Sunday Evening Worship Service
by Billy McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Ephesians 5:31-32, Song of Solomon 1:1-4, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Genesis 6:3, Philippians 3:8, Psalm 89:27, Philippians 2:9, Hebrews 1:1-4, Isaiah 11:10, Revelation 3:20, Isaiah 61:1-3, Revelation 19:7-8

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/billy-mccool--sunday-evening-worship-service-98
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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praise the Lord everyone praise the Lord Give the Lord a great big hand clap if you love [Applause] [Music] him Lord bless you and you may be seated and we greet you tonight in that Wonderful Name of Jesus that name that is above every name we're so glad to see each one of you here tonight and what a message we heard this morning morning Pastor Anthony blessed my heart and uh he gave us the word and it's the the word that makes the bones fat and I appreciate it so very much now I gave the title of my message this morning and I would like to say this please do not consider what I have said as frivolous because this subject is very serious and and um I need your prayers I feel very strongly about this message tonight and I'm going to get right into it and will not hold you long tonight but I'd like to read to you Ephesians 531 and 32 and my message is entitled a tender love story for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and they too shall be one flesh this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church father we pray that you will anoint the lips of clay with the spirit of God give what you would have spoken in this service tonight and may you be glorified in everything said and done touch hearts and lives for the kingdom of God in Jesus name we pray for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife and they two shall be one flesh now the the subject of a husband and wife relationship is not anything frivolous or anything to be joked about it's a very serious thing as a matter of fact it is so serious that God likened the Body of Christ and Christ to a husband and wife relationship he's the head and we are the body he's the husband and we are the wife the church is the bride of Christ This is a story of tragedy and Intrigue I'm going to ask you my audience to write the last chapter you will decide whether it ends in tragedy or Tri in this message I'm going to share with you some intimate information it may be somewhat of a delicate nature turning to the book of Songs of Solomon it's called the song of songs songs of Solomon chapter 1 verse one the song of songs which is Solomon's now according to all the commment is and according to the reasoning of looking at that first verse Solomon's Song of Songs it's not just another song many songs David wrote many songs Solomon wrote many songs but this is thought to be the greatest song in the all the the uh uh uh books of the Bible this supposed to be the song of songs and he starts it like this let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy love is better than Wine now we're starting right out talking about a husband and a wife This Is Not A lwd Love Affair this is a legal love affair between a husband and wife and here's what she says let him kiss kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy love is better than Wine there is a very intimate and close relationship between Christ and his church some of us only shake his hand and wave at him every now and then but he wants to kiss you on the mouth he wants you to feel his presence he wants you to feel his love he wants you to know that he loves you you now I want you to know this I believe in kissing your wife and your husband and you need to stay in practice verse three because of the Savor of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth therefore do the virgins love thee draw me we will run after thee the king hath brought me into his chamber we will be glad and rejoice in thee we will remember thy love more than Wine the upright love thee now we're seeing a pattern develop in this song as he say as he says because of thy Savor of the good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth there's a sweet smell about the presence of God uh have you ever been in a place I I smell a m Mouse well they don't really mean that they smell a a literal Mouse it means that there's something suspicious there's something unsavory there's something that's not comfortable there's something wrong well I want you to know when you enter those doors back there you're going to feel a good spirit it's going to be an ointment like the ointment spoken of by Solomon you're going to feel the friendliness of the saints of God there's going to be a handshake and if you're not careful there'll be a a neck hugging and a congratulations for being in the house of God somebody said uh what do you say about two men that hug right in the middle of Walmart you see there's a couple of apostolics that's what you say because we believe in our love for each other draw me we will run after thee the king ha draw me you know we're not having folks to run after us we're running after Christ I'm happy to be in the house of God I'd love to hear what happened last week I'd love to hear what's going to happen next week