Keep the Standards High Sun PM 9-1-96

Isaiah chapter 10 and Numbers chapter 25.

Isaiah 10 · chapter mention Numbers 25 · chapter mention

Brother Mike, would you do this for me?

Take that flag right there with its uh uh base there and bring it right out here.

Isaiah chapter 10.

Isaiah 10 · chapter mention

And look with me, if you would, in a verse of scripture.

I'm gonna read into it just a little bit.

Isaiah chapter 10.

Isaiah 10 · chapter mention

Look at verse 12, brethren.

You ready for preaching?

We got everybody in, everybody in good shape.

Thanks, Miss Brother Long.

Right out here, Brother Mike, if you would, in the middle.

Isaiah chapter 10.

Isaiah 10 · chapter mention

And notice what it says in verse 12.

Wherefore, uh, verse 12, it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed this whole work upon Mount Zion on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks.

For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it.

That was a bad thing to say, amen.

And by my wisdom, for I am prudent, I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.

And my hand hath found a nest, the riches of people, and as one gathereth eggs they are left, have I gathered all the earth.

And if you would look down just a little bit further, because it talks about in verse 15, about the acts boasting of itself.

And if you go on down, there's some men in here who get lifted up, and God's about ready to bring them low.

And verse 16, therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness, and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire, and the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his holy ones for a flame, and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briars in one day.

Look at verse 18.

And he shall consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body, and they shall be as when a standard bearer fainteth.

I don't know if you know anything about standard bearing, but the concept here is if a standard bearer faints, some things start falling apart.

Now, I need to talk to you a little bit about this phrase in this chapter here, when a as when a standard bearer feinteth.

Uh please look up here and let me teach you something.

Uh what you're looking at is in essence a standard.

It's a flag.

And you say, well, where did that come from?

I don't understand.

It's just a flag.

Why why are they why do they call it a a standard?

Well, let me demonstrate to you.

Brother Mike Klein, come right out here if you mo would for a moment.

And I want you to uh hold this flag, if you would, this standard, these it's also called the colors, if you would.

I want about uh five guys right here, if you'll come out here quickly, and about five guys over here right here, these guys right here, that's good, that's good.

Just there, that right there, good.

Come right out here.

I want your form like a V right here, quickly, off of the standard, just like a V back over this way, a V back over that way, if you would.

Now, I don't know if you've studied much history of warfare.

Um, I'll read you an excerpt uh from a statement in the Civil War.

At Gettysburg, Major Edward Pye of the 6th Wisconsin Regiment gave the order, charge, describing the dramatic moment one of his officers wrote Any correct picture of this charge would represent a V-shaped crowd of men with the colors at the advancing point.

The idea was they were standard bearing, the standard was here, and they were aligning and guiding on the colors.

If you know anything about the old warfare, the standard bearer was the one who led the charge.

And he he carried the colors ahead of everybody, and everybody else aligned on the colors.

It says this the only uh the only commands I gave as we advanced were align on the colors, close up on the colors, close up on the standards.

You see, as this man who is the standard bearer ran towards the enemy, these men would align on those colors.

And may I say to you, that flag to those men in the Civil War was everything.

It was everything.

They'd die for it, and they did.

Are you listening to me?

The idea is, though, is this as this uh it was said that uh you could often watch a battle, even without uh field binoculars or any type of uh advantageous as far as the field to the naked eye.

A commander would watch as the colors were running through the field.

And he said if he saw the colors bobbing up and down, he knew his regiment, if you order his his battalion, his platoon was still in the forward moving direction, heading towards the enemy.

And often they would watch the battle and control the battle, watching the different standards of the different platoons as they bounced up and down.

Please look up here.

As the standard moved forward, what would the men do?

Move forward, take a step forward.

And the men would move forward, is that right?

Come on, talk to me.

The idea was this was the standard which everybody guided upon, and all the officers would do in the back would say, stand to the colors, align on the colors, stay on the standard, close up on the standard, stay with the standard.

Now, please look up here.

If this man died and the colors dropped, what do you think happened?

Somebody else pick them up.

Die.

Another man would pick it up and they'd close up the ranks on him, and he would now be the bearer of the colors.

He would be the standard bearer.

Are you listening to me?

And I mean, you just didn't leave that flag on the ground very long.

