The key to holiness is obedience

Let's go to the word of the Lord, brothers, in the Book of Joshua, Chapter 7. I want to continue with this theme that we have been developing. We have been in this definition year talking about the position of our church in different elements of the Christian life. And we have stopped at this issue of holiness, what we believe to be a comprehensive, balanced holiness, a holiness that not only looks at the obviously moral aspect, but also looks at the subtle aspects of character, formation, the expression of Christ's love. , sincerity, tolerance, patience, plus more of that sanctity in the moral aspect, although everything is ultimately moral, and ethical.

My point has been that we have to get away from simplifying the subject of holiness and see it in its entirety. But, it is often good to go to specific events in the Bible that illustrate how this theme of holiness illustrates us theologically. Because many times the Bible uses events, stories, narratives, anecdotes to illustrate very deep theological principles. And sometimes the stories and the anecdotes and the stories are more memorable, they are more graphic, they teach us many things and it becomes more interesting to see things that I have exposed throughout these weeks. You can see them in action at one point in the life of Israel.

And obviously they also help us to strengthen ourselves. What I want through this series and this insistence on this topic is to support a congregation like ours, so diverse, where we have highly educated people, deeply immersed in modern culture, we work in schools, we work in agencies financial and non-profit agencies, we work in universities, we are housewives, we are factory workers, we are very involved in the world and like Israel, we are surrounded by a culture that is hostile to the values of the Gospel.

And the Lord, in the midst of that culture, at the same time that he calls us to get involved in that culture, to be salts of the earth, light of the world, to affect that culture, and to have contact with the unconverted because it is the way to us to bring them to the Gospel and to be an example for them. But it also calls us to be a separate people, a different people, a people with different values, a people with different behavior, in all dimensions of life and it becomes difficult, it is a strong battle.

And I know that sometimes these passages and these preachings can be shocking for some, but it is the word of the Lord and we cannot shy away from announcing the entire counsel of God. Amen. And that's what we're doing. During the year we touch on a number of different topics and that is the good thing about our congregation and the good thing about any congregation that is a balanced congregation, is that like a good mother, she serves different foods, but all nutritious to her children. There is no monotony, which is what we want to avoid.

And now I want to talk about precisely how this issue of holiness, of obedience, of abiding by what the Lord says, and of how delicate obedience and holiness and adherence to the Lord's commandments are, we are going to see why that is so important and how some of the things that I have already preached are made graphically visible in this passage. I'm not going to read it all because it's quite a long passage, it's 26 long verses, but I'm going to recount part of it and then I'm going to read part of it.

Remember that the issue is that of obedience, the issue when God tells you not to do something, don't do it. When God tells you, do something, do it, even though sometimes it seems counter-rational, sometimes your reason will tell you, why if that is so good, so nice, so beautiful, why do I have to stop doing it, why? Why can't I enjoy this because it's so nice and I don't think there's anything wrong. Well there will be many things that we will not be able to understand. There will be things that we want to do and our whole being will push us in a certain direction. In those cases the only thing we can do is obey. Because holiness is often not a matter of what you like to do, what you want to do, because many times your flesh, your mind, your appetites, your rational values will lead you in a certain direction. But the key to holiness is that it is obedience, it is to obey when God tells you, don't do that, you don't do it, even if your whole being yells at you, do it, even if your reason tells you why not to do it, even if your ethical values, that you acquired in the world, tell you, hey, there is nothing wrong with that, but you stick to what God has said in obedience.

Many times you will be going against your flesh. Many times I have told people, and I am already entering the material in an indirect way, there are things that I preach against them, or declare that they are not from God, not because I want to, I do it reluctantly, I do it. I do in obedience to the Lord, because it is the word of God. And I know that in one staying within the word of the Lord, there is protection, there is shelter.

We are going to see what happens in an event in the life of the people of Israel, when they are already entering the promised land. 40 years have passed in the desert wandering around and waiting for their destiny for which the Lord brought them out of Egypt. And now they are entering the promised land, they are beginning to live their life as a bona fide nation. They have won a great battle.