I'm chasing after him I want him to know that I love everything about him then says behold Thou Art Fair my love he's talking to her now behold thou Fair my love behold Thou Art Fair thou Hast Dove's eyes within thy locks thy hair is as flocks of goats that appear from Mount Gilead you know when people start talking about their church I want you to talk about him like he talks about you do you know what he says about you he calls you the apple of his ey he Delights in his children and do you know that's what we need to be doing about him we need to glorify him we need to let the world know that we're in love with him he says about his church Thou Art Fair my love behold Thou Art Fair thou Hast Dove's eyes within thy locks now he didn't say that you have eyes of an eagle are the eyes of a raven but he said you've got eyes of a dove there's something about a dove whose eyes are lovely and very romantic I share a name with my oldest sister her name is Billy Dove and that word Dove is so lovely and so precious her name she spells it b i l l i e I spell mine b i l l y but we share the name Billy and she holds the name of a dove and the dove has a cooing sound I'm told that Dove Hunters that that hunt doves they go in cies a large group of of of doves and and when once you find them and these bird Hunters they have uh dogs they call them pointers and they'll find a Cy of doves and they'll they'll stand real straight and it's almost like they're pointing at where the doves are and once the uh shooter shoots among the doves he gets some of them and they fly in all directions but I'm told if you hang around way late in the evening when it starts getting a little bit dark you'll hear here over here there'll be a dove that'll coup over here and there'll be a dove coup over there and there'll be one cing over here and what they're doing they're giving their signals and though they have been shot among and some have been wounded and some have been killed those who remain are going to come back together and they're going to find each other as the sun goes down and I want to tell you something as the evening presses upon us as we see the sun going down God's doves are gathering together and they're going to see a move of God as never before that's why we have Dove's eyes because we have the nature that he put in us then he said within the locks of hair as as flocks of goats that appear from Mount Gilead thy teeth are like a flock of sheep they are even Shor which come up from the washing whereof everyone bear Twins and none is baren among them what he's saying is your teeth is so beautiful they're so even you're not snaggle tooth you don't have teeth missing but they're all like twins they're all together and they're beautiful like a flock of goats you know there's not a thing missing in in the Old Testament they had a they had a a standard if you do something to me I'm supposed to do something to you if you knock my eye out I'm going to knock your eye out if you knock my tooth out I'm going to knock your tooth out but in the New Testament that's not the way it is Jesus said to us to do good for evil pray for them that despitefully use you when you go to that idea of knocking an eye out the tooth out all you're going to have is a bunch of oneeyed snaggle tooth folks and God wants his church to be perfect and we're going to have a beautiful countenance with our teeth all there and all even and he said thy lips are like a thread of scarlet and they speech and thy speech is comely now it didn't mean that that the the the lips are red with makeup but they are healthy they're naturally like a beautiful thread because she's in good health and she has absolute natural beauty I wrote the article what's wrong with Holiness and in that article I stated that Holiness is the the the least stringent the least change of your natural arrangement of your body than anything else when you serve God all you've got to do is just be natural and let God's Beauty be your beauty the Bible speaks of the beauty of Holiness when they went out to fight the when they were outnumbered with several Kings and many soldiers the man of God said wait a minute we don't want our soldiers to go out there just now said where is the choir get us a Minstrel and they got the choir and said let the choir go out in front of us before the soldiers and let them sing the beauty of Holiness and the beauty of Holiness caused their enemies to be struck before them I want to tell you something if we will magnify the health we've got and manifest the complex of an Apostolic church and be Apostolic and look like Apostolic and have the attitude of an Apostolic the wicked cannot stand in our presence thy lips are like a thread of scarlet and thy speech is calmly that means the speech is beautiful I don't know if you listen to the political convention a few days ago but I was a guess I was surprised how many use bad language uh before the audience the kind of words that that was uh remarkable and was embarrassing and what I have always heard that vulgarity and cursing is the effort of a feeble mind trying to express itself forcibly 1 Corinthians 15:33 says be not deceived evil communication corrupt good manners you see the Church of the Living God has got a manner about them we don't have to resort to B words we don't have to