Clean Transcript

Foundations Are Important

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• Psalm 11, Psalm 11. And we'll read the entire psalm since there's only seven verses. However, I'm only going to deal with one verse and actually the applications of that verse. So Psalm 11, beginning there with verse 1, David says, "In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart."

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• "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright."

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• Now, I want you to look, if you would please, at verse 3, because verse 3 makes a strong truth in the form of a question. "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" And certainly foundations are indeed important. And I do point out that the word "foundations" is plural because there's really and truly more than one foundation. But if you do not believe that foundations are important, you just try building a house without one and see how long that house stands. And if you remember correctly, our Lord Himself made a statement concerning the importance of foundations in Matthew 7, beginning there, verse 24, when He said, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." And then the next verse says this: "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand."

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• "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." So without a proper foundation everything sinks. So there are many foundations that are needed and absolutely necessary, and I would even say indispensable in our lives. We could talk about the foundation of health because clearly our health is first and foremost, and there's nothing that you can do any better than simply take care of yourself.

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• And I know friends, and I have friends who won't eat certain foods. They just won't eat certain foods. And even though those foods are nutritious and good for them, no, they just won't eat them. Well, I mean, I prefer to eat something that I know that's good and filling and nutritious as well as, you know, enjoyable than I had to eat a bunch of junk. But anyhow, there's the foundation of health. We could also talk about the foundation of marriage between one man and one woman. We could also talk about an economic foundation. We could also talk about an educational foundation. And you could also refer then to a foundation, a political foundation, as well as a theological foundation.

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• When we talk about foundations, I want you to understand that foundations actually form what you and I call a worldview. A worldview shows how you view the world and everything that happens to you and in your life. Your worldview determines and interprets your life experiences. So the Word of God is teaching us, and I'm going to show it to you, that unless you have a biblical foundation and a biblical worldview, the only thing you have is a humanistic foundation, and you are going to be in a lot of trouble. Because without a biblical foundation, you are not only deficient, but you will actually have constant and consistent devastation in your life.

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• Now, let me make a statement, and I want you to think about this with me, please. In light of foundations, in light of what I'm going to be teaching you and showing you from Scripture, listen to this: There is no such thing as a nervous breakdown. Now someone's going to say, "But wait a minute, I know people who've had nervous breakdowns. Why, I even had one myself." No, when an individual falls apart, he cannot cope and has no control in his life, it's often referred to as a nervous breakdown.

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• But when such happens, one's nerves have not broken down. They are working all too well. That is the problem. It is not a nervous breakdown. It is a foundation breakup. Because the way you have handled problems all of your life, all of a sudden now you encounter something that you cannot resolve in the way you normally do it. You do not know anything else. And you try to handle that problem in the same way that you've handled everything else.

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• And it backfires on you and you just simply go to pieces. It's not your nerves breaking down. It's your foundation that is breaking up. It is your worldview that is going to pieces in front of you. It disintegrates and therefore you can no longer function the way you normally do.

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• Now, if you and I wish then to avoid what the world calls a nervous breakdown, then we need to know how to resolve our problems and interpret our life experiences in a biblical manner, in a biblical framework. So everybody has problems. Problems do not disappear. Problems do not go away. Problems do not vanish. Problems must be resolved, and they must be resolved in a biblical manner, or else they will never be resolved.

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• Usually what happens is someone gets a problem, and it might be a pretty decent-sized problem as well, and they keep ignoring it. They keep playing around with it, and the next thing you know, it keeps growing and growing and growing, and all of a sudden, it escalates, and then it bursts right in front of them, and they go to pieces. That is what we call a nervous breakdown.

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• But it is in reality a foundation breakup. And if we want to avoid that, we need to make sure that our foundation is indeed biblical and scriptural.

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• Now, let me show you. In verse three, what's this question? "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

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• Now he's going to tell you in verses four through seven what is going to happen to those who have unbiblical foundations, and especially the unsaved, and oftentimes even Christians. He says this: "The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men." God does that. Yes. Then he says, "The Lord trieth the righteous"—He does test us—"but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked..."

