in God let him deliver him
now.
He trusted in God let God deliver him
now for he said I am the son
of God.
Jesus said I am the son of God.
Even the robbers who were crucified with him
mocked him jeered while he was hanging on
the cross.
As we know one of those robbers repented
and one of those did not.
That's the difference maker right there.
It doesn't matter if you mocked God in
the past what are you doing now?
Are you coming to a point saying I'm
not mocking him anymore.
I'm surrendering my life.
That's what they did.
They mocked God's power.
Shouldn't God do this?
Shouldn't God do that?
How many of us have done the same
thing?
Where's God in this?
They mocked his power.
Where are you God?
I like what God said to Job because
Job asked that question.
Then the Lord spoke to Job out of
the storm.
He said who is this that obscures my
plans with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself Job like a man and I
will question you and you shall answer me.
I would love to see that conversation.
God is basically saying who are you Job?
Who are you to question me?
Let me question you.
Where were you when I laid the earth's
foundation?
Tell me if you understand who marked off
its dimensions.
Surely you know who stretched a measuring line
across it on what were its footing set
or who laid its cornerstone while the morning
stars sang together and all the angels shouted
for joy.
Job where were you?
Who shut up the sea behind the doors
when it was birthed forth from the womb?
When I made the clouds its garments and
I wrapped thick darkness when I fixed the
limits for the sea and I said here
and no further.
God actually told the Pacific Ocean to stop.
I can't even get my sprinklers to stop
flooding my backyard and God said the Pacific
Ocean, the Atlantic, God said no more waves.
Sea stop.
Job where were you in all of this?
He's basically saying I'm sovereign, I'm in control.
The earth, where were you Job when I
laid the earth's foundation?
Have you ever thought how much the earth
weighs?
And it just hangs there.
The right elements, the right dimensions, everything.
God hung that.
This is an awesome God.
That should change our worship.
That song Our God is an awesome God.
He reigns from heaven above.
That's our God.
All of us should come here worshiping that
awesomeness, that sovereignty that is in Christ.
That will change the way you live.
When you know that God is sovereign, you
won't fear what many are fearing today.
Because He's sovereign, He's in control.
Verse 45, Now from the sixth hour until
the ninth hour, that's basically 12 to 3,
there was darkness over all the land and
about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with
a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama, zabatchini,
that is my God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?
Isn't it interesting that God, Jesus said why?
God, why have you forsaken me?
And I want to just throw that out
to you as well.
Have you ever felt that way?
Most of us have, haven't we?
God, why have you forsaken me?
I can't go through this.
Why am I going through this?
Why did this happen?
Why did I lose this person or lose
that?
Or Lord, you're not standing up for me.
Why have you forsaken me?
I'm reading actually a book right now, it's
called The Heavenly Man.
It's about the persecuted church in China.
You think we got problems?
I mean, these are prisoners where they would
actually urinate on them, throw their clothes into
the septic tank, put them back on, hit
them with batons that are electric, piercing, and
sleepless.
And all they're doing is praising God and
being persecuted for his namesake.
But they do go through seasons, God, why
are you forsaking me?
Why are you forsaking me?
It really puts things in perspective.
Read a book like that and it will
put everything in perspective.
I had to park far away.
The stores closed.
The prices are too high.
My air conditioner won't go below 76.
But have you felt that way?
God, why have you forsaken me?
And Jesus can relate.
And it says here that darkness was over
all the land.
Now, darkness in the Old Testament is often
a metaphor or imagery of judgment.
God's impending judgment, darkness over the land.
God is judging the land.
But it's also, darkness could have been, obviously
the lights, the sun had dimmed and it
was darkness over all of the land.
Because the Son of God was dying on
that cross.
And it's very interesting.
And don't let anybody tell you they fully
understand this because they don't.
But somehow, the Father and the Son are
one.
But somehow on that cross, Jesus, Jesus felt
the Father forsake him.
All of the time, before eternity, up until
this point, I and the Father are one.
He felt the presence of the Father.
God was with him.
Everything he did was according to the will
of the Father.
But now Jesus on the cross is crying
out, Eli, Eli, lama zabatchini, which is my
God, why have you forsaken me?
And at that point in history, God the
Father, they don't know exactly what happened.
But obviously, God cannot dwell with sinful man.
He cannot be part of the sacrificial sin
offering.
God and Jesus separated.
Jesus bore the wrath of God.
The New Testament calls it propitiation.
It means that the wrath of God, all
of God's wrath was satisfied on that cross.
And we can't even fathom that.
Whatever said, created the universe, that same wrath,
the wrath of God, the indignation against sin,
that man had sinned against God, all of
that was poured upon Jesus on the cross.
And that's why he cried in the garden,
Father, if there's any other way, God, if
there's any other way, take it, please, God,
if there's a backup plan, Father, please, but
not my will be done, but yours.