Who knows what was the first battle that Israel fought in the land of Canaan? Someone knows? Jericho. The walls of Jericho when they were torn down, that was the first great nation that Israel confronted, after God calls them to enter the promised land. It is a great victory, a tremendous victory where God showed his power, where God did something impossible for men, the Israelites would never have been able to tear down those walls, or enter a city that was closed, well closed, as the word says. An army much stronger than the Israelites, because here is the thing: all the victory that Israel was going to achieve in the promised land, taking away those powerful nations their lands, because God had given them to them, they could not do it by themselves. do. It had to be through an intervention of God.

But God had his regulations. When God wants to work in a life, remember what I said last Sunday? That holiness is the prerequisite for God's power in our lives, for God's blessings in our lives, for God to be able to use us in our ministries. Holiness is the channel, it is the conduit through which flows the blessing, the power, the grace, the intentions of God.

So, what happens here is the following, God has told the Jews, the Israelites, you are going to possess this land, I have given it to you. And when the Israelites obey the Lord and go those 6 laps around the city, doing something totally crazy, self-defeating in a sense, counter-intuitive and on the seventh day, as God told them, go 7 laps and at the end scream at the top of their lungs and the walls will come down. When they obeyed the Lord, what happened? The walls came down. They had a great victory, but look what had happened. God told them, when you enter, first you are going to destroy everything, even the oxen, the sheep.

It even gives me something to say that God did that. Many historians and critics of the Bible, even people who consider themselves Christians, unable to swallow the fact that God said, destroy everything, men, women, children, cows, everything, say, that has to be a made-up story, that was the Jewish people projecting their own ethnic values, their ethnocentrism, but God would do no such thing. Well, the Bible says that it was, and I believe it.

Thank God for the mercy and grace of Christ, that now people don't have to go through that. But for example, hell is one of the things, so as not to get sidetracked, for many of us hell is something that I, the truth, is that it is difficult to integrate that into the idea of a merciful, loving God, but there are ways to do it and I can't find a contradiction, but a lot of people can't even believe that either and they reject hell because a loving God couldn't.

So, that is why I say, brothers, that holiness, obedience to the Lord is something of pure faith, believing God what he says and abide by what he says, because many times our reason, our ethical, moral values , you will not be able to explain things. But I have found that God always makes sense, God is always just, God is always good, God is always merciful.

And he had told the Jews, if you don't destroy that nation, those nations are going to corrupt you, exactly as it happened. They related to those nations, established friendship with them and ended up losing their blessing. They have been rebellious.

So, here God told you, when you enter Jericho, you are going to destroy everything, even if there is gold, if there is silver, if there is property, you have to burn everything. Gold and silver are consecrated to me, but no one can keep the spoils of war. In other wars they will be able to do it, in other battles, but in this one everything has to be consecrated, valuable things for me, for my temple and no one can keep any of that and destroy everything else.

But what happened? When they entered Jericho, a man named Achan saw certain things. While the war was going on, he entered a house and saw an ingot of gold there, a fairly large quantity of silver as well, he saw a precious, very luxurious cloak and he says that his heart was filled with greed and he felt overwhelmed by how beautiful and how valuable part of that Babylonian cloak. I imagine he wondered, geez, what a waste. What harm does one stay with something like that? How sad. Why do you have to destroy these things?

How many times have you seen something, a dress, sister, in a store and your eyes go behind the dress, and you can't stop thinking about the dress. Or anything else, a car, guys, you walk by on your way to work and you pass that dealer of whatever, a late-model Toyota, or whatever, or a BMW, and your eyes go behind you. That car. You are thinking about him, and you do anything, you get an incredible debt because you have to solve that issue that is in your heart. That's how it happened to poor Achan. He saw this property, it says here later when he confesses what happened to him, he says:

"...Achan replied, truly I have sinned, for I saw among the spoils a very good Babylonian mantle, 200 cycles of silver and a gold ingot weighing 50 cycles, which I coveted..."

That's Joshua 7:21, “…which I coveted…”

In other words, his eyes filled up and his appetite and passion for these things was too great and he couldn't resist it. He says: "... and I took..."

Now, many times that's the thing, brothers, put whatever name it is there. Today perhaps it will not be a Babylonian mantle or 50 cycles of silver, or a gold ingot, it could be other things in your life. There are so many things that fill our eyes, so many things that we would truly jump into the abyss if we had the chance.