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• "...he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright." So there is quite a bit of difference between those who have a biblical worldview and those who have a biblical foundation and those who do not have a biblical foundation. Let me give you a good, clear illustration of this.

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• You see, the wicked and the nations that oppose God will discover themselves to be but mere men. And this past week, I read where Klaus Schwab and his henchman Yuval Noah Harari said, and I'm quoting, "God is dead, Jesus is fake news, and we have divine authority." Stop and think about that. If we have divine authority, what does that mean? We're God. That's what they're claiming. They're claiming in this great reset, they are going to be the gods, and everyone else is extinguishable and dispensable, and no one else needs to even exist. You remember that passage in Psalm 82, verses 6 and 7, where our Lord said, "I said, Ye are gods." And by the way, our Lord interprets this for us in the New Testament.

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• And He's talking about the civil magistrates there. He said, "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes." So God says, "Ha, your godhood does not mean that you're deity. It means you're in a place of position of authority and power, but you will die like men." That is why Psalm 9 and verse 20, the Bible says, "Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men."

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• And so when you talk about George Soros, Klaus Schwab, the Great Reset, the New World Order, you have to understand that these men are simply tyrannical. They are blasphemous, and they are ungodly, and they are going to fall into destruction. And just like Psalm 11, verses 4 through 7 says, they're going to receive the judgment of God, the righteous judgment of God. Their foundation certainly is going to crumble.

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• So, let me say it again. Foundations are important. Your worldview is important as well. And you need to always examine your foundation and examine your worldview in order to make sure that it is biblical and right. You will see billboards on the interstate, and it shows a wreck and it says, "Now is not the time to check your child's seatbelt or safety chair." Well, I could say it like this: When you're in it up to your eyeballs and your foundation is cracking and your worldview is falling apart, then it's not the time to examine yourself. It's basically too late. You need to be examining your worldview and examining your foundation consistently and constantly. Why? Because foundations are not normally laid in a day. You have to build a foundation. So therefore there must be obviously and clearly a daily consideration of your foundation. Now what I want to do today is this: I want

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• to show you three foundations. I think these three are just absolutely indispensable because the first one is going to deal with salvation, and the other two are going to show you the indispensability of them if you're going to live a constant and consistent Christian life. So, first of all, I want to show you that there is a divine foundation. So, if you would hold Psalm 11, but turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 3. Now, I want you to look at verses 10 and 11 at what the Apostle Paul said, and we are going to take it from there. So 1 Corinthians, if you would, chapter 3, and notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 10.

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• So Paul is talking to the church at Corinth, and he says this: "According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation"—that is, of that church—"and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." So Paul laid the foundation of the church at Corinth. He began the work. He built the church upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone is the divine foundation. The doctrine of Jesus Christ in all of His person, offices, and work are the foundation of the Christian religion.

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• Consequently, these doctrines must be held entire and pure and complete. Because without Jesus Christ, there is no salvation. Without Jesus Christ, there is no church. Without Jesus Christ, there is no ministry. Without Jesus Christ, we are lost in our sins. And Paul understood this, and therefore he said, "I have laid the foundation, and you cannot lay any other foundation and have a church, and that foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ." So when we talk about Jesus Christ being the divine foundation, you must understand this foundation is not open for debate. It is not open for a second opinion. It is not open for discussion. It is not open for a vote. It is not open for an argumentation. It is solid, it is fixed, it is complete, and that foundation is none other than Jesus Christ. Why? Because God the Father, which I will show you, God the Father ordained and purposed His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the stone, the cornerstone, and the foundation of His church. It is through Jesus Christ that we are drawn to God the Father by His Spirit. Consequently He is indeed the foundation, and the Bible says in Ephesians 2 in verse 20, which I'll explain a little bit later, that we "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being

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• the chief corner stone." So let me put it to you very plainly: without Jesus Christ, there is no church. There are plenty of buildings, and there are plenty of places where people meet without Jesus Christ, but they are not churches. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the foundation. Where Jesus Christ is not the foundation, there is no church. So here's a good question: Where in the world did the Apostle Paul get this truth when he said, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ"? And notice he said "that is laid."