resort to cursing we don't have to C resort to hateful talk we've got another language of love that will speak with the love of God and it will touch hearts and lives if we'll stay with it thy neck is like the Tower of David build it for an Armory now an Armory is a place where they keep armaments that's where they keep military equipment and then it goes on to say where on they hang a thousand bucklers that's a small knife that's a not as large as a sword it's called a buckler all Shields of Mighty Men you know what this bride of Christ she's not only lovely and beautiful but she's also Paul said I'm set for the defense of the Gospel look out the Church of the Living God the his bride is ready for combat with Satan at any time because we know who's our captain and we know who's going to be the winner then in the songs of Solomon Chapter 4 starting at verse 7 says Thou Art Fair my love there is no spot in thee how beautiful it is when we can say that there's no spots in us and the Bible speaks of having a spotless robe come with me from Lebanon my spouse with me from Lebanon look from the top of am Mana from the top of Shiner and hon and hon from the Lion's Den from the mountains of the leopard now then we're going with a conversation between the spouses a husband and a wife and now he's saying he's going to view her from every vantage point of from the highest mountain from the Lion's Den to the leopard's Den he's going to see you wherever you are and I want to tell you something he is viewing you when you go through the Lion's Den he's going to see you when you're going going through the cancer treatment he's going to see you when the doctor shakes his head and don't know what to do he's going to be with you through your financial difficulties from the Lion's Den and the lepers Den he's going to see you and he's going to be with you but let us continue thou Hast ravaged my heart my sister my spouse thou has ravaged my heart with one of thine eyes eyes with one chain of thy neck how fair is thy love my sister my spouse how much better is thy love than Wine and the smell of thine ointment than all spices in my little poem my little recitation about the irn highway I talk about it was our first ride together and romantic perfume filled the air it was a perfume called quaintance and they don't have it anymore uh but uh this uh who was that sales that honey acquaintance perfume say it louder Avon that's it Avon and and she wore Avon and my goodness that struck me I was away on Revival I believe it was Evansville Indiana and I was walking down the sidewalk one day and I passed some ladies and they were wearing quaintance perfume I was walking like I just turn around follow him a little it you know what this this this this this Vapor this smell this beautiful Aroma of the apostolic faith I like what I feel I like what I smell I like the atmosphere of an Apostolic service I like the friendliness it's got an aroma that I like thou has ravaged my heart my sister my spouse thou has ravaged my heart with one of Thine Eyes how fair is thy love my sister my spouse how much better is thy love than Wine and the smell of thine oint than all spices thy lips oh my spouse drop as the honeycomb honey and milk are under thy tongue and the smell of thy garment is like the smell of Lebanon a garden enclosed is my sister my spouse a spring shut up a fountain sealed now follow the thought as we go along now his spouse he says that she is in an enclosed space th lips my spouse drop as honeycomb and milk and honey under thy tongue th smell of the Garment is like the smell of Lebanon a garden enclosed is my sister my spouse you see we have an enclosure and it is so beautiful now we have our our national youth conference in Nashville we've had it there many times and it is so beautiful it's like one gigantic Garden that has all the beauty and all the attractions let me tell you something his church is not out here running while they're enclosed with a a spirit of love and dedication and love for each other and a love for a lost one World a garden enclosed is my sister love is so pure so precious it is such a treasure so tender so true it can only be described in poetic terms as putting on Polaroid glasses everything looks prettier the grass looks Greener and the flowers look more colorful common language is inadequate to describe such Heavenly Bliss here Solomon borrows from nature things beautiful and delicate to describe his feelings there's nothing coarse vulgar unseenly or indiscret in his description of true love we've already mentioned he speaks of her eyes as Dove's eyes not the eyes of an eagle or eyes of a raven th hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Mount Gilead flocks of freshly washed sheep evenly Shor as how he described her teeth her lips are likened to a thread of scarlet her temples remind him of a pomegranate and her neck reminds him of a beautiful Tower remember his royalty Regal and refined he's handsome and masculine wealth and luxury are his give her any maiden's dream all she has to do is love him in return simple reciprocation just reciprocate reach back to him with love that's what we're doing when we come to the house of God and we're worshiping that's what we're doing when we sing about coming out of that grave it was a heavy load I was carrying I