What is that gold bar in your life or mine? What is that thing that gives me so much pleasure or are there things in my character, in my way of being, a relationship that I have with whom I love, I adore that person. And yet, I know that it is not beneficial to my life, it is hurting me, it is sucking my spirituality. However, I have seen people literally jump into the abyss, knowing what they are doing, because they did not have the strength to turn their heads and say no, that is not where I am going. And so they persist in that relationship or it can be a house, or it can be a job, or it can be whatever. You know that this is not from God for you, that practice is not from God for you, however, because your nervous system receives so much pleasure from it, you decide to cultivate it even though your understanding tells you clearly, that is not from God, no. is for you.

Then poor Achan, the intensity of his greed was so great that he could not resist. God had told everyone, don't do it, that's anathema. Anathema also has a connotation of consecration. Notice how interesting, but it was also a consecration for destruction. But in this case there was also that element that it was cursed, but it was reserved for God, only through God was it blessed and used, only for divine purposes. But in any other way it was a curse.

And so Achan takes this property and hides it. Nobody noticed it. I believe that neither his own wife nor his family knew that he had committed this offence. God told him, don't do it, look how the Lord put it, he says in verse 6:

“…But you beware of the cursed thing, neither touch nor take anything that is cursed, lest you make the camp of Israel anathema and turb it, plus all the silver and gold, the bronze and iron utensils, be consecrated to Jehovah and enter into the treasury of Jehovah…”

Achan was disobeying and robbing God. God said, this is for me, for my temple, for my purposes, my utensils, do not use it for personal purposes. Do not touch it, for it says, lest you make the camp of Israel anathema and turb it.

What's happening? One of the reasons why I think this topic is important, brothers, and why I chose this passage. Because it illustrates many principles. One of them is sin not only affects you, but it affects your community, it affects your family, it affects the earth itself. And that to me is one of the most revealing things. I think that is why many evangelicals do not combine well the culture in which we live and political, economic, and social issues, because we do not understand these deeper principles of the Christian life, principles of spiritual warfare, principles of how the devil uses sin to destroy a culture from within, how disobedience in leaders, disobedience of parents at home, disobedience of spiritual leaders in churches can harm an entire community, how disobedience by members of a congregation can contaminate a congregation and subvert the holy purposes that God has for that congregation.

Achan was a mere citizen and yet his sin in disobedience to a solemn warning that God had made contaminated and cut off the blessing of all the people. And for me that is one of the very important things, brothers, our sins can often affect the earth itself, physically.

One of the things that I see about the Old Testament that makes this so clear, that the earth itself, the clods of earth, so to speak very graphically, are affected, are penetrated by sin.

And then we have to understand this to know that we have to behave in a certain way, because my sin does not only affect me. That's why many people, well, and what's wrong, let these people live. Live and let live. Live and let live. Why are you talking about this type of behavior or that behavior? What damage do they do? The world is something radioactive, the spiritual affects the physical, the material, the social and it affects me, it affects my family.

A person says, well, I do my behavior at home. No. There are invisible links in the spiritual world that link that house with the other house, the other house, the street, the neighborhood, the city, the region, the nation. And so that's why one has to conjugate these phenomena in a very different way. Sin can affect an entire nation.

Why are our young people corrupting themselves? Why, despite trillions of dollars being thrown at America's crime and youth violence, are our youth killing each other more than ever in our cities, including Boston? Because despite the fact that today we know more about sociology, anthropology, psychology, counseling, education, we have schools that are an example of what high technology is, our young people today even give them ipads, and desk tops in schools, and yet they are not learning?

They are vowed mentally and emotionally, our girls are being pregnant prematurely. Our males have no sensitivity. It is terrible what is happening to men in this nation. It is a scandal, a crisis, the whites and the blacks and the Hispanics, the men are a wild land, they do not know how to treat a girl. When they get married they are going to be a disaster, most of them if God doesn't put his hand in. They are not studying, they do not know how to have a conversation. Everything is internet and electronic games. They are stupefied. Not all, because we know that many exceptions.