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• That is, it is past tense. It has already been laid. Where did he get this idea? Where did he get this truth? Well, let me show you. If you will go back in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah, chapter 28, and look, if you would please, at verse 16. Isaiah 28, verse 16. Notice, if you would, Isaiah 28, verse 16. Look what the Scripture says: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste." And interesting enough, this verse in Isaiah 28 and verse 16 is quoted twice in the New Testament and applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. So, if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 9, I'll show you the very first time it is quoted in reference to Jesus Christ. In Romans chapter 9, let's begin looking there at verse 32. Romans 9, verse 32. The Word of God says this: "Wherefore?"—oh, well, let's go back to verse 31.

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• So you can see Israel is involved: "But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness." In other words, they're not righteous. And then he asked, "Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; as it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." Which is quoting from Isaiah 28. Also, if you would look in your Bibles, the first Peter chapter 2, because there is an allusion here as well. In fact, it's more than an allusion. First Peter chapter 2, beginning there with verse 3, where the Apostle says, "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone"—that is Him—"disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively

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• stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." But note: "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men." That is, Israel rejected Him totally, thoroughly, and completely.

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• Now, I want to give you a quote from Albert Barnes. I want you to listen. He puts this truth together so succinctly. He says it like this: "Christ is often called the foundation, the stone, the cornerstone on which the church is reared." And then he gives at least seven scriptures. He says this: "The meaning is"—now listen carefully—"the meaning is that no true church can be reared which does not embrace and hold the true doctrines representing Him, those which pertain to His incarnation, His divine nature, His instructions, His example, His atonement, His resurrection, and His ascension. The reason why no true church can be established without embracing the truth as it is in Christ is that it is by Him only that men can be saved. And where this doctrine is wanting, all is wanting that enters into the essential idea of a church. The fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion must be embraced or a church cannot exist. And where those doctrines are denied, no association of men can be recognized as a church of God.

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• Nor can the foundation be modified or shaped so as to suit the wishes of men. It must be laid as it is in the scriptures, and the superstructure must be reared upon that alone." So what he just got out of his mouth was this: Without Jesus Christ, you don't have a church. You can refer to yourself as the Mormon Church, or you can refer to yourself as the Church of Jehovah's Witnesses. But without Jesus Christ, you do not have a church. You can refer to yourself as the First Baptist Church. But if Jesus Christ is not the foundation, you don't have a church.

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• And it's not open for a vote. You can't—you cannot just get a body of men together and say, "Well, we're going to agree that we're going to believe this, and we're going to call ourselves a church." You can call yourself whatever you want to, but that does not make you a church. So the divine foundation is that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. And if it's not built upon Jesus Christ, according to our Lord's own words, it is sinking sand. So there is a divine foundation. Now, secondly, I want you to think with me. Because there is a divine foundation, there is also a doctrinal foundation, a doctrinal foundation.

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• Doctrine is despised by most people and by many professing Christians. I'm going to tell you this: I really, genuinely believe that one reason there are so many failures, heartaches, divisions, strife, and ungodliness in our churches and among Christians is because of a lack of biblical doctrine.

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• Now again, everyone has a worldview. It's just whether it's biblical or humanistic. Everyone has a foundation. It's just whether it's biblical or humanistic. Everyone has doctrine. Everyone believes doctrine. It just matters whether or not it is biblical or humanistic.