couldn't bear that load until I met him and when I met him I came running out of that grave it's my Deliverance it seems that things precious come with the possibility of losing it thus turning treasure into tragedy now the scene drastically changes in chapter 5 he turn he returns from a place not mentioned in the songs of Solomon 5 starting in verse one he said I am come into my garden my S my sister my spouse I've gathered my myrr with my spice I've eaten my honeycomb with my honey I've drunk my wine with my milk eat o friends drink yay drink abundantly oh beloved now she from within hears his voice and his knock at the door she's now reasoning with her subconsciousness now the the old way there was a hole in the door and and you could get a hold of that and that's the way you entered but it could be locked from the inside and you could not get in from the outside unless you permitted The Outsider to come in she from within hears his voice and his knock at her door she's now reing reasoning with her subconsciousness here's what she says I sleep but my heart waketh it's the voice of my beloved that knocked saying open to me my sister my love my Dove my undefiled she's asleep and there's a knock on the door you've all we've all had this to happen in the middle of the night the phone rang and you know it's ringing but it's hard to get awake if I can and many times I've I've been too slow to get to the fold and whoever it was is already hung up well he's knocking at that door and he's had his honey he's had his myrr he's had his perfume he's he on his business wherever it was he's now back in his garden and his Cottage where his spouse his beloved is and he's knocking on the door and she's trying to get away and here's what she says I sleep but my heart's awake it's the voice of my belove that knth saying open to me my sister my love my Dove my undefiled for my head is filled with Dew and my locks with the drops of the night he's been on a trip he's needing to get inside his hair is wet from the Dew and he's trying to get inside and his beloved from within she hears him she knows he's knocking but she's having a hard time getting awake she said I sleep but my heart waketh she continues to reason with herself she saysi put off my coat how shall I put it on I've washed my feet how shall I defile them my beloved put his hand by the hole of the door and my vows were moved for him God is knocking at our door and as long that we realize he's there he wants to give us Revival he wants to give us healing he wants to give us blessings and we know is there but sometimes we find our physical body unable to become responsive to the knock on the door he's knocking and my heart says he's at the door but yet I can't seem to get myself awake to get to the door and open the door and so he knocks and he knocks now notice I rose up to open to my beloved and my my hands dropped with myrrh and my fingers with the sweet smell of myrrh upon the handles of the lock when she finally after so long a time was able to get herself awake she goes and she puts her hands in the hole of the door to open it up and he's gone he's gone he's not there but she has the aroma she has the smell of who was there she recognizes who it was by the odor by the perfume by the myr by the Honey by the sweetness of her spouse I want to say something to us tonight if we are not careful we hear of the days of the tent revivals we've heard of the days of cottage prayer meeting we've heard of the days of Pentecost but if we're not careful we'll be a little slow about getting to the door and when we finally get there all we get is just a smell of what has been we don't want just a smell of Pentecost I want Pentecost I want to yank that door open I want him to come in because he is my [Applause] beloved she said I open to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone my soul fa when he spake I sought him but I could not find him I called him but he gave me no answer Genesis 6 and3 says my spirit will not always strive with man yet his days shall be 12 20 years it's a sad thing to think of going to the door trying to find the Lord and you can't find him there is such a thing as crossing a deadline we were in Revival in 1949 in Princeton Kentucky Bobby and I were just about 11 or 12 years old and when when we give an altar call there was a man there that would come up to the Altar and he got down and he prayed like this oh God you can't save me oh God you won't save me oh God you can't say you won't save me and my father knelt down beside him and he said sir stop stop praying a minute that's not the way to pray God wants to save you if you'll just pray and and ask him and ask God to forgive you and we went back to prayer and the man started in again and said God you won't save me I can't be saved and my father said sir there's something in your life you're not giving up or you could get Deliverance God will forgive you and he went back to praying again the same way the Tent Revival closed in Princeton Kentucky we left went to another place and about two weeks later we got a letter from that man's niece and she said her uncle had borrowed a shotgun told them he was going hunting and he went out in the woods and took his own life and he left a note that he had hired some boys to drown his wife's first husband and