Why in this environment? What is happening? Our girls a disaster too. They're not going to college, they're not even graduating from high school. Families live falling apart more and more. What percentage of African American men are in jail today? Scandalous. What percentage of the homes in our communities are single mom homes with two, three, four children? What is happening in our communities?

And I could say so many other things that are happening. Why can't we win the war like Israel couldn't win the war against the next opponent? I believe that for the same reason, because the fight that humanity has is not against crime, it is not against poverty, it is not even against injustice at the sociological financial economic level, it is, says the Bible, against principalities, powers demonic. The real mafia that controls crime and drugs, and the terrible social tragedies of our nation, is below, are the demonic, diabolical powers, says the Apostle Paul, I'm not saying it, the Apostle Paul says it.

That is the mafia that enjoys destroying lives, that life that we always see on Albany Street and Massachusetts Avenue, destroyed. That's the devil behind it. And look, I'm not seeing the devil everywhere, as some say. No, but I know that underneath all these things there is an evil industry that takes pleasure in killing, stealing and destroying.

And that enemy cannot be defeated with human weapons. And the more our nation becomes corrupted, the more our governmental systems become corrupted, the less power they will have against those enemies. Whoever wants to can come, with the best intentions in the world, with the best programs, with the best intellect in the world, but if they do not express a healthy fear of God, and if they fill our culture with all the crap that our society is filling here In the United States and in other countries of the world, brothers, this nation is going further and further down. It is going to be completely destroyed and the crisis is coming, worse than the one we have had recently financially, because sin destroys a nation.

I know there are many kinds of sin, I've rehearsed all those things a lot in my mind, brethren, but let me tell you what happened here. Israel defeats this great city, Jericho, and then the next battle in their conquest of the land is a little city called Ai. By the way, the word Ai is very appropriate, because they gave Israel a big fight in Ai.

Joshua, as a good general, tells his soldiers, "Go and reconnoitre, investigate the city, spy to see the size, how big the army is, etc.", and the spies come back and say, "Look, Joshua, don't worry. kill a lot, don't send the whole army, it's a party of scared cats, just a few. Send two thousand men, we're going to eat him quickly, this is for just one second. It is a small and weak city.”

So, Joshua does not know, nobody knows what has happened in the spiritual world that Achan took from that anathema, in the city of Jericho, and hid it. Here is the thing, that nobody knows, nobody realized, the only one who knows is this man, Achan, and that is hidden in the earth, as many times the sin in our lives is hidden. Nobody sees it. But someone sees it and there is always a seeing eye. One is God's and one is the devil's, honestly so to speak.

That's why I take care of myself, brothers, it's because if it's not God's, it's the devil's, that's why you have to be careful and you have to be reluctantly obedient, you have to do what God says. Because in this case that terrible sin is hidden, it is buried, but look what happens. When these Israelites go to fight Ai, they are shamefully defeated. They all run out. This band of little people destroys and defeats the Israelites.

And when they return defeated, fleeing from this tiny city, when Joshua sees what is happening, he complains before God. He doesn't know what is happening, so he panics, he says, "If we are going to lose against a small city, what will happen to the other cities that we still have to fight against them to conquer the promised land." God lied to us. God did not tell us this. And then look at verse 6 how Joshua reacts to the news that they have been defeated:

“…Then Joshua tore his clothes, fell to the ground on his face before the ark of the Lord, he and the elders of Israel and cast dust on their heads and Joshua said, “Ah, Lord Jehovah, why have you brought this people through? to the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, so that they may destroy us. I wish we would have stayed on the other side of the Jordan. Oh, Lord, what shall I say, etc..."

He complains about God. He doesn't know what has happened. How many of us, brothers, have complained to God for some defeat in our lives. I am not saying that everything that happens in human life, suffering, illness, difficulties, is due to sin, understand me, but there are times when it is. Sin cuts off the blessing. That is what is terrible and that is what is frightening, that sin, disobedience, cuts off the flow of God's blessing.

God wants to bless, God has told the Israelites, this land is yours, it is yours. I have given it to them, no one will be able to defeat them. Your enemies will go out on a path to attack you and they will flee for 7, because I give you victory, I am with you. Amen. That is God's intention. God has declared a blessing on our lives, brothers.

You move under the cloud of God's blessing. Now, our sin, our disobedience can still cut off the benevolent purposes of God. That is one of the mysteries, as in this case.