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• Now, we get our English word "doctrine" from two Greek words. The first one is the didache, and didache refers to that which is taught, or the instruction given. In fact, there is a writing, I will call it, that is actually referred to as the Didache, which is the writings of the apostles. The second word is didaskalia, which of course is indeed teaching, learning, and giving instruction, which includes precepts and principles and doctrines. So let me make this exceedingly clear: because our doctrine then forms our understanding, and our doctrine then determines our choices and our direction. It also determines basically our worldview. Scripture teaches us that you cannot hide your doctrine. And the reason you can't hide your doctrine is because that is your worldview. That is your foundation.

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• And the Bible says in Proverbs chapter 23, it is in verse 7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." So what you actually think, what you actually believe, that's what you actually are. That's what you live. And then David said it just a little simpler in Psalm 116, verse 10. He said, "I believed, therefore have I spoken." So ultimately you end up saying and speaking of that which you actually totally believe. So you live it and you speak it. So this is how we know what's in an individual's heart.

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• You remember it was Peter who said to Simon the sorcerer, he said, "Thy money perish with thee." And it's a strong word in the Greek. He literally said, "Your money go to hell with thee." Why? "Because thine heart is not right in the sight of God." Well, how did Peter know that Simon's heart was not right? Because of what he said and because of what he did.

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• So our doctrine is evidenced in our lives, that is for sure. Now, one of the great problems that I believe that we have in Christianity today, in our churches today, is that most Christians simply do not know doctrine. They do not understand doctrine. They have no idea concerning the doctrines of the Word of God. As a general rule, most Christians do not read, they do not study, they do not listen, they do not think, they do not apply truth. Very few Christians—listen carefully, and I might include some pastors in that as well—but very few Christians and pastors as well are able to discuss any doctrine with ease, understanding, insight, and clarity. I don't care what doctrine you want to talk about. I don't care if we're talking about the doctrine of election, doctrine of sanctification, doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of reconciliation, the doctrine of the church. I don't care what doctrine we're talking about. Very few Christians can sit down and say, "Well, let me share with you this biblical doctrine." Very few pastors can do that as well.

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• In fact, let me go even further because I have seen this so many times. Very few Christians know the books of the Bible. Very few Christians can even tell you how many books there are in the Bible. How many in the Old Testament? How many in the New Testament? There's 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old, 27 in the New. Many times I've asked people to turn to such and such passage or such and such book, and you see people doing like this, they're thumbing through it. They don't even know if the book is in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Let me tell you a very easy way to memorize this. You don't have to sit down and memorize all 66 books. But if you think about the numbers 5, 12, 5, 5, 12, those are the books of the Old Testament. When you get to the New Testament, it's 4, 1, 21, 1.

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• So 5, 12, 5, 5, 12—what are we talking about? There's five books of the law. There's 12 books of history. There's 5 books of poetry. There's 5 major prophets, 12 minor prophets. You get to the New Testament, there's 4 gospels, 1 church history, 21 epistles, and then the book of Revelation, which, depending upon your eschatology, you will say whether it's prophecy or already fulfilled prophecy. But I'm just simply saying 5-12, 5-5-12, that'll at least tell you where books are in the Old Testament. And 4-1-21-1 will tell you basically where things are in the New Testament.

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• But very few, very few Christians can even do that. I never will forget, I was preaching in Vidalia, Georgia, years and years ago, and there's a fellow in the front row, and the pulpit was fairly close to the front row, say, from here to Clay. And I said, "Turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Numbers." And I said, "Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers." I said, "It's the fourth book in the Old Testament." And the man sitting on the front row kept turning, turning, turning, and he looked up at me and shook his head, "No." I said, "Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, it's the fourth book in the Old Testament."

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• He looks back down, he looks up at me, "No." I stepped out of the pulpit. I said, "Sir, give me your Bible. I'll find the book of Numbers for you." I turned Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy—it was a Sears and Roebuck Bible. The whole book of Numbers had been left out. He was right. I was wrong. It was not in his Bible, but it was supposed to be there. But I mean, I'm just simply pointing out the fact about most Christians. Oh, they don't know where books are in the Bible. They just guess. They just turn. But you see, pastors and teachers who are responsible for delivering truth to the saints basically have failed miserably.