he was not willing to confess that he had something that he would not give up I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself you know it's a sad thing it could be the last night for any one of us it may not be that God will not hear us but your life could be taken before you get home tonight every day you open your newspaper read you'll read for somebody has done gone over someone has crossed over I look at the obituaries I see person after person almost every one of them are younger than myself you better get ready while there's time I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone my soul failed when he spake I sought him but I could not find him I called him but he gave me no answer answer the Watchman that went about the city found me they smot me they wounded me the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me her delayed decision created a situation causing the Watchmen of the city to mistake her for a woman of the night and they smote her wounding her and stripping away her veil oh how sad to put off opening one's heart to Jesus Christ when he's knocking at your door the hurt the humiliation the complications if only she could go back and relive her mistake and her delay I hope I'm getting through to somebody here tonight I hope somebody is listening to what I'm saying right now oh if she could just go back if I could undo if I could redo situation the late country singer and songwriter Hank Williams put it in song about his broken life he said darling let's turn back the years and go back to yesterday let's pretend that time has stopped and I didn't go away we had our love to make us happy it wasn't meant to bring us to tears love like ours should never die so darling let's turn back the years that makes a beautiful love song but you can't do it you can't go back what I'm saying to us tonight God puts the opportunity before us seek ye the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is nigh and what I'm saying to us tonight this husband and wife relationship don't let the husband get away Jesus is our head and our husband and is knocking on our door tonight if you don't know him if you have not been saved he's calling at you he's knocking on your door there's some things you can't redo you're living in the present tonight you have the choice to wait to your opportunity and open open your heart's door in desperation she appeals to the daughters of Jerusalem for help in verse eight she says I charge you oh Daughters of Jerusalem if you find my beloved that you tell him that I'm sick of love please don't interpret me not opening the door as my lack of love I love you so much I'm sick but I can't find you you oh let me tell you something when you're in a service and you feel the conviction of the Lord and there's here people here tonight who know what I'm talking about and something inside you says you need to go forward and turn your life over to the Lord but as the as the spouse said in the story I've taken my coat off I've washed my feet and she begins to give minor silly excuses why she couldn't get up and go to the door but now later she realizes the mistake she's made and now she says somebody help me she appeals to the other ladies of Jerusalem and said if you find him tell him that I'm so sick of what I've done I'm so sick because I failed to get to the door the the prodical son saw it all vanish before his eyes he saw his wealth turn to hogwallow D Delicacies to which he had become accustomed turned to corn husk when he had spent all the big spender himself became spent he who had given all his in rry and making others Mary found no one to give to him so he went and joined himself to citizen of the country when one spends his reputation his health wealth is unrecoverable youth he often finds himself joined to things which he never intended seemingly harmless habits become vicious vices and cruel taskmasters things thought to be unimportant indiscretions come back to stalk like a wild beast on the trail of fresh blood then our friends wants to know what's so special about your beloved verse nine they said what is thy beloved more than another beloved oh thou fearest among women what is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou doest so charge us what is so special about your beloved my beloved is white and Ruddy the cheapest among 10,000 his head is as a most fine gold his locks are bushy and black as a raven his eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters washed with milk and fitly set his cheeks are as bed of spices as sweet flowers his lips like lies dropping sweet smelling myrr his hands are as gold rings set with the Burl his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires his legs are as pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold his countenance is as leevan and excelled as Cedars his mouth is most sweet yay he's alog together lovely this is my beloved and this is my friend oh Daughters of Jerusalem Jesus has that loveliness in him which is not to be found in any other there's none like him nor any to be compared with him everything else is to be accounted loss in comparison to him what is so special about what I'm trying to tell you tonight what is so special about our Lord the Apostle Paul puts it this way in Philippians 3:8 yay doubtless and I count all