So, Joshua complains and accuses God of lack of fidelity, inaccuracy in his promises, lying to them and even accuses him of why you took us out if this is the way we are going to be, then, being defeated. We have to be careful many times, we have to ask the Lord, give us understanding, help us.

That is why the psalmist David says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my thoughts, and see if there is any wicked way in me and guide me in the way everlasting." Because many times we ourselves are not capable of investigating our own heart. The human heart is so deceitful and we can deceive ourselves and there are psychological games that we can play with ourselves and then we blame so-and-so, the church, the pastor who gave us bad advice, my dad who didn't love me, the society that deformed me, instead of looking inward and saying, Lord, is there something in me that is cutting off the blessing in my life?

You have to be examined. The Apostle Paul also says, "if we examine ourselves, we will not be judged..."

I believe that as a Christian one has to develop lucidity to examine oneself in the light of the Holy Spirit, not with paranoia, not with neurosis, not with guilty compulsiveness, but in a healthy way. Every day one has to examine oneself in the light of the word, and ask the Lord for understanding to know, Lord, in which areas I should order my life and how I can fight against this situation, the one that threatens to destroy me and engage in a fight to straighten the path, because it has to be like this every day of our lives.

And the good thing is that the Holy Spirit is willing to help you in that process. And you don't have to be ashamed to come before the Lord and confess your lack, because God says, all I want is for you to confess your lack to me, recognize your need and align yourself and I will be with you wherever you go.

There is no need to be suffering or agonizing. It is something wonderful that cleanses us and puts us back in the direction that God wants. But we cannot impute to God faults that he does not have. Many times it is our own need, our own lack that is cutting off God's blessing.

So when Joshua complains like that God tells him, hey, the problem is not me, there is sin on earth. Look what verse 11 says:

“…Why do you fall on your face like that? Israel has sinned and they have even broken my covenant that I commanded them and they have also taken from the anathema and they have even stolen, they have lied and they have even kept it among their belongings…”

How interesting, right now I realize that it does not say a man has sinned, it says Israel has sinned. That is terrible, brothers. Someone has said that no man is an island, we are all part of a continent. The world is intertwined, physicists know that, scientists understand that everything is a web of relationships. And a man and his behavior, a woman, a father of a family, a citizen, a president, a head of state government, can contaminate his entire country, his state, his region, his city, his family.

Here God says, Israel has sinned. It might seem unfair, but again, God is a systemic God. We isolate things and I am I, I do this, no, unfortunately there is a relationship. We are all part, physically we are intertwined, spiritually, morally, ethically, socially, there is a relationship. And that's why we have to take care of ourselves and others too.

Then, God tells him, they have sinned, he says, "... and for this reason the children of Israel will not be able to face their enemies, but they will turn their backs before their enemies because they too have become anathema, nor will I be more with you but destroy the anathema in your midst…”

Look, what is the cure. “…Get up, sanctify the people and say, sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for Jehovah the God of Israel says so, there is an anathema in the midst of you, Israel. You will not be able to face your enemies…”

Remember what we were saying last Sunday? Holiness is the prerequisite for the power of God, the blessing of God, the service of God, the revelation of God that needs to come into our lives. All those things, remember before that I explained Psalm 32 to you a few Sundays ago. It says, “…when I confessed my sin and then the blessing came and God told him, I will make you understand and I will teach you the way you should walk…”

When things are right with God we straighten up, we align ourselves, we confess our sins, we acknowledge, God then, he has no problem, he aligns with you, but there has to be recognition, as long as sin is hidden there can be no such treatment. That is the problem of this society, that this society wants to call the normative sin, something normal and they do not want to confess their sin. And they get angry and annoyed with those – I don't feel better than anyone when I say, that's a sin, on the contrary, that hurts me.

This sermon sticks to me first that I am preaching it. What I am simply saying this is what the word of the Lord says. You cannot call white black and black white, if God defines it as white it is white, if it is black it is black. If it's good it's good, if it's bad it's bad.

God defines it and you align with what God says. What bothers God is when man wants to impose his principles that seem higher than God's and then wants to hide his sin. Against that God has a problem. But he does not have it against the person who says, Lord, I have sinned before you, have mercy on me, like the Pharisee in the parable.