And that's what happened.
Jesus absorbed the wrath.
He gave up his ghost.
The King James would say he gave up
his spirit in some other translations.
He said, it's finished.
And I give up my ghost.
It's done.
The job is over.
Likewise, the chief priests mocking and mocking and
mocking them.
They continue to mock.
Let's pick up in verse 47.
I just thought of that song, how vast
beyond all measure that he should give his
only son to make a wretch's treasure.
We just sang that this morning.
I have it in my sermon notes.
How great the pain of searing loss the
Father turns his face away as wounds which
mar the chosen one bring many sons to
glory.
See, one of the wonderful things about church
is it reminds us of who we are
in Christ.
It reminds us why we're here.
And what happens when Monday comes, a lot
of this is forgotten, the busyness of the
day.
And we begin to drift away from God.
And we come back for the fellowship.
We come back for his word.
And those who stood there, when they heard
that, they said, this man is calling for
Elijah.
So when he was saying, Eli, Eli, which
is my God, my God, it sounded like
Elijah.
And immediately one of them ran and took
a sponge, filled it with sour wine and
put it on the reed and offered it
to him to drink.
And the rest said, leave him alone.
Leave him alone.
Let's see if Elijah will come and save
him.
Let's just see.
Leave him alone.
And then Jesus cried out with a loud
voice and he yielded up his spirit.
And this reminded me of many of us
and many others, they mock God's timing.
They mock, let's see if he comes and
saves himself.
And that's the history of America is the
history of Israel.
God blesses it and then those blessings become
a curse and now they live in such
debauchery that we are calling good evil and
evil good.
And if it's God led, God judges.
There's no God.
We're mocking God.
I mean, are you all aware that this,
people get upset about the election, they shouldn't
talk politics.
Well, that's a bunch of garbage because the
pulpit should be able to paint the spiritual
climate of the nation.
If you get one more justice, let me
finish, then you'll want to clap.
If we get one more United States Supreme
Court justice, right now it's five to four
on partial birth abortion.
Four judges think that you can go into
a womb and murder a child and begin
dismembering them.
I have a problem with that.
If somebody else gets elected and that becomes
five to four, now abortion, even partial birth
abortion can be legal.
And the church needs to be quiet and
just talk about Jesus born in a manger?
I was just reading this morning in the
prophets about God saying, don't deliver your children
to Molech.
Don't sacrifice your children.
He goes, that isn't entered into my mind,
but into your perversion and following those other
nations, you sacrifice your children on the God
of Molech.
So we have to be careful.
Well, Shane, how would you vote?
Well, maybe I'll give a sermon on that
someday, but, and I'm honest, I'm not happy
with where, the chance of America having a
true Christian leader is gone, because now they'll
be mocked, they'll be ridiculed.
You won't even, I mean, you won't even
get a chance in the primaries.
And people say, well, I can't vote for
either one.
Well, listen, Trump or whoever you're voting for
isn't pastor in chief.
They are commander in chief.
Okay?
And that's why I get all worked up
because saying, I'm not going to vote at
all.
Well, you just voted for the wrong person
probably.
You're putting the wrong person in office by
not voting, by remaining silent.
And when you've cast your ballot, you're not
saying, well, I endorse all this person stands
for.
What we're saying is, God, I don't know,
but I know that we cannot continue to
allow the murdering of children.
I know that we cannot hang the banner
above everything of the rainbow as if God
doesn't care and judgment falls in the house
of God.
We've got to stand up for critical issues.
Yeah, if I said that at the Democratic
National Convention, I would have been escorted out
briefly, very briefly.
But you know what?
I'm tired of people thinking everything's a priority.
Everything's a priority.
No, if everything is a priority, nothing is.
You have to say, what are foundational things
that are a priority?
God's not going to judge our nation because
healthcare is out of sync.
He's going to judge our nation because we
are destroying innocent lives and we are calling
evil good and good evil.
We are mocking God.
Some of those stood there when they heard
that.
Again, they said, this is Elijah.
And Jesus cried out and said, Lord, it
is finished.
Then behold, the veil of the temple was
torn in two from top to bottom, and
the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
and the graves were opened, and many bodies
of the saints who had fallen asleep were
raised.
And coming out of the graves after his
resurrection, they went into the holy city, and
they appeared to many.
So when the centurion, this is a soldier,
when the centurion soldier and those with him
who were guarding Jesus saw that the earth
quaked and the things that had happened, they
feared God greatly, saying, truly, this is the
Son of God.
Now on this veil I've talked about before,
there's a couple different thoughts.
The Holy of Holies was where the high
priest would go once a year, and he
would make atonement for the sins of the
people.
There's a big veil that he couldn't even
go into unless he was properly prepared to
go into God's presence.
So some say that that veil was torn
from top to the bottom, allowing us, showing
us now that we have access directly to
the Father.