Amen.

The concept, though, was this too.

Um, when there was victory, what they would do, they would take their colors, decorated in full array, and they would plant them in the ground behind the enemy lines from which they were stood before, and that planting of the flag signaled victory.

I mean they guarded that flag, and it was important to them that that flag stayed steadfast.

I read you an excerpt uh from again the a battle called Antietam.

And there was a uh a color bearer there uh that bore the standard, if you would, the flag if you would, and the idea was this color bearer, this standard bearer, this flag bearer, and by the way, just so you know, many in the military, uh the the flag is called the colors.

The the flag is called the standard, if you would.

And the concept here was George Horton, a few days before had been shot through the arm.

And in this excerpt, as he was running up this field and his unit was following behind him, evidently they faced a ferocious charge from the enemy.

And the excerpt went like this George Horton took a shot in the leg and it blew half of his leg off and blew his foot off.

He planted the colors and fell down, fall down right there, and held on to the colors.

The men came around him and said, Let us retrieve the colors, let us retrieve the colors, and what they were asking him to do is take the colors and go backwards.

He said to them, Why don't you stay and defend the colors, boys, right here?

And he planted it in and started firing on the enemy, and he wouldn't let his own men take the colors backwards.

He was going to hold the standards high, and the and it says there was a great fight, and by the way, that's where George Horton died, right there, with the colors planted, but the defended the colors.

Are you listening to me?

You see the idea of standard bearing and holding up the standards.

What is a standard?

It's something that we have that we measure our lives off of.

Are you listening to me?

Just like this flag, if you would, if you were going into battle, the idea is this flag is set up, and that's what everybody measures on as they fight the battle.

Would you agree in our church we have standards?

Come on, yes or no?

We have standards.

Is that right?

Come on.

You've heard this term standard standardization.

Standardization.

You know what I'm talking about.

Say amen.

But the idea is these standards are so everybody aligns themselves off of what's lifted up as being the measure, and we adjust off of that.

Is that right?

Yes or no?

I'm gonna say something.

The standard is not Christianity, the standard is Christ.

Let me say it again.

The standard is not Christianity.

The standard always is, always has been, always will be Christ.

I get tired of people hearing, yeah, you know, I was in Christianity and they did this to me and they did that to me, and they hurt me there, and they hurt me there, and that's why I'm out of church.

That's not a good reason to get out of church.

Because the standards is not Christianity, the standards is Christ.

And he has never hurt anybody except to change them.

And sometimes faithful are the wounds of our friend, amen.

The concept then is the standard bearer.

If a standard bearer faints, well, I read you another excerpt.

Uh, at the Battle of Gettysburg, in the first day, nine standard bearers died in the 24th Michigan Regiment.

And that same day, the North Carolina regiment of the 26th Division lost 14 standard bearers.

At Gaines Mill, a few battles later, one day, here's an excerpt: James Taylor, a boy hero, was fatally wounded, pierced by two bullets.

Daring young Schubach Hain picked up the standard and carried the flag from Taylor's dying grasp and caused it to float high.

You see, brethren, that that standard as it floated up high over the field, kept everybody going.

And then Alfred Pickney picked up the standard after that and fell mortally wounded.

Gadson Holmes picked it up after that and sprang into the rescue and carried it for a few more feet, it says.

And then Lionhearted Dominique Spellman seized the fallen standards and bore it through the rest of the day to victory.

Isn't that an amazing difference between how people treat our flag?

But it's not just on the American flag I'm talking tonight.

I'm talking about standards.

I'm talking about this concept that Jesus in his Bible said is the standard bearer thing.

There's problems.

If the standards are let down, if the standards aren't held up, if there are no standards, everybody does that which is right in their own eyes.

Amen.

Now let me make this very clear.

As a pastor, I'm not going to control what goes on in your home.

You're the head of your household, you control that.

I have a little bit of influence as a pastor on what your standards may be in your home.

But you're the head of that home, sir.

You're the head of that home, ma'am, if you're a single parent.

You're the head of that home if you're single.

And you set the standards.

But may I say this?

In our ministries around here at the church, there's got to be some standards set.

Amen.

Say amen.

There's got to be some standards set.

There has to be standards for the school.

There has to be standards for the choir.

There has to be standards for Sunday school teachers.