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• You have to understand something about preachers. Our calling is not to entertain people. Our calling is not to coddle people and babysit people. Our calling is not to form a society where everyone can come together and just have a good old time. No, no, no. Our calling is to preach and teach the truth of God, to present the whole counsel of God. Very few are willing to do that.

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• While I'm thinking about that, let me show you some verses. Turn in your Bibles, if you would, please, to Acts chapter 20, because in this passage, the Apostle Paul has called for the elders, the pastors from Ephesus, and they came to Miletus, and he is giving them some instructions. And I want you to note what he said. Oh, let's begin with verse 17. Let's read it. "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church."

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• "And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews."

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• Now, what's this next verse? "And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house." Isn't that interesting? Paul looked at these preachers and he said, "I have kept back nothing that was profitable unto you." So let me ask you a question: How much of the Word of God is profitable? Hmm. 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." So if Paul kept back nothing that was profitable, that meant he taught them the whole counsel of God.

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• Now, let me show you another truth. Here's the second one. This one is important as well. Look, if you would please, in verse 26 at what he tells these preachers from Miletus. They're at Miletus, they're from Ephesus. He says in verse 26, "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men."

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• Now just stop right there and ask yourself this question: How did Paul get pure from the blood of all men?

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• Now you'll remember that passage in Ezekiel 3 and in Ezekiel 33, where God told Ezekiel, "I've set thee a watchman." He said, "If you see trouble coming, if you see harm coming, and you warn the people, and they don't pay attention, their blood is on their own hand, but you've delivered your soul from blood. If you don't warn them, their blood is on your hand."

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• Now, when Paul said, "I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men," how did Paul get pure from the blood of all men? I've had people tell me, "If you don't witness to every person you see, you've got blood on your hands." Do you realize that is humanly impossible? If Alice said, "We're out of milk and I need milk to make a certain dish for supper tonight, would you please go to town and bring us back a gallon of milk?"

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• I said, "Yes, I'll be glad to do that." And if I then took time to witness to every person that I saw, do you realize I'd never return home? Or at least not anytime for supper, I assure you. Because you see people over and over. How did Paul get pure from the blood of all men? Look in verse 26: "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." So Paul said, "The only way that I get pure from the blood of all men is I hold back nothing that is profitable. I preach and I teach the whole counsel of God." So that would mean this: that blood is on the hand of pastors who do not preach the totality of God's Word.

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• Now, what that means is this: there'll be things in that Bible that you may not understand. There'll be things that you may not like. There may be things that you may not appreciate. There may be things that you do not want to hear. That's beside the point. The totality of the Word of God is to be taught. One reason I really love our church is I can open my Bible from any text and preach and teach, and everyone sits there and receives it. They don't holler. They don't rant. They don't rave.

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• It's there in the Scripture, and they're willing to submit to it. They're willing to believe it.

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• Now, let me show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32. Deuteronomy 32. This is a very beautiful passage. I preached on this text many, many years ago. And this actually tells us not only how to teach in one sense of the word, but it also teaches us how to hear. So notice, if you would, in Deuteronomy 32, beginning there, verse 1, the Word of God says, "Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth." Now look at verse 2.

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• "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God." Now look at what he said in verse 2: "My doctrine shall drop as the rain."

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• Now we're not talking about a torrential flooding rain. A torrential flooding rain is one that can come so quickly, so harshly, and wash away everything. He even explains that. He says, "as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." So it's kind of like you look out one morning and it's just drizzling, it's just sprinkling. Dinner time you look out, it's still drizzling, it's still sprinkling. And then of course supper time you look out, it's still drizzling, it's still sprinkling. Do you realize it's that slow rain that soaks into the ground? A fast torrential rain runs off, but that slow consistent rain soaks into the ground. Now look what he says: "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." So teaching is to be like a consistent, constant, gentle rain that falls upon our minds, and distills as quietly as the dew on our understanding.