things but lost for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I've suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I might win Christ he's higher than the kings of the earth Psalms 89:27 says also I will make him my firstborn higher than the kings of the earth Jesus has obtained a more excellent Name than any of the principalities and powers of the upper or lower world again Paul says in Philippians 29 wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name let me tell you something we have a great savior that we're presenting to you tonight what is so special I'm telling you now Hebrews 1 1-4 God who has sued times and divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by his son whom we have appointed heir of All Things by whom also he made the worlds who being the brightness of his glory and the Express image of his person and upholding All Things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high being made so much better than the angels as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they and our musicians can get ready for our altar service he is a standard Bearer among 10,000 he is himself lifted up as an inside he is the flag on our old ship of Zion Isaiah 11:10 says that in that day there shall be a root of Jessie which shall stand for an inside that is a flag that they sail on the front of a ship of the people to it it shall shall the Gentiles seek and his rest shall be glorious and there is every reason in the world why he should have the uttermost and the uppermost place in our lives he's the fairest of 10,000 tonight he is saying in Revelation 3:20 behold I stand at the door and knock If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come into to him and will sck with with him and he with me here's what he promises to you Isaiah 61 And1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach Good Tidings unto the meek he has sent me to bind up the Brokenhearted to proclaim the Liberty to the captives and the opening of prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord the day of Vengeance of Our God to comfor all that mourn now listen to this to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give unto them Beauty for Ashes the oil of joy for mourning the Garment of Praise for the spirit of heaveness they that might be called Trees of Righteousness the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Revelation 197 let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife ha made herself ready and to her was granted that she should be a raid in fine linen clean and white for the fine lining linen is the righteousness of the Saints I offer this to you tonight please don't wait there is Doom in delay would you stand your feet with me now a song was issued a copyright in 1917 it was renewed in 1945 by FM Leman it says it like this the love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell it goes beyond the high star and reaches to the lowest hell the guilty Paar bows down with care God gave his son to win his airing child reconcile and pardon from his sins oh love of God how rich and pure how measureless and strong it shall forever more endure the Saints and Angels song could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies a parchment made where every stalk on earth a quill and every man ascribed by trade to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretch from Sky to Sky oh love of God how rich and pure that's what he offers to you tonight his love is so strong and so rich and right at this point as the music gets ready I felt this message on my heart that I want to offer to you tonight there is somebody here tonight that needs the Lord now I realize and I know and I've preached it even tonight that we enjoy his presence we enjoy his smile we enjoy his cuddling we enjoy that precious peace that we feel but what about those that's Among Us that don't know the Lord that hasn't received the Holy Ghost that hasn't turned your life over to him as they sing often if the saints of God come forward others feel more comfortable to come forward also let us start moving toward this altar right now if you want the Lord step out from your seat right now this is a tender love song this is the tender message that God offers to you if you want the Holy Ghost if you want to be drawn closer to the Lord if you want to answer the knock at your door come right now and join us this [Music] morning love falling in love with Jes Jus falling in love with Hallelujah Let's Fall In Love all over let fall in love with him all over Hallelujah he wants to make love to you he wants to give you his kiss of love he wants to show you he loves you tonight he wants to show you he cares for you tonight what you're deserving right now prot in his arms never connected in his arms I feel protected there is no [Applause] place someone that needs Holy Ghost come on don't be ashamed so lift your hands and praise him come on love the Lord right now love him right now praise your name Praise Your Name hallelujah hallelujah praise your wonderful name praise your wonderful name thank you hallelujah hallelujah love him right now love him right now just love him just love him right now Hallelujah love him tell love him in Falling In Love With Jesus Falling in Love with j Jesus was the best thing I've ever ever done