That is the key and that is what God wanted. Look, there is a sin, we are going to clarify it. And then God says, let's go find. I believe that all this is an object lesson, how one has to do it. He says, call all the tribes first, he tells Joshua, call all the tribes of Israel, a great assembly and then God enlightened them. Of the 12 tribes, one tribe of Judah remained, there it is, and it says:

“…And after the tribe they approach by the families of that tribe and the family that Jehovah will take will approach by their houses, that is, their extended family, and the house that Jehovah will take will approach by the men and the one who is surprised in the anathema he will be burned, he and all that he has, because all who have broken the covenant of Jehovah and have committed evil in Israel..."

Thank God for Christ Jesus and his blood that forgives us and for the grace that Christ released on humanity. Thank you for your mercy, for your love, for your goodness. Today we don't have to burn anyone thanks to the Lord, there are other means that God uses. But still the consequences are there. Sin still offends God. God is just as holy as they were in that century, the consequences are so dire, debilitating, and God is offended. What happens is that we have hidden all that. Today God does not swallow people alive, the earth does not open up and eat people alive, and we kind of relaxed, but I believe that God in this time of history, brothers, wants to do great things in this time.

That's why I tell you, God wants to do great things among us too. God wants to bless this congregation. God wants to use this congregation. God wants to use our life, God has purposes as he had with Israel. God wants to give us victory over our enemies. God wants to give us the land and that is why I have felt this urge to say, hey, let's sanctify ourselves before the Lord. This is a defining year. We have to define many things.

Yesterday, when I saw that great blessing among the brothers who were here in that retreat, that spiritual encounter, I could see what this church can become one day if we pay the price. We can impact the city in an extraordinary way, but there is a price to pay. I believe that the problem with the church at this time, an impotent church such as the church in the United States and in Europe and in many countries of the world, and also in other countries, cannot be believed, the Gospel is spreading in many parts of the world. world, but I think there are also many things that have to be fixed as well. That is why there are countries where the church is growing a lot but society is becoming more corrupted every day. There is a church on every corner, and very spiritual churches, let me tell you, but drugs are growing, kidnappings are growing, corruption continues to grow.

I say, then how is it possible? How the church can be growing so much and corruption, they are not affecting the culture, they are not affecting the government, they are not affecting the finances, they are not affecting the intellect. What's happening? There is a cut, there are things that we have to fix, we have to go deep into what God asks for, because I believe that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He wants to do feats. He wants to perform miracles, signs, wonders, transformations, but the price must be paid. That is what hurts me, that you have to pay the price. You have to align with what God wants to do.

So, these people finally God zoomed in and focused on poor Achan. I feel sorry for this man, frankly, it saddens me that this man had to be stoned to death. I would have told him, look, 6 months in jail for him to learn. If it were me, that's what I would have done, if anything, frankly, but God has other ways of doing things. God takes sin seriously because that's the way it is. Sin corrupts, expands.

Then I'm going to talk a little more if you give me permission, and then we'll go on to other slightly lighter topics, but in the meantime I think God wants us to be in the hot seat now, in the hot seat for a while , for us to learn, I am the first.

And then God, when he takes Achan, hears his confession and then the sentence is carried out and this man is completely destroyed, his family, how sad. Again, these are mysteries, brethren, don't ask me why, but verse 24 says:

“…Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Wax, the money, the cloak, the gold ingot, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that he had and They took everything to the Valley of Achor and they were all stoned…”

It all started with a moment of greed and an inability to resist it, and a thought that it wasn't going to hurt anyone. God sees and God charges sin. Do you know what happened? When the problem was resolved, when there was clarity, when the fault was settled, God's promise was closed again. The crack where the power was escaping was sealed again. And when they went to war against Ai again, they said okay, now let's try. Now that everything is resolved, let's see what happens. A total, simple, elegant victory because now they had the grace of the Lord with them. They were clear in their accounts.

Brethren, if we only learned that lesson. And I believe that if this nation learned. I've been battling these days about that. We have to also, serious things await this nation if it does not fix its morality and again, I understand, you know that I am the first that I am already fed up with the corruption of corporations and the exploitation of poor people and the middle class, all these things.

