Sunday Morning Worship Service
by Anthony McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: James 1:19-20

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/anthony-mccool--sunday-morning-worship-service-29
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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If you have your Bibles, would you turn with me to uh the book of James chapter 1 and we'll read verses 19 and 20. I give honor to Bishop and Sister Mcool this morning as well. I wouldn't be here without them and I thank thankful for the the road that they have paved and I I hope that we all and another generation continue to to pave that path and I I honor them this morning. Uh, Pastor and Sister Mcool are preaching an anniversary service in Kentucky and uh, I think they're tuning in or maybe once I got up here they probably tuned back out. But um, let's pray for them as they travel and we'll pray before uh, the sermon here. But let me also say this. Uh, let's remember Pastor Nate Whitley and uh, Sister Brenda Whitley. Many of you you might know, but if you don't, this past Thursday, uh, Sister Brenda Whitley, uh, for lack of a better terms, took a tumultuous fall in her house, and she had to be rushed to the hospital and there's a myriad of different complications, uh, that exist in in her situation and uh, she's still waiting to get discharged from the hospital and Pastor Whitley's the primary caregiver uh, for her. So please let's remember remember them. And then as we pray as well, there are a lot of people fighting this illness. It uh struck my house as well. I tried to get the blood on the doorpost, but it might have been a little bit too late. Uh but it struck my house as well of my wife and and Callaway. Uh so please remember them. And I know everybody uh knows someone or you might have been fighting it and are over it or well is and is getting over it. And if you want to give me an air fist bump today, that's all right as as well. But we we will pray for all of those needs here in a moment. Uh Brother Bryant said, "You here by yourself today?" And I said I said, "Oh, yeah." And I I told him uh I gave him a statistic. I I I read that around 54% of men believe that in an emergency situation on an airplane that if they had to, they could get in the cockpit and get the get the headphones on and listen to the direction uh from the the landing space and be walked through, if you will, and land that plane safely. 54% of men believe that. Amen. To which it was within an article, it went on to say that the true statistic of this would be about 3% of a successful landing. But in my mind today, I'm in the 54%. Amen. So, uh, we'll see what that percentage looks like as we as we get through with the service today. But, Gospel of James, Epistle of James, chapter 1, verses 19 and 20. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, he opens that up so beautifully. My beloved brethren and sisters, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man workketh not the righteousness of God. Let me read another translation as well. It states, "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, and anger representing not just the emotion that we think of, rage, but flesh driven, emotion driven. For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." I want to minister to us for a few moments this morning on don't make monuments out of moments. Don't make monuments out of moments. Right where you're seated, if we could lift our voices to heaven and let's pray over the needs that I mentioned before. Heavenly Father, we thank you this morning. Lord, we thank you for the opportunity for bringing us here together to study your word, to let it be alive in our life. Lord, your word says iron sharpeneth iron. And we know when we gather together, praise together, sing together, give together, worship together, that we are sharpened in your spirit inhabits our praises. Lord, all of the needs that have gone forth this morning, the special requests, the unspoken requests, the illness, Pastor uh Whitley, Sister Brenda Whitley, Lord, we lift those up to you knowing that your hand of healing and peace is within them. Lord, today if there's be someone that's struggling with chaos in their life, Lord, let your word be revealed in their life to bring order today. Lord, let us be quick to hear and slow to react. We thank you to praise you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And amen. Don't make monuments out of moments. The 90 seconds that changed the world. September 26th, 1983, during the Cold War, the Soviet early warning system suddenly reported incoming US nuclear missiles. Sirens blared. The red screens flashed before his eyes. Protocol required immediate reporting. Retaliation would immediately follow. The officer on duty was Stannislov Petrov. He had minutes, actually seconds to decide. Five missiles appeared on the screen. Yet he felt and based on his training and discernment that something was still not right. So he received the call and he said, "It's a malfunction." And as soon as he did, about 45 seconds in, the radar went off one more time. But something didn't sit right. He continued to reason and he thought if the US were launching a first strike, it would not be five missiles, it would be hundreds. But he says within that 90 seconds that uh that comfortable chair with armrest that he was sitting in felt like he was sitting on top of a oven at max heat. knowing that the fate of his country and the fate of his world would be in the response that he gave over that one minute of an relied on his discernment. He relied on his training and he hesitated and he waited 90 seconds. He delayed reporting it as an attack and he declared it as a system malfunction. And he was right. Sunlight reflecting off clouds had fooled the satellite system. And historians later concluded that his hesitation on all accounts prevented an absolute nuclear war. because he waited. Because he hesitated. 