Amen.

There has to be standards for bus workers.

Otherwise, everybody would do that which is right in their own eyes.

Is that right?

Plant that right there, brother.

And you guys can be seated.

Look if you would at Numbers 25.

Numbers chapter 25.

Numbers 25 · chapter mention

With Numbers 25, would you pick up Psalms 106?

Numbers 25 and Psalms 106.

Numbers chapter 25 and Psalms 106.

Numbers 25 · chapter mention

Everybody there?

Numbers 25.

Verse 3.

And Israel joined himself unto Baal Peor.

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.

And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one of his men that were joined unto Baal Peor.

And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianiteish woman in the sight of Moses.

By the way, if you want to know who those two people were, in verse 14 and 15, one of the sons is the son of a chief prince, and the other is a daughter of a chief prince of Midianite.

And the Bible says that this situation happened in the congregation of the children of Israel.

Verse 7.

And when Phineas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, took a javelin in his hand, and he went out after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly.

So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

Why?

Because they had lowered the standard.

They had wrought folly in Israel.

Are you listening to me?

They had done something in the sight of all the people, just totally oblivious to the standard that was set up by God, and God was angry, and Phineas went in and said, I'm going to take care of this matter, and he killed both of them.

Are you listening to me?

Well, you say, what'd God say?

Verse 11.

Phineas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel.

While he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consume not the children of Israel in my jealousy.

Wherefore, say, Behold, I give unto him, that's Phineas, my covenant of what?

Peace.

Looks like to me God was pretty pleased with what Phineas did.

There was immorality brought into the camp, and he said he went in there, and by the way, our children need to understand that immorality is wrong.

And he went in there and took care of this thing.

Why?

Because somebody, look up here, somebody had decided the standards don't mean anything.

And they had gone in and done something against the children of Israel, and Phineas came in and said, You're not going to do that.

We have standards around here.

And he kept the standards high, and God was pleased.

Look at Psalms 106.

Psalms 106.

You can tell what kind of message this is going to be.

Amen.

And we need it, I'll tell you why.

There's more of us now.

And we're coming into a time where there's a spiritual battle going to take place like never before.

We're coming into the fall, brethren, and we're coming into big day, like you're turning to Psalms 106.

And we're coming to the time when we're going to see some real tremendous results of the Lord.

I believe that with all my heart.

These meetings we have are coming up in our big day and everything.

We're going to see some results of the Lord.

And we have more people now, more people working beside each other.

We don't need immorality to run rampant in our church.

I'm not saying it is.

Look at Psalms 106 and look at verse 28.

They joined themselves also unto Baal Peor and ate the sacrifices of the dead.

Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions, and the plague broke in upon them.

Then stood who?

Phineas.

And executed what?

Judgment.

And so the plague was stayed.

And that was counted unto him for what?

Righteousness unto all generations forevermore.

God blessed him for what he did because someone else took the standards and lowered them, and he said, No, we're not doing it that way.

I'm not asking anybody.

I'm just judging them.

Let's re-enrong.

And God took care of that thing.

Look, if you would with me a little bit further, and notice if you would 2 Kings chapter 9.

2 Kings 9 · chapter mention

2 Kings chapter 9.

2 Kings 9 · chapter mention

And would you also pick up Exodus chapter 32?

Exodus 32 · chapter mention

2 Kings chapter 9 and Exodus chapter 32.

2 Kings 9 · chapter mention Exodus 32 · chapter mention

And I'm not trying to tell you how to run your house.

That's between you and God.

I'm not coming in to judge you, and I'm not coming in to check you out.

But I want you to know something, brethren.

We are going to have standards in this church.

I'm not saying we don't now, we do, but we're going to maintain the standards in this church.

We're going to maintain some standards of purity.

Amen.

As we grow, we're still going to maintain.

Somebody says, oh, you know, those churches in Southern California.

You know what?

I don't care what anybody thinks.

I don't care what anybody says.

We've got a job to do here, and we ought to not be focused on what someone says.

We ought to keep the standards high here.

And by the way, you can build a church with standards in Southern California.

Look if you were with me.

Look at Exodus chapter 32.

Exodus 32 · chapter mention

Exodus chapter 32.

Exodus 32 · chapter mention

And watch this same scenario that goes on.

Moses comes down from the mountain, Joshua.