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• So when we teach biblical doctrine, the name of God is published and greatness is ascribed unto Him. Now, there is a good implication right here. And that is this: if our teaching is to be as consistent and constant as the small rain, it also means that the hearing and the listening is to be as consistent and constant as the small rain. So, if I have an obligation and a duty to teach consistently and constantly, you have a duty and obligation to hear consistently and constantly as well. Now, in Proverbs 4 and verse 2, the Word of God says this: "For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law."

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• Now, the Apostle Paul has given some absolutely wonderful counsel to Timothy. And I want you to see what he told him in reference to doctrine. So if you will turn to 1 Timothy chapter 4, 1 Timothy chapter 4, and I want us to begin looking there at verse 12. 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 12. Look at this. He says, "Let no man despise thy youth." Timothy was a younger man. He was in his 40s when the apostle Paul wrote this. "Let no man therefore despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation"—that is conduct—"in charity"—that is in love—"in spirit, in faith, in purity." Now, how in the world is Timothy to become an example of believers in his speech, in his conduct, in his love, in his spirit, in faith, in purity?

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• How is he to do that? Verse 13, Paul says, "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." Reading, exhortation—that's being reproved, rebuked, exhorted to do things or to change your life—and doctrine, that is teaching. So, let's ask some questions. Do you read the Word of God? Do you read theological books? Do you read Christian literature? Do you receive exhortation? Are you willing to be rebuked, reproved, exhorted? Are you teachable? Are you willing to be taught?

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• I want you to hold 1 Timothy, but I want you to turn back a few pages to the book of Colossians. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Look if you would in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 28. If you want to know what it takes to mature a person in Jesus Christ, I'll show you. This is what you need to be mature. Colossians 1 in verse 28, he's talking about Jesus Christ from verse 27, "which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Now verse 28: "Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect"—or mature—"in Christ Jesus." So what does it take then to present a man mature in Christ Jesus? Well, he said it takes preaching, it takes warning—and the word there means nouthetic confrontation, it means rebuking, it means reproving, it means correcting, it means exhorting. It takes, he says, preaching, warning, and teaching. These three things are absolutely necessary to mature an individual in Jesus Christ. So if you want to be mature in Christ, you have to have the preaching, the exhortation, and the teaching.

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• Now, I want you to go back to 1 Timothy chapter 4, and look if you would please at verse 16. We're talking about a doctrinal foundation now. A doctrinal foundation. There's not only the divine foundation, there's the doctrinal foundation. Hang on. He said in verse 16, "Timothy, take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine." You better make sure it's built upon the divine foundation. "Continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." Wow! "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine." So it's a warning. Paul said you better pay attention to your doctrine. Now in Titus 2 and verse 1, Paul told Titus, "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine." "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine." So my question would be this: How in the world can you speak things which become sound doctrine if you don't know sound doctrine? If you don't know doctrine, how can you speak those things? It's impossible. You see, our doctrinal foundation is to be built upon the divine foundation.

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• Now watch this. Look in 2 Timothy 4, beginning there with verse 1. So let me try to show you where we are and how we got here. Paul writes Timothy and he says, "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort"—there it is again—"with all longsuffering and doctrine." Why?

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• "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears." We've reached that stage in America. We've reached that stage in Christendom, where sound doctrine will not be endured. Marxism will be endured. Communism will be endured. Progressivism will be endured. Socialism will be endured. Welfarism will be endured. But not sound doctrine. Not sound doctrine. No. People do not want sound doctrine. People do not want to be taught. Wow. We perverted God's command. I will tell you how difficult it is to the point at which it has come in America.