You don't go through a man, a media,
that's another problem, big problem between Protestants and
Roman Catholicism.
You don't need a priest sitting in a
little booth absolving you.
That's the whole point of the crucifixion, the
whole point of the cross.
I can go boldly to the throne room
of grace.
I don't need an intercessor or a mediator
to point me in the direction.
Actually, that's not biblical, that's dangerous, because then
it becomes religion and not a relationship.
Shane, you're going to make Democrats mad today
and you're going to make Catholics mad today.
Should we keep adding to the list?
I'll make Republicans really mad as well, because
God's neither.
I don't know who said it, maybe it
was Lincoln, but instead of always assuming that
God is on our side, we need to
make sure we're on His.
Where are those presidents?
I'm going to get in trouble if I
don't stop.
And there's another thought, and this is true,
that there was another veil, there was another
veil that was separating the Gentiles from coming
into the court area, and that whole veil
was rent from the top to the bottom,
allowing Gentiles, allowing all people to have access
to God.
Whatever way you look at it, God was
saying that I'm removing that veil because Christ
has provided the way.
And the bodies were raised, the tombs were
split.
Death was conquered in a nutshell, is what
happened.
And they're not tombs in the ground.
We go to the cemetery.
The tombs in Jesus' time, for anybody who
was wealthy or of privilege or prestige, they
were cut into the side of the rock
and they were buried in tombs in the
rocks in the hills.
So when the earthquake and the tombs split
open, that was what all the bodies and
all the different things, and I can't fully
understand this other than I believe Scripture and
not my common sense.
I believe God was saying, I just conquered
death.
The resurrection, these are the first fruits of
the resurrection.
They walked around and were seen by many.
Jesus said, I just conquered death.
Now this is interesting because what just happened
a few hours ago?
See, the season of mocking came to an
end.
They were mocking, they were mocking, everybody was
mocking.
It just came to an end.
Roman soldiers who were trained to kill, they
are fearing for their lives.
They're saying, truly this is the Son of
God.
The religious leaders look at the temple and
say, what happened?
The people soon will come to Peter and
say, what must we do to be saved?
So Jesus is saying, where are my accusers
now?
Where are they now?
You're mocking voices.
Why are you silent now?
Why are you weeping now?
Why are you fearful now?
Because those mocking voices will eventually come to
an end.
It's funny, every week somebody says, why do
you get so worked up?
I say, well I'm not giving you a
library tour.
I mean, here's our biology section.
Here's our religion section.
There's theology over there.
I mean, this is life and death.
This is heaven and hell.
You had a man come to know the
Lord last night.
You have people coming out of their darkness.
You had another, there was another girl, 40
days sober, and she says, I almost can't
take it.
I'm having the withdrawals.
It's called post-acute withdrawal syndrome, where the
body goes through hell and wants you to
come back into that bondage in darkness.
So you have to pray for that, because
the demonic element, the enemy wants her back.
This is light and darkness.
This is heaven and hell.
Some people in this room will not be
here next week.
Folks, this is serious.
This is God's judgment on a nation.
People need to wake up.
We don't go around being weird.
We should go around walking in the power
of the Holy Spirit and praying for the
parties, praying that all lives matter.
Not just black, not just blue.
All lives matter.
I look at the news sometimes, and I
cannot believe how far we have drifted.
This is amazing.
Amazing.
I say, well, what's the answer, Shane?
Well, I like what God says.
He just says, having done all, stand.
So when you hear those mocking voices, when
you can't take another news story, when you
look and you just, oh my God, having
done all, stand.
I'm sovereign.
I'm in control.
You hold your ground.
You just stand.
That's why it cracks me up when people
say Christians are against LGB communities.
We love them.
I reach out to them more often than
people think.
Christians are against this, and they're always pushing.
No, it's the reason.
It's because you're pushing us back away from
God's, and we're trying to hold the line
in having done all, stand.
So the church, the true bloodbought church of
Jesus Christ, can't shut up.
They can't get out of the way.
You can't silence them because it's the voice
of truth proclaiming, having done all, stand.
Stand there with your loins girt about with
what?
Relativism?
No, with truth.
So you hold the truth, and you say,
not on my watch.
I love everybody, and I love the nation.
I love all these things.
But you can't continue to go in this
direction without the judgment hand of God falling
and saying, I've had enough.
I've warned you church.
I've warned you nation.
I've warned you families.
I've warned you men to come back to
the loving Father.
But at some point, at some point, I've
got to unleash hell because of disobedience.
If that doesn't concern you, you might want
to read the Bible.
Because everything I just said has already been
said by Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and
Joel and Amos.
Read Obadiah tonight.
It'll shake you to your core.
Because God says, why have you forsaken me,
the fountain of living water?
And you've hewn out cisterns.
You've created things that aren't of me.
And that's a concern for the church, is
you see a lot of people going in
the direction of the world.