And Joshua says there's a noise in the camp.

It's a noise of war.

And Moses says, There ain't no noise of war.

They're down there doing something they shouldn't do.

And when they come down, they got the golden calf set up.

They're singing and having a disco dance around the golden calf, and they're all naked.

And Moses was ticked off.

Moses was angry, amen.

Moses took that golden calf and ground that thing up and said, Now drink it.

Drink it.

I always think about that thing when Paul says I count it all dung.

Amen?

He said, Drink it, drink it, drink it.

That's your God, that's your golden calf.

Drink it.

Verse 26.

Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, Who is on the Lord's side?

Let him come unto me.

And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, put in every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp and slay every man his brother, every man his companion, every man his neighbor.

And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses.

And there fell on that of the people that day about three thousand.

Watch verse 29.

For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, even every man upon his son and upon his brother, that he may bestow upon you a what?

Say it.

A what?

A blessing this day.

What was the blessing for?

The blessing was the fact that they went in and the standard was ripped down.

The standard was torn down.

Please look up here.

It was dropped, if you would.

They were down there singing and dancing around some Egyptian god, and they were naked down there having this big orgy feast going on.

And the standard was dripped through the mud.

And Moses came down and he broke those commandments and he said, Who is on the Lord's side?

The children of Levi came and said, We are.

And he said, All right, go through and kill and get yourself a blessing this day.

Amen.

Why?

What was he saying?

Let's get the standard set back up.

Let's get this thing back in order again.

Let's have the standard high for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The idea was the standard was important.

Look, if you would at 2 Kings chapter 9.

2 Kings 9 · chapter mention

2 Kings chapter 9.

2 Kings 9 · chapter mention

You don't okay tonight?

2 Kings 9.

And if you know anything about the man named Jehu, we don't have to read very much, but Jehu was a man that was sent by God.

Look at 2 Kings 9.

Look at verse 7.

Watch it carefully.

He says to Jehu, and thou shalt smite the house of Ahab, thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants, the prophets, the blood of the servants of the Lord, and at the hand of Jezebel.

Hey, Ahab had taken the children of Israel and drugged their standards through the mud and done against the commandments of God at the suggestions of his wife Jezebel.

And God says, Jehu, you go in and take care of that whole thing.

And if you know what happens, uh verse uh 24.

Jehu drew a bow with his full strength and smote Jehoram.

He starts his process of slaying.

In verse 27, a Haziah dies, if you would, in verse 30.

There's the old queen herself, Jezebel, sees him coming, and she paints her face and tires her head, and she looks out the window.

And verse 32, Jehu says, Who is on my side?

Who?

Two or three eunuchs look out and he says, Throw her down, and she was thrown down, and the dogs ate her, just like God said.

Amen?

The idea was they drugged the standards through the mud.

They drugged God's commandment through the mud, and they had no fear of God, and it didn't matter.

So God says, Alright, you go down there and you remove that which is tearing down my standards.

Verse 7 of chapter 10.

And it came to pass, verse 7 of chapter 10, and it came to pass when the letter came that they took the king's son and slew 70.

You remember God said, Go in and destroy his, not only him, but his household.

Verse 11, so Jahab's Jehu slew all the remainder of the house of Ahab, the priest and everybody.

And he goes on down in verse 14, and he kills more.

And he just house cleans the whole thing.

And he and he, if you would, if you know the story, he provokes the prophets of Baal to come in and tempts them on in, and he gets all the prophets of Baal in there and he kills them too.

Please look up here.

You say, What did God think about all that?

Look at uh 2 Kings 10 and notice verse 30.

And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast said.

You've done well, Jehu, in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart.

Thy children of the what?

Fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.

Hey, brethren, there were blessings for getting the standards right again.

There were blessings for getting it cleaned up again.

And I'm not saying tonight our church is dirty, but what I'm saying to you tonight is there's more people here.

We're working together.

Some of you are new, some of us have been around here a long time.

Look up here, please.

You know, after you've got to have known some people for 15, 16 years, you say, well, good, we're safe.

That doesn't mean we're safe.

There still needs to be standards of purity.

You put males and females together working like we work, and I'll guarantee you sooner or later, some man's eyes will wander on a woman that's not his.

And I'll guarantee you sooner or later, some woman's emotions will run and attach herself to a man that's not hers.

I'm talking tonight to singles.

If you're not married and you're not planning on getting married and you haven't said the ideas yet, you keep your lips off each other.

You say, now what I do in my own home is up to me.

I know what you do in your own home is up to you, and I can't judge that, but we're going to influence and study.

You ought to have some standards.

You ought to have some standards if you're part of our church.

You ought to have some standards if you represent the Lord Jesus Christ.

You ought to have some standards.

I'm talking about married people in here tonight.

If you're married, you have a woman that's your spouse.

Or you have a man and that's your spouse.

And that's it, honey.

That's it, sir.

That's it.

That's the only one.

That's it.

That's it, right there.

You say, well, I'm not having my choice.

You make the choice, stick with it.

Don't go shopping in our church.

This is the place of puberty.

This is the place of trust, not the place of hoarding.

And we're gonna keep the standards and for another one.

I didn't know who was gonna be here tonight! This was the message for another church tonight! For the winning money's hitting them tonight! This is the message of women! The people gonna keep some standards, and we're gonna hold the men of holding it! It's not Christianity, it's Christ! It's his purity! I'm talking to teenagers in here tonight.

We're not having men, we're not having young teenage boys put their arms around teenage girls.

We're not having teenage boys hold hands of teenage girls.

It's like listen, when they come to my home, I let them do that.

I'm telling you, I'm trying to influence you.

It's not the standards of this church.

I'm not trying to stand, stay and get out of here or anything like that.

Stay and defend the standard.

Stay and defend the color.

Stay and defend the standards of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Oh, yeah, I don't see what's the big deal about somebody holding their hands.

Hormones pass through those hands.

You take a teenage boy of 17 and a teenage girl of 17, and you let them lock hands, I'll guarantee you, hormones are passing back and forth.

You say, I don't know what hormones are.

They create imaginations and fantasies.

And there's no reason for that.

Well, I said, I don't see anything wrong.

Listen, we don't believe in the trial and error of dating.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, then how do you get to know somebody?

It looks like we're doing just fine around this place about getting to know people.

If you can't date someone, how do you get to know somebody?

It's been working for a long time around here.

People getting mad, they can have children, they can have families, they don't have to say what do you do?

You have to stop and show them the rubbing woman, dude! Show them the rubbing woman, leave me to the rubbing woman.

It's not to know how the kisser is.

Oh, give me the number of gods, putting them up's choice, and for that woman, you teach, you teach me how to kiss one.

As we go into this big day, and I'm not trying to offend anybody, but I want this place pure.

I want God's power in what we're doing.

And I don't want Phineas to have to show up and run two people through.

Amen.

You say, well, I don't think God really cares that much.

You haven't read your Bible.

He cares an awful lot about the standards.

He certainly does care a great deal.

Stay with me a little bit longer.

And look if you would in 1 Samuel 2.

1 Samuel chapter 2 and Genesis chapter 20.

1 Samuel 2 · chapter mention Genesis 20 · chapter mention

1 Samuel 2 and Genesis chapter 20.

Genesis 20 · chapter mention

Are you getting my drift tonight?

Listen, I'm not against anybody.

I'm not trying to kick anybody out.

I'm not trying to hurt anybody.

But I know this.

Permiscuity and promiscuity and too much familiarity.

And I'm talking about this.

If you're married between that husband and wife, hey, look up here.

You sport with her or sport with him and have a great old time.

Amen.

Keep yourselves attracted to each other.

Amen.

I don't have a problem with that.

But, brethren, we don't need that stuff going on in our singles group and our teen group.

We don't need that going on between two Sunday school teachers that are not married to each other.

Amen.

Now, if I knew something was going on right now, I may not preach this, so I don't know of anything that's going on, but if it is going on, stop.

Knock it off.

You're messing it up for the rest of us.

Yeah, man.

You say, well, nobody knows.

God knows.

Well, it's not affecting anybody else.

That's what they said at AI to.

You know, in the old days, as I read some of these excerpts, it was considered treason to lower the standard.

It was considered treason to demean the standard.

What's treason?

Betrayal.

On the day before the first shot that was fired at Fort Sumtener, crowds gathered in the streets of Philadelphia.

Civilians listened to Mayor Henry promise.

By the grace of Almighty God, treason shall never rear its head or have a booth hold here.

He was talking about treason against the standard.

Stay.

Once the oratory was concluded, a mob marched to the post office and angrily reprimanded the postmaster who that morning had forgot to run up the U.S.

flag.

They considered it treasonous because the guy forgot to put the flag up.

I kind of like that.

You say, what was that?

Peer pressure.

I'll guarantee you, the postman never forgot.

There was enough peer pressure.

And you know what's good about our church?

Positive peer pressure.

Peer pressure among our leaders, peer pressure among our parents, peer pressure to keep the standards high.

We've got peer pressure in our school.

We got rules in our school.

It was so nice the other day.

I drove down 70th Street and looked down on the field, and there were our teenage girls, our junior high and senior high girls, down on the field playing softball, and they all had a monster pepper on, and you couldn't see through their tops, and you had some coolants on, and looked down and said, Man, that looks good.

And I stopped and I prayed for them down there, and I said, Yeah, they look different, but they look pure to me.

Amen.

In Akron, Ohio, at the turn of the century, at a Sunday school class, uh, the Sunday school teacher said to the young class of boys, I want everybody to recite their favorite Bible verse, and boys stood up and began to recite their favorite Bible verses.

And one boy who was kind of new in the class, he was 11 years old, he stood up and said in his right uh uh recitation if anyone attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot.

They say that's not a Bible verse, but that was an attitude to keep the standard high.

That the standard meant something.

I'm not a Pharisee, but I believe we ought to take care of the peer pressure that it takes to keep our own clean and pure.

You say, well, what if somebody falls?

Oh, we don't shoot them.

But we don't coddle it either.

We get it right.

And go on.

Look with me, brethren.

Look at you what it first Samuel chapter 2.

1 Samuel 2 · chapter mention

This is what happens when someone coddles it.

1 Samuel chapter 2.

1 Samuel 2 · chapter mention

You say, you know, preacher, we know all this.

You don't have to be telling us this.

Let me stir up the remembrance of the former things, even though you already know them.

1 Samuel chapter 2.

1 Samuel 2 · chapter mention

And look at verse 22.

Now Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel.

How they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

And he said unto them, Why do you such things?

For I hear your evil doings by all this people.

Nay, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear.

You make the Lord's people to do what?

Transgress.

You say, Well, see, he took care of it.

Not in God's eyes he didn't.

Look at chapter 3.

And notice if you would, verse 12.

In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house when I begin.

I will also make an end, for I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth.

Because his sons made themselves vile, and this is what God said, and he restrained them not.

And God pronounced judgment because Eli let his son and let his sons tear down the standards.

And evidently he didn't do enough about it.

You say, who judged that?

God judged it.

Amen.

Yes or no?

And God says, all right, because your sons did that, they made themselves vow, and you didn't restrain them, you're out.

You're done.

Now, may I say, sooner or later we're going to have children that have problems, that fall.

But we don't just look past it.

We help them get back up, but we still tell them it's wrong.

Amen?

It's wrong.

And what do you say we do?

We don't drop the standards so they feel comfortable.

This is what a lot of churches have done.

We want more people, just let the standards down, they'll come.

If you preach too hard against something, you can't get people.

Who says we're trying to get people?

We're trying to reach the lost and see God save people.

God builds the church, God add uns to the church.

We don't lower the standard just so more people come.

We don't lower the standard so our conscience doesn't bother us.

We keep the standards high and make our conscience obey the standard.

Amen.

You see, if the standard was Christianity, this is what's going on in Christianity.

It's lowering.

It's lowering more and more.

Yes or no?

Amen.

It's going down and far.

Hey, the standard is not Christianity.

The standard is Christ, and He doesn't change.

I'm having a good time, aren't you?

The idea behind this message is we're going to keep the standards high so we keep God's favor.

So we keep his power.

Now, in a church like ours, there's a lot of families that probably have different standards on different things.

You don't necessarily need to go out and judge that.

You don't need to go out and say, well, you know, I'm just I'm Phineas and I'm showing up to take care of you.

Unless you're appointed by God to be Phineas, you better be careful.

You'll do more damage than good.

Let preaching take care of it.

Let the Holy Spirit of God take care of it.

And then, if necessary, believe me, leadership will take care of it if necessary.

You don't have to go out on your own vendetta.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

It's better to wait on the Holy Spirit to do it anyways.

That way it's just not monkey see, monkey do, it's a changed heart.

Look a little further if you would.

Look at Genesis 20.

Genesis 20.

You say, I just can't, I just can't stop myself.

Look at Genesis 20.

In Genesis 20, look at verse 1, and Abraham journey, and his wife goes down with him.

And they run into Abimelech, the king.

Verse 3.

God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man.

What a dream.

You talk about a bad hair night, amen?

I mean, how'd you like God showing up to you and said, You're dead?

For the woman which thou hast taken, for she is a man's wife.

Now Abimelech begins to reason with the Lord and said, Well, he said this and he said this.

Verse 6.

And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, yeah, yeah, I know that thou did this in the integrity of thy heart.

For I also what?

Withheld thee from sinning against me.

Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

Now the four restore the man his wife.

For he is a prophet.

Hey, the next day, you know what?

Abimelech got up and he was an obedient.

He rose early, and he got all his servants together in verse 8, and he said, Don't touch her.

We are going to work somewhat closely together over the next few months.

Do you know that?

Big day, meetings.

We're going to be here on a Sunday night, a Monday night, a Tuesday night, a Wednesday night.

In October, we've got uh Brother Gibbs and Brother Glendie Hamilton coming here.

We're gonna be here again on a Sunday night, a Monday night, a Tuesday night, a Wednesday night.

Oh, we're gonna go out soul winning together.

We're gonna do a lot of things together as a team.

You know, if we're not careful, familiarization is dangerous.

I mean, uh, a brush here, a brush there, a touch here, a touch there, a wink, a flattering of the eyes.

And there's a problem.

It doesn't take much.

And really when you look at it, there's no need for it to ever happen if we just be obedient to God.

Um, man, tomorrow we have a picnic.

We're not interested in seeing the three new hairs on your chest.

Amen, ladies.

Ladies, don't take this wrong.

We're not interested in seeing your undergarments.

You say, well, preacher, you don't know anything about styles.

Oh, yes, I do.

I've watched my wife for years put the underlining and sew it in on blouses.

I've watched her for years when they began to dip a little low and it was a good dress that was for a cheap price, sewing in the thing that goes right there.

So when the girls bent over, it didn't provoke the eyes of men.

You say, well, those men ought to not look.

It's our problem.

We men, we're born under trouble.

Sparks fly.

We know all that.

But help us.

Help us, ladies.

I mean, uh, a lot of guys, most guys in here would tell you that somewhere along their trail, whether they were raised in Christianity or not, their eye was caught by a provocative top to let them, the undergarment show, and they did a double take.

And then their heart convicted them.

Amen, men.

You say, ladies say, I don't understand that.

It's it's it's it's a strange thing we have.

It's wrong.

It's terrible.

So help us.

Don't get mad, don't get offended, just help us.

Hey, if you've got a teenage young lady that's beginning to mature, don't be afraid of offending her and saying you can't wear that to church.

Go down and change that.

My girls would all tell you there's been times when they come up and say, You're not wearing that.

Not until mom adjusts it.

And don't run scared of your teenage daughter.

Help her.

Is it okay to say this?

I'm for this church.

I'm for I'm for your family.

I mean, well, well, I don't want to say anything because if it does, she'll just, you know, stop around and she'll threaten to leave us.

Come on.

Take her aside, love on her, take her out to eat, give her$20, and say, let us put some underlying on your material.

You say that's a bribe.

Do whatever you have to do.

She'll like you for it later.

I'll tell you what, our ladies need to feel that this is a place of trust and a place of security.

I want our daughters to feel secure.

You young men, keep your chicken lips off of them.

Unless you put the ring on and the preacher said, Do you?

And you said I do, and she said I do, and daddy said it's okay, then she's yours.

I'm talking about keeping the standard.

And we're not Pharisees.

But we're not a Kumbaya church either.

And the pastor's sitting there with his head in his hands saying This is going on and that's going on and this is going on and that's going on.

And the children are torn out.

And ladies are fighting ladies.

And lies are being told by the men.

You can't tell me that the Holy Spirit is pleased with that.

It grieves him, it quenches him.

I can't get the Holy Spirit started.

He's the author, but I can sure stop him.

I can hinder it.

It is so good to stand up here tonight and know that there's no Jennifer Flowers in my life.

And there is not a woman in America that could ever accuse me without lying.

It's good to stand up here tonight and know there's not a woman in this church that I've ever led on or flirted with or touched in a wrong way.

And if you think I did, ma'am, that's your fantasy and get rid of it.

I'm glad I'm getting bolder and fatter.

I'm not romantic, I'm getting worse as I get older.

I'm not flexible, I'm a dead beast.

You won't like me?

You won't enjoy me?

Keep your mind off of me.

There's a lady sitting there tonight.

You don't have to worry, Pastor.

Keep that com right there.

Just keep that coming.

Roll around the standard.

Rabble around the standard.

Hold them up, high, rabbin' around some standards.

Hold them up, huh?

Rumbling around some standards.

Stand and fight for it, boys.

Stand and hold them up.

I'm talking about in the team room.

Stand and hold up the standards, young man.

Stand and hold them up.

Stand them, hold them up in the team room.

You young ladies, dressing such a woman that you want to wanna touch you.

Hold up the standards.

Hold up the standards in the corn.

Hold up the standards in the bus ministry.

Hold up the standards in all the ministries that we have.

Hold up the standards in your home.

Shut your television off.

Get rid of the wrong videos.

Hold up the standards.

Let's do something for God.

And let's not let this flesh ruin it.

Ladies, keep your emotions on the one man God gave you.

You say, well, I haven't got one yet.

Then keep your emotions on Christ.

Men.

There is no woman in this earth that's worth betraying Christ for.

If you're married, you got one.

And if you're not, keep yourself pure until God gives you one.

There is no woman worth the pleasures of sin for a season and to take this standard and drop it.

Now I know this.

Probably.

Somebody will go out of here tonight and say, I just don't like this kind of preaching.

I'd rather say, why don't you stay and fight for it, boys?

I'm not telling you to leave.

Stay.

Stay and get us some standards of morality.

Get some standards of dress.

Get some standards of conduct.

And say, well, you know what?

The Holy Spirit hasn't led me that way.

That's why I'm trying to influence you.

I'm for you tonight.

I'm talking about God's power on our ministries or on our homes.

I'm talking about not grieving him and not quenching him.

I'm talking about a line on the colors.

Close up on the colors and keep the standards high.

We're not Pharisees.

We're a church with some standards.

And by the way, when we keep the standards and plant them, God will give us the victory.

People will get saved.

Mark it down.

Go soul winning all you want.

Get the gospel all you want out.

If there's immorality and promiscuity and things going on in the church that grieve the Holy Spirit, nothing's going to happen.

But if we do the same thing with God's power and get the gospel out and keep ourselves pure and keep our eyes on ourselves and keep our mind on our own boat and what we're supposed to be doing, God will save people.

And God will bless our ministries.

And the main thing is that he gets pleasure, anyways.

As long as he's pleased, that's all that matters.

Let's retreat.

No.

Hold them up.

Rally around the banner.

Ready, steady.

Pass the word alone.

Stand, boys, and fight for it.

Stand, ladies, and fight for it.

Hold them up.

By the way, our children will be the benefactors.

It's getting worse and worse in Southern California.

We are gonna look more different and more different and more different.

Girls, ladies, don't be ashamed of dressing modestly.

Men, don't be ashamed of dressing modestly.

Wear it right for Christ.

We got work ahead of us this fall.

Let's do it with God's power and God's blessing.

Let's all stay.

I'd ask some men of the church tonight to come and rally round an altar with your heads bowed and your eyes closed and say, God, if any of this comes up with you, would you withhold that situation from happening, God?

Some ladies tonight to rally round.

Altar's open.

Men, some of you men come, some of you ladies come.

Let's pray for God's power and blessing.

I'm talking about praying that we keep the standard high.

We don't know what's down the trail.

We don't know what the temptations are.

There's an evil day appointed done to each one of us, and you know that, and I know that's true.

I'm talking about up in the death ministry, up in the balcony.

I'm saying tonight, you say, well, while we pray in that, what we pray in that, pray that it doesn't happen.

Pray that there's not uh a breaking of the trust that goes on in any of our ministries, in any of our church.

Pray that God will give us the right peer pressure to keep the standards high.