I understand, but frankly I believe that there are also many things in this government, I say so, this week I heard the meditation of a Catholic priest that moved me, speaking about the problem that there is right now with this problem that they are forcing the Catholic church to provide – a church that is millions of Americans in this nation, millions and millions, a church that provides social services to millions of people throughout the United States. Catholic social service agencies are some of the most powerful, most generous, and of the highest quality in the nation.

And our government is now trying to force, violating their promise that they made to the Catholic bishops several years ago that they were not going to force Catholic agencies to provide you with contraceptives because I do not agree with the Catholic position in that regard, but for these Catholic brothers this aspect is a terrible offense. And they promised them and the government does not have to do it, but they have now, that if they want to be with these agencies, they have to provide coverage for contraceptives in their insurance for those who want to use them. And so these people, their conscience is very troubled with it, it is a violation of a promise.

They say why of so many things, why don't they give us an exemption. But no, the government is stubborn that they have too. Here they did the same thing, here the agencies with the greatest help for the adoption of children were the Catholic agencies. And the Massachusetts government forced Catholic agencies to provide children to gay couples for adoption, which was terribly offensive, as it is to us. And the government said, we're so sorry, if you want to stay in business legally, you have to provide.

And they closed all the… how many children were left without adoption because the Catholics said no, we are not going to do it, that they close our agency. They said, don't give us financial help, but not only do they not give you financial help, they have to do it legally if they want to stay open.

For me, hearing this priest speak with integrity, my heart was moved, brothers, because evangelicals here in the United States often do not have that clarity. I know that the Catholic Church has twenty thousand things with which we do not agree, but I ask why this government is so determined to offend the sensibilities of Christians in this way.

Now they are doing it with Catholics, one day they will do it with us in other ways too. And, brothers, I say, no, you have to speak the truth. I know that some brothers are offended by what I say, but I am the spiritual leader of this church and I have the right to announce my conscience. You then take it however you want.

And we have to give the voice, we have to start with us. I, you, this church, let us straighten our paths, let us examine ourselves first. Only by the grace of God I can remain before you and less before God. I understand that I am not better than anyone, neither are you. So we are the first, the church of Christ is the first that has to organize its affairs, but we also have the right to announce the word of God and stand firm in the principles, the values of the Kingdom of God.

It doesn't matter who is offended. We could have many more people here in our church if we were a little more discreet in what we say, how we announce the Gospel. But I am not going to do it, I am clear that if our church is going to grow, if it is going to affect the world, it has to be in a legitimate way, the race has to be run legitimately, not shortening paths, not silencing the Gospel, there is We have to announce the truth clearly, in love, mercy, patience, tolerance, grace, recognition of our own fault first and our need for God, and the grace of God, and there must always be room here for the sinner, and for the people who It's in the works, it always will be, you've heard me announce that so much. But there also has to be clarity, because we have a clear God, a God who is not a matter of seeing or not seeing, he sees the secrets, he sees deep into the heart. That is what scares us many times.

And God tells us, children, I want to bless you, I want to bring you into your promised land, I want to give you victory, I want to make of you an exemplary nation, that provokes the admiration of those who observe you walk and bless yourself and progress, and your children to be functional and exemplary young people, but first be guided by my ways, obey.

What I call anathema is anathema. What I call blessed is blessed. Look, everything I give you, enjoy everything, as he told Adam and Eve, it's all yours, just don't touch what's there, it's a sign. But they can enjoy. As I have always said, holiness allows us to enjoy life like no one else, it clears our palates and all our senses because we are at peace with our God and we can enjoy the smallest things in the world and take advantage and joy of it, because we are pure before God and clean before the Lord.

But we have to stick by what God commands. So, people of God, I hope this blesses you, does not hit you, does not whip you, but rather stimulates you. I want to be sitting there with you saying, we are going to walk this road together, because this is a defining time for this congregation, for your life, for the Church of Jesus Christ, it is time to define ourselves and say, Lord, I am going to tie myself up. to this word, and with your help I am going to fulfill it, difficult but I want to fulfill it and I want to do your will and I want to flow in harmony with your values. That is holiness.