90 seconds. Not reaction, but immense restraint. Not panic, but discernment. which in light of our key text begs the question as we as a collective body, as a church body, look at God's words this morning, how many relational wars could be avoided with 90 seconds of discernment before a response? How many family divides could have been prevented if had there been a 90 second pause before reacting? How many marriages could be saved with 90 seconds of evaluation? Timing is not just about when God moves. It's about when you refuse to move in the flesh. Sometimes the miracle is not in the acceleration, but it's in the hesitation. And this is the heart of the scripture that we read today. This is the heart of the message for this morning. Don't make monuments out of moments. A moment is a temporary and monument is permanent. A moment is a flash of emotion and a monument can be a lifelong consequence. We build monuments out of moments when we allow a passing feeling to become a permanent decision. An angry text, a bitter email, a lustful click, a sharp word, a sh a sharp word, a public outburst, a private compromise, seconds that can shape decades. The enemy loves impulsive decisions. He thrives in emotional surges. And he whispers, "Do it now. Say it now. End it now. Don't tolerate that. You're going to put up with that." Or or there'll be even people in your life, "Oh, if I were you, this is what I would do. I wouldn't let somebody talk to me like that. Oh, you're big. You're strong. You don't put up with anything. Post it right now. If I were you, I'd hit send. This is what you ought to do." And then most of the time if you evaluate the individual's life that is giving you such advice might not be the uh path that you want to go down. But scripture whispers something different. The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. The flesh moves fast. The spirit moves often. And when we fail to pause, we construct monuments to our immaturity. The Bible is full of people who built monuments out of moments. Moses and the rock, he God told Moses to speak to the rotten rock, but in frustration, he struck it. One moment of anger, one moment of disobedience, one moment of consequence. He would see the promised land but not enter it due to his disobedience. His anger outpaced his obedience. There are a lot of individuals whose emotions outpace their talent. Their emotions outpace what God wants to do in their life. Their emotions outpace the effectiveness that they could have in God's kingdom. We seen individuals before. I'll just use it like that. That's a pretty ambiguous term. individuals, pastors, preachers, evangelists that behind the podium, behind the pull pit, man, they they are absolute fire. They could absolutely preach the house down, but outside of the pull pit, if you could just locking them in a box and then let them out when it's time to preach, they would be real effective. But outside the pull pit, they're in a fight with somebody. They're not getting along with somebody. Somebody's talking bad about them. they're in a they're they're they're into it with somebody or they're doing this and they're doing that and they're uh posting all kind of crazy stuff online and in fights and you're just like, man, they've preached some of my favorite sermons and I' I'd love to I'd love to have them uh again, but you know, their the the life their reputation is so chaotic that they they've lost the equity that they have behind behind the podium when if they would just kids quest is in here, but I I'm just going to say if they just shut up in their life. Just like I said, if you could just put them in a box and let them out when it's time to preach, man, I I could really help their their ministry. We can be like this as well. Whether we're a singer, musician, or at our job, whatever, whatever that context looks like for you, our emotions can outpace our talent. How many of us have struck what God told us to speak to, spoken what God told us to pray about, acted when God told us to wait? Then we see David on the rooftop. King David should have been at war. Instead, he lingered. And that lingering turned into a gaze. And the gaze became a desire. And desire became adultery. And adultery became deception. And deception became murder. And all of that death, all of the destruction, all of the generational curses, all of the storyline on the incremental decline of David's reign can be traced back to a 92 period of time where had he made a different decision, had a monument of lust not been built, the outcome would have been radically different. People would have still been alive. But he built a monu a monument that fractured his household for generation. All because one moment was not governed. David the shepherd boy. What a story. David the giant killer. David who was on the run and still respected his the king and all of the great things, the psalmist, uniting the Federation of Israel, the great warrior, all of these accolades. But when in a 90 secondond period just began to spiral deeper and deeper and deeper. Esau and the bowl of stew, he traded his birthright for one meal. Hunger is temporary, but inheritance is generational. He let a craving define his covenant. He made a decision in the moment of weakness, in the midst of the hunger that his flesh had that he traded his whole inheritance for. What things have we traded in our life because of a 902 toxic tirade that we had toward our spouse, family member action that we took in the heat of the moment. Oh, you don't understand. I was mad. Oh, calm down, lone wolf. Go post a a meme how nobody's going to mess with you. And that'll really that'll really get our attention. Yeah, you're Yeah, we're we're scared of you. Some of us forfeit spiritual inheritance because we cannot endure temporary discomfort. A monument built to a temporary appetite. How many of marriages have been divided because somebody traded the inheritance of a godly institution vows and it doesn't end there but it transitions into the next generation splits divine and often times it can be traced back to one single moment where a monument was built. will. And I know I know I know I know the theology of restraint, that's that's probably not going to have us running around the pews. And you know, if I was going to preach a revival somewhere or uh uh camp meeting or something, all right, everybody, we're going to preach about the theology of restraint today. Oh, you pacifist. Oh, you're weak. Preach about aggression and and going after it and taking back what's mine. Yeah. And there's times for there's times for for those for those things in our life. And we often preach about bold faith and radical obedience and courageous action. And those things are those things are positive. Those are good things. But right there with them is holy restraint. Restraint is is not weakness. It is strength under control. In the epistle to the Galatians, the fruit of the spirit also involves temperance, self-control. Not just love, not just joy, not just peace. selfcont controlled temperance, the ability to say, "I feel it, but I I'm not going to follow it. I'm I'm angry, but I'm not going to unleash it." And often times if you will wait and if you will delay that that anger that you felt in the moment over something when you step back in a little bit of time positions itself between that you look back in that moment oftent times and say you know that really in the grand scheme of things wasn't worth getting too upset over and also there's usually other factors in your life that lead to your temperance. This is re let's turn to revelation here and the maps and all the apocalyptic skep speculation here. Sometimes lack of sleep makes you more irritable. Wow. I mean it's just lifech changing right sometimes you know not eating you know other stress in our life and uh maybe improper planning or maybe something maybe you planned and and something came out of nowhere and it messed up your day and then the accumulation of factors and all of this comes together in your responses. It's life. It's humanity. But we still have to control it. I'm tempted, but I'm going through a thought process. Now, as soon as I leave here, I'm going to be behind somebody at a red light that won't turn right on red. That's You're allowed to do that, by the way. And I'm going to have to go through that 90 seconds. So, pray for me. I'm tempted, but I'm not going to indulge in it. I'm hurt, but I'm not going to retaliate. Restraint is worship. Restraint is giving thanks and praise to God. Now that the there'll be a lot of voices in your life and there might be some family members that are real big and bad like I mentioned that post the memes about oh my circle's decreasing and nobody's messing with me and their picture of them like a lion or a wolf or don't listen to the thoughts that's real big and bad. Woo. Yeah. But there'll be a lot of voices in your life that give you frankly a lot of horrible bad advice. Okay. And uh don't take it from me. I didn't do it. These aren't my words. Go to the Gospel, the Epistle of James, and look what God inspired to be written about quick to hear and slow, slow to react. Temperance being a byproduct of having God's spirit in you. When you refuse to react in the flesh, you enthrone Christ over your impulses. No one had more right to retaliate than Jesus. He was mocked. He was beaten. He was spat upon. He was nailed. Yet he did not call down angels. He paused. He endured. He prayed, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." And just maybe the words of Christ would be relevant in our own life. And I don't mean to be smart elo this morning. I'm just kind of as Pastor Whitley said last Sunday, I'm just joking. Maybe the maybe the words of Christ would be applicable and relevant in our life when something negative is hurled our way or there's criticism about us or the whole story has not been told but we're receiving the pressure from somebody that that is kind of provoking and and prodg for they know not what they do. I'm not going to retaliate with sharp words. I'm not going to retaliate with ad hominemum attacks and try to just tear them down and let them know how excellent my vocabulary is after I run it through AI and just really put a post up about them. Maybe, just maybe, I say, "God, I need you in this moment. It is affecting me. It's it's kind of troubling me, but just maybe your word is true when it says that you can bring a peace that passes understanding and maybe you could bring me some soulless right now. The Bible doesn't say, a lot of people misquote this scripture and says the Bible says don't get angry. It doesn't say that. It says be angry and sin not. Sometimes we get mad, ticked off, upset. And I'll stop right there. But we got to learn it takes the mind. It's not going to happen by accident there. Uh Gabriel's not going to come down with some fluttery wings and hold you back. You're going to have to use this matter between your ears and and the Holy Ghost within you and and say, "Oh, hold on just a second. Can I can I delay just 90 seconds? Can I can I think this through before I snap and before I give a harsh word to somebody that they might be going through a tough time and they're on the rebuttal in the other end of your nuclear attack. Had Jesus reacted with wrath, we would not be redeemed. Your wrath can affect your calling. Your wrath can affect your witness. Your wrath can affect the perception that others have of you. You can be the most talented. You can have it all together. You can be the greatest businessman, businesswoman. You can have all of the smarts. You can have all of the degrees. You can have all of the the talent in whatever field you're in. But if you treat people like dirt and you're always uh ready to hit the launch button in every single interpersonal reaction in your life, you're going to kill your witness and you're going to be stressed as well. Always getting hot and upset about small things. 90 seconds in marriage. What could 90 seconds do before that say that cutting sentence? Somebody nudge their spouse say, "Yeah, you need that." I'm just kidding. Kelly's not here, so I'll really preach brave this morning. I ask, "Am I reacting or am I is my response measured? Is this about now? Or is there as I mentioned earlier, is there something deeper? Is there the accumulation of factors in my life that are that are negatively affecting me to respond in this manner? I've told this story before and and pastor McCoy, I think, told this uh this story last Sunday night. He said the the devil was sitting outside of the church with his hands in his in his in his with his face in his hands and he was bent over and somebody asked him, he said, "Uh, Satan, what's wrong?" And he said, "Those people in that church, they blame me for everything." I I heard a I was at a a conference one time and this this uh young man meaning well, no offense to him, Pastor Whitley just spoke about not doing this, but no offense to him, but he was up testifying uh at his at his about his campus and he was, you know, really talking after he got done talking. I didn't want to ever go to that campus that he was at. He had talked so bad about the people that went there and all these things. is just kind of and he said uh he said I I had a final that day and he had his his his top his preacher voice going. He said I had a final that day at uh at 2:30 and he said I was walking around the campus. He was talking like that and I was like if you talk like that on the campus people are probably going to think there's something wrong with you. But anyways, he said, and he I didn't sleep cuz I had been studying and I and I hadn't eaten. And he said, I was walking to my exam and he said, I felt the spirit of Satan. The enemy just came on me like never before. I was like, buddy, you could pray and probably eat a Snickers and it probably it probably help you out. you you're stressed because you don't have because you got a test. You hadn't you waited till the last minute to study and you're late for you're late for class. You know, we so we get some things and and and really if we're truly honest with oursel, these are deflectors and these are some things that oh, I can place blame on that person or this situation instead of uh looking at OM me for how I properly plan to enter into whatever situation it is. But in our marriage, is this about now or is it, you know, is there something are there other things going on that are making me respond in this manner? Will will this is this moment right here, is it going to build connection or is it going to create distance? Oftent times, this is going to sound crazy. Sometimes I say often times to protect myself in the midst of conflict, in the midst of misunderstanding is when you can be the greatest witness for God. when somebody else is you're holding them back, you know, say, "Hey, how can we resolve this? What can we do to take the next step?" Words once spoken cannot be retrieved. One sentence can echo for years. And I know that the culture of different families, some families can scream at each other and yell at each other and then they're all good the next next day. And it's, you know, just the culture there. They have that I'm not saying right, wrong, indifferent, but they they have that atmosphere whether it's healthy or not, but they're all together, you know. So maybe so some families are are more reserved where you know just the just the just the the least bit of negative comment can man that that launch that nuclear launch button has been hit which needs us to furthermore go through that restraint. If I'm from a family where, you know, we can hash it out and we're going to be all good, I need to be cautious how I communicate with, oh, they may not come from a family like that and they can have an interaction with me when I'm used to uh Sister Ashley, she's somewhere out there where where I'm used, we're we're used to talking more um emphatically. okay to each other in the in the moment of getting something done. If I take that same persona and that same relationship that I have with my family or somebody close to you, your brother, your sister, you know, whatever that looks like, and result to those same tactics in the workplace or with a brother and sister in Christ, when a situation comes up, you can be hitting that nuke button and you not even realize it. So there's a discernment. There's a wisdom that I need in how I interact with others in parenting. You know, it goes without saying what would 90 seconds look like before we responded on social media. Oh, I'm offended by a post. The comment triggers me. Oh, the debate. Or it just