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• You cannot give away the truth. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 23 and verse 23? "Buy the truth, and sell it not." People aren't going to buy truth. "Well, no, I can't go there because gas is too expensive." "No, I can't buy that book because I don't have the money right now, but you know, I've got money for other things." You understand what I'm saying? People don't want the truth if you would give it to them. And if you give someone a book, they usually won't read it. Most people do not want to read at all. They want to watch TV, but they don't want to read. "Buy the truth, and sell it not." So you can ask yourself, where in the world are the Christians that hunger after truth? Where in the world are the Christians who really and truly want a biblical foundation? Where are the Christians that want a biblical worldview? Where are the Christians that really and truly want to honor God and please Him? Our doctrinal foundation has to be built upon the divine foundation.

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• But unhappily, most of the time, folks don't even know the divine foundation, therefore they don't have a doctrinal foundation. I read a quote this past week that I really, really like. Here it is: "Most people really do not want the truth. They just want constant reassurance that what they already believe is truth." Which is not necessarily so. So there's a divine foundation. There's that doctrinal foundation. You already see the connection. You cannot have a proper doctrinal foundation unless it's built upon the divine foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are some people that I pray for every day.

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• One of them is a young man that is so absolutely thoroughly confused. He doesn't know which end is up. I'm serious. It is mind boggling. And he even rejects the Word of God. And yet he's willing to believe all kinds of junk that can't possibly be true. I'm just simply pointing out our doctrinal foundation has to be built upon this divine foundation. Now there's a third one.

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• I want you to listen. There's the divine foundation. There's a doctrinal foundation. And then there's thirdly what I'm going to call a dutiful foundation. That is the foundation upon which your duty is based. So let me ask you two questions. Number one, what is duty? And number two, how do you know what your duty is? Think about that. How do you know what your duty is? So suppose I told Clay, "Clay, it's your duty to give me a hundred bucks a day." And I tell Steve, "It's your duty now to give me a chocolate bar

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• every hour on the hour." And I tell Gary, "It's your duty..." What? How can I make such a statement? Well, if you don't know what your duty is and if you don't know where your duty comes from, I could just lay all kind of duties upon you, whether they're biblical or not, it's immaterial. It was Robert E. Lee who said this: "Duty is the most sublime word in the English language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less." It was Lee and Jackson who said, "Duty is ours, consequences are God's." So let me ask that question again: What is duty?

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• I'm going to give you an explanation for that one. How do you know what your duty is? Listen carefully: just like your doctrine is based upon the divine foundation, your duty is based upon your doctrinal foundation. You cannot even possibly know what your duty is if you do not know doctrine. Because duty is based upon doctrine. Let me give you one simple one. How about this: Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 13.

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• "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Duty is based on doctrine. I can only know what my duties are based upon the doctrine of the Word of God. Let me show you something else. Look in your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter 17. Luke 17, and I want us to begin reading there with verse 7.

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• One of the problems that we have is simply this, and that is that everybody wants to be patted on the back. Everyone wants to be commended. Well, I want you to know what our Lord said about duty. He said in Luke 17, beginning there with verse 7, "But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?"—that is, go eat supper—"And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not." Then he says this: "So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do." Isn't that amazing? How many of us have actually done everything that's been commanded of us?

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• No one. And everybody wants to get patted on the back. And the truth of the matter is, you shouldn't need to be patted on the back to do your duty. By the way, I'd asked you before what duty was. The word "duty" is actually from the Greek word opheilo, which means that which you owe. It is a debt. Your duty is based upon your doctrine. It is a debt that you owe to God. Wow. Let me show you.

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• Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and look at verse 58. I hope you can quote that verse. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 58. Watch this carefully. The Apostle Paul in this passage says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." Now, watch: "Therefore." The word "therefore" means this is a conclusion or an application that is being made by the Apostle based upon the doctrine that he has taught in 1 Corinthians 15.

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• So, here is a question for you: What is it that's going to keep you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord? Is it because all of a sudden you get a commendation from the President of the United States? Which would not be a commendation in my book, but suppose you get even praised by the Southern Poverty Law Center—and they don't praise anybody unless he's a Marxist almost. Well, suppose a newspaper wrote you up. Would that keep you going? Suppose every person in church came along and patted you on the back and told you what a fine job you're doing? No. Now listen to me. He says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." And then he says this—now watch—"forasmuch as ye know"—there's something you know—"forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." So here's another question: How do you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord?