In all areas we are going to say to the Lord, amen, Lord, I believe what you say. Stand up for a moment, make a pact with your God, make a pact with me. I make a pact with you, church of Christ, we are going to stick to the word of the Lord. We are going to be an exemplary people, we are going to go deep, we are going to pay the price, we are going to suffer for the Gospel and then rejoice with the Gospel too.

Let's consecrate ourselves to the Lord. We are going to give our lives to him so that God can use us and bless us as he wants to bless us. Affirm your heart right now and say, Lord, I will go with you, I will stick to your word, I will not falsify your word, I will not play with your commandments, I want to be pleasing to you. We want to be nice to you. Forgive us, Lord, heal our land, heal me first, cleanse me, wash me more and more of my wickedness, because I recognize my rebellions and my sin is always before me. Create in me, O God, a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.

We must say this to the Lord over and over and over again as we struggle with our flesh, as we struggle with the greed that Achan felt. Lord help me and strengthen me. I want to be like you, I want to be like you.

I want to make a call before finishing, if we can lower the music a little bit for a moment, because I want to give an opportunity if someone this morning has been touched by the Lord, has not yet given their life to Jesus Christ, they want to do it right now, he wants to straighten his path in that direction and tell the Lord, Lord, I know I need Jesus because he is the only one who can save me from the fate of Achan.

If I sin I have to find a lawyer to defend me. Achan had no one to defend him, but Christ can defend you, when you fail he is ready to bless you. So I want to invite you this morning if you have not received Jesus yet, as Lord and savior, there is an opportunity that we open now. And I want to invite you to make your peace with God through Jesus. That's the way he's set it up.

If you want peace with me, my Son, you have to go through him. If there is someone who wants to take that step of faith, I invite them to come here. Amen.

God bless you brother. Nice to meet you. Welcome. Welcome. If anyone else wants to come here. We want to pray for you this morning, introduce you to the Lord. I ask that some brothers and sisters come here and support these brothers because I know that courage is required to take a step of faith.

If you want to go ahead here. If you want to receive Jesus as your Lord and savior this morning, you haven't done it before, but you know that the answer to your life is there, I want to pray for you today, rather pray with you, and surrender yourself into the hands of the Mister.

The battle is strong, my brothers, but with Christ victory is certain. There is no possible defeat if Christ is by your side. And we want to bless you this morning. Anyone else who wants to enter their life to the Lord? If you haven't done it yet, you haven't put your life at peace with the Lord through Jesus, there is a precious moment that we don't want to waste. Will there be someone else?

If God is speaking in your life, hey, start the road, the road is hard indeed, but there is also nothing like that road. It is precious, sublime, beautiful and we want more companions on that path. If there is someone else, just one more moment to put our life right before the Lord.

Extend your hand to these brothers and bless them and brother, there in your heart and in your mind, say with me, Lord Jesus, I confess you as my God, my savior. I know that you are the Son of God, and that you died on a cross for my salvation. And today I receive you as my savior, I repent of my sins and I give myself to you and I consecrate myself to you, and I will walk with you.

Take my life in your hands and take control of my life because I give you my being. Lord, savior, Jesus, Son of God, confess it and the Lord says, I will come to you and dine with you and you with me. I bless your life in the name of Jesus and we close every false claim that the devil has on your life, every accusation of the enemy, every influence that he has on your life, we cut it in the name of Jesus and declare paths clear so that you can find the destiny that God has for you. Thank you, Lord, thank you, Father, and thus each one of us repents, we recognize that we are absolutely dependent on your grace and your mercy and allow this word, Lord, to sink deep into my heart, into the hearts of my brothers, and that we can please you as a church, as a family, as individuals. Keep speaking to our lives, keep speaking to our congregation, Lord, because we want you to speak to us, and above all we want to obey you, Lord. and we want to do your will, Father, and that you like us. Thank you, because we feel your approval.

You are not a harsh God, you are not a hateful God, you are a merciful and kind God. And you ask so little of us ultimately. What does God ask of you? Be justice, love mercy, humble yourself before your God. You ask very little, Father, we want to do that, Lord. and we bless you and we give you thanks. Thank you, in the name of Jesus. And the people of God say, amen. Glory to the Lord. Amen.