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• Well, you would need to read all of 1 Corinthians 15, because 1 Corinthians 15 deals with the bodily resurrection. There were some folks in the Corinthian church that were saying the resurrection has already passed, or there was not going to be a resurrection. And the apostle Paul said, "You don't know what you're talking about. If Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead, then we're all lost in our sins anyhow." And then he goes on to show that Jesus Christ was bodily raised from the dead and that we will be bodily raised from the dead. He was the firstfruits and we follow after. After he gets through teaching this doctrine of the bodily resurrection of the dead, he says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." Why? "Forasmuch as ye know." How do you know it? Based upon doctrine. What's going to keep you steadfast? What's going to keep you unmovable? What's going to keep you abounding in the work of the Lord?

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• Doctrine. You know there's a bodily resurrection. Your duty is based upon your doctrine. So let me put it to you very plainly: You will not live right until you believe right, and you will not do right until you believe right. Your duty is based upon your doctrine, and your doctrine is based upon the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why the psalmist said, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" We have to understand the connection between the divine foundation, the doctrinal foundation, and our duty.

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• Now, let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this: There are many that profess Jesus Christ, but do not possess Jesus Christ. And I understand, and you know as well, that there are hypocrites in the church. But there are some people in the church that are genuinely deceived and they really do not know Jesus Christ. They know about Him. And there are many that try to think an intellectual faith or a historical faith equals a saving faith when it does not. But you see, the answer is really very simple.

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• The chaff may be mixed in with the wheat, but there is a foundation even in salvation. The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 19: "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." So those who actually belong to Jesus Christ, we depart from iniquity. That is, we may not be perfect, but when we find out it's wicked, it's wrong, we're leaving it. We're not attending it. We're not standing with it. We're leaving it. But there is indeed a foundation that God knows those who are His.

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• Let me point something else out. We will never be able to convince gainsayers. We'll never even be able to teach those who are really truly wanting to seek the Lord Jesus Christ without doctrine. We not only must have doctrine, we must know doctrine. We must live doctrine and speak doctrine. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Titus chapter 1 and verse 9. Look at this. Titus 1 in verse 9—1st and 2nd Timothy and then Titus. Look in Titus 1 in verse 9. Look at what the Bible says: "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught—that's the Word of God—that he may be able by sound doctrine to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Without sound doctrine, we can't do that. Without having been taught the Word of God, we cannot do that. The foundation is, first of all, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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• The second foundation is doctrine based upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And the third foundation is duty based upon our doctrine. Now, that is why the Bible says in Ephesians 2 in verse 20 that we "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." What's that mean? The foundation of the apostles and prophets is that which they taught concerning Jesus Christ. So do you know what the prophets taught concerning Jesus Christ? Do you know what the apostles taught concerning Jesus Christ? If we do not know truth, we have no idea what our duty really is. Because our duty is based upon our doctrine and our doctrine is based upon the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without the divine foundation, you are not saved and cannot be saved. But once you have that divine foundation, you must have a doctrinal foundation in order for you to properly exercise and fulfill your duty. If you don't know truth, you cannot obey truth. If you don't know what God requires, you cannot fulfill your duty.

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• Duty is based upon doctrine. It is so important that we know the Word of God so that we will know how to live. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Lord, that You would be pleased to teach us. Open our eyes, open our minds, grant us understanding. Look upon us, O Lord, that we may call upon Thy name. Turn us, O Lord, and we shall be turned. Give us, Lord, Your grace and Your mercy, and help us to love Thee and live for Thee. Fulfill our duty. And Lord, know the doctrine that's based upon the Lord Jesus Christ. In Thy name we pray. Amen.

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• so